Friendship is a Quantum Infinite

by angelicoreXX

Chapter 3: As the Statue Falls

You’d be horribly wrong if you thought frosting could not have solved all the world’s problems. There wasn’t a hint of guilt, shame, or grief in all of Ponyville, only sore stomachs. The party lasted far into the night with every generous portion of cake, song and dance the tiny little town could’ve handled. If there was any doubt left that Pinkie Pie didn’t know how to slap a smile across everyone’s face, it had certainly been given its own unmarked grave, unless of course you were blind, deaf, and missing your tongue and lower jaw. Then that’d be understandable. One thing was for sure, nobody was getting up on time the next morning.

Eventually the next day got underway. Twyla and Twilight Sparkle found themselves at the wild karaoke bar in the town’s square. Looking at it from the outside, Twyla wouldn’t have guess there’d be anything unusual about it, and there probably wasn’t.

“So this is where your birthday party took place last night?” the magical little pony asked.

“Apparently. It definitely didn’t look anything like this on the way in, that’s for sure.” Twyla tried to twist the nob but the door was locked up tight. Something was off, but it was still far too early in the day for any bar to be open she thought.

“Well? How did it look like beforehand?”

Twyla wasn’t exactly sure which way to describe a typical city block, “Dirtier?”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. The type of ‘Earth’ that these humans inhabited must’ve been a very messy place.

“Who exactly owns this bar?” Twyla peaked through the stained cottage windows.

“I’m not exactly sure. I’d have to check the Ponyville records to find out.” Twilight tried to open the door with her horn, “Strange that it’s locked though…”

Twyla laughed, “It’s a karaoke bar, Twilight.”

“Okay, really. What in Equestria is ‘karaoke’?”

“You know, a place you go to sing horribly, act stupid, and get tipsy with your friends.” Twyla felt like she was explaining the subject to one of her students.

“Why do you need to go into a bar just to sing? Can’t humans just sing outside? And what the hay is a ‘Tipsy’?”

Twyla sighed, “Ugh, that’s not really the point. You ponies are so darn cute and innocent. I’ll explain it to you when you’re older.” There was no resisting that last part and there was certainly no resisting the laugh riot afterwards.

“Just what’s that supposed to mean?!” this wasn’t helping either.

Twyla searched for a distraction, and conveniently found one just a ways behind her. A small group of stereotypical scruffy ponies were trying their best to put the crumbled statue of Princess Celestia back together, and they weren’t alone. Raine and Rainbow dash were throwing double their weight around getting the job done.

Somehow they had all managed to piece together the statue back to its original state. Although filled with cracks, it still fit the spitting image, more or less anyway. Dash bit down on a rope tied to one end of the bust and with a few sharp wing flaps got it into the air while Raine grabbed the other end and lifted with all her might. A few grunts later and the crippled sculpture finally made it atop the fountain centerpiece.

Raine swept her brow just in time for Rainbow Dash to swoop in for a fist to hoof bump.

“Good to see I didn’t tear that shoulder.” Raine grinned.

Dash laughed, “As if you ever could.”

The two snapped an even glare at each other. There was a uniform level of respect for one another, but either one would’ve leapt on the opportunity to best the other given the chance.

‘Where does this ‘human’ get off stealing my mane style from anyway? I ought to fly rings around that empty-headed flat-chested poser for that alone.’

‘Look at those dinky blue wings. I could snap those off, fry them up and dip them in ranch, and she’d be done for. I should probably chain her down and eat them right in front of her too.’

Twyla and Twilight strolled over just in time for the statue’s ropes to come undone. It was basically as perfect as you could get in the same way a super glued ceramic vase might look perfect.

“Looks good, but those cracks simply won’t do!” Twilight checked a spell book from her saddle pack and focused the magical energies in her horn. A brilliant light detonated from the tip and smacked right into the sculpture, throwing her back upon her flank.

Twyla lifted the little pony back onto her hooves, “That’s an improvement, I suppose.”

The cracks had been perfectly healed and the bust actually looked far more pristine than before, except for the perfectly symmetrical cut down the middle. It took all of Raine and Dash’s efforts just to keep the thing from collapsing all over again.

“You know Twilight, I’m actually a pretty good ‘spell’ checker.” Twyla snorted.

The purple pony was about ready to try out some experimental spells on her new friend.

“A little help here maybe?!” Dash cried with a grunt.

“Oh, right!” Twilight checked her book and let out another spell just in time to seal the statue, correctly this time.

The two competitors sighed, wondering why they hadn’t gotten a Unicorn to do all of that in the first place.

Just then, a symphony of greetings and hellos skipped down the town’s road, “Oh hiya guys! Did you all have fun last night? I know I did it. It was probably one of the best parties I’ve ever thrown!” Pinkie Pie giggled.

“Where did you even get that mammoth party tank, whatever it was from, Pinkie?” asked Dash.

“Oh, I have them hidden all over town, just in case of mammoth party tank emergency.”

The others couldn’t but stare off in every direction, wondering where even just one of the things could’ve possibly been hidden.

Pinkie cackled, “Just kidding! Where would I even fit something that huge? That’s just way too big to keep hidden around town with all my other little surprises and emergency supply kits. You guys are silly!”

Twilight couldn’t help but roll her eyes, and neither could anybody else, “Okay look, we still have a lot to talk about. Clearly there’s something more to all of you being here in this world. Let’s meet back at my place and we’ll move on from there, got it?”

“Should I bring some cake? I still have plenty from last night!” Pinkie suggested.

Raine nearly threw up at the thought.

“Alright’y then, Flutters. Meet you back at Twilight’s.” Fluttershy waved as Rainbow Dash zipped off from the yellow Pegasus’ cottage.

Fluttershy floated over to her new neighbor who had just laid out some kibble for a few of the cats, “It looks like Twilight wants us all to gather at her place.”

“Oh, that sounds wonderful. We’ll finally have a chance to sit down and get to know each other.” Fiona giggled for a moment, “Without a mouthful of cake this time at least.”

The two laughed softly.

“You go on ahead, Fluttershy. I’ll finish up here and catch up with you, okay?”

Fluttershy nodded and flew off, incredibly appreciative of her new friend’s passion for animals. Fluttershy was the very last person to burden anyone with her own responsibilities, but as far as Fiona was concerned this was a dream come true. It was just like her apartment back home, except there was actually some decent ventilation.

Fiona had just finished laying out some treats into a few of the doggie bowls. She smiled as some of the most adorable puppies she’d ever seen galloped over and fumbled their way over the kibble. The little mutts had probably spilled out half of their food before they even finished, but Fiona didn’t mind one bit. In fact, it sent her into a giggle fit. It was as if everything in this world was specifically designed to be ridiculously adorable.

She straightened her sweater and made her way out of the cottage. A few shouts and laughs abruptly caught her attention as she shut the door.

“Ha-ha! Derpy’s a lying turkey! Derpy’s a lying turkey! Derpy’s a lying turkey!” a gang of hackneyed thugs were flying about, haunting the little gray Pegasus as she made her way down the dirt road. She was doing her best to balance a rather large blueberry muffin over her noggin while her attackers were taking turns mocking her, hoping that she’d drop the treat.

