Shining Armor and his friends didn't know it, but the instant they had stepped into the labyrinth, they were doomed. Discord would personally see to that. Now, it was just a matter of when the chaos maker would strike. And he thought quite heavily about his decision.
"Let's see, who do I wanna take out first?" Discord asked himself, as he looked down on the unsuspecting stallions "I know I wanna save Shining Armor for last, seeing as his downfall will hammer home a point. I almost don't wanna go after Braeburn, seeing as he doesn't mind my chaos that much, but a threat's still a threat. Fancy Pants will be easy, but I wanna have a little fun first. Thunderlane is so easy I won't even break a sweat. So that just leaves Soarin and Big Macintosh. Both of them are pretty stubborn, and may take some effort." He thought, and he thought, until at last he made up his mind "I suppose Big Macintosh will be a good first victim. After all, he and Shining Armor are really close."
Big Macintosh raced through the labyrinth, determined not to let anything stop him. He seemed to be making progress, and he wanted to keep it that way. But when he stopped briefly to catch his breath, he saw something that attracted his curiosity. A bunch of apples were rolling down a path, all on their own power, or so it seemed. Against his better judgement, Big Macintosh followed them. The apples led him to a very unusual place. With the exception of a small pond, the landscape seemed baren and empty.
Just then, the apples came to life. They all piled up until they had managed to form a face, and they were soon joined by two more groups of apples. One of them spoke up "Greetings Big Macintosh." it called in an ominous voice "We have been expecting you."
"Who are you guys, and whadya want with me?" Big Macintosh asked "And what is this place?"
"We are the guardians of the grove of truth." the green face explained "We know everything about the past-"
"The present-" the bright red face continued.
"And the future." the dark red face finished "You may ask us one question, one question of any category. We will answer it. But be warned, you may not like what you see."
Big Macintosh had no idea that these apple faces were all traps set up by Discord, and thus he was unaware as he fell into the chaos maker's trap. "I've got a very bad feelin' about this whole Discord fella." he said nevously "I didn't wanna say anythin' because I was tryin' to be brave, but what's gonna happen to all of us? Are we gonna come out of this in one piece?"
The apple faces led him to the small pond he had seen moments earlier. "For the answers you seek." the bright red face spoke up.
"Go ahead-" encouraged the dark red face.
"Take a peak!" the green face shouted.
Big Macintosh reluctantly did so, and what he saw made his heart sink.
There he was, along with all of his friends. But something was different, now they all seemed like they could barely tolerate just standing near one another. On top of that, the landscape looked unfamiliar. It seemed to resemble a chessboard, with alternating black and white squares.
"So, we finally agree." Shining Armor said crossly "The time has come for us to part ways."
"Fine by me." Soarin snorted "I wish I could say it's been an honor working with you, but it really hasn't."
"I hope I never see any of you ever again in my life!" Thunderlane shouted furiously.
"I was just about to say the same thing!" Braeburn replied crossly.
"So was I." Fancy Pants added sternly.
"Good ridance to all of you!" Big Macintosh jeered.
"Let's not waste anymore time. As of this moment, our friendship is DEAD!" Shining Armor shouted boldly.
The vision faded a moment later, but for Big Macintosh it had lasted an eternity. "Our friendship, gone for good?" he asked "That just can't be true, that's impossible." But in his mind, he had little reason to doubt that the vision he saw was anything but true.
"When all the truth ever does-" the dark red face began.
"Is just make your heart ache." the green face continued.
"Sometimes a lie is easier to take." the bright red face finished, his voice changing to match Discord's tone.
Big Macintosh could've sworn he saw Discord's face for a moment, but before he had a chance to realize what was going on, Discord had managed to brainwash him. His eyes swirled a variety of colors, and his entire body now took on a much duller tone.
Shining Armor was surprised when, as he ran through the maze, one of the walls suddenly vanished. And there, to his relief, was Big Macintosh. But something seemed different about him. "Big Macintosh, I'm glad I found you." he said happily "But what's going on? I thought I heard voices. Who were you talking to?"
"Who me? Why I was talking to noone, noone what-so-ever." Big Macintosh lied, his eyes shifting back and forth a bit.
"Hey, what was that?" Shining Armor asked.
"What are you talking about?" Big Macintosh replied.
"Your eyes, they just moved." Shining Armor explained.
"You must be seein' things Shining Armor." Big Macintosh said firmly "Now come on, we gotta find those Elements of Harmony!" And he raced away.
