The sobbing didn't stop for a while, despite Fluttershy's desperate efforts to keep them in check. Rarity was a monster, one who ate other ponies, for that matter. Fluttershy had a great relationship with all of her friends, but Rarity was even better. They would hang out at the spa, maybe get something to eat, talk about fashion or animals. To see her in such a state...
Now Fluttershy found herself in a dark room. Again. This one, however, was not barren. It appeared to be a dining room. From the looks of it, a grand one. The table was massive, and there were many chairs around it. While the table was set, it was also devoid of food. Fluttershy's stomach growled in hunger. Strange, since she had just eaten at the picnic.
She set about trying to find another door. She didn't like being alone, but she knew if she sat still, she would die. Plain and simple.
Her body tensed up as she heard a scream. A mare, from the sounds of it. It was coming from her left a bit. Like it was through the wall. She crept over just a bit and made out a door. She held her breath. The monster was that way. Otherwise, why would someone have screamed?
A thousand thoughts raced through her head. Where should she go? What if she was found? How many were still alive? Would she make it out of this? She didn't want to die. Was there any hope? She needed to move.
She ran to the other side of the room. At least, she assumed it was the other side. She found a wall, no door in sight. Then she heard the a door open slowly. It was the door she had just been standing by.
Fluttershy's heart jumped. Oh no! It was in the room! Her breathing quickened and she ran along the wall as fast as she could, just trying to find a door. Any door! She had to get out! She couldn't die here! She didn't want to die! She had to get out!
She stumbled upon a door and flung it open. She turned to shut it and saw the monster standing there, in the doorway. A scream ripped out of her throat as the beast stretched a tentacle towards her. She grabbed the door and tried to slam it shut, pinning the tentacle between the door and the door frame. After only a little struggling, the tentacle slipped back into the room, away from Fluttershy. The door shut and Fluttershy slipped to the floor.
Her breathing didn't slow. What was she doing? She couldn't just sit here. The beast was on the other side of the door! She forced herself to stand and turned to look at where she was. She was back in the room she had been in. The one with Mic's leg...
She gagged. She had to get out of here. She made her way down the stairs and toward the nearest door. Praying to Celestia it wasn't the way back to the room she had started in, she pulled it open and stepped through, slamming it shut behind her. Her body froze. There was something behind her. She knew it, it was like a sense. Something was behind her, and it was probably the monster. But it couldn't be. It was at least two rooms away!
She mustered up the courage to turn around and look at the thing creeping up on her. Her eyes locked with those of Derpy's. She breathed a sigh of relief. “Derpy! Why did you sneak up on me?”
The gray mare frowned. “I thought you were a bad pony.”
“You mean the monster?”
Derpy shook her head. “No, I mean other ponies.”
Fluttershy's look of confusion cued Derpy to explain. “I was with Drop and Melodies when Mac attacked us, killing Drop.” A tear fell from her eye. “Mac wanted to win, so he's killing anyone he finds. Drop fought him off so me and Melodies could get away, but Melodies was killed by the monster, so I ran into this room.”
Fluttershy tried to think about what was going on. So now ponies were actually killing each other? Mac had attacked other ponies. Glaze was probably going to as well. Maybe Tomb. Would her friends do that? Attack and kill? She wouldn't. Even if her life depended on it, she couldn't...
Wait. “Did... did you say... Mac?”
Derpy nodded. “Yep.”
Fluttershy's stomach twisted. Big Mac, the kindest pony she had known, a murderer. Would he even go so far as too kill his sisters? Fluttershy cringed at the thought. And here she had feelings for him. Not any more.
She turned to Derpy. “Did.. did you ki... kill anyone?' She flinched as she said those words. It sounded mean, but she had to know.
Derpy shook her head. “Nope!”
Okay, so she was safe, even for a moment. And if the monster came, she could leave Derpy behind for it so she could get away.
Fluttershy gasped, eyes widening. Why had she even had that thought? That was... that was... cruel! It was horrible. This place must be messing with her mind. This darkness was infernal.
She grabbed Derpy. “Come on, we have to move.” Fluttershy was kind of surprised but her actions. She had never grabbed a pony before, let alone gave them a command in such a way. This place was changing her.
Together, they made their way down the hall they found themselves in. They came to a door on as they were walking. “Should we go in?” Derpy asked.
Fluttershy though it over. Well, on one hoof, there probably wasn't anywhere else to go. Of course, they didn't know what was in the room, but they never would if they never went in. But in here was safe. They new what was in here. Well, mostly. Was it safe to go in there? She shook her head. She couldn't think like that anymore. If she didn't move, she would die.
With a trembling hoof, she pushed the door open. It was just a small closet. Only a broom, and some coats hung off of the wall. Survival instincts took over. Without thinking, she grabbed the coats and threw one to Derpy. “Put this on.”
Derpy picked up the coat, a look of confusion etched on her face. “Why?”
