The Cathedral- Shining Armor
Night 5, Princess Cadence’s Chambers- 10:21pm
Armor left the Stray Stallion with the intention of explaining everything to Cadence as best as he could. If tonight would be the final nightmare, he would need her to understand exactly what had happened and how much he regretted everything with Catherine. He hurried back to the castle and to her chambers, hoping she would be willing to listen to him.
Luckily for Armor, Cadence was a very kind mare. When he knocked on her door and asked for a chance to explain himself, she let him in and was willing to listen. He tried to explain everything to her as best as he could. He didn’t make excuses for anything, and he explained everything as he remembered it. He didn’t mention Astaroth or Boss or the nightmares, for the sake of not sounding insane.
Armor paced back and forth from wall to wall as he tried to explain everything to her. “The night you left, me and the guys went to the new bar that opened up, the Stray Stallion. We sat and drank and hung out with Boss, the owner, for a few hours. Everypony else left, but I stayed and chatted for a little longer. Just when I was leaving, I bumped into Catherine, and she offered to buy a drink to make up for her clumsiness. We drank, and I guess I must’ve been too drunk to remember, because the next thing I know, I’m waking up next to her in my bed…”
Cadence didn’t say a thing as she let Armor tell his story. He continued, “I’ve been beating myself up ever since that first night, but it’s even worse. We all went back to the Stray Stallion and drank again. This time, I left a little bit earlier, and went straight to bed. Or at least, I thought I did. When I woke up, she was there beside me again…” Again, Cadence remained silent, deciding whether she believed any of this or not.
Armor continued with a slight hint of worry in his voice. “The day went by, and we all met back in the Stray Stallion. We all got into a huge argument with each other, and some of us were so exhausted that we passed out. Brawny carried me back to my room and let me sleep before heading to bed. When I woke up, Catherine wasn’t there. There was no way she could’ve been there.”
Cadence was almost ready to tell him to stop his little story, but she decided to let him finish. He continued with a sense of urgency, “The day played out, we went to the bar, and we drank and talked. I remembered you were supposed to be home last night and rushed back to the castle. When I got here… Look, you won’t believe me when I tell you this…but…”
“Go ahead. I’m still listening.” Cadence sighed.
Armor swallowed the lump in his throat and continued, “When I got back here, you were waiting on me. I went to your room and helped you unpack. We talked, and then the rest is a blur. But…waking up this morning…I was in my room with Catherine… I don’t know how that’s possible, because I swear I was with you last night! All of this crap has my brain fucked up, you gotta believe me! Even Catherine said I thought she was you last night…”
Cadence scoffed, “Is that the end of your story? So you went to the bar every night and got drunk? Are you seriously going to tell me you cheated on me three times on accident?” She waved a hoof dismissively at him.
He clapped his hooves and groaned, “I know you don’t believe me, but I swear it’s the truth! I can’t remember anything about the time I spent with her! I was only with her last night because I was convinced she was you! I don’t know how this started or why it keeps happening, but I just want it to end! I want to be with you, Cadence. Only you.” He placed a hoof on her shoulder and looked her in the eyes.
“How can I believe you, Armor? How could you possibly mistake her for me?” she scoffed.
Armor stuttered, “I-I don’t know, Cadence… B-but I swear I’m telling you the truth! I’ve been trying to break it off with her since the day it started…but every time I’ve seen her I have large chunks of memory missing… Look, I just want you to know the truth. You don’t have to believe me, but just give me another chance…please…” He took a few steps back and bowed his head. He let out a deep sigh in anticipation of the inevitable rejection.
Cadence shook her head and said, “I don’t know if I can believe you, Armor. I mean… this is a big deal. Not once, not twice, but three times…” She turned her head away and was lost in her own thoughts.
Armor started to say something, but was cut off when a cold air started to fill the room. Both ponies shared confused and concerned looks as the temperature swiftly dropped a few dozen degrees. It was an eerie cold, almost as if there were nothing there. Their concerns doubled when the room around them started to melt away like ice.
