Silent Ponyville 2

One year after the first Silent Ponville.

"How does it make that sound?" A young filly stared hypnotized by the gentle music caressing her ears. The small box before her let out a harmony that reminded her of angels. The warm body next to her grew closer, nuzzling up against her.





"I don't know the details myself," an older mare's soothing voice swept through her ears as if the voice itself was trying to hug her. Her voice was soft yet delicate, "But it's just like an instrument. Every piece is finely tuned, so that when a cord is struck it plays a gentle note."



"But it only plays one song…" The young filly mused as she continued to stare, comforted by the warmth of the other with her. "And…it seems a little sad…" she leaned her head against the bigger body, resting against it.



"Yes, I suppose it does sound a little sad." The older mare smiled warmly, her long mane falling in the filly's face. The little filly giggled a little as the hair tickled her face, before moving it out of the way to smile at the music box, "But this music box is…very special to me." The older mare sighed happily.



"…I like it." The filly smiled happily, closing her eyes as she listened, the melody softly flowing through her ears. She couldn't help but think it was beautiful.



"Please never forget…that I love you…" The older mare's voice grew quiet with those words.



"I know mother…I love you too." The filly nuzzled against her mother happily. The older mare grew quiet as the filly nuzzled against her mother. There was a silence that filled the air, only being filled by the gentle and calming music from the box.



"…Mother?" The young filly broke the silence, but it soon returned. The chimes of the music seemed to slow down, drawing out each individual note. "…Mother…" she called again, lifting her head up to try and look at her mother. The older mare had suddenly grown quiet.



<p class="MsoNormal">"Mother…say something…" The filly pleaded, pushing against her mother with her hooves, trying to get her attention. The mare's body felt like it was growing colder, wobbling a bit before falling over. The older mare lay on the floor, her hair looking like cobwebs on the ground, her coat growing dull, her unmoving form framed against the darkness of the ground.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Mother!" The young filly cried pushing her hooves against her mother as the music box continued to slow down, each note ringing in her head that something was wrong. The filly moved her hooves away from her mother and stared at her hooves, her blood covered hooves. The body of the mare was withering away, blood escaping from underneath her body.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Mother…Mother…MOTHER!" The filly cried as tears began to stream down her eyes, shaking her mother's body to wake her, to tell her everything was alright. The music from the box died.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">The body of the filly's mother turned to dust, as it vanished in the wind, leaving nothing but the blood that had been spilled.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">The filly shook and cried, tears drenching her cheeks. She touched the blood stain on the floor, trying to feel any remaining heat that told her that her mother was still there.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">The blood was cold, no sign of life to it.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">The music box started to play music once more, but it no longer played the sad but beautiful song. The music box hissed a horrifying sound, as if bees suddenly filled the box. The filly looked up into the darkness, terror filling her core.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Red eyes gleamed as a presence made itself known. It towered over the filly as it drew closer, its body cloaked in darkness. The darkness itself flickered and flowed off of its body, its mouth opening revealing a gaping hole of white filled with jagged black. The presence of the creature crushed the filly, she couldn't move, she couldn't breathe, she was paralyzed by the very thing that stood before her. With a single swift movement, the creature closed the distance.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Its teeth sunk into the filly's neck, lifting her up and holding her as if a prize. Tears continued to stream down the filly's face, as the blood slipped down her body. The creature growled, before dropping the filly on top of the dust of her mother. The filly could do nothing but stare into the darkness of the world.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Even that darkness was soon fading, fading into a separate darkness.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">The filly's vision was filled with the beast. Its jagged white mouth turned into a grin, as it once more, drew its teeth at the filly's face.



