//------------------------------// // Chapter one: Escape from the Capital of Chaos // Story: Welcome to Discordtopia // by Foal Star //------------------------------// Celestia awoke with a start to what she could only assume was the loudest rooster to exist, possibly cawing all the way from Ponyville. The former Princess of Equestria looked upward with a sad and forlorn expression as she peered upward to see the sun slowly rising in the sky. It was a definitive reminder that she no longer held any sway over the enormous celestial body, though that was not the cause for her sorrow. The mare slowly rose from what appeared to be a bed of straw in a cage just barely large enough for her to stand up straight. The alicorn looked to see the mirror behind her, gazing upon Equestria's once proud ruler, now reduced to a circus clown with her once long, beautiful mane transformed into an oversized, poofy afro. Her muzzle is now adorned with a comically oversized red rubber ball and a comically blue top in place of her normal regalia. Worst of all, her once majestic cutie mark depicting the sun proudly was now a sun-shaped balloon. It was indeed a far cry from the pony who'd often left many a being awestruck by her presence, as opposed to now merely invoking laughter. The former monarch, however, had long grown accustomed to her jarring appearance, seeing it'd been years since she saw herself in any form of dignified attire. With a defeated sigh, the princess turned to see dozens of fellow clown ponies rolling around on unicycles, many tossing pies into their faces and seemingly acting as if this was normal. It seemed nearly all of her subjects had succumbed to Discord's magic, utterly oblivious to what had happened to them. That certainly seemed true as some of the transformed ponies started to chuck pies at her, something none of them would've dared even consider not long ago. However, Celestia was ready as she instinctively caught the pies with her horn, stabbing them through on top of each other, avoiding getting even a splotch of cream on her body. Treating it as barely an inconvenience, Celestia lowered her head to the ground, allowing the pastries to slide down harmlessly before shaking off the remaining cream. Eyeing the clown ponies in preparation for another pastry pelting, a squeak shifted her attention to the left of her. Looking around, she saw her sister, now covered in crust and cream, had not been quite as reactive. Like her elder sibling, Luna's mane was styled into a poofy afro, and a large, rubber clown nose similarly covered her muzzle. Along with some equally bright clothing and an altered cutie mark, she looked like any other clown except for the visible facelines amidst all the cream on her face. Grumbling tiredly, she quickly wiped most of the filling away, only grabbing a single half splattered from her head before taking a large bite as that was all the food they would get before taking a seat within the cage. Letting out another sigh, Princess Celestia heard a rumble of thunder, and she perked up, seeing it was about to rain. She then walked out a cup outside the bars, and soon chocolate rain poured down before chugging the contents despite it raining from the sky. The chocolate milk wasn't that bad as Luna had copied her sister's actions, right down to chugging the beverage like it was water. The two sat together in silence with the steady rain of chocolate milk pitter patting the top of their cage. "So, did you get a good night's sleep?" Celestia finally asked mid-sip, wiping a fresh milk mustache from her lip. "Yeah, I guess…." Luna's tone betrayed her words, looking at Celestia, utterly exhausted and annoyed. "Be honest, sister, when do we ever get a goodnight's sleep in this hole?" "You have a point there," Celestia sighed as another pie slammed into the side of her head, the Princess showing no reaction outside of taking a sample from the latest projectile into her mouth. "Hmm, blackberry this time." "Might I have some of that? I'm quite partial to blackberries." Peeling the pie from her head, Celestia slid it across to Luna, who immediately started to devour it with no care for decorum or ceremony. They'd long abandoned any care for that or even punishing the thrower. Whoever they were before was long gone, their minds reduced to nothing but jokes and party balloons, as was true of everypony in Canterlot. At this point, the only silver lining to this whole situation was that while being caged and perpetually pied was annoying, at least they no longer performed shows in the massive tent in the center of town. The princess shivered, remembering how they used to perform in front of hundreds of ponies, actively humiliated at every turn by Discord before placing them in stockades at the end of each show. And there they'd remain, prey to a seemingly endless assault of pies, cakes, and the occasional souffle, until the evening when they'd finally be returned to their cages. Rise and repeat, day in and day out, seemingly without end. Then, almost suddenly, Discord disappeared a few days ago, and the two former princesses were left to rot in the cage. It certainly wasn't that much of