The Nightmaresby KumishyChaptersChapter One: It BeginsChapter Two: Just a DreamChapter Three: Sugarcube CornerChapter Four: The Pink-quisitionChapter One: It BeginsFluttershy yawned as she tucked and put the last of her animal friends to bed. “Good night Angel.” She smiled softly. For once the normally fussy bunny didn't argue. He had had a long day of bossing all the other critters and Fluttershy around. He just turned over promptly into sleep. She smiled lightly, trotting over to her own warm bed. The day had been long but full of nothing but good things. A picnic with the girls, lots of laughter and joking around. It had been such a nice day, one that they hadn't wanted to end. She smiled to herself again, opening up the bed. But for now she was tired. A yawn crept across her features. Climbing in, Fluttershy snuggled under her blanket. Soon she was fast asleep. ~*~ Laughter. Cruel and malicious laughter echoed around where she stood. Her eyes snapped open. Somepony's laughter had startled her. At least she thought it was a pony. 'What was that?' she wondered.'Or rather who was that?' Other than her animal friends, she lived alone. Fluttershy looked around, trying to find the source of the laughter. There was no pony else around. So why was her heart pounding like this? That was when she realized she wasn't where she had fallen asleep. Where was her cozy cabin with her bed? She clambered up, trying to collect her limbs underneath her. They were shaking enough that walking forward was tough. She looked around, her stomach plummeting. It looked like the distant walls around her were made up of dirt and stones. Fluttershy could see things with many legs crawling up and down. While she loved all creatures, there was something about these that made her wary. “Where am I?” she said to herself. 'And more importantly, how do I get home?' she wondered. Fluttershy jumped when the voice she had heard laughing responded to her questions. “You're in the Underground Cemetery my dear.” There was a snide quality in his (she could only assume it was a guy) voice. Her legs buckled under her. “And the only way out is to climb. All the way up here.” She craned her neck back, trying to see the top. It was much too high for that to actually work. The top was too high for her to see from this angle. Surely she could fly up there. While she wasn't the strongest flier in Equestria, she could do it. Until she glanced into the dark pit underneath her. Her wings snapped to her sides, refusing to cooperate. Should they falter in flight, she would fall who knew how far. And who knew what was down there? While frozen in fear, a crackling and crumbling sound caught her ear. “Oh, did I mention the tower is collapsing as we speak? I suggest you climb if you want to live.” The voice laughed. Fluttershy looked down in time to see some of the foundation below her fall into the darkness. That sent the pegasus into a panic. She had to climb to safety since her wings didn't want to work. Taking a deep breath, and placing one hoof in front of the other, she began to climb. The progress she made was slow at first, having no real idea of how this would work. All she needed was one wrong step and she would fall to her doom. But if she started panicking, surely she would lose her footing. After she made it up a little ways, she saw another chunk of the tower fall out from beneath her. “Keep calm, what would the girls tell you?” she whispered to herself. Fluttershy tried to remember. Twilight would be saying that they should be much farther along by now. Rainbow Dash would probably be goading her by flying to the top if not poking fun at her for being so scared. Pinkie would tell her it's just a hop, skip, and a jump. If only she was here with her now... Her cerulean eyes widened at that thought. 'It's not very far, just move your little rump. You can make it if you try with a hop, skip, and a jump.' Pinkie's sing song voice made it's home in her mind. “Okay.” she breathed. Another row below fell, but she was on the move. She climbed on one block before hopping to the next. Then the skip. The end was in sight. She could feel her eyes tearing with relief. Fluttershy jumped, landing on the threshold of a big imposing blood red door. She didn't take the time to marvel at the size nor time to think how someone made it that color. She pulled on the handle with all her might. It opened, white light flooding her vision. ~*~ She awoke with a jolt. Her limbs and wings were still shaking with the adrenaline that she had used climbing the tower, or whatever that thing was. But when she looked around, she noted that she was in her cottage, in her bed. How strange. It had all felt so real. She looked around, even touching the blanket and her pillow to make sure everything was real. It was. But that place...it had felt so real as well. What was going on? Angel was tapping his foot from where he stood by her bed. She was late with his breakfast. “Oh my, I'm so sorry Angel. I'll be right there.” Fluttershy assured him. He let out a small huff, hopping off towards the kitchen. She got up, checking herself. Nothing seemed to be hurt. She tested her wings, spreading them from her body. They snapped open like nothing was ever wrong with them. That was a relief. Her wings had finally been able to separate from her body. Relieved, she started to go about her day. But the dream of that place kept nagging at her in the back of her mind. She banished the thoughts. That had all been a dream. Nothing more... Chapter Two: Just a DreamAfter taking care of her animal friends, Fluttershy headed out to meet up with the girls in town. She had decided after quite a bit of thought, to not mention the dream. That was all it was, just a dream after all. Though as she walked along, she tried remembering specific things about the dream. Fluttershy frowned when she realized how fuzzy it was. Perhaps it was for the best. The only things that she could recall with any sort of clarity was that she had been scared and that her heart had been pounding. “Why the long face sugar cube?” Applejack's southern drawl brought Fluttershy back from her thoughts. “Oh, nothing.” The quiet pegasus hid behind her hair just a bit. There was no point in explaining it. “You need to turn that frown upside-down!” Pinkie's chipper voice bubbled in her other ear. That caused Fluttershy to smile. Her friends always made her feel better. Besides, it was just a dream after all, no need to worry the girls. ~*~ She turned in for the night after a long day with the girls. Pinkie Pie had been planning a party that would take place in a day or two; which was interesting...Pinkie hardly ever needed more than an hour to plan any pony's party. This must be some real shindig to cause the party pony to do so much planning. Fluttershy stifled a yawn. Between the day and the nightmare, she was tuckered out. She was sure that tonight would be vastly better than last. No nightmares, just sound, blissful sleeping. She climbed into bed, her eyes already closing as her head hit the pillow. ~*~ “Ah, there you are my dear, dear Fluttershy.” The voice was back. Her stomach twisted at the sound. 'Please, please, please let me be imagining things.' She begged. This couldn't be happening again. “My my, you look tired. Such a shame, because you have a long climb ahead of you. If you want to survive that is.” The voice said. She already knew there was no point in looking to see the top. Like last night, it would be high out of sight. Swallowing, she turned to face the first few steps. “You seem much more emboldened since last night. Or perhaps you've just resigned to your fate. You'll be forever climbing in search of your freedom.” A breeze blew around her, whipping her hair from her face. The voice was louder when it spoke this time, as though the pony was right next to her. He spoke into her ear. “Welcome to the Prison of Despair my dear little Fluttershy.” With that, he was gone. The twisting in her stomach was starting to turn into a full blown knot. She would need someone to actually help her untwist it later. Once she escaped this nightmare. Fluttershy stepped up, knowing that she had no choice but to climb. After climbing a few rows of blocks, she heard that rumbling noise. 'The tower must be crumbling again.' she guessed. She refused to look down at the darkness, afraid of what she would see. “Is that the best you've got? That's pathetic.” Her ears pricked up. That sounded like Rainbow's voice. Wasn't it? “Why don't you fly up there? You're a pegasus after all. Aren't you?” That was grating and goading on her nerves. Of course she was! But how can you expect a pegasus to fly when they're too terrified of what could possibly happen? A stone crumbled a few inches below her hoof. If she didn't get moving soon, she'd fall with the tower. Panic was starting to swell again in her stomach. What would happen if she fell now? Would she die? There was a grumbling sound that was growing louder. She hopped up onto another block as the ones she had been standing on crumbled away. No, she couldn't die.She had to prove to Rainbow Dash that she was a true pegasus. That her wings weren't just for show. She could fly just as well as any others. This was a dream. Just a dream. Right? But the danger felt so real to her. Fluttershy climbed, her limbs still trembling. As much as she wanted to believe what she was telling herself, she didn't want to tempt her fate. Just like the night before, she saw a huge blood red door. A wave of relief hit her. There was the way out. She made her way quickly to the door, praying that she could escape. But then there was a rumbling. The stones she had been about to step on crumbled and fell into the darkness. There was now a gap that was too big to jump. The color drained from the young mare's face. This was it. She would die here. Panic washed over her, tightening her wings to her body. There had to be a way. Her mind flashed to Twilight. What