//------------------------------//
// 19. The Kingdom of Corona (Part 3) 
// Story: Through The Multiverse 
// by Battwell 
//------------------------------//

Earth 2145 




The Kingdom of Corona


 



 



 



 

The heat from the fire barrier was starting to get to Twilight, as sweat began to form on her forehead from the intense heat. Not only that, but the stakes were high as well as not only did Bowser manage to find their next Keystone, but he also absorbed its power to make himself even more powerful than before. 

And to add to that, Bowser had apparently set up multiple Magma Generators all around the forest to go off at his command. She looked to her left to see that Mario was actually sneering at his lifelong nemesis. The look of utter hatred for his enemy that had embedded itself onto his face actually stunned the unicorn, seeing as how it looked so alien on the normally happy plumbers face. 

She returned her gaze to Bowser, or Fury Bowser in his current state. The blackened Koopa let out a chilling chuckle that rumbled throughout the forest, fire spraying out from the corners of his maw. He punched his fists together, fire emerging from his tightened hands before he took a step forward. 

Before anyone knew it, he tucked himself into his shell and darted forward at amazing speeds, with a trail of fire following his every move. 

"Scatter!" Mario cried out a moment too late as Bowser slammed right into him. As Twilight cried out his name in distress, the plumber bounced off of the fire barrier as Fury Bowser came out of his shell. He then punched Mario to the ground, letting out a chilling laugh as he raised his foot over the fallen plumber. 

But before he could do anything, he was struck in the back by a projectile. Turning around, Fury Bowser saw that Twilight had thrown chunks of the ground at him with her magic. Before he could respond, Iron Man kicked him in the side of the head with a foot dive, which sent the Koopa sprawling across the ground, singeing it with his fiery shell. 

Fury Bowser slammed his fist onto the ground as he got up to face the group of heroes. 

"Hey! You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us!" Sonic declared as he helped Mario to his feet. Together they stood against the Koopa King, ready to fight till the end. 

Bowser smiled, "That can be arranged." He then stomped on the ground with his foot, creating a crack in the ground that made its way to the group before exploding in a fountain of lava. Luckily Twilight created a shield that protected the group from the attack. 

She let out a sigh of relief before gasping aloud. Seeing Bowser launch himself into the air before rearing back a fist gave Twilight the incentive to light up her horn and teleport the group away from the incoming Koopa. She teleported in the nick of time as Bowser smashed through the shield, landing harshly on the ground. 

He turned around as Twilight and the others reappeared behind him. 

Fury Bowser smiled as he opened his claws, fire engulfing his hands before he threw them forward, sending forth a wave of fire towards the group. He frowned as he saw all of his enemies scatter, avoiding the devastating attack just in time. 

Iron Man flew overhead as Mario led the charge towards Bowser. He fired multiple missiles at the Koopa King as his Arc Reactor began to brighten up with energy and power. To Tony's annoyance, Bowser simply swatted away the projectiles with a wave of his hand, engulfing the missiles in flames as they melted down to nothing. 

Bowser smirked triumphantly before being punched in the side of the face by Mario, sending him to one knee on the ground. He snarled as he saw the plumber go in for another strike. "Oh no, ya don't!" He exclaimed before catching Mario's fist in his hand. 

He chuckled at Mario's bewildered expression before swinging Mario around to knock down an incoming Sonic the hedgehog. He continued to use Mario as a weapon, hitting Twilight Sparkle in the side of the head, knocking her to the floor. He saw Batman dart forward towards him and tried hitting the Dark Knight, but missed due to the hero ducking underneath the attack. 

Batman took out a small gadget and placed it on Fury Bowser's chest. After a second it let loose an electromagnetic charge that temporarily stunned the villain, causing him to drop his life long adversary. "Now, Stark!" Batman called out as he grabbed Mario and grappled to safety. 

Iron Man let loose a massive Unibeam Blast that struck the Koopa in the chest, sending him flying back into his own Magma Generator. Bowser let out a roar of pain as the device began to short circuit. Then it suddenly exploded, sending Bowser flying across the air for a moment before he landed harshly on the ground. 

As the fire barrier dissipated, the group of heroes quickly surrounded Bowser as he slowly got back up to his feet. He snarled angrily as his hair suddenly turned into a fiery white, electricity surrounding his entire form. "Looks like the end results of this fight are going to be quite shocking!" He joked before firing electricity from his fingertips. 

Sonic dashed out of the way and skidded to a stop to Bowser's left, "Puns? Really?" 

