“Every night it’s the same old thing. I’ll play your game, Mr. Voice, but you better be ready to explain something when I get to the damn confessional!” Armor stomped boldly towards the large purple door within the dark expanse.

He noticed the crowd of ponies entering the door was beginning to thin out. The last few nights there had been dozens of stallions entering the door and facing their demons, but tonight there were only a few. And each night, none of the stallions were the ones he actually cared to see. He was tossed into a group of unremarkable ponies and sent to his hell.

The tower he found himself in seemed simple enough. It reached up really high into the prison that was the tower. Off in the distance, symbols could be seen glowing along the walls. On the eastern wall were silver male symbols, and on the western wall were crimson female symbols. Far off in the background along the northern wall was a large statue of a mare cradling a book in one arm and holding a torch firmly in her other hand.

Another thing Armor noticed was an overabundance of unremarkable stallions just standing around doing nothing on the blocks. He thought they may have been in shock, but as he tried to climb up the steps, they refused to allow him to pass. In fact, one of them tried to stab him with a pitchfork. Without any means of making it up the tower, Armor resorted to the only thing he could think of.

“Hey Mr. Voice, do you mind giving me a hoof? I can’t seem to get past these pricks.” He called out into the void, hoping the voice would send him some help.

The voice laughed, “Of course I’ll help. Do you see that book over there?” A large red book manifested itself on the rightmost block of the lowest level.

Armor walked over to it and touched it, causing it to turn into a small cube. He sighed, “Yeah, so what does it do?”

The voice continued, “You know, not all stallions are trying to reach the top, right? Some of them have gone completely insane. All they want to do is see how many other stallions they can kill before they fall to their deaths.”

The annoyed guard captain scoffed, “Yeah, and look what happens to them. What the hell does this book do?”

“That is a Bible. If you activate it, it will kill every other stallion in a six-block radius of you. This includes your friends, so do be careful. To activate the book, simply throw in into the air and close your eyes.” The voice faded away with a laugh.

“Close my eyes…?” Armor thought about that for a second. Why would he need to close his eyes? At any rate, he did what the voice told him to.

He cupped the book in the crook of his hoof, closed his eyes tightly, and launched the thing high into the air. In a loud burst of sound, bolts of lightning crashed down onto all of the stallions around Armor, causing them to disintegrate on contact. All that remained of the unremarkable killers were a few scorch marks around where they stood.

Not stopping to imagine the horror of being vaporized by electricity, Armor quickly climbed up the stairs that the stallions previously blocked. After disposing of them, the path to the top was a simple climb. In fact, it seemed that he only needed to move a few blocks here or there in order to complete his climb.

He encountered a few other stallions along his climb, but they didn’t try to attack. They just sat and waited for some unsuspecting pony to try and cross their blocks. He also had to pull out a few blocks and push them over a small gap between the two sides of the tower in order to pass over and reach the golden block, but it was nothing too serious or involved.

Armor leaped up from the golden block and pulled the rope with all his might. He wasted no time in climbing the golden stairs to the landing above him. He was both hoping to see his friends alive and wishing they weren’t trapped in the nightmares again. Fortunately—or unfortunately, based on your viewpoint—the four of them were perfectly fine, and greeted him with cheers.

Fancypants cheered, “It is marvelous to see you fine and well, Mr. Armor! I take it tonight’s climb was nothing for you?” They were all gathered in a small group at the front of the landing, overlooking the massive expanse below them.

Big Mac chuckled, “Eeyup, only problems I had were them crazy kooks tryin’ to stab me with them pitchforks. How ‘bout y’all?”

Armor sighed, “Nothing too serious, just a few ponies that were fucked up in the head. A little lightning took care of them though…the crazy bastards.” He plopped down on the ground facing away from the edge of the landing.

Rain scoffed, “Of course, the Bible. I wonder why this place is so forgiving tonight. I mean, if it weren’t for the Bible, I wouldn’t have been able to climb at all…”

Mr. Rich laughed, “Maybe the voice is getting tired of playing these games with us?”

Armor shook his head and said bluntly, “Don’t count on that. We still have to climb, I just don’t know for how much longer.”

Every eye shot directly in the direction Rain was pointing. Sure enough, at the very top of the next tower, a bright white light was shining. The door was only one tower away, a fact that sent everypony’s heart fluttering with hope that they’d be back in their beds soon enough. Armor leaped to his hooves and was about to say his goodbyes when he noticed three stallions sitting in a group separate from them.

