“Thanks for dinner tonight, Dash!” Scootaloo exclaimed as she stretched out on her

couch. A yawn escaped her as she smiled at the cyan pegasus. “It seems we don’t hang out much these days…”

Rainbow Dash smiled back and let herself fall lazily onto the other side of the couch, causing Scootaloo to move her legs quickly.

“Hey! I'm around whenever you need me, Squirt!” Rainbow replied, chuckling sheepishly as the nineteen-year-old mare raised an eyebrow at her. “I guess you’re a bit too old for me to call you Squirt, huh?”

“Yeah, I’d say more than a bit,” the orange mare agreed with a dry chuckle, reaching over to grab a slice of pizza from one of the three stacked boxes nearby.

In truth, Scootaloo had no real desire to spend the afternoon with her ‘idol and adoptive sister.’ She had been wanting to spend some time in the HQ training rooms, practicing her air maneuverability and storm powers. However, the rainbow-maned menace seemed to have different plans. She intercepted the young mare as Scootaloo was walking home from Sugarcube Corner. It had been so long since Scootaloo had just strolled through Ponyville, and she had been enjoying herself until Rainbow Dash “invited” herself over, refusing to take no for an answer. Dash flew off to buy pizza and said, “I’ll meet back up at your place, Squirt!” By Celestia’s saggy tits, Scootaloo hated that nickname.

“You're always so busy nowadays,” Scootaloo began, reaching for another slice. “With your Wonderbolts training and your hero work, I thought you had forgotten about little old me.” Rainbow Dash, for her part, looked a bit guilty at that. “I know, I know. I need to make more time for my little sis, but so much has been going on! Life in the fast lane, you know? Fortunately, everypony was busy today, so I had some free time to hang out with you! Awesome, right?”

Scootaloo let out a dry chuckle and rolled her eyes. “It's all cool, and we aren't sisters,” she said, letting Rainbow know she wasn't truly hurt by it. This was the truth. Rainbow Dash’s obliviousness when it came to taking care of her ‘sister’ gave Scootaloo all the leeway she needed when it came to her chaotic life. Honestly, it was both infuriating and relieving that Rainbow didn’t seem to care much about the smaller pegasus’s daily struggles. Dash only called her ‘sister’ because she ‘unofficially adopted’ Scootaloo back when she was sixteen. At that time, it felt like a dream come true. However, as time went on, the celebrity fog in Scootaloo’s mind began to clear, and she realized that nothing had changed; she was still on her own. Her new ‘big sister’ was just where she always was—flying overhead. Meanwhile, little near-flightless Scootaloo remained where she always was, staring up from under Rainbow’s shadow, desperately trying to keep up.

To make matters worse, Scootaloo discovered that Dash and her friends had assumed she was an orphan. This, of course, wasn't true; her parents were in the military and were frequently deployed, sometimes together. From a young age, she had grown accustomed to her parents leaving for extended periods. During those times, her aunts, who were also in the royal guard and often deployed, would visit and check in on her.

Scootaloo would spend long periods alone, but when her parents returned home, they showered her with affection and shared stories about the world beyond Equestria. There were many occasions when she found herself at home all by herself. Although Scootaloo was fully capable of cooking, cleaning, and managing her household, she often felt very lonely. To ease her loneliness, she would stay over at Applebloom's and Sweetie Belle's houses as much as possible.

These frequent sleepovers led Applejack and Rarity, along with others, to conclude that Scootaloo was an orphan. She never understood why they never reported what they believed to be a teenage orphan living alone in a house, able to buy groceries regularly. However, she later learned that this assumption prompted Rainbow Dash to try to adopt her, making a big show of it in typical Dash fashion.

When the truth came out and Dash realized she couldn't adopt her, she attempted to save face by ‘unofficially adopting’ Scootaloo. Initially, this seemed sweet, and Scootaloo was genuinely touched. However, she soon found out that Rainbow's motivation stemmed primarily from jealousy over Rarity and Applejack’s relationships with their siblings, as well as her own feelings of loneliness as an only child.

Over time, Scootaloo came to understand what Rainbow Dash truly expected from her. Rainbow didn't want a younger sibling to take care of; she wanted a cheerleader to sing her praises. Having observed how her friends' younger siblings looked at them with admiration, Rainbow craved that same adoration. Although Scootaloo might have considered playing that role when she was around ten, it was now too late. The orange pegasus saw Rainbow as nothing more than an ego-driven blowhard who needed to learn some humility.

Scootaloo had also asked Rainbow not to call her "sister" since they weren't related, and it only served to confuse other ponies. However, like much of the information she shared with Rainbow Dash, it seemed to go in one ear and out the other.

“Come on Scoots, I’ll teach ya some of my new Wonderbolts routines!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash, hopping up and speeding out the door. Scootaloo rolled her eyes and followed behind at a slower pace. Her much smaller wings only gave her enough lift to hover just above the ground. This was normal for the duo, Rainbow Dash had taken it upon herself after ‘adopting’ Scootaloo to ‘teach her how to fly properly’. Naturally, this started when Scootaloo was sixteen and had already taught herself how to fly the best she could, given her underdeveloped wings. This was an especially sore subject for Scootaloo. The blue pegasus couldn’t be bothered to teach her when she was younger and couldn’t propel herself off the ground; but after she taught HERSELF how to fly…here comes Rainbow Dash, swooping in and acting like some savior. “Oh, you can finally fly, but I’ma teach you how to REALLY fly!” she’d say. The rainbow maned mare would then proceed to show off trick after trick, most of which Scootaloo had no hope of doing with her small wings. It was just another way for Rainbow to show off. At first Scootaloo felt somewhat hopeful. Then she felt disheartened. Then angry. Then she finally accepted not only who she was, but who Rainbow Dash was; and in her heart

she moved on. Rainbow Dash, in typical Dash fashion, remained oblivious, basking in the perceived admiration of her ‘number one fan’.

