//------------------------------// // Chapter One // Story: Three Rednecks Enter Discord's Maze // by Emerald Harp //------------------------------// Bill Engvall yawned and stretched out in his lawn chair. After taking a few puffs from his Yakyakistan cigar, he commented, “Another job well done, boys. I wish we could do this every day.” Jeff Foxworthy belched as he crushed a beer can under foot. “Yep, working for the City of Ponyville is pretty good. I can’t think of any other outfit that pays in gold coins for hanging Halloween decorations back in the states.” Larry the Cable Guy nodded as he held a bratwurst-impaled stick over a small crackling fire. “Well, I’d just as soon be paid in candy. It’s Hallo--- I mean Nightmare Night after all.” Jeff eyed the fat redneck. “Your fat ass wouldn’t fit in your trailer. It barely fits now.” “I’d just make the door wider.” “I’m with Larry on this one. If the food is good enough, you make the room,” chuckled Engvall. The three friends talked, ate, drank, and smoked for several more minutes before a shy, yellow pegasus slowly made her way towards the camp. “Um, excuse me?” The question drew the attention of all three of the humans. Jeff was so surprised that he nearly choked on his beer. “Fluttershy? Is that you? I mean for real? You’re not a changeling or anything like that, are you?” “Um, I don’t think so,” replied the pegaus. “Well, of course she’s not a changeling,” answered Bill as he extinguished his cigar nub. “She’s too damn nice to say, ‘That’s the dumbest question I’ve heard all night, Foxworthy. If I wanted to be a changeling, I’d paint myself black, and there’d be a toilet paper roll glued to my head.’” Jeff closed his eyes and took a calming breath. “I know she’s not dressed as a changeling. What I’m really asking is why the sweetest, most-caring pony in all of Equestria is out and about on the scariest night of the year?” Fluttershy blushed a little. “Does she need a reason?” asked Bill. “Well . . . no, but I still think ---,“ the two rednecks went on like this for a while. “Would you like a brat, sweetheart, while these two sort out if you’re here to kill us?” offered Larry. The pegasus took one look at what the Cable Guy was eating and threw up a little in her mouth. “Oh, uh, no thank you, Larry. But I appreciate the offer. I’m actually here to ask a favor. If that’s okay?” Five Minutes Later “So you want us to do a dry run through a ‘haunted’ corn maze before Twilight and her crew gets there?” asked Jeff. The pegasus nodded. “I want Twilight and the others to be . . . startled. Not scared, being scared is no fun at all. But they’ve been going to the Nightmare Night celebrations for years. So I know I’m going to have to try really, really hard to startle them. So I’ve brought in an expert to make the maze extra startley.” “Who’d you get?” asked Bill. “Why me, of course,” said a disturbingly familiar voice from below the ground. A taloned fist burst from the earth eliciting a terrified shriek from the rednecks. “Discord, was that really necessary?” asked Fluttershy. The chimera arose from the ground like a zombie. “My apologies, my dear, but tis the season.” Larry would never admit it, but he almost peed himself, and judging from the bug-eyed looks from his fellow humans, they nearly had the same experience. “Really? You asked him?” “Yes. He was delighted to help,” said Fluttershy happily. “I can’t think of anypony better to help me startle my friends on Nightmare Night.” “Was Granny Smith okay with him playing with her maze? You know, possessing scarecrows, installing doors to hell, reversing gravity, stuff like that,” continued the large redneck. Discord rolled his eyes. “Unfortunately no, Granny put her hoof down on me, modifying her boring old corn maze. So I just grew my own right behind Fluttershy’s house.” The pegasus smiled. “The birdies love the magic corn cobs.” The chimera stepped forward and looked at the rednecks. “So you three are my first vict--- I mean maze testers. What do say, guys? Wanna have some ‘fun’ tonight?” The rednecks looked at each other. “You guys do what you want, but I’m in,” declared Jeff. His words slurred by all the alcohol he ingested. Bill looked at Jeff like he had sprouted another head. “Are you insane? You’re not a kid anymore, Jeff. Your ticker can only take so much abuse before it turns around and bites ya. And the way you’ve been packing away those Miller High Lifes, you don’t have as long as you think you do.” “You’re one to talk. Ever since we got done with the city job, you’ve smoked more than a burning Marlboro factory,” Foxworthy shot back. “What the heck else are we going