//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4 - The answer 
// Story: Dusk Shine in pursuit of Happiness II 
// by bigsnusnu 
//------------------------------//

The answer

Dusk Shine and Spike had searched through most of the train cars, but they had no luck in finding the five mares.

"So... You’re saying this giant lizard made the girls disappear and then locked you in a wagon for over a year." Spike asked incredulously, after his big brother told him a summary of what happened. "Maybe... you only fell asleep for a second and it was a nightmare."

"It wasn’t a nightmare.  And it wasn’t a giant lizard, it was a draconequus." Dusk said without paying attention to the fact that Spike didn't seem to believe his crazy story.  His focus was only set on moving forward until check every last of the train cars.

Before the colt could ruminate on the possibility that they weren’t on the train, Dusk and Spike finally found the five mares in the last car.

"Girls!" Dusk yelled in relief when he saw his five friends, ready to run up to them and hug them.  However, that impulse was immediately stopped when he looked closely at his friends.

Apparently, after Dusk and Spike entered that carriage, none of the five mares had noticed their presence.  They were all preoccupied with other things, and what each one was doing was precisely what surprised Dusk and Spike...

Applejack seemed to be hiding a suitcase behind her and repeated that she wasn’t hiding anything with a horrible poker face. The country mare was fighting with Rarity, who seemed obsessed with taking that suitcase away from her while yelling 'Mine! Mine!' over and over again.  On the other side of the car was Fluttershy, who pushing Pinkie Pie and making fun of her.  Pinkie had on the angriest face Dusk and Spike had ever seen and was trying to punch Fluttershy was she was flying in the air.  Finally, Rainbow Dash was using the suitcase mesh above as a hammock, pretending to be asleep and ignoring the plight of her friends. 

"What happened to them?" Dusk asked in amazement, becoming speechless when he saw his friends fighting each other.

"Uh… Is it my imagination or do they look a little duller than usual?" Spike muttered at their appearance.

'I was just reviewing your memories to see what to manipulate you with...' were the words that Discord had said to Dusk when he felt that something had tried to attack his mind.  Words that immediately came to Dusk's mind when he saw his friends in such a way.

"It was Discord!  He did something to their minds!" Dusk said, quickly understanding what was happening.  Then Dusk ran to where his friends were to stop their fight and try to help them. "Girls, stop fighting!  This isn’t you!  This is just a trick that Discord used to confuse you!"

It was only when Dusk said those words that the five mares became aware of his presence.  As they did so, the five mares immediately stopped arguing with each other.  But in return, they all glared at Dusk and turned their backs on him, shocking the stallion.

"W-What is it?  Why are you girls acting like this?  What did Discord do to you?  How did he manipulate you?" Dusk asked scared to see that all his friends seemed to want to ignore him.

Suddenly the train's whistle sounded, announcing that it was arriving at Ponyville station, which distracted everypony for a second.  As the train stopped, Dusk looked at his friends again to try again to make them listen to him.

"Girls, I need you to listen to me." Dusk with concern, approaching Pinkie Pie to touch her and make her look at him. "We need to go to the library and-"

"Don’t touch me!" Pinkie Pie yelled angrily, making Dusk jump.  Then the doors of the car were opened to let the passengers out. "Don't you dare touch me again, or talk to me, or even look at me! Never!" Pinkie Pie grunted, looking one last time at Dusk and then getting off the train.

"Same here, I'm better off alone.  Later, loser!" Rainbow Dash said, flying to get out of the train fast, but not before hitting Dusk in the face with her tail.

"I don’t need to worry about anypony else other than myself!  All my love is just for me!" Rarity said as elegantly as ever.  She then glared at Dusk one more time before clumsily grabbing all of the suitcase in the car and heaving them out.

"Aw, do you want to cry?  Well, that's what you deserve!" Fluttershy shouted in Dusk's face and quickly getting off the train.

"What's wrong with them?" Spike said in surprise after seeing his friends getting off the train. He also noticed the pained expression on his brother’s face. "Why are they so upset with you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, I didn't see anything strange." Applejack obviously lied. "Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to be heading to see my coltfriend." Applejack added, getting off the train.

"Does Applejack have a coltfriend!?" Spike asked in amazement, still not understanding why the mares were acting so weird.

When Spike looked at his brother for some explanation, he was scared to see that Dusk seemed to have a blank look, as if he had seen a ghost.

"I let this happen... Because of me they..." Dusk whispered, hyperventilating at the thought that because of him Discord had perhaps irreversibly altered the minds of his sweet and kind friends.

Before Dusk could continue sinking into guilt, he and Spike were surprised to see a dozen ponies with suitcases crowding the door of the carriage to try to get in.

"What's going on!?" Dusk yelled in surprise as he was pushed by all the ponies that filled the carriage to the fullest.

Obtaining no response, Dusk lit up his horn and teleported him and Spike out of the car.  Then Dusk looked at the train station and was shocked to see that it was full of almost all the inhabitants of the town, all pushing themselves to try to get on the train.

Before Dusk could continue wondering what was happening, he saw that in the distance, his friends were moving away from the station and heading towards the town.  Knowing that his friends should be his priority, Dusk ran after them.  He only managed to make a few steps before being left stunned and speechless at what he saw.  The town of Ponyville was in chaos, literally!  The houses floated upside down, the paths seemed to be made of soap, dozens of animals leaped and danced alongside living flowers and trees, all wearing tutu dresses, and in the sky cotton candy clouds were moving back and forth raining chocolate all over the place.

"What happened to the town!?" Dusk yelled in shock, realizing that this was already the third inexplicable thing he had seen in less than five minutes.

"Oh! New visitors!" Discord said suddenly, appearing in front of Dusk with a big smile.  Disguised in an elegant white suit and a black tie. "Welcome to Chaosville!" Discord proclaimed with a showmanship smile, making a huge sign appear with the town's supposed new name.

"Discord!" Dusk said with a look full of fury when he realized that he was the cause of everything.  From the town turned upside down, all the ponies fleeing their own home, and above all, his friends changed into dark parodies of themselves. Small sparks of magic emitted from the colt’s horn from the anger and headache he was experiencing.

"Don't be so angry, dear Dusk.  You'll see that this is for the better!  Everyone will love the new Chaosville!" Discord said with a charitable smile, then looked at the other passengers who had gotten off the train with puzzled looks after seeing the crowd boarding the train and now seeing a town floating upside down. " My dear guests, I am Discord, the lord of chaos, your host. Welcome to Chaosville!  Here we offer you a one hundred percent chaotic experience, free of any responsibility, where your wildest dreams can come true." Discord said elegantly.

Hearing Discord speak, Dusk's fury vanished for an instant in terror of what could happen.

"Discord attacked Ponyville!  The Elements of Harmony!" Dusk realized in terror. He then made a break for the library, knowing that Discord had surely already destroyed the Elements, but had to check it out for himself.

As if the town itself had guessed what Dusk was thinking, just at that moment the library itself appeared floating turned right in front of Dusk.  So, while Discord was distracted with the other visitors to the town, Dusk ran towards the library.

"No need for the rush, Dusk." A female voice suddenly said, making Dusk's fur bristle.  Turning around, Dusk saw that Sunset Shimmer was there with her usual arrogant look of superiority. "If you look for the Elements, they’re safe." Sunset added, levitating the chest in which Dusk had hidden the Elements of Harmony.

"You... did you manage to save them?" Dusk asked in amazement, again not knowing how to react to Sunset and that news.

"Well, I'm glad you two were able to reunite." Discord suddenly said, appearing between Dusk and Sunset with an amused smile. "Now, to fulfill my end of the deal." Discord said looking askance at Sunset and then at Dusk, putting on a more sinister smile.

Discord then snapped his fingers, and the next thing Dusk knew he had been teleported.  He was in total astonishment when he looked around him and saw that he was now in the middle of Canterlot Castle, just him and Sunset Shimmer, who kept staring at him, as if analyzing his reactions.

"Why are we at Canterlot Castle!?" Dusk asked, realizing that he had abandoned Spike and his friends.

"That was part of the deal." Sunset replied, looking away when she saw Dusk's gaze.

"What deal!?  What are you talking about!?" Dusk immediately confronted Sunset with a glare that caught the mare off-guard.

Just at that moment, several guards entered the hall to discover that two intruders had entered without authorization, passing all the defensive fences of the castle.  Followed by Princess Celestia herself, who was surprised to see that Dusk Shine and Sunset Shimmer were in the middle of the main hall.

"Everything is fine, guards.  Return to your posts." Celestia said calmly, going alongside Dusk and Sunset as the guards followed her orders.

"What deal did you make with Discord!?" Dusk asked again, looking threateningly at Sunset.