So here they were; Scootaloo sitting on a park bench, Rainbow Dash showing off in the air.

“Did you see that last spiral? Pretty wicked, right?” Dash asked as she landed next to the bench and plopped down on it.

“Yeah, it was cool. You got some great hangtime on that last loop, too. I thought you were going to stall for a second there,” Scootaloo replied. In all honesty, she had zoned out and wasn’t paying attention to the impromptu aerial show; her mind was occupied with pranks to play and she was wondering if this is what earth ponies felt like, watching pegasi dance across the sky. Rainbow Dash had always been such a predictable flier that the orange pegasus was just guessing at what she did.

“Ha! Did you see that? Total skill! I’m going to show that one to Spitfire and see if I can add it to the show. The audience loves a good fake-out!” Rainbow boasted. “I hope you were paying attention. I’ve got to make sure my sister is just as cool as I am, after all.”

“Dash, I don’t think I’d be able to do any of that with my wings. I’ve come to terms with that,” Scootaloo replied, her voice calm and measured. “And we aren’t sisters.”

“Adopted sisters are just the same as real sisters, Squirt,” Rainbow responded, closing her eyes and nodding her head as if she had just said something profound.

“You didn’t adopt me,” Scootaloo pointedly said. “I have parents.”

“Yeah, but like, I almost adopted you,” Rainbow shrugged. “That counts.”

“I have parents, Rainbow! Loving parents! They’re just busy!” Scootaloo said, a frown forming on her face. She didn’t like where this conversation was headed.

“Yeah, so busy that they aren’t around!” Rainbow Dash rebutted. “It’s not MY fault that everypony in town thought you were an orphan!”

“Only you and your friends thought that! They’re around plenty! They’re just deployed in the military and have to go on long tours occasionally! They wanted me to move with them, but I wanted to stay here with MY friends! We own our home, and they send me a monthly allowance! I’ve told you that even before you tried to ‘adopt’ me, but you never listened!”

“That’s no excuse to not be around for their kid!” argued Dash.

“You’re still not listening!” Scootaloo cried out, glaring at the pegasus in front of her. Her tone turned cold. “Stop talking bad about my mom and dad! They’re working hard protecting Equestria!”

“So do I!” replied Rainbow Dash haughtily. “Hello! Greatest flier ever? Wonderbolt? Defender of Harmony? Defeater of Chaos? Hero of Equestria? Sound familiar?”

“And you aren’t around either! So just drop it about my parents! I'm proud of my mom and dad! I love them! I’m THEIR daughter, NOT your sister!” the orange mare screamed before turning and sprinting away.

“Squirt! Wait!” cried Rainbow Dash, flying after the distraught pegasus. However, as the blue flier rounded a corner in pursuit of Scootaloo, the mare was nowhere to be seen. “What the buck?” muttered Dash as she looked around. Scootaloo had simply vanished. “Squirt? Squirt?! I didn't mean it like that! I’m sorry you got upset about what I said about your folks!” called out Rainbow as she flew around the town, her eyes scanning for the orange mare.

After flying a few more laps around the town without success, she sighed in frustration. “Bah! I’ll just leave her alone until she cools down. Jeez, she doesn’t need to be so sensitive; I was just trying to make a point…” muttered Rainbow Dash as she circled back, heading towards the Castle of Friendship. “Maybe Twilight needs me for something. The hero's work is never done. I wonder how Scootaloo disappeared like that…”

By the time the blue blur landed in front of the crystal castle, things had taken a turn for the weird. Oh yeah, Twilight was going to need her for something. The world around her was off. She could feel it. Chaos was in the air. She didn’t want to deal with another prank from the Masters of Mayhem but the hero’s work is never done.

Around her, the world warped and changed. Checkered paths sprawled beneath her, giant dice of various shapes and sizes dotted the landscape, and chess pieces were scattered everywhere. Strange contraptions reminiscent of the game 'Mouse Trap' reached skyward. Castles soared into the air, while pipes and slides erupted from the streets, and long ladders stretched up toward the clouds. All sorts of bizarre creatures flew, bounded, and dashed around. It was utter chaos as if Equestria had transformed into a combination of every board game ever created.

Rainbow Dash soared high above, surveying the checkered landscape that resembled a giant board game. In the distance, she spotted Shadow Blitz and Disarray. The dark pegasus lounged on a low-hanging cloud, while the chaotic dragon relaxed on a floating lounge chair behind her. Rainbow Dash wasted no time and flew over to confront them, catching the tail end of their conversation.

“Who does she think she is?!” fumed Shadow Blitz through clenched teeth. “She acts like she’s Celestia’s gift to Ponykind! That egomaniac needs to be brought down a peg or four!”

‘Is there trouble among the team?’ Rainbow thought. ‘I’m assuming she’s talking about the green-haired diva who’s always going after Rarity.’

“Hey now,” soothed Disarray, holding out his claws. “Momentai. This idea of yours is brilliant, so just go wild and let chaos work its magic. You know what you’re going to do, right?”

Shadow Blitz opened her mouth to respond when she spotted Rainbow rocketing towards them. With a smirk she spread her impressive wingspan and pushed herself off the cloud, hovering in the air. “Well well well, what do we have here? Come to stop us by yourself Rainbow Crash? Shouldn’t be a problem for a big strong hero of Equestria right?”

Rainbow was in no mood for games. She frowned at the shadow mare, stopping just a few hooves away, hovering herself. “I am going to wipe that smirk off your face…” she said in a low growl.

