Rarity's Epic Yarn

Chapters

Hitting That Snag
Whip It Good
A Wonky Hole in the Fabric of Space and Time
Welcome to the Jungle
A Web of Lies

Hitting That Snag

“Pfft. Designing dresses again, I see?”

Rarity huffed in annoyance, flicking her perfectly styled mane just a tad to the side in order to glare at her unwanted visitor. Across the room from her, hovering just above one of the dressmaker’s many ponniquins, was the only draconequus left in existence. Discord, Spirit of Chaos, shot her one of his many winning smiles.

“Well, of course I am,” Rarity replied, her voice silky and smooth despite her burning rage. “I am a fashion designer, after all. What am I supposed to do apart from my job?” She got a shrug in response.

“I dunno, take up knitting or something else as boooring as you are?” Discord watched Rarity, who paused in her stitching. He knew he was touching nerves, but Rarity wasn’t really biting. Although reformed, he still loved to poke fun at the small ponies every now and then, and Rarity was a particularly special target. Ever since the “Tom” incident, he secretly held a desire to make her snap again. Tormenting her was the second best thing.

“If I’m really so boring, Discord dear, why don’t you go play with Pinkie Pie? I’m sure the two of you would have absolute bundles of fun.” Rarity didn’t even pay him a glance as she spat her retort back. Discord was beginning to grow irritated, mostly because she wouldn’t take the bait. Throughout the day, he had been pestering her in every way imaginable. His mind drifted back to thoughts of earlier.

__________

“I take it this was your doing?”

Discord held his talon over his mouth, trying hard not to laugh at the now pitch black pony standing in front of him. Rarity had finished with her morning shower only to find that somepony had changed the water into liquid licorice. Unable to contain himself, Discord let loose a roaring laugh, falling from his perch on a chandelier and coming to rest on Rarity’s favorite sofa. The unicorn growled and took a anger-fueled step forward.

“I have half a mind to let Princess Celestia know about this!” She cried. Immediately ceasing in his laughter, Discord rose to look at her, a hurt expression on his face.

“Oh, the humanity! Wait...” Discord paused, tapping a claw against his chin. “No, no, that’s not it. Whatever, where was I? Oh, right! How dare you accuse me of such a thing? I am reformed now, and, in my new, reformed mind, would not dare to do something so heinous, albeit delicious. Besides, all you have to do is go take another shower. It’ll wash right off.” Rarity rolled her eyes and stormed off, leaving a chuckling draconequus on her sofa.

~~~

“Now, my pets, we prepare for global conques-”

“DISCORD!”

Discord paused in his speech, turning to face Rarity. Clad in an officer’s uniform of his own design, he stood in front of his small army of animated ponniquinns, each wearing something that made Rarity want to pass out from shock. Each outfit was a different set of armor from Equestrian past, all painted to look like flowers. Instead of traumatizing herself, the unicorn took to glaring at the cause of her problems.

“Really!? Was this necessary!?” she screamed at him, the force of her voice beginning to rival that of Princess Luna. Discord straightened his hat and smiled.

“Of course it was necessary, my dear,” he droned in response. “How else am I to spread the Gospel of Discord to the masses?” Rarity, lighting up her horn, picked the now surprised Discord up with her magic and flung him out with a scream.

“If I ever see you mutilating my dresses again, Discord, not even Celestia will be able to save you!” The door slammed in front of Discord, leaving him bamboozled.

“Well... that was unexpected. Ah well, I’m feeling a bit peckish. Time to go bother somepony else. Preferably somepony with lots of clam chowder.”

~~~

“CLAM CHOWDER FOR EVERYONE!”

Rarity’s left eye twitched as she looked over her now chowder-drenched dresses. Discord, realizing he may have just crossed a very serious line, teleported about two miles outside of Ponyville. He was still able to hear her scream ring out across the hills.

“GET BACK HERE, YOU PATHETIC, SPINELESS RUFFIAN!”

__________

Looking back, a sudden thought occurred to him. Maybe it wasn’t Rarity herself that was why he loved to pick on her. As he thought about what he knew, Rarity’s lifestyle itself seemed to be what irked him the most about her. The fact that everything had to be perfect, on time, and - ‘oh, gag’ - orderly was what made her a special target. Every other pony he knew, especially Pinkie Pie, had a little bit of tenacity for the unexpected and chaotic. Rarity, on the other claw, tried as hard as she could to prevent that.

Discord slapped himself. ‘Of course. Her life is so boring and plain and dull, obviously I’m just taking up the mantle and burden of making her life that much more fun. But it seems that she’s trying hard to fight back...’ He pondered for a moment, wondering how he might outsmart the fashionista. A smile crept onto his face as he remembered something from not so long ago. From the time he was trapped in stone and had nothing better to do than play video games in his subconscious.

“Oh Rarity.” He called in a sing-song voice. Sighing, she turned to face him.

“Yes, what is it now?” Rarity barely got the words out before she registered that Discord was casting a spell. Before she could even take a single step out of the way, she vanished in a puff of oddly cloth-like smoke. Discord grinned.

“Say ‘hi’ to old Fluff for me, will you?”

__________

Pants. That’s what it felt like she was laying on. Pants. Not very fashionable ones either, probably a nasty colored denim. But what confused Rarity the most is why on Equestria did it feel like she was laying on pants. Groaning and blinking her eyes open, Rarity rolled to her hooves and looked around, recovering much quicker than she had anticipated. She hadn’t remembered being knocked out after the spell had been cast, but then again, she didn’t recognize the world around her either.

Cloth as far as she could see. The ground was cloth. The sky was cloth. The trees, the clouds, the grass, the little blue creature that was staring at her in wonder; Everything was made of cloth. It wasn’t the same kinds of cloth, either. Rarity, with her eye for cloth and fabrics, was able to make out denim, felt, silk, wool, and other such fabrics laced throughout the world around her. Mystified, she let out a low whistle. It took her a moment to remember that she was being stared at.

“Wow. Never seen anything like you before.” The small, blue yarn creature approached her. Rarity watched it apprehensively, trying not to squee from sheer delight. The creature was perfectly round, with a pair of little arms and little orange feet. On the top of the body was perched a small, felt crown. And, although completely hollow, his face was somehow floating right near the middle of his body. As it was, he was currently wearing a slight frown. Unable to hold back any longer, she reached out with her magic, attempting to lift it up.

“Oh, aren’t you the most darling little thing!” She cooed, ready to snuggle the small creature when she realized something was wrong. Her magic wasn’t working. The blue creature was eyeing her warily.

“I get that every now and then. So... what are you? Who are you, lady?” Rarity didn’t answer, reaching up to her horn to feel if it had been damaged. Although she didn’t feel any damage, she did feel something very strange. Under her hoof, her horn felt like yarn. Even her mane, which was just barely grazing her hoof, didn’t feel like hair. It felt like, well, felt. A look of horror passed over her face. She couldn’t believe it.

“When I get my hooves on that draconequus, I am going to tear him limb from limb.” She muttered. Although she felt perfectly fine, somehow the magic of Discord’s spell had turned her into the same consistency of the blue yarn creature. She was made of yarn. Not only that, but her horn no longer channeled her magic. Feelings of rage began to well up in her, but also a sense of fear. She had no idea how to get back to Equestria, and without her magic the task was going to be that much harder.

“Umm, ma’am? Are you alright?” The blue creature asked concernedly. Rarity turned slowly to face him, a look of absolute, bone chilling fury on her face.

“Do not call me ma’am! I am not old!” The blue creature recoiled, suddenly very nervous of the new, stark white arrival.

“Alright! Lady, what’s wrong?” Rarity calmed herself slowly, trying to compose herself. A lady never conducts herself thusly, and so, after a moment, she sighed.

