All three of the ponies stood before the Castle of Friendship: and were each stuck in place with a different emotion at it's sickly green glow. With Pinkie: her teeth were chattering, and her entire body were shivering in a mixture of fear, and anticipation. With Fluttershy: her brow was furrowed in anger, and her forehoof lifted in cautious hesitation.
Grimm, however, was in the front of their little formation: his expression somewhat of mild annoyance. He wasn't entirely thrilled with entering the castle in this state, but he knew that none of his artifacts would be effective against Him.
"Hey, Amy: when are you going to grow a beard and tell us the name of this monster?"
Pinkie, just shut it. And don't call me Amy.
Ugh, where does that even come from?
The three focused on the castle, and felt themselves collectively swallow as they each stepped forth towards the entrance stairs. They had only gotten within an inch before the doors when they swung open: leaving a gaping entrance as the clattered against the walls.
"Care to make our entrance any louder, Dummy?" Fluttershy growled, glaring daggers at the Unicorn.
"I would rather not, dear Flutters." Grim snapped back: walking into the dark entryway. "Maybe you should ask the creature that actually opened the door."
Fluttershy gave him a face that seemed to be stuck somewhere between a irritated snarl, and an admiring smirk, and walked in after him. Leaving Pinkie to stir in her thoughts.
"Come in, Pinkie!" Grimm chided in a harsh whisper. "The more we stick together, the less we die, got it?"
Pinkie swallowed, nodded nervously, and ran in at a brisk pace. As soon as all three had entered, the doors closed behind them with a loud crack: sealing them inside the black, crystalline halls. The same sickly glow that was visible from the outside slithered along the walls, ceiling, and floor like ghostly anacondas: casting barely enough light to let the ponies see five feet in front of them.
The two mares glanced back at the doors: one in fear and the other in annoyance, while still keeping pace with the stallion. Fluttershy looked to him, and walked a little closer so he could hear her whisper:
"So what's the plan, hero?"
"I already told you two the plan." He scolded.
"But you didn't say it'd be dark!"
"I don't think he'd need to, Flutters. Horror stories always have dark rooms: makes it easier for the demons to attack."
"You two're very reassuring, you know that?" Fluttershy hissed.
They all stopped when they thought they heard skittering in the halls around them, but continued on once the noise stopped. They didn't want to spend to long focusing on what might be around them in the dark, and Grimm knew not to: the Monster had a thousand creatures under his control, and yet only a few of them were aggressive. He certainly knew how to play into a pony's fears...
Suddenly, a thunderous bellow of a voice sounded through the palace halls, it's echo bending them like jelly:
"Mae'n ddoniol y casglodd y dewrder er mwyn gwneud hyn yn hyd, ond rhaid I gofyn Mae chi droi yn ôl awr: Fe welwch mai dim ond poen mawr o'n blaenau."
The three ponies covered their ears, and tried their best to block out the massive noise. Once the echoing stopped, Flutershy stood, and marched directly in front of Brother Grimm.
"What the Hell was that?" She screeched, gesturing violently down the hall.
"That, my dear Fluttershy, is the creature we're here to stop." Grimm replied calmly, checking to see if his ears were bleeding.
"Well then, what did he say?"
"Loosely translated: we amuse him, but he thinks we should turn around."
"If we don't?"
"Unfortunate fate."
Fluttershy rolled her eyes. "What else is new?" She grumbled: turning to face down the tunnel as her eyes finally somewhat adjusted to the dark. "Well, let's keep going. If he's pulling that card already he must not be that smart..."
Dark watched as she walked ahead, with a slightly more hesitant Pinkie bouncing along behind. He let his knees wobble a little, before bracing himself again, and walking up to join them. He knew the monster behind this: he had done his research, and knew the game. If he lost his nerve now, they'd be doomed.
They walked on in silence for a long while, save for the clicking and skittering that came from just outside their line of sight. Occasionally, Fluttershy would catch sight of one of the creatures, and see a pair of red eyes glowing out at them. They made her nervous, if only because they never attacked. She started to wish they would, if they would just stop staring.
Grimm noticed the creatures as well, but he tried not to look at them as they scampered back and forth. He wasn't sure if his eyes were better adjusted, or if the beings were slowly getting closer: as he could see them far better now.
