Author's Notes:

A short, two part bonus chapter, detailing Fluttershy's experiences during the second game.

“What the heck do you mean we can’t see her?!”

Fluttershy recoiled as Rainbow Dash screamed into the face of the two armoured guards standing between them and the castle doors.

“Rainbow…” Fluttershy whispered, but was quickly silenced.

“Our orders are clear Miss Dash,” one of the guards replied in a stalwart voice. “Your friend is not to be disturbed while our investigation is underway. When we know all the facts and are satisfied, you will be permitted to visit her if she wishes.”

“Screw your investigation!” Rainbow bellowed. “We just found out that one of our best friends is… is gone, and another is in there right now, in Celestia only knows what kind of state. You don’t get to stand there and tell us we can’t see her!”

The guards pre-emptively assumed a defensive position as Rainbow Dash talked, her whole body slowly becoming more aggressive with each word she spoke. Before they could respond however, the doors behind them burst open and Princess Celestia stormed out, bearing down over Rainbow and Fluttershy in all her terrible glory.

“Rainbow Dash, what is the meaning of this behaviour?” Celestia demanded, her voice stripped of its usual compassion, causing Fluttershy to cower even further back.

“Princess Celestia, we heard about Twilight and Pinkie,” Rainbow began, her tone changing from angry to desperate in the presence of the Princess. “Please let us go see her. She needs…”

“Rainbow Dash that’s enough!” Celestia snapped, causing Rainbow to flinch as if she had just been struck. “Pinkie Pie is in a terrible state, she has just been through an awful ordeal. If you truly cared for your friend then you would allow her the peace she needs to recover instead of barging in here forcing your presence on her.”

“But…” Rainbow began weakly.

“Do you not think,” Celestia cut across, “that if seeing you all would have helped her, I would have arranged it myself? I have ordered that you remain away until we deem that it is safe, and you will obey. Do I make myself clear?”

Rainbow nodded stiffly, apparently unable to speak. Celestia didn’t offer any more words before she turned and exited the way she came, the door slamming shut behind her.

With Rainbow Dash more complacent, Fluttershy was able to usher her away from the two guards who were now staring daggers at them. Once they were far out of sight and earshot however, Rainbow snapped back into focus, the fire reigniting in her eyes.

“That… that witch!” she exclaimed, causing Fluttershy to gasp in horror. “She doesn’t know what she’s talking about, she doesn’t know anything! Well forget her, and forget what she says, we don’t need her permission to see Pinkie, we’ll find our own way in.”

“Rainbow, no!” Fluttershy squealed, horrified by her best friends sudden rage. “Maybe the Princess is right, what if Pinkie really shouldn’t see us right now?”

As the words left her mouth, her mind was suddenly assaulted with the horrific images that she had been trying desperately to keep at bay since they had heard about their friends’ accident. Images of Pinkie’s body, bloody and broken on a hospital bed, kept barely alive by the system of tubes and machines piercing into her body. Images of Pinkie sitting still and alone in the corner of a dark room, her mane hanging limp around her, her eyes devoid of the life Fluttershy knew and loved. Somehow the second scenario was just as scary to Fluttershy as the first.

She felt herself being pulled into a tight embrace.

“It’s going to be okay Fluttershy, Pinkie’s going to be okay,” Rainbow assured her, or maybe she was assuring herself. “But whatever’s happened, whatever experiment of Twilight’s messed up, she needs us now more than ever. You know I’m right, and I know you want to be by her side even more than I do.”

Fluttershy nodded dumbly, as she allowed Rainbow to lead her into a private courtyard, barely aware as her friend began searching for a way to sneak in.

Fluttershy felt like her lungs were going to burst as she pressed herself up against the pillar. She knew this was a mistake, and yet she let Rainbow lead her on anyway. Now they were separated, and she was hiding for dear life from a pair of patrolling guards, not even daring to breathe lest they realise she were there. Only when their hoofsteps faded far off into the distance and she was sure she was alone, did she begin taking large panicky gulps of air.

She had to get out of here, before she was caught and thrown in a dungeon for disobeying the Princess’s orders. But she couldn’t leave Rainbow on her own, wherever she had gotten herself to, and she still hadn’t found Pinkie Pie. She needed to see her, if only for a second to assure herself that she would be okay.

Peeling herself from the safety of the pillar she darted down the castle corridor, her ears pricked for the slightest sound that would indicate more guards. As she tried desperately and failed tremendously to navigate the castle, her mind drifted to thoughts of Twilight, of the friend that was apparently amongst the living no more.

It had begun as rumours, ending in full blown media coverage. Papers that had for weeks been keeping everypony updated on the desperate search for Princess Twilight Sparkle, were now sharing the terrible story of her demise resulting from a tragic accident surrounding a magical experiment. The news had come to her and Rainbow Dash from Scootaloo, who had seen the headline during her delivery route and dropped everything she was doing to come find them.

Not ten minutes later, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were in the air, speeding off to Canterlot, leaving Scootaloo with the instructions to relay the news to Rarity and Applejack.

They could have waited for the two ground bound ponies to arrive, they could have tried appealing to Celestia’s better nature again, they could have done many more rational things than break into the royal palace of Canterlot. But Fluttershy had made her choice, or allowed her choice to made for her, and now she was hopelessly lost with only the thought of Twilight’s apparent demise and Pinkie’s unknown fate to keep her going.

