Chapter 0: Prelude Towards Madness

There have been secrets lying forgotten within the land of Equestria. Some of which were considered to be too powerful… or too dark to comprehend. There are secrets that were ancient when the world was young, and there are those that were old even when the universe was still in its infancy. As the peaceful years went by in Equestria, those secrets have lain dormant. But upon this day, one of those secrets will be revealed. And with this revelation, a new era of life will begin.


The sun shone down upon the victorious harmonious wielders. On this day, Ponyville and even Equestria blessed the six heroines for imprisoning the spirit of chaos, Discord. The encounter was tough, but the ponies managed to best Discord at his intricate tricks and his mighty powers. Least to say, the world of chaos was made no more.

Hours passed, and the main six we're behind the closed double doors within Celestia's palace, guarded by two pegasi. Both doors opened to reveal a hallway congregated with grateful smile ponies forming an impromptu gauntlet, where Celestia and Spike waited for them at the far end of the gauntlet. Floor-to-ceiling stained-glass windows adorned the walls on both sides; the sunshine lauded the main six for their heroic deeds. The main six walked through the gauntlet, wearing hopeful smiles as they crossed.

As they reached the end of the gauntlet, joyful smiles were passed between Celestia and Twilight. Applejack tipped a wink to the latter as she does her best to contain her own emotions. Twilight looked to the left, seeing Spike near Celestia waving bashfully with a troubled stomach from his spot. The young unicorn bit back a sheepish grin of her own before Celestia addressed the crowd. Everypony was silent, their ears perked up to hear the royal alicorn to speak.

"Ahem… we are gathered here today to once again honor the heroism of these six friends who stood up to the villain Discord and saved Equestria from eternal chaos." During her quick speech, the main six sat there with proud smiles. Once she was done, the hall broke out in wild cheering. As the cheering died down, all six ponies bowed before their sovereign. Celestia acknowledged their bows with a smile, and then aimed her horn off toward one wall and magically opened a curtain. Behind it was a new stained glass window; a new decoration installed to commemorate their valor. On it showed Discord transfixed in the Elements' power as the ponies delivered justice on him. The crowd feasted their eyes on it's marvelous art; and with it, a fresh round of cheering began once more, but this time confetti and streamers were shot into the air showering down the whole room. On this day, Equestria was saved once more.


"WOOOHOOOO! THIS IS THE BEST PARTY EVEEEERRR!" Pinkie squealed in joy as she leaped into the air. It had been almost seven hours, and the party kept going strong. Inside the ballroom were various types of ponies having a great time. Several of refreshment tables were scattered in various places, confetti, balloons and streamers littered the whole area, and the ponies were accommodated by jamming music coming from towering speakers. Some of the ponies danced until they couldn't move no more, while some relaxed and chatted with one another. Overall, the ballroom was ruled by party animals.

Rainbow Dash danced along the beats of the music with Applejack. Rarity was chatting away with variously attired ponies who were interested in her success. Pinkie Pie bounced everywhere in the room, having the time of her life. While the whole room continued to burst out with life, Twilight and Fluttershy were outside of the ballroom enjoying their cups of punch in silent. The two of them had their friendly discussions and brought up interesting topics.

"You're kidding! How did you ever figured that out?" Twilight asked. Fluttershy looked away from Twilight and stared at the orange sunset sky.

"Well, it's all about identifying the bear's behavior. I mean, at first he was restless and cranky, but I managed to figure out why he was behaving so badly. And so I knew that to calm him down was-" Just as Fluttershy was getting to the good part, she was interrupted by a small throat clearing cough. Both Fluttershy and Twilight turned around to be greeted by the royal highness herself.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything important." Celestia asked politely. Twilight looked at Fluttershy with a disappointed face. But Fluttershy understood that the mere conversation can be put on hold since Princess Celestia was here. She smiled and nodded to her friend. Twilight smiled back and faced the princess again.

"Oh not at all, your highness! What brings you here?" She asked.

"I'm just here getting some fresh air. Your friend Pinkie really knows how to keep a party alive." Celestia said, adding a small chuckle. "But anyways, would you two like to take a small stroll around my garden with me?" Twilight felt honored from the request. She smiled and nodded her head. She then looked at Fluttershy to see if she had the same response. However, Fluttershy simply shook her head.

