Part 29
Part 29
In the Belly of the Beast
“What happened? What was that thing? Where ARE we?” Fluttershy asked in near panic as her eyes darted about her frantically in the pitch black that surrounded her.
“It’s okay, it’s okay, please calm down,” Ego replied. “Let me make some light.” He concentrates and a bright glow emits from his horn, illuminating the area around them.
Fluttershy’s eyes adjust after a moment, and by the glow of Ego’s horn she can see him sitting before her, his knees drawn up to his chest, his face a mask of pure terror.
“Are you okay?” She asks.
“No, not remotely!” Ego says rocking back and forth.
“Well, whatever that thing was, we need to go back and help my friends fight it!” She says in a determined voice.
“NO!” Ego says in shock. “We can’t go back out there! Didn’t you recognize that beast? That’s an Oshboggan! A fear monger! We can’t fight that. I barely managed to rip open a door into one of the dark recesses of my mind, and pull us to safety. I’m sorry Fluttershy, but your friends are already lost to us. I saw the Oshboggan devour them. Right now they are in it’s stomach, and the Oshboggan is secreting fluids to make them experience their darkest fears. He’ll keep them like that forever, feeding on the fear they generate. Growing more powerful the longer it feeds. I’m sorry Fluttershy, it’s all over. Our only chance to defeat Sorcery is gone.” Ego hangs his head in defeat.
Fluttershy looks at Ego. She can tell he has already given up. “It’ can’t end like this,”she thinks. “I can’t lose my friends, or let the whole world come to an end. Oh Gods, I promised myself that I would never use THAT again, but I may have no choice.” She thinks grimly.
Pinkie Pie slowly opens her eyes. “What, where?” she says as she groggily sits up. “Is this my room? This is my room! Oh what a crazy dream THAT all was,” she thinks to herself. And almost as an after thought, “was it always this gray?”
She gets up and makes her way to the door. “Mom, Dad! I’m awake. Is it breakfast time?” She calls as she opens the door. Suddenly without transition she finds herself sitting with the family at the breakfast table. Maud is already eating her morning plate of rocks, Dad is reading the paper, and her mother is just setting down a large bowl.
“Here’s your food.” She says in a flat tone, spooning Pinkie a bowl of gray gruel.
Pinkie looks sideways at the bowl. “Uh mom... what is THIS?” she asks hesitantly lifting a spoon to her muzzle and smelling it.
“Gruel. Same as always.” Her mother replies, tone still flat.
Pinkie takes a bit, and notices no flavor at all. It is the most bland and tasteless thing she can ever remember having eaten. “Um, that’s okay Mom, I’ll just grab a couple of cupcakes at the sweet shop. Mr. and Mrs. Cake are probably wondering where I am.” Pinkie rises from the table and opens the kitchen door. She looks over her shoulder and waves goodbye, but her family just goes about their routine as if she was never there. “What’s with all the gray? Did they repaint the whole house?” Pinkie thinks as she goes through the door.
Suddenly she finds herself once again without transition, in the Cake’s sweet shop. She makes her way up to the counter. “Sorry I’m late, but would it be okay if I have a cupcake or two before work?" she asks. Mr. Cake, without saying a word passes her a bowl of the same gruel her mother had served.
“Um HELLO. Mr. Cake not to tell you your business, but I am somewhat of a cupcake connoisseur, and I can state for the record, without any hesitation what soever, that this,” she says holding up the bowl, “is most definitely NOT a cupcake. I would even go as far as to say that it could very well be the least cupcake like object in the entire universe.”
Mr. Cake regards her stoically for a moment before replying. “What is a cupcake?” he asks in flat even tones.
And Pinkie lost it. “”WHAT’S A CUPCAKE?!? You of all ponies are asking ME what’s a cupcake? I got a better question mister. What is with all the gruel, and why is every pony's house all painted gray all of a sudden? Was there like a big sale on gray while I was gone? Was it buy two gallons of gray, and get a free pot of gruel? Where’s all the cupcakes? Where’s all the color?” Pinkie rants.
