> Mind of the Dark
>  by Silver Melodies
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> No Joke
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     The walls seemed to close in around Fluttershy as she cowered in the dark room. She struggled to slow her breathing, but she was terrified. She had never gone through something like this in her life. She wished she could just leave, now, and be done with this sick game. But she couldn't. All the doors were locked and she was trapped. She had no where to go now.
She looked to her wound, once more, seeing her blood beginning to slow in its flow.
The door to her room was blown apart, and a silhouette stepped inside. Fluttershy screamed as the wood splintered and pelted her face. She curled up even tighter, as if she could protect herself from the horror that stood before her.
She thought back to just several hours ago. It had been so peaceful, and she and her friends were all enjoying a picnic together. Until he came.





“Come on guys!” Pinkie Pie bounced around the fields, joyful and exuberant. She always seemed to have an unending source of energy. Fluttershy marveled at this, but never thought to much about it, or else the impossibilities made her brain hurt.
Fluttershy and her friends were all walking in a group, talking to each other excitedly, each one excited to get to the picnic site. It wasn't often all the ponies got together like this, and they were all hoping it would be a great time. They would eat, play some games like tag, and just sit around and talk.
When they arrived at their destination, Pinkie grabbed her party cannon out of nowhere and let it blow. The blanket, eating utensils, and a pillow for Rarity all flew through the air and landed on the ground perfectly, with a scratch or ruffle. She smiled giddily and bounced around. “Let's eat! Let's eat!”
Rarity sat down on her pillow. “Pinkie, dear, please just give us a moment.”
Fluttershy sat down next to her friends. Pinkie sat down as well, though seemed very fidgety. Like her Pinkie sense was going off. But she seemed fine, and everything else did too.
Once everypony was seated, Applejack pulled out the picnic basket and passed out everypony’s food. Once they all had their food, they began to eat. Pinkie ate her food in one gulp then smacked her lips. “Ahh! Tasty!”
The rate at which that pony consumed food, Fluttershy was surprised that she wasn't fat, or at least chubby.
Rarity ate her food in dainty bites, bit by bit, chewing slowly with each bite. She had only made it half way through her sandwich when she started a conversation. “So, I hear the apple harvest this year will be quite bountiful.”
Of course, this sentence was directed at Applejack., to which the orange mare responded. “Yep! Those fruit bats sure did help. Thanks again, Fluttershy.”
Fluttershy nodded as she finished her sandwich. “Of course.” Even after that event with the fruit bats, in which Fluttershy had been transformed into a bat pony, and had then been 'cured', she still had a single fang. She never told her friends, and it only showed itself when she was careless and didn’t control it, or wanted it to. So she never had a problem with finding out. Of course, it shouldn't be a problem, right?
She shook those thoughts from her head and focused back on the conversation. Twilight was speaking. “...and I heard that Pinkie Pie is holding another massive party this weekend.”
Pinkie Pie jumped in front of Twilight's face. “Yeah! It's gonna be big! Like, really big! I'm gonna invite Vinyl to DJ, and even quiet old Octavia, so she can perform as well! And I'm gonna have...”
Fluttershy tuned her out. She would probably keep talking until she ran out of words in like, about twenty minutes, or one of her friends stopped her. Fluttershy didn't ever like to interrupt anypony, so she always let her friends perform the latter solution.
Sure enough, about five minutes into the speech of what would happen at the party, Twilight held a hoof to Pinkie's mouth. “Okay. How about you keep the rest a secret?”
Pinkie stood there, wide eyed, then smiled. “Okay!” She bounced off to go find Rainbow Dash, who had flown away less than a minute into Pinkie's rant.
Fluttershy turned back to Twilight. “Maybe you shouldn't have mentioned the party.”
Twilight shook her head. “Yeah, probably.”
The conversation turned to talk of the newest pony in town to what was better, apples or oranges. Of course, you can guess which one Applejack picked. After what only an hour, the sun was beginning to set. Rarity jumped up upon noticing.
“Oh dear! I must get home! Sweetie Belle will be worried!”
Applejack got up slowly. “Unless she's still at ma farm, with Apple Bloom.”
Fluttershy got up. It was getting late, and she had to make sure all her animals were in before it got to dark. She attempted to move to find she couldn't feel her legs. She looked down, expecting to fall over, but instead was held up by an invisible force. She tried to move anything, but like the rest of her body, she couldn't feel anything.
She looked up to see her friends had all disappeared. In fact, the whole world had disappeared. She was in some sort of... darkness. But it wasn't dark. It was... bright?
She shut her eyes against the bright light that burned into her eyes. When it faded away, she looked up to see her friends all standing there, each one wearing a dazed look. She glanced around. She was in a room, small, and lit by only a small candle. She stood up, noticing her legs felt fine now. She carefully stretched out her wings and her neck. She seemed fine.
Her friends repeated her motions, each one checking their own body. After everypony was satisfied, they all looked at each other. Though no one said it, they were all thinking it. Where were they?
Without a word, Rainbow Dash kicked the one door in this room down, sending it flying. She landed, nostrils flaring, wings up, ready to pounce. Pinkie and Applejack followed, then Twilight and Rarity, and finally Fluttershy. She looked at her new surroundings.
They were in a large room, empty, save for the many doors that adorned its walls, and the now empty door frame behind them. Other than that, it was completely barren. There was light, but no light source existed in the room. Fluttershy crouched down. This place was scary. Where was she?