“First off, let me apologize. I was very rude just now, and I am deeply sorry that I acted like that.” Rarity closed her eyes, lowering her head just a little bit. “As for what’s wrong... it’s a bit difficult to explain. Do you have somewhere we could talk over a cup of tea? If you have tea in this world, that is.” The creature nodded.

“Sure, lady, if you’ll follow me.” Rarity noted that the voice was masculine, and although it tried to sound tough and commanding, it was actually very cute. The blue creature turned on his heel and led Rarity down a path. Along the way, she took note of how everything seemed to hold together in the world. She could see stitching - and well done stitching at that - everywhere, but also the occasional button, zipper, and even a few tabs. She was very impressed at the care and dedication that had gone into the world.

“So, what’s you’re name? Mines Fluff. I’m the prince hereabouts.” Fluff said, turning to give her a quick smile. Rarity, shaken from her thoughts, shot one back as well.

“I’m Rarity, and I am most pleased to make the acquaintance of a prince,” she said, her demeanor and voice much calmer and collected. “Do tell me something, though. Where exactly am I?” Fluff nodded knowingly.

“I shoulda guessed you were an outsider. Never seen anything like you in all of Patch Star.” A name, that was all Rarity needed to know. She figured that Discord had teleported her somewhere. She should have guessed that it would breach the dimensional barrier in order to get somewhere like this, something Discord was well adapt at.

“Patch Star? How charming. So you’re the prince?” Fluff nodded, continuing in his methodical pace. A building was rising on the horizon ahead of the pair, but it was still too far away for Rarity to make out. Fluff pointed at it.

“Yup, and there’s my castle. We’ll be there shortly.” The pair continued on in silence, Rarity watching as the castle grew nearer and nearer. The details began to come into focus, and Rarity found herself even more impressed with the little world. The castle itself was made of cloth and string, and could very well have been made by her at some other point in time. Even more amusing to her was the small town located just past it.

Once they arrived at the castle, Fluff led Rarity inside to the great hall. Rarity’s sense of wonder grew as she was led down the castle halls. Everything, even the stained glass windows, was cloth, felt, yarn, and everything else Rarity had seen on the way there. It astounded her that the world not only held itself together in that state, but that creatures could live in it as well. Fluff finally led her into the hall, which was lit by large chandeliers decked with flames of string, and sat her down at a long table.

“I’ll be right back,” he said, ducking out of the room. Rarity hummed to herself, glancing around the room and trying to take everything in. True to his word, Fluff returned a few moments later with a small tray laden with tea. Setting a glass down in front of the unicorn, he sat in a chair to her left, holding his own cup. “Well, go on. I always have a kettle on, so it should be fresh.” Rarity didn’t move, instead opting to just stare at the cup.

“I don’t know if I can lift it. My magic isn’t working, you see.” Fluff shook his head, smiling.

“Try and lift it with one of your hooves. I think you’ll find the world works a little differently here.” Rarity reached out with her hoof, gently touching the teacup. Almost instantly she felt a change. The teacup seemed to melt into her hoof, becoming one with her body. Lifting her hoof up, she found that the cup moved with it. Smiling, she took a sip of the tea - brown string in the cup - pleased with the taste.

“I must say, this tea is exquisite. Might I ask for the recipe?” Fluff shook his head, quickly taking a sip of his own.

“No can do. Family secret. Now...” He set his teacup down on the table, fixing Rarity in a meaningful look. “My guess is you probably want to get back home, don’t you?” Rarity paused, before nodding slowly.

“In a way, yes. I would love to spend some time here, as this world... I can’t really describe my feelings right now, but it is quite breathtaking. But I do have to get back. I have orders to fill and a sister coming to visit.” Fluff nodded, leaning back in his seat.

“That’s fine. I’ve got a portal near the top of the castle, but we can access that from the outside. I don’t see a problem sending you back as soon as possible, but if you want to stay, we should go talk to Dom Woole. He’d be able to set up a place for you to stay while you’re here.” Rarity finished the rest of her tea, smiling as she set the cup down.

“I appreciate your generosity. Lead on, then.”

__________

“Ah, Prince Fluff. Might I ask the name of your newest companion?” Rarity watched the strange, mustachioed ball of yarn bounce as it spoke to the prince. Dom Woole, in Rarity’s eyes, wasn’t at all like Prince Fluff. Prince Fluff was adorable. Dom Woole... to Rarity, Dom Woole was almost creepy. His moustache, nose, and odd lack of any limbs made Rarity very nervous. She didn’t have time to express her concerns, as Fluff and Woole were deep in conversation.

“This is Rarity. I was wondering if you could set up a new apartment for her. She’s planning on staying for a little while.” Dom bounced up joyously, clapping the ends of his moustache together.

“Oh, splendid. I shall get on Lady Rarity’s apartment right away. Of course, I will need help with the costs. Thirty-thousand beads should be sufficient.” Fluff nodded.

“Done and done. See that it gets completed ASAP.” As Rarity watched, Dom Woole moved towards the apartment building, a curtain draping over the area. Within seconds, the curtain drew back. Rarity’s mouth fell open. What once had been a three story building now had an additional story on the top, a single door opening to the room inside. Rarity had never seen speed like that before.

“Never seen speed like that before, have you?” Rarity shook her head. Fluff strode towards Dom Woole and gave his moustache a high five. “Come on! I’ll take you up.” Rarity followed Fluff up the apartment building, noting the faces above the other doors. ‘Those must be the other tenants.’

Arriving on the fourth floor, the pair strode into the newly created room. Rarity was shocked to find it barren of all forms of furniture, decor and life. The room looked new, but seemed to be in a state of stasis. Fluff produced a small box from somewhere and laid it down at Rarity’s hooves.

“Inside the box you’ll find all sorts of good stuff to furnish your apartment with. I’ll leave you to decorate. Don’t take too long, I want to show you the portal.”

__________

About three and a half hours later, Rarity emerged from Apt. 401, a smile on her face. She found Fluff leaning against the wall, snoring gently. The prince woke with a start at her gentle nudging.

“Wazzat? I never ate that pancake... oh, you’re done?” Rarity nodded, so Fluff rose to his feet, stretching as far as his little limbs would allow. “Welp, if you’ll follow me, I’ll show you just how you’re getting back home.” Fluff led her back down to the ground floor of the apartment building, then back over to Patch Castle. To Rarity’s astonishment, instead of entering the castle, Fluff chose to jump up the side of the building, landing on the stitching that held the castle together. Turning, he waved her up. “Come on.”

Rarity followed, leaping up stitch by stitch. Looking above, she saw Fluff disappear as he landed on a certain balcony. A moment later, she heard a cry of anger. Leaping the rest of the way as quick as she could, she came to rest on the balcony. Fluff was there, staring at an empty alcove. His entire body was shaking.

“Someone stole it. The magic sock. They stole it.” He turned to face her. “I can’t get you home. We’re gonna have to search all of Patch Star in order to find it.” Rarity, who was initially worried at the thought of being stuck in this new, cloth filled world, gently laid a hoof on Fluff and gave him a gentle smile.

“I’ve been through a great deal worse than you might have guessed. A simple glob-trotting adventure is exactly what I wanted, although under different circumstances. So come on now, let’s get going. That sock won’t find itself.” Fluff returned Rarity’s smile, pleased that the unicorn was so understanding.

“Well then, adventure awaits. Onward to Grass Land!” He cried, trying to look very dramatic. Rarity couldn’t contain her giggles, and Fluff sighed. “It’s kind of hard to be serious about a place named Grass Land. Come on.”

__________

Back in Equestria, Discord was laying on Rarity’s couch, staring at the wall as he watched a new coat of puce paint dry. Little did he know he wasn’t the only being doing some watching at that moment.

