Screwy Chaos

Chapters

Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 4
Chapter 17

Prologue

It was a silent night. A few bunnies hopped through the bushes and several trees, but aside that, no other critters can be heard or seen. No movements and no sounds. There was just an aura of silence in the dark, tight forest. The practically only light source in this place were the moon and the stars, shining at the top of the trees.

Suddenly, there was a strange, even extraterrestial sound and a dark blue portal opened in the middle of the woods. An earth pony stepped out of it, with a greyish-pink fur and purple mane. Though, the most remarkable thing on that pony is its beanie with an attached grey unicorn horn.

After the pony completely stepped out of it, the portal automatically closed again. The pony stepped at some grasses and looked around a few times, before it went into one direction, slowly and silently.

Then, it stopped and started to speak, "This should be the Everfree Forest, if I remember well."

The same bunnies as before noticed the pony and swiftly hided behind some trees. But it was faster. It freezes the smallest bunny with a beam from its horn, making it unable to escape. The other bunnies were in deep shock. They've never seen such a thing in their natural environment.

"So I'm curious to see, what this baby can actually do with my victims. I just have to remember the spell," it said silently, but with a flash in its purple eyes.

The small bunny tried to free itself from its magical prison, but it was hopeless. The magic freezed it like ice.

Soon, the bunny felt something drowning out of him and flowing into the horn of the pink pony. The wilder it moved to escape, the more essence was drowned out of him. Then the procedure stopped and the magic aura disappeared, letting the bunny escape dizzily.

Its family squeaked in delight and was about to hug their baby, if the small bunny didn't smack the others aggressively and squeaked in anger, definitely swear words.

"I didn't understand anything, the bunny said, but this horn is working the way, it's supposed to," the mysterious earth pony said with a smile in its face.

It looked at the silverly shining moon and demonstratively raised its head. A white lightning shot from its horn into the deep blue sky, followed by a loud thunder.

"It worked! It actually worked!" the pony yelled loudly, proudly.

It raised its hooves and released an evil laughter.

"Now finally, finally after 4 lousy years, I'll take my revenge and get back my magic! Equestria will be mine!! And since I already did take my magic from that little bunny, that bunny loving Fluttershy will be my next, I'm sure she already learned tons of friendship lessons!"

The pony was about to go to the direction of Fluttershy's cottage at the egde of the Everfree Forest, until a train rushed past, on the railway system near the forest.

"Or maybe, I'll change my plan. Why not taking a train first?" the pony whispered and glanced at the place, where the train rushed past.

So, it went to the direction of the railway system and disappeared in the woods of the Everfree Forest. As soon as she was gone, no further sounds were heard in the forest and everything was back to normal.

Chapter 1

"Welcome ladies and gentleponies of Ponyville!"

Princess Twilight Sparkle stood at the pedestral on a huge place in front of the School of Friendship, next to her her five best friends and Spike. A crowd of ponies already gathered on the place, ready to listen to her announcement.

"Today will be an important date, so we invited you to come to our School of Friendship. There'll be food and an entertainment program available," Twilight announced into the microphone.

The crowd bowed to each other and whispered nervously.

Twilight just wanted to call for attention, but another voice moaned, "Ugh come on please!!"

Out of nowhere, Discord, the Lord of Chaos, popped out in front of Twilight. Apparently, he has been disguised as the microphone all the time, without anyone noticing.

Twilight tumbled back and released a shocked scream. Some ponies from the crowd giggled amused, while others reacted as shocked as Twilight.

"Discord!" she yelled, "What are you doing here? You aren't supposed to appear, before I'm finished with my speech!"

She revealed a paper scroll, which was so long, that it already reached the bottom.

"Oh yeah your speech – " Discord picked up Twilight's scroll and stared at it for some moments " – When will you finally come to the point, that is important for today?"

Discord dropped the scroll again. He demonstratively turned to the crowd and raised his two mishmashed arms.

"Today, it's the premiere of the opening ooooof... – " Discord breathed heavily, snapped with his fingers and made a drumset appear, so he could simulate the drum sounds. " – DISCORD'S OWN AMUSEMENT PARK!"

Discord turned energetically around and made the drumset disappear again.

"Discord's amusement park?" Several ponies in the crowd were confused.

"That's amazing, isn't it? I know, my antics are awesome, but now, it's up to you to enjoy them! – " Discord turned his body to Pinkie Pie and pointed at her. " – Pinkie Pie, not it's time for your party canon!"

"Is it?" Pinkie asked.

"Okay alright alright." Twilight came to word again.

She spoke into a new microphone and pushed Discord aside, "Discord was right. Today, we'll open Discord's amusement park for everyone."

"So you can all see with your own eyes, that Discord has truly changed and won't hurt anyone anymore," Fluttershy continued.

"Don't worry, we gave Discord a cutie mark, which will glow every time, when anyone is in danger, so Discord is obliged to teleport to the place and rescue the pony, who is in danger," Applejack explained.

She pointed at Discord's goat flank, where there's a poker card shaped cutie mark now.

Discord looked at it and slightly moaned, "It's like I'm a pony now!"

"However, we prohibited Discord to put any too dangerous things into the park, so it'll be okay 99% of the time," Spike said.

"From exotic mane studios," Rarity said.

"To eatable cotton candy clouds, from which chocolate milk rains," Rainbow Dash added.

"PARTY CANON!!" Pinkie yelled loudly.

She shooted confetti and cupcakes out of her party canon.

The crowd still looked confused, but more and more of them began to cheer and applaude. Some of them were able to catch some cupcakes, before they reached the ground.

"You've been planning this speech for weeks, have you?" Discord asked while he bit into a cupcake.

The Mane 6 and Spike nodded in pride. They confidently looked at the crowd.

***

"Listen to me!"

Twilight tried to call for the attention of the chatting crowd.

Many of them were still excited about the recent news of Discord's amusement park, chatting with each other and eating the cupcakes, they got.

Discord snapped with his fingers several times, until the crowd turned to Twilight again, curious about what she will say next.

"I've got another announcement for today," she said. "You might all remember these six students of our school, who saved Equestria from Cozy Glow. They deserved to be honored for their effort and courage, otherwise, all the magic would have been drained away."

"Sandbar, Gallus, Silverstream, Ocellus, Smolder and Yona." Twilight waved with her hoof to the Young Six. "Come up here. It's time for your speech."

The Young Six, all disguised in their graduation gowns, went up to the pedestral, to the speech table where Twilight stood before. The crowd applauded and some students even complimented their classmates.

"Thank you very much. We all really appreciate your honor," Ocellus said calmly into the microphone. "Actually, at first, we were scared and afraid as well. Cozy Glow wasn't stupid. Nor was she weak. Our teachers weren't here and the fate of Equestria lied on our shoulders. I don't want to know, what would have happened, if we failed. Luckily, we didn't and I doubt, that Cozy will ever return. So, if you've got any questions, stand in one line and we will answer them by order. But remember, we are ordinary students as well, so no need to praise us too much."

Some ponies, mainly students, among the crowd instantly made one line in front of the pedestral.

"That's awesome!" an excited voice squeaked.

It came from a blue unicorn standing at the top of the line, looking at Ocellus.

"I've got a tons of questions for you and I'm really excited to ask all of them!" she said in a high velocity. "Oh sorry, I nearly forgot to tell you my name. I'm Precious-la and my first question is: Is this your first time saving Equestria?"

"Yes, it is..."

"Wait!"

Precious-la raised her left hoof and disappeared by teleporting away. Soon, she appeared again with a notebook and a quill holded by her magic.

"Now I'm ready!" she exclaimed.

Ocellus nodded and coughed slightly.

Then she explained, "Yes, it is our first time saving Equestria, but I don't think, it'll be a permanent thing, since we had no other choice using the Elements of Harmony. Remember, our teachers went away and didn't return."

"That sounds so cool! I wish I could save Equestria as well like you and our teachers," Precious-la exclaimed in excitement, after had written down Ocellus' answer. "The Elements of Harmony are really amazing!"

"I take is as a compliment, so thanks," Smolder said, looking proud.

"Yeah! Thanks", Silverstream agreed.

"But I've got so many other questions as well. Like how you excactly found such a strong bonding, whether there are any other Elements of Harmony, whether you read the newspaper article about you."

Precious-la took out a newspaper article, which showed a huge but moving photo of the Young Six wearing the excactly same gowns like they're wearing now. The title of the article was written in a particulary huge size above the photo, "Friendship Students saved Equestria from their Classmate."

"Yona read newspaper!" Yona took the newspaper and read it with excitement.

But Precious-la went on talking.

"Whether your relatives will come and ooh." Her round face lighted up. "Besides mine will come, for example my childhood friend Lithium Evergreen, with whom I went to elementary school in Manehattan, you know, the school I attended before Princess Twilight's school. And, so now you can answer all my questions. Besides, I have more!"

"Almost every of your questions is pretty complex, so I doubt, that we can answer them all," Sandbar said.

"And we've got a lot of other guests as well." Gallus pointed at the waiting line. "So might you keep all these questions for later, when we checked all of through them?"

Precious-la looked at the long line. "Oh uhm right."

She was slightly disappointed, but eventually stepped back to let the pony standing behind her asking her questions to the Young Six.

Twilight noticed her and trotted into her direction.

"Today, we'll enroll a new student in our school and since you're one of our best students, I ask you to fetch her from the train station," she explained calmly.

Precious-la nodded, still glancing at the Young Six having fun together.

"Her name is Autumn Blaze and she's a kirin," Twilight added. "Meanwhile, the train must already have arrived in Ponyville. You'll notice her soon."

"Alright, got it!"

Precious-la jumped up frantically, proud to fulfill her "duties" as the star student of the princess.

"And with some luck, I can even meet with Lily," she squealed, ready to run to the train station. "I haven't seen her for a while!"

"Wait!" a voice behind her exclaimed.

It was Gallus and he sprinted behind the unicorn.

"We decided to split up the long line into six shorter lines, so we can answer your questions again," Gallus made clear

He pointed at his friends. The rest of the Young Six indeed splitted up the long line of waiting ponies.

"Thanks but I have to fetch Autumn Blaze anyways," Precious-la responded cheerfully but politely.

Gallus nodded in agreement.

"Besides, my relatives will also come," he added. "My older sister Gilda and my younger Gabby, but they're not actually my sisters. You could also meet them on your way to the train station."

"So will I meet Lily," Precious-la said happily.

"I hope, you get along with Lithium."

With these words, Gallus waved his claws on farewell. Then, he joined his clique again, ready to answer questions.

Precious-la watched them for a while, before she happily went direction train station.

***

At the train station in Ponyville, Precious-la instantly noticed a white kirin with a brown mane and eager eyes stepping out of the arriving train. That was Autumn Blaze. Precious-la went to her and introduced herself.

"Hello! You're supposed to be Autumn Blaze and you're new at the School of Friendship, right?" Precious-la shook Autumn Blaze's hoof. "I'm Precious-la and Princess Twilight Sparkle asked me to fetch you from the train station."

"Hello, nice to meet you as well!" Autumn Blaze replied delightly. "I came here to learn some more Friendship, since I lived in loneliness for a long period of time until two of your teachers solved our friendship problem, well long story."

"THEY SOLVE FRIENDSHIP PROBLEMS??" Precious-la gasped in unbelief.

"Excuse me?" Autumn Blaze was confused.

"It's so exciting to travel through all the world and solve friendship problems like yours and so, I already knew it, since every time, one of our teacher's flank began to glow, we get a substitute teacher like Miss Starlight Glimmer or the 'Great and Powerful' Trixie, but it's just so amazing, that they rule a whole school, solve friendship problems AND save Equestria at the same time, you know? And d'you know the students of our school, who saved whole Equestria from the evil Cozy Glow, who made my magic unable to functionate?"

Precious-la started to talk in a high velocity again, as always when she's excited. Though, that didn't bother Autumn Blaze anyways.

"Oh really? You've read the news as well? That's awesome!" Autumn Blaze answered excited. "In our kirin village, I already thought, something was wrong, as my magic didn't work and some of us even panicked and we almost blew up the village twice, but luckily, the vanishing magic also absorbed our ability to turn into niriks, you know the evil form of kirins, who can destroy a whole village. Anyhow, holy yes, they were amazing and they're going to be in our class!!!"

"Well not excactly our class," Precious-la replied, "because I'm not in their class, but there's a chance. But still: cool!!"

"Totally!" Autumn Blaze agreed and bounced around. "We're getting along really well!"

"Yes, you're saying it!"

"You look like fun and I apparently look like fun, so that bonds us together!" Autumn Blaze explained happily.

"Do I look like fun?" Precious-la asked sarkastically. "Are you serious?"

The two students giggled for a while, but were interrupted by a second train arriving at the station.

"Oh, it must be Lithium, my fillyhood best friend! And along with her Gallus' siblings! They're sure all excited to see you, I'm sure!" – Precious-la pointed at the arriving train – "And you know, the opening party of Discord's amusement park will be such a fun with us together."

The train got slower and slower, until it stopped and finally opened its doors. But it wasn't Lithium, who stepped out of it. Nor was it any of Gallus' siblings.

Instead, it was a pink earth pony with a purple mane, not older than 12. She rushed out of the train, even before it halted, sprinted through whole Ponyville, crashed into several ponies and objects, running blindly but hastily, couldn't see what was going on, until she stopped in front of the School of Friendship.

She pushed the crowd aside, while some ponies complained angrily. They glared at that mysterious pony, when she entered the pedestral and grabbed at the microphone.

Silverstream, who was holding it a moment ago, tumbled backwards. She was confused. But the pink pony didn't even apologize to her.

She literally shouted into the microphone, "Everypony! Danger! Danger! Accident at train! Serious accident!"

Diamond Tiara panted hastily with a tiara in her right hoof instead on her head. She was pale in her face, barely unable to talk.

Author's Note

Precious-la isn't canon, because she's my pony OC, to make it clear here.

Her appearance is simple: She's a light blue unicorn and has a fire red mane and dark, purple eyes, just like Twilight's. And she's born in the year 2004.

She's also a student at Twilight's School of Friendship and her main characteristics are overly happy, often cheerful and excited, but can soon get annoying. She's usually good at school.

Lithium Evergreen is also my OC and also an unicorn, but she hasn't an appearance yet.

Chapter 2

"Listen to me! It's really serious!" Diamond Tiara shouted straight into the mic and created an unpleasant high pitch. "I was there and barely the only one, who escaped alive!"

At least she was trying to shout, but still panted of exhaustment and shock. A few ponies stared at her with utter lack of understanding.

Twilight Sparkle and her friends have never looked that confused. Even Discord has never seen such a thing. He just stood there, staring at Diamond Tiara with oversized binoculars, and said nothing.

"What happened?" Twilight asked quietly, after she found her voice again. "Tell us everything you saw."

"I...I was in the train with my friend S...Silver Spoon and everything as n...normal, but suddenly...suddenly..." Diamond Tiara didn't continue.

She trembled incredibly with widened eyes and pale skin.

"To be honest, I have never seen her that anxious in my life," Applejack whispered to Rarity and Rainbow Dash.

Both ponies nodded.

"What happened then?" Fluttershy whispered, trying to sound collected.

"Something...someone attacked the whole train and drained magic out of all the passengers!" Diamond Tiara screamed, almost hyperventilating.

"WHAT?"

Everyone was in deep shock.

"Cozy Glow?" Silverstream whispered anxiously.

"Cozy Glow?" Discord drawled loudly in unbelief and snapped his fingers to make a huge hearing horn appear.

"Cozy Glow?" Twilight gasped.

"We thought Cozy Glow won't return in any time soon," Ocellus whispered horrified.

The ponies in the crowd soon got nervous and hastily looked around for any danger. Some even tried to hold their breath or hide behind their taller classmates.

In the meanwhile, Discord snapped again and relaxed on a red and white striped lounger, wearing cinema glasses and with popcorn and cola in his claws/paws. "This is so exciting!"

"Not Cozy!" Diamond Tiara interrupted the nervous pack of ponies. "I'm not sure it's magic, I...I just..., Silver Spoon was so mean to me and...and it also attacked two Griffons...I don't know!" Diamond Tiara continued with written terror in her eyes.

Gallus did a mute gasp and folded his claws together as unobstrusive as possible, trying to pray, but he definitely was worried.

Applejack and Rarity glanced at each other.

"So who was it?" Rainbow Dash eventually asked.

Diamond Tiara didn't answer. She only shrugged shortly.

"Was there a kirin among the passengers?" Twilight asked.

"Y...yes," Diamond Tiara answered and slightly nodded. "The pony who drained the something out of t...them looked like a kirin. She was very...very evil."

"Do you remember the colors of the pony?" Applejack asked.

Diamond Tiara shook her head. "She is definitely evil."

"Wait a minute," Twilight interrupted the filly.

She quickly gathered her friends around her and bowed down to make sure, nobody else is listening to her.

"Autumn Blaze and Diamond Tiara might have been in the same train. What if Autumn Blaze was the pony, Diamond Tiara was talking about?" Twilight whispered in fear.

"But you know, that's ridiculous," Spike disagreed.

"Autumn Blaze will never do such an awful thing, that little filly described," Fluttershy exclaimed slightly angry. "You can't expect her to do something awful like that!"

"Fluttershy, don't be ridiculous," Rainbow Dash hissed. "In danger, everyone could be our enemy!"

"What does that mean?"

Fluttershy was confused.

"It means, that everyone could do certain things, you don't expect them to do," Rainbow Dash explained. "I think, we learned enough from Cozy Glow."

"By the way, Autumn Blaze has a Nirik form," Applejack added. "She might be able to control her anger most of the time, but there's still a probability, that she can't and we both know, what Niriks are able to do."

"No way! I still don't believe it!"

Fluttershy crossed her forehooves and arrogantly raised her head.

In this moment, the Mane 6 saw two ponies hastily arriving. They were as confused as the pony crowd and looked around several times. Twilight noticed, that it was Precious-la having fetched Autumn Blaze from the train station.

"We saw that pony running in such a high panick..." Autumn Blaze began to explain.

But she was rudely interrupted by Rainbow Dash.

"Did you drain magic out of some passengers like Diamond Tiara told us?" Rainbow Dash asked severely.

She stared deeply at Autumn Blaze with her magenta eyes. Autumn Blaze looked confused and scared at the same time.

She shook her head and gasped nervously, "What? No of course not! I don't even know, how to do such a thing!"

"Well," Rarity said and shrugged, "Diamond Tiara said it was a kirin."

"So, did you see that situation in your train?" Applejack asked.

"What situation are you talking about? Everything in my train was peaceful," Autumn Blaze responded, still very nervous.

Now, Smolder instantly flew to Autumn Blaze, joined by Gallus. She built herself up in front of the kirin and put her claws on her hips.

"You say everything was peaceful," Smolder hissed and stared at Autumn Blaze. "So are you sure?"

Autumn Blaze nodded frantically and whispered, "Could you please leave me alone?"

"Not before we analysed this situation!" Gallus said.

He stood next to Smolder and was doing the same pose. "Where are my sisters?"

"Teachers and students, you can't expect her draining magic out of strangers. After all, she is not Cozy Glow and if she said, she didn't do anything, so she didn't!

"Besides, she was in another train than Diamond Tiara, so no wonder that everything was peaceful!" Precious-la suddenly interfered into this discussion.

Autumn Blaze shortly looked at her and felt delighted. She smiled.

"We're really sorry," Twilight explained. "We don't want anything like Cozy Glow happen again, so we have to regard every creature equally."

"Well, I like the word equally," a completely new voice said.

The Mane 6 was confused and turned their heads. They noticed Starlight Glimmer standing on the speech spot, but there was something clearly different about her: She changed her manestyle and carried a huge stick with her.

"I know everything you're talking about and I know, it's not equal of that monster absorbing the magic from every other creature they meet, so it can negatively affect your behavior. Ponyville is not an equal town, especially this school and it's about all your cutie marks. It's not only the problem, that they're different, some of you don't even have cutie marks!"

Starlight Glimmer simulated an exaggerated horrified facial expression.

The Mane 6 didn't say anything. They were too shocked to say anything, so they only stared at Starlight all the time as Celestia's mother just came to Ponyville to buy some toilet paper.

The Young Six remained quiet, as well the crowd. Discord didn't say anything either, but went on snapping his popcorn into his mouth.

"I agree that equality is good," Precious-la said, as she found her voice again.

She teleported next to Starlight, flipping with her notebook.

"But I'm not sure, whether it has anything to do with cutie marks!" she went on.

Gallus tried to wave Precious-la back, as he didn't want her to be involved into all that trouble, but Starlight ignored her anyways and just rudely pushed her away.

She took the mic and shouted loudly, so that everyone could hear her.

"You know? Ponyville is not equal and it's all about your cutie marks! Ponyville isn't harmony, friendship or fun all the time, Equestria isn't either. There's deceit, betrayal, greed, envy, theft, there's so much more in this world and it's all about we want to be better than others, but we're no bit better. The cutie marks are the main problem, they define you and make you better than other ponies and that's the problem!"

"That's not true!" Precious-la shouted as well, being upset.

Starlight didn't notice her this time either.

"Starlight, what happened to you?" Twilight exclaimed.

Now, she can see, that Starlight didn't only change her hairstyle, but also her cutie mark. Instead of her spark shaped cutie mark, there was a boring, grey equal sign on her flanks.

"I came to sanity," Starlight replied proudly and shook her mane.

"Which sanity to be honest?" Sandbar asked.

"You're excactly saying it!" Starlight shouted angrily, pointing accusingly at Sandbar. "You make yourself better than your own friends, because you've got a damn cutie mark, they don't have!"

"That's not true!" Precious-la yelled.

"That's not true!" Sandbar yelled and his friends agreed by frantically nodding.

Starlight ignored them as well as she ignored Precious-la and stepped to Autumn Blaze. She stopped and for a second, everyone holded his breath and no one said anything.

Even Precious-la didn't comment on Starlight's antics and Discord stopped eating his popcorn and only stared at the pink unicorn.

Suddenly, she swiftly flipped her stick and tatooed an equal mark on Autumn Blaze's flank. Everyone gasped in shock.

"Look, a little demonstration," Starlight said in a sugar sweet voice and pointed on Autumn Blaze's flank.

"What...what happened to it?" Autumn Blaze said, pale in her face.

Starlight said nothing but only gave her a little sweet smile, which however made her face turn even paler. Autumn Blaze kept staring at her flank without knowing, what just happened.

Rainbow Dash pulled Diamond Tiara harshly aside.

"Distract her, before she gets even more ponies equalized," Fluttershy quickly whispered to Sandbar and the rest of the Young Six.

Precious-la instantly caught the information and teleported to Starlight again, followed by a group gasp of the Young Six.

"Diamond Tiara! We have to know every single detail about that pony-kirin, you were speaking of!" Applejack said seriously.

"It could be Starlight, or Autumn Blaze, this situation is really confusing," Spike added.

"I...I really can't remember her," Diamond Tiara trembled, "but I don't think, S...silver Spoon had an equal...equal mark after the attack. She was just...mean."

"Oh you mean the awkward greyish pink pony with purple mane and a beanie?" Pinkie Pie has spoken for the first time.

Since now, the others realized, that she's been missing all the time, they talked about Diamond Tiara's experience and the new Starlight Glimmer.

"Pinkie! Where have you been?" Twilight asked horrified.

"I had to go to toilet, but suddenly, I saw that pony, that was talking about going into Starlight's office!" Pinkie responded cheerfully as she was only talking about Cupcakes.

Right after she has spoken her last words, Discord shot up from his lounger, dropping his popcorn and cola, his glasses falling down from his eyes.

He instantly snapped his fingers and teleported them away from Ponyville into his home.

Chapter 3

"What was that for?" Twilight yelled.

"I have to tell you something and I don't want anyone to know that, so we need a safe place to talk, where no one can spy us," Discord whispered quietly, awfully serious as he has never been.

He stepped to his house, which was floating in the middle of nowhere, and opened the door.

"Come in," he said and marshed into the house first.

The Mane 6 followed him into the house and were shocked.

Discord's living room was pure chaos: The whole room was upside down, the tables and chairs floated in the air, right over a big black hole with a blue border looking like an interdimensional portal. There were colorful stairs leading to nowhere, a colorful sneezing pinata and couches barking aggressively as they saw the strangers coming.

Fluttershy bravely went to the couches and kindly petted them. Soon, they stopped barking, but instead hopped excited up and down. The rest of the Mane 6 stared at her without saying one word.

"So why excactly do you want us here?" Applejack asked and pushed some butterfly-sandwiches aside.

"I have my reasons," Discord answered shortly. "Sit down."

He snapped with his fingers and seven colorful chairs appeared out of nowhere, floating upside down in the air.

"I think, I'd like to stand anyways," Applejack said with a doubting glance at one of the floating upside down chairs.

Her friends nodded in agreement.

"Okay Pinkie, are you sure, the pony you saw, had a purple mane and a pink fur?" Discord asked.

Pinkie nodded and hitted the pinata with a baseball bat. It sneezed out candy and Pinkie stretched out her tongue to catch them.

"That's right," Pinkie added and happily swallowed the candy. "She went straight into Starlight's office and I considered to follow her, but I wasn't sure so I didn't."

"You are sure, she went into Starlight's office?" Twilight asked.

Pinkie nodded.

"I don't understand it at all. Starlight told me today morning, that she had a lot of sorrow letters from her students to reply to, so she could neither come to the opening party of your amusement park, nor to the honoring of our students. And in the next moment, she suddenly regressed to that pony, she used to be. Does it has to do something with the letters?"

Twilight was more mumbling to herself than to any of her friends.

"Think, just think!" Discord impatiently told her and tapped on this forehead.

"You're telling me to think?" Twilight snapped. "I am thinking, but it doesn't make sense at all. What does the pony, Pinkie was talking about, has anything to do with...Ooooh!"

Twilight suddenly understood and slowly nodded.

"So, that ominious pony enchanted Starlight?"

"Right!"

Discord snapped his fingers again and a bunch of singing gingseng tea appeared

"You see, Scr...I mean that ominious pony entered Starlight's office and Pinkie saw it. But right in the moment, she joined you all, Starlight behaved so suspiciously. So, you must be right."

"Okay, but why would anyone want to enchant Starlight?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"After all, it's weird enough, what spell she used," Rarity added. "I have never heard of a spell, that could turn a pony the way like it used to be. Like Starlight used to have that desire of equality and so."

"I know that," Discord said. "It's not the only thing, which happened today."

"What do you mean?" Spike asked.

"Diamond Tiara."

"Diamond Tiara what?" Twilight asked. "Does she has to do anything with the thing, you want to tell us?"

"Though I didn't say anything, I heard everything. And I know everything," Discord explained. "The way she described, that her friend, I don't know her name anymore, was mean."

"Silver Spoon," Rarity understood.

"Apple Bloom told me, that Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon used to bully her and her friends, but one day, they apologized and decided to stop that thing," Applejack considered. "So, do you mean, that Silver Spoon became a bully again and Diamond Tiara could also, but she escaped well and avoided that...spell or so?"

"Oh, I remember a bunny in the woods, I know earlier, but today, he was so rude and mean to me, when visiting me at my cottage," Fluttershy whispered quietly. "The last time, he behaved that way was before 5 years. I don't know how, but it probably is the same like with Starlight."

"Diamond Tiara also mentioned a kirin-like creature, that sucked out all the magic from the passengers," Twilight summarized. "So, you think, it attacked Silver Spoon, Starlight and Fluttershy's bunny, causing them regressing to their earlier self, a bully and an equalist."

"Excactly!"

"But I still don't know, how sucking magic out of ponies and creatures can cause them becoming mean and well...confused," Twilight mumbled confused. "Tirek absorbed all the magic from Equestria and Cozy Glow drained all the magic as well, but none of their victims became mean."

"It's not magic, it's friendship experience," Discord answered.

"Friendship experience???" the Mane 6 gasped simutaneously.

"How can it be? Instead of being so mysteriously and uhm...weird, just tell us the matter, why you brought us here and don't waste our time!" Rainbow Dash snapped.

"Rainbow Dash! Watch your language!" Fluttershy exclaimed severely.

But Discord didn't comment anything on Rainbow Dash' sudden rant. He just snapped with his fingers and a purple picture frame with orange citrus-fruits appeared in his hands.

"Pinkie, is she the pony entering Starlight's office?" he asked and flipped the purple frame so that Pinkie could see it.

It was actually a picture frame, which showed a picture of himself doing all the mess in Equestria. Next to him, there was a greyish-pink pony smiling brightly.

On the top of her purple-white mane, she wore a yellow-orange colored beanie with a green propeller. The pony looked a bit like a kirin. Especially the shape of the ears and the tail has some similarities with Autumn Blaze's. Although, she was still an earth pony.

"Yes!" Pinkie screamed and excited pointed at the pony, "it was excactly her, who went into Starlight's office this morning. Well, the pony I saw was slightly taller and had a greyish horn instead of a propeller on her beanie, but aside from that, they looked excactly identical."

Discord only nodded without sayign anything.

"I had the suspicion long ago," he said, ripped off an orange citrus from the frame, peeled and ate it. "She really returned to Ponyville. For revenge."

"So you want to tell us, that you know her?" Spike asked, looking at the pony in the picture.

"Of course I do! This is Screwball, my daughter," Discord said, having admitted something important

"WHAAAAAT???"

All the ponies and Spike gasped loudly and stared at Discord, like he said, he wanted to be normal like a pony.

"You...you have a daughter? Since when? And why does she want to steal...friendship experience?" Twilight asked wildly.

"You promise not to tell anyone anything about this story?" Discord asked severely and glanced at each of the Mane 6.

They all nodded, eager to listen to Discord's story.

"Fine. I created her with my chaos magic, because I was...well lonely," Discord said quickly, sounding embarrasted.

"You were...lonely??" Rainbow Dash bursted in laughter and hold her belly, as it ached. "Are you kidding me??"

Discord however ignored her like she wasn't present at all and went on with his story.

"It was a long time ago and she's actually not a real pony, but a chaos product created by me," Discord explained calmly. "As well, she doesn't age like everyone else, but she has a mind on her own."

He showed them the picture again. This time, they noticed the pink spirals in her purple pupilless eyes. Suddenly, the pony really somehow looked like Discord's daughter. At least, she was different than an ordinary every day pony.

"In the time, when I brought chaos all over Equestria, we were really alike," Discord continued. "We both had the same sense of humor and both loved chaos. With her, I wasn't alone anymore."

He stared at the picture for a very long time. It was even like he seriously thought at something or remembered back the time, he and Screwball did chaos.

Fluttershy floated to him, petted him on his shoulder and smiled at him.

"So if you were really similar, why would she want to absorb friendship experience out of strangers?" Rarity asked, looking thoughtfully at the picture as well.

"It's because of you," Discord suddenly hostily screamed at her.

Rarity gasped in shock and tumbled backwards, almost falling into the black hole behind her.

"Me?" she asked and innocently pointed at herself.

"No, it's not because of you," Discord said calmly again, which cause Rarity sigh in relief. "It's because of me. Do you still remember the day I reformed?"

"Anytime," Fluttershy answered and smiled kindly.

They all nodded except of Rainbow Dash and Applejack.

"Well, depends on which date you mean," they said in a sassy tone.

This time, Discord ignored them as well.

"Screwball was shocked, when she saw me reforming and of course, she didn't want me to do so. I knew, that my friends will be in great danger, if I let her go, so I took her magical powers away to make her powerless. She instead still managed to keep her ability of interdimensional travelling and could escape. And now she's back."

"Though, I'm still wondering, why her first victim wasn't you Fluttershy," Discord added. "She had a huge grudge on you and accused you transforming me into the...well pony-monster-creature, but I think, you have a true heart of gold and gave me a chance, when no one else was willing to do so."

"Thanks," Fluttershy said timidly and giggled softly.

"It's still unclear, how excactly she was able to suck out...friendship experience and what is has to do with chaos magic," Twilight considered. "What does she want to do in Equestria anyways and why has he been gone for such a long time?"

"Well that, I don't know either," Discord said and shrugged. "I knew, that Screwball will earlier or later come back, but I don't know why."

"And you're just saying it NOW?" the Mane 6 desperately asked in a choir.

Discord hesitated. His gaze switched from the picture frame to his friends.

"Uhm...I think, it's time to go soon," Fluttershy interfered. "We've been gone for a long time and it's time to check out Ponyville and Starlight Glimmer."

As the Mane 6 nodded and already prepared to go, Discord said, that that wasn't everything, what he had to tell them.

"There are two things, I still have to tell you," Discord quickly added. "First thing, the horn you Pinkie described could be the horn of regression. I only know it from a legend, but it could be possible, that Screwball is wearing it right now."

"Second thing: Remember. Don't ever tell anyone about anything, we've talked about today in my house. I don't want anyone to know that. 4 years has been a long time period and in the meanwhile, Screwball might have become more powerful, so the best is not knowing about anything."

"What not knowing about anything?" Rainbow Dash asked. "How could you defeat your biggest enemy, when you don't even know, that he exists?"

"No one but you should know about that!" Discord whispered in an awfully serious tone and stared into Rainbow Dash' eyes.

The first time he spoke to her. Then he snapped with his fingers and they were in Ponyville again.

Author's Note

Screwball is a canon character and had several background appearances in the FiM show. But apart from that, she didn't have any other character features, personality info or backstory, so everything of how she is portrayed in this fanfiction is thought out and written by me. Thus, it isn't canon either.

In my adaption as well as in many other fanwork, Screwball is the daughter of Discord. During the story, there will be more information revealed around her character.

I slightly redesigned her appearance, as I found, a more kirin like look might suit her better, so this isn't canon either.

Chapter 5

"Listen students," Sandbar told the crowd, "Professor Twilight told us to catch Starlight, so you should stay in the school hall for your own safety. None of you is allowed to leave without us knowing!"

