Everyone kept running deeper into the chaotic forest. The “trees” became thicker and more numerous. Eventually, Rainbow decided to look back. Seeing nothing, she said, “Hey, guys, I think we lost him!”
Reassured by their friend, everyone slowed down to a stop. They all breathed heavily from having run so long. “How long… do ya… think… we got?” Applejack asked between breaths.
“Assuming he didn’t… get up right away,” the Doctor answered, “and he… actually… managed… to follow us… not very long, I’d say.”
Twilight’s breathing seemed to be the most under control when she said, “We’ve got to find a place to hide until we’re sure Discord’s gone.”
“But where?” Rainbow asked. “He’s gotta know this entire forest by now. Where are we supposed to hide?”
Before anyone could reply, they all heard something. “Psst!” They all looked around for the source of the sound. They hoped it wasn’t Discord already. “Hey! Over here!” The voice was quiet, yet almost demanding. And slightly feminine (though it was hard to tell with the hushed tone). “Down by the orange one!”
Applejack looked down and almost jumped in surprise. One of the bushes (made of cabbage leaves) had lifted up to reveal a unicorn mare, dark blue in color with a lighter shade for her mane, poking her head out of a hole in the ground. “Hey, y’all,” she called to the others. As soon as they looked at her, she pointed to the unicorn.
“Hurry up and get in here!” the mare said. She stepped to the side of the hole. With little else to rely on, Applejack led the way inside the hole. The others followed after her.
The hole led to a stairway carved out of the earth against a wall. The other side revealed an entire room. The obvious comparison any of the ponies could make was that of a bunker, but its aesthetic was similar to a bar. There were several tables dotting the area, many with groups of ponies sitting around them. On one end of the room was the bar itself, a long desk with an earth pony stallion sitting behind it and a cabinet of drinks behind him. There was also another platform off to the side.
As soon as the last of the ponies, Twilight, was past the entrance, she asked, “What is all this?”
The unicorn lowered the bush, blocking the hole. “Just one of many around here,” she said. “Don’t you have shelters where you come from?”
“We’ve, er, made it a point not to stay in one place for too long,” the Doctor replied.
“Can’t decide if that’s smart or stupid,” the unicorn remarked. “Though, to be fair, staying cooped up in here has its disadvantages.”
“Wait,” Rainbow said, “you never go outside?”
“Well, we do have to get supplies every once in a while,” the unicorn answered, “but we do try to limit our trips, and I have to stay here on sentry duty.”
“That how you knew we were out there?” Applejack asked.
“It’s my specialty.” She pointed to her flank; it bore a symbol like a set of crosshairs. “Proximity spells have been part of my routine for so long, it’s as natural as breathing. Refining the spell even lets me ‘see’ what sort of creatures I’m sensing. And an eavesdropping spell let me know that you were trying to hide from Discord.”
“Well, thank you very much, Miss…” The Doctor trailed off.
“Searchlight,” the unicorn said. “The name’s Searchlight.”
“Yes, thank you, Searchlight,” the Doctor continued. “If you could keep us informed of Discord’s movements, we’d appreciate that.”
“You’re not going to stay?” Searchlight asked.
“We’ve got something important to do,” Twilight said. “We only intended to stay for so long anyway.”
“Right,” Searchlight relented, “the life of a wanderer. I guess I’ve just been used to living like this for so long that the idea of going outside just sounds like too big a risk to take.”
“We appreciate yer concern,” Applejack said, “but we’ll be fine. Ah guarantee it.”
Searchlight nodded. “I’ll let you know if there’s any activity.” With that, the four ponies entered the room proper and took one of the empty tables.
“You really think we’ll be safe here?” Rainbow asked.
“Safer than we would be out there,” the Doctor pointed out. “Discord was gunning for us specifically, so he might not have given up until he found us, which wouldn’t have been long. And if these ponies can avoid him for around a year, I think Discord won’t think twice about looking for any secret passages.”
“Fair point,” Rainbow conceded.
Everyone heard footsteps coming their way. They turned and saw the stallion from behind the counter walk up to their table. He was a little older than most of the other ponies in the room. His coat was golden and his mane was an earthy green. Because he was closer now, they group could see his cutie mark: a wooden drinking mug.
“Hey there, folks,” he said. “Can I interest you in anything?”
“Oh, no thanks,” the Doctor replied.
“Come on,” the bartender said. “You four got hounded by Discord. A little something to calm the nerves wouldn’t do you any harm. Never let it be said that old Hard Drink didn’t take care of nopony.”
The four ponies looked at each other, as if they were actually considering his offer. Finally, Applejack said, “Y’all got any cider?”
