//------------------------------//
// Episode 21: Over The Edge 
// Story: Total Magic Pony Island: The Lost Episodes 
// by SuperPinkBrony12 
//------------------------------//

With practiced precision, Discord stood on the Dock of Shame and gazed firmly into the cameras as he declared with his usual dramatic flare. "Last time on Total Magic Pony Island."

And with that the camera started to cut to clips from the previous challenge, or rather challenges as Discord was explaining. "The seven contestants left in the game got to choose which challenge they wanted to do: Face their fears with Nightmare Moon or hunt for an animal in the woods. And more ponies chose the latter, unsurprisingly."

A clip was then shown of the three ponies who had sought to do Nightmare Moon's challenge, starting with Rainbow Dash while Discord narrated. "Rainbow Dash expected an easy victory, hence her decision to face her fears. But oh boy was she wrong, because it turned out her worst fear was this 'thing' called Mare-Do-Well." A brief clip was shown of the encounter Rainbow had had with the masked mare.

The witty spirit continued to narrate as the clips changed to show the hunting challenge, starting with Discord's explanation of how it worked. "As for the hunting challenge, Trixie and Rarity decided to go it alone for their animals. But because Twilight Sparkle was unlucky and drew 'Bear', Princess Celestia decided to help her former student."

Discord then snickered as the next clip showed the two ponies working together, and the end result of their efforts. "Unfortunately, that idea of helping involved luring a bear out of a cave and letting it chase after Twilight. So Princess Celestia took a dive to protect her former student even though all she had to do to save herself was capture a duck."

Then the camera cut to a clip of Nightmare Moon's challenge and of Pinkie Pie facing down the mare of darkness. And Discord kept narrating. "Nightmare Moon hoped to do a clean sweep of the three contestants she was given, but Pinkie Pie thwarted her efforts by literally laughing in the face of danger. So Pinkie Pie won invincibility there."

After that, a clip was briefly shown of the hunting challenge's end result and the ensuing aftermath. And Discord's narrations seemed to take on a sinister tone as he remarked. "Trixie, meanwhile, won the hunting challenge. And Princess Celestia thus decided that because she did such a poor job, the only sensible thing to do was vote herself off. Of course, that meant roping a few other ponies into helping her do it. But hey, it's her choice."

The last few clips depicted the vote at the fire pit that night as the seven contestants were narrowed down to six while the witty spirit explained. "Ultimately, by a four to three vote Princess Celestia got her wish and was sent packing. Of course, she tried to frame it as a victory, but she didn't get her old body back on-screen so ha! Who's laughing now?!"

Discord then cleared his throat before the cameras cut back to him standing on the Dock of Shame. "We've got six not so ordinary ponies left in the game now. And one of them is about to be the next to receive a free trip on the Boat of Losers tonight on Total Magic Pony Island!"





Twilight could only stare out in the distance from the Dock of Shame in disbelief. In the back of her mind the possibility of Princess Celestia being eliminated had always lingered, it was always a faint possibility. But for it to have actually happened, especially in the way it had played out, the studious unicorn was shocked and dismayed.

A flicker of the camera showed Twilight sulking over this fact in the confessional, especially since she was realizing something about why it had happened. "Princess Celestia, you were protecting me. I'm sorry, I let you down," A small tear came into her eyes as a result. "Somehow, I've got to make it through to the end and stop Discord now. I can't rely on you to protect me anymore."

Trixie was seen in the confessional next, and she was smirking and rubbing her hooves together in delight. "That invincibility came at just the right moment for Trixie! Now Rainbow Dash has lost her desire to compete, so all Trixie has to do is win again and Rainbow Dash will be history! Then there won't be anypony left to stand in Trixie's way!"

And when the camera flicked once again, Rainbow Dash could be seen rocking back and forth in the confessional in a clear sign of how shaken up she still was over what had happened during the previous challenge (for her). "Have I always been the monster?" She pondered aloud. "Why didn't I listen to the others when they were trying to warn me? Why did I have to get rid of so many because I didn't want to admit the truth?"

Meanwhile, as the camera cut back to the cabins, Pinkie Pie couldn't help but notice a development with Derpy. Namely that the wall-eyed mare was still quite shaken up by what had happened with Nightmare Moon. "Hey, what was that about not blinking?" Pinkie questioned.

Derpy flinched as she slowly spun around. "It's just one of many things I pray you never have to deal with, Pinkie. The Doctor has seen so many things in his time, things that defy explanation and are terrifying in ways you couldn't begin to imagine."

"You mean, like The Smooze?" The pink party pony questioned.

Derpy shook her head. "No, Pinkie. The Smooze is nothing compared to what The Doctor has seen. It's why he's assembled so many companions."

Pinkie couldn't help but inquire. "Octavia was one of them, and she seems just fine."

The pegasus mare nodded. "She's made of far tougher stuff than I am, Pinkie. My meeting The Doctor was a stroke of pure chance if I've being honest," And she let out an unhappy sigh. "I probably shouldn't even be here still. Coming back early was a mistake. But I just couldn't shake the feeling that I had to."

The pink party pony smiled as she not so subtly scooted closer to her fellow mare and pulled her in for a hug. "Well, I'm glad you came back. Now that you're not working with Rainbow Dash, you've got a bright future ahead of you," Her smile grew wider as she added. "Who knows? Maybe you'll even win this whole thing."

"I would like that, Pinkie," Derpy replied while returning the hug. "But somehow I don't think that's going to happen. I've already come close to elimination once already."

Pinkie Pie shook her head. "So? That doesn't mean anything, Derpy! Princess Celestia won two challenges and yet she still eliminated herself when she lost the last one," And she firmly insisted. "I just know that if we stick together, we can go places! We're so close to the end!"

The wall eyed mare couldn't help but respond. "Yeah, and that's what worries me. Discord said the challenges would get harder. And they've definitely been getting harder, and scarier."