would she do in this situation? When there is no way, she would make a way with her magic. But Fluttershy had no magic to draw on at the moment. She had to draw on her cleverness. There had to be some way to bridge the gap. Then it hit her. A bridge. She needed to make a bridge. She hopped down to the stone in front of the one she had been standing on. With a mighty push of her hind legs on the block fueled by adrenaline, it moved the block. As if by magic, it stayed attached to the edges of the blocks to make her bridge. With a cry of success, she climbed up, and yanked the door open. The light flooded her vision yet again. There was a sensation of falling... Fluttershy woke up. She had fallen out of bed in a tangle of her blankets. But she was home. These dreams were getting out of hand. She had to tell the girls. Maybe they would be able to come up with something, anything that could possibly help her. Or they could reject the idea of something like this ever happening. But she wouldn't know if she didn't try. Shaking, she went about making a cup of tea. Even though it was early, barely dawn, there would be no more sleep. Not until she spoke to the girls. Chapter Three: Sugarcube Corner“Oh my dear, dear Fluttershy. You look simply awful.” Rarity said when the girls were meeting in the lovely bakery that was owned by the Cakes. They were waiting on their cupcakes to be ready so they could feast on the sugary goodness. Fluttershy perked her head up at Rarity's words. A yawn escaped her when she went to answer her. “I'm fine, really.” “You don't seem fine Sugarcube.” Applejack said, peering at her friend with concern. “Have you been sleeping enough?” “Not enough sleep causes problems with your health. You should really try to get more of it.” Twilight said in her best lecture voice. She took a deep breath, ready to embark on the tirade of what would or could come from the lack of sleep. “I'm getting enough sleep.” Fluttershy murmured. It took all her effort to not rest her head on the table. She had slept, but the sleep had not been restful. Until this past couple nights, she hadn't thought such a thing was even possible. But it was. “It's just....not quality.” “By not getting enough sleep, you run the risk of your focus not being as clear as it could be, your memory takes a turn for the worse, you can't remember things, you compromise your immune system-” Twilight was rattling off. But no pony was paying her attention. “Maybe you should go to bed earlier.” Rarity suggested. “Fine fillies like us require plenty of beauty sleep.” “Shoot, no. What she needs is a long hard day of work. It'll tucker her right out into a nice deep sleep.” Applejack was suggesting. “Even worse, your higher reasoning and problem solving are compromised. And once that's gone who knows what'll actually happen. What if you can't help animals like that? You can't think quickly enough to save a poor bouncing baby bunny from a timber wolf?” Twilight continued as though no pony had interrupted her in the slightest. “You want our delicate little Fluttershy to toil away bucking apples like some common farm hand? That's just absurd!” “Delicate? Shoot Rarity, you're the only one that objects to getting her hooves dirty!” Applejack huffed a bit, her forelegs slamming down onto the table. “Ah girls-” Fluttershy attempted to rein them in. But as usual, she was too quiet to be noticed. “Not to mention the other health problems. And emotional stress. High blood pressure, you'll get irritated more easily-” “Girls-” “Excuse me? I've gotten my hooves dirty plenty of times!” “And right afterwards went straight for a hooficure! How petty can a pony be? Looks aren't everything you know-” “Girls!” Fluttershy managed to raise her voice over her babbling friends. They stopped, looking at her with slight shock on her face. She felt bad, but it had needed to be done. The girls fell quiet, looking at the normally soft spoken mare. She lowered her gaze to the table. “I just....haven't been sleeping that well. And um...” Her hind leg pawed nervously at the ground. “I think...I think I've been having nightmares.” She shivered, still unable to recall the specifics of the nightmares that had woken her in sweats. That stopped some of the arguments. The girls exchanged concerned looks. “They're just dreams Sugarcube.” Applejack said, patting her on the back. Fluttershy lowered her gaze to the floor. “Yeah...I guess so...” She returned to her cottage a little bit before sunset. The girls had spent the afternoon after that conversation talking animatedly about the party that Pinkie was putting together. She and Rainbow had been busy as of late, which was why they hadn't joined them at Sugarcube Corner. Fluttershy sighed, her shoulders slumping ever so slightly. Hadn't they learned the lesson about taking a friend's concerns into consideration? Multiple times now that she thought about it. So why now were they brushing away her concerns? Maybe they were just nightmares. Angel came over, tapping his foot impatiently. “Oh, I'm sorry Angel. Dinner will be ready in a moment.” She offered him a smile. What she got in response was a food bowl to the face. “Angel-” He huffed, stomping his foot. A bit irked at his insistence, she went over to fill it with the lovely greens he adored. Once filled, she brought the bowl to him. “There you go Angel.” She smiled, hoping that he wouldn't be that angry. Angel turned, snubbing her until she stepped away. Then once she had walked away, he dug in, his hunger winning over. Fluttershy glanced at the sky, watching the sun set. She was so exhausted. Not wanting to suffer through another nightmare, but the exhaustion creeping over her body, she passed out on her bed. “Well well well, welcome back little pegasus. Tonight's floor is the Torture Chamber. I hope you're ready to be pushed to your limits.” The disembodied male's voice spoke. She frowned, looking upwards. Something was different about this night. Somepony shoved her. Fluttershy stumbled slightly to the left. Then somepony shoved her to the right. She almost fell, her wings unable to help her maintain balance. “H-hey-” she squeaked out. That was all rather rude. But then she looked closely at the ponies that had pushed her. They weren't ponies at all! Sheep with curly horns that were kept close to their heads were ambling along towards some great big door that no doubt would bring them to the Torture Chamber. Why were they going so willingly towards what seemed like doom? Looking around, she ascertained that it was because there was no other way out. “Um, excuse me-” she squeaked. No pony or sheep paid her any mind. All they did was push her along in the swell of the crowd towards the door. This would be a long night. Once through the door, she saw the huge structure that was in the center of the room. There were already sheep climbing, presumably to freedom. At least now she wasn't so alone. Maybe they would be kind and lend a hoof. She swallowed hard, looking around at the walls. There were all sorts of chains and various torture devices that made her stomach twist and turn. Distantly, she heard moans and screams of pain. Hopefully that was just her imagination acting up to the sights of the instruments of destruction. She heard a crumbling noise. Fluttershy had to get moving unless she wanted to fall. So she started to climb. Fortunately or unfortunately, the sheep that were climbing with her were moving blocks and stones in a panic to climb. This led to some tricky maneuvering. Fluttershy looked critically at the path made by the sheep. If they kept going like this, they would come into a dead end. She took a deep breath, using all her strength to push a block over two block lengths. This would help make a better path. A rumbling sound broke her conversation. Fluttershy looked down to see stones fall into the darkness. She had to keep going. The climb was unsteady, the occasional block crumbling under her hoof. With a worried look, she kept climbing. The only way was to keep going. A sheep's surprised and frightened bleat broke through her concentration. He had fallen from another sheep panicking and pushing him out of the way. He was a level below she was. Fluttershy reached down, offering him her hoof. “Grab on.” She wasn't as strong as Applejack or Rainbow Dash, but she didn't want to see him fall to his doom. He was too scared to grab on right away. By the time he reached out to take her hoof, the ground beneath him fell, dragging him down to the dark depths. She watched in horror as that happened. Fluttershy closed her eyes, trying to summon her courage. She needed to continue, lest she join him in the darkness. So upwards she climbed, pushing a block every now and then to keep going. Eventually she reached a huge door. Relief flooded her. This meant the nightmare was over for the night. She opened the door with a mighty tug and stepped through. Instead of waking up like she anticipated, there was an open area with what looked like pews from a church, sheep milling around and a confessional building structure as the main feature of the room. Fluttershy blinked. This was...new. Why hadn't she woken up? What was going on here? Feeling more nervous and unsure than before, she approached a sheep. “Um, excuse me-” “Bug off.” He snarled at her. He was visibly trembling from head to toe. “I just want to climb and get out of here. No time for distractions.” “Oh I'm sorry.” She hid behind her hair. Not all of the sheep seemed to share his exact sentiment. Some of them were clustered together, whispering. But they all shared one thing. Fear. She felt it too. And the anxiousness of everyone waiting. She could cut it with a knife. Not sure who else to talk to at this time, she approached the confessional. Poking her head in, she noticed a grate against the one wall directly to her left. But on the wall facing her as she entered was a painting. Squinting hard at the painting, she almost panicked. It looked like...like her. Being nailed to a tree. Her wings and hooves were pinned and her mane covered her face. It was horrifying. “Well well, I'm impressed you made it this far.” The voice purred. Fluttershy jumped. “Who are you?” The voice tutted at her. “Now now, I'm the one who'll ask the questions here.” He almost sounded amused. “Now tell me Fluttershy...Is popping bubble wrap fun?” “Is...what?” She blinked, confused. Why was he asking her such a thing? As she was pondering why, two ropes with notes tied to them dropped down from the ceiling in front of her. One read 'Hell Yes!' and the other said 'What a Waste'. She blinked. “Choose wisely. For if you survive...” The voice said, laughing too much to finish the statement. She flinched at what he could have meant. Fluttershy frowned, considering her options carefully. “Um...I guess it's...fun.” She paused. Taking the rope into her mouth, she pulled it. “Ah...so you took that route. I see...” the voice said. There was a small snap and a rumble. Fluttershy braced herself as the room she was in started to travel upwards. Maybe this was the way out? “Prepare yourself for the next stage of this floor. There's still more torture to come.” Then an evil laugh made her ears flatten against her head. The room was shaking until it finally came to a stop. “Go on. The real torture is about to begin.” Grateful for getting out of that room, Fluttershy stepped out onto yet another tower of blocks. 