//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: Discord's New Plan // by powerpony //------------------------------// The six ponies made their way through the dark tunnel until they came to another cave. They could see a small pool inside and knew right away that is was the cave Discord was talking about. They walked inside and were relieved to see the Cutie Mark Crusaders sitting in the middle of the cave. “Girls, thank goodness you’re safe,” said Twilight as she and her friends walked up to the three fillies. The Crusaders all looked up at the six older ponies with gloomy looks on their faces. “What are you doing here?” asked Sweetie Belle. “We came to rescue you, of course,” said Rarity. “Are you okay, Apple Bloom?” asked Applejack as she walked up to her sister. “Discord didn’t hurt you or anything, did he?” “No,” said Apple Bloom. “But even if he did, you could probably care less, right?” Applejack was shocked at this. Apple Bloom had never talked to her like that before. “You don’t want to rescue us,” said Sweetie Belle. “You probably just came here to tell us that this is our new home and to never come back to Ponyville.” “What’s the matter, girls?” asked Twilight. “Why are you acting this way?” “Oh, like you don’t know,” snapped Scootaloo. “Discord told us the truth. That you never liked having us around and you think we’re nothing but trouble.” The six ponies tried to figure out why the Crusaders were acting like this. That’s when Twilight noticed that the three fillies’ manes and coats were completely gray and she realized what was going on. “Discord must have used his disharmony spell on them,” she told the others. “You mean the one that turned us all into big meanies?” asked Pinkie Pie “Afraid so,” said Twilight. “He’s convinced the girls that we hate them.” All of the ponies gasped at what Twilight had said. “Wait, Twilight, can’t you use that memory spell of yours to change them back to normal like you did with us?” asked Applejack. Twilight had completely forgotten about her memory spell. She used it on her friends when Discord used his little spell on them. It filled their heads with good memories of them as friends and was able to break the spell. Twilight walked up to the three young fillies as her horn started to glow and shot a white beam around the girls. Twilight was so concentrated on her spell, that she didn’t notice the Crusaders’ manes glowing a bright green as the beam touched them. The Cutie Mark Crusaders did get some memories of the six older ponies, but they weren’t good memories, they were bad ones. Apple Bloom was reminded of the time she tried to help her older sister sell some apples, but she only wound up scaring customers away until Applejack ordered her to go home. Scootaloo was reminded of one time when she accidentally rode her scooter right into Rainbow Dash and gave her a pretty bad bruise on her side and the filly’s idol yelled at her to watch where she was going. Sweetie Belle was reminded of when she thought about getting her cutie mark in pet grooming and she wound up shaving half of Opal’s fur off and Rarity screamed at her for “ruining her precious kitty’s fur.” The bad memories just kept on coming. The Crusaders were reminded of how they tried to help Fluttershy feed her rabbits, but they accidentally gave them mouse food pellets and made them sick. They also remembered the time they went to Sugarcube Corner, to try and get their cutie marks in baking, but they wound up causing a huge mess in the kitchen and got Pinkie Pie in trouble with the Cakes since she was suppose to be watching them. The last bad memory came when they tried to help Twilight organize the books in her library only for Twilight to get mad at them since they put the books in the wrong order and on the wrong shelves. When Twilight finally finished her spell, she was shocked to see that the Crusaders’ bodies were still gray. “I don’t get it,” she said. “That spell should have worked.” That’s when the ponies heard a laugh from behind them and turned around to see Discord enter the cave. “Oh my dear Twilight Sparkle,” he said. “You can’t expect the same thing to work twice. You see, I knew you would think about using that little memory spell of yours on your little friends, so I added something extra to my spell. You see the manes glowing? When your little spell hit them, it reversed it’s effects, so instead of good memories, the Crusaders got nothing but bad memories.” “You are a very sneaky spirit,” said Pinkie Pie. “Why thank you, Pinkie,” said Discord. “It’s all part of my revenge. I have made your little friends think that they are unappreciated and believe that you hate them, and it worked like a charm. And as an added bonus, I got the Elements of Harmony. I just have to destroy these and then there will be no stopping me from ruling Equestria.” The ponies watched as Discord slowly opened the book, but then he slammed it shut before he could look inside. “You know what?” he said. “I think I should do this in front of the one pony who truly cares about them. Your beloved Princess Celestia. Oh, I can’t wait to see the look on her face. Well, farewell my little ponies, I’m off to Canterlot.” And in a flash of light, Discord was gone. “You should have gone with him,” Apple Bloom told the six ponies. “And leave us here. We know it’s what you want.” “That is not true,” said Rarity. “What did that monster, Discord, tell you about us?” “He showed us what you thought about us,” said Sweetie Belle who then pointed to the pool. “We saw a vision in that water of when he told you he captured us and you told him he could keep us.” This reminded Applejack of when Discord used the same trick on her to make her believe that her friendship with the