//------------------------------//
// Chapter two: The Fall of Canterlot 
// Story: Welcome to Discordtopia 
// by Foal Star 
//------------------------------//

Down in the Library of Canterlot Palace, a bookish, orange-coated unicorn was busy in his study going over some odd messages and commands their newest ruler, Nightmare Moon, had sent [to the overburden newly designated 'royal archivist,' since the last one had somehow disappeared and he was pick picked for the tedious task].

Upon her ascension, through brutal subjugation, her highness preferred residing in the old castle in the Everfree Forest [some unamenable reasons; some said it was to satiate her need for sadisms while others thought it was for more nostalgic reasons]. At the same time, Canterlot was primarily used by her to hold court with the terrified nobles, wondering what she would do in her next tantrum. Yet, despite all her status and power, their ruler, her imperiousness highness, had seemed increasingly distressed as of late, more so than usual. Each day she'd return to the castle garden like clockwork to check on a particularly unusual statue within the garden of a chimeric creature. Supposedly it contained an ancient and powerful entity simply known as Discord. The stallion had been meaning to do some research on the supposed entity, but his recent workload had forced him to push that mission back. Though, now it seemed like he should've made the time.

As he finished his letter, his mind drifted back to the garden where the statue stood…or did as there was simply an empty pedestal. That proved sufficient cause for him to believe his queen's concerns were valid. 

Once he noticed the statue was gone, he quickly notified the queen, whose response was far from pleasant. Yet, even now, he couldn't understand why. 

The idea that Nightmare Moon would be scarred was laughable, seeing that she sent their former ruler, Princess Celestia, into the moon. So for there to be any creature, much less one she only saw fit to mention to him recently, to make her feel threatened seemed utterly ludicrous. 

And yet, she was! Her last message was little more than a never-ending barrage of curses towards him, saying how much of a fool he was. In truth, though, it seemed more like she was shouting at herself. 

It wasn't like he knew who this Discord was or why Nightmare Moon was so scared of him, but now there was a sense of dread that hung in the air. Whatever Nightmare Moon was frightened of was coming, and there was nothing he could do, save for coming through the archives for an answer. 

As he prepared to turn a page into his current book sporting the dark blue armor of Nightmare, Moon's army burst into the room. 

"Master Sunburst! Lady Nightmare Moon has been overthrown."

Sunburst felt his jaw and glasses practically drop at the declaration, unable to even entertain such an idea. Yet that slight sense of dread he'd felt early now seemed firmly validated. 

"Overthrown? How? And how can you be sure?" 

"I don't know! But the sun is out again! If that's the case, somepony must've defeated her! We're finally free!" The guard cheered, tossing his armor off and running down the hall loudly, whooping with his comrades. 

He heard ponies shout and celebrate from within the castle, utterly jubilant at their sudden liberation. And in any other time, Sunburst would be just as thrilled as them, happy to no longer be under Nightmare Moon's tyrannical hoof. But knowing what he knew now, this celebration was to be short-lived. 

With newfound urgency, Sunburst ran outside of Canterlot Castle. There he saw a crowd of ponies looking in relief, others in tears, all looking with unfiltered joy at the sun once again shining in the sky above. It'd been over a year since Nightmare Moon hid the sun, and many feared they'd never feel its warmth again. 

So then, why was there also a sense of unease? 

Princess Celestia had been sealed away on the moon, so she couldn't have defeated Nightmare Moon. Thus if not her, then who?

The sudden quandary brought silence to the crowd before some pointed upwards as pink clouds made of cotton candy, chocolate milk, and popcorn rained down on the ponies below. 

Excitement became confusion as most of the regal ponies angrily screamed at the chocolate milk staining their fancy clothes. Meanwhile, some took it in stride, with several foals happily opening their mouths and allowing the treats to pour. Sunburst, however, ignored all of that, as his sense of dread was now back in full.

Something was very wrong, and everypony, whether they wanted to or not, could sense it. And it was then a loud, boisterous laugh started to echo from the sky. 

