Paralyzed Part 2

>Awakening in the same chamber, you are greeted with the sight of Fluttershy smiling at you, holding a small vial of green liquid; you are naked, and have been out for an indeterminable amount of time, with no way of knowing what has been done to you.

>”Mmm…that was wonderful, did you have a nice nap honey bunny?”

>Before you can respond, a deafening roar echoes from the adjacent cavern, causing Fluttershy to yelp in surprise, sending the vial tumbling from her hooves and onto the ground near your legs, shattering upon impact and releasing a murky effervescent gas that sprays into the surrounding air before slowly settling down again, seeping into your bare limbs.

>”W-what was t-that?”

>Again, before you can articulate and utterance, you are interrupted by a roar.

>This one, however, comes from you, as a searing pain rips through your legs. It feels as if your skin is being burned and boiled off by bubbling magma.

>As you scream Fluttershy frantically tries to console you, apologizing profusely at her grievous mistake.

>After a while of your writhing and Fluttershy’s apologies, the pain mercifully begins to subsided, leaving behind a numb sensation that begins at your feet, and travels along your legs up to your hips. They have turned the same deep murky shade of green as the liquid, and you feel you can no longer move them.

>”A-are you okay?”

“I can’t move them, Fluttershy”

>”W-what?”

“My legs Fluttershy, I can’t move my legs!”

>”Oh no…I’m so so so sorry! You see, I got that potion from Zecora, I told her it was for a rowdy bear who needed to be kept still while his poor little paw healed.”

>She is a masterful liar; Zecora must not have suspected her far more sinister intentions in the slightest, as the wise and good-natured zebra would surely have denied her request If she had.

>You sit in silence for a moment before verbalizing your growing fears.

“Is it permanent?”

>She looks into your eyes in the gloomy, lantern lit chamber.

>”I-I’m not sure...I wasn’t supposed to use all of it…”

 

>Rage suddenly fills you, and you lash out at her viciously, slamming a balled fist into the side of her head with all your might, connecting with her temple. She has no time to make her pain audible, as the sheer force of the impact knocks her to the floor a few feet away from you; her body is limp and unmoving.

>Your furious anger slowly begins to subside as you reassess your situation.

“I should have done that from the moment I met you...”

 

>Sitting alone in the dim chamber, staring at Fluttershy’s unconscious form, you contemplate the hideous vocalization that had occurred, and indirectly caused your trying dilemma. You know nothing about the cave aside from the fact that Fluttershy found it in the Everfree Forest, and that chances were good nopony knew you were down here.

>You do know, however, that there is something in here with you and Fluttershy. Whatever it is, it sounded utterly gigantic, the deep angry wail sounded unlike anything you had ever heard before.

>If you do meet this creature, you are sure you won’t survive if it is hostile, with two possibly permanently useless legs, and no weapon of any kind to defend yourself with, you fear your death may come in this cave…

 

>Straining through tears, you pull yourself along the floor of the adjacent chamber, reaching back to grab the lantern every so often. You pray the oil in it lasts long enough to find a way out of here. You abandoned Fluttershy in the previous room, as you could care less as to her fate; this is all her fault.

>”Your fears…”

>The words suddenly stick out in your mind; Fluttershy wanted to know your fears; you stop crawling. Is this part of her plan, to terrify me with some creature she found in this cave and see how I react? You wouldn’t put it past her at this point, that pony has an Ill mind.

>What was that potion for then? To only paralyze a part of your body to make you easier to manage? Your mind raced at these notions. As you lie prone on the cold stone floor, you hear a deep rumbling growl; it is only an echo, but it takes its toll on your nerves.

>Tears begin to stream down your face.

>You thought things like this did not happen In Equestria, not here, where every creature seems to show so much love and consideration for one another.

>Is this what the voice in your dreams meant? To run from Fluttershy?

>You chuckle a bit through your tears at the irony. You couldn’t even run if you wanted to…not anymore.

>Forcing hopeful thoughts into your mind, you think of what is most important to you, what you would do anything to return to. Your raison d’etre; Twilight Sparkle.

>The thought of simply seeing her face again is enough for your fire to find itself rekindled, and you begin to drag yourself along the cavern floor.S

>Panting with the effort, you grit your teeth through the pain for every inch of progress made. Your body has been cut, bruised, and ripped along the rough, jagged floor of the cavern. Moving the lantern ahead of you has only done a little in helping you determine the least agonizing path, and as you move further, the floor becomes progressively sharper, almost serrated.

