//------------------------------// // Episode 3: The Ticked-Off Master // Story: Total Magic Pony Island // by Tailslover13 //------------------------------// Discord: Last time, on Total Magic Pony Island: your handsome host managed to trick 20 totally foolish and perfect victims…oh, I mean…nah, victims work just fine…into coming to Camp Paradox, their new home for the next 10 weeks! After some emotional breakdowns and shrinking Princess Celestia down to a more manageable size, the campers were split into two teams, which I masterfully dubbed the Magical Misfits and the Royal Ruffians. After a brilliant idea from Fluttershy, I made the two teams run around like fools in preparation for the first real challenge. Poor Celestia proved that she was not up to snuff, as she caused her team to lose…well, part of the blame goes to those two little bully fillies as well, but I so enjoy torturing Celestia more, so let’s just say it was mostly her fault. As a reward, the Misfits will be given a hot tub, and the Ruffians get some of my wonderful toenail clippings! Now, it’s time for the two teams to face their first real challenge! Who will rise to the top? Who will wind up the first loser going home? Find out next, right here, on Total…Magic…Pony…Island! *a catchy opening theme song plays after Discord’s analysis of the previous episode, showing all 20 campers in different embarrassing or funny situations* The 20 campers, some still exhausted after their racing marathon, were now all standing over a large cliff, overlooking a massive lake with pony-eating sharks swimming around within it. The cliff stretched an estimated 1,000 feet from the top to the bottom, leading to a 30-foot-deep lake where almost a dozen shark fins could be seen ambling here and there in the cold waters. As soon as all the campers saw this, they looked sick to their stomachs. “So, campers, I really hope you all got warmed up during your little run,” Discord smirked, mockingly floating right over the top of the cliff without a care in the world, “Because, can any of you guess just what your first challenge is going to be?” “Ooh, ooh, do we get to see who can throw the best party?” Pinkie blurted out, instantly flashing a happy smile, “Because that would be a totally awesome idea!” “No, Pinkie…MAYBE it has something to do with…oh, I don’t know…the location where I brought you?” Discord frowned, pointing to the cliff and then down at the shark-infested waters. “Ohhhhhh…we’re gonna go bungee jumping?” Pinkie guessed again, still keeping her happy grin plastered onto her face. “Take off the ‘bungee’ part and you’ve got it, Pinkie,” Discord explained. Pinkie paused for a moment as she considered this, then her smile slightly drooped. “Um…we have to…jump off the cliff…without a bungee cord?” Pinkie finally guessed. “CORRECT!” Discord gasped, looking incredibly stunned, “Folks, this is incredible! Pinkie Pie actually got the RIGHT answer! Can you all believe it? I think we just witnessed a little miracle here on Camp Paradox! We do have that on camera, right?” He looked towards the nearest camera-pony, who slowly nodded. Meanwhile, Gilda and Trixie were the only two who got a good laugh out of Discord’s obvious insult; everyone else looked annoyed and even angry at the draconequus mocking the pink pony. Applejack: Can ya’ll BELIEVE that guy? The nerve of him, insultin’ poor Pinkie Pie when she was just bein’ herself. Ah have a good mind to deliver a kick straight to Discord’s overinflated head. Gilda: *laughing her head off* FINALLY that stupid pink rat gets humiliated; it feels so good to see her openly mocked for her stupidity. I know who I’m voting for first if we lose. *she smirks deviously* Pinkie: *tilting her head slightly* We just witnessed a little miracle? Did I happen to miss it? *she gasps* Oh no…I missed the miracle! My Pinkie Sense didn’t even work! That is so not fair! “Discord…you CAN’T be serious,” Rarity whined, “Jumping off this cliff will surely mess up my beautiful mane! Can you imagine the wind blowing through it as I fall? And I refuse to jump into a lake just to mess up my mane and tail, too!” “Not to mention there’s SHARKS down there,” Twilight pointed out, frowning at Rarity’s ignorance. “Yes, there’s that too,” Rarity chuckled. “Well, allow me to explain how this is going to work then,” Discord said, slowly floating between all the contestants, “All of you must jump off this cliff and land in the water below. There’s a small safe zone marked down there with buoys, which SHOULD be free of pony-eating sharks…I think. For those of you that refuse to jump, you must wear a chicken hat for the rest of the day without taking it off!” He snapped his fingers and in his hand appeared a small hat that was shaped like a chicken. Scootaloo: I don’t know why, but for some reason, I find that really insulting. Rarity: Jump off a cliff into shark-infested waters and get my mane and tail all wet…or wear a horribly unfashionable chicken hat for an entire day? It’s such a hard choice! *she shivers badly* “What if all 20 of us jump, or an equal number from both teams jump?” Twilight asked, trying to prolong actually having to do the challenge, since she was not thrilled about this. “Oh, don’t worry, Twilight…I’ll make sure there’s a winner at the end…in whatever way possible,” Discord smirked evilly. Half of the campers shivered and looked very scared at Discord’s expression alone, even more than jumping off the cliff. “Discord, this is so juvenile!” Celestia yelled, “You couldn’t have thought up something more…mature? This is beyond ridiculous!” Apparently, the princess didn’t realize that her back legs were shaking and knocking together. Discord noticed, however, and instantly held up a chicken hat. “Shall you wear one and let your team down?” he asked, watching as Celestia muttered something and didn’t say another word, “Very well, it looks like the princess has finally learned how to hold her tongue.” Celestia: So help me, once we get home, I promise that Discord WILL be back to being imprisoned inside of his stone statue, and then he’ll be locked up in the dungeon where NOPONY will find him! “So, who’s gonna be first to take the dive?” Discord asked, crossing his arms and idly floating nearby as he watched the 20 contestants. It wasn’t long before the first brave soul stepped forward. “This is nothing!” Gilda smirked, using her powerful strength to easily shove her entire team aside as she stepped towards the cliff, “Stand back and watch me work, losers.” “That’s nice, Gilda…way to attack your own teammates,” Twilight muttered, lying in a heap as the entire team had crashed on top of her from Gilda’s shove. Just before the griffon took a flying leap off the cliff (which Rainbow Dash a few others felt like telling her to do since they got to the island), Discord teleported in front of her. “Oh, and I forgot to mention…those of you with wings CANNOT use them on your way down,” he explained, winking at Gilda and then over at Rainbow Dash, “If I catch you using your wings in any way whatsoever, you are disqualified from the challenge and will dock your team a point.” “Fine, whatever!” Gilda snapped, clearly not really caring one way or another, “Just stand back and watch me work!” Discord respected Gilda’s decision and floated back to watch along with the rest of the campers. Gilda