All eyes looked to the sky as a figure seemed to slither and skulk from within the clouds before bursting outwards for all to see. His appearance left many a pony baffled, while Sunburst had to clean his glasses to ensure his vision was correct.

"It can't be…how?"

Flying high above Canterlot was the very same figure he'd seen in stone not a day ago, now looking very alive and happy about it. 

Discord eyed the city below, his eye stretching from its socket like a telescope before making an screatchingnoise.

"Ugh, this is where Princess Sunbutt has been ruling all this time? It's so dull looking." With a casual spin, he was suddenly in some painter's outfit, complete with easel and beret. "I do believe we could all do with some color."

Rather than pull out a brush, Discord instead simply held out his free claw and snapped. 

All around,  buildings became circus tents, fancy chariots were turned into unicycles, and all the fancy clothes the ponies wore were transformed into baggy pants and gaudy outfits with giant colorful pommels. Their noses became big rubber balls of various colors, while their previously well-styled manes became comically colored afros. 

As Discord marveled at his work, a legion of pegasi soldiers had zeroed in on him, spears and swords at the ready. 

The Spirit of Chaos didn't even pay them a glance. Their weapons quickly became foam toys, their wings replaced with balloons, and armor turned into clown outfits, soon matching the ponies below. 

With another snap, numerous tiny needles shattered the balloons, sending the screaming clowns below. Yet when they hit the ground below, they sank into it before popping back out of the now rubbery terrain. 

The display proved the proverbial straw as the crowd began to disperse, running around screaming for what little good it could offer them.

Amidst the chaos, Sunburst could only stare on in shock and horror, unable to find the courage to even move, much less offer a hoof in aid. 

"No wonder Nightmare Moon was so afraid of this…thing. How in Equestria can we stop him?"

"Oh, that's easy….you can't."

Sunburst's eyes practically burst from his glasses at the unfamiliar voice in his head, only to look up and find Discord playfully waving in his direction. 

"Oh, and for the record, I'm not a thing… I'm more of a What or a How!"

The draconequus then, with a claw snap, teleported everypony in the courtyard to a giant circus tent, not sitting in the middle of the city. 

The place was massive, with numerous ponies shoved into seats bound with brightly colored scarves. They all sat in their seats, awaiting what would happen. 

A pair of spotlights immediately pointed to the center of the tent before a bright explosion revealed Discord, now clad in a red ringmaster's outfit. With the microphone in hand, he made a grand sweeping gesture to the entire audience. "Welcome, my little ponies! To the greatest show in Equestria! And for our opening act, I give you…Comedy is Night and Day." 

A spotlight pointed up to the roof as a platform was lowered, revealing to the shock of all those in attendance Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, now dressed in clown outfits and on unicycles while being chased by lions. 

The sudden surreal sight brought out a myriad of emotions in the audience. Shock, amazement, joy, horror, fear, and concern. Many were crying out and angrily shouting at the treatment of their beloved monarch Celestia, finally freed from her imprisonment. Meanwhile, Luna received few words of sympathy, many bitter over the oppression her alter ego had inflicted on them. 

Many ponies (mostly former royal guards) wanted to storm the ring to rescue the Princess; even Sunburst contemplated taking some kind of action. Sadly any hope was immediately quashed as more scarves secured them firmly to the seat, their mouths now covered by large bags of popcorn. 

"Now, now. It's rude to interrupt a performance after all," Discord spoke, his neck extending to where it was just over the audience. "So please, just sit back, have some popcorn and enjoy the show. It's been a long time coming, and I'd hate to see it end so soon."

No pony attempted to stand up again, humbled by how effortlessly he'd managed to stop them all. This moment of clarity also firmly had them realize how outmatched they were. Nightmare Moon had effectively conquered Equestria and quashed any attempted rebellion in mere moments. Only Celestia had the power to match her, yet here they were, little more than Discord's playthings.

If they couldn't stop him, what chance did anypony else have?

That train of thought was playing in Sunburst's mind on loop, keeping him firmly stuck in his chair. Even though he was bound and gagged, it didn't matter; even with every limb free, he held no illusions about walking free or attempting anything. 

