Distorted World By FluttershyLover55
Chapter One: Sleepless in Ponyville
It was nighttime in Ponyville, and everypony was asleep reveling in the peace that only night could bring. Everypony except Fluttershy, that is. The yellow pegasus with a pink mane who was also the bearer of the element of kindness, was tossing and turning in her sleep. She jolted up in bed, sweating and panting.
"Oh my goodness, what a nightmare! That's the third time this week, that I've had the same dream! Just who is that masked pony in black, and why were they hurting my friends?" Fluttershy rolled over and tried to calm her thoughts down enough to go to sleep. Eventually, she settled on thinking about Rainbow Dash. For some reason she didn't quite comprehend, thinking about the cyan pegasus always calmed her and filled her with happiness. Her thoughts wrestled with each other as she tried to make sense of why that was, but was interrupted as the lull of sleep overtook her.
Fluttershy awakened several hours later, and upon seeing the sunlight cascading through her window, quickly got out of bed and trotted down the stairs to her kitchen. As she went through her morning routine of feeding the various animals she cared for and eating breakfast, she made a mental note to ask Twilight about her dream.
"I'll stop by the market to get a few ingredients for later, and maybe visit Rainbow Dash as well." said Fluttershy.
After she finished eating, she headed to the bathroom to make sure she looked presentable. The cream coated pegasus was brushing her mane, when she heard a voice seemingly from nowhere.
"Fluttershy..."
The brush that she had previously used to brush her mane was forgotten as it clattered to the floor.
"I...Is anypony there?"called Fluttershy.
She stepped out of the bathroom and looked around.
"Nopony there, that's odd."
Fluttershy was about to begin brushing her mane again, but she squeaked in surprise as she heard it again.
"Fluttershy..."
"W...What do you want?'
"Come closer..."
The terrified pegasus did as the voice said, and reluctantly moved closer to the mirror. The lights went off as the mirror grew brighter and an image, blurry at first, cleared to show a black figure against a background of books.
"Do you know who I am?" The mysterious voice continued.
"You're the pony from my dream, aren't you!"
"Why, yes I am."
"Who are you, and why were you hurting my friends? That is, um, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Unfortunately, that information is classified."
"But, um, if something bad is going to happen to my friends, shouldn't I know so that I can warn them?"
"Whether you save your friends or not, is up to you. I wouldn't worry about it though, they'll all die eventually..."
"What do you mean by that?!"
"It will all be clear in time...I must go before he finds me." The black hood was thrown back, revealing the identity of the pony as Twilight Sparkle.
"Twilight?! I..."
"There's no time! Fluttershy, you must...Aahhh! I'm losing control!!!!" There was an agonizing wail as the mare's body was wracked with pain, causing her eyes to flicker bright red as her horn fired an almost hellish light out of the mirror towards Fluttershy.
"No, stop!" begged Twilight.
The light barely missed her front left leg, reducing the mirror to mere shards of glass. She stood in shock, trying to process what had just happened. She quietly closed the door and vowed to clean the glass up later. Fluttershy wasn't given much time to think, however, as a knock was heard on the door. As she tried to collect her scattered thoughts, a familiar voice was heard from just outside the cottage.
"Yo, Fluttershy! Are you in there? We need to talk!"
At the sound of her fillyhood friend and Flight school partner's voice, the yellow mare's heart skipped a beat. She trotted over to the door and opened it, revealing a very impatient pegasus with a cyan coat and rainbow mane.
"Oh ummm...Hey Rainbow Dash..." greeted Fluttershy, blushing and looking at the ground. Despite Fluttershy's best efforts, Rainbow Dash noticed the blush occupying her best friend's cheeks, but chose not to comment on it. Rainbow Dash had obviously seen better days. Her mane was sticking up in various places, her eyes were bloodshot, and they had bags under them. Apparently, Fluttershy wan't the only one who was sleepless in Ponyville.
"We have a problem!"