The Catacombs of Zalgo

Chapter 1: A New Threat

The sun was setting on Equestria. A breezy wind blew across the skies while the clouds drifted slowly away. The critters crawled to their homes to prepare themselves for slumber. The sun shone across the fields for a few more minutes before sinking below the horizon. The pony residents were wrapping up after the victory party celebrating Discord's defeat. Ever since Ponyville was freed from Discord’s grasp, things were quickly returning to the way they should be. Here, the six element wielders were taking a small stroll outside of Ponyville, having just left the huge party. They all were having a swell time talking to each other. They shared laughs and smiles all around during the walk. All of their determination and tension from the fight had diminished during the passing day.

"Man! We kicked that dopey Discord's butt really good!" Rainbow Dash emphasised her point by performing three frontal loops in midair. She returned to the earth and chuckled.

"I never knew that the Elements of Harmony were that powerful! It was so awesome the way it turned Ponyville back to normal!" Twilight grinned at the rainbow pegasus.

"Well that's how strong our friendship is!” Twilight explained. “The energy was generated by our love for each other as best friends."

“That really is interesting, I say.” Rarity replied. She looked in her saddlebag that she carried along and searched inside, grumbling quietly. She let out a small gasp.

"Oh good heavens! I know I didn't forget something! But it feels like I somehow did…" Applejack eyed Rarity with a smug grin on her face.

"I think ya'll forgot Tom!" She laughed hysterically. Rarity glared at Applejack, blushing. She then turned her head away from Applejack with an obstinate look on her face.

"Such impudence! I thought we agreed to never speak of that again! Hmph!" She grunted. Applejack and the others giggled sheepishly. Rainbow Dash swooped down to Rarity's level and gave her a friendly nudge.

"Aww come on, Rarity. You got to admit he does look pretty sharp!" She said jokingly. Rarity eyed the ground with her face blooming even redder.

"Well… you're right I guess. He did have smooth edges… and a rough surface." Hiding her feelings from her friends, she looked away again, trying to not look too suspicious. The party pony, Pinkie Pie, bounced up and down happily and ecstatically.

"You wanna know what the best part about this whole thing, you guys? Huh? Huh?! That chocolate milk rain tasted sooooo good!" Pinkie Pie stopped bouncing and sighed with a disappointed face.

"But it's too bad that it’s all gone now. Oh well, I guess I can try to make some of my own sometime!" In a split second she was back to her fully joyful self, humming her favorite songs. Fluttershy, who was walking behind the five, had a regretful face on her. Twilight looked behind her and noticed Fluttershy was falling behind..

"Something bothering you, Fluttershy?" She asked with a helping hoof. The four ponies looked at Fluttershy's sorrowful eyes. Fluttershy looked away from her friends, and trailed her eyes towards the grass.

"Twilight… um… a-about earlier this afternoon… when I was… you know… being cruel to you…. I'm sorry…" She said miserably with her eyes closed. The five other ponies looked at each other sympathetically. Bringing up how negative they were earlier that day made them feel the same sorrow Fluttershy was experiencing. A few moments silently passed away and Twilight was the first to attempt to raise their spirits.

"Hey… don't worry about it. It wasn't your fault. I know you wouldn't do that to anypony ever. Forget about the past… it's behind us now." Twilight spoke in a passionate tone. Fluttershy opened her eyes and smiled right at the purple unicorn. Her heart felt warm once again, knowing everything was going to be all right.

"Thank you… I-" At that moment, Fluttershy darted her eyes to the right and her pupils suddenly shrank to the size of peas. Her smile disappeared, leaving a heavy gasp in its wake. Her body shook in fear as if she had seen a ghost. The five ponies looked at her, confused.

"Ya'll right, sugarcube?" Applejack asked. Fluttershy’s only reply was a big gulp. When they all turned around, everyone gasped in horror. Standing in the pathway was a huge, green lindworm. Its eyes glowed bright yellow as it stared down its prey. The lindworm slowly approached the six ponies by slithering in a wavy motion. Its retractable claws sprang out from the beast's sheath fingers. The monster's mouth slowly opened, revealing its horrific slavering jaws. The lindworm produced a loud and a horrible roar that made the ponies’ manes fly back. Twilight glared at the beast, as she prepared herself to charge at it.

