Chapters Something dark overcomes the land of light.
The darkness falls and a new enemy rises
It was a nice, beautiful day in Equestria and it seemed like nothing could go wrong. But one day something went terribly TERRIBLY wrong. A new evil has risen and has plummeted the world in darkness. Not eternal night darkness like Nightmare Moon, or King Sombra, but darkness like you cannot visibly see ANYTHING in front of your nose.
Any and all light seemed to be smothered by this horrible darkness, and the only ponies able to see are unicorns that are able to cast a spell, making them able to see without a source of light. Twilight is one such pony that has cast this spell on herself, and is trying to find out who or what has caused this darkness. So she decided to fly all the way to Celestia’s castle.
"I will be back Spike don't worry, I will go ask the princesses what is going on." Twilight said, attempting to comfort the scared baby dragon.
"Please hurry back Twilight... I don't like being alone in the dark." The baby dragon said in a shaky voice. It was quite apparent that Spike was scared.
"I will be backing soon, so don't worry so many Spikes. Maybe it was just a mistake. Maybe some sort of spell one of the Princesses has cast." Twilight said.
"But what kind of spell could cause everyone to go blind, Twilight?" Spike asked. Twilight hoped he wouldn't have asked that question. From what she knew, there wasn't a spell that existed that could do this.
"I don't know Spike, but that's why I have to go and ask the Princesses. They should know what to do... I hope." Twilight muttered the last part. She didn't need Spike to hear it, since she knew that would only cause Spike to worry more. That was the last thing she wanted.
Spike ran towards Twilight to hug her goodbye, but he tripped on his way due to his eyes pretty much being nonexistent. Twilight giggled a bit at Spike, and then she stepped out the front door. She was caring her saddle bag, filled with supplies, and started heading towards Canterlot castle. She couldn't simply call a carriage, because no other type of ponies can see where they are going.
After a few minutes of flying, Twilight's vision spell suddenly stopped working, and she smashed into something a second later. She couldn't tell what it was, considering this darkness was literally impossible to see through.
"Look at what I have here, a foolish Equine that can speak." The apparent male voice said. Simply from the voice it was enough to send chills down Twilight's body. She was also feeling a bunch of emotions by that statement, considering that the voice just told someone to 'look' in this impossible darkness. She felt an overwhelmingly bad aura coming from whoever this was. She tried casting her vision spell once more, to see the figure in front of her, but it just wouldn't work, the creature in front of her seemed to be blocking all of her use of magic somehow.
"Who are you?" Twilight asked the figure.
"Let's just say... I'm not from around here, but I do enjoy watching you stupid horses run into walls in my darkness. I find this world to be full of life and rather peaceful while at it... AND I HATE IT!” He yelled the last part, causing Twilight to flinch, “As a matter of fact, I have killed all the rulers of this world... all except you." He said, causing Twilight's heart to sink.
'W-What did he just say? Celestia, Luna..... Even Cadence? He must be bluffing, he has too! No one is able to simply kill the Princesses.' Twilight thought, attempting to comfort and convince herself. But something was nagging the back of her head, telling her it was true.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO THE PRINCESSES?" Twilight shouted at the top of her lungs, both in rage and fear.
"Like I told you, I killed them." The voice said flatly and sort of annoyed, "You should have seen the look on the blue ones face, and it was quite humorous. To see her cry and plead before I sent her straight to Hell, that is. I did the same thing with the white one as well, but the pink one was the most fun to play with. Her reaction to me was very funny indeed. She shot a bolt of magic from that pink little horn of hers, and when it hit me, I fell on the ground, pretending to be wounded, and when she got close... WHAM! I punched her pony skull so hard it shattered into a million pieces." He said somewhat proudly. Twilight was in a state of disbelief.
"YOU'RE LYING! AND EVEN IF YOU’RE TELLING THE TRUTH, I KNOW NONE OF THOSE PONIES WOULD GO TO HELL! THEY ARE TOO GOOD TO BE SENT TO HELL!" Twilight seemed to shout at the person, at a voice higher than she thought possible. She heard a chuckle, almost in amusement. It was kind of hard to tell, considering just how... dark, evil and just how strangled the voice sounded like.
"Silly little pony. If you refuse to believe me, then I guess I will have to show you." He said.
Before Twilight could even reply, she heard what sounded like a snap, and then all of a sudden she was transported into what seemed the past. She was in the Canterlot castle's dining room, seemingly as a ghost, considering none of the Princesses noticed her.
She was now able to see again, as she saw Celestia, Luna and Cadence all sitting at a table, eating some food. Then, the kitchen doors burst open and one of Luna's night guards burst through the door in near death. The three princesses started trotting towards them, but before they could even get ten feet near the guard, he burst into flames. Twilight continued watching in horror, as the guard was burning alive and screaming in horrible agonizing pain. A few seconds later a two legged creature walked through the door. He seemed to have tannish skin with a clown nose, with red flames for hair, has gray eyes that have bags under it, two weird orange spike marks on his cheeks and a red tail with three black spikes at the end of it. It seemed to wear a pair of brown shoes, black and white striped pants and a brown jacket with a gray shirt underneath it; with a picture of a skull with blue flames surrounding it.
'If Rarity was here, she would probably die just from the sight of this man’s strange choice of clothing.' Twilight joked, despite the horrible situation.
"So I assume you're the rulers of this shitty world." The man said as Luna and Cadence appeared shocked, but Celestia still had on a straight face. Twilight was shocked as well, because that is the same voice she had heard not a minute earlier, in that horrible darkness. Twilight began wondering why his flames didn't provide light, in the darkness, but she assumed it was because, just like everything else, that gave off light and the darkness decided to smother it until all light was gone.
"What makes you think that you are able to just burst into our castle, kill one of our guards, and insult our world?" Celestia demanded. The man gave no reply other than a slight chuckle.
Twilight watched in horror, as the flame headed man opened up a bright, fiery hole with magic. The magic didn't come from a horn like Unicorns, or Alicorns, but rather it came from his hand.
Celestia shot a bolt of magic at the man, as he simply put up a barrier with his 'magic' and protected himself. Then, the man grabbed Celestia and Luna, with his magic, and threw them both down the bright red hole.
Cadence began to scream, while at the same time, the man began laughing in a voice so demonic, that Twilight started visibly shaking once more.