an improvement as Celestia started to stretch her legs abit, took out a unicycle while juggling some balls with her forelegs with Luna followed suit. This was all the exercise they could get to keep their limbs from atrophying as they tried to stay active. It didn't help that the only food they were provided was hardly considered healthy, cakes, pies, and cookies. A long time ago, Celestia considered that a dream, but now she would've given Canterlot's entire treasury for a salad or an apple. This was their daily routine, and while at first hours seemed to drag on without end, now the time seemed to just fly by for them. After cycling for hours, the two alicorns were exhausted as they lay down together, cuddling each other and wrapping their wings over their bodies for warmth and comfort. Celestia rested her head over her sister, and she could feel the dark blue alicorn shake beneath her, showing even despite a more surly demeanor as of late, the mare was indeed scared. Celestia held her sister even tighter as she felt the same way. Despite the reprieve from their daily degradation in front of their former subject, the anxiety of not knowing what would happen next was terrifying. Will they be stuck in this cage forever? Will they ever escape and restore their once glorious country? Neither of them could say? Celestia stared at the bars in front of her with a glare, wanting to just burst through them, fly off to take down Discord, and send him back to his stone prison. The thought made her horn glow, but a burst of confetti fired out instead of a blast of magical power. It was a painful reminder of just how much control the Spirit of Chaos had over them. Discord had altered the very magic of the world, ensuring that even simple metal bars would keep the royal duo imprisoned, a fact that only further infuriated her. Yet that moment of anger quickly fizzled out like a match in a hurricane as she knew there was little she could do. With a look of defeat on her face, she laid back down over her sister and closed her eyes, sleep being a single comfort she was afforded in this world. And with each day that passed, how she wished they would learn this whole experience was simply a dream they'd wake up from. The next day, Celestia woke up, blinking with confusion as she was still moving despite not knowing where she was going. The former princess looked down and saw she was cycling on a unicycle over a tightrope. Months ago, this would've left her falling flat on her face, but she'd long grown proficient enough to where tight rope riding was no different from a bike. It was still jarring as the former princess could see she was inside the giant circus tent while juggling a bunch of rolling pins. All around, she could see crowds of clowns all laughing and jeering at her as countless objects were thrown her way. Bags of popcorn, pies, and water balloons, all thrown seemingly without end. The alicorn did her best to avoid the barrage but dividing her focus between dodging and balancing proved quite the ordeal. Things only became more complicated when she spotted something out of the corner of her eye. Yards away on another tight rope was her sister, similarly attempting to stay atop a high wire, with an added ball perched upon her nose. Miraculously she seemed to be holding herself up well, and she might make it to the other side. However, this moment of hope was crushed by malicious laughter from behind. Celestia's head managed to turn to see, to her horror, that Discord was now hovering nearby, clapping his claws with an evil smile on his face, reveling in their misery., "Quite the performance, don't you think?" The audience howled in excitement, having halted their attack for the moment. "Though we've seen them do this old routine a dozen times before, and I think it's about time we shake things up abit, don't you think?" Celestia and Luna gaped in horror as their tightropes sloped, and they were now rolling at top speeds over a ramp. The ramp was directed towards a ring of fire with sharks leaping from a pool that had appeared below them. Both alicorns braced for their fate, only to find themselves able to miraculously clear the obstacles, landing right into a giant pile of mud. To add to the humiliation, they found the crowd continuing to laugh at them while hurling all kinds of items at them. Discord simply sat on his chair, laughing and clapping his claws in applause. "Ah, you two make better clowns than princesses. So much more entertaining." Both princesses wanted to scream or perhaps take a shot at the chaotic jester but could only endure, lacking the power to take a stand against him. At that moment, all they could do was hope and pray for something that would finally break this cycle of seemingly endless misery. Twilight was adjusting her suit and top hat over her head, topped by a little bowtie around her neck. She then looked into a mirror and had this cunning smile on her face. She was Discord's prized pupil and mastered Chaos Magic after his departure. He'd entrusted her with ruling The Capital of Chaos; luckily, the place mostly ran itself since nearly all the residents were literal clowns who