Fluttershy…

She came to a shuddering stop, a shiver running up her spine as she heard the voice. Someone had found her, it was all over. However, as she slowly looked back over her shoulder she was surprised to find the chamber she was in to be completely empty but for herself. She stood statue still for what felt like the longest time, the silence almost deafening.

Fluttershy…

There it was again, she didn’t imagine it, but neither had it come from any obvious source. She began pacing the room she was in, only vaguely aware of the stained glass windows lining the walls or the ornate vault door ahead of her.

Fluttershy…

That voice, it was eerily familiar. Without realising it, her hooves had begun leading her towards those tall, imposing doors. Her mind seemed to have slipped, the more the voice called her name, the less aware she felt. Arriving at the doors she found them very slightly ajar, somewhere in the back of her mind this set off alarm bells, but they were swiftly silenced by the voice, repeating its mantra louder and louder.

Reaching out she slid the door open, finding it to be surprisingly light, weightless even, or perhaps she was just losing feeling in her hooves, she couldn’t quite tell. Beyond the door lay a dimly lit, circular room, hardly bigger than a broom closet. At the centre was a plain pedestal, upon which sat a single object of such dull, insignificance. A dark, curved bone, broken at one end, tapered into a sharp point at the other.

It was a horn, a horn that seemed deeply familiar to Fluttershy. She could almost feel it, calling out to her from the depths of her memory. Yet try as she might to grab hold of the memory, it slipped from her grasp, leaving her before the pedestal, utterly clueless to the object placed there, yet inexorably drawn to it.

The voice continued to natter away in her head, the repeated calling of her name now mixed with subtle whispers, speaking directly to a deeper part of her soul. Her right foreleg began to lift off the ground, reaching slowly out to the horn.

I see you there, I can feel you…

Her hoof inched ever closer to the horn.

I know your fears and your sorrows… but I also know your deepest desire… the one thing your heart craves more than anything…

Her hoof was now only a hair width from making contact with the horn, but her mind was beginning to sharpen as the sound of distant voices began drawing closer.

I can help you…

Fluttershy snapped her hoof away, realisation of what she was doing returning to her in an instant. Her head snapped around, her ears swivelling in the direction of the approaching voices. She didn’t have much time, she rushed from the vault, not stopping to close the door behind her, and as quietly as she could slipped out of the chamber, praying that she would find Rainbow Dash soon and the pair could leave.

She didn’t dwell on what occurred in the vault, or wonder about the horn. She didn’t even realise that as she pulled her hoof away from it, she had brushed ever so gently across its cold surface. And she certainly didn’t know that that simple act had been her doom.

Day 0, 22:50

Fluttershy watched as Pinkie charged through the other party guests, and felt a deep ache in her chest.

“Oh Pinkie…” she whispered to herself, sniffing back the tears that were threatening to overcome her.

With a small sigh she spread her wings and took off from the ground, all the gathered ponies far too occupied with their own chatter to notice one Pegasus flying away. Even if anyone did it was easy for Fluttershy to fade into the darkness of the night sky as she flapped her way towards the higher towers of Canterlot castle.

Don’t worry Pinkie; soon everything will be back to the way it was. I’ll make you smile again, I promise you that.

It pained Fluttershy to lie to Pinkie Pie, to any of her friends, but she knew they wouldn’t approve of what she doing, the lengths she was going to make it so that Twilight’s failed experiment was a thing of the distant past. When Fluttershy was done, everything would go back to the way it used to be, Twilight would be alive and well, Ponyville would be its old vibrant self, and Pinkie would come home… Pinkie would come back to her.

Fluttershy found an open window which she quickly landed through, relieved at finding the room she was now in to be devoid of any guards. Slipping out through the door she began walking quickly down the corridors, a much better idea of where she was going than the last time she walked these halls on her own. The voice had assured her she would encounter no other ponies on her way to the vault, and it had stayed true to its word, no matter where Fluttershy walked; she found the area surprisingly bare of protection.

Perhaps her invisible ally was using what little power they possessed to deter any guards from her path, it would explain why their voice was utterly absent from Fluttershy’s head. Arriving in the vault chamber with zero encounters, Fluttershy trotted up to the tall purple doors, wishing to get this nefarious business out of the way as quickly as possible so she could begin reaping the rewards of her endeavours.

As she reached the vault, she wasn’t surprised to find the doors ajar for her, just as they had been the last time she had been here. Her heart was beating fast now, this was the moment everything had been leading up to, she would swipe the horn and deliver it to the machines as instructed before anypony would know it was gone. Everything would be the way it was supposed to be before the clock struck midnight.

Fluttershy opened the vault door, and her rapidly beating heart stopped dead in her chest as she saw the pedestal sitting completely vacant.

“Looking for something?” an oh so familiar voice echoed behind her.

Fluttershy slowly pivoted to see Discord standing about midway up the chamber, looking uncharacteristically serious at her.

“Usually vaults are intended to keep ponies from getting their hooves on what lies inside,” Discord continued.

“This one was just lying open,” Fluttershy murmured back in a rare moment of confidence.