The man seemed to have dropped his guard. Cadence, taking the opportunity, concentrated all of her magic in her horn, and then fired the most powerful blast of magic she could muster at the man. The man dropped on the floor seemingly in pain. Cadence started walking towards the man, meanwhile channeling more of her magic into her horn.
Twilight didn't want to look, because of what was about to happen next. A second later, the most sickening bone cracking sound flooded the room.
Twilight wanted to cry, but refused to. Twilight decided to look back at Cadence, but Cadence was nowhere in sight. Then she looked over at the hole and noticed Cadence next to it, with the man standing over her.
The man started kicking her, all the while laughing in laugh demonically. Cadence was barely clinging to life as the man started kicking her. Harder... and harder... until with one final kick, Cadence was sent straight into that fiery hole.
The hole then closed, and the man snapped his fingers and slowly that familiar darkness returned. Twilight was on the verge of tears, after what she just saw. Then, with a flash, she was sent back to the present... or what she assumed was the present, considering she couldn't see anything in her surroundings.
Then she realized she was falling, so she spread her wings and began hovering in the air.
"Do you know WHY I killed all your Princesses?" The voice said. When Twilight replied with nothing the man spoke again, "I killed them simply because I could. I could care less about your stupid world of magical fucking horses. This world is the most sickening one I have ever come across. It makes me want to strangle a puppy." He spoke.
Then Twilight realized all the blinding darkness began to vanish. In just a few moments it was gone and she could now see the flame headed man in front of her, with his clown nose almost touching her muzzle. Twilight flew back a few feet, in shock, because of how close he was.
"Please don't destroy our world...” Twilight begged, “We have never done anything to you, so why do you hate us so much?" Twilight asked in a shaky voice, afraid of the answer that may come.
"Have I not clearly stated why I hate this world already? It has life. I hate life. I am the devil and I want to destroy everything I can! I am Insanity! Insanity Spike Satan! I show no mercy to anyone. You ponies with your friendship make me hate this place even more. To be honest, the only reason I have not killed you yet is because you have Magic, and mere mortals aren't supposed to have magic. So I want to play a game with you." The man, identity now known as Insanity, said. To imagine the shock that came with the last sentence was no easy feat.
"A... A game?" Twilight asked, surprising herself with the amount of calmness in her voice.
Insanity snapped his fingers and Twilight's jaw dropped. She now saw her friends: Applejack; Rarity; Rainbow Dash; Pinkie Pie; Fluttershy; and even poor little Spike who she just saw a few minutes ago, all trapped in bubbles made of magic, floating behind Insanity.
"If you win, you can have your friends back, and your world returned to normal. I will even bring your silly little Princesses back to life...” Insanity said, “But, if I win, I will detonate your world and send you all straight to Hell, along with everyone else here." He said, making her heart drop. Despite it being a situation to where she can't refuse, since she was pretty sure it would explode anyway around it, she had to know what would happen if she refused.
"What if I refuse to play?" Twilight asked.
The man replied by snapping his fingers and Twilights vision was flooded with images of the ponies of Equestria. All of them were locked in cages, hanging from the ceiling of Hell, being tortured in unspeakable ways: She saw a familiar dragon impaled with spikes; she saw Rainbow Dash being burned constantly and so many other horrid tortures happening to her friends. Twilight's vision returned to normal and she started sobbing slightly.
The man sighed and snapped his fingers as he along with her bubbled friends vanished. Twilight was confused, but she continued to sob and after a minute or two. Twilight stopped her sobbing and then the man and all of her friends reappeared, in the same spot from before. Twilight was about to ask where he went, but her question was interrupted.
"I hate it when people cry, because it fills me with anger. I can’t stand the sound of crying, it drives me absolutely insane. So I decided to go through time. A minute or two until you got done, or I may have just killed you on the spot. I would usually do that without a care in the world, but I am a man of my word, and I want to give you one chance to keep your pathetic world." He said, shocking Twilight once more.
'He can go through TIME! How much magic does this man possess?' Twilight mentally asked herself.
After a moment, Twilight finally gathered her thoughts; she decided to figure out just what game this was.
"So... What's this game you keep talking about?" Twilight asked as Insanity started laughing in that evil laugh she heard before. It never failed to give her a jolt of fear though her entire body...
"The game is just a simple game of Hide and Seek." Insanity said. Her never-ending shock seemed to continue.
"Hide and Seek?" Twilight asked, trying to confirm what she just heard. However, the man seemed to not take it well at all.
"ARE YOU DEAF?! That's what I said isn't it?" Insanity said as he snapped his fingers, and another man appeared next to him in the air.
It was a man with a red and yellow striped jester’s hat. Weirdly enough, he seemed to have the same clown nose Insanity has and a grin that should be impossible for any ones face to have. This new man was eating some cake, but when he noticed where he was, he looked over at Twilight then over at Insanity. He then he tossed the cake behind him, and to her utter shock, exploding with the force equal to that of an atomic bomb. Everyone jumped except Insanity and this new man.
"Discord, I have a game for you to play." Insanity said... Wait a minute.
'Discord?' Twilight thought to herself. Rage begins bubbling inside her.
"DISCORD! WHY HAVE YOU BETRAYED US, AND WHAT'S WITH THIS NEW APPEARANCE YOU HAVE PUT ON?" Twilight shouted in rage.
Less than a second later, Insanity's eyes filled up with so much rage at Twilight's outburst, and was about to kill her right then and there. Twilight, sensing the danger she got herself into, took a step back at the menacing aura surrounding Insanity. Twilight and her friends started shaking with pure fear, and terror, when Insanity looked over at his brother, who seemed to be excited at the idea of a game. His temper seemed too cooled down a bit, as Insanity vanished from sight.
Before she knew it, Insanity was not even a feet away from her. She nearly jumped, but her fear and shock was holding her in place. The only thing she could do, at the time, was continue keeping herself in the air.
“First of all, you do NOT raise your voice at me, or my little brother. And second of all, you stupid fucking mortal, this isn't the same Discord that is in your world. He's not as weak, or pathetic, as the one here.” He said in a dangerously low voice, “Now, if you don't mind, I would like to explain the rules of this game."
"S-... Sorry." Twilight apologized as Insanity's rage seemed to calm down a bit more.