“Nyah ha ha! Bad move, Dissy. Now you’ve brought me back, despite what happened at the hands of that tiny pink psychopath. Now that I’m here, time for a little fun. Let’s see what kind of plan I can stitch together.”

Whip It Good

*Some BGM, if you want it.*

“So, Grass Land?” Fluff nodded in response to Rarity’s inquiry. “Can you tell me anything about it?”

“There’s not a whole lot to say. Grass Land is the most peaceful place on Patch Star. At one time, a wicked dragon name Fangora lived there, but he was defeated. Now... I doubt we’ll actually find the sock there, but I suppose it couldn’t hurt to check. Plus, if you want to get a good look at Patch Star, this is the perfect place to start.”

Rarity tilted her head slightly as they passed by a small sign, pointing them in the direction of Grass Land. As much as she wanted to take a look around, something was clawing at her heart. She didn’t know what it was, but she felt like something was wrong. She voiced her concerns to Fluff, who shook it off.

“Look, I don’t know what’s bugging you, but I can assure you that Patch Star is incredibly peaceful. The only danger here would be some of the natural predators. Luckily, most of them are easy enough to bring down.” Although not quite reassured, Rarity felt a little better. Something was still bugging her, but she chose not to worry about it. The pair continued down the short path that wound down from Patch Castle into Grass Land. It didn’t take them long to find the large, peaceful field.

Rarity’s worry faded completely as she laid her eyes on Grass Land. A mass of cloth lay before her, flowing in a gentle wind. In the distance, she could see a massive beanstalk and a beautiful series of waterfalls, each one flowing down and creating it’s own rainbow. Closer to her, she could see a series of castle walls and a seemingly endless sea of flowers. She was so absorbed by the sheer beauty of the world that she didn’t notice that Fluff had left her behind. The yarn prince had to call out to her to bring her back to reality.

“Hey! You coming or what?” Rarity blinked, then trotted to catch up, grinning sheepishly. Fluff chuckled. “I knew you were enamored with this place, but sheesh. Just wait until we figure out whether or not you can transform.” Rarity paused in her tracks, staring at Fluff.

“Wait... transform?” Fluff nodded, heading towards the castle walls.

“Yep. You said your magic doesn’t seem to be working, right? Well, it may have been transferred into something else. Follow me and I’ll show you what I mean.” Fluff led her down the path towards the castle walls, his eyes scanning the trees around them. Rarity watched him curiously, until he smiled and pointed with his arm.

“Right there. See that button?” Rarity’s eyes followed his arm, alighting on a small, red button. “I want you to pull that.” Rarity nodded and began to walk over to the button, but Fluff stopped her. “No, not with your hooves. I want to see if you have a yarn whip.” Rarity paused.

“A yarn what?” she asked, confused. Fluff smiled knowingly.

“Your magic, here in this world, should have been transferred into what we call a yarn whip.” He slapped his arm out, and to Rarity’s shock, it unravelled, winding a decent length before stopping at a small, glowing light. “We use this to accomplish a great many things. Not everything in Patch Star has this ability, so I want to see if you do. It’s not too hard to learn, either. And once you learn this, you’ll be able to transform.”

Giving Rarity a nod, he allowed the unicorn to step forward, facing the button. “Now, here’s how you do it. Focus on whatever it was that channeled your magic before. My guess is that horn there. Focus on channeling your magic through it, but instead of casting a spell, let the magic just flow in. It’ll do the rest.”

Rarity closed her eyes, following Fluff’s instructions. She felt her magic - which she thought had left her - rush back into her horn. But instead of casting a spell, she felt an odd sensation from her horn. Almost as if she had been given another hoof. She opened her eyes to see a long strand of white yarn hanging in front of her face, a small glowing light hanging from the tip. She turned to face Fluff, who was smiling at her.

“Excellent. It kinda feels like there’s another limb there, right?” Rarity nodded. “Good. Give it a few practice flicks, then grab onto that button and give it a pull.” He watched as she swung the whip around, testing the balance and finesse of her new tool. Once she felt satisfied, she turned to the button and threw the whip at it. The glowing tip latched on, and after a quick test, Rarity gave it a tug. The button slipped loose of its stitching, and it tugged the world along with it. Folding and wrinkling up, Rarity watched as her simple action changed the very being of the landscape around her, opening up a new path in one of the castle walls.

“What... how did I do that?” Fluff didn’t answer. Rarity wondered why until a small, blue vehicle rushed passed her through the new gap. The vehicle called out to her as it passed.

“Come on! The gap will close soon!” Rarity, realizing what it had implied, charged after him. She felt herself running for but a moment, then her body began to morph. She felt a set of wheels hit the ground below her, still being powered by her muscle movement. Her equine form began to shift and slender down to a more suitable, stylish body that slid over the wheels, fitting to them like a glove. As the shifting and morphing came to a finish, Rarity felt herself rocket forward, passing through the gap just as it was beginning to close.

She saw Fluff waiting for her on the other side, so she tried to slow herself to a halt. As she did, her body began to morph again, reverting back to her original pony shape. She slowed to a gentle trot, coming to a stop next to her small companion. He was watching her, somewhat stunned.

“Well, I guess I should have seen that coming. Your form looks a lot more... sleek than mine does.” His stunned expression quickly changed into a smile. “But I was right. You can transform.” Rarity paused, turning to look back at the wall behind her. It had sealed shut, but she realized that something had allowed her to get through. Her magic had turned her yarn body into a vehicle, allowing her to pass through with ease. Her eyes went wide.

“I may have lost my ability to cast spells,” she muttered, the truth dawning on her. “But it seems this new world has a brand new set of abilities to help me through.” She turned to Fluff, who was clapping slowly. “I’m right, aren’t I?” Fluff gave her a nod.

“Exactly. Now remember, there are other abilities at your disposal. When you swim, and depending on how quickly you want to descend, your body will react in those instances as well. Also, there may be other times, under special circumstances, where you’ll transform into something a lot more complex.” He paused, turning his gaze to the waterfalls in the distance. “Try and keep up. I’ll show you what I mean. Plus, this’ll lead us through Flower Fields. It’s always good to check another area.” With that, Fluff transformed back into a vehicle and took off towards the waterfalls. Rarity’s face lit up, and she followed, trying to catch up to him.

She finally caught up to him in the location he dubbed “Flower Fields.” Rarity was awestruck by the beauty of the area, but only had so much time to take it all in. All she could see were flowers. Flowers on the ground, flowers in the air, big and small and all manner of colors. Awestruck by the magic infused into the world, Rarity didn’t notice a wall in front of her until she hit it. Bouncing off, the magic in her body reverted her back to her original form. She glanced around, rubbing he head.

“Oh dear... how am I supposed to get up there?” Fluff, who was apparently not as far ahead as she had imagined, peeked over the top edge of the cliff and called to her.

“Small button, straight up! Jump and swing up here!” Rarity looked up and saw the small button he was referring to. She paused, unsure.

“Won’t it come undone like the other one?” There was no answer. She called out again. “Fluff! Won’t the button come undone?” Still no response. Groaning in annoyance, she brought her yarn whip out, leapt into the air, and swung her whip at the button. As it latched on, her body morphed again, rounding out and turning into a balanced circle. She gave herself a test swing, shifting her weight back and forth. The button began to swing along with her as the small weight became a pendulum, but didn’t give. Now thoroughly reassured that Fluff knew what he was talking about, she leapt forward towards the cliff, feeling herself transform again as the whip left the button.

She landed gracefully on the cliff, looking around for Fluff. He was just ahead on the path, walking slowly and admiring the scenery. It was then that a sinister idea crossed her mind, and she grinned wickedly.

Fluff turned at the sound of a horn beeping, and barely had time to dive out of the way as Rarity came racing past. With a laugh, he took off after her, struggling to keep up. The two made their way through Flower Field and eventually, after much competitive driving, arrived at the falls. By the time the two came to a stop, they were both panting, but laughing all the while.