Discord’s eyes narrowed.

“Indeed, I will have to have a word with Celestia about her protection spells,” he muttered. “As for you, do you have any idea what kind of forces you’re playing around with?”

“I know exactly what I’m doing,” Fluttershy replied, her voice quavering slightly. “I’m doing what you refused to help me with, I’m going to set things right.”

“Fluttershy, don’t go down that road,” Discord said ominously. “If it was within my power to help you I would have, but it’s like I told you, you can’t change the past, no matter how much you might want to. And even if you could, this is most certainly not the way to do so.”

“It has to be,” Fluttershy insisted. “And if it isn’t I’ll keep looking until I find a way that does work. I won’t stop until things are back to the way they were, I won’t let her suffer anymore.”

“Enough Fluttershy!” Discord shouted, startling her slightly. “You’re the only friend I’ve ever had, I am not about to let you throw your life away by getting into bed with Des…”

He never finished his sentence, for at that moment there was an explosion of light behind him. It began at his back and began enveloping its way around him. Fluttershy simply stared in shock and confusion, and when the light that had completely shrouded Discord faded, he was encased entirely in stone.

Fluttershy blinked once or twice, but otherwise stood perfectly still as she looked at the new Discord statue that had randomly appeared. As she stared however, a figure stepped out from behind it and began limping slowly towards her. Fluttershy tore her gaze from Discord to this newcomer, they were roughly the same size as herself, and most of their body was obscured by a heavy and battered looking cloak. The only part of the pony Fluttershy could make out was the ends of their two forelegs; they seemed blue although it was hard to tell with the amount of scars they bore.

“Fluttershy, isn’t it?” the figure asked, a raspy but distinctly female voice.

“Do… do I know you?” Fluttershy asked, feeling slightly stupid.

“Not very well,” the figure replied. “But I know you, and I know why you’re here, and that’s what’s important.”

She lifted one of the hooves and reached into the folds of her cloak, re-emerging with a familiar curved object resting in her grasp.

The horn!

“After your last little breach of security, they had this moved to a safer location,” the figure explained. “Luckily I was able to obtain it for you, just in time it would seem.”

“You’re helping me?” Fluttershy asked warily, not daring to believe her good fortune.

“In a way,” the figure replied enigmatically. “You’re going down a dark path, but rest assured, it is ultimately the right one.”

Fluttershy was unsure how to reply, even as the stranger placed the horn in her own hooves and turned to walk away.

“Wait!” Fluttershy exclaimed. “What did you do to Discord?”

“He’s fine,” the figure replied, not bothering to turn around again. “As I said, this path you’re on is undoubtedly dark, sacrifices will be made, but I can grant protection to Discord and the Princesses in the form of a prison.”

With that, the figure continued marching, her cloak sweeping as she rounded Discord’s statue and disappeared from view. Fluttershy stared after her for a several minutes before remembering her mission and the horn in her possession. With barely a moment to lose she sprinted from the room, her wings offering her additional speed as she traversed the castle once more in search of the secret room where Twilight rebuilt Starswirl’s machines. There she would place the horn in the clock as she had been directed, and the deal would be fulfilled.

Day 1, 11:32

Fluttershy edged her way into the chamber, finding herself within what appeared to be a church. She began walking up the aisle, her eyes exploring her surroundings but picking out nothing of value beyond the altar and the items upon it.

You’re doing well…

Fluttershy froze in the middle of the chamber, of cold feeling sweeping over her body. She hadn’t heard the voice since this whole ordeal began, and it hadn’t been that clear since that day she first discovered the horn.

“W…What’s going on?” Fluttershy whimpered. “I thought we had a deal.”

Had? My dear, we still do. This is all part of the arrangement. I will of course live up to my end of the bargain when the deal is fulfilled, and for the deal to be completed, the game must be ended.

“This whole thing,” Fluttershy continued, “it’s exactly what Pinkie went through before. I never wanted to put her through that again, that wasn’t part of the deal.”

All good things come at a price, and I am offering you the greatest of things, so it stands to reason that it carries a heavy price. But don’t worry, this game will end before you know it, in fact you can even assist in hurrying it along.

“H…How?” Fluttershy stammered.

Suddenly all around her, the stone pillars began warping as statues began growing from within them. Fluttershy watched in bewilderment as all around her, images of herself lined the room. Even the rose window overlooking the altar which was bare moments before, swirled to reveal an image of herself.

Your actions will be pivotal in seeing this game through to the end, so long as you do exactly as I command. Follow my every instruction and you will have what your heart desires before you know it. Of course, you can choose not to; however I cannot guarantee this will end well for you if that is what you decide to do…

Without warning, the air was filled with the sound of explosions as one by one the faces of the statues began exploding into duct. Fluttershy screamed and took cover from the raining debris, sheltering her head with her forelegs to protect herself from falling lumps of rock and clouds of dust. When it was over she shakily removed her hooves and glanced up in time to see a sickly substance begin to bleed over the face of the Fluttershy in the rose window, just to really hammer the point home.

Of course I hope it won’t come to that, I would much rather see us both get what we want out of this deal.

“What exactly do I have to do?” Fluttershy asked tentatively.