<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">-

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Fluttershy awoke with a scream. She panted heavily as she sat, staring at her pillow in the darkness, the covers hanging on her shoulders, her body soaked in sweat. The cool night air filled her burning, aching lungs. She put a hoof to her face, feeling the fresh tears that had been streaming from her face. She hiccuped softly as she tried to rub them away, still feeling fresh ones wanting freedom as well.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Something rustled under the covers next to her as she froze, turning as she heard the moan of something waking up.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Another one?" Rainbow Dash groaned, sitting up from her spot on the bed, rubbing her eyes. "How many is that now? At least ten…" she let out a yawn, obviously still not used to being woken up in the middle of the night constantly.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"I-I…I'm….I'm sorry…" Fluttershy hiccuped, squeezing her eyes shut as she desperately tried to hold back her tears, her body shaking. "I-I…k-keep waking y-you up…I-I shouldn't…h-have asked you to t-try and comfort m-me…" Fluttershy stuttered her words, lumps forming in her throat as tears escaped her shut eye lids.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Ugh." Rainbow put a hoof to her face. She shifted on the bed, before wrapping a hoof comfortingly around her marefriend's shoulders. Fluttershy leaned into Rainbow's chest and sobbed softly into her. "Come on Fluttershy, you should know by now that me sleeping isn't as important as you feeling better." Rainbow said quietly, lowering her head closer to Fluttershy's. Fluttershy didn't reply, only continuing with her soft sobs. "So me spending the last few nights here hasn't helped your nightmares, that's no big deal. It just shows us how serious this is." Rainbow said trying her best to offer comforting words, something she wasn't too used to.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Fluttershy could only let out a whimper in response. The nightmare's terrified her, she was barely able to fall asleep anymore knowing they were waiting for her inside of her own mind She didn't want to sleep anymore, she wanted to stay up and be rid of the dreams, but her body was exhausted, it demanded sleep, but her mind screamed to stay awake. The conflict inside her only brought out more tears.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Rainbow looked out into the darkness of Fluttershy's room as she tried desperately to think of something to do or say. 'If only I was a smarter…' Rainbow Dash thought to herself.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">It was as if a light bulb had been turned on in Rainbow's mind.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Fluttershy, in the morning lets go see Twilight. I'm sure she can help with these nightmares, I mean she's got all kinds of books, I'm sure she'll have something that can help with this." Rainbow spoke eagerly but softly, making sure Fluttershy heard her.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"..Do…do you really think…she can help?" Fluttershy asked, managing to wipe her face as her sobs softened.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Yea, of course she can." Rainbow said confidently, nuzzling up against Fluttershy, "She's Twilight, even if she can't find an answer, she can ask Celestia! We'll get rid of these nightmares before you know it."

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"…Thank you…" Fluttershy smiled softly, the tears finally stopping.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Hey, what's a mare friend for?" Rainbow grinned, kissing Fluttershy's forehead.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"…I still don't feel like sleeping though…" Fluttershy said, staring at the pillow of her bed. It was still deep in the middle of the night.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"…Hmm…" Rainbow said in thought. She wasn't sure what to say for that. She looked up at the ceiling as she thought about it. She then let off a small shrug unintentionally as a thought rolled through her mind, 'I guess it's now or never then.'

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"H-Huh?" Fluttershy said confused as she felt herself being pushed down onto the bed. She looked up at Rainbow Dash as she lay on her back, Rainbow climbing on top of Fluttershy before kissing Fluttershy deeply.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Don't worry; I'll take your mind off of those nightmares so you can finish resting." Rainbow grinned, blushing deeply. Fluttershy blushed in return, surprised, but accepting as she closed her eyes, their lips meeting once more.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">-

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Shouldn't you clear the clouds?" Fluttershy asked, yawning as her and Rainbow walked through the town, the warm sun only slightly obscured by a few clouds lingering around the sky.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"This is more important." Rainbow said rubbing Fluttershy's head lightly, "I can clear the clouds in a snap. Let's get you feeling better first." Rainbow grinned.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"I suppose." Fluttershy rubbed her eyes, still trying to rid them of sleepiness. She had started to develop bags under her eyes from the lack of sleep, but nothing severe.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Suppose nothing! It is more important." Rainbow said trying once more to build Fluttershy's confidence, "Just focus on getting better. Everything else can wait till then."

