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"STARLIGHT!" Trixie rushed to her, desperately shaking her friend.

Meanwhile, the cage around Pizza Pie shook violently as her dark magic broke through the restraints. Twilight tried to hold it steady, but one of Pizza Pie’s tails lashed out, breaking free. Discord, reacting swiftly, conjured a massive net and swept his friends up, pulling them out of harm’s way. With a final surge, he flung the cage away, sending it hurtling several feet.

“T-Thank you, Discord,” whispered Fluttershy, her voice trembling. “You saved us. . .”

“Not at all, my dear,” Discord replied with a comforting smile, but there was a hint of unease in his eyes as he looked back at the chaos.

The rest of the ponies rushed to Trixie, who was cradling Starlight’s unconscious form. Twilight knelt beside them, gently stroking Starlight's mane and inspecting her for injuries.

“She’s fine, Trixie. I don’t see any serious injuries,” Twilight assured her.

Trixie hugged her friend tightly, then turned to Twilight, her voice sharp with fear and anger. “This is too much! That thing almost killed Starlight!”

“She’s not a thing!” Pinkie Pie protested, pushing her friends aside. “She’s my cousin, and we’re doing everything we can to save her! If you’re just going to complain like you always do, then maybe you should just-”

“That’s enough,” Applejack said, pulling Pinkie Pie away. “We’ve got to keep our cool, now. We almost had her back there-”

“Almost isn’t good enough!” Trixie shot back, glaring at Pinkie. “This whole mess wouldn’t have happened if you-”

“Trixie, stop,” Starlight’s weak voice broke through the tension as she regained consciousness. “Don’t blame Pinkie Pie. I was caught off guard, that’s all.” She paused, a haunted look crossing her face. “That. . . thing I saw. Was it controlling Pizza Pie?”

“But Starlight, you’re hurt!” Trixie protested, her face filled with worry.

“I’m fine,” Starlight insisted, trying to sit up. “We’ll have to try again.”

Twilight’s face showed a mixture of concern and determination. “Are you sure, Starlight? We barely managed to hold her off. . .”

“Yes, I just need a bit more time to pull it off,” Starlight replied, steeling herself.

Suddenly, without warning, Pizza Pie’s tail shot forward toward the group, snaking through the air in search of a target. The ponies quickly scattered, trying to keep out of reach as the tail smashed and whipped around, crushing anything it touched.

“Don’t let it grab anypony!” Twilight shouted as she and Rarity aimed their magic at the tail, pushing it back with bursts of force. But the tail retaliated, lunging forward again and managing to snatch one of their friends.

“Fluttershy!” the group cried out in horror as Pizza Pie's tail dragged the screaming pegasus toward her.

Discord sprang into action, rushing after the tail with a fierce determination. With a quick snap of his claws, he replaced Fluttershy with a stuffed plushie just as Pizza Pie’s tail retracted. Confused, Pizza Pie stared down at the toy now in her grasp, only to hear a faint hissing sound.

The plushie’s fuse burned down and exploded with a loud pop, sending a cloud of smoke into Pizza Pie’s face. Fluttershy, safe in Discord’s arms, watched the explosion with wide eyes.

“Well, well,” Discord smirked, holding Fluttershy close. “Looks like she got a ‘surprising reward’ from that claw machine.”

The ponies were silent, momentarily stunned by Discord’s dry humor.

Pinkie Pie sighed, half-smiling through her concern. “I’d give you a drumroll for that joke, Discord. . . if it didn’t involve blowing up my cousin.”

Discord chuckled. “Oh, please, Pinkie Pie. After all we’ve thrown at her, a little plush explosion hardly seems out of line.”

As if to punctuate his words, the top of the shattered cage flew toward them. Twilight and Starlight raised a protective barrier just in time, deflecting the projectile before it could reach them.

“Seems we only managed to make her angrier,” Starlight said through gritted teeth. “Can’t you just use your magic to lock her up somewhere, Discord?”

Discord looked away, his expression uncharacteristically serious. “That... that would be unwise, Starlight. My magic might make things worse.”

“Discord?” Starlight frowned, noticing his hesitation. “What aren’t you telling us? Do you. . . know something about what’s controlling Pizza Pie?”

"Heads up!" Applejack interrupted, pointing skyward as a roar of thunder shook the ground.

From the clouds above, Rainbow Dash appeared, a rainbow shock cone forming around her as she dove down at an incredible speed. "Look out, Pizza Pie! Here comes Sonic Rainboom, round two!"

"Rainbow, wait!" Twilight shouted, but the pegasus was already hurtling toward her target.