There is a chamber in this castle, you will come to it in due time today, when you do I will instruct you further.

With that the voice was silent, replaced by the sound of muffled chatter from outside the chapel doors. Fluttershy turned in time to see Applejack walk in, followed closely by the others.

“There you are Sugarcube,” she greeted. “Was wanderin’ where you got off to.”

Fluttershy offered a reassuring smile, but it felt strained. Her eyes quickly scanned the ground for the dust and debris that had fallen, but finding none of it. The others hadn’t even reacted to the explosions or her scream, was it possible that had all happened in her head? She looked up and saw that the now faceless statues and the marred rose window remained. So it wasn’t entirely in her head.

Day 1, 12:50

Fluttershy watched the others busying themselves around the armoury, only when she was content none of them were paying her any attention did she slip out from the room and begin making her way back to the central chamber. It had been about twenty minutes earlier that they had first arrived in this section of the castle, and as soon as Fluttershy stepped into the behemoth tower the voice called out to her.

This is it…

She stood once more in the chamber, looking all around her, oblivious as to what the voice wanted her to do here, and how it could possibly help bring an end to this game.

“Um… hello,” she whispered, unsure whether she would get a response.

You called?

“Yes,” Fluttershy replied, not sure whether she was happy or not to get a reply. Over the last several months that voice had seemed so comforting, but now that she had heard it echo across the courtyard, calling itself the Mastermind, she was beginning to feel distinctly doubtful over the whole thing. “This is the room, the one you mentioned. I was just wandering what it was I was supposed to be doing here.”

As of right now, nothing beyond taking it in, soaking in the sights as it were. In the coming days I will call on you to return to this room, only then will you be able to carry out your task.

With that the voice faded and Fluttershy was left alone once more. She was definitely disappointed this time; so many questions had built up in her mind since this whole game had begun. She desperately wanted answers, but was afraid of testing the being’s patience, terrified that the slightest wrong move would render their deal void.

Still, while she was here she might as well do as the voice had suggested, and familiarise herself with the room. She scanned the chamber, looking to all the different balconies and staircases, wondering where they all led. Pinkie had made it clear they should all stick together, but Fluttershy had already come this far, perhaps now was the best opportunity she was going to get to search some of those other floors before the others realised she was missing.

Her mind set, she bent her knees ever so slightly, and began spreading her wings, preparing to take off.

“Fluttershy!”

She froze, her wings snapping back to her sides as she heard Pinkie’s cry. She looked around in surprise at her friend who galloped down the stairs towards her, the others nowhere to be seen.

“What are you doing?!” Pinkie demanded, “Don’t run off like that!”

Fluttershy shrunk under Pinkie’s gaze, guilt washing over her

“I’m sorry Pinkie,” Fluttershy stammered, trying desperately to think of an excuse that wouldn’t make Pinkie suspicious of her. “I tried to get your attention, but you all looked so busy and I didn’t want to disturb you so…”

She didn’t get any further that that before she was cut off by Pinkie grasping her in a tight hug.

“Don’t scare me like that again,” Pinkie muttered into Fluttershy’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry Pinkie, I won’t worry you like that again,” Fluttershy said, stronger this time despite the rapid increase in her heart rate.

“What were you doing?” Pinkie asked, pulling out of the embrace.

“I thought I heard someone calling my name,” Fluttershy explained, “I followed the voice out here, they sounded like they were in trouble, like they needed my help.”

There it was, the lie rolled off her tongue so naturally, she barely had to think about it, and it tasted bitter in her mouth. It cut her deep to look Pinkie in the eye and tell her such a blatant lie, but she had no choice.

Pinkie kept quiet, listening intently. After a moment or two of silence she turned back to Fluttershy.

“Can you hear anything now?” she asked curiously, Fluttershy shook her head, a little too quickly. “Well if you do again, let me know, don’t go chasing it on your own, alright?”

“Alright,” Fluttershy replied, relief washing over her that Pinkie seemed to buy the excuse, until…

Maybe Fluttershy had imagined it, but the look Pinkie was giving her, could it be she knew Fluttershy wasn’t being honest with her?

She was saved from knowing when Applejack arrived on scene. She would have to examine this room another time, and she would have to be far more careful about when she chose to do it, or any of the voice’s tasks for that matter. It had never explicitly told Fluttershy she couldn’t tell her friends about what they were working to achieve, but anytime the thought had crossed her mind it was quickly discarded. What if they blamed her for the situation they were currently in, what if they refused to see that it was necessary to set things right.

It was necessary… wasn’t it?

Day 4, 02:19

The first thing Fluttershy felt was the cold, which struck her as odd considering how warm she had felt in her bed when she had finally cried herself to sleep at around midnight. Cracking her eyelids open, she was greeted with a spectral blue light. Curious she opened her eyes wider, realising that she was most certainly not in her bedroom anymore.

Springing to her hooves from the cold stone floor, her head spun around wildly as she took in her new surroundings. It was the entrance hall, or at least it looked awfully similar to the entrance hall. The whole room wavered and ripped, bathed in a haunting blue light, giving Fluttershy the freaky feeling of being submerged in water.

Good morning Fluttershy.

Fluttershy froze as she felt the familiar chill run down her spin when the voice spoke.