He stepped here and there nervously, sometimes severely gazing at several students.

"That includes you, Precious-la!"

Sandbar especially glared at Precious-la, making clear that he wasn't joking. Precious-la nodded frantically, which slightly reassured Sandbar.

"We don't know, where she is, so she could be anywhere you're going, even in this room," Ocellus explained.

A lot of students gasped horrified and looked behind their shoulders for any Starlight.

"Thus, it's useful for you to stay here safely and collected. In case Starlight comes, you can overcome her together, but only here, nowhere else. Understood?"

The crowd nodded, some of them were still afraid. Ocellus glanced at Precious-la once again, like Sandbar did before, but she didn't say anything additional. The Young Six disappeared from the hall.

"We'll be back soon," Silverstream waved her claw and disappeared with her friends.

Silence. No one was talking, no one was moving one bit. But suddenly...

"Hey! Wait for me!!!" a voice screamed and she hastily ran in the same direction, the Young Six went to.

"Precious-la no!" a second student yelled, raising his hoof.

But Precious-la didn't return. She was already gone.

She hasted in the same direction, she thought the Young Six went, stopped and turned around, whether Starlight was anywhere. No Starlight.

"The Young Six are supposed to save the day from evil, but not me?" Precious-la mumbled to herself. "No problems at all. As a good friend, I will help them overcome their sorrows!"

She confidently rushed through the current corridor, went upstairs and rushed through another corridor into the opposite direction, but suddenly halted. She looked around, not so confident and proud anymore. Where are the Young Six?

"Wait, I thought, this is the way the Young Six went to. How could I not find them? Did I loose myself? Did I went a wrong path?" she asked herself.

"Well, still no problem," a voice said.

Precious-la assumed, that was her own voice in her head, so she decided sprinting the way back to the stairs. However, she maybe sprinted too far and instead of arriving at the stairs, she went upstairs before, she arrived at a place, where two corridors were crossing each other.

"I said it was no problem, if you stayed!" the same voice as before said, just more impatient.

Precious-la realized, it couldn't be her own and turned around. She froze. Starlight Glimmer stood right in front of her, with an equal mark as her cutie mark and a big staff holden by her magic.

"Well well well," Starlight said quietly and rotated her staff, "if it isn't our little hypocrite."

"I'm not a hypocrite!" Precious-la yelled. "I did say, that equality is good and equality is good!"

"But you didn't think, that cutie unmarking was good!; Starlight hissed hostily.

"No I didn't," Precious-la admitted bravely. "You can be equal without having to give up your cutie mark."

"LIAR!!" Starlight yelled and stabbed her staff into Precious-la's direction.

Luckily, Precious-la was able to perform a shield charm and avoid being unmarked. Starlight growled in anger.

"Cutie marks make us unique and special," Precious-la explained calmly.

"Yes and they destroy all the friendship and does. not. create. any. equality!" Starlight yelled angrily and fired a magic beam on Precious-la.

This time, Precious-la could reverse the charm towards Starlight, who dodged for not being hitted. The beam hitted the wall behind her, causing a hole.

"Oh, you seriously thought you could defeat such a gifted magician like me so easily with your silly spells?" Starlight laughted proudly.

"I'm the best student in my class, how dare you to use such a rude vocabulary on me?" Precious also said proudly.

"And now dare you to harm and insult my alter-ego, who is by the way the best student in the entire school!" another voice, which is creepy similar with her own, said proudly.

It was, it was...Precious-la? Starlight stared at the two identical looking Precious-las with widen eyes and opened mouth.

The second Precious-la pulled the first Precious-la on her left hoof and teleported away with her, into the school hall again. Once she released her awfully similar "twin", she turned into her original form, Ocellus the changeling.

"Ocellus!" Precious-la gasped loudly, delighted, "you saved me from that creepy creep! Thank you so much!!"

But Ocellus only stared severely at her. She was clearly upset, with an ounce of worry in her pupilless eyes.

"Stay here and don't dare to move!" she panted upsetly, flipped her notebook and soon teleported away.

Autumn Blaze noticed the unicorn and hastily came over.

"Are you completely mental or do you want to give up your cutie mark anyways?" she screamed horrified and pointed at her own equal mark.

Her body colors are already slightly fading away into a monotonous grey tone and her face was pale of fear and worry.

"You can't just disappear. You're not supposed to! None of us is supposed to!" she shouted clearly shocked with widened eyes.

"Technically, I'm supposed to, because the Young Six are my very good friends and friends help each other, right?" Precious-la explained calmly.

"Oh, that's fine..." Autumn Blaze replied shortly.

"What's up?"

Precious-la carefully looked at the kirin. Something was clearly bothering her.

"Nothing, it's fine."

Autumn Blaze turned away and trotted to the rest of the crowd. Precious-la wanted to talk to her, but soon, Yona rushed into the school hall, looking excited.

"We caught Starlight!" she yelled, bounced and stamped with her hooves on the ground, as always, when she's excited.

The crowd sighed delighted and quickly followed her into the school garden, but also stopped as quickly as they came. In front them them, Starlight was caught into a blue bubble prison created by the six artefacts.

She mutely screamed and yelled probably some nasty swear words and tried to free herself from her tricky prison, but the forces were too strong to let her free.

"You used the same artefacts, Cozy used to trap Starlight with, to trap Starlight with?" a student asked, looking confused.

Smolder nodded.

"That's the only way to make it impossible for her to escape, but it also doesn't do any harm to her either," she explained proudly.

"That's so amazing to actually see, how powerful the six artefacts are!" Precious-la screamed in delight. "I'm happy to help!"

"Hmpf...you didn't help!" Smolder hissed. "You brought yourself in danger and aren't even confessing it!"

"Ocellus told us everything about that!" Gallus said.

"I told everyone, including you, to stay in the school hall until we caught Starlight!" Ocellus said severely. "So, don't. ever. make. this. happen. again!"

Precious-la carefully glanced at Ocellus and nodded slowly.

"But I just wanted to help," she whispered so quietly, that the Young Six couldn't hear her.

However, she was interrupted by a pony, standing at the entrance to the school garden, his vine red robe waving in the slight wind.

"What is going on here?" Chancellor Neighsay asked.

He slowly went to the artefacts and carefully watched each of them.

"I didn't come to help you!" he exclaimed and pointed at the Young Six. "What did you do to Starlight?"

"Yona can explain!" Yona called out, rising her hoof.

"I don't want to hear your explanation, you dumb yak, who can't even properly speak our language," Neighsay said in a rude tone and went past her, not even giving her a glare.

"Hey Neigh, Yona isn't stupid!" Precious-la yelled in defense.

"I don't want to hear your explanation either. I don't want to hear the explanation of nocreature!" Neighsay said, especially emphasizing the word "creature".

"We don't care, if you're interested or not, we will explain you everything anyways!" Smolder yelled.

"I don't need any of your explanations," Neighsay interrupted the dragon while pointing at the Young Six again. "Princess Twilight Sparkle already explained everything to me."

Neighsay went to Starlight's bubble prison and looked at her. Starlight suddenly began to struggle even stronger against the forces and pointed angrily at Neighsay, insulting him with luckily mute swear words.

"Oh glad! You caught Starlight and Chancellor Neighsay also came for help!" Spike exclaimed.

The Young Six turned their heads and saw the Mane 6 have returned on the same spot, Neighsay entered the garden. The Mane 6 trotted hastily into their direction.

"So, obviously Starlight Glimmer decided to steal everycreature's cutie mark and replace them by equal marks!" Neighsay said in a severe tone.

He glanced at Starlight once again, who instantly gave him an angry glare. Twilight opened her mouth to answer, but Neighsay interrupted her.

"I already knew, this school will be a complete mess," he continued.

Now, nopony was about to say anything but only stared at the chancellor with confusion.

"How incompetent it is from you to let her be your student consellor," Neighsay continued.

Twilight gasped in shock and Starlight glared at Neighsay and angrily shook her hoof.

"Starlight normally isn't so. Today, it's an exception, th..." the princess explained, but Neighsay interrupted her again.

"Okay, I see. Well, that might be acceptable, but it was definitely incompetent from you to let these dangerous creatures be your students! Especially that Quirin or whatever she is," he offensively pointed at Autumn Blaze. "I'm just so glad, that she already got such a weird equal mark, so she can't get upset and destroy the school and possibly all Equestria!"

"What? But I changed! I learned to control my feelings!" Autumn Blaze tried to defend herself.

"You didn't and you will never be able to control that destructive energy in your genes," Neighsay whispered angrily, still pointing at Autumn Blaze.

"That's not true!" Autumn Blaze gasped.

"Now what's that for? You decided not to judge creatures by their race anymore!" Sandbar shouted, angry but still confused.

"Chancellor pony not 'not that bad pony' anymore Yona said," Yona said.

"How dare you!" Silverstream yelled offended.

Twilight slightly looked at the protesting students and pulled her friends aside.

"It's getting worse," she whispered. "Screwball must have stolen Neighsay's friendship experience."

"Speaking of Screwball," Rainbow Dash began. "We should tell our students about her now, because it's getting more worse!"

"Rainbow Dash has a point. They don't even know, what's going on," Applejack agreed with a glare at the arguing students.

"We promised Discord not to tell them anything about Screwball," Twilight said in a serious voice.

With these words, she turned to Autumn Blaze and Ocellus and made them clear to follow her. She first gave the already greyer Autumn Blaze the potion and explained everything. Autumn Blaze looked at it, but was still unsure, whether to drink it or not. Then, she showed Ocellus the note.

"You sent us this about your hive."

Ocellus nodded and took the paper.

"I write this as soon as King Thorax informed me about the changelings. Luckily, that little bird found me," Ocellus explained and pointed at Hummingbird.

He was lying under Fluttershy's wings all the time, calmly sleeping. Twilight began to explain something, but she got interrupted again. By Neighsay, who suddenly appeared behind her and Ocellus.

"You didn't only tolerate these highly dangerous Quirins, you also let those same changelings into your school, who once almost took over Canterlot! And now, they're returning, power hungry again. I know, Ocellus was nothing good."

He said, gazing disrespectfully at the young changeling, who was too scared, that she didn't know anything to say.

"Neigh, that's enough!" Precious-la suddenly yelled, obviously offended. "Ocellus and her friends saved everyone from Cozy Glow, including you, so shut up and leave my friends alone!"

"Get yourself out of this. You're not involved!" Ocellus screamed shocked as she found her voice again, trying to push Precious-la away.

"I just want to help you!" Precious-la defended.

"Get out!!" Ocellus shouted.

She pushes Precious-la out of the radius, out of all the problems and turned to Neighsay and Twilight again.

"I think, you shouldn't get yourself mixed into this, instead think of your friend Lithium," Autumn Blaze tried to calm her friend down.

Precious-la gasped in shock and facepalmed.

"Oh no I totally forgot!" she screamed.

"Lily should be here for a long time. How could it come, that she's not here yet? Didn't she come with the same train as you came?"

Autumn Blaze shrugged.

"It could be possible," she answered.

"Where is she?" Precious-la gasped. "I should write her a letter to check out, whether she's okay."

She instantly took out her notebook, randomly ripped off a page, hastily wrote a few words and folded the paper. She teleported to Spike to let him know about her letter and first disappeared to send her letter to Lithium.

"How could I forget her?" she asked herself as she came back again.

"Uhm...it's okay, seriously. No one is flawless and everyone could forget."

Autumn Blaze fried to explain rationally, but there was something bothering her.

Chapter 6

In the Canterlot Castle, Princess Celestia stepped up and down, looking down at the ground, thinking of something, while she was levitating a little letter with her magic. Princess Luna stepped into the room, looking worried at her sister.

"Is there anything wrong Tia?" Luna asked.

"There is," Celestia said shortly.

She just gave her sister the letter. Luna took it and read it. With every word, her facial expressions became more and more scared and worried.

"That's terrible. Princess Twilight wrote us, that there's a pony, who has the ability of stealing friendship experience and turn ponies into evil beings. Starlight Glimmer, King Thorax's hive, Chancellor Neighsay, that's awful!" Luna whispered in shock.

I'm truly sorry, that I couldn't tell you earlier, but Discord wanted us to keep her existence secret. We couldn't keep his promise, we had to decide. Things are getting worse and that pony is potentially dangerous.

"What do you want to do?" Luna asked, giving Celestia the note back.

"I don't excactly know, but we have to act now, before things are getting worse," Celestia said seriously, looking out the window.

Then, she took out another piece of paper, giving it to Luna.

"This is an additional letter from Princess Twilight Sparkle. She wants us to be safe, so you should go into the throne room and I should fetch the Pillars."

Luna glanced at the letter in unbelief.

"Isn't that suspicious?" she narrowed her eyes to read the letter.

It's all my fault! You have to go to the throne room, Princess Luna first. Princess Celestia, your highness, please fetch the pillars, they're our last hope. I really don't want you to suffer under my dumb and irrational decisions, especially not you! Please!

"I mean, isn't that unusual for a letter, Twilight might write? She usually never demands us to do something," Luna explained, reading the letter twice.

"She just wants us to be safe," Celestia said, staring out of the window. "I think, I should fetch the Pillars right now."

Princess Celestia opened the door and intended to step out.

"Wait!" Luna exclaimed and raised her hoof.

She followed her bigger sister, taking the letter with her.

"I'm coming with you then. I don't want to leave you alone," she added.

Celestia thought for a moment, before she nodded.

***

A few moments later, the two princesses were waiting in the entrance hall for an important visit, constantly looking at the gate, which leads to the Canterlot Castle.

Then, a group of seven ponies came across. All of them were dressed in ancient clothes, which didn't suit the common century. They decided to enter the castle, but the Royal Guards halted them.

"Let them in," Celestia said after a glance at the Pillars.

The Royal Guards immediately let the Pillars into the Castle. The group went to the two princesses and bowed down in front of them.

"We received your message," Starswirl the Bearded only said. "It's not time to figure out the plan now. We need to go somewhere, where no one can listen to us."

Celestia nodded and made the Pillars clear to follow her. They went through several corridors, all guarded by Royal Guards. Celestia took out Twilight's second note again and read it.

"Luna, shouldn't you go to the throne room right now?" she eventually asked Luna.

"I said, I didn't want to leave you alone," Luna replied, "and I'm sticking to it."

"Alright," Celestia said. "I just don't want you to be in any danger. At least Twilight doesn't want that."

"I understand, but what if this could be a trap?," Luna asked.

She took the letter, Celestia hold with her magic before, and showed it to her.

"I mean, this letter sounds much different than the first one," she explained. "I doubt, whether it's actually from Twilight."

Celestia bowed down to read the letter a third time. From one moment to another, there was a dense, green fog surrounding the princesses and the pillars. Luna just wanted to ask, what was going on, but as soon as she opened her mouth, she couldn't do anything but cough heavily.

She immediately closed her eyes. That suspicious substance was too unpleasant for her eyes. With halfway closed eyes, she glanced at Celestia, who coughted heavily with closed eyes as well and accidently dropped the letter.

Luna tried to spot the Pillars, but she couldn't see them, because the fog made it impossible to see any objects far away.

"What is this?" Celestia croaked.

She looked around, with halfway closed and tearful eyes.

"Where are you, Luna?"

Almost blinded, she stumbled through the high corridor. She didn't know, where she was going, as she couldn't see anything but that green fog. Suddenly, she bumbed into a massive stature. She instantly stepped some steps back and looked at the pony, she bumbed into.

"Luna?" the princess asked, staring up to the pony.

But it wasn't Luna. It was a Royal Guard.

"Who did this?" he asked severely.

Then, he suddenly stopped talking, as something was drained out of his body. The guard tried to struggle against the forced, but this didn't change this procedure. Celestia looked at the struggling guard and remembered Twilight's letter.

"Hey!" she screamed with her Canterlot royal voice.

However, she forgot, how much the fog hurted her throat and had to heavily cough for several minutes. The princess literally cringed due to all the coughing and her eyes were filled with tears again, making her seeing even less than before.

Though, Celestia didn't give up. She bravely stood up again and galopped into the direction, she assumed, the friendship experience of the Royal Guard was absorbed away from. She tried to open her eyes to spot out the pony, who did all this, but could only see something blurred and the colors pink and purple.

That might be the pony responsible for everything. Celestia tried to call everyone, but instead, something different happened.

"My sister princess Celestia always took the entire spotlight, making me standing in the shadow for a long time, but now, that's over!" an awfully famillar voice shouted loudly.

In this moment, the green fog cleared and made it possible for her to see and breathe properly. The princess stared in front of her and saw a tall black pony standing in the royal garden. Nightmare Moon.

"Now, my reign has begun!" Nightmare Moon shouted with her Canterlot Royal voice. "The reign of Nightmare Moon, of the Eternal Night!!"

Once Celestia decided to fight Nightmare Moon, another creature arrived. Black as the shadow, shaped like a Pony. Though his eyes didn't have pupils, Celestia could see, that he was staring angrily at Nightmare Moon.

"Speaking of shadow, let the Shadow rule over all Equestria forever!" the Pony of Shadow exclaimed.

"No! The night should rule forever and in eternity!!" Nightmare Moon shouted and fired a magic beam upon the Pony of Shadow.

"If you want to start a war, then I won't disagree!" the Pony of Shadow said and attacked back.

Celestia was overly shocked. Without even thinking, she instantly took out a blank parchment and wrote a few words on it.

***

Meanwhile in Ponyville, everyone was discussing, everyone was highly nervous. Starlight was still captured in her bubble prison, trying to escape and mutely growling at Neighsay and Neighsay was still discussing with several students and the rest of the Mane 6 besides Twilight.

"You're saying, that someone steals Friendship Experience?" Ocellus asked Twilight in unbelief.

"And her name is Screwball?" Silverstream asked.

"Actually, we're not supposed to tell you that, but we had no other choice. Besides of us, you're the only chance to save Equestria," Twilight replied.

"Save Equestria?" Precious-la suddenly popped out of nothing.

Precious-la waved with a piece of paper, suddenly not cheerful at all. She trotted to Twilight, Ocellus and Silverstream and showed them her letter. All three of them bowed down to read it.

"It's from Lily. She returned to the Crystal Empire with a train again and said, that she didn't even know, why she came to Ponyville at all," Precious-la explained sadly. "I assume, that they took Lithium's experience as well, otherwise she wouldn't write such a thing. She used to be so excited about the opening party."

"That could be possible," Twilight said and looked at the letter.

Autumn Blaze looked at the group and then took her potion out again. Precious-la noticed her and teleported over to check her out.

"I see, that you received a response by Lithium," Autumn Blaze said by the sight of Precious-la.

Precious-la nodded and showed her the letter.

"She's well, but she returned to the Crystal Empire again," she said.

Autumn Blaze didn't say anything.

"I probably should check out, what Twilight and the others are talking," Precious-la interrupted the silence.

She soon teleported away, before Autumn Blaze could say anything, and appeared next to the Princess of Friendship again.

"Discord should be back by now," Spike said and wondered.

In this moment, he bulped loudly and spitted out a parchment.

"It's from princess Celestia!" he exclaimed.

Twilight took the parchment and unfolded it. With her first sight on the princess' letter, she gasped and got pale in her face.

"What is it?" Precious-la said and tried to read the letter.

But Twilight didn't let her and read the hugely written text aloud.

The Pillars disappeared! The War between Nightmare Moon and the Pony of Shadow has broken out!

"A...A w...war?," Ocellus gasped horrified and grabbed at the parchment to see it with her own eyes.

The rest of the already unquiet crowd now totally snapped and shouted all higgledy-piggledy. Some even hyperventilated or breathed into paper bags and lots of ponies kept repeating the words "war", "Nightmare Moon" and "Pony of Shadow" in shock and unbelief.

"A war?" Chancellor Neighsay asked.

He instantly activated his medaillon and disappeared, leaving the Mane 5 alone. Starlight shouted "Good so that you left" mutely at the place, where the chancellor disappeared.

"Yona worried about Rockhoof Pony," Yona said with tears in her eyes.

"There hasn't been a war in Equestria for ages!" Applejack exclaimed.

Twilight didn't answer. She stared at the parchment, still not believing the truth. After a few minutes, she slowly rised her head.

"This is bad!" she whispered in deep shock, almost crying.

"No!" Precious-la shouted horrified, "it's worse!"

***

The perspective of Ponyville zoomed out and high in the clouds, there was a laughter. An evil laughter. A pink pony with purple mane sat on a pink, flying cloud and laughted evily, rising her kirin-like hooves.

"This is perfect! Just perfect!" she shouted proudly.

She fired a magic beam from her grey horn onto all the clouds around herself and turned them into pure cotton candy clouds. The cotton candy clouds immediately rained chocolate milk and the pony laughted out loud and spinned herself in her throne.

"Finally! The princesses can do nothing against me, my plan worked! It actually worked! And now it's me, who has all the power in entire Equestria!" she shouted and turned more clouds in cotton candy. "It's me, Screwball!"

Onto one clouds, two yellow eyes with red pupils popped up, looking purely terrified.

In this moment, Screwball turned her head to that cloud and exclaimed whispering, "And Discord, my beloved Daddy, will finally reunite with me!"

Chapter 7

"This is bad!" Twilight Sparkle whispered in deep shock, almost crying.

She stared with her dark purple eyes at the cloudy blue sky and didn't say anything. Her eyes wandered at the Canterlot Royal castle, which is partly seen from Ponyville and she instantly imagined Nightmare Moon and the Pony of Shadow fighting.

"No, it's worse!" Precious-la exclaimed.

"We gotta do something!" Gallus said in high worry. "Anything!"

Applejack nodded and looked at the sky as well. Then, suddenly she saw a normal white cloud suddenly turning into a pink color. A normal cloud turned into a cotton candy cloud. And then, it happened with another cloud. And which a third. And a fourth.

"Did you see that?"

She pointed at the series of pink cloud, which immediately rained chocolate milk.

"Chocolate milk!" Pinkie opened her mouth to catch the chocolate milk.

Out of nowhere, something fell from the sky to the ground. It was a creature shaped like a snake, moving frantically.

Discord rubbed his eyes and raised himself up. He teleported himself to the Mane 6 and whispered them something in their ears, so no one else could hear him.

"I've got important information for you!"

Rainbow Dash looked at the cotton cloudy sky. She instantly rised into the sky and exclaimed, "I'm having an eye of what's happening up there!"

Twilight shortly glanced at Discord, then she swiftly turned her body to Ocellus and tried to whisper her something in her ear.

***

Just a few moments later, Twilight used her magic to expand the volume of Rarity's voice, so that all of Equestria was able to hear her. She found that spell in a book, Discord brought for her, when he was on his way to the Castle of the Two Sisters.

Rarity was holding the announcement, when the princess herself tried to perform a certain spell, which costs all her energy.

"A war in Canterlot has broken out. I want you to return to your homes immediately and take your pets and foals with you, so that you're safe. The princess will create a spell, that magically won't let you out of your shelters, even if you wanted to and you're prohibited to ever leave your homes! There's a chance, that the war could be expanding!"

Rarity glanced at Twilight. With closen eyes and sweat bubbles on her forehead, Twilight tried to perform the door locking spell.

In the meanwhile, excactly everyone in Ponyville absolutely snapped by the warning of the war. Adult mares and stallions took her foals and immediately vanished in their houses. Once they closed the door behind themselves, it was magically locked by Twilight's door locking spell, and surrounded by a turquoise blue aura.

A lot of students, including the Young Six, Precious-la and Autumn Blaze, ran straight to the School of Friendship to lock them into that building. Diamond Tiara ran to another direction.

"I have to bring the animals in safety!" Fluttershy gasped in worry.

She galopped into the direction to her cottage and vanished as well.

The practically only ponies, who remained, where Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Spike and Discord.

Spike burped and spit out a scroll. He unfolded it to read it. It was from Nightmare Moon.

My beloved from everyone sister Celestia was banished to the moon for a thousand years. Nothing can stop the eternal night now!

"Oh no!"

Spike gasped and wanted to show the others the arriving letter. He glared at Twilight for a moment. She was still pretty busy with her spell. However, Applejack and Rarity were talking with Discord at this moment.

"Are you sure it worked?" Applejack asked, looking worried.

"I did the announcement. I know, Canterlot was excluded, but we don't know, where Screwball is at this moment, so she could have heard my announcement," Rarity said.

Applejack nodded.

She turned to Discord and asked him, "And you know for sure, that Screwball posseses the horn of regression?"

"I already told you everything I found out!" Discord replied by glancing at Applejack. "Now, you have to travel through dimensions and I gotta give you the ability for it."

Pinkie, who was drinking the chocolate milk before, instantly stopped drinking the rain and stared at Discord with confusion, as well as the rest of the group.

Discord nodded and said, "I told you all, that Screwball took the ingredients for her horn from different universes, so you need those ingredients as well."

Applejack just wanted to ask Discord why, until she suddenly remembered back Zecora's words, "fire can only defeated with fire if you want to archieve what you want."

"You want to say, that we need to recreate such a horn as well to destroy hers?" she asked.

Discord nodded again. In this moment, Spike interfered and showed everyone the letter, he got from Nightmare Moon. "Here!"

"We've got important things to do!" Discord said and pushed Spike aside.

"That's insane!" Rainbow Dash suddenly interfered.

She already arrived from the cotton cloudy sky and just catched up the last lines from their conservation.

"How specifically?" Discord asked her.

Rainbow Dash didn't know what to reply. "I don't know. It's crazy anyways."

Meanwhile, Fluttershy arrived as well. She looked tired but much more delighted than before for sure.

Discord had a look at Twilight, who was still performing that magic spell. He sighed and eventually admitted, "I think, I need to explain everything for you later."

Spike became impatient and showed his friends the letter. He exclaimed, "Nightmare Moon sent me that! Look already look!"

And the friends had a look on Spike's letter.

***

Diamond Tiara rushed hastily along the small streets. She had to find a shelter, like Rarity announced, but didn't know, where to go. She could go to the house of her father, but for some reason, she didn't really want to go there. She didn't even know herself, why she didn't search her father's home.

She had to permanently think of Silver Spoon and how mean she was to her in the train today. And she had to think of the accident, which happened there. Of the fog and of the kirin-like pony. Who was she anyways?

"Diamond Tiara!" a voice called her. "Here!"

Diamond Tiara turned her head. It was Sweetie Belle waving with her hoof. Diamond Tiara turned around and found out, that she was in the neighborhood of Sweet Apple Acres.

"Diamond Tiara!" another voice called her and she saw Scootaloo standing next to Sweetie Belle.

Diamond Tiara eventually decided to galopp to the Cutie Mark Crusaders. They had a clubhouse, which could be her shelter for today, she thought. Soon, she could see the third member of the CMC: Apple Bloom.

"Quick," Sweetie Belle exclaimed, "you've heard my sister, into out shelter."

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom went into their tree house, followed by their dog Winona and eventually Sweetie Belle. Diamond Tiara stared at them, then she also entered the tree house and it was immediately surrounded by a turquoise aura.

Diamond Tiara remembered back the last time, she entered the club house. She looked at the walls, which where full of photos from various foals and other ponies, including herself.

She hesitated, then turned at the CMC, smiled and said, "Thanks for letting me in."

"That's no problem," Apple Bloom replied. "We're meeting each other for the second time now."

Scootaloo pointed at the little window and streched her hoof out of it. At least, she tried to, but the magical barrier prevented it from getting out.

She shrugged and calmly said, "We'll stay here for a long time, until the barrier is broken."

"Wow!" Sweetie Belle squealed excited and hugged her friends. "That's like a sleepover!"

"Yeah!" Apple Bloom exclaimed happily. "I think, I've got some games in here."

Apple Bloom trotted to the bookshelves and picked some board games from the floor.

"Awesome!" Scootaloo said and picked up a card game, which was laying on the floor as well.

The three friends sat down together to get themselves prepared for their game.

Diamond Tiara looked at them for a while, before she turned to the window and tried to push her hoof out of it. At magical force pushed it back, no matter how hard she pushed against the barrier.

"Wanna join?" Apple Bloom suddenly asked.

Diamond Tiara turned her head and saw the fillied holding some cards in their hooves. She nodded.

***

"Are you thinking, this is a good idea?" Applejack asked.

She looked worried at the draconequus.

"I'm pretty convinced of it." He turned his head at Twilight and said, "But it has two flaws. Travelling though dimensions can make your brain as insane as mine and Screwball's. We both are used to travel through dimensions. You aren't. Is that worth the risk?"

The Mane 6 looked at the cotton cloudy sky. Its cotton candy cloudys expanded faster and the chocolate milk rain was getting more intense.

Twilight glanced at Spike's letter and eventually agreed, "In exchange for the safety of Equestria, we are all ready to become insane."

"So and who excactly is?" Discord asked by glancing at each of the Mane 6.

Rarity raised her hoof and replied bravely, "I am if no one else is ready to sacrifice himself!"

Discord didn't say anything and raised his claw. A strangely dark blue aura of magic swirled around it. He hold it back for a moment, before he fired that blue aura on Rarity.

"Ooh!" Pinkie squealed in excitement.

She bounced right before the blue beam, as it was only a harmless game.

"Pinkie no!" Twilight gasped horrified and streched out her left hoof.

But it was too late. The aura already surrounded Pinkie's body and made it twitching.

Pinkie bounced up and down a few times, regarding her own body and said, "Wow I'm magical!"

Rarity glanced at her with worry and looked down at herself once again. "What happened to her?"

"I've passed on the ability of travelling through dimensions on her I originally wanted to pass on on you," Discord explained calmly.

Rarity looked at the bouncy Pinkie Pie again. The magic aura disappeared and her body also stopped twitching. She only constantly squealed, "Ooh again again!"

"However, the amount of how much she can travel to various dimensions is limited," Discord explained and pointed at Pinkie. "Thus, you can only travel 100 times."

"So you're saying," Applejack concluded in worry, "that we'll be stuck, if we don't manage travelling back here?"

"That's unfortunate, but the only solution" Discord said in a deep voice.

Twilight glanced at her friends and said nothing. She pulled out the potion bottle, she got from Zecora and glared at Pinkie Pie for a moment, who was still bouncing happily.

Then, she turned away from Pinkie and looked at Discord again.

She whispered, "We have to find an explicit shelter for you as well. You also mentioned, that Screwball is searching for you."

"How about Twilight's castle?" Spike suggested and pointed at Twilight's castle.

"WHAT?" Discord gasped. "You expect me to move in into that?"

Spike nodded.

He shook his head. "No way!"

"That's the only solution." Twilight contracted her eyebrows. "Or do you want Screwball to find you easily?"

"No of course not!" Discord exclaimed. "But...uhm...does it has to be your castle? What about Fluttershy's cottage. That place is much more cozier anyways than your castle."

Discord glanced at Fluttershy and Fluttershy smiled timidly.

"You said, Screwball originally wanted Fluttershy as her first victim," Applejack interfered. "Thus, she will definitely expect you to be at her cottage. Therefore, she will find you sooner than you can say 'Granny Smith'"

Discord looked at the ground. "Ugh, you're right."

"What's the big deal though?" Spike put his claw consolatory on Discord's shoulder. "We can still invite Big Mac and play Ogres & Oubliettes together."

***

Some time later, Discord, Spike and Big Mac stood in front of Twilight's castle.

"Screwball definitely doesn't expect you to be in here," Spike said confidently.

Big Mac nodded in agreement. "Eeyup."

"Definitely not," Discord agreed.

He stepped forwards and opened the huge, golden doors or Twilight's castle. Then, he turned to his two friends again and letted them stepping in first.

Spike and Big Mac went into the castle, followed by Discord. Once, Discord's body had vanished inwardly of the castle, the golden doors automatically closed and the whole building was immediately surrounded by a turquoise, unbreakable aura.

Twilight fired another magic beam on her castle and made it disappear suddenly and being replaced by an ordinary oak tree.

Fluttershy gasped, "Are they fine?"

Twilight nodded and said calmly, "They didn't notice anything."

Then she turned to the rest of her friends and remembered the things, Discord told her. Eventually, she only whispered, "Pinkie, it's time."

Pinkie looked confused at first, but then, she spreaded her arms as she was pushing two doors apart. In front of her, a dark blue whole appeared, looking like a black hole. The hole automatically sucked Pinkie into that.

"Pinkie!" Rarity gasped.

But in the next moment, she was absorbed into the hole as well.

The mysterious hole grew bigger and bigger and also absorbed Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and eventually Twilight.

They didn't know, what was happening, but their bodies swirled around while they passed through a bright, colorful tunnel, automatically sucked by an unknown source.

They started to feel sick by all the swirling, but eventually, they fell down at the ground, as nothing happened.

"What happened?" Rarity exclaimed and looked down at herself.

She looked like a creature, she had never seen before in her life and onto her strangely shaped body, she immediately wore clothes.

"Where did they come from?" she asked her friends and pointed at her clothes.

"What the hay has happened to us?" Applejack asked confused.

Just like Rarity, she also looked down at herself as well. Then, her glare fell at her friends. They looked like her. They all had clothes on their body.

"So cool!" Pinkie squealed and tried to bounce.

But for some reason, her forehooves were shorter than her backhooves and she slapped at the hard ground and just brough out a disappointed, "Aw."

Twilight looked around as well. She looked at her confused looking friends, but then, she noticed a dog on the street leaded by another strange creature and not far away, a building, she thought, it was a castle: The Canterlot High.

"I know where we are!" Twilight gasped delighted and stood up onto her backhooves. "Follow me!"

Her friends tried to stand up like Twilight did, but they immediately lost their balance and crashed down onto the ground.

Chapter 8

"Hurry!!" Gallus shouted and flew into the direction of the School of Friendship. "Quick!"

The Young Six hurried as fast as they could, followed by Precious-la and Autumn Blaze. Both were panting incredibly due to the running.

"Can you please slow down?" Precious-la panted. "I can't run for such a long time in such a high velocity!"