“Try it, Crash” Shadow Blitz snapped back darkly.

“It’s DASH!” the cyan flier nearly screamed. “Rainbow Dash! I’ll make sure you don’t forget it!!”

“Sure, whatever, I’ll deal with you later” Blitz responded dismissively before flying away.

“On that note” chimed in Disarray. “This is gonna be a doozy, we put some…effort…into this one. You best go find your friends”

With a flash of purple fire, the chaos dragon was gone too.

Rainbow Dash wanted to scream in frustration but she managed to hold it in. The hero never loses her cool after all. While those two were beyond frustrating, Disarray was right. She needed her friends for this.

With a burst of speed, she was on her way back to the Castle of Friendship. She could already see her friends standing out front, talking to…was that a pair of puppets?

Landing next to Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity, Rainbow Dash confirmed that yes, her friends were in fact talking to a pair of Punch and Judy puppets.

“Well well,” said the Judy puppet snidely, “The fastest flier is the last to arrive.”

“HEY!” shouted Dash indignantly. She was not about to be insulted by puppets.

“We’re not gonna waste any more of OUR precious time on you bunch! You four can explain it to the slowpoke, we’re out of here!” the Punch puppet said before both disappeared below the children’s puppet booth they had been situated in.

“I..wha…but…HEY!!!” Dash shouted again, angry and confused at being so blatantly insulted.

“Let it go Sugarcube, those things were ruder than a dentist in a candy store. They laid into all of us, ah was ‘bout ready to deck one of ‘em” Applejack said, placing a hand on Rainbow Dash’s shoulder.

“They did explain everything to us though” chimed in Twilight, gesturing to where the path split six ways; at the head of each path was a simple wooden sign with a picture on it. “The Masters of Mayhem have turned the whole world into various board games. We have to follow these paths, one each, and take them on. When we win, we will be able to reunite at the castle and fire a harmony wave to undo this mess!”

“Buck that!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash, balling her hands into fists “Why can’t we just fire one off now?”

“Because, Darling” Rarity said with a sigh, gesturing to one of the paths’ signs; that specific one showing a picture of various candies “Pinkie Pie has already rushed ahead…”

Rainbow Dash swore and sagged her shoulders. Today just wasn’t her day.

“Ah know, ah know, but we got this!” Applejack said with an encouraging grin and giving her friend a playful punch on the arm. “Since Pinkie went and chose that one…ah guess ah’ll take this one over here” She exclaimed, before turning and walking down a path; the sign showing pictures of trees with round red fruits on them.

“I shall be taking that one” piped in Rarity, the sign on her path showing a couple of buildings with money symbols on them.

“I believe this one was made with me in mind…” Twilight added, gesturing to the sign that showed two chess pieces, one in the shape of an alicorn, the other a dragon.

“T-then I guess I’ll…” Fluttershy started to say, softly.

“I’ll take this one!” Rainbow Dash said, interrupting the butter yellow pony, as she marched down a path with a sign depicting the yellow silhouette of a pegasus.

Fluttershy looked around, all alone; her friends had already disappeared from view. “But I was gonna…I mean…I guess I’ll take the last path then….” she said, mostly to herself, as she walked down a path with a sign showing a sailboat, sailing amongst the clouds.

Applejack walked along the dirt path in front of her. To her left and right were huge trees; more beautiful, healthy, and green than any trees back at Sweet Apple Acres. Around the trees were wicker baskets, just like the ones she used back home. On the trees were bright red fruits. However, they weren’t the fruits she had been expecting. No, instead they were…

“Cherries?!” the farm-mare exclaimed, a look of confusion and mild disgust on her face as she glanced from tree to tree.

“You should try some. Some of the best cherries you’ll ever eat!” came a voice above her and to her right. Applejack looked up at a lazily lounging Bad Seed, happily munching on the fruits. In one smooth movement, the mare hopped off of the low branch she was on, dusted herself down, and stood before her rival. “Welcome to Hi-Ho Cherry-O!”

“Hi-Ho what now?” replied Applejack in confusion.

“Hi-Ho Cherry-O '' responded Bad Seed with a genuine smile “Look, it’s simple. When the game starts we both buck the trees to get the cherries to fall into the baskets. Whoever clears the tree wins it, then the tree is marked with a ribbon; orange for you, red for me. Whoever has the most ribbons in the end, wins. See? Simple.”

Bad Seed gave Applejack a grin as the farm-mare eyed the shadow pony up and down. It didn’t seem like Bad Seed was lying or anything, Applejack could tell, but this all seemed too easy. “Ain’t no way you’re beatin me in a buckin 'contest. Ah don’t care what kinda magic powers ya got. So what’s the catch here?”

“Oh yea, there is one thing I forgot to mention…” said Seed “When the game starts, numbers will appear on the trees. You have to buck that exact number of cherries off to win the tree. Mess up and the number resets. Ready to start? Good! Let's get it goin’!”

Before Applejack could respond about how what Bad Seed was proposing was impossible, the shadow mare raised her hand and snapped her fingers.

“Weeeeelllll HOWDY Y’all!! It's time for another game of Hi-Ho Cherry-O! YeeeeeeeeeHAW!” boomed out a thick country voice from everywhere and nowhere. “Now, ah want a nice clean game ya hear! At the sound of the bell, ya’ll get ta buckin’!”

