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Warning: Grimdark. Reader discretion is advised.

Chapter 1

Pinkie Pie’s eyes shot open. Her face was buried in her pillow, stained from her tears. She quivered as she very gently tried to lift herself up from the bed. She was afraid of seeing her bed soaked, covered in blood, evidence of a horrific deed she had committed… however her bed was dry, only her pillow stained with tears.

She gently placed a hoof to her face, feeling the fresh tears on her cheek. She shivered as her hair moved to cover her eyes, still in shock at the sights she had seen.

“How… how could I…” the vivid images of the nightmare she had just slept through came back in her mind. Horrific cries rang vividly in her ears, her coat soaked with blood, the feel of slicing open another living being… it felt so real. Pinkie Pie shook her head viciously, trying to remove these thoughts from her head.

“Why am I having these dreams!?” She rammed her hooves into her forehead, trying to stop the images that were assaulting her. For the past two weeks she’d been having restless nights of sleep. Every night had been a nightmare, each growing in severity with each episode.

The first dream hadn’t been too scary…she was just attacked by a monster, she had shrugged it off easily, and she’d had a normal day after it. From there the monsters changed. One night she was attacked by the Pony of Death who wanted her soul for damnation, another night it was a faceless slender pony whose presence quaked her very being, then the next night she suffered from a disease and starvation as her body had begun to rot but was denied death from the pain…

She could handle those dreams. They weren’t real after all; a good party with her friends made all those scary thoughts go away. She’d tried changing her diet for a day to see if the bad dreams would go away, and it worked for a night, but only for a night. The next night she had dreamt of being a monster, one with sharp teeth and claws. She was the monster and that had attacked and eaten her the night before. She still remembered the gagging taste the dream had left in her mouth.

The next dream had her terrorizing ponies throughout Ponyville; she’d wrecked homes, crops, products and lives. Then the next night she attacked each of her friends, she could feel the berserk rage of the monster as it had slashed and tore them apart indiscriminately. However she took solace in their deaths being quick and painless, her friends didn’t suffer from her attacks.

But the dream last night was different…it was personal. She was a monster again last night…but it was different. She was just herself, no fangs, no claws, no berserk rage, but a monster. In the dream she had captured her friend, her dearest friend Rainbow Dash. She had taken sharp objects and…

Pinkie dashed into her bathroom, before emptying the contents of her stomach into the toilet, as the vivid images of what she’d done in her dream flashed before her once more. She felt wretched, how could her mind even come anywhere close to thinking of such horrible, horrific things!? She loved her friends! She loved them more than the sun, then her sweets, then her parties, then life itself! Especially Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash was the coolest, most awesome fun-loving Pony she’d ever met! If she wanted to just hang out and have fun or pull some pranks or share some sweets or help throw a great party it was Rainbow Dash who was there for her.

She wiped her mouth as she groggily looked at herself in the mirror. Her mane was straight, her eyes were bloodshot with bags under her eyes, her coat was dull with a sickly look, and she was breathing quite heavily. She looked terrible.

She ran some cold water and repeatedly splashed her face with it. She really, really, REALLY wanted to go see Rainbow Dash…she had to know she was okay but…at the same time she couldn’t do it until the memories of that dream had faded some more…and she had to get out of Sugar Cube corner for the day…she wouldn’t be able to hold back anymore of her stomach if she even smelled a cupcake.

Pinkie tried to stay in the shadows of the buildings as she quietly walked through Ponyville. The fresh air and warm sun weren’t any comfort today. She didn’t want to look at anypony either, worried their faces would trigger another flash of the awful images in her mind. She had nowhere in mind to go, she just had to wander, had to get away from Sugar Cube corner, from her room, from anything that would remind her…

She looked up and around, she had lost track of how much time had passed since she started her little trek, thankful no one had stopped to ask her why she was acting so differently today. She knew the other ponies had started to notice dips in her cheeriness, ever since the dreams had started she’d been throwing more parties than ever before. But more and more they weren’t enough. Twilight had even asked her if something was the matter and she’d done her best to reassure her friend…

Wait! Twilight!

Twilight was a great magical pony! If anypony could figure out a way to stop these dreams she did! She winced at the idea of having to tell Twilight all about the horrific things her mind had imagined about her and her friends…but maybe she wouldn’t have to, Twilight might find a solution without having to know what she’d been dreaming about.

She picked up her pace, running straight for the library. It didn’t take her long, she figured her body must’ve been taking her here there by instinct; it did have a funny way of working that way. She ran to the door and knocked a little frantically. It didn’t take long for the door to creak open.

“Oh, hey Pinkie Pie.” Twilight said surprised but happy to see her friend, “Is this an invitation to a party agai-“ Twilight stopped as she blinked, noticing the distressed look of her friend, “…Are you alright Pinkie? You don’t look so good.”

“No…No I’m not good Twilight…Can I come in?” Pinkie asked, minding her manners for once.

“Of course Pinkie, please, make yourself at home.” Twilight said quickly offering her friend hospitality.

“Thank you…” Pinkie spoke softly as she quietly trotted into the house. She quickly headed for the table in the center of the room and sitting on one of the red velvet pillows before it. She rested her head on the table, closing her eyes as she took a soft sigh to try and relax.

“Can I get you something to drink? Perhaps some hot chocolate?” Twilight asked remembering her friends favorite beverage.

“No sweets please…if you have some coffee that’d be great…no cream or sugar…” Pinkie softly groaned.

“No sweets?” Twilight asked in shock, “Oh my…this really IS serious!” She realized as she quickly prepared her friend the hot drink she requested. She levitated it before Pinkie, who thank Twilight groggily and began to drink. She grimaced at the bitter taste.

“Pinkie, what’s the matter? You can tell me.” Twilight said sitting down next to her downcast friend. Twilight could see the signs, her mane was straight, her coat was dull, her eyes bloodshot with bags under them and most noticeable of all…she wasn’t radiating the energetic aura of Pinkie Pie.

“Oh Twilight…Its awful!” Pinkie put her hooves over her head, “It’s the most awful thing that’s ever happened to me! I can’t even believe what’s happened to me it’s so awful! I can’t sleep, I can’t rest, even parties aren’t helping! I need relief, I need to stop this but everything I’ve tried only seems to make it worse!” Pinkie said her voice was quivering; Twilight couldn’t help but be surprised at how terrified her friend sounded.

“Pinkie…tell me, what exactly is this ‘awful’ thing that has happened.” Twilight tried to reassure Pinkie that everything would be alright. Pinkie took a big breath, steeling her nerves.

“I’ve been having nightmares Twilight.” Pinkie finally said, “Awful, horrible, relentless nightmares. I was throwing more parties to forget them, but they kept coming. I tried changing my diet, I tried relaxing before bed, I even tried falling asleep while doing a handstand with a lemon in my mouth in the shower. Nothing works…and last night’s nightmare was the worse of them all.”

“Nightmares?” Twilight said tapping her chin for a moment, “One second.” She said as she got up and quickly ran over to a bookshelf. She began to pull out books checking them out, scanning them one by one, “No…no, no, no, not you, you’re not right either…” It took a moment, but Twilight finally pulled out a purple book and looked at it satisfied, “Ah-hah!” She said before trotting back to the table and opening the book, flipping through the pages quickly.

“Nightmares,” Twilight began after having stopped on a specific page, “A dream of strong negative emotions; a common occurrence that most ponies will experience. However, if the nightmares should persist or become more terrifying with each episode it could be several reasons: external forces such as medication or diet, which we’ve already ruled out,” Twilight added an addendum, “External stress from recent physical or mental events or caused by a psychological event from anytime during the pony’s life that has left a deep impact. There are several ways to determine what kind of nightmare is being experienced and what the best manner of treating them are.” Twilight said before silently reading the next part.

“So, that book can help me stop the nightmares?” Pinkie asked, hope rising in her heart.

“Looks that way, of course it can’t stop you from having nightmares for the rest of your life though, they’re a normal part of sleep, but it can help you with your constant nightmare issue.” She said still reading. “There’s a spell in here that’ll let me look into your mind and see the memories of your dreams, that way I can see what you’ve been dreaming about and apply the proper spell to try and help.”

The hope that had risen inside of Pinkie fell into her gut like a boulder into a lake.

“No! No no no no no no Twilight!” Pinkie said shaking her head furiously, “You CAN’T see my dreams! They’re…they’re!” Pinkie covered her face with her hooves, “They’re too horrible Twilight! I…I don’t want anypony to see what I’ve seen!” Her voice was trembling; tears were threatening to leave her eyes once more.

She looked up when she felt Twilight’s hoof placed against her shoulder, the look of concern on her face.

“I can’t imagine what kind of dreams you’ve been having Pinkie, but I can see the pain on your face. It’s affecting who you are and I can’t just let this go. You came to me for help and I’m going to help you. Please, you have to let me see what you’ve seen, so that I can help.” Twilight pleaded to her friend. Pinkie lowered her head as she held back the tears burning at her eyes, swallowing hard as she knew her friend wanted to make everything better and might have the power to do so…

“Twilight…” Pinkie muttered in hushed breath, holding back a sob.

“Yes? What is it Pinkie?” Twilight asked, in a similar hushed voiced.

“Please…you have to promise me…that what you’re about to see…w-won’t change your opinion of me.” Pinkie sniffed deeply.

“I swear Pinkie, I won’t think of you as anything but the dear friend I know and love.” Twilight said, Pinkie saw her smile, it was so reassuring, so comforting…

“P-Pinkie Pie swear?” Pinkie asked one last time. Twilight just seemed to smile a little amused.

“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” Twilight did the motions of the Pinkie Pie swear, mimicking sticking the pastry into her face. Pinkie took a moment to let it sink in, then squeezed her eyes shut and lowered her head.

“A-Alright…I t-trust you Twilight.” Pinkie Pie softly muttered, as she did her best to prepare for whatever was going to happen next.

Twilight nodded softly, as she remembered the spell from the book, her horn glowing with light as she concentrated on it. She gently swept hair covering Pinkie’s forehead behind her ear to hold it, then gently tapped the tip of her horn against Pinkie’s skull.

”LEAVE ME ALONE” The Slender Pony approached regardless, the static screeched at her as it drew closer. Pain shocked her body from one side to the other as blood seemed to splatter and cloud her vision turning the world red. She fell to her knees trying to grasp reality, before the pain and sound became too much to bear.

There was a hole in her body. She could feel the worms wriggling in it, crawling up into her torso. They were eating her, eating her alive. The pain clawed into her very soul, but yet death would not come. Her body laid there, unflinching as the insects had their way, feeling every wriggle and slime of their bodies as they slid under her skin.

Bones crunched in her teeth as blood dripped down her chin. The fresh taste of gooey flesh slid down her throat. Sharp teeth bore down again into the side of an earth pony’s neck as the pony’s head fell from her body, giving her a good chunk of flesh to chew. The taste was revolting, but she craved it. She HAD to have it. She had to have more! Her teeth dug into the pony’s skull, crushing the skull as the inner organs began to dribble into her mouth. She had to have more; this one would never be enough.

The screams had died down for now, but that wouldn’t last for long.

“Why? Why are you doing this?” It was the pained and frantic cry of Rainbow Dash. She could see her tied down to a table, wings already sawn off, sawn off by her own hooves.

“Oh Rainbow Dash…everypony dies sometime.” Her voice betrayed her as she pulled out a scalpel, “It’s a simple concept really. You just have to think, ‘Did my life meaning anything? Did I die with a purpose? Will my memory be left when I’m gone?’ All are important questions you see.” She walked towards Rainbow Dash; she could feel the murderous intent grasping at every fiber of her being.

“But…” Rainbow Dash hiccuped through the pain and tears, “I won’t have died for a good purpose…if you kill me.” Rainbow sobbed. “How could you do this to me?”

She raised her hoof and petted Rainbow Dash’s face. She leaned in close to her, there was an attraction she could never describe as having felt before. Her breath was hot and her body betrayed her mind, “Oh Rainbow Dash…If you don’t know the reason by now, you’ll never understand. This is just how things have to be.” She stepped back from her prisoner.

Rainbow only looked confused, but she would rectify that look. She gripped her scalpel and placed it at the base of Rainbow’s hip, and sliced down her leg. Pain overtook Rainbow’s face and voice as she began her delicate slicing operation. After all, she had to prepare the ingredients to be just right.

Twilight stumbled back. Her head kicked back instinctively, wanting to escape from the horrors inside of Pinkie’s mind. Twilight crashed into a book case, causing a cascade of books to fall onto her. She was breathing heavily, frantic and panicked. The spell had only taken a few seconds to complete, but the rush of all the dream memories flooded her all at once.

Those dreams were horrific…and so real…she had felt everything in those dreams, even though dreams should not normally contain such vivid feelings. The monster that attacked her…the feel of bugs crawling all throughout her skin and organs…the gagging taste of flesh in her throat…the torture...the acts she had committed...she wanted to vomit.

“Twilight?” Came a scared, timid, almost hushed voice.

Twilight snapped from her thoughts and looked up at her pink friend. She was trembling, trembling with fear as tears streamed down her eyes. That was right…these were the dreams Pinkie was having…the dreams that were terrifying her, the dreams that she had come to her for help with…

“Pinkie…” Twilight finally muttered, swallowing back her own emotions and stomach contents, “I…I had no idea…” she said shakily getting to her feet and slowly walking back to her friend. She had to be strong right now.

“Twilight…” Pinkie sniffed through her sobs, “I’m sorry…I’m so sorry you saw them…” she closed her eyes, gasping for air through her sobs. Twilight quickly moved next to Pinkie, taking her into an embrace to hold her tight. Pinkie cried desperately into Twilight’s shoulder. Twilight held her dear friend, making sure she knew she had all of her support. The images may have had made her stomach twist, but her friend was more important than that.

“It’s okay Pinkie…” Twilight said once Pinkie’s sobs had started to calm down, “I can see how much these dreams have been eating at you…the Pinkie in those dreams is not you. So we just have to figure out why you’re having them.” Twilight said, letting her friend know that she had in fact kept her promise. The Pinkie in her arms was nothing like the Pinkie that appeared in the dreams. Pinkie slowly nodded her head in agreement, before finally being able to stop her tears and let go of Twilight. Twilight turned to her book and flipped a few pages.

“Since we know it’s not your diet, we need to determine if it’s because of recent events or if it’s something much deeper in your psyche…so let’s start there. When did the dreams start happening?”

“Well…” Pinkie rubbed her face, trying to dry it some, “The dreams started about a few days after the Grand Galloping Gala…and they’ve been happening about every night for the last two weeks. They didn’t happen one night after I did change my diet, but then they just came back the next day…” Pinkie said trying to recall how often she’d have them.

“Hmmm…Well, the Gala was a pretty big incident. You certainly seemed fine at the Donut Shop…but what about after that? I know you said you had some business to attend to before you headed back to Ponyville, so we didn’t see you again till we were heading to the chariot.” Twilight wondered.

“…Well…after I’d spent time with you guys, I went and met with my sister Octavia. She was the one playing the Cello on stage during the gala. She was the main reason I was able to get away with my music antics while there. I wanted to go thank her for helping me try to liven things up.” Pinkie said recalling the night, “She was a little mad at me at first for the mess I’d caused, but she forgave me and we ended up having a very fun chat about what we’d both been up to since we’d left the farm. After a little while it was time for me to go so we promised we’d keep better in touch.”

Twilight pondered this, “Do you think it was that meeting with your sister that started the dreams?” Twilight asked curiously.

“I wouldn’t understand that if she did,” Pinkie said putting a hoof to her chin in though, “We had fun that night…there wasn’t anything that she said that was negative.”

“Have you gotten a letter from her yet?”

“I did get one, but it was just letting me know that she was going to be performing a concert in Fillydelphia. She said that her band was touring around so that if I wanted to send her letters I’d have to address them to her band since the mail carriers know where they’ll be.” Pinkie said tilting her head in thought, “Again, there was nothing negative though…”

“Well, what about the last two weeks then? You seemed mostly fine, other than a few instances where you weren’t as chipper.” Twilight said remembering Pinkie Pie was a little less hyper then usual the last few days. She certainly could understand why now though.

“No…nothing significant. I’ve been throwing more parties because of the dreams, but it’s just been life as usual in Ponyville…” Pinkie said shaking her head slowly.

“I see.” Twilight went back to consulting her books, scanning the pages of the book, flipping through some more looking for what would be best to handle this.

“Here we are…it’s another spell. This one is called the Mind Delve; its intention is to find the source of your problems. It’ll let us find out why you’re having these dreams, be it a minor or major reason.” Twilight said confidently, “So don’t worry Pinkie, I’m going to make sure you’ll be all better in no time.” She gave her friend a confident smile.

“Thank you Twilight…” Pinkie said giving a soft smile back.

“Alright, the book says the spell can be a little disorientating at first, but that you’ll get used to it. You ready?” Twilight asked. Pinkie gave her a nod. “Then here goes nothing.” Twilight said taking a deep breath as she concentrated once more, her horn flaring up with light. She lowered it towards Pinkie’s forehead and gently touched her.

Pinkie’s mind did a flip and felt like it fell into a hazy fog. She lost track of her surroundings feeling like she was falling from a very far height. The world was spinning around her as she felt wind rushing past her. Her stomach was rolling inside of her as she was inside of this intense feeling. She wondered just how long she was going to feel this way, when she finally felt the world stabilizing with a thud that knocked the wind out of her.

She gasped for breath, coughing a bit before feeling the sensation of a ground beneath her. She lifted her head up and shook it lightly, before slowly opening her eyes. She was still in the library…that was for sure. But Twilight was missing, why would she have left her alone in the library?

“Twilight?” She called out, but the only thing that came back was a hollow echo. This was bizarre; the library seemed eerily quiet, even more so than usual when Twilight wasn’t around. She looked onto table noticing two things on it, a bag and a note. She carefully read the words on the note:

You must cross the darkness to see the light.

Pinkie looked at the piece of paper a little confused. Did Twilight write this? If she did…what did it mean? Was she supposed to take this bag with her? Twilight must know what she’s doing after all; she wouldn’t just abandon her here without a good reason…

Pinkie opened the bag, looking to see if there was anything inside of it.

There were two things inside. The first one was obvious what it was, it was a lantern. Inside was oil with a wick. There was a knob on the side; she assumed it would turn the lantern on. If she was going to use it, she’d have to make sure not to use up all the oil. She gently placed the lantern back into the bag.

“What’s this?” She asked as she pulled out a rectangular device. It had a dial on it and an antenna, but it wasn’t an object she was familiar with. It had a face like a picture on it, with a circle on it that had holes. In her mind it kind of looked like a miniature Phonograph, but how would this tiny thing play music?

In her hoof it began to spring to life, playing a soft static sound. Pinkie dropped it surprised by the sudden sound. She stared at it as it buzzed; the sound seemed like a bunch of bees being mixed through a DJ table. She poked the device with her hoof. After a few moments the buzzing stopped. Pinkie looked confused, but had the gut instinct that it must be something important. She placed it back in the bag.

“I guess Twilight believed I needed this bag…I’ll keep to her advice then.” Pinkie muttered to herself as she carefully strapped the bag to her back. She then looked around. The library seemed to hold no more clues for the moment, so she decided to step outside. She felt more comfortable now that she had visited Twilight, so maybe she could go visit Rainbow Dash now…

“Huh?” Pinkie said stopping short of a few feet out the door. A thick fog had fallen all around Ponyville. It was so thick she couldn’t even see anything more than a few feet in front of her. She started to shiver as a wind blew by, the temperature had fallen a significant amount.

“What’s going on? I’ve never seen this kind of weather in Ponyville before…” Pinkie asked confused. “Did Rainbow Dash do this? Why would she?” Pinkie knew she had to find Rainbow and talk to her now. She quickly began to run off towards Rainbow’s house. She was in full gallop, when she suddenly realized she had to come to a full stop. She skidded along the ground and stopped along an edge, a few pebbles getting kicked loose and falling in front of her.

There was a gigantic chasm that had never been in Ponyville right before her. It cut right down the road to Rainbow’s House…in fact it cut off the entire way outside of Ponyville if you didn’t have wings.

“What’s going on?” She asked as she stared into what seemed to be a bottomless pit.

Chapter 2

“There it is.” Pinkie Pie said as she pulled out a map of Ponyville. She’d gone back to the library to find it; luckily she had an uncanny ability to find things she needed very quickly. She took a red marker in her mouth and drew a circle with an X through it at the road with the chasm on it. She then placed smaller X’s on several houses she’d tried to gain access to in trying to find anypony. The town appeared to be empty, abandoned.

“What happened here?” She asked herself looking at the map of X’s. She’d only investigated a small portion of Ponyville, but there were always ponies either at home or wandering around. On bad weather days they’d be in their homes or there’d at least be a notice of some kind if a lot of the ponies would be leaving. Plus why was there that bottomless pit at the edge of town?

“I need to get to Sugar Cube corner. If I can make it there I can get my hot air balloon and try and see if there’s any pegasi in the sky, they might have an explanation for the fog.” Pinkie Pie said confirming her plan of action in her head. She also admitted to being worried about Gummy, she hoped he was alright. She quickly checked her route on the map before packing the map and the pen into her bag. She’d mark anymore unusual occurrences she encountered in Ponyville on the map for her to remember.

She stepped back out into the chilly day when something cold and wet landed on the end of her nose.

“Huh?” Pinkie said trying to see the end of her nose. She shook her head a little, then looked up into the sky. Small specks of snow began to appear as they slowly fell to the ground.

“Snow? But…But its summer…” Pinkie said in shock staring at the white spectacle. She could see her breath but she hadn’t realized it was cold enough for snow out. The pegasi controlled the weather, so they must be up there right now! Pinkie headed out in a gallop towards Sugar Cube Corner.

Suddenly Pinkie heard a static sound coming from her bag. Was that miniature Phonograph making noise again? It certainly picked random times to do so.

Pinkie was knocked out of her thoughts when she saw the outline of a figure in the fog.

“Oh! Somepony is here!” She said her hope rising. She quickly ran faster to the figure. As she got closer though, she couldn’t help but get the strong feeling that something wasn’t right, as the phonograph grew louder…

“Hey, what’s going on here?” She instantly asked before even assessing who it was. She stopped shortly though when she got a good look at the pony…and she let out a high pitched scream.

“Ruuuaaaa…ghhuuurrrrrggghhh…” The pony was barely a pony anymore. Its coat and mane was gone, it flesh rotting on its very bones. One of its front legs was missing, there was a missing chunk of flesh from its back, its eyes looked like they had been gouged out, several teeth looked like they had been knocked out and were bleeding. Its body was covered in lacerations.

“A-Are you alright!?” Pinkie said taking a step back from the pony. Her initial reaction was to figure out if it was in pain, but her gut told her to stay away, that this thing didn’t want her help. The phonograph in her bag started screeching loudly.

“Gruuuuuh” The fleshy mass lunged at Pinkie, its teeth bearing to strike down. Pinkie cried out and jumped away, as the creature fell where she was standing, its teeth sinking into the dirt. Pinkie took a few more steps away from the creature as it brought its head back up, bringing a mouthful of dirt with it. It growled as the dirt dribbled out of its mouth, soaking the dirt with its blood. It began to slowly lumber towards Pinkie again, growling as it seemed to smell her out.

“S-Stay back! Stay back!” Pinkie cried out trying to back pedal away from the terrifying creature. It growled and moaned, dripping a trail of blood as it was intent on tracking her. The creature terrified Pinkie, it looked like it was on the verge of death, yet it wouldn’t die. Instead it was intent on attacking her. Every fiber of her being told her to run away, run as fast and far as you can from this creature.

“Stay away from me!” She cried before her legs finally took action and ran around the creature, quickly galloping away. The creature went to lunge again, its teeth implanting on the dirt once more as Pinkie ran past. As she got farther and farther away the phonograph in her bag began to settle down, before going silent once more.

She collapsed into a sitting position as she breathed heavily; her heart was beating heavily in her throat. What was that thing? Why had it attacked her? Why did it look like a pony? Why had she not seen any pony else but that…thing?

“I...I need to...get to Sugar Cube Corner...” Pinkie panted trying to calm her nerves. She bit down on her arm, pinching herself to remind herself she wasn’t dreaming. She was in control of herself…she could run away from what she saw…this was not a dream. She shook her head and got back to her hooves and began to run again.

The building of Sugar Cube Corner quickly came into view before it. It wasn’t a far walk from Twilight’s house, but it had felt like it had taken longer than normal. With a soft sigh she walked over to the front door, intent on going in and up to her room. The door just gave a disapproving click, telling her it was locked.

“...Why is it locked?” Pinkie frowned as she looked around. She didn’t have the key to the front door and she had to get up to her room. She thought about the situation for a moment before looking up and seeing the balcony that opened from the upper story of her room. On it were pegasus doors she could open if she could climb up.

She looked at the corners of the building carefully, walking in a slow stride around the building. As she came to the back of the building she saw something that surprised her. A ladder was set up that reached to her balcony. Thankful for the good fortune she quickly climbed up.

The pegasus door creaked open as she pushed it, revealing her room in Sugar Cube Corner. The inside of her room was pitch black. She couldn’t see anything past the frame of her door. She carefully dug into her bag and pulled out the lantern, holding it in her mouth as she turned the knob. The wick came to life, the flame shining. She stepped down the stairwell into her room, the light of the lantern illuminating what she couldn’t see before.

She looked in shock at the state of her room. It looked like it hadn’t been used for years. The wallpaper was rotted and peeling, the wooden floor was splintering and falling apart, the curtains were riddled with holes, dust was thick and the air was stagnant. Pinkie looked around confused, before placing the lamp down gently onto a table so she could see the whole room. The stairwell that led to Sugar Cube Corner was filled with debris and junk, blocking the stairwell.

“Was I…gone for a long time?” Pinkie asked as she stepped through the room, hearing the floor creak and groan as it adjusted to her weight. “Twilight wouldn’t have used a spell to send me into the future if she was going to help me…would she?” Pinkie said not sure what to think. “The spell did say it would be disorientating…I guess this could just all be part of that side effect.”

The Phonograph began to let off a soft static. Pinkie stopped in her tracks as she listened to it. The last time it went off she met that creature and it had gotten louder as she got closer to it. She looked around the room hastily but she didn’t see anything that looked like a monster…

“Calm down Pinkie Pie…there’s…nothing too serious to worry about. Let’s just check and see if Gummy is here…grab the balloon…and head for the sky…you can put this creepiness behind you then.” Pinkie said as she grabbed the lantern in her teeth and quickly pushed her bathroom door open.

“Gummy?” She called out despite the lantern in her teeth. She looked into the bathroom and nearly dropped the lantern.

The walls were smeared with blood, bloody hoof prints and hastily scribbled words. The curtains were torn to shreds, the remains barely hanging onto the poles that used to hold them. Caked blood covered the outside of the tub; the whole room looked like a massacre.

“G-Gummy? A-Are you in here?” Her words were muffled, but she had to check, she had to look. Her mind screamed leave but she had to find out if he was in here or not. She took steps into the bathroom, her hooves echoing loudly as she stepped onto the tile. The only relief she was given was that the Phonograph grew quieter as she stepped in further.

She placed the lantern down on the sink and gulped as best she could. The room stank of mold and blood; it made her want to gag. She carefully checked around the tub and the curtains, only seeing more blood. She turned to look at the walls, getting a chance to read what was written in the hastily scribbled blood:

Help me

Pain

He hungers

The words sent chills down her back. What did they mean? ‘He hungers?’ the words echoed in her head. Was that…referring to Gummy? But Gummy had no teeth; the only thing he could swallow was the mushy gator food she bought for him. What had happened in her bathroom? Why would this have happened here? Her mind was reeling with questions; she desperately needed the comfort of one of her friends right now.

She stepped away from the wall, there was only one place left she had to check and that was the tub itself. She very carefully leaned her head over the edge of the tub, looking down into it.

In the tub laid half of the rotted remains of a tiny green gator.

Pinkie threw her hooves over her mouth as the tears began to stream out of her eyes. It was unmistakable…that was Gummy. He looked like he had been there for a long time. Pinkie’s stomach was moving into her throat as she stared. ‘Why was this happening?’ was the question bouncing around her head again and again and again. She needed answers.

It was then that she noticed a bright red ribbon. It was tied immaculately into a bow around something that was sticking out of Gummy’s mouth. Pinkie swallowed as she stared at the item, not sure what it meant. The item was clean…it was free of blood and it looked like…it looked like Gummy was trying to give it to her.

Pinkie gingerly lowered her hoof and took the item from Gummy’s mouth, the item slipping out with a bit of ease. She was able to look at it clearly now, realizing it was a key. The key had a symbol of a star on it. She didn’t quite know what it meant, but Gummy had given it to her in his last days. She had to keep it. She gently placed the key into her bag, remembering just then that the phonograph was still giving off a quiet buzz.

She carefully grabbed her lantern and stepped out of the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She placed the lantern down on the ground as she wiped her face again, hiccuping.

“Gummy…I’m so sorry…” She cried into her hoof as she desperately tried to calm down, “I promise…I’ll give you the proper burial you deserve one day…” she held back another sob, “Please forgive me for not being there for you…”She said as her shoulders shook. Her attempts at calming down were failing. The tears were pouring out stronger now. She just wanted to sit there and cry…

Her mind snapped aware when she heard the buzzing grow louder, turning into the high pitched ringing. Whatever was setting it off was getting closer. That meant she didn’t have the time she needed to sit there and cry her heart out, she had to move or the fate that befell Gummy was going to befall her too.

She hastily grabbed the lantern and ran across her room to the closet where she kept the balloon. The ringing grew louder. Her heart was beating rapidly. She grabbed the closet doors and ripped them open.

A high pitched scream erupted as a white blur latched onto Pinkie’s face. Pinkie whirled her head around frantically as pain struck her all at once. She scrambled her hooves and rammed her head against the wall, erupting another screech from the blur. She whirled her head and flung it across the room. Pinkie breathed heavily as she felt blood trickling down the side of her face. She turned to look at her attacker, her eyes opening in shock.

“Shkyyyaaaaaaaaaa…” Writhing on the floor was what looked like the upper half of a hairless young filly, its white skin beginning to rot on its bone, its two front hooves grasping for land as it flailed on its back, its eyes covered by a white bandanna as its black mouth opened, a long tongue flickering out as it let outs its wailing cry. The screech of the thing struck her ears harder than the loud ringing of her phonograph.

Pinkie Pie was speechless upon seeing this creature. That thing resembled a filly…her stomach did a flip, a full grown pony was one thing…

The creature found its way right-side up, its wailing screeches quieted down as it seemed to be tasting the air, its tongue flicking about. Pinkie winced as she tried to take a step back, only to find a wall there. The creatures head snapped to look straight at Pinkie Pie. It let out another wail as with shocking speed it began to crawl straight at her. In a blind rush she quickly jumped to the side, the creature slamming its head straight into the wall. It let out a wailing cry as it flailed its head in pain.

Pinkie’s heart pounded in her throat as she watched the creature. Its wailing cry made it sound so pitiful. It had left a sizeable bloodstain on the wall and its head was bleeding profusely. It flailed its head back and forth. Pinkie wanted to reach out and help it, she wanted to stop its pain and let it know everything was alright…

The creature let out a blood curdling scream and rushed at her again, its mouth clamping down hard on her leg. Pinkie cried out as she flailed her leg trying to get the creature off, but it held on with a tight grip. She began to run around trying to shake the creature, but its grip seemed to get tighter. She couldn’t hear anything beyond her screams and the beating of her heart.

She stopped next to a wall and slammed the creature hard against the wall. The creature was still there, she slammed it hard again. She slammed it again and again and again. Warm blood splattered against the wall and onto her coat. She summoned all of her strength and slammed it against the wall.

The creature slid off as life escaped its body, collapsing onto the floor with a thud. Pinkie’s breath filled her lungs with fire as her body shook with adrenaline. She looked down at her bleeding leg and then at the creature she’d just finished off…

“Oh no…oh no oh no oh no…” Pinkie said in a shaky breath as she stepped backwards from the creature. She hadn’t meant to kill it, had it even deserve death? It had attacked her but was it the right thing to do? She sat on the ground panting, her body shaking, her mind reeling. She looked down at her body and saw the soft splatter of its blood against her coat. Her stomach flipped again and again, her contents about to come up.

“What have I done…” she gasped trying to cool her burning lungs, “Why did it have to come to this?” She shook her head violently. She didn’t want any of this but it was happening…this was no dream that she could wake up from and it’d all go away…this was here and it was real.

She took a deep breath as she tried to stand on her shaking legs.

“Rainbow Dash…Rarity…Fluttershy…Applejack…Twilight…anypony…I need you right now…” she said shakily walking towards her closet. She grabbed the lantern and looked into the darkness. The Balloon was there, the basket holding the deflated balloon. Hope rose in her heart as she placed the lantern down and began to pull out the cloth from the basket…

Large holes riddled the balloon. It wasn’t use-able for flight.

Pinkie broke out in sobbing tears, crying into the hole-ridden cloth.

Chapter 3

Pinkie Pie tenderly finished cleaning and wrapping her wounds. Her leg still throbbed from the bite wound, but at least now it would start to heal properly. She tested her weight on it; there was a small bit of pain but nothing she couldn’t handle. She could keep moving; she could run away if she had to.

She looked at the note she had placed on her bed once more; it had been resting at the bottom of the balloon’s basket, as if it had been waiting for her to find it.

Laughter and smiles of youth,

Together as they find out truth.

Dreams of the future are held,

As fears of the past are expelled.

She had been dwelling on this note since she’d found it. She knew it was a riddle…she wasn’t very good with riddles. But her mind had finally calmed down enough now to start thinking more coherently. Her brain had finally stopped reeling from horror long enough to take deciphering these words seriously.

“…Well…I guess the first line means foals…foals finding truth? Like…learning?” That word sparked it for her, “Oh! This riddle is about a school.” She said rereading the riddle in context of a school and all the lines fit, “So…does that mean I should head for the school?” She asked herself.

She looked around at the dilapidated room, the balloon that was torn apart, the body of half a filly…

“…No reason to stay here.” She sighed as she packed the note into her bag before grabbing the lantern and heading outside. She shivered as she hit the cold, snowy air once more. She hadn’t realized how warm it was being inside of the building…

She turned the lantern off and placed it back in the bag. She then began her gallop towards the school.

She watched carefully from behind a tree as the lumbering form of the monster paced away from the entrance to the school. It looked just like the first monster she had encountered, the three legged groaner. ‘If there’s more than one of those things, maybe Groaner is a good thing to call them…’ she thought to herself.

She worried that the buzzing of her phonograph might give her position away, but the groaner didn’t seem to notice any sounds unless she made them. It soon began to lumber away into the fog, turning into a dark silhouette of itself. She figured now was the perfect time to move.

She quickly made it to the front door of the school and pulled on the handle, trying to get inside quickly. The door jammed from the sound of it being locked.

“Its locked too!?” She asked bewildered. She hadn’t expected it to be locked, not after that riddle had told her to come to the school. ‘Did I get the answer wrong?’ she asked herself as she looked at the door again. It was then that she noticed just above the handle was the lock, with the symbol of a star on it.

It felt like a switch was flipped on in her head. She quickly reached into her bag and pulled out the key Gummy had left for her, being careful not to undo the ribbon. She placed the key into the keyhole, it fitting perfectly. The door unlocked with a satisfying ‘click’ that made her smile softly. She went to grab the key to hold onto it again.

The key turned into ash, the tiny pieces quickly falling to the ground.

She stared in shock at the gift Gummy had given her. The only part that hadn’t turned to ash was the ribbon that floated down gently, landing on her outstretched hoof.

“No…Gummy’s gift…” She said, her lip quivering as tears threatened to fall once more. She shook her head quickly, taking a deep breath of cold air as she calmed herself again. She’d already cried a lot…if she kept crying she wasn’t going to get out of this situation anytime soon. Besides, she still had the ribbon from the key…

She very carefully tied the bow to the end of her mane. It still didn’t have its frizz to it, but tying it at the end helped make her feel like it was a little poofy again. The ribbon gave her comfort, she felt as if Gummy was right beside her while wearing it.

She opened the school door and headed inside. To her surprise the area was fairly well lit, she had been expecting to need her lantern like at her house. The school seemed to have faired better than her house did, it had a thick layer of dust but the structure wasn’t nearly in as much disrepair. Lockers lined the walls as the hallway lead to classrooms. Signs hung on the wall pointing out the direction to the cafeteria, nurse’s office, Principal's office and the classrooms.

“Huh?” Pinkie’s ear twitched upon hearing a sound. It sounded like the laughter of young foals. She turned her head in the direction of the sound, simply amazed at the sight. She could see the ghostly apparitions of two young foals playing in the hallway. They laughed and pranced around each other before running down the hallway in the direction of a classroom.

Pinkie watched as they faded through the door to the classroom. She quickly turned her head to her bag and listened for the static of her phonograph…but it was silent.

“…Well…maybe those ghosts aren’t monsters like the others…” she said quietly to herself. Perhaps if they weren’t monsters, they were a sign. She quickly followed after the foals, opening the door to the classroom.

The classroom was as quiet as the halls of the school, stagnant air mixed with a layer of dust. But the room gave Pinkie a sense of nostalgia; it was the classroom she had gone to when she had moved to Ponyville.

Memories began to flood her mind.

“Well Ms. Pinkamena Diane Pie, we recognize that you have been home schooled for most of your life, but upon testing you on the Ponyville Standardized Test your score was not high enough to acknowledge a graduate level pony. So we are requiring you to take at least one year of public school here in Ponyville.” The mayor explained to her.

“W-What? I have to go to school?” Pinkie said pouting in her seat opposite the mayor’s desk. “But learning was so boring!” She stomped her hooves a little in her chair.

“Now, now sis,” Octavia said reaching over and placing a hoof on her sister’s shoulder, “It won’t be that bad. Just think of all the new friends you’ll be able to make. You’ll have a lot more ponies to invite to your parties.” She said comfortingly.

“But…but…” Pinkie said looking at her sister with pleading eyes. She already knew that she wanted to spread smiles as much and as far as she could, but this was her first time finding other ponies to be friends with to host a party for. She was rather intimidated by the thought that they wouldn’t like her parties.

“Tell you what,” Octavia said with a comforting smile, “if it’s alright with the mayor, I’ll go to school with you. How does that sound?”

“I don’t see why not.” The Mayor said nodding with a smile.

“Really!? Oh my gosh you’re the best big sister ever!” Pinkie said hugging her dear sister, a big smile on her face. Octavia smiled in return as she petted her young filly sister.

Pinkie smiled at the warm memory. It was one she hadn’t thought about in a long time. When Pinkie had decided to leave the farm Octavia was the one who had been the one willing to help her adjust to life outside of it. Her parents seemed to understand and stayed behind to let their kids experience the world.

Octavia had been the biggest help to her while they were at school. She gave her the confidence boost to meet the new ponies and she made so many friends. She was also the reason she’d met Mr. and Mrs. Cakes and ended up staying with them.

It was after that year of school that Octavia decided to leave on her own adventures, having discovered her love of the cello and classical music. Pinkie had been sad to see her sister go, but understood she had to go live her own life. Besides, she’d left her in the care of some very wonderful friends.

Pinkie walked down the rows of desk with a soft but warm smile on her face. The room certainly gave her plenty of happy memories to remember. She stopped before her old desk in remembrance, but noticed a piece of paper lying on top of it.

“What’s this?” she asked before taking a quick breathe and blowing the dust off of the paper. Sitting on her desk was a little foals drawing. On it was the picture of a family smiling on a rock farm. She gently placed a hoof against it; it was one of her old drawings. She smiled as she remembered the fondness she had for doodling during class. She could see their old house in the background, her mother and father standing behind their kids in the foreground. She smiled at the cute scribbling of her and Octavia.

“…Wait…” she said suddenly realizing something. She took her hoof away from the picture and stared at it. Something was wrong with this picture. She couldn’t put her hoof on it though…

“It’s my family…what would give me the impression somethings wrong?” she stared at the happy family of four. She couldn’t fight the strong urge that there was something wrong with the picture. But no matter how she racked her brain, nothing seemed to come to mind. She scrutinized the picture carefully.

“…I’m sure if Octavia was here she would know what the problem was.” Pinkie shook her head softly, “She always was the smartest of us. If we were ever in trouble she would always bail us ou-“ Her words stopped dead.

“I loved your last party Pinkamena, I was just wondering when you’d throw another.”

Her eyes shot back to the paper as she scanned it and counted the number of people in her family once more.

“One, two, three, four…five?” She counted out loud as she pointed to an empty spot that should’ve contained her other sister. “Where’s Bellamina? Where’s my younger sister?” She scoured the picture for any sign of her. She wouldn’t have drawn a picture of her family without her…would she?

“…Wait…come to think of it…when was the last time I thought about Bellamina?” she asked herself quietly. She remembered thinking about Octavia several times over the years, but she’d never thought about Bellamina…”Oh my gosh…I must be the worst sister in the world!” She said feeling so rotten for having forgotten about her other sister.

She tried to recall memories of her sister desperately, but the only thing that came to mind was the story of how she got her cutie mark…but beyond that…

She shook her head furiously trying to jog loose any memory, but she didn’t remember anything else. She looked down somberly before slamming a hoof against the desk.

“I’m so so SO sorry Bellamina! I promise you; once I get out of here I’ll keep you in my thoughts!” Pinkie said determined now. She had to escape the horrors that had befallen Ponyville. She looked around the classroom, her eyes being drawn to the desk next to hers; the one Octavia had sat in during school. On the desk was a red circle with an X through it written with a red marker. She carefully grabbed the edge of the desk and opened the top of it, looking inside.

Inside of the desk was a blue jewel carved into the shape of a cello.

“…Wow…it’s beautiful…” Pinkie gasped examining the item. She wasn’t sure what it was doing there, but she had the strong feeling that it was something she was meant to keep. She picked it up carefully before placing it gently into her bag. She closed Octavia’s desk, before realizing she should check her desk as well. She was careful not to disturb the picture and opened hers as well. Inside was a red jewel in the shape of a balloon. She quickly placed it inside of her bag as well.

She closed the desk and looked around. None of the other desks appeared to have anything of significance on them. She headed to the front of the class and checked the teacher’s desk. There was a note written on the desk:

At the eve of the switch from night to morning, the red moon will shine.

“Another riddle?” Pinkie asked aloud to no one. This one certainly made less sense then the last riddle she tried to solve. Off the top of her head she couldn’t figure out what this riddle was trying to tell her…

She twirled her head towards the door when she heard the laughter of the foals coming from the hallway once more. She quickly exited the room and looked around the hallway for them. She saw them further down, playing with each other. She slowly approached them, trying to get a better look at the two little foals. However, once she got close enough they began to run down the hallway, she gave chase.

The little foals didn’t run too far, they quickly made a turn into another room. Pinkie stopped in front of the door and read ‘Janitor’s Closet’ on the front. She heard a click come from the door, as if it had just been unlocked. She reached for the handle and opened it, walking into the closet.

The room didn’t look anything like a Janitor’s Closet should, rather than shelves of items for cleaning it was a mostly empty room. At the end opposite the door stood a small knee-high pedestal, then behind it was what looked like a door with a clock and symbols around it, in-between two portraits of the princesses.

“Oh! Is that lantern oil?” she asked as she walked up to the small pedestal, noticing a small bottle of yellow liquid. She sniffed it real quick to confirm what it was before picking it up and placing it in her bag, “Good, that should keep me stocked for a while.”

She then walked forward to take a closer look at the door. To the left of the door was a picture of Princess Luna, graciously drawn with her body in a circle, surrounding a small hole in the wall. Princess Celestia was drawn much the same way, also surrounding a small hole in the wall.

“Wait…this hole…I know this shape.” She said having noticed something about the hole Celestia was surrounding. She quickly reached into her bag and pulled out the red balloon jewel and fit it gently into the hole. It snapped into place with a satisfying click.

“Then that means the other jewel must go here.” She said placing the blue cello underneath Luna’s picture. When the second jewel clicked into place, the clock moved forward out of the door a little, followed by the symbols placed in a circle around it. She looked carefully at the symbols; there were six pictures, three of suns, one red, one yellow, one blue and three moons, one white, one green and one red.

“Wait…a clock and a moon…” The words from the teacher’s desk came to mind. “The eve of the switch from night to morning…night is pm; morning is am…they switch at twelve…and the red moon will glow at that time.” She placed her hand against the dial of symbols and turned it, placing the red moon so that it was directly above the number twelve on the clock. Then she moved the two hands of the clock to point at the number as well.

The clock chimed twelve times as it and the dial moved back into the door, before the door moved up and rose into the ceiling opening the path. Pinkie quickly walked into the next room.

“Huh?” Pinkie’s ear twitched once more. She heard a very quiet sound in the distance, like it was a sound coming from Ponyville itself. She recognized it as a siren, a siren was blaring somewhere. She wasn’t sure what it meant, but she had the gut instinct it didn’t mean anything good.

She focused on the room before her. She regretted it instantly.

The room itself gave off the stench of it rotting, the ceiling was brown with missing tiles, the walls were a mess of peeling rotted walls, and the floor was covered in dirt, mold and grime. Holes littered the room, revealing a mesh of iron grating behind them, apparently the foundation holding the room together.

Two dead ponies hung from the corners of the room, their bodies wrapped in some kind of cloth, but their blood splattered the wall and floors next to them. They hung by chains and metal that kept them suspended. On the wall between them was a single word written in their blood.

Run

She didn’t need to be told twice as she ran out of the room. She ran out of the janitor’s closet and back into the hallway.

“W-Wait…what happened to the light?” She asked as the hallway she entered was pitch black. She quickly reached into her bag and pulled out her lantern. The flame came to life illuminating the hallway. She gasped as the hallway was no longer that of the calm and quiet schools, but instead was made of the same dilapidated materials as the room she’d just escaped.

Everything was rotting, held together by a metal grating. The grime covered the floor in splotches and blood caked the walls. Hanging bodies of ponies were visible at various intervals down the hall. The smell of so much rotting gagged Pinkie; if not for the lantern in her mouth she would’ve lost her stomach.

The sound of static hit her ears next. Her heart started pounding as she next heard footsteps echoing down the hall. She turned to the direction of footsteps, listening to the hiss of static grow louder as the footsteps grew closer. Her brain was screaming at her to run, listen to the wail and put every bit of power into her hooves…

But she seemed stuck, almost glued to the spot. This feeling wasn’t like the other monsters. This sensation was piercing down right into her very soul. This feeling was biting into her and was forcing her feet to stay.

The edge of the light hit the creature. It walked further into the edge of her light and she felt her heart stop for just a brief moment.

It was one of the monsters of her nightmare.

It was a tall, slender pony that towered over her. It had no face; its skin clung to its face and body as if they were attached directly to its bones. It was pale, deathly pale, accentuated by the black suit and red tie it wore on its torso. It continued to take slow careful steps toward her; every hoof step echoed in her brain like it was trying to grate her mind.

The Phonograph erupted into its loud high pitched ringing as she felt a pain strike her mind. She finally felt herself no longer glued to the spot and with everything she could muster she turned around and ran.

Her heart jumped to her throat almost choking her with its pounding as her hoofs connected loudly with every single step she took. She didn’t care about the grime or the bodies she passed, she had to get away. Her mind grated with the feeling of a haze that the creature seemed to bring with its presence. The loud ringing of the phonograph seemed to be the only thing that kept her in any state of mind to run as fast as she could.

She rounded a corner with lightning speed. She was putting everything into this; she knew she could run fast, she could keep up with, if not out-run Rainbow Dash at times. She had to be losing the Slender Pony, she had to be escaping. She dared to look over her shoulder.

It was keeping up with her. It seemed to only be walking, somehow the slow paced canter it strutted kept up, and his whole being seemed to slide towards her, as if there was no escaping.

Her mind reeled and she whipped her head forward trying to go faster. She had to turn another corner. Her hoof caught under one of her legs and she nearly fell. She scrambled her legs and took off again.

“SHKYAAAAAA” A blood curdling scream bellowed out before her as she saw half of a white filly start to crawl straight for her. She jumped over it, its tongue passing over one of her hooves as it tried to bite her. The screams of the filly were cut short as she heard the sound of it being crushed by the monster chasing her. Her stomach hit her heart inside of her throat as her lungs burned. Her mind was kicked back and the haze was growing.

‘I can’t escape I can’t escape I can’t escape I can’t escape I CAN’T ESCAPE’ the words yelled and flung themselves to the very corners of her mind. She felt it: She was about to die. This monster was about to kill her and there was nothing she could do about it…

Her eyes flung open as she saw at the end of the hallway an open door.

‘An exit!?’ Her mind screamed as she continued to book it. She raced as fast as she could, trying to ignore the constant looming presence of the threat behind her. She had to get to that door! She was almost there! Just a little closer! Just a little closer! She was going to make it!

She jumped, passing straight through the open door and skidding to a halt inside of the room. Her heart instantly sank as she looked around. The room was a square with one entrance, no exit. She had jumped straight into a dead end with that monster behind her.

She looked around frantically; the room was adorned with party decorations: multi colored streamers, balloons caked with blood, vile looking snacks, poorly wrapped and rotting gifts, hanging ponies at every corner, a seal of blood drawn out on the floor.

She instantly turned around, watching as the Slender Pony gradually walked into the room. The only opening to the room sealed shut with an iron gate behind it. There was no escaping it now. She was trapped in the same room as this monster.

She dropped the lantern from her mouth, no longer able to hold onto it as she panted frantically. The lantern rolled to the center of the room, turning itself up right and in the center of the blood drawn seal. The seal lit up with a red glow filling the whole room with light. She could see the red hued Slender Pony as it walked towards her.

“STAY BACK.” She yelled as she ran to the gifts. She began grabbing them one by one and throwing them at the Pony. The gifts struck the pony and seemed to stun him for a moment. As the gifts hit him, they fell to the ground and burst into a pile of ash. They slowed his walk down for a moment, but with each consecutive strike he was less effected.

She grabbed the last gift and tossed it with all her might, straight at his head. It struck him before blowing up into a pile of ash.

Pinkie cried out in pain as she felt like her forehead was splitting open as her vision hazed into oblivion.

She stomped her hooves down and ran blindly in a direction away from the pony. Her vision returned as she felt blood trickling down between her eyes, dripping off of her nose. He’d opened up a fresh wound on her head.

She grabbed the table holding the vile snacks on top of it and tossed it to the ground. She raised her hind legs up and kicked the table straight at the Slender Pony. The whole table struck him and pushed him back. He hit the wall as the table seemed to hold him in place for a moment.

Pinkie panted as she stared at the creature. He got up. He pushed the table gently and the table fell apart as a pile of ash.

Pinkie’s legs gave way under her as she fell to her knees. Tears fell from her eyes as she sobbed in pain and exhaustion. She couldn’t fight this monster. It was too much. Her mind reeled and wanted to accept her death. Her body couldn’t take it, her mind couldn’t take it.

She felt her mind begin to hurt worse, the Slender Pony was drawing closer. She couldn’t look at him, she sobbed with her eyes closed shut just wanting the horror to end once and for all.

The pain stopped. The hoof steps of the Pony had stopped getting closer. The ringing of the Phonograph was dying down.

Pinkie dared to open her eyes and looked up. He was still there, but he had stopped his assault on her. He looked like he was looking away from her, at some something she couldn’t see…

That’s when she heard it. The siren. The siren was going off again in the distance. The Slender Pony put one of its lifted hooves to the ground and turned to look at Pinkie. She braced for whatever he was going to do, but he just stood there. Then, slowly, he lowered his head into his suit and pulled out a small brown box. He placed it on the ground before turning around and walking away from her.

The light in the room dimmed until it was pitch black.

Light from her lantern began to bring a gentle glow to the room.

Pinkie hiccuped, taking in a huge breath of air that cooled her burning lungs once again. She could feel her heart still racing as she began to get her bearings. The room wasn’t the one she had just been in. It looked like a normal basement. It had pipes and fixtures that controlled water and heating throughout the building. Her lantern lay on its side in the middle of the room, glowing with its gentle flame.

The brown box was still where the Slender Pony had left it.

Words failed Pinkie. She didn’t have the strength to get up at the moment. She lowered her head and let herself sob again.

Chapter 4

The world was quiet. Her hair floated around her face; she didn’t feel the sting of her wounds here. Everything felt the same like this. It seemed almost as if all her cares were a mile away…

The last of her oxygen left her mouth and flew past her face. Her lungs began to burn. She wanted to hold it for a little longer, but her body defied her.

Pinkie gasped, taking in a huge breath of air as she surfaced from the bucket of water. She panted heavily as she tried to relax and calm her beating heart. She had just survived staring death in its face. That thing…that monster…that…Slender Pony…she knew just getting close to it was a death wish. When it had gotten close her mind had fallen into a haze unlike anything she’d ever experienced before…then there was the head-splitting pain…

She gingerly touched her re-wrapped head wounds. The cuts from the attack in her room had started to heal, but the slender pony had left a deep gash down the middle of her forehead. But she’d survive, the cut only stung a little now and that would fade soon. The bandages on her leg had also needed to be changed. All that running had reopened the bite wound and her leg was currently throbbing as it recovered.

She shook her head and mane, casting the water off of her head. That soak had relaxed her some, but she was still inside of that school. The school where she had been chased inside of that…that…the only word that came to her mind that could describe it was as an ‘Otherworld’, one that was separate yet almost the same…

She lowered her head and started gulping down the bucket of water. She hadn’t realized how thirsty she was at first, but she remembered how much crying and running she’d been doing and suddenly her throat felt as dry as a desert. She very quickly emptied the bucket of its contents.

Her tongue lapped at the bottom of the bucket expectantly, but there was no more water to be had. She softly sighed as she pulled her head back up and looked around at the empty cafeteria she was in.

She was able to imagine back when it was in pristine condition, all the little foals that would gather around, eating lunch as they took a break from their day of learning. Friends would share gossip stories, adventures in the games they were playing at home, some would doodle, some would spend time by themselves, but lunchtime and recess were always the foals’ favorite part of school.

“Those days are long gone in this place, aren’t they?” Pinkie sighed as she stared at the empty, dust covered room. The tables had been empty and abandoned for a long time now and no foals visited these halls. Even the brief glimpse at the playful ghost foals had gone away and left the empty silence.

She took a soft breath and picked up the red ribbon, she had taken it off to soak her head. She gently tied it into a bow at the end of her mane once more. She was growing very fond of this ribbon, not only being a gift from Gummy; it seemed to give her a sense of normalcy during these calm moments, when she just had time to herself. It seemed to put her mind at a bit of ease just knowing it was there.

“I guess…” she said taking a deep breath and turning her head, “All that’s left to do now is…open this box…” She said looking at the brown box that sat next to the bucket. She hadn’t looked inside of it; in fact she had wanted to leave it there. Even more she wanted to smash it; she wanted to destroy the box. Anything that Slender Pony had to offer just made her stomach twist in anger. But forces beyond her understanding compelled her to bring it with her. She had put it down to get some water and now that she had finished it, it sat there mocking her.

“…Maybe I can smash it after I find out what’s inside.” She reasoned with herself, giving herself enough confidence to finally open it. She carefully lifted open the brown lid, half expecting it to burst into fire upon her touching it. The lid slid off easily as she looked inside it.

“…W-why is this in here?” She said as she stared in shock at what sat inside the box. It was the key to Sugar Cube Corner. “Why would he have this? Why would he give it to me?” The questions racked Pinkie’s mind, but no answers came. She had just come from that area, after all her home was right above Sugar Cube corner.

Pinkie felt sick at the idea that the Slender Pony had been to Sugar Cube Corner. Perhaps that explained what had become of her room, why the store was locked. If he had the key...then perhaps that explained what she had seen in the bathroom and even that little white filly that had attacked her there. Her stomach did another flip as she felt her anger rise again.

She carefully picked up the key and placed it in her bag. She had to go back and find out what had happened to the rest of Sugar Cube Corner now. She then carefully replaced the lid on the brown box, before picking it up and dropping it on the ground.

She lifted her good leg and smashed the box under hoof. It let off a satisfying crunch as she crushed it.

The snow had started to pile up thickly at her hooves. The town looked like it had a white blanket covering it. Every part of the town had snow on it, the streets, the roofs and the trees…Pinkie had never seen the town covered in the snow this way before. There had always been ponies that made sure the town was still useable during the winter, clearing the streets and making sure the snow didn’t pile up too thickly…

Each step gave a crunch in the snow, as the cold ground sank underneath her. She shivered even more now, wishing she had brought some winter clothes to keep warm. Normally she did well in the cold, but the snow kept wetting her coat. She could feel ice starting to form at the base of her legs.

Sugar Cube Corner finally came into view. She sighed in relief; she had seen groaners in the distant fog but none had come close to her, she had managed to make it here only suffering from the cold.

She went up to the door of her favorite bakery and gently tried to open it. The door was still locked, as she expected.

She carefully pulled the key to store out of her bag and placed it into the lock, the door unlocking. Pinkie watched as the key turned to ash, just as the school key had before it. She just let out a soft sigh as she pushed open the door, stepping inside.

As she expected, Sugar Cube Corner was dark, just like her room had been. Scant amount of light entered the room as she looked around. She quickly reached into her bag, pulling out the lantern. She was thankful she had refilled it with the oil back at the cafeteria as she set the flame alight.

To her surprise, Sugar Cube Corner looked fine. There were no pastries on the shelves or counters, but there was a lack of dust and decay. In fact, the place was even decorated. There were ribbons and banners and balloons set up all around the shop. There was a table set up for holding snacks and punch, several games placed in various locations as well as a pile of presents on another table.

There was a banner tied from one pole to the other above it all that read, ‘Welcome Pinkie Pie’.

“Are these decorations for me?” Pinkie asked placing her lantern down on a table so it could illuminate the room.

“Oh! Do we have a guest? I love guests!” Came a voice that sounded all too familiar. Pinkie stopped as she looked around, she hadn’t heard ANY ponies voice since she’d entered this horrible place and she was suddenly filled with hope.

“Yes! You do have a guest! It’s me! Pinkie Pie!” Pinkie Pie quickly called out excitedly, wanting to meet the other pony right now. “Where are you? Come on out! I promise I’m not like those monsters outside!”

“Oh, really?” The voice chuckled, “It’s just so hard to tell these days who is and isn’t.” The voice said cheerfully.

“Please, will you come out? I’d really like to see your face.” Pinkie said, she didn’t care that the voice seemed to sound familiar; she just wanted to see the pony.

“Okie-dokie-loki! Since you asked so nicely!” A blob of darkness in the corner of the room began to move, it seemed to manifest into the form of a pony before Pinkie’s eyes. The shadows surrounding the pony faded as light soon gave her a form. Pinkie gasped in shock, covering her mouth with a hoof.

“What’s the matter? You seem surprised to see me! You said your name was Pinkie Pie right? What a coincidence! My name’s Pinkie Pie too!” There was no doubt about it, the bright pink coat, the frizzed up curly mane and tail, the blue and yellow balloons for a cutie mark, the bouncing bubbly attitude…it was Pinkie Pie. “But that’s going to get confusing if we BOTH start calling each other Pinkie Pie!” She explained as she stopped bouncing for a moment, thinking about, “We should give you a nickname!”

“W-What…but I’m…” Pinkie couldn’t think of anything to say. Why was there two of her? And this Pinkie didn’t seem to be suffering at all from any sadness or despair, she wasn’t covered in any bandages and she didn’t look hurt. This Pinkie looked exactly like she did before the nightmares had started to affect her.

“Oh! I see your hair is down, does that mean you’re sad? You must be! The only time my hair goes down is when I’m sad! We can call you Saddie Pie!” The happy version of Pinkie bounced again, “Why are you sad Saddie Pie? Did someone steal your sweets? You can always make more you know!” She giggled merrily, “Oh! I know what’ll turn that frown upside-down! Let’s have some cupcakes!”

“C-cupcakes?” Pinkie asked a little hesitantly, “But…I want to get out of this town…”

“Awww, you want to go?” Happy Pinkie Pie said, tilting her head, “But you only just got here! Come on! There’s so much fun for us to have!” She bounced over to a door on the side of Sugar Cube Corner, one that led to the basement. She opened the door then turned back around, “Come on and follow me! We’ll have lots of fun! Then we’ll make those Cupcakes!” The happy Pinkie Pie bounced into the darkness of the stairs, disappearing from sight.

Pinkie just stared in disbelief as the second Pinkie disappeared from sight. She couldn’t believe her own eyes. Surely she was the only Pinkie Pie…right? She had to find out why there was a second Pinkie Pie. She grabbed the lantern and slowly began to follow down the stairs to the basement. She could hear the constant giggling of herself far down in the darkness. For some reason, she might have preferred the silence…

She hit the bottom of the stairs and looked up, expecting to see the basement. Instead there was a long hallway before her, with a series of four wooden doors along it with a final wooden door at the end.

“Come on come on! Let’s play already!” The chipper voice echoed throughout the hallway. Pinkie couldn’t tell which direction it had come from. She slowly walked up to the first door and opened it, entering slowly. Inside the room she got a shock, as she saw the familiar look the living room from the farm.

“Here…you should eat something.” The ghostly image of her father had placed a bowl of soup before a ghostly image of her younger self, wrapped up in a blanket.

“…I’m not hungry…” her younger self had softly muttered in response. She bundled herself up tighter into the blanket.

“You haven’t eaten anything since you got back…please, you have to eat.” Her father sat down on the couch next to his daughter.

“…I don’t ever want to eat again…” Young Pinkie said, her voice quivering with fear. Her father placed his head around his shaking daughter, holding her close to his body.

The images faded away. The room was quiet as Pinkie stared at the images she had just seen. ‘Was that…a memory?’ she asked herself. It wasn’t a memory she could remember. The words her father had spoken felt ominous, but she couldn’t think of why they would seem that way.

She saw something out of the corner of her eye, looking down on the table where the soup had been placed. On top of it was a green tile with the image of a cat on it. She wasn’t sure what it meant, but she felt it was something important. She made sure to quickly grab it and place it inside of her bag.

She then exited the room, closing the door behind her.

“You do want to have fun, don’t you?” Came the cheerful voice that echoed through the hallway once again. Pinkie ignored it for the moment, opening the door across from the first one. Inside the door she saw an interrogation room, one she would’ve seen at the local authorities when she was little.

“Can’t you see she’s been through a lot?” The ghostly image of her mother told a ghostly police colt, as she hugged her pink daughter, “Your questions are upsetting her!” The pink filly was shaking in her mother’s arms.

“I apologize profusely…we’re not trying to scare her, but we need to know what happened.” The colt said reassuringly.

“You need to give my daughter time,” her father said adamantly, “This has been a tough time…for all of us.”

“We understand, and you have our condolences, but we need to know the details. Once we do, we can bring this whole affair to an end quickly.” The colt returned.

The images faded from the room once more, leaving behind a pink tile on the interrogation table. It was another scene that didn’t exist in her memories. This one confused her more than the last one, not knowing what reason she would have to be in an interrogation room like that…

She examined the tile, seeing that it had the picture of a bird on it. She quickly placed it inside of her bag before exiting this room as well.

“Ooooh, you’re going to make me wait, aren’t you?” The chipper Pinkie Pie voice echoed in the hallway, sounding dissapointed. Pinkie softly shook her head. The voice of that other Pinkie was unsettling to her. Hearing herself talk without it being her just felt…unnatural.

She carefully walked to the next door, opening it and stepping inside. This time she saw her bedroom from the farm. Three beds filled the room, one for each of them as their parents had slept in a different room.

“Come on sis…you need to get some sleep…it’s getting late.” The ghostly image of her older sister Octavia was trying to comfort the young pink filly. They were sleeping in the same bed as her sister hugged her tightly, “I know you’re having a hard time…but I’m here…you know I won’t let anything happen to you.” The young pink filly began to sob into Octavia’s coat.

The two of them embraced as the images faded once more. On the bed sat a red tile with the picture of a snake on it.

Pinkie wiped away a tear that had begun to form at the edge of her eye. She didn’t know why these emotions were welling up inside of her, the images were too real to not be true…but why couldn’t she remember them?

She carefully placed the red tile in her bag before exiting the room.

“Come ooooon…I’ve prepared a party for you and everything!” She still sounded happy, but like she was getting impatient.

Pinkie shook her head softly; she had to see what was in this other door now. That other Pinkie could wait.

She opened the final door on the sides of the hallway, stepping into a room that had its walls painted like the sky, the ground was covered in sand and rocks. It looked like the outside of the rock farm.

“So…you’re sure this is what you want?” Her ghostly father asked once again.

“Yea…it is. I just…I don’t think I should stay here anymore.” Her younger self responded slowly.

“I understand.” Her mother commented, standing next to her father, “Just please be careful out there. I know you’ll have Octavia with you.”

“Are you sure you guys don’t want to come? I don’t know if I’ll be coming back either.” Octavia said looking from her younger sister to her parents.

“I was left this farm by my father; I can’t just leave it now.” Their father shook his head slowly, “This farm is my whole life now, good and bad memories alike. So I hope you can forgive us for not coming with you. Just please be safe.”

“Don’t worry father, I’ll guarantee that nothing shall happen.” Octavia smiled.

“We trust you Octavia.” Her mother nodded, tears in her eyes.

The images faded away, a blue tile with a fish on it sat in the middle of the room.

‘That was when we left the farm, wasn’t it?’ Pinkie thought remembering having left the farm with her parent’s approval…but she hadn’t remembered that conversation before they had left. Yet…she was sure it had happened. All of these images were experiences she’d had when she was younger…yet she had forgotten them.

‘Why would I have forgotten these memories?’ She asked herself as she walked over to the blue tile, before placing it in her bag. ‘There must be a good reason for why I have forgotten…maybe…maybe that other Pinkie Pie knows…’ She thought to herself as she exited the room.

The other Pinkie Pie voice huffed softly, “You’re not very fun Saddie Pie! If I was told I was being thrown a party I would just go straight to it!” The voice sounded like her patience was wearing thin.

Pinkie walked down the rest of the length of the hallway, reaching the door at the end of it. She pushed the door open, walking inside.

“Oh! There you are! I was afraid you’d gotten lost somehow! Which would be weird, how do you get lost in a straight hallway? I mean I’m sure there’s a way but you sure have delayed the party!” The other Pinkie stood in the middle of the room, illuminated by a lantern that hung from the ceiling. The rest of the room was pitch black except for the circle of light that showed where she was.

Pinkie carefully turned off her lantern, before storing it back in her bag and then turning to face herself.

“Tell me…you know what those images were about, don’t you?” She asked as seriously as she could.

The other pinkie frowned, “What? You made me wait for that? That’s not very nice.” She said giving a huff, “But I’ll forgive you! After all now that you’re here we can have fun together!” She bounced happily.

“Please! I want to have fun as much as you do…but I can’t enjoy myself until I find some answers.” Pinkie shook her head, “What happened to Ponyville? Why are there monsters? Why am I seeing the images I’m seeing? I want nothing more than to go back to throwing parties and hanging out with my friends…” she lowered her head a little, “But I can’t…not so long as all these questions are eating me up inside.”

The other Pinkie stopped bouncing and just seemed to frown.

“Fine, I see how it is.” The other Pinkie turned around, “I guess I’ll just have to remove that sadness from you Saddie Pie.”

Pinkie blinked in confusion. She had no idea what the other Pinkie meant, but she hadn’t answered any of her burning questions…

Her thoughts were stopped as her heart sunk. Her ears could hear the siren going off. The light in the room was dimming, turning it pitch black slowly.

‘Oh no…oh no no no no no no no!’ She thought beginning to panic as the light faded completely. She tried to brace herself for anything, the world was changing; she could feel it shifting under her hooves. As the siren began to die out, the lantern began to flicker back to life, re-illuminating the spot the other Pinkie was standing.

The ground around them had turned into the rotting, grime-covered floor that had appeared the first time she had heard the siren. The other Pinkie Pie was still standing where she had been; the only difference now was that she was wearing a strange dress with wings…

As the other Pinkie began to turn around, the phonograph began to come to life with static.

“You know…” the other Pinkie spoke up, “playing with myself really might be the most fun I’ll ever have.” She let out a soft chuckle, turning around fully to give Pinkie a full view of the outfit, “I’ll have to make it last…but all things do come to an end.”

Pinkie stared at the outfit, beginning to notice details about it she wish she hadn’t. The wings on the back, six in total, were each a different color and were crudely stitched on. Around her neck was a necklace with multiple unicorn horns dangling from it. The cloth her dress was made out of looked like a patchwork quilt made of leather, each square of the dress had a different cutie mark on it.

“Oh, do you like my dress?” The other Pinkie noticed her gaping stare. The other Pinkie angled her body to show it off better, “I’m so glad you like it, I worked very hard to make it. It wasn’t easy getting everything to be so intact. Ponies really like to squirm you know.” She laughed as she gently played with one of her wings, “I’m quite proud of how it came out too. But I must admit, I see something I can add to it that would make it even better!”

The lantern grew brighter, illuminating more of the room, revealing a table that had been hiding in the darkness. The other Pinkie turned and walked towards the table, reaching into a medical bag that was placed on the table.

From the bag she pulled out a large, sharp butcher’s knife.

“Now be a good pony and hold still will you? I don’t want to mess up that beautiful Cutie Mark of yours.” The other Pinkie said as if it was a natural thing, before putting the butcher’s knife in her mouth. The phonograph began to let out its wailing rings.

Pinkie’s heart felt like it had stopped. She couldn’t even comprehend everything that this other Pinkie was saying. But it was very clear that the other Pinkie wasn’t going to give her a chance, as the other Pinkie began to charge full gallop at her. The other Pinkie appeared to be aiming for her legs.

She jumped out of the way, as the knife came close to cutting deep into her. She tried to back up away from the other Pinkie, into the darkness when she hit something hard. She looked behind her, and as if following her eyes the lantern hanging from the ceiling glowed brighter, revealing the entire room to her.

She had run into the dried remains of a pony hanging from the ceiling by a butchers hook. She jumped away, not wanting to even touch it as her eyes quickly began to see the decorations of the room. She felt her stomach reach her throat.

Pony bodies hung from several parts of the room, their bodies dried and caked pools of blood lay underneath them. Skulls decorated the walls, while the furniture was made up of bones and skin, balloons floated that were dyed with blood, streamers and ribbons had been given the same treatment, piles of body parts and organs lay stacked in the corners of the room. On the table with the medical bag, appearing from the darkness that had hid it before was a plate adorned with four foal skulls surrounding it, with a pile of cupcakes in the center of the plate.

Her ears twitched as she heard the galloping of hooves and jumped into the air, the sound of a blade being swung and striking the body she had run into. Pinkie ran away from the twisted version of herself, panting heavily as she galloped to the other side of the room. She turned around, watching as the other her pulled the knife out of the body.

“Saddie Pie, this isn’t any fun if you just keep running!” The other Pinkie said cheerfully, pulling the knife out of the body, “I admire you though; you have the will to fight! I like that in a pony.” She chuckled happily as she placed the knife back into her mouth.

The other Pinkie said everything in that same, happy voice. It terrified her, thinking that such things could be said with such a happy tone. That Pinkie had every intention of killing her, and not quickly; it was obvious she wanted to make it a slow, painful process.

The other Pinkie was charging again. She could dodge it from this distance though; she jumped out of the way, avoiding Pinkie.

“GAH” She cried out as a searing pain sailed across her right leg. Pinkie stumbled away as she looked at the other Pinkie, who was giggling, blood dripping from the end of the butcher’s knife. The other Pinkie had tilted her head and changed her direction when she had dodged. The knife had cut deeply into Pinkie’s leg; she could feel the blood trickling down her leg.

With a playful hoof stomp, the other Pinkie broke into another charge straight for her. Pinkie mustered all her strength to jump away again.

“GAAAAH” Pinkie let out another painful cry as a gash cut down on her back leg, causing her to trip and collapse on the ground. Her leg twitched in pain as the gash reached diagonally down half her leg. She was severely bleeding now; the other Pinkie was able to maneuver too well for her to dodge. The attacks had all but immobilized her movement now.

“I give you an A for the effort, but a C for the execution. That gives you a good round B!” The other Pinkie cheered happily for her. “I do hope you won’t completely give up once you lose your legs though! I know it’ll be tough, but keep on fighting!” The twisted words sounded so cheerful it sickened Pinkie.

Pinkie turned her head to watch the other Pinkie put the knife back in her mouth. She had come up to her from behind and was raising her head now. She was going to bring the knife down, bring down right into her leg.

Without a moment to spare Pinkie pulled her back leg in, as the other Pinkie began to throw her head down with every intent to chop her leg off, before bucking her leg with every ounce of strength she could muster into the other Pinkie’s jaw.

A loud crack sounded through the room as Pinkie felt the body of the other Pinkie fly backwards, away from her. She heard a loud thud, followed by the clanging of the knife hitting the hard ground. She panted in pain, trying not to focus too much on her bleeding legs. She turned her head weakly to look in the direction the other Pinkie had flown.

The other Pinkie groaned, having landed on her back. She rolled over, lying on the ground as her head wobbled. Her mouth was bleeding severely. She coughed and hacked, bits of teeth and chunks of blood flying out. She panted as best she could through the blood oozing out of her mouth, turning to look at the Pinkie she had attacked.

“Nicbth…truhth…” The other Pinkie tried to speak, but she just sputtered out what sounded like nonsense. She looked in pain as she tried to speak, but she slowly got to her wobbly hooves.

Pinkie slowly got to her hooves as well. Putting weight on her injured legs made her body cry out in pain for relief, but she did her best to silence the cries.

“Ahlbth…finthith…yoobth…” The other Pinkie sputtered out more blood, as she gripped the butcher’s knife as best she could with her hoof, dragging it along the ground as she began to walk towards Pinkie. Pinkie took in sharp breaths of air as she concentrated on the vile pink mare before her.

The other Pinkie began to pick up the pace, before going out into a full on run straight for Pinkie. She seemed groggy, but determined, to bring that knife down into Pinkie’s flesh. Pinkie had aimed the uninjured half of her body at the other Pinkie, bringing her hind hoof up once more.

The butcher’s knife was raised into the air, sparks flying as it had scrapped along the ground. The frantic rush of the other Pinkie was closing in, ready to strike down. For a moment, everything seemed to hold still, right on the edge of death, two forces that never should’ve met collided.

The butcher’s knife flew through the air, impaling itself into the ground. A loud crunching sound broke through the air.

Pinkie’s hind leg had struck, landing with all its might straight into its victim’s throat. The other Pinkie’s eyes shrunk as her wind pipe was crushed, her forward energy being matched by the stopping force of the kick. Her body betrayed itself and swung itself free of the ground, her whole being shifting out from under the power of the kick and hitting the ground with a hard thud.

That Pinkie jerked and twitched on the ground, as it tried desperately to get air from its broken wind pipe, only to be filled with blood that poured freely from the neck. She jerked and squirmed, as her eyes rolled into the back of her head. It seemed to last for an eternity, but the body finally stopped squirming as life escaped it.

The only thing that could be heard was the loud panting of Pinkie Pie, her phonograph had gone silent. She stared at the corpse that lay before her. She saw herself dead, killed by her own hoof.

She seemed to be numb to the pain that was trying to coarse through her body, her mind beginning to fall into a haze from the amount of blood she was losing down her legs. It seemed…insignificant at the moment. All she could do was stare numbly at the lifeless body before her. Nothing else seemed to even exist in the world.

However, her mind finally began to receive the signals her body was sending. She needed medical attention. Her legs became shaky as she finally began to take her first step. She limped, putting as little pressure on her injured legs as possible, over to the medical bag. She carefully pried it open, looking inside. There were many sharp instruments, scalpels, syringes filled with a strange liquid, even a saw for cutting bones.

However, she saw a roll of gauze bandages. She carefully grabbed it, pulling it out of the bag. She unrolled the length of it, before carefully, but tightly, wrapping it around her wounds. She wrapped slowly, wrapping up the large cut on her hind leg, then the smaller cut on her front leg.

The bandages quickly soaked with blood, but they would seal her wounds for the time being. She placed the remaining gauze inside of her bag and then turned towards the exit. She slowly limped her way back into the grimy hallway, walking past the steel doors. She carefully began to climb up the stairs, her wounds slipping once or twice due to the grime that had grown all over them. The climb was slow, her body ached with pain and exhaustion, but she made it to the top.

She slowly walked across the rotting floor of Sugar Cube Corner, heading straight to one of the grime covered counters. In a dry spot on the counter sat a brown bottle, the label of it called it a ‘Health Drink’.

Pinkie’s dulled mind pulled the cap of it off with her mouth, before taking it and drinking the whole thing. The drink tasted like a mix of bitter herbs and strawberries for flavor, it was a lot like drinking medicine. But her body was grateful to have the liquid inside of her. She placed the empty bottle back down on the counter and slowly trudged to the middle of Sugar Cube Corner.

She laid down, panting heavily, as the haze of her mind finally came to a stop as she went into an uncomfortable sleep.

Chapter 5

A groan escaped Pinkie’s lips. That had not been a restful sleep by any stretch of the imagination. She rubbed her throbbing head as she began to stand up.

Her body was wracked with aches the moment she tried. She laid back down and took several deep breaths, her senses being hit with the overwhelming stench of decay. She pulled her head away from the ground coughing as the stench tried to gag her. Her eyes shot open as she tried to look around; however, it was far too dark for her to be able to see anything.

She fumbled around in her backpack reaching for her lantern before pulling it out and turning it on.

The floor she sat on was a mess of rotting wood and grime, the normal pristine floors of Sugar Cube Corner had become one with the otherworld now. She lifted her head up to look around, seeing the walls and furniture were also rotting away, bodies of ponies hung from the corners of the room, bad confectionaries were placed on various counters on the shop.

Pinkie quickly turned her head away, closing her eyes from the images. She had seen so much of it already, yet it still wasn’t any easier to see any of this. She had wished that waking up would’ve made this whole place go away, as if it were just some bad dream.

“At least I wasn’t attacked by a monster…” she groaned as she began to stand up onto her wobbly feet. She looked down at the blood soaked bandages that covered her legs.

Images of herself attacking her assaulted her mind, as the events replayed for her. She remembered each cut, then of her own hoof ending the life of herself.

A pang of guilt coursed through her. She hadn’t wanted to kill her, but in her state of self-defense she hadn’t been given any other option. If only this town hadn’t warped everything, if only things went back to the way they always were…

“Wait!” Pinkie said as a thought reached her mind. She looked around Sugar Cube Corner once more, before looking down at her feet, viewing the grime-riddled floor. “Sugar Cube Corner didn’t look this way when I came in…” she said aloud as she began to realize what was happening around her, “Which means…oh no…that siren didn’t go off again! I’m still in this…otherworld!” Pinkie began to panic as the realization hit.

“No…no no no, calm down Pinkie!” Pinkie said sitting herself down taking in deep breaths, “If you panic then nothing good will happen!” She shook her head, before gently tapping it with her hooves, “Stay calm…stay calm and just…just think.”

Her heartbeat began to slow down as she managed to rationalize with herself.

“Okay…okay first things first…” she said as she looked at her legs, “I need to change these bandages…” she reached into her bag and grabbed the bandages she’d put in there from before. She quickly unwrapped her wounds, inspecting each of them to make sure they were healing properly before reapplying fresh bandages. She used up the last of her gauze, but she felt satisfied with the fresh wrappings.

“It’d probably be better if I had some disinfectant…but I gotta work with what I have.” She sighed softly. “So now what?” She asked herself as she reached into her backpack and pulled out her map. She unfurled it to try and see where she should go.

She gasped in shock. The map was blank now. The entire map only consisted of one word,

Nowhere

“Nowhere? I’m not anywhere?” She asked herself confused. She pressed against the map looking for any clue as to what happened to the old one, but there were no clues to be had. Letting out a defeated sigh, she placed the map back into her bag.

“I…guess I should get a look at my surroundings…before I decide where to go next.” She softly gulped down a bit of anxiety. She wasn’t sure what to expect outside now that the siren hadn’t turned the world back to normal.

“Alright…you’ve been through a lot already Pinkie…you can handle this…” she softly motivated herself as she gripped the lantern in her mouth, standing up. She headed for the door and softly pushed it open, expecting a blast of cold air.

Walking out of the store, she found that all of Ponyville had succumbed to the otherworld. The entire street was paved with the rotting floor, littered with holes that showed the metal framing that held it together above a dark bottomless pit. The houses had mutated into decrepit, rust-colored shacks that were falling apart at the seams. The fog still only illuminated part of the town, but was now as black as the sky. The only light that penetrated the area was that which came from her lantern.

She carefully looked around, before stepping down from the front steps of the shop. She didn’t have any idea of where she should head first. The other version of herself hadn’t dropped any clues, and if she had she didn’t want to go back to find it.

Suddenly, a loud thud hit her ears as the ground shook slightly. She looked at the ground as another tremor passed through, a few pebbles shaking at her hooves. Pinkie’s heart began to race, she had no idea what this meant but it couldn’t be anything good. She looked around her, trying to find a source for the rumbling.

“Ghhuuurrrrgghhh…” Came the groan of a monster Pinkie had become familiar with. She quickly turned her head in that direction as her phonograph began to pick up with the sound of static. Coming slowly out of the darkness was a Groaner, hobbling its way slowly towards her.

‘…There’s no way he’s the source…’ the thought ran through Pinkie’s head for a moment, when suddenly she was deafened by a loud roar that cut through the foggy air. The rumbling picked up its speed, as if the source was now running. Pinkie took a few steps away from the Groaner, not sure what she should do.

“Ruuuaaaaa…” The Groaner groaned as it tried to move faster. Pinkie couldn’t help but notice that it looked as if it was trying to escape, but escape from what?

“Ruua-GHRA” The Groaner let out a final cry of pain as from the darkness a massive mouth appeared, biting into the creature, taking the Groaner in its jaws. It swiveled its head back up before chomping the Groaner down in a single bite. Pinkie stared in shock at the giant monster before her.

It was a single body, a large mouth at its front, with no eyes, its skin was curved and pink running straight back, large muscular legs that held its entire frame up. It was as if someone had taken off a pony’s head and neck and put a giant mouth at its body. It stood as tall as a dragon.

It let out another roar that knocked Pinkie back to her senses. It had finished its meal and it was looking for its next one.

Pinkie turned on her heels and ran. The creature let out a roar as it began to chase, every stomp of its legs shook the ground under her hooves.

Her heart was pounding as she tried her best to run, she constantly felt her hooves about to slip from the shaking ground and she panted like crazy, rushing air to her lungs.

She felt and heard a massive thud behind her. She looked over her shoulder and saw the creature had tried to bite down on her, its head crashing into the floor. It quickly pulled its head back out, letting out a pained roar as it began running again.

She watched it run, its loud thudding feet doing its best to keep up with her. However, it was slower than her and she knew it, this thing wasn’t nearly as fast as the last thing that chased her before. Confidence built up inside of her, she turned to face the road ahead of her.

She made a quick turn, noticing the path ended before her. She ran quickly, looking behind her as she saw the creature run straight into the buildings, letting out another pained roar.

‘I can do this…I can out run this thing.’ She thought to herself as she felt her confidence skyrocket. She didn’t know what it was, but she could outrun it…

She looked ahead of her and saw the rotting town pass her by with every hoof step.

‘But where do I outrun it to?’ She asked herself, not sure of that answer.

She heard it let out another roar as the tremors under her legs began once again. It was coming after her again, but it didn’t seem too bright. It was a thing to be feared, it could eat her if she wasn’t careful, but she could get away from it…

She quickly made the turn around another bend, increasing her distance from the creature.

Her attention was caught by what she saw in the distance. It looked as if a giant gate of metal bars had been erected in the middle of the world, cutting off one half of the world from the other. As she ran towards it she could tell it stretched up into the sky but couldn’t see where it ended.

She looked behind her; the pink monster was slowly starting to catch up as it meshed its jaw and roared for her blood.

She looked back at the gate, seeing a normal sized door open in it for her to fit through. She kicked herself into high gear and charged straight for the door.

She slipped through with ease and quickly slammed it shut behind her. She stared through the metal bars at the creature running straight for the gate. She panted as she watched it charge with everything it had straight forward.

It crashed loudly against the gate, letting out a wild roar as it came to an abrupt stop. The gate was strong enough to hold it back. It let out another roar as it stepped backwards, rushing straight into the gate again. The bars bent slightly, but held strong. Pinkie stood there amazed, watching the creature fight with all its strength to break through the bars, roaring and hollering as it slammed its head repeatedly against the bars.

A loud cracking sound echoed through the area as the creature stopped its thrashing. It let out grunts as it tried to figure out what the sound meant, before it crashed its head once more against the gate.

The loud crack sounded again and the large creature found its hind leg through the floor. It began to let out frantic roars as it thrashed around, trying to get its foot free. The ground below it cracked and gave way, the creature roaring as it clawed at the metal gate for support. Its giant form soon fell through the ground, its loud roars disappearing into the dark sky as it fell into the bottomless pit.

Pinkie slowly walked towards the area he had crashed into the gate, peaking her head down towards the bottomless pit. The creature had fallen, it was nowhere to be seen or heard anymore. The ground it had stood on continued to crumble away, spread out towards the town. The whole town was slowly falling into the bottomless pit as well, as if the only place left in the whole town was this area behind the metal gate.

Pinkie stared at the crumbling town, in shock that it truly was crumbling away yet…it almost made her a little happy. The place that had caused her so much torment was slowly vanishing before her eyes. It had left her stranded there, but it was going away.

She turned her back from the crumbling town, to get a look at where she currently was before letting out another surprised gasp. She hadn’t noticed what was actually behind the gate since she had been too focused on running.

The dirt before her was littered with rocks of all sizes, spread as far as the eye could see. In the center of all the rocks was a wooden house, small but quaint with a moderate windmill. It was the farm, the place she had lived and grown when she was a foal.

‘The farm? It’s not supposed to be this close to Ponyville!’ She thought as she began to run towards it. Its familiarity and comfort was calling for her.

The image of a ghost-like filly appeared before the front door as she ran closer to the house. The little filly ran forward, going through the door to the house. Pinkie had to follow it.

She quickly reached the front door opening it and going inside.

Inside, in the living room, was the ghostly image of her younger sister, Bellamina stood there looking at her.

“B-Bellamina!” She called out, dropping the lantern from her mouth. It hit the ground with a clang, rolling over to the young ghost filly, who stopped it with her hoof.

“I’m…surprised you made it all the way here Pinkamena.” Bellamina sat the lantern right-side up, “I was worried you wouldn’t make it...but I’m glad you did.”

“Bellamina! Y-You’re…” Pinkie started, but stopped herself as she looked at her sister. “You’re…not really here, are you?” she said, her cheerfulness dipping as she could see through the ghostly image of her sister.

“You’ll see the truth here.” Bellamina turned and pointed, directing Pinkie to the stairs to the upper floor, “This house is your last safe haven though. After this, there is no turning back.” Her younger sister said ominously.

“…What do you mean?”

“Goodbye sis.” Bellamina’s last words echoed as her image faded from the living room.

Pinkie could only stare at where her sister had stood, not sure what to make of what she saw. She felt a pang of sadness and yet…a bit of comfort as well. It was short, it was brief, and it didn’t last as long as she had wished it could’ve, but…

She had talked with her sister.

She walked over to the lantern and picked it up once more with her mouth. She couldn’t stop here, not now. Her sister’s last words gave her a boost of strength, a boost that she could use to see this through. She looked at the stairs her sister had pointed to; they lead to the bedrooms on the second floor.

‘The truth…I guess it’s time to find out what that means.’ She thought to herself as she took the careful steps up to her destiny.

At the top of the stairs she was met by a wooden door. She carefully pushed it open, revealing a hallway. On the sides of the hallway were four square holes with writing below them. At the end of the hallway was another wooden door. She stepped into the hallway, when suddenly the wooden door snapped closed behind her. She quickly looked at the door, trying the handle, only to find it locked.

She let out a soft sigh as she turned back to the hallway, before almost jumping out of her skin again. The Slender Pony stood at the end of the hallway, right outside the door on the other side. Her heart started beating in her throat as she stepped back against the door that had locked closed behind her.

However, the Slender Pony turned around and seemed to phase through the last door, as if telling her he was waiting for her on the other side.

She took a deep breath as she tried to calm her beating heart. The very sight of the creature was instilling fear into her…

She shook her head as she calmed down.

‘My sister said that the truth was here…I have to have faith in her.’ Pinkie carefully got back on her hooves, stepping forward slowly, ‘She said I was ready for it. I’ve managed to come through this far through hell and back, I can handle this.’ She took a deep breath as she turned to the first hole in the wall, reading the words written under it:

Eyes gleamed over,

It stalks before striking,

Its tail wags in anticipation.

Pinkie thought it over in her head. The square shaped hole was just the right size for her to place in one of the tiles she had gotten from Sugar Cube Corner. She assumed the riddle meant that she had to put one of them in the slot.

She carefully looked inside of her bag and went over the selection she had: a bird, a snake, a cat and a fish.

‘This riddle refers to the Cat tile, doesn’t it?’ she asked herself thinking the clue over. She carefully grabbed the tile and gently placed it into the hole in the wall.

The tile began to glow white, spreading out from the hole it was in. Pinkie took a step back as she watched the plate spread out into an area the size of a door before her. The light soon faded away, revealing a door in its place.

She carefully opened the door, looking inside. It was a single room, almost like a closet. Four solid walls with no description to them, yet she felt compelled to go inside. She walked into the dark room, closing the door behind her.

Suddenly, the flame on her lantern went out on its own. As she reached out to try and relight it, the room was filled with light. Projected on the walls were images. Pinkie instantly recognized them as memories.

“I dunno Pinkamena…are you sure this is a good idea?” Bellamina asked as she walked with her bouncing older sister towards the edge of the rock farm.

“Of course it is!” Pinkie said happily as she lead her younger sister, “It’s a super special party! I tried to invite Mother, Father and Octavia, but they were all too busy. So that means you get to enjoy the fun with me!”

“Well…I do love your parties.” Bellamina smiled, it was true that she did. The two of them reached the edge of the forest.

“We’re here!” Pinkamena called out happily.

“Who are you talking to?” Bellamina asked confused.

“Why the Party Host of course!” She giggled happily. Bellamina looked confused, but the confusion didn’t last for long. From the forest walked a tall colt, his coat was pale and dull grey, his mane was unkempt and was curled into a mess of brown, he didn’t look like he’d had a good bath in at least a week, and most odd of all was that his cutie mark was that of three dark red balloons.

“Hello Pinkamena, I see you brought a friend.” The old colt said with a smile. His voice sent shivers down Bellamina’s back.

“See? He’s the party host! He’s going to throw us a super-duper-wonderfully-fantastic party!” Pinkie bounced over to his side and pointed at his cutie mark, “And see? We both have a similar cutie mark! That means he’s going to throw us the best party!” Pinkamena was very excited.

“Oh of course, I always throw the best parties.” The colt let out a soft deep chuckle.

“R-Really?” Bellamina asked a little unsure, but if her sister believed in this guy, then he must be alright. Besides, they were going to a party, and parties were always fun.

“Come, the party is this way.” The colt smiled as he turned and walked back into the forest.

“Yea! Party time!” Pinkie bounced happily after the colt. Bellamina followed slowly after the two.

The flame of the lantern flickered back to life as the images faded from the walls. Pinkie stared at the walls that had shown the images she had long since forced herself to forget about. She didn’t like where this was going. Back then she was too ignorant to realize that the colt gave off a bad vibe, she was too focused on parties.

She gulped heavily as she opened the door back up and reentered the hallway. She looked at the hole before her, with the text written under it:

Sleek and smooth,

Striking at its prey,

Its tail lets it move.

The image of a snake came to her mind. A bad feeling ran through her as she carefully pulled out the tile with the snake on it, placing it carefully into the slot. The light turned the area into a door just as the previous one had.

She hesitantly walked into the room, trying to prepare herself for whatever it was she was about to witness. The light of her lantern faded away.

“W-What are you doing to my sister!?” the young Pinkamena cried from behind the bars of a steel cage. The colt had locked her inside under the guise that they’d be playing Pin the Tail on the Pony.

“Don’t look so sad little filly,” The colt said with a dazed over smile. Pinkamena looked into his eyes and saw nothing; it was as if the colt truly had no soul to him, “I’m just about to play one of the most wonderful games with your sister.”

“She doesn’t look like she’s having fun!” Pinkamena cried out, looking at her sister who was strapped down to a table. She was frantic, trying to pry herself free from her bonds. The straps were too tight; she could do little more than twitch various parts of her body. He knew what he was doing.

“Oh, she may not look like it now, but I’ve played this game with lots of ponies before. Just look around you, I’ve had many friends over the years.” A wry smile came to his face before he turned his back to her.

Pinkamena looked around the colt’s basement; it was the first time she’d paid any attention to it. Suddenly, the horrifying stench of the room was obvious; it was coming from the various states of decay from the ponies that adorned the room. Most were of young fillies, with little more than their heads remaining as decorations. The colt had dressed the room up for a party using the bones and skin of the ponies he had killed.

“NO! STOP! PLEASE!” Came the hysterical cries from her sister. Pinkamena’s attention instantly snapped back to what was happening before her.

“That’s right, make the noise. It’s what I long for.” The colt laughed as Pinkamena watched as he carefully placed a scalpel against her skin. With precision he began to cut away at her.

The scream of her younger sister echoed around the room as the image faded. The flame came to life, illuminating the dark room once more.

Tears streamed down Pinkie’s face like they’d never fell before.

‘Bellamina…’ She sobbed to herself as she remembered the horrific images of her sister being dissected alive by the colt. She had tossed the memory aside a long time ago, a memory that had been too horrific for her to want to remember. Her precious sister had become nothing more than a plaything for that deranged colt.

She hiccuped as she gasped for breath between her sobs. She still had two tiles left to go; she had more memories to remember. She had to remember everything that had happened, for the sake of her sister.

It took her a long time to leave that room, very quietly closing the door behind her. She had to see everything first, see it all before she could say anything. She very quietly walked to the next section of the wall and read the text bellow the square hole:

Soft to the touch,

It soars over its fears,

Its tail stabilizes.

Pinkie quickly took the tile with the bird on it and placed it into the hole. The door appeared just as it had with the others. She walked inside, staring at the walls as the light once again faded from her lantern.

“Come now, you must eat. There’s no point in letting yourself go hungry.” The colt chuckled to himself, his cold, harsh, cutting laugh. Pinkamena had curled up in the back of the cage, having cried her heart out. All that remained of her sister now was the lifeless upper-half that still was strapped to the table. She hadn’t seen what he’d done with the rest of her after he’d finished.

“Here, I even made you this special treat.” He said opening a small hole in the cage, pushing a plate with a cupcake on it. Pinkamena didn’t want his treat; nothing made by this cruel colt could truly be worth eating.

Her stomach let out a growl; she hadn’t eaten since breakfast and had been hoping to stuff her face with a feast from the party.

“See? You’re hungry. You should eat.” The colt smiled.

Pinkamena’s body defied her mind, as it slowly got up and walked over to the cupcake. She sniffed the cupcake carefully, but it was hard to smell anything past the stench of decay in the room. She then, very carefully, licked at the frosting that lay on top of the cupcake. The sweet sugary taste hit her tongue, almost as if in defiance of what her mind was telling her. Her mind screamed that something was wrong.

She very carefully opened her mouth and took a bite out of the cupcake.

“Good, I’m so glad you’re eating. It would be a shame if your sister went to waste.” The colt chuckled ominously.

The flavor of the cupcake hit Pinkamena’s senses like a brick. This wasn’t a sweet and sugary cupcake; it was salty and chewy, almost as if the main ingredient had been…

The colt laughed as he watched the expression on the young fillies face distort. Pinkamena vomited, rushing back to the back of the cage where she coughed and sputtered, trying to get the vile from her mouth. The imposing laugh of the colt hit her ears, causing her tears to return.

A loud crash was heard from the top of the staircase leading to this basement. The colt looked up surprised, his eyes widening. He suddenly tried to open the cage like a mad beast, as if he absolutely had to reach Pinkamena. He managed to open it as he began to reach a hoof inside, when he was suddenly tackled by another large figure.

There was loud yelling, as if there was a fight going on. Another large figure appeared before the cage, reaching to try and grab Pinkamena.

“No! No!” Pinkamena cried out as she tried to resist the figure pulling her out of the cage.

“It’s okay! Don’t be afraid, that evil colt can’t hurt you anymore.” The voice that came from the figure was comforting, reassuring. It was nothing like that of the colt’s.

Pinkamena looked up fearfully at the figure as it pulled her out of the cage, holding her in one of his legs. The colt had a white coat with striking red hair; he wore a blue uniform adorned with a blue hat.

“It’s okay, we’re the good guys. We’ve come to take you home.” He said with a smile as he moved quickly to get her out of the basement.

‘I was rescued…’ she said remembering as the light came back, ‘But it had been too late…they didn’t make it in time to save my sister.’ Pinkie shook her head, ‘and that…that vile treat…’ even the thought of the cupcake was making her stomach turn. ‘It’s…it’s hard to believe anypony could be that cruel.’

She walked back into the hallway as the thoughts continued to bounce through her head. ‘Those words I spoke in another memory make sense now though…after having eaten that; I really didn’t feel like ever eating again…’

She looked up at the last hole in the wall, the words underneath it read:

A slick texture,

Its sustenance for most,

Its tail propels it forward.

Pinkie carefully pulled out the last tile, the picture of a fish on it, and placed it in the hole. She carefully wiped away a few tears forming in her eyes as the door appeared. She carefully walked through, seeing what the last of her hidden memories had to offer.

Pinkamena sobbed into Octavia’s coat. The older sister had been doing her best to comfort her younger sister, but no matter what she tried she couldn’t get the filly to sleep.

Pinkamena had barely eaten, she refused to sleep and she constantly was sobbing. Octavia had no idea what it was that her sister had seen; all she knew was the Bellamina was dead. That fact alone seemed to have Pinkamena jumping at the shadows.

“Oh my, I hear crying.” Came a very soft, soothing voice.

“Grammy Pie.” Octavia said, surprised, looking up to see their grandmother walking into the dark room carrying a lantern.

“Grammy…” Pinkamena sniffed as she saw her grandmother.

“It’s me child.” She smiled warmly as she walked closer, placing the lantern on the night stand, then nuzzling the crying filly, “What troubles you?” The sound of her gentle voice seemed to sooth something deep in the filly’s soul. Pinkamena’s sobs slowly turned to sniffles as she composed herself enough to speak before her grandmother.

“B-B-Bell…Bellamina’s…dead grammy…” Pinkamena choked a little.

“Yes…I know dear. It’s a fact we all must deal with now.” Grammy said solemnly. “We all have done our share of mourning, and we shall forever mourn her loss. But your tears seem to hide something more my child. They seem to hide more than just your loss.”

Pinkamena rubbed her eyes as she sniffed, looking away from her grandmother, burying her head into Octavia’s coat.

“I’m…never throwing another party as long as I live.” She sobbed.

“Oh child, why would you say such a thing? You know we love your parties, and you love to throw them.” Grammy Pie said, surprised at the sudden words from her granddaughter.

“M-M-My partying…got Bellamina killed.” She sobbed the words out into Octavia’s coat. Octavia did her best to try and comfort the filly. Their grandmother looked a little sad, but closed her eyes as she seemed to understand.

“My dear Pinkamena…if nothing else, you should continue to throw your parties.” She spoke softly but truly.

“Huh?” Pinkamena and Octavia said in unison as they both turned to look at their grandmother.

“You see dear Pinkamena; your sister loved your parties. She truly had fun at them; sometimes all she could talk about with me was how much fun she had had at your last party.” Grammy Pie chuckled softly to herself as she remembered, “Which is why I’m telling you; continue to throw your parties child, in honor and memory of your sister. Your sister would not want you to live the rest of your life being afraid and crying. She’d want to see you smiling for the rest of your days.” Grammy Pie’s smile was warm as the words she spoke were the truth.

“B-But…” Pinkamena sniffed as she tried to comprehend her Grandmother’s words, being only a filly as she was. “But…the world is so scary Grammy. How…How can I have a smile in it?”

“Simple my child,” she chuckled softly to herself, “You have to laugh your fears away.”

“Laugh?” Pinkamena asked curiously.

It was a lesson she remembered often from her childhood. Her grandmother would often visit her and teach her how to laugh at her fears, stand up to the shadows and the idea of monsters. To laugh her fears away. She could face anything the world had to throw at her so long as she had the inner strength to laugh when the day was over.

She had forgotten why her grandmother had repeated the lesson so often to her, in her memories before she had just thought it was because she had been afraid of the dark as a filly. She knew now that it was because of something much deeper.

A small smile crept onto her face as she remembered all of the memories she had forgotten now. The good memories, the bad memories, the ugly ones, the beautiful ones. She had locked them all away to keep herself happy, to try and keep Bellamina’s wishes true. She hadn’t been ready to accept the memories into her heart as fact…

She carefully left the last of the rooms that contained her memories. She could feel the slow, rhythmic beats of her heart that resonated loudly through her. A smile was on her face as she remembered her sister fondly.

‘So…there’s just one last thing to do then.’ She said as she looked to the door at the end of the hallway. She slowly walked towards it, her resolution holding firm in her heart. She knew what she had to do now.

She opened the door, stepping out.

Outside the door she saw four torches lit around an open arena. A pathway was lit for her leading to it. A fence was placed along the path and arena so she couldn’t go anywhere else.

She gently put her lantern away as she walked towards the center of the arena. She could feel small tremors shaking through the world as she walked.

As she reached one side of the arena, from the ground on the opposite side the Slender Pony emerged from ground. He stood tall over her, his presence still bearing down.

But…she wasn’t afraid this time.

“I finally understand now.” Pinkie said softly, shaking her head slowly before looking at the Slender Pony with a smile, “My fear of your presence, your stature over me, your very existence…you’re the colt aren’t you.” The Slender Pony just stood there, unchanging from Pinkie’s words. “Well…you’re not him exactly…but you’re my image of him.” She closed her eyes and smiled, “which means…I’m not afraid of you anymore.”

The Slender Pony began to walk towards her, every step seeming to echo across the arena. Pinkie opened her eyes as she watched the pony walk towards her. Her mouth began to quiver as she saw him getting closer. She felt the haze beginning to hit her mind, the phonograph letting out its static.

She stood firm where she was, remembering fondly the words of her grandmother, the memories of her younger sister, of her friends back in Ponyville, of the fun she’s had throughout her life thanks to the help everyone she’s ever known gave her. All of them helped her live a life she could say she was proud of.

The Slender Pony stood a few feet from her, but the haze he brought to her mind began to fade. Her quivering mouth puckered up for a moment, before a soft sound came from it.

“Heh…”

It started off low, as it gained its footing inside of Pinkie.

“Heh, heh, heh…”

The confidence grew in her with each sound that came out of her, the haze lifting, the static of the phonograph becoming more quiet.

“Hahahahaha”

She was laughing. She was laughing at the fear that this Pony…no, that this whole town had brought upon her, just so that she could become strong enough to face her fears.

“Ahahahahahaha!”

She laughed, she giggled, she snorted, she chuckled. It felt like it’d been a lifetime since she had last let out a laugh, she’d let out so many tears that had been pent up for years, so many pains and torments she had kept inside. For the first time in a long, long while, she laughed with all of her heart.

A bright light shone from her neck, as a golden necklace with a blue balloon gem appeared. Her laughter continued as the light from the necklace made the Slender Pony jump back, letting out a shrilling cry as it seemed to hurt him.

The entire arena began to shake with a gigantic tremor as it began to fall apart. All of the scenery around her began to fall into the bottomless pit that lay beneath them. The entire world was crumbling and shattering around them.

The Slender Pony let out another painful roar as he dissolved back into the ground, disappearing from Pinkie’s sight.

She calmed her laughing, enough so that she could speak.

“I won’t forget you Mr. Colt. And I don’t think I can ever truly forgive you for what you did, but I can move on now.” She closed her eyes as she smiled brightly. The golden necklace around her neck shined brightly as it shot a beam of light forward, hitting the air before forming into a door of light. The necklace then vanished, to wait for the next time it would be needed.

“It’s time for me to head home. For real this time.” Pinkie smiled happily as she walked through the door of light, the last of the world crumbling away behind her.

Epilogue – The Truth

Twilight pulled her head back, rubbing her forehead as she groaned. The spell was an unusual one indeed. First she couldn’t see anything other than a strange black void with a floating picture, whose content was constantly shifting. Now on top of that, the spell had just ended on its own.

She shook her head before looking at her pink friend. Pinkie still had her eyes closed.

“Pinkie? You alright?” Twilight asked, not sure if she had been released from the effects of the spell yet like she had.

It took a moment, but soon Pinkie’s eyes slowly opened.

“You okay? It wasn’t too much was it?” Twilight asked a little worried about her friend.

Pinkie simply blinked, before smiling and lowering her head closing her eyes. Twilight blinked a little confused at this behavior.

“Thank you Twilight.” Were the first words to leave Pinkie’s mouth.

“Oh, did it work?” Twilight asked, softly smiling.

“It did. And I thank you so much for helping me.” Pinkie said lifting her head, letting Twilight see the smile on Pinkie’s face. “If you hadn’t helped me…who knows what would have happened. I mean, I probably would’ve been driven insane.” She twirled her eyes in example, then chuckling at herself. “But I won’t now and it’s all thanks to you.”

“Oh well I, you know, I was doing it to help a friend in need.” Twilight said smiling, accepting the compliments in her usual manner.

“This has been a pretty crazy experience.” Pinkie chuckled.

“So…I hope I’m not prying, but you know what was causing those nightmares now?” Twilight asked curiously.

“I do.” Pinkie said, but shifted her head a little, “But I’ll tell you about it later, I promise. Right now,” she stood up, “I have a few things I need to take care. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Oh, but of course. I’m just happy I was able to help.” Twilight smiled. Pinkie smiled back as she headed towards Twilight’s door to help. A thought struck her and she stopped.

“Oh hey, Twilight, before I go I need two favors.” Pinkie said happily.

“Sure, what do you need?” Twilight asked curiously.

“Well, first I’ll need you to cast the cloud walking spell for me. And second, do you have any red ribbon on you?” Pinkie asked curiously

Rainbow Dash was getting in a good afternoon nap in her home when she was awoken by several knocks on her door.

“Mmm…wha…” She said as she stirred from her sleep. Her ears wiggled as she heard the door being knocked on. “Yea yea, hold your horse shoes, I’m coming.” She yawned, stretching as she woke up. She walked over to the door, opening it up.

Almost instantly she was assaulted by a pink blur that proceeded to hug her, knocking her over onto her back.

“G-Guh! What the-“ She said in surprise, before realizing her assaulter was Pinkie Pie. “Oh, Pinkie Pie?” Rainbow Dash said sitting up slowly, “What’s the idea? You know it’s my nap time.” Rainbow shook her head as Pinkie slowly let go.

“I know and I’m sorry for waking you,” Pinkie smiled, “A lots happened to me and I really just had to see you.”

“Well, that’s alright then. I certainly can’t abandon a friend in need.” Rainbow Dash said brushing her hair with her hoof, “What’s on your mind Pinks?”

“It’s…a really long story Dash. A long and…well a rather sad one.” Pinkie said with a hint of melancholy in her voice, “And I’m more than willing to tell you, but I hope you don’t mind if I keep you waiting a little while to hear the story.” Pinkie ran a hoof through her hair, “I still have some things to deal with before I’m really ready to tell other ponies about it.”

“…A sad story? That’s not like you Pinkie Pie, you’re always about being upbeat, fun and having a good time. What could be so sad about something recently happening to you?” Rainbow asked a little curiously about her friend.

Pinkie giggled a little, smiling at Dash, “You’ll know when you hear it. Just trust me for the moment. After all, I came here to hang out with you for a little while, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course not, a visit from my gal-pal is always welcome.” Rainbow smiled as she flew over to another part of her house, “Would you like a snack? I got some fresh apples from Applejack, they’re really good.”

“That sounds delightful.” Pinkie said walking further into Rainbow’s house.

Rainbow returned with the apples, the two ponies sharing the snack together. They talked, they laughed, they reminisced about some of the adventures they’d been on since Twilight had arrived in town. Rainbow thought it a little weird that Pinkie was being so sentimental, but figured she must have a good reason. They spent a few good hours just hanging out in her home.

“So Pinkie,” Rainbow said after they had just finished a conversation about possible pranks they could pull in the future, “what’s with the red ribbon in your hair?” Rainbow asked curiously.

Pinkie turned her head to look at the red ribbon she had tied into a bow on her mane. She smiled softly, before looking at Rainbow Dash, “Well…let’s just say it’s helping me remember what dear friends I really have.” She chuckled.

“I didn’t know you needed a ribbon for that, after all, we’re all right here.” Rainbow Dash smiled, putting a hoof to her chest.

“I know,” Pinkie laughed, “But I did need the reminder.” She gently nuzzled her hair with the ribbon attached to it. She then smiled softly, before looking up at Rainbow Dash.

“Dash…I’m going away for a while.” Pinkie announced to her.

“Huh?” Rainbow said almost spitting out the apple juice she had been sipping on.  “Going away? But why?”

“I’ve got something I need to take care.” Pinkie said, looking away from Rainbow Dash, though still smiling, “I’m going out to go see my sister Octavia.”

“Well…we could go with you, you know. You don’t have to go alone.” Rainbow explained.

“I know, but this is really something I have to do myself,” she chuckled as she gently batted her straight hair with her hoof, “Especially if I want this to be poofy again.”

“…So you’re sure this is what you need?” Rainbow Dash asked once again.

“It is.” Pinkie smiled, looking at Rainbow Dash.

Dash looked conflicted, she certainly didn’t want Pinkie to go away, but she also had to support her friend.

“…Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do right?” Rainbow said putting on a strong face and gently hitting Pinkie’s shoulder, “Besides, you’ll be coming back right?”

“Oh of course I will. I could never abandon you and the other girls here in Ponyville! You’re my bestest friends ever! I can’t think of what life would be like without you all!” Pinkie explained happily.

“Then go ahead. We’ll see you off, of course. Though things will be mighty quiet without you around.” Rainbow said smiling.

“I know, I bring so many smiles here, which is why I could never stay away for long.” Pinkie chuckled again.

Classical music filled the halls, the small group of ponies played on the stage to a large crowd. Their instruments were finely tuned, they never missed a beat or a cord as they all played in perfect harmony. The very soul of their music resonated through the hall and the hearts of all the ponies attending.

The final chords were played and the auditorium was filled with applause as they took their bows. The curtains came to a close on the stage as the band members began to pack up their instruments.

“That was probably our best performance yet.” Beauty Brass said as she put her sousaphone away in its case.

“I don’t know, I still feel like we could do better.” Frederic said as his piano was pushed off to the side.

“I still say we should add in some of Beethooven’s earlier work, his later work is magnificent but it doesn’t compare to the wonderment his early work provided.” Harpo said as his harp was also carted off.

“We sounded fantastic guys; don’t worry about it too much.” Octavia chuckled at her fellow band mates. “It was a great performance, so we’ve got a well-deserved night of rest.” Octavia smiled as she placed her cello into its container. She pulled the strap over her shoulders, placing the instrument on her back. She always refused help with putting her beloved instrument away.

“Hey, you’re not supposed to be back here!” The band heard a security guard say loudly. They turned their heads to see who he was yelling at.

“I know, but my sister is in the band and I really need to talk to her.” Pinkie’s begged at the security guard.

“We didn’t hear anything about any of the band members getting a family visit today.” The security guard said grabbing Pinkie by the leg.

“H-Hey! I’m not lying!” Pinkie said trying to get the security guard to let go.

“It’s okay sir.” Octavia said walking up to the guard, “She’s my sister. Though she did come by rather unannounced.” Octavia said looking at Pinkie curiously, before noticing that her hair was straight, something she hadn’t seen in a long time now.

“Well, alright, if the band says you’re okay, then you are. Just don’t come in unannounced next time.” The security guard huffed before walking off.

“Hey, do you need some time to yourself?” Beauty asked as she walked up to Octavia.

“Yea, sorry guys, go ahead and do your own things, I’ll see you back at the hotel later.” Octavia smiled. Beauty Brass understood and walked off to the rest of the band.

“Sorry sis, I probably should’ve given you more warning. Then again even I didn’t really know I was going to be setting off till I basically did. Still, I could’ve written.” Pinkie chuckled.

“Yea, would’ve been nice.” Octavia chuckled back, “At least you didn’t interrupt my performance this time.” Pinkie blushed while smiling, still remembering the Gala. “Come on, let’s go have some dinner and we can talk.”

Pinkie dined on a fresh daisy salad, while Octavia enjoyed a French Daffodil Soup.

“So, Pinkie,” Octavia started as she finished taking a sip of her soup, “Why the sudden visit? I assume it has to do with something that’s bugging you.”

“Heh…I can’t hide anything from you, can I sis?” Pinkie smiled as she took another bite of her salad.

