The Catacombs of Zalgo

Chapter 17: I Want To Be Strong Too

Within the peaceful town of Ponyville, things were quickly returning back to normal. As the sun begun its usual daily rotation, all the ponies resumed their natural every day businesses. Twilight Sparkle and her friends were immediately treated with minor medical attentions. They also were dragged into questionings from the princess herself. Keeping a loyal promise to Jack, they came up with a simple lie. They said that a horrible monster chased them into the Everfree Forest, causing them to get lost in there. They also said that Twilight was knocked unconscious for the full duration of the night. When she regained consciousness, Twilight used her spell to teleport everyone out of the forest and into Ponyville.

They were lucky that they convinced Celestia about the whole situation. With all of their wounds now treated, the mane six went their separate ways. They all made plans to hang out at Fluttershy’s cottage for tonight. Throughout the afternoon, Twilight studied new spells and conjure several chemicals within the Library. Spike was extra active today since he was glad that Twilight was back. He did all of his chores and assisted Twilight on experiments without any complaints.

At Sweet Apple Acers, Applejack went to the orchard land of apple trees with baskets on her back. Apple Bloom kept herself hidden behind the trees to keep an eye on her older sister. Apple Bloom’s mind kept revisiting the events that transpired in her recent nightmare. By just looking at Applejack, memories of the horrific occurrence swarmed her sights. She could see a cloned version of herself, drenched in blood, cutting away her sister’s skin and devouring her insides like a rabid animal. The gore fest was so overwhelming that it made Apple Bloom burst into tears. She may never view Applejack the same way ever again. But she knew that Applejack was safe and sound. And that it was just a nightmare.

Meanwhile, at Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie Pie was busy mopping the kitchen floor, while the Cakes did their daily business. Nothing in particular was happening but a normal day at work for Pinkie. Her mind was as clean as ever; not a single memory was revisited from the horrible events that happened below the surface. A few minutes of mopping, she was done with the whole kitchen. She decided to go on a break and have lunch with Rarity. As Pinkie met with Rarity, Sweetie Belle was forced to be tagged along with her. Rarity was being more overprotective towards Sweetie Belle due to the horrific encounter within the Room of Horror.

Elsewhere, Rainbow Dash was hanging out with her number one fan, Scootaloo. Dash helped Scootaloo to learn how to fly properly, yet they had a long ways to go. While they hanged out, Rainbow Dash tried her best to forget about what happened in the Room of Anger. Seeing her loyal friend being helplessly beaten up by a punk like Gilda made Dash sick. She tried her best to forget that ever happened and moved on with her life.

Everything was turning the way it should be in Ponyville. Every pony in Ponyville was happy and at peace… all for except Fluttershy. She still couldn’t get the memories of Jack out of her head. How Jack’s life went and his decision was too unbearable for her to cope with. She only wished that she had been there for Jack at the very beginning, so that he wouldn’t go through such a horrible life. Ever since she returned to Ponyville, not a single shred of happiness filled her heart. She also wondered why the others aren’t concerned about Jack. It is as if Jack was nothing more but a distant memory to them. As the day passed by, Fluttershy slowly understood the pain Jack had to deal with. She just sat on her couch in her cottage house and did nothing but stare at the ground blankly. The animals in her cottage were worried about her behavior

Angel on the other hand, didn’t care about how Fluttershy felt. He kept getting her attention so that she would feed him. But each attempt failed, as she did and said nothing. This made Angel feel more concerned about her. He tried to get her attention in a friendly way, but she still didn’t respond. This kept going on for an hour until Angel finally gave up. He hopped away and fed himself whatever he could find. As Fluttershy kept thinking about Jack, she knew that sitting here and doing nothing would cheer her up. With a slight sigh in depression, she decided to take a stroll outside. She hoped that taking a nice walk would clear her mind a bit.