Fiona huffed and dashed over to shoo away the bullies, but before she could find her handy dandy pepper spray, Derpy tripped into a mud puddle. Her muffin tumbled and rolled helplessly until it reached Fiona’s slippers. By now, the assailants had long flown off, cackles echoing throughout the clouds above.

The pony’s wobbled eyes began to water as Fiona picked up the now crumpled muffin, “I-I’m sorry I couldn’t stop them in time. Here, this is…” at this point, she wasn’t sure if the muffin was even salvageable.

Derpy covered her face and began to shutter.

Fiona set aside the muffin and helped the little pony out of the mud, “It’s alright, it’s alright. Hey, why don't you let me bake you another one? My name’s Fiona, erm… Derpy was it?” she wasn’t sure what kind of mother would name their child such a terrible thing.

The pony wiped a tear from her cheek, “M-My name’s actually Ditzy. Ditzy Doo… but everypony just calls me ‘Derpy’. Mostly because of my, well… you get the idea.”

Fiona gasped, “But that’s so mean! Why would they pick on you like that? It’s not your fault if you have a condition!”

“It’s just that, well, I am a bit clumsy at times, mostly because of that ‘condition’. Like yesterday… I guess I hit my head so hard that I didn’t even notice what happened.” The bump on Ditzy’s head had only gotten worse today, and Rainbow Dash’s punch certainly hadn’t helped. “I was so startled that I panicked and flew as fast as I could. I had assumed it was you, since I wasn’t looking where I was going. I… really hurt my head, but I-I’m really sorry that I got Ponyville so upset at you and your friends. I didn’t mean to lie, honest! I was just confused… as always.”

Fiona hollowed into a frown. She swatted some of the dirt from the pony’s mane while she thought of something helpful to say.

“I spent all night baking that muffin. I-”

“Wait, you didn’t go to Pinkie’s party last night?”

“How could I have? Everypony was so upset with me. I couldn’t bear to face them. I just went home after Pinkie Pie showed up. I couldn’t even sleep last night, I was so embarrassed! The only think I could think about was somehow making up for what I did…” Ditzy sighed and another tear found its way down her cheek. She sniffled, “And I couldn’t even get that right…”

Fiona’s heart ached for the little pony, but before she could wipe the tear from her golden eye, Ditzy pulled away.

“Look, I-I’m really, really sorry about yesterday, Fiona. I shouldn’t have been such a klutz. I-I’ll just be going now… ”

Fiona was normally too passive, too meek and mild to ever make a stand. She watched as Ditzy galloped down the road with her head tucked low. She reached out, and something, somewhere down in the pit of her stomach shouted as loud as it could, “Wait!”

Ditzy soon disappeared into the distant forest against the horizon, followed by a trail of teardrops.

Instinct took over, Twilight’s meeting be damned. Fiona’s legs began to move all on their own and soon enough she was running as fast as she could down that dirt road. The forest up ahead looked scary, but she knew something deep down that felt even scarier. Fiona had known what it was like to be alone for most of her life, to be humiliated and picked on, without any friends at all. If not for Twyla and the others, she may have accepted that fate for herself long ago, but she’d sooner die than allow anyone else to suffer on their own like that.

“Look, we’ll just have to start without her, alright.” Twilight had kept the others waiting long enough. She was anxious, although it was great having what might be considered ‘sisters’ or perhaps clones by more realistic standards, Twilight couldn’t help but feel something was very wrong, “Fluttershy, could you bring Fiona up to speed the next time you see her?”

“Of course. She’s probably just occupied with all of those cute fuzzy animals after all.” She giggled.

“Sounds like good ol’ Fiona.” Aprile agreed.

“Yeah, at least your animals have some breathing room.” Laughed Raine.

“W-What do you mean?” Fluttershy was suddenly concerned.

Twyla rolled her eyes, “It really isn’t her fault. It’s just, well…”

The purple unicorn was doing her best to get a word in over the actual topic at hand.

“Well, what? Don’t they have grassy meadows and farms where you’re all from?” Rarity couldn’t help but question the doubt as well.

“Well of course we do, dear, it’s just… I guess Fiona can’t afford all that right now.” Regina shrugged.

“She’s not poor, she just lives in a tiny apartment! Not as tiny as mines of course. Mine’s is the tiniest!” the definition of tact was lost on Piper.

Aprile rolled her eyes, “Cut it out, you’re making Fiona look-”

Twilight slammed the heaviest book she could find in her house, “Now listen! This is important!”

The room shook still, finally getting her guests attention. The crash had almost woken Spike from his nap, but the little dragon was too drunk with frosting from the night before.

Twyla however, was proud. The unicorn was still a bit rusty, but that was an efficient teacher in the making.

“Now look, ever since I’ve met you guys, I’ve sensed a strange aura around each of you. You clearly didn’t just waltz right into our world. You must’ve been sent here, by something, or even someone!”

Twilight strolled about the room, starring back at the clones as they categorically sat next to one another, “There’s a reason we’re all here like this. I mean look at us! Aprile and Applejack both have apple farms… same blonde hair and mane! Heck, even a hat to boot!” She dashed over to the Dashes, “You two are one of the most obvious! Raine, Rainbow! You’re both athletic, strong, competitive, and that blasted hair again! And you two! You both look identical and you both have a passion for fashion. And-And even further with the two of you! Sheesh your love of cakes and pastries, and your both obsessed with smiles and spazzing about. And don’t even get me started with you Fluttershy, your coat even matches her sweater exactly! Not to mention your mutual obsessions with cute animals.” Twilight finally turned to face her own doppelganger, “Well I’m not a teacher though, but besides that-”

“My book collection is actually much bigger than yours. There’s a reason why I live in a three bedroom condo by myself.” Twyla was quite proud of geekiness.

“It’s actually kind of scary.” Raine added, “It’s like the walls in her house are made out of bookcases.”

“Hey, it makes the place cozy!”

Dash couldn’t hold it in any longer, “Geez Twilight, looks like you got some competition for the egghead of the year award.” Raine and Dash both shared in a good laugh.

The purple unicorn stomped a hoof, “This is serious! I mean the odds of two exact groups of people and ponies behaving the same way, looking exactly the same, and having the same interests and careers between two dimensions is quite literally in the quadrillions! The physical universe’s collapse? Interdimensional collision? There has to be something more to all of this.”

“She’s right. Our likenesses are uncanny, and it’s not like we stepped through a doorway or something. What, or who could’ve possibly brought us here?” Twyla pondered cupping her chin.

To be honest, the others had basically connected the dots on their own already, but their questions had remained the same. It was nice to essentially have a best friend pop out of nowhere, but why?

Footsteps scampered down the wooden stairwell. Spike thumped his chest a few times and a blast of green fire finally left his gut, thwapping Piper over the head with a glittering roll of parchment, “Oh, my bad, Piper.”

“Ooh, this is pretty!” Piper nearly fell over and crushed her little partner in baking.

Pinkie Pie managed to lift the girl back up onto her seat somehow, “Ugh! Oh hey! That’s one of Princess Celestia’s scrolls!”