Mr. Cake looks at her, his expression unchanged. “What is color?” He asks.
And Pinkie is off again. “Color! You know, reds, and yellows, and orange, and purple and pink! Like this!” Pinkie says extending a lock of her own hair up before Mr. Cake’s face.
“Oh, I see. ‘Color’ means gray. Yes Pinkie, we have gray. Everything is gray” he says in his flat mono tone.
Pinkie looks in horror at the curl she is holding up before her. It is indeed as gray as everything else in the room. She frantically looks all over herself and sees the same tone of gray. In a panic she rushes to the door and throws it open. Outside other ponies slowly make their way down the street. Their heads hung down as they slowly plod along. No laughter, no smiles, no joy. And everywhere she looks, everything she sees, is endless, colorless, gray.
Applejack cheerfully trots down the street toward Rarity’s Boutique. “Rarity will sure be surprised,” she thinks as a smile widens on her face. “Me coming to her for a new dress, hehe, she won’t know what to think.” Applejack slows slightly as she unfolds the letter she received from Spike this morning, and reads it for the third time.
“Dear Applejack,
We have been growing closer and closer over the last year, and I want you to know that I truly cherish the time we’ve spent together. There is something very important I want to say to you. Please meet me at our favorite picnic spot this afternoon at six.
Spike.”
“He’s gonna do it!” Applejack thinks with glee. “He’s gonna pop the question! Ever since he had gotten older, and we had started dating I knew, I KNEW one day this would come. I gotta look my best for tonight. Don’t care how many bits it’ll cost me, Rarity is gonna have to make me the best lookin dress she ever made!”
Applejack makes her way to the Boutique, but stops short. On the front door a sign reads, ‘Closed for the day. Please come back tomorrow. Sorry for the inconvenience.’
“Gol Dang it! Not today!” Applejack says, throwing her hat on the ground.”No, this is to important to me. I reckon whatever she is doing, she could make an exception for her friend just this once.”
Applejack makes her way around the rear of the Boutique. She raise a hoof to knock, but thinks better of it. “I better make sure she isn’t doin any sewin, or such. If I made her stab her hoof, she probably wouldn’t be inclined to grant me no favors.” Applejack thinks as she raises herself up to peer into the sewing room window. And then freezes in shock. “No,” she says in disbelief, “No, it can’t be true!”
Applejack lowers herself back down and turns to leave. Then, with sudden resolve, she turns back and kicks the door open as hard as she can. She stomps into the rear door of her best friends shop and points an angry hoof in her direction. “How DARE you!” she shouts.
Rarity and Spike untangle from each other on the couch. Both of them looking up at her in guilty surprise.
“A-Applejack,” Spike stammers, “I didn’t want you to find out like this. Rarity has changed her mind about me. She wants me to be her boyfriend. I-I was going to tell you tonight.” he says looking at his former paramour.
“How could you? How could you?” Applejack says, tears streaming down her face. I opened up to you, to BOTH of you!”
“Yes dear I know.” Rarity says. “You sat with me for hours telling me how wonderful Spike was. Day after day, how well he treated you, how gentle and kind he was. And gradually I came to realize that you were right. Why, he had been right there, all this time, and I had been ignoring him. Well those days are over with! Right my little Spikey-wikie?” She says stroking the crest on his head. Spike merely leans onto her lap.
“I’m sorry Applejack.” Spike says. “But she’s Rarity. She’s the only one I ever REALLY wanted. I suppose looking back, that you were just filling the void that she left in my heart.”
Applejack can only look on, as her heart breaks from the one fear that she had been keeping locked away deep in her heart...
“Attention all ponies. Please assemble in the Town Square at noon today. I have an important announcement that will be of importance to you all.”
Princess Twilight Sparkle.
“Why I wonder whatever this could be about?” Rarity thinks to herself as she reads the notice tacked hastily to the door of her Boutique.
