"Well, this has been quite unpleasant surprise."

Discord just gave quite the understatement of... Well, that week at the very least. They had just crossed into the Badlands after many hours of walking and were getting closer to the Changeling Kingdom and, just as Twilight had cautioned, none of their magic worked there... Including Discord's. Discord's loss of power in particular was especially harrowing, considering the informational equivalent to a nuclear bomb Discord had just dropped. The idea that even Discord, who had created all life according to him and was provably the embodiment of chaos itself, was powerless in this realm was worrying.

Not that anyone else was having the time of their lives. Fluttershy couldn't fly, although that didn't bother her as much as Discord's more distraught state of mind, as he couldn't comprehend ever losing his power outright. The two unicorns, still in the trailer, were more anxious, but overall were just enjoying each other's company and using that to keep their minds of things.

Applejack, however, was the most surprised. She could still drag the cart along fine enough, but it felt significantly... Well, not so much heavier as much as not as light, like there was another pony trying to drag it backwards to no avail. To clarify, Earth Ponies are very much like humans in terms of their magical makeup, in that they both have very subtle magic that could only be spotted by the utmost magic users, it makes them somewhat stronger, and it makes them significantly better at agriculture. If a human were to lose their magic, they would both no longer be able to become an agricultural farmer, as well as be noticeably, though not significantly, weaker. Applejack could still do all the work she could do before, just with a bit more effort. She was an athlete after all. Although she did begin to worry that Rainbow might actually beat her in a hoofrace in these conditions. She decided to ignore that nightmarish thought with a few more questions...

"So uh, Discord, say anythin' from those other two u-ni-verses were tah come over an' cause trouble. How would our u-ni-verse stack up?"

Discord pondered this for a moment. "Are you familiar with the game of rock-paper-scissors?"

This resulted in a particularly blank stare from Applejack.

Discord stared blankly in return. "Right, hooves. See, it's a very simple game that younger people with hands, claws or talons play. All you need to know is that rock beats scissors, scissors beats paper, and paper beats rock."

"Why the hay does paper beat rock?"

"Paper covers the rock and rocks don't do a lot against paper."

"Yah could just press the rock hard enough tah put a hole through the paper."

"Yes, but the game needs something to beat rock! Anyways, let's consider the first universe to be rocks, the second to be scissors, and yours to be paper. Now, that doesn't mean that each universe in this instance automatically wins, it's just that each one has an... Advantage."

"So we get tah be the part that can also lose tah rock?"

"Well, you can also beat scissors if you're better prepared. It's just that each one has an advantage. Your own has magic and the ability to turn emotions into weapons. The universe before you has technology that could mess with time itself. The oldest universe in the multiverse, which came before that one, has eldritch powers and their very form could drive anything that views them utterly insane! They're each weak against one, but strong against the other, but unlike the actual game it's not an automatic win-or-loss."

"Hrm..." Applejack pondered this. "So they could still drive ponies an' other creatures on Gaia crazy?"

Discord became slightly annoyed. "Well, yes, but you can still defeat them with the power of friendship and what-have-you."

"So just press the rock hard enough tah put a hole through the paper?"

Discord began scratching the back of his head. "Well, I admit, it's not a perfect metaphor" he said, growing increasingly worried that it was, before perking up slightly again, "but you were able to defeat me, and I created the beings in that universe! So as long as you have the power of friendship, you should be able to take on whatever comes your way!"

"Can they both kill us? The other u-ni-verses? Paper only covers rock. The other two can wreck the others."

Discord scoffed. "Sure, sure, but you have the ability to befriend many of your enemies! Maybe not all of them, but if dearest Fluttershy can befriend me and the Nestine, I'm sure Cthulhu is more than amicable. Granted, he's a bit of a knight templar, but-"

"WE'RE HERE!"

The yell was loud enough for the arguing pair to notice, as well as the two mares in the cart to jump out to see what was the matter.

"What's wrong," said a startled Starlight, "is anypony hurt?!?"