“Princess?!” begged the entire human collective.

“Of course, don’t you guys have Princesses in your world?” asked Dash, to which the humans tried their best to hide a chuckle.

“Not… really, at least not outside of story books anyway.” Twyla couldn’t help but giggle. It was actually becoming quite difficult to take this place seriously anymore.

Twilight almost tripped over her own hooves in her frantic attempt to reach the scroll. She plucked it out of Piper’s frazzled pink hair and read it aloud, “Dear Twilight Sparkle, it is of most importance that you report to Canterlot immediately. I must speak privately with you as well as your new otherworldly friend. Signed, Princess Celestia.”

“Looks like you were right about all this, Twilight.” Applejack was already starting to feel nervous.

“What could this possibly mean?” asked Fluttershy.

“My worst suspicions are coming true. There’s only one pony, one being capable of such raw magical authority in all of Equestria with the power to do this.” Twilight didn’t even have to mention the name.

“Now wait just one moment here!” Rarity intervened, “Why would he be transporting ponies and people between dimensions like this? What would be the point in that?”

“Besides! W-We already defeated him!” Dash added.

“Defeated who…?” Twyla raised a brow.

Twilight turned to the human, “I’ll explain it to you on the way over. You and I have a train to catch. As for the rest of you, it might be best to get to know each of our counterparts better until the dust settles. I’ll call up another meeting as soon as Twyla and I have returned.”

They all nodded in agreement.

“Alright Twyla, let’s go.” The egg headed duo rolled out for their departure.

With class dismissed, the other ponies and people alike went on with their daily routines with quite a bit on their minds. Fluttershy couldn’t help but worry about Fiona. Being of the same fabric, the meek little Pegasus couldn’t imagine herself being so featherbrained that she’d skip out on such an important meeting.

Eventually Fluttershy made it to her dainty cottage on the edge of town. A discarded muffin along the dirt road caught her attention, “This looks like one of Ditzy’s mufins. What was she doing all the way out here?” She called out for her roommate, but found no reply.

Cautiously, she entered her cottage only to be greeted by the same familiar faces, “Oh, hello Angel. Say, have you seen our guest anywhere?”

The little white bunny shook its head. None of Fluttershy’s generic puppy-eyed creatures knew anything. Minute by minute, the day was slowly becoming more uncertain.

A locomotive that looked like it was made out of Easy-Bake ovens huffed and puffed down a winding set of tracks along a beautiful snowy mountainside. In the distance, the royal spires of Canterlot were already beginning to peek over the horizon.

Twyla had been too busy reenacting ‘Star Guitar’ as the scenery sped past the train window to really listen to the unicorn’s ramblings, but she did her best to at least pretend she was paying attention.

“As I was saying, Discord is a vile trickster, a demon of chaos itself. He spent generations warping reality and making life a living nightmare for ponies all over Equestria.”

“What sort of Nightmares…?” Twyla could only think of something out of her fantasy novels, but then again, she might as well have been inside one at this point.

“Literal chaos itself. Long ago, Princess Celestia and her sister Luna managed to defeat him with the Elements of Harmony, but after the Elements were transferred to us, Discord managed to escape his stone imprisonment and came for us all. It was awful! Chocolate rain, clouds made of cotton candy, fields filled with popcorn, soap covered roads…”

“That actually sounds pretty tasty, except that last part-”

“Day and night switching back and forth within seconds!” Twilight abruptly continued, “Homes being lifted out of the ground and turned upside down, checker boards everywhere, the wildlife going crazy, trees filled with bubbles! But the absolute worst part of all of it…”

Twyla was expecting the next disaster to be flying pigs.

“The worst part was what he did to us! He corrupted our minds, darkened our hearts, and pitted each of us against one another. He did everything he could to destroy our friendship and the friendships of everypony around Equestria.” Twilight gazed out over the window to the approaching Canterlot, “Discord’s chaos is beyond evil itself. His only reasoning for misery is a good laugh. If it wasn’t for our persistence, we might not have been so lucky last time.”

“How can you be sure any of this is his doing?” Twyla asked, “I mean, the world seems fairly sane. The only difference is that my friends and I are lost.”

“No! There’s definitely a hint of his magic at work here. I’d remember that wicked smell better than anypony else.”

Twyla choked down a laugh, “Did you just say any‘pony’ else?”

“Besides! There’s no ‘pony’else with that kind of magical power.”

Twyla lost it.

“And what’s so funny? This is serious, Twyla!”

Soon enough, the colorful locomotive came to a stop at the most elegant train station Twyla had ever seen. Twilight skipped out of the railcar while Twyla had to hunch over a bit just to escape. The cute rounded nature of just about everything in this world was starting to become a downright hindrance.

The visiting school teacher was overcome by the intricate architecture. The castle spires seemed to stretch on even beyond the clouds. It even put the brim of Osgiliath to shame. How mere horses of all creatures were able to construct such a beautiful citadel was a complete enigma.

An escort of stallions clad in golden armor met the two visitors, “Ah! Twilight Sparkle, the Princess has been waiting. And I suppose this is the newcomer to our world?”

“Twyla’s the name, but wait a second. How did she know I was here?”

“She’s the princess of Equestria, my dear.” The guard introduced, “Graciously, she brings about the sun and the moon each day and night and fills our world with a delicate balance of harmony. It shouldn’t be any surprise to you that our Princess would be aware of your arrival.”

Now as a teacher, Twyla’s instinct was to correct the stallion of his grave astronomical error, but on the other hand, she thought it might be wise not to start an inquisition.

“Come my dears, there’s no time to waste. The Princess must see you both at once!” and with that they were off to speak with her majesty.

The Everfree forest was no place for unsuspecting ponies, let alone a human. It was unfortunate for Fiona that no one had warned her of all the black thorns and monstrous foliage that seemed to take turns snapping bites at her. Fiona’s Easter yellow sweater was covered in cuts and leaves. She couldn’t help wishing that she’d brought along a bowie knife on her travels. They probably didn’t make butter knives sharp enough for such a chase but Fiona really didn’t see the difference.

“Ditzy! Ditzy, where are you?” she cried out. The tone didn’t carry very far but she was doing her best until a sharp branch swatted her across the face. She let out a yelp and went for a somersault, nearly cracking open her head against the ground. Fiona winced, not so much from the aching bruise on the back of her head, but from the gashes laced over her eye lids. She could hardly open her eyes, but she definitely smelled the hint of blood dripping down her cheeks.

With a groan, she somehow managed to climb back up to her feet and leaned into a nearby tree, doing all she could to keep the blood out of her eyes. Fiona was already fairly deep into the forest as it was and now she was as good as blind. She felt like a regular Dennis Nedry lost outside of his Jeep. Hopefully there weren’t any Dilophosaurs stalking about, and it was probably around this point where a flood of Jurassic Park nightmares came scampering and shrieking out of Fiona’s childhood.

