//------------------------------//
// The City of Drocsid 
// Story: Journey of the Spark 
// by LordMalevar063 
//------------------------------//

Twilight steps out of the shadows and into the sunlight, momentarily blinded by the brightness. Squinting, she peers forward in amazement as a breathtakingly beautiful city sprawls out before her, sparkling in the sun. She walks forwards towards a large stone archway and stops.

"What is this place?"

Suddenly, a pony bursts in front of Twilight with balloons and streamers.

"Surprise!"

""AH!" startled Twilight. Twilight jumps back, alarmed at the surprising shout.

Twilight's eyes widen in shock of this pony's appearance: an exact a carbon-copy of Pinkie Pie, except for a white body and a light golden mane and tail as well as a pair of Pegasus wings.

"Welcome! To the city of Drrrrrrrocsid!" the cheered white-colored, light-golden-mane-and-tail pony.

Twilight simply stands there confused and still slightly alarmed. "Drocsid?"

This cheering Pinkie Pie-like pony starts leading Twilight through the archway and into the city. Then the strange, cheering, white pony does a quick loop-de-loop in the air and lands back onto the ground, her face right in front of Twilight's face and begins shaking Twilight's hoof furiously.

"We're so excited to have you here!" the pony continued, energetically. "This is the greatest most fantabulous thing in the history of forever! You're bound to have the most wonderful, most fantastical, most fantasmagorical day of your life!" This pony, who looked like Pinkie Pie, flew to and fro and everyone.

"Now wait, wait, wait! Just a minute! Who are you!? And why do you look so familiar?" asked Twilight, confused.

"Surprise!" answered the pony. "I'm your new friend!"

"New… friend?"

"Oh, yeah!" said the pony whose name was Surprise. "I'm your new friend! You have lots of new friends! Dozens! Hundreds! Qua-billions and zillions!"

"Um... okay...," Twilight mumbled. It seemed she thought by leaving Equestia behind she had left her friends behind, never to be part of any pony world. It seemed she was wrong.

"Come on! They're all just dying to meet you! Let's go!" Surprise floated in the air and into the center of the city.

"Wait, but Pinkie…" muttered Twilight. She stops for a moment, shocked at what she just said. A look of sadness comes across her face and she lowers her head slightly. She follows Surprise.

Surprise lands and happily trots through the streets, leading Twilight to four other ponies. Surprise quickly bounces into the air and clicks both of her hooves before reaching the ground again.

"Come on, Twilight!" Surprise cheered again. "I want to introduce you to your friends!"

"Wait, how do you know my name?" asked Twilight, realizing this strange pony knows her name. "We've only just me."

"Oh, everypony knows you here, Twilight! We've been expecting you!"

A slightly frightened look comes across Twilight's face. "You've been expecting me?"

"Mmmhmm! Come on! You're keeping everypony waiting!" Surprise leads Twilight up to the other ponies.

The four ponies stood from left to right. They looked exactly like Twilight's friends but something about them felt a lot different. Something that felt they were some kind of lost generation of ponies; ponies that were from a different dimension. And these ponies had horse-like heads.

"Twilight, meet the girls," said Sunprise, going from left to right, "This is Firefly, Sparkler, Posey (exact copy of Fluttershy), and... Applejack."

From left-to-right, Firefly was a pink pony with a blue mane and tail and looking like Rainbow Dash; Sparkler looked like Rarity but with a lighter yet dark mane and tail and a light purple body; Posey looked like Fluttershy but with a head looking like a horse, and the last pony, whose name was Applejack, looked like Twilight's friend only with a horse head.

"Howdy partner!" said the strange-looking Applejack. "Apples, apples, apples!"

"We're so happy to meet you!" said Firefly.

These ponies, if that what Twilight was thinking, begin gathering around Twilight, almost just enough to make Twilight uncomfortable.

"Oh no!" said Posey. "The poor darling! She's so scratched up!"

"My goodness, love!" said Sparkler. "Your mane is an absolute wreck!"

"She looks a might' bit hungry, too," said Applejack. "Come on, sugarcube. We better get you somethin' to eat. We got apple fritters, apple pie, caramel apples, apple cinnamon crisps…" The pony kept on saying apple recipes.

"And after that we can play some games!" said Surprise, as Sparkler fawns over Twilight's bedraggled mane.

"But not until we get you tidied up," said Sparkler.

Posey holds up Twilight's injured leg. "And taken care of."

"And calmed down," said Firefly.

All start pulling Twilight forwards. Twilight shouts, "STOP!" And backs away from the ponies she barely just met. "I'm still very confused. Let's just start at the beginning. Where am I?"

"Like I said, silly; you're in Drocsid!" said Surprise.

(A song called The Drocsid Welcome Song was to be sung here.)

From the Canterlot Castle's throne room, Discord overlooks at Twilight through a small crystal ball he holds in his claw.

He gives a deep chuckle and said in a low tone: "Welcome home… Twilight Sparkle." And chuckles again.

Waving a figure on the crystal ball's top, Twilight's injured leg shows it changing very suddenly to that of a wooden leg.