All he could do was sit in silence as the two most potent ponies in all of Equestria were made into complete fools to amuse their new tyrant. 





Weeks had gone by, and things had little to no change. Sunburst somehow remained out of sight and out of mind in his former home, now a dingy circus booth filled with balloons, rubber chickens, and confetti. 

Honestly, if it weren't for the sheer horror of the situation, Sunburst would ask Discord to change themes. The circus gimmick had long worn out its welcome. Though that also brought up a rather curious point.

Despite the circus-themed paint job Discord had given Canterlot, he was untouched for some reason. His hair was still the same, with no extra frills or bowties to his attire and his nose wasn't rubber. Almost like Discord's magic just missed him for some reason. 

Sunburst slowly raised his head, hearing the pit-pat of chocolate milk raining down onto the tent's canopy. He slowly poked his head out of the tent and filled it up with a cup in hoof. 

As he waited, he looked around the streets, seeing the various other circus tents and carnival booths. After several weeks of this state, ponies were now playing the games out of boredom, any sense of panic having long been worn out. Yet there was also something unsettling about the situation. Many ponies were now throwing pies at each other and making bad jokes. As if the makeup and costumes were affecting their minds. 

Sunburst's eyes narrowed, already knowing the culprit. Chaos Magic. 

A glance in his tent directed his gaze to a small stack of books, the only ones he was able to save from the Canterlot Library. Lucky for him, he could finally look up some information on Discord. More specifically, his Chaotic brand of magic only ended up making him feel more useless.

Pulling back his now-filled cup, he sat and picked up a tofu dog covered in mustard and ketchup. Watching and eating was about all he could do at this point. 

True he was a knowledgeable scholar regarding magic, but his practical aptitude was sadly lacking. Then again, Discord's magic was beyond anything he'd seen! The creature could warp reality without any defined limit, ignoring all natural and magical laws with terrifying ease. It was a miracle Sunburst hadn't lost his mind at such a revelation. 

The poor pony could only glance at his tent, basically a brightly colored prison cell, and bemoan his own helplessness. At this point, what else could he do but sit and wait for something to happen?

"Well, I'm always up for offering somepony advice. Might I suggest loosening up and having some fun?"

Sunburst practically jumped as a pair of eyes were now staring at him from his wall, with Discord himself slithering out. "Hello there! Sorry to interrupt mid-mental monologue, but I wasn't sure if I missed somepony during my little clown show? Also, your feedback on the whole overuse of the circus theme is very appreciated."

A scroll suddenly appeared in thin air with various words written under a large title that read Themes.

"I was planning to change things to keep it fresh, you know?" Discord looked the list over with a pair of oversized reading glasses. "Tell me, what sounds more appealing, comic superheroes or pirates? I don't know why but I feel like I can get a lot more out of the latter." 

Sunburst cried out in horror and scurried to the back of the tent with a look of fear in his eyes.

Casting the list aside, Discord rolled his eyes at the sudden panic. "Oh, would you relax? If I wanted to, you'd be a clown and join the princesses with the lions. I merely came to get a better look at you. It's not often I find somepony seemingly immune to my magic." 

Sunburst lay there in terror, shaking as he asked, "So…if you're not going to torture me? What will you do to me?"

Discord didn't answer; he snapped a claw, and Sunburst was placed in a classroom. The place was rather mad looking, with countless posters of the man spirit on the walls, while books, chalk sticks, rulers, and other items just floated around the room. Sitting beside him were a violet-coated unicorn mare and an unnamed, arrogant-looking blue unicorn. 

There they sat with Discord at the front of the classroom." Welcome to Discord's School of Chaos Magic. For those not in the know, I have taken over Equestria, but I'm not a ruler. Frankly, I find the idea of ruling anything too much of a chore, so I thought it'd be more productive…and fun, to find somepony to help me deal with all the management nonsense."

The violet unicorn then raised a hoof as Discord pointed to her and asked, "Yes, Twilight?"

"Um….so you said you'll teach us how to use Chaos Magic? But I have to ask, why?