“Heh, this is probably all some sick fucking trial for me, I bet I’ll make it out just to see the yellow bitch looking down on me laughing, some huge pet bear or something with her, roaring into the cavern just to s-scare me.”

>You hear the growl again, MUCH closer than before; you stop mid-crawl, and instinctively extinguish the lantern. After a moment of focusing your hearing, you find the only sound is your asperous, labored breathing.

>The growl comes again

>Closer.

>You panic and begin to crawl quickly along the darkened floor, leaving your lantern behind in your haste.

“Agh! FUCK!”

>Panting heavily, you move a hand to your mouth to hold back your cries of pain. Rolling on to your back, you can feel blood as a piece of the rock that has lodged itself into you breaks off.

There is a deep gash in your privates, the excruciating pain brings fresh tears to your eyes; you bite down on your hand, hard, to stifle your outbursts.

>Minutes pass like this, as you listen hard for any sound.

>When you finally feel comfortable that nothing is there, you reach for the lantern, desperately exploring it’s bezel for the flange. As your hands grasp on, you turn the nozzle, expecting immediate illumination, and receive nothing.

“No. no please don’t do this to me.” >You try turning again. Nothing.

“Please please don’t do this…please…ple…”

>Breathlessly pleading, you shudder and begin to sob, cursing to yourself.

“Why me? What the fuck did I do so wrong to deserve this s-shit?”

>As you speak to yourself, you do not notice the shuffling hoof steps in the cavern.

“God…please help me, or…Celestia…whoever the fuck, j-just please help me!”

>A rock falls off the ceiling, and lands near your head, quieting you immediately. Jerking your head in surprise, you suddenly become aware of a slow tapping sound moving closer to you by the adjacent wall.

>You sit in silence looking towards the sound, panting heavily, your heart racing loud enough for it to be audible, almost echoing in the cavern.

>You reach for the lantern, turning it again.

>After a few more turns, the flame flickers to life, illuminating the visage of a ghastly creature.

>You scream in fear, the creature reeling back from your cry. It does nothing, but rather crouches on the near vertical cavern wall, as if it were a spider. You stare at each other for a long time before you begin to more diligently scrutinize its countenance.

>The creature is pony sized, has four limbs, no ears, no tail or mane, and no coat. The creature sports a rubbery pale gray skin, with tiny white hairs; the eyes are a milky white opaque, but it seems to have a cyan iris, and even a pupil, though much smaller than a regular pony’s would be. Where the ears would be, are two slanted indentions leading inside the ear canal, and where the tail would be resides a small, bony nub. From the creature’s slender body, and shapely head, you can determine it is a mare; it is strangely beautiful.

>You try to calm yourself down, searching your brain for something to say to the creature.

“H-hello?” >Is all you can manage, still terrified and wounded.

>The creature opens it’s maw wide, revealing rows of pearly-white razor-sharp teeth, ending in vicious barbed points, as it made a hissing sound like a serpent. You think it might actually be smiling.

>As you try your best to smile back, the creature looks down to your bleeding wound. You begin to fear it might be a vulture, coming down for easy prey.

>”ANONYMOUS, WHERE ARE YOU?”

>You hear Fluttershy’s voice calling out as she flies blindly into the cavern, her wing clipping a stalactite; she tumbles in the air before hitting the ground with a heavy thud, groaning in pain as she tries standing up on her wobbly legs.

>You and the creature watch this sight, as Fluttershy regains her sense and observes you two, her eyes go wide, and she furrows her brow in anger.

>”Think you can hurt MY man you ugly little freak? I’ll show you!”

>Fluttershy takes flight and rockets over to the creature; which emits a high-pitched squeal as Fluttershy collides with it, knocking it off the wall, and grappling awkwardly on the cavern floor, but with great violence.

>As the sound of the two p0nies fighting fills the cavern, the deep growl returns, and becomes a great roar again; both ponies are at attention now, eyes widened in fear at the greater threat. Heavy footfalls vibrate the ground as it nears from a distant cavern to the east; you begin crawling frantically towards the north, taking the left path of two forked caverns.

>You luckily have the presence of mind to bring the lantern with you as you crawl.

>The two p0nies follow you, but your wound is quickly exacerbated; the shard of rock lodges itself deeper, and as you stop your crawl and cry out in pain, Fluttershy acts quickly, desperately grabbing you and taking flight.

>You drop the lantern in the mayhem, watching the flame extinguish as it shatters on the hard rock floor.

>Fluttershy is flying in total darkness now, down the wide corridor.

“F-Fluttershy stop! You’re going to crash in-“

>Almost as if ironically obeying an order, Fluttershy promptly smashes into another stalactite, separating the two of you as you are released into the unknown below.