"Stop whining!" Smolder said harshly, panting as well. "We need to get to the School of Friendship, quick!"

Silverstream dashed past Gallus in her highest velocity and immediately stopped in front of the huge building. She wiped the sweat with the back of her hippogriff claw out of her forehead and smiled confidently.

But suddenly, her smile was erased, as she looked at the school. It was already locked and surrounded by a turquoise aura. They were too late.

Without much thinking, Silverstream dashed in the direction of her still running group again and almost crashed into Gallus.

"Look out," he exclaimed.

Silverstream didn't apologize. She just panted nervously, "We're late!"

Yona gasped in shock, but Smolder pointed with her finger at Precious-la. "It's all her fault!"

"What? That's not true!" Precious-la panted horrified.

"You wanted us to slow down!" Smolder accused harshly.

"Calm down!" Ocellus interfered, trying to calm down her friends. "There must have been another way."

"Okay which way excactly?" Gallus asked sarcastically. "Oh I get it. We can easily wander into our school, it's just locked with the possibly most secure door locking spell in the history of Equestria."

"I know a way!" Precious-la gasped and rised a hoof, like she was still in her classes.

"You can't extinguish Twilight's spell with one of your spells," Sandbar answered, "just because you're be best student."

"No I meant another way," Precious-la said. "We can go into Discord's amusement park and find our shelter there."

"WHAT?" the Young Six including Autumn Blaze gasped.

"Are you mental?" Autumn Blaze exclaimed.

"No way!" Smolder shouted.

"I'm serious," Precious-la went on, ignoring the comments of the others. "Since the School of Friendship is already closed and we have no other shelters to go to, it's almost the safest place to do to his amusement park."

Ocellus glared at Precious-la and eventually decided, "Precious-la could be right."

"But Yona never in amusement park before," Yona whispered anxiously.

"We still have to try," Autumn Blaze said and looked at Precious-la. "I thrust her."

Precious-la had a short glance at her kirin friend, but then she swiftly headed forward into the direction to Discord's amusement park.

"Follow me!" she commanded.

The others followed her and arrived at a weirdly-shaped building in the shape of Discord's head. Onto his head, there were huge, brightly-shining, glittering, pink, weirdly-written, almost japanese-looking letters, which said, "DISCORD'S AMUSEMENT PARK." However, except of Discord's head, there were no other visible parts of his supposedly amusement park.

The Young Six exchanged unsure glares and stared at the single statue of Discord's head, which is supposed to be a whole amusement park.

"Are you sure that's it?" Sandbar asked and still glanced suspiciously at the statue.

"I'm absolutely sure!" Precious-la replied confidently and pointed at the conspicuous, huge letters. "It clearly says 'Discord's amusement park'."

"How can it be?" Silverstream whispered in unbelief.

"I have no idea!" Precious-la happily squealed. "It's Discord, he can do anything!"

Without saying any further words, Precious-la stepped into the entrance of the supposedly amusement park, which had the form of Discord's widely opened mouth, and vanished in the inside of it with a half-horrified, half-amused loud scream.

"Precious-la!" Autumn Blaze gasped and followed her into Discord's mouth.

She also disappeared with a scream.

The Young Six hesitated for a while, but eventually, they still followed Precious-la.

They carefully stepped into Discord's mouth, but once, they entered, they felt the ground under their hooves weirdly moving. Gallus turned his head and realized, that the ground was Discord's tongue, they were standing on, which bended slowly and suddenly swallowed the Young Six all at one.

They were transported into a dark, moist slide, supposed to be Discord's esophagus, which leaded them almost vertically downwards, so that they were practically in a free fall. The slide was too narrow for Gallus, Ocellus and Silverstream to spread their wings, so they fell and fell, meanwhile screaming.

Then, the Young Six saw a blue light at the end of the slide and expected to be crashing harshly at the ground. However, a few centrimetres before they reached the ground, an unknown force made them abruptly slowing down, causing them almost floating until their hooves reached the bright, turquoise ground smoothly.

"That was so fun, right?" Precious-la squealed excited with widened pupils. "Discord was sure creative, when creating this awesome slide."

None of the Young Six replied. They were still deeply shocked and absolutely confused by the experience of the entrance, they just had.

But Precious-la didn't care and just bounced happily around the group, as if they had just been into the "Rainbow Unicorn Paradise Land" together.

"And it's even getting better," she continued with excitement, "because we're going to safe Equestria together as friends and maybe can even use the Elements of Harmony and then, we're officially friend, that's gr..."

"NO!" Smolder shouted loudly.

She was the first one, who found her voice again, and looked rather upset and excited.

"We're not going to safe Equestria together, because that's not your thing and you shouldn't interfere into things, you're not supposed to!"

"Why not? I just want to help!" Precious-la defended herself.

"Anyways, she hates me anyways," she pointed at Smolder and arrogantly rised her head. "But you don't mind to have another helper, do you?"

"So you just lead us into Discord's amusement park just to join us?" Sandbar concluded, sounding upset as well.

"Yep!" Precious-la admitted, smiling widely. "But to be honest, isn't that great?"

"How dare you?" Gallus exclaimed.

"Why don't you want to accept me? Why?" Precious-la suddenly didn't sound happy at all, rather confused.

"Anyways," she arrogantly rised her head again.

She stepped to Silverstream and stopped directly next to her.

"You like fun, don't you?" Precious-la began. "Just like me. You will certainly accept me and we will be best friends!"

Silverstream glared at Precious-la for a few seconds. Although, she didn't look as upset as the others, she didn't say anything.

"I count it as a yes," Precious-la rhetorically replied, smiling so widely, that she showed all her teeth.

"No," Silverstream eventually replied.

But Precious-la already teleported next to Yona and asked almost begging, "And yooooooou??"

"Yona not think, Precious-pony should be hero!" Yona said bravely.

"I think, Yona is right," Ocellus interfered.

From the surface, she still looked calm, but Precious-la could see, that she was as upset as the others.

"You tried too hard to be one of us," Ocellus explained. "I understand, that you only want to help us, but the point is, that you want to be an Element of Harmony and all you do is bringing us into more trouble and the worst is, that you're not even noticing that!"

Precious-la teleported away from Yona in front of Ocellus and suddenly was quiet.

"You shouldn't be someone, you're clearly not, and it's our job to save Equestria, not yours," Ocellus went on, her voice became harsher. "You can help us by just not interfering and we're tired of you just wanting to be part of everything and interfering into anything you see. I realize, that I should have to tell you that earlier, but I didn't and it's my fault: You're an annoying nuisance!"

"And you're an egocentric jerk!" Autumn Blaze shouted upsetly, even more upset than any Young Six member, and with tears in her eyes and shaking hooves.

"You don't even care about me! You don't even care about Lithium! All you care about is about yourself and the Young Six. You just care about your own popularity and staying with the cool guys and not such an outsider like me, or a nerd like Lithium!"

Autumn Blaze' whole body was shaking and around her eyes, there was already a mysterious red and back nebula. Slowly but surely, she is turning into a nirik. But Autumn Blaze didn't care, in whom she is turning.

"First I thought, you could be the best friend, I never had in my village, but I admit, that I can't be more wrong!" Autumn's mane is turning into a red-black nebula shaped nirik mane as well. "You don't want me as your friend! You just want the Young Six and the Elements of Harmony, that's everything you want! You want Silverstream, you want Yona, but you don't want me! Autumn Blaze! Because I'm. Not. Important!!!"

Precious-la still didn't say anything but only stupidly stared between Ocellus and the almost wholly turned into a nirik Autumn Blaze.

The rest of the Young Six was quiet as well, eager to hear, what Ocellus and Autumn Blaze still have to say.

"Now you're not interfering anymore, Precious-la!" Ocellus exclaimed, almost shouting. "And that's good so. For everyone!"

"Fine," Precious-la just said, shortly and coldly.

She raised her head as she already had done many times in this cave and marshed to a turquoise glowing door. She stopped to push the door open and bright, yellow sunlight shone from the inside of the door into the room.

"Fine," Precious-la repeated.

She stepped into the other room first with her forehooves, then with her right backhoof. Then, she turned her head again and said coldly, "I'm leaving, happy?"

She didn't expect any answer from any of the Young Six, nor from Autumn Blaze and also stepped in with her leaving, left backhoof.

The door behind her automatically closed and right in this moment, the Young Six noticed for the first time, that they were located in a circular room, where everything was made of blue stained glass and where on the walls of the room were about a dozen turquoise glowing doors. The door, from which Precious-la had disappeared was only one of many.

Soon as the door closed, the walls of the room began to rotate swiftly. So fast, that for a few moments, the turquoise glow of the doors became blurred and indistinct and it was plain impossible to recognize them.

The ground, on which the Young Six and Autumn Blaze stood, rotated as well and made them all feel dizzy and confused.

Then, the walls and the ground stopped rotating and every door was on its accurate location again. But it was impossible to spot out, from which door excactly Precious-la disappeared. Every door looked the same and had the same distance to each other. There was absolutely no difference between them.

The Young Six looked at each other, not knowing how to comment the experience, they just made.

Autumn Blaze already calmed down and turned into her usual kirin form again. She anxiously glanced at the Young Six and whispered a timid, "sorry."

"It's probably not your fault," Ocellus said, staring at one of the doors.

***

In the meanwhile, Precious-la was located in another room, but she wasn't sure whether to call it room anymore.

Once the door closed behind her, it also disappeared and Precious-la found herself on a wide, purple and orange patched grasslands. She couldn't figure out, where the borders of the room were, if there were any borders at all.

And she wasn't even sure, whether she wanted to figure the borders out. Her thoughts were still stuck at the conservation with the Young Six and Autumn Blaze, making her feel gloomy and bad.

"You're an annoying nuisance!" Ocellus' voice haunted in her head, sounding ten times as angry as it actually was.

Precious-la was sure, that she was only hallucinating and closed her ears, but that didn't avoid Autumn Blaze's angry voice shouting in her head, "You don't want me as your friend!"

Autumn Blaze' nirik form appeared in front of her, but Precious-la only closed her eyes and shook her head.

As she opened her eyes again, she stared forwards to focus on finding out, where excactly she was, until she saw a few pink cotton candy clouds nor far away from her.

She remembered back the speech from her teachers and suddenly reminded herself to a certain part of the whole speech, "To eatable cotton candy clouds, from which chocolate milk rains."

"Holy Celestia!" she gasped happily, "I must have been in Discord's amusement park!"

Without thinking, Precious-la dashed as fast as she could to the cotton candy clouds, feeling her own excitement rushing through her body. But then she abruptly stopped.

She noticed, that she could also easily teleport to the clouds, so she did a teleported right under a particulary huge cotton candy cloud.

The cotton candy cloud noticed Precious-la standing under it and began to rain chocolate rain and candy corn for her.

Precious-la gasped happily and opened her mouth to catch all the sweets with her tongue, before they reached the ground.

The chocolate milk was so delicious, that Precious-la thought, it was the best thing, she ever ate and in combination with the candy corn melting onto her tongue, it made everything better.

Precious-la's gloom from the round room was immediately wiped away and she was happier than ever in her life.

She used her magic to tear out a part of the cotton candy cloud and it suddenly stopped raining chocolate rain and candy corn.

Precious-la didn't care. She ate the cotton candy and made it melt into her mouth. She smiled confidently.

"Isn't it gorgeous?" a mysterious voice chuckled behind her.

Precious-la turned her body to check out, who said that sentence and only saw a kirin-like pony in front of her.

Her body was pink like the cotton candy clouds and her mane was purple, just like Diamond Tiara's. But instead of pupils, she only had pink swirls in her purple eyes, which were looking calmly, but determined at Precious-la.

The pony stepped one step forwards to Precious-la and streched out her right hoof. She smiled and said calmly, "Nice to meet you. I'm Screwball."

"Screwball."

The name rang in Precious-la's ears and she remembered, what Twilight told Ocellus and Silverstream about Screwball.

Is it the Screwball? The Screwball, who took Chancellor Neighsay's, Starlight's or even Lithium's friendship experience?

"What do you want?" Precious-la eventually decided to ask Screwball.

"I know, what I am doing," Screwball said slowly. "And I know, why I came to you."

Screwball took one breath and paused for a moment, until she finally admitted, "I need your help."

"My help?" Precious-la asked and constricted her eyes, "in what?"

Screwball pointed with her right hoof at the top of her head and in that moment, Precious-la noticed the long, grey horn at the top of her beanie.

"To get the magic from all of Equestria." Screwball smiled widely. "From all of Ponyville."

Precious-la automatically gasped and stared unbelieving at Screwball.

"No way!" she shouted angrily. "There's no way that I'm gonna helping you!"

Screwball just raised her hoof to let Precious-la calm down. "I explicitely chose you and you can't pretend, that I don't know anything about you."

Precious-la opened her mouth to protest, but Screwball went on.

"I already know, that the Young Six don't want anything to do with you."

"That's not true!" Precious-la shouted firstly, but then, she stopped herself from yelling and looked at Screwball with confusion. "How did you know?"

"I already told you, that I don't know nothing about you," Screwball answered shortly. "You can't deny, that the Young Six don't want you to be in their team."

This time, Precious-la only glared at Screwball, constantly shaking her head.

"You're wrong in their team. It doesn't suit you and you're not a holder of any Element of Harmony," Screwball went on.

"It may be true, that I don't suit in their team," Precious-la said, "but that doesn't mean, I will automatically help you. You're a villain and all the things you've done is evil and bad and I will never. Ever. Help. You!"

Screwball smiled and replied, "That's because I have no friends. And you don't have any either. You tried too hard."

"W...what?" Precious-la exclaimed. "I have friends!"

But then, she heard Ocellus' voice in her head again, "You tried too hard to be one of us."

"You wanted to be a hero so much," Screwball continued, "but you're not. They didn't let you being a hero, so it's time to be the villain. We can archieve great together as a team. You'll know, that you'll find the friend in me, you never had. And you'll never have."

"No!" Precious-la replied. "No, no, no! I already decided, that I will not be in your team and destroy Equestria! I almost made the mistake and I will certainly not make it twice!"

Precious-la stopped for a while, but soon went on, "though I'm not one of the Young Six, I'm still a hero, not a villain like you! I will never do bad things like you did!"

Precious-la expected Screwball to flip out, but instead, her enemy just slightly nodded her head and smiled.

"Hm," she said, "you have the choice. But if you don't want to join me, I have to annihilate you."

"Annihilate me?" Precious-la asked. "You can't threaten me. I won't be at your side!"

Screwball pretended not having noticed Precious-la's last sentence. "You already know too much from me. Either you join me, or you have to go through the same torture like Lithium."

Lithium?

"You don't even care about Lithium!" Autumn Blaze' voice haunted in her head.

"What did you do to Lithium?" Precious-la gasped.

"She lost her friendship experience," Screwball admitted directly, "and you will too."

Screwball did a pause and deeply stared at Precious-la with her spiral eyes.

"So, what do you want? Join or loose your friendship experience?" Screwball eventually asked, still staring at Precious-la.

"I have to think about first," Precious-la mumbled unsurely.

She turned away from Screwball and glared at a cotton candy cloud, reflecting about the situation from before, when she argued with the Young Six. Memories floated through her mind and the voices of the Young Six haunted her.

"Be aware," Screwball whispered, "that you cannot do anything against me anyways. You're not a hero. I'm much more powerful than you are and it's stupid of you to fight against me. Except you want to end like your old friend Lithium."

"Yona not think, Precious-pony should be hero!" Yona's voice haunted.

Precious-la tried to push that voice away, but everything she did was making Ocellus' voice appear, "I think, Yona is right. You shouldn't be someone, you're clearly not."

"I can't wait all day," Screwball said, a bit harsher than before. "If you don't decide, I will take your experience without permission."

Precious-la turned her body to Screwball again, opened her mouth and slowly said, "Yes."

"I agree with this collaboration," she went on and bowed in front of Screwball.

Screwball stared at Precious-la, but then, she laughed out loud and raised her hooves up. It was an evil laughter full of wicked plans and the huge delight of finally getting a partner. Screwball laughed and laughed.

"We will rule Equestria together!" she shouted in joy and bounced around in happiness.

Precious-la, still bowing, glanced at her new partner and smiled timidly. And a wicked expression developed on her face.

Screwball fired a beam from her grey horn into the void and made a glowing, blue door appear. She opened that door and Precious-la could see, that it leaded to Ponyville, outside of Discord's amusement park.

Precious-la stopped bowing and went through the door outside and Screwball followed her.

As soon as they were outside, the door disappeared. Screwball and Precious-la turned to each other and began to laugh again. With an evil laughter.

Author's Note

Discord's amusement park is a institution, that I created and invented on my own. It's not in the canon.

Chapter 9

"Do Ocellus think we were too harsh to Precious-pony?" Yona asked with a whispering voice.

Ocellus was still staring at one of the doors, trying to think about something. She turned her head to Yona and asked back, "What do you mean?"

However, Ocellus didn't expect an answer.

"Well perhaps I snapped a bit too much," she answered her own question slowly. "Anyways, we probably should look for her, before something badly happens."

A few heads from the Young Six turned to Ocellus, including Autumn Blaze.

"Why should we do that?" Autumn Blaze said in a cold tone. "I don't think, we were too harsh. She didn't treat us well and she hopefully knows that, but considering that, I wouldn't put my hopes too high."

"But..." Yona stammered, "Precious-pony defended Yona."

"Helping or not, we still have to do anything," Ocellus explained. "We don't know, where our teachers are, but they thrusted us to save Equestria a second time. And it's not the best choice to sit here and do nothing."

Saying this, Ocellus' glance wandered to the rest of the Young Six sitting at the ground and playing card games. Ocellus stared at the cards and went some steps forward to carefully watch them.

"Where did you get them from?" she asked and picked up one card.

"I don't know," Silverstream answered and placed an A at the stack, "Suddenly the hole, from where we came from, spitted them out, so that we can play."

"Hm," Ocellus reflected, "you heard me right?"

Silverstream, Sandbar, Smolder and Gallus all nodded.

"We have to save Equestria from Screwball and I already know how," Ocellus began to explain.

She pointed at a door with her hoof.

"I think, we should split up and each of you takes one door, where we might find some tips and answers," she went on. "We're seven, so we might have to do that twice."

"I understand," Sandbar said, "but why do you think, that we'll find these answers beyond these doors?"

Sandbar pointed at one as well.

"When the war was announced, Twilight whispered to me, that the rooms at Discord's amusement park will give us some advise," Ocellus replied. "But she didn't excactly tell me, why the amusement park."

Smolder glanced at the hole, from which they arrived here into this room and from which the cards have fell from.

"For some reason, the amusement park knew excactly, that we needed those cards." Silverstream waved with the cards in her claw. "So, it will also know, how to defeat Screwball, even if we don't know how."

Ocellus nodded.

Smolder this time pointed at the hole and said, "We still don't know, how to get out."

"I don't know either, but I think, we will once we have a plan," Ocellus said.

She went to the door in front of her and prepared to open it.

Then she turned her head and said additionally, "And which some luck, we might even be able to find Precious-la."

The rest of the Young Six agreed and went in front of each blue glowing door. They already wanted to open them, until Autumn Blaze interrupted them with a, "wait!"

"I've got a question," Autumn Blaze said. "Do I have to do that as well?"

The Young Six looked at each other. Eventually, Ocellus said, "We don't want you to be here alone."

Autumn Blaze froze for a moment, but then, she chose the door next to Ocellus and went in front of it, ready to open it. She didn't want to stay alone in this hall.

"A three, we all open our doors simutaneously," Ocellus announced. "One, two, three."

The Young Six and Autumn Blaze pushed their doors open and dashed inside of them. Once they disappeared, their doors closed and the entire room, including the ground, began to rotate fastly.

The cards swirled around in the air, but the Young Six of course didn't notice anything, as they were already in their rooms.

***

Ocellus looked in front of her and saw a giantic tree entirely made out of purple crystals. Onto the branches, she could see the seperate Elements of Harmony in their specific colors and shapes.

"Woah!" Ocellus said in honor.

She knew, that it was the Tree of Harmony, as she remembered the time, the Tree trapped them.

Although, she doesn't wholly believe, what she was seeing, so she ran straight to the tree to study it more accurate.

"It must be a sign," she whispered to herself and watched the tree carefully.

She turned her head again trying to notice the shape of a room and asked herself, whether she was still in Discord's amusement park and whether it was actually a part of it.

"Or am I actually in front of the Tree of Harmony?" she asked herself.

Then, she moved some more steps forwards to touch the Elements, until someone suddenly appeared and scared her.

Ocellus tumbled some steps backwards. Now she can see, who was the pony, who suddenly appeared.

"You?" she asked, staring at the pony.

It was the Tree of Harmony itself, Ocellus knew it, shaped excactly like Princess Twilight, just with more sparkles floating a few centrimetres above the ground.

The Tree nodded slowly and whispered, "Equestria is in danger. You need us."

"What should we do?" Ocellus asked timidly to get more information from the tree.

But the spirit of the Tree has already disappeared as sudden as it appeared and the only thing, that remained, was the physical Tree with its Elements.

And near the Tree was a small door, supposed to be the exit out of the amusement park. And though not every question from Ocellus got replied, one question got: She was still in the amusement park.

***

Gallus kept running. At least until he realized, that he already had passed the door and was located somewhere else.

He looked at his claws and noticed, that he was on some stone stairs and that he already managed to ascend a few.

However, he had no idea, where excactly he was and what the supposedly endless stairs want to tell him about how to save Equestria. So, he didn't say anything and ascend the stairs.

He ascended and ascended, but he still had the feeling not going somewhere specific. Even after he was terribly exhausted, he didn't reach any destination.

"What's going on here?" Gallus exclaimed into the void. "What important information do you want to tell me??"

But he only heard his own echo. No one replied to him and after all, the place, where he was located, was absolutely silent.

Then, a door, which appeared out of nothing, opened and a red pen was tossed out of it. Gallus caught the pen, looked at it for a few second and took it to mark the slap, where he was standing, with a thick, bold X.

He clinched the pen in his claws and went on ascending the stairs.

He ascended and ascended, sometimes had to turn right, but then, he arrived at a slap, which had a thick, bold X marked on.

"That can't be!" Gallus said in unbelief and stared at his pen.

He just arrived at the excact same place, where he started and didn't remember ever having descending any stairs.

Gallus decided to do that whole game again. And again. But the result was always the same. He always arrived at the X marked slap without descending any stairs.

His confusion slowly turned into despair and he began to think, how he could return at the same place over and over again.

He even thought so hard, that he didn't realize millions of tiny, white maggots rising up from the right side of himself, just at the chasm next to the stairs.

He just looked down into the chasm, when he heard some weird noises and froze. It was full of maggots and that's not enough.

The whole stairchase began to horribly wobble and all the stair behind him transformed into the same maggots.

Gallus was scared and sprinted the stairs up, but everything, that happened was, that all the stair behind him turned into maggots.

"Holy Celestia, what's that for?" he panted while sprinting.

Eventually Gallus gave up sprinting and raised high into the air to avoid the maggots getting to close on him.

He looked down and noticed, that the whole staircase turned into an entire swarm of white maggots, which grew bigger and bigger just like a floodwave.

Gallus flapped his wings to fly higher. He raised his head to check, whether there were any height limits and how high was the room, he was located in, until he suddenly heard a mysterious voice, he had never heard before.

"To where and back again," it whispered in a strange voice, "to where and back again."

"Who are you?" Gallus turned his body.

There was nobody and no specific source of the voice. But the voice was present.

"To where and back again," it whispered again.

"What do you want to tell me?" Gallus exclaimed and spinned his own body like mad.

He suddenly froze and dashed upwards, as he noticed almost being touched by the huge, growing swarm of maggots. While flying upwards, he looked down and stared at each of the maggots.

"Did you say that?" Gallus asked.

"To where and back again," the voice only replied.

Then, a door appeared out of nowhere and automatically opened. Being enormously delighted, Gallus flew out though still now knowing the answer.

***

Silverstream looked around herself and was confused about the place, where she was located in. She had never seen this place in her whole life, but for some reason, it was full of colorful stained glass panes. Some were destroyed and only a few remained undamaged.

"Hello?" Silverstream whispered.

Her voice expanded through the room, but no one replied.

"Anyone here?" Silverstream asked again, louder this time.

She streched out her right claw to touch a glass pane, when a sudden voice croaked, "Halt!"

Silverstream swirled round, scared by the voice.

"What do you think you're doing?", the voice said severely.

Silverstream could estimate, that it was a strict creature and turned her body to see, who called her. Then, her eyes widened. She couldn't believe, who she was meeting and stared at the creature with utter unbelief.

It was a pink, full grown up hippogriff, with swirly blue mane and a dark blue suit. She wore eyeshadows and also wore a few jewellery, but the thing, Silverstream already noticed on her was her crystal similar with her own one, which made it possible for her turning into a seapony and back.

Although she already had a suspicion, whom she was facing, Silverstream still asked timidly, "Who are you?"

The hippogriff coughed and only said, "It's August the 13th in year 2053."

"2053?" Silverstream asked, more confused than before.

"Yes," the hippogriff moaned, "do I always have to explain everything twice?"

Silverstream timidly nodded. "So we are in the future?"

"What do you mean with the future, I'm just living my life," the hippogriff replied and stared at one of the glass panes.

It pictures a beautiful white earth pony raising her head and her both hooves into the air, while she held a flag in her left hoof and her long, golden mane waved into the wind.

"Not very fancy during all the war," she added, suddenly less strictly.

"The war?" Silverstream gasped. "What...what happened? Why?"

"Where have you been all the time?"

The hippogriff shook her mane, as she couldn't believe Silverstream not knowing anything.

"The war between Nightmare Moon and the Pony of Shadow," she eventually replied. "It all began, when Nightmare Moon banished Princess Celestia to the moon and enslaved every other Royal Guard to put them into the catacombs."

"I already know that," Silverstream whispered, anxious of making the hippogriff upset again.

Her estimation was right and the hippogriff puffed scoffingly and hissed, "Why did you ask then?"

"Sorry," Silverstream whispered quietly, "but it's all Screwball's fault."

"I know," the hippogriff said, calm again, "and it's a shame that I couldn't do anything against that horrible pony."

The hippogriff turned away from Silverstream again and picked up another glass pane. Or at least its pieces. That one was almost totally destroyed and the hippogriff tried to figure out, who it's supposed to be.

Silverstream stared at the first glass pane again and remained silent.

"But you can," the hippogriff eventually croaked, "Silverstream. You can change this."

Silverstream glanced at the hippogriff, "So I am in the future?"

"Stop with your future stuff," the hippogriff snorted. "You need to find your friends and that blue pony and the change wouldn't be too hard."

"Precious-la?" Silverstream asked carefully and the hippogriff nodded.

Silverstream slightly nodded back. She hesitated for a moment before asking, "Are you...are you me?"

"What weird questions are you asking me?" the hippogriff asked back and disappeared behind further glass panes.

Silverstream carefully followed her. For the last time, the hippogriff turned her head again and said, "No touching."

And in front of her, a door appeared.

***

Smolder arrived in a gloomy, almost completely dark room, she never has been in before and turned her head trying to find some ponies. But it was an almost completely empty room, looking like a dusty old class room.

Smolder's glance wandered through the tables of the room and noticed a few paper stacks neatly being placed at the right corner of the table.

She instantly flew over to the table in the middle, picked up the paper stack and began to read the first page.

EEA guidelines for the foundation of a new equestrian school.

Smolder read the entire first page, but she didn't see anything relevant or informational. It were just the boring, old EEA guidelines.

"But how could they be here in this classroom?" Smolder asked herself and read the second page with a suddenly welcoming passport photo of Precious-la.

Name: Precious-la Estella
Birthdate: May 27th 2004
Species: unicorn

"What in tarnation?" Smolder thought confused.

She was just going to read the whole personal description of Precious-la and to choose really wisely, she just decided to skip the second page.

She just wanted to apply herself reading the third page, until a strict voice behind her exclaimed, "You dragons don't have anything better to do than sneaking in these paper stacks."

Smolder instantly recognized that strict voice and noticed Chancellor Neighsay standing behind her. As usually in his vine red robes, wearing his EEA Medaillon.

"What are you doing here?" Smolder hissed hostily.

"I wanted to know the same from you," Neighsay whispered in a derogative tone. "Anyways, this is my room, not yours."

Smolder let her eyes wandering through the classroom again and eventually bravely asked Neighsay, "So what excactly made it being your room now?"

"Typical dragons," Neighsay said instead of answering Smolder's question. "Always wanted the war in Equestria and already trying to catch information to start with."

"WHAT?" Smolder exclaimed. That wasn't true, but she knew, that Neighsay would say such a thing.

She decided just ignoring him and concentrating on the third page of the stack again, but then, Neighsay said something, she didn't expect at all, "Arrest me."

She abruptly turned to Neighsay, tossed the stack on the ground and frantically shook her head. "You can't just arrest me just because some crude accusations! I never said, that I wanted war!"

"I want you to arrest me," Neighsay repeated calmly. "I know, that I can't do anything against the war, so arrest me."

Smolder just stared at Neighsay with opened mouth.

"Arrest me," Neighsay repeated for the third time.

He sat down at the ground and raised his forehooves to let Smolder arresting him.

"Are..." Smolder stammered, "are you serious?"

Neighsay just nodded with closed eyes, remaining in his unusual-for-him pose.

"But you," Smolder began to speak, but she couldn't finish her sentence. She couldn't believe, that Neighsay wanted her to arrest him.

"Arrest me," Neighsay said already for the fourth time, "like Cozy Glow did."

And a chain with a locket suddenly appeared out of nothing, just next to a door, which also just appeared.

Smolder remembered back. She was still in Discord's amusement park and everything wasn't real. She knew the answer, the amusement park wanted to give her.

Without looking back at Neighsay, Smolder opened the door and flew out.

***

Soon after Sandbar passed the blue glowing door, he found himself in his old childhood room again.

"Sandbar bwuotter," a catchy voice squeaked cheerfully.

It was Sandbar's baby sister, who was in his room for a strange reason. Sandbar looked at his sister for some minutes and thought, that she could be the one giving him several answers.

He turned to his little sister, smiled happily and said, "Hello!"

"Hewwo!" the baby girl squeaked back, laughing cheerfully.

Sandbar coughed and looked his sister in her eyes. "Do you know, how to safe Equestria from Screwball?"

"Scwewball safe Eqwestwia fwom you," the sister replied.

Sandbar didn't know, what do begin with that sentence. He understood, that his sister was still very young and doesn't understand much, but he had the feeling, that she could be helpful anyways.

Thus, he took a paper and a pen from his room and noted his sister's sentence.

"What to do in a war?" he asked her again.

"Do a wawr," the girl replied again and Sandbar noted this sentence as well.

He asked her a dozen other, same related questions and noted every answer down, but everything he got was a variation of his own question just in baby language.

Sandbar scratched himself on his head and reflected. Usually, her sister might be able of speaking more own sentences than just repeating the question, but she's clearly not.

So, Sandbar took his pen again and wrote the result down.

Repeats sentences all the time.

"Perhaps this could be a sign as well," he thought and looked at the sentences again.

Sandbar's sister bounced through the room, as nothing serious happened, until right next to her, a door appeared. The door automatically opened and a beautiful pony in the age of Diamond Tiara stepped out of it.

Sandbar didn't notice her, as he was sunken into his own notes, trying to catch some information.

"Hi Sandbar," the pony said and waved her hoof.

Sandbar turned his head and recognized that pony. "Dew Sunshine!"

"Hi again," Dew Sunshine replied and pointed at the window outside of Sandbar's room. "Wanna play something?"

"I have no time," Sandbar answered shortly, trying to focus again.

Suddenly, he dropped his notes and glanced at Dew Sunshine. She might be the important information, not his sister.

Sandbar stared at Dew to carefully study every single detail on her and note everything down on his paper, which caused Dew to be utterly confused.

"What are you doing?" she asked suspiciously and tried to have a glance on Sandbar's notes. "What are you writing?"

However, Sandbar found Dew as suspicious, as Dew found him suspicious.

Dew tried to read every single word on Sandbar's paper, but Sandbar didn't care about her.

"What do you mean with 'a filly again', 'younger probably hasn't aged', 'pointing at the window, when wanting to play'?" Dew asked. "You're weird!"

This time, Sandbar looked at Dew again without constantly staring and smiled innocently.

"Sorry," he said timidly.

"What's up with you?" Dew kept on asking.

"Well, I can not let my old friend not knowing about the current situation," Sandbar sighed. "I have to find informations how to save Equestria."

"Safe Equestria?" Dew asked, now entirely visibly confused. "From what?"

"Even if I explained it to you, you wouldn't understand," Sandbar said calmly and read his notes again.

"Explain everything to me and I can help you!" Dew begged. "Please!"

Sandbar looked at his old friend Dew and finally gave up. "OK."

"But I haven't found a way yet," he admitted. "And I probably need your help to find it."

Dew happily nodded and jumped forwards to hug Sandbar. And even if she seems to be way younger than he is, he smiled and thought, that she was still a pretty cute pony.

"Found way," Sandbar's little sister squeaked. "Hewp need."

Dew looked at Sandbar and blushed. She timidly said, "You know, friends are always supposed to help their friends and each other."

Sandbar suddenly reminded back, what Precious-la told him before, "But you don't mind to have another helper, do you?"

And his face lighted up. He knew, what he needed to do. He needed his best friends against Screwball. Probably even Precious-la.

"What are you thinking about?" Dew asked him and teared him out of his thoughts.

***

Yona looked around herself.

"Yona in Ponyville?" she asked herself, looking confused.

She was in a surrounding, that excactly looked like Ponyville, except for that the streets were totally empty with no ponies ever trotting on them.

Yona told herself, that she was still in Discord's amusement park and not in the real Ponyville and that she had to find important information to save Equestria from Screwball.