"I rescued the Elements of Harmony from the library!" Sunset said, looking annoyed at Dusk after he looked at her with such fury. "I don't know how, but he knew exactly where they were."  That comment made Dusk widen his eyes and lower his gaze, feeling that his anger was partly replaced by guilt.

Sunset thankfully didn’t notice the colt’s despondent look and was focused on speaking with Celestia.

"I took the Elements of Harmony before Discord did, then I threatened to make them disappear so he would never find them." Sunset said seriously. "Then I made a deal with him.  He said he would make Ponyville the new capital of chaos, and in return he would leave the rest of Equestria alone.  As long as we promised never to use the Elements of Harmony against him again."

"You... You sold out Ponyville!" Dusk said, terrified and furious at what he heard.

"I did what it took to save Equestria!" Sunset said, looking annoyed at Dusk. "I tried!  I tried to face him!  But the magic level difference is too great.  Neither I, nor you, nor even the princess herself could stand against his chaos magic."

"But you condemned all the ponies that live in Ponyville!" Dusk shot back.

"That’s not true and you it.  All the Ponyville’s ponies that wanted to run away did.  He didn’t take hostages, all ponies who decide to stay in Chaosville will do so of their own free will." Sunset replied narrowing her eyes, then looking back at the princess.  "I already deciphered Discord.  He’s not a being that lusts for power, he’s quite the opposite.  He wants to liberate and show his power.  He’s like a foal.  We can't stop it, but we can contain it."

Faced with Sunset's overwhelming logic, Dusk lowered his head and looked away.  He knew that Sunset had managed to save Equestria from chaos, her logic was undeniable.  He himself had experienced Discord's overwhelming power firsthoof and knew the damage it could have caused thousands of ponies.  It affected Dusk more than anyone since it had been he himself who had almost delivered the fate of Equestria on a silver platter.  Still... knowing that it went against logic, his heart prevented Dusk from accepting that the town he had learned to love had fallen into the clutches of the Lord of Chaos.

"It's a low price to pay, compared to saving all of Equestria." Sunset said, gently touching Dusk's shoulder and looking at him sweetly.

"You...the only thing that matters to you is yourself. Anything else is just in the way." Dusk brushed off Sunset’s touch with resentment, remembering everything Sunset had done to his friends. "You went to Ponyville and tried to ruin the friendship I made with my friends!  All of the moments and memories that I made with them over these past months, and you just go ahead and try to take that all away from me!  They weren't even able to look at my face!  Now you say that you made a deal with the being who manipulated the minds of my friends, and you expect me to accept what you say and abandon them!?" Dusk yelled angrily.

"It's not my fault that your 'friends' are so weak-minded as to be so easily manipulated.  Only the strongest survive in this world!" Sunset said, looking at Dusk with a penetrating gaze. "Besides, your friends don't matter, it's the Elements that matter!  All we have to do now is find five other ponies who represent the values ​​of the Elements of Harmony, so that we can use their power if Discord doesn't keep his word.  Listen, Dusk, I know that you’re too sentimental to understand this, but those mares are nothing.  Soon, you’ll forget all about them when we can finally be together.  Like we promised all that time ago.

Something then cracked within the colt’s normally composed mind.

“My friends are not like any of your stupid pawns in your damn chess games, THEY ARE PONIES THAT I ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT!!!” Dusk roared as an exceedingly large amount of magic began channeling in his horn. He then began to direct that magic into a blast directed right at Sunset, who could only watch in shocked amazement at the colt’s uncharacteristic action. 

"Enough!" Celestia said with a strong voice.  She hadn't wanted to interrupt Dusk and Sunset in their discussion, hoping that they both managed to understand each other.  But seeing Dusk's fury, she decided to act before Dusk did something he regretted. "What Dusk says is true, we cannot abandon Ponyville or Dusk's friends if Discord has manipulated them.  But what Sunset says is true as well, we can't just go and just face Discord like that.  Her plan… was smart enough to save the rest of Equestria from chaos."

"You’re agreeing with Sunset!?  Are you going to accept the deal she made with Discord!?" Dusk exclaimed; the betrayal clear from hearing his trusted teacher’s words.

"Of course not.  But at least it will buy us enough time to come up with a plan of action." Celestia tried to explain her reasoning. "Luna and Cadance should arrive in Canterlot tomorrow.  Once all the princesses are reunited, we can act."

"B-But my friends are still trapped there!  Discord played with their minds! We need to help them right now!" Dusk yelled impatiently.  “They’re...They’re so important to me.  If something horrible happens to them, I....” 

At that moment Celestia gently touched Dusk's face in an attempt to calm him down.

"My dear, please listen to my words.  I promise that we will help your friends, but you must be patient.  I know that in this year that you have been in Ponyville, you have learned the great value of friendship and love, but you’ll get nothing if your feelings blind you and you sacrifice yourself in vain." Celestia said trying to reassure her dear student.  She then used her other hoof to wipe away the tears that were beginning to form in the corners of his eyes.  "Promise me you'll wait until tomorrow, and then we'll see how we can take on Discord."  As a last resort, Celestia gave him a sweet smile that always seemed to have calmed him in his youth.

However, the smile couldn't help but remind Dusk that it was the same smile that Sunset had tried to reassure him with.  That only served to agitate him even more to think that everypony was trying to manipulate him to only follow the logical thing, when the only thing he wanted at that moment, was to follow his heart.

Feeling trapped and alone, Dusk lowered his head in annoyance.  And without answering anything or looking again at the princess or Sunset, he walked into the castle, reluctantly accepting what his teacher asked him.

"Dusk! Wait!" Sunset yelled, chasing after Dusk after he reached one of the corridors.

"What do you want?" Dusk muttered, not bothering to look Sunset in the face.

"You... you must know something." Sunset said slowly. "I… there was one other thing included with the deal I made with Discord.  I made him promise that he would never use his magic against me, nor against you."

"Why did you do that?" Dusk asked after a long silence.  So upset that he still didn't dare to look at Sunset for fear of refloating his anger.

Sunset was silent for several seconds, until she finally spoke.

"It was for love." Sunset said slowly.  Dusk was silent again, simply containing his anger at the thought that Sunset just wanted to manipulate him again.

"You don't know what love is." Dusk said venomously and walked again to get away from her.

As Dusk left, Sunset just stood with her head down and her eyes closed, with dozens of thoughts and emotions running through her head.

"You don't understand Dusk, there is no going back." Sunset whispered, slowly opening her eyes as she remembered what she had to do to get Discord to agree to the deal never to attack Dusk or her. "The pieces are already in motion, and no matter what happens, I've already won."

Night finally fell in Canterlot, a very peculiar night, because since the appearance of Discord, the sun and the moon rose and fell at irregular intervals.  So much so that the previous day had lasted almost two full days.  The ponies rejoiced at the eventual nightfall, given how exhausted they were.  However, while everypony took the opportunity to rest, a lavender stallion took advantage of the darkness of the night to steal a chest and flee Canterlot Castle undetected.

"I'm sorry Princess, but I can't wait any longer.  I must save my friends!" Dusk said as he took off, taking the Elements of Harmony with him.  Leaving Canterlot heading for Ponyville.





After running for three days and three nights, which in reality was only a few hours due to the Lord of Chaos messing with the sun and moon; Dusk finally arrived in Ponyville.  He arrived earlier than expected given that he didn’t take the train.  However, it seemed that all the roads leading to Ponyville had been turned into slides of soapy water, as if Discord wanted to attract more visitors to his fun and chaotic new town.

Once Dusk entered Ponyville, he realized how much it had changed.  Not only with the houses floating upside down and the chocolate rain, but now the pigs were flying, the flowers were singing, the hills were upholstered in bright colors, herds of rabbits with giant legs were running everywhere, and several muffins were jumping on the floor saying 'eat me' over and over again. Despite that, what surprised Dusk the most was that there were still several ponies in the town.  However, all of them doing very crazy things, like singing upside down, others dancing non-stop, and others floating and swimming in the air like if it were water.  They all seemed happy with the circumstances, each one doing a different crazy activity.

"Why are there still ponies here?  I thought most of them had fled on the trains." Dusk thought aloud.

"Some of them are new visitors, and some are a few who wanted to stay and see if all the wonders that Discord said were true." Bon Bon suddenly said, who had approached Dusk when she saw him arrive at the town. "And others like me decided to stay for our friends." Bon Bon added with a tired look, pointing towards a wheelbarrow she was carrying.  There was Lyra laughing maniacally moving her front hooves, which had been transformed into a strange claw with five small limbs called 'hand'.

"I have thumbs!" Lyra laughed wildly, moving her new hands.

"So, what Sunset said was true... Here ponies free to come and go as you please?" Dusk asked, curiously more surprised by the fact that Sunset hadn't lied than seeing Lyra with that strange 'hand'.

