Chapter 1: The Return of Celestia
The sound of hoofbeats echoed throughout a narrow, dimly lit hallway. The source of the sound continued down the length of the hallway, keeping the same hurried pace before finally coming to a stop in front of a pair of white doors. The doors opened outward, and a yellow pegasus pony with a long pink mane stood at the threshold.
“Um, sorry to keep you waiting,” Fluttershy murmured. She approached the edge of the doorway and gazed out through the portal, only to anxiously step back. Dozens of thick white clouds filled the otherwise blue skies on the other side of the doors. Fluttershy’s heart sank as she looked down below the clouds, unable to see the earth below. Her eyes then turned to her left side, where a single-edged sword stayed magically in place just above her wing. The sword’s grip was bent at an angle to the white metallic blade, and while the edge retained its sharpness along the blade’s entire length, the tip of the blade appeared to be fashioned into the barrel of a gun.
Fluttershy took the weapon, called the First Blade, from her side and held it in her right hoof. She spread her wings, and with her remaining three legs, she hopped through the wide open doorway. An aura of yellow light bathed her wings as soon as she passed through the portal, and she propelled herself through the afternoon skies.
“Princess Celestia, can you hear me?” Fluttershy asked.
“I’m right here, Fluttershy,” Celestia said, speaking telepathically to Fluttershy. “But this is not the time to talk. The Underworld Army is invading.”
“Eep!” Fluttershy squeaked as a pair of pink spherical monsters, each with a single blue eye, flew toward her. She looked from one creature to the other, too frightened to even move. The two monsters, called Monoeyes, simply stared back and kept their distance.
“I don’t think staring at them will accomplish anything,” Celestia chided. “You have a weapon, don’t you?”
“Oh, of course,” Fluttershy said. Several more Monoeyes flew in front of her by the time she aimed the First Blade. A powerful blast of energy fired from the tip of the blade, killing three Monoeyes. Fluttershy fired a few smaller shots to kill each of the remaining enemies. “You said these are Underworld troops. Does that mean Nightmare Moon has been…”
“Resurrected, yes,” Celestia said. “Though the Goddess of Darkness was defeated long ago, she’s back now. And as the Goddess of Light, it’s my duty to protect the surface ponies from her.”
Suddenly, the skies around Fluttershy turned a deep ominous red. Fluttershy slowed to a stop and surveyed the skies anxiously. Before long, a massive figure rose from the now dark clouds. The figure, now towering over Fluttershy, took the form of a gigantic black alicorn with a starry blue mane, cyan eyes, and several pieces of pale blue armor on its body. The alicorn glanced down at Fluttershy, who had frozen in midair and turned pale at the sight of her.
“Hello, Celestia,” Nightmare Moon said. As she spoke, a number of Monoeyes rose from the clouds around her. “And this is the filly you sent to crash my homecoming party. Fluttershy, is it?”
“This invasion is just a party to you, Nightmare Moon?” Celestia said.
“What better way to celebrate my return than with a festive little bloodbath,” Nightmare Moon said. “After all, I have been gone for a thousand years.” As soon as she finished speaking, Nightmare Moon’s body faded away, and the skies returned to normal. The monsters, however, did not disappear. Instead, they flew back down through the clouds.
“They’re moving their attack to the ground!” Fluttershy said.
“Then so are we!” Celestia said.
The aura around Fluttershy’s wings intensified. Her body tilted up, pulling her into a backward loop, and before she knew it she flew straight down into the clouds. The wind whipped through her mane and coat as she made her descent. When she looked down, she could barely see a few scattered lakes and grassy hills below, all steadily becoming clearer and closer to her. Her heart was racing, but after a while, she noticed the steady rate of her descent. She didn’t chance a look at her sides, but she could feel her wings controlling her flight in spite of gravity. For a moment, a smile crept on Fluttershy’s face “I can’t believe it,” she said. “I’m actually flying!”
“The power of flight is my gift to you,” Celestia said. “I’ll control your route so you can focus on battle. But I can only maintain this power for five minutes at a time. After that, your wings will burn up and you’ll fall.”
“Wait, my wings will burn up?!”
“You have nothing to worry about,” Celestia said. “I’ll make sure to set you on the ground before that happens. From there, you’ll have to continue fighting on land.”
“Oh. That’s a relief,” Fluttershy said. “Thank you, princess. You have no idea what it’s like to be a pegasus who can’t fly on her own.”
Fluttershy’s flight path finally leveled out, and she continued to fly at a constant altitude over the land. Unfortunately, several Underworld enemies already surrounded her, all going in the same direction she was. On the ground were several giant froglike monsters, each with a single large eye, a pair of wings, but no front legs. Monoeyes floated above the ground, as well as an orange, almost spherical cephalopod creature. The aerial monsters quickly spotted Fluttershy, and the orange cephalopod, called an Octos, spat out a large ring of smoke at her. Fluttershy flinched at the oncoming ring, though because of its large size, the ring simply passed harmlessly around her.
“Focus, Fluttershy,” Celestia said. “If we were done here, I would have extracted you by now.”
Fluttershy swerved left to dodge several blasts from the Monoeyes. However, one of their shots managed to strike her chest. Fluttershy grunted in pain and placed her free hoof on the wounded area. She fired back with her own weapon, taking out several with a powerful blast and killing the rest with a stream of smaller shots. After killing the last enemy, one of the froglike Kerons, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“There’s an earth pony town up ahead,” Celestia said. “That is your destination.”
Fluttershy continued to fly over a flat stretch of land. A mountain range stood at the other end of the plain, obstructing any view she might have had of a town up ahead. What she saw instead was a group of Monoeyes hover above the peaks and disappear on the other side of the mountains. “Now they’re attacking the town?” Fluttershy said. “This isn’t right!”
“The earth ponies need your help,” Celestia said. “I’d better get you over there.”
