//------------------------------// // Chapter 9: The Jester Enters // Story: Turmoil Rising // by JFT //------------------------------// Sun slowly rose on the horizon and it illuminated Ponyville. On the far edge of town, the morning light roused the small winged inhabitants living in the trees by the house on the grove, their songs proceeding to wake everybody. Then a hushing sound followed, as the upper half of the door opened, and the timid yellow pegasus came flying out to meet them. “Emm, excuse me,” she said, “I do not want to sound rude, but somepony else is still resting after a rough day, and I would kindly ask if you could keep it down just a little bit, please?” The birds looked at one another and nodded in response. She smiled. “Thank you.” After flying back into the house, she closed the door and calmly absorbed the silence around her home. Perfect. She didn’t want the recovering patient to suffer any more stress than she already has. Then there was a knock on the door. Who would be coming around her house at this early hour? She went to open the door again, yet once she did there was nobody around. Was somebody pulling a prank on her? Upon looking down, however, she finally noticed a wrapped-up present on the threshold. She picked it up and returned to the house. “Who would want to give me a present? And this early in the morning?” she wondered. She pulled the ribbon to unwrap the mysterious gift, and just as she lifted the lid, the entire house burst with confetti. Tiny shredded pieces of paper filled the whole house, they were so high that Fluttershy had to swim to the surface. And as she gazed about, frustrated by the mess, she suddenly spotted something moving, slithering right under the surface of the confetti, fast approaching her. In a panic she quickly took flight, and just as the movement reached her position, it disappeared. The shredded paper suddenly flew off, as a tall figure quickly rose from it, its red and yellow eyes meeting the shy pegasus’. She gasped and was about to scream, only to then realize who it actually was. She recognized this patchwork art piece of various animal parts; only the head resembled anything close to an equine. “HAPPY 40th COUNCIL MEETING!” the draconequus boisterously announced. “Discord,” she sighed, “is it really necessary this early in the morning?” He pulled her into a hug. “Oh, come now, you really think I’d simply miss a chance to surprise my best friend on such a monumental accomplishment? Today’s your fortieth moon cycle since your friend Twilight Sparkle became the ruler of Equestria, and you became part of her court. You; a sweet, innocent pegasus from a little village, who just wants to help animals.” “I’m flattered, Discord, I really am, but I think you overdid it with the confetti.” He looked about, seeing the giant mass of shredded paper cluttering the whole house. “Well, I suppose I did go a bit overboard.” He snapped his fingers, and it all instantly vanished. “Now tell me, what delight may we entertain on today’s council meeting?” She saw the excitement on his face and felt bad that she’s going to have to ruin it for him. “I’m sorry Discord, but I’m afraid- “ She didn’t have the chance to finish the sentence, as he shushed her and expanded one of his ears, acting as if he’s trying to listen. “Do you hear that?” “Hear what?” “It sounds like a lot of whinging and whining.” She gasped. “Discord, how could you say that!” “What- NO! I wasn’t talking about you, I swear!” he tried to make an innocent face, after realizing there was a loss in communication. He snapped his fingers, and they both teleported into a different room in the house. “Aha, there’s the real culprit,” he pointed out. They were in Fluttershy’s bedroom, but it wasn’t empty, since another pony took residence here after the events that took place yesterday. Rainbow Dash spent the night in her bed, while the owner slept on the sofa; it was only fair considering she was still recovering. The wonderbolt was still asleep, however, she was lightly flailing about with her hooves and letting out whiny noises. “Oh no,” Fluttershy voiced concern, “I think she’s having a nightmare.” There was a snapping sound, and in a flash the shy pony found herself wearing a doctor’s coat, while the Lord of Chaos wore a nurse’s uniform, holding a clipboard and a pen. “Doctor F, the patient seems to be expressing mild signs of mental anguish,” he said writing it down. “Proceeding with a cat scan.” He snapped his fingers and a small tabby cat appeared on the palm of his feline hand, which he then gently placed on top of Rainbow Dash’s head, while she still slept, then pulled out a monitor and turned it on. After the white noise cleared the image became clear. Rainbow Dash flew across the sky with great haste; there was a clear sign of terror in her breathing. It became even more apparent when a cloud darkened the skies and strong wind began to blow. She looked back and fear clearly manifested on her face, just as one appeared on the cloud, its teal eyes approaching