“Freshly squeezed juice from apples grown right here,” Hard Drink said proudly.
“Really?” Twilight interjected. “I didn’t see any apple trees in the area.”
“One of our gatherers dug up one of Discord’s RLA trees and found a way to cultivate it here in the shelter. Helps when you have a farmer whose specialty is rare and unusual plants.”
“RLA?” the Doctor repeated.
“Really large apples,” Drink explained. “Apples so big and heavy, they bend the tree trunk. Best part is the apples never run out too quickly; you pick one, another takes its place sometime later. About the only good thing to come out of Discord’s conquest,” he added sullenly.
“That’s the thing about chaos,” the Doctor offered: “with all that randomness, something has to go right.”
Applejack coughed to bring the attention to her. “Anyway, four cups, please.”
“I’ll get right on that,” Drink said. He walked back to the bar where the others could now see a tunnel entrance just beside the drinks cabinet. He went into it and disappeared into the darkness.
“You know,” Rainbow started as soon as Drink was gone, “it’s hard not to feel sorry for these guys.”
“Ah know what you mean,” Applejack replied. “It’s amazin’ they’ve lasted this long. And it sounds like this place ain’t the only one.”
“But at the end of the day,” the Doctor added, “it’s admirable. You ponies, even in the midst of all this chaos, don’t give up so easily. You hold onto what makes you feel happy and safe, particularly each other. This is more than a shelter.” He waved a hoof across the room. “This is a community, with everyone looking out for each other, even if all they contribute is just a friendly face. It’s not these ponies we should pity, but anyone else out there who’s got no one to give him that sense of happiness.”
“If we’re lucky,” Twilight spoke up, “we won’t have to pity anypony. If we can just find a way to get to the Elements of Harmony…” She stopped and bowed her head. “If we can find a way…” she repeated, stressing the first word.
“We will, sugarcube,” Applejack said, placing a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “You heard the Doctor; we were makin’ progress. We jus’ gotta figure out how to better the odds.”
Hard Drink was back soon after the group finished their conversation, balancing a platter of mugs filled with cider on his back. Using her magic, Twilight lifted the mugs off the platter and set each one down in front of her and the others. Applejack was the first to take a sip.
“Not bad,” she said. “You can really taste the apples in this.”
“Always appreciate the compliment, ma’am,” Drink replied.
“Hey, uh,” Rainbow started, “do we owe you anything for this?”
Drink just snorted out a small laugh. “Listen, I don’t know what sort of places you’ve all been to, but ‘round here, I don’t need bits. Just happy drinkers. Let me know if you need anything else.” With that, he walked back to his place behind the bar.
Rainbow took a sip from her own mug. After licking her lips, she said, “It’s not Sweet Apple Acres, but it’ll do.”
Twilight, meanwhile, turned to the Doctor. “So, Doctor, what are we supposed to do now?”
“Not much we can do at this point,” he replied. “We’ll likely stay here for a while until we’re sure it’s safe, then we’ll get back to the chaos energy.”
“But we still can’t break through it,” Twilight pointed out.
“True,” the Doctor conceded. “But unless one of us comes up with another theory as to how to do so between now and then, we’ll have a better chance of finding a solution where we can study it.”
Twilight looked sullen for a second and said, “Sorry. I’m just worried. You said that if this day goes differently, it could change Equestria, and with Discord, I can only assume for the worse.”
“Worried is good,” the Doctor said. “Worried keeps you focused on the task at ha… hoof. That being said, you shouldn’t let it dictate your every thought. Don’t focus on everything that can go wrong; remember, for everything that can go wrong, it could also go right.”
“‘Sides, Twilight,” Applejack added, “we’ve gotten past Discord’s tricks before. And we can do it again.”
“Yes, I’ve been meaning to ask you about that,” the Doctor said. “You all talk like you know Discord personally. And if he’s correct, Discord actually does have a presence in your time.”
“He broke out a few months ago and started doing his thing,” Rainbow explained. “We managed to put a stop to that, though.” She put her hoof to her chest as if boasting.
“Except he almost destroyed our friendship in the process,” Twilight added. “We might not have made it if I hadn’t reminded everyone that our friendship is worth fighting for. And even then, I was only able to do so because Princess Celestia reminded me.”
There was a moment of silence before the Doctor picked up the conversation again. “Wow. I never would have guessed you all had your adventurous moments before I came along.”
“You kiddin’?” Applejack said after another sip. “With the amount a’ crazy we go through, Ah’m surprised Ponyville is still populated.”
Before the conversation could continue, Twilight noticed that Hard Drink was walking up to the platform in the side of the room. He cleared his throat and stamped his hoof, causing everyone to focus on him.