The Lord of Chaos tapped a claw on her head. "It's simple, really; I need you to keep the ponies from rebelling or trying to ruin the fun! Understand? I think you three have the potential to keep the chaos going, and thus I'll teach you how to wield Chaos <!"

Then with a whisk of a claw, he had a squarish graduation cap on and a cloak as he proclaimed, "Now for your first lesson, we shall begin by turning a chicken back to an egg!"

"Yes, Discord," the two other ponies said eagerly, while Sunburst almost mumbled his response. 

Discord gave them all a stern look and snapped, "Oh come now, don't you see my hat? Call me Professor Discord." 

"Yes, Professor Discord!" Everypony shouted once more in a much more terrified tone. 

"Now, shall we begin the class?" He chimed as he swished off a stick, summoning a scared-looking chicken in his claw. 





A year later…

A year had passed since Discord had taken over, and things hadn't been looking suitable for Sunburst, now sporting a white dunce cap and sitting in the back of his class. The stallion looked much more pathetic than his classmates as he was still trying to put the chicken on his desk back to an egg, with his horn sputtering to manipulate the Chaos Magic. 

"Oh, Sunburst!? Still on square one!? Look at your other classmates!" Discord laughed as he pointed across the classroom. The stallion saw that Twilight and the other student, Trixie, both had pink T-Rexs, wearing silly dresses and tiaras while having a tea party. 

The proud instructor merely chuckled at the display, which turned to disappointment when looking at Sunburst. "I guess I was wrong about you? I figured you had some magical potential, but it seems you're much duller than your name suggests."

Then with a snap of a claw Sunburst was suddenly dressed in face paint, with black triangles painted over his eyes, now dressed in a bright white suit with poofy black buttons. 

"There, a dull costume for your dull personality!" The malicious spirit laughed out loud before snapping Sunburst away, sending him back to Canterlot. 

The poor stallion's mood now matched his face, barely acknowledging how more unstable things had gotten in Canterlot since he'd been gone. Now ponies were slamming pies in their faces, engaging in more painful-looking jokes, and some even just laughing at others' misery. 

"Hey, check out this sad sack over here."

"Aww, it's a sad clown. What say we put a smile on his face!"

Soon dozens of the clowns started to toss pies and water balloons filled with paint in his direction, utterly drenching his once white costume in a collage of colors. 

Not wanting to stick around for more, Sunburst sprinted down the streets, trying to escape the mob chasing him, but the more he ran, the more clowns gathered to throw stuff at him. He feared they would keep chasing him until tofu dogs and chocolate milk suddenly started raining from the sky. 
The mob stopped midway in their chase as the ponies began to gorge on food or lap the chocolate milk off the streets. Sunburst could only watch the insanity before him, their crazed faces making it clear any prior sanity they might've had was long gone at this point.

It seemed as though Sunburst was probably the last sane pony in Canterlot. 

"There's the dunce!" 

"Twilight!?" Sunburst cried out as he turned to see Discord's favorite student standing over him. With a playful smirk, the unicorn was wearing a top hat and cloak and twirled about in her new outfit." Like it? Discord proclaimed me as his second in command!"

"Congratulations," Sunburst squeaked as he lowered his head, somewhat scared of Twilight. During their time together, she was the most proficient with Chaos Magic and the cruelest. Her ceaseless hunger for more knowledge quickly made her Discord's favorite student, with Sunburst dreading what she'd do with such power.

Twilight threw a hoof over her cloak and laughed. "Pathetic as always, Sunburst! Well, not to worry, I'll cheer you up. It's time for my first show, and you'll have a front-row seat to see how chaos magic is supposed to be wielded!"

Sunburst could do nothing as she lit her horn, and soon the two were teleported back to the big top. Discord then appeared in the middle of the ring alongside Twilight as he threw a claw. 

"Hello, my fellow clowns! Today I have a special treat for you. I'd like to present my second in command and standing ruler of Canterlot…Twilight Sparkle!"

The crowd cheered as Twilight appeared in a puff of smoke on top of a pedestal floating over them, bowing and preening under admiration. "Hello, my subjects! Tonight will be special as Discord and I torture…I mean perform alongside the former princesses! This will be a night you won't ever forget!"