"You better be. Now, since that is out of the way, you will be playing Hide and Seek with my brother. You have three days to find him, and he can hide anywhere he wants… Including the Everfree Forest that you ponies hate so much. Don't worry though, I'm not a cheater. He isn't allowed to leave this planet. One more thing, I will allow you to pick one of your friends here to help you... So, which will it be?" Insanity asked as Twilight began pondering with her thoughts to decide.
'Rainbow Dash would be a good choice, considering she can cover a lot of sky in a matter of seconds. But Applejack would also be good, since she has a bunch of strength that could be useful.' She thought for a few minutes. Insanity started getting more and more impatient, but Twilight failed to take notice.
"Do you think not deciding will make me NOT detonate your world? Because if that's your plan, your greatly mistaken. HURRY UP AND CHOOSE!" Insanity said angrily. Twilight jumped at the sudden loud voice of Insanity. Twilight, thinking quickly, decided to choose her companion.
"I choose-" Twilight was about to say, as she was cut off by Insanity's impatience.
"SPIT IT OUT ALREADY!" Insanity snapped as Twilight jumped once more.
"You know, if you stopped interrupting me, maybe I could actually speak and tell you. I know you're evil, but that doesn't mean you have to be rude either." Twilight said in an annoyed tone. This visibly pissed Insanity off, but he let her speak for the sake of his brother’s fun. "I choose Pinkie Pie because-" She said as she was cut off once more by Insanity.
"I don't give a shit why you choose her. Just take her." He said as he, with a snap of his fingers, released the bubble, containing Pinkie Pie, as she dropped to the floor.
"How did you know which one was Pinkie Pie?" Twilight asked. She could not help but to wonder...
"Okay look, do I LOOK like a dumb ass to you? Her name is PINKIE PIE, and there was only one pony here that is pink, so I just put two and two together." Insanity answered. That was all the answer she needed.
"Discord, go and hide, and make sure to have tons of fun while doing so. I will see you ponies in three days’ time, and if you can't find my brother..." Insanity snapped his fingers and Twilight's vision was once again flooded with the same images as before. "Goodbye" Insanity said, snapping his fingers, and disappearing from sight, taking her friends with him, leaving only his brother and Pinkie Pie alone.
"Why have you not hidden yet?" Twilight questioned the jester, who appeared to be looking at Pinkie Pie. A few moments pass and Discord finally decided to speak his mind.
"When I win, the first thing I'm doing is turning her into a cake! I hope she tastes good." Discord said as Twilight almost fell out of the sky at that comment.
She was about to reply to Discord, but he snapped his fingers.
"Good luck finding me!" Discord said, with snap of a fingers and white cloud with the red word 'POOF', he disappeared from sight. Twilight now confused and scared at the same time, and decided to fly down to talk to Pinkie Pie. When she got down on the ground however, she noticed Pinkie crying.
"What’s wrong Pinkie?" Twilight ask already knowing the answer.
"That evil bad man and his evil brother with the same name as Discord has trapped all of our friends, and even spikey wikey and I don't know what we can do to help." Pinkie said in a shaky voice. "We can’t just give up. We have to try and help or else..." Twilight didn’t continue her sentence, because she didn’t want to think about it "Why did you choose me Twilight. You could have chosen Dashie, Rarity, Spike, and Applejack..." Twilight put a hoof over Pinkie's mouth stopping her from finishing her sentence.
"Because, Pinkie, you’re the best at hide and seek, you have never lost a game from what I have heard, and you have that amazing Pinkie sense that I still don't understand. That and since this world may be gone in three days, I need the happiest pony I know to help keep me thinking good thoughts." Twilight said as Pinkie appeared to perk up and then she had a confused look on her face.
"He said we have three days to find him, but he claimed to have killed Celestia and Luna. How will day or night happen without them?" Twilight began to smile, it’s the first time she has smiled since meeting those two evil creatures.
"Your right Pinkie! He doesn’t know how our day and night cycle work here! We could very well win!" Twilight said in joy. That joy however was short lived as Insanity reappeared in front of both of them.
"Well, well, well, thanks for the information." He said as he snapped his fingers again.
"You can’t just think I would let you go off and cheat like that, can you? Your day and night cycle have now been set back to normal by MY magic. This cycle is slightly quicker than normal as well. Each day lasts only sixteen hours instead of the regular twenty-four. Now off I will be going, and you best not try cheating because I am able to see everything you do on my television. Bye, bye." Insanity said as he snapped his fingers once more, causing him to disappear. Twilights jaw just dropped. Not only do they have basically one less day of searching, they also have been told they are being watched at all times.
"Well time to get searching." Twilight said as Pinkie nodded in agreement, as they both headed off to Ponyville.
Something dark overcomes the land of light.
Day 1 - zecora and the evil forest
Once they arrived at Ponyville, they headed to Sugarcube corner to let Mr. and Mrs. Cake know what’s going on. They explained everything to them about how the princesses’ have been killed, and how those two evil men showed up to play a game, and how no one is allowed to help but Pinkie. By the end of the explanation Mrs. Cake had fainted, and Mr. Cake seemed on the verge of fainting himself.
"So those two creatures stood on two legs?" Mr. Cake asked.
"Yes." Replied Twilight and Pinkie In unison.
"One had fire for hair… I have no Idea how that works. How does his head not hurt? The other meanie had a red and yellow Jesters hat on his head, and a super big smile on his face, but not a good type of smile. It was a BAAAAD smile, like the smile only big meanies have on." Said Pinkie. Mrs. Cake appeared to recover from her faint.
"There was a white coated unicorn stallion, that had on that same hat you described, who came in a minute ago. He ordered every cake we had. Do you think it was him in disguise?" Asked Mrs. Cake.
"Not sure... It could just be a coincidence, but he did show that he had a lot of magic and had the same name as Discord. If it was him, it means we are going to have a hard time finding him, since he seems to be able to disguise himself. Do you know where the pony went?" Twilight asked.
"No we don't, but he did say to give you two a message before he left, if that helps.” Mrs. Cake said, as Twilight seemed to take interest.
“What did he say?" asked Twilight.
"’I am not one to be defeated easily at hide and seek; it’s my favorite game you know. If you can’t find me, then this world will be destroyed without a doubt.’ It was a strange message. What do you think the pony meant by it?" Mrs. Cake asked, confused.
