With a groggy moan and a fatigued head, Fluttershy awoke to the pattering of small animals running around her, munching on her clothing a bit. As soon as she began moving, the animals, now identified to be rats, scurried away and hid back in their holes. With one final grunt, she pushed herself to her feet and dusted herself off, shaking any dust that may have collected on her in her time knocked out. She then took a good look around the room she was in. The walls, floor and ceiling were all made of stone, and an iron grid stood in the doorway, preventing her escape.

"Dear me... I can't seem to remember how I got in this dreadful place..." Fluttershy looked around and sighed "Everything went dark after... Oh my... No, I can't seem to remember that either... oh no..."

"Relax, lass" spoke an unfamiliar, female Scottish voice to her left "You're freakin' out too much, ya are. Mind you, there's plenty ta freak out about, but..."

Fluttershy turned around to see a woman that looked almost exactly like her, save for the short hair and slightly darker yellow skin. Her eyes were green and she wore a white vest as well as a kilt. On her short pink hair rested a green tam o'shanter with a red pompom on top. She had a smug smile on her face, but something about the woman was reassuring for Fluttershy.

"Oh goodness" Fluttershy gasped "S-Sorry... I, um... didn't see you there..."

"Quite alright, lass" the woman nodded "Ya have ta calm down though. You're gonna be scared o' you're own shadow one day."

"I, um... think I already am..."

"No worries!" the woman chuckled "So, I'm guessin' you were thrown in here for the same reason?"

"What reason is that?" Fluttershy wondered.

"No clue!"

"Oh..."

"Tell you what though, lass" the woman smiled "Why don't we try ta get outta this dump, eh? I wasn't likin' the room service here anyway. The place is unkempt, and it's irkin' me in the stupidest way..."

"O-Oh, um... Okay then" Fluttershy just nodded, trying to understand the situation.

"Do you just answer everything with that sentence, lass?" the woman questioned.

"N-No, o-of course not" Fluttershy shifted her legs a bit "I-I just, um... Say it sometimes."

"Oh lord, what have I gotten myself inta this time?" the woman muttered under her breath "But hey, I'm not one ta turn down a... not friend... hmm... acquaintance. What do you say... Hey, I never got your name. Well, spit it out, lass! We don't have time for proper introductions, yeah?"

"O-Oh, well, um..." Fluttershy whimpered "I-I'm... F-Flutter... Fluttershy."

"Name's Reed Pipe, but you can call me Pipes" the woman stood up "So here's what I was thinkin'..." she walked over to the metal grid and tried kicking it, to which she was then flung against the back wall "...ow..."

"Oh goodness! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, lass..." Pipes rubbed her head "Weird... I can usually kick these things open, me bein' a Monk an' all... Wonder what that gate there is made of?"

"Oh... I don't think I want to know..." Fluttershy whimpered, shaking her head.

"...lass, you don't have any sense o' adventure, ya don't" Pipes chuckled "If ya don't, how're ya gonna enjoy all the risky things in life? Like haggis! Actually, nu, don't try that... heheh..."

"Well... um... there has to be, um... another way out, right?" Fluttershy suggested "N-No prison would be completely sealed, right? And, um... this place seems pretty old..."

"Good thinkin' Shy!" Pipes grinned, calling her by her nickname and reminding her of her friends "H-Hey now, why so sad?"

"M-My friends... They're probably worried sick about me..." Fluttershy admitted.

"Don't go worryin' over that now, ya hear?" Pipes chuckled "I'm sure if they're good friends, they'll be lookin' for ya!"

"Y-Yes, of course..." Fluttershy nodded.

"Now, how's about ya find a way out o' here, hmm?" Pipes wondered "There's gotta be some sort o' ventilation shaft or something..." she looked around the room "Or not. Well, I don't nu how to get out o' here."

"Um... Um..." Fluttershy started to panic "A, um... secret passage?"

"A secret passage, ya say?" Pipes smiled "Well start feelin' the walls, lass!"

"O-Okay..."

They both placed their hands on the walls of the cell, feeling around for any irregularities in the structure and or push-able stones. After a little bit of feeling around basically everywhere, Pipes sat back down to have a break. Surprisingly, however, Fluttershy continued searching, hoping and praying that there was a way out. A way back to her friends. A way back to... No, she had to focus right now. No time for distractions. Suddenly, she heard a click under one of her hands. A small gasp escaped her mouth as she pushed that hand down and pushed in a loos brick, causing a small hatch to open up on the floor.