As she walked on the dirt road, her head hung low while she was reliving the memories of being with Jack. Questions began to boggler her; the more she compared his life with hers. She didn’t notice that an hour has quickly passed by while she walked. It only felt like a few minutes to her. Also, Fluttershy did not notice that she lead herself to Zecora’s hut. She was amazed to realize that she walked inside the Everfree Forest with no fear at all. This triggered a flashback of Jack stating something to Fluttershy earlier.

Fluttershy was shown to where she met with Jack for the first time.

“Tell me… Fluttershy is it? What place scares you the most besides here?" Jack asked.

“Well umm… th-the Everfree Forest is very scary and very unnatural. There's creepy creatures, the plants grow, animals care of themselves, and the clouds move… all on their own!" Fluttershy shuttered.

"Well… I have some very bad news. This… Everfree Forest you speak of… that place is only a small fraction of what horrors await in this god-forsaken place. This place was originally named 'R'lyeh, The Lost City of Cthulhu'. It’s a place where cults worship and create horrible experiments. But now… it is named, "The Catacombs of Zalgo'. It's literally like hell itself here. Unquestionable terror lurks in every corner of this damned catacomb. A living creature such as yourself this weak will lose your sanity and psyche in an instant. It's one of the most horrific places the universe has to offer. It's like walking through the face of death countless of times. What makes you think you can survive this?" Jack asked.

Then another flashback was triggered to where Jack finished off a wave of enemies single handedly.

"This is just a taste of what we'll be going through this evening. So get used to this kind of stuff, and that Everfree Forest will be nothing but a joke to you.”

Realizing that Jack was right all along made Fluttershy feel a little proud of herself. But it was still not the same as making her feel better. At this point, she knew that it was hopeless to get the memories out of her head. Ready to leave the forest, she turned away and walked straight back to her cottage. As the day was drawn closer to sundown, Fluttershy awaited her friends to come to her home. It only took a few minutes for the whole gang to arrive at the same time. As the evening was young, the ponies chat with one another, discussing their daily businesses. Whilst Fluttershy was sitting alone on the couch, gazing upon the starry lanterns in the skies. As she stared at the night, more memories flashed before her very eyes.

The memories started to where Fluttershy and Jack went off down the foggy hallway.

"S-So… umm… Jack? W-Why are you here?" Fluttershy nervously asked.

"Vengeance. You could say I'm going to settle the score. The reasons why are none of your concerns. It's personal for me only."

“A mysterious person in a black cloak entered our domain and transformed this place into a much darker abyss. Every cultist were either killed or become apart of him. I however, was somehow spared for some reason. I managed to escape ever since and learned that the black-cloaked person was none other than Zalgo himself. He was foolish to let me go and plot my vengeance on him. I had a long and difficult life because of him. And that's why I'm here… to bury my past once and for all… even if I die, it won't matter to me. I can let this world burn for all I care. Vengeance is the only thing that's keeping me alive… nothing more… nothing less."

"I'm sorry your life was hard. But… did you have any friends? O-Or a family that cared about you?" Fluttershy replied.

"Just… don't… mention friendship or love. Those two things betrayed me for a very long time. Having friends is nothing but an illusion… and family… they're just pointless. I don't know anything about those two and I attend to do so… because I believe they're just dangerous emotions and distractions."

Then the memories showed Fluttershy the time when Jack started to confess his way of life.

"The fact that I'm like this is because my life is a living hell! I lived with no contentment, no grace, and no harmony! I wasn't shown ANY mercy, not even the slightest pity was given! This feeble life that weighs on my shoulders is just too unbearable! Everyday is just the same as always! Just a cold and ruthless world I have to endure…"

"Pain… suffering… hatred… fear… sorrow… and despair. Those six things have been torturing my existence ever since. All the comfort in the world was out of my grasp.”

No one ever cared about me. They think I'm just a waste of space in this world. I couldn't fit into their society… and I even couldn't be accepted as a normal person. It was just me… verses the world. It sickens me why I can't just commit suicide. I've tried countless of times… but something's always keeping me away from that. It is as though I'm being forever punished. If only I weren’t this weak and worthless, I would've made a difference right about now. But... I can’t... I can’t escape my fate... it's… it's not fair! I’m just too scared!"