"Yeah, but it’s dangerous to be here too long." Bon Bon replied with a worried look. "I’ve noticed that those who have been here for long enough begin to forget reality and what really brought them here... Anyway, I have to go, I must submit a report... Agent Sweetie Drops, over and out." Bon Bon added, putting on some dark shades and taking her friend in the wheelbarrow.

"Agent Sweete Drops?  I guess Discord's spell is affecting her too." Dusk thought, trying to understand Bon Bon's sudden change in attitude.

While both mares were leaving, Dusk lowered his head and looked at the saddlebag he carried with him, where he carried the chest that he had stolen from Canterlot.  He needed to find his friends quickly before Discord discovered him and stole the Elements.

"Dusk!" Spike's voice yelled, making Dusk smile upon hearing it.

"Spike!" Dusk exclaimed happily, looking to his left. For the first time, he had to look up instead of down to see his little brother.

Spike had grown up!  Literally!  His appearance was exactly the same, but his size was at least ten times what he normally was. Spike grinned as he peered down to the colt below him.

"What happened to you!?" Dusk asked, shocked to see that his brother had become super-sized.  Noticing another small detail, that Spike's eyes seemed to be gray.





"What are you talking about?  I’m the same as always." Spike said in confusion, bending down to slap Dusk on the head in a fatherly way. "Aw, who cares about that! I'm just glad my lil’ bro came here too."

"Lil’ bro?  What are you talking about!?  You’re the little brother and I’m the oldest!" Dusk explained with concern.

"Uh? That's not true, look at my size!" Spike said, raising an eyebrow. Then Spike was silent for several seconds with a thoughtful face, as if he had a hard time remembering something. "I was the big brother, right?" Spike added with a confused look, as a swirl in his eyes appeared fleetingly as he slowly realized the truth.

"No matter what size you are, you’ll always be my beloved lil’ bro." Dusk said with a tender smile.

With Dusk's words, Spike was finally able to come out of his trance and remember the truth.  And in doing so, Discord's chaotic magic lost its effect on the baby dragon.  With a big 'Poof!' and a flash, Spike returned to his normal size.  He began to fall out in the air but was quickly caught by Dusk's magic before he hit the ground.

"What... what was I doing?" Spike asked, as if he had just woken up from a long sleep.

"I think Discord's chaotic magic fulfilled a wish you had..." Dusk replied with a thoughtful look, trying to understand how Discord's magic worked. "This may be more complicated than I thought… Spike! Do you know where the girls are?" Dusk asked after meditating for a second and reaching a conclusion.

"I-I'm not sure..." Spike replied scratching his head, still very confused by everything that had happened since he had returned to Ponyville.

"Come on!  We need to hurry!" Dusk said, quickly lifting Spike onto his back with his magic and started running. "If my theory is correct, then we’re running out of time."

Since they were in downtown Ponyville, the first option to look for their friends was at Sugarcube Corner and Carrousel Boutique, however, neither Pinkie Pie nor Rarity were there.  That made Dusk start to worry even more, thinking that perhaps Discord could have taken his friends prisoner. However, before accepting that idea, he had to at least check the rest of their homes before he could begin looking anywhere else.  Dusk made one last bet and headed where he thought it was most likely that one of his friends was, the one with the strongest bond with her family: Applejack.

Running at full speed, Dusk and Spike finally reached Sweet Apple Acres. Once there, Dusk immediately noticed the changes that the magic of chaos had brought about in the farm and its inhabitants.  The corn plantation had exploded and turned into popcorn; the apples from the trees were now gigantic, so much so that they made the treetops fall to the ground due to their excessive weight; while in front of the big Apple family house, Grannie Smith moved her hooves swiftly, dancing as if she were a young mare; while Big Mac was digging rapidly through different parts of the field, as if he were a huge mole making ditches everywhere.  Both Grannie Smith and Big Mac had slightly gray coats, just as his friends had when Dusk found them on the train.

"Spike, you look for Applejack in the house, I'll go to the barn." Dusk decided, separating from his brother to find his friend as soon as possible.

Once Dusk entered the barn, he sighed in relief when he saw that Applejack was on a pile of straw. She was resting, eating an apple that regenerated every time she took a bite.  However, what surprised and scared Dusk the most was that Applejack's fur, mane and eyes were much grayer than they had been the last time he saw her, as if her fur had lost all traces of color and shine.

"Just what I feared… As Bon Bon said, it seems that while somepony else is in this town, their mind is more affected by the chaotic magic.." Dusk carefully thought, slowly approaching his friend. "Still, Spike just needed to remember the truth to get him out of the trance he was in, and Discord's magic stopped working immediately… I hope it's not too late for Applejack and the others."

"Applejack!" Dusk yelled, causing the country mare to pay attention to him.

"Uh? Oh, it's you." Applejack said with a look of annoyance at the colt and then lowering her hat to pretend she was sleeping. "Sorry, I'm too busy working so I can’t talk with you until let's just say… never!"

"Applejack, you’re under Discord's spell!  You need to remember who you really are!" Dusk said as he approached his friend so she could look him in the face.

"I’m telling you the truth when I said that I’m too busy." Applejack shrugged, looking away and starting to whistle nonchalantly.

In that instant, Dusk knew that she wouldn’t come out of the trance as easily as Spike had.  As evidenced by her completely gray fur, Applejack's mind would need something stronger than mere words to remember the truth.  And luckily, Dusk already had a backup plan that he hoped would work.

"You’re not like that!  The Applejack I know would never lie.  She’s always honest with everypony." Dusk said with a pleading look, trying one last time to make his dear friend see reason.  He grabbed one of her hooves and made her look him in the eye.

"I..." Applejack stuttered, as if for a second she had the strength to fight Discord's spell.  However, the spell immediately gained strength and reminded her of the vision she had had on the train.  "No! I never want to hear the truth again!  You said it the night I declared my feelings!  I... I'm just a silly country mare, without manners or brains, who would only embarrass you if they saw you by my side!"

"What? Applejack, I would never say that." Dusk tried to reason with what his friend said to him. Then Dusk immediately realized that that was what Discord must have made her see on the train to confuse her and ruin her mind.

"You liar!  You did so!  You’re always thinking about it!  You’re thinking it right now!  You’re ashamed to be with me!" Applejack screamed, shedding a few tears. "I never want to hear the bitter truth again!"

Dusk lowered his head for a moment and closed his eyes.

"Do you really want the truth?" Dusk said slowly, raising his gaze to stare at Applejack with a look full of tenderness. "The honest truth is that I love your strength.  And I'm not referring to the incredible strength of your hooves.  I love the great strength of spirit that you have to always do the right thing and stand firm in the face of danger. The truth is, I love your pretty country accent and your sweet apple smell when I'm around you.  I love that great love you have for your family, and the passion you feel for your work.  And I love that you're the most honest and trustworthy pony I have ever met."

At that moment Dusk brought his face closer to Applejack's, who was only shocked by Dusk's statements, while his honest spirit recognized that everything Dusk said was authentic.

"That's the truth Applejack. The truth is... that I cannot live without you, nor hide from you the truth that my heart feels for you." Dusk added with a blush, bringing his lips to his friend's and kissing her passionately.

At the sudden kiss, Applejack's eyes widened in shock, but she slowly closed them, making her emotions overcome Discord's powerful mental spell for a second.  While that was happening, Dusk made his horn shine, making Applejack's mind relive all those beautiful moments that she and her friends had spent together, where she had always been the pillar of their group's honesty, a value so deeply rooted in Applejack's soul, who was finally able to come to light and defeat the Chaos Lord's spell.

Feeling that a magical disturbance occurred in his friend, Dusk broke away from the kiss.  He witnessed how Applejack's eyes glowed with a rainbow glow for an instant.  Then Discord's magic began to slowly fade as the gray began to glow again with her signature orange color, blonde mane, and vibrant green eyes.

"W-What happened?" Applejack said as she shook her head side-to-side.  "We were on the Canterlot train and then… did we fight?  But then... was it all a dream?" She wondered aloud while looking at Dusk, remembering some parts of what she had experienced, while others were somewhat blurred, like in a bad dream.

"It wasn't a dream, but that doesn't matter now.  The only important thing is that you’re back with us." Dusk said tenderly, gently touching his friend's cheek.  The sheer joy that he felt from seeing that his plan had worked threatened to make him burst into happy tears right then and there.

"There you are!" Spike suddenly yelled with joy, after reaching the barn when he saw that Dusk was still there.

"Listen, we don't have time. If my theory is correct, with every second that passes, Discord's mental spell grows stronger." Dusk said, looking at Applejack and Spike. "I need you to go to town and keep looking for the other girls."