"I don't know what he meant by the odd riddle, but I’m guessing It WAS him with a disguise. Since you said this pony ordered all of your cakes, and when we first met him, he was eating a cake. How did the pony carry the cakes out of the store anyways?" asked Twilight.
"That’s the strange part: He pulled off the hat he had on, and it sucked all the cakes up like a vacuum. Even for a villain, he was nice enough to pay us triple the bits, which was a lot." Mrs. Cake replied.
"What color was the pony’s mane?" Twilight asked.
"It was a jet black color." replied Mr. Cake.
"White coat with a black mane… He shouldn’t be too hard to find, not many ponies have that color scheme. The only problem is... he can be ANYWHERE In Equestria, so it is going to be a challenge finding some pony in just two days." Twilight said.
"Didn’t you say the flame headed creature gave you three days?" Mrs. Cake asked.
"Yes but he made the day and night cycle last only sixteen hours, so If you take eight hours away from three days, it basically leaves you with two days." Replied Twilight. Mrs. Cake paled.
"You two should get a move on then! You have no time to spare!" Mrs. Cake, then shoved both Pinkie Pie and Twilight out of Sugarcube corner, so they could start their search.
"Where do we go first Twilight?" Pinkie asked.
"I think we should search the Everfree Forest first to get the hard part out of the way." Twilight said as Pinkie looked worried.
"But Twilight! It’s like, super-duper dangerous in there. It’s filled with Timber Wolves, Hydras and other scary monsters! Why can’t we save that for last?" Pinkie asked as Twilight sighed.
"It’s always best to get the hard part out of the way, so we don't worry about it our entire time searching. I know it’s scary, Pinkie, but it’s nothing compared to those two evil guys." Twilight replied.
After a little while of walking, they finally ended up at their destination, and began their search. Pinkie has calmed down a bit and started humming a song to herself. Twilight, on the other hand, is writing down something with magic, and a quill, on a piece of paper that she pulled out of her saddle bag.
"Watch writing down Twilight?" The pink earth pony asked.
"I’m writing down some landmarks that we keep passing, like that big rock over there, and that big tree, so we don't get lost, and to see if anything might be different on our walk back. Remember to keep an eye out for anything suspicious Pinkie, because he seems to be able to take the forms of ponies. If he’s able to transform into ponies, then Celestia knows what else he’s able to change Into." Replied Twilight. Pinkie frowned a bit at the realization of just how hard this game would be, not to mention if they lose, all of Equestria will be destroyed by an insane clown and a chaotic jester. After an hour or two of searching, nothing has changed other than the song Pinkie was singing.
‘How does she come up with so many songs?’ Twilight mentally asked herself.
"I just sing whatever’s on my mind." Pinkie replied. This response shocked Twilight.
"How did... but that... Pinkie how did you know what I was thinking?" Twilight asked, really confused.
"Your face had on a face that said: ‘How does Pinkie come up with all her really super-duper awesome songs.’ So I answered your question for you." Replied Pinkie, leaving the purple Alicorn very confused once more. Twilight was about to ask Pinkie again, but decided to drop it after she realized that Pinkie was just being Pinkie.
After another few minutes of walking Twilight and Pinkie both saw a hut in the distance. That house belonged to none other than Zadora. Twilight put her paper and quill back in her saddle bag.
"Maybe she's seen him." Twilight said, more to herself then anything. They approached Zecora’s hut, and they notice something’s off about it.
"Is my mind just playing tricks on me, or is her hut shaped like a cake?" Twilight asked. As they got closer they could tell what was wrong with It. "It isn’t shaped like a cake, it IS a cake." Twilight said to herself.
Twilight and Pinkie stepped inside the house and to their surprise Zecora was there, seemingly unaware of what her house looks like on the outside.
"Hello my good friends, what brings you here? Both your faces seem to be showing some traces of fear." Zecora said.
"Yes we are a bit scared, but do you realize your hut has been turned into a cake?" Twilight asked. This confused Zecora, as she stuck her head outside the window, looking up at her ‘House’, then brought her head back into the room.
"My, my, odd thing Indeed. This isn’t my doing, that much I guarantee. I’m going to have to find some poison joke to fix my hut, or else monsters will find my house easy to cut." Zecora said.
"We think we know who caused this, but we have no time to explain. Look, have you seen any pony or anything out of the usual within the past few hours?" Asked Twilight.
"Nothing odd I have seen, It sounds like what your describing is a Changeling." Zecora replied.
"No it isn’t a changeling, it’s a two legged creature that is able to use magic, and we are looking for him. If we don't find him within the next three days, Equestria will be doomed. Let us know if you see anything odd. We don't have time to spare, so we will be on our way now." Twilight said as the two ponies left the house. After almost an hour more of searching later Twilight said "Let’s start heading home Pinkie. We need some rest, and it’s getting pretty late." Twilight said. "But-but Twilight! If we don't find this guy, then Equestria will be doomed. We have to keep searching." Pinkie said.
"Yes, Pinkie, I know, but I don't think I can stay up much longer, were just ponies and we still need rest regardless of the situation we are in." Twilight replied.
"Alight fine, but I’m waking you up early in the morning so we can get a head start." Pinkie said.
After a few more minutes of walking, Twilight noticed a distorted figure in the distance. Both ponies ran towards it thinking it could possibly be that man they are looking for, or he disguised himself as the white and black pony from Sugarcube corner. Once they reached the figure, however, they realized it was just Zecora.
"Zecora, what are you doing here? I thought you were at your hut, trying to turn your house back to normal." Asked Twilight.
"I’m sorry Twilight; I just got a bit confused with my directions is all. I was looking for poison joke to help fix my house. I'll be on my way then." Said Zecora as she started walking back to the direction of her hut.
"Well that was weird." Twilight said. They started to continue walking when a sudden realization hit Twilight. "Wait a second, there is no poison joke in this part of the Everfree, and she wasn’t speaking in her normal rhymes! That wasn’t Zecora that was..." Twilight glanced back to the direction ‘Zecora’ was walking and saw nothing. "PINKIE HURRY UP! THIS WAY, QUICK!" Twilight yelled. The two ponies began running in the direction they saw ‘Zecora’ walked to.
"What’s wrong Twilight?" Pinkie asked, obliviously.
"You didn’t notice? She wasn’t speaking in her normal rhymes, and there’s no poison joke in this part of the Everfree! That wasn’t Zecora, that was... that was the creature we were looking for!" replied Twilight.