Applejack did a couple of quick crunches to stretch her legs, impossible task or not, no way was she losing to Bad Seed. Next to her brother, she was one of the strongest ponies in Equestria, and no one in the Apple family could boast faster hooves. She had this, she would own this, this would be as easy as pi-

*DING* *WHACK!*

“An’ that there is one tree for Team Red! Quick to the draw, that one. Watch out Team Orange!” came the announcer's voice as Applejack could only blink, staring at the red ribbon tied around the tree in front of her. It had all been so fast she didn’t even see it. She barely got a chance to see the number before the tree was bucked. It was a ten, she was sure of it. She looked down at the basket, and sure enough there were ten cherries in it. She looked up at Bad Seed who gave her a shit-eating grin, winked, and casually walked over to another tree; a big 33 on its trunk.

*WHACK!*

“An’ that's another tree for Team Red!”

Bad Seed didn’t have to start on the same tree Applejack did; she knew this. She knew her sister knew this. There was a bit of satisfaction, she had to admit, in seeing Applejack’s dumbfounded face though. She had been practicing her precision in the HQ’s ChronoGym for the past seven years of her relative time. Becoming Ageless had its perks. It had started as just mild curiosity; she wanted to know if she could. When she found out that yes she had the skills she began honing them. Like a quality blade, she sharpened her precision to a fine edge.

*Whack!*

“Sorry Team Orange, that ain’t right. Gotta try again!”

Applejack grumbled. She bucked the tree like she always did at home. She got every cherry on the tree to fall neatly in the baskets. In any other situation, such a feat would be rather impressive. Not here though. The big 65 on the tree trunk changed to a 23 and bright red cherries quickly grew to replace the ones she’d bucked off.

*WHACK!*

“An’ that’s another tree for Team Red!”

*Whack!* and all the cherries fell.

“Sorry Team Orange, that ain’t right. Gotta try again!”

*Whack!* and again all the cherries fell.

“Sorry Team Orange, that ain’t right. Gotta try again!”

*Whack!*

“Sorry Team Orang-”

“AARRGGHHH!!!!” Screamed Applejack in frustration. If she could glare at the tree in front of her any harder it just might’ve burst into flames.

“Oh, I didn’t think you’d be that bad at this, given what you do every da-er…I mean...Don’t you buck trees for a living? I could give you some pointers if you wanted” said Bad Seed. Applejack was getting more and more frustrated, but she still had enough of her wits about her to know not to give in to Bad Seed’s obvious taunting. The shadow mare calmly walked over to the tree in front of Applejack, eyeing it for a few seconds before giving it a fast kick.

*WHACK!*

“An’ that’s another tree for Team Red!”

“HOW?!” yelled Applejack, turning with a stomp to face Bad Seed. “Yer cheat'n somehow! Ah know you are! How!? Probably using yer chaos magic to make the cherries fall?! Ain’t no way no pony can buck just five cherries off a tree! Admit it ya cheater! This game is rigged!”

Bad Seed frowned, a look of hurt on her face for only a second before she pulled her hat down over her eyes and gave a low sigh “I ain’t no cheater…you just suck.”

“What…did you…say?” Applejack asked slowly, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

“I said you suck!” Bad Seed responded, returning Applejack’s glare. “I’m tired of you always accusing me of cheating. I don’t cheat! I’m no cheater! You. Just. Suck. Sure you’re strong. One of the strongest mares there is. But you got no idea what to do with all the power, do you? Heck, I bet you don’t even realize just how much power you got. You talk high and mighty about being down to earth and humble, but you’re quick to brag about how strong and hard working you are. Well, this game ain’t about being strong! Any idiot can buck a tree hard. This is about precision. Control. Which you got none.”

Applejack was fuming “Ah got ‘enough control to keep myself from tannin’ your hide..”

“You couldn’t even if you wanted to. I'm stronger than you, smarter than you, faster than you” Bad Seed responds “And Ah actually know how to fight”

“Ah know how to fight!! Keep talkin’ and you’ll find that out firsthand!” Applejack yelled back, so angry a vein was beginning to bulge on her forehead.

“Ya know how to tussle. Not fight. Keep on keeping on Applejack, You're gonna buck around and find out just how a chaos god throws down! You can’t even access your harmony powers properly. You don’t even know how they work!” Bad Seed said before taking a few breaths to calm down, taking a few steps back to get some space between the two. A gesture to make it clear that even though she was angry, she didn’t actually want to physically fight. “Look here. I’ll give you a hint,” she continued, calmly. “Being an Element of Harmony boosts all your other magic too” she said, giving the ground a hard stomp.

“That’s three trees for Team Red! Yeehaw!” the announcer's voice called out.

“When you use your earth pony magic to help you control how-” Bad Seed had begun her explanation; however, she was cut off by an increasingly angry Applejack.

“SEE?! YA ADMIT IT! YA ARE USING MAGIC!!!” Yelled Applejack, pointing an accusing finger at the shadow mare.

“Earth pony magic-” Bad Seed tried to explain again, only to quickly move out of the way to avoid a hoof flying at her.

“You low down lyin’, cheatin’, chaos spawn!!!” Applejack cried out as she let fly another kick, followed by a few punches. She was beyond furious. This Element of Harmony would show this cheater what for!

Bad Seed moved out of the way, dodging all of Applejack's attacks. At first, she looked surprised, but now she had a sort of grim acceptance and boredom on her face. “I don’t actually wanna fight you.” she calmly said, dodging another punch.

“Ha! Like ah’d believe that! Yer just sayin that so ah’ll lower mah guard! You were talkin’ all that good buckin’ shit a second ago! Come on then! Ah’ll show you how an Apple settles business!” replied Applejack, throwing kick after kick, punch after punch. Filled to bursting with righteous fury.

“I’m not fighting you!” Bad Seed said firmly, continuing to dodge attack after attack, each one becoming faster and stronger than the last. “Let’s just play the game!”

The cry fell on deaf ears. Applejack was furious beyond reasoning.