>You fall for several seconds before hitting a rushing underground river below you, quickly being swept up in the roaring rapids; it is still pitch black, and the water is freezing cold. You bump into various objects and large rocks, smashing your left arm, it is painful, but you doubt it’s broken.

>You take large gulps of water in as the force of the river drives you downward, and picks up speed at an alarming rate before finally throwing you over the edge of a waterfall.

>For a moment, you feel as if you are suspended in the air within the pitch blackness, before your stomach turns over and gravity thrusts you back down; you hit the water painfully, face first.

>You are disoriented from this impact, sinking half way down into the water, before finally attempting to swim; but it is all in vain, your legs still utterly useless.

>The panic of oxygen deprivation forcing you to try a new approach, you let yourself hit the bottom; as your body hits the sand below, you crawl along as quickly as you can, putting all of your strength into each motion until you finally feel a slope upward in the sand.

>You follow the slope, crawling frantically. Totally out of breath, you involuntarily gasp, swallowing a large libation of water. You feel your head reach the surface, pawing frantically at the dryer sand as your arms pull the weight of a haggard body out of the subterranean lagoon.

>Before you can gasp for air, you expel the water in your lungs, the sensation causing you to vomit along with the irrupted water, convulsing in tandem with each painful retch…

 

>Was the nightmare over, or had it just gotten worse? You reckon from the distance the river carried you, that the colossal beast that prompted your flight was far enough away that you would no longer have to worry about it; but what of that pony-like creature, and Fluttershy?

>Neither of those questions are answerable now, and your wounds certainly required more immediate attention.

>Crawling up to the nearby wall of this small shore, you prop yourself up against it, and feel around for your wound, your heart sinks; the shard of rock has slipped further into your flesh, and you will not easily reach it with your fingers alone.

>You must try.

>Pressing your fingers around the perimeter of the gash, you locate exactly where the shard is lodged. The wound has stopped bleeding, aside from a small spot where the coagulated blood has splayed back open. Panting and sweating, you slowly spread the gash apart with your left hand’s index and middle finger, and gingerly slide your right index finger inside; you can feel the shard, but it has broken into three pieces.

>Wincing in pain, you position your thumb inside as well, and grasp the first shard. Your finger slips on it, and you must reach your fingers further back this time to get a better hold. Repeating this two more times, the third being the most painful, you finally have all three offending intruders out of your pudenda.

>The bleeding did not increase very much, thankfully, and you feel around a second time to get a better idea as to the extent of the damage; hopefully nothing a few weeks of uninterrupted healing won’t fix, provided you do not get an infection. With nothing to bandage the wound with, you simply close your eyes, hoping to get a few moments rest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

>A cool wind blows against you, rustling the grass and branches of the tree you are lying against, bringing you sweet floral scents. You open your eyes; you are in another world now. A Constricting yet pleasant numbness prevents all movement aside from your gentle breathing, and operating of eyelids. The scene before you is a simple, yet deeply moving one.

>Stretching as far as the eye can see are blossoming trees along rolling hills, punctuated by critters of all shapes and sizes, playing happily in this peaceful land. You soon become faintly aware of a warm presence resting against your chest, but as you cannot move, you cannot look to see what it is, though you feel an endless sea of affection for the presence, that very same ardor allowing your lips to twitch into a smile.

Closing your eyes again as you smile and enjoy the serenity, a quiet whisper floats on the wind; you can only make out three of the words.

>”…and tell her…”

 

 

>The rushing of the waterfall was strangely calming, like the pattering of rain; but the crash of a heavy object as it tumbled over the falls woke you.

>That peaceful world of wonder was gone, and you had awoken back into atramentous hell, deep beneath the Everfree Forest.

>Though deep ebony veiled all things around you, the acoustics of the cavern leads you to believe there are no other embrasures aside from the top of the waterfall; without the use of your legs to try and climb back up to the top, you are trapped.

>After a few uncomfortable moments of contemplation, you decide that sitting here and sulking is an utterly pathetic way for it to end.

> If it has to end, and end here, you are going to at least die trying your damndest to get out, no matter what it takes…legs, or no legs.

>Suddenly out of the darkness, a strange toadstool illuminates next to you, casting a blue phosphorescent glow. Staring at in astonishment for a moment, you slowly reach out to it, and grasp it’s base; giving it a sharp tug, the shroom departs the sandy soil.

>Looking into the majestic lambency of the mushroom, you begin to feel hopeful again.