walked over to the side of the cliff and peered down at the small safe zone marked off by 20 buoys. With a little nod, she walked backwards a few paces, let out a loud screech into the air, then charged forward and leaped straight off the cliff. Gilda stretched her arms out as she nosedived straight down towards the massive lake, her eyes narrowing as the wind rushed through her feathers and the buoys got bigger and bigger the quicker she dropped. A single shark leaped out of the water and snapped its jaws up at Gilda as it sensed fresh blood, but Discord had told the truth and there were no sharks in the marked-off area. A second later, Gilda plunged straight down into the middle of the safe zone, creating a large splash that easily reached around ten or so feet. “Gilda scores the first point for the Magical Misfits!” Discord announced, snapping his fingers as an electronic scoreboard appeared next to both teams on top of the cliff. The Misfits and the Ruffians both had their names written on the far left, and after Discord snapped his fingers again and received an electronic pencil, he put an electronic checkmark next to the Misfits. “YOU DWEEBS HAD BETTER FOLLOW MY LEAD, OR ELSE!” Gilda called up to her team after she resurfaced a moment later, blinking water out of her eyes as she flew towards the beach to wait for the rest of the jumpers. Rainbow Dash: *frowning* Okay, there was no way I was letting Gilda steal my thunder and humiliate me again. I don’t care who’s on her team; I just refuse to let her win with her rude attitude. “Ah’ll show that birdie what we’re made of!” Applejack stated, gently pushing Rainbow Dash aside as the Pegasus had just begun trotting forward, “Rainbow Dash, ya’ll stay here and make sure the rest of our teammates jump, ahright?” “But I wanted to jump next,” Rainbow Dash whined, huffing in annoyance as she looked at Applejack. “Look, Princess Celestia is scared, ya’ll can tell,” Applejack whispered, “Plus, Fluttershy isn’t lookin’ that much better. Ya need to stay here and give them some courage, ahright? It’s what a leader does.” “Leader? M-me?” Rainbow Dash blinked, completely stunned to hear Applejack call her that, “But…I’m not Twilight…I’m not a leader.” “Ya are to me, Dash,” Applejack smiled, nodding to the Pegasus and giving her a little pat on the head, “Now, make me proud and lead us to victory; ah’m goin’ next and that’s final. Work yer magic, Dash!” “I…I won’t let you down, AJ!” Rainbow Dash squeaked, blushing slightly as she gave the earth pony a weak salute. Nodding, Applejack turned to Discord and removed her hat. “Here, hold this for me, will ya?” she said, “And don’t even THINK about doin’ anything with it, ya hear me? Ah just don’t want to ruin it on mah way down.” “Very stylish,” Discord commented, putting the cowboy hat on his head and grinning. Applejack rolled her eyes, then let out a festive “yee-haw” before charging straight towards the edge of the cliff. The cowgirl took a flying leap much like Gilda did, then playfully rolled herself up into a ball as she spun through the air. She successfully performed a great cannonball right into the safe zone and scored the first point for the Royal Ruffians. Applejack: *chuckling and dripping wet* That was REALLY fun! Ah wouldn’t mind goin’ again! “So, the score’s tied at one apiece; who’s going next?” Discord asked, mockingly tipping Applejack’s cowboy hat as he faced the remaining 18 campers. “This is my chance to show Rainbow Dash what I’ve got!” Scootaloo whispered to Apple Bloom, “Would you like to go with me?” “Um…sure, Scootaloo…it might make it less scary with somepony going with you,” Apple Bloom said meekly, nodding to one of her two fellow crusaders. As the two fillies bravely started marching towards the cliff’s edge, their teacher quickly joined them. “Girls, you don’t really think I’d let you both do this alone, did you?” Cheerilee smiled, “As long as I remain in his game, you don’t ever have to do anything alone; I will always stick by your side.” “Aww, Miss Cheerilee, thank you!” Apple Bloom squealed, instantly hugging the teacher, who honestly didn’t seem that scared. Scootaloo just chuckled and gave her teacher a pat on the back as a sign of thanks without showing much lovey-dovey affection. “Okay, let’s rock it!” Scootaloo grinned, “Miss Cheerilee, Apple Bloom, LET’S GO!” She happily charged straight towards the edge of the cliff, with Cheerilee trotting along her left and Apple Bloom on her right. The three all jumped off at exactly the same time with brimming confidence, but their reactions on the way down were far from joyous. “SISTER, HELP ME!” Apple Bloom screamed, thrashing all four legs through the air as she plummeted towards the safe zone. She looked ready to cry. “D-d-d-don’t g-g-g-get scared…R-R-R-Rainbow’s w-w-w-watching y-y-you…” Scootaloo stammered, but as she continued to plummet, she curled up into a fetal little ball and twitched in a terrified way. Cheerilee wasn’t saying anything at all as she was driven down through the air. She had her eyes closed tightly with a contented looked on her face and her front hooves placed together, almost as if she was silently praying. All three landed in the safe zone a moment later. “Heh…that wasn’t…so bad,” Apple Bloom laughed weakly, resurfacing and smiling at Scootaloo. “Yeah…I totally nailed it,” Scootaloo chuckled, flexing her little muscles as she turned to look at her teacher, “What about you, Miss…Cheerilee?” The little Pegasus looked over at her teacher as she resurfaced and widened her eyes in shock. “Quite enjoyable, my dear students!” Cheerilee smiled at Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. What the teacher didn’t realize was that she looked paler than a ghost and her right eye was twitching abnormally, “I am so proud of you both for being so brave!” “Miss Cheerilee…were you…really, really scared?” Apple Bloom asked softly, bobbing in the water as she swam to her teacher’s side. “My dear Apple Bloom, I’m your teacher! There’s nothing that can scare me!” Cheerilee giggled, “Now, how about we all get out of this water, okay? Like…maybe, right now?” With that, she quickly started to swim to shore without looking back at her two students. Cheerilee: *slowly rocking back and forth with a terrified look on her face; she doesn’t say a word, and her body loses a bit more color as she also starts to twitch abnormally* “Three more points for the Misfits!” Discord announced, drawing three more electronic checkmarks to go with the one they already had, “The score is now 4-1! Who’s going to go next?” “Like, there is NO way I’m doing this,” Diamond Tiara sniffed, putting her nose in the air and sitting down on her rump, “There is NO way I’m messing up my beautiful mane and getting all wet.” “Yeah, if Diamond Tiara doesn’t want to do it, then neither do I!” Silver Spoon added, adjusting her glasses as she sits down next to her best friend. “C’mon, you two, don’t be like that!” Rainbow Dash said, walking up to the two bullies and trying to give them some encouragement, “It’ll be okay, really! Just aim your bodies for the safe zone and you’ll be fine. And don’t be scared about getting wet; you’ll dry off before long. You don’t want to possibly be the reasons why we lose, do you?” “We, like, totally don’t care,” Diamond Tiara said coldly, turning her face away from Rainbow