She makes her way, along with all the other ponies in town to the Town Square. At precisely noon. Princess Twilight Sparkle comes in for a landing and begins to address all assembled.
“My fellow ponies! Today I have wonderful news for you all. I have recently been in contact with a race of beings from another world. These beings are symbionts, and would like to come join us on Equestria. Allow me to introduce you to one.” Twilight extends a hoof, and a small white ball can be seen being held aloft. Rarity watches in horror as, after a moment it flows like liquid mercury down her hoof and envelops her completely. “Now watch this,” Twilight says. Suddenly the white creature transforms itself into the most beautiful gown Rarity had ever seen. The crowd oohs, and ahhs, appreciatively. “These little guys can make themselves look like anything we can imagine. And all they feed off of is excess calories that we don’t use. IF we allow them to colonize, there would be enough for every pony to have one. What do you all say?” The chorus of yes’s was thundering.
It was a month later, and Rarity was walking down the same street. She was heading toward her friend Applejack’s house. Every so often she would hazard a glace around her at all of the impossibly good looking ponies, their bodies sculpted by their individual symbionts, all wearing outfits, that were impossibly beautiful. All except Rarity. She had refused to wear some ‘grubby alien thing’ as she called them. And by the time she relented, none of them would consent to pair with her. Her business had crumbled, and just today she had sold her building to pay for the debts she had amassed. She now walked down the streets of her home, naked, penniless, and ugly, compared to all those around her. Quite without meaning to she bumped into some pony.
“I’m sorry,” she says “I wasn’t looking where I was going.” she looks up into an impossibly beautiful version of Applejack walking beside an incredibly handsome Spike. She stares at them both for a moment in shock.
“I’m sorry,” Applejack says, looking disdainfully down at Rarity, “do I know you?”
“I’m REALLY sorry!” Derpy says, from the side of Rainbow Dash’s hospital bed. “I didn’t think the lightning would arch that way.”
“It’s okay Derpy.” Rainbow replied. “It was just an accident, you didn’t do it on purpose. I’m sure the Doctor will fix it as good as new in no time.” Rainbow says, forcing a smile.
“I’m sorry,” Nurse Redheart says, walking into the room. “But I’m afraid that wont be the case,” she says, shaking her head sadly.
“What do you mean?” Rainbow asks, concern creeping into her voice.
“I’m afraid the results are conclusive. The lightning damaged the nerves in your wings. You’ll NEVER fly again.” Nurse Redheart says in sympathy.
“What?!? are you sure?” Rainbow asks in shock.
“I’m afraid so. There is nothing either medical or magical that we know of that can regrow nerves. I’m truly sorry.” Nurse Redheart says.
“Oh Rainbow Dash, I’m really, really sorry!” Derpy wails, “w-what will you do now?” she asks sobbing.
“Walk.” Rainbow says simply. “I guess I’m going to walk.”
The next few weeks went by worse than Rainbow expected. The long grueling wait to be released from the hospital, looking for a place to stay in Ponyville. She finally decided to take up Applejack’s invitation. Rarity’s place was too girly, Twilight’s Palace was just too much, Pinkie’s was too loud, and Fluttershy’s was full of animals everywhere she walked. And that was what she HAD to do from now on... walk.
“It’s just so slow!” Rainbow complained, as she and Applejack made their way into the orchard to buck apples. “And...and my legs and hooves hurt all the time.”
“Ah that’s just ‘cause you ain’t used to usin them sugar cube.” Applejack responds cheerfully. “A few weeks in the fields and you’ll be strong in no time.”
“I already WAS strong!” Rainbow replies sullenly, as they make their way to the first batch of trees.
Applejack rares back and with a mighty buck, fills her basket over halfway to the top. After seeing this, Rainbow Dash kicks her tree as hard as she can, but nothing falls out.
“OWW!” she yells, clutching her leg.
“”Here, lemme see that darlin,” Applejack says with concern, walking over and examining Rainbows leg. “Dang girl, you sprung it on your first try. I reckon your finished for the day, better go back to the house and let Big Mac put some ice on it.” Applejack says sadly.