The orange mare just couldn’t take it anymore; being bested by this lyin’, cheatin’, whorse over and over again. All her life she was an honest, hard-working mare. Heck, she was THEE Honest hard working mare! So why was she the one coming second fiddle to a mare who didn’t put in any honest work and got her strength and powers from dark chaos magic?! Wasn’t she supposed to be a hero? An element of harmony?! Good was always supposed to triumph over evil, that was the natural order of things right?! This no-good-rotten-to-the-core Bad Seed was a dirty filthy liar and cheater. Her very existence was Dishonest, and if there was one thing Applejack couldn’t tolerate it was dishonesty.

She kept on attacking, getting lost deeper and deeper in her anger. Wanting to prove once and for all who the strongest mare was. However, Bad Seed kept on dodging. Blow after blow, strike after strike, the shadow mare just kept dodging. This only made Applejack angrier, and her attacks became faster, more true, and more powerful.

Suddenly Bad Seed just stopped moving and stood still, looking at Applejack with a face of bored pity.

Something in Applejack snapped.

She could feel it in her core. Harmony magic ignited within her in a way she’d never felt before. The Earth magic within her responded in some sort of resonance, both coming together, swirling and swelling up, flowing through her, filling her to the brim. She felt more powerful than she’d ever felt in her life. She felt indestructible. She was going to win this fight. She was going to wreck this mare. Precision be damned. She was going to show her just how strong and fast she could be. She’d shut her up. She’d shut her up! She’d shut her up!! …Permanently.

She kicked.

Bucking harder than she’d ever bucked anything before.
A roundhouse kick so powerful it could easily splinter any tree, dust any stone.
So powerful it could blow a hole in the side of Mount Canterhorn itself.

*CRACK-BOOM!!!*

The resounding bang of a kick breaking the sound barrier reverberated around the cherry orchard. The trees around the two were blown back by the shock wave; some were completely uprooted, and others bent oddly.

The two stared at each other; one in shock and disbelief, the other…calm.

Applejack had been aiming for the mare's head. The realization of what she was willing to do in her fury shocked all the anger out of her. The fact that she could kick with so much power almost scared her. However, the thing that shook her the most…was that Bad Seed had caught her hoof. Just several centimeters from her head, Bad Seed had caught and held her hoof. The shadow mare’s face was calm, but her red eyes showed deep disappointment.

“Sorry Team Orange, that ain’t right. Gotta try again!” the announcer’s voice rang out; the trees around them righting themselves as new cherries began to grow on them.

“...Ya done?” asked Bad Seed flatly. “This prank had nothing to do with you or me. I just wanted to play a game with you. Tease you a little. Maybe teach you a little something I had recently figured out. But no. Your pride couldn’t handle that. No fun’s allowed when Applejack's ego is bruised. You’re almost as bad as Rainbow Dash…”

Seed let go of Applejack’s hoof and the farm-mare lowered it, still wide-eyed. Bad Seed was stronger than her. Truly stronger than her. It's a good thing too, because if she wasn’t then Applejack would have…

The orange mare shuttered.

“A-Ah’m sorry, ah didn’t mean to get so mad…but you were sayin’ all that stuff…and things got out of control…and then…but you were usin’ magic and…” Applejack began, trying to find a justification for how she acted.

“An’ that’s time!!” came the voice of the announcer “Seven to Zero; Team Red Wins! Yeeeeehaaaawww!!! Thanks for playin’ Hi-Ho Cherry-O! Till next time y’all, happy trails!”

A doorway appeared a ways down the path. Bad Seed walked past Applejack.

“It's the same Earth pony magic you have as well, I just wanted to teach you how to…” a sigh “Just cus you don’t understand how to use your power properly, doesn’t make me a cheater…” The shadow mare said calmly, making her way down the path.

“Wait!” called out Applejack. “Can ya…can ya tell me how yer so strong? It can’t all be magic, can it? Ah mean, ah’m supposed to have this Element…this ultimate power…but you’re still so much…more…please, ah don’t understand.”

Bad Seed just stood there, back to Applejack. The orchard was silent, except for the wind blowing through the trees.

After a few more moments, Seed spoke.

“After I got my powers…my powers to match your strength and speed…I didn’t just sit around. I trained every day”

“Ah train every day too!” Applejack cut in before catching herself. “...sorry…”

“Working on the farm every day isn’t really the same as specialized training Applejack” Bad Seed responded. “It’s just exercise; you worked yourself to be strong…and only strong.”

Bad Seed finally turned around, facing Applejack. They stared at each other, rival to rival.

“I didn’t just exercise and train my strength; I pushed myself even further. I decided to take hold of these powers and worked to hone them— to truly own them. It took me a long time, but I dedicated myself to mastering every earth pony fighting style known to ponykind." The shadow mare chuckled softly. "I perfected a few techniques and even invented a couple of new ones along the way. And that's nothing compared to my power over plants…”

The mare turned back around and resumed her walk toward the doorway. “With chaos magic, earth pony magic, strength, speed, and technique, I work hard every day not only to master every skill I possess but also to perfect them and push the boundaries even further by inventing new techniques. I push myself to my limits and then break through them. That’s my way; that’s what my kin taught me. That’s what I believed they upheld.” She whispered, “Honestly, I’m not so sure anymore…”

With that, the mare walked through the doorway and was gone.

Applejack just stood there. Alone. A full minute went past before the orange mare began to slowly make her way down the path as well, through the doorway, back to Equestria; her heart was heavy, and she had a lot on her mind.