Dash and closing her eyes in a snooty way, “We are not, like, humiliating ourselves for the sake of a silly game. The princess knows what we mean; we already made complete foals of ourselves during that race!” “So…you won’t jump then?” Rainbow Dash asked, staring at the two fillies in a creepy-calm way. “If Diamond Tiara won’t, then I’m not going to, either,” Silver Spoon said, crossing her arms and giving a curt nod. “Okay then,” Rainbow Dash shrugged. A split second later, both Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were hurled off the cliff and their screams could be heard all the way down to the lake below. Two little splashes indicated that they had made their mark a moment later. Rainbow Dash: *shrugging and smirking* Twilight once told Fluttershy that you have to be firm and tough in some situations…looks like she was right. *she laughed a bit* Somehow, that felt good! “YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT!” Diamond Tiara screamed up at Rainbow Dash, bobbing up and down in the safe zone, “HOW DARE YOU THROW ME OFF THAT CLIFF? SILVER SPOON AND I WILL…Silver Spoon?” She just noticed that her cohort was not in the safe zone. “Diamond Tiara, where are you?” Silver Spoon called out from somewhere on the right, “I can’t see anything! Where are we?” Diamond Tiara looked to the right and saw her best friend floating far away from the safe zone, but her glasses had gotten knocked off and she couldn’t see anything, which included the pony-eating shark closing in on her from behind. “SILVER SPOON, SWIM AWAY, HURRY!” Diamond Tiara screamed out, her heart leaping into her throat as she watched her friend about to get eaten. “Trixie thinks that your aim was a little off, Pegasus,” Trixie said from on top of the cliff, watching the scene unfolding with horrified eyes as she reprimanded Rainbow Dash. All the campers, both on the cliff and on the beach, were beyond terrified as the shark closed in on the unsuspecting Silver Spoon. “DISCORD, DO SOMETHING!” Celestia cried, “HURRY UP!” Discord sighed, then snapped his fingers and vanished. Down on the lake, just as the shark stretched its jaws open and was about to devour Silver Spoon, Discord appeared and quickly snatched the little filly out of the water. The angry shark ended up snapping its jaws down on nothing but air. “Huh? Who has me? What’s going on?” Silver Spoon asked, blinking and glancing back as she looked at Discord’s blurry figure, “Discord, is that you?” “Sorry, my dear shark, but you devouring one of my campers, a little filly no less, would not only ruin my image, but it would be very bad for ratings,” Discord explained, smirking down at the pissed shark, “Better luck next time; if you’re lucky, Celestia will miss the safe zone and you can enjoy her instead.” “I HEARD THAT, DISCORD!” Celestia screamed, “THAT’S NOT FUNNY, EITHER!” “Can somepony please tell me what’s going on?” Silver Spoon asked. In reply, Discord snapped his fingers and teleported Silver Spoon’s glasses back onto her face. Then, he idly tossed her over onto the beach to join Gilda, Cheerilee, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Applejack, all of whom looked stunned at what happened. “Kid…I’ve gotta say…you’ve got guts,” Gilda chuckled, giving a nod to Silver Spoon as the little filly readjusted her glasses and Cheerilee and even Apple Bloom and Scootaloo gave her some quick hugs. Silver Spoon: *blinking* Why do I never know what’s going on? “Two more points forcibly obtained for the Ruffians,” Discord snickered, putting two more checkmarks on the electronic scoreboard, “But the score is still 4-3 in favor of the Misfits. Who’s next?” “After what I just witnessed, I have made up my mind,” Rarity sniffed, sitting down and crossing her arms, “I am not jumping, and anypony who tries to force her otherwise will be met with my fury.” She stuck her nose in the air and refused to budge. “Gilda’s gonna be very mad…she’s scary when she’s mad,” Derpy gasped, her two eyes separating as she observed Rarity, “Are you really sure that’s what you want?” “You all heard me,” Rarity reiterated, “I’m not jumping, and that’s that. Go ahead and give me that ugly little hat, Discord, because I’m not jumping!” “As you wish, chicken pony!” Discord snickered, snapping his fingers as a chicken hat appeared. He instantly floated over and forced it down on top of Rarity’s coiffed head. Rarity winced as she was forced to wear such a thing, but she knew she had made the right choice, despite the glares she was getting from Trixie. Trixie: How DARE she not jump! Well, fine, if that’s the way it’s gonna be, then Trixie will do the same thing and make herself useless. *she takes out some sunglasses and puts them over her eyes* “Um…if Rarity isn’t going to jump, then I don’t think I will, either,” Spike said, looking over at his favorite pony and sighing dreamily as he observed her with her chicken hat, “She does look cute in that hat, if you want my opinion.” “Aww, c’mon, Spike!” Sweetie Belle whined, trotting up to the dragon and frowning, “Don’t stoop to my sister’s level. We can’t lose this for our team just because she doesn’t want to jump for her own team!” “The filly is absolutely right,” Zecora stated, walking over and smiling at Spike, “You cannot quit during a fight. Let us jump off the cliff as one; you will see that it can be quite fun.” “Where does all YOUR confidence come from, Zecora?” Spike asked, raising an eyebrow as he nervously started walking towards the cliff’s edge. “That which does not kill you can only make you stronger,” Zecora said, walking alongside Sweetie Belle to join Spike’s side, “If you do not live in fear, your life will be much longer. I do not fear death or anything else; I live without worry and stay true to myself.” Sweetie Belle: Zecora speaks such wisdom; I’m really glad to have her on my side. *whispering* Just between the two of us, she’s kinda more useful than my big sis in a lot of situations. Spike: *scratching his head* Uh…so, I should live my life without fear of death because, if I don’t die, I’ll be stronger? But, what if I DO die? That made no sense whatsoever! *grumbles* Annoying zebra. “Okay…here…we…GO!” Sweetie Belle cried, taking the leap off the cliff. “GERONIMO!” Spike screamed, throwing caution to the wind and leaping off a second later. “For our team!” Zecora called out enthusiastically, also leaping off almost right after Spike. Discord and the remaining campers all watched as the threesome descended towards the water. Sweetie Belle cheerfully trilled as she plunged downwards, Zecora calmly curled up her legs close to her body to avoid any type of injury, but Spike ended up painfully bashing into a rock jutting out the side of the cliff as he made his way down. Everyone winced as the dragon yelped in agony and ended up splashing down in the safe zone a second later with Sweetie Belle and Zecora. “Ooh, THAT had to hurt…but, no pain, no gain!” Discord laughed, tallying three more checkmarks for the Ruffians, “That means that the Ruffians take the lead by the score of 6-4. This is getting good!” Spike: *now nursing a black eye and a sprained right arm in a sling* I HATE this game already! “Oh dear, Spike!” Rarity gasped, trotting over towards the side of the cliff and looking down at the beach, which was where Spike had been carried over to by