Peace in Maretime Bay will have to be disturbed for the return of a beloved antagonist, it is up to Sunny and her friends to defeat this newest foe of theirs in a little game.
It's a brand new day for Sunny Starscout and her friends, the magic of Equestria restored and the tribes united, it was new chapter in the lives of the mane 5. What better way to enjoy your hard work than enjoying it with your friends?
That is what would've happened, if it weren't for a strange statue appearing out of nowhere. Now pushed to play a tempting game with a creature of chaos, Sunny and friends will have to accept just to win a prize that could be a one in lifetime chance.
It is a brand new dawn for the ponies of Maretime Bay, the tribes were once again united under the same flag. Unity forever, friendship and love for all. Before hatred and distrust separated the tribes and as punishment for their selfishness, magic slowly drained from Equestria. The ponies were doomed to lose it all, unicorns nothing but regular ponies with pointy heads, pegasus, a bunch of flightless birds shackled to the ground. The earth ponies were affected the least. And it would have stayed that way...
If it were not for Sunny Starscout, an extraordinary mare from Maretime Bay, armed with the knowledge of the past and hope in her heart, she set out to bring these tribes together.
But she was not alone, with the help and support of her friends, magic was restored, thus ushering in a new dawn. This was what Sunny's father dreamed of, seeing altogether, laughing and smiling as the sun shines brighter than ever.
Sunny couldn't help but smile as she stood atop the edge of a cliff, a vast ocean of blue before her, a vast ocean of new opportunities. She was in awe of what lies before her, none could predict what adventures would come her way. All she does know is that she was surrounded by friends, love, and support.
"Sunny!" A cheerful voice called, Sunny would turn to see that it was the ever so happy, Izzy Moonbow, Sunny's first unicorn friend.
She wasn't alone of course, with her was Sunny's childhood friend, Hitch Trailblazer, also known as the respected sheriff of Maretime Bay.
"Hey Sunny, whatcha doing?" Hitch asked as the two approached Sunny.
"Just thinking, that's all." She answered.
"Oh, I like thinking!" Izzy said. "Thinking helps me think up amazing things to make! Just now, I wanted to make a pretty mirror that plays a happy song to make you feel better!"
Hitch chuckled awkwardly. "Uh, yeah, that does sound cool. Anyway, Sunny, the girls and I thought we'd hit the town and grab some smoothies, maybe some pizza if anyone is hungry. The sisters have already gone out for some sightseeing."
"How can I resist? Nothing like hanging out with my friends." Sunny quickly jumped to their side, eager to get some refreshing drinks with her buddies.
The three hurried to town, it didn't take long but they had already entered the main road, countless ponies would wave and greet as they ran by. Back then, there were only earth ponies, but now several pegasi and unicorns walked the streets. Some are there to learn earth pony culture, while few were there for the sights. Especially the ocean, it had been so long for the ponies of Bridlewood and Zephyr Heights, none of both tribes were prepared for the beauty of their blue planet.
The town was never the same, and Sunny wouldn't like it any other way. It was for the best for ponykind, magic was and always will be an important part to them. No, it's a part of every creature that walks on Equestria.
Now, Maretime Bay was busier than ever, ponies they respectively knew would smile their way, unicorns and pegasi would constantly thank Sunny. Of course, if it weren't for her determination, then nothing would've changed. Thanks to the efforts of Sunny and her friends, the world was back on track.
Soon enough, the three finally met up with the sisters, the princesses of Zephyr Heights, proud daughters of queen Haven, Zipp Storm, and Pipp Petals. Two sides of a coin, one was very popular and loved the attention she got, while the other was both athletic and clever.
Zipp was busy admiring the ocean, sat in one of the many vacant tables with a smoothie in hoof, while her sister, Pipp, streamed her experience on Maretime Bay to her followers.
"Zipp, Pipp!" Sunny greeted them both.
"Sunny!" Zipp smiled back. "Where have you been, girl? We got smoothies for everyone!"
"Just relaxing, you gotta agree that it was very stressful yesterday, it's time for me to unwind and stuff," Sunny said as she sat down followed by Hitch and Izzy.
Zipp smirked. "Well, you deserve it if you ask me, so relax all you want."
Suddenly, Pipp wrapped a foreleg over Sunny's shoulders and held her smartphone in front of them both. "Look here my adoring fans! It is none other than Sunny Starscout, let's give a Pipp Pipp hooray folks!"
"Nice to see you too Pipp," Sunny said as she moved away. "And also, hey everyone in Zephyr Heights, hope you all have a wonderful day!"
The screen was then filled with hearts and happy emojis, fans showed their love and support with this.
"Yo Pipp, drop the phone for a second will ya? Today is an 'us' time, we should stay off the internet for now." Zipp said, she had no problem with Pipp's constant need to stream or posting stories on her profile page, but just as Zipp said, it was the time to hang out with friends.
"Well, the fans can wait," Pipp did as she was told. "plus, I still have to try out what Maretime Bay has to offer."
"I'm actually in the smoothie business, you know?" Sunny informed the mares, since Hitch knew this already, being her childhood friend of course. "Maybe next time I can give you all a taste."
"Oh, do you have any cups I can take? I have great ideas to unicycle them!" Izzy asked.
"Plenty, we can drop by my cart and go gather up some old cups."
"So," Hitch began. "What's on the agenda? I have a clear schedule until trouble happens, you know how it is."
Zipp smirked once more. "We do, sheriff, just don't go scratching that face of yours, we need a good-looking mascot for the group."
"I am not a mascot!" He whined.
"We can put that on an online vote, and see what the fans think." Pipp teased.
"Please don't,"
The group shared a laugh after, this was what Sunny wanted, sitting at a table with a pegasus and a unicorn, a cold beverage in hoof as the sound of the ocean waves filled her ears like sweet melodies.
They shared stories, some questions revolved around the idea of unicorns reading minds, which got Izzy curious if she could even do such a thing. They tried, but all they got was a funny look on Izzy, which was still a good result in their book.
The day went on, the group started going around town with Sunny and Hitch leading the way. The two ponies showed their friends everything Maretime Bay has to offer, Hitch was especially proud of the sheriff's office, the mares only humored him and stroked his ego. Izzy and the sisters were introduced to many ponies that knew Hitch and Sunny, many of them were so nice and were happy to meet them.
Time seems to flow on by as the group exited the theatre, all laughing and joking about how absurd the story was.
"Seriously, that was the dumbest movie I have ever seen!" Zipp said. "Look at me, I'm a pegasus who turns ponies into clouds!"
"Yeah, knowing what pegasi really are, the movie just hits different now." Hitch agreed.
"That scene where the hero saves the day was my favorite!" Izzy squealed.
Before Sunny could even put a word in, she bumped into something hard and fell flat on her rear. "Oh, I'm so- what?" She became befuddled, so did her friends and a few other ponies who were just passing by.
A tall and strange-looking statue stood right in front of the movie theatre, it was snake-like in appearance but with mismatched limbs. The statue was bowing to Sunny, a spine-chilling smile on its face. And the eyes looked as if it was watching them, no matter where they moved, the eyes followed as if it was alive.
"This... wasn't here before..." Sunny said.
"You're right," Pipp approached the statue carefully, ponies started to gather around them, curious about this mysterious object that appeared out of nowhere.
Sunny got back on her hooves and followed Pipp's example, the rest of her friends did the same after. She reached a hoof and caressed the pedestal the statue stood on, and admired the clean cut of the marble stone. There was something familiar about the statue, but Sunny could not bring up any answer, no matter how hard she tried.
Suddenly, the statue began to shake, the mane 5 took a step back, nervous and unsure of what would come next. The crowd could only watch as the statue shook intensely, and questions filled the air. Slowly, the statue started to crumble from the top, all eyes widened as it broke down... into nothing.
Everyone became even more confused, the statue came out of nowhere and just turned to dust without reason.
"It is rude to stare," A voice echoed through the street, everyone snapped around looking for the source, but found none. Perplexed, the ponies wanted an answer but found none. "Down here!"
Sunny followed the voice and found herself making eye contact with the marble pedestal, yes, there was indeed a pair of eyes on the pedestal. Surprised, Sunny jumped in fright as she faced the unknown and confusing object, even her friends were caught off guard.
"W-what is that!?" Pipp did what came naturally, and pointed her phone at it.
"It has eyes!" Hitch gasped.
"Why wouldn't I? I am a living person, you know!" The pedestal was insulted.
"Sorry, mister uh..." Hitch was unable to think of a name for whatever this object was.