“Good grief, I never woulda taken you for a racer.” Fluff panted. Rarity waved a hoof at him.

“Well, a lady such as myself does have to indulge in a bit of fun every now and then.” Rarity replied, turning to the falls. “Oh my. I daresay, this place is quite lovely. Reminds me of the Winsome Falls.” Fluff took the lead, walking up the path.

“These are the Rainbow Falls. And it’s here that we’ll be able to find out just how far your transformation powers can go. Come on.” The two began the climb up the falls, wading through the streams of yarn. Rarity noted that, although the water was made of yarn, it still felt wet to the touch. To her, it was strange how real the world felt, and yet how different it looked.

As they ascended further up the mountain, Rarity began to see creatures along the different pathways. The heads of alligators stuck up from the river, maws wide and waiting. They nearly bumped into one, and it snapped its jaws shut in a feeble attempt to get some food. Fluff extended his yarn whip and flung it at the creature. It latched on and he began to spin, rolling the gator up into a ball of yarn. Rarity watched, dumbfounded.

“Yep, that’s how we deal with threats in patch land. Considering that everything is made of yarn, some of the creatures can be easily dealt with. Of course, they are sentient and alive, but most of them are predatory creatures and would gladly do you harm. Take, for instance, that little guy up there.” He nodded at a small, brown creature a bit ahead on the path, a small spike protruding from its head. “If we get close, he’ll charge at us and try to hurt us. So, I’ll just do this.” He took the yarn ball and gave it a good throw, watching as it hurtled towards the brown creature. As the two collided and exploded in a puff of yarn, Rarity noticed small things glinting in the light.

“What... what came out of them? Just now, those small, glittery things?” Fluff gestured for her to follow. The two strode up to where the two beings had been defeated to find small, glittering beads lying on the ground. Rarity’s eyes lit up.

“These are beads. They’re the currency of our world. Collect as many as you can, if you want.” Fluff watched as Rarity scooped up the beads, tucking them away. “You... really like those things, don’t you? And how did you do that?” Rarity gave him a quick smile.

“I have an... affection for gems of any nature. I use them in many of my designs, and seeing as they are so plentiful here,” she turned her eyes upwards, noting the beads floating in midair above her. “Well, I think I’ve got some hunting to do, and not just for a magic sock. And do what, dear?” Fluff shook his head.

“Never mind. Come on, we’re almost there.” Once again, the two set off down the path, albeit a bit slower as Rarity kept her eyes ever open for new gems. After some walking and climbing, the two finally arrived at the summit. Over the stream that led to the largest and most diverse of all the falls, a small, yellow piece of cloth was hovering. Fluff walked over and gave the cloth a pull, via a small red tab on the side. The cloth fell away to reveal a small, hovering mass of yarn, with a picture of a surfboard in the center. Rarity watched it with apprehensive curiosity.

“And what, pray tell, will that do?” Fluff didn’t respond, but instead gave her a wicked grin and slowly began reaching for the sphere. Rarity began to grow worried. “No, seriously, what is that going to do to me?” Fluff’s grin widened, and his reach began to increase in speed. Rarity was sweating visibly at this point. “Fluff, please tell me what that’s going to do!”

“Watch.” Fluff said, and he leapt up, colliding with the sphere. Rarity took a moment to register that Fluff wouldn’t have been able to reach it before she felt an unknown force tugging on her. She was pulled, along with Fluff, into the sphere, which began to morph and bend her shape to its will. Rarity felt a little woozy as it worked, but luckily for her, it didn’t last too long.

A moment later, a surfboard splashed down into the water, a multicolored, rotund penguin astride it. Rarity took a moment to look herself over. Her eyes welled up with tears.

“Oh, I knew it was going to be just awful!” Fluff, who had taken the form of a small round bird, watched her from his perch on her shoulder.

“What do you mean? You’re a surfboarding penguin!” Rarity turned to look at him, tears, streaming from her eyes.

“That sphere... it made me FAT!” She managed to get out before breaking down completely. “Oh, I knew it! I knew I should have cut back on all the sweets! But their just so good!” Fluff rolled his eyes.

“It’s only temporary, and it will only wear off if we get to the bottom of the cliff. Now come o-” Fluff cried out and had to hang on for dear life as Rarity began to hurtle down the cliff. Apparently, the merest mention of some easy way to lose weight made Rarity more than eager to test out her new form.

The two careened down the waterfall dodging creatures of every nature and flying past scenic vistas at breakneck speeds. Fluff almost fell of more than a few times, but managed to just barely hang on. As the two approached the bottom of the waterfall, a large, thin rod came into view. Fluff had to scream over the rush of the wind and water to be heard.

“Head for that pole! That’s what will change us back!” Rarity nodded, adjusting her angle so that she was now heading straight for the pole. It was at that moment Fluff realized that they might be going just a bit too fast. Hitting the pole at their speed could possibly hurt them. He tried to voice this concern, but it was far too late. By the time he opened his mouth to speak, the pair had slammed headlong into the pole.

To Fluff’s immense relief, the pole carried out it’s noble duty and reverted the pair back to their original forms. Rarity, upon seeing herself whole and no longer overweight, began to giggle and skip about.

“Oh, thank Celestia! Never again, never again!” Fluff, dusting himself off, gave Rarity a skeptical look.

“You know, that kind of behavior can’t happen in this world. You are gonna be shifting forms all the time, and if you can’t handle it, you’re going to be a liability.” He stopped under Rarity’s intense stare.

“I am fine with whatever else comes along. But I will not allow myself to be made into that penguin thing ever again. Do you understand me?” The severity in Rarity’s voice made Fluff cringe slightly, but he rolled his eyes. Rarity turned and began to walk away.

“Just wait until we get to the Tankbot.” He mumbled under his breath.

“What was that, dear?” Rarity turned to face him. Fluff quickly straightened and shook his head.

“Uh, nothing. Come on, we’re almost done.” Fluff dashed off past her, still grumbling about her reaction. Rarity giggled to herself and followed. The pair, now on the other side of the falls, had reached the large beanstalk. Fluff gazed up, muttering to himself.

“What is it, Fluff?” Rarity asked, coming to stand alongside him. Fluff didn’t respond for a minute, still muttering. Once he stopped, he turned to Rarity.

“I’m debating whether or not to climb the vine. All that’s at the top is Fangora’s old lair. You know, the dragon? I’d rather not climb it, mostly cause I feel it will be a waste of time.” He tapped his mouth in thought. “Unless you really wanna go up there. It’s a long way, but I’m willing to make the climb if you want.” Rarity gazed up the vine and shook her head.

“As lovely as that seems, if the effort would be worthless, then why waste the energy?” She gestured on down the path. “If you feel that the chances of finding the missing sock grow as we travel further on, what are we still doing here?” Fluff smiled, nodding at her.

“Alright. Next stop, Hot Land!” Fluff didn’t strike a dramatic pose this time, but he still cried out with authority. Rarity burst into laughter. Fluff sighed. “Even when I’m not trying to be dramatic, you still can’t be authoritative with these names. Alright... let’s go.” They continued down the path, talking between themselves.

High up the beanstalk, unknown to the pair on the road down below, something stirred. A crumpled mass of yarn and buttons began to rumble and shift. Soon, the shifting turned to true movement, the materials twisting and flowing into a single, solid mass. As the mass began to take shape, a roar built in its throat. That roar echoed out across Grass Land, petrifying the inhabitants. They knew who it was. And they knew what it meant.

Fangora had risen again.

A Wonky Hole in the Fabric of Space and Time

*BGM*

"You know, I never thought I’d say this... but I miss Rarity.”