Fluttershy slid her coat on. “If we get grabbed, we can slide out of these coats to get away.”
Derpy just stood there for a moment. Then she, reluctantly, put the coat on. Fluttershy grabbed the broom and broke it on half, pulling the broom part off. She gave one half to Derpy. “A weapon, to protect yourself.”
Derpy took the stick, looking more and more confused. Fluttershy started to walk away, then stopped in her tracks. What had she just said? A weapon? And where did the coat idea come from? She didn't want to become that kind of mare. Then again, anything she could defend herself with would be useful. She was a small mare, as compared to others, like the other stallions, or even Applejack. She just prayed Applejack didn't ever attack her. She looked at the stick she held. The broken side was sharp. It could be used for stabbing...
NO! She wouldn't ever kill any other pony. She would rather die than kill another pony. Right?
Her and Derpy found the end of the hall. Sure enough, a door was there. With little hesitation, Fluttershy pushed it open. She remembered her weapon and brought it forward. This room looked to be a living room. She walked around, checking it out, letting her stick droop. A couple of couches, a table in the middle of the room. There was a chandelier hanging from the roof. Odd. Shouldn’t that be in the dining room?
Other than that, it was pretty normal. No other decorations save a portrait, that, disturbingly, bore the image of Rarity in her current form. Further examination revealed the room contained three doors, including the one they had come through.
Derpy sat down on the couch. Fluttershy walked over to her, almost tripping on the coat she wore. It was a little too big. “Derpy, what are you doing?”
Derpy sighed. “I'm tired. I don't wanna play anymore.”
Fluttershy almost got angry. “You don't have a choice. We have to play.”
Derpy closed her eyes. “Just a few minutes.”
Fluttershy was ready to smack Derpy with her stick. That mare! She'd be the death of both of them.
No, wait. She would never smack Derpy, with a stick or anything else. That was cruel. She would never do that... right? She didn't know anymore.
The door to their right burst open. Fluttershy jumped up, trying to find her stick. Derpy jumped back and grabbed her own stick. They both turned to see three mares and two fillies standing before them.
“Applejack!”
Discord watched closely, munching on his popcorn. This was more amusing than he thought it would be. This was downright hilarious! How quickly the ponies turned on each other when they were desperate. Some had even resorted to killing. And Rarity, oh what a beautiful monster. Perfect for the role. Everything was going as planned.
He payed close attention to Fluttershy. One of the main reasons he set this game was to break that kind mare. The way she tried to 'convert' him, it was just so annoying. She was always kind. Never hurt a soul. Blegh.
It was about time she broke. And she already was. She was becoming more resourceful, more aware, less afraid. More lethal.
Perfect. He chowed down on some cotton candy. Or at least, now it was cotton candy. It had been the two former ruler's of Equestria’s manes. Oh well, it still tasted good.
Fluttershy stared at Applejack. Her smile quickly changed to a frown. Applejack was now wearing trench coat, holding a crossbow. Her body had smears of blood, indicating she had killed someone. Her eyes were sagged, meaning she was either tired or sad, or both. Her hat was still on, but other than that, she seemed, different. Like, not Applejack.
With her were Twilight and Rainbow, both looking worn and weary, though not to the degree Applejack did. Except that Rainbow still had massive burns. And of course, the two fillies, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle. Both were scared, tired, and Apple Bloom looked like she had been attacked, the way her mane was ruffled up.
Wait. Two fillies? “Um... where is Scootaloo?”
Sweetie belle began to cry and Apple Bloom just looked down. Twilight spoke up. “She, uh... she was... eaten.”
Rainbow Dash, as tough as she was, let a tear fall as well. Fluttershy knew Rainbow Dash had taken Scootaloo under her wing, but she didn't know they were this close. It must have been hard for the mare. And her friends.
She looked at Sweetie Belle, who was still crying. The poor little filly. How could she even deal with this? First she had to deal with the horrors Discord was subjecting them to, then she had to deal with her friends death.
She didn't know what to do. Twilight walked up to her. “Uh... are you okay, Fluttershy? You look.. different.”
Fluttershy looked up. Was it really that easy to tell? “Well... yes. I'm... fine.” She turned away. She couldn't look her friend in the face. It was kind of obvious she had a problem.
“Are you sure?”
Fluttershy nodded, hard as it was. “Um... yes.”
Twilight looked closer. “Fluttershy...”
Fluttershy gritted her teeth. Why couldn't Twilight just shut up? “Yes, I'm fine.”
Twilight tried to put a hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder. That was it. Fluttershy spun around, smacking Twilight with the stick. Twilight was sent reeling from the sudden blow. “I said, I'm FINE!”
She took several deep breaths. The stick fell to the floor. What had she done? She just hit Twilight! Why had she done that? She wasn't that mad! She just wanted her to stop!
One look at Twilight and she could tell Twilight was okay, just dazed. Everypony stared at Fluttershy. After all, she did just hit Twilight. Twilight herself looked confused and hurt.