"Did Big Macintosh just do what I think he did?" Shining Armor asked himself "I want to believe I'm just imaging things, but somehow I'm certain that I'm not. And I have a funny feeling Discord is behind it all. I just hope, the others are okay."
Discord was chuckling to himself as he watched Shining Armor set off "One down, five to go." he said happily "Now, who's next?"
Braeburn was happily bouncing his way through the maze, blissfully unaware of any sort of danger. This made him the perfect target, at least in Discord's eyes.
"Well, I've picked off his cousin. Getting Braeburn to see things my way shouldn't be too difficult." Discord laughed, and he set to work on preparing his next trap.
Braeburn bounced through the maze, humming a little tune. He was feeling very pleased with him, when he suddenly stopped. He had heard the sound of carefree laughter, and he wanted to be a part of it. Following the sound, Braeburn bounced along until he discovered the source. A garden filled with colorful balloons of all sorts, and they all had smiley faces on them. Something as innocent as this didn't set off any alarm bells, and he merely bounced into the garden to join the fun. "This is the best balloon garden I think I've ever laid eyes on." he said to himself, as he continued to bounce "Well, maybe it's the only balloon garden I've ever seen, but it's still the best. Whoa!" Braeburn suddenly lost his balance and fell into a mud puddle. He had no way of knowing that one of the balloons that wrapped itself around his back left leg, causing him to trip.
Now, suddenly, the laughter changed. Now, all of the laughter seemed to be directed solely at Braeburn, whereas before it had seemed inocent and harmless. Needless to say, he did not like this at all. "Hey, it's not that funny." he said crossly "Stop it!"
Just then, Discord appeared. His trap had worked perfectly. "What's the matter Braeburn, I thought you appreciated a good laugh more than anypony else?" he asked "Or was I mistaken?"
"It's different now." Braeburn explained "Now all the laughter is at my expense, and I don't like it. It's just not right."
"Oh, it's hardly different Braeburn." Discord went on, sticking his head behind a green balloon and bringing it to life "Your so called 'friends' laugh at you all the time. You just haven't realized it yet."
"You've got it all wrong Discord." Braeburn spoke up "They laugh with me, not at me. I should know, one of them is my cousin."
"Really? Or are you just lying to make yourself feel better?" the Discord balloon asked, and he began to spin around Braeburn repeatedly. All the while, Braeburn began to panic, as the balloons faces began to change. Now they seemed outright malicious, and wanted nothing more than to laugh at him nonstop. To make matters worse, a few of the balloons took on the faces of his friends, and laughed at him in their voices. "Stop it! STOP IT!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, before he collapsed onto the ground and put his hooves up to his face.
"Ah, poor Braeburn. The truth hurts, doesn't it? And here I thought that laughter made you happy." the Discord balloon said with fake sympathy.
"Happy? I don't think so!" Braeburn said crossly, and stood up. His entire body took on a duller tone, and all of the balloons popped one by one.
Just then, Shining Armor and Big Macintosh arrived. Shining Armor, unaware of what had just happened, approached Braeburn warmly "Braeburn, oh thank goodness I found you." he said kindly.
"Why, need a good butt monkey to laugh at?" Braeburn asked crossly, and he went off in a huff.
Shining Armor was surprised "Braeburn? What do you suppose has got him so saddle sore Big Macintosh?" Shining Armor asked.
"He seemed fine to me." Big Macintosh lied "It's probably just a mood swing, he'll get over it eventually. Now are you comin' or what?"
"I'm coming, I'm coming." Shining Armor replied, though he was already convinced that Discord was responsible for Braeburn's changing mood. "I've got to find the rest of my friends before Discord gets to them." he thought to himself.
"Oh please, I don't think." Discord said to himself "You've already lost Shining Armor, you just don't realize it yet. Now, for Fancy Pants. This should be fun."
Fancy Pants, compared to most nobles, was known to participate in his fair share of sports from time to time. In fact, he often enjoyed a little bit of fencing whenever he had the time to partake in it. But even so, walking through the palace labyrinth on his own, was not his cup of tea. "I came here expecting to have an audience with Princess Celestia." he complained "I certainly was not expecting this sick and twisted game. I just hope The Elements of Harmony are nearby, because I don't know how much more of this walking I can take."
Suddenly, Fancy Pants' thoughts were interrupted when he bumped into something. Once he recovered, and saw what it was, he was amazed. In front of him stood a trio of diamonds, shapped like the jewels on his cutie mark.
"Congratulations Fancy Pants." Discord spoke through the diamonds "Today is your lucky day. You've just won the chance to take home more wealth than the entire royal treasury. But there's a catch, you have to claim it all for yourself."