Zecora, “SPIKE, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?” “DON’T WORRY…MY DEAR RARITY…AS LONG AS I CAN STILL SEE…YOUR BEAUTIFUL FACE…THE PAIN WILL NEVER BOTHER ME!” Spike yelled back, sighing dreamily as he could just make out Rarity’s figure. “GOOD TO HEAR!” Rarity yelled again, smiling and trotting back to her spot, “Spike is just fine; my face made his pain go away.” “Too bad Trixie cannot make that work in reverse,” Trixie muttered, frowning over at Rarity. “Next up?” Discord asked, now resting on top of his electronic scoreboard with a bored look on his face. “Ooh, ooh, I wanna go, I wanna go!” Pinkie giggled, bouncing up and down and heading towards the cliff, “Hey, Derpy, you wanna come with me? We could totally hold hooves together as we fall! Wouldn’t that be fun?” “Would it!” Derpy grinned, before tilting her head and scrunching up her nose as her eyes twirled around crazily inside their sockets, “Um…I honestly don’t know…WOULD that be fun?” She curiously trotted along after the bouncing Pinkie Pie. “Hey, Vinyl?” Twilight asked, turning to the disc jockey and smiling, “Could you go with them, too? I have somepony else to take care of…” Her eyes darted over to Trixie, who was now lounging on a beach chair with black sunglasses over her eyes and holding some mirror reflectors with her hooves to give herself a tan. Naturally, Twilight wasn’t very amused by this. “Sure thing, Twi,” Vinyl grinned, trotting over to Pinkie and Derpy and slapping them on their rumps, “Okay, you dudes ready for this? Let’s get it on! LIVE ON THE EDGE, PONIES!” She laughed and leaped off the cliff, while Pinkie squealed happily and jumped off a second later. Derpy still looked a bit confused, but as she leaned over and peered down at the waters below, she squeaked and ended up slipping and taking the plunge by pure accident. Derpy: Cliffs are so tricky, you know? You just can’t trust them! One moment, they’re just sitting there doing nothing, and the next thing a pony knows the cliff pushes her right over the edge! “WHOO! JOIN HOOVES, SISTERS, AND LET US RIDE THE WIND TOWARDS THE BOTTOM!” Vinyl laughed, quickly using her right hoof to grab Pinkie’s left. Then, as the somersaulting Derpy soon joined them, Vinyl and Pinkie locked hooves with her, too. “FOR VICTORY AND CUPCAKES!” Pinkie cheered, “OOH, OOH, I HAVE A SONG THAT’S PERFECT FOR THIS VERY SITUATION! ANYPONY WANT TO HEAR…?” Sadly, at that moment, all three ponies splashed down into the safe zone and Pinkie couldn’t get another word out. “And that gives the Magical Misfits a 7-6 edge!” Discord announced lazily, randomly making three more checkmarks upside down on his scoreboard as he laid atop it, “Let me know when you’re all done.” “Trixie…what are you doing?” Twilight asked, tapping her front left hoof in irritation as she had trotted up to the fellow unicorn and was now glaring at her. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is clearly sunbathing and making herself look even prettier than before, Twilight Sparkle,” Trixie sniffed, not paying Twilight any mind, “Shoo, you lowly unicorn; you are blocking Trixie’s sun.” “I’m standing over here and the sun is above your head, Trixie,” Twilight snapped, “You can get back to this afterwards; would you please go and jump off the cliff now?” “Hmm…let Trixie think about that…no!” Trixie growled, wearily lifting her sunglasses and giving Twilight a dirty look in exchange for her glares, “Trixie is not about to leap off a cliff and get her hat and cape all wet. Besides that, if that prissy white unicorn over there isn’t jumping, then neither is Trixie.” Twilight: *grinding her teeth with her right eye twitching* It’s times like these where I wish I had Gilda’s brute strength and Rainbow Dash’s outgoingness…but, I guess pure rage will have to do instead. “WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!?!” Trixie screamed, trying to pull away as she felt Twilight shoving her towards the cliff, shoving her head into Trixie’s rump and forcing her along, “GET AWAY FROM TRIXIE THIS INSTANT, TWILIGHT SPARKLE!” “You’re jumping, Trixie, even if I have to THROW you off!” Twilight growled, “I’m tired of your arrogant attitude around here. Rarity I can excuse, but you need to seriously learn to shape up, and you jumping off this cliff to help your team is a good start.” “GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF TRIXIE’S REAR THIS INSTANT AND STOP THIS!” Trixie snarled, digging her hooves into the ground to try and prevent Twilight from pushing her any further. Twilight grunted and had a bit of trouble pushing the stubborn unicorn along, since she didn’t have Applejack’s strength, but she had an idea. She quickly reached up and snatched Trixie’s hat off of her head with her teeth, then hurried and snatched away her cape as well. “Ready to go for a dip, Trix?” Twilight smirked, tossing Trixie’s clothes aside and getting ready for a mighty shove once Trixie realized her clothes had been ripped off. “Trixie’s hat! Trixie’s cape! How DARE you remove them!” Trixie gasped, turning around and glaring at Twilight, “Trixie will make you pay!” At that moment, Trixie tried tackling Twilight, while Twilight simultaneously attempted to shove Trixie off the cliff. The two unicorns ended up slamming into each other, and after staggering around clumsily while trying to throw the other off her body, both of them ended up tripping over the edge of the cliff and plummeting down towards the water. “Okay, NOW you got my attention again!” Discord laughed, rolling around on the ground and kicking his legs crazily and childishly as he listened to both unicorns scream their heads off as they both took the plunge on complete accident. “I fail to see the humor in getting my prized student and her rude little partner shoved off the cliff, Discord,” Celestia frowned, glaring over at the draconequus, “Don’t you have a heart at ALL in there?” “No, I’m afraid not; it was my brain that told me to rescue Silver Spoon from that shark,” Discord said coldly. When Celestia immediately looked ashamed and turned to look away from Discord, the spirit of disharmony snickered and couldn’t help but blow a raspberry in the princess’ direction. Two loud and very painful splashes later and the entire Magical Misfits team had completed their run, with Rarity being the only one not jumping. Twilight: *having landed on her stomach for a painful belly flop, she was now sporting a very red belly and looked none too thrilled* That…Trixie…is beyond a doubt…a ROTTEN little unicorn! Trixie: *having landed on her backside, she was now sporting a very red back, forcing her to lean forwards when speaking to the camera* Twilight…Sparkle…is...going to pay…DEARLY! “Only four of you left!” Discord whistled, nodding to Celestia, Luna, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, “To win, all four of you need to jump! Who’s gonna be the fourth-to-last one to jump?” “Sister, let’s go!” Luna said cheerfully, nudging her sister and smiling at her, “Let’s go together, alright? That way it won’t be so scary for you.” “Luna, I appreciate your concern, but I am not afraid,” Celestia said calmly, despite the fact that her knees were still shaking. Slowly and elegantly, the tiny princess trotted towards the edge of the cliff with her sister Luna at her side, all while Discord finished up the Magical