Pinkie waved a hoof. "Well, just don't let what he's doing get to you. Think about other things, like me for example. Ooh, and you can't forget Twilight, Rarity and even Trixie!" Then the pink party pony excitedly smiled as something came to her mind! "Come to think of it, if Rainbow Dash loses the next challenge then we're all kind of winners no matter what. Because if Rainbow goes that means the winner will be someone from our former team: The Magical Misfits."

Derpy nearly gasped in surprise! "Wow! I never even thought of that! Can't believe I didn't notice."

"I just kind of noticed it too to be honest." Pinkie confessed with a giggle.

Unbeknownst to the two eccentric mares, they were being watched from inside the cabin by none other than Rarity. And she couldn't help but smile sincerely.

A flicker of the camera showed Rarity with a starry look reflected in her blue eyes as she declared! "Oh, it's so adorable and so romantic! I just hope this couple has a happier ending than all the other ones so far," Then she sighed as her happy mood left her. "Spikey Wikey, darling, I really am sorry for the way I treated you."





With all the developments that were ongoing, sleep didn't come easy for the six surviving contestants that night. All of them were individually thinking about either who to eliminate next or what they would do with the million bits if they won it. The prize was now closer than it had ever seemed before!

Next morning, as the ponies filed into the mess hall and took their seats to enjoy breakfast (Pinkie Pie and Derpy sitting next to each other in a way that made what was happening between them obvious to everyone), they were soon greeted by a most dramatic entrance from Discord!

"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD MORNING TMPI CONTESTANTS!" The witty spirit declared at the top of his lungs while dressed up to look like a reporter.

Twilight was the first pony to unplug her ears when the ringing had stopped. "Loud and... very loud, Discord." She unhappily remarked.

Even Nightmare Moon grumbled about it. "I'll say. Must you always do stuff like that?" And she scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I swear, you're such a little kid sometimes."

Discord ignored the rude remarks directed at him as he just snapped his talons, making his reporter's outfit disappear in a flash. "Hey, don't mind me, just trying to spice things up a little. After all, we've only got six contestants left in the game. And all but one of them have won at least one challenge since the teams were merged."

Derpy couldn't help but gulp a bit, knowing that she was the odd one out in the group. "Why did Discord have to go and paint a target on my back like that?" She thought to herself.

Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, yawned. If the rings around her eyes were any indication, last night had not been a good night for her and she had likely not slept good. "I'm sure we all know, Discord. Can we just enjoy breakfast in peace for once?"

Trixie was quick to chime in. "For once, The Great and Powerful Trixie agrees with Rainbow Dash."

But the spirit of chaos only waved a paw. "All in good time, my not so spectacular six. After all, so many have come before you:" And he began to rattle off the names of all the contestants that had previously been eliminated. "It started with Vinyl Scratch. Then it was Sweetie Belle. Then Gilda. Then Apple Bloom. Then Diamond Tiara. Then Derpy. Then Zecora. Then Princess Luna. Then Silver Spoon. Then Applejack. Then Spike. Then Gilda again. Then Cheerilee. Then Vinyl Scratch again. Then Scootaloo. Then Fluttershy. And finally Princess Celestia in that order."

Rarity blinked as she arched an eyebrow upward. "Why are you telling us all of this, Discord?"

"I could tell you, but I don't wanna spoil the surprise! Or rather, one of the surprises!" Discord declared with a grin. "Today, we're going to do something a little different. Since there's only six of you left, we'll be splitting you up into pairs. Three pairs for three challenges. And whichever pair wins the most challenges gets to share invincibility."

"Ooh!" Pinkie Pie excitedly declared! "Do we get a different partner for each challenge? Can we pick who we wanna pair up with?"

The draconequus simply answered with a shake of his head. "Nope. I'm pairing you all up as I see fit! And my choices will be final for all three challenges! So ready or not, it's time for you all to come together!" And with that, he snapped his paws once again!





A flash of light briefly blinded the six contestants. But when it had faded, they could see for themselves who had been paired up with whom.

Twilight and Rarity were one pair, Pinkie Pie and Derpy were another and Trixie and Rainbow Dash made up the third and final one.

"Are you kidding me?!" Rainbow Dash groaned in annoyance as she saw that each pair had one of their front hooves tied together, almost as if they were participating in a seven legged race (except they had hoofcuffs on instead of small rope bands). "Why'd I have to get stuck with an annoying know it all who knows nothing?!"

Trixie growled as she looked at her partner! "Trixie isn't very fond of you either, Rainbow Dash! She would rather see you fail so she can eliminate you!"

"Well too bad," Discord remarked as he stuck out his tongue. "You'll either both get invincibility, or you'll both get nothing."

Rainbow immediately questioned. "You mean we're stuck like this all day?"

The witty spirit grinned anew. "Well, not quite. There is one way you can be freed," He held up three sets of keys on a small chain. "I have here the keys to each set of hoofcuffs. At any point if you find you absolutely can't stand your partner, either of you is welcome to come over and take the key to your cuffs."

"Great, Trixie would gladly like to do that now if you don't mind!" The magician insisted as she began to trot over to Discord's location.

"Ah ah ah!" Discord corrected. "You might wanna hear me out before you do something you'll regret," And he cleared his throat. "Any of you can free yourself from the cuffs if you so choose. But if you do that, it'll be counted as a forfeit on both your parts. And should there be only one pair left standing at any point, that pair will automatically win invincibility," Then his grin returned. "So, unless winning isn't that important to any of you, I suggest you all at least try to get along."

At that, Trixie growled, groaned and kicked the floor with a hoof. "You made that rule up just so you could torment Trixie, didn't you?"

Discord feigned innocence. "Why do you ponies assume I make up these rules and challenges just to pick on some of you? I told you before, I'm not allowed to play favorites. I'm doing this because I've promised ponies drama and I intend to deliver," And he added. "Besides, if you really can't stand each other you have a way out. I just didn't think you'd want to give up before you've even started."