Then the memories flashed to where Rainbow Dash asked Jack an important question.

“Jack? Can I ask you something?” Dash asked, and Jack nodded.

“You said that you wouldn’t protect us if we’re not near your, or facing against those monsters. And yet… you saved Fluttershy with no reason. Why?”

“I… I don’t know. My body… it moved on it’s own. There was no time to think. Frankly, I would've done nothing… but… somehow, my mind rejected me. I’m guessing… what my mind is trying to say… is that you five hold some sort of mysterious connection to me. I don’t know if it’s a bad or good thing… but… from what I’ve seen, it almost makes me feel like that this is my everlasting punishment. And yet, it also makes me feel like I wanted this. It’s so confusing.”

Then the memories flashed to where Jack finally realized the importance of friendship.

“I… I don’t know what to say. Y-You guys… have changed me greatly. In the past, ‘friendship’ was merely a word to me… nothing more, nothing less. But now, since I met with you guys, I realize now that the meaning of that word is now important to me. I can guess that… this world isn’t that half bad after all!”

“I thought that vengeance was my only motivation to continue to live. But now… I have a new motivation. And that’s to protect those who care about me. And to those who have felt the same pain I had. By giving me this motivation, you also gave me hope. I don’t want anyone to live like me… being all alone and hated. And that’s why, with this new motivation, I feel a lot more stronger and more determined to end Zalgo’s plans. I don’t want to risk losing you six. Cause now, you ponies are the only thing that makes me feel happy to be alive. You guys reflect what I should of had in the first place.”

“If only I had more time to spend with you guys… that would be something, wouldn’t it? If only I didn’t have this terrible fate, I would spend the rest of my life with you guys.”

Once the flashbacks were finished, a single tear streamed down Fluttershy’s cheek. She felt like her body was beginning to break down. However, as her depression started to take control of her, something else was brewing up inside of her. Something that just wanted to make Fluttershy to do something. Twilight saw Fluttershy gazing up at the starry sky and decided to ask her a question.

“So, Fluttershy… how are those baby birds we found a few days ago coming along?” Twilight asked, but Fluttershy kept silent. She raised her eyebrow in confusion from her sudden behavior.

“Uhh… Fluttershy?” Twilight asked again, this time more concerned. Fluttershy lowered her head a tad. She tried her best to contain what’s boiling inside her, but proved to be a difficult challenge. Twilight sat up on her hooves and trotted over to Fluttershy.

“Is something wrong?” She said in an uneasy tone. Then, Fluttershy began to mumble softly.

“We have tm grmbk” Twilight quizzically tilted her head.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“I said, we havm tm grmbk…” Fluttershy mumbled even more softly. At that moment, Twilight felt a little annoyed by this.

“Fluttershy, I can’t understand you if you keep mum-“

“We have to go back!!” Fluttershy hastily yelled. Every pony in the room went dead silent. The sudden subject that was brought up stunned them. Every pony looked at Fluttershy with great disbelief. Even Twilight, as she closed her eyes, shaking her head.

“Oooh no… we are not going back to that place again. I’m sorry Fluttershy, but Jack said he’d take care of that guy and-“ Twilight continued, but was cut off by Fluttershy swerving her head around to glare at her friend.

“So do you want to just forget about him?!” She protested. “What if he dies down there alone while we just sit here and pretend like nothing has ever happened?! What if he fails to stop you know who because of the lack of friendship we taught him?!” The feelings towards Jack slowly returned to Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie. Twilight partly understood what Fluttershy was feeling right now, as she tried to talk again.

“But Fluttershy, I-“ But once more, she was cut off by Fluttershy.

“But nothing! He lived a brutal and lonely life all this time! There was NO one… that would even listen to his cries! He’s just like a distant memory that we would eventually forget the moment we left him! But not to me… cause… he’s like me.” At that point, Fluttershy had tears flowing down her cheeks.