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Getting better? Is Fluttershy sick?" Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy stopped as they looked behind them, seeing Pinkie Pie standing behind them with a basket in hoof filled with letters.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Oh, hey Pinkie Pie." Rainbow said turning to smile at their pink friend, "And no, she's not really sick. She's just been having some really bad nightmares lately, so we we're going to see Twilight if she can help."

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">The silence was almost deafening despite its brevity. The basket in Pinkie's hoof fell, hitting the ground with what seemed like a loud thud, the letters spilling out before it.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"N-N-N-N-Nightm-mares?" Pinkie stuttered, a look of shock on her face.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Uh Pinkie, you dropped your basket." Rainbow said pointing to it.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"No time for that!" Pinkie said quickly rushing to Fluttershy's side. She looked Fluttershy over, causing the yellow Pegasus to flinch a little, before Pinkie look into her face, "How bad are these nightmares? How long have you been having them?"

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"T-They're…awful…" Fluttershy squeaked, answering though intimidated by Pinkie's actions, "I've been waking up crying for the last week and a half now…I thought Rainbow Dash could help make them go away, but they still haven't stopped…so Rainbow suggested we go see Twilight."

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Pinkie stared, mouth agape at Fluttershy. Fluttershy began to sweat a little, not understand what was going through the pink pony's head. Pinkie Pie then looked serious for a moment, before turning her head from Fluttershy, as if she was in serious mental contemplation.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"…I see…going to see Twilight is the natural assumption to make." Pinkie mumbled to herself.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"…Pinkie Pie, what's going on? You're acting even stranger than you normally do." Rainbow looked at Pinkie Pie confused by her actions.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"…It's nothing." Pinkie lied stepping back from Fluttershy, "But I'm going to Twilight's with you." It sounded more like a demand than an offer.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"O-Oh, no, i-it's okay Pink-"

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"I'm. Going. With. You." Pinkie interrupted Fluttershy, not backing down.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"…O-Okay…" Fluttershy meekly agreed as Pinkie then nodded, taking the lead in heading to Twilight's house.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Rainbow Dash looked at one of the scattered letters on the ground, picking it up and looking at the pink envelope curiously.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"What's gotten into Pinkie Pie?" Fluttershy asked looking at Rainbow Dash confused about what just happened.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"I don't know…but she just put off inviting us to a party for it." Rainbow showed the envelope to her.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"…Wow…this IS serious." Fluttershy said in a bit of shock.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Hey! Come on, we need to get to Twilight's house, like right now!" Pinkie Pie called out to the two mares after realizing they hadn't immediately followed.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"…I think it's best if we do what she says for now." Rainbow said not wanting to chance thinking what else a serious Pinkie Pie might do.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Right." Fluttershy agreed as the two of them quickly followed after Pinkie.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">-

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Oh, hey Pinkie P-"

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Twilight, we've got a serious problem." Pinkie barged into Twilight's house without giving the purple unicorn a chance to pose a greeting, "And I mean a problem as big as the last time I visited you with a problem."

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"…Huh? Do you mean the nightmares are back?" Twilight asked a little confused, looking Pinkie over, "But you're mane is fine…"

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Oh, no, the problem isn't with me this time." Pinkie said pointing out the door she had just so casually walked through. Twilight turned her head to see a Rainbow Dash quickly walking in as well.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Geeze Pinkie, was running here really important?" Rainbow huffed as she moved past Twilight, "This is a big deal, sure, but Fluttershy's not good at high-speed pursuits."

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Oh but there WAS a need to rush Dashie trust me on this one; we need to fix this ASAP!" Pinkie tried to get Rainbow to understand.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"…Is Dash having the problem?" Twilight asked, looking curiously at her rainbow-haired friend.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"No, it's not her." Pinkie said pointing to the door once more. Twilight turned once more, to see Fluttershy slowly making her way in as well.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Sorry for the interruption Twilight, I hope we aren't disturbing you from anything important." Fluttershy apologized.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"No, it's no trouble Fluttershy. I was just catching up on some studying." Twilight smiled comfortingly, "But is something troubling you Fluttershy?"