Misfits’ side of the scoreboard by adding two more checkmarks for a grand total of nine out of ten. “Okay, sister, you ready?” Luna asked, glancing down towards the waters and smiling at Celestia. “Yes…I’m ready…” Celestia muttered, seemingly breathing harder than ever before, “Oh…and Luna? If, for any moment, you let go of my hoof, being sent back to the moon will be only half of your worries. Is that perfectly clear?” “What’s the saying? Oh, yes…crystal clear, sister,” Luna chuckled. She clutched her sister’s right hoof, then leaped off the side of the cliff with her…or rather she ended up yanking Celestia off herself when the white princess had remained frozen in place. During the entire trip to the water, Celestia couldn’t stop screaming right in Luna’s ear, and once both sisters hit the water, Celestia ended up clutching her sister for dear life and refusing to let go. Either her younger side was kicking in, she really loved her sister, or she just didn’t find this very fun. “Two more for the Ruffians!” Discord snickered, putting more two more checkmarks on the scoreboard, “And…two more minutes of humiliation for our dear Princess Celestia.” He grinned and peeked over the side of the cliff, watching as Luna flew out of the water with her wings, carrying her shuddering sister in her arms like a little filly. “There there, sister, it’s okay,” Luna purred, gently setting Celestia down in the sand and patting her back with her hoof, “It’s all over now; it wasn’t so bad, was it?” Celestia: *with a towel wrapped around her* For all my loyal Equestria subjects watching this, please realize that I am in my younger body, so what you saw was not the REAL me…understand? Luna: *giggling to herself* I think I really like my big sister being turned into a little mare; she’s so much funnier and cuter this way, don’t you all think? Please don’t tell her I said that, okay? “This leaves just Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy,” Discord said, floating over to the two Pegasus ponies and smirking down at them, “For your team to win, you BOTH must jump.” “Um…what if…only one of us jumps?” Rainbow Dash asked, glancing sideways at Fluttershy. The little yellow Pegasus hadn’t stopped shaking from the moment they had arrived on the cliff, and she had remained rooted in the same spot the entire time. Getting her to move would take a miracle. “Since it’s MY game, it’s also MY rules…so, let me make this interesting,” Discord grinned, “Rarity already refused to jump for her team. If one of you refuse to jump, that would mean there’s a tie, right? Well…I really don’t feel like doing any tiebreakers, so…since you were the last ones to go, if one of you remains, then that means that your team loses.” “WHAT?!?! THAT’S NOT FAIR!” Rainbow Dash angrily protested, “YOU CAN’T DO THAT!” “Oh, but I’m afraid I can…you see, it’s…kinda my game,” Discord smiled, wrapping an arm around Rainbow Dash and giving her a playful nuzzle, “So…yes, I actually CAN do that…do you understand?” “Touch me again with that hand and I’ll remove it,” Rainbow Dash growled, resulting in Discord snickering and mockingly sliding his hand off the pony’s back as slowly as he could, just to vex her. Gilda: *laughing her head off* This is rich…Dash and that lame-o Fluttershy are the only two left! Fluttershy clearly isn’t going to jump, so that means I’m gonna win AGAIN! Eat it, Dash, you loser! Rainbow Dash: *sighing and tapping her noggin as she contemplates the situation* Applejack said she believed in me…I can’t fail her. I know Fluttershy can do this…she just needs to hear the right words. “Fluttershy, listen to me,” Rainbow Dash said, turning to her Pegasus friend and staring her right in the eyes, “You can do this, okay? Just pretend that it’s NOT a 1,000-foot drop into some cold waters with a bunch of hungry pony-eating sharks!” Fluttershy seemed to turn even paler as Dash said these words. Rainbow Dash: *laughing in a squeaky, meek voice* Clearly…those weren’t the right words. “Um…what I mean is…just believe in yourself, okay?” Rainbow Dash continued, “You are the pony who will either win this for us or lose it for us, but either way, we’ll all still love you. Whatever choice you make is up to you. Do whatever your heart tells you to do. But, just remember, you always have courage inside of you, even if it’s hidden and locked away. Now, I’m gonna go first, to show you how easy it is, and then you can hopefully follow me, alright?” “O-O-O-Okay…” Fluttershy squeaked, still shaking like a leaf. Rainbow Dash gave the Pegasus a gentle hug and a pat on the head, then glared at the cliff as she pawed at the ground. “Alright…here…I…GOOOOOOOOOO!” Rainbow Dash cried, racing forwards and diving majestically over the edge of the cliff, “FOLLOW ME, FLUTTERSHY!” All the campers on the beach (including Rarity) watched as Rainbow Dash plunged down towards the water. The Pegasus was struggling to not open her wings and use them, since she loved the wind and being in the sky. It was probably due to this that she wasn’t watching where she was about to land. A second later, Rainbow Dash accidentally smashed down right on top of a buoy. “NICE ONE, DASH!” Gilda laughed, holding a hand over her face as she cackled gleefully, “YOU’RE STILL AS CLUMSY AS ALWAYS!” Aside from Trixie, all the other campers winced in horror as Rainbow Dash twitched in pain on top of the buoy, having landed on it with her legs spread. Slowly, she eased off the buoy and ended up sinking into the water. Rainbow Dash: *now with an ice pack between her legs; she speaks in a very squeaky and pained voice* I suppose…I should be lucky…I’m not a colt…but that doesn’t make it…any less painful! “Great…now that Fluttershy saw Rainbow Dash do THAT…there’s no way she’s gonna jump,” Applejack sighed, shaking her head and frowning as Rainbow Dash dragged herself out of the water, “Nice landin’, Dash…hope ya’ll are ahright.” “My pride…is…what hurts…the most…” Rainbow Dash moaned, falling face-first into the sand and continuing to groan, all while Gilda kept laughing and mocking her. On top of the cliff, Fluttershy had witnessed what happened to Rainbow Dash, and indeed was even less confident than before. She knew that she couldn’t do this; she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. “Fluttershy, my dear, you’re the only one left,” Discord smirked, appearing behind the Pegasus and once more freaking her out, “Will you jump? Or will you not? The choice is yours. Win or lose, the challenge rests in your hooves, my dear. Take your time.” “HEY, LOSER, BETTER GET A CHICKEN HAT WHILE THEY’RE STILL HOT!” Gilda called up to Fluttershy, “YOU’RE SO LAME AND PATHETIC; WHY DID DISCORD EVEN BOTHER BRINGING YOU TO THE SHOW?” “Gilda, stop that!” Twilight snapped, “Opposite team or not, Fluttershy is my friend! I will not tolerate you insulting her like that!” However, Twilight’s pleas went unheard, and Gilda just kept her insults going to make Fluttershy lose whatever confidence she had left. “FLUTTERSHY? YOUR NAME SHOULD BE SCAREDY-SHY!” Gilda mocked, “YOU’RE STUPID AND A TOTAL WASTE OF SPACE! QUIT NOW BEFORE YOU HUMILIATE YOURSELF!” “Why that foul-mouthed, no-good little…” Applejack growled, glaring over at Gilda, but then getting a crazy idea. As Rainbow Dash leaned up to badmouth Gilda back, Applejack quickly shushed her. The cowgirl then quickly