Awakening Fluttershy's Dark Sky

by Misty Shadow

Myra Michaels

"It was a gray and cloudy day." Maud Pie began the tale of the serial killer. "A serial killer was in a town. The serial killer was a twenty-year old woman named Myra Michaels. The town was a big place of about 2,000 people, and about 1,200 men. They all died. She killed them. She cut off the penises of all the men and added them to her collection. She had tens of thousands. They were all penises."

Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash all had blank expressions on their faces.

"Is...that it?" Applejack asked.

"Disregarding the prequel," replied Maud, "where we learn that Myra used to be a sweet girl who had her heart corrupted by a demon, and the sequel where she changed her ways, that's about all I have to tell."

"Ha ha!" Rainbow Dash guffawed. "That was it?! I'll give you credit for surprising me, but you'll have to do way better than that to scare me!"

"I'm...more confused than anything." Pinkie Pie said. "Were...you trying to convince them of-"

"You all seem convinced that I'm finished…" Maud intervened. "But I'm only done with what I have to tell. Now, it's time for me to start what I have to do. It is time for the baptism to commence..."

Maud Pie then pulled her sword out of the sheath, and again, the cross on the hilt started glowing. After muttering something incomprehensible under her breath and making a swipe with her left front leg, the campfire went out and the entire room became dark.

"Wait...what's going on here?" Applejack asked nervously.

"Oh come on," said Dash bemusedly, "I figured out that you were just using that baptism schtick as a diversion back at the castle. I know you're just trying to scare-"

Rainbow Dash was interrupted upon feeling Maud Pie's sword enter her stomach. Soon after, she felt her body being stacked upon Applejack. Both of them had been impaled by Maud's sword, but they were not dead or even wounded. However, they both felt an unfamiliar feeling deep inside themselves, and deep inside them, voices could be heard…

"SO THESE ARE THE SOULS OF MYRA'S NEW COMRADES." a mixture of all sorts of voices said. "LET US TAKE REFUGE IN THEM AS MYRA ASKED."

With that, Applejack and Rainbow screamed as their minds became flooded with memories of people being killed and butchered by a woman with long black hair and a saber that had a familiar silver blade with the initials "M.M." engraved on it, but no golden cross-shaped hilt. Their shrieks soon began to quell however when they started seeing memories of the woman speaking to a white-haired man with a white robe and a staff.

"Is it finished?" the woman asked.

"Yes," replied the man as he handed the sword Applejack and Rainbow had just seen be used for murder moments ago over to the woman, "it is done. Now that your heart has changed and amends with those you have wronged have been made, I trust that you will be able to do great things with this sword. The blade may not be able to avoid conflict entirely, but the hilt will give you what you need to avoid senseless violence. You've done very well, Myra."

Myra looked upon the sword and even though she was wearing a straight face...she shed tears.

"Thank you, Loki…" she said.

After that, Applejack and Rainbow Dash stopped seeing memories. Maud Pie had drawn her sword out of their bodies and the flames in the fireplace had been rekindled. Still in a state of shock, Applejack and Rainbow trembled as they looked at Maud's face.

"Those...those weren't hallucinations…" they both thought fearfully. "I felt not just her sword enter my body...but also, the essences of others...become entwined with my very being! Memories of their names, their lives, what they felt...and I still feel them inside me now...how is this possible?!"

"Yes, you fear the serial killer now…" Maud said. "Because you know now that she exists. The only things we fear are things that are real...or at least, things we perceive as real. Most of us stop fearing the dark as we become older, because we learn that our perception of the dark wasn't real. But not fearing darkness at all is a huge mistake, because being lured into such a false sense of security..."

As Maud Pie paused, Pinkie Pie could feel her aura change to a familiar state, and became surprised.

"No way…" Pinkie thought. "She's even going to show them…"

With a blinding flash of light, Maud transformed into a demon. Her entire body transformed into pitch-dark shadow...that was also transparent. Even in the blackest darkness that was in her chest, Applejack and Rainbow could see their reflections, as well as lights gliding across the shadow.

"Is all part of the darkness' plan." Maud Pie continued. "It doesn't seek out young children, it seeks out grown-up children who have relaxed their guard..."

"Are you...really Maud Pie?" Applejack asked with a gulp.

"Are you...really on our side?" Rainbow asked with sweat trickling down with her face.

In response, Maud grinned as she came closer to Applejack and Rainbow…

...only to change back to normal.

"That will be revealed," said Maud cheekily, "in the sequel. Coming soon. Hope my story wasn't too scary for you guys…"

"Storytime is over now." Maud Pie said. "Did you guys like it?"

"I REALLY liked it!" Pinkie exclaimed happily. "I loved how much effort you put into giving Applejack and Rainbow Dash a good time! You know they don't get to see this kind of stuff nearly as often as I do!"

"Wha-what do these two do when they're together?!" Applejack thought.

"...Only nearly?" Rainbow thought about the context of that.

"It's too bad Twilight wasn't here for this." Maud said. "But I understand with her being busy...sleeping."

She knows...

"I'm retiring to my room now." Maud told the others as she walked away towards her bedroom. "But before I leave, I just want to tell you something…"

"?" the others went as Maud turned her head around and faced them.

"Pinkie Pie knew." Maud said. "I asked her to keep quiet so I could show you myself."

Applejack and Rainbow were slightly stunned by that as Maud Pie entered her bedroom. It's like she knew that the first thing they were going to do was ask Pinkie about why she had been mostly calm and quiet in the face of this bizarre event. That aside, Applejack and Rainbow Dash knew one thing for sure now…

They were on a journey with a Maud Pie completely different from the one they knew.