Some might ask if I regret my decisions.

No, I'm no longer a burden to my friends, I don't have to face the horrors of the war, but most importantly, I don't have to face the nightmares. I haven't felt like this in a long time.

I'm at peace.

I'm happy.

I'm free.

-------------

Something was very wrong.
Guardian first found the absence of Fluttershy to be slightly odd, perhaps it was to be expected. However, Twilight and her friends showed up eventually with their report,

"The training of the militias have shown excellent progress so far." Twilight levitated a stack of documents in front of her, "The tests for the exo-suits have been successful so far, and the weapons and arms production rate have gone up by 35%"

Guardian leaned back in his chair, satisfied with the results accomplished in so little time, although since the economy has been thrown out the window and the resources are at their full disposal....well it was still quite impressive. Now it was his turn, he hadn't really been looking forward to it.

"That is the news I wanted to hear, good work Captain Sparkle."

Twilight beamed with pride at the compliment.

"Now unfortunately I bear some discouraging news, the Gryphon king has refused the treaty."

Celestia was stunned especially by this news, Guardian could be convincing on just about anything.
The map of Equestria appeared on the table again, the portal lying in the east glowed red and a dotted line traced from the portal to the Gryphon Kingdom.

"Without an alliance the Gryphons will fall in mere hours. Taking this new factor into account, I've recalculated their movement."

A large red X appeared over the Gryphons, then two dotted lines sprouted from the east, one line traveling back and hitting Ponyville, the other started towards the Crystal Empire.

"Their forces will separate, one will attack Ponyville then continue to Canterlot. The other will proceed to the Empire."

The lines completed their path as he spoke.

"With our forces occupied in Canterlot, the Empire will have to be sent reinforcements before the portal opens. We must deal with them swiftly, they won't send enough to capture the palace, but enough to keep us busy."

He stood up out of his chair, his voice echoing through the halls.

"Remember, this enemy is born purely from darkness. They do not live, they do not feel emotion, the very few sentient hive minds that exist are twisted beings and only wish to serve the one true enemy, Denthar. He has taken small portions of his power and used them to create legions of vile creatures that seek only destruction. I won't lie to you, there will be death all around you, the savagery of war will test your limits, but you will not break, you cannot break when your country needs you the most. This is what we live for, to fight the forces of evil so we may live in peace and tranquility. One day, we will all be free from the darkness."

It seems you've forgotten that I am a part of you.

"Silence, I'm in the moment."
All jokes aside, there is an urgent matter that has appeared with Fluttershy.

"What sort of matter?"
To put it simply, our methods had too much of an effect on her and she has...taken drastic measures to escape them.

"No no no this can't be, how did she-"

Well, she was reconsidering, until she dropped the knife.

Guardian felt sick, there was no way he could tell the others, they had come so far and the army couldn't afford the depression this knowledge will bring.
He turned his attention back to the ponies, "This meeting is adjourned, I thank you all for attending and have a safe trip home."

It was all he could do to not let any emotion show in his voice. He steeled himself and prepared for the worst.

"How do we cope now? We needed all the Elements to do this, and her friends will be devastated, because I made the foolish decision to let you handle her. You've pushed her too far and now she committed suicide, and the blood is on our hands!"

Guardian never felt so upset in his existence, he'd been so trusting of the darkest soul in the universe, only to have the guilt of what very well should be murder rested upon him.

Listen to me, with the power I've been granted, I may have a way of bringing her back. But without my full power, her own fate rests on her cooperation.

----

Darkness enveloped Fluttershy, and she welcomed it. It was like a cozy blanket on a cold winter night. She would miss her friends of course, but ultimately she was just a dead weight dragging them down. But now she was all snuggled up in darkness, never having to feel the pain again.

A low rumbling echoed on the edge of her consciousness, she didn't pay it any mind, why should she care about anything anymore? Then a short distant boom went off in her head and continued for a while. She wished it would shut up, it was disturbing her. Then, the relization came to her. How could she be feeling these tremors if she was dead?
Then suddenly there she was again, standing in the middle of the battlefield wearing a nurse's uniform and carrying medical supplies. It was the nightmare, the one that planted itself like a parasite in her mind, feeding off her sanity until she was nothing but a raving mad husk of her former self.

---

Rainbow Dash flew on her way to Fluttershy's cottage to hopefully find some answers on the timid pegasus' whereabouts. Dash hadn't seen Fluttershy since training, or in the town anywhere. She was concerned for her friend, the last time they spoke was after Guardian had just discharged Fluttershy from the military. She had a hopeless look in her eyes, and she hadn't come out of her house for weeks, that just wasn't a good sign in Rainbow's eyes.
When she arrived at the cottage she saw some black mist leaking from under the door. Her worry for her friend was growing rapidly.
Rainbow Dash knocked on the door, "Fluttershy? You in there? Is everything alright?"

No answer.

"Look I'm coming in okay? If you don't want-"

No! Do not interfere!

Rainbow Dash knew that voice all too well, she turned around and bucked the door wide open. When she turned back around, the sight formed a giant pit in her stomach.
It was the Overlord, surrounded by the black mist, sitting cross-legged on the floor with Fluttershy's head in his lap. A knife hovered precariously over her throat and The Overlord's hands rested on Fluttershy's temples.

"Get away from her!" Rainbow Dash lunged at the evil shadow, but passed through him like air. She whipped around and charged for another attack, but failed the second time.

Do not break my concentration! Fate must see that she must be saved!"

Rainbow Dash didn't listen, blinded by rage and fear for her friend she attacked relentlessly, but The Overlord was just a ghost. Her blows had no effect on Him. She kept at it, trying again and again but to no avail. Finally, the spirit decided that he couldn't keep at it for much longer if Dash persisted, so he used the faint control he had to put her into a deep sleep.

Someday You may realize just how much I've done for you.

---

Fluttershy curled into a ball on the snowy ground, not feeling the icy cold. There was no escape from the nightmares, even after death they continued still. She felt hopeless, she couldn't get away from this horrible scene no matter how far she ran, despite every attempt to escape.
The thunderous booming of the artillery threatened to burst Fluttershy's eardrums. The roar of the airships overhead was deafening. But the sound that drove Fluttershy to the brink of madness were the screams. The screams were always the loudest, the screams of pain as ponies were mutilated by these muscular two-legged monsters, the agony coming from the tents as surgeons had to amputate limbs. The despair echoing through the battlefield as the living recognized the dead. Fluttershy felt it all, not just from her position, but the whole frozen tundra was a battlefield, and she felt it from everywhere. She thought she had found the emergency exit off the train wreck that was her mind, but the horrors of war are inescapable, and undoubtedly maddening.

Author's Notes:

Yes the meeting didn't go at all as planned, the Overlord has still been kept a secret...until now.

Yes I am aware of the unpopular idea of suicide in these stories, but when one is teeming with such ideas they must release them into the world like so.