"What about you?" Applejack asked.

"I’ll go to the edge of the forest.  I have to confirm if Fluttershy is at her cottage or not." Dusk said with a determined look. "If I can't find her, I'll come back and join you."

After they split up, Dusk ran to get to Fluttershy's cottage as soon as possible.  Even before arriving, Dusk knew that something bad had happened there.  Normally, when approaching the grove around Fluttershy's cottage, he could hear the chirping of birds and he could see the little animals running down the path.  But now everything was quiet, with a haunting atmosphere that was not typical of that beautiful place.

Once Dusk arrived at Fluttershy's cottage, he was shocked to see what was before his eyes.  All of Fluttershy's little animals were hiding in their burrows and nests, shivering in fear as the former yellow pegasus flew back and forth, taunting her little animals.  

"Ha-ha, you’re such a cry baby!  And you two, are you water or land animals? Make up your mind!" Fluttershy said, mocking her beloved bear Harry and the otters that were next to him, who immediately jumped into the river to get away from her.  "And you... of all history’s monsters, you’re by far the most evil thing I’ve encountered." Fluttershy added, glaring at her beloved bunny Angel.

At Fluttershy's words, the Angel bunny was the only one who didn't tremble or run away from Fluttershy's sudden rudeness and cruelty, and instead glared at her and yelled back at her.

"Hey! What did you say about my mother!?" Fluttershy yelled, shocked by the strong words the bunny used against her. Insults that even she wouldn’t say.

"Fluttershy!" Dusk yelled, running to where his friend was.

"Oh... look who finally arrived, the great hero of Equestria...!  Why don't you jump into a well where no pony can see your dumb face!" Fluttershy said, flying directly towards Dusk and looking at him furiously, face to face.

"Fluttershy, this is not the real you." Dusk tried to touch the pegasus to calm her down and bring her closer to him.  However, Fluttershy saw what Dusk was trying and pushed him with great force, causing him to fall backwards.

"What do you know about the real Fluttershy!?  You always wanted the weak Fluttershy.  The shy, the great fool full of kindness who’d smile at everypony even if they trampled on her." Fluttershy said, glaring at Dusk. "Well no more!  That Fluttershy is dead! Now I know how cruel the world can be and how kindness can hurt, you showed me that!

Hearing Fluttershy's words, Dusk immediately understood that, as with Applejack, Discord must have made some illusion on the train for her to believe that Dusk had hurt her in some way.

"Kindness isn’t a burden.  It’s the most beautiful feeling you can have.  It’s what makes us think about the feelings of others before our own." Dusk said as he got off the ground and looked tenderly at his friend.

"Shut up!  Kindness makes ponies weak, kindness makes you only feel sorry for others... You're only with me because you don't want to hurt me... You're only with me because you feel sorry for me!" Fluttershy retorted angrily, raising her hoof and hitting Dusk in his face.

Before Fluttershy's blow, Dusk closed his eyes in pain, however he remained motionless where he was.  Then Dusk looked at his friend again, and despite the pain from the blow to his cheek, Dusk kept looking at her with a small smile.

"You can hit me as much as you want, if you think that will make you happy." Dusk said calmly. "But I know that the real Fluttershy is so pure of heart that it’ll never bring her peace of mind or happiness.  No matter how hard you try, your kind heart cannot be changed by a mere illusion."

Fluttershy became even more enraged at that, feeling that she was being challenged.  Then she started hitting Dusk, throwing several punches right at the colt’s face.  Even though the pegasus didn’t have the muscular strength of the like of Applejack, her blows were still strong enough to hurt Dusk, who just closed his eyes and let his friend hit him.

After a few blows, Dusk felt them decrease in strength and quantity, so he was able to slightly open his eyes.  As he did so, he saw Fluttershy force herself to keep hitting him, however, now she was crying as she did so, as if it hurt herself to be hitting Dusk.

"The kindness in you is too bright, no magic can hide it." Dusk said tenderly, holding the hoof that Fluttershy was hitting him with and getting closer to her. "I love the compassionate and loving pony that you are, I love your tenderness and your delicacy. You’re an angel, Fluttershy.  And I want the sweet angel that I love to come back to us."

Then Dusk kissed Fluttershy and used his magic to remind his beloved friend of her true essence, showing her all the memories that made her who she was.  That made Discord's spell finally disappear and Fluttershy regained the color in her fur and eyes.

"W-What happened?" Fluttershy said, feeling dizzy after getting out of Discord's spell.  “Dusk?”  She eventually said as she noticed the colt in front of her. "Wait... I... was I hitting you?" Fluttershy realized as she began to remember her previous actions.

“It’s okay, Fluttershy.  I’m just-“ Dusk tried to say before he was suddenly tackled to the ground by the pegasus.

“I’msorryI’msorryI’msorry!” The mare began frantically apologizing. “Oh Dusk, please forgive me for hitting you like that, I didn’t mean it!  I wish I could take it back, I didn’t mean to hurt your sweet, handsome face. And !-“

“Fluttershy!” Dusk interrupted, causing the pegasus to stop and look right at him with her gorgeous eyes.  “You would never hurt me.”

As much as Dusk wanted to stay there longer to admire the sweet smile that grew on Fluttershy’s face, he knew that there wasn’t any time to do so.  “Come on, Fluttershy.” He said as he got back up.  “We need to go save the rest our friends!”

Dusk and Fluttershy ran back to town, with Dusk quickly explaining to his friend what had happened and fill the blanks in Fluttershy’s memory.  Once they got to town, they immediately ran into Applejack and Spike, who upon seeing their tender friend Fluttershy next to Dusk, sighed in relief that she was safe.

"We were just going to look for you." Applejack said, once they met with Dusk. "We’ve searched most of the town, all the places we normally go with the girls, but we could only find one."

"Rarity is at town hall!" Spike said with heavy concern. "We tried to talk to her and convince her that it was all an illusion, but it was useless.  She refused to listen to us and to leave."

"It’s not so easy to break the Discord’s spell.  I must use magic to strengthen her memories just when the chaos magic in her mind is most vulnerable to breaking." Dusk said with a serious look.  "I'll deal with Rarity.  The rest of you keep looking for the others.  Wherever they are!  They have to be somewhere in town without a doubt!"

The four of them separated and Dusk ran to the town hall, which was still in the center of Ponyville except it kept floating face down, while several ponies that normally worked in the town hall, did various crazy things around of the building.   Once inside, Dusk immediately saw Rarity, who seemed to be on a throne in the middle of the room.  She was laughing like a mad villain, while Mayor Mare was under Rarity's hooves as a stool for her to support her legs.  On top of all that, the town ​​hall was crammed with piles of random junk, as if somepony had gone all over Ponyville looting everything in their path and placed it in the main hall of the town hall.

"Rarity?" Dusk said strangely, slowly approaching where his friend was.

"Who is it?  Another pony that will be part of my great collection?" Rarity said, with her mane and eyes completely gray, without the shine that Dusk had always loved to see in them.  "Oh... It's you. I don’t want you." Rarity added scornfully seeing that the one who had entered the town hall had been Dusk Shine.

"What is all this?  Why are you sitting in the middle of the town hall surrounded by trinkets?  And why are you using Mayor Mare as a stool!?" Dusk asked without finding a logical reason for everything he saw.

"I just wanted a rest from all of the exhausting tasks of being mayor." Mayor Mare replied with a dopey grim, with her fur slightly gray, a symbol that she had already begun to be mentally affected by Discord's magic.

"Hush stool!" Rarity yelled, looking annoyed at the mayor and then at Dusk. "I’m the owner of Ponyville!  Everything you see is mine, only mine!  And I’ll never share anything with anypony, because these are all my precious treasures.  The jewels, the buildings, even the ponies that live here!  They’re all mine!  MINE! MWAHAHA!" Rarity laughed maniacally.

As Rarity laughed, Dusk could understand how Discord's spell seemed to work in the minds of his friends.  The draconequus had turned Applejack into a liar, Fluttershy into a cruel and rude pony, and Rarity into a greedy and selfish mare.

"You don't want to be locked up here alone, with all these things.  What you really want is to go back to your friends, share with them and go back to being the loving and generous mare that you have always been." Dusk reasoned as he slowly approached the mare.

"Generosity only leads you to be alone and with nothing." Rarity said, slightly nervous at the lavender colt’s approach.  "I’ll never give anything away again, everything is mine, mine, mine!" Rarity repeated as if she was trying to convince herself.

"You’re not like that. You’re the most generous mare in the world.  You love to give your all!  And it’s not because you feel any commitment or because you want to be recognized.  That beautiful charitable soul that you have does it because you love to see others happy.  As long as you see somepony smile, you’re able to give your money, your dresses, your time, your love…" Dusk said as he stood before Rarity and stretched his hoof to touch her.