She carefully watched every house, but they looked the same as always.

"Probably Yona should knock," Yona said and went to the first house.

She raised her hoof and knocked a few times at the door. Nopony opened it. She knocked again, but that didn't change anything. Nopony opened the door.

"Nopony at home," Yona considered and for the first time, she noticed, that she was entirely alone.

And probably not only alone at this street, probably even alone in Ponyville.

Thus, Yona also went to the further houses to knock at their doors for anyone opening, but no one opened. No single pony opened the door for Yona. And nopony also went out of their houses.

Yona doesn't know, what to do without anyone helping her, but right in that moment, she heard a stampede coming from somewhere and was curious, what it was.

She followed the sounds of the stampede by going along the street and noticed, that it were a lot of changelings waiting for her.

Yona panicked by the sight of the huge amount of her enemies and wanted to hide, before she got any help. So she saw a few bushes and jumped into them.

"Where are ponies?" she whispered to herself, trying to glance at the street, without getting herself discovered.

As soon as she asked herself that question, a nest of flash bees fell down from the tree behind her, broke apart and the flash bees hostily noticed Yona and tries to chase her.

Yona was scared and tumbled out from her shelter. She saw the flash bees and tried to calm them down, but they remained as aggressive as they are and chased Yona.

Yona had no other choice, jumped up and sprinted away from the bees as fast as she could. The flash bees dashed after her.

The changelings also noticed her, as they appeared right in front of her to cut off her way. Yona stared at them, trying to find out an escape, but the stampede of changelings was too tight to each other.

"Yona did nothing to changelings," Yona stammered hastily. "Please not hurt Yona."

The changelings exchanged glanced and finally decided to run right towards Yona with a high velocity. Yona turned her head and saw the flash bees hunting her at the other side of the street.

She decided, it was better to escape towards the flash bees than towards the large amount of changelings and ran. She just ran.

"Yona alone," Yona screamed while running for her life. "Changelings together, Yona alone!"

Suddenly, as someone petrified them with a magic spell, the changelings behind her and the flash bees in front of her froze and didn't move anymore. Yona swirled around to find out, who helped her, but she didn't see anyone on her side.

As Yona was distracted, one single flash bee turned into a changeling and said, "Yona alone, changelings together."

Yona froze and noticed that single changeling.

"That's true," the changeling admitted calmly and nodded slowly.

Then, the other flash bees also turned into changelings, but instead of running towards Yona, they remained quiet and in front of the changeling, who spoke, a door appeared.

Yona understood. "The exit for Yona!"

She immediately rushed to the door, before the changelings considered the other way, quickly opened it and jumped out of it.

Yona sighed in delight, until her pupils widened in fear.

"Yona not found information yet!" Yona gasped horrified, until she remembered the sentence, the changeling told her.

"Yona alone, changelings together."

"Changeling makes sense," Yona concluded in delight. "Now Yona needs friends too."

Author's Note

Dew Sunshine is not a canon character, but also an OC created by me. She briefly appears in this chapter, but doesn't appear anymore in further chapters of this fanfiction. She was Sandbar's childhood friend.

Chapter 10

"I lost the game again!" Diamond Tiara exclaimed and tossed her last card in the middle.

"That's the game," Apple Bloom explained friendly. "Sometimes you win and sometimes you loose. That's normal."

Sweetie Belle, who was mixing the cards, nodded in agreement.

Diamond Tiara glanced at the cards and mumbled, "My parents always let me win the game."

"I understand," Scootaloo said, "but that's not the way, how card games work."

Sweetie Belle finished mixing the cards and gave them away to her friends and herself, eight cards for each of them.

"I won the game," Apple Bloom said and streched out her hoof. "Do you have an A?"

Diamond Tiara nodded reluctantly and gave Apple Bloom a card.

"Why do I have to give you that card anyways?" she asked. "That's unfair towards me."

"That's the rules," Sweetie Belle said and took a card, Scootaloo gave her.

Diamond Tiara glanced at her cards and decided to put a seven in the middle.

"So you want to play games all day?" she asked the CMC.

Each of the CMC nodded happily.

"You don't?" Scootaloo asked confused.

"It's just, that Equestria is in danger and I feel guilty by doing nothing against that," Diamond Tiara explained and looked out the window for a moment.

"What do you want to do anyways?" Apple Bloom asked her.

She placed a K at the stack and pointed out the window. "Twilight created that spell, so that we can't get out of here."

As an answer for Diamond Tiara's worried look, Apple Bloom pointed at the pedestral in their Clubhouse, where there's standing a shallow bowl filled with plenty of cookies.

She said, "We still have food for today."

Sweetie Belle nodded and added, "And it's dangerous out there and there's a war, that has broken out."

"I know," Diamond Tiara said, "but the war is in Canterlot, not in Ponyville."

Diamond Tiara glared at her cards again and placed a 10 in the middle.

"Anyways, I was present, when that awful kirin pony sucked out the essence out of Silver Spoon and she probably also did that do more ponies than her," Diamond Tiara said.

"WHAT??" Apple Bloom exclaimed and accidently dropped her cards. "When? Why? Again what?"

"Who was that kirin?" Scootaloo asked, also laying her cards aside.

"I don't know, who she is," Diamond Tiara replied.

"How did she look like?" Sweetie Belle asked in curiosity.

"I don't know," Diamond Tiara replied impatiently. "I already told everything Twilight and her friends and it wasn't a good experience. I don't want to say everything twice."

With those words, Diamond Tiara stood up and stared out the window. Her sight was slightly hindered by the turquoise magic aura, but she could still recognize the several apple trees of Sweet Apple Acres.

Diamond Tiara looked in the sky and noticed, that a lot of clouds were pink like cotton candy. "That's weird."

The CMC said nothing. Sweetie Belle picked the being dropped cards up and started mixing them.

"I'm hungry," Scootaloo said and went to the pedestral to pick some cookies.

But Diamond Tiara didn't care. She was still looking out of the window and thinking, but then, she froze.

She instantly turned her body and exclaimed horrified, "That ain't possible!"

"What ain't possible?" Apple Bloom asked confused.

The CMC galloped to Diamond Tiara to the window and stared out of it.

"Here!"

Diamond Tiara sharpy pointed with her hoof in one direction, which was roughly pushed away by the magic aura.

"What?" the CMC shouted simutaneously and stared in excactly that direction.

"I can't believe it. Precious-la is immediately next to that kirin and..." Diamond Tiara tried to explain.

But Sweetie Belle exclaimed, "Who is Precious-la?"

Diamond Tiara didn't answer her, but only tried to make the CMC clear, what she just saw. She frantically shook her hoof to make the direction clear.

And in the moment, the CMC saw her discovery as well. A blue unicorn stood right next to a pink kirin-like earth pony with purple, curly mane and mysteriously discussed with her.

"That kirin-pony." Diamond Tiara pointed at the pink earth pony, trying not to touch the turquoise aura. "She's excactly that kirin-pony, I saw in the train and who sucked out the essence from Silver Spoon and made her so rude."

The CMC gasped in fear. Though they didn't understand one single word, what Diamond Tiara said, they already knew, that the kirin-pony won't be a friend of them.

"A war and then a pony, who made Silver Spoon rude?" Sweetie Belle exclaimed anxiously. "It gotta be a wise desicion to lock everypony else away in their shelters."

"But Preci...I mean this unicorn," Diamond Tiara went on and pointed at Precious-la this time. "I'm 100% sure she isn't evil, so why is she talking with that evil kirin-pony? Why is she evil?"

"From where did you know her?" Scootaloo this time asked and tried to see more of that, that Diamond Tiara is pointing at.

Before Diamond Tiara could answer, something different appeared next to the unicorn and the earth pony. They both stepped aside and the newbies were clearly visible for the CMC and Diamond Tiara.

It were two grumpy-looking griffons, holding a third griffon in arrest. The third griffon was struggeling enourmously, but apparently, no one even cared about him.

The two first griffons were turning their backs to them and their faces weren't visible, so there was no way for them to recognize the griffons.

However, Diamond Tiara was still able to recognize them. She gasped and pointed outside the window again, this time at the griffons.

"These are excactly the griffons, I also saw in the train, these two," Diamond Tiara explained in a fast velocity. "The kirin-pony also sucked their essence out of them and they seem to be very rude to her and that blue griffon, I saw him at the pedestral today!"

"So, you're saying, that kirin sucked out the essence out of Silver Spoon and these two griffons and made them rude," Apple Bloom concluded.

Diamond Tiara nodded frantically.

"And now, they're talking together," Apple Bloom went on.

This time, Diamond Tiara nodded as well and exclaimed, "they're making evil plans!"

"And the blue unicorn isn't evil, but is collaborating with the evil kirin-like pink pony?" Apple Bloom finished her conclusion.

"Yes," Diamond Tiara replied, "we have to do something against that!"

"You're nuts?" Scootaloo exclaimed and took a bite from her cookie. "We can't just gallop out of here."

"Sweetie Belle can use her magic," Diamond Tiara suggested and pointed at Sweetie Belle.

Sweetie Belle was shocked for a moment and pointed at her as well. "Me?"

Diamond Tiara nodded.

"I'm not good at magic and have no idea, how to break such a strong spell with my filly magic," Sweetie Belle said and tried to push her hoof out of the window as well. With no luck.

"Look Diamond Tiara," Apple Bloom interfered. "Even if we could break this spell, why should be try to do something. I'm sure, Twilight and her friends are already taking responsibility for this mess. And it's too dangerous for us."

"But we can't do nothing!" Diamond Tiara shouted and jumped out of the window.

The CMC gasped, but Diamond Tiara was immediately thrown into the Clubhouse again, landing with her back on the ground.

She stood up and went to the window to watch the scenery, but in that moment, the group of ponies and griffons already left and she couldn't see any ponies at Sweet Apple Acres anymore.

Diamond Tiara sighed reluctantly and her glance sticked at the with turquoise aura surrounded window. She said nothing.

The CMC glared at her with compassion and eventually, Apple Bloom said, "I understand, what you mean."

They remained in silence for a long time, until Apple Bloom's mimic lighted up and she gasped, as she had a brillant idea.

"That's it!" she exclaimed cheerfully. "We can figure a method out, how to help Twilight and the others, the blue unicorn and any other victim, from whom their essence got sucked away and how to defeat that kirin. Together as a team!"

"Awesome!" Scootaloo said.

"Yeah!" Sweetie Belle agreed and accidently dropped her cards herself.

She streched her hoof in the middle and Apple Bloom and Scootaloo did the same. They looked at Diamond Tiara and she timidly also streched her hoof in the middle.

"Cutie Mark Crusaders with Diamond Tiara world saving helpers!" the CMC shouted in a choir and all lifted their hooves.

Diamond Tiara soon got happier, as the CMC decided to do a project with her together, and smiled timidly. She was sure, she could help Silver Spoon and the two griffons. And probably also Precious-la.

***

Screwball and Precious-la were standing next to each other at the property of Sweet Apple Acres, among all the apple trees near the CMC's Clubhouse, contently smiling. Screwball raised her head a few times to transform several clouds into cotton candy clouds and elegantly shook her curly mane.

"Precious-la," Screwball said in a satisfied tone, "I have to thank you many times for your genuinely thought out idea of trapping the Young Six in Discord's amusement park. You're literally the brain in our undefeatable duo."

Precious-la smiled politely, but didn't say any further words.

"And you're making me more powerful than ever!" Screwball added and transformed three more cotton candy clouds, which instantly rained chocolate milk and candy canes.

Precious-la caught one candy cane with her magic and replied, "It was a pleasure."

"You know, I have already stolen the entire friendship experience from every single member of the Young Six," Screwball chuckled confidently.

"What?" Precious-la exclaimed. Her smile was suddenly wiped away from her face.

Screwball misunderstood her shock with joy and blatantly nodded. She added in a whisper, "And you made it all possible for me. Thank you again."

Precious-la immediately smiled again, happy for Screwball's archievements as well.

"It's just the damn little Autumn Blaze," Screwball exclaimed suddenly angrily. "She was the only one, that survived the whole thing."

Screwball growled and accidently fired a magic beam from her artificial horn. The magic instantly turned an apple tree into a red elephant with green hair.

"I understand your anger," Precious-la comforted Screwball.

"I already planned to steal her friendship experience as well," Screwball only said and transformed two further clouds into cotton candy.

Precious-la mutely nodded.

In this moment, two griffons arrived next to Precious-la and Screwball and they stepped aside. Both griffons were holding a struggeling third griffon in arrest.

"Let me go!" Gallus panted and tried to free himself.

Gallus tried to kick the two griffons aside with his backhooves, but then, he recognized Precious-la and his pupils widened in delight.

"Precious-la," he panted, "help!"

But Precious-la didn't care and just turned her head to the two griffons.

"You came just right," Screwball whispered and stared Gallus deep in his eyes.

Gallus' eyes narrowed and he shouted, "Don't dare to do anything with me!! You...you monster!"

"Oh, you're scared?" Screwball asked innocently in a slightly mockering tone.

But the older of the two griffons, a beautiful white bird-creature, rudely moved one step forwards and streched out her claw, still watching out, that Gallus couldn't escape.

"Give us the money!" Gilda demanded.

Screwball noticed Gilda and impatiently turned her head to her. "When I'm done with him."

Gallus tried to avoid Screwball's pupilless eyes and glanced over to Precious-la. He started another attempt. "Precious-la, help!"

Precious-la although didn't react. She only told Screwball, "Give the two griffons their money, they deserved it."

The second and younger griffon frantically nodded her head and also streched her claw out for money.

Screwball moaned and out of nothing, she fetched a small leather pouch, opened it and gave the two griffons their well deserved money. One bit for each of them.

"Now go and drop Gallus," Precious-la demanded.

None of the two griffons went away, nor dropped Gallus. They just remained there, still streching out their claws.

"More money!" Gabby, the second griffon, exclaimed and stared at Precious-la with narrowed eyes.

Screwball stared back, before she turned away and shot a strong powered, green magic beam at an apple tree. The apple tree instantly started burning and everything on the apple tree sank into bright orange flames, until it burned down to grey ash.

"That will happen to you, if you demand for more money," Screwball hissed angrily and pointed at the grey ash, which used to be a tree. "Now go away!"

Gilda and Gabby stared at the ash with utter fear, until they flapped their wings and quickly flew away from Screwball, taking their money.

Screwball glared after them and fired another magic beam in their direction. The two griffons were shocked and immediately disappeared from Screwball's field of view.

Gallus, who was finally free from his two griffon adoptive sisters, only sat there at the ground, evidently completely frozen, staring at Precious-la with opened mouth.

Precious-la noticed him in that strange condition, stared back and slowly formed her mouth to words, but Screwball already levitated him with her magic, not letting him go. She had a wicked expression in her face, happy to gain new magic.

"Screwball," Precious-la interrupted her, "wouldn't it be better, if we went somewhere else? I'm afraid, that we could be observed without anyone knowing."

"That's right again," Screwball admitted.

She smiled at Precious-la, still without letting Gallus free, and said, "What would I be without you?"

Precious-la looked at Gallus, who was like petrified with fearful widened eyes, and replied in an elegant tone, "Not as powerful as now."

With these words, the two ponies left, Gallus still in their imprisonment.

***

At the marketplace, Screwball and Precious-la stopped and looked around.

"I need that damn Autumn Blaze," Screwball hissed with narrowed eyes.

"I still can't believe, that she escaped from you, even though you already took the friendship experience from everyone else among the Young Six," Precious-la said.

Screwball looked at Precious-la and demonstratively pointed at her. She exclaimed roughly, "Find her for me!"

"I really would like to give Autumn Blaze to you," Precious-la replied calmly, smiling at Screwball, "but there are better things to do than that."

"What do you mean?" Screwball growled impatiently.

"You realized, that you got even more powerful with me at your side," Precious-la explained.

And in this moment, Gallus gasped and lost his consciousness, but Precious-la ignored his this time as well.

Precious-la blatantly nodded and went on, "And I'm sure, that you will get much more powerful and successful, after having more compagnions than me."

"I like the idea," Screwball whispered confidently. "Go on."

"We just need to free Starlight Glimmer from her bubble prison and she'll be yours," Precious-la finished her idea and grinned.

Screwball suddenly wasn't laughing anymore. "How will you do that? Starlight Glimmer hates me!"

Precious-la chuckled and pointed at her horn with her right hoof.

"With the accurate spell, she'll do everything you're making her to do," she explained calmly, having a slightly wicked voice. "I also planned to do the same with the changelings."

Precious-la made a small pause, before whispering mysteriously, "The whole hive."

Screwball first stared at Precious-la, then she started her evil laughter, which became louder and louder. She literally bounced in joy and fired more than a dozen magic beams into the sky, which immediately turned even more clouds into cotton candy.

"You're genuis!" she exclaimed overhappily. "You were always my brain, my right hoof assistant! With you, I will rule over all Equestria, together with you, Starlight and the changelings!!"

Precious-la only smiled, before she joined the evil laughter as well. Just like Screwball, she was feeling overhappy as well, as it was the best day in her life.

Screwball was still floating in laughter, but once she calmed down, she announced, "But first, I still gotta suck the friendship experience out of him."

She picked up the unconscious Gallus again and already prepared for the process, but Precious-la interrupted her.

"I know he deserved so," she said with a look at Gallus, "but it'll be more fun for both of us so steal his experience, when he's fully aware of his state."

"Hm you're right," Screwball admitted and roughly dropped Gallus. "We'll do this later."

"Indeed," Precious-la replied and teleported Screwball and herself to the garden of the School of Friendship.

They stood right in front of Starlight Glimmer's bubble prison. Starlight noticed the two ponies approching her and instantly narrowed her eyes. She hostily shook her hooves and mutely shouted several words, which are supposed to be swear words.

Precious-la only calmly smiled at Starlight, approached the artefacts and used her magic to seperate their connection to each other.

Starlight's bubble prison fell apart and Starlight's body fell at the ground with a dull sound.

Starlight noticed, that she was released from her imprisonment, and immediately stood up. She raised her head and dangerously narrowed her eyes to tell Screwball, that it's not funny with her.

"How dare you?" Starlight growled dangerously. "How dare you to do such an awful thing to everyone? That's not equal of you and you should be punished! I hate you! You and your annoying hypocrite little assistent!"

Screwball chuckled at the sight of Starlight and only said in a mockering tone, "Why are you so hostile to me anyways? I didn't do anything to you."

"You didn't deserve your cutie mark!" Starlight yelled in utter anger.

She stared at Screwball and fired a magic beam from her horn, but Precious-la could perform a shield charm, so that Screwball and her remained unharmed.

"You should try to take more friendship experience," Precious-la whispered to Screwball. "Let me enchante Starlight and the changelings."

Screwball instantly nodded and teleported away. Only Precious-la remained, who stood opposite to Starlight. She smiled and dissolved her shield charm.

She walked straight to Starlight Glimmer, who was constantly shouting "Back off!" and "You hypocrite!", until she stood excactly next to Starlight.

"I knew, that you're working together with that monster!" Starlight yelled and dodged from Precious-la.

"Yes," Precious-la admitted and looked Starlight in her eyes. "I offer you to become Screwball's assistant as well."

Starlight froze. "No way! No! Are you mental?"

"Okay," Precious-la nodded. "You hate her, don't you?"

"Yes!" Starlight exclaimed, still with angrily narrowed eyes. "And I hate you too!"

"So, when you hate her," Precious-la began to say, "why don't starting a revolution against her?"

"A what?" Starlight asked confused, with less hostile sounding voice now. "That's a trap."

"Okay," Precious-la nodded for the second time now. "You're clearly too lazy to realize, that you need to work hard, when wanting to take over Equestria."

"I'm not lazy!" Starlight shouted and fired a magic beam right at Precious-la.

Precious-la lifted herself into the air and thus dodged the beam, which hit the turquoise aura, got reflected and almost would have hitten Starlight, if she didn't lift herself into the air as well.

"You are!" Precious-la mocked and burst into laughter.

"I'm not!" Starlight shouted and fired another magic beam.

Precious-la did her shield charm again. "You are!"

"I'm NOT!" Starlight shouted and physically almost exploded.

Precious-la went to the ground again and so did Starlight.

"Excuse me, but I have to corrupt some changelings," Precious-la said.

She teleported away and left Starlight alone, who has nopony to fight against anymore.

Chapter 11

Spike, Big MacIntosh and Discord were playing their favorite game Ogres & Oubliettes in the meanwhile in their favorite variation, at lifesize. They had a lot of fun and were enjoying their time very much without anyone noticing them.

"I can't believe, that I'm saying that," Discord exclaimed in joy, "but this is the best time in my whole life!"

"Eeyup," Big MacIntosh calmly agreed.

"Totally!" Spike said.

But in that moment, he suddenly found a letter at the ground. He suspiciously picked it up and read it.

Dear Big MacIntosh,

help me! I'm in danger and a horrible creature captured me and I need your help! I believe in you!

With love

Sugar Belle

It was written on a small, muddy piece of paper beautifully in Sugar Belle's font.

Once as Spike finished reading the letter, Big Mac rushed into his direction and snatched the letter out of his claws to read it with his own eyes.

"That's horrible what happened with Sugar Belle!" Spike exclaimed.

He was visibly worried, but not as worried as Big Mac was. Big Mac read the letter again and again, getting more worried with every word and constantly mumbling "Nope."

"I have to save Sugar Belle," Big Mac exclaimed in his deep voice, the letter tight in his hoof.

He was just about to leave the castle, as Discord shouted a loud, "Wait!"

"What if it's a trap?" Discord considered and tried to read Sugar Belle's letter as well.

But Big Mac didn't let him and blowed a refusive, "Nope."

"I hate it to say, but I agree with Discord," Spike admitted. "It could be a trap from Screwball to let you out of this castle."

"What if it's not?" Big Mac asked nervously. "I have to save my Sugar Belle!"

Discord and Spike exchanged glanced. Big Mac's argument wasn't wrong.

Big Mac sat down and looked at the ground, Sugar Belle's letter still in his hooves, and mumbling, "My beautiful, poor Sugar Belle, who's so alone in the hooves of the horrible creature. She needs someone to save her."

"Perhaps Sugar Belle is really in danger," Spike explained with a look at the worried Big Mac.

"Eeyup!" Big Mac agreed loudly, as he heard Spike finally supporting him.

He confidently stood up to get ready to rescue Sugar Belle.

"Fine," Discord gave up, "but you need to be prepared for your mission."

"Eeyup!" Big Mac agreed even louder and more confident. "Sugar Belle, I'm coming!"

"There is just one problem Discord," Spike said. "How will Big Mac be able to exit this castle? I think, Twilight's door locking spell is unbreakable."

"For ponies it is," Discord said and smiled confidently.

He closed his eyes for concentration and snapped his fingers several times. Indeed, the turquoise charm disappeared at a small area and could let Big Mac out.

"But not for Discord," Discord went on.

He snapped again and the hole closed again, leaving an untouched, turquoise veil of magic aura. Spike was stunned by Discord's magical abilities.

"Wow! I didn't know, that you can do that!" Spike exclaimed.

Spike looked at Big Mac, who was still standing confidently, ready to save Sugar Belle.

"Big Mac," he called his friend, "now, we need to get you ready. "

Big Mac glanced at Spike and nodded. "Eeyup."

Spike looked through the surroundings and every time, when he sees something useful and suitable for Big Mac, he picks it and gives it to him for his mission. Even Discord sometimes tried to help.

"It's the best, if you let your costume on," Spike said. "I can also join you if you want."

"It's the best, if you stay here," Discord interfered. "It could be a trap and I fear, that it is and that you won't come back, so in that case it is, it's still better to loose one man than loosing two men."

"Hm," Spike said, "you have a point."

"But it's not a trap!" Big Mac defended. "Sugar Belle is indeed in danger and needs me."

Big Mac turned to the door, that leads to the outside, and told Discord, "Open it for me."

And so did Discord. He snapped with his fingers and the golden doors flung out, giving Big Mac a sight at the turquoise veil. As Discord snapped for the second time, a small hole appeared in the middle of the aura and grew bigger, until it's big enough for Big Mac's size.

"Good luck," Spike exclaimed with tears of pride in his eyes. "I'm proud of you, that you're taking responsibility to save your special somepony, no matter how huge the risk is."

"I have to," Big Mac turned his head and replied for the last time. "I have to save my Sugar Belle."

And with these words, Big Mac went out the hole and thus also out the castle. Discord snapped for the third time and made the hole and the golden doors close again.

Outside the castle, Big Mac turned his head for a while and only saw an ordinary oak tree. He didn't get distracted and bravely like a warrior, he headed forward, to be determined to save Sugar Belle.

***

The Mane 6 got sucked in by Pinkie's interdimensional portal and passed the colorful, bright tunnel once again, while their bodies swirled around the surface of the tunnel.

From one second to another, they were tossed out of the colorful tunnel and arrived again.

Twilight Sparkle felt confused and raised her head to check out, where they were this time and as she saw the scenery, she couldn't believe her eyes.

They were located in Ponyville again. But not the messed up, evacuated Ponyville, which isn't far away from the at-war-Canterlot. They were in the absolutely fine and peaceful Ponyville, which looked like nothing of all that happened.

Twilight immediately raised her head to check out the sky, but she couldn't see any pink cotton candy clouds. Nor did she notice any chocolate milk rain. The sun shone down the peaceful small town as it never did today.

"Ponyville?" Rarity asked confused and looked around.

And the rest of the Mane 6 also frantically turned their heads, blinked and rubbed their eyes to check out, that they were not dreaming. It looks like Twilight is not the only one, who sees Ponyville as a totally fine town.

The Mane 6 remained silent for a long time, until Pinkie Pie suddenly squealed, "They did it!"

And Twilight suddenly understood, why Ponyville seems to be alright. She instantly stood up and said delighted, "The Young Six managed to save Equestria from Screwball!"

Also the rest of the Mane 6 understood, what Pinkie and Twilight meant and a wide smile appeared on their faces, until it turned into a delighted laughter and a happy cheer.

Applejack, with tears in her eyes, whispered happily, "I'm so proud of our students."

"We should check out Spike and Discord right now and tell them, that we are okay," Fluttershy suggested. "Or better, we should go to our school and heavily congratulate our students."

"That's a great idea!" Pinkie cheered and nodded frantically.

"And Screwball needs to go to Tartarus for everything, she did," Rainbow Dash added half proudly, half angrily.

"I agree with Fluttershy," Twilight came to word again, after all the chattering of great delight and pride. "We should go to the School of Friendship. Let's go!"

Twilight turned her body and headed forward in the direction of her castle and the rest of the Mane 6 followed her, in which Pinkie was not the only one, who was bouncing happily.

Twilight however still doubted their luck and expected something imperfect happening, but everything was okay.

Even the citizens of Ponyville walked happily along the roads or watered their beautiful flowers. As soon as they noticed the Mane 6, they warmly welcomed the newbies and smiled brightly. Twilight greeted back and started smiling as well.

"Ponyville was never that peaceful for years," Twilight whispered.

However, her smile immediately faded away, when they arrived at the egde of the town. Instead of Twilight's beautiful, crystal-made castle, a particulary huge area of nothing extends in front of them, sometimes tarried with several small trees.

Twilight turned her head to the right, but the School of Friendship was gone as well, leaving a simple waterfall without any buildings made by ponies.

In this moment, a mare came over. Twilight instantly rushed to her and asked her almost nervously, "Where is the School of Friendship?"

"School of Friendship?" the mare repeated and scatched her ears with her left hoof. "I didn't know, that something like that even exists."

"What do you mean?" Rainbow Dash asked confused.

"When we left the last time, there was the School of Friendship." Rarity pointed at the waterfall with her right hoof and the mare's glance followed it.

"A huge, colorful building built near the water," Applejack added as reply for the mare's confused look.

Eventually, the mare shook her head and said, "Sorry, but I don't remember a building standing there at all."

"That's weird," Twilight said. "The last time, the School of Friendship was excactly there."

Twilight stared at the location, but that didn't make the School of Friendship reappear.

"Do you at least remember the Young Six, who saved Equestria from Cozy Glow?" Fluttershy tried.

"Young Six?" the mare repeated again. "Cozy Glow? I have never heard of them either."

"Arrgh!!" Rainbow Dash moaned and upsetly raised her hooves. "Are you kidding me?"

The mare was shocked of Rainbow Dash' sudden rage and timidly shook her head and whispered, "I really never heard of them."

"Probably, she's just new here," Fluttershy explained calmly.

"But Twilight's castle, you sure know that, right?" Applejack asked the mare.

The always has been calm mare suddenly quivered and her pupils shrunk for a fraction of a second. With shaky voice, she stammered, "I...I remembered, that I still have buy food for my dog. Bye."

With these words, the mare disappeared swiftly, but before she did, she turned her head to whisper a least, "I hope I could help you anyways."

The Mane 6 stared after her for a few second, until Twilight said, "I know somewhere, that hasn't changed for sure."

So, the Mane 6 went some steps through the town to Sweet Apple Acres. Or at least, it was the coordinates of Sweet Apple Acres.

Onto the sign above the entrance of the orchard, there was written in beautifully swungen font "Perfect Pear Palace" and also at the area of the orchard, there were pear trees instead of apple trees.

"What in tarnation happened with Sweet Apple Acres?" Applejack exclaimed.

And when she did, a bright orange pony slightly older than Applejack peacefully trotted through the entrance, with a basket of pears carrying in her mouth.

She noticed the group of ponies and immediately dropped her basket to greet the newcomers, "Hello and cordially welcome to the Perfect Pear Palace. May I help you?"

Twilight opened her mouth to explain everything, but Applejack cutted in front of her.

"What did you do with Sweet Apple Acres?" Applejack asked.

The pony quivered and replied shocked, "Sweet Apple Acres? What are you talking about? This is the Perfect Pear Palace."

"I know, you already told us," Applejack replied reluctantly. "But it used to be Sweet Apple Acres. I used to work and live there with my family and you completely changed it to your Pear Palace whatsoever after I was gone!"

"What do you mean?" the pony asked confused. "I worked here since I got my cutie mark and I have never seen you before."

The pony pointed at her flank with her hoof and the Mane 6 could see three leafgreen pears.

"I'm Pear Jack," she introduced herself.

"Pear Jack?" Applejack gasped unbelieving. "Excuse me, but when I left with my friends, this orchard was my home and it was still Sweet Apple Acres and it was still an apple farm and I am Applejack and have never seen you before either! Who are you at all and what have you done with my family?"

"I think, you misunderstood something," Pear Jack tried to explain calmly. "I am working here alone and I have never seen you or your family working here. This orchard belongs to me alone."

"Excuse me Miss Pear Jack?" Applejack snapped.

But Fluttershy pushed her aside with the intention of quieting her. Then, she turned to Pear Jack and replied calmly, "We probably indeed misunderstood something."

Applejack stood up again and got ready to discuss with Pear Jack, but Twilight halted her.

"Pear Jack seemed to be pretty convinced of her occupation," she said.

"How can it be? How can she suddenly appear here at Sweet Apple Acres and mess everything up?" Applejack asked nervously, as she didn't understand anything.

"I know it's weird," Rarity exclaimed, "and there's definitely something going on in Ponyville. I mean, first Twilight's castle and the School of Friendship have disappeared and the citizens pretend, they didn't exist at all and then, Pear Jack appeared."

"It's just like they're brainwashed," Fluttershy whispered anxiously.

"And I'm sure it's all Screwball's script!" Rainbow Dash growled quietly but angrily.

"Ooooooor," Pinkie Pie interfered, "we're in a dimension, that looks excactly like Ponyville and that is Ponyville only without Twilight's castle or the School of Friendship or the Young Six or Cozy Glow and with Pear Jack! Buuuut, you know, that's ridiculous."

"Yeah," everyone agreed.

In this moment, the Mane 6 heard another pony squealing loudly Pear Jack's name and Pear Jack turned around to check out, who it is.

It's a brown earth pony with a grey mane hopping in the direction of the "Perfect Pear Palace", carrying a basket full of colorful rocks on her back. "Hi Pear Jack!"

"Cobblestone Pie," Pear Jack exclaimed. "It's you!"

"Yeees it's me!" Cobblestone Pie squealed and layed down her basket. "Did you know, that my mom allowed me selling these wonderful rock candy in Ponyville to gain some money for our family?"

Cobblestone pointed at her basket and Pear Jack bowed down to have a more detailed look at the colorful rocks. She nodded deferential.

Pinkie has heard everything and stunned. She immediately hopped to Cobblestone and Pear Jack with a wide smile on her face.

"Ooh that's such a coincidence!" Pinkie squealed cheerfully. "My last name is Pie as well and like you, I also moved into Ponyville and I also know, how to make Rock Candy!"

"That's so funny," Cobblestone replied. "And eventually, your parents are also called Ignous Rock Pie and Cloudy Quartz, but you know, that's ridiculous."

Pinkie gasped and stunned about Cobblestone's words.

"No, I'm serious," Pinkie exclaimed, still highly surprised. "My parents are really Ignous Rock Pie and Cloudy Quartz. That's another thing, that we two have in common!"

"Does that mean," Cobblestone gasped in unbelief, "that we're sisters?"

Pinkie didn't say anything, but only remained there with opened mouth and widened eyes. Eventually, she rised her hooves and Cobblestone did the same.

"WE'RE SISTERS!!" they called out simutaneously and tightly hugged each other.

Applejack saw the whole event and was even more confused after Pinkie and Cobblestone calling each other their sister.

She went to Pear Jack and asked her, "Who are your parents?"

"Bright MacIntosh and Pear Butter," Pear Jack replied calmly, as it was nothing extraordinary.

But Applejack was as surprised as Pinkie used to be. "No way!"

Pear Jack didn't know, what to reply, so she only smiled.

At least until Applejack coughed, streched her right hoof into her direction and said, "Mine are Bright Mac and Pear Butter as well, sister."