her fast. Cloudsdale came in sight, hoping she could take refuge there. Then a neighing cry followed. Those were Windigo cries, and they came from the dark cloud, as it opened its maw and breathed out snow and ice. It hit her and knocked her out of the sky, fearing she would crash to the ground, only to have her fall be softened by the blanket of thick snow. She climbed out of the hole and watched in horror as the dark cloud enveloped and consumed Cloudsdale. She panicked, and tried to fly up in an attempt to stop it, but fell on her stomach. She looked back and saw a familiar image: her wings were frozen solid, and in a desperate attempt to break them free, the ice shattered… and so did her wings in the process. She screamed in despair. “Well… this is unsettling, to say the least,” Discord added. Fluttershy couldn’t watch this anymore. “Discord, we need to wake her up.” “Already on it,” he said, as he picked the tabby on the patient’s head, and dropped it in the doctor’s care, before reaching into the pocket and pulling out a tiny horn with a rubber bladder at the end. “Close your ears, dear.” He shut his own ear as he said that, but instead of covering her own, Fluttershy covered the little cat instead. A loud honking noise erupted in the house, which lasted for about two seconds, scaring all the birds outside. After it finally settled, the shy pegasus finally released the kitten who hopped off and marched away, while she stared at the mess that Discord had just caused in her room, as the horn blew half of it to one side. Rainbow Dash meanwhile, lay upside down in the cluttered mess, her eyes wide open, and one of them and her hind leg twitching. “Discord, that was too much!” she chewed him out as she rushed to the patient’s side. “What? It worked, didn’t it?” She got to the blue pegasus’ side, trying to get her attention. “Rainbow Dash, speak to me. Say something.” The flyer kept staring in her direction as she kept talking to her before something finally came out of her mouth. “WHAT?! I CAN’T HEAR A THING YOU’RE SAYING!” They teleported into the kitchen, with the two mares sitting on the chairs, while the draconequus stood by, wearing an apron. “Now, what can I get you two for breakfast?” “How about something for this migraine?” Rainbow Dash said as she lay her head on the table. Discord pulled out a bag and shook it. “How about an ice bag?” The moment he said that the blue pegasus yelped and leaned backward, tipping off the chair. “Sorry! Bad timing, no ice!” he said and threw it away. “Seriously Fluttershy, what happened to her that she ended up in this state?” “It’s a long story Discord,” she started, “it happened yesterday when I went to Zecora, that’s where I met everypony else- “ “Hold on,” he stopped her. “Everypony else?” “Yes, Rainbow Dash and the rest of the girls, along with Spike came in my direction, looking for Twilight.” “Fluttershy, this just won’t do," he shook his head. "If you weren’t there for the whole thing, then I likely won’t get the whole story.” With a groan, the blue pegasus picked herself up and back on the table. ”Well, what do you suggest then, Discord?” “I want to hear everypony’s perspective on what happened, so I can see what I’ve missed in the last twenty-four hours,” he suddenly stopped and his eyes turned into a pair of lightbulbs. “I got an idea! Council Brunch!” “A council brunch?” his best friend inquired. “We gather up the whole gang and have a brunch together, and you can all tell me everything in the meantime… although we may have some problem with arranging the place for it because your table won’t be big enough for the whole council, I’m afraid.” “You’d have to include Starlight, Trixie, and Sunburst as well by that logic,” Rainbow Dash said. “And why is that?” he asked. “They were there for the part of the event that took place.” “Perfect! We can just use their castle then!” he said with finality. “Wait, we can’t just go there unannounced!” Fluttershy intervened. “Don’t worry, it’ll be a surprise.” “That doesn’t just make it oka-“ before Rainbow Dash could finish the sentence, Discord grabbed a zipper in the air, opening a hole in reality and it sucked her in. “Off we go!” he announced. “No, Discord wait!” The shy pegasus struggled to resist the dimensional pull. “I didn’t give Angel his breakfast yet!” As she got pulled in, the Lord of Chaos snapped his fingers, before jumping into the hole and zipped it closed. The little bunny Angel slept softly in his bed when suddenly a pile of chopped vegetables materialized above him and covered him completely. The lagomorph climbed out of the pile and raged about, before realizing there’s nobody around. He picked up a piece of chopped carrot, sniffed it, and then simply shrugged, proceeding to munch. A sizzling sound was in the air at Sugarcube Corner, accompanied by the smell of cooked eggs. A hole, in reality, burst open like a restaurant kitchen door and two ponies came out sliding on the floor, followed by the draconequus. “First stop the food,” he said, before taking