“What… What’s going on?” she asked nervously.

I told you I would call on you in the coming days, well now I am.

Fluttershy slapped herself with her left foreleg, hoping she wouldn’t feel it and she could rest easy in the comfort that this was all just some horrible dream. She felt the slap very much, but more than that, she found her hoof completely naked, coated in dry blood and puncture wounds. The hoof computer was gone.

I took the courtesy of removing that for you, you won’t need it tonight…

“What is this?” Fluttershy asked, although she was getting the distinct feeling she now knew why they weren’t to leave their rooms at night. “What do you want from me?”

I need you to return to that room, I have a task that needs fulfilling in order to see this game through. You do still want that, don’t you?

Fluttershy didn’t reply, didn’t move.

Is there something wrong? Have you changed your mind?

“You… You killed Spitfire,” Fluttershy whimpered. “How could you do that?! I never agreed to that!”

You knew this wasn’t going to be easy, sacrifices had to be made. But I assure you it’s all part of our deal, and once the game is over I will keep my word and it will be like none of this ever happened. Of course, if you’re getting cold hooves, we can end our arrangement here and Spitfire will have died for nothing… and she will most definitely stay dead.

“No!” Fluttershy cried quickly. “I’ll do whatever it is you need me to do. Just… tell me this is all necessary, that this will all be undone when the game ends.”

There was a moment of silence, just long enough for Fluttershy to feel afraid that the voice wouldn’t honour their agreement.

Of course it’s necessary.

Fluttershy let out a shaky sigh of relief.

Nothing has changed since I first spoke to you, help me bring this game to an end and I will repair the damage done to you and your friends.

“Thank you,” Fluttershy said gratefully. “I’m sorry for doubting you.”

That’s alright, now we can get back to business. As I said, I need you to go to the central chamber, there I need you to activate a hidden device for me.

“A device?” Fluttershy repeated. “What kind of device?”

That will become clear in due time. However, as you’re no doubt becoming aware, the castle takes on unpredictable qualities during the night. As such, you won’t be able to reach the central chamber as you normally would.

“So how do I get there?” Fluttershy asked, a little worried as to where this was going.

There is another way… through the dungeons.

Fluttershy’s eyes widened in horror, images of the metal barred doors that they were forbidden from entering swimming to the forefront of her mind.

Do not be afraid, just like the Gala, I shall use my power to divert any threats away from you, but you must hurry.

Fluttershy nodded shakily, and began walking towards one of the doors on trembling legs. It was weird having her leg free of that metal contraption, she hadn’t even realised how much it hurt until the pressure was removed. Now that she was seeing the wounds clearly for the first time, she saw just how critical it was that they find some medicine.

When she entered the corridor it began to twist and warp, extending and shrinking, but Fluttershy just took a deep breath and braved it. She walked without daring to stop lest she lose what little courage she had. She passed by the various doors she knew led to the kitchen and the study, her mind set on the one entrance to the dungeon she knew lay just beyond.

Walking down that corridor felt painfully long, but she finally reached the wrought iron door, beyond which only darkness lay. She was a little confused as to how she was expected to get though, the door had been securely locked since they arrived, and they had been threatened with punishment if they tried to force it open.

Reaching out she gave it a gentle nudge, wandering if the Mastermind had pre-emptively unlocked it for her. Just as her hoof made contact with it, it began to open very slowly and very deliberately, as if it were on some kind of mechanism. It creaked loudly, the noise echoing down the corridor, and Fluttershy was suddenly afraid of the sound attracting monsters, she hadn’t even stopped to dwell on what the voice meant by ‘threats’ until now.

Still, she had been safe coming this far, the voice had kept its word. Mustering her courage once more, she put one hoof in front of the other and began descending the dark stone steps into the dungeon. She didn’t make it very far before the little light from the corridor disappeared around her and she was cast into pitch black. Bewildered as to how the voice expected her to navigate this, she strained her eyes, hoping to make something out in the darkness.

Then, impossibly, a pinprick of light appeared. Her body tense, she began inching her way towards it, faintly aware of the crunching beneath her hooves and the occasional scuttle of some unseen vermin. The closer she got to the light, the more she began to make out. It appeared to be a lantern carved from bone, at the centre of which a ball of green flame floated. When she finally reached it, she saw a metal chain trailing from the top of it, which she reached down and took hold of in her mouth.

The lantern swung gently beneath her chin, and while the light it cast made the dungeon look even more nightmarish that if it had remained in darkness, she was thankful for the light it provided. At least now she would be able to find her way through here.

No sooner had she thought that, than all around her more specks of light began appearing in the darkness, just out of reach of the lanterns light. The lights all appeared and moved in pairs, they were eyes. What they belonged to Fluttershy didn’t know, nor did she want to. Soon the air all around her was filled with the sound of heavy, rasping breathing.

Fluttershy gulped and mentally cursed the voice for leading her into this.

Day 4, 03:48

Fluttershy dived through the open gate, the lantern flinging from her grasp and clattering to the floor in front of her. She didn’t stop to retrieve it however, instead turning and slamming the heavy iron door behind her, bolting it shut. There was a series of loud bangs as the creatures chasing her slammed against it, and for a moment Fluttershy feared it wouldn’t be strong enough to hold them back, but after a few minutes the banging ceased and it became clear the bolt was doing its job.