The room was breathtaking. A checkered marble floor stretched beneath tall Greco-Roman pillars, with hanging velvet drapes framing the windows. In the center stood a large, ornate mahogany table. On this table was an impressively large chess set—much bigger than any normal chess set. The board had what appeared to be four times the usual number of spaces! From what Twilight could see, it still had the same number of major pieces as a standard chess set but featured a long line of pawns stretching the length of the board. Disarray was already seated at one side of the table, intently eyeing the board, deep in thought. Instead of his usual outfit, he wore a black velvet three-piece suit, complemented by a purple satin shirt with emerald buttons and cufflinks, and a green satin tie that tied the look together. He looked dashing, ever the gentle-stallion, as he gestured to the seat across from him.

Twilight looked down at herself and noticed she was wearing a purple satin dress, feeling the star-diamond-encrusted necklace around her neck and her royal tiara perched on her head. Calmly and gracefully, she walked over, and the chair magically pulled itself out for her. She couldn’t help but give a small, hopeful smile. “Hello… Disarray,” she said softly in greeting. seat across from him.

“Twilight,” he responded.

“Chess?” asked the alicorn.

“It seemed appropriate” responded the dragon, “the leaders of two factions. One a princess and alicorn deity, the other a draconic chaos god. What better game for us to play?”

Twilight couldn’t help but scoff a bit at that. Sure Disarray was powerful, but she wouldn’t go so far as to call him a god. “Do you think you stand a chance against me at chess though?” she asked innocently as she took her seat.

Disarray huffed, a slight frown on his face “You really need to stop looking down on everyone’s intelligence, it’s unbecoming. Yes, we all know you’re smart, but that doesn’t mean you can just throw it in everyone’s faces all the time.”

Twilight stared at the dragon in mild shock at his blunt comment, before responding apologetically. “You’re….right. I’m sorry. I’m just used to always being the smartest pony in the room an-”

“You’re used to THINKING you’re the smartest pony in the room. You have no way of verifying it one way or the other” Disarray corrected, interrupting Twilight. “But, your apology is accepted, on the technicality that this time you ARE the smartest PONY in the room. However! Try not to insult my intelligence again.” The last bit said with a slight glare and more than a little bite. One wouldn’t need to be a genius to understand Disarray was referencing more than this current faux pas.

Twilight flinched a bit “You’re still upset about…before?” she asked hesitantly.

Disarray didn’t respond right away, he just looked down at the board. He looked over his obsidian and gold pieces, and to her polished marble and silver pieces. “It’s your move,” he said after a few seconds.

With a sigh, Twilight moved one of her pawns. “I AM sorry…”

“No you’re not” responded Disarray quietly, moving a pawn of his own. “Not truly"

“How would you know if I’m truly sorry or not?! You have no way of verifying THAT one way or the other,” she responded, throwing his previous statement back at him as she moved another pawn.

Disarray looked up from the board, staring Twilight right in her eyes. She saw so much in them. Nostalgia and familiarity. Intelligence and wisdom. Loneliness. Hurt. Distrust. Acceptance.

“How can you truly be sorry, when you don’t even understand what you’re sorry for?”

One of Disarray’s knights moved on its own, its shape twisting and changing to resemble that of Shadow Blitz.

Twilight was taken aback; by both what Disarray had said and the changing, self-moving piece. She had no real answer to his question. Instead, she decided to silently take her turn. She had begun to reach for her knight when its form changed as well, resembling Rainbow Dash. The piece, just like Disarray’s, moved on its own.

“Hey, wait, I wasn’t going to move that there!” she complained, looking at the dragon. The dark drake only shrugged as he moved another pawn forward two spaces.

“Yeah, sometimes our pieces don’t behave the way we want them to. Some are headstrong, moving ahead on their own. The trick is to observe the situation and determine what moves they CAN make while also understanding them well enough to predict what moves they WILL make. Do you think you can manage that?” he asked as one of his bishops twisted and warped to resemble Party Pop and made its way across the board.

Twilight huffed and reached for one of her rooks. This time, nothing happened as she attempted to move it forward two spaces. “I trust my friends, if that's what you're asking; and they aren’t just pieces in some game.”

Disarray smiled—a sweet, knowing, yet melancholic smile. It was the kind of smile you give to a naive child. “Silly mare, that’s exactly what they are… that’s exactly what we all are…”

Pinkie Pie was in heaven. There was no other explanation for the paradise she found herself in. She was in a thick woodland of gingerbread trees. How did she know they were gingerbread trees? Because she tasted them, of course! Each one had branches heavy with large gummy fruits of all different kinds. The pink party mare happily walked down a multicolored cobblestone path made of rock candy while munching on a huge gummy peach.

“I was wondering when you’d show up!” she said suddenly, as she turned to the pony who appeared beside her, walking in step.

Party Pop giggled, “I was waiting for you. You know where we are, right?”

“CANDYLAND!!!” Pinkie cheered, bouncing up and down with the biggest, most genuine smile she thought she had ever given, threatening to split her face in two. “We’re in Candyland! I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy, never EVER!”

Pop smiled back, nodding enthusiastically, plucking a bonbon off a nearby bush and popping it in her mouth. “There isn’t any game here” she admitted, grabbing a few more before she started to make her way down the path “I mean, how would you even play a life-sized Candyland? Stand around on each stone on the path as someone draws a colored card? Booooring! I figured we could just have fun here until the others finished their game. What do you say?”

“Three words,” replied Pinkie. “Bestest. Day. EVER!!!”

With a laugh, the two continued on their way down the path, only stopping to wave and say hi to Plumpy the plum troll; the green furry caretaker of the gingerbread woods, and Mama Ginger Tree; who insisted they take some sugar plums for their journey.

They talked, joked, and laughed their way into and through the Peppermint Forest, where they stopped to help Mr. Mint chop down some peppermint sticks. He rewarded them with what Pinkie thought was the richest and best hot cocoa she’d ever had.