Rainbow Dash just yawned as she encouraged. "Just forget it, Trixie. I guess we're stuck together for the time being."

Reluctantly, Trixie agreed. "Trixie shall tolerate your presence, Rainbow Dash. But if you dare to get in The Great and Powerful Trixie's way of winning, she will make sure you pay the price!" She warned the brash speedster.

The rainbow maned pegasus mare just shrugged her free hoof. "Whatever. Let's just get this over with."





"Okay, all three pairs are set? No complaints?" Discord questioned as a silence fell over the mess hall. "None at all? If you do, as the saying goes 'Speak now or forever hold your peace.'"

Rarity rolled her eyes. "We're just being stuck together for today, Discord. It doesn't mean anything. Now cut the theatrics!"

The witty spirit seemed to feel ever so slightly hurt by the fashionista's remark given the expression in his eyes. But if he was upset he didn't show it outwardly. Instead, he just declared. "Oh, very well. Have it your way. Now then, if there are no further objections..." Nopony said a word. "We can proceed to the first challenge. Remember, it's best of three so whoever gets two wins first is the victor!"

Then there was the familiar snapping of talons, and the mess hall tables were filled to the brim with huge piles of food! The piles were so big they made Pinkie Pie's mouth water.

"Here's challenge number one," Discord declared to the three pairs. "This is an all-you-can-eat buffet of sorts. All of you must work with your chosen partner to eat as much food as you can. You'll each get to choose where to start from both tables, and can only move on to table two when everything on table one is gone."

"But how will we know who won?" Twilight questioned as she eyed the massive piles of food.

The spirit only grinned and replied. "I'll be keeping tabs. When the second table is empty, I'll announce the results. And whichever pair has the most eaten food will be the winner."

Nightmare Moon groaned. "And meanwhile, I'm going to be stuck with dish duty all day! Thanks for nothing, Discord."

Discord smiled in reply. "Oh, not to worry, Nightmare Moon. The dishes will clean themselves, I've enchanted them to. You just go ahead and get things ready for challenges two and three. I assume you know what to do?"

The wicked mare of darkness flashed her now notorious toothy smile as she began to light up her horn. "Oh yes, I remember now. You did give me some instructions, though I wasn't sure they were for until just now," And before departing she told the six ponies. "Enjoy this first challenge while you can, because you're gonna wish you had more like it when challenges two and three roll around."

A brief flicker of the camera showed Twilight and Rarity standing in the confessional together, with Twilight looking directly into the camera as she declared. "I don't like the sound of that. Whenever Nightmare Moon is like that it always means trouble."

Rarity, meanwhile, just commented. "And we don't have Princess Celestia to protect us anymore. We're on our own!"

Then the camera cut back to the mess hall with another flicker as Discord announced. "On your marks, get set, GO!" And the three pairs started their approach.

Or rather, two of them did and a third was still deciding how to even begin. Rainbow Dash and Trixie were already grumbling. "You're not hogging all the food! You'll fall asleep and cost us everything!" Trixie complained to Rainbow Dash!

Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, was dragging the hoofcuffs as she protested! "You don't get to call the shots, Trixie! I'm tired, but I wanna win at least one challenge today."

Trixie rolled her eyes. "Just one challenge? Are you insane? We need two to win it all!"

The brash speedster rolled her eyes right back. "Look, do you wanna win or not? The others are already way ahead of us!" And she gestured a hoof, showing the two other pairs already digging into the piles of food on the first table.

Pinkie Pie, for her part, was pulling food into her mouth with her free hooves as fast as she could! She'd always been a big eater and a challenge like this was right up her alley! She only occasionally glanced back to see Derpy taking bites at a considerably slower pace, even slower than Twilight and Rarity.

Rarity was being noticeably picky about what foods she would touch. She would often toss food aside if it was "Too Messy" or didn't have the right colors (among other things).

As for Twilight, she was trying to decide how best to carry out her approach. She couldn't help but wonder what challenges two and three would involve, and she was thinking in the back of her mind. "There must be something behind Discord naming all the contestants and their elimination order. What could he have in mind?"





When Trixie and Rainbow Dash finally settled on an approach, they slowly but surely began to catch up to Twilight and Rarity. Rainbow Dash was eating rather slowly, owing to her sleep deprivation. But Trixie was munching and chewing away like there was no tomorrow!

However, it seemed like there was no stopping the bottomless stomach that was Pinkie Pie! For every bite that Derpy and the other pairs were taking, the pink party pony took at least three. And it seemed like nothing could make her slow down. She just kept eating and eating, just like she'd done in the cupcake eating challenge before the merger.

The camera flickered to show Rainbow Dash in the confessional with Trixie, and the brash speedster was already complaining. "This is totally unfair! Why couldn't the first challenge be something where I could rest?! Of course Pinkie Pie is gonna do well in an eating challenge!" Then she yawned again. "I just want this whole thing to end so I can get some sleep. At this point, I don't even care if I lose if it means I get a good night's sleep for once."

Trixie, however, impatiently stomped a hoof and turned around to look at the confessional camera. "Trixie will not lose invincibility and risk elimination because her partner didn't feel like playing! Trixie wants to have the honor of crushing Rainbow Dash in a fair fight!"

"Feeling's mutual, Trixie," Rainbow replied with another yawn. "Let's just hope the next two challenges are more suitable to us. If we win the second challenge, we just have to stop Pinkie Pie and Derpy from winning the third and then it doesn't matter what happens."

The camera quickly cut back to the mess hall just as Pinkie Pie was stuffing the last bit of food from the first table into her mouth. "Come on, Derpy!" She declared as she quickly swallowed! "We're halfway to victory!"

Derpy panted. "Not so fast, Pinkie! I can't keep up with you like this!"