Everyone jumped back as the pedestal bounced once, then started to distort. It was unnatural, the stone acted like a slime, it was simply beyond their understanding. It stretched up high, then squished itself, before slowly taking on a new form. Soon the pedestal took on the shape of a serpent with mismatched limbs, colors started to appear on its body.
The creature groaned loudly and stretched all its limbs.
Sunny couldn't believe what she was seeing, a new race just popped out of nowhere, they were nothing from what her journal told her. It was a mix of different species, the best way to describe them is that they were chaotic...
The creature yawned and groaned as his joints popped. "Oy! 1,000 years will give you such a crick in the neck!"
"Woah!" Zipp was awed by his words alone. "Who are you?"
"Me?" He held a paw to his chest. "I am appalled! How are you not cultured? Well, seeing as you ponies have somehow advanced into a modern age, I can actually understand, everyone forgets one day, they always do."
"Hi, I'm Izzy!" Izzy just went ahead and introduced herself.
"Oh, hello there Izzy, you can call me Discord!" He greeted back.
"Discord?" Sunny parroted. "I have heard of that name before..." Quickly, she fished out her journal from her satchel and began flipping through the pages. Only to be interrupted by Discord who swiped the book out of her hooves. "Hey!"
"Hmm, look at this!" Discord hummed. "My, you are quite an egg head! Wonderful, wonderful!"
He snapped his talons and out of nowhere, a chest appeared, which he then tossed the journal into before sending the chest away.
"No, no, we can't have you cheating now, Sunny Starscout." He said as he received looks of surprise from the mane 5.
"My journal- y-you can do magic? You know my name? What!?" Sunny tried her best to understand. Even the crowd that gathered was taken aback.
"I can do more than you could ever believe!" Discord laughed as the sky itself turned pink with the clouds transformed into cotton candy, which started to rain chocolate milk. Streetlights morphed into candy canes, the very stone road they stood on changed into gold that sparkled.
Never before had anyone seen magic as powerful as Discord's, being able to bend reality with just the snap of his fingers, it was both amazing and terrifying at the same time. Before anyone could even utter a word, Discord picked both Hitch and Zipp up. The two protested and were ready to fight back, but a third arm reached out to Zipp and popped her wings off like a costume, and planted them on Hitch's back. He then set both ponies down to take in what had just happened, Zipp especially was affected the most.
Discord snickered into his paw. "You know, I like you better this way, Hitch Trailblazer. Something about you makes me feel happy just having you around."
"My wings, I just started flying yesterday!" Zipp cried out as she glared at Discord. "Give them back, or else!"
"Oh, now I have wings, this is super weird." Hitch was having trouble with his new pair of limbs, he stumbled on the feathers too much to even stand straight.
"Sorry," He smiled. "but I plan to inconvenience you five before the game starts, and I'm almost done." His eyes landed on Pipp who hid behind her sister.
"Please don't take my wings Mr. Discord, I'll give you a shout-out to my followers!" Pipp backed away from the chimera as he stretched towards her like a piece of gum, Zipp tried to stop him but found her hooves each stuck in buckets full of pudding.
"Hmm, I would have taken your wings, but that itself had already gone bland, instead, I'll just do this."
He gave Pipp a quick boop on the nose, nothing special happened, the others only watched as Pipp waited for an effect. Yet no change happened, leaving Pipp with a sense of dread.
"There we go! Now onto the last one!" Discord turned towards Izzy and simply placed a tennis ball on the tip of her horn. "Sorry, even if you don't know any spells, magic is forbidden in this game! So please, respect the rules I've just made for this special occasion!"
"This again?" Izzy attempted to take the ball off her horn but found herself unable to, somehow Discord had given her a real spell shield this time. "Oh, I have no magic again, bummer. Hmm, I kinda like it now!"
"Wait, why are you doing this!? What game are you talking about!?" Sunny wanted answers, it would seem Discord was dead set on playing his game with them.
"Sunny my dear, you should know that adventure will now come your way since you are a hero and all!" Discord laughed. "Do not worry, you'll all be free of your curse after the sun sets, I'm not evil or anything, just very mischievous! And oh, you'll have your journal back too, don't wanna forget that."
"Wait-" Hitch slipped on his new wing and crashed on the ground.
"Hey careful Hitch, watch your balance." Zipp instructed him.
"Ahem! As I was saying, wait, if we get back to normal after sunset, why would we even play a game with you?" Hitch finally asked.
Discord stroked his beard deep in thought. "You're right, I don't exactly take anything hostage anymore, and I did say you would be fine after sunset. What to do?" His eyes bounced between the mane 5 seeking an answer to help him with his problem with reluctant players. Then his eyes landed on Sunny, and an idea came to mind. "I am a fan of Twilight Sparkle as well if you didn't happen to know."
"R-really?" Sunny said, her heart skipped a beat upon mentioning the Princess of Friendship.
"Don't be tempted, he's probably lying!" Hitch accused Discord.
"Now why would I lie? I mean, I did know Fluttershy more than anyone could, of course, I was practically her number 1 fan." He said smugly, he knew he had Sunny in his claws now, the others could see it as well. "How about this, I can answer a single question of whatever subject you want if you win the game. Science, math, which chocolate milk brand I prefer... history?" He said the last one as he eyed Sunny, Discord could see that sparkle in her eyes.
"I mean, it's a harmless game right?" Sunny asked, which earned her a few glares from her friends.
"Yes, very harmless! You don't have to worry about losing a head, not like you need it." He cackled loudly.
"Sunny, listen, I have a feeling that maybe we shouldn't go on with this." Hitch acted as the voice of reason.
"As an added bonus, if you finish the game I will reverse the effects I cast on you all immediately. Sounds like a deal, does it not?" Discord made his offer much more tempting. "And to show you that I am telling the truth, I Pinkie promise!"
Sunny gasped. "A Pinkie promise!?" She exclaimed. "D-do you know how it goes, Mr. Discord?"
His smile turned into a prideful smirk as he stared deep into Sunny's eyes as if he was attempting to intimidate her. His talons started to move as he began to chant the magic words. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!"
"No way!" Sunny couldn't believe it, she knew the importance of a Pinkie promise and how one should not break such promises, it was said to be an old ritual among the earth pony tribe but was forgotten through time.
Sadly, her friends were not in disbelief like her, Hitch could only scratch his head with his new wing while Zipp and Pipp looked at each other with questions in their minds. Izzy on the other hand was ecstatic upon learning the ritual of old. A few other ponies who watched mimicked Discord in an attempt to understand, some made promises to each other as well, and somehow, they could feel the great power of the ritual, as if a mighty force of nature listened to their words. Bounded by a promise, unsure if they should even dare to break it.
"So," Discord leaned down to Sunny's level and gestured a paw towards her. "care to play a game of chaos?"
"Let's get to the basics!" Discord marched back and forth at a steady pace, now dressed like a referee complete with the whistle hanging around his long neck.
Sunny and her friends, who are still under their curse, paid close attention to his every move and word, they were sure not to miss any details so they could get an edge on whatever game he had planned. A small group of ponies had followed them to spectate out of curiosity of the God of Chaos, many of which were from the previous crowd, enamored by Discord's mysterious and chaotic charm, they too listened intently.
Currently, they were located right in front of Sunny's home, well, what still left of it. Construction was still going and the workers were out for lunch thankfully, imagine how troublesome it would be if there was some noise in the background. Sunny would've missed a lot due to distractions.
Back to the task at hand, the chaotic lord of chaos brought out a map of the town, several doodles of Discord decorated it. "The game is simple; I have hidden a total of five important things that you must all collect by any means necessary before the sun sets! This may be a simple scavenger hunt to you, but there will be dangerous, life-threatening, and funny distractions!"
Izzy raised a hoof. "Hey, I thought this game was gonna be harmless?"
"My dear Frizzy Izzy," Discord chuckled. "how could I harm something as adorable as you? I only want to spice things up!"
Discord pulled off his fang and started to unfold it like paper, another tooth took its place soon after and the ponies could only stare, still unused to this chaos incarnate. His yellow eyes scanned over the piece of paper while he hummed a very familiar tune which almost sounded like Izzy's music bottles.
He took a second before a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
"Alright! I will give you five hints on what these objects will be, and once you find them, you will know it is the right one!"
First! Clowns are great, good laughs all around no matter what they do! Your face will be red with laughter, and leave you breathless.
Second! Everything is sweet, an explosive party for your taste buds, and a grand surprise it will be.
Third! Join the clubs, and play to your heart's desire! A total of twelve is what you require!
Fourth! Note to self, underline "Fourth". Ahem, the sky is filled with colors and inspiration, how wonderful would it be to taste the clouds.
Last hint! Buried in memories of the past, I am what you seek for I am the answer. United here, and there, if you wish to win, then I am what you are after.