Bowser quirked an eyebrow as he clenched his fist, summoning a pillar of lightning from beneath the ground. "What? Puns are the highest form of comedy!" He argued back as Iron Man dodged the pillar of lightning. 

"I think you mean the lowest form of comedy." Tony corrected as he fired two Repulsor Blasts from his hands, causing the Koopa to stumble back slightly. 

Recovering from the assault, Bowser hurled two lightning orbs at the Armored Avenger in hopes of shorting out his armor. "Well I disagree!" He countered as he saw Iron Man dodged the lightning orbs with ease. "Give me one example of how bad puns are! Cause I can guarantee that you'll struggle to find one that isn't funny!" 

Bowser was suddenly struck in the shell by Mario, who had dived kicked his arch nemesis from behind. "Okay, here's one!" Mario started as he charged forward towards Bowser, "Why are pirates called pirates?" 

"Because they ARRRGGHH!!!" Bowser finished the joke as he released an explosion of lightning, sending the plumber flying backwards into the trunk of a tree. 

Surprisingly the joke managed to get a small giggle out of Twilight, much to Batman's annoyance. "Did you seriously just laugh at that?" He asked with an unimpressed expression on his face. 

The unicorn blushed before she fired a magical blast from her horn. The blast struck Bowser in the chest, sending him falling to one knee. He had barely recovered when Batman decided to dash over and hit him in the chin with a bicycle kick, which sent him falling onto his shell. 

Fury Bowser quickly got back to his feet as his hair and eyes changed from a fiery white to a fiery blue. His hands were suddenly encased in ice, as were his shoulders. "You know what? I think it's time for you all to chill! Eh? Eh?" 

He was met with five deadpan expressions. 

"...Okay I'll give you that one." He conceded before charging forward, aiming to punch Mario down to the ground, but failed to do so as Sonic suddenly boosted forward and kicked him in the side of the head, knocking him down. 

He snarled as he got back to his feet, but was blasted in the chest by Twilight. Bowser was sent flying across the clearing, right into Iron Man, who struck his back with a barrage of missiles. The Koopa King cried out in pain as he was sent sprawling to the floor. 

Before he could get back up, Batman dived over him, throwing down multiple Explosive Batarangs. The projectiles exploded, stunning Bowser further as the ice around his hands and shoulders cracked and fell apart. As the villain slowly got back up to his feet, Mario darted over and delivered a swift punch to his nemesis' chest, the impact of the punch actually managed to knock the Keystone right out of him, reverting him back to his normal form.

The Keystone flew right out of Bowser's back, bouncing a few times before it rested softly in the nice green grass of the forest. The Koopa was winded, now was Mario's chance. He clenched his fist before hitting Bowser's chin with a mighty uppercut that sent him flying into the sky. 

Bowser roared in defeat as he crashed right through the belly of his ship, which was still hovering over the group as they fought. Once he struck the underside of the ship, it exploded in a blaze of flames as Bowser and the rest of his minions were sent soaring through the sky. 

"MAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!" The screaming of his most hated enemy's name was the last sound anyone heard of Bowser before he fell right into a portal that had opened up right behind him. The Koopa and his minions flew right through it, leaving this dimension for good. 

Mario, seeing that Bowser had flew through a portal, adjusted his cap and nodded firmly. Another win to add to the books. The plumber turned around and smiled at his friends, grateful for their help against his lifelong foe. 

"Well, that was a workout!" Sonic commented as he stretched his legs. "But hey! At least we got the Keystone!" 

Twilight looked over to where the Keystone had landed and trotted over to collect it. Only to look on in confusion as it was no longer there, a yellow sticky note had taken its place. She lit up her horn and grabbed it with her magic, reading it aloud as the others converged on her to see what the note had to say. 

"Can't make it too easy for you! Our game has only just begun, Sparkle Butt!!! 

Signed: Discord 

P.S: Enjoy the pie I left you! :)" 

Once Twilight had finished reading the note, she dropped the note back down to the ground. Only for it to fly back up into her face, split apart, and launch a cherry cream pie directly into her muzzle. As whipped cream dripped down her face, she growled as the note suddenly exploded into mini versions of Twilight, screaming the word 'books' over and over until they popped out of existence. 

"Discord." She growled the name angrily before using her magic to clean herself up. Twilight turned to face the others and sighed, "Guess we're right back to square one." 