Utterly terrified, she searched and stumbled in complete darkness, her only guides were the two frantic arms ahead of her, “Ditzy! Ditzy, it’s okay!” despite bleeding out of her eyes, something close to a concussion, and walking through a sting or scratch every couple of yards, all Fiona could think of was that little gray Pegasus and how abandoned she must’ve felt. On and on she fumbled, expecting her heart to lead her off a cliff at any moment. Maybe next time she would’ve packed a bright yellow hooded overcoat to keep all her fears away.

A couple of branches cracked about ten steps behind her. Fiona froze in place, hoping whatever it was had sight based on movement. As quietly as she could, she inched out another step on what was clearly dirt, but yet another twig snapped, and then the very next thing she heard was a gnarled hiss.

Compared to each of the other marshmallow based ponies, this mare certainly was much more beautiful, graceful, and certainly taller. Twyla had never seen such a flowing rainbow colored mane before, nor had she ever really been in the company of so called ‘royalty’, “Oh, hello. My name is Twyla. I-It’s a pleasure to meet you, your… highness?”

“The pleasure is all mines, and please dear, just call me Celestia.”

Twyla couldn’t help but gawk at all of the Princess’ fancy adornments and shimmering white coat. With such a giant tattoo of the sun itself on her ass, she must’ve had some sort of cosmological influence Twyla thought. She had been trying her best to swallow down her giggles all day.

“Act normal.” Twilight whispered, knocking her friend in the shin.

The Princess cleared her throat, “It’s been quite some time since one of your kind has set foot into my world, and although I would love to pick your brain over what your world is like now, there are simply more urgent matters to discuss. Come to the sculpture garden my dears, we have a bit of a… situation, which I fear may be related to your trip here.”

With guards in tow, the three traveled down a flight of stairs and out into the blinding orchard.

“It’s Discord isn’t it, Princess Celestia? How could he have possibly escaped his stone imprisonment?”

“Well, erm, it isn’t exactly that simple.” The white alicorn stammered, feeling it was better simply to show the two.

Near the center, stood a stone mantle with various educational labels of the Draconequus’ dark past. He had escaped his fate once before but the Princess had made sure her trophy was placed back into the garden where it belonged. This time however, the statue lay completely shattered in the grass below surrounded by guards and yellow caution tape.

As enthusiastic as Twilight was over her theory, she had honestly hoped to be mistaken. Her eyes darted in every direction, expecting elephants to fall from the sky at any moment.

“So this was Discord?” Twyla couldn’t tell its pony end from its snake end. She could’ve sworn there was a bird’s talon in the rumble as well.

“Yes Twyla. Discord was what we call a ‘Draconequus’-” the Princess began.

“Which is definitely Latin for ‘Dragon Horse’, a mish-mash of creatures, etcetera, but how could he have gotten loose?” finished Twyla.

The Princess was surprised to hear such specific knowledge from such an alien visitor, “My, my! I’m impressed. You certainly are my faithful student’s twin.”

Twilight had been working hard to shelter her jealousy all day, but this was becoming absurd.

“I am a teacher after all, from where I’m from anyway, and I could easily see your ‘faithful student’ following a similar career.” Twyla winked at the purple unicorn, wanting to share in the praise, “But, please, do go on.”

“Oh, uhm, yes, as I was saying. We found the statue destroyed early yesterday. I had sent my top agents all over Equestria to search for any signs of Discord, but all reports have returned completely empty.” Celestia stepped forward and glanced down at what was once part of Discord’s repulsive face, “It’s almost as if he rotted from the inside out, but I’m afraid that isn’t the case either.”

The two bookworms got a closer look and examined the ruins.

“One of my loyal guards on duty the night before had seen a figure shadowing the garden. He pursued them only to witness the fugitive destroy the statue. And with a brilliant light, they disappeared.”

A minor detail caught Twyla’s eye, “Well, at least we can safely say that this Discord character is definitely no longer with us.” She slumped to a knee and lifted up a heavy piece of the demon’s torso, “Ugh, see…? If this was all just the remains of his imprisonment, then we’d find empty shells across the garden, but these pieces are completely solid, which would lead me to guess that this is really all that’s left of him.” Twyla dropped the chunk, and would’ve continued with on with her conclusion had she not dropped it on her foot. She let out a grunt and began hopping about, hoping she hadn’t stupidly broken something.

“…I-I had figured as much.” Agreed the Princess, “It’s been far too quiet around Equestria. He would’ve done something by now, but perhaps the fugitive may have had something to do with your arrival here, seeing as both events occurred on the same day.”

“Could it be possible that whoever ‘killed’ Discord may have also stolen his powers?” Twilight posed, unsure of how it could’ve been relevant to the humans.

“I’d be willing to stake my royal title on that wager. If it’s true, then we need to find out exactly whose trying to impersonate Discord, and fast before they have the chance to strike.”

It wasn’t hard to imagine any pony in Equestria wanting Discord dead, but why would they want his powers too? Hadn’t everypony in Equestria felt Discord’s wrath in some way already? Why would anypony desire such a thing Twilight wondered? Who would want to follow in his hoofsteps?

Blood flow had finally returned to Twyla’s foot, “Well, where do you think we should start investigating, Ms. Celestia?”

“I’ve already received reports from the farthest ends of Equestria with no signs of trouble, and I’ve ordered my agents to remain in position in case our suspect finally reveals themselves. If the appearance of you humans is in any way connected to this case, then they may attempt contact with you. Until further notice, I would suggest the both of you return to Ponyville and carry on with your daily routines. I already have my eyes and ears in Ponyville, but if either of you sees anything out of the ordinary, do not hesitate to send me a letter right away.”

“Yes, ma’m.” Twyla nodded.

“Now before you both go, Twlight my protege, I must have a word with you privately.”

Twilight smiled and nodded, pleased to finally get some real attention from the Princess, “Twyla, if you wouldn’t mind…”

“Oh, of course, I’ll meet you back at the train station, alright?” she nodded and bowed to the alicorn, “It’s been a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Celestia.”

The Princess bowed her head, “It’s a shame that we’re taxed for time like this. We really must chat again in the future, Twyla. Now my dear Twilight, please follow me.”

“I must say darling, for a creature with hooves instead of fingers, you certainly know your way around fabric.” Regina did a twirl in her new gown. Its white silver silk glimmered in the window light. Practical, yet elegant, it flowed from two corners suspended just below her collar bone down to a tight fit around the waste and then further again down towards her black stilettos. There was a slit where her right knee exited the dress. Regina was beyond impressed. The gown somehow even managed to match her black designer short gloves.

Rarity batted a hoof, “Oh, think nothing of it. It’s the very least I could’ve done for you. I simply could not allow such heartbreak to continue.”

“Now, I’m sure my ‘human’ currency might not fare very well here, but how much would I owe you?”

“Oh! Please, don’t. This is just a courtesy. I simply couldn’t-”

“Now, now, this must’ve taken you a lot of work considering I’m no pony. How much would you typically charge for this? A few thousand at the very least I’d imagine.”

Rarity refused, but her guest would have none of it.

“Alright fine! Then at least allow me to repay my debt to you by assisting you around your salon. I’m sure you work very hard around here and I would love to put my talents to good use. It’s not like I’m going to be doing very much else around here anyway.”

