Unholy In Equestria

I seemed to wake up again. It was strange, I didn't remember falling asleep. But I still had to see what Twilight had to say about this. I got up and began walking from my cottage to Twilights library. I reached it in about twenty minutes, but the devastation all around me seemed to make time go much slower. Seeing all the sad ponies trying to rebuild what Demise had taken away from them.

I was happy not to have taken the shadow up on his offer, sure I would have what I wanted back but I wouldn't be able to move on. Moving on was a part of life, although many probably would take him up on the offer to get back what they had lost.

I knocked on Twilight's door, she was suprised to see me.

"Fluttershy!" She said shouting my name from being startled to see me. "Nopony's seen you in two days where have you been?" She asked.

"Um... sleeping, I think." I told her.

"Come in, come in. Apple Jack's asleep right now. I think she's worked herself out helping me with my studies on the Entites." Twilight said.

She let me in and then went back to reading a book. I reamaind silent, I didn't want to disturb her.

She looked over to me staring at the floor.

"Did you need something Fluttershy?" she asked.

"Um... well, no it's not important..." I drifted off.

She looked at me seriously, "Listen, Fluttershy. Right now nothing is more important than what our friends have to say."

I looked up, she smiled.

"OK, well... I had this dream." I began. She listened, I decided to continue.

I told her about how the shadow had offered to bring back Angel, and then how he said it would be in exchange for my kindness.

She gasped, I stopped.

"You didn't sign his contract did you?" she asked hurridly.

"No, of course not. I would never give up my kindness, besides Angel has already moved on. It wouldn't be right to bring him back." I told her.

Twilight went deep into thought.

"What is it?" I asked her.

"If that was Sin, he could have tried hiding his form. He's entering ponies dreams and offering them something in exchange for their element. But if hew can only enter through manifestation of a dream?!" She seemed startled.

She ran through a door to her left, I followed her.

Apple Jack lay on a bed, sound asleep.

"We have to wake her up!" Twilight said, I could tell from her voice it was urgent.

We tried to shake her. We called her name. Twilgiht even tried yelling into her ear, nothing seemed to work. Twilight sighed.

"Oh, it may already be too late!" she said, disheartened.

I watched her for a little, trying to think of a way to comfort her.

"Wait, Twilight." She looked up to hear my suggestion. "Is there um... possibly a way we can maybe... go into Apple Jack's dream?" I asked.

Twilight seemed to think for a bit as if trying to recollect a lost memory of seeing a spell that could allow her to do such a thing.

"YES!" she finally said after some thought. "I was reading about that in Distant Dreams of Dynasty's Past and Present, thank you Fluttershy."

I followed her into her library and watched her pull a book from the shelf and turn to the page.

"OK, the Dream Walking spell. It can allow us to enter a dream, but we have to be careful not to wake the sleeping host up, otherwise we'll end up trapped inside their mind until the next time they fall asleep." Twilight explained.

She looked up to me, "Ready?" she asked.

I nodded. Twilight's horn glowed with it's usual purple aura and I saw a flash of light that blinded me for a moment. When I felt the light was gone I opened my eyes and found Twilight and I were at Apple Jack's farm.

Something was different though, it wasn't like the last time I had seen it. It was as if everything was–

"Back to normal?" Twilight interupted and finnished my thoughts. "What happened here?"

Out in the orchard we watched AJ bucking apples with Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom. Twilight and I galloped over to her.

"Oh, hay gals what'cha'll been up to?" Apple Jack asked us bucking another tree.

"Apple Jack, we need to talk. How is Big Macintosh here their supposed to be–"

AJ shoved a hoof in Twilight's muzzle, she looked her square in the eyes to hush her.

"Listen ya'll, an' listen good. That little green critter come by here made me a nice generous offer, and they don't know they died so keep it down an' there won't be no trouble. Ya hear?" AJ threatned.

Twilight and I cowered beneath Apple Jacks vicious tone.

"Good." she turned and walked away.

"Apple Jack wait!" Twilight stopped her. "You have to listen Apple Jack, this isn't real none of it is. It's a fabricated dream spun out of lies from Sin."

Apple Jack pushed Twilight away, "Even if it is a dream Ah don't wanna live in that world any more. Ah lost everythin' followin' you so Ah ain't goin' back no way no how!"

Twilight seemed hurt by Apple Jacks words.

"Git goin' ya'll don't need me, an' I sure as sugar don't need ya'll any more." Apple Jack spat.

We turned and Twilight took us back to her library.

"That's it, we can't beat Sin. He probably already got the others." Twilight sat down defeated.

I put a hoof at her back trying to comfort her. That's when we heard a knock at the door. I went over and answered it. A familiar pink mare glomped me immediately.

"Oh, my gosh Fluttershy how have you been?" Pinkie said.

"Good, but... uh, I need your help with something." I told her.

I explained the situation to Pinkie who, for once while somepony was telling a story, actually listened.

"I've got just the thing!" Pinkie said pulling out a vial of clear liquid from her saddlebag. "Just a little shot of this and she'll be as peachy as pie," she giggle, "peachy Pinkie Pie, that is."

Fluttershy and Pinkie peeked into the room where Twilight was watching over Apple Jack, a look of failure across her face.

"Y'alright Twi?" Pinkie asked holding the glass in her hooves.

Twilight cleared her throat before speaking, obviously still crying over the loss.

"Mmm, uh, ya." She said. "I just... never thought it would happen like this, beating us so easily and right underneath our muzzles."

"You sound thirsty, here I made punch." Pinkie said smiling happily like always.

Fluttershy wondered what was in the glass that could make Pinkie so confident.

Twilight took the glass and drank it.

"Wow, Pinkie that's great." Twilight paused as if feeling some kind of new wave of emotion, it seemed to make a smile spread across her face.

"Girls, wait!" Twilight said with a sudden pep in her step. "There's still one thing we haven't done yet!"

Pinkie looked to Fluttershy and smiled; but Fluttershy couldn't shake that somehow this was going to be unfathomably risky and, possibly, dangerous buisness.