"To the right! I saw the fake run to the right!" Pinkie said. As they both bolt right they see the impostor Zecora starting to pick up pace.
"I found you! Stop running!" Twilight screamed. "Sucks my brother didn’t tell you all the rules! You have to tag me for the game to end. Have fun!" The Impostor, who they now know is that other Discord they are trying to find, said. Discord started gaining so much speed that it would put rainbow dash to shame.
"Get back here you big meanie!" Pinkie screamed, but it was too late, the fake Zecora, or Discord as they now know, just escaped there vision.
They continue running in the direction they last saw Discord for another five minutes, but It was useless, he escaped there grasp. Pinkie and Twilight both stop and start heading back to Ponyville, deciding to just cut their losses and get some rest. The walk back was awkwardly silent, especially since Pinkie hasn’t talked once ever since they lost him.
‘I can’t blame her for being upset, we were so close to saving our friends… but we let our first chance slip away… Who knows when we will encounter him again? For all I know, we won’t see a trace of him again." Twilight thought to herself as Pinkie and Twilight approached Ponyville, they finally had to split ways.
"Goodnight Pinkie." Said Twilight.
"Goodnight Twilight." Pinkie replied in a sad and tired voice. Pinkie started heading home to get some rest as Twilight started doing the same.
Twilight finally reached her tree house and got into her bed.
"Goodnight Spike." She said as sudden realization hit her like a smack across the face. Spike was gone, that flame headed man kidnapped Spike along with her friends, and there wasn’t a thing she could do about it. It’s easy to say Twilight Is going to have trouble sleeping tonight with the thought of all her friends being in danger while she’s just sleeping.
Something dark overcomes the land of light.
Day 2 - an evil has been revived
(In Insanity’s bedroom in Hell.)
Insanity was sitting on his throne of darkness, watching Twilight and Pinkie on two televisions, with the two ponies having a television made for watching each one of them on a different screen. Five bubbles are floating behind him containing four familiar ponies and a dragon.
"I think I’m going to have a bit of fun with them. Time to revive the evil in the other, and make him MINE. Evil never vanishes from a soul... It only sleeps." Insanity said as he snapped his fingers, casting a spell. "Hope you little ponies don't let this stop your progress, or else you'll never find my brother Discord." Insanity said.
"You’ll never get away with this, ya hear!" A familiar farm pony said from behind.
"Oh quiet you! I could destroy your planet, along with your universe, with a snap of my fingers! Be glad I’m even giving you a chance to survive. I’m only doing this for my brother; if it weren’t for him, I would turn you all into pieces of beef." Insanity replied, without a trace of a lie in his voice. A few moments later a rainbow colored pony decided to be brave and speak up.
"Let us free or else we wi-"
"-If you continue speaking, I will make sure you never see your friends again, along with eternal torture here in my Hell." Insanity said in a dark and angered tone.
‘It’s almost day time, and I can’t wait to see my new minion put into action.’ Insanity thought to himself.
(Back In Ponyville)
Twilight opened her eyes as the sunlight shines through her window. Before Twilight could get out of bed, she felt a familiar pink pony bouncing on her with a worried look on her face.
"Twilight! Twilight! Get up! It’s raining chocolate milk outside! It’s really delicious, but Discord is causing harm to other ponies again!" Pinkie said in a panicked voice.
‘Wait... did she just say Discord’ Twilight thought to herself. "Our Discord or the other Discord?" Twilight asked.
"Our Discord! It was our Discord! He’s being super mean again, and he has this weird red 'I' mark on his forehead." Pinkie replied.
Twilight pushed the pink pony, who was still bouncing, off of her. After a minute of waking up, she put on her saddle bag, then her and Pinkie stepped out of the door of the tree house. Twilight immediately noticed something was wrong.
‘It was raining chocolate milk just like pinkie said.’ Twilight thought to herself.
"Did you think I was lying to you Twilight? I would never lie to any pony! Especially one of my friends!" Pinkie replied... somehow reading Twilight's mind again.
"How did you... but... Pinkie! How do you keep doing that?" Twilight asked.
"Doing what?" Pinkie asked with a confused look on her face. Twilight then realized it was Pinkie she was dealing with.
As they continue walking through Ponyville, they notice many chaotic things along their way. Like Rabbits with really long legs, dancing trees; chocolate milk rain; cotton candy clouds and many other abnormal things. They continue searching Ponyville for any sign of either Discord’s. After some time, they came across Sugarcube corner and see that it has literally turned into a giant Sugar cube.
“Oh come on…” Twilight mumbled to herself.
Pinkie ran towards the giant Sugarcube and gave it one giant lick. Pinkie’s face immediately scrunched up.
"That’s not sugar! That’s salt!" Pinkie said in a hissing voice.
They continue walking through the now chaotic Ponyville and after a few more minutes of walking they start to hear some laughter coming from all directions.
"DISCORD!" Pinkie screamed in an angry voice. The laughter started to die down then spoke up.
"Yes, you silly pink earth pony? What do you want? I have lots of chaos to cause." The disembodied voice of Discord said.
"Why have you betrayed us Discord? I thought we were all your friends." Twilight said in a soft yet slightly sad voice.
"FRIENDS!? What need do I have of friends when I can have all the power in the world! Thanks to my new master of course." Discord said.
"Y-Your master?" Both Pinkie and Twilight asked with a puzzled look on their faces.
"Yes, I have a master. Last night, as I was reading in Fluttershy's cottage, waiting for her to come home, ever since that darkness flooded all of Equestria, when a flame headed man approached me and did something to me I can’t remember. All that I remember is when I woke up, I felt reborn and just had to cause some chaos, ditch my friends and to top It all off-" Discord then appeared In front of both of them and was pointing towards the red "I" symbol on his forehead Pinkie described earlier, "I got this awesome symbol on my head." Discord said. Twilight and pinkie starred at Discord, then at each other, and then back at Discord.
"But what about Fluttershy? She was your best friend! She helped you make more friends and become nice to help Equestria!" Twilight demanded.
"What ABOUT Fluttershy? I could care less about that stupid Pegasus and all of her animals and friends. They are no more than mere pons in my master’s plans, once you guys lose the game." Discord said.
"You’re not yourself Discord! Let us help, please." Twilight said in a soft voice.