They seemed to have yellow eyes that shimmered eerily like a chill flame. Each time they ran in and out of sight, he could almost make out a pale red sheen on their hide, and a small barb on the ends of what he assumed was their tails.
Pinkie, however, could only hear them. She could see no glowing eyes, nor any gangly legs: she only heard the click of their claws against the floor, and the pitter of their feet. The endless noises stood her nerves on edge, and made her teeth chatter.
"I assume you girls know the way to the throne room?" Grimm finally asked, turning to his side.
Fluttershy rolled her eyes: "No, this is only where we go once a day. It's not like we're a part of the council here or anything..."
Grimm chuckled, and looked to the side. "Can't blame me for assuring myself, He has a tender spot for tricks, according to my studies."
"Does 'He' have a name?"
"Of course, but--"
"Yn fy llygad arnoch chi, Grimm. Yr wyf wedi gweld eich bywyd, a gwelaf eich marwolaeth. Eich cynllun oes dim, ac yn y diwedd y cyfan a wnewch yw dicter imi bellach. Bydd eich gwddf fel mae eliffant crushes dilyngru, ar gyfer y cyfan y mae gennych i mi yw...."
They all trembled as the voice rang through the halls again, making Grimm feel uneasy at what was said.
'It's not true, it's not true... you know h-how to end this... you can stop this... stay strong...' he pleaded with himself.
"What did he say this time?"
Beads of sweat formed on Grimm's brow as he tried to come up with something, anything to tell them. They seemed to notice his sudden lack of nerve, and walked up to him:
"What's wrong?" Pinkie asked, concern clear in her voice.
"N-nothing, Pinkie... I just--"
He was interrupted when one of the creatures ran through the midst of the trio: passing as nothing more than a blur as it hissed urgently. They all looked up, and froze as what seemed like hundreds of the animals swarmed the halls, passed them by from deeper in, and flew overhead: always too busy writhing, wriggling, and struggling to let themselves be seen clearly. It almost seemed like they were running from something, something big, something even they wanted no part of.
Pinkie was about to speak up again when a dark noise shuddered from up ahead.
The noise sounded like a rattling sigh an elder gives when the fall asleep for the final time, and was unnervingly deep in tone. Light thumps could be felt through the floor, as if somepony with a limp was approaching slowly from the abyss. There was also a faint popping: sounding much like somepony was stretching their back over and over again.
All three watched carefully as a shape seamlessly formed itself as it approached, but stopped just out of their sight. It vaguely resembled a pony, yet they saw what looked like leftover noodles hanging from its muzzle. Two forms, assumedly wings, fanned out from its sides: somehow casting a darker shadow over the company. Cold, blue eyes shone from where its face should have been: invoking an unnerved shudder from Pinkie.
Grimm was about to step back, but stopped when to his surprise: Fluttershy walked forward. She stood in front of Grimm, and glared directly into the creature's blue orbs: pouring all of her disgust and irritation into her own.
"What are you doing?!" He pleaded. "That's one of his Mutants! They can stare down a cockatrice!"
Fluttershy's snarl deepened. "So can I," she snorted.
Grimm felt himself smile as his first contingency started to play out before his own eyes: terror-eye met terror-eye, and this sort of stare down is exactly what he had brought her along for. He didn't, however, expect her to be the first to act on it: and it brought him to wonder exactly how much of the potion she drank.
Apparently, Pinkie had the same thought:
"She told me about that potion you gave her, exactly what was it?" She asked quietly.
"It's diluted Chaos Magic, mixed with a single drop of poison joke."
Pinkie scrunched up her muzzle. "Well, that explains the coloration and most of the attitude. But what about the poison joke, what did that do?"
Grimm chuckled. "Just a little something to help her... different disposition..."
Pinkie gave him a specific look. "And, what would that be, exactly?"
Grimm leaned over, and whispered in her ear. Pinkie's eyes popped open, and her jaw fell loose as his words hit her:
"You did That to Fluttershy?!" She whispered harshly. "Are you sure you're not evil?"
"It's helping us out right now, isn't it?"
"The attitude is, yes, but you didn't need to--"
They were interrupted when the mare in question let out a groan of agony, and stepped forward a little. What the observers didn't know was the immense scale of the battle being waged between minds, as the two beings stared each other down. Fluttershy was sweating profusely from the effort she was pouring into her eyes: yet the creature across from her seemed unmoving, as it's cold, almost lifeless eyes glared back into her very soul.