Another door opened, on the opposite side of the room. Rainbow Dash nearly caved the door inwards as it opened out, but stopped short when she saw a pony's hoof. The door opened fully and out stepped four ponies.
The first was a gray stallion, with blue hair and a pair of headphones on his head. His hair was tipped with red, which Fluttershy found odd. His cutie mark was a... a... tombstone? With hands?
The second was a gray/brown stallion. He had had a pair of headphones around his neck, and his hair was red and a dull brown. She could see his horn sticking out of his hair, indicating he was a unicorn. His cutie mark was a little less wired. A pair of headphones with a microphone inside.
The third was a blue stallion. He had yellow hair and shaggy hair around his hooves. His cutie mark was a... something circular, with a line of something like paper coming out of it. She could only suppose it was a movie reel, which were fairly new in Equestria.
The finally, the last one came out. A mare, a sand color, with green and yellow hair. She seemed to be, mad? No... more like... fearless? Kind of like Rainbow Dash. Her cutie mark was... a burning toaster? Really? What was with these ponies?
Well, as odd as they were, maybe they knew where they were. Twilight seemed to have the same idea and trotted over to them. She introduced herself. “Hi, I'm Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends.” She gestured to her five waiting friends. “Do you know where we are?”
The blue on shook his head. “No, we were... teleported here. I guess you were too?”
Twilight nodded. “Yeah, and my magic doesn't seem to work.”
The one with with headphones around his neck nodded. “Neither does mine.”
The sand colored one spoke. “Who do you suppose is behind this?” Her voice was... mechanical sounding, like she was a robot. Fluttershy couldn't explain it, but it sounded weird.
Twilight shook her head. “I have no idea, but who ever it is must be powerful. Now, I think we...” She trailed off. “Oh! I didn't catch your names!”
The one with the red tipped hair spoke. “My name's Tomb.” He pointed at the  grayish one and the sand one. “These are Mic and Glaze.” He pointed at the blue one. “He never tells anyone his name, so we just call him Bron.”
Fluttershy still was looking at Glaze. She seemed, unsettling. Like she had done things no one knew of. It was just the look in her eyes. She was surprised to see it in Bron's eye's too. They were suspicious, and she'd be keeping an eye on both of them.
Another door opened, and out stepped five ponies. Fluttershy recognized them instantly. Miss Cheerilee, the school teacher. Lyra, the town mythology master, especially if it had to do with humans. Bon Bon, the town fanatic. Carrot Top, the town Gardner. And finally, to Fluttershy's great surprise, Big Mac. What was he doing here? Then again, what were any of them doing here?
Applejack rushed up to Mac. “Mac, what're ya doin' here?”
The big red stallion shook his head. “I have no idea, sis.”
Fluttershy turned when she heard a door open up behind them. She jumped behind Rarity, who turned to see what she was scared off. Out of the room, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo stepped in. She ran out from behind Rarity.
“Girls, are you alright?”
They turned to their favorite baby sitter. “Oh, hey Fluttershy!” Apple Bloom smiled. “Yeah, we're fine, but do ya know where we are?”
Fluttershy shook her head. “No, I don't. We were just teleported here.”
Sweetie Belle bounced up. “So were we!”
Rarity ran over to her sister. “Sweetie Belle! Why are you here, darling?”
“I don't know. We just got zapped here.”
Fluttershy looked at Scootaloo, who seemed scared. Of course, Fluttershy knew that even though she claimed to be brave, Scootaloo was scared most of the time. Especially of new places, so this didn't disturb Fluttershy too much.
Yet another door opened, and yet more ponies entered. Fluttershy's eyes widened when she saw who they were. The first two of the four, she recognized instantly. Vinyl Scratch and Octavia, both know for being like opposites when it came to music, yet still getting along. The other two, Fluttershy didn't know. Both were white, and both had green in their hair. The mare of the two was smaller, of course, and had yet another determined look on her face, just like Glaze. Her cutie mark was a blue note. What was with all these musical ponies? The other one was taller, and to Fluttershy's surprise, had no cutie mark. He appeared to be a full grown stallion, so where was his cutie mark?
She tore her gaze away from them and turned once again to yet another opening door. This time, only two ponies came out. Ditzy 'Derpy' Doo and Cloud Kicker. They both were just as confused as everyone else.
Fluttershy closed her eyes. What was going on? There were to many ponies in one place, and they all had no idea what was going on. She didn't know what was going on, so she was scared. Maybe this was all just a big trick. Maybe it was a dream. Maybe it was... maybe it was real.
A loud explosion came from the roof. Everypony looked up to see a large cloud of smoke. A maniacal chuckle came from the center of the smoke. Then a large figure drifted out of it. Fluttershy gasped. Discord.
He laughed some more. “Oh, you should all see the looks on your faces!” He rolled over in mid air, laughing. “Oh, I do love chaos, and making you ponies scared.”
Fluttershy spoke up. “Discord? Is this... a joke?”
Discord looked down. “Oh, Fluttershy, dear, so glad you could make it.” He snapped his fingers and disappeared, reappearing a few feet above the ponies. “No, I assure you, this is not a joke. This going to be fun!”
He pointed at the walls. “You see, you cannot leave. There are four doors that will actually lead to somewhere besides this room.”
He pretended to run, right towards a door. “Should you pick the wrong door...”