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Oh…well, yes actually, that's why we came to see you." Fluttershy said, scrapping her foot against the ground, "I've been…having trouble sleeping…a-and was hoping you could help."

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Trouble sleeping nothing." Rainbow said moving to stand next to Fluttershy, "Fluttershy's been having some nasty nightmares that've been keeping her up. She's unable to sleep and she dreads having to go to bed. We we're hoping you could help out Twilight." Dash explained in more detail.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Heh…well, I do happen to have one spell I know of that works won-mmph" Twilight's words became muffled as a pink hoof was jammed into her mouth.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"No no, we're not using that spell." Pinkie explained.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Bleh. Why not?" Twilight asked after removing the hoof from her mouth.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Cause we're not." Pinkie said closing her eyes, as if not wanting to budge, "We have to find some other way to help Fluttershy."

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"But…the spell worked so well last time, why shouldn't I use it now?" Twilight was very confused. Pinkie Pie had explained to her that the spell had let her come to terms with the tragedy of her sister's passing, but she hadn't explained what exactly happened during the spell that led to the revelation. All Twilight had seen during the delve was what appeared to be a warped picture sitting amidst a foggy backdrop. As she had tried to study the picture, it kept changing before her, till the mind delve disconnected itself in a flash of light.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Trust me Twilight, using it on Fluttershy will end badly. So we're going to help her without it." Pinkie explained.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"But it'd be so much easier to just use the spell, it only takes a few minutes and I'll have helped her with the nightmares. Doesn't that make sense?" Twilight tried to battle Pinkie with her logic, an already losing battle.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Even if it does, it's still not happening." Pinkie retorted back.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Fluttershy and Rainbow looked at each other very confused as Pinkie and Twilight went back and forth. They had no idea what their friends were talking about.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"So uhhh…what exactly ARE we doing to help Fluttershy then?" Rainbow finally asked, interrupting the back and forth between the two bickering ponies.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Ugh…fine, I'll go get my copy of 'Dreams: a Psychological Understanding'." Twilight said walking away from the pink mare who sat there looking victorious.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Thank you Twilight, I assure you this will be the best for everyone." Pinkie then bounced over to Fluttershy, putting her hoof around her shoulders while offering a comforting smile, "Don't worry Fluttershy, I promise we'll make your bad dreams go away."