"And that my players are your hints for the hunt! Any questions?" Sunny raised a hoof in the air. "Yes, Scootaloo?"
"Um, how do we know if we found what we're looking for?" She asked.
"Trust me, you will. Anyone else?" He glanced at each of them, even the small audience they have. "Alright, to make this even more exciting, any pony who is not Sunny and her friends over here, will be able to challenge me in any contest or game! And if they win, they will receive one wish and this game of ours will end!"
This made their audience interested even more, a chance to make a single wish was as tempting as a plate of shredded cheese in the fridge. But this was bad news for Sunny and crew.
Zipp's eyes widened. "Does that mean we will lose!?"
"Ah, the brains of the group, I can tell. And yes, if I am defeated, then you lose as well." He clicked his tongue and pouted. "Not only do you have a race with the sun, but with everypony in town as well. Now then, better get started, and being the generous Discord, I will unfreeze time after five minutes."
"Unfreeze time?" Everyone spoke together.
Discord only shook his head, he tapped the back of his wrist while the sound of a ticking clock was heard. "No time for questions, the hands are already running." He cackled loudly, his voice filled the silent field and drowned out the ocean waves.
Jumping into action, Sunny and her friends ran straight to town, the hopeful mare glanced over her shoulder only to feel dread as the ponies from before were already surrounding Discord. Discord flashed her a toothy grin as he grew smaller by the distance.
"Everyone split up! We can cover more ground this way!" Sunny instructed as they entered Maretime Bay.
"Right!" Her friends were quick to accept her orders.
Though reluctant to play this silly game, Hitch wanted to help Sunny because he was her friend, before the other mares came into their lives, Hitch was Sunny's only friend. Everyone was distant with Sunny because of her beliefs, but now, they weren't afraid of unicorns or pegasi, everyone could be friends with her once again. And that is why he was playing because he is her most loyal friend since their youth.
If this one question she has is so important, then it's also the same for Hitch Trailblazer.
He ran through town, not batting an eye at anyone or anything, not even the critters that were infatuated with him. The hints were the only thing in his mind, he tried his best to decipher them and hoped to see the clue in a larger picture. The sun overhead started to move second by second, the game finally started and it was only a matter of time that it would end.
"Help, somepony help me!"
Hitch screeched to a halt, his ears perked up as he heard the cries of a distraught child. Someone nearby needed help and he was the right stallion for the job, but... he was busy. He looked towards the young child, a brown colt with golden eyes, the boy stared up into the tree with a face of dismay. Torn between his duty as a sheriff and as a friend, Hitch was locked in a battle with his choices.
Sadly, he had responsibilities, and sometimes the town comes first. Of course, he'd be done in a jiffy and Hitch would be back on track after.
"Fear not citizen! The sheriff is here to help!" Hitch made his entrance a bit more dramatic. "Now, what seems to be the problem here?"
"Oh sheriff Hitch, my poor cat is stuck in that tree with no way to get down!" The boy told his sad and tearful story.
Hitch chuckled, a simple cat-stuck-in-a-tree situation, this will be done in just a second. "No problem kid, I'm on the job!"
Not realizing that he had wings, Hitch started to scale the tree with the experience he had with other events similar to this. A few times Zipp's wings would get caught in the branches, but with a simple pull he would be free from these obstacles, Hitch just hoped that Zipp doesn't mind having ruffled feathers once she gets her wings back.
"Here kitty, kitty! It's your friendly neighborhood sheriff! Just come to me like any critters do and I'll return you to your- Discord!?"
"Meow." It was indeed Discord.
Hitch came face to face with the God of Chaos who coiled around a branch with a mischievous smirk. The sheriff looked down to find that the child vanished, leading him to believe that it was actually Discord and there was no cat to begin with.
"My, you are quite quick to the truth! Impressive sheriff, the town wouldn't be as great as it is without you."
"Discord! W-what are you doing!? Can't you see I'm playing this game of yours!?" Hitch said with a frown.
"I know, but I did say that there would be distractions in your way." He snickered into his paw. "Oh you should see your face! You're getting as red as that deputy of yours!"
Hitch would've said something snarky, but something about what Discord said lingered in his mind. "Red like Sprout?"
Discord could only watch with that smirk of his, it would seem he knew what exactly Hitch was thinking. "Hmm, didn't mean to do that, but c'est la vie. Also, maybe you should focus on the game, don't want you to waste precious time now."
"Whatever, Discord!"
Hitch immediately jumped back onto the road where he ran in search of the deputy. Several times Discord would pop out of nowhere to hinder his progress, but Hitch knew that they weren't as important as the game, especially when they weren't even real problems to begin with. The sheriff would ask anyone who had information about Sprout, but many did not have a clue of where Sprout is, few acted as if he didn't even exist which was odd. But he would notice Discord goofing off in the background whenever he asked.
Finally, he found Sprout leaning on the railings, the deputy stared down at the waters below with a distressed look. Quickly, Hitch rushed to Sprout's side tired and ready to call it a day. "Deputy!"
Sprout looked up. "Hitch? What do you need?"
He was out of breath, but still had the strength to speak. "I'm playing a game with Discord right now and I finally realize the answer to his hint. You, my amazing deputy, have something important."
Sprout took a sharp inhale. "Right, yeah, important. That Discord did give me something cool, yes..."
"Sprout, where is it?"
"Don't be mad, but... I kinda lost it to a seagull, who also dropped it in the ocean..." He finally told his woeful tale.
Sprout expected Hitch to be disappointed, but instead, he received a warm smile from the sheriff.
"It's alright Sprout, you know how these seagulls are around shiny things. Besides, from what I've been through recently, this is fresh air to me." Hitch stretched his joints on the spot. "Welp, you go on with your day, deputy, I'll take care of this."
Before he could reply, Hitch jumped over the rails and dived into the ocean, leaving a dumbfounded Sprout.
Zipp was stuck in her own head, the hints Discord gave them was all she could think of. Unlike many of her peers, she was a smart mare who was not so easily distracted by technology. No, she focused more on science, it became a hobby of hers when she used to look for ways to fly.
She got the magic back, yes, but Zipp was once again grounded thanks to Discord. A sigh escaped her lips as she stared towards the sky, what once blue turned into a pink hue thanks to the large quantities of cotton candy clouds. It rained chocolate milk in some areas, mostly where children were around who were banking on the fact that there was free chocolate.
But that wasn't important right now, what was important was the game. "The fourth one obviously means that what we are looking for is on a cloud, but since I don't have wings, I'll have to find Pipp later for whatever it is up there. But what about the others?" She continued to ponder.
"And that's another loss!" She heard someone declare, Zipp turned to see Discord surrounded by other ponies. It would seem that he was being challenged for that one wish, and these ponies were determined to win.
That's when she noticed him, Alphabittle, the unicorn tea maker from Bridlewood. He easily stuck out due to his size, which was rare for unicorns in truth. From what Zipp remembered, he was competitive and very prideful, sometimes she thinks that he's greedy thanks to his collection of crystals. But most unicorns have crystals, they really like them for some reason, they love their shiny things a little too much.
Curiously, she approached the gathered crowd and found herself watching an ongoing game. Discord sat on a soft pillow while shuffling a deck, in front of him was Alphabittle who was focused solely on two playing cards that laid on the stone road, a five of hearts and a six of diamonds.
With a sly smile Discord tossed in another card which was just a two of clubs, this earned him a defeated groan from Alphabittle.
"The house wins again!" Discord declared triumphantly.
Disgruntled, Alphabittle marched off and away from Discord, only to be stopped by Zipp. "Hey..." She gave a short greeting. "What's all this?"
"Town is going bananas for the chance of beating Discord for that wish, and it looks like no one's winning yet."
Zipp eyed the game they were playing, another pony had just lost to Discord, the rules still not known to Zipp, so she opted to ask the unicorn.
"That? Well, just trying to get an exact twelve with three cards only. Been going at it for a while now but I barely get a chance to win, as if Discord is cheating somehow." He huffed loudly. "Darn shame too, was gonna give my wish to Izzy, just thought I had a chance and all."
"That's awfully nice of you," She commented.
"Well it's thanks to you and your friends that magic returned to Equestria, just wanted to give a little back."
"I'm sure she's just happy that you both are still friends after the whole thing, no need to go all out like that."
Alphabittle nodded. "You're right, I don't need a fancy wish to say thank you to Izzy, a cake would definitely be enough! I'll see you and the rest around town, and come by my shop when you all are at Bridlewood!"
