Labyrinth

In the Goblin King's castle, Angel Bunny had armed himself with a wooden spoon and was using it to defend himself against the little goblins that danced gleefully around him.  When he turned this way, one over there would grab his tail; when he turned over there, one would pull his ears that way.  Eventually, he admitted defeat by dropping the wooden spoon and bursting into tears, crying for his pegasus mother.

The goblins stopped their teasing when the rabbit started to cry.

"Eeik!  Why it cry cry?"

"Don't know!  Did you pull pull too hard?"

The first goblin puffed out its chest.  "No!  No, did not pull pull at all!  Only tug tug!"

"No, you pull pull!  I see you!"

The banter degraded into little fists flying as the goblins got into a brawl.  Angel took the opportunity to run past them and climbed to the highest point he could find.  Once he was atop it, he realized that he was sitting in the seat of a throne.  Before he could wonder if he should be worried, the main doors to the room flung open and the King strolled into his domain.

The goblins cease their fighting and look at their ruler with a mix of fear and awe.  He walks past them, straight toward his throne and Angel.  Grinning, he leaned down and brushed a paw over the bunny's trembling ears.  "You remind me of the mare," he said in a sing-song voice.

Angel cowered against the back of the throne.

"What mare?" a goblin piped up.

Discord turned his head to look at the goblin.  "The mare with the power."

"What power?"  another cried.

He scooped Angel up with his claw and raised him so that he could stare into the scared but defiant black eyes.  "The power of the voodoo."

"Who do?"  a third chimed, all three of the goblins closing in around their master.

His talons closed in around the bunny.  "You do."

"Do what?"  the three said in unison.

With a dramatic wave of his other paw and a turn on his goat leg's heel, he summoned an enchanted crystal ball that floated in the air and reflected Fluttershy's image as she navigated the labyrinth.  Angel tried to squeeze through Discord's claws to get a better look, crying out for her.

"Remind me of the mare."  He caressed the cold glass.

Angel looked between the ball and the Goblin King's distant, unreadable face.  He sprung free and landed on top of the ball, chittering wildly, threatening his evil captor with all sorts of horrible things, though no one understood him.

Discord laughed and dropped down into his throne.  He paused when none of the other goblins joined in, then slammed a paw on the arm of his throne.  "Well?"

The goblins were quick to laugh after this, and Discord laughed with them.  He leaned in and smiled sickeningly sweetly at the rabbit.

"You think you can protect your dear, sweet mama Fluttershy, do you?"  He snapped his claw and the ball shattered.

Angel fell, but Discord's mismatched tail slithered under him and caught him before he hit the ground.

"Why, I have no intention of harming the innocent little pegasus.  In fact, I believe it is your fault that she is in my labyrinth to begin with, is it not?"

The bunny's ears fell and he looked away with guilt.

"I saw my baby, crying hard as babe could cry...  What could I do?"  He sighed, though his voice still carried a tune even through the sigh.  His tail wrapped around Angel and lifted to bring him closer.  "In 9 hours and 23 minutes..."  Though he seemed to be speaking directly to the rabbit, his gaze seemed elsewhere, focused on something unseen.  "You'll be mine."

Though he tried with all of his little white furry self to hate the creature, Angel couldn't help but feel like there was something more going on.  Despite this, he struggled against him and cried out for help.

Discord's tail unfurled and sent the bunny flying a few feet away, landing on a dusty pillow.  He waved a hand and the shattered glass on the floor melded back together and rose up to show the room Fluttershy's image once more as she made her way.  Softly, he started to sing again as he gazed into the crystal.

"My baby's love had gone, and left my baby blue

Nobody knew what kind of magic spell to use."

The goblins joined in with a cheerful chorus, dancing all about the throne room.

"Slime and snails, or a puppy dog's tail

Thunder or lightning, something frightening

Dance, magic, dance..."

One of the goblins picked up Angel and they tossed him back and forth to each other.

"Put that bunny's spell on me!

Jump, magic, jump

Put that magic jump on me

Slap that bunny, make him free!"

Discord's voice rose up and silenced them.  They all turned to look at him, one of the goblins holding Angel upside-down by one foot.

"I saw my baby, trying hard as babe could try

What could I do?

My baby's fun had gone, and left my baby blue

Nobody knew..."

The goblins watched in glee and Angel in horror as Discord's words seemed to move the labyrinth around Fluttershy, unbeknownst to her.  Walls slid in and out of place, curving this way and that, leading her in any direction he so desired.