“Not really. Your hair doesn’t go down unless your upset about something.” Octavia said as her eyes wandered down to the red ribbon in Pinkie’s hair, “The ribbon is new though.”

“Heh…well the two topics are related.” Pinkie said, before giving a soft sigh as she smiled. “I know I’m about to ask a lot from you Octavia…what with you on tour and all…and it’s been a long time since either of us brought this up…”

Octavia ate another spoonful of soup as she watched her sister curiously, not really sure what to expect.

“But…I’d like the two of us to go visit Bellamina’s grave.”

Octavia nearly dropped the spoon. She quickly swallowed the contents in her mouth.

“This is…rather sudden Pinkie.” Octavia said, surprised her sister would bring it up, “If that’s what you really want…our next concert isn’t till next week in Hoofington, so if we left now we could make it to the farm with enough time for me to get back.”

“Oh, thank you sis!” Pinkie said happily, “You really are the best sister in the world.” She chuckled happily.

“Sure, I’ll do this so long as you tell me what’s going on.” Octavia smiled.

“Deal.” Pinkie smiled back.

The wind blew sand across the rocky field, as the two sister’s stood before their younger sister’s grave. It was a hand-carved rock marker, carefully crafted to look like their younger sister sitting with a smile. She sat on top of a slab that read ‘Here lays Bellamina Marie Pie, a beloved daughter, a wonderful sister, and an angel in filly form.’

“That’s…really quite a story Pinkie.” Octavia said looking at Pinkie. Pinkie had told her about going through a crazy town that showed her the memories she had forgotten, but not about the monsters she had seen in the town. She only told her sister as much as was needed. Octavia looked back at her sister’s grave, “But…it’s good to hear that you’ve forgiven yourself for what happened.” Octavia smiled.

“Yea, I’m glad I did too. But I couldn’t say it was official till I at least came here again.” Pinkie said as she gently placed the roses she had picked up on her sister’s grave. “I’d forgotten about her because I didn’t want to remember. And that’s a terrible thing for an older sister to do. So from now on, I promise to visit her once a year.” Pinkie smiled happily.

“You know what…if you’re going to do that, then I’ll join you.” Octavia smiled, “I’ve been too focused on my work lately. I haven’t given our sister the proper time of day either.”

“Thank you.” Pinkie said, nuzzling against Octavia.

“You’re my sister; I’ve always been here for you if you need me sis.” Octavia nuzzled her sister back, smiling happily. The sister’s shared their happy embrace.

“Octavia, Pinkamena, dinner’s ready.” Their mother called from the farm house.

“Coming!” Octavia called out, “Come on, let’s go get some dinner sis.”

“I’ll be right there.” Pinkie smiled to Octavia. Octavia nodded and headed towards the farm.

“Hey…Bellamina…” Pinkie said softly, getting closer to her sister, “You were a wonderful sister. Thank you so much for being my sister. I love you.” She kissed the forehead of her sister’s statue. She then turned around and began to walk back to the farm.

Her hair poofed out and curled, returning to her usual, bubbly self.

-The End-

Warning: Grimdark. Reader discretion is advised.

Chapter 1

Pinkie Pie’s eyes shot open. Her face was buried in her wet pillow, stained from her tears. She quivered as she very gently tried to lift herself up from the bed. She was afraid of seeing her bed soaked, covered in blood, evidence of a horrific deed she had committed… but her bed was dry, save for her tears.

She gently placed a hoof to her face, feeling the still fresh tears on her cheek. She shivered as her hair moved to cover her eyes, still in shock at the sights she had seen.

“How… how could I…” the vivid images of the nightmare she had just slept through came back in her mind. Horrific cries rang vividly in her ears, her coat soaked with blood, the feel of slicing open another living being… it felt so real. Pinkie Pie shook her head viciously, trying to remove these thoughts from her head.

“Why am I having these dreams!?” She rammed her hooves into her head, trying to stop the images that were assaulting her. For the past two weeks she’d been having restless nights of sleep. She was having nightmares every night, the severity of what they showed were getting worse and worse with each one.

The first dream hadn’t been too scary…she was just attacked by a monster, she had shrugged it off easily, and it wasn’t too different from a normal day really. From there the monsters changed, one night she was attacked by the Pony of Death who wanted her soul for damnation, another night it was a faceless slender pony whose presence quaked her very being, then the next night she suffered from a disease and starvation as her body had begun to rot but was denied death from the pain…

She could handle those dreams. They weren’t real after all; a good party with her friends made all those scary thoughts go away. She’d tried changing her diet for a day to see if the bad dreams would go away, and it worked for a night, but only for a night. The next night she had dreamt of being a monster, one with sharp teeth and claws. She was the monster and she had attacked and eaten herself. She still remembered the gagging taste the dream had left in her mouth.

The next dream had her terrorizing ponies throughout Ponyville; she’d wrecked homes, crops, products and lives. Then the next night she attacked each of her friends, she could feel the berserk rage of the monster as it had slashed and tore them apart indiscriminately, but at least it was a quick death, her friends didn’t suffer in that dream.

But the dream last night was different…it was personal. She was a monster again last night…but it was different. She was just herself, no fangs, no claws, no berserk rage, but a monster. In the dream she had captured her friend, her dearest friend Rainbow Dash. She had taken sharp objects and…

Pinkie dashed into her bathroom, before emptying the contents of her stomach into the toilet, as the vivid images of what she’d done in her dream flashed before her once more. She felt wretched, how could her mind even come anywhere close to thinking of such horrible, horrific things!? She loved her friends! She loved them more than the sun, then her sweets, then her parties, then life itself! Especially Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash was the coolest, most awesome fun-loving Pony she’d ever met! If she wanted to just hang out and have fun or pull some pranks or share some sweets or help throw a great party it was Rainbow Dash who was there for her.

She wiped her mouth as she groggily looked at herself in the mirror. Her mane was straight, her eyes were bloodshot with bags under her eyes, her coat was dull with a sickly look, and she was breathing quite heavily. She looked terrible.

She ran some cold water and repeatedly splashed her face with it. She really, really, REALLY wanted to go see Rainbow Dash…she had to know she was okay but…at the same time she couldn’t do it until the memories of that dream had faded some more…and she had to get out of Sugar Cube corner for the day…she wouldn’t be able to hold back anymore of her stomach if she even smelled a cupcake.

Pinkie tried to stay in the shadows of the buildings as she quietly walked through Ponyville. The fresh air and warm sun weren’t any comfort today. She didn’t want to look at anypony either, worried their faces would trigger another flash of the awful images in her mind. She had nowhere in mind to go, she just had to wander, had to get away from Sugar Cube corner, from her room, from anything that would remind her…

She looked up and around, she had lost track of how much time had passed since she started her little trek, thankful no one had stopped to ask her why she was acting so differently today. She knew the other ponies had started to notice dips in her cheeriness, ever since the dreams she’d been throwing more parties than ever before, but more and more they weren’t enough. Twilight had even asked her if something was the matter and she’d done her best to reassure her friend…

Wait! Twilight!

Twilight was a great magical pony! If anypony could figure out a way to stop these dreams she did! She winced at the idea of having to tell Twilight all about the horrific things her mind had imagined about her and her friends…but maybe she wouldn’t have to, Twilight might find a solution without having to know what the dreams were of.

She picked up her pace, running straight for the library. It didn’t take her long, she figured her body must’ve been taking her here by instinct; it did have a funny way of working that way. She ran to the door and knocked a little frantically. It didn’t take long for the door to creak open.

“Oh, hey Pinkie Pie.” Twilight said surprised but happy to see her friend, “Is this an invitation to a party agai-“ Twilight stopped as she blinked, noticing the distressed look of her friend, “…Are you alright Pinkie? You don’t look so good.”

“No…No I’m not good Twilight…Can I come in?” Pinkie said, minding her manners for once.

“Of course Pinkie, please, make yourself at home.” Twilight said quickly offering her friend hospitality.

“Thank you…” Pinkie said as she quietly trotted into the house. She quickly headed for the table in the center of the room and sitting on one of the red velvet pillows before it. She rested her head on the table, closing her eyes as she took a soft sigh to try and relax,

remembering her friend’s favorite hot beverage.

“Can I get you something to drink? Perhaps some hot chocolate?” Twilight said

“No sweets please…if you have some coffee that’d be great…no cream or sugar…” Pinkie softly groaned.

“No sweets?” Twilight said in shock, “Oh my…this really IS serious!” She said as she quickly prepared her friend the hot drink she requested. She levitated it before Pinkie, who groggily took it and began to drink. She grimaced at the bitter taste.

“Pinkie, what’s the matter? You can tell me.” Twilight said sitting down next to her downcast friend. Twilight could see the signs, her mane was straight, her coat was dull, her eyes bloodshot with bags under them and most noticeable of all…she wasn’t radiating the energetic aura of Pinkie Pie.

“Oh Twilight…Its awful!” Pinkie put her hooves over her head, “It’s the most awful thing that’s ever happened to me! I can’t even believe what’s happened to me it’s so awful! I can’t sleep, I can’t rest, even parties aren’t helping! I need relief, I need to stop this but everything I’ve tried only seems to make it worse!” Pinkie said her voice was quivering; Twilight couldn’t help but be surprised at how terrified her friend sounded.

“Pinkie…tell me, what exactly is this ‘awful’ thing that has happened.” Twilight tried to reassure Pinkie that everything would be alright. Pinkie took a big breath, steeling her nerves.

“I’ve been having nightmares Twilight.” Pinkie finally said, “Awful, horrible, relentless nightmares. I was throwing more parties to forget them, but they kept coming. I tried changing my diet, I tried relaxing before bed, I even tried falling asleep in a handstand with a lemon in my mouth while in the shower. Nothing works…and last night’s nightmare was the worse of them all.”

“Nightmares?” Twilight said tapping her chin for a moment, “One second.” She said as she got up and quickly ran over to a bookshelf. She began to pull out books checking them out, scanning them one by one, “No…no, no, no, not you, you’re not right either…” It took about ten minutes before Twilight finally pulled a book and looked at it satisfied, “Ah-hah!” She said as she trotted back to the table and opening the book, flipping through the pages quickly.

“Nightmares,” Twilight began after having stopped on a specific page, “A dream of strong negative emotions; a common occurrence that most ponies will experience. However, if the nightmares should persist or become more terrifying with each episode it could be several reasons: external forces such as medication or diet, which we’ve already ruled out,” Twilight added an addendum, “External stress from recent physical or mental events or caused by a psychological event from anytime during the pony’s life that has left a deep impact. There are several ways to determine what kind of nightmare is being experienced and what the best manner of treating them are.” Twilight said before silently reading the next part.

“So, that book can help me stop the nightmares?” Pinkie asked, hope rising in her heart.

“Looks that way, of course it can’t stop you from having nightmares for the rest of your life though, they’re a normal part of sleep, but it can help you with your constant nightmare issue.” She said still reading. “There’s a spell in here that’ll let me look into your mind and see the memories of your dreams, that way I can see what you’ve been dreaming about and apply the proper spell to try and help.”

The hope that had risen inside of Pinkie fell into her gut like a boulder into a lake.

“No! No no no no no no Twilight!” Pinkie said shaking her head furiously, “You CAN’T see my dreams! They’re…they’re!” Pinkie covered her face with her hooves, “They’re too horrible Twilight! I…I don’t want anypony to see what I’ve seen!” Her voice was trembling; tears were threatening to leave her eyes once more.

She looked up when she felt Twilight’s hoof placed against her shoulder, the look of concern on her face.

“I can’t imagine what kind of dreams you’ve been having Pinkie, but I can see the pain on your face. It’s affecting who you are and I can’t just let this go. You came to me for help and I’m going to help you. Please, you have to let me see what you’ve seen, so that I can help.” Twilight pleaded to her friend. Pinkie lowered her head as she held back the tears burning at her eyes with all her might, swallowing hard as she knew her friend wanted to make everything better and might have the power to do so…

“Twilight…” Pinkie muttered in hushed breath, holding back a sob.

“Yes? What is it Pinkie?” Twilight asked, in a similar hushed voiced.

“Please…you have to promise me…that what you’re about to see…w-won’t change your opinion of me.” Pinkie sniffed deeply.

“I swear Pinkie, I won’t think of you as anything but the dear friend I know and love.” Twilight said, Pinkie saw her smile, it was so reassuring, so comforting…

“P-Pinkie Pie swear?” Pinkie asked one last time. Twilight just seemed to smile a little amused.

“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” Twilight did the motions of the Pinkie Pie swear, mimicking sticking the pastry into her face. Pinkie took a moment to let it sink in, then squeezed her eyes shut and lowered her head a little.

“A-Alright…I t-trust you Twilight.” Pinkie Pie softly muttered, as she did her best to prepare for whatever was going to happen next.

Twilight nodded softly, as she remembered the spell from the book, her horn glowing with light as she concentrated on it. She gently swept hair covering Pinkie’s forehead behind her ear to hold it, then gently tapped the tip of her horn against Pinkie’s skull.

”LEAVE ME ALONE” The Slender Pony approached regardless, the static screeched at her as it drew closer. Pain shocked her body from one side to the other as blood seemed to splatter and cloud her vision turning the world red. She fell to her knees trying to grasp reality, before the pain and sound became too much to bear.

There was a hole in her body. She could feel the worms wriggling in it, crawling up into her torso. They were eating her, eating her alive. The pain clawed into her very soul, but yet death would not come. Her body laid there, unflinching as the insects had their way, feeling every wriggle and slime of their bodies as they slid under her skin.

Bones crunched in her teeth as blood dripped down her chin. The fresh taste of gooey flesh slid down her throat. Sharp teeth bore down again into the side of an earth pony’s neck as the pony’s head fell from her body, giving her a good chunk of flesh to chew. The taste was revolting, but she craved it. She HAD to have it. She had to have more! Her teeth dug into the pony’s skull, crushing the skull as the inner organs began to dribble into her mouth. She had to have more; this one would never be enough.

The screams had died down for now, but that wouldn’t last for long.

“Why? Why are you doing this?” It was the pained and frantic cry of Rainbow Dash. She could see her tied down to a table, wings already sawn off, sawn off by her own hooves.

“Oh Rainbow Dash…everypony dies sometime.” Her voice betrayed her as she pulled out a scalpel, “It’s a simple concept really. You just have to think, ‘Did my life meaning anything? Did I die with a purpose? Will my memory be left when I’m gone?’ All are important questions you see.” She walked towards Rainbow Dash; she could feel the murderous intent grasping at every fiber of her being.

“But…” Rainbow Dash hiccuped through the pain and tears, “I won’t have died for a good purpose…if you kill me.” Rainbow sobbed. “How could you do this to me?”

She raised her hoof and petted Rainbow Dash’s face. She leaned in close to her, there was an attraction she could never describe as having felt before. Her breath was hot and her body betrayed her mind, “Oh Rainbow Dash…If you don’t know the reason by now, you’ll never understand. This is just how things have to be.” She stepped back from her prisoner.

Rainbow only looked confused, but she would rectify that look. She gripped her scalpel and placed it at the base of Rainbow’s hip, and sliced down her leg. Pain overtook Rainbow’s face and voice as she began her delicate slicing operation. After all, she had to prepare the ingredients to be just right.

Twilight stumbled back. Her head kicked back instinctively, wanting to escape from the horrors inside of Pinkie’s mind. Twilight crashed into a book case, causing a cascade of books to fall onto her. She was breathing heavily, frantic and panicked. The spell had only taken a few seconds to complete, but the rush of all the dream memories flooded her all at once.

Those dreams were horrific…and so real…she had felt everything in those dreams, even though dreams should not normally contain such vivid feelings. The monster that attacked her…the feel of bugs crawling all throughout her skin and organs…the gagging taste of flesh in her throat…the torture...the acts she had committed...she wanted to vomit.

“Twilight?” Came a scared, timid, almost hushed voice.

Twilight snapped from her thoughts and looked up at her pink friend. She was trembling, trembling with fear as tears streamed down her eyes. That was right…these were the dreams Pinkie was having…the dreams that were terrifying her, the dreams that she had come to her for help with…

“Pinkie…” Twilight finally muttered, swallowing back her own emotions and stomach contents, “I…I had no idea…” she said shakily getting to her feet and slowly walking back to her friend. She had to be strong right now.

“Twilight…” Pinkie sniffed through her sobs, “I’m sorry…I’m so sorry you saw them…” she closed her eyes, gasping for air through her sobs. Twilight quickly moved next to Pinkie, taking her into an embrace to hold her tight. Pinkie cried desperately into Twilight’s shoulder. Twilight held her dear friend, making sure she knew she had all of her support. The images may have had made her stomach twist, but her friend was more important than that.

“It’s okay Pinkie…” Twilight said once Pinkie’s sobs had started to calm down, “I can see how much these dreams have been eating at you…the Pinkie in those dreams is not you. So we just have to figure out why you’re having them.” Twilight said, letting her friend dearly know that she had in fact kept her promise. The Pinkie in her arms was nothing like the Pinkie that appeared in the dreams. Pinkie slowly nodded her head in agreement, before finally being able to stop her tears and let go of Twilight. Twilight turned to her book and flipped a few pages.

“Since we know it’s not your diet, we need to determine if it’s because of recent events or if it’s something much deeper in your psyche…so let’s start there. When did the dreams start happening?”

“Well…” Pinkie rubbed her face, trying to dry it some, “The dreams started about a few days after the Grand Galloping Gala…and they’ve been happening about every night for the last two weeks. They didn’t happen one night after I did change my diet, but then they just came back the next day…” Pinkie said trying to recall how often she’d have them.

“Hmmm…Well, the Gala was a pretty big incident. You certainly seemed fine at the Donut Shop…but what about after that? I know you said you had some business to attend to before you headed back to Ponyville, so we didn’t see you again till we were heading to the chariot.” Twilight wondered.

“…Well…after I’d spent time with you guys, I went and met with my sister Octavia. She was the one playing the Cello on stage during the gala. She was the main reason I was able to get away with my music antics while there. I wanted to go thank her for helping me try to liven things up.” Pinkie said recalling the night, “She was a little mad at me at first for the mess I’d caused, but she forgave me and we ended up having a very fun chat about what we’d both been up to since we’d left the farm. After a little while it was time for me to go so we promised we’d keep better in touch.”

Twilight pondered this, “Do you think it was that meeting with your sister that could’ve started the dreams?” Twilight asked curiously.

“I wouldn’t understand that if she did,” Pinkie said putting a hoof to her chin in though, “We had fun that night…there wasn’t anything that she said that was negative.”

“Have you gotten a letter from her yet?”

“I did get one, but it was just letting me know that she was going to be performing a concert in Fillydelphia. She said that her band was touring around so that if I wanted to send her letters I’d have to address them to her band since the mail carriers know where they’ll be.” Pinkie said tilting her head in thought, “Again, there was nothing negative though…”

“Well, what about the last two weeks then? You seemed mostly fine, other than a few instances where you weren’t as chipper.” Twilight said remembering Pinkie Pie was a little less hyper then usual the last few days. She certainly could understand why now though.

“No…nothing significant. I’ve been throwing more parties because of the dreams, but it’s just been life as usual in Ponyville…” Pinkie said shaking her head slowly.

“I see.” Twilight went back to consulting her books, scanning the pages of the book, flipping through some more looking for what would be best to handle this.

“Here we are…it’s another spell. This one is a bit more of a mind delve; its intention is to find the source of your problems though. It’ll let us find out why you’re having these dreams, be it a minor or major reason.” Twilight said confidently, “So don’t worry Pinkie, I’m going to make sure you’ll be all better in no time.” She gave her friend a confident smile.

“Thank you Twilight…” Pinkie said giving a soft smile back.

“Alright, the book says the spell can be a little disorientating at first, but that you’ll get used to it. You ready?” Twilight asked. Pinkie gave her a nod. “Then here goes nothing.” Twilight said taking a deep breath as she concentrated once more, her horn flaring up with light. She lowered it towards Pinkie’s forehead once more and gently touched her.

Pinkie’s mind did a flip and felt like it fell into a hazy fog. She lost track of her surroundings as it felt like she was falling from a very far height. The world was spinning around her as she felt like wind was rushing past her. Her stomach was rolling inside of her as she was inside of this intense feeling. She wondered just how long she was going to feel this way, when she finally felt the world stabilizing with a thud that knocked the wind out of her.

She gasped for breath, coughing a bit before feeling the sensation of a ground beneath her. She lifted her head up and shook it lightly, before slowly opening her eyes. She was still in the library…that was for sure. But Twilight was missing, why would she have left her alone in the library?

“Twilight?” She called out, but the only thing that came back was a hollow echo. This was bizarre; the library seemed eerily quiet, even more so then usual when Twilight wasn’t around. She looked onto table noticing two things on it, a bag and a note. She carefully read the words on the note:

You must cross the darkness to see the light.

Pinkie looked at the piece of paper a little confused. Did Twilight write this? If she did…what did it mean? Was she supposed to take this bag with her? Twilight must know what she’s doing after all; she wouldn’t just abandon her here without a good reason…

Pinkie opened the bag, looking to see if there was anything inside of it.

There were two things inside. The first one was obvious what it was, it was a lantern. Inside was oil with a wick. There was a knob on the side; she assumed it would turn the lantern on. If she was going to use it, she’d have to make sure not to use up all the oil. She gently placed the lantern back into the bag.

“What’s this?” She asked as she pulled out a rectangular device. It had a dial on it and an antenna, but it wasn’t an object she was familiar with. It had a face like a picture on it, with a circle on it that had holes. In her mind it kind of looked like a miniature Phonograph, but how would this tiny thing play music?

In her hoof it began to spring to life, playing a soft static sound. Pinkie dropped it surprised by the sudden sound. She stared at it as it buzzed; the sound seemed like a bunch of bees being mixed through a DJ table. She poked the device with her hoof. After a few moments the buzzing stopped. Pinkie looked confused, but had the gut instinct that it must be something important. She placed it back in the bag.

“I guess Twilight believed I needed this bag…I’ll keep to her advice then.” Pinkie muttered to herself as she carefully strapped the bag to her back. She then looked around. The library seemed to hold no more clues for the moment, so she decided to step outside. She felt more comfortable now that she had visited Twilight, so maybe she could go visit Rainbow Dash now…

“Huh?” Pinkie said stopping short of a few feet out the door. A thick fog had fallen all around Ponyville. It was so thick she couldn’t even see the buildings next to the library. She’d have to get close to a building if she wanted to see one. Then she started to shiver as a wind blew by, the temperature had fallen a significant amount.

“What’s going on? I’ve never seen this kind of weather in Ponyville before…” Pinkie said confused. “Did Rainbow Dash do this? Why would she?” Pinkie knew she had to find Rainbow and talk to her now. She quickly began to run off in the direction she knew Rainbow’s house to be. She was in full gallop, when she suddenly realized she had to come to a full stop. She skidded along the ground and stopped along an edge, a few pebbles getting kicked loose and falling in front of her.

There was a gigantic chasm that had never been in Ponyville right before her. It cut right down the road to Rainbow’s House…in fact it cut off the entire way outside of Ponyville if you didn’t have wings.

“What’s going on?” She asked as she stared into what seemed to be a bottomless pit.

Chapter 2

“There it is.” Pinkie Pie said as she pulled out a map of Ponyville. She’d gone back to the library to find it; luckily she had an uncanny ability to find things she needed very quickly. She took a red marker in her mouth and drew a circle with an X through it at the road with the chasm on it. She then placed smaller X’s on several houses she’d tried to gain access to in trying to find anypony. The town appeared to be empty, abandoned.

“What happened here?” She asked herself looking at the map of X’s. She’d only investigated a small portion of Ponyville, but there were always ponies either at home or wandering around. On bad weather days they’d be in their homes or there’d at least be a notice of some kind if a lot of the ponies would be leaving. Plus why was there that bottomless pit at the edge of town?

“I need to get to Sugar Cube corner. If I can make it there I can get my hot air balloon and try and see if there’s any pegasi in the sky, they might have an explanation for the fog.” Pinkie Pie said confirming her plan of action in her head. She also admitted to being worried about Gummy, she hoped he would be alright. She quickly checked her route on the map before packing the map and the pen into her bag. She’d mark anymore unusual occurrences she encountered in Ponyville on the map for her to remember.

She stepped back out into the chilly day when something cold and wet landed on the end of her nose.

“Huh?” Pinkie said trying to see the end of her nose. She shook her head a little, then looked up into the sky. Small specks of snow began to appear as they slowly fell to the ground.

“Snow? But…But its summer…” Pinkie said in shock staring at the white spectacle. She could see her breath but she hadn’t realized it was cold enough for snow out. The pegasi controlled the weather, so they must be up there right now! Pinkie headed out in a gallop towards Sugar Cube Corner.

Suddenly Pinkie heard a static sound coming from her bag. Was that miniature Phonograph making noise again? It certainly picked random times to do so.

Pinkie was knocked out of her thoughts when she saw the outline of a figure in the fog.

“Oh! Somepony is here!” She said her hope rising. She quickly ran faster to the figure. As she got closer though, she couldn’t help but get the strong feeling that something wasn’t right, as the phonograph grew louder…

“Hey, what’s going on here?” She instantly asked before even assessing who it was. She stopped shortly though when she got a good look at the pony…and she let out a high pitched scream.

“Ruuuaaaa…ghhuuurrrrrggghhh…” The pony was barely a pony anymore. Its coat and mane was gone, replaced with the look of rotting flesh that was trying to live. One of its front legs was missing, there was a missing chunk of flesh from its back, its eyes looked like they had been gouged out, several teeth looked like they had been knocked out with the holes bleeding, and several lacerations covered its body.

“A-Are you alright!?” Pinkie said taking a step back from the pony. Her initial reaction was to figure out if it was in pain, but her gut told her to stay away, that this thing didn’t want her help. The phonograph in her bag started ringing off the hook.

“Gruuuuuh” The fleshy mass lunged at Pinkie, its teeth bearing to strike down. Pinkie cried out and jumped away, as the creature fell where she was standing, its teeth sinking into the dirt. Pinkie took a few more steps away from the creature as it brought its head back up, a mouthful of dirt in its teeth. It growled as the dirt dribbled out of its mouth, soaking the dirt with its blood. It began to slowly lumber towards Pinkie again, growling as it seemed to smell her out.

“S-Stay back! Stay back!” Pinkie cried out trying to back pedal away from the terrifying creature. It growled and moaned, dripping a trail of blood as it was intent on tracking her. The creature terrified Pinkie, it looked like it was on the verge of death, yet it wouldn’t die. Instead it was intent on attacking her. Every fiber in her being told her to run away, run as fast and far as you can from this creature.

“Stay away from me!” She cried before her legs finally took action and ran around the creature, quickly galloping away. The creature went to lunge again, its teeth implanting on the dirt once more as Pinkie ran past. As she got farther and farther away the phonograph in her bag began to settle down, before going silent once more.

She collapsed into a sitting position as she breathed heavily; her heart was beating a mile a minute in her throat. What was that thing? Why had it attacked her? Why did it look like a pony? Why had she not seen any pony else but that…thing?

“Sugar…cube…corner…” Pinkie panted trying to calm her nerves. She bit down on her arm, pinching herself to remind herself she wasn’t dreaming. She was in control of herself…she could run away from what she saw…this was not a dream. She shook her head and got back to her hooves and began to run again.

The door to her room in Sugar Cube Corner creaked open slowly as Pinkie pushed it. The inside of her room was pitch black. She couldn’t see anything past the frame of her door. She carefully dug into her bag and pulled out the lantern, holding it in her mouth as she turned the knob. The wick came to life, the flame shining. She stepped into her room, the light of the lantern illuminating what she couldn’t see before.

She looked at shock at the state of her room. It looked like it hadn’t been used for years. The wallpaper was rotted and peeling, the wooden floor was splintering and falling apart, the curtains were riddled with holes, dust was thick and the air was stagnant. Pinkie looked around confused, before placing the lamp down gently onto a table so she could see the whole room.

“Was I…gone for a long time?” Pinkie asked as she stepped through the room, hearing the floor creak and groan as it adjusted to her weight. “Twilight wouldn’t have used a spell to send me into the future if she was going to help me…would she?” Pinkie said not sure what to think. “The spell did say it would be disorientating…I guess this could just all be part of that side effect.”

The Phonograph began to let off a soft static. Pinkie stopped in her tracks as she listened to it. The last time it went off she met that creature and it had gotten louder as she got closer to it. She looked around the room hastily but she didn’t see anything that looked like a monster…

“Calm down Pinkie Pie…there’s…nothing too serious to worry about. Let’s just check and see if Gummy is here…grab the balloon…and head for the sky…you can put this creepiness behind you then.” Pinkie said as she grabbed the lantern in her teeth and quickly pushed her bathroom door open.

“Gummy?” She called out despite the lantern in her teeth. She looked into the bathroom and nearly dropped the lantern.

The walls were smeared with blood, bloody hoof prints and hastily scribbled words. The curtains were torn to shreds, the remains barely hanging onto the poles that used to hold them. Caked blood covered the outside of the tub; the whole room looked like a massacre.

“G-Gummy? A-Are you in here?” Her words were muffled, but she had to check, she had to look. Her mind screamed leave but she had to find out if he was in here or not. She took steps into the bathroom, her hooves echoing loudly as she stepped onto the tile. The only relief she was given was that the Phonograph grew quieter as she stepped in further.

She placed the lantern down on the sink and gulped as best she could. The room stank of mold and blood; it made her want to gag. She carefully checked around the tub and the curtains, only seeing more blood. She turned to look at the walls, getting a chance to read what was written in the hastily scribbled blood:

Help me

Pain

He hungers

The words sent chills down her back. What did they mean? ‘He hungers?’ the words echoed in her head. Was that…referring to Gummy? But Gummy had no teeth; the only thing he could swallow was the mushy gator food she bought for him. What had happened in her bathroom? Why would this have happened here? Her mind was reeling with questions; she desperately needed the comfort of one of her friends right now.

She stepped away from the wall, there was only one place left she had to check and that was the tub itself. She very carefully leaned her head over the edge of the tub, looking down into it.

In the tub laid half of the rotted remains of a tiny green gator.

Pinkie threw her hooves over her mouth as the tears began to stream out of her eyes. It was unmistakable…that was Gummy. He looked like he had been there for a long time. Pinkie’s stomach was moving into her throat as she stared. ‘Why was this happening?’ was the question bouncing around her head again and again and again. She needed answers.

It was then that she noticed a bright red ribbon. It was tied immaculately into a bow around something that was sticking out of Gummy’s mouth. Pinkie swallowed as she stared at the item, not sure what it meant. The item was clean…it was free of blood and it looked like…it looked like Gummy was trying to give it to her.

Pinkie gingerly lowered her hoof and took the item from Gummy’s mouth, the item slipping out with a bit of ease. She was able to look at it clearly now, realizing it was a key. The key had a symbol of a star on it. She didn’t quite know what it meant, but Gummy had given it to her in his last days. She had to keep it. She gently placed the key into her bag, remembering just then that the phonograph was still giving off a quiet buzz.

She carefully grabbed her lantern and stepped out of the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She placed the lantern down on the ground as she wiped her face again, hiccuping.

“Gummy…I’m so sorry…” She cried into her hoof as she desperately tried to calm down, “I promise…I’ll give you the proper burial you deserve one day…” she held back another sob, “Please forgive me for not being there for you…”She said as her shoulders shook. Her attempts at calming down were failing. The tears were pouring out stronger now. She just wanted to sit there and cry…

Her mind snapped aware when she heard the buzzing grow louder, turning into the high pitched ringing. Whatever was setting it off was getting closer. That meant she didn’t have the time she needed to sit there and cry her heart out, she had to move or the fate that befell Gummy was going to befall her too.

She hastily grabbed the lantern and ran across her room to the closet where she kept the balloon. The ringing grew louder. Her heart was racing a mile a minute. She grabbed the closet doors and ripped them out.

A high pitched scream erupted as a white blur latched onto Pinkie’s face. Pinkie whirled her head around frantically as pain struck all around her face. She scrambled her hooves and rammed her head against the wall, erupting another screech from the blur. She whirled her head and flung it across the room. Pinkie breathed heavily as she felt blood trickling down the side of her face. She turned to look at her attacker, her eyes opening in shock.

“Shkyyyaaaaaaaaaa…” Writhing on the floor was what looked like the upper half of a hairless young filly, its white skin beginning to rot on its bone, its two front hooves grasping for land as it flailed on its back, its eyes covered by a white bandanna as its black mouth opened, a long tongue flickering out as it let outs its wailing cry. The screech of the thing struck her ears harder than the loud ringing of her phonograph.

Pinkie Pie was speechless upon seeing this creature. That thing resembled a filly…her stomach did a flip, a full grown pony was one thing…

The creature found its way right-side up, its wailing screeches quieted down as it seemed to be tasting the air, its tongue flicking about. Pinkie winced as she tried to take a step back, only to find a wall there. The creatures head snapped to look straight at Pinkie Pie. It let out another wail as with shocking speed it began to crawl straight at her. In a blind rush she quickly jumped to the side, the creature slamming its head straight into the wall. It let out a wailing cry as it flailed its head in pain.

Pinkie’s heart pounded in her throat as she watched the creature. Its wailing cry made it sound so pitiful. It had left a sizeable bloodstain on the wall and its head was bleeding profusely. It flailed its head back and forth. Pinkie wanted to reach out and help it, she wanted to stop its pain and let it know everything is alright…

The creature let out a blood curdling scream and rushed at her again, its mouth clamped down hard on her leg. Pinkie cried out she flailed her leg trying to get the creature off, but it held on with a tight grip. She began to run around trying to shake the creature, but its grip seemed to get tighter. She couldn’t hear anything beyond her screams and the beating of her heart.

She stopped next to a wall and slammed the creature hard against the wall. The creature was still there, she slammed it hard again. She slammed it again and again and again. Warm blood splattered against the wall and onto her coat. She slammed it with all of her might against the wall.

The creature slid off as life escaped its body, collapsing onto the floor with a thud. Pinkie’s breath filled her lungs with fire as her body shook with adrenaline. She looked down at her bleeding leg and then at the creature she’d just finished off…

“Oh no…oh no oh no oh no…” Pinkie said in a shaky breath as she stepped backwards from the creature. She hadn’t meant to kill it, did it deserve death? It had attacked her but was it the right thing to do? She sat on the ground panting, her body shaking, her mind reeling. She looked down at her body and saw the soft splatter of its blood against her coat. Her stomach flipped again and again, her contents about to come up.

“What have I done…” she gasped trying to cool her burning lungs, “Why did it have to come to this?” She shook her head violently. She didn’t want any of this but it was happening…this was no dream that she could wake up from and it’d all go away…this was here and it was real.

She took a deep breath as she tried to stand on her shaking legs.

“Rainbow Dash…Rarity…Fluttershy…Applejack…Twilight…anypony…I need you right now…” she said shakily walking towards her closet. She grabbed the lantern and looked into the darkness. The Balloon was there, the basket holding the deflated balloon. Hope rose in her heart as she placed the lantern down and began to pull out the cloth from the basket…

Large holes riddled the balloon. It wasn’t use-able for flight.

Pinkie broke out in sobbing tears, crying into the hole-ridden cloth.

The phonograph had finally stopped ringing.

Chapter 3

Pinkie Pie tenderly finished cleaning and wrapping her wounds. Her leg still throbbed from the bite wound, but at least now it would start to heal properly. She tested her weight on it; there was a small bit of pain but nothing she couldn’t handle. She could keep moving; she could run away if she had to.

She looked at the note she had placed on her bed once more; it had been resting at the bottom of the balloon’s basket, as if it had been waiting for her to find it.

Laughter and smiles of youth,

Together as they find out truth.

Dreams of the future are held,

As fears of the past are expelled.

She had been dwelling on this note since she’d found it. She knew it was a riddle…she wasn’t very good with riddles. But her mind had finally calmed down enough now to start thinking more coherently. Her brain was finally not reeling from horror long enough to take deciphering these words seriously.

“…Well…I guess the first line means foals…foals finding truth? Like…learning?” That word sparked it for her, “Oh! This riddle is about a school.” She said rereading the riddle in context of a school and all the lines fit, “So…does that mean I should head for the school?” She asked herself.

She looked around at the dilapidated room, the balloon that was torn apart, the body of half a filly…

“…No reason to stay here.” She sighed as she packed the note into her bag before grabbing the lantern and heading outside. She shivered as she hit the cold, snowy air once more. She hadn’t realized how warm it was being inside of the buildings…

She turned the lantern off and placed it back in the bag. She then began her gallop towards the school.

She watched carefully from behind a tree as the lumbering form of the monster paced away from the entrance to the school. It looked just like the first monster she had encountered, the three legged groaner. ‘If there’s more than one of those things, maybe Groaner is a good thing to call them…’ she thought to herself.

She had hoped the buzzing of her phonograph wouldn’t give her position away, but it didn’t seem to notice any sounds unless she made them. It soon began to lumber away into the fog, turning into a dark silhouette of itself. She figured now was the perfect time to move.

She quickly made it to the front door of the school and pulled on the handle, trying to get inside quickly. The door jammed from the sound of it being locked.

“W-What? It’s locked?” She said bewildered. She hadn’t expected it to be locked, not after that riddle had told her to come to the school. ‘Did I get the answer wrong?’ she asked herself as she looked at the door again. It was then that she noticed just above the handle was the lock, with the symbol of a star on it.

It felt like a switch was flipped on in her head. She quickly reached into her bag and pulled out the key Gummy had left for her, being careful not to undo the ribbon. She placed the key into the keyhole, it fitting perfectly. The door unlocked with a satisfying ‘click’ that made her smile softly. She went to grab the key to hold onto it again.

The key turned into ash, the tiny pieces quickly falling to the ground.

She stared in shock at the gift Gummy had given her. The only part that hadn’t turned to ash was the ribbon that floated down gently, landing on her outstretched hoof.

“No…Gummy’s gift…” She said, her lip quivering as tears threatened to fall once more. She shook her head quickly, taking a deep breath of cold air as she calmed herself again. She’d already cried a lot…if she kept crying she wasn’t going to get out of this situation anytime soon. Besides, she still had the ribbon from the key…

She very carefully tied the bow to the end of her mane. It still didn’t have its frizz to it, but tying it at the end helped make her feel like it was a little poofy again. The ribbon gave her comfort, she felt as if Gummy was right beside her while wearing it.

She opened the school door and headed inside. To her surprise the area was fairly well lit, she had been expecting to need her lantern like at her house. The school seemed to have fared better than her house did, it had a thick layer of dust but the structure wasn’t nearly in as much disrepair. Lockers lined the walls as the hallways lead to classrooms, before her an opening to the main auditorium. Signs hung on the wall pointing out the direction to the gym, nurse’s office, Principal's office and the numbers of the classrooms.

“Huh?” She said as her ear twitched upon hearing a sound. It sounded like the laughter of young foals. She turned her head in the direction of the sound, simply amazed at the sight. She could see the ghostly apparitions of two young foals playing in the hallway. They laughed and pranced around each other before running down the hallway in the direction of a classroom.

Pinkie watched as they faded through the door to the classroom. She quickly turned her head to her bag and listened for the static of her phonograph…but it was silent.

“…Well…maybe those ghosts aren’t monsters like the others…” she said quietly to herself. Perhaps if they weren’t monsters, they were a sign. She quickly followed after the foals, opening the door to classroom 104.

The classroom was as quiet as the halls of the school, stagnant air mixed with a layer of dust. But the room gave Pinkie a sense of nostalgia; it was the classroom she had gone to when she had moved to Ponyville.

Memories began to flood her mind.

“Well Ms. Pinkamena Diane Pie, we recognize that you have been home schooled for most of your life, but upon testing you on the Ponyville Standardized Test your score was not high enough to acknowledge a graduate level pony. So we are requiring you to take at least one year of public school here in Ponyville.” The mayor explained to her.

“W-What? I have to go to school?” Pinkie said pouting in her seat opposite the mayor’s desk. “But learning was so boring!” She stomped her hooves a little in her chair.

“Now, now sis,” Octavia said reaching over and placing a hoof on her sister’s shoulder, “it won’t be that bad. Just think of all the new friends you’ll be able to make. You’ll have a lot more ponies to invite to your parties.” She said comfortingly.

“But…but…” Pinkie said looking at her sister with pleading eyes. She already knew that she wanted to spread smiles as much and as far as she could, but this was her first time finding other ponies to be friends with to host a party for. She was rather intimidated by the thought that they wouldn’t like her parties.

“Tell you what,” Octavia said with a comforting smile, “if it’s alright with the mayor, I’ll go to school with you. How does that sound?”

“I don’t see why not.” The Mayor said nodding with a smile.

“Really!? Oh my gosh you’re the best big sister ever!” Pinkie said hugging her dear sister with all her might, a big smile on her face. Octavia smiled in return as she petted her young filly sister.

Pinkie smiled at the warm memory. It was one she hadn’t thought about in a long time. When Pinkie had decided to leave the farm Octavia was the one who had been the one willing to help her adjust to life outside of it. Her parents seemed to understand and stayed behind to let their kids experience the world.

Octavia had been the biggest help to her while they were at school. She gave her the confidence boost to meet the new ponies and she made so many friends. She was also the reason she’d met Mr. and Mrs. Cakes and ended up staying with them.

It was after that year of school that Octavia decided to leave on her own adventures, having discovered her love of the contrabass and classical music. She’d been sad to see her sister go, but understood she had to go live her own life. Besides, she’d left her in the care of some very wonderful friends.

Pinkie walked down the rows of desk with a soft but warm smile on her face. The room certainly gave her plenty of happy memories to remember. She stopped before her old desk in remembrance, but noticed a piece of paper lying on top of it.

“What’s this?” she asked before taking a quick breathe and blowing the dust off of the paper. Sitting on her desk was a little foals drawing. On it was the picture of a family smiling on a rock farm. She gently placed a hoof against it; it was one of her old drawings. She smiled as she remembered the fondness she had for doodling during class. She could see their old house in the background, her moth and father standing behind their kids in the foreground. She smiled at the cute scribbling of her and Octavia.

“…Wait…” she said suddenly realizing something. She took her hoof away from the picture and stared at it. Something was wrong with this picture. She couldn’t put her hoof on it though…

“It’s my family…what would give me the impression somethings wrong?” she stared at the happy family of four. She couldn’t fight the strong urge that there was something wrong with the picture. But no matter how she racked her brain, nothing seemed to come to mind. She scrutinized the picture carefully.

“…I’m sure if Octavia was here she would know what the problem was.” Pinkie shook her head softly, “She always was the smartest of us. If we were ever in trouble she would always bail us ou-“ Her words stopped dead.

“Alright fine, I’ll play with you, but only because you’re so insistent.”

Her eyes shot back to the paper as she scanned it and counted the number of people in her family once more.

“One, two, three, four…five?” She counted out loud as she pointed to an empty spot that should’ve contained her other sister. “Where’s Bellamina? Where’s my younger sister?” She scoured the picture for any sign of her. She wouldn’t have drawn a picture of her family without her…would she?

“…Wait…come to think of it…when was the last time I thought about Bellamina?” she asked herself quietly. She remembered thinking about Octavia several times over the years, but she’d never thought about Bellamina…”Oh my gosh…I must be the worst sister in the world!” She said feeling so rotten for having forgotten about her other sister.

She tried to recall memories of her sister desperately, but the only thing that came to mind was the story of how she got her cutie mark…but beyond that…

She shook her head furiously trying to jog loose any memory, but she didn’t remember anything else. She looked down somberly before slamming a hoof against the ground.

“I’m so so SO sorry Bellamina! I promise you; once I get out of here I’ll keep you in my thoughts!” Pinkie said determined now. She had to escape the horrors that had befallen Ponyville. She looked around the classroom, her eyes being drawn to the desk next to hers; the one Octavia had sat in during school. On the desk was a red circle with an X through it written with a red marker. She carefully grabbed the edge of the desk and opened the top of it, looking inside.

Inside of the desk was a blue jewel carved into the shape of a contrabass.

“…Wow…it’s beautiful…” Pinkie gasped examining the item. She wasn’t sure what it was doing there, but she had the strong feeling that it was something she was meant to keep. She picked it up carefully before placing it gently into her bag. She closed Octavia’s desk, before realizing she should check her desk as well. She was careful not to disturb the picture and opened hers as well. Inside was a red jewel in the shape of a balloon. She quickly placed it inside of her bag as well.

She closed the desk and looked around. None of the other desks appeared to have anything of significance on them. She headed to the front of the class and checked the teacher’s desk. There was a note written on the desk:

At the eve of the switch from night to morning, the red moon will shine.

“Another riddle?” Pinkie asked aloud to no one. This one certainly made less sense then the last riddle she tried to solve. Off the top of her head she couldn’t figure out what this riddle was trying to tell her…

She twirled her head towards the door when she heard the laughter of the foals coming from the hallway once more. She quickly exited the room and looked around the hallway for them. She saw them further down, playing with each other. She slowly approached them, trying to get a better look at the two little foals. However, once she got close enough they began to run down the hallway, she gave chase.

The little foals didn’t run too far, they quickly made a turn into another room. Pinkie stopped in front of the door and read ‘Janitor’s Closet’ on the front. She heard a click come from the door, as if it had just been unlocked. She reached for the handle and opened it, walking into the closet.

The room didn’t look anything like a Janitor’s Closet should, rather than shelves of items for cleaning it was a mostly empty room. At the end opposite the door stood a small knee-high pedestal, then behind it was what looked like a door with a clock and symbols around it, in-between two portraits of the princesses.

“Oh! Is that lantern oil?” she said as she walked up to the small pedestal, noticing a small bottle of yellow liquid. She sniffed it real quick to confirm what it was before picking it up and placing it in her bag, “Good, that should keep me stocked for a while.”

She then walked forward to take a closer look at the door. To the left of the door was a picture of Princess Luna, graciously drawn with her body in a circle, surrounding a small hole in the wall. Princess Celestia was drawn much the same way, also surrounding a small hole in the wall.

“Wait…this hole…I know this shape.” She said having noticed something about the hole Celestia was surrounding. She quickly reached into her bag and pulled out the red balloon jewel and fit it gently into the hole. It snapped into place with a satisfying click.

“Then that means the other jewel must go here.” She said placing the blue contrabass underneath Luna’s picture. When the second jewel clicked into place, the clock moved forward out of the door a little, followed by the symbols placed in a circle around it. She looked carefully at the symbols; there were six pictures, three of suns, one red, one yellow, one blue and three moons, one white, one green and one red.

“Wait…a clock and a moon…” The words from the teacher’s desk came to mind. “The eve of the switch from night to morning…night is pm; morning is am…they switch at twelve…and the red moon will glow at that time.” She placed her hand against the dial of symbols and turned it, placing the red moon so that it was directly above the number twelve on the clock. Then she moved the two hands of the clock to point at the number as well.

The clock chimed twelve times as it and the dial moved back into the door, before the door moved up and rose into the ceiling opening the path. Pinkie quickly walked into the next room.

“Huh?” She said as her ear twitched. She heard a very quiet sound, like it was a sound coming from Ponyville itself. She recognized it as a siren, a siren was blaring in the distance. She wasn’t sure what it meant, but she had the gut instinct it didn’t mean anything good.

She focused on the room before her. She regretted it instantly.

The room itself gave off the stench of it rotting, the ceiling was brown with missing tiles, the walls were a mess of peeling rotted walls, and the floor was covered in dirt, mold and grime. Holes littered the room, revealing a mesh of iron grating behind them, apparently the foundation holding the room together.

Two dead ponies hung from the corners of the room, their bodies wrapped in some kind of cloth, but their blood splattered the wall and floors next to them. They hung by chains and metal that kept them suspended. On the wall between them was a single word written in their blood.

Run

She didn’t need to be told twice as she ran out of the room. She ran out of the janitor’s closet and back into the hallway.

“W-Wait…what happened to the light?” She asked as the hallway she entered was pitch black. She quickly reached into her bag and pulled out her lantern. The flame came to life illuminating the hallway. She gasped as the hallway was no longer that of the calm and quiet schools, but instead was made of the same dilapidated materials as the room she’d just escaped.

Everything was rotting, held together by a metal grating. The grime covered the floor in splotches and blood caked the walls. Hanging bodies of ponies were visible at various intervals down the hall. The smell of so much rotting gagged Pinkie; if not for the lantern in her mouth she would’ve lost her stomach.

The sound of static hit her ears next. Her heart started pounding as she next heard footsteps echoing down the hall. She turned to the direction of footsteps, listening to the hiss of static grow louder as the footsteps grew closer. Her brain was screaming at her to run, listen to the wall and put every force of power into her hooves…

But she seemed stuck, almost glued to the spot. This feeling wasn’t like the other monsters. This sensation was piercing down right into her very soul. This feeling was biting into her and was forcing her feet to stay.

The edge of the light hit the creature. It walked further into the edge of her light and she felt her heart stop for just a brief moment.

It was one of the monsters of her nightmare.

It was a tall, slender pony that towered over her. It had no face; its skin clung to its face and body as if they were attached directly to its bones. It was pale, deathly pale, accentuated by the black suit and red tie it wore on its torso. It continued to take slow careful steps toward her; every hoof step echoed in her brain like it was trying to grate her mind.

The Phonograph erupted into its loud high pitched ringing as she felt a pain strike her mind. She finally felt herself no longer glued to the spot and with every ounce of strength she turned around and ran.

Her heart jumped to her throat and beat away a mile a minute as her hoofs connected loudly with every single step she took. She didn’t care about the grime or the bodies she passed, she had to get away. Her mind grated with the feeling of a haze that the creature seemed to bring with its presence. The loud ringing of the phonograph seemed to be the only thing that kept her in any state of mind to run as fast as she could.

She rounded a corner with lightning speed. She was putting everything into this; she knew she could run fast, she could keep up with, if not out-run Rainbow Dash at times. She had to be losing the Slender Pony, she had to be escaping. She dared to look over her shoulder.

It was keeping up with her. It seemed to only be walking, somehow the slow paced canter it strutted kept up, and his whole being seemed to slide towards her, as if there was no escaping.

Her mind reeled and she whipped her head forward trying to go faster. She had to turn another corner. Her hoof caught under one of her legs and she nearly fell. She scrambled her legs and took off again.

“SHKYAAAAAA” A blood curdling scream bellowed out before her as she saw half of a white filly start to crawl straight for her. She jumped over it, its tongue passing over one of her hooves as it tried to bite her. The screams of the filly were cut short as she heard the sound of it being crushed by the monster chasing her. Her stomach hit her heart inside of her throat as her lungs burned. Her mind was reeling and the haze was growing.

‘I can’t escape I can’t escape I can’t escape I can’t escape I CAN’T ESCAPE’ the words yelled and flung themselves to the very corners of her mind. She felt it: She was about to die. This monster was about to kill her and there was nothing she could do about it…

Her eyes flung open as she saw at the end of the hallway an open door.

‘An exit!?’ Her mind screamed as she continued to book it. She raced as fast as she could, trying to ignore the constant looming presence of the threat behind her. She had to get to that door! She was almost there! Just a little closer! Just a little closer! She was going to make it!

She jumped, passing straight through the open door and skidding to a halt inside of the room. Her heart instantly sank as she looked around. The room was a square with one entrance, no exit. She had jumped straight into a dead end with that monster behind her.

She looked around frantically; the room was adorned with party decorations: multi colored streamers, balloons caked with blood, vile looking snacks, poorly wrapped and rotting gifts, hanging ponies at every corner, a seal of blood drawn out on the floor.

She instantly turned around, watching as the Slender Pony gradually walked into the room. The only opening to the room sealed shut with an iron gate behind it. There was no escaping it now. She was trapped in the same room as this monster.

She dropped the lantern from her mouth, no longer able to hold onto it as she panted frantically. The lantern rolled to the center of the room, turning itself up right and in the center of the blood drawn seal. The seal lit up with a red glow filling the whole room with light. She could see the red hued Slender Pony as it walked towards her.

“STAY BACK.” She yelled as she ran to the gifts. She began grabbing them one by one and throwing them at the Pony. The gifts struck the pony and seemed to stun him for a moment. But as the gifts hit him, they fell to the ground and burst into a pile of ash. They slowed his walk down for a moment, but soon they didn’t even phase him.

She grabbed the last gift and tossed it with all her might, straight at his head. It struck him before blowing up into a pile of ash.

Pinkie cried out in pain as she felt like her forehead was splitting open as her vision hazed into oblivion.

She stomped her hooves down and ran blindly in a direction away from the pony. Her vision returned as she felt blood trickling down between her eyes, dripping off of her nose. He’d opened up a fresh wound on her head.

She grabbed the table holding the vile snacks on top of it and tossed it to the ground. She raised her hind legs up and with all her might she kicked the table straight at the Slender Pony. The whole table struck him and pushed him back. He hit the wall as the table seemed to hold him in place for a moment.

Pinkie panted as she stared at the creature. He got up. He pushed the table gently and the table fell apart as a pile of ash.

Pinkie’s legs gave way under her as she fell to her knees. Tears fell from her eyes as she sobbed in pain and exhaustion. She couldn’t fight this monster. It was too much. Her mind reeled and wanted to accept her death. Her body couldn’t take it, her mind couldn’t take it.

She felt her mind begin to hurt worse, the Slender Pony was drawing closer. She couldn’t look at him, she sobbed with her eyes closed shut just wanting the horror to end once and for all.

The pain stopped. The hoof steps of the Pony had stopped getting closer. The ringing of the Phonograph was dyeing down.

Pinkie dared to open her eyes and looked up. He was still there, but he had stopped its assault on her. He looked like he was looking away from her, at some something she couldn’t see…

That’s when she heard it. The siren. The siren was going off again in the distance. The Slender Pony put one of its lifted hooves to the ground and turned to look at Pinkie. She braced for whatever he was going to do, but he just stood there. Then, slowly, he lowered his head into his suit and pulled out a small brown box. He placed it on the ground before turning around and walking away from her.

The light in the room dimmed until it was pitch black.

Light from her lantern began to bring a gentle glow to the room.

Pinkie hiccuped, taking in a huge breath of air that burned her lungs again. She could feel her heart still racing at top speed as she began to get her bearings. The room wasn’t the one she had just been in. It looked like a normal basement. It had pipes and fixtures that controlled water and heating throughout the building. Her lantern lay on its side in the middle of the room, glowing with its gentle flame.

The brown box was still where the Slender Pony had left it.

Words failed Pinkie. She didn’t have the strength to get up at the moment. She lowered her head and let herself sob again.

Chapter 4

The world was quiet. Her hair floated around her face; she didn’t feel the sting of her wounds here. Everything felt the same like this. It seemed almost as if all her cares were a mile away…

The last of her oxygen left her mouth and flew past her face. Her lungs began to burn. She wanted to hold it for a little longer, but her body defied her.

Pinkie gasped, taking in a huge breath of air as she surfaced from the bucket of water. She panted heavily as she tried to relax and calm her beating heart. She had just survived staring death in its face. That thing…that monster…that…Slender Pony…she knew just getting close to it was a death wish. When it had gotten close her mind had fallen into a haze unlike she’d ever experienced before…then there was the head-splitting pain…

She gingerly touched her re-wrapped head wounds. The cuts from the attack in her room had started to heal, but the slender pony had left a deep gash down the middle of her forehead. But she’d survive, the cut only stung a little now and that would fade soon. The bandages on her leg had also needed to be changed. All that running had reopened the bite wound and her leg was currently throbbing as it recovered.

She shook her head and mane, casting the water off of her head. That soak had relaxed her some, but she was still inside of that school. The school where she had been chased inside of that…that…the only word that came to her mind that could describe it was as an ‘Otherworld’, one that was separate yet almost the same…

She lowered her head and started gulping down the bucket of water. She hadn’t realized how thirsty she was at first, but she remembered how much crying and running she’d been doing and suddenly her throat felt as dry as a desert. She very quickly emptied the bucket of its contents.

Her tongue lapped at the bottom of the bucket expectantly, but there was no more water to be had. She softly sighed as she pulled her head back up and looked around at the empty cafeteria she was in.

She was able to imagine back when it was in pristine condition, all the little foals that would gather around, eating lunch as they took a break from their day of learning. Friends would share gossip stories, adventures in the games they were playing at home, some would doodle, some would spend time by themselves, but lunchtime and recess were always the foals’ favorite part of school.

“Those days are long gone in this place, aren’t they?” Pinkie sighed as she stared at the empty, dust covered room. The tables had been empty and abandoned for a long time now and no foals visited these halls. Even the brief glimpse at the playful ghost foals had gone away and left the empty silence.

She took a soft breath and picked up the red ribbon, she had taken it off to soak her head. She gently tied it into a bow at the end of her mane once more. She was growing very fond of this ribbon, not only being a gift from Gummy; it seemed to give her a sense of normalcy during these calm moments, when she just had time to herself. It seemed to put her mind at a bit of ease just knowing it was there.

“I guess…” she said taking a deep breath and turning her head, “All that’s left to do now is…open this box…” She said looking at the brown box that sat next to the bucket. She hadn’t looked inside of it; in fact she had wanted to leave it there. Even more she wanted to smash it; she wanted to destroy the box. Anything that Slender Pony had to offer just made her stomach twist in anger. But forces beyond her understanding compelled her to bring it with her. She had put it down to get some water and now that she had finished it, it sat there mocking her.

“…Maybe I can smash it after I find out what’s inside.” She reasoned with herself, giving herself enough confidence to finally open it. She carefully lifted open the brown lid, half expecting it to burst into fire upon her touching it. The lid slid off easily as she looked inside it.

“…W-why is this in here?” She said as she stared in shock at what sat inside the box. It was the key to Sugar Cube Corner. “Why would he have this? Why would he give it to me?” The questions racked Pinkie’s mind, but no answers came. She had just come from that area, after all her home was right above Sugar Cube corner.

“I-I can’t believe I forgot to check on the store itself!” Pinkie kicked herself mentally. She looked at the key again, then remembered what she had seen in her room and sighed, “No…I can believe I didn’t check it. Not after that filly attacked me…I did want to get out of there as quickly as I could.”

She carefully picked up the key and placed it in her bag. She had to go back and find out what had happened to Sugar Cube Corner now. She then carefully replaced the lid on the brown box, before picking it up and dropping it on the ground.

She lifted her good leg and smashed the box under hoof. It let off a satisfying crunch as she crushed it.

The snow had started to pile up thickly at her hooves. The town looked like it had a white blanket covering it. Every part of the town had snow on it, the streets, the roofs and the trees…Pinkie had never seen the town covered in the snow this way before. There had always been ponies that made sure the town was still useable during the winter, clearing the streets and making sure the snow didn’t pile up too thickly…

Each step gave a crunch in the snow, as the cold ground sank underneath her. She shivered even more now, wishing she had brought some winter clothes to keep warm. Normally she did well in the cold, but the snow kept wetting her coat. She could feel ice starting to form at the base of her legs.

Sugar Cube Corner finally came into view. She sighed in relief; she had seen groaners in the distant fog but none had come close to her, she had managed to make it here only suffering from the cold.

She went up to the door of her favorite bakery and gently tried to open it. The door was locked, as she had expected. So even if she had tried to check on it earlier she would have just had to move on.

She carefully pulled the key to store out of her bag and placed it into the lock, the door unlocking. Pinkie watched as the key turned to ash, just as the school key had before it. She just let out a soft sigh as she pushed open the door, stepping inside.

As she expected, Sugar Cube Corner was dark, just like her room had been. Scant amount of light entered the room as she looked around. She quickly reached into her bag, pulling out the lantern. She was thankful she had refilled it with the oil back at the cafeteria as she set the flame alight.

To her surprise, Sugar Cube Corner looked fine. There were no pastries on the shelves or counters, but there was a lack of dust and decay. In fact, the place was even decorated. There were ribbons and banners and balloons set up all around the shop. There was a table set up for holding snacks and punch, several games placed in various locations as well as a pile of presents on another table.

There was a banner tied from one pole to the other above it all that read, ‘Welcome Pinkie Pie’.

“Are these decorations for me?” Pinkie asked placing her lantern down on a table so it could illuminate the room.

“Oh! Do we have a guest? I love guests!” Came a voice that sounded all too familiar. Pinkie stopped as she looked around, she hadn’t heard ANY ponies voice since she’d entered this horrible place and she was suddenly filled with hope.

“Yes! You do have a guest! It’s me! Pinkie Pie!” Pinkie Pie quickly called out excitedly, wanting to meet the other pony right now. “Where are you? Come on out! I promise I’m not like those monsters outside!”

“Oh, really?” The voice chuckled, “It’s just so hard to tell these days who is and isn’t.” The voice said cheerfully.

“Please, will you come out? I’d really like to see your face.” Pinkie said, she didn’t care that the voice seemed to sound familiar; she just wanted to see the pony.

“Okie-dokie-loki! Since you asked so nicely!” A blob of darkness in the corner of the room began to move, it seemed to manifest into the form of a pony before Pinkie’s eyes. The shadows surrounding the pony faded as light soon gave her a form. Pinkie gasped in shock, covering her mouth with a hoof.

“What’s the matter? You seem surprised to see me! You said your name was Pinkie Pie right? What a coincidence! My name’s Pinkie Pie too!” There was no doubt about it, the bright pink coat, the frizzed up curly mane and tail, the blue and yellow balloons for a cutie mark, the bouncing bubbly attitude…it was Pinkie Pie. “But that’s going to get confusing if we BOTH start calling each other Pinkie Pie!” She explained as she stopped bouncing for a moment, thinking about, “We should give you a nickname!”

“W-What…but I’m…” Pinkie couldn’t think of anything to say. Why was there two of her? And this Pinkie didn’t seem to be suffering at all from any sadness or despair, she wasn’t covered in any bandages and she didn’t look hurt. This Pinkie looked exactly like she did before the nightmares had started to affect her, and this town wasn’t helping her.

“Oh! I see your hair is down, does that mean you’re sad? You must be! The only time my hair goes down is when I’m sad! We can call you Saddie Pie!” The happy version of Pinkie bounced again, “Why are you sad Saddie Pie? Did someone steal your sweets? You can always make more you know!” She giggled merrily, “Oh! I know what’ll turn that frown upside-down! Let’s have some cupcakes!”

“C-cupcakes?” Pinkie asked a little hesitantly, “But…I want to get out of this town…”

“Awww, you want to go?” Happy Pinkie Pie said, tilting her head, “But you only just got here! Come on! There’s so much fun for us to have!” She bounced over to a door on the side of Sugar Cube Corner, one that led to the basement. She opened the door then turned back around, “Come on and follow me! We’ll have lots of fun! Then we’ll make those Cupcakes!” The happy Pinkie Pie bounced into the darkness of the stairs, disappearing from sight.

Pinkie just stared in disbelief as the second Pinkie disappeared from sight. She couldn’t believe her own eyes. Surely she was the only Pinkie Pie…right? She had to find out why there was a second Pinkie Pie. She grabbed the lantern and slowly began to follow down the stairs to the basement. She could hear the constant giggling of herself far down in the darkness. For some reason, she might have preferred the silence…

She hit the bottom of the stairs and looked up, expecting to see the basement. Instead there was a long hallway before her, with a series of four wooden doors along it with a final wooden door at the end.

“Come on come on! Let’s play already!” The chipper voice echoed throughout the hallway. Pinkie couldn’t tell which direction it had come from. She slowly walked up to the first door and opened it, entering slowly. Inside the room she got a shock, as she saw the familiar look the living room from the farm.

“Here…you should eat something.” The ghostly image of her father had placed a bowl of soup before a ghostly image of her younger self, wrapped up in a blanket.

“…I’m not hungry…” her younger self had softly muttered in response. She bundled herself up tighter into the blanket.

“You haven’t eaten anything since you got back…please, you have to eat.” Her father sat down on the couch next to his daughter.

“…I don’t ever want to eat again…” Young Pinkie said, her voice quivering with fear. Her father placed his head around his shaking daughter, holding her close to his body.

The images faded away. The room was quiet as Pinkie stared at the images she had just seen. ‘Was that…a memory?’ she asked herself. It wasn’t a memory she could remember. The words her father had spoken felt ominous, but she couldn’t think of why they would seem that way.

She saw something out of the corner of her eye, looking down on the table where the soup had been placed. On top of it was a green tile with the image of a cat on it. She wasn’t sure what it meant, but she felt it was something important. She made sure to quickly grab it and place it inside of her bag.

She then exited the room, closing the door behind her.

“You do want to have fun, don’t you?” Came the cheerful voice that echoed through the hallway once again. Pinkie ignored it for the moment, opening the door across from the first one. Inside the door she saw an interrogation room, one she would’ve seen at the local authorities when she was little.

“Can’t you see she’s been through a lot?” The ghostly image of her mother told a ghostly police colt, as she hugged her pink daughter, “Your questions are upsetting her!” The pink filly was shaking in her mother’s arms.

“I apologize profusely…we’re not trying to scare her, but we need to know what happened.” The colt said reassuringly.

“You need to give my daughter time,” her father said adamantly, “This has been a tough time…for all of us.”

“We understand, and you have our condolences, but if we need to know the details. Once we do, we can bring this whole affair to an end quickly.” The colt returned.

The images faded from the room once more, leaving behind a pink tile on the interrogation table. It was another scene that didn’t exist in her memories. This one confused her more than the last one, not knowing what reason she would have to be in an interrogation room like that…

She examined the tile, seeing that it had the picture of a bird on it. She quickly placed it inside of her bag before exiting this room as well.

“Ooooh, you’re going to make me wait, aren’t you?” The chipper Pinkie Pie voice echoed in the hallway, sounding dissapointed. Pinkie softly shook her head. The voice of that other Pinkie was unsettling to her. Hearing herself talk without it being her just felt…unnatural.

She carefully walked to the next door, opening it and stepping inside. This time she saw her bedroom from the farm. Three beds filled the room, one for each of them as their parents had slept in a different room.

“Come on sis…you need to get some sleep…it’s getting late.” The ghostly image of her older sister Octavia was trying to comfort the young pink filly. They were sleeping in the same bed as her sister hugged her tightly, “I know you’re having a hard time…but I’m here…you know I won’t let anything happen to you.”

The young pink filly began to sob into Octavia’s coat. The two of them embraced as the images faded once more. On the bed sat a red tile with the picture of a snake on it.

Pinkie wiped away a tear that had begun to form at the edge of her eye. She didn’t know why these emotions were welling up inside of her, the images were too real to not be true…but why couldn’t she remember them?

She carefully placed the red tile in her bag before exiting the room.

“Come ooooon…I’ve prepared a party for you and everything!” She still sounded happy, but like she was getting impatient.

Pinkie shook her head softly; she had to see what was in this other door now. That other Pinkie could wait.

She opened the final door on the sides of the hallway, stepping into a room that had its walls painted like the sky, the ground was covered in sand and rocks. It looked like the outside of the rock farm.

“So…you’re sure this is what you want?” Her ghostly father asked once again.

“Yea…it is. I just…I don’t think I should stay here anymore.” Her younger self responded slowly.

“I understand.” Her mother commented, standing next to her father, “Just please be careful out there. I know you’ll have Octavia with you.”

“Are you sure you guys don’t want to come? I don’t know if I’ll be coming back either.” Octavia said looking from her younger sister to her parents.

“I was left this farm by my father; I can’t just leave it now.” Their father shook his head slowly, “This farm is my whole life now, good and bad memories alike. So I hope you can forgive us for not coming with you. Just please be safe.”

“Don’t worry father, I’ll guarantee that nothing shall happen.” Octavia smiled.

“We trust you Octavia.” Her mother nodded, tears in her eyes. The images faded away, a blue tile with a fish on it sat in the middle of the room.

‘That was when we left the farm, wasn’t it?’ Pinkie thought remembering having left the farm with her parent’s approval…but she hadn’t remembered that conversation before they had left. Yet…she was sure it had happened. All of these images were experiences she’d had when she was younger…yet she had forgotten them.

‘Why would I have forgotten these memories?’ She asked herself as she walked over to the blue tile, before placing it in her bag. ‘There must be a good reason for why I have forgotten…maybe…maybe that other Pinkie Pie knows…’ She thought to herself as she exited the room.

The other Pinkie Pie voice huffed softly, “You’re not very fun Saddie Pie! If I was told I was being thrown a party I would just go straight to it!” The voice sounded like her patience was wearing thin.

Pinkie walked down the rest of the length of the hallway, reaching the door at the end of it. She pushed the door open, walking inside.

“Oh! There you are! I was afraid you’d gotten lost somehow! Which would be weird, how do you get lost in a straight hallway? I mean I’m sure there’s a way but you sure have delayed the party!” The other Pinkie stood in the middle of the room, illuminated by a lantern that hung from the ceiling. The rest of the room was pitch black except for the circle of light that showed where she was.

Pinkie carefully turned off her lantern, before storing it back in her bag and then turning to face herself.

“Tell me…you know what those images were about, don’t you?” She asked as seriously as she could.

The other pinkie frowned, “What? You made me wait for that? That’s not very nice.” She said giving a huff, “But I’ll forgive you! After all now that you’re here we can have fun together!” She bounced happily.

“Please! I want to have fun as much as you do…but I can’t enjoy myself until I find some answers.” Pinkie shook her head, “What happened to Ponyville? Why are there monsters? Why am I seeing the images I’m seeing? I want nothing more than to go back to throwing parties and hanging out with my friends…” she lowered her head a little, “But I can’t…not so long as all these questions are eating me up inside.”

The other Pinkie stopped bouncing and just seemed to frown.

“Fine, I see how it is.” The other Pinkie turned around, “I guess I’ll just have to remove that sadness from you Saddie Pie.”

Pinkie blinked in confusion. She had no idea what the other Pinkie meant, but she hadn’t answered any of her burning questions…

Her thoughts were stopped as her heart sunk. Her ears could hear the siren going off. The light in the room was dimming, turning it pitch black slowly.

‘Oh no…oh no no no no no no no!’ She thought beginning to panic as the light faded completely. She tried to brace herself for anything, the world was changing; she could feel it shifting under her hooves. As the siren began to die out, the lantern began to flicker back to life, re-illuminating the spot the other Pinkie was standing.

The ground around them had turned into the rotting, grime-covered floor that had appeared the first time she had heard the siren. The other Pinkie Pie was still standing where she had been; the only difference now was that she was wearing a strange dress with wings…

As the other Pinkie began to turn around, the phonograph began to come to life with static.

“You know…” the other Pinkie spoke up, “playing with myself really might be the most fun I’ll ever have.” She let out a soft chuckle, turning around fully to give Pinkie a full view of the outfit, “I’ll have to make it last…but all things do come to an end.”

Pinkie stared at the outfit, beginning to notice details about it she wish she hadn’t. The wings on the back, 6 in total, were each a different color and were crudely stitched on. Around her neck was a necklace with multiple unicorn horns dangling from it. The cloth her dress was made out of looked like a patchwork quilt made of leather, each square of the dress had a different cutie mark on it.

“Oh, do you like my dress?” The other Pinkie noticed her gaping stare. The other Pinkie angled her body to show it off better, “I’m so glad you like it, I worked very hard to make it. It wasn’t easy getting everything to be so intact. Ponies really like to squirm you know.” She laughed as she gently played with one of her wings, “I’m quite proud of how it came out too. But I must admit, I see something I can add to it that would make it even better!”

The lantern grew brighter, illuminating more of the room, revealing a table that had been hiding in the darkness. The other Pinkie turned and walked towards the table, reaching into a medical bag that was placed on the table.

From the bag she pulled out a large, sharp butcher’s knife.

“Now be a good pony and hold still will you? I don’t want to mess up that beautiful Cutie Mark of yours.” The other Pinkie said as if it was a natural thing, before putting the butcher’s knife in her mouth. The phonograph began to let out its wailing rings.

Pinkie’s heart felt like it had stopped. She couldn’t even comprehend everything that this other Pinkie was saying. But it was very clear that the other Pinkie wasn’t going to give her a chance, as the other Pinkie began to charge full gallop at her. The other Pinkie appeared to be aiming for her legs.

She jumped out of the way, as the knife came close to cutting deep into her. She tried to back up away from the other Pinkie, into the darkness when she hit something hard. She looked behind her, and as if following her eyes the lantern hanging from the ceiling glowed brighter, revealing the entire room to her.

She had run into the dried remains of a pony hanging from the ceiling by a butchers hook. She jumped away, not wanting to even touch it as her eyes quickly began to see the decorations of the room. She felt her stomach reach her throat.

Pony bodies hung from several parts of the room, their bodies dried and caked pools of blood lay underneath them. Skulls decorated the walls, while the furniture was made up of bones and skin, balloons floated that were dyed with blood, streamers and ribbons had been given the same treatment, piles of body parts and organs lay stacked in the corners of the room. On the table with the medical bag, appearing from the darkness that had hid it before was a plate adorned with four foals surrounded it, with a pile of cupcakes in the center of the plate.

Her ears twitched as she heard the galloping of hooves and jumped into the air, as the sound of a blade being swung struck the body she had run into. Pinkie ran away from the twisted version of herself, panting heavily as she galloped to the other side of the room. She turned around, watching as the other her pulled the knife out of the body.

“Saddie Pie, this isn’t any fun if you just keep running!” The other Pinkie said cheerfully, pulling the knife out of the body, “I admire you though; you have the will to fight! I like that in a pony.” She chuckled happily as she placed the knife back into her mouth.

The other Pinkie said everything in that same, happy voice. It terrified her, thinking that such things could be said with such a happy tone. That Pinkie had every intention of killing her, and not quickly; it was obvious she wanted to make it a slow, painful process.

The other Pinkie was charging again. She could dodge it from this distance though; she jumped out of the way, avoiding Pinkie.

“GAH” She cried out as a searing pain sailed across her right leg. She stumbled away as she looked at the other Pinkie, who was giggling, blood dripping from the end of the butcher’s knife. The other Pinkie had tilted her head and changed her direction when she had dodged. The knife had cut deeply into her leg; she could feel the blood trickling down her leg.

With a playful hoof stomp, the other Pinkie broke into another charge straight for her. She mustered all her strength to jump away again.

“GAAAAH” she let out another painful cry as a gash cut down on her back leg, causing her to trip and collapse on the ground. Her leg twitched in pain as the gash reached diagonally down half her leg. She was severely bleeding now; the other Pinkie was able to maneuver too well for her to dodge. The attacks had all but immobilized her movement now.

“I give you an A for the effort, but a C for the execution. That gives you a good round B!” The other Pinkie cheered happily for her. “I do hope you won’t completely give up once you lose your legs though! I know it’ll be tough, but keep on fighting!” The twisted words sounded so cheerful it sickened Pinkie.

She turned her head to watch the other Pinkie put the knife back in her mouth. She had come up to her from behind and was raising her head now. She was going to bring the knife down, bring down right into her leg.

With all of her might she pulled her back leg in, as the other Pinkie began to throw her head down with all her might to chop the leg off, Pinkie bucked the leg with all of her might into the other Pinkie’s jaw.

A loud crack sounded through the room as Pinkie felt the body of the other Pinkie fly backwards, away from her. She heard a loud thud, followed by the clanging of the knife hitting the hard ground. She panted in pain, trying not to focus too much on her bleeding legs. She turned her head weakly to look in the direction the other Pinkie had flown.

The other Pinkie groaned, having landed on her back. She rolled over, lying on the ground as her head wobbled. Her mouth was bleeding severely. She coughed and hacked, bits of teeth and chunks of blood flying out. She panted as best she could through the blood oozing out of her mouth, turning to look at the Pinkie she had attacked.

“Nicbth…truhth…” The other Pinkie tried to speak, but she just sputtered out what sounded like nonsense. She looked in pain as she tried to speak, but she slowly got to her wobbly hooves.

Pinkie slowly got to her hooves as well. Putting weight on her injured legs made her body cry out in pain for relief, but she did her best to silence the cries.

“Ahlbth…finthith…yoobth…” The other Pinkie sputtered out more blood, as she gripped the butcher’s knife as best she could with her hoof, dragging it along the ground as she began to walk towards Pinkie. Pinkie took in sharp breaths of air as she concentrated on the vile Pink mare before her.

The other Pinkie began to pick up the pace, before going out into a full on run straight for Pinkie. She seemed groggy, but determined, to bring that knife down into Pinkie’s flesh. Pinkie had aimed the uninjured half of her body at the other Pinkie, bringing her hind hoof up once more.

The butcher’s knife was raised into the air, sparks flying as it had scrapped along the ground. The frantic rush of the other Pinkie was closing in, ready to strike down. For a moment, everything seemed to hold still, right on the edge of death, two forces that never should’ve met collided.

The butcher’s knife flew through the air, impaling itself into the ground. A loud crunching sound broke through the air.

Pinkie’s hind leg had struck, landing with all its might straight into its victim’s throat. The other Pinkie’s eyes shrunk as her wind pipe was crushed, her forward energy being matched by the stopping force of the kick. Her body betrayed itself and swung itself free of the ground, her whole being shifting out from under the power of the kick and hitting the ground with a hard thud.

That Pinkie jerked and twitched on the ground, as it tried with all its might to get air from its broken wind pipe, only to be filled with blood that poured freely from the neck. She jerked and squirmed, as her eyes rolled into the back of her head. It seemed to last for an eternity, but the body finally stopped squirming as life escaped it.

The only thing that could be heard was the loud panting of Pinkie Pie, her phonograph had gone silent. She stared at the corpse that lay before her. She saw herself dead, killed by her own hoof.

She seemed to be numb to the pain that was trying to coarse through her body, her mind beginning to fall into a haze from the amount of blood she was losing down her legs. It seemed…insignificant at the moment. All she could do was stare numbly at the lifeless body before her. Nothing else seemed to even exist in the world.

However, her mind finally began to receive the signals her body was sending. She needed medical attention. Her legs became shaky as she finally began to take her first step. She limped, putting as little pressure on her injured legs as possible, over to the medical bag. She carefully pried it open, looking inside. There were many sharp instruments, scalpels, syringes filled with a strange liquid, even a saw for cutting bones.

However, she saw a roll of gauze bandages. She carefully grabbed it, pulling it out of the bag. She unrolled the length of it, before carefully, but tightly, wrapping it around her wounds. She wrapped slowly, but surely, wrapping up the large cut on her hind leg, then the smaller cut on her front leg.

The bandages quickly soaked with blood, but they would seal her wounds for the time being. She placed the remaining gauze inside of her bag and then turned towards the exit. She slowly limped her way back into the grimy hallway, walking past the steel doors. She carefully began to climb up the stairs, her wounds slipping once or twice due to the grime that had grown all over them. The climb was slow, her body ached with pain and exhaustion, but she made it to the top.

She slowly walked across the rotting floor of Sugar Cube Corner, heading straight to one of the grime covered counters. In a dry spot on the counter sat a brown bottle, the label of it called it a ‘Health Drink’.

Pinkie’s dulled mind pulled the cap of it off with her mouth, before taking it and drinking the whole thing. The drink tasted like a mix of bitter herbs and strawberries for flavor, it was a lot like drinking medicine. But her body was grateful to have the liquid inside of her. She placed the empty bottle back down on the counter and slowly trudged to the middle of Sugar Cube Corner.

She laid down, panting heavily, as the haze of her mind finally came to a stop as she went into an uncomfortable sleep.

Chapter 5

A groan escaped Pinkie’s lips. That had not been a restful sleep by any stretch of the imagination. She rubbed her throbbing head as she began to stand up.

Her body was wracked with aches the moment she tried. She laid back down and took several deep breaths, her senses being hit with the overwhelming stench of decay. She pulled her head away from the ground coughing as the stench tried to gag her. Her eyes shot open as she tried to look around; however, it was far too dark for her to be able to see anything.

She fumbled around in her backpack reaching for her lantern before pulling it out and turning it on.

The floor she sat on was a mess of rotting wood and grime, the normal pristine floors of Sugar Cube Corner had become one with the otherworld now. She lifted her head up to look around, seeing the walls and furniture were also rotting away, bodies of ponies hung from the corners of the room, bad confectionaries were placed on various counters on the shop.

Pinkie quickly turned her head away, closing her eyes from the images. She had seen so much of it already, yet it still wasn’t any easier to see any of this. She had kind of wished that waking up would’ve made this whole place go away, as if it were just some bad dream.

“At least I wasn’t attacked by a monster…” she groaned as she began to stand up onto her wobbly feet. She looked down at the blood soaked bandages that covered her legs.

Images of herself attacking her assaulted her mind, as the events replayed in her mind. She remembered each cut, then of her own hoof ending the life of herself.

A pang of guilt coursed through her. She hadn’t wanted to kill her, but in her state of self-defense she hadn’t been given any other option. If only this town hadn’t warped everything, if only things went back to the way they always were…

“Wait!” Pinkie said as a thought reached her mind. She looked around Sugar Cube Corner once more, before looking down at her feet, viewing the grime-riddled floor. “Sugar Cube Corner didn’t look this way when I came in…” she said aloud as she began to realize what was happening around her, “Which means…oh no…that siren didn’t go off again! I’m still in this…otherworld!” Pinkie began to panic as the realization hit.

“No…no no no, calm down Pinkie!” Pinkie said sitting herself down taking in deep breaths, “If you panic then nothing good will happen!” She shook her head, before gently tapping it with her hooves, “Stay calm…stay calm and just…just think.”

Her heartbeat began to slow down as she managed to rationalize with herself.

“Okay…okay first things first…” she said as she looked at her legs, “I need to change these bandages…” she reached into her bag and grabbed the bandages she’d put in there from before. She quickly unwrapped her wounds, inspecting each of them to make sure they were healing properly before reapplying fresh bandages. She used up the last of her gauze, but she felt satisfied with the fresh wrappings.

“It’d probably be better if I had some disinfectant…but I gotta work with what I have.” She sighed softly. “So now what?” She asked herself as she reached into her backpack and pulled out her map. She unfurled it to try and see where she should go.

She gasped in shock. The map was blank now. The entire map only consisted of one word,

Nowhere

“Nowhere? I’m not anywhere?” She asked herself confused. She pressed against the map looking for any clue as to what happened to the old one, but there were no clues to be had. Letting out a defeated sigh, she placed the map bag into her bag.

“I…guess I should get a look at my surroundings…before I decide where to go next.” She softly gulped down a bit of anxiety. She wasn’t sure what to expect outside now that the siren hadn’t turned the world back to normal.

“Alright…you’ve been through a lot already Pinkie…you can handle this…” she softly motivated herself as she gripped the lantern in her mouth, standing up. She headed for the door and softly pushed it open, expecting a blast of cold air.

Walking out of the store, she found that all of Ponyville had succumbed to the otherworld. The entire street was paved with the rotting floor, littered with holes that showed the metal framing that held it together above a dark bottomless pit. The houses had mutated into decrepit, rust-colored shacks that were falling apart at the seams. The fog still only illuminated part of the town, but was now as black as the sky. The only light that penetrated the area was that which came from her lantern.

She carefully looked around, before stepping down from the front steps of the shop. She didn’t have any idea of where she should head first. The other version of herself hadn’t dropped any clues, and if she had she didn’t want to go back to find it.

Suddenly, a loud thud hit her ears as the ground shook slightly. She looked at the ground carefully, as another tremor passed through, a few pebbles shaking at her hooves. Pinkie’s heart began to race, she had no idea what this meant but it couldn’t be anything good. She looked around her, trying to find a source for the rumbling.

“Ghhuuurrrrgghhh…” Came the groan of a monster Pinkie had become familiar with. She quickly turned her head in that direction as her phonograph began to pick up with the sound of static. Coming slowly out of the darkness was a Groaner, hobbling its way slowly towards her.

‘…There’s no way he’s the source…’ the thoughts ran through Pinkie’s head for a moment, when suddenly she was deafened by a loud roar that cut through the foggy air. The rumbling picked up its speed, as if the source was now running. Pinkie took a few steps away from the Groaner, not sure what she should do.

“Ruuuaaaaa…” The Groaner groaned as it tried to move faster. Pinkie couldn’t help but notice that it looked as if it was trying to escape, but escape from what?

“Ruua-GHRA” The Groaner let out a final cry of pain as from the darkness a massive mouth appeared, biting into the creature, taking it in one bite. It swiveled its head back up before chomping the Groaner in a single bite. Pinkie stared in shock at the giant monster before her.

It was a single body, a large mouth at its front, with no eyes, its skin was curved and pink running straight back, large muscular legs that held its entire frame up. It was as if someone had taken off a pony’s head and neck and put a giant mouth at its body. It stood as tall as a dragon.

It let out another roar that knocked Pinkie back to her senses. It had finished its meal and it was looking for its next one.

Pinkie turned on her heels and ran with all her might. The creature let out a roar as it began to chase, every stomp of its legs shook the ground under her hooves.

Her heart was pounding as she tried her best to run, she constantly felt her hooves about to slip from the shaking ground and she panted like crazy, rushing air to her lungs.

She felt and heard a massive thud behind her. She looked over her shoulder and saw the creature had tried to bite down on her, its head crashing into the floor. It quickly pulled its head back out, letting out a pained roar as it began running again.

She watched it run, its loud thudding feet doing its best to keep up with her. However, it was slower than her and she knew it, this thing wasn’t nearly as fast as the last thing that chased her before. Confidence built up inside of her, she turned to face the road ahead of her.

She made a quick turn, noticing the path ended before her. She ran quickly, looking behind her as she saw the creature run straight into the buildings, letting out another pained roar.

‘I can do this…I can out run this thing.’ She thought to herself as she felt her confidence skyrocket. She didn’t know what it was, but she could outrun it…

She looked ahead of her and saw the rotting town pass her by with every hoof step.

‘But where do I outrun it to?’ She asked herself, not sure of that answer.

She heard it let out another roar as the tremors under her legs began once again. It was coming after her again, but it didn’t seem too bright. It was a thing to be feared, it could eat her if she wasn’t careful, but she could get away from it…

She quickly made the turn around another bend, increasing her distance from the creature.

Her attention was caught by what she saw in the distance. It looked as if a giant gate of metal bars had been erected in the middle of the world, cutting off one half of the world from the other. As she ran towards it she could tell it stretched up into the sky but couldn’t see where it ended.

She looked behind her; the pink monster was slowly starting to catch up as it meshed its jaw and roared for her blood.

She looked back at the gate, seeing a normal sized door open in it for her to fit through. She kicked herself into high gear and charged straight for the door.

She slipped through with ease and quickly slammed it shut behind her. She stared through the metal bars at the creature running straight for the gate. She panted as she watched it charge with all of its might straight forward.

It crashed loudly against the gate, letting out a wild roar as it came to an abrupt stop. The gate was strong enough to hold it back. It let out another roar as it stepped backwards, rushing straight into the gate again. The bars bent slightly, but held strong. Pinkie stood there amazed, watching the creature fight with all its strength to break through the bars, roaring and hollering as it slammed its head repeatedly against the bars.

A loud cracking sound echoed through the area as the creature stopped its thrashing. It let out grunts as it tried to figure out what the sound meant, before it crashed its head once more against the gate.

The loud crack sounded again and the large creature found its hind leg through the floor. It began to let out frantic roars as it thrashed around, trying to get its foot free. The ground below it cracked and gave way, the creature roaring as it clawed at the metal gate for support. Its giant form soon fell through the ground, its loud roars disappearing into the dark sky as it fell into the bottomless pit.

Pinkie slowly walked towards the area he had crashed into the gate, peaking her head down towards the bottomless pit. The creature had fallen, it was nowhere to be seen or heard anymore. The ground it had stood on continued to crumble away, spread out towards the town. The whole town was slowly falling into the bottomless pit as well, as if the only place left in the whole town was this area behind the metal gate.

Pinkie stared at the crumbling town, in shock that it truly was crumbling away yet…it almost made her a little happy. The place that had caused her so much torment was slowly vanishing before her eyes. It had left her stranded there, but it was going away.

She turned her back from the crumbling town, to get a look at where she currently was before letting out another surprised gasp. She hadn’t noticed what was actually behind the gate since she had been too focused on running.

The dirt before her was littered with rocks of all sizes, spread as far as the eye could see. In the center of all the rocks was a wooden house, small but quaint with a moderate windmill. It was the farm, the place she had lived and grown when she was a foal.

‘The farm? It’s not supposed to be this close to Ponyville!’ She thought as she began to run towards it. Its familiarity and comfort was calling for her.

The image of a ghost-like filly appeared before the front door as she ran closer to the house. The little filly ran forward, going through the door to the house. Pinkie had to follow it.

She quickly reached the front door opening it and going inside.

Inside, in the living room, was the ghostly image of her younger sister, Bellamina stood there looking at her.

“B-Bellamina!” She called out, dropping the lantern from her mouth. It hit the ground with a clang, rolling over to the young ghost filly, who stopped it with her hoof.

“I’m…surprised you made it all the way here Pinkamena.” Bellamina sat the lantern right-side up, “I guess I was wrong, I guess you can handle the truth.”

“Bellamina! Y-You’re…” Pinkie started, but stopped herself as she looked at her sister. “You’re…not really here, are you?” she said, her cheerfulness dipping as she could see through the ghostly image of her sister.

“You’ll see the truth here.” Bellamina turned and pointed, directing Pinkie to the stairs to the upper floor, “This house is your last safe haven though. After this, there is no turning back.” Her younger sister said ominously.

“…What do you mean?”

“Goodbye sis.” Bellamina’s last words echoed as her image faded from the living room.

Pinkie could only stare at where her sister had stood, not sure what to make of what she saw. She felt a pang of sadness and yet…a bit of comfort as well. It was short, it was brief, and it didn’t last as long as she had wished it could’ve, but…

She had talked with her sister.

She walked over to the lantern and picked it up once more with her mouth. She couldn’t stop here, not now. Her sister’s last words gave her a boost of strength, a boost that she could use to see this through. She looked at the stairs her sister had pointed to; they lead to the bedrooms on the second floor.

‘The truth…I guess it’s time to find out what that means.’ She thought to herself as she took the careful steps up to her destiny.

At the top of the stairs she was met by a wooden door. She carefully pushed it open, revealing a hallway. On the sides of the hallway were four square holes with writing below them. At the end of the hallway was another wooden door. She stepped into the hallway, when suddenly the wooden door snapped closed behind her. She quickly looked at the door, trying the handle, only to find it locked.

She let out a soft sigh as she turned back to the hallway, before almost jumping out of her skin again. The Slender Pony stood at the end of the hallway, right outside the door on the other side. Her heart started beating in her throat as she stepped back against the door that had locked closed behind her.

However, the Slender Pony turned around and seemed to phase through the last door, as if telling her he was waiting for her on the other side.

She took a deep breath as she tried to calm her beating heart. The very sight of the creature was instilling fear into her…

She shook her head as she calmed down.

‘My sister said that the truth was here…I have to have faith in her.’ Pinkie carefully got back on her hooves, stepping forward slowly, ‘She said I was ready for it. I’ve managed to come through this far through hell and back, I can handle this.’ She took a deep breath as she turned to the first hole in the wall, reading the words written under it:

Eyes gleamed over,

It stalks before striking,

Its tail wags in anticipation.

Pinkie thought it over in her head. The square shaped hole was just the right size for her to place in one of the tiles she had gotten from Sugar Cube Corner. She assumed the riddle meant that she had to put one of them in the slot.

She carefully looked inside of her bag and went over the selection she had: a bird, a snake, a cat and a fish.

‘This riddle refers to the Cat tile, doesn’t it?’ she asked herself thinking the clue over. She carefully grabbed the tile and gently placed it into the hole in the wall.

The tile began to glow white, spreading out from the hole it was in. Pinkie took a step back as she watched the plate spread out into an area the size of a door before her. The light soon faded away, revealing a door in its place.

She carefully opened the door, looking inside. It was a single room, almost like a closet. Four solid walls with no description to them, yet she felt compelled to go inside. She walked into the dark room, closing the door behind her.

Suddenly, the flame on her lantern went out on its own. As she reached out to try and relight it, the room was filled with light. Projected on the walls were images. Pinkie instantly recognized them as memories.

“I dunno Pinkamena…are you sure this is a good idea?” Bellamina asked as she walked with her bouncing older sister towards the edge of the rock farm.

“Of course it is!” Pinkie said happily as she lead her younger sister, “It’s a super special party! I tried to invite Mother, Father and Octavia, but they were all too busy. So that means you get to enjoy the fun with me!”

“Well…I do love your parties.” Bellamina smiled, it was true that she did. The two of them reached the edge of the forest.

“We’re here!” Pinkamena called out happily.

“Who are you talking to?” Bellamina asked confused.

“Why the Party Host of course!” She giggled happily. Bellamina looked confused, but the confusion didn’t last for long. From the forest walked a tall colt, his coat was pale and dull grey, his mane was unkempt and was curled into a mess of brown, he didn’t look like he’d had a good bath in at least a week, and most odd of all was that his cutie mark was that of three dark red balloons.

“Hello Pinkamena, I see you brought a friend.” The old colt said with a smile. His voice sent shivers down Bellamina’s back.

“See? He’s the party host! He’s going to throw us a super-duper-wonderfully-fantastic party!” Pinkie bounced over to his side and pointed at his cutie mark, “And see? We both have a similar cutie mark! That means he’s going to throw us the best party!” Pinkamena was very excited.

“Oh of course, I always throw the best parties.” The colt let out a soft deep chuckle.

“R-Really?” Bellamina asked a little unsure, but if her sister believed in this guy, then he must be alright. Besides, they were going to a party, and parties were always fun.

“Come, the party is this way.” The colt smiled as he turned and walked back into the forest.

“Yea! Party time!” Pinkie bounced happily after the colt. Bellamina followed slowly after the two.

The flame of the lantern flickered back to life as the images faded from the walls. Pinkie stared at the walls that had shown the images she had long since forced herself to forget about. She didn’t like where this was going. Back then she was too ignorant to realize that the colt gave off a bad vibe, she was too focused on parties.

She gulped heavily as she opened the door back up and reentered the hallway. She looked at the hole before her, with the text written under it:

Sleek and smooth,

Striking at its prey,

Its tail lets it move.

The image of a snake came to her mind. A bad feeling ran through her as she carefully pulled out the tile with the snake on it, placing it carefully into the slot. The light turned the area into a door just as the previous one had.

She hesitantly walked into the room, trying to prepare herself for whatever it was she was about to witness. The light of her lantern faded away.

“W-What are you doing to my sister!?” the young Pinkamena cried from behind the bars of a steel cage. The colt had locked her inside under the guise that they’d be playing Pin the Tail on the Pony.

“Don’t look so sad little filly,” The colt said with a dazed over smile. Pinkamena looked into his eyes and saw nothing; it was as if the colt truly had no soul to him, “I’m just about to play one of the most wonderful games with your sister.”

“She doesn’t look like she’s having fun!” Pinkamena cried out, looking at her sister who was strapped down to a table. She was frantic, trying to pry herself free from her bonds. The straps were too tight; she could do little more than twitch various parts of her body. He knew what he was doing.

“Oh, she may not look like it now, but I’ve played this game with lots of ponies before. Just look around you, I’ve had many friends over the years.” A wry smile came to his face before he turned his back to her.

Pinkamena looked around the room; it was the first time she’d paid any attention to it. Suddenly, the horrifying stench of the room was obvious; it was coming from the various states of decay from the ponies that adorned the room. Most were of young fillies, with little more than their heads remaining as decorations. The colt had dressed the room up for a party using the bones and skin of the ponies he had killed.

“NO! STOP! PLEASE!” Came the hysterical cries from her sister. Pinkamena’s attention instantly snapped back to what was happening before her.

“That’s right, make the noise. It’s what I long for.” The colt laughed as Pinkamena watched as he carefully placed a scalpel against her skin. With precision he began to cut away at her.

The scream of her younger sister echoed around the room as the image faded. The flame came to life, illuminating the dark room once more.

Tears streamed down Pinkie’s face like they’d never fell before.

‘Bellamina…’ She sobbed to herself as she remembered the horrific images of her sister being dissected alive by the colt. She had tossed the memory aside a long time ago, a memory that had been too horrific for her to want to remember. Her precious sister had become nothing more than a plaything for that colt.

She hiccupped as she gasped for breath between her sobs. She still had two tiles left to go; she had more memories to remember. She had to remember everything that had happened, for the sake of her sister.

It took her a long time to leave that room, very quietly closing the door behind her. She had to see everything first, see it all before she could say anything. She very quietly walked to the next section of the wall and read the text bellow the square hole:

Soft to the touch,

It soars over its fears,

Its tail stabilizes.

Pinkie quickly took the tile with the bird on it and placed it into the hole. The door appeared just as it had with the others. She walked inside, staring at the walls as the light once again faded from her lantern.

“Come now, you must eat. There’s no point in letting yourself go hungry.” The colt chuckled to himself, his cold, harsh, cutting laugh. Pinkamena had curled up in the back of the cage, having cried her heart out. All that remained of her sister now was the lifeless upper-half that still was strapped to the table. She hadn’t seen what he’d done with the rest of her after he’d finished.

“Here, I even made you this special treat.” He said opening a small hole in the cage, pushing a plate with a cupcake on it. Pinkamena didn’t want his treat; nothing made by this cruel colt could truly be worth eating.

Her stomach let out a growl; she hadn’t eaten since breakfast and had been hoping to stuff her face with a feast from the party.

“See? You’re hungry. You should eat.” The colt smiled.

Pinkamena’s body defied her mind, as it slowly got up and walked over to the cupcake. She sniffed the cupcake carefully, but it was hard to smell anything past the stench of decay in the room. She then, very carefully, licked at the frosting that lay on top of the cupcake. The sweet sugary taste hit her tongue, almost as if in defiance of what her mind was telling her. Her mind screamed that something was wrong.

She very carefully opened her mouth and took a bite out of the cupcake.

“Good, I’m so glad you’re eating. It would be a shame if your sister went to waste.” The colt chuckled ominously.

The flavor of the cupcake hit Pinkamena’s senses like a brick. This wasn’t a sweet and sugary cupcake; it was salty and chewy, almost as if the main ingredient had been…

The colt laughed as he watched the expression on the young fillies face distort. Pinkamena vomited, rushing back to the back of the cage where she coughed and sputtered, trying to get the vile from her mouth. The imposing laugh of the colt hit her ears, causing her tears to return.

A loud crash was heard from the top of the staircase leading to this basement. The colt looked up surprised, his eyes widening. He suddenly tried to open the cage like a mad beast, as if he absolutely had to reach Pinkamena. He managed to open it as he began to reach a hoof inside, when he was suddenly tackled by another large figure.

There was loud yelling, as if there was a fight going on. Another large figure appeared before the cage, reaching to try and grab Pinkamena.

“No! No!” Pinkamena cried out as she tried to resist the figure pulling her out of the cage.

“It’s okay! Don’t be afraid, that evil colt can’t hurt you anymore.” The voice that came from the figure was comforting, reassuring. It was nothing like that of the colt’s.

Pinkamena looked up fearfully at the figure as it pulled her out of the cage, holding her in one of his legs. The colt had a white coat with striking red hair; he wore a blue uniform adorned with a blue hat.

“It’s okay, we’re the good guys. We’ve come to take you home.” He said with a smile as he moved quickly to get her out of the basement.

‘I was rescued…’ she said remembering as the light came back, ‘But it had been too late…they didn’t make it in time to save my sister.’ Pinkie shook her head, ‘and that…that vile treat…’ even the thought of the cupcake was making her stomach turn. ‘It’s…it’s hard to believe anypony could be that cruel.’

She walked back into the hallway as the thoughts continued to bounce through her head. ‘Those words I spoke in another memory make sense now though…after having eaten that; I really didn’t feel like ever eating again…’

She looked up at the last hole in the wall, the words underneath it read:

A slick texture,

Its sustenance for most,

Its tail propels it forward.

Pinkie carefully pulled out the last tile, the picture of a fish on it, and placed it in the hole. She carefully wiped away a few tears forming in her eyes as the door appeared. She carefully walked through, seeing what the last of her hidden memories had to offer.

Pinkamena sobbed into Octavia’s coat. The older sister had been doing her best to comfort her younger sister, but no matter what she tried she couldn’t get the filly to sleep.

Pinkamena had barely eaten, she refused to sleep and she constantly was sobbing. Octavia had no idea what it was that her sister had seen; all she knew was the Bellamina was dead. That fact alone seemed to have Pinkamena jumping at the shadows.

“Oh my, I hear crying.” Came a very soft, soothing voice.

“Grammy Pie.” Octavia said, surprised, looking up to see their grandmother walking into the dark room carrying a lantern.

“Grammy…” Pinkamena sniffed as she saw her grandmother.

“It’s me child.” She smiled warmly as she walked closer, placing the lantern on the night stand, then nuzzling the crying filly, “What troubles you?” The sound of her gentle voice seemed to sooth something deep in the filly’s soul. Pinkamena’s sobs slowly turned to sniffles as she composed herself enough to speak before her grandmother.

“B-B-Bell…Bellamina’s…dead grammy…” Pinkamena choked a little.

“Yes…I know dear. It’s a fact we all must deal with now.” Grammy said solemnly. “We all have done our share of mourning, and we shall forever mourn her loss. But your tears seem to hide something more my child. They seem to hide more than just your loss.”

Pinkamena rubbed her eyes as she sniffed, looking away from her grandmother, burying her head into Octavia’s coat.

“I’m…never throwing another party as long as I live.” She sobbed.

“Oh child, why would you say such a thing? You know we love your parties, and you love to throw them.” Grammy Pie said, surprised at the sudden words from her granddaughter.

“M-M-My partying…got Bellamina killed.” She sobbed the words out into Octavia’s coat. Octavia did her best to try and comfort the filly. Their grandmother looked a little sad, but closed her eyes as she seemed to understand.

“My dear Pinkamena…if nothing else, you should continue to throw your parties.” She spoke softly but truly.

“Huh?” Pinkamena and Octavia said in unison as they both turned to look at their grandmother.

“You see dear Pinkamena; your sister loved your parties. She truly had fun at them; sometimes all she could talk about with me was how much fun she had had at your last party.” Grammy Pie chuckled softly to herself as she remembered, “Which is why I’m telling you; continue to throw your parties child, in honor and memory of your sister. Your sister would not want you to live the rest of your life being afraid and crying. She’d want to see you smiling for the rest of your days.” Grammy Pie’s smile was warm as the words she spoke were the truth.

“B-But…” Pinkamena sniffed as she tried to comprehend her Grandmother’s words, being only a filly as she was. “But…the world is so scary Grammy. How…How can I have a smile in it?”

“Simple my child,” she chuckled softly to herself, “You have to laugh your fears away.”

“Laugh?” Pinkamena asked curiously.

It was a lesson she remembered often from her childhood. Her grandmother would often visit her and teach her how to laugh at her fears, stand up to the shadows and the idea of monsters and to laugh her fears away. She could face anything the world had to throw at her so long as she had the inner strength to laugh when the day was over.

She had forgotten why her grandmother had repeated the lesson so often to her, in her memories before she had just thought it was because she had been afraid of the dark as a filly. She knew now that it was because of something much deeper.

A small smile crept onto her face as she remembered all of the memories she had forgotten now. The good memories, the bad memories, the ugly ones, the beautiful ones. She had locked them all away to keep herself happy, to try and keep Bellamina’s wishes true. She hadn’t been ready to accept the memories into her heart as fact…

She carefully left the last of the rooms that contained her memories. She could feel the slow, rhythmic beats of her heart that resonated loudly through her. A smile was on her face as she remembered her sister fondly.

‘So…there’s just one last thing to do then.’ She said as she looked to the door at the end of the hallway. She slowly walked towards it, her resolution holding firm in her heart. She knew what she had to do now.

She opened the door, stepping out.

Outside the door she saw four torches lit around an open arena. A pathway was lit for her leading to it. A fence was placed along the path and arena so she couldn’t go anywhere else.

She gently put her lantern away as she walked towards the center of the arena. She could feel small tremors shaking through the world as she walked.

As she reached one side of the arena, from the ground on the opposite side the Slender Pony emerged from ground. He stood tall over her, his presence still bearing down.

But…she wasn’t afraid this time.

“I finally understand now.” Pinkie said softly, shaking her head slowly before looking at the Slender Pony with a smile, “My fear of your presence, your stature over me, your very existence…you’re the colt aren’t you.” The Slender Pony just stood there, unchanging from Pinkie’s words. “Well…you’re not him exactly…but you’re my image of him.” She closed her eyes and smiled, “which means…I’m not afraid of you anymore.”

The Slender Pony began to walk towards her, every step seeming to echo across the arena. Pinkie opened her eyes as she watched the pony walk towards her. Her mouth began to quiver as she saw him getting closer. She felt the haze beginning to hit her mind, the phonograph letting out its static.

She stood firm where she was, remembering fondly the words of her grandmother, the memories of her younger sister, of her friends back in Ponyville, of the fun she’s had throughout her life thanks to the help everyone she’s ever known gave her. All of them helped her live a life she could say she was proud of.

The Slender Pony stood a few feet from her, but the haze he brought to her mind began to fade. Her quivering mouth puckered up for a moment, before a soft sound came from it.

“Heh…”

It started off low, as it gained its footing inside of Pinkie.

“Heh, heh, heh…”

The confidence grew in her with each sound that came out of her, the haze lifting, the static of the phonograph becoming more quiet.

“Hahahahaha”

She was laughing. She was laughing at the fear that this Pony…no, that this whole town had brought upon her, just so that she could become strong enough to face her fears.

“Ahahahahahaha!”

She laughed, she giggled, she snorted, she chuckled. It felt like it’d been a lifetime since she had last let out a laugh, she’d let out so many tears that had been pent up for years, so many pains and torments she had kept inside. For the first time in a long, long while, she laughed with all of her heart.

A bright light shone from her neck, as a golden necklace with a blue balloon gem appeared. Her laughter continued as the light from the necklace made the Slender Pony jump back, letting out a shrilling cry as it seemed to hurt him.

The entire arena began to shake with a gigantic tremor as it began to fall apart. All of the scenery around her began to fall into the bottomless pit that lay beneath them. The entire world was crumbling and shattering around them.

The Slender Pony let out another painful roar as he dissolved back into the ground, disappearing from Pinkie’s sight.

She calmed her laughing, enough so that she could speak.

“I won’t forget you Mr. Colt. And I don’t think I can ever truly forgive you for what you did, but I can move on now.” She closed her eyes as she smiled brightly. The golden necklace around her neck shined brightly as it shot a beam of light forward, hitting the air before forming into a door of light. The necklace then vanished, to wait for the next time it would be needed.

“It’s time for me to head home. For real this time.” Pinkie smiled happily as she walked through the door of light, the last of the world crumbling away behind her.

To be Concluded

More Than Two Sisters

The balmy summer night settled around the old house. A gentle breeze blew through the rocky field and into the open window, playing with her mane gently. She stared out at the quiet surroundings of the farm house, then up to the clear star filled sky. The moon was out in its full glory once more, washing over everything with its soft night light.

Octavia let out a soft sigh as she moved from the window and back into her old room. The three beds lined up to give each enough space from the next, a small desk next to each of them, and dressers along the wall. It was a comfy abode for three foals and a home she hadn’t rested in for a long while.

She could see the form of her pink younger sister sleeping soundly in her bed, tuckered out from an energetic day spent with her family. It really had been too long since they’d last spent such a fun time as a family. She’d missed the feeling; it was nice seeing her parents and getting to spend time with her hyper active younger sister. There was only one family member that was truly missing from this scene.

Octavia walked over to where her cello lay waiting inside its case. She brushed a hoof against the case, smiling softly. Tomorrow she would be leaving the farm if she wanted to make it in time for her concert in Hoofington. After all, she couldn’t leave her band mates stranded without her. So, before she would say goodbye to the rest of her family, but tomorrow there was one family member she had to give a special goodbye to. A goodbye she had been neglecting to give for a long time now.

She quietly slipped the cello case around her body and moved to exit the bedroom. The door creaked open with age and she looked over her shoulder to see if she had woken her sleeping sister. The pink mare shifted quietly in her sleep, but remained asleep. Octavia smiled thankfully and slowly closed the door behind her.

The house creaked softly with each footstep, but they all served as reminders to the age of the house.

It didn’t take long to navigate the familiar home and be outside in the night air once more. She could easily see her destination from the front door of the farm house. The silo where so many parties used to be held when she was young.

“How come you don’t join in ‘Tavi?” A young Pinkie Pie asked looking up at the dark coated mare simply watching the two of them play.

“Yea, it’s a lot of fun!” Bellamina chimed in with a beanbag in her mouth. She then tossed it forward, just barely missing getting the bag into the barrel.

“No, no. You two keep playing.” A young Octavia waved her hoof smiling, “The parents told me to chaperone you two and that’s what I plan to do. Besides, I wouldn’t be a very good judge of who wins if I played too.”

“Oh, that’s not fun ‘Tavi!” Pinkie bounced over to her older sister and held out a beanbag for her, “I betcha don’t wanna play cause you’re scared of losing!”

“Excuse me!? As the oldest I would be able to out-score BOTH of you.” Octavia said, taken aback at her sister’s words.

“Come on and prove it then!” Bellamina grinned, “Pinkie’s the best at this game!”

“Oh she is huh?” Octavia raised an eyebrow curiously, “Then I guess I’ll just have to show you who the REAL master of this game is.” She grinned taking the beanbag from Pinkie, quickly joining them in their fun.

“Yea! You can do it ‘Tavi!” Pinkie cheered happily.

“Do your best sis!” Bellamina cheered as well.

“Nothing to it.” Octavia grinned happily as she tossed the beanbag towards the barrel.

Octavia pushed open the silo door and looked inside it with a soft smile. The silo was mostly empty; the only items left inside were the tools that were used to help take care of the rock farm. Octavia could still remember all the different decorations that had been set up for various parties Pinkie had thrown.

All those memories dwelled deep in her past however, as the silo seemed as lifeless as any tool shed. But she was where she wanted to be. She gently placed her cello case against the wall before opening it to meet her old friend. She carefully pulled the instrument out of its case and stood on her hind hooves. The instrument rested gently against her body as she placed her hooves against the strings.

She carefully took the bow in her other hoof and rested it against the strings. She took a slow, deep breath. Then she began to play.

“Hey sis, where’s the glue?” Bellamina asked curiously.

“Top drawer.” Octavia quickly pointed with her hoof.

“Thanks!” Bellamina said rushing off to get the item. Octavia shook her head softly as she went back to focusing. Her parents had assigned her to a rather difficult test to ensure she had learned everything they had taught her for the last year well. She had retained most of it, but the essay portion was proving difficult. She knew what they wanted to see and she didn’t want to disappoint. She wondered if non-homeschooled foals had it this tough.

“Hey sis, where’s the glitter?” Bellamina poked her head back by, causing Octavia to softly grit her teeth in frustration.

“In the decorations drawer, where else?” Octavia said trying to hide her irritation.

“Thanks!” Bellamina smiled happily before rushing off once more. Octavia let out a soft sigh before returning to her paper. She felt her ideas beginning to flow, writing down the next two sentences with ease.

“Hey, where’s the streamers?” Bellamina popped back in and asked.

“Argh!” Octavia gripped the sides of her head in frustration before looking at her youngest sister, rather annoyed, “What do you need all this stuff for anyway!?”

“I’m making Pinkie a gift.” Bellamina explained with a smile, “She’s given me so many I felt I should return the favor.”

Octavia sighed rubbing her eyes.

“Why wouldn’t the streamers be in the decorations drawer?” She asked still annoyed at wanting to ace this test for her parents. After all, ONE of them had to be the responsible child of this family.

“I don’t know, I think Pinkie used up the streamers there for her last party. I was wondering where the replacements were kept.” Bellamina smiled almost obliviously. Octavia wondered if she truly was oblivious or she was ignoring the circumstances on purpose.

“They keep the spare in the attic.” Octavia finally said, hoping it’d be the last she saw of her sister.

“Thanks!” Bellamina quickly trotted out of the room going to get the supplies.

“Finally, I can get back to my test!” Octavia grumbled turning back to her paper. She cleared her thoughts from her sister’s activities and began to work once more. Scribbling on the paper she could finally got some progress done. She wasn’t near finished, but she could already tell the quality of the work was impro-

“HEY! OCTAVIA! You gotta come with me!” A hyperactive pink filly suddenly jumped onto her desk spilling her papers everywhere. Octavia felt her face hit the desk hard. “There’s going to be a SUPER WONDERFUL PARTY! And I’m inviting everyone to go! Though mom and dad already turned me down, so I’m inviting you next!” Pinkie bounced happily up and down on the desk.

“Pinkie… can’t this party wait till tomorrow or something?” Octavia groaned not lifting her head up.

“I don’t think so. It’s a wonderful once in a lifetime opportunity!” Pinkie grinned happily. Octavia rolled her eyes, to Pinkie EVERY party was a once in a lifetime event.

“Sorry Pinkie, I can’t. I have to finish this test mom and dad gave me. Go ask Bellamina though; I’m pretty sure she’s got plenty of free time.” Octavia stood up from her chair and started picking up the scattered papers.

“Well… okie dokie. I’ll bring you back a piece of cake or something. Oooh, or a cupcake! There are going to be cupcakes!” Pinkie said thinking back to earlier as she licked her lips.