to do tonight? Sit around and watch ‘Filthy Frolicking Fillies’ on Blu Ray all night?” The rednecks tried to give Jeff the ‘shut the hell up’ sign, but it was too late. Even Discord’s cheeks had turned red with embarrassment. Fluttershy frowned. “Why would . . . ?” “I’m wondering, how big is this maze?” asked Larry trying desperately to change the subject. “Should I bring a lightsaber to slice open tauntauns to make a shelter, or is it more like a Mickey D ball pit?” Bill glared at the Cable Guy. “Oh God, not you too.” The big redneck shrugged. “Blessed are those who go in circles. And besides, what’s the point of having life insurance if you don’t do crap like this once in a while?” “You two are nuts, you know that? The Planters Nuts mascot would claim you as kin. That’s how nuts you guys are,” declared Bill. At this point Discord spoke up. “Mr. Engvall, I understand your reservations, but you’re doing this for Fluttershy, not to prove to anyone what we already know--that you’re a brave, strong, specimen of the United States of America.” Jeff leaned over and whispered to Larry, “Hook, line, and sinker.” Bill listened to Discord’s flawless logic for another minute before nodding. “Okay fine. But I’m only doing this for Fluttershy.” Discord grinned. “As am I. Meet me behind Fluttershy’s cottage in an hour, and wear a costume. We wouldn’t want Nightmare Moon to gobble you three up before the festivities begin.” The chimera laughed evilly as he slithered back into the earth. As soon as he was gone, Fluttershy enveloped the three humans in a group hug. “Oh, thank you so much. Thanks to you three, I’ll be able to prove to my pony friends that I’m not a big scaredy-cat. You three are the best humans a pegasus could ask for.” With one hug and a few words, the shy pony made the human’s doubts and worries disappear. The rednecks blushed like school girls. “Um, ahem, you’re welcome,” said Foxworthy, trying to look tough in front of Larry and Bill. “Yeah, anything for you, Fluttershy,” Larry replied shyly. “We got this. You go have fun with Twilight and the other ponies. Tell them we said ‘hi,’” Engvall said, smiling the whole time. One Hour Later Bill was the first to arrive at Fluttershy’s home. The redneck was garbed in an old western outfit any John Wayne aficionado would have been happy to wear. With two exceptions, every part of the costume was authentic, from the wide-brim cowboy hat to the metal spurs on his boots. The lever-action rifle he was carrying and the revolver on his belt, however, were cheap stage props. As the sun began to set, Engvall began to wonder where his friends were. The Nightmare Night carnival was about to begin, and if they were going to test this corn maze, they’d better get on with it. “Hey, you’re here. I was wondering if you were going to pussy out or not.” Engvall turned to see Jeff crossing the little bridge infront of the cottage. The younger redneck was clad in a wool, grey Confederate General’s uniform, complete with a plastic officer’s sword and six-shooter. Bill frowned when he saw that his friend’s left arm ended just above the elbow. Little pieces of straw stuck out from the sewn shut sleeve. “Let me guess, Stonewall Jackson?” asked Bill. Jeff nodded. “Yep, I wanted to be authentic, so I had Larry cut off my arm after he shot it a couple of times.” “I wouldn’t put it past the two of you. And what the hell are you doing with that fanny pack, you Farb?” The Confederate tried to open the fanny pack around his waist with one hand. Unable to do this because of a stuck zipper, Jeff’s other hand wiggled in-between the buttons of his closed grey coat so he could open his lemon carrier. “Want one?” “No thanks,” Bill sighed as he looked at the pegasus’s house. “Are you sure you want to do this? There’s no law that says we have to go back behind that house to get the shit scared out of us in Discord’s corn fungeon.” Jeff took one taste of the lemon and nearly gagged. “Jeez, that’s nasty. How could Jackson stand these damn things?” After throwing the lemon away as far as he could, he replied, “I will admit now that the beer buzz has worn off, this sounds a lot less fun then it did an hour ago. But I told Fluttershy I’d help her out, and by God, that’s what I’m going to do.” Engvall nodded. “Well, let’s go take a look at this thing.” But before the cowboy or Confederate could take a step, a voice called to them, “Hey guys, wait for us!” Not quite believing their eyes, the rednecks watched a bright blue minotaur give Larry a piggy-back ride up to Fluttershy’s front yard. The minotaur’s face reddened with exertion with each step he had to carry the human’s