I was in hot water with Steel Strut for being late to her workshop

, but other ponies were having a much rougher day and night in my Equestria dreamscape.

Nightfall woke up the way she often woke up these days in my Equestria dreamscape. Screaming and covered in sweat. She was lying on dirty cot in a small, dingy, sparsely furnished bedroom. At least her room did have one feature that she appreciated which was a small half bathroom. Which after these nightmares she often needed it.

The batpony could also feel the crash coming on as the effects of the injection began to wear off. Rolling off the cot was able to stagger to bathroom before her body expelled the contents of dinner all over the room. After about 15 minutes the purge finally subsided, but it left her a shaking wreck clutching the sides of the toilet. Panting the young mare climbed up and sat down on toilet.

And began to cry.

Both from the pain wracking her body and the anger and shame she felt. Her helpless impotent rage which she only had one outlet for. In the numerous back alley and basement rings where she was forced to beat, break, maim and even kill her fellow pony.

But this only provided a temporary release for her pain, and in her nightmares was an ever growing chorus of those she'd destroyed. Their chorus was a disjointed, insane collection of ponies screaming for her to stop, howling in pain as she tore them to shreds. But they were just the chorus to the voice that was the focus Nightfall's tortured dreams. It was a voice that laid the Nightfall's soul bare and made her wish she could just die. It was the agonizing, forlorn, whimpers of a broken filly that she heard almost every night.
Sssis! Hhheellpp me!

Nightfall rocked back and forth on the toilet as she sobbed uncontrollably. "I'm sorry! Sun and moon! I'm so fucking sorry!" she said over and over again as if saying the words would drive ghosts away for at least a little while. "I couldn't save you! I thought I could! I thought I was strong! But I'm not! I'm weak! I'm fucking pathetic, but I can still save him! I, I can't let the same thing happen to him!" She shook her head slowly as she stared at the dirty tile floor.

Another wave pain wracked her body she clenched her teeth and hissed in pain. The spasms were coming faster and harder. Staggering to the washbasin she poured herself a glass of water with shaking hooves. With her teeth the mare pulled the cork from the bottle that held the painkillers that made the withdrawals bearable. She shook several into her mouth then washed them down. Spilling half of the water on herself and the floor.

With this accomplished Nightfall staggered back to her cot and collapsed on it and stared up at the bars on her bedroom window. The glow of gas lamps outside caused the bars to throw long shadows across the floor and the cot is lying. Like the lock on the door of her room they were meant to keep her from leaving.

Although it wasn't physical locks or bars that kept the batpony a prisoner. Nor was it the daily injections that both tormented her while also being the only release from pain that constantly accompanied her now. No. It was something more powerful that kept Nightfall. Something irreplaceable, something that reminded her of a time before this unending nightmare. Before her world became a blur of pain, violence, exploitation and despair.

Nightfall lifted her head from the lumpy pillow on her cot and looked at the nearby wall. Even in the deep shadows of the unlit room her cat-like eyes could see the small photo pinned to the wall near her cot. It was stained, battered, and crumpled but it was the most precious treasure in the world to her. It was also a constant reminder of what failure to obey would cost her. It was the only physical thing she'd been allowed to keep from her life before this living hell.

It was the face of a young, smiling batpony colt. Slowly the mare lifted a shaking front hoof and touched the photo. Softly she spoke to the image.

"I'll save you. I swear it. Somehow I'll make this alright. I'll save you if it's the last fucking thing I do!"

She then buried her face in the stained pillow and cried. Her sobs slowly filled the darkened room.

In a building across the street a unicorn stallion sat of divan with his eyes closed as he calmed his emotions and focused on keeping the surveillance spell activate in his mind. He could hear the mare crying. For the last few days he'd listened to her cry in her room. He'd heard waking up screaming in the middle of the night from her night terrors. He'd documented her hooves slamming the brownstone walls of her room/cell in pain and frustration. He'd noted her private confessions to some unseen phantom. Swallowing he slowly spoke.

"All of the current occupants of the building are asleep; except for the mare who we've identified as being Nightfall. She's, she's having another bout of withdrawals ma'am. It sounds like its a bad one."

The stallion opened his eyes and looked over at Quick Silver. "She's falling apart ma'am. If they keep shooting her up with that stuff she'll be dead in a few weeks. When will we get the Go signal?"

The Scale Bearer looked up the report she was writing. Carefully the earth pony set the fountain pen she was holding between her lips down on the desk she was sitting at. She looked at the stallion with her default bored expression she spoke. "I understand your concern sergeant. However it's critical we apprehend Blind Eye if this investigation is to be a success. She's one of his last remaining valuable assets. We just need him to come and retrieve her. That should be soon. Then we'll move and grab both him, his staff, and get her away from them. Please be patient for a bit longer."

The stallion shook his head in frustration and continued his watch.

To be continued.