"Trixie and her Great and Beautiful marefriend were just-" Trixie paused for a split-second, not wanting to reveal her technology. "Just having a nice chat! This had better be important!"

"Oh," Fluttershy said meekly, "sorry. You guys weren't listening so I had to a bit more assertive. Sorry. I was just saying we could see the castle now for the past two minutes." Sure enough, they were now right in front of the Changeling Kingdom. Of course, now there was a faint buzzing... That was growing louder and louder.

"Um, maybe I was too loud?"

Discord and Starlight instinctively began trying to teleport everyone away... Only remembering as they were now being surrounded of their new lack of powers. The changelings seemed to blacken the sky in their sheer numbers. As it turns out, if it was loud enough to get past advanced audio technology from 2546, it was loud enough to alert the changeling military. Fluttershy immediately hid behind Discord as the rest stood their ground.

Starlight cleared her throat. "Salutations," she said completely confidently in the same way the Apple family grew ice cream on their farm, "we've come on a diplomatic mission! We have a gift to make potential allies with you! We have brought the elements of honesty and kindness with us to show we have no ill intentions and we mean you no harm."

"It's true," added Applejack, who was quietly thinking something along the lines of well lasso me up and call me a timberwolf, we're trapped.

From the crowd of soldiers, out came two changelings in regalia, one large with purple eyes and one average-sized with cyan ones. The larger one gave off a threatening aura, clearly the leader in the situation, while the other seemed more meek and nervous.

"Well, this is a surprise, ain't it brother?" The larger one flew directly in front of Starlight. "All of a sudden, they want to communicate. This wouldn't have anything to do with that attack in Canterlot, does it?"

"Oh," Starlight said, ever-so-slightly relieved that it didn't immediately devolve into conflict, "not at all! We already know for a fact your people had nothing to do with it." Applejack nodded, just in case her element of honesty gave Starlight's statements credibility.

The large one growled softly. "Who did then? That's what I wanna know."

Starlight gulped. "Would you believe me if I told you it was some... Um... Window shop dummies?" She smiled.

The largest changeling looked to Applejack, who simply went "eeyup." He glanced to the cargo behind the cart, ignoring the answer. "What's in there?"

"Oh! Right!" Starlight relaxed a little more. "You'll have to ask Fluttershy what's in there. She wanted to keep it a surprise, even from the rest of us."

"A surprise, huh? Would she mind if I had my best changeling take a look?"

The yellow mare in question peeked out from behind Discord. "Oh, um, as long as you don't tell anypo- Oh, I mean anyone else before we show it to Queen Chrysalis."

The large one nodded. "Thorax!" He turned to the changeling next to him, who saluted haphazardly. "Check under that tarp, then whisper to me what's under it, understood?"

Thorax stuttered. "U-Uh, y-yes sir!"

"And please, no need to act so formal with me, I'm your brother, for Chrysalis' sake!"

"Sorry, Pharynx."

Starlight's ears perked up. "Wait, Thorax? I thought you were back in the Crystal Empire!"

Thorax cringed as Pharynx stared daggers at his brother's direction and the rest of the changelings looked on confused. "W- well, pony who I haven't, uh, ever met in my life before, uh, ever, I came back to the Kingdom because, uh, I was worried the attack would be blamed on changelings? So I, uh, went back home and, uh, we're probably going to have a conversation after this, aren't we, Pharynx?"

"Yes," growled Pharynx through gritted fangs.

After a short period of awkward silence, Thorax spoke up again. "W-well, I'll check that tarp! Yep! On it!" He flew quickly towards the tarp in question as the rest of the people there looked on.

Pharynx looked towards Starlight. "How do you know him?"

Starlight got more tense. "Well, you see, he kinda sorta made friends with Spike, though not on purpose!"

Pharynx rolled the white lights peeking through his eyes. "Well, since I know for a fact you're supposed to be a powerful mage, you wouldn't be so stupid as to let that slip if you meant us trouble. I have been informed you are just stupid enough to do that if he really was just your friend." This caused Starlight to silently curse herself.