With that, the large pony walked away, his defeat no longer lingered in his head, only the idea of a scrumptious cake for the heroic unicorn of Equestria. Sometimes Zipp was glad that she could have a chance to meet Izzy's friends, certainly an eye-opener whenever she meets new ponies from other tribes. But that was not important right now, she needed to get back to the game...
She caught the look in Discord's eyes as she figured out one of the hints, he knew that she did. "Join the clubs and play to your heart's desire! A total of twelve is what you require!" She repeated the hint from before, and a toothy smile appeared on Discord.
"Ah, Zipp!" Discord smiled even wider. "Just the mare I was waiting for! Come, join us for a game!"
"I think I'll watch, maybe later." She said as she sat down, eyes focused on where the cards would be displayed.
"Hmm, very well, I'll just continue then."
The game went on, ponies would challenge Discord only to lose. The rules were simple, you must have a total of twelve in your hoof, but none had ever gotten close. There were a total of twenty cards from the looks of it, the special ones aren't included in this game, though there's something else that bugged her, and she just couldn't tell what.
A sequence of numbers would go like this: One- three- five, eight- two- four, six- three- joker, and so on.
None saw victory, even to those who attempted to cheat in some way. Always in defeat, Discord would laugh as he destroyed their self-esteem. Alphabittle was right, Discord was definitely cheating. Then a bulb lit up above her, courtesy of Discord. Zipp thought about it more, but somehow, this idea of hers could work, or perhaps it won't. She thought about the hint and the rules more just to be sure.
She needed to win for Sunny, and Discord won't stop Zephyrina Storm.
"Alright Discord, I want a round." Zipp stepped forward, her soul burned with courage as she stared down at Discord.
"Feeling brave are we? Then let us test your luck and see if you win this grand prize!" Out of nowhere, Discord produced a stetson hat, and that's when Zipp knew that this was one of the items she needed to find. "As I've said, this is not a scavenger hunt, well not an easy one, that is, you must win this prize or else you will have to find it again!"
"Winning is easier, that's all I'm saying." She said.
Discord said nothing, all he did was give Zipp two cards, a six of spades and a three of hearts. Zipp stared at the deck in Discord's claws and waited patiently for the next card. The audience watched with bated breath, the sun above them inched towards the west, there was still time for the others to find the items. Zipp just hoped that they would find it soon.
Finally, Discord revealed Zipp's next card, and the ponies around them wore sorrowful looks on their faces, two of hearts. Once again, Discord won, no pony could best him and it would seem Zipp would have to try and find the hat somewhere else-
"Hold it!" Zipp slammed her hoof against the asphalt. "I'm not done yet Discord, I still have a chance to win!"
Discord arched a brow, he paid attention to whatever trick Zipp had, and much to everyone's confusion, Zipp ripped her three cards into four pieces each. This in turn surprised the ponies while Discord only watched with astonishment.
"A total of twelve, that is what I require, right?" Zipp crossed her forelegs in front of her chest.
"Well I am impressed! Finally, a clever answer to this silly challenge! I dare say Zipp, I tip my hat to you!" He cackled. Zipp's prize was placed neatly on her head. "Congratulations, you have one out of four objects in your team's possession! Good luck on the rest, and have fun while you're at it!"
With a snap of his talons, Discord vanished from sight.
And Zipp couldn't believe it, her dumb idea worked somehow, it was the answer that Discord was actually looking for. It would seem that he cheated as well, by chance someone would've won at one point, and yet they lost, it was the logical conclusion. And honestly, even then she couldn't quite comprehend the idea itself, Discord was just so confusing sometimes.
All that doesn't matter anymore, she got one of the items she needed and- wait, did he say four?
Hitch gasped for air as he broke through the surface of the ocean, a cute little octopus sat upon his head as he did so. The sheriff crawled out of the sea empty-handed, no matter how far deep he swam, Hitch couldn't find what he was looking for. At this rate, he would burn too much time and fail his friend-
"Hitch?"
The octopus bounced on Hitch's head as he yelped in surprise. "Sunny!?"
It was indeed Sunny Starscout, she too was busy with Discord's game, of course, somehow her search led her here. "Did you find one of the things we're looking for?" She guessed right.
"Yeah," Hitch sighed. "I figured out the first clue was connected to Sprout, and I was actually right about it. Thing is, whatever Discord gave to Sprout got lost in the water, but don't you worry Sunny, I'll have the thing before you know it!"
"Discord called Sprout a clown, that isn't nice." She commented on the fact that Sprout was described as a clown in Discord's first hint.
Before Hitch could agree, since he was not as mean as Discord, the God of Chaos swam through the street as if it was part of the ocean wearing a swimming cap and floaties. "Well you have to admit, he was hilarious throughout your story, Sunny Starscout." He said his opinion. "And I do find it interesting that you haven't fired him, sheriff. I mean, he did try and start a war that could've brought your kind back to the stone age. Possibly."
Hitch scoffed at Discord. "He's just confused, and a bit jealous from what Izzy observed, but I couldn't just kick him out to the curb. I gave him the responsibility of watching over Maretime Bay and went after Sunny, if anything it was my fault that I constantly stood under the spotlight."
Discord stared at him with a blank expression.
"Hitch," Sunny began. "it's not your fault, I'm partly to blame for what Sprout did. I made you leave the town all because of Izzy, but look at how that ended. The tribes are together, and you were there to watch our backs, we couldn't have surely done without you Hitch."
Hitch's expression hardened. "And I'm gonna help you now!" The stallion looked over to the octopus. "Hey there little buddy, can you help me out? There's something down there that I need, and it would be appreciated if you go and fetch it."
The octopus happily flailed its tentacles, Discord watched with delight as the tiny octopus dived back into the water. Both Sunny and Hitch waited patiently for the sea critter to return. Something sparkled in the deep, Hitch gasped as he felt some pressure growing around him, and then it started to bubble as it grew closer to the surface. Before Hitch knew it, he was launched out of the water by several octopuses, both large and small. Quick to act, Sunny caught Hitch in time before he could even hit the ground, and there they saw that in his hooves was a medium-sized chest. Both ponies were struck by awe at the design of this chest, it was purple in color, royal purple to be accurate. Decorated in gems and crystals, you would think that this object was owned by a unicorn with a taste for shiny things. Pretty as well.
Hitch thanked the octopuses and gave the one he asked for help a little pat on the head, which the sea critters loved so much. They said their goodbyes and the little animals went back to their rightful place, now it would seem the two ponies were alone by the ocean, strangely enough, Discord had gone away also. There was no trace of him anywhere.
"This is what we're looking for? What's in it?" Hitch asked.
"Only one way to find out."
They opened it to find a midnight blue cloak with faux fur neatly folded inside, the two were stricken by the design, especially the material that was used. Sunny felt the cloak with her hoof, she couldn't help but retract her limb in fear of ruining the cloak. It felt so soft, that one wrong move could tear the cloth. But what really stunned Sunny was who it belonged to.
"This... is Rarity's..." Sunny said as she remembered the cloak from her journal, it was said that Rarity wore it on many occasions throughout history. It became iconic to her character as she got older by the years. Sunny's father told her that Rarity was a seamstress that would always make her own line of clothes and other fashion designs. But what cemented the idea was that she saw an old photo of Rarity once.
"Are you sure?" Hitched asked.
"Yes! If we got something from Rarity, then that means... Hitch!" The stallion recoiled back from her sudden burst. "I think I know the answer to one of the hints!"
"Which one?"
"Everything is sweet, an explosive party for your taste buds, and a grand surprise it will be!" She smiled ear to ear. "We need to get to the bakery quickly!"
"Hey, Pippsqueaks! It's your girl, Pipp! Here to give you the rundown. Today, my new friends and I were supposed to enjoy a peaceful day in Maretime Bay, but then we came across a very interesting creature, Discord the God of Chaos! And wowzer, he is really a hoofful. I mean, he could bend reality to his will, but don't let that scare you, he's a funny guy to be with!"
A notification popped up on her screen.
"Oh, thank you for the donation, Discord! All earnings will go to charity, so thank you again for your generosity! Wait..."
"No problem, I sure hope those orphans will finally enjoy the amusement park!"
Pipp couldn't believe it, Discord was inside her phone, he stood just next to the chat while humming a cheerful tune. He read every message that caught his eye, he liked the ones that repeated the same word, "Poggers"... What an odd word it was.
But Pipp was still surprised to see that Discord had entered the cyber world, and he acted as if this was just a casual Monday for him.
"Hello world!" Discord greeted. "It is I, the one and only Discord!"
This in turn flooded the chat with exclamation points and emojis, the chat could see him, and he had just said hello! Finally, the ponies of Zephyr Heights met the God of Chaos. The culprit behind the cotton candy clouds that rain chocolate.