told the rest of her team to not say a word, either, and to let Gilda continue to insult Fluttershy. If this failed, Applejack would vote herself out for being an idiot, but she had to take a chance and Fluttershy had to find the strength to do this on her own. Up on top of the cliff, Fluttershy was listening to every word that Gilda was blasting her with. Deep down, the Pegasus knew that Gilda was absolutely right. She WAS lame and pathetic and a waste of space, or at least that’s how she viewed herself. She was so meek and shy, but she did wish that she had more confidence inside of her. However, the more Gilda continued to verbally lambast the poor little Pegasus, the more Fluttershy started to look annoyed. “LOSER, LOSER, LOSER! SCAREDY-SHY, YOU’RE A TOTAL LOSER!” Gilda screeched, “YOU’RE GONNA LOSE IT FOR YOUR TEAM, AS YOU SHOULD, BECAUSE YOU’RE PATHETIC! YOU’RE GONNA GO HOME FIRST! SAY BYE-BYE, LOSER! LOSER, LOSER, LOSER!” With each “loser” that Gilda spouted, Fluttershy’s eyes narrowed more and more, until they were little slits on her face. She started to clench her teeth, and she slowly started to pick herself up off the ground. With the last few “losers” that Gilda blasted out, Fluttershy could almost see red just before she screamed loudly up into the sky. Her mane puffed up as her left eye twitched and she started to paw the ground much like Applejack did. “I…am…not…a…LOSER!” Fluttershy screamed, pushing Discord out of the way and charging straight towards the cliff’s edge. The Pegasus let out another manic roar as she flew right over the edge, tucking her wings into her sides as Discord had ordered and she instantly started plummeting down towards the water. She kept her teeth clenched the entire way down, and was plunging in a perfect nosedive that anypony would be jealous of. The 19 campers on the beach could only watch in stunned fashion as Fluttershy majestically sailed straight down the side of the cliff and was soon swallowed up by the lake of sharks as she plunged down within it. A stunned silence hung around Camp Paradox for what seemed like hours as Fluttershy slowly rose back to the surface, almost as graceful as a mermaid, but as scary as a shark. Fluttershy’s face was frozen in rage, her eyes narrowed and flashing, her teeth still bared, her mane a mess, and her face contorted in a freakish frown. Slowly, she stretched her wings and calmly flittered back to the beach, her flapping wings making the only noise that could be heard throughout the entire camp. The Pegasus slowly flew right up to Gilda and moved her face to within an inch of the griffon’s. Then, just like that, Fluttershy’s eyes, mane, mouth, and her entire body went back to normal and she was left smiling at Gilda. “Um…I’m sorry…but, who’s the loser now?” she asked, giggling and continuing to smile down at Gilda just before she flapped over and joined her flabbergasted Royal Ruffian teammates. It took another full minute or so before Discord finally reappeared on the beach and snapped everyone back to reality. “FLUTTERSHY WINS IT FOR THE ROYAL RUFFIANS!” he called out, “AS SHOCKING AND UNEXPECTED AS IT WAS, SHE WINS IT! THE RUFFIANS DO NOT HAVE TO VOTE ANYONE OUT TONIGHT!” Applejack: *chuckling* Ah knew she had it in her; ah saw it before at the Grand Galloping Gala. Fluttershy: *blushing shyly and looking down at the floor* Um…I won for us…yay? Gilda: *dumbstruck* This can’t be… *Discord tries to interrupt, but she punches him in the face* After the Royal Ruffians finally broke out of their shock, they all cheered for Fluttershy and ended up hefting the little Pegasus up over their heads and parading her back to camp; naturally, Fluttershy got scared at this and fainted before long. Applejack also caught Discord and forced him to give her hat back. Meanwhile, the Magical Misfits were left dejected and angry as they all trudged back to the mess hall for dinner. They knew they had to vote someone out tonight, and at the moment, it seemed obvious who should go. “Well, well, well…back for dinner?” Nightmare Moon smirked, watching both teams walk into the mess hall, “It looks like you all had quite a lovely time. Don’t worry; I promise the dinner won’t kill you.” The dark princess laughed evilly and levitated trays of food over to each of the 20 seats scattered around the room (how she could use magic, nopony knew). The Magical Misfits all sat down at one table, while the Royal Ruffians all sat down at the other. The food they were served look like a black salad, with all the vegetables as black as the night sky, and most of the campers were scared to even touch it. “So…we have to vote someone off tonight, huh?” Twilight sighed, shaking her head as she poked at her salad, “I wasn’t expecting us to lose so early; I don’t even think our new hot tub can cheer us up at the moment.” “Well, it’s obvious who should go,” Scootaloo spoke up, glaring over at Gilda, “You are the rudest pony or non-pony that I know. You were mean to Rainbow Dash, you were mean to Fluttershy, you were mean to ALL of us! You definitely deserve to go!” “Nice try, small fry, but you’d be stupid if you dared vote ME off,” Gilda snapped. “Oh, and why would that be?” Cheerilee asked calmly, weakly nibbling on a black carrot, “I don’t wish to start anything, but you were clearly the reason for us losing, not to mention you were treated everypony like dirt. I’m sorry, but someone with your attitude doesn’t deserve to be here.” “And yet I’m not the one wearing the chicken hat,” Gilda pointed out, looking at Rarity. Instantly, all eyes shifted to the white unicorn, who had been trying to not say a word to draw attention to herself. “Now, darlings, let’s not be hasty here,” Rarity smiled, nervously poking at her salad before making a face and pushing the bowl towards Pinkie Pie, “Even if I HAD jumped, you heard Discord; he could’ve done ANYTHING to change up the rules. Just because I didn’t jump doesn’t mean that I caused us to lose. I can make myself useful in much more ways than such a stupid challenge like that.” “What about those two little fillies over there?” Gilda argued, pointing to Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, “The longer they stay, the weaker our team will get. They’re small and not very useful; what if we get to a challenge where we need some heavy-lifters? I’m the only one on this team with actual muscles; the rest of you couldn’t lift an eyebrow.” “H-h-hey, ah’m…useful…and mah size doesn’t make me weak!” Apple Bloom protested, “Ah have mah family’s blood in me; ah’ll prove that ah’m strong when the time comes!” “Look, dweebs, let me spell something out for you,” Gilda frowned, “If you vote me off, you’ll regret it, since you’re gonna lose every challenge from here on out without my help. I may have an attitude, which I’m proud of, but that doesn’t mean I should go first. There’s four completely useless members on this team right now, so if nothing else, it should be one of them.” “Four useless members on this team? Trixie thinks she knows one, but who might the other three be?” Trixie asked, smirking and glancing sideways at Twilight, who happened to be sitting next to her. “I’m talking about you unicorns,” Gilda said, “Think about it…this island doesn’t let you use magic. Why possible thing can you unicorns do? That stupid little Pegasus with the weird eyes is our