"Is that... freedom?" Pipes wondered, a smile appearing on her face "It is! Ohohohoho!! This is incredible! I can't wait ta see my family again! They must be so worried about me. Ya did good, Shy!"

"O-Oh, um... thank you..." Fluttershy shyly smiled.

"Well, let's get out o' here, yeah?" Pipes was quick to fall down the hole "WOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooo....."

"Oh my... That is certainly a deep hole..." Fluttershy nervously shivered "Um... n-no one is going to, um... t-tell me it's going to b-be okay? Ohhh no... um... uh... ohhh..." she took a deep breath, expected the worst, and jumped into the dark pit, the door closing behind her and blocking out any semblance of light she had "AAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"AAHHHHHHHHHHH- Oof!" Fluttershy landed right on a plush cushion, breaking her fall and keeping her from harm "O-Oh my... What a fall... Th-That was sc-scary..."

"Ya think that's bad, ya should have a look where we are now" the familiar voice of Reed Pipe spoke in front of her.

Fluttershy did as she was told and saw that they had appeared in a room that seemed recently created, due to all the dirt and gravel still lying around. A single lantern was hanging on the low ceiling held up by several long pegs of wood. However, one thing gained Fluttershy's attention the most. Or should one say a person? The very same oddly-dressed, oddly-shaped man that had caused problems for Fluttershy and her friends in the past.

"D-Discord?" she stuttered a bit.

"Ohohohoho!" he laughed "Fluttershy, dear! Pleasure to make your acquaintance again. What a small world, eh?"

"Shy, ya know this bonkers guy?" Pipes questioned.

"More than you know, my foreign friend" Discord smiled.

"Discord, w-what... what on earth are you d-doing down here?" Fluttershy asked "W-Where is here anyway?"

"This place, my dear?" Discord wondered "This place is just a little something I made to begin my mission. And before you ask, yes, I was in fact hired and paid a good amount of money to do this. It's a sad day when the entire village of Manehatten brings all their job checks for that week just to do this one job... Not that I care, of course!"

"What? Why would one place give ya their entire population's pay money?" Pipes wondered.

"It was probably due to the fact their ruler is a total asshole! Ohohohoho!!" Discord grinned devilishly "So, I was hired to bring his entire castle down on his head. I would storm the place and just murder everyone and everything on sight, but because of my unfortunate contract, I have to make this look like an accident. Ugh... Ever so boring."

"W-Why are you, um... telling us all this?" Fluttershy asked.

"You're my friend, aren't you, Fluttershy?" Discord put an arm around her back, making her very uncomfortable "I'm allowed to tell you things I normally wouldn't to any old person."

"What about me, hmm?" Pipes spoke up.

"Oh, right, you're still here" Discord deadpanned, sounding extremely displeased "Well, you might as well help me dig this place out. Not that I would need help, but eh, what goes, goes, I suppose! Ohohohoho!!"

"Discord, that was rude" Fluttershy became frustrated with his belief everyone was below him, taking his arm off her "Please, apologize to her now."

"Fine..." he rolled his eyes "I'm sorry. Now, get to work."

"Jeez, who trampled your garden?" Pipes scoffed, picking up a nearby shovel and starting to shovel her way through the tunnel. Discord was inclined to start mocking her as she did so, but Fluttershy stopped him before he could. He simply rolled his eyes and watched Reed Pipe shovel away what he started.

"So why are you here, Fluttershy?" Discord continued the conversation "You fell from that really high hole going to the prisons that went right down into the execution pit, if I hadn't have blocked it of course."

"Well, um... T-Truth is, I'm not really sure how I got here myself" she admitted "Reed Pipe there and myself escaped our prison before meeting you, and that's all of recent memory I have... Besides my friends and my adventures with them, of course."

"How unfortunate" Discord spoke with a bit of sarcasm in his voice "Well, who needs those guys anyway when you have someone like me? I'd wager I'm ten times better than them!"

"Discord..." Fluttershy sighed.

"Oh, right, sorry, I guess" he shrugged "Anyway, while the peasa- I mean, Reed Pipe... still can't believe you people have names... Why don't we share each other secrets? It'll be friend bonding time! I'll go first... Did you know I actually have a daughter?"