Rainbow Dash bellowed as she burst through Pizza Pie’s dark magic attacks, hitting her head-on. "Eat Rainbow Dust!" A massive explosion shook the ground, and a cloud of rainbow-colored smoke billowed out, blocking their view.

The ponies stood in horrified silence, unable to see through the shimmering mist.

⏪︎

From the clouds above, Rainbow Dash appeared, a rainbow shock cone forming around her as she dove down at an incredible speed. "Look out Pizza pie here comes Sonic Rainboom round tw- W-Wait didn’t I just say tha-"

The raging unicorn extended her tail, claws wide open, and grabbed the rainbow-colored pegasus mid-air. Rainbow Dash struggled, but Pizza Pie pulled her closer, her grip tightening painfully, slowly crushing the pegasus.

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight shouted, taking off in a desperate sprint toward her friend trapped in Pizza Pie’s grasp.

“Twilight, wait!” Starlight called, running after the alicorn. “Twilight!”

Their friends watched in shock, still processing the strange, fiery aura radiating from Pizza Pie. The intense heat pulsed around her, making it hard for anypony to approach.

“L-Let go of me, you knock-off-AHHH!” Rainbow Dash screamed as Pizza Pie’s grip tightened, the temperature around them intensifying until it felt like the very air was aflame.

“Hang on, Rainbow!” Twilight shouted, conjuring a protective barrier around herself and moving closer, with Starlight following right behind. But as they advanced, the heat only grew more oppressive, forcing Twilight’s magic to flicker.

“Twilight, can’t you just teleport her out of there?” Starlight asked, her voice strained as they struggled against the waves of heat.

Twilight gritted her teeth, trying to focus. “I. . . I can’t! This heat is interfering with my magic.”

Starlight attempted a spell of her own but quickly faltered, beads of sweat forming on her brow. “I can’t either... it’s too much!”

“Oh no, Rainbow Dash! Cousin, stop!” Pinkie Pie cried out, attempting to rush toward the chaotic scene. But Rarity grabbed her tail, pulling her back.

“No, darling!” Rarity said firmly. “It’s far too dangerous! We need to stay back for now.”

Fluttershy’s eyes filled with worry as she turned to Discord. “Discord, can’t you do something? Twilight and Starlight can’t get close enough to help her.”

Discord glanced at Fluttershy, a mix of worry and resolve in his gaze. “Fluttershy. . . (If I try to counter her, it might only make things worse, but. . .)” He hesitated, looking around at the fearful expressions on his friends' faces. Finally, he sighed, setting his jaw. “Alright, I’ll see what I can do.”

Pinkie Pie, still tense and on edge, narrowed her eyes at Discord. “Discord, I’m warning you don’t hurt Pizza Pie.”

Discord put a hand to his heart with a wry smile. “Well. . .”

“Don’t worry, Sugarcube,” Applejack interrupted, her gaze piercing. “He knows what he’s doing. . . don’t you, Discord?”

“Yes, yes, I won’t hurt her,” Discord replied, his tone reassuring. Cracking his knuckles, he took a step forward, focusing on the chaotic scene in front of him. His gaze softened momentarily as he looked at Rainbow Dash, still struggling against Pizza Pie’s crushing grip. With a deep breath, he raised his claw. “Sorry to do this to you, dear, but you’ve caused enough trouble already-”

Just as he prepared to snap his fingers, a sudden, blinding beam of sunlight shot down from the sky, striking Pizza Pie with a force that sent shockwaves through the ground. The impact released Rainbow Dash from the unicorn’s grasp, sending her hurtling through the air. Acting quickly, Twilight and Starlight caught Rainbow Dash with their combined magic, gently lowering her to the ground.

The echo of the explosion rippled out, audible even as far as Canterlot, leaving everypony in stunned silence.

“Rainbow Dash, are you alright?” Twilight asked, her voice thick with relief.

Rainbow Dash grinned, despite her bruises. “That. . . was. . . awesome!” She laughed breathlessly. “Now that’s the kind of magic I’m talking about, Twilight! I had no idea you were holding back on us like that.”

Twilight’s eyes widened, shaking her head. “That wasn’t me, Rainbow.”

Rainbow blinked, glancing over at Starlight, who looked equally baffled. “W-Wait, it wasn’t?” Starlight stammered. “Then. . . where did it come from?”

Before they could process further, Pinkie Pie’s voice cut through the air, louder and angrier than they had ever heard.

“YOU BIG DUMB MEANIE!” Pinkie’s voice echoed as she stormed up behind them, her gaze locked onto Discord with fury. “I TOLD YOU NOT TO HURT HER!” She began to smack him repeatedly, punctuating each word with another hit. “I. TOLD. YOU. BUT. YOU. DIDN’T. LISTEN!”

