“Okay Fancypants, it’s time to wake up. Tonight’s tower holds a special challenge for you. You should open your eyes and greet tonight’s hell.”
Night 5, Cathedral
Fancypants squirmed as the warmth of the bar faded away and gave way to the icy cold he had felt many times before. He slowly lifted himself to his hooves and shook the fog from his head. He opened his eyes to see the dark void all around him. In the distance, seven doors stood closed, each emitting a faint glow. A frightened voice snapped his attention back to his immediate area.
“Wh-where in Equestria am I?!” The voice was gentle and proper, something of a sophisticated mare. The source of the voice stood to her hooves and spun around wildly, trying to figure out where she was. Her white coat shined faintly in the dark void. The faint glow of the door reflected from her purple mane.
Fancypants thought briefly about who the mare was before the realization poured over him like a tidal wave. He gasped in horrified shock, “M-Miss Rarity?! What in the name of all that is beautiful are you doing in this place?”
The mare’s attention immediately snapped to the stallion that was slowly approaching. She darted toward him and cried, “Fancypants! Wh-where are we?” She buried her head in his chest as the stallion embraced her.
“Welcome to the Cathedral, you precious ponies. Tonight, you’ll be guiding your victim to the top. It would be a shame if she turned up dead tomorrow, wouldn’t it?” The mysterious voice laughed hysterically at them.
“Who was that, Fancypants?! What is going on here?” Rarity’s voice trembled as she searched for answers.
Fancypants tightened his embrace and scoffed, “I’ll play your game, Mr. Astaroth! But you had best swear that this is the end!” Rarity gave him a look of total confusion. He whispered to her, “Miss Rarity, dear, I know how you so detest physical labor… However, once we pass through this door, we are going to have to climb to the top. Just follow behind me and everything will be fine. I’ll answer your questions once we get there, okay?” He gripped her hoof tightly in his own.
Rarity nodded hesitantly once before releasing her lover. She let out one deep sigh to calm her nerves. Fancypants guided her toward the door, which swallowed them in its white light. Once the light faded, they were standing at the bottom of a tower of blocks, similar to the ones from the previous nights. Fancypants noticed the seven other towers, but ignored them as he started to climb his own. He pulled the frightened mare gently behind him as he climbed up each step.
After a few steps, a distorted voice screeched at them, “How dare you, you heartless mule?!” A large hoof popped into existence just below them, wielding a large silver needle. The demon’s face and front half exploded into view just after it, revealing its appearance to the ponies.
Rarity looked the creature over worriedly. She recognized the faded white coat and bloodstained purple mane. She noticed the needle and immediately realized what the creature was. She gasped, “I-is that me?!” She latched on to Fancypants’s arm as she realized the creature was meant to resemble her.
Fancypants cupped her chin in his hoof and groaned, “No, Miss Rarity. That is not you. You’re much more beautiful than that. Just ignore that beast and let us continue on.” He took her hoof again and continued his climb.
The tower was simple enough to traverse. Of the four previous nights, this tower most closely resembled the one from the Underground Cemetery. Aside from pushing a block here or there, it was a straight climb up to the landing and the altar. However, the demon wasn’t planning on letting them get out alive. It let out an ear-shredding roar and sent its needle flying across an entire row of blocks and caused the tower to shake violently. It then destroyed an entire column of blocks, which threw the ponies off even worse.
The demon jerked its hoof back far as if preparing a punch. Fancypants shoved a block to the side and pushed Rarity on her way. “You go on ahead! I’ll distract this thing to the best of my ability!” Rarity climbed a single step before the hoof came crashing down to the block Fancypants stood on.
The block crumbled, and for a single instant, the physics of the realm shattered, and the rich pony latched on to the edge of the block beside him. Such a move was unheard of in the nightmares. Rarity immediately stopped in her tracks and turned back to her lover. She dropped down one step to try and help him climb up from the edge. The demon prepared its needle for another swipe. For a single instant, the rich pony was certain he heard Shining Armor’s voice calling into the dark expanse.
Fancypants screamed at his companion, “Get out of here, now! The end is right there, just go up! This is the end of my mountain, but there’s still time for you to go!” Despite his objections, the unicorn continued to pull on his mane and hooves, trying to get him back up. The demon was almost ready to attack.
Rarity scoffed, “I’m not leaving you here, darling! Whatever this beast is, it will not take you from me!” She put all the strength she had in lifting him from the edge, a feat which amazed him. He decided to stop fighting it and squirmed to get his footing back.
If only she knew what kind of stallion I really am. I doubt she would continue to help me… What if she knew I’ve only been using her? Would she still be so determined to save me?
“You give her too little credit. You may think you’re tricking her, but she knows you’re only in it to cash in on her designs. She’s not a fool, Fancypants. She knows you have no intention of staying with her, and yet here she is, risking her life to pull you back from the brink. How does that make you feel, rich pony?”
She…knows? But how?
“Your reputation precedes you, Fancypants. Now get the hell off of your sorry plot and get her to the altar. I have no intention of helping you survive tonight, pony.”
Fancypants swallowed the lump in his throat and, in a sudden burst of energy, leaped to the top of the block and regained his footing. He took Rarity’s hoof tightly in his own and hurried up the steps to the landing. Just as the demon sent its needle flying across the row of blocks, the two ponies reached the landing and wasted no time in climbing up.
Fancypants dragged Rarity up to the shining altar and placed his free hoof on it with confidence and relief. Rarity placed her free hoof on top of his and let out an exhausted breath. The two looked into each other’s eyes, and a beam of light burst from the altar. The demon lifted its head to the level of the ponies just as the light passed by, causing it to evaporate into the abyss around them.
The white light engulfed the pair of worn-out partners. The rich pony sighed, “You knew all along, didn’t you?”
The mare thought for a second before realizing to what he was referring. She giggled, “Of course I did. Did you think I was dumb? I was never convinced such an influential stallion would ever genuinely want to be with me…”
He placed a hoof firmly on her shoulder and whispered, “You were wrong.” He gently placed kiss on her forehead before the light absorbed the both of them.
Rarity’s awe-filled voice echoed, “Was I truly?”
Fancypants used ponies to obtain personal wealth and status. He was thusly sent into the nightmares for wasting each mare’s time with his own selfish intentions. Rarity’s act of generously saving him, despite knowing his true intentions, helped him realize the error of his ways. For the first time, he felt genuine affection for another pony. Fancypants decided it was time to give true love a shot…