"Oh I'm alright. You two can go ahead without me. I need some time alone." She said cheerfully. Twilight adopted a worried face from Fluttershy's statement. However, the way she said it convinced Twilight that Fluttershy was alright. Accepting her decision, Twilight nodded her head.

"Okay, we'll be heading back home in about an hour. So don't go far, okay?"

"I understand." Fluttershy replied while nodding. Now that the decision was made up, Celestia started to walk towards the entrance of her garden. Twilight followed after her and eventually the two started their path. After the two of them were out of sight, Fluttershy dropped her joyful expression and walked towards the otherway depressed.

While she walked towards the other part of the garden, she recalled what Princess Celestia said during the awarding ceremony.


"Ahem… we are gathered here today to once again honor the heroism of these six friends who stood up to the villain Discord and saved Equestria from eternal chaos."


Celestia's speech did indeed made her feel honored, however; a single word in that sentence struck Fluttershy… heroism. Looking back at her life, all she had done was cower behind her friends, not defending or standing up for herself. At times she did muster up courage, but it was all out of luck and not from her decisions. Fluttershy remembered what she said to Discord in the maze early that day.


Her thoughts showed her the time she encountered Discord in his butterfly form.

"Fluttershy...looks like you've been left behind by your so called friends, huh?" Discord chided.

"Oh, no. I'm certain they're doing their best to find me." Fluttershy replied nonchalantly.

"Well, it must be so upsetting to know how weak and helpless they think you are." He added.

"Not at all. I am weak and helpless, and I appreciate their understanding." Fluttershy once more replied nonchalantly. This caused Discord to start getting annoyed and frustrated at her game.

"Yes, well, surely it burns you up, I mean that they're always pointing out your flaws, right?" He stammered.

"Not really. In fact, I think I'm awfully lucky to have friends who want me to be the best I can be." She said with confidence.


Looking back at that conversation, Fluttershy felt if her words were true. Even if no one pointed at her flaws, she would still feel bitter about herself. Most of the time, she hid behind her friends so that they can deal with the situation without her help. Fluttershy felt like a failure to not only be brave for others, but for herself as well. She tried to escape her shame by accepting the truth nonchalantly, but it only made her worse. Not only that, she hid the guilt of being cruel to her friends even though it wasn't her fault. The fact that she couldn't gain control overself during that time she was being cruel showed that she was incapable of standing up for herself. Fluttershy sighed hollowly, knowing full well she was indeed weak and helpless… and there was nothing she could do about it.

Just before Fluttershy could recall anymore painful memories, she noticed that her autopilot walk lead her to a statue. She looked up and saw the statue of Discord being surrounded by a protective forcefield dome. The dome emitted a translucent, slightly pink tinted sphere that hummed soothingly. Fluttershy looked up and stared at Discord's shocked stoned eyes. Looking at him made her ire feelings boil. But at the same time, she felt sorry for his misfortune. She couldn't explain it, but deep down, she knew that Discord only did what he did to gain attention. Moreover, all he ever wanted was to be acknowledge… but his childish behavior obscured any hints on his feelings. Fluttershy couldn't help but realize that Discord only wanted a friend. But now that he is turned to stone, she abandoned any sympathy she had on Discord. Fluttershy looked down and closed her eyes.

"If only I would've been stronger back then… I could've made a difference. I wish I wasn't… so weak and helpless…" Fluttershy said to herself solemnly. She stood there for a full minute, letting her thoughts floated freely in the void. She thought of nothing but herself during that time. But just as she could descent further, she came to realization that it was getting late. The sun was starting to head towards the mountains in the distance. She also realized that the train heading towards Ponyville was going to depart in a half an hour.

"Oh… I guess I must of…" Fluttershy said to herself… but never bothered to finish her sentence. Deciding to head back, she turned around, looking back at Discord one last time, then proceeded to walk away. As she walked back towards the trail she went through, Fluttershy suddenly felt an uneasy presence. She stopped and looked to her left. She gasped lightly to know that she wasn't alone.

Just a yard away, she spotted a mysterious silhouette figure that was leaning against a tall hedge. The figure was obscured from her point of view due to the intensity of the shade the hedge produced. But what she couldn't figure out… was its species. The figure appeared to have two legs and two arms being folded with each other. The figure stared at Fluttershy with its red piercing glowing eyes, sending dark and eerie vibes towards Fluttershy. From the moment she made eye contact with this mysterious intruder, she felt scared and nervous.