“Pinkie Pie, calm down!” Applejack stepped forward, grabbing her enraged friend and gently pulling her back from Discord.

“Let me go, Applejack!” Pinkie Pie wriggled furiously in Applejack’s grasp. “He pulverized my cousin!”

“Pinkie, he didn’t mean to,” Applejack said, trying to calm her down. “Discord did what he had to do.”

“Yeah, on purpose!” Pinkie shouted, elbowing Applejack’s grip loose. She snatched up a rock and hurled it at the draconequus. “Don’t just stand there playing dumb, Discord! Look at me—I said, LOOK AT ME!”

The rest of the group held Pinkie back as Discord stood unmoving, his eyes fixed on the smoke-filled space where Pizza Pie had been. Fluttershy flew up, hovering directly in front of him, waving a hoof.

“Discord?” she said, her voice gentle but firm. “Discord?” She tried again, but he didn’t respond, his gaze vacant. Growing concerned, Fluttershy took a breath and gave him a sharp slap. “WAKE UP!”

Discord blinked, a bit stunned, his cheek stinging. “Ouch! F-Fluttershy, what was that for?”

Fluttershy’s eyes brimmed with hurt as she pointed at the cloud of smoke. “You know exactly what you did, Discord. How could you do that to Pizza Pie?”

“I-It wasn’t me, Fluttershy h-honest!” Discord protested, looking around helplessly.

“You’re full of baloney!” Pinkie shouted, still struggling against her friends. “You did it on purpose! My cousin was never like this until you showed up!”

“Pinkie dear, control yourself,” Rarity whispered, but Pinkie was far too upset to hear her.

“She was fine just the way she was, looking like me I didn’t mind it at all until you messed with her!” Pinkie’s voice cracked. “Because of you, Ponyville’s in ruins, our friendships are shaken, and my bond with her. . . it’s broken!”

“Trixie thinks you’ve said enough,” Trixie interjected, but Pinkie’s anger couldn’t be restrained.

“I thought you were done with chaos, Discord!” Pinkie’s voice was softer now, bitterly disappointed. “But you couldn’t resist, could you? You just had to play with her mind, twist her up, and give her that THAT stupid horn!”

Discord snapped, a dangerous edge in his eyes. With a sudden wave of his claw, he pulled the very ground toward him, drawing the others closer. He reached out, lifting Pinkie by the chest, holding her at arm’s length but firm enough that she couldn’t struggle away.

“Do you think I wanted her to end up like this?” His voice was low, each word dripping with intensity. “Do you think it’s because of me that she mimics you?” He leaned in closer, his voice barely a whisper but weighted with anger. “You’re far from the truth.”

“W-What do you mean?” Pinkie stammered, her defiance flickering under Discord’s sudden seriousness.

Discord’s gaze softened, though his words still carried a harsh edge. “I met your cousin long after your little trip to Mitaly. When I found her, she was lost no cutie mark, no sense of purpose.” He sighed. “She was already a complete wreck. And what she is now? There’s no going back from that. She took something dangerous, something powerful, thinking it would solve everything.”

The group fell silent as Discord’s words hung in the air, each one cutting deep.

“She’s done all this, made all these choices. . . because of a promise. A childish promise!”

Pinkie’s eyes filled with tears. “Y-You’re wrong. . .”

Discord raised a brow. “Oh?”

Pinkie swallowed hard, her voice barely above a whisper. “It’s not a childish promise. . .” She took a shaky breath. “It’s our Pinkie Promise... the most important promise of all. And whatever changes she’s made, I still accept her.” Her voice grew stronger, her gaze meeting Discord’s. “Just like we accepted you. Secrets, mistakes, chaos-” she paused, voice trembling, “we still accepted you.”

Discord’s grip on her loosened, and his friends nodded, each one standing firmly beside Pinkie’s words. He gently lowered her, dusting off her mane, his expression unreadable.

“I. . . I do accept your cousin,” Discord murmured finally, casting a somber glance at the fading smoke. “But it wasn’t me who did this to her. Its-”

“Discord!”

A voice echoed from above, cutting through the tension like a blade. All eyes turned skyward as a blinding ray of sunlight parted the clouds, bathing the ground in light. Descending slowly from the sky, a radiant figure emerged a white alicorn, adorned in glimmering armor, her eyes piercing as they met Discord’s.

“We need to talk.” Celestia’s voice was firm, her gaze unyielding as she looked down upon the draconequus and his friends.

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~ End of chapter 19

Author's Note

As more ponies are involved in the conflict all the more dangerous it gets. The unstable magic grows unpreditable over time and it's origin will resurface by one alcorns confession.