"Not only that, but apparently there are more of those generators placed around the forest as well." Tony reminded the group with a sour tone lacing his voice. "Looks like we're going to have to keep an eye out for any generators we see until we can eventually regroup with Flynn and Rapunzel." 

Sonic rolled his eyes, "Great. More work." He muttered, annoyed at their current situation. 

Mario sighed before something occurred to him. Both Flynn and Rapunzel were gone, following their orders to run away from Bowser so that they couldn't get hurt. He looked around for a moment before asking, "Speaking of which, where'd Flynn and Rapunzel go?" 

Twilight looked deeper into the forest, concerned for their safety. "I don't know, but with the Magma Generators still active, they're not safe out there on their own." She said before galloping forward worriedly, looking around for any clues as to which way they could've gone. "I don't see any signs as to where they could've went." 

"Then we need to go further into the forest and hope they turn up." Batman said, taking control of the situation. "Here's the plan, we keep going forward, destroy any generators we find, and look for any sign of Rider and Rapunzel. We can't afford to let those generators go off." 

Everyone nodded in agreement. Now that they had a game plan, it was time for some action. 

"I'll scout ahead, see if I can find anything." Said Sonic before he dashed off ahead of the group. The rest took off after the hedgehog, heading further into the forest with their mission clear in their minds. 

Twilight looked up at Batman as he ran alongside her, a cold, harsh expression imbedded onto his face. Her ears lowered to the back of her skull, she just hoped that with everything going on right now, that they'd have enough time to work out their issues and solve their Friendship Problem. 

With that in mind, she continued to gallop alongside her friends, leaving the clearing behind, unaware that a certain Draconequues was watching them from the shadows. 



 

A few hours later 

It had been a few hours since the group were separated from Rapunzel and Flynn. During that time, Twilight and the other heroes had encountered multiple Soulless Ones in their path and had destroyed five Magma Generators during their journey. 

At some point in time the group had wandered into a dark and secluded part of the forest, fog obscuring their vision as they continued to walk down the dirt path. Twilight's head had been all over the place, worrying over how many generators they had yet to find, worrying over Flynn and Rapunzel, just worrying in general. 

And the worst of it all, Discord was still out there, plotting and scheming with his nonsensical ways. Unbeknownst to the group, a cloaked figure was hiding behind a tree, peering at the group as they walked.  

"I wonder where they went." Twilight thought aloud, gaining everyone's attention. "They couldn't have gone too far." 

The cloaked figure averted her gaze and turned to leave, but not before a Batarang embedded itself into the tree trunk beside her. Stunned, she slowly turned around to see Batman glaring at her. She didn't understand, she thought nobody had seen her. 

Turns out she thought wrong. 

Batman straightened himself and yelled, "Who are you? Why are you spying on us?" He demanded to know, his gruff voice echoing throughout the forest, scaring away some of the birds. 

When the cloaked figure began to back away slowly in fear of the Dark Knight, Twilight took a step forward and cried out, "Wait! Do you know where Rapunzel is?" 

The figure stopped. Truthfully, she wasn't really paying attention to what the strange creature was saying. But upon hearing that name, she stopped dead in her tracks and turned around, removing her hood as she stepped out of the shadows. 

It was Mother Gothel. "Excuse me, good travelers. Do you know Rapunzel?" She asked in a sweet and kind voice, hoping to find out what they know. 

Twilight was about to answer, but Batman beat her to it. "Why?" He asked, already sensing that something wasn't right with this lady. "Who are you?" He added gruffly, his distrust showing up in his tone. The unicorn beside him glared, but he either didn't notice or didn't care. 

It was probably the latter. 

"My apologies. I'm Rapunzel's mother. The poor child left home without a word, and I've just been worried sick. Please tell me: where is my dear, sweet girl?" Gothel replied, laying on the 'Distressed and Worried Mother' tone of voice even further. 

Batman could tell that she wasn't who she said she was. 

Everything about her seemed off. 

Sonic smiled and responded, "We'd tell ya, but we lost her. Tell ya what, how about we look for her together?" 

Mother Gothel's smile dropped instantly and a look of annoyance replacing her features. "Lost her?" She scoffed before waving them off dismissively, "You're of no use to me." She then walked away from the group, the fog splitting apart as she marched forward, "I'll find her myself." 

As she disappeared into the fog, Batman began walking right after her, clearly not done questioning her. But he was stopped by Twilight, who teleported directly in his path. "What do you think you're doing?" She asked in an agitative tone, clearly not liking what Batman intended to do. 

"I'm going after her." He answered without hesitation. "There's something not right here, something off about her." 