"Still," he continued, "what happens next determines if we continue talking or if we... Do something more fun for me." The changeling smiled.

Starlight gulped. "Right."

Thorax returned with a confused expression on his face, constantly turning back to the cargo. He whispered into Pharynx's... Well, equivalent to an ear. Pharynx began sharing the same confused expression. He cleared his throat. "Miss Fluttershy," he inquired, "what's the purpose of your... Cargo?"

Fluttershy smiled a little. "Oh! It's meant to be a long-term source of food for your people!" If she weren't so nervous she would have sounded almost full of pride.

The changelings surrounding the group of friends began whispering with shock and curiosity as the two brothers only looked at each other with further confusion. "Um," Thorax began, "are you certain you have the right things?"

"Oh!" Fluttershy looked alarmed. "Is there something wrong?"

Thorax flew over to Fluttershy and whispered in her ear. Fluttershy relaxed a little. "Yes, that's right. That's what's supposed to be there."

The brothers looked at each other once more. Pharynx shook his head. "Thorax, please check them to make sure they aren't carrying... Anything else, that's surprising. After that, check their cart." Thorax nodded and got to work, doing a quick pat-down of the five, even if Discord was slightly annoyed he couldn't recreate that one scene from the Mask with his powers. However, once he got to Trixie he stopped. He felt her chest for a while longer than he probably should've, much to Trixie's confusion. He rushed back to Pharynx without going to Applejack or the cart, whispering into the side of his head again. If everyone there didn't know better, they would have thought the expression on Pharynx's face showed... Fear.

He cleared his throat again. "Alright, you larvae! Escort them to the throne room! However, the blue one goes with me and Thorax."

Trixie gulped, unsure of what she even did wrong. "Wait, can Starlight come with Trixie too? The Purple-ish one!"

Pharynx, for whatever reason, had a look of suspicion, eyeing between Trixie and Starlight. "Fine, fine."

And so the group became separated, with the larger section becoming increasingly worried for the remainder.

Trixie began talking with her new escorts. "Excuse Trixie, but what did she do wrong? She wasn't carrying anything, was she? She didn't even bring in her trusty cape and hat!"

"Oh, right," Pharynx said, "you're the one who talks in third person, right?"

"How do you know that," Starlight asked, irritated.

"We've had spies all over, 'Little Miss Equality.'" Starlight gritted her teeth at that as Pharynx continued. "Listen, it's not what you brought, Miss High & Mighty, it's what you are."

"What do you mean by-" Trixie stopped. Thorax had felt her chest.

Where her heart was.

No, not heart, singular...

"Wait," Trixie continued, putting the pieces together, "you know about the Time Lords?"

Pharynx scoffed. "Not enough to know what you're called. I honestly thought you were a myth, a little pod-time story to scare the hatchlings."

"W- well, Trixie doesn't know what you're talking about! She isn't even 20 yet! You must have her confused for another one."

"Clearly," Thorax said. "The legend said that-"

"Thorax," Pharynx interrupted, "it's best we let the Queen tell it. If it's true, she has the most accurate account, being there and all."

"Wait," Starlight said, "you're taking us to Queen Chrysalis directly?"

"With no subjects to upkeep an image for," Pharynx grinned. "Better hope she's in a good mood." He chuckled softly, although there was just a hint of nervousness hidden within that laugh. They had arrived at a large, empty room, filled mostly with green slime and no door. "Your highness," said Pharynx, "we have guests."

Bright green eyes shone from the shadows at the back of the room, before they seemed to turn a full 180 degrees. A figure approached, crawling along the roof slowly but surely. There appeared Queen Chrysalis herself, soon mere inches from them. Her head was completely right-side-up, ignoring the upside-down body on the ceiling's position. She grinned. "Well, well, two tasty unicorns filled to the brim with love. You've done well, general."

Both changelings bowed. "Thank you, your highness," began Pharynx, "but I'm afraid these are not for consumption." Both unicorns hurriedly bowed along with their guards, eyeing each other anxiously.