"Girls! You with me?!" She yelled. Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie formed a line and waited for Twilight's signal to charge. However, Fluttershy's body was completely frozen. She felt cold like never before, as she witnessed one of the scariest beasts she had ever laid eyes on. Unable to act, she stood there helplessly like a scared puppy. The tip of Twilight's horn began to glow brightly. She then charged at the lindworm, with her friends following behind. The lindworm hissed and charged at the five brave ponies.

Rainbow Dash swooped in and delivered a pounding kick to the lindworm’s face. The lindworm was fazed a little, and was given a bruise on its forehead. The lindworm swung its tail and swatted Rainbow Dash horizontally, sending her tumbling down to the ground. Then, the lindworm aimed itself at Applejack and prepared to pounce on her. The lindworm sprang up with its elastic body and dived down at the cowpony. The beast opened its maw and prepared to dig its razor sharp teeth into her, but just in the nick of time, Applejack leapt to the side, evading the beast's hungry bite. Then, Applejack leaped on top of the lindworm's neck, gripping its horns. Like a bull ride, its head swung from side to side, trying to fling Applejack off. Applejack lifted her hat up in the air.

"Yeeehaww!! That all you got dirtbag?!" She taunted the lindworm. Pinkie Pie was at the end of the beast's tail, tickling its smooth scales. She giggled innocently as her hooves tried to find its sensitive spot.

"Hehehe! I know you got a tickle spot, mister!" She laughed. Rarity rolled her eyes, despite Pinkie’s randomness, and concentrated her magic on small rocks sitting next to the pathway. Her horn glowed a purplish color, emitting humming sounds. Then, the rocks begun to levitate in the air. Like catapults, Rarity threw the rocks one by one at the side of the lindworm. The rocks were very fragile, as they shattered on impact.

"Take that, you ruthless ruffian! Nugh!" She yelled. But despite her every throw, the lindworm's attention didn't fazed it. Twilight was focusing on her magic by shooting magical beams at the beast, hoping that it would knock it out. But with difficulty aiming, the lindworm kept continuing on struggling to shake the cowpony off its back. While the encounter continued, Fluttershy stood there alone and frozen. She still couldn't move a muscle. Her mind couldn’t cooperate with her, as she tried her best to remove the ghastly image out of her head.

Suddenly, the lindworm's eyes spotted the helpless Fluttershy, frozenl in terror. Taking this opportunity to grab an easy meal, the lindworm boosted its speed dramatically. When Applejack's grips couldn't hold her anymore, she was sent hurling through the air. Applejack plummets on the ground hard, knocking the breath out of her.

Now free from the cowpony’s dominate grip, the lindworm made no hesitations and leapt into the air. It lunged straight towards Fluttershy at great speed. Around that same time, Rainbow Dash got back up on her hooves and spotted the lindworm makes a deep dive towards the helpless yellow pegasus. Dash reached her forearm out towards Fluttershy.

"Fluttershy! MOVE!!" Rainbow Dash called out to her. But Fluttershy didn’t respond as she looked at the face of death from above, with a tear trailing down her cheek. The lindworm's shadow grew bigger by every passing second. With no second to waste, Rainbow Dash started to run towards Fluttershy.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?! MOOOOVE!!" She screamed again while her speed increased dramatically. The beast's maw opened wide; revealing hundreds of razor sharp teeth waiting to sink into Fluttershy's skin. At that sight, Fluttershy's eyes rolled up, making her body to tilt towards the side. The fear overwhelmed her, as she almost lost conscious.

Seeing that Fluttershy was on the verge of death, Rainbow Dash immediately took flight, now picking up at maximum speed. In a split second, the lindworm's maw encased Fluttershy and snapping it shut completely. But not until Rainbow Dash barely escaped the jaw of death with Fluttershy being pushed to the side. The two pegasus ponies tumbled down the grassy hill with their bodies bouncing up and down. When the two reached the bottom, they stopped rolling. Rainbow Dash's head tilted from side to side from the dizziness. When she recovered from the dizziness, she glared at Fluttershy who was getting up from the tumble.

"What the hay is wrong with you?! You could've gotten yourself killed!" She cried out angrily. Fluttershy lowered her head and looked in a different direction.