“Yeah, bring me back a cupcake.” Octavia said sorting the scattered papers now.

“Okie dokie loki!” Pinkie nodded her head before bouncing off back into the house.

“Okay, now I should finally have some peace and quiet.” Octavia sighed putting her papers back down so she could work once more.

Octavia, with her eyes closed in remembrance lowered her hoof and bow as the last note of the song echoed in the silo. She sighed softly as she held herself back. There was so much left to say, so much left to do, so much that needed to be accomplished but never would be.

She knew she was a rotten sister. Not only had she wished to not see Bellamina again, she had gotten her wish. She had let Pinkie be traumatized. She bore the weight of letting them go.

All over a silly test that in the end didn’t even matter. She was the most responsible one of them and she let them go without a word. She may as well have been the killer.

But she still had to be strong with her head held high. After all, she was the oldest, it was her job to be strong. She had to be strong for Pinkie, she had to be strong for her parents and she had to be strong for herself.

She remembered so many nights that she lay awake with Pinkie crying into her coat, hugging the filly close to her chest and comforting her, letting her know that she would be alright. After all, she still had her big sister to protect her.

Pinkie’s big sister, who had yet to shed a single tear over the passing for their youngest sibling.

“Can you play another? I really liked that.” Came a sudden soft voice Octavia hadn’t heard in years. Octavia’s eyes shot open at the sound of the intruder. Her mouth fell open as she stared at the sight before her.

There sitting before her was a young filly, with a soft blue coat and gray hair staring at her. There was no mistaking who the filly was. After all these years she hadn’t aged a day.

“Hm? What’s the matter? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Bellamina chuckled softly, smiling at her sister.

“H-How… No… you’re not really here right now are you? I’m… I’m just hallucinating.” Octavia turned her head away, closing her eyes, trying to dispel the illusion.

“I’m no illusion. I’m really here right now.” Octavia turned her head to look, Bellamina was still there smiling at her.

“But… But how? You’re… you’re…” Octavia felt a lump form in her throat, preventing her from saying more.

“It’s… complicated. But… I was given some time to spend with you.” Bellamina smiled brightly, “So please, I want to hear another song if that’s okay.”

Octavia was silent for a moment, not sure what to say. She felt herself freezing up. Of all the things that could have happened tonight, this was one she never thought would be a reality. Her sister was there to see her, but was that really alright? There was so many things Octavia needed to get out, but her mind and body refused to say any of it. All she could do was comply for now.

“Alright.” Octavia said moving her bow back up to her instrument. She then began to play another of her ballads, moving the bow back and forth as the cello created its soft sound. Bellamina sat raptured by the sound for a moment or two before getting up from her sitting position and walking closer to the instrument. Octavia looked at her curiously as the little filly then sat just a foot or so away from the cello.

“Hey sis…how come your music is so sad?” Bellamina asked curiously. Octavia’s slipped causing a sour note before she looked at her sister with a strange look.

“Sad? That… that wasn’t a sad song…” Octavia looked down at her instrument wondering what her sister meant.

“But… it is…” Bellamina tapped a hoof to her chin in though, “Here, I’ll prove it sis. Start playing again.” Bellamina instructed. Octavia wasn’t sure what Bellamina meant, but if its what her sister wanted she would comply. She pressed the bow against the cello once more as music began to fill the silo.

Bellamina slowly nodded her head to the gentle beat of Octavia;s playing, giving a moment to let he momentum build up. Then, to Octavia’s surprise, Bellamina began to sing.

Last call calling out but you're not coming still

All the tears being shed

Over the lost that does not return

Overwhelmed, exhausted,

Heart is cold and frosted

At least that is what they say

The mask descends, breaking

The face is drenched

The eyes are red and aching

The facade is now flaking

The light, it doesn't smile on the selfish foal of yesterday

But eyes are shut to tomorrow

It's just easier that way

It's just easier to say

Buried in these things meant to pacify

No one alive suspects

Failure, fall, reset

Octavia had wanted to stop playing. As Bellamina sung it felt like old wounds opened inside of her, letting out demons she had long been holding onto. Every word of Bellamina’s song felt like a stab at her heart.

But, she couldn’t have stopped playing.

Even if every word hurt, if every second of playing felt like it tore her body apart, if every note of her melody dug into her soul she couldn’t have stopped playing. The words Bellamina sang rang true to her very soul and moved her in a way she never thought that she could be moved.

The song came to an end and the last note of Bellamina’s song lingered in the air. Octavia lowered the bow slowly, staring at her sister with wide eyes, mouth agape. Bellamina just seemed to smile at the sight.

“That’s what your music is telling me sis.” Bellamina explained to the confused pony.

In that instance, Bellamina found herself being hugged desperately by the older mare. The cello fell to the ground with a dull thud, Bellamina gasped for air as her older practically crushed her within the embrace. As Bellamina found her air, she could feel something wet hit her body. As she carefully turned her head she could see that it was Octavia.

Octavia was crying.

“B-Bellamina…” Octavia hiccupped through her sobs, letting out so many emotions she had been bottling up for years. All the pain, the suffering, the sorrow, the regret, the loneliness, Octavia let it all out in her tears now. Bellamina wrapped her hooves around Octavia and hugged her back, letting the eldest sister cry deeply.

“I’m… I’m so… I’m so sorry…” Octavia blubbered some more, trying to speak despite her lungs gasping for air, “I’ve been a horrible, horrible rotten sister.” Octavia shook her head, “I never deserved a sister as sweet and fun as you. I hurt you, I wished you gone, I ignored you… what kind of older sister doesn’t protect their siblings…”

“Oh ‘Tavi…” Bellamina sighed smiling happily.

“I should’ve gone with you! I should’ve known better than to let you go without me! I’m the worst sister in the whole world.” Octavia continued to sob as she let out every bit of guilt she’d been holding onto.

“Okay, that’s enough sis.” Bellamina said pushing against her sister. Octavia opened her eyes wide as Bellamina pushed them apart. She stared at her younger sister, unable to stop crying.

“Let’s get some things straight here.” Bellamina turned her head looking at her sister from a slant, “There’s no way you could have known what was going to happen was going to. You’re just a pony, not some psychic. You did what was natural and you can’t have expected anything more.”

“B-But I-“ Octavia tried to speak but Bellamina only interrupted her again.

“And of course,” Bellamina grinned happily, “There’s no way you’re the worst sister in the world. You’re crying your heart out because you miss me, because you’ve been holding back those tears for too long now.” Octavia rubbed her face, looking at her sister even more confused, “You never had to be the strongest amongst us ‘Tavi. You didn’t have to hold all this inside of you. No pony would’ve blamed you for crying, but you were strong for your family. You did what you thought was best for making them happy. How could you be a horrible sister for wanting that?”

Octavia stared dumbfounded at her sister as the words hit deeply once more. Octavia closed her eyes as she felt more tears burning at her eyes.

“Oh Bellamina!” Octavia gripped her sister in a hug once more. “I’m so sorry!”

“Sis,” Bellamina sighed, “You don’t have to apologize-“

“No, no I do have to apologize Bellamina.” Octavia squeezed tightly, “Even if I wasn’t a rotten sister, even if it wasn’t my fault this happened to you, I still have to apologize.” Octavia took a deep breath as she nuzzled her head against her sister’s, “I never properly said goodbye to you. I never properly mourned your passing. I never let these emotions out. I have to apologize for this. I was running away from what happened to you just as much as Pinkie has been.”

“Well… then I’ll forgive you Octavia… under one condition.” Bellamina smiled, closing her eyes as they hugged.

“Anything sis.” Octavia smiled happily.

“I want to hear you play a happy song, one not weighed down by your guilt.” Bellamina grinned happily.

“Of course. Anything.” Octavia nodded her head quickly, letting go of her sister and walking over to the cello. Bellamina smiled happily as Octavia picked up the cello and the bow, quickly dusting it off and getting the proper pose. Octavia cleared her throat as she smiled, placing the bow against the instrument.

Then she began to play.

Bellamina smiled happily as the new song echoed through the silo, a much different beat. Bellamina couldn’t help but smile, the music was so full of life, so joyous, so different from the songs Octavia had been playing before. The music was infectious, it filled Bellamina to her core. She got up on her hooves as she felt her body begin to sway to the music.

Then, she began to dance.

Bellamina swung and twirled, she skipped and hopped happily to the beat. Octavia’s music was filled with such pleasure and joy, she couldn’t help but feel so joyous with the music.

The song filled the air, Bellamina danced, and it was as if the two of them were in their own little world, a world where only the two of them existed. They could’ve spent the whole night in that moment, Octavia playing her music, Bellamina dancing to the melody. A world where just the two of them existed.

But as all moments did it came to an end. The last of the notes echoed through the silo as Bellamina came to a stop before her sister, bowing gracefully to her sister. Octavia bowed gracefully back, the two of them looking up at each other.

They began to snicker before softly chuckling at each other. The chuckling turned into giggles and the giggles turned into fits of laughter. The two of them lay on the silo floor, laughing away at nothing, as if an invisible joke had been shared between them.

The two shared in the moment before it too began to calm and the two ponies lay on their backs next to each other looking up at the roof of the silo.

“Oh Bellamina…” Octavia rolled over and threw her hooves around her sister, hugging her once more.

“This is weird.” Bellamina laughed hugging Octavia back, “Getting hugged so much by my serious older sister…”

“Hey, I don’t know when I’m going to see you again you silly filly, so I have to get in as many hugs as I can now.” Octavia smiled, hugging Bellamina a little tighter.

“Thank you sis,” Bellamina hugged back as tightly, “But I can’t stay much longer.” She spoken, Octavia able to hear the sadness in her voice.

“Then even more reason for me to hug you.” Octavia spoke without hesitation, snuggling up close with her sister.

“Can you do me a favor sis?” Bellamina asked quietly, snuggling back.

“Anything for you Bellamina.”

“Could you not tell Pinkie about this? I’m going to spend time with her soon and… I’d like it to be a surprise.”

“Of course. I can promise you that.”

The two of them sat in their embrace for a long time, not saying a word. Octavia never wanted to let her sister go, but the more the minutes passed the lighter she could feel Bellamina getting. Her hooves were starting to slip from her sister’s fading body and she just desperately tried to cling harder. But, the time finally came, and softly from Bellamina’s lips slipped her last words to her sister Octavia.

“Goodbye Sis…I love you.”

“I love you too Bellamina.” Octavia clung to the last moment, as Bellamina faded from her hold. She was gone, just as she had been before. But this time, she’d left something behind.

A smile on Octavia.

“Alright, well, I’ve got to head off. My show in Hoofington won’t wait for me so I better leave now.” Octavia sighed softly, loading her cello into the taxi carriage they’d sent for.

“Awww, I wish we could’ve spent some more time together.” Pinkie pouted as her sister loaded up. This made Octavia chuckle.

“It’s alright sis, we’ve got plenty of time in the future to hang out. And once I’m done with my tour we should.” This made Pinkie smile.

“You have a safe trip, alright dear?” Her father walked up and gave his daughter a hug, kissing her on the forehead.

“I will dad, geeze.” Octavia laughed happily at the affection.

“You know we worry. You could send a few more letters to your parents once in a while.” Her mother hugged her next, Octavia nuzzled up against her.

“I know… I promise I’ll keep better in touch.” Octavia smiled happily.

“Hey, are we leaving or what?” One of the taxi ponies asked a little annoyed at how long they’d been standing around.

“Oh, sorry, of course.” Octavia chuckled before stepping onto the taxi. She turned to her family and waved as the coach began to head off, her family waving back as the farm slowly escaped her vision into the distance. Octavia let out a soft sigh as she sat back into her sit and looked out the window into the sky.

“So… my next performance is for a Wonderbolt’s opening huh… this’ll be an interesting concert.” Octavia mused happily, thinking about her musical prospects for the future.

I Met a God Today

Tick, tock, tick, tock.

The clock beats to a rhythm but it holds no time. The precious beats tell me the time is still flowing though. There’s no need to know how much of it has passed.

Tick, tock, tick, tock.

The clock is an old friend; though I don’t always know he’s there he is always waiting for me. It’s comforting to know he has the patience to wait for me to need him. He’ll be waiting for me when I need him again. But I’ll be leaving him again soon, I’m sure he understands. He can’t help but understand.

Tick, tock, tick, tock.

I rise. It’s time for me to wander. My friend will wait once more as I begin my walk. I wander away, not too far, but my desire has me moving. I walk to the forest I’ve known all my life. The familiar trees welcome me back to their depths. They’ve always felt like a second home to me. Not that my home ever felt homely. The woods were always my get away.

These woods are empty now. They used to be filled with so many friends. They all left a long time ago, but I still visit in memory of those friends. I reach the old picnic table, wearing away with age it’s starting to rot away. No one has taken care of it in my absence, but I don’t mind. This table played host to my parties before anyone knew I liked to throw parties.

Balloons lay scattered around, long since deflated. Old streamers line the trees, confetti is scattered amongst the leaves and grass. So many parties were thrown here, so many of my friends would I invite. They loved my parties, every moment of them. This table would often become covered in the remains of a good partying day. It’s been so long since I saw it re-painted that wonderfully glossy deep-red color. All that remains are the old stains of parties long since gone.

The memories of our games are strong though. My favorite game was always surgeon, a game that always required a high level of skill and precision. My friends loved to make it harder on me too, by squirming and trying to escape my hold, but it was all in good fun. I would take them apart and see what made them tick inside. Then we’d have the ingredients to make the most wonderful snacks for all our friends; my mouth still waters at the deliciously salty, though slightly bitter, taste.

Tick, tock, tick, tock.

Time is slipping by now. I can see the clouds starting to form and they’ll be blocking Celestia’s sun soon. I can tell from the formation that they’re preparing for a rain storm tonight. I still have business to deal with elsewhere, so I should continue moving before it gets too late. I don’t want to get caught in the downpour.

I begin to leave the forest. I don’t know how much time has passed, but my body seems to be moving as if on instinct. This particular path is one that has become ingrained into me over time. While I try not to do the same thing twice over the course of a few days, this is the one thing that does not change.

Leave the forest I soon enter a realm of empty of darkness. It’s been devoid of anything for as long as I remember it. I don’t know why it was made so desolate, but it seems nothing can be built here. Everything is darkness, from the floors to walls and the sky.

I reach the edge of the dark realm and I sit down. Before me sit the gates of the gods, separating me from them. I wait here every day, I’ve gotten the timing down; if I wait here I’ll see a god.

As if on cue, the brilliant light flares up. The light that tells me a god has made itself known. Its figure appears in the light, it silhouette a shadow of its true self. It comes forth and stands before, standing behind the gate of the gods.

I smile at the god. I can’t see too well into the bright light so I squint my eyes just to see what I can.

Metal crashes to the ground. I hear the god give a loud angry huff before I see the figure raise its front leg and kick something, followed by the loud cry of metal scrapping along the ground. The god then turns and walks away, taking his light with him as the world returns to the darkness.

My vision clears, once more able to see everything that resides in the darkness. At my feet I see the food that has appeared before me, a bowl of brown mushy gruel, a gift from the gods. I give my thanks to the god as I then began to eat the food I have been given. It’s not the most delicious food I’ve ever eaten. No, that particular dish will always have a special place in my heart. But for what it is, it’s a good meal. I finish every last speck of what’s in the bowl.

Once I finish, I give my thanks to the god. I’ve always enjoyed getting gifts, this one, even as simple as it is, is no exception.

Tick, tock, tick, tock.

I finally leave the darkness. Another god won’t show up for a long time now so I can go back to finishing what I need to. The road appears before me from the darkness as the world returns. The road splits before me, but I know which way I’m going. One will take me to the forest I’ve already been to, so now I must head for the city.

It doesn’t take long to reach; the cityscape is always a magnificent sight. The buildings tower over me as I walk its streets. Shops of all types litter every corner and fill the world with bright colors and signs.

I walk past the memories of ponies once gone by, going into a store I remember well. Up and down the aisles, past the memories of items I saw long ago. I know what I’m looking for today. I stop before a little red book, one I know quite well and enjoy very much. I pick it up and walk out of the aisle to the register. I give my memory of the cashier the memory of my money and they accept it happily.

I carry the book out of the store, opening it to read the contents. It’s a cook book, one filled with many types of recipes. My favorite section is the desserts. I’ve memorized every recipe in the book and I love just to refresh my memory.

Stir the eggs and the flour, add in the sugar, add milk, add flavor. Cook in the over till the centers are dry. The book never mentions my favorite extra ingredient, but that must be because it’s such a secret for something to taste that good. I found it out myself, but I won’t share unless someone asks. It’s my personal favorite recipe.

I stop in front of the city’s largest building, a tower that rises about the city to view the surroundings. It’s a favorite tourist spot and it’s magnificently built. I enter the building and begin my climb to the top. It’s a long walk to the top but the trip is always worth it every time I visit the city. It takes me a time that I don’t know before I finally step foot on its observation deck.

The entire city can be seen from this view; the forest, the clouds being built up for the storm and even the river just before my house, a glorious view of my whole world. The memories of ponies enjoy the view as well, gazing out in awe. It’s certainly wonderful just to spend this bit of time seeing everything.

Tick, tock, tick, tock.

As I leave the tower, the clouds have grown dark and begin to cover the sky. I can longer see the sun. The rain begins to pour slowly. I make haste to try and escape the rain so that I won’t be caught in the downpour. I reach the city’s edge soon enough, but it’s too late. The rain is coming down as a torrent now.

Lightning streaks across the sky illuminating the world for brief periods of time; many a pony have gotten lost and gone missing in storms like this. I do my best to head in the direction of home, fighting the wind and rain with every step. I remember the way home though; my hooves have walked it so many times before that they don’t know any other way.

It’s a battle to walk, but I’m determined to make it. Home is just within reach and I can overcome the challenge before me. The wind howls in my ear overpowering almost all other sounds. It’s good for the land but I need to make my way out of this storm.

Once I get out of the storm I’ll be in a warm house. There will be a nice warm fire waiting for me, a shelf filled with all the things I’ve purchased over the days, mementos of days gone by that I remember fondly. This storm is just an obstacle that is wasting my time. I will defeat it and be with my belongings soon.

Tick, tock, tick, tock.

I stumble past the river as the storm begins to calm down, slowly passing by overhead. The last few trickles hit my nose before it’s gone. I’m before my wooden shack that I call home. Alone by itself in this plain, but it’s where I stay. I look up into the now cloudless clear sky, looking into the night that has fallen. The moon has risen and is in full view today.

The stars shine so brightly and the moon looks beautiful. I can see the mare in the moon again tonight. Her beauty resonates within me. I remember her tale so well, that after a thousand years she will return to bring nighttime eternal.

I would like to live in a world where the night lasts forever. The sun is bright and hot, where the nights are cool and gentle. The night has always given me a sense of comfort. Parties are the best at night, especially my kind of parties. Other ponies may like the day, but the night is where I feel the most comfortable.

I sit outside a little longer, enjoying the moonlight.

Tick, tock, tick, tock.

Inside my home I put the memory of the little red cookbook on the shelf, next to the memories of the others books I’ve memorized. It brings a smile to my face to see my collection. I turn and greet the friend I left behind that day; he welcomes me back home with the rhythmic beat.

I sit by the warm fire that burns in my house, enjoying the crispy warm flames. Tomorrow is another day, but I don’t feel like sleeping. I just want to enjoy the comfort before me.

Tick, tock, tick, tock.

The clock beats to a rhythm, but it holds no time…

“…And you’re telling me this prisoner never leaves his cell?” Celestia asked the guard that had handed her a note from the prison that held this prisoner. It was their yearly mental evaluation of him.

“Yes your highness. He’s also never been given any items or time outside of his cell. The guards believe that everything described in his evaluation are from the pictures he has painted on his walls in his own blood.” The guard explained.

“…I see…” Celestia said, not sure what to make of the letter as she rolled it back up.

“Your Highness…I know how this is going to sound…but the Prison has asked for special permission…to allow them to execute this prisoner.” The guard hesitated to explain it.

“W-What!?” Celestia said in shock, “They know I’ve strictly forbidden executions of anypony! Why would they ask me to make such an exception!?” The idea of accepting an execution request made her angry. She hadn’t allowed an execution in over 400 years, seeing any of her subjects killed made her stomach twist.

“Well…your highness, it’s not just for his heinous crimes. He’s convicted of foalnapping, imprisonment, cruel and unusual torture, murder, cannibalism…but not only that, he is unknown to anyone. In all his times of being imprisoned he’s never once had a visitor. Not only that, he’s never revealed his name. He’s only known as ‘The Colt’ amongst the staff and guards.” The guard turned his head as he spoke of The Colt, holding back his anger at the very thought of what he’s done, “He would not be missed if he was executed.”

Celestia stared in silence at her guard. She gritted her teeth. She knew if there was any pony that deserved death, it was that one. His crimes were the most severe that any pony born this century had ever seen. She had personally seen worse in her one thousand years of life, but she could never convey that to her subjects.

“…I’m sorry, but I can’t accept this request.” Celestia turned her head away, closing her eyes to hold back her anger, “Even if he’s committed murder, even if he is the most deserving of death…to kill him would make somepony else a murderer. Forgive me for allowing him to live, but I can’t allow murder of any kind.”

“…As you command, your highness.” The guard bowed to Celestia, before walking off to give the prison their answer. He left the throne room, closing the door behind him, leaving Celestia alone for the moment. Celestia let out a soft sigh as she looked up at the ceiling.

“…There have been no wars or atrocities for several centuries now. I want to keep this peace for as long as I can. Even if that means leaving some alive that would be better dead.” Celestia closed her eyes in thought.

“I only pray that the families that have lost their loved ones can forgive me…”

Author’s Note: This story takes place one month after Too Shy for a Rainbow. It explains why Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are a couple and adds context to this story. However, if you can simply accept that they're dating, it is not a required read.

-Story is Grimdark. Read at your own discretion!-

Chapter 1

“How does it make that sound?” A young filly stared hypnotized by the gentle music caressing her ears. The small box before her let out a harmony that reminded her of angels. The warm body next to her grew closer, nuzzling up against her.

“I don’t know the details myself,” an older mare’s soothing voice swept through her ears as if the voice itself was trying to hug her. Her voice was soft yet delicate, “But it’s just like an instrument. Every piece is finely tuned, so that when a cord is struck it plays a gentle note.”

“But it only plays one song…” The young filly mused as she continued to stare, comforted by the warmth of the other with her. “And…it seems a little sad…” she leaned her head against the bigger body, resting against it.

“Yes, I suppose it does sound a little sad.” The older mare smiled warmly, her long mane falling in the filly’s face. The little filly giggled a little as the hair tickled her face, before moving it out of the way to smile at the music box, “But this music box is…very special to me.” The older mare sighed happily.

“…I like it.” The filly smiled happily, closing her eyes as she listened, the melody softly flowing through her ears. She couldn’t help but think it was beautiful.

“Please never forget…that I love you…” The older mare’s voice grew quiet with those words.

“I know mother…I love you too.” The filly nuzzled against her mother happily. The older mare grew quiet as the filly nuzzled against her mother. There was a silence that filled the air, only being filled by the gentle and calming music from the box.

“…Mother?” The young filly broke the silence, but it soon returned. The chimes of the music seemed to slow down, drawing out each individual note. “…Mother…” she called again, lifting her head up to try and look at her mother. The older mare had suddenly grown quiet.

“Mother…say something…” The filly pleaded, pushing against her mother with her hooves, trying to get her attention. The mare’s body felt like it was growing colder, wobbling a bit before falling over. The older mare lay on the floor, her hair looking like cobwebs on the ground, her coat growing dull, her unmoving form framed against the darkness of the ground.

“Mother!” The young filly cried pushing her hooves against her mother as the music box continued to slow down, each note ringing in her head that something was wrong. The filly moved her hands away from her mother and stared at her hooves, her blood covered hooves. The body of the mare was withering away, blood escaping from underneath her body.

“Mother…Mother…MOTHER!” The filly cried as tears began to stream down her eyes, shaking her mother’s body to wake her, to tell her everything was alright. The music from the box died.

The body of the filly’s mother turned to dust, as it vanished in the wind, leaving nothing but the blood that had been spilled.

The filly shook and cried, tears drenching her cheeks. She touched the blood stain on the floor, trying to feel any remaining heat that told her that her mother was still there.

The blood was cold, no sign of life to it.

The music box started to play music once more, but it no longer played the sad but beautiful song. The music box hissed a horrifying sound, as if bees suddenly filled the box. The filly looked up into the darkness, terror filling her core.

Red eyes gleamed as a presence made itself known. It towered over the filly as it drew closer, its body cloaked in darkness. The darkness itself flickered and flowed off of its body, its mouth opening revealing a gaping hole of white filled with jagged black. The presence of the creature crushed the filly, she couldn’t move, she couldn’t breathe, she was paralyzed by the very thing that stood before her. With a single swift movement, the creature closed the distance.

Its teeth sunk into the filly’s neck, lifting her up and holding her as if a prize. Tears continued to stream down the filly’s face, as the blood slipped down her body. The creature growled, before dropping the filly on top of the dust of her mother. The filly could do nothing but stare into the darkness of the world.

Even that darkness was soon fading, fading into a separate darkness.

The filly’s vision was filled with the beast. Its jagged white mouth turned into a grin, as it once more, drew its teeth at the filly’s face.

Fluttershy awoke with a scream. She panted heavily as she sat, staring at her pillow in the darkness, the covers hanging on her shoulders, her body soaked in sweat. The cool night air filled her burning, aching lungs. She put a hoof to her face, feeling the fresh tears that had been streaming from her face. She hiccuped softly as she tried to rub them away, still feeling fresh ones wanting freedom as well.

Something rustled under the covers next to her as she froze, turning as she heard the moan of something waking up.

“Another one?” Rainbow Dash groaned, sitting up from her spot on the bed, rubbing her eyes. “How many is that now? At least ten…” she let out a yawn, obviously still not used to being woken up in the middle of the night constantly.

“I-I…I’m….I’m sorry…” Fluttershy hiccuped, squeezing her eyes shut as she desperately tried to hold back her tears, her body shaking. “I-I…k-keep waking y-you up…I-I shouldn’t…h-have asked you to t-try and comfort m-me…” Fluttershy stuttered her words, lumps forming in her throat as tears escaped her shut eye lids.

“Ugh.” Rainbow put a hoof to her face. She shifted on the bed, before wrapping a hoof comfortingly around her marefriend’s shoulders. Fluttershy leaned into Rainbow’s chest and sobbed softly into her. “Come on Fluttershy, you should know by now that me sleeping isn’t as important as you feeling better.” Rainbow said quietly, lowering her head closer to Fluttershy’s. Fluttershy didn’t reply, only continuing with her soft sobs. “So me spending the last few nights here hasn’t helped your nightmares, that’s no big deal. It just shows us how serious this is.” Rainbow said trying her best to offer comforting words, something she wasn’t too used to.

Fluttershy could only let out a whimper in response. The nightmare’s terrified her, she was barely able to fall asleep anymore knowing they were waiting for her inside of her own mind She didn’t want to sleep anymore, she wanted to stay up and be rid of the dreams, but her body was exhausted, it demanded sleep, but her mind screamed to stay awake. The conflict inside her only brought out more tears.

Rainbow looked out into the darkness of Fluttershy’s room as she tried desperately to think of something to do or say. ‘If only I was a smarter…’ Rainbow Dash thought to herself.

It was as if a light bulb had been turned on in Rainbow’s mind.

“Fluttershy, in the morning lets go see Twilight. I’m sure she can help with these nightmares, I mean she’s got all kinds of books, I’m sure she’ll have something that can help with this.” Rainbow spoke eagerly but softly, making sure Fluttershy heard her.

“..Do…do you really think…she can help?” Fluttershy asked, managing to wipe her face as her sobs softened.

“Yea, of course she can.” Rainbow said confidently, nuzzling up against Fluttershy, “She’s Twilight, even if she can’t find an answer, she can ask Celestia! We’ll get rid of these nightmares before you know it.”

“…Thank you…” Fluttershy smiled softly, the tears finally stopping.

“Hey, what’s a marefriend for?” Rainbow grinned, kissing Fluttershy’s forehead.

“…I still don’t feel like sleeping though…” Fluttershy said, staring at the pillow of her bed. It was still deep in the middle of the night.

“…Hmm…” Rainbow said in thought. She wasn’t sure what to say for that. She looked up at the ceiling as she thought about it. She then let off a small shrug unintentionally as a thought rolled through her mind, ‘I guess it’s now or never then.’

“H-Huh?” Fluttershy said confused as she felt herself being pushed down onto the bed. She looked up at Rainbow Dash as she lay on her back, Rainbow climbing on top of Fluttershy before kissing Fluttershy deeply.

“Don’t worry; I’ll take your mind off of those nightmares so you can finish resting.” Rainbow grinned, blushing deeply. Fluttershy blushed in return, surprised, but accepting as she closed her eyes, their lips meeting once more.

“Shouldn’t you clear the clouds?” Fluttershy asked, yawning as her and Rainbow walked through the town, the warm sun only slightly obscured by a few clouds lingering around the sky.

“This is more important.” Rainbow said rubbing Fluttershy’s head lightly, “I can clear the clouds in a snap. Let’s get you feeling better first.” Rainbow grinned.

“I suppose.” Fluttershy rubbed her eyes, still trying to rid them of sleepiness. She had started to develop bags under her eyes from the lack of sleep, but nothing severe.

“Suppose nothing! It is more important.” Rainbow said trying once more to build Fluttershy’s confidence, “Just focus on getting better. Everything else can wait till then.”

“Getting better? Is Fluttershy sick?” Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy stopped as they looked behind them, seeing Pinkie Pie standing behind them with a basket in hoof filled with letters.

“Oh, hey Pinkie Pie.” Rainbow said turning to smile at their pink friend, “And no, she’s not really sick. She’s just been having some really bad nightmares lately, so we we’re going to see Twilight if she can help.”

The silence was almost deafening despite its brevity. The basket in Pinkie’s hoof fell, hitting the ground with what seemed like a loud thud, the letters spilling out before it.

“N-N-N-N-Nightm-mares?” Pinkie stuttered, a look of shock on her face.

“Uh Pinkie, you dropped your basket.” Rainbow said pointing to it.

“No time for that!” Pinkie said quickly rushing to Fluttershy’s side. She looked Fluttershy over, causing the yellow pegasus to flinch a little, before Pinkie look into her face, “How bad are these nightmares? How long have you been having them?”

“T-They’re…awful…” Fluttershy squeaked, answering though intimidated by Pinkie’s actions, “I’ve been waking up crying for the last week and a half now…I thought Rainbow Dash could help make them go away, but they still haven’t stopped…so Rainbow suggested we go see Twilight.”

Pinkie stared, mouth agape at Fluttershy. Fluttershy began to sweat a little, not understand what was going through the pink pony’s head. Pinkie Pie then looked serious for a moment, before turning her head from Fluttershy, as if she was in serious mental contemplation.

“…I see…going to see Twilight is the natural assumption to make.” Pinkie mumbled to herself.

“…Pinkie Pie, what’s going on? You’re acting even stranger than you normally do.” Rainbow looked at Pinkie Pie confused by her actions.

“…It’s nothing.” Pinkie lied stepping back from Fluttershy, “But I’m going to Twilight’s with you.” It sounded more like a demand than an offer.

“O-Oh, no, i-it’s okay Pink-”

“I’m. Going. With. You.” Pinkie interrupted Fluttershy, not backing down.

“…O-Okay…” Fluttershy meekly agreed as Pinkie then nodded, taking the lead in heading to Twilight’s house.

Rainbow Dash looked at one of the scattered letters on the ground, picking it up and looking at the pink envelope curiously.

“What’s gotten into Pinkie Pie?” Fluttershy asked looking at Rainbow Dash confused about what just happened.

“I don’t know…but she just put off inviting us to a party for it.” Rainbow showed the envelope to her.

“…Wow…this IS serious.” Fluttershy said in a bit of shock.

“Hey! Come on, we need to get to Twilight’s house, like right now!” Pinkie Pie called out to the two mares after realizing they hadn’t immediately followed.

“…I think it’s best if we do what she says for now.” Rainbow said not wanting to chance thinking what else a serious Pinkie Pie might do.

“Right.” Fluttershy agreed as the two of them quickly followed after Pinkie.

“Oh, hey Pinkie P-“

“Twilight, we’ve got a serious problem.” Pinkie barged into Twilight’s house without giving the purple unicorn a chance to pose a greeting, “And I mean a problem as big as the last time I visited you with a problem.”

“…Huh? Do you mean the nightmares are back?” Twilight asked a little confused, looking Pinkie over, “But you’re mane is fine…”

“Oh, no, the problem isn’t with me this time.” Pinkie said pointing out the door she had just so casually walked through. Twilight turned her head to see a Rainbow Dash quickly walking in as well.

“Geeze Pinkie, was running here really important?” Rainbow huffed as she moved past Twilight, “This is a big deal, sure, but Fluttershy’s not good at high-speed pursuits.”

“Oh but there WAS a need to rush Dashie! Trust me on this one; we need to fix this ASAP!” Pinkie tried to get Rainbow to understand.

“…Is Dash having the problem?” Twilight asked, looking curiously at her rainbow-haired friend.

“No, it’s not her.” Pinkie said pointing to the door once more. Twilight turned once more, to see Fluttershy slowly making her way in as well.

“Sorry for the interruption Twilight, I hope we aren’t disturbing you from anything important.” Fluttershy apologized.

“No, it’s no trouble Fluttershy. I was just catching up on some studying.” Twilight smiled comfortingly, “But is something troubling you Fluttershy?”

“Oh…well, yes actually, that’s why we came to see you.” Fluttershy said, scrapping her foot against the ground, “I’ve been…having trouble sleeping…a-and was hoping you could help.”

“Trouble sleeping nothing.” Rainbow said moving to stand next to Fluttershy, “Fluttershy’s been having some nasty nightmares that’ve been keeping her up. She’s unable to sleep and she dreads having to go to bed. We we’re hoping you could help out Twilight.” Dash explained in more detail.

“Heh…well, I do happen to have one spell I know of that works won-mmph” Twilight’s words became muffled as a pink hoof was jammed into her mouth.

“No no, we’re not using that spell.” Pinkie explained.

“Bleh. Why not?” Twilight asked after removing the hoof from her mouth.

“Cause we’re not.” Pinkie said closing her eyes, as if not wanting to budge, “We have to find some other way to help Fluttershy.”

“But…the spell worked so well last time, why shouldn’t I use it now?” Twilight was very confused. Pinkie Pie had explained to her that the spell had let her come to terms with the tragedy of her sister’s passing, but she hadn’t explained what exactly happened during the spell that led to the revelation. All Twilight had seen during the delve was what appeared to be a warped picture sitting amidst a foggy backdrop. As she had tried to study the picture, it kept changing before her, till the mind delve disconnected itself in a flash of light.

“Trust me Twilight, using it on Fluttershy will end badly. So we’re going to help her without it.” Pinkie explained.

“But it’d be so much easier to just use the spell, it only takes a few minutes and I’ll have helped her with the nightmares. Doesn’t that make sense?” Twilight tried to battle Pinkie with her logic, an already losing battle.

“Even if it does, it’s still not happening.” Pinkie retorted back.

Fluttershy and Rainbow looked at each other very confused as Pinkie and Twilight went back and forth. They had no idea what their friends were talking about.

“So uhhh…what exactly ARE we doing to help Fluttershy then?” Rainbow finally asked, interrupting the back and forth between the two bickering ponies.

“Ugh…fine, I’ll go get my copy of ‘Dreams: a Psychological Understanding’.” Twilight said walking away from the pink mare who sat there looking victorious.

“Thank you Twilight, I assure you this will be the best for everyone.” Pinkie then bounced over to Fluttershy, putting her hoof around her shoulders while offering a comforting smile, “Don’t worry Fluttershy, I promise we’ll make your bad dreams go away.”

“…Y-You really think this will work?” Fluttershy looked at Pinkie for hope.

“If anypony can help make things better it’s Twilight. I’m sure of it.” Pinkie smiled happily.

“Alright,” Twilight said returning with a floating copy of the book, opening it up and flipping through several places, “The first thing I should do is see what kind of dreams you’re having. Since we won’t be jumping straight to the Mind Delve spell, there’s other solutions listed here that might work depending on the severity of your dreams.” Twilight explained before placing the book down on the table in the center of her house.

“O-Oh…how will you know that?” Fluttershy asked curiously.

“There’s a spell in this book that will let me see the dreams you’ve been having. I’ll be able to judge for myself how severe they are.” Twilight said walking over to Fluttershy.

“…B-But…” Fluttershy began to protest.

“Don’t worry Fluttershy; Twilight knows what she’s doing, right?” Rainbow asked while trying to comfort the worried pegasus.

“Of course, now this will only take a moment.” Twilight smiled, not waiting for Fluttershy to give another response before gently sweeping hair away from her forehead and tapping her glowing horn against the Fluttershy’s forehead.

‘IDON’TWANTTOFLY IDON’TWANTTOFLY IDON’TWANTTOFLY’ The words screamed again and again, bouncing in her skull, driving her mad. Her wings were beating as fast and as strong as they could, despite every ounce of her being telling her to stop them. Her whole body was crying out for relief, pain filling her back and legs. Her wings were bent, horribly misshapen, not even looking like they should lift her, but they carried her through the sky. Tears swept across her face as every flap sent pain shooting through her back, scratching away at her mind, eroding her sanity.

A loud roar pierced her ears and shook her whole being. Her head painfully but slowly turned to look behind her, as a giant figure appeared from behind the clouds, billowing smoke as it soared at high speeds straight for her. Her legs flailed, feeling as if every movement snapped a bone and tore her muscles.

The large beast opens its jaws, before its gigantic teeth sunk straight down into her flesh.

She wanted to scream but no voice came to her. She wanted to close her eyes but her body would not obey her. She wanted to shut down and die but her body did not comply. The swirls of tortured screams filled every inch of her. Twisted faces and horrified cries screamed out to her. One word repeated itself endlessly in her mind.

Pain.

Pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain.

There was nothing to decipher, only the red horror that swirled around her. It bellowed and cried, it screeched and it hollered, but its suffering would not end. Neither would hers. Everything assaulted her mind; she felt the pain as every fiber of her being was destroyed by the horror before her.

Her knife came down. It struck its target. She brought the knife back up. She swung it down, her target hit again. Her actions repeated again and again. One fluid motion after the other, her knife struck the body before her. She was coated already, coated in the warm liquid she had caused to splatter all over. Each fresh strike sent another burst of the warm liquid against her body.

A smile was on her face, one that had been there a long time as she had started. She made fresh holes and fresh liquid with each strike, plunging the knife in and out of the pony before her seemed to bring satisfaction.

They deserved this, she deserved to be the one to do this to them. This is how it was supposed to be.

She plunged the knife down one last time, panting as she looked excitedly at her work. The punctured body didn’t move or twitch, it just laid before her. The body would never move again.

She tossed the knife to the side and leaned forward, nuzzling the body as she smiled.

This was love.

Twilight stepped back as the memories of the dreams filled her mind. She grimaced as her stomach did a flip, a knot forming in her throat. They were horrific dreams, dreams filled with pain, suffering, insanity and loss. These weren’t just simple nightmares, no, she had seen dreams like this before…

“…Are…Are you okay Twilight?” Fluttershy asked nervously, not sure what to expect Twilight’s reaction to be.

“…Y-Yea…I’m fine…” Twilight finally managed to say after swallowing the knot in her throat.

“You’re awfully pale for being okay.” Rainbow said, looking at Twilight worriedly. She didn’t think the nightmares would’ve been so bad as to make Twilight lose a shade of color.

“Well, you didn’t go stumbling back into the bookcase this time; were they not as bad?” Pinkie asked, tilting her head curiously.

“…Oh, they’re…very bad.” Twilight rubbed her head a little, “But…they’re bad in a different way. I don’t think I could make an accurate comparison…at the very least, they felt the same in intensity.”

“S-So…w-what do I do?” Fluttershy asked meekly.

“Hold on, I need to consult the book.” Twilight said shaking her head lightly, before levitating it over to herself, flipping through some pages and reading a few passages.

“…There’s a lot of spells in here for more minor nightmares, soothing remedies, relaxation methods, normal and magical psychological evaluations…but…” Twilight sighed looking at Pinkie, “With what I just saw, there’s only one spell in here strong enough to find out what’s happening in Fluttershy’s mind.”

“…Are you absolutely sure? There’s NO other spell in that book?” Pinkie asked, desperate to not have to turn to that answer.

“I’m sure Pinkie. The mind delve spell is going to be our best solution.”

“Why are you so against using that spell Pinkie?” Rainbow asked looking strangely at her earth pony friend, “You said it helped you before, why shouldn’t we use it on Fluttershy?”

Pinkie was silent. She thought about it for a moment, before looking seriously at Twilight.

“Twilight, read to me the spell’s description.”

Twilight flipped back to the exact page of the spell, and began to read:

“The Mind Delve spell is used in cases where the nightmare or psychological problems are not so easily discernable. This often means that the problem is rooted deep within the patient’s subconscious and cannot be obtained through normal psychological methods without spending a very long time treating the patient. This spell allows the user to shorten the necessary time needed in order to bring the patient to a full recovery. Each patient the spell is used under experiences different results, as the subconscious is molded by the patient who owns it. No two patients will likely experience the same recovery under the use of the spell.”

Pinkie thought about those words carefully. Something seemed to spinning the wheels in her head.

“…Okay…” Pinkie finally said, breaking from thought, “We can use the Mind Delve spell on Fluttershy…under one condition though.”

“What?” Twilight asked blinking a little confused.

“You have to find a way to put me into Fluttershy’s mind when you do it.”

“Y-You want to…go into my mind?” Fluttershy asked very surprised.

“Yes. I won’t let you go through this alone Fluttershy. I’m going to be there with you to help you with your problem.” Pinkie said, turning her head slightly, shifting her mane so Fluttershy could see it better, “I wear this red ribbon as a testament that my friends are dear to me. That means if they’re in trouble then I’m going to help them. And I’m going to see you through this Fluttershy, so that you can not only feel better, but so that you don’t have to be alone while doing it.” Pinkie smiled.

“Well, then I’m going in too.” Rainbow said stepping closer to Fluttershy, “I can’t just let my marefriend do something like this without me. I’m going to be there for her till the very end.” Rainbow grinned, nuzzling against Fluttershy.

Fluttershy blushed as she smiled softly, “T-Thank you…both of you…”

“…Ugh…” Twilight put a hoof to her face, “I don’t even know HOW to do that.” Twilight said as she walked off towards the bookshelf, “You guys are going to have to give me a moment, there’s nothing in ‘Dreams: a Psychological Understanding’ that explains how to link minds together.” She said as she began to levitate books off of the shelf, checking each title before pushing them off to the side. There was a distinct sound of her mumbling something about how she shouldn’t have sent Spike on a shopping trip that day.

“This could take a while.” Rainbow said looking at the other two mares.

“Let’s play some games to pass the time!” Pinkie chimed in happily.

“That sounds fun.” Fluttershy smiled.

“King me!” Pinkie grinned happily, having victoriously jumped several of Dash’s pieces before arriving at the opposite end of the checkers board.

“Man Pinkie, how’re you so good at this?” Rainbow furrowed her brow as she looked at the board. She was clearly losing, for the fifth time now. Pinkie had just obtained her third king.

“Years of practice Dashie.” Pinkie chuckled as she awaited her opponent’s next move.

“I think you’ve both been doing very well.” Fluttershy smiled, having enjoyed watching the matches.

“OKAY!” Twilight suddenly declared very loudly putting the book she had been studying vigorously down. “I think I’ve got something. By using a mixture of various spells I SHOULD be able to get all of you to share in Fluttershy’s mind delve. I don’t know how well it’ll work, at the moment, it’s all theory. But I’ve made theories work before! I can do it again.” Twilight nodded, walking towards her friends.

“Oh good, I was getting tired of this game anyway.” Rainbow said standing up, waving a hoof at the board.

“Only cause you were losing.” Pinkie chuckled before hoping up as well, before turning to Twilight and looking a little serious, “Are you absolutely sure you can get this to work Twilight?”

“Absolutely. When have you ever known me to mess up a spell once I was confident in how it worked?” Twilight asked curiously.

Pinkie put a hoof to her chin as she looked off to the side before mumbling under her breath, “Well…not in continuity…”

“What was that?” Twilight asked not having heard her well.

“Nothing.” Pinkie smiled before turning to look at Fluttershy, “Are you ready for this Fluttershy?”

“I-I guess I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.” She said, walking next to Pinkie.

“We’ll have you feeling better in no time, just you wait.” Rainbow Dash smiled, standing next to Fluttershy as well, smiling her confident smile.

“Alright then, here goes.” Twilight’s horn lit up, glowing brightly as she concentrated. She walked up to her three friends who stood before her, before gently tapping her horn against each of their foreheads. A thin blue line attached to her horn that stretched from their foreheads with each tap. The light surrounding her horn grew brighter as she stepped forward, before tapping her horn against Fluttershy’s forehead.

In that instant the world felt like it slipped from under Fluttershy’s hooves. Everything felt hazy as her body almost felt numb. She couldn’t keep track of her surrounding, thought she felt like she was falling. The only indication she felt like she was moving was a sensation of wind rolling around her. She tumbled and fell through a hazy fog in her mind, unable to comprehend anything.

She let out a sharp gasp as air finally returned to her lung. She panted for a moment, before her eyes fluttered open. She got her bearings slowly, as the world began to come into view before her. She was still inside of Twilight’s house; however it was now missing that particular purple unicorn.

“Ugh…Twilight, what’s the big idea? That spell-…” It was Rainbow’s voice she heard next. She turned her head and saw her marefriend already standing up, looking around for Twilight, “Wait, where’d she go?”

“Ugh, I don’t think I could ever get used to that.” It was Pinkie’s turn to speak up, Rainbow and Fluttershy look behind them to see her groggily standing up, “But I’m glad to see she got it to work.” She smiled seeing her two friends.

“What’s going on Pinkie? Where’s Twilight?” Rainbow asked looking around, confused at their missing unicorn friend.

“That’s normal, she’s not going to be here with us.” Pinkie said, looking around quickly. She got up and ran to a nearby window looking out of it. She grew quiet as she stared out the window.

“…Pinkie Pie?” Fluttershy asked looking at her friend oddly.

“Is this what you went through when Twilight helped you?” Rainbow asked curiously.

There was silence for a moment. Rainbow and Fluttershy looked at each other a little confused, before Pinkie finally spoke back up.

“Yes.” She turned away from the window, looking at her two friends with a serious look, “It’s almost exactly the same as what I went through, and is exactly the reason why I said I had to come.” Pinkie said galloping across the library to a shelf, before pulling a map out from it.

“What do you mean?” Fluttershy asked as Pinkie brought the map over to the table, Fluttershy and Rainbow walking up to look at it.

“We’re going to need this to keep track of where we are.” Pinkie explained, pointing to the map of Ponyville that she unfurled before them. Pinkie looked up from the map, seeing that a bag lay on the table as well. “Fluttershy, you should be the one to take that bag.” Pinkie explained pointing to it.

“W-Why?” Fluttershy asked confused grabbing the bag and pulling it closer, opening it.

“Trust me; we’re going to need it. Is there some kind of instrument inside of it?” Pinkie asked, seeing Fluttershy look inside.

Almost as if an answer to Pinkie’s words, a soft, almost haunting melody began to slowly play from the bag. Fluttershy carefully reached in, pulling out an old music box that was playing the soft tune.

“T-This…” Fluttershy stared at the music box in shock, “This…is the music box my mother owned…”

“What’s it doing here?” Rainbow asked looking at it curiously.

“I…I don’t know…I lost it a long time ago. How did it get here?” Fluttershy wondered quietly.

The music slowly faded to a stop as she continued to stare at the music box. Pinkie Pie rolled up the map of Ponyville before placing it in the bag.

“Come on, let’s head out.” Pinkie said smiling at Fluttershy before heading for the front door.

“Head out? Where are we going?” Rainbow looked confused at her pink friend.

“We’re going to Fluttershy’s cottage. If we’re going to find any answers I think that’s the first place we need to check.” Pinkie explained as she opened the door.

“Answers? To the nightmares?” Rainbow thought in confusion, “What does this strange place have to do with them? Why are we even here?”

Fluttershy gently put the music box back in the bag as she listened to Rainbow Dash’s questions. She closed the bag, which had a clasp of a blue and pink butterfly. She gently lifted the bag up and placed it on her back to carry with her.

“I…I can’t say for sure what this place is. I think we’re inside Fluttershy’s mind, but at the same time…it feels too solid to just be our imaginations.” Pinkie scuffed the floor softly as she explained, “The only thing I know for sure…is that we need to be ready for anything.” Pinkie opened the front door, stepping outside.

“Let’s follow her,” Fluttershy said smiling at Rainbow, “She seems to know what she’s talking about, so we should follow her till we get our bearings.”

“Oh alright, I suppose that makes sense.” Rainbow said before following after Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy followed the same, stepping out the front door of Twilight’s house.

“H-Hey! What’s with this weather!?” Rainbow cried in confusion. Fluttershy stood in shock.

Ponyville had fallen into a thick fog. No building could be seen past a few feet in front of their eyes.

Chapter 2

Rainbow desperately waved her hoof, but no matter what she did she couldn’t seem to grab hold of the fog. She reared up her hind legs and kicked as hard as she could, but her legs only hit air.

“Ugh! What is wrong with this fog!? I can’t touch it!” Rainbow huffed, stomping a hoof on the ground.

“I’m not sure; it was like this for me too.” Pinkie said looking up at the sky, “I originally tried to escape from here by using my balloon fly out, but it had too many holes in it. I don’t know what’s beyond the fog bank.”

“Well I’m about to find out! If nothing else I should be able to be rid of this fog!” Rainbow said spreading her wings before racing up into the sky, disappearing from sight quickly.

“…Do you think it’s safe?” Fluttershy asked looking at Pinkie curiously.

“Well, if anyone can handle herself its Rainbow Dash. I’m sure she’ll manage to have this place cleared up in ten seconds fla-”

Pinkie’s words were interrupted by a ear shattering roar that bounced and echoed through the town. It felt like the very earth itself was shaking at the roar. Fluttershy and Pinkie instantly looked up into the sky at the direction of the roar, as Rainbow came barreling through the fog at them. The music box in Fluttershy’s bag began to hiss with a sound similar to bees being stuck in the box.

“HIDE NOW!” She yelled loudly before swooping down to grab the hooves of her friends before giving them a chance to register her words. She half-dragged them behind the library when they all heard a tremendous thud shake the ground, as if something gigantic had just landed quickly.

“What’s goi-” Pinkie tried to ask only to have Rainbow quickly shove her hooves into her mouth, giving a loud ‘SHHHH’.

“Look around the corner, carefully.” Rainbow whispered harshly before looking around the tree herself. Pinkie and Fluttershy carefully looked around the corner themselves. Fluttershy’s eyes widened as she felt as if her heart could stop at the sight before them.

A gigantic black dragon had landed in front of Twilight’s house. It growled softly as black smoke billowed from its nose. It gave a snort, shooting out a large part of the smoke into the air, as it swiveled its head around, looking for the pony that had just escaped from its sight. It stepped forward carefully examined the building and areas on the street.

It gave another snort of frustration, as its wings opened up, giving them a good flap lifting its body into the sky and causing everything to rattle and shake with the force of the wind. With a few more quick flaps it flew up into the fog filled sky, disappearing from sight. The buzzing of the music box faded away with the dragon.

The three mares stood frozen, waiting until they could no longer hear the beating of its wings, before letting out a long collective sigh.

“What’s a dragon doing here?” Pinkie asked, stepping out from behind the tree, looking up at where it had flown off.

“I don’t know, but it seemed to know exactly where I was the moment I started flying.” Rainbow said looking at her wings, “I can’t go up into the sky and clear this weather away if it knows where we are when I fly…” Rainbow groaned, “Meaning I can’t fly AT ALL and that we’re going to have to deal with this fog.”

“It’s alright,” Pinkie smiled reassuringly, “the fog’s not so bad, once we get inside we’ll be able to see just fine.”

“If you say so. Alright, let’s go Flutters-” Rainbow said turning to look at the ball of pink that was curled up, shivering on the floor. “Fluttershy?” She asked worriedly, quickly running over to her marefriend.

“A-a-a-a….d-dragon t-that…c-chases you…w-when you fly…” Fluttershy stuttered in fear, whimpering and shivering curled up in a ball behind the tree. She was scared out of her wits.

“Hey, hey, come on, it’s alright, he’s gone now.” Rainbow said leaning down nuzzling Fluttershy gently, “He’s gone and he won’t hurt you, I promise.”

Fluttershy began to calm down, feeling the comfort of Rainbow Dash. She stopped shivering, leaning up and nuzzling Rainbow Dash back.

“It’s just one dragon, we’ll get to your house, find out what’s causing these nightmares and we’ll be out of here in no time, okay?” Rainbow said reassuringly to her marefriend.

“Well…” Pinkie said, looking conflicted, “I…don’t want to lie to you two…but…that might not be all we face.”

“What? You mean there’s more?” Rainbow said looking up surprised at Pinkie.

“Well…when this happened to me before…I…I encountered…many monsters.” Pinkie hung her head solemnly, not wanting to have to say this, “It’s…why I didn’t want Fluttershy coming in here alone. I was afraid she’d have to face monsters like I did…and I couldn’t stand the idea of her having to face them alone.”

Fluttershy shrunk back into her ball at Pinkie’s words.

“And you didn’t think to TELL us this when we were discussing the spells!?” Rainbow almost yelled, but holding herself back.

“Hey! I TRIED to get a different spell to be used! I did everything I could to make sure we didn’t have to resort to this! And when we did I refused to let her do this alone!” Pinkie protested to Dash’s accusations.

“You STILL could have told us there’d be monsters!” Rainbow felt her hair standing on end, “We COULD have been more prepared! We could have prepared for facing them or running away! We could’ve brought our elements!” Rainbow growled in frustration, closing her eyes, “We could have done SOMETHING so as to not put our LIVES in danger!”

Rainbow panted heavily. She was angry, she couldn’t remember being so angry before.

“…I’m…I’m sorry…” Pinkie lowered her head, her ears folding back. Rainbow opened her eyes and looked at Pinkie. Pinkie looked like she was on the verge of tears. Rainbow opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again. She was still mad, but she couldn’t stay mad at her friend this way. Rainbow turned her head to look at Fluttershy who had covered her head with her hooves, shaking.

Rainbow was sure she could hear Fluttershy’s soft sobs.

Rainbow sighed softly, walking up to Fluttershy, lying down on the ground before her, lowering her head and nuzzling her marefriend gently. Fluttershy hiccupped softly, trying to breath, her mind still reeling from everything.

“Fluttershy…listen to me please.” Rainbow said closing her eyes, speaking to her from her heart, “This isn’t the best situation we could find ourselves in. But I need you to know, that no matter what happens or what we face, you’re going to be okay.”

Fluttershy began to calm down again, sniffing as she took a deep breath, feeling the comfort of her marefriend. She slowly uncurled from her ball, moving closer to Rainbow, wrapping her head around Rainbow’s neck, as Rainbow nuzzled against Fluttershy’s neck.

“I need you to be strong right now, alright?”

Fluttershy looked up into Rainbow’s eyes, seeing the comfort and warmth they offered. She heard her words as they echoed in her mind. She gulped down the nervous tensions that had built in her throat, before nodding slowly.

“That’s my girl.” Rainbow kissed her forehead. She helped Fluttershy on to her hooves, “Now give me a smile alright?”

It took a moment, but Fluttershy managed to bring her courage forward and put a smile on her face. Rainbow smiled back, before turning to face Pinkie Pie, who was still had the apologetic look on her face.

“Uh…hey, look, it’s alright Pinkie Pie.” Rainbow put a smile on her face for her friend, “I know you meant well…you wouldn’t put us in danger on purpose. But since we’re already here, we might as well just deal with it.”

“…You’re still right Dash…” Pinkie turned her head away from Dash, still with the look of hurt on her face, “I really was a stupid mcstupid pants…” Pinkie let out a soft sigh, before putting a smile on her face, “But I’ll do my best to make up for this and get us out of here as quickly as possible. So let’s head for Fluttershy’s house.”

“Right.” Rainbow nodded smiling, the three mares walking off into the fog.

It seemed like a long walk to reach the outskirts of Fluttershy’s cottage. The town had been deathly quiet. There was a moment or two where they had frozen, thinking they had heard the wing beats of the dragon, but it faded as quickly as it came.

Ponyville had become a ghost town. The only three inhabitants seemed to be the three of them as they made their way out of town, following the path along the park, past the trees, quickly approaching the house where Fluttershy lived.

The air had felt thick between them. None of them had spoken since they had started walking. The only sounds they heard were their hoofsteps and the occasional breeze that seemed to blow through the town.

“Here we are.” Pinkie said as they approached the bridge before Fluttershy’s house, the three of them just barely managing to make out the shape of her house in the fog.

“Do…Do you think my animals are okay?” Fluttershy asked as she looked around, trying to spot any critters.

“I don’t think there’s any around.” Rainbow said looking around herself before crossing the bridge.

“I’m not really sure what determines what you do and don’t find in this world. Honestly I figured we should come to Fluttershy’s house first because ‘home’ was the first place I went. So since this is Fluttershy’s mind it made sense to me. When I was in my mind the path to Fluttershy’s house was blocked off.” Pinkie explained as she walked up to the front door of the cottage, checking for any locks that might be on the door.

“I see…well, I’m actually glad my animals aren’t here then.” Fluttershy smiled walking up to Pinkie, “I’d hate for them to be put in danger.”

Pinkie opened the front door and the three of them entered Fluttershy’s house. To Pinkie’s surprise, the house was intact. Everything that should be there was, nothing was run down or broken, there wasn’t even any dust as if the house had been sitting in time.

“What’s the matter Pinkie? You look surprised.” Rainbow chuckled as she walked further into the house.

“I…guess I am a little.” Pinkie chuckled a little awkwardly as she closed the door behind them.

“So, what exactly are we looking for?” Rainbow asked looking around at the house.

“I’m not sure…I guess anything that seems odd or out of place, something you wouldn’t expect or just a clue as to what exactly is going on.” Pinkie explained as she began to look around at various shelves in Fluttershy’s home.

“Oh…well, I guess I would know best then…” Fluttershy said tapping a hoof to her chin as she carefully glanced around the room.

As Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash carefully looked around the living room, Fluttershy couldn’t help but feel a connection to the kitchen. She stepped out of the living room, soon entering the familiar space of her kitchen. She looked around carefully, trying to spot what was giving her the feeling something was in there.

It was then that her eyes fell on the fridge. Attached by a small butterfly magnet was a piece of paper, marked with what looked like a crayon. Fluttershy blinked, not having seen the paper before. She slowly walked up to it, getting a better look at it. It looked like a child’s drawing, drawn with several colors of crayon; it was of a simple house with a sun, outside the house was a happy pony attending to a garden. Bellow the picture there were words written in a red crayon:

When I grow up I will hav a house and lots of pets. I luv love helpin aminals.

I keep a kay key to let me know I will have a house.

There was a small bulge under the paper, as if the paper was hiding something. Fluttershy carefully lifted the paper and looked at the back of it, seeing a key taped to the back of it. She carefully peeled the key away looking at it; the key was also in the shape of a butterfly.

“Hey, how come this door is locked?” Fluttershy’s ear perked up as she quickly walked back into the living room. She saw Rainbow Dash struggling to try and open the door to her closet, which was locked tight.

“Does it have a lock on it?” Pinkie Pie asked turning from her side of the room to look at the door.

“Yea it does.” Rainbow said looking at the door, “It’s got the shape of a butterfly over a keyhole.”

“Oh, well, I just found a key with a butterfly on it.” Fluttershy said holding up the key.

“Then it probably opens that door.” Pinkie said thinking about it, “Though…maybe I should open the door.”

“Why’s that?” Fluttershy asked a little confused.

“Well…I just don’t want anything popping out and hurting you.” Pinkie thought, before looking at Fluttershy’s saddle bag, “But…I guess you’re music box isn’t letting out any noise…so I think it should be safe.”

“My music box?” Fluttershy blinked, turning her head to look at the saddlebag.

“Yea, do you remember when the music box started making noise when the dragon attacked? The music box will let you know when something that is trying to hurt you gets close. So just be careful alright?” Pinkie explained, choosing her words carefully.

“I see…alright, I’ll be careful.” Fluttershy nodded walking up to the door. Rainbow backed up a little from the door, watching as Fluttershy unlocked the door. She slowly opened the door to her closet, looking inside the lightly lit room. She stepped inside slowly, noticing that the things she would normally have placed inside were missing, and in their place was a grandfather clock, with words written on the side of the wall.

My hands are frozen, but they weren’t always this way.

I used to reach for the sky and wave over the crowd,

While my friend to my right offered me his snack.

“What’s in there?” Fluttershy heard Rainbow ask from behind her.

“I think it’s a puzzle.” Fluttershy said thinking about the words and looking at the clock. “I think I know the answer though…” She said carefully lifting up her hoof to the face of the clock. She turned the long hand up to face midnight, while moving the small hand to face three.

Fluttershy heard a loud click, as if something was unlatched by her actions. She looked at the clock, waiting to see what it would do, when it suddenly began to rush up and out of her vision.

Fluttershy let out a cry as she lost her bearings, falling into the giant hole that opened up beneath her

“FLUTTERSHY!” Rainbow Dash yelled, before the hatch that had opened closed.

Wind rushed past her ears, falling in the darkness. She screamed and cried, she had to open her wings and stop her fall, but they were stuck, glued to her sides. Her hooves flailed as she tried to grab something, anything. She descended into the bottomless darkness.

Fluttershy let out a groan as she slowly lifted herself up off the ground. She rubbed her head as her eyes opened. It was too dark, she couldn’t see a thing.

“Rainbow Dash? Pinkie Pie?” Fluttershy called out, trying to reach around for something. Only silence returned her call. She felt her saddle bag in her hoof and remembered something she’d seen inside of it. She carefully opened it up before reaching in. She moved the music box slightly to the side before grabbing hold of a lantern in her teeth, pulling it out and turning on the light.

She was in a blank room, the walls seemed to be made of cement worn away by age, the sound of water dripping echoed off of the walls. She looked up at the ceiling; a metal grate was sitting in the way of her trying to fly back up the long shaft she had fallen through.

‘How…did I get through the grate?’ She asked herself, not sure exactly what just happened, ‘And…why am I not hurt if I fell from such a great distance?’ she looked at her body, not seeing any damage or feeling any pain. It was as if landing on the hard cement after falling a great height hadn’t hurt her.

‘I…I need to get out of here. I need to meet back up with Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie!’ Fluttershy thought to herself, quickly looking around for an exit. She saw a metal door along the wall behind her.

‘Okay, I just need to get my bearings, find where I am and…’ Fluttershy opened the metal door, revealing to a long hallway, water covering the floor after a small dip in the ground. The walls looks like they were molding over, the channel seemed to stretch and turn.

‘…I have no idea where I am.’ She had never seen this place before. ‘Why is it flooded with water?’ she asked as she slowly began to step into it. It wasn’t very deep, it only came up to about her ankles, but it was enough that the tips of her hair would drag in it. The cool water sent a few shivers up her spine, but she headed forward.

The only sound she could hear was the splashing of her steps as she went down the long hall. The quiet hallways seemed to echo her splashing loudly. The darkness of the hallways being lit only by the light of her lantern sent a chill up her spine. She really hoped she could get out of this hallway soon.

She rounded a corner along the hallway and found herself facing an intersection. The paths branched out to her left and right.

‘…NOW which way am I supposed to go?’ Fluttershy furrowed her brow in frustration and fear. She didn’t want to get lost, not here, not with the idea that monsters could be anywhere.

Her music box began to hiss, letting out the sound of bees buzzing. She grimaced at herself for having jinxed it. The next sound she heard was the slow splashing of steps being taken in the water, each step seemed to slosh around as it go closer. She looked down both paths, she couldn’t tell which way the sound was coming from, and running back would only lead back to the dead end.

Her attention snapped to the left route, when her eyes caught the creature emerging in the light. Her eyes widened as she stared at what was treading through the water.

It was a mannequin, a moving mannequin with no head. Its body looked like it was made of cloth, rotted with age and wear, it had several large seams sewn along it as if it had been put together and torn apart many times, it had several pale, sickly colors and looked like it had trouble walking.

Fluttershy took a step back from the creature; the buzzing of the music box grew louder as it came closer. It reared its front legs up and smashed them down into the water, growing closer to Fluttershy.

Her legs acted on their own, her galloping fast down the right path, getting as far away from the monster as she could. The water kicked up and sprayed across her body as she ran as fast as she could through the hallway. The water was slowing her down, but she could outrun that creature.

She looked behind her as the buzzing of her box grew to a quiet stop. The mannequin couldn’t keep up with her, she was in the clear. She slowed down a little, breathing softly as she turned to look in front of her, stopping just short of running into a wall. She had come to another split in the road. She looked down the right path, not seeing anything unusual.

Suddenly her music roared with its buzzing, as her head snapped to the left, right before her body was hit by two hind legs, sending her flying down the right path. She hit the water with a huge splash as she skidded along the ground. She winced in pain as her skin burned and her chest ached. The lantern had landed just next to her head with a splash in the water, cutting the light from the area.

She groaned in pain, feeling a welt beginning to form on her chest, as she groggily reached out for her light. She managed to grab the handle, lifting the lantern from the water. She could hear the steps of what had attacked her shifting through the water, getting closer slowly. She frantically moved to turn the lantern back on. It gave a few clicks without turning on, making Fluttershy grimace to each click. She desperately turned the knob again and again, praying for it to light up.

The flame came to life illuminating the mannequin whose front hooves now stood raised over her. The legs came down, striking her body.

Fluttershy wanted to let out a scream, but the handle of the lantern in her mouth just caused her to bite down. The hooves of the mannequin scratched against her skin as it dragged its hooves. Pain soared through Fluttershy’s mind as she winced her eyes shut, biting down onto the lantern so hard she began to bleed a little, tears rolling down her eyes as she couldn’t stop her attacker.

“I need you to be strong right now, alright?”

Her eyes shot open as she whipped her head around to look back at the mannequin, it raising its hooves once more to come down hard on her. Forcing every ounce of strength into her hooves Fluttershy swirled her body around before kicking the mannequin with her hind legs.

The mannequin stumbled a tiny bit, forcing itself to put its hooves back on the ground.

Fluttershy internally cursed herself for being so weak, but was able to get back to her hooves. She turned and began to run again, escaping from the tormenting creature. She felt like her lungs were burning, each hoofstep seemed to only intensify the pain in her chest, but she had to keep going.

She rounded another corner, seeing another split before her. The buzz of the music box returning. She swiftly moved her head back and forth, seeing the mannequin trying to head for her, trying to attack her. She wouldn’t let it this time. She turned down the left path and ran away from it.

She looked up ahead of her and saw an opening. She rushed forward, putting all of her might for this one point of escape. She jumped out of the water, landing on dry land as she reached out for the door and opened it, escaping behind it before shutting it.

Fluttershy panted heavily, leaning against the cool steel door. She felt like her chest was on fire, burning from behind tossed around and slammed. She could feel blood trickling down the side of her from where the creature had cut into her, as she felt where she had been hit slowly starting to swell.

She could only let out gasping groans and pants of pain as she tried to breath, her lungs feeling like they might burst with each breathe of air.

There were monsters, just as Pinkie Pie had said there were. Her music box had warned her of the danger of the creatures too. But when she had been struck, she couldn’t find the strength to stand up, she had been willing to lay there and take it. She would’ve let that mannequin do whatever it had intended to do to her…

But a voice struck out in her mind. It was Rainbow’s voice.

She had told her to be strong.

Fluttershy put the lantern down for a moment, wiping the blood from her mouth with her wet hoof. She was soaked; the water had drenched her completely. She needed to dry off and she needed to put something on her wounds. She looked at the room she had just entered.

It was a room similar to one she had fallen into, only this time there was a ladder in the middle of it, leading up into a hole above with a faint light shining down from it.

Fluttershy adjusted her aching jaw, gently spitting out some blood that had been pooling in it. She then gingerly picked up the lantern and turned it off, placing it back in the bag. She rubbed her jaw gently.

‘I…need a better way to get light…’ She thought to herself for a moment, she couldn’t keep holding the lantern with her mouth if she was going to keep biting down on it.

Fluttershy slowly walked over to the ladder, beginning to climb up it one hoof at a time.

The ladder seemed to stretch far into the hole. Fluttershy could barely see the top of the ladder, though she could still see it. A faint light was shining down the hole illuminating her path. The water in her mane and coat felt like it was holding her down, but it was slowly dripping off of her body.

With a few final grunts she managed to pull herself to the top of the ladder, pulling herself to the wooden floor and let herself lay on it, panting as she breathed. Her eyes felt a little heavy, but she couldn’t let herself lose consciousness yet, not till she at least tended to her wounds.

She was in a house, she couldn’t tell whose house it was, but it must’ve been a house in Ponyville. It was small but it was cozy. She grunted as she slowly got to her feet, moving to where she could see a bathroom in the house.

She pulled two towels that were hanging on the wall and placed them against her body. She winced as the cotton landed on the scratches on her back, but bore the pain for the moment. She rubbed the towels against her hair and coat, getting as much water as she could off of her.

Once she felt she was dry enough she looked at her wounds in the mirror. The scratches on her back were deeper than she had thought, but weren’t too serious. What worried her more was the deep blue marks that had appeared on the side of her chest from where she had been kicked. Her teeth were a little red as well, but it only seemed to be minor bleeding, it’d stop on its own.

She looked through the bathroom drawers and found a bottle of antiseptic and a few bandages. With very careful hooves she cleaned her wounds, grimacing and gritting her teeth as the alcohol burned. Once it was cleaned she carefully placed the bandages against the wounds, and wrapped it a few times around her body. A few tears escaped her eyes as she grimaced in pain, but she had to make sure the bandages were on securely.

She panted once the whole procedure was over. She wobbly stood on her hooves and inspected the bandages. They’d do for now, but she needed a serious medical evaluation once she could find a doctor.

Her eyes grew heavy as she slowly wandered out of the bathroom. She couldn’t go outside like this. If she was attacked she wouldn’t have the strength to run away.

Fluttershy wandered to the nearby couch and gently slid her bag off, placing it next to the couch, before getting on top of it and curling up.

‘Rainbow Dash…Pinkie Pie…where are you two…’ Fluttershy thought as she began to close her eyes, a few more tears escaping, ‘Please…I need you two with me…’

“I need you to be strong right now, alright?”

“…A-Alright…I…I promise I will be…” Fluttershy said, holding back her lonely sobs. She had to be strong, she told Dash that she would be.

Fluttershy slowly, but surely, fell asleep.

Chapter 3

Fluttershy snapped awake when a loud explosion rocked the house. A vase that had been placed next to the couch came crashing to the ground, shattering into pieces.

“What was that?!” She asked, moving quickly to get off of the couch.

She instantly regretted the fast movement, twisting her body in a way it didn’t approve as her chest roared at her in pain. She collapsed on the floor, panting as her chest throbbed. For the moment she had forgotten about her injuries. She groaned as she carefully sat up, making sure not to offend her wound. She inspected her dressing carefully.

Her injuries hadn’t bled any more than expected during her sleep and the recovery was about where she would’ve expected it for a bit of sleep. She carefully got to her hooves and took a few steps. She then stretched her wings before wincing slightly and shutting them back closed. She could move, she could walk, she could fly with a bit of pain, but she still wasn’t about to go flying around.

“…How long was I asleep?” Fluttershy asked aloud. She hadn’t meant to fall asleep; her body had done it almost on its own, as if on instinct. “I…I got separated from Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie…I should’ve been looking for them, not sleeping.” Fluttershy felt awful for having left her friends alone, even though it was against her will. They were probably worried about her; they must’ve gone to look for her…

“Oh, I hope you two are alright.” Fluttershy tried to not let her worries hold her back, before moving to the front door of the house she was in. The door was locked; she stared at the door in shock. The door was locked from the inside. Above the handle to the door there was a doll shaped symbol hovering over the lock.

“…W-Why is the door locked?” Fluttershy frowned, staring at the door. She had to get back outside and see what was going on. She turned back around to look at the house in closer detail.

It was a small, quaint little house, but it didn’t look like a house that would normally be built in Ponyville. She hadn’t noticed till just now, but the building material was the kind you would find in a cloud city, material that was made specifically for sitting on clouds.

“Huh? This is…a cloud house?” Fluttershy looked around baffled, “But…the only cloud house in Ponyville is Rainbow Dash’s house...” Fluttershy was confused. She didn’t know whose house this was, as it certainly wasn’t Rainbow Dash’s.

She looked at the vase that lay broken on the floor, noticing something unusual about one of the broken pieces. Getting closer, she could see that it wasn’t really a piece of the vase at all, but something that must’ve been inside of the vase when it broke. She carefully picked it up examining the item.

It was a white coin with the shape of a cloud on it, with tiny writing engraved on the edges that read ‘The Floating Cloud’.

She had never been one to take things from other ponies, but something told her that she was supposed to take this with her. Maybe it was Pinkie’s words about what was going on in this place, maybe it was a gut instinct, or maybe it was just something about the coin looking valuable. She carefully placed the coin in her bag before looking back up at the house.

Her eyes drew to movement she hadn’t noticed before. Outside of a door in a hallway in the house there were several moths flying outside the door. This seemed odd to her, the moths seemed to have no reason to be gathering by the door, unless perhaps there was some kind of food behind the door they couldn’t reach. She walked up to the door and carefully pushed it open.

The door gave way, opening up to what appeared to be someone’s study. The moths didn’t seem to move still, confusing her, but she slowly entered the study regardless. The walls were lined with books on various subjects; she could recognize several different topics. Most of them were about cloud building, some were poetry books while others looked like business books. They all shared the same markings though, they were books from Cloudsdale.

Fluttershy slowly walked up to the desk that sat at the end of the room. There was a book open on the desk. Curiosity got the best of her, and she read what was on the open page;

…patient has shown symptoms of a weakened immune system. The case continues to grow more baffling as this now discredits all prior diagnoses of what was wrong. Every step forward causes two steps back. I have to start going through new tests to determine what the cause of her illness is.

I don’t have much time though. Her heart is growing weaker, the muscles are growing thinner the more time passes. I fear it’ll rupture before too long.

I’ll have to start her on another set of medication. She won’t like being on any more drugs, but we have to prolong this for as long as we can.

June 23, 983

Medical Case #1156 –Entry 14-

Dr. R. K. Mandeus

It was a book recording medical cases through the years. The book was open to one of the last entries in the book, recording the case of an unknown disease that had sprouted up before the turn of the millennium.  It seemed the book went on to explain more about it in other entries.

“Huh?” Fluttershy looked at one of the pages; it was indented as if something was lying underneath the page. She lifted the page up to look, seeing a small brown coin with the shape of a house on it. Written in tiny text on the coin were the words ‘The Old Home’.

She carefully picked the coin up, placing it in her bag.

She was curious though, as to why the book was open to that particular page. Or why the coin had been hiding just underneath it. She had always seen a lot of medical books around the house and she’d read a lot of them, it’s how she’d become so good at tending to the sick and injured.

Next to the book she noticed something that looked like a long piece of thick string. It was curled up on the desk in a coil, as if waiting for someone to use it.

‘…Oh! Hey, I think I can use this.’ Fluttershy thought as a light bulb felt like it had turned on in her head. She carefully reached into her bag and pulled out the lantern. Her jaw still ached a little from biting down on it, but it certainly didn’t hurt as badly now. She placed the lantern down on the desk, before taking the string and looping it through the handle.

She carefully tied the string into a knot; with it now looping onto itself she had a makeshift necklace. She carefully placed the necklace around her neck, testing the string. It seemed to be supporting the weight of the lantern just fine, the lantern hung just in front of her chest comfortably.

She carefully turned the switch to test out how hot the lantern would get, the flame coming to life. She let it sit on her chest for a moment, then walked around slowly, then jumped around as best she could without making her injuries scream at her.

The flame danced to her movement, but never made the lantern too hot. It felt warm against her coat. The lantern hanging before her gave her good lighting in front of her, though she’d have to turn around if she wanted to see something that was behind her.

“Oh Fluttershy, you’re so smart.” She chuckled softly at her own ingenious. She turned the lantern off for the moment, since the house had plenty of light for her to see, but now she could still have light and not hurt her jaw anymore then she had to.

Nothing else seemed out of the ordinary though. It was just an average study. She turned around and headed out of the room, leaving the rest of it as it was.

She looked up at the moths that still circled outside the study. She was still confused at their flight pattern. Her study of moths showed that they usually preferred to travel following some source of light or near sources of nectar. These particular moths just seemed fascinated with circling around the air before the door.

She pushed the thoughts out of her mind for the moment, seeing that in front of her was now an open doorway into the kitchen. She curiously stepped into it, looking at the small but quaint kitchen. She could smell something sweet, turning her head to look at the table, seeing a pie simply sitting on it.

“Who left a pie here?” Fluttershy asked curiously, walking up and looking at the pie. It smelled like an apple pie, thought there was a particular extra scent to it, as if a special ingredient had been added to its making. The scent reminded her…of her mother…

There was someone she hadn’t thought about in a long time. Besides the dreams, she hadn’t thought about her mother in a long time. She felt guilty about that. Her mother had died of a disease when she was young, leaving her and her father to fend for themselves.

“Mother…” Fluttershy quietly murmured, trying to remember her mother fondly. Images of the pink-haired mare flashed through her mind briefly, though for some reason they all felt hazy. As if she couldn’t focus in on the very memories she had of her mother. If she tried to concentrate harder on a memory she remembered liking, it seemed to just haze out even more.

Fluttershy rubbed her head in confusion. She’d never had trouble thinking about her mother before, what was different now? Was it because she was in this strange place? Was it a side effect of Twilight’s spell? It was the only thing that made sense to her…

She looked at the pie longingly, but though it smelled good she couldn’t bring herself to try it. Something just didn’t seem right to her about it being there. She saw something glint next to it though, drawing her attention. Next to the pie was a gold coin with what looked a young mare on it. In tiny writing the words ‘The Trapped Mare’ was written.

She instinctually added it to her bag alongside the others. She still wasn’t sure what possessed her to collect them. She turned from the table and walked out of the kitchen. The house seemed small; she was already outside the last door she hadn’t checked yet. She carefully pushed the door open peering inside.

It was a bedroom, though she could only tell that from there being a bed pressed up against the wall. The only other furniture in the room was a drawer with a glass case on it, and on the front of it appeared to be indentations.

Fluttershy carefully walked up to the desk, getting a better look at it. The indentations were in the shape of coins, with five holes. On the glass case she could see a note that had been taped down:

Only three of five exist in this world,

In the morning, noon and night the quiet wind blows

Through the world, giving the world its shape.

When the sun beats down it brings its heat,

Cold and water disappear into the sky.

Awaiting for those to arrive so that a home can be built

The world awaits, sitting quietly and empty.

It doesn’t take long, they arrive and they build,

What was once empty if now filled.

But though it is filled, it is not filled with joy or fun,

Instead there is a quiet unspoken misery.

Fluttershy read the note twice, thinking about what the note was saying. The drawer had five spots to fill with coins and she had brought three with her. Her instincts had yielded results, but now she just had to figure out what this meant.

She reached into her bag and pulled out the three coins, looking at each and its shape carefully.

‘Okay…when water is evaporated by the heat of the sun it becomes vapor, which the vapor then turns into clouds…’ Fluttershy surmised as she carefully put ‘The Floating Cloud’ in the second spot, figuring the first slot must be empty, similar to the effect of wind.

‘Next…they build a home in the empty quiet…’ Fluttershy thought leaving the spot next to ‘The Floating Cloud’ empty and placing ‘The Old Home’ in the slot. ‘Then that just leaves this coin in this slot.’ She placed ‘The Trapped Mare’ in the final slot.

The desk let out a loud click, confirming that she had done everything correctly. The glass case on the drawer swung open slowly, revealing a small lever inside of it. Curious, Fluttershy carefully placed her hoof on the switch and flipped it.

Her ears perked up as she heard the sound of something moving. She turned her head and saw that a door-shaped hole had opened in the wall that wasn’t there before. Inside was a dimmed staircase that led down into what looked like a basement.

Fluttershy looked cautiously down the staircase, it was dark. She couldn’t see past a few feet down them. Her music box was still silent, so she assumed there was no trouble just yet. She turned the light on her lantern on and began to make her way down.

The walls seemed to be damp as she walked further down into the darkness. There was the faint smell of wet mildew that emanated from the darkness, but she continued to walk further down. She wasn’t sure what would be waiting for her, but the area had been hidden so her instincts told her something was waiting at the bottom.

The stairs flattened out, before opening up into a wide open basement. Fluttershy looked around, taking in the sight of the gray moldy walls. She could hear the sound of dripping water, spotting droplets dripping from the walls and the ceiling. The floor had small puddles of water from where the water had collected Her eyes wandered the rest of the room before noticing something in the corner.

It was a small pony doll. Worn and torn from years gone by, covered in stitches and rotted with age. Fluttershy felt a pang of nostalgia looking at the doll; it was a very similar doll to one she had as a child. However, the one she owned wasn’t so riddled with stitches or aged so badly. It was sitting in a storage box in her house, waiting for the day she’d pass it down to a little filly or colt of her own one day…

Next to the doll was an opened and messy sewing box, spools of thread and needles were scattered around it, as if someone had dropped the case in a hurry and left it there. She figured it must’ve been the case used to help sew the doll back together.

She turned from the doll and kit looking around further, before noticing something glint on the ground. She carefully walked over to it, noticing a key on the ground. She leaned in closer, noticing that the key had the shape of a doll on the end of it.

“Oh, this must be the key to that door.” Fluttershy smiled before picking it up and placing it in her bag, now she could hopefully leave this house and start looking for her friends.

Her ears perked up as she heard a strange noise far off in the distance. It sounded as if a siren was going off, warning the town about something. The sound sent a chill up her back, but she couldn’t explain why. Something was off putting about the sound of the siren, she felt like she had to get out of the basement right away. She turned herself around and began to quickly walk back up the stairs she had just come down from.

But something seemed off, she couldn’t tell what it was right away, but something about the stairs seemed…different from when she had just walked down them.

The smell of mildew was stronger, the steps seemed more slick than they had when she was coming down; the sound of dripping water grew louder, it almost felt like water was coming from everywhere.

Her ears perked up again at what sounded like rushing water. She turned to light up the stairs behind her, hearing the sound from bellow her. Her eyes widened as she saw that water was rapidly beginning to fill the bottom of the stairs. White froth from the bubbles raged at the surface of the rising water as it filled the stairs.

Without wasting a second longer Fluttershy turned on her hooves and began to run, panic coursing through her body pushing her to run as fast as she could. Each of the steps before her were coated with water almost causing her to slip with each rushed step she took. She could hear it quickly filling up behind her, drawing closer as she ran. If she didn’t get back to the top of the stairs, she was going to drown.

Her front hoof slipped, sending her face into the stairs. She yelped in pain, but quickly stood back up trying to shrug the pain off. Her back hoof touched the swelling water and she burst into full panic, her legs stretching out and forcing herself to climb the stairs faster then she ever thought it would be possible for her to do.

‘I should be out of here by now! The stairs weren’t this long! I should be back in the room by now!’ Her mind screamed as she ran. Her chest was yelling at her, screaming that it was being put under too much strain; her face ached with a dull thud. She pushed all that to the side, trying to make it an afterthought, she couldn’t die here, not drowning in some staircase when she needed to find her friends.

The water began to splash against her back hooves, drawing closer still. She panted heavily as her body was struggling to stay away.

The stairwell suddenly made a sharp turn into a large opening, the stone steps being replaced with a metal fire escape, circling around a large open shaft that reached into the sky. Fluttershy couldn’t see where it opened up at, but she wasn’t about to stop. She began to run up the metal stairwell, having to turn every few feet to go up the square-spiraled staircase.

The water was swelling up even faster now, her hooves were doing their best but she could tell that she wasn’t going to be fast enough. Her heart leapt out of her chest and into her throat as breathing became hard from her forced exertion.

The water swelled, the back of her hooves falling into the water. Fluttershy cried and did her best to run, but the resistance and churning of the water instantly slowed her down. The water level rose up her legs, over her body.

Fluttershy took in one last final gasp of breath before the water rushed passed her head, finally submerging her.

She flailed her hooves in the water, trying to reach the surface. She was panicking, the water current was pushing her body and she was having difficulty orientating herself to follow the direction of the rising water. She put everything she could into swimming upwards, but her body was feeling the strain. Her light had gone out when submerged in the water and she was quickly getting disorientated, unable to tell which direction was the right one.

The water swirled around her; it clawed at her body and mind. She could barely think, the world was quickly being lost to her.

Her burning lungs forced her mouth open, the air escaping from her lungs, wanting to be replaced with fresh oxygen, but only water was awaiting her. She was fading and she could feel it.

She wouldn’t be in this world for much longer…

“Come on in, the water’s fine.” Fluttershy smiled happily as she gently floated around the quiet lake, looking at Rainbow Dash who seemed to be hesitant about entering the water.

“Uh…sure, I’ll be right there.” Rainbow forced a smile to her face as she slowly began to put a hoof into the water. She slowly began to walk into the water, though she didn’t tread too far. She kept herself about half a legs length above the water.

“Do you not feel like swimming? Because we could do something else, if that’s what you want to do…” Fluttershy said, slowly swimming next to Rainbow Dash, looking a little worried.

“It’s not that, it’s just…” Rainbow looked away, as if embarrassed, “I can swim…but I’m not very good at it.”

“Oh, is that all? Well I can teach you how to swim better.” Fluttershy said smiling comfortably as she swam up next to Rainbow Dash before standing up in the shallows.

“Well…I’ve never really been much on practicing my swimming. After all, I’ve always been a fast flyer by nature. Water just seems slower in comparison, it’s too heavy to get a good momentum going.” Rainbow furrowed her brow as she kicked the water.

Fluttershy thought about this for a moment, before smiling.

“Well, I can teach you how to use your wings underwater so that its similar to flying. You can actually get going pretty fast if you do the technique right.”

“Really? There’s a way to do that?” Rainbow said rather surprised.

“Of course, though it takes a lot of practice to get right. There are a lot of subtle movements and you’ve got to position your body correctly so the water will drag less as you swim, but it’s possible.” Fluttershy smiled proudly, feeling good about knowing something Dash was interested in that she didn’t know about yet.

“You HAVE to show me! I could incorporate swimming into my tricks if what you say is true!” Rainbow grinned eagerly.

“Of course I’ll show you.” Fluttershy giggled softly before moving back into the deeper waters, “Now watch carefully.” She spread her wings in the water, as she prepared to show off to Dash for the first time.

Fluttershy’s eyes shot open in the dark waters as she spread her wings out. Her hooves flailed around for a moment, before catching the railing on the metal staircase. She put her hind legs on the rail as her wings adjusted, battered by the current, but she could do this.

She kicked off with her back legs and she moved her hooves forward, flattening her body as she began to move rapidly in the water. Her wings bent and moved as they very carefully moved with the rushing water, moving the water around her wings to give her forward movement. She could feel the water rushing all around her, trying to drag her back down.

She began to flap her wings precisely, scooping the water and pushing against it, thrusting herself forward as she slipped gracefully though the water.

Her mind and body reeled and ached and screamed and tried to tear her apart looking for relief from her pain, from the inferno in her chest, from the wounds telling her she had to stop. Nothing could make her stop though.

She gritted her teeth, she narrowed her eyes, she flapped her wings with every last ounce of strength she could muster as she swam up through the dark abyss, looking, no, needing an exit. A dim light filled the edge of her vision and she spread her wings far, grabbing as much water as she could and powering them down to thrust her to the edge of the light.

The loud gasp echoed amongst the sound of splashing water as her head surfaced from the water. She coughed and gasped, hacking and wheezing as she scrambled for an edge to the water, grabbing hold of a floor. She threw both hoofs on the ground holding her up as her lungs accepted the sweet, sweet relief of air.

Her head was throbbing like mad, her body felt like it had been torn apart and every muscle in her body was telling her she was lucky to be alive.

She coughed up water that had entered her lungs. She grimaced unpleasantly as the pain became more and more apparent to her. Her echoing pants bounced back into her ears, making her realize just how lucky she truly was. For a moment she had accepted death as an inevitability, that she would’ve had no choice but to die in that cold watery hell.

…The water was cold. She hadn’t noticed in her panic, but she could feel herself shivering as she floated in the now calm water. She groaned as she pulled herself up, using any strength left to escape the water.

She managed to drag her legs out of the water, before slowly pulling her tail out as well. She lay on the floor panting, drenched in the cold water, breathing heavily as everything ached. She felt her eyelids slowly closing, wanting to drift off into sleep to calm down.

‘…No!’ Her mind snapped at her, forcing her eyes back open, ‘Fluttershy, you just almost drowned! Not to mention you’re drenched in freezing water. If you go to sleep without anyone around you may never wake up again, the oxygen deprivation may put you into a coma and sleeping in this cold could result in hypothermia. You can NOT go to sleep right now!’

She panted as she could feel the onset of her panic returning. Her medical training was coming back to her now, it was fine before when it was just some lacerations and bruising, but this was much more serious. She couldn’t go to sleep, she had just saved her life and she couldn’t let it slip away from her so easily.

She tried to stand up, get back on her hooves. Her legs shook tremendously; she could barely put any weight on them before they slipped from under hoof. She felt her heart rate accelerating, ‘good…stay awake…panic might just be my friend right now…’ she grunted as she did her best to stand. She had to get up, she had to start walking.

With the last of her strength she found her legs and was standing. Her legs were shaking like mad, but she was standing. She very carefully began to shake her whole body, harder than her body’s natural shaking. The water on her coat scattered as best as she could muster, there was no way she could get it all with her being so tired though.

She tried to look around for something to support her, but the light was too dim to see anything. She looked back at the lantern that was still pressed smartly against her chest. She needed the warmth of the flame right now. She clicked at the lantern, flipping the switch several times. She prayed that despite the water logging that it would still work for her.

By some miracle, the flame appeared once more. Somehow the oil and the wick were still useable.

Her head was groggy, shaky as the world seemed to spin around her, but she did her best to get a look at the world. She was in a small square room with a doorway opened to what seemed to be a lobby outside. A large square hole was in the middle of her current room, filled with the water she had just escaped from.

She carefully began to walk out of the room with the cold water into the lobby. Every step made her body shudder and cry, putting her on the verge of collapsing with each step. She needed towels to dry off, she needed to wrap up in something warm, she needed to put some food and drink in her.

She carefully walked towards a desk she saw in front of her. There were three things on top of it that she instantly took notice of. The first was a map of where she was, it read ‘Cloudsdale Hospital’ in bold letters before showing the layout of the two story building.

“…C-Cloudsdale…Hospital?” She stammered out loud unintentionally. She could hear the frailty in her voice, but she had spoken anyway. This hospital was where her father had worked, the best doctor in all of Cloudsdale. He had saved more lives than most other doctors had combined. It was thanks to him that she had learned all the medical knowledge that she had for taking care of animals and other sick ponies.

If she was in a hospital, she was sure she could find all the supplies she’d need to take care of herself…

Fluttershy quickly took note of where the patient rooms were. She’d have to come back to pick up the map, her bag would soak the map and ruin its use for her at the moment.

The next thing she saw on the desk was a bottle labeled ‘Health Drink’. She remembered them from her visits to the hospital, they were a special type of medicine that helped relax and heal the body. She needed that right now.

She carefully unscrewed the top off of the drink, before pouring the contents into her mouth. She chugged the whole bottle hungrily, the mixture tasting a bit like bitter strawberries but felt soothing going down her throat. She finished the drink and gave it a moment to sink in.

Almost instantly, she felt some of her exhaustion begin to wane, the pain that had been screaming at her began to fade, growing numb. Her eye sight straightened more and her mind lost some of the foggy haze that had been floating around in it. She could tell the drink had a pain killer like effect to it, she wasn’t truly feeling better just yet, but it was alleviating the pain so that she could feel better.

It was now, with her head feeling clearer, that she was able to get a look at the lobby for the first time.

The floor was made of rustic steel that was growing some kind of mold; the walls were falling apart from age, mold and being soaked with water. The roof was caving in in many places, the waiting chairs and tables were falling apart, in pieces and torn into shreds. There were overturned wheel chairs and gurneys, some spots on the floor had blood stains on them. The whole room seemed to scream that it was nothing but a vile place.

Fluttershy turned her attention away. She didn’t want to focus on the state of the room; she had to attend to her body’s needs first.

But before she left she read the last thing of notice on the lobby’s desk, a note that looked like it was written hastily in a red pen:

I locked it away

It can’t hurt us anymore

The staring oh, oh Luna the staring

They erected it but it won’t go away,

It’s judging us,

It knows

But it can’t hurt us without it

I locked it away

But should I need it I have this code

H I D E

The note didn’t make any sense to her at the moment but she felt it must be important. She’d come back for it as well.

She stepped away from the counter, taking in her new vigor to move past it and through the double doors behind it. She appeared in a hallway, one she was familiar with from her childhood. Though the place had aged into despair, she still recognized it.

She quickly made it over to the first room she could find and pushed it open. Inside was an examination room, though the cabinets were falling apart and the table looked like it had fallen to disuse, it was still an examination room.

Fluttershy carefully removed her saddle bag from her back and placed it on the table before moving to the broken counters. She found various supplies, fresh bandages, a few more Health Drinks, towels and gauze pads, everything she’d need to get herself feeling back to her top form.

As she began to work delicately on drying herself and applying fresh bandages, she didn’t notice the soft hissing that began to emanate from the music box in her bag.

Chapter 4

Fluttershy let out a soft sigh as she lay on the floor of the examination room. A towel was draped over her head as she breathed slowly, trying to calm herself down and feel better. She had redressed her wounds; her cuts had reopened in the water and were slowly healing again. Her muscles still ached though the Health Drinks had helped a lot. Her shivering had gone away as well, a sign her body temperature was returning to normal.

She had made a makeshift fire with some of the leftover gauze and bandages using a small bit of the lantern oil to help it burn. The fire had provided her with a gentle comfort, warming her body and calming her mind as the flames danced before her. It wouldn’t last for long, but it was serving its purpose.

She had hung her bag to help it dry quicker, as well as getting all the water out of the music box. She was surprised she hadn’t lost the Doll Key in the watery mess, though the map of Ponyville hadn’t fared as well. It was drying as well, though it wouldn’t ever quite be the same.

“…I wonder what Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie are doing right now…” Fluttershy asked herself staring into the flames. She was feeling lonely without her friends, and she was starting to worry about their safety. This place wasn’t welcoming, already she had brushed with death twice…and both times she had been saved thanks to Rainbow Dash.

“…Rainbow Dash…” she muttered quietly, closing her eyes to think about her marefriend.

“THIS IS IT! THIS IS MY CHANCE!” Rainbow dash squealed happily, as she held up a poster to Fluttershy, “The Wonderbolts will be having OPEN AUDITIONS in THREE MONTHS! This is the first time they’ve EVER done this! Apparently they’ve been so amazed at the talent of upcoming fliers that they want to see and personally invite the best of the best to join them!” Rainbow Dash let out another squeal as she was practically dancing for joy.

“That’s wonderful Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy cheered happily for her, “You’ll finally be able to make your dream come true!”

“I know! Oh, I’m going to have to pick up my practice sessions! This is going to have to call for some new tricks too, tricks nopony has ever thought of! The most death-defying and out-of-this-world tricks any pony has ever SEEN!” Rainbow Dash instantly contemplated anything and everything she could do.

“You shouldn’t forget about using the Sonic Rainboom either, you’re the only pony in all of Equestria who can perform it! They’d let you in for sure after they see that.” Fluttershy happily said.

Rainbow stopped her musing when Fluttershy said that, lowering a hoof she’d had raised eagerly to the ground.

“…The Sonic Rainboom huh…” Rainbow scuffed her hoof against the ground looking a little anxious.

“What’s the matter?” Fluttershy asked, noticing the instant change in behavior.

“Well…to be honest…I haven’t been able to perform the Sonic Rainboom since the best young fliers competition.” Rainbow Dash seemed to grimace at her mentioning failing to do a move.

“Really? Do you not remember how you performed it?”

“It’s not that I forgot how I did it…just for some reason things seem to get too real just as I’m about to perform it. The ground gets too close or I start to panic about not controlling my speed or I think that it must be something to perform only on critical occasions or-“

Rainbow Dash’s frantic rant was interrupted when Fluttershy’s lips found their way to Rainbow’s. Rainbow’s face lit up in a blush at this.

“I know you can do it Rainbow Dash, I believe in you.” Fluttershy smiled warmly at her marefriend.

“Well…I suppose I can always give it another try.” Dash said grinning as she blushed heavily. She spread her wings and shot into the sky at a mighty speed. Fluttershy smiled as she watched her, always loving the way Rainbow flew.

Rainbow perched herself high-up on a cloud, looking over the world. With a quick breath she sprang up into the air once more, flying around as she began to pick up momentum. Fluttershy watched her fly around, realizing Dash was getting a feel for the air first, before Dash stopped high up in the air, almost invisible against the sun.

Then she saw the descent. Rainbow was racing straight for the ground at a tremendous speed. Fluttershy watched in anticipation, as she could see Rainbow begin to form the cone of air around her body. Fluttershy almost held her breath.

For a moment it seemed Rainbow hesitated, Fluttershy could see the change in her flight, she put a hoof to her mouth out of hesitation that she might go flying backwards as she had so many times before…

But at that last moment it seemed a last ditch determination fired in her eyes and her body stretched forward and suddenly-

BOOM

A huge explosion ripped through the sky, a circle of color spreading out as a rainbow shot towards the ground, turning right before it would impact with the ground and rocketing into the sky, spreading a giant rainbow across the sky.

Fluttershy cheered, jumping up and down at the amazing sight.

“…Wait a Moment…an explosion…” Fluttershy’s head popped up from where she had been laying it on her hooves. “The one that woke me up earlier…that sounded a lot like the Sonic Rainboom!”

Now she was worried. What reason could Dash have for doing the Sonic Rainboom here? Unless…

“Oh no…was Dash being chased by the Dragon again?” Fluttershy’s heart started pounding, “She could be hurt, or trapped, or…or worse!” Her heart lodged in her throat as she stood up quickly, shaking her head trying to clear her mind as her towel fell to the floor.

“No, I can’t think that way! Rainbow Dash is okay…and I’m sure Pinkie Pie is too. I just have to find them…” Fluttershy looked at what remained of the fire before her, it was flickering with its last embers, and it would die out very soon.

“Okay, I should be dry enough and my things should be dry enough as well, it’s time for me to find a way out of here. I have to find my friends.” Fluttershy quickly placed her things back into the slightly damp bag. She made sure to pack some of the extra gauze, bandages and health drinks as well, making sure she’d have more medical supplies with her should anything happen along the way.

This would have to do for now as she closed it up and placed it back on her back. She then returned the lantern to around her neck and turned it on, making sure it still worked, before walking out into the hallway.

Instantly the music box began to hiss and wail with the sound of buzzing bees, as the air seemed to become thick. Fluttershy instantly had to struggle for breath as it felt like the air itself was pressing down hard against her body, trying to strangle the life out of her. Her body felt almost frozen as the pressure felt like it was trying to crush her body. Her head slowly turned, looking down the hallway from where it felt like the pressure was emanating.

Her eyes grew wide and her pupils shrunk as she could see two piercing red eyes staring back at her. It was a tall pony-like creature, one that easily overpowered her. It’s body was covered in darkness that seemed to flow and crawl all around it, almost like dancing flames. As it stared at her its mouth began to open revealing a white mouth in stark contrast to its black body, its jagged sharp teeth bared for her to see. It was grinning at her.

It began to walk towards her, each step echoing with a loud thud through the hallway. As it drew closer the air grew thicker and its presence seemed to crush her further, the very air pressing down on her, making her legs shake and her breathing stop as her heart pounded heavily in her chest.

As it grew closer, a word began to echo through Fluttershy’s mind.

Pain.

This creature would bring her pain.

She had to run from it, she had to get away, but her hooves felt glued in place.

Pain. Pain. Pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN.

Why couldn’t she run? She had to run. She was going to die if she didn’t run but she was paralyzed by fear. Fear of what? The wrath of this creature? That’s what she had to run away from!

“I need you to be strong right now, alright?”

Fluttershy’s mind snapped back to reality, instantly turning on her hooves and running as fast as she could.

She was finally able to get air into her lungs as she quickly ran past the doors around her. The hallway was quickly coming to an end though and before her she could see the staircase to the second floor. She couldn’t stop now, she had to run.

Her hooves hit heavily against each step as she ran up the stairs. She seemed to be getting farther away from the creature, the air was breathable and she wasn’t feeling the soul crushing presence, the music box was slowly growing more quiet.

She reached the top of the stairs, panting as she took in the stale air. The world still smelled of mildew and rotting materials, but it was better than being in that creature’s presence.

She quickly began to walk down the hallway of the second floor, when her music box suddenly began to hiss again. She stopped in tracks, expecting that black creature to appear before her, but slowly coming into the view of her lantern wasn’t the black creature…it looked like a nurse…

It was wearing the standard Cloudsdale Hospital nurse uniform, a pink hat with a red cross and a pink coat that fit well around the body but ended just short of the flank so that the cutie mark could be seen, with white stockings on the hind legs and special-made hoof-sandals to keep their steps quiet for patients.

However, that’s where the similarities ended, for the face of the nurse was covered in bandages, hiding its eyes and face, but around its mouth was a metal muzzle with holes for air, but looked like it had been placed to keep the creature quiet. It’s uniform was covered in spots of blood as if it had attacked something, while its white tail seemed spotless.

But most striking of all, was that around its neck it wore what looked like a black necklace of living flames, as if it had come from the body of the creature from before.

Her music began to hiss louder as the creature grew closer. Her head looked back and forth, looking for a way out that didn’t involve going back the way she came.

Her eyes fell upon double doors just in front of her to her right. She jumped at the doors and pressed on them, praying they were open. The door swung open and she ran inside, closing the doors behind her.

The hissing of her music box died down as she could still tell the creature was nearby outside the door. She hoped it wouldn’t come breaking the door down, but she now realized she had just set herself up in a trapped room.

She had jumped into what looked like a supplies closet. However, most of the supplies had fallen to this world’s rotten disrepair. Moths flew around the ceiling of the room, as she could smell blood in the air but couldn’t see any. She looked around, seeing if there was anything that could possible hide her or keep the creature behind the door away from her.

Something glinted against the glare of her lantern on one of the shelves.

“Huh?” She slowly walked over to the glint of light.

It was an orange gem stone in the shape of an eye. It was the only thing in the entire room that hadn’t fallen into a state of rotting; in fact it looked pristine, as if it had been taken care of while everything else fell apart. Something about the gem drew Fluttershy to it, as if it was hypnotizing. The jewel itself seemed to be watching her.

She gulped down her beating heart and placed the gem carefully in her bag. She’d hold onto it, she felt it was important.

She slowly walked back over to the door and placed her ear against it, trying to hear anything. The hissing of her music box had gone silent and she didn’t hear anything past the door.

She opened the door carefully, peeking outside and looking around. The nurse had left, it didn’t seem like it had tried to chase after her and break the door down. Fluttershy let out a soft sigh in relief realizing this.

She exited the supply room and continued down the hallway from the direction the nurse had come, she felt very strongly about not returning the way she had just come from, moving forward was her only option now.

Fluttershy looked around carefully at the doors in the hallway. Many had been boarded up with wooden planks nailed to the frames, making sure no one could enter or exit the rooms. Many looked like they had been sealed with some kind of building material, while others just looked like the locks and handles had been broken for ages and wouldn’t open.

The hallway ended abruptly with a turn, Fluttershy turning with it to continue down the hall. Something immediately struck her eyes as she walked down the hall. She drew closer to it, to get a better look at it, when she stopped and stared in surprise.

On the wall opposite the doors was a giant mural of Princess Celestia. She was facing the pony looking at the mural, with a hoof raised and her wings spread out with an imposing look about her. Above the mural, in large letters looked like a quote she had said once,

“Life is the right of every Pony, may we all bask in the light together.”

Fluttershy blinked in awe at the mural. She had never seen it before, not in all the years that she had been to the hospital at least. Not to mention, something struck her as being odd about the mural, as if something was missing…

Her eyes! Her eyes were missing. In their place were indentations in the wall, looking as if something was supposed to be placed inside of them.

Fluttershy carefully pulled out the orange stone she had found in the supply closet and carefully fit it into the right eye socket. The stone fit in with a click and stayed in place. Now Celestia was only missing one eye. It was likely that the other eye was somewhere in the hospital.

Suddenly, the note from the front desk made sense to her. They had locked away the other eye somewhere because Celestia’s staring was judging them, as if the mural itself could see something that they didn’t want it to see.

Fluttershy put a hoof to her chin in thought, ‘So I have to find where they locked the gem away, and the only hint I have is the word Hide’.

Fluttershy looked around the dark hallway once more, before quickly setting back down the way she was heading. She looked even closer at the doors now, looking for any door that might have some sort of keypad or be open for her to check and see if it would reveal some kind of locked item.

Even after another turn in the hallway, none of the doors revealed any answers, before opening up to another staircase heading back down to the first floor.

She treaded carefully, expecting another creature to start heading for her if she wasn’t careful.

The world remained quiet though, as she came upon a hallway that she recognized from when she was a filly. It was the testing wing of the hospital, one she remembered frequenting with her mother as she was getting help.

In a quiet nostalgia, she began to check some of the doors in the hallway. One door opened for her, as she walked inside.

“Mother!” Came the voice of a little filly. Fluttershy stepped back in shock as she looked at what was happening before her. A ghostly version of her mother was lying on the bed in the room, as a filly version of herself ran up happily next to her bedside.

“Fluttershy, you came to visit again.” Her mother chuckled happily, leaning down to pick up the little filly, hugging her close as she lay in the bed.

“Of course mother, you know I’ll always visit you.” Fluttershy chuckled happily as her mother’s hair tickled her. “When are you coming home mother? I miss you…”

“As soon as the doctor’s finish there testing today.” Her mother smiled happily.

“Really!?” Fluttershy’s face lit up happily.

“Really.” Her mother chuckled happily at her daughter’s enthusiasm, “They said unless it’s serious, I can head home today since I’ll have your father at home to take care of me. We’re so lucky to have him.” She smiled.

“Dad’s the best doctor in the whole world! He’ll make you all better in no time.” Fluttershy smiled happily.

“Indeed he will.” Fluttershy’s mother smiled happily, before turning her head and coughing into a hoof, away from her daughter.

“You really should be resting.” Came a deeper voice. The two girls turned to see an older Pegasus with a doctor’s coat walk into the room.

“Daddy!” Fluttershy smiled happily.

“Hello dear.” Her mother smiled happily.

“Hello you two.” He smiled and walked closer, “How’re you feeling today?”

“Better, my stay here helped, but I’m eager to get home and be with my little one.” Mother smiled, rubbing Fluttershy’s head happily.

“You’ll be resting there too you know, you may feel better but you’re not cured yet. But we’ll find the cure, don’t you worry.” Her father smiled. He looked tired, like he hadn’t gotten a good night’s sleep in a long while.

“I know you will dear. We’ll be a happy family again before too long.” Her mother said happily, before the images faded away.

Fluttershy didn’t know what to make of the images. After they had gone the room had returned to the state of decay as the rest of the hospital was in, the furniture and cloth was destroyed and old, with the smell of mildew hitting her nose.

“Mother…” Fluttershy said quietly. She remembered that memory now, though when she had tried to remember it before it was hazy, but now it was coming in clear as could be. She wondered why, what reason her memories would have for hiding her mother till they showed up like this.

She took a closer look at the room, but nothing else seemed to pop out to her. She frowned a little, hoping she’d find a little more to remember, but it didn’t seem she’d be offered any. She slowly turned back to the door and walked out back into the hallway.

She let out a soft sigh as she tried to gather her thoughts and try to calm down. She walked further down the hall, before her eyes caught the sight of a sign that was lit up above double doors. The sign read ‘ER’.

She hesitated for a moment, she hadn’t been in the ER section of the hospital before and she was worried about what she would find. However, she gulped down her fears and quickly entered the double doors.

She looked around, not seeing any creatures, but the scent of blood caught her nose. She looked down on the ground and saw a trail of blood leading down the ER’s hallway, as if something had dragged a pony’s body down it. Her gut told her that following the trail was the right way to go, but she dreaded what she would find. She didn’t want to see a bleeding corpse.

With another gulp, she began to follow the trail of blood. The trail lead under a door at the end of the hallway, a door that looked like it was used for surgery. She carefully pushed the door open, walking into the room.

It was indeed a room for surgery, torn apart privacy curtains hung from rusted metal rails, a window for observation was broken on one side of the room, a tray filled with rusted medical items lay near a broken table, various machines and devices lay in various pieces around the room, the disinfecting sink was coated with a layer of blood.

The blood trailed ended in the middle of the room, leading to a large pool of blood that lay just underneath the surgical table. On top of the table was a wooden bloodstained box with a padlock on it. The padlock had a dial on it for turning numbers to open it.

Fluttershy carefully walked up to the box and examined it, before noticing a bit of extra blood on the table that had been formed into words.

Turn, turn, turn, the letters into nhmblyrs

The last word was smudged, but it had all been written in blood, she was surprised it wasn’t all more smudged.

She carefully placed a hoof against the padlock and looked at the four dials on it. Each dial went from one to nine, creating a four digit number code to unlock the box.

“Hmmm…the note said that the code was the word hide…and the words here say something about ‘turning the letters’…” Fluttershy thought quietly for a moment, trying to tell her brain what it meant.

Suddenly it seemed to come to her, as she placed her other hoof against the dial and began to turn the numbers.

“Eight…Nine…Four…Five…” She said out loud as she turned all the numbers to what she thought must be the right combination. The padlock clicked, releasing its iron grip on the wooden box. Fluttershy smiled happily at her own ingenious, before carefully moving the padlock aside to open the box.

Inside she saw what she expected, the other gem that was Celestia’s eye, though this one was a dark shade of blue instead of the orange that her other eye was. Fluttershy carefully put the jewel inside of her bag, ready to leave this surgical room.

She turned and exited the room, only to be met with the loud hissing of her music box once more.

Her head instantly looked down the hallway, seeing the same kind of nurse heading towards her, blocking off the path of the hallway. Fluttershy looked around, not sure what to do, not wanting to get attacked but having nowhere to run. She did the only thing she could thing to do and pressed herself up against the wall. With that she very slowly began to walk towards the nurse, hoping the nurse would ignore her and let her slip by.

The nurse’s head turned to snap and look at Fluttershy as she got almost side by side by it. Fluttershy stopped in her tracks as the nurse stopped as well.

The nurse seemed to be staring at Fluttershy through its bandaged face. Fluttershy couldn’t see the eyes, but she knew they were staring deeply at her. Fluttershy stared back in return, as she could feel a cold sweat beginning to form on her forehead.

The two of them were in a standoff and Fluttershy didn’t want to be the first pony to make a move. The tension was thick, only cut by the hissing of the music box telling Fluttershy that she was in danger.

The nurse finally, but slowly, turned its head away from Fluttershy, before walking past her, heading for the surgical room Fluttershy had just left from.

Fluttershy let out a soft sigh from the air she had been holding in from the tension.

The nurse turned around instantly, as it suddenly let out a wailing, ear-piercing cry. Fluttershy jumped, running out of the ER hallway as fast as she could. She turned down the testing hallway, running straight for the stairs to the second floor, when her music box hissed even louder as she hit a wall of thick air that squeezed down on her as if trying to suffocate her.

She skidded to a stop as her whole body felt terror. The dark creature was standing before her once more. It roared at her as its white mouth opened, the jagged teeth coming down swiftly.

Fluttershy’s instinct reacted as she raised a hoof to defend herself. The jagged teeth bore down into her leg and Fluttershy let out a scream in agony as it felt like her flesh was on fire. The dark creature twisted its head before quickly snapping it back, picking up and tossing Fluttershy by her leg. Fluttershy slammed into a wall, the air escaping her lungs as pain soared through her.

She coughed and gagged on the thick air as the dark creature began to walk closer to her, wanting to strike out once more.

Fluttershy scrambled to her legs, her injured leg slipping causing her to crash face first into the floor, eliciting another yelp as her bruised face was struck. She managed to turn her head to look at the creature through blurry, tear-filled eyes. It was drawing too close, she had to escape, she had to get up and run.

Instinct struck again as her wings spread out and she flapped them desperately, trying to pick up her body and get away, get away quickly, she had to get to the mural of Celestia.