The pink party pony quickly apologized. "Sorry, Derpy. But that's why you gotta leave the eating to me. Now come on! We're already almost a third of the way to victory! After we win this challenge, we just gotta win one more and we're safe for another round!"

Twilight and Rarity, meanwhile, had already made their way over to the second table and were beginning to eat the food there. Rarity found most of what was offered there to be much more preferable to her, allowing her to increase her pace just a little (a lady had to have some manners no matter what the situation).

Rainbow Dash slowly and sleepily let herself be dragged over to the second table by Trixie. "Just let it go, Trixie," She insisted. "We're not gonna win this one. Let's save our energy for the next challenge."

Trixie would hear nothing of it! "If we stop Pinkie Pie and Derpy on this challenge, the odds are on our side for the next two! We can't let the competition get any kind of leg up!" She firmly insisted as she began to grab whatever she could fit into her mouth, stuffing her face as fast as lightning!

But no matter how hard the other pairs tried, they couldn't keep up with Pinkie Pie! Derpy's eating was about on par with the rest of the contestants, but Pinkie alone left them all in the dust. She wasn't slowing down for even a second despite the silent hopes of her fellow contestants.

At last, Discord made the announcement everyone had probably seen coming from a mile away! "And we have a winner! Pinkie Pie and Derpy take the win in the all-you-can-eat challenge!" He dramatically declared. "All you can stop eating now."

The other contestants let out sighs of relief, happy not to expend their energy trying to keep up with Pinkie.

The pink party pony, for her part, just let out a satisfied belch. "Oh, that was so much fun!" She happily proclaimed, before blushing upon noticing how much of a mess her face was. "Oh, goodness me."

Rarity did her best not to look too offended by Pinkie's appearance. "Honestly, Pinkie. I think your table manners could use a refresher course when this is all over," And she faintly groaned. "I'm glad I wasn't paired up with you. I would've been ashamed to be associated with such a performance."

The camera flickered, showing Pinkie Pie in the confessional as she was licking her lips in order to try to wash her face clean. "I can't help it when food is so good!" She firmly insisted while Derpy stood behind her. Then she giggled. "Boy, it's really weird to be doing all this stuff with another contestant."

Derpy nodded. "Same here."

"Got anything you wanna say? Anything at all?" The pink party pony asked her partner. "Even just a shout out or two to someone back home?"

The wall eyed mare shook her head. "Nope, I'm good."

"Okie dokie lokie then," Pinkie excitedly declared as she eyed the door to the confessional. "Let's get back to the competition! I hope the next two challenges are just as fun as the first one! And best of all, if we win either one we win the whole thing! Isn't that great?!"

The pegasus mare stammered and blushed a bit. "Uh, yeah, I think," And she silently whispered to the camera. "I wouldn't know what to do with a million bits." Fortunately, her partner didn't overhear.





Discord applauded Pinkie Pie and Derpy some more even after the first challenge had been won. "Bravo to the both of you," He declared. "Give yourselves a pat on the back, while you still can."

Rainbow Dash just yawned, stretched and rubbed her eyes. "Yeah yeah, we know. So what's our next challenge gonna be? Make it quick, I'm already tired."

"My my, aren't we the impatient one?" The witty spirit scolded.

Twilight couldn't help but glare. "It's because of your challenges, Discord. You knew Rainbow Dash wouldn't be able to resist going up against Nightmare Moon. And whatever she saw yesterday scared her."

Discord only shook his head. "It's her own fault for thinking she could handle it. I'm not responsible for anything Nightmare Moon did to her or showed to her."

Trixie only humphed, swishing her tail in impatience! "Just announce the next challenge, already! Trixie is ready to win it!"

Discord couldn't help but grin. "Oh, I bet you will be considering most of you will have no experience with the object of importance," He soon snapped his talons, producing a worn and creepy looking idol. "Only Rainbow Dash knows the horror behind this," He paused and snickered a bit. "'Artifact'."

The brash speedster very nearly jolted awake in surprise from seeing the idol! "No way! That's the thing that cursed my team with bad luck for the rest of the challenges until the merger, and even after we voted out Zecora for bringing it back from the other island too," She then inquired. "What the hay is it still doing here?! Zecora was supposed to get rid of it! Can't that zebra do anything right?!"

The chaos maker just replied. "Hey, don't be blaming your zebra friend. The curse only lasted until the idol was discovered. Any 'bad luck' after that was entirely on you."

Rainbow wasn't convinced. Her eyes narrowed in anger. "I don't buy it for a second! There's no other explanation for why my team lost three straight challenges on top of losing the cooking challenge."

"You mean, besides what Cheerilee suggested?" Rarity pointed out.

Rainbow stepped back and blinked as though in shock! "Don't you start bringing that up, Rarity! I'm not the monster! Nightmare Moon was just trying to play mind games with me."

Discord loudly cleared his throat. "Excuse me, I'm not finished talking yet," And only once he was certain all eyes were on him again did he resume speaking. "Now, if I could kindly explain without being interrupted..." He glanced around as though expecting it. But it seemed he had managed to intimidate any would be commenters into silence for the time being. "That's better. Anyway, as I was about to say: Zecora didn't have time to get rid of it before she was voted off."

Twilight questioned. "Then how why bring it up now?"

The witty spirit simply gestured a paw over to the Dock of Shame. "Because a certain somepony, not naming names, was supposed to take the idol back after dumping off Zecora. But she forgot to do so because she instead wanted to keep tormenting Princess Celestia. So she just buried it in the ground and thought I wouldn't find out. I did."

"So, what? We're to take turns bringing... whatever that hideous thing is..." Rarity frowned and even shuddered a bit from fright. "Back to the other island?"

The spirit corrected. "Dusk Island. And no, that would be stupid! The six of you can't possibly be trusted to split one idol," He promptly made said idol vanish. "I just brought it back up so you could all see what it looks like. After all, it wouldn't be fair when even Rainbow Dash doesn't remember it."

