Madness and Chaos

Chapter 4

Discord flew to the vibrant land just north of the ever so gloomy swamp, which somehow resisted Discord's magic, and landed on a towering mushroom. He then sprawled out on the giant fungus and admired the colorful hills. As he took it all in, he felt an overwhelming feeling of belonging, almost like deja vu you get from a dream. Although, he kept getting this tickling feeling in his spine, the kind where you know something is wrong. At first he figured it was the swamp that was mocking him, but it wasn't that. The feeling felt strangely familiar, but more hostile. His paranoia got the better of him and Discord took flight once again looking for what was causing him his discomfort.

"Where are you? For that matter, what are you?" pondered Discord as he scanned the area for the source of his discomfort, "It can't be rain, nor could it be whole milk. It's something far more powerful, perhaps it's...," Discord began before he looked down at the trail below and he saw what was irritating him, "Order."

***

Princess Celestia, Twilight and her friends, and about half of the guard for the castle were all gathered in the statue garden behind Canterlot Castle. Twilight and each of their friends all had their saddle bags strapped and packed for their upcoming journey to the mysterious realm of Sheogorath. Celestia, after giving strict orders to the guards to defend this area at all costs, approached Twilight, who at the moment was giving a book about magical portal theory a quick skim. Once she finished glancing over the last few pages, Twilight set down the book and looked to her mentor.

"Are you ready, Twilight?" asked Celestia with a tone that had a hint of urgency to it.

"Yes, princes. Sorry it took so long: the pony who wrote this book, Cave something or other, wasn't really direct or consistent with explaining on how portals worked," explained a mildly irritated Twilight.

"But you can make one, right?"

"Yes, I can make one, but to reach our desired location it'll have to be in the exact same location as the last one was made."

"Alrighty, sounds like we're about to hit the road," heartily  Applejack.

"Time to go kick some bad-guy flank!" announced Rainbow Dash with an eager look on her face.

"Oh my gosh, this is going to be so fun. We haven't been on a journey like this since Nightmare Moon, or last week with Discord. I wonder how he's doing, oh, or what that Sheogorath guy is like. You guys said he was a prankster so I wonder if we'll get along. Maybe we should throw him a part...," rambled a hyperactive Pinkie, who despite having Applejack's hoof in her mouth, continued her muffled rant.

"Pinkie, please stop talking." deadpanned Applejack. Applejack then removed her hoof after Pinkie rolled her eyes and nodded.

"Girls, be serious. We need to focus on finding Discord and imprisoning him again. We can't let ourselves get distracted while there," said Twilight.

"Twilight's right, the Isles are unknown to us so we don't know what dangers lurk there other than Discord and Sheogorath. You need to complete your task as quickly as possible and return safely," Added Celestia, "Remember, the fate of Equestria rests in your hooves," she said, as Twilight and her friends bowed in confirmation.

"Alright, let do this," said Twilight with determination in her eyes as she focused on the spot where the portal was formed.

As Twilight's horn began to glow, the area of her focus began to shimmer and pulsate with a light lavender color, and the effect grew more noticeable the brighter her horn glowed. As sparks began to fly from her horn, the space began to collapse inward forming a small hole. As the hole got bigger, what started as a light breeze turned into a strong wind that circulated around the portal. Once the hole was big enough, Twilight let up on her magic just enough to allow her to move while still sustaining the portal.

"Alright, it's ready. Go, now," yelled Twilight over the powerful wind that roared around her. "I'll go last so I can keep it open."

"Good luck, my little ponies, and return home and stay safe," said Princess Celestia with a nod of her head.

"Alright, ladies, let's go. Yeee Haaaw!" cried out Applejack as she galloped into the portal and disappeared from sight.

"Geronimo!" cheered Rainbow as she followed suit.

"Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my goodneEEEEE!" squealed Fluttershy as she hesitantly approached the portal before going through.

"Gracious me, this is going to ruin my mane." whined Rarity as her mane flailed about.

"That looks so fun. Wheeeeeee!" giggled Pinkie as she followed her friends.

"Alright, here goes nothing," grunted Twilight as she slowly approached the portal.

As Twilight got closer to the worm-hole it began to fluctuate.  Twilight, knowing the integrity of the portal was deteriorating charged straight for it in an attempt to get through before it closed. As Twilight made one great leap into the made the vortex, it snapped shut leaving the gardens quiet.

***

As the Twilight lied on the ground, she could hear the muffled sound of her friends around her. She opened her eyes and looked around, making sure all her friends were okay. She saw Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie, but she couldn't see Rainbow Dash or Applejack.

"Where's Rainbow and Applejack? Where are they?" cried an exceptionally worried Twilight wondering if something with the portal spell went wrong. After sitting up quickly, she immediatly felt a sharp pain in her forehead. She buried her head in the dirt and clutched it with her hooves. "Owwwww! My head, what happened?"

"Twilight, you need to calm down. You've had it pretty rough," said Fluttershy trying to get Twilight to relax.

"Fluttershy's right, deary, you need to rest," agreed Rarity wearing a look of concern.

"Here, have a cupcake. It should make you forget your troubles," said Pinkie  while offering a cupcake, but something was wrong with her. Her coat was slightly darker and her hair was straight. This got Twilight even more worried.

"Girls, where are AJ and Rainbow? Are they okay?" she asked, still holding her head and on the verge of tears not only because of the pain but thinking of what could have happened to her friends.

"They're fine, Twilight. They're just scouting the area," reassured Rarity "It's you, however, you should be worried about,"

"Wha-what do you mean?" asked Twilight looking at her friends, who were now exchanging worried looks.

"Um, I don't think we should..." started Fluttershy.

"Tell me, please. What happened?" pleaded Twilight. With a sorrowful bow of the head, Rarity opened her saddlebag and pulled out her mirror and held the mirror in front of Twilight to reveal what was causing her such pain. As Twilight looked back at her reflection, her nerves could take no more and she began to sob uncontrollably at the horrific sight: her horn was broken.