heavy bulk. Grinning from ear to ear, Larry asked, “Guess who I am?” The Cable Guy was dressed in a lumberjack’s outfit, complete with a wooden axe. “I know who you are,” answered Jeff. “What I don’t know is how you got this poor bastard to play along.” “Hey Babe, put me down,” commanded the fat human. Iron Will collapsed on all fours as Larry happily hopped off the minotaur’s back. “A week ago I beat him at Texas Hold Em. The stakes were we had to dress up as whatever the other guy wanted on Nightmare Night. Thank God I won. I would of have to kill myself otherwise, ‘cause I wasn’t gonna dress up as a female plug socket.” Climbing to his feet, the minotaur wheezed, “Okay. You’ve had your fun. I’ve dyed myself neon blue, carried you through the center of Ponyville while everypony pointed and laughed at me, and I even let you call me Babe. Can I go home now?” Larry thought for a moment before answering. “You can go home after we go through this corn maze behind Fluttershy’s house.” Iron Will sighed in relief. “When something is promised to be done, who knows, it could be fun.” Without further adieu, the group made their way over the hill on which Fluttershy’s cottage was built. To everyone’s surprise, there was no maze--just a large open field where Fluttershy hosted tea parties and group therapy. However, in that wide-open space was Discord, dressed as a carnival official. The chimera looked up at the three humans and minotaur. “Step right up, gentlemen. You’re right on time, and the show is about to start.” “What show? There’s nothing heeerraaaahhhhh, sweet suffering Christ!” exclaimed Bill. As soon as the human started talking, Engvall heard the snapping of talons, and before him materialized a coal-black forest of corn. Each stalk was as tall as a California redwood tree. The maze blotted out the setting sunlight, and strange noises could be heard from inside. Iron Will cleared his throat. “You didn’t say this was Discord’s corn maze we were going to. When someone fails to talk, it’s time for me to walk.” “Hey, you can’t bail on me now,” said Larry. “We had a deal, and you Pinkie promised, you son of a bitch.” Reaching into an unseen pocket, the minotaur procured a pen and a notarized card. When he was done writing, he handed the card to Larry and walked back up the hill. The redneck dressed as Paul Bunyan read over the card and waved after Iron Will. “Okay, buddy. I’ll see you later. Have a good night.” Jeff couldn’t believe his eyes. “You’re letting him go? Why? You had him by the balls!” Larry shrugged. “Every man has his price. And he now owes me two favors and a life time membership to the ‘Iron Will Assertiveness Training Coalition for Wimps, Gimps, and the Socially Challenged,’ valid starting tomorrow.” “Hey, I have one of those cards as well,” the maze master chimed in. “Except on mine, he promised me his first born. I’m beginning to think I got the short end of that deal. Anyway, there’s the maze, have fun, and let me know what you think if you get out.” “Don’t you mean when we get out?” asked Bill. Discord thumped himself in the head. “Yes, yes, of course. My apologies. Run along now. Your guide is waiting for you.” Before any of the rednecks could ask any more questions, Discord created a magic door, opened it, and disappeared. The three humans exchanged a shared nervous glance before heading for the maze entrance. To their surprise, the black corncobs closest to them lit up like flashlights as soon as they crossed the threshold. As they made their way into the maze, a flute started to play “A Whiter Shade of Pale.” “Hey, this is kind of neat,” said Foxworthy as he hummed along. A thought occurred to him. “Larry, I’ll give you 20 bits if you eat a corny nightlight.” “Oh, ha, ha, ha, I’d eat you before I’d eat one of them. And that’s no lie.” “Shut up you guys,” hissed Engvall. Not realizing he was doing it, he began aiming his rubber rifle down the length of the maze. “Which way should we go? We got a lot of choices here.” The music stopped. “Hello? Is somepony there?” shouted a strange-sounding voice. The group froze. The voice came from the path to their right. Jeff unholstered his plastic revolver and pointed it where the voice came from. “If I don’t come back, you buckers better come and get me.” Corncobs lighting the way, the pretend Confederate rounded the bend into the unknown, dropping lemons as he moved. A Minute Later “You think he’s dead? I don’t hear any voices, or music,” said Larry. “It’s a corn maze, dummy, not a slaughter pen,” answered Bill. “He’s fine.” The cowboy didn’t sound so sure though. Mere seconds after Engvall said those