"I… I… I'm so sorry… I was just…" At that moment, she was interrupted by the sound of the lindworm's terrifying roar. Its eyes looked from side to side, and quickly spotted Fluttershy again. The beast was about to make another attempt to lunge at its prey, until Twilight stomped her hoof down, shooting a glare at the lindworm.

"Okay, this has gone on long enough!" She growled. Aiming her horn at the beast, she steadied her shot and blasted a beam. The beam then made a direct hit at the lindworm’s head. The lindworm roared in pain as the force pushed it to the side. But just before it could collapse to the ground, Twilight used her magic to cease the falling. Using the power of her magic on her horn, Twilight focused her thoughts and encased the lindworm in a purple glow. It gently floated ten feet up in the air. Twilight's horn glowed ever so brightly that it made her teeth clenched. A blood vessel rose from her forehead, as pressure was being pushed into her brain. With one mighty yell, Twilight flung her head towards the side and tossed the lindworm flying off to the distance with great speed. The beast's roar echoed as it flew across the borders. Upon the beast’s departure, Pinkie Pie waved her forearm.

"Bye, bye Mr. Lindworm! Hope we get to see you again soon!" She giggled innocently. Rarity rolled her eyes once more at Pinkie's unnatural behavior. After a few seconds of regrouping, every pony looked at Fluttershy, who was whimpering quietly. Rainbow Dash shook her head disappointingly.

"Fluttershy… I know you were scared. But, I was way more scared than you when you were about to be eaten alive. You've got to be stronger than this. You once stood up against a giant red dragon for us. You even stood up against a giant manticore that looked so terrifying, and you showed it kindness. You need to gather your strength and face your fears head on!" Rainbow Dash went up to Fluttershy and gave her a slight hug. Fluttershy's tears trailed down from her cheek, to her friend’s shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, Rainbow Dash. I know I should have leaped out of the way. But… I couldn't move. It was one of the most frightening things I've ever seen in my entire life." Fluttershy quietly spoke, weeping away under Dash's head. Applejack gave a short chuckle and stroked Fluttershy's mane.

"Ah know how ya feel, pumpkin. But you're not always alone. We all got each other’s backs and there ain't nothin' that will put us down. If the situation seems hopeless, don’t you go and believe it. You will always have us no matter what situation we're in." Rarity placed her hoof on Fluttershy’s cheek and smiled.

"That's right, sweetie. And no matter what happens, no matter what the situation is, or how scary and frightening it looks, you have to face your fears, darling. We're always here to comfort you in your desperate time of need." Pinkie Pie sits down next to Fluttershy, as she smiled so brightly.

"And don't forget to laugh at anything that scares you! Laughter is the best medicine you could ever ask for!" The party pony exclaimed proudly. Twilight nodded at Pinkie Pie and stared at Fluttershy.

"The point is, Fluttershy… you've got to stand up for yourself and help your friends. I don't know what we would do without you. You've taught us so much about kindness, and we couldn't have gotten this far without your help. We love you so very much." From all the comforting comments being given, Fluttershy's spirit slowly rose. She sniveled and smiled at the gang.

"T-Thank you…" She softly mumbled in happiness. Rainbow Dash released Fluttershy from her grasp and produced a tiresome yawn.

"*Yawn* Alright, why don't we all go back home and… and… WHAT THE?!" Dash suddenly yelled in fright, while looking behind the gang. Every pony was puzzled for a brief moment, before they looked behind each other. At that point, every pony gasped in horror once more. Behind them were three humongous undead brutes, cobbled together with mounds of decayed flesh. Their jaws were almost completely dismembered as the jawbone still dangled on the skin. Handful of intestines hung out of their mouths, with blood leaking out of the throat. They had over bloated muscles with huge hands. Their empty eye sockets bled black blood, as it trailed down their faces. And they had several jagged gaps on parts of the body. The stench was so overwhelmingly horrible, that it almost made the ponies gag.

The three abominations gurgled in a disgusting sound, as they stared down at the ponies with their red piercing eyes. All six ponies were incredibly shocked and horrified from the sight of the hideous creatures. Every pony was shaking uncontrollably from top to bottom. Suddenly, one of the abominations made a powerfully swift punch at Applejack, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash. The fist was so huge, it made contact with all three ponies at once. All three were knocked back a few feet away, while their bodies slid on the ground unconscious. Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy looked behind and gasped in shock. But just as they turned back around, the second abomination used both of its grotesque hands and collided Rarity's and Pinkie Pie's head together in a brutal clash. Both ponies grunted in pain for a split second before being knocked out cold.