"Betray my friends just for some treasure? Not a chance!" Fancy Pants snorted "I can do whatever I want with it, you can't tell me how to spend it."
"Oh, but think about it Fancy Pants." Discord encouraged "You've earned it. You found it, and no-one else did. So why should you be forced to share? Your 'friends' would all want an equal share of the wealth, even though they didn't do anything to deserve it. Wouldn't it make more sense for you have it all to yourself?"
Fancy Pants tried to shrug off Discord's hypnoitism, to no avail. "Forgive me Shining Armor. I was too weak to fight him off." he thought to himself, as he felt his will to resist slowly fade away. Discord laughed and laughed, as Fancy Pants let out a high pithced "MINE!" and began to dig at the diamonds with his bare hooves. Eventually, he managed to break down the rock wall, and he found himself looking at a gaint diamond. In reality, it was nothing but a boulder, but Discord's brainwashing prevented Fancy Pants from seeing this reality.
Shining Armor was relieved when he saw Fancy Pants in the distance, but his mood soon changed when he realized that Fancy Pants' entire body had the same dull look as Big Macintosh and Braeburn's. He was too late.
"Look who's finally decided to show up!" Fancy Pants hissed "Come to take away what's rightfully mine? Fat chance!"
"Fancy Pants, why are you carrying a boulder?" Shining Armor asked.
"A boulder? This beautiful baby is a diamond." Fancy Pants spoke up "And it's all mine!"
"I knew you would never actually share it with us." Big Macintosh lied "I never saw the appeal of such shiny stuff."
"Want a penny for your laughs?" Braeburn hissed "Cause I ain't gonna let you make fun of me anymore."
"I don't need to make fun of you Braeburn." Fancy Pants replied "You make that too easy."
"What did you just say?!" Braeburn asked.
"Knock it off you two!" Shining Armor interrupted "There's no time for us to be fighting. We've got to find Thunderlane and Soarin." under his breath Shining Armor added "Assuming Discord hasn't already gotten to them as well."
"Oh, I will in due time Shining Armor." Discord said to himself, watching from above "I'm already halfway through breaking up The Elements of Harmony. Thunderlane is up next. This is gonna be like taking candy from a baby."
Compared to Fluttershy, Thunderlane was a lot braver. But in a situation like this, even he was incredibly on edge. He hadn't felt this afraid since the night of The Grand Galloping Gala, when Fluttershy went crazy.
"I'm not scared. I'm not scared." he muttered to himself, trying to pluck up courage. It wasn't working.
"Thunderlane?" an unknown voice called out.
"Who said that? Where are you?" Thunderlane asked.
"Look behind you." the voice called again. Thunderlane did so, and he found himself looking at a trio of butterflies. He didn't know that these butterflies were actually Discord in disguise "Looks like you've been left behind once again by your so called 'friends' hum?"
"Oh no, I'm sure it's not that." Thunderlane replied "I know they're looking for me, and I know they won't stop until they do. It's only a matter of time."
"Yes, well maybe you'd change your tune if you only knew how they really feel about you." the butterflies encouraged "And the truth is, they consider you weak and helpless."
"Please, do you really expect me to fall for that?" Thunderlane chuckled "You must have me mistaken with somepony else. I know I'm not weak and helpless, and my friends know that too. You just can't see it because we're seperated at the moment."
The butterflies were losing patience "But doesn't it just burn you up about how they're always pointing out your flaws and weak spots?"
"Maybe a little, but I know they're just trying to help." Thunderlane replied "I'm lucky to have friends who appreciate me for who I am, and just want me to be the best that I can be."
"Oh for goodness sake! You just don't know when to give up!" Discord said crossly, dropping his disguise.
"Discord!" Thunderlane gasped, before he could do anything however, Discord tapped him on the head with one of his paws. This brought him under Discord's influence.
"You've been kind for far too long my dear boy! It's time for you to be cruel! Arrivederci loser!" Discord shouted, and disappeared in a flash of white light.
Shining Armor and the others, stumbled across Thunderlane a few seconds later. When Shining Armor saw that even Thunderlane's body had a duller tone, he was quite upset. "Oh Thunderlane, I was hoping I'd run into you. But not like this. Discord's crazy game is getting to everyone, and I can see that he's out to stop us at every turn."
"Aw boo hoo hoo!" Thunderlane snapped "Go cry me a river why don't you?! You're the leader, so why don't you just wave your magic little horn and make everything okay again?!"
"Uh.." Shining Armor replied.
"Oh, that's right, I forgot! You don't have one!" Thunderlane said crossly, and he smacked Shining Armor with his tail.