The aura around Fluttershy’s wings intensified. Her wings began to beat faster, and she immediately accelerated across the plain. Her flight path tilted up, carrying her above the mountains and over a small town on the other side. Plumes of smoke rose from several places within the town. Underworld monsters hovered over the streets, occasionally attacking the nearby buildings and structures. But as Fluttershy soared above the town, she began to hear shouting and cheering. The jubilant cries rose in volume, loud enough for Fluttershy to hear them clearly. Though she could barely see how many ponies there were, she realized that there had to be a lot of them.
“Um, Celestia?” Fluttershy asked nervously. “I don’t know how I feel about all this.”
“Are you referring to the Underworld troops or the hundreds of ponies gazing up at you?” Celestia asked.
“What?!” Fluttershy said, her face turning bright red. She turned her attention back to the earth ponies on the ground, and her hooves moved across her body to cover certain areas.
“Not to worry,” Celestia said. “Those ponies are cheering for the arrival of their Goddess of Light, not just you. Despite the Underworld invasion, the earth ponies haven’t lost hope. It’s our duty to protect them. Prepare for land battle, Fluttershy.”
“O-Okay,” Fluttershy said, “but I’d really like something to wear the next time you send me on a mission. Maybe a tunic, if it’s not too much trouble.”
Fluttershy angled left as she began her descent toward the town. Her wings guided her toward one of the larger streets, one that cut through the middle of the town. Several Underworld troops were already attacking the street, but rather than landing amidst them, she diverted away to an empty side alley.
* * * * * * * * * *
Fluttershy hovered above the ground for a second before gently touching down on three of her hooves. Several houses stood in a circle around her, forming a dead end at the end of the alley. The yellow aura that had enveloped Fluttershy’s wings since she first took flight disappeared, and her wings folded neatly at her sides. Still holding the First Blade in her right hoof, she brought the weapon to her left side. The blade held in place at her side, just above her left wing, and she placed her fourth hoof firmly on the ground. Taking her first few steps on solid ground, Fluttershy headed out of the alleyway.
A small fountain stood further up at the center of the main street, marking the area as a town square. Two enormous stone staircases lay at the far end of the square, behind the fountain. At the top of the stairs, sitting at the town’s highest point, was a large circular arena. Fluttershy stepped out of the alley and onto the main street, only to stop in her tracks. Several Underworld monsters roamed the square, some attacking while others just pacing around, as if on patrol. Four of the monsters, large blue serpents with feathery white wings, turned and slithered toward Fluttershy. Fluttershy stepped backward, looking from one monster to the next.
“Fluttershy,” Celestia said. Her tone was calm and gentle, yet betrayed a tinge of impatience. “You’re here to help the townsfolk, remember?”
Oh, um…” Fluttershy stammered. The grip of her blade touched against her left shoulder, reminding her that it was still there. “R-Right.” She grabbed her weapon, aimed at the serpents, firing at one of them. Her leg shook as she aimed from one monster to the next, but a few shots from her blade were enough to take out the serpents one by one.
Several Monoeyes were grouped around the fountain, along with more of the winged serpents. Fluttershy stepped awkwardly toward the enemies on three of her legs, with the fourth leg still holding onto her blade. She shot at the Monoeyes first, taking out the first three with a single blast from her weapon. The attack caught the attention of the remaining monsters, and one of the Monoeyes fired back. Fluttershy jumped to the side, almost stumbling on her three hooves, but barely avoiding the attack.
Another blast from the First Blade managed to take out the last two Monoeyes. But the serpent monsters, called Shemums, were still moving toward her. If anything, there seemed to be more of them than earlier. Fluttershy fired a stream of smaller shots at the creatures. But even though she quickly killed five of them, more kept coming. She looked past the approaching Shemums and to the right of the fountain, where she saw two more emerging from a large vase.
“You won’t be able to damage that vase from a distance,” Celestia said. “You will have to use your weapon from up close. Alternatively, you could use that grenade in front of your hooves.”
Fluttershy looked down at her hooves, one of which was touching a small round object. The object was spherical, gold in color, with a thick metal ring around it. “What’s a grenade like this doing here in the middle of the street?” she asked.
“I’m not entirely certain myself,” Celestia said.
Fluttershy fired at the oncoming Shemums again, taking out six of the closest ones to her. Setting the First Blade on the ground, she then lifted the grenade into her hoof. She threw the grenade, hurling it over the other Shemums and toward the vase. Another one of the serpents was climbing out of vase when the grenade hit the ground just two feet away, detonating on impact. Several more were caught in the resulting blast. The explosion was small, but when it subsided a second later, there was no trace left of the vase. Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief and picked up her blade, holding it in her hoof again. Seeing three surviving Shemums still approaching her, she aimed the tip of the blade at them.
Even with the fountain clear of enemies, more Underworld troops were spread out in nearby areas of the town. Several were clustered in groups at the far end of the square and along the stairs leading up. Fluttershy moved forward slowly, her grip tightening on her weapon while three of her legs carried her. She left the fountain behind her, but something else in the square caught her attention. To her right stood a small, arched wooden door. The door had a circular emblem placed on it with five hearts going around it and a skull at the bottom.
“What is that?” Fluttershy asked.
“An intensity gate,” Celestia said. “These only open during certain intensity, or difficulty, levels. I would elaborate more, but this isn’t the best place to explain gameplay.”
“Should we be talking about that at all?” Fluttershy asked.
“I don’t see any reason not to,” Celestia said. “After all, the game frequently breaks the fourth wall. Nevertheless, the gate won’t open at this time. Even if it did, I don’t sense anything pertinent behind it.”
Stepping back from the intensity gate, Fluttershy continued toward the end of the square. For a moment, she wondered why something like an intensity gate would be in the middle of an earth pony town to begin with, much less one that only been attacked minutes ago, but brushed it off as she continued on. As she approached the large sets of stairs at the end of the square, her attention shifted toward the coliseum at the top. She looked from the coliseum down to the groups of Underworld enemies leading up to it. Most of the enemies were ground troops. Their heads and bodies took the appearance of skulls with black crossbones marks on their foreheads. Each one had a single red eye on its chest and short, stubby purple tentacles as limbs. Fluttershy recognized the creatures as Skuttlers, and as she drew closer to the first group, she aimed the tip of her weapon at them.