 

 

>Having checked your wounds thoroughly, you found that they were indeed not too bad, but looked rather horrible for being where they were; you also survey your surroundings in detail, now able to see every corner and crevice of the lagoon. There are indeed no other exits from this chamber, as you had expected, but you had a sneaking suspicion that the lagoon’s water was draining OUT somewhere.

>You are able to accomplish this all thanks to the mushroom.

>Pulling yourself along the small beach, your suspicions are confirmed, through the clear water you can see a large cavern beneath the rippling waves. Looks like you’ll be swimming.

>More accurately, you were crawling. After taking a deep breath, and plunging into the water, you allow yourself to sink to the bottom of the cavern, and begin crawling along the sand; looking up for air pockets, you were able to access them by pushing up with all of your might, sending you out of the water just high enough, and just long enough to gasp in a quick gulp of precious oxygen.

>You are thankful you are not claustrophobic, as the space became increasingly confined; this was already terrifying enough of an ordeal.

>Soon you find yourself only able to pull forward with your hands; the space is so tiny that you cannot extend your elbows at all.

>A shaft of light is visible ahead, on top of the stone tube. It is a difficult maneuver, but you manage to roll on to you back and pull yourself up and out of the water, with plenty of breath left to spare.

>The next cavern you find yourself in can only be described as magnificent, and that scarcely does it justice. Lining the walls from end to end of the massive oval cavern were hundreds of mushrooms similar to the one you had held during your dive to light the way; their luminescence was such that the entire chamber was bathed in the astounding blue glow.

>As you marveled at the sight, you saw a peculiar entrance, adorned with artistically carved p0nies on two pillars; beyond this was a seemingly well-lit ante-chamber.

>As you crawl towards it, you travel over a large bridge leading over a great chasm, where even the light of the mushrooms do not reach the deepest recesses of this rift.

>Passing over the bridge you enter the chamber; inside, you notice a large statue at the end of the room of a creature, not unlike the one you saw earlier. The creature has decreased in it’s already strained appeal, looking even more grotesque than it had previously. Clawed paws resided where simple hooves had before; now sporting a tail as well, thick as the creature’s spine, and with a barbed hook at the end.

 

>It’s only a statue though, nothing to be afraid of.

 

 

>Directly in front of you on the chamber floor, is a lengthy stretch of large tiles that lie in stark contrast with the rest of the chamber, which is fairly weathered from age and moisture; the tiles however, are pristine, and reflect the blue glow of the mushrooms beautifully, even showing your reflection…

>You look into the tiles, and quickly regret the decision.

>In place of your face is a horrendous squish of red, agonized flesh, contorted into what resembles some sort of abomination screaming in pure fury.

>You reel back, and it takes you a few long moments before you can work up the courage to look again; this time, you see yourself.

“I must be losing my mind…”

>With a sigh, resettling your nerves, you start to crawl over the tiles, but are interrupted.

>”Anonymous!”

>Calling out to you from a terrace above the statue, you see Fluttershy. The terrace is barred by stalagmites and stalactites, almost like a prison.

>”Anonymous, I’m sorry! I’m so, so, sorry! None of this was supposed to happen, I-I don’t even know what’s going on anymo-”

>As her voice cracks in strain, she begins to sob, collapsing in front of the bars and heaving with terrible anguish. You can feel her sorrow, and it manages to affect you a bit; still angry with her however, your responses come out in monotone.

“What is this place Fluttershy?”

>She does her best to stifle her sobs while answering, it is barely intelligible.

>”I d-d-don’t know…I *Sniff* have never s-s-seen it b-b-before…”

>Her blubbering begins to annoy you, your voice now reflecting this.

“I don’t believe you. This is all just a part of you game isn’t it?”

>Her head pops up from between her hooves in surprise.

>“No! I s-swear I’ve never s-seen it b-before!...I’m trapped in this r-room…”

>She puts her head down again, fresh tears starting to fall.

“Just calm down Fluttershy, everything will be…just. *Sigh* Everything will work out, just please stop crying.”

 

>She begins sobbing again.

>You put a hand on the first tile, tired of waiting in place and listening to her whine, and hear a deep rumble as the tile depresses under your weight.

“Shit…”

>A clunk, and a large thundering of gears begins beneath you.

>The floor behind you begins to crumble away, as do select pieces of the pristine tiles.

>”You should run…”

>That voice again, was it cruelly mocking you? Your legs are parlay- You can feel a toe twitch! You can FEEL your foot!

>At this revelation you begin fighting desperately to move the rest of your leg as the rumbling grows more intense, and more of the structure begins to fall away into the abyss below.