Night 5, Cathedral
Before long, the textures and colors of the objects within the room were completely gone, evaporated into nothingness. The walls and ceiling followed after. The last thing to go was the floor, which left the two of them standing in a large, empty black void. In the distance they could see seven doors, all letting a tiny bit of light shine through, with one larger closed door a few feet away from them.
Cadence’s eyes darted back and forth through the dark expanse, unable to figure out where she was or what was going on. Armor, on the other hand, recognized this place all too well.
The mysterious voice called out to them, “Welcome to the Cathedral, Shining Armor. Remember how Thomas told you that you wouldn’t be climbing for just your own life tonight? No, tonight you’ll have to help Cadence reach to top. Good luck.”
“Who was that?! A-Armor, what is this place?” Cadence gripped Armor’s arm with a frightened hoof, her nerves starting to go crazy.
Armor thought for a minute about this new situation. He was used to climbing the towers and pushing blocks. He had done it before with other people following him. But he knew Cadence had no idea what all this was about, or how to traverse the tower safely. To her, this place was a death trap waiting to go off. He contemplated how to explain all this to her.
He gripped her hoof firmly in his and said, “When we go through that door, we have to climb up, okay? We can’t stop for anything, got it?”
She managed to nod hesitantly before asking, “Where is this? Why are we here?”
“I’ll tell you everything when we get out of here, okay? Just follow me, and everything will be alright.” Armor guided the unwilling mare towards the large purple door beside them.
He pushed it open and the white light enveloped them. They were standing at the lowermost level of a moderate-sized tower of blocks. Below them was an expanse of nothingness. Off in the distance, the walls that had been concrete symbols the night before were now marble pillars leading upward. Looking around, Armor saw seven different towers, each with a monster climbing up the bottom, knocking them to pieces. He could just barely make out the figures of the stallions he had been helping the last few nights.
In the back of his mind, Armor was sending them all wishes of good luck and hope for the best. The towers were all huge, and most of the stallions had another pony following behind them, just as Cadence would follow him. At the top of each tower was a giant chapel landing, with a large pearl altar at the center. Armor noticed the bright white light shining from the altars.
A loud roar snapped him back to his current predicament. A pair of large pink hooves ripped through the darkness below, followed by shoulders, a torso, and a head. The creature’s blond hair was scattered all about messily. Its blue eyes were lifeless and dull, and its teeth were ground sharp like spikes. It had blood splattered all around its neck and chin. It roared in a voice similar to Catherine’s, albeit a bit more demonic, “I’ll free you from your chains…”
A hoof flew toward the pair of ponies at a fast speed, barely missing them and instead destroying one of the blocks on the bottommost row. Armor took a moment to look around at the other towers and figure out what their demons were tonight.
He called to the stallions on the other towers, uncertain whether they could hear him or not. He cheered them on, “You can do it guys! Don’t give up! We’ll meet at the Stray Stallion tomorrow, got it?!”
Armor couldn’t take time to consider the symbolism of their demons as Catherine’s hoof crashed into his tower for a second time. He grabbed Cadence by the hoof and pulled her behind him as he climbed up the first few steps of the tower. The alicorn followed him as fast as her frightened mind would let her. Armor stopped her every now and then to move a block or two, but for the most part the tower was simple to climb and maneuver. Compared to the Prison of Despair and Torture Chamber, the Cathedral didn’t seem to be any problem.
The two climbed up the tower as fast as they could, dodging each of the demon’s attacks and maneuvering blocks to make stairs. Cadence didn’t question Armor’s skill at creating the life-saving staircases, and instead just followed close behind her determined partner. She wondered for a second why he was being so cautious to keep her right by his side, but she already knew the answer.