others would end. “And what exactly did you see in this image?” asked the farm pony. “Don’t play dumb,” said Scootaloo. “You know what you said. You said that we were nothing but trouble and we were always getting in the way and you don‘t care about us.” “That is not true,” said Twilight. “We all care about you and appreciate all the stuff you did.” “Me especially,” said Spike. “Remember when I got sick and you three helped me get better?” That memory soon entered the Crusaders’ minds. Spike had come down with a really bad case of the flu and Twilight needed some ingredients to make a special soup for him, but she also had a appointment with the princess in Canterlot that she couldn’t miss. The Crusaders were in the library at the time and heard Twilight figuring out what to do and they volunteered to take care of Spike while Twilight was at her appointment, hoping that maybe they would get their cutie marks in dragon caring. And the girls did a pretty good job looking after Spike. Scootaloo rode her scooter into the market place to gather all the ingredients for the soup, while Apple Bloom followed the instructions on how to make it and Sweetie Belle fed it to Spike. “Thanks to you three, I was better in just two days,” said Spike. “And I appreciate that you helped me when I was in trouble,” said Twilight. The Crusaders smiled a bit as Twilight noticed some of the gray colour disappearing from the fillies’ tails. But then their smiles disappeared when they looked at Fluttershy. “What about you?” asked Apple Bloom. “You said that we gave you a headache when you babysat us.” “Well, that is true,” said Fluttershy quietly. “I was a bit frustrated that day, but only because I didn’t know what to do. That was the first time I ever tried babysitting fillies. I was so use to taking care of animals that had no idea on how to take care of you. But that doesn’t mean I hated you for it. Remember our little ‘adventure’ in the Everfree forest?” The fillies started to remember that day when they went into the forest, looking for Fluttershy’s missing chicken, and how Fluttershy almost risked being turned into stone by a cockatrice just so the girls would be safe. That surely meant that Fluttershy really cared for them. “Well, you said we were annoying,” Apple Bloom said to Pinkie Pie. “Annoying?” the pink pony said in shock. “Are you kidding? I love having you three around. Especially when I’m planning your birthday parties.” The young fillies started to remember that every time Pinkie Pie needed help on one of the Crusaders’ birthdays, she would go to one of them for help since they knew what would be perfect for them. Sweetie Belle once told her that Scootaloo was a huge fan of the Wonderbolts, even as big a fan as Rainbow Dash, so for the party, Pinkie had put up a piñata in the shape of the Wonderbolt logo and made a cake with the logo on it as well. Twilight started to notice that as the Cutie Mark Crusaders were reminded of these things, the gray colour on their skin was almost gone. It was now gone off their tails and back legs. She believed that if the girls kept hearing these stories, it might break Discord’s spell. Scootaloo then walked up to Rainbow Dash with a stern look. “I still won’t forget what you said,” she told her. “You said that I’m always bugging you and that I’m a total pain.” “That is so not true,” said Rainbow Dash. “I love having you around. I think it’s great that you look up to me. Also, don’t forget, I’ve helped you a few times.” Rainbow Dash then smiled as she noticed a small scar on Scootaloo’s forehead. “I remember how you got that,” she said, pointing at the scar. As Scootaloo touched her scar, the memories of how she got it came back. She was riding her scooter in the park, trying to go as fast as she could, until the scooter hit a rock in the ground and Scootaloo went flying in the air as her helmet came off and she fell face first on the ground. As Scootaloo got up, tears filled her eyes as she saw a huge cut on her forehead. Scootaloo just sat on the ground, crying, until she heard someone say, “Need a little help there, kiddo?” Scootaloo looked up and saw Rainbow Dash standing beside her, extending her front hoof out. Scootaloo smiled as she grabbed hold of it and Rainbow Dash helped her up. “C’mon,” said Rainbow Dash as she helped the young filly up onto her back. “Let’s take a look at that cut.” Rainbow Dash flew Scootaloo up to a small cloud right next to her cloud home and placed her gently on top of it while she went inside. When she came back out, she was holding onto a small box of band aids. She then took one out and placed it over Scootaloo’s cut. “Thanks, Rainbow Dash,” said Scootaloo, as she gave her idol a big hug. “Don’t mention it, squirt,” Rainbow Dash chuckled. Back in the present, Scootaloo’s stern face soon turned into a smile as the gray colour on her body slowly vanished. “How about what you said about me?” Sweetie Belle asked Rarity. “You said that I’m always wrecking things and getting into your stuff.” “That is true, Sweetie Belle,” said Rarity. “You can be a bit of a hoof-full, but that doesn’t mean I hate you. You’re my sister and I love you with all my heart and I would do anything for you. Remember what happened to Huggles?” A small smile appeared on Sweetie Belle’s face as soon as Rarity said that name. Huggles was the name of a teddy bear that Sweetie Belle owned. Her parents gave it to her as a Hearth’s Warming gift and she loved it ever since. One day, Rarity was busying working on one of her dresses while Sweetie Belle was playing in the other room. Rarity could hear her sister giggling and it made her feel a bit happy as she did her work. But then, Rarity heard Sweetie Belle’s laughter turn into crying. She