Discord, still watching paint dry after three hours of nothingness, yawned and stretched, rising off the couch. He strode over to the wall, snapping his fingers and flipping through various colors and patterns. “It’s quite dull without her around. I need someone to pester right now, and everyone else is so... mundane.” He mulled, finally settling on a vivid neon green. Turning to the door, he was about to leave when there came a knock. A voice called out from the other side.

“Rarity! Are you alright?” It was Twilight Sparkle, and to Discord’s displeasure, she opened the door and strode inside. “You didn’t show up for lunch, so I was- Oh! Hello Discord.” She gave him a warm, sincere smile. “Have you seen Rarity? I’m getting a little worried.” Discord smirked.

“Yeah, I’ve seen her. She’s about, hmm, this tall with a gaudy purple mane and tail?” He began to mime it all out, creating an outline of Rarity in thin air. Twilight frowned, no longer amused.

“Discord,” she scolded. “This is no time for games. I need to know where she is...” She paused, realization flowing into her mind. She shot a glare at Discord. “What did you do to her this time?” Discord laid a claw upon his chest, his face the picture of shocked indignation.

“Moi? How dare you accuse me of doing something to her...” He watched Twilight’s eyes the whole time he spoke. They never wavered. Sighing, he slumped his shoulders. “I’m not going to slink around this one, am I?” Twilight shook her head.

“Not at all. Discord, you’re supposed to be reformed.” She fluffed her wings gently, a stern look in her eye. “This kind of behavior is unacceptable. What did you do to her?” Discord shrugged.

“Eh, I sent her to another dimension.” He said, his voice nonchalant. Twilight stared at him in aghast horror and fascination.

“Wh-what!? How!? Where!? Why!?” She sputtered out. Discord held a finger to her lips, shushing her gently.

“You forgot who and when, so let me explain: Rarity, teleported to a different dimension, Patch Star, a little over three hours ago, because I wanted to, and I’m Discord. I ain’t gotta explain anything to you. Plus, I did a lot of dimension hopping in my thousand years trapped in stone. How do you think I kept sane?” Twilight didn’t respond. She just sat there with her mouth agape. Discord watched her for a while before growing genuinely concerned. “I didn’t break you, did I? Come now, give me something?” He waved a hand in front of her eyes, and she shook herself, resuming her glare at the draconequus.

“Alright... next question. Bring her back,” her voice was threatening and low. Discord gave her a look.

“That’s... not a question,” he said, hesitant. Twilight’s eye twitched, and she lit her horn up.

“That’s because in this case, I don’t do requests. Now bring her back, or so help me Celestia, I will not be held responsible for what I do here.” Discord threw his hands up defensively.

“Woah, woah, no can do, dearie. It’s just not that easy. I can’t just bring her back, you see.” Twilight’s eye twitched again, but she cancelled the spell she was channeling and lowered her head, eyeing Discord with a severe hatred.

“Explain yourself.” She muttered. Discord gestured to the door.

“Walk with me, and I’ll tell you what I can.” Twilight sighed and followed him as her left the boutique and strolled out into Ponyville. The draconequus smiled and breathed deeply, taking in the fresh air. “Alright, so I can’t bring her back because my magic is kinda twisted there. Plus... well, let’s just say that world and I have a bad history with each other.” Twilight groaned.

“Discord, what on Equestria did you do? And how did you even manage to dimension hop while trapped in stone?” Discord shrugged, a single pony suddenly catching his eye.

“In answer to the second question, chaos always has a way of getting things done. I don’t fully understand it myself, but my mind was still free to roam, even if my body wasn’t there. I mean, who do you think let Cerberus out?” Twilight’s eyes went wide and she glared at him in fury. Discord waved a claw and continued, still watching the pony. Something seemed off to him. “And as for the first... say, does that pony look off to you?” He pointed at the pony in question. Twilight turned to look.

“She’s hollow... I can see right through her...” Twilight’s glare once again leveled on Discord. “This was your doing, I just know it!” Discord shook his head, frowning in thought.

“No, this wasn’t me,” he answered, musing over the situation at hand. “Although, I think I know who did. Only problem is... the guy who did it, he’s dead. Got the snot beaten out of him by a pair of yarn puffballs. So this... doesn’t make any sense.” Discord’s eyes went wide. “Oh... well that’s not good.” Twilight turned her attention back to the hollow pony, who was now walking towards them. The alicorn recognized the pony as Lyra Heartstrings, who greeted her with a warm smile.

“Good morning Twilight, Discord!” she cried happily. “Wonderful day, isn’t it?” Twilight gave her a hesitant nod, and Lyra paused, giving her an odd look. “Everypony’s been doing that all day, giving me weird looks and talking to me funny. What’s going on with you?” Twilight shook her head. It was hard for her to believe, but the Lyra before her wasn’t flesh and blood, but hollow and outlined by yarn. It defied all logic.

“It’s nothing, Lyra,” Twilight replied, smiling at her. “It’s been nice seeing you, though, but I need to have a chat with this guy.” She tilted her head in the direction of Discord, who was miming numbers in the air, which was becoming tangible and forming text in front of him. Lyra nodded.

“Been up to shenanigans and stuff? I got it. You have a good one, Twilight!” Lyra gave her a chipper wave and trotted off, smiling all the while. Twilight waved and watched until Lyra was out of earshot, then turned to glare at Discord again.

“You. Come with me. NOW.” Twilight didn’t even wait for a response, instead opting to grab Discord with her magic and drag him along, the letters he was creating falling to the ground as he was pulled forcefully to the library. “You had better have a very good explanation as for why Lyra was hollow and made of yarn.”

Discord sighed and nodded his head as Twilight pulled him along, his mind racing with theories and worries. “Yes, I do. But you are most certainly not going to like it. Let’s get inside, we need to formulate a plan very quickly. Otherwise...” Discord trailed off. Twilight had rarely seen him so serious. She knew something was wrong.

After a few minutes of dragging Discord around the pair arrived at the Golden Oaks Library, and Twilight, after pulling Discord inside, slammed the door shut and glared at him.

“What could you have possibly done that’s making you so upset?” She asked. Discord didn’t answer her immediately, instead opting to walk over to the nearest window and stare out at Ponyville. He sighed for a moment, then turned to her.

“Remember how I said that I’ve dimension hopped and know the realm where I sent her?” Twilight gave a nod, and he continued. “Well, back when I was still huge on the whole ‘drown the world in chaos’ phase, I happened upon that cute little world and found that there was really no chaos or anything out of the ordinary at all. So... I made one.” Twilight groaned and planted her face into her hoof.

“It figures that you would do something like that. What happened?” Discord waved his paw and she stopped, allowing him to continue.

“Well, I created a little something called Yin-Yarn, a clever play on words on my part. He was, in reality, a pair of knitting needles infused with chaos magic, made to tear Patch Land asunder. Unfortunately, I didn’t expect him to follow in my footsteps and break the dimensional barrier, travelling to a different realm. This proved to be his undoing, as he brought a hero from that world to Patch Land. That hero, pairing up with one of the locals, defeated Yin-Yarn.

“This is where my theories get a little sketchy. I only know so much, but what I guess is that Yin-Yarn, after being flung into space, must have drifted close to the rift in the dimensional barrier. When my chaos magic sent Rarity to Patch Land, he must have latched onto it and come here. And that’s why Lyra’s made of yarn. He does that.” Twilight gaped. She couldn’t believe what she had just heard. And yet, somehow, it all made sense.

“So... you think Yin-Yarn is here?” Discord gave Twilight a nod. “And what exactly does that mean for Equestria, exactly.” Discord pointed out the window.

“What happened to Lyra will happen to not just all of Equestria, but the entire planet,” he replied, his voice dark and serious. “If we don’t come up with a plan, we will be in a very, very big heap of trouble. This entire planet will turn to cloth, and all in it will as well, their real, flesh and blood selves being replaced. Now, contact Celestia. We need to come up with a plan.” Twilight gave him a nod.

