Awakening Fluttershy's Dark Sky

by Misty Shadow

Where Everything Leads

The Dream of Heaven

Choosing to go down the path of clouds, Twilight fell through the first cloud she walked on and continued falling into a realm filled with fluffy, white clouds surrounding a blue sky. Confused as to how she couldn't walk on them, even though she was an alicorn, she tried to fly. But when she tried to flap her wings and fly...she realized there was no need to. She was floating. However, she couldn't move on her own or talk. She just kept drifting along with the current of air in the sky until a familiar yellow pegasus wearing a white robe grabbed her. Smiling and caressing Twilight tightly, she got on top of her and began to fluff her by stamping her with her hooves. She then got into position and started taking a nap on Twilight. At last, Twilight realized what was going on…

Fluttershy's an angel in heaven...and I'm her cloud…

The Dream of Owls

Choosing to go down the path of owls, Twilight examined the trees and the owls in the forest curiously. She couldn't stop thinking about what Tree Hugger said at the funeral about Fluttershy being reincarnated as an owl. The more she thought about Fluttershy being an owl in the Everfree Forest, and the more she worried about Fluttershy not being able to survive against all of its dangerous creatures, the darker the forest became. Panicking, Twilight tried to run through the forest, but it eventually became so dark that she couldn't even see her hooves in front of her face. She tried casting an illumination spell, but to no avail. Not being able to use magic had her more frightened than ever, and she fell to her knees crying. But soon, a yellow owl with familiar pink hair and blue eyes flew down towards her and wrapped its wings around her.

"Why are you crying, Twilight?" the owl asked in a recognizable voice, trying to comfort her. "Is something wrong?"

"F-Fluttershy?" Twilight replied, knowing that voice. "Is that really you?"

"Hee hee…" Fluttershy giggled, blushing. "I could ask you the same thing, Owlight."

"Wait...what?" Twilight said, confused.

Fluttershy turned on a lamp, the light emanating from it revealing that Twilight and her were inside a tree that Fluttershy had made her home. It was in this light that Twilight could see herself clearly as she looked down. Not only that, but she and Fluttershy were on a bed…

"You're looking nice…" Fluttershy flirted. "And don't worry, even though you're an owl now, you still have a horn…"

Looking up and noticing that her unicorn horn was gone, Twilight realized what was going on…

I'm an owl and Fluttershy wants to have sex with me…

The Dream of Nothing

Choosing to go down the path of nothing, Twilight found herself walking into...nothing. She felt nothing as she treaded the nonexistent trail, and felt nothing around her. It was just cold darkness...that was somehow also nothing. It spooked her, and as she looked back, she saw that their was nothing to turn back towards. As she looked ahead of her, she saw nothing to walk towards. There was nothing that she could do.

"Would I ever be able to see Fluttershy again in this blackness?" she asked herself.

"No," replied a voice, "you don't even see the blackness. You just don't exist."

"Wow, you're polite." Twilight said sarcastically. "Who do you think who you are?"

"I was once Fluttershy." the voice spoke. "But now, I am nothing. And you too, shall be nothing soon. Surrender to me your existence...accept me to free yourself from your fear of death...accept that you will become nothing in death, and you shall have everything you ever wanted in life…"

Twilight realized what was going on...

Fluttershy is nothingness and she wants me to join her…

The Dream of Choosing No Path

Choosing none of the options, Twilight looked up to the dark sky with a frustrated scowl on her face. She realized what was really going on…

"Come out, Goddess of Death…" she said. "I know what this is. This is a riddle you came up with…"

With that, a laugh echoed across the sky.

"How intriguing…" the Goddess of Death replied, appearing in the sky as a dark figure whose face was eclipsed by a robe hoodie. "You saw through my illusions...but can you explain to me my riddle?"

"Easily." Twilight said confidently, nodding her head. "You asked me where Fluttershy went. The three paths represented the three things I thought could've happened to her after she had died. You wanted me to choose which one I believed would lead me to Fluttershy. The problem is that none of them lead me to Fluttershy. All of them just lead me to how I imagine Fluttershy. The only one who knows where the real Fluttershy is is you. But how do I get to you? There is no right answer to that question because every path we take in life ultimately leads to death...every path. And there are not just three possible paths to be taken after...there are an infinite number of paths that I just haven't thought about yet. That's why you asked me the question in the form of the stars in the sky, because like them, you are infinite!"