"Oh, truly?"

"Well, she's not exactly my daughter... She was made from me, but..." Discord's sentence wandered off.

"She, um... what?" Fluttershy wondered.

"Oh, nothing dear" Discord laughed "Anyway, I've been looking for the poor thing for a while now. She ran away after... discovering something she shouldn't have. I've been tracking her ever since to try and bring her back! Hence, why I'm a bounty hunter."

"Oh dear, I hope she's okay..." Fluttershy somberly sighed.

"No worried, my dear" Discord waved his hand a bit before directing his full attention to Fluttershy "So, what's YOUR secret?"

"...um..." she whimpered "W-Well, it's only fair since you, um... shared your secret... M-My secret is, um... You see, I-"

"Lads and lasses!" Pipes called out "I think I found somethin'!"

"Oh phooey..." Discord rolled his eyes "And just when it was about to get good too... Fine, whatever! What did you find, lowly peasant? Hopefully something worth interrupting my talk time with my friend."

"Jeez, who pissed on your day?" Pipes scoffed "Anyway, I found a mine track that seems ta go inta the deeper parts of the castle. I say we take it there, yeah? It would certainly help both of us, if you know what I'm talkin' about..."

"Humph... Work on your manners next time" Discord spoke in a snooty voice before returning to his usual kooky one "Now, who's ready for a mine cart ride? If you answered yes to any one of those questions, you are absolutely right! Your prize is at the back."

"Actually, um... that was just one ques-"

"All aboard the Discord express!" Discord laughed maniacally "Choo-choo! Ohohohoho!!"

"Lass?" Pipes went over to Fluttershy and whispered in her ear "You said you know him, right? Does he always act like this?"

"Y-Yes... unfortunately..." she nodded.

"Grrrrr... I swear, if he wasn't searchin' fer whatever daughter he had, I would deck him so hard..." Pipes grumbled, fortunately under her breath so Discord couldn't hear "Well, let's go, Shy. I want ta get out o' this hellhole as fast as I can."

"R-Right..." she nodded.

(Music Stop)

"WOOOHOOOO!!!" Pipes yelled ecstatically as she and Fluttershy rode down the mine cart that headed towards their destination, constantly getting faster and faster. Fluttershy obviously didn't like the ride down the long, dark corridor lit only by a lantern every so often. She whimpered in her cart, surrounded and protected by her friends.

"I-I'm not sure I like this!" Fluttershy panicked.

"Oh, don't be such a party pooper, Fluttershy" Discord laughed, enjoying the ride as well despite having to share the cart with Reed Pipe "This is fun! In fact, I don't think I've had so much fun before in my life! OHOHOHOHO!!!"

"Hang on..." Pipes perked up "Are those... They are! Monsters!"

"M-Monsters?!" Fluttershy gasped before taking a deep breath "Okay, F-Fluttershy... Remember what you promised yourself... You can do this... Okay e-everyone! G-Get them!"

"Finally, some action!" Discord grinned before engaging the monsters head on. Finally appearing before them, the two monsters were revealed to be some sort of large bat creatures with six fingered wings, yellow skin with blue dots on their heads, a long tail and large, piercing red eye in the middle of its body.

"Grim Gazes, hmm? Well then, check this out, lad and lass" Pipes smiled before focusing her energy and targeting one of the bat creatures "Pummel!" she shouted before leaping up and rapidly punching the monster on the right, dealing heavy damage to it.

"W-Was that a-" Fluttershy looked in amazement.

"Blitz technique? Hell yeah" Pipes grinned "But the question is... What are you, Discord?"

"Me? Well, allow me to show you..." he snapped his fingers and felt a surge of power go through him. Much to the surprise of Pipes, he then performed a Blitz technique on the same monster, the very same she used a few seconds ago. The monster then perished, leaving only one remaining.

"H-How?!" Pipes was understandably confused.

"I'm a Mime, dear" Discord laughed "Anything you can do, I can do better. And sooner or later, I'm better than you!"

"W-Was that a reference to something?" Fluttershy wondered.

"Hey, Shy, you look like a White Mage" Pipes grinned "Flyin' enemies are weak ta the wind element. Please tell me you're skilled enough ta know Aero, right?"

