Prologue

"Oh, I love it when Princess Celestia comes to visit Ponyvile!" Pinkie Pie cheered next to Rarity, her enthusiasm emphasized more heavily with each bounce that she made, but Twilight didn't share the sentiment.
She was too busy going over each and every scenario in her mind on "why" her Mentor was coming to visit.

To her, when Celestia came over to Ponyvile, it was either after a disaster had happened and she wanted to make sure that everyone was alright, or that sompony was going to get in trouble instead. Either one was probable, however, when looking over her notes about the terrifying pattern she found when assessing the situation for future events, she can't help but think that Celestia was intentionally causing problems. 'But that can't be right...Right?' That's not how her teacher is, she was the Princess of Equestria!

"I got my hoofs shined just like Rarity for the occasion. You like?" Pinkie asked Rarity, showing her mirror-finish hoof to Rarity—Who couldn't help but stare in awe in the reflection of the work that Pinkie put into her own hooves to make them shine so clearly. Rainbow Dash could only gag, but Twilight, however, had bigger issues.

"I'm surprised she's not here yet," Twilight said staring into the sky, watching the birds fly on by as she scoured the heavens for Princess Celestia's chariot.

"I wonder what's taking so long?" Spike added, the purple dragon standing at her side wondering the same questions.

"And where are Applejack and Fluttershy?"

"Fluttershy is helping Applejack with a mishap at Sweet Apple Acres," Rarity replied, still staring at her reflection in Pinkie Pies hoof. "They'll be along."

"I still don't get why the Princess would be so late?"

Twilight nodded warily to her assistant. She knew it wasn't like Celestia to be late for anything. Nothing would stop her usual tea and cake break back at the castle right as the morning court would end. Twilight remember the day when someone tried to stop Celestia, it was a sight to behold.

Standing in the center of the hall was Prince Blue Blood looking for a private audience with Celestia. Twilight couldn't remember what it was about, the only thing that she did know was that he was shoved aside like a ragdoll into a broom closet and was locked in for a few hours. No pony stood between Celestia and her cake during cake and tea time. No pony. 'Maybe the visitor she was bringing was slowing her down a bit?' Twilight thought. 'That could be it.'

"She's bringing an important visitor," she answered hesitantly. "That could be part of it."

"A visitor who's important and slow," Rainbow Dash groaned with emphasis on her eyes.

Twilight let out a sigh of her own in exasperation. Just hours before the meet up outside of Ponyvile during the warm summer day, she got the letter from Spike about Celestia arrival and a general idea of who she was bringing along with her. She couldn't have known that there would be a delay because of the visitor, much to the displeasure of the cyan pegasus hovering in wait next to Spike, along with Twilight.

After several more minutes of pacing a rut into the grass, Twilight saw the golden glow of the royal carriages come into view, and in turn, Princess Celestia. Twilight cleared a spot where they could land while her friends and little brother let out a breath of relief and joined her in greeting the Goddess of the Sun.

Twilight trotted over to the two carriages, focused on the Princess and her omnipresent glory. Her white coat, pure as the snow in the far north, was beyond perfect. Her royal regalia polished brighter than the sun itself, and her ever-flowing mane and tail cascaded around her person like soft ripples of a mirror pool.

Once Twilight was standing right in front of the Goddess of the Sun and her teacher, she bowed respectfully in the warmth that seemed to flow right out of the Alicorns heart.

"Twilight Sparkle, my prized student. How are you today?" Celestia asked with the warmth of a loving mother. Twilight got up from kissing the dirt, still unsure whether or not to speak to the Princess in a casual light in front of so many guards, or formally, however. Before she could make a reply, her assistant spoke for her.

"Is that Discord!?" Spike gasped, pointing at the second carriage and directing all the attention from the Princess to the mismatched being with the look of terror on his stony face.

"Indeed it is Spike. How quite perceptive of you," Celestia replied without missing a beat.

"I don't understand, Princess, but why would you bring him here?!" Twilight asked as her muscles tensed up, ready for another fight against the God of Chaos himself.

"I'm fully aware that the last time Discord was here, he created serious havoc," she hummed, not noticing the seriousness of the situation that she created. Twilight watched as her mentor reached over into her carriage with her magic and pulled out an ornate box and set it beside her for the moment.

"If by "serious havoc" you mean 'turning Ponyville into the chaos capital of the world,'" Rainbow joined, pointing angerly at the statue.

"And tricking us all into being the opposite of our true selves," Rarity added.

"And making yummy delicious chocolate milk rain all over the place, without a single dollop of whipped cream to go with it anywhere in sight! Not a single dollop!" Pinkie Pie gasped in pure horror.