“I wasn’t respected or treated fairly because I was regarded weak and helpless! I even couldn’t consider myself as a pegasi since I was totally different from the others. I thought that having friends was enough to live a peaceful life. But now, I know now that friendship wasn’t the only thing I needed. I also needed to become stronger by myself… to believe in myself that one day… just one day… I’ll become stronger like Rainbow Dash. And Jack… he showed me the way. By just looking into his eyes… I could see eyes full of loneliness and indifference… that reminded me of myself.” As she continued on with her true feelings, her voice begun to slowly break apart.

“S-So tell me this. I-If I were in… J-Jack’s place right now… w-would you just… continued to live your lives… while I’m… b-being forgotten?! Jack saved us more times than we could've hoped for… and for what?! T-To just be gone from our memories, not knowing how much pain and suffering he endured all his life!? Is this what you want Jack to think of the word Friendship?!” Fluttershy’s words started to stab the hearts of the ponies. They began to remember what they learned so far about friendship, as tears were pouring down their eyes.

Considering how the power of friendship worked out with the mane six meant that this circumstance could lead them to one of the greatest lessons they could ever come across. While every pony but Twilight silently wept, Fluttershy collapsed to the floor and whimpered inconsolably.

“J-Jack deserves… more t-than friendship. H-He deserves… a second chance in life. S-So that… he can e-experience more things… he hasn’t… c-crossed yet. T-This… this is why… I want… t-to go back! S-So… so it… will be our turn… t-to save him! S-So… that… I can show him… h-how strong he made me! I-I want to save him… l-like a good friend would do! I WANT TO BE STRONG TOO!!” After that emotional speech, Fluttershy stopped talking and continued crying. Rainbow Dash had her head hung low, while her lips quivered. Tear droplets fell out of her eyes, as they hit the floor. Pinkie Pie looked pale, as she hated seeing Rainbow Dash like that. Rarity and Applejack stared at each other’s teary eyes, as to wonder if Fluttershy was indeed right.

Twilight was on the verge of tears, as her friend’s words began to sink in deeply. From all the lessons she’s learned so far, she hadn’t felt this much emotionally affected in her life. She did not know who Jack really was, but from what Fluttershy was expressing made him feel important to Twilight. Thinking of how the battle with Discord went made her realize that friendship was indeed worth fighting for. Now touched by her friend’s words, Twilight had tears running down her cheeks.

She looked away from her for a moment, and stared at herself on the mirror. While gazing into the mirror, she imagined the background as an abandoned cottage. The sky was gloomy colored in dark grey, Fluttershy’s straw roof collapsed, and bitter wind blew through the inside of the cottage. All alone in the forsaken cottage, she imagined broken frames with pictures scattered all around her. The pictures shown Twilight’s friends, as they grouped together in a warming hug.

At that moment, Twilight closed her eyes for a few seconds. Then she reopened them to view herself back into the real world. From what she witnessed, it meant that every pony had abandoned and betrayed each other. It was all because they forgotten one another, destroying their own foundations of harmony. As Twilight finally knew how much pain Fluttershy was experiencing, she hung her head down. Then, she stared back at Fluttershy with a slight sigh.

“You know… you're right. I do believe this is the right thing to do.” Twilight confessed, while she sounded depressed. “But… there’s only one problem.” Fluttershy paused her crying, and stared at her slightly confused. Twilight eyed away for a brief moment.

“We don’t know where that catacomb is. Plus… we don’t know if Jack has already reached towards Za- I-I mean… you know who yet.” As much as Twilight hated to say that, she knew that she was right. And so did the other ponies too. This made every pony even more depressed and hopeless.

Suddenly, there were a few knocks on the door. They were a little surprised that they didn’t expect a visitor at this hour. While the ponies didn’t bother to answer the door, Twilight had to be the one to answer it. She trotted up to the door, and opened it.