Her nerves felt like they were fraying each and every second, and pain seemed to surge through her entire body as she strained to keep control. The creature's eyes were hard, and heartless: like the sum of every pony's hatred. She had no idea what her eyes were sending, but she was focusing all of her disapproval and disappointment into them, resulting in a look that resembled a mother's disciplinary glare: if it were magnified by thirty.
Grimm found that he couldn't look either in the eye, but he saw Fluttershy faltering. He was about to suggest she take a rest, as he knew even a full dose of the potion should have worn off by now, when the creature did the unexpected: and let out a low-pitched growl of frustration.
He looked over to it, and noticed that the form of it's wings had shrunk down: as if they were slowly being folded in submission. In desperation, the thing decided to reveal itself, and step into their view: freezing the three in place.
What emerged was the corrupted form of a Pegasus mare: with dragon-like wings emerging from her sides, with holes of all sizes in their membranes. Her coat- or what was left of it -was brown, and her flank was bare of a mark. An innumerable amount of thick, writhing tendrils hung around her jaw in place of her lips: their suction cups flexing in wait for anything to grab. Inside her jaw shone several jagged teeth: each single tooth was meticulously carved to resemble a squid's beak.
Her eyes were a striking feature, even among all the others: the pupils were little more than black slits, and the rest of the eye was a sickly shade of pale cyan. It was those that froze even Brother Grimm in place, as they turned from one pony to another: looking hungrily for a victi--
"NO!"
The undead mare looked up as Fluttershy stepped forth, and her eyes flew wide. Grimm looked up to see what had startled the creature, but soon shielded his own eyes from the torrent of pure disgust flying from Fluttershy. The yellow Pegasus stepped forward assertively, not needing to force emotion into her eyes anymore.
"I don't care who- or what -you think you are, but you're not taking another. Single. Damned. STEP!" She screeched: stomping up to the now cringing mutant. "Your master has killed my friends, taken over the castle, and I think I heard something about destroying the world? Hell. NO. You are going to take us directly to him, and help us stop him, or I'll twist your neck 'til it snaps: and shove your snout up your ass!"
She bent down until her forehead contacted that of the monster's. "Are. We. Clear?"
Grimm had seen many things in his life, several of which as strange as a trained Timberwolf juggling Pegasi in a circus. But one thing that he never thought he'd see is an ancient, undead mutant: the very incarnation of fear, cowering in fear before a shy little mare. To make the scene even more entertaining, the beast made a little whimper as it fervently nodded it's head: displaying its new allegiance
If this thing was more scared of a little filly than it was of its former master, they might just stand a chance here.
"I'll be honest, I thought that potion should've run out of your system by now..." Grimm chuckled to himself as Fluttershy stepped back, and firmly gestured for the mutated mare to lead the way: and they all continued on the trek.
"It did, Grimm." Fluttershy said, reverting to the calm demeanor he recognized from when he first gave her the vial. "Why do you think I stayed?"
"Because she threatened your friends?"
"Exactly, Grimm. Nopony threatens my friends."
Grimm smiled, and found himself considering the fact that he may have underestimated this mare.
The mutant led them through winding stairs and long hallways: slowly bringing them to the throne room, as Fluttershy affirmed. They would occasionally see another pair of eyes staring out at them from the dark, and see another flash of the creatures scuttling in front of them. When they finally got to the grand hall, the beast shied away from the door and pointed to it, and let out various clicks and squeaks.
"She says that's where her master comes from, and something about a 'twirling iris'." Fluttershy translated, looking over to Grimm.
Grimm merely nodded in response, and looked towards the door. "That should be his entrance portal alright, based on my research." He confirmed. "We came this far, so I might as well tell you: I have no more contingencies if something goes wrong. We've got one shot at this: and if we fail, at least we tried. If this works, by some great miracle, you'll get your friends back. You still want to come?"
He looked to the two mares, who nodded in understanding: with the mutant hesitantly followed. He smiled at them, asked them to follow his lead, and turned to the door: shoving it open with all his might.