Pinkie was happy, truly happy. She was living a dream, joyfully prancing through a perfect world of treats and sweets. Not only that but at her side was a pony who could not only keep up with her silly antics but match them. Party Pop understood her better than any pony she’d ever met. It was a shame that they were supposed to be enemies because no one pony ever came so close to being so much like Pinkie Pie

Down the path they marched on, seeing long licorice vines creeping along the peppermint trees.

“Looks like we’re getting close to the Licorice Thicket. We’d better be careful, we don’t want to come across any trouble, or traps, from Lord Licorice”

Pikie was silent, nibbling on a strawberry licorice vine.

“Pinkie?”

“...are you really like me?” asked the pink mare after a few more moments of silence.

“What? What do you mean?” asked Pop.

“I mean…we’re a lot alike. Like, A LOT a lot. I know it’s because you’re my rival and everything…but I don’t get it…are you REALLY like me? Like, were you always like me? Or did Maelstrom MAKE you like me? I mean…this connection I feel towards you. Is it real? Or is it something somepony just…made up?”

The duo stopped and Party Pop stared at her pink counterpart for a few moments before responding “Oh Pinkie Pie…ALL connections are made by someone at some point”

“I know, but I feel like there’s something…deeper, between us. My Pinkie-sense doesn’t work on you! You do all the things I do and more! You seem to understand me better than even my sisters do…” replied Pinkie softly.

“I…understand what you’re trying to ask me…” Party Pop responded slowly, taking Pinkie by the hand and gently leading her down the path toward Licorice Thicket. “To answer it…yes the chaos magic gifted to me plays a very large role in my mood and personality. No, I wasn’t always like this, exactly. There are so many different types of energies constantly swirling around inside of me; it takes my regular…quirkiness?…and cranks the dial up past max. WAY past max. Also no, I’m not REALLY like you…”

“I see…” Pinkie responded, giving a bittersweet smile.

“...You’re like me” finished Pop.

“Wait, what?” the pink mare asked, stopping in her tracks. “I’m pretty sure I’m older than you…”

“You are, that’s not what I meant. I meant…well…let me put it this way, you’re the element of Laughter right?” asked Pop.

“Right?” Pinkie responded questioningly with a lopsided grin.

“Wrong. It’s Joy. The proper label for your element is Joy, not Laughter. It's a mistranslation some pony made thousands of years ago, and now everypony thinks it’s laughter, but no. You are the Element of Joy”

“But..what does that have to do with…”

“Do you feel more compelled to make people laugh, or bring them joy?” asked Pop.

Pinkie had to stop and think about that for a moment. Sure, the desire to bring joy was there, she wanted to bring joy everywhere she went…however…when she really thought about it, one desire was stronger. The desire to see people smile…to hear them laugh.

“...Laughter I guess…but what does that have to do with…”

“And when did you first feel this way?” interrupted Party Pop again, a knowing smile on her face.

“Oh! Back when I first got my cutiemark! I saw a sonic rainboom and it filled me up with so much joy, I couldn’t help but smile! Then I knew what I wanted to do, I wanted to share laughter with everypony everywhere!”

“It filled you with Joy, so you wanted to share Laughter?” Pop asked, that smile never leaving her face.

Pinkie paused again. That couldn’t be right…right? She was filled with JOY…and wanted to spread LAUGHTER…Obviously, that was because they were the same thing. Right? She had always figured they were interchangeable; joy, laughter, happiness, smiles. It all meant the same thing. If that were the case, then why was Party Pop talking as if they were different?

“Let's try looking at it like this; were you like…well…you, back then? The way you are now I mean,” asked Pop.

By this point, they had made it nearly halfway through Licorice Thicket. No sign of Lord Licorice or any of his pets, though they were taking a long way around, keeping away from his castle so they could continue their conversation uninterrupted.

“Haha, oh no. I was a lot like my sisters. Then boom, sonic rainboom, and boom, now I’m the super happy fun loving Pinkie Pie you see today!”

“Exactly! Something else happened to you that day,” said Pop.

Pinkie gave the yellow-haired mare next to her a confused look. “Something else happened?”

“Yeah, for some reason Pinkie Pie…you got Chaos magic in you”

Pinkie opened her mouth to protest but Pop shoved a marshmallow in it and continued talking.

“Think about it. Your pinkie sense, your ability to move around, teleport, and defy all known laws of physics, your deep desire to make people giggle. Pinkie, joy is harmonious, laughter is chaotic. You have a bit of chaos magic in you, and because you’re the element of Joy, the two work in synchronicity, one unable to overpower the other, creating..well…you. Do you understand?”

The pink pony nodded slowly, “But…how am I like you?”

“I’m what you could have been, should have been, if you hadn’t become an element of harmony. Chaos magic grows, Pinkie, it changes and evolves. Even now I can feel my powers shifting and changing. I can feel my very being shifting and changing. I’m like a caterpillar spinning a cocoon, and I have no idea what I will become. Isn’t that exciting?”

“We are both obsessed with celebrations, but for different reasons,” Party Pop continued. “You want to bring joy and laughter, throwing parties to achieve this. I aim to create merriment and happy chaos through celebrations. It may seem similar, but unlike you, I don’t need to hide caches of emergency snacks or party supplies everywhere.”

Pop placed a party hat on Pinkie’s head and added, “I just do what I want. I don’t need charts or folders filled with birthday information or details about a pony’s favorite flavor of ice cream or cupcake.” She then shoved a cupcake into Pinkie’s mouth; it was her secret favorite flavor, just like Grandma Pie used to make. No one had been able to replicate that old recipe—not even Pinkie.

“I just know. Every birthday, every holiday, every celebration—both those celebrated today and those long forgotten—I know them all. Because I can. Because I will. Because I am.”