Sunburst paused, hoping the crowd would reject this at the very least, but many continued to cheer. Above them, the two former rulers attempted to ride unicycles across a tight rope. This alone, without a safety net, would've been treacherous enough. Still, Discord, or possibly Twilight, saw fit to add in a large pool of water, filled to the brim with sharks. 

The demented audience only continued to jeer at the Princess's predicament, the Chaos Magic having warped their mind to be as insane and somewhat cruel as Discord. 

As the Princesses attempted to cross, both Discord and Twilight began hurling random objects at them, pies, water balloons, and a kitchen sink at one point. It wasn't too long before the audience joined in.

Sunburst just sat back and watched in horror, throwing his hooves over his eyes, hating himself, even more, wishing he could do something to stop this! But again, he knew he would be on a unicycle with them if he tried anything. Despite knowing that none of this was his fault, he was torn up inside as he desired nothing more than to seal Twilight and Discord into stone. But he didn't have the power or the ability to do anything. All he could do was endure and hope that he might one day stop this cruelty. 





Present day

Sunburst was now sitting alone in his booth, looking more depressed than he had when this whole mess started. He had his head lowered into his There was little to nothing he could do presently. The only positive was that everypony else had long grown tired of harassing him. 

Since returning to Canterlot (or what's left of it), he's been doing his best to avoid the other ponies. At this point, he would simply look up at the sky and watch each day pass slowly, hoping that someday, things could return to normal. 

Fate, it seemed, saw fit to throw him a bone as there was a clamor of voices near his home. Completely out of nowhere, Princess Celestia and Luna rode right into his tent on unicycles. He was shocked by their appearance as they looked worn out and scared with their manes a mess, and they were both covered in dirt and on edge. 

"Um…he…hello?" Sunburst stammered in an unsure tone, wondering why they were here and whether they were just as crazy as the rest of the town. 

"Apologies, sorry we didn't see you there," Celestia responded with a sheepish smile despite her ragged appearance.

Luna was far less friendly, aiming her horn at him, and snapped, "Who are you!?"

Sunburst squealed, scrambling to hold his hooves up in surrender." Wait, I'm not a minion of Discord! In fact, I mostly just stay in here and mope around! I swear!"

The princesses eyed him before Celestia pushed her sister's horn away. "Sister, he doesn't look like the others. I think we can trust him."

"Sister, we can't take the chance. If we're caught now, who knows what Twilight will do to us! We can't take the risk!"

As the two continued to debate, Starlight came forward, finally looking at the one they were arguing over with immense shock. "S…Sunburst, is that you!?"

The stallion turned to face the light pink-coated unicorn. He knew the pony from somewhere, but his mind was fuzzy, having endured so much insanity for the past year. The stallion gulped and said, "Y…yes, and who are you?"

The unicorn mare slowly came up and gently placed a hoof on her chest., "It's me, Starlight Glimmer! You don't recognize me!?"

Sunburst blinked, then gasped as his mind was flooded with memories, remembering his old childhood friend. "Starlight!? What are you doing here?"

The recognition brought a smile to Starlight's face as she opened her mouth as if she was going to say something, then paused, seeming to go silent. "It's a long story."

She then helped Sunburst up on all four hooves and dusted some dirt off his outfit. "Let's catch up, but we need to find a way out of here first."

"Ye…yeah!?" Sunburst blurted out, being somewhat taken aback by everything happening at once. But the truth was, at the moment, he wasn't sure how to help. By the princesses' heavy breathing, he could see they were somewhat exhausted, so asking them to keep moving was unlikely.

Meanwhile, Starlight was talking to a skunk about going the way they came, but the small critter shook its head..and started talking. 

"The way we came sounds reasonable, it's true. But Twilight will be expecting us and will probably plant a trap for you."

"Well then, what do we do!? We can't just sit here! Twilight's show could be ending any minute!"

Ignoring the talking animal for the moment, Sunburst tapped a hoof to his chin, pondering on anything that could help. That's when a memory came into his mind, and he gasped." Wait! I know of a portal!"

"Portal!?" Everypony asked, turning towards Sunburst. 

