Chapter 2: Jack Armstrong

The sight of this obscured and mysterious figure gave an eerie chill to Fluttershy's spine. It just stood there staring at her. It was hard to make out what it looked like from the dim light behind it. Fluttershy's heart rate suddenly skyrocketed in a matter of moments. Suddenly, the mysterious figure started to walk towards her. The gentle pony started to develop overwhelming fear, as she prepared herself for any pain that will be inflicted upon her. She closed her eyes tightly, as she whimpered very loudly with more tears coming out of her eyes. All she could think of right now is protecting her very last bit of happiness, and hoped that the pain will only last for a mere second. As the obscured figure took its final step near the chained up pegasus, it kneeled down to her level.

Fluttershy started to hiccup from all the fear she's developing. She squinted her left eye and took a peek at the figure. There, the figure reached over to Fluttershy's neck. At that time, she sealed her eye again and prepared herself for whatever comes her way. But… all she felt was two soft fingers being pressed onto her neck directly at the carotid artery spot. She could feel and hear her pulse being given out.

"Be quiet… I'm not going to hurt you." The figure spoke out in a rude yet calm tone. Fluttershy paused her whimpering at that moment. The obscure figure let out a simple indignation grunt.

"Hmph… typical. I guess these undead retards are still alive. Idiots, searching for live food is pointless. Oh well, at least I know what I'm up against now." Fluttershy opened her eyes and looked at the figure once more. With a bit of light now shining on the figure's face, it revealed a face of a male human being. However, this human looked nothing like the monsters she saw. He had two katanas strapped onto his back. He also had a brown leather belt with many leather satchels and pouches around it. Two handguns were in their holsters on both sides of his waist. He wore black knee boots, along with an army knife strapped to the side of his left foot. And he wore shabby clothes that looked like it's been frequently used. He has a very long dark brown hair color, pale green iris color, and appeared to be in his young adult age. The human stood back up and sighed.

"I'm outta here." He said in a vulgar tone. He turned around and walked straight towards the exit. Fluttershy's heart rate went back down in her moment of relief, but she knew that she had to get out of this place. The human didn't look intimidating to her at all, as she wondered if he was friendly. With a bit of courage left within her, she whimpered again nervously.

"W-Wa… Wait. H-Help… me… p-please." She choked in fear. At that moment, the human stopped dead in his tracks. He turned around with a surprised look on his face.

"Did… did you just talked?" The human perplexed. Fluttershy replied with a slow nod. The human couldn't believe his eyes; an actual pony talking in english. He eyed down to the floor and back at her.

"Wait… you're from… this place called… Equestria I heard of, correct?" He asked quizzically. Fluttershy gulped down and spoke softly.

"Y-Yes…" The human then rolled his eyes around and grunted.

"Figures… so that place really does exist then." Fluttershy tried to move around, but the burn under the shackles made her squeal in pain. With irritated eyes, she looked at the human once more.

"P-Please… help me. I-I'm so scared… I don't wanna die here! I'm begging you… don't leave me here!" She said desperately before breaking into more tears. The way Fluttershy cried struck the human's heart sort of roughly. It was like he was being seduced by cuteness. The human grunted a sigh, while he pinched his nasal root. After a few seconds of silence, he let go of his nasal root and glared at her.

"*Sigh*… fine. You're very lucky I'm not in an angry mood right now… which I should be at this point." The human walked over to Fluttershy again and kneeled down to her level. He then examined the shackles that were placed on her. He then reached into one of his pouches and pulls out a half-diamond pick. Then, he began to work on the keyhole on the waist shackle. It took him twenty seconds to unlock the keyhole and unshackle it. However, after the shackle was released, he noticed that a bunch of hooks were dug into her skin. His eyes narrowed more negative than ever.

"Christ… I guess they wanted you that badly. Just hold still, you got a lot of hooks that I got to extract." He said and went to work. Each hook he extracted stung Fluttershy a bit. She bit her bottom lip while trying her very best not to squeak in pain. Ten minutes later of unshackling and extracting the hooks on her waist and legs, he removed the last hook from her right leg. When he was finished, he exhaled and stood back up.

"There, the hooks shouldn't be infected. So you're free to move as you please." Fluttershy carefully tried to stand up on all four without hurting herself. When she stood up, her back legs were a little wobbly and a few cut marks bled a little bit from the pressure she's putting on. Other than that, she felt normal… almost normal that is. The yellow pegasus looked up at the human and shyly smiled back.

"T-Thank you… m-mister…" She spoke in a shy tone. The human gazed away and stared at the door.

"Whatever. And it's Jack Armstrong to you. I dislike it when someone calls me mister." Jack exasperated himself. He then pointed towards the door and darted his eyes at Fluttershy.

"Just head straight down the south hallway and turn to the right corner. Keep going and you'll find the entrance up some stairs. Okay? Okay. Bye." Jack walked towards the wooden door and prepared to leave the room. Fluttershy was about to go out with him when something suddenly hit her in her mind. She was shown an image of her friends smiling at her. And that's when it occurred to her… she knew that not only she was in danger… but the others as well. She turned from calm to worried in an instant. She let out a silent gasp and placed her hoof on her lips.