Finally, after what felt like hours of climbing, the duo reached the large landing at the top of the tower. Bursts of white light let Armor know that his friends had made it out safely, and he watched their demons evaporate in the light of the altar. Armor dragged Cadence by the hoof to their respective altar and placed his unoccupied hoof onto it.
The mysterious voice laughed, “You did well, Armor. I assume you know what you want by now? That’s not to say you’ll actually get it, of course. This is only the Cathedral, not the Empireo.”
Armor called back to the voice, “Fuck you, Astaroth! We made it to the top, now let us go home!”
Cadence whispered to the stallion, “Is it…Is it almost over…?”
Armor nodded in a reassuring confidence. The voice cheered, “Uh-uh-uh. You may have reached the top, but your vows are still waiting. The altar is there for a reason. An epiphany to end all others awaits you in its words. Take them to heart, and put your demon to rest.”
Catherine appeared at the edge of the landing, her face twisted in demonic rage and her hoof flailing wildly at the pair of ponies. Armor pulled Cadence as close to him as he could and started to read what was written in the book on the altar. As he read, the book started to let out a gentle glow, which soon became brighter and more intense. As he read the final sentence, the light shot from the book and pierced Catherine’s head.
Instantly and comfortingly, the demon evaporated into the nothingness of the void, leaving only Cadence and Armor together on the landing. Letting out a sigh of relief, Armor placed a hoof on the altar and welcomed the embrace of the white light as it returned them to their world.
Night 5, Princess Cadence’s Chambers- 3:08am
The two found themselves lying on Cadence’s bed, exhausted and unable to get up. Although the tower had been relatively short and the puzzle easy, the fact that they had been together took its toll on Armor’s body. His constant worry for Cadence left him mentally drained. Cadence, on the other hoof, was genuinely exhausted because she had never been faced with the nightmares before.
Armor sighed, “We did it. You’re safe now…”
Cadence had tears in her eyes. She asked, “What was that, Armor? That was…”
“It was hell. At least, as close as you can get. The other guys at the Stray Stallion… we’ve all been sent there every night for the last few days. We’ve had to climb for our lives every night.”
“Really? But that’s…horrible. Why?”
“Because we’re horrible people. Unfaithful cheating scumbags.”
“That can’t be true! Why would you be put in there just because-?”
“It’s confusing. I’ll let Boss explain it to you tomorrow, since he’s the one who sent us there.”
“Boss? The owner of that new bar?”
“Yep. He’ll be more than happy to tell you everything.”
“Okay. I’ll go. I want to know everything…”
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this is getting good!
i hope diamond tiara was on filthy rich's tower and she got smuched by his demon.
can't wait for the next exciting installment!
886978 Why...why do you want Diamond Tiara to die so badly?
Your distaste of her is scaring me.
On the other hoof, you'll just have to wait until Mr. Rich's chapter gets posted to find out.
887105
diamond tiara killed my father, raped my mother and gave me diabeties!
887121 I feel as if I know the reference you're making, but I can't quite place my finger on it. Care to inform me?
i can't tell u, don't remeber it either. but come on, she's gotta die, other ppl agree with me plzzzzzzzz
887229 I agree
Hmmmmmmmmmmm who's Big Macs?
887229 I agree.
887229 I agree
By the way this story is turning out a bit better than the original catherine story in my opinion.
Keep up the good work.
887229>>888041>>888717>>888911
You win! I already had Mr. Rich's tower written, but I SUPPOSE I can change a few things! Diamond Tiara will die, if it will make you all f***ing happy! 
Fine, you sorry mules!
Or will she?
888832 Even on easy mode the game can be really hard. Now Very Easy mode, on the other hand...
888478 You'll have to wait until his tower to find out.
That chapter was intense and awesome - at least Cadance finally was willing to listen to Shining Armor!
I'm assuming that everypony else made it out okay, considering the light's that Shining and Cadance saw, but I'll just have to see.
888956 Why thank you good sir, we shall have our vengeance yet!