“I-I tried my best.” Rainbow says, but Applejack is already back at work. She limps her way back toward the Apple’s house, each slow grinding step shooting fresh pain into her already tired and sore hooves. Suddenly Derpy comes swooping down out of the sky above them.
“There you are Rainbow Dash! I’ve been looking everywhere for you. I have great news!”
“Oh really?” Rainbow says, her ears perking up slightly.
“Yeah. Well ever since your accident I was feeling really bad. So I decided to train and train, and I worked really hard and... and yesterday it happened!”
“What happened?” Rainbow asked, now curious.
“I was accepted into the Wonderbolts! Isn’t that awesome!” Derpy says proudly.
“Y-yeah? I mean, yeah, that’s awesome. I-I’m really happy for you. Rainbow says, struggling to contain her tears.
“And it’s all for you Rainbow. All the bits I make at competitions is all going to go to finding a way to make you better.” Derpy says smiling, patting her friend on her shoulder.
“That’s... really nice of you Derpy. Um, thanks a lot.” Rainbow says, still struggling to maintain her civility.
“Oh, and I did have one other good thing happen.” Derpy says in quieter tones. “I kinda met this pony, and we kinda hit it off, and now we are kinda sorta dating.” Derpy says with an embarrassed smile.
“Well, um that’s great Derpy,” Rainbow says, thinking of how Soarin hadn’t come to visit her once since he found out she couldn’t fly anymore. “So who is the lucky guy?”
“Oh you’ll never believe it!” Derpy says excitedly, “he’s one of the Wonderbolts themselves! Soarin!”
The shock of this announcement causes Rainbow to come down wrong on her bad leg. She crashes to the dirt road, her once beautiful mane and tail covered in dust, with her innocent friend looking down at her. Her friend who unknowingly, has just taken away everything in her life.
“I’m sorry Twilight.” The Doctor says sadly. “When the control panel blew out, the energy discharge from the Eye of Harmony grounded itself into your horn. It overwhelmed your magical properties. You may never be able to use your magic again.”
“NOOO!” Twilight screams, waking up in her own bed. She looks around in terror for a moment. “Just a dream,” she says, “it was just a dream.” she rises and stretches as her memory returns. “That’s right, I flew all night to get back early from our meeting with the Griffin ambassador. No pony knows I’m home yet. Not even Spike, he was fast asleep when I got in. I can spend the rest of the day in my room, catching up on my reading.” she thinks, preparing to settle back down. Suddenly she hears sounds coming from down stairs.
Cautiously she creeps over to the door, and eases it open, she crawls over to the edge of the upper staircase, quietly looking over the edge, to spot the intruders. Below she can make out the forms of her friends Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy, as they begin to drag heavy boxes inside the front door.
“Aww, they are going to throw me a surprise party for when I return.” Twilight thinks to herself. “I’ve got the best friends ever. I wonder if I should tell them th-” but Twilight’s thoughts are interrupted from below.
“Careful with that Fluttershy!” Pinkie admonishes. “I’ve managed to salvage the decorations from all of her parties before now, if you damage them I’ll have to make new ones!” Pinkie says.
“But Pinkie darling,” Rarity says, “I thought you made new decorations for EVERY party.”
“Well yeah, normally. But this is Twilight after all.” Pinkie says, as all the rest of them laugh together.
“What?” Twilight thinks.
“I don’t see why we have to go to all this trouble anyway.” Rainbow Dash says. “She’s a PRIN-cess now, it’s not like she needs it.”
“Now, now,” Applejack says coming up beside her friend. “Nothing has changed, just because Twilight is a princess now. She’s the same as she ever was ever since she first got here.”
“You tell her AJ,” Twilight thinks.
“That’s right, she’s still the same spy Celestia sent to check up on us from the git go, so we all need to keep up the act while she’s around.” Applejack finishes.