Now, Pear Jack looked confused as well, but she still shook Applejack's hoof and whispered a timid, "sister."

"In a nutshell," Rarity suddenly interfered, "Pinkie and Cobblestone have the same parents and Pear Jack and Applejack as well, but they don't know from each other?"

"Yeah!" Cobblestone said and pointed at Pinkie. "I have never seen you in my whole life. How can you be my sister, if we didn't grow up together."

"Of course!" Twilight gasped as an idea popped out in her head. "This is an alternate dimension, where instead of Pinkie and Applejack and probably also the rest of us, their parents gave birth to Pear Jack and Cobblestone! That might explain, why Pear Jack remembers to live at this orchard her whole life long and why Cobblestone and Pinkie are so similar to each other."

Twilight facepalmed and exclaimed, "Why didn't we know this earlier?"

"I knew this earlier," Pinkie said.

"And without the Elements of Harmony, there can't be a School of Friendship and therefore, there can't be the Young Six or Cozy Glow," Fluttershy genuinely concluded.

"What are the Elements of Harmony?" Pear Jack asked.

"And the School of Friendship and the Young Six and Cozy Glow?" Cobblestone added.

"You really don't know the Elements of Harmony?" Applejack asked.

Pear Jack and Cobblestone both shook their heads.

"Would I ever lie to you?" Pear Jack asked back additionally.

"Well, I think not," Applejack assumed.

"Anyways, we haven't introduced ourselves to you either," Twilight said and pointed at Fluttershy, Rarity and Rainbow Dash to introduce them to everyone.

"We are the holders of the Elements of Harmony in our dimension, well, that's a long and complicated story," Twilight told, "And we're just travelling to various dimensions to find different ingredients from different dimensions. It's just, that in our dimension, Ponyville isn't peaceful anymore."

"Oh no!" Cobblestone gasped horrified. "What happened?"

"It's an earth pony, who created a horn, that steals the Friendship experience from everyone, she meets and she took those ingredients for that horn from different dimensions," Twilight went on.

"You want to steal Friendship experience too?" Cobblestone asked.

"No of course not," Rainbow Dash explained. "We need to recreate such an excact same horn to defeat hers."

Twilight took out a transparent bag with some silverly shimmering powder in that and told, "This is one ingredient, we got from one dimension, in where you're a human."

"A human?" Pear Jack asked and stared at the bag with curious eyes.

"Anyways, have you seen her anywhere?" Fluttershy asked and grabbed out a hand drawn picture of Screwball.

Pear Jack approached the picture to have a more detailed look at it, but she only eventually shook her head. Instead she answered, "Your dimension is pretty interesting though."

Cobblestone also negated, whether she's seen Screwball anywhere. Her eyes wandered to Twilight's body and noticed her wings and her horn.

"You're an alicorn!" she exclaimed in joy. "Anyways, did you tell you your name?"

Twilight remembered, that she hasn't yet and said, "I'm Twilight Sparkle, princess of Friendship."

Once she introduced herself in front of Pear Jack and Cobblestone, she immediately wished, she didn't. Excactly like the mare from the waterfalls, Pear Jack and Cobblestone terribly quivered and their pupils shrunk in fear.

Cobblestone quickly hided behind Pinkie and Pear Jack's jaw dropped.

"You are THE Twilight Sparkle?" she whispered in utter fear.

Before Twilight could say anything, she bowed down and said almost begging, "Don't do us anything."

"Why should I harm you?" Twilight asked.

Now, it was her, who was confused. Suddenly, she remembered back the mare from before. She didn't disappear that quickly, because she had to buy food for her dog. She did, because she heard Twilight's name and was scared. Just like Pear Jack and Cobblestone.

"Why are you afraid of me?" Twilight tried again.

"Didn't know know that," Pear Jack began to explain, "I mean, in our...um...dimension, Twilight Sparkle did terrible things, or what she wants to be called, Midnight Sparkle."

"You mean THE Twilight Sparkle?" Rarity now asked.

"The first born daughter of Twilight Velvet and Night Light," Pear Jack said. "I know, you're not from our dimension, but THE Twilight Sparkle is so terrifying, that ponies are already plainly afraid of hearing her name."

Twilight got scared and remembered, that her parents are Twilight Velvet and Night Light as well and that Midnight Sparkle has to be her sister.

"What horrible things did she do?" Twilight asked carefully.

Pear Jack quivered again and only said shortly, "Don't ask!"

"And where is she now?" Twilight went on.

"I don't know, none of us does," Pear Jack answered and Cobblestone agreed. "Some assume, that she's living in the highlands of the Frozen North."

"Are you sure, that you haven't seen her anywhere?" Fluttershy asked again and pointed at the picture.

"I am sure," Pear Jack replied and Cobblestone frantically nodded.

"Thanks anyways," Twilight said. "We gotta go again to save our dimension."

The rest of the Mane 6 nodded in agreement and were already about to leave, until Pear Jack said, "Wait!"

She pointed at her and Cobblestone's basket and asked friendly, "Do you need some?"

Applejack thankfully shook her head, "I'm leaving you all that to enjoy."

Pinkie ran to Cobblestone the last time and they hugged each other.

"Good luck sister from another dimension," Cobblestone said and shook Pinkie's hoof.

Then, she turned to Fluttershy, Rarity and Rainbow Dash and added, "Hopefully, you can get to know your sisters as well."

"Sorry for being so rude to you before," Applejack apologized to Pear Jack. "To be honest, you've got a pretty successful pear farm."

Pear Jack smiled and whispered an honest, "Thank you."

Twilight waved for farewell for the last time and left with her friends. Pear Jack waved back for a long time until she couldn't see the Mane 6 anymore and Cobblestone constantly shouted, "Visit us back sometimes and tell you more about your dimension!"

Pinkie turned her head and winked. "I know a friend."

***

The Mane 6 walked through the high snow, terribly freezing, while trying to block the ice cold wind, that comes from the north of Equestria. Twilight was able to teleport them to the Frozen North, but they didn't excactly know, where Midnight Sparkle lives.

In their dimension, the protective warmth of the Crystal Empire kept them warm, but Twilight wasn't sure anymore whether the Crystal Empire exists at all in this dimension.

She remembered back Pear Jack and Cobblestone. They don't seem to have any clue, what the Elements of Harmony are and she even doubted, whether they knew the "sisters" of Fluttershy, Rarity and Rainbow Dash at all. At least, she doesn't have any idea, who they could be.

She froze and tried to keep herself and her friends warm with her magic, but she wasn't sure, whether it keeps for a long time.

"Wow!" Rarity breathed and looked forward.

The rest, including Twilight, followed her glance and indeed, in front of them, there was a castle, which wasn't even small, although not as huge as the Crystal Empire and undoubtfully not as warm as it.

It was almost completely black, interrupted by a few emerald green shining crystals, and hard to recognize in the cold, so it was almost a wonder, that Rarity could see it at all.

Twilight activated her magic and teleported them all into the castle, with success.

Either, it was a complete lucky coincidence or the pony was waiting for them.

Anyways, they were excactly in the throne room, in front of them a dark blue unicorn with long, flowing mane sitting on a majestetic throne and holding her hooves together. She wore a silver necklace with a sharp green crystal in the middle of it and around her eyes, she there was a nebula like green aura.

"What do you want?" she asked in a slightly arrogant voice and superiorly looked at the Mane 6, so that even Rainbow Dash was afraid of her.

Twilight swallowed and asked in a whisper, "Are you Twilight Sparkle?"

"Midnight Sparkle for you!" the unicorn growled and glared at Twilight, "Twilight is dead, it's Midnight's reign!"

"Sister," Twilight whispered and Midnight froze.

She stepped over to her throne, turned to Fluttershy and told her to toss the picture over. The completely frightened Fluttershy did so and Twilight catched the picture.

"Have you seen her?" Twilight asked Midnight and showed her the picture of Screwball.

But Midnight was distracted. Just like Cobblestone before, she was staring between Twilight's wings and her horn as she couldn't believe her being an alicorn.

Then, her focus turned to Screwball's picture again and she slowly nodded her head.

"That pony indeed visited me," Midnight said. "She wanted green powder from me."

"So do we," Twilight said.

Midnight stared at her wings again and whispered slowly, "You called me sister, why?"

"I'm you from another dimension," Twilight admitted honestly and made Midnight surprised and confused at the same time.

"I'm an alicorn in your dimension?" Midnight asked slowly.

For some reason, she wasn't as surprised as Pear Jack and Cobblestone about the different dimension story and rather believed Twilight, but she was more focused about her alicorn status.

"I already thought, it was impossible, when I was thrown out of Princess Celestia's school for gifted unicorns!" Midnight went on. "However, I can still get as powerful as her, thanks to my valuable, little jewel!"

"You were thrown out of her school?" Twilight gasped and somehow felt sorry for Midnight.

Midnight didn't reply. Without words, she stood up from her throne and went to one of the shelves and picked a small knive.

"Get ready in case," Rainbow Dash whispered worried to her friends, who slightly nodded.

But instead of attacking Twilight, she just levitated the knive with her magic, took a small black box and scrapped something from her green crystal into the box, which looked like glowing, green powder.

The Mane 6 carefully watched her and kept her in their eyes. Eventually, Midnight closed the box with her magic and gave it to Twilight.

"However," she said, "I want something in return."

Twilight got startled and wished, that she took Pear Jack's pears or Cobblestone's rock candy when they were still in Ponyville, so she could trade with Midnight.

Midnight didn't ask her, what she wanted to give her anyways, instead said, "Give me your wings."

"W...what?" Twilight stammered and instinctly stepped back.

"I want your alicorn wings in return," Midnight hissed and deeply stared at Twilight. "Or your alicorn magic."

"That ain't possible," Twilight tried to explain.

She instinctly took out the picture of Screwball and tossed it to Midnight Sparkle, in the hope, that she'll leave them alone, although she was clearly aware, that they'll absolutely need it later.

"You can have this picture," Twilight stammered.

But Midnight just ignored the picture and fired a magic beam in a neon green color at Twilight. Twilight swiftly dodged and the ground, where the magic beam hit, immediately turned into bright orange, hot, dangerous fire.

"Give me your wings or your magic," Midnight growled, "or the powder will meet my fire."

Twilight tightly hold the small black box to avoid Midnight tearing it away from her, but that's excactly the thing, she did.

Midnight hold the powder box with her magic and diabolically laughted, until something dashed her right into her face and wrestled her down. Twilight couldn't believe her eyes: It was Rainbow Dash.

"Leave Twilight alone!" Rainbow Dash panted.

Midnight could glance at her fire and managed to toss the powder box right to the direction, where her box destroying fire is burning brightly.

"Nooooo!" Twilight yelled, as the box flew in a parable and almost hit the orange blazing flames.

But she could see Pinkie protectively throwing herself right into the flames, catching the box with her hooves.

"Pinkie!" Twilight shouted to the into the flames sinking Pinkie and Midnight laughed with an evil laughter, as she saw Pinkie's pink body in the fire.

In this moment, Applejack tossed a black rope into the fire and caught Pinkie out of the fire, who surprisingly wasn't harmed at all. She just coughed several times, but her body was fine. No single burning injury.

"Quick!" Rarity called and Pinkie stroke her arms.

The black hole portal opened absorbed Pinkie and Rarity first. Applejack followed her two friends.

"Hurry!" Rainbow Dash called to Fluttershy and Twilight, as she still tried to hold Midnight back.

Twilight nodded and even the highly anxious Fluttershy agreed with entering the dimension portal and when the portal almost closed and fully disappeared, Rainbow Dash released Midnight and dashed in her fastest velocity right into the disappearing black hole.

Pinkie's portal closed and only Midnight remained, having lost her power, but still with no wings and no alicorn power.

"Damn ponies!" she exclaimed angrily and shot another blast from her horn.

Author's Note

The alternate universe Ponyville is also created by me, as well as the characters. Pear Jack, Cobblestone Pie and Midnight Sparkle are all my OCs, who are born in that alternate dimension instead of Applejack, Pinkie and Twilight. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Rarity of course also have their counterparts, but they aren't shown in this fanfiction.

Chapter 12

Gallus hastily rushed through the alleys and streets of Ponyville and frantically turned his head to make sure nopony else following him, but he neither could see Precious-la, nor could he see Screwball anywhere.

He swiftly hided behind a house and sighed, still panting and incredibly pale in his face.

"Gotta find Autumn Blaze," he panted.

He squinted around the corner for any enemies and froze, as he saw two black changelings discussing to each other.

Gallus deeply inhaled and did his best to sneak away from the changelings as quiet and unobstrutive as possible.

However, the changelings still noticed him. They shortly glanced in his direction and luckily turned their heads away again, as they didn't care. Gallus sighed in delight.

He went on running through some further alleys and checking out his surrounding for any enemies, until he noticed Autumn Blaze sitting near some mushroom tables of an restaurant. She looked like she was reflecting about something.

Gallus quickly walked to her and grabbed her on her shoulders. Autumn Blaze startled and released a shocked gasp.

"What are you doing here?" she asked confused. "I have to find our friends. At least that's the message, the amusement park wants to tell me."

"It was a trap!" Gallus whispered and stared Autumn Blaze with seriously narrowed eyes deeply in her eyes. "It was all a trap, you can't thrust it!"

Autumn Blaze's face suddenly became pale as well, though not as pale as Gallus'.

"What happened?" she asked with an expression of worry in her face.

Gallus kept staring at her seriously and whispered, "The amusement park was a trap and literally everyone got caught by Screwball, who took their entire friendship experience. I'm not kidding!"

"What?" Autumn Blaze exclaimed in shock, but Gallus did a serious "Shhh" to make her remain quiet.

"We're the only two, who survived the whole thing," Gallus went on with an increased velocity. "And I should claim myself as lucky, that I escaped, so they couldn't take my friendship experience, but it shouldn't take too long, until they noticed me having vanished, so I'm sure, they're on the way searching for me."

Gallus did a short pause, until he added, still with narrowed eyes, "They're already searching you, so seriously look out, okay?"

Autumn Blaze frantically nodded, unable to reply anything. She just whispered anxiously, "What happened then?"

"It was shocking enough, that Gilda and Gabby betrayed me by delivering me to Screwball just for the money," Gallus said, "but I was even more horrified after discovering, that Precious-la is working for Screwball."

"WHAT?"

"Quiet!" Gallus whispered and placed a finger onto his beak. "They're searching for you, remember?"

Autumn Blaze nodded again, but she still asked whispering in unbelief, "Really?"

"I couldn't believe, that she turned away from us and joined the evil, but I'm 100%ly sure, that I didn't misunderstand anything," Gallus explained.

"It's all our fault," Autumn Blaze whispered quietly and stared at the ground. "It's all my fault. If we hadn't rejected her, she wouldn't have helped Screwball to capture our friends. Especially me."

Autumn Blaze looked guilty at the ground, until she remembered the potion bottle, Twilight gave her. She carefully pulled it out and glanced at her equal mark.

Gallus watched her and also noticed, that she looked more downcast than she used to be, emphazised by her turning-more-grey-with-every-single-second body.

His eyes wandered to her flank, where there was still the grey equal mark from Starlight Glimmer.

Eventually, Gallus coughed and said softly, "It wasn't your fault, when Precious-la dares to betray us and sell us to Screwball for her own benefit."

"Precious-la would never do such a thing!" Autumn Blaze exclaimed shocked.

"She just did and you can't deny that," Gallus replied.

To quickly change the subject, he asked her, "Did you already take your potion? You look so grey."

Autumn Blaze shook her head. "However for some reason, I still can turn into a nirik, although having that cutie mark."

To emphazise her statement, Autumn Blaze pointed at her equal mark and Gallus suddenly remembered back the highly upset nirik in the doors' hall of Discord's amusement park. He nodded in agreement.

"Anyways, I have to apologize to Precious-la for snapping in front of her eyes and insulting her," Autumn Blaze decided and suddenly stood up.

"No!" Gallus said and pushed Autumn Blaze back. "Don't you get it? Precious-la is working for Screwball and Screwball is eager to find you, so you're probably risking your own life!"

"I don't care, on whose side she is," Autumn Blaze defended. "I still owe her an apology!"

"Calm down and take your potion first," Gallus whispered and pointed at Autumn Blaze's potion, she's holding in her hooves.

Autumn Blaze stopped rebelling against Gallus and glared at her potion bottle. Eventually, she opened the bottle with her mouth and swallowed the entire content.

Slowly, but surely, Gallus saw, that her body is gaining color again and that her grey equal mark is vanishing more and more, until it entirely disappeared from her flanks.

Autumn Blaze glanced at her own flanks as well and noticed, that there were no equal marks anymore. She slightly smiled and placed the empty bottle at the mushroom table.

"That feels good," she whispered, more to herself than to Gallus. "Now, I have to search for Precious-la!"

Gallus pulled Autumn Blaze back with his right claw and facepalmed with his left claw.

"I already told you, that ain't possible," he said and did an awkward pause, until saying additionally, "I already lost my entire team and I don't want to loose you as well. I don't want to be alone."

"I'm really sorry Gallus," Autumn Blaze said and looked pityful at Gallus, "but my opinion won't change. Good luck!"

Before Gallus could stop her any further, Autumn Blaze rushed forwards down the street, leaving him alone. Gallus streched his right arm out and shouted desperated, "WAIT! NOOOO!!"

He took the empty bottle and waved it in his claw. "I'm sure Zecora wants her bottle back!"

***

Precious-la stood at the memorial site of the Golden Oak library and watched forward with a dreamy look in her eyes, even though she has never been in this library herself, before it was destroyed. But she remembered the time, when it got destroyed.

In front of the wholly destroyed library, there was a thick, inpenetrable barrier with the label: "In memory of the Golden Oak Library, much beloved home of Princess Twilight Sparkle, the princess of Friendship."

Precious-la was that sunken in her own daydreams, that she didn't notice Autumn Blaze approaching her from her back. She shortly turned her head and then stared at the Golden Oak library again, as she didn't care about Autumn Blaze.

"I don't care, whether you care or not," Autumn Blaze began to whisper with a croaky voice, "but I have to apology to you for being so mean to you at the amusement park. I'm really sorry."

"Okay," Precious-la only replied, not looking at her either, "I accept your apology."

Autumn Blaze paused, until she whispered very quietly, almost afraid of the answer.

"Did you really decide to help Screwball?"

"I did," Precious-la answered and emphazised her statement with a short nodd.

Autumn Blaze swallowed. "But...but why?"

"I have my reasons," Precious-la answered and kept staring at the Golden Oak library.

Autumn Blaze didn't know anymore, what to do or what do say, as she didn't want to say anything wrong. She didn't understand. She didn't even know, whether she wants to understand. Precious-la accepted her apology, but she also admitted, that she is working for Screwball. She admitted that horrible fact with her own voice.

In this moment, Precious-la turned her body to Autumn Blaze and said in a slightly softer voice than before, "Screwball is searching for you, so it's the best for you to hide."

"Why," Autumn Blaze stammered, "why don't you catch me and deliver me to Screwball?"

"Hide," Precious-la shortly whispered to Autumn Blaze and without replying her question, she pushed her behind one of the bushes with using her magic.

That's just the right timing, as in that time, Screwball steps over to Precious-la, with a confident smile in her face.

"Hi Screwball," Precious-la greeted Screwball and started smiling as well.

Both ponies shook their right hoof and gave each another a hoofbumb afterwards. From her bush shelter, Autumn Blaze saw the friendship between Screwball and Precious-la unmisunderstanding with her own eyes. Her jaw automatically dropped, but she was too scared of stepping out of her shelter.

"I really don't know, what to do without you," Screwball said, still smiling. "Anyways, when will Starlight Glimmer and the Changeling Hive join us?"

Autumn Blaze bowed forward in hope to understand Precious-la's answer better.

"They will come, when they feel ready to," Precious-la replied calmly.

But in Screwball's swirly eyes, there was just a restless flicker and she impatiently asked back, "So you didn't enchant them?"

"I indeed enchanted them," Precious-la admitted and Autumn Blaze mutely gasped.

Autumn Blaze didn't know anymore, what to think and what to do. She suddenly felt sick, thus she picked the stalk from a rosebud and pushed it deeply in her left arm. She felt the pain and tears appeared in her eyes, but that kept her from loosing her consciousness.

"Precious-la betrayed me," she mutely said to herself, still with tears in her eyes. "She's on Screwball's side."

The loud tramping of an entire stampede teared her out of her thoughts and Autumn Blaze squinted out of the bushes to find out, what caused the tramping and saw a slightly blurred black soup of strange creatures.

Looks like it was a stampede of the entire Changeling Hive marshing right into the direction, where Precious-la and Screwball were standing, lead by a pink unicorn, who was levitating herself with her magic and holding a wooden stick with her magic.

Autumn Blaze stared at the Changeling army and remembered, what Screwball was saying. That must be Starlight Glimmer and the Changeling Hive joining them. She swallowed in fear.

Screwball glared at the Changelings as well, but other than Autumn Blaze, she looked confident with a slight trace of powerhunger in her expression.

"Bow down in front of me!" she exclaimed loudly and powerfully raised her hooves into the air, while she released her evil laughter once again.

But none of the Changelings obeyed her. All of them kept tramping straight forward.

"Bow down in front of me!" Screwball exclaimed twice, this time angrier and more impatient, but that didn't change any of the changeling's mind.

"Stop!" the unicorn shouted and her Changeling army immediately halted.

Screwball stared at her, her laughter from before magically wiped away, now with an expression of utter confusion and unbelief in her pupilless eyes.

"You don't want that crude monster ruling all over Equestria, treating you all like crap and thinking she was better than you all, right?" Starlight Glimmer shouted loudly.

"NO!" the changelings all replied simutaneously in a choir.

"With me as your new ruler, I will create equality and justice over the entire Equestria and praise you more, than she will ever!" Starlight announced. She raised her head and her both hooves and exclaimed a unmisunderstanding, "CHAAAARGE!"

The changelings immediately obeyed Starlight and stampedes right in the direction of Screwball, ready to squish her like an annoying bug.

The highly confused Screwball acted fast and levitated herself with her magic in the air as well, followed by Precious-la. She flew right in front of Starlight, who told her army to stop running again, and rudely pointed at her.

"You! How dare you!" Screwball yelled in anger, narrowing her eyes that extremely, that they turned into long slits.

Starlight just fired a magic beam in Screwball's direction, that hitted her excactly at her chest. The shocked Screwball fell down and crashed roughly at the ground, where she didn't move anymore. Precious-la followed her and softly floated down.

"Now, it's the time of Starlight Glimmer's reign of equality!"

Starlight laughted out loud and told her stampede to turn away. Her Changeling army instantly obeyed her and carried their leader down the road to the direction to the marketplace.

Then, the whole hive of black changelings including Starlight suddenly took off and flew in a direction, that leads to the castle of Canterlot.

Autumn Blaze, still not knowing what just happened, just stared at Screwball's motionless, slack body and Precious-la standing mutely next to her and looking at her.

Suddenly, Screwball woke up again and immediately stood up on her hooves. She could just in time notice Starlight and her army flying to Canterlot, probably joining the war.

Screwball swiftly turned her body to Precious-la and hold her tight on her left hoof, pulling her to herself. Autumn Blaze's jaw dropped, releasing a mute gasp.

"What did you do with the changelings?" she hissed hostily. "I thought, you enchanted them!"

"I did," Precious-la admitted calmly and nodded.

"So why the hay don't they obey me?" Screwball hissed louder and even more hostile. "You dirty liar!"

"I only said, that I enchanted them," Precious-la explained, "but I didn't say, that they will obey you."

Precious-la especially emphazised the word "you", which caused Screwball rage and brutally toss her body down the street.

"You!" Screwball panted and pointed at Precious-la, "you betrayed me!"

Screwball turned Autumn Blaze' whole attention to herself, thus she carefully listened to their conservation with widened eyes.

"You sold my army to that dirty Starlight Glimmer and made her taking away my Equestria!" Screwball yelled even louder. "Equestria belongs to me and me alone! Not to Starlight Glimmer! How could you??"

"Equestria doesn't belong to you," Precious-la exclaimed bravely.

"After all that, what you've done to me!" Screwball went on. "After all your generous help, you dare to take everything away?"

"I didn't help you and I was never helping you," Precious-la said, still remaining calm. "If you seriously thought, I was on your side, then you're terribly wrong."

"What?" Screwball shouted and her face turned red of all the anger. "How? Why? What?"

Also Autumn Blaze' face turned red, but not of anger, but of surprise. Precious-la didn't betray her or the Young Six.

"You can't do anything against that anymore, you lost," Precious-la said. "You lost against Starlight Glimmer."

"HOW?" Screwball screamed.

"I wasn't suggesting you to let the Young Six in Discord's amusement park to deliver them to you," Precious-la went on, as calmly as before. "I was suggesting that to give them essencial information, how to defeat you with the Elements of Harmony."

"That can't be!" Screwball interrupted roughly.

But Precious-la only ignored her and added, "And it's me, who let Gallus go. I didn't want you to take his friendship experience away as well. And it's me, who enchanted the changelings to follow Starlight Glimmer instead of you. You were wrong all the time. I wasn't working for you and I never will."

"This can't be!" Screwball repeated, screaming like mad. "You!"

She pointed at Precious-la. "You deliver Gallus to me!"

"I don't know, where he is," Precious-la said and shrugged innocently.

"LIAR!" Screwball shouted and fired a green magic beam at Precious-la.

Autumn Blaze instantly shut her eyes, but luckily, Precious-la teleported away and appeared again, right in front of Autumn Blaze' bushes.

"I am not lying, I really don't know, where he is," Precious-la defended herself. "And even if you killed me, you wouldn't know that."

"You lied to me your whole life!" Screwball hissed with narrowed eyes and prepared magic. "Why should you tell me the truth now? Deliver Gallus to me, if you wanna live!"

"I already said, I don't know, where he is," Precious-la said the third time.

"You did your decision!" Screwball said and a magic beam dashed right in the direction, where Precious-la is standing.

"NO!" Autumn Blaze instinctly yelled and jumped out of her shelter protectively between Precious-la and Screwball, not even aware, what she was doing.

But it was too late. The magic beam already fixed Precious-la and an aura formed around her body, making her unable to escape like a magical prison. Precious-la was completely frozen, remaining with opened mouth.

With an arrogant glare at Precious-la's helpless state, Screwball laughed sadistically and a relation between Precious-la's forehead and her own grey horn appeared, forming a neat, straight line.

Although, Autumn Blaze, who was standing on her backhooves excactly between Screwball and Precious-la, passed the magical relation, which was proceeding from Precious-la to Screwball unobstructed, just like Autumn Blaze didn't exist at all.

Screwball laughed again and activated her magic. Immediately, Precious-la felt her own essence from her forehead drowning out of her body and flowing neatly into Screwball's horn, making her laugh with her evil laughter louder and louder.

Precious-la's eyes wandered to Autumn Blaze, who was still standing between them and she gasped in shock.

"Autumn Blaze," she tried to whisper, but her voice only croaked. "Go away! Bring yourself to safety!"

"I can't leave you alone again!" Autumn Blaze exclaimed strongly.

"I will resist," Precious-la croaked hoarsly. "I won't let her taking away my friendship experience."

"You're helpless," Screwball drawled arrogantly. "You can't do anything against this spell!"

Screwball raised her head and laughed again, full of sadism, and the essence made her even stronger and more confident.

"The best student of the School of Friendship," she exclaimed. "She must have already collected a lot Friendship experience for me to use as magic!"

"You can't!" Autumn Blaze shouted, staring at Screwball.

"I can," Screwball replied relaxed, smiling wicked. "Why wasting all the friendship experience?"

"Run!" Precious-la whispered.

Autumn Blaze didn't want to escape. She had to help Precious-la, no matter what it costs for her. She isn't so selfish to escape herself.

Suddenly, she was dipped deeply into a bright, blue light and lost the ground under her hooves. Autumn Blaze panicked and didn't know, what was happening with her, until he crashed rather hard on the ground under her.

Confused, she rubbed her eyes to find out, where she was located and finds out, that she was on a green, healthy meadow with beautiful flowers. She was in one of the many gardens of the School of Friendship, she recognized the colorful building in the background.

Autumn Blaze had no idea, how she arrived in the School of Friendship, but her eyes immediately noticed a blue unicorn running around and having fun. It was obviously Precious-la, but how did it come, that Precious-la was in the School of Friendship?

However, she hardly had time to think about her state, as she saw another pony at the same age and height as Precious-la following her and laughing happily. But she was a pegasus with curly blue mane and cute little speckles.

Autumn Blaze swallowed, as she saw that pony and remembered back the newspaper article, she recently read about Cozy Glow. The moving picture of Cozy Glow's wicked face grinning at the reader, while she holded the rail of her Tartarus prison tight, popped into her head and Autumn Blaze gasped mutely. The other pony was Cozy Glow.

While she was staring at Precious-la and Cozy Glow playing together in the garden of the campus, the scenery suddenly changed and she was in one of the corridors of the School of Friendship, which was full of many other students talking about the Mane 6 and math formulas. They didn't seem to notice Autumn Blaze at all.

Autumn Blaze tried to listen to these students, until she saw Precious-la again coming in her direction. Cozy Glow came from the opposite direction and noticed Precious-la. They said "Hello" to each other and hoofbumped.

The scenery changed again and Autumn Blaze floated neatly in a classroom over all the students. Fluttershy sat at the teacher's desk and severely observed the students, while they quickly scribbled a few words at their papers, sometimes tossing a nervous glance at the clock and then went on writing.

Precious-la sat in the first row, highly concentrated and writing as fast as she could, at the right seat next to her Cozy Glow, who didn't looked happy at all, having stopped writing and almost crying.

In the moment, as Fluttershy looked away to a male student, Precious-la pushed her paper in Cozy's direction, who gave her a thankful smile and started writing again.

Now, Autumn Blaze was in another classroom, but the atmosphere was much more different than before. Everyone was excited and talked nervously to each other, so that Autumn Blaze thought, Fluttershy might not being able to control her class. Fluttershy was fine though, she only handed out a stack of papers to her students.

Autumn Blaze' glance wandered to Precious-la, who was almost exploding of nervousness and looking terribly afraid. In that moment, Fluttershy arrived at Precious-la's and Cozy Glow's table and gave both of them their papers.

Precious-la stared at hers, raised her hooves and cheered happily and Cozy Glow did the same. Autumn Blaze could just have a look at the surface of their papers and noticed a huge, red "A" on each of their papers.

The scenery changed again and Autumn Blaze found herself in a corridor again, which was this time completely empty, with no single student located in there. She carefully went through the corridor and turned right into another corridor.

She almost got an heart attack, as she nearly walked into Cozy Glow. Autumn Blaze instantly stopped and quietly sneaked forward to have a more detailed look at Cozy Glow's face. She was near enough to realize, that Cozy was walking grumpy along the corridor, not looking pleased at all.

In that moment, Precious-la went into the corridor at the opposite site and screamed loudly, "Halt! What are you doing?"

She didn't look happy either and suspiciously glared at Cozy.

"Ooh, it's you Precious-la," Cozy exclaimed and forced a sugar cute smile onto her face.

"What are you up to?" Precious-la asked again, fixing Cozy with her narrowed eyes. "You're behaving pretty odd, you know?"

"Ooh?" Cozy asked innocently and smiled even wider. "What did make you think, that I was up to something?"

"I don't know excactly, but there's definitely something strange going on here," Precious-la replied, not leaving Cozy out of her eyes.

"I don't think, that anything is strange," Cozy said in the same innocent voice as before.

"Don't play innocent!" Precious-la growled.

"But...but," Cozy stammered and bursted into tears. "We're friends, remember?"

Autumn Blaze loudless gasped. She was indeed right and Precious-la and Cozy Glow used to be friends.

Precious-la looked at the crying Cozy and she felt her heart almost crying, but she was sure, that there was something wrong with Cozy and told herself to resist this time.

"Of course we are," Precious-la said. "But you gotta tell me, what did you do with our teachers and why are you the principal now?"

"Star...Starlight wanted me to take care of everyone," Cozy sobbed and wiped away her tears. "How can it come, that you're thinking...you're thinking, I'm up to something?"

"Another question: Did you seriously think, that you could manipulate everyone without anyone noticing?" Precious-la asked back, more severely now.

Cozy didn't reply, but forced herself to burst into tears again and cry heavily.

"Starlight gave you that letter instead of telling everyone personally, that she's giving you the responsibility," Precious-la went on, trying to ignore Cozy's sobbing. "That means, someone has kidnapped her."

"You listened to that S...Smolder," Cozy asked whispering.

Precious-la nodded. "And that's not all. I saw you trying to distract our teachers, so that you can be here alone. I'm not as dumb as you thought I was."

"Distract?" Cozy repeated and went on crying sadly. "Why would I?"

"Don't play innocent!" Precious-la yelled once again. "In context with the vanished magic, this can't be a coincidence and every consideration, that I did, leads to you, so you must have something to do with everything!"

Autumn Blaze, who was listening to their conservation the entire time, stunned about Precious-la's logical thinking. She has never seen her that smart in her whole life.

"How could you accuse me for everything?" Cozy asked again, while it was almost impossible to understand, what she just said, due to all her sobbing and crying. "I thought, we were friends!"

"Only being friends doesn't protect you from getting away from all this mess!" Precious-la exclaimed seriously. "What are you up to?"

"Fine," Cozy admitted and wiped the rest of her tears away. "I will tell you everything."

Precious-la nodded slowly, but instead of telling Precious-la all the truth, Cozy turned her body and ran away as fast as she could.

"Hey!" Precious-la screamed and followed Cozy.

Autumn Blaze decided to follow Cozy and Precious-la as well, eager of that will happen next.