"Oh? And why not?"

Thorax was the next to speak. "M- my lady, they've come on a diplomatic mission, and they've come with gifts. Two of the elements and the being known as D- Discord are awaiting you in the throne room."

Chrysalis' expression soured slightly. "And have you checked these supposed gifts?'"

"Yes, your highness," said Pharynx. "They say it's meant to help with our food problem, although my brother and I fail to see the purpose of it. We're not allowed to say because it's 'a surprise' or something like that."

The Queen's expression turned to hunger. "Then why have you brought these two very loving unicorns to me?"

Thorax seemed to choke on his words before he spoke them. "T- two hearts."

Queen Chrysalis' appeared shocked, yet calm. "What?"

"The blue one," he continued. "She has two h- hearts."

"The blue one?" The Queen looked on in disbelief, seemingly gazing into Trixie's soul. "So she does. Her love was so bountiful it masked that fact. And the other?"

Pharynx responded. "She requested it, and, well, the stories... Forgive me, my Queen, I did not want to see if those stories were true."

Queen Chrysalis sighed, placing her body back on the floor to match her head, revealing her tall, imposing stature. "I cannot blame you."

Starlight looked at the changeling queen. "You... Wouldn't know anything about a figure named 'The Master,' would you? He may be the cause of-"

"I've met him, yes," the Queen confirmed. "He was a grey minotaur, correct? It was only today, however. He told me of your arrival, although failed to mention... Well, your friend's heritage. Of course, I've long learned to not accept the advice of a two-hearted prophet..."

Starlight started putting the pieces together. It was entirely possible the Master overheard the plan to make allies out of the Changeling Kingdom, attempted to sabotage it, and then afterwards went backwards in time to propose to Starlight a "grace period", being a time traveler. There were possibly more points he had traveled to to try and make her life that much harder as well. "That time-traveling snake..."

"But wait," Trixie said. "who was the Time Lord that met you?"

"Ah, so a time traveler then. That does explain how she knew about our invasion of Trot. Her betrayal should not have been as surprising as it was..."

"Who?"

"I don't quite remember, but I believe her name meant something like 'Princess' or 'Queen' in some more southern parts of Saddle Arabia."

Starlight thought for a moment. "Sorry, I don't know geography or language all too well."

Queen Chrysalis paused for a moment. "It's the area where the cuisine of the 'Tasty Treat' in Canterlot comes from?"

None present gave any indication that they understood what that meant.

"Trixie would like to know how you know about Canterlot cuisine."

"Spies. It doesn't matter anyways," continued the Queen. "What does matter is your intentions now."

Trixie gulped. "Trixie would like to assure you that none of us mean any harm, she swears! Starlight, a little help here?"

"Unneeded. You look different from what she looked like."

"That really doesn't mean much."

The Queen... Did something akin to cocking an eyebrow. "Explain. Now."

"Did you damage her in any way?"

"Yes..."

"And did she glow?"

"... It's a healing property of sorts. What's your point?"

"It's more than that. It only shows up when a Time Lord is lethally damaged."

"Oh good, at least I nearly killed her. And I suppose I didn't because..?"

"Trixie's mother called it 'regeneration.' If a Time lord would die, they instead completely change themselves physically and mentally."

"Physically?"

"... They get a new body, or so mother told Trixie."

The Queen stood in silence following this. "How big of a change?"

"Everything, Trixie thinks, though higher trained Time Lords have more control over it. They could change species, gender, personality, anything. The only thing that remains intact is memory, and even that can be jumbled initially." Trixie chuckled slightly. "Trixie's mother used to tell her stories of how she knew a Time Lord who regenerated into an entire ecosystem, including all the plants and animals."

All in the room grew quiet. Trixie herself was very confused at the looks of abject horror she was receiving. "What?"

"Anything," Queen Chrysalis repeated. "Well, I suppose I now know how Celly feels about me." There was no humor in her joke. "Do you possess this power?"