In the labyrinth, Fluttershy continued on, completely unaware of the odds stacked against her.  She blinked when she turned a corner and was faced with a dead end.  It had seemed that she had run into an awful lot of dead ends.  She started to turn around with a heavy sigh.

"Oh, it's hopeless," she muttered sadly.

"That's right!  It is hopeless."

She whirled around to see two tall, lanky ponies leaning against two doors, their forelegs crossed and hats covering their eyes.  They seemed to be near-twins, though their hairstyles were different and one had a mustache.

"But..."  She tilted her head.  "This was a dead end just a moment ago!"

One laughed while the other raised his hat to look at her with a grin.  "No, that's the dead end behind you."

Fluttershy looked over her shoulder to see there was indeed a wall looming behind her.  She looked back at the twins and whimpered, exhausted, "It keeps changing!"  She plopped down on the ground and hung her head.  "What am I going to do?"

"I'm glad you brought that up my dear!"  The ponies dropped forward to stand on all fours and started to circle her.

"Yes, I'm glad you brought that up."

"For, you see, we are the world famous Flim Flam brothers."

"He's Flim."

"And he's Flam."

They wrapped a foreleg around each other's shoulders.

"And we're the guards for these very doors here."

"One of them leads to the castle at the center of the labyrinth, and the other..."

"Certain death!"

Fluttershy cringed back at the words.  "Oh, no!  Which one is which?"

"We can't tell you," they said in unison.

"Why not?"

"I, uh," stammed Flam.  "I don't know.  But Flim does."

She started to look to Flim to question him, but he pulled away from Flam and raised his hooves to wave her off.

"I can't just tell you!  You can only ask one of us, you see."

"It's the rules, after all."

"You should also know that one of us tells the truth, and the other lies."

"And Flim always lies."

"I do not!  I always tell the truth."

"See?  He's lying right now!"  Flam laughed.

Flim shielded his face with a hoof and whispered loudly to Fluttershy,  "He's the liar."

Fluttershy's head spun as the twins circled around her like hungry sharks.

"We see an opportunity, my dear, for us to make your day,"

"Yes, my dear, that's right, for you to find your way,"

"But any pony can plainly see,"

"That it'll do no good to plea,"

"Just make your choice, and make it fast,"

"And choose one pony to ask!"

They posed in front of her, legs splayed in all directions, hats off and in one hoof, mouths open wide as they sang together, "And that's opportunity!"

Fluttershy clapped her hooves.  "Oh, that was very good!"  She smiled.  "But I'm afraid I'm not very good with riddles."  She leaned back on her haunches as she tapped her chin.  "One always lies, and one tells the truth?  But-"  She looked up at them.  "Do I get only one question?"  Quickly, she added, eyes wide, "O-other than that one!  Oh, please!"

The twins chuckled and leaned against their doors.

"Why, of course, my dear, just one question indeed."

"It'd be cheating and unfair otherwise, don't you think?"

She nodded in agreement and resumed her careful thinking.  Every once and a while, she'd mutter something, her voice slowly falling from a mutter to a whisper to an incoherent squeak.  "Ohhh...  um..."  Finally, she stood up and looked directly at Flim.  "All right.  Answer yes or no...  Would Flam tell me that your door leads to the castle?"

Flim blinked.  He looked over at Flam, then back at her.  "Yes."

"Then the other door leads to the castle and this leads to death."  She nodded with determination.

"How do you know?  He could be telling the truth."

She wilted, starting to doubt her own decision.  "But...  then you wouldn't be.  So if you told me that he said yes, then that would mean the answer is no."

"But I could be telling the truth!"

"Then that means he would be lying, and the answer is still no."  She regained her confidence and held her head high.  "I...  I think I figured it out!"

"Is that right?"  Flim looked over at Flam.

Flam shrugged.  "I don't know.  I've never understood it."

"Thank you both very much for all of your help."  She pushed the door open and started to walk through.  "Oh, that means I'm getting closer!  I'm so-- ahh!!"  The ground beneath her opened up and she started to fall.  Her wings pressed even tighter to her sides in fear, so she couldn't save herself.

Before she fell all the way to the bottom, hundreds of little butterflies caught her and suspended her in the air.  Because it was pitch black, however, Fluttershy had no idea what had caught her and squeaked in terror.

"Oh!  Please!  Please don't hurt me!"

"Hurt you?"  the butterflies said in many different little voices that sounded like an off-key choir.  "We're the help!"

"The help?  I'm terribly sorry, then.  Thank you for saving me."

"Well, then, which way?"

"Which way?"  She blinked in the darkness.

"Up or down?  Come on, we haven't got all day!  Which way do you want to go, little pony?"

