After the distorted laughter stopped, Fluttershy and Discord looked at eachother.

"So... What did they mean by... Reach the center?", Fluttershy asked.

"Hmmm... I say, judging by that statement, this place has been turned into some sort of maze...", Discord said. "*Sigh*, i hate mazes."

"But... Didn't you trap us in a maze when you were evil?", Fluttershy asked.

"Oh yes, i did, but here's the difference. I wasn't an active participant, i just watched! Aaaand occasionally tried to turn you six evil, but uh... That's a different story..."

"But how will we reach the center...?", Fluttershy asked.

"Umm, we can both fly Flutters, remember?", Discord said. "I'm not listening that schmuck, if he wants us to go through their maze, i won't!", he proclaimed, before taking off.

"W-wait! Hold up!", Fluttershy said. The duo flew over the trees, spotting the center of the forest, a huge, dead tree.

"And there it is!", Discord exclaimed. "Now we just-"

Before he could continue, massive roots grabbed on to both of them, and threw them to the ground, back to where they were. Luckily, Discord managed to summon two giant pillows to cushion the impact.

"Grrr... No cheating allowed! Grrr...", the voice of Amoronzon, the Archdemon possessing Applejack, resounded.

"I guess we'll have to walk then...", Fluttershy said, getting up.

"Oh... Kill me." Discord said. "Oh wait, i'm technically immortal, nevermind."

As the duo entered the maze, they could get a better look at the trees. They were apple trees, though they were dead and leafless, similar to those on the orchard. Some of the trees even seemed to have anguished faces carved into the wood.

As they walked, however they started to hear something in the distance. It sounded like several blasts of magic.

"W-what's going on?", Fluttershy asked in confusion.

"Sounds like somepony's having one heck of a party out there!", Discord exclaimed. "Let's take a looksie, and see what we'll find!"

"B-but... It could be dangerous!", Fluttershy exclaimed. "I think we should be careful..."

"Oh, fine!", Discord said. "We'll be careful.", he said, getting on the tip of his foot and hoof.

And so, the two slowly made their way through the trees, before reaching a clearing. There, they saw a pony with a dark maroon coat, wearing a greenish armor, using a strange weapon to shoot several Pegasus demons. Additionally, there was another, seemingly unconscious pony laying on the ground.

"Is that... Tempest?", Fluttershy said.

"Who?", Discord asked in confusion.

"Oh... You weren't here during the attack 5 years ago...", Fluttershy said. "Sorry... I didn't remember..."

"Wait... Is she that not-evil-anymore Unicorn with a broken horn you told me about?", he asked.

"Yes she is..."

"Ohoh, well then. I think it's best we help her.", Discord said. "After all, she's a reformed villain like me! I got to watch out for my own kin!", he said, grabbing the Lunar Whip, and leaving the tree cover.

"Ah, w-wait for me!", Fluttershy said.

"Just go away!", Tempest said, firing at the Pegasus demons with her shotgun. One of them tried to attack her, but before she could fire at it, it was grabbed by a long rope with a moon shaped blade at the end.

"Did someone ask for reenforcements?", Discord said, the demon tied in his whip. He then swung it, and threw the Pegasus demon at another one, killing both of them.

The remaining Pegasi shifted their focus towards Discord, flying at him. But he spun his whip around, creating a powerful wind tunnel that blew them away. Tempest took this opportunity, and fired repeatedly at the vulnerable demons, killing them.

"Now THAT, is what i'm talking about! High Fi-, oh wait, you don't have hands... Uh... Nevermind.", Discord said, embarassed.

"Thanks for the help.", Tempest said. "But who are you, exactly?"

"Well, perhaps you may have heard of me. Does the title "the Lord of Chaos" sound familiar, hmm?", Discord said, smugly.

"Hmmm... No?", Tempest remarked.

"Wait, really?", he said, now confused. "Doesn't even ring a bell?", he said, pulling out a bell and ringing it, before throwing it away.

"Well, not that i remember at least.", Tempest said.

"Umm... H-hey Tempest...", Fluttershy said.

"Oh, hey... It's you... Flutterbye?" Tempest asked.

"Umm... Fluttershy, actually...", she said.

"Oh, close enough. Tell me, is this weirdo here your friend?", Tempest asked.

"Hey! I'm right here you know?"

"Uh... Yes, actually...", Fluttershy said. "His name is Discord."

"Oh... I still don't know who he is.", Tempest said.

"Oh, come on!", Discord said.

"Well, regardless, i need some help with my second in command here, Swift Justice.", Tempest said. "He's fainted from exhaustion, and i have nowhere for him to hide."