A flicker showed Rainbow Dash grumbling rather irritably in the confessional as her free hoof was folded across her chest in a pout. "Why would I want to remember something that brought my team bad luck? Before that idol came along, my team had only lost two players while Twilight's team had lost three. And then they lost a fourth before the idol's bad luck kicked in. If not for that, I'm sure we could've kept on winning until the merger."

Trixie grinned and laughed as she turned around to face the camera herself. "Ha! Unlike you, Rainbow Dash, The Great and Powerful Trixie has no need for luck!"

The brash speedster groaned in annoyance. "Ugh! I hate having to share this stupid confessional with you! I hate this whole stupid challenge! I just want it to be over with!"

The camera then cut back to the contestants standing in front of Discord as he was continuing to explain the second challenge of the day. "The idol will be waiting in front of a cave on Dusk Island. All of you are to work together to row a canoe out to the island. Then find the cave where the idol will be waiting. Simply toss into the cave and viola, you win the second challenge! If Pinkie Pie and Derpy win this one too, there'll be no need for the third challenge. But I doubt that'll happen," He then waved to the six ponies. "Best of luck!" And he disappeared in a flash.





With seemingly relentless energy (no doubt due to all the food she had consumed earlier) Pinkie Pie rushed down to the water's edge with Derpy in tow! Just like Discord had said, three canoes similar to the ones that had been used during the expedition to Dusk Island and back (coincidentally, the very challenge where Derpy had ultimately been "eliminated") were waiting.

"This'll be just like old times!" Pinkie excitedly declared to Derpy! "Come on, let's row, row, row! Victory is so close I can smell it!"

Derpy nodded. "I hope you're right, Pinkie," Though she couldn't help but whisper to herself. "I've got a very bad feeling about this."

As for Trixie, she ended up being the one to lead Rainbow Dash to one of the canoes. "You're going to help Trixie row whether you want to or not!" She told her temporary partner.

Rainbow yawned yet again. "If it means this whole thing can be over with faster, fine. Let's just make sure Pinkie Pie and Derpy don't win." And she took one set of oars as she sat down in a way where she wouldn't have to look at the magician.

Twilight and Rarity took the third and final unoccupied canoe, the two opting to sit down next to each other as Twilight declared. "I sure hope we don't have to stay on Dusk Island overnight or something. That place was creepy."

Rarity nodded. "And it was responsible for us losing a challenge, I'm sure of it. Nothing good ever comes from a place where bad luck idols can be found," And she was quick to add. "I feel sorry for Zecora though. I can't imagine the guilt she must've felt unintentionally cursing her own team."

"She's not the only one who's done something they regret." Twilight shamefully looked down at the ground as the three pairs began rowing away from Paradox Island and out to Dusk Island.

The fashionista unicorn couldn't help but notice the remark and the expression even as her mind remained focused on rowing in sync with Twilight. "Still thinking about Princess Celestia, Twilight?"

Twilight unhappily nodded. "She didn't have to sacrifice herself to protect me. And she didn't have to do it just because she felt like she was staying in the game longer than she should've. There was no reason for her to give up an easy win. If she was really worried about me, she could've easily used her clout to protect me. And I know you and Pinkie Pie at least wouldn't vote against me."

Rarity replied in between movements of the oars. "Twilight, take it from somepony who's still torn up about the way she acted: Blaming yourself is never a good option for long. Eventually, you need to move on and focus on playing the game."

The studious unicorn slowly responded. "I guess so. I have to move on and try to win, for Princess Celestia's sake if nothing else."

Rarity smiled. "Now that's more like it, Twilight!" Though she then couldn't help but ask. "So, about you and Trixie? And about you and Vinyl Scratch?"

Twilight felt her cheeks flush pink in embarrassment! "Rarity, it doesn't mean anything! I have no idea how to even read Trixie! And I don't know what came over me with Vinyl. I just felt sorry for her and then the next thing I knew..."

The fashionista couldn't help but grin. "It's okay to admit you're in love. There's been unexpected romances abound in this game. Don't tell me you haven't seen the way Pinkie Pie's been acting around Derpy lately."

"You really think something's blossoming between them?" The studious unicorn nervously inquired. "It seems like whenever love starts to bloom, disaster isn't too far behind."

Rarity nodded again. "Which is why I'm not gonna say anything about it to them, and you aren't either. It'll just be our little secret." And she gave a knowing wink.





The three pairs continued to row for what felt like ages, though Pinkie's seemingly endless energy kept her and Derpy just ahead of the others as Dusk Island slowly but surely came into view.

"Never thought I'd see this place again." Rainbow Dash remarked as she and Trixie rowed ashore just behind Pinkie Pie and Derpy.

Trixie nodded. "The Great and Powerful Trixie agrees with you again, Rainbow Dash. It is becoming an annoying habit," Then she snorted. "Let's just focus on finding the cave where that stupid idol is. Those two annoying idiots are already far ahead of us! We can't let them win!"

Rainbow just sighed and yawned. "Lead the way oh fearless leader." She sarcastically remarked while rolling her eyes.

Twilight and Rarity, meanwhile, rowed ashore and got out just as they saw Trixie and Rainbow Dash head off to the east.

"Any guesses on where we'll find the cave with the idol?" Rarity asked Twilight.

Twilight scratched her head with her free hoof. "I think I remember seeing caves or something similar on the other side of the island. Let's just cut straight through and keep a sharp lookout."

"Fine by me," Rarity agreed with her fellow unicorn. "I want this challenge to be over and done with so I don't have to spend a minute more on this island than I have to."

And as for Pinkie Pie, she was leading herself and Derpy on the west side of the island! "Come on, Derpy!" She enthusiastically said to her partner. "If we find the cave with the idol, we win invincibility! We're so close!"