"I understand your concern Pinkie Pie, but Discord possesses a powerful magic that we might need in the future. If you are worried about him escaping, we have the Elements of Harmony with us and this time, I've placed an enchantment that will prevent him from taking them away from you ever again," Celestia smiled and opened the box, revealing the Elements of Harmony to Twilight and her friends.

"So let me get this straight. You want us to reform, Discord?" Rainbow chuckled inwardly. "Right, make the God of Chaos follow rules, that sounds like a good idea."

"Ya'll don't have'ta be so pessimistic, Rainbow," Applejack said, walking alongside Fluttershy up to the gathered group. Twilight frowned, wondering when they arrived. 'They should have been gone longer than previously estimated with the problems at the farm, but that will have to wait for later.'

Taking her Element of Harmony, Twilight turned to the smiling Princess until everypony had their Elements equipped. Once they were on, Celestia walked over to the statue of Discord and hovered him down in front of the group and prepared a spell to release him from his stone prison, but not before explaining the situation.

"It is as you say, Rainbow Dash. I wish you, girls, to reform him so that he may use his magic for good, however, if he cannot be reformed, then Discord will forever remain in stone," Celestia explained before motioning to her guards to back up and away from the statue.

Twilight let out a sigh, knowing exactly how impossible the task was before her and her friends. 'Reforming Discord?' she mentally groaned. 'I know the Princess thinks we can do it, but it will cost us greatly. I just hope that it isn't too much.'

Taking positions in front of the statue, Twilight and her friends got ready in case Discord were to try anything funny. Once they were ready, Celestia's horned glowed golden for a moment, allowing her aura to completely envelope the statue. Then, once the spell was complete, Twilight watched as the statue cracked and crumbled before exploding in a rain of colorful confetti, and where the statue used to be, now was Discord stretching his mangled body in ways that should be impossible.

"I'll be having a creek in my neck for eons to come. Now I know how a genie feels like living in a bottle," Discord cooed as he twisted his head up and down and fully around three times before returning to its natural position on his shoulders. "Now then, what do we have here? Six little ponies that think they could reform me? How adorable!"

Before anyone could react, Discord held Rainbow Dash like a cat, petting her mane while he sat evilly on a big, black, swivel chair. "We should just turn him back to stone," Rainbow growled, kicking herself free. Discord put on a pouty face at the loss of his evil villain cat.

"You are no fun Rainbow, besides. If you want me to reform so badly, then we have to go by my rules. A challenge if you please."

"Oh! Oh! Is it a cupcake eating challenge!" Pinkie boomed. "Cause I can totally beat you at that!" Twilight rolled her eyes at her pink friend's antics and got her Element ready, knowing exactly how this so-called 'reformation' was going to play out in the end.

"What kind of challenge?" Celestia piped up.

"Well," Discord smiled and pulled out a bobblehead of a strange bipedal creature that Twilight had never seen before and tossed it in front of her. She picked it up with her magic and studied the bobblehead more thoroughly.

"If you feel that 'friendship' is all powerful. Then prove it in a land where friendship is near impossible to acquire. If you can bring harmony to a group of gangs fighting each other over a dam, then I will go out of my way and into, 2-Pacs chocolate canal to learn the magic of friendship," Discord explained dryly.

"Ha! We can easily do that anywhere at anytime! Right Twilight?" Rainbow boasted. Discord shook his head.

"Sorry my Wonderbolt wannabe, but only one can go. So who will it be, hmm?"

"You can't possibly, believe that—"

"I'll go," Twilight said, eyes filled with determination to prove to Discord that the power of friendship can reach anyone, anywhere. Even if her response was quick and without thought, she knew that deep down within her soul, that even if she was separated from her friends, she will return to them in time.

"Twilight! No!" Celestia gasped, now standing in front of her student, but Twilight simply walked around to confront Discord further even as her friends protested her decision, calling it a trap and frankly, it was all things considered.

"It's alright. I'll be fine. Besides, it's not like you can find me wherever I go? What's the worst that could happen?"

"It is too dangerous, that's what?!" Spike cried, pulling his older sister into a loving embrace.

"Well my dear, you will get help on the other side," Discord yawned impatiently. "And I'll behave while you are gone as well if that makes you feel any better."

"Are you sure, Twilight? I originally was going to have Fluttershy take this task," Celestia asked quietly into Twilights ears as she held Spike back with a hug of her own.

"I'm sure."

Before I could say anything else to my friends and family, a bright flash of light enveloped my vision followed by the sounds of steam hissing and pipes creaking, followed by coughing and language so foul that not even every bar of soup in Equestria could clean that mouth. What followed after that was something that I will never forget and will forever regret as my face hit cold, hard, metal.

"W-Where am I?"