“Alright, I trust you on this one. But how long do we have? And can the Elements stop him?” Discord turned back to the window.

“Without Rarity, the Elements are useless, so no, they can’t. And how long? Not long enough. His work has already begun...” Twilight, who was now searching for Spike, paused for a moment and turned to look at him. She had never seen Discord so serious before, and it scared her. If the Spirit of Chaos was worried enough to lose his normally cheerful demeanor... Twilight shuddered just thinking about it.

Discord, on the other hand, watched as a second yarn pony trotted out into Ponyville. Yin-Yarn was close, and he knew it. But something held him back. He had no idea as to the limit of his creation’s power, and it frightened him to think he may have created an equal to himself. For the time being, Discord chose to watch and gauge his opponent. If the time came, he’d make his move.

‘I hope that point never comes,’ he mused, his eyes never leaving the yarn pony. ‘I don’t know what would happen if it comes down to me and him.’

__________

Hiding just outside the window, his moustache twitching slightly, Yin-Yarn chuckled to himself.

“Nyah ha ha ha ha! Oh, Dissy, you’re much more dramatic than I remember. And calling on the ones who imprisoned you for help? Obviously you fear me more than you let on... nyah ha ha ha ha! Soon, this world with be pulled apart at the seams!”

Author's Note

I know it's a little short, but the segments with Discord will get longer as time goes on.

Welcome to the Jungle

*BGM*

“Water... I need water!”

Rarity, who had been crawling for the past minute and a half, collapsed onto the sands of the desert. The pair had been in Hot Land for a total of five minutes, and already Fluff was regretting his decision to bring Rarity there. The moment she had set hoof in the desert, she had complained non-stop, her cries about the heat and sand and lack of water grating on Fluff. As Rarity ceased movement, Fluff could take no more. He walked over, unfurling his yarn whip.

“You. Shut up and don’t question me right now.” Rarity looked up just in time to see Fluff fling his whip at her. She felt her body roll up into a small ball, which landed atop Fluff’s head. Her first reaction was to cry out in terror, but Fluff’s warning kept her silent. She could only watch as the prince carried her across the desert.

As the journey continued, Rarity felt a growing sense of guilt in her stomach. Fluff was being challenged by a great deal of hardship, all of which would be difficult if he wasn’t carrying her. Yet the little blue prince met them head on and pressed on, not caring about what stood in his way. Whether it was beast, tornado, sand or spikes, Fluff did everything to ensure that Rarity made it across the desert safely. And for that, Rarity felt extremely guilty.

“Fluff, please,” she began, but the prince cut her off.

“No,” he snapped, not even giving her a look. “If you want to help, then let me use you as a weapon. A kind of wrecking ball.” Without waiting for an answer, Fluff called out his yarn whip and flung Rarity forward, smashing a waddle dee in front of him. Rarity cried out in shock as she collided with the small creature, and huffed as she returned to Fluff’s grasp.

“Please do try to refrain from doing that, I am not Marely Cyrus, that tramp!” Fluffed ignored her, continuing his march over the sands. He repeated the action several more times, taking down a number of creatures much to Rarity’s dismay. The trek across the desert took roughly a half hour, but eventually Fluff set Rarity down, huffing and panting as she glared at him.

“Never make me do that again,” he scolded her. “You may not think it, but you retained all your weight from your previous form, and I’m not really that strong. From now on, you walk.” He let out a long breath, and Rarity, who had been about to reprimand him for using her as a weapon, shut her mouth.

‘Of course... this must have been so hard for him,’ she thought sadly, her thoughts turning to words. “I’m sorry... I shouldn’t have reacted as I did. It was most unflattering of me.” She held out her hoof in apology, and Fluff took it, giving her a worn smile.

“No worries. Not after what we’ve got in store. In order to get to that volcano’s peak, we have to duck through a cave and a jungle. The sock might be there.” Rarity turned to look. behind her a massive volcano rose to the heavens, lava pouring in streams down the side. She could see the cave entrance near to them, but the jungle was obscured from her view. Slowly, the two made their way into the darkness of the cave.

Rarity ducked down as a bat flew over her head, trying hard not to cringe. Sure, she had spent a fair share of time in caves, even against her will, but she knew that she didn’t enjoy them a single bit. Well, not until the cave started to glimmer. Her eyes lit up as gemstones, jewels and beads sparkled in the cave’s natural light. Fluff watched her face light up and chuckled.

“Grab what you can. We gotta keep moving. The jungle’s gonna be tough to navigate.” Rarity giggled in delight and galloped off to collect what she could. Fluff shook his head and followed, smiling. “For a haughty mare, you’re alright, Rarity.”

__________

Some time later the pair emerged from the cave, Rarity laden with gems. She was surprised to find they were almost weightless, despite the massive number she had collected. When she asked Fluff about it, the small puffball shrugged and shook his head.

“Don’t ask me, i’ve never been able to figure that out.” Stepping around a bend in the path, Fluff smiled. “Ah, here we are. Welcome to Dino Jungle.” Rarity’s eyes alighted on the jungle before her. It appeared primordial, a land lost to time. She couldn’t see any manner of creatures, but a roar in the distance alerted her to their presence. She turned to Fluff.

“Is it safe? I mean, Dino Jungle... as in dinosaur?” Fluff nodded, setting off into the jungle.

“Yup. And it’s safe enough... well, apart from the bees.” The prince disappeared into the undergrowth, but Rarity paused for a moment, hesitant to venture in. Remembering the desert and how Fluff had selflessly carried her across, she steeled herself and charged in after him, feeling herself transform once more.

She hadn’t been rolling for more than a minute when the ground began to slope upwards. The slope felt very different than the ground, so Rarity slowed to a halt, looking down.

“What on earth...” she scraped her hoof against the substance. It felt hard, but not uncomfortable. Almost alive, like a small dragon she knew. “What on earth?” She looked up to find herself eye to eye with a felt dinosaur. She wasn’t sure what kind of long neck it was, but it was enough to cause her to scream and slip from her perch, falling into the water below.

“Really?” Fluff called down to her. She shook herself off and turned to see him standing on a cliff face not far above her. “That one’s a plant eater, like you. It’s not gonna bite. Now come on!” Rarity glared at him, getting to her hooves and dashing back up the dinosaur. It didn’t react as she rolled up it’s neck, over it’s head and onto the ledge beyond. As she arrived on the ledge, she found herself facing a sheer cliff face.

“Take the Pterodactyl!” Fluff called down from the cliff above. Rarity turned her gaze upwards to see the very reptile flying down to her, a button protruding from it’s chest. She flipped out her yarn whip and latched on, feeling herself curl up into a ball as the pterodactyl rose into the air.

The pterodactyl reached the top of the cliff, and Rarity hopped off, bidding it thanks as it descended once more. Turning, she found herself on the banks of a wide, flowing river, the opposite bank unreachable due to the current. She sighed, looking around for any means of crossing. The only thing near her side of the bank was another dinosaur, this one sporting a lovely crest. She watched it for a moment, confused.

“Are you... beckoning me over?” she asked. It gave a nod, then pointed with it’s eyes across the river. She turned in that direction, comprehension dawning on her face. “Oh, I see. You wish to carry me across?” It nodded again, seeming pleased with itself. Rarity smiled, trotting over and hopping on top of its crest. “By all means, then. Let’s be off.”

The dino began to swim, pushing itself against the current. Rarity was impressed by the strength of the dinosaur, as it powered through the water towards the other shore. After passing by a small island, the dino reached the other side, and Rarity leapt from his head onto solid ground.