"Help!? Why would I need help? I’m happy how as I am now. Unlike you, Twilight, I don't need 'FRIENDSHIP' to be happy; I just need chaos and power. Thanks to my other master named 'Discord', I can cause even more chaos. You may not know It Twilight, but he’s actually the God of Chaos, and the flame headed, the one named 'Insanity', he’s the Devil. He is also the God of Fire, Darkness, Storms, Space, Time, Illusions and Manipulation. He controls so much of existence that you little ponies would probably just explode if you were even standing around him. Even if he was powered up to a trillionth of his maximum power." Discord replied.
"We want to help, Discord! We always want to help a friend, even if they are being a big jerk. I know Fluttershy will forgive you, if you accept our help." Pinkie said. Discords face started to get visibly angrier.
"WILL YOU PONIES GET IT THROUGH YOUR SKULL!? I HATE YOU; I HATE EQUESTRIA, AND MOST OF ALL! I HATE FLUTTERSHY!!!" Discord screamed, startling both Pinkie and Twilight. "See you ponies later, I have some chaos to cause at Canterlot." Discord said. And with a snap of his fingers, Discord was gone, but they now know where he’s headed.
"Canterlot? Why is he going to Canterlot?" Twilight asked. After a few moments of silence, Twilight realized.
"He doesn’t know Celestia is dead, so he’s probably headed over there to dethrone her, just like last time." Twilight said.
"Even though we know where he’s at, how do we stop him from being bad?" Pinkie asked. After a few more moments of silence, Twilight perked up.
"Do you remember when Discord made you bad, Pinkie?" Twilight asked.
"Yes! Yes I do! I was mean and nasty and was a big jerk." Replied Pinkie.
"Well, do you remember how you became good again?" Asked Twilight
"YES! You used a magical spell on me, and it turned me back to my Pinkie pink self instead of that mean and nasty grey." Pinkie replied.
"Well if we can corner Discord, I can use that spell on him, and turn him good again! It will also get rid of that 'I' marking on his forehead." Twilight said in excitement. "Come on Pinkie! Let’s go to Canterlot!" said Twilight. And with that the two ponies started heading towards Canterlot.
(In Insanity’s bedroom in Hell.)
Fluttershy was crying her eyes out from inside her bubble.
"Why? Why would he say he hates me? We... we were friends." Fluttershy said to herself, still sobbing.
"I SWEAR TO GOD, IF YOU DON'T SHUT THE HELL UP, IM GONNA CALL THIS BET OFF AND ERASE YOU ALL!" Insanity screamed. Fluttershy continued crying, if anything, louder. After a few more seconds of crying, Insanity stood up from his throne. "THAT’S IT! THE BET’S OFF!" Insanity started walking towards Fluttershy with so much anger in his eyes, ready to erase her then her friends, than destroy all of Equestria. When he got close enough to Fluttershys bubble, he raised his hand, ready to drag her out of it and put her in a cage to be tortured forever, but then a voice spoke up.
"Don't you hurt her!" Rarity yelled. Insanity’s head snapped in the direction of Rarity, hand still raised. "You may be all powerful and evil, but I know you care for someone." Rarity said.
Insanity started to chuckle until his chuckle turned into a full blown evil laugh. Then Insanity’s laugh slowly came to a stop.
"That’s hilarious! You actually think I care for someone! Okay I'll bite, who is it?" Insanity asked, hand now lowered, with an evil smile on his face.
"That man with the same name as Discord, and the totally bad fashioned looking hat. Your brother, I think." Rarity replied. Insanity’s face went from an evil smile back to an evil glare in a split second. "I know you care for him. Fluttershy cares for our Discord, just like you care for your brother. Fluttershy is upset, because one of her best friends just said she doesn’t like her anymore, but we know that’s because of your control and Fluttershy doesn’t understand that. It’s not her fault she’s upset. She actually has a heart, UNLIKE YOU!" Rarity yelled the last part. Insanity went silent, but he still looked angry. After a few more moments of unnerving silence, Insanity walked back to his throne, and sat down, continuing watching the two televisions. "Stupid ponies and there stupid logic. Be happy I’m even giving you a chance." Insanity mumbled to himself quietly.
(In Canterlot)
The Canterlot castle doors burst open, revealing Twilight and Pinkie, that are now both searching the inside of the castle for any sign of either Discord. Twilight and Pinkie Pie began searching the inside of the castle. A full ten minutes passed before they both entered the throne room to search for Discord. When they entered the room, as Twilight suspected, they saw Discord looking rather confused at the throne, his back facing them both.
Discord, seemingly unaware that the two ponies have entered the room, continued staring at the throne.
"Pinkie, you sneak up and grab him, and when his lying on the ground I will-"
"Use that spell on me to make me good again. Sheesh, you have such a loud whisper Twilight." The Draconequus said, still facing away from them. Twilight and pinkies both looked shocked as he was somehow able to overhear them both. "If you think you can actually catch me, and hold me down long enough to use that spell of yours, then you two have an Imaginations almost as big as my master Insanity is powerful." Discord said again.
Discord then disappeared with a snap of his fingers, and reappeared directly in front of the two ponies. Twilight and pinkies both jumped back a bit in surprise at how close Discord now was.
"We will stop you at all costs, so we can get back to finding the other Discord and save Equestria!" Twilight said. Discord started to chuckle at that. When his chuckle died down, after what seemed like minutes of constant laughter, Discord composed himself.
"That’s funny, Twilight. You think you can defeat me? It was hard enough to defeat me when I was normal, but now that I have gotten a power up from my master, you stand no chance at all against me." Discord said.
Pinkie Pie dove at Discord, trying to catch him off guard, and pin him down, but as she did Discord, disappeared with a snap of his fingers. Pinkie landed flat on her belly.
"Ouch... that hurt." Pinkie groaned.
"Pinkie, get up! We need to look around for Discord again.” Twilight said, but before Pinkie could even get up on her hooves, she was pushed back down to the floor by Discords tail.
"I find it funny that you ponies plan on pinning me down, yet I’m able to pin her down with just my tail. It’s rather funny, don't you agree, Twilight?" Discord asked.
“Not at all. You’re just being a big old jerk! You have hurt your friends, you have betrayed us, and you tried to attack Celestia." Twilight hissed back.
"Tisk, tisk, tisk. Twilight, I don't care in the slightest, but I do have a question to ask, what happened to Celestia and the other two silly Princesses’?" Discord asked.