Fluttershy gasped once more as her remaining friends fell unconsciously. From that moment on, she was left frozen and helpless, while whimpered in fear. Already fresh tears came streaming down her eyes. All three abominations stood over the poor and defenseless pegasus with emotionless expressions. Their cold eyes fractured Fluttershy’s sanity, leaving her wide open for an attack. At that moment, one of the abominations reached over Fluttershy's mane and gripped the scalp of her hair with brute force. Fluttershy screamed in agony as she squirmed to get free. Tear droplets bounced off of her cheeks, while her face swerved from side to side.

The abomination lifted her body up in the air, making the pain much intense. The weight of her body added more stress to her scalp. Suddenly, the abomination delivered a brutal uppercut to her stomach and face. The force of the punch knocked the wind out of her. This silenced the gentle pegasus, making her gag quietly. Blood suddenly ran out of her nostrils and mouth. The pain was so overwhelming, that her conscious started to leave her. At that point, Fluttershy's hearing, feeling, and sights faded.

"Uuuuuhhh… whah…" Fluttershy weakly mumbled, as she began to regain consciousness. Her vision became a blurry picture while her body felt numb. Within a few seconds of letting her body adjust, she could feel the cold temperature surrounding her body. While her body was just being brought back to life, she couldn't remember what in Equestria had just happened.

"What… happened? Where am I…?" She mumbled. Fluttershy tried to see clearly and wondered to herself what had just happened to her at the same time. When her vision starts to become clearer, Fluttershy looked around her surroundings. It was a dark, foggy, eerily, and quiet room. The room was made from ancient brick stones with some rusty dungeon chains attached to the wall, along with a closed wooden door on her right. She also smelled an awful stench surrounding the whole area. On her right was a dried up humanoid corpse that had been chained up on the wall with a little bit of flesh still intact.

Witnessing where she was now, the yellow pegasus started to shiver in fear. Trying to move her body, Fluttershy found her waist strapped on by a huge metal shackle. She also noticed that all four of her legs were strapped on the floor by shackles. Every movement she made, it gave off a burning sensation underneath the shackles. She could feel hundreds of hooks attached to her skin, letting small trails of blood running down her yellow fur coat. She tried her best not to whimper in pain. But it proved to be no use, as Fluttershy begun tearing up. Her heart was racing like a mad bull. Her eyes darted in every direction.

"Oh no… oh no… no no no… where am I?" Fluttershy hyperventilated. She cuddled herself up, closed her eyes, and whimpered as quietly as she could. Her heart sank to her stomach, and her blood ran cold. But at the same time, she thought of her friends. Could they be alright? Or are they hurt? Her thoughts went on all by themselves as the scared pony continued to cry. But just then, she heard squeaking noises coming from the other side of the room. Her eyes shot wide open.

"W-Who's th-there?!" Fluttershy squeaked in fright. When her eyes adjusted to the fog, she spotted a rat on the other side of the room, chewing on an object. Knowing her good talents in making friends with critters and animals, her heart cheered up a bit. Maybe that rat could help her out and keep her company.

"U-Uum… e-excuse me… mister rat? C-Ccould you…" Just before Fluttershy could finish, the rat turned its head around along with the object it was chewing on. It revealed a plagued rat with blackened eyes, decayed skin, and a missing tail. The object the rat was chewing on was the head of another plagued rat, with its vertebral artery still intact with its head. Fluttershy quickly gasped in horror from the disturbing sight. The plagued rat dropped the corpse and slowly stalked towards Fluttershy with a dark hiss. She curled back up and started to whimper again. The rat glared at her with eyes of hunger. Fluttershy’s eyes widened with fear as she stared directly into the hungry predator’s black and lifeless eyes. But just before the rat could move any closer, the wooden door suddenly creaked open. Fluttershy's attention was drawn towards the crack of the door. The plagued rat made a sudden retreat, as it ran back into its hole, along with its meal. Standing at the other side of the door was an obscure humanoid figure looking directly at Fluttershy.