"I suppose, since I've already fallen this far, and it can't be that much further, that I'd like to go down."

"Down?  She chose down!"

Her ears drooped.  "Was that wrong?"

"Too late now!"  The butterflies parted and let her fall the rest of the way.

She cries out, but the ground was indeed not very far, so she landed without too much injury.

In the castle, Discord jumped out of his throne.

"She's in the Oubliette!"  he snarled.  The goblins laughed and he jerked his head to glare at them.  "Shut up."  His gaze returned to the crystal ball.  "She never should have made it this far.  She should have given up by now!  Everyone gives up."

The ball fell and rolled across the floor with a wave of his hand as he stalked over to Angel.  "You must mean a lot to her, you wretched little thing!  But she'll give up on you.  Just you wait and see."

Angel shook his head.  He knew Fluttershy better than anyone and no matter the cost, her kindness would never fade.

"Pinkamena is about to lead her back to the beginning.  She'll give up when she realizes she has to start all over again."  He started to laugh, then glared at the goblins.  "Well, laugh!"

Discord and the goblins laughed.  Back in the Oubliette, Fluttershy tried to feel her way through the darkness.  She froze when she heard hoofsteps coming her way.

"Hello?  Wh-who's there?"  she called in a tiny, broken voice.

"Me."  Pinkamena struck a match and lit a small lamp she carried to illuminate the room.

"Oh, it's you!"  Fluttershy didn't know whether to feel happy or not.  She hadn't parted on good terms with the pony, but it was nice to see a face that didn't seem to be out to get her.

"Yes, well, I knew you were going to get into trouble the minute I saw you, so I've come to give you a hand.  It just so happens that I know a shortcut out of this whole labyrinth."

Fluttershy shook her head.  "No, I'm not giving up now!  I'm so close, I know it!  I have to rescue Angel."

"It gets a whole lot worse from here on in, you know!"

She eyed the pink pony with some suspicion.  "Why are you helping me?"

"Uh, what?"  Pinkamena rolled her eyes.  "Well, I am, that's all!"

Fluttershy stared at her for a moment, then dropped her head.  "I have to rescue Angel.  It's my fault he's here, and if I leave him here, then that makes me an even more horrible pony.  Don't you understand?"

Pinkamena was silent in thought before she mused, "You're really serious, aren't you?  But that rabbit was so much trouble."

"Oh, but that's just how he is!  When you really care about someone, you're supposed to accept them, even with their little bumps and edges."  Tears started to gloss her eyes.  "I'm the one at fault, because I forgot that, even though he's my best friend!"

Pinkamena's sour demeanor seemed to lift at her words and she turned away.  "Ohh, don't be so mushy!  Fine, fine, I'll take you as far as I can, but no further!"

"Really?!"  She jumped up.  "You will?!  Oh, thank you!"

"You don't have to make such a big deal out of it.  Come on, then."

Fluttershy followed her as the pony went to a bare wall.  She tapped on a few bricks until a door opened up, leading to a narrow pathway that they took.  They walked in silence that was broken by the sound of crystal hitting stone.  From the shadows ahead of them, a crystal ball rolled into view.

Pinkamena cowered back.  "Oh, no!"

A voice called out from the darkness.  "Ah, what have we here?"

The pink pony took a few steps back.  "Nothing!"

"Nothing?"  The voice grew louder, closer.  "Nothing?!"  Discord stepped out of the darkness.  "Oh, nothing, tra la la!"

She tried to smile, but it was crooked and wracked with fear.  "Oh, your majesty!  What a nice surprise!"

Discord looked down at her with disdain.  "Hello, Pinkwart."

"Pinkie,"  Fluttershy corrected.

"Pinkamena!"

Discord rolled his eyes.  "Pinkamena, are you helping this little pony?"

"H-h-helping?"  She looked about as if to look for an escape.  "Nooo, no, definitely not!"

"That's good, because here I thought you were taking her closer to my castle."

"Of course not, that was just a lie on my part!  You know, a good ol' fashioned trickeroo!"

"Really now?"  His voice carried a sarcastic note.  "Is that so?"

"Why yes, of course, your majesty."

He turned his gaze to the pegasus.  "And how about you?  How are you enjoying my labyrinth?"

For Angel's sake, and to try to calm the trembling pink pony, Fluttershy stepped forward with her head high and as much confidence in her voice as she could muster, "It's a piece of cake!"

"Really?"  He raised his hand, holding up an hourglass.  With a snap of his talons, the sand started to pour faster.  "Then how about we up the stakes?"

"Ohh, you can't do that!  That's not fair!"