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"…Y-You really think this will work?" Fluttershy looked at Pinkie for hope.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"If anypony can help make things better it's Twilight. I'm sure of it." Pinkie smiled happily.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Alright," Twilight said returning with a floating copy of the book, opening it up and flipping through several places, "The first thing I should do is see what kind of dreams you're having. Since we won't be jumping straight to the Mind Delve spell, there's other solutions listed here that might work depending on the severity of your dreams." Twilight explained before placing the book down on the table in the center of her house.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"O-Oh…how will you know that?" Fluttershy asked curiously.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"There's a spell in this book that will let me see the dreams you've been having. I'll be able to judge for myself how severe they are." Twilight said walking over to Fluttershy.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"…B-But…" Fluttershy began to protest.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Don't worry Fluttershy; Twilight knows what she's doing, right?" Rainbow asked while trying to comfort the worried pegasus.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Of course, now this will only take a moment." Twilight smiled, not waiting for Fluttershy to give another response before gently sweeping hair away from her forehead and tapping her glowing horn against the Fluttershy's forehead.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">'IDON'TWANTTOFLY IDON'TWANTTOFLY IDON'TWANTTOFLY' The words screamed again and again, bouncing in her skull, driving her mad. Her wings were beating as fast and as strong as they could, despite every ounce of her being telling her to stop them. Her whole body was crying out for relief, pain filling her back and legs. Her wings were bent, horribly misshapen, not even looking like they should lift her, but they carried her through the sky. Tears swept across her face as every flap sent pain shooting through her back, scratching away at her mind, eroding her sanity.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">A loud roar pierced her ears and shook her whole being. Her head painfully but slowly turned to look behind her, as a giant figure appeared from behind the clouds, billowing smoke as it soared at high speeds straight for her. Her legs flailed, feeling as if every movement snapped a bone and tore her muscles.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">The large beast opens its jaws, before its gigantic teeth sunk straight down into her flesh.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">She wanted to scream but no voice came to her. She wanted to close her eyes but her body would not obey her. She wanted to shut down and die but her body did not comply. The swirls of tortured screams filled every inch of her. Twisted faces and horrified cries screamed out to her. One word repeated itself endlessly in her mind.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Pain.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">There was nothing to decipher, only the red horror that swirled around her. It bellowed and cried, it screeched and it hollered, but its suffering would not end. Neither would hers. Everything assaulted her mind; she felt the pain as every fiber of her being was destroyed by the horror before her.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Her knife came down. It struck its target. She brought the knife back up. She swung it down, her target hit again. Her actions repeated again and again. One fluid motion after the other, her knife struck the body before her. She was coated already, coated in the warm liquid she had caused to splatter all over. Each fresh strike sent another burst of the warm liquid against her body.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">A smile was on her face, one that had been there a long time as she had started. She made fresh holes and fresh liquid with each strike, plunging the knife in and out of the pony before her seemed to bring satisfaction.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">They deserved this, she deserved to be the one to do this to them. This is how it was supposed to be.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">She plunged the knife down one last time, panting as she looked excitedly at her work. The punctured body didn't move or twitch, it just laid before her. The body would never move again.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">She tossed the knife to the side and leaned forward, nuzzling the body as she smiled.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">This was love.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Twilight stepped back as the memories of the dreams filled her mind. She grimaced as her stomach did a flip, a knot forming in her throat. They were horrific dreams, dreams filled with pain, suffering, insanity and loss. These weren't just simple nightmares, no, she had seen dreams like this before…

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"…Are…Are you okay Twilight?" Fluttershy asked nervously, not sure what to expect Twilight's reaction to be.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"…Y-Yea…I'm fine…" Twilight finally managed to say after swallowing the knot in her throat.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"You're awfully pale for being okay." Rainbow said, looking at Twilight worriedly. She didn't think the nightmares would've been so bad as to make Twilight lose a shade of color.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Well, you didn't go stumbling back into the bookcase this time; were they not as bad?" Pinkie asked, tilting her head curiously.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"…Oh, they're…very bad." Twilight rubbed her head a little, "But…they're bad in a different way. I don't think I could make an accurate comparison…at the very least, they felt the same in intensity."

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"S-So…w-what do I do?" Fluttershy asked meekly.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Hold on, I need to consult the book." Twilight said shaking her head lightly, before levitating it over to herself, flipping through some pages and reading a few passages.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"…There's a lot of spells in here for more minor nightmares, soothing remedies, relaxation methods, normal and magical psychological evaluations…but…" Twilight sighed looking at Pinkie, "With what I just saw, there's only one spell in here strong enough to find out what's happening in Fluttershy's mind."

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"…Are you absolutely sure? There's NO other spell in that book?" Pinkie asked, desperate to not have to turn to that answer.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"I'm sure Pinkie. The mind delve spell is going to be our best solution."

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Why are you so against using that spell Pinkie?" Rainbow asked looking strangely at her earth pony friend, "You said it helped you before, why shouldn't we use it on Fluttershy?"

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Pinkie was silent. She thought about it for a moment, before looking seriously at Twilight.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Twilight, read to me the spell's description."

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Twilight flipped back to the exact page of the spell, and began to read:

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"The Mind Delve spell is used in cases where the nightmare or psychological problems are not so easily discernable. This often means that the problem is rooted deep within the patient's subconscious and cannot be obtained through normal psychological methods without spending a very long time treating the patient. This spell allows the user to shorten the necessary time needed in order to bring the patient to a full recovery. Each patient the spell is used under experiences different results, as the subconscious is molded by the patient who owns it. No two patients will likely experience the same recovery under the use of the spell."

