Fluttershy yawned as she tucked and put the last of her animal friends to bed. “Good night Angel.” She smiled softly. For once the normally fussy bunny didn't argue. He had had a long day of bossing all the other critters and Fluttershy around. He just turned over promptly into sleep.
She smiled lightly, trotting over to her own warm bed. The day had been long but full of nothing but good things. A picnic with the girls, lots of laughter and joking around. It had been such a nice day, one that they hadn't wanted to end. She smiled to herself again, opening up the bed. But for now she was tired. A yawn crept across her features. Climbing in, Fluttershy snuggled under her blanket. Soon she was fast asleep.
~*~
Laughter. Cruel and malicious laughter echoed around where she stood.
Her eyes snapped open. Somepony's laughter had startled her. At least she thought it was a pony. 'What was that?' she wondered.'Or rather who was that?' Other than her animal friends, she lived alone. Fluttershy looked around, trying to find the source of the laughter. There was no pony else around. So why was her heart pounding like this?
That was when she realized she wasn't where she had fallen asleep. Where was her cozy cabin with her bed? She clambered up, trying to collect her limbs underneath her. They were shaking enough that walking forward was tough. She looked around, her stomach plummeting. It looked like the distant walls around her were made up of dirt and stones. Fluttershy could see things with many legs crawling up and down. While she loved all creatures, there was something about these that made her wary.
“Where am I?” she said to herself. 'And more importantly, how do I get home?' she wondered. Fluttershy jumped when the voice she had heard laughing responded to her questions.
“You're in the Underground Cemetery my dear.” There was a snide quality in his (she could only assume it was a guy) voice. Her legs buckled under her. “And the only way out is to climb. All the way up here.”
She craned her neck back, trying to see the top. It was much too high for that to actually work. The top was too high for her to see from this angle. Surely she could fly up there. While she wasn't the strongest flier in Equestria, she could do it.
Until she glanced into the dark pit underneath her. Her wings snapped to her sides, refusing to cooperate. Should they falter in flight, she would fall who knew how far. And who knew what was down there? While frozen in fear, a crackling and crumbling sound caught her ear.
“Oh, did I mention the tower is collapsing as we speak? I suggest you climb if you want to live.” The voice laughed.
Fluttershy looked down in time to see some of the foundation below her fall into the darkness. That sent the pegasus into a panic. She had to climb to safety since her wings didn't want to work. Taking a deep breath, and placing one hoof in front of the other, she began to climb.
The progress she made was slow at first, having no real idea of how this would work. All she needed was one wrong step and she would fall to her doom. But if she started panicking, surely she would lose her footing. After she made it up a little ways, she saw another chunk of the tower fall out from beneath her.
“Keep calm, what would the girls tell you?” she whispered to herself. Fluttershy tried to remember. Twilight would be saying that they should be much farther along by now. Rainbow Dash would probably be goading her by flying to the top if not poking fun at her for being so scared. Pinkie would tell her it's just a hop, skip, and a jump. If only she was here with her now...
Her cerulean eyes widened at that thought. 'It's not very far, just move your little rump. You can make it if you try with a hop, skip, and a jump.' Pinkie's sing song voice made it's home in her mind. “Okay.” she breathed.
Another row below fell, but she was on the move. She climbed on one block before hopping to the next. Then the skip. The end was in sight. She could feel her eyes tearing with relief.
Fluttershy jumped, landing on the threshold of a big imposing blood red door. She didn't take the time to marvel at the size nor time to think how someone made it that color. She pulled on the handle with all her might. It opened, white light flooding her vision.
~*~
She awoke with a jolt. Her limbs and wings were still shaking with the adrenaline that she had used climbing the tower, or whatever that thing was. But when she looked around, she noted that she was in her cottage, in her bed. How strange. It had all felt so real. She looked around, even touching the blanket and her pillow to make sure everything was real. It was. But that place...it had felt so real as well. What was going on?
Angel was tapping his foot from where he stood by her bed. She was late with his breakfast. “Oh my, I'm so sorry Angel. I'll be right there.” Fluttershy assured him. He let out a small huff, hopping off towards the kitchen.
She got up, checking herself. Nothing seemed to be hurt. She tested her wings, spreading them from her body. They snapped open like nothing was ever wrong with them. That was a relief. Her wings had finally been able to separate from her body. Relieved, she started to go about her day. But the dream of that place kept nagging at her in the back of her mind. She banished the thoughts.
That had all been a dream. Nothing more...