"Yes, just come follow me!" Sunburst exclaimed as he took by her hoof. "We have to go now while Twilight is distracted!"

The rest of the ponies looked at each other as if they were unsure. Celestia turned towards her sister and whispered something as Luna shook her head and mumbled something back. Eventually, the argument led the Princess of the Night to shift her attention toward Sunburst, snapping, "Fine, we'll trust you, but this better not be a trap!"

"It's not, I swear! Please I…I just want to help end this insanity!" Sunburst cried, managing to not cower before the angry monarch. 

"Ok, Sunburst, I trust you," Celestia replied, once again trying to quell her angry sister before the group exited the tent and started heading down the road. But that was when they were suddenly being chased by pegasus guards riding on their unicycles.

"They caught onto us!" Luna shouted, "I told you this clown sold us out!"

"Stop it, sister! They just followed us here, stop fighting and peddle!" Celestia cried out as the princesses tried to peddle away from their former guards. 

The group quickly attempted to flee, yet a quick glance could see they were moving practically at a snail's pace. Sunburst could already tell the others were exhausted from the chase. It would be mere moments before they were overtaken. If they wanted to escape, someone needed to do something, and to his chagrin, he was the only option.   

Halting his run, the stallion tried to face the pegasi soldiers gaining on them! If there was any moment he needed to use Chaos Magic, it was now! Throwing any caution to the wind, the stallion attempted to ignite his horn. He gasped as Chaos Magic swarmed around him. His magic started to swirl, and crackle as buckets of water appeared over two pegasi soldiers and dumped their contents on top of them, making them slide into each other. Big red rubber shoes then appeared on others, causing two other former guards to fall onto each other. The other ponies were astonished at Sunburst's power, and the stallion started to feel rather proud before they resumed their escape. 





They then stopped near a sewer grate where Sunburst and Starlight lifted the giant iron seal up in the air and tossed it aside. They then all slowly clambered down into the depths of the sewer below. 

The group took a moment to catch their breath as they had time to collect themselves. Zecora hopped onto Princess Celestia's back while Sunburst and Starlight took time to check each other for injury as the princesses did the same.

"Well, now what?" Luna asked while eyeing Sunburst, less suspicious of him, but that didn't mean she fully trusted him.

Taking the initiative, Sunburst stood up, his white suit now stained brown, as he was nearly covered in chocolate milk, and pointed a hoof down the sewer. "The portal is in this direction. Follow me."

Luna shook her head, and even Princess Celestia was hesitant, seeing they were ankle-deep in likely filthy chocolate milk. 

Undaunted, Starlight opted to take the reins. "Look, I know you two are unsure if you can trust him, but Sunburst was my best friend. Yes, he's a coward and can be a wet blanket…."

Sunburst got a little peeved at these comments, but Starlight continued, "but that doesn't mean he's a liar; I know he's a trustworthy pony. And right now, we don't exactly have the luxury of time, so we need to get moving."

This time Princess Celestia was hesitant, but Luna turned toward her sister and said, "I don't still don't completely trust this Sunburst, but Starlight freed us and got us this far. I'll trust her judgment of him."

"Right…" Celestia stammered before the two princesses, a skunk, Starlight, and Sunburst, started their slow trek through the raging chocolate river. 

As the group trudged through the river of liquid ice cream, Sunburst was feeling nervous. While he was honest about the portal, having seen it many times himself, he had no clue if it was still present, which he hoped was the case. If not, Celestia knows what Luna will do to him. 

The group eventually came up through a fountain of chocolate milk, all dripping in the sugary beverage and welcoming the fresh air. 

Tsun was now gone, and the moon was shining directly overhead. The ponies were now looking in a hedge maze with countless creatures in stone. 

Sunburst bent his head as they slowly trotted through the garden full of statues with Tirek, Chrysalis, and many changelings. The ponies were taken aback by the cruelty put on display. What was more disturbing was that there were many ponies, all with "rebel" printed on their pedestals. 

Some Sunburst recognized most notably Fancy Pants, who'd similarly resisted Discord's initial magic attack. Others included several of the Wonderbolts like Spitfire and many prominent ponies like Raven Inkwell. 