The skies above turned a deep shade of red, casting an ominous glow over the entire town. Fluttershy stopped in her tracks, still keeping her weapon aimed forward. But before she could question the change in scenery, a massive ball of flames suddenly flew above her head. The ball crashed into the ground only a few feet from where she stood. Fluttershy stumbled back from the impact. She made it a few steps, but her back hooves lost their footing and she fell on her haunches. Meanwhile, the fireball bounced off the ground and leapt forward. It landed several feet away with a heavy crash, this time landing in the midst of a group of Skuttlers. The fireball bounced again, smashing into another group of Skuttlers on the stairs. It made another leap up the stairs, and then another, and then another, each time landing explosively in the middle of a few Underworld forces. Finally it reached the coliseum’s front entrance at the top. There it made one last higher leap, launching itself over the coliseum walls and disappearing behind them.
Meanwhile, Fluttershy was still on her haunches, staring up at the coliseum. Her front hoof still gripped the First Blade, albeit shakily. “Wh-What was that?” she stammered.
“Nightmare Moon,” Celestia said. “She’s released an evil beast in the coliseum.”
Another loud crash sounded from behind the coliseum walls, and flames briefly erupted from within the arena. Fluttershy stood back up, still gazing anxiously at the coliseum. “And I have to go up there, don’t I?” she asked. Without waiting for an answer, or even getting one, she took the first tentative steps toward the coliseum. She quickly reached the foot of the stairs and began making her way up.
* * * * * * * * * *
Within the walls of the coliseum, at the town’s highest point of elevation, Fluttershy stepped into the center of the arena. On the other side of the arena, an enormous black dog stood on the seats within the spectator’s stands. It turned toward Fluttershy with its six eyes, two on each of its separate heads. Three separate sets of jaws were bared at her, two of which uttered low growls.
“Cerberus!” Fluttershy said.
“The Underworld’s faithful watchdog,” Celestia said.
Cerberus leapt from its position in the spectator stands, landing in the center of the arena with Fluttershy. All three of its heads growled at her, this time more loudly and with much more ferocity.
“Make sure to avoid Cerberus’ flames,” Celestia said, “And be careful when he…” Celestia stopped short and blinked when she took another look at the battlefield. Within only a few seconds, Cerberus was lying on its back, enjoying a belly rub from Fluttershy. “Fluttershy, what are you doing?”
“Who’s the cute widdle three-headed dog?” Fluttershy said. “Who’s a good boy? Who’s a good boy?” Fluttershy continued to vigorously rub Cerberus’ belly, her First Blade secured to her side and all but forgotten as the three-headed dog put up little to no fight.
Back in Skyworld, Celestia watched in disbelief as the recently-promoted captain of her army pacified one of Nightmare Moon’s fiercest monsters. “Fluttershy, you are going to put Cerberus down, aren’t you?” she asked.
“Are you sure I still have to?” Fluttershy said. “I mean, look at him. He’s just a big furry guy who got out of his yard… isn’t he?” Fluttershy turned toward the sky, where Nightmare Moon’s visage could be seen glaring silently and contemptuously at the scene in the coliseum. She frowned at the image, even as she continued working her hooves across Cerberus’ belly.
“To you perhaps,” Celestia said. “But Cerberus is a creature of the Underworld. If you leave him alone here, what’s there to stop him from resuming his rampage?”
Fluttershy’s hooves stopped, and she looked down at the three-headed dog. “I’m not sure I can go through with that,” she murmured.
“I understand,” Celestia said. “And that’s why you won’t have to do this yourself.”
Yellow light shone down on Fluttershy from above. A sudden weightlessness took over her body as she was bathed in the light, and she rose several inches above Cerberus. Fluttershy looked up at the sky, where she saw the ray of light shining through a larger, harsher, yellow glow in the clouds. She frowned when she realized that the glow was directly overhead and looked back at Cerberus.
“Let’s return for now,” Celestia added. “This was just our first step in defeating Nightmare Moon.”
A second later, Fluttershy was quickly carried up, taking her away from the battlefield and back home.
Chapter 2: Applejack and the Dark Lord
For the second time in the last few days, Fluttershy found herself galloping through a narrow, dimly lit hallway. This time, she had opted to get dressed before going on her mission. A white tunic covered the length of her body, with holes in the sides for her wings to fit through, and she wore a gold laurel crown in her mane. She reached the end of the hallway, where a pair of double doors swung open.
“And we’re off,” Fluttershy muttered. She jumped through the open doorway, spreading her wings as she passed through. A yellow light flowed through her wings, and with a few strong beats of her wings, she was soaring through the air. But before she could get more than a few seconds past the portal, a bolt of lightning shot past on her right, only a couple of feet from her. Fluttershy cringed, but after a second, she noticed flashes of light all around her. When she looked around, she saw masses of dark clouds all over the sky, both above and below her, with lightning arcing between them almost constantly. “It’s a little stormy, isn’t it?” she squeaked.
“Yes, but your next mission can’t wait,” Celestia said. “You must defeat Dark Lord Pinkamena.”
“Um, dark lord?” Fluttershy said. “Aren’t there already a lot of those?”
“She’s earned it.” Celestia said. “She is one of Nightmare Moon’s top generals. Many of Nightmare Moon’s forces are coming from Pinkamena’s castle. An earth pony army has gone to fight her, but I don’t know how long they will last.”
“And so you need me to defeat the dark lord?” Fluttershy murmured.
“Yes, preferably as soon as possible,” Celestia said. “And remember that this is a dark lord of the Underworld Army. Do not let your guard down.”
Another bolt of lightning flashed nearby. Fluttershy flinched, though with the magic coursing through her wings, she continued her course through the air. “I wasn’t planning to,” she squeaked after opening her eyes again. Out of the corner of her vision, several Monoeyes emerged from one of the storm clouds. “I have a question though,” she said. “Wasn’t this a separate chapter in the video game? Why am I doing this all in the same chapter?”
“The author is planning a joke that won’t pay off for about eighteen chapters,” Celestia said. “I don’t understand it either.”