Jagged teeth bore down into her wing. Fluttershy screamed even louder than she had before, her sensitive wing being puncture in several places. The dark creature twisted its head again, though this time a loud crack was heard as the bone in her wing snapped.

Fluttershy’s body flailed once more as her screams echoed through the hallway. The dark creature let go of the maimed wing, seeming to grin happily at its accomplishment.

As tears streamed down her face, her legs finally found traction. She put all of her strength and focus into running, wanting nothing more than to put distance between her and the dark creature. Her vision was blurred with pain and tears, making it hard to see where she was going.

She smacked into the end of the hallway, crying as pain shot through her body from the force of the impact. She shakily looked down the hallway, seeing the blurry outline of the dark creature heading straight for her, continuing its slow pace.

She reached her good hoof out in front of her and found a door before her. With haste she opened it, stumbling out. She quickly blinked, whirling her head around. She was on the other side of the lobby, she knew where she was, she could go through the other door, make it up the stairs, and then she could get to the mural.

Her music box had yet to cease its hissing, as a figure came into her blurry vision. Fluttershy turn and ran, only looking back to see the blurry outline of a nurse that had been walking towards her.

She tripped against the receptionists chair that lay scattered behind the desk. She didn’t have time to let the pain settle in, she had to get up. She scrambled back to her feet and reached the other door.

The moment she entered the hallway to the patients rooms, another ear-piercing wail cried out. Fluttershy turned just barely in time to see a nurse raised up on her hind legs, as the front legs came rushing straight for her.

Fluttershy felt the hooves strike her face as she was sent tumbling back into the wall. She panted as she got back up and tried to look around. She could no longer see out of one eye, only half the world came to her vision.

She made out the image of the nurse walking towards her, barely even giving her time to realize she’d been hit. Fluttershy pushed off against the wall and ran past the nurse, the nurse wailing at her as she ran by.

She could barely see, her hoof hit the staircase with a thud sending her face into the stairs once more. Her head was throbbing so much she wasn’t even sure what was happening to her body anymore. She only knew she had to get up and keep running, she had to get to the mural, it was her way out, it had to be her way out.

She climbed the stairs to the second floor. She wasn’t even sure how she did it, but she had managed it. She kept running, she wasn’t even sure how she was keeping up pace with her body, but her legs were running. She made the turn down the second floor hallway, and the blurry image of the mural was in her sight. She ran straight for it, skidding to a stop right before it.

The music box let out a loud hiss as the air began to feel thick. Fluttershy reached into her bag and pulled out the blue eye.

The air began to feel like it was pressing down on her, going to crush her body. She fumbled with the eye, fumbling to put it into the right slot. It nearly fell from her hooves, she shifted it hastily into place.

She couldn’t breathe, the air and pressure was too strong. She swore she could feel breath on the back of her neck as the blue gem clicked into place.

The two gems let out a bright light as a loud cry came from her side. The mural began to move, disappearing into the wall. In its place was another dark hallway. Fluttershy ran for it, she ran through the hallway, ran away from the pressure and the thick air.

It was chasing her, the creature was following her down the long hallway. Her chest was once more on fire but she couldn’t stop.

An office opened up at the end of the hallway. A simple office, a desk, a filing cabinet, chairs, office space. Fluttershy crashed into the desk, throwing her hooves over it as she panted in desperation. Her vision was impaired so much now, she could only make out the outline of the furniture in the office.

The air grew thick once more, she turned her head in fear, watching as the dark creature was drawing closer. It’s blood-covered white smile and jagged teeth shone underneath its red glaring eyes. She couldn’t see anything but its face. Her breath sounded loud, her panting was as loud as the beating of her heart in her ears.

There was no escaping it this time. The mural had led her to a dead end, there was no escape now. Her vision was filled with the dark creature, it was going to kill her, she would die here and her friends would never know what happened to her.

She muttered an apology under hear breath as her face continued to be drenched with her tears. The creature was upon her and her breath stopped. The pressure of the creature’s presence was enough to feel like it would stop her heart.

It opened its mouth as it was going to bore its fangs down on her one last time.

It stopped. The creature had stopped moving. Something had forced the creature to not kill her. Fluttershy meekly stared at the creature, not understanding what was happening. It had the opportunity to kill her, why wasn’t it taking it?

Her ears twitched as she heard the reason. Somewhere in the distance a siren was going off.

The dark creature before her began to disappear, as if the siren had called it forth, than summoned it back. The darkness that surrounded the creature’s body seemed to burn up, the entire creature went up in a black fire before her, disappearing before it could finish her. The music box ceased its hissing as the creature vanished, leaving her in the office by herself.

A loud click could be heard, before the sound of something crashing to the ground.

Fluttershy’s mind was hazed over, she could barely see, she couldn’t understand what was going on, but she dragged herself over to where she had heard the sound. Her body moved on its own now, without her guidance.

Her body stepped on top of a platform; one she was sure hadn’t been there when she entered the room. She felt her body collapse on top of it, laying herself down as she panted.

The platform began to move, she wasn’t sure how or why, but she didn’t care. It was moving up, it was taking her away from the hospital. The platform was moving into the ceiling, through a dark path that she couldn’t see what was around her, but she knew she wasn’t around danger anymore.

The pain was becoming real to her now. Her face came to her attention first, she could feel the swelling around her eye, she was probably also bleeding a lot from her face, but it was hard to tell.

Her leg was no longer useful. Using it so heavily in her panicked state while it was injured, it had gone completely numb to her. She had probably done irreversible harm to it; it probably would never work the same way again. She could barely make out the blood pouring from it.

Her wing…the creature had snapped her wing, broken it. She couldn’t help but remark at that, Pegasus wings were strong and sturdy, one could not normally break it with a twist of the head. They weren’t’ like bird wings that were fragile, they were strong enough to lift the entire body a pony, but hers was now broken. She wasn’t sure how if it could be fixed or not, the one thing she knew about broken wings, was that they could break two ways, a way that they could be used again, or a way that they’d never be useable again. There was very little in leeway.

Her thoughts were distracted when the platform came to a stop. It had reached its destination.

She panted heavily. Her body wanted to stay collapsed, absorb the pain…the pain that was trying to drive her mad. The only thing that was keeping her sane was the thoughts of what damage had been done to her and what she could do to fix it.

But she knew she had to at least get up. If she didn’t get up she couldn’t start fixing her wounds.

She tried to stand up, she put energy to her legs, but they refused to stand her up. She carefully blinked her one useable eye, trying to open it more than it was, but it refused against her actions. She tried to flap her good wing, but it was pressed hard against the platform by her body.

She panted, but she was too tired to panic anymore. She was yelling at herself at get up, but her body was refusing now.

“Hahaha, oh man, that was a good one!” Pinkie giggled happily.

Fluttershy’s eye closed tightly, wanting to escape the pain with sleep, but she forced it open.

“Hahaaaah, man you pull the BEST pranks Pinkie Pie!” Rainbow Dash laughed alongside the pink pony.

Her good front leg lifted weakly off of her body, as she very carefully placed the hoof against the ground.

“…Heehee, that was pretty funny.” Fluttershy giggled, covering her mouth with her hooves.

Her leg started to lift the front of her body up. Her body jerked in refusal, but she held herself up. Her back legs began to weakly move now.

“I told you you’d enjoy yourself!” Rainbow said grinning, putting a hoof over Fluttershy’s shoulder.

Her back legs slowly moved, placing their hooves against the ground. She lifted herself up, she was standing again, she could feel herself dripping. She was losing blood.

“It’s all in good fun after all!” Pinkie laughed, bouncing up to Fluttershy, “After all, who DOESN’T love to share a good laugh?” She grinned brightly.

On three legs she slowly began to walk. She didn’t know where she was going yet, but she could feel the need to go forward.

“You’re right, I’m still not sure that I’m that good at them, but I love doing them with you two.” Fluttershy smiled happily. She loved being around her friends, they gave her such strength. She didn’t know what she’d do without her friends.

Fluttershy stopped before a mirror. She could see herself now. She could see the bruised half of her face swelling around her eye, the maimed wing, the bleeding leg. She was a mess. With very careful precision, she dropped her saddlebag onto the ground. Using her good hoof, she opened the bag and pulled out a health drink.

She very carefully swallowed its bitter contents before placing it down. She then grabbed the bandages in her bag, and very carefully began to wrap the wound on her leg.

“I think that’s enough for one day, but we should totally do this again!” Rainbow Dash grinned at Fluttershy.

“Oh yes, I’d love to. Doing this again would make me happy!” Fluttershy grinned happily. She could ask for nothing more…

Than to spend another day in the loving care of her friends.

Chapter 5

Only by putting all of her weight onto it was Fluttershy able to snap the end off of the mop handle. It was just the right size she needed. She gripped it tightly in her mouth, breathing heavily through her nose. Her mind was reeling, her body was fighting her decision, but it was one she’d already chosen to make.

She carefully looked back in the mirror; her body was starting to shake. She carefully raised a hoof up, her body screaming out as it touched the tender spot. She bit down harder on the stick, her breathing was stirring into a panicked breath, the Health Drink had numbed some of the pain, but it couldn’t numb this.

She had one shot to do this right and she had to watch to make sure she did it right, she couldn’t close her eye. Her heart throbbed in her throat; she could hear every fast and deep breath she took, her hoof positioning itself just correctly. She readied herself as best she could, and then in a swift motion moved her hoof.

CRACK

Fluttershy screamed into the broom handle like she’d never screamed before, the pain was instant and intense, like red-hot knives piercing the back of her mind. Her body collapsed once more as fresh tears poured out of her eye. She panted heavily, laying there as she tried to recover from the pain.

She lay there, twitching as her wing throbbed constantly now, in more pain then it had been before. She forced herself to stand up, to look at it in the mirror; she had to make sure she had snapped it back into place correctly.

Through one eye she looked at the wing carefully. Despite it being covered in blood, hurting like she’d never felt pain before, she could see that the wing was in the correct shape it should be. She’d managed to snap it back correctly. She prayed that would be enough to keep it useable once it finished healing.

She laid down onto her back and held her injured wing straight as best she could. Only having one hoof to mend her wound was a pain, but she could work around it. She carefully placed the stick on the wing to keep it straight, hoping it would also help in making sure her wing healed. She carefully grabbed the bandages, and proceeded to wrap her wing with the stick.

It was excruciating, but once her wing was wrapped, she’d finished taking care of her wounds.

She panted heavily as she carefully picked herself up, looking back into the mirror to see everything that she had done.

Her face was half covered now, wrapped in bandages so only her good eye was visible. Her hoof was bandaged and now raised in a sling that had been carefully tied around her neck, just below her lantern so that both could fit around her neck. Her body had been rewrapped for the third time as well to make sure the first wounds she had received were healing well. And finally her wing was wrapped in a makeshift cast that she had managed to get to lay flat against her body.

She sighed at the state her body was in. She had a hard time believing that this was real, yet there would no doubting the pain she felt.

“…If…If Rainbow Dash or Pinkie Pie are hurt…could…could they take care of their wounds?” Fluttershy frowned, looking at herself, “Rainbow Dash is reckless…but she’s also strong…she might be alright, she could fight back against the monsters here…but Pinkie Pie…” She shook her head, “No…Pinkie Pie’s done this before…a-as hard as that is to believe…she…she’ll be fine too.

“Both of my friends are fine.” She smiled to herself in the mirror, trying to force herself to be reassured, but it wasn’t working well. She frowned again, before looking away from herself, “I…I hope they are…”

She turned and looked at her surroundings. She had wound up in a bathroom after the lift ride, though it seemed the effects of the drenched, rotting world had been left behind for the moment. The bathroom looked like it had fallen to disuse, but nowhere near the levels the hospital had. She had found a mop in the corner of the room, though it hadn’t looked like it’d been used in ages.

It was time for her to leave though; she had to go find her friends.

She carefully slipped the saddle bag back onto her back, and very carefully coordinating her three hooves, walked out of the bathroom.

She walked out into a cool breeze, wincing a little as the cold air bit against her freshly bandaged wounds. She looked out as best she could to see where she was, but it seemed that night had fallen, shrouding the world in a veil of darkness.

‘H-Has it really been half a day?’ Fluttershy asked herself in shock. She hadn’t felt that much time pass, but maybe because of her condition she was having difficulty with being a good judge of time.

She carefully turned her lantern on and it illuminated the path before her. There was a dirt road before her, open wide at first, before narrowing into a forest. She looked around, noticing the building she had walked out of. She knew where she was.

It was the boat-house that sat on the edge of Crystal Lake just outside of Ponyville. That meant she was only a short walk away from Ponyville, she could be there in just a minute or two.

“Hold on Rainbow Dash…Pinkie Pie…I’m coming to find you.” Fluttershy said determined, before moving as quickly as she could down the path to Ponyville.

She was having trouble coordinating three hooves correctly, especially with trying to trot into town. She was wobbly on her legs, most likely a side-effect of not having rested enough, but she kept going forward. Her determination to see her friends was the strongest factor driving her mind right now.

Twigs in the forest snapped, strange noises crept through the leaves, she swore she could hear soft wails in the distant trees. But she forced her mind off of the sounds. She had to move past them, move into Ponyville.

The path began to open up before her, the dirt path quickly being replaced by the stone streets of Ponyville, the trees spreading apart as she saw the first signs of the homes in Ponyville. She smiled to herself as she returned, happy to be back in a place that seemed more normal than where she had been for the last half a day.

Her music box began to hiss, stopping her in her tracks.

‘Oh no…they’re here too…’ Fluttershy gulped as she looked into the night, trying to see what was causing her music box to hiss.

Sliding into view around the ground before her came a creature. It was in the basic shape of a pony; however this creature seemed to be no older than a filly reaching marehood. It’s body was completely hairless, the skin of the creature looking as if it had been deeply bruised all over, many parts of the skin dead or dying with other parts seemed fresh and healthy in comparison. It’s ears were folded down, melded with it’s face in such a way that it’s eyes were covered. It’s long legs pushed its body against the ground, its front hooves seemed to be strapped down on its back, as if tied down with its own skin, melding it with its body.

As the creature crawled around, it let out a strange, screeching cry, not unlike that of rusted metal grinding, unpleasant to the ears, but yet a sad wailing cry…

Fluttershy gulped as the creature seemed to push itself all over the place, unable to move in a straight line. Her instinct was to feel sympathy for the creature, her gut told her it was a creature to be pitied, that it needed her help…

Then an image of the dark creature appeared in her mind.

She carefully stepped around, slowly getting away from the creature, before running deeper into town. She slipped away from the creature, her music box finally going back to silence. She panted softly, looking over her shoulder to the direction she had left the creature.

It didn’t seem to be able to follow her, which didn’t surprise her considering it didn’t seem capable of moving in a straight line. She let out a soft sigh, grateful that she could avoid the creature, she really only had enough bandages left to wrap one more wound at best and she didn’t know when she would need it.

She carefully began to look around, trying to focus on the buildings around her. She blinked her eyes to gain more focus, if she knew where she was in Ponyville, she could navigate her way around.

She carefully moved her head around to look, careful not to harm her injuries, as a blur moved across her vision.

“Huh?” She said, quickly turning her head back to the blur. In the distance, as if glowing white like an angel, was the image of a young filly.

Fluttershy stared at the filly, not sure what to say or if to speak up. She wasn’t even sure if it was real or not, but it was a filly just standing in the middle of nowhere.

The little filly let out a giggle before turning around and running away from Fluttershy.

“H-Hey! Wait! It’s dangerous out here!” Fluttershy cried out, her instincts acting to quickly chase after the filly. “Come back! You shouldn’t be alone!”

If the filly could hear Fluttershy, she didn’t seem to be listening. She just continued to run, turning down a street. Fluttershy followed as quickly as she could, but she was slow and stumbling now, she cursed at herself for having let herself get so injured when she needed to help an innocent foal right now.

Her music box hissed as from the darkness crawled out another one of the monsters that pushed itself along the ground. Fluttershy ran past it, making sure to avoid even touching the creature. Her whole body was telling her she had to catch up to this filly.

The filly turned down another street and Fluttershy followed as best she could, nearly toppling over as she slowed herself down with her three hooves. She quickly paced down the street, when two of the monsters burst forth from the darkness causing her music box to wail.

These two seemed to be heading straight for her, with no time for her to move out of the way. She gulped before quickly jumping. The two creatures wriggled their way past her as she landed behind them.

She thanked Celestia for having avoided them, before returning her sight to the filly. The filly made one last turn, not down a street, but into a house. Fluttershy felt grateful that the filly had gone inside, but she still had to make sure the little filly would be alright.

Fluttershy quickly drew closer to the house, looking it over before gasping.

The house was in terrible condition, it didn’t look like it had been used in years. The windows were boarded, the walls were black, holes littered its frame, the gentle breeze caused it to groan very slightly.

Fluttershy gulped, getting a bad feeling from the house. However, the filly had gone inside of the house, she couldn’t leave the poor thing alone.

She very carefully walked up to the door and pushed it open, her lantern illuminating the insides.

The door opened up to a decrepit living room, the furniture had long ago been eaten by insects, the table lay in pieces on the ground, most of the doors were sealed off with wooden planks the floor was covered in a thick layer of dust.

Fluttershy slowly walked into the house, her every footstep made the house creak and groan, as if struggling to hold up her weight.

She looked around the living room, every doorway on the floor she was on was completely sealed, there would be no way for her to get through any of them. On top of that, she couldn’t see a single sign that the filly had entered the house.

She turned her attention to the stairs, the only path that hadn’t been barred off by wooden planks. If the filly had gone anywhere, she must’ve gone upstairs.

Fluttershy slowly made her way to the staircase, looking up its length. She very carefully began to climb it, testing each step to make sure it’d hold her, as she then worked on climbing the stairs with just three hooves. She found herself doing surprisingly well.

Despite the creaking, the moaning and the constant threat of collapse, she made it to the top of the stairs.

She looked around, to her left was a door that was blocked off by more wooden panels, to her right was…

Fluttershy blinked in confusion. The imagery before her seemed to clash with the rest of the house.

The section of the floor right before a door had turned into a red, rusted metal, the door made of the same material. The wall seemed to be stretch out in a circle around the door, making the walls rotting and falling apart while just behind the holes in the wall was a chain-link fence, as if they were holding the walls together.

The area gave her the sense that it was supposed to be like a cage…

Fluttershy gulped before walking up slowly to the door. She didn’t know what was behind the door, but something told her she had to look inside, that she had to find out what was in this room. She carefully put her hoof up to the door, took a deep breath for courage, and pushed open the door.

The first sound that came to her ears was panting. Loud, exasperated panting. Her eye focused on the image before her, her sight recognizing two different hues of pink in the shape of a pony. It had to be…

“P-Pinkie Pie?” Fluttershy called out to her friend. The panting stopped as the pink form seemed to freeze right in front of her. It slowly turned; as Pinkie’s wide blue eyes came into view, looking to stare at Fluttershy.

Fluttershy let out an audible gasp as she instinctively took a step back. Pinkie Pie was covered in blood. Her mane was straight and her cheeks were wet with tears she’d been crying. Fluttershy’s eyes immediately tried to spot or identify a wound…but she didn’t see one. The blood on Pinkie hadn’t come from her, it had come from…

Fluttershy’s eyes moved down to the ground. Laying on the ground, in a pool of her own blood…was Pinkie Pie. Though this Pinkie was different…the hair was curly like Pinkie’s normally is, but it was wearing a multi-colored leather dress with varying wings on the back…

“Flu…Flu…F-Flutter…shy?” The standing Pinkie seemed to gasp, as if finding difficulty breathing.

“Pinkie Pie…what…what happened?” Fluttershy asked in shocked disbelief. She could barely make out the scene before her. Why were there two Pinkie Pies…and why was one dead?

“F-Fluttershy…” Pinkie hiccupped as fresh tears began to spill down her cheeks, “Is…Is that…r-really you?”

“…O-Of course it is…Pinkie Pie…why…why are you…” Fluttershy couldn’t finish her sentence. The words were refusing to come out, she couldn’t think of how to speak what she needed to say properly.

“Fluttershy…why…why are YOU…” Pinkie choked on her words, as she desperately rubbed her face of her tears, “Why are you…why are you so hurt!?” Pinkie twisted her head, as if saying those words struck pain into her.

“W-What?” Fluttershy asked confused, before looking down at her hoof in the sling. She was hurt…but at the moment she didn’t care about that, she cared about what was happening with her friend…

“I’m fine Pinkie Pie, but please, tell me-“

“You’re NOT fine!” Pinkie interrupted her with a yell. Fluttershy took another step back in shock; she’d NEVER heard Pinkie yell like that before, “Fluttershy…” Pinkie visibly shook as more tears came from the pink pony, as her blue eyes looked at her once more, “Your face is swollen and covered in bandages, your hoof is in a sling, your body is wrapped up and…a-and your WING IS IN A CAST!” Pinkie then snapped her head away from looking at Fluttershy as she sobbed hard.

Fluttershy was speechless. It was true; she was in very bad condition at the moment.

But…

But seeing her pink, party loving, fun having friend sob and cry while covered in blood didn’t feel right to her. She wanted to help Pinkie Pie more than she wanted to help herself.

“…Pinkie Pie…” Fluttershy mumbled softly, as if trying to find the right words to comfort her friend.

“This…This is all my fault…” Pinkie visibly shook as she cried, “I shouldn’t have let this happen. I should’ve protected you; I should’ve been there…” Pinkie hiccupped and gasped for breath, “I should’ve known better than to let Twilight do this…”

“Pinkie…you…you couldn’t have possibly known things would happen this way…” Fluttershy offered her words to Pinkie.

Pinkie seemed to stop shaking for a moment, before she began to shake again, though this time it was different. Pinkie…Pinkie was laughing. Fluttershy grimaced a little, this wasn’t a fun loving laugh, this was…this was the laugh of a mare whose mind was breaking.

“Oh…Oh that’s to laugh.” Pinkie tried to smile, but her mouth wobbled as she rubbed her face, “I’ve been through this before…I’ve done this once before and I…I know how horrible this place really is.” Pinkie shook her head, “But despite that…despite knowing everything I do, I let us get brought here anyway!” Pinkie let out a single laugh, before the smile she was trying to have vanished from her face as she hung her head.

“…Rainbow dash was right…” Pinkie mumbled quietly, “…If I…If I had really cared…I wouldn’t have said nothing…I would’ve told you everything that happens when you come here…I wouldn’t have tried to hide the truth for the sake of protecting you all from what I experienced…no…I didn’t speak up because I was selfish, because I only cared about myself…and so I let this hell fall upon you Fluttershy…”

Fluttershy’s mouth fell open as she tried to speak. She didn’t honestly believe any of Pinkie’s words. But she couldn’t say anything that would make her friend not believe them. Her mouth closed as she frowned, she felt so helpless…

Pinkie’s head slowly turned to look at the corpse of herself that still lay on the ground. Something about that body seemed to spark something inside of Pinkie Pie.

“But…But that doesn’t mean I’m going to just let my friends die!” She stood up, almost as if she was yelling at the dead Pinkie, “I REFUSE to be the reason they die! So long as I have strength in my body I will NOT let any of my friends fall victim to this world any longer! So long as I have a single breath of air in my body, I will fight this world with everything I have so that they can live!”

Pinkie was angry. She was panting heavily as she yelled at the corpse. In this one moment she had never seen Pinkie go through so many emotions, emotions that gave Pinkie’s words truth behind everything she said. The words were all personal, words that she had to speak from her heart.

Pinkie slowly turned away from the corpse, looking at Fluttershy with a glare. Fluttershy flinched. Pinkie’s stare softened when she saw the fear she was putting into her friend. Pinkie rubbed her face one more time as she tried to put on a soft but sad smile.

“Come on Fluttershy…let’s…let’s get out of here.” Pinkie said slowly walking towards Fluttershy.

Fluttershy could only just softly nod, as she turned around and opened the door back up, walking out back into the abandon house’s hallway, slowly followed by Pinkie Pie.

“So…what brings you here?” Pinkie asked quietly, not looking directly at Fluttershy, but at the hallway before them.

“W-Well…” Fluttershy tried not to stumble over her own words, “I found my way back to Ponyville after getting separated…a-and then I saw a filly run into this house…I-I was looking for that filly when I found you…” Fluttershy explained quickly.

“So you saw a filly run in here?” Pinkie asked making sure she understood. Fluttershy nodded her head, “…Did you find her yet?” Fluttershy shook her head, “…Then we should try and find her. If there’s one thing I’ve come to realize…things don’t just happen without a reason here.” Pinkie said as she began to walk further down the hallway of the second floor.

Fluttershy slowly followed after Pinkie Pie. There was silence between the two mares. Fluttershy wanted to speak up, she wanted to say something, but the words only got caught in her throat. She felt like Pinkie Pie was portraying herself as a monster…

But she knew Pinkie Pie wasn’t a monster…she was a caring friend, who more than anything, loved her friends…

Pinkie checked a door, only to find it locked. She seemed to scrunch her face at the door, before letting it go and continuing on, leading the way.

Fluttershy watched Pinkie Pie as she moved. She seemed to scrutinize small details, looking at her surroundings with intensity. She looked like she didn’t want to miss a single detail of anything in the house. She seemed determined, focused, like nothing was going to stop her from the mission she had set herself out to accomplish.

Fluttershy’s ear perked up as her heart suddenly dropped. She could hear it…

She could hear the siren blaring in the distance.

“P-Pinkie Pie…do you hear that?” Fluttershy asked, terrified of the sound.

“Hear what?” Pinkie asked, instantly putting her focus on Fluttershy.

“…You don’t hear it?” Fluttershy asked surprised, “T-Then maybe it’s my imagi-“

“Fluttershy, don’t ever assume anything here is your imagination!” Pinkie said, emphasizing the word ever, “Tell me what you’re hearing!”

“I…I hear…a s-siren…” Fluttershy mumbled quietly.

Pinkie’s pupils shrunk, as if in instinct.

“Fluttershy…stay very close to me. Don’t leave my side, alright?” Pinkie said very seriously. Fluttershy nodded her head softly, as Pinkie turned back around before continuing down the hallway.

At the end of the hallway they came to another door. Pinkie put a hoof up to it and the door swung open.

Inside the room was a surprise. The shape of it was well taken care of; there was a new beige carpet with white walls all around the room, the room being lit fairly well. On one side of the room was a giant mirror that seemed to encompass the whole wall.

Pinkie entered the room first, scrutinizing it carefully. She didn’t see anything out of the ordinary in the room, there was a small bed in the corner and desk with drawers. On one of the walls next to the window was another door, looking similar to a closet.

Pinkie walked over to the desk and examined it, seeming to be looking for something, opening each of the drawers for a clue or answer.

Fluttershy slowly walked into the room as she turned off her lantern. She had been expecting scenery similar to the kind she had seen at the hospital, everything drenched with water, rotting and falling apart…but the room was remarkably serene. Something about it gave her a sense of calm…

“Nothing…” Pinkie Pie muttered staring at the desk confused. She then turned her attention to the closet door and walked over to it. She opened the door and saw a small, walk-in closet that was lined with some clothes and boxes. She stepped inside to investigate for clues.

Fluttershy sat down, looking at herself in the mirror. She really did look a mess. She’d managed to avoid getting most of her hair in the bandages, so it was helping to hide the bandaged side of her face, but she still couldn’t believe just how much damage she had taken from her encounter at the hospital.

“…You’ll be okay…” Fluttershy said to herself, raising a hoof up to touch the mirror.

The mirror began to become translucent, as Fluttershy let out a shocked gasp. On the other side of the mirror, in a room similar to the one she was in, sat Rainbow Dash, staring at the mirror.

“Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy cried out, pressing her hoof harder against the mirror.

“Rainbow Dash!?” Pinkie cried out from inside the closet. She instantly moved to exit the closet, when the door slammed shut on her face. She stared in shock at the door, as she tried to force it open, but it was locked tight.

“NO! NO YOU LET ME OUT RIGHT NOW!” Pinkie yelled as she banged on the door. She banged so hard she could feel pain begin to soar through her hooves.

Fluttershy couldn’t believe that Rainbow Dash was on the other side of the mirror. She tried to bang her hoof against the mirror, but Rainbow Dash didn’t seem to hear her. Rainbow Dash was just staring blankly back at her from the other room opposite the mirror.

“Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash! RAINBOW DASH!” Fluttershy cried out desperately trying to get her marefriend’s attention. She banged against the mirror as hard as she could, her hooves beginning to bruise with each strike. But Rainbow Dash just sat there, looking confused at the mirror before her.

Suddenly, the lights dimmed. Fluttershy gasped as the light grew dimmer, her hoof quickly moving to her lantern to turn it on. The bright light blinded her as it reflected off the mirror, as she was no longer able to see through it or Rainbow Dash with the light on. She quickly turned the light back off, looking back into Rainbow’s room.

The door at the back of Rainbow’s room opened, though Rainbow still didn’t move. Darkness was creeping into the room from the open door, washing in as if it was mist.

Fluttershy’s heart sank. From the doorway flared a pair of familiar red eyes.

Fluttershy banged on the mirror again and again, crying out as loud as she could, “RAINBOW DASH! BEHIND YOU!”

The dark creature opened its mouth, revealing its wretched white mouth as it slowly walked closer to the sitting Rainbow Dash. But Rainbow Dash didn’t move. She only seemed to tilt her head in confusion looking at the mirror still.

“NO! STOP! PLEASE! DON’T HURT RAINBOW DASH!” Fluttershy begged as tears began to stream down her face, her hoof starting to hurt from how hard she was banging on the window.

The dark creature stood right behind Rainbow Dash, its white mouth grinning at her as her heart stopped beating, Fluttershy looking right up into its face.

The dark creature opened its mouth in a bigger grin. Fluttershy’s heart sunk further into her gut. The dark creature raised its mouth higher.

Then, it brought its mouth down hard on top of Rainbow Dash.

The mirror turned bright, forcing Fluttershy to shield her eyes from the sudden change. She adjusted her eyes as best she could, as she looked up at the mirror.

A soft, sad, music box lullaby began to play as images started to dance across the mirror.

“D-Don’t worry…A-Ashley…I-I’ll…f-fix you up…” the image was a crying, very young, filly Fluttershy. Her pony doll had been torn to pieces, the stuffing spread all around her. The filly was very carefully pushing the stuffing back inside of the torn up doll, before taking a threaded needle and starting to very slowly, very shakily, sew the torn pieces back together.

A splatter of blood struck the window, making the image turn red, before the image changed.

“Mother…” Filly Fluttershy called out softly to her mother who was lying in her bed. The older mare’s head seemed to almost snap, as if looking in anger at the child. Fluttershy shook at the sight, never having seen her mother look so angry at her before. But the look of the older mare soon softened, as she looked at her child. She was tired.

“What is it my child?” She asked, though exhaustion was apparent in her voice.

“Dad…wanted me to see if you wanted anything to eat…” Fluttershy whimpered softly.

“Hah…food to eat.” Her mother said with sarcastic bitterness, turning her head to look out the window of her room, “What’s the point of eating. It burns my throat and makes me sick.”

“B-But…you n-need to eat mother…” Fluttershy whimpered.

“Oh, I DO do I?” The older mare glared angrily at her daughter.

Another splatter of blood struck the window, causing the image to turn red once more, before the images changed once more.

A smack rang out loud, as Filly Fluttershy tumbled from her sitting position on the table. Tears sprang to the edges of her eyes as she looked up at what had just struck her; the nurse pony was glaring at her.

“Now tell me again…how did you break your wing?” She snapped at the little filly who was crying.

“I…I…” Fluttershy gulped as she tried to breath, “I…f-fell while…t-trying to fly…”

“That’s right.” The nurse said then walking over to Fluttershy and picking her up, sitting her back down, “You broke it trying to fly. You silly filly,” The nurse said as if trying to be patronizing to her, “You need to be much more careful when you try flying. It can be very dangerous to fly.” The nurse nodded her head slowly, “Now let’s freshen that cast.”

Fluttershy could only cry more, the cast on her wing seemed to be digging into her skin.

A third splatter of blood struck the window. The images turned dark, the mirror seeming to turn into a fire of darkness. The mirror burned up completely, disappearing without a trace.

Fluttershy sat in the dark, tears streaming from her eye. She was sitting in the pitch black room now, unable to see anything.

She carefully moved her hoof up to her lantern, before hesitantly turning it on.

The light lit up the room before her. Blood stained the carpet and the walls, but there was no sign of Rainbow Dash or the dark creature. The smell of blood and mildew struck her next, as she could hear the dripping of water all around her. The room was now rotting, drenched, she had returned to that world, the world separate from Ponyville.

She had returned to the Otherworld.

She very slowly stood up, lifting her hooves over the wall where the mirror used to exist. She carefully walked around the bloodstain that was all over the floor. She couldn’t see a single remnant that told her Rainbow Dash had been here, only the blood stains that scoured the room.

She hiccuped before gulping, praying that Rainbow Dash hadn’t just been killed before her eyes. But without a body there, she prayed that she could still be alive.

Fluttershy walked up to the door in Rainbow’s room, and saw something written on blood on the door,

Deep within there are secrets laid to rest

But we cannot hide forever from the sins of our past

What once was lost will now be found

Blood-stained hooves will rise once more

Fluttershy couldn’t help but realize, the words were meant for her. That the images she had just seen were only the beginning. Once she stepped through that door, she was going to learn…

Learn exactly what those images meant.

With a deep breath, and gulping down the heart beating in her throat, she opened the doors and walked inside.

Chapter 6

The hallway was dark and long, it was old, it was covered with mold as it rotted at its core, water fell down the sides of the wall in small streams, the floor had a small pool of water lying all about.

The hair on the back of Fluttershy’s neck stood on end, but she walked forward into the darkness.

Every step echoed off the walls, her hooves splashing against the water on the floor each time she passed a puddle. She didn’t know where she was or where the path was going. She didn’t know what happened to Pinkie Pie, she didn’t know what happened to Rainbow Dash.

She only knew that she had to go forward right now.

The hallway turned, Fluttershy followed it. It turned again, she turned as well.

The water was growing deeper, soon each hoof was splashing through water with every step she took. She stumbled for a moment, adjusting herself to walking through water with only three hooves, but she managed to catch herself.

The hallway turned once more, Fluttershy went along, the long winding corridor seemed to be leading her, guiding her to where it wanted to take her. She almost had no choice in the matter, even if she wanted to she could feel that there was no going back now that she had come this far.

Once she had crossed that doorway, there was no turning back.

Just before her the path opened up and split. A path to her left, a path to her right, and in the middle stood a door right before her.

The door was different though, it wasn’t made of the same rotting material as the other doors she’d seen, or of rustic metal or anything that would fit in with the drenched world she found herself in.

The door looked exactly like the door to her house back in Ponyville, in great condition despite the environment.

She carefully walked up to the door, pushing it open as she walked into the room it led to.

“Well, this is the best place I can think of.” Rainbow Dash said while flying with Fluttershy to the outskirts of Ponyville to a small empty cottage stood close to the edge of the Everfree Forest, an old ‘For Sale’ sign stood before the property. “No one wants to live here since it’s so close to the Everfree Forest, but with your love of animals that might work out for you.”

“Wow…its looks great.” Fluttershy smiled quietly, walking up to the house.

Fluttershy opened the door and looked inside. The house was dusty from disuse, but everything appeared to be in good condition still. It even came with furniture wrapped in cloth, waiting for someone to unwrap them for use once more. Fluttershy wandered the home as Rainbow Dash entered the house after her.

She could see everything she could do with the home, she could make spots for animals to live, she could set up the closet to hold her supplies, she could set up several soft chairs for resting and tables for eating, the kitchen seemed to have everything she’d need to cook the perfect meals and water was still running in the bathroom.

“Oh Rainbow Dash…it’s perfect.” Fluttershy smiled happily returning to the living room.

“You like it huh? Alright, then I’ll buy it for you.” Rainbow grinned. Fluttershy looked at her speechless.

“Oh, no, I could never ask you to do that! It’s so much money…I-I can work to pay for it myself.” Fluttershy fumbled her words.

“Don’t worry about it. This house is like, dirt cheap right now and I make plenty of money from my job here. Heck, there’s even talk of promoting me!” Rainbow waved her hoof at Fluttershy, trying to dismiss her worries.

“B-But…s-still, I couldn’t ask you to do that for me.” Fluttershy frowned, not wanting to take so much of Rainbow’s charity, it was a huge investment just for her, she didn’t feel worthy of it.

“Hey, just think of it as my apology for running out on you at school.” Rainbow weakly smiled, “So in return, you make this house your perfect home, alright? I know you had one in mind, you used to speak about it all the time when I last saw you.” Rainbow chuckled.

Fluttershy stared at the mare before her, still stupefied. She slowly looked around at the house once more.

‘The perfect home…’ she thought to herself, ‘Something I never had as a filly…but…I have the ability to make come true now.’ She smiled softly as she felt tears begin to form gently at the edges of her eyes.

“…I will…” Fluttershy wiped her eyes gently, turning to face Rainbow Dash, “I’ll make this…my perfect home.”

The room dimmed from the bright light that had filled her vision. The memories had flooded her vision before she had a chance to prepare for them. But now that the memories had faded, she could see the room for what it was. The room was laid out similarly to her living room, though it looked like it had when she moved in, covered in dust with cloth covering all the furniture.

Fluttershy was silent. She wasn’t sure what to make of the images she had just seen. It was her memory of moving into Ponyville after she had come to find Rainbow Dash. They had an amazing reunion and when she told Dash she was going to move to Ponyville, Dash helped her so much in finding a place to live.

“…That memory…I don’t…I don’t remember…thinking that…I didn’t have a perfect home before…” Fluttershy speaks softly, surprised by her own thoughts. She didn’t doubt that she felt that way, but she couldn’t remember why she would feel that way about her home.

A glint of light caught her eye as she turned to look at the back wall of the room; something was hanging from the wall.

She quickly walked up to the item, seeing that it was a key with the mark of a butterfly on it. Not sure what to make of it, she carefully picked it up and placed it in her bag.

She exited the room, stepping her hooves back into the few inches deep waters of the hallway. She now had a choice, go down the hallway to her left, or the one to her right.

Taking a guess, she began to walk slowly down the left path, listening to the sloshing over her hooves as she walked. She didn’t walk to far before she stopped, staring at what was standing perfectly still in the path, blocking her movement.

A mannequin seemed to be frozen in place on the path. It was just sitting there, her music box wasn’t making a sound and it didn’t seem to have a desire to attack her, but it just seemed to be waiting for her, blocking her path forward.

She carefully stepped backwards away from the creature, it soon disappearing from her sights once more. She turned herself around and began to head down the right path, wanting to stay away from any path that led to monsters if she could avoid it.

The right path wasn’t that long though, as it came to a rather abrupt end not too far away from the fork. However, at the end was another door, though this one was different. It wasn’t like the door to her cottage, this time the door reminded her of the ones she would see back at flight school.

She took in a deep breath and slowly pushed the door open, heading inside.

“Now you listen to me.” Her father said gruffly as the two of them stood outside of the Flight School in Cloudsdale, “It’s required for you to go to school so you’ll go everyday they have it. You’ll do everything your teachers tell you, and you’ll come straight home unless you ask permission to do otherwise. And if you’re good, I’ll likely allow your request.” He sounded very stern, “But every other rule from home still applies. You don’t talk unless spoken to; you don’t tell anyone anything unnecessary; you obey everything the adults say unless I overrule them. Do you understand?”

“Y-Yes sir…” Filly Fluttershy squeaked her response, never looking her father in the eye, keeping her head low.

“If you understand then I’ll see you at home later tonight.” He said turning away from her, spreading his wings out and flying off. For the first time, Fluttershy lifted her head to look at her father flying away. Even from there she could see the scalpel that adorned his flank as he flew off.

She let out a soft sigh, thankful he had left. She looked up at the school before her. There were lots of young and old pegasi flying into the building, many were hugging and saying goodbye to their parents, many were meeting up with their friends, and many looked reluctant to head into the school.

It was the first day of school. Fluttershy was happy that she’d finally have a reason to be somewhere else other than home or the hospital. But the faces of so many pegasi she hadn’t met before intimidated her. She was scared of them.

She gulped down the lump in her throat and slowly began to walk into the school. It seemed almost every other pegasi was flying inside, she felt like she stood out like a sore hoof walking into the building.

But there was a spark of hope in her heart that hadn’t been there before.

Light faded from the room as the memory came to an end. The room she was left in looked like an abandoned school hallway, though cut off short by a suddenly erected wall. Rusted lockers lined the walls as a broken clock hung over them; the entire area was covered with dust from disuse.

‘…Was my father…always that stern?’ Fluttershy wondered to herself, not having realized her father had talked down to her like that, ‘…and…I was afraid of him…but…why was I…afraid of my father?’ she asked herself unable to find the answer within her memories.

Then she realized what was going on.

“Deep within there are secrets laid to rest…” Fluttershy murmured, remembering the puzzle on the door, “This…This place is showing me…memories I forgot…or…or more accurately…memories I suppressed…” Fluttershy felt a lump form in her throat.

‘If I forgot about these memories…I must’ve forgotten about them for a reason…’ Fluttershy did her best to gulp the lump that had formed in her throat. She walked carefully to the back of the room, noticing that the key was sitting there. She carefully picked it up, examining it. The key had the shape of a cloud on it. She carefully placed the key in her bag, before exiting the room.

Her hooves returned to the water-filled hallway once more. She hestitated for a moment, but she headed down the hallway to where the mannequin had been standing before. It was the next place she had to check, she couldn’t go back now.

She rounded the bend in the hallway, swallowing to keep her nerves as she drew closer to where the mannequin had been standing.

But it was gone now. As if it had been standing guard, waiting for her to see the second memory, it had vanished from its position.

Fluttershy counted her blessings at this; she couldn’t handle any more injuries to her body. She imagined that with the state her body was in, any more damage would possibly cause more serious internal injuries, one’s she couldn’t fix herself. If she got an internal injury now, she’d just die a slow, painful death.

Every step she was taking was draining her stamina, both physically and mentally. She never imagined walking everywhere on three hooves would be so taxing, but it was.

As she continued to follow the curving path of the hallway the water began to become shallower as the pathway drew slowly upward. She was now walking on dry ground as the hallway began to open up. She reached the end of the hallway, the path opening up into a large lobby.

Her music box began to hiss softly, Fluttershy turning her light to look at the room better.

Just at the edge of her light she saw a nurse pacing. It walked on the other side of a table in the middle of the room, before turning and walking back into the darkness. Fluttershy watched the darkness carefully, when the Nurse then reappeared in the edge of her light. It walked the same path it had when she first saw it, before it turned and walked back into the darkness.

The nurse seemed to be walking in a pattern, as if waiting for something to disturb it or ruin its routine. Fluttershy very carefully drew closer to the table, but the nurse didn’t seem to notice her.

Fluttershy’s eye turned to the table the nurse kept walking by, seeing something shine on it. It was another key. She paused carefully, waiting for the nurse to walk by and head away from the table, her music box hissing as it stepped closer to Fluttershy, before growing quieter when the nurse stepped away from her. Once the coast was clear she quickly walked up to the table and grabbed the key, before backing up before the nurse got close once more.

She examined the key carefully, seeing there was the symbol of a red cross on it. She placed the key in her bag and looked around the room.

Other than the circling nurse, there was the usual scenery of broken chairs and rotted walls. To one side she could see an extended wall with a door on it and a bookshelf along the wall past it. Then just past the circling nurse looked to be a small hallway, though what was beyond it was too dark to see at the moment.

She carefully walked around the table making her way to the door she could see. She pushed the door open, heading inside. Her music box became quiet as the familiar light flashed before her eye.

“Augh.” Filly Fluttershy whimpered as the nurse applied the alcohol to her cuts.

“Oh don’t be such a crybaby.” The nurse rolled her eyes a little before pulling away the cotton ball and placing a Band-Aid on the wound. “You really should be used to this by now; you’re always coming in here with some problem. Honestly, I don’t know why your father doesn’t just take care of you at home.” The nurse said begrudgingly as she walked away from the table Fluttershy sat on to the counter.

“That’s…That’s because…” Fluttershy whimpered softly.

The nurse snapped her head to glare at Fluttershy, Fluttershy instantly shut her mouth. She shrunk back into the table, trying to avoid the glare of the nurse. The nurse, once satisfied that the filly wouldn’t say anything, turned back to the counter organizing her items.

The door to the room clicked open, as Fluttershy sat up straight, her whole body turning stiff as her father strolled into the room, before closing the door.

“Is everything fine with my daughter?” Was the first thing he asked. The nurse pony instantly turned to him, her whole face lighting up, as if his mere presence brought her joy.

“O-Of course sir. You know I ALWAYS do the finest work I can when you’re asking me to.” The nurse said, batting her eyelashes flirtatious at the doctor, smiling almost as if her life depended on it. Fluttershy’s father didn’t look impressed by the flirtation and turned to look at his daughter. His daughter sat up straight, shivering as she sat on the table, afraid of what her father might do or say.

“Have you recovered from your ‘accident’?” Her father asked with the stern, overbearing tone, as if he didn’t actually care that she had recovered.

“Y-Y-Yes sir.” Fluttershy stuttered and squeaked, her whole body shaking as she stared straight ahead, not making eye contact with him.

“If you are then leave. You can do as you wish, just be in the lobby by 9 and I’ll take you home.” Her father almost growled.

“Yes sir!” Fluttershy instantly jumped off the table and practically bolted out of the room. Closing it behind her. She panted a little outside the door as her heart beat inside of her chest.

“Oooh…Doctor~” Fluttershy heard the nurse almost moan from inside the room. She didn’t stick around to hear more, she ran away from the room. She’d be in the lobby when her father told her to be there, but she’d be as far away from him as she could be till then.

The light faded away, revealing a room similar to the one she had just seen in the vision, only much like the rest of the world, falling apart, broken into pieces, covered in dust.

A chill ran down Fluttershy’s back as she recovered from the returning memories.

She was scared of her father. She was scared of him…but she didn’t remember what he did to make her scared of him.

But she had an idea.

“Did…my father…abuse me?” She muttered the words to herself. She didn’t want to believe that he did, but everything was falling into place that he did. Maybe she was jumping to conclusions, maybe she was blowing it out of proportion, or maybe he’d just punished her too severely once by accident and hadn’t made amends yet…

“…or maybe I’m trying to make excuses for my father.” She sighed out loud as she lowered her head a little.

“I…I have to know the full story…” Fluttershy said lifting her head up, “If I don’t find out now…I’ll…I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.” Fluttershy gulped once more. She walked carefully to the end of the room, where on the table she spotted a similar key to the others she had gathered. This one seemed to have the symbol of a needle. She carefully placed it alongside her other keys.

She exited the room, the hissing of her music box returned as the pacing nurse returned to her sight. Fluttershy carefully moved her lantern to get a better view of the room, seeing if she was forgetting anything.

A similar glint caught her eye in the corner of the room, the glint coming from the worn down bookcase that lay against the wall, just outside of the nurse’s pacing range.

She waited for the nurse to cycle through the path once more, then quickly rushed over to the bookcase. Making sure the nurse didn’t turn its attention to her, she looked at the bookcase. It seemed to be filled with rotting medical books, ones she saw a lot as a foal, but they were all illegible now.

Hanging loosely on one of the rotted rows was another key, this one with the symbol of a book on it. She carefully placed it in her bag, before turning to watch the nurse once more.

The only place she had left to go now was the hallway the nurse seemed to be pacing just in front of.

Fluttershy watched the nurse carefully, it seemed she’d just have a few seconds at best to run past the nurse and get to the hallway with her being the farthest away from it as she could. She remembered the last time she got too close to a nurse, it screamed and it had summoned…

A cold shiver ran down her back again. She couldn’t face that creature again. If she faced it, it would no doubt be able to kill her this time.

She took a deep breath and waited. She counted the number of times the nurse walked in a circle before her. She didn’t want to screw up the timing even by a second.

Ten times…fifteen times…twenty times…

She didn’t want to move but she knew she had to. She steeled her nerves, stretched her three hooves, and crouched down as she aimed for the door…

She ran as fast as her hooves would take her past the nurse, stay as far away from it as possible. The hallway came up on her blind side, but she knew where it was. She turned as soon as she needed to and moved down the hallway away from the nurse.

She skidded to a halt as the hallway came to an end abruptly. She had almost run straight into a heavily chained metal door. It took her eye a moment to focus in on the door, but once it did she could see everything.

There were five padlocks holding the chains to the metal door behind it, that seemed to have something written on it but was blocked by the chains. She recognized each of the symbols on the lock instantly; they matched the keys that she had just gathered from around the area.

Being careful but swift, she pulled out each key one by one and placed them in their corresponding lock. Each lock and key fell to the ground, seeming to shatter against the ground. When the final lock fell, the chains fell with it, the chains seeming to shatter into pieces across the ground. The door was now free, and she could see what was written on the door.

Strains of the Heart

Chained up Memories

Will things be the same?

You know what is true

You are not what you think you are

But feelings are strong

They can change everything

Or they can change nothing.

Experience the sins of another

Then perhaps the threads of destiny

Will make their feelings known.

Fluttershy looked at the poem and read it carefully. She read it at least three times, not fully understanding what it meant. A shiver ran down her spine as she read it though, she got this feeling in the gut of her stomach…

It was the feeling that it was trying to warn her about her future, telling her that she had something important to do once she crossed this door.

“…I…I can’t be scared off now.” She said out loud to herself quietly, before reaching a hoof up and pushing the door open.

Fluttershy almost felt blown back. A wave of heat struck her as the door opened. She shielded her eye from the heat. It felt like an inferno was burning on the other side of the door. She slowly moved her eye from where the fire was coming.

The room just before her was undoubtedly covered in flames. Fluttershy’s jaw dropped a little staring into the flames. Fluttershy slowly walked into the room, looking around. She could feel the heat all around her and she was having difficulty discerning the appearance of the room.

The door shut behind her as her vision began to clear.

She was inside what looked like the abandoned house she had entered in Ponyville, only covered in fire. She looked around, the fire was everywhere, it seemed that the house should have burnt down to the ground already, yet it somehow was managing to stay upright despite the flames.

But something stood out in the flames. Her eye turned to focus on the figure that stood in the flames, looking at a picture that hung from a wall.

It was a blue Pegasus with a rainbow mane.

“Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy called out, surprised but happy to see her marefriend alive and okay. She tried to draw closer, but a wave of fire seemed to stand between her and Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash continued to stand in the same place, staring at the picture as if she hadn’t even heard Fluttershy call out.

“…Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy called out once more.

“…It’s all the same, you know.” Rainbow Dash muttered quietly, not looking away from the picture.

“Huh?” Fluttershy responded, confused by her words.

“…I can’t believe I didn’t see it before…but it really has always been like this.” Rainbow Dash closed her eyes for a moment, before opening them again, “Always running away, always getting away when I don’t care anymore.”

“…R-Rainbow Dash…what…are you talking about?”

Rainbow Dash just seemed to pause for a moment, before a small laugh came from her.

“Haha…heh…I’m the Element of Loyalty…what a load of crud that is.” Rainbow closed her eyes as a small smile faded from her face, “All I ever do is abandon. I’ve never cared about my friends or loved ones, I’ve only ever cared about myself. ‘There’s a better life for me out there!’, ‘I don’t want to be held down by your rules!’, ‘I don’t care about clearing the sky for you!’, ‘I don’t care for you as a friend anymore!’, ‘I’m going to abandon you for my own desires!’.” Dash seemed to be imitating herself.

“But…Rainbow Dash…y-you don’t abandon your friends…” Fluttershy offered a meek protest.

“Hah! Are you blind?” Rainbow Dash half laughed, half cried, “After you got separated from us, I abandoned Pinkie Pie to go find you. I yelled at her, I blamed her for getting us into this mess, I said…I said that if you died this would be all her fault.” Rainbow Dash shook her head softly.

“And I’ve hurt you the worst with my abandonment and you still want to say I don’t? I abandoned you at flight school when you needed me, all because I didn’t care to be held down.” Rainbow lowered her head, a sad grin on her face as she seemed to be accepting the truth just as much as she was telling it.

“B-But…t-that was a long time ago…things have chan-” Fluttershy started up, but she was interrupted by Dash.

“You know Fluttershy…when you join the Wonderbolts…there’s a minimum one year mandatory private training you have to go through, to learn all their techniques and flight patterns, to fly with the Wonderbolts successfully. They perform shows year round, all over Equestria.” It almost seemed like Dash didn’t want to say this, “When I make my dream come true…I’m leaving Ponyville. I’m leaving behind my friends…I’m leaving you behind…I’ll be abandoning you once again.”

Fluttershy’s mouth was agape, unable to comprehend Dash’s words. No…more accurately she didn’t want to comprehend her words. They felt like needles trying to jab into her heart.

“But…hey, why should that change now?” Dash lifted her head up and looked at the picture before her, “I ran away from home, I quit flight school, I give up friends just because we don’t see eye to eye anymore, and I’ll get rid of all my friends just for some silly dream.” The sad grin returned to Dash’s face, “I burn all the bridges I’ve made in my life, so that I can never look back at what I’ve done.”

“…Dash…” Fluttershy muttered weakly.

“I’m…sorry you fell in love with somepony like me Fluttershy.” Rainbow’s voice cracked, as if she was holding back tears, “I’m not one who deserves it.” Dash turned away from the picture, putting her back to Fluttershy, “You should forget about me.”

Dash began to slowly walk away, walking towards a doorway Fluttershy couldn’t reach through the burning flames.

“Rainbow Dash….Wait!” Fluttershy cried out.

Rainbow Dash stopped in her tracks for a moment, as if she didn’t want to, but she had to hear what Fluttershy needed to say.

“Rainbow Dash…” Fluttershy whimpered a little, feeling tears burning at the edge of her eye. She gulped the lump in her throat and lifted her head, summoning all the courage she could muster from her heart.

“I need you to be strong right now…alright?”

Dash didn’t react or move right away. She stood there as if the words seemed to sink in slowly. But, after a time, she finally spoke up.

“…Alright…” Was the only word that escaped from Rainbow, before she disappeared into the doorway before her, being shrouded by the fire that filled the house. For a moment, Fluttershy thought she had seen tears fall from Dash’s face.

Fluttershy lowered her head as tears began to fall from her eye, rolling down her cheek and down her chin. She didn’t care how hot she felt, or that the fires were still burning so close to her.

She just had to cry right now.

Chapter 7

The heat finally got to her. Once she had cried what felt like all she could cry, she moved slowly out of the burning room.

Her only path was to exit out of the door she had come in through. She pushed open the surprisingly cool door and walked through, the door closing shut behind her.

The cool air struck her coat, causing her whole body to feel a bit of relaxation as her temperature cooled. She wiped her face, sniffing as she continued to try and regain her composure. Dash’s words still had a strong grip on her heart.

“I…I can’t stop now…” Fluttershy gulped back more tears from spilling. “I have to move forward.”

She looked into the room at the end of the hallway, expecting to see the pacing nurse. However, the room wasn’t the same one she had just come from. The room before her was a small, square room, with a staircase going up before her.

Fluttershy blinked at the sight, but the twisting, warping rooms had become something she was accustomed to by now. She stepped across the room, quickly reaching the staircase. She slowly began her climb upwards, feeling a sense of déjà vu upon the climb.

Her hooves nearly slipped on the slick steps as the stench of mildew hit her nose once more. Water dripped down the walls and she felt a sense of dread.

Suddenly, as she reached the top of the stairwell, she knew where she was.

She was back in the cloud home she had entered when she was first separated from her friends…only it wasn’t a random cloud house anymore.

It was her home from when she was a filly. The room she had just entered…was her mother’s room from when she was young.

The same bed sat next to the window so she could look out it, the bookshelf that contained the books she’d read in her bed, the bedside table that held her personal belongings, a desk and a chair, the bathroom just a short walk away, everything she’d need for living in her room while sick.

Fluttershy was drawn towards the bed; a force felt like it was guiding her, telling her to go near it.

Her mind felt like a haze flew past it, as she stepped back. She saw blood flash before her eyes on the bed and on the carpet, as if her mind was trying to reject the images; but there would be no stopping them.

Her head began to ache with pain but she couldn’t stop the memories.

Her attention was drawn to the bed, as the memories that she had lost came back in full force, making her remember what happened in the room so long ago…

“Mother?” Filly Fluttershy called out, walking into her mother’s room.

Her mother sat on the bed, a knife in her hoof as if she was playing with it. Her hair was messy, unkempt and uncared for. Bags were under her bloodshot eyes and she seemed to be glaring at the knife, as if unhappy with it.

“…M-Mother…” Fluttershy whimpered, walking further into the room, “W-What would y-you like to eat tod-”

“Hahahahahahaha!” Her mother suddenly burst out laughing. Fluttershy halted her movements forward, looking up at her mother in shock. The older mare just seemed to have found some funny.

“Oh…yes…that’ll do nicely…” The older mare smiled once she’d finished laughing, turning her head to grin at her daughter. Fluttershy couldn’t move, afraid of what her mother was about to do.

“Come closer my daughter.” Her mother said, twisting her body closer to the edge of her bed. Fluttershy began to hesitantly move closer to the bed.

“I SAID CLOSE-” Fluttershy’s mom began to yell, but suddenly fell from the bed, hitting the ground with a thud.

“Mother!” Fluttershy cried out as she ran to her mother’s side, trying to ensure she was okay.

Her mother groaned, but slowly rolled over onto her other side so that she was facing her daughter. Once she could see her face, a wicked smile crawled onto her face.

“My dearest daughter…oh you came just at the right time…you see…I finally figured it out…I figured out how to cure myself.” Her mother gave another short laugh.

“R-Really!? O-Oh mother, t-that’s good news! I-I have to tell fathe-”

“No, you can’t tell your father yet.” Her mother hissed.

“W-Why not?” Fluttershy asked confused.

“Because…only you…can administer the treatment right now.” Her mother laughed, carefully holding the knife up to Fluttershy, “And you’ll need this to cure me.”

Fluttershy gingerly took the knife in her hooves, staring at it confused.

“I’d do it myself…but I’m far too weak to administer the treatment properly…but you…oh, you can do it just fine.” Her mother laughed, “And you want me to be cured right? Cured…and happy?”

“…O-Of course I do…b-but…w-what do I…” Fluttershy began to ask in confusion, but her mother seemed ready to answer.

“That’s simple my dear child…You take the knife…and you strike me with it.” Her mother smiled.

Fluttershy froze. That didn’t sound right at all. She knew that something as sharp as a knife hurt when you grazed its edge, why would striking her mother cure her illness?

“B-but…mother…that…”

“Are you questioning me?” Her mother glared at her. Fluttershy’s skin jumped at the glare.

“N-No b-but-”

“That SOUNDS like your questioning me!” Her mother growled. If she could move with any decent strength she’d have smacked her daughter, “I need you to do this for me! Only you can do it right now! You do love me right?”

That pulled on Fluttershy’s heart.

“O-Of course I do mother…”

“Then strike me!” Her mother demanded.

Fluttershy took a gulp as she shakily raised the knife up over her head. She didn’t want to bring it down; her mind was telling her that doing this was wrong; the knife hovered in the air, unable to strike it down.

“Fluttershy…” Her mother spoke quietly, coldly.

“Y-Yes?” Fluttershy whimpered still holding the knife up.

“You said you loved me…but you haven’t struck me with the knife yet…so you lied to me…” Her mother said bitterly.

“N-No, I-I do-“

“Then strike me!” Her mother yelled at her, making Fluttershy almost jump, “Strike me! Love me! You’re going to LOVE ME!” Her mother’s head snapped up off the ground, her mouth open as if to bite down on Fluttershy.

The knife sailed through the air, imbedding itself into her mother’s side.

Her mother’s eyes went wide for a moment, before the wicked grin returned.

“Yes! YES YES! DO IT AGAIN!” She demanded with a yell.

Fluttershy pulled the knife out and slammed it back down into her mother.

“DON’T STOP.” Were the last words Fluttershy heard from her mother.

The knife rose and sank down into the body before her, again and again. Each strike sent blood flying, her fur was being coated, and her mane was drenched.

Each strike sounded deafening, yet it was one of the quietest sounds in the world. It was as if the very knife was screaming at her, but only she could hear the screams of the blade.

She plunged the knife in one last time. She panted, she cried, she shook. Her mother wasn’t moving anymore, she wasn’t speaking, she wasn’t breathing, and she wasn’t warm anymore.

Fluttershy didn’t know what this meant, had she cured her mother like she had asked? Hadn’t she put her through a lot of pain? Was she going to be alright?

“Fluttershy, haven’t you gotten that answer from your mother ye-” Her father walked into the room.

Fluttershy slowly turned, tears streaming down her face, still holding onto the knife, covered in her mother’s blood, sitting before the corpse of her mother.

The air was silent.

Then, her father drew closer.

“F-Father…I…” Fluttershy hiccupped, trying to say something, anything to explain the sight before her father.

However, she was silenced. Her father’s hoof struck her, hard. Her small body was sent sailing across the room and smashed into the wall. She let out a yelp of pain before hitting the ground.

Her father picked up her mother’s head in his hoof as he began to cry.

Tears streamed down her face.

“I…I killed my mother…” Fluttershy whimpered, “I…I killed…” She cried. She couldn’t believe she had done it, but she had done it, all because her mother had yelled at her, because she had been too weak to disobey her mother.

Fluttershy felt her stomach twist, she felt like she was going to be sick. She turned and ran into the bathroom, wanting to escape the room for even a moment.

However, her brain assaulted her once more, a vision of memories forgotten appearing before her once more.

There was silence as her father scrubbed away at her coat, washing away the blood that had begun to cake onto her fur. The hot water was managing to get most of it away, but some of it was being stubborn.

He was being hard with the brush, harder than he had ever been before. Fluttershy didn’t speak up though, she couldn’t speak up against it, her heart felt like it was in a million pieces.

“…Do you know what you’ve done?” Her father finally asked.

Fluttershy whimpered her response, she couldn’t say any words.

“…You took your mother from us.” Her father said, as if he was breathing was becoming more ragged, the brush stopping its cleaning. “You took…the most wonderful mare I’d ever known…out of this world…” Her gripped the brush harder, he started to speak through gritted teeth, “You did it so quickly too, I sent you in to help her…and you killed her.”

Fluttershy’s eyes burned with tears. Her father’s words made her heart sting worse.

“…You’re a monster.” He growled.

Without warning he pushed her head down under the water.

Fluttershy scrambled at the unexpected movement, her mouth and nose filling with water as air escaped her lungs. Her hooves flailed as she tried to push herself up out of the water, but the hoof holding her down was too strong.

The air escaped her quickly and her lungs began to burn. She reached for air but it wouldn’t come.

Suddenly, she was lifted up into the air. Instinctively, she took in a big gasp of air, only for her head to be shoved back under the water. She lost her air almost instantly again, her whole body beginning to feel like it was burning from the movements.

This repeated several times, getting a short breath of air only to have it painfully taken away by the water once more. Her struggling had lessened and now she was too weak to push against the water, too tired to try and get air.

The hoof was holding her under the water for good now. Her eyes began to roll into the back of her head as her limbs stopped moving. She couldn’t stay awake any longer.

She was pulled out of the water. Her body gasped and took in the fresh air, before coughing up water that had filled her lungs. She puked slightly as her body tried to reject the water that had attacked her body.

“…No…no just killing you would be too easy.” Her father growled, watching her sputter and gasp for breath, “You need to understand the misery you’ve caused with your love.” Her father let go of her mane, Fluttershy instinctively catching herself on the edge of the bathtub, still recovering as her father walked out.

Fluttershy shook as she stared at the bathroom. Her father had tried to kill her. He could have killed her, but he didn’t.

Though, she felt like she deserved it at the moment. She had killed her mother in cold blood, death sounded exactly like what she deserved.

She backed out of the bathroom slowly. She didn’t want to be in that room anymore. She turned to the door to the hallway and quickly exited.

She panted heavily outside her mother’s bedroom as her tears refused to stop. She slowly hobbled forward, having difficulty even seeing where she was going. She reached a hoof up, touching what felt like a door. Without thinking she pushed it open, stepping inside.

“So, you sewed it back together huh.” Her father said, looking at the sloppy sewing job her daughter had done with her favorite doll.

“Y-Yes sir…” Fluttershy replied meekly, lowering her head as her father held it.

He wasn’t impressed at all. All the stitches were visible, the stuffing was still hanging out of spots not sewn close enough, and the fibers easily would come loose if tugged on.

“Unacceptable.” He said before grabbing the doll and tearing it apart. Fluttershy snapped her head up in shock as she watched; he tore apart all the seams and stitches. She had worked so hard making the doll one piece again after he’d torn it up the first time.

Soon the doll lay in pieces of cloth and stuffing before her again.

“If you love it, I shall destroy it.” He said sternly, “Then it will be your job to put it back together. And if you can’t do it perfectly, then you don’t deserve it at all.” He said as he walked over to his book shelf.

Fluttershy whimpered as she began to pick up the pieces of her favorite, most beloved doll, her doll Ashley.

A book slammed itself before her, making Fluttershy almost jump. But she read the title carefully, ‘The Mastery of Sewing’.

“If you don’t want to see your doll destroyed, you will make it look perfect.” Her father said before returning to his desk, going back to his work.

Once she had all the pieces of her doll, Fluttershy carefully picked the book up with her mouth, careful not to stain it with her tears, as she quickly left her father’s study.

Fluttershy whimpered. She was in her father’s study, she had wandered in there by accident, but now she had seen more of what she had forgotten.

She swallowed back more tears, as she began to calm herself down. Her mind began to put things together.

‘I…I wanted to see this…’ She breathed heavily, reminding herself that she had chosen to come here, that she had told herself that there was no turning back now. ‘I…I have to see every memory…for my sake…’ she took a deep breath as she wiped her face of tears, before pushing back on the door to her father’s study, exiting it.

She stumbled out of the study a little, finding the kitchen that lay just on the opposite side of it. She steadied herself, before walking into the kitchen. The haze returned as another memory surfaced.

“WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING!?” Her father yelled loudly.

Fluttershy dropped the box of cereal she had picked up from the top shelf of the counter, her wings snapping shut to her sides as she fell a few feet before landing on the ground with a thud.

Her father was furious, as he stormed up to her, Fluttershy trying to back away out of fear. Her grabbed her hoof and forced her to eye-level with him.

“What have I TOLD you about FLYING without permission!? You’re NOT allowed to do it even in the house!” He yelled at her, gripping her hoof hard.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” She cried out as tears streamed from her eyes, her hoof hurt like crazy as he gripped it hard.

“I’ve told you before! Bad filly’s who DON’T listen to what their told get eaten by Dragons! Do you WANT to get eaten by a dragon!?”

“No! No!” Fluttershy cried out, struggling against his grip.

“Well you’re ATTRACTING a Dragon by flying as a Bad Filly! You MUST want to be eaten by a Dragon! Why else would you be flying without permission!?” His screams made her ears feel like they wanted to burst.

“No! I don’t want to be eaten by a dragon! I’m sorry!” She cried harder.

“Well, you know what? I think I can HEAR a dragon! He’s already pretty close because you’ve flown! Maybe I should just throw you outside so he can eat you right now!” He hissed and growled.

“NO! NO DADDY PLEASE! I DON’T WANT TO BE EATEN!” Fluttershy wailed, afraid for her life.

“Well, if you don’t want to be eaten, then there’s only one thing I can do.” He said tossing his daughter to the ground. The wind escaped her body as she tried to scramble to her feet, only to have her father’s hoof step on her holding her down.

His mouth reached down, gripping down hard on her wing, forcibly extending it despite all of her efforts to shut it.

“NO! NO DADDY PLEASE! STOP!” She cried out as pain shot through her back. But it was too late, he wasn’t going to stop.

CRACK

Fluttershy cried louder than she ever had before as her father snapped her wing.

“There, now you won’t be flying for a while, and you won’t attract any dragons.” He simply said stepping off of his wailing daughter, “I snapped it carefully; you’ll be able to fly once it’s healed, but we’ll have to get you to the hospital to put a cast on it.” He said though a grin formed on his face, “Though, only once the Dragon has left.”

Fluttershy barely heard her father’s words past her own screams of agony from the burning pain that echoed from her wing.

Fluttershy gulped down more tears, trying to hold herself back from crying. She slowly backed out of the kitchen.

‘My father…he was…cruel…’ She whimpered softly to herself. ‘I…I can believe that I made myself forget all this…it’s…it’s all painful to remember.’ She shut her eyes, another tear escaping despite trying to force herself not to cry.

She struggled with her hooves, to make herself continue forward. Past the kitchen was the living room. She could see the front door from there, she knew that was where she needed to head; her instincts told her so.

However, the living room held one more memory that she had to see. The haze returned, as the memory came to her once more.

“…Where did you get that?” Her father asked as filly Fluttershy walked through the door, carrying a candy bar in her mouth.

“Oh…a colt at school gave it to me.” She said quietly, “He said he liked me and wanted me to have it.” She said gently chewing on the end of the bar, savoring the sweet taste.

“Oh…he did, did he?” Her father said walking up to Fluttershy. Fluttershy looked up at her father, taking a step back from him getting so close.

Fluttershy fell to the ground as her father’s hoof hit her hard across the face. The candy bar slid across the room.

“Let me tell you something about boys loving you.” He growled, grabbing Fluttershy by the mane and picking her up, eliciting yelps of pain from the filly, “Colts will only hurt you. They only think of themselves and they want nothing more than to see you suffer.” He grinned wickedly, “After all, look at me. I love you and here I am hurting you.” He said before tossing his daughter across the room, her landing hard against the floor.

Fluttershy cried as she tried to curl up into a ball, not wanting to be hurt anymore.

“But I suppose you must really like being hurt, if you’re going to let a colt like you.” Her father grinned walking up to his daughter, kicking her in the back, causing her to cry out in pain, “Any colt that gets close to you will do nothing but hurt you. So I hope you enjoy this for the rest of your life. I’m sure you’ll find a colt who loves you even more than I do.” Her father laughed before walking off to his study.

Fluttershy whimpered and cried where she curled up, remembering the colt from school who had given her the candy bar.

Suddenly, her mind filled with anger, hate for the colt who had given her the candy bar. All he wanted to do was hurt her, he wanted to get close to her so that he could make her cry and suffer, just like her father did.

“I…I hate colts…” Fluttershy whimpered out loud. She vowed to herself that she would never like a colt, or let a colt like her, for as long as she lived.

Another lump came to Fluttershy’s throat.

‘…My father…he…he made me…hate colts…’ She thought to herself. ‘…But I…I don’t…hate them…’ she knew better now. Not all colts were like her father, not all of them would hurt her just because she got close to them. But…she still had never had interest in being with a colt, the only pony she had fallen in love with…

Was Rainbow Dash…

‘Do I…Do I love Rainbow Dash…for her…or because…she was the only pony who got close to me…that didn’t hurt me…’ Fluttershy found herself confused by her own feelings now. Everything she had believed had turned upside down in a single moment. It felt like she had just been lying to herself all this time and that everything she had done might have been a mistake.

“…No…” She suddenly said firmly to herself, “Because of Rainbow Dash…I came to Ponyville…I escaped from my father…I…I met the best friends I’ve ever had…friends who…who care about me more than anything else…I…I fell in love and…had a wonderful relationship.” She said looking up at the ceiling, as thoughts of her friends came to mind.

She remembered so many wonderful moments together with her friends. Picking flowers, going to parties, playing games, sleep overs, tea parties, hanging out, adventuring…

She’d done so much with her life now, even though she had forgotten about her foalhood because it was painful, it hadn’t stopped her from moving on in her life, from experiencing all the wonders life had to offer. If anything…because her father pushed her away, she found her way into the embrace of the ponies that truly loved her.

She took a deep breath as she calmed down. A small smile formed on her face.

“Yes…even though all this happened…I still have my friends.” She said, a warmth sparking inside of her heart.

It gave her legs strength. She walked through the living room up to the front door of the house. She could see the lock on the door, the lock with the symbol of a doll on it. She carefully reached into her bag and pulled out the key with the doll symbol on it, the key she had picked up a while ago and still had. She carefully placed the key into the lock, the door letting out a click to let her know it had worked.

She carefully pushed the door open and walked through the door.

On the otherside was a large open room, almost like a small gymnasium. She walked forward to the middle of the room, when she stopped.

A black fire was burning on the opposite side of the court. The fire slowly grew, rising up into the shape of a pony, before red eyes appeared on its face, a white mouth opening. It was the dark creature.

Fluttershy stared at the creature. She didn’t feel a heavy, overbearing presence this time. The creature was still drawing fear from her heart, but it wasn’t overwhelming her now. She could stand before this creature now.

The creature slowly turned itself around, showing its back to Fluttershy. Fluttershy looked at the creature curiously, not sure as to what it was doing.

Then, as it turned around, she could see that hanging from its mouth, was the body of Rainbow Dash.

Fluttershy let out a gasp, as the creature flicked its head, tossing the body towards Fluttershy. It landed right before her, hitting the ground with a thud.

Fluttershy reached a hoof out and gently nudged the body. It was cold. Rainbow Dash was dead, killed by the creature before her. Fluttershy stared at the body for a long while, the creature watching her, grinning as it waited.

Fluttershy moved her hoof away from the body, a sad look appearing on her face. She turned her head upwards, to look at the dark creature.

“…Father…” she spoke softly, “I…understand now.” She made sure she spoke clearly, “I’ve done a horrible thing…and…it’s likely that I can never be forgiven for what I’ve done. I can’t bring the dead back to life…and the blood of my mother is on my hooves.” Fluttershy closed her eye for a moment, taking a deep breath, before she continued.

“I probably deserved all the punishments I received. No foal should ever do what I did. Though it may have been tough living with what I did and receiving the punishments for my deed…I lived with everything.” She smiled softly, “And…I’ve grown up to have a wonderful life now. I’ve…left behind all the things that made me sad, that hurt me, that made me miserable living at home.

“I have wonderful friends, animals that depend on me, a home I take care of myself…I found love that didn’t hurt me.” She smiled softly.

Fluttershy carefully stepped over the body before her, walking up closer to the dark creature. The smile of the creature faded as it looked down her, as if not amused. Fluttershy came to stand just inches before him, looking up at him smiling.

“You…brought a lot of pain to me…but…I forgive you.” She leaned in and nuzzled the chest of the dark creature. The creature let out a roar. “I forgive you for everything…and I thank you. Thank you for letting me find a wonderful life.”

An orb of bright white light appeared in the air above the two, floating down towards Fluttershy. The dark creature roared out in pain as the light gently floated past him, reaching Fluttershy’s chest. The light engulfed her body, filling her with a pleasant warmth. The bandages that covered her body began to unfurl. Each bandage was pulled away from her body, pooling around her as her body recovered.

Her wings extended out, she stood on all her legs, she opened both her eyes to look up at the roaring dark creature, which seemed to be fading away as the light shined. The very existence of the creature seemed to be fading away, burning up in the bright light that surrounded her.

The last bits of the darkness that made up the creature disappeared, as the light began to slowly fade. Fluttershy smiled softly as she looked down, seeing on her chest, in place of the lantern, was now a golden necklace with a pink butterfly shaped jewel.

For a moment her necklace glowed once more, a beam of light shot out, creating a doorway of light before her. Fluttershy looked at the doorway of light, knowing what it was.

“So…this is my way home now…” She said looking at the door. Once she passed through that archway of light, she would leave this world. She’d go back to Ponyville, she’d be able to take everything she had learned and live a better life than she had before…

“I can’t leave just yet.” She smiled at the doorway, before turning around and running away from the light. “I have two friends who are lost and need my help.”

Pinkie Pie lay on the ground, panting in pain and exhaustion.

“Haha…you’ve been running away oh-so-well…you’re very good at it.” The Other Pinkie smiled walking towards Pinkie, “You’ve killed me three times…and yet here I am again. You must really want to be a part of my parties.” The other Pinkie laughed.

Pinkie Pie could only sob. This other Pinkie wanted to kill…and she couldn’t stop her. What was the point of trying to stop her? She let Fluttershy go get separated twice now, she was probably dead with how injured she had been. And Rainbow Dash hated her, what was the point of trying to stop her other self from killing…when she was just as guilty of it herself.

“I’m sorry Bellamina…” Pinkie sobbed, closing her eyes.

“Oh well, guess I’ll just have to take my time playing with you.” The other Pinkie smiled, picking up her Butcher’s knife as she drew closer.

“Now just hold it right there for one minute!” Came a motherly demand.

Pinkie and the Other Pinkie snapped their heads to the doorway to the room they were in. There stood a yellow Pegasus pony with long pink hair, wearing a golden necklace.

“Hasn’t your mother ever told you it’s not nice to hurt other ponies?” Fluttershy stomped across the room towards the other Pinkie Pie. The normal Pinkie Pie was just staring with her mouth agape.

“Well, yea, but I’m not really hurting them, I’m playing with them!” The other Pinkie laughed, putting down her butcher’s knife to talk to Fluttershy.

“That’s NOT how you play nice with other Ponies!” Fluttershy stood right up to the other Pinkie, looking her straight in the eye, “You were going to seriously hurt my friend! You don’t use knives or sharp objects when you play, you play nice games! Like pin the tail on the pony or bobbing for apples! You should know better than this!”

“But-“ The other Pinkie began to protest.

“No buts! You should be ashamed of yourself. I have half a mind to tell your mother the kind of games you’ve been playing with other ponies!” The other Pinkie seemed to be shrinking back under the scolding of Fluttershy, “Now you’re going to take your little things, and get rid of them, and I never want to catch you doing this again, you got that?”

The other Pinkie could only nervously nod her head rapidly, before picking up her butcher’s knife and turning, running away from Fluttershy.

“That’s a good…second Pinkie Pie.” Fluttershy smiled happily seeing the other Pinkie run off, before turning to the Pinkie who was staring in shock at Fluttershy. “How was that? I was so assertive.” Fluttershy softly chuckled as she felt a happy shiver go down her back.

Pinkie Pie stared. It took a long time for her to even register what was going on. But once it dawned on her that Fluttershy had just scared her other self away…a smile formed on her face. It quickly began to grow, before a sound escaped her lips.

“Pffft…pffft…aha…ahahah…AHAHAHAHAHA” Pinkie Pie began to laugh. She laughed hard, rolling over onto her back as her hooves flailed in the air. Fluttershy had scared away the very thing that scared her to her core. And she’d done it by just being Fluttershy. Pinkie couldn’t help but laugh as her hair poofed out into its usual curls. It was one of the funniest things she’d ever seen.

“Thank you.” Fluttershy said smiling, giving a small bow to Pinkie Pie, accepting the laughing as a compliment.

“Ahahahaha…Oh…Oh Fluttershy!” Pinkie laughed, finally rolling back onto her hooves and rushing up, hugging her friend dearly, “You’re all better! And you saved me!” Pinkie laughed joyously.

“Hey, what’re friends for?” Fluttershy grinned, returning the hug.

“Oh! Speaking of friends, have you seen Rainbow Dash?” Pinkie said, looking at Fluttershy with concern again.

“Don’t worry, I found you first, but we’re not leaving till we find her.” Fluttershy smiled.

“Right! Operation Locate Dashie is go!” Pinkie Pie smiled happily, saluting Fluttershy.

“It really is for the best.” A cold voice said.

“Yea…it’s what I’ve always wanted after all.” Rainbow Dash tilted her head, closing her eyes as she agreed.

“I’m glad to see you’ve been able to follow your true heart then.” The voice laughed. Rainbow Dash opened her eyes to look at the pony that stood before her. She looked just like one of the Shadow Bolts, the flying team she had seen in the Everfree Forest the day they had taken down Nightmare Moon.

“It’s what I’ve always done…no point in changing that now.” Rainbow said slowing looking around. The two of them were sitting in the middle of a burning building, the fire staying just far enough away to not burn them.

“Good, then just take my hoof, and everything will be made clear.” The Shadow Bolt said, holding out her hoof to Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash looked at the hoof hesitantly. It didn’t feel good, it didn’t feel like the right thing to do, but she felt it was the only thing she could do anymore. She slowly raised her hoof, reaching out to carefully take the Shadow Bolt’s hoof.

“DASHIE!” Came an insanely cheerful voice as suddenly Rainbow Dash was suddenly tackled from behind, flattening her against the ground. The Shadow Bolt gasped loudly.

“What the-Hey! Pinkie Pie!” Rainbow shouted annoyed, still being embraced by the pink mare.

“Oh my gosh I thought I’d lost you! After you’d ran off I was so worried that I tried to find you and Fluttershy, only I started running into the monsters I ran into before. Man, I was so depressed because of what you said that I couldn’t help but start to relive the nightmare here, but that’s all okay now cause I forgive you! And now I’ve found you again!” Pinkie cried out happily all at once.

“Yea, that’s great Pinkie Pie, but your crushing me!” Rainbow groaned as she tried to sit up, Pinkie finally sliding off of her.

“Oopsie, sorry about that.” Pinkie laughed.

“And what’re you doing here anyway!? I told you we were supposed to find Fluttersh-“ Rainbow Dash stopped herself as her eyes went wide, “Fluttershy! Oh my gosh, I TOTALLY FORGOT!” Rainbow Said looking around rapidly, “What am I doing here!? I have to find Fluttershy!”

“It’s okay Dash, I’m already here.” Fluttershy smiled happily, walking into the burning room from the hallway Pinkie had just ran through at blinding speed.

“Fluttershy! You’re okay!” Rainbow said galloping over and hugging Fluttershy, “What was I thinking!? You were right in front of me not too long ago and I completely forgot I had to protect you!”

Fluttershy laughed, hugging Rainbow Dash back, “It’s okay Dash, this place does weird things to a Pony.”

“Hey!” The Shadow Bolt yelled, standing up, glaring at the three mares before her. All three turned their heads to look at the Shadow Bolt, “What about your dreams!? You won’t accomplish them if you don’t come with me!” she growled.

Rainbow Dash looked at Fluttershy, Fluttershy smiled back at her, before Rainbow Dash grinned and turned to look at the Shadow Bolt, “Tell ya what, keep it for now. I’ll find a way to achieve my dream on my own.”

The Shadow Bolt yelled, before turning into a puff of black smoke and disappearing into the burning building.

“And don’t come back!” Pinkie yelled happily, waving at the puff of black smoke.

“Fluttershy…I’m so sorry.” Rainbow said again, “I shouldn’t have let this place get to my head and forget about protecting you…” Dash then turned to Pinkie Pie, who was smiling at Dash, “And Pinkie…I’m…I’m sorry I yelled at you. That wasn’t right of me when you were only trying to help.”

“That’s okay Dashie, I forgive you!” Pinkie said giving Rainbow another hug. “Let’s just focus on getting out of here!”

“I can handle that.” Fluttershy smiled happily. She turned herself towards the hallway and stood proudly. Her golden necklace began to softly glow, before releasing a beam of light that shot out before them. A doorway of light formed, their exit home. The necklace around Fluttershy’s neck, having served its purpose, turned back into an orb of light, floating up into the air before disappearing.

“Alright! Let’s go home!” Pinkie smiled happily.

“Yea, I’m kind of tired of this place.” Dash grinned.

“All of us are.” Fluttershy smiled.

The three mares walked through the doorway of light together.

-To Be Concluded in the Endings-

Ending: Game Over

Unlock Conditions: Die at any point.

Fluttershy screamed in agony as the monster tore into her flesh. She screamed and cried, but it was to no avail. Her heart stopped and her body began to drain of life. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head as she closed them.

‘I’m…sorry Dash…’ were the last words she thought as she left this world.

Twilight was sitting, staring at the three different pictures that were morphing before her in the infinite swirling darkness around her. She still didn’t understand what the pictures meant, but she could only assume that each represented the psyche of one of her friends going through the mind delve.

Suddenly, the one in the middle began to grow dull, the picture slowly growing black.

“Huh?” Twilight said, not sure what to make of the scene. The picture was growing darker within its frame.

Then, from the center of the picture, a black fire erupted. The black fire spread across the foundation of the picture, burning it away. It engulfed the entire middle picture, before the fire jumped and started to burn the other two pictures.

“What…what’s going on!?” Twilight said in a panic, not knowing what was happening. The fire quickly began to engulf the other two moving pictures, wrapping each in the burning inferno of the black fire. Soon, all three pictures had disappeared, devoured by the black fire that had appeared.

Twilight felt herself being pulled, dragged out forcibly from the swirling darkness back to reality.

Twilight groaned as she rubbed her forehead.

“What just happened?” she asked opening her eyes to look before her.

Laying on the ground were her three friends.

“…H-Hey…what’s the matter?” She said getting closer to her friends, putting a hoof against Fluttershy. “Fluttershy?” She asked shaking her a little, “Pinkie Pie? Rainbow Dash?” Twilight shook each of them repeatedly.

“Hey…t-this isn’t funny! Wake up!” She called out, shaking them harder. But no matter how hard she shook, they didn’t move. “Come on! You guys are fine, right!? You’re playing a bad trick on me! Come on! Wake up!”

Twilight stopped shaking them, her mouth quivering. She carefully lowered a hoof against Fluttershy’s neck.

Her heart sank as she felt no pulse.

She quickly checked Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. They were the same.

“Oh no…oh no…ohnoohnoohnoOHNO.” Twilight said backing away, feeling the panic swelling inside her, “What…what have I done!?” She cried out as tears began to fall from her face.

Somehow, someway, she had just managed to kill three of her best friends.

Ending: Something’s Not Right Here

Unlock Condition: Avoid viewing memories and don’t encounter Pinkie Pie in the Otherworld (avoiding the Pinkie Pie scene also causes the Rainbow Dash scene to not occur as well).

Fluttershy stared at the dark creature before her. She gulped a little, trying to swallow her fear. She knew what this creature was now, but somehow it didn’t help that much.

“Listen…” Fluttershy said trying to think of what she needed to say, “I…I know who you are…and…” What was she to say? She racked her brain for the answer, but none seemed to come. The dark creature made slow steps towards her, as she slowly stepped backwards.

“LEAVER HER ALONE!” Suddenly came a loud cry. Fluttershy turned her head to see a pink blur rush in from out of nowhere, before striking the dark creature.

The dark creature let out a loud roar as it stumbled backwards, before twisting its head to quickly look at the pink mare that stood triumphantly before it.

“P-Pinkie Pie!” Fluttershy cried in astonishment, not having expected to see her friend.

“No one hurts Fluttershy while I can do something about it!” Pinkie huffed at the dark creature.

“Pinkie Pie! Get away from it! It won’t hesitate to hurt you!” Fluttershy cried out, trying to warn her friend.

“Don’t worry about me!” Pinkie said turning her head with a grin to Fluttershy, “I can handle this guy.”

The dark creature roared once more, charging straight for Pinkie Pie. It’s mouth white opened as it brought down its mouth to tear into her.

The dark creature only bit down on air. Pinkie avoided the strike easily, dashing around the creature’s side. With a loud battle cry she swung her body around and struck at the side of the creature with her hind hooves.get her friend out of harm’s way.

The creature didn’t even seem fazed by her attack, only turning its head to glare at her.

“…Uh oh.” Pinkie said, quickly hopping out of the way as the roaring figure brought its white mouth crashing down where Pinkie had just been. Pinkie looked at the monster seriously, blowing her hair out of her line of sight, as she grinned at the creature. “Well, I guess I’ll just have to call in the air support! NOW DASHIE!”

“TAKE THIS!” Came the frantic cry of the rainbow haired Pegasus as she seemed to swoop out of the rafters from nowhere at break neck speed, her front hooves striking into the side of the creature before taking off into the air.

The dark creature let out a roar of pain as it skidded to a stop, never toppling off of its legs.

“We can’t let up! This thing was going to hurt Fluttershy!” Pinkie stomped a hoof, preparing another charge at the creature.

“Right!” Rainbow Dash said circling above, preparing herself for another strike.

Fluttershy couldn’t help but stare in amazement. Not only had her two friends come to her aid from out of nowhere, they were actually winning. The dark creature didn’t seem able to match the two of her friends. It was if…

As if they had a power she couldn’t wield. A power that could only be wielded by someone else yet was drawn upon by her.

More hooves collided, the creature yelled and roared, thrashing about as it struggled to catch the mares fighting it. It couldn’t seem to move fast enough to catch the agile creatures, yet it wouldn’t topple. The creature stood firm against the two. Regardless of what they did, it didn’t seem to be going down.

“Man, we’re hitting this thing with everything we got! Why won’t it go down!?” Rainbow Dash cried out to Pinkie, circling near the cieling above the creature.

“I don’t know…maybe we have to try something else!” Pinkie searched her brain for an idea as she stared intently at the creature.

Fluttershy couldn’t help but smile at this. Her friends really had come to help her. Once they saw she was in trouble, they came to rescue her without a second thought.

“Wait…Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash.” Fluttershy called out to the two of them. The two turned their heads to look at their friend, “Let me try something.” She smiled happily as she walked closer to the dark creature.

“Careful Fluttershy! This thing could hurt you easily if it wanted!” Rainbow called out her warning.

“I know.” Fluttershy nodded her head slowly, “But…listen to me...” Fluttershy said turning her attention to the dark creature, “Everything is over now. I may not have been strong enough to face my troubles before, but I have my friends by my side now.”

“That’s right!” Pinkie Pie said jumping next to Fluttershy with a smile on her face, “So long as we’re together, we’ll face any danger! Climb any obstacle! Eat any ice cream!” She giggled at herself, “No pony can stop us when we work together! Not even a meany mean mcDarky pants like you!” The pink mare laughed happily.

“Yea! And though things may not go the way we would like them to, we’ll always be friends!” Dash said landing next to Fluttershy with a grin, “We can find a way to make everything work out if we just put our minds to it!”

The creature let out a roar at the three mares, when suddenly an orb of bright light appeared between all of them. It slowly began to float towards eye view as the three mares stared at it.

“Hey, that’s one of the Elements of Harmony!” Rainbow said amazed.

“But…whose is it?” Fluttershy blinked confused.

“I don’t know, but I bet that’s our way home! Quick! Everypony try to use it!” Pinkie explained quickly. Each of the three ponies reached out to grab the element with their hoof. As the three touched it, the light of the orb began to expand rapidly. The light ensnared the entire arena as the dark creature roared in pain, vanishing amongst the light.

It was a mixed torrent, rushing wind, blinding light. Everypony caught in it lost track of what was happening around them. They felt tossed around, almost as if they were in a blender. Nothing made sense till the light faded away and reality hit.

“Gah!” Twilight cried out as she felt her body forcibly pushed away, rolling herself a few feet away from where she had been. She shook her head, trying to get the fuzzy feeling in it to go away. She soon put a hoof to her forehead before sitting up, groaning slightly, “What just happened?”

“Hey, I think we made it out!” Came Fluttershy’s excited voice.

“Hey, you’re right! Awesome, we did it!” Came Pinkie’s boasting voice.

“That was…increadible.” Came Rainbow’s shy voice.

“…Huh!?” Three mares cried out suddenly.

Twilight opened her eyes to see her three friends staring, open mouthed, in shock at each other.

“What am I doing over THERE when I’m HERE!?” Pinkie Pie cried out pointing to Rainbow Dash.

“What’re you doing there? You mean what am I doing THERE!” Fluttershy said quickly pointing to Pinkie Pie, “Clearly I’m right here, but I’m also here! And you’re not that OTHER Pinkie Pie who wants to play mean party games! I mean you could be, but that’s not likely since you’re not wearing the dress…though I suppose dresses can be taken off.” Fluttershy put a hoof to her chin in thought.

“What…how…” Rainbow Dash just looked back and forth in shock.

Then, each of the mares looked down at their own bodies.

“AAAAUGH! I’M PINKIE PIE!” Pinkie Pie jumped into the air and a few feet away from the other two, “Then…then that means!” Pinkie Pie desperately reached back with her hooves to a spot on her back where wings on a pegasus would be. Her whole face sunk as the normally curly hair burst, deflating into straight hair. “I CAN’T FLY ANYMORE!” Pinkie threw her head up into the air wailing.

“Oh come on, being me isn’t THAT bad.” Fluttershy said tilting her head in a way she wouldn’t normally twist it, “I mean I’ve got so many good things going for me! I can party, I can run as fast as Rainbow Dash, I can eat all the sugary treats I want, everypony knows who I am~” Fluttershy happily began to list off the reasons it was good to be Pinkie Pie.

“…I…I don’t know…being…R-Rainbow Dash…doesn’t seem right…” Rainbow Dash blushed as she spoke quietly, “I…I feel like I’m violating her privacy.”

“Come on!” Pinkie Pie grunted as she had now taken to jumping around in the air, stretching her back up as if trying to force wings to grow out of her back, “Come on! Come on! ComeoncomeoncomeonCOMEON!” Her voice grew more strained with each attempt at flight by jumping, even with a series of hoof flailing, only to be met by the ground once more.

“-And knowledge of how to back cakes, and the perfect way to set up streamers, and OH, how to get Gummy his supper-favoritist-special-food! That’s a doozy of a meal to make!” Fluttershy giggled happily.

“Oh my…I hope my animal friends will be okay seeing me like this…” Rainbow rubbed a hoof carefully against her leg.

Twilight could only stare in shock at the scene before her. Her mind refused to put the pieces together for a moment, but once everything they said and did began to click into place in her mind, a feeling of dread washed over her.

“Y-You…you three…switched bodies?” Twilight asked hesitantly.

The three mares stopped what they were doing as they turned to look at Twilight.

“…It seems that way.” Fluttershy looking at Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, “I mean, I’m Pinkie Pie but I’m clearly Fluttershy as well…well, I mean I am me, as in Pinkie, but not me as in Fluttershy, but I am Fluttershy…wait I-“

“Yes, she gets it Pinkie.” Pinkie groaned at Fluttershy, “And…yea…I’m Rainbow Dash…inside Pinkie’s body.” Rainbow didn’t sound thrilled at all.

“And…I’m Fluttershy…in…Rainbow’s body.” Rainbow Dash blushed again.

“Oh…oh my…” Twilight said rubbing her head, “I’m…I’m so sorry! I’m sure I can fix this! I don’t know how I messed up on the spell this badly but I’m sure I can fix it! Maybe if we try the spell again?” Twilight let out a little squeak as she gave an awkward smile to her friends.

Each of the mare’s eyes widened at Twilight’s suggestion, before looking at each other.

“…You know…maybe not being able to fly isn’t so bad. Yea, I won’t be able to join the Wonderbolt’s…but with Pinkie’s speed, maybe I can join a ground racing team!” Rainbow said quickly thinking off the top of her head.

“Y-Yea! That’s good thinking! And I can come up with even more awesome ways to decorate for parties! I don’t have to rely on balloons that hit the ceiling now, I can just fly up to it!” Futtershy quickly replied herself, point her hoof at Pinkie Pie.

“And…And I can finally be a strong flyer! I’ll be able to do things I never could before, even help my animal friends better!” Fluttershy awkwardly replied just as quickly.

“Yup, we’re all happy the way we are Twilight, and sorry we can’t stay but we should totally go figure out how our new lives are going to work!” Pinkie Pie quickly explained as she practically ran to the front door.

“Yea, we’ve got a lot of talking to do! Wait for me Dashie!” Fluttershy said quickly following after Pinkie Pie.

“Y-Yea…a-and I can’t just let my marefriend deal with this alone! Wait for me girls!” Rainbow Dash said quickly following after the two, closing the door behind them.

Twilight just sat in stunned silence for a good long while. The wheels in her head were having a hard time turning, processing what just happened.

“Oh Celestia…what have I done?” Twilight rubbed her head in agony.

Ending: That’s Just How It Is

Unlock Condition: Don’t view all the memories, but encounter Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash in the Otherworld.

Fluttershy took a deep breath as she stared at the dark creature before her. The presence of the creature no longer crushed her, she could stand before it fine, but the being still sent a chill down her spine.

However, she had already decided, she had to do what was needed of her.

Fluttershy slowly walked towards the dark creature, it staring at her as if in odd curiosity.

“Father…I…know that…a lot has happened…between us…” Fluttershy hesitated slowly, drawing nearer, “But…everything that has happened is behind us now. I’ve…moved on with my life. I’ve gained friends I care about deeply, I live happily in a house I own, I found love…” Fluttershy smiled softly. The dark creature didn’t move as Fluttershy drew closer, now right before the creature.

“And…I guess I wouldn’t have found all that if it hadn’t been for you.” She looked up at the dark creature with a smile, “You’re a part of my life…and I have to accept that.”

The dark creature only seemed to glare, its red eyes glowing as it stared into her soul. The silence filled the air between them, as the white mouth slowly formed into a grin.

The creature’s mouth opened wide, the sickly grin spreading across its face. Fluttershy could only smile as she saw the creature rear its head up. She closed her eye as the dark creature brought its mouth down.

The rush of darkness came crashing down, engulfing everything she could understand. There wasn’t pain, but a disorientating confusion. She felt her body churn and sway, as if being dragged along by a current in the water, though she could still breathe. She tumbled and rolled through the waving darkness all around her, before something snapped.

With a thud, she found herself back in reality.

“Ugnnn…” Fluttershy moaned softly rubbing her head. For some reason she was now laying on the ground. She slowly picked herself up, opening her eyes. Twilight stood before her, rubbing her forehead as well.

“Ugh…is every pony okay?” Twilight ask, opening her eyes to look at her friends.

“I feel…fine actually…” Fluttershy said a little surprised. She reached around her body, trying to feel the parts of her that would be bandaged, but the bandages were gone and her injuries were healed.

‘…They must’ve only existed in that place…’ Fluttershy thought to herself as she carefully placed a hoof against her face.

“…Yea…I’m…okay…” Pinkie’s voice said next, though it wasn’t her usual happy-go-lucky voice. Fluttershy turned her head and saw Pinkie’s hair was straight still, she was looking at the ground with sorrow, “But…everypony made it out alright, didn’t they?” Pinkie lifted her head to look at Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash.

“…Yea…” Was the only thing Rainbow Dash said before standing up. She turned towards the door and walked straight for it.

“Hey, Rainbow Dash, where are you going?” Twilight asked, blinking confused.

“…I’m…going for a walk…” was all Dash said, before opening the door and walking out of it.

“Hey…Dash, wait, we need to talk…” Fluttershy said standing up and quickly following after Dash out the door.

Twilight blinked in confusion as she watched two of her friends leave.

“Pinkie…what exactly happened?”

Pinkie let out a soft sigh as she looked up at Twilight seriously, “Twilight…you have to promise me something…”

“…What is it?” Twilight asked confused.

“Promise me you’ll never, EVER use that spell again. No matter the circumstances.”

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash walked silently through the town of Ponyville. They didn’t say anything, the silence would’ve been deafening if not for the sounds of Ponyville going through its normal day around them. Dash was leading them towards her cloud home slowly.

The two of them walked for what seemed like ages, before Dash finally stopped just outside of Ponyville on the road to her home. Fluttershy stopped as well, looking at Dash with concern.

“Fluttershy…” Rainbow Dash finally spoke up, as if she had been thinking this whole time, “I think…it’s best if…we stopped dating…”

Fluttershy felt the jab to her heart she had known was coming.

“…Because…you’re going to try out for the Wonderbolts in two months…right?” Fluttershy responded weakly.

“Well…more than just that…” Rainbow replied, “I don’t think we’re right for each other…and I’m certainly not deserving of love.”

“But…” Fluttershy spoke, trying to think of a good rebuttal to Rainbow Dash, but any  words that would’ve been the right ones to say got stuck in her throat. She couldn’t bring herself to say anything.

Fluttershy lowered her head a little, tears beginning to burn at the edges of her eyes. She knew this was going to happen, yet it still hurt more than she thought it would.

“But…we’ll still…be friends…right?” Fluttershy managed to choke out finally.

“…I suppose we will be…for as long as I still have my friends here.” Rainbow Dash muttered softly.

“Dash…we…” Fluttershy lifted her head up, “We won’t stop being your friends just because you leave us for a while.” Fluttershy let her heart talk now, “We’ll do our best to go to see you perform when you’re nearby, we’ll want to visit you when you’re on break…we’ll be your friends Dash, no matter what happens.”

Dash was silent for a moment, not sure what to think or to say to Fluttershy’s words.

“…You’d want to be friends with somepony who abandons the ponies she cares about?” It was Rainbow’s turn to have her voice crack.

“You don’t abandon your friends Dash. No matter how it may seem that you do, when it comes down to it you help your friends. When they need you, you’re there for them. Nopony can be perfect all the time, loyalty isn’t about NOT needing times to yourself…it’s about being there when your friends need you.” Fluttershy wasn’t sure how she was able to say all of this, but every word felt true.

“…I suppose.” Rainbow Dash shook her head lightly, “But…even if that’s true…I…I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life…and…and I need time to myself to think about everything.” Rainbow said as she spread her wings.

“…I understand…” Fluttershy smiled, holding back the tears at her eyes, “Just know…I’ll always be here for you Dash.”

“…Thank you.” Was all Dash could say, before flying up to her cloud home. Fluttershy waited a few minutes after hearing Rainbow close her door, before lying down on the dirt road as she began to cry.

They’d always be friends…but the pony she had loved for all of her life…no longer wanted to love her the same way back.

Ending: Was it inevitable?

Unlock Condition: See all the memories, but don’t encounter Pinkie Pie or Rainbow Dash in the Otherworld.

“…Father…” Fluttershy spoke softly, “I…understand now.” She made sure she spoke clearly, “I’ve done a horrible thing…and…it’s likely that I can never be forgiven for what I’ve done. I can’t bring the dead back to life…and the blood of my mother is on my hooves.” Fluttershy closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath, before she continued.

“I can only apologize for what I’ve done.” Fluttershy walked closer to the dark creature, “I probably deserved all the punishments I received because of what I’ve done…I understand them better now.” She smiled softly as she drew close to him. “If…you’re still not satisfied with what I received…then I’m willing to accept whatever you think is appropriate.”

The dark creature grinned broadly, as if pleased with her answer. It brought its mouth up, ready to strike down. Fluttershy closed her eye, smiling happily as she prepared herself.

The rush of darkness came crashing down, engulfing everything she could understand. There wasn’t pain, but a disorientating confusion. She felt her body churn and sway, as if being dragged along by a current in the water, though she could still breathe. She tumbled and rolled through the waving darkness all around her, before something snapped.

With a thud, she found herself back in reality.

Fluttershy blinked slowly, letting her vision return to her. She lifted her head up and saw Twilight rubbing her forehead.

“Ugh…is everypony okay?” Twilight asked, opening her eyes to look at them.

“…All things considered…I feel fine.” Pinkie said surprised.

“…Yea, I’m feeling fine too.” Rainbow rubbed her head.

“…Yes. I feel fine too…” Fluttershy smiled softly.

“So…does that mean the spell worked?” Twilight asked a little confused, looking at Fluttershy.

“…I…I don’t know…” Fluttershy said honestly.

“Do you…do you know what was causing them?” Pinkie asked hesitantly.

“…I do…and…I think because of that I might be able to overcome my nightmares.” Fluttershy gave a soft, sad smile.

“Well…what was it?” Rainbow Dash asked curiously.

“I…I’d prefer to tell you in private Rainbow Dash.” Fluttershy turned her sorrowful smile to Rainbow Dash, “Besides…I need to talk to you in private.”

“Uh…sure Fluttershy…anything you need.” Rainbow Dash said a little hesitantly, not sure what to expect from such a conversation. The two mares stood up and headed out of the library.

“…Do you think their okay?” Twilight asked, looking at Pinkie.

“…I…can’t tell.” Pinkie said frowning, “That’s a doozy of a spell, even experiencing it twice I can’t make heads or tails of what exactly happened.” Pinkie rubbed her head, “All I can say is…you REALLY shouldn’t ever use that spell again Twilight. It’s…more trouble than it’s worth.”

“…Are you sure?”

“Trust me on this. The world would be a lot better place if you don’t ever use that spell again.” Pinkie sighed softly.

“So…what exactly do you need to talk about Fluttershy?” Rainbow asked followed behind Fluttershy.

“…No, not here, too many ponies.” Fluttershy said looking around as the two walked through Ponyville. “Let’s get to my house first…”

It seemed to take a while, but the two eventually made it to Fluttershy’s cottage. However, Fluttershy stopped just outside of her door, before turning to face Rainbow Dash.

“Alright…I’m ready now.” Fluttershy said taking a deep breath.

“I’m all ears Fluttershy.” Rainbow smiled supportively.

“Well…that world…I…I don’t know exactly what it is you experienced there…but…I know a lot of what I experienced was…very personal.” Fluttershy closed her eyes as she did her best to explain, “It showed me things that…I believe were meant to make me stronger…so that when I learned the truth…I’d be able to handle it…” she turned her head as she formed a sad smile, “Or, maybe more accurately, it was punishing me for the things that happened in my past…

“But, regardless, the world horrified me, but it revealed to me a truth that I had forgotten on purpose…and…well…” Fluttershy took another deep breath, trying to find her footing.

“Dash…tell me…what do you think of me?”

“What do I think of you?” Rainbow asked confused, “Uhm…well…you’re…” Dash tried to think of the words she’d use to describe Fluttershy. There were a lot of things Fluttershy was, but none of the words seemed to fit her description just right. She couldn’t find exactly what she wanted to say, “Uhhh…”

Fluttershy let out a small chuckle, forcing Rainbow Dash to blush.

“H-Hey! I’m thinking!” Rainbow said a little annoyed.

“It’s okay Dash…” Fluttershy softly gave her sad smile, “I understand. I do…” Fluttershy closed her eyes and smiled,

“I enjoyed our time together. You made me the happiest I’ve been in a long time. I don’t know what I would’ve done without Dash.” Fluttershy gave a soft laugh, “You’ve done so much for me…did I make you happy?”

Rainbow Dash blinked in confusion.

“Fluttershy? You’re talking like everything is in the past now…are you sure you’re alright?” Rainbow Dash looked concerned now.

“I’m fine Dash.” Fluttershy seemed to force a smile this time, “I just…I realized something while I was there and…I’m having a hard time telling you.”

“…You can tell me anything Fluttershy, you should know that.” Rainbow Dash explained.

“…Your right. Please forgive me then.” Fluttershy said taking another deep breath to calm herself, “I think…we rushed into our relationship…and that…I might not have realized what I wanted when we did.” Fluttershy closed her eyes, “I think…we shouldn’t date for a while…so that I can clear my head.”

Rainbow Dash blinked in confusion for a moment. She thought the words over carefully in her mind.

“…Is this what you want?” Rainbow asked next.

“…It is…is that alright with you?” Fluttershy gave a weak smile.

“Of course it is. You need to be happy for us both to be happy right? So if you need time to yourself, I can understand.” Rainbow Dash smiled comfortingly back.

“…Thank you Dash.” Fluttershy smiled genuinely back. “I’m sorry…I’d invite you in, but I need time to myself. If you wouldn’t mind telling the others that I just need some alone time, that’d be great.”

“…I understand.” Rainbow nodded, before turning around, “Feel better alright?”

“I will.” Fluttershy watched Rainbow Dash fly off with a smile. Once she was out of sight Fluttershy walked into her cottage.

She walked across the house, going straight for her kitchen. Angel stirred from his bed as he saw Fluttershy come home. He hopped out of his bed and followed her.

Fluttershy dug around her kitchen draw, procuring a piece of paper and a pencil. She carefully trotted over to the table, placing the paper down and putting the pencil in her mouth, began to write.

Angel rubbed his eyes as he awoke from his sleep, but he stared up at the pony with a mix of strange curiosity. Something didn’t seem right to him, something about her mannerisms had changed.

Once Fluttershy had finished writing, she put the pencil down and stood up from the table, before looking down to see the white rabbit.

“Oh, hello Angel, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.” She smiled as bent down and gave the rabbit a quick nuzzle. He grumbled a little, but took the nuzzle peacefully. He looked up at her with worry, and she only seemed to smile back at him, “Oh…don’t look at me that way Angel. I’d hate for you to think of me like that now.”

Angel’s ears flopped back as he stared at the mare that walked past him. She had said that in a weird way. He quickly jumped up onto the table, before scampering over to where the note lay. His little eyes quickly scanned the page, when he heard a door close in the house. His face grew dark as his heart fell. Not wasting a moment longer he ran straight for the door that had closed.

Fluttershy locked the bathroom door, just in time as she heard the small hands of her friend beating against it furiously.

“…I’m sorry Angel.” Fluttershy said softly, trying to be as apologetic as she could be. She walked over to her bathtub and began to fill it with water. It didn’t take long to fill with the warm water. She heard the incessant banging the entire time.

“I hope you’ll forgive me.” Fluttershy said to no one in particular.

She stepped into the small tub, feeling the water wash over her entire body. Then, without taking a breath, she lowered herself to be completely submerged into the water. She curled up into a small ball at the bottom of the tub as the last of her air escaped from her list.

An image of her father appeared before her, as she smiled. No matter how much her body or mind screamed, she wouldn’t give it the air it needed.

Fluttershy slowly slipped away, disappearing into a quiet, dark, watery world.

Please forgive me my friends, but this is all I can do to make amends for what I’ve done. I have blood on my hooves that I can never be forgiven for. I loved all of you, you were the closest ponies to ever be in my life, and while I’m sad to be leaving you I can do nothing else. This is my only option left now.

Dash, I’m sorry I lied to you. I won’t be coming back, but know that I did love you. You allowed me to live this long with the pain that filled me. Please be happy knowing that the pain is gone now. You meant so much to me.

And please take care of the animals for me while I’m away. Mr. Mouse will need his cast changed on Thursday, he should be able to have it off by the end of next month if he’s stayed off of it. Margret’s wing should be healed by Wednesday, she can be flying at full strength before she knows it. Daisy will need her medicine, she has a terrible cold and I’ve left the medicine on the cabinet. And finally Catalina should have a full bill of health by the time you find this, so you can send her on her way.

With that…Goodbye my friends. Thank you…

For everything…

Ending: Face Your Fears

Unlock condition: View all the memories and encounter Pinkie and Rainbow Dash in the Otherworld.

Twilight was doing her best to understand what the three pictures before her meant. Each picture was a distorted mess of color and shapes. At times she thought she had been able to make out the vague shape of a pony or some other shape that she could identify as an object, but it quickly moved back into being a distorted blob.

“I can’t make heads or tails of this.” Twilight as groaning as she looked back and forth, “How exactly does this spell work? This is my second time doing it and I’m STILL confused.” The book didn’t explain any further than how to perform the spell and its purpose. Was it supposed to be easy to figure out? Should something have been obvious to her? There were no instructions on how to interpret the pictures, or what she could do to help!

It really seemed like she was purposely being kept out, as if she wasn’t allowed to see what each of her friends were experiencing.

“If I had something to write with I could maybe take better notes…but I have nothing to compare this to! I only have the other two pictures! Ugh! I can’t learn like this!” Twilight groaned sitting down as she stared a little frustrated at the pictures. She wanted nothing more than to figure this out and learn so she could help her friends better, but without a frame of reference it seemed pointless.

Just as she was getting frustrated, each of the pictures began to radiate with a bright white light. Twilight tried to look at this development, but the light became too much for her to bear. She covered her eyes just as she felt the familiar tug of the spell ending.

She was dragged backwards, out of the spiraling darkness that carried the three paintings, before finding herself thrust back to reality.

“Uuuggghh…” Twilight groaned as she rubbed her forehead, it was an unsettling feeling to be pulled about like that. “Everypony okay?” She asked, opening her eyes to look at her three friends.

“Yay! It worked! We’re back!” Pinkie said excitedly jumping up, smiling happily as she looked around.

“Haha! Take that you creepy world you!” Rainbow Dash grinned.

“That was…really eye opening.” Fluttershy smiled softly, putting a hoof to her chin in thought.

“So…the spell worked? You were able to figure out why you were having nightmares Fluttershy?” Twilight asked looking at her friend curiously.

Fluttershy felt herself become the center of attention as every mare looked at her in anticipation. She blushed softly.

“Uhm…yes…I found out the reason.” Fluttershy admitted slowly.

“Well, don’t leave us in suspense, what was it?” Rainbow asked eager to figure it out.

“Whoa, hold on Dashie!” Pinkie said stepping closer, “If it’s anything like me finding out I lost my sister, we shouldn’t force her to say it if she isn’t ready…though I admit, I am really curious as to what it was…it’s probably something hug worthy.”

“Oh…uhm…” Fluttershy rubbed her leg awkwardly with her hoof, “Well…I…” Fluttershy stumbled in thought, “T-Tell you what…there’s…something I need to do…something I need to take care of…then I can tell all of you…I hope…” she said the last part quietly.

“And that’s completely understandable.” Pinkie said embracing Fluttershy into a big hug, “Just know that whatever it is, we’re always here for you.”

“Yea, sorry, I didn’t mean to sound pushy. Tell us when you’re ready.” Rainbow smiled supportively.

“…Thank you…all of you.” Fluttershy said smiling, with tears at the edge of her eyes. “I don’t know what I’d do without you girls.” She embraced Pinkie Pie back.

“Well…I’m glad I could help.” Twilight smiled.

“…Yea…about that…” Pinkie said letting go of Fluttershy and looking at the other two.