spent all day riding unicycles and throwing pies at each other. Honestly, there wasn't much to do in "running things," hence why she could simply trot over to the giant circus tent where they had the former princesses perform in front of their former subjects. Discord indeed had brought out the worst in the ponies and their jealousy of the princesses, creating a hate-fueled crowd to do his bidding, making the duo utterly miserable. A penance for a near eternity imprisoned in stone. And Twilight loved every second of it. Initially, she'd been content to leave them in their cages to sulk while formulating new means to degrade them. The pool of sharks and flaming hoops was a little on the cliche side, she'd admit, but classics existed for a reason, and it was undoubtedly a fun sight to see. After seeing the pair clear the track, she found her attention drawn to the sound of claps. Behind her were two Ursa Minors, led by Starlight Glimmer, slowly trotting over with her head lowered, leaving Twilight smelling at the pony. The unicorn had appeared out of nowhere, unaffected by the Chaos Magic permeating the capital. Yet whether by genuine choice or simple fear, she followed Twilight's every word. And honestly, the purple pony enjoyed her company. Having somepony who wasn't a cackling birthday reject was a welcomed reprieve from the usual madness she'd witnessed. "So, Starlight, are all the preparations ready?" The pink-coated unicorn nodded as dutifully as ever, "Yes, Twilight, everything is ready for the show." "Perfect! I can't wait!" The violet unicorn laughed and then turned her head towards the pink-coated unicorn as Starlight mumbled, "What about all the ponies you turned into animals?" "Oh them!? They're just disposable pawns; they won't be missed. All that matters is making sure the princesses' suffering was long and painful as possible it's the one thing Discord wanted us to do, and we will do it as maliciously as we possibly can. Is that understood?" "Yes, mam," Starlight mumbled again as she lowered her gaze, seeming somewhat hesitant, giving the ruling pony pause. Twilight still wondered who this unicorn was and why she was so eager to serve her. "Tell me, Starlight, why do you serve me so willingly? "I told you I'm a student of Chaos Magic like you," the unicorn responded rather sheepishly. "Yes, you told me that, but I don't believe you. Discord never mentioned you, and I've never heard of you." Taking a step forward, Twilight's horn started to glow, causing the clouds above to twist and warp violently. "For the moment, I'm willing to let you stay as I find your company amusing. However, if you step out of line for even one second, well… I've been interested in practicing my transformation magic concerning aquatic life. I'm sure my sharks will appreciate it." One of the sharks popped out of the pool, eyeing Starlight with bloodthirsty eyes, causing the poor pony to back away quickly. "Yes, mam," Starlight squeaked. Satisfied, Twilight adjusted her top hat and depowered her horn, allowing Starlight to breathe easy. "Good to hear. Now, get the princesses and have them prepped. I need to start getting ponies to fill the seats! Tonight is going to be a night to remember!" Needing no prompting, Starlight quickly sulked away as Twilight eyed her, still unable to shake something about the pony that bothered her. For a moment, she felt as though there was a trace of evil buried deep that matched her own. But there was still a sense that she couldn't trust her either. It was undoubtedly a frustrating issue on top of everything else. Eyeing inside the tent, Twilight paid the pool another glance, smirking at the sight of a dorsal fin in the water. "Looks like tonight will be when I decide if I can rely on my little assistant. And if not..then she'll be shark chum." Celestia woke up in cold sweat from her nap, looking somewhat shaken by her dream. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she looked around the cage and saw that she and her sister were both still in their dreary cage. Hardly a comfort, but certainly an improvement from being tortured and mocked within the tent. The mare laid her head back down as she looked up at the top of the cage and turned towards the outside of their cage, seeing the sun setting. Despite all of the chaotic madness warping the once beautiful city into a cheap carnival, it seemed even he knew that messing with the sun was a bridge too far. But she couldn't raise the sun anymore, which brought a flare of rage inside her. The truth was Discord had allowed the sun and moon to rise and fall on their own and ripped that power from her and Luna purely out of amusement because he knew how much that honor meant to them. Even more, than stripping her status as a princess, it was like he'd ripped a part of her soul from her body. Sadly this was a matter she wouldn't be able to dwell on for long. "Hey Celestia, Luna!" a unicorn shouted as they turned to see a normal-looking light pink unicorn running towards them. She came near the cage as she was gasping, "Listen, I know you don't know me, but I'm going to get you out of here!" Without giving them a minute to process, she