He grabbed the door and pulled it open, disappearing moments before it exploded, sending anypony nearby running away. “Well, you understand. And that's just the first part!”
He disappeared and popped up, this time, smaller than the fillies and laying on Applejack's hat. “You must all fight to survive.”
Applejack shook Discord off of her head, sending him flying into the wall, were he passed through it. Seconds later, only his voice could be heard. “Of course, I know you ponies won't just try to kill each other.”
Fluttershy squeaked. Did he say kill?
“So, I will take one of you, at random, and change him or her into a beast. Said beats will try to kill everypony else. It's really simple. The last one alive gets to make it out of here alive. Oh, and the monster. That pony will live as well, though with all the memories of being turned into a monster and killing their friends. Everypony else...”
His decapitated body appeared in the middle of the room, with his head lying next to his neck. “You understand.”
Fluttershy reeled through her many emotions, first fear, then horror, then anger. Why was Discord doing this? She was just about to voice her opinion when Twilight spoke up. “Discord, I thought you were good! Why are you doing this?”
Discord's head reattached to his body. “My dear, dear Twilight. You really think that the king of chaos would just stop being... chaotic? No, I'm afraid not. Not with a mind as dark as mine.”
He grabbed a balloon out of Pinkie Pie's mane, for no reason, it seemed. “I have dealt with the princesses, both of them, so you won't have any worries there. And I just love to see your ugly sides come out. So I brought you all here, so we could play a game. Isn't that just a dandy idea?”
Twilight stared furiously at Discord. Fluttershy glanced around the room. Of those she could see, most of them wore scared expressions. The only exceptions were Glaze, Rainbow Dash, and herself. Except her look of anger was fading, and slowly slipping back into horror. She would have to fight to the death. This wasn't a joke. She would either kill or be killed. The very thought made her stomach churn in protest. Maybe this was still a joke. Discord might let them all go, right?
“Well, have fun. In about, oh I don't know, five minutes, I'll let you know which lucky one gets to be the monster!”
He disappeared. This wasn't a joke. This was real. And there was no way out. Fluttershy had to fight, or else she would die. As she looked into the eyes of her now enemies, she could see which choice would be more likely.
> Black and Evil
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     The first thing Fluttershy did was examine all of the doors that remained shut. Which one was which? How would they be able to tell? Discord had given them no clues, so there was not even the slightest way to know. Right? And one of them would become a beast soon enough, so they would have really no choice but to guess then.
She looked around the room. Everypony else seemed to be processing the same thoughts as they glanced from the doors to the ponies around them. It was kind of obvious that no one had even the slightest clue on what to do. They didn't even know what was going on.
Fluttershy regrouped with her friends. They had to find a way to get out and survive. Discord couldn't be serious when he said only one could survive, right?
“Well?” asked Rainbow Dash. “What are we doing standing around? Let's get out of here!”
Twilight shook her head. “No, we have no idea which door to pick. If we pick the wrong one...”
“Yeah. Yeah. Discord got away before it exploded on him!”
Applejack spoke up. “He teleported himself, sugarcube. Ain't no way you can do that.”
Rainbow Dash smiled. “Yeah? Well I'm fast!”
Without another word she dashed for the nearest door. Everypony who saw her cried out for her to stop, but she ignored them. Grabbing the handle, she flung it open, dashing away before it could hit her. But she wasn't fast enough. The resulting explosion hit her in the back, just barely hitting her. But the heat was enough to make the grown mare scream. She tumbled to the ground and landed at the feet of Glaze, who simply stared at her.
Rainbow struggled to get to her feet, but a searing pain in her back made her stop. Tomb pushed past Glaze. “Where are your manners?” he asked as he helped Rainbow Dash to her feet.
She cried out in pain as he helped her up, her back felt like it was on fire. When she was able to stand, she looked at her back. Her mouth dropped open. Her wings were burned to the bone. Her feathers and flesh were gone. Now she only saw bone, and maybe some stray flesh. Her back only fared slightly better. It was singed, to the point were she could see her dermis. Her flesh sizzled as if still cooking from the recent flames that had touched her back. Everyone around her wore sick expressions while the little fillies turned their heads, gagging.
She held back the tears as she struggled through the pain of losing her wings and just the pain in general. Fluttershy rushed over to her friend, careful not to touch her.
“Oh, Rainbow Dash!” She tried to examine her wings, but it was just to gruesome! It was horrible! Many thoughts went through her mind. Any lingering thoughts that this was a joke were gone. Discord meant business. How would Rainbow Dash get around while she was in the pain she was? Would it heal? It was disgusting!
She turned her head. She couldn't look anymore, it pained her, both in her stomach and her heart. She looked around, everyone slowly tore their gazes away from the injured mare and back to the doors and each other. Fluttershy felt a tear slip down her cheek. When she got out of here, she'd give Discord an ass whooping he'd never forget. If she got out.
She turned back to Rainbow, who he was still trying, and failing, to hold back tears. Fluttershy felt more tears coming. Her heart ached for her friend, but there was nothing she could. Without any kind of equipment, she couldn't even begin on the wounds Rainbow Dash sported. The mare would have to suffer through the pain.
Rarity gasped, Fluttershy assumed from the fact that Rainbow was a mess. Then she heard another gasp, and Pinkie Pie. “Rarity, are you alright?”
Fluttershy turned to see Rarity fall over, clutching at her stomach. She gasped again her body began to spasm. Pinkie Pie tried to hold her down, but Applejack stopped her. “No! You'll only hurt her more!”