Derpy, however, was less than enthusiastic. Being back on Dusk Island was bringing back all kinds of bad memories, memories she had been trying hard to forget. The thick fog on the island wasn't helping matters. To her, it sounded like voices were calling out to her.

The wall-eyed mare kept thinking to herself. "I must be brave! I must be brave!" But it was only of so much help as she was being led along by the pink coated mare with whom she was still trying to figure out her feelings (if any) for.

Thus, the three pairs combed over their sections of the island quite thoroughly, searching high and low for any signs of a cave (after all, Discord hadn't specified which cave he'd meant).

"You'd think it would be easier to find a cave with an idol lurking right outside it," Rainbow Dash complained to Trixie as the two continued to wander about aimlessly. "I sure hope this wasn't some trick by Discord to send us on a wild goose chase."

Just then, however, Discord's voice echoed across the whole island! "And we have our winners for the second challenge!" And all three pairs were brought to the same location in a flash!

Trixie and Rainbow Dash silently pleaded for the winners not to be Pinkie Pie and Derpy (for they knew it couldn't have been them).

The witty spirit smiled as he had the three pairs standing in front of a cave on the completely opposite end of the island from which they had arrived. "Congratulations to our winners of the second challenge: Twilight Sparkle and Rarity! The dynamic duo of truly Magical Misfits!"

"Shoot!" Pinkie groaned at the top of her lungs while looking at Derpy! "We were so close! Just another minute and we would've found the same cave."

Discord couldn't help but taunt. "Woulda, coulda, shoulda. Close only counts in horseshoes and hoof grenades."

Derpy was quick to put her free hoof around her partner. "It's okay, Pinkie. We still have the third challenge. We just have to win that to win invincibility."

"Speaking of the third challenge," Trixie remarked as she looked up at Discord. "What would happen if say Trixie and Rainbow Dash were to win it?"

The chaos maker declared in an unconcerned tone. "Well, we'd have to host a special tiebreaker to determine who wins. But somehow I don't think that'll be necessary."

"Why is that?" The magician inquired with an arched eyebrow. "What challenge awaits us back on Paradox Island?"





But to the surprise of all six contestants, Discord threw back his head and laughed loudly. "Whoever said you'd be going back to Paradox Island for the third challenge? Why do you wanna leave Dusk Island now?"

"But I thought..." Twilight began.

The witty spirit only grinned. "-I sent Nightmare Moon ahead of you all for two reasons: One of them was to place the idol she was supposed to have returned here long ago. The other..." He paused for dramatic effect while leading the contestants to a small clearing nearby. "Was to prepare work stations for your third and final challenge of the day."

All six ponies' eyes widened as they saw huge workbenches, and wooden carvings that loosely looked like the faces of the eliminated contestants!

"Remember earlier when I mentioned all the contestants who came before you?" Discord explained with a knowing smirk. "That was to help prepare you all for this challenge. You're to assemble a totem pole involving the correct order of eliminations: Starting on the bottom with the first loser and going all the way up to the most recently sent packing. Whoever does it first wins the challenge. And unless Trixie and Rainbow Dash do that, we'll have a winning pair."

Twilight smiled. "Sounds easy enough."

"Yes," Discord nodded. "But you only have until sundown to assemble your totem pole! And some contestants have lost more than once. So you'll have to be quick but careful. Hope your memories are good, because sundown's going to be upon us in about an hour or so." And he disappeared in another flash, laughing all the while.

As soon as Discord was gone, the camera flickered and showed Rarity pouting in the confessional set up on Dusk Island (pretty much the same as the one back on Paradox Island, just more creepily designed on the inside and outside). "Well, I suppose Twilight will come in handy for this challenge. I most certainly couldn't keep track of who went when or why. All I know is that my sister was wrongfully sent home far too early in the game."

Another flicker showed Rainbow Dash groaning in the confessional. "How am I supposed to remember who went when?! They all kind of blend together! And I most certainly didn't pay attention when Twilight's team was eliminating ponies, the only one I would've noticed was Scootaloo's and I know she made it to the merger," Then she blushed. "I'm never gonna forget those words she said before her elimination. Don't know where she picked them up though, 'cause she sure as hay didn't get 'em from me."

The camera then cut back to the three pairs heading over to the three workbenches, each claiming one for their own as they had to work with sixteen wooden heads that had been crudely carved out in a haste.

And a quick glance out to the horizon indicated how little time the three pairs would have to complete their task. The sun was already quite low in the sky, or at least that's how it seemed. Had the trek out to Dusk Island really taken that long, or was this just Discord manipulating the sun to mess with them because Princess Celestia hadn't regained her powers yet?

Well, there was no way to know and no one wanted to find if the spirit was bluffing. Besides, the prospect of invincibility (or forcing a tie in Trixie and Rainbow Dash's case) was far too good to pass up!





Each of the three pairs were able to start out the same: The first Vinyl Scratch head was placed on the bottom. But figuring out the remaining fourteen that would come before Princess Celestia (the last to be eliminated and thus the most recent in everyone's mind) was difficult.

It wasn't long before confusion started breaking out amongst the pairs, which also lead to arguments from some.

"I'm telling you, you're giving Scoot's friends way too little credit," Rainbow Dash complained to Trixie as she saw the magician opting to place the heads of Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom just above Zecora. "I don't think we got rid of Sweetie Belle first."

Trixie rolled her eyes. "Trixie quite clearly remembers Sweetie Belle costing your team their challenge, and tricking Apple Bloom and Scootaloo so Trixie could stay in the game," She then grumbled. "You should be able to remember most of this. Your team lost three members in a row and four in the span of five challenges."

The brash speedster only protested. "All I know is Spike was supposed to be eliminated after Silver Spoon, but he messed with the votes and got Applejack eliminated instead. And that was right before the teams were dissolved. Everything before that's a blur though."