Shining Armor wasn't hurt, but he was upset. He watched as Thunderlane shoved Braeburn into a wall, and then continued on his way as if nothing had ever happened.
Big Macintosh couldn't help but laugh at what he had seen.
"And just what do you think you're laughing at cousin?" Braeburn hissed.
"Uh, chocolate milk?" Big Macintosh lied.
"I'm watching you!" Braeburn said furiously, and he set off.
"I can't believe this is happening." Shining Armor thought to himself "Oh Soarin, wherever you are, be careful. Discord is sure to stop at nothing to turn you against us. You can't let him win! You're our only hope!"
"Shining Armor, you just never learn." Discord said, smirking with triumph "Thunderlane may have taken more effort than I expected, but I know I've got Soarin all figured out. Consider this checkmate!"
Soarin was racing through the labyrinth as fast as he could. He was determined not to let anything stop him. He had no way of knowing that Discord was already laying in wait for him.
Suddenly, a cloud similar to the one Soarin had for a cutie mark appeared in front of him. The lightning bolt that shot out of it matched the one on Soarin's cutie mark perfectly. Soarin knew that couldn't be a coincedence, and chased after it. His chase ended when he came face to face with none other than Discord himself.
"Ah, so you found me." Discord called, laying on a cloud stretched out like a hammock between two trees. A pair of sunglasses obscured his eyes from the sunlight.
"Alright Discord, come off of that cloud and put up your dukes!" Soarin shouted "I'm taking you down right here, right now!"
"Please, don't make me laugh." Discord chuckled "You wouldn't last ten seconds. Besides, I'm just here to deliever a message."
"Oh yeah, well I'm here to deliver my own message!" Soarin said stubbornly "Go back to wherever it is you came from, or suffer my wrath!"
"Arrogant as always I see." Discord replied, his mood changing "But you'd be wise to listen to this one Soarin, because it's a real game changer. A weighty choice is yours to make. The right decision, or a big mistake. And if it's the wrong choice that you choose to pursue, then the foundations of home will crumble without you." And with a snap of his fingers, Discord made the cloud that Soarin had been chasing earlier, appear in front of him.
And as it began to spin around, Soarin saw Cloudsdale begin to collapse. He saw Rainbow Dash trying in vain to save it from its impending doom. And he saw his teammates scrambling to rescue as many pegasi as they could before it was too late. Worst of all, however, he saw the horrified looks on the faces of those who either could not or would not leave. They were begging for Soarin to come and save them, but that would never happen. All Soarin could do was let out a big "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" as he watched Clousdale fall apart. He had no idea that this was all a part of Discord's hyponitism, and that his whole body had taken on a duller tone.
Discord smirked, and made an orange present with a red ribbion appear in front of him. "Look Soarin." he called "That box there contains your wings. Now then, you have a decision to make. You can take your wings and leave the game to go save Cloudsdale, knowing that you'll be betraying your friends, or you can stay in the game and continue your search with your friends, but dooming Clousdale in the process. The choices are yours and yours alone, but I'd be quick about it if I were you."
Shining Armor grew more and more worried as the minutes passed without any sign of Soarin. But for better or worse, Discord had not made any sort of major announcement. Shining Armor continued to hold out hope that Soarin would be able to resist Discord's mind games.
"Well, look who's decided to support his friends." Big Macintosh spoke up "I knew that Soarin could never be trusted, but no one would ever listen to me."
"Okay, now I know that has to be a lie." Shining Armor replied "Soarin would never betray us." But when he looked up, he saw Soarin flying away. And when he saw that Soarin's body had an all too familiar dull tone to it, he realized that Discord had gotten to him. "No." Shining Armor said glumly "Why did you give in Soarin? Why?"
At that moment, there came a loud rumbling sound, and the ground began to shake violently. The labyrinth walls slowly began to crumble and fade away, and when the dust had settled, there stood Discord. "Well, it seems like somepony forgot about the 'No flying no magic rule'." he said crossly "And you know what that means." he snapped his fingers, and gave back what he had taken from Shining Armor and his 'friends' earlier "Keep your wings, horns, and earth pony magic. They'll do you no good. The game's over my little ponies! You didn't find your missing Elements of Harmony. And now it's time for a little weather report. I hope you've all packed your umbrellas, because it looks like we might due for a big old storm of chaos." Discord chuckled, as a pink umbrella appeared in one of his hands. When he opened it, it let out a "meow". Lightning began to flash, as Discord stood trimuphant.
"How can this be?" Shining Armor thought to himself "How did we lose?"