Everypony in the room watched in horror as Rarity spasmed and flailed around on the floor. Then the real horror came. Rartiy screamed, loud enough to make any stallion cringe. Her hair began to fall out, and dark circles formed around her hooves. She rolled onto her back and arched, letting out yet another scream. Her eyes opened to reveal completely purple, like a lizard or something. Fluttershy recoiled when she saw a snake tongue gape out of her friends mouth, and her teeth became jagged. Her hair had all but fallen out, only a few stray locks here and there. Then, just as suddenly as it began, it stopped. 
Everypony just stared at the dress maker, wondering what to do. A loud bang and everything went dark. Every mare screamed, and even a stallion, as far as Fluttershy could tell. She dropped down, hooves over her head. She didn't know what was going on, but she was terrified.
She peeked out of her hooves to see she could see, even just a little bit. She looked around. She could see Twilight, and part of another pony, but that was it. She slowly got up and looked around.
Twilight turned to her. “Fluttershy, are you okay?”
Fluttershy turned to Twilight. “Um... no... I don't... I...”
She could only see about fifteen feet in front of her. The rest was literally, black. Like a dense black fog or something. She could barely make out shapes that were just outside of her range of vision, but other than that, she couldn't see.
She heard a scream. Her head turned to the direction the scream had come from. Then a loud crunch, and it sounded like somepony was chewing. She tried to find someone, but Twilight was gone. She ran for the nearest pony she could see. It turned out to be Cheerilee, who jumped in surprise at the yellow mare running toward her.
“Fluttershy, what...”
Fluttershy saw a face, pale and sick, flash in the fog, before a black tentacle flew out of the dark and wrapped around Cheerilee's head, snapping her back and into the darkness. Another scream, another crunch, and more chewing. Fluttershy began to panic. Her stomach was twisting up. What was going on?
She turned around and ran. She bumped into a few ponies, but she eventually found the wall. She pressed up against it, trying to steady her breathing. What would she do? She couldn't leave her friends, but she couldn't just stay here. She would die!
She had to find a door. Best case, it would lead out. Worst case, she would die. Then again, dying in an explosion had to be better than dying by whatever monster was out there.
Apparently, another pony had the same idea, but wasn't lucky. She heard an explosion, as well as a scream. There was not crunch afterward, so Fluttershy assumed that the scream was from a pony caught in the blast.
She reached for the nearest door and was pulled it open. She waited for the blast, but none came. She breathed a sigh of relief. She would make it. Two ponies ran up to her. Applejack and Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie embraced her friend. “I thought you were gone!”
Fluttershy shrugged her friend off. “Um... yeah, I'm fine...”
Applejack pulled Pinkie and Fluttershy through the door. “Come on! We gotta move!”
They passed through the door and slammed it shut, only to have it opened by three very terrified looking ponies. Fluttershy recognized them as Glaze, Tomb, and Mic. Bron was missing, but Fluttershy didn't care. She just wanted to get out.
Applejack, however, was more concerned. “Where's... Bron?”
Mic shook his head. “We lost him. No idea where he is.”
Fluttershy almost spoke up. So you just left him? Some friends. But she didn’t care. She ran past them and slammed the door shut just as another scream reverberated through the room, this time sounding more like a stallion. Maybe that was Bron, maybe not. She didn't care. She turned back to her friends. “We should move.” The terror was unmistakable in her voice.
They all agreed and, with their new... survivor friends, they made their way through a long hall. It was just as dark here as it was back in the room. She just walked around, trying to find a way to go other than straight.
After what seemed like an eternity, they found two doors. Pinkie Pie was about to grab a door when
Fluttershy cried out, “Stop!”
Pinkie Pie froze. “What?”
“What if... what if the door is like the ones back in the room? What if it explodes?”
Pinkie thought it over, than opened it anyway. Fluttershy jumped back to avoid the flames that would shoot from the door. But none came. Pinkie walked through the door, looking around. It was just a big room. As far as Fluttershy could see, it was empty. Nothing here either.
The six ponies slowly entered the room. The monster might be here as well. They, very slowly, explored the room. In the whole place, they found a two doors, and a pair of stairs leading up to the third door.
Fluttershy let out a sight of relief. They were alone. For now. Everyone regrouped in the middle of the room. Or, as close to the middle as they could guess. Everyone was losing the look of horror as it slowly turned to one of determination. They were all determined to get out alive. The only thing was, would they work together, or would they all fight each other for survival?
Applejack spoke up, like normal. Always the one to take charge in a hairy situation. “Okay, we need to find everyone first. Then we can form a plan to escape.”
Glaze shook her head. “The chances of us finding anyone in here are very slim, unless this is just a big loop.” Again, with that voice. It was so weird. Was Glaze a robot? Fluttershy didn't know.
Applejack look Glaze in the eyes. “We have to try. If we leave all the ponies, we might as well of murdered them ourselves.”
Tomb rolled his eyes. “Right. Because it's better to charge into a... a haunted house thing, in search of ponies who may or may not be there, in order to simply do what is right? I'd rather make it out of this alive, thank you.”
Fluttershy looked at him with wary eyes. He sounded like he might be ready to do anything it took to win. She would have to keep... keep an eye...