Twilight looked at the man as if he were insane, "Something off? She's a distressed mother looking for her daughter, why don't you cut her a little slack?" She replied, her tone shifting from annoyed to angry. 

"You can't read people like I can, Twilight. She may be looking for Rapunzel, but for all we know she isn't who she says she is. I don't trust her." 

"You don't trust anyone!" 

Iron Man, seeing the tension building, took a step forward to try and defuse the ensuing argument. "Okay, whoa whoa whoa! How about we calm it down." 

But he was ignored as Batman rebutted with, "And it's kept me alive! You know what your problem is? You're too trusting, Twilight!" 

Twilight gritted her teeth, "There's nothing wrong with that! Friendships are built upon trust! That's probably why you don't have any friends! Because you don't trust anyone!!!" She immediately shoved her hooves into her mouth as soon as the words flooded from her muzzle. She didn't mean to say that. 

"Twi! That was uncalled for!" Mario chastised the unicorn, shaking his head disappointingly. 

Twilight looked down in shame before looking up to see Batman, expecting him to be sad and hurt by her remark. 

But he wasn't. 

He didn't care. 

His expression remained the same. He didn't care what she thought, why would he? 

"Let me hit you with the harsh reality, Twilight Sparkle." Batman said as he began to advance upon her. "You think the world is all sunshine and rainbows, that anything can be fixed with the Magic of Friendship. Let me ask you, have you ever stopped someone from murdering another?" 

Twilight's eyes shrunk as she began to slink back, not wanting to be underneath the bat's shadow. 

"No? Have you ever stopped someone from being sexually assaulted? From being sold to the highest bidder? How would the Magic of Friendship stop that? Have you ever had someone you trusted stab you in the back, showing their true nature for the very first time? Let me teach you a very important lesson. The world isn't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and dark place, and I don't care how much magic you have in that horn of yours, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently. You don't like the way I do things? Fine. But don't stand there and pretend you know better. Because let me tell you something..." 

He leaned in closer to the unicorn and got right in her face. 

"You don't." 

With that, he straightened himself and continued walking down the dirt road. He hated telling her that, but it was time that she saw things for how they really are. How the world really is. 

Everyone else looked on in shock, save Tony who just shook his head and walked over to Twilight to see if she was okay. He knelt down and asked, "You okay?" Twilight, who was still shaking, turned her head and nodded slowly, tears welling up in her eyes. Tony sighed and said, "Look, he may have been a jerk about it, but he's right. Sometimes it pays to not trust someone, Twi. It can save your life. But that doesn't mean trusting people is a bad thing. But that also doesn't mean you can be too trusting. You get what I'm saying?" 

"...Y-Yeah..." She replied meekly, doing her best impression of Fluttershy. She wiped her nose with her foreleg and got back up onto her hooves. This just got a whole lot worse. She just made her Friendship Problem with Batman a whole lot worse. 

"Guys, we should keep moving." Sonic reminded the group as he pointed down the path with his thumb. Twilight and Tony nodded before walking forward to catch up with Batman, with Twilight hoping in her head that she could still work out the differences between her and the Caped Crusader. 

But her ears suddenly perked up when she heard the sound of a familiar voice. 

"Wh-wh-whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Easy, boy, easy! Settle down. Whoa, whoa!" 

It was Rapunzel! 

"That voice!" Mario said with a smile on his face. 

"It's Rapunzel!" Twilight beamed before taking off with a full gallop, the others following behind her.



 

Meanwhile 

Flynn was terrified. But of what? More Soulless Ones? Had Discord appeared to torment him with his Chaos? 

Nope, it was a horse. 

Just a horse. 



 









A very much terrified Flynn Rider had his back pressed against a rock while Rapunzel was attempting to calm down the large white horse. The angry-looking horse peered at the chameleon atop Rapunzel's head. Pascal motioned with his three-toed front feet for him to settle down. The horse, wide-eyed, raised an ear and set his rump down on the ground with a dispirited whinny. 

"You are such a good boy! Yes you are." Rapunzel cooed to the horse as she petted the bridge of his nose, causing his tail to wag. "Are you all tired from chasing this bad man all over the place?" She asked, to which the horse nodded sadly. 

"Excuse me?!" An offended Flynn Rider shouted before being shut up by the horse, who glared daggers at him. 

"Nobody appreciates you, do they? Do they?" She repeated as she hugged the horse. The horse shook his head as Rapunzel continued to hug him. 