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Pinkie thought about those words carefully. Something seemed to spinning the wheels in her head.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"…Okay…" Pinkie finally said, breaking from thought, "We can use the Mind Delve spell on Fluttershy…under one condition though."

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"What?" Twilight asked blinking a little confused.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"You have to find a way to put me into Fluttershy's mind when you do it."

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Y-You want to…go into my mind?" Fluttershy asked very surprised.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Yes. I won't let you go through this alone Fluttershy. I'm going to be there with you to help you with your problem." Pinkie said, turning her head slightly, shifting her mane so Fluttershy could see it better, "I wear this red ribbon as a testament that my friends are dear to me. That means if they're in trouble then I'm going to help them. And I'm going to see you through this Fluttershy, so that you can not only feel better, but so that you don't have to be alone while doing it." Pinkie smiled.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Well, then I'm going in too." Rainbow said stepping closer to Fluttershy, "I can't just let my marefriend do something like this without me. I'm going to be there for her till the very end." Rainbow grinned, nuzzling against Fluttershy.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Fluttershy blushed as she smiled softly, "T-Thank you…both of you…"

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"…Ugh…" Twilight put a hoof to her face, "I don't even know HOW to do that." Twilight said as she walked off towards the bookshelf, "You guys are going to have to give me a moment, there's nothing in 'Dreams: a Psychological Understanding' that explains how to link minds together." She said as she began to levitate books off of the shelf, checking each title before pushing them off to the side. There was a distinct sound of her mumbling something about how she shouldn't have sent Spike on a shopping trip that day.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"This could take a while." Rainbow said looking at the other two mares.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Let's play some games to pass the time!" Pinkie chimed in happily.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"That sounds fun." Fluttershy smiled.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">-

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"King me!" Pinkie grinned happily, having victoriously jumped several of Dash's pieces before arriving at the opposite end of the checkers board.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Man Pinkie, how're you so good at this?" Rainbow furrowed her brow as she looked at the board. She was clearly losing, for the fifth time now. Pinkie had just obtained her third king.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Years of practice Dashie." Pinkie chuckled as she awaited her opponent's next move.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"I think you've both been doing very well." Fluttershy smiled, having enjoyed watching the matches.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"OKAY!" Twilight suddenly declared very loudly putting the book she had been studying vigorously down. "I think I've got something. By using a mixture of various spells I SHOULD be able to get all of you to share in Fluttershy's mind delve. I don't know how well it'll work, at the moment, it's all theory. But I've made theories work before! I can do it again." Twilight nodded, walking towards her friends.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Oh good, I was getting tired of this game anyway." Rainbow said standing up, waving a hoof at the board.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Only cause you were losing." Pinkie chuckled before hoping up as well, before turning to Twilight and looking a little serious, "Are you absolutely sure you can get this to work Twilight?"

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Absolutely. When have you ever known me to mess up a spell once I was confident in how it worked?" Twilight asked curiously.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Pinkie put a hoof to her chin as she looked off to the side before mumbling under her breath, "Well…not in continuity…"

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"What was that?" Twilight asked not having heard her well.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Nothing." Pinkie smiled before turning to look at Fluttershy, "Are you ready for this Fluttershy?"

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"I-I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be." She said, walking next to Pinkie.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"We'll have you feeling better in no time, just you wait." Rainbow Dash smiled, standing next to Fluttershy as well, smiling her confident smile.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Alright then, here goes." Twilight's horn lit up, glowing brightly as she concentrated. She walked up to her three friends who stood before her, before gently tapping her horn against each of their foreheads. A thin blue line attached to her horn that stretched from their foreheads with each tap. The light surrounding her horn grew brighter as she stepped forward, before tapping her horn against Fluttershy's forehead.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">In that instant the world felt like it slipped from under Fluttershy's hooves. Everything felt hazy as her body almost felt numb. She couldn't keep track of her surrounding, thought she felt like she was falling. The only indication she felt like she was moving was a sensation of wind rolling around her. She tumbled and fell through a hazy fog in her mind, unable to comprehend anything.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">She let out a sharp gasp as air finally returned to her lung. She panted for a moment, before her eyes fluttered open. She got her bearings slowly, as the world began to come into view before her. She was still inside of Twilight's house; however it was now missing that particular purple unicorn.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Ugh…Twilight, what's the big idea? That spell-…" It was Rainbow's voice she heard next. She turned her head and saw her marefriend already standing up, looking around for Twilight, "Wait, where'd she go?"