>Fluttershy sees your plight, and calls out to you, no longer sobbing.

>”You can do it Anonymous, fight it! You can move your legs, you CAN move them!”

>Her words seem to spark something in you, they feel entirely sincere, almost…warm; so warm that you can feel a heat in your left leg, and then your right.

>You stand.

>She is cheering you on now, her words help you make your first step, and then another.

>It hurts, each movement causing shocks up your legs and into your hips; you cry out in torturous pain.

>You stop, and lean against the wall, standing on a tile; the pain has become too much, and you can barely breath, let alone move; all adjacent ones around your tile have fallen away now.

>”Don’t stop Anonymous, believe in yourself, like I believe in you!”

>You look up and into her eyes, you can still feel her sincerity, she wants you to survive, to succeed, and she believes in you…

>You throw yourself to the nearest tile forward just before the one you had been on previously falls away into the blackness below.

>You can hardly call it running at this juncture, but you are making progress, carefully stepping over the gaping holes where tiles have begun to fall away; you soon manage to work your way into a sprint, the excruciating pain numbing with each movement like triumph and reward, until you finally reached the end of the tiles, safely STANDING at the other end.

>Fluttershy is still cheering for you, tears of joy replacing those of sadness.

>”You did it Anonymous! I knew you could!”

>You can’t help but cry as well, the emotion of the moment overpowering you; not wanting her to see your tears, you turn away from her, and feel your legs start to give out; you stumble and hit the ground where you stand.

>She gasps. “Oh Anonymous…a-are your legs…?”

“I’m ok-“*stifling a sob* “I just needed to sit down.”

>You sit together in silence for a long time; you feel her eyes never leaving you, her concern is strangely touching considering your situation, and her role in it.

>After sorting through your thoughts, you resolve to stand and continue on, keeping any conversation with her as short as possible.

>You look around the room; the statue of the creature, what looks like a door, and two levers next to it on the statue’s left, and on the right, are markings in Equestrian.

>Stepping over to the markings, you read them; it’s absolute gibberish, perhaps your Equestrian is not as good as you thought it was?

>No, that can’t be it; Twilight is an amazing teacher, and you have done so well in your studies with her.

>Thinking of Twilight makes you smile.

>”A-are you ok? You’re being really quiet…”

>Looking up above the statue you see Fluttershy’s big cyan eyes staring down at you.

“I’m fine, it’s just these words don’t make any sense to me.”

>”W-what words, what do they say?”

>Looking over the words yet another time to make sure you had not made a mistake, you read them aloud to Fluttershy.

“It says, ‘In Forge Never Lass’. Does that mean anything to you?”

>She shakes her head.

>You sigh, racking your brain for an answer.

>”…and tell her”

>The voice from your last dream, you had almost forgotten it; but it all makes sense now.

>You smirk; feeling rather clever, you step onto the creatures pedestal, and whisper the words into it’s stony ear.

>But nothing happens.

“Damn it!”

>Your sudden outburst causes Fluttershy to jump.

>You feel your anger returning, the situation becoming more infuriating every second. You begin to question your own knowledge of the Equestrian language, you thought you were so close to mastering it…

>”M-maybe it’s an anagram…”

>Your eyes widen as you look to your yellow savior, it makes so much sense now!

“Of course, you’re absolutely brilliant Fluttershy!”

>You can see her blushing in the gloom of her small, rocky prison. You begin to work your mind around the anagram, but to no avail; you never were the best at word puzzles.

>You whisper nonsense into the statues ear.

“An eel inn revs frogs? A eel fern vig sorns? A eel fro-

>”Learn Forgiveness…”

>You look up at Fluttershy again, quite close to each other now from your position on the pedestal; she is looking away from you, unwilling for your eyes to meet.

>You whisper her words into the statues ear.

“Learn Forgiveness.”

>A powerful rumble rocks the cavern, and you hear a movement of large gears near the door on the other side of the statue.

“Good job, Fluttershy.”

>She still refuses to acknowledge you now.

>Stepping down from the pedestal, you walk over to the stone door, and pull the first lever; the door grinds open slowly, ejaculating dust into the air, choking you as you accidentally breathe it in, your naked and wounded body now coated in ancient dust and grit.

 

“So you say you’re trapped in that room, Fluttershy?”

>You see her nod, but just barely.

“I think this other lever might open something else, maybe something in your room? Do you see any doors?”

>”Y-yes, the one that closed behind me when I walked in, and one in front of m-me.”

>If this lever does open a door in her room, then…

 

>You realize that the power to set Fluttershy free, or leave her behind, now rests in your hands.