The only reason this trio caught his eyes is because each member had a defining feature, rather than just being a blank slate like most of the others. He called to the trio, “Hey you three, you look a little down. Want to come over here and join us?”

The other four stallions sent Armor confused looks, not certain if allowing more ponies to join the group would be a good thing. Their thoughts were broken when a cloud of smoke entered their lungs suddenly. The first of the other three stallions to approach was smoking a cigarette. He had a pack of smokes attached to some invisible pocket on his chest, with a lighter tucked into the pack.

The cigarette-smoking pony coughed, “You all realize that making friends in this place is pointless, right? You’re only postponing the inevitable.” He plopped down beside Rain and thumped the ashes from the end of his current cancer stick.

Fancypants scoffed, “I’m afraid you are mistaken, my friend. This place has an end, of that we are certain. Boss even told us the story of how he reached the top when he was younger!”

“Boss? So you guys are Stray Stallion crowd after all.” The second of the three foreign ponies approached. A shining silver band was placed around his right hoof. Each time he took a step, it would flash brightly.

The cigarette-smoking pony laughed, “Yep. Well, at least me and this lug. The other guy isn’t even from Canterlot.”

Big Mac turned toward the last pony who had yet to join the group. He chuckled, “Let me guess, you’re from Ponyville, ain’t ya?”

The last stallion’s eyes opened wide. He stood to walk over to the group before answering, “I am. I take it you are?”

“Introductions are in order, everypony!” Armor clapped his hooves as he cheered.

The ring-wearing pony started, “I guess names can’t hurt in this place. I’m Brawny Soldier, a Canterlot guardsman.”

Rain shouted, “Brawny?! Why the hell are you here?!” He slapped a hoof on the stallion’s back in disbelief.

Armor did the same as he said, “If men who cheat are cursed, then I can’t believe you cheated on your wife…”

Brawny broke away from the two stallions he didn’t recognize and scoffed, “I didn’t cheat on anypony! And how the hell do you know who I am?”

“It’s us, Brawny. Rain and the Captain!” Rain pointed from himself to Armor as he called them respectively.

The cigarette-smoking pony laughed, “It’s a small world after all, eh boys? It’s me, Rough Charger.”

The four guards all shared confused and excited looks. They hated the fact that they each were trapped in this nightmare, but they loved the fact that even in this hellish place they were still together to help each other. Every other pony introduced themselves to the group, even the ones who had already done so. Finally, it came down to the last unfamiliar stallion to introduce himself.

The pony laughed, “Everypony calls me Doctor Whooves. I guess that’s my name.”

Big Mac chuckled, “You gotta be kiddin’ me, Doctor! How’d a pony like you end up in a place like this?”

Doctor sighed, “I could ask you the same question, Big Mac. And what about you, Mr. Rich?”

Mr. Rich scoffed, “It’s a long story, and I don’t feel like telling it again.”

Armor clapped his hooves and cheered, “Great, so now the gang’s all here! We got the Royal Guard, two businessponies, and two small town stallions! I think we’re ready to get this night over with!”

Rough coughed between puffs of his new cigarette, “Just one thing is bugging me, though. Captain, you’re here because you cheated on Cadence. Fancypants is here because he uses his lovers. Mr. Rich is here because he cheated on his wife with Catherine. But why are Big Mac, Doctor, Brawny, Rain, and myself all here?”

The five seemingly innocent stallions thought about this for a minute. Brawny hit himself in the chest in a show of confidence as he said, “I know for a fact I didn’t cheat on the Misses. I love her more than anything else in the world. Besides, I live with her, there’s no way I could have an affair and her not find out.”

Rain sighed, “I know I didn’t cheat. There’s no way I could cheat, I’m always around her when I’m not with you guys in the barracks or bar. I don’t have time to cheat, not that I would even if I did.”

Big Mac placed a hoof to his muzzle and pondered the question for a few moments more. He finally said, “I ain’t got a clue. I slept with Catherine once or twice, but I don’t think that’s cheatin’, is it? I ain’t got a marefriend in Ponyville, so I can’t be cheatin’.”

Doctor thought about it and nodded his head. He said, “My situation’s the same as Big Mac’s. Although my partner wasn’t Catherine, the fact remains that I haven’t cheated on anypony.”

Rough coughed, “I mean hell, I’m the one trying to get the marefriend to marry me! Why the fuck would I cheat when I’m trying to tie the knot?”

Rain chuckled, “You’re trying to tie the knot, Rough? I never pictured you as the romantic type.”