only flyer, besides myself and our little filly with the tiny wings, so we need her. That stupid pink rat is annoying, but she’s an earth pony and may come in handy, too. What can you unicorns possibly do if you can’t use your magic?” There was silence all around the table as Gilda said these words. Deep down, they knew it was true. Getting rid of Gilda was their first choice, since she was just a complete jerk, but Gilda made a good point that, without her, they would have no muscle power left. Derpy Hooves could indeed fly, Apple Bloom knew some tricks like her big sister, Cheerilee was a very intelligent earth pony teacher, Pinkie Pie was a bag of randomness that was sure to come in handy, and Scootaloo was very athletic. The four unicorns, without their magic, were basically useless. “But…but…no, that’s wrong!” Rarity cried, putting her nose in the air, “I do NOT deserve to go just because I cannot use my magic. I am plenty good at other things…like, fashion designs…and modeling…and stuff like that.” “And the Great and Powerful Trixie is very important and talented,” Trixie argued. “Am I…really that useless?” Twilight sighed, hanging her head and looking down on herself. Without her magic, and getting told from Gilda that she was useless…and it was the truth…really hurt. “I understand what Gilda’s saying,” Vinyl spook up, taking a sip of water that had been delivered to them by Nightmare Moon, “If…if I’m really somepony that’s not of aid to this team…then vote me off. I don’t want to be a liability or anything like that, ya dig?” “Vinyl…Trixie…Rarity…” Twilight muttered, looking from unicorn to unicorn, “None of us are useless; this is just another challenge from Discord to prove what we have in us! Just because we can’t use magic doesn’t mean that we aren’t better than others!” “Can you back that up?” Gilda questioned. There was another pause, and Twilight went silent. She knew that she couldn’t really do anything at the moment to prove herself useful. Even Trixie was silent and starting to worry about her place in the show. Vinyl continued to sadly shake her head and drink some water, while Rarity had her face down on the table in dismay. Pinkie, who was gulping down both her and Rarity’s salads without a care in the world, reached over and poked the chicken hat. “Hey…it clucks just like a chicken!” Pinkie squealed, listening as Rarity’s chicken hat indeed clucked a few times when the pink pony squeezed its beak, “Isn’t that just adorable?” Rarity: I cannot be the first one going home…can you imagine how bad that would hurt my reputation? I would never be able to sell a dress in Ponyville again…or even show my FACE there again! Vinyl: Dang, man, this sucks…I wish there was another way I could prove how useful I am…but, if some unicorn has to go, I hope it’s me over Twilight…she deserves to stay…she’s better than me. Trixie: This is an outrage! To think they might try voting off the Great and Powerful Trixie, when clearly Twilight Sparkle is MUCH weaker than her! This will not go unpunished! Twilight: Could I…really be heading home first? Me? I…I really thought that I could’ve done more…I don’t WANT to go home yet! I don’t like it here, but…I have so much more to prove! After the dinner, the Royal Ruffians headed to their cabin for the first time, and found a box of Discord’s toenail clippings waiting for them. Since no one wanted to touch the box, they drew lots and Spike was the unlucky one who was forced to carry it outside and bury it somewhere far, far away from the cabin. When the dragon protested about this, Celestia gave him a lecture on how he would be doing a very important task for the team…and how she didn’t want to have to punish him for disobedience…so Spike hurried up and went to find a shovel. Spike: *grumbling and holding a shovel in his hand* Why do I always get stuck doing the dirty work? I have so much more potential! *he angrily tries to throw the hammer, but he forgot that he was inside a small confessional, so the shovel bounced right off the door and smacked the dragon square in the face* …I can be so…stupid…ugh… *he collapsed a moment later* While the Ruffians celebrated their first win and were happy that no one would be going home, the Misfits all dragged themselves towards another area of the camp that Discord had ordered them to appear. There was a huge bonfire waiting for them, along with a bunch of wooden bleachers. Discord himself was happily roasting a marshmallow over the fire when he noticed the dejected 10 campers show up. Almost as soon as he did, he showed them the marshmallow. “Do you all think that it’s a bit too black?” he asked, “I never know just how long to roast them until they taste absolutely perfect. Do any of you have some suggestions?” “Kiss my butt,” Gilda snapped. “I’m in no mood,” Rarity frowned. “It looks good to me, Discord!” Pinkie smiled, observing the marshmallow, “It’s golden on all the sides, including the top and bottom, and there are small hints of blackness eating at the edges! It should taste nice and scrumptious!” “Thank you, Pinkie; at least SOMEONE around here has some manners,” Discord frowned, snapping his fingers and making the marshmallow vanish, “That’s for me…for later. Right now, you all have someone to vote off. Allow me to explain how this works. Right now, there is a box with ballots in the confessional. There is also a quill for you to write with. One at a time, each of you will go into the confessional and write down the name of the person you want to vote out. I will then read the results, simply because it’s really fun to show you how many votes you each got!” “That seems rather sadistic…can’t you just give those who are safe a marshmallow or something?” Derpy asked, tilting her head and having one of her eyes madly twirling around in its socket while the other one stayed perfectly still. “No, I think another show already does that, and if you ask me, it’s lame,” Discord said, “So, this way is so much more fun! Now, after a majority is reached, the eliminated camper will have to walk down the Dock of Shame, and then board the Boat of Losers, which will take that camper away from this island! And once gone, they can never, never, never, ever, ever, EVER come back…EVER!” “That…seems even MORE sadistic,” Derpy whined, now having her other eye spin around crazily. “Yes, I know, but sadism is also pleasure to those who know how to enjoy it,” Discord snickered, “However, just to show I’m a good sport, I’ll let the safe campers at the end of the vote come and get a candied apple that I stole…oh, I mean…that I BORROWED from Applejack’s farm.” He snapped his fingers and a tray of nine candied apples appeared in his hand. “YUM!” Pinkie cheered, “Can I pretty please with sugar on top have one now?” “No, Pinkie, you can’t, and if you’re not voted off, you will be LAST to get one for that little outburst,” Discord smirked. “Unfair,” Pinkie grumbled, crossing her arms and huffing in aggravation. “Well…if that’s all there is to say…let’s get to it!” Discord cheered, “Someone is going home right now and going to face certain humiliation because of it! Who will it be? Ooh, I’m so excited to find out! Let’s go in alphabetical order, shall we? Apple Bloom, you can go first.” One by one, each pony, and Gilda, was called out by Discord to go and vote in the confessional. The camera