“Thank you, dear,” she called. The dino made a happy noise before sinking beneath the waves. Rarity watched him go before turning back and making her way along the bank. It wasn’t long before she arrived at a second river. She growled. “If this becomes a pattern I am going to be very upset.”

Spotting a second, almost identical dinosaur, she trotted over, smiling. The dino made a happy noise and beckoned to the other shore. Rarity nodded in return, hopping atop the crest as the dino began to power it’s way through the second river. The current was swift and strong, but the dino pressed on as if it was nothing. Rarity watched as two small islands passed by before she noticed a sound. It was quickly growing louder, so she turned to find out what it was.

Her eyes went wide and she ducked as a giant button bee flew over her head, buzzing angrily. She turned to watch it go, but more buzzing alerted her to more bees. She turned to face them, unlatching her yarn whip. If Fluff could pick her up, she wondered if he could do the same to these bees. As they drew near, she lashed out with her whip, latching onto one. Holding her grasp, she drew it close, whirling it up into a ball, just as Fluff had done to her. The bee rested upon her head, buzzing gently.

“Hmm... I wonder,” she mutter, balancing the bees on her head. She heard a few more bees approaching, so she put her theory into action, flinging the bees out. Before she could stop herself, though, the ball slipped from her grasp, flying outward. She gasped as it split into three smaller balls and homed in on the three approaching bees, colliding with them in a shower of beads. The dinosaur below her made an approving sound.

“Well... go with what works, as they say,” she muttered as her dino swam past a trio of long necks. Arriving at the other shore shortly thereafter, the dino let Rarity disembark with a pleased sound before diving beneath the waves. Rarity smiled and waved before turning to find yet another river blocking her path. She groaned. “Oh, lovely, I see this is now happening.”

“There’s one more after this one, Rarity. Sorry to disappoint.” Rarity whirled to find Prince Fluff standing beside a third dino, a cocky grin on his face. She stuttered for a minute before finding her voice.

“W-where have you been!?” she snapped. Fluff held up his arms defensively.

“I’ve been waiting patiently. I see you’re learning how to take care of yourself. Keep that in mind. I might not always be here. Now come, hop on my parasaurolophus buddy here and let’s keep moving!” Fluff turned and hopped on the dino, Rarity close behind. She looked at him quizzically as the dino began swimming.

“What do you mean you might not always be here?” Fluff sighed at the question, avoiding looking at the pony.

“You never know,” he muttered, loud enough for her to hear. She shook her head, choosing not to press the matter further. The dino seemed to swim for quite a long time, struggling against the flowing water, but the two were silent the whole time. Something about what Fluff had implied made Rarity apprehensive.

A long, awkward silence passed before the dino arrived at the shore, letting the pair disembark. He watched them awkwardly for a second before disappearing beneath the waves. Rarity sighed.

“Can we just forget that happened?” she asked. Fluff nodded.

“We’ve got one more river to cross and then we’re almost home. Come on.”

__________

The final river proved uneventful, and after disembarking the pair marched off into the jungle. A roar, similar to the one Rarity heard early, resounded off the trees, much closer this time. Fluff chuckled a bit.

“Oh great, these two,” he said, not explaining further. Rarity wondered what he meant until she felt the ground under her change again. She knew she was walking up the back of another dinosaur, so she thought nothing of it, closing her eyes. When she opened them again, her vision was filled with razor sharp teeth. She screamed and recoiled back as the teeth came crashing down. Fluff began to laugh uproariously.

“Don’t worry, these two are complete airheads,” he said, reaching down to pat the head of the dinosaur the pair stood on. “These rexes never move from this spot. Just follow me across that one over there and we’ll be home free to get to the summit. Come on.” Rarity watched as he stepped onto the tip of the first rex’s nose, waiting until the beast’s jaw had opened to it’s maximum. He then leapt across onto the second rex as it began to raise it’s jaw. He turned and called to Rarity.

“Just follow my lead, alright?” Rarity gulped nervously, but nodded, the thought of teeth still filling her mind. As she watch, the jaw that Fluff had leapt from slammed shut in from of her, so she trotted over to the edge as it began to rise again. She bit her lip nervously, waiting for the right moment to leap. As it came, she charged forward, feeling her hooves leave the dino. Looking down, she realized that she hadn’t jumped far enough; She wasn’t going to make it.

Fluff threw out his whip, catching the tip of her horn and wrapping her up in a ball. She closed her eyes, waiting for the teeth to come down and sever her lifeline. It never came. She opened her eyes to find herself resting atop Fluff, his eyes wide with panic.

“You alright?” He asked, setting her down and letting her unravel herself. She panted heavily for a moment, regaining herself, then nodded. Fluff sighed with relief. “Good. That was too close... I should’ve moved quicker, though.” Rarity shook her head, laying a hoof on Fluff’s shoulder.

“That doesn’t matter,” she said, her eyes tearing up from how close she had come to death. “You saved me, and that’s all that matters.” Fluff smiled, turning to face the path down the rex.

“Come on. Time to find that sock.”

__________

The climb up the mount was short, and eventually the two arrived at the summit. Fluff sighed in remembrance of the battle that had been fought here.

“I remember this. Kirby and I managed to take down Hot Wings the phoenix here... but I don’t see the sock.” He and Rarity began to search around the summit, but neither of them could find a single thread from it. Fluff sighed, sitting down near a rock and closing his eyes, trying to think. Rarity trotted up, sitting next to him.

“Cheer up now, Fluff,” she said consolingly. “So we couldn’t find the sock. I still want to explore what this world has in store. So we take a little bit longer getting me home. I can collect a few more beads for my collection.” Fluff nodded, his eyes closed.

“There’s something else-” he began before a loud roar cut him off. His eyes flew open and he jumped up, looking skyward. A massive form flew overhead, heading in the direction of the lands beyond Hot Land. Fluff shook his head, disbelief etched into his face.

“That’s not possible!” He shouted as the form began to fade into the distance. “Kirby and I took Fangora down! How is he still alive?” Rarity followed his gaze wonderingly.

“What was that?” she asked. Fluff didn’t move. The disbelief had faded, only to be replaced by anger.

“A dragon.” He turned and started back down the summit path. "Come on, we're going to Treat Land, as quick as we can. That thing's a serious threat. We need to stop it, and we need to stop it now."

Author's Note

After a much too long hiatus, I return! Hopefully updates will be much more frequent from this point onwards. I apologize for the long wait.

A Web of Lies

*BGM*

“This had better be important, Discord,” Celestia grumbled. “We were preparing for the arrival of the emissaries from Taurkey, and they will be most upset if we are not there to greet them when they arrive.”

Celestia and Luna, both feeling rather annoyed with the reformed draconequus, were sitting across from him in the Golden Oaks Library, Twilight by their side. Discord frowned at the rudeness of the princesses, but shrugged it off and began his tale. As he wove on, the princesses’ attitudes changed visibly, going from irritation to shock.

“And he’s already at work. Why, Lyra, that sweet, deluded, hand-obsessed thing has already been transformed, soon to be completely replaced by his handiwork. So, we have to act now, and begin to make things right. If we don’t, all of Equestria will fall beneath him.” Discord slumped back, conjuring some water out of the air and taking a long gulp. Celestia and Luna watched him, slack-jawed.

“So what you’re telling me is you created a monster and accidentally unleashed it upon Equestria?” Celestia said, finally regaining her voice. Discord nodded.

“Yes, I do believe that’s the whole of it. Deeply sorry, too. Never meant for him to get here at all.” Luna groaned and planted her face in her hoof.

“Discord, you never cease to make me regret my sister’s decision to let you roam free,” she said, her voice blank with hidden rage. “So tell me, how do we beat this thing?” Discord shrugged.