"Oh, come on! He's a bad horse!" Flynn cried out once more. 

Rapunzel however, dismissed his claim and continued to hug him as the horse nuzzled her. "Ohhh. He's nothing but a big sweetheart. Isn't that right..." She trailed off as she scratched under his chin a peered at his collar, reading the name on it. "...Maximus?" 

Maximus stamped his foot and whinnied at the attentive petting while Flynn continued to gripe on the forest floor. "Wha... You've got to be kidding me." Flynn once again cried out, annoyed at the situation. He shut right up as Maximus glared at him. 

"Look, today is kind of the biggest day of my life, and the thing is, I need you NOT to get him arrested." Rapunzel stated as she walked over and helped Flynn up to his feet. As Maximus narrowed his eyes at her, she continued, "Just for twenty-four hours, and then you can chase each other to your hearts' content. Okay?" 

Flynn begrudgingly offers Maximus his hand, but the white horse turned away, refusing the gesture completely. 

"It's also my birthday." She added helpfully. "Just so you know." 

Maximus grumbled softly and offered his hoof. Flynn and the horse shake, their scowls remained unbroken. Rapunzel, hearing the sounds of footsteps, looked ahead and saw Twilight and the others running towards them. 

"Rapunzel!" Twilight shouted happily, her smile never leaving her face. 

The long haired girl let out a sigh of relief as she placed her hand over her chest, "You're here. And you're okay!" 

Behind her, Maximus delivered a punch to Flynn's ribs, winding him and knocking him to the floor. The horse, seeing the group of heroes talking to Rapunzel, decided to walk over and see what the commotion was about. 

"And look! I made a friend." She said, gesturing to Maximus as he stood by her side. "Meet Maximus. You could say Flynn introduced us. And where one goes, the other follows." As Maximus stared at the group dubiously, Rapunzel gestured to them as she introduced them. "This is, Twilight, Tony, Sonic, Mario, and Batman. They've been helping us." 

Maximus nodded, showing the group that the horse had some kind of sentience. While Sonic and Mario thought it was cool, Tony and Batman couldn't help but point the similarities to a certain unicorn in their group. The two differences between the two were the fact that one had a horn and could talk, and the other didn't have a horn and couldn't talk. 

Twilight felt... odd about it to say the least. "I feel offended. Should I feel offended? Am I allowed to feel offended? Why do I feel offended? This is so weird." She thought to herself internally. 

Flynn, having got back up to his feet, was clutching his side as he pointed onward. "Come on, the Kingdom's not far." 



 

An hour later 

There it was, staring right at them, their end goal, their final destination. 

They had finally reached The Kingdom. After a long journey through the forest, defeating Soulless Ones, destroying Magma Generators, even defeating a powered up Bowser, they had finally made it. 

As she walked along the stone bridge with the rest of her friends, Twilight couldn't help but smile at the sight of the castle. It truly was a marvel to look at. Nothing compared to Canterlot, but it was still a sight to behold in of itself. 

To her left, Mario let out an impressed whistle and commented, "Well, looks like The Kingdom doesn't disappoint when it comes to looks, now does it?" 

"No it does not," Tony agreed before adding, "Though it would look a lot better with a Stark Industries branding attached to it." 

Sonic, Twilight, and Mario rolled their eyes collectively as they all shared a laugh. 

Rapunzel stared in awe at the sight of The Kingdom, taking it all in for the first time. "I just knew the outside world would be full of amazing things!" She turned to Twilight and the others, nodding gratefully to them, "And you...you helped me find them. Thank you." 

Twilight trotted over to Rapunzel and stared up into her green eyes, "You're welcome, Rapunzel. I'm glad that we could help you get here and achieve your dream." 

"Just don't expect anything else for your birthday!" Tony quipped, causing Rapunzel to giggle. 

"I won't!" She replied before darting across the bridge, making her way into the castle town with Flynn and Maximus following close behind her. 

As Rapunzel, Flynn, and Maximus entered the town, Sonic commented, "Rapunzel sure looks happy." 

"She does!" Twilight replied happily. 

It was then that Mario added, "Well, her dream's gonna come true. They're sending the lanterns up after dark." 

"Cool! We don't wanna miss that!" Sonic said with a smile. 

Suddenly, a large roar was heard by everyone who was standing on the bridge, causing everyone to look around for the source of the strange noise. What could it be? A dragon? A bear? A monster of some kind? Sonic's right ear twitched as he located the source of the noise. 

Twilight's stomach. 

