Failure, Eternally Retold, Part One: The Human Element

by Kiernan

Chapter the Thirty-Second: The Soul of a Hero

Kai's words echoed in Fluttershy's head, keeping her awake. He was terrified of this upcoming trial, a feeling she knew all too well. She'd thought him exceptionally brave, having grown up alone in the Everfree forest, surrounded by monsters. She'd heard rumors of dragons in the deeper sections of the forest. He'd even told her once that he'd managed to narrowly avoid death at the claws of an ursa, and had the scars to prove it. What could be more frightening than that?

She stepped out of her tent. The moon was still high in the sky. She walked over to where Kai was sleeping, curled up under his cloak. Kneeling down gently next to him, she craned her neck down and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. Brushing his mane out of his face, she looked down at him. He'd done so much for them. Nopony had even asked him to help them, he just did it on his own. It was time she returned the favour.

"Fluttershy?" Twilight had poked her head out of her tent. "You should be sleeping."

Fluttershy shook her head. "I can't," she whispered. "Kai needs my help. If this trial really does terrify him, somepony else should do it."

"Fluttershy, that's crazy. You don't even know what the trial entails. How can you hope to face it on your own?"

"I don't know. But I need to try. For his sake and mine."

Twilight emerged from her tent. She was already wearing saddlebags. "Well, you're not going alone. Whatever the challenge is, we'd be better off facing it together."

Fluttershy bowed her head. "Thank you, Twilight. You're a wonderful friend."

Twilight smiled. "As are you. Shall we go?"

The two mares made their way down the hill. Right in the middle of the graveyard was a small building. On the door was a large, carved symbol. It almost looked like a jellyfish hanging from a string, or perhaps a Nightmare Night ghost decoration hanging from a tree branch. It was situated inside of a large circle.

"All of the other symbols thus far have been simple shapes inside of circles," reasoned Twilight. "A star inside of a circle, a squiggly line inside of a circle, and two boxes and a line inside of a circle. Furthermore, the entrances have all been noteworthy and stood out from their surroundings. The most well-hidden one was a giant cliff face. These two facts lead me to believe that we have to enter here."

With a shaking hoof, Fluttershy grasped the door handle and pushed it open. A magenta light flickered inside. As the door swung open, Fluttershy was relieved to not see any skeletons or coffins. Instead, it was just a bunch of alcoves in the wall with clay pots in them. The flickering light came from a large brazier in the center of the room. A large counterclockwise spiral staircase lead down deeper into the darkness.

"It seems we're expected," said Twilight, looking down the stairs. "This must be the right place."

Fluttershy placed her wing on Twilight's shoulder as they descended the stairs. As they went, more magenta flames flickered to life, illuminating their path. As they went, Fluttershy began to tremble more and more, shaking visibly and audibly as their hooves touched the lowest landing. She was filled with anticipation, dreading the moment when something would jump out and scare her.

"It seems the only way forward is through that door," said Twilight, pointing to an old-looking wooden double door on the far side of the room. It was tall, and had a pointed arch at the top. Twilight placed one hoof on one of the handles, and Fluttershy took the other. With a countdown from three, they opened the door simultaneously.

They weren't at all expecting what they saw. On the other side of the door was a pleasant meadow. The sun was shining down, despite the fact that the girls knew it was the middle of the night. As they stepped through the door and into the flowers, they saw a small group of ponies standing off to the side, and decided to approach.

As they came closer, Fluttershy recognized some of them. "Those are my parents. And Zephyr!"

Twilight recognized a few as well. "Applejack? Rarity? Pinkie and Rainbow are here, too."

As they reached their friends, Rainbow Dash took flight, soaring around in circles above the empty meadow. in her hooves, she held one of the clay pots, and she would routinely reach in and pull out some kind of dust, which would be scattered over the plain. Rarity was seen picking a few of the flowers.

"I think it would be best if we all took a few seeds," she said, her voice trembling. "We take them home with us, and plant them in her honour. That way she can always be with us."

Applejack placed a hoof on Rarity's shoulder. "I reckon' she'd appreciate that. These were always her favourite, after all."

Rainbow Dash, being done with her task, landed nearby. "I just can't believe she's gone."

"Who's gone?" asked Fluttershy. "What happened while we were out?"

Their friends didn't seem to notice her question. Instead, they all huddled together in a group hug. Tears and sobbing were seen and heard. Fluttershy stepped forward and joined the hug. She didn't know what was going on, but she didn't like seeing her friends hurt like this.

The pot dropped from Rainbow's hoof into the flowers below. Fluttershy reached down and picked it up, inspecting it. Clearly, it was important, but she had to know why. As she rolled it over, she dropped it to the ground and bolted backward in horror. She couldn't scream out in fear, as her voice had been petrified.

