Where the sun doesn't shine.

Chapter 5: Where the sorrow won't stop

"So this 'Discord' managed to corrupt your friends, turning them into their opposites, and after believing that you failed you left Equestria to look for another purpose in life?" Asked the Terran.

"Pretty much." Answered Twilight.

"And now we have to find the others to unite the mane 6 again and have a chance of winning against this 'Discord'?"

"Yes."

"Understood, we march to Ponyville again then."

The detachment formed up once again, and began to walk towards the chaotic place.

"Umm...excuse me..."

"Yes, Fluttershy?"

"I have never seen anything like you before, but you can speak normally like us...What are you?"

"A Terran." He said, not giving her any more information.

"Ah, I see...I-I hope you can forgive me for what I did to you back then..." She obviously had no idea what a 'Terran' was.

"I regenerate, nothing to fear."

"...Thanks."

At this point it started raining. Everyone continued marching while the scenery got even more messed up than before; once they arrived at the eye of the storm they saw what appeared to be a real-life scale version of a surrealistic painting. They even passed through Twilight's house, the door still open from when they left. As they got near the centre, they heard a sorrowful humming; the Terran gave the order to stop and looked around. In the distance, on top of the town hall, there was a grey figure. He gave the order to scatter around the building to prevent her from escaping, since the memory spell would be the only thing able to return her back to normal. The plan would be to close in without her noticing, restrain her and cure her.

The Terran and his detachment successfully surrounded the building without being noticed, as Pinkie Pie continued singing.

"Now!" The Terran yelled as he ran to the door, shot the lock and kicked it open.

He and part of the detachment ran inside while the others kept guard outside. There was no one inside, but that fact was ignored as Pinkie Pie was the priority. They arrived at the top to find out that she wasn't there and the singing had stopped.

"Aren't you all putting too much effort on this...?" A voice spoke outside. It was the grey pony which managed to escape unnoticed and was standing on top of a tree.

The Terran out of frustration broke the window, took aim with his rifle and fired. An apple fell on top of Pinkie Pie.

"GET BACK HERE SO WE CAN BRAIN WA—AUGH"

"You'll scare her away!" Interrupted Twilight, as she unconsciously punched the Terran out of the way. "Pinkie! Come back with us! We can turn you back to what you were before Discord poisoned your mind!"

"He didn’t poison me, he just showed me the truth." Said Pinkie Pie in a depressed tone.

"What?"

"Before, I was just a pony who always had parties everywhere, that was monotonous. 'Have a good time'? All I did was waste my life moving around and listening to noises. So many years…Gone to waste…!" She continued as her tone changed from depression to anger. “Do you have any idea what I could have done instead of that?! So many projects…I could have helped ponies…But I was trapped in my own little world…”

"Pinkie! That's Discord's poison! He's controlling you to think that way!"

As both of them were speaking, the Terran climbed a building next to the tree she was standing without anyone noticing. As the discussion continued he managed to get into a position to jump and grab Pinkie mid-air. He jumped, but she moved just enough to make him miss completely, he screamed all the way down.

"You are trying too hard, Terran. Go away before you and your friends get hurt!"

"How do you know what I am? No one ever told you!!"

"How ignorant. The one who showed me the true way told me about you…To expect you…" She said before jumping down the tree and walking away around the town hall.

The Terran tried to pursue her, but just as he turned around the corner the pony he was chasing disappeared. He sighed.

"Detachment! Reform at me!"

The running of 80 ponies echoed around as they stood in front of the Terran.

"Scatter around Ponyville and find her, everything else is secondary! Move in groups of 5, GO!" He yelled irritated. "Fluttershy, you have wings, I need you to fly around and look for Pinkie, if you find her alert the nearest group."

"Y-yes!"

The Terran returned to the top of the building, covered in mud and water.

"What do we do now?” Asked Twilight.

"We sit. And we wait."

Fluttershy arrived breathing heavily and tired.

"Terran, I found Pinkie, I told the nearest group but they couldn’t get her, I even alerted another 3 groups but they still failed!"

"I can see her from here!" Remarked Spike, and once he was heard everyone rushed to the window he was looking through.

From what could be seen, Pinkie laid traps all around Ponyville and she knew them all like the back of her hoof.

"That's it! Fluttershy, take a rest, you deserve it. Twilight, can you amplify voices?" Asked the Terran.

"Yes!"

"Good, amplify Spike's voice, he'll tell my troops where to go, and if Pinkie moves, the new location. After that, you'll come with me. I bet you can use your magic to see the traps before they are activated. LET'S GO!"

The Terran ran out of the building to where the action took place, and after a while, so did Twilight. The voice of Spike echoed in Ponyville as he told the soldiers where the chaos was. Everypony was doing their part in this mission.

After running, the Terran and Twilight stumbled upon a group of around a dozen tired soldiers.

"Report!"

"We cannot advance; there are traps in every inch of the path the objective ran away through! We've also lost 2 in a pit, and we couldn’t reach them!"

"Twilight, you are now in control of this group, guide them through the traps, I'll go get the ones in the pit!" Ordered the Terran.

"S-sure! Let's go everypony!"

They ran their separates way in the rain. This was supposed to be a simple mission: Go to Ponyville, cure any mane 6 pony they found, and keep looking for the others. It all went to hell by the second one, and even if they succeeded here, they'd still have 3 more to look for.

"You both alright?!" Asked the Terran as he looked down the pit, the bottom already had about 20 centimetres of water.

"Yes! Can you get us out of here?!"

The Terran dropped down to the floor and reached his arm to the ponies trapped below, the added length of his limbs were enough to grab them one by one.

"T-Terran! Spike told me you needed help, so I came flying as fast as I could!"

"I sure do, Fluttershy! Where's Twilight?"

"Around a hundred metres away! Follow me!"

The 2 soldiers and him followed Fluttershy to where Twilight was. Through the journey, they helped all who were stuck, and by the end they had around 20 more soldiers. After a lot of running, they all saw a purple glow moving at a considerable speed in the dusk.

"I see Twilight's magic! Let's go everypony!" Said Fluttershy.

By the time the Terran and his group reached Pinkie Pie, she had ran out of traps already; she had no way to escape Ponyville now. All the soldiers surrounded her while Twilight, and later the Terran, got close to her.

"Pinkie...Give up...It's all over..." Sorrowfully said Twilight as she walked closer and closer

"It's not over! It's never over!!" Screamed Pinkie Pie, who was standing on her hind legs with her back on a corner.

"Restrain her." Ordered the Terran.

4 Ponies advanced and complied, while Twilight casted the memory spell on her. Pinkie pie was knocked unconscious, her colours returning completely. She didn't wake up, but that's because she used too much energy to try to escape.

"Carry her, we're returning to Cabalderio."

"What? What about the others?" Questioned Spike as he arrived panting.

"I never said I'd abandon them. But if things keep going like this, a single detachment would be of no use."

A grim silence engulfed the situation before they decided to return to Stallinox.