Pinkie Pie was having her own problems, namely in trying to recall when Gilda and Derpy had been eliminated for the first time and when all those Royal Ruffians had been sent packing. "Oh, this is so hard! I could never keep track of it all!" She groaned aloud. "Come on, Derpy! Help me out here!"

But Derpy sheepishly blushed while stacking Sweetie Belle, Gilda and then Apple Bloom's head on top of each other. "I can't really remember the order after that. And I wasn't here for the Royal Ruffians' losing skid. The Doctor wouldn't let me watch the show."

The pink party pony complained. "Are you serious?! Who wouldn't wanna watch this show?! It's got everything! Action, drama, romance, twists, humor, great characters, I could go on and on."

"Well, I know Spike was the first one to go after I came back if that helps." The wall-eyed mare commented.

But all that did was make Pinkie scratch her head with her free hoof. "That still leaves a whole six eliminations to figure out, including your first one. Was that before or after the Royal Ruffians voted out Diamond Tiara and Zecora though?" And she looked at the three carved heads, trying to decide how she should stack them.

Rarity, meanwhile, was calling out to Twilight. "Are you absolutely sure the Royal Ruffians voted out their teammates that way? I know we were shocked to learn about Applejack's elimination, and hers was the last before the merger. But I could've sworn Silver Spoon came before Princess Luna because the paintball challenge was after the cooking challenge."

Twilight shook her head. "No, I specifically remember Princess Luna was not present for the paintball challenge when you got jealous of Silver Spoon," And she then declared. "Now, was Gilda eliminated before Cheerilee, or did that come after? I think it was before."

The fashionista rolled her eyes. "That griffon might have been right about Rainbow Dash, but her behavior in the dodgeball challenge was appalling. I would've gladly traded her return for Sweetie Belle's or even Silver Spoon's, and I never thought I'd want to see that filly again after what I did to her."

The studious unicorn grumbled. "This isn't the time to get sentimental, Rarity! We can't let Trixie and Rainbow Dash win, or who knows what we'll have to do for a tiebreaker?"

And while those disagreements were unfolding, Trixie couldn't help but scoff. "Wow, that useless DJ-PON-3 or Vinyl Scratch or whatever her name was somehow managed to make it back into the game," And with a huff she declared. "She almost certainly went after that loser Spike. If Vinyl were smart, she would've never come back to the game in the first place. We were right to vote her off first."

Rainbow Dash snarled. "I'd rather have her for a partner now than be stuck with you. I can't believe you've survived for this long," And then she threw down the wooden heads she had gathered! "That's it! I'm not helping you anymore! I could care less if I get voted off because of this!"

Trixie, however, just yanked harder on the hoofcuffs! "You're not leaving! Trixie has a use for you, so you will stay! Together, we will win this challenge and the tiebreaker so that Trixie may yet have the honor of crushing you!"

The rainbow maned pegasus roared! "Ha! You and what army?!"

"Um, girls?" Derpy called out as she nervously watched the two ego driven ponies start come to blows.

Even Pinkie Pie was commenting. "You know, maybe I can see why not everypony would watch this show. If Mr. and Mrs. Cake's baby were to see something like this, that might be a bad influence."

Fortunately, before any possible physical altercation could take place, Discord reappeared as he declared! "And we have a winner for our third challenge! Just in the nick of time too. Way to go Twilight and Rarity!"

With that, all eyes fell upon the completed totem pole that the two unicorns had managed to put together. It started with Vinyl Scratch's first head on the bottom, followed by Sweetie Belle, Gilda's first head and Apple Bloom. Diamond Tiara and Derpy were next, followed by the five in a row Royal Ruffians: Zecora, Princess Luna, Silver Spoon, Applejack and Spike. Then cane the quartet of Magical Misfits: Gilda's second head, Cheerilee, Vinyl Scratch's second head and Scootaloo. Fluttershy was next. And on the very top rested Princess Celestia.

Twilight wiped the sweat from her brows with her free hoof. "I can't believe we got them all," She declared in an exhausted tone as she looked across to Rarity. "Good thing you remembered Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon's eliminations because I'd completely forgotten. Heck, I don't like remembering Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom or Silver Spoon's eliminations."

"Neither do I, Twilight," Rarity remarked in an equally exhausted tone. "But in this case I'd say it was well worth the effort."

The witty spirit simply applauded their efforts by putting his paws together. "Indeed it was. The two of you can enjoy the perks of invincibility tonight. As for the rest of you," He looked at the four contestants who had come up short. "Well, I don't think I need to say it do I? You all know what's coming."

"Can we please get out of the hoofcuffs now?!" Rainbow Dash impatiently demanded! "I want to get as far away from Trixie as possible, even if it's through the Dock of Shame!"

"Oh of course, I was just getting to that," Discord insisted as he snapped his talons and made the cuffs disappear as quickly as they had arrived. "Now come on, Nightmare Moon's going to take us back to Paradox Island. Isn't that nice of her to volunteer?"

A brief flicker of the camera showed Twilight in the Dusk Island confessional as she remarked. "Somehow, I don't think Nightmare Moon 'volunteered' to transport us all."





Sure enough, a very grouchy looking Nightmare Moon was waiting on The Boat of Losers to transport the six contestant back to Paradox Island. "I really don't see the point of this. One of you will be leaving the island soon anyway, why not hold the vote on Dusk Island and leave them there?" She proposed.

Discord just waved a paw. "That's not how we do things, Nightmare Moon. I can't change up the rules so close to the end just because you don't like them." And he promptly snapped his talons, producing the same sunglasses and umbrella drink he'd had when he'd let Nightmare Moon hunt down the contestants a few challenges ago.

Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie was sleeping and snoring happily away. All that food from earlier had now made her very sleepy, especially since she was no longer burning it for adrenaline for challenges. She actually looked kind of peaceful doing so.

However, it was while the pink party pony was sleeping that Derpy was making up her mind about something. To that end, she made her way over to where the victorious duo of Twilight and Rarity were sitting, overhearing the two unicorns discuss who to eliminate.