a long sniff of the air around him. “And it seems I’ve come at the right moment.” As the two pegasi recovered, Discord bent over the counter, extended his neck, and spotted a certain pink pony by the oven. He tapped his own head, and a ringing sound came out of his ears, getting the baker's attention. “Oh hello, Discord!” Pinkie Pie said in her usual hyped tone, as she hopped over to the counter, and noticing the other companions by his side. “Oh, hey girls! What are you all doing up this early?” “It’s not like we had a choice, Pinkie,” Rainbow Dash complained, “Discord’s behind the wheel… again.” “Well, somepony’s a bit grumpy today,” she replied. “But… considering the other day, I don’t honestly blame you.” Lord of Chaos leaned to her. “Oh, now you’ve got my attention. You should’ve seen her earlier with the ruckus she was making, and all I wanted was to prepare her breakfast to make her feel better. And speaking of which, what’s that delightful sound and smell coming from the kitchen?” “It’s omelet!” she verified. “You guys wanna joining?” He gasped. “Well what a coincidence, we’ve come to the right place at the right time!” He pulled her to his side. “Picture it with me: all of Twilight’s friends, including me and those living in her old castle now.” “Picturing it…” she followed up. “Everypony sitting at the table together, enjoying a delicious brunch.” “…loving it,” the tone of her voice rose as she understood the concept. “And best of all…” “Best of all?” she tried to contain her excitement from what would follow. “It’s a surprise!” The pink pony began to shake uncontrollably, followed by a loud squeal, so much that the blue pegasus had to cover her ears. After the moment passed, she returned to the draconequus’ side. “When do we start?” “Can you work on the road?” he asked her. “Well duh, have you met me?” “Then we start now!” he smiled and snapped his finger, summoning a leaver, and after pulling it, opened another rift in reality, which sucked in Pinkie Pie and her oven, along with all the ingredients. “Discord wait! Can’t you at least fasten us on to something, please?” the yellow pegasus pleaded. He snapped his fingers, and had both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash strapped in child body carriers on the front and the back of himself, coddling the former. “Don’t worry, Fluttershy, I won’t let anything bad happen to you.” “Her? What about me?” the one in the back complained. “Would you rather NOT be strapped in?” “Never mind,” she receded her initial comment. “Now, hold on tight both of you! Second stop: the drinks!” and he leaped with them into the rift and it shut closed behind them. Applejack walked through the storage, rolling the last barrel onto a stack. A new delivery came from a family member and she was in high spirits to try the new product. Suddenly, a portal, in reality, slid open like a chicken coop, and the oven came sliding through, with a certain pink pony cooking up a mountain of omelets. “Pinkie!?” she screamed in shock. “What in tarnation is this?!” And then Discord stepped through, closing the portal behind him. “Oh… now it makes sense.” “Applejack sweetie, don’t ever try to make sense of chaos… you just might go insane,” he joked as his pupils rolled around the rim of his eyes. “But speaking of sweet, what have you got there?” The country pony realized he was pointing at the barrels. “What, this? It’s a little thing Grand Pear had made and sent over for testing. It’s Pear cider.” “Cider?!” a cry came from behind Discord and as he turned, revealed the wonderbolt, drooling all over. “You seem to be doing better, Rainbow, all things considered,” she told her. “No thanks to him.” The former pointed at her carrier. “I could really use a pick-me-up, AJ.” “Look, I’m trying to make it up, okay?” the draconequus explained. “That’s why we’re having the surprise council brunch.” “I’m sorry, surprise what now?” the orange pony gave a confused expression. “Discord got this idea of having a brunch with everypony for the fortieth council meeting…” Fluttershy explained to her, and then the Lord of Chaos interjected. “And because I want to know every little detail from everypony on what happened yesterday that’s made bluey over here… well, more blue than usual.” “Ah mean, Ah reckon we could; Ah do want some opinions on testing the latest product, so it’d be nice to hear what everypony thinks, but don’t ya think we could wait just a bit? I mean I still have some things to wrap up an-“ the farmer explained, but wouldn’t be able to finish it, as another rift in reality opened and started to pull her in. “Sorry Applejack, but we’re kind of in a hurry,” he responded. She quickly grabbed onto a barrel to resist the gravitational pull of the other dimension, but unfortunately, it picked up the cider barrel as well and dragged it in along with her. It soon also pulled in Pinkie Pie, along with her oven. “Okay, one more stop before the final destination,” draconequus said, before leaping into the portal and closing it behind. Soft tapping