“Couldn’t tell you if I wanted. To be honest, I don’t know how that little pink puffball managed to do it in the first place. On top of that, I have no idea of the limitations of his power. I fear that at some point during his existence, he may have surpassed me. I don’t know, but it is a theory.” Discord strode over to the window, gazing out at Ponyville. As his eyes travelled over the landscape, he noticed objects made from yarn in increasing numbers. He sighed, turning back to the princesses. “I assume you have a plan?” Luna and Celestia nodded.

“Simple,” said Celestia. “We use the Elements. We’ll lure Yin-Yarn out into the open and unleash the full force of the Elements on him. Should be enough to bring him down.” The two princesses headed for the door, suddenly in a hurry. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have to return to Canterlot. The embassy from Taurkey will be arriving soon, and we must be there. Twilight, Discord, I trust that you two will do everything in your power to stop Yin-Yarn. As soon as we can, we will aid you in this.” Twilight and Discord waved farewell as the princesses stepped out the door and took off into the sky, heading for Canterlot. Twilight turned to Discord.

“How bad is it out there?” she asked. Discord sighed and shook his head.

“Not good. He’s moving quickly, but trying to keep it subtle. Frankly, he’s doing a decent job of it too. Please tell me you have the Elements on hand?” Twilight nodded, turning to the bookcase. She lifted a book off, levitating it towards Discord.

“Of course I do. Ever since you came and caused chaos, I’ve kept them close b- Sweet Celestia!” She cried out in fear as she opened the book and six felt Elements of Harmony fell out of it. Discord’s eyes went wide.

“Well... that’s unfortunate.” He mused as Twilight bent down, scooping up the Elements and crying softly.

“These were our greatest weapons, our last line of defense against evil. Now what are we gonna do?” Discord threw his arms up, groaning.

“How am I supposed to know? Maybe we can use that lovey dovey nonsense your brother and his wife used on old Queen Chryssi?”

“That’s not gonna work. Come on, we have to go find the others. Maybe we can formulate a plan.” Twilight said, dashing out the door. Discord sighed and followed, albeit at a much more leisurely pace.

__________

“Well, that’s a major setback.”

Twilight glared at Rainbow Dash, rolling her eyes at the obvious comment. “Well, yes, Rainbow, that is a setback. And now, we need to figure out how we’re going to combat this threat. Any ideas?” The other four ponies around her pondered for a moment, scratching their heads.

“Well... do we even know where he is?” Fluttershy asked. Discord, who had been sitting on the outside of the group, shook his head.

“Unfortunately, no. His magic is so vastly different from that of this world, so you’d figure we’d be able to find him with ease. Somehow, though, he seems to be able to cloak his movements and actions, so we really only know he’s still here in Ponyville.” He shrugged. “It’s been such a long time since I’ve been this confounded by my own creation.”

“So what’s the plan?” Applejack chimed in. “Ah mean, we’ve gotta do somethin’ to stop him, or all of Ponyville’ll be turned to yarn.” Twilight pondered.

“Well, the simplest course of action will be to spread out and keep an eye on the town. Any mysterious activity and we jump at it. We need to find him and stop him.” The other ponies nodded. “If I can get at him, I might be able to cancel his magic out, thus rendering him harmless until we can figure out how to undo his spells.”

The group stood, nodding and cheering at the plan. Discord watched them, sighing inwardly. It was a good plan, but something made him very uneasy. He stood.

“Well, since you are down a single Element, I shall aid you in Rarity’s stead.” He said, striking a heroic pose. Applejack growled at him.

“None of this woulda happened if ya’ll hadn’t decided to play a prank on her!” She snarled, causing Discord to cringe in fright. Fluttershy stepped between the two.

“Now, Applejack,” the pegasus cooed soothingly. “How could he have possibly foreseen this happening? I may not agree with what he did, but I know that he had no intention of actually bringing Yin-Yarn here at all. Isn’t that right, Discord?” Discord smiled gratefully at her.

“Indeed, thank you, Fluttershy. At least somepony here believes that I wouldn’t bring Yin-Yarn here intentionally.” Discord shot a glare at Applejack, who returned it with a snort of anger.

“Whatever,” Twilight interjected, trying to defuse the situation. “Let’s get going. Yin-Yarn’s not going to stop while we bicker.”

__________

Discord sighed and leaned against a yarn tree, rubbing his eyes. So far, he had found nothing that would point him in the direction of his rampant creation, and he assumed that the others had the same luck, considering he’d heard nothing from them for the last hour. Just when he was resolved to give up, a voice called to him from a nearby yarn bush.

“So, Dissy, everyone’s out looking for me, eh?” Discord’s eyes snapped to the bush, and he readied a spell, waiting for the source of the voice to emerge. It never did. Standing, the draconequus strode over to the bush, glancing behind it. There, in all his cloth-like glory, was the sorcerer. He smiled at Discord and waved him down. Discord knelt behind the bush.

“So, Yin-Yarn, what’s stopping me from ending you right now? You know that’s what I’m trying to do.” Yin-Yarn snickered, clicking his knitting needles together as he wove a cupcake into existence.

“But you haven’t, so what does that say? You’re curious. You want to know how, what, and why.” Discord frowned, musing over those words.

“You’re not wrong, but still. I have a job to do, and you’re on my hit list. Sorry, but you’ve gotta go.” Discord pulled his claw back, readying a spell. But as he made a move to cast it, Yin-Yarn flicked a needle. Strands of yarn flew from every direction and wrapped Discord tightly, constricting all movement. Discord grunted against the bonds, trying to teleport, but to no avail.

“You were right to be cautious of me, Dissy. My time trapped in the endless void of space was spent musing over my powers and discovering many, many new things. You made me too well, and now, I’ve surpassed you. I’ll soon have this whole world trapped in my threads, and when that happens, the princesses will all fall before me. I will create a beautiful, new world, one that will rival Patch Star. And speaking of which,” The sorcerer produced a woolen sock that radiated magic. “Once I conquer this world, I’m going back. Back to Patch Star, back to Dream Land, with a new, more powerful army. And you, Dissy, will be at the vanguard.”

Discord felt an odd tugging sensation in his paw, like part of his skin was being peeled off. He tried to fight it, but to no avail. As soon as the sensation ended, the ropes fell from Discord’s body, freeing him. He shook himself off, turning his attention to his paw. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until he looked at his palm. The brown patch of skin on the inside on his paw was now made of cloth, almost unnoticeable, but only almost. Discord’s eyes went wide with fear, and he turned to find Yin-Yarn, only to discover the sorcerer had fled. The only thing left was the cloth cupcake.

Discord turned his attention back to his paw, trying to remove the curse cast upon him. Nothing he did seemed to work. The small patch of cloth just sat there, unmoved, taunting him. He frowned and began biting his claws, hurriedly thinking of anything he could do to get it off.

“Oh, Discord!” The draconequus leapt out of his skin as Fluttershy flew up to him. Landing back inside it, he turned around, wearing his best fake smile.

“Oh, my dear Fluttershy,” He said, trying to sound sincere. “Have you had any luck?” Fluttershy frowned and shook her head.

“No, it’s just awful. I just talked to Rainbow and Twilight, and they haven’t been able to find Yin-Yarn either. What about you? Why are you hiding behind a bush?” Discord shrugged.

“I’m not hiding, I thought I saw something back here. I must have missed him, cause all I found was this cupcake.” He held up the cupcake Yin-Yarn had woven with his claw, trying to keep his paw out of sight. Fluttershy sighed.

“Oh well. Let’s go find the others. We’re not getting anywhere with this. Maybe Twilight will have another plan, or a spell, or something.” Fluttershy turned and began to fly down the path, Discord shuffling along behind her, his eyes fixated on his paw.

‘What did I create? And what did I just unleash?’

Author's Note

Sorry about the long wait. Life has been very cruel to me, so I haven't had a lot of time to write lately. I'll try to be more regular in my updates from now on.