The white unicorn was very tempted to take up the offer, but she didn’t want to burden her guest with unpaid work. That’d make her a terrible hostess.

Regina leaned in, almost tumbling the pony off of her work stool, “I’d bet you could use some well-deserved time off. You could get your, uhm, hooves pedicured or whatever you ponyfolk call it, spend some time at the spa, enjoy some personal time to yourself, etcetera. I’m sure someone of your charm and talents has a cute boyfriend. You’d have plenty of time for a romantic night out.”

Rarity laughed, trying to cover up her flushed cheeks, “Oh stop it! I haven’t dated in ages. You’re just too much Regina!”

Just then, the door flew open, knocking over a few pony shaped mannequins, “Rarity! Regina! You’ve gotta’ help!”

Rarity did her best to adjust her projects attached to the mannequins, “What exactly is the matter, Fluttershy…?”

“It’s Fiona! I’ve been looking for her all day! I can’t find her anywhere!” the yellow Pegasus was clearly panicked.

“She’s not at your cottage?” Regina begged.

“No! I’ve looked absolutely everywhere! I can’t find her! You guy’s gotta’ help me look for her!” Fluttershy was nearly ready to spring a leak.

Rarity trotted over and put her hooves around her, “It’s alright dear. Don’t you worry. We’ll help you find Fiona. She’s probably just gone and lost herself around town is all.”

Regina and the two ponies managed to make it to Fluttershy’s cottage, which was already surrounded by troops of concerned woodland creatures.

“Any sign of Fiona?” Fluttershy asked, to which her pet bunny Angel shook its head, “Oh dear! All I found when I arrived was this muffin. It looked like one of Ditzy’s muffins.”

Rarity easily saw the resemblance. Though by the look of the crumpled muffin, she couldn’t help but think that something terrible had happened.

The road caught Regina’s attention, “Hey look, two sets of tracks!” there was a clear path of both hoof and footprints, which happened to lead directly towards the forest ahead of them.

“Oh that’s just wonderful! They ran into the Everfree forest.” Rarity could only imagine the trouble those two had gotten themselves into by now.

“Everfree forest? Sounds pleasant enough.” Regina thought.

“Oh, it really isn’t.” the Pegasus countered, “It’s a pretty dark and scary place. The plants and animals there are all feral and downright scary! It’s no place for any person or pony.”

Regina sighed, knowing she had no choice but to go rescue her friend from what were probably some tribal cannibalistic ponies or some dinosaurs. She was going to need at least a machete for this.

Sitting at the edge of a cliff just beyond a clearing of forest, a little gray Pegasus watched as the sun began to caress a mountain top. Her face was pruned from all the tears she had spent, “I can’t even deliver the town’s mail properly half the time… What am I really worth to anyone but a few laughs anymore?”

Ditzy could hardly remember what the bubbles on her flank even meant. For a while she had assumed it had something to do with her ‘bubbly’ personality. Ponyville already considered her the village idiot anyway, the very least she could do was put a few smiles on everypony’s face while playing along with the part. The fact that her golden eyes were typically starring in complete opposite directions half the time certainly added to the effect. She used to imagine what it would be like if maybe once, just once, somepony could take her seriously. Maybe even invite her to a party where she wouldn’t just be the laughing stock.

“What do I even have going for myself anymore? At least I used to make them laugh before. Now they all just hate me, and I can’t even apologize for it. All I am now is just a failure at being a failure…” Ditzy might’ve been the very first pony in the history of Equestria to ever consider flying as high as she could and just disappearing off into space. At least that way, no pony would ever call her ‘Derpy’ ever again. One last tear fell from the cliff’s edge that day.

Ditzy managed to get on her shaky hooves and starred off into the sinking sky. She tried to flap her wings, but just didn’t have the courage in her broken heart.

Before she could consider the thought any further, a loud crash snapped a tree just behind her. Ditzy nearly stumbled off the cliff over the ruckus.

“Help!!” it was Fiona, who was wielding a crude stick that was probably too big for her anyway. She swung wilding in every direction while a fairly large Komodo dragon innocently toyed with his meal. The poor girl was covered in scrapes and forest rubbish, but there was an unmistakable bloody gash across her leg which immediately caught Ditzy’s eye.

“I-It’s you! Why did you follow me out here…?!”

“Ditzy?! Is that you?” Fiona shouted. Utterly blind, she had given up trying to keep the blood out of her eyes long ago, “Get out of here, Ditzy! I’ll distract it!” Fiona was doing her darndest to keep the dragon at bay while swinging her stick in the complete opposite direction.

“You’re gonna’ get yourself killed!”

Fiona was well aware of the situation, but she naively thought it would be better off that she get axed over Ditzy. The dragon went in for another strike of its claw, but luckily took a sharp stick to the eye. It let out a blood curdling cry and backed off for the moment. Fiona thought she’d hit a tree and immediately began swatting her stick about for good measure.

Ditzy’s wings flapped of their own will, and she zipped towards the monster without a second thought, “Hey ugly! Over here!” she taunted, buzzing around the dragon’s head like a pesky fly.

The beast tried to swipe at the nuisance but Ditzy was too quick for him. He spun about for a thrash of his tail which the Pegasus easily evaded and in return slammed her back hooves over the dragon’s head as hard as she could, “Take that!”

The Komodo dragon’s eyes pin wheeled while it fumbled right into another unintended smack to the face from Fiona’s blinded paranoia. The beast yelped and began to whimper before it finally scampered off into the trees.

Ditzy landed by Fiona’s side to check on her terrible leg, but even she got a slap over the head from the stick, “Ouch! What was that for?!”

“Oh, gosh I’m so sorry! Is that monster gone? Y-You see I’m-”

Ditzy suddenly noticed the girl’s face, which was covered in blood stains, “Your eyes! They’re covered in-!”

“Oh, uhm, yes. It was my fault really. I just wasn’t paying attention to where I was going!” Fiona giggled, which was the least she could do to keep her hopes up.

“We need to get you to a doctor! And your leg, that could be serious!”

“D-Do you happen to know what exactly it was that was attacking me?”

“It was a dragon! But it was a flightless one with a forked tongue. I forget what they call those…”

Fiona suddenly began to feel woozy. Having seen far too many documentaries from Indonesia about how the gigantic monitors hunt their prey. She knew exactly the predicament she was in. If this beast was anything like what she thought it was, then it definitely hunted with small venomous bites. A faint red silhouette of Ditzy began to spin until Fiona finally collapsed to the ground.

“Fiona! Oh gosh! I’m such a featherbrain! This is all my fault…” Just then, a figure caught the corner of Ditzy’s eye. She fluttered about to identify the shadow, but it had already vanished, “Who was that? Show yourself!”

Whoever it was, they had probably seen the entire scuffle unfold and they were certainly gone by now. Ditzy wanted to fly off and investigate, but she couldn’t bear to leave Fiona’s side. There was no water in sight, so the Pegasus grabbed the greenest forest leaf she could find and began to clean around Fiona’s eyes. She had to work quickly, and that gash on Fiona’s leg didn’t seem like it was supposed to be bruising into such a bright shade of purple so quickly. The only other thing Ditzy could think to do while she worked towards her RN degree was to consistently scream for help.