Oh no! I totally almost forgot! My friends could be in danger! She thought. Snapping back into reality, she tried to inform Jack.

"W-Wait… miste- I-I mean, Jack!" She stuttered. Jack had his right foot out the door before he paused He then closed his eyes and sighed.

"Yes…?" Jack eyed at Fluttershy and displayed his annoyed facial expression. Fluttershy moved two steps and felt a little pain on her back leg. She ticked in pain but she ignored it.

"Wait… m-my friends… I think those monsters might have captured them too! Please! You've got to help them! I'm begging you! That is… if you really want t- n-no… you have to save them!" She pleaded. Jack didn't spoke a word for a few moments. Fluttershy felt a little nervous from this weird moment. After a few silent moments had passed by, Jack eyed at the ground and exhaled quietly.

"What's your name?" He finally spoke out, making Fluttershy gulp nervously.

"F-Flutter…shy. Fluttershy…"

"Fluttershy huh…?" He then squinted his eyelids.

"What a cheesy name…" He said silently and raised his volume back up to normal.

"Well anyways… Fluttershy, hate to break it to you. By now, your friends are probably dead or being slaughtered. This is no ordinary place you're treading in." From the sudden shocking news, Fluttershy couldn't believe what she was hearing. This made her gasp really loudly.

"Wh-what?! No! That can't be true!" She panicked. Jack looked up at the ceiling and closed his eyes.

"Believe what you want to believe." Jack spoke dully, as he looked back at Fluttershy. "I didn't come here to rescue you or your deceased friends. My reasons are my own. There's no point in saving them now. This place defines the true meaning of no mercy. I'm sorry." Unable to stand the horrific news, Fluttershy collapsed to the ground and started weeping. Her heart was breaking into two while another batch of tears were streaming down her eyes.

"No! No! *Wheeze*… I… I can't…*Sniff*…" At this point, she felt lonelier than ever. Fluttershy couldn't control her sorrow, it took control of her. But just before she could break into anymore despair, she remembered something that her friends told her a while back.


"I'm so sorry, Rainbow Dash. I know I should have leaped out of the way. But… I couldn't move. It was one of the most frightening things I've ever seen in my entire life." Fluttershy quietly said, weeping away under Dash's head. Applejack gave a short chuckle and stroked Fluttershy's mane.

"Ah know how ya feel, pumpkin. But you're not always alone. We all got each other's backs and there ain't nothin' that will put us down. If the situation seems hopeless, don't don't you go and believe it. You will always have us no matter what situation we're in." She smiled at Fluttershy.

Then she remembered what Twilight spoke. "The point is, Fluttershy… you've got to stand up for yourself and help your friends. I don't know what we do without you. You've taught us so much about kindness. And we couldn't have gotten this far without your help. We love you very much."


After that brief flashback, she stopped her painicing. From what she heard from her friends, it made her think of something. So what if the situation seemed bleak and hopeless? She knew that deep down in her own heart that they're not dead just yet. She knew that her friends are still alive in here, waiting to be rescued. While she's gathering up her loss strength, she wiped away her tears and became a bit more confident.

"N-No… they're not… dead." Her voice started to rise up in anger. Her confidence was boiling up inside of Fluttershy, giving her hidden strength. She raised her head up and eyed at Jack.

"I won't believe it! I will not! They're still alive! I can feel it in my heart that they need help!" She stomped over to Jack while using 'The Stare'. Jack backed up a bit as he stared helplessly into Fluttershy's eyes. He felt very paranoid while looking down in the eyes of the abyss. His mind begun to go mad; picking away pieces of his sanity and his sense of self. Pearls of sweat were trailing down his head as he continued to look at her big pupils. While glaring at Jack, Fluttershy started to trot over to him.

"You will help them! They mean everything to me and I can NOT afford to lose them! YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!" She yelled. Jack shut his eyes completely and turned his head to the side. As he faced away Fluttershy, he grunted in pain from the mental recoil. Then, he kneeled down and immediately covered Fluttershy's mouth with his hand. He hushed at her angrily.

"Keep it down… Jesus! Do you want to wake up everything in this fucking place?!" He whispered in rage. Fluttershy snapped out of anger and gasped. Her stare was deactivated and went back into puppy eyes mode. With a sigh of relief, Jack eyed back to Fluttershy.

"Fine… fine! I'll see what I can do. But I will not recover them if they're dead. Do you understand me?" He whispered in annoyance. With one moment of silence, Fluttershy nodded her head. Jack uncovered her mouth and stood back up. Fluttershy looked at the ground as she kicked a small rock.

"I'm sorry… for yelling at you." She apologized innocently. Jack rolled his eyes and sighed.

"It's fine. Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do. Just head straight down and turn to the right corner. Okay? Okay. Bye… again." And with that, he opened the prison door wider and started walking towards the other way. Fluttershy was relieved that there was someone who will help her friends out. However, she was not completely unsure that she can fully trust this mysterious human. What if he forgets? Will he really rescue all five of them? Does he know there are five he must save? And will the others know that he's not a hostile person? All these questions were filling up her brain, making her unsure and more worried about them. With little time to think, she gasped and went out the prison door to get Jack again.