Fluttershy collapsed to the ground, her breathing fast and furious, her heart threatening to break free of her chest.

What took you so long?

“What took me so long?” Fluttershy repeated in disbelief, a rare bout of anger rising inside her. “What happened to keeping threats away?!”

I told you to hurry, I have already made it clear in the past my powers are limited, especially when thinly spread. I gave you all the protection I could offer, it was you who squandered it.

“You could have made it clearer what I was up against,” Fluttershy muttered angrily, picking herself up and dusting herself down.

Well now you know for future endeavours. However, despite the difficulties you encountered, you made it.

Fluttershy frowned at that. She looked about, finding herself in a circular room, dimly lit by the light of the lantern she dropped. It was bare but for a peculiar pillar standing in the centre, Fluttershy couldn’t understand how this was the central chamber… then it dawned on her.

Craning her neck she peered up, finding no ceiling, but instead saw that the chamber continued high beyond what she could see, multiple balconies and staircases crisscrossing at various levels overhead. She was standing at the very base of the central chamber, the part that was cast in shadow when they first discovered it.

Now that she understood how she had come to arrive at her destination, she turned her attention to the pillar once more, the only thing in this room that could possibly be the device the voice had told her to seek out. Walking over she began to examine it more closely, it seemed so plain, narrow, only coming as high as her chest. At the top it was tapered into a spherical end, with a small hole in the very centre.

“This is the device?” Fluttershy said allowed, hoping for some confirmation. “What do I do with it?”

No reply came, so she raised her left foreleg and began caressing the structure, wandering if maybe there was a hidden switch on it or something. She slid her hoof up the shaft of the pillar, coming to rest on the hemisphere at the top, covering the hole.

Then she was filled with anguish as a single spike shot up through the hole in the pillar, stabbing right through her hoof and protruding through the other end.

Fluttershy’s screams filled the chamber. She tried to wrench her leg free but it only made things worse. Her hind legs buckled and she collapsed to the ground, unable to get the height necessary to pull her hoof free of the trap. After several agonising seconds during which she lay on the ground crying and screaming, the spike finally retracted back into the pillar, allowing her foreleg to slump down next to her, a new wound to add to the others.

She stared at her mutilated legs as the fresh blood poured freely from the new hole. Her screams had ceased, replaced entirely by sobs. She wanted to say something, to ask the voice what any of that was supposed to accomplish, but she couldn’t find the energy, she couldn’t even find the energy to keep her eyes open. She felt herself becoming weak, becoming faint, and as she slipped out of consciousness she heard the voice echoing in the back of her mind.

An offering of blood to get things moving.

When she finally regained consciousness hours later, she was back in her bed, her hoof computer bolted once more to her leg, hiding the injury she had obtained that night.

Day 5, 01:30

Fluttershy couldn’t sleep, mostly because of the whispering outside her bedroom door, but also because of the thoughts she couldn’t silence. The feelings of doubt she kept trying to shake off, but kept returning in full force. That last night had been an awful experience, but it had been worth it. Fluttershy knew that what she had done had caused the stairs to move, and that led them to finding all those new rooms.

Pinkie seemed sure that they were making positive progress towards ending the game, and that was good, it meant the pain Fluttershy had been enduring in her leg all day had been worth it. Still, the voice had purposely inflicted pain on her, it hadn’t even warned her. How could she trust something like that?

Fluttershy shook her head, she was being silly. She had already clarified in her own mind that the pain was necessary for them to access those new rooms, especially the infirmary, and of course the voice hadn’t told her, she wouldn’t have been able to do it if she had known what to expect. No, the voice only wanted what was best for her; Fluttershy believed that, she had to believe that, because if she didn’t then everything she was doing…

“You really are doing some mental gymnastics to convince yourself you’re doing the right thing.”

Fluttershy’s head snapped up from where she was curled up in her bed. That voice, it was…

“Discord?!” Fluttershy exclaimed, springing to her hooves.

“I actually feel sorry for you Fluttershy,” Discord’s voice continued, moving from feeling like it was all around Fluttershy to coming from…

Fluttershy rushed to the window, peering out into the darkness of the night down at the courtyard where the statue of Discord was now illuminated, casting an ethereal glow across the courtyard.

“But there’s still time to set things right,” he stated. “If you can get me out of here, I can’t bring back the friends you’ve lost, but I can help the ones you still have.”

Fluttershy turned and bolted for the door. When she reached it she was suddenly filled with doubt, afraid of what she might encounter if she dared leave the safety of her room. But if that really was Discord, and there was a chance to set him free…

Fluttershy wasted no more time; she flung her bedroom door open and braved the horrors of the night once more.

Day 5, 02:24

Fluttershy galloped across the courtyard, her eyes set on the statue of Discord, standing tall and brilliant amidst the terrible darkness of the castle grounds.

“Discord!” Fluttershy exclaimed as she came to a skidding stop in front of him. “Is it really you?”

“Of course it’s me,” he replied, sounding a little irritated. “After the second time this happened I realised I was making a habit of it and learned a few tricks to help me should I ever find myself in this predicament again. Unfortunately it only seems to work at night, can’t imagine why, perhaps my powers are strongest when chaos rules supreme.”