"Trixie... Doesn't know," she admitted. "She does know one goes to an academy to train it, but she doesn't know if it can be inherited."

The Queen nodded. "Are there any others of this species I should know about?"

Starlight winced, unsure if she should say. Ultimately, however, Pinkie had made it public knowledge that they were of a different planet, if not the exact details. And if she kept information from the Changeling Queen, and she found out... "Two of our friends, the Doctor and Pinkie Pie, who used to go by the name Romana. As well as Trixie's mother, the Spectacle."

Chrysalis thought for a moment. "No, those names aren't familiar in the slightest, although I am not surprised to learn the element of laughter is more than just an average mare. And this 'Master?'"

"Keep far, FAR away from him. He's a monster."

The Queen growled. "So long as he doesn't do what the Loveless did, I shall handle him swiftly."

"The Loveless?"

"It's what I called her. There was no love in her hearts in the slightest. Imagine, two hearts and not an ounce of affection? Even this 'Master' figure possessed some love, albeit in an... Unconventional way."

Trixie gulped. "May Trixie ask what 'The Loveless' did?"

The Queen stayed silent for a moment. She gave a deep sigh. "She... Experimented on my subjects. Specifically, she designed a disease to cripple us. You can see her marks even to this very day. When I told this story to Twilight and her little friends, I told them Celestia was the one who did this-" She lifted a leg, the holes hollow and vacant, much weaker than they should be- "And trapped us in a volcano. Even I don't have the heart for a truth like that unprovoked, although I couldn't stop the rumors. The Loveless scarred our kind and maimed our history, all in the name of her sick, twisted form of learning. And I highly recommend that, if you see her or cross her path, do not rely on your silly principles of love and friendship, at least not solely. Unless a being as powerful as Discord is around, do not fight her or engage with her. Even I only succeeded in wounding her out of sheer luck. If you want my advice... You run."

She sighed again, turning to Pharynx. "General Pharynx, are my subjects waiting for me?"

Pharynx snapped himself out of whatever trance he was. "Uh, yes, Your Highness."

"Then let's not keep them waiting long. Oh, and one last thing... I would prefer if not a word of this reached my subjects. Nothing about the Loveless, at the very least."

The changeling brothers saluted nervously, while the two marefriends nodded meekly. With that, the Queen led the way to the throne.

Trixie and Starlight sat next to Applejack while Discord and Fluttershy began speaking to Chrysalis.

"Pst. Sugarcubes. Y'all alright?"

Trixie sighed. "Trixie's fine," she whispered, "though Starlight is a bit shaken, Trixie thinks." Sure enough, Starlight was staring off into space, lost in thought. "Trixie would say more, but we were asked to keep it secret."

"Why?"

"It would just spread far too much panic-"

"Get to the point already."

The Queen had given such an impatiently stern tone that it stopped Trixie in her tracks. Chrysalis was sitting on her throne in a bored pose that was more what you would expect from a bipedal creature. Discord and Fluttershy were sitting right in front of her, surrounded on all sides by an audience of changelings. A sea of black exoskeletons with cyan-blue compound eyes filled the room, each containing a set of lights where their pupils should be, showing their capacities for being intelligent, compassionate individuals that nonetheless put pressure on the two people front and center.

"Well, my royal friend," Discord responded, "Fluttershy and I brought the perfect thing to cure your woes!" He drummed appendages on Trixie's cart, lacking the magic required to conjure a drumroll. "Presenting to you, a new concept the rest of Gaia absolutely looooooooves..."

Fluttershy pulled back the tarp to reveal a large amount of animals. Dogs, cats, turtles, owls, bunnies, and various other animals (although no toothless gators) were sitting there patiently and proudly, if a bit tired from the trip.

"PETS," finished Discord.

A series of murmurs permeated through the air, each containing some forms of "what's a pet" or "is he kidding" or "what's with all the animals" as questions.