sounds of hooves echoed through the storage, as a young yellow, red-maned filly with a bow on her head walked in. “Applejack, we got a solution to our problem! I brought-“ Applebloom stopped, as soon as she realized her older sibling was not present. “Huh… I could’ve sworn she was here just a moment ago…” Rarity hummed to herself, feeling fresh as a spring daisy after a good night’s rest. Carousel Boutique will be closed for today since the Council of Friendship meeting’s taking place, so before she goes, she might as well have some breakfast. She made it to the ground floor and was halfway to the kitchen when she suddenly noticed one of the curtains for her show reveal emanating a glow. The curtains opened and Applejack rolled out, still holding onto a barrel, Pinkie Pie slid out along with her oven and a mountain of omelets continuing to pile up, with Discord finally making a grand entrance, doing a posing stride with the two pegasi still attached to him. Rarity just stood for a moment in silence. “Well… good morning, everypony. I would say nice of you all to invite yourselves in, but I can see you didn’t have much of a choice.” “You don’t know the half of it, Rares,” muttered Rainbow Dash. “So,” the unicorn cleared her throat, “to what do I owe the pleasure, Discord?” He snapped his finger, clothing himself in a highly aristocratic manner, showing an uncanny resemblance to his alter ego. “Miss Rarity, I hereby cordially invite you to participate in a Surprise Council Brunch.” “Oh my… I must say this is certainly unexpected. Although, I think I’ve missed the point of it being called a “surprise brunch” when I’m already onto it,” she explained. “Acord” removed his monocle. “Excuse me, are you saying you were not surprised by our entrance?” “Well, no, I mean I was, but-“ the white mare tried to explain herself before the draconequus ripped off his clothes and it exploded in confetti. “I rest my case!” he declared. “We have the food and the drink, so all we’ve left now is your delicate sense for decorations.” She felt taken aback a bit. “I mean, I wouldn’t mind participating, I do feel a bit peckish, but where is it supposed to take place?” “Oh, that’s a very good question, to which I have an answer,” Discord said, as he opened his feline palm and pressed the pad on it, and a rift in a form of a trap door opened underneath all of them and they made a free fall. Starlight yawned. It was such a lovely day to just sleep in, yet it was disturbed by the sudden banging sound with the break of dawn, and once it ended she couldn’t fall back to sleep anymore. No point in trying to drag it out, might as well just start the day. Yet as she walked down the hallway, there was a sudden booming sound echoing through the castle. What in the world could’ve made it? The door behind her swung open as an orange unkempt stallion looked about, spotting the other resident. “Starlight, did you hear that?” “I did,” she confirmed, “but I can’t think of anypony else who could do that but-“ She stopped, looking Sunburst directly in the face as they both yelled in unison from the realization. “TRIXIE!” They galloped down the hallway and into the kitchen to find it completely white and spotting a mare covered in it, holding an empty bag of flour in the air. “Do we even wanna know, Trixie?” she frowned. “I was just trying to prepare breakfast,” she coughed. “How could you even make the flour explode?” the stallion inquired. “I didn’t,” the mare corrected him as she shook, shaking all the flour off her, returning her coat to the blue, “I ripped the bag open from the shock, I wasn’t the one responsible for that sound.” “Well, WE are the only three living in this castle, so who else could it be?” Starlight told her. A second booming sound followed and this time around they all saw none of them were responsible. They galloped off, further down the hallway, and noticed one of the doors lightly swinging back and forth. “It’s coming from the dining hall!” Sunburst told them. They stopped at the doorway and their horns lit, preparing for an attack on the intruders. “Brace yourselves, you two. On three… two… one… NOW!” They charged in, bursting the doors wide open, only to stop after a few steps, confused and surprised. “SURPRISE!!!” a unified loud shout followed. The dining room was finely furnished, seats decorated with comfy pillows and an elegant tablecloth covering the table, stacked with omelets of all types and tall glasses willed with pristine yellow sweetness. And surrounding all of it were five familiar mares and an amalgamation that stood out like a sore thumb. “Wha… ha… HUH?!” Starlight simply couldn’t find words to express herself. “It’s a Surprise Council of Friendship Brunch!” Pinkie Pie announced loudly. “But… we’re not members of the council,” Sunburst explained. “Well, considering certain circumstances, we can make an exception this time… or you can just take it as “The Council of Friendship is Surprising you with a brunch”,” draconequus grinned. Without waiting a moment longer, the blue