"Heeeeerree's PINKIE!!" Grimm shouted, turning back to the mare in question. "Pinkie, do your thing!"
The hyperactive mare smiled, and pulled her party cannon out of nowhere, before firing it directly into a swarm of humongous tentacles that were hurtling towards Brother Grimm from the center of a great ring: knocking them back, and stunning the wielder with a thousand paper cuts.
On Grimm's command, the team then charged the portal which hung above the great map, and dove in simultaneously.
Fluttershy felt her entire body stretching and bending as they swirled through the neverending vortex. Various unfamiliar sensations coursed though her body, and she felt like her stomach was trying to escape her body through her throat.
When the sensations finally ended, she felt herself tumbling across a surface that felt like jagged stone. She opened her eyes long enough to see Grimm being strangled by a tendril as thick around as him, and Pinkie being thrown off the side of the formation by another: doubtlessly plummeting to whatever ground was below them.
"Despite all my warnings, you still enter my realm? You are not a quick learner, Fluttershy..."
She looked up to where the thunderous voice came from, and found herself unable to move as she was paralyzed by what she saw.
The face of the monster was smiling sadistically, with a mouth as wide as an ocean. Thousands upon thousands of tendrils of every size flew from his mouth, and writhed in the air. His eyes were solid gold, with blood-red irises that stared straight through her soul. From the sheer scale of the face, she realized that what she was standing on was no cliff: but instead his raised arm, high above the clouds.
Two vast shapes rose behind his grim, cephalopodan head: great dragon wings that stretched across mountains effortlessly, and cast a shadow across the monster's homeworld.
"Time for Cthulhu to fulfill his promise, then..."
With that, Fluttershy felt a chill wind blow over her, and Grimm land next to her.
"I... I'm sorry..." he choked, too weak to move.
A great shadow was cast over them, and Fluttershy barely saw the shape of a hand the size of canterlot fall down upon them with a great...
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
*THWUMP!*
Fluttershy jumped off the rug at the sound of the book closing, and her eyes darted around the room. Or rather, the wagon?
She looked forward, and saw Brother Grimm sitting on his bed: holding the aged book, and eying her in concern. She looked to her left to see Pinkie, whom had suffered a similar fate to her: and was also scared out of her wits.
"W-what the hell just happened?!" Both ponies screeched simultaneously: glaring daggers at the stallion.
He looked at them in apology: "I read you a story, and stopped once it seemed to bother you so much..."
Fluttershy sighed in relief: "I-it... it was only a story?"
Grimm nodded sympathetically.
"But... but it felt so real!"
"But of course! What sort of storyteller would I be if my stories didn't feel real?"
Fluttershy lifted a hoof to caress her temple, and felt four hooves wrap gently around her. She allowed herself a look: and saw Pinkie holding her for mutual comfort, and Grimm embracing her out of apology.
"I am incredibly sorry if my craft affected you so, is there any way I can make it up to you?" He offered.
"Tell me what that potion does?" She snapped.
"Oh, that... it's a laxative, you looked like you'd been having problems." Grimm admitted, stepping back.
Fluttershy would've glared at him, but she was too busy laughing out of relief.
"What about my key?" Pinkie asked, holding up the artifact in question.
"That's to Celestia's Wine cabinet, she might come looking for it..." He chuckled nervously.
Pinkie slapped a hoof onto her face, and pardoned herself as she walked out of the wagon, and out back where nopony could see her.
"Hey, you!" She called, shouting out into the thin air. "I'm not shouting into thin air, dummy! I'm looking right at you!"
... What?
"Yes, you, author man! What the heck was all this?!"
... How are you--?
*Smack!*
What the hell?! How did you slap m--!
*Smack!*
"Shut up and listen, boyo! You've got a really sick sense of humor if you think that this was a great comedy!"
Uh... it's actually a horror, and it's not supposed to be taken seriously.
"Yeah, I can tell, do you know how many plotholes and pointless scenes there are in here?!"
Eh, it worked for Steven Ki--
"And leave him out of this!"
Fine, but I don't think I'll need to explain myself to a bunch of words on a screen! I am controlling what you do and say, after all!
"Rrrreeeaalllyy?"
What are you--?
*Thunk!*
Hnnnngggg..... right in the crown jewels...
Anyways... the... ouggh... The End...
... ouch...