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning flashed directly in front of Fluttershy, barely a foot away. Fluttershy came to a stop in midair. She cringed and brought her forelegs up to her face. Two more streaks of lightning flashed behind her, frightening her even more. “Maybe we should take a safer path to Pinkamena’s castle?” she whimpered.
“Agreed,” Celestia said. “I’d best get you out of there.”
Fluttershy’s body angled down toward a small gap in the clouds. She caught a glimpse of several Monoeyes being electrocuted in the storm before beginning her descent and disappearing into the thunderclouds. Almost immediately, she began to notice a difference in the storm activity. Light flashed briefly and intermittently behind several patches of cloud, accompanied by the loud rumbling of thunder. The flashes grew less frequent as Fluttershy continued her descent, eventually coming to a complete stop.
“Whew, much better,” Fluttershy sighed in relief.
“You still have to watch for Underworld troops,” Celestia said.
Fluttershy looked behind her, where she saw six large black bugs diving after her. The bugs, called Shrips, had long metal blade extending from their faces like beaks. As they flew after Fluttershy, the joints between their wings and their heads unhinged, causing their heads and blades to spin wildly. Fluttershy tilted her head under her and aimed her right hoof at the Shrips. Attached to her right foreleg was the Fortune Bow, a stringless pink bow with two bladed metal limbs connected by a dark brown grip. Fluttershy fired her bow, taking out two of the Shrips with an arrow made of bright yellow light. She launched several smaller light arrows in quick succession, shooting down the remaining Shrips one by one.
Fluttershy looked back down again, only to see four X-shaped enemies below her. Two of the enemies, called Gyrazers, began spinning rapidly and fired a stream of energy shots at her . Fluttershy twisted left to dodge, though her hind leg was grazed by the incoming fire, singing her coat and leaving a small energy burn on her leg. She winced, but aimed her bow at one of the Gyrazers and fired an arrow back.
After shooting down the last few enemies, Fluttershy eventually emerged from the thick cloud cover. She pulled up out of her descent, and her flight path continued at a steady altitude over the land. Several mountains lay spread out across the land in all directions. What little flat land there remained between these mountains was fractured by numerous deep fissures in the ground. As Fluttershy looked over the rough terrain, she noticed two beige Underworld monsters with black dorsal and tail fins floating ahead of her. The monsters, which she recognized as Wave Anglers, had widened heads with eyes spaced far apart, much like that of a hammerhead shark.
“I can’t believe the earth pony army made it across these mountains on hoof,” Fluttershy said. She ascended a few extra feet to avoid a blade of energy fired by one of the Wave Anglers.
“Not to mention the adverse weather and Underworld attacks they must have endured,” Celestia added. “You have to admire their tenacity.”
Fluttershy dove a few feet to avoid another blade of energy. She aimed her bow at one of the Wave Anglers and fired, killing it with a single powerful arrow. “It’s a good thing I can fly over all of this,” she said.
“Do I detect a note of smugness in your voice?” Celestia asked, her tone almost teasing.
“Oh, um… no, no, no!” Fluttershy said, somewhat panicked. “I’m just really happy I can fly.” For a moment she had been distracted from her surroundings by Celestia’s apparent reproach. When she finally paid attention again, she frantically moved to her left, barely avoiding another attack from the Wave Angler.
“Good, because you shouldn’t be gloating,” Celestia said. “Especially since you’ll be entering the dark lord’s castle on your own.”
“Don’t remind me,” Fluttershy murmured.
After shooting down the other Wave Angler, Fluttershy continued along her flight path, soaring over the mountains and deep valleys. She soon reached a deep chasm in the earth amidst the low, jagged peaks and fragmented plateaus. Guided by Celestia’s magic, she dove into the chasm and entered a deep underground cavern.
Because of the dark, overcast skies outside, very little light entered the cavern through the cracks and openings in its ceiling. Fluttershy slowly made her way through the cavern, relying mainly on a blue luminescent moss growing on stalactites and stalagmites as a light source. Two Octos emerged from the shadows along with a new group of enemies. The creatures, called Miks, had no eyes, and their green, spherical bodies consisted only of a mouth with large, powerful jaws.
Fluttershy watched nervously as the Underworld troops moved to surround her. She held up her foreleg, aiming her bow at one of the Octos, and fired. Her arrow pierced the Octos’ body, along with two of the Miks floating behind it. Suddenly, she felt herself being pulled up several feet. A long, slender tongue appeared just below her hooves, barely missing her as it lashed at the air. Fluttershy turned around and saw one of the Miks floating behind her, now drawing its elastic tongue back into its mouth. She fired an arrow at the Mik, only for her wings to pull her abruptly away a second time.
With the power of flight controlling her wings, Fluttershy shot past the remaining enemies. She continued to fly through the cavern, weaving past stalactites and other rock formations as she went. Behind her, the Miks and one Octos hovered after her in pursuit. Ahead of her, a second group of Miks appeared from behind a few stalactites. One of the Miks extended its tongue and tired to swat Fluttershy from a distance, while another spat out a blast of energy at her. Fluttershy’s wings gave a strong, sharp flap, propelling her a few feet up and over the attacks. She shot an arrow at the group, piercing through two of the Miks and opening a gap in between the others. Her body angled down toward the gap, and with her wings stretched, she pulled into a dive. Fluttershy rushed past the second group of Underworld troops, and with a few quick beats of her wings, she pulled out of her dive and continued through the cavern. Looking back behind her, she saw both groups of enemies chasing after her. She pointed her right foreleg back, aiming the Fortune Bow, and fired several arrows back at them. Three Miks were shot down, but before she had the chance to see it, her flight path tilted upward and she began to make an ascent toward a light-filled opening in the cavern ceiling.
Muted gray light filled Fluttershy’s vision as she emerged from the darkness of the cavern and found herself flying in the middle of a narrow valley. She turned her head back toward the opening she had emerged from. Nothing else came out of the cavern entrance after her, even as she put it further behind her. Fluttershy turned away from the entrance and let out a deep, audible sigh of relief. “Could you give me a heads up the next time you do any of that?” she pleaded.