"O-Of course" Fluttershy nodded before pointing her rod at the bat monster and cast her spell "Aero!" she shouted, sending a wave of air right at the Grim Gaze. The critical damage of a single target was enough to take out the monster and allow the three to continue on their way. A pile of bits soon appeared in their cart a few moments later.

"How... odd..." Discord looked at the currency "But then again, odd is my middle name! Ohohohoho!"

"Here come some more!" Pipes shouted just before two more Grim Gazes appeared before them.

"Aero!" Discord shouted, casting Fluttershy's spell on the enemies and sweeping them away, clearing their path once again.

"G-Good job, Discord!" Fluttershy praised "B-But, here comes another one..."

"Actually, Shy... That doesn't look like an Grim Gaze if I ever saw one..."

"Yes, you're right, idiot" Discord mocked "That just looks like a bigger Grim Gaze! Ohohohoho!"

"An Ahriman..." Pipes said as the creature that looked just like a Grim Gaze, albeit larger and with four wings instead of two, finally appeared before them "They're powerful, they are. From what I remember my grandma back home tellin' me, they can use confusion attacks ta stun us, then flap around its wings ta deal huge damage ta us."

"Hey! You just spoiled all the fun of encountering new monsters..." Discord sadly said before brightening up again "Oh well! Now use moves so I can do something!"

"R-Right!" Fluttershy nodded "Aero!" once more, a gust of wind was blow at the monster, knocking it back and doing effective damage to it. However, the Ahriman stayed persistent to stop the trio from progressing any further. It widened it's eye and stared right at Pipes with a hypnotic glare, confusing her.

"Snap out of it, peasant" Discord smacked the back of her head, releasing her from her state.

"Never thought I'd say it, but thanks, Discord" Pipes rolled her eyes "Now, let me show you what my true power is!" she charged her attack for a second before releasing it on the monster "Suplex!" she jumped forward and grabbed the Ahriman, throwing it and sending it tumbling around the tunnel before finally stopping exactly where it was before. It let out a cry of pain, but continued its attack, now more enraged than it had been before. It soon began charging its own attack from its mouth.

"AH! D-DUCK!!" Fluttershy crouched down and braced herself.

"No, that's a monster, not a duck" Discord laughed, getting the majority of the attack from not ducking down "...oh, so that's the way you want to play this game, hmm? In that case... Suplex!" he dashed forward and grabbed one of the monster's wings, throwing it downward where it hit the track and dealt damage to it.

"Discord, hold on! Cure!" Fluttershy waved her staff around and sent a soothing light over Discord, healing the wounds created by the Ahriman's attack.

"Thank you, dear" Discord nodded.

"Aura Bolt!" Reed Pipe shouted, sending a wave of whatever inner energy she had at the monster. Suddenly, the monster felt weak. It stuck out its tongue before closing its eye and falling onto the side of the track, finally dying.

"Whew... What a fight!" she rubbed her head and removed the sweat from her forehead "I'll be the first ta say, albeit slightly regrettably, that without Discord's mimicry skills, we would have been goners."

"Ohohohoho! So she finally accepts my presence?" Discord laughed.

"I said regrettably!" she shouted.

(Music Stop)

"G-Guys, look over there!" a small smile appeared on Fluttershy's face "We're almost at the end of the tunnel! But, I can't help but wonder where we were going..."

"Perhaps too far away from the castle" Discord sighed "Whatever. Those townsfolk were stupid enough to pay me before this mission. Technically, I could leave whenever I wanted to. I only did this for so long because those peasants were right: that man really is a giant dick, especially now that I know he imprisoned dear poor Fluttershy..."

"Um... y-yeah..."

"Stop bein' a creep, Discord" Pipes scolded him "Now brace yourselves. Here comes the exit..."

At last, the cart had slowed down to a complete stop, allowing Fluttershy to breath a sigh of relief. Slowly and shakily, she got out of the cart and touched the ground once more, lying her belly on it and seemingly hugging it. This, of course, got a few reactions out of Discord and Pipes, but the former was more amused than confused.

"Sweet ground..." Fluttershy muttered "I'll never leave you again..."

"Shy, that just looks strange" Pipes rolled her eyes "C'mon, up on your feet."

"S-Sorry..." Fluttershy apologized, now standing back up "But, um... where are we?"