Precious-la hunted Cozy through the whole corridor, sometimes turned right and sometimes turned left and sometimes chased upstairs or downstairs. She panted extremely, as she has never been the fastest runner and without her magic, it was impossible for her to overtake Cozy. On the other hoof, she couldn't let Cozy escape and she was 100%ly sure, that Cozy has everything to do with the vanished magic.

Unfortunately, Cozy ran into a dead end and she had no way to escape from Precious-la. She gasped horrified and was about to burst into tears the third time.

But Precious-la only said coldly, "You can't make my heart soft with your tears this time!"

Cozy turned to her left and pulled at a rope hanging down the ceiling and Precious-la lost the ground under her hooves. She immediately fell down the trap and crashed at the dusty ground of the basement.

Autumn Blaze gasped worried, this time even loudly, but Cozy didn't notice her.

"You will regret, that resisted against me!" Cozy shouted angrily.

And suddenly, she wasn't cute and innocent anymore, but had a wicked expression on her little, round face. Autumn Blaze immediately remembered back Screwball's wicked expression, which looked excactly the same.

"No one defies Cozy Glow's rules!" Cozy added, having an awfully similar voice like Screwball. "Everyone has to obey Cozy Glow!"

Precious-la just stared with widened eyes and opened mouth from the basement up to Cozy Glow, as shocked as she has never been in her life.

"I knew it!" she yelled loudly and her voice vibrated of all the anger, "I knew it, that you're behind all this mess! How dare you do that to your friend?"

"We're not friends anymore and we never were real friends!" Cozy shouted. "I used you all the time for my own plans, as I can always need a good student at the School of Friendship!"

"How could you?" Precious-la asked, now in a unbelieving whisper. Tears appeared in her eyes.

"I didn't know anything about friendship," Cozy answered calmly. "But you did, so I needed you!"

Precious-la kept staring at her ex-best-friend, trying to remain as strong as possible, trying not to cry.

"I...I hate you!" Precious-la shouted as brave as she could. "We're no longer sworn sisters anymore!"

Cozy Glow pulled at the rope again and the trap closed. With that sound, Autumn Blaze was also roughly ripped out of the dream-like mysterious world and could no longer see, what Cozy is gonna do next.

From one second to other, she found herself at the ground of Ponyville again and could just see the least string of Precious-la's essence flowing into Screwball's horn. Precious-la lost her awareness and slowly closed her eyes.

The magical aura around Precious-la disappeared and released her from her imprisonment and her body hit the ground with a hollow sound. Precious-la remained there motionless with closed eyes.

On the other hoof, Screwball raised her hooves in the hair and laughed her evil, wicked laughter again, as she felt her body being more powerful than ever.

"So much magic!" she screamed like mad. "She did had a lot of Friendship experience, I wasn't wrong!"

"What did you do to her?" Autumn Blaze harshly asked Screwball, although she knew excactly, what she just did to Precious-la.

"Hahahahaha," Screwball just laughted and shot a shockbolt into the sky, from which the sun was automatically replaced by the moon, causing the day turning into night.

"If you did that to Precious-la, take my friendship experience away as well," Autumn Blaze said, ready to sacrifice herself to Screwball.

But Screwball kept laughing, as Autumn Blaze just resisted her.

"Why should I?" she mocked. "I doubt, that you'll have that much friendship experience for me. You're useless to me."

"Why shouldn't I have friendship experience?" Autumn Blaze asked back.

"For friendship experience," Screwball explained, still half-laughing, "you need friends. And you don't have any friends. You never had friends."

"I have friends," Autumn Blaze defended herself, but it didn't sound very persuading.

"Precious-la was never your friend," Screwball went on. "She was always the friend of the silly Young Six. And before you went to Ponville, you were alone for a long time, without friends!"

Autumn Blaze didn't understand.

"You didn't even know, how to talk!" Screwball laughed and made with her magic a barking cat appear. "You used to be so alone without anyone talking with you and now, you're alone again. Ain't that funny?"

Screwball rolled of laughter. She levitated herself with her magic and strongly hold her belly, as she laughed so much. With her magic, she made a cotton candy cloud with pegasus wings appear and layed herself on that cloud.

"You're alone with no friends, that's so funny!" Screwball kept laughing and her cloud spinned through the air. "I decided to not take your friendship experience to let you enjoy that moment of utter loneliness!"

With these words, Screwball rolled of all the laughter again and her cloud dashed away with herself, leaving Autumn Blaze with the cat alone.

"Utter loneliness," Autumn Blaze replied Screwball's words with a hollow voice.

She doesn't feel like crying, she actually felt nothing specific. She sat down and just remained there with a fixed stare at the point, where Screwball vanished with her cloud.

The cat shortly glanced at her, before turning his back to Autumn Blaze and running away while barking loudly all the time.

"I'm alone."

Chapter 13

"What's up with you?" Discord asked disparaging and looked at Spike, as he distracted a few enemies with his draconequus magic. "That's not the way, how a warrior looks like!"

Spike indeed helped Discord defeating their enemies in Ogres & Oubliettes, but he was visibly abstracted by his own thoughts and wore an overworried face, while trying to fight.

"We're loosing!" Discord exclaimed. "Would you please concentrate and help us winning this match?"

"Ok, oh yeah," Spike swirled around and kicked an enemy away.

Discord moaned and with a snap with his fingers, he cancelled the game and the usual entrance hall of Twilight's castle appeared around them again.

"Sorry, but I'm worrying about Big Mac," Spike said. "He hasn't come back for long and I suspect, that something happened to him."

"Hm, perhaps," Discord reflected thoughtfully. "Or he just forgot us."

"How could he forget us?" Spike asked rhetorically. "What if he bumped into Screwball and she only tried to distract him with Sugar Belle?"

Spike wanted to go on expressing his worry for Big Mac's long absence, if he didn't suddenly burp and spit out a letter. He received a letter and quickly opened it to read the content.

He expected it to be another threating letter from Nightmare Moon or even one from Princess Celestia, but the content of the letter is written in Rarity's beautiful, swungen font. That made a smile appear in Spike's face and he read the letter aloud.

We're back from our mission, don't worry, with much love, Rarity.

Although the letter was not as long as Sugar Belle's, Spike was still happy to receive a letter from Rarity. But he was happier getting the news, that the Mane 6 returned well and healthy from their missions and that Equestria will most likely be saved within moments.

Discord bowed forward to read Rarity's letter as well, but in that moment, Spike jumped up highly delighted and rushed to the golden doors, that lead to the outside of Twilight's castle.

"That's awesome! They're back!" he exclaimed happily.

Discord didn't answer, so Spike went on cheering.

"Don't worry Discord," Spike comforted him. "The Mane 6 are back, Equestria will be saved!"

"It could be a trap as well," Discord only said shortly, but seriously. "Remember, what happened to Big Mac."

"I don't think so," Spike said. "After all, the Mane 6 are back and they could easily defeat Screwball with the Elements of Harmony. So you can be saved as well, aren't you happy for these news?"

Spike stopped shortly and glanced at the letter again, reading every word, that was written in Rarity's beautiful font, and imagining Rarity telling him this personally.

"I know, it could be a trap," Spike said. "But what if it isn't? And what, if the Mane 6 really returned?"

Discord didn't know, how to answer, but Spike was so excited, that he pointed straight forward at the doors and told him, "Open these for me, please."

Discord hesitated. "Without you, I'm all alone here."

"Don't worry," Spike said calmly. "They will come and save you and Equestria! You don't need me anymore as your buddy."

Although Spike seemed pretty confident about Rarity's letter and the news, but Discord was still hesitating. Eventually, he snapped with his fingers. The golden doors swung open and a hole appeared in the middle of the magic aura.

Spike waved at Discord for farewell and winked confidently, before he disappeared from the hole and went out of the castle. The doors immediately closed behind him and so did the hole. And Spike turned forward the streets.

As he did so, he froze and his happiness from before instantly vanished.

In front of him, Ponyville is sunken into absolute chaos: The bright, blue sky from the morning has completely been covered by thick, pink cotton candy clouds, from which chocolate milk constantly rains or serrated red-white candy canes dashed down just like thunderbolts at the ground and roughly crashed down. The ground itself is a huge chess field with alternating dark-blue and orange pitches, sometimes interrupted by some random pink or purple pitches. Off and on, there were some small or medium large leafgreen volcanos instead of healthy trees, which constantly spitted out amounts of white goo flowing down the volcano slopes down the colorful roads.

Spike told himself, that the Mane 6 will easily find a way, how to defeat Screwball and end all the chaos. Slightly calmed down, he stepped down the road, until a tabby cat came across, barked at him and waved with its bushy tail.

Spike was irritated by the cat and did his best to ignore him, until a dozen further cats joined the first cat and blocked Spike's way, also barking loudly and waving madly with their tails.

"What do you want?" Spike asked annoyed and looked at the first cat.

It only barked, pointed with its paw in one direction and ran away, barking loudly at the while. The other cats immediately followed him.

Spike suddenly realized, that he had no idea, where Rarity was located and that the hazard of bumping into Screwball is too huge. So, he did nothing other than following all the cats, hoping that they'll give him a clue.

He arrived at a marketplace, where the cats immediately sat down in front of him, panting expectantly for treats and waving with their tails.

But Spike noticed something else. It was Rarity sitting with the back turned to him and looking thoughtfully at the ground. With a feeling between happiness and delight, Spike rushed to her, but Rarity only shouted, "Stop!"

Spike instinctly stopped and didn't move one bit.

In this moment, the rain started once again and the cats all raised their heads with hungen out tongues to catch the chocolate milk.

"Rarity!" Spike exclaimed happily. "You're back! I'm so glad, that you're back!"

Rarity however didn't show any clues of happiness or delight. She just sat there, motionless.

Spike looked worried at her and came to the conclusion, that something must happened to her. He noticed, that the rest of the Mane 6 wasn't with her and wasn't happy about that at all. Besides, Rarity's fur wasn't blueish white as usual, but for some strange reason, it was pink.

"Where are the others?" he asked confused. "And why is your fur suddenly pink."

Rarity began to cry and Spike went to her to comfort her, if she didn't shout loudly, "Halt!"

"What happened?" Spike asked, now visibly worried about Rarity's strange condition. "Is it, because you accidently dyed your fur purple?"

Rarity shook her head and swallowed.

"It was horrible," Rarity sobbed. "Just awful!"

"What?" Spike went on asking. He had no idea, what happened to Rarity, or the rest of the Mane 6.

"Didn't you tell me not to worry?" Spike asked and raised Rarity's letter.

Rarity still didn't turn her head to Spike. She still sobbed and cried.

"Something horrible happened to our friends!" Rarity explained almost incomprehensibly. "But don't worry. I don't want you to be involved into that horror!"

"No way!" Spike gasped. "What happened?"

"Get out of that stuff," Rarity sobbed. "You're putting yourself in danger and I don't want to loose you either!"

"Is it Screwball?" Spike guessed wildly. "Does it has something to do with the war?"

Rarity didn't reply and just cried even louder. A ginger cat among the herd of cats stopped drinking chocolate milk and ran to Rarity to comfort her. Rarity stopped crying, as she noticed it and caressed her around the neck. Spike also wanted to come to Rarity to comfort her just like the cat did, but he was afraid of her screaming "stop" or "halt" again. So, he just remained quiet.

"I'm helping you the best I can, no matter you want or not!" Spike eventually decided determined.

Rarity shook her head twice and just went on caressing the cat, which panted satisfied.

"For you, I'm ready for every risk in the world!" Spike admitted bravely. "Only for you, Rarity."

Rarity sighed and said, "You're a true sweetheart."

Spike blushed, as Rarity called him a sweetheart and asked eagerly: "What can I do?"

"How did you escape anyways?" Rarity asked him and Spike could hear a tone of confusion, but also of worry, in her voice. "How could you break the curfew?"

Of course, she didn't know, that Discord was able to break the magic aura curfew. He used to not knowing it either, until Discord demonstrated that to him and Big Mac.

Spike turned his head in all the four directions to check out, whether Screwball or anyone else was hiding anywhere to listen to him, but he only saw the group of cats drinking the chocolate milk like mad and Rarity, still looking at the ground and caressing the ginger cat.

He carefully stepped some steps forwards to Rarity to tell her the secret and froze, as Rarity's sudden voice said, "I'm worried, that the magical barrier wasn't 100%ly safe."

"For ponies it is," Spike explained, trying to sound as calm as possible.

He bowed forward and whispered quietly, but comprehensively, "But Discord can interrupt the magic aura. And he did that to me. I didn't knew that either, so it's okay, if you didn't know."

Utter silence. Rarity didn't reply anything and Spike remained quiet as well. Off and on, they could still hear the panting of the cats, but neither Rarity, nor Spike said anything. In the meanwhile, the rain stopped, but the pink clouds still didn't move away.

"I...I love you Spike," Rarity whispered and cried tears of joy.

Spike blushed. He couldn't believe Rarity telling him that. After all the years, she finally admitted that to him. He opened his mouth to say, "I love you too."

But Rarity added even quieter, "Especially your friendship experience."

Spike closed his mouth again and was irritated.

Rarity finally turned her body to Spike and deeply stared him into his eyes. Spike froze and released a loudless gasp, but he felt too sick and confused to scream for help or to ask anything. Discord was right: It was a trap.

The pony, who was standing before Spike wasn't Rarity. It was Screwball with her pink fur and her pupilless swirly eyes and the only thing, that looked like Rarity on her body was a dark-purple mane-bang, she wore as wig, all in the intention to confuse and manipulate Spike.

"Discord was right all the time!" Spike said, "It was a trap and how dumb I was to thrust her! How dumb I was to tell her excactly, where Discord was!"

Screwball smiled and said mysteriously, "At least you were truly loyal to me, although you thought, I was Rarity."

As Screwball said that, Spike realized, that he has accidently spoken his sentences above aloud instead of only in his head and heavily facepalmed for his own punishment.

Screwball swiftly dropped the cat and placed her beanie with the attached grey horn on it on her head again and before Spike could blink, she froze him with her magic and made it unable for him to escape.

Spike struggled and winded, but nothing helped.

Screwball activated her magic spell with a wide wicked smile on her face and a relation between her horn and Spike's forehead appeared. Immediately, Spike's essence was drained out of his body and flowed along that relation into Screwball's horn, causing her laugh sadistically.

"You!" Spike growled, as he found his language again. "You did that to Big Mac!"

"Not wrong," Screwball admitted, still laughing with her classical, evil laughter. "Smart boy. Very smart boy."

"You also did that to," Spike angrily went on, but with every word he was saying, it was more difficult for him, causing his voice turning into a weak croak. "Star...Starlight, Neighsay, Thorax' Hive, Silver...Spoon."

"Precious-la, Sandbar, Ocellus, Smolder, Silverstream, Yona, Gilda, Gabby, Lithium Evergreen and pretty much almost everyone else," Screwball finished Spike's sentence with an amused voice.

Spike tried to resist against Screwball. Tried to tell her anything nasty, but he had no idea, what. He bited his teeth together.

Screwball only looked at his helpless state with amusement and released her, wicked, evil laughter again.

"Ain't that funny?" she exclaimed while still laughing in amusement. "With every victim, from which I take their friendship experience, the thing is getting more fun!"

She sucked out the last bit essence out of Spike's body and when she did, the procedure automatically stopped and the magic aura disappeared around Spike.

Motionless and unconscious, Spike fell at the ground with a hollow sound and the ginger cat from before curiously sniffed all over his little body.

Screwball laughed louder, as she felt all the power and magic in herself, and raised her hooves into the sky and exclaimed with all her pride, "So much power! So much power just for me alone!"

She jumped onto another cotton candy cloud with wings and shouted: "To Twilight's castle!"

The cloud immediately obeyed and carried Screwball all over Ponyville to Twilight's castle, while she was still laughing sadistically and shooting magic beams into the sky, which made fishes with hairy legs appear.

As the cloud arrived at Twilight's castle, Screwball jumped up and placed herself in front of it. However, instead of Twilight's beautiful, majestic castle, she only saw an ordinary oak tree planted at the location, the castle should be.

"Just a tree," Screwball mumbled and fired a magic beam at the oak. "Should have been a volcano!"

The beam hit then oak and tried to turn it into a green volcano, but instead, it turned back into the oak again and suddenly, but finally, it releaved its true form: Twilight's castle with a turquoise aura around it.

Screwball released a high pitched laughter and said rather to herself than to anyone, "With all the friendship experience of Precious-la and Spike, this will be a piece of cake!"

She bowed forwards and narrowed her eyes for more concentration and a blood red aura appeared around her grey horn. A nebula in the same color also showed up around her eyes, making her look more evil than usual.

She collected more and more magic. Then, she fired another magic beam at the doors of the castle, this time in the color of red, and after a deafening explosion sound, the singed golden doors of Twilight's castle energetically swung open.

Screwball laughed again, levitated herself with her magic and floated into the castle.

Discord, confused but hoping for Spike's and the Mane 6' return, appeared in the entrance hall of the castle and startled, as he saw Screwball having arrived.

Screwball also noticed Discord and squealed in happiness. She instantly rushed towards Discord and tightly hugged him, as she hasn't seen him for years. And suddenly, she doesn't look evil and sadistic at all.

The cuteness and innocence, most ponies have, appeared on her expressions instead of her usual, wicked face and she was visibly just overhappy by the sight of Discord.

"Daddy, I'm back!" Screwball squealed and hugged Discord tighter than before.

Discord disgusted tried to free himself from Screwball's hugs and pushed her away, but that didn't prevent Screwball from approaching him.

Proudly, she pointed with her right hoof at the grey horn at the top of her beanie and exclaimed, "Look at this horn! Now, I can do chaos magic just like you, isn't that wonderful?"

Before Discord could answer anything, Screwball energetically pulled him on his lion paw on the way out of the castle and when they were outside, Screwball proudly pointed at the scenery and screamed happily, "Look, I did this all!"

"I did this with my own magic," Screwball went on. "Look at the cotton candy clouds and the chocolate rain and the colorful ground, I learned that all from you."

Saying at, Screwball pointed at all the pink clouds and even pulled one down, ripped a piece off and stuffed it into her mouth. She gave another piece of the cloud Discord.

"But I also added things myself," Screwball explained proudly.

She picked up a kitten, who was barking and panting cheerfully, as it saw Discord and waving with its little tail like mad.

"Barking cats, that's funny!" Screwball said and pushed the kitten into Discord's eager claw.

The kitten immediately licked Discord's face and Discord could see, that its saliva was made of Make-up.

"And look, I turned every single tree into a volcano!" Screwball went on and pointed with Discord's lion paw forward at a volcano spitting out the goo.

Eventually, a small smile appeared on Discord's face and he first looked at the panting kitten, then at Screwball.

"This is very unique," he said. "But I've already opened an amusement park, so this all isn't necessary. I might still adapt your idea with the barking kitten."

"There's more!" Screwball squealed and pointed with her hoof at the fish with the hairy legs. "By the way, I named his Harry, because his legs are hairy, get it?"

Screwball turned her face to Discord's halfways make-uped face and smile widely. But it wasn't an evil smile. It was a cute, loveable, slightly expectant smile.

"Do you like it? Are you proud of me?" Screwball asked him in a high velocity.

However, she didn't even let Discord answering and went on herself, "And it's even getting better! We can rule all over Equestria together and design every single town like that, letting the chaos expand all over Equestria and probably even beyond Equestria, isn't that wonderful? It's just us two together having fun, while we'll enslave everyone else!"

"No," Discord said determined and raised his lion paw to tell Screwball to shut up.

"What?" Screwball asked confused and stared at Discord. "Aren't you proud of me?"

"I'm not only not proud of you," Discord said calmly, but still determined. "I'm highly disappointed of you turning into such an ignorant and egocentric daughter. To be honest, I'm ashamed of being your father."

"But...but," Screwball stammered. "I don't understand. You changed. You..."

"You're right," Discord interrupted Screwball. "I have changed."

"Why did you change?" Screwball exclaimed, now louder than before. "It used to be so simple between us. We both liked the same things and we both enjoyed drowning Ponyville into Chaos and now, you don't even care!"

"It used to..." Discord repeated severely. "But now, I changed and I don't do those things anymore."

Screwball, almost with tears in her eyes, picked up the kitten and the fish again and held them at Discord's eye level. "You said, this is unique and that you want to adapt them as well. You still like chaos, like me, and I know, that the ponies didn't change your true self!"

"I only said, that I like the idea," Discord said, "but I didn't say, that I like it, what you did with Ponyville. Chaos and Friendship can coexist and I know that, because I've got friends now. Pony friends."

"Pony friends!" Screwball exclaimed derogartory. "But I'm your friend and I was your first friend, before you met that Fluttershy!"

Screwball especially pronouced the name "Fluttershy" in an obnoxious tone.

"Don't dare to insult Fluttershy!" Discord yelled, angry as well. "Fluttershy is kind and caring to every pony and every animal and it's her, who gave me a second chance, when nopony else was ready to. She especially taught me friendship and I learned from her, that I can still have friends and care for them their pony way they like, when I remain chaotic. She motivated me to open my amusement park and she..."

Discord hesitated. "She was the best mare, I've ever met."

"What?" Screwball gasped offended. "But I'm your first friend and daughter! And I always used to be the friend, you never had! How...how dare you to replace me with Fluttershy?"

"The answer is simple," Discord explained. "Fluttershy is everything you're not. And you're not even confessing, that your ways are wrong."

"AAAARGH!"

Screwball moaned and upsetly raised her fists in the air. She gained her wicked, old facial expression back and accusingly pointed at Discord, staring angrily at him with narrowed eyes.

"I give you one single choice and three times to decide clearly!" Screwball announced warningly. "Either, you stay with me and we rule over Equestria with our chaotic powers together as a team or, you refuse. I will accept any decision."

"I," Discord said and reflected about, which choice he should take.

"You can only pick one," Screwball repeated warningly one again. "Better the first decision."

"Refuse to follow your path," Discord finished his sentence.

"This can't be!" Screwball shouted and her head turned red in anger.

"And I will never follow your path," Discord added seriously.

Screwball's body inflated and she was almost exploding of anger, as Precious-la's voice suddenly popped up in her head. Precious-la's refusing, sassy voice, "And I was never helping you."

That was too much for Screwball and with a loud "BANG", her body exploded into thousand pieces, leaving confetti at the ground.

"WHY?" she screamed from behind.

It looked like, that Screwball respawned right behind Discord in the entrance hall of Twilight's castle.

"I once did the mistake and won't do the same mistake twice," Discord explained calmly. "End of the discussion."

"You leave me no other choice," Screwball hissed and lowered her head.

With her magical horn, she froze Discord's body and sucked out the essence from his body. All the friendship experience, he got in his life. Discord constantly stared at Screwball's grey horn, while he got weaker and weaker.

When the procedure stopped and the magic aura released Discord from his magical prison, Discord dizzily tumbled backwards and found halt at the castle's doorframe. Screwball smiled, as she received additional magic and floated to Discord.

"Daddy?" Screwball caressed Discord's cheeks, as he slowly closed his eyes.

By hearing Screwball's voice, Discord opened his eyes and looked in Screwball's.

"Screwball?" he weakly replied. "I'm glad, that you're here. So many good memories."

Screwball automatically released a short laughter, as she couldn't believe the effectiveness of her horn. Discord is back to normal.

"Look, I already did the spadework," Screwball said and pointed at the scenery again, just the way, she did before. "In case, whether you will still rule over all Equestria with me and drown the whole world into utter chaos?"

"Of course I want to!" Discord exclaimed in utter excitement and happiness and immediately jumped up on his feet. "You did a gorgeous job!"

"Really?" Screwball asked and had tears in her eyes again, but this time, it's tears of joy. "Are you proud of me?"

"I'm more than that!" Discord said and picked Screwball up to hug her tightly. "You made this day the best day in my life!"

Screwball replied Discord's tight hug and hugged him too. She cried tears of joy and constantly repeated, "I can't believe, that we're a team again!"

"I was so sorry, that I used to be refusive to you," Discord said. "You're always the number 1 in my heart!"

Discord and Screwball happily hugged for a moment and even the barking kitten tried to join their hug and reuniting. Screwball kindly included it and caressed it around its neck.

"When should be start with the chaos?" Discord asked and slowly freed himself from their hug.

Screwball released Discord and smiled widely. Then, she bursted into evil, wicked laughter again and just like in a choir, Discord joined their laughter.

***

"Smolder, we're friends!"

Gallus begged at Smolder and pulled at Smolder's arm, but Smolder only winded and freed herself from the clinching of Gallus, looking disgusted at Gallus.

"I don't want anything to do with you!" Smolder hissed angrily at Gallus. "You're not cool like dragons!"

With these words, Smolder dashed away into the sky in a high velocity and vanished behind the thick cotton candy clouds.

"Wait!" Gallus called and stared at the place, where Smolder disappeared.

"I don't know you, I should go as well," Sandbar coldly said and also left Gallus.

"Stop wait!" Gallus exclaimed and desperately streched out a claw to prevent Sandbar from going away, but it didn't help. "We need you, we're the Young Six."

"Yona better than other creatures," Yona expressed her national pride with a sassy voice. "Yona not know why Yona here but except that Yona know everything."

"Yona, please stay!" Gallus begged at Yona, folding his claws together.

But Yona only raised her nose and stepped away.

"Silverstream, you're our last hope!" Gallus said and looked at Silverstream. "You were always kind, you know friendship right?"

Silverstream confusedly look back at Gallus and replied rather anxious, "We should not thrust anyone but ourselves."

"No Silverstream, stay!" Gallus shouted, as Silverstream also left the round. "You're a single creature, why are you saying 'we'?"

"Now Ocellus!" Gallus exclaimed, slowly becoming impatient.

"I'm Precious-la" Precious-la said and rolled her eyes.

"Why is everyone leaving! We're a team! We're friends!" Gallus asked in a desperate tone.

"Well, perhaps they don't want to be in a team and I don't either?", Precious-la explained coldly and arrogantly shook her mane. "I'm better anyways by saving Equestria on my own. I don't need friends."

Precious-la also left and Gallus still shouted behind her back, "You want! You always wanted to be one of the Young Six and now, you've got the chance!"

"I'm still not Ocellus," Precious-la's hollow voice echoed back.

"Arrgh ENOUGH!"

Gallus snapped frustrated and dashed in every direction, also into the sky, fetched them back, placed them at the ground neatly one next to another and gave them a serious stare to prevent them from going away again.

"We are a team and we are supposed to work together in a team!" Gallus yelled.

He pulled five golden necklaces with a sloppily shaped crystal in it and a crown out and roughly gave every member of the Young 4 and Precious-la a necklace. He placed the crown on his own head.

"These are the Elements of Harmony and we need them to save Equestria!" Gallus announced.

"Yona not want necklace," Yona complained and obnoxiously pointed at the butterfly shaped crystal in the middle of her necklace. "Yona want crown."

"Can I change mine too, blue isn't my color," Smolder moaned and frantically waved with his necklace in his claw.

"If you don't want yours, I can take them all," Precious-la said and quickly grabbed away Sandbar's apple-shaped necklace.

Sandbar looked offended at Precious-la and harshly punched at in her face.

"No!" Gallus exclaimed. "No and NO! It doesn't matter, which necklace you have, the point is, that they have to work and now, we gotta search Screwball!"

In this moment, they heard a loud, wicked laughter hallowing through the entire Ponyville and the ground under them began to vibrate enormously, just like during an earthquake.

"Yona, can you not be loud for one time in your entire life?" Sandbar shouted annoyed and glanced at Yona.

"Yona not doing this!" Yona moaned and angrily glared back.

"If you can do the earthquake, I can as well!" Precious-la exclaimed and jumped up and down, which just made the earthquake stronger.

"Stop arguing!" Gallus shouted and frantically waved with his claws to tell the Young 4 and Precious-la to shut up. "We mustn't argue!"

Gallus tried to stand up, but it was barely impossible for him in this strong earthquake and he fell down and crashed hard at the ground. Smolder loudly laughted at him.

In this moment, the protective turquoise aura around the several houses and buildings vibrated in the tact of the earthquake, before it suddenly bursted apart and letted the houses unprotective.

And this didn't only happen with the row of houses and buildings in the street, where Gallus and his team were sitting, it happened with every building in Ponyville. The restaurant with the mushroom tables, the School of Friendship, even the CMC's clubhouse.

Meanwhile at Sweet Apple Acres, Diamond Tiara looked up, as the turquoise aura around their clubhouse disappeared and exclaimed loudly, "This is our chance! We can finally do something to help!"

Without the allowance of the CMC, Diamond Tiara left their clubhouse and rushed down the orchard on the streets in front of Sweet Apple Acres.

"Wait!" the CMC yelled and quickly followed Diamond Tiara.

Apart from Diamond Tiara and the CMC, no one left their protective shelters volunteery, so the ground began to vibrate even more intensive and the doors from all the Ponyville's buildings swung open.

An unknown force sucked all the citizens of Ponyville outside their homes to the street. They didn't know, what was going on and screamed cluttered, "Help!"

Gallus stood up and told his friends to follow him, which only followed him reluctantly, but he bumped into Diamond Tiara and the CMC.

Gallus immediately apologized to them, but especially Smolder and Yona hostily hissed at them.

However, they didn't come far. Gallus, Diamond Tiara, the CMC and pretty much everyone else got freezes by the same unknown force and from each of their foreheads, there was a relation, which lead to the center of Ponyville: The Ponyville's Townhall or to be more specific, to Screwball's grey horn.

The Young 4 and Precious-la, who weren't affected by Screwball's spell, saw Gallus' helpless state and careless went away from him.

All the friendship experience, all the essence from every single citizen of Ponyville, was drained away and flowed into Screwball's grey horn, making her more powerful than ever.

Screwball's evil laughter could be heard at every single corner in Ponyville, as she laughted, because her magical powers grew bigger and bigger and she herself also became more powerful. Soon, she will have absorbed the friendship experience of everypony and turned it into magic for her own, chaotic benefits.

Chapter 14

"Waaaaaaah!!"

The Mane 6 fell from an interdimensional portal down at the ground and crashed hard. Twilight immediately raised her head to check out, where they were and whether they already arrived at Ponyville, but with only sight at the scenery made her get startled.

Not only was Ponyville totally messed up and covered in chaos from the top to the bottom, it was also littered with a huge amount of black, evil changelings having arrested and enslaved all the citizens of Ponyville and delivering them into Discord's amusement park, which was guarded by two further changelings.

The doors from every single building in Ponyville were widely opened and the turquoise aura has already disappeared from them, not covering them anymore. Besides, some buildings were magically turned into anthills, insect hotels or pieces of cheddar cheese.

Twilight was delighted, that they returned to Ponyville well, as she remembered the issues in the last dimension they visited too visibly, but despite of that, the shock and despair, that formed, once she saw Ponyville, was considerably bigger than her delight.

"That's really bad!" Twilight whispered worried.

Fluttershy loudly gasped and pointed at a herd of changelings having arrested various animals.

"Oh no! The animals from the animal sanctuary!" she exclaimed and suddenly felt sick by the sight of their horrible fate.

"What happened in the meanwhile, we were gone?" Rarity asked.

"I don't know, but it's definitely nothing good," Applejack replied, looking as worried as the others.

"Nothing good is an understatement," Twilight said. "It's horrible!"

In this moment, she saw another herd of changelings coming across and she couldn't believe, who they arrested this time. It was the Young Six and Precious-la, followed by Diamond Tiara loudly complaining in a sassy voice, "My father will hear about that!".

Fluttershy saw the same thing and fainted of utter shock.

"Sweetie Belle!" Rarity exclaimed and followed the changeling carrying Sweetie Belle and pushing her into the direction of the amusement park. "What happened to you?"

"Back off, if you think, you can do everything better!" Sweetie Belle shouted hostily at Rarity. "I don't need somepony like you looking out for me!"

The changeling gave Rarity a short glance and then went on pushing Sweetie Belle forward. Rarity bursted into tears and sank at the ground.

Rainbow Dash turned her head to Twilight and exclaimed in an alarmed voice, "This is all Screwball's fault! We need to do anything against that!"

Twilight nodded and said quietly, but determined, "If the Young Six can't do, then we will save Equestria from all that mess! Girls, come with me!"

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie immediately stood ready, but Rarity was still crying at the ground because of the Sweetie Belle thing, Applejack was discussing with Apple Bloom, who said the similar thing like Sweetie Belle and Fluttershy was still unconscious.

"Girls, we need to hurry!" Twilight repeated severely, "Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack!"

Neither Rarity, nor Fluttershy or Applejack reacted, so Twilight activated her magic and teleported them all into the Everfree Forest, right in front of the Tree of Harmony.

"I think, the Elements of Harmony will work against Screwball," Twilight mumbled and stared at the tree.

Then, she remembered the different ingredients and pulled them all out. There was a transparent bag of the silverly shimmering powder from the human dimension, the black box within the green powder of Midnight Sparkle's crystal, Redstone powder, dog food and several gold sharps from their last dimension.

"Fire can only defeated with fire," Twilight mumbled, while she was looking at the 5 different ingredients.

She had no idea, how to safe Equestria by this motto, but she had to try.

"So you want to defeat me with your stupid elements?" a voice behind them asked with a quiet, but wicked voice.

Twilight didn't remember ever having heard that voice, but she immediately knew, that it was Screwball. She swiftly turned her head and saw the pink pony with her grey unicorn horn.

"What did you do to Ponyville?" Twilight asked severely and stared at Screwball.

The rest of the Mane 6 also didn't let Screwball out of their eyes, only Fluttershy was still unconscious.

But Screwball only laughed, as it was a silly game again and jokely replied, "I decorated it a bit, because the old Ponyville was too boring for me!"

"We won't allow you to treat the citizens of Ponyville so badly!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed angrily.

"Oh yeah, it was me," Screwball admitted calmly, still with a laughter in her face. "I obviously needed them for my magic to decorate Ponyville and now, I have it all!"