It’s all Twilight can do to keep from yelling out in shock, as her supposed ‘friends’ keep talking.
“Yeah, she almost took us in at first, until we found out what she was REALLY up to,” Rainbow says, hanging banners. “All those reports to Celestia, keeping tabs on us, spying on us. Just so the royalty could keep us under their hoof.” she says bitterly.
“Well I knew from the very start,” Rarity says, as she unpacks more boxes. “You could tell the moment she arrived. Awkward, uncouth, BARELY civilized, and yet she had a retainer with her. It was a dead giveaway."
“And poor Spike,” Fluttershy adds. “Having to work so hard for that slave driver,” she says shaking her head bitterly.
“I heard that he tried to get transferred three times,” Pinkie says conspiratorially.
“That’s not true at all!” Spikes voice says coming form the archway.
“Oh thank Celestia!” Twilight thinks, “Spike will straighten them out.”
“It was four times,” Spike finishes. “And each time I was told the same thing. If I ever wanted a chance at promotion, then I had to stay with Twilight, and pretend to be her friend. I’ve been having to send detailed reports about HER back to the palace as well as the rest of you all.” Spike says in a tired voice. “I can’t believe she is still so clueless as to why we were really sent here.”
“Well, I’m just glad that we were able to persuade you to tell US the truth,” Rarity says with a wink, causing Spike to blush.
“Aww, I could never keep anything from YOU Rarity.” Spike replies.
“All right every pony, let’s quit jawin, and get the rest of this mess put up. Then maybe we can go home and rest a bit before we have to put on the ‘friend show’ for Miss Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Cluelessness.” And the castle rings with the sound of laughter.
“Ego,” Fluttershy says, distracting him from his rocking. “Um, I don’t think that was real.”
“Well, not real as in ‘there’s a real Oshboggan inside my head’ real, but real enough! It’s a mental construct made to duplicate a real Oshboggan.” Ego says, resuming his rocking.
“No. Um, what I meant was, I don’t think Oshboggans are real.”
“What are you talking about? My mother used to tell me tales about them when I was a colt. They’d be sailing along, and suddenly there would be this lovely magenta rose, floating on the waves, with this big purple lily pad around it. And she would tell us how when they got to close to it, the Oshboggan reveled itself, and would attack the ship. I must’ve heard that story a dozen times. Scared me half to death!”
“Um, well, that’s kinda what I meant. I think that was just a made up monster. I mean, I’ve read books on just about all the animal life on Equestria, ESPECIALLY the dangerous ones, and I never came across any mention of an Oshboggan.”
“So, so you think my mom just made it up? To scare me?” Ego says hopefully.
“Yeah, I think so. But let me ask you something. If we were to destroy it, would it hurt your mind? I mean since it’s made from your thoughts.”
“Well, if by some incredible miracle that were to happen, I’d be fine. Its more or less just a thought in my head. It won’t affect me. But surely you can’t possibly think that the two of us could defeat that monster! It’s as big as a house, and has already eaten all of our friends. There’s no way we could win.” Ego says in exasperation.
“Well, um, actually there is. But if I do this, you gotta promise me that you’ll NEVER tell any pony else about it.” Fluttershy says looking sternly into Ego’s eyes.
“What are you talking about?” Ego says confused.
“It’s something I learned how to do a long time ago. I found out how by accident, and I told myself that I would never EVER do it again. But we have to save our friends.” She says resolutely.
“Fluttershy,” Ego says, looking at the strong determined look in her eyes. “Are you sure about this?”
“Absolutely,” she replies. “Can you make a shield around me? It only needs to hold for a few seconds.”
“A few seconds I can manage, but that’s about it.” He says.
“That’s all I need,” Fluttershy replies. “Let’s do this.”
Without a word, Ego reopens a right back to where they had just been. The Oshboggan is sitting in the tattered remains of the white room, feeding contentedly on the fears of their friends. It notices the two emerge, and rises up and begins floating toward them.