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Ugh, I don't think I could ever get used to that." It was Pinkie's turn to speak up, Rainbow and Fluttershy look behind them to see her groggily standing up, "But I'm glad to see she got it to work." She smiled seeing her two friends.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"What's going on Pinkie? Where's Twilight?" Rainbow asked looking around, confused at their missing unicorn friend.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"That's normal, she's not going to be here with us." Pinkie said, looking around quickly. She got up and ran to a nearby window looking out of it. She grew quiet as she stared out the window.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"…Pinkie Pie?" Fluttershy asked looking at her friend oddly.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Is this what you went through when Twilight helped you?" Rainbow asked curiously.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">There was silence for a moment. Rainbow and Fluttershy looked at each other a little confused, before Pinkie finally spoke back up.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Yes." She turned away from the window, looking at her two friends with a serious look, "It's almost exactly the same as what I went through, and is exactly the reason why I said I had to come." Pinkie said galloping across the library to a shelf, before pulling a map out from it.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked as Pinkie brought the map over to the table, Fluttershy and Rainbow walking up to look at it.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"We're going to need this to keep track of where we are." Pinkie explained, pointing to the map of Ponyville that she unfurled before them. Pinkie looked up from the map, seeing that a bag lay on the table as well. "Fluttershy, you should be the one to take that bag." Pinkie explained pointing to it.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"W-Why?" Fluttershy asked confused grabbing the bag and pulling it closer, opening it.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Trust me; we're going to need it. Is there some kind of instrument inside of it?" Pinkie asked, seeing Fluttershy look inside.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Almost as if an answer to Pinkie's words, a soft, almost haunting melody began to slowly play from the bag. Fluttershy carefully reached in, pulling out an old music box that was playing the soft tune.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"T-This…" Fluttershy stared at the music box in shock, "This…is the music box my mother owned…"

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"What's it doing here?" Rainbow asked looking at it curiously.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"I…I don't know…I lost it a long time ago. How did it get here?" Fluttershy wondered quietly.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">The music slowly faded to a stop as she continued to stare at the music box. Pinkie Pie rolled up the map of Ponyville before placing it in the bag.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Come on, let's head out." Pinkie said smiling at Fluttershy before heading for the front door.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Head out? Where are we going?" Rainbow looked confused at her pink friend.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"We're going to Fluttershy's cottage. If we're going to find any answers I think that's the first place we need to check." Pinkie explained as she opened the door.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Answers? To the nightmares?" Rainbow thought in confusion, "What does this strange place have to do with them? Why are we even here?"

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Fluttershy gently put the music box back in the bag as she listened to Rainbow Dash's questions. She closed the bag, which had a clasp of a blue and pink butterfly. She gently lifted the bag up and placed it on her back to carry with her.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"I…I can't say for sure what this place is. I think we're inside Fluttershy's mind, but at the same time…it feels too solid to just be our imaginations." Pinkie scuffed the floor softly as she explained, "The only thing I know for sure…is that we need to be ready for anything." Pinkie opened the front door, stepping outside.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Let's follow her," Fluttershy said smiling at Rainbow, "She seems to know what she's talking about, so we should follow her till we get our bearings."

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Oh alright, I suppose that makes sense." Rainbow said before following after Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy followed the same, stepping out the front door of Twilight's house.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"H-Hey! What's with this weather!?" Rainbow cried in confusion. Fluttershy stood in shock.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Ponyville had fallen into a thick fog. No building could be seen past a few feet in front of their eyes.