The three looked around and saw that they had appeared in a cave made completely of an odd type of azure stone. To their left was a large opening blocked by a huge and wall of falling water, meaning they had appeared in a cavern behind a waterfall. The thing in front of them, however, caught their attention the most: an old, gray stone alter with a single blue crystal shining from it. Fluttershy gasped the moment she saw it.

"Th-The water crystal!" Fluttershy shivered "B-But, if we're here, th-that means... n-no..."

"There you are..." spoke a voice all too familiar to her. She turned around and gasped in horror as she saw a pale man with white hair, red eyes, and a long black coat. He smiled as he saw the two women of the three.

"Oi! And who the hell are you?" Pipes shouted.

"Your voice..." the man sighed "It is not graceful like hers... You sicken me."

"Excuse me?!"

"And you... You aid my prisoners?" the man ignored Pipes and stared right at Discord "While on any other day I would kill those who defy me, you appear to be some sort of... bounty hunter. Interesting..."

"The best this world has to offer" Discord laughed.

"But you..." he looked right at Fluttershy, going up close to her and causing her to step back "Oh? Are you nervous of me? Why? Have you heard the rumors? The beliefs? They're false, in case you're wondering. Or... Do you know me personally?"

"..." Fluttershy whimpered.

"Come now..." the man approached her closer until he was finally right up close to her, pulling down her hood and showing the rest of her hair "Simply beautiful... Are you her? Say something. Sing. Let me hear your voice once again. Prove to me that you're her!"

"Hey, leave her alone!" Pipes rushed at the man. He stared right back at her and shot out a shadowy hand from his back, grabbing her and holding her hostage. The man then looked back at an absolutely terrified Fluttershy.

"Speak, or I kill her!" the man shouted "I have to know... Let me end my search!"

"..." Fluttershy whimpered in utter fear.

"SPEAK!!"

"...l-let her go, D-Dario..." Fluttershy finally spoke, tears now forming in her eyes. The man, now revealed to be Lord Dario, had a stunned expression on his face. Holding up his promise, he let Pipes go, dropping her on the ground and returning his shadowy hand. Slowly, he placed a hand on Fluttershy's cheek, wiping away her tears.

"I've finally found you... my sweet little flower..." he spoke in a shocked yet happy tone "My sweet little Posey..."

"P-Posey!" Pipes gasped "As in the woman who disappeared from... Oh! So that's why you trapped me..."

"Correct. There are so many who look just like her, I couldn't have been sure who she might have been until I heard her incredible voice..." he then turned toward Discord and pulled out a large bag of money from his coat "This is a small bag of the 10,000,000 bits you'll be rewarded with should you follow my orders."

"Ohohohoho... Consider it done..." Discord laughed "I AM a bounty hunter after all. So, what do you need me to do?"

"Place the loud woman back in a... different cell" Dario specified "But put Posey into her room. That is located on the west wing's tower of my castle. Guard her room, and give her anything that she requires."

"Sure thing. Sorry about this, dear" Discord apologized to Fluttershy, or rather Posey now, before grabbing her arm and preparing to teleport her and Pipes away.

"Damn you, stupid ass!" Pipes growled.

"D-Discord, please... you can't..." Posey plead. Before Discord could give a proper answer, he teleported away from the cave, leaving Dario to wander around.

"Posey I've finally found you..." Dario chuckled with happiness a bit "But why? Why did you flee from me? More importantly, how will I preserve your perfect figure and prevent you from ever running from me again? Hmm..." he thought long and hard before finally coming to a conclusion, smiling maniacally "Oh... I know a way..."

Author's Notes:

PLOT TWIST!! Fluttershy was Posey the whole time!! Why did she run from Lord Dario though? Well, find out in the next- no... um... Find out soon in the continuing adventures of Final Fantasy MLP!!

So, how was this chapter? I did say this act was going to be Fluttershy based, and even a prisoner can tell a story. Remember every refugee story ever? Yeah, that. But, lol, dat plot twist tho! Is Shyamalan up in the house?! Woop woop! OMG guys! I just noticed! Shyamalan and Fluttershy both have Shy in their names! Shy has three letters in in... OMG!!

ILLUMINATI CONFIRMED!!!

Be sure to Like, Comment, Favourite and Follow, and until then, dream on everyone!