"Stay away!  I don't want you near me!" Rarity yelled in terror, slapping Dusk's hoof away so he wouldn't touch her.

That had already caught Dusk's attention previously, and although he decided to ask, Dusk already had a suspicion of the reason for Rarity's reaction to him.

"When I entered town hall and you saw me, you seemed disappointed... Why do you want to possess everything and everyone... except me?" Dusk asked, looking concerned at his friend.

"You… If I have you, everypony will hate me!  My friends will hate me, I'll end up alone and without love…" Rarity sniffled. "No!  This love is mine and only mine!  I’ll not share anything with anyone!  Not even my feelings!  Not even my love!  Never again!"

Dusk quickly understood the context to the spell Discord casted on Rarity.

"You know that our friends would never abandon us, no matter the reason!" Dusk said, finally managing to caress Rarity's cheek, who upon feeling Dusk's touch, began to tremble and cry in fear at what she thought would happen.

"My love belongs to me.  I...I don’t want to lose it..." Rarity muttered weakly, beginning to fight the spell that Discord used on her.

"Keep your love.  You deserve every bit of it." Dusk said getting closer to Rarity and staring into her eyes. "But if that’s still not enough, you can have all of mine." Dusk added, kissing Rarity sweetly and simultaneously activating his magic on her.

With Dusk's magic, the memories of a life of generosity became strong in Rarity's mind and made her relive that beautiful feeling of happiness from sharing what was hers.  And those beautiful feelings finally managed to override Discord's spell, causing Rarity to finally regain her beautiful, shimmering purple mane, and her bright, deep sapphire eyes.

"Dusk? Where we are?" Rarity said as she woke up, holding her head with a hoof as she tried to remember what happened, with small flashes of memories that came to her mind.

"We’re in the town hall." Dusk said with a relieved smile when he saw his friend was back. "And now, we have to go save Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie."

After running out of town hall, Rarity inevitably stopped in shock at what had happened to her beautiful town.

"What a mess!  This... This is an aesthetic horror!" Rarity said, overwhelmed by seeing the houses flying upside down and the chocolate rain, but mainly, by the hills covered in bright colors. "The colors don't even match!"

"Rarity!" Spike suddenly yelled, crying with joy and running to hug Rarity when he saw that she was back to normal.

"Don’t worry Spikey-Wikey, everything is right as rain now." Rarity said, gently stroking the baby dragon's head as he hugged her.

"And the others?" Dusk asked, concerned when seeing that Spike was alone.

"They found Pinkie Pie.  Follow me!" Spike said, quickly remembering his original intentions and started to lead Dusk and Rarity.

Upon reaching where Spike led them, Dusk was surprised to see that they had arrived at the Ponyville schoolhouse.  Once there, Dusk saw that Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Applejack were on the playground.  With the former yelling and growling at the other two.

"Leave me alone! I don't want an apple maniac to tell me what to do or how to behave!  And I don’t need advice from a mare who can’t even raise her voice to save her life!”  Pinkie Pie yelled angrily, berating Applejack and Fluttershy.  The pair just stood still; their heads lowered as if they were being bullied at school.

"What's wrong with Applejack and Fluttershy?  Why won’t they say anything to Pinkie Pie?" Dusk asked, looking confused at Spike.

"I don’t know.  When we found Pinkie, she was yelling at some foals here.  Then Applejack told me to come find you while she and Fluttershy tried to reassure her." Spike replied, just as confused by Applejack and Fluttershy's passivity.

"Girls!" Dusk finally said to catch their attention.

Both Applejack and Fluttershy looked at him fearfully for a second, as if thinking that Dusk had also come there to scold them.  However, after a second, their eyes widened and seemed to react.

"Were their eyes gray again?" Dusk thought worriedly, not sure what he had seen, since it had only lasted a second.

"Dusk! I don’t know what happened. We were trying to calm Pinkie down and then… I felt like I had to keep quiet when Pinkie started screaming at us." Applejack said, shaking her head.

"Maybe Discord's magic is more potent on Pinkie Pie, and it's affecting you." Dusk reasoned, speaking one of the two theories he was thinking at the time.  His gaze turned to the pink mare who was staring back with a look of hatred.  "You girls keep looking for Rainbow Dash, and stay together, Discord's magic seems to getting stronger.  I'll stay with Pinkie Pie and help her.  Go!" Dusk said looking seriously at Pinkie Pie, while Fluttershy and Applejack joined Rarity and Spike to follow what Dusk asked of them.

"Fine!  All of you go!  Who needs them!" Pinkie Pie growled, turning around and scooping up some sand from the playground. "This land… why is it so sandy!?  And these games!  What are they?  For foals!?" Pinkie Pie continued, growling at everything she saw.

"They’re games for foals because we’re in a school for foals!" Dusk thought wryly.  It seemed as though Discord’s magic had made the normally cheerful mare grumpy at just about everything.

"Well, the Pinkie Pie I know would enjoy those games, even if they were for foals, and she would laugh playing with all her friends." Dusk said, trying to appeal to that side of his friends that Discord had hidden.

"Laugh?!  Why would I ever laugh?" Pinkie Pie replied, glaring at Dusk Shine. "The world is a sad and dark place… Laughter is useless.  That's just a dumb thing for dumb ponies without brains."

Hearing those words, Dusk couldn't help but imagine Sunset saying those same words for a second. Words that he had believed true for so long, until precisely Pinkie Pie had taught him the great value of laughter.

"Those aren’t your thoughts, the real you would never say that." Dusk said as he got closer to Pinkie Pie. "You’re the light of this world, you illuminate our days when we all feel sad or angry.  You’re the happiest pony in the world, with so much happiness that you infect everyone around you with a big smile… Perhaps a smile won’t change the world, but it’ll change the ponies that live in it." Dusk added, smiling tenderly at his friend.

Seeing Dusk's smile, Pinkie Pie widened her eyes, and for an instant she seemed to give in to Dusk's words.  However, the false memory implanted by Discord on the train returned to her head and made her immediately growl again and glare at Dusk.

"Lies! They’re just lies!  All you want is to keep making fun of me!" Pinkie Pie said with a bitter expression.

"I would never make fun of you!" Dusk said in shock at such an accusation.

"That's a lie!  You made fun of me!  Of my feelings!  You all laughed at me because I opened my heart!  Everypony makes fun of me, and I… I… I don't want any more laughs!" Pinkie Pie yelled with a mixture of sadness and anger, growling at Dusk. "There is nothing in this world that can make me laugh, because-"

"I love your smile." Dusk said suddenly, blushing and staring at Pinkie Pie.

"W-What?" Pinkie Pie said, widening her eyes. 

"I said I love your smile, and I love your joy.  I love your sweet voice, and I love your warm hugs." Dusk repeated without hesitation, always looking Pinkie Pie in the eye.

"Y-You're making fun of me!" Pinkie Pie accused, for the first time recovering some color as she blushed her cheeks. "They’re just lies! What you want is-"

"I love your parties and your games.  I love that you make this world a happier place." Dusk listed again, interrupting Pinkie before she spoke.

"Stop!" Pinkie Pie yelled in desperation.

"I love that you fill my life with surprises.  I love that you light up my life with your laugh." Dusk continued as he stared at Pinkie, causing her to freeze with a strange expression.  It was as if her face was trying by all means possible to keep her brow furrowed and her mouth growling.  However, hearing the word 'love' over and over again caused her mouth to start to tremble.  It was as if her heart couldn't take it anymore and ordered her to smile with happiness, but her mind fought against it and tried to keep her grumpy.

At that moment, Dusk knew that finally Pinkie Pie's joyful soul was fighting Discord's mental spell.  And to finish making her come out of the spell, she only needed one last blow of happiness, one that Dusk knew well since Pinkie herself had shown him how to share happiness with a pony who is loved.  The colt brought his lips close and kissed Pinkie Pie, finally making her open her eyes even wider as her fur began to regain its characteristic pink color.

Seeing that Discord's spell was broken, Dusk stopped kissing Pinkie and waited for his friend to fully regain consciousness.

"Uh? What happened?" Pinkie Pie said slowly, once she regained consciousness.  She seemed to have suffered the same blackouts that her friends had had when they woke up from the deep trance.  Then Pinkie Pie tried to remember what had happened, and unconsciously raised one of her hooves and touched her lips.  As she did so, the mare put on a big smile and started laughing happily. "Hahaha!  I… I'm not sure what happened, but… for some reason I feel really, really happy!" Pinkie Pie said, blushing as she laughed and looked at Dusk tenderly.

Seeing the beautiful smile of his friend returned on her face, Dusk also began to laugh, unable to avoid catching his friend's laughter.