Even now, Twyla still couldn’t help but feel impressed by Canterlot’s architecture. Not even her flavor of the month medieval fantasy novels could describe a bastion anywhere near the detail seen here. She gazed down at her hands. How was it possible to conceive such intricate creations with only hooves? Almost aimlessly, she wandered around a market square, towering over hoards of elite sophisticates. There was a spiraled railing that led up the corner of a haberdashery. Twyla moved in to inspect the design. It was clearly handmade, or ‘hoofmade’ perhaps, and it was definitely sculpted out of hard oak.

“Something the matter my dear?” a suited stallion who was probably a connoisseur in something or another, complete with a cliché monocle approached the human. The other elitist ponies had already begun to whisper and kept an eye on the peculiar visitor.

“Oh, I’m sorry for acting so strangely.” Twyla scratched the back of her head, “It’s just that I’m new in Equestria and-”

“Ah yes, we’ve all read the ‘Canterlot daily’. You ‘humans’ arrived in Ponyville, yes? I’m sure you’re still getting used to a world filled with ponies and all, it must be quite the culture shock.” He said sarcastically.

The crowd gave a mild chortle.

“Oh, excuse me, I seem to have forgotten my manners.” He adjusted his bow tie, “They call me Mr. Fancypants, and you are, dear?”

It was quite possibly the stupidest name Twyla had ever heard of, but she gotten pretty good at retaining her outbursts of laughter since arriving in Equestria so stomaching the detail wasn’t too difficult, “My name’s Twyla. I’m a teacher …from Earth I guess. Though to be honest I’m not exactly sure how my friends and I got here.”

Mr. Fancypants pondered for a moment, “Perhaps the use of magic?”

“Magic! It all makes perfect sense now. Why hadn’t I put two-and-two together?”

“B-Beg your pardon?” the sophisticate raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, excuse me. I just couldn’t figure out how you ponies had created such magnificent towers and complex architecture, I mean, without the use of reticulated digits anyway.” Twyla flexed through her fingers.

“Digits? Oh, you mean your fingers? Yes well, we are ponies after all, with hooves!” He cleared his voice, “But we’ve gotten along quite well over the millennia, if I do say so myself.”

“Sheesh, I’m awful today. That was probably a bit rude of me. It’s just that I’m so impressed by the detail and craftsmanship.”

Mr. Fancypants smiled, and with his magical horn he paid for an apple from a nearby vendor. The apple glittered through the air and he offered the morsel to the human, “The Earth ponies and Pegasi do have to work quite hard to be creative, especially to keep up with today’s trends, but it certainly helps to cheat just a little bit.”

“Oh, thank you so much, sir.” Twyla happily took the apple into her palm and snacked a bite.

“Do they not have magic from where you’re from?” he asked.

Twyla gulped an apple chunk down, “At least not outside of our fairytale books.”

The stallion laughed, “I must say then you’re in for a surprise, allow me to show you what us Unicorns are capable of. There’s going to be quite the show later tonight, if you’d be so kind as to stay.”

Twyla was hoping her friend would take her time speaking with the Princess. An ordinary human couldn’t really afford to pass up such an occasion, especially one as nerdy as Twyla.

“Twilight Sparkle, have you ever wondered where the fabled Elements of Harmony originated from?” Princess Celestia had led her faithful student up to the top of Canterlot tower. Rows of stained glass shimmered off of the little unicorn and her mentor depicting many of Twilight and her friend’s quests and accomplishments.

“Well, I have thought about it, but I haven’t actually researched the topic to be honest. I know that must sound kind of silly for one of the Elements’ wielders to say, but-”

“That’s alright my dear. Outside this hall there isn’t exactly a lot written on their origins.” The two came to a large vault. Celestia unlocked the massive doors with her gallant horn. With a shine of a blinding blue light, the doors lifted and within them sat the precious case of the Elements. Celestia unlocked the case, her heart skipping a beat recollecting the last time she was forced to reveal these wonders, but there they sat, all six Elements of Harmony, “If you may recall, it was my sister Princess Luna and I who wielded these elements and used them to defeat Discord long ago.”

Twilight equally remembered the times she herself had to use her Element of Magic, but she couldn’t help but wonder what her Princess was leading up to.

“These Elements of Harmony are some of the very last treasures that remain of the Alicorn race, my race. During the early raids of Discord’s chaos, we Alicorns did all we could to fight back and defend the mortal Earth ponies, but not only did he cut us down from the skies, but he destroyed our beautiful world. He brought drought, disease, and famine to this realm unlike none we’d ever witnessed. Our race slowly swindled, and the few of us that were left used our powerful magic to enchant these treasures with the vast knowledge and power gained over millennia. If not for these very Elements, we may not have resurrected our world and put a stop to Discord’s tyranny.”

The little unicorn was in shock, she had never known that these mere rubies, diamonds, and jems of so called friendship had such a dreary past, “I-I’m so sorry, Princess. I had no idea.”

“The past is the past my child. What concerns me is the future.” The Element of Magic glowed in a series of brilliant colors, and Celestia carried it over to Twilight’s head, “My foresight sees dark and twisted times ahead of us. Times that my own kind had suffered long ago. These tribulations will not begin here however, not in Equestria, but in a faraway land. I fear that your new friends are in grave danger.”

“Danger? But from what?”

“I do not know, but we must be prepared for the very worst, my child. Sadly, due to the circumstances, I feel as if our Elements of Harmony may not be enough this time.”

Twilight was puzzled, “Why in Equestria would they not be enough? They’ve always worked before! As long as we have the power of friendship within our hearts, no evil can stop us!”

“And you would be exactly right to think that...” The look of worry was unmistakable in Celestia’s eyes, “In Equestria at least.”

“What do you mean?”

The Princess sighed, “I wish I knew more, I only know what my heart hints to me of the future. I will need to gather more information before I can verify my suspicions. Until then, I have some homework for you, Twilight.” Celestia smiled and a nearby vault glowed with her magic before finally opening. From it a number of scrolls and tomes glittered through the air, “I need you to study and research these spells for me. When the time comes, if it does at all, I will summon you.”

Twilight’s eyes sparkled in excitement, “T-Thank you Princess! It’s an honor as always!”

The Princess laughed softly and smiled before locking the Elements away in their tomb.

Twilight strolled down the Canterlot marketplace, wondering where her twin could’ve wandered off to. She was beginning to feel the weight of the books and scrolls stretching the seams of her saddle pack, “Where could that girl possibly be at this hour?” The sun had already set and many of the city’s shops were beginning to close.

In the distance, the unicorn could hear shouts and cheers. A couple of sophisticates galloped past Twilight, nearly knocking her over, “Hey! Watch it!” Not even an apology was spared, but they did drop a flyer. Twilight investigated the pamphlet, and a sudden look of disgust crossed her face, “Trixie…”

“Come one! Come all! Come and witness the amazing magic of the ‘Great’ and ‘Powerful’ Trixie!” each ‘R’ was horribly exaggerated.