“…I think we’re in agreement here Pinkie Pie.” Rainbow said nodding at Pinkie.

“Yes, I do think we are.” Fluttershy nodded as well.

“Twilight…” Pinkie started.

“Huh?” Twilight asked confused. The three mares before her each took a deep breath, before in one big cry, they unanimously shouted,

“DON’T EVER USE THAT SPELL AGAIN!”

“So…why are we going to Cloudsdale?” Rainbow Dash asked curiously looking at Fluttershy as the two of them were flying towards the city in the clouds.

“Well…I guess I can tell you.” Fluttershy said before letting out a soft sigh and smiling, “I’m going to see my father.”

“Your father?” Rainbow asked curiously, “I don’t think I’ve ever met him…heck, you haven’t told me much about your family. You always avoided the subject when I asked.”

“That makes sense.” Fluttershy said softly.

“…Does…this have something to do with that freaky nightmare-version of Ponyville?” Rainbow asked hesitantly, the gears turning in her head as she thought.

“…It does.” Fluttershy said softly, trying not to alarm Dash. She wasn’t ready to say too much about what she saw, not until she’d at least confronted her father. Rainbow looked at Fluttershy as they flew quietly; waiting for her to say more though she realized it wasn’t coming. Rainbow let out a soft sigh.

“You ARE going to explain things right? Pinkie didn’t explain anything more than she lost her sister to some serial killer…she didn’t mention the monsters in that town. I…I really want to know what happened to you Fluttershy. After you got separated from us, I was so worried…” Rainbow said, still feeling guilty about having yelled at Pinkie Pie.

“…I…I promise Dash…I’ll tell you everything…” Fluttershy looked down sadly, “Just…promise me you won’t…you won’t think I’m a monster…”

Rainbow looked shocked, as if she was almost offended at the idea.

“How could I ever think THAT!? You’re the nicest, kindest, most gentle pony in all of Ponyville! Heck, maybe in all of Equestria! How could I think you’re a monster?” Rainbow shook her head confused.

“…Thank you Dash.” Fluttershy held back a tear from spilling, “We’re almost there…” Fluttershy said as they were now flying close to the cloud city.

Cloudsdale was busy with its normal buzz of pegasi ponies all around. Some were working on new construction, some were delivering packages, other were simply out enjoying the weather while others seemed to be in a hurry. It was a normal day for Cloudsdale.

Fluttershy looked at the school house in the distance as they flew past it. She could hear the familiar bell ringing from there as the school house suddenly poured out with excited young foals that were eager to be out of school for the day and go off to play. It brought smile to Fluttershy, seeing all the happy faces of youth seemed to lift her spirits.

“There it is, the place my father works, Cloudsdale General.” Fluttershy said after a few more minutes of flying, pointing to the large white building with the large red cross on it. It had several pegasi flying in and out of the building, some healthy, some sick, some with bandages on their limbs. There was an emergency vehicle that sat parked next to it that would be pulled by a team of pegasi should an emergency call be made.

“Is your father a doctor?” Rainbow Dash asked as they set down just outside the front doors before walking inside.

“…You could say that.” Fluttershy said smiling softly. The lobby was large, very large. There was a huge open space above their heads for pegasi to fly around, a large fountain in the middle that seemed to have a few bits floating at its depths, a receptionist desk that had lots of ponies checking in, a waiting area for ponies to fill out paperwork and wait for them to head where they were needed, and the most noticeable part of the room was a very large picture over the receptionist desk of a light amber Pegasus with a dark red mane in a white lab coat with imposing blue eyes. Underneath the picture was a plaque, though it was difficult to read from affar.

“Well that’s a large photo.” Rainbow said chuckling at the size of it, “They must really like that Doctor.”

“Well, he has saved hundreds of pony lives. He’s the best doctor in the whole hospital.” Fluttershy stopped where she was walking, making Dash stop and look back at her curiously. “His name is Lance…Lance Strongshy…and he’s my father.”

Rainbow’s mouth hung agape, before looking quickly at the large picture, then back at Fluttershy, doing this several times in disbelief.

“You…You mean your father is THE Lance Strongshy!? I…Oh my gosh…he’s the most famous doctor in ALL of Cloudsdale! Even I’VE heard of him! It was said that when a terrible lightning storm broke loose from the Weather Center and injured at least thirty ponies, that Lance was able to save ALL of them, when all the other doctor’s couldn’t have saved them!”

“Yes…I’m familiar with that day.” Fluttershy said nodding slowly, all of her memories from her foalhood had returned now. She could remember almost everything about it.

“He’s always been one of the best Doctor’s! I heard he only got even better when he poured his passion into studying medicine after his wife died of a disea-“ Rainbow Dash stopped in her tracks as realization hit her like a ton of bricks. She was speaking about Fluttershy’s mom.

“O-Oh…Fluttershy…I…I had no idea…I’m…” Rainbow started to apologize.

“It’s okay Dash.” Fluttershy said with a sad smile as she walked past Dash, heading for the counter, “There’s…a lot I have to tell you…you’ll understand soon.”

“Hello, welcome to Cloudsdale General, how can I hel-“ The nurse behind the desk began to say, having been nose deep in paperwork before looking up to shock, seeing Fluttershy standing there.

“…Hello Nurse Soft Cure, covering for the receptionist today?” Fluttershy offered as genuine a smile as she could looking at the white coated Pegasus with a blonde mane, after all, it was the first time she’d seen her personal foalhood nurse since she’d last visited the hospital so many years ago.

Nurse Soft Cure narrowed her eyes immediately, giving Fluttershy a rather nasty glare.

“…What are YOU doing here?” The nurse almost hissed. Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow at the nurse’s behavior. This seemed very rude, considering she was talking to the daughter of the best doctor in the hospital.

“I’ve come to see my father today…if he’s not busy, that is.” Fluttershy explained simply.

The nurse’s hooves banged hard against the desk. Almost everypony turned their heads to look at this, not having expected a loud bang in the middle of a hospital. Nurse Soft Cure looked around quickly before offering a weak smile and a soft laugh, as if it had been an accident. The other pegasi just seemed to shrug before continuing with their own duties. Once she was sure nopony was paying full attention to them, she went back to glaring at Fluttershy.

“…So what…after all these years you just come waltzing in here, not only expecting an audience, but expecting me to believe that’s all you’re here for!?” Soft Cure was trying to yell, but her voice came out in a harsh whisper.

“Hey! Who do you think you’re talking to!?” Rainbow Dash said, feeling her fur start to stand on end, but was stopped by a hoof put out by Fluttershy.

“I swear to you Ms. Cure…I’m only here to talk with my father.” Fluttershy smiled in the face of the hate that was coming from the nurse.

“Oh, yea, like I believe that.” Soft Cure growled, “You’re just here to smear Lance’s good name aren’t you? Try to interfere with his life-saving work because of some bitter vengeance you want.”

Again, Rainbow Dash went to speak up but was stopped by Fluttershy.

“You can accompany me if you want…I really want nothing more than a chance to talk to my father. I won’t say a word to anypony else, I promise.” Fluttershy explained calmly.

Nurse Soft Cure just glared at Fluttershy, but seemed to be thinking the situation over in her head. Her eyes wandered over to Rainbow Dash, who seemed to be giving her glaring daggers back. It took a while, but the nurse finally responded.

“…Fine…I’ll escort you to his office.” The nurse got up from her sitting position behind the desk before spreading her wings. She began to fly down one of the hallways, towards the air paths to fly to upper levels.

“Yeesh, what’s HER problem!?” Dash growled as the two of them followed after the nurse.

“It’s…a long story I’ll tell you later.” Fluttershy smiled softly. Rainbow Dash didn’t seem pleased, but listened to Fluttershy as they flew. The nurse directed them up several stories, before stopping at the ninth. She flew down a long hallway that barely had a soul in it, they only passed a single other pegasi as they drew closer.

“Here. His office.” Soft Cure stopped outside one of the doors, turning to face the two mares, “I’ll let him know you’re here to see him.” She explained, before turning to knock on the door.

“Come in.” came a gruff voice. Nurse Soft Cure opened the door and walked in before closing the door behind her.

“…I don’t like the feel of this Fluttershy…” Rainbow whispered his displeasure with the situation, “Something doesn’t feel right…”

“I understand Dash…I promise, this’ll be over soon. Just…let me talk to my father in private for now please…if I need you, you’ll know.” Fluttershy said nuzzling against Rainbow Dash for support.

“…I’d rather go in there with you…but…if you say so.” Rainbow said softly nuzzling her back.

The door opened once more, nurse Soft Cure coming out.

“He’ll see you now.” She said standing next to the door, glaring at the two of them.

“Thank you.” Fluttershy smiled softly, before walking up to the door. She took in a deep breath to draw strength, before carefully opening the door and walking inside.

The office wasn’t too different from the last time she’d seen it. There was still the desk, with books lining the walls, many of the books stacked on top of each other around the office as if recently read. One book lay open on the desk as it was currently in the middle of being read.

There behind the desk, looking up at her with tired eyes was the familiar amber coat and dark red mane of her father. He looked up at her, almost as if in disbelief that she was actually there, standing before him after all these years.

“Hello…Father. It’s me…Fluttershy.” Fluttershy said as nicely as she could.

“…So…so you’re here.” Lance let out a soft sigh, moving out from behind his desk and walking around to get a better look at her, “You’ve…certainly grown a lot since I last saw you.” He looked her up and down, scanning her, “You resemble your mother so much now…”

Her father turned his head away from her, closing his eyes, “…Why are you here?”

“I…I came to talk.” Fluttershy spoke softly, “About…what happened between us.”

“…What’s there to say? You killed your mother…and I hurt you because of it.” He said the words coldly, as if he didn’t care to say them, let alone think them. “You remember all that don’t you? So what’s there to say.”

“…I guess…I came to apologize.” Fluttershy smiled a soft, sad smile.

“…Apologize?” Her father said looking almost confused as he turned to his daughter.

“I’m…I’m sorry I killed mom…” Fluttershy lowered her head softly, “I can never take back what I’ve done, and no amount of apologies will bring her back…but I…I did kill her…and so…I’m sorry.”

There was silence in the room. Fluttershy could feel the cold stare of her father as he looked at her, as if trying to figure out what was going on.

“…Are you trying to seek redemption now?” He finally spoke up in his cold voice, “Trying to make up for what you did so long ago? After all these years…you came back for this?” Anger was starting to rise in the back of his voice.

“…I guess…that’s not all…” Fluttershy admitted, lifting her head up and smiling, “I also came…to let you know that…I forgive you as well.”

This seemed to stop the older stallion where he stood.

“You punished me for what I did to mother…and I still feel…that it was a worthy punishment. I did a terrible thing, so it only is befitting that I had a fitting punishment…and I don’t hold any anger for what you did to me. In fact…I was able to find a wonderful life thanks to what you did. I have so many friends who love me so much now…I take care of the animals in Ponyville you know, I put the knowledge I learned from your medical books to use.” Fluttershy smiled happily as she thought back to her life in Ponyville.

“I…was even able to find love in Ponyville. I don’t know where it’s going to head, but it’s a journey I’m going to enjoy all the way…and I wouldn’t have met my love if you hadn’t done what you did. I owe everything in my life to you Father…and…I want to thank you.” Fluttershy gave a small bow.

“Thank you for everything.”

Lance just stared at his daughter. He could still remember the night his wife was taken from him, the monster that had ended his wife’s life. He remembered how much pain and suffering he had inflicted on that monster, how after that he had put so much work into studying medicine and practicing his craft so that he could save anypony, regardless of their condition or disease…

But now that monster was bowing before him, thanking him for everything that happened in her life, apologizing for taking the mare that had brought him the greatest amount of happiness he’d ever known.

He grit his teeth as he felt anger swelling inside of him. He stared at her with maddening intent. He saw her slowly lift her head to look at him with a smile. That smile…it felt like it was digging into his very soul.

He took a step forward, as he took a deep breathe out of his nose, raising his hoof into the air. He wanted to strike her, he wanted to make her hurt more, and he wanted her to know that what happened still tore at his soul as he looked into the face of every patient he ever had saved…

Fluttershy smiled softly, looking at her father. She closed her eyes, ready to be struck. She would take any punishment he seemed befitting for her as she always had, it was the only thing she could do to make amends for their past, for having taken her mother out of this world.

She waited for the blow, expecting it to come.

But the strike never came.

Instead, what Fluttershy felt next surprised her.

Her father gently placed his hoof down on her back, drawing her in close to embrace her, wrapping his hooves around her. She blinked in surprise, when she felt him start to shake. She wasn’t sure how to react, when she suddenly felt something cool and wet hit her back.

He was crying. Her father was crying as he embraced her.

Fluttershy couldn’t help herself, she moved her hooves up around her father and hugged him back, closing her eyes as she let him cry into her as he needed.

The two of them stood there in that embrace for what seemed like an eternity, when her father finally broke away from it, rubbing his face as he turned away from his daughter.

“…Fluttershy…” He finally said after clearing his throat.

“Yes?” She asked curiously.

“…I think…it’s best if we never see each other again…” He muttered quietly, “Please…don’t ever come visit me again.”

“…Alright…I understand…” Fluttershy slowly nodded her head, “Just know that…I love you Dad…”

“…I…I love you too…” He choked out, “Now…get out of my office.”

Fluttershy didn’t need to be told twice. She gave one last bow before moving to his door and opening it, heading out.

“…Well that was a quick visit.” Soft Cure said looking at Fluttershy curiously. Fluttershy’s emergence was the only thing that had stopped the constant glare battle between Soft Cure and Rainbow Dash.

“Yes…but don’t worry Ms. Cure, you won’t ever be seeing my again.” Fluttershy smiled to her nurse.

“…What? Really? You’re not going to smear his name?” The nurse said surprised.

“Ms. Cure…I understand now…you did what you did because you didn’t want anything bad to happen to my father. If something had happened, he couldn’t save all the lives he’s saved over the last few years.” Fluttershy smiled, but Soft Cure just turned her head, almost as if she was being stabbed by Fluttershy’s words. “I don’t blame you…he’s saved so many lives, the one he hurt seems insignificant in comparison.” Fluttershy chuckled softly.

“…Get on with it.” Soft Cure growled.

“I’m sorry, I just needed to say it.” Fluttershy smiled, “Please, have a wonderful life…and look after my father.” Fluttershy gave a bow, before walking off.

“…Fluttershy…” Rainbow Dash spoke up after a while, “What the HAY was that all about?”

“…I guess I can explain to you now Dash.” Fluttershy smiled happily, “But…let’s go somewhere more private first.”

Rainbow and Fluttershy landed at the top of a hill in the middle of a large field that expanded far out into the horizon. One could see the mountains in the distance and the flowers blooming in the field bellow, it was a beautiful sight, one that was tranquil, without another pony around to be seen.

“This seems like a good place.” Fluttershy smiled as she laid herself down, turning to look over at the nearby forest, “You know…over there is where I fell from Cloudsdale and learned my special talent of taking care of animals.” She gave a soft chuckle.

“Huh…it is, isn’t it?” Rainbow Dash sat down next to Fluttershy looking at the forest. The sight did bring back fond memories, but that’s not what she was concerned about at the moment.

“Okay Fluttershy, will you tell me now that we’re alone? That nurse was glaring daggers at you and I didn’t like it one bit. Also, what did you see in that other Ponyville that warranted a trip to Cloudsdale?” Rainbow Dash quickly asked, wanting answers.

Fluttershy could only offer a sad smile as she felt the wind blow through her mane. She closed her eyes as she began to speak.

“I suppose you know that my mother died of a disease, right?” Fluttershy asked, just wanting to double-check what Rainbow knew.

“Y…Yea…I was too young to remember it but it was big news one day. And of course everytime I heard ponies talking about him, they almost always mentioned how he tragically lost his wife and it made him want to become an even better doctor.” Rainbow explained slowly.

“Well…then here’s the truth Rainbow Dash. My mother didn’t die of a disease.” Rainbow looked at her curiously, “It’s true that she was sick with a disease to which we had no cure, and it likely would’ve killed her eventually. But that’s not what killed her. For, you see…I killed her. I killed my own mother Rainbow dash.”

Rainbow Dash’s mouth fell open once more as she stared at Fluttershy. Fluttershy wasn’t even looking at her, she was just staring out into the field with the soft, sad smile. Any question of doubt that ran through her head was hit by that sad look. She wasn’t lying, Fluttershy had actually done what she said…

“…But…But…why? Why would you…” Rainbow stuttered trying to process it, “What…what would drive you, the kindest pony EVER to…to kill your mother?”

“…She asked me to.” Fluttershy replied slowly.

“Whu…” Rainbow said in shock once more, “You mean…your mother asked her young daughter to KILL her!?” Fluttershy just slowly nodded her head.

“Fluttershy…that doesn’t make YOU the killer here!” Rainbow stomped her hoof, “You were too young to know the difference! If she made you kill her then you had no ability to stop yourself! You didn’t kill your mother! She kill-“

“But I did kill her Rainbow Dash.” Fluttershy closed her eyes slowly, “Even if she told me to and as a child I had to listen to her, I still had enough sense in me to know that what I was doing was wrong, that it didn’t feel right…but I choose to not want to disappoint my mother. I took the knife she gave me and I stabbed her repeatedly.

“No matter how you look at it, the motives or the reasons, my mother died because I stabbed her multiple times. If I hadn’t had the knife, if I hadn’t moved my legs in the stabbing motion, if I hadn’t listened to her, then she’d still be alive today.” Fluttershy’s smile stayed on her face, that sad smile that said she was forcing herself to be okay with everything she said.

“I’m simply a monster Rainbow Dash.”

“NO!” Rainbow shouted stomping the ground before grabbing Fluttershy by the shoulders, much to her surprise, and turned the sad looking Pegasus to face her, “You’re not a monster! You’re mother forced you to do that Fluttershy! As the most gentle pony in all of Equestria you’re not capable of murder unless you didn’t know what you were doing! You’re not a monster!” Rainbow breathed heavily as she ranted.

Fluttershy looked in shock for a moment, before smiling gently. She was so happy that Rainbow cared for her so deeply, despite having admitted her monstrous truth to her. She could feel tears burning at the edges of her eyes, but she held them back as she closed her eyes.

“Well…my father told me I was.” This seemed to shut Rainbow Dash up again as she stared at Fluttershy in shock, “He didn’t just tell me I was a monster…he punished me as the monster I was. After all…you don’t argue with the best doctor in all of Cloudsdale…he knows what’s best for you. I don’t have any scars because he knew what he was doing, but I visited the hospital so often because of his punishments.” Fluttershy let out a small laugh; she apparently found that statement to be funny.

“That’s where nurse Soft Cure comes in…she was my father’s head nurse. Whenever I came in for one of my ‘accidents’ she was the one who helped me. However, she was loyal to my father…if I tried to tell her that my father was the one who had been doing all this to me, she only hurt me in return, forcing me never to speak the words that said my father was a horrible person.

“And I understand why now…she was protecting the people my father was caring for. I remember passing by the rooms of his patients one day…at the time he was attending to a cancer patient who all the other doctors said they had no chance of healing her, but my father said he wasn’t going to give up on her till the very end. Another patient needed a complicated organ replacement that other surgeons were too afraid to perform because one wrong move would kill her, but my father took it upon himself and saved her life.”

Tears were beginning to flow down Fluttershy’s cheeks as she spoke of the deeds her father had accomplished,

“There was a little filly with a weakened immune system…she had given up on life and was dying when my father gave her a hope she hadn’t had before…she made a full recovery. There was even a time when he was able to help a mother who was going to kill her baby in labor, but because he was there and knew what to do the baby came out healthy as could be…”

Rainbow could say nothing; she was staring at the crying mare before her as she poured her heart out about her father.

“These were all patients I saw with my own eyes Rainbow Dash…I saw him smile and laugh and help them all. Even after I had killed my mother he never once showed that sign of sorrow to them…so what else can I be but a monster Rainbow Dash? I deserved everything that happened to me. I did the unforgiveable and killed my mother.” Fluttershy closed her eyes, giving a small laugh as tears continued to stream down her face.

“…no…no…no, no, no, NO, NO, NO!” Rainbow Dash began to scream as she lowered her head. Fluttershy looked at her in surprise. Rainbow Dash began to shake as she felt the tears burning at the edges of her eyes.

“Fluttershy…YOU’RE NOT A MONSTER!” Rainbow Dash looked straight into Fluttershy’s water-filled cyan eyes, “Even if it’s true…even if you DID kill your mother, that doesn’t make you a monster! You could never hurt a fly unless you were given no other choice, no other option! Unless your back was to the wall you’d never do anything to harm another living being!

“So…so stop saying you are…” the tears ran down Rainbow Dash’s cheeks unhindered now, “Stop…speaking like your some…horrible pony that deserves to be punished…when you’re not…when you’re the nicest, gentlest, kindest pony whose ever lived.” Rainbow’s shoulder shook as she spoke.

“…Rainbow Dash…” Fluttershy muttered quietly, looking at her through sorrowful eyes. The two sat on the grassy hill, looking into each other’s eyes as they sat there crying. There were no words to be had at that moment, just the bond that was between the two mares set up.

As the sun began to set in the horizon, between two breathless mares, they shared a deep kiss on that hill. Each mare could feel the passion that radiated from the other through the kiss; it wasn’t just a kiss out of longing or lust, or of a simple understanding or care…

It was a kiss out of deep love, a love that was rooted in their hearts.

The night sky began to become visible when the two finally broke apart their kiss, Fluttershy nestling herself into Rainbow’s coat.

“…Thank you Rainbow Dash…” Fluttershy said quietly. Rainbow Dash just smiled at her marefriend, petting her coat softly. The two stayed that way for a short while. It was Fluttershy that broke the silence between them.

“…We’re not done yet though…” She said softly.

“Huh?” Rainbow asked curiously as Fluttershy sat up.

“This time…we need to talk about you.” Fluttershy wiped her face as she smiled, “About…your dream to be a Wonderbolt.”

“Oh…” Rainbow Dash grimaced, not wanting to have brought the topic up just yet. She looked up at Fluttershy, who was smiling at her, then up to the sky, then down to the ground and gritted her teeth as she closed her eyes before letting out a soft sky.

“I’m…not going to-“

“I want you to tryout for the Wonderbolts.” Fluttershy smiled happily.

“Huh?” Rainbow Dash blinked in confusion, “But…but I told you before…if I join the Wonderbolts…I’ll be abandoning my friends, the ponies I care about…” Rainbow Dash felt like she was shrinking as she spoke, “That I’d be abandoning you…”

“I’ve been thinking it over despite my own thoughts.” Fluttershy smiled, “And…there’s a one year training program right? Well…as far as I know, they’re not allowed to keep you away forever. By law, they must give you opportunities to rest, breaks from working. You get sick days, vacation days, rest days, holidays…and even once you’re part of the main flight team; they don’t do shows during the winter. And not every team member flies during every show. All that down time you’ll have, you can use to spend with us.”

Rainbow Dash blinked.

“How…How do you know all this?” Rainbow said, flabbergasted at Fluttershy’s level of knowledge about the Wonderbolts. Fluttershy could only laugh.

“I’ve been listening to you rant about them since we were fillies Rainbow Dash, I’ve remembered most of what you said about them. I just took important details from each rant and brought them together.” Fluttershy nodded slowly, “Just because you’ll be gone for a while at a time doesn’t mean you’ll be abandoning your home or your friends. And you especially won’t be abandoning me.”

“…I…I hadn’t thought about it like that…” Rainbow said thinking it all over in her head now. In that other Ponyville, it had been presented to her in such a black and white way that she couldn’t help but feel what she was shown was true…but here was Fluttershy mixing that black and white line, causing it all to be an ambiguous gray blur.

“…You’re right Fluttershy…you’re absolutely right!” Rainbow Dash said as her enthusiastic grin came back to her face, “YES!” She cried out, jumping into the air, doing a flip and pumping her hooves into the air, “The dream is alive! I’m going to be a Wonderbolt!” Rainbow cheered.

“That’s wonderful Dash!” Fluttershy laughed happily watching Dash, “I’ve come up with my own dream too…one I want to make come true very soon.”

“Oh? What’s your dream Fluttershy?” Rainbow Dash flew down to Fluttershy, smiling happily.

“I’ve decided…that I’m going to be a mother.” Fluttershy explained.

Rainbow Dash’s wings stopped moving as she fell to the ground before Fluttershy.

“B-But…what…I…I can’t’ give you a child!” Rainbow Dash cried out in a panic. Fluttershy couldn’t help but laugh.

“I meant, I’d like to adopt a little filly or colt of my own.” Fluttershy explained more clearly.

“…Oh.” Rainbow Dash sat up, understanding now. “I don’t know Fluttershy…a foal is a LOT of work…a lot more than trying to be a Wonderbolt is...plus with me being your marefriend you know I’d have to help take care of it…” Rainbow rubbed the back of her head in thought, “I don’t know if I’m ready for that kind of responsibility…”

“It’s okay Dash, I wouldn’t ask you to do anything you’re not comfortable with.” Fluttershy smiled happily.

“…Ugh…you have a way of twisting my heart.” Rainbow put a hoof to her face, before smiling, “but if a foal is what you want…then I can’t do anything but say to go for it…just uh…let’s consider our options first.”

“Options?” Fluttershy blinked, tilting her head a little.

“You know…ah…we could…” Rainbow Dash thought about what she was going say, “…Well I WOULD say we could ask Twilight about…you know…pregnancy spells between two mares…but I think I want to avoid Twilight’s spells for a little while.” Rainbow grimaced. Fluttershy couldn’t help but laugh at this as well.

“It’s alright. Whether its from you or from someone else, all I know is…I want to give some little filly or colt a wonderful foalhood, one I didn’t have growing up.” Fluttershy nuzzled up against Rainbow Dash.

“…I know.” Rainbow let out a soft chuckle as she embraced her marefriend, “Hey, it’s getting late, we should probably head back to Ponyville.” Rainbow said, as a cool breeze blew through her mane, reminding her of the time.

“Alright, let’s go.” Fluttershy smiled up at Rainbow.

The two of them soon took off from the hill, flying back to Ponyville together.

-End-

Ending: And That’s When the Meteor Hit

Unlock Condition: You must find several unusual items during your second playthrough of the game.

-The Book of Basics in the Tunnel Labyrinth

-The Ninja Mask in the Abandoned House

-The Odd Shaped Red Shirt in the Hospital before finding the Second Eye

-The Broken Sword Handle in the burning house where Rainbow Dash was

-A Playing Card with a Brown Haired Colts Head in The Study of Fluttershy’s Old Home

She carefully pushed the door open and walked through the door.

On the otherside was a large open room, almost like a small gymnasium. She walked forward to the middle of the room, when she stopped.

A black fire was burning on the opposite side of the court. The fire slowly grew, rising up into the shape of a pony, before red eyes appeared on its face, a white mouth opening. It was the dark creature.

Fluttershy stared at the creature. She didn't feel a heavy, overbearing presence this time. The creature was still drawing fear from her heart, but it wasn't overwhelming her now. She could stand before this creature now.

However, before either of them could move or speak, a light burst forth from her saddlebag.

Fluttershy jumped back in surprise as from her bag rose up the five seemingly random objects, each glowing in a white light as they began to circle the worried mare.

Then, in a second surprise, the five objects burst up to the ceiling of the room, combining together in a magnificent bright light. Fluttershy tried her best to follow it, but the ball of light came shooting towards the ground with a blinding speed.

With a large explosion the object crashed between Fluttershy and the Dark Creature, sending dust, debris and a huge blast of wind around the gym. Fluttershy was amazed she somehow had stayed on her feet through the ordeal.

Through the clouds of smoke and dust, a loud cough could be heard.

“Agh! Dammit Brad! You’re supposed to warn me when these things happen!” Came a strange voice.

“Hey, I had to get in here myself!” Came a separate voice. With a second burst of wind from seemingly nowhere, the dust and smoke cleared. There before Fluttershy stood a brown coat and haired earth pony standing next to a green pony in black and green ninja gear.

“But…but…my story!” The brown pony groaned putting a hoof to his face.

“We’ve got plenty of time to fix it later Sam; I need to have my fun!” Brad grinned, “But its time for this guy to meet my secret weapon!” Brad reached into his outfit before pulling out a master ball. He gave it a quick toss, as from it appeared a large humanoid, wearing torn white rags, wielding a gigantic metal sword and a large metallic pyramid on his head.

“…Didn’t someone more famous make this joke?” Sam raised an eyebrow at Brad.

“Yea, but he didn’t do this! Pyramid Head! Use ultimate distraction!”

The Pyramid head seemed to move slowly before the Dark Creature. The Dark Creature raised its eyebrow curiously.

Then, the Pyramid Head reached to the ground, picking up a top hat and cane. He placed the top hat gently against his head, before suddenly, from out of nowhere; music began to play as he danced.

“Hello, my baby

Hello, my honey

Hello, my ragtime gal

Send me a kiss by wire

Baby, my hearts on fire

If you refuse me

Honey, you'll lose me

Then you'll be left alone

Oh baby, telephone

And tell me I'm your own”

The dark creature seemed to open its eyes wide in shock as it watched the horrendous creature dance before it. There was no describing what it was that was before him

“Gotcha now!” Brad cried out, appeared above the dark creature, before rushing downwards and slamming down onto the dark creature, the creature letting out a loud roar as an explosion seemed to rock his being.

“Ugh…” Sam groaned as he got up and walked over to Fluttershy who was just staring at the spectacle with her mouth agape, “My apologies Fluttershy, I’ll get this story back on track as soon as my editor is done having his moment.”

“Wha…” was the only word that escaped Fluttershy’s mouth. Then in a weird sensation, she felt a warm, gentle pulse fill her body as her wounds seemed to escape her. The brown haired pony was unwrapping her bandages before she could realize it. However, when the bandages fell to the floor, she felt fine. Whatever he had done, he had fixed her body.

“You feel alright?” Sam asked curiously.

“Uh…y-yea…” Fluttershy looked at Sam, blinking again.

“Again, sorry, my editor Brad there…he refused to let me get away without him having his fun.” Sam rolled his eyes a little when another explosion was heard from the other-side of the gymnasium. Suddenly, before the two of them a Brad appeared.

“Hey, this is all non-canon anyways, let me have my fun!” Brad laughed.

“Non…canon?” Fluttershy was in shock.

“Brad…I think we’ve put Fluttershy into catatonic shock now.” Sam said poking the young mare before him, which didn’t seem to generate a response.

“That’s alright, we’ll fix her up as soon as we’re finished here, and I thought you’d be the most appropriate to deal the final blow to this blob.” Brad seemed to grin behind his mask.

“…What did you have in mind?” Sam asked raising an eyebrow at Brad.

“Use an old trick of yours!” Brad said before suddenly moving quickly. Sam wasn’t sure what he did, but suddenly his hoof felt very hot. He lifted it up and looked at it, to find that Brad had set it on fire.

“Oh…I get it…” Sam said, as the searing hot pain began to tear at his nerves.

The bloody mess of the dark creature was crawling forward as best it could, letting out horrifying whines at the damage Brad had done. Sam suddenly appeared before it, as the creature looked up at the fire burning on Sam’s hoof.

“I’m doing this for Brad. So now!” Sam held his hoof over his head, “Here I go! This hoof of mine is BURNING RED! Its loud roar tells me to GRASP VICTORY!” He pulled his hoof back, “ERUPTING…BURNING…HOOF!” Sam thrust his hoof down onto the head of the Dark Creature, “AND NOW…THE END!” The Dark Creature roared out as it suddenly erupted in a huge explosion. The fire on Sam’s hand extinguished at this.

“Excellent Sam!” Brad laughed happily.

“Are we done now?” Sam said looking at Fluttershy, who seemed to have become a white statue, “I think we need to get back to the computer and fix this trauma.”

“Hold on! There’s ONE LAST THING I need to do while we’re here!” Brad laughed.

“…Oh no…what’re you doing Brad?” Sam winced a little, not ready for what Brad had in mind.

“Oh, something that’ll make the fans VERY happy!” He said standing up on his hind hooves before clapping his hooves together.

Lance was busy writing down notes in his office about his latest patient. He was going to have to remember to increase her medication by about 50 milligrams for it provide better results, though he’d have to add a liquid portion to her diet to substitute the increase nausea the medicine would add as a side effect.

Suddenly there was a knock at his office door and he groaned softly to himself.

“Come in.” He called out.

“I can’t.” Said the voice behind the door.

“Why not?” Lance growled, displeased with having to break from his studies.

“I have something for you that I can’t get through the door at the moment; I need you to open it.”

“…Fine.” Lance grunted as he got up from his desk. He carefully maneuvered around the piles of books that lay stacked around his office as he approached the door. He lifted his hoof up and opened it, looking down into what seemed to be a black hole.

“Hey, yea, I couldn’t stop by here without dropping you a visit. And I figured what better way to show you how I feel about your ‘canon’ then by showing you my cannon?” Brad sat atop a huge cannon that somehow he had managed to fit into the hallway.

A loud explosion rang out, rocking the whole hospital at its very foundation as the cannon was fired at point blank range.

“…Yea…I apologize for this again.” Sam said looking at Fluttershy who stood next to him in the hallway looking at the cannon as best they could through the wrecked hallway, filled with smoke and debris. Though admittedly the floor was now given a good view of the sky.

“…What…” Fluttershy mumbled.

“Uhm…this is all a bad dream?” Sam smiled awkwardly.

“…Yes…yes this was all a bad dream.” Fluttershy murmured to herself.

"And so, once again, the day was saved. The ponies Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy can go on living happily, with none of the trauma, cause I said so, Lance Strongshy got torn to pieces by a cannonball, And everything was better forever, thanks to that dashing editor Brad"

"Are you done ruining my story yet?"

Study of the Mind Delve

Chapter 1

Comprehension

Twilight threw her hooves up in frustration.

“WHY IS THIS SO COMPLICATED!?” Twilight groaned as she put the latest book she had been browsing through down. It too had yielded her no answers; she was squarely back where she had begun once again.

“You seem stressed Twilight, is this really that important?” Spike asked as he approached her quickly, placing a cup of her favorite tea down next to her.

“Thank you Spike.” Twilight sighed softly levitating the cup up to her lips and taking a sip, starting to settle down again, “And it is. This spell is baffling me now. There’s no indication in the book it comes from that suggests the spell is bad. Yet I have four separate testimonies that the spell shouldn’t EVER be used again.” Twilight rubbed her forehead carefully.

“Have you asked them why?” Spike asked curiously.

“Of course I have Spike. But…” She took another sip of the tea as she thought about her friends reasons carefully, “Pinkie found out about her sister through the spell but refused to explain how beyond that she had to go through some fog filled version of Ponyville, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash also said they saw the same thing. And Lance refused to say a word about it. Of course they didn’t explain why or even how.” Twilight groaned softly.

“Poor Pinkie… It’s sad that she lost her sister when she was younger.” Spike frowned thinking about it.

“Yeah… I know how you feel Spike.” Twilight said calming down a little, that reminder sobering her emotions, “And chances are Fluttershy had something similar happen to her, but she hasn’t told anypony but Rainbow Dash… and from what I can tell it wouldn’t be a good idea to pressure her into telling us.” She sighed softly. “And honestly I don’t even want to know what Lance saw, I’m sure he saw a lot during his time as a doctor. But that’s also why I’ve been doing this research, to try and figure it out on my own.”

“Have you figured anything out yet?” Spike asked curiously, looking at Twilight’s notes.

“Nada. Nothing. Zilch. Zero!” Twilight groaned frustrated putting her head against the table, “I’ve gotten nowhere Spike. I’ve looked at every detail, every loophole, anything that would tell me exactly how this spell works or why it does what it does.” She lifted her head and levitated her copy of ‘Dreams: A Psychological Understanding’ over to her. The book once more flipped open to the offending spell in question.

“What’s so difficult about that spell? I mean, your Twilight Sparkle, you can figure out any spell you put your mind to.” Spike said praising Twilight.

“Heh… Thanks Spike.” Twilight said lifting her head, “But the problem is just the lack of information.” She put her hoof against the page in the book, “This book has a description of the spell and how to cast it… and that’s it. Every other spell has details on it. Possible side effects, proper handling and use, just basic info every spell should have. And I didn’t notice any of this till I started studying it.” Twilight closed the book, not wanting to look at the page anymore.

“So I went searching for answers in the rest of the library but… I turned up nothing.” Twilight said turning to the massive amount of books and papers that were stacked around the library, a usual scene after her intense studying, “Every book on dreams, psychology, understanding the mind… ANYWHERE the Mind Delve or a similar spell might appear there was nothing. The mind delve spell appears in THIS book and this book alone.” Twilight gave ‘Dreams: A Psychological Understanding’ a soft glare.

“How is that possible?” Spike asked confused, “No spell appears in just one single book, it has to be somewhere.”

“Well, apparently this one doesn’t show up anywhere else in the library.” Twilight sighed again, taking a sip from her tea before her frustrations started to get to her nerves again, “I even tried to check other books by this author, but this is the only book I have of his. So I checked the creators of the original spells. Even in his book, every spell is referenced to having an original creator and I can find out more about them. But not this spell.” Twilight opened the book back up to the page, running her hoof across the page as she scowled at the spell. “This one. Specific. Spell. Has no extra information. It’s just there. Mocking me.”

“…Huh. Do you think the answer would be in the Canterlot archives?” Spike asked curiously.

“Most likely Spike, but I can’t just waltz over to the Canterlot archives whenever I want. I’ve still got things to do in Ponyville. I’ve got to help Applejack with the farm, then help Pinkie Pie try and figure out her new recipe, Rarity wants to spend time at the spa as well, and then Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash want to talk to me about some personal spell they need. My schedule is booked solid.” Twilight sighed.

“…Uh… Twilight, how’re you going to find time to go to Canterlot then?” Spike asked curiously.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying Spike, I can’t go to Canterlot right now. As much as I’d like to.” Twilight sighed again carefully sipping on her tea once more.

“No, I mean, you have to find time to go to Canterlot Twilight. Your evaluation is next week, don’t you remember?”

Twilight nearly gagged on her tea, it spewing out back into her cup and splashing onto her face.

“MY EVALUATION!” Twilight cried out in a panic, not even flinching about the tea, “I COMPLETELY FORGOT!” Her horn lit up as her books and notes quickly moved to the side and her list of things to do flew over. At the top of the list was in fact, underlined in red, the date of her evaluation, one week from now. “Spike, why didn’t you remind me sooner!?” She said jumping from her seat and rushing around quickly putting books back on the shelf haphazardly as she panicked.

“I’ve never had to remind you before Twilight. Besides, it’s not like you to forget something so important… How DID you forget about it?” Spike asked scratching his head a little confused.

“I… just… the last few days have been very stressful, alright Spike?” Twilight said shaking her head. She didn’t want to admit to Spike that the combination of Pinkie and Fluttershy’s dreams had been getting to her, as much as she’d like to forget them. She was grateful she couldn’t remember Lance’s, but that only furthered the conundrum. On top of all that she was still worried about the mental health of her friends; even though they said they were alright she worried. Pinkie lost her sister and Fluttershy likely suffered something similar, there was no way she could believe they were handling it as well as they showed it to others. Then on top of that she’d been researching the mind delve spell.

“That’s not like you Twilight. You’ve never forgotten about your evaluation before.” Spike said rather surprised, “Even when you’ve been busy you remember it… are you alright?” Spike seemed worried now.

“I’m fine Spike… I just…” Twilight thought about her words carefully, “I guess things have been bothering me alright? But… I have no choice now. I can’t fail the evaluation, so there’s nothing else I can do. I have to put all my other plans on hold and go to Canterlot.” Twilight said gathering the books scattered amongst the library more calmly now, placing them away gently.

“Your friends will understand Twilight, besides you could use a short break from all this, study up on your magic for the test and all. I’m sure you’ll be feeling better in no time.” Spike said moving to help Twilight pick up the mess of a library.

‘I hope you’re right Spike.’ Twilight thought, still feeling a bit of a grip on her heart. If her friends were troubled, then so was she.

“Again, I’m really sorry about all this.” Twilight turned to her friends, as she placed her small suitcase on the chariot.

“Don’t you worry two bits over it Twi’, nothin’ a little extra hard work can’t handle.” Applejack said adjusting her hat before crossing her legs, “’Sides, this here’s like yer final exam of the year right? Well we wouldn’t want ya to fail that.”

“Undoubtedly. You can come with me to the spa anytime, and after your exam I most certainly must take you. You’ll need a good relaxation and grooming after that.” Rarity explained, her voice as elegant as ever.

“Don’t worry Twilight, when you get back I’ll have figured out my new super-duper amazing recipe! We’ll throw you a super-awesome Congratulations party with cakes and sodas and balloons and streamers and everypony in Ponyville will be there!” Pinkie spouted happily prancing in place, already excited for the party.

“It’s okay Twilight, really, this is very important for you. Don’t worry about our small problems if they’ll interrupt your big one.” Fluttershy offered up with a smile.

“Yeah, we can wait for you to get back. You have a good trip.” Rainbow nodded in agreement.

“Thanks. Still, I really feel like I should apologize for not remembering.” Twilight smiled softly, looking at Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, “but, I suppose with all the craziness the last week or so what else was I supposed to do?” Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash each gave a soft laugh rubbing the back of their heads.

“We’re all set to go.” One of the royal guards pulling the chariot said turning to Twilight.

“Thank you sirs.” She nodded politely to them before turning back, “Alright, I guess I’ll be off then… uhhh, you WILL be okay taking care of the library by yourself, right Spike?” Twilight asked cautiously.

“For the millionth time, of course I will.” Spike said rolling his eyes having heard the question far more often then he’d like. “Owlowiscious will be there too if I need any help. You’ve got nothing to worry about Twilight, I promise.”

“Well… then I’m off everyone. I’ll see you all in a week.” Twilight said finally satisfied with her goodbyes. The royal guards gave a quick nodded and proceeded to take off into the sky. Twilight waved to her friends who waved back as they soon disappeared into the distance of Ponyville.

Twilight let out a soft sigh as she settled into the chariot ride. She looked at her suitcase, opening it carefully with her magic and pulling out her copy of ‘Dreams: A Psychological Understanding’. She scrutinized the cover once more, her eyes landing on the name of the author.

“Magus V. Darkarts.” Twilight read out loud for what seemed like the hundredth time to her. “I will find out about your little ‘Mind Delve’ spell if it’s the last thing I do.”

“It’s wonderful to see you again Twilight.” Celestia said sipping her tea gracefully, “I do hope your trip here was pleasant.”

“But of course Princess.” Twilight smiled remembering her manners.

Since she would be staying in Canterlot for the week the Princess had taken the opportunity to have tea with her star pupil before she became a studying recluse.

“How have your studies in magic been going?” Celestia smiled interested.

“Oh, unbelievably!” Twilight said excitedly, “I’ve learned a lot while in Ponyville, not just about friendship but about new magic in general.” Twilight said excitedly.

She quickly began a rant to the Princess, not even knowing where it was coming from, about all the new things she had learned in Ponyville. She explained about the new spells she taught herself during their crazy misadventures, such as growing facial hair, turning objects into clothes, making music from reeds, finally getting the hang of teleportation, levitating large objects and even how to turn simple mice into carriage pulling horses.

Celestia listened eagerly to her student’s tales, laughing where appropriate and happy to hear her student was having fun with her friends while learning about magic. It did her heart good to know she was growing up so well. She was already an adult but she did have a lot left to learn. She was on the right track though and Celestia was thankful for it.

“Spike was sneezing for a few days after that. We had to keep him outside to keep from burning the place down.” Twilight laughed, Celestia chuckling softly in return, “But we eventually got it settled and he was very grateful. The day after that I sent him out on a shopping trip to replace the things he’d accidentally scorched during his sneezing fit, though we were lucky he didn’t burn up any of the books.” Twilight nodded taking a sip of the tea before her thinking about what happened next.

“And then after that Pinkie…” Twilight stopped as she realized where she was in her story. She stopped abruptly, lowering her tea cup to the table as she stared down at it with a melancholy look.

“What’s the matter Twilight?” Celestia asked curious about this sudden shift in mood and behavior. Twilight softly contorted her face in thought, debating with herself about what she should tell the Princess next. A thought came to her mind first though.

“Princess, can I ask you a question?”

“Of course my faithful student, what is it?” Celestia asked genuinely smiling, not sure what to expect.

“Do you know of a spell called ‘Mind Delve’?” Celestia pondered this question for a moment, not really having expected it.

“Well… what kind of a Mind Delve my student? There have been many spells that focus on the mind throughout the years, be it for a memory problem, a medical problem, finding out if somepony is telling the truth or not, and various psychological studies.” Celestia answered with her normal regal tone, thinking over the types of spells she’d seen during her years.

“Well… this spell is simply called ‘Mind Delve’.” Twilight said looking to her side and seeing her suitcase. Her horn lit up as she reached inside of it and pulled out the book once more, flipping open to the page in question before showing it the Princess, “It appears in this book called ‘Dreams: A Psychological Understanding’, but there’s no extra information about it. I was wondering if you knew anything about this spell.”

Celestia looked over the spell curiously, reading the description and the intricate details of how to cast such a spell. A slight worry came across her face that sent a small bit of panic through her body, but the Princess simply closed her eyes in thought before moving the book down onto the table.

“I’m not sure what to make of the spell Twilight.” Celestia finally spoke, Twilight letting out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding in. “It’s a spell that lets one find out about problems that are hidden deep within the subconscious.” Celestia tilted her head, looking up at the ceiling in thought, “However, that seems like an awfully dangerous idea…”

“…Princess?” Twilight asked, not sure what was going through the Princess’s head.

“The mind is a delicate thing Twilight. Even with magic its very easy to harm it if you’re not careful. This spell says that it’s supposed to draw out the problem its patient is suffering from to shorten the time they need to recover… however, its more than that.” Celestia explained placing a hoof against the page, Twilight listening with earnest.

“This spell, the way it’s written, described and displayed is in fact a cure for nightmares. However, even without casting it I can tell that it’s more complex than that.” Her hoof passed over the section explaining how to cast the spell, studying it intently, “This is a very complex dive into the mind. The potential for abuse is high for somepony that could figure out the details of this spell. With some modifications it can very easily be turned into something that attacks the mind instead of helping it.”

“R-Really?” Twilight’s eyes widened in shock, not having expected any of this from the princess. She was good at learning a spell and how to cast it, but she was still just a beginner in how to deconstruct a spell and learn it’s inner workings. Celestia on the other hand had thousands of years of experience in this, deconstructing a spell would be almost second nature to her.

“I’m… almost amazed at this spell.” Celestia said, turning the pages to check on a few of the other spells in the book before returning to the page with the Mind Delve. “This spell… I would say this spell is at least a Rank A.”

“Huh!? But… but I’ve seen Rank A spells before and they were much harder to cast than that spell.” Twilight said in shock.

Twilight knew that spells went in rank of difficulty casting and the ability that went along it. The lowest a spell could be was Rank D and was often associated with every day spells Unicorns needed, such as levitation of objects. The highest a spell could reach in Rank was S, and spells of that nature could move the very Sun and Moon itself. Not to mention the Elements of Harmony broke the scale itself, being a power beyond anything seen before.

“That’s what worries me my student. While not just anypony could cast this spell, it’s easy enough for unicorns studying magic to cast. Despite how complex it is, it’s designed to be simple to cast.” Celestia then mumbled softly, “It took a great genius to devise a spell this way…” Celestia closed the book and looked at the cover, her eyes falling to the author. “Where did you find this book my student?”

“It… it was in the library.” Twilight explained, “I found it because my friends were having troubles with nightmares… and they were some serious nightmares. That spell was the only option we felt we had left and so I used it on them… they came out better and saying they were thankful for having found out what was causing their nightmares, but it concerned me.”

“And what was the cause of them?” Celestia asked curiously.

“…W-Well… Pinkie came to me first with the Nightmares…” Twilight began. She quickly explained to Celestia about finding the spell and using it on Pinkie. How after the spell ended Pinkie had left for a while before returning to Ponyville and explaining to her that the spell had showed her the death of her sister Bellamina at the hooves of a serial killer.

“A… A serial killer?” Celestia stopped Twilight short.

“Y-Yea… is something wrong Princess?” Twilight looked up at the Princess curiously.

“Twilight… in the last 100 years of my reign there has only been one known and captured serial killer. He’s currently locked away in Foalsom Prison for Deranged Ponies.” Celestia spoke slowly and clearly, “I haven’t been informed on everything about the case with him, it’s been left up mostly to my security staff… I had no idea that one of the wielders of the Elements of Harmony had almost been a victim to him…” Celestia looked away from Twilight, as if gears were turning in her head as her eyes narrowed.

“W-Well… Princess, Pinkie may have been a victim to his evil but she’s alright now.” Celestia looked at her student curiously, “Well…I -I mean I assume she is… she keeps telling me she is and she certainly doesn’t seem to do anything to contradict that… so I think she took the lesson and used it to strengthen her resolve in life, rather than let it keep her down.”

“…I see.” Celestia said still in thought. “Well… go ahead and continue Twilight, you said Pinkie was the first?” Celestia seemed even more attentive now than she had been before.

“Y-Yes… about two months after Pinkie had suffered from her Nightmares, Fluttershy started having them too. So I ended up using the spell on her as well… she came out better for it as well, though she hasn’t told me what happened to her.” Twilight grew quiet as she finished explaining. Fluttershy wasn’t the last pony she had cast the spell on. She had also cast the spell on Fluttershy’s father Lance Strongshy...

But she remembered promising Fluttershy she wouldn’t speak of him having needed her help. And as much as she would like to tell the Princess, she hadn’t learned anything more from the experience. So she decided to keep to her promise for the time being.

“I see…” Celestia pondered quietly. “What did you experience during the spell?”

“That’s just it Princess… I don’t know.” Twilight said, looking away, “Both times I used the spell I found myself in a dark foggy void staring at a floating picture that morphed and changed. I couldn’t make sense of what I saw. It only lasted a short while too. The spell ended on its own both times, I had no control over when it ended. However it seemed to end just as my friends found resolution within the spell.”

“The spell ends on its own?” Celestia looked at the contents of the book once more. She didn’t see anywhere in the intricate castings of the spell of it ending on its own. “And that’s all you know of the spell?”

“Yes… see, my friends… whatever it is they saw or went through… they refuse to tell me. In fact… they made me promise to never use the spell again.” Twilight looked down at the book feeling defeated, even though part of the reason she had come to Canterlot was to find out more about the spell.

“Well, then I have a proposal for you Twilight.” Celestia said turning to her student, Twilight looking up in surprise, “I’d like to see what this spell does for myself. Would you grant me permission to cast it upon you?”

Twilight perked up in curiosity. On one hoof that made sense, if she couldn’t cast the spell again her teacher certainly could. On the other, she was suddenly afraid of what she might find inside of herself, this spell was enough to have Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash all make her promise that she shouldn’t use the spell again. She found herself second guessing this idea.

“Twilight?” Celestia’s voice kicked Twilight back to her senses, “I asked if it was alright for me to cast the spell on you.”

“…Of course Princess.” Twilight put a smile on her face, “You’re here with me, what could go wrong?” She really hoped she hadn’t just tempted fate right then and there.

Celestia just gave a smile and her horn lit up as she cast the spell that was written down in the book before her. Twilight gave a silent gulp and tilted her head forward for the princess. With careful precision she tapped her horn against Twilight’s forehead.

Twilight felt herself float up into space. She was confused at this new sensation, as she opened her eyes to try and figure out what was going on. She blinked, trying to confirm that she had opened her eyes.

Everything was pitch black around her. There wasn’t anything to be seen anywhere. She raised a hoof up to her face. She could see it clearly. She looked at more of herself, able to see herself completely despite the lack of a visible light source. She looked down at where she thought she would see a ground, but only saw darkness. Her hooves weren’t standing on anything discernable, she was just floating in a random black void.

Suddenly she felt as if somehow the world was moving around her quickly, a rush of wind moving past her body though she could see nothing. She squinted her eyes at the rush of wind, trying to gain control of the situation. Her hooves flailed as she tried to gain ground. The whirlwind was deafening though she couldn’t explain how anything was there to be loud.

Then it all stopped. All at once Twilight blinked her eyes open and found herself in a completely new location. Her hooves set down on a dirt road with a small grass patch on either side that ended shortly before a black pit. The sky was still dark, but was randomly littered with floating trees and buildings she recognized from Canterlot. Not too far from her she could spot her home in Canterlot and looking behind her she could see the castle.

“I must say, this is very unique. I’ve never quite experienced anything like this.” A voice called out much to Twilight’s surprise. She quickly looked up, seeing the white form of Celestia slowly fly down and land before her.

“P-Princess! How did we get here!?” Twilight asked confused about her surroundings.

“It appears we’re inside a projection of your mind.” Celestia explained looking around.

“We… we are?” Twilight asked surprised.

“We are. I must say, I’m surprised to see a version of Canterlot here. I was expecting a representation of Ponyville if anything.” Celestia pondered looking around.

“Well… I spent most of my life in Canterlot… b-but that’s not the point.” Twilight shook her head, “How’re you here? Whenever I used the spell I didn’t interact with my friends. I saw nothing and this…” She looked around at the floating scenery, “This is strange but…i t’s not terrifying. My friends were terrified of what they saw here.”

“I see. Then the only solution is to look further into what is happening with this spell. Shall we?” Celestia smiled at her student.

“Of course Princess, I couldn’t pass up an opportunity like this to learn more about the spell.” Twilight smiled.

“I’m glad my faithful student.” Celestia said happily, the two of them walking down the dirt road to the house that looked like Twilight’s.

“Comprehension is but a small portion of ourselves. We take what we learn and say that is how things are. But there’s always more to it than that, isn’t there? We must look further, for within every answer will always be another question.” – Magus V. Darkarts.

Chapter 2

Reasoning

“Twilight? What are you doing?” Her mother asked looking down at the little filly who seemed to be nestled on a pillow surrounded by a fort made out of books.

“The munsters can’t get me while I read now!” Filly Twilight spoke up in her young cheerful voice before sticking her nose back into the book and happily read away at her latest adventure.

Celestia stifled a giggle as the more adult Twilight who stood next to her blushed.

“I forgot how adorable you had been.” Celestia commented.

“Ahaha… yeah…” Twilight said trying to laugh her blush away. The ghostly image of that memory seemed to fade away and was replaced with another, this one a scene of Twilight’s mother reading a book to filly Twilight.

This had been the scene since they had entered the building that looked just like her old home in Canterlot. Various images of memories past blinked in and out of existence, all of them Twilight’s. Most in this house were just of her as a little filly, interacting with her parents, having birthday parties and of course lots of studying. Most of her active memories of her youth involved her nose deep in some kind of book.

Celestia looked around the house curiously, watching each memory come and fade before her eyes fell on a chest that seemed to somehow stand out from the rest of the scenery objects. Twilight looked at her curiously as her mentor began to walk forward, before looking at what her eyes were drawn to, her heart almost stopping.

“Oh, hey Princess, w-what’re you looking at?” Twilight asked quickly zipping in front of the Princess, standing between her and the chest.

“This chest seems to stand out as something different from the rest of the room. I was just going to check what was inside it.” Celestia explained with a smile.

“Oh, what, this chest?” Twilight said awkwardly placing her body against the chest as if protecting it. “Oh there’s nothing inside of here, haha, don’t be silly, it’s just an ordinary chest! It’s not like anything would be kept inside of here.” She laughed trying to grin away the Princess’s curiosity. Celestia opened her mouth to question this, when suddenly a voice interrupted them both as if answering her question.

“What’re you writing Twilight?” The supportive voice of her father came, looking over the filly sitting at a desk who was happily writing away.

“Oh, I just finished reading The Adventures of Captain Roger! I was sad to see the story end, so I’m writing what happened next!” Filly Twilight giggled happily.

“And what happens in your story?” Her father asked curiously.

“So far Captain Roger has fallen in love with the pretty mare Midnight Sparkle! They’re currently seeking to find a cure to the curse placed on Midnight to restore her broken heart!” Filly Twilight giggled as she went back to writing.

“My, a romance story? How bold.” Her father chuckled.

“It’s the bestest story ever!” Filly Twilight gave a wide grin.

Celestia did everything she could to keep herself from falling over with laughter, as Twilight’s face became a deep red as she clutched the chest harder.

“It’s not funny!” Twilight said trying to bury her face against the trunk now.

“Oh… oh my faithful student… I had no idea you were such… such a romantic.” Celestia let out another set of giggles, covering her mouth with her hoof as she was failing, miserably to not laugh at this revelation.

“Ooooh… curse my mind… this is so embarrassing.” Twilight groaned at Celestia’s laughing.

Twilight and Celestia walked down the dirt road heading for the depiction of the castle. Twilight’s ears were folded back as she walked, still trying to get over the embarrassment of having been caught writing her silly fanfiction as a foal.

“Come now Twilight, you should relax. I’m not going to tell anyone about your daring adventures as a child.” Celestia chuckled soflty walking beside her student.

“It’s STILL embarrassing.” Twilight grumbled softly, “I haven’t told anyone I used to write those… things when I was younger. They’re so poorly written!” Twilight said letting loose her inner critic. “The established characters were all acting out of character, everything was focused around my original character, a poorly written one I might add, who was the admiration and affection of every other character. Captain Roger was a swinging bachelor, he would never settle down with a single mare so easily! Not to mention the physics of their adventures, oh they broke physics so often just because I wanted to.” Twilight rubbed her forehead as they walked.

“But that sounds like such fun.” Celestia laughed, “Everypony has written something like that at least once in their life. It’s fun to write silly things for the sake of it. Even I’ve written some in my days.” Celestia smiled.

“W-what? Really?” Twilight asked surprised having heard the Princess had written fanfiction in the past.

“Of course. Though it has been many years since I wrote anything that wasn’t a letter or a political paper.” Celestia mused with herself. “I’ve been so very busy with all my work as of late. Perhaps when I get a break I’ll write something new.” She smiled softly.

“Would… would it be okay if I could read it?” Twilight asked now very curious as to the kind of literature the Princess would write. Surely anything that she graced would be filled with an exhilarating prose, one that would keep her enthralled for quite some time.

“Only if I can read some of your old work.” Celestia gave a sly smile to her student. Twilight felt her ears go back again as she groaned looking up at the sky, eliciting another chuckle from the Princess.

Inside the castle Celestia and Twilight were greeted with a very similar scene as they had upon entering Twilight’s house. Only now the scenes were of an older Twilight, learning and studying magic.

“I don’t get it Princess…” Twilight said watching the ghostly images of her younger self struggling to learn spells. “It seems that everything here is just showing us my memories. It’s helping me remember these events more clearly… but how is this terrifying?” Twilight looked up at Celestia looking for an answer.

Celestia didn’t answer straight away. She had to ponder that question herself.

“Well… let me ask you Twilight, you haven’t been having nightmares correct?” Celestia watched with a bit of amusement as a filly Twilight was bouncing around in a circle cheerfully at having succeeded in casting a spell.

“No, I haven’t… and I don’t think I have memories I’ve suppressed from my childhood… I just wasn’t very social as a child. I read books and studied primarily but… that was always of my own choice, not because I was afraid of friends.” Twilight spoke softly, remembering back to her focus on studying and bettering herself over getting to know anyone she knew.

“Tell me Twilight, do you think that it would make a difference?” Celestia asked in a curious manner.

“I… it’s the only thing I can think of that would…” Twilight murmured slowly to herself.

“Well, now that I have seen this spell for myself I can give you a proper analysis of what I think of it.” Celestia said closing her eyes, her horn flaring up with magic. Twilight looked at her teacher curious, wondering what exactly it was she was doing when she suddenly felt the world begin to crumble away around her.

The wind returned as everything returned to the black void. She closed her eyes trying to orientate herself quickly before she felt solid ground underneath her once again. The warm touch of her teacher’s horn pulled away from her forehead as she blinked open her eyes, realizing she was sitting at the table once more, looking at Celestia.

“Wait… did you… you ended the spell on purpose?” Twilight said astonished rubbing her forehead.

“I did. It’s in the casting instructions.” Celestia explained with a soft smile.

“Well… I knew that but…” Twilight was just kind of at a loss for words. She was used to the spell ending on its own... she scoffed at herself for thinking it was possible to get ‘used’ to that spell.

“This has certainly been an interesting discovery.” Celestia said closing the book and levitating it back over to Twilight, who carefully took it in her hooves, “It’s a spell I believe I’ll have use for in the future. However I’m still worried that it was released in a book available to the public.”

“I... I can understand your worries Princess…” Twilight said looking at the book.

“Regardless though, here are my thoughts on what I saw.” Celestia said taking a quick breath to gather her thoughts, “The spell does exactly what it says it does. It lets the caster delve into the patients mind so that they can view memories better. I’m sure if we had dug deeper we would’ve found more… embarrassing things that you’d rather keep secret.” Twilight could only blush, knowing it was true, there were somethings she did on quiet days while alone that she didn’t exactly want the Princess to see.

“However, your experience seems to differ. We used the spell as intended and it reacted exactly how it’s supposed to as it’s written down. The spell allows me access to your mind and together we unravel what might be ailing you. That’s why it’s so effective as a cure for Nightmares. It takes you directly to the problem of the Nightmares and makes you deal with them.” Celestia pondered again, “However… you should still have been with your friends the entire time. There’s no explanation for you to have been separated as you said you were.”

“Do… do you think I screwed up in casting the spell?” Twilight asked a little worried.

“No, I don’t think you did.” Celestia pondered. “I think there’s more going on than meets the eye.” She grew quiet after that, the gears in her mind turning. Twilight opened her mouth to speak up; however Celestia was the next to speak.

“Well, this is as good a place as any to end our time for the day.” Celestia smiled. “I have business to attend to and I’m sure you would like to get started on studying for your evaluation.”

“Y-Yeah, I guess I do need to start studying.” Twilight said thinking to herself, there was only a few days left till she would be evaluated; though now that she had talked with the Princess she was feeling better about it all. “Would it be alright if I had access to the Canterlot Archives for my studies Princess?”

“But of course Twilight. I’ll see you again soon.” Celestia bowed softly to Twilight, Twilight bowing back before the two of them went their separate ways.

‘Okay, I’m only more confused now…’ Twilight thought taking several mental notes of everything she saw during her experience with the Princess, ‘I have to find out more though.’ She thought while looking at the book she was levitating by her side before placing it back into the suitcase as she made her way to the archives, ‘For the sake of my friends I have to learn more about this spell…’

The Canterlot archives were a vast network of book shelves that seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see. It was the single place in all of Equestria where all known knowledge was stored. Every book that was published had a copy placed inside its lengths, every finished research paper, every official document, anything written that was deemed important for Equestria.

The archives were a well-guarded resource. Only those who had direct permission from the Princesses were allowed access to them. At any time there could be found at least two or three researchers browsing the archives for information, however the size of the archives often meant you’d find solitude more often than running into another soul.

This wasn’t Twilight’s first time stepping into the hallowed chambers. She’d been there several times, the first few with the Princess teaching her how to access the resources available, then how to study details on new spells she was studying, then she’d been there on several personal trips looking for books that were not available in the normal Canterlot Library.

Twilight found herself now staring at the many long pathways before her, books filled from one end to the other. It was one of her dreams to have all the time she could ever want to just simply browse through the literature here, learn everything that was possible to learn from the hidden depths of this amazing collection of knowledge.

However, she was here for a very specific purpose and she didn’t have the luxury of idling for too long.

Along the wall next to the door she had just entered were several pendants that hung loosely by strings on the wall. She levitated one over to herself and looked at it. The pendant was a simple point cut crystal wrapped with a decorative silver frame. The pendants were simple yet shined with a complex beauty. Twilight was sure Rarity would love to get her hands on one.

“I’m looking for the works of Magus V. Darkarts.” Twilight said concentrating her magic on the pendant. The pendant lit up with a soft white glow and Twilight let go of the pendant as it now floated before her on its own. The pendant then began to move, creating a path through the massive lengths of archives for Twilight to follow.

The pendant was like a small star leading her through the dimly lit hallways of the archives. She had once asked why the lights were kept dimmed and the answer she had received was that it helped preserve the documents. It was an answer that made sense to her, but it made looking for what you wanted a little more difficult.

She turned and wove through several archives following the light as it guided her through the maze of knowledge. It was always hard to tell just how far you would have to travel, for all she knew his section could have been at the very back of the archives.

However the pendant made one final turn down a length of the archives and came to a stop, illuminating the area.

“Ah-hah, so here’s the section.” Twilight said aloud to herself smiling as she drew closer, when she noticed movement. She quickly shifted her eyes in the direction and saw a dark colored pony that seemed to be just slightly taller than her, “Oh, I didn’t expect to meet someone else here.” Twilight said surprised, trying to adjust her eyes to see who it was.

“O-Oh…We did not see thou either…our apologies, we shall just go elsewhere.” The voice of a restrained mare replied to her as the pony turned and began to walk off, her own pendant following her.

“There’s nothing to apologize for.” Twilight explained causing the mare to stop, “I don’t mind having someone else around while I study. My name’s Twilight Sparkle, what’s yours?” Twilight smiled giving her guest a friendly greeting.

The other mare was quiet for a moment before turning around and walked closer before her pendant raised up and glowed brighter, giving Twilight a proper look at the mare before her. She had grayish purple coat with a dark flowing mane and tail of energy. Her teal eyes seemed to pierce strongly through the dim light as Twilight could now make out the large size of her horn accentuated by a small dark crown. Her body was adorned with small pieces of royal regalia the same color as her crown and hair. Her chest and flank bore the shape of the crescent moon.

“... It is I, Twilight Sparkle… Princess Luna…” Luna spoke not wanting to look Twilight in the eyes, seeming nervous.

“Oh, I’m sorry Princess; I didn’t mean to intrude upon your studies.” Twilight said giving her a quick bow before smiling, “I must admit I wasn’t expecting to see you here of all places.”

“W-Well…We have been spending our free time studying here…much to Celestia’s dismay. Our sister insists we should go out and be... social…” Luna turned her head to look at Twilight, “But… I… I just want to study right now.” “However, we only wish to broaden our knowledge for now. There will be time for social gatherings once we have learned more about the fate of Equestria.”

“Well… we haven’t seen you since… well…” Twilight said not wanting to bring up bad memories, “Since Pinkie threw you that party. Is this where you’ve been the whole time?” Twilight asked surprised, eliciting a nod from Luna. “Well, Princess… if I may… I think you should make some time for friends.”

“…But… We have no friends…” Luna seemed hestitant to say so, looking up to the cieling of the library, “Nopony has seemed willing to spend lengthened periods of time with us. It has been... strange... we fear that it was because of our actions as Nightmare Moon.”

“Oh come now, everypony already forgave you.” Twilight smiled, “No one holds it against you, and you just need to work up the courage to make some friends.” Twilight felt weird giving this advice to Princess Luna. Not just a year ago she wouldn’t have said a word of it; surprising what can change in such a short amount of time.

“…Are thou sure?” Luna asked, looking at Twilight with a curious look, not sure whether she was being told the truth or not, “Thou unleashed the powers of harmony upon us that took away our dark powers. Does thou not hold any ill will towards us?”

“Of course not, don’t be silly.” Twilight chuckled, “What were you currently studying anyway?”

“We... We were researching into what became of dreams in our absence.” Luna looked towards the book shelves, “T’was always a subject of fascination for me, since our subjects always dreamt during our nights. So, we were curious about the contents of their dreams since my absence.”

“What a coincidence, I’m here studying dreams too.” Twilight grinned, walking up to the shelves her pendant point to indicating the section that was labeled as the works of Magus V. Darkarts. Twilight scanned through the selection and frowned a little. There were only four books released by this author which disappointed her. She grabbed all four of them with her magic and levitated them to her side before levitating one of the books over to Luna. “I think you’ll find this one particularly interesting.”

“Dreams: A Psychological Understanding?” Luna said curiously reading the cover of the book.

“Why don’t we study together Luna? If we compare notes I’m sure we can learn a lot more about this subject than either of us could alone.” Twilight grinned happily.

“Thou would want us as... thous fellow researcher?” Luna perked up, a smile forming on her face at Twilight’s proposal.

“Of course! Plus I’m sort of on a time limit, so having the help would be greatly appreciated.” Twilight beamed happily before looking around and finding one of the nearby study tables, “Lets study!” She exclaimed walking over  to the table and placing the three books down onto it.

“Very well, let us join together to further our knowledge.” Luna said happily walking over to the table with her book and sat down across from Twilight, looking curiously at the book before her. Luna wondered what kind of knowledge would be gained from this book that delved into the psychology of dreams.

“Everything happens for a reason. From the wind blowing to the very movements of the sun and stars. There is only one thing to do with knowing this…and that is to seize the knowledge! To let the answers slip away is...as criminal as theft.” – Magus V. Darkarts.

Chapter 3

Understanding

Dreams: A Psychological Understanding

Sea Ponies: Fact or Fiction?

Long Distance Communication Theories and Ideas

A Modern History of Thumbtacks

Twilight felt her face hit the table hard, prompting Luna to look up quickly from her reading. The paper next to Twilight was filled with many crossed out scribbles that once had been notes on what she had THOUGHT were important aspects of each book in an effort to learn more about the author. But no, each note taken was very easily contradicted in the next book which had some other bit of info that would then be destroyed by the next.

There were only four books he had written and each one told the story of a completely different author.

“Is everything well Twilight?” Luna asked blinking curiously.

“I’m just frustrated is all.” Twilight said lifting her head and flipping through the next page of ‘Sea Ponies: Fact or Fiction?’ “These books are almost like they were written by a completely different author. However, I know they weren’t because despite the contexts being different, the writing style is almost exactly the same. Quick, to the point yet nonsensical dialogue. Listen to this for instance.” Twilight said clearing her throat and putting a hoof to the page as she read.

“Early research said that the possible existence of ‘Sea Ponies’ would be a biological impossibility even amongst the fields that studied the biology of the dubbed ‘mythical’ class creatures. However, the recent discovery of a new species of fish with an elongated body with similar structure to that of a pony has given way to the possibility of life developing in such a way under the sea. The fish known as ‘Sardina Equus’ has come in various sizes and has shown a level of increased intelligence in comparison to other fish in the same genus.”

“He then goes on to talk about the various research trials the fish have undergone and how this relates to intelligent life developing under the sea.” Twilight said rubbing her forehead in discomfort, “This whole book is just one big nonsense rant. An equine fish would NEVER be classified under the ‘sardine’ family.”

“We… thought thou were researching dreams not… Sea Ponies?” Luna asked a little confused.

“Well… I am and I’m not.” Twilight said pointing to the book Luna was reading, “See, in that book your reading there’s a spell that’s different from all the others called The Mind Delve.” Luna looked at her book carefully, she hadn’t gotten there yet but she flipped through the pages quickly till it fell onto the page Twilight mentioned. “The author who created the spell also wrote these books… yet these books haven’t been useful at all.” Twilight sighed closing the book that dared try to say that if Sea Ponies were real that they’d be classified as ‘sardines’.

Luna was still reading over the mind delve spell carefully, much the same way Celestia had. Her brow furrowed as she seemed to suddenly become concerned about the spell.

“Well, I guess this lead was a bust.” Twilight sighed as she moved the three books over to the side, “I don’t know what I was expecting from ‘A Modern History of Thumbtacks’ that would tell me more about the Mind Delve.” She groaned, “Guess I’ll just have to go find some books on psychology and the mind and see if I can’t get any answers from here.” Twilight said standing up from the table.

“I pray thee wait Twilight.” Luna said stopping the purple mare who was just about to head out, “This spell thou hast shown me… I know of it from elsewhere”

“What? Really?” Twilight asked a little shocked, turning to look at the princess curiously.

“Well… this spell is not the same by any means… however it does seem to have taken thine roots from a spell we had read just recently and… well we know how THAT spell came into being.” Luna said putting the book down and turning to look at her pendant her horn glowing, “We require Spirits and Deities of Ages Past.” Luna spoke clearly.

The pendant gave a quickly glow of confirmation before streaking off into the depths of the archives. Luna waited a moment or two, before the pendant came streaking back, this time carrying a book wrapped in the strings that hung loosely from it. The pendant stopped before Luna and laid the book down on the table before her.

“Spirits and Deities of Ages Past?” Twilight asked curiously walking up to the table and looking at the book. Luna nodded before opening the book, flipping through several of the pages.

“It is a book that speaks of the old myths and legends of Equestria’s past. Legends even older than either of us royal sisters… it even has myths from before Equestria was born.” Twilight looked up at Luna curiously, “Most of these myths and legends even we are not too sure hold truth to them. Honestly, most of it sounds like nonsense a foal would dream up. However other sections of it are filled with truth we have seen with our own eyes.” Luna didn’t dwell too long on any particular old myth or legend, before stopping on the page she was looking for.

“Ah, here we are. In this section, where it does talk about myths related to the deities of dreams, it brings up a spell that grants restful sleep to the restless.” Luna said pushing the book over to Twilight, her looking it over and reading out loud.

“For the restless and the weary, thine chance to probe into dreams is very real, allowing rest and relaxation from that which ails you. With the blessing of the Ruler of Dreams this spell shall clease the mind of worries and doubts and grant peaceful sleep once more. Caution is to be had, as the mind of others can be a vexing and daunting place to behold. The mind is tied to the soul and the soul will protect itself from what it deems an attacker. Ensure safety of both involved before casting this spell.”

“This… this sounds a lot like the Mind Delve.” Twilight said surprised, reading how to cast the spell. It was similar no doubt, but the instructions on how to cast the spell… they were much harder to follow than the Mind Delve’s instructions. The flow of the spell was all over the place, not to mention even she could tell that the spell wasn’t intended to do the exact same thing.

“Precisely.” Luna said bringing the other book back over to her looking upon the Mind Delve spell’s page once more, “It is of our opinion that whoever wrote this spell to delve the mind found its origins during the research of that spell. They then manipulated it until it fit their needs. And truthfully…thine researcher must have been a genius. They wove the spell so well… even we would take a long time weaving it into this…”

Twilight chuckled softly, making Luna look up curiously, “Oh, sorry.” Twilight apologized quickly with a smile, “It’s just Princess Celestia said something very similar.” This brought a small smile to Luna’s face.

“Yes, well, as we were saying.” Luna said clearing her throat quickly, “The book Spirits and Deities of Ages Past is very old. This copy is a newer one and we doubt we’d find but a few copies of it floating around Equestria anymore, after all this book is at least a thousand years old.”

“A thousand years?” Twilight said in mild surprise. No doubt that books that old had to be reprinted or else their contents would be lost to the ages. The book was written in an older style but she hadn’t suspected it to be a thousand years old. But as she thought about it more other legends had to be at least that old, after all the Legend of the Mare in the Moon must’ve been at least a thousand years old in order to know what happened back then…

“Yes. We remember meeting the author who wrote that book. He was doing his research at the time.” Luna explained, causing Twilight to close the book and read the cover again, “A wise old Unicorn who was known for his powerful magic abilities and his sense of prophecy. He was simply known as-“

“Merlin.” Twilight said blinking at the front of the book. Now that was an old name of legend she knew. He was one of the original studiers of magic in ponies. Sure there had been researchers before him, but he went beyond what other ponies had thought of in spells before. Most of the modern day spells were built off of the research he originally made. He even tried, from what she had heard, to do research into the Elements of Harmony though the results of that research was never published.

Not only was his research known as legend, but there were legends about him. It was once said he gained control of the most powerful dragon Equestria ever knew, the dragon of Apocalypse. It was once said that he commanded the stars themselves to fall to save Equestria from an invasion of mythical creatures. It was once said that he created the most powerful sword ever known, a sword made out of pure light, from the very essence of magic itself.

“Yes. Merlin was quite an eccentric unicorn… unfortunate that we never knew what became of him. However he came to us while doing his research into the deities of dreams. As the ruler of the night he had many questions for us. We never did get to see this book get published though…” Luna sighed softly looking at the book. “This was one of the first books we found whilst researching dreams… we were planning to look into more of Merlin’s later works after our study into dreams.”

Twilight felt a small pang of guilt rise in her chest. She felt guilty knowing more about Merlin than Luna did, even though she had known him personally in the past. She looked at the book before her, than at the book before Luna and a thought popped up in her head.

“Hey Luna, I think a better idea would be for us to start researching Merlin’s works.” Twilight suggested.

“Huh?” Luna blinked confused, “What has brought this on? Is our research not on dreams?”

“Well, it is… but in a different way now.” Twilight smiled, “Whoever this Magus v. Darkarts is, he obviously took his inspiration from Merlin here; meaning that he must’ve studied Merlin’s work in order to figure out to manipulate his spells. If we follow his method I’m sure that we’ll not only figure out how to make a safer version of the Mind Delve, but we’ll also get my studying done for the evaluation!” Twilight explained, proud of herself.

“Thou are trying to make a safe version of the mind delve?” Luna asked curiously, this being the first time she’s heard of this.

“O-Oh…” Twilight said having forgot, “Sorry, I guess I should’ve mentioned it… see…” Twilight quickly retold the story she had told Celestia, about her friends experiences with the Mind Delve spell. Luna listened intently, not speaking up till Twilight was finished.

“…And they made me promise never to use the spell again because of their experiences.” Twilight sighed softly, “So, in case something like this happens again I wanted to create a safe version of the spell. However, since I don’t know a Magus V. Darkarts or how he came up with the spell, I’ve basically had to do research from scratch.” Twilight said before looking at the spell in Spirits and Deities of Ages Past. “However, now that I have a starting and ending point, finding out the steps in the middle will be much easier!”

Luna tapped her chin in thought.

“Very well Twilight, we understand. We shall help you with your research.” Luna smiled.

“Oh thank you! This’ll make life so much easier.” Twilight sighed happily before turning to her pendant, “We need the works of Merlin.” Twilight smiled as her horn glowed, the pendant lighting up to lead the way.

The next week seemed to go by in an instance. Twilight could honestly admit to it being one of the hardest sessions of studying she’d ever taken part in. The spells of Merlin were vast and seemed to affect every part of Pony society. His legends stretched far and wide, Luna was amazed to learn of everything the unicorn had accomplished since her time trapped away.

The research didn’t only reveal more clues about the Mind Delve spell, it also was teaching Twilight new spells she hadn’t thought to try and learn before. She made sure to make time for learning new spells for her evaluation as well as making sure the spells she already knew were mastered to every detail.

By the day of her evaluation Twilight wasn’t that much closer to figuring out a new spell to use for her friends should they have a problem like they did before.

“Ugh… Magus you really are a genius.” Twilight grumbled softly walking down the halls of Canterlot, heading for the testing room where her evaluation would take place. “Even WITH Luna’s help we didn’t get that far in cracking your spell.” She sighed softly.

It didn’t take long to reach the big double doors that would lead to the evaluation room. She took a deep breath and calmed her mind.

“Alright Twilight, Luna promised to continue helping you from Canterlot, you can’t ask for much more right now. Focus on passing the evaluation.” She said putting a smile to her face and pushing the doors open.

The large class room opened before her, set up specifically for her evaluation. A small box of a stage was set up with various materials she could use for her spells. In front of the stage was a long wooden desk, behind of which sat several of the head teachers from Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, two of the unicorn royal guards and Celestia herself.

Celestia gave a smile looking at her faithful student walk in and take her place on the stage, Twilight looking back and smiling as well, before a throat clearing cough caught her attention and she looked towards them.

“Alright Ms. Sparkle, welcome to your Evaluation.” The stuffy teacher with a bright yellow cut and curly light purple hair spoke up, Twilight recognized her as Lonsdaleite, one of her old homeroom teachers. “You’ve been through this before so you know the drill. You also know that just because Princess Celestia choose you as her personal student doesn’t mean you can simply neglect our grading standards… however we also cannot expel you due to this either.” Lonsdaleite adjusted her glasses, “So present to us the spells you have learned over the last year.”

“Certainly.” Twilight said smiling confidently. She used to be nervous over these evaluations, but she’d long since gotten over that fear. She turned to face the table before her, placed on top of it were things like rocks, cloth, a hat, an apple and some string. Twilight smiled in amusement thinking about the various things she could do with all of it.

With ease she began to show off her abilities. The rocks were soon turned into rather fashionable clothes, the apple was turned into a rather sizeable chariot able to fit up to six, the strings formed together creating a complex diagram with ease, the cloth rubbed and wove together as it began to play a rather soothing song from the folds somehow.

The teachers were quickly scribbling down notes as they watched, Twilight continuing to sneak smirks at Celestia who happily smiled back, happy to see her student performing so well. Despite the time spent in Ponyville she was happy to see her student’s talents growing with her own eyes.

Twilight looked at the hat on the table for a moment, pondering what to do with it. However, an idea popped into her head as she smiled, floating the hat over to her.

“And here’s a more recent one I learned.” Twilight said floating the hat up and presenting it, “Now you see it…” then the hat just simply disappeared into thin air, “Now you don’t.” She grinned. “But where did it go?” Twilight tapped her chin while pondering. “Oh, I know!” She said lowering her head, the hat suddenly appearing on her head, “It was on my head the whole time!” She laughed.

The teachers murmured amongst themselves. Twilight had a hard time knowing if that meant they were impressed or not, but it often mean they were wanted to know more about what she’d done.

“It’s a rather interesting yet simple spell I found.” She made the hat disappear from her head and then summoned it before her, “By creating a pocket inside of my magic I can create a space in which I can put a limited amount of small items.” She put the hat back down on the table, “Of course it’s more practical for short travel and hiding private things quickly than it is for long travel, as it can be exhausting to hide the items for too long. But it does allow for quick surprises.”

“Very impressive Ms. Sparkle.” Lonsdaleite said writing something down, “It seems you have been learning a lot and you’ve learned it exceptionally.”

“That’s my student for you.” Celestia smiled proudly.

“Before we finish the Evaluation, is there anything else you’d like to show us?” Lonsdaleite asked curiously.

Twilight suddenly hesitated. She did in-fact have a spell she hadn’t shown off yet, one she had spent the last week studying… would it be right for her to use it here? Celestia already proved the spell was fine… but she still had a promise to keep to her friends… what should she do?

“Well Ms. Sparkle?” Lonsdaleite asked again. Twilight stood at attention.

“Ugh… w-well I do have another spell… but I need a volunteer for it.” Twilight spoke hesitantly, causing Celestia to raise an eyebrow in surprise.

“Very well.” Lonsdaleite commented putting down her clipboard and walking onto the stage quickly. Twilight hesitated looking at the teacher before her, before quickly glancing a look at Celestia who seemed curious as to what Twilight was going to do. Twilight let down a quick gulp and smiled awkwardly. She then concentrated as her horn glowed. Lonsdaleite looked curiously at what was happening.

Lonsdaleite felt a little weird as Twilight worked her magic. She wriggled her nose for a moment before suddenly she felt something appear on her upper lip.

“Tada~ Mustache magic!” Twilight laughed a little awkwardly. The teachers looked at her a little awkwardly as Celestia put a hoof up to her chin quietly chuckling.

“…Yes… well.” Lonsdaleite wriggled her nose before her horn lit up and the mustache disappeared, “Thank you Ms. Sparkle, we’ve seen everything we need to for your evaluation.” She said simply going back to her Clipboard, “You are free to do as you like until we have completed assessing your progress.”

“Thank you.” Twilight said giving a short bow before walking out of the room. Once the door was closed behind her she let out a soft sigh. “Well… not my best evaluation…I  mean, normally I have a lot more to show off than that but…” she thought it over, “Well… I did spend most of my study time on that ridiculous spell… well, it was worth it, I’ve found a whole slew of new spells to learn from Merlin.” She grinned to herself, walking away from the evaluation room.

“A B+ huh?” Twilight chuckled as she placed her suitcase onto the chariot, before turning to face Celestia, “Well it certainly could’ve been worse.”

“I’m surprised you held back on using the Mind Delve spell my student.” Celestia smiled, “That probably would’ve earned you a perfect score.”

“Well… I did promise my friends Princess.” Twilight smiled, “And losing a friends trust is the fastest way to lose a friend forever.”

Somehow, someway, through the miles between Canterlot and Ponyville, despite the difference in height and no way for that sentence to have been heard, an echo of Pinkie’s voice was heard clearly across Canterlot.

“FOOORRREEEEEVVVEEEEEEEEER.”

Twilight put a hoof to her face as Celestia thought the oddity curious.

“Anyway Princess, don’t worry, thanks to my time down in the archives I’ve found a whole new set of spells I can start learning.” Twilight smiled, “Princess Luna said she would help me borrow copies of Merlin’s books for me to learn from. He had a lot of interesting spells I’d like to learn.”

“So you’re going to study Merlin’s work?” Celestia said surprised, “Well I know you’ll learn a great deal from him. I would dare say he was one of the greatest Unicorn’s I’ve ever seen during my days.” Twilight smiled, “It was an honor to know him.”

“I can imagine Princess.” Twilight smiled, “Though I suppose I should be heading back to Ponyville now. I can’t wait for the next time I get to see you Princess.”

“Likewise Twilight. Have a safe trip.” Celestia gave Twilight a quick nuzzle, Twilight returning it happily.

As the chariot took off towards Ponyville, Twilight felt elated at her trip. Though she hadn’t learned enough about the Mind Delve to satisfy her interest, she had come out richer for the trip. Luna promised she’d continue the research and keep her informed as well as supply her with good books from Merlin.

And though she didn’t know it now, the spells she would learn would prove useful in her coming future…

“It is impossible to ever answer every question in the world. At one point you will answer so many, that the question remaining will be, is there any question left to answer? So seeking understanding means nothing more than to go after the eternal questions.” - Magus V. Darkarts

-The End-

Author’s Note: This story takes place after Study of the Mind Delve and The Rainbow’s Surprise. Reading those stories prior to this is recommended, but not required. They add context to the story, however it can be enjoyed on its own.

Prologue

A soft chill blew through the brisk winter’s day. A blanket of snow covered the ground far below, as Celestia’s chariot soared through the sky.

‘What a beautiful day for a wedding.’ Celestia thought with a smile sprawled across her face. It had been far too long since she had last been able to attend a wedding, her royal duties always coming first However, with Luna back she could afford to take time off on such short notice. Plus no one would blame her for going to a wedding where the two being wed each wielded one of the Elements of Harmony.

As Celestia’s chariot grew closer to the quaint town of Ponyville, her regal eyes scanned the snow banked town, easily catching sight of the pacing lavender unicorn that stood out from the white backdrop around her. Celestia let out a soft chuckle to herself, knowing exactly how her student fussed and worried over every little detail, and no doubt a wedding between her friends was going to have her nerves on end even more than usual.

The unicorn quickly looked into the sky as a smile formed on her face, the chariot quickly came to a landing and the unicorn was upon the chariot in an instant.

“Princess! Oh thank goodness you’re here! And only ten minutes and forty-two seconds late, BUT THAT’S OKAY!” Twilight laughed a hair seeming to split out of place, “We can make up for lost time! If we just move the flower girl ceremony to here-“ the unicorn hastily made scribbles on a clipboard, “And move the buffet preparations to here and-“

“Twilight.” Celestia spoke clearly, interrupting her star pupil who looked up quickly, “You must calm down. If you’re too high strung the whole affair will be ruined.” Celestia laughed at the look of horror that appeared on Twilight’s face, “Besides, ten minutes won’t harm the wedding. In fact, it might make it better. Just think about it, the anticipation in the air, everypony waiting eagerly for the event to take place, the slow reveal for the audience of everything happening.” Celestia winked at her student.

“…With the music and the atmosphere the tension will be high,” Twilight spoke as the spark went off in her mind, her hair returning to normal as she smiled, “with bated breath they’ll wait on the edges of their seat, anticipating the arrival of the bride. Every moment longer they must wait drives them further to the edge until those regal doors open revealing the heavenly body behind them.”

“Now you’re thinking like a writer.” Celestia grinned happily, as Twilight chuckled herself, the joke shared silently between the two of them. “Well, I promise I won’t keep the ceremony waiting any long-” The moment Celestia’s hoof touched the ground she instantly pulled it back, stopping her thoughts and staring at the ground with her mouth agape.

“…What’s the matter Princess?” Twilight asked, confused at the Princess’s sudden behavior.

“…Twilight… you don’t…” Celestia blinked confused looking at her student standing as if nothing was wrong. Twilight just seemed to return the confused glance, before Celestia looked back the earth she had just touched. Carefully, the princess lowered her hoof back to the ground. Then almost as immediately she pulled it back, as if the ground was trying to bite her hoof.

“…Celestia, what’s going on?” Twilight asked, confused, not sure if she should be worried or not now.

Celestia didn’t speak a word now, but simply narrowed her eyes. Through her years of hardship as ruler of the land she steeled her nerves tightly and planted her hoof down upon the earth of Ponyville. A bolt of electricity ran down her spine as she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. This wasn’t a natural sensation, it was unlike anything she’d felt before.

The ground had a pulse. A slow, gradual pulse that felt like something was trying to break free of the ground. The ground didn’t move, it didn’t show any sign that something was wrong with it. To the normal observer Ponyville was the same as it was every day. But the pulsations of the earth sent shivers down her spine; they felt menacing and vile, like they wanted her as far away from the town as possible.

“You don’t feel that Twilight?” Celestia asked curiously, looking over at her student.

“Am I supposed to be feeling something?” Twilight looked down at her hooves, picking it up to look at the bottom of it, before a wind blew through sending a chill down her spine, “Well I feel a little cold if that’s what you mean.”

Celestia just looked at her star pupil for a few moments, before turning her attention back to the ground. The pulse was steady and even, she could count about four seconds between each wave of the feeling. But if her student wasn’t feel anything, perhaps whatever was causing it could wait till after the wedding.

“Well… don’t worry about it for now Twilight. Let’s focus on the wedding.” Celestia nodded.

“Oh… well alright Princess, if you say so.” Twilight said quickly looking back to her clipboard with her checklist on it, “Alright, let’s get things rolling before we delay things even more!” Twilight then quickly turned back to town hall and raced over to it, wanting to keep things on track.

“I’ll have a chat with her after the wedding.” Celestia spoke softly, following after her student.

The wedding ceremony had went off without a hitch, much to Twilight’s relief. Celestia had watched each moment and guest carefully, smiling the whole time. It really did seem that all of Ponyville could not feel the strange pulsations like Celestia could. That was not a sign that boded well inside the regal princess’s heart. If she was the only one that could feel it, that must mean it was something involving powerful magic and that gave her cause for concern.

At the reception she watched the ponies dance and eat to their hearts content, happy over the celebration of the newest happy couple in their town. She was happy for the ponies of the town as well, even with the strange sensation constantly pulsing at her hooves, giving her an uneasy feeling. Next to her stood her faithful student, the only one who had seen her even flinch at the sensation of the town.

Celestia looked at her student from the corner of her eyes, watching her looking around amazed at everything happening. This was likely the first wedding Twilight had ever attended, Celestia could see the curious look in her eye, taking notes of the whole affair.

“They truly do make a lovely couple." Celestia spoke up to her student before chuckling softly, "Though I must admit my surprise. I had no idea two of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony would take their lives together a step further like this."

“Yeah, I didn't see it coming either." Twilight smiled, watching them. "Honestly… I don't know much about love, but even I can see that they truly love each other."

“Have you learned anything from all this?" Celestia asked, curious and amused at her student’s involvement with the wedding. It was likely Twilight had learned an important lesson through it all and she was curious to hear about it.

“…I think I have Princess." Twilight smiled, Celestia listened carefully, "I've learned that love is truly a beautiful thing. It brings out the most joyful times in a pony's life and can let them have some truly amazing journeys in their future. Both of them are going to help each other to achieve their dreams because of their love."

Celestia couldn’t help but smile at her student’s words. It warmed her heart to know her student was learning so much since her stay in Ponyville. A curious thought crossed her mind that she just had to ask.

“Does this mean I'm going to see my student with a new colt or marefriend?" Celestia laughed softly, causing Twilight to break out in a blush.

“Ugh… I-If you need me to for my advanced studies C-Celestia… b-but that's awfully embarrassing." Twilight looked around unsettled, suddenly very nervous at the idea that she'd be forced to go on dates. Celestia couldn’t help but find this behavior both cute and hilarious. She always found it curious how serious Twilight took her studies. It was a constant delight and a slight frustration on her part, but today she found it amusing.

“No worries my student, I would never force you to find love." Twilight let out a sigh of relief, "Love is something you should find on your own to make you happy. Never forget that."

“I won't princess." Twilight smiled happily now, going back to watching her friends dance. "It's a shame Princess Luna couldn't come."

“Well, she had to remain behind to continue royal duties in my absence." Celestia nodded slowly. It was true that Luna had to stay behind, and for the moment she wished she had come along. A second opinion on the pulsations would be very helpful right now.

Celestia’s face grew serious as she felt the pulsing waves continue to strike at her feet. They hadn’t stopped for even a moment during the entire wedding. Something was wrong with the town, and now seemed as good a time as any to let Twilight know about it.

"Twilight, there is a serious matter that I need to discuss with you." Celestia spoke slowly.

“What is it princess?" Twilight looked up at her teacher, blinking a little confused at the shift of tone.

“Well, the truth is… is that since my arrival, something has felt off. Like something is wrong with Ponyville." Celestia spoke quietly and gravely. She could see a small shiver go down her student’s back.

“What is it?" Twilight asked cautiously.

“I'm not sure… and honestly, that is what scares me right now." Celestia's words were heavy. “However, whatever is wrong with Ponyville it seems that only I can feel it.”

“What… what are you feeling princess?” Twilight asked confused. Celestia thought it over, wondering just how much she should tell Twilight. She looked down at her hooves, feeling another wave pulse through, the constant sensation of the town having a heartbeat.

An idea sparked in Celestia’s head.

“It’s too hard to explain at the moment Twilight. But I need you to trust me that something is wrong with Ponyville and tonight I’m going to try and fix it.” Celestia turned to look at the dancing ponies, “I wanted you to know so that if you see anything strange, you’ll be prepared.”

“But, what should I prepare for Princess?” Twilight asked still worried.

“I’m… not sure.” Celestia spoke truthfully, “But I have a feeling that when I do fix this, it’ll be noticeable. Right now I don’t want to panic the citizens of Ponyville, but if something does happen I want you to be ready to keep them calm, alright?”

“Well… alright Princess, I’ll do my best.” Twilight nodded with enthusiasm.

“I knew I could count on you.” Celestia smiled to her faithful student, “Now why don’t you have some cake? I’m not going to do anything till nightfall anyway.”

“Alright, I think I will.” Twilight smiled, though Celestia could still see the worry etched onto her face. She quickly trotted over to the refreshments table to get some cake.

“I think I know what’s going on…” Celestia murmured to herself quietly, “I should be able to fix this.” She looked down at the floor as it pulsed once more.

Celestia’s warm breath washed past her face as she walked through Ponyville. Night had fallen and the moon was glowing brilliantly overhead. Most of the town was sleeping peacefully in their homes now, many were hung over, a few just tired from the partying, the rest just eager to get to work in the morning. To their knowledge the regal Princess had left after the wedding to return to Canterlot.

However, she currently found herself walking to the center of Ponyville, just a few yards away from Ponyville town square. Each stepped seemed to echo loudly in her mind, though she knew very well she wasn’t walking as loudly as it sounded. A cold breeze blew through the townm sending a small shiver down her spine.

The pulsing hadn’t stopped, not for a moment. In fact, now that night had fallen it felt like the pulsing had intensified. It was as if the sleeping ponies gave the strange sensation strength, a fact that disturbed her. She came to a stop at what she knew to be the center of Ponyville and looked at the ground, her wings spreading regally into the night air. Her body was surrounded by the moon’s glow as she straightened her stance.

“Alright, I’m not sure what’s going on, but I’m going to put an end to it.” Celestia spoke to no one in particular. Her horn began to glow a vibrant yellow as she began to weave her magic, picturing the images of the spells in her head and readying their execution. Waves of magic began to gently flow from her body and into the ground of Ponyville. The spell wove into the ground, reaching for the source of the pulsations, trying to discern its identity.

Suddenly, it was if the town silently roared up at the intrusion of magic, pushing the magic out of the ground and sending a new, terrifying wave of energy into the streets of Ponyville.

Celestia gagged at the overwhelming sensation of this invisible fog that seemed to be choking her senses. Her horn quickly lit up once more and a bubble of energy quickly surrounded her, pushing out the seemingly toxic energy away from her body. Celestia took several deep breaths, looking at the strange air surrounding her. The air itself seemed to be deforming, changing and shifting the look of the town as the pulsation no longer felt like a pulse, but a constant wave of unreal feelings.

“I don’t know what you are, but you’re not welcome in Ponyville. Leave immediately.” Celestia’s eyes began to glow white as her horn began to glow brighter, more vividly. The crushing air seemed to hesitate and back up as the Princess began to weave her magic.

Celestia unleashed a wave of magic out from her body, bathing the strange energy in her raw unhindered magic. The air seemed to scream and wail as it was assaulted by her power, unable to stand up to it.

As Celestia’s attack ended she looked around her surroundings, it seemed that the air had returned to normal and the ground had stopped its assault.

“No, that was too easy.” She murmured to herself, her horn glowing once more. She reached her magic back into the ground, weaving through the dirt. It had to still be there, trying to hide from her reach. But she would drag it out and force it to stop.

Celestia gasped as something seemed to grab hold of her magic and yank on it, breaking the connection to her horn. The remaining magic dissipated into the air as she grit her teeth, a new wave of powerful energy bursting up from the ground around her. Her shield struggled against the massive onslaught of energy attacking her. She lit her horn to strengthen it, but it seemed to be too late. Large cracks formed in the shield, stretching over the entire surface before it finally broke.

Unrestrained by the shield, the energy hit Celestia like a bag of bricks, knocking her away from the center of Ponyville and sending her several meters back. She grunted and groaned as she quickly got to her feet, ready to strike back and take down this strange force. However, once she stood, she found herself unable to move.

She forced commands down to her legs but they wouldn’t lift. She instinctually lit her horn to surround herself in magic to yank her free from the spot, but to no avail. Baffled she forced as much magical energy she could to surround her head. With all of her force concentrated she was able to move her head to look down at what was trapping her in place.

Celestia’s eyes dilated, as she stared in horror.

A blood red seal had appeared below her. It was made of up of two large circles filled with cryptic and ancient runic lettering. Inside these two large circles were three smaller circles, also surrounded by ancient runic lettering. Celestia tried to cry out, to scream, to retaliate with her magic against the force binding her, but the force did not budge.

The energy of the symbol began to wrap itself around her, surrounding her very being. Her magic sparked and flared from her horn, but no form came to it. Her mind screamed and rebelled against the force attacking her, but she could not fight back or resist. The strange energy was reaching into her mind, grating at her sanity. Her eyes began to flash in and out of their magical state, as the probing energy distorted her perceptions and reality.

With her very last ounce of ability, she concentrated the last of her magic into a single point to save her sanity. With a soft grunt the last of her magic burst, erupting into an explosion in the middle of Ponyville. For a moment fire billowed up into the sky, but was silenced just as quickly as it came.

The town was quiet once more. The struggle between Celestia and the invisible force was over. It seemed the town hadn’t wakened from the sound of a struggle, deaf to what had just occurred.

Ponyville fell deathly silent that night, the residents unaware of the battle for their lives that had occurred. For after the fight, there was only one clue left over from what occurred.

A thick fog had rolled through the town of Ponyville.

Author’s Note: This story takes place after Study of the Mind Delve and The Rainbow’s Surprise. Reading those stories prior to this is recommended, but not required. They add context to the story, however it can be enjoyed on its own.

-WARNING: Story is Grimdark, reader discretion is advised.-

Chapter 1

There was music playing. The quiet melody danced through the air around her, the dulled beats seemed to drag from each chord to the next. As though the instrument hadn’t been played for years and was picked up to be played for that very moment. It sent a shiver down her to hear the haunting melody.

The lavender unicorn treaded carefully forward, unable to see any light before her. She was compelled to keep moving forward even though her destination was unclear. It had seemed like she’d been traveling for a long time by now. Her legs were sore, throbbing with everything she had gone through now. She couldn’t recall everything, just the constant pain inside of her.

It was then that she saw a light ahead of her. It was dull, only bright enough to show her the details of the world around her, but it was a light. Stepping into it she could finally make out the scenery that was around her.

She was in Canterlot Castle. She would recognize her home away from home anywhere. But the place had not fared well. The normal brightly colored tile floor was now entirely gray, rusted and grime forming over the tiles. The walls which once hosted regal paintings and decorations now hosted the decay and grime that covered the floors. The walls themselves were no longer made of rock and gypsum, but now seemed to be made of blood-stained steel.  The once regal stain-glass mirrors now contained steel bars held together by a chain-link fence.

The castle was built like a cage.

The unicorn looked behind her, expecting to see the front door to Canterlot Castle. Instead she just saw a normal dead end hallway. Not even a hint that there once had been a door to the castle. However she had gotten into the palace, she was trapped there now.

She turned her attention back to the path before her. She knew the layout of the castle like the back of her hoof. Without wasting a moment longer she ran forward. The main hall was just straight ahead. It was where Princess Celestia most often greeted expected visitors, standing at the top of her stairwell before the stained glass images of night and day.

It didn’t take long at all to reach the main hall but when she reached it she found herself stopped in her tracks. The hall was the same as everything else, falling apart, rotted and stained with blood. But the biggest change was the large, imposing stained glass feature that now adorned the wall just above the stairs.

It depicted Celestia as a large, towering figure in the center, the single visible eye colored a deep red. Houses and ponies were depicted below her, burning within flames that engulfed everything. The sun and moon sat above her head, eclipsing one another. To each of her sides were two symbols, one a red magic circle depicting three inner circles and surrounded in runic writing. The other was a black magic circle, this time depicting a triangle in the center filled with strange, twisting and contorted lines. The runic lettering around the circle seemed to go around the triangle making it look similar to a clock.

The unicorn’s ears were hit with the sound of rattling chains. She craned her head upwards to the ceiling, spotting something looking like a chandelier shuddering and moving above her.

The device hanging from the ceiling suddenly let out a loud snap as it fell. The unicorn had only seconds to move, jumping out of the way of the thing falling straight for her. She dove for the floor and covered her head, expecting to hear a loud crash from it hitting the floor.

Instead she heard the entire device rattle and shake, as if it had come to a sudden stop in mid-air. The sound was followed by a pain-filled, horrifying screech that echoed through the main hall. The unicorn lifted her head and looked back at the horrific sound. What she had thought was a chandelier appeared to be a gigantic set of ornamental decorations, usually adorned for royalty. A giant crown was fused to the top; a tiara was hanging from the side, regal armor and hanging pendants hung from the crown. Underneath all of the decorations was a creature, looking as if it had been welded to the regalia. Its skin was decaying, its back arched up into the crown and it only had two back legs that look painfully malformed. Its mouth hung loose and let out a pitching wail, revealing the row of flat, broken teeth that aligned its mouth.

The regalia shifted and hung from a line from the ceiling. The creature flailed its wailing body trying to reach the lavender unicorn, wanting to sink its teeth down into her flesh.

The lavender unicorn didn’t wait around for the creature to get closer to attack. She turned and ran up the stairs, quickly making her escape. The unicorn ran straight for the hallways she was familiar with. She wasn’t sure where it was she wanted to run to. She wanted to find her mentor, the one who taught her and practically acted as a second mother to her.

She ran down the hallway, her hooves beating loudly against the bloody metal floor at her feet. She could feel the soft spatter of blood strike her hooves with every step. The hallway she ran down felt almost endless, unable to see anything too far ahead of her as it was hidden by darkness. She ran as the steel cage windows went by her. She could see no light from out of the windows, or even if there was a sky out there.

Her hooves carried her farther. As the hallway continued to move it seemed to change upon itself. The ground seemed to grow hotter, the walls seemed to turn a brighter red and the room seemed to begin to morph. The steel caged windows began to transform from the cage bars into stained-glass depictions of ponies. Each stained glass seemed to depict a different scene.

One depicted a pony being burned to death on a stake. Another showed two ponies clashing, each with a different weapon and set of armor. Another portrayed a pony being hanged from a cord held by the moon. Another depicted a mother throwing her child to hungry alligators below. Another showed a pony standing over the corpse of another, a bloody knife in its mouth. Another presented a dead angel being carried in the arms of a crestfallen pony.

The images blurred by and filled the unicorn with a sense of dread upon seeing them. But not for a moment did she stop running through the hallway that seemed to have no end, running straight for the darkness ahead of her.

Two piercing red eyes appeared in the darkness that she was running towards. She didn’t slow down for a moment as the eyes seemed to stare. The darkness that she was running towards began to spread through the hallway. It coiled and wrapped around the structures and stained glass windows, spreading faster than she was running. The darkness crept past her and engulfed the entire hallway in darkness.

The eyes faded back into the shadows as the lavender unicorn ran. She ran into the infinite darkness, never knowing where she was being led.

Twilight stirred in her bed, feeling the end of a fitful sleep. She rubbed her head as she sat up in her bed, groggily yawning. Her nightmare seemed to linger for a moment in her mind, still present, yet somehow fading. She hadn’t had such a restless sleep of night in a long time, but she didn’t put much thought into it now. She blinked several times, rubbing her eye with her hoof as she tried to get an eyeful of her room to determine the time. However, things simply remained dark.

“…It’s too early to be waking up.” She grumbled at herself for waking up from such a bad dream before sinking back into the soft covers of her bed and closing her eyes to rest. She tossed around in her bed getting comfortable once more. She would spend a few minutes in one position, before tossing into a new one trying to return to slumber.

This pattern continued until she finally grew frustrated with her own inability to go back to sleep. She sat up once more and rubbed at her eyes, trying to clear the sleep and drowsiness from them. As she blinked to try and examine her room again, she found herself blind. She raised a hoof to her face and waved it, trying to determine how dark it was. The hoof touched her forehead and yet it was still so dark that she could not see it.

“What the…” Twilight whispered confused, turning her head to the direction of where she knew her window to be. On any normal night there would be the moon and natural lights of Ponyville shining through, allowing her to at least see the faint details of her room in the darkened night. However, the window seemed just as muted as the rest of her room. This darkness that was surrounding her wasn’t natural.

“Okay, what’s going on?” She grunted to herself as she concentrated, her horn flaring up with the simple light spell that illuminated the room for her. The familiar room appeared before her groggy eyes before she turned to look at the window and letting out a short gasp.

On the outside of the window a piece of plywood had been hammered against it, blotting the sun or moon from piercing through.

“Oh, of all the no good pranks…” Twilight sighed turning her head to the lanterns that hung around her room. With a swift flick of her magic the lanterns burned brightly filling the room with light once more. She dimmed her horn as she heard her young dragon assistant groaning at the sudden intrusion of light.

“Is it morning already?” Spike groaned, sitting up with a yawn and rubbing his eyes.

“Most likely Spike.” Twilight said getting up from her bed, “It seems somepony put up plywood to block the morning sunlight. It was probably Rainbow Dash getting in one last prank before she leaves for her honeymoon.” Twilight motioned with her hoof to the window.

“Oh…” Spike said scratching his head a little confused, “Weird prank then.” He stretched from his little cot hopping out and heading for the door downstairs, “I guess I’ll go ahead and get breakfast started then.”

“That’s very thoughtful of you Spike.” Twilight smiled as she watched her assistant head off.

“What’s a number one assistant for anyway?” Spike grinned as he made his way down the stairs. Twilight smiled happily at his energy after having just woken up and walked over to her bedroom mirror. She levitated the resting comb up and began to brush her hair. It certainly wasn’t a disheveled mess, but it needed a good combing. She was quickly going over the events of yesterday in her mind, over how she worried about organizing the wedding and being glad everything came through, over how beautiful the ceremony itself had been, how Celestia had confided to her some strange secret.

“Oh… that’s right.” Twilight turned her head to look at the barricaded window, “I wonder if she was successful at what she wanted to do?” Twilight pondered this thought for a moment before simply smiling, “Oh of course she did. She’s the Princess, when she sets her mind to fixing a problem she always succeeds.” Relieved with her own revelation she gently levitated the brush back down onto the nightstand.

“…Huh, what’s this?” Twilight asked confused, looking at something that hadn’t been on her nightstand before. A small, thin brown box sat there, on top of it was a sliding puzzle consisting of fifteen pieces that formed a scrambled image, one she couldn’t decipher by simply looking at it.

Twilight levitated the strange box, so she could see it better. The box had a hinge on the side and seemed to open down the middle of it. Twilight shook the box gently, hearing something rattle inside of it. She tried to pry open the box to see what it contained, only to find it locked soundly. She stared puzzled at it for a moment, when a thought clicked through her head.

“Oh, I see, the picture must be the locking mechanism. If I solve it the box will open.” She smiled as she began to move the tiles on the box, each sliding motion giving a satisfying ‘click’ as she worked.

“TWILIGHT!” Spike suddenly shouted rushing back into the room interrupting Twilight’s puzzle solving.

“What is it Spike?” Twilight asked confused at the sudden urgency of the baby dragon, putting the box back down on the desk.

“It’s not just the bedroom window! It’s the whole house!” Spike pointed down the stairs with urgency.

“The whole house?” Twilight said dumbstruck by this. She quickly followed Spike out of her room and down into the lower floors of the library. Sure enough, as she looked around every single window she could spot was boarded up tight with the same plywood blocking any light from entering. Spike had already lit as many lanterns around the house as he could, illuminating the interior of the library for them.

“Okay, what the hay?” Twilight demanded walking to the front door. Her horn lit up and grabbed hold of the borders and pushed at it to open as she was going to get to the bottom of this elaborate prank.

Twilight ran face first straight into the door. She stepped back a few paces and shook her head, rubbing her snout. The door remained firmly locked before her. She glared at the door and lit it up with magic once more, pushing and pulling on it to force it open. The door refuse to budge an inch however, no matter how much force Twilight applied.

“Why is this door locked? Why can’t I open it?” Twilight growled with frustration, “Okay, this prank has gone far enough. How am I supposed to see Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy off to their honeymoon if I can’t leave my house?” She groaned walking up to the door with a hoof and trying to use the handle. It was then that she noticed something new was on the door that hadn’t been there before. A new lock had been installed into the center of the door. It seemed that the lock was holding the door in place.

“…Spike, get me the book that has the lock picking spell in it.” Twilight spoke calmly.

“Right away!” Spike saluted before dashing across the library to grab the ladder. He wheeled it over to section 2, before climbing up to shelf G. He quickly pulled a brown book from the shelf and waved it, “Here it is, A Guide to Locks and Mechanisms!” Spike grinned happily as the book was suddenly engulfed in light, “Whoa!” Spike cried out as Twilight’s magic dragged him and the book over, causing him to smash into the floor.

“Oh, sorry Spike.” Twilight said quickly helping him up and dusting him off, “I’m just a little frustrated. I don’t want this to hinder us from our plans today.”

“Yeah, yeah, I understand.” Spike sighed softly, “While you figure this out I’m going to go ahead and make breakfast.” The young purple dragon quickly headed for the kitchen to start preparing them meals.

“Alright, lock picking, lock picking…” Twilight quickly flipped through the pages looking for just the right spell. “Aha!” She spoke aloud acquiring the knowledge she sought. With a quick scan of the page she memorized the spell and closed the book, her horn igniting with more magic, “Let’s get this lock out of the way.” She pointed her horn at the door, a stream of magic firing forth and straight into the lock. She heard the tumblers moving and grinding inside of the lock before she heard a loud ‘click’ telling her the spell had worked.

“Finally, now let’s go find out what’s going on-“ The door gave a jarring ‘click’ as Twilight tried to open it, telling her the lock was still firmly secured. “Hey!” Twilight glared at the door before igniting her magic and casting the spell once more. The lock whirred and grinded once more as the spell danced inside of the lock before finishing with another loud ‘click’. Twilight pushed on the door once more, the door resisting with another click.

“ARGH!” Twilight growled in frustration and cast the spell once more. As the spell worked on the lock Twilight grabbed the handle with both hooves and frustratingly shook the door trying to pry it open. Even as the spell finished with its usual ‘click’ it refused to open. Twilight sat back on her haunches and rubbed her head frustrated. For some reason the lock-picking spell was working and yet it wasn’t.

“Maybe there’s an anti-magic enchantment on the lock.” Spike said walking into living room, with him two plates containing their breakfasts. A daisy sandwich for Twilight and a small pile of common turquoise he’d been given after the reception.

“Well, if any other unicorn enchanted it, it would be Rarity, but she isn’t the type to prank ponies. Especially not like this.” Twilight grumbled walking over to the table Spike had placed her breakfast onto. She took a bite trying to figure this out in her head.

“Maybe Celestia enchanted it?” Spike asked curiously, stuffing a gem into his own mouth.

“Don’t be silly Spike, the Princess wouldn’t go so far with something like this, not when I have something as important as seeing my friends off planned out.” Twilight rolled her eyes, “Though… perhaps we can use her to get us out of here.” Twilight smiled. “Spike, quickly, grab a quill and parchment.”

“Can do.” Spike said stuffing a few more gems into his mouth before rushing off and returning shortly with the quill and paper.