"Maybe it was a dream, but this feeling... I only felt this happy once before..." Pinkie Pie thought with a big smile, seeing Dusk and blushing when she remembered their first kiss.

After sharing those few seconds of happiness, a pig with wings suddenly flew past them, causing Dusk to refocus on his mission.

"Let’s go, we have to go help Spike and the girls find Rainbow Dash." Dusk said, getting serious again, but this time, smiling at the confidence he felt when he saw that he had almost recovered all his friends.

Although Pinkie Pie would have preferred to chase the strange flying pig, and she was amazed to see how crazy and funny everything seemed to be in town now; upon hearing that they should help Rainbow Dash, Pinkie forgot everything and concentrated on the mission.  Once Dusk located his friends, he was concerned when he saw that they all had worried faces, which meant that there was no good news.

"We searched the entire town, but we didn't find Rainbow Dash anywhere." Rarity said.

"I searched in her house in the clouds and in the sky, but I couldn't find her either." Fluttershy said, fearful for her pegasus friend.

"The only place we haven't looked is at the train station… but Discord’s already there trying to attract more visitors to town.  And I don't think it's a good idea to get close." Spike said, also concerned after having approached the train station and checking that.

"Well, at least Discord is still distracted." Dusk said with a thoughtful look, not knowing where else to look for his friend. "But if she's not in a house and Fluttershy checked the sky, where could Rainbow Dash be?"

"Maybe she dug a hole and hid there.  I think I once saw her digging a hole down to Canterlot.  She’s really good at digging." Applejack suddenly said, pursing her lips and making her bad poker face when she lied.  Then she suddenly realized what she said and shook her head sharply. "Huh? I… why did I say that?"

Dusk quickly approached her and looked her directly in the eyes. He then noticed that for brief periods, Applejack's eyes seemed to turn slightly gray, but quickly recovered their color.

"The more we’re in this town, the more the mind is affected.  If we don't hurry, you might fall under the spell again." Dusk said worriedly, beginning to think that it was strange that he still didn’t feel any effect from Discord's magic, even though he had been there all day.

'I made him promise that he would never use his magic against me, nor against you.' Sunset's words about the deal she had made with Discord immediately echoed in Dusk's head, making him realize what she was referring to.

"She did it out of sheer selfishness, but… at least it’s useful for me to save my friends." Dusk thought, feeling relieved for a moment that Sunset had protected him, but immediately dismissing that thought when he remembered how manipulative she had been.

Looking away from the memory of Sunset, Dusk suddenly stared up at the sky, as something caught his eye.

"Girls… isn't that cloud too high?" Dusk said with a look of doubt, looking at a lonely little cloud that was too high in the sky. "Fluttershy, you didn't fly that high, did you?" Dusk asked, guessing that indeed his shy friend had not flown so far from the ground as to see that cloud.

"Y-Y-Yes, I-I-It's R-R-Rainbow D-D-Dash..." Pinkie Pie said suddenly starting to shake, something that Dusk immediately recognized as her Pinkie Sense.

Relying on Pinkie Pie's supernatural sixth sense from experience, Dusk made a thoughtful face.  He immediately knew that it was risky for Fluttershy to fly alone to Rainbow Dash, as she could run away or even attack her friend from the effect of Discord's trance.  The best and only option was for him to go there himself.  But how?

"Pinkie, I’ll need your help." Dusk finally said, looking determinedly at the pink mare, and handing Spike his saddlebag with the chest.

Knowing that they didn't have time to look for a hot-air balloon, since Cherry Berry was most likely one of the ponies that fled Ponyville before becoming Chaosville; Dusk's plan was for Pinkie Pie to inflate dozens of balloons and tie them around Dusk's waist.  Following the plan, finally managed to rise from the ground, and slowly but surely began to ascend in a straight line towards that small cloud in the sky.

Given the great height at which the cloud was, the cold began to make Dusk start to shiver.  However, Dusk stood firm on his goal, clenching his teeth until he finally managed to reach the small cloud.  Once there, Dusk breathed a sigh of relief when he verified that he had been correct.  There, lying nonchalantly with her eyes closed, was Rainbow Dash, completely gray, just as her other friends had been.

"Rainbow Dash!  Thank Celestia that you’re here!" Dusk said in relief, puncturing one of his balloons to stop rising and using his magic to cast the cloud-walking spell.

Seeing Dusk jump on his cloud, Rainbow Dash gave him a displeased look and got up quickly.

"Pfft, of all the ponies, it had to be just you." Rainbow Dash said in a bad mood, spreading her wings to get away from Dusk as soon as possible.  However, the pegasus failed to take off as Dusk used his magic to hold her there. "Let me go!  Can't you see I'm busy training!?"

"Training?" Dusk skeptically asked.

"This is the Wonderbolts training field, can't you see?" Rainbow Dash said, pointing her hoof to the little cloud they were standing on. It didn’t take long for Dusk to understand that this seemed to be part of the trance his friend was in.

"Well... I know how important it’s that you train here with the Wonderbolts, hehe." Dusk said with a nervous smile, deciding to play along the Rainbow Dash's game.  "But right now, Ponyville is in chaos and could really use your help.

"Meh! I'm not interested." Rainbow Dash said as she turned her back on Dusk. "I already told you, my training is the most important thing. Only thing that matters to me."

"Of course!  Discord warped Rainbow Dash's loyalty!" Dusk internally realized.

"Rainbow Dash, you’re the most loyal pony in the world, and I know that you would never abandon us when we need you.  Your friends need you!  I need you!" Dusk said, gently touching Rainbow Dash's side to make her look at him again.

"Why should I care?!  Why do have to give up my hopes and dreams whenever everypony else screws up?!” Rainbow Dash yelled angrily, starting to get annoyed at Dusk's insistence.

"Nopony wants to take away your dreams, but… you can put them aside for a moment when your friends need your help.  You know it, nothing is more important than helping a friend in need." Dusk said without backing down despite Rainbow Dash's gaze.  "Sometimes...you can even put your dreams on hold by following your feelings... You showed me that on the night of the Grand Galloping Gala." Dusk added, lowering his gaze for an instant and then looking tenderly at his friend.

"A mistake that I’ll never make again." Rainbow Dash replied, bringing her eyes closer to Dusk's and looking at him with contempt.

"That is not true.  I know how you really feel, because I feel the same way." Dusk said before leaning forward and catching Rainbow Dash in a surprise kiss, who was only shocked to receive that kiss.  However, before anything else could happen, Rainbow Dash pushed Dusk away from her.

Rainbow Dash didn't say anything.  She just stared down with a confused look, as if she was struggling over what to say and feel right now.

"For love, you’re capable of risking everything." Dusk said with a tender smile.  Then he used his magic and popped all the balloons that were tied to his waist.  And in an act of madness, or perhaps faith, he fell back from the cloud and fell.

As he fell, Dusk could see that Rainbow Dash leaned over of the cloud and watched in amazement as he fell to the ground.  However, her fur was still gray, which meant she was still under Discord's trance.  And finally, Rainbow Dash turned around and just stayed on her cloud.

"Maybe this wasn’t a good idea." Dusk thought, beginning to doubt what he had done. "No!  I trust my friends; I trust Rainbow Dash!  Her loyal soul is stronger than anything, even Discord magic!" Dusk thought quickly, closing his eyes and trusting what his heart was telling him.

The seconds passed and Dusk kept falling, but his mind had unconsciously already calculated the speed of the fall and he realized that he was about to hit the ground.  Until finally, Dusk heard a loud sound in the distance. A few seconds later, 'somepony' took him between her hooves and saved him from falling.

“ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR DAMN MIND?!” Rainbow Dash yelled after she saved Dusk.  The colt gave her an ecstatic look from her heroic action.  The mare noticed this and tried to scoff it off.  

"I just saved you from falling!  This doesn’t mean that you’re important to me!" Rainbow Dash retorted, her eyes and eyebrows moving compulsively, as if the pegasus didn't know whether to be upset, indifferent or happy about what she had done.

"Dashie, you saved me because I’m as important to you as you are to me." Dusk said with a smile, taking advantage of his closeness to the pegasus to touch her forehead with his horn.  Thus, activating his magic and making Rainbow Dash remember her friends, the value they meant to her, and her true essence. The blue pegasus to finally regain her color and rainbow mane.

Upon regaining her memories, Rainbow Dash awoke from her trance, causing her to be shocked and stop flying well, causing her and Dusk to fall to the ground. Which fortunately didn’t cause them major damage, since they had both been flying almost at ground level after Rainbow Dash saved Dusk from falling.

"Hnng... What happened?" Rainbow Dash said, rubbing her head after hitting the ground.