"It was you with the changelings as well!" Rarity shouted, having make-up blurred under her eyes.

Screwball nodded carelessly and started laughing again. She shot one magic beam to another and made weird things like barking cats or spiders with pony-hooves appear.

"Cut it off!" Rainbow Dash hissed hostily and pointed at Screwball with her right hoof, but Screwball wasn't afraid of her at all and just went on laughing.

Twilight shortly glanced at Screwball, then she lifted the ingredients with her magic, gathered all her friends around her and whispered quietly, "We can still get our Elements and defeat Screwball!"

However, Screwball seems still having heard them and her laughter from before turned into an annoyed moaning.

"You already have to be together!" she moaned and activated her magic. "Isn't it funnier, if you're on your own?"

And Screwball fired another magic beam at the Mane 6. In a fraction of a second, Twilight found herself on a totally other location than she was before.

She wasn't in front of the Tree of Harmony anymore and Screwball wasn't in front of her either. She turned her head around, but she couldn't excactly figure out, where she was. Somewhere in the deeps of the Everfree Forest.

Twilight panicked. She didn't have the Elements of Harmony, nor did she have her friends around her. She didn't know, what Screwball did to them, but it looks like, she seperated them and placed them at different locations.

"Teleportation of other objects, that's already high levelled magic, which required a lot of energy and magical skills," Twilight thought in her head.

Twilight stepped a few steps forward and looked around her location, but she couldn't see her friends anywhere.

"Pinkie?" Twilight asked in a whisper. "Rarity?"

The bushed next to her gave a sound and Twilight hoped for any of her friends, but it was only a bunny family hopping through the grass. Twilight went on for the search of her friends.

"Fluttershy?" Twilight asked, sounding more worried now.

She remembered back the unconscious Fluttershy and was seriously worried about her state now. Was she even aware of her situation and did she already wake up in the meanwhile? What if she was too scared and panicked as well?

***

A while ago, Twilight was still stepping in the middle of the woods, on the search of her friends. She remembered, that going straight forward to the north could eventually lead to Ponyville, or to be specific, Fluttershy's cottage. If she remembered well, she must have arrived at the railways.

Twilight lifted her magic again and noticed delightful, that she still kept all the ingredients. She stopped walking and gathered them all together and concentrated, how the best she can unite them to the same horn, Screwball also has.

"Surprise!" Discord's voice behind them squealed happily and Discord's body jumped out of some bushes.

Twilight released a shocked scream and tumbled back, still made sure, that she doesn't loose her ingredients.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle!" Discord mocked in an amused voice, Twilight hasn't heard for many years. "So alone and helpless, who funny!"

"Discord?" Twilight turned to Discord and quickly put her ingredients away, before Discord could take them. "Shouldn't you be in the castle with Spike and Big Mac?"

"Spike and Big Mac?" Discord asked in a disgusted tone. "Who are they? Are they one of your softies Pony-friends?"

Twilight was firstly confused by Discord's odd answer, but suddenly, she understood. Discord also lost his friendship experience. Although, Twilight wasn't excactly sure, so she decided to test Discord.

She stopped walking and asked Discord dramatically, "Oh no! Screwball also took your friendship experience!"

"Screwball?" Discord repeated confused. "Screwball is my daughter and my best friend!"

Twilight froze. "But what's with Fluttershy?"

"Oh please! I don't have pony friends," Discord exclaimed, slightly annoyed.

He snapped with his fingers and turned all the trees nearby on fire. By the sight of the flaming trees, he laughed out loud and Twilight just stepped away from him, obviously annoyed.

"Hey!" Discord shouted, not laughing at all. "Don't you find that funny?"

Twilight ignored him. So she was right. Discord indeed lost his friendship experience.

Twilight was sunken in thoughts, how to find her friends as fast as possible and how to defeat Screwball. In the meanwhile, Discord's amused laughter was heard from behind, as he set more trees on fire and gave the coming across bunnies many muscels or meter-long legs.

"Perhaps, I should try a barking kitten as well," Discord thought. "Or better a meowing dog."

And so, he snapped again and a brown labrador appeared in front of Twilight, meowing loudly at her.

"Stop it!" Twilight shouted and extinguished the fire on the trees with a magic spell.

She turned away and went on thinking, while Discord only moaned behind her, "Can't you be fun for a second?"

In this moment, Screwball appeared right in front of Twilight, whispering a half-amused, half-wicked, "Surprise."

Twilight started and tumbled back, while she accidently stepped at the labrador's tail, who meowed in agony.

"How dare you to now to find my daddy's antics funny?" she asked seriously.

"What did you do to him?" Twilight hissed at Screwball. "He wasn't like that! You must have taken his friendship experience away, you monster!"

"Oh yes, he was like that," Screwball said and smiled. "You changed him and I just changed him back."

Twilight growled, but she knew, that discussing with Screwball was useless. Instead, she wanted to know something else, "Where are my friends?"

"Well, you friends?" Screwball repeated innocently. "I took their friendship experience as well. Especially that annoying little obnoxious softie Fluttershy was a piece of cake, but what a pity, that she wasn't conscious of all that. She deserved the worst!"

Twilight gasped and without Screwball saying one further word, she ran forward as fast as she could. She knew, that Screwball is going to do the same with her than with her friends.

"Follow daddy!" Screwball commanded and Discord teleported to Twilight and snapped with his fingers.

A lava river appeared right in front of Twilight, which made her stop instinctly, but as it wasn't very wide, Twilight could easily jump over it and arrive at the other end.

Discord and Screwball weren't done yet and went on chasing Twilight and giving traps for preventing her escaping and Twilight was almost too tired to run further more.

As Screwball fired poison green magic beams at Twilight, she jumped away and dodged every time, while Screwball screamed behind her like mad, "Stop and give me your experience!"

The green magic beams hitted the ground or the trees and set anything on fire, which got hit by it and in that moment, Twilight recognized it and remembered back Midnight Sparkle's quote.

"Give me your wings or your magic!"

Twilight remembered Midnight's powder and pulled out the black box and the transparents bag while running and dodging Screwball's shock blasts. She carefully opened the box with her magic and took the green powder out, ready to combine it with the silverly powder, but Screwball was faster.

Within seconds, she ripped off the transparents bag from Twilight and took it herself with her magic.

"Give it back!" Twilight screamed in shock.

She remembered back the dimension, where they fought against Midnight Sparkle, but in there, her friends helped her. Now, she was entirely alone.

As Twilight worried, how she could escape from Screwball, something dashed down right in Screwball's and Discord's face and hold them down the ground. The something had a rainbow colored speed trail behind it and in this moment, Twilight recognized her.

"Leave Twilight alone!" Rainbow Dash shouted, tears the off from Screwball and tossed it to Twilight.

Twilight delightful caught the bag and was able to put the green powder into the bag with the silver powder.

Swiftly, Twilight activated her magic again and teleported Rainbow Dash and her to Ponyville, to the place in front of the entrance of Discord's amusement park.

Unfortunately, she accidently also transported Screwball and Discord with her, who now stood dangerously in front of them.

"You have already lost!" Screwball exclaimed in an arrogant voice and released a short laughter. "We already took the friendship experience from four of you, you can't do anything against that anymore!"

Rainbow Dash swiftly dashed to Screwball and accusingly pointed at her. She growled angrily, "We can! Don't think of yourself, you're so fancy!"

Screwball only laughed with the same laughter, she laughed before at the Tree of Harmony and in this moment, Discord appeared next to Twilight and fired a beam on all her ingredients, which turned to black ash.

The only thing, that remained, was the dog food, but in the excact same moment, the labrador from before jumped up and swallowed the dog food in one big, purring confidently.

Twilight only stared at the dust with unbelief and whispered, "But you wanted us to fetch it."

"That's how I do things," Discord replied and shrugged exaggerated. "I force ponies to do something and then, I brutally destroy it!"

"Anyways, it's not over yet!" Rainbow Dash continued growling.

Screwball just ignored her and didn't reply. She made a small cotton candy cloud appear and stuffed a part of it calmly in her mouth.

"We have to leave anyways," Screwball announced relaxed and spitted the fluid cotton candy in Rainbow Dash' face. "We have to go to Canterlot, something important to do."

With these words, Screwball disappeared together with Discord and left Twilight and Rainbow Dash alone. Twilight couldn't believe her luck. She actually escaped Screwball and the best part is, that Rainbow Dash also did.

"Would you like to say thank you?" Rainbow Dash asked in a demanding voice, still the face full of cotton candy.

But Twilight didn't say "thank you". Without any words, she just sad down at the ground, her head sadly hanging down, staring down in front of her hooves.

Chapter 15

"Hello?" Rainbow Dash repeated determined. "I practically saved your life, so I also expect some admiration from you."

Twilight still didn't answer, but remained in that awfull stiff position as before.

Rainbow Dash' eyes wandered to Twilight and made her feeling confused. Why wasn't Twilight answering her?

"Is everything okay?" Rainbow Dash carefully asked and approached Twilight.

"Nothing is okay," Twilight replied sadly and without energy, she lowered her head and kept staring at the ground. "Screwball was right, we've already lost and we can't do anything. Equestria belongs to her now."

"Nononono!" Rainbow Dash quickly said. "You can't say such a thing! You mustn't! Screwball is never right, there's still hope!"

Twilight turned her head to Rainbow Dash, her eyes full of tears, but still didn't stand up.

"Rainbow Dash, you're underestimating the situation," she said monotonuous. "Equestria is at war, we don't have the Elements of Harmony and Discord burned our ingredients for Screwball's horn to dust. We have no way or time to fetch new ingredients and Screwball already took over the entire Ponyville, including our friends. And now, you're telling me, that there's still hope? There is no hope! We don't have our friends! We don't have anything!"

Twilight was practically screaming the last few sentences to Rainbow Dash, until she turned her head again and stared at the ground. "I can still list plenty of things, I've done wrong."

"Well, that's right," Rainbow Dash mumbled thoughtfully. "What do you want to do then?"

"I will just wait for Screwball to return and take our friendship experience as well," Twilight answered tired.

"So you're saying, that we should give up?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Twilight slowly nodded her head, but didn't say anything. Rainbow Dash facepalmed heavily and flew in front of Twilight's sad face. "Cast a sound barrier bubble!"

Twilight didn't refuse anything and did, what Rainbow Dash told her. A pink bubble started surrounding Rainbow Dash and Twilight and closed, so that the changeling guards have no chance to listen to them.

"You can't just give up! You can't just give Equestria to Screwball!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed loudly.

But Twilight tiredly shook her head. "So, what do you want to do then?"

"I don't know, but I will definitely not let Screwball take my friendship experience and take over Equestria!" Rainbow Dash replied.

"I know, that you don't want to," Twilight said. "But you have to. Screwball is more powerful than the two of us, you've seen her, and she stole our friends' friendship experience within moments, so how will you resist against her? How?"

"If you're saying that, then you're wrong!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "Screwball is not more powerful than us!"

"You're not understanding the situation!" Twilight said, shouting as well.

"No, you're not!" Rainbow Dash shouted back.

"How specificaly am I not understanding the situation?" Twilight asked rhetorically. "How are we gonna defeat Screwball?"

"Just think," Rainbow Dash exclaimed and facepalmed again. "We've defeated so many villains, we've saved Equestria so many times and we never failed. Even if the situation looked hopeless, even when Lord Tirek took over the entire Equestria, even when Cozy Glow locked us in Tartarus and drained the magic away, even when Starlight messed in the timelines, even when your School of gonna close, we never lost! And we won't loose this time either! You just can't give up!"

"Rainbow Dash, this is different this time," Twilight said. "Back then, we always had our friends, but now, we're alone. Every single pony in Ponyville is under Screwball's reign and for travelling into another town, there's not enough time. You can't compare Screwball with all the other villains, we fought!"

"Our friends aren't gone!" Rainbow Dash said. "They're still there in."

Rainbow Dash pointed with her hoof at the entrance of Discord's amusement park.

"Okay I understand, but how in the world will you get in there?" Twilight asked and pointed at the changeling guards at each side of the entrance.

"We will find a way to get in there," Rainbow Dash promised. "And we will not loose, when we at least try!"

As Rainbow Dash said that, she remembered back the day, where she and Fluttershy encouraged Zephyr Breeze to try doing something on his own. She saw every scenery from that memory crystal clearly, she saw Zephyr trying his best to do something, she saw him almost having gave up, she saw herself and Fluttershy pushing him back into his atelier and encouraging him trying harder. And eventually, she saw his first archievements, she saw him in his graduation gown. She finally saw, that Zephyr Breeze tried and succeeded.

And she remembered, that she herself encouraged Zephyr to try and have confidence in himself. She succeeded as well. And now, she will help Twilight gaining back her confidence.

"You said, that you want to give up," Rainbow Dash went on and Twilight nodded. "That means, that you already lost. You lost in the moment, you gave up."

"What do you want to tell me?" Twilight asked, now confused about Rainbow Dash' intention.

"Do you remember, how much effort you have put in to save Equestria from Screwball?" Rainbow Dash asked rhetorically. "How much effort we have put in to save Equestria? We went to Zecora's, we travelled through various dimensions to find all the ingredients, we even hold together to escape from Midnight Sparkle, you teleported us to the Elements of Harmony. And now, you're giving that all in?"

Twilight nodded again and stared at the ground.

"You can't!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "You just can't toss all that effort away and give up. You can't just loose against Screwball!"

"So what's with the Young Six?" Twilight asked Rainbow Dash back.

Rainbow Dash didn't know, how to reply.

"Do you think, that they didn't try to save Equestria?" Twilight went on asking. "Do you think, that Precious-la didn't try? Did you think, that the CMC didn't try? Did you think, that Spike and Big Mac didn't try? They all tried, but they failed! They weren't able to save Equestria and that's the same with us!"

"Okay, even if we fail," Rainbow Dash came to word again. "Even if we don't succeed, we shall never ever give up. We should stand up, after we fell, we should open our eyes, after they got closed, we should try again, after we failed and we will succeed! We will always resist, but not give up!"

"That's not possible!" Twilight answered back. "Screwball will take our memory!"

Rainbow Dash streched out her right arm and showed Twilight the bottom of her hoof.

"Use your magic to write the sentences down at my hoof," Rainbow Dash demanded. "There gotta be a spell for that!"

Twilight hesitated.

"Do it already!" Rainbow Dash repeated and shook with her hoof.

Eventually, Twilight closed her eyes and placed her whole concentration at her magic. Slowly, but surely, small letters appeared at Rainbow Dash' right hoof, forming whole sentences. They were small, but they were readable.

Even if we fail, we should try again and we will succeed. We wil always resist but not give up.

"Now, write the names of our friends down here," Rainbow Dash said and streched her left hoof to Twilight. "And write below our names 'Elements of Harmony and friends forever'."

And so did Twilight. After the procedure, Rainbow Dash confidently nodded and took back her two hooves.

Twilight however still looked unsecure, but she was stunned by Rainbow Dash' quick idea.

"'What?" Rainbow Dash asked, as she caught up Twilight's wondered glance. "Did you think, I was as air-headed as every athletic sportpony else?"

"Anyways, this is not all of my plan," Rainbow Dash went on. "Just follow me and only say something, if I tell you to do so. Deactivate the sound barrier."

Twilight, still unsure about Rainbow Dash' secret plan, made the sound barrier bubble disappear again. Rainbow Dash told her to follow her and bravely stepped to the entrance of Discord's amusement park.

"Halt!" one of the changeling guards shouted and they crossed their weapons in front of the entrance.

Rainbow Dash however only saluted severely and exclaimed in a strict and determined voice, "I, general Rainbow Dash, want to announce, that Princess Twilight Sparkle and I decided to have a sneak peak into these catacombs, where the prisoners are. The princess already decided to give up rebelling against Screwball and decided to join her side and help her gaining even more powers. Therefore, we'd like to know, how the catacombs actually look like."

"Are you seriously thinking, that we're falling for this trick?" the first and bigger changeling guard asked back severely. "We should inform Screwball, whether it's true, what you're saying."

"No!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed shocked.

The changelings slightly changed suspicious glances, but Rainbow Dash could easily catch up, "Screwball told us personally, that she has to do very important things in Canterlot and better not want to be interrupted."

Both changelings shuddered after that sentence and it even seems so, that they were afraid of Screwball.

"Hm," the second changeling considered. "If Screwball says something like that, she also means that so."

Rainbow Dash would like to sigh in relief, but she did her best to stand still and do the most inpenetrable pokerface she could.

"However, we insist, that the princess tells us the news personally, otherwise, we won't believe you!" the first changeling said again.

Rainbow Dash tossed a glance to Twilight, coughed shortly and just hoped, that Twilight was smart enough to say the right thing.

Twilight stepped forward and majestically bowed in front of each changeling. While doing that, she said, "I, Princess Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship and headmaster of the School of Friendship, declare therefore, that I officially entrust Ponyville and later Equestria to Screwball. I promise, that I won't do anything against her reign and respect princess Screwball's power and title as the new ruler of Equestria."

The first changeling narrowed his eyes and hissed, "Are you kidding me?"

Rainbow Dash bited on her tongue and sweat appeared on her forehead. In her head, she begged like mad.

In this moment, both changelings bursted into massive laughter. They tossed themselves at the ground and rolled around, as their laughter was too intense, and hold their belly, as it ached.

Half-laughing, half-talking, the first changeling said, "The Princess of Friendship is giving up! The princess...giving up...giving Ponyville to Screwball!!"

The second changeling, still laying at the ground, pulled out a small, electronic devise and pushed at one button. Twilight's declaration resounded out of the devise, causing the two changelings laughing even harder.

"Again again!" the first changeling shouted, as the audio recording was finished and the second changeling replayed Twilight's declaration.

Rainbow Dash, looking slightly irritated, coughed shortly and asked, "Are we actually allowed to go in now?"

As the changelings heard Rainbow Dash, they quickly stood on their hooves again, still with a smile in their face.

"Of course," the first changeling said. "Ocellus will guide you around the entire facility."

"Ocellus?" Rainbow Dash accidently gasped startled.

"We know, that she's smaller than her camarades," the second changeling explained. "But therefore, she's ten time smarter than most of us."

Rainbow Dash wanted to say, "No wonder," but she was still able to control her impulses.

A small changeling, smaller than Rainbow Dash and Twilight, with messy, red mane appeared in front of them and told them to come with her. Rainbow Dash and Twilight followed, saying no further word.

As they entered the amusement park, they noticed, that the ground was lifting them up and swallowing them as a whole into an almost completely vertical slide. Rainbow Dash realized, that the ground was a symbolization for Discord's tongue and the slide for Discord's esophagus.

She and Twilight screamed with fear, as they fell down in the slide and as they weren't used of it, but as they reached the ground, their hooves touched it unnaturally soft and caused them floating over the ground for a few seconds.

Ocellus tossed a disgusted glance at them and commented, "You have to get used of it, if you want to visit this place more often."

Rainbow Dash said nothing but nodded and followed Ocellus furthermore.

They were in a completely round room with a dozen doors, but on each door, there was a number. Ocellus pushed the door with the number 1 of it open and told Rainbow Dash and Twilight to follow her. And so they did.

As they entered the room with the number 1, they were in a very long, grey and moisty passage. Left and right of them, there were prison cells one next to another, generally two storeys of cells. Through the prison bars, Rainbow Dash could recognize the citizens sitting in the cells.

Rainbow Dash turned her head to the left and saw the flower triplets sitting in their cells and practically doing nothing. Next to them Derpy and Doctor Whooves. As she turned her head to the right, she also noticed some more Ponyville citizens.

Ponyville doesn't have too many citizens, so Rainbow Dash kept her eyes opened for her friends and carefully watched every cell and the pony in it. In some cells, there weren't ponies but animals and Rainbow Dash immediately had to think of Fluttershy and how she fainted.

Rainbow Dash' eyes wandered to the Young Six and they also noticed Precious-la, who tried with her best to get out of the cell and hostily hissed at Rainbow Dash, as she came across her. Next to her was Diamond Tiara, looking rather grumpy and whispering annoyed, "My father will hear about that!"

Rainbow Dash saw Starlight Glimmer and then, she saw them. She saw her friends, Applejack, Pinkie, Fluttershy and Rarity, each one in each cell. Fluttershy was in the meanwhile aware of her situation again, but she was desperately hiding from the strangers coming across.

Fast as the wind, Rainbow Dash stole Starlight's wooden stick and hitted Ocellus a few times. Ocellus tried to defend herself, but Rainbow Dash just hept hitting her.

"Twilight, petrification!" Rainbow Dash shouted at Twilight and Twilight fired at magic beam at Ocellus, making her body petrify.

Rainbow Dash picked the petrified Ocellus up, took the star shaped crystal off from her amour and pushed it at the activation points of the cells from her friends. Then, she hung her body upside down at the ceiling.

The prison bars swung aside and Rainbow Dash dashed to Applejack and Pinkie Pie and tightly hugged them. Twilight hugged Fluttershy and Rarity at the other side.

Fluttershy tumbled back and looked timidly at her two friends. She tried to say something, but she was too shy, so that she didn't release any sound out.

"What in tarnation?" Applejack exclaimed. "I don't even know you, what do you want?"

"Applejack, you know us!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "We're friends!"

"Well, I have never seen you in my entire life," Applejack only mumbled and glanced suspiciously at Rainbow Dash.

"Who are you and why do you want to save us?" Rarity asked irritated and stepped away from Twilight.

"Yeah! I have no idea, who you are!" Pinkie squealed and narrowed her eyes, as she watched Rainbow Dash.

"We're friends, all six of us!" Twilight said and pointed at each of the Mane 6.

Applejack, Pinkie, Fluttershy and Rarity frantically shook their heads and all claimed, that they were meeting the first time.

In this time, Twilight heard something from above. It was her own voice, when she declared her capitulation in front of Screwball. The changelings must have replayed it from his device again.

Twilight just wanted to tell everyone, that they should ignore it, but Applejack already upsetly asked: "So you're on Screwball's side!"

"We're not falling for it, that we were friends!" Rarity shouted. "I have never seen you in my life!"

"That's not real! That's fake!" Twilight tried to explain. "We are friends!"

Now, she heard the first changeling's voice from above, "They should have come since now."

"I only said that to get in and rescue you," Twilight said.

"Well, I'm still not believing, that we were friends," Applejack said, still keeping her suspicious glance.

Fluttershy slightly nodded and hided her face behind her soft pink mane.

This time, Twilight should hear Screwball's voice from above. It didn't sound happy at all, "These dirty warriors in Canterlot didn't even want to entrust Equestria to me, how dare they!"

"Uh please!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed loudly. "Please believe us this time! We are indeed friends and we want to help you! We want to save Equestria together!"

Rainbow Dash streched out both of the hooves and let her friends read the sentences at the bottom of them.

"How did you know our names," Fluttershy whispered timidly, barely comprehensive.

"Because we are friends!" Rainbow Dash said and facepalmed. "Screwball took away all your friendship experience, that's why you can't remember us anymore! But she didn't get us, so we still can remember you!"

"That makes sense, but we still don't thrust you," Rarity said.

Rainbow Dash moaned and facepalmed again and in this time, Twilight heard a loud scream at the end of the passage and Screwball's voice saying, "Discord, this slide is the perfectly done for these catacombs!"

"They're almost here, so thrust us or every hope is gone forever!" Rainbow Dash shouted with a trail of nervousity.

Twilight suddenly remembered Rainbow Dash' words from before and remembered, what she wrote on her hooves. She had to try. She had to try convincing their friends of believing her and she knows, how limited their time was.

"We are the Elements of Harmony!" Twilight said frantically, in a high velocity. "And also if you don't know us and if you think, you've seen us the first time, we are friends and that's a fact! Even if you don't remember, you always had the Elements of Harmony in your hearts and that's the thing, that bounds us together!"

Twilight quickly pointed at Applejack and said, "Applejack, you were always honest and also this time, you were telling us the truth and you were always the Element of Honesty."

"Fluttershy was always so kind to every creature and pony," Twilight went on and pointed at Fluttershy, who immediately hided behind her hair. "And Pinkie Pie, you were always smiling and know the value of true laughter!"

Twilight pointed at Pinkie. She heard the steps approaching the door and quickly pointed at Rarity, "And Rarity you, you were always generous from the first time I met you. I know that you're the Element of Generousity."

"Rainbow Dash helped you and me in the darkest times, she always was loyal to her friends and brought me here to help you, because we are friends!" Twilight pointed at Rainbow Dash.

In this moment, the door flung open and Screwball sprinted in, followed by the two guardian changelings and Discord.

With furious glare, Screwball shouted loudly, "How dare you!" and ran straight in their direciton.

"Thrust me, we gotta try it!" Twilight almost begged at her friends. "Either that, or we probably will never have the chance again!"

She fastly grabbed Applejack's and Fluttershy's hoof and Rainbow Dash did the same with Rarity and Pinkie Pie. The Mane 4 hesitated, but eventually, they gave each other their hooves and Twilight levitated them into the air.

The Mane 6 floated into the air, with white eyes and glowing bodies.

"NOOOO!" Screwball screamed and raised her right hoof into the air.

The first changeling tried to jump at the Mane 6, but suddenly, a strong, white light emitted from them and something strange happened.

Everything, that happened at this excact time, stopped and everypony immediately stopped moving, just as the time stopped. The entire Ponyville froze.

Chapter 16

As Twilight opened her eyes again, she found herself in a strange location. Everything around her was blue, interrupted by a few white light balls. On her left and right sides were huge screens with white glowing frames showing different ponies in different situations.

She suddenly remembered, that it was the same universe, Princess Celestia took her to give her her alicorn wings. However, she had no idea, how she came to this dimension.

"Where are we?" Screwball asked impatiently and looked around as well.

It looks like, that she also accidently transported Screwball into this dimension.

"I don't know," Twilight said whispering.

"Ugh you don't know anything!" Screwball moaned angrily.

She accusingly pointed at Twilight with her right hoof and exclaimed, "How did we get here? Bring me back to Ponyville!"

"I don't know that either," Twilight said and shrugged.

"Oh well, the princess of Friendship doesn't even know, how to get back to Ponyville!" Screwball mocked amused, but was still angry, that she suddenly got here.

Twilight ignored her and gave the huge, bright screen a glance. In the first one, she saw herself and Starlight Glimmer, both standing at one single cloud.

She recognized the situation, they were in. At this point, she tried to persuade Starlight not to mess with all the timelines and just let the young Rainbow Dash doing her Sonic Rainboom.

"What is this?" Screwball asked, as she approached the screen with her and Starlight.

"In this scene, Starlight Glimmer got reformed and swore, that she won't do any bad anymore," Twilight explained.

Screwball just stared at the screen and at that moment, Starlight touched Twilight's hoof and a bright, colorful rainbow appeared in form of a parable above them. A turquoise something, that looked like a upside-down bowl, absorbed them in.

"Hmpf," Screwball made derogatory and left the screen.

Twilight went to another screen and saw Diamond Tiara standing up against her mother and bravely defending the CMC as their friends.

In another screen, she helped the students of Ponyville's elementary school rebuilding the playground and even making it better.

Although Twilight wasn't present at the time, Diamond Tiara reformed and decided to be a good filly, she knew it excactly, as Applejack told her that.

"That's Diamond Tiara, she finally learned to stand up against her mother and help other foals," Twilight mumbled quietly, half to herself, half to Screwball.

Screwball mutely followed Twilight and her eyes also wandered to Diamond Tiara's reformation scene. She just swiftly turned away and said nothing.

Twilight soon got interested in all the reformation scenes and also looked at further more of them.

Therefore, she also saw other reformed ponies in other bright screens like Chancellor Neighsay apologizing for his respectless behavior towards the Young Six, Nightmare Moon got defeated and turned into Luna, Tempest Shadow defeating the Storm King and also Trixie.

She understood, what all the screens were. They weren't her own memories, like they used to be the last time, she was here. They were picturing all the ponies, who reformed and got better.

"What's all the use of it showing it to me?" Screwball impatiently asked and stared at Chancellor Neighsay with narrowed eyes.

"Those are all the ponies, who learned valuable friendship lessons in their lives and got better than they used to be," Twilight said and glanced at Luna's scene.

"Not anymore!" Screwball exclaimed proudly, with an ounce of greed in her voice. "I stole all their friendship experience, so they're not better anymore!"

"But why, why did you do such a thing?" Twilight asked.

"I need my chaotic magic again and for that, I had to steal all the friendship experience in Ponyville!" Screwball exclaimed. "I will rule over all Equestria and probably some day over the entire world and you can do nothing against me!"

"Screwball, that's not the right way," Twilight said carefully. "You can't just take friendship experience for your own benefits."

"I don't care, if you ponies think, my way is right," Screwball went on. "As long as it's good for myself, then I'll do it!"

"Screwball, these ponies all went the wrong path," Twilight said and pointed at all the screens with her right hoof, "but they admitted, that they were wrong and decided to change."

"Oh, because ponies are weaklings!" Screwball mocked and also pointed at the scenes. "They could have succeeded and they could have taken over Equestria, but they didn't, just because somepony else told them to reform and that's weak!"

Screwball's glance fell on another screen and she saw Fluttershy upsetly running away from Discord. She froze and automatically stared at the screen. In the next moment, Discord and Fluttershy forgave each other again and became good friends.

"It's all Fluttershy's fault!" Screwball angrily shouted and fired a green beam at Fluttershy's face.

Usually, everything, that touched the green blast, went up into fire, but not the screen. The beam just went through it, as nothing else happened. Screwball fired another beam at the screen, but it didn't change anything: It didn't went up into fire.

"Fluttershy changed Discord to something, he doesn't even want to be!" Screwball exclaimed even angrier and fired a third beam at Fluttershy. Nothing happened.

"You're wrong!" Twilight said, suddenly awfully determined. "It's not Fluttershy's fault."

"Excuse me?" Screwball turned her body to Twilight again. "Everything is Fluttershy's fault!"

"No, it's not," Twilight went on, still determined. "Discord really wanted to use his magic for good and deep in his heart, he also knew that. And only Fluttershy made it possible for him. Not..."

Twilight hesitated. "Not even I was ready to help Discord reforming. Fluttershy has a heart of gold and the fascinating talent of loving everything, no matter of its backstory or circumstances."

"NO!" Screwball screamed loudly. "Fluttershy is a monster! He forced Discord to be something, he shouldn't be! She manipulated him for her own good and she..."

Screwball quickly ran away to search the wide.

"Screwball, wait!" Twilight exclaimed and followed Screwball.

Screwball turned her head and angrily glared at Twilight. "It was your fault, too!"

"I understand, that you don't like times changing and I see, that it's hard for you," Twilight began to speak.

"It's not hard for me!" Screwball yelled. "And don't even try to feel compassion for me, if you didn't even felt the same way with my daddy!"

Twilight didn't know, what to say. She knew, that Screwball was the true villain, who did all the mess and she didn't know, how to ever feel compassion for her. She had no idea, how Fluttershy managed to forgive Discord.

But on the other hand, she had the feeling, that there's something more on Screwball, she doesn't know. She had no weapons against her and she also doesn't know, how to return to Ponyville. But she had to try. Rainbow Dash told her that way.

Then, she remembered Discord's words about Screwball again. She remembered, that he created her, so he didn't feel lonely anymore. And suddenly, she had an idea.

"Anyways, you have no chance against me, princess!" Screwball exclaimed, still looking angry at Twilight. "I already have all the power in Ponyville, the entire changeling hive is under my control and earlier or later, you have to give up against me!"

As Screwball said the two words "give up", she soon remembered Rainbow Dash' words again. And the words, she wrote on the botton of her hooves. She can't give up and she mustn't give up. She had to try.

"Even if you have all the power in Ponyville," Twilight said calmly, as Screwball looked pleased. "You can't rule over all Equestria. Canterlot is at war and I listened your words before, that they didn't entrust Equestria to you."

"I never planned Canterlot being at war!" Screwball said. "Anyways, I should take over Equestria and not Nightmare Moon or so! It was all an accident and even if I can't do it now, I will find a way how to make everyone bow down in front of me!"

"You can't," Twilight said determined. "There's only one path for you and that's loosing. You can't win anymore."

"I can always win!" Screwball exclaimed, becoming louder again. "You lost!"

"Just think about it, Screwball," Twilight said calmly. "You already messed up Ponyville and Canterlot, just like Discord, but you can't win. Whatever you do, whatever how many friendship experience you take, you can't win and I know that!"

In this moment, Twilight's glance fell on Screwball's grey horn and she saw a small, but still visible crack appearing from the top of the horn.

"I'm not like my daddy, I don't let you manipulate me like Fluttershy manipulated my daddy!" Screwball shouted like mad, but with an ounce of nervousity. "And together with him, I will rule over Equestria!"

"Discord told me, that he created you, because he was lonely," Twilight said, still remaining calm, but determined. "He had no friends and he always knew, that he wanted friends. Real friends, that care for him like Fluttershy."

"Don't mention the name of that monster in front of me!" Screwball shouted again, angry of hearing Fluttershy's name.

"And even if you won, you still lost, because you're alone," Twilight said. "You're alone, just like Discord used to be."

Screwball opened her mouth to say something against Twilight, but she had no idea, what to say. In this moment, another crack appeared at the top of Screwball's horn, slowly growing bigger.

"When Discord ruled Equestria with chaos, he also felt lonely. Even with all the power, he was lonely," Twilight went on. "He created you to have a friend. You're just a mirror depiction of him. But when he reformed, you felt left alone."

Screwball still remained quiet, but then, she slowly nodded her head and whispered quietly, but full of anger, "It's because Fluttershy manipulated him!"

"Don't you understand that?" Twilight said and facepalmed. "It's not Fluttershy, who manipulated him. It's not me either. It's none of my friends. Discord needed friends and he always needed friends to prevent feeling left out and he felt well, when he finally found Fluttershy as his first friend."