words, Foxworthy reappeared, and he wasn’t alone. “Guys, you’re not going to believe it, but this thing is our guide. It also plays the flute.” Tucked under his arm was a potted dandelion. Bill and Larry exchanged a concerned glance. “Jeff, how many beers did you sneak into the maze?” asked the Cable Guy. “I’m not drunk.” “Did the lemons go bad? You shouldn’t suck on rotten fruit, Jeff. That’s probably why Stonewall Jackson was so freakin crazy,” continued Larry. “Listen, dang it. This thing talks. I saw it. I don’t know why it’s being quiet now.” Bill scratched his beard. “Was that thing pretty close to a corn cob when you found it?” “Yeah, but what does that h---.” Then it dawned on Foxworthy. He sighed and said, “I hate it when you’re smarter than me.” Muttering under his breath, Jeff took the plant over to a luminescent corn cob that glowed brighter the closer the human got to it. The yellow flower came alive and stretched itself out. In the center of the flower a mouth and a pair of eyes appeared. Surprised, Bill reflexively tried to work the action on his plastic lever-action rifle. As a result, he broke the lever with a loud “snap.” Engvall’s cheeks reddened in embarrassment as Jeff giggled at him. “Well, hi fellas. My name’s Danny. Welcome to the easiest place to get out of ever. This is the kid-friendliest, leasurliest, funniest maze to get lost in. I’ve been guiding ponies out of the maze for years. So let’s get started.” Larry stared at the talking dandelion in disbelief. He blinked and shook his head. “Uh, okay. How do we get out of here?” “If I were you, I’d go back the way I came.” Larry stared dumbfounded at the flower. “You just blew my mind.” At that moment, the group heard a hissing sound from behind them. Turning as one, the group saw half-dozen cockatrices slithering their way. The humans screamed and took off deeper into the maze. “Danny, why are there chicken mutants in the maze?!” yelled Larry. “I’m sorry guys. I honestly didn’t know those cockatrices were waiting by the entrance. But don’t worry. The way to deal with them is to look them straight in the eye and show them whose boss.” “Bull shit!” yelled Bill breathlessly. “That’s how you turn into a bird bath.” “Ah, come-on, you guys gotta trust me if you want to make it out of here. Take a left, buddy. There’s a pretty good hiding place coming up.” A cold, corkscrew sensation went down Foxworthy’s spine. All of his instincts were screaming at him not to turn left, but he ignored them and went down the winding hall as directed. Looking behind him, Jeff saw the half-dozen mutants break off their pursuit. The humans stopped running as soon as the hall opened up into an enormous graveyard. Danny wiped her brow. “Whew, good work guys. You’re safe here.” As soon as the flower said that, gigantic, ebony corn stalks erupted from the ground cutting off the human’s retreat. Jeff swallowed nervously as he watched the light the corn cobs were producing slowly fade and die, plunging everything into total darkness. “Well guys. I think my work here is done. When you see Tirek, tell him Danny sent ya.” “F*#$ you, plant!” Jeff yelled, trying to grab the evil guide. But he was too late; all he was holding was an empty pot. The demonic dandelion was already long gone, laughing hysterically as she got further and further away. Using his wooden axe, the Cable Guy swung blindly at the black cornstalks. The axe head broke off the moment it connected. Larry swore and dropped the shaft. “Boys, if I don’t make it out of here, I got a list of stuff I want y’all to burn back at my place.” As if on cue, blue lights came to life illuminating stone statues of unicorns scattered throughout the graveyard. At the far end of the arena, the word “EXIT” appeared in bright, glowing green letters. The party could see the way out, thanks to the green word, but it looked very far away. Something moved in front of one of the nearby statues, but the humans were too late to catch a glimpse of what it was. With as much calm as he could muster, Jeff asked, “Hey Larry, Bill, just wondering but did Discord say anything about a safe word? You know, like something you say when you’re having sex and things are getting a little too crazy. Because if he did, I really wanna say that word right now, and I can’t seem to remember it.” “Hubcaps!” yelled Larry. Nothing happened. The big redneck shrugged. “It was worth a shot.” “Hey, let’s see if we can take some of them lights with us.” suggested Bill. The group moved slowly to their objective, carefully navigating between the headstones and obelisks. “Marco!” yelled Bill. “Polo!” replied Larry. “Po-- , Ow!” “You