Twilight picked up the jar. This wasn't just some clay pot. It was a funerary urn. The date of death carved on the front was today's date. The name written just above it explained Fluttershy's fear, as well as Kai's. "In loving memory of Fluttershy." The ceremony they'd walked in on was the scattering of her ashes.

Twilight dropped the urn to the ground and rushed over to where Fluttershy was shaking uncontrollably. She wrapped her arms tightly around Fluttershy's shoulders and hugged her tight. She wasn't the most empathic or tender of ponies, so Twilight did the only thing she could think of to dispel Fluttershy's agony. She was going to reason it out.

"This isn't real, Fluttershy. This isn't really happening, and I can prove it."

Fluttershy mumbled something, but Twilight couldn't quite make it out.

"First of all, you're here in my embrace. So that definitely wasn't you in that urn. You're here with me, not scattered around a field of lupines. Second, I find it very shocking that so few ponies cared to come to your funeral. There'd be dozens of ponies here, not just seven. Not to mention all of your animal friends."

Fluttershy sniffled. "R-really?"

Twilight smiled. "I guarantee it." Twilight helped Fluttershy to her hooves and directed her attention back to the group. "In fact, there's a pony missing from your meeting that I know for a fact wouldn't dare to miss it. She'd be right in the middle of that group hug if this were real."

"Who's that?" asked a teary-eyed Fluttershy.

"Me," answered Twilight. "If you thought I wouldn't mourn your loss, you'd be absolutely crazy."

Fluttershy sniffed as a warm smile graced her face. "Thanks, T-T-Twilight. That m-means so much to m-me."

As Fluttershy returned Twilight's hug, the sky turned black, and the world fell away. "You see?" remarked Twilight smugly. "All just an illusion."

Suddenly, the duo found themselves in a funeral parlour. Several more ponies were present this time, including Twilight's family. Shining Armor stood at the front of them behind a lectern, giving a eulogy. Behind him was a wooden casket, with a photograph of Twilight sitting off to the side, adorned in a wreath of red roses.

Twilight stood up as tall as she could and shouted upward to the ceiling. "Stop this at once! I know I'm not dead yet, so you can cease with your awful illusions!"

Just as she said that, she felt a tingling in her hooves. She looked down, and beneath her legs, she saw the floor. Her hooves were gone. She watched in terror as parts of her legs faded and dried, crumbling to dust beneath her.

Fluttershy reached forward and grabbed Twilight's middle, grasping and holding onto any part of her friend she could as she slowly turned to dust. The last sight she saw of Twilight was the look of crippling fear on her face as she let out a blood-curdling scream.

The parlour faded away, leaving Fluttershy alone in the dark once again. This time, when the room returned, it was a stone chamber with green mists. From behind a corner, a creature in a black hooded robe approached. There was no insignia on its chest, but in one hoof, it held a long scythe. It stopped when it came face to face with her.

Fluttershy was terrified, but she was also confused. Taking after Twilight's idea, she decided that the best way to dispel her fear was to understand it.

"Are you the reaper?"

The pony waved his hoof around, bobbing his head in multiple directions, indicating that she was partially correct.

"Am I dead?"

The reaper shook his head.

"What about Twilight? Where is she?"

The reaper pointed over Fluttershy's shoulder. Looking behind her, she could see the room they'd come from. Fluttershy saw her own lifeless body, with Twilight trying desperately to revive it.

Fluttershy turned back to the reaper. "Why did you show us these awful things?"

There was no response.

"Do you know why Kai was so afraid to come in here?"

The reaper nodded.

"Show me."

The room disappeared again, but the reaper stayed. Their new location was outside. Kai hung from a tree branch, his hoof caught in the crotch of the branch. He had multiple obvious stab wounds, and nearly a dozen arrows protruded from his body. He was purple and bloated. Nopony was around to mourn his loss.

"So this is what you do? You show ponies their deaths? Do you derive joy from that?"

The reaper shook its head.

"Then why?"

No response.

"Tell me why!"

The reaper said nothing, but held out its other hoof. Floating just above it was an orb. The symbol on the inside was the same as the one that appeared on the entrance to the mausoleum. This is what they'd come for. As it floated into Fluttershy's hoof, she understood.

"This was a test."

The reaper nodded.

"We need to understand what's waiting for us, if we should fail as individuals."

The reaper nodded again.

"If the whole mission fails, what then?"

The room became black again. Nothing came to replace it.

"The end of everything?"

The reaper nodded.

Fluttershy took a deep breath. "I'd like to go back to my friends, now." The reaper nodded, and they were once again inside the lower chamber of the mausoleum. Twilight was in tears by now, still trying to pump life into Fluttershy. As her soul was pulled to her body, Fluttershy turned back to the reaper. "When next we meet, I hope to have lived a long, fulfilling life."