'Not again...' she thought, wondering how exhausting this would be. But there was a door on the top, there had to be. Nothing else to do but climb again. Just as she stepped up on the first block, there was a rumbling sound. Her eyes widened. The tower couldn't be falling already. Giant white ears preceded the rest of a body that she recognized. The color drained out of her face. “Angel-” There was an un-bunny like roar that came from him. He slammed his paws down on the blocks, shaking everything they were connected to. Clutched in one paw was an empty bowl. That was making it's way to where Fluttershy stood. Quicker than ever before, she climbed upwards. The bowl connected with the block she had just been standing on. It smashed to pieces. Shaking, but grateful she had enough sense to move, she climbed. Angel was becoming more and more furious with her, throwing his tantrum and his empty food bowl at her. Fluttershy climbed, desperate to escape. After a long climb and many broken blocks later, the end was in sight. She made to climb up the block that was connected to the block that bore the exit door. Hope was filling her. The food bowl crashed down, destroying the adjoining block. She stopped quickly, almost falling off the edge. Angel was clambering up, ready to strike her down for missing his dinner time. Fluttershy backed away to the edge of the block she was on. If she didn't escape quickly, she would die here. Her blood ran cold. What would happen if she died in the dream? Surely she'd be alive when she woke up right? Given how these dreams had progressed so far, she wasn't sure she wanted to risk that. Taking a deep breath, she spread her wings. She only had one shot. Taking a running leap as the food bowl was crashed down onto the block she had been standing on a moment ago, Fluttershy flapped quickly, and managed to barely grab onto the edge of her goal. She pulled herself up, her limbs all trembling from the effort. The blood red door stood there, waiting to be opened. Angel reared his head, opening his mouth as though to eat her. She yanked open the door, letting bright white light flood through. He let out a squeaking scream and vanished. Fluttershy stepped through the door. Just like that, she stirred, her heart pounding in her chest. It was a little past dawn in Equestria. Angel was snoozing away in his empty food dish, his tiny tummy distended from all the veggies he ate the night before. Fluttershy sank down into her bed wearily. This was getting ridiculous. Something had to be done. These nightmares were getting out of hoof. But where and what could be done? Chapter Four: The Pink-quisitionFluttershy had no plans for the bulk of the day, which was fortunate in her case. The nightmares that had been plaguing her night after night without end were starting to drain her. The animals in her care were starting to notice it. A squirrel came over to her after she filled their bowls for lunch. He placed his paw on her hoof to draw her attention downwards. His small face with filled with unspoken concern. “I'm alright.” she offered him a small smile. While she spoke the words, she knew she wasn't telling him the truth. She only wished she could convince herself as much as she was him. Fluttershy ushered him back to eat before yawning. She really did need a nap or something. Did ponies drink coffee? Because she was feeling the need for a double shot of the hot caffeine. Just as she was considering going back to bed for a little bit of shut eye, there was a knock at her door. Her plan ruined, she went to the door. Maybe if this could be dealt with quickly she could sleep. But to her dismay, she knew there would be none of that when she opened the door to a bouncing Pinkie Pie. “I need your help! I need to set up the party and Rainbow Dash is nowhere to be found.” The pumped up pink party pony claimed. Fluttershy blinked. “Why do you need my help?” she asked. Not that she was one to turn down a friend in the need of help. It just seemed a bit strange that she was the first one to be asked when Rainbow couldn't be found. “Well duh,” Pinkie rolled her eyes but grinned all the same. “I need to finish decorating for the party tonight! And I need to get decorations waaaay high up there. I can't quite do it myself unless I use the party canon but I already used it and missed some spots sooo...” “Ah alright.” Fluttershy agreed. “Great! This'll be the best party ever! Maybe in all of Equestria!” Pinkie was so cheerful. She started bouncing up the path leading back towards Ponyville Proper; Fluttershy tailing her. What she wouldn't give for a bit of Pinkie's energy. They arrived in a hall that was mostly decorated save for some spots closer to the ceiling. Pinkie Pie had clearly been working quite hard to put this party together. The colors were not her normal vibrant pinks and blues, but rather a more sedate and regal dark blue, purple and black scheme. “Um, Pinkie, who's this party for?” Fluttershy asked. The party pony was busy setting her with streamers and balloons to fill in the bare spots. “It's a surprise party for Princess Luna.” she beamed proudly. “Princess Celestia requested it a few weeks ago.” Fluttershy's eyes widened a little. A surprise party for a princess? Right here in Ponyville? No wonder Pinkie Pie had been putting a lot more time in planning this than any other she threw. This was a huge deal. “Oh my...I see.” Pinkie nodded, sending her up to finish the decorating. Fluttershy put the streamers up in a way that it mirrored the rest of Pinkie's decorations. The balloons were placed strategically as well. “Yeah, it's a pretty big deal. But the party is going to be amazing! We hired the best DJ in all of Equestria to cover the music, Applejack's making all the sweets...” Fluttershy landed, looking around at the room. It was rather well set for the party. “And best of all, all of us are going to party with princesses!” Pinkie finished. “Ah right.” Fluttershy offered a smile. Hopefully the party would make her forget the nightmares. Maybe even tire her out enough that the dreams wouldn't happen. If she got lucky. The day wore on quickly, faster than Fluttershy would have liked. She was still so tired. But the emotions that were building towards the party were highly anticipated. It built her up to a point that she was awake even though she knew there would be a crash coming soon after. Guests started arriving, chattering happily. There were all sorts of ponies from Ponyville, and even some from Canterlot. Pinkie hadn't been making it up. This would be a party for the record books. Even Princess Cadence and Shining Armor had come in for the event. There was all sorts of polite chatter going on, some ponies getting punch that had been specially made for the party. A hush fell over the crowd when Princess Celestia stepped into the room. Almost everypony bowed, a show of reverence for their Princess. Her mane like always was flowing. But instead of the kind smile she almost always had on her face, it was replaced with a look of worry. Twilight trotted over to her. “Princess Celestia, what's wrong?” Her faithful student asked. She bowed her head slightly to speak only to Twilight. No one else heard the words she spoke until Twilight's eyes widened. She took a few steps back, looking rather shocked. “No...that can't be right.” Celestia winced. “It is unfortunately so.” She lifted her head to address the crowd. “Mares and gentlecolts, I'm sorry to inform you that this party must be postponed.” The words hung in the air like bitter zapapple jam. Surely the princess had to be joking. No pony would ever postpone a Pinkie Pie party. It had to be an end of the world type event to do that. Some pony spoke up. “Why?” “My sister was feeling too ill to travel I'm afraid. And since it was in her honor...” Celestia spoke. The ponies muttered, leaving the building slightly disgruntled. Only the Mane 6, Cadence and Shining Armor stayed after with Celestia. Once the door was closed, Celestia spoke. “I hated having to tell them that. But should they know the truth...” “The truth?” Cadence asked, looking at her aunt with worry. “What is the truth?” “Luna has gone missing.” Fluttershy made her way back towards her cottage, running over the possibly facts in her head. Princess Luna, the Princess of the Moon and the protector of dreams was missing. Was that why she was having so many nightmares? Because there was no security in the dreams? She shuddered, letting herself inside. All her animals had gone to bed, tucked in