“Fluttershy, why...”
They all heard a loud bang, sounding like wood splintering. Seconds later, Glaze and Tomb ran into Fluttershy's vision. “What is it?” She asked.
Neither one answered. Neither had to. A ghostly figure began to enter their vision. Sweetie and Apple Bloom screamed, running into the dark. Applejack pulled up her crossbow as Twilight got behind her, trying to shield Rainbow Dash. Rainbow winced from the pain of Twilight brushing up against her.
Fluttershy brought up her stick, as did Derpy. Applejack fired her crossbow, sticking the beast right in it's chest. It let out an ear piercing wail before vanishing. Everyone looked around. Was it dead? Was that even possible?
Fluttershy turned around and screamed. Everyone turned to look behind themselves, and they all either screamed or let their mouths hang. The monster was there, barely visible in the darkness. It's mouth opened and it's tongue launched out. Fluttershy recognized it as the 'tentacle' it had been using.
It wrapped around Applejack's face. Before she could scream, it jerked her head down, snapping her neck, resulting in a crunch. Then it sucked her back into her mouth, were it began to chew, swallowing in huge gulps. Within a matter of seconds, Applejack was gone.
Fluttershy stood there, mouth open, tears forming. Twilight tried to help Rainbow Dash, but the beast grabbed Rainbow's leg. Twilight held on tight, not letting her go. But her grip was slipping. Fluttershy rushed over and grabbed her friends other hoof. Together, they managed to pull Rainbow Dash away from the monster. They all got up and ran, as fast as they could, toward anything. A wall, a door, something! They managed to find a door.
Derpy caught up with them. “Come on! Open the door!”
Twilight opened the door, and rushed through. Derpy followed. “Wait!” cried Fluttershy. “What about the girls? Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle?”
A scream and a crunch confirmed that one of them had just died. The thought was terrible.
“Twilight shook her head. “We can't! We'll all die!”
Fluttershy went through the door, and Rainbow Dash followed. But before she could get through, Glaze and Tomb shoved her out of the way, knocking her to the ground. They ran away, through the hall the door opened into.
Rainbow Dash cried out in pain as she hit the ground. Fluttershy saw her then, as she was. Scared, tired, in pain, and most of all, losing strength. She didn't look like she could continue much longer.
Fluttershy reached down and helped her up. “Come on. We'll make it.”
With her help, Rainbow Dash was able to stand again. Before she could make it through the door, the tongue lashed out of the blackness, wrapping around her back legs. She could only look up for a second. Fluttershy saw absolute terror in her eyes. Tears formed as she uttered her last words. “Please help me.”
She was sucked into the darkness. Her screams felt like daggers in Fluttershy's heart. Rainbow Dash's screams were cut short by a crunch. Fluttershy didn't stay to hear the rest. She shut the door and locked it. Strange, this door had a lock, and not the others.
She slumped against the door and looked up. Twilight was wearing a look of utter despair on her face. Derpy had tears in her eyes.
Fluttershy just cried. Now that was... what? Two of her friends dead? Five she had to watch? Was Pinkie even still alive? Who was still alive? How many were left? Was there a chance for herself?
She looked down and noticed that her stick was gone. Damn, she'd have to find something else. Whoa, did she just... did she just curse? She never cursed.
She cried some more. This place was changing her, for the worse, it seemed. And there was nothing she could do to stop it.
She heard a soft knock on the door she was slumped against. She jumped up. Her first thought was it was the monster. But the monster never knocked, nor did she think it would be quiet. Was it one of the fillies? If it was, she couldn't just leave her in there.
She unlocked the door and cracked it open, read to slam it shut if need be. She peeked out and saw the face of Sweetie Belle, tears still rolling down her dirty and ruffled cheeks. Her eyes were red and puffy and full of fear. Fluttershy opened the door enough for her to get in, then shut it quickly. She turned around to have Sweetie Belle jump into her.
“Oh, Fluttershy! I... I can't... it... she... my sister...”
She couldn't finish, and instead, broke down. Fluttershy just held her there, trying her best to comfort her. Of course having a filly along would only slow them down. No! She would never abandon any of them. She would stick with them, through this, no matter how few were left.
They all got up and walked down the hall, Sweetie Belle still holding onto Fluttershy tightly. When they got to the end, the door was open. Probably Glaze and Tomb. They slowly entered the room.
The first thing Fluttershy noticed was the copious amounts of blood all over the floor. Then she saw the hacked limbs lying around. As gross as this was, she wasn't as bothered by it as she was before. Then she saw Glaze, standing at the very edge of her vision, looking scared, for once. Then she saw Pinkie Pie. Her hair was straight, she was covered in blood, and she was holding a butchering knife.
Fluttershy looked around a bit and saw Tomb's hacked up body, bloody and broken, lying close to Glaze. Pinkie Pie turned to her friends.
“Hi girls!”