"Ooh, VERY good." Goddess of Death replied. "You are absolutely right, I am infinite. Anyone can think of me any way they want, but no matter which way they choose, they have to accept me in the end. Great job figuring it out. I would love to have someone like you as a friend."

"F-friend?!" Twilight yelled in surprise. "W-what are you talking about?"

"Come now," said Goddess of Death, "just because I kill ponies doesn't mean I'm all bad. To be honest, I actually consider myself to be good. I love living creatures. If not for them, I'd have no reason to exist and my ultimate goal would be completely impossible to achieve. I'm sorry that I took Fluttershy from you, but it had to be done...it's my job. Also, aren't you the princess of friendship? Surely, you of all ponies would forgive what I've done and accept me as your friend, right?"

Twilight was unsure of how to respond to that…should she forgive the Death goddess?

Decision #3: Should Twilight accept the Goddess of Death's friendship?

Forgive the Goddess of Death

Don't forgive the Goddess of Death

Not Forgiving Her

Twilight chose to turn her heart to ice and said…

"No...I don't care if you're sorry...the damage has been done...and the damage is IRREPARABLE. The moment you took Fluttershy away from me is the moment you took an invaluable piece of my friendship away. And believe it or not, THAT'S not the worst part. I didn't fall into a depression just because I lost a part of what I had held so dear, I also realized that because of YOU, I'm eventually going to lose EVERYTHING I hold so dear! That's why I can never be friends with you! I can't be friends with someone who's going to take friends away from me! So long as you exist in this world, you are my enemy! I will do anything in my power to ruin you!"

"Aww…" the Goddess of Death responded. "You're adorable. I also love how you said "ruin you". Because you know in your heart that you can not kill me...even if I die, death will live on in this world. I didn't create it...even before I came to control death, it has always been around…it is eternal."

With those words, Twilight looked at her hooves and thought to herself for a bit before saying…

"If that's true, then I will do anything in my power to KILL death itself...not just for me and my friends...but the world too. I'm not going to be depressed anymore because I have something to live for again...the day no one has to die ever again!"

In response, the Goddess of Death began to laugh and clap.

"Your resolve is so ADMIRABLE!" the Goddess of Death proclaimed delightfully. "To stand up against the eternal, undying force that I live for...I LOVE YOU! I simply MUST kill you in the most GLORIOUS fashion I can imagine! Until we meet again, I'll be thinking of how wonderful it will be to have you as a part of me…"

"Wait," replied Twilight as her dream started to end, "what does that me-"

Before Twilight could finish, she woke up in bed.

"Damn…" she swore. "What the fuck did she mean by that crud? And why would Princess Luna allow me to have a dream like that? Unless…"

Twilight thought things over until it finally dawned on her…

"I need to go to Princess Celestia…" she told herself. "I feel...there's something I need to do there."

Forgiving Her

Twilight chose to warm up her heart and said…

"Yes...I mean, I still hate what you've done but I don't feel I have the right to stand against you until I know the reason why you do this. Maybe there's an even higher force that tells you to do what you do, maybe you are working for a greater good, I don't know. But for now, I want to believe that you're not truly evil and call you a friend…"

"Ha ha, for now…" the Goddess of Death replied. "Honestly, you're too kind. I didn't think you would forgive me at all. But hey, I won't complain since this is going to make things more enjoyable for both me AND you."

"Huh?" Twilight responded as her dream began to end. "What do you mean by th-"

CON the Riddler

Choosing to CON the riddler, Twilight began to laugh.

"What's so funny?" a voice from the sky asked.

"I know who wrote this, just letting you know." Twilight replied. "Me."

"What?!" the voice yelled. "No, you didn't, I did!"

"Oh, please…" Twilight taunted. "It's obvious that I wrote the message in the sky. This is my dream, and "Where did Fluttershy go?" is a question I've been asking myself a lot lately. All these paths are meant to portray all my perceptions of what may have happened to Fluttershy after she died. I've read about you in my book. You're the Goddess of Death, aren't you?"