"U-Uhh… w-w-who are… y-you?" Fluttershy asked, struggling to form her sentence fluently. But the figure spoke nothing, as it kept staring at her with its eerie eyes. The more she stared at it, the greater the fear became. She gulped, and attempted to ask again.

"Umm… e-excuse… me…? H-How did you… get h-here and-" Suddenly, Fluttershy's visions faded into black. And the only thing she saw was a barely blurry sentence appearing right in front of her eyes. There was no voice to narrate it, so Fluttershy had to read it.

"Your life is a nugatory excuse… your existence… even more meaningless."

After she read the sentence, her visions brought her back to reality. At that moment, Fluttershy felt her blood run cold in fear. The presence of this hostile enemy started to back her into a corner. Fluttershy couldn't explain how she managed to converse through the unknown figure. Using every ounce of bravery, Fluttershy tried her best to respond.

"W-W-What… what are… y-you talking… a-about?" She asked apprehensively. Once again, her visions faded into black and another message appeared right before her very eyes.

"You are ruled by impotent fear… your kind has thrived immaculately in a harmony filled with naivety and obscurity. For tonight… fate shall bring forth those who are chosen to weave this prophecy together."

The message faded, but her visions remained blackened. Fluttershy was too scared to even comment back. The fear was so great, tears were rushing down her eyes without her even knowing it. She hoped that this frightening mysterious figure would go away. After a few more silent seconds, another message appeared before her eyes.

"This reality shall be eradicated by his forthcoming apocalypse… and from its ashes… shall he be the herald of a reality far beyond your comprehension."

The message faded and another one faded in its place.

"He's coming…"

After a few seconds, Fluttershy's visions were back into reality. But strangely, Fluttershy noticed that the mysterious silhouette figure was gone. She looked around and saw no sign of the figure anywhere. Fluttershy was standing there alone, frightened beyond belief. She perspired heavily, and her whole body shook violently. Scared squeaks and muffles escaped her mouth, as she struggled to break free from the fear that bound her so. Tears were starting to come out her eyes less frequently while she was trying to calm herself down. As all of this was happening all at once, Fluttershy tried to contemplate on what was going on.

"W-Who… was that…?" She stuttered fearfully.

"Fluttershy…?" A voice said from behind her. Shocked, Fluttershy yelped and leaped forward while turning the other direction. To her relief, she saw Twilight and Celestia looking concerned at her.

"Whoa, I'm so sorry for scaring you like…" At that moment, Twilight noticed Fluttershy still had tear streams on her cheeks and her eyes were irritated from producing so many tears. She then adopted a worried face.

"Hey… are you okay?" She asked. Fluttershy realized she still had tear streams on her cheeks. She wiped them off and stared behind her, seeing if the mysterious figure was back, but it wasn't. Fluttershy was about to tell the two of them what happened when her thoughts tangled her sense of self. Fluttershy was tired of depending on other ponies to worry about her problems. Not only that, she felt ashamed of being broken down by profound fear that easily. Even if she would've told them what happened, they wouldn't believe her nonetheless. After taking a moment to resolve herself, she decided not to tell.

"Oh… I'm fine. Really… it's just that my eyes are irritated now." Fluttershy lied, attempting to shrug off her distraught face with a fake smile. Both the princess and Twilight looked at each other in confusion, then back at Fluttershy. Twilight analyzed Fluttershy's face for a moment, then she bought her lie.

"Well okay then… the train is about to leave. We really need to head on over there. I'll gather the others, you just go on ahead over there and we'll meet you there." Twilight looked at princess and bowed before her ruler. Celestia admired her bow and nodded her head. After that, Twilight ran back to the ballroom where her friends were starting to wrap things up. Celestia looked at Fluttershy who dropped her guard at keeping her act. Fluttershy loomed her head down and stared at the ground.

Celestia wanted to ask Fluttershy what was wrong, but she knew that she was worried by something else. Taking a few moments to look at the aftermath of Fluttershy's genuine expression, it gave Celestia a hint that pure fear struck the yellow pegasus immensely and unexpectedly. She didn't know what happened, but she admired her bravery, and thus Celestia absolved Fluttershy from her inquisition on what caused her this much tension.