by none other than Angel. Apparently he had decided to take her place while she was gone. Fluttershy smiled to herself, fixing his own blanket. He snuggled up, sleeping soundly. “Good night Angel.” She said with a yawn. She walked over to her bed, settling down. The girls had decided that they would reconvene in the morning to look into the case of the missing Princess. With luck, they would find her. If not... Fluttershy's eyes closed, dragging her unwillingly off to sleep. There was the sound of a heavy chain door closing before the male voice spoke. “Well well well, look who we have here. Welcome back. Tonight's chamber is the Inquisition. I hope you're all ready for this. You'll be tested on your merit.” He laughed a bit. That didn't sound so good. Fluttershy paled a bit. He was going to test them? The sheep followed, pushing for the door. She was dragged along unwillingly. They reached the tower of blocks. This was just like the nights before, right? “Oh, I forgot to mention. Look out for the trap blocks. They'll kill you.” The voice said. It sounded like he was grinning a manner most unpleasant. Fluttershy gulped. Trap blocks? How would she know what was a trap and what wasn't? The sheep around her started to climb. It seemed like they were starting to panic more now than they had any previous time. Maybe it was the added pressure of traps? She started to climb, making slow progress because the sheep were in the way. Just as she was about halfway up and starting to feel a bit more at ease from the lack of traps; there was a scream up ahead. As a sheep stepped on a block, blades shot upwards, skewering him. She winced, trying not to vomit. It was sickening. The sheep were frantic, shoving each other and trying to climb higher. She had placed her front hooves on the next block, starting to pull herself up when a sheep pushed her off. Her eyes widened then shut tightly. She was falling! Her wings were held tight to her body, unable to help save herself. What would happen if she hit the bottom? Was there even a bottom to what seemed like endless darkness? She had no idea. Just as she was fearing the worst, Fluttershy felt somepony grab onto her hoof. No, that was impossible. There were no other ponies here. It was just her and a bunch of sheep. Chancing a glance, she opened an eye. What she saw surprised her. “P-Pinkie Pie?” She gasped. The pink party pony was indeed the one who had grabbed her hoof and was currently pulling her to the safety of the block. “What are you doing Fluttershy?” she piped up. With another pull, Fluttershy was safely on the platform. She was shaking badly. “I-I don't know. I got pushed...and then you...” The ground rumbled. The clock was ticking for them. “We need to get out of here.” she said, glancing upwards. The sheep had pushed her a ways down. If Pinkie Pie hadn't caught her...she shuddered to think what could have happened. “Alright! Let's go!” Pinkie cheered, hopping from one block to another. How could she do this so easily? Like she didn't have a care in the world. Fluttershy followed, hoping to keep up with her bouncing friend. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on which way a pony wanted to take it, the traps had been mostly set off by the sheep. Fluttershy cringed inwardly, hoping they had survived rather than the unforgiving alternative. They made a rather easy way upwards and to the door. With a sigh of relief, they went through. One thing was nagging at the back of Fluttershy's mind. What in the name of Celestia was Pinkie Pie doing here? She bounced along, happy as could be. “Ooo look! A sign in book! Like a guest book! I wonder if they'll throw a party if we write our names down.” Pinkie grinned, jotting their names down quickly. Somehow, Fluttershy wasn't that worried about a party. She was too busy looking around at the various sheep that were clustered or sitting. All of them seemed to have a similar expression of worry on their faces. Fluttershy took a couple steps over to a group of three sheep that seemed to be talking. “Um...excuse me.” “Can I help you?” One of them spoke with a tint of a Southern Drawl. That sounded vaguely like Applejack but she knew it wasn't. “Oh um...maybe. Do you know where we are?” “Not a clue.” Said one of the other sheep. The voice was a bit higher with a squeak to it. How strange, she never knew sheep to have that much variation in their voices. “Do you know? I mean, you are a sheep right?” That statement caught her off guard. They thought she was a sheep? But she was a pony. A pegasus. Couldn't they see that? Unless... Pinkie Pie went and collected the stunned pegasus, bringing her over to the confessional. “One at a time,” said a sheep that seemed to have an orderly way about her. Yes, this voice was distinctly feminine compared to the disembodied voice they heard every now and again. Pinkie nudged Fluttershy. “After you.” Feeling nervous and even more confused than she had been prior to talking to the sheep, she stepped in. Noting the painting on the wall, it was very similar to what she had seen previously. She was still nailed to a tree but there was a sheep near her hooves. It looked like he was praying for her to save him. A shiver rippled down her spine. “Well, you've made it this far. I'll admit I'm surprised. I didn't think you had what it takes.” She whipped her head from the painting. The voice sounded like it had been right over her shoulder. But no pony was there. This was getting creepy. “Where are we?” “I already told you.” The voice purred. “But I will tell you there is a way out. One the eighth floor there is a Cathedral...they say the path to freedom is that way. If you can survive. For now...answer me this. How do you make decisions?” “H-Huh?” Like the night before, two ropes dropped from the ceiling. One read 'My gut', and the other read 'My mind'. “Choose carefully.” Fluttershy considered both of them carefully. After a moment, she pulled on 'My mind.' “Oh so I see...” the voice considered her. “Very well. On to the next chamber. I hear they're very excited to see you.” “They?” Before she got an answer, the confessional closed, bringing her up, up and away towards the next stage. Panic hit her in her stomach. What about Pinkie Pie? What would happen to her? They came to a stop. Fluttershy took a step out onto the platform. She looked around and up, trying to see the way out. A bad feeling was creeping through her. Another confessional came and stopped where hers had been moments before. Pinkie hopped out, looking around. “Wow, we have another one?” “Oh! Pinkie Pie!” Fluttershy nearly hugged the other pony. “Did he ask you a question too?” “Yup! He asked me if I got bored easily. I was like 'pfft, me? Bored easily. Hardly! I mean really, look at how I am every single day! There's never a boring minute!'” She beamed. Her rambling was cut short by the sound of something, no, two something's coming to join them. “I'd start climbing if I were you...” the voice taunted. “Unless you want to babysit.” “I love babysitting!” Pinkie said. “There's no baby I can't sit!” Two giant babies, one pegasus and one unicorn came up. Their normally innocent expressions were looks of abject horror. “Oh...” Pinkie said, staring up at them. “Um...well...they've certainly grown since I've last-” A large hoof started to come down on top of where they were standing. Fluttershy grabbed Pinkie and pulled her out of the way just in time. There was no time to sit idle. They had to move lest the bouncing babies of terror decided to squish the sitters. “Come on! We need to run!” They set off, climbing as fast as they could. The babies gave each other wide toothless grins. They started banging on the blocks, shaking the already precarious ascent that was taking place. The girls had to stop, catching their breath and maintaining their ground. “Has this happened before??” Pinkie asked as she climbed, pulling Fluttershy with her. She shook her head quickly. “No, last time it was Angel.” They scrambled up to the block, looking quickly for the next step. It had to be close. Feeling frustrated that their quarry was so quick to climb, the babies started taking things into their own hooves. The pegasus started beating his tiny wings, creating a whirlwind. The unicorn on the other hand, decided to play building blocks. With its magic, the blocks were rearranged. This changed how Fluttershy and Pinkie needed to climb. Instead of going up, they were going sideways while avoiding any blocks and debris from the whirlwind. “Just don't look down!” Pinkie called to Fluttershy. There was a rumbling noise. Everything was falling apart too? This just wasn't fair! The blocks rearranged themselves again thanks to the magic. This time, it was in their favor. The door was in sight. Freedom was almost there. Just needed one more level... “Come on! We're almost there!” Pinkie called, taking a leap for the exit. A piece of debris caught her mid-jump, sending her off course. “Pinkie!” Fluttershy cried. She launched herself and caught her friend's hoof. Using her wings that had decided that now would be the time to shine, she managed to crash themselves into the block below the exit. They were almost there. Feeling a bit dazed from fighting the winds, Fluttershy looked at her friend. Pinkie was up, climbing to the exit. She reached down, pulling Fluttershy up as the babies came up to their level. There were lots of goos and gaas, but that didn't matter. Together, they yanked open the door, flooding the room with light. The babies screamed a bit at the light. The two fillies ran through, grateful to be free. Fluttershy woke with a start. Her heart was pounding harder than ever before. And her wings ached like they had when they had been building the hurricane. There had been so much wind.... Wind. That snapped her attention. There was no wind in her cottage. So how...? And Pinkie pie. This was getting stranger and stranger. Wearily she looked out the window. It was barely dawn. She would see the girls soon. And get everything sorted out. She hoped.