"For those not in the know," the draconequus continued, "a pet is a small animal you own that serves as a friend of sorts! Treat them well, care for them, and nourish them, and overtime they shall have a plethora of love, just for you! And this is no matter what you look like! But be careful! Care for it wrong, and bad things happen. And over time, you too shall develop love for these creatures immediately! They aren't always the most well-behaved, but they will be worth it over time."

The crowd started to murmur in agreement before Chrysalis raised her hoof. "And how long will this process take?"

"Depends on the animal," Discord explained. "For some it's rather quick, like with dogs. For others, it's a slow process, like cats. And, of course, it depends on the owner. Owners that show love and care for their pets get love and care in kind. Take my dearest Fluttershy for example. She has a bunny who can really be a pain at times, but despite his tough attitude, he cares for her quite deeply. And ponies, as well as most other sapient species on Gaia, do this without any award other than a friend! The point is, your fanged excellency, you and your subjects would be foolish not to take this opportunity! You have something to gain from this where many others do it out of sympathy or out of a longing of companionship! Hay, I know a pony named Maud who has a pet rock! A rock!"

There was a more vocal agreement this time, one Chrysalis didn't try and stop. "That does seem like the best option I can think of for my people, I'll admit. That being said, since this is a diplomatic trip... Did you get one specifically for me, or did you think I would take an option away from my people?"

The crowd gave out a series of "ooo"s as Discord tugged at his non-existent collar. "Well, you see-"

Just then, out of the cage came a bouncing, pink ball of fluff, much to the confusion of all present. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be an excessively fluffy pony. In her mouth she carried some newspaper clippings of the attack on Canterlot, but with big red hearts surrounding photos of Chrysalis or her name appearing in the paper somewhere. She bounced onto Chrysalis' lap, landing back-first.

Chrysalis looked at the pink, fluffy pony that was now upon her, noticing the sheer amount of love- For her, not some disguise- that the pony emanated. She chuckled, giving into the sudden urge to pat the pony's head. "I have to say, I do approve of this idea. I'm not sure about its... Longevity, but I am willing to accept this as a showing of good will and a gift for our subjects. Miss... Applejack," she said, turning to the mare in question, "does Princess Celestia know about this little escapade of yours?"

"Uhhhhh..." She thought for a moment. "Ah don't think so?" At the very least, Fluttershy never explicitly said Celestia knew about any of this.

The Changeling Queen cackled. "Even better! The look on her face when I approach her as an actual ally to Equestria, with no ulterior motives, will be priceless!" The crowd gave some light chuckles in response. Even the other ponies and Discord chuckled slightly, since it was admittedly just a little funny. Well, aside from Starlight, who still sat in silence, and Applejack, who wasn't sure how to feel about that comment in general.

It was then Thorax spoke up. "Can I make a suggestion, too?"

Pharynx groaned. "Oh sweet Chrysalis," he muttered under his breath, "here we go."

Chrysalis was in a good enough mood, between a new resource for her and her people, her own new "pet" and a way to win one over on Princess Celestia, to not immediately dismiss him. "You may, but make it quick."

"Well," Thorax began, "changelings love each other, right?"

Chrysalis nodded. "Yes, most of us have a sense of smell," she confirmed, eliciting some snickers in the audience, "what about it?"

"Couldn't we," he hesitated, "you know... Feed on each other's love?"

You could hear a pin drop in that room if not for a few of Fluttershy's animals. It was a good thing, too, or else all would have heard Pharynx's facehoof.

"An... Interesting proposal," the Queen said, half-heartedly. "That would be akin to eating each other's flesh, no?"

Before Thorax could give a (really, really bad) answer, a voice perked up in the crowd.

"Permission to speak, Your Majesty?"

"Permission granted. What is your name?"

"Um, my name is Ocellus, ma'am."

"And what is it you'd like to say?"

Ocellus flew up to the ceiling. "It's, um, more like, um... If we were herbivores, and we grew apple-trees on our backs, right? It would be weird, but it's free food!"