She felt cold. Horror crept back into her body. She couldn't move, fear freezing her in place. Instead, she watched as a ghastly white face floated into view behind Mic, who was directly across from Fluttershy. Her pupils shrunk to pinpricks, and her mouth dropped open.
Everypony turned to Fluttershy. “What is it?” Mic asked.
She could only force out a squeak as the monster sucked Mic into the darkness, amidst shouts and cursing. A crunch, then chewing. Fluttershy almost threw up. Everyone scrambled for any door they could find. Fluttershy still couldn't move. Then she saw a leg, half eaten and covered in blood, drop into view. It was Mic's leg. Now she did throw up.
As if she was suddenly released from a spell, she bolted up the stairs and away from the monster. She flung it open then spun around to shut it. 
Moments before it closed, she saw the monster, in whole. A pale figure, barren of anything to indicate it was still alive, save for it's eyes. Orbs of death, seeming to suck in all life. It's face had a smile stretched across it's face, black and evil. It had a single horn, and it's wrists were wrapped in black. It's lips parted to reveal jagged teeth, covered in the blood of it's latest victim. Strange it didn't have any on it's face. It's mouth opened, and a snake-like tongue slid out.
Fluttershy gasped. She began to cry, but knew she couldn't, not here, not now. She had to get out. But that face. She knew who it was, she knew, but she didn't want to. She ran down the hall she had found herself in, quiet sobs escaping her as the tears fell.
It was Rarity, and Rarity had been killing other ponies, and eating them. Cheerilee, Mic, who knows who else. She was eating them. And she was going to eat her too.
> Hi Girls!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     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!”
> Survive
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Fluttershy couldn't move. What was happening right before her eyes? Pinkie Pie was holding a... a butchering knife, and appeared to have just killed Tomb. How had Pinkie Pie managed to kill somepony? How had she even found a butchering knife? Well, probably the same way Applejack had found a crossbow. But Pinkie Pie had killed somepony!
“Pinkie... what... how did... I...”
“Hmm?” Pinkie looked at the ground, towards Tomb's body. “Oh, that! Yeah, I killed him. He was in my way, same as this mare here.” She pointed at Glaze, whose expression was changing from one of horror to sadness to anger.
“But... how can you just...”
Pinkie laughed, a sound that once brought her cheer, but now chilled Fluttershy to the core. “Well, it's really simple.” She walked over to Tomb's body. “You just grab their heads...” She lifted his head off of the ground, not even bothering with Glaze, who looked ready to pounce. “And you...” She hacked the knife into Tomb's head, splattering blood all over her face. She looked up, her eyes full of... nothing. They were dead. Pinkie was gone, Fluttershy could tell.
Glaze had enough. She pounced on Pinkie Pie, tackling her to the ground. Pinkie just rolled with the blow and sprung up, jumping into the darkness. Her laughter echoed through the room, causing Fluttershy to cringe.
She looked around. Would Pinkie kill them? Would she maybe leave them be? They were friends, right? She had killed Tomb, but she didn't know him. They were friends... right?
Pinkie's voice reached her ears. “Sorry Fluttershy and Twilight. It's nothing personal, of course.” Fluttershy turned her head towards the noise. “I just, well I don't wanna lose, so I'm gonna win.” This time, it was from behind her.
“Pinkie!” Twilight called out. “What are you doing?!” We can make it out of this! We will! We just need to...”
“To work together, of course.” Fluttershy couldn't tell where the voice was coming from. “But, I don't really feel like working together. You would just slow me down. And, well I think would be more fun!” She laughed again, manically. 
Fluttershy's heart skipped a beat. Was this it? Pinkie had a knife, in the dark, and was ready to kill each and every one of them.
“Oh, and one more thing!” Chirped the pink pony. “For the few more seconds you are alive, please call me Pinkamena, okay?”
Fluttershy had never hated a name so much before as she did now. This wasn't Pinkie Pie. Something had happened to her, this... Pinkamena thing. It must have broken her mind. Pinkie Pie would never kill somepony.
Sweetie Belle held on to Fluttershy even tighter. Twilight held her horn at the ready. She couldn't use magic, but maybe she could at least stab with it. Derpy held her stick, not knowing what else to do. Fluttershy just kept her eyes open. She had no weapons, so she would have to run fast, probably losing the filly attached to her. Sweetie Belle was just dead weight.
What? No, Sweetie Belle was worth protecting. Right? Did she really want to risk her life for a filly? When she could just as easily use her as something to slow the evil down? No, of course not.
She turned to see Twilight was... scared. She was sweating, shaking, and had the look of terror in her eyes. Fluttershy didn't blame her. She was terrified as well. Why shouldn't they be? There was a monster stalking them in the dark and now a crazy pony, also in the dark, and if everyone was reacting the same way Fluttershy was, they were all well on their way to losing their minds!
She did the only sensible thing she could think off. She made a dash for the wall, trying to find a door. She had to get out of here.
She forgot about Sweetie Belle, who chased after her. Stupid filly, she'd just get everyone killed. She turned around to tell Sweetie Belle to go away when something tackled her, pinning her to the ground.
Fluttershy looked up, dazed and confused, too see Pinkie Pie... no, Pinkamena, standing over her, knife ready to cleave. Fluttershy's lost control to something inside of her. She bucked Pinkamena off of her and rolled up, ready to fight. Pinkamena came bouncing back, knife forward. Fluttershy dodged, but didn't notice Sweetie Belle was standing behind her. Damn filly, what was she doing?
