Madness and Chaos

Chapter 8

Pinkie Pie lied on the ground in agony, her stomach growling angrily at her for having consumed that horrid confection. She should had figured Discord would have turned her attack right back at her, but seeing Discord hurting her friends just set her off. Which reminded her she didn't have too much room to complain: Twilight had her horn broken, Rainbow and Applejack were nearly crushed by a giant boulder, and Rarity had taffy stuck in stuck in her mane - which having first-hoof experience with such an issue knows that takes forever to get out.

Pinkie pushed herself up using her fore-hooves and looked over the bush she had buried her head in. Twilight and Rarity were bandaging up Rainbow Dash and Applejack's injuries from the fall - they were nothing serious but did need to be covered and treated to avoid infection - as Fluttershy trotted over to her with a medicine bottle.

"Okay, Pinkie, just take two of these and they should help soothe your stomach so you don't keep throwing up," Fluttershy informed Pinkie, setting the bottle in front of her before backing up a few feet, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Oh, don't be sad, Fluttershy. I know things aren't going well with  Rainbow Dash and Applejack getting hurt and Twilight losing her horn," Pinkie began using the cheeriest voice she could muster, "but once she gets her horn back, seal Discord away again and we get back home I'm going to throw us the biggest party in Equestria since the Grand Galloping Gala, only fun and not boring. So there's no need for those tears."

"What? Oh, sorry, I'm not tearing up because I'm sad," Fluttershy corrected, confusing Pinkie Pie, "It's just that your, um, sick is rather nasty smelling and it's bothering my eyes."

As Fluttershy pointed out the tragic stench coming from the bush next to her, Pinkie too noticed the smell which caused her stomach to lurch in response. Pinkie then threw her head back into the bush, letting out another sickening belch and coughs of disgust. After giving Pinkie Pie a comforting pat on the back and giving her some time, Fluttershy trotted over to Twilight and Rarity as they were finishing up mending their wounds.

"Ah, Fluttershy dear, how's Pinkie Pie doing? Is she getting...," Rarity began before interrupted by another belch from Pinkies bush, thoroughly answering her question.

"Yeah, though I gave her the antacids I brought so she should be better in a bit. What about you guys, are you two any better?"

"Well I applied the antiseptic to Rainbow's scrapes and just finished bandaging them up," Twilight said proudly, motioning to Rainbow Dash's bulky, inexpertly applied bandages. Rainbow look fairly irritated having difficulty flapping her right wind and bending her left fore-hoof, "I think I did a pretty good job considering I didn't have my magic to help me."

"Yeah, a real great job, Twilight. Hey, no offense but next time I think I'll take my chances and let Rarity dress my wounds," she snarkily remarked, looking over to Applejack. Applejack wasn't better: while her wounds were better dressed she was decorated head to hoof in various accessories such as hair pins and bows, much to her discontent.

"I, ain't, happy."

"Oh, come now, Applejack, not only are you on the mend but you now look absolutely fabulous," Rarity teased as Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash sniggered at Applejack's sour disposition.

"Whew, okay, I'm feeling better. How're you girls doing over here...?" Pinkie Pie asked as she trotted, pausing before bursting out laughing at Rainbow Dash and Applejack sorry state.

"Anyway, now that we're all patched up I think it's high time we started looking for Discord. We came to seal him up again and that's what we're going to do," Twilight said, trotting over to her saddle bags over by a tree and throwing them on, "Are we ready?"

"Twi, I hate to be a stick in the mud but where in, whatever this place is, are we gonna start? He could be anywhere and we don't know a thing about this place?" Applejack interjected, prompting the rest to pause for a moment and consider what she had brought up.

"You're right, Applejack: we don't know anything about this place. We don't know how big it is, what all the hazards are or where we are at all, but I'm pretty sure I know where Discord is," Twilight began to answer, pacing back and forth, "Before he left, Discord mentioned some place called "Xedilian". I'm willing to bet my horn that's where he's at."

"But how do we know that it isn't a trap?" Rainbow Dash asked, attempting to take to the air only to be foiled by her bandages, "What if he isn't there?" she theorized with a groan.

"You raise a good point Rainbow: It is likely to be a trap, but that's why he's going to be there," Twilight stated, "Discord enjoys other people's misery and he wouldn't want to miss out on watching us suffer as we play his game."

"It's true! When we were in the maze and we got separated, he made this awesome balloon garden to lure me in because he knows I love balloons, especially the ones with the smiley face, but anyway he then started taunting me and it made me sad and he started laughing at me and then heumf!" Pinkie rambled before Applejack stuck her hoof in her mouth again to get her to stop.

"So you basically agree with Twilight's theory?" Applejack asked, removing her hoof from Pinkie mouth after she nodded in confirmation, wiping her slobber off onto the grass.

"So we all agreed?" Twilight asked, the others confirming by either nodding or by saying so, "Then it's settled: We're off to Xedilian!" Twilight declared with an outstretched hoof pointing to bright horizon. After getting their stuff packed up into their saddle bags and onto their backs, they set off into the wilds of Mania, ready for the terrors that awaited them.