However; as she just opened the door to expose whom it was, she lets out a little gasp. Her pupils constrict to terrified points within the big moderate violet irises. As she looked horrified, she stood face to face with an animated skeleton stallion. Twilight screamed in fright; making her retreat back into the corner of the cottage. The other ponies let out a surprising gasp as they stared at the unexpected visitor.

“Aero?!” Every pony shouted in unison. The skeleton stallion waved his hoof in the air.

“Good evening, chapettes! My sincerely apologizes to pop in here unannounced in an inconvenient time!” The ponies were bamboozled by his unexpected arrival. Not to mention how he ever found his way over here. Pinkie Pie was the first to break the awkward silence.

“Boney!! Is that really you?!” She called out. Aero looked up and smiled at his friend.

“Why hello there, dear Pinkie! So jolly good to see you alive and well!” But the greeting was cut short when Twilight ruptured from this awkward reunion.

“W-W-Wait… y-you all… know this guy?!” She asked while spazzing out. Aero eyed at Twilight, who was still in the state of fear.

“But of course, chapette! We met during our time in the catacombs. And I must apologize for frightening you.” Aero replied with a sincere smile. The ponies were still confused to how he managed to find them here. With questions to be asked, Fluttershy wiped her tears off her cheeks, and stood back up.

“H-How did you… find us?” She asked. Aero chuckled softly, as he stepped inside the cottage.

“I followed you here, my dear. I spotted you when you were at some hut within the Everfree Forest. To think I managed to run into you was a one in a million, I say! You see, I also stalked you when we departed. I figured you chapettes were in grave danger, and that you wanted some extra help! But enough about me, I bet you all are wondering about the situation of this Jack fellow!” Suddenly, the ponies let out a heavy gasp of excitement. Especially Fluttershy, as she was excited the most about the news.

“REALLY?! What’s happened to him?! Is he alright?!” Fluttershy asked away, but to strain herself from overdoing the questions. Aero chuckled once more from her curiosity.

“As you might know, Jack is still progressing his way towards his goal. You see, ever since the incident occurred within the catacombs, I recently gathered up a bit of information. During the invasion, the main door leading to The Chamber of Darkness had been sealed off by two more doors. So that the secrets were to be locked away safe and sound! I dare say that the only way to open those two doors is to activate each switch located in two more wings! It’s a half a day process to do so. And if my calculations are correct, I would say that Jack will have that second sealed door open within one hour! If you want to help your dear fellow, I suggest we tallyho on over there!” The exciting news Aero explained hyphened the ponies. With all their despair and sadness dissipating quickly, Fluttershy had one question to ask.

“S-So… you know where the catacombs is?!” She asked excitedly. And to her splendid surprise, Aero nodded.

“Indeed, my dear! We better get a move on if we are to help your friend!” Aero turned around and headed straight towards the door. The ponies got back up their hooves from the thirst for adventure.

“What are we waiting for?! Let’s do this!” Rainbow Dash shouted in enthusiasm. Rarity and Applejack nodded to each other, and went straight towards the door. Pinkie Pie bounced up and down in happiness from the thrill that was about to transpire. It felt like their adventure was about to start, when Twilight suddenly stepped right in front of Aero.

“Wait! We can’t just leave without letting Princess Celestia know where we going! Especially for Spike… I can’t break his heart from what happened… I-“ Twilight’s mouth was covered by Fluttershy’s hoof.

“It’s alright, Twilight. We won’t be gone for long. And besides, Angel here will tell Spike what’s going on.” Fluttershy then looked at Angel with a smile “Won’t you Angel?” The white rabbit nodded his head in approval. Twilight had no choice but to have faith in him, and her friends.

“Alright… let’s make this quick.” Twilight said. Aero nodded his head and galloped out the door.

“Follow me! And quickly, I say!” Aero called back. While Aero dashed off, the ponies followed after him. They hoped that they weren’t too late to help Jack, as time began to tick.