"So what if I am?" the voice asked.

"Oh, nothing." Twilight said with a grin. "It's just that I always knew the Goddess of Death had no power over dreams...or even the night sky for that matter…"

In response to that, a familiar pony appeared before Twilight.

"Thou insolent whelp!" the familiar pony exclaimed. "I am not just the Goddess of Death, but I am also Prince Luna, goddess of not just the night, but dreams as well!"

Twilight began laughing really hard.

"Thanks for the information, sucker!" Twilight scoffed. "You just gave away your identity!"

Luna's face went red with embarrassment.

"Th-thou art lying!" Luna cried in desperation. "Th-this did not happen! It was only a dream! WE WERE NEVER HERE!"

Luna attempted to run away, only to get hit by a car.

"Ow." she said.

She then attempted to fly away, only to get hit by a plane.

"Double ow." she said. "It's a good thing I'm made of souls..."

Luna came to regret saying that out loud when she looked over at Twilight, who was laughing even harder than before now…

"FUCK!" Luna shouted in anger.

Twilight knew exactly what was going on now. She kinda just woke up after that and went to Princess Celestia's castle because she had to do something important there or some shit...

Awakening from the Heaven Dream

"Glad you chose me…" the Fluttershy angel said. "I'm going to love sleeping with you…"

With those words, Twilight suddenly awoke from her slumber in her bed. Turning over, she looked at her mattress. Rubbing it warmly, she knelt her head close to it and whispered…

"I'm sorry if I ever treated you roughly...I know how you feel now…"

Later that morning, Twilight was seen at her dining room table eating breakfast. She was having a bowl of instant oatmeal that Spike had prepared for her. Noticing that Twilight was looking not soul-crushingly depressed but still aloof, Spike decided to ask her how she was feeling…

"Are you feeling better Twilight…?" Spike asked as he twiddled his fingers nervously. "...Just a little?"

"I guess…" Twilight replied, trying not to discourage him too much. "Maybe my problem right now is that I'm just...bored. I want something to do. Hopefully, something that could help somepony in some way…"

"Oh…" Spike said as something dawned on him. "Well if it's any help, I got a letter from Princess Celestia earlier this morning…"

"Hmm?" Twilight said, curious.

"Yeah…" Spike continued. "She wanted you to come to the castle whenever you had the time today. Something happened at the castle two nights ago...she said she needs your help."

"...Okay." Twilight replied. "Please send for a chariot as soon as you can. I'm not feeling like flying right now...I just want to drift across the sky…"

Spike just stared at Twilight in confusion and blinked.

"I guess you woke up on the wrong side of the bed…" he said with a shoulder shrug.

Awakening from the Owl Dream

"Glad you chose me…" Flutterowl said, shutting off the light. "Come and make sweet love in my treehole tonight…"

With those words, Twilight awoke from her slumber in her bed, feeling discomfort in her joints and an odd sensation in her wings. Looking back at her wings, she realized they were erect, and blushed in response…

"Now I know why they call it a wingboner…" she said with a shudder.

Later that morning, Twilight was at the breakfast table, stirring a spoon around in a cup of coffee with an unnerved look on her face. Spike took notice…

"Is something wrong, Twilight?" he asked in concern.

"Not really…" Twilight replied, knowing she couldn't discuss the dream she had with Spike in detail and feel right about it. "I just had a nightmare last night...it just creeped me out. That's all. I just want to do something today that will help get my mind off of it..."

"I know what could help…" Spike said.

"You do?" Twilight said.

"Yeah," continued Spike as he breathed fire and made a scroll appear, "I got a letter from Princess Celestia this morning. She has something to ask of you…"

Twilight picked up the scroll and read it. It said this…

Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle,

I am sorry that I was not present for Fluttershy's funeral two days ago. Very weird and wrong things that have been happening all over Equestria have kept me busy, and to add more fuel to the fire, my sister Luna has gone missing. Please come to my palace as soon as you can today before sunset...I need your help so that I may be able to get to the bottom of this.