“Discord,” Fluttershy interrupted, “how do I get you out of there?”

“That is simple,” he began, “and also very complicated depending on how you look at it, so listen very carefully.”

Fluttershy!

Fluttershy froze when she heard the voice, even Discord stopped rambling.

I’m surprised to see you out of your room, and assorting with this clown of all creatures. Have you forgotten how he tried to stop you at the Gala? He doesn’t understand what we’re trying to do, just like all the rest.

“Oh shut it!” Discord snapped. “Fluttershy, you can’t listen to this twisted freak. I know him better than anyone and I can promise you he will stab you in the back. He is manipulating you like he manipulates everyone. You think he will honour your deal and bring your friends back, well I’m here to tell you that he will do no such thing.”

Listen to the great spirit of chaos and master of tricks, lecturing you on issues of trust and manipulation. Almost as if he’s forgotten his own sordid past.

“Emphasis on the word ‘past’!” Discord bit back. “I’ve changed, but you’re the same as you’ve always been.”

Changed have you? Now why does that not sound quite true to me? Tell you what, why don’t I show Fluttershy the real you? After that, she can choose which of us she truly trusts…

“What are you playing at?” Discord hissed.

Fluttershy…

Fluttershy snapped to attention, up until this point she had felt very small as the two divine beings argued over her.

I have prepared a short presentation in the history and future of your dear friend Discord, if you wish to see the real him, go to the maze.

Then the voice fell silent. Discord tried to speak more, but now it was coming out as indistinguishable jabbering. Fluttershy was left feeling very unsure of what to do; she knew Discord had done bad things in his past, what could the voice expect to show her that she didn’t already know? And what did it mean by ‘future’?

Making up her mind, she began walking away from the statue, towards the gardens. She had found time to explore the gardens during the last few days, while not the most scenic of places; they offered some tranquillity which she was grateful for. When she passed through the open gates she was only half surprised to find the gardens looking much more vibrant than they did during the day.

The plants which had been rather tame and a little bit dull for the gardens of a castle, were now replaced by masses of exotic plants, bursting their banks and spilling out over the path. As Fluttershy began walking towards where she knew the hedge maze to be, she noticed many of the plants were quite literally alive. Huge Venus fly traps that snapped at her, trees with ancient faces in their bark and vines that crept up behind her and tried to entangle her.

All obstacles she managed to bypass with a little flight and a lot of manoeuvring. She was lucky the plants didn’t seem as enthusiastic about catching her as the monsters had the night before. Once she was clear of the worst of the plants, she found herself in a much more open area, the entrance to the maze looming over her. By day the maze had seemed tame and unassuming, barely standing two metres above her head. Now the walls towered over her, the leaves of the hedges much darker than before, with ivy and vines slithering through it all.

Fluttershy briefly questioned the wisdom of this, but she couldn’t bring herself to turn back no matter how much it seemed like the smarter option. She wanted to know what the voice had meant about Discord’s past, and especially about his future. Discord was her friend; she trusted that he had put his evil deeds behind him, but still…

She was only vaguely aware of her legs carrying her into the maze, her mind too focused on what she might find further in.

The journey was long and uneventful, a turn or two, but mostly a lot of walking straight. Fluttershy was surprised she hadn’t encountered anything nightmarish, she had come to expect as much of the castle at night but the maze proved to be very dull. She couldn’t even see anything that could be the ‘presentation’ the voice had talked about. It wasn’t until she was finally getting sick of all the walking about that something happened.

She turned a corner, expecting to find herself in another samey section of maze, but instead emerged into a forest clearing. Fluttershy blinked in disbelief, her head spinning from side to side, trying to figure out what was going on. There were trees all around her, the kind native to Whitetail Woods, the grass beneath her hooves was soft and lush, and there was a stream running through the clearing, the water crystal clear.

She was definitely still in the maze; she could see the hedge walls just beyond the border of trees, and the path behind her. Curious, she stepped further into the forest clearing, wandering if this was what the voice had wanted her to see. Her steps ceased and her ears pricked up as she heard a rustling sound. Her eyes darted over to the trees in time to see a dark shape emerging from beneath the canopy.

She relaxed, visibly deflating as she let out a breath. It was only as bear, much like the one she often housed back in Ponyville, only this one was much bigger. The bear lumbered forwards, paying her no head, its sights set on the stream, clearly just wanting a drink. Fluttershy edged forwards, getting a better seat on the grass so she could watch the bear more comfortably. She had forgotten how much joy there was to be had from observing animals.

The bear dipped its muzzle into the trickling water, taking a long drink before pulling back. As Fluttershy watched, the bear turned to face her, water dripping from it chin. She offered it a smile, hoping it would know she was friendly. The message seemed to register with the bear who went back to drinking, clearly deciding she was no threat. Fluttershy watched the bear for a few more minutes, feeling properly content for the first time since this game began.

The atmosphere changed very suddenly, the bears head snapped up, clearly detecting the presence of something else nearby. Fluttershy hadn’t a second to react before something came whistling through the trees, embedding itself in the bears shoulder. There was an all mighty roar that shook the trees all around them, Fluttershy screamed in horror as she saw the bolt jutting out of the bear. She snapped to her legs and the bear reared just as three figures rushed from the cover of the trees.