"What happened is that I got the most awesome mare in Equestria back!" Dusk replied, hugging his friend affectionately, causing Rainbow Dash to be surprised and blush at Dusk's surprise hug.  However, she said nothing and just stood still, enjoying the tender hug.

"Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie Pie and the other girls shouted, who along with Spike, ran towards where Rainbow Dash and Dusk were after seeing them fall.

Finally, everypony was reunited: Dusk Shine, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Spike.  The precious mares in Dusk’s life were safe.  With that, they could get out of this crazy and disastrous town and be safe.  However, Dusk knew that it wasn’t over. They couldn't just flee Ponyville and leave the town they loved and the other ponies who had fallen prey to Discord's magic.  No, Dusk wasn’t like Sunset Shimmer... And although Dusk knew that Sunset Shimmer had been the most logical thing to do, he was again going to trust and follow what his heart told him.

"What do we do now, Dusk?" Applejack asked after everypony finished hugging.

"Spike." Dusk said looking at his little brother, who immediately understood what Dusk wanted and opened Dusk's saddlebag.

Using his magic, Dusk levitated the chest, brought it closer to him, and it opened.  As soon as the chest opened its lid, everypony was amazed to see that inside it glowed. The Elements of Harmony were shining more than ever.

"That's new." Pinkie Pie said in amazement.

"I wasn't sure if they would work.  Since the last time we put them on, we couldn't get them to work." Dusk said with a thoughtful look, remembering that time they had wanted to heal Rainbow Dash's wings with the magic of the Elements.  "However, now it’s as if the very Elements are asking us to use them... as if they’re eager to drive away this chaos and bring harmony back to Equestria." Dusk added, using his magic to levitate the collars of the Elements and placing them on the necks of his friends.

"Aw yeah!  The only necklace I would wear every day." Rainbow Dash said with a smile, proud to see the jewel in the shape of her cutie mark, and immediately felt magic that it emanated within her.

"They definitely feel different from the last time we used them." Rarity said, also remembering the last incident with Rainbow Dash's wings.

"But... what if they don't work?" Fluttershy asked, looking worried at Dusk.

"They’ll work." Dusk said confidently, feeling the magic of the Elements as he put on the crown with the Element of Magic on his head.  Just like Rarity said, this felt different than the last time he put the crown on.  This time it felt more like the time he and his friends used them to defeat Nightmare Moon. "Time to take back our town." Dusk added with a look full of determination, looking towards the other end of town, where the powerful Lord of Chaos should be.





At the train station, Discord smirked happily as he managed to lure more ponies into his new town. Anyone else would have thought that luring ponies into a chaotic town, where houses were flying and roads were made of soap, would be insane.  But Discord knew very well how easy it was to attract bees with honey, and the only thing he did when a pony passed near the town was offer them to fulfill some dream, whether it was to make them more handsome, taller, wealthier, or some crazy fantasy.  Something that was very easy to create with Discord's powerful chaotic magic.

What the poor ponies didn’t know, was that those fantasies that Discord fulfilled, were only momentary.  Enough to draw them into town and have them be inside Chaosville for a few hours. Then the same chaos magic permeated the ponies' minds so much that they completely forgot their initial motivations, eventually ending up doing crazy things and bonding with the beings of chaos that Discord enjoyed seeing.

"Another satisfied customer." Discord said, grinning in amusement from a floating throne next to the train station. His latest victim, a colt named Caramel, relished his desire to be irresistible to the mares.

Discord had fulfilled the wish of the stallion, but with a touch of perverse amusement.  Discord made the mares in effect fall in love with Caramel just by seeing him. Although these were not mares his age, but several old mares, who now chased after him and threw themselves on Caramel to be kissed, while Caramel struggled to escape.

"Hey, you didn't fulfill his wish right. That’s cheating!" Apple Bloom said from under the throne, who along with her friends Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, were next in line for Discord's wishes.

"Of course I fulfilled his wish.  It's just that you have to be careful what you wish for." Discord scoffed, who was already getting bored of properly fulfilling the ponies' wishes and was now having a little more fun.

The three fillies had been oblivious to all the chaos that had occurred in the village, because they had been with their teacher and other companions on a field trip.  Upon returning, Apple Bloom had invited her friends over to her house, and upon arriving at Sweet Apple Acres, they discovered how strange Big Mac and Granny Smith acted.  As they ran into town to seek help, it didn't take them long to find out what had happened and to find the strange Lord of Chaos, who promised the ponies to fulfill their wishes if they stayed in town.

"Apple Bloom, are you sure about this?" Sweetie Belle asked nervously, looking fearfully at the huge dragonequus in front of her.

"He said he would fulfill any wish, so I’ll ask him to return Granny and my big bro to normal!" Apple Bloom said with determination.

"Of course I can fulfill it, but that is only your wish.  Why don't you take this opportunity and let your friends make their own wishes first?" Discord said with a fake friendly smile, deciding to have some fun with the little fillies.

"Oh! Oh! I could grow bigger wings so I can fly!" Scootaloo said immediately, jumping with excitement.

"A wish for me?  Hmm… what could I ask for?" Sweetie Belle said with a thoughtful look. "Oh! I know! I wish there were more members in our club!" The little unicorn realized.

"A club?" Discord asked curiously, raising an eyebrow.

"The Cutie Mark Crusaders!" The three fillies yelled with an almost ultrasonic scream, deafing Discord for a second.

"So, you want new members for your club…" Discord said with a thoughtful look after clean his ears.  Then he glanced at the fillies and smiled. "Maybe you could invite someone tall and powerful in magic to join your little club... He probably isn't interested, but he would... just because he's bored." Discord said feigning disinterest, rubbing a claw across his chest.

"Tall and powerful... You mean Dusk Shine?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Hm, Dusk is really cool, but he’s not that tall.  Maybe he means the Princesses! How did we not think of inviting them before?" Scootaloo said excitedly, but then putting on a thoughtful look. "Although Dusk and the Princesses already have their cutie marks, so I don't know if they could join..."

"Ugh!  Consider yourselves lucky that this story isn’t rated high enough for me to seriously hurt your admittedly adorable faces!  Enough, get out of my sight!" Discord said annoyed, snapping his fingers and making the three fillies disappear from his presence.  "As if someone wanted to enter their silly club." Discord added, looking away with a mixture of annoyance and frustration after the three fillies didn't get his hint.

"I thought that in a thousand years, this strange feeling would go away, but… it's still there." Discord thought with a fleeting look of sadness, not understanding how to fill the emptiness that felt his heart.  Despite his almost unlimited powers, and although he himself refused it, he still had feelings within himself.  One feeling in particular, called loneliness, was growing larger and larger as the centuries of Discord's life passed.  It had made him uncomfortable a thousand years ago, and it made him uncomfortable again now. "I guess I'll keep having fun until I figure out how to fill the void.  After all, I have an entire immortal life to find out." Discord thought, not understanding what he had unconsciously been looking for when talking to those three little ponies.

"Discord! I have come to face you!" A male's voice suddenly screamed from behind Discord.

Once the draconequus turned around, he was a bit surprised to see that there was Dusk Shine with a look full of determination, and most importantly, with the crown with the Element of Magic on it.

"My, my, this is a surprise.  I thought Sunset Shimmer had told you about our little deal." Discord said, quickly forgetting his melancholy thoughts and smiling wickedly upon seeing Dusk.

"I'm not interested in the deal you made with Sunset!  I came here to save Ponyville and my friends!" Dusk yelled, not taking his gaze from Discord's eyes for a second.

"Oh yes, your friends.  All for that valuable friendship you feel.  Still don't get it?  Friendship is useless!" Discord said with an angry look, as if the very word 'friendship' bothered him more than usual at the time. "So tell me, where are your friends?"

"They’re right here!" Dusk yelled and gestured behind him.  There was silence for a few seconds before he turned around and saw that nopony was with him.

With a frustrated sigh, Dusk walked back, losing sight of Discord for a few seconds.  He returned dragging a totally gray Pinkie Pie by her tail, who grunted annoyed as Dusk dragged her.  After Pinkie came Fluttershy, with the same gray fur as her friend, who began to make fun of Pinkie Pie for being dragged by Dusk. Then Applejack appeared carrying a sleeping Rainbow Dash on her back, both with coats the same gray as the other two mares.  And finally Rarity arrived, who was attracted by Spike holding a big emerald.

Seeing the mares in that state, Discord couldn't help but burst out laughing.  It seemed that his trance was still working, and better than expected.  On the train, he had taken pains to make the trance in those five mares particularly deeper than normal.  So it was rather humorous to see that the Elements were now being carried by ponies that represented the exact opposite of their values.

"Yes, yes, you have your friends with you.  Now what?" Discord said mockingly at Dusk.