okay, Jeff?” asked Bill. “Yeah, just found a headstone with my big toe’s name on it.” Upon reaching a trio of unicorn statues, they saw the faces of the ponies contorted in mind-numbing panic. Bill swallowed and carefully wiggled the glowing horn of one of the stone unicorns. To his surprise, the loose horn came out rather easily. Encouraged, Larry and Jeff lifted the horns out of their respective statues. Thus armed with a light source, Bill ordered, “Okay, let’s get out of here.” The three friends turned around and screamed in absolute terror. An enormous stone, undead pegasus was face-to-face with the maze testers. The skin around its mouth and nose was peeled back as it silently stared back at the humans with dead eyes that bore into the human’s souls. The Paul Bunyan pretender was the first to recover as he peered at the grotesque object from in-between his fingers. He breathed a sigh of relief and prayed that no one would notice the growing wetness around his crotch. “It’s just a statue, guys. It can’t hurt us. See?” The woodsman wrapped his knuckles on the rock muzzle of the pony. Jeff gaped at the Cable Guy and what he was doing. “Larry, I’d rather boop a crocodile with my hand covered in barbeque sauce than touch that thing.” “It’s a statue, for God’s sake. It can’t hurt us. This thing had to already been here. It’s not alive or anything . . . right?” Larry asked slowly, becoming less sure the more he talked. The hair on the back of Engvall’s neck started to rise. His heart thudded like a jackhammer as he heard the sound of heavy hoof falls right behind him. Slowly, Bill turned and shone his light around. He and his friends were looking for the unknown being lurking in the dark. Seeing nothing, Bill about-faced and to his horror, the disgusting statue had disappeared without a trace. Larry’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. “Hubcaps! Hubcaps! Discord, it is too damn scary in here!” The John Wayne pretender grabbed Larry by the shoulders and shook him. “Hey! Get a grip! When you come slam bang up against trouble, it never looks half as bad if you face up to it . . . . At least that’s what the Duke would say.” “Oh My God! Guys, guys, we got undead lawn ornaments coming up out of the bucking ground when I don’t look at em,” said Jeff. “What the hell?” asked Bill mournfully. Coming to Foxworthy’s side, both Engvall and Larry stared at what Jeff was looking at. A squad of statues were rising up out of their graves. Their horrifying, disfigured faces turned to the lights. “They move when you don’t look at em. They’re just like my kids,” said Jeff, trying not to blink. Bill swallowed, fighting down the waves of panic washing over him. He racked his brain on how to get out of here in one piece, but he was coming up short. “We need to dance our way out of here,” said Larry At this, the Confederate glanced sideways at his friend. “Bill, we lost Larry, and he’s turned pillow biter.” “Shut up and follow my lead,” commanded the large redneck. “We need to make a moving, rotating wedge. That way we’ll have eyes to cover all the sides.” Picking up on Paul Bunions line of thinking, Jeff nodded. “If it’s stupid but works, it’s not stupid. Let’s do it.” Slowly, awkwardly the three rednecks made their way to the exit. “Guys, I’m getting dizzy.” complained Engvall. The cowboy counted at least fifty rock zombies surrounding the rotating triangle of rednecks. “This is like being on a tilt-a-whirl. I think ya have about the same chance of dying.” “Hang in there, Bill.” said Larry. “We got like another hundred feet to go.” Eyes constantly watching the monsters, Jeff asked, “How in the heck did you think this up, Larry?” “I think of triangles a lot,” answered the redneck. “They turn me on.” “Hey guys, I just thought of something,” declared Bill. “Ah crap, now what?” asked Larry. “That one statue had wings, right? Do you think that thing can fly?” Jeff could feel his nuts shrivel as he calmly said, “Okay boys, I’m going to look upstairs for a moment. You two keep doing what you’re doing.” As quickly as he could, Foxworthy shone his wand/horn skywards. Merely ten feet above him were six dive-bombing, undead pegasi. “Oh, Fu—“ ! Jeff covered his mouth to muffle his scream. His lapse of concentration nearly caused him to trip over his fellow humans. “Watch it!” yelled Larry. Recovering, Jeff shone his light upwards. The pegasi were noticeably closer. “Yep, they’re up here as thick as tar and hungry as termites.” “Change formation!” hollered Bill. “Jeff, you’re in the middle. Keep an eye on the sky. Larry, you and I will revolve around Foxworthy.” This formation was even more