Murmurs of agreement began to pop up in the crowd, with Chrysalis pondering it herself. Before she could make a response, however, a member of the crowd began to glow. When the glow dissipated, there was a neon orange being standing where a changeling once was. "Oh my Queen you guys," the newly-colorful creature said, "it really works! Go on, try it!"

With that, slowly at first then escalating into rapid speed, the rest of the crowd, along with Ocellus and Thorax, followed suit. All stood shocked and agape at what they and/or others had become.

Chrysalis gave a rare expression of sheer shock and surprise. She looked at the holeless legs of her subjects, then her own, pondered it for a moment... And joined the crowd, gaining a pure white exoskeleton and a soft blue mane that was structurally similar to her old one... Aside from the lack of holes.

General Pharynx, however, had not yet shifted, slightly frightened by what the others had become. Especially jarring was his brother, who had become neon green, with orange-yellow wings, and was now nearly as tall as Chrysalis if you included the antlers. Also, why did his brother have antlers now??? "WHAT THE FLYING BUCK JUST HAPPENED?!?"

The ponies and Discord were similarly in shock, Starlight once again excluded for whatever reason. "THAT'S IT?!?" The cry had come from Discord. "YOU COULD HAVE DONE THAT THE WHOLE TIME?!? SOMEBODY CALL MY LAWYER, I'M SUING HASBRO OR WHOEVER'S IN CHARGE OF THIS MESS!"

... Uh oh.

In any case, Pharynx had settled down, but he was far from enthused. "Listen, no offense to all of you, including you, your majesty, but I like my current look, thank you very much."

Chrysalis scoffed at that, transforming into her usual form. "We're changelings. Appearance isn't exactly difficult to change for a changeling." She turned to her subjects at large. "For that matter, appear how you will, I have not felt this healthy in a long time regardless of appearance. That being said, I shall choose to use my former appearance, both due to personal comfort and as a reminder. Though we are better and more fulfilled, remember we have not yet healed completely." She raised her holed hoof straight up into the air. "Let us remember why we fought, and revel in the fact that we do not need to fight to survive anymore! Nor let us forget the crimes we have committed in our foolishness to see the answer in front of us all along! AND LET MY VISAGE BE A CALL TO GO FORWARD, INTO THE FUTURE, INTO COLLABORATION, and even, dare I say it, INTO FRIENDSHIP!"

And, although she would never admit it, she was a bit worried the fluffy pony she had would reject her healthy form as well. Just a bit.

Regardless, the crowd cheered at the rousing speech, ready for a new era of acceptance, honesty, and stepping pout of the shadows into the light. Pharynx just grumbled, his brother quickly following him as to check that he was OK.

Suddenly, a neon blue changeling said "do we still get pets?"

Eyes turned towards Fluttershy, who quickly hid behind Discord. "Well," he began, "we certainly didn't come all this way to NOT give you pets! Of course you still get pets!"

The cheering continued, as Applejack just whistled. "Well now," she reckoned, "ah'll give her this, she can do a damn fine speech. Ah can see why they'd think she knows what she's doing... Even if she ain't got a clue! Woo-eee!"

"Trixie is very happy with how things turned out," the mare in question said. "How about you, Starlight? ...Starlight?"

Somehow, despite everything, she was still disassociating heavily, and the only thing she said was something Trixie couldn't even make out.

"Is she in danger... Or is she the danger?"

"BECAUSE THE LAWS OF TIME ARE MINE, AND THEY WILL-"

Thunk

...

"There are some corners of the universe which have bred the most terrible things! Things which act against everything we believe in. They must become like-"

Thunk

...

"RUN, SUSAN! SAVE YOURSE-"

Thunk

"Doctor," Pinkie said solemnly, "I think that's enough. You've been doing that for the past five minutes."

"Quite," was the Doctor's reply. "There have been no results as of yet that can save Miss Scratch. We're in quite the pickle, aren't we?"

"Well, yeah," said Pinkie, "but I'm also worried about your mental health if you keep this up."