A wagon had rolled into the city and had unfolded out an entire stage complete with a rather impressive fireworks show. A poof of smoke hit the stage and as it cleared an enthusiastic blue little unicorn took its place. The spectators cheered and applauded.

She smiled under her starry eyed mage hat and wizard coat, “Watch in Awe! As the great and powerful Trixie performs the most spectacular feats of magic ever witnessed by pony eyes!” the stage suddenly screamed in an even more dazzling display of pyrotechnics.

Twyla stuck out like a sore thumb in the crowd, being just about twice the size of every pony there. She was impressed by the show so far but was still waiting for the real magic to begin.

The audience oohed and awed as Trixie began performing her typical routine of parlor tricks. She made a beautiful bouquet of flowers appear out of thin air, then turned around and tossed it into the hooves of an elderly pony that was probably too old to get married anyway. Then, she took off her mage hat and reached inside.

“Oh great, a rabbit out of a hat trick. How typical.” Twyla thought to herself.

Instead the performer pulled out a flock of doves that took off into the night’s sky, to which Twyla rolled her eyes. The crowd was enjoying the simple show at least, and that was all the support the blue unicorn needed.

Trixie decided to raise the stakes, “Not impressed by the great and powerful Trixie, are you ‘human’?”

Twyla crossed her arms and shook her head.

“Well then! Come up on stage and assist me with some ‘real’ magic would you?”

Twyla sighed, expecting to be hit with the weakest of pranks. Feeling like too much of an adult in a world of toddlers, she made her way up the stage half expecting it to fall apart under her weight.

The blue unicorn rolled out a long table, which surprisingly fit Twyla’s height, “Please lie down and prepare to be amazed by the greatest magic seen in all of Equestria!”

“What’re you going to do? Saw me in half?” Twyla whispered as she lied down against the table.

Trixie shushed the girl and cleared her throat, “Prepare to be astounded beyond your wildest dreams!” She pulled out one of the biggest saws Twyla had ever seen and thrust it down into the teacher’s gut.

The crowd gasped and covered their faces in horror, as if they’d never seen such a cliché trick before. Twyla clenched her teeth, wondering why in the world she couldn’t feel the terrifying saw literally jamming through her torso. The tables split apart and rolled to either end of the stage, “Behold! The magic of-”

“Trixie! Put her back together this instant!” it was Twilight Sparkle, who had been ready to leave for Ponyville for quite some time now.

The performer gulped but quickly collected herself, “So i-it’s you! That confused little unicorn from that dreadful Ponyville!”

“I don’t have time for your cheap magic tricks! I said, put my friend back together. Now!”

“Or you’ll do what? Laughably flounder about like you did with that Ursa Minor?”

The audience began to whisper back and forth.

“That’s right folks! This laughable excuse for a unicorn summoned an Ursa Minor of all things to her own town just to show off her pathetic abilities! Would’ve gotten everypony gobbled up had I not stopped by just in time and saved the town!” Trixie scoffed.

“You… liar!!” Twilight couldn’t believe the nerve the magician was pulling out of her hat.

“Now, now. No need for petty insults. If you wish to challenge me, simply come out and do so! That is, if you ever wish to see your friend in one piece again.”

“Twilight, it’s okay, you don’t have to. Let’s just go.” Twyla could hardly believe the predicament she’d gotten herself into. She crossed her arms and legs on either end of the stage and waited for the fiasco to be over with.

Twilight was hardly one to show off. She had made it a point in her daily studies of magic to never use her powers unless they were actually needed, but this was simply too much for her to endure, “…Fine! If you’re going to act that way then throw everything you have at me!”

Trixie sneered, she’d only dreamt of this moment, “Then prepare for your ultimate demise!” Her horn glowed and spectacular balls of blue plasma appeared overhead. The crowds gasped and applauded, but were soon sent sprinting for their lives as the fireballs made their way towards the purple unicorn.

A pink barrier soon lifted itself around Twilight, stopping the fireballs dead on impact and sent them bursting into bustles of candy apples to the audience’s delight.

Another swing of Trixie’s horn and a ring of fire surrounded Twilight, ready to rise up and engulf her in a whirlwind of flames. But just as the tornado of fire began to spin, its color hued from a golden orange to green, until the rings of fire were nothing but beautiful orchid vines covered in pink flowers. The column of foliage split five ways revealing Twilight standing proud with her horn overflowing with radical energies.

Trixie snarled and commanded dozens of rope vines to slither towards her rival. She’d sooner constrict the purple unicorn into a coma than ever admit defeat. Unfortunately for her, the ropes changed their minds half way down the stage, and instead focused their attention towards Trixie herself. She was soon covered in ropes, hog tied and hanging helplessly by her hooves in midair, “Gah! Let me down immediately!! This isn’t the end of-!” Twilight took the opportunity to fill Trixie’s yap with a candy apple before finally hanging her from the top of the stage’s scaffolding like a Hearth's Warming Eve ornament.

Trixie yelped and muffled while she dangled by a rope. It was priceless. The audience laughed and applauded, all of them equally happy to have mouths filled with candy apple.

Twilight hopped up on stage and with her magic she reunited Twyla with her legs, “I hope you didn’t believe that garbage Trixie said about me.”

Twyla chuckled, “Oh please, Twilight. I’m a teacher. I know when someone’s lying after all.”

The two shared a laugh and couldn’t help but respond to the cheering audience with a pair of humble bows.

Ditzy, Rarity, Regina, and Fluttershy awaited the very worst news. That sickening smell of quarantined rooms and sanitized floors ran through the hospital’s lobby. Ditzy sat in a cold aluminum chair, thinking it might be preferable if she was in a trashcan instead.

Rarity picked up on the sentiment, “Now, now, don’t you dare blame yourself for any of this. It isn’t you fault.”

Ditzy could barely even muster up the words to disagree. The teardrops on her lap were beginning to pool.

Regina ruffled the gray pegasus’ mane, “Don’t worry, she’ll be fine. You’ll see.” she was probably the very last person to believe any of that, “Cheer up kiddo’.”

“I-It’s just that… I felt so horrible about yesterday. I didn’t mean to cause so much trouble for any of you. I ran off to be alone…” Ditzy sniffed and wiped a tear away, “I didn’t know she’d follow me into the forest like that. I wasn’t even in any trouble… and now look what I’ve caused. I’m the absolute worst. Everything I do hurts someone!”

“Now you listen here!” Fluttershy ‘barged’ into the conversation, “I bet you would’ve done the same thing if you saw somepony feeling terrible like that. She only did it because she cared about you. None of us would’ve wanted to see you like that and we certainly don’t want to see you like this now-”

The hospital entrance suddenly erupted, “Where is she?!” frantically darting through the door was Raine, followed by Piper and Aprile.

“What happened to our little girl, Regina?” Aprile demanded.

Regina glanced down at the tiled floor, unsure how to answer the question.

“She’s okay right? Right?! What happened?!” Piper was doing her best to shake an answer out of her.

She held Piper’s arms still, “I-I don’t know. It was bad.”

“How bad?!” Raine cried.

Just then, the lobby door cracked and a nurse pony entered the room holding a clipboard. She was less than enthusiastic about the situation as she faced the girls.