The draconequus of the hour!
The ponies of Zephyr Heights even got a taste of chaos with Discord, who popped out of the biggest jumbotron just to give the ponies and the city a good look.
"My, Canterlot sure did change after my vacation started!" He cackled loudly as the ponies gawked at him. "Well, losing the clouds, I guess you pegasi climbed the highest mountain to claim it as your home. But with the return of magic, many of you can go back to the sky!"
"Well..." She looked around shyly. "I was wondering what exactly you did to me... You know, the curse? My sister got her wings removed and Hitch gets it, while Izzy is unable to use magic, and finally Sunny loses her journal. So I was wondering what you did for me."
Discord only chuckled. "Oh, you'll find out very soon."
Suddenly, someone donated to Pipp's stream.
"Thank you for the donation, PippIsSmol!" But her smile faltered once she read the message that came with the bits.
"Zipp said that you should fly to the clouds, one of the stuff you need for the game is there. Also, I love you, Pipp!" There was more after that, but Pipp chose not to read the rest, she focused on the pink sky.
If what they need is somewhere up there, then it's up to her to find it. As mentioned before, Zipp does not have wings, and Hitch is an earth pony, there's no way he could fly naturally like Pipp. But then another idea came to mind, one which Discord couldn't argue with.
What better way to look through the clouds than a live reaction? Pipp would certainly give her fans a good review of these cotton candy clouds.
"Well Pippsqueaks, I have a great idea!" She smiled at her phone before facing it in the sky. "Right now while Discord is around, the clouds of Maretime Bay have turned into cotton candy! You all are probably just as curious as I am about how they taste! Think I should fly up there and try?"
The chat gave her the green light, they wanted her to go and give them a fresh reaction, one for the history books. It will be something no pony in her generation has ever done, she will be the first to try the clouds! Or perhaps she isn't, only Discord will know.
With the support of her fans, Pipp gracefully ascended to the skies, she made sure that her camera was pointed at the clouds as she flew. It didn't take long, she was already close enough to grab a hoofful.
But something was odd during her flight, the sky became cloudier than before, and when she reached them, there was already a blanket of cotton candy above her. Pipp just hoped that it would not rain heavily, there was still the chocolate milk she needed to try. A storm would certainly ruin her wings if she was caught in one.
"Well chat, here we are! Discord's famous cotton candy clouds!" She giggled cutely. "My, just look at the cotton candy! So much of it, bet that would last until Nightmare Night!"
She gave it a soft tap, she was honestly surprised to find it softer than a regular cloud, it smelled nice too. She then pulled out a portion of cotton candy and quickly kicked it as hard as she could. The cloud began to rain chocolate milk, hopefully not on anyone who wanted to stay dry.
"Now, not only is the cloud made of candy, but it also rains chocolate milk!" Pipp held her tongue out and caught a drop of chocolate, the chat went wild as Pipp squealed in delight. A joyful and honest smile appeared on her face as she shivered in the air.
"OMG! This is the best chocolate I have ever tasted!" She informed her fans, many started to tell her how jealous they were of Pipp, they too wanted to have a taste of the chocolate rain. "Pippsqueaks, I have received and tried so many chocolate brands out there, but never before had I have magical chocolate! This is a perfect ingredient for Hearts and Hooves! This is definitely for sure, my loyal fans!"
"Well I have to agree with you there, princess!" Discord said as he drank a glass of pineapple juice normally, still inside of Pipp's phone. "Can't say that I didn't give candy clouds out to other ponies during Hearts and Hooves, they just love the chocolate!"
"Discord, you are awesome!" She commented to the deity. "Alright, everyone! It's time for the main attraction! Also, thank you for your donation, Thunderbolt5555! A thousand more bits and we will hit the goal soon!"
But before she could even take a bite out of the cloud, she noticed something beyond the pink layer above her. A beautiful rainbow that arched over Pipp, not just one, not even two, but three rainbows. She gasped quietly, she had forgotten that her stream was live and Discord was with them, Pipp was far too enamored by the rainbows. It sparkled and shone so majestically, that she couldn't even form any words to describe it.
Only when she realized that there was a large floating bubble close to the top of the arch, she remembered about her stream. "Oh sorry, Pippsqueaks! I know we were going to see what the clouds taste like, but you just have to see this!" She revealed to them what caught her attention, and the fans were treated to wonders they have never seen before.
Seeing as she was still in a game, Pipp decided to investigate the bubble without notifying her chat, this was important for her friend Sunny, and she should remember that. What she didn't notice was a large propeller that flew through the layer of clouds like a shark.
Pipp flapped her wings in a beat, a peppy song played in her head as she approached the large bubble. She gave a quick thanks to another pony who donated to a worthy cause.
It didn't take long for her to get to the bubble, but what she found only confused her more. Inside the bubble was a book, now, Pipp promoted reading to her younger viewers a few times. She even wrote a book herself and read it to colts and fillies so they would pick up one for themselves. But Pipp was far more interested in her phone, which still had a virtual library filled with novels and other genres of books.
She was honestly more used to her phone after all her years as an influencer. And to be honest, it had been some time since she picked up a physical book.
The bubble popped as she grabbed the item, she read the title to her readers. "Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone, by A.K. Yearling. Oh, never heard of this before!"
Even her fans have never heard of the book before, which honestly disappointed Discord.
"So Dash's favorite book series is lost through time? I'm sure she would be unhappy to hear that, she loved that book series so much that she recommended it to her Wonderbolts!"
"Wait, this is it!" Pipp exclaimed. "This is what the fourth hint was leading to! Look at that my adoring fans, your princess has found one of the things she is looking for! And it was so easy to do!"
"Is it though?" Discord said with a knowing smirk.
Suddenly, ominous music started playing, Pipp squeaked as the music slowly became intense. Dun, dun... Dun, dun...
Out of the ocean of pink, came a propeller, Pipp stared at it fearfully as it slowly rose out of the clouds. The color drained from her face once this creature finally showed itself, a gigantic and monstrous turtle appeared. And it eyed Pipp hungrily as she held both her phone and the book tightly.
"Well, here we are!" Sunny said, determination burning within her chest. "The Sugarcane Corner! Home of the best cakes in Maretime Bay!"
"And you're sure this is the place?" Hitch asked.
The two ponies stood in front of a small bakery, a window with all kinds of cakes displayed for any passerby to see, a good way to attract anyone with a sweet tooth. And it was the one place that Sunny knew she could find their next item.
"Guys!" Hitch and Sunny turned to see their friend Zipp with a nice hat. "Glad I found you!"
"Zipp, glad you're here!" Hitch smiled.
"Nice to see you too, sheriff! Hope you took care of my wings."
He chuckled awkwardly. "Y-yeah, I took care of them! I didn't do anything at all!"
"Zipp, just in time!" Sunny smiled. "Listen, I know where our next item is, and it's in there!"
"Wow, this is gonna be easy! Good thing I got this hat, and I see you have a cool chest, now we need the others!"
Hitch stared jealously at Zipp's new hat, nothing says "sheriff" more than a cowboy. But he had no time to complain, the three needed to get in there and get that item!
Discord was waiting inside, they knew that, and it didn't surprise them either. Throughout the afternoon he was nothing but chaotic, always popping in and out like a phantom just to distract them from their main goal. Games and shows, everything to steal their attention, it wasn't desperate, only mischievous. Earlier, Discord littered everywhere so he could steal Hitch away from Sunny, but thanks to his iron will the sheriff resisted, though he did shed some tears knowing he ignored the law for a game. But this was for his friend, Sunny.
"Ready?" Sunny asked, and the other two nodded.
Without a word, Sunny flung the door open and was about to jump right in, but found herself frozen along with Hitch and Zipp as they stared at the chaos inside the bakery. It was way bigger on the inside, that's for sure.
Graham crackers for roads, whip cream bushes, trees that grew candy apples, and finally, animals made of biscuits.
It was a child's dream come true in there, many ponies, both young and old, were enjoying all kinds of sweets and baked goods. Cakes, muffins, and even bread rolls of different kinds. Our heroes were taken aback by this discovery, so many sweets and other goodies, one can't easily resist. Not even Izzy...
The unicorn galloped around, mouth full of waffles with maple syrup. Even Alphabittle was there to join the fun, he laughed with Izzy as they both ran through a puddle of lemon soda, not caring if their coats would get sticky.
Only when the three entered did Izzy notice them, she quickly rushed over to their side with Alphabittle just behind her. "Hi friends!" Izzy greeted.
"Izzy, glad you're here!" Sunny embraced her friend in a warm hug. "Alphabittle, I didn't know you were in town!"