Chapter One: It BeginsFluttershy yawned as she tucked and put the last of her animal friends to bed. “Good night Angel.” She smiled softly. For once the normally fussy bunny didn't argue. He had had a long day of bossing all the other critters and Fluttershy around. He just turned over promptly into sleep. She smiled lightly, trotting over to her own warm bed. The day had been long but full of nothing but good things. A picnic with the girls, lots of laughter and joking around. It had been such a nice day, one that they hadn't wanted to end. She smiled to herself again, opening up the bed. But for now she was tired. A yawn crept across her features. Climbing in, Fluttershy snuggled under her blanket. Soon she was fast asleep. ~*~ Laughter. Cruel and malicious laughter echoed around where she stood. Her eyes snapped open. Somepony's laughter had startled her. At least she thought it was a pony. 'What was that?' she wondered.'Or rather who was that?' Other than her animal friends, she lived alone. Fluttershy looked around, trying to find the source of the laughter. There was no pony else around. So why was her heart pounding like this? That was when she realized she wasn't where she had fallen asleep. Where was her cozy cabin with her bed? She clambered up, trying to collect her limbs underneath her. They were shaking enough that walking forward was tough. She looked around, her stomach plummeting. It looked like the distant walls around her were made up of dirt and stones. Fluttershy could see things with many legs crawling up and down. While she loved all creatures, there was something about these that made her wary. “Where am I?” she said to herself. 'And more importantly, how do I get home?' she wondered. Fluttershy jumped when the voice she had heard laughing responded to her questions. “You're in the Underground Cemetery my dear.” There was a snide quality in his (she could only assume it was a guy) voice. Her legs buckled under her. “And the only way out is to climb. All the way up here.” She craned her neck back, trying to see the top. It was much too high for that to actually work. The top was too high for her to see from this angle. Surely she could fly up there. While she wasn't the strongest flier in Equestria, she could do it. Until she glanced into the dark pit underneath her. Her wings snapped to her sides, refusing to cooperate. Should they falter in flight, she would fall who knew how far. And who knew what was down there? While frozen in fear, a crackling and crumbling sound caught her ear. “Oh, did I mention the tower is collapsing as we speak? I suggest you climb if you want to live.” The voice laughed. Fluttershy looked down in time to see some of the foundation below her fall into the darkness. That sent the pegasus into a panic. She had to climb to safety since her wings didn't want to work. Taking a deep breath, and placing one hoof in front of the other, she began to climb. The progress she made was slow at first, having no real idea of how this would work. All she needed was one wrong step and she would fall to her doom. But if she started panicking, surely she would lose her footing. After she made it up a little ways, she saw another chunk of the tower fall out from beneath her. “Keep calm, what would the girls tell you?” she whispered to herself. Fluttershy tried to remember. Twilight would be saying that they should be much farther along by now. Rainbow Dash would probably be goading her by flying to the top if not poking fun at her for being so scared. Pinkie would tell her it's just a hop, skip, and a jump. If only she was here with her now... Her cerulean eyes widened at that thought. 'It's not very far, just move your little rump. You can make it if you try with a hop, skip, and a jump.' Pinkie's sing song voice made it's home in her mind. “Okay.” she breathed. Another row below fell, but she was on the move. She climbed on one block before hopping to the next. Then the skip. The end was in sight. She could feel her eyes tearing with relief. Fluttershy jumped, landing on the threshold of a big imposing blood red door. She didn't take the time to marvel at the size nor time to think how someone made it that color. She pulled on the handle with all her might. It opened, white light flooding her vision. ~*~ She awoke with a jolt. Her limbs and wings were still shaking with the adrenaline that she had used climbing the tower, or whatever that thing was. But when she looked around, she noted that she was in her cottage, in her bed. How strange. It had all felt so real. She looked around, even touching the blanket and her pillow to make sure everything was real. It was. But that place...it had felt so real as well. What was going on? Angel was tapping his foot from where he stood by her bed. She was late with his breakfast. “Oh my, I'm so sorry Angel. I'll be right there.” Fluttershy assured him. He let out a small huff, hopping off towards the kitchen. She got up, checking herself. Nothing seemed to be hurt. She tested her wings, spreading them from her body. They snapped open like nothing was ever wrong with them. That was a relief. Her wings had finally been able to separate from her body. Relieved, she started to go about her day. But the dream of that place kept nagging at her in the back of her mind. She banished the thoughts. That had all been a dream. Nothing more...
Chapter Two: Just a DreamAfter taking care of her animal friends, Fluttershy headed out to meet up with the girls in town. She had decided after quite a bit of thought, to not mention the dream. That was all it was, just a dream after all. Though as she walked along, she tried remembering specific things about the dream. Fluttershy frowned when she realized how fuzzy it was. Perhaps it was for the best. The only things that she could recall with any sort of clarity was that she had been scared and that her heart had been pounding. “Why the long face sugar cube?” Applejack's southern drawl brought Fluttershy back from her thoughts. “Oh, nothing.” The quiet pegasus hid behind her hair just a bit. There was no point in explaining it. “You need to turn that frown upside-down!” Pinkie's chipper voice bubbled in her other ear. That caused Fluttershy to smile. Her friends always made her feel better. Besides, it was just a dream after all, no need to worry the girls. ~*~ She turned in for the night after a long day with the girls. Pinkie Pie had been planning a party that would take place in a day or two; which was interesting...Pinkie hardly ever needed more than an hour to plan any pony's party. This must be some real shindig to cause the party pony to do so much planning. Fluttershy stifled a yawn. Between the day and the nightmare, she was tuckered out. She was sure that tonight would be vastly better than last. No nightmares, just sound, blissful sleeping. She climbed into bed, her eyes already closing as her head hit the pillow. ~*~ “Ah, there you are my dear, dear Fluttershy.” The voice was back. Her stomach twisted at the sound. 'Please, please, please let me be imagining things.' She begged. This couldn't be happening again. “My my, you look tired. Such a shame, because you have a long climb ahead of you. If you want to survive that is.” The voice said. She already knew there was no point in looking to see the top. Like last night, it would be high out of sight. Swallowing, she turned to face the first few steps. “You seem much more emboldened since last night. Or perhaps you've just resigned to your fate. You'll be forever climbing in search of your freedom.” A breeze blew around her, whipping her hair from her face. The voice was louder when it spoke this time, as though the pony was right next to her. He spoke into her ear. “Welcome to the Prison of Despair my dear little Fluttershy.” With that, he was gone. The twisting in her stomach was starting to turn into a full blown knot. She would need someone to actually help her untwist it later. Once she escaped this nightmare. Fluttershy stepped up, knowing that she had no choice but to climb. After climbing a few rows of blocks, she heard that rumbling noise. 'The tower must be crumbling again.' she guessed. She refused to look down at the darkness, afraid of what she would see. “Is that the best you've got? That's pathetic.” Her ears pricked up. That sounded like Rainbow's voice. Wasn't it? “Why don't you fly up there? You're a pegasus after all. Aren't you?” That was grating and goading on her nerves. Of course she was! But how can you expect a pegasus to fly when they're too terrified of what could possibly happen? A stone crumbled a few inches below her hoof. If she didn't get moving soon, she'd fall with the tower. Panic was starting to swell again in her stomach. What would happen if she fell now? Would she die? There was a grumbling sound that was growing louder. She hopped up onto another block as the ones she had been standing on crumbled away. No, she couldn't die.She had to prove to Rainbow Dash that she was a true pegasus. That her wings weren't just for show. She could fly just as well as any others. This was a dream. Just a dream. Right? But the danger felt so real to her. Fluttershy climbed, her limbs still trembling. As much as she wanted to believe what she was telling herself, she didn't want to tempt her fate. Just like the night before, she saw a huge blood red door. A wave of relief hit her. There was the way out. She made her way quickly to the door, praying that she could escape. But then there was a rumbling. The stones she had been about to step on crumbled and fell into the darkness. There was now a gap that was too big to jump. The color drained from the young mare's face. This was it. She would die here. Panic washed over her, tightening her wings to her body. There had to be a way. Her mind flashed to Twilight. What would she do in this situation? When there is no way, she would make a way with her magic. But Fluttershy had no magic to draw on at the moment. She had to draw on her cleverness. There had to be some way to bridge the gap. Then it hit her. A bridge. She needed to make a bridge. She hopped down to the stone in front of the one she had been standing on. With a mighty push of her hind legs on the block fueled by adrenaline, it moved the block. As if by magic, it stayed attached to the edges of the blocks to make her bridge. With a cry of success, she climbed up, and yanked the door open. The light flooded her vision yet again. There was a sensation of falling... Fluttershy woke up. She had fallen out of bed in a tangle of her blankets. But she was home. These dreams were getting out of hand. She had to tell the girls. Maybe they would be able to come up with something, anything that could possibly help her. Or they could reject the idea of something like this ever happening. But she wouldn't know if she didn't try. Shaking, she went about making a cup of tea. Even though it was early, barely dawn, there would be no more sleep. Not until she spoke to the girls.