"Y-Your 'master' killed them, and sent them to... to Hell… They are probably being tortured as we speak. He even took Rainbow Dash, Spike, Rarity, Applejack and Futtershy with him. Just to make me play his silly game. I’m glad he didn’t kill them or else... they might be sharing the same fate as the Princesses’." Twilight replied in a sad tone.
"So there dead… What a bummer, I wanted to have some fun before I-" Before Discord even finished his sentence, Pinkie made a quick movement to get out of his tale and jumped at him once again. This time, managing to caught him off guard and managed to actually pin him down this time. Twilight, stuck in a daze was suddenly snapped out of it when she realized Pinkie managed to actually pin him to the ground.
"Don't let him go." Twilight said.
"Okie dokie lokie." Pinkie replied.
Twilight, wasting no more time, ran towards Discord, and leaned her horn towards his forehead and casted the spell. Memories started flooding Discords mind, and, slowly the red "I" symbol on his head, started to fade away. After a few more moments, Pinkie got off of him, and they both stared at the Draconequus, but he didn’t move.
"He must have been under a very powerful control spell, because his body seems to be drained of most of its energy after returning to normal." Twilight stated.
"So... he’s asleep?" Pinkie asked. Twilight, about to answer the question, when Discord suddenly snored really loud, answering it for her.
"Let’s leave him here for now; we have more important things to worry about." Pinkie agreed. Twilight then magically made a bed for Discord, and placed him on it.
Then, the two mares left the castle and started to head home, but when they stepped outside, they noticed two things. One: All the chaotic things Discord caused vanished. And two: It was already night outside. Twilight groaned at this in defeat.
"I guess we will have to continue searching around tomorrow, Pinkie. It’s already late… If only we had more time." Twilight said as they both made their way back to Ponyville, said there goodnights and headed to bed. Twilight got into her bed and slowly drifted to sleep.
She woke up In the middle of the night a few hours later, to the sound of laughter coming from downstairs. Twilight bolted down the steps to catch the Intruder in the act. But when she arrived at the bottom of the steps, no one was there. She looked around for almost half an hour, but managed to find no one. So, she headed back upstairs to her bed. When she got up there, however, there was a sticky note on her bed that read "You can’t win."
Twilight was shocked at this message because of two reasons. One: She was so close to catching the other Discord, but missed him. And two: He managed to break into her tree house, seemingly with ease. After destroying the note and throwing it in the trash, Twilight slipped back into her bed and fell back to sleep, with her last thought being about her friends.
Something dark overcomes the land of light.
It is now the final day and yet again, Twilight was woken up by a bouncing Pinkie Pie. Twilight gathered her things, and headed out the door of the tree house.
"Where should we search today Twilight?" Pinkie asked.
"I’m thinking we search Fillydelph-" Twilight was cut off when a pony ran right into her, knocking them both on the floor.
After a moment the two ponies got up and Twilight saw a blue coated, red manned, unicorn mare with a worried expression on her face.
“What’s wro-" Twilight was about to ask, but was cut off by the pony.
"There have been rumors of an evil being in the Crystal Empire, and I hear it’s even worse than king Sombra!" The pony said.
"An evil being in the Crystal Empire huh? Well, that doesn’t explain why you ran into me." Twilight said.
"Oh, sorry about that, when some pony told me about the news, I got scared, so I ran off to tell the Princess." The pony answered.
‘That’s right, no one knows about the Princesses’ defeats.’ Twilight thought to herself.
"Well, I should be going; I don't have time to spare. Bye, it was nice meeting you." The pony said as she ran off. After the pony vanished from sight, she now knows where to go.
"Pinkie, we are going to the Crystal Empire!" Twilight said in both excitement and fear.
"Yay! This is going to be fun!" Pinkie said as realization hit her. The pink pony lost her happiness real fast when she remembered what’s at stake. "Do you think we will be able to find him, Twilight?" Pinkie asked in a sad tone.
"I’m going to be honest, I don't know Pinkie. He’s a force we have never had to deal with before, and he’s very chaotic." Twilight replied, "But at least we know where to look. Let’s buy some tickets and take a train to the Crystal Empire." Twilight said.
So the two ponies headed to the train station on bought their tickets. They are now sitting on some benches, along with three other ponies, waiting for the train to arrive. There was a yellow coated, red manned unicorn stallion, wearing a black vest, a white coated, yellow manned buff Pegasus stallion and a brown coated, blue manned earth pony all waiting alongside them. Twilight was playing I spy with Pinkie Pie to kill the time.
"I spy, with my little eye, something pink and bouncy" Twilight said.
"I know! I know! Is it me?" Pinkie asked.
"Yes It Is Pinkie." Twilight replied, as she chuckled at Pinkies hyper activeness.
"My turn! My turn! I spy, with my little eye, something fast and loud." Pinkie said.
"Fast and loud? Hmm" as Twilight was thinking what it could be; she saw that the red and yellow unicorn was looking at her. Twilight brushed this off with the fact that she seemed to get a lot of attention from ponies, since she is a Princess now. ‘What could it be’ Twilight thought. Then, she heard the upcoming sound of the train. The Train then came to a stop at the station.
"Is it the Train?" Twilight asked.
"Yep! Yep! Yep! You got It Twilight! You’re good at this game!" Pinkie said as they both, and the other three ponies, walked onto the train and took a seat. Pinkie and Twilight sat in the same seat with Pinkie sitting by the window, and Twilight on the outside of the seat.
The red and yellow stallion, from earlier, and the buff stallion, sat in the seat next to them, with the buff pony sitting at the window, and the red and yellow pony sitting on the outside.
"So, do you think that Discord guy is really at the Crystal Empire?" Pinkie asked.
"Pinkie I already told you, I just don't know. But, to be honest, it IS possible it could be him." Twilight replied.
"Next stop, the Crystal Empire." A voice on the Intercom said. The train then started to move heading, towards the Crystal Empire.
(In Insanity’s bedroom in Hell)
"Brother, why are you hiding so close to them? You’re risking your chance of winning the game." Insanity said, speaking to him aloud.
"What do you mean by that?" Spike asked.
"None of your business, you purple facing lizard." Insanity yelled as Spike walked as far back as he could, while still trapped in the bubble. Insanity then started to return to his thoughts.