“Alright. Dear Princess Celestia,” Twilight began, Spike quickly writing away, “I’m writing to you because it appears that some prankster has boarded up my house and made it impossible for me to leave. The door has been sealed with a magic resistant lock and I can’t seem to open it. Since I assume you’re still in town, I was hoping you could stop by and help me out so I can continue with my day. Your Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle.”

“Done and done.” Spike said punctuating the letter with finality before rolling the scroll up. With a quick inhale he held the scroll up and exhaled the brilliant emerald flame upon the message.

The paper, alight from the green flame, quickly succumbed to the heat and fell as a pile of ashes onto the floor.

“…Spike! I told you to SEND the letter, not burn it!” Twilight sighed exasperated with her assistance’s work.

“But, but that’s how I always send the letters.” Spike said baffled. He quickly pulled out a spare sheet of scroll paper and quickly rewrote Twilight’s letter. He rolled it up once more and held it up, “Okay, this how I’ve sent every letter in the past.” He spoke quickly, remembering his lessons on how to send things properly with his green fire. He inhaled expertly before spewing out another emerald flame onto the paper.

Once more the message was burnt to ashes and joined the other pile on the floor.

“Wait… so… we CAN’T send letters to the Princess either!?” Twilight asked, shocked at this revelation.

“…I guess so.” Spike said just as confused as Twilight.

“…I’m starting to think this isn’t just some prank then.” Twilight said turning to look back at the door, “This is too elaborate to be some joke. Who could have done this?”

“I don’t know. No pony in Ponyville is capable of preventing me from sending lette-“ Spike stopped mid sentences as suddenly his eyes bulged and he closed his mouth, his cheeks bulging as he put his hands over his stomach. Twilight quickly turned to look at her dragon assistance as suddenly he let out a loud belch, smoke and fire spewing out and circling above his head before forming in a burst of magic into a scroll.

“Huh? Maybe she got our letter anyway…” Twilight said confused quickly levitating the scroll over to her and opened it.

If this was a letter from Celestia it was the weirdest letter Twilight had ever received from the Princess. The scroll was marked with random designs and scribbled all over, done mostly in black but with some sections in red. She concentrated hard on the scroll and thought she could see something written underneath the scribbled madness. It seemed the sections in red contained the actual message that had been scribbled over by the sections in black.

“What’s it say?” Spike asked, unable to see the mess of a document.

“I’m not sure. I’m going to find out though.” Twilight said pushing her sandwich aside before laying the scroll down on the table flat. As she pushed the plate aside it bumped into something, knocking it off the table. This caught Spike’s attention and walked around the table to pick it up.

Twilight concentrated her magic and quickly scanned the scroll with it, before pulling the black ink straight off of the page. Another blank scroll was levitated over to her side and she cleanly placed the black ink onto that scroll, creating two separate documents. She glanced upon the scroll that now contained the words written in the red ink and read carefully.

for whaT Has happEned there is no apologY

twisted be the revAlation undeR the guise of rElief

halloWed foAl, hurT and shoCked, tHeir sIght fiNds no liGht

no remorse no regret no apology

no return

The letter was almost incomprehensible. If this had been intended for her to read, the message had been hidden underneath scratched up nonsense, then to top it all off the letter had strange capitalization, as if the writer had no concept of where words needed to be punctuated.

“Hey Twilight, have we always had this?” Spike asked confused, causing Twilight’s attention to rise from the note. In Spike’s hands look like some kind of small box made of what looked like mahogany.

“Let me see that.” Twilight asked, Spike handing it over as Twilight quickly inspected the box. The box had a seam near the top and small hinges indicating it was meant to be open. On the side she could see a small hole that lead into the device. When Twilight tried to open it she found that it was locked, obviously needing something in the hole to open it.

It was then that Twilight looked up at Spike, thoughts beginning to form into each other.

“Spike, there’s no way this is a prank any longer.” Twilight put the box down and stood up from her spot, “I need you to quickly search around this floor of the library for anything and everything that wasn’t here before we went to sleep. I’m going to go search upstairs for the same things.”

“I understand.” Spike said quickly returning to his plate to scarf down the rest of his gems before searching. Twilight quickly made her way back to the upper floor, swiftly returning to her bedroom. On the nightstand she could see the strange puzzle device that she had been inspecting earlier. She quickly gathered it with her magic and looked around her room carefully. There were the usual strewn books, Spike’s small cluttered mess he called a bed, various decorations and reminders of her stay in Ponyville for the last year. Not seeing anything out of the ordinary, she made her way to the bathroom.

Lighting up the bathroom with its lantern, it seemed the same at first glance. Towels where they should be, the bathtub empty, the mirror above the sink reflected her image as always. However, on the sink, alongside the usual sundries was a newer brown bottle. The label read ‘Health Drink’ on it. Twilight levitated the drink as well and quickly headed back downstairs certain she hadn’t missed anything else obvious.

She saw Spike was still searching quickly around the library, trying to not leave any space unturned. Twilight quickly walked over to the table and placed down her two items and quickly re-examined what they had already. It only took Spike another minute before he returned to the table carrying another note.

“This was the only other thing I could find.” Spike said looking the note over, “It says, ‘When all is lost, when the darkness is its strongest, when all is cold and bleak, you’ll find the light.’ What do you think it means?” Spike asked, placing it next to the rest of the strange items.

“I’m not sure Spike… I don’t even know what these things are doing here. But I plan to find out.” Twilight said quickly scanning through the various items on the table. There were three notes, two of which were part of the one she had split in half, two boxes, one with a sliding puzzle on top and the strange Health Drink bottle. “But I’m going to figure this out.”

Twilight quickly grabbed the quill Spike had used to write his letters and brought it over to the first letter she had read. Something about the way it was written was bothering her and she couldn’t just leave it as it was. She reread the note once more, before putting the quill to the bottom of the note. She quickly wrote down each of the capitalized letters in order as they appeared.

“…They are watching?” Twilight looked up and around her house. There was no one there except for her and Spike. How would it be possible for anyone to be watching them?

“That was in the letter from the Princess?” Spike asked scratching his head, “This just doesn’t seem like a letter from Celestia.”

“That’s what worries me about all this.” Twilight said, the concern in her voice was apparent, “Hopefully opening these boxes will yield some answer. And since I don’t see a way to open this box yet,” Twilight said moving the mahogany box to the side, “I’ll try and open this one first.” She levitated the sliding puzzle box into her sight and began clicking away at the puzzle.

“What’s it a picture of?” Spike asked curiously, watching Twilight work away.

“I’m not sure. I’m trying to figure that out right now, so that I can solve this thing easier.” She concentrated on getting separate pieces to match up so that she could figure it out sooner. Spike watched carefully, adding in his input, much to Twilight’s discontent. It took several minutes before she started seeing a pattern forming in the image. As she clicked pieces together and started seeing the full image, she simply grew more confused.

“It’s some kind of circle pattern?” Spike asked confused.

“It’s not one I’ve ever seen.” Twilight said just as confused, still clicking the pieces away. She could make out the general shape of the picture now. She could see where each piece was able to go and was able to complete the puzzle much more efficiently. It took her just a moment to complete the picture.

The completed picture was a red symbol consisting of two large circle filled with strange, cryptic runic writing, while inside those two circles were three smaller circles also surrounded by the strange writing.

When Twilight completed the puzzle the box let out one final satisfying ‘click’, telling Twilight she had solved the puzzle correctly. Happy with her work she opened the box, its contents revealing nothing more than a music box key. Twilight carefully lifted it up, examining the piece. She then looked over at the second box on the table, noticing that the small hole in the side was the same size as the end of the music box key.

“Really?” Twilight groaned, “I opened up one box to get the key to another?” She sighed before lifting up the second box now and slipping the key into the hole. It fit snuggly inside the small opening and seemed to stick. She slowly turned the key, hearing the gears grind inside of the device with each turn. Spike watched her carefully, grabbing hold of the table as Twilight cranked the key. With one final turn, the small box clicked.

Twilight reached to open the box, when the lid suddenly flipped open on its own accord.

Something suddenly burst out of the box, rising into the air. Twilight nearly dropped the box surprised by the action, as whatever it was hit her ceiling and exploded into a bright burst of light. Spike and Twilight shielded their eyes from the blast, waiting for the light to dim. Once it did, they blinked and looked up into the air, seeing a small shower of sparkling lights falling to the floor.

“What’s all this about?” Spike asked, unsettled by the strange display that had erupted from the box.

“Have you finished the preparations?” A familiar regal voice said from behind them. Twilight and Spike instantly snapped their heads around, seeing a translucent figure of Princess Celestia standing there. “This is an important night after all.”

Twilight opened her mouth to speak to the image of the Princess, only for her to be interrupted by a second, familiar regal voice.

“We have ensured the preparations for the festivities. Thou need not worry, thy subjects shall be safe with us.” The dumbfounded unicorn and dragon turned their heads back around, seeing a similar translucent image of the dark blue alicorn with a dark magical mane, Princess Luna, walking towards Celestia. “Now thou should go, so that thou is not late. Thou should not keep thy friends waiting.”

“Very well, thank you for everything Luna.” Celestia bowed her thanks before turning around and quickly heading out.

“Tis nothing dear sister, we shall always be willing to help thee.” Luna smiled.

The falling sparks of light faded from the world leaving the two in a state of awestruck dismay. They could not find the will to believe that had just happened.

“What the hay was that all about?” Spike finally broke the silence, throwing his hands into the air, “Images of the Princesses? I’ve never seen magic like that before! What’s going on here Twilight?”

“Spike…” Twilight spoke softly, uneasily, “I don’t know. I really wish I did know. I’m getting a very bad feeling about all of this. Right now I need to find somepony, preferably Princess Celestia, but if I can find my friends they can help us out too. After all, we can do anything as long as we’re together.” Twilight smiled reassuringly before looking inside of the box she had just opened.

“Hey, what’s this doing in here?” Twilight levitated a thin stringed pendant with a point cut crystal with a decorative silver frame.

“Hey, isn’t that the pendant used to search for books in the Canterlot archives?” Spike asked curious about the device.

“It is Spike. But what is it doing in this box?” Twilight looked at it curiously, twirling it around with her magic. She then concentrated and poured some of her magic into the device, it lighting up brightly. “Well, it seems to be functioning alright.” She commented before gently wrapping the pendant around her neck for safe keeping, “I’ll hold on to it till we can return it to Celestia.” With that said Twilight checked inside the box once more to see if anything else was left inside.

“Hey, a key!” Twilight said surprised at her discovery. She pulled the thin skeleton key out of the box and examined it.

“Do you think it’s the key to the front door?” Spike asked looking over at the locked door.

“Only one way to find out.” Twilight said turning to the door and walking over to it. She guided the long key into the door and heard the tumblers click into place. With a quick turn of the key she heard the door let out another ‘click’ telling her it should be unlocked, though after having heard that sound several times she admittedly had her doubts. She raised a hoof to the door and pressed against it to see if her actions had worked.

The door swung noisily open, as if the hinges hadn’t be used in years and were rusted over, a fact that seemed strange to Twilight. However, once she opened the door all thoughts of the creaky hinges left her mind.

A thick sheet of fog sat just outside her door frame, shrouding all of Ponyville within the confines of its embrace. Twilight couldn’t even see the houses across the street. The fog only allowed a few feet of visibility.

“Holy guacamole, I’ve never SEEN weather like this in Ponyville before!” Spike said shocked, looking at the fog himself. He stepped outside the door frame and waved his hand through it quickly, some of the fog moving to his actions, but quickly being replaced by more fog.

Twilight continued to stare in disbelief at the sight before her. Rainbow Dash wouldn’t have let fog like this cover Ponyville, never in any of the weather forecasts in Ponyville had it called for the town to be shrouded in fog. Were weather ponies trying to desperately clean it away? How was it even possible to have such a freak fog covering just suddenly appear over night? This much fog would take a while to build up, not to mention there would be warnings over it being placed over the town. Everything about this was unnatural.

"I wanted you to know so that if you see anything strange, you'll be prepared."

Celestia’s words suddenly came back to Twilight, awaking her from her stupor like a splash of cold water to her face. Twilight quickly turned back around and ran back to the table.

“Twilight?” Spike asked, turning to see the strange actions of his unicorn mentor.

Twilight quickly levitated each of the remaining items on the table, accounting for the three notes and the health drink. She closed her eyes and concentrated, creating a pocket inside of her magic reservoir, the four items disappearing from the world and finding a home inside of the pocket. She then turned around, looking at Spike seriously.

“Twilight, why do you look so serious?” Spike said, unnerved more by the serious looking Twilight than anything else that had happened that morning.

“Spike, I’m heading out into Ponyville. I need you to stay here and make sure nothing hap-“ Twilight stopped suddenly as her eyes widened, her mouth dropping and her pupils dilating.

Spike lay on the ground before her, his body dismembered and the separate pieces scattered around the floor. His hot blood was splattered everywhere, including on her coat. Scratched claw marks trailing blood were along the wall where the tiny dragon had tried to escape from its attacker. The blood burned against her coat, telling her it was all her fault.

She wanted to scream, to cry, but her voice caught in her throat and choked her.

“Twilight?” Spike called out, causing Twilight’s head to snap back, her eyes looking at her dragon assistant standing by the doorway. She quickly scanned the room, trying to find traces of the horrific scene she had just witnessed. “Twilight, you’re scaring me. What is it you want me to do?”

Twilight couldn’t speak for a moment. She felt completely shaken by the vision she had suddenly seen, one which she couldn’t understand. She only knew one thing that the vision told her.

If she left Spike in the library, something horrible was going to happen to him.

“Change of plans Spike…” Twilight spoke, swallowing the fear that had lodged itself into her throat, “You’re coming with me. We’re going out to find Princess Celestia.”

“Oh… well okay.” Spike said, before looking out the door at the fog then back to Twilight. “Hold on, let me get something.” Spike said before quickly heading over to one of the shelves. Twilight watched him with a bit of curiosity, before the dragon return carrying a large rolled up paper. “We should bring a map of Ponyville since we won’t be able to see clearly in the fog.” He grinned happily.

Twilight blinked oddly at the dragon, before smiling at him. The dragon’s sentiments seemed to affect her even more at that very moment.

“Good thinking Spike, this is why you’re my number one assistant.” Twilight gave her praise to the dragon, who took it with his usual ego. Twilight didn’t leave him much time to speak however, wrapping him gently with her magic before lifting him up and placing him on her back. “Let’s go figure out what’s wrong with the town.” Twilight said confidently turning to the door.

As long as Spike was with her, she knew she could handle anything this strange fog was going to throw at her.

The two of them wandered quickly into the strangely silent Ponyville.

Chapter 2

Twilight walked carefully through the fog, taking note of the unusual surroundings. There was no longer snow on the ground. Everywhere she could see was conspicuously missing the distinct feel of winter. In fact, the very air itself seemed to have warmed as well; the wind no longer contained the biting winter chill. In its place was a warm wind that pushed the fog slowly across town, though it never cleared the unusual weather.

“Alright, first thing we should do is find Pinkie Pie. If we find her, we’ll be able to find the Princess in no time!” Spike smiled looking over the map, “And if we keep heading down this road, we’ll make it to Sugar Cube Corner before we know it!” Spike with a grin, creating a separate atmosphere from the fog around them.

“Thanks Spike, even in the face of a crisis you’re still my number one assistant.” Twilight smiled, grateful to have him with her at the moment, hearing his voice right now was comforting. She had hesitated about taking him with her, feeling that it would have been safer to leave him in the library where he could lock himself away from any danger. At least until she’d had that vision. Whatever was going on in town, she knew Spike wasn’t safe back at the library. She wondered if there was any place in town at the moment that would guarantee his safety.

Twilight’s eyes scanned the building they were walking past, as she came to a slow stop before one.

“Huh? What’s the matter Twilight?” Spike asked wondering why the pony had stopped suddenly.

“Spike, every single house we’re passing seems to have been boarded up just like the library was.” Twilight explained, taking a short detour from their route and walking up to the front door. The entrance to the building was closed but all around she could see wooden planks had boarded up the windows blocking light from entering the building. She reached her hoof up to push against the door and heard it jam. She fumbled with it for a bit, hearing the constant jarring of the door as if the locks were broken.

“Why do you think that is?” Spike asked, watching Twilight fumbling with the door.

“…I couldn’t say.” She paused shortly to contemplate the strange door, “This phenomenon seems to have affected the whole town. Which means everypony is likely trapped inside of their homes like we were.” Twilight put a hoof up to her chin in contemplation, “Which might mean we won’t be able to get Pinkie’s help in finding Celestia.”

“Well, you never know until you try right?” Spike said thinking it over himself, “Besides, if I know Pinkie Pie I’m sure she’s already figured out the puzzle and getting the store ready for some bad weather parties.”

“Always the optimist Spike.” Twilight chuckled, turning from the house and walking back down the road towards Sugar Cube Corner.

“Hey, someone has to be.” Spike grinned, before suddenly shifting on Twilight’s back and pointing ahead, “Twilight! Look! Someone got out of their house!”

Twilight quickly looked in the direction, seeing a pony shaped figure in the fog.

“You’re right Spike! Hey!” Twilight called out, quickly racing towards it, “Hey, did you escape your house too?” The figure in the fog seemed to turn its attention to Twilight, noticing her approaching. Drawing closer the two of them could discern that the figure was wearing a black cloak around its body, its face hidden beneath the hood of its cloak.

“Zecora? Is that you?” Twilight asked, finally slowing as she approached, grateful to see her friend, “Oh Zecora, thank goodness you’re here. Something’s happened to Ponyville and I don’t know what! You know more about strange stuff like this, do you know what’s happening?”

The cloaked figure just stood there, continuing to stare straight at Twilight. Twilight suddenly felt a little uneasy at the staring, having expected to hear the familiar voice of the rhyming zebra.

“Uhhh… hello?” Twilight tried to communicate once more, “Anypony there?”

“You have a kind look in your eyes that seem surprised.” A deep feminine voice escaped from the cloak, the voice seeming to send chills down Twilight’s spine as she took a step back out of instinct, “I fear soon your life will be compromised.”

“M-My life?” Twilight stammered thrown off balance mentally at the sudden sharpness of the voice before her, “H-Hey! You’re not Zecora! Who are you?” She asked trying to steady herself. She felt vibrations starting to come from her back, Twilight quickly realizing that Spike was shaking.

“Time shall weave and pass through you, and you shall be lost to the whims of the night. Shadows prowl and seek your flesh, which shall tear you apart with loud delight.” The cloaked mare began walking slowly backwards into the fog.

“Hey! Get back here! You haven’t answered any of my questions!” Twilight yelled, trying to run back to the cloaked figure. With a powerful gust of wind the figure was covered by fog before seeming to disappear into the thin air. Twilight stared dumbfounded at where the mare had been, looking around for her. There had been no sound of the pony running away, no flash of magic indicating they’d teleported. It was as if they hadn’t existed in the first place.

“I-Is she gone?” Spike asked, managing to stop shaking long enough to look over the top of Twilight’s head at where the mare had once stood.

“Yeah… she is Spike… but I have no idea where she went.” Twilight was baffled at this. It wasn’t an illusion; both of them had heard the mare talk. Something about her had scared Spike and she herself had felt a sense of unease and dread hearing the mare’s voice. “We… we should keep moving. Sugar Cube Corner isn’t much farther.” Twilight said to Spike, gulping down the anxiety building up in her throat.

“Right… We should just need to continue forward…” Spike said hesitantly, looking into the fog for the bakery. Suddenly, the strange fog seemed a lot more menacing than it had moments ago.

“Right.” Twilight nodded her head before slowly continuing with her walking. Her hoof steps seemed unusually loud now, each step seeming to echo against the cobblestone street. She hadn’t been paying attention before, but the echoing steps truly told her the town was apparently empty.

“T-Twilight… do you hear that?” Spike said, panic starting in his voice. Twilight stopped walking, as she heard a distinct sound of metal scrapping against the cobblestone. She perked her ear to hone in on the sound, hearing it several times in short succession.

Klank, klank, klank, klank.

The rhythm of the scraping metal was in tune to somepony walking. But there was more to it than that. She narrowed her eyes in the direction before her, the direction the sound was coming from. She tried to focus on what was making the sound, beginning to see another faint figure in the fog slowly heading towards them. It was then that another metal sound was heard. It was the sound of metal being dragged along the ground.

“Who’s there?” Twilight called out to the figure. The figure began to grow more definition as it slowly grew closer to her. It didn’t respond.

“T-Twilight… there’s more!” Spike said quickly turning the unicorn’s head to look elsewhere in the fog. Twilight’s eyes widened, catching sight of more figures beginning to appear in the haze of the fog. Each figure brought with it that scrapping metal of their hoof steps, as well as dragging something metal along the ground.

This unnerved Twilight. She could feel the hairs standing up on the back of her neck. There was something very wrong with what was happening around her. She slowly began to walk backwards, away from the creatures as they approached.

“Hey! Stop freaking us out! Just tell us who you are!” Twilight cried out, trying to get answers. But all of her questioning was in vain, the figures just continuing to approach. She swept her gaze back and forth rapidly between the approaching enigmas in the fog, trying to determine why they were cornering her and Spike. She counted at least five now, in a half circle around them. They were trying to stop her from continuing forward, as if they didn’t want her to go to Sugar Cube Corner.

Twilight turned her attention to the first one she’d spotted. For a moment she froze in horror, staring at the creature that had appeared from the fog. Though it looked to be in the shape of a pony, there was no way Twilight could discern it as being one.

The creature was wearing armor, though it was different from the royal guards she’d seen in Canterlot. The armor was thicker and covered much more of its body, reaching under their bellies and down their flanks. The armor was rusted away with age, covered in battle scars from what must’ve been many battles. The shape and design of the armor was unlike anything Twilight had seen before, the armor seemed like a much more ancient design.

But it wasn’t the armor that sent fear into her spine. It was a simple look at the face of the creature. It had no eyes. Its skin was barely holding onto its face, rotted and diseased, if the creature had an identity it was long ago. The rest of the skin that was exposed through the armor shared the same fate. Twilight couldn’t comprehend how the creature was standing, let along walking towards her.

In its mouth it was dragging a hefty double-edged sword along the ground. It seemed to have difficulty holding it, yet was unhindered with its advance.

“Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-ZOMBIE PONY.” Spike yelled, suddenly scared out of his mind.

“SPIKE! Calm down! There’s no such thing as zombie ponies!” Twilight cried back at the terrified dragon, doing everything she could to keep herself calm too. Though she was berating him now, he had snapped her back to reality. She turned her head back to the deformed creature and forced a smile onto her face, despite the sweat beginning to fall down her face, “E-Excuse me, y-you seem to be hurt, please, let me help-”

The air was punctuated with a loud metallic clang that reverberated through the air. Twilight stood like a ghost, staring before her where the blade of the creature’s sword had imbedded into the ground, just mere inches away from her. She had just narrowly escaped no longer having a head.

Twilight stood there, paralyzed by the sudden situation, as the soldier-like creature slowly pulled the blade out from the ground. Adjusting it in his mouth for a better grip, he began to lift it up for another strike at the terrified unicorn.

“TWILIGHT! TWILIGHT RUN!” Spike shouted straight into her ear. The petrified pony felt her heart skip and life return to her veins, her mind finally getting the message to her legs. Her body jumped back, instinctively moving out of the way of danger, as the sword came striking down once more, cleaving through the cobblestone with ease.

Twilight turned on her hooves to run, noticing the approach of the other creatures. Five of these things were walking towards her, some dragging swords, some dragging spears and one of them was dragging an axe. Adrenaline coursed through her and her hooves began to pound the ground with force, careening her body forward with barely any idea of where she was headed. She just ran from these abominations of nature knowing they intended to kill her and her number one assistant.

She’d never forgive herself if harm came to the baby dragon.

The sound of scrapping metal suddenly increased. She dared a glance behind her, seeing the armored creatures chasing after her. They had slowly shambled towards her, but now were in full pursuit behind her. Her mind was in full panic, turning to look in front of her once more.

She was running straight for a house, one she recognized as the house for sale near Sugar Cube Corner. The sides were boarded up just like the rest of the town, Twilight instantly realizing it must be a dead end. She looked to her sides, the creatures were preparing their weapons, to strike her down if she drew close as they chased at her. If she didn’t head straight for the house she wouldn’t be a whole unicorn for very long.

She gulped down panic that had lodged in her throat and put her efforts into one last ditch effort. She had to get through the door, no matter what. Her horn lit up, surrounding the door with magic. She instantly tried the lock, on the off chance it would open, before thinking she’d ram into it to break through and-

The door opened. By some miracle, as if knowing she was in peril, the door gave way to her magic. By Celestia she counted her thanks and slipped straight through the open door, slamming it closed behind her.

Without a moment of rest she whipped her head around, looking for something, anything to barricade the door with. When her eyes fell upon the couch inside the dark, musty room she instantly surrounded it with her magic and slammed the furniture against the door, firmly holding it in place.

Seconds passed, as Twilight braced the couch against the door, slowly backing away from it. She could feel the sweat pouring down her face like bullets, nervous and anxiety building up as she didn’t know what was going to happen. The brief time felt like agonizing minutes, not knowing what was going to happen next.

Wood splintered and broke, the shrapnel flying across the room as Twilight shrieked, a sword slashing through the thick wooden walls. The sword got caught in the fixtures of the wall for a brief moment, before sliding back out. Spike cried out in terror, gripping hard against Twilight’s neck, practically choking her. Twilight couldn’t speak up in protest, only stare in horror as the next weapon broke through the wood and foundations. It was the head of a spear.

A sword slashed through next, followed by an axe right next to it. Her heart beat in her throat as her panicked, shallow breaths echoed in her ears, struggling to get air to her lungs.

The weapons wailed on the wall, creating several holes and lacerations into the door and walls. They were desperately trying to break their way in. Twilight didn’t know if they would be able to break through, but she was terrified that they would.

The axe bore its way through the door once more, pausing as it sat stuck in the door frame. Twilight stared at it, waiting for the continued destruction of the weapons. The axe slowly withdrew from the door, and for the brief moments Twilight could hear the scrapping metal footsteps growing quiet.

The creatures were leaving them alone. For whatever reason, they’d stopped their assault.

“A-Are they gone?” Spike asked, not daring to look at the door the creatures had so anxiously been striking at. It was then that word finally got to her brain that Spike was strangling her.

“S-Spike… can’t… breath.” The words barely escaped her lips.

“Oh! Twilight! I’m so sorry!” Spike apologized and instantly let go of her neck, letting Twilight inhale a much needed breath of air. She gasped and panted for a moment, letting the musty air fill her lungs, before coughing it back out, crashing down into a laying position on her belly.

“I’ve been better Spike.” Twilight finally managed to mutter, starting to feel the rush wear off. With her body calming down her mind could finally start to process what exactly it was that had just happened to them.

“Twilight, what WERE those things?! They looked like zombies! Zombies wielding swords and spears and axes!” Spike grabbed his head, the baby dragon starting to freak out, “They tried to attack us! We almost lost our heads! I thought zombie ponies weren’t supposed to be real!” Spike was now in full panic mode.

“Spike…” Twilight gasped for air, standing up slowly, looking at the rambling, frantic dragon, “Spike, calm down.” She spoke calmly, the baby dragon looking up at her, his mind still racing.

“Calm down? CALM DOWN!? Did you SEE what almost happened to us!?” He cried desperately, waving his hands at the splintered wall and door.

“…I did Spike. But… panicking about our situation isn’t going to help it.” Twilight said taking a deep breath, “We know we’re in a bad situation. But if you panic, you’ll only make a bad situation worse.”

“…Are… you lecturing me?” Spike asked almost shocked, “Now? Of all times?”

Twilight blinked a bit confused, before smiling softly at the baby dragon, amused by his statement. It was true; she was giving him a bit of her usual lecture. But seeing the young dragon she cared for so much being frantic seemed to spark some instinct inside of her that told her she needed to keep him calm. The same instinct that hold told her to bring him with her, was now telling her she needed to make sure he was going to be alright. That his wellbeing was more important than her own. The feeling told her that she couldn’t let what just transpired get to her for Spike’s sake.

“Maybe a little. But listen, if we panic we’re going to make bad decisions, and if we make bad decisions, we’re going to run into those things again.”

“Zombies.” Spike interrupted.

“Spike, do you really believe we were chased down by zombies?” Twilight asked unsure of the answer.

“Well… they LOOKED like zombies, SOUNDED like zombies, and ATTACKED us like zombies… I’m going to go with zombies.” Spike listed the reasons off on his fingers.

“Fine, so zombies are apparently real.” Twilight did not find comfort in that statement, “The better question is, what are they doing in Ponyville and why?” She looked over at the splintered wall once more, “There has to be some reason, some explanation that’ll tell us what’s going on here.”

“This is bad Twilight! What if they’re turning the whole town into a zombie horde as we speak!” Spike shivered at the thought of being attacked by a massive army of the creatures.

“…I don’t think that’s likely Spike.” Twilight put a hoof to her chin as she thought about how the creatures looked, “Though you’re right that their skin and manner of moving was similar to the stories about zombies, they were still different from those stories. For one thing they all were wearing armor; if they were ponies from this town why would they be wearing such regal looking armor?” Twilight began to pace as she thought, “Second of all they attacked us with weapons. The zombies from any story we’ve heard about attack by biting and spread infection that way. If they were trying to amass an army, they would want us infected and in one piece.”

“Well… maybe they’re really CONFUSED zombies! You know they lose control of their thoughts when they turn.” Spike said trying to give favor to his argument.

“Let’s focus Spike.” Twilight shook her head, “The biggest problem here is that those ‘zombies’ are roaming around town! They’re likely attacking innocent ponies! We have to find Celestia and put a stop to this.”

“How’re we going to do that? We can’t go out the front door; those things are probably waiting for us!” Spike motioned once more to the broken front door. Twilight had to admit; even she was unwilling to go out that door now.

“I guess we’re just going to have to find another way out.” Twilight looked around the room, getting a good look at it now that she wasn’t distracted by fear of her life or Spike’s rambling about the zombie ponies. They were in the house’s living room, the couch that had been in the middle of it was now pressed against the splintered door. The center of the room had a broken table, split down the middle and laying in pieces. There were several doorways scattered about the living room, one leading to the kitchen, one to what looked like a closet, one to what seemed to be a basement that was boarded up and one that lead to a bathroom that was also boarded up. Then there were the stairs to the upper room, a balcony could be seen from the first floor that showed doors on the second floor.

“Alright, I have no idea whose house we’re in right now, though it doesn’t look like anyone’s lived here in quite some time.” Twilight turned towards the opening to the kitchen and walked towards it. As she entered she finally began to notice just how dark it was inside of the house. She could barely see anything within the kitchen. Her instinct was to start casting the light spell, when a thought occurred to her.

If she was using the light spell and had to switch to a different spell, the light would cut out and she’d be stuck in the dark. If there was a monster in hiding waiting to attack her, she wouldn’t be able to see where she needed to defend herself.

This was a problem. Twilight took a moment to think about it, knowing full well she still needed a light. As she lifted a hoof up to her chin to think, the material of her pendant brushed against it. Surprised, she looked down to remind herself that she still was wearing the pendant from the Canterlot Archives.

“Oh, of course.” She smiled to herself, being reminded of it. She pressed her hoof against it and the crystal came to life, illuminating the world before her. The part of the pendant that was used to read books was now serving her as a lantern. Now that she was able to see, she quickly gave the kitchen a glance over.

The kitchen hadn’t fared much better than the living room, many of the counters were a broken mess, worn away with age and rotting. Many of the doors to the cupboards were loosely hanging on the hinges that were left over with rust and age. Cracks covered the floor and there brown and red stains littered throughout the kitchen.

However, Twilight’s eyes fell upon what she was looking for, a backdoor that was neatly placed at the end of the kitchen. It must’ve been a patio door, and if they could get to the backyard they could get around those creatures out front.

Twilight’s hoof reached the door and tried the knob, hearing the distinct sound of it being locked.

“Of course it is.” Twilight sighed, looking down at the handle, seeing a keyhole similar to the one that had been inside of her house. She realized it must be similar to the situation from her own home. Somewhere within the house was the key to this door, probably hidden within some dumb box within some dumb box puzzle that she needed to figure out.

Twilight quickly returned to the living room, illuminating Spike with her pendant causing him to be blinded momentarily.

“Augh, hey, watch where you point that thing.” Spike said covering his eyes.

“Oh, sorry Spike.” Twilight chuckled softly before walking up to him keeping the light directly out of his eyes, “There’s a door in the kitchen that looks like a way out, however its locked by a similar lock that was on our front door. I’m going upstairs to see if I can’t find the key.”

“Oh, well alright, then I can search downstairs for anything.” Spike smiled ready to help.

“Actually Spike, I was hoping you’d just stay down here and not go exploring. I don’t know what could be waiting for us in this house, or if those things are going to attack again. If you stay here, I can hear you shout for me and I can come to you quickly.” Twilight explained as best she could to her assistant.

“But… but…!” Spike began to protest.

“No buts Spike. I can take care of myself, but I have to be able to take care of you too. It’s safe here for the moment, so please wait for me to look upstairs. I won’t be longer than a minute or two and if you need me, I’m a single shout away, okay?” Twilight pleaded to the baby dragon, hoping he’d understand. Spike hesitated for a moment, fiddling with his fingers, looking unsure of what he should do.

“A-Alright Twilight… but if YOU need me, call me right away, okay!” Spike said, giving her a look of determination in return.

“Thank you Spike.” Twilight said quickly nuzzling against him.

“Yeah, yeah, just, go find the key and… be safe alright?” Normally Spike would protest against the show of affection, but considering their circumstances, it seemed appropriate.

“I will Spike. I’m not about to leave you alone.” Twilight nodded, giving him one last reassuring smile before turning and proceeding up to the second floor. Each step on the stairwell gave a loud groaning creak to each of her hoof steps. She worried that with the age of the structure that one wrong step she would find herself with a leg stuck in broken, splintered wood.

However, the stairwell seemed to hold up and she was soon on the balcony of the second floor. She looked down to the living room of the second floor, seeing Spike looking back up at her. Anywhere from the balcony she’d have a good view of the first floor, so she could easily jump to Spike’s aid at any time. She turned her head to look at the doors on the second floor. She counted six in total, though two of the doors were boarded up with wooden panels.

Twilight turned to the closest unbarred door; it was the only door just to the left of the stairwell.

Twilight pushed the door open, it creaking on its hinges as it moved. Twilight swept the light slowly across the room, checking to see if anything was amiss.

The room looked to be some old library or perhaps a study room. There were bookshelves that were now deprived of books, gathering dust and cobwebs with time. A few blank papers were scattered the floor near an old rotting desk. On the other side of the room she spotted something unusual. Sitting on top of a chair was a safe that looked much too heavy for the chair to be holding, yet somehow it did. On the front of the safe was a piece of paper that appeared to have some messy writing on it.

Twilight quickly walked over to the safe, examining it carefully. It just seemed to be a normal, cast iron dial safe that was unlocked with a number combination. Her horn lit with magic as she grabbed hold of the paper on the safe and lifted it up to her face to read it.

Part of the key is locked away here. I locked it away so that it won’t hurt us again. If you want the key, you must answer the riddles three, for only the combined answers will unlock the key.

-If you find nothing then you’re not there yet, but if you find more than me then you’ve gone too far.

-At sunrise the foals came out to play. They played all day as the sun began to set and the moon rose above their heads. They continued to play despite the night, never tiring or growing weary. They did not stop till they saw the sunrise once more, and then went tired back to their homes.

-In my collection I have but four ponies. Though sadly two befell to an accident and lost a leg each. It’s unfortunate to say, but the legs will still suffice, just need to make a small change.

Twilight thought the note odd for a moment. After all, it just seemed like a random set of riddles set up just for her to answer.

She looked at the safe, then back at the note and pondered what the words meant in her head.

‘I suppose the answer is the combination to this safe. Which means the answer to all of these riddles must be numbers.’ Twilight looked back at the riddles and read them again carefully, looking for the answer to this puzzle.

She racked her brain for a few minutes, going over possible solutions in her head. However, she finally came to a set of numbers that made sense to her.

“Alright… one… twenty-four… fourteen…” She spoke aloud as she turned the dial back and forth. As the dial landed on the final number it let out a satisfying ‘click’, informing her that she had solved the puzzle. She opened the safe door and peered inside, hoping to find the key to the door downstairs.

There were two things inside of the safe, none of which were a key. She sighed, a little disappointed, though somehow not surprised, before inspecting the items there.

The first thing her eyes came upon was an iron helmet. It seemed strange to her that the item would randomly be in the safe. She picked it up with her magic and inspected it. It looked almost brand new. It shined in the light of her pendant. She pondered about just leaving it there, but something in her gut told her it’d be useful. She wasn’t sure exactly how a random iron helmet would be useful, but at the same time she remembered back to the items she had obtained after solving the puzzles in her own home.

The iron helm soon vanished, being stored safely within her magic.

The other item in the safe was a strange ancient coin with weird markings on it. She levitated it closer, inspecting it. At first she couldn’t tell what it was, but as she looked it over memories of books she’d read back in Canterlot came to mind. The strange designs on the coin were of ancient Equestrian, the circle had a metallic extension on the back for imbedding it on clothing or armor and as her magic surrounded it, she could feel a soft pulse emanating from it.

“This is… an enchanted medallion. They’re used to imbue magical properties to items without them…” Twilight was fascinated at having discovered it in the safe, “Judging by the age, it must be at least a thousand years old. But despite its age it still holds a magical charge… Equestrian magic is truly amazing.” She smiled in wonder at the device.

“TWI-ZZZZZ-…”

Twilight dropped the medallion as she nearly jumped out of her skin. Instinct made her jump away from the medallion, as it began to make distorted, garbled sounds. She stared at it in shock, not sure what to make of the noises. She thought she could hear a voice playing through the strange noise.

“ZZZZZZZ-BZZZZZZ-CA-VVVVRRRRRRSSSHHHH-ED HEL-SSHRRRRUUUUUU-LONE HER-SSSSSSSHHHHHHHH-UN AWAY-KSSSSSSSSHHH”

Twilight could do nothing but stare in horror until the medallion finally grew quiet. She had no idea what had just happened with it. She’d never known medallions to store voice or sounds before. Sure, it was the basis for some of the musical equipment that was developed recently, but it was technology beyond what ponies would’ve had a thousand years ago.

She slowly approached the medallion and tapped it with her hoof. It didn’t seem to be doing anything now. She wondered if the sound had been triggered because she had poured magic into the device, as there were many items that required a regular recharge with unicorn magic.

Twilight levitated the medallion once more and gently poured some of her magic into the device, expecting to hear the sound start up once more.

She was baffled at the silence it produced. She twirled the medallion around, inspecting it from every angle she could, but nothing came from it. It was almost as if the whole thing had just been her imagination. Her brow furrowed in frustration at the piece of metal in front of her. She resigned herself to just putting it away into her magic repository and forgetting about it for the moment. She made space in her magic reservoir for it and attempted to place it inside.

However, the coin refused to budge. Though she could lift it, for some reason it refused to go into her holding space.

“Hey, what gives?” Twilight glared at the coin, trying several times to get it to vanish from her sight and find a place inside of her magic, but it simply refused. She let out a huff in frustration at the medallion. “Maybe it’s enchanted not to work with this kind of spell. Which is stupid, why would it be enchanted against being carried inside a magic vessel?” She groaned before thinking about what to do with it.

She examined the metal extension on the back, noticing it was thin and strong, able to clamp down hard to either cloth or metal, depending on what it was going to enchant. She looked down at the string of her pendant.

The medallions metal extension slipped onto the string and snapped closed, now firmly attached to her pendant.

“There, now I’ll be able to keep hold of it.” She wasn’t sure what she was going to need it for, but the note said that these items would lead her to the key to unlocking the back door, so she needed to take them with her.

With nothing else notably interesting in the room, Twilight turned and exited the room. She looked over the railing down to see that Spike seemed to have found a candle and lit with his fire. He was staring at some pictures that were hanging on the walls around the living room.

“You okay Spike?” Twilight called down to him, causing the baby dragon to look up.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I was just looking at some stuff down here.” He replied.

“Alright, just be careful. I don’t want you getting hurt.” She was still worried about what might happen to him if she was gone for too long.

“I know, don’t worry so much, I’ll be fine down here.” Spike nodded his head before looking back at the pictures. Twilight smiled softly at the young dragon. It wasn’t very often that he knew to take a situation seriously, but it seemed he was able to this time. She was grateful for that calm rationality was going to keep them from getting hurt.

Twilight turned her head back towards the doors, examining the next open one. The door closest to where she had just left was boarded up, leaving the next door down the hallway open. The creaking floor punctuated her every footstep as she approached the door.

Twilight’s ear twitched as she approached the door. She could hear something faint from behind the door, something that sounded like another pony.

She quickly pressed her hoof against the door and pushed it open, walking into a large open room. The walls were decorated with ornamental armors and weapons of varying shapes and sizes, all ones Twilight was able to recognize as made only to be displayed, not used. Banners decorated with the symbol of Equestria hung in the corners and the floor was covered with a red velvet carpet. At the opposite end of the room looked to be a statue of a pony standing on its hind legs made of bronze, holding in its hooves a worn down, rusted old sword with words written on the wall above it. In the center of the ceiling appeared to be a fresh blood stain that was slowly dripping blood into a pool.

The most striking thing about the room however, was that Twilight could hear the soft sobs of a mare crying. She looked around the room, but couldn’t see a single pony from where the sound would originate.

“Hello?” Twilight called out walking further into the room. She stopped for a moment when she heard the medallion on her pendant began to hiss quietly with its static sound. She stared at for a moment, wondering if it would go quiet. When it didn’t, she decided to ignore it for the moment and continue trying to contact the pony in distress.

“Hello?” She called again, though there was no response, just the continued sad sobbing. “Hello? Is anypony here?” Twilight tried desperately to call out to the pony that seemed to be in distress. She called out to her several more times, but all she got was silence in return.

“I don’t get it… I can hear them, can’t they hear me?” She wondered aloud to herself. She slowly walked over to the statue of the pony and examined it. It seemed to be a soldier, dressed and ready for battle, though he seemed to be missing his helmet. Twilight glanced up and looked at the wall with the writing.

Equestria, our Nation, shall be defended in honor. For the peace of every citizen who wishes only freedom and love, we raise our shields and swords for them. We must be ready for battle should our ideals ever come to harm.

Twilight pulled out the helm from her magic pool. She wasn’t sure how this was going to get her a key to leave the house, but she knew what the riddle was telling her to do. She levitated the helm down onto the statues head, it fitting with a snug ‘click’.

The statue suddenly moved, causing Twilight to step back in surprise. The forelegs of the statue that were tightly holding onto the rusted old sword in its hooves lifted up slowly, before separating, letting go of its grip on the blade. The blade fell to the ground and landed with a small clatter. Twilight looked at the chipped blade curiously.

The blade had a purple jewel just below the white-bandaged wrapped handle, presumably to give it a better and less-painful grip when held in the mouth. The guard looked like it was made out of a dark bone. She could clearly see the massive amount of chips in the steel blade, as if it had been through many a battle and left unrepaired for years, rusting away in this spot now.

She levitated the blade up carefully, to get a better look at it. As she did, the medallion around her neck began to cry out with a loud distorted buzz.

The room suddenly shook as the gentle sobbing turned into a loud, heart-wrenching scream. Twilight felt her skin jump as she quickly turned around. The room shook once more as a loud thud struck the room. She looked back and forth, trying to find the origin of the loud noise.

Another thud shook the room and she heard a loud crack reverberate through it. She turned her head up to the ceiling, seeing specks of debris falling down as something slammed into it. She bolted her attention to the door and tried to make a run for it, to escape the room.

Another ear-piercing scream shrieked through the room, as one last thud shook the room, the ceiling bursting from the weight of the strike and knocking Twilight back as debris and ruble hit the floor.

Twilight coughed and gagged on the dust that was billowing from the floor, turning her attention to look at what had just crashed through the ceiling.

A gigantic figure was hanging from some abyss above the ceiling. Its legs disappeared into the abyss, showing just a large torso and head below. It’s body was long and its skin was rotted, marred with scars and wrapped in tightly bound chains. It was missing one of its forelegs, the other was bound, broken and misshapen under the chains. The head of the creature brought horror to Twilight, as this creature was also missing its eyes. But more than that, the ears looked like they’d been put through a shredder and were barely hanging on, teeth were missing from its mouth and it was profusely bleeding from the skull, likely where it had repeatedly struck the ceiling to be free.

The creature let out a distinctive mare-like screech that felt like it would pop Twilight’s ears. She folded her ears down and backed away from the creature, her back hitting a wall. Adrenaline instantly began to shoot through her veins as she stared down the creature.

It writhed in agony at its bindings. It began to thrash back and forth in the room, screeching and wailing in horrific pain. Twilight could only stare, feeling her heart thundering against her chest at the sight. She didn’t know what it was, she didn’t know what happened to it and the last time she’d encountered a creature it had tried to kill her.

The creature stopped its thrashing for a moment, breathing heavily. Its head seemed to focus on Twilight, Twilight freezing in fear. It was as if the creature had noticed her thoughts and turned its attention to her.

With another screech its head lunged straight at Twilight, mouth wide open intent on biting down on her.

Twilight barely managed to jump out of the way in time, as the creature crashed into the wall Twilight had been standing next to her. Twilight’s hooves slipped for a moment, but she got to her feet, instinctually levitating the sword in front of her defensively. She’d never wielded a sword before, not even back during her days in Canterlot. The Princess had asked her if she would be interested in any weapon training, but she had always focused on studying magic.

Right now she wished she had done some training.

The shrieking creature pulled its body back and shook with pain and anguish, crying out constantly.

“Please! Stop!” Twilight yelled at the creature, watching it spasm under the chains, “I don’t want to hurt you! If you’ll just calm down I can help you!” She pleaded at the creature, trying to get it to listen to reason.

The creature refused the offer, swinging its body straight for Twilight. She jumped out of the way once more, the creature smashing into the wall.

Twilight tried to keep her balance, but the creature wasn’t wasting its time this time. It pulled back quickly and thrust itself forward once more at Twilight.

Twilight gasped in shock and tried to dodge out of the way again, holding the sword up to try and soften the blow. The creatures face grazed the side of the sword as it wailed in pain, before striking the side of Twilight’s body. She felt her body get knocked to the side as it smashed into the wall once more.

She groaned, feeling the impact on her sides. She knew, however, that she didn’t have time to wait and adjust to her new bruises. She scrambled to her feet as the creature began to pull back once more. That constant, horrific yell was piercing straight into her, the cry of pain and agony that permeated the soul.

“STOP! PLEASE! I DON’T WANT TO HURT YOU!” Twilight cried out desperately to the creature, trying to get it to stop its assault.

The creature roared out, its jaw crashing onto her body. She let out a horrified gasp in surprise as suddenly the room seemed to flip upside down. Should could feel the powerful jaw of the creature beginning to dig into her flesh. She shrieked, crying out in agony as the teeth began to dig deeper, trying to devour her alive.

The sword swung through the air, stabbing straight into the creatures throat.

The creature’s jaw opened wide in agony, Twilight tumbling out as it began to flail across the room, crashing and smashing into walls all over the room.

Twilight gasped and panted for air, a hoof rubbing her neck as she stood up. The creatures wails filled her mind as she was able to spot the sword she’d been wielding imbedded in its throat. Her horn quickly lit up and her magic grabbed the handle of it, ripping the sword quickly out of its throat.

Its head slammed into the floor, shaking the whole room. Twilight’s legs shook with it, trying to keep herself standing and stable, aiming the sword towards the creature once more.

The creature didn’t wait for another opportunity. It bellowed its wrenching cry and rushed straight for Twilight, its mouth wide open to take her down.

Twilight didn’t wait for it to get close. With a swift thrust the blade soared through the air and stabbed the creature in the mouth.

This didn’t seem to falter the creature, as it still aimed to take Twilight down.

Twilight dodged out of the way, its jaws reaching where she had been standing and snapping shut on top of her blade. Her horn lit up, pouring a huge amount of her magic into the hold of the blade and forced the blade out of its mouth, dragging blood and teeth with it as it soared out.

The creatures head rammed into the ground once more, as if trying to silence the pain as its blood began to spill and drench the room with its constant movements. Twilight held the sword up over her, every nerve in her body firing at once to react, to attack, to not let this thing take her out of this world.

The creature cried out, its jaws mashing, wanting to devour Twilight. Twilight levitated the sword up, her eyes flashing white as she grit her teeth, her nostrils flaring as a turbulent wind picked up in the room. Debris began to be picked up, the splinters of the decorative weapons and armor beginning to circle with the cyclone of air. Twilight glared at the creature, the sword being the focus of her magical rage.

The creature lunged for her, mouth open and screaming.

Twilight cried out in return, forcing all the air out of her lungs as she yelled like she had never yelled before.

The sword dove through the air, guided by the magical force. The blade struck the creature, striking the bottom of its jaw and straight through its skull, embedding itself into the floor of the room.

The creature writhed and shook, its body going into uncontrolled spasms. Twilight panted heavily as she watched, the creature’s agony spilling out before her. She waited, as the creature began to shake less and less.

Finally, the creature grew quiet and still. Her medallion became silent as well.

Twilight panted as her magic began to calm. Her eyes stopped blazing white and she could feel the effects of the adrenaline coursing through her veins beginning to fade as the situation was no longer one of life and death.

Her legs began to shake, no longer able to support her weight. She collapsed to her knees as her mind began to reel, her breath not slowing as the horror of what she just did began to crash in at full force.

“TWILIGHT! TWILIGHT ARE YOU OK-“ Spike cried out, finally able to get the door to open and came rushing into the room only to stop.

He could see everything. The dead creature impaled through the head on the floor, the blood that was splattered throughout the room, the horrible mess and destruction that had come from it crashing through the ceiling and destroying the walls and decorations.

But most of all, he could see Twilight, staring at him, shaking in place with wide eyes as she was beginning to deal with what just happened. Her body was splattered with blood, some of it being her own.

“T-Twilight…” Spike gasped, having difficulty taking the sight in for himself. He was rendered speechless.

“S… Spike…” Twilight’s voice quivered, shook as much as her body did. Her eyes began to shutter as much as her breath, “I… I… I killed… a living creature…” The fear was evident in her voice, the pain and grief of what she done was striking her. Spike could see the tears that were quickly beginning to flow down Twilight’s cheeks.

“I… I killed it…” She hiccupped and gasped, as her face contorted. She was trying to hold back her sobs, trying to hold back her pain and anguish. But there was no stopping it and Spike could see it. He rushed over to Twilight and threw his arms around her neck.

Twilight broke out into loud, painful sobs into the small dragon’s shoulder, her hooves holding him as close as she could.

Chapter 3

“Here Twilight, I found some tea bags in the kitchen.” Spike said holding up the warm cup of tea for the lavender unicorn.

“…Thanks Spike.” Twilight mumbled quietly. She levitated the cup up to her mouth and slowly sipped on the tea.

It had taken a while to get the strength back in her legs, but once they had recovered, Spike led her down to the living room. Somehow he’d managed to find a blanket and wrapped it around her. In this moment of need, he was proving to her that he really was her number one assistant.

“I’m sorry Spike.” Twilight sighed softly, looking into the murky waters of her tea, “I should be the strong one right now, not y-”

“Twilight, how’re your wounds?” Spike interrupted her, looking at her seriously.

“My…” Twilight blinked a little confused before looking down at her body. She shifted the blanket a little to get a better look at the damage that had been done.

Her chest was swelling, though she was actually surprised at how small it was. She’d expected bigger bruises from the way it had felt, but she seemed surprisingly well off there. They were also the worst of her injuries. The cuts she’d received from the creature’s mouth had already stopped bleeding.

“My wounds are fine Spike. But why is that-“

“You just got hurt Twilight. I’m fine. You rest for the moment and we’ll continue when you’re ready.” Spike interrupted her again with a soft smile. Twilight blinked in confusion at him, before returning the smile.

“Sometimes I wonder if you’re really a baby dragon anymore.” Twilight chuckled softly, closing her eyes to sip her tea.

“Yeah, I’m growing up pretty fast.” Spike nodded happily. There was a comfortable silence shared between the two of them, leaving Twilight to her thoughts as she drank the warm liquid. Spike smiled as he watched Twilight relax, before softly scratching the back of his head, “Hey Twilight, I know it’s a little soon but,” Twilight looked up at her dragon assistant from the rim of her cup, “When we were in the room I saw a key on the floor next to that thing. I think that might be the key for the door. I didn’t grab it cause I was helping you, but…”

“Say no more Spike.” Twilight softly nodded her head, putting the cup of tea down and standing up, the blanket falling from her shoulders, “I’ll go grab the key.”

“Wait, are you sure? Maybe you should just-“ Spike tried to stop her from acting hastily, but Twilight just held out her hoof to silence him.

“Thanks for the concern Spike, but I’m okay now. Besides, I can handle retrieving a key from a room. I can’t let you do everything.” She took a deep breath, “I’m supposed to be taking care of you. Not the other way around.” She smiled softly at him.

“It’s okay to need help Twilight.” Spike furrowed his brow, looking worried for her.

“I know, and if I need it I’ll ask.” Twilight rubbed his head gently, “I’ll be okay, just wait for me and I’ll be right back.”

“Alright Twilight… I trust you.” Spike still looked at the lavender unicorn with worry, but did as she asked.

“Thank you Spike.” She nodded before turning to the stairs. She looked up the flight towards the walkway that lead to the room they’d escaped from, swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat, and then slowly began her ascent back up.

‘Come on Twilight. If Spike can handle this, you can too. He’s just a baby dragon, you’re an adult unicorn AND Celestia’s personal student. You can face what you did.’ She mentally reassured herself several times. She could feel her face flushing with anxiety, her heart beating more heavily with each hoof step. She was trying to force herself to stay calm, taking deep breaths while repeating to herself that everything would be okay.

At the top of the steps she hesitantly looked into the half open doorway leading to the destroyed room. Even as she approached she could glimpse some of the rubble and destruction within, most prominently the spatters of blood that had come from the thrashing-

“You okay Twilight?” Spike’s voice carried from the first floor.

“Yeah. I’m fine Spike.” She quickly flashed him an assuring smile before walking to the door and stepping inside.

A hoof went straight to her mouth as she observed the remains of the room. The creature’s corpse was still there in the center, lying limp in a pool of its own blood. She couldn't look away, only barely able to discern the destroyed decorations everywhere, the wrecked walls and ceilings, the room of utter chaos laid out around her.

But something was also amiss. Something about the room didn’t seem right. As if some important detail that she had left there was no longer where it should be...

“The sword! Why isn’t it still…” Twilight stared in shock at the head of the creature. The sword that should have been impaled through it wasn’t there. Instead, looking just in front of the creature, she saw it lying on the ground, not a speck of blood on it. Right next to it on the floor she saw a small glint of light reflecting off of a small key.

Had the sword fallen out of its head? Had it not actually been dead and managed to pull the sword out before it died? Had something else come along and pulled it out? Had she or Spike pulled it out without either of them realizing? Were they still not alone?

Twilight gulped down another lump of nervousness that had formed in her throat. Not daring to take another step into the room, she felt fortunate that her desired items were already within her line of sight. She quickly lit her horn up and wrapped the sword and the key with a magical aura. The two items quickly disappeared into their waiting storage inside her pool of magic and the room grew dim once more. She hadn’t planned on bringing the sword with her, but if more things were going to go wrong then she might need to defend herself again.

Not waiting to see what surprises might pop out at her, Twilight quickly turned around and headed back down the stairs.

“Okay Spike, I grabbed the key. Let’s go ahead and get out of this place.” Twilight said trying to hide her desire to leave from Spike as she hurriedly walked past him.

“Oh, uh, sure Twilight. Once we head out we should continue looking for your friends or the Princess.” Spike suggested, making a mental note of the task at hand while following after the lavender unicorn.

Twilight wasted no time turning her pendant on and illuminating the kitchen. She summoned the key once more and approached the locked door, fitting the key into the lock. With a turn the key opened the lock. With a push of the hoof the door opened, revealing the fog laden world just beyond it.

It lead to the backyard of the house that was surrounded by a small fence cornering it off from the streets of Ponyville. It seemed a small garden used to be raised there, but the small patch of vegetables had fallen to a state of rotten disuse. The grass was dying and the air suddenly felt thick.

“Whoa, look Twilight, it’s snowing again!” Spike said eagerly running out into the backyard without a care.

“Spike wait! We don’t know if it’s safe yet!” Twilight cried out, chasing after the baby dragon.

Spike didn’t seem to care though, just looking up into the fog filled sky as specks of white floated down around him. He briefly spun in place before opening his mouth and sticking his tongue out, letting one of the flakes of snow land on his tongue.

Instantly he retched and started spitting, wiping his mouth of the vile snowflake.

“Ugh! That wasn’t snow at all!” Spike groaned as Twilight walked up next to him.

“Not snow? What do you mean it’s not snow?” Twilight wondered, looking up at the flakes. She held out a hoof as a speck landed on it. She expected it to be cold and to melt, instead it seemed to smear onto her coat. Perplexed, she drew her nose closer to it but didn’t notice any smell aside from the thick smell that seemed to hang in the air.  Curious about what Spike had tasted she licked the speck that had landed on her hoof.

“…This isn’t snow…” Twilight whispered to herself, suddenly realizing what was falling from the sky, “Its ash…” Suddenly the thick smell in the air made sense and brought a horrible realization to her mind. Either something in Ponyville was burning, or these were the remains of something having been burnt and scattered through the sky.

“…Uhhh… Twilight...” Spike said suddenly scared of something. Twilight looked down at the baby dragon, before looking to where his eyes had followed. She regretted what she saw.

It must’ve been the owner of the house, or at least what was left of her. It was a mare she vaguely memorized, one of the newest ponies to move to Ponyville. She had a strikingly white coat and silver mane. Her body was covered with lacerations, as if she had been severely whipped all over staining her white coat with blood. But worst of all was that she had been mounted to a large wooden cross with giant nails piercing each of her hooves and holding her in place. The mare to which this had happened was named Winter Withers.

Winter had been crucified.

“Oh… Oh Celestia… we have to get her down!” Twilight said racing over to the crucified pony. She wrapped the mare in her magic, gripping hard against the nails before pulling them out carefully. The body went limp in Twilight’s magical embrace as she carefully lowered the pony to the ground. As the white mare lay there Twilight put a hoof to her neck, desperate for any sign of life.

“Is… is she…” Spike stuttered, walking up slowly.

Twilight was quiet for a few minutes, hoping for a conclusion that wasn’t what Spike was thinking. She checked several spots where she knew she would be able to feel a heartbeat. She put her ear next to her mouth to try and hear breathing. Finally, her horn lit up and she placed a small blanket of magic on her chest to try and detect a heartbeat.

Twilight’s face grew dim as the magic of her horn faded, closing her eyes and softly shaking her head.

“Oh no… why is this happening Twilight?” Spike asked, now truly scared. It had been one thing for Spike when he had seen a monster dead. It was another to see a pony mutilated and hung up for display.

“I… I don’t know Spike.” Twilight spoke softly, looking down at the mare’s face. Winter was a face she rarely saw in the streets of Ponyville, someone who had recently moved there to get away from her city life and enjoy a peaceful one there. They’d only talked on two occasions, and with it being a small town she was having a hard time adjusting to everypony knowing everypony else.

Twilight stood up, her horn lighting up once more. With her magic she quickly formed a shovel and began to dig up the dirt of the back yard. Spike watched silently as Twilight dug the hole. The two of them could only hear the stifled sound of the shovel digging into the dirt as she dug deeper. It took a long time for the hole to be deep enough to satisfy Twilight, yet not a word was shared between the two of them.

Twilight carefully wrapped the white mare’s body with her magic and placed it down at the bottom of the hole. Picking up the excavated dirt with her magic she gingerly placed it back in, covering the mare and filling the hole. She made sure the dirt was meticulously flat before forming a block of wood into the shape of a head stone and placing it at the front of the grave. She carefully etched onto it, ‘Here lays Winter Withers, may she find a peaceful rest.’

Twilight sat at the foot of the freshly dug grave, looking solemnly at the ground. Spike walked up and sat next to her, putting a claw against her back.

“Maybe we should say a few words?” Spike mentioned solemnly.

“You’re right… but… I barely knew anything about her. I met her briefly Spike, enough to know her name and why she moved but… she was just a passing friend.” Twilight sighed softly, not sure what to make of this. Just knowing everypony in Ponyville wasn’t enough to call them true friends. If she only had one conversation she could maybe call them a friend, but she didn’t truly know a pony in that case. It took a while to truly earn great friends like the ones she had.

“Winter…” Twilight spoke up softly, “I’m sorry I never got to know you that well. You seemed like an interesting pony and… I know you were starting to enjoy life here in Ponyville. You were starting to make friends and who knows; maybe you could’ve become a great member of the community…” Twilight paused for a moment, turning her head away from the grave feeling guilt hit her stomach, “And I’m sorry you had to die this way. You didn’t deserve this… nopony deserves this.” She took a deep breath and looked back at the grave, “And I promise… your death won’t have been in vain. We may not have been the closest of friends, but you were still one of mine. I’ll put a stop to whatever is going on here Winter, you have my word.”

Twilight stood, feeling the weight of her words in her heart. Spike looked up at the unicorn, not sure how to feel anymore. In the span of a few minutes, the two of them had been through more emotions than they ever thought they’d go through in a lifetime.

The young dragon’s body was surrounded with magic as Twilight lifted him up on to her back.

“Alright Spike, we have to find the others now. We can’t leave things like this, not if innocent ponies are going to get hurt.” Twilight spoke with near vengeance in her voice.

“But… But Twilight, what if… what if they…” Spike hesitated, looking back at the bloody crucifix that stood impaled in the ground before them. Twilight looked at the device, glaring at it. Twilight was reminded of when she had read about the horrible devices, where she had learned what being killed this way was called, in the biography of Merlin the Great.

Upon hilltops of Saint Clydesrow was where I saw the ghastly sights of our fellow blood, nailed to wood in the shape of a cross to serve two purposes; one of execution, the other of warning. Their bodies spoke of the atrocities the nation would commit. If you broke their laws, invaded their land or offended their nobles, the fate of death was brought to you. You would be seen by those you knew and loved, by your enemies and by your Goddess, that you were an example of their power. They called this execution the ‘crucifixion’.

Twilight grit her teeth as her horn flared once more. The bloody cross was gripped in her magic and let out a loud groan as the wood began to bend. With a loud and powerful snap, the cross fell over, slamming into the ground in two pieces. Twilight stared with satisfaction at her work and walked towards the edge of the small picket fence that surrounded Winter’s yard.

“Our friends are going to be okay Spike; they wouldn’t let this town get to them so easily. Now hold on.” Twilight told the baby dragon. Taking her advice he gripped tightly to her neck as she took a few steps back and galloped at full speed. She cleared the fence in a single jump, landing once more into the cobble stone streets of Ponyville.

“Spike, do you know where we are in town at the moment?” Twilight asked pulling the map out of her pool of magic and handing it to Spike. Spike fumbled with it for a moment before opening it properly. He swallowed down nervousness that had been building up and cleared his throat, examining the map.

“I’d… guess we’re on Pen Street.” Spike followed the roads, noting the buildings that they had been around before being chased into the mansion, then the location of the mansion itself. “So, Sugar Cube Corner should still be the nearest place, we just have to head to the right and down the road.” Spike explained.

Just as he finished though, the medallion on Twilight’s neck began to let out a buzz.

“What’s that!?” Spike said jumping into the air and landing on Twilight’s back. Twilight grunted at the sign and sighed softly.

“It’s something I found in that house that seemed important.” Twilight lifted the necklace of her pendant up to show Spike the medallion that was attached to it, “It was doing this back at the house too. It was acting right before-”

Twilight was interrupted by the sound of metal scrapping against the cobblestone. Spike and Twilight instantly turned their attention to the direction of the fog, seeing a silhouette of a pony once more.

“Oh no, not more of them.” Twilight growled, reaching into her magic and swiftly pulling out the ancient, rusted sword. She inspected the condition of it, noting that it was still holding together well despite her recent encounter. She feared that it was on the verge of breaking, many of the chips digging into the blade. However, it was something to defend her and the young one she had to protect. So help Celestia, if anything came to harm Spike-

“Twilight, come on, let’s get out of here!” Spike said tugging on her mane, “We shouldn’t fight it, it might draw more!”

“We’re not surrounded already?” Twilight quickly glanced around, seeing that the only silhouette around them was in fact the one slowly approaching them. Looking back at the figure in the fog she began to slowly walk backwards away from it. The figure didn’t pick up any speed, just continuing to saunter slowly towards them, dragging whatever weapon it carried along the ground.

“We’re not going to get any closer to our friends if we keep running away… but I understand, we shouldn’t fight if we don’t have to.” Twilight returned the sword to her magic, then quickly turned and ran from the creature. It didn’t chase after them and the silhouette fell out of view. As it did, the buzzing of the medallion grew silent.

“Hey, that sound went away.” Spike said taking note of the silence returning as Twilight moved into a quick jog over a full sprint.

“Hey, you’re right Spike.” She said slowing to a walk as she examined the runic symbols of the metal, “It seems to make noise whenever a creature draws close… I think its warning of us danger when it draws near.” Twilight was amazed at this deduction, that something she’d found was so useful.

“Well that’s convenient.” Spike said reaching around and poking the medallion softly, “If it makes a noise whenever danger is near, all we have to do is avoid dangerous areas.”

“I… don’t know if that’ll be as easy as it sounds Spike.” Twilight said thinking back to the mansion, “We only got the key to leave BECAUSE I… because I killed that thing. It dropped the key when it died and the medallion was buzzing before I encountered it.” Twilight sighed as she thought about it, putting the pieces together in her head, “Whatever is going on in this town it seems to be following some strange rule set. You have to follow the rules or else you won’t get out.”

“Are you sure Twilight? That makes it seem like something is trying to play a game with us.” Spike scratched his head at the words.

“Maybe Spike. But think about it, when we were locked inside the library, we couldn’t escape until we solved the puzzles on those boxes. Then when we finally got outside we we’re rounded up into that mansion. Then the only way out of the mansion safely was through that creature.” Twilight listed the events for them to analyze logically.

“So… you’re saying that the only way out of this mess… is to obey whatever rules are presented to us?” Spike felt a chill run down his back as he spoke.

“I’m afraid so Spike. And it seems the consequences of disobeying are dire.” Twilight spoke gravely.

“Do… you think that’s what happened to Winter?”

Twilight stopped walking, head instantly lowering to stare at the ground.

“I… sorry, I just…” Spike began to mumble.

“I don’t know Spike.” Twilight sighed lifting her head up, “But Winter… she was crucified. And when you crucify a pony, it isn’t just to kill them. It’s to send a message.” Twilight narrowed her eyes again, “And I think the message was intended for us. I don’t know what it meant, but I plan on finding out.”

Spike didn’t say anything after that. He just sat on Twilight’s back as she began to walk once more. The only sound the two of them heard was the loud click of her hooves hitting the cobblestone road. The read she was heading down would eventually lead to a fork, where she could either turn to head for the school house or down further into Ponyville.

Twilight came to a dead stop at the end of the road, her mouth slowly falling open as she stared at the building that had appeared before them in the fog.

“Whoa, I don’t remember THAT building being in Ponyville.” Spike said looking at it in confusion.

“That’s because it doesn’t belong to Ponyville.” Twilight explained, looking at the building once more. Where more houses should have been was instead a large brick building. A small flight of stairs stood before double doors that lead into the building. Above them was a weathered sign, seemingly battered by the elements that read ‘Stalliongrad Library.’

“Well… if it doesn’t belong in Ponyville, what’s it DOING here?” Spike asked perplexed, not accustomed to buildings suddenly shifting entire locations like this.

“I’m not sure Spike, but I’m certain we’re supposed to find out.” Twilight said stepping closer to the building.

“Are you sure this is a good idea Twilight?” Spike asked hesitantly as she began to climb the stairs.

“Good idea? Probably not. But, if this really is Stalliongrad Library there might still be other ponies inside. One of our friends might have taken refuge in here.” Twilight slowly pushed open the front door, finding a dark abyss inside waiting for her. “Or we might find out more clues as to what happened here.”

Her horn lit up and magic surrounded the pendant around her neck, causing the crystal to light up the area before her. The door opened up to a hallway, the red carpet floor looked like it had seen better days. The color was worn with age and a layer of dust seemed to cover it. The cream colored wallpaper was peeling and seemed to be covered in scratches. She could see the reception desk from the entrance.

“Whoa, what happened to this place.” Spike wondered aloud as Twilight walked over to the desk.

“I’m not sure Spike, but we should probably keep our voices to a whisper.” Twilight whispered back to the dragon on her back as she approached the rotting wooden front desk. Her eyes began to scan what lay on top of it.

“Why to a whisper?” Spike asked quietly, “If there are other ponies wouldn’t we want them to know we’re here?”

“We could also attract more of those zombie things from outside if they’re in here.” Twilight replied, “The medallion is quiet so far, but I don’t want to chance having to fight something… at least not with you in harm’s way.”

“Twilight…” Spike spoke softly, but was interrupted as Twilight’s horn lit up once more. She picked up a map from off the reception desk and quickly examined it.

“Alright, the layout of the library is pretty simple. We should be able to find any pony who is here quickly.” She rolled the map up and let it vanish into her pool of magic, “And with any luck we might find some information too.”

Twilight then levitated the note that had been lying next to the map. It was a sloppily written note, as if whoever had wrote it had been in a hurry. But it was just clear enough for her to be able to read what was there.

Oh no I lost them I can’t believe I lost them

Those things are going to guard them now I know it

I can’t hide in the backroom without them

I’m done for, I won’t survive

Oh Celestia, why did it have to be a puzzle?

“What’s it say Twilight?” Spike looked at the note curiously, not able to get a good look of it past Twilight’s head.

“I think its saying that in order to get into the backroom of the library we need to find items that are… being guarded around the library.” Twilight gulped softly, vanishing the note into her magic.

“So… you’re going to have to fight again?” Spike wrapped his arms around Twilight’s neck a little tighter, as if hugging her.

“Most likely Spike, if we want to find out what’s back there.” It wasn’t a conclusion Twilight was happy to make, nor was it one she wanted to face. But she’d already killed one creature that had been out to kill her; if she kept it to self-defense she might be able to stay sane.

Her eyes wandered to the small dragon on her back, who looked back at her with a hint of fear in his eyes.

Besides, she had to protect Spike no matter the cost. She wasn’t about to let anything happen to her young assistant.

Twilight turned from the reception desk and walked a few paces down the hallway when she saw the first door to her right. A sign next to the door labeled it as the ‘Reference’ section.

“Well, I guess this is as good a place as any to start searching.” Twilight said with a bit of hesitation in her voice. Spike gripped her neck softly as Twilight carefully opened the door.

Her light going into the room was able to pick out several bookshelves, all containing several different books lined up on them. Most of the books appeared to be worn with age, dust collecting on the shelves and bindings. She stepped quietly into the room looking back and forth with her light. At the entrance way she could see large piles of books had been dropped at the end of the bookshelves, blocking a pony’s path from going around. The only path they could take was to go forward between the openings of the shelves.

Twilight took a few steps further into the reference section, slowly closing the door behind her, when her ears perked up. Her medallion began to softly hiss.

Spike gripped Twilight’s neck a little harder and she instinctively pulled the sword out from her magic, gripping it tight within her magic. She stood in place waiting for whatever creature was causing the hissing to step forth. However, despite standing in place for what felt like an eternity, no creature walked out in front of them. They could only hear the soft hissing of the medallion.

Softly swallowing her anxiety, Twilight began to take slow, careful steps forward. The hissing remained quiet for her first few steps until she was standing at the opening between the next two shelves of books. The medallion slowly began to buzz louder, but now it was accompanied by the sound of something chewing. She looked to her left, seeing another large pile of books blocking the end of the path. She then slowly turned to look to her right.

At first she thought she was seeing a pony hunched before a small pile of books. But something was clearly wrong with that. She focused more and details began to fit into her vision.

What she thought was the pony's back seemed to be made of a rotting brown leather that was moving and bulging, as if giant worms lived under the skin. Several areas looked as if they had been sewn together, like the skin was a suit made out of rotted pony hide. Extending out of an opening in the skin on its back were two purple and red muscle-like tentacles that sharpened to a point at the end. Its head lifted up, revealing two flaps of what looked like a pony head falling to the side, revealing a skin-stripped and eyeless head that was chewing hungrily on a book.

Twilight almost gagged. She could hardly describe the horror of the creature before her. Its head shredded the book in its mouth easily, swallowing whole the cover and the pages. The tentacles on its back suddenly reached out to the bookshelf next to it and stabbed a book straight through its binding. It picked the book up and laid it down next to the small pile the monster had gathered, its head digging back down to grab hold of another book.

Twilight slowly moved, continuing across the gap in the bookshelves away from the monster. It didn’t seem to notice her as the monster disappeared from sight past the bookshelf once more. The medallion’s loud buzzing dulled to a soft buzz as she let out a soft sigh.

“Twilight. What IS that thing.” Spike hissed into her ear, gripping hard against her neck, though being careful not to choke her.

“I don’t know Spike.” Twilight hissed back, lowering her sword as she continued to slowly back away, “But I’d rather avoid it if possible.”

Twilight felt her back bump into a large pile of discarded books. She turned her head to see that the path ended because of the obstruction. She glared at it softly and lit her horn a little brighter, trying to grab hold of the books and move them out of her way.

However, the books refused to budge, as if wedged tightly into place. She glared softly and tried teleporting the obstruction out of her way. However, despite the spell casting the books didn’t move. It was as if they were just like the locked doors, immune to magic.

“What is with this place and its magic immunity.” Twilight growled softly, checking her location in the short maze of bookshelves. She could see the end of the room, counting off six book shelves within the room in total. The large piles of books seemed to be positioned in such a perfect way as to direct her straight towards that creature. She quickly pulled the map of the library back out and checked its contents.

It seemed that there were three rooms just at the other end that were used for studying. However, with her path blocked by the large piles of books, the only route that seemed like it would reach them would be to go through that creature that was devouring the books.

“Spike…” Twilight spoke softly, yet seriously, “I need you to get off of my back for a minute.”

“T-Twilight?” Spike asked hesitantly, “What’re you going to do?”

Twilight took a deep breath, closing her eyes and steeling her nerves. She pictured the scene back from the library of Spike torn to pieces. She pictured the creature from that mansion that had tried to kill her. She pictured the zombie soldiers, each carrying their weapon and attempting to cut them down with their weapons.

These creatures were cold and harsh; they didn’t care for the sanctity of life. They blinded sought to kill and harm. And though she desired to leave them alone, she knew that she couldn’t avoid this fate for long now. Though they were living creatures, she had to see them as obstacles. No more than puzzles standing between her and getting out of this miserable situation. To save her friends, to find Celestia, to let no more harm come to any pony.

“Spike… I’m going to take out that creature.” She raised the chipped and damaged sword in front of her, looking it over with her eyes, “And if you’re on my back you may get hurt. And no matter what, I can’t let you get hurt Spike.”

“Twilight no! You shouldn’t fight it unless there’s no other choice!” Spike tugged on her mane, trying to persuade her not to be foolish. “What if it hurts you Twilight!?” his voice began to rise, Twilight eyeing him carefully, “If something happens to you, what am I supposed to do!? What do I tell the others if I find them and you’re… if you’re…” Spike shut his eyes as tears burned at them, a lump forming in his throat.

Twilight eyed the hallway of the booshelves carefully. She could still hear the creature devouring away at the books. Its distraction seemed deep.

Spike felt himself being shrouded in magic and forcefully lifted up and off of Twilight.

“Twilight! No! I-“ Spike began to shout, but found himself muffled when suddenly embraced deeply into Twilight’s chest. His eyes widened as he tried to look up at the lavender unicorn that held him close to her with one hoof in a hug.

“Spike, I know all that.” Twilight spoke softly, trying to calm the young dragon. Spike wrapped his arms around her neck and hugged her tightly. “I can’t promise I won’t get hurt, but I’m not about to die and leave you behind Spike. I’m also not about to let these things hurt you either. So if I can stop one before it has the chance to strike, I’m going to take the chance.” Twilight’s voice seemed different to the young dragon ears, in a way he very rarely heard Twilight speak. It was as if the voice of a mother was coming from the lavender unicorn now.

“But… but!” Spike tried to interject, but Twilight just gently shushed him, rubbing his head softly.

“Please Spike, I promise, everything will be alright.” She spoke to calm the young dragon down and it seemed to be working, “Just wait for me right here. This will only take me a moment.”

Spike was quiet for a moment, holding onto Twilight tightly. He didn’t want her to have to fight, but the more Twilight’s words sunk in and the more he thought about the situation, he began to realize it truly was an inevitable outcome.

“O-Okay… just… be careful…” Spike spoke softly shifting away from Twilight. Twilight nodded her head and took another deep breath. She could hear her footsteps echo loudly now as she rounded the corner, holding the sword out before her. The creature came into view once more under the shine of her pendant. The creature tore out a large section of paper from its recent book, chewing upon the leaflets of paper before swallowing them messily.

Twilight stepped forward towards the creature, the creature stopping to turn its head.

The buzzing of Twilight’s medallion began to grow. It grew feverish with noise, crying out to her that danger was right in front of her.

The tentacles on the creatures back flicked back and forth, the spiked ends seeming to cut the air they sailed through. The creature let out a snarl as its skin moved underneath the flesh it wore, as if more tentacles were waiting to burst out.

Twilight narrowed her eyes, keeping her sword even before her, ready for the slight shift of movement from the monster. Though it had no eyes she could feel it watching her, waiting for her to make her move. It seemed to want to ambush her, attack her when she wasn’t ready for it, but she wouldn’t give it the chance.

She could feel a small sweat forming on her brow. The creature wasn’t going to budge and if she showed her back it was going to strike. She would have to make the first move.

Her hoof took another step closer.

The creature let out a loud wail as the serpent like tentacles struck out at her. They sailed through the air intent on getting her blood.

Without a moment of hesitation her sword swung broadly, striking both of the offending appendages. They flew to the side as she drew closer once more. The creature turned now to face the unicorn challenging it, letting out another screech at its foe.

The foul odor of its breath hit Twilight’s nose. She grit her teeth and raised the sword to swing down at its head.

One of the tentacles came striking down towards her. Her sword quickly sailed through the air, striking the limb and stopping it just short of slashing her. She poured her magic into the sword and slashed it furiously against the limb.

The creature cried out as the spiked end of the tentacle flew off, carrying a trail of blood with it.

Blinded by the pain the creature charged Twilight, opening its mouth wide intent on biting down on her.

The sword moved swiftly down towards her, her magic holding it tightly. With a thrust the sword struck the creature, burying itself deep inside of its open mouth.

Twilight dodged out of the way as the creature crashed into the bookshelf, writhing in pain and smashing its head against the bookcase to remove the horrible item that had lodged itself down its throat. Her horn lit up and engulfed the sword inside of the creature, swiftly pulling out of the creature.

The creature gagged and roared as blood spilled from its mouth, lifting what it would dare to call hooves to its throat, grabbing for some relief. The single sharpened tentacle that remained thrashed around haphazardly, striking books and the shelves in an attempt to defend its own.

Twilight wasted no time and aimed the sword. With a loud cry she thrust the sword forward, impaling the creature through the side of its head. The sword imbedded into the bookshelf behind it, nailing the creature to the surface.

The creature writhed a moment longer, trying desperately to cling to what remained of its life, before finally falling limp, the tentacle crashing the hardest from its position in the air.

Twilight breathed heavily, letting the shock of the moment sink in. She had been focused, she had been calculating, she had carefully seen through the creature’s movements and had struck it down when it was its most vulnerable.

“I don’t get it Princess…” A young Twilight spoke as she walked through the training grounds with her teacher, “How come your soldiers train so hard to fight when no one fights in Equestria?” She admired the several stallions, each wielding swords in a different manner as they struck wooden mannequins. Some wielded weighted wooden practice swords as they sparred with each other, ensuring they’re in top shape.

“Well…” Celestia thought her words carefully, “It’s true that peace has reigned during my rule for a very long time now, it wasn’t always that way. There are still times when ponies or other creatures would rather settle things with hooves than with words.” She spoke solemnly, “But it’s not just for those moments. We live in a world filled with creatures that wish to do us harm, there many creatures who would enjoy feasting upon ponies as a snack.”

“W-What? R-Really?” Filly Twilight looked up at her teacher with big sorrowful eyes, scared at the idea that something in the world might come to eat her. Celestia looked down at the sight and softly chuckled.

“Never fear Twilight. I work every day to ensure peace remains in Equestria.” The Princess smiled sincerely, “ And if you’re so worried about your safety, you can always partake in practicing your swordsmanship between down time of your studies.”

“R-Really?” Twilight spoke curiously, looking back at the guards. One of the white Pegasus guards, having overheard the conversation slowly walked over to the small filly, smiling as he looked down at her.

“Hello there.” He spoke proudly, but sincerely. Twilight backed up a little, almost frightened, “I heard you’d be interested in some sword training. How’d you like to try?” He asked holding out the wooden sword he’d been practicing with.

Twilight looked at the sword hesitantly, before moving a hoof over to touch it. The Pegasus guard moved it approvingly towards her. She grabbed the sword with both hooves as he let go of it, Twilight dropping to the ground with the weight of the equipment. She got on her hooves and lifted as hard as her little legs could to lift the sword, only managing to lift it a little ways off the ground. She panted heavily as she gave up trying to lift it. This elicited a chuckle from both the guard and the Princess.

“Here, I’ll go get you a lighter training sword, the ones we use when young foals like yourself want to practice their swordsmanship.” The guard smiled, picking up the wooden sword with his teeth and turning back to the training grounds, heading for the equipment shed.

“Hmph. Why are those things so heavy?” Twilight grumbled, folding her hooves as she sat on the ground defeated.

“It’s because the material of a real sword, to make them strong and reliable, also makes them heavy. So the training swords are weighted.” Celestia smiled explaining, “Have you taken an interest in training with a sword?”

“A little.” Twilight thought it over in her head before standing up on her hooves and smiling, “I want to become a great unicorn magician! And if I practice sword fighting with magic it’ll help my studies over all!” She seemed eagerly excited, “Besides, if I learn magic how often will I need to fight with a sword?”

Twilight and Celestia shared a small laugh.

“Is… is it safe?” Spike asked cautiously, peeking his head around the corner. Twilight looked over at the baby dragon, seeing his eyes filled with fear.

“Yeah…” Twilight spoke softly, looking down at her medallion, the buzzing having come to a stop. “It’s safe now.”

Twilight vanished the sword back into her magic as the body of the creature slumped to the ground. She stared at it solemnly as the baby dragon slowly walked over to her. The scene truly was sinking in. She had killed yet another living creature and this time she’d done it on purpose.

But this was also different. As she felt the young dragon wrap its arm around her front leg, she was reminded of why she had done it. Right now, she had to protect Spike. She was the adult here; she had to be the one there to comfort him. She had to remember she wasn’t a little filly anymore. Once all of this was over, she could morn over the lives she cut short. But until then she had to focus, her only focus had to be the safety of Spike and returning Ponyville back to the way it had been.

Twilight carefully lifted Spike up onto her back and finally walked past the creature. Rounding the corner of the bookshelf her light fell upon the back of the reference section. She could see a broken down door that would’ve lead to one of the study rooms in the back. She walked over to it and pressed her hoof against the door, finding the door broken and lodged in place. There would be no getting into that room.

With a soft sigh she turned her head to the left and saw the second door from the back, though this door looked to still be intact. The third door appeared to be buried behind a pile of discarded books and desks.

Twilight approached the middle door carefully and placed her hoof against it. Her medallion wasn’t buzzing yet which put some confidence into her hooves. She pushed the door open, not certain of what she would see next.

The study room was surprisingly well lit, a lantern hanging from the center of the room. Unlike the rest of the library the room didn’t appear to be falling apart. The walls were painted with a simple cream coat with a  simple wooden pattern on the bottom. A table sat in the middle of the room, set up for anypony to come in and start studying. On the table were only two items that sat right next to each other, a few sheets of paper and what looked like a large jigsaw puzzle piece.

“What is that?” Spike asked looking at the large puzzle piece that lay on the table. It had several lines on it, seeming to be part of a bigger picture. Twilight couldn’t quite decipher what was on the puzzle piece. It looked like it might’ve been a picture of a mural.

“Hmm…” Twilight hummed softly looking at the puzzle piece, before pulling out the sheet from the lobby desk and reading part of it out loud. “I lost them I can’t believe I lost them, those things are going to guard them now I know it… why did it have to be a puzzle.” She looked from the note down to the puzzle piece before making the paper disappear. “Spike, I think this is what the note was talking about. Pieces of a puzzle that when gathered together will unlock the door to the backroom.” Twilight levitated the puzzle piece up before placing it in her magic.

“I guess that makes sense. How many pieces do you think there are?” Spike asked aloud, “And are they all going to be guarded by one of those… things?” A shiver rolled down his spine.

“I don’t know. It’s a pretty big piece so I would assume there’s not that many of them.” Twilight pondered, “And they might each be guarded…” she put a hoof to her chin in thought, thinking about their current predicament. “If only there was a way to know where the other pieces would be…”

“How about a locator spell?” Spike suggested quickly.

“A locator spell…” Twilight blinked before a light bulb seemed to go off in her head, “Spike, you’re a genius!” She smiled as she pulled out the map and the puzzle piece.

“Well, you know, I try.” Spike chuckled accepting the compliment with his usual graciousness.

Twilight flattened the map out onto the table and floated the puzzle piece above it.

“Alright, this puzzle is part of a whole. I should be able to use the spell to locate the missing pieces of it and show us where they’re located.” Twilight concentrated her magic on the piece. The piece began to glow brightly as invisible strings of ether shot out into the library, connecting the separated pieces of puzzle. The piece then shot down three separate beams of light down onto the map, marking the separate locations of which the pieces were located.

Once the spell was complete she vanished the piece back into her magic and looked over the map, observing their locations.

“Alright, it seems there’s only three more pieces to the puzzle.” Twilight scanned carefully, checking each of the locations that had been marked. “Two appear to be in the main section of the library, and the third is in another study room. If we can head straight for them we’ll get into the backroom quickly.” Twilight smiled placing her hoof against the backroom section of the map.

“I don’t know Twilight; it’s likely that the main section of the library became a maze just like the reference section did.” Spike looked over the map a little worried.

“Well… perhaps, but I guess we’ll find out.” Twilight said putting the map away once more. Her eyes fell upon the papers that lay on the table next, reading a large title that read ‘The Cat Who Married a Mouse’. She blinked confused before beginning to read out of curiosity.

Once upon a time there was a cat who made acquaintance with a mouse. They knew each other so well that they grew to be friends and gained love. So they decided to wed. The married couple lived their lives in peace.

One day in the summer they realized their need to store food for the winter. Together they found a beautiful piece of meat covered in fat and sealed it in a jar. To keep it safe they hid the jar in an abandoned field so that others could not find it.

However, the cat began to long for the meat and dreamt up a lie to tell the mouse. When the mouse believed his lie he went to the meat and ate a small portion. He returned to the mouse with his appetite satisfied and a belly full.

However, the cat soon began to long for the meat once more. So he dreamt up another lie to the mouse. The mouse being trustworthy believed the cat, and the cat went back to the jar and feasted once more upon the stored meat.

Even after two feasts upon the meat, the day came when the cat was still not satisfied with his prior feasts, and once more dreamt up a lie to the mouse. The mouse grew suspicious of the cat, but let him leave once more. The cat returned to the meat and ate the rest of the spoils, leaving none in the jar.

When the cat returned the mouse questioned the cat. The cat tried to lie, but the mouse caught wise. As the mouse began to accuse the cat of eating their food, the cat grew tired of the questions. So the cat snapped the mouse up in one fell swoop and swallowed the mouse whole, filling the cat’s belly once more.

Twilight looked at the story with a confused awe. The moral seemed confusing, the message seemed unclear. Though the story had a beginning, middle and end, she could not tell for what purpose the story was written or the relevance it had to being near the puzzle piece.

Deciding not to ponder on it for much longer at the moment, she surrounded the paper and combined it with the other papers she was storing inside of her magic.

“Alright, let’s find the other puzzle pieces Spike.” Twilight said, confirming their plan of action. Spike nodded in agreement and they quickly left the study room. They wandered back through the small maze made from the reference section, Twilight eyeing the body of the creature once more as she passed it before quickly returning to the main hallway.

“Alright, according to the map the next piece is actually fairly close. There’s about twelve books shelves in the main room and it should be in the walkway between rows three and four…” Twilight spoke optimistically as she walked into the main room of the library. She could see the bookshelves coming into view now. She scanned her light across the shelves, seeing them in the same state of disrepair as the ones in the reference section. Dust was covering several of the books and she could see grime starting to climb up the sides of the bookshelf.

She moved the light to look down the center isle of all the bookshelves, hoping to spot the puzzle piece between the second and third shelves. Instead, her pendant fell upon a pile of books that was blocking her path. She let out a soft sigh, scanning her light upwards. The pile of books seemed unnaturally neat and stopped at the top of the bookshelf.

“Of course… this area is going to be a maze too.” Twilight sighed softly. She turned to the left and walked down the aisle of shelves one and two, trying to find a way around to the puzzle piece.

“How many more monsters do you think are in here?” Spike asked nervously, trying to keep an eye on the darkness around him, though it was difficult to see anything not illuminated by the pendant.

“I don’t know Spike. I’m trying not to think about it right now.” Twilight said trying to shake the thought from her mind.

At the end of the row she could see the line of study rooms that lined the walls just beyond the bookshelves. To her left she could see the public bathrooms and to the right were more shelves and study rooms. Each of the doors to the study rooms seemed to have fallen to the same disrepair as the first study room door she had seen.

“Well…” Twilight began to think, pulling the map out once more, “I assume we’ll be able to reach each piece, but the library has been turned into a maze against us. So all we have to do is figure out which sections are blocked, which ones aren’t and find our way around.” She viewed the map carefully before sighing, “I wish I had grabbed some quills and ink before we’d left.”

“Here you go.” Spike said suddenly producing a red quill and a small bottle of ink. “I figured you’d want them eventually.”

“Wow. I suppose you are my number one assistant for a reason.” Twilight smiled grabbing the items in her magic and dipping the quill into the ink. She then began to mark the map with the where she had seen the piles of books. With that in mind she began to walk towards the back of the library, following along the wall.

She marked off a pile of books that blocked her way between shelves two and three, but saw that the path through shelves three and four was open. Hoping she’d get closer to the puzzle piece she began to walk down it, though she didn’t get far before she saw that the end was also blocked by a pile of books.

She softly sighed and marked it off on the map. Then as she was turning to head back she saw a particularly noticeable red book sticking out from the shelves. Curious, she levitated the book off the shelf. The cover read ‘The Old Widow’. Twilight opened the book up and read what was inside.

In a certain large town there once lived a Poor Widow, who sat every evening thinking of everyone she had lost; her husband, her son, all her relations and friends so that she was quite alone in the world. Her heart grew sorrowful with her thoughts; but the loss of her son troubled her the most, and she wept very bitterly.

One day she sat quite still, lost in her thoughts, when she began to hear bells ringing from the town hall. She wondered how she had spent all of the night sorrowing; but lighting her lantern she went to the hall. As she entered she saw it already lit up: but not with the usual tapers, but glimmering light shone through the whole building.

It was already filled with ponies who stood, seemingly to await their deeds for the day. When the widow walked to her normal spot, she found that it was already filled. As she looked round at the ponies, she perceived that they were her deceased relations, who sat there in their old every-day dresses; but with pale countenances. They neither spoke nor sung, but a gentle whisper and hum floated through the hall.

Presently an Aunt of the Poor Widow got up and said to her, “Look towards the steps, and you will see your son.”

She looked and saw her son, hanging from the gallows.

“See,” continued the Aunt, “thus would it have happened to your son, had life been given to him, instead they were mercifully taken when they were but an innocent.”

With trembling steps the Old Widow went home, and thanks the heavens for their mercy. Then on the third day after, she laid down on her bed and died.

“What’s that Twilight?” Spike asked just as Twilight finished reading the story.

“I’m not sure Spike.” Twilight furrowed her brow in confusion, closing the little red book. “It was sticking out of the bookshelf, and unlike the rest of the books here it’s practically immaculate.”

“Imacawhat?” Spike asked confused.

“Ugh, it’s pristine, un-damaged, it hasn’t fallen to disrepair like the other books have.” Twilight sighed, vanishing the book into her magic.

“Oh, well why didn’t you say so?” Spike asked confused, causing Twilight to softly roll her eyes before exiting the aisle.

She continued along the wall slowly, marking off the blocked path between rows shelf four and five before coming to a stop between five and six.

The medallion had started to buzz once more.

Twilight glanced the light slowly down the aisle between five and six. The aisle was empty, but the medallion continued to buzz. Spike grew silent as the unicorn began to slowly step through the aisle. She quickly put the map away and pulled the sword out from her magic, holding it ready for anything that might happen.

She stopped as the sound of munching suddenly hit her ears. She quickly looked around for the source, hearing it nearby. Then she stopped as she realized where it was.

“Spike… it’s behind the bookcase…” Twilight whispered looking to the shelf to her left.

A spiked tentacle suddenly broke through the shelves, causing Twilight to jump back and raise her sword over her head. The spike wriggled just a foot away from her, having nearly impaled one of them. It seemed to be searching around for something, before coming back to settle against the books.

The spike stabbed straight through the cover of one of the nearby books before dragging it through to the creature. The sound of munching rang loud as the creature seemed to engulf another book into its mandibles.

Twilight nervously raised her hoof to her lips, turning to look at Spike and giving the quietest ‘shhh’ she possible could. Twilight then aimed the sword to face the bookshelf in case the tentacle returned and began to slowly tip-hoof across the aisle as quietly as she could.

She froze for a moment when the creature seemed to give a grunt and stop eating. She didn’t move again until she heard it going back to munching away at its find.

Twilight soon reached the end of the aisle, the buzzing of the medallion finally growing quiet. Together her and Spike let out a collective sigh of relief.

“That was too close.” Spike said, wiping the sweat off of his forehead.

“Yeah…” Twilight agreed putting the sword away and pulling the map back out. “But, there should be another puzzle piece right over there.” Twilight pointed just past the sixth bookshelf to the wall. Spike looked in the direction she was pointing, seeing the familiar looking puzzle piece sticking out between two books on the bookshelf. Twilight quickly covered the piece with her magic and carefully pulling it out of the shelf.

Twilight then looked to the left of the bookshelf and spotted the door that lead to the backroom. On the door was a square space that looked like it was slotted to fit four separate pieces of a puzzle.

“See? I told you that the puzzle pieces opened this door.” Twilight smiled as she summoned the second piece from her magic. She aligned the corners of the pieces to where they would fit appropriately in the slot. The pieces fit into place with a ‘click’ each, forming half of the picture.

“So we just need to get those other two pieces and the door will unlock.” Spike said smiling.

“It’d be nice if getting the pieces was easier.” Twilight sighed softly turning around. She began to walk down the center aisle of all the bookshelves when she stopped, hearing the medallion start buzzing again.

“Oh no, not another one.” Twilight softly cursed under her breath and drawing the sword once more. She looked around herself; the door was behind her and two empty aisles to her sides. She snapped her head back to the center aisle and saw the creature beginning to walk slowly into her field of vision.

The two tentacles on its back were slowly moving back and forth, as if scanning the air around it. The creatures seemingly skinned head was wobbling slowly back and forth, as if trying to taste or feel things around it. The two halves of skin that used to be a head flapped to its sides as it walked.

Twilight looked around once more in a panic. The creature was going to be upon her quickly and Spike was still on her back. She could feel the young dragon gripping onto her tightly once more. She couldn’t stand there and fight, not with Spike possibly being put in danger.

She had to find a safe spot for him if she was going to fight again.

She turned to her left and quickly ran down the aisle. At the wall she looked around, trying to find a study room with a working door. The first door was a mangled mess of splintered wood, boarded up to prevent entry. The second however, had a door that looked perfect.

Running quickly to the door she pressed her hooves against it and flung it open. The room was brightly lit like the last study room she entered, consisting of a simple table once more. She quickly moved inside and shut the door behind her, the loud buzzing of her medallion turning into a very soft hiss, but never quite going silent.

“Okay… I think we’re safe in here for the moment.” Twilight commented quietly backing away from the door, “We’ll just wait a moment or two and see if the creature passes.” It seemed like a logical idea in her mind, after all it didn’t seem to be in any hurry and if she could avoid fighting when possible, she’d prefer to. Even then she could feel the worry building inside of herself that she would become too accustomed to killing living creatures.

“Hey, Twilight, look there, on the table!” Spike said suddenly pointing to something that lay on the table, Twilight looking towards it, “Isn’t that like one of the boxes we found in the library?”

“…It is Spike.” Twilight said surprised. There was a small mahogany box lying on top of the table. Twilight covered it with her magic and levitated it over to herself. “If it’s here, then that must mean there is something inside of it.” She gripped the top half of the box with her magic, expecting the box to be locked and she’d have to go find some miniscule key hidden inside of a box half way across the library.

However, the box opened easily.

In the next instance something shot out of the box quickly, rising straight up and exploded against the ceiling. Twilight bumped into the back of the room out of surprise as the bright dust began to fall all around the room.

“Hey, this is the same as back at the library!” Spike said standing up on her back and pointing to the dust. “Right afterwards the Princesses showed up!”

Twilight was going to say something, but the room itself seemed to begin to visibly warp and deform. She could barely keep track of the configuration when everything changed, turning into what seemed to be a castle, though not the same castle as the one in Canterlot.

“Hast thou heard? That unicorn is coming to the palace. The stories of his talents have spread fast across our lands.” The regal voice of Princess Luna was heard, walking with her sister down a hallway in the castle, “He returns to us from his journey. It is said he has bested the Dragon of Apocalypse.”

“We have heard the stories and if his words be true than we have many reasons to be grateful to this powerful stallion.” The eldest regal sister, Princess Celestia, spoke in turn of her sister. “For he has done what we could not. The Dragon of Apocalypse is a mighty foe, one that would only otherwise have been bested by our combined unity under the Elements of Harmony.”

“That is exactly what we speak of sister!” Luna put her hoof down with more force, stopping in place. Celestia softly turned to look at her younger sibling, “What force can best the Elements of Harmony? Tis impossible I say! There is no such force that can outshine them! I sense treachery and deceit dear sister.”

Celestia was quiet for a moment, considering her sister’s anger and her words. She looked towards the ground, before looking back up at her sister.

“The feats of heroism are astonishing indeed, but I dare not rule out the possibility that his words are true. Perhaps it was not a force greater than the elements, but something much more deceptive. Perhaps he did not best the dragon with power, but with wit.” Celestia smiled to try and comfort her sister.

“We shall reserve our judgment. Until we see this stallion with our own two eyes, his presence shall be one of suspicion and disbelief.” Luna raised her head as she walked past her sister. Celestia could only smile and softly shake her head as she followed the younger alicorn.

They approached two large, majestic doors that with a single grace of their magic opened wide, revealing the spacious throne room. Guards stood at attention near the throne room chairs as the two sisters took their seats. Their presence was regal and imposing, befitting the rulers of the land.

“Guard, fetch for us the unicorn that has come to see us today.” Luna decreed to one of the nearby guards. The soldier saluted before spreading its wings and flying to the opposite end of the throne room. While the regal sisters had come in from their back room, the guard opened the doors to the front where any awaiting guest to speak to the royal sisters would wait.

Upon the doors opening, a pony began to make its way forward. Around its body it wore a dark blue cloak, with a hood that stretched to cover its face. Around his neck was a golden necklace, the center of which sat a blue octagon gemstone. The pony approached the throne, stopping just short and bowing before the Princesses.

“We welcome thee brave stallion.” Celestia spoke first, setting the regal tone, “Thou may stand and speak with us.”

“And let us see thy face, so that we may know thee better.” Luna added, prompting a look from her sister.

“But of course your majesty.” The stallion spoke clearly, his voice deep. He stood from his bow and raised a hoof up, pulling the hood of his cloak back to reveal himself.

The unicorn had a blonde light blue coat with a long mane of gold, a beard began to form just under his chin and his face looked just freshly turned stallion. He did not look strong, as though he had had the body of a youth. Yet his eyes pierced fiercely with an ice blue stare, as if in his short life he had seen and learned much.

“My name is Merlin, Merlin Ambrosius. I have come to the castle of the Royal Sisters so that I may speak with thee. It is an honor to meet you both.” He bowed once more.

“The feeling is returned, for a pony whose name is heard across the land we are honored to have met thee.” Celestia smiled as Merlin came back up from his bow.

“Yes, thy feats have amazed us all. Tell us, are thy tales true? Has a pony such as thee vanquished the Dragon of Apocalypse all by thyself?” Luna cut straight to the chase, not wanting to delay the question any longer.

“It is true my lady. Acnologia shall no longer be a threat to our lands.” Merlin spoke clearly, without a moment of hesitation in his voice. The quickness of his reply seemed to astonish Luna.

“Acnologia? Who, pray tell, is Acnologia?” Luna narrowed her eyes at the suspicious unicorn.

“Oh, pardon my manners.” Merlin swept some of the hair out of his face so that he could direct his conversation to her more clearly, “Acnologia was the name of the dragon, I discovered it when I came to confront the creature.”

“And how did thou take down such a creature?” Celestia asked as curious as her sister.

“Yes, this is a tale we would like to hear.” Luna added, wanting to hear more of Merlin’s words.

“It is one that I shall share, nor will it take much time. The Dragon of Apocalypse as thou know was destroying our lands, leaving destruction in his wake. No pony could stop him and all diplomacy was for not. He knew to hide and escape from you, the royal sisters, but he feared not the common pony. When he destroyed the village I had visited, I tracked him to his newest home and saw him face to face.” Merlin began his tale.

“And he did not swallow thee or burn thy flesh?” Luna puzzled at him, ever skeptical of his tale.

“He did not, for his curiosity had peaked. He asked what a foolish pony thought he could do and wanted to hear my words before I died. So I spoke to him plain and true. I was there to stop his fiendish deeds, to save our fair ponies and world alike.”

“And he did not strike thee where thy stood?” Luna winced more.

“Nay your majesty, instead he bellowed with laughter.” He raised his hoof and closed his eyes, giving the impression of an aristocrat, “He thought it hilarious that a common pony by himself could defeat one such as he.” Merlin put his hoof back down and looked back up at the princesses, “So I told him that I would offer him a challenge. Interested he asked what it was. I told him that if I could present to him an item he could not destroy that he would lose his power and be forced to live the rest of his life as but a fair earth pony. Should he break my item, I would give him all the powers and strengths of a Unicorn.”

“WHAT!?” Luna roared loudly across the chamber halls, “If the Dragon of Apocalypse acquired the power of unicorns the world would end in but an instance!”

“Dear sister, calm thyself.” Celestia spoke clearly, Luna realizing she’d acted brash, “Let our guest finish his tale.”

“Very well.” Luna calmed herself sitting back down, “Tell us the rest of the tale.”

“But of course your majesty.” Merlin adjusted the hair out of his face once more and continued to speak, “The dragon was confident, knowing his power could shatter anything within the land. He agreed to my game and I cast the pact forming spell, to ensure that whoever won our game would give up their bet. This is where I learned the name of the dragon, for one must speak thy true name for the pact to work. He then asked me to present his item and from my cloak I drew this.” Merlin reached into his cloak and pulled out a large black scale.

“What, pray tell, is that item?” Luna asked, not recognizing it.

“It is the very thing that cannot break. For Acnologia who has the magical power within him to break anything, can break not but one thing, the armor of his own hide.” Merlin held the scale a little higher to behold, “This is a scale from his back. During my travels I witnessed the dragon several times, studying his true nature. During one of those times this scale fell from his back. I know not why it fell or how it did so from the impenetrable shell of the best. But with it in my possession I challenged him to my game.” Merlin put the scale away back in his cloak. “So try as he might, with crushing fists, gnarling jaws and fire hot as magma he could not break the scale.”

“Then what became of the Dragon?” Luna asked, demanding to know more.

“True to the pact he could not best his own scale. The spell activated and his power was stripped from him and his body changed to that of an earth pony. With no way to change back I left him in his cave to wallow in his new form.” Merlin smiled, “And thus ends the terror of Acnologia, the Dragon of Apocalypse.”

“If thy words are true then there is much to celebrate.” Celestia smiled, amazed at the tale, “Once we have confirmed the end of this nightmare upon our land, we must hold a feast in your honor.”

“I would be most honored to be hosted a banquet by you, your majesty.” Merlin bowed once more, “But I am afraid there is something else of grave importance I came to speak of thee with.”

“Speak away my subject, you have earned thy words in this room.” Celestia spoke once more.

“Very well, I shall speak a message first then tell you of why I came.” Merlin cleared his throat quickly, before turning his head, as if not looking at either of the royal sisters, but at somepony that wasn’t there yet, as though they would be there for him to look at one day.

“Twilight.” Merlin spoke clearly, “Thou must find the rest. Memory is the key.”

The world suddenly twisted and shifted, molding itself back into the simple study room that it once had been. The glowing dust that had fallen from the ceiling faded, leaving no trace that it had ever been there.

Twilight and Spike stared in absolute shock at the sight they had just witnessed. At the last words that had been spoken.

“Twilight… was… was he talking to you?” Spike asked confused, not sure of what it was he just saw.

“I… I think so but… how is that possible? That wasn’t happening right now, that had to happened a long time ago, well before I was even CLOSE to being born.” Twilight’s mind was reeling, her eyes moving around frantically as she tried to gather her thoughts into one place. “Was this a magical documentation of events that had occurred? Is it possible to record events like this? And if so who had placed this specific event in this box? Why would it be made for me to find it in this crazy mess?” Twilight spoke quickly and bewildered.

“I don’t think it was any of those things… maybe it was a memory of the past? That Merlin guy did say that memory was the key.” Spike said trying to think about it.

“A memory…” Twilight thought to herself, “But then… whose memory was it Spike?”

“Uhm… I guess it’d be Celestia’s memory… or maybe Luna’s… they were both present for that event.” Spike thought scratching his head.

“Well… he said I had to find the rest. I guess that means there must be more memories hiding like this one was.” Twilight examined the box, finding the contents now quite empty. With no need for an empty box she placed it back down on the table.

“Hey, your medallion isn’t making noise anymore.” Spike noticed, trying to listen for any sound.

“Oh, you’re right Spike.” Twilight lifted the medallion with her hoof to look at it, confirming it had gone silent, “It must be okay to wander outside again, since it was still buzzing when we got in here.” Twilight walked over to the door and put her hoof against it. “Let’s hurry up and find those last two puzzle pieces Spike and get into the backroom. I have a feeling something very important is back there.”

“How can you tell?” Spike asked curiously.

“Like I said Spike, whatever is going on is following its own rules. This includes the puzzles, the monsters and things like the memory we just found. Something important is locked inside the backroom, or else it wouldn’t be locked.” Twilight nodded, taking a deep breath and opening the study door once more.

The dark library came into view once more and she realized her pendant had turned itself off in the study room. With a quick tap of her hoof light returned and she could see into the dark library. She scanned the area around the door quickly, finding no monsters waiting for them in ambush. It seemed that the creature had simply walked by and left them alone. Twilight quickly pulled the map back out and examined it.

“Okay, the last two pieces are actually nearby. They’re that way.” Twilight said looking to her left, before quietly closing the study room door behind her and following along the wall. She scanned with her light down the aisles of the book shelves she passed, stopping when she saw a light blue book sticking out of one of the nearby shelves.

Without moving from the wall she grasped the book within her magic and levitated it over to herself. The title of the book read ‘Heaven’s Food’. She did a quick glance around to make sure no monster was near and listened carefully to her medallion, before she opened the book to read what it contained.

Once there were two sisters, one of whom had no children and was rich, and the other had five and was a widow, and so poor that she no longer had food enough to satisfy herself and her children.

In her need, therefore, she went to her sister, and said, “My children and I are suffering the greatest hunger; thou art rich, give me a mouthful of bread.”

The very rich sister was as hard as a stone, and said, “I myself have nothing in the house,” and drove away the poor creature with harsh words.

After some time the husband of the rich sister came home, and was just going to cut himself a piece of bread, but when he made the first cut into the load, out flowed red blood. When the woman saw that she was terrified and told him what had occurred. He hurried away to help the widow and her children, but when he entered her room, he found her bowed.

She had her two youngest children in her hooves, and the three eldest were lying dead. He offered her food, but she answered, “For earthly food have we no longer any desire. Heaven has already satisfied the hunger of three of us, and it will hearken to our supplications likewise.”

Scarcely had she uttered these words than the two little ones drew their last breath, whereupon her heart broke, and she sank down dead.

“Can reading wait till later Twilight? I’d like to finish our business here as quickly as possible.” Spike asked, trying to get Twilight’s nose out of another book.

“Oh, right, sorry Spike.” Twilight vanished the book into her magic and continued following the wall.

Each study door she passed continued to be broken and boarded off. The map showed that the last two pieces of the puzzle was in one of the study rooms and in the middle of the maze of bookshelves. Twilight’s light scanned down the aisles looking for anything that might jump out at her. The pathway ended when she was stopped by a large pile of books, but lead down into another aisle of the bookshelves. She examined the map and looked at the study door that was next to her. The door wasn’t broken or boarded up, looking perfectly good for use. One of the puzzle pieces was contained inside that room.

Not wanting to waste any more time she placed her hoof against the door and pushed it open slightly.

Her medallion suddenly began to buzz loudly as the sound of chewing struck her ears.

She quickly closed the door shut and the buzzing silenced itself.

“Oh no…” Twilight took a deep breath, realizing she might have to fight another one of those creatures and opened the door slightly once more.

The medallion began to buzz as she looked in through the crack of the door. The room was brightly lit like the others, she could spot the creature and its tentacles easily. It was devouring a pile of books in the corner of the room, the table pushed to the opposite wall for it to have room. She saw the tentacles floating around its back, looking for some prey to stab into.

Her eyes moved over to the table, spotting the puzzle piece lying on top of it. She thought about her actions for a moment, before having a brilliant deduction. She lit her horn with magic and the puzzle piece covered the distance with her magic.

The creature feasting stopped for a moment, as if noticing her use of magic. Twilight softly gulped and vanished the piece into her magic, before closing the door.

The medallion continued to buzz for a moment or two after the door closed, causing Twilight to softly sweat at the idea of having been discovered.

However, the buzzing grew quiet and she let out a soft sigh, realizing she’d gotten away with it.

‘Thank you Merlin, your spell has worked miracles today.’ Twilight thought to herself. She turned around and walked away from the door, heading for the center of the library now. According to the map, the puzzle piece should be right under her nose.

At the end of the aisle she saw it, sitting on the floor comfortably, surrounded by three separate piles of large books that blocked off any other way to the puzzle piece. It was a dead end in the maze, but a dead end that hid the final piece.

With a smile she whisked the puzzle piece up with her magic and vanished it into her magic.

“Alright, we have all the pieces we need Spike. Let’s go open that door.” Twilight smiled confidently, ready to go into the backroom and away from all these monsters. She turned around and made her way back to the wall, planning on following it back to the locked puzzle door and putting the pieces into place.

As she began to follow along the wall, she was stopped in her tracks when her medallion suddenly began to buzz once more. She quickly looked down the aisle that was next to her, hearing the sound of groaning coming down it.

From the shadows appeared another one of those creatures, only it seemed different. Its tentacles were at attention; point straight forward, its head wasn’t wobbling back and forth but instead heading straight forward. It wasn’t searching; it knew where its prey was now.

The creature let out a screeching wail, charging forward straight at the unprepared unicorn.

Twilight leaped forward as the two tentacles came crashing down, breaking into the wall where she had just been standing. She couldn’t stand around right now; she couldn’t stop and fight the thing. With Spike on her back and nowhere safe to quickly put him, she had to just run.

She felt like she ran faster than she ever had before, but the world itself had grown in size. It was all in her mind, she knew, but it felt like the aisle would end. She could hear the creature screeching as it pulled the tentacles out of the wall; it was going to head for her once more.

Twilight made a sharp turn at the end the wall. She could hear her breath as her heart began to pound in her ears. One thing was constantly shouting out in her head.

Spike was in danger.

She could feel the baby dragon clinging to her head tightly, looking back at the creature chasing them. She could feel his panicked breath, his terrified claws, his racing heart. Everything about him wanted to be out of danger quickly and she was the one who had to protect him. She had to get him out of danger.

The door came into view, the puzzle pieces still locked into place where she had placed them before. She could hear the crashing of books and the splintering of wood behind her as the creature thrashed its tentacles out, it attempting to drive them straight into her body.