They were all ponies, all wearing multi-coloured robes. The one at the head of the group was a unicorn wielding a crossbow in his telekinetic hold. Fast as lighting he was readying another bolt, dipping it into a jar of unknown substance before loading it into his weapon. Fluttershy tried to cry out for him to stop, but he had already leased the second bolt, which buried itself in the bears exposed chest.

The bear was enraged, but its whole body was swaying, whatever the unicorn had dipped those bolts into was quickly causing the bear to lose energy. While it was weakened the other two ponies rushed forwards and threw ropes out, lassoing them around the bears head and one of its forelegs. The bear struggled, but its strength was steadily slipping away, even as it was dragged to the ground and more ropes were tied around it.

Fluttershy watched the entire scene unfold in horror, unable to move from where she stood rooted. When the bear was subdued and restrained, the three ponies each took hold of the ropes and began dragging the body away. The bear was huge, but they tugged with surprising fervour. As they neared the line of trees the entire clearing began to melt away, the trees, grass and stream dissolving until they were all standing back in the maze.

Fluttershy’s eyes were filled with tears; she didn’t understand what was going on. This had to be what the voice meant for her to see, but what did any of it mean? She quickly realised that in order to find out she would have to follow these three ponies, and so she reluctantly did. Again they walked, Fluttershy staying several metres behind the ponies and their prisoner. She wasn’t sure they could even see her, but she wasn’t taking any chances.

After a few more turns they arrived at a final stretch of path, at the end stood the gaping mouth of a cave, through which the ponies dragged the bear. As she stepped up to the cave entrance, Fluttershy was shocked to find herself looking into a huge, spacious and brightly lit cavern. Dozens of robed ponies milled about, but it was the animals that really drew Fluttershy’s attention. The bear was just one of many animals bound and imprisoned by these ponies.

As she looked around the cave she saw a deer, a goat, a lion, a snake, an eagle, a lizard, a bat and finally the bear. They were all alive, although they all looked thoroughly miserable, all malnourished. Once the bear was brought forth, any and all chatter died within the cavern as all ponies turned their attention to a pair of figures who had ascended a stone daises and were now preparing to address them.

“Brothers and sisters,” one of the ponies began, lowering his hood to reveal a grey earth pony stallion. “The final sacrifice has arrived. Today, after months of preparation and years of planning, the ceremony can finally begin. Before the sun has risen, our lord Discord will walk Equestria in a vessel fitting of his might and glory.”

A cheer erupted from the gathered ponies; Fluttershy just repeated the grey pony’s words in her own head, particularly the part about ‘sacrifices’.

“Bring forth the first animal,” the grey pony commanded.

There was a little jostling about as two robed ponies dragged the goat, kicking and screaming into the centre of the chamber where a stone table sat. No, it wasn’t a table, it was an altar!

The goat was placed on the altar and tied down, Fluttershy watched, unable to tear her gaze away even as another pony stepped up to the altar, carrying a tray of surgical tools.

What followed harrowed Fluttershy to her very bones, even when she found the strength to turn and leave she couldn’t, as if some force was holding her in place, making her watch as one by one the animals were tied to the altar and dismembered. Most parts were thrown into a pyre, but some parts were saved so that when all the animals had been brutally murdered, they could be placed in formation on the altar to create an unmistakable visage.

A goat’s horn and leg, a lion’s paw, an eagle’s claw, a lizard’s foot, a deer’s antler, the body of the bear, the wing of a bat, the snake’s tongue, even one of the robed ponies offered their own wing, that left only one part…

“It is the end,” the grey pony spoke once more. “The final moment is upon us, I am saddened that I will not be able to see our lord’s return with my own eyes, but I go with the knowledge that my death with be the ultimate sacrifice in his name, the final piece in his new body.”

With that he knelt down while the second pony on the dais stepped forward, bringing forth an executioners axe from nowhere. Fluttershy snapped her eyes closed and clenched them shut as the axe swung down.

Day 5, 05:14

The first thing Fluttershy noticed as she re-entered the courtyard was Discord’s statue, it no longer looking as smug and victorious as it had been a few hours ago, but instead wilted and miserable.

“I didn’t want you to know about that…” he murmured before his voice faded away.

And now you know the truth about Discord’s past and future.

“I just can’t believe anything could be born from an act so evil,” Fluttershy whispered, unable to look at Discord any longer.

She didn’t want to think about it any longer, didn’t want to remember what had happened to those poor animals under Discord’s order. Instead she turned her attention to what occurred after she left the cave.

“That stuff I saw,” Fluttershy began, “about Tirek, would that really have happened?”

That was supposed to be your future, had Twilight Sparkle lived. Everything you saw was true… in another timeline.

“And Discord really betrayed us…” Fluttershy finished weakly.

She had defended him, she had believed in him. But in the end, he hadn’t really changed; he was still the same evil Discord who was simply pretending to be her friend while he bided his time until he could turn on them all.

I’m sorry you had to see all that; it must be terrible to see a friend’s true nature.

Fluttershy didn’t reply, she simply turned away and began walking towards the castle, dragging her hooves and hanging her head all the way.