Yours Truly,

Princess Celestia

"Wow…" Twilight reacted in astonishment. "The madness never ends...I have to do something to help, though. Come on, Spike. We're going to see Princess Celestia."

"Right now?" Spike asked to be absolutely sure.

"Of course," replied Twilight, "why should I wait? We only have till nightfall. And trust me, I'm definitely not going to wait till nightfall…"

Spike scratched his head in puzzlement.

"Was that...a joke?" he thought. "If it was, I'm sorry Twilight, but that one was far from a hoot."

Awakening from the Nothing Dream

"Glad you chose nothing…" the nothing Fluttershy said. "Once you choose nothing, you never have to choose again…"

Immediately after that, Twilight woke up and couldn't even move at first. She felt like she had sat on herself for a really long time or something. Like she had become so numb she couldn't feel herself...looking down at her body, she asked herself…

"What...are you…? What...is me...?"

Twilight then started thinking about Fluttershy...

"Is Fluttershy...nothing? Does that mean...our friendship...is nothing?"

Twilight then started thinking about death...and became very angry…

"If death didn't exist...I would still have Fluttershy...if death continues to exist...I'm going to lose all my friends eventually...forever...no matter what we do, death will destroy our bond…"

Twilight's anger then grew so strong that she changed into a demon...

"AND I WON'T HAVE IT!" Twilight shouted.

Twilight's entire body became black and scaled as she grew black claws in place of hooves on all of her legs, and the red aura her body emitted was so strong, it made her hair go up. To maximize the dramatic effect, Twilight got dressed in black leather pants, a white shirt, a black leather jacket, and put on a pair of black sunglasses. She looked like Duke Nukem's lesbian cousin and loved it too. She soon turned back into a pony as her intense anger abated, but remained suppressed inside of her…

In her brand new attire, Twilight came down the stairs and saw Spike dressed in a small, white kitchen apron walking towards the stairs. Spike stopped when he saw Twilight, and got a sheepish smile.

"Oh, hi Twilight…" he greeted her, examining her clothes. "I was just about to see if you were up since it's 9 AM, and you always eat breakfast at nine...there's a bowl of oatmeal for you in the kitchen…"

"Thanks." Twilight expressed gratitude the coolest way she knew. "But I'm at the point of my life where I can make my own oatmeal…I can't stay lame forever..."

"Huh?" Spike said as Twilight passed by him and went into the kitchen. "What does that mean?"

Curious, Spike followed Twilight to the kitchen. Peeking around the open doorway, he was shocked to see Twilight ripping a large bag of oats open with her magic, pouring them into her mouth and guzzling down the leftover boiling water Spike had used to make the oatmeal.

"Holy moly, Twilight…" Spike remarked as he came into the kitchen and saw the now empty bag of oats float down to the floor at his feet. "Are you having a...really awkward growth spurt?"

In reaction, Twilight glanced over at Spike.

"Indeed I am…" she replied. "My inner self is going through a really awkward growth spurt...and by the end of it, I'm going to be strong enough to kill death itself."

Spike just stared at her and blinked in confusion.

"Well, good for you!" he exclaimed skittishly. "Also, I didn't want to spring this on you right away since I know what you've been going through, but since you seem to be feeling more energetic, I may as well tell you now. I got a letter from Princess Celestia earlier this morning. She says she wants you to come to her castle as soon as possible. She needs to discuss something with you that's imperative."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Twilight quickly replied. "Let's go."

"W-woah…" Spike said, still surprised and somewhat unnerved by Twilight's sudden burst of energy. "Now?"

"Right this moment." Twilight said. "Get on my back, we're leaving at once."

"Okay…" Spike replied, obediently climbing on her back.

Barely a second later, Twilight raised her wings and flew out a nearby window, breaking it in the process. Unwounded but not unafraid, Spike hung onto Twilight for dear life as the equally unwounded and unafraid alicorn flew towards Celestia's castle at full speed.

"I know now that feeling depressed about this while worrying about what may or not be true isn't going to change anything…" Twilight thought to herself. "Death is true. Friendship is true. That's all. Death must die. Friendship must live. My life purpose as the princess of friendship is obvious...I MUST KILL DEATH!"