unicorn happily traipsed over. “Well, you don’t have to tell me twice!” “Considering the state of the kitchen, I’d say it’s in our best interest to join,” the stallion followed. Starlight Glimmer stood for a moment to absorb the situation surrounding her. A dining room full of familiar faces, ones that she’s not seen in a while, all gathered in a moment of revelry. She felt as if a gentle breeze was blowing on her; she yearned to experience these moments again, and now… it’s right in front of her. As the last guest joined at the table, Discord bent toward Rainbow Dash, who was already deep in her first mug of pear cider. “All things considered, I’d say this worked well for all of us.” “I think you mean, you got lucky it all paid off in the end,” she said with a smug. He felt proud of himself; everything was set. “And now everypony,” he announced, “since all the participants from yesterday’s events are present, while you dig in, I’d like you to all enlighten me on what exactly transpired.” “Well, that’s not exactly correct,” the headmare voice her disapproval, “Twilight was there as well, she was at the center of it all, and you’re not gonna be able to get her since he’s gone off to look for the former princesses.” The Lord of Chaos frowned. “Excuse me, what? Luna and Cay-Cay are also involved?” then he looked about and realized there was somebody else absent as well. “And where’s Miss Rhymes-a-lot?" “She went out early, saying she had errands to attend to, at least from what I understood,” Trixie added. Discord pulled on his face in frustration. “Well, then we came in too early. We’ll just have to take a small detour-“ And just as he was about to snap his fingers five mares in unison gave out a loud and disapproving: “NO!” Stopping the draconequus dead in his tracks, as he looked about with a frightened expression on his face. “Okay, never mind then,” he said with a disheartening sigh, ”I supposed I can settle for the second-hand recount. But I want to hear every. Little. Detail,” he said in an increasingly sinister tone before he finally returned to his usual jovial one. “But enough about that! HAPPY 40th COUNCIL MEETING!!!” Despite the bumpy start for some, the rest of the early morning went swimmingly. They feasted on Pinkie Pie’s fine dishes and drank Applejack's new family produce, it was a good moment to catch up on going on, not just in their lives, but also the “more recent event”. The only downside some felt was that Twilight was unable to attend, but they couldn’t interfere in her royal duties. After the brunch finally ended, they went into further details with Discord about what happened yesterday, as they moved the topic of discussion into the gathering room, where the Cutie Map stood, to make sure he got the point. “So, let me see if I got this,” the draconequus said as he observed the imagery of a dark cloud looming over the Everfree Forest on the map. “Queen Chrysalis, after somehow escaping her petrification that me and the two princesses cast on her and her cohorts, summoned some dark sinister force that not even friendship can stop, and is the reason why miss wonderbolt over there got a case of mental trauma?” “That’s putting it bluntly,” she retorted. “But apart from the whole “infection” situation and the manifestation the size of a pet eating what light remained of the tree that the kids were using as their playground, that it?” “You don’t really waste time on putting it more tactfully, do ya?” the farmer frowned. “I just call it as I see, Applejack,” he responded to her. “In any case, I must say I’m very disappointed in all of you.” “Excuse me?! You’re disappointed in us?!” Rarity raised her voice and came in closer to him. “Discord, I’ll let you know we barely managed to get away! What more could we have possibly done when our BEST wasn’t good enough?!” “That’s not what I meant, Rarity,” Lord of Chaos calmly responded. “It… it’s not?” “No. What I meant, is that I’m disappointed that you didn’t call for MY assistance at moment’s notice when the worst came to pass.” “You?” Trixie looked at him funny. “And what could you have possibly done?” Discord gave her a neutral expression and then snapped his fingers. The castle suddenly turned upside down, and the headmare quickly used her magic to hold all of them aloft, before the snap sounded again and everything turned back to normal position. “Did I have to do that to remind you who I am?” he said. “I’m the Lord of Chaos. I can bend reality to my will. Were I there, those two creatures now hiding in the Everfree Forest wouldn’t stand a chance.” “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should,” Sunburst voiced his frustration. “What’s that supposed to mean? Am I maybe not trustworthy to assist you, or something?” As the draconequus spoke those words and waited for the answer, only Starlight spoke almost immediately. “Discord, your idea of assistance last time was freeing dangerous criminals and bringing them together to fight against us, in an attempt to give us morale.” The silence was so tense