As her belly shook from lack of sustenance, the unicorn couldn't help but blush as she gave her tummy a small, yet firm pat with her hoof. 

Sonic smiled as he chuckled, "Ya hungry there, Twi?" 

Her blush deepened as she looked away, "Ehehehehe... I don't suppose we could get some food while we're here?" She suggested as her belly growled once more, much to her embarrassment. "I haven't eaten since breakfast." 

Tony shrugged, patting Twilight's head as he said, "I could go for some grub." 

"I agree, anything to shut that up," Sonic joked as he walked past Twilight, pointing at her tummy with his thumb, "No offense, Twi, but that sounded like Perfect Chaos on a bad day." He added, making Twilight blush even more as she followed the hedgehog into The Kingdom. 

Maybe now they could get some food and more importantly some answers. 



 

After getting some food, Twilight decided to explore the quaint kingdom for herself. The townspeople were very nice and welcoming, she even got into a few conversations with a few of them, with each of them asking varied questions about what she was and where she came from. 

As she walked through the town square, she took note of Sonic and Mario socializing with people, making her smile at the nice sight. Tony was somewhat interacting with people, but he was mainly searching for any signs of the Keystone Discord took from them. 

Batman just kept to himself. 

In the distance, Twilight saw that Rapunzel had not only gotten her hair braided, but also had it adorned with multiple tiny wildflowers. The long haired girl really reminded her of Fluttershy in so many ways. Her hair color, the way she connects to various animals, her love for nature. 

It just made her miss her friends more. 

Out of the corner of her eye, Twilight saw that a little girl was kneeling in front of a large tiled mural of the king and queen holding their baby daughter. She peered down where the girl was placing a flower at its base. The unicorn trotted over and asked the little girl, "Excuse me? What are you doing?" 

The girl looked up and smiled at Twilight, "It's for the lost princess." 

"Lost princess?" Twilight repeated, now looking up at the mural. 

But she wasn't the only one looking, as Rapunzel was also gazing at the mural as well. The girl couldn't help but take note of the similarities between the princess and her. Her green eyes, her flowing blonde hair, it wasn't hard to make the distinctions. 

Twilight, having taken notice of this, muttered, "Wait... that kinda looks like--" But she was interrupted by the sound of music blaring in her ear. When she turned around, she saw that Rapunzel had taken a liking to the music and began dancing to it, drawing in a crowd. 

She smiled when she saw that Rapunzel was having the time of her life. 

"C'mon, everyone! Come dance with us!" Rapunzel shouted to everyone gleefully, to which everyone responded by joining in on the dancing. 

Maximus, noticing Flynn was leaning on him, bumped him into the crowd, unintentionally bumping him into Rapunzel. As they all danced together, the group of heroes looked at the sight with smiles, save for Batman, who continued to glare at Flynn. 

He was obviously hiding something. Hiding the true reason as to why the androids were hunting him down like a mad dog. 

Twilight giggled at the sight of everyone dancing and felt the need to join in, but refrained as she only felt comfortable dancing in front of her friends. Sure she's danced in front of large crowds before, but her friends were always there with her, which took her mind off it. 

All was well in The Kingdom. 

But up in the clouds, a certain Spirit of Chaos was peering down at the mural, noticing the similarities between Rapunzel and the lost princess. Discord chuckled mirthfully as he rubbed his mismatched hands together before disappearing in a flash of light. 



 

2 hours later 

Night had fallen upon The Kingdom, it was time for the lifting of the lanterns. 

This was it. 

On one of the docks, Maximus sat down on his haunches, watching the event unfold, while Twilight, Tony, Sonic, and Mario were watching from the other. Batman was nowhere to be seen, much to Twilight's sadness. She had hoped that seeing the lanterns would help mend the bonds between them. 

She looked up to Tony and asked, "Where's Batman?" 

The billionaire turned around and pointed up to a nearby rooftop, where the Dark Knight was standing on its edge, his cape flapping in the wind. 

Twilight sighed before she turned her body around and said, "I'll be back." 

She teleported away from the trio, ready to make things right between her and her friend. 



 

Meanwhile 

Batman thought that this was a waste of time. They should be focusing on the mission, learning why those androids were after Flynn in the first place, stopping Discord and getting the Keystone back. Not wasting time watching some lanterns being lifted into the air. 

If they hadn't wasted so much time, they would be one step closer to getting their friends back. 

To getting his son back. 