The larger unicorn chuckled lightly. "Well I just wanted to have a look around Maretime Bay like Izzy, but I got caught in this whole mess like everypony else!"
But the group laughed together as they recalled what they witnessed throughout the day, how much brain-boggling things they've seen. And how strange Discord was.
"So, what brings you three here?" Alphabittle asked. "Is it the thing you're looking for?"
"Yes, one of the hints leads to a bakery, I'm absolutely sure that this is the place!" Sunny had no doubt in her head.
"And right you are, Sunny!" The puddle of lemon soda transformed into Discord, and by now, no one was even surprised. "Hmm, guess I've overused that... Well, it got boring quickly anyway!"
"Hey Discord, we know the thing is here, just give it to us!" Hitch said, hoof planted on the ground.
Zipp huffed. "Let's just get to it buddy, I'm actually feeling lucky!"
"Oh, you're looking for this?" Discord pulled out a small cannon from his pocket. Not just any cannon, but one meant for parties and celebration.
"Pinkie's party cannon!" Sunny exclaimed. "So I'm right! These things we've been looking for are related to the heroes of Equestria!"
"Ah, yes, the fangirl is well informed!" He chuckled. "You have Applejack's hat, Rarity's cloak, and Dash's favorite book!"
"The Daring Do book?" Sunny tilted her head to the side.
A pony popped out of the ground which was made of chocolate cake and raised their phone towards Sunny. "Princess Pipp recently found a book in the sky! She's being chased by something we don't know!"
"Woah, she actually found it!" Zipp was impressed that her sister managed on her own and found another item. "Though, I'm still kinda worried about what's chasing her."
"Don't worry about it!" Discord assured them.
Back to the task at hand, they were now eyeing their next item. Sunny and friends waited for whatever challenge they had to do in order to win that party cannon.
The deity smirked, he saw that these ponies were ready for what's to come, but none of them could ever expect his next move!
This world inside the bakery shook, everypony that was around stopped whatever they were doing as reality expanded. Discord became distant as the ground stretched itself, he was far from anyone's reach now, but that was not the end of it. Trenches grew on the ground, and some became a moat of pineapple juice.
Walls made of waffles scattered around to hinder anyone that makes an attempt, and several bubble gum traps to snare unlucky ponies.
Discord even held the party cannon and aimed it at the candy sky. It went boom, and out came a gigantic scoop of ice cream. A random pony was caught by the cold confection as it crashed back down, buried in ice cream, the pony was left with no other choice than to eat their way out.
"Now the rules are simple!" Discord's voice boomed throughout the world of sweets. Everyone was compelled to listen to his words. "Next to me is a pedestal with a single cupcake! Not just any cupcake, no, this is one of Pinkie Pie's greatest successes! Her ultimatum! Her magnum opus!"
A cupcake with yellow icing and a blue cup. It didn't look special, but looks can be deceiving, and it's Discord who's telling them this stuff, it probably tastes like gold should.
"Now, the game is simple! Come and eat this cupcake, but you must avoid all obstacles!" Discord said as he hovered over the cupcake, cannon in hand. "If you are hit by ice cream, then you go back to the start! And if you manage to survive and eat the cupcake, you win!"
"A wish for other ponies, and a party cannon for Izzy and her friends." Alphabittle said. "Don't worry, I'll help as much as I can."
"Thanks, Alphabittle!" Izzy smiled.
"Let the game begin!" Discord snapped his talons, and the world around them was filled with intense polka music.
Hundreds of Discord clones appeared behind the ponies, blocking the entrance. They were dressed in cheerleader garb with pom poms, the Discords cheered and rhymed, they gave the ponies their support. Sunny and friends could only watch as the sun was blotted out by thousands of scoops of ice cream.
Meanwhile in the candy sky, Pipp flew as fast as she could, the giant monster just right behind her. She begged for help, she called out to her sister, but nobody came.
Her fans weren't even watching her anymore, they were too busy with Discord who was singing a song to them. It was catchy and was about the internet and how chaotic it was. Pretty dark and disturbing too, if you ask Pipp. But the viewers loved it. And Discord claimed that this song was a kid friendlier version of the original. But that didn't matter, Pipp had a problem in the sky and she needed to get to safety.
She just hoped that her friends would come and save her as soon as possible.
An idea came to her, she may regret it, but the town is safer than the sky. But she was so far up that it would take ages to reach the town. Still, she had to. There's no other choice and it was better to be somewhere the giant turtle can't track her.
She tipped herself towards the earth, and quickly dived down as fast as she could. Combined with her weight(though she is small) and Pipp's short size, her descent was far quicker than she thought. A whistle emitted from her as she sped towards town, the turtle monster started to grow smaller by the distance.
Suddenly, a sense of dread crawled up her spine, as she flew closer to town, she realized that something was absolutely wrong. And it became apparent when she flew past another pegasus, who was bigger than the turtle that was after her. It was then that reality hit her like lightning, the curse that Discord cast upon her, an evil curse it was. She shrunk, that turtle was not the size of a castle, no... Pipp was as small as her limited figurines which are being sold in a toy store near you.
"Surprise!" Discord gleefully said once Pipp understood her situation.
"D-Discord! Why am I tiny!?"
"But you've always been tiny... You are the shortest one in the mane 5 group." Discord wore a passive expression. "There's honestly no change at all, my curse on you is merely a trick, there was no magic in play."
"Discord!" She pouted.
This caused her viewers to explode, they started talking about how cute and tiny she was. Pipp slowly turned red as everyone began comparing her with Cloudpuff, some claimed that she was cuter than her mother's pet. This infuriated Pipp more than she feared the turtle.
"Aw!" Discord gushed. "I just want to make you squeak!"
"No!" Pipp whined.
"No one could ever resist such cuteness! You're almost just as cute as Fluttershy, but don't get your hopes up!"
She huffed loudly. "Y-you stop that! Yes, I am cute, but I'm Pipp cute! Not baby cute, or puppy cute!"
"Sorry, I just couldn't resist!" He chuckled. "Besides, you have bigger challenges. No pun intended."
Pipp felt the air around her get much warmer as something gigantic breathed down her neck. She reluctantly glanced over her shoulder to find that the turtle was already behind her. She squeaked one last time before her phone slipped out of her hoof.
Ponies laughed together as they all ran through the rain of ice cream. Some didn't even try to dodge, they only accepted their tasty fate. Those who are hit will of course keep the frozen snack on them, but they are to be brought back to the starting area to do the challenge all over again.
Though this was a challenge, and the prize is one wish-granting from Discord, the ponies couldn't help but enjoy themselves.
At this point, not many cared much about winning, only to enjoy this odd event before it's gone. It was something new, so no one can blame them, it was a different kind of experience, one they could tell others about and not look crazy.
Back with Sunny and friends, they were the only ones who were serious about the game, determined to win that party cannon. Hitch and Zipp proved to be the most likely to win the challenge thanks to their athletic build, Sunny, Izzy, and Alphabittle couldn't compare.
The sheriff and the princess dodged any obstacles that would slow them down, they made sure not to touch any ice cream that would send back. They were quick to clear any moats in their way and would sometimes use the trenches as cover. Discord didn't hold back, he laughed as he blasted all kinds of flavors at the players. A few times he'd stop just to pour a cup of sprinkles into the cannon for that critical hit.
Alphabittle was struck right on the face, he wiped the sweet banana ice cream off and found himself back at the start. "Aw dang it... Oh, this tastes good!"
"Keep going, Izzy!" Sunny ran as fast as possible, her hooves covered in breadcrumbs and crushed marzipans.
"Oh no!" Izzy cried out. "I'm stuck in flan!"
"Izzy!" Hitch tackled the unicorn out of the trap, just in time as well because a large scoop of ice cream landed where she was before.
"Come on!" Zipp led everyone into a trench, the group held their heads down as shots flew over them. "It's getting intense!"
Hitch tried to get a look over the edge, but he nearly got a face full of strawberries. "Discord isn't stopping! How are we gonna get to him now!?"
"Calm down everypony, we still got this." Zipp turned towards the sheriff. "Hitch, do you see any way to get to Discord?"
"Hold on, let me see-" Hitch couldn't finish his sentence when Zipp disappeared, the group were befuddled, unsure of what happened to their pegasus friend. Just when he was on his hooves about to take a peek.
"What...? Where did she go?" Sunny looked both ways searching for Zipp, she would easily pop up in the trench since the earth was made of chocolate cake, and Zipp was a white pegasus with a colorful mane.
"She just went woosh! And she's gone." Izzy recalled the moment of Zipp's disappearance.