“That may be sooner than you realize,” Celestia said. “We still haven’t reached the dark lord’s castle.” Using her magic, she guided Fluttershy’s through the valley, sending her on a right turn when the trench split into two directions. “Fluttershy, behind you!”
“Huh?” Fluttershy turned her head back again. What she saw was a massive green whale big enough to take up the entire width of the trench flying after her. "Eep!”
The monster, called a Belunka, opened its enormous maw as it lurched after Fluttershy. Fluttershy felt her wings beat harder, pushing her away from the behemoth before it could try to devour her. As the power of flight worked to keep enough distance between the two, Fluttershy looked back at the creature. The Belunka continued after her, flapping its massive fins to stay in the air. However, it did not try to devour Fluttershy a second time, nor was it actually attacking her itself. Instead, it opened its mouth again, and four Monoeyes and one Mik flew out.
While the Belunka lagged behind its dispatched troops, three of the Monoeyes each fired an energy blast from their eyes at Fluttershy. Fluttershy banked left to evade, and then shot a few arrows back. Despite her frantic, unfocused aim, her arrows’ trajectory altered as they approached their targets, managing to hit two of the Monoeyes and the one Mik. Fluttershy continued down the trench, making several turns along its bends and twists. The Underworld forces kept their pursuit, even when the valley occasionally split into two different directions. The Belunka opened its maw again, this time releasing two Shrips.
After making another turn, Fluttershy came across a group of rock formations that extended across and blocked much of the valley. She dove into a gap between the rocks just large enough for her to slip through. A loud crash sounded behind her barely a few seconds later, along with some small crumbling noises. Fluttershy turned her head back to look, making certain that neither the Belunka nor its troops would be chasing after her anymore. She breathed another heavy sigh of relief, and before long, she reached a rocky plain at the end of the valley.
“Pinkamena’s castle is up ahead,” Celestia said.
The moon shone visibly in the clear night sky, casting a pale yellow light over a formidable gray castle at the far end of the plain. Before the castle, Fluttershy noticed a battle taking place between the Underworld and earth pony armies. The earth ponies clashed against Underworld ground forces on the front lines, but seemed to be making very little progress. Their efforts were further hindered by aerial Underworld troops consisting of Monoeyes, Miks and Gyrazers shooting at them from above.
“The earth ponies won’t make it to the castle with the Underworld in their way,” Fluttershy said. “They need our help!” She aimed the Fortune Bow at a small group of Gyrazers hovering over the battlefield.
“Normally I’d agree with you, but…” Celestia trailed off.
“What is it?” Fluttershy asked. She shot down four Gyrazers with her bow, and continued to soar over the ongoing fighting.
“Do you remember how long the power of flight lasts?” Celestia asked.
“Five minutes?” Fluttershy answered.
“And remember what happens when it runs out?”
“My wings… burn up?” Fluttershy said apprehensively.
“We don’t have time to assist the ponies,” Celestia said. She carried Fluttershy over the front line and directly toward the castle. “We have to go straight for Pinkamena. I’ll take you into the castle. From there, you’ll have to face the dark lord yourself. Her defeat will force the Underworld Army into retreat.”
Fluttershy circled over the castle, letting both her and Celestia survey it from above. As she gazed down, she took in a deep breath to try to calm her nerves. She exhaled slowly and gave a quick nod.
“Okay, I’m… I’m ready,” Fluttershy said. She banked right and angled herself downward, beginning her descent toward the castle entrance.
* * * * * * * * * *
Fluttershy’s hooves touched down on the cold, hard floor of the castle entrance. The yellow aura of Celestia’s magic dissolved from her wings, which she then folded at her sides. She took a few steps and allowed her eyes to wander. Statues of Skuttlers flanked either side of the entrance, seemingly ready to come to life at any minute. “So this is the dark lord’s castle,” Fluttershy said.
“She must have scrambled to build it after Nightmare Moon’s resurrection,” Celestia said. “She’s using this castle as a stronghold for Underworld soldiers.”
As Fluttershy passed through the main doorway into the castle, she caught sight of a row of streamers hanging on a wall, along with a few dull balloons floating on the ceiling. “Great,” she murmured. “It’s just like a birthday party… where everypony wants to kill me.”
Fluttershy followed the trail of streamers and balloons, which soon led her to the ground floor of the main hall. Two sets of stairs on either side of the chamber led to a balcony on the second floor. At the top of the stairs, four Skuttlers stood on patrol in front of a doorway. One of the Skuttlers saw Fluttershy on the ground floor and moved toward the stairs, signaling the other three. Fluttershy lifted her right hoof, aiming her Fortune Bow up one set of stairs, and shot a single arrow. Her arrow pierced one Skuttler and struck the one behind it. She then turned her bow toward the next pair of Skuttlers and fired several smaller arrows at them one at a time.
With the Skuttlers eliminated, Fluttershy glanced nervously around the main hall as she moved up the stairs. At the other end of the balcony, two seemingly ornamental stone spikes stood upright and jutted out of the floor. “What are those?” Fluttershy asked.
“They appear to be switches,” Celestia said. “I’m sensing a link between them and the door ahead.”
As she reached the top of the stairs, Fluttershy looked from the switches back to the doorway, which was already wide open. “Why would they lock their castle from the outside?” she said, raising an eyebrow.
“It is a poor security design,” Celestia said. “What concerns me more is that the switches have already been activated. Something or somepony is already in this castle.”
Past the main hall, Fluttershy found herself standing on a walkway that overlooked a small courtyard. Three Skuttlers stood on patrol on the walkway, which ran along a section of the wall before extending across the courtyard to the other side. “That could explain why there are so few troops inside the castle,” Fluttershy said as she aimed her bow at one of the Skuttlers. For a moment, her eye caught sight of a party hat lying on its side by the wall, making her feel uneasy. “Or maybe Pinkamena left the door open as part of her party invitation,” she added.
Fluttershy’s first arrow hit one of the Skuttlers, tossing it several feet back and taking it out instantly. She shakily turned her bow to the next two enemies and fired several smaller arrows. The second Skuttler fell over before it even turned to see Fluttershy, and while the third one began to waddle after her, it too was slain before it could even reach her.