“So, everypony, how ya feeling? Good?” There were a few murmurs in response indicating yes. “Well, I can tell you that’s not true. That’s because Ms. Relief hasn’t been on stage for a bit to lighten the mood. Luckily, she’s just finished her latest routine and, since we’ve got a few new guests,” he indicated to time displaced ponies, “she wants to show them how we have a good time. So, without further ado, stomp your hooves for Ms. Comic Relief!”
As he walked off the stage, the ground started to vibrate as the other ponies in the room applauded. Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow, and the Doctor all looked around with some confusion, the Doctor especially.
“I guess that makes sense,” he whispered to himself.
“What does?” Rainbow asked.
“The way you applaud,” he replied. “I imagine it wouldn’t be easy to stand on your hind legs for even half a minute while you clapped for someone.”
None of the others even had time to be confused by the Doctor’s statement before they noticed a pegasus mare, green and purple in color with a comedy mask cutie mark, take the center of the stage.
“Thanks, Boss,” Comic Relief said, “but I keep telling you: stop calling me ‘Miss’. It makes me feel like you’re trying to throw something at me.” A few chuckles went around the room; even Twilight and her friends laughed a bit.
“Anyway, great to be back on stage,” she continued. “Like Mr. Drink just said, we’ve got some new faces here, which is a good thing. I mean, I like to think my routines are good, but it really breaks my heart when all these familiar faces are disappointed with my jokes. But now that you’re here, I can disappoint some new ponies!” Everyone started laughing again. “Anyway, as I understand it, you four were just on the run from Discord. Is this true?” She indicated to the group.
Everyone was taken slightly aback by this sudden interaction, but Applejack eventually said, “Uh, yeah. Don’t think Ah ever ran so fast, or far, before.”
“Well I don’t blame you one bit, honey,” Comic said. “A face that frightening could cause trolls to run in terror.” She waited for the laughter to die down. “Anyway, I ask because I just got done writing a Discord-specific routine. I’m not sure if that was a coincidence, good timing on your part, or the universe saying, ‘Just get it over with! Pleeeeeease!’” She voiced that statement in an overdramatic tone. That alone was enough for a few laughs.
“Now I know what you’re thinking. ‘But Comic, why would you want to make jokes about Discord?’ Simple: Because it’s easier to laugh at Discord than with him.” There were a few amused glances. “Then again, if someone dropped an anvil on your head, would you be in a chuckling mood?” As soon as she heard her response, she said, “You’re chuckling. I’m honestly not sure how to respond to this.” The chuckling grew to full-blown laughter.
“This isn’t my first time talking about Discord, though. I was in another shelter this one time and I made a comparison between him and a chimera. You know, because he’s basically a mishmash of different body parts? In hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have said that in a room where half my audience was a bunch of chimeras.” That got the desired result. “And now you know why I left that shelter. You ever seen an angry chimera? I can’t tell if I should revoke my comparison or not.”
Comic waited until the ponies stopped laughing. “You know, I actually met Discord once.” The room was silent. “We had a conversation going, and I use the term loosely; he pretty much praised chaos the whole time. Although, you’d think that for someone who relishes in things that don’t make sense, his name wouldn’t be so… spot on.” That broke the tension enough for a few more laughs. “Then again, look who’s talking; my name is Comic Relief, and I’m up here telling jokes.
“But back to Discord. I mostly used our ‘conversation’ to blow off a little steam. It all came to a head when I said he drives us batty. I think I might have struck a nerve, because his bat wing twitched.” She held a wing out and flicked it for emphasis; the combination of the joke and motion produced a few chuckles.
Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow, and the Doctor had been following the crowd’s example since the start of Comic’s performance. “She’s good,” Rainbow said when she finally caught her breath.
“You said it, Rainbow,” Applejack agreed. “’Specially after what happened earlier.”
“That might be the point,” Twilight said. “I mean, you all saw how I was getting just because things were, and… still are, looking bleak. But these ponies have had to live with their situation for the past year.”
“Like I said,” the Doctor added. “What really contributes to these ponies’ willpower is each other. Nothing like having friends to laugh with to brighten any mood.”
“I never did figure out what happened after that.” Comic continued with her story (which, by this point, the ponies started to suspect was just for the routine). “All I can remember is that it involved a clamshell, a giraffe, and waking up a few hooves from Discord with a large bump on his head.” More laughter followed. “Didn’t bother sticking around to ask what happened. I mean, it was Discord; that’s a bad idea on many levels.” Twilight just kept on laughing, feeling lighter than she had since they first landed in this era.