The Doctor nodded, looking to Twilight who was now finished writing notes. A horrified rarity and a quietly seething Rainbow, still reeling from their own turns with the mask, sat behind Twilight as she got up.

"Alright," Twilight began, "so first thing to figure out is why they're measuring emotional levels. It only seems to be visible during a 'performance,' but that's not as interesting as who could be behind it. The only two that make sense are changelings and sirens. We don't know much about changelings, so it's possible they have advanced magic-based-tech, but they feed off of positive emotions, namely love, so that doesn't make sense motive-wise. Sirens do feed on negative emotions, but they live underwater, which makes even something like a screen impossible to develop without leaving the ocean, so logically it's a stretch..."

"Ooh, ooh," Pinkie yelped, "what if this is some sort of ritual or something like that?"

"A ritual?"

"It makes sense," the Doctor agreed. "With a concept like a the magic circle in effect..."

"The what?" Rainbow looked up, confused.

Twilight explained, as she tends to do. "The magic circle is a theory surrounding how the concept of play works. One agrees to the rules of a game, and it's treated like the law of the universe. For example, in... A race." Rainbow perked up at that. "Theoretically, you could just trot backwards a few steps, move back forward and say you crossed the finish line."

"No you can't. That's cheating."

"Exactly. It would break the rules of the game, but it's not like a boulder will fall out of the sky if you do. There's no literal obligation to follow the rules, but if you don't, what's the point of playing a game? Therefore, you enter the magic circle, and for that time, the law of the game is the law of the universe, at least to the people playing. Not sure if it applies to literal plays outside of the norms of suspension of disbelief, and even then we've been stomping into the plays left and right."

"Hm..." The Doctor thought for a moment. "Well the ritual theory is still our best bet regardless. The question is... Who to? Due to the theatre imagery, it could be the King in Yellow..."

"The King in Yellow? Like from the books?"

The Doctor and Pinkie quickly turned to Twilight. "Well great balls of fire," came the Doctor's reply.

Pinkie was the next to speak. "Like an anthology series? By an author who normally doesn't do horror, paving the way for more cosmic horror as a genre? Metatextually about how a work can influence multiple varied works? About a fictional play that causes people to go super-loco-bonkers-BANANAS?!?"

Twilight grew slightly concerned. "Yeaaaaaah?"

"Well Gallifrey has a book just like it!"

"Really?"

"Yepparino! So does Earth, Tiaanamat, Balhoon, Alzarius, Adipose 3... Anywhere with fiction, really."

Twilight was understandably confused. "Wait, what? I've heard of things like the 'Handsome & the Beast' story popping up in cultures across Gaea but... That is-"

"Too specific," the Doctor interrupted. "And don't you think it's odd how an entity that manifests in artistic expression keeps popping in books, films, shows, fiction mist and holograms all over the universe? I suppose it's not too surprising the various monsters written by Lovecraft, Jillkimith, Joombo and whatever your equivalent to the Cthulhu mythos originator is would make their presence known here as well, knowingly or not."

"You mean the works of Heartful Pleasant Hoofcraft?"

The Doctor shut his eyes for a moment, trying his best to cope with this information. "Yes, that one."

"His monsters are REAL?"

"I'm afraid so. And of course his yellow majesty has a great deal of admirers..."

Rainbow's eyes widened. "That other Rarity! She had yellow eyes! And she kept rambling about authors and shit or whatever."

The rest of the group looked at each other in shock.

"Hmm, well we're one step closer." The Doctor scratched his head with a hoof. "We know who the shrine is for, but that doesn't mean we know who made it... Well, I think it's best if I meditate on this for a while. Clear the mind, so to speak, allowing greater avenues of thought." With that, he sat down, crossed his hindlegs, raised his forelegs to his sides, and closed his eyes. The girls knew him well enough to know that, as long as he was in a zen state, he was out of commission. At the very least, it would bring the negative emotion levels down to some degree.

Pinkie, meanwhile was staring intensely at the stage.

"Alright, everypony, it's my turn."

Author's Note

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