"Wait! Jack!" She called out quietly. Fluttershy was taking a huge risk of herself for asking him this simple request. Jack stopped immediately and grasped his fists hard. He then growled and looks back.

"What now…?!" He said to himself annoyed. Fluttershy gulped down and tried to spit out her words.

"Um… if… if it's alright with you… c-could… could I come with you? I'm really REALLY worried about my friends and I can't stand doing nothing. Please!" She squeaked. Jack spoke nothing yet again due to the awkward moment. He turned his head the other way and raised his head up a bit.

"Tell me… Fluttershy is it? Which place scares you the most besides right here?" He questioned her. Fluttershy thought of all the places she's been to and she came up with one answer.

"Well umm… th-the Everfree Forest is very scary and very unnatural. There's creepy creatures, the plants grow, animals care of themselves, and the clouds move… all on their own!" She shuttered. Jack could only stand there silently twitching his eyelid with a 'You serious?' expression on his face. The two of them were quiet for a few seconds as the fog moved by. Then, he turned around and stared at her with a blank expression.

"Well… I have some very bad news. This… Everfree Forest you speak of… that place holds only a small fraction of what horrors await in this god-forsaken place. This place was originally named 'R'lyeh, The Lost City of Cthulhu'. It is a place where cults worship and create horrible experiments. But now… it is named, "The Catacombs of Zalgo'. It's literally like hell itself here. Unquestionable terror lurks in every corner of this damned catacomb. A living creature weak as one such as yourself will lose your sanity and psyche in an instant. It's one of the most horrific places the universe has to offer. It's like walking through the face of death a countless number of times. What makes you think you can survive this?" From the horrors of which Jack spoke, Fluttershy couldn't begun to describe how scared she was. She knew that he spoke the truth.

"O-Oh… m-my…" Fluttershy shuddered in fear. She can practically picture of what horrors lie ahead of her. The more she thought about it, the more it sent chills down her spine. She was just about to bail out when she suddenly saw her friends in her mind again smiling at her. Then, she was reminded once more of what her friends said to her.


She remembered what Rainbow Dash said to her. "Fluttershy… I know you were scared. But, I was way more scared than you when you were about to be eaten alive. You've got to be stronger than this. You once stood up against a giant red dragon for us. You even stood up against a giant manticore that looked so terrifying, and you showed it kindness. You need to gather your strength and face your fears head on!" Rainbow Dash went up to Fluttershy and gave her a slight hug. Then she remembered what Rarity said.

"No matter what happens, no matter what the situation is, or how scary and frightening it looks, you have to face your fears, darling. We're always here to comfort you in your disparate time of need." Rarity said, hugging her tightly. And finally, she remembered what Pinkie Pie said.

"And don't forget to laugh at anything that scares you! Laughter is the best medicine you could ever ask for!" The party pony exclaimed proudly.


With all five comforting motivations and spirits rushing through her mind, Fluttershy begun to have second thoughts of hiding. With the strength of her friends backing up, she was determined to face any challenge… even if it meant putting her life at risk. She looked up at Jack and placed her game face on.

"B-Because… because friendship… is worth fighting for! I… I'm up for any challenge that will come my way. Even if I die trying... I'll still stay true to my word! I'm going with you and that's final!" She bravely spoke out, with a bit of fear in her tone. Jack looked into Fluttershy's pupils and noticed that she wasn't all just talk. At that moment, he closed his eyes and sighed briefly.

"You've got guts I'll give you that… but for how long is the true question. All right, you can tag along with me. However, I have three very strict rules for you that I will not tolerate you breaking." He struck one finger up.

"One, you stay with me at all costs. You will easily get lost in here and I will not bother to find you again if you do. If I somehow get killed, you're all on your own." Then he stuck up two fingers.

"Two, do exactly as I say when I tell you to without question. No matter what situation it is, or how desperately you need to disobey my order, you WILL and ALWAYS WILL listen to me. I know this place from the start to finish and you will get yourself killed if you're not careful."

Then, he struck three fingers up.

"And finally, three! The most important thing I will not tolerate is your whining. You are neither my burden nor weight. I do not want to hear you begging to go back… cause there will be no turning back once we venture down deep enough. And please… please try not to make any loud noises. Who knows what lurks within the darkness." Jack sighed and turned around, facing the endless foggy hallway. He pulled out his right katana out of its sheath from his back. As he pulled his katana out of the sheath, it made a cold steel sound that gave Fluttershy the chills. He then pulled out his handgun from his left holster. Once he pulled it out, he pulled the hammer on the handgun, making it click. Jack glanced back at Fluttershy again.

"Last chance... either go home and let me take care of this… or face hell's wrath with me." He said. With little time to think for herself, she looked behind her… and then back to Jack. With one final gulp, she slowly walked towards Jack. She slowly nodded her head at him. Then, Jack returned the nod and stared directly into the hallway of death.

"Alright then… let's get this over with." He said, while cracking his tiring neck from both sides. And so, the two ventured down the halls of the damned. What horrors lie ahead? Only time will tell… soon enough.