“TWILIGHT! HURRY!” Spike shouted gripping hold of her mane. Twilight winced in pain but held back her words, summoning the two pieces of the puzzle out from her magic. With speed and precision she placed the remaining pieces into the door, hearing it ‘click’ with the sound of the puzzle being completed.

Her magic gripped the door and forced it open, Twilight sprinting straight for it. The creature wailed as its tentacles missed her by inches, slicing through the air. Twilight turned in the opened hallway, seeing the creature flail for the door, its skin flapping around as its mandibles mashed around.

With her horn lighting up, she swung her head and slammed the door shut hard, the echo of the slam being heard through the library.

The medallion didn’t let up its buzzing and Twilight stepped back from the door, still hearing the creature wail behind it. The sound died down for a moment, causing an unnatural calm. Twilight gulped softly, not liking the quiet.

The door cracked visibly as something hard was struck against it. Twilight’s eyes widened as she realized the door could be damaged by the creature.

Another strike hit the door, loudly splitting the wood it was made out of.

A tentacle burst through the door, heading straight for Twilight. She jumped back and let out a startled scream as it stopped a few feet away from her.

The tentacle suddenly began to wither and writhe, a loud high-pitched screaming sound coming from it as if it was suddenly being attacked. Steam started to rise from the entire appendage as it began to wrinkle and shrink.

The creature tried to pull the tentacle back out the door, only for it to fall off mid-pull. The tentacle landed on the ground curling up, before vanishing completely in the steam of smoke that it had produced.

Twilight stared in confusion at where the tentacle had been, then up at the door, hearing the creature wail and moan behind it. It wailed and seemed to scratch at the door for a minute or two, before giving up and walking away. The buzz on the medallion began to fade as it walked away, before finally going silent.

“What just happened Twilight?” Spike asked confused, though still riding from the terror of having survived a close encounter.

“I… I don’t know Spike.” Twilight gulped softly, looking down at the ground. Her light illuminated the spot where the tentacle had been, then she lifted it up to look down the hallway to see what might have caused the tentacle to suddenly fall apart.

“Hey, what’s that?” Twilight asked walking closer to the door, spotting a strange marking on the ground. She carefully stopped right before it, illuminating the symbol with her light.

“Hey, isn’t that the same symbol as the one from the box in the library?” Spiked asked curiously looking at the design.

“It is Spike…” Twilight spoke softly looking over the strange circle design. It was indeed the circle within circles design with the cryptic runic writing. However, it was different. Instead of being a red symbol, this one was blue. “Do you think this thing being here is what hurt that monster?”

“Maybe. It’s the only thing that makes sense right?” Spike commented, tapping his chin in thought.

“Then who put it here…” Twilight pondered as well. The two of them sat there for about a minute in thought, before Twilight looked back up at the door with a hole in it leading back to the library. “We can contemplate about it more later Spike. Let’s head into the backroom and see what we can find.” Twilight spoke firmly, turning around and heading down the narrow hallway.

Twilight was a little surprised that the backroom was at the end of this long, narrow hallway. It seemed unusual for a library to have a useless hallway like this within its borders anyway. But her light fell upon the door at the end of the hallway, the words ‘Backroom’ written onto it. Quickly approaching it, she put her hoof against the door, braced for what might be behind it, and pushed it open.

The door let out a loud creak as she pushed it open. She winced at the sound, realizing it would likely attract anything that was inside of the room. Though when she looked, she found it to be surprisingly well lit. A few candles were lit around the room and there appeared to be several tables in the center of the room with a few bookshelves along the back walls.

“Oh, hello there.” A voice suddenly came out, causing Twilight to nearly jump out of her skin, “I wasn’t expecting to meet another pony here.”

Suddenly, a unicorn walked into her view from across the room, one she hadn’t seen before.

His coat was a light brown, while his mane was a striking blonde with darker blonde highlights going through it evenly. On his face was a pair of glasses that showed off his dark blue eyes, while he had a scruffy goatee growing in around his mouth and nose. On his body was a lighter brown sweater with dark brown edges to it and a white collar that popped up out from the sweater. But most striking of all was that his cutie mark appeared to be a red magic circle with a simple cross square pattern, with a large question mark in the middle of it.

He closed a book he had been reading and levitated it gently down onto one of the tables.

“I was here doing research on my latest book, when things suddenly started going weird. So I thought I might poke my nose into some other research.” The stallion smiled oddly. Twilight wasn’t sure how to read his reaction, but she was grateful to see another pony.

“O-Oh… well I wasn’t expecting to see another pony too.” Twilight spoke hesitantly, walking into the room and closing the door behind her. “Are you from Stalliongrad? This is the library there after all…”

“No, I was born in Canterlot actually.” The stallion said walking closer, “But I was in Stalliongrad doing research. Tell me; based on your question this library is no longer in Stalliongrad. So where am I?”

“You’re… in Ponyville.” Twilight mentioned, the two stopping a few feet short of each other. Spike was gripping onto Twilight’s head, eyeing the new pony with suspicion. “My name’s Twilight Sparkle, and I’ve been trying to figure out what’s going on here.”

The stallions face seemed to light up upon hearing her name, before smiling his odd smile. Twilight couldn’t help but think he seemed a little off.

“Twilight Sparkle? The one and only? The student of Princess Celestia and the current wielder of the Element of Magic?” He asked simply fascinated by this information. Twilight went to open her mouth to respond, when Spike did it for her.

“She’s the one and only alright, but who are you?” Spike asked pointing a finger accusingly.

“Spike? What are you doing?” Twilight glared softly at the baby dragon’s rudeness.

“Now, now, it’s alright.” The stallion smiled, adjusting his glasses, “I’m certainly not as famous as you would be Ms. Sparkle, but I have started to gain a name for myself. You see, I’ve published a few books recently in my ever growing hunger to know more about the world. I love nothing more than finding answers to the questions that the world brings up.” He chuckled softly to himself, before making sure to look straight into her eyes. “My name is Magus. Magus Vince Darkarts. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Spike practically fell off of Twilight’s back. Twilight’s jaw felt like it could have hit the ground. There was a moment of stunned shock as Twilight took all of that information in. Magus just seemed to chuckle softly at her reaction.

“Oh my, I take it you’ve heard of me?” He asked amused.

“Heard of you!?” Twilight could barely contain her voice, “You’re the guy who… you practically caused this mess!” Her mind jumped straight to conclusions.

“Huh?” Magus asked confused, raising an eyebrow, “What do you mean? I certainly would have nothing to do with what’s been going on with this library. I’ve simply been doing research.”

“Well… no you haven’t done anything directly.” Twilight said trying to reign in her emotions, “But your spell has caused a lot of indirect problems… and it’s helped some good ponies too…” Twilight bit her lip as she began to realize what she was saying and how she was reacting.

“Start from the beginning Ms. Sparkle, what are you talking about?” Magus asked a little more confused than he likes to be.

“Okay, well, see, I have these friends who had been having nightmares. So I looked up a book on dreams and found yours. I used the spell you created called the Mind Delve on them to find out what was wrong.” Twilight quickly explained.

“Ah yes. Dreams: A Psychological Understanding. I remember writing that.” Magus mused rubbing his chin. “And the Mind Delve is one of my personal favorites. Oh a lot of work went into weaving that spell. I assume it brought your friends problems to the front and they were able to confront them?”

“Well… yes and no.” Twilight explained, causing Magus to be a little confused again. “See, I never saw what their problems were. I saw a floating picture and then the spell ended on its own. But when it was over my friends said they had come to understand their problems and were better for it.”

“…You don’t say.” Magus thought once more. “That is certainly odd. The spell was never intended to do either of those things.”

“Exactly. So if you’re here now… can you tell me, why did the spell do that? And what reason would my friends have for not telling me what they experienced while under the Mind Delve?” Twilight wanted answers.

Magus grew quiet as he thought in silence. It seemed to take a minute or two before he finally responded.

“I couldn’t tell you Ms. Sparkle.” Was his answer, “I didn’t intend for the spell to have those effects. And you should’ve seen what their problem was when you cast the spell.” He smiled, looking off into the distance. “But this intrigues me now. I’d like to find an answer to this question myself.”

“Is this guy right in the head?” Spike asked a little confused about Magus’s words.

“Spike, no need to be insulting.” Twilight huffed a little before turning back. “Sorry about asking such questions with the situation we’re in. I just… I never expected to run into you of all ponies here.”

“It’s alright Ms. Sparkle.” Magus nodded slowly, “All things must happen for a reason. With the recent phenomenon going on in this library, I’ve been busying myself with research on it.”

“How can you research something noponies ever experienced before?” Spike asked confused.

“By finding clues and hints left behind of course.” Magus chuckled softly, “Like for instance, did you know that the monsters that have appeared hate something? It brings them pain and suffering to simply even be in the vicinity of it.”

“…The blue circle.” Twilight gasped in realization.

“Oh excellent, you saw that on your way in.” Magus smiled, adjusting his glasses again, “That’s exactly right. I found that symbol adorned in red while I was here researching. Then the monsters suddenly started showing up. I knew it couldn’t have been a coincidence, so using my knowledge of runic symbols, I figured out quickly that changing the color turned the symbol from a positive effect for the creatures, to a negative one.” He chuckled softly, “Of course, the symbol has its limitations.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” Twilight asked confused.

“You see, Ms. Sparkle, the symbol runs on a strange system. The monsters hate the symbol in blue, but only in small numbers. The more you create, the weaker the effect becomes. I discovered this when I tried to create a wall to stop their movements, but they were simply able to walk through it.” Magus turned to walk back over to the table where his book now lay, “But if I put a single one in a hallway, then the creature feels its maximum effect. So in short…” Magus’s horn lit up as he pulled out several different books from the shelves around him and piled them neatly into a small structure in front of him, “You can create a safe room that the monsters won’t be able to get inside.”

“I see… that’s amazing. You were able to find this all out with a short time researching?” Twilight asked astonished, amazed at his work.

“Indeed I have.” Magus smiled, walking back towards Twilight, “And I still have a lot more research to do. So I’m going to be remaining her in this safe room until I’ve finished it.”

“I see…” Twilight softly murmured to herself, thinking things through in her head. She had just found a safe room, a room that would prevent from any kind of monster attack. She couldn’t stay there for long, her friends needed her and she needed to find the Princess.

However, there was something that the safe room could do for her.

“Magus.” Twilight spoke suddenly, causing the stallion to tilt his head curiously, “I’m going back outside to look for my friends and for Princess Celestia. Are you going to be staying here and studying?”

“But of course.” Magus smiled adjusting his glasses once more, giving that strange grin of his, “I love finding answers. I’ll be here for a while at it.”

“Good. Then can I please ask you to watch my assistant Spike for me?” Twilight pointed to the baby dragon with her hoof.

“What!?” Spike said shocked at the sudden proposal, “Twilight, what are doing? You need me with you!”

“Spike, please.” She looked at her assistant before looking at Magus, “Would you be willing to do that for me?”

“But of course.” Magus smiled his creepy smile, “Anything for the wonderful Ms. Sparkle.”

“Twilight no! I want to go with you!” Spike cried out, clinging to Twilight’s leg. Twilight sighed softly and sat down on the ground, holding Spike close to her. She pressed his head up against her chest so that he could hear her heart beat. Spike looked up at her worriedly as she smiled down at him.

“Listen Spike… it’s dangerous out there. Those creatures don’t show any mercy. They’ll rip you to shreds if they get the chance.” Twilight spoke gravely, yet comfortingly.

“I know that! And if you’re going out there that means they’re going to come after you too! I have to be there to protect you!” Spike cried out, clinging harder to Twilight. Twilight lifted a hoof and wrapped it around the baby dragon’s body, closing her eyes as she hugged him.

“Spike, listen. I can protect myself. You’ve seen me do it. I can avoid the monsters and save my life much easier if I don’t have to constantly protect you.” Twilight opened her eyes and lifted her head, Spike looking up into her eyes as water started to form at the edge of his, “I won’t be putting myself into any intentional harm and I’ll stop anything that plans to hurt me. I won’t let those things get to me Spike, but I do have to go out and find the others.” Twilight put both her hooves on his shoulders and lowered her head to look him level in the eyes.

“Do you trust me to keep my word Spike?” Twilight asked solemnly.

“I… I…” Spike hesitated, not wanting to be separated from the lavender unicorn. But her words spoke true, if he continued to stay with her, he’d be a liability more than he would be an aid. “I… I do Twilight.” Spike wrapped his arms around Twilight’s neck, “I do trust you. And you better come back for me! I won’t forgive you if you die on me!”

“I won’t Spike. I promise you.” Twilight hugged the baby dragon close to her. They sat there for a while, just enjoying each other’s embrace.

“Well,” Magus spoke up finally, causing the two to slowly break out of their hug, “If you’re going back out there then maybe this will help you.” His horn lit up and from a pocket in his sweater he pulled out a strange key. Her levitated it over to Twilight who held out her hoof, the key gently falling into it. “I found that back here but have no use for it since I’ll be researching. Perhaps you’ll find a use for it out there.”

“Thank you Magus.” Twilight nodded her head, vanishing the key into her magic, “Thank you for everything.”

“Don’t mention it.” Magus flashed his creepy smile, before turning to head back for his books. Twilight stood up and headed back for the door to the library.

“You’re going to come back for me. You got that?” Spike said, giving Twilight a soft glare, out of fear and worry.

“I do.” Twilight smiled back at the baby dragon. The two looked at each other for a long period of time, before Twilight opened the door to the backroom and exited, leaving her number one assistant behind.

Chapter 4

The warm foggy air hit like a wave in comparison to the cooled interior of the library. Twilight shook her mane as the breeze blew past her.

She carefully walked down the front steps that lead to the building, looking back up to the sky as she watched the flakes of ash still falling slowly. A thin layer was beginning to form on the ground. She could see the footsteps she was leaving behind as her hooves stepped on the ground.

She turned and looked back at the building. It didn’t belong in Ponyville, its look and architecture didn’t belong standing next to the simple designs of the other buildings. Ponyville was a relatively small, though growing and rather robust village.

Twilight let out a soft sigh, turning to look at the building fully. Though she had managed to sneak her way outside, the building still held things inside of it. There were still those strange, book eating monsters inside of its walls. There were broken doors and piles of books. What seemed most strange was the simple look of its disuse despite knowing that it had to be a facility that was often used.

But the most important thing of all was that it contained a pony that was watching over a dragon. Her number one assistant who she knew had to be kept safe and protected. Though Magus didn’t give her the best of first impressions, leaving Spike with a pony seemed to lift a burden that she hadn’t realized she was carrying since she left the library. Even if she wasn’t completely sure she could trust Magus, she knew that he had written his books in order to benefit Equestria and make it a better place. If nothing else gave her confidence, it was the thought that Magus wanted what was best for everypony, even if it didn’t show on his face.

Twilight’s horn lit up as she reached into her magical pool once more, gripping the key that magus had given her and pulling it out into the world. She’d just tucked it into her magic for the moment because she was ensuring Spike was going to be safe, but now that she was alone in the quiet air of Ponyville she had a chance to examine it.

“Hey, wait a minute.” Twilight said looking at the end of the key. She wasn’t sure how she hadn’t recognized it right away at first, but now that it was in plain light she could easily identify the key now.

It was a long skeleton key with the three blue diamonds on the end of it. Shaped and placed the exact same way as Rarity’s cutie mark.

“Rarity!” Twilight said suddenly feeling a sense of urgency for finding her unicorn friend. She quickly swapped the key for her map and checked her location in Ponyville. From the buildings around her and the direction she had run from Sugar Cube Corner, she had to be on the intersection of Pen Street and Kat Street. If she wanted to make it to Carousel Boutique, she’d have to go down the street and cut across the town square.

“Town Square…” Twilight murmured to herself scanning the area with her hoof. “It’s wide open and going to be covered in fog. I could easily get surrounded or ambushed…” Twilight gulped at the idea of being surrounded and chased down by those creatures again. She didn’t have Spike with her this time, she could fight one off if she had to but she knew she couldn’t handle more than that.

Twilight considered her options. She knew heading back towards Sugar Cube Corner lead to more of those creatures, the only other directions she had was to head back home or to head through the plaza. As much as she didn’t like the idea she was quickly beginning to realize that heading through the plaza was going to be her only route.

She put the map away and stared down the fog filled road. With a soft gulp, knowing she was all alone and that she couldn’t rely on being backed up by anypony, she began to walk down the street.

Each of her hoof steps that had once echoed loudly now only created dull echoes. The ash was muffling each of her steps and she was beginning to grow thankful for it. She didn’t like the idea of being covered in the ash, but it was something she’d have to deal with until she could be inside once more.

The eerily looming buildings of the town seemed to tower over her, as if glaring at her for even being outside. The thick smell of the air seemed to clog her senses, unable to smell anything but the ash that hung in the air. The warm muggy air was beginning to give her a soft sweat allowing the ash to stick even more easily to her coat. She could hear every step of her hooves, every groan of the town as the houses shift, of the wind blowing through holes and openings in the buildings.

A shiver ran down her back. She didn’t like being alone like this. She hadn’t realized how comforting having that weight on her back was, knowing that even during the silence she could at any time turn to someone and just talk. She could distract herself from the situation she was in just long enough to not be afraid anymore.

Though he was safe she no longer had that buffer of comfort to help her. She was on her own now. She would have to be the one that was strong.

But it was hard. She’d come to Ponyville and she’d learned what it meant to have true friends. Before them she would’ve preferred to be alone, enjoyed not being held back by the thought of others or being inconvenienced that she had to go and save ponies who should be able to help themselves.

That was exactly why she was going to Carousel Boutique now. The key was to Rarity’s house, or at least she assumed it was, and to have gotten a key to her house only meant one thing to Twilight. Rarity must be in danger.

If Rarity was in danger she would go to help her friend. The only wish she had was for Rarity to be okay. She hoped her gut instinct was wrong and that when Twilight opened the door she’d find her friend obsessively cleaning the mess that had become of her house because of this fog.

She could picture it now.

Rarity would be moving about quickly as she unlocked the door and pushed it open. Rarity would be carrying her duster and cleaning every dusty spot that had emerged into her store.

“Oh this filthy grime! Where did it come from? I’m always so clean, so meticulous! This is unbecoming of a fine ladies shop!” Rarity would grumble and moan before turning her head to see Twilight standing there, covered in sweat and ash, her mane and tail a mess.

“Oh my stars DARLING!” Rarity would drop everything and rush over to her messy friend, “Twilight what happened!? Oh you poor dear! Oh this simply cannot do! You come with me right now and we’ll get you cleaned up!” And although Twilight would struggle against her friend, telling her there were more important things to take care of, she’d be effortlessly whisked away to Rarity’s bathroom where the prim and proper unicorn would take care to groom all the dirty grime off of her body.

“A wandering mind will make one blind.” A deep female voice suddenly said.

Twilight instantly jumped back and whipped the sword out from her magic pool, pointing it in the direction the voice had come from. She could feel her heart beating fast, having been lost in her thoughts and not realizing she had wandered distracted.

Only about a foot away, the figure of a pony in a black cloak that covered her face stood there once more.

“The end is meant to be a surprise; but some foolish ponies will seek their demise. Do you seek the end Twilight, or do you seek the new dawn’s light?” The strange pony asked Twilight.

“I… I don’t know!” Twilight replied in her hasty confusion. “Who are you?! How do you know who I am?”

“From beginning to end I shall watch all depart, all journeys find me at their start.” A cold breeze suddenly blew through the town and Twilight shivered at the stark contrast in temperature. “Time seems long and vast in this open world, yet its brevity is shown to all unfurled. You have the chance to make all things right, but fate is not kind and it will fight.”

A second breeze blew through the town, shifting the fog to once more cover the cloaked pony.

“No! Wait! Come back!” Twilight cried, rushing forward to where the pony had been standing. Just a few feet away and the figure had disappeared, devoured once more by the fog of the world.

Twilight looked around and swung the blade trying to clear the fog, but no matter how harder she swung the blade, the fog refused to clear. Twilight softly huffed, annoyed, before putting her sword away.

“I don’t know what’s going on… she couldn’t have been a hallucination, Spike saw her too.” Twilight shook her head. That mare wasn’t Zecora, they didn’t even sound similar, but she spoke just like the zebra. Figuring out who she was came to her mind, but was pushed aside when she paid attention to her surroundings. Ahead of her was town square, a wide open area where ponies would normally be gathered to check out several of the market carts or to meet up with friends or even to head for town hall.

This was where Twilight had feared to be. She couldn’t see the nearest buildings, but she knew that if she could get across the open field that she would make it to Carousel Boutique. She had to go help Rarity.

Twilight drew her sword, swallowed her fear and began to walk forward.

She knew how long the town square was. She walked it quite frequently, be it to see her friends or hang out with the mayor. But with it so devoid of life, Twilight knew that the only thing that was waiting for her in the fog were monsters.

Each hoof step felt like they inched her along. She was traveling miles in what should only be yards.

The sight of the buildings behind her faded into the fog, she kept moving forward determined to see the other end of the square. A breeze blew through that brushed her mane, coating it with another layer of ash. She snorted softly, getting the ash out of her nose. She tried to control her breathing; she had to make it across before anything found her, before anything bad could happen to her. She had a promise to keep to Spike.

Her medallion began to buzz and Twilight stopped in place. She knew it had been coming, but the sound of the buzz instantly struck her heart with fear.

She spun her head around in the fog. She instantly caught sight of the shadow in the fog that was beginning to approach her. As soon as she recognized the figure she could hear the clacking of the metal shoes and the dragging of the metal along the ground. It was still away from her, she could run from it.

She turned back to the direction she was headed and began to run. She wanted to get away from that creature with the weapon.

Her hooves skidded to a halt however; several figures appeared in the fog before her now. The sound of clicking metal against cobblestone was intensifying. Twilight’s heart leapt into her throat as she instantly recognized this pattern. She turned to her right and started to run, when she saw the figures in the fog there too.

Her head darted back and forth, spotting figures all around her. It was exactly what she had feared.

She was surrounded.

She backed up a few feet, her sword shaking as her magic became unstable. She couldn’t believe she’d fallen straight into this trap. She knew it had been coming and yet she had foolishly walked straight into it.

The creatures soon made their way through the fog. She could discern them again, several pony-like creatures, all wearing that same ancient armor. Each carried a different weapon that they dragged along the ground. Swords, axes, spears, all seemed to be sharp as they cut into the ground as they dragged.

Twilight twirled herself, feeling sweat drip down her forehead as she began to panic. She couldn’t take them all on. She counted; there were at least twenty of them surrounding her. They seemed to form a perfect circle around her, slowing to a stop as they made their formation.

She was backed into a corner. They were all hunters and she was their prey.

‘Spike… forgive me.’ Twilight silently pleaded to herself, already realizing the reality of her situation. She couldn’t escape now. The only way she could was possibly making a break through the line, but that would never work. She would be skewered and chopped before she would manage an escape.

The creatures were drawing closer, her medallion was buzzing louder. Her sword shook more as her body joined it. She couldn’t handle this. She was going to die. She was going to die and she knew it.

All she could do was try and brace herself. Their weapons would start swinging and if she was lucky it would only hurt for a little while. She glanced around, trying to discern how much closer they would get.

It was that moment that she blinked, a hint of confusion crossed her mind. They weren’t advancing anymore. Instead they all had craned their heads up, as if looking at something she couldn’t see.

She slowly turned herself around, looking at each of them, but they seemed to have stopped advancing towards her. Instead, they all were looking up into the sky. They weren’t paying attention to her movements anymore. A though struck her mind.

‘Perhaps this is my chance to escape!’ Twilight looked around quickly, trying to discern which of the soldiers were far enough apart to attempt a break through the line. ‘If I put everything I have into breaking through the biggest opening between them, I might have a chance of getting out of here ali-’

A huge rush of wind suddenly blew through the town, tossing her mane across her face. She coughed at the sudden ash that had been flung into her face, but froze as her ears perked up. The wind had come from a creature. A creature with gigantic wings that was flying right above them. Her heart sank at the realization of what was going on.

They were distracted because something much worse was right above them.

A loud roar punctuated the air and Twilight clasped her hooves against her ears. The very ground she stood on shook, tossing her to the ground as she tried to stop the deafening sound from destroying her ears. She winced at the impact before opening her eyes to try and figure out what was going on.

The creatures that had once surrounded her were no longer in their formation. They were now running for their lives. Twilight lifted her head up as the creatures ran past her, dragging their weapons along with them. She watched them in awe, the creatures that very easily had the chance of slaying her, the chance of drawing her blood like they wanted, were running in fear. They feared for their lives more than taking hers.

Another deafening roar broke through the air causing the earth beneath the unicorn to shake with tremors once more. Her hooves instinctively clasped back to her ears from the pain. She knew she was defenseless lying on the ground protecting her ears, she couldn’t continue to lay there. Letting go of her head she scrambled to a standing position, just as another earthquake struck the ground attempting to knock her over once more. This time the quake had been caused by something large landing.

Twilight’s eyes slowly lifted up, the gigantic creature coming into her view. She had to crane her neck to get all of the creature within her vision. She wished she hadn’t.

Its skin was black and rotting. At several locations on its body it had worms digging into its flesh and wrapping around to cover holes in its muscles. Its two wings were leathery and riddled with holes, as if they wouldn’t hold it in flight. It had several razor sharp spines running down the length of its back. Its head was large, falling apart in several places. She could see rows of razor sharp teeth jutting from its mouth. Its eyes were pure black, bleeding from the sockets.  It let out a growl and smoke billowed from its nose.

Though it looked like it shouldn’t be alive, the shape of the creature meant it could only be one creature. It was a dragon. It was unlike any dragon the unicorn had ever seen before.

Twilight shakily tried to stand up. Her senses felt dulled. She’d come face to face with a full grown dragon before. Every day she dealt with a baby dragon as her assistant. But the presence this creature gave off sent fear straight down her spine. She was only barely able to make it to her hooves, her legs shaking fiercely as they tried to support her weight.

The dragon moved its head, its entire neck letting out audibly snaps as it jerked with its movements, as though its spine was misaligned. Twilight froze hearing the sound, chills running through her as the dragon lowered its head to ground level with the lavender unicorn.

Twilight stared into its black, oozing eyes as the dragon stared at her. The sword she had been wielding that whole time fell, her magic no longer stable enough to grab hold of it. It clattered loudly onto the ground.

She could feel her entire self trembling, the monstrosity before her was staring her down. Its hot, disgusting breath washed over her as it breathed through its nose. Her mouth quivered to yell, to scream, to shout, to do anything, but nothing could form within her throat. The hot breath rolled over her body once more as she could hear a low growl come from the back of the dragon’s throat. Her eyes darted to the edges of its mouth, certain she’d spot them moving into a devil’s grin.

The rotted, gaping mouth of the dragon opened. Twilight stared straight into the gaping jaw, the near-searing breath instantly choking her. The foul odor only punctuated the site. The rows of jagged, uneven fangs were hanging on by oozing and rotted gums. The mandibles were held together by the wriggling, writhing of maggots that formed at the back of its throat, acting as though they were muscles for the jowls. Seething red fire grew in the back of its throat, as if being summoned from the pits of hell itself.

Twilight couldn’t move. Her mind no longer understood what it meant to move. She had to move, she had to run, she had to get away from its mouth or else she would die. The hell fire in the dragon’s throat began to grow. The blaze roared loudly shooting straight up from the throat. Twilight stared straight into the flames as they flew straight towards her. They felt slow, as though the world itself had slowed down just for her to behold the flames that were heading straight for her. There was almost a serene grace to the sight. She couldn’t feel the heat or the panic anymore, she could only stare into the flames heading for her, as if a moment given to her by fate so that she might relive her life a last time.

“We’ll name her Twilight.” The sound of a loving parent.

“She’s so smart, always reading.” The praise of a loving parent.

“Twilight, we’ve enrolled you into Celestia’s Academy for Gifted Unicorns!” the encouragement of a loving parent.

“Twilight Sparkle, I’d like to make you my own personal protege here at the school.” The moment that changed everything.

“You’re improving with incredible speed. Here, lets try a harder spell.” The encouragement of a mentor.

“You know that I trust you completely, my faithful student.” The trust of a mentor.

“And I have an even more essential task for you to complete. Make some friends.”  The first words that lead her to her friends.

“She must continue to study the magic of friendship. She must report to me her findings, from her new home in Ponyville.” The life altering words of her mentor.

“I’ve been having nightmares Twilight. Awful, horrible, relentless nightmares.” A friend that spoke out in need.

“Fluttershy's been having some nasty nightmares that've been keeping her up. She's unable to sleep and she dreads having to go to bed.”  The second time a plight was presented to her.

“Thank you for seeing me in any case miss Sparkle.  Your rather...unpleasant blue friend out there tells me you might have a spell to treat my problem?” The third time she had encountered the same problem.

“I didn’t intend for the spell to have those effects. And you should’ve seen what their problem was when you cast the spell.” The words of the only unicorn who might have known what the horrors meant.

“I do trust you. And you better come back for me! I won’t forgive you if you die on me!”

Twilight felt something in the back of her mind smack her back to reality. The roaring flame was bearing down on her with increasing speed.

The inferno flooded the town square, flames spreading quickly across the ash-laden ground. The cobblestone itself appeared to melt under the heat. The fires of hell had been unleashed upon Ponyville with a single breath.

The lavender unicorn rolled against the hard stone ground. As she came to a stop she could feel the weight of her breath with every breath. She stood back up on her trembling hooves, having narrowly escaped her brush with death. Her blurred vision slowly cleared as she made out the view of what looked like lava burning in Ponyville. The cobblestone was heating up rapidly, glowing red like coal stones. The dark red flames ate away at everything they touched.

The dragon’s head twisted, the distinct sound of bone bopping echoed above the roar of the flames. Its neck and head turned quickly, coming to face in her direction once more. The black, soulless eyes stared directly at her. The blood oozed thickly from its sockets as it stared. Twilight could feel it staring at her, as if somehow its very gaze was a weapon it had.

She broke her gaze away from its eyes not wanting to stare into the empty voids any longer. She eyes shot down to where she had been standing moments ago before the dragon. Just outside the edge of the blazing fire she could spot the rusted and jagged blade of her sword. It hadn’t been caught in the fire.

Twilight looked back up at the dragon’s head. The creature stepped towards her, smoke billowing from its nose as she heard the low, piercing growl echo from it. She didn’t have much time to stop and think. She had to act and she had to act now.

Fire began to spill from the edges of the dragon’s mouth. It was ready to unleash hell once more upon the lavender unicorn. Twilight’s horn quickly burned with magic as the dragon reared its head back. The sword was instantly surrounded with a lavender aura as the creature thrust its head forward.

In that instant the sword seamed to gleam as it sailed through the air. It struck its mark true, slicing straight through the dragon’s jaw.

The effect was immediate as the dragon’s head went skyward, its mouth opening and spewing its stream of hell fire straight into the air. The dragon roared in pain, shaking the ground once more with its deafening cry. Twilight’s ears flattened against her head as she pulled the sword out of its jaw.

The blade dripped with blood as she quickly pulled it back to her side. The dragon’s neck popped and cracked as its head wobbled from the pain of its new gaping wound. The dragon shifted its head to once more look at the lavender unicorn that had dared to strike it. Twilight posed the sword before her. She felt a confidence rising inside of her now. She had struck the creature and hurt it, she could do it again, she could kill the dragon.

The dragon saw her stance, realizing it as a challenge. His mouth opened once more, the ear shattering howl erupting from the dragon once more. Twilight stabilized herself, lowering her stance as the ground quaked below her. She huffed loudly, glaring at the dragon. Sweat poured down her forehead from the blaze surrounding her and the dragon, but she could not be swayed from her stance.

Fire brewed within the dragon’s mouth once more. Twilight knew it was going to unleash its hell fire once more. She scraped a hoof against the ground and grit her teeth. She had to make her blows count, she had to bring the creature down before it could do the same to her. The sword shifted in her magical grip, ready for her to deliver her strike.

Twilight’s hooves struck forward, running straight for the dragon. The dragon thrust its head forward, the inferno in its mouth being unleashed once more upon the world.

The fire struck the cobblestone, wrapping the square in the blazing heat. Twilight’s eyes widened in shock as she saw the flames heading straight for her. There was no way she could move in time to avoid the flames. The flames rushed upon her and instantly overwhelmed her. She was engulfed in the flames, burning alive. Searing heat lapping at her skin and flesh. The fire washed over her, covering her in the fires of hell. Within the flames she turned to ash.

The world came rushing back, Twilight gasping for air as though she had been submerged underwater. She was disorientated, certain she’d just been roasted alive by the dragon.

The dragon pulled its head back, the fires licking at the edges of its mouth as it prepared to spew forth its destructive blaze.

Twilight’s eyes widened watching the dragon’s movements. She had no time to think anymore, whatever just happened she didn’t have the luxury to worry about it now.

The fire raged forth, the heat being felt immediately. Twilight no longer wasted a moment, raising her body and forcing herself to move. The confidence she had to strike the dragon vanished from her body just as quickly as it had come as her hooves struck the cobblestone. The intense heat struck behind her as she felt the end of her tail singe. She cried out in pain, the intense heat lapping at her skin, slowly beginning to burn her flesh.

Her hooves struck hard and carried her body. She began to make her escape from the heat as she felt cooler air wrapping her body.

She looked over her shoulder the silhouette of the dragon and the burning flames in Ponyville disappearing into the fog. She watched the dragon’s figure raise its head into the air of Ponyville and unleash one of its earth-shaking roars.

The unicorn didn’t stop running for a moment. She ran as fast as her hooves could carry her. As far away from the dragon as she could go.

The blaze of the fire died into the distance, the dragon’s roars seeming to grow fainter, the buzz of her medallion began growing quiet. Soon she could hear the strikes of her hooves against the cobblestones, her heavy panting as air rushed to fill the need in her lungs, feeling the air return to its cooler, muggy self.

She skidded to a stop, as the cobblestone gave way to dirt. Before her was the small river that flowed straight through Ponyville. The medallion had grown to a very faint buzz and she could no longer see the flames of the town square. The only thing she could hear was the distance roars of the dragon, as if it had lost its prey.

She knew she had to keep moving. To stand still outside only meant death. Be it from those strange soldier creatures or the dragon catching up to where she had run off.

Looking into the river’s stream reminded her that she was still on a mission. She had to get to Rarity’s house and make sure she was okay. If she was near the river, that meant that she would be near the home as well. It could also mean that it might provide shelter, a place to hide from the dragon out to roast her alive.

Without hesitation she summoned her map once more and reviewed it quickly. The river at the edge of town square would lead her straight to Carousel Boutique. She didn’t need to be told twice. Putting the map and her sword back into her magic she began to run once more alongside the river.

As she ran further from the town square her medallion became silent. Just as she was thankful for the silence the familiar bridge to cross the river to Rarity’s boutique could be seen. Twilight wasted no time crossing it, the wood creaking with every quick step she took.

The familiar round building appeared through the fog. Twilight stopped for a moment to stare in shock at the state that had become of the building. If not for knowing the building so well she might have not recognized it.

Several of the decorations had fallen from the store and lay scattered in the yard. The familiar plywood was nailed to cover the windows, though several sections of the wall were busted open, as if something had been striking against it. Mold and grime climbed the sides of the building and made it look unused for years.

She didn’t waste a moment longer and quickly ran up to the door, knowing full well the silent peace could be disturbed at any moment. She pressed her hoof against the handle and tried to push the door open. The door jammed with a ‘click’, telling her it was locked from the inside. She scanned the handle and saw an opening to place a key inside to unlock the door.

Without even hesitating she pulled out the key that had Rarity’s cutie mark on it and placed it inside of the lock. With a quick turn the door let out a ‘click’ and began to creak open. Twilight pushed the door open and slammed it closed behind her.

Finally, inside of the familiar building, not being attacked by monsters or dragons, her medallion silent, Twilight let herself collapse. She closed her eyes and rested on the cold floor of Rarity’s boutique, just panting.

The realization of what she saw began to slowly sink in.

“I… was going to die…” Twilight whispered softly to herself. She had seen it. If she had attacked the dragon like she had planned, if she had rushed it and sent the sword into its body once more, the dragon would’ve hit her with its fire. The fire would’ve taken her life in a matter of seconds.

But she had avoided death. She had avoided it by the no more than the skin of her teeth. That vision…

“That vision…” Twilight’s eyes opened slowly as she began to realize it. “That vision was just like… just like the vision I had with Spike…”

Her body shifted, sitting up slowly from the laying position on the ground.

“No… no they were different…” Twilight spoke aloud to herself, wanting to hear the comfort of a voice right now, even if it was her own voice. “The vision of my death happened seconds before it was going to happen… with the vision about Spike… it wasn’t an imminent threat… but if she had left him there it would’ve been the last chance she had to save him.”

Twilight closed her eyes and she gripped her head in her hooves. “What’s happening... None of this… none of this makes any sense.” She shook her head as shivers ran up her body. She could feel tears trying to form at the edges of her eyes.

In the span of a day she had brushed with death more times than she ever had in her life.  She had never felt so terrified for her own safety as she did right then, the gravity of her situation fully sinking in for the first time. Before now she’d had Spike with her, before she had to protect him, before she wasn’t alone.

But she had left Spike behind. She had left him behind where it was… where it was safe.

“I… I have to find my friends…” Twilight rubbed her face, shuddering as she tried to hold back her sobs. “I… have to find Celestia… it’s my… my responsibility.” She forced herself to believe it. “I wield the Element of Magic… I bring harmony together.” She took a deep breath, calming her heart.

“…Rarity?” Twilight called out quietly, lifting her head to look into the boutique. It was only then that she realized that she couldn’t see, the building was too dark to see anything.

She lifted her hoof up to her pendant and pressed against it. The familiar white light lit up and for the first time she was able to see the insides of Carousel Boutique.

Everything looked like it had been destroyed. Many of the mirrors were cracked and shattered, mannequins were torn to shreds, dresses and curtains lay ragged across the floor. The once beautiful boutique now sat in utter ruins.

“Rarity!” Twilight called out louder this time, looking back and forth across the large show room. The building creaked softly as it settled into place. It didn’t even look like the white unicorn had seen the state her home and business had become. No doubt one look at the mess and Rarity would’ve been frantic to clean it.

Twilight got up from her sitting position back onto her hooves. Just as quickly as she did she found herself falling to the ground. She grunted in pain as her chest struck the ground before the rest of her body followed.

She hesitantly raised her front hooves and lifted her body, turning her head to look at her back legs. She could see the hint of red running down the length of them. Though she hadn’t felt it at first, she was able to realize it now.

The heat of the fire had burned her legs.

It wasn’t a severe burn. She could move her hind legs and if she was careful she could walk on them.

She stood up once more, being cautious about the amount of weight she placed on her back legs. She winced as the pain shot through her legs, but they held her weight. She gingerly walked further into the boutique, trying to adjust to the pain.

The debris crunched under her hooves as she walked. She didn’t know what she might be looking for, but she wanted any clues that might tell her what happened to the boutique.

When she had awoken at her home, everything was perfectly fine except for being boarded up and locked inside of the building. However, it seemed that something serious had happened at the boutique. Twilight didn’t see any cuts or scratches that would indicate weapons like the creatures outside used. She wondered if something else had come into the store and attacked Rarity.

“Please be okay Rarity…” Twilight spoke quietly to herself.

She swept her light back and forth, trying to get a better look at everything in the room. Her light hit the three mirrors used to show off the dresses that the ponies in her shop would try on. Surprisingly, of all the mirrors in the shop, those three seemed to have suffered the least damage, only have a few minor cracks running through them.

“Oh, hey, there’s something there.” Twilight spoke, continuing to keep her voice hushed, as she walked over to the mirrors. As she reached the platform, she spotted what looked like a piece of paper attached to the mirror with some tape. She grabbed the paper with her magic and floated it in front of her to read.

It was still the eve of that cold winter’s night. It was now just the two of us alone in the cabin, trapped in the woods while the blizzard raged outside. I kept thinking back to the events that had lead up to this moment, only to still be baffled as to how it had come to this.

“Here, drink this, it’ll warm you.” Daniel’s sultry voice washed over me once more sending a chill down my spine. I looked up to see the warm cup of cocoa he had brewed for me floating from his magic. I raised my hooves to grasp the cup and he let it go.

“Thank you.” I cooed, though not meaning to. A soft blush formed on my face as I tried to sip my cocoa. It was as though I was once more a young school filly with a crush.

“It was no problem at all.” That voice sent me into chills. The hunk of a stallion then sat next to me and I felt my face flush harder. His flanks were so close I could feel them rubbing against mine. I wanted to resist him, but the fires in my body yearned for his embrace.

With just the two of us alone in that cabin I didn’t know what to think. The only thoughts that ran through my head was about the ways he could make me his on that night, each scenario steamier than the last. My face felt like it could glow in that darkly lit cabin.

“You look like you’re cold, here let me warm you.” Daniel spoke softly as his magic touched a blanket and brought it towards us. I soon found myself wrapped tightly within the bundle, right next to the stallion that sent my heart beating. “I couldn’t live with myself if I let a young mare go cold.”

Oh Princess, his words were electric.

This had to be a page from one of Rarity’s romance novels. She always enjoyed the rather ridiculous storylines, the corny dialogue and hammed-in plot that worked around the fact of two ponies that barely had anything in common falling in love; always with some strange plot twist towards the middle and, more often than Rarity liked, one of the main characters dying at the end.

Twilight wondered what the page was doing taped to Rarity’s mirror. Whatever the reason may be Twilight vanished the page into her magic. She turned to look back at the mirror.

The medallion began to blare its buzzing as Twilight screamed, scrambling away from the mirror. A large shadowy figure of a pony had appeared in the mirror, a red eye gleaming from it.

Her back legs struck a fallen table causing her to trip. She fell backwards and struck her head hard against the ground. She yelped in pain, quickly reaching up and grabbing hold of the sore spot that had struck. However, the blaring of the medallion snapped her back to her senses and she scrambled to her legs to look back at the mirror.

The figure was gone just as quickly as it came. Twilight panted as she felt her heart beating in her chest. Whatever that figure was it had been bigger than a normal pony. It was almost as if the pony had been as tall as the Princess.

Twilight’s ears perked as she still heard the buzzing of her medallion. She looked around quickly, not seeing a creature of any sort that would trigger the buzzing of the medallion.

Wood snapped loudly behind Twilight, causing her to jump once more. She twirled around and faced the front door, spotting an axe head that had just struck its ways through the door.

“Oh no! One of those things knows I’m here!” She cursed loudly to herself, backing away from the door. Her horn lit up as her sword was pulled forth from her magic.

The axe head pulled itself from the door, causing a large gash to appear from the force. The axe struck through the door once more, splintering wood struck the ground and scattered. The axe was forced through the door once more, the hole growing larger.

Twilight grit her teeth hard, preparing herself for the creature to break through.

A shattering crunch of wood echoed through the boutique as the axe destroyed the door. Twilight covered her face as dust and wood flew past her. She coughed as she stepped back further, turning to look at where the front door used to be.

The metal clicking of armored hoof steps walked into the boutique. Twilight could view the creature now, illuminated by the light of her pendant. The chunks of rotting flesh with bone showing through, the thick and ancient armor over its body, the hefty double-headed axe it dragged with its mouth. It was definitely one of the creatures that seemed to litter the town now.

Every step drew the creature closer to Twilight. There was no way around the creature and it was clearly on a mission. It was out for her blood.

The creature lifted the large axe with its mouth, raising it to strike down on Twilight. Twilight jumped to the side swiftly, getting out of range of the creature. The axe came striking down right where she had been standing. She skidded to a fast stop at the creature’s side and concentrated her magic. She commanded the sword to swing with a mighty blow down at the creature. The sword flew swiftly through the air, straight at the creature.

A sound of metal clashing echoed through the boutique. Twilight cursed at herself, she’d struck the armor of the creature. The armor didn’t even have a dent from her strike.

The creature pulled the axe out of the ground and began to turn towards Twilight, readying to strike once more.

Twilight looked the creature over quickly, trying to find openings in the armor. The armor was packed tightly around the creature. The biggest openings seemed to be around the face. The helmet covered the entire head and the bridge of the nose, but the eyes and the mouth were wide open. Twilight cursed her luck at having such a small opening and one directly within the line of fire.

The axe came swinging down and Twilight jumped back. She felt the force of air blow past her quickly from the force of the swing, the axe embedding itself into the ground. Twilight raised her sword and put a hoof down on the handle of the axe. As the creature tried to force the axe out of the ground Twilight pushed against it, keeping it there.

The creature let go of the blade and lifted its head. It opened its mouth wide, a growl piercing from its throat. It lunged forward, the jaws looking to sink into her flesh.

The sword was plunged straight into the creature’s mouth. Twilight didn’t let up on the force for a moment, the sword driving straight through bone and muscle as it became buried handle deep inside the creature.

A piercing wail of pain cried out as Twilight jumped back. The creature tried to thrash about, digging the sword around its insides deeper. Blood began to ooze from its mouth and through the openings in its armor. Twilight grimaced at the awful sight occurring before her, putting a hoof up to her mouth. The piercing wail felt like it struck at her soul, realizing she had purposely brought this upon the creature.

With a final shriek the creature collapsed onto its side. Blood pooled quickly under the creature as it oozed from every open spot it could.

“Forgive me…” Twilight closed her eyes and whispered her apology. She swallowed her nausea and carefully walked up to the creature. She still needed that sword, but now it was lodged inside of yet another creature that she had killed.

Twilight’s ear perked up. Something was happening. She could hear something, but it wasn’t her medallion buzzing. No, this was something coming from the town itself. A sound she recognized.

It was the siren.

The siren was going off in Ponyville. Twilight looked out the broken front door, the world was being devoured by darkness. The darkness spread through the open door and began to devour the inside of the boutique as the siren seemed to blare even louder.

“W-What!?” Twilight cried out, stepping back from the darkness that was encroaching upon the home. Twilight’s pendant began to flicker, growing dim.

“No! NO NO NO NO NOT NOW!” Twilight tapped against the pendant. The light of the pendant went out and suddenly she was in pitch darkness. She wanted to scream, but the sound couldn’t escape her throat.

The world was shifting all around her, she could feel it, she could hear it. Fear ran straight down her spine as she heard the crawl of something all around her.

She was all alone in the darkness. Even the sound of civilization had left, the siren’s blaring growing dimmer before growing silent.

Her world was deathly quiet.

Chapter 5

Only the sound of Twilight’s breathing permeated through the thick darkness that enveloped her. This heavy breathing was Twilight’s only comfort, as at the moment it was really the only way she could tell she was alive. While she felt some degree of safety since her pendant was remaining quiet just like everything else in this place, the silence was disconcerting enough that in combination with the pitch dark room she found herself in, she feared for her life just as much as if there was a monster getting ready to slice her in half. At this point, the one thing the unicorn wanted most was to see again, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get the room to light up, even though she knew she had the energy and was performing the light spell perfectly.  She could even feel the light coming off of her horn. Yet the darkness around her remained.

She concentrated harder, giving more energy to the spell. She knew the spell should have grown brighter and yet no light penetrated the sea of black surrounding her. With an exasperated breath she let the spell dissipate into the air then tried to absorb as much remaining unused magic back into her reservoir as possible.

The strain from her chronic use of magic over the past few hours was starting to get to her, a testament to how dire her situation was considering her natural magical power was much higher than the average unicorn’s. The exhaustion was worse on her mind, as it was also causing her thoughts to become clouded and problem solving more difficult. The thought of losing her wits as well as dealing with diminished magical abilities terrified her. Losing free use of any spell she might need was bad enough, as that ability was what had kept her alive so far, but to be deprived of both magic and intellect was all but a death sentence. Rather than fill herself with any more dread by pondering how her situation could deteriorate any further, she decided it was better to instead take stock of how her situation was right then.

She still had a tally of the items she had stored inside of her spell crafted holding space right then, mostly notes and books that she was hoarding. She wasn’t sure what was compelling her to hold onto them, but she felt these items were somehow necessary. She also had the health drink bottle from the library, though she was unsure of what use it would be would be at the moment. Maintaining the storage spell was only a little taxing, the thing that had been using up the bulk of her magic was using her sword.

She had been wielding the sword with fear, gripping it harder than was necessary.  She knew that was a rookie mistake, an easy way to get you exhausted when you found yourself in prolonged danger. She could still remember practicing with her sword as a little filly...

“HYAAAAA!” Twilight cried out as she swung the wooden sword at the guard as hard as she could . Her weapon struck dirt as the guard simply stood to the side and levitated his own sword towards the filly before it came striking down against her head.

“OOOOOWW!” The young student rubbed her head as the sword she had been gripping fell to the ground. “That hurt!”

“It hurt because you not only let your guard down but you attacked at an inopportune time.” The unicorn explained as he returned the floating sword to his side. “You’re also gripping your sword too hard. You only need to grip it that hard when unleashing a devastating strike.”

“I know that!” The lavender filly huffed as she stood up, planting her hooves against the ground and forcing magic to her horn once more. The grip of her spell surrounded the small wooden sword they had provided her and she again lifted it up to her side.

“That’s too much magic. You’re gripping it as though you’re trying to break it into splinters.” The unicorn guard shook his head in disapproval.

The little filly unicorn just huffed in annoyance once more and tried to reduce the grip of her spell. It seemed so much easier to just study magic as the Princess’s prized pupil.  Though she’d been curious about practicing with swords the guards she occasionally sparred with always complained about how she was doing it wrong.  It was starting to annoy her.

“Too little.” The guard said, striking Twilight’s sword with his own and knocking the wooden weapon from her grip. “You need to have just enough strength so that if struck you won’t lose grip of the sword, but not enough to so quickly exhaust your magic.”

“UGH! When am I ever going to use this!?” The filly stomped her hooves against the ground. Now she really regretted giving up precious study time for this silly hobby.

“You’re always going to use this.” The unicorn guard explained, causing Twilight to glare at him with disbelief. “As the Princess’s student you’re tasked with learning as much about magic as you can. So you should already be aware of the fact that how much magic you put into your spell effects how much the spell changes. Don’t put enough magic into your spell and it doesn’t work. Put too much and the reactions cause your spell to become something entirely different.” The guard pointed his wooden sword at Twilight. “Combat forces you to be aware of this at all times, to instinctively channel your magic to just the right amount. Never too little, never too much. You may never have to raise a sword to a foe, and I pray to Celestia that a day where you have to never comes, but the fundamentals of what you are learning here will stay with you forever.”

The little filly huffed angrily yet again. She was being lectured and she knew it. Begrudgingly, she lit her horn up and grabbed her wooden sword once more.

“Fine.” She said while raising the sword. “But I only want to spar for a few more minutes, then I want to return to my studies.”

“I have no objections.” The unicorn nodded, preparing himself once more.

Something loudly crashed in the darkness. Caught off guard in her own thoughts, Twilight screamed, fumbling over her own hooves to get away from whatever had made that racket. Her leg struck something hard and she tumbled forward. Her chin struck the ground, and she felt something wet splash against her face. She groaned as her chin ached.

Her pendant began to flicker, light slowly filling the darkness that had surrounded her. She sat up, rubbing her jaw, careful of how she sat with the burns still aching on the back of her legs and flank. She could feel the liquid that had splashed onto her face. She blinked, her eyes adjusting to the light that was now filtering into the room.

Twilight wasn’t even sure she was in the same place anymore. The interior decor she was beginning to see didn’t look like anything she’d find in Rarity’s boutique. She was even beginning to wish she wasn’t seeing it at all, wanting the room to revert to the ruin it had been before.

Rusted sheets of steel had taken the place of the normal boutique walls, each spattered with blood as though some gruesome occurrence had taken place next to them. The destroyed curtains were no longer made of any kind of cloth but instead seemed to be made out of skin, stretched and torn in several places. The normal decorations of the boutique were replaced with rusted chains and grime.

Twilight looked down at her legs to try and avert her gaze from the horrific scenery and to also see what she had tripped over. It was the body of that creature in the armor she’d killed before the world had changed around her. The liquid she had landed in was its blood.

She grimaced, feeling her stomach flip. She carefully stepped away from the body, not wanting to step in any more of the blood that had pooled around it. She glanced around the boutique once more, looking for a rag or a cloth with which she could wipe off the blood. But the only things that were anything remotely like cloth were the skins hanging from the curtains, and wiping the blood off with them seemed just as nauseating as having the blood on her in the first place.

She reached into her magic reservoir and pulled out one of the scrolls she had been keeping, the one with the nonsensical scribbles plastered all over it. She still couldn’t discern if any of the scribbles held anything important; for all she knew it was only there to block the original cryptic riddle. She gambled with the importance of the paper and closed her eyes.

The scroll wasn’t very absorbent and therefore wasn’t able to pick up the blood that was spattered on her face very well. But she wiped as hard as she was able to get as much of the blood as possible off of her face. She knew she wasn’t getting it all, she was certain there were still some smudges left, but she felt better knowing most of it was off of her face.

Twilight returned the now bloodied scroll to her magic reservoir while looking at the body she had tripped over. She adjusted the light to look towards its head, spotting the handle of her sword that was still buried deep within the monster. She grimaced, quickly realizing that she was going to have to pull the sword out.

She hesitated for a moment, but her horn lit with magic all the same. The handle was wrapped, giving her a good grip of the sword. She tugged on it, hoping it would slide out without much effort, but the sword barely moved, simply nudging to the side for her. Twilight grunted and pulled a little harder. The body was dragged along the ground by the handle of the sword.  A realization struck her that once again flipped her stomach: The sword was stuck fast in the creature’s body and forcing it out would most likely mutilate it beyond recognition.

She closed her eyes and clasped a hoof over her mouth. Her stomach was rebelling and it wanted to expel its contents. Her resolve was shaking. She tried to remind herself why she needed that sword, the very same reason that it was embedded in the creature in the first place.  She needed it so she could defend her life from the creatures that wished to snuff it out. She couldn’t help her friends, the citizens of Ponyville, the Princess, or Spike if she was dead.

She gulped down the contents of her stomach and opened her eyes, wrapping a separate section of magic around the armored creature’s head and neck. With a soft grunt she pulled the two sections in opposite directions, feeling the objects catch on each other and refuse to budge. She grit her teeth and steadied her stance before lowering her horn and channeling more magic into it. The force made the sword begin to wobble, as though it was about to come out. The body oozed more blood from its mouth as she persisted in trying to retrieve her only weapon.

A loud snap echoed through the dilapidated building as Twilight felt something give way. Her eyes widened as she lifted up her sword to view what had come free from the creature. Most of the blade had stayed embedded within the creature; due to the age, wear and rust of the sword she had picked up, all that remained now was a small, jagged stub of metal that used to be a sword.

“Oh no…” Twilight felt her heart sink. Her sword had been the difference between life and death. Without it, she was certain she would…

A shiver ran down her back, sticking her hair on end at the thought. She looked the broken sword over carefully, noting how sharp and jagged the broken end was now. The blade only extended out about three inches now, the sides still sharp though admittedly a bit chipped. Twilight had a feeling that the jagged ends of the sword would likely snap off if too much pressure was applied to them, but that still left it as a means to defend herself. She would just have to use it as a dagger instead. As long as she didn’t run into anymore of those soldier-like weapon brandishing creatures she could imagine she’d be able to defend herself.

“I won’t be able to kill anything swiftly though…” She spoke aloud to herself, slashing the impromptu dagger through the air. The length of the blade had been what allowed her to kill quickly so far, minimizing the chances of being hurt by any retaliatory attack. But now she’d have to stab until the creature she was fighting bled to death, not an option she liked.

She vanished the dagger into her magic and took a deep breath, calming her senses. She opened her eyes back to the horrible world she now found herself in, able to smell blood wafting through the air. She turned her head to where the front door had been, expecting to see the splintered remains of where the creature had come in. Instead, she saw the same blood splattered steel blocking the door.

An idea sparked in her head as she examined where the door had been and remembered how her attacker had chopped the door to bits. She quickly looked around the floor, trying to find the double headed axe that the soldier had been wielding.  To her ever growing luck, it seemed to have vanished. The body of the soldier was still there, but the weapon it had been using was gone. Twilight sighed in defeat; it seemed she wasn’t going to be getting a replacement weapon that easily.

The lavender unicorn then focused on her pendant and turned it to look around the room, trying to locate a possible exit. Her light fell upon a rather large wooden door located exactly where the three viewing mirrors had been placed when she saw that shadowed creature.

She gulped, fear gripping her throat. She had a feeling that going through that door meant she was going to see that shadowed figure again. The thought terrified her, but it was the only door that now remained within Carousel Boutique, even if she hesitated to call it that anymore.  Twilight hesitantly began to walk toward it.

She stopped as heat tore through her haunches once more, biting her lip as the reminder of her burns struck her mind. During the tense moments when adrenaline and endorphins had been coursing through her blood, she had forgotten about the pain that assaulted the back of her legs.

Not only was her offensive capabilities reduced, but her ability to walk was hindered. She tried to push it to the side of her mind, stepping carefully so as not to agitate her hind legs as she walked up to the door that was now conspicuously in the middle of the building. She raised her hoof to the door, expecting it to be locked just as every other door she’d encountered and pushed against.

The door let out a rusted squeal as it slowly swung open.  Twilight was surprised at how heavy the door actually turned out to be as it opened to reveal a stairwell that lead down into a dark abyss. The unicorn was confused, not having expected there to be a basement of any sorts below Rarity’s workshop. Especially not one located in the middle of her showroom.

The lavender unicorn pushed the thoughts aside, trying to remind herself that wherever she was, she wasn’t at Rarity’s place of business anymore. Rarity would gag and faint at the sight that had become her workshop.

Aiming the light of her pendant down the stairs, she began to make her way down the stone steps. The walls lining the stairwell looked to be made of a strange cobblestone which she thought she recognized but just wasn’t quite able to place a hoof on it. Each wall was covered with a dark green mold that seemed to be sliding downward with blood spattered all over just like in the room above.

The bottom of the stairs came upon her quickly; her hooves clopped agaisnt the dark stone floor below. She turned her eyes up to the wall in front of her and gasped, almost jumping back in surprise.

There was a large mural depicting Nightmare Moon in a threatening pose facing the pony viewing it. The visage of the mare of darkness loomed over, her eyes glaring white and the armor covering her body as it had the night Twilight had confronted her. It took her a moment to realize the mural wasn’t moving, that the mare of darkness wasn’t actually standing before her at that very moment.

Her eyes scanned the mural more carefully, noticing a strange outline digging into the picture. She traced the shape with her eyes and realized that it was a door the mural had been directly painted over. Twilight placed her hoof against the door and pushed. Nothing. The door didn’t even so much as budge. She ran her hoof along it and felt it slip inward a little. She blinked and looked closer. Part of the mural was missing, specifically the chest piece of Nightmare Moon. The moon adorned mantle she wore wasn’t there and in its place was an indentation in the wall in the same shape.

“This day just keeps getting weirder…” She murmured softly, putting her hoof backon the ground. She turned her head to look around the hallway. The walls were still made up of the same stone material that the stairs had been made of, though there was less grime on these particular rocks and more spatters of dried blood. The stench finally reached her nose and she gagged softly, realizing she was already starting to get used to the smell of blood in the air everywhere.

The hallway was narrow, not what she expected to find in a basement. The building materials didn’t even seem similar to that of the Boutique, as if this had been built first before the Boutique had been put on top of it. The door before her was locked for now and the hallway went down to her left and right, seeming the same in either direction. Taking a wild guess, Twilight began to walk down the right path.

Her hooves struck the stone ground as she walked, the echoes bouncing off the walls loudly. The creeping darkness still sent an unsettling chill up her spine. Anything could be lurking in the shadows, just waiting to attack her. The echo of her hoof steps offered no comfort against the knowledge that her medallion could still go off at any moment.

The hallway made a sharp turn to the left suddenly, causing Twilight to hesitate. She carefully peeked around the corner, illuminating the path before her with her pendant. She saw the hallway come to a dead end at another wooden door placed in the wall. She crept around the corner and walked up to the door. She placed her hoof against it and summoned the dagger-length sword to her side. She would be ready for anything that lay in wait on the other side... at least, she hoped she would.

The door creaked open. Her rune remained silent as her light hit the room, but her eyesight instantly caught something wrong. Hanging from the ceiling were several blood red vines with plant-like weeds matching the vines snaking all along the ceiling. It was as if the ceiling itself was a plant. From the ends of a few of the vines she could see a dark red liquid dripping to the ground, she could only guess what it was exactly. The stone walls were covered in rusted chain links that seemed to be keeping the stones in place. The stone floor had several cracks that the liquid dripping from the ceiling seeped into.

Twilight cautiously walked into the room and shut the door behind her. She couldn’t see anything of particular interest towards the front of the room, but she couldn’t just leave it unexplored. She carefully walked towards the center of the room, not knowing what to expect. A drop of liquid hit the top of her head and she shivered, feeling it on her body.

She heard something shift in the room and her medallion began to buzz. She instantly turned towards the source of the sound. There was an opening in the wall to her left that seemed to go into a separate section of the room, however, two things appeared to be in the way. The first was a stone altar that appeared to be missing three square indents on the top. Behind it was a gigantic creature that seemed to be stretched taught across the opening.

It was bound by two large circles, one on the ceiling and one on the floor, each circle covered in large protruding spikes aimed for the creature. Its body was attached to the wall by large hooks, stretching its ragged skin taught. Twilight could see several muscles through rips in the skin, the creature dripping blood from the wounds.  Its head appeared to be small, though Twilight could only assume it was a head. It seemed to have a mouth that opened slightly only for it to take in breath. Its lower half appeared to have been forcefully ripped off, though no entrails hung from below it. She couldn’t discern what kind of a creature it had been, it was unlike anything Twilight had ever seen before.

She held her former sword out before her, waiting for the creature to attack. Her medallion was buzzing, telling her it was a threat. She wasn’t about to be caught off guard by an attack from it.

The creature only seemed to slightly move within its confines, the hooks digging into its flesh as it breathed and the hanging flesh on the lower half of its body brushing against the ground as it moved. It didn’t even seem to make a sound, content to just stand in its designated spot blocking her path. She looked the creature over trying to discern its purpose, but it only persisted in remaining still. Very cautiously Twilight looked around the room. There was nothing else in there, only the monster and the altar before her. She looked back at the altar before the monster, making note of the three empty indents that it presented.

‘So I need to find the armor piece of that mural and I need to find three squares for this creature…’ She mentally noted, stepping away from the creature and back towards the door. The further she grew, the quieter her medallion became. Grabbing the door with her magic she opened it and backed out slowly, closing it behind her. The medallion grew silent, prompting her to let out a sigh of relief.

“They just can’t make this easy on me…” The lavender unicorn whispered to herself. She put the sword back into her reservoir and looked at the dead end of the hallway. “I guess that means the answer is the other way.” She softly cursed herself for picking the wrong way.

She passed the mural again and reached a sharp turn to her right, just as she had going down the other hallway. The hallway also led to a dead end and a wooden door, same as the other hallway. She placed her hoof against the door and opened it, peering inside with the light of her pendant.

This room was just as different from the hallway as the last room had been. Instead of the grime ridden stone, this room was adorned with brown stone tiles, as though the room belonged in one of Equestria’s many discarded ruins. This room also had the tell-tale spatters of blood along the wall, but what stuck out the most was the wall directly across from the door. Twilight carefully walked up to it, not understanding what she was seeing.

There were three separate sheets of glass allowing her to look inside of three boxes within the wall. Each box contained an environment, each one different from the other. The left most box contained a beautiful jungle, kept pristine within the glass. She could see luscious greens and beautiful flowers inside.  A single tree seemed to dominate the back of the box and fill the ceiling with the bountiful branches.

The middle box contained what seemed like a murky field. Grass covered the floor but was dampened with water. Above the ground was a darkened black cloud that covered the entire ceiling, threatening to rain at any moment.

The third window seemed to contain a bookshelf and a ladder. Each of the books seemed indistinguishable from one another yet brimming with knowledge all the same. None of them had any dust, indicating they were well kept, but no one was there to read them.

Twilight viewed the scenes curiously, not quite sure what they meant. Each one contained a theme, but what did the theme mean? She shook her head slowly, trying to take a mental note of the scenes before turning to look at the rest of the room. It contained nothing more than the scenes and another door. With nothing left to do in the room, the unicorn inspected the second door before opening it.

“Huh?” Twilight wondered aloud while walking in. There was a strange contraption taking up the entirety of the room. It appeared to be a cage of some sort, though the cieling and floor was made out of the same cobblestone from the hallway and the bars on the sides only went down about three fourths of the way before meeting a wall, as though it were a guard rail. The front of it had an open door and inside the door she spotted a lever.

The unicorn spared a moment before stepping into the cage, expecting the door to have shut closed behind her. She turned to look at the lever, not sure what its placement within the cage accomplished. If it locked the cage, that meant she could flip the lever and escape once more. Taking a gamble she raised her hoof and pulled the lever down.

As she expected, the door to the cage closed in front of her.

“What a silly contraption.” Twilight muttered softly to herself, raising her hoof to flip the lever the other way when the entire cage suddenly lurched. Twilight stumbled away from the door, trying to keep her balance as the entire cage began to move. The cage grew pitch black save for the shining of her pendant. Twilight turned her attention to the walls that were moving upwards just beyond the steel bars. The entire thing was moving down, as though it was automated to.

The unicorn was rendered speechless. Of all the things she expected to happen, the cage taking her somewhere was not one she had even considered. With nothing to do but to wait for it to stop moving, her mind quickly went over the layout of the boutique in her mind. She couldn’t conceive such an intricate basement was resting underneath Ponyville, let alone the boutique of all places. She’d been feeling as though she was in some kind of otherworldly place ever since she heard the droning of the siren.

The cage lurched once more, almost knocking Twilight off her hooves. The entire contraption stopped moving and dim light began to filter into the cage once more. The door opened up, revealing the room before her. She carefully stepped out of the cage and viewed the rather large set of wooden double doors just before her. They looked as though they belonged in a castle.  After walking up to the doors she pressed her hooves against them and pushed. With a heavy creaking the doors gave way, allowing her access to the room that lay beyond them.

The hallway she entered was gigantic in comparison to the ones she had just been through, easily large enough to be one of the hallways in Canterlot Castle. A moth-eaten red carpet stretched from the door across the entire hall. The grime and blood-soaked stones lined the walls and floor. She couldn’t see the ceiling unless she aimed her pendant straight at it and the large windows which normally contained stained glass pictures were instead covered with the rusted, blood splattered steel she’d seen on the first floor of the boutique.

Twilight’s eyes were drawn to the center of the hallway, where a square marble pillar stood, holding a glass case on top of it. She spotted something inside of it that was glinting off of the light of her pendant.

Twilight approached the marble pillar to see what was inside. The buzzing of her medallion froze her in place however.  She was instantly looking around for the source of the sound.  Her ears perked, hearing the sound of stone being scraped by metal. She whirled around, looking for the soldier she was expecting to see.

The scraping of metal continued, the buzzing of her medallion grew louder, and no matter where she looked she couldn’t spot the creature. Her heart began to race, her breathing going short as she felt herself slipping into panic. She was right on top of a monster and couldn’t even see it. She could feel sweat forming on her forehead as she stepped back, bumping into the marble pillar.

A loud crack came from above and Twilight snapped her gaze upward, spotting movement. She quickly aimed her pendant and saw what was crawling on the ceiling.

A mask was looking down at her, a theater mask that covered the entire pony’s face, one half red, the other half white. It had no eye or mouth holes to speak of; the creature was staring down at her with no way of seeing her. Its body was covered in a tattered brown cloak that only covered its body. The feet that dug into the ceiling… no, they weren’t feet, they looked like skin colored sickles. Each sharpened appendage moved forward and dug into the stone before it, causing the metallic scraping she’d heard.

The creature’s mask was pointed in her direction, as though the head of the creature was upside down. Twilight couldn’t breathe as she stared at the creature slowly making its way across the ceiling. The head of the creature snapped, twisting its head back around to view the ceiling. Twilight winced and the creature’s movements suddenly sped up. The scraping of metal as it moved its sickles across the ceiling echoed. Twilight followed it with her pendant, watching it escape into a hole in the ceiling. The medallion grew quiet as the creature moved out of sight.

“That… can’t be good…” Twilight gulped, thankful for the return of the silence. However, a new dread swept over her as she realized that these creatures really could come from anywhere. That creature could have easily jumped down onto her and then what would she do? She needed to find a new weapon; her dagger of a sword wasn’t going to cut it against creatures like that.

Twilight turned back to the marble pillar, giving it her attention for a moment. Inside of the glass casing she could see what was without a doubt one half of a piece of chestplate. It was colored dark blue with half of a circle in light blue in the center.

“This must be the missing piece from the mural…” Twilight muttered to herself looking it over. It looked exactly like it had come from the mural in the wall. Twilight raised a hoof to the glass and pressed on it, trying to move it. It seemed to be firmly in place. Twilight thought for a moment, trying to figure out what she could do to get the mural piece. She lit her horn and wrapped the glass in magic, trying to lift it off of the marble pillar. The glass remained in place.

The unicorn focused on just the front section of the glass, calling upon one of the many spells she’d worked so hard to memorize upon the glass. She raised a hoof and pressed it to where she had cast her spell, expecting her hoof to phase through the glass. Instead she was met once more by the solid glass. At this point she knew it wasn’t the spell that had failed, but rather the world around her was messing with her magic.

“Guess I’ll just try busting it open.” Twilight sighed in exasperation, pulling out her dwarfed sword. She aimed the handle towards the glass and took a few steps back. She raised the handle well above her head and brought it swinging down hard against the glass. The resulting strike let out a loud ‘thud’ that briefly echoed before going quiet, but the glass didn’t even have a scratch on it.

“I guess I’m not getting it this way…” Twilight put the sword away, glaring wearily at the piece behind the glass. It was bad enough that her flank stung from burns, that she could be attacked at any moment without a proper means to defend herself, and that she had no idea why any of this was happening, but now the world was seeing fit to mock her by defying everything she’d ever come to know about the way glass worked.

“I’ll be back for you.” Twilight pointed at the glass with a hoof as though it were able to hear her. She then stepped around it and looked towards the opposite end of the hallway, seeing another pair of large doors that led further into the decaying stone basement.

She spared a glance up at the ceiling, aiming her light at the hole that the creature with the sickle legs had gone into. It didn’t appear to be coming out of its hole, a fortunate sign for her, though she could already guess with her luck that she hadn’t seen the last of it.

The door at the end of the hallway let out the moaning wail that Twilight had expected as she opened it. She was instantly struck by a wave of stale air that almost made her gag. She put a hoof to her mouth trying to stifle the air, feeling as though it was trying to strangle her. She backed away from the door, trying to breathe. By no means had the air around her up until then been fresh, but the air beyond that door was on a completely different level.

Twilight aimed her pendant towards the door once more, gulping down the fear welling in her throat and pushing it open further.

The room was even more open than the hallway she was in; if she had to guess it was at least the size of the banquet hall in Canterlot. She could see a fountain in the center of the room, showing a rusted pony standing triumphantly, wielding a tattered, broken flag. Twilight could see blood dripping from the statue. She followed the drip of the statue towards the ground, suddenly realizing where the stench in the room was coming from.

The ground was littered with body parts. She could identify several legs, chewed up torsos, various flattened organs, pools of blood and at least one disembodied head, though she was certain if she looked hard she could find another.

She retreated immediately, falling into a sitting position and putting her back to the wall. Her flanks cried out in pain as soon as she did and she grit her teeth trying to ignore it. She’d rather be focusing on the pain than the horror show in the room behind her. It was all she could do to keep her stomach contents from rushing up out of her.

“Oh Celestia…” Twilight grimaced, shaking her head trying to fight the tears forming at the edges of her eyes. “Why is this happening? What would have caused this?” She pictured her friends in her mind. Each body part in that room came from a pony. Each of those ponies must have had friends, a family, other ponies they loved and cared for. The thought didn’t quell her stomach any.

“I have to go in there…” Twilight spoke to herself, putting a hoof to her mouth. Carousel Boutique upstairs was a dead end, there had been no way out and no way into any of the other rooms. The only place she hadn’t been able to check was behind the mural door. One of the mural pieces was trapped in unbreakable glass before her. If Stalliongrad library had been any indication of anything, it was that the pieces to unlock a door were obtainable. One just had to figure out where they were. And Twilight could feel it in her gut, the way to get the other mural piece had to be through that room.

Her legs shook as she stood up again. She tried to steel her nerves and took in a deep breath of the air unpolluted by the wretchedness of rotting flesh. She then very carefully made her way to the open door, the wafting stench of death and decay still spilling out from behind the doors. The moment the air hit her nostrils again, she gagged.

She put one hoof in front of the other, walking deeper into the suffocating room. She aimed her light towards the ground, spotting the open spaces between the discarded body parts and organs that lay scattered about. Her horn lit up and she grabbed several of the body parts and organs in front of her then slowly moved them to the side, creating a path for her to walk without stepping on anything.  The stained stone floor was cold despite the repulsion of the air; it sent shivers up her back as she made her way through.

Twilight lifted her head towards the fountain, once more looking at the statue of the pony. She glanced slowly to the left, trying to discern where she needed to go. Her light fell upon a small wooden door on the left most wall. She could reach it if she maneuvered through the death that lay around her.

Twilight carefully lifted her hoof and took a blind step, something squishing underneath. She instantly grimaced, not wanting to see what it was she had just stepped in but she could already feel the compulsion to look rising. She lifted her hoof and looked. It appeared to be the squished remains of an eyeball-

Yup. There went the small bit of breakfast she’d had that morning.

The unicorn coughed against the bile that had escaped her mouth, still feeling the burning in the back of her throat.  She shook her head, trying to clear it of the vile thoughts that had caused her to lose her stomach in the first place. She wanted to break down and cry, to just collapse from the horrible mess she found herself in.

Her medallion sprang to life, telling her there wouldn’t be time for it. A dull thud combined with a squelching sound came to her ears. She turned around, directing her light towards the source.

Something struck against the ground, picking up a discarded leg with it. The leg was lifted into the air and a loud smacking echoed as the limb slowly disappeared between the folds of a round mouth.  The mouth appeared to be at the top of the creature’s head, following a long neck to a large, engorged body that seemed to slither against the ground. Twilight thought it had a pony-like shape, but it was missing any semblance of legs or a pony head. It was like a leech slithering across the ground, twice the size of her and devouring the meat that was littered on the ground.

The massive creature was sliding closer, through the blood and organs, crushing anything that didn’t slide out of the way when it moved. Its mouth came down to blindly clamp down on another piece of bloody meat so that it might choke it down its long gullet.

Twilight turned back to face the wooden door she was heading for and lit her horn. With a wave of her magic all of the various pony parts slid out of her way and she ran. Her hooves hammered against the floor and almost slipped on the fresh blood, but she stayed on her legs and made it to the door.

She flung the door open and threw herself inside before slamming the door shut behind her. Her medallion grew silent and she panted heavily. The stench of death wasn’t suffocating her in this room, though the smell of blood still wafted through. She took a moment to examine her surroundings.

The room was small, a closed in room of four walls probably no bigger than an average bedroom.  What stood out was that the entire wall opposite the door had been painted with a large picture depicting an army of ponies being led by Princess Celestia. All of the ponies, even Celestia, were clad in a thick looking armor that covered most of their bodies. She could see all kinds of ponies standing behind her, though they seemed to be sorted by groups. She could see a section of earth ponies, a section of unicorns next to them, and in the air a group of pegasi. Underneath the picture was a plaque with elegant writing on it.

Twilight drew closer to the picture, inspecting the details of the strange mural. It wasn’t one she’d seen in Canterlot art museum or any book on historical art. As far as she knew this wasn’t a depiction of any of Equestria’s major battles. Her eyes were drawn downward to the plaque.

Though our combined power can defeat any threat that may come to harm our lands and loved ones, we will always stand out from the ones around us.

Twilight thought the words on the plaque sounded weird. She thought back to the pictures in Canterlot. If this had been a picture there, the plaque would have said something like ‘Through our combined power we can defeat any threat that may come to harm our lands or loved ones.’ However, this one made a point to indicate that the different ponies meant something specific. Her instincts told her that something was off about the picture, something that she needed to figure out now if she was going to get out of this crazy otherworld.

Her eyes scanned across the picture once more, viewing Celestia in all her glory. She then examined the massive army that was behind her. She looked through the group of Earth ponies first. They all seemed to be about the same color, here and there was a small variation in color, but nothing that seemed to stand out. She raised a hoof and took a closer look, examining each soldier. Their armor, their color, their weapon of choice, their wings.

“Wait, wings?” Twilight said, looking at where her hoof was. In the group of Earth ponies, almost invisibly, were a pair of wings attached to the side of the pony. It was a pegasus in the middle of earth ponies. Her hoof touched the strange misfit of the group when it suddenly moved. The pegasus sunk into the picture about half an inch.

Twilight moved her hoof away and stared. She hadn’t even seen an outline for her to push something into the wall. She looked at the Pegasus amongst the Earth ponies and thought about it for a moment.

“If there was one pony that was mismatched… then…” Twilight swept her eyes over to the group of unicorns in the picture. She scanned across the rows of ponies, checking each of them for a horn until she found the exact pony she was looking for. Amongst the unicorns was a single Earth pony. She raised her hoof and pushed against the outcast, the part of the wall pushing into place like the first one did.

Scanning upwards she looked over the flying pegasi that seemed to blot out the sky over the army below. She carefully examined each one until she found the unusual one, a unicorn amongst pegasi. She lit her horn and used her magic to push against the pony and he too sunk into the wall.

With all three sections pressed in Twilight took a step back, not sure what to expect. The picture was fine for just a moment before it suddenly let off a small glow. Twilight was confused by the sight as the glow grew brighter. She covered her eyes as light filled the entire room.

As the light began to fade she lowered her foreleg from her face and viewed what had happened. She found that she was no longer in the room staring at the picture, but instead was in a regal hallway staring once more at the figures of Princess Celestia and Merlin.

“Thou shalt find that our accommodations are quite relaxing.” The regal Princess spoke with an air of kindness behind her voice. “We’ve already had the guards prepare your room, close to the royal archives so that you may conduct thy research.”

“I cannot express my gratitude in a finite number of words.” Merlin spoke appreciatively. “The kindness thou hast showed me far exceeds any that I would expect.”

“It is simply part of our nature. That which gives us our true power comes from but one of those elements, the element of kindness.” Celestia smiled at the azure unicorn. “And if not for that we would extend this kindness to thee anyway. We have received word from our guards that they will be bringing in the Acnologia soon. Just as thou said, he is but an Earth pony now.”

“I am but a pony that has put it upon himself to tell no lie.” Merlin nodded his head slowly. “Nor did I lie about why I needed thy resources for study. I shall be able to save many a pony if my research proves fruitful.”

“And we have no doubt in your ability.” Celestia spoke warmly. “Come, we wish to give thee a tour of our castle before thou retire to thy room for the night.”

“A tour from thy Princess herself? I could think of no higher honor.” Merlin smiled, accepting the gift.

“Your majesty!” A loud voice suddenly cried out above the both of them. The two turned around to see a rather portly looking unicorn with a white coat and dark blue mane walking towards them. He was adorned in a rather expensive suit, made of rare silks and threads, adorned with jewels and emblems showing his status in the castle. The coat he wore over the suit had its ends carried by two humbled and thin servant ponies dressed in uniform.

“Your majesty I simply must have an audience with thee.” The plump unicorn stopped short of the royal Princess. He did not bother with bows or formal greetings; he just began to speak of his needs first. “The land thou hast given me is no longer enough to carry my needs. The discovery of a gem mine has expanded my need of ponies for work and I simply must have more land so that I may accommodate them.” He snorted with an uncaring attitude, as if he didn’t really care about the ponies living on his lands, but rather about the gems those lands contained.

“Is thy work force not adequate? Thy land is rich with ponies who will work with sweat on their brows and food in their bellies. We have no doubt about the strength and the will of our citizens, why would thou ask for more?” The Princess raised an eyebrow, unconvinced by his argument.

The fattened pony looked shocked and appalled, as though the very idea of having his request disputed in the slightest was unheard of. Even while addressing the ruler of the land, he appeared to only want what he seemed to believe was his.

“Your majesty Princess Celestia, I do not think that thou truly knowest of thy citizens.” The plump pony adjusted his suit and cleared his throat. “They are often lazy and think only of their own selfish desires. They wish to bleed me dry of my wealth which I rightfully acquired and know not their place. Many refuse to work the generous hours that I gave them and more mines are found each week. With such lazy ponies I do not have an ample work force to make Equestria as a whole richer.” He stated matter-of-factly, lifting his head into the air and closing his eyes.

Celestia eyed him for a moment, almost unable to believe that he was being serious with her. She let out a discontented sigh and turned to face Merlin.

“Our apologies, dear Merlin. It appears that once again our duties must supersede the business which we would like to conduct.” She gave a soft nod. “We hope that thou are not disappointed.”

“Do not think upon it for a minute longer.” Merlin waved his hoof gently. “I cannot begin to fathom what thy life must be like and understand that thy country comes first.” He gave her a comforting smile. “See to thy people and we shalt meet again later.” With that Merlin turned and began to walk off down the hallway.

“As I was saying your majesty, you simply MUST give me the land I request!” The plump noble pony began to speak again, however his words began to drown out as the images started to fade.

The hallway was no more as it faded back to the room with the mural, leaving Twilight once more in a state of confusion. The lavender unicorn gave her head a soft shake before rubbing it gently, trying to think about the events that she had just seen.

“…There’s no doubt in my mind now.” Twilight spoke softly, staring at the mural, at the depiction of Princess Celestia leading the army behind her. “These are the memories of Princess Celestia.” Twilight pondered that for a moment. She was seeing memories of her mentor, of the ruler of all of Equestria. She was viewing them the same way that she had viewed her own memories when Celestia had cast the mind delve spell upon her.

“I wonder…” Twilight put a hoof to her chin in thought. “Pinkie and Fluttershy each say they experienced memories of their past when I put them under the Mind Delve spell; and I confirmed that’s what I saw with the Princess. However, what I experienced and what they experienced were vastly different… am I viewing the memories of the Princess and experiencing this town because of the Mind Delve spell?” she tried to rack her brain for an explanation. “That wouldn’t make sense. I’m the only pony in town that has cast the spell or even knows about it. There are no other copies of Dreams: A Psychological Understanding in Ponyville. The only other possible pony who could have cast the spell was…”

Her heart instantly sank. The creator of the very spell was in the town. She’d left her number one assistant in his care.

“No… no that’s stupid, Twilight.” She shook her head. “He said he had nothing to do with this. You’re jumping to conclusions. Other ponies borrowed that book right? It was a book in a library after all.” She rubbed her head trying to remember if any pony had borrowed the book at any point. “I can’t possibly keep track of all the books rented out in the library can I? Maybe someone borrowed it while I wasn’t looking or... or when I wasn’t studying it. Yeah, I’m sure that’s it.” She suppressed the feelings, trying to swallow them in her stomach.

“I know… I’ll talk with Magus again when I get out of here. He’ll explain everything and I’ll prove that he had nothing to do with this and that it wasn’t wrong of me to leave Spike in his care.” Twilight nodded her head, doing her best to convince herself. “I just need to get out of here first…” She then murmured, looking down at the floor before the mural.

A brown tile seemed to have appeared just below the mural. She lit her horn and grabbed it, bringing it up to her eyes. She swiveled it around quickly and got a good look at it. It wasn’t very big, a small square tile. On the front of it was the depiction of an Earth pony.

“I guess this is one of those tiles for that monster up above.” Twilight spoke aloud, placing the tile into her magic pool. She turned to face the door to the room once more, gulping at the realization that she was going to have to go back outside into the massive room of decay where the body parts were being devoured by that leech-like creature. She took a deep breath and opened the door once more.

The overwhelming air assaulted her senses with a vengeance as she stepped out into the room. Her medallion instantly began to buzz as she searched for the source. Her light hit the leech just a little ways out, closer to the middle of the room. It was gorging itself upon more limbs of the discarded ponies and didn’t seem to have noticed she was there. She turned to her left and decided that she’d follow along the wall, figuring she could find the next area she needed to go quickly and avoid that horrible abomination.

Her horn lit up as she quickly began to walk while pushing the pieces out of her path. The room was only about the size of the grand hall back in Canterlot. Twilight knew she could circle the room in just a few minutes if she kept focused on her goal.

The medallion suddenly began to buzz louder as the sound of metal scraping against stone came from just above her. She stopped and turned to look up, the light of her pendant landing upon the masked creature once more. Its head was aimed at her; each leg striking into the cold stone wall underneath it. It was climbing along the side of the wall straight in her direction.

The lavender unicorn didn’t wait until it got closer or for what it might end up doing. She turned on her hooves and began to run. She turned for the wall she had been walking towards, pushing the discarded organs out of her way in her bid to flee.

She heard the metal scraping sound hit the floor and a loud snap echo from behind her. The scraping began to click rapidly against the ground, as though the creature was now scurrying towards her. It was chasing her.

She swept her light back and forth rapidly in a panic, trying to find a door that would lead to another room and hopefully her escape. Each scraping click of the metal was punctuated with an echo behind her, the creature beginning to gain on her.

Her eyes fell upon another wooden door, similar to the one she had entered with the mural. She ran straight for it, the metal scraping growing louder as the creature slammed its blade-like legs into the ground with each step. Her horn lit up and she seized the door with her magic.

A burning pain suddenly seared into her flank and she let out a cry of agony.  One of the sharp blades of the creature’s legs had reached out to try and get her, ultimately missing but managed to slice along her furred skin as it went.

Twilight flung the door open and jumped inside, sliding across the floor as she whirled her head and slammed the door shut.

Her medallion grew silent and the sound of scraping metal against stone stopped. The unicorn panted heavily watching the door, expecting to see a sharpened leg stab straight through the wood or for the door to just burst off its hinges.

She sat in the new room for several minutes, just observing the door and waiting. For whatever reason the creatures didn’t seem to be following her. The medallion was silent meaning they weren’t nearby or trying to get inside. It seemed that as soon as she had entered the room they had simply forgotten about her presence.

With her heart still beating and the room having gone deathly silent, she turned her head to look at the burning gash that had appeared on her flank. It was a long cut, though it didn’t seem to be very deep. She examined it carefully, noticing it was very slowly dribbling blood. She would’ve thought a creature with blades for legs would’ve been able to do more damage, but it seemed it had only nicked her with the end of its legs as she had ran away.

She hoped the bleeding would stop on its own soon, and for once she was grateful that it was her own blood on her body and not some pony else’s. She just had to account for it like the rest of her injuries that she’d sustained.  The simple burns on her flanks didn’t seem so important anymore by comparison, not with everything out to kill her.

She turned herself around, putting her back to the door so that she could examine the room she now found herself in. The first thing her eyes fell upon were the two regal seats that sat in the middle of the room. They were large and made of gold, though they showed their age in how unkempt they had become. The backs and seats were made with a red material, most likely a silk of some kind that had been torn apart by the passage of time and eaten by moths. Their edges of were adorned in gems that no longer carried their luster. A long red carpet led from the door to the thrones, covered in dirt and grime. Sitting between the thrones was a small marble pillar with a plaque on it.

“This is… a throne room?” Twilight asked, confused, scanning her light over the two chairs. She made a note to check the rest of the room for anything out of the ordinary. Her light swept along the left-most wall and saw an unusual lever jutting out from it. She turned her head and saw that the right-most wall also had a lever jutting out.

Curious as to the levers and the layout of the room, she walked closer to the two thrones and the pillar that was between them. There was nothing on top of the pillar and it only came up to about the height of her chest, but the plaque on it bore words, another puzzle she assumed.

One by one we would help the citizens of our country and though we could help most, there were times where just one of us was not enough. Only with our powers combined could we accomplish our goals.

“With our powers combined…” Twilight rubbed a hoof against her chin in thought. She turned once more to look at the levers that stood out from opposite ends of the walls. “…No… no it couldn’t be that easy could it?” She murmured in disbelief.

She trotted over to the lever in the wall and placed her hoof against it. She then turned and shined her light on the lever on the opposite end of the room. With it in her sight, she lit her horn and wrapped the lever within her magic. She then began a short count down in her head.

‘Three… two… one…’  She pulled down her hoof and her magic at the same time, flipping both of the switches in the room simultaneously. For a moment, nothing seemed to happen.  Twilight was about ready to draw the conclusion that she had indeed been right about it being too easy, however, just as those thoughts crossed her mind, light suddenly began to glow in the middle of the room, steadily growing brighter . She raised her hoof to cover her eyes from the glow, until it began to die down. When she moved her hoof back down, she wasn’t in the throne room anymore, but rather a well adorned bedroom.

“It has been over a month now dear sister; you cannot tell us that you have not found peace with the stallion.” Celestia spoke as she stared into the mirror, carefully using a brush to sweep up and down her delicate coat. Normally a servant would be tasked with this chore to keep her coat looking lustrous, but the Princess found comfort in having a rare moment of peace to herself to just do as she wished.

“And what would be wrong with us still reserving our judgment?” Luna huffed from across the room, raising her head and closing her eyes. “It’s not as though he has truly earned his place within our castle.”

“Thou knows that is not true.” Celestia chuckled, turning to face her sister and placing the brush down upon the desk. “The stallion has aided our country and served our magic court. He has brought new riches where they were thought to be dried up. Why can thou not appreciate him?”

Luna was silent as she seemed to think over her sisters words, turning to look at the mirror before her.

“H-He just hasn’t that’s all! We have no reason to believe he is anything more than a braggart, Merlin the Braggart.” Luna huffed again, refusing to turn around to face her sister.

“We do not think that thou are telling us the whole truth.” Celestia looked at her sister knowingly, a soft grin on her face. “We think our dear sister is hiding something.”

“We would not hide anything!” Luna almost slammed a hoof down against the desk she sat at. “That stallion may rot in his studies for all we care.”

Celestia couldn’t help but grin and walk over to her sister, looking over the dark mare’s shoulder and seeing her cheeks brighter than normal.

“Thou fancies the stallion!” Celestia couldn’t help but laugh seeing her face.

Luna turned to her sister with a look of utter shock and disbelief. Her face contorted, unable to believe those words had come from her sisters lips. She muttered and grasped at words but they refused to escape her lips, only coming out as garbled nonsense.

“We cannot believe it! Our dear sister! In love!” Celestia laughed, turning to walk away from her sister, unable to keep a serious face upon this revelation.

“What does THOU know about love!?” Luna almost raged, standing up, her whole face turning a bright red. “We think it is THOU who has a crush on the stallion! Thou are projecting thy thoughts onto us!” Celestia let out a roar of laughter as she fell to the floor, unable to stand on her hind legs anymore. “SISTER! Such disgraceful behavior!” Luna gasped in shock at the display.

“Oh… oh forgive us dear sister.” Celestia still laughed, wiping a tear that had formed at the edge of her eye.  “Our dear sister always has an air of such seriousness about her. To think she would find a stallion desirable, let alone be embarrassed to admit to such is a thought that had not crossed our minds.” Celestia lay on her hooves, still stifling laughter. Luna huffed loudly, turning her head away from her sister, still red in the face.

“So we are not allowed to enjoy love? We are not allowed to express marehood fancies?” Luna almost growled as she closed her eyes. “We are but a Princess after all. Our royal duty will always hold weight over any life we choose to have in private.”

Celestia’s laughter finally quieted down to a couple of chuckles as she stood up on her hooves, smiling at her sister who had sat back down, looking at herself in the mirror.

“Now dear sister, thou know we said no such words.” Celestia smiled brightly, walking over to her sister.

“Thy laughter spoke enough, carrying with them words of our true place upon the throne.” Luna glared at herself in the mirror as her face began to calm down. Celestia walked up behind the dark mare and wrapped her head around her shoulder, gently nuzzling her. “S-Sister!” Luna spoke in shock.

“If thou are truly in love then thou have our blessing.” Celestia smiled. “We would be overjoyed to see our dearest sister happy. Thou are always so serious and take matters into thy own hooves as personal. We know thou have laughter inside, thou aids us with the Elements. We just wish we could see that side more.”

The words spoke true and Luna knew it. Her sister wasn’t actually making fun of her, just the way she presented herself. The Princess of the night let out a disgruntled sigh as she had to let go of the frustration she was feeling towards the elder sister.

“Thou should not expect anything to come of this. We are a Princess and the stallion is but a court mage; an exceptional court mage who has aided our lives, but a court mage none the less. It is expected, nay, demanded that if we should have ourselves a suitor that it be a noble that garners for our attention.” Luna closed her eyes resigning herself to such a fate.

“Dear sister, we are the monarchs of our land. If it is expected of us to garner the attention of a noble then we simply must make the one we desire into a noble.” Celestia devilishly grinned, Luna looking up at her older sister in surprise. “If we must play by the rules of our land then we too must play with the rules given to us.”

“…Thy words are bold dear sister. Thou hast thought of this before.” Luna softly glared at her sister suspiciously.

“We must always be on the edge of our hooves if we are to rule our countries with integrity.” The Princess of the sun smiled before beginning to walk away from her sister. “The night shall be upon us soon and we would like to adjourn for the evening. Sleep well dear sister and always keep our words close to thy heart.” Celestia said as she exited the room. Luna looked as though she were about to say something else, but if there were more words to the conversation they were not meant to be heard. The bedroom began to fade away, returning to the room it had been once before.

Reality came back to the darkened, destroyed throne room. Twilight blinked for a moment, standing on her hooves in thought once more.

‘Princess Luna had a crush on Merlin?’ The idea even amused her a little. The bookworm she’d met in the Canterlot archives certainly seemed confident, but picturing her with an actual love interest seemed weird. She could only imagine the gravity of the situation, after all even today if one of the Princesses had found love, it would be big news all over Equestria. In all her time under the Princess as her personal protege, she hadn’t heard or seen a single thing about the Princess falling in love.

“…Not a single thing…” Twilight spoke out loud for herself to hear. It was beginning to dawn upon her that she had never seen the Princess take a romantic interest in anypony. Not to say she was any better, she certainly hadn’t taken any time out of her studies for romantic interests, but she did still hold the romantic idea in her heart that she would find just the right stallion one day, one that shared in her love of books and studying, one she could spend long nights just reading together with, sharing thoughts, opinions, and theories.

She’d never once heard any such ideals from the Princess. The Princess was always attending to her royal duties, always having so much to take care of throughout the entire land. Certainly she had advisers, she had several councils, and she was well versed in the laws she had put into place, but Twilight almost never saw her put in personal time for herself and what little time she did take out was almost always interrupted by some other important royal duty.

“…I guess I never realized how tough the Princess had it…” Twilight murmured to herself. She had known the Princess had it tough, but she’d never put the pieces together till just then. Now she was starting to feel guilty at finding the idea of Princess Luna in love funny. Both of the Princesses deserved to be happy and she knew that, they just never had the time for it.

Twilight looked around, the room escaping from her thoughts for a moment. Her eyes came to look at the marble pillar once more, noticing that something had appeared on it. She lit up her horn and grabbed hold of the item, levitating it over to herself. It was another brown square tile, though this one had the depiction of a Pegasus on it.

“I guess this is my reward for solving the riddle.” Twiliht said as she put it in her magic alongside the other tile she had grabbed. “Though this was a really easy puzzle…” She looked once more at the downward turned levers. She had automatically assumed she needed to pull them both at the same time.  After all, the riddle made it sound like both had to work together in order for anything to be accomplished. She put a hoof to her chin and thought about it.

“No… this puzzle was only easy because I was a unicorn.” She quickly realized. “If I was an Earth pony or a Pegasus, how would I have gotten to the opposite side of the room in time to pull them down at the same time? I can use magic; any other pony would’ve had to find some other way.”

She realized now the advantages she had for being a unicorn; and not just any unicorn, one that spent her life studying magic. None of her friends had that luxury right now. She was again reminded of what she was working towards, why she was going through this demented world in which she now found herself.

She walked over to the door and put her side to the wall next to it, lifting her ear up to try and hear anything that might be lurking behind the door. She couldn’t hear a thing from within the throne room and her medallion remained as silent as the air was. The medallion was no longer comforting for this situation though, the masked creature had been right behind her when she entered the room and yet it had grown silent the moment she had closed the door. For all she knew it was right outside the just waiting for her to stick her head out. Then it would bring its leg down in a swift motion and…

Twilight put a hoof to her neck as she cringed. The burns on her legs, the bruises on her body, the cut on her flank, she could work through all of that, she could still do what she needed to get done. But if she lost her head it would obviously be over.

She lit her horn and grabbed the door, swinging it open. She grunted, a short wave of exhaustion hitting her. The magic inside of her was dwindling, she could feel it. It had been a long time since she’d used so much magic in such a short period of time and she was starting to feel the effects of it hitting her body. If she used too much more she was going to pass out.

With the door now open her medallion began to buzz so softly that she was only barely able to pick up the fact it was making a sound at all. If the monster had been hanging just above the door like she had thought she was sure it would be ringing louder. She wasn’t sure where it had gone, but it seemed that as soon as she had entered the room it had run off somewhere.

Twilight quickly looked out the door, sweeping the light back and forth. She could see the leech again in the distance; it was still preoccupied with its meal. The masked creature was nowhere in sight, most likely crawling along the wall or ceiling somewhere. She quickly formed a plan in her head and tapped her hoof against the ground.

Lowering herself and lighting up her horn, she then began to run. Bolting straight out the door she pushed aside everything in her way, blood splashing up and around with her rushed magic use. The leech let out a growl as it lifted its head in the direction of the commotion, spotting the unicorn running straight for the one wall that had yet to be investigated.

A door came in to her vision and she grabbed it with her magic. She wasted no time sprinting inside and slamming the door shut. Her medallion went silent. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, finding herself once again safe from that vile room. She knew she’d have to cross it at least once more, but she would prepare herself for that when it came.

Twilight now took the opportunity she was given to examine the new room she had entered. Along the side walls she saw several pictures, each one showing off various ponies through history. On the back wall however, were three large pictures that seemed odd. Only the middle picture showed the depiction of a pony, of the Princess of the sun with her wings spread in front of the sun, radiating her glory for all to see. The other two pictures appeared to be made up of misshapen lines, each with a glowing red gem at the top most right or left.

In the middle of the room was a strange square device angled at the top with three valves in front and a plaque towards the top. Twilight carefully walked up towards the device and examined the plaque.

We must share our power with the one who holds the fate of the land; only by connecting through her will Equestria know salvation.

Twilight was slightly confused. The glowing red gems seemed to be angled up perfectly to touch one line on their respective images, and the line touching the gems were also glowing red with them.

Taking a guess that turning the valves would accomplish something she pressed her hooves against the left-most and began to turn it to the right. As she did she could hear the sound of stone moving and looked up towards the pictures. Several of the lines in the picture had turned with the valve. Now a new line had connected with the already glowing red line and lit up with the red light from the gem.

“I see…” The unicorn spoke aloud as she set her hooves against the middle valve now and began to turn it. A different set of the lines in both pictures began to move now, twirling them in place. She took a mental note of which ones turned before moving to the third valve and turning it as well. More lines moved and she had a mental image of where each line turned from which valve.

“Alright… so I just have to line them up, that way the red light from the stone touches the picture of Celestia… I can do this.” Twilight boosted her confidence and began to turn the valves in quick succession. She would normally have used her magic for such a task, but she didn’t want to waste any more precious magical energy. Instead she took to manually turning each valve, spinning the various lines several times in order.

It took a moment of calculating and repositioning, but Twilight figured out the exact order she needed. After several minutes of turning the machine, she grabbed the middle valve and turned it one final time.

A successful red line of glowing energy stretched across the two pictures next to Celestia, from the gem stone all the way to the regal Princess. The lines connected directly to the picture and it took a moment for anything to happen. Then, the picture began to glow brightly with the familiar glow. Twilight closed her eyes waiting for the light to die down and see the next memory this world was going to present to her.

“Grah!” Came the loud cry of a stallion as he was shoved to the ground. He had a dirty green coat with disheveled purple hair. He was being pinned down by two royal guards, a dropped knife laying before him. Celestia looked down upon the pony the guards had restrained, glaring at him.

“Does thou know what thou has done?” The Princess demanded, the guards giving the pony just enough oxygen to speak. The green stallion coughed as air returned, then let out a short laugh.

“It was all I could do and yet it was for naught… yes, I do know the weight of my decisions.” The pony boldly grinned up at the Princess, who narrowed her eyes at him even more severely.

“Thou doth realize that thy actions shall result in thy death?” The Princess demanded to know.

“It is a better place I go than the land that thou have made for us to live.” The green pony spat. “I respect not the monarch who would let their people wither and die whilst feasting upon the luxury of thy land.”

“That’s enough out of you.” One of the guards struck the green pony hard in the ribs, the green pony coughing hard from the blow.

“Your majesty.” A familiar deep voice spoke from behind her. The regal Princess turned her head to see Merlin approaching quickly from behind. “Your majesty, I would like to request a chance to speak with this prisoner in the dungeon before thou send him off for execution.”

“Court Mage Merlin.” Celestia spoke regally, looking him over curiously. “What would thou hope to gain from such an endeavor?”

“If thy prisoner cares not for his life, then I might be able to garner some use out of him in favor of my research.” Merlin closed his eyes as he spoke calmly. The green pony glared at the mage, gritting his teeth hard.

“Unicorn swine. Thou know not the hardships we endure or our suffering, seeing us only as pawns in thy games. In thy lounge of food and wine, suckling on the life of thy citizens, thou are blind and cruel.” He spat again, closing his eyes in anger. “I wish thee to rot in the bowels of hell.”

“Enough.” The guard delivered another swift kick to the prisoner’s gut before both guards hoisted him onto their hooves. They proceeded to drag him away, heading for the dungeons. Merlin and Celestia stood in the hallway watching the pony be dragged away, and when he was gone they stood in silence for several more minutes.

“Court Mage Merlin, we ask of thee…” The Princess spoke softly, keeping hold of her emotions. “What does thou think of the way we run our country?”

“A subject I am not yet ready to speak of.” Merlin answered calmly. “However, there is more to a country than just its nobles. Thy ponies make the heart and blood of this very land, but they live if for nothing more than to serve thy majesty. I wish to speak more with that pony about this subject, to see what I can learn of his life.”

“We see…” Was the only reply that the Princess of the sun could utter. She seemed to be lost in her thoughts before turning to Merlin. “Forgive us, thou does not approach us unless thou needs something. What is on thy mind Merlin?”

“Yes, but of course.” Merlin cleared his throat and turned to the Princess. “It is about the research I am conducting. I have heard much about them and have become quite fascinated with the study of them. I wish to ask thy permission to study the Elements of Harmony your majesty.”

Celestia looked a little shocked, not having expected such a request. Though ponies knew of the Elements, it was understood that only the Princesses had control over them.

“Thou makest a bold request. Let us ask, does thou think that thou could control but even one of the Elements in order to research it?” The Princess eyed him curiously.

“I do not pretend to know what forces I will be looking into. Thy power with the Elements are grand indeed, able to take down forces more powerful than thyself or thy armies could do combined. I can only believe that research would go well with help from thy Majesty.” Merlin spoke clearly.

“Thou wish for our help with thy research?” The Princess raised an eyebrow curiously. “Thou must realize that our time is precious, seeing to our citizens and caring for our nobles. We have little free time and what little we have is often spent preparing for more important matters.”

“I assure thee now as I have assured thee in the past that the time of this research is of utmost importance. In my studies I have come across things that I cannot discover simply with the tools at my disposal, that I need more in order to be able to save thy country from further peril, much the same as I stopped Acnologia.  I request thee take time from thy delegations to aid me in my research.” Merlin spoke his request.

The Princess thought his words over, wondering what she could do or say to make a difference. Seeing to her citizens was important, but if Merlin spoke true about saving her country she would have no choice but to make time for his research.

“Very well.” The Princess spoke finally. “We shall make an exception for thy research, we are certain our Dear Sister can handle a bit of extra responsibility.”

“I thank thee, your majesty.” Merlin bowed respectfully. “Thou shall not regret thy time spent.”

“See to it that I don’t.” Celestia nodded her head before turning and walking down the hall.

The memory grew quiet as it began to fade away, the world returning to the way it was once more.

Twilight blinked as her vision returned, readjusting to the gallery she had found herself in. She shook her head softly, not having enjoyed what that last memory had spoken of. She had always thought of Celestia as an all-knowing ruler, who knew what was best for everypony and did everything she could to help them. She’d never once heard of Celestia sending any pony to death, to an execution.

And yet there it was, in front of her eyes, the Princess had told a pony that he would be killed for his actions. What had he done? She remembered the knife laying on the floor, but what did that mean? Had that pony tried to attack Celestia? He had spoken viciously about the Princess and her country. He had hated how she ruled it…

Twilight turned to look at the large picture of the Princess once more, only to gasp in shock. It wasn’t there anymore. Instead, the picture that had taken its place was a picture of the blue stallion unicorn with blond hair and a soft growing beard. Merlin was framed perfectly where Celestia had once been. The two sections that had once contained the lines and the gems were now replaced each with a picture of the two Princesses. Celestia was to the left and Luna was to the right. Both were facing towards Merlin with a forlorn look in their eyes.

“What does all of this mean?” Twilight whispered to herself trying to understand everything that was going on around her. She looked down at the valve she had turned and saw something new sitting on top of the device. It was another small brown tile, this one depicting the shape of a unicorn.

She grabbed it with her magic and added it to the other two. She now had three small tiles, each with a different picture on them. The altar that had stood in front of the monster up above had three slots. That meant she had all the pieces to his puzzle. She just needed to make it back upstairs in one piece.

She turned from the room and walked to the door, raising a hoof to push it open. The medallion instantly began its quiet buzz as the light of her pendant filtered into the central room reeking of death. She quickly spotted the leech, still gorging itself on pieces of pony meat. It was near the front door now, exactly where she was headed next. She waited for a moment to see if it would move, but it just grabbed another nearby limb and began to devour it.

Twilight waited, twitching her ears to see if she could hear the sound of metal scraping against stone, but it was silent save for the leech. She stomped her hoof against the ground and prepared herself.  She was going to make a run for the large doors out of there.

She backed up a little and braced herself against the valve device, before pushing herself off of it and running straight forward. She picked up to her top speed and her lit her horn, the scattered organs squelching under her magical grip as they dispersed out of her way. The medallion grew louder as the leech turned its head, facing towards the racing unicorn.

Twilight grit her teeth as she galloped, her magic grabbing the doors she was aiming for. The leech let out a guttural sound as its head reared back, preparing to slam it down onto her body.  The doors swung open with her magic and the leech’s head came crashing down. It scraped the end of her tail just as she jumped, flying past the room of death and landing ungracefully in the hallway beyond it. Her horn slammed the doors shut behind her and let go as she panted heavily.

She’d done it. She had solved the puzzles and made it out of the room alive. She couldn’t believe her fortune. Her body ached and she was low on magic, but she had made it out without dying. Twilight took in a deep breath and let out a soft sigh of relief, finally feeling a small smile on her face. She turned to look at the pillar in the middle of the hallway she was in. It still contained the mural piece surrounded by the invincible glass from earlier.

“I was hoping it would’ve opened by now…” Twilight sighed in frustration, walking closer to it. She was going to give it one last check before moving on to the creature above.

Her medallion suddenly began to buzz and she stopped halfway to the pillar. A loud pop echoed through the room as something then fell from the ceiling. It landed on top of the glass case, the case shattering loudly as the creature hit the ground. The unicorn backed up a few feet, staring in shock.

The masked creature was right in front of her now. Its long razor legs bore into the stone ground beneath it as its head sickeningly snapped once more, twisting all the way around to look directly at her. It had broken the case but now it was guarding her path forward.

“Oh Celestia…” Twilight gasped in horror.

The creature didn’t waste any time. Instantly its legs began to move, rushing straight for the petrified lavender unicorn. Each leg struck the ground with the scrape of metal as it approached her swiftly.

Twilight snapped out of her stupor and summoned her dagger of a sword before her. The creature was right upon her, raising its leg and striking it down straight for her. Twilight cried out and swung her dagger straight at the limb heading for her. The limb struck the thin blade and clashed hard. The leg was powerful and refused to be stopped by such a wimpy blade. It pushed against it and the leg struck Twilight’s foreleg.

She let out a cry as the razor sharp limb cut into her leg, stopped from cutting too deep by the edge of her sword. Blood began to flow from her leg as she poured more magic into the blade and pushed away.

The masked creature rose up on its hind legs, planning to bring down its front legs and skewer the lavender unicorn upon them. Twilight jumped, the two legs coming straight down. She felt one of the legs scrape against hers as she barely managed to jump out of the way and avoid a fatal injury. She cried out in pain as her left front leg began to bleed from several sections. Her legs collapsed from under her, causing her to tumble against the cold stone floor.

The creature turned to face the unicorn on the ground, approaching her quickly. Twilight grunted in pain but looked up at the creature from where she lay on the floor. Her eyes widened as it reached a razor sharp leg up to stab down into her.

Her magic went into overdrive and her dagger flew swiftly. The striking leg was knocked back by her small appendage of a sword. The creature wasn’t deterred, raising its other leg to strike down at Twilight. The dagger struck the other offending leg as well, knocking it out of striking distance.

The creature wouldn’t relent. Repeatedly it raised each leg and brought it down trying to skewer the unicorn before it, and the unicorn managed to deflect each blow. Twilight was panicking; she couldn’t seem to launch a counterattack. She was completely on the defense and if she didn’t keep it up she was going to be skewered.

The creature twisted its head with a cracking snap, before finally taking a step back in realization that its efforts weren’t working. Twilight managed to get to her hooves, gingerly standing up. There were precious seconds ticking by as the creature prepared its next attack. She didn’t have time to think anymore; she just had to act.

From within her reservoir she pulled out the books she had been carrying with her.  The creature didn’t even seem to be phased by the new additions to Twilight’s arsenal. It reared up onto its hind legs once more, preparing to strike down the unicorn.

Twilight hurled the books as hard as she could, aiming each of them straight for the creatures head. On its unstable hind legs the creature batted the books away with its forelegs, getting them each out of his vision. A loud crack was heard as the last item the unicorn had thrown made it past the legs, embedding itself through the creature’s mask. The handle of Twilight’s blade could be seen sitting just outside of the cracks in the mask.

The creature finally lost its balance, falling onto its back, each of the four razor sharp legs flailing in the air. The tattered robes that covered its body began to be ripped to shreds, revealing the rotting corpse that was barely being held together underneath it. Its body had several open gashes, revealing the rotting organs inside of its body. Twilight was revolted, grabbing hold of her sword from its head and pulling it out.

The creature flailed in pain, as if refusing to die now. The lavender unicorn raised the dagger up and swiftly stabbed it into the chest of the creature. It let out a dull, sickening thud as it tore into its muscles. The flailing began to slow down but had yet to stop. Twilight raised the dagger and slammed it down once more. When the flailing still refused to stop she stabbed it again.

Each strike hit the body with the sickening thud. Black, tainted blood gushed with each strike as Twilight refused to let the creature live a moment longer. Her dagger was coated in the thick, gooey mess that had become the creature’s blood.

The masked creature no longer flailed, but lay with its limbs heavy on the floor. Twilight panted in exhaustion, quickly putting the sword away into her magic. Getting rid of the books had given her some extra magic to spare, enough to keep her conscious and to still have use of her horn. She had killed yet another creature; it was another body to add to her growing tally.

She limped past the dead creature, trying to put some distance between her and it. Her front left leg was bleeding profusely now; the clotting was having a hard time with a wound that size. She knew she wasn’t going to make it far if she didn’t cover the wound quickly.

Her horn lit up and grabbed hold of part of the ancient red carpet that lined the floor. Her horn managed to rip off part of the carpet and she stretched it with her magic. She ran a quick spell over it, grabbing hold of the dirt and grime of the carpet and tore it off, tossing it to the side. With the fresh cloth she carefully held out her leg and began to wrap it tightly around her wounds. She winced and grit her teeth hard as her nerves fired at the cloth. She had to at least stop the bleeding and this would have to do till she could find some proper bandages.

She finished tying the makeshift bandages onto her leg and let out a relieved sigh as the pain began to subside. She turned her head to look at the fallen creature once more. It still wasn’t moving, a sign she truly had managed to finish it off.

She looked over at the shattered glass of the pole, seeing the mural piece still all together and laying on the floor. She levitated it up and put inside of her reservoir. If there was one good thing to have come from that encounter, it was that she didn’t have to find some other way to break open the glass.

With bandages on her leg, she began to make her way over to the other end of the hallway. She would just have to take that lift back up to wherever it was she had come from and solve that monster’s puzzle.

Each step with the limp was slowing her pace, but she was able to make it over to the lift once more. She pulled the lever from inside and the device once more whirred into life. It quickly shifted into gear and began to rise, the darkness returning momentarily before coming to a stop at the top.

The unicorn limped into the room with the three weird chambers once more. She examined them once more, seeing the forest, the damp and rained on field, and the library that was ready for someone to check out the books. Twilight still wasn’t sure what it meant exactly, but figured it must have some purpose.