"You say my labyrinth is a piece of cake, do you?  Then how about this little slice?"  He picked up the crystal ball and threw it behind him before disappearing.

In the near distance, a strange sound started up and began to move closer.

Pinkamena jumped into the air.  "Not the cleaners!  Run!"

"The what?"

"RUN!"

They ran back the way they came, which didn't take them back to the room Fluttershy had fallen into, but was a new path of corridors that Pinkamena furiously navigated.  The pony stopped to kick a wall with her back legs, then pulled Fluttershy into the opening.

Something strange, large, and loud whirled past them.  Once it was a good way's away, Pinkamena let out a heavy sigh, then glared at the other.

"Ohh, you sure got his attention all right!"  She sighed and pulled a ladder out of nowhere, which she leaned against the wall and started to climb.  "Come on, let's get out of here."

Fluttershy remained where she was.  "You're just going to take me back to the beginning."

The pony rolled her eyes.  "Duh, I just said that to throw him off!"

"How can I trust you?"  She still didn't move.

"Look, let me put it this way:  what choice do you have?"

There was no good answer to counter with, so the pegasus started to climb up after her.

"See, you've got to understand the position I'm in.  I'm a coward and Discord scares me."

Fluttershy paused to muse under her breath, "Discord... ?  His name is Discord?"  She shook her head and continued climbing.   "But that's no position at all."

"Exactly!  That's my point!"

Once they reached the top, Pinkamena sat down on her haunches.  "All right, that's as far as I go."

"What?"

"Yup.  I quit!"

Fluttershy lowered her head.  "But you said..."

"I said I'd take you as far as I could, and this is as far as I can!"

"But..."

"There's no use in trying to beg!"

"...  Please?"

Pinkamena stared at her before she gave an exaggerated sigh.  "Okay, fine!  I'll take you a little further, all right?"

Fluttershy started to thank her, but was interrupted by the sound of a belch followed by the roar of fire.  She looked past the pink pony to see a purple unicorn with a baby dragon on her head.

"Ohhh," moaned the unicorn, focusing on a book in front of her.

Fluttershy stepped over toward the unicorn.  "Excuse me, but can you help me?"

The unicorn looked up, startled, and smiled.  "Oh!  A little pegasus."

The dragon atop her head looked around.  "Who?  Who?  Who?"

The unicorn looked at Pinkamena.  "And who is this?"

"My friend," Fluttershy said without a second thought.  She didn't notice the weird look that the pony gave her.

"Oh.  What can I do for you?"  The unicorn closed the book she was reading after marking her page.

"I need to get to the Goblin King's castle.  Do you know the way?"

"Ah," the unicorn said, darting her eyes.

"Ah," the dragon repeated.

The unicorn lifted her gaze to peer at the dragon as best she could.  "Eh?"

The dragon leaned forward to look her in the eyes.  "Eh?"

Blinking, the unicorn looked back at the pegasus.  "Oh, yes.  So, you want to go to the castle?"

The dragon chuckled.  "How's that for brainpower, huh?"

"Be quiet!"

"Ah, nuts."  The little dragon crossed his arms.

The unicorn rolled her eyes and continued, "Sometimes the way forward is the way back."

The dragon raised one hand and mimicked her by flapping his fingers.  "Will you listen to this crap!"

"Will you please be quiet!"  The unicorn stomped a hoof.

"All right."

She raised one eyebrow.  "Okay?"

"Okay."  The dragon crossed his arms again.

"All right."  She looked back at Pinkamena and Fluttershy.  "Quite often, little pegasus, it seems like we're not getting anywhere, when in fact-"

"We are," interrupted the dragon.

She scowled up at him.

Fluttershy was dizzy from glancing up and down to keep track of the conversation.  She put a hoof to her forehead.  "I'm certainly not getting anywhere at the moment..."

"Ha!"  The dragon snickered.  "Join the club!"  He looked down to see the unicorn had opened her book back up and was lost in her studying once more.  "I think that's your lot.  Please leave a contribution in the box."

Fluttershy had nothing on her, and looked to Pinkamena for help, but the pony shook her head wildly.  Looking about, she spotted a small gem on the ground, which she picked up and put in the box.

"Gracias!"

As they walked away, Pinkamena whispered, "You didn't have to give them that.  She didn't even tell you anything!"

The dragon watched them go, chuckling to himself, "Well, well, then.  There goes a couple of suckers."  He sighed and looked down at the distracted unicorn.  She said nothing, solely focused on her book.  He looked around for anything interesting, then rolled his eyes.  "Ah, it's so stimulating being your hat!"