After some more thinking, his flames on his head started to grow gradually, until they got high enough that they were starting to burn his bedroom ceiling.
"You’re risking our bet, brother. I don't want to spare some silly ponies. That would make me look like a kind Devil. You better not blow it." He said aloud to himself again.
"Don't worry bro! These ponies won’t ever see through my perfect disguise!" Discord’s voice said from nowhere.
All the ponies, and the dragon, looked frightened and confused. Insanity seemed to pay them no mind.
"I don't see why you’re so close to them. You could lose if the touch you." Insanity replied.
"Give me a break bro! I’m a God to you know, I’m just playing around, having a little bit of fun is all." Discord said.
"That’s what I don't like, try to be careful and DON'T get touched. I will let you go for now. See you later Discord." Insanity said.
"Bye brother!" Discord said. Discord’s voice then vanished from the room leaving the four ponies and dragon confused.
"If your small brains can’t wrap around what just happened, I will tell you. It was magic projecting my brother’s voice.” Insanity replied to the dragon and ponies unasked question.
(On the train headed to the Crystal Empire)
Twilight and Pinkie continue sitting in silence for a little while, until Pinkie broke the ice.
"Something smells weird." Pinkie said out of nowhere, confusing Twilight.
"What do you mean Pinkie? I don't smell anything…" Twilight said.
"I smell something BAAAAD. It smells familiar." Pinkie replied.
"I think you’re just under some stress, let’s relax until we get to the empire, which is only ten more minutes away." Twilight said. Pinkie seemed to not agree to what Twilight said, but calmed down anyways.
The clock on the train slowly ticked, and before they knew it, there was only five minutes left until the reach the empire. Twilight gradually started to grow bored. She decided to scan all around the train, and saw that a few ponies were yet again staring; the red and yellow stallion from before; a white and blue unicorn with glasses; and an all-black stallion were looking at her.
"What do you ponies want?" Twilight asked in a somewhat annoyed tone. All the ponies that were looking at her quickly turned their heads. Twilight just sighed as she continued to watch the clock.
"Just two more minutes until we reach the Crystal Empire." The voice on the Intercom said, as Twilight seemed relax a bit.
‘Thank Celestia, being on this train is starting to annoy me.’ Twilight thought to herself.
The Train finally came to a stop. They are now at the Crystal Empire!
"We’re here! We’re here!" Pinkie bounced in joy as they, and a few other ponies, began walking off the train. When they got off the train, they heard a voice.
"Let go you stupid door!" Twilight looked behind her and saw that the yellow and red stallions vest was caught in the train door, and he was struggling to get unstuck.
After a few more seconds, he pulled free of the door, only for a part of his vest to tear off. Twilight and Pinkie’s mouth hung open in shock when they saw that the "Unicorn" had a set of wings as well. Before Twilight could even utter a word, Pinkie ran over to the stallion and tagged him. "YOU’RE IT! YOU’RE IT!" Pinkie screamed in joy as the stallion looked confused.
"What do you mean ‘I am it’?" The pony asked. Twilight, returning to her senses, began running towards them.
"We know that it’s you, Discord. Drop the act! No pony has both a horn and wings other than me and the other Princesses’." Twilight said as the pony’s confusion turned into a bit of anger.
The "Pony" then slowly turned into the familiar to legged creature, with the red and yellow hat.
"Damn it all to Hell, I should have known! I saw no other ponies that had both a horn and wings other than you! I can’t believe I lost!" Discord said.
"Now give us our Princesses’ back, and leave us in peace like we agreed!" Twilight demanded.
"Fine, fine, give me a second." Discord said as he re-established the magic projection leading to Insanity.
(In Insanity’s bedroom in Hell)
"Brother... I lost" Discords disembodied voice said.
Insanity’s face turned into a huge frown and his flames grew even higher and his eyes went black. After a few seconds his flames returned to their normal size and his eyes returned to normal.
"Damn it Discord. I was REALLY hoping I could snap these ponies’ necks, especially the bitchy white one." Insanity nearly yelled. Rarity frowned at that, and wanted to say a retort, but she knew better. “Fine, I guess these ponies win." Insanity said with a sigh. With a snap of his fingers Insanity, the dragon, and four ponies, disappeared with a "Poof."
(At the Crystal Empire train station)
Suddenly, Insanity and her four friends reappeared before them, while frightening a few nearby ponies in the process, causing them to run. Discord hung his head in shame.
"Sorry brother." Discord said in a sad tone as Insanity sighed.
"It’s alright, but next time I make a bet, I expect you to win." Insanity replied, as Discord perked up. Insanity then snapped his fingers, and freed their friends from the bubble prisons, dropping all the ponies, and the dragon rather abruptly, on the ground.
Spike then ran up to Twilight and gave her a hug. "I missed you so much Twilight. He was so mean." Spike said.
"Don't worry Spike, it’s all over now." Twilight said. The two then broke away from their hug. Twilight looked at Insanity, which had a disgusted look on his face, due to their moment, and looked at him straight in the eyes, with a bit of anger showing. Insanity’s face went from disgusted to amusement, and merely chuckled at this.
"How adorable. A purple pony trying to scare the Devil." Insanity said. "I’m heading back to Hell now to torture some souls. See you stupid ponies later." Insanity said as he was about to snap his fingers, but Twilight stopped him.
"Wait a second! You haven’t finished your part of the deal!" Twilight yelled.
“Watch your voice pony. I could kill you in a millionth of a second if I so choose." Insanity said with his anger starting to grow.
"You said you would revive our Princesses’ to." Twilight stated.
"Oh yes... I almost forgot about them. It’s not like there worth much to me anyways." Insanity said as he snapped his fingers.
"There you go. Now I will be going." Insanity, once again, snapped his fingers, and disappeared, hopefully forever.
Twilight saw the other Princesses’ faces. They were all looks of pure fear, something she has never seen on Celestias face before. Once the three Alicorns realized they weren’t dead anymore, there looks of fear turned into both of relief and happiness. Celestia walked up and hugged Twilight.
"What happened in there?" Twilight asked.
"I... I would rather not talk about that. It was horrible." Celestia replied.
After the ponies said there greetings, and Informed every pony what happened, life In Equestria returned to normal, and so did the day and night cycle. Very few ponies even knew how close Equestria was to being destroyed, and the Princesses’ refused to inform any pony about it.