Once she reached the other end of the walkway, Fluttershy continued down a narrow passageway that led to the lower level of the courtyard. She walked down a set of stairs, which came to a stop halfway to the lower level. A second set of stairs led the rest of the way to the courtyard, with a single tapestry decorating the wall in between them. Fluttershy would have passed by the tapestry on her way down, but she noticed the bottom of it waving gently.
“What’s this?” Fluttershy said as she moved closer to examine the tapestry. The bottom corners of the tapestry swayed softly back and forth, and when Fluttershy looked more closely, she saw a small crack of light at the foot of the wall. Placing her foreleg against the fringe of the tapestry, she pushed it aside, revealing a small room hidden behind it. A runic circle decorated the floor of the otherwise empty room. The circle glowed a bright light blue, and at its center shone a faint ray of light.
Fluttershy walked into the room and took a few cautious steps toward the circle of light. Her hooves came to a stop just a few steps away, and she considered turning back toward the courtyard. While the circle seemed out of place inside a dark castle filled with monsters and party decorations, she couldn’t be sure what magic formed its bright blue runes. After getting no additional advice or warning from Celestia, Fluttershy slowly slid a hoof across the floor and moved it over the circle.
White light flashed throughout Fluttershy’s vision, overtaking the entire room around her. The light faded a second later, only to be replaced by a seemingly endless black void. The floor of the castle was gone too, and instead, she was standing on one end of a long, narrow platform. Fluttershy blinked her eyes and gasped. She started to look around frantically. “Where am I?” she asked. “Princess Celestia?”
“You’ve been transported far outside the dark lord’s castle,” Celestia said. “Where precisely or how far I’m not sure. Thankfully, the portal you stepped on is still active.”
Fluttershy turned behind her, where she saw another, much smaller circle of blue light. “Then I can take this back to the castle,” she said.
“You can,” Celestia said. “But for now, you should examine what little there is here. I would like to know why this place is connected to an Underworld fortress.”
A small pedestal stood on the other side of the platform. Yellow light shimmered down on the pedestal from above, and as Fluttershy approached, an object began to materialize in the center. Fluttershy took the object, a thin, silver-colored bow, into her left foreleg and studied it. A symbol depicting a bow with arrow nocked was embossed into both limbs, and like her Fortune Bow, this one was also stringless. Fluttershy looked at her own weapon, hoping to compare the two, when the new bow suddenly started to glow yellow. The bow vanished a moment later, leaving her left hoof empty.
“The pocket dimension you are currently in is called a Zodiac Chamber,” Celestia said. “Each of them is rumored to house a weapon modeled after a Zodiac sign. The weapon you found here is the Sagittarius Bow. I’ve taken the bow for the time being. It will be here when you return from your mission.”
“You mean I can’t use it now?” Fluttershy asked.
“You already have the Fortune Bow with you,” Celestia said. “There is no way for you to wield both simultaneously. And even though they are both the same type of weapon, they may handle very differently. You should have some experience with a new weapon before bringing it into battle.”
“I guess that makes sense,” Fluttershy said. She turned around and went back to the other end of the chamber. Once she stepped inside the blue circle, white light flashed across her vision. A second later, she was standing in the hidden room of Pinkamena’s castle.
“Speaking of which, I see that you chose not to use a blade for this mission,” Celestia said.
Fluttershy pulled the tapestry aside as she walked out of the room. She continued down the hallway toward the lower level of the courtyard. “Oh yeah, I thought I’d try out other weapons besides blades,” she said, glancing at her bow. “This one’s easier to walk around with since it just attaches to my foreleg.”
“Your bow can also split into blades for close combat, though it’s better suited for ranged attacks,” Celestia said.
A small break ran through the middle of the Fortune Bow’s grip. Fluttershy could barely see the break in her weapon when she began to hear sounds coming from ahead. She reached the lower level of the courtyard, and when she saw what was waiting there, her eyes widened.
“Look at that!” Fluttershy said.
In the center of the courtyard, right in front of a single ornamental tree, an earth pony mare stood facing three Skuttlers. The mare had an orange coat, and her blonde mane and tail were pulled back and tied at the end with red hair bands. She wore a Stetson hat on her head, and as she stared at the three Skutlers, her right hoof gripped the handle of a large, imposing sword nearly twice her size.
“How did an earth pony make it into the castle?” Celestia said.
The earth pony swung her enormous blade, slicing one of the Skuttlers in half. She slashed a second Skuttler with another swing, and then swung around to buck the last one across the courtyard. The slain monsters vanished one by one in a puff of purple smoke. The earth pony rested the back of her greatsword against her shoulder and turned to face Fluttershy, giving her a friendly smile.
“Well, Ah didn’t expect to see a pegasus here,” the earth pony said, tipping the brim of her Stetson hat. “Hope that doesn’t mean Ah’ve kicked the bucket.”
More Underworld troops appeared in the courtyard. The earth pony noticed the enemies and turned to rush at them, leaving Fluttershy bewildered.
“I think you should help her,” Celestia said.
“She’s taking on the Underworld Army herself…” Fluttershy said. She glanced at a Shemum slithering toward her and fired an arrow at it. “And surviving. Are you sure she’s really an earth pony?”
“Absolutely,” Celestia said.
“Ya havin’ a private conversation with yourself, sugarcube?” the orange earth pony said, swinging her greatsword at one of two nearby Miks.
“Oh, right. Sorry about that,” Fluttershy said. She looked back at the other mare after shooting down a Handora, a monster consisting of pair of hands joined at the wrists by a spiked bracelet. “I, uh… I’m Fluttershy, servant of the goddess Celestia. I’m here to defeat Dark Lord Pinkamena.”
“So, you’re here for a slice of the pie too,” the orange pony said. After slaying the two Miks, she charged after a Keron with her weapon.