In this moment, Twilight saw a third, small crack appearing on Screwball's horn. Screwball must have finally heard it herself, that her horn is slightly falling apart, so she collected all her magic again and strongly fired a green magic blast at Fluttershy's face in the screen.

"Fluttershy isn't his first friend!" Screwball started shouting again, louder and angrier than before. "I am, but he ditched me, when he found Fluttershy! That dumb little Fluttershy!"

"Now it's you, who is alone," Twilight said. "You're not any different than Discord. You need friends as well."

"NOOO!!" Screwball shouted even angrier and narrowed her pupilless eyes again.

Twilight glared at Screwball's horn again and saw the small cracks from before slowly growing together, making the horn stronger.

"I'm not like Discord, I need to rule over the entire Equestria and drown it into chaos. That's what makes me happy! I don't need those stupid pony friends like you do!"

"You're not happy, even if you rule over the entire world," Twilight said.

"But still, I've got my daddy and he's back to old again!" Screwball protested. "He doesn't feel anything to Fluttershy anymore and is overly happy to rule Equestria together with me!"

Twilight opened her mouth to say something, but her eyes fell on Screwball's horn, from which the cracks appeared again, slowly growing bigger and trying to reach into the direction of the foundament.

Screwball heard the sounds of the cracks and her stare got glassy of nervousity. With her halfway-damaged horn, she tried to kill the screen-Fluttershy with her blasts and loudly screamed over and over again, "I need chaos to be happy!!"

"You're lying to yourself," Twilight said. "You don't need chaos. You need a friend and I know it excactly."

"You don't know anything!" Screwball shouted to Twilight and fired another green beam into her direction.

Twilight swiftly performed a shield charm.

"Discord likes me and he wants to rule Equestria with me!" Screwball went on shouting.

"That's wrong!" Twilight exclaimed, getting louder as well.

"You're wrong!" Screwball exclaimed and fired another beam at Twilight.

This time, the beam hitted Twilight, as her reflects were too slow to perform another shield charm, and tossed her backwards. But the beam didn't injure her seriously. It didn't injure her at all. Neither appeared a dangerous fire.

"You manipulated Discord, not Fluttershy!" Twilight shouted. "The friendship, you and Discord currently have is not real. He isn't like that and you forced him to be like that for your own benefits!"

Further more cracks appeared on Screwball's horn and Twilight could see, that Screwball got seriously panicked, now. One blast after another came out of her horn, shooting left and right next to Twilight.

"Stop lying!" Screwball madly screamed while shooting all the blasts. "He is like that, Fluttershy manipulated him!"

"You're lying to yourself," Twilight panted, as she constantly had to avoid Screwball's blasts. "You're pretending to have him as your friend and father and you're pretending to have fun with him, but that's wrong!"

Screwball suddenly stopped and another crack appeared on her horn. She froze and frantically pointed at it with her left hoof, while she yelled with a clearly visible tone of panick, "You destroyed my horn! You're destroying my horn!"

"I don't do anything," Twilight said shrugging. "I didn't fire a single blast, it's all you."

Screwball suddenly stood still and didn't move one milimetre, but the sound of her cracking horn still didn't end.

"Just be honest to yourself," Twilight said calmly.

She pointed at all the screens with her hooves, all the reformation screens, where ponies, who went the wrong path, decided to become better.

"All those ponies were honest to themselves. They realized, that there was no other choice for them to accept friendship. So they did," Twilight said. "You can be one of them, too."

"No way! I'm not like them!" Screwball roughly responded and heard another crack.

"You and Discord, that's nothing other than friendship between you two," Twilight explained. "Discord is your friend and if you accept friendship, you can have his admiration."

"I will never accept friendship!" Screwball screamed. "Discord is already my friend, why should I?"

Another crack and Screwball startled.

"I can't accept friendship like you ponies!" Screwball went on. "There's nothing friendship worthy about me! I'm a creature made of chaos and I can't have friendship like you! The things I've done is beyond forgiving!"

"If you're saying that, you're wrong," Twilight said. "Everycreature is capable for friendship, including Discord and including you."

"You couldn't even forgive my daddy, how will you forgive me?" Screwball asked back and heard another crack from her horn.

"I was wrong," Twilight admitted. "I wasn't as good as Fluttershy and I couldn't forgive him. I couldn't give him a second chance like Fluttershy did. But I can try at least."

Twilight streched her right hoof out and streched it to Screwball. Screwball only stared at it and as she heard a few more cracks of her horn, she pushed Twilight's hoof away.

"There's no friendship in me and I will never take your offer to change myself!" she screamed and was ready to fire another blast at Twilight.

The blast directly hitted Twilight and tossed her backwards and in this moment, a particulary huge screen appeared between her and Twilight. Screwball couldn't believe, whom it was showing.

The screen was showing herself sitting at the colorless ground of a abadonned dark old room, constantly staring at a purple picture frame with orange citrus glued on it, with tears in her eyes.

Twilight slowly raised her head and just like Screwball, she could see the scene, the screen was showing as well.

The perspective changed and the screen focused on the photo in the picture frame. Twilight recognized it. It was the same photo, Discord also kept in his frame, showing Screwball and Discord happily together.

Screwball remembered the time, she and Discord shot the photo and tears appeared in her eyes as well.

The Screwball depiction in the frame wiped her tears away and whispered in a sad tone, "We were friends since forever and...and I just want to be with you again. I want the old times back, I don't want to be alone anymore."

"I had to take over Equestria!" Screwball shouted and desperately tried to hide her tears. "I had to to...to impress my daddy for my archievements, so we can live happily together again, like in the old times!"

She stared at herself in the screen and quickly added, "I didn't want him changing, but he changed, so I had to take his friendship experience away, so things can be so, just like in the old times! I didn't want to be alone anymore, I was alone for too long!"

As Twilight heard Screwball, she immediately stood up.

"I understand, it's hard for you, when things change, but there's gotta be another way for everything to be fine," Twilight said.

"There is no way! I need Equestria in my hooves!" Screwball shouted, half trying to hide her tears, half trying to avoid her horn breaking into pieces.

"There is another way," Twilight said. "Just give it a try."

Screwball hesitated. She still stared at herself at the screen and suddenly, she felt the same way just like the depiction of her at the screen.

"I'm sorry as well for not thrusting your dad," Twilight admitted slowly. "But I will change. I will try it and I will be there for you!"

As Screwball heard Twilight's words, she finally rushed into the direction of the screen. Just like magic, the screen suddenly disappeared as sudden as it appeared and dispersed into a thousand, tiny, round drops of sparkling, white light.

Screwball ran through it, right into Twilight's direction and tightly hugged her. She didn't even attempt anymore to hide her tears, which flowed down her cheeks and dropped at the white, glowing bottom of the meta-universe.

Then it happened: Screwball's halfway-damaged horn bursted apart with a loud sound and the pieces of it spreaded all around and turned into light drops as well.

The same tiny light drops flew in a huge swarm all over Equestria and made every mess, Screwball caused, disappear.

The turquoise magic barriers all vanished and with it every pink cotton candy cloud in the sky. The bright, positive sun appeared on the blue sky again and made the next day as wonderful and beautiful, as it has never been.

The fighting Nightmare Moon and Pony of Shadow transformed back into Princess Luna and Stygian, who first looked confused at each other, but then hugged each other. The swarm also surrounded Neighsay and probably made him normal as well.

Then, it arrived into Ponyville and annihilated every colorful ground, every green, glue spitting volcano, every anthill and insect hotel and turned everything to normal and peaceful again.

The cats were meowing again and the dogs barking, as it's supposed to be and the fish with the hairy legs lost its legs and desperately snapped for air, as it can't survive without water.

Eventually, time stopped freezing and everyone was able to move again. Every victim from Screwball got their friendship experience back, the black changelings transformed into their original form again and the rest of the Mane 6 slowly floated down to the ground again.

Except of Twilight and Screwball.

Chapter 4

"Twilight Sparkle!"

Diamond Tiara rushed to the Mane 6, as soon as they returned. She was angry and shocked at the same time, completely pale in her face.

"You can't just let us alone. After all, we're just young students without any experience!" she shouted.

"Professor Twilight, here you are!" another voice called.

The Young Six and Autumn Blaze also ran to the group as fast as possible, taking Precious-la with them and joining the Mane 6 and Diamond Tiara. All of them were highly upset and pretty stressed.

"Where have you been??"

"What do you think will have happened, if Precious-la didn't distract Starlight?" Sandbar claimed. "Well probably, we'll all have equal signs as cutie marks!"

"Sorry, but we had something important to discuss," Fluttershy explained.

"After all, where is Starlight Glimmer," Spike asked.

He turned his head to search Starlight, but he couldn't see anything, that looked like Starlight. There was only a nervously chatting crowd, which anxiously looked around as well.

"None of us knows that, she suddenly teleported away," Ocellus told them. "And Precious-la was definitely not helping us."

"I was helping you! Our teachers told you to distract Starlight," Precious-la defended herself.

"Right, they told us to distract Starlight, not you!" Smolder interfered and glared at Precious-la. "You should have stayed in the safer zone!"

"Anyways, I just wanted to help you!" Precious-la said offended and turned her head away.

"Luckily, we didn't see anyone with that weird equal sign cutie mark, Starlight talked about, except of Autumn Blaze," Gallus reported, glancing angrily at Precious-la.

Twilight looked at Autumn Blaze's new cutie mark.

"Starlight used to be like that before. She stole cutie marks and replaced them by these new equal signs," Twilight said. "The problem however is, that Autumn Blaze didn't have a cutie mark before."

"Yeah, their fake smiles were so creepy and she did it with a whole town!" Pinkie added. "That's the creepiest."

"So, can it also happen with Ponyville?" Silverstream whispered anxiously.

"I don't hope so," Applejack said.

"You once saved Equestria anyways, so I thrust you to defeat Starlight this time as well," Twilight told the Young Six. "You only have to catch her, but don't do any harm to her."

They nodded determined.

"Make sure, that the other students stay safely in the school hall, including you Autumn Blaze. And especially including Precious-la. I don't want any of you being cutie-unmarked or worse. We have to go to Zecora's for some help and will find a cure for you."

Twilight nodded at Autumn Blaze, who looked a bit less worried than before. She looked at Precious-la to check out, whether she remained on her spot and luckily, she didn't disappear to track Starlight, but only looked disappointed at the ground. Then, she took a quill and a parchment and began to write something on the parchment.

"What is Professor Twilight writing?" Yona asked curiously and tried to read the written text.

Twilight rolled the parchment together and gave it Spike.

"I informed Chancellor Neighsay," Twilight explained. "Since Cozy Glow's defeat, he changed a lot and might even be a useful help for us. I will write two other messages for the princesses, if they aren't so busy with their duties."

Spike took the letter and sent it away. Then he turned to the Young Six and waved his claw.

"We'll come back soon. Good luck!" he said. "And take care of Precious-la!"

***

The Mane 6, Spike and Discord went along the paths of the Everfree Forest. Since Discord's amusement park opening, it was already many hours ago and thus, it's midday right now.

"Probably, it's not that bad. I've never expected today to develope like this," Pinkie said while bouncing on the road.

"You told them that we had to visit Zecora. Why?" Rarity asked.

"I'm asking you Discord. You once mentioned the horn of regression, but what excactly is the horn of regression?" Twilight asked Discord.

"I don't know either, but I heard, that it's a device, which can absorb friendship experience and turn into magic," Discord said.

"So you actually know," Applejack concluded.

"No, I actually don't know," Discord defended. "There's no proof for something like that existing in Equestria, it's just an old fairy tale. I don't know, how it was made and whether Screwball wears it for sure."

"About Screwball, why do you keep her existence secret at all?" Rainbow Dash asked offended.

"Well, I assumed the discussion is done," Discord said, turning away offended.

"Twilight, why didn't you tell our students about Screwball?" Rainbow Dash asked Twilight.

"That's prohibited, because no one must know! Not even I know, what Screwball is planning to do with Equestria and whether she really uses the horn of regression," Discord explained in a severe tone. "Your students don't even know her name. I don't want anyone be in danger, because Screwball isn't harmless."

"So why is it prohibited?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Thanks to you, our students think, Starlight Glimmer was the main villain, not Screwball. If you told them in the first place, they'd know and would try to defeat Screwball instead of Starlight!"

"How will anyone be able to defeat Screwball?" Discord asked back sassy. "I see, that you ponies are only horribly underestimating her. I ask you another question: What will happen, if your students knew about Screwball?"

"They will probably try to defeat her?" Spike assumed.

"That's true. But that's also the point. They can't defeat her, because she's too powerful and they nearly know nothing about her. We can't either!"

"So you're telling us, it's okay to let Screwball following her path?" Applejack asked upsetly.

"Of course not, but your students will put themselves in danger, if they want to defeat Screwball!" Discord drawled. "Especially that precious little Precious-la, who was always eager to help your students saving the day. So, it's definitely not okay to let her sprinting into danger."

"Why are we coming to talk about Precious-la now?" Rarity asked.

"You know, that annoying little unicorn, that keeps trying to save the day."

The Mane 6 stared angrily at Discord, but Twilight managed to switch over.

"The discussion about our students is now over, but you should have told us earlier about her. Or at least the princesses!" Twilight said.

"It's just something personal about me and Screwball!"

"Where's anything personal?" Rarity yelled loudly.

"So it's okay for you to put Equestria in danger in order to protect your privatsphere?" Applejack shouted.

"I never said so!"

"Of course, some chaos here and there would make you smile as well, as long as you see others suffer," Rainbow Dash yelled.

"Goddamn ponies, I'm reformed!" Discord shouted angrily. "I'm not that anymore!"

"Yeah? Do you still remember, when you ate popcorn, while you're watching us discussing about Diamond Tiara's experiences?"

"EVERYPONY STOP FIGHTING!!!" Fluttershy shouted loudly.

Everyone was quiet and stared at the yellow pegasus, who stood on her backhooves protectively in front of Discord.

"Discord didn't do anything wrong and he has his reasons not telling anyone about Screwball and I expect from you, that you respect his point of view as good friends. That's definitely not anything, a good friend would do, okay? You've heard, Screwball isn't harmless and without knowing anything about her, we can't start fighting. At least not now. So you have to lis..."

"CHANGELIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!!!" Pinkie suddenly shouted and interrupted Fluttershy with her speech.

Her body was shaking because of her intensely twitching tail and with a lot of energy, she pushed Fluttershy aside into the bushes.

Indeed, four changelings fell from the sky and hissed hostily at the four remaining ponies, Spike and Discord. However, they aren't colorful and bright as they're supposed to be. All four of them were black and had almond-shaped pupilless green eyes and pointy wings.

"What's going on?" Rarity asked shocked.

Rainbow Dash stared at one of them for a while, but then, she kicked him in the belly, making him tumble. Applejack instead tried fighting another one with a liana lasso.

"Why aren't you colorful? You're supposed to be colorful!" Discord exclaimed and snapped with his fingers.

The third changeling suddenly got dressed with colorful clown costumes and tried to take off the rainbow colored afro and the red reindeer nose.

"Now better!"

"What to do with this one?"

Rarity pointed at the fourth changeling, but soon, Twilight fired a magic beam upon the changeling and joined the fight with him. In this moment, Pinkie and Fluttershy reappeared from the bushes and tried to shake off the dirt and leaves.

Apparently, they weren't the only ones. A dozen further black changelings followed them and prepared to attack the Mane 6. They hissed loudly and jumped upon them. Luckily, Discord was able to freeze five our of twelve in frozen peanut butter.

"Perfect! Now you can join the clown's show!" Discord cheered and chapped his hands.

But even with Rarity, Spike, Pinkie and Fluttershy joining the fight, the changelings were still too powerful.

"They are too many! We have to escape!" Rainbow Dash panted while fighting with two further changelings.

"I know, but here are more of them coming," Fluttershy whispered anxiously.

She stepped back from another exit, followed by ten further changelings. Suddenly, she accidently tumbled over Pinkie and they both fell down.

"Sorry," the yellow pegasus whispered.

"Oh no!" Pinkie gasped and pointed in another direction.

Further 7 changelings came. They were too many. They started surrounding the Mane 6, even Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Discord did their best, they were too many.

"We're trapped! Help us!" Rarity screamed madly.

"Discord do something!" Twilight yelled hastily and fired another beam.

"I'm doing something!" Discord answered, while snapping like mad.

"HEEEEEEEELP!!!!"

The changelings came nearer and nearer and almost fully surrounded the Mane 6, Spike and Discord. Their love would have already been absorbed, if there wasn't a loud bang, followed by a suspicious green fog and the mysterious voice.

"I have to prohibit your evil plans, because no creature harms my special friends. What you did to these ponies is a shame, so return to the place from where you came."

The Mane 6 tried to see through the fog, but they only noticed a silhouette wearing a cape and throughing further potions at their enemies. The changelings cringed and coughted. Some of them closed their tearful eyes, since the substance is too unpleasant for them.

"This is another potion I brew to defeat you all, since you harmed my friends who gave me this call. They were in danger so I came as fast as I could, to save them and defeat you as I should."

"Who is she?" Fluttershy asked quietly.

Also her eyes felt very unpleasant in the fog and she closed them. Discord took the opportunity to snap sunglasses for himself and freeze 4 other changelings in frozen marmalade.

"Come to me my friends please don't fear, I'm ot your enemy that's why I came here," the voice said.

"The rhyming, I know it from somewhere!" Pinkie said to herself.

"C'mon, that's Zecora!" Twilight gasped in delight.

They instantly stood on their hooves, flanks and legs and rushed to the silhouette, who helped them in the fight against the changelings.

Looks like, that silhouette has been a wise zebra all the time. Her name was Zecora. The first time, they met was before 5 years, when Zecora found a cure against the poison oak.

"My dear friends, those changelings could attack you again. So come in my hut so we can see what to do then," Zecora rhymed and opened the door into her hut.

The eight visitors stepped in and soon, Zecora closed her door again. They looked around and noticed potion next to potion, mask next to mask on the walls and a huge cauldron filled with leaf green soup in the middle of the room.

"Sit down and don't make a frown," Zecora rhymed.

She fetched some exotic looking chairs and pointed at them. The Mane 6 sat down.

"Thank you so much for helping us! We didn't know what to do without you!"Twilight said in delight.

"You're welcome my little pony, it's dangerous in the Everfree Forest you can see," Zecora responded.

"Well, but it's not that sort of danger," Spike said.

"We haven't seen evil changelings since a long time," Fluttershy added, "especially not in the Everfree forest."

"That's weird those creatures who can change, so we don't know how this thing to arrange."

Twilight bowed to Discord to whisper something in his ears.

"I suspect, it's the best for you to find out, who she is and whether she really has the horn of regression."

"Your wish is my demand!" Discord exclaimed.

He did a snap and disappeared from the room. Twilight looked at the spot, where he disappeared, for a while, then turned to Zecora.

"We came here for your help. One of us was cutie-unmarked," Twilight explained.

"Cutie-unmarked I don't know what you mean, tell me the things you've seen."

"She got an cutie mark, which is shaped like an equal mark, on her flank and this is causing her loosing her identity and special talent," Rarity made clear.

"Can you do something about that?" Spike asked.

"A pony is that right?" Zecora asked.

"It's a kirin," Applejack said. "She didn't have a cutie mark before, but she sure has special talents, which will probably disappear, when she got that equal mark."

Zecora nodded and disappeared from the room. After some time, she returned with a potion bottle filled with purple content in her hooves.

She gave it to Applejack and explained, that it was a potion made by the same flowers, Apple Bloom once accidently consumed, but only extremely diluted to avoid creating mess and making random cutie marks appear. Applejack took the bottle, glanced at it and nodded.

"Thank you," Twilight said.

Twilight looked out of the window to check the outside from any changelings. Without Discord, they had even less chances to win than before.

However, outside the hut, she couldn't see any changelings. Nor could she see the green fog from Zecora, nor the frozen marmalade and peanut butter from Discord.

"Have you ever heard of the horn of regression?" Twilight suddenly asked.

Zecora turned to Twilight and nodded slowly.

"Of the horn of regression I have heard indeed, it's a device which turns friendship into magic with the certain pony needs. None of us knows whether it's true, but the one who has to look out for that pony is you," Zecora calmly answered.

She took a wooden spoon and stirred in her cauldron.

"Anyways, can the procedure be reversed and turn magic into friendship experience again?" Rarity asked and glanced at Applejack's potion bottle.

"The old legend says that it's made of ingredients from another dimension, but no one believes it they thought the writer just wants attention," Zecora rhymed. "It's indestructive no one knows how, it's still a mystery until now. The horn is long and grey but not harmless, I don't know any cure even if I try my best. But remember once thing that is important, fire can only defeated with fire if you want to archieve what you want."

"Pinkie! You talked about a grey horn, right?" Fluttershy gasped.

"Yeah!" Pinkie squealed.

"So Discord actually didn't tell us more about the horn of regression, even if he knew that?" Applejack claimed.

"I'm sure he didn't know," Fluttershy defended bravely, "otherwise he wouldn't not have told us."

"Yes he would!" everyone else shouted.

"I'm sure Discord knew all the things I told, but he just wants to protect all of you including the Wonderbolt," Zecora interfered.

Zecora gave Twilight a small bottle filled with a strange, transparent fluidity.

"Here is a potion which is very rare, it's called "Potion of Luck" and helps against any despair. But remember only drink one sip if you urgently have to, it's so rare it takes a lot of effort for me to brew. I wish you good luck and so thrust me, I'll always be on your side at least the potion will be."

"Thank you so much, Zecora," Twilight answered and smiled. "I think, we will need this."

Zecora prepared to respond, but suddenly, there was a bang and a little bird accidently dashed against the window. It soon fell down and remained unconsicious.

"Hummingbird!" Fluttershy screamed.

Without asking anyone, she opened the window and brought the bird into the room. It was still unconsicious, but on its left claw, there was an untidily ripped off notebook paper wrapped around.

Fluttershy carefully laid the bird on a desk, pushed the potions aside and wrapped off the paper. She smoothed the letter to read it.

King Thorax' hive returned to its roots, I hope, you're okay, Ocellus.

"Oh no!" Twilight gasped and grabbed at the note to read it herself.

"Wow, after all this time, Ocellus is still very poetic though," Rarity wondered.

"We have to go!" Applejack said.

She opened the door and waved the others to follow her out into the woods. For the last time, she turned her head the Zecora again.

"Thank you for the potions!"

Chapter 17

From high above in the sky, a purple star in form of Twilight's cutie mark just with additional pink swirls in it slowly floated down, followed by a strong, white light.

All the citizens of Ponyville stood on a wide, healthy green meadow and fascinated stared at the mysterious sign, no one saying anything.

Applejack narrowed her eyes, as the light was too bright, and whispered in a surprise tone, "Twilight, is that you?"

Only as the star finally reached the ground and the intensity of the light slowly went back, she could recognize, that it was indeed Twilight, who arrived, with Screwball in her hooves.

Twilight recognized her friends and rushed to the rest of the Mane 6, who immediately tightly hugged her.

"What happened?" Rarity asked confused.

"The last thing I remembered was, when we all six lifted into the air to defeat Screwball with the Elements of Harmony, but in the next moment, everything seems fine again," Rainbow Dash said. "And we're not in that prison anymore."

Twilight slowly freed herself from the hugs of her friends and surprised looked at the beautiful meadow. She didn't know, how she or her friends came here, but she had the feeling, that everything was okay again.

Screwball timidly looked at the crowd, as she still stood at the spot, where she arrived, and watched Twilight and her friends having reunited.

"Screwball?" Discord asked confused.

In this moment, everypony's attention was at Screwball. Discord slowly went to his daughter, who immediately tightly hugged him, as he came across.

"I'm so sorry, daddy!" Screwball exclaimed and tears flowed down her face. "It was I, who brought Equestria at war and did all the mess. I was wrong."

The crowd got nervous, as Screwball said that, and unquietly whispered to each other. Discord on the other hand seems merciful to Screwball and replied her hug.

"Everything is going to be just fine," he whispered comforting.

"Could anypony explain to me, what just happened?" Applejack loudly interrupted the nervous whispering.

Everypony stared at Applejack and frantically shook their heads, but Twilight answered, "It's a long story, but it looks like I finally managed to convince Screwball of seeing the good."

"Really?" somepony from the crowd asked surprised and in this moment, everyone started to talk all mixed up again.

"You're genuis!" Pinkie squealed happily and hugged Twilight tightly once again.

"We don't know, what we would have done without you," Fluttershy said delighted and smiled at Twilight.

"I don't know either, what I'd have done without you," Twilight removed Pinkie's hugging and calmly responded. "It's not I alone, who saved Equestria. You all did your essencial part, which leaded to now."

"Great speech, princess," a new voice calmly congratulated Twilight.

The Mane 6 turned their heads and noticed Princess Celestia arriving behind them, Princess Luna, Stygian, the pillars and several other colorful changelings following her.

"Princess Celestia!" Spike gasped, as he saw the princess. "You're fine! I'm so glad, that you're fine!"

"I am," Celestia nodded. "But mostly important is, that Equestria is save again and not at war anymore."

With these words, Celestia winked into the direction of Luna and Stygian, who both guiltyful looked at the ground.

"There's still one thing, that I didn't understand," Twilight added. "When Screwball gave up and decided to go a better path, her horn bursted into pieces, which probably also caused you all gaining your friendship experience back. But why did her horn burst in the first place?"

"Hm, that's an interesting question and I don't excactly know that either," Celestia admitted calmly. "It's thinkable, that Screwball decided on her own to give everypony their friendship experience back."

Celestia merciful looked at Screwball, who was still standing slightly offside with Discord and telling him, how wrong she was, and everypony else also followed her glance.

In this moment, Discord looked offended at them and teleported himself next to Celestia into the crowd.

"What are you looking at?" he asked in a sassy tone. "Aren't you happy, that Equestria is fine again?"

"Technically yes," somepony admitted and soon, everypony was talking to each other again, just like before, but this time, their voice wasn't sounding nervously, but happily, cheerfully and delighted.

Screwball timidly walked to the Mane 6 as well and carefully looked at Fluttershy. Eventually, she said in a quiet tone, "I have to apology to you as well. I'm sorry, that I didn't appreciate you much and that I always accused you for reforming Discord."

Fluttershy calmly nodded. "I forgive you."

"But about your magic," Discord interfered, sounding more severe than before. "You won't get it back, until you learned, how to use it properly and not against other ponies."

Screwball nodded and looked at the ground.

"That sounds legit," Rainbow Dash said and the Mane 6, including Discord, Spike and Celestia bursted into laughter.

***

On the other hoof, Precious-la and Autumn Blaze were standing at the meadow, opposite to each other, near the Young Six.

"I'm sorry, that I didn't care about you or Lithium and only crawled around the Young Six" Precious-la apologized. "I promise, that I won't interfere in their business anymore, when I'm not supposed to."

"Are you kidding me?" Autumn Blaze exclaimed. "The way, how you tricked Screwball was so brave from you! You sure learned something from Cozy Glow."

"Why thank you, even though she found it out later," Precious-la said grateful, in her usual cheerful voice again. "Wait? What was it, what you said?"

"Uh, nothing," Autumn Blaze quickly said.

Before Precious-la could ask her another time, the Young Six joined them in their conservation and looked friendly at Precious-la.

"We're sorry as well," Smolder said and streched her claw out at Precious-la. Precious-la shook it with her own hoof.

"We're sorry, that we said, you were annoying and that we didn't really appreciate your generous helping," Gallus admitted.

"That's okay," Precious-la said generously and shook Gallus' claw as well. "I already promised to Autumn Blaze, that I won't be interfering anymore."

"Actually, we like you," Ocellus said and smiled timidly. "You can be friends with us, anytime."

"Okay, thanks for your offer!" Precious-la exclaimed happily and shook Ocellus' hoof.

She waited, until she Young Six went away, and turned to Autumn Blaze again. She quickly pulled out a something, that looked like a string made out of red wool and where in the middle was a small, grey stone.

"What is it?" Autumn Blaze asked confused.

"That's something, I give it to every of my friends," Precious-la said cheerfully and also pulled from her mane out a second string with a grey stone in the middle of it. "I also have one and Lithium also does. This is for you."

Precious-la gave Autumn Blaze the first string and being honored, Autumn Blaze picked it up with her own magic.

"You really think?" Autumn Blaze asked timidly.

But Precious-la swiftly interrupted her and said, "I always have dreamt having friends like our teachers and the Young Six, so it's a good idea to give every of my best friends such a bracelet. I did my own bracelet with a few strings from my mane and a regular gravel stone and for the other ones, like Lithiums and yours, I just duplicated my own."

"Thank you," Autumn Blaze said, almost whispering of honor.

"No problem," Precious-la responded. "Friends again?"

"Friends!"

With these words, Precious-la and Autumn Blaze also hugged.

***

The Princesses and the Mane 6 decided to first go out of Discord's amusement park with everypony else and as they did, they couldn't believe their eyes. Everything is indeed back to what it's supposed to be.

There was no single cotton candy cloud onto the blue sky and the bright sun shone peacefully at the totally undamaged town.

"That's good so," Discord sighed. "Cotton candy clouds aren't supposed to be any outside of my home or Discord's amusement park."

"By the way, how late is it?" Twilight suddenly asked into the round, as she saw the bright sun.

Doctor Whooves heard her and looked at his own wristwatch. "It's 9 pm. already."

"Usually, the sun shouldn't be up that high at 9 pm.," Celestia considered and looked at the sun. "But today is an exception, in my opinion. By the way, if we're all together that happily, I don't think, that should stop. We should definitely organise a post-war-fare."

"A post-war-fare?" Twilight asked.

"A PARTY!" Pinkie Pie squealed happily.

Out of nothing, she pulled out her party canon and fired a stack of confetti onto everypony's head.

"How?" Rainbow Dash asked and stared at the suddenly appeared party canon. "How can she fetch it so quickly?"

"A party?" Twilight asked confused. "But it's already so late, how can we still organise a party?"

"It's never too late for a party!" Pinkie Pie hissed and fired another stack of confetti into the crowd.

"It's late at science logic," Luna said. "But not at the solar logic."

Luna pointed with her hoof at the sun and everypony else slowly nodded, even Twilight and Doctor Whooves.

***

Just when the sun was about to go down and the sky dived into a scarlet, red color tone, the post-war-fare-party was well organised and in the full swing. Everypony in Ponyville was celebrating happily, even Sky Stinger and Vapor Trail were invited to decorate a lot of decorations for the party and because she helped a lot, Zecora was invited as well, taking care of all the beverages and drinks.

Gilda and Gabby were very glad to see Gallus and the Cutie Mark Crusaders again, who this time hung out with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon and played cards with them. Ocellus was spending her time with the changelings and Precious-la managed to welcome Lithium back to Ponyville again. According to her own information, she didn't even know, why she cancelled the trip to Ponyville, but Precious-la explained her, that something unexpected happened in their train.

Visitors from all egdes of Equestria came to the Ponyville party and all offered to celebrate happily together. They were even so many, that the Ponyville's marketplace is slowly getting full. Therefore, Discord offered the remaining visiters to have a glance in his amusement park, after he erased the numbers on the doors away with not less effort, so that the small town Ponyville doesn't get too full.

The Mane 6 even organised a performing stage for special post-war performances and could invite Countess Coloratura to visit them, which literally made a lot of fans freaking out.

As Countess Coloratura prepared herself for her performance, Twilight pulled Fluttershy and Screwball into the backstage area, where the rest of her friends and Discord were waiting for them.

"Fluttershy, I want you to play the piano together with Coloratura," Twilight announced.

But as soon as she did, Fluttershy felt sick and almost fainted.

"What? Me?" Fluttershy gasped and almost hyperventillated. "I have stage fright and I can't practice the song, I don't have enough time for it and Coloratura's performance is almost there, what if I play a note wrong, what if everyone stares at me and laughes at me, what if..."

"Fluttershy, calm down," Twilight said calmly and inhaled and exhaled.

Fluttershy did the same and soon, she felt calmer, but still very nervous.

In this moment, Twilight remembered the "potion of luck", Zecora gave her, and she carefully fetched it out of her bag. It was a small bottle, filled with a mysterious transparent substance.

"The potion of luck," Zecora said, as she suddenly stood next to Twilight. "I always knew, that it'll be good for something today, just give it to your friends and probably, Fluttershy will stay."

Twilight slowly gave it to Fluttershy and said determined, "Remember, just take a sip."

Fluttershy quickly took the bottle and opened it so fast, that Twilight feared, that she would drink down the whole bottle. Luckily, Fluttershy didn't, but indeed only sipped at the potion.

"Does it help?" Fluttershy asked timidly, but then, the fearful glare in her face was wiped away and she looked much more confident, than she used to be. "I have to go to Rara now."

Fluttershy thankfully smiled at Twilight and Zecora and vanished from the backstage area to the performing stage to Coloratura.

"What do you want me to do?" Screwball quietly asked.

"You should sing," Twilight responded calmly.

"Sing? But um what?" Screwball asked and stared at the performing stage. "I have no idea what to sing?"

"Just what comes into your mind," Twilight said. "It's almost showtime."

Screwball still hesitated about her sudden performance. She tossed a glance at the potion of luck. "Should I drink a sip of that as well?"

Twilight shook her head, "Remember Screwball, what we've been through today. Everything is gonna be just fine."

"Everything is gonna be just fine," Screwball slowly repeated Twilight's words and smiled.

For the first time for today, it was a warm, pleasant smile on Screwball's face, which truly shows happiness and confident. Not a wicked, cold smile as it has always been.

Screwball turned her body and disappeared to also joining the performance stage and Discord looked at her with tears of happiness in his eyes.

"I think, we should all go watching Fluttershy and Screwball," Twilight decided.

The Mane 6, Discord and Zecora nodded and followed her.

THE END.