"It's hard to say who deserves it more between Rainbow Dash and Trixie," Rarity commented. "Both of them have done some pretty terrible things. And after what happened today, one of them needs to be removed before either of them does something to the other that they can't take back."

Twilight firmly nodded. "I say we should consider Rainbow Dash. Trixie is hard to read: Sometimes she seems nice, but other times she's so cold."

The fashionista nodded back. "True, but she's been a target for such a long time. Without her to antagonize Rainbow Dash and bring out the worst in her, maybe we can yet sway our friend back to the side of good."

Derpy then cleared her throat, making her presence known. "Girls, by any chance would you consider voting for me instead?"

Twilight and Rarity spun around as Rarity pondered. "Whatever for, darling? You haven't done much wrong since coming back here. And Pinkie Pie is certainly pleased to have you around."

The wall-eyed mare confessed. "I haven't been doing very well. I just can't concentrate. I feel like I've been letting down all those ponies I had to leave behind to come back here. And because I was part of Rainbow Dash's alliance, Spike, Gilda and Cheerilee all got sent home when they shouldn't have."

Twilight nervously insisted. "Derpy, I don't like where this is going! This is sounding a lot like Princess Celestia and Vinyl Scratch. Whatever your reasons may be, you really should reconsider."

But Derpy pleaded with the two unicorns! "Please! I wish I knew how I could explain it, but I have a feeling that The Doctor needs my help," And she added. "Besides, I'm the only one of us left who hasn't won a challenge since the merge. Even if I could survive this round, how much longer would I really last? I don't even know how I'd spend the prize money if I got it."

"Not even on corrective eye surgery?" The fashionista suggested.

Derpy shook her head. "I tried for years to get my eyes fixed, but all the best doctors I went to couldn't stop it. I've learned to live with my walled eyes. And I've made a comfortable living for myself as a mail mare."

Sensing that the pegasus mare wasn't going to let the subject go, Twilight reluctantly remarked. "Well... we'll think about it. No promises though," And she added. "And if Pinkie Pie asks, we're going to tell her the truth."

Rarity nodded. "Indeed. The poor dear will be so broken up inside if you leave for any reason."





Not long after the six contestants returned, night time came and that meant it was time for another vote. "Twilight and Rarity are the only ones safe from elimination tonight," Discord reminded everypony. "We'll start with the losers: Trixie and Rainbow Dash. Trixie, since you were the leader, I'll let you do the honors of starting us off."

Trixie rose from her spot and trotted off to the confessional. "With pleasure," She quickly entered the confessional and angrily pressed down hard on Rainbow Dash's ballot with the stamp. "Trixie hopes she never again has to see your sorry face, Rainbow Dash!" She snorted and then trotted back out.

Rainbow Dash entered soon afterward, and she stamped Trixie's ballot with equal fury. "Thanks for nothing, Trixie," She grumbled. "Enjoy your loss."

Pinkie Pie was the next to enter, and she stamped Rainbow Dash's ballot after only a little bit of hesitation. "Sorry I have to do this, Rainbow Dash. But you've gotta answer for what you did to Scootaloo and Derpy." She declared even though no one else could hear her.

Derpy came into the confessional after Pinkie Pie, and she stamped her own ballot while looking into the camera. "I'll be coming back to you soon, Doctor. I promise."

When Rarity entered the confessional next, she hesitated for quite a while over her choices. "Oh, this is so difficult!" She complained and closed her eyes, ultimately stamping the ballot of Derpy when she opened them again. "Pinkie Pie, please forgive me for this."

Soon afterward, Twilight voted and then the wooden ballot box was brought out by Discord as he opened it up, reading the votes aloud. "I've got one vote for Rainbow Dash, one vote for Trixie and one vote for Derpy. Three out of six so far," He then continued on. "Another vote for Rainbow Dash and another vote for Derpy, that's two a piece for our pegasi. And the last vote is for:" He paused to build suspense before revealing. "Derpy! With three votes to Rainbow Dash's two, you're officially out of the game again. This time for good!"

"WHAT?!" Pinkie Pie gasped in shock and horror! "But... but that's impossible! I didn't vote for her!"

Discord simply waved a paw. "Hey, I'm washing my paws of this one. I have no control over the votes or who decides to vote for whom."

Derpy, meanwhile, trotted over to Pinkie and put a hoof around her fellow mare. "I'm sorry, Pinkie Pie. It had to be this way. I can't stay here any longer. I never should've come back."

"But Derpy, you can't! You can't leave!" Pinkie insisted! "You were doing so good."

The wall eyed mare only replied. "Maybe, but I have other friends. Friends who need me. Friends I never should've left in the first place," And she apologized. "I'm sorry for doing this. I knew you'd try to stop me. Which is why I had to see to it myself," But then she added. "Don't worry though, I'll come back someday. I promise!"

The witty spirit only remarked. "Well that's very touching, but we're running out of time here. Am I gonna have to drag you down the Dock of Shame myself?"

But there was no need for such a thing. Instead, the air was suddenly filled with a familiar whirring sound as all of a sudden a huge blue box of some kind materialized in mid-air! It quickly touched down in the sand, and from the box's door emerged the figure of Octavia Melody. "Derpy, there you are! We've been looking everywhere for you!" She declared in an impatient tone of voice. "The Doctor's been worrying himself sick!"

Derpy just trotted over to the box. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be gone for so long."

"Well, all is forgiven as long as you're willing to help us see our mission through to the end," Octavia remarked. "Now come on, we're late already!"

Waving goodbye, Derpy stepped into the box as Octavia shut the door behind the two. And then, just as mysteriously as it had appeared, the blue box was gone!

"Well... that was... weird, even for me," Discord commented as he blinked in surprise. "Still, that's one less contestant to worry about. So now it's five soon to be four here on Total Magic Pony Island!"