“What pie?” Fluttershy asked in confusion. “No, I mean… I’m here to stop Pinkamena’s attacks on the earth ponies.” She separated her bow at the grip and used its bladed limbs to slash through a Shulm, a monster resembling a giant, poisonous mushroom with two bulging eyes.
“Right, you’re the pegasus here,” the earth pony said, swinging her greatsword at a one-eyed monster made of living red Coral. “But me, Ah’m in it for the reward money. Since we both want to take down Pinkamena, how ‘bout we work together?”
“I-I don’t know about that…” Fluttershy said, firing an arrow at a Skuttler.
“What’ve ya got to lose?” the orange mare asked. She plunged her greatsword into the eye of a giant, one-eyed skull with four spider-like legs. “It’ll be easier on both of us.” The skull, known as a Ganewmede, faded away into purple smoke, allowing her to easily retrieve her sword.
“Celestia?” Fluttershy asked. “What do you think?” She shot down a Skuttler with several arrows from her Fortune Bow.
“She makes a compelling argument,” Celestia said, still speaking telepathically and privately to Fluttershy.
“Well if it’s okay with Celestia…” Fluttershy said quietly.
“Then it’s settled,” the earth pony said. “Ah’m Applejack, by the way. Pleased to meet ya.”
After finishing off the last two Underworld enemies, Applejack and Fluttershy made their way to the other side of the courtyard. With a quick, affirmative nod from Applejack, the two of them continued down a second passageway that led deeper into the castle. A few torches provided some light for them, but only enough to see a few feet ahead.
“Applejack sure is strong,” Fluttershy said, almost whispering.
“Yes, especially for an earth pony,” Celestia replied.
“She must really want that reward,” Fluttershy said. Her quiet tone caught the attention of Applejack, who shot a glance at her.
“She may not be made of the sturdiest moral fiber, but that’s fine with me,” Celestia said.
“I’m surprised you feel that way,” Fluttershy said.
“Earth ponies are driven by desire,” Celestia said. “It’s convenient to know what bait they’ll chase.”
“That’s kind of cold, but it makes sense… I guess,” Fluttershy said.
“Hey,” Applejack said gruffly. She gave Fluttershy a hard look even as the latter turned her attention to her. “If you’re chattin’ with your precious goddess, give her a message from me. Tell her she’s been sleepin’ on the job! My world is on the edge of collapse!”
Applejack turned away and continued to make her way down the passage, even as Fluttershy stopped in her tracks. Fluttershy stared at Applejack uncomfortably.
“On second thought, I don’t think she and I will get along very well,” Celestia said.
“Okay…” Fluttershy said quietly. Tentatively, she trotted back to Applejack, who had already gone a few feet ahead of her.
The passageway led them to an old elevator. As soon as the two of them stepped inside, the door shut behind them and the elevator began its ascent. Before long, the elevator came to a stop next to a balcony on the side of the castle. Two doors faced them on one side of the balcony while the other side of the balcony wrapped around a corner of the castle’s exterior wall. Applejack galloped ahead, using her greatsword to take out a single Skuttler that was standing on patrol. Fluttershy eventually caught up to her, and even though the Skuttler was already gone, something else caught her attention.
“Oh look, a treasure chest!” Fluttershy said. At the far end of balcony rested a blue chest with decorative gold fringes. However, before Fluttershy could walk toward the chest, Applejack cut her off with her foreleg.
“That’s clearly a trap,” Applejack said. “Think about it. Who’d leave treasure just lyin’ ‘round outside?”
“Oh, okay…” Fluttershy murmured. “Then let’s just see what’s behind those doors, if that’s okay.”
“Sure thing, sugarcube,” Applejack said. Turning around, she and Fluttershy walked back to the other side of the balcony. They opened the first door on the right, and when Fluttershy saw what was inside the room, her eyes widened.
“Wait, is that…” Fluttershy said. At the center of the room was a pool of steaming hot water, just the right temperature for a pony to relax in. “It is! A hot spring!” she squealed excitedly. Eagerly, she trotted toward the edge of the pool.
“Somepony likes her spa time,” Applejack chuckled.
Fluttershy dipped her hoof into the hot spring. Satisfied with the water’s temperature, she then stepped inside. Without bothering to remove any of her equipment, she sat down with her back against the edge of the pool and breathed a content sigh.
“Ya go in fully dressed?” Applejack asked. “Don’t ya at least want to set your bow down or change into a swimmin’ tunic or somethin’?”
“Oh, no,” Fluttershy said. “As a member of Celestia's army, I have to be ready for battle, especially now when I’m on a mission.”
“Ah guess if you're gonna serve the gods, you're gonna do things by the book,” Applejack said.
“Yeah…” Fluttershy said. She averted her gaze from Applejack and hesitated before murmuring something else. “And I don’t want you looking at my flanks.”
“Ah beg your pardon?!” Applejack snapped. Fluttershy winced at the outburst, even as Applejack continued. “Look, Ah don’t know where ya got the idea, but Ah am not that kind of mare!”
When she finished, Applejack noticed that Fluttershy was cringing at her. She drew a heavy sigh and decided to approach her a little more gently.
“Ah’m sorry. Ah shouldn’t have yelled at ya,” she said, this time more calmly. “Look, could we get goin’ now? Pinkamena isn’t goin’ to take herself down.”
Fluttershy opened her eyes and turned her head back toward Applejack. “Okay,” she said, nodding back. She rose back onto her hooves and stepped out of the hot spring.
After leaving the hot spring room, and after Fluttershy tried to wring the water out of her tunic and coat, the two mares continued to the other door on the balcony. Once inside, they found themselves inside the highest tower in Pinkamena’s castle. A walkway spiraled up along the wall, eventually leading to a large door at the top.
“Dark Lord Pinkamena should be up there,” Fluttershy said.
“Ah hope you’re ready,” Applejack replied. Without waiting for Fluttershy, she began her climb up the walkway. Fluttershy paused for a second, but after a small nod, she followed after her.
* * * * * * * * * *
Applejack and Fluttershy walked into a large, mostly empty throne room at the highest floor of the castle. At the far end of the chamber they saw Dark Lord Pinkamena, fully clad in purple armor and surrounded by a sickly green, almost fiery aura. She wore a red cape over her armored body, and her helmet had a protrusion built in to accommodate a unicorn’s horn.