It was quite a sobering sight, yet they slowly made their way to the middle of the garden. There they spotted a seemingly ordinary-looking vanity mirror. However, the mirror was not alone, as a massive purple dragon was sleeping just a few yards away. 

Oddly enough, despite the creature being rather terrifying and huge, there was something off about it, with it sucking on its thumb while wearing a bib around its neck. It even had a rather large in its left claw. 

Odd it not, it left the group with even more questions than before. 

"Well, we found it, but where does this portal lead to, and what is that creature?" Luna growled under her breath, already dreading having to possibly fight a dragon. 

Sunburst looked downward as this was where he wasn't sure. And said, "I honestly have no idea, I've never entered it before, and I'm just as clueless about the dragon. However, don't know where this portal leads or what this dragon is who guards it. But I can tell you that Twilight has her family living in the land on the other side shown."

Celestia paused, the name ringing a bell somewhere. "I know her family a bit; my former captain of the guard, Shining Armor, was her brother."

"Yes, he's in there, along with her parents and sister-in-law princess Cadance."

"My niece!" Celestia practically shouted, causing the dragon to shake briefly, causing them all to sweat and sigh when it continued to sleep. 

The ponies all looked at each other and were now unsure of what to do. Still, Sunburst felt much more confident and whispered, "Listen, I'll distract the dragon, he may look intimidating, but he's really just a hatchling Twilight grew up with magic. I can distract him while you slip past."

The others were astonished at what Sunburst said, except for Starlight, who looked close to having a panic attack." No, we're not leaving you behind; if you're caught by Twilight…Faust knows what she'll do to you. I'm not leaving you behind."

Sunburst stood there, considering what Starlight said. She had a point; he was effectively risking his life no matter what happened. Either the dragon crushed him, or Twilight got to torture him for all eternity. Neither option was promising for him. But then he thought about all the ponies suffering, trapped in a never-ending state of madness and lunacy. All the anger and frustration of just sitting back as Discord turned the world into a living hell began to boil up inside him. That was all the incentive he needed.

"You're right, either way, I'm doomed, but I'm okay with it. My life doesn't matter when up against everypony in Equestria. If we can stop him, then we have to take the risk."

This time, Princess Celestia stepped in, unwilling to let yet another of her beloved subjects suffer. "No, there has to be another way."

"There is no other way; if you two don't escape, then there's no hope!" Sunburst cried as he got up and turned towards the giant purple dragon before he stopped for a moment.

"Oh, Starlight, I'm sorry I left you behind when I got my Cutie Mark. I'm glad I could see you again, one last time."

Starlight was rendered speechless, eyes welling up as she moved to stop him, only for the pony to charge outwards, making as much noise as he could muster. back 

The dragon finally stirred; now awake and turning creature blinked as it turned its massive head towards him. Spotting Sunburst, the dragon roared, grabbing its enormous rattle and wielding it like a mace club. 

Not even bothering to take cover, Sunburst closed his eyes and lit his horn, allowing the Chaos MagicMmagic around him to flow. 

The dragon, undeterred, prepared to bring the massive melee weapon down upon the pony. Still, then a pacifier suddenly appeared in the creature's mouth. The dragon looked confused as it dropped its rattle with a thud as he continued to have the pacifier bob up and down in his mouth. 

Upon seeing the beast was sufficiently distracted from what it was sucking on, Sunburst couldn't help but see it was a massive diamond in his mouth. The dragon seemed engrossed in its mouth as he slowly laid back down with this relaxed look in its eyes. 

Sunburst actually looked. Sunburst was somewhat astonished at his ability to wield chaos magic, wondering where it was all coming from suddenly. But that ended when somepony practically dragged him by his collar. Hugged on his hoof, he turned to see Starlight pulling him towards the portal. as she shouted, 

"Come on! The princesses have escaped, and he's distracted!" 

Not even giving him a chance to get on his feet, Starlight charged through the portal with her friend to do whatever unknown world awaited them. She then pulled him through the portal, following after the princesses.