pulled out a key and started to unlock the cages., "We don't have much time. Twilight will figure out I betrayed her soon enough and will come at us, but this is the only shot we have! Now come on!" Still somewhat stunned by this, the former princess managed to get to her hooves, eyeing the mare cautiously and slowly. "Where exactly will we go? Everypony here is one of Discord's minions, and his magic has stretched across Equestria." "There's a place where you'll be safe, trust me," Starlight replied, frantically checking every corner for trouble, "but we need to leave now!" Celestia hesitated, fearing another trick, but nodded as she took her sister up by the hoof as they both took out their unicycles. However, both ponies glanced at the instruments before furiously tossing them to the ground, glaring at the devices before finally stepping out of the cages. "Let's move; the further away we get, the better," Celestia spoke, a small hint of her previous confidence returning as the trio fled off through the city of circus clowns heading to Faust knows where. "They what!?" Twilight roared hearing one of the circus clowns, a pegasus with a cute rainbow-colored vest and blue rubbery nose. He used to be a royal guard seeing his cutie marking as a sword made of balloons. Not that Twilight cared one hoof. "I…I saw them escape with that pink tunic- "Buck!? I knew I couldn't trust her!?" Twilight suddenly roared as she turned white with her mane bursting into flames. "You get every clown to find and capture them!?" "Yes, mam," the former guard squeaked as he ran off. Twilight turned to the crowd of ponies in the stands before eying a nearby set of guards. Without a word, she fired a blast of magic from her horn, transforming the two into perfect and terrified clones of Luna and Celestia. The fake alicorns looked rather squeamish as a devilish grin spread on Twilight's face as she cackled, "We're still going to have a show!? And you're going to be the stars! How lucky for you?" Having cleared the main circle area, the three ponies ran through the city square, finding what appeared to be some kind of demented street carnival. Countless booths and vendors were selling the greasiest looking food imaginable while offering all manner of games for those to play. Among those was a reasonably traditional dunk tank, save for the fact the water was replaced with chocolate milk, random objects in place of balls, and the cackling patrons seemed more interested in throwing said objects at the pony to be dunked rather than the target itself. The demented act of the play was disheartening for Celestia to see, watching her normally peaceful and kind citizens happily tormenting each other in such a cruel manner. Yet she could offer no help to them for now, only hoping they could find a way to defeat Discord and free them all. Running past several more booths, the pair quickly hid inside another booth, only to immediately regret it when they were met with an utterly putrid smell. "What in the name of Faust is this?" Luna moaned as she held her nose in a vain attempt to block out the scent. "I'm starting to think we were better off in the cage." "No, please come inside; I know it smells bad, but it's for a good reason; it'll keep unwanted ponies out!" Starlight added as she herded the two inside. Upon entering, the two princesses were surprised when they saw a skunk of everything looking back at them. "Ah, at last. Well done, Starlight, that was fast." A talking skunk that would've seemed crazy to Celestia or Luna a few months ago. Now, that was utterly benign and Celestia, for one, was willing just to accept it." Hello, and who might you be?" "Right to the point, I see; well, that is fine with me. Once I was a zebra, I claim, and Zecora is my name." "A zebra, this far into Equestria? I thought they typically remained in Paris?" Luna injected, eyeing the creature curiously. "Indeed, across the sea is where I would roam till I made Ponyville my home." Celestia looked surprised by this news, yet a hint of excitement and hope started to fill her. "Ponyville? Are you from there? The citizens, how are they?" Being trapped by Discord for so long, Celestia had sadly not seen the outside of Canterlot in many moons and was only left to speculate the fate that befell her other subjects. To learn anything about their current state was something she couldn't ignore. The skunk held up a paw and explained, "The ponies are well, I can say; however, things grow direr each day. Discord has another pony known to be quite the queen and from what I heard is quite mean." Zecora quickly pulled a piece of paper from her large tail and unfurled it to reveal the image of a light blue unicorn with glowing red eyes, a black magician's hat and cape, and an amulet around her neck. "The Great and Powerful Trixie?" Luna read the name below the image with a scoff. "Quiet the ego on this one." Zecora seemed to agree as she continued her tale. "I kept the ponies that chose to flee when Discord brought chaos to Ponyville, you see. Yet, Discord's magic combined with that of Everfree, turning the ponies into beasts and trees." Celestia looked horrified at this