awkward and slow. The statues were closing in now that there were fewer eyes to watch them on the ground. Bill risked a glance at the exit and sighed. “Boys, we ain’t gonna make it. Not unless one of us grows a horn and teleports us over there.” “So what do we do?” asked Larry. Jeff pulled out a lemon and began to suck on it. Moments later, he spat the juice at the nearest statue. It had no effect. He then swung his stolen unicorn light at the rock-zombie only to have it bounce off harmlessly and break in his hands. “Well I’m out of ideas. I bet you guys two bits that Discord kills us because we hang decorations better than he does.” Larry shook his head. “Naw, I’m good. I wanna die with some gold in my pockets, my friends by my side, and my hands around that fu*$ing plant.” Bill grinned. “Well buddy, two out of three ain’t bad.” And with that, the rednecks lowered their wands and waited for the end. The humans waited for a good twenty seconds before a voice from above said, “Oh for Celestia’s sake, you three aren’t dead. Lighten up.” Larry looked up to see Discord smiling down on them. Foxworthy waited until the chimera was on the ground before hurling the remainder of his lemons at the mazemaker. “Die. Die, Discord. Die, dominator of demented dandelions. Die, cultivator of cursed chickens. Die . . .” “Jeff! Jeff! Hold your fire. You’re just wasting ammo,” said Bill, grabbing his friend’s arm. The chimera grinned. “First of all, I applaud you three for making it as far as you did.” A dozen Discords manifested and began to applaud loudly. “This graveyard obstacle should have been hard for six ponies. And yet you three mundane monkeys almost made it. I’m going to have to up my game.” “Hey!” Larry said indignantly. “Don’t be dissin our heritage. We are proud of our primate ancestors that rode on the Ark during the flood.” “So are we done now?” asked Bill. Discord shook his head. “Heaven’s no. You’ve only gone through the servant’s hall of this mansion of terror, so to speak. You got loads of other rooms to explore. I only put that EXIT sign up there to give you some encouragement.” With a wave, the “EXIT” sign became “Welcome to Tartarus.” After seeing that, Foxworthy declared, “Screw that, I’m out. We said we’d test your maze, and we tested it. Now take us out.” The chimera nodded. “Indeed you have, my Confederate friend. But what if I told you there was a little prize waiting for you at the other end of the maze?” Jeff rubbed his chin. “What kind of prize?” Discord shrugged. “I don’t know. What do you want? Stonewall Jackson’s arm in a pickle jar?” The Confederate’s eyes widened. “You can do that? Hell ye--, Uh, one sec.” Jeff huddled with his fellow rednecks. “I say we continue the struggle, guys.” “Oh Christ, not this again,” muttered Engvall. “Literally thirty seconds ago, you were trying to kill Discord with lemons. Now just because he dangles some imaginary cheese in front of your nose, you wanna dive balls first back into his maze?” Breaking the huddle, Larry stood up and asked, “Hey Discord, can you resurrect a couple of dead horses for me and Bill to ride around on? That’d be awesome on Nightmare Night.” The chimera looked at the human strangely. “And they say I’m the one with a problem. Yes, I suppose I can do that.” Engvall slapped Larry on the shoulder. “I don’t want a God Damn undead horse. I’m not sick like you and Jeff are. I don’t even freaking want to do this. I want to go home.” Discord sighed. “Okay, human, you win. I’ll just have to tell Fluttershy that I couldn’t test my maze properly because one of my guinea pigs quit.” The John Wayne impersonator shook his head. “No, don’t do this to me.” Jeff ran a hand through his hair and said to Larry, “I bet the Duke is spinning in his grave right now. How can a man that wears the Duke’s clothes pussy out like this?” Larry nodded his head and rubbed his chin. “What did the Duke say once? Oh yeah, he said, ‘I'm not the sort to back away from a fight. I don't believe in shrinking from anything. It's not my speed; I'm a guy who meets adversities head on.’ Ain’t that right, Bill? You should know, because you’re a bigger fan then all of us.” Bill glared at his friends. “Damn you. Damn you all.” The Cable Guy grinned. “We’re still in.” “Excellent,” replied Discord. “I can’t wait to see what you six do next. But I’m going to have to ask you to move along. Fluttershy and the others will be here soon, and we don’t have all night.” “Wait?” said Bill. “What do you mean by ‘you six?’ Discord looked over to the exit. “Why don’t you go and find out? I’ll see you on the other side.” And with a snap of his talons, he was gone.