Pinkamena tackled Sweetie Belle, a sadistic smile spreading across her face. Fluttershy whipped around to stop her. Sweetie Belle screamed, pure terror etched on her face.
The cleaver connected with Sweetie's face. Pinkamena pulled back and struck again. Then again. And again. Sweetie's face was unrecognizable now; just a mangle of flesh and bones. Blood spilled out everywhere, streaking the wooden floor.
Fluttershy couldn't look. It was terrible. She tackled the crazy mare, knocking the cleaver from her hoof. The two wrestled, but Pinkamena underestimated the once-timid mare. Fluttershy got the upper-hoof and was able to clock her in the jaw. She thought she heard a scream, but shrugged it off in the heat of battle. Pinkie stood up and stumbled back, blood dripping from her mouth. She just smiled all the wider, her eyes shrunk to pinpricks, then jumped back into the darkness with a maniacal laugh.
Fluttershy whipped around when something bumped into her. It was just Derpy. She looked scared. Wait a minute...
“Run!” The gray mare screamed.
Where was Twilight? Fluttershy turned around. The pale face, streaked in blood, lips black... The eyes of a heartless, killing machine. No... Rarity was in there, right? There had to be a way to stop this... but now there were only two of her fiends still living. What if they all died? What if she died?
She bolted after Derpy. Luckily, there was a door right in front of them, once again open. Was it because Glaze managed to escape through here... or did Pinkamena go this way?
She didn't care. She raced through door and slammed it shut, keeping the beast out of the hall. Derpy put a hoof on her shoulder but Fluttershy just slapped it away. She didn't want comfort or whatever it was Derpy was trying to give. She wanted out. She swore, when... if she made it out of this, she would make Discord pay.
The door behind them exploded. Fluttershy screamed as the splintered wood pelted her, some sticking into her skin and knocking her to the ground. Derpy, who had been standing close to the door, was sent flying down the hall. She hit the ground and cried out. Fluttershy looked over to see Derpy's wing bent at an odd angle. The poor mare would probably not be able to move too fast...
Fluttershy jumped up and rocketed down the hall, almost slamming into the door. She grabbed the handle and flung it open. She turned back, remembering Derpy. Derpy hobbled after her, trying to block out the pain from her wing... and her leg, which appeared to also be broken. Fluttershy thought about going to get her.
The monster loomed in the hall, slowly, but surely, advancing on the injured mare. Fluttershy's whole body screamed to run away, but her mind wouldn't let her. She couldn't move closer, and she couldn't move farther.
So she stood, watching horror as the monsters tongue slithered out of its mouth, latching onto Derpy's leg. The gray mare looked up, her eyes connecting with Fluttershy's. They spoke of terror, sorrow, and... forgiveness? Of what?
Derpy was pulled back, her screams of protest echoing in the narrow hall. She tried to grab something, anything, to save herself from being pulled to death. Her hooves found nothing.
This close, Fluttershy could see just how the monster ate. It's mouth opened to impossibly wide proportions. Inside, only blackness. It's teeth seemed to lengthen as the tongue reeled its catch in. Derpy's legs passed through it's mouth, then her waist, until only her head remained out.
She gave one last whimper as the beast clamped down, severing her head. Fluttershy screamed again as the head tumbled onto the floor, rolling until it came to rest against the wall, leaving a trail of blood. Her eyes were rolled up into her head, and her tongue hung out, limply.
Fluttershy, as if lifted from trance, jumped through the door and slammed it shut. Would that hold it? It broke down the last one... maybe this one was different? But she couldn't take that chance.
She raced through the room she was now in. She had to find a door. She felt something, inside her, clawing through her mind until it reached the surface, taking over everything she had control over.
Survival instinct.
She would survive, and she would not stop at anything to assure that.
She scrambled faster, trying to find something, anything! A weapon, a door, a hiding spot, a clue as to how she could stop this thing...
Something grabbed her and pinned her to the ground. A scream tore out of her throat. The monster? How had it gotten in? She relaxed slightly as felt it was actually two hooves holding her down, not a tongue, but then immediately tensed up again. Who was holding her down?
“Shh!” One of the hooves moved up and clamped over her mouth. “I'm gonna make this fast, kay?”
She new that voice. Her heart broke. It was...
“Eeyup. I'm gonna win, and ain't nothin' gonna stop me, not even a pretty mare like yerself.”
She felt his hoof that was holding her down move to her neck, sending a chill down her spine. She knew what he was going to do... she was going to die... here, alone...
Her whole body tensed up. Suddenly, she was standing, and Big Mac was flying through the air. Her mouth hung open... how had... what? Did she just BUCK Big Mac? She just... wow...
She grinned at her new found strength, but stopped as Big Mac came barreling down on her. She jumped to the side, letting him crash into the wall. He spun around, completely unfazed. She had forgotten about his sturdiness. He charged again, a little slower but with enough force to plow down a full grown tree.
She dodged again, this time so that she was closer to the wall. He turned around and charged yet again. She jumped back but hit the wall. She scrambled out of the way as he narrowly missed her, instead leaving a sizable dent in the wall.
She scrambled backwards but tripped over something. She looked down to see what it was. She noticed the hoof that had hit the object was bleeding. The object was... a sword? How the hell was she supposed to fight with a sword? She didn't know how to use one... she didn't even wield knives save to slice something like butter or bread.