The annoyed smoker groaned, “I don’t tell people my business. If word gets out about this, it’ll be the end of you, Rain.”

Fancypants chuckled, “You are all too focused on the aspect of cheating. If you remember what Boss told us the other night, you would find it very clear why you are here.”

The rich pony laughed, “When he told us about the Woman’s Wrath, he mentioned it wasn’t only cheaters that end up here. Men who cheat, men who refuse to commit, and men who refuse to settle down and start a family are all cursed. In my case, I refuse to commit, and instead use my lovers until I’ve had enough. In your case, you cheated on Cadence with Catherine. In Big Mac’s case, he has no intention of settling down and starting a family with Catherine, causing him to be cursed. The same holds true for Doctor.”

The seven stallions stared at Fancypants as if he were a genius beyond comparison. He used a few cryptic messages to decipher the majority of their problems. Brawny spoke up, “But explain my situation, o powerful rich one. Why the hell am I here if I’m settled down and committed without cheating?”

Rough chimed in, “And what about me? Am I being cursed because she doesn’t want to settle down? That seems a little backwards to me…” He crushed the cherry of his cigarette and tossed the butt away, immediately lighting another one.

Fancypants thought for a moment before sighing, “I do not know, my friends. Yours are special cases, it seems.”

Armor clapped his hooves together and cheered, “Tell you what, everypony! When we see each other in the bar tomorrow night, we can talk all about this with Boss! Maybe he can help figure out why you two are in here.” He hopped up to his hooves and started trotting toward the confessional.

Brawny laughed, “Don’t get your ass handed to you by whatever’s waiting up there, man.”

Each stallion said their farewells to Armor and wished him luck. Without hesitation, the guard captain tossed back the curtains of the booth and plopped down on the bench with a thud.

The voice greeted him, “You made it! I see that the Bible really saved your coat, eh? Nothing like a nice plate of fried stallion, right?”

Armor chuckled, “Cut the crap, Mr. Voice. You feel like answering a question or two for me?” Armor knew that this was the voice’s game. He was in no position to demand answers, especially not after how much help the voice had given him.

“Ask your questions, and I might answer the ones I like the most.” it called.

The voice laughed, “There are seven floors to this tower. The Underground Cemetery is where you started. Then it was the Prison of Despair. Last night was the Torture Chamber. Tonight you are in the Inquisition. Tomorrow comes the Quadrangle, followed by the Clock Tower. The final floor is the Cathedral, where the most determined stallions get their true freedom realized.”

“You can do math! I’m so proud of you, Armor. Do you have any other questions, or should I ask mine instead?”

Armor thought for a second before sighing, “I may be stepping out of line with this, but can you tell me exactly why we’re all here? Can you tell me what we all did to end up in this hell?”

The voice hesitated before it spoke, “I can indeed tell you why. However, you have not earned that quite yet. I will tell what you wish to know later on down the road. For tonight, I believe it is time for you to face your demon and see sunlight again.”

“I won’t argue. Ask your question and let’s be on with it.” Armor clapped his hooves and readied himself for the ropes to fall.

With a laugh, the voice asked, “Bear with me here: Are you more of a sadist or a masochist?”

The two ropes fell beside Armor in respect to the order the voice said them. “A sadist or a masochist? I wouldn’t say I’m either… But if I had to choose, I’d probably be more of a sadist…” He pulled the rope on his left.

“Hmm? I guess I can kind of see that in you. At any rate, it’s time to face tonight’s demon. This is the final floor for tonight, Armor. I’m amazed by your skills in climbing this tower. Perhaps Thomas is going easy on all of you. More of you should be dead by now…”

Armor’s eyes darted open as he remembered a question he forgot to ask. He quickly said, “Wait, that’s something I meant to ask you! You mentioned a guy named Vincent last night, and just now you mentioned a guy named Thomas. Who are those people? Why are you comparing me to this Vincent guy, and why did you say Thomas is going easy on us?”

The voice groaned, “I was hoping you wouldn’t ask me that. It is a very confusing endeavor, explaining the stories of other men of legend to the one with the current potential. If you reach the door tonight, I’ll be sure to explain what I can to you, okay?”

Armor clapped his hooves and cheered, “It’s a deal! Now get me outta here…”

The booth launched into the air once again, taking Armor up to face tonight’s demon. The only thing he could think about during the short trip is just who Thomas and Vincent were. He wanted to know why so many comparisons were being made, and who the ‘man of legend’ was that the voice kept mentioning.