news, only able to imagine how her subjects felt, while Luna looked a mixture of anger and exhaustion. Starlight, in turn, opted to step in to lay things out., "Look, this is a lot to take in, and there's much more to discuss. But there's a way to take down Discord and restore Equestria to how it was." "You're talking about the Elements of Harmony?" Luna had long considered such an option and knew it'd be their best chance to prevail, save for one hiccup. Starlight nodded, making a slight glance at Princess Celestia. "Yup, I found all of them unscathed and ready for use." Though this sounded hopeful, Luna looked less than happy, being reminded of darker times." I shouldn't be surprised. After I hid them when I was Nightmare Moon, it was only a matter of time before somepony found them." Luna's feelings of guilt immediately started to wash over her, recalling her poor decision all too well. "If only I hadn't been so thick-headed." "Luna, you can't blame yourself for this." Celestia joined her sister at her side and tried to comfort her. "You couldn't have known. Discord would return." Luna was having none of it, looking up angrily with tears streaming down her face. "It IS my fault, sister. I imprisoned you on the moon; I took the Elements way and left all of Equestria vulnerable so Discord could come along, knock me off my high horse and turn our country into this." Dropping on her flank, Luna's fire fizzled out, looking more like a child than a princess. "All this because I threw a temper tantrum." Celestia could only hug her sister to try and ease her guilt, while Starlight opted to continue. "Anyway, the Elements are still at your old castle. We need to find the Element Bearers and have them use the Elements to reseal Discord." "A sound plan, except we have no idea who the Element Bearers are or where they could be," Luna's voice choked with bitterness, still reeling from her past misdeeds. "Without them, the Elements are little more than rocks." "I know that, luckily….I know exactly who they are." Starlight almost whispered that last part, knowing she was walking on shaky ground. Celestia eyed the mare, her sense of paranoia sounding like an alarm, as she asked, "How do you know that? And how can you possibly be sure?" Starlight seemed somewhat nervous as she gulped and stammered, "That's not important, but you have to trust me; we can find them. But getting to them might be a little tricky if what Zecora told me is anything to go by." The zebra-turned skunk nodded. "Starlight is correct to be in the helm; Discord only prioritized you two and turned Canterlot into his realm. Yet his chaos has twisted the land; navigating it will be quite the demand ." That much both princesses expected. While Discord seemed content to make them his personal playthings, they'd always considered him wreaking some havoc across Equestria. Yet they couldn't afford to let that slow them down, something Celestia was certain of. "Very well, then we need to get going. The longer we stay here, the more we risk being imprisoned by Twilight." Starlight nodded, eager to get out of Canterlot." Right now, Twilight is making her big debut to solidify her power, which is why the streets are mostly empty. If we're going to escape, we must do this now." "She is right; it is time to go. However, please use these should you encounter a foe." Again the skunk seemingly pulled several objects, in this case, plastic balls, from her poofy tail. Celestia gave them a whiff and gagged as they smelt horrible. "What are they?" "Something of my own creation, you see. Give them a toss, and your pursers will smell like me." The princesses snickered at the idea; as they tucked the balls away in a nearby bag. The skunk then hopped from her stool onto Starlight's back. They all came out of the tent as Celestia and Luna jumped onto their unicycles. With Celestia carrying Zecora, Luna, in turn, decided to place Starlight on her back. "There they are!" A group of former royal guards spotted them while pursuing them on unicycles. But Celestia and Luna started running as fast as they could as they were being chased, flying through the streets, splitting up a nearby fork, hoping to avoid their pursuers. Luna had Starlight on her back as she galloped through a hall of mirrors, practically assaulted by her various reflections as the guards that chased her came through. The chase came to an immediate halt when she suddenly crashed through a mirror, throwing her through the hall, and only with a bit of luck was she able to land back on her hooves. The former princess of the night then looked around, wondering where Starlight was. Finding her compatriot proved challenging, thanks to all the different reflections and possible wall collisions. However, her search came in half when she gazed upon a mirror with teal blue eyes with slitted pupils. Luna felt her stomach drop as once again she found herself staring down the reflection of her own dark self, Nightmare Moon. The ethereal princess started to laugh maniacally, gleefully mocking the moon princess. "Just look at yourself, a clown running through an amusement designed for children, how far you've fallen! We