The sight of Big Mac getting ready to charge made her sweep the sword up in her mouth. She may not like it, but she didn't exactly have a choice.
Her body tensed up, something commanding her to position herself so as to be ready to strike when the time came. She didn't fight it. It was natural, like she had know this her whole life. 
She waited.


Discord watched as Fluttershy struggled to make it through his little game. Her screams, her terror, her strength, these all amused Discord, of course. But what interested him the most was watching her break.
It had begun earlier, but now it was almost complete. She just need to kill somepony, then it would be done. She would know how to act in anger, fear, and the lust for chaos. No longer would she be shy, timid, and... ugh, caring.
She was in a fight with Big Mac... she needed some help. The whole point of this game was to break her, then let her live, so she could deal with her guilt. Oh, that would be so fun to watch!
But she couldn't die if that was to happen. So he decided to... help her. He conjured a sword for her to use and placed it behind her. She stumbled over it, then picked it up and held it at the ready.
It was amusing to see how much she had changed in just the matter of a couple of hours. He picked his nose and threw what he found away as it turned into solid gold.


Big Mac came charging, of course. He was strong, but apparently, didn't seem too smart. She shrugged as she waited to strike. Her mouth clenched the sword, her neck, back, and leg muscles all tense, ready to spring. She looked over and counted down...
3...
2...
1...
She closed her eyes and swung the sword as hard as she could feeling it connect with something. She felt a slight resistance, then nothing as the sword clattered to the ground, falling out of her mouth. She turned around.
Big mac stood there, unmoving. What, had she not killed him? Maybe she should try to break his neck, like he did. Maybe she...
Her eyes fell upon his head, or rather, the lack of his head. His neck sat there, blood pouring out, spilling down his body and onto the ground. It was gross. His body swayed as the blood flowed. It eventually fell down into the pool of blood. The warm, red liquid splashed up, getting Fluttershy in the face.
She didn’t even flinch, her eyes locked onto those of Big Mac's. Lifeless, dull, and empty. She shook her head as she walked away. Now she had to find a way out of here... again.
Maybe she was the last one... maybe Pinkamena had been killed and Glaze! By her count, that should be all of them. So then... maybe she had won.
“Ha ha ha ha ha!”
Or maybe not. The shrill, chilling voice echoed through the room. She looked around, trying to locate it. Once again, it sounded like it was coming from everywhere at once.
“My my, Fluttershy! Look at you! All grown up and killing things! Though I have to admit, not with the same... fervor... as I do, but it's a step forward. Too bad you'll die before you can work on it some more...”
The last word was drawn out, sending a shiver down her spine. This was it... this had to be. If she could kill Pinkamena, she would win. If she didn't... no, she would win. She had to. She wanted to live, so she was going to live.
Pinkamena's dropped in front of Fluttershy, still holding her cleaver in one hoof. “I'm going to win, but I would like you to try.”
Fluttershy wished she had brought along that sword, but oh well. She didn't need it. Right? She could win, barehooved.
Pinkamena lunged forward, and Fluttershy followed suit.
> Goodbye...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Blood. Redness filled her sight. She tumbled across the floor, her pink combatant in tow, leaving a pool of blood in their wake. Fluttershy didn't even know where it was all coming from. Her body felt fine, no major cuts or anything to let that much blood out. A quick look over Pinkimena's body proved she suffered very few wounds as well, only scratches...
Fluttershy rolled over to strike her foe in the jaw, sending the pink mare reeling. Fluttershy followed up with a kick to the ribs, which caused Pinkimena to fall over, head still spinning. Even the delusional mare was feeling the pain in Fluttershy's strikes. But that didn't mean it slowed her down.
Pinkimena sprung up and forward, tackling Fluttershy to the ground. Fluttershy struggled to fend off the rain of blows that was coming from her assailant. She blocked a few, but most found their mark on her face or stomach. She fought off the dizziness, not used to this kind of pain. She rolled with Pinkimena until the came to a stop at the base of a wall, where she bucked her off and jumped back to her hooves. She brought her fore legs up and smashed down, catching Pinkimena in the face. Of course, even though Fluttershy was hardened, she still wasn't very strong. The blow brought Pinkimena to the ground, but didn't do much damage.
Fluttershy noticed that her enemy was missing her cleaver. She didn't remember knocking it from her hoof...
Did she drop it? Maybe she did, so she had a better chance of winning... maybe she could do this! She was holding her own, surprisingly... though most of the time it was a blur... maybe the cleaver had broken, so Pinkimena had left it... or...
Maybe not.
She found it... sticking out of her stomach, now almost lodged all the way in... how the hell had she NOT noticed that? She looked down at her wound. The cleaver was buried almost hilt deep in her stomach... and blood was pouring out profusely.
Ah... so that's where the blood came from... huh...
She surprisingly didn't feel any pain from it... but she was feeling the loss of blood. Her head began to swim, and her limbs grew weak.
Her heart sank. Looked like she wasn't going to survive... this was her end. She wasn't scared, just... not scared. Not brave either... more of a... it is what it is attitude. Like she didn't really care her life was coming to an end.
She would make her last few minutes count, and she would bring this beast Pinkimena down with her. 
She tackled the mare and drove her hooves down with all her strength, and then some. Pinkimena dodged her attack mostly, but her left foreleg was caught in the hoof slam. And it snapped in half. Pinkimena yelped in pain, and Fluttershy stared at the wound she had just inflicted. She had... she had just broken one of Pinkimena's legs... for all her thoughts, she hadn't actually expected to bring any serious injury upon the mare.