"Weird..." Hitch commented. But then his eyes focused on the edge of the trench, where his wing rested. That's when it hit him, a cold feeling on the feathery appendage, ice cream, cookies and cream to be specific. "Oh..."
"Darn, guess this trench isn't as safe as we thought!" Sunny concluded.
"Y-yeah! This place isn't up to code, that's for sure!" Hitch chuckled awkwardly as he tucked in his wing. "We should really find a safer place to hide so we can plan an attack!"
"Oh, then we can settle down in my hobbit house!"
Both Hitch and Sunny stared at Izzy, and behind the unicorn was a circular cookie door.
"Izzy, when did you make this?" Sunny could not help but ask.
"A minute ago, right after Zipp disappeared, I had just finished installing the door!" Izzy opened the door for her friends. "Come in, I have some juice for everyone!"
Confused more about their friend than the chaos incarnate, the two followed Izzy into her temporary new home.
Imagine their shock to find such a cozy and welcoming home, the two couldn't believe that Izzy managed to make this place in under a minute. There were a total of four rooms: Bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, and the living room.
The kitchen and bathroom did not have working plumbing since this was practically a candy house built in a trench, though Izzy did manage to connect the kitchen sink to the nearby moat and made a working faucet that gives pineapple juice.
A couch made out of marshmallows, the coffee table was just coffee jelly sculpted into one, and there was even a pony there, no wait, it was a giant gummy bear. It looked like a pony at first glance...
"Welcome! Let me give you all a tour!" Izzy insisted.
"No time, Izzy, we still got a game to win!" Sunny reminded them of what is at stake.
Hitch agreed. "Right, the ice cream is so intense when you get close to the middle, it is difficult to dodge most of them."
"Maybe you can fly over it!" Izzy suggested.
The stallion shook his head. "It's raining yogurt out there, any pegasus in the air will be pulled down. And I can't fly either, I don't know how."
The three were silent, their minds focused on finding an answer to their dilemma. Many ideas were shot down, and some could have worked, but the chances were still slim. Alphabittle and Zipp could no longer reach their friends, the intensity of Discord's attack grew so much that it's practically a winter wonderland out there.
But then an idea struck Izzy in the face, one that is so crazy, that it might just work. "What if we eat our way out?"
"What?" Both asked Izzy at the same time.
"Everything is edible, like that candy factory movie. And the ground is made of chocolate cake, so I was thinking that we could easily dig through with no problem." Izzy explained.
Hitch was about to give his honest opinion, but then he realized that it could work. Sunny saw no problem with this, and the best part was that Izzy had fashioned some candy canes into spoons for her kitchen.
The three then began their plan, Sunny wasted no time and tore through Izzy's living room followed by Hitch. They made sure to go straight towards the center before executing their project. Izzy was having a blast, not only was she digging a tunnel, she was with her two closest friends. It felt more like a bonding exercise than working, she barely slowed down as she dug through the land.
Sunny, though she wouldn't admit it, had experience with digging tunnels. One of her plans was to dig her way into Canterlogic, with nothing but a plastic spoon; sadly Hitch caught her before she could even get halfway to her destination. That was one happy memory she had, and got both of them stuck in the tunnel for the rest of the day.
But unlike then, this was cake she was digging through, not compacted dirt. So with her digging technique and soft opponent, Sunny was like a well-oiled machine. Swing after swing, Hitch and Sunny made amazing progress.
Meanwhile, Discord started to grow bored. He noticed only two ponies were taking the game seriously, and he supported having fun, but the least they could do was play with him. Oh how he wanted to face down the horde of ponies racing towards him for this cupcake, sadly they instead wanted to eat to their heart's content. He can't blame them, the only other creature that would rival him when it comes to sweets is Pinkie Pie, her cupcakes were far tastier than the one he made, and the thought about her just made him hungry for one of her pastries.
He glanced at the cupcake, blasting Zipp with pistachio ice cream just as she managed to reach him, a feat that he was impressed with. The cupcake was the last of its kind, no matter how much he cloned it, it just never tasted the same. Though he knew that there was a chance he'd lose it to someone else, he did not care, as long as it would grace the winner with Pinkie's magical cupcake.
Wait... Where are the other three?
He just realized that three were missing from the main group, somehow it slipped him, and now they were somewhere else. Probably plotting something under his nose. That's when he heard it, the war song of dwarves, it was so intense that he could not silence the loud beating drums. Then he knew, below his hoof and foot, was Sunny and her friends.
Discord pointed the cannon down and waited patiently to give these ponies a good surprise. But the unimaginable happened, Hitch burst out of the ground, wings over his face like a shield, one scoop after another, and yet the sheriff was still there. Discord realized that his own rule had a loophole, they all do of course, but never did he expect that a pair of wings would be the cause of his defeat.
Izzy went around Discord, and he would have given Izzy her favorite flavor of ice cream, but Hitch blocked Discord's shot with Zipp's wings.
Sunny ran with Izzy, once she reached the pedestal first, Sunny took the cupcake and passed it over to Izzy with a quick throw. That's when Discord knew that he lost this match...
Victory was so sweet, Izzy continued to munch on Pinkie's famous cupcake, and a new world of flavor was introduced to her. And as the candy land became what it was before Discord started his little challenge, Sunny and her friends rejoiced as they claimed their prize.
"We did it!" Zipp cheered.
Alphabittle laughed louder than most. "Now that was fun!"
Discord smiled. "Well, I have to say, you all surprised me there, that rarely happens, you should all be proud." He said as he gave Izzy the party cannon. "So, how does it taste?"
"Like a grilled cheese sandwich!" Izzy happily said with a mouthful.
Hitch gagged a bit. "That doesn't sound too good."
"Well you better try it first before you judge." Discord clicked his tongue. "This cupcake was actually inspired by her husband, you know? His name was Cheese Sandwich, and he was as wacky and crazy as her, and we had a lot in common. May you rest in fun, Al Yankovic..." Discord sighed.
"Wow, this is what true love tastes like!" Izzy said. "You should all try it!"
"I'm good," Hitch said. And Zipp felt the same as him.
"You earned this one." Sunny declined Izzy's offer.
"Go ahead Izzy, enjoy your prize." Alphabittle only laughed even louder.
"If you say so!"
As the four ponies walked out of the bakery, they came across an odd sight. Random ponies were gathered around something, many were taking pictures, some gave compliments on how cute they were. Upon closer look, Zipp found her sister in the center of attention, sitting comfortably on top of a turtle, posing every second as Pipp's fans took more pictures.
"Yes, I am adorable, cuter than a button!" Pipp said as the crowd squealed with delight.
"Wow, you are tiny..." Zipp finally spoke. "Why are you tiny?"
"Zipp!" Pipp smiled, this caused the crowd to let out an "Oh" thanks to her cuteness.
"I'm glad that you are safe, but you still have a lot of explaining to do." Zipp motioned Pipp to climb up on her hoof so she could keep her safe, she was the older sister and she was in charge of Pipp. Who knows what could happen.
"Oh don't worry, Tank is such a lovable turtle! He would never hurt me or anyone, all he wanted was a friend!"
The turtle nodded his head.
"Wait..." Sunny stared at the tortoise. "As in Rainbow Dash's pet turtle?"
"Rainbow Dash, the fastest mare in Equestria, has a pet turtle? And what is it doing here?" Hitch honestly couldn't believe it. Somehow a tortoise managed to live over a hundred years, this smelled like Discord's doing.
"Yes, and I'm not sure on how he lived for so long but he was guarding this!" Pipp showed her friends the tiny book in her hooves, and the others couldn't really read the cover, but they remembered what it was thanks to that random fan of Pipp's.
"Oh, let me help you with that!" Discord picked the book away from Pipp's hooves and tossed it over to Sunny, who caught it effortlessly, but was shocked to find it in regular size. "There, now you have one last thing to find! Ta-ta!" And puffed, he was gone.
Tank used his propeller to hover next to Zipp, it would seem that he became fond of the influencer, must be because she was(normally) short for a pegasus, maybe even shorter than Dash. But in the end, a friend was what he wanted.
"That's right!" Izzy gasped. "We have four items, but still one more hint!"
"Darn, did we even find out the answer?" Hitch asked the others.
Zipp hummed. "That's the thing, he mentioned that there are only four items: The hat I'm wearing, the chest, the party cannon, and this book."
"Buried in memories of the past, I am what you seek for I am the answer. United here, and there, if you wish to win, then I am what you are after." Pipp repeated their last hurdle to victory.