"Fluttershy, why don't go and meet with the others." Celestia said. Fluttershy snapped out of her solumed state and turned her full attention to the princess. Fluttershy once again put on her act and simply smiled at her.

"Oh yes… thank you so much for the party, your highness." Celestia nodded.

"And thank you for your great deed. You really showed bravery on your part… never forget that. Your friends are waiting… go to them." Fluttershy nodded her head and flew into the air. Celestia watch her take off gracefully, admiring her effort to calm herself down. Just as Fluttershy was but a spec in the sky, Celestia looked to the tall hedge where the mysterious figure was once there. She felt wary of what Fluttershy had encountered that made her feel so much fear. Adopting a leery face, Celestia furrowed her eyebrows at the spot where the figure stood. She could sense a faint dark presence still residing from that spot. She knew that the figure absconded its dark scent to let Celestia know that a new evil was rising. The princess was also flabbergasted to realize how obscure the intruder was. Celestia could sense any negative energy thousands of miles away, yet there was not a single trace of the intruder's energy when it arrived. Now knowing full well of what happened, Celestia became more cautious and wary. She stared at the sinking sun, wondering if this evil is only but an illusion.


Over at the train station, the train idled at the platform waiting for the last passengers to arrive. Puffs of steam shot out of the chimney tube, as the train roared its engines. Fluttershy sat at the train station alone and feeling bitter. Fluttershy's thoughts flew freely in her depressed mind, assaulting her with evocative feelings and memories. Many thoughts flew past her, but one particular memory she dwelled in was the time Fluttershy became cruel. She felt remorse of her actions, and yet forgiving herself proved to be a challenge. Her contrite heart wouldn't allow any mending to it, making it harder for Fluttershy to cheer up. All she can do now was straight up apologize to her friends. Even though it wasn't her fault to begin with, it still felt like she was responsible for the pain she caused.

Fluttershy was about to dwell deeper into the bitter coldness of her mind when she picked up a familiar voice coming in. She turned to the left and saw Twilight and the others walking over towards the train station. Twilight took her eyes off of Applejack and spotted Fluttershy. The others looked forward and spotted the yellow pegasus as well. Pinkie Pie bounced happily towards her with giggles.

"Woooh boy! That was some party wasn't it, Fluttershy?" Pinkie asked cheerfully. Rainbow Dash flew next to her and nudged her shoulder.

"Where were you? I was looking all over for you and you just disappeared! Ehh, it doesn't matter anyways. You had a good time?" Fluttershy, not wanting to make her friends concerned of her, displayed her fake smile.

"Oh yes, it was… alright." Fluttershy said, hiding her true feelings. Applejack yawned and stretched all four of her legs.

"Hooo boy, I'ma might tired yall! But why don't we all take a short stroll aroun' Ponyville, say a single lap? I could go for a bit more fresh air before I hit the hay." Applejack suggested. Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie nodded their heads.

"Why not? I could go for some more exercise too!" Rainbow Dash added. Rarity grunted at the thought of taking a short walk since she felt tired from all the publicity.

"Oh honestly, Applejack. Can't a lady have any rest after a long day?" Rarity whined. Applejack rolled her eyes and furrowed at her.

"Well pardon me, I didn't oblige anyone to go with." Applejack remarked. "Besides, I would like to have a chat with all yall, and it would be nice for you to jo-"

"Oh fine! Very well then, I shall attend to this small stroll so you can stop bugging me!" Rarity interrupted in an irritated tone. Applejack displayed her sour face at her.

"Well ya don't have to get all worked up on that…" She sighed. The chimney pipe blew more smoke and the engine roared once more, indicating that the train was about to depart.

"Aaaaalll aboooooard to Ponyviiiile!" The conductor announced loudly. Without wasting any time, everypony climbed aboard the train. The girls walked towards an open seat and sat down. Fluttershy sat next to the window and sighed, while the others continued talking to each other. The train doors closed and the train whistle roared again. The train started to move slowly, then in a matter of moments it started to gain speed. Now that the ponies rode towards their home, Fluttershy kept her eyes fixated up at the sky. She thought about her cruel nature, her weakness, and her fear. But mostly, she wondered who in the world was that sinister figure… and what it meant. Deep within her stomach, she knew that she'll meet it again soon… very soon.