you could hear the pin drop. Starlight was about as tactful as Discord himself when need be and wasn’t exactly known for mincing her words, calling things out for what they were. And one of the worst things he did after he “turned a new leaf” was bring Chrysalis, Tirek, Sombra, and Cozy Glow together under the guise of Grogar, with a purpose to have them face off against Twilight and her friends, to give them morale boost as future leaders of Equestria, only to have it backfire as his “allies” turned on him, becoming an even bigger threat as a result. And even three years after those events, those inflicted wounds did not yet heal. “That hurt, Starlight…” he made a pouty expression, ”you just cut me really deep.” Almost immediately Fluttershy flew to his side to comfort him. “Please don’t take it so harshly, Discord. What she means is that we’re not blind to your shortcomings.” “Shortcomings? With all due respect Fluttershy, but I’m a pure and perfect being of chaos.” “I’m pretty sure that’s what she meant, Discord,” Pinkie Pie voiced her statement. He glared at her for a moment. “Well regardless, it all turned out well, in the end, didn’t it?” “Yeah… AFTER-THE-FACT,” Trixie added. “Look, I’m here now. I say we use this chance and take care of the problem before Twilight gets back, and then we can have a victory party!” “NO!” Starlight yelled, as her horn suddenly started emanating red vapor. “Discord, Twilight’s going to all the lengths to uncover what evil we’re facing. She went to look for the two princesses because they’re the only ones old enough to get a slight idea of what’s going on and you suddenly throwing a wrench into the whole thing and potentially making matters worse is something I’m not about to let you risk!” The whole room was silenced. And they fully understood her frustration, when she and her crew spent hours in the Canterlot library and couldn’t find anything to go on. “Look, I’m sorry,” she calmed herself, the vapor disappearing, “I know you just want to be helpful to make up for what happened in the past, but this is something we can’t just rush through.” The draconequus sighed in dejection. “Fine.” The yellow pegasus hugged him. “Should we just go to Canterlot and await them there?“ Trixie said, trying to move away from the sore subject. “Wait, shouldn’t we wait for Zecora to come back?” Sunburst questioned her. “Ah don’t think we need to worry about that,” Applejack answered. “That zebra has a way of turning up at the right place and time when she needs to.” And one after another all the other members of the court let their answer be known. “Okay, then it’s settled!” the illusionist spoke, as her and Starlight’s horns began to glow, and with a flash, everybody in the meeting room disappeared. POOF! The group materialized outside the Canterlot castle. And it didn’t take too long before one of the royal guards guarding the main entrance recognized them. “Ah, hello esteemed members of the Council,” the unicorn guard said. “Her Majesty had given us explicit orders to let you in while you await her return.” The two opened the door inside, but as they walked through, the draconequus was stopped. “Excuse me, are you sure this one should be allowed to just wander in?” “Don’t worry guys, he’s with us,” Rainbow Dash answered them. He was finally let in, but with no less of a reminder that there’s a reason they don’t trust him. The castle’s entry hall opened before them, stairways leading to all possible parts of the castle. The members of the Council of Friendship have been here numerous times, so they knew the ins and out of the entire place, not so much the faculty members, except for Sunburst. So by the time they reached the top of the stairway, the headmare stopped. “Something wrong, hun?” Applejack asked when she noticed her lagging. “I think your pear cider’s giving me the run for its money,” Starlight told her. “Where’s the little fillies room here?” “Oh, that's easy,” Pinkie Pie responded to the question. “Just go back downstairs, go right, then left, go forward at the first intersection, then right, right again, left at the second intersection, and finally go forward. You can’t miss it.” She wasn’t sure if she heard it all correctly, but it shouldn’t be that difficult. It was just the bathroom; how hard to find could it be? “I’ll… be back in a snap,” she said with an awkward smile. “Don’t worry, Starlight,” Fluttershy reassured her, “we’ll wait for you here. She nodded and quickly scurried off. By the time she was out of sight, Discord made a quip. “She’s gonna get lost, isn’t she?” “No no, of course not,” the whole gang tried to play off as if that won’t be the case. “Wait, did she say left and right after the first intersection, or was it right and right again?” With the instructions that the party planner gave her, it didn’t take long before she lost herself. Starlight couldn’t find any place that would stand out to use as a marker. Back and forth, left and right, no matter which way she went. The only recourse not would be to try and