Chapter Three: Sugarcube Corner“Oh my dear, dear Fluttershy. You look simply awful.” Rarity said when the girls were meeting in the lovely bakery that was owned by the Cakes. They were waiting on their cupcakes to be ready so they could feast on the sugary goodness. Fluttershy perked her head up at Rarity's words. A yawn escaped her when she went to answer her. “I'm fine, really.” “You don't seem fine Sugarcube.” Applejack said, peering at her friend with concern. “Have you been sleeping enough?” “Not enough sleep causes problems with your health. You should really try to get more of it.” Twilight said in her best lecture voice. She took a deep breath, ready to embark on the tirade of what would or could come from the lack of sleep. “I'm getting enough sleep.” Fluttershy murmured. It took all her effort to not rest her head on the table. She had slept, but the sleep had not been restful. Until this past couple nights, she hadn't thought such a thing was even possible. But it was. “It's just....not quality.” “By not getting enough sleep, you run the risk of your focus not being as clear as it could be, your memory takes a turn for the worse, you can't remember things, you compromise your immune system-” Twilight was rattling off. But no pony was paying her attention. “Maybe you should go to bed earlier.” Rarity suggested. “Fine fillies like us require plenty of beauty sleep.” “Shoot, no. What she needs is a long hard day of work. It'll tucker her right out into a nice deep sleep.” Applejack was suggesting. “Even worse, your higher reasoning and problem solving are compromised. And once that's gone who knows what'll actually happen. What if you can't help animals like that? You can't think quickly enough to save a poor bouncing baby bunny from a timber wolf?” Twilight continued as though no pony had interrupted her in the slightest. “You want our delicate little Fluttershy to toil away bucking apples like some common farm hand? That's just absurd!” “Delicate? Shoot Rarity, you're the only one that objects to getting her hooves dirty!” Applejack huffed a bit, her forelegs slamming down onto the table. “Ah girls-” Fluttershy attempted to rein them in. But as usual, she was too quiet to be noticed. “Not to mention the other health problems. And emotional stress. High blood pressure, you'll get irritated more easily-” “Girls-” “Excuse me? I've gotten my hooves dirty plenty of times!” “And right afterwards went straight for a hooficure! How petty can a pony be? Looks aren't everything you know-” “Girls!” Fluttershy managed to raise her voice over her babbling friends. They stopped, looking at her with slight shock on her face. She felt bad, but it had needed to be done. The girls fell quiet, looking at the normally soft spoken mare. She lowered her gaze to the table. “I just....haven't been sleeping that well. And um...” Her hind leg pawed nervously at the ground. “I think...I think I've been having nightmares.” She shivered, still unable to recall the specifics of the nightmares that had woken her in sweats. That stopped some of the arguments. The girls exchanged concerned looks. “They're just dreams Sugarcube.” Applejack said, patting her on the back. Fluttershy lowered her gaze to the floor. “Yeah...I guess so...” She returned to her cottage a little bit before sunset. The girls had spent the afternoon after that conversation talking animatedly about the party that Pinkie was putting together. She and Rainbow had been busy as of late, which was why they hadn't joined them at Sugarcube Corner. Fluttershy sighed, her shoulders slumping ever so slightly. Hadn't they learned the lesson about taking a friend's concerns into consideration? Multiple times now that she thought about it. So why now were they brushing away her concerns? Maybe they were just nightmares. Angel came over, tapping his foot impatiently. “Oh, I'm sorry Angel. Dinner will be ready in a moment.” She offered him a smile. What she got in response was a food bowl to the face. “Angel-” He huffed, stomping his foot. A bit irked at his insistence, she went over to fill it with the lovely greens he adored. Once filled, she brought the bowl to him. “There you go Angel.” She smiled, hoping that he wouldn't be that angry. Angel turned, snubbing her until she stepped away. Then once she had walked away, he dug in, his hunger winning over. Fluttershy glanced at the sky, watching the sun set. She was so exhausted. Not wanting to suffer through another nightmare, but the exhaustion creeping over her body, she passed out on her bed. “Well well well, welcome back little pegasus. Tonight's floor is the Torture Chamber. I hope you're ready to be pushed to your limits.” The disembodied male's voice spoke. She frowned, looking upwards. Something was different about this night. Somepony shoved her. Fluttershy stumbled slightly to the left. Then somepony shoved her to the right. She almost fell, her wings unable to help her maintain balance. “H-hey-” she squeaked out. That was all rather rude. But then she looked closely at the ponies that had pushed her. They weren't ponies at all! Sheep with curly horns that were kept close to their heads were ambling along towards some great big door that no doubt would bring them to the Torture Chamber. Why were they going so willingly towards what seemed like doom? Looking around, she ascertained that it was because there was no other way out. “Um, excuse me-” she squeaked. No pony or sheep paid her any mind. All they did was push her along in the swell of the crowd towards the door. This would be a long night. Once through the door, she saw the huge structure that was in the center of the room. There were already sheep climbing, presumably to freedom. At least now she wasn't so alone. Maybe they would be kind and lend a hoof. She swallowed hard, looking around at the walls. There were all sorts of chains and various torture devices that made her stomach twist and turn. Distantly, she heard moans and screams of pain. Hopefully that was just her imagination acting up to the sights of the instruments of destruction. She heard a crumbling noise. Fluttershy had to get moving unless she wanted to fall. So she started to climb. Fortunately or unfortunately, the sheep that were climbing with her were moving blocks and stones in a panic to climb. This led to some tricky maneuvering. Fluttershy looked critically at the path made by the sheep. If they kept going like this, they would come into a dead end. She took a deep breath, using all her strength to push a block over two block lengths. This would help make a better path. A rumbling sound broke her conversation. Fluttershy looked down to see stones fall into the darkness. She had to keep going. The climb was unsteady, the occasional block crumbling under her hoof. With a worried look, she kept climbing. The only way was to keep going. A sheep's surprised and frightened bleat broke through her concentration. He had fallen from another sheep panicking and pushing him out of the way. He was a level below she was. Fluttershy reached down, offering him her hoof. “Grab on.” She wasn't as strong as Applejack or Rainbow Dash, but she didn't want to see him fall to his doom. He was too scared to grab on right away. By the time he reached out to take her hoof, the ground beneath him fell, dragging him down to the dark depths. She watched in horror as that happened. Fluttershy closed her eyes, trying to summon her courage. She needed to continue, lest she join him in the darkness. So upwards she climbed, pushing a block every now and then to keep going. Eventually she reached a huge door. Relief flooded her. This meant the nightmare was over for the night. She opened the door with a mighty tug and stepped through. Instead of waking up like she anticipated, there was an open area with what looked like pews from a church, sheep milling around and a confessional building structure as the main feature of the room. Fluttershy blinked. This was...new. Why hadn't she woken up? What was going on here? Feeling more nervous and unsure than before, she approached a sheep. “Um, excuse me-” “Bug off.” He snarled at her. He was visibly trembling from head to toe. “I just want to climb and get out of here. No time for distractions.” “Oh I'm sorry.” She hid behind her hair. Not all of the sheep seemed to share his exact sentiment. Some of them were clustered together, whispering. But they all shared one thing. Fear. She felt it too. And the anxiousness of everyone waiting. She could cut it with a knife. Not sure who else to talk to at this time, she approached the confessional. Poking her head in, she noticed a grate against the one wall directly to her left. But on the wall facing her as she entered was a painting. Squinting hard at the painting, she almost panicked. It looked like...like her. Being nailed to a tree. Her wings and hooves were pinned and her mane covered her face. It was horrifying. “Well well, I'm impressed you made it this far.” The voice purred. Fluttershy jumped. “Who are you?” The voice tutted at her. “Now now, I'm the one who'll ask the questions here.” He almost sounded amused. “Now tell me Fluttershy...Is popping bubble wrap fun?” “Is...what?” She blinked, confused. Why was he asking her such a thing? As she was pondering why, two ropes with notes tied to them dropped down from the ceiling in front of her. One read 'Hell Yes!' and the other said 'What a Waste'. She blinked. “Choose wisely. For if you survive...” The voice said, laughing too much to finish the statement. She flinched at what he could have meant. Fluttershy frowned, considering her options carefully. “Um...I guess it's...fun.” She paused. Taking the rope into her mouth, she pulled it. “Ah...so you took that route. I see...” the voice said. There was a small snap and a rumble. Fluttershy braced herself as the room she was in started to travel upwards. Maybe this was the way out? “Prepare yourself for the next stage of this floor. There's still more torture to come.” Then an evil laugh made her ears flatten against her head. The room was shaking until it finally came to a stop. “Go on. The real torture is about to begin.” Grateful for getting out of that room, Fluttershy stepped out onto yet another tower of blocks. 