Madness and Chaos

Chapter 5

Applejack wandered through the tall grass and clusters of over-sized fungus trying to find some kind of foliage that could be safely ingested, though was a harder task than she had hoped since the isles were completely foreign to ponies. As Applejack scoured the ground, Rainbow Dash was soaring high above getting a bird's eye view of the world. From what she could tell, there were two distinct areas: the bright and colorful plains they were currently in, and a dark muggy swamp that reminded her a lot of the Everfree Forest. She wasn't completely sure, but she could see what looked like a city in the far east.

"Hey, Applejack," cried Rainbow Dash as she lowered her altitude to find her, "Where are you?"

"I'm right here, Dash. What's up?" asked Applejack as she trotted through the grass to get close to Rainbow.

"I think I see a city over that way," motioned Rainbow, "I'm going to fly over there real quick and get a look-see. Just a heads-up."

"Hold up there, missy!" Applejack yelled as she whipped out her lasso to catch Rainbow by the tail before she sped off.

Rainbow Dash groaned, "What is with you guys and my tail?"

"We need to stick together, remember?" stated Applejack through her teeth while still holding the lasso, "We don't know anything about this place so what would we do if you got hurt while we were separated? Also Twilight is hurt, so to make sure no one else does we need to stay close."

"Oh, yeah, I forgot about that," Rainbow Dash said gloomily as she landed, "Applejack?"

"Yeah, Dash?"

"Do you think we'll be able to get back?"

"Of course, sugar cube. Once we trap Discord and deal with that Sheo-what's-his-name character, we'll be on our way back," reassured Applejack.

"But how? Twilight is the only one amongst us who can open the portal, but she can't use her magic."

"Well, we'll find a way. Don't you worry, we always do."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. We need to stay tough, and find Dis..." Rainbow stopped as she looked up in the sky.

"Dash? What is it?" Applejack asked with worry.

"It's him, there he goes!" cried Rainbow, pointing out the flying Draconequus in the sky to Applejack.

"Oh, no. He's heading straight for the others!"

"Oh horse-apples, we've got to get back, fast," said Rainbow as she dived below Applejack and scooped her onto her back.

"Whoa-nelly!" cried Applejack as the two flew back toward their friends.

***

"Oh no, no, no, no, no! This is terrible!" cried Twilight as her friends sat next to her trying to comfort her, "How can I perform magic now? How are supposed to get back? Oh, this is the worst possible thing ever! How did this happen?"

"My guess is the portal became unstable when you entered it, because as you were exiting the portal it threw you out alarmingly fast and you hit that rock over there, horn first," explained Rarity, "But it'll be okay, deary. We have the other part in my saddle bag right here," Rarity said as she patted her saddle bag, "Fluttershy can have it reattached once Rainbow and Applejack return."

"Yes, I'm exceptionally good at first-aid, you know, because I've had practice on my critter friends," Fluttershy meekly assured Twilight, "I could have put it in a cast while you were asleep but Rarity said I shouldn't, I don't remember why though."

"Because reattaching a horn while a unicorn is unconscious is dangerous, Fluttershy. The unicorn needs to be aware so they can suppress their magic so they don't accidentally harm somepony," explained Rarity, "I know this because my father had the same thing happen to him several years back."

"But why do we need to wait for..."

"Because the process can be very painful and the unicorn in question needs to be held still. Applejack and Rainbow Dash are the strongest amongst us so they'll be the ones to hold me still while you reattach my horn," Twilight explained, wiping away the tears in her eyes, "And you're sure you can fix it, Fluttershy?"

"Oh, most certainly. I packed all kinds of first-aid gear, just to be safe."

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Twilight cried in joy as she embraced her friends.

"It's nothing, Twilight," stated Rarity, "What are friends for?"

Then, in the midst of Twilight's rejoice, Pinkie Pie bounded into the camp with panic in her eyes.

"Girls, we've got a super-dooper bad situation!" whispered Pinkie as she looked back behind her.

"What is it, Pinkie?" asked Rarity, freeing herself from Twilight's grip.

"I was looking around the camp, trying to see if Applejack and Dashie were on their way back, and I saw two of these tall diamond-like guys walking around. I went up to greet them, like I do with everypony I meet," Pinkie explained, digging a hole at the base of one one of the nearby giant mushrooms, "But when I did they then pulled out swords and swung them at me. I ran away as fast as I could and lost them, but I think they're still looking for me."

Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy gasped as they heard Pinkie's tale. They then began aiding her in digging a hole to hide in. All except Rarity who decided to watch for the diamond men so she could warn her friends in case they wandered their way, also so she wouldn't get her hooves dirty. As Twilight, Fluttershy and Pinkie continued working on the hole, Rarity spotted the monsters Pinkie described: they were tall and bulky men that looked like they were wearing armor that was cut from a colorless crystal.  As they walked toward their general direction, Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rarity squeezed into the shelter and covered its entrance with some nearby foliage. As the sound of the monsters foot steps got closer, Twilight noticed they failed to hide their saddle bags. Twilight quietly told Rarity advising her to move them with her telekinesis spell. As Rarity lifted the bags with her magic and moved them into a nearby bush, she immediately stopped when the monsters stomped their way into the clearing.

Fluttershy let out a quiet "eep" and trembled in fear as she saw the two pale-armored knights. They examined the clearing and found the saddle bags just a few inches away from the bush Rarity tried to hide them in. They riffled through the bags, taking out every item and examining each one, only to discard them on the ground. It was only when they found Twilight's horn in Rarity's bag did they take seem interested. They examined the horn closely, speaking in metallic sounding growls to each other, but they stopped as a shadow fell over them, drawing their attention to it's source.

"Well, well, well. What have we here?" chortled Discord as he floated above the knights who were now drawing their swords, "I must say I was expecting Celestia's pet and her annoying friends, but you guys are much more boring. I mean come on: you're one dull color and your armor is all straight and rigid."

The knight growled loudly at Discord as it fired bolts of lightning at him. As Discord weaved through the air, dodging the attack effortlessly, the other knight joined in with bolts even larger than the first knight's for he focused it through Twilight's horn. This took Discord by surprise, grazing his wing causing Discord to yowl in pain.

"That hurt!" yelled Discord as he summoned a pie in his hand and threw it into his attacker's face, causing him to accidentally hit the other knight with a lightning bolt, killing him. As the cream covered knight tried to clean his face off, Discord levitated a boulder atop him and crushing him with it, leaving Twilight's horn discarded on the ground, "Oops, that was a little much," Discord noted, seeing that he had actually killed someone, "Oh well, that's what you get for trying to kill the Mad God's son... wait, what is that?"

Discord strode over to where the knight stood and picked up the lavender horn, looking at it with a sinister grin then breaking into a hysterical laugh. "So, Twilight Sparkle, Celestia's private pupil has lost her horn, and consequently her magic. Oh happy day! Now there's nothing stopping me from hypnotizing her friends again when I find them."

"Got'cha you beady-eyed varmint!" cried Applejack as she rode Rainbow Dash toward him, lasso in hoof. As she caught the malevolent spirit in her lasso, Discord snapped his fingers turning Applejack's rope into a gummy worm and ate through the binds, "Ah horse-apples."

"Nice try, Applejack, but you're going to have to do better," Discord belittled as he snapped his fingers again making Rainbow Dash's wings disappear.

"Whoa, not agaaaaaaaaain!" cried Rainbow as she and Applejack fell from the sky sending them crashing into a nearby bush and rendering them unconscious.

"Rainbow! Applejack! Nooooooo!" Twilight cried.