Ego forms a shield around Fluttershy as strong as he can manage as the pegasus flies her way upwards until she is even with the creatures hideous face. It’s tentacles reach to grab her, but bounce harmlessly off of her shield.
“Let my friends go.” Fluttershy says, giving the creature her STARE. It pauses for a moment in shock, before resuming it’s attack.
“I said, let my friends go!” she says again, STARING as hard as she can. Again the creature pauses, but again it starts thrashing at her.
“Fluttershy, the shield is about to collapse,” Ego says, strain evident in his voice.
“I guess I have no choice,” Fluttershy thinks to herself. Once again she looks the creature deep in it’s beady black eyes. “I said. LET... MY... FRIENDS... GO!” and Fluttershy GLARES at the creature, which then explodes into hundreds of shattered pieces. She lands and makes her way to the lower half of the once fearful being and sees her friends begin to rise groggily from the gooey morass that was all that remained of the creatures stomach.
“Fluttershy,” Ego says in awe, as he makes his way up beside her. "H-how did you do that?”
“Well, when I was a filly, I found out that I could use my Stare to make small animals not attack me. I lived a the edge of the forest, so there was always animals around. Well, I got worried that one day something really big might one day come after me, like a dragon,” she says shuddering. “So I practiced my stare every day. There used to be this great big rock in the middle of my garden, that was far to large to move. I would sit for hours practicing my Stare on it. Then one day, as I was sitting there Staring, a ray of sunlight glinted off one of my gardening tools and stuck me in the eyes. I had to really squint for a minute, and then something changed. I wasn’t ‘Staring’ at the rock, for a moment I was ‘Glaring’ at the rock. Then it kinda went all explody.”
“Kinda went all explody,” Ego repeats quietly, as he takes an involuntary step back from Fluttershy.
“See, that right there,” Fluttershy says. “And that’s why I don’t ever want any pony to know about it. I told myself I’d never ever use my Glare again. Well, unless I’m gardening.” she adds shyly.
“Well,” Ego says, regaining his composure. “Your secret is safe with me. And now that your friends are all safe, we shouldn’t have to resort to that kind of thing again.”
Slowly Twilight and the others regain their footing. They finally clear their heads and begin to look around. As soon as they catch sight of each other however, they are immediately frozen in shock. Rainbow falls to her knees, her wings held tight against her. Pinkie covers her eyes. Rarity begins to wail, Applejack just looks down at her and says ‘how could you,’ over and over, and Twilight Sparkle turns her back on all of them and quietly sobs to herself.
“Fluttershy, keep that Glare handy.” Ego says, surveying the scene before them. “Looks like we may still need it after all.”
Part of me really wanted Fluttershy to yell "Leeeeeeroy Jennnnnkins!" When she leaped out into battle. But I restrained myself...barely. 
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Fluttershy has a more intense version of her Stare? Oh, I didn't expect that to happen. I wonder what sorts of other things we'll see developing before they give Sorcery the boot.
This Story... Is just amazing!!
I read the whole thing in one go (Status 11.16.14)
it is extraordinary.
How you portrayed discord and his past, and the interaction off all the characters. And the role you gave the Doctor. It's incredible!
Though I have to admit it was a little tiring to read at times this story is definitely upon the best written and most interesting I've ever read here.
Just the idea alone to have discord show them nearly everything in the story in screen and let him comment it from time to time was amazing.
Thank you very much for this marvelous piece of literature. up to now I enjoyed it very much.
Can't wait for the next chapter!
5277913 Thank you very much for your kind words. I still have a few surprises left in store, hope you like them.
>> Quixotic Enigma Correct me if Im wrong but didn't the action of shouting Leeroy Jekins come evolve from "speed runs" in Left 4 Dead? Which is a good game by the way.
Explody, sounds like something the Doctor would say.
SHOULD HAVE WENT WITH YOUR GUT ON LEROY jENKINS MAN! THAT COULD HAVE BEEN GOLDEN FOR FLUTTERSHY! but still pretty epic on the GLARE.
Holy shitballs