'Not again...' she thought, wondering how exhausting this would be. But there was a door on the top, there had to be. Nothing else to do but climb again. Just as she stepped up on the first block, there was a rumbling sound. Her eyes widened. The tower couldn't be falling already. Giant white ears preceded the rest of a body that she recognized. The color drained out of her face. “Angel-” There was an un-bunny like roar that came from him. He slammed his paws down on the blocks, shaking everything they were connected to. Clutched in one paw was an empty bowl. That was making it's way to where Fluttershy stood. Quicker than ever before, she climbed upwards. The bowl connected with the block she had just been standing on. It smashed to pieces. Shaking, but grateful she had enough sense to move, she climbed. Angel was becoming more and more furious with her, throwing his tantrum and his empty food bowl at her. Fluttershy climbed, desperate to escape. After a long climb and many broken blocks later, the end was in sight. She made to climb up the block that was connected to the block that bore the exit door. Hope was filling her. The food bowl crashed down, destroying the adjoining block. She stopped quickly, almost falling off the edge. Angel was clambering up, ready to strike her down for missing his dinner time. Fluttershy backed away to the edge of the block she was on. If she didn't escape quickly, she would die here. Her blood ran cold. What would happen if she died in the dream? Surely she'd be alive when she woke up right? Given how these dreams had progressed so far, she wasn't sure she wanted to risk that. Taking a deep breath, she spread her wings. She only had one shot. Taking a running leap as the food bowl was crashed down onto the block she had been standing on a moment ago, Fluttershy flapped quickly, and managed to barely grab onto the edge of her goal. She pulled herself up, her limbs all trembling from the effort. The blood red door stood there, waiting to be opened. Angel reared his head, opening his mouth as though to eat her. She yanked open the door, letting bright white light flood through. He let out a squeaking scream and vanished. Fluttershy stepped through the door. Just like that, she stirred, her heart pounding in her chest. It was a little past dawn in Equestria. Angel was snoozing away in his empty food dish, his tiny tummy distended from all the veggies he ate the night before. Fluttershy sank down into her bed wearily. This was getting ridiculous. Something had to be done. These nightmares were getting out of hoof. But where and what could be done?
Chapter Four: The Pink-quisitionFluttershy had no plans for the bulk of the day, which was fortunate in her case. The nightmares that had been plaguing her night after night without end were starting to drain her. The animals in her care were starting to notice it. A squirrel came over to her after she filled their bowls for lunch. He placed his paw on her hoof to draw her attention downwards. His small face with filled with unspoken concern. “I'm alright.” she offered him a small smile. While she spoke the words, she knew she wasn't telling him the truth. She only wished she could convince herself as much as she was him. Fluttershy ushered him back to eat before yawning. She really did need a nap or something. Did ponies drink coffee? Because she was feeling the need for a double shot of the hot caffeine. Just as she was considering going back to bed for a little bit of shut eye, there was a knock at her door. Her plan ruined, she went to the door. Maybe if this could be dealt with quickly she could sleep. But to her dismay, she knew there would be none of that when she opened the door to a bouncing Pinkie Pie. “I need your help! I need to set up the party and Rainbow Dash is nowhere to be found.” The pumped up pink party pony claimed. Fluttershy blinked. “Why do you need my help?” she asked. Not that she was one to turn down a friend in the need of help. It just seemed a bit strange that she was the first one to be asked when Rainbow couldn't be found. “Well duh,” Pinkie rolled her eyes but grinned all the same. “I need to finish decorating for the party tonight! And I need to get decorations waaaay high up there. I can't quite do it myself unless I use the party canon but I already used it and missed some spots sooo...” “Ah alright.” Fluttershy agreed. “Great! This'll be the best party ever! Maybe in all of Equestria!” Pinkie was so cheerful. She started bouncing up the path leading back towards Ponyville Proper; Fluttershy tailing her. What she wouldn't give for a bit of Pinkie's energy. They arrived in a hall that was mostly decorated save for some spots closer to the ceiling. Pinkie Pie had clearly been working quite hard to put this party together. The colors were not her normal vibrant pinks and blues, but rather a more sedate and regal dark blue, purple and black scheme. “Um, Pinkie, who's this party for?” Fluttershy asked. The party pony was busy setting her with streamers and balloons to fill in the bare spots. “It's a surprise party for Princess Luna.” she beamed proudly. “Princess Celestia requested it a few weeks ago.” Fluttershy's eyes widened a little. A surprise party for a princess? Right here in Ponyville? No wonder Pinkie Pie had been putting a lot more time in planning this than any other she threw. This was a huge deal. “Oh my...I see.” Pinkie nodded, sending her up to finish the decorating. Fluttershy put the streamers up in a way that it mirrored the rest of Pinkie's decorations. The balloons were placed strategically as well. “Yeah, it's a pretty big deal. But the party is going to be amazing! We hired the best DJ in all of Equestria to cover the music, Applejack's making all the sweets...” Fluttershy landed, looking around at the room. It was rather well set for the party. “And best of all, all of us are going to party with princesses!” Pinkie finished. “Ah right.” Fluttershy offered a smile. Hopefully the party would make her forget the nightmares. Maybe even tire her out enough that the dreams wouldn't happen. If she got lucky. The day wore on quickly, faster than Fluttershy would have liked. She was still so tired. But the emotions that were building towards the party were highly anticipated. It built her up to a point that she was awake even though she knew there would be a crash coming soon after. Guests started arriving, chattering happily. There were all sorts of ponies from Ponyville, and even some from Canterlot. Pinkie hadn't been making it up. This would be a party for the record books. Even Princess Cadence and Shining Armor had come in for the event. There was all sorts of polite chatter going on, some ponies getting punch that had been specially made for the party. A hush fell over the crowd when Princess Celestia stepped into the room. Almost everypony bowed, a show of reverence for their Princess. Her mane like always was flowing. But instead of the kind smile she almost always had on her face, it was replaced with a look of worry. Twilight trotted over to her. “Princess Celestia, what's wrong?” Her faithful student asked. She bowed her head slightly to speak only to Twilight. No one else heard the words she spoke until Twilight's eyes widened. She took a few steps back, looking rather shocked. “No...that can't be right.” Celestia winced. “It is unfortunately so.” She lifted her head to address the crowd. “Mares and gentlecolts, I'm sorry to inform you that this party must be postponed.” The words hung in the air like bitter zapapple jam. Surely the princess had to be joking. No pony would ever postpone a Pinkie Pie party. It had to be an end of the world type event to do that. Some pony spoke up. “Why?” “My sister was feeling too ill to travel I'm afraid. And since it was in her honor...” Celestia spoke. The ponies muttered, leaving the building slightly disgruntled. Only the Mane 6, Cadence and Shining Armor stayed after with Celestia. Once the door was closed, Celestia spoke. “I hated having to tell them that. But should they know the truth...” “The truth?” Cadence asked, looking at her aunt with worry. “What is the truth?” “Luna has gone missing.” Fluttershy made her way back towards her cottage, running over the possibly facts in her head. Princess Luna, the Princess of the Moon and the protector of dreams was missing. Was that why she was having so many nightmares? Because there was no security in the dreams? She shuddered, letting herself inside. All her animals had gone to bed, tucked in by none other than Angel. Apparently he had decided to take her place