Batman inwardly sighed, even though he was very good at hiding it, he was still worried for his son's wellbeing. Sure he could handle himself, but he was in unknown territory with no backup. He still had a lot to teach Damian, to give him the childhood he never had. Although he may have missed out on that chance due to his upbringing with the League of Assassins. 

He had already lost so much in his life. He had lost his parents, he had lost Jason, he wasn't going to lose his son. 

He wasn't going to lose anyone again. 

A sudden flash of pink from behind caught his attention, though he didn't turn around to see who was there. He already knew who it was. 

Twilight kicked the ground nervously before clearing her throat, taking a hesitative step forward towards the caped vigilante. "I know you're mad, I know I crossed a line I shouldn't have. And you're completely right to be angry with me, but I just wanted to say that... I'm sorry for the things I had said." She took another step forward, "I'm sorry for being on your case, it wasn't fair of me to do that. You were completely right, I don't know how your world works, it's so much different from mine and I lost sight of that. 

"It wasn't fair of me to judge you how I did, to think that I knew how to better handle the situation. I just want us to stop fighting, to get along again. I just wished that you'd trust me, like how I trust you." That got Batman's attention. "You helped me see my potential when The Joker got into my head. You've been there for me every step of the way and I couldn't be more grateful. I know you'll probably never tell me who you really are under there, and you have every right not to, that's your secret to reveal whenever you're ready. I just hope that one day you'll trust me enough to let me into your life, to let me be truly part of it. Because even though you might not consider me one," she let a small smile grace her lips, "I consider you a friend of mine, Batman." 

...She meant it. Every word she uttered she meant. 

Batman could tell that there wasn't a single hint of deceit in her entire apology. 

As Twilight turned around and began walking away, he suddenly called out, "Twilight," making her stop dead in her tracks. When she turned around, she saw that Batman was still perched on the edge of the roof, but he turned his head to her and said, "Maybe you're right. Maybe it's time I expand my circle of trust." 

Twilight beamed at that. "So... does that mean?" 

He nodded at her. They were good. 

Friendship Problem solved! 

Twilight pranced on the spot as she giggled like a small filly before galloping over to Batman's side, placing her forehooves on the edge of the rooftop so she could watch the lanterns float up in the air with Batman. 

Her friend. 



 

Meanwhile: with Flynn and Rapunzel 

Rapunzel was excited.

Any minute now, the lanterns would light up the sky and her dream would be realized, a dream eighteen years in the making. Although a part of her felt a bit worried, what would she do after seeing the lanterns? What would she do next? 

Unbeknownst to her, Discord was hovering above her, disguising himself as a cloud. He chuckled as the satchel suddenly popped into existence on the boat. "Showtime!" He whispered to himself gleefully. 

Noticing something pressing against her leg, Rapunzel looked down to see that Flynn's satchel had suddenly appeared in the boat. When did that get there? How did it get there? She shook her head, she would worry about that later. Right now, at this moment, she waited for the lanterns to light up the sky. 

"I've been looking out a window for eighteen years, dreaming about what it might feel like when those lights rise in the sky. What if it's not everything I dreamed it would be?" She asked Flynn, who looked at her warmly. 

Flynn responded calmly with, "It will be." 

"And what if it is? What do I do then?" 

"Well, that's the good part, I guess. You get to go find a new dream." 

They both then look up as a solitary lantern peeks out from behind the castle, floating slowly up into the sky. Rapunzel hastily stood up, rocking the boat and grasping at the stern, as multitudes of floating lanterns pooled out of the castle gates. Soon enough, the entire kingdom was enveloped in a flock of lights floating softly into the air, lighting up the night sky. Rapunzel was in awe, this was everything she hoped it would be. She leaned her head on the wood as she gazed longingly at the magical sight. She the turned back to see Flynn holding two of his own lanterns in his hands. She happily sat back down. 

"I have something for you, too." Rapunzel said mysteriously, remembering the satchel that had appeared in the boat. It didn't matter to her that it somehow got into the boat, but she was glad that it did as now she could truly see Flynn for who he truly was. 

Once she pulled out the satchel, Flynn stared long and hard at the item in question before looking into Rapunzel's eyes. 

"I should have given it to you before, but I was just scared. And the thing is, I'm not scared anymore. You know what I mean?" Rapunzel asked, staring into his eyes. 

Flynn, over his time with the girl, felt a strong connection with her. It was strong enough that he even revealed his real name to the girl when she was in a moment of distress. Eugene, as Rapunzel now knew him as, placed a hand on the satchel and moved for her to put it down. 

"I'm starting to." 