inside the confessional recorded each and every moment of the voting process, including everything that the campers had to say and what kinds of actions they performed while in the little confessional booth. Rarity: *shows the camera that she voted for Trixie* You are not needed here, and you are beyond worthless. A unicorn such as yourself is a disgrace to the rest of us. *she puts it in the box* Scootaloo: *shows the camera that she voted for Twilight* Nothing against you, Twilight, but if you’re gone, I can prove to Rainbow Dash that I’m a good leader! *she puts the ballot in the box* Trixie: *shows the camera that she voted for Rarity* You lost us the challenge, therefore you deserve to go…and Trixie isn’t done with Twilight Sparkle just yet. *she puts the ballot in the box* Twilight: *shows the camera that she voted for Vinyl* I’m sorry, Vinyl…but, Rarity is my friend, and…I still have a few things to teach Trixie…I’ll make this up to you, I promise. *she puts it in the box* “You all have made your decisions,” Discord said, pretending to be serious, “Once the votes are read, the decision is FINAL, and that camper will be sent down the Dock of Shame at once. I will now read the votes.” He snapped his fingers and got out some pretend reading glasses, putting them on as he then snapped his fingers once more and the ballot box appeared in front of him. All the Magical Misfit campers were now on pins and needles as they first elimination was about to take place. Slowly, Discord opened up the box and pulled out the first ballot. “First vote…Trixie,” Discord said, showing the campers the first ballot with Trixie’s name on it. “Second vote…Twilight. That’s one vote Trixie and one vote Twilight.” “Third vote…Rarity. That’s one vote Trixie, one vote Twilight, and one vote Rarity.” “Fourth vote…Vinyl. That’s one vote Trixie, one vote Twilight, one vote Rarity, and one vote Vinyl.” “Fifth vote…Rarity. That’s one vote Trixie, one vote Twilight, two votes Rarity, and one vote Vinyl.” “Sixth vote…Trixie. That’s two votes Trixie, one vote Twilight, two votes Rarity, and one vote Vinyl.” “Seventh vote…Vinyl. That’s two votes Trixie, one vote Twilight, two votes Rarity, and two votes Vinyl.” “Eighth vote…Trixie. That’s three votes Trixie, two votes Rarity, and two votes Vinyl.” “Ninth vote…Vinyl. That’s three votes Trixie and three votes Vinyl…with just one vote left.” “First loser of Total Magic Pony Island…” Discord announced, slowly flipping over the final ballot, “…Vinyl. My little unicorn, I’m sorry, but that’s four votes and you are eliminated. Time to get going.” “Oh…I see…well, I suppose that…was the right decision,” Vinyl Scratch sighed, hanging her head and not looking at her former teammates, “I’m sorry, dudes…if I had the use of my magic, I could’ve…well, let’s face it, I couldn’t have done anything. The only thing I’m good at is making music. You were right to get rid of me first. Good luck…I’ll be pulling for ya…I guess this is goodbye.” With a deep sigh, the disc jockey slowly started to trot towards the Dock of Shame, where the Boat of Losers was already waiting. Trixie: *horrified* Trixie was THAT close to being voted off?!?! Inconceivable! This will not stand! Scootaloo: *sheepishly* Er…so, I was the only one who voted for Twilight? Heh…um…whoops? “You all made the right decision,” Gilda said, nodding to the sullen group, and actually speaking halfway decent for once, “She said herself that she was useless, so it was the right call. Why are you looking so sad? You knew this was coming, right?” “It doesn’t make it hurt any less to vote off someone who really liked you,” Twilight whispered, a tear in her eye. This had been one of the hardest things she had ever had to do, and it was only day one…and it had involved a pony she had JUST learned about upon coming to the island. If it was this hard already, then she was in for a long and painful ride. “Twilight…why don’t you go say goodbye to her?” Cheerilee said, smiling over at Twilight, “I think she’d like that, don’t you agree?” The lavender unicorn looked up at the teacher and instantly smiled. With a quick nod, Twilight took off trotting after Vinyl Scratch. “Okay, I’m safe, now where’s my candied apple?” Pinkie growled, pointing a hoof at Discord, “You’d better pay up, mister!” The pink pony gasped as Discord was seen with bits of cinnamon around his mouth as he was chewing something up inside. He slowly grinned, globs of apples stuck in his teeth. “What was that, Pinkie?” he smirked, “Oh, right…your candied apples…sadly, I seem to have misplaced them. Silly me, but these things happen.” “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” Pinkie screamed, leaning her head back and wailing. Gilda: *slapping her forehead* Remind me again why I decided to spare that pink rat? “Vinyl…wait!” Twilight called out, trotting hard down the Dock of Shame towards her fellow unicorn. Vinyl Scratch was just about ready to get on the Boat of Losers, but upon hearing Twilight’s beautiful voice call out to her, she gasped and instantly blushed, then meekly turned around. “Y-yes…Twilight Sparkle?” she squeaked, her heart having jumped into her throat upon hearing the unicorn call her name. “I…just wanted to say…I’ll make this up to you back home,” Twilight said, walking up to Vinyl and gently nuzzling her, “The moment we’re back together, please look me up; I’d love to record some music for you. If my voice is really…that…er, beautiful…then it would be a crime to not let you use it. Also, I’m very sorry you got voted out first…can we still be friends?” “T-T-Twilight…” Vinyl gasped, taking a step back in shock. She hadn’t expected such kind and amazing words, and it was almost more than she could take. Very slowly, she reached up and pushed her goggled glasses up, finally revealing her beautiful ruby-red eyes. The two unicorns stared into one another’s eyes for what seemed like forever, the full moon already lighting up the sky behind them (Discord’s rockets being seen very, very slightly). Very slowly, Vinyl leaned in and whispered to Twilight. “I would want nothing more.” “Wonderful…um…I’m glad,” Twilight said, blushing as she felt Vinyl hug her. She felt her face lighting up even more as the unicorn held her close. She didn’t really understand what kind of feelings she was experiencing, since they were new to her, but they felt…good. Somehow, Twilight felt that, while continuing to play Discord’s twisted game, that she would be seeing more and more of these odd new emotions and feelings continue to swell within her heart, and she would have to study them closely. For now, however, Twilight weakly held Vinyl Scratch back and the two unicorns continued to embrace each other on the Dock of Shame. “And so, that caps off a fascinating episode, wouldn’t you all say?” Discord snickered, floating over the top of the two hugging unicorns as the cameras focused on him, “Vinyl Scratch was the first voted out, but not without getting a very lovely message from Twilight Sparkle. Will the Magical Misfits manage to bounce back, despite still having three unicorns on their team? Will the Royal Ruffians’ team unity pull through once again? Will I ever get these bits of stupid candied apples out of my gums? Find out these answers right here on the next thrilling episode of Total…Magic…Pony…Island! Good night, Equestria!”