She reared up and crashed back down again, this time catching Pinkimena in the face. The mare's nose broke in, sending blood everywhere. Fluttershy didn't cower from the blood. She found it... fascinating... as if it was drawing her... She eagerly smashed Pinkimena again, this time cracking her cheek, sending her coughing up blood. Fluttershy looked intently at the blood, and for a second contemplated what it tasted like...
In that second Pinkimena bucked her off of her and sprang up. She kicked Fluttershy in the stomach, plunging the Cleaver in the whole way, now beginning to poke through her back. Fluttershy fell back onto her rump, staring in disbelief at nothing.
She had... what was she thinking? Why did she do that? Where did that strength come from? She looked down to her stomach, now horrified by the blood that flowed. She had done it... she had turned into a monster... she was evil... she had a mind of the darkness...
A loud crash brought her attention the wooden splinters that flew from a nearby door frame. She saw that tongue, slithering through the air, searching for prey. Pinkimena stumbled out through one of the doors. Fluttershy ran away from the monster, crashing into a wall. She scrambled across the wall, trying to find the door when the tongue slid out of the darkness and wrapped around her ankle.
All of her rage, strength, and adrenaline melted into fear. She screamed as the beast dragged her across the floor. She was desperate, and she knew she would die soon anyway... she just didn't want to die by being eaten.
Fluttershy grabbed the cleaver in her stomach and yanked it out, causing her extreme pain. Her open wound suddenly flared with pain as she slid the metal across her flesh. But she had to ignore it. The beast hung her in the air, right in front of its face. It seemed to smile as it opened its mouth.
Fluttershy swung the cleaver and sliced through the monster's tongue, sending her falling to the floor. She scrambled up, but fell right back down, the pain in her stomach almost too much for her to bear. Why did the pain have to show up right when she was running for life?
She got up and ran again, falling once more, sliding to a stop in front of the door. She yanked it open and stumbled through it. She locked the door and turned to see she had made a fatal mistake...
She had locked herself in a dead end...
She ran around, trying to find a door, something, a way out... she didn't want to die this way! She found nothing.
The walls seemed to close in around Fluttershy as she cowered in the dark room. She struggled to slow her breathing, but she was terrified. She had never gone through something like this in her life. She wished she could just leave now and be done with this sick game. But she couldn't. All the doors were locked and she was trapped. She had no where to go now.
She looked to her wound once more, seeing her blood beginning to slow in its flow.
The door to her room was blown apart, and a silhouette stepped inside. Fluttershy screamed as the wood splintered and pelted her face. She curled up even tighter, as if she could protect herself from the horror that stood before her.
But she couldn't... a tongue slithered towards her, grasping her hind legs, dragging her towards her death that awaited her so eagerly. She screamed again. Her spirit was broken. She had given up. She was dead. She had failed... she wouldn't live to see the new day, grim though it may be. This was it.
She was lifted once more into the air. She couldn't fight. Somehow she had lost her cleaver. She stared at those deathly eyes, that wicked grin, and the blood dripping from the jagged teeth. She wished only one thing now...
"Discord..." She whispered as the maw opened before her.
A single tear fell from her cheeks, landing on the floor with a light touch, scattering its water fluids across the surface.
"Don't let Rarity remember this..."
And she was no more.





Discord stood in the fields. His cheeks were wet with tears, as he had only recently finished crying. What had he done? Was this his destiny? To, in his love for chaos, destroy everything he knew...
And everything he held dear?
Sure, Twilight and them, they could die, he didn't care. But Fluttershy... even though he had resented her loving spirit, he was still drawn to it. He hated her for that, so he had done this to break her... that way they could rule the land in chaos together... without all that mushy 'friendship is magic' shit...
Of course he hadn't been looking for two minutes... he had been busy with chaos. he came back to see... Fluttershy was being eaten. He rushed down to save her, but even for a god of chaos, he couldn't move fast enough... he heard only one last sentence from her... before she died... one last request, and he vowed to carry it out... it was the lest he could do.
Pinkie Pie, who had turned back to normal, and Rarity stood, or laid, next to him. They were both depressed... and why shouldn't they be? They had gone through something worse than hell... the murder of their loved ones. Pinkie Pie was crying, her hair looking like someone had dumped a bucket of water on her head. Rarity, on the other hand, was hurling everywhere. She was bawling, screaming, moaning, ripping her mane out... she had eaten her friends... of course she was upset... more than upset... not even depressed... Discord didn't know the word. Utter despair?
He reached over and laid a hand on her head, letting more tears fall as he removed her memory of the events that happened. She stopped writhing and closed her eyes, now in a deep slumber. He looked to Pinkie Pie... who was gazing across the city of Ponyville. How would she cope now? He wouldn't remove her memories, Fluttershy didn't ask that... but he still felt a little bad for her...
He sent them away in a flash of light, back to their homes... he didn't ever want to see them again... he just wanted to see Fluttershy... his dear, sweet Fluttershy...
But she was no more.
He curled up in a ball and let himself cry. He wept aloud, shedding tears for his own stupidity... if only he hadn't done this whole game... if only he had been watching more carefully... if only, if only, if only.... 
He whispered one word... to his lost love... to the one he would never see again... thanks to his own actions...
"Goodbye..."