while she was gone. Fluttershy smiled to herself, fixing his own blanket. He snuggled up, sleeping soundly. “Good night Angel.” She said with a yawn. She walked over to her bed, settling down. The girls had decided that they would reconvene in the morning to look into the case of the missing Princess. With luck, they would find her. If not... Fluttershy's eyes closed, dragging her unwillingly off to sleep. There was the sound of a heavy chain door closing before the male voice spoke. “Well well well, look who we have here. Welcome back. Tonight's chamber is the Inquisition. I hope you're all ready for this. You'll be tested on your merit.” He laughed a bit. That didn't sound so good. Fluttershy paled a bit. He was going to test them? The sheep followed, pushing for the door. She was dragged along unwillingly. They reached the tower of blocks. This was just like the nights before, right? “Oh, I forgot to mention. Look out for the trap blocks. They'll kill you.” The voice said. It sounded like he was grinning a manner most unpleasant. Fluttershy gulped. Trap blocks? How would she know what was a trap and what wasn't? The sheep around her started to climb. It seemed like they were starting to panic more now than they had any previous time. Maybe it was the added pressure of traps? She started to climb, making slow progress because the sheep were in the way. Just as she was about halfway up and starting to feel a bit more at ease from the lack of traps; there was a scream up ahead. As a sheep stepped on a block, blades shot upwards, skewering him. She winced, trying not to vomit. It was sickening. The sheep were frantic, shoving each other and trying to climb higher. She had placed her front hooves on the next block, starting to pull herself up when a sheep pushed her off. Her eyes widened then shut tightly. She was falling! Her wings were held tight to her body, unable to help save herself. What would happen if she hit the bottom? Was there even a bottom to what seemed like endless darkness? She had no idea. Just as she was fearing the worst, Fluttershy felt somepony grab onto her hoof. No, that was impossible. There were no other ponies here. It was just her and a bunch of sheep. Chancing a glance, she opened an eye. What she saw surprised her. “P-Pinkie Pie?” She gasped. The pink party pony was indeed the one who had grabbed her hoof and was currently pulling her to the safety of the block. “What are you doing Fluttershy?” she piped up. With another pull, Fluttershy was safely on the platform. She was shaking badly. “I-I don't know. I got pushed...and then you...” The ground rumbled. The clock was ticking for them. “We need to get out of here.” she said, glancing upwards. The sheep had pushed her a ways down. If Pinkie Pie hadn't caught her...she shuddered to think what could have happened. “Alright! Let's go!” Pinkie cheered, hopping from one block to another. How could she do this so easily? Like she didn't have a care in the world. Fluttershy followed, hoping to keep up with her bouncing friend. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on which way a pony wanted to take it, the traps had been mostly set off by the sheep. Fluttershy cringed inwardly, hoping they had survived rather than the unforgiving alternative. They made a rather easy way upwards and to the door. With a sigh of relief, they went through. One thing was nagging at the back of Fluttershy's mind. What in the name of Celestia was Pinkie Pie doing here? She bounced along, happy as could be. “Ooo look! A sign in book! Like a guest book! I wonder if they'll throw a party if we write our names down.” Pinkie grinned, jotting their names down quickly. Somehow, Fluttershy wasn't that worried about a party. She was too busy looking around at the various sheep that were clustered or sitting. All of them seemed to have a similar expression of worry on their faces. Fluttershy took a couple steps over to a group of three sheep that seemed to be talking. “Um...excuse me.” “Can I help you?” One of them spoke with a tint of a Southern Drawl. That sounded vaguely like Applejack but she knew it wasn't. “Oh um...maybe. Do you know where we are?” “Not a clue.” Said one of the other sheep. The voice was a bit higher with a squeak to it. How strange, she never knew sheep to have that much variation in their voices. “Do you know? I mean, you are a sheep right?” That statement caught her off guard. They thought she was a sheep? But she was a pony. A pegasus. Couldn't they see that? Unless... Pinkie Pie went and collected the stunned pegasus, bringing her over to the confessional. “One at a time,” said a sheep that seemed to have an orderly way about her. Yes, this voice was distinctly feminine compared to the disembodied voice they heard every now and again. Pinkie nudged Fluttershy. “After you.” Feeling nervous and even more confused than she had been prior to talking to the sheep, she stepped in. Noting the painting on the wall, it was very similar to what she had seen previously. She was still nailed to a tree but there was a sheep near her hooves. It looked like he was praying for her to save him. A shiver rippled down her spine. “Well, you've made it this far. I'll admit I'm surprised. I didn't think you had what it takes.” She whipped her head from the painting. The voice sounded like it had been right over her shoulder. But no pony was there. This was getting creepy. “Where are we?” “I already told you.” The voice purred. “But I will tell you there is a way out. One the eighth floor there is a Cathedral...they say the path to freedom is that way. If you can survive. For now...answer me this. How do you make decisions?” “H-Huh?” Like the night before, two ropes dropped from the ceiling. One read 'My gut', and the other read 'My mind'. “Choose carefully.” Fluttershy considered both of them carefully. After a moment, she pulled on 'My mind.' “Oh so I see...” the voice considered her. “Very well. On to the next chamber. I hear they're very excited to see you.” “They?” Before she got an answer, the confessional closed, bringing her up, up and away towards the next stage. Panic hit her in her stomach. What about Pinkie Pie? What would happen to her? They came to a stop. Fluttershy took a step out onto the platform. She looked around and up, trying to see the way out. A bad feeling was creeping through her. Another confessional came and stopped where hers had been moments before. Pinkie hopped out, looking around. “Wow, we have another one?” “Oh! Pinkie Pie!” Fluttershy nearly hugged the other pony. “Did he ask you a question too?” “Yup! He asked me if I got bored easily. I was like 'pfft, me? Bored easily. Hardly! I mean really, look at how I am every single day! There's never a boring minute!'” She beamed. Her rambling was cut short by the sound of something, no, two something's coming to join them. “I'd start climbing if I were you...” the voice taunted. “Unless you want to babysit.” “I love babysitting!” Pinkie said. “There's no baby I can't sit!” Two giant babies, one pegasus and one unicorn came up. Their normally innocent expressions were looks of abject horror. “Oh...” Pinkie said, staring up at them. “Um...well...they've certainly grown since I've last-” A large hoof started to come down on top of where they were standing. Fluttershy grabbed Pinkie and pulled her out of the way just in time. There was no time to sit idle. They had to move lest the bouncing babies of terror decided to squish the sitters. “Come on! We need to run!” They set off, climbing as fast as they could. The babies gave each other wide toothless grins. They started banging on the blocks, shaking the already precarious ascent that was taking place. The girls had to stop, catching their breath and maintaining their ground. “Has this happened before??” Pinkie asked as she climbed, pulling Fluttershy with her. She shook her head quickly. “No, last time it was Angel.” They scrambled up to the block, looking quickly for the next step. It had to be close. Feeling frustrated that their quarry was so quick to climb, the babies started taking things into their own hooves. The pegasus started beating his tiny wings, creating a whirlwind. The unicorn on the other hand, decided to play building blocks. With its magic, the blocks were rearranged. This changed how Fluttershy and Pinkie needed to climb. Instead of going up, they were going sideways while avoiding any blocks and debris from the whirlwind. “Just don't look down!” Pinkie called to Fluttershy. There was a rumbling noise. Everything was falling apart too? This just wasn't fair! The blocks rearranged themselves again thanks to the magic. This time, it was in their favor. The door was in sight. Freedom was almost there. Just needed one more level... “Come on! We're almost there!” Pinkie called, taking a leap for the exit. A piece of debris caught her mid-jump, sending her off course. “Pinkie!” Fluttershy cried. She launched herself and caught her friend's hoof. Using her wings that had decided that now would be the time to shine, she managed to crash themselves into the block below the exit. They were almost there. Feeling a bit dazed from fighting the winds, Fluttershy looked at her friend. Pinkie was up, climbing to the exit. She reached down, pulling Fluttershy up as the babies came up to their level. There were lots of goos and gaas, but that didn't matter. Together, they yanked open the door, flooding the room with light. The babies screamed a bit at the light. The two fillies ran through, grateful to be free. Fluttershy woke with a start. Her heart was pounding harder than ever before. And her wings ached like they had when they had been building the hurricane. There had been so much wind.... Wind. That snapped her attention. There was no wind in her cottage. So how...? And Pinkie pie. This was getting stranger and stranger. Wearily she looked out the window. It was barely dawn. She would see the girls soon. And get everything sorted out. She hoped.