The two-party ponies continued out of the Licorice Thicket, making their way through the Gumdrop Mountains, pausing to taste some of the tasty candies and to speak with Jolly the Sweet Monster, to whom Pinkie Pie gave a big hug. After filling their pockets with more candy goodies, they continued on their way. The pink party mare had a lot to think about.

Rarity could hardly believe her eyes as she stood before a sprawling city, larger than any she had ever seen. She noticed creative elements reminiscent of Los Pegasus, Canterlot, Manehattan, and even some architecture from Prance. The buildings soared high into the clouds, taller than she had ever imagined. She watched ponies of all types flying around, entering malls, salons, casinos, offices, and more. The city was a forest of colored glass and polished silver steel, surrounded by marble walls, limestone pillars, onyx streets, and crystal lights. Rarity could think of only one word to describe this place.

“Utopia…” she muttered.

“Metropolis,” came a voice from behind her.

She turned quickly and came face to face with Hymnphonic, the green-haired mare, who gave a polite wave.

“The word you’re looking for is Metropolis. It’s far from a Utopia,” Hymn said.

“Hmph! I should have known YOU would be here. So, what game are we playing?” Rarity asked indignantly, raising her nose at her rival.

“Monopoly,” replied Hymn simply, with a smile and a shrug.

This got a laugh out of the purple-haired mare. “HA! I’m sorry, YOU want to take on MOI, a business-mare, in Monopoly of all games?! Dear, I think you're a bit out of your depth.”

Hymn responded with a charming smile. “Humor me. This is the biggest and most complex game of Monopoly you’ll ever play. Listen closely. I’ve teleported every rich, high-class, and noble pony in Equestria into this game, and each has been given replicas of their businesses, along with all sorts of amazing amenities. It’s a wealthy mare’s paradise. The goal? Own everything. Absolutely everything. When you take over a business, by whatever means you deem necessary, it will take on a purple motif. For me, it will be a green motif. The entire idea is to gain control of the whole city.”

Rarity went wide-eyed and looked around her again, streets and streets of business, all sorts of high-class and posh ponies walking around, riding in carts, sitting at cafes, shopping in stores. She could spot ponies she knew from Canterlot, like Lyrica Lilac, Upper Crust, and Jet Set. She was speechless.

“I’ve taken the liberty of making a replica of your Manehatten store here. I also brought you an assistant” Hymn continued, gesturing to the mare who was excitingly running up to the two.

“Hm?” Rarity said before turning around, a smile adorning her face. “Coco? Coco Pommel it IS you!” she said, hugging the mare who immediately began talking at high speed.

“I'm not sure what’s going on,” Coco said, “but business is BOOMING here! Clothes are flying off the shelves almost faster than we can make them, we have orders backed up for weeks! It’s wonderful!”

“Time works differently here. We’ll be able to play out this game for however long it takes and you’ll meet up with the others right as they’re finishing theirs. So Rarity, this is the perfect opportunity for you. Live out your dream. Go crazy.”

Rarity looked at the shadow mare in front of her, hand outstretched. She turned and looked at the cityscape around her, then back at the mare, a sly grin forming on her lips.

“Darling? Game. On.”

Pinkie Pie and Party Pop were sitting outside Grandma Nut’s cottage, sipping sweet tea and eating homemade peanut brittle. Pinkie still had a lot on her mind, making her uncharacteristically quiet. A lot of ponies have asked her how she does what she does, and in truth, she never had an answer for them. Not even she knew how she did half the things she did, it just kinda…made sense to her in some way. But this? This explained so much. Yet, at the same time, she had so many questions. How did she get wacky chaos magic powers? How can she have chaos magic in her and be an Element of Harmony at the same time? Is Party Pop telling the truth? The yellow shadow mare doesn’t have any real reason to lie…but if all she said was true…is Pinkie not Pinkie? She’s Pinkie Pie, party planner extraordinaire, Element of Laughter…or Joy?…

This was all so confusing. Every question led to another question. Every realization spiraled into another. She wanted to jump around, be silly, break out into a song, climb a tree, but no. That was the chaos magic in her talking. She understood that now, but to deny it would be to deny a part of who she was.

Pinkie Pie looked up at the cotton candy-clouded sky. “A part of who I am…” she muttered under her breath. The chaos magic in her kept her from unlocking the true potential of her harmony magic. At the same time, her harmony magic kept the chaos magic from blooming. She wasn’t a true Element, yet she wasn’t a true Chaos entity. She had one hoof on either side and the more she thought on it, the louder a single question became. “...but who am I?”

“Well, I mean, you’re Pinkie Pie” answered Party Pop as she got up from her seat, finishing the last of her sweet iced tea.

“Well yea! But what does that mean!” replied Pinkie Pie dramatically, earning a giggle from Pop.

“Come on you, Candyland has more areas to explore,” Party Pop said, and began walking down the main path.

Pinkie downed the rest of her peanut brittle and rushed after her, a big smile on her face.

“Coming!”

Author's Note

I LIVE!

In all seriousness, I know it's been YEARS, and I know everyone thought this story was dead. It wasn't, it's been sitting on my desk, my bookshelves, on my computer, in various scribbled parts. I've been working on it and other stories bit by bit. Most of it is half-baked, but I'm going to try really hard to focus my ADHD brain and get this DONE.

I have all sorts of plans on where this story is going to go, what adventures they'll have, just have to get to those parts haha.

Thanks for everyone for sticking around and not giving up on me.

The next few chapters should wrap up Age of Chaos (finally, right?)
Afterwards? Cults of Chaos. Be Ready. Big things are coming for Team Chaos.

Thanks again, everyone. Hope you enjoy!