went into the room and saw her little sister sitting on the ground with tears pouring down her face. Rarity was about to ask what was wrong, but she soon saw what the problem was. Sweetie Belle was holding onto Huggles, who had a big rip in his back, exposing some of his stuffing. Rarity went up to Sweetie Belle and gave her a hug as Sweetie Belle continued to cry. “It’s okay, Sweetie,” said Rarity as she used her magic to hand her sister a handkerchief so she could dry her tears. “Why don’t you give Huggles to me? Maybe I can fix him.” Sweetie Belle was silent for a second until she said “Okay,” and placed her teddy on Rarity’s back and watched her sister take him out of the room. Sweetie Belle spent the next few minutes sitting on the ground with a sad look on her face. But then, something floated in front of her that made her smile. It was Huggles. His back was stitched up with not a bit of stuffing sticking out. Sweetie Belle grabbed her teddy and hugged it tight. She then turned around and saw Rarity standing behind her with her horn glowing, which made Huggles float. Sweetie Belle ran up and nuzzled her sister and thanked her for saving her teddy. Back in the present, a teary smile appeared on Rarity’s face. “I fixed up Huggles not just because I love sewing,” she told Sweetie Belle. “But also because I knew how much he meant to you and I will do anything to make sure you are happy.” Sweetie Belle got a little teary eyed herself as the color on her coat began to return. That only one left was Apple Bloom. Applejack walked up to her sister, who wouldn’t even look her in the eyes. “What did I say in that vision you saw?” Applejack asked. “You said that I’m always getting in the way while you’re trying to work,” Apple Bloom said quietly. “That doesn‘t mean I don‘t care about you, sugarcube,” said Applejack. “Sure, you sometimes bug me while I’m trying to do chores around the farm, but even if you do mess up, I’ll always love you. Remember the apple cart incident?” Apple Bloom’s eyes widened when she heard her sister say that and the memory came back of what happened that day. Apple Bloom was walking home from school when she saw Applejack bucking a few apple trees and an idea popped into her head; what if she could get her cutie mark in apple bucking just like her big sister? Apple Bloom went up to a near by tree and gave it a good buck, but since she was so small, the tree wouldn’t budge. Apple Bloom then tried a different approach. She jumped in the air and tried to do a flying kick towards the tree, but missed it by a few inches and kicked Applejack’s apple cart and fell flat on her back. She soon looked up and saw Applejack, who was watching her the entire time, look down at her with an annoyed look on her face. “Seriously, Apple Bloom, what am I going to do with you?” Applejack asked. Apple Bloom could only reply by letting out an embarrassed chuckle. Just then, the two sisters heard a creaking noise. They both looked up and saw that the cart Apple Bloom had kicked was rolling down a hill. Applejack tried to stop it, but she wasn’t fast enough and the cart crashed into a tree, smashing all of the apples it was carrying. Apple Bloom slowly walked up to her big sister, who just stood there in silence. “Applejack? Are you okay?” the young filly quietly asked. “DO I LOOK OKAY?!!” Applejack shouted. Apple Bloom was shocked to see her sister so angry like this. “IT TOOK ME ALL DAY TO GATHER UP THOSE APPLES AND THANKS TO YOU, I GOTTA START ALL OVER AGAIN!” Applejack said, still raising her voice. “YOU’RE ALWAYS WRECKING EVERYTHING!” As Applejack was yelling at her, tears started to form in Apple Bloom’s eyes. She tried to say she was sorry, but she was so stunned by all the yelling that she just couldn’t come up with the words. “NOW GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE YOU CAUSE ANYMORE TROUBLE!” shouted Applejack. And Apple Bloom ran all the way home, crying her eyes out. Later, Apple Bloom was lying on her bed, still crying a little bit, when she heard someone enter her room. She opened one eye and saw that it was Applejack, walking right towards her. New tears started to form in Apple Bloom’s eyes as she was sure that Applejack was still mad at her. “I’m really sorry, Applejack,” she said. “It was an accident.” Applejack didn’t say anything. She just went and sat on the bed next to Apple Bloom. She then took off her hat and placed it on the little filly’s head. “It’s okay,” Applejack whispered. Apple Bloom looked up at her older sister and saw that she had a few tears in her eyes as well and she was smiling. “You know I can’t stay mad at you, sugarcube,” said Applejack. A huge smile appeared on Apple Bloom’s face as she and Applejack gave each other a hug. With all of the wonderful memories that were appearing in the Cutie Mark Crusader’s minds, the gray colour on their bodies disappeared completely. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle then ran up and gave their older sisters a hug while Scootaloo hugged her hero, Rainbow Dash. Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Spike soon joined them in a huge group hug. “Uh, I hate to ruin this heart filled moment,” said Spike. “But we still have to stop Discord.” “Spike’s right,” said Rainbow Dash. “Let’s go after that creep and teach him that no one messes with our family and friends and gets away with it.” And with that, the six ponies, Spike and the Cutie Mark Crusaders headed to Canterlot to defeat Discord once and for all. AUTHOR’S NOTE: The ‘good memories’ that Apple Bloom and Scootaloo have of Applejack and Rainbow Dash are based off of the comics “Apples are the Sweetest Thing” by ParadgimPizza and “I’m Hurt” by AleximusPrime which can be found on Deviantart.