were Equestria's rulers only a few years ago, and the night was eternal!" "No, all we were was a tyrant. A short-sighted fool that has allowed Equestria to fall into madness. Becoming you was the greatest shame of my life," Luna growled as she trotted through the mirrors, trying to ignore her darker side's taunts. Whether this was indeed Nightmare Moon, brought to life by Discord's chaos magic, or her mind deceiving her, it seemed this ghost would not be ignored. Luna's attempts to flee eventually found her surrounded by mirrors, all carrying the mocking image of what she once was. "Regardless of what you want, I'm still here; just let me take over again, and we can take down Discord; without the Elements of Harmony!" Rather than offer an answer, Luna simply kicked one of the mirrors in its reflection's face, more concerned with escaping the guards. "If we truly had the power to stop Discord, we'd have never fallen. You are merely a shadow, clawing at power you don't deserve, and I will never give into you again." She began shattering mirror after mirror with another kick, sending glass in every direction. Amidst the sea of broken glass, an exit was finally visible, with Luna taking steps towards it. It was only when she glanced at a shard on a floor and noticed no pony on her back did she remember something. "Ponyfeathers, I forgot. I need to find Starlight." As for Starlight, the mare was groaning as she got up, rubbing her head. The mare turned to see mirrors similarly surrounded her. In the reflection of one, Starlight saw herself as she was a few months ago, with her mane braided over her head and her cutie mark being an equal sign. The reflection looked at the real Starlight with a devious smirk. "So, you found the princesses of equestria? But what does that matter when they learn it was your fault that everything is so bucked up!?" Starlight flinched at the reminder. "I didn't know this was going to happen!? I…I just wanted to get my revenge on Twilight for ruining everything!" "Yes, and now because of that, everything is utter chaos. Suddenly our idea of removing everypony's cutie marks doesn't seem so bad, does it?" Starlight shoved a hoof on the ground, looking almost offended by such an idea., "No, after everything that's happened, look where that got us? Celestia knows where Sunburst is now in this hellhole, let alone everypony in OurTown is probably altered in some bucked up way just like these ponies and those in Ponyville!" Logic didn't seem to faze her old self, looking as manipulative as ever." Yet, this is an opportunity for you to not only fix your mistakes but also take over as a princess. Bide your time, let Celestia and Luna take down Discord, then send them away into another timeline along with Twilight and her friends. From there, nothing could stop you from lying about them perishing in vanquishing Discord, allowing you to claim the throne!" Starlight paused for a moment; the plan had some merit to it. Yet that same line of thinking caused all this mess to begin with. Yet still. However, she couldn't reply as Luna came barrelling in, taking no time to stop as she pulled Starlight onto her back and kept running. "Are you alright, Starlight?" "I'm fine; let's just get out of here," Starlight mumbled as she was placed on Luna's shoulders with the idea of betraying everypony to make her plans of a utopia still fresh in her mind. Separated from her sister, Celestia found herself at a "zoo," and there she saw many animals Twilight had turned ponies into. There she saw seals forced to throw a ball between each other, elephants attempting to balance on a ball, and dogs jumping through hoops of fire. It was all rather cruel, and she wished to free them, but Zecora seemed to have read her mind as she whispered, "I wish we could help them, of course, but if we free them, Twilight will just hunt. Them down without remorse." The mention of the mare left Celestia reminded of another question she'd wondered about Discord's right-hand mare for so long. "Zecora tells me, was Twilight always so cruel? Or is she simply another victim of Discord's madness?" "I don't know, but this pains me as much as you. I can hear them crying for help as you do." Zecora gazed at the twisted sky above, "For now, we must end Discord's reign. Only then may we stop this pain." Celestia nodded as she trotted through the zoo, only to pause upon finding a peculiar ride, "Why do I hate Celestia?" The curious alicorn stared at the sign with morbid curiosity running through her mind. "I think we should see this." "I don't think that wise. You may not like what you see with your eyes." Despite the warning, Celestia couldn't pull her eyes away from the ride and her curiosity. "This pony has a deep grudge against me, and I must've hurt her greatly to inspire such hatred. Perhaps if I learn why, I may be able to reason with her." With a push, she entered the ride and arrived at a seemingly empty corridor where she saw cardboard cutouts of a little purple filly. A rather crude-sounding voice immediately started playing. "I was once a young filly who dreamed of going to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns." A