She turned from that room and walked out into the hallway where the mural of Nightmare Moon waited. The air around seemed fresher in that hallway; even if the lingering smell of blood was around her she didn’t feel the air was as stale, as if the world was giving her a moment to breathe.

She made her way past the mural and to the door at the other end of the hallway. She carefully opened the door and made her way into the room that was covered in the red plants once more. Her medallion instantly began its low buzz as she expected. She walked further into the room and turned her light to face the creature. It hadn’t moved, it hadn’t done anything, it was still just hanging there, impaled to the walls and awaiting for someone to draw close to it.

“…I kind of feel sorry for it…” Twilight murmured to herself. Unlike the rest of the monsters it didn’t seem to want to attack her. Her medallion told her it was a threat, something to worry about, but it seemed harmless without any way to move.

Twilight carefully walked up to the altar that stood before the monster, examining it over once more. Three square slots, all about the size of the tiles she had grabbed from downstairs. She carefully pulled each of the tiles out, wincing as they did. Her magic was dangerously low now and she could feel it. It was starting to nip at the back of her mind that she was using too much. She needed a place to rest, to get her energy back, but she was still nowhere safe.

She reviewed the three tile pieces she had quickly, one with an Earth pony, one with a Pegasus and one with a Unicorn. She thought it over in her head, wondering in which order the three went in. Then, as if triggering a light in her mind, she thought back to the three strange environments she’d seen in the ancient room.

“Earth ponies have domain over the land…” Twilight spoke aloud as she placed the Earth pony tile into the first slot. “Pegasi have domain over the air…” She placed the second tile into the second slot. “And Unicorns have domain over knowledge.” She placed the third tile into the third slot.

A loud, horrifying cry suddenly echoed through the room causing Twilight to jump back in shock. She stared up at the creature, who was now flailing and thrashing in what looked like agonizing pain. Her eyes widened upon realization, the spikes that had just been holding it in place were growing. They were now going through and stabbing the creature, piercing the flesh it had left.

She put a hoof to her mouth as she watched in horror. Whatever it had for a mouth was raising up and flailing, screeching out in pain as the spikes tore through its flesh. Twilight watched as spikes drove through the front, piercing all the way through its body. Just when she thought it couldn’t get any worse, the spikes began to twist.

The circles holding the spikes began to turn in opposite directions, forcing the body of the creature to be torn apart and shredded. In just a short period of time the body of the creature was no longer discernible, all of the pieces that had been hanging from the walls fell to the ground, a large pile of skin, organs, and bones. Her medallion went silent.

For the second time that day, Twilight lost her stomach.

Twilight wiped her mouth as she panted, unable to believe she had just witnessed that with her own eyes. It was a gruesome, horrific act of not just torture, but of death. The creature couldn’t move, it couldn’t defend itself, it was just as much a victim of this world as she was.

There was no way she could have known that solving the puzzle was going to do that to the creature, she hadn’t even thought twice about it. She had just solved the puzzle like she had solved all the others before it, just going one through the line. But now her actions had taken the life of what seemed like an innocent creature.

Twilight carefully looked back at the scene of the carnage. Something glinted off of the light of her pendant right behind where the creature had been. Not daring to get closer she lit her horn up, bearing with the biting at the back of her mind, and brought the item over. It was the other half of the armor for the mural. She now had the whole piece to fit into the mural over the door. Shakily she managed to get to her hooves, facing the messy pile that had become of the creature.

“Please… forgive me…” She spoke with a shaky voice, bowing her head in respect, before turning to the door and running out of the room.

Twilight took deep, sharp breaths outside of the door to the plant room. Her throat burned once more and now she felt sicker. Her stomach was rebelling against everything she could see and hear now, just wanting to escape and return to life in Ponyville as it was before.

This felt beyond her now.

Twilight slowly managed to get back to walking, almost unsure of how she still had the strength to be moving. The stone hallway seemed longer than before, but she knew it was just in her imagination. She stopped just before the mural, the visage of the mare of darkness before her, Nightmare Moon.

From within her magic she pulled out the two halves of the missing mantle and carefully aligned them just right so that they would fit within the holes in the mural. Each piece fit with a satisfying ‘click’ in the door. Twilight let out an exasperated breath of air, grateful that it finally felt like she was starting to make some progress in this hell hole of a basement. She pressed against the doors and found them opening slowly.

“HNNNGG.” A feminine voice called out, almost knocking Twilight off of her hooves. The voice sounded like it was struggling with something and Twilight looked in front of her.

“You stupid, HHNNNNGGG, dirty, messy, HHNNNNGGGG, hard to use piece of junk, HHNNNNGGGG, why won’t you come out of there!?” A white unicorn gasped in frustration as she backed away from something stuck in the middle of the floor. Twilight stared in wide eyed shock at the unicorn.

The white coat, the indigo mane, the azure eyes, the three blue cut diamonds for a cutie mark and that way of speaking; Twilight thought her mind was playing tricks on her.

“Fine! See if I care if you rot in this disaster of a world.” Rarity huffed as she lifted her head away from the item and closed her eyes.

“RARITY!” Twilight said running across the room instantly.

“What?” Rarity opened her eyes just as shocked, before being tackled by the lavender unicorn into a tight, embracing hug.

“I found you! Oh Rarity I found you! I found you I found you I found you!” Twilight cheered excitedly, almost swinging the white unicorn around.

“T-Twilight!?” Rarity asked in shock. She pushed her hooves against Twilight to get a better look at the mare before her. She could see Twilight’s shining face, so happy to see one of her friends after everything that she had been through. “Twilight! It IS you!” Rarity gasped putting a hoof to her mouth.

“It is! Oh you don’t know how happy I am to see you!” Twilight let out a sigh of relief, feeling her body relax for the first time in hours.

“Twilight… you… you look dreadful!” Rarity spoke with instant concern. Twilight was covered in small cuts, smeared with blood almost all over her body, her leg was wrapped up in dark red bandages and looked exhausted. “What happened to you, darling!?”

“It’s… a long story.” Twilight sighed, looking Rarity over. Rarity looked perfectly fine, as though nothing had attacked her. The only thing wrong seemed to be the smears of blood she had accidentally just rubbed onto Rarity’s coat. “But listen, now that I’ve found you we need to get out of this place!”

“I’ve been trying to escape too, darling.” Rarity put a hoof to her chest. “This place is simply dreadful. No, it’s beyond dreadful.” Rarity shivered. “What kind of a world like this exists? Its… its…”

“Like a nightmare?” Twilight asked interrupting her.

“It’s exactly like that.” Rarity shook her head. “I found this just now and I was trying to get it out of the ground.” Twilight turned her head to where Rarity had pointed. In the ground was what looked like a fresh, black sword. There were no nicks or scratches, nothing that showed that it had been used in battles or worn with age. Twilight’s eyes widened.

It was exactly what she had wanted; a new weapon to replace the one she’d broken.

“But no matter how hard I pulled with my hooves or with my magic, the thing just won’t budge.” Rarity rubbed her forehead. “What if one of those monsters came to attack me again? I have no way of defending myself.”

“Don’t worry, Rarity.” Twilight raised a hoof and put it on her shoulder, smiling comfortingly. “I’m here now. Together we can get out of this and help the rest of our friends.”

“It really is good to have you here, Twilight.” Rarity let out a soft sigh, smiling at her dear friend. The two of them were drawing strength from each other. In that instance they felt like they could take on anything together.

The door Twilight had come in through suddenly banged shut loudly. The two girls jumped as the sound echoed through the room, both of them instantly turning to look at the door.

“That’s… not normal.” Twilight gulped. She quickly spun her head around to look at the room. She hadn’t been paying attention, but she now saw that the room was made up of the steel walls that had appeared in the boutique above. There was a steel cage door at the room opposite of where the door she had walked in had been. She looked up towards the ceiling, but even with her light shining she couldn’t see it, her light just went off into a dark abyss.

“Twilight… how did you get here?” Rarity spoke with a quiver in her voice. Twilight blinked, not realizing she didn’t know how Rarity had gotten there either.

“I… I opened a door that brought me here. I… I had to go through a lot of monsters to get here.” Twilight winced at the memories.

“I had to solve a deranged puzzle…” Rarity murmured as if not wanting to speak of the puzzle once more.

The sound of grinding chains and squealing metal suddenly filled the room as both the mares quickly turned their heads to look at the metal cage door that was sliding open slowly. The door opened completely, silence suddenly filling the room. Twilight’s medallion began to buzz, drawing Rarity’s attention as Twilight stared in shock at the dark space that had just opened from the metal door. Rarity was about to ask why there was sound coming from Twilight’s pendant, when she saw the look on Twilight’s face and turned to look as well.

Hoofsteps were heard first coming from the dark pathway that had been revealed. Following that was a tall, gray body that walked through the doorway. As it came into the room, the grinding metal door closed behind it, sealing the creature in the room with the two mares.

Twilight’s mouth hung open in shock. Rarity pressed herself harder into Twilight, wanting to get away from it.

It stood as tall as the Princess, its gray body beaten, bruised and bloody. It had four long slender legs that seemed to barely hold the weight of its body. It had a large, destroyed wing hanging from one side of its body, the other was missing completely. Its forehead held a large, broken unicorn horn and its eyes were closed shut, blood flowing down its face from the sockets. It had thick, gray cobweb hair that clung to it down half of its leg. It opened its mouth and let out a wail that seemed to echo and bounce through the room.

“T-Twilight… w-what is that?” Rarity stuttered, staring at the creature in fear.

“I… I don’t know.” Twilight whimpered unsure of the answer. The buzzing of the medallion grew louder as Twilight suddenly heard the sound of metal scraping against metal. Her head looked upwards. Crawling down from the abyss of the ceiling was one of the masked creatures, its razor sharp legs digging into the metal as it climbed.

The creature’s head let out a sickening snap as it turned to face the alicorn-like creature that had walked into the room. Without another word it jumped from the ceiling and aimed its four sharp legs straight at the alicorn creature, planning to impale it instantly.

The alicorn turned its head slightly, spotting the creature as it flung straight at it. The masked creature was about to strike when something shook loudly. Twilight and Rarity turned their heads, seeing the black sword in the ground shaking. It suddenly flew up and out of the ground and straight for the alicorn. With a wide swipe, the sword cut straight through the masked creature as though it wasn’t there.

The two halves of the creatures struck the ground around the alicorn. With another flick, the blade that had latched onto it flew off and the sword came to face the two mares.

The blood of the mares ran cold as they instantly realized what was going on.

“Rarity! Stay back!” Twilight jumped forward, whipping her dagger out instantly and gritting her teeth at the creature that stood before them.

“Twilight!” Rarity called out in shock as the alicorn began to casually walk towards them. Twilight grit her teeth and glared at the monster.

“You will NOT HURT MY FRIEND!” Twilight cried out and ran straight at the alicorn-like creature. She could hear Rarity calling out after her, but the words were drowned out in her own adrenaline. She raised her dagger, intending to strike straight at the creature. The creature seemed to notice her presence and tilted its head curiously. It raised its own black sword and swung it decisively, aiming straight for the lavender mare.

Twilight’s dagger rushed forward and took the strike. Instantly she felt the difference in presence as a rush of wind erupted around the room. The magic binding the black sword struck the dwindling magic of the dagger and sent it flying. Twilight was instantly knocked off of her hooves and tumbled away, rolling several times at the force of the strike.

A loud scream echoed out in the room as Twilight opened her eyes in shock. Getting to her hooves she turned and saw the creature was already near Rarity. Rarity was being held up by some force of magic, though Twilight couldn’t see a magical aura coming from the alicorn’s head or one around Rarity’s body.

“LEAVE HER ALONE.” Twilight screamed loudly, racing towards the alicorn without a plan. She jumped into the air, landing straight onto the alicorn’s back. Without thinking she opened her mouth and bit down hard on its neck. The alicorn bucked its hind legs into the air, trying to get the unicorn off of it. Rarity was still attached to the magic, being tossed around like a rag-doll in the air.

The alicorn finally tossed Rarity straight at the wall, the white unicorn hitting with a sickening ‘thud’. Its magic then reached Twilight, who felt herself instantly being lifted up off of the alicorn. She bit down harder, refusing to let go of the patch of skin she had in her mouth. The magic pulled harsh and fast, pulling Twilight straight off of its body. A chunk of flesh came with her.

Twilight was slammed against the metal ground, air escaping her body instantly. She gasped for air as her body and mind reeled from the damage. Her eyes fell out of focus and she tried to readjust them, looking for the alicorn that was attacking her. The alicorn was raising the sword above its head, intending to strike straight down onto her, cutting her in half just as it had that masked creature.

The black sword began its strike, swift and fast, intending to come straight down on the lavender unicorn’s body. But just as it was about to strike, the dagger that was Twilight’s sword flew through the air, embedding itself into the alicorn’s neck.

The alicorn wailed the haunting, echoing wail as it stumbled back away from Twilight. Twilight tried to get to her hooves, shaky as they were. She could see Rarity panting; having just thrown the sword with everything she could muster into her throw. The alicorn pulled the sword out of its neck with its magic and tossed it across the room. Its legs picked up and it ran swiftly.

Rarity wailed as she tried to get out of reach, only to find herself once more within the alicorn’s grip. Her body was flung into the air and pressed against the cold steel wall once more.

“RARITY!” Twilight yelled out, barely managing to get to her hooves. She had to do something, she had to react.

The black sword moved swiftly through the air, whistling with the intensity it sailed. A sickening thud was heard, followed by the intense wailing howls of Rarity. Twilight’s eyes widened as she watched her friend be impaled by the black sword. Rarity flailed and cried as the sword sunk straight through her flesh.

Twilight cried out in anger, feeling her hooves move on their own. She ran straight for the alicorn, who just stared at her apathetically. The sword was drawn from Rarity’s body, the white unicorn hitting the ground hard, just as Twilight reached the alicorn. Without thinking Twilight rammed her speeding head straight into the torso of the alicorn.

Another wail let out as the horn pierced straight through the broken flesh of the alicorn, right before Twilight felt herself get shoved to the ground again by its powerful magic. Twilight struggled against it, trying to force herself up to save her friend.

She was flung into the air like a rag-doll, feeling her body flip before heading for the ground. She struck it hard. The sound of breaking bones hit her ears but she had no idea what had snapped. Her head was pounding and her body  broken. She was disorientated beyond comprehension and could no longer discern where she was.

The lavender unicorn was then being dragged across the metal floor of the room, dragged quickly back over to the alicorn that was toying with her. Her body was lifted into the air and slammed against the wall, the same way it had done to Rarity. Twilight couldn’t see her friend, her eyes were blurring and the only thing she could make out was the barely visible alicorn.

Suddenly a piercing hot pain ripped straight through her shoulder and straight into the metal wall behind her.

Twilight’s screams echoed through the room as the pain assaulted her mind. It was unlike any pain she’d felt before, the steel tore away at her body and filled it with an unrelenting anguish. She could barely think straight.

The alicorn’s magic began to pull the sword back out, satisfied with the amount it had stabbed into the lavender unicorn. However the lavender unicorn’s hooves lifted and suddenly gripped the handle. Instead of the sword being pulled out, Twilight was now being lifted by the blade. The alicorn, confused,  held the unicorn up by the sharpened metal. The weight of the unicorn’s body was forcing the blade to dig further into her flesh, cut even more muscles and bone, slowly ripping the very leg off of her body.

The damaged mare opened her eyes, hate and pain seething through her body, her eyes flaring with a white energy that was flowing through her body. A purple aura extended from her body and she let out yet another cry as her magic blasted through the room, sending the very air churning, blasting away from her body. The alicorn stepped back in shock and surprise, unable to comprehend what was happening.

The damaged unicorn summoned her magic around the handle of the intruding metal and pulled the sword out of her shoulder. In her rage she could only cry out in the agony of her wounds, instantly bleeding and the leg falling limp and useless to her side. The power of her magic levitated her in the air and white hissing magic escaped from her mouth as she could no longer control her actions.

The alicorn faced the roaring nexus of magic that had appeared before it, the black sword now in possession of the purple mare. With her hatred and energy flowing free, unable to do anything but act upon her instinct, the enraged mare flew forward with the black sword. The world spiraled into a black abyss as her vision began to fade.

The sword flung through the air and the alicorn let out a ferocious cry. The wind rushed faster through the area before dying down.

Twilight’s body struck the cold steel and the black sword clattered down before her. All around her the items she had been storing within her magic sprung free from their imprisonment. Several sheets of paper floated through the air, still riding the wind that had whipped through the room just moments ago. The health drink rolled around her face, stopping when it came into contact with the mare.

Lying there, bleeding profusely and out of magic, she could no longer keep herself conscious. Everything went black as the world around her vanished.

Chapter 6

“And all through the night the three ponies kept the fire of friendship alive by telling stories to one another and by singing songs, which of course, became the winter carols that we all still sing today.” The narrator spoke in turn as the action on the stage began to play out to his words. Each of the ponies were dressed in a different attire, each representing the different style of clothing that was worn so long ago. A younger Twilight watched the stage curiously.

It wasn’t her first time watching the Hearth’s Warming Eve pageant, far from it. It was traditional for many ponies to come and watch the pageant every year. Her parents had taken her in years past and now that she was the personal protégé of Princess Celestia she felt as if there was almost an obligation to go see the play. The filly was sure some parts of the play were exaggerated or kept short for the sake of being produced as a stage play, but still she’d always had a fascination with history and this was one of the few plays that spoke of it.

“Eventually,” the narrator continued his tale, “the warmth of the fire and singing and laughing reached the leaders and their bodies began to thaw. And, it even began to melt their hearts.” The actors on the stage came together hugging one another in their display of friendship. The ice on the stage melted away and the six ponies walked forth, viewing the land before them. “The three leaders agreed to share the beautiful land and live in harmony forever afterwards. And together, they named their new land…”

“Equestria!” The six ponies on stage called out together. Though it was unheard, Twilight had muttered the same thing under her breath in unison with the ponies. The memorized play rolled through her head as she spoke the final words. The crowd around her began to cheer loudly as the curtains quickly came to a close. The crowd continued its loud cheering as the curtains then made their way open once more, the six ponies taking a quick bow.

The loud orchestra behind the stage began to stir, music filling the hall quickly with the familiar notes. Confetti and streamers fired from above the stage, raining the crowd with the party decorations. Bells chimed across the stage and the hall, the six ponies then began to sing alongside the music. The crowd didn’t skip a beat and joined along in the song, the air was a wash of joy and friendship. Everypony here was a brother or a sister, it was a time of celebration and union. Every word floated through the air as if caressing the very world around it before being replaced with the next.

The fire of friendship lives in our hearts,

As long as it burns we cannot drift apart,

Though quarrels arise, their numbers are few

Laughter and singing will see us through, will see us through,

We are a circle of pony friends

A circle of friends we'll be to the very end

Though Twilight sang along, she didn’t put her heart into the words. It was Hearth’s Warming Eve; all the ponies around her were joyous, cheering their hearts out for the wondrous holiday that they were all on. But for some reason the filly that sang along with them wasn’t feeling the normal spirit of the holiday. Something about this Hearth’s Warming just didn’t feel the same as the earlier years.

The caroling came to an end as the curtains closed one last time on the stage. The crowd broke out into another round of cheers and applause for the incredible play they all had just witnessed.

It took a few minutes of murmuring and chattering amongst the crowd but the ponies slowly began to file out of the hall, going back out into the cold winter air. The sun was getting close to the horizon preparing to set and soon the night sky would bring the familiar frozen nights of the mountain city.

The lavender filly walked out of the hall alongside the crowd, her hooves touching the chilled road of Canterlot’s streets. She took a deep breath that cooled her lungs before expelling her hot breath into the air, creating a small cloud of warm air in front of her face. She turned her head to look around her for a moment.

Everywhere around her ponies were in a rush, looking for that perfect last minute gift to give to a loved one, trying to get that last bit of decoration they needed so their display would be perfect, finding friends or family so that they could spend the rest of the night together. Everypony was in a hurry, fluttering from store to store, pony to pony.

Twilight continued to walk through the streets, passing the decorative lights that made the town glow, wreaths hung with care along walls and windows, ribbons tied to every pole and hanging across the streets, several pine trees had been planted throughout the town and decorated completely, and snow covered the streets and ledges of the entire town. It was just like every other Hearth’s Warming Eve she had seen before.

The sounds of the bustling streets began to grow quiet as Twilight walked further away from the crowded main streets of downtown Canterlot. She was heading straight home that evening, not wanting to deal with any other pony if she could help it. She wasn’t even sure what had compelled her to go see the Hearth’s Warming Eve pageant that day. Perhaps it was a feeling of obligation, a feeling of tradition, or even a feeling that she belonged there. Whatever it was, she had wasted her time enough and wanted to get home.

The fresh snow crunched under her hooves as she walked through the frozen town, quickly reached the quiet street to her home, the female dormitories at Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns.  The sun had begun setting during her walk and was slowly disappearing beyond the horizon, half of it already engulfed by the shadow of the world. As it set a few clouds over the city began to release fresh snow over the city, no doubt a Pegasus performing their duties unseen above the clouds. The flakes fell softly to the ground below, slowly adding to the collected snow that had already gathered. She’d be home in just a few minutes and she could curl up in her bed with a good book.

“Twilight!” The lavender filly was stopped from her advances by the call of another filly. She recognized the voice, one of her classmates and one of the more popular fillies in her class. She turned and saw the white coated unicorn walking towards her with her wavy crimson hair that graced her head ever immaculately brushed. The blue eyes of hers stood out in comparison to her body, as if flaring out to accentuate how cold the air was.

“Oh, hey Moondancer.” Twilight spoke naturally, not having expected her new visitor.

“I’m glad I caught you!” Moondancer came just a few feet from Twilight before stopping, that smile she was always sporting was stuck to her face, the one that seemed to get every colt to swoon to her. “There’s a Hearth’s Warming Eve party over by the male dorms and everyone was invited. You should come! There’ll be lots of stallions there.” Moondancer looked at Twilight from the sides of her eyes with that last remark, putting a heavy emphasis on the fact that there’d be stallions. As though that was what Twilight needed right now, a bunch of immature colts swooning over Moondancer and her attractive friends and not even paying attention to the bookish lavender unicorn at the back of the room. Not that Twilight would have ever wanted that kind of attention anyway; if she wanted any stallion in her life it’d have to be a like-minded intellectual.

“Uh… thanks Moondancer, but I’ve got… things I wanted to do tonight.” Twilight skirted around the issue, starting to turn away from Moondancer. “I’m just going to head back to my dorm now.”

“Are stallions not your thing?” Moondancer asked quizzically once Twilight had her back turned. This caused the unicorn to visibly flinch, freezing her on the spot. “Is that it? Well there’ll be a lot of mares there too if you want. I’m sure there’s plenty who are open to that kind of thing.” Moondancer put a hoof to her chin in thought.

“This has nothing to do with that!” Twilight quickly turned to face Moondancer again, huffing loudly, a cloud of mist floating past her face from her heated breath. The moment the mist flew past her eyes she realized something was wrong. “I have more important things that I can be doing than going to some silly party.” She closed her eyes trying to control the emotions she felt welling inside of her. That wasn’t like her; she normally had a studied control over her emotions.

Moondancer just frowned at her response, either from not having expected it or disappointed in what it meant. She had a habit of pushing issues if she really felt they were necessary, but it seemed that this wasn’t one of the times to push it.

“Fine.” Moondancer finally spoke, starting to turn away from the frustrated unicorn before her. Twilight opened her eyes and looked with surprise at Moondancer. “You can come by later if you want, the party is supposed to end by ten but I’m sure there’ll be a lot of ponies still partying long into the night.” With that the white coated unicorn turned away and flicked her tail of the snow gathering on it, beginning to head towards the male dormitories.

Twilight hesitated, watching Moondancer walk away. She felt another compulsion rising in her gut, yet another action she would normally have under control and wouldn’t have acted upon. Yet she found her mouth opening and calling out to the white unicorn that was quickly retreating.

“Moondancer!” The white unicorn stopped, turning in surprise to look at Twilight from over her shoulder. “I just wanted to say… thank you for the invitation.” A smile came to Moondancer’s face.

“Anytime Twilight.” Moondancer waved quickly, her bright smile returning. With those parting words Moondancer quickly walked down the rest of the path, disappearing from sight before too long. The lavender unicorn just stood on the bridge, having watched Moondancer walk out of sight. Once she was gone she tried to go over the conversation they’d just had in her head and why she had acted the way she had. The whole day had been one big, confusing mess of mixed feelings and right now wasn’t any better.

“Stupid Hearth’s Warming…” Twilight spoke softly to herself, watching her hot breath mist in the cold air. “It’s messing with my head.” It was the only logical conclusion the book-orientated unicorn could come up with. With this logic firmly put in place in her mind she was finally able to get hooves moving again.

The unicorn shivered as she suddenly realized that snow had been accumulating on her mane and back as she had just stood there. She shook herself free of the specks that had started to melt and wet her fur. Now she really was cold, a breeze blowing by to accentuate the point that she needed to get inside. She picked up the pace and began to run, no longer feeling like walking through the frozen night air.

She hadn’t noticed it, but the sun had set during their conversation and the starry sky was shining overhead once again. The stars brought the chilled night air with them, as though they blew the cold air across the lands. The wisps of her breath flew past the unicorns face as she ran, her body slowly losing its heat.

Her building came into view quickly, the decorated and snow covered dorm that she called home now. The spiral staircase that wound around the building lead her to her door, just as the wind and snow began to pick up. She pushed against her doors and they quickly swung open, letting the cold air into the darkened room. She shut the door behind her, cutting off the tundra outside from entering her sanctuary anymore and the world fell quiet once more.

Twilight shook her mane, trying to get as much snow and water off of her body as she could. While she got a lot, she needed a proper towel. Perhaps even some blankets and a cup of hot cocoa. That would certainly warm her up and get her feeling more like her old self.

“Spike!” Twilight called out to the dark room. “Could you start up the fire?”

Her calls were met with her own, an echo bouncing through the large empty room before returning to silence. Twilight blinked in confusion at the sudden lack of sound, not used to being so alone in the room before.

“Spike?” She called out once more, again only being returned by her echo followed by silence. “Spike, where are… oh.” Twilight stopped herself, having remembered the conversation she’d had with Spike yesterday. He’d be staying with Princess Celestia for Hearth’s Warming. The Princess was his guardian after all. Though Spike had started living with Twilight recently he still looked up to Celestia like a mother. That meant that Twilight was by herself. It wasn’t even that she had forgotten that she was going to be alone that night; she had just pushed it to the edge of her mind and hadn’t wanted to think about it.

But there she now stood, cold, in a dark room all by herself with no one around. There were many nights where she wished to be alone, just curl up with a book and read the night away. However, something stirred in her chest and she suddenly didn’t feel like being alone. She wanted Spike to be there with her but she couldn’t pull him away from time spent with the Princess, she wasn’t cruel. She’d also already turned down the invitation to the party; she couldn’t bring herself to go there now.

The lavender unicorn shook her head and focused magic into her horn. The lights around the room brightened and banished the shadows to the recesses of the corners once more. Her magic then connected to the heater in her room and lit the kindling inside of it. Soon a fire was roaring within the red machine and began to send out waves of heat into the chilled room. Twilight moved across her living room, glancing out the large window that separated her from the frozen snow outside, before making her way up the stairs to her second floor.

Several shelves of tall books scoured this room, several ladders placed against them to make access to the books easier. This was her favorite part about her dorm and one of the benefits she had to being the Princess’s personal protégé. She didn’t want to take too long in deciding her reading material for the night so her horn lit up and grabbed several books from the historical section without looking. She then proceeded back downstairs where the room was starting to warm up considerably now.

The unicorn quickly approached her bed, pulling the covers back and nestling into the sheets. They were cool for the moment but they would heat up soon enough. She propped up her pillows and rested her back and head against them, finding herself now neatly bundled in her bed. She grabbed the first book she had pulled from the shelf and read the cover.

“The Basic History of the Pre-Classical Era.” Twilight opened the book and began to read to herself. “Cobblestone Moor was the first stallion to discover that by mixing broken stones with certain types of sand and water it was possible to create a material that would weld rocks together. This discovery allowed for the faster creation of ancient buildings as well as more stable homes for ponies to live in. The inventor decided to name his creation ‘Mortar’ after himself.”

The normally book-loving unicorn blinked in confusion as she felt herself stiffen. It wasn’t from the fact that the history was boring; in fact she found the creation of such material quite fascinating. However something just didn’t feel right. She couldn’t find herself wanting to read much more. She tried to force her eyes down the rest of the page, but her mind just blocked out the rest of the words.

She growled in frustration and closed the book, moving to the next one. She opened the book and began to read again. Her eyes scanned across the first few sentences before the same feeling hit her. She just wasn’t interested in reading what it had to say just yet. She pushed that book aside and grabbed the next one.

For every book she had grabbed from upstairs she found herself hitting the same wall. She just did not care to read tonight. In her frustrated fit she grabbed the books and tossed them to the floor, letting them fall scattered. She glared at each of the different colored tomes that lay on her floor, shifting all the blame of her inability to read onto them. The books must have been doing something wrong after all; she loved reading and couldn’t get enough of it.

The unicorn grabbed her covers and wrapped herself tighter in her sheets trying to figure out what was going on in her mind. This wasn’t like her at all. She just wanted to read and pass the time before going to bed. It would be Hearth’s Warming tomorrow, she’d get to see the Princess, Spike, her parents… they’d all have gifts for her and she had a few gifts wrapped up waiting to be given to them as well. This was a day to celebrate, to enjoy and be happy.

Yet she found herself cold, alone and miserable.

Her eyes drifted to her window as she saw the snowflakes falling from the sky, dancing to the wind in the moonlit night. They scurried back and forth, never alone, always together in their collective dance. It was as if they were all synchronized to each other’s disorganized chaos. Her mind drifted away as she watched the snow falling.

“I… just had a bad day…” Twilight murmured to herself, her horn lighting up as the magic reached out for the various lanterns around her house and turned them off, then it cranked the heat up a little more to help warm the room faster. “That’s all it was. Tomorrow I’ll see my family… I’ll see Spike and the Princess… and everything will be better.” She closed her eyes, trying to force herself to get some sleep.

“Everything will be better tomorrow.”

Water. That was the first sensation she felt as her mind slowly came back to her. It was cold and refreshing. She could tell her body was craving it, wanting more as it was gently poured into her mouth. It flowed quickly down her throat and just as she wanted more it stopped. It felt as though she was being teased out of getting something she needed.

She tried to move her body but she didn’t feel anything to move. It was as if she was surrounded by a dark abyss in her own mind in which she couldn’t even contact her own body. She wanted to raise a leg, open her eyes, listen to the world around her, ask for more water but nothing came of it.

However, she was finally able to pick up a faint sound. It was a dull beating sound from inside of her head. Was it inside of her head? Wherever it was coming from it was slow, rhythmically beating. It took her a few moments to realize what the beating was.

It was her heart.

If she could hear her heart she knew she was still alive. When she realized she was alive the last moments before she found herself in this abyss came back to her mind.

A white blaze of rage, that broken alicorn-like creature, Rarity being put into danger, that strange world she had found herself trapped in. It all came back like a torrential flood, overwhelming her with the memories. She didn’t know where she was anymore or how long she had been knocked out for. She needed to wake up; she needed to make sure that Rarity was okay. Twilight had seen the sword going through her body, but she didn’t know how serious the damage was. It had to have been serious, a wound like that could very easily take a pony’s life.

Her body was coming back to her. She could feel the dull senses returning to the tips of her nerves. She opened her mouth and she consciously took in a breath of air, feeling the excess air fill her lungs. She tried to open her eyes, but closed them as soon as the piercing light attacked her, burning her vision. Her ears turned back on next, first hearing a dull buzz that might have passed for noise before what sounded like something moving around. She tried to concentrate harder, making out that it was shifting things around in the world.

She tried to open her eyes again. The searing light returned, forcing her to close them once more. This time she forced herself to keep her eyes open to adjust to the light. Through squinted eyes the burning pain of the light slowly began to fade, her eyes still sensitive to the sensation of being in a lighted room. As her blindness faded she could slowly make out a ceiling, a brownish gray ceiling, looking as if it belonged to an old building long since abandoned. Imagery she’d long since began to expect from this world.

She gently turned her head to where she could hear the sounds of things being shifted. She could see the backside of a pony, particularly the striking dark red hair of its tail and what seemed to be an amber coat. Her eyes were still adjusting to seeing once more; unaware of just how long she’d had them closed. With a pained breath she finally managed to get words to escape her throat.

“Hello?” It was barely anything more than a raspy whisper, but it seemed that it caught the pony’s attention. The pony turned around, so his face was within her view. She tried to discern if she knew the pony as it walked closer, giving her a better view. As the pony grew closer she was able to discern its identity.

“Lance?”

“You’re awake…” Lance’s voice was deadpan, though it had that hint of snarky surprise his voice always seemed to carry. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. This world has that effect on ponies.”

“Lance…” The lavender unicorn groaned, trying to move, only to have her efforts stopped by pain shooting through her shoulder. She was bed-bound for the moment, but more importantly she just wanted answers. With her whispered, raspy voice she tried to talk. “What… w-what hahhh…” her voice cut out as she tried to speak. Her mouth and throat were dry, she felt so dehydrated. “Whah… ter…” she managed to gasp.

“Of course.” The amber Pegasus nodded his head, knowing exactly what the unicorn wanted. He quickly walked over to a bucket near the ground and picked it up, carrying it out of her sight. She wasn’t sure where she was, but with him leaving her vision it gave her a chance to look around. Her vision was finally coming back to her and she could see that she was in what looked to be a hotel room of some kind. She was on the bed, she could spot a bed-side table with a lamp turned on, a dresser for keeping clothes or items. There must’ve been a bathroom within the room, typical of a hotel, as she heard a tap turn on, Lance filling his bucket with water.

It wasn’t long before Lanced returned and placed the bucket down next to the bed. He then took a smaller bowl and scooped up water from it before pressing it gently against the unicorns lips.

“I need you to drink slowly. I know you’re thirsty, but just take a little bit at a time.” He tipped the bowl as the unicorn understood. She opened her mouth and felt the cool water flow into her mouth. She slowly gulped, feeling the refreshing water coat her throat once again. Lance must’ve been giving her water to drink while she was asleep, likely to try and keep her hydrated.

The two of them stayed quiet for a while, Lance dipping his bowl into the bucket several times and returning it to her lips so that she could gulp the water down. She wished she could just take the whole bucket and pour it into her stomach, but she could already tell the water she was drinking was churning in her stomach. If she drank too much she’d be sick.

Lance placed the bowl against her lips once more, though this time the unicorn tilted her head away a little, signaling she’d had enough. Lance understood and moved the bowl away, placing it on the nightstand.

“Think you can talk now?” He asked curiously, examining her face for a reaction.

“I… think so…” The unicorn wheezed lightly, finally feeling moisture returning to her mouth and throat, even if it was temporary. “What happened Lance?” Was the first question that sprung from her mind.

“I was hoping you could tell me.” Lance furrowed his brow in slight frustration. “I found you in the hotel lobby, face down and bleeding to death. You’d already lost a huge amount of blood by the time I found you. I honestly figured you were dead from how much I saw. But a quick check saw you still had a heart beat so I patched you up and brought you here.” He looked down at her body. “It has to be this place. Your wounds weren’t mortal, but your blood loss was. And it’s likely you’ll never have use of your right foreleg again.”

The lavender unicorn’s eyes widened as she tried to lift herself up, feeling a backlash of pain strike her body. She grit her teeth through the pain and tried to sit up. Lance saw what she was trying to do and raised his own hooves to help her. He carefully got her to a sitting position and she finally got a look at her body.

Around her shoulder and down most of her right foreleg was covered in bloodied bandages. The sight made her queasy, thinking that this had actually happened to her body. She tried to move the leg and felt nothing but searing pain assault her body. She whimpered and grimaced from the pain, tears forming at the edges of her eyes. She never thought something like this would ever happen to her. She tried to take her attention away from her leg, survey the rest of her. She had other bandages wrapped around her legs and flank, but those cuts were shallow, they’d heal. Her leg might never.

“I… I see…” Twilight managed to choke out, her words catching on a lump in her throat. The tears began to spill from the edges of her eyes, a mixture of pain and sorrow overwhelming her. “How’s… how’s Rarity?” She had to ask, she had to know how her friend was doing.

“…Rarity?” Lance asked with a strange tone to his voice. “What do you mean?”

“Rarity!” The unicorn shook her head, looking at him with a glare. “She was right there with me! In fact she was likely hurt worse than me! You should’ve helped her first before helping me!” She was ready to bite his head off for not being direct with her, for not having helped one of her friends in their time of need.

Lance just sat there quietly, looking at the fuming mare before him with a look that mixed confusion and understanding. His face slowly shifted into a very firm, yet harsh look. His mind had been listening to every word and had already come to a realization that the unicorn before him was desperately trying to avoid. She didn’t want to hear the truth, but the words escaped from Lance’s mouth before she could stop him.

“Twilight, you were the only one I found. If your friend was actually as injured as you claim, I would have found a second blood stain if she had wandered off or been dragged away.” Lance shook his head. “I found you and you alone, with only enough blood to have come from you.” He looked into the mare’s face as it fell, knowing the weight of the words he just told her. “I’m sorry, but your friend’s fate is now in the grip of this world.”

“No…” Twilight felt herself losing strength in her body. Her body slid back down onto a laying position as she stared at nothing. Her mind didn’t want the reality to be true, if only one of them was saved why did it have to be her? Why couldn’t Rarity have been the one to be saved instead? Was this some kind of cruel joke being played on her?

She buried her face in her pillow and with her good leg held it to her face. She just let out as much as she could into her pillow. The stress of the world she found herself in, the disbelief that she couldn’t save one of her dearest friends, the fact that she may never be able to walk the same again, she let it all out into the pillow. She didn’t know how long she did it for, time seemed frozen to her in that instant.

She’d killed living creatures that day, things she had called monsters that had wanted to hurt her, but they were still alive. She’d left Spike in the hands of a pony she barely knew who now seemed to have a connection to this world, even if it was a conclusion jump. She’d lost her leg and she’d lost one of her dear friends. All for what? What had been gained from all of this? Who benefitted from this horror story that had made itself real?

She let it all out until there seemed to be nothing left to let out. Her throat was dry again and she seemed to be out of tears. Her pillow wasn’t all that wet, she couldn’t be surprised though, she was dehydrated. She raised her head and rubbed her face, trying to dry it of the tears. She looked at Lance, who was holding out another bowl of water for her. She bowed her head softly in thanks, turning to accept the water.

With another bowl downed she took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. She didn’t want to be the one to start the conversation back up; she didn’t know where to take it. Reality was stinging deeply right now and she wanted some shred of comfort, some reason to give her hope for their situation.

“It’s possible she’s still alive you know.” Lance broke the ice first. Twilight looked up at him in shock. “After all I found you. I’m not sure how you got separated from her, but it’s possible she was found by somepony and was patched up as well.”

“But… but you said…” Twilight sniffed, rubbing her face once more.

“I know what I said.” Lance almost barked, his abrasive nature still showing through during his bedside manners. “But your friend is only dead if you let that be the inevitability. There’s always a chance she could still be alive and if she is then she needs you to believe in her and find her.” Lance closed his eyes. “Once you’ve given up on somepony then there is no chance of saving them.”

The mare was stunned into silence for a moment. She couldn’t help but think his words over as she lay there, injured beyond what she ever thought she would be. But he did speak the truth, if she gave up on Rarity then there was no chance she could be alive somewhere. She had to have faith that her friend was still alive; it was the only thing she could rely on in this cruel world.

“…Thanks Lance.” Twilight smiled, trying once more to sit up, only to be rocked with the pain of her shoulder wound. Lance reached out and helped her to sit up once more. “I… I have to go look for her… but… but I don’t know how I’ll be able to do anything with my leg like this…” she bit the bottom of her lip, looking down at her arm. Somehow she expected it to be in constant pain, but it appeared to only hurt when she tried to move it. Otherwise she could just feel a dull throb coming from it.

Lance thought about this for a moment before walking towards the drawers in the room. Twilight watched him curiously, not quite sure what he was doing. He opened the drawer and rummaged through it for a moment before pulling out a brown bottle that Twilight recognized. He carefully brought it over to the bed.

“Now, I normally would never offer this stuff as a type of medicine.” Lance grunted, as though the very idea of what he was about to offer offended him. “As far as I know there is no medical backing to this stuff, and might as well be snake oil somepony slapped a label on and managed to call it a miracle drug. I’m convinced that in the normal world all this does is give patients false hope. However…” Lance glanced around the room wearily. “In this world, it seems to actually be a great medical boon. And I found it near your body, so I think you should drink it.”

Lance gripped the bottle with his hooves and brought his mouth down to the cap. With a quick twist the bottle was opened and he held it up to her lips. Twilight was hesitant to drink the strange medicine, but Lance was a doctor and Fluttershy’s dad, he wouldn’t do anything to purposely hurt her. Even if he came off a little harsh she knew he was a good stallion. She opened her mouth and let the strange liquid enter her mouth.

It was certainly bitter as she expected the medicine to be. It tried to mask the flavor behind some artificial strawberry flavoring, though it didn’t seem to help the bitter mess sliding down her throat. She didn’t think she’d be able to stomach the whole bottle, but before she knew it she had swallowed every last drop. She wasn’t quite sure what she was supposed to be feeling after drinking it though.

Then it hit her. It felt as though her energy had returned to her, the pain in her shoulder began to numb, and she was suddenly alert. She could even feel her magic reservoir getting a kick into high gear. She suddenly got the feeling as though Lance had just drugged her.

“It’s weird, I know.” Lance said placing the empty bottle on the nightstand. “As I said, I’m certain this is nothing more than snake oil with a fancy label. But for some reason in this world it’s more than that.” He looked her over, noticing Twilight lift herself up a little more with her renewed energy. “Your wound is still severe, it might open if you strain it, but I think you should try standing.” Twilight gave him a look of utter shock. “I know, I’m right here so if anything happens I’ll take care of you right away, just please try this for me.” He asked as best he could, though his gruff voice made it seem like a demand.

Twilight hesitated for a moment, but Lance held out his hooves to help. With her good hoof she took his and scooted towards the edge of the bed, with very slow, careful movements. Her back hooves touched the floor first before Lance helped hoist her up, getting her to stand on her three good legs, the bandaged hoof hanging loosely in the air.

The unicorn expected to have no energy, to fall over and find herself in pain, unable to escape the floors grip until Lance put her back on the bed. Yet there she was, standing on her three good legs. Even her bad leg, as beyond repair as it should be, was only giving her a dull ache. It just refused to move when she gave it orders, but she could walk again.

“It’s just as I thought.” Lance grunted in a strange mixture of annoyance and relief. “Years of medical knowledge flushed down the drain by some world that thinks it can make up the rules as it goes.” Lance placed a hoof against the injured mare’s good shoulder, testing her reaction to the touch. “How do you feel? The pain should be debilitating, but I suspect it’s not.”

“Y-Yeah…” Twilight murmured. His hoof on her shoulder felt just like any other time a pony had touched her. “It’s a dull throb at best…” she tried to move the arm and winced, pain rocketing through her shoulder. “It only really hurts when I try to move it.”

“Makes sense.” Lance put his hoof back to the floor. “There’s not much I can do to help that as we are, just don’t move it much.” He nodded his head before turning to his bag, organizing the things in it once more. Twilight noticed it was the same purple bag with strange stitching he had brought to the wedding. He then pulled out a long cloth with a large pad attached to it. He brought it over to her body and before she could protest he was already slinging it around her neck.

“I’m going to put your leg up in a sling, which means I need to move your bad leg for a moment.” Lance grunted, knowing he was about to hurt her. “So try and deal with the pain for now, alright?” The unicorn gulped, realizing his words before nodding. Lance then took a deep breath and gently grabbed hold of her bad leg and began to position it in the sling. Pain soared through Twilight’s mind as the torn nerves in her shoulder refused the idea of moving. She grit her teeth and clenched her eyes just trying to push her way through the pain.

Then as soon as it began it was over. Twilight let out a breath she had been holding in as her shoulder shot several throbs of pain to her mind, before slowly fading back into a dull throb. It had been an agonizing procedure, but she could now feel her leg resting comfortably against her body. She’d be able to walk more comfortably now, though maneuvering on three legs would still be difficult. Once he’d finished with the sling and made sure it was comfortable on her body he turned back to his bag and made sure everything in it was organized.

Twilight watched him quietly, before he closed the bag and placed it on his back. “Alright, when I found you I also found a few things laying around your body. I left them in that drawer.” He said pointing to where he had pulled the Health Drink from.

The unicorn looked to where Lance was pointing, slowly making her way over to it. She lit the drawer up with her magic, pulling it open and scanning the contents inside.

The first thing her eyes fell upon was the handle of her broken, rusty sword. She levitated it up, looking at it. Much of the sharpened, pointed end of it had broken off, not surprising considering the battle it had just survived. The edges were as dulled as ever, the weapon was slowly becoming more and more an edged bludgeoning device rather than a sword, or even a dagger. The steel was stained with dried blood, no doubt a result of the battle as well. She let out a soft sigh and closed her eyes, feeling around in her magic reservoir and opening up a space with in it. The sword disappeared into the hole, holding on to it for her till she needed it again.

The next thing she noticed were the several notes and papers she’d been gathering since she’d left the library. She levitated each of them up and inspected them, seeing if anything had changed. Many now bore smeared blood marks, a clear indication they’d landed on the ground after she’d passed out. She was still able to read the text on most of them and even found the note that had the distorted scribbles on it, the one she’d used to wipe the blood from her face. Only one note stood out from them, the one that Spike had found within the library. She read the words again to herself, a chill running down her spine.

When all is lost, when the darkness is its strongest, when all is cold and bleak, you'll find the light.

The note unsettled her. She’d already seen the darkness, things seemed cold and bleak. Could they really get worse than this? She’d lost her friends, her mentor, Rarity was severely injured somewhere and she almost lost her leg completely. How could she find the light in a world like this?

She shook her head, trying to get the negative thoughts out of her mind. She had to stay focused. If things were going to get worse, she just had to remain strong, look out for herself and keep her head held high.

She placed these within her reservoir as well, compelled to hold on to them. They didn’t take up as much space as most of the other items did, so she could comfortably hold on to them for the time being. Though she was going to be more careful about how much magic she expended from now on.

Next she saw the Canterlot Archives pendant, the rune she had found still clipped on to the string. The purple aura surrounded the pendant and she checked the crystal at the end of it, the light turning on in the drawer. She still had a way to illuminate dark areas without having to cast her light spell. She silently thanked Celestia she still had that as well before placing it around her neck.

The last thing at the bottom of the drawer was the last thing she expected to see. There were three books, two with covers that she recognized and one that was now blank. She levitated the three books up, reading the covers of the two she recognized, ‘The Old Widow’ and ‘Heaven’s food’. That meant the blank book had to have once been ‘The Cat Who Married a Mouse’.

“How did these get here?” The unicorn murmured quietly to herself, examining the tomes. “I left these behind…” She opened the blank book, flipping through several of the pages. It was completely empty now, not even a trace that it had once contained text. She closed the book and just stared at it. She knew it had text originally, she still remembered the basis of the story. She placed the empty book back down in the drawer. If it was empty she didn’t need to bring it with her. However, she made a hole in her magic for the other two books and soon they found themselves in her reservoir as well.

“Are you ready?” Lance asked in that usual gruff manner. Twilight wasn’t sure what to make of it, but for the time being shrugged it off.

“Yeah…” She answered quietly, turning around to face the stallion. “Do we know where we’re going though? I mean… I’d like to go back to where you found me, see if I can’t find any trace of Rarity…”

“Well, I found you in the lobby and we’ll pass through there on our way out.” Lance explained quickly, “As for where… I’m not sure. As far as I can tell wandering leads to answers and staying in one place for too long is a bad idea.” Another wave of various emotions seemed to run across Lance’s face, as though he was considering something very seriously. Twilight blinked in confusion, before a look of determination hit Lance and he stepped closer to her. “Twilight, I need you to understand something.”

“W-What is it?” She asked hesitantly. There was something about the edge of his voice that was unsettling her.

“Before we head out, I need you to be absolutely sure. If I wasn’t here, could you continue on by yourself?” He seemed to glare, though the glare seemed unnecessary for the context of his words.

“I-I’d have no choice right?” Twilight hesitated for a moment with her answer. “I can walk just fine… I admit it’s a little awkward on three hooves, but you’ve helped me a lot…”

“Good.” He closed his eyes with a grunt, “Because it’s more than likely we’re going to be separated. I’m not going to be able to take care of you when we are and I need you to be able to take care of yourself.”

“Huh? Why would we be separated?” Twilight’s ears flattened at his words. “We’ve found each other, let’s stick together, we’ll be able to survive better-“

“It’s not that simple!” Lance barked, glaring at Twilight causing her to nearly jump out of her skin. “This ‘world’ around us, this place that isn’t Ponyville, or even Equestria, this world that is its own being, it has a mind of its own. And it doesn’t like ponies being together.” He drew closer to Twilight, the unicorn finding herself backing up into the drawers. “It separates us, divides us and makes us fools for its own amusement. You can’t trust anyone here Twilight. I brought you in from the lobby, healed your wounds and waited for you to recover. But it’s very possible you’re not really Twilight, but rather this worlds sick imagining of her.”

Twilight was afraid. She fell to her haunches, just staring at the Pegasus before her who was bearing down on her, unable to move or disobey him.

“The same goes for you. You can’t believe I’m Lance, or that I helped you with good intentions. This world is cut throat and won’t hesitate to mess with your heart and spit in your face! Just when you think you’ve figured it out, it’ll smack you and make you start all over again. Do you understand? That’s the kind of world we’ve found ourselves in. And does it have any RIGHT to be messing with our heads?” Lance growled and grit his teeth, his nose pressing against Twilight’s as his eyes bore into her. “What right does this world have to do that to ponies? Who thinks they can mess with the dead and make a mockery of them!? Who thinks they can disrespect my Posey!” He yelled, finally closing his eyes as he grit his teeth.

The spell Twilight had been under broke at that moment and she could finally breathe, perspiration rolling down her neck as she gulped down a lump that had formed in her throat.

“L-Lance…” Twilight tried to speak, to get the stallion to stop yelling at her for things she couldn’t control.

Lance’s eyes shot open in sudden realization at what he’d just done. He took a few steps away from Twilight, cursing at himself under his breath several times. Twilight put her good hoof to her chest, trying to calm her racing heart. She couldn’t explain what just happened to her. Lance had just simply looked her in the eye and suddenly she had found herself deadlocked in fear, unable to do anything.

“Forgive me Twilight.” Lance continued to curse himself, “This world is playing with my mind…” He cut himself off as if refusing to say anymore. He took a deep breath and turned to face her, his eyes much calmer now, his face still rough around the edges but proving a calming look. “I’ll stay with you as long as I can, as long as this world permits me. My words still hold true though, you can’t trust me and I can’t trust you.” He let out a long sigh as he closed his eyes, “…but I can’t just leave my patient once I’ve started treating them.”

It took several more second for Twilight to try and stand. She mentally willed her legs to stop shaking and once they did she was able to stand properly again. She swallowed once more, trying to calm herself. It wasn’t that Lance was mad at her, she understood that. She could see past his anger. It wasn’t directed at her, but at the world, she’d just been unfortunate to be in the way when it had come to a head.

“It’s… it’s okay Lance.” She spoke more trying to convince herself than the stallion before her. “You’re mad at the world… not me… we need to look out for each other… e-even if what you say is true.” The unicorn gulped, really hoping it wasn’t true.

Lance simply nodded, not wanting to risk opening another can of worms on the unicorn. He simply walked over to the door and placed his hoof on it to open, before stopping a moment. He turned to look at the injured mare.

“You ready?” He had to make sure before he opened the door.

“Yeah… yeah I’m ready.” Twilight nodded her head slowly, falling into line behind the stallion. Lance nodded his head in confirmation and swung the door open. He stepped out into the hallway beyond the room and the unicorn followed carefully behind him. Stale air hit her nose first, just as she began to examine the hallway.

The hallway was decaying, just as Twilight figured it would be. The walls were stained with what appeared to be water and mold, parts of the ceiling were hanging loose, as if torn apart by something, and the carpet beneath her hooves was dry, hardened to almost a bristled state. Each step let out a quiet crunch on the ruined carpet.

“This… isn’t where the room was before.” Lance glared at the hallway, “I brought you into a room near the lobby. This is a new hallway.”

“Its… playing tricks on our minds?” Twilight gulped down her words.

“I’m certain of it. Let’s try and find out way back to the lobby, stay close to me.” Lance said looking around before heading down the hallway, in a direction that looked like it might lead somewhere. Twilight followed after him, taking a look at the doors that lined the hallway. Most were either boarded up with wood, broken, or paved over with cement. Twilight couldn’t understand the meaning behind it, what purpose did boarding up the doors serve?

There was silence between them as they walked; a silent understanding between them that they needed to keep their wits about them. The world wasn’t going to spare them any mercy, something they both seemed to have learned from experience. They just listened to the crunching of the carpet under their hooves.

As they were getting closer to the bend at the end of the hallway, a noise began to play that caught both of their ears. Twilight looked down at her rune, hearing the familiar buzzing emanating from the device. Then a loud ‘thud’ could be heard overhead which caught their attention next.

“GET BACK!” Lance shouted, turning around as fast as his body could manage. A loud crash echoing through the hallway as the ceiling in front of them caved in. Dust and debris flew around them as the wind rushed and pushed them down the hall. The two ponies found themselves pushed back, coughing as the dust attacked their mouths. The both of them looked in the direction of the fallen ceiling, seeing what had caused the collapse.

There was an orb, as though it was made of shadows pulsing in the middle of the debris. The air around it was distorted, warping the very world around it. From the middle a head began to form, pulling away from the shadows, a black-skinned pony head with a long snout. It opened its eyes, containing nothing but the whites of its eyes. It tried to open its mouth, but the lips were sewn shut, just letting out a guttural growl of pain and anger. Two hooves appeared from the oozing darkness, shackled by chains to the darkness itself.

The creature let out a growl that echoed through the hallway, almost as if it was shifting the air with its voice alone. Lance was instantly on his heels, pushing against Twilight who had fallen into a stunned daze staring at the creature.

“MOVE!” He yelled, snapping her back to her senses. She turned on her hooves and began to run, tripping at her awkward coordination and finding herself planted against the ground. The creature let out a loud wail once more, Lance putting his hooves on Twilight to try and get her back to her legs.

Wood loudly cracked and began to splinter; the ponies looking back at the creature as a large black ribbon suddenly appeared from the center of the black mass, breaking straight through the walls in the hallway. Twilight scrambled to her hooves, Lance trying to push against her as they moved.

Lance cried out in sharp pain, slamming to the ground as the ribbon came crashing down onto his back. Twilight gasped in shock, her brain trying to process everything being thrown at her. The black ribbon quickly began to wrap around Lance, his eyes widening as he realized what was happening.

“LANCE!” Twilight cried out, grabbing hold of his hooves as the ribbon suddenly became taught, pulling back straight towards the creature. Lance let out a horrified cry of pain, coughing as he felt his body being yanked in two directions. Twilight’s hooves scraped across the floor as she tugged, trying to free the Pegasus from the monsters grip. Its cry echoed through the hallway once again, overbearing the buzzing of her medallion.

The unicorn was being dragged, the carpet not giving her much room for grip. With only one hoof grabbing Lance she didn’t have much strength to bear. She had to go with what she had. Her horn lit up, the purple aura now surrounding Lance. She pulled with everything she could muster, both physical and magical, trying to free Lance from the grip.

A loud growl came from the monster, unhappy with this development. From the darkness that made up its body, a second ribbon burst out, racing across the hallway. Twilight’s eyes opened in horror as she saw it coming, unable to move out of the way in time. The ribbon crashed into her body, her hoof letting go of Lance.

Her whole body was carried, sailing clean through the air. The ribbon pressed down on her, sending her hurtling straight for the side of the hallway. Another loud crack issued through the hall as she was slammed straight into a door. Twilight struck the room’s floor and tumbled, coughing loudly as her body screamed out in pain. She grimacing, opening her eyes to look at the door she’d been thrown against.

“TWILIGHT!” The horrified loud yell of the Pegasus came. She tried to get to her hooves, only to have the black ribbon entering the room coming for her. She grit her teeth, quickly summoning the blunt dagger from her reservoir. She didn’t have any time for aim and just sent the dagger sailing through the air as hard as she could throw it. The metal struck the ribbon, piercing straight through it and lodging itself in the ribbon. Blood splattered against the wall from where the dagger had impaled the cloth.

The ribbon seemed to shriek as if in pain at the intrusion of the metal into it. It flailed across the room in rapid movements, as if no longer sure of what it should do. It came rushing back, slamming against the door it had slammed Twilight into. It gripped against the edges of the wooden door before pulling back into the hallway, slamming the door shut with it.

The medallion instantly grew quiet and the world was silent. Twilight was breathing heavily, staring at the door, unable to believe that had just happened. She struggled to stand, her shoulder crying out in agony at the abuse she was sustaining, but she forced herself to push it aside. She managed to stand, her legs shaking underneath her body. She lit her horn with magic and grabbed the handle of the door, trying to force it open. She had to go back out and help Lance.

The door didn’t budge, refusing to open as though it were jammed. Twilight grunted in displeasure, hopping over to the door and pressing her hoof against the handle. She tried to force the door to open, but the only thing she got for her efforts was an incessant ‘clicking’ noise telling her it was jammed.

“LANCE!” Twilight yelled as loudly as she could, resting her chest against the door before banging loudly against it with her good hoof. Silence only returned her knocks. She couldn’t hear anything out there anymore. No breaking of wood, no stallion screaming in pain, not even the echoing growl of the creature. She smashed her head against the door, letting out a pained cry.

She was JUST with Lance! She could’ve done more to save him! But the moment that creature showed up she had frozen in place. She couldn’t believe she’d done that. Lance didn’t stand a chance against that monster on his own and it was her fault for having frozen up.

Was it because she was injured? Was she scared that she wasn’t going to be able to protect herself? Not that she could anymore; she’d just lost her weapon AGAIN.

“I’m sorry Lance…” The mare muttered under her breath, hoping that the stallion would be alright. She had no way of guaranteeing his wellbeing, but it was just as he had told her. If she assumed he was dead then there’d be no way she could help him at all. Though she was kicking herself she just had to figure out what to do next. She had to keep her mind calm and realize that if she did nothing but panic; she’d get nowhere and fast.

Twilight took several deep breaths with her forehead pressed against the door, trying to calm her racing heart. Once she felt sufficiently calmed, she stood on her three hooves and turned around to examine the room she now found herself locked in.

The mare gasped, clasping her good hoof over her mouth as her eyes fell upon the body of a white unicorn with fiery red hair that had been nailed to the wall, her forelegs spread wide and her back legs pinned below her. She was in the same pose as Winter had been, her blood now seeping down the wall and onto a desk right below the body that had a picture frame sitting on top of it.

“M-M-M-M-MOONDANCER!” Twilight cried in shock. She sprung to her hooves and ran to the body of her old friend, staring in horror at the wounds all over her body. She was covered in lacerations, just as Winter had been, her blood was still fresh and wet, dripping down the wall. “Moondancer! Please! Tell me you’re okay!” Twilight cried out. Her magic lit up and tried to grab the nails that were imbedded into Moondancer’s legs. Her magic refused to catch onto the nails, as if something was repelling the magic.

“T-Twilight…” The lavender unicorn froze as she heard the voice, snapping her head to look straight into Moondancer’s face. The white unicorn was looking back down at her, the fire-red hair covering one of her eyes, the other staring soullessly back at the mare before her. “The… picture…” Moondancer spoke in a quiet, harsh voice that Twilight was only barely able to catch.

“The… the picture?” Twilight looked down at the desk Moondancer was hung above. Just on the edge of the desk, about to touch the blood, the small square picture frame stood there, showing a half burnt picture of Twilight as a filly. Twilight blinked in confusion, raising her hoof to touch the strange picture. Suddenly light burst forth from the picture, causing the lavender unicorn to yelp and cover her eyes with her hoof.

The sound of reels rolling hit her ears and she could suddenly hear the shuffling of hooves. She moved her hoof away from her eyes to see that the picture was now projecting light, a film was being played on the wall opposite of Moondancer. The rest of the room had grown dark, only illuminated by the light of the projection. The unicorn stared in disbelief as the gray and torn static images rolled across the screen. Displayed inside the images was a younger Twilight staring out a large window in Canterlot. The hoofsteps of her mentor approached from behind.

“What’s the matter Twilight?” The tall white alicorn asked, stepping up to the filly, her voice coming out as a distorted part of the movie.

“Oh… it’s nothing Princ-, I’m so-ry if I tro-ed you.” Filly Twilight said, her voice cutting in and out as she got up to return to her work.

“Are you sure? I haven’t seen you look this down before.” Celestia looked concerned, walking over to her pupil. “You can tell me anything Twilight, I promise.” The little filly hesitated, turning the page in her book before looking up at the Princess, unsure if she’d get in trouble.

“I… I g-ss… I’d k- of like a… a s-y -ner…” Filly Twilight spoke up quietly, the film distorting her voice, shaking the scene being shown.

“Well why don’t you ask one of your classmates? I’m sure they’d love to study with you.” Celestia smiled comfortingly at her.

“Oh… no I co-n’t, -ey all ne- to study ha- just li- I do. I’m sure I’d just get in their way.” Twilight fumbled with her words, looking up pleadingly at the Princess. Celestia thought about her words for a moment, before realizing something.

“I know just the perfect partner for you.” Celestia smiled happily, turning her head and calling out. “Spiiiiike! Spike, could you come here real quick?”

The filly opened her mouth to speak, but before any sound could come out the film began to skip, before tearing apart, breaking apart the movie playing. The light faded and the light of the room returned with it.

“Moondancer… what did that…” Twilight turned to look back at the mare hanging from the wall, before letting out another gasp. The mare hanging from the wall was no longer Moondancer. This new mare had a violet mane with a magenta coat, lacerated the same way Moondancer had just been. It took Twilight a moment to realize who the mare was, before she covered her mouth in horror.

“Sparkler…” She murmured quietly. She didn’t know what happened to Moondancer, but Lance’s words came to mind. The town was just playing tricks on her mind again. Moondancer never had been there… but now Sparkler was.

“Please… please be another illusion.” Twilight begged to the silent air around her. Her horn lit up as she cast her magic, hoping the magic would once again be repelled by the nails and she could prove that Sparkler wasn’t actually dead.

Her magic caught the nails and pulled them out. She gently levitated Sparkler’s body to the ground in front of her, trying to hold back the tears at the edges of her eyes as she placed her ear to Sparkler’s chest. She sat there, trying to listen for the faintest trace of a heartbeat, something to tell her she could possibly save Sparkler. One never came.

Twilight grit her teeth, not wanting to believe this was true. But this was exactly the same thing that had happened to Winter. It couldn’t have been a coincidence that she’d been thrust into this room, it couldn’t have been a coincidence that she’d found Sparkler like this. The world was trying to give her a message.

The message a crucifixion carried, warning that if you stepped out of line, if you offended the wrong pony, that if you did something objectionable… it was punishable by death. The world and its twisted ways, with its mind games, monsters, and rules, was telling her she had to obey… or be killed.

“Sparkler… Derpy… I’m sorry…” She whispered to herself, feeling the heat of her tears rolling down her face once more. She knew about Sparkler. Derpy had adopted her almost a year ago. They’d had a tough time adjusting to the life, Twilight had watched them have fights, reconcile over family time, enjoying each other’s company, laughing and playing…

Everypony knew they weren’t having the easiest of times, Derpy was a single mother with a job that paid moderately and was paying for two kids. But she was that type of mare, the type who would do anything for her foals. Who couldn’t wake up in the morning without seeing the bright smiling faces of her two beautiful daughters.

And there laying before Twilight was one of them. No longer able to smile, no longer able to laugh or play with her mother or sister. All so that she could be displayed as a message to Twilight.

“You were right Lance…” Twilight quietly wiped her face as she managed to calm herself. “This place messes with your mind… disrespects the ponies that live here…” She looked down at Sparkler. She knew she had to do something for Sparkler. Some memorial, some grave for her to be remembered.

But to do it right, she’d have to make her way out of the hotel. She still had to make sure Lance was okay as well. She had to go back out into Ponyville and find her friends, and Princess Celestia. Twilight steeled her nerves once more, standing up looking down at Sparkler’s body.

“Sparkler… I promise I’ll be right back for you… I’ll give you the burial you deserve… I’ll let your mom know what happened to you.” Twilight ran her hoof across her face one last time, sniffing as she managed to stand up. She approached the door and raised her hoof to it and pressed against the handle. This time it clicked open, creaking slightly as it opened to the world outside of the door.

Beyond the door appeared to be a hotel lobby. The lavender mare would’ve been surprised if she hadn’t expected the change in location by now. The lobby was just as decrepit as the rest of the hotel, the carpet a dulled brown, the reception desk rotted, broken, and long since disused. There were several doors lining the lobby and she could clearly see two hallways that extended further into more rooms, but couldn’t see down them just yet. In the middle of the floor Twilight could spot a rather sizeable dried bloodstain, likely the spot where Lance had found her.

The unicorn quickly walked over to the bloodstain in the middle of the carpet, inspecting it carefully. Just as Lance had said, there was only one spot of noticeable blood, meaning it was likely she had been the only one there. Rarity’s body, or even her blood, was nowhere to be found.

“I’m going to have to take that as a good sign…” Twilight muttered to herself looking around the lobby again. “She was right there with me when I passed out. If her blood’s not here… then maybe she’s somewhere else and safe. She has to be.” She said it to herself not to convince herself, but to reinforce her will.

She quickly looked around for any other sign she could find. A clue as to where Rarity went, any sign of what had become of that strange alicorn she had fought, of any indication that this had been the same place she had passed out in. Her search turned out empty though. She let out a reluctant sigh but moved on quickly to one of the hallways. She figured Lance had to be down one of those corridors, it only made sense.

Coming around the bend of the hallway she was stopped at the sight of a massive pile of debris that blocked off the hallway. No doubt the same hallway that the strange creature had crashed in and attacked them at. Her medallion wasn’t buzzing and she couldn’t hear a single sound coming from the otherside.

“Lance!” Twilight called out, trying to find an open spot in the debris to get a look at what became of the scene. “Lance are you there?! Answer me if you can hear me!” She yelled loudly, not caring if she attracted the monster back out of hiding, she needed to know if the Pegasus was alright or not. She waited a moment or two, waiting to hear back from him. Silence only returned. She called out for him one last time, but when the silence continued she realized she wasn’t going to get a response.

“Lance, I really hope you’re okay.” Twilight murmured to the air, turning away from the hallway. If the path was blocked there wasn’t any way she was going to be able to get to him.  Her magic didn’t obey her in this world and she just had to face the reality that she needed to move on. If helping Lance was out of the question then her next objective was to give Sparkler the proper burial she deserved.

Returning to the lobby she was able to spot the double doors that looked like an exit. She quickly walked over to it, expecting the door to be locked and her being sent on some round about puzzle all over the rest of the hotel just to get a key to open the door. However, the door simply creaked open, revealing the fog filled world outside. Ash was still falling from the sky, creating a thin layer on the ground everywhere. It seemed that night had fallen at some point during the town.

“Night…” Twilight murmured looking up at the darkened foggy sky. “It’s nighttime… does that mean Luna raised the moon? Is she aware of what’s going on here in Ponyville?” She wondered aloud, not sure what to think of that. “I wonder if she knows what happened to Princess Celestia…” Various thoughts ran through her mind at that moment, none of which seemed to fully pan out in her mind. At some point she figured Luna would notice what’s going on, or that her sister was missing.

The unicorn shook her head and took a deep breath calming herself again. She had to go through this one challenge at a time. She quickly walked back through the lobby and opened the door to the room she had found herself in. Sparkler’s body still laid there serenely, waiting to be given the proper send off. The aura of purple magic soon found itself wrapped around that mares body, lifting it ever so gently into the air.

With the grace she deserved, Sparkler was carried out of the hotel and into the dark night of Ponyville. The purple aura gently placed the magenta mare down on the ash covered grass. Twilight concentrated her magic and once more made a shovel appear from thin air. She quickly struck it down into the earth and began to dig a hole. Each scoop brought more dirt up from the ground, creating a bigger and bigger hole.

Suddenly the shovel struck something hard, the magic holding the item together growing unstable and shattering it into nothing once more. Twilight cursed under her breath and looked into the hole, spying the rock that the shovel had hit on its way down. She levitated the rock out of the hole before carefully reforming the shovel from magic.

It wasn’t long before Twilight was satisfied with the hole she had dug. She gently lifted Sparkler’s body with her magic and laid it to rest at the bottom of the hole. Then she lifted the pile of dirt she’d dug up and placed it in the hole, making sure it was flat and even before being satisfied. Then she created the final piece, forming a block of wood into the shape of a tombstone. Upon its surface she wrote the words ‘Here lies Sparkler, a wonderful daughter, a loving sister and a beautiful mare.’ She fixed the gravestone at the edge of the grave, marking it as Sparkler’s resting place.

Once the grave was finished she sat at the foot of it, watching it quietly. A breeze blew through the silent town, sending a short shiver down her back. The temperature had dropped it seemed, though it wasn’t as cold as the snow that had littered the ground when she had gone to sleep for the night it was still a stark contrast to the muggy air that had resided before. She tried to pay it no mind though, closing her eyes to give Sparkler a moment of peace.

“I should probably say something huh?” The lavender mare asked quietly to the grave. The wind blew the bangs in front of her eyes as she pondered over her words. “I’m sorry you had to die this way Sparkler…” her words were soft, almost lost to the gentle breeze around her. “I wish I could’ve been there to save you…  don’t know how I would have, but I wish…” she grit her teeth remembering Winter’s body, remembering Lance being dragged away, remembering Rarity being impaled by that alicorn’s sword, “I wish I could’ve prevented all of this from happening. I wish I could protect every pony…”

“I still… I still remember when your mom decides she was going to adopt you, you know that?” Twilight chuckled softly to the grave, moving a hoof to her face to wipe it gently. “It was kind of a shock to everypony who knew your mom. She already seemed to be having a hard time raising her daughter as it was… and then she suddenly adopted you. She didn’t tell anypony why… and I can’t say that I was able to understand the thinking. But…” The smile on her face showed the fragile nature of the memories she could remember and why they were so precious. “…I could see on her face, when she was with you… she was happy. She loved you Sparkler and… I know that if she could do anything to have you back that she would do it. That’s the kind of mother she was.” The mare lifted a hoof and gently placed it on top of the flat soil before her. “Please rest in peace… I’m going to put an end to this nightmare and I’ll make sure that… your death wasn’t in vain.”

The pony stood, the wind tossing her mane, the flakes of ash falling on her body. She turned to the road the hotel was connected to. She looked around, spying the particular set of trees and plant life that was slowly turning white around it. The bumps of the road, the familiar placing of the geography…

She knew where she was. She’d been down that path many times before, it was forever etched into her mind now.

This was the road to Fluttershy’s house.

“Fluttershy… Rainbow Dash…” Twilight murmured, looking down the path into the darkness. She couldn’t see their house from here, on a normally clear day she likely could have. She had been at their wedding just yesterday. She could still remember watching the ceremony unfold, organizing the event, how beautiful Fluttershy had been in her dress, the love she felt between them when they spoke their vows…

…How they said they were going to leave for their honeymoon the next day, to rest from the excitement of the celebration and to have all their friends see them off.

They had to be stuck in this world as well, being tormented by these monsters, their heads being toyed with like this was all some game, watching as the ponies they cared about got hurt or killed…

In the distance Twilight could hear something echoing through the town. It reverberated low across the air and over her coat. She knew the roar of the creature that had come from. It was the dragon that had attacked her in the middle of town.

The mare grit her teeth in frustration. She gazed at the darkness, resolve hardening inside of her and a glare directed at the misery that was the town. She was going to protect her friends, she was going to find the Princess, she was going to bring an end to this misery.

Striking the ground, she ran as fast as her legs could carry her to the cottage where two of her friends now lived.

Chapter Seven

Story Written by Mindblower, Supervised and Directed by Jake Heritagu

Fim Fiction Version

Twilight hadn’t realized she was at nearly a full gallop toward Fluttershy’s house until her injured shoulder began to ache. She slowed her pace, knowing for certain that she was out of the dragon’s reach, for now. Well... she thought after a moment or two of consideration, I think it’s a given at this point that nothing is really certain. She swiveled her ears around, checking for noise behind herself as she walked. ...Well, I don’t hear its roar anymore. I should be okay, at least for now.

The fog seemed to grow thicker as she approached the edge of Ponyville. She was heading toward the bridge that crossed the stream on the way to her friends’ new home, but the mist was so impermeable that she couldn’t see it until she had literally almost fallen into it. She took a sharp inhale and backed a few steps away from the edge of the chasm. But where’s the bridge? she wondered, glancing at the path beneath her hooves. It should be right on the trail.

“Oh, my dear Twilight!” a voice sounded to her left. She snapped her attention to the cloaked pony that had somehow snuck up on her without her realizing. “What a surprise!” she exclaimed jovially.

“What do you want?” Twilight growled, her eyes blazing with a mixture of suspicion and hostility.

The mysterious mare seemed hurt. “Nothing but to say that the fact you’re alive is very pleasing to mine eyes. This world has claimed so many a soul; I’m grateful to see that you’re still in control.”

Twilight realized what she had just said, and she hung her head slightly, letting her nerves settle. “I’m sorry for snapping at you. This place has me on edge. I’m... not supposed to trust anypony anymore; not while I’m in here, at least.”

She nodded. “Trust is a danger you’d do well to erase. The truth only harms in this dastardly place. Do take care, though, not to dismiss it outright; lies won’t help you in your final fight.”

Twilight threw up her head in exasperation. “Kill things. Don’t kill things. Stay in one place and get killed. Explore and get killed. Listen to the truth. Hide from the truth. This is all so--so--!” She tried, but couldn’t seem to find the words for her frustration.

“I believe the word you’re looking for is ‘aggravating,’” the mare suggested.

Twilight nodded sadly. “Not to mention completely and utterly horrifying.”

“Fear is an emotion most irritating. It’s designed to keep us from trouble, but in some situations it causes danger to double. Here it is a poor, poor way of keeping danger at bay. Monsters will find you, regardless of what little you feel--and what little you suppress,” the mare stated ominously. “Yes, everything in here is based on fear.”

“Well... I guess,” Twilight said with a shrug. “Are you actually going to tell me anything? Or are you just going to follow me around?” At this point, I’d probably be fine with either, she added to herself miserably.

The mare laughed. “I see, you want help as your journey worsens. I’m sorry to say, there’s no way for me to share your burden. Though I do wish to see you through this alive... I’m afraid that no assistance can I contrive.”

Twilight rolled her eyes despite the fact that she had expected this sort of answer. “Whatever, then. See you later.”

She was about to walk off when the mare spoke again. “I have one thing to say, one last thing that is true: Nothing is real if it doesn’t hurt you.”

Twilight turned to face her, but she had vanished into the fog. She listened for hoofsteps, wondering why she would have run away so quickly, but no sound met her ears. It was as silent as a graveyard, and Twilight felt utterly lonesome once again.

Twilight continued on her way, this time seeing that the broken bridge that had once impeded her progress was now patched up haphazardly, with large, recently uprooted trees linking the two edges of the river and making it possible to cross. Assuming that her talk with the mare that may or may not have been a mirage had something to do with it, she carefully crossed the slippery wood and continued on her way.

The trek to Fluttershy’s cottage after that thankfully didn’t last much longer. However, when she reached the small cottage where her two friends stayed, she found it in the same amount of disrepair as the rest of Ponyville. Part of the roof had caved in, the windows were boarded, and there was a large padlock and chain on the front--and only--door. Twilight covered her nose as she inhaled a waft of decay. I am definitely not looking forward to whatever’s in there. The more she thought about it, though, the more she noticed that the horrible conditions and terrifying aberrations were becoming almost... commonplace. It was a thought that unsettled her, so she put it aside.

Not even bothering to try the door, she searched the perimeter of the house and found three statues off to the side behind the pile of rubble that used to be the roof. They were all made of a dull, gray stone, and there was a wooden podium in the middle of the three. Twilight examined each statue in turn.

The first depicted a unicorn mare with spears sent clean through her eyes, piercing through the back of her head. She looked as if she were screaming in surprise and agony, that the attack was sudden, unexpected, almost as if she had been betrayed. The base of the statue was labeled ‘Truth.’

The second statue was of a pegasus, though it was more of a bust, only showing the torso and the forelegs with its hind legs presumably in the pedestal that supported it. This one had a pole that had pierced through one ear and protruded from the other. This one seemed as if it were executed, and its face was limp, expressionless, as was the rest of its body, hanging from the pole it had been stabbed with. The base of the statue was labeled ‘Lies.’

The third statue was of an earth pony stallion, though this one was lying face-down, hunched over a sword that had stabbed through his mouth and up through his skull. His now-limp hooves seemed like they once had clutched the sword--lending to the assumption that the stallion’s death was at his own hooves, his own responsibility. The base of the statue was labeled ‘Secrets.’

“See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil,” Twilight muttered, addressing each of the statues in turn. Sparing them only a grimace, she carefully approached the podium. On it was a single poem, written on a piece of ancient parchment:

Blighted are the ones that stay

Lighted are the paths away

I can’t tell you what to say

No one keeps you in this fray

Doom is quickly on its way

Eager to come out and play

Death’s favorite color is gray

Twilight studied it for a moment, trying to pull some sort of meaning. Well, I guess I shouldn’t have really expected it to make all that much sense on its own, she thought. She bent over, looking at every side of the podium, before tapping it lightly. There was an echo. That means it’s hollow, she realized.

After gently taking the piece of paper and placing it into her magic, she turned and slammed her hind hooves into the wooden stand, mimicking what her friend Applejack had once taught her. The podium splintered, revealing a heavy sledgehammer that was hidden inside. She examined the sledgehammer, contemplating whether or not she could wield something so hefty, or even carry it with her. Every little thing you keep puts more strain on your magic, she internally recited, remembering the spell’s instructions. Eventually she did decided to place it into her magical pocket, knowing that it would likely prove more useful in the future.

She immediately noticed the weight, though, that the hammer placed upon her, almost as if she had gained twenty pounds in an instant. “Urf,” she mumbled, shaking her head. Guess I’m reaching my limit. I hope I find a lighter weapon soon, otherwise just lugging this thing around could drain me completely.

After she had steadied herself, she took the poem out of her magic and set it on the ground, studying it. After only a few moments of thought, though, the dragon’s distant roar reverberated across the foggy landscape. The deathly noise made her jump nearly ten meters into the air.

Deep breaths, Twilight, she told herself, trying to calm her nerves. She considered trying the sledgehammer on the door, but she decided against it, at least for the time being. If I do solve this puzzle, I don’t want anything coming in after me.

She studied the parchment again. Okay, so if that last word puzzle had to do with letters, then this one probably does, too. She studied the poem for a moment more before realizing that each of the capitalized letters, when put together, spelled ‘blinded.’

It’s just a simple acrostic, she thought. She glanced back toward the statues. I guess it’s pretty obvious what I have to do next.

She went over to the statue of the mare who was having her eyes gouged out, and removed the sledgehammer from her magic before gently tapping the blunt metal head of her multi-purpose tool on the stone. A crack formed that quickly spread down between the eyes of the mare, and in a few moments the statue had silently crumbled to dust.

Twilight sifted through the rubble, searching for anything relevant, before finding a note: The door’s unlocked. She blinked in disbelief before galloping to Fluttershy’s front door. It was still in chains, as she suspected, with the giant padlock in the center hanging as a solemn gatekeeper. Just as a test, though, she nudged the door with her hoof, though only faintly.

The rusty chain crumbled, with the padlock falling and shattering on the ground.

Twilight nearly lost it. “OH COME O-” She clapped a hoof over her mouth, but not before her aggravated outburst echoed not once, not twice, but three times across the silent Ponyville.

The dragon roared again, though this time Twilight knew it couldn’t have been more than a kilometer away. She nearly saw its silhouette reflected in the fog.

Bursting into full-fledged panic, Twilight grabbed the hammer, shoved it into her portable hole, ran into the cottage, and shut the door as silently as she possibly could behind her. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she was shaking as she slowly sank to the ground, pressing herself into the wall next to the door. She didn’t dare to move.

The dragon’s footsteps sent shockwaves through the ground, causing the floor to tremble nearly as much as Twilight was. She heard it hiss and smell the air for her, slowly pacing around the house as if it were the very place it had lost her scent. Twilight steeled herself and froze in place, not wanting to give it any more opportunities to find her than it already had. She was hoping against hope that it wouldn’t destroy the cottage looking for her.

Eventually, though, in defiance of all rhyme and reason, she heard the slow flap of its heavy wings as it sailed away. To it, it must have been as if the cottage didn’t even exist. That was the only explanation she could think of. Dragons, as she knew from raising Spike, had excellent senses. There was no reason for her to have gotten as lucky as she had more than once.

Nopony escapes dragons, she breathed. At least I’m not the only one getting tricked by this place. Standing up, she felt a burst of rage as she remembered the completely pointless puzzle, knowing that this place was only toying with her now. Messing with her head. But... she thought after a few moments, I guess it wasn’t all for nothing. I did get a hammer.

She pondered what the mare had said to her earlier, ‘nothing is real if it doesn’t hurt you.’ Did that mean that the dragon was only an illusion, since it hadn’t injured her? She realized that she didn’t actually see a dragon at any point in the past few hours, that she had only heard one and seen a shape in the fog roughly resembling that of a dragon, but she had seen one in crisp detail near the beginning of her journey. Swallowing, she decided it best not to test that theory.

After she had fully gathered her nerves, she began to examine her surroundings, using the pendant around her neck to provide a faint, flickering light. Fluttershy’s cottage was a wreck, but that was to be expected. Broken, moldy furniture littered the floor, the wallpaper was peeling, and the stench of mildew permeated the small home. Twilight didn’t want to push her luck by calling out for her two friends. If this place is anything like the rest of Ponyville, then they’ve both vanished. No use alerting the dragon by yelling for them. If they’re here, I’ll find them soon ehough anyway.

That in mind, she began to explore the kitchen. It was filled with various tubes and scientific equipment, all of which was completely corrupted and contaminated with all sorts of gunk that looked as if it had once been food. The counters were filled with vials and jars of the stuff. Tubes wound their way through the air, connecting various different putrid vessels. Twilight’s stomach did a flip at the smell, compelling her to quickly duck under the tubes and remove herself from the horrible lab.

The living room was much more bearable, showing only the ordinary signs of decrepity. As she poked through the furniture, though, Twilight noticed an odd cylindrical hole in the ground, just wide enough that a single pony’s hoof could fit through. She carefully peered down into it.

At the very bottom of the small pocket there appeared to be a button, with a steady drip of water coming from the rim of the tiny pit. Twilight was about to reach in and press it, but she hesitated at the last moment. Instead, just to be safe, she dragged a limb from one of the broken chairs and poked it down into the hole, aiming for the button.

As she suspected, the stick hit flesh instead of the device, and she watched in slight intrigue as the chair leg slowly disappeared down into the small crevice as she heard something gorging itself on the wood. She glanced down into it again and saw a small, many-toothed wormlike animal just finishing its meal before crawling back up to the base of its lair. The slow drip started again, though this time Twilight knew it was saliva, not water.

I guess I just have to kill it, Twilight told herself, sighing. She ambled back into the kitchen and held her breath as she looked for anything possibly toxic. Eventually something did jump out to her, a beaker filled with a substance that looked far to ordinary to be in the twisted laboratory. She levitated a covered beaker of a clear liquid out of the kitchen and set it down on a three-legged coffee table. Removing the cap, she took a small whiff of what it contained.

An intense burning flared up in her nostrils for a moment, but she did manage to recognize the incredibly strong chlorine smell that was hydrochloric acid, likely in high concentration. She cautiously glanced back at the hole in the living room. This isn’t what I want to do, she reminded herself, I just don’t have any options.

Exercising extreme patience in the presence of such strong acids, Twilight levitated the beaker into the hole and slowly lowered it until she felt the worm’s mouth wrap around the edges. There was a crunch of glass, a hissing of flesh, and finally silence as the small monster liquified.

“I’m sorry, little guy,” Twilight found herself saying, and she genuinely felt it. Something in the air had motivated her to press that button, and she had to get to it no matter what. Her life could be on the line. To her, it seemed like it always was.

After she was sure it was dead, she retrieved another limb from a broken armchair and levitated it down into the small hole. She heard a small ‘click’ as it pressed the button. For a few moments, nothing happened.

Then, Twilight heard the creaking of floorboards and the splintering of wood. The house had begun to shake in ever-increasing violence, and Twilight struggled to stay on her hooves. Broken picture frames fell from the walls and shattered, tables turned on their sides, and cabinets crashed to the ground. As quickly as it had started, though, the tremors vanished. Twilight paused, the silence so absolute that she was unsure whether or not she was still alive.

A terrible, rending siren snapped her to her senses. It was a low wail that seemed to emanate from just above Fluttershy’s cottage. It was the same one she had heard before, and it was not, by any stretch of the imagination, a good sign.

Twilight braced herself, but nothing happened. She paused, looking around. Despite the increased amount of rubble lying around the house, nothing seemed to have changed. She took a cautious step toward the kitchen.

The wooden planks snapped under her weight, and she fell into an infinite abyss.

She woke up in what looked like the strange world she had been to a couple times before, the Otherworld where she had fought the broken alicorn. Wiping liquid from her eyes, she examined her surroundings and tried to hold her breath.

The room she was in looked something like that of a newborn’s, though as with everything else in this hellish dimension, it was crooked and disgusting. What remained of the shattered crib was lying in a smoldering pile on the ground. Smoke softly rose to the top of the blackened bedchamber, and as Twilight glanced upward to follow the gray trail, she saw various dolls hanging from the ceiling. Some were made of rags, others of porcelain, but they all shared one defining characteristic: They were hanging by their necks.

Twilight whiffed the metallic tang of blood once more, and she glanced at her hoof to see in horror that it was stained red. She blinked as more of her own blood gushed onto her forehead and down her eyes, and she gasped in horror as she saw her own horn lying in front of her, snapped off at its base.

She must have landed on it when she fell.

Instinctively she tried to pick it up using telekinesis, but a splitting pain carved through her skull, as if it was being split open by a cleaver. Her broken horn didn’t move an inch.

She felt herself tearing up, but not from the pain. This was it. It was over. Without her magic, she couldn’t fend for herself; she didn’t even have a weapon that wasn’t trapped inside her portable hole. She realized in a panic that perhaps the hole had collapsed, leaving its contents to dissolve within the netherworld in which it was created, but was reassured when she felt its burden pressing down on her. She inhaled sharply again as she remembered that, since she couldn’t open it anymore, that everything inside was now only dead weight.

Twilight shook her head violently, spraying a few drops of the clotting blood to the left and right. No. Now’s not the time to panic, she told herself. She absently noted that the wound didn’t hurt on its own--it only pained her when she tried to use her magic. Does this mean that it’s not real, if it doesn’t hurt? There are other ways to disable magic, and I don’t know if this world is real or not, either. Then again, I don’t know if what the mare said is true or not...

She sighed in exasperation. “I... I’m not dead yet,” she reminded herself softly, staring at her horn. “I need to keep going. It can’t get any worse, at least,” she mumbled glumly. She knew that resigning herself to death would be pointless. The only option was forward.

She glanced back up at the hanging dolls, searching for anything that might clue her in as to the nature of this other world. An eerie wail seemed to emanate from the ceiling, that of a foal begging for help, but other than that, nothing. Twilight’s ears pricked, and she quickly turned around, but nopony was there. There was only a long, dimly lit corridor ahead.

Twilight felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Something was watching her, and she knew it. As soon as she thought about it, though, she realized the irony: Since when wasn’t she being watched in this awful, Celestia-forsaken place? She wasn’t in a location as much as she was inside an entity in its own right.

After one more quick mental sweep of the room, she picked up her horn between her teeth and limped down the ominous corridor.

The corridor’s walls were made of a thick glass, and the lighting was so poor that Twilight could barely see her own hooves. Her journey down the hallway, though, was short; it ended in a thick glass wall, same as the rest of the thin chamber. Assuming she missed something, she turned around and tried to head back to the room with the hung dolls, but discovered that way was barred by a wall of glass, as well.

Twilight set her horn down in the corner of the room, where she was unlikely to forget about it. “Okay, so you want to show me something,” she said, praying she wouldn’t have to do combat in such close quarters. “What is it?”

As if on queue, Twilight heard spotlights switched on behind her, and she pivoted to see what looked like the inside of Fluttershy’s living room again--this time, though, Fluttershy was inside. She looked confused and frustrated, though the source of her ire didn’t seem to come from the tarnished state of her house itself. Rather, she looked as if she were looking for something important, or if she were trying to remember something just out of reach, something right on the tip of her tongue.

I wonder if she knows about the dragon? Twilight thought absently.

Just then, Rainbow Dash entered through the front door, her expression dull. Lifeless. Fluttershy turned and gasped, rushing toward her lover and gripping her tightly.

“I don’t know how we got here,” Fluttershy whispered. Twilight was momentarily shocked by how clear she could hear her; it was as if they were side by side. “How did we get here, Dash? How are we here again?”

“I dunno,” Dash said, and her voice was flat, her tone hushed, “but it’s going to be okay.” She didn’t sound like she meant it.

Twilight considered banging on the window, trying to get their attention, but she knew it was pointless; Fluttershy’s cottage didn’t have a huge, gaping piece of glass that split it in half. What was being shown to her was prerecorded. Either it had already happened, or it was going to happen.

“How do you know it’s going to be okay?” Fluttershy asked, pressing her head into her marefriend’s chest.

Dash pulled out of her grip, shaking her head. “Somehow. Just... somehow,” she said, her voice flat.

“Are you okay?” Fluttershy asked, her expression brimming with worry.

“I don’t know that, either,” Dash said, her voice shaky. “When that thing attacked us... I just froze. I couldn’t do anything to help you. You almost died, Fluttershy. It would have ripped you apart.”

“But it didn’t. I’m still here,” Fluttershy said, stepping in front of Dash’s view. “You can’t blame yourself for every little thing, Dash. I can take care of myself.”

Dash pulled away again, as if she couldn’t bear Fluttershy’s gaze. “I could have done more. I could have done more to help you.”

“You did all you could,” Fluttershy soothed. “Dash, don’t you trust me?”

Dash paused, her gaze distant, staring off into space. Fluttershy slowly moved closer to her, as if to kiss her on the cheek, but Dash took a step away before she could.

“‘Shy...” she began slowly, “I want to know if you love me. I want to know that you know... that I’d do anything to keep you safe.”

Fluttershy looked up at her. “Of course.”

“Then I want you to close your eyes,” Dash stated.

“Why?” Fluttershy asked.

Dash stepped closer to Fluttershy, leaning in and planting a quick kiss on her partner’s lips. The kiss, though, like Dash’s expression, was dull, lifeless. “Because I love you, ‘Shy,” Dash whispered into her ear, “and I need to prove that to you.”

Fluttershy looked skeptical. “Dash, I know you-”

She interrupted her. “Shh,” she hushed, staring into her partner’s eyes. “Please.”

Though slightly uneasy, Fluttershy did as she was told, obediently closing her eyes. Dash took a few careful steps away, her eyes glinting when she saw a specific piece of metal in the debris around the living room. She picked it up in her jaw. It was a knife, a rusty, curved blade about eight inches in length.

“Dash?” Fluttershy asked upon hearing the grating sound of metal on metal. “Dash, what are you doing?”

“I won’t let the monsters get you, ‘Shy,” Dash vowed, speaking through the knife with surprising clarity. “I won’t let them tear you to shreds. You deserve better than that.”

Fluttershy noticed Dash’s change in tone, but despite her fear, she steeled herself and kept her eyes shut tight. “Dash, you’re scaring me,” she whimpered.

“I’m so sorry, Fluttershy,” Dash said, and before Fluttershy could whip around to defend herself, Dash stuck the knife in-between her shoulder blades, driving the blade deep and cutting through her throat. Fluttershy made an awful, choking noise before falling to the ground, writhing for a moment and rasing her hooves to her neck in a feeble effort to try and dig the blade out, before eventually falling still. Crimson blood gushed from the wound in frantic pulses that gradually slowed, then stopped, as Fluttershy’s blood pooled on the hardwood floor.

Dash stared at her marefriend’s body for what seemed like hours. Then, she screamed, a  heartbroken wail so powerful that it caused even the thick glass Twilight was standing behind to vibrate. And when she was finished, she collapsed next to Fluttershy’s body, sobbing into her pelt and hugging her as if she was still alive, as if she was in disbelief at what she had just done. As if she would do anything to take it back.

The spotlights shut off.

Twilight collapsed to the floor, not realizing she had been crying until sobs started to rack her body. She curled up into a tight ball, knowing that the scene shown to her likely hadn’t happened yet scared and petrified by it all the same.

That... that didn’t happen... I’m only wasting water, she thought, clinging to anything that might help her break out of her stupor. I don’t know when I’m going to be able to drink again.

It was only an illusion. It didn’t happen.

This isn’t any reason to give up. You don’t even know if Fluttershy or Rainbow Dash even stepped hoof in this world.

You’re letting this place get to you. If you let it get inside your head then it’s all over. You have to snap out of it.

Dash wouldn’t do that to Fluttershy.

She just wouldn’t.

But nothing helped. It doesn’t matter how much she tried to comfort herself, how much she tried to grasp the truth, to hold it close to her and wrap it around her like a warm blanket. She wanted facts, cold and stable; she wanted reason and rhyme to rely on, an explanation sturdy and steadfast.

Nothing was enough. Information couldn’t override emotion.

She had just witnessed a murder.

And so she cried. She cried until she started to shake, trembling with pent-up fear and emotion that she had tried to keep under wraps. And she was terrified, not just by the Otherworld that presented her with such horrors, not just by the fact that she was more powerless and fragile than ever before, but because she knew she might not be able to fulfill her promise to Spike after all. To stay safe. To stay strong. And to come back okay.

And he would never forgive her for not keeping that promise.

She took that idea and latched onto it, gripping it so tightly that she was afraid she would strangle it. And she held onto it, letting it pull her up off of the stone ground, waiting patiently as it wiped the tears from her chin and cheeks, letting it steady her hooves and clear her eyes. And she took that idea and tucked it away, safe and sound, somewhere she would never let it go. She was doing all of this for him, her little number one assistant, and nothing would stop her from keeping him safe.

And the world beckoned her onward. At the far end of the corridor, there was a booming noise as spotlights turned on once again. And Twilight, cautious now more than ever, trotted up to the window, and watched.

The scene looked to be in a divided bedroom. One side had an enormously pink and red color scheme, with butterflies and wildlife painted all along the walls. The other side had a more blue and green color scheme, with pictures of the ocean and the sky. Toys and clothes were scattered everywhere in and out of the two cribs in the room, and inside both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash stood, having a conversation.

“I don’t know, Dash,” Fluttershy mumbled, staring at her hooves. “I don’t know if I’m ready to do this with you.”

“Well, what’s wrong?” Dash asked, concerned, though she likely knew what was bothering her significant other.

“It seems too good to be true,” Fluttershy said. “I just know something bad will happen. I just don’t think I deserve it, Dash. It’s just all too wonderful. I think... I think we should wait.”

“Wait for what? ‘Till we’re older? How old? Do you wanna wait a year, or two, or five? Then where will we be?” Dash demanded. She saw the look in Fluttershy’s eyes as she bombarded her with the fierce questions, and sighed. “Look, ‘Shy. I’m not going to force this on you. But it’s all here, and just last week you were saying this is all you ever wanted. And you’re saying you don’t deserve it? After what you’ve been through-”

“That’s exactly it, though,” Fluttershy interrupted, startling Twilight. Fluttershy was never one to argue, but she seemed upset, conflicted. “I-I’m afraid that I’ll do the exact same thing!”

“You would never,” Dash said sincerely. She tucked her hoof under Fluttershy’s chin, gently nudging it upward so that they were looking each other in the eye. “I know you, Fluttershy. Don’t you trust me?”

“I do! I do,” Fluttershy said, shying away from her marefriend’s hoof. “I just don’t trust myself. You’re just so amazing at everything you do, and I... I’m just not.”

Dash stepped up to Fluttershy, pulling her into a light hug. “Are you worried that you’re going to mess something up and that I’m going to hate you forever?”

She nodded miserably, and Twilight could see the self-loathing reflect off the tears forming in her eyes. “I always am.”

“Y’know, sometimes I worry about that, too,” Dash said nonchalantly, stepping away from Fluttershy and turning back toward the blue side of the room.

Fluttershy’s ears pricked, and she turned around as well, clearly surprised. “You do?”

“Totally,” Dash affirmed, gazing thoughtfully at the clouds painted on the ceiling. “I’ve told you before. About how, back when I was little, I only cared about how fast I could fly, and the stunts I could pull, and just how awesome I thought I was.”

“You’ve always been awesome,” Fluttershy said.

Dash giggled. “Sounds weird when you say it, ‘Shy. Yeah, I was pretty cool. But the thing is, I only cared about being cool. And if you weren’t as cool as I was, then you’d better make way for number one. I thought I was cool. I thought I had friends. But... no matter how many ponies looked up to me, I never really had anypony who could really understand. And then when I met you, and you told me how you felt... I never thought it would work, honestly. But it did. And it’s awesome, isn’t it?”

Fluttershy nodded. “More than I could ever hope for. I’ve told you that before, haven’t I?”

“Yeah, just last night. Twice,” Dash added. “So yeah. But the thing I’m the most afraid of is you thinking that I’m too good for you. I’m not. I’m afraid that you’re going to leave me for some stupid reason like that, and when I try to get you back, I hurt you even more. Fluttershy, of everypony in the entire world, even our closest friends, I think you’re the only one I can really trust.”

Fluttershy looked almost overwhelmed. She glanced at Dash, then her hooves, then hesitantly at Dash again. “Y-... You really mean that?”

Dash nodded, taking Fluttershy’s hoof in hers and gripping it tightly. She seemed like she was struggling to contain herself. “Fluttershy, I need you to make me a promise,” she said, her voice choked.

“Anything,” Fluttershy said.

“Promise me you’ll love me,” Dash said, “and I’ll promise that I’ll love you.”

Fluttershy didn’t hesitate. “I do.”

Dash grinned despite herself, exhaling sharply and wiping away her tears, as if she had been worried about the answer. “Then I do, too,” she cried, pulling Fluttershy into a crushing, loving embrace.

The spotlights shut off.

Twilight stepped back, pondering what the scene meant. Assuming this is like the others and it didn’t happen, at least not yet... maybe this is something that should happen? Or maybe this is what has to happen if that other scene is going to be prevented. She nodded, liking the way that last thought sounded. I’ll be sure to let them know, the next time I see them. If there’s anything I can do... then I should try it. They’ll think I’m insane, but I can’t even imagine how I’d feel if I let them alone and what I just saw ended up happening. Maybe they will think I’m crazy. But at least the two of them will still be alive.

She heard more spotlights turn on to her left, illuminating a large, hollow cloud room that was probably hollowed out of a thunderstorm. It looked dank and slimy, well, as dank and slimy as clouds could get, anyway. Dash was inside, poking around the rubble and trash inside. She seemed like she was looking for something, probably for clues.

Then Fluttershy entered, and the dour, bitter expression on her face made Twilight immediately know where this was all going. Dash, however, either didn’t notice or didn’t care, because as soon as she saw her marefriend she cantered up to her and gave her a bear hug.

“Fluttershy! Where have you been?” Dash said, nuzzling her before Fluttershy pulled away. “I’ve been looking all over Cloudsdale for you. Well, what’s left of it, anyway. Guess I shouldn’t have worried, huh? You look great,” she said with a relieved smile.

Fluttershy’s expression softened. “I’m glad to see you, too, Dash. I thought I would never see you again.”

“You know I would always come back for you, ‘Shy,” Dash assured softly.

“But... why did you leave in the first place?” Fluttershy asked, her tone tinged with just the slightest bit of accusation.

Dash winced, knowing she didn’t have an answer to that question. “Look, I-... The dragon--I can’t do it all, okay! I’m just glad you made it out of that okay.”

“You didn’t come back for me,” Fluttershy said, tears welling up in her eyes. “I could have died if I didn’t find you here, Dash. Why did you just leave me out there?”

“Because I was told to come here,” Dash said, not willing to meet Fluttershy’s gaze. “I checked back where the dragon attacked but nopony was there. I just thought that, well, maybe you’d made it out okay.”

“Or the dragon ate me,” Fluttershy pointed out.

“There was no blood!” Dash protested.

Fluttershy held her gaze.

Dash exhaled. “I’m so, so sorry, Fluttershy. Nothing like that will ever happen again. But you’re here, and I’m here, and we’re going to make it out of this, and that’s what matters. Period. Okay?” she added, looking up at Fluttershy with her best pleading expression.

Fluttershy sighed, turning around. “Dash... I want to know if you love me,” she said.

“Of course I do,” Dash said. “I couldn’t imagine life without you, ‘Shy. I was so scared when that thing attacked, I... I just tried so hard not to lose it and go hunting after you. I knew that you had made it out alive.”

“How?” Fluttershy asked.

“I just did,” Dash stated. “I’m the Element of Loyalty, Fluttershy. I would never leave you behind. Don’t you trust me?”

“Dash, I need to know if you’re going to stay with me no matter how tough things get. I need to know that, no matter what happens, I can count on you to be by my side. I need to know that you won’t betray me like you did when we saw the dragon!”

Dash looked hurt. “I didn’t betray you.”

“Yes you did! You abandoned me!” Fluttershy yelled, with a startling amount of intensity. She added, quieter, “I thought I was going to die.”

Dash drew up closer to her marefriend. “I would never let that happen.”

“I don’t know if I believe that, though,” Fluttershy said, staring at the floor. “I don’t know if you’re going to keep your promises. You can’t build a relationship on lies.”

“Fluttershy, I know that,” Dash said. “Give me some credit.”

“Dash, I want to know if you had the choice, would you let me out of this Celestia-forsaken world, or would you save yourself?” Fluttershy asked suddenly, staring intensely at the dark cloud floor.

“I would save you. Always,” Dash said softly. Not waiting for a response, she reached a hoof around Fluttershy and pulled her into a firm kiss on the lips, absorbing her and not letting go until she was sure she had made her point. And Fluttershy accepted it, her passion even more intense than her partner’s. The kiss seemed to last an eternity.

Fluttershy abruptly broke away, though, and seized the back of Dash’s head with one hoof and the side of Dash’s chin with the other. “Liar,” she hissed.

There was an awful pause, with Fluttershy, since she had Dash in a death grip, drawing out the moment as long as she could, letting Dash soak in the terror of knowing that a single twitch could cause paralysis.

“I still love you,” Fluttershy murmured.

Before Dash could respond, Fluttershy screamed, twisted, and snapped her neck. She fell to the floor limply, not even uttering a sound.

Utter silence. Fluttershy said nothing, she just stared at her hooves in shock, as all the world seemed to stop for a minute, utterly frozen in time.

Then she slowly turned, looking up at Twilight through the glass.

At first she was confused, but suddenly she realized that the hairs on the back of her neck were standing up, and that her senses were going on overdrive. She backed up, only to hear glass shatter behind her, with a bloody blue hoof reaching into her thin chamber. More smashes. Dash, now lacerated, was now approaching her just as Fluttershy was breaking out of her own illusion.

Twilight managed to break out of her petrified stupor and back up as the Element of Loyalty slowly ambled toward her, the same dull, dazed look in her eyes as when she had killed Fluttershy. Soon Fluttershy caught up with her, as well, slowing her pace when she and Dash were side by side. Fluttershy stared right at Twilight with a bitter, vindictive glare that was accented by the bleeding cuts all around her body.

The two lovers spoke in an eerie unison. “All I wanted was for somepony to tell me the truth,” they echoed, their voices raw with betrayal, their breath reeking of death. “All I wanted was for somepony to love me.”

Twilight’s lips formed words, but no noise escaped other than a faint squeak. Her back was to the wall, now, and her two friends were now bearing down on her, their murderous intentions clear. There was nothing she could do.

She felt a crushing blow land on her head, right where her horn used to be. She saw blinding light. Then, bottomless darkness.

Red.

The color of passion, the color of rage, the color of love and war, of bloody wounds and eternal conflict. The color of dying gasps, of the moments just before the final rest. And Twilight found half of her face covered in it.

Gasping, she staggered to her hooves, wiping the thin, rusty pigment off her snout and out of her eyes. Her nose was stuffed up with whatever she had passed out in, something she honestly was thankful for, though the air around her was so thick and humid she was afraid she would pass out again. Her head was pounding, the blow to her forehead still smarting, and her legs were shaky and numb. Her body trembled with the effort of remaining conscious, but she knew that if she let herself give up, then it was all over, and she would never see the light of day again. She would never see Spike again. So she steeled her nerves, closed her eyes, and waited for the pain to dull, for the shock to recede, and, eventually, for her ability to think clearly return.

Moments passed, hours passed. She either recovered immediately or after a stalwart, stubborn stand against the weakness that so sickened her, she couldn’t tell. Minutes or months, days or decades. Wherever she was, she knew that if she opened her eyes to take the horror in, that she might finally lose what little bits of sanity she had come to rely on, and that was too big a risk to take.

But when her limbs ceased vibrating, when the pain in and on her head faded to a dull, warning ache, and when she was confident that she could at least walk a few steps forward before resting again, she slowly wiped the dried substance off her eyelids and opened them once more.

She found herself in a suffocatingly warm chamber that was drenched, from top to bottom, in blood. There was so much of it, in fact, that it seemed to be dripping from the ceiling and had pooled on the floor. However, Twilight noticed when she took a step that the blood on the ground didn’t feel quite like the thick fluid she was used to seeing gush from her enemies. It had a rough, soggy feel, and she soon realized why; on closer inspection, the blood was separating into water and plasma. It was likely days old, but the environment was too wet and humid to keep it from clotting properly.

Twilight gagged, and she knew that if she could smell, she would have passed out. Fresh blood, though horrifying to her as well, was different, a result of a battle. This blood, however, reeked of death, so utterly, in fact, that when she inhaled she could taste the iron on her tongue. When she backed away, her legs sunk into the ground, and she felt the texture of flesh beneath her hooves.

She shuddered, feeling her courage crumble. It was more horrible than she ever could have imagined.

She hastily searched for an exit, but there was none. The only feature in the room besides the dying blood was a sword stuck in the middle of the floor. It was pure black, and incredibly thin, only a few centimeters wide, with its point stuck in the soft ground. Its hilt was suspended in the air, and it had a thick mouth guard, its position telling Twilight that the blade itself was, when held in the mouth, meant to be oriented to the right of the wielder, and used for charging and slicing attacks. The grip itself was padded, with custom tooth marks likely used by its original owner.

It was the exact same sword that the Broken Alicorn had wielded, and it was the same sword that had impaled Rarity and struck her in the shoulder.

Twilight got the sinking feeling she was going to have to fight.

As if to answer, her pendant began to crackle and hiss slightly. The walls began to undulate, each individual pulse sending a ripple of humidity crashing through the room, and Twilight realized after a moment that the noise seemed to mimic the frequency of her heartbeat. Ripples spread across the surface of the putrid blood, and the back wall of the corridor slowly began to move, spreading apart as slow hoofsteps could be heard approaching.

Hastily, Twilight pulled the sword out of the floor, though it sounded as if it was being pulled out of its most recent victim. Her left cheek and most of her snout was covered by the hilt’s guard, with the black blade pointing in the other direction. She noted that the blade itself had a peculiar pattern on it and didn’t seem to be made of steel. She also noticed that the sword was balanced beautifully, and somehow her teeth fit perfectly into the grip even though the indents had clearly been designed for a stallion, perhaps a guard. She could only attribute that to this dimension, this Otherworld, bending the rules, and levelling the playing field for her sake and the sake of whatever this fight was supposed to test.

Her adversary entered. Its head, very large in proportion to the rest of its body, was down, hanging limply from its neck, so limply, in fact, that it appeared to be broken. It didn’t look like it had any skin or hair to speak of, it seemed to be held together only by muscle, bone, and scab. It was a little taller than she was, but not by much. Its wings were plastered to its sides by the clotting blood, and its body was a primarily a reddish brown, same as the old, dead liquid that had flooded the room. Twilight saw a bud of a horn, the smallest horn she had ever saw, protrude from its eyeless, noseless, hairless head.

Twilight had no magic. She had no tricks. Her head was pounding with the pain of her severed horn, her heart was beating out of her chest as adrenaline tore up and through her system, and she could barely breathe, her left nostril only barely beginning to clear. She walked with a limp, she was disoriented, and she felt like she was about to throw up a lung.

But she had a weapon. She could fight.

The monster, which could only really be described as Malformed, roared. It wasn’t as much a roar, though, as a strangled, gurgling sound as blood spurted from seams all across the mass that was, supposedly, its body. Malformed charged Twilight, its legs showing surprising amounts of speed considering it looked and sounded as if it wasn’t alive, and that it never should have been animated.

Twilight backed up before leaping to the side, raising an eyebrow as Malformed simply crashed into the wall behind her, spraying blood and sending a splatter of the thick liquid up the fleshy, breathing walls of the chamber. Twilight, breathing through her nose, suddenly recognized the sharp tang of bleach. No, not bleach.

Hydrochloric acid.

Malformed slowly turned to her again. The core of its body lurched, and it regurgitated gallons blood in Twilight’s general direction. She narrowly dodged the spray, wincing as parts of it caught her pelt, causing stinging burns. Wait a minute, she thought as she dodged another charge from the deformed monster, if I don’t end this quickly, the acid from Malformed will accumulate on the floor! I’ll be disintegrated from the hooves up!

At that realization, she went on a sudden offensive, waiting for Malformed to charge and then leaping up behind it to its left and slashing at it. For a moment she thought she hit only air, but was rewarded for her efforts when Malformed uttered its horrifying, gurgling roar again and she saw a long seam running down its shoulder that wasn’t there before.

It retaliated, though, with insurmountable, panicked speed, tackling Twilight to the ground, submerging her face in blood. Instinctively Twilight reared her back legs under her adversary and bucked, sticking her limbs deep into what must have been her attacker’s heart. Malformed was thrown backward, and Twilight struggled to her hooves, gasping for the putrid air that was now her savior. She could barely see through the blood and death that surrounded her, and as her teeth began to chatter with anxiety as she saw Malformed recover, she realized something critical: her weapon had fallen into the increasingly acidic pool of separating blood.

She barely had time to let out a panicked yelp upon noticing this before Malformed was on her again, pursuing her with a primal lust, an ancient hatred. It reared, then vomited the contents of its chest cavity toward Twilight.

This time, however, she wasn’t so lucky; her muscles, which were already screaming for oxygen, failed her, and acidic fire licked up her flank just over her cutie mark. She screamed as the chemical set her skin alight with terrible flares of pain. It was a feeling not unlike burning to death.

And the only thought that was going through her mind was, So this is how I die.

Malformed shrieked as Twilight staggered backward, her already wounded hind leg now completely numb. Her vision was blurry, one eye sealed shut, her only weapon submerged in death. But she wasn’t done yet. Even if she was going to die, she was taking this thing with her. A last act of spite to the world that didn’t even give her a fighting chance.

I’m so sorry, Spike.

As Malformed broke into a gallop, aiming to stab Twilight through the heart with its tiny horn, she twisted violently to the side, then, as a last-ditch effort, wrapped her front hooves around her adversary’s neck, and squeezed. A dull crunching found her ears as she smashed its trachea and snapped its spinal cord, and she felt the vibrations that rang through its neck as Malformed gurgled its final death throes. Twilight’s front limbs were on fire from the monster’s acidic skin, and she could feel her pelt beginning to rub off as she struggled to hang on, but she didn’t care.

Malformed collapsed, and Twilight fell alongside it, propping herself up on its body so that she could at least breathe, at least offer herself one last chance at survival, one last, fleeting opportunity to see Spike and Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy and Celestia and all her other friends again. She leaned against blood so that she wouldn’t have to succumb to the death that crept up to her chest, soaking her half-burnt-off pelt in brown.

She couldn’t feel three of her legs. Her breath was a slow wheeze. Any little movement she made caused her pain threefold anything she had felt before, and she knew that the acid around her legs and torso was slowly digesting her, as well. Nopony won that fight. Not Twilight, and certainly not Malformed.

And as Twilight felt the darkness approach her, as she saw spots perform ballet on all that she saw, she whispered to nopony in particular, I tried so hard. Please, just... please...

But even as she began her journey into the ultimate darkness, she didn’t quite know what she was asking for.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

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