“Aw, if it isn’t Celestia’s little messenger filly,” Pinkamena said in a dark, distorted voice. “And Applejack, it’s always a pleasure.”
“Sorry if Ah’m a bit late,” Applejack said, readying her greatsword. “Ah had other business to attend to.”
“Wait, you two know each other?” Fluttershy asked.
Neither Applejack nor Pinkamena answered Fluttershy. Applejack charged toward the dark lord, her greatsword held firmly in her mouth. At the same time, Pinkamena hovered above the ground, her eyes fixed on Applejack.
“Actually, you’re not late at all,” Pinkamena said. “You’re early… too early.”
Her tone seemed to gain an added bitterness. She tilted her head toward Applejack, and a volley of green and black energy shots fired across the room. Applejack sidestepped the attack, and once she reached Pinkamena, she placed her sword in her hoof and swung at her. Pinkamena floated off to her left, moving out of Applejack’s reach.
“I had this whole dark lord party planned out,” Pinkamena said. “But thanks to you, I didn’t have enough time to finish decorating the castle!” She fired another stream of energy shots, which Applejack jumped out of the way of. “And then there’s that pegasus you brought with you. It’s just like you to bring an uninvited guest everywhere you go!”
Applejack lunged at a Pinkamena with her greatsword a second time, only for Pinkamena to raise a barrier of light between them. “Fluttershy? Ah met her on the way here,” Applejack said. “Ah thought you invited her too.”
Applejack quickly circled around the barrier and struck Pinkamena with her blade. She swung her weapon at Pinkamena two more times, with her third hit throwing the dark lord back. Pinkamena recovered in midair, though the armor around her barrel and flanks now had several large dents and cracks.
“No, she wasn’t invited,” Pinkamena muttered. “But I’ve got plenty of other guests for you to mingle with!” Using her magic, she summoned two Skuttlers to her side.
Applejack charged at Pinkamena again. But before she could land another hit, magic flared throughout Pinkamena’s body and she flew rapidly toward Fluttershy. Fluttershy squeaked and stepped backward, but by the time she thought to jump out of way, Pinkamena slammed into her. Her body was thrown against the wall behind her, and she collapsed onto the floor. She groaned as she tried to get back onto her hooves.
“I don’t know much about the situation,” Celestia said. “But it seems that Applejack and Pinkamena used to be close friends.”
“What? Really?!” Fluttershy said.
“They were part of the same band of monster-fighting mercenaries,” Celestia said, even as Pinkamena fired another stream of energy shots at Fluttershy. “But Pinkamena’s heart was weak, and she couldn’t resist the temptation of the Underworld.”
Fluttershy leapt to the side to avoid the dark lord’s barrage of attacks and shot back with her bow. Pinkamena hovered left to dodge the charged arrow, only to be blindsided by a powerful swing of Applejack’s greatsword. Applejack followed her attack with a second, equally fierce strike. A third swing of her weapon tossed Pinkamena across the throne room floor.
“Seeing them fighting, it’s hard to believe they were ever friends,” Fluttershy said, watching the fight quietly.
“Applejack only knows one way to fight: ferociously,” Celestia said. “From what I can discern, it’s how she has always fought, ever since she lost a foal to Underworld troops.”
Fluttershy lifted her bow in Pinkamena’s direction, only to stop in mid-aim. “I had no idea,” she said, turning her gaze between Applejack and Pinkamena. “That’s so sad…”
“Hey!” Applejack grunted, ducking under a powerful beam shot from Pinkamena’s horn. “Ya want to actually help out here?! Ya said ya came here to stop Pinkamena, didn’t ya?”
“Hmph. I almost feel sorry for the two of you,” Pinkamena mocked. She flew across the throne room, putting more distance between herself and the other two mares. Light began to concentrate around her horn as she prepared to fire a beam of magic at them. “But not quite. I’ll tear that pegasus’ wings off. Who knows? She might stay alive long enough to watch me cut out her organs one by one. And after that, Applejack, you’re next.”
“You’ll do no such thing,” Fluttershy said angrily under her breath. Her eyes narrowed, almost erasing the fear in them and changing her expression from a pout to a look of disgust. She held out her foreleg, lined up her glare with the Fortune Bow’s sight, and fired a charged arrow.
The arrow hit Pinkamena’s helmet right above the eyes. Magic stopped collecting around her horn, and several cracks formed throughout the helmet. Pinkamena’s head recoiled, and she collapsed onto the floor. Her armor shattered around her when she landed, particularly around the areas damaged by Applejack’s attacks. Fluttershy lowered her bow and sighed, convinced that the dark lord was defeated.
“Nice work, sugarcube,” Applejack said. She walked over to where Pinkamena had fallen, stepping around the broken armor fragments along the way. When she reached the dark lord’s body, what lay before her was a dull pink pony with a straightened mane and tail. She placed her greatsword on the floor and knelt beside the pink mare. “Ah’m sorry it had to come to this,” she said, placing a hoof on the mare’s chest.
Fluttershy started to approach Applejack, but when she got a closer look at the other mare, she froze. She turned her eyes toward the remains of Pinkamena’s horned helmet and then back at the pink pony. There was no horn on the pink pony’s head, nor did she even have any wings.
“Pinkamena was an earth pony?” Fluttershy said. “I-I didn’t know…” She looked down in remorse at her hooves and at the bow on her right leg. “What have I done?”
“You can’t feel bad,” Celestia said. “Think of all the other ponies you’ve saved. Besides, she looks like she’s still holding on.”
“Really?” Fluttershy said, her head perking up. She was about to run toward Pinkamena’s body, but her own body suddenly felt weightless. Yellow light shone down on her, and she rose off the ground.
“But we need to regroup,” Celestia said. “The war against Nightmare Moon is just starting.”
Before Fluttershy could object, she was abruptly taken from the area. Applejack looked back for a moment, but seeing that Fluttershy has disappeared, she turned back to her fallen friend.