Sunny felt her heart skip a beat. She tried to wrap her mind around the final hint, but Sunny couldn't bring up a good answer. Minutes passed as she and her friends gathered to discover what Discord meant, Pipp rested on Hitch's mane, while Zipp and Sunny exchanged possible answers. A few ponies tried to help, but none could even give a solution.
They racked their brains together, yet they still couldn't get past the barrier to their final challenge.
Sunny repeated the hint over and over in her head, she did all she could do to bring up an answer. Then something hit her, a thought flashed in her mind as she suddenly stood up. "I got it..."
"Sunny?" Izzy questioned with concern.
"We need to get to my house!" Sunny ran without giving context to the others, with no other choice, they ran after Sunny who was confident that she found the key.
The four galloped as fast as they could, Zipp and Hitch of course ran faster than the rest. Tank followed behind, curious as to where they were going. Many ponies who weren't busy with Discord's game gave the four a friendly hello, sadly Sunny couldn't return it, she was determined to win this game. Though some may say it was selfish, she wanted to know, someone could finally confirm anything about Twilight and her friends, this was a chance she didn't want to miss.
Finally leaving Maretime Bay, the group ran through the main road towards Sunny's home, determined to win this game of chaos.
Pipp could only sit still in Hitch's mane, she was far too small to fly beside them and would be easily left behind if she did so. Though she did like the bumpy ride, it was like a roller coaster, but with a giant pony instead. Suddenly, she felt her body tingle, and before she knew it, she started to grow bigger.
Hitch noticed the change in weight, and his fear got the better of him, the sun in the distance was already touching the horizon. Time was running out.
Being informed by the stallion, Sunny roared as loud as she could, her speed increased with newfound strength. The mare would outrun Hitch and Zipp soon enough, a blazing flame burned within her soul as she ran even faster. Her home was just ahead, there was no backing down now, and no way could she give up.
Just a few more steps and she will win.
"Discord!" Sunny cried out as she stopped just in front of her house.
The rubble started to move, it shook intensely, lights beamed out from any gaps. A powerful song played around them as the rubble parted way to reveal a rising figure. Discord ascended out of the ruins of Sunny's home, a frown on his face as he stared at Sunny.
"Game... over..." Discord muttered.
"Did I win?" She huffed as fatigue finally caught up with her.
"Sunny..." Discord sighed. "You've lost."
"W-what?"
"Sunny!"
Her friends finally arrived, but the scene before them ruined any chance to celebrate as they stared at Sunny's eyes. Sorrow was written all over her face as they came to realize that it was already nighttime, the sun had set and the stars came to light up the sky.
Hitch gritted his teeth. "We were so close!"
"Oh... At least... we had fun, right?" Izzy said sheepishly.
Everything was back to normal, Hitch was an earth pony, Zipp got her wings back. Izzy was able to do magic again, and Pipp was back to her regular size.
Discord saw that dejected look in Sunny's eyes, and couldn't help but feel guilty about it.
"What exactly was the last thing we needed to find?" Zipp asked Sunny.
Sunny glanced at Discord, though she was saddened by the results, she was still a mare who knows her history. "The items are related to four of Equestria's heroes, closest friends of Twilight Sparkle. At first, I thought the answer was Twilight Sparkle, but then I remembered about Fluttershy."
She then eyed Discord who had Tank hovered next to him.
"Buried in memories meant he hid under my house, 'United here, and there' also was a give away because he meant the place where our races got back together. Only four items, and five hints. Everything is related to the heroes, and I remember one thing from my journal, Fluttershy's greatest achievement. And it's reforming one of Equestria's greatest villains, Discord!"
The group was shocked to hear this, but then it started to make a few things clear, how the items belonged to the mane 6, the cupcake that was the pride and joy of Pinkie. Discord wasn't a fan, he was their friend. It started to make sense now.
The last hint was about Fluttershy, but mostly about Discord who hid under the remains of Sunny's home.
"I don't believe it..." Hitch gasped.
Everyone had different reactions, Pipp unconsciously started streaming, Zipp was still processing Sunny's explanation, while Izzy was ecstatic to hear that Discord was friends with Twilight and the others, more importantly, with Fluttershy.
Discord smiled. "Sunny Starscout, you truly are an extraordinary mare, your hope drives you to do great things."
He glanced at everyone and gave them each a satisfied smile.
"It had been so long since I had fun like this, and it's all thanks to you five. Hitch, you are kind enough to even forgive Sprout's crimes, and you remind me so much of my best friend, Fluttershy. Izzy, your creative way helped you win my game, and I commend you for that amazing mind of yours, in a way, your personality reminds me of Pinkie Pie."
Then he looked over to the princesses.
"Zipp, you were quite courageous during our card game, clever too. Some may believe a princess needs to be prim and proper, but you are more than that. You are smart and very athletic, a good combo with Hitch I must say. And let me tell you, Zipp, you and Rainbow Dash are alike in a few ways. And Pipp, confident, and strong in your own way, I was impressed when you faced Tank even though you were smaller than him. But you saw that he just wanted a friend, and you were generous enough to provide. Just as generous as Rarity."
He marched over to Sunny and handed her the journal she cherished the most.
"Sunny Starscout, you were an amazing player, and I would love to play another game one day. I must thank you as well, if it weren't for the hope in your heart, I would still be lost in the abyss, bored until I lose my sanity. But thanks to your honest belief that all races should be united, you saved me. That honesty that you carry is enough to rival Applejack's."
They listened, none could rip their attention away from Discord as he spoke to them, Sunny especially. Something in her chest ached as he complimented everyone, Discord was proud of them even if they lost the game.
"And all of you would make Twilight proud."
That was the final hit, tears started to roll down Sunny's cheeks as she stared at Discord, his warm smile grew as he pulled Sunny closer. They shared an embrace, Discord did his best to soothe Sunny's emotion, he hummed a lovely tune to her which reminded Sunny of her father.
Her friends suddenly joined in, they wrapped around Discord smiling like foals, Sunny and her friends may have lost, but defeat was not so bad.
"Sunny," Discord broke their embrace, he still smiled as he kneeled on one knee. "If you still wish for answers, then just find me."
"Y-you are leaving?" Zipp stuttered.
This discovery saddened the others.
"I'm afraid so," Discord sighed once again. "If you had won, then I would have had a reason to stay. But, I still need to look for my friend, he's out there somewhere. And if I ever find him, I'll send postcards."
"Someone else is around?" Sunny gasped. Before Discord could even give her a hint, Sunny was quick to find the answer. "Spike, Twilight's adoptive brother!"
Discord chuckled. "Glad he isn't known as Twilight's pet anymore!"
"So, this is goodbye?" Izzy wanted to cry as well, she didn't want him to go just like that.
"Izzy, we will meet again, I promise that."
"Pinkie promise?"
"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." Discord performed the ritual.
"Hey, you might've been a real pain in the flank, but I hope you don't forget what you've just promised." Hitch said.
Discord gasped. "And get haunted by Pinkie's vengeful ghost? I would never!"
Pipp smiled as her wings fluttered. "I actually had fun Discord! And being tiny for the whole game was certainly an awesome experience!"
"We had a heck of a time, Discord, despite losing!" Zipp grinned. "Next game, we are totally gonna win!"
"Love that determination!" Discord snapped his talons, and summoned a giant rock. He sat comfortably on top of it and it began to float off the ground after. "Now Sunny, this isn't the end of your adventure, more challenges will come and you and your friends must stay strong! And remember, friendship..."
"Is magic!" Sunny finished.
"What? No, friendship with Discord would make your résumé look good! Now, goodbye everyone! I hope that we see each other soon! Let us go Tom, yip yip!"
The rock began to fly off towards nowhere followed by Tank, Discord's quest began and he waved everyone in Maretime Bay farewell, many waved back unbothered by the flying rock, all enjoyed their time with Discord. Many wished he stayed to change things up again, but understood that Discord had his own things to do.
As for Sunny, she had newfound determination to seek out Discord and get her answers, and her friends had her back. Through thick and thin, they will face their future challenges head-on! Whatever it may be, Sunny knows that they will triumph. And she hoped that this game helped her friendship grow to something greater. It is good to know that everyone was willing to help Sunny just for her questions to Discord, but now they have a new mission, to seek out Spike.
"Hey Sunny, who's Spike?" Hitch asked.
"Spike is Twilight's adoptive brother, as I've already said, and he's a dragon." She told them. "Wait, if he's still alive then... he must be gigantic by now! I wonder what kind of dragon he grew up to be! Oh, he must be the dragon lord! We gotta find him, he would know Twilight Sparkle more than anyone!"
"Pass!" Hitch and the two sisters said, the idea of meeting a dragon was cool, but mostly terrifying.
I mean, who would even be friends with a fire-breathing beast?