“Please tell us, Ma’m. Fiona’s going to be okay, right?” asked Rarity.

The nurse’s lip crinkled and she went through her paperwork one last time, “Well, for starters, her eyes will be fine. There’s no retinal damage, as far as we ‘ponies’ can tell anyway. They just need a couple of days to heal.”

“And…?” Fluttershy begged.

“Luckily for Fiona, we do have anti-venom to treat the bite wound. Unfortunately, we’re not too familiar with human anatomy here. We’ve given her an appropriate dosage of the anti-venom based on our estimates, but her body’s healing far too slowly. She’s stabilized at the very least, but we won’t know anything for sure until tomorrow.”

The nurse put her clipboard down against the lobby counter and walked up to them, “I’ll be honest with all of you, Fiona almost died today. It was very close, and we’re not out of the woods here yet. She’ll live through this, but there’s a good chance we could be looking at an amputation by tomorrow.”

Raine practically collapsed into tears against Aprile’s shoulder.

“This can’t be happening…” Piper began to shutter.

“Ain’t there anything ya’ll can do about this?!” Aprile pleaded with the nurse, doing her best to console the stunt pilot, “Maybe use your pony magic or something? Anything!?”

“I’m sorry, but the best magic could possibly do would give her a temporary fix. It can’t work a miracle. We’ve done all we can. It’s up to her now.” Bad news was something the nurse had never gotten used to, “She’s conscious at least. You’re free to go in and visit her for a little while. Just please try to be quiet as she needs her rest.”

Raine didn’t need any damned permission, and dashed down the hall. Piper and Aprile followed close behind the stream of teardrops along with Rarity and Fluttershy. The nurse followed them and closed the door behind her.

Ditzy was abandoned yet again, at least it felt appropriate. There was no way she could face Fiona now, for fear of maybe knocking something over and making things even worse, “The best thing I can do now is just leave… I’ve caused enough trouble for one day.” She stood up, wiped her drowsy face and left the hospital.

There was not a cloud in the night’s sky. Luna’s moon shined brilliantly over the already slumbering Ponyville. Ditzy slowly trotted through the edge of town with her head held low. She was at the lowest point of her life, completely underneath the bottom of the barrel, a completely pointless little pony. They’d find someone else to deliver Ponyville’s mail, and that Pegasus would probably do a much better job at it anyway.

“Ditzy!” she quivered, and slowly turned around to answer the call.

It was Rarity who had to stop and catch her breath, “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Where do you think you’re-?” Ditzy had the most miserable look in her eyes. It was enough to break Rarity’s heart. She threw herself around the Pegasus and held her tightly, “Oh dear, please don’t be like that. Fiona’s been asking for you all night. Please come back to the hospital with me.”

Ditzy really wanted to refuse, too ashamed to ever face Fiona, but her hooves carried her back anyway.

Rarity escorted the Pegasus down the hall, wishing there was something she could do or say to lift that head of hers. The door to Fiona’s room was just up ahead. It opened and Raine, Piper, Regina, and Aprile exited the room with Fluttershy guarding the door. They each had optimistic smiles on their faces, thankful to know that their good friend was still okay. They shared those smiles with Ditzy as they walked past.

“She’s waiting for you in there, kid.” Aprile said.

“Go on, Ditzy. Don’t keep your friend waiting now.” Rarity hurried the gray pony inside and closed the door. She turned to Fluttershy, “Is it okay if she stays?”

“The Nurse didn’t seem to have a problem if it was only her anyway.”

Ditzy stood against the door and looked up at Fiona. She lay in a makeshift hospital bed loosely built just for a human. The girl was surrounded by quiet machines all hooked up to her body monitoring every pulse and beat. Her leg was covered in stitches while her eyes were completely bandaged. Ditzy glanced over to a nearby chair and saw just how badly Fiona had been battered. Hanging over the chair was her red stained yellow sweater and pink Capris, completely cut to ribbons.

The pony's heart ached just from the sight of the garments. She clenched her eyes, unable to cope with it all.

“Ditzy, is that you…?” Fiona’s voice wavered.

“Fiona! I’m so sorry for all of-”

She hushed the pegasus, “No more of that. Now come over here and lay down by my side.”

Cautiously, Ditzy fluttered over and landed beside the girl.

Fiona wiped the tears from the pony’s eyes, and in the softest voice said, “Please don’t cry anymore, Ditzy. I won’t feel any better unless you’re smiling. Just lay here with me while I go to sleep…”

If a smile was all it was going to take to make her feel better, then Ditzy would gladly comply, even if she was getting her tears all over the bed sheets.

Fiona wrapped her arm around Ditzy as the little pony snuggled in close, and together they drifted off.

Comments

[BlackWing]

[Captain_Savage]

*sniff*....
images.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw3075-Itsjustsomelancholy_d60d3a373fff6c0dd26808c9ae96128b.gif

[GreenFrogRibbit]

D'awww!!!

[Grey Warden]

So emotional.

[MyLittleBurger]

468774 I concur, that lizard must face death...... kill da lizard Komodo dragon thingy.

[soundblast]

Hmm taking context clues discord probely went to earth oh I can't wait till he gets shot at lol what dumbass!

[WorldWalker128]

Felt a bit rushed towards the latter half.
-
Who'd steal Discord's power? I would! Too much fun to pass up!
I would abuse those powers SO bad! I'd turn the moon to literal cheese, I'd turn goldfish into (living) snack-food goldfish, Pigs would fly, Army men toys would go to war with each other, I'd re-create a 'Fragouts Are Magic' fan fic situation but with the Halo players going up against Gears players in 100 on 100 matches with infinite ammo and five lives each (nobody would actually 'die' they'd just ghost about until the next match, I'd censor EVERYONE'S cussing with animal noises, REAL guns would shoot out water or hot sauce instead, Eating something spicy enough would make you breath fire, Babies would be born yelling "LEROOOYYY JENKIIIINNNNS!", The 'Nyan Cat' would pay the 'Double Rainbow' guy a visit, Mimes would NEVER shut up, Clowns would become grumpy, Twilight (that crappy vampire romance story) would actually become enjoyable, brown cows would produce chocolate milk, money WOULD grow on trees, In casinos everybody would win for a minute, then lose for a minute back and forth over and over, Trekkies would declare that Star Wars is better, hardcore star wars fans woudl declare that Jar Jar Binks is the best thing since lightsabers, and finally, Ditsy Doo would become president of the United States.

Wow, that went on longer than I intended. Whoops.

[ShrimpShogun]

477733

I want to live in this world.

[angelicoreXX]

477733 not a bad idea anyway....

[Ledomare]

You know, that's pretty much my exact headcanon about the pre-Hearth's Warming Eve events. The only difference is that Discord was one of two kings of the Alicorns, and he got all pissed and made himself into an immortal chaos deity. And the other king, his brother Concord, had Celestia and Luna yada yada and he sacrificed himself for their safety.

Also, I bawww'ed.

[Yuki Harima]

That is so sad I hope she doesn't get it amputated. Anyway twilight has some competition

[ShadowLDrago]

I hope Fiona makes it...