light appeared, showing another cut-out of the tiny unicorn, seated at a desk surrounded by mountains of books. "I studied every book I could find and learned all I could about magic. I was so sure I'd get in." The princess lowered her head, fearing what would come next, as she saw another cutout of Twilight, now surrounded by many snobbish-looking unicorns, glaring down at the poor filly. "But when I took my entrance exam and failed, that didn't stop me; I tried again and again. I failed each time but did everything I could to get in." They then came upon a cutout of teenage Twilight writing a letter as the voice continued, "I then wrote a letter to Celestia for help, hoping that she could give me a chance to prove belonged in her school!" The scene ended, but the ride jerked, and Celestia gasped out of fear, not being ready for what was to come as the ride dropped, and there saw a cruel visage of her in flames as Twilight was now crying, reading what she wrote. "But my hopes were dashed as all she did was reply that magic may not be my talent! That was the only thing that mattered to me, and she didn't even give me a chance to prove myself! Thus I gave up on my dreams and left her behind." Then happier music started to play as another curtain rose of Twilight using a wand to make a bunny come out of a top hat while ponies applauded her as the voice continued to narrate. "I was set to a life of being a stage magician and had to perform with basic illusion magic to make ends meet. It was a life I didn't care for, but it made me happy to make ponies smile with my tricks." Then the ride turned around in a three-sixty. The curtains rose above Celestia, who sat back in fear as a cardboard cutout of Nightmare Moon towered over a group of ponies as the music became much darker. "That was until the fateful day that Nightmare Moon imprisoned Celestia, and that was a grand day. It proved how hypocritical she was and allowed her sister to become a dictator who ruled Equestria with an iron hoof! Her powerlessness caused the suffering of thousands of ponies!" Princess Celestia looked downward, feeling rather guilty not being able to stop her sister a thousand years ago from transforming into Nightmare Moon. Then the ride became much softer as gentle, happy music started to play. They passed over a cardboard cutout of ponies as clowns playing games and eating junk food. The Lord of Chaos hovered over them as the voice continued its narration. "That was until Discord came and saved us! He took us into his claws and made a fun paradise for all of us ponies, and better yet, he saw that I had magical talent. He then set up his school of "Chaos Magic," taking unicorns; he saw potential and taught them the ways of Chaos Magic." Another cut-out appeared, this one showing a very happy adult Twilight standing before Discord with a large star on her chest. "I ended up becoming Discord's top student, and he was so impressed he made me his second in command. I knew Celestia was wrong." Then they came to the final part, where Celestia and Luna were performing with crowds of ponies throwing things at them; the image brought so many bad memories to Celestia that she had to turn her head away and throw her hooves over her eyes as the voice continued. "Seeing Discord having the former princesses be ridiculed and mocked is the best thing he's ever done. How foolish were we to have revered them as our leaders? They don't deserve the title princesses; they're nothing but clowns! That's how they should be for the rest of eternity!" Then the ride ended as they appeared outside, and Celestia got up with the skunk on her back. The former princess was somewhat shaken by what she saw and how much pain she put the ponies of Equestria through; despite Twilight's vitriol, she was right. Celestia had long berated herself for not being more proactive in finding those who could wield the Elements and help protect Equestria. She tried with Sunset Shimmer and others, but none of them possessed the ability to discover friendship, something she herself seemed to lack if what Twilight said was true. The alicorn burst into tears, collapsing on the ground as all the compounding pain overcame her; the former princess felt like a complete failure who deserved all the torment she'd endured for all those years. She would've continued to wallow in her mystery had Zecora scuttled over there and whispered into her ear." Celestia, please do not be blue; what Twilight said is not true." The skunk's words managed to get Celestia to raise her tear-stained face to meet her companion's eyes. You may have mistakes as we all do, as I met another Twilight who adores you." The princess blinked as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "There's another Twilight?" The skunk scratched its head, "It does sound too odd to be true; it'll be much easier to show you." However, as Zecora looked ready to point Celestia in the right direction, a group of guards appeared, forcing the pony princess to pick the skunk and flee. Yet she felt a renewed sense of hope start to burn inside. "Hopefully, I can find this other Twilight, and maybe, we can rectify my mistakes."