Armor stepped willingly from the booth, the invisible force not having time to shove him out. He was dead set on reaching the top and getting his answers. One thought that he’d tried to repress during the whole ordeal was why he was still in this nightmare. Catherine had broken everything off with him, and Cadence had forgiven him. Why was he still forced to climb?

A loud moan echoed from the void below. Armor turned to look into the void to see a large…thing…manifest itself and speed its way up to his point on the tower. The thing most closely resembled a pair of hind hooves and a plot, with a tongue and eyes. The eyes were reminiscent of Catherine’s. The creature made moaning sounds synonymous to a pleasurable experience in bed, accompanied by angry shouts of displeasure.

Armor wasted no time in climbing. He didn’t care what the monster was, why it was there, or what it would do. All he wanted was to reach the door and get his answers and be free for the day. The voice called to him as he climbed the tower, “This is the manifestation of the lust within your heart, Armor. I call her the Immoral Beast. She’s a killer, don’t die!” It faded away with a laugh.

The stallion decidedly ignored the voice’s taunting laugh and continued his climb. He dodged random attacks by the creature, and ignored the moaning and screaming it bellowed out periodically. He was happy to find that the tower was very simple to climb, using basic techniques to create simple steps up. He had relatively no problems at all until he reached the point where the bell began to ring. Only four steps up, the door waited for him on its golden block.

At the far end of the row of blocks was a large golden needle with a wooden sign hanging around it. He walked over to it and placed a hoof on the sign. The needle snapped in half and faded away. Armor called, “What’s the deal with this thing, Mr. Voice?”

The voice called back, “You’re the first stallion tonight to touch it. That’s a checkpoint. If you die now, you’ll start right back where you are if you use a Mystic Pillow. But be careful, if you undo a move to a point before touching it, it becomes null and void, and you’ll have to redo the whole tower.”

“Sounds useful, I guess. But how the hell do I get up there?” Armor looked around to find all of the blocks around him to be the immovable blocks. He was in the same situation as he had been two nights ago, facing the Fist of Grudge. The only difference was that he had four steps left instead of two.

The creature’s large tongue came crashing down beside Armor, snapping him from his thoughts. The beast screamed, “Please…give me more, Armor!” It thrashed its tongue up and down the column of blocks, cracking and destroying a grand majority of them.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Armor darted to the opposite side of the row of blocks, hoping some escape route would open up from the damage the beast was doing.

To his amazement, the beast managed to create a staircase for him from where he was right up to the golden block. In its rage, it had systematically smashed enough blocks on the three columns beside it to form a set of steps he could climb. He didn’t stop to thank the beast as he leaped up the steps and placed a hoof firmly on the door.

The bright white light shot through the door and began its terrible disintegration of the Immoral Beast. It screamed in a mix of pleasure and pain, “Wah! I…want…more…!” Before long, it was completely gone.

Armor let out a relieved sigh. He said, “Okay Mr. Voice, it’s time for the answers.”

The voice called back to him, “You truly are something else, Armor. I’m proud to say I had faith in you the entire time. Before I give you your answers, I should warn you of something. When you pass through that door, you’re in for a rude awakening. In fact, you may find yourself at a loss of will to carry on. But from a God to a mortal, you have to keep fighting. Now, what answers do you want?”

Armor thought for a second about what the voice meant when it said ‘rude awakening’. He turned his thoughts back to his original questions. He laughed, “Would you mind telling me who Vincent and Thomas are?”

The voice groaned, “I can tell you about them, but I would think it best if somepony else told you. It would be much more interesting to watch Boss try to explain it to you.”

“Everything, Armor. He has everything to do with this. The towers, the monsters, the stallions. He has to do with it all. When you go to the Stray Stallion tomorrow, tell him Astaroth sent you. He’ll have no choice but to answer any of your questions.” The voice faded away.

“Wait! I’m not done… So, Boss has my answers, right? He’d best be ready to tell me everything!” Armor shoved the door open all the way and stomped through it, welcoming the outside world.

He was tired of all these mind games. All he wanted was to be with Cadence and put everything that had happened the last few days behind him. He wanted to stop the madness that was the nightmares and just be happy with his lover. The whole ordeal involving Catherine and the fights he had had with the Stray Stallion crowd were of no importance to him anymore. The only reason he kept climbing was so he could see Cadence and set everything right.

But there wasn’t anything to set right anymore, was there? Cadence forgave him, Catherine left him, and he only had one lover now. Why was he still having nightmares?

“May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, and enough hope to bring you joy.” --Unknown

Catherine: Love is Over?

by _No_One_Remains_

The Inquisition