teleport back to the castle entry hall, but she’d end up making herself look stupid. Then again, it’s not like she had a better alternative. She closed her eyes and prepared to focus her magic, when… “And another thing! I expected you to refill her Majesties’ toiletries! I went to check on them and nothing was done!” A loud voice came from around the corner. Somebody was incredibly angry and her curiosity got her to check up on it. “And another thing! I expected you to be done cleaning the artifact repository about two hours ago, not that you're finished only now!” the angry elderly voice said, followed by a meek younger voice. “Yes sir.” Starlight saw an old gruff unicorn with a five o'clock shadow, trailing a young cleaner with his cart. Maybe they can show her the way. She hurried after them. “And another thing-!” “Emm, excuse me?” the mare finally let her presence be known, interrupting the old custodian. He gave her an irritated look, but she had nothing on his apprentice, who made a frightened grimace the moment he saw her. “Who are you? What are you doing here?” he asked with a gruff voice. “I’m waiting with my friends for the princess to come back. I was looking for the bathroom and I... kinda lost my way. Can you tell me where it is, please?” she asked with an awkward smile. The old stallion scowled but gave her an answer. “Go back and to the right.” “Thank you,” she responded and ran off. She got lucky, but at the same time she felt bad for the younger employee and she heard again the elder one’s voice, reprimanding him for poorly performed duties. It felt refreshing getting all that pressure out of the system. Starlight finally left the bathroom and was about to return. Yet at the back of her mind, she felt bad for the young cleaner. She was sure her friends won’t mind waiting for just a little and helping somebody in need. She walked back, over to where she last saw the two stallions and trailed where they went. She finally reached a wide door with a “custodian” sign attached to it. She entered and didn’t take long before realizing that maybe the elder custodian may have been on to something. The whole floor was covered in sticky green goo. No wonder he was so upset. Then she heard a wrecking sound coming from nearby. As she entered further she finally spotted the origin of the noise. The young custodian was aggressively trying to shut a giant wardrobe door, but it wouldn’t budge until there was finally a snapping sound, and was finally still. The young stallion sighed in relief. “You okay?” the voice behind him said. The young stallion jumped in shock at the voice, then turned to see Starlight standing behind him, making him downright jittery. “Wh-wh-wh-what are you doing in here?!” “Calm down, no need to freak out,” she tried to lower the tension. “No offense, but would you mind showing yourself out,” he told her. “I got in enough trouble already and I don’t want my boss to give me another tongue lashing today.” “I’m really sorry you had to go through this. I was thinking of helping you out so you won’t get into any more issues… Speaking of which, where is your boss?” “He…” he hesitated for a moment for some reason. “He went outside to check out on the trash. Yeah. Anyway, if you don’t mind I got places to be and floors to mop.” He proceeded to push his cart. “Oh, that's not a big deal. You got more than one mop. And if we work together it’ll be done in no time. Your boss might not even notice,” she smiled and grabbed one of the mops in the cart. “PUT THAT DOWN!!!” he suddenly yelled in an incredibly loud echoing voice, startling Starlight. “Hey… calm down, what’s the big deal? It’s just a mop…” she responded to him, only for her voice to trail off. It may have looked like a mop when it was still stacked in the cart, but once she pulled it out she realized she wasn’t holding a mop at all. It was a very delicately carved long wooden shaft, the tip where it was supposed to branch out was broken on both ends, yet there was a pristine crystal wedged in the fork. She’s seen this before: it was the Staff of Sacanas. At the corner of the eye Starlight suddenly noticed a green flash, but didn’t have time to react to it, as a bolt of green magic hit her and sent her flying against the wardrobe. Her eyesight was blurry as she started to regain consciousness, but she saw the form of a young stallion picking up the staff and then picking up a small object out of the cart as well, before running off. She finally managed to rise, covered in the green goo, only to realize something else as well: the goo was flowing out from next to her, more specifically from the wardrobe itself. She busted it open and made a sour expression after discovering what its source was. There was a cocoon stuck inside the container, two in fact; one containing the elderly custodian and the other his young apprentice he was chewing off earlier… the same custodian that just now knocked her out and took a magical artifact and another item with him. She knew all these signs too well. “Changelings…”