Screwy Chaos

"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!"