They then set free their lanterns and watched as they joined the swirling bunch in the sky. As this occurred, Flynn gazed at Rapunzel, seeing the happiness on her face, then looked toward the satchel, thinking to himself. It was time to make this right. 

For her and for himself. 



 

"I'm sorry. Everything is fine. There's...just something I have to take care of." Eugene said to Rapunzel as he jumped off of the boat, landing on the sand. Once the festival had died down, they had docked the boat on the side of the lake. He took the satchel and backed away slowly, his sight never leaving her eyes. "I'll be right back." 

Completely trusting him, Rapunzel nods as he turns and walks away. Pascal watched him untrustingly, to which Rapunzel looked to the chameleon and reassured him that everything was fine. She continued to watch him as he walked into the forest behind them. 

Flynn continued walking, his mission clear, but not before the sound of talons snapping filled his ears. He let out a pained gasp as he fell to the ground in an unconscious state. Next to his body laid the satchel, which was then picked up by Discord, who had placed Flynn into a temporary slumber. 

"I'll take that!" Discord said as he removed the crown from the satchel. He stroked his goats beard with his talons, pondering on what to do with him now. "Hmm... so many choices... I know!!!" He then snapped his claw, placing Flynn on a boat in the middle of the lake, tied up to the mast and helm, making it seem as if he were steering the boat. 

Discord let out a hearty laugh in victory. 

"Yes! Discord: One! Twilight: Zero!" He then snapped his talons again, making the tiara disappear. "Now for the coup de grâce." He declared before disappearing. 



 

Rapunzel continued to stare off into the darkness, waiting for Eugene to come back to her. But she suddenly spots a boat in the lake, veering away from her. "Eugene?" She asked herself before looking to see what appeared to be Flynn sailing away with the satchel. "Eugene!" 

"Oh dear... He's run off with the crown and forgotten you." A sudden voice spoke up from behind her. Rapunzel turned around to see Discord hovering above her, pretending to weep into a tissue. He blew into it before tossing it aside, letting it float into the air. 

Rapunzel shook her head, "No. He wouldn't. Who are you?" She demanded to know. 

Suddenly, various headshots of Discord appeared in her hands, each depicting the draconequues in various uniforms. One was depicting him as a police officer. Another was of him as a back alley greaser. His personal favorite was the one of him wearing a get up that made him look like Celestia, with him blowing a raspberry making a cross-eyed look with his face. 

"Discord: Master of Chaos. But enough about me, I want to focus on you, Rapunzel." The mischievous spirit said, shocking the poor girl. "You've wanted to go outside for so long, and yet in the end, was it really worth it? You've been attacked by monsters, met annoying know it all unicorns, and worst of all, had your heart broken." 

Rapunzel looked down in sadness, tears brimming her eyes. 

Time to go in for the kill. 

"Forget Flynn Rider. You know where you belong, and it's not with him. Now..." He snapped his claws, summoning two Soulless Ones by his side. Rapunzel gasped and ran away in fear as Discord smiled devilishly before vanishing in a flash of light. Rapunzel ran towards an opening between two large rocks, trying not to stumble when her braided hair got caught on a fallen log. She pulled and tugged on it, trying to free it from the branch, when she suddenly heard a voice. 

"Rapunzel!" 

"...Mother?" 

She managed to free her hair and walked back to the shoreline, where Discord and the Soulless Ones had already disappeared. Mother Gothel stood there with a tree branch in her arms, out of breath. She perked up at the sight of Rapunzel. "Oh, my precious girl!" 

"Mother!" Rapunzel cried out as she ran into her mother's arms. 

"Are you all right? Are you hurt?" Mother Gothel asked, worried for her wellbeing. 

"M-Mother, how did you--" 

"I was so worried about you, dear. So I followed you. And I saw them attack you, and--" she cut herself off as she hugged Rapunzel tightly. "Oh my. Let's go. Let's go, before they come to." 

Rapunzel stopped and looked back at the boat on the lake. Saddened, she slowly turned back to Mother Gothel, who was holding a green lantern in her hand. Rapunzel paused as Mother Gothel set the lantern down, opening her arms, beckoning her. Rapunzel's lip quivered and she started to cry, running into her mother's embrace. Mother Gothel stroked her hair as she gazes up to see Discord floating in the air with an evil smirk on his face. Gothel nodded to him, to which Discord responded with an enthusiastic wink before vanishing. 

Now that that was dealt with. 

It was time that he got payback on Twilight Sparkle.