"Now this." Dusk said, levitating the necklaces with the Elements of Harmony and placing them on the necks of his friends. "Formation, now!"

Reluctantly, Dusk's friends listened to what he asked of them and approached him.

"Oh, how scary." Discord said sarcastically, pretending to shiver. "You've clearly out-dueled me, and now it's time to meet my fate. I'm prepared to be defeated now. Fire when ready." The Lord of Chaos closed his eyes theatrically, making a bullseye appear on his chest to mock Dusk's determination.

Seeing Discord completely drop his guard, Dusk smiled confidently.

"Any other pony would think that merely bringing the Elements of Harmony alone would defeat you, but I know the truth.  The Elements of Harmony are only rocks if there are no ponies to awaken their magic.  They’re the ponies that represent laughter, honesty, loyalty, kindness and generosity that can awaken the true magic of harmony!  You knew that!  That's why you insisted on bewitching my friends!" Dusk said as he lit his horn, at the same time that the jewel in his crown also began to shine.

As Dusk used his magic, the spell he had used to paint his friends' coats gray vanished, and his five friends stopped acting and smiled the same confident smile as Dusk while their Elements were also activated.  Seeing that it had all been a hoax, Discord widened his eyes in surprise, but it was too late to do anything.

Just like the night they defeated Nightmare Moon, the Elements of Harmony shone, the six ponies that carried them began to float, and Dusk's eyes shone with a strong glow as he felt the magic of harmony running through his entire being. Then a great flash of light shone on the bodies of the six ponies and a rainbow light was shot into the sky from where they were, flying at high speed and falling just as fast right on the Lord of Chaos.

Discord's eyes couldn't help but show terror as he recognized the familiar sensation running through his body, a magic that was the exact opposite of the magic he used: this was the purest magic of harmony.  His body slowly began to petrify, and in a vain attempt, Discord tried to move his claws, but it was already useless.  Petrification finally reached his head and Discord was finally turned into a statue again.

Having turned the Lord of Chaos to stone, the magic emanating from the Elements of Harmony slowly began to fade, and the six ponies gently fell back to ground, feeling the calm and peace that the magic of Harmony brought them once used it.

"Wow... That magic is really on another level!" Spike said in amazement, who hadn’t previously seen his friends using the magic of the Elements. "I promise I’ll never use Dusk's crown to grate cheese again." Spike added, who secretly kept using Dusk's crown for such banalities.

At Spike's comment, Dusk couldn't help but sigh with a small giggle.  Then he looked straight ahead, where a perfect statue of Discord now stood, still with a look of utter amazement after being fooled.

"I-Is it all over?" Fluttershy asked sheepishly, still fearful that Discord might escape.

"Yes, it's all over." Dusk said with a reassuring smile.

"Well, that's great and all, but... How are we going to fix all this?" Rainbow Dash said, pointing towards the town behind them where the chaos magic held just as Discord left it.

"I don’t know.  I was hoping the magic of Harmony would fix it, but I guess we'll have to." Dusk said scratching his head and sighing tiredly, thinking that he would have to spend days reversing all the chaotic magic that Discord had made. "I think I'll have to ask the princesses for help to-"

CRACK!

Suddenly Dusk froze upon hearing something cracking.  Then quickly he turned to see behind him, where the statue of Discord was, still as motionless as ever.

"What’s wrong?" Rarity asked the colt in concern.

"I-It's nothing..." Dusk answered, lowering his head in relief. "I think I'm still a little paranoid.  For a moment I thought that -"

CRACK!

This time there was no mistaking the six ponies and this dragon hear on the sound.  Then they all turned again to see the statue and their faces were frozen with fear when they saw a crack in the statue that was getting bigger and bigger, with various cracking sounds each time a new fissure appeared on the statue.  Until finally a light shone through the cracks, and a strong burst of light blinded everyone for an instant.

"Brrr! I hate being turned to stone.  It feels so cold…" Discord said, shaking himself as if he were cold, as if nothing extraordinary had happened.

"I-It can't be possible..." Dusk whispered almost speechlessly after seeing that Discord had freed himself.

"Come on Dusk, I thought you were the smart one.  If you just saw it, you can't say it's not possible." Discord said smiling wickedly, enjoying the face of astonishment and fear that the ponies had when they saw him free himself.

"Girls! Quickly!" Dusk shouted in terror, again lighting his horn to use his magic again.

The five mares quickly came out of their stupor and jumped to be next to Dusk so that their elements began to shine again.

"Oh! Oh! Wait!  Now I want to strike a better pose." Discord said amusedly, putting on some sunglasses and pointing his index fingers towards the forehead like he was someone cool guy.

Ignoring Discord's taunts, Dusk only focused on correctly activating the Elements of Harmony just as he had previously done.  Then, just as before, the six ponies began to float, their elements and bodies flashed, as did Dusk's eyes, and again a great and powerful rainbow beam shot out from where they were and hit Discord hard.  Who for his part, kept doing his cool guy pose while being turned completely to stone.

Once Discord turned to stone again, the six ponies fell back to the ground, only this time Dusk was exhausted.  Using so much magic to activate the Elements of Harmony was exhausting and doing it a second time hadn't helped.  He had also made sure to use almost all of his magic so that the magic of the Elements worked even stronger on Discord, thinking that perhaps that had failed the first time.

"Huff… Huff… Is… Is it over?" Dusk heaved, weakly looking up and seeing that in front of him was Discord turned into stone again, only this time with a different pose than the first statue.

"W-What happened?  How did he get free?" Applejack asked, still confused and fearful about what had just happened.

"I-I don't know... Maybe... The first time I didn't use enough magic." Dusk said with a look of doubt, not sure what he was saying.

"Well... It looks like it worked this time." Pinkie Pie said, who had approached the statue of Discord and tapped it a few times with her hoof, causing the unmistakable sound of a stone to be heard. "Yep, nothing but rock! And believe me, I know about rocks!" Pinkie Pie added with a smile.

While the five mares sighed in relief, already calmer to see that there was no crack in the new statue, Dusk just stood still with a thoughtful face.

"The magic of the Elements is incredible… So powerful… There’s no doubt that its power surpasses the magic of Discord's chaos, I could feel it!  This power was as or more powerful than the time we used them against Nightmare Moon. No doubt!  There is no way that Discord can free himself!  And there is nothing that surpasses the power of the Elements of Harmony!  This is the end!" Dusk thought, trying to calm himself.  Yet despite all those reassurances, he was still uneasy. "But then what just happened!?  How did Discord break free the first time?!  I… I'm almost completely sure that the power we released the first time was identical to the one we released the second time we used the Elements…"

"Girls, we must return this statue to Canterlot as soon as possible."  Dusk said, looking seriously at his friends, deciding not to want to take risks. Right at that moment, his five friends closed their eyes tightly, as if they all had a fleeting migraine that disappeared in just an instant. "The safest thing is that the princess will guard the statue, so that-"

CRACK!

Dusk's face turned pale, and he slowly and shakily turned his head to look back. When he saw the statue, he saw that a small crack appeared on Discord's chest, and as it happened before, it got bigger and bigger, slowly cracking the entire statue.

Unlike the previous time, this time Dusk knew what would happen.  However, now the colt just stood still and speechless.  He knew Discord was breaking free, but he didn't understand why!  The magic of the Elements of Harmony couldn’t have failed!  It was as powerful as he remembered it!  How was this possible?!  And the worst thing was that Dusk was so exhausted, that he could no longer use magic.  That made the lavender colt just stare in terror as the Lord of Chaos broke free again.

"Ugh! Seriously, I hate letting you turn me to stone.  But I guess it's worth it just to see those faces full of terror." Discord said once he freed himself again, smiling evilly and looking with joy at Dusk's terrified face.

The five mares were just as paralyzed as Dusk. They all understood the grave situation.  If the Elements of Harmony had failed, there was no magic capable of defeating the mighty lord of chaos. And as the terrifying truth gnawed at the ponies' minds, Discord just stretched out his neck and claws as if all of this was an everyday occurrence and he was about to exercise.

Before any of them could react, Discord zipped forward and grabbed Dusk’s neck.  The poor colt struggled in the draconequus’s grip as he was lifted up to his eye level. Dusk immediately went still as look into Discord’s eyes, which seemed to have a deadly undertone to them.

“You are becoming a greater pain in my rear than I initially realized.” Discord growled.  “I’d suggest you accept your defeat before I decide use chaos magic in a much more painful way.  Now get out of my town!”

Snapping his fingers, Discord made Dusk disappear from there, not even giving him time to react.  Seeing that Dusk was gone, the five mares and Spike raised their heads and watched in terror as Discord towered over them and wickedly raised his claws, taunting and giggling wickedly, having shattered the ponies' last hope of salvation.

End of chapter 4