"Ok, hold on.", Discord said, before sliding the doors to his house open. "Ok, put him in there, he'll be safe."

Fluttershy and Tempest carried Swift Justice inside, before exiting. Discord then closed the doors.

"Alright, thanks for that.", Tempest said. "Now, what are you two doing here?", she asked.

"Well..."

One explanation later...

"I see...", Tempest said. "You two have become Demon Hunters to save our friends..."

"Yes..."

"Well, i'm also doing this to save my sweet, sweet, Chaos... But yeah, you got it, girl."

"If that is the case... Then i'm coming with you two.", Tempest said.

"Wait... Really...?", Fluttershy said.

"Yes, i'm coming. My platoon is still trapped in that monster's castle, and i need to save them. And, not to mention, Twilight is in danger, and she was the one who helped me turn my life around. I feel it is time for me to repay the favor."

Tempest has joined the Party!

"Well, then what are we waiting for?", Discord asked. "Let us go already!"

However, before they could leave the clearing, they heard loud thumps coming from the treeline.

"W-what... What is that?!", Fluttershy said, as the thumping got closer.

"Ohohoh! Something big's coming!", Discord said.

"Get ready you two...", Tempest said. "This can't be anything good..."

It was then, that the source of the thumping revealed itself. The thumping were the steps of possessed Applejack. Her body had seemingly been fused to a dead, rotten tree, with her head sticking out on top. One of her forehooves was mixed with a branch, and at the end of it, was a strange, spiky, fruit-like object.

"Grahahahargh... Finally! Some fresh... Grrr... MEAT!", Amoronzon spoke, through Applejack's now distorted voice.

Tempest pointed her shotgun at Amoronzon and fired directly at his body. Despite this, no effect was visible.

"Crap.", Tempest said, reloading the shotgun.

Fluttershy grabbed her Solar Crossbow, and aimed it at Amoronzon.

"L-leave my friend's body alone...!"

"Grahahahar... You... Grrr... You and your little friends cannot defeat me! Grrr...", Amoronzon said, as he approached

Fluttershy shot at Amoronzon, but just like the shotgun, it barely did anything to his wooden body. Discord then grabbed his Lunar Whip, and struck Amoronzon multiple times, to, unsurprisingly, no effect.

"Okay, uh... New plan! RUN FOR THE HIIILLLS!!!", Discord said, grabbing both ponies and taking off running. Amoronzon took off running after them. While he was slower than the Draconequus, he was still fast enough to catch up with them.

"W-where are we going?!", Fluttershy asked.

"As if i know! Hopefully far, far away from that unsightly beast!"

"Wait! I have an idea!", Tempest said.

"And it is???", Discord asked, dodging and weaving through the trees.

But before Tempest could tell him, Amoronzon detached the spiky fruit in his arm, and swung it around through a thorny vine, before throwing it in front of the trio.

"OH SHIT!", Discord said, jumping over the fruit. Amoronzon pulled it back into his arm, before it started swinging it again.

"As i was saying, let me try to shoot its head!", Tempest said. "Maybe that will stun it!"

"W-WHAT?! But you could hurt Applejack!", Fluttershy said.

"True, but we don't really have a choice, do we now?", Discord said, still dodging and weaving.

Fluttershy looked back at her possessed friend, and watched as Amoronzon used Applejack's voice to growl and roar.

"O-ok! Just... Try to not hurt her too much! Please...?"

Discord turned Tempest around, and she in turn carefully aimed her shotgun at Amoronzon's face. Amoronzon was rapidly swinging his fruit-flail, ready to strike them. She then pulled the trigger, and shot Amoronzon right in the face, stunning him, and causing his flail to hit his head.

"It worked!"

"D-did it?", Fluttershy asked. "How bad was it...?"

"Not very, but it seemed to stun them for the time being.", Tempest said.

The trio continued dodging and weaving through the trees, until eventually reaching a much larger clearing. This one, with the same huge tree they had sighted while in the air.

"It seems we've reached the center...", Tempest said.

"If that schmuck had let us just fly here, we would've reached this place much earlier...", Discord said. "Ow my legs..."

"*Gasp!*... Oh... Oh no...", Fluttershy said.

"Oh for goodness sake, what now?", Discord asked, still holding his legs.

"T-the t-tree...", Fluttershy stuttered, as she pointed at the tree's bark.

Discord and Tempest then noticed it. The tree had three anguished faces of ponies on it. The faces of Applebloom, Big Mac, and Granny Smith, Applejack's family.

Then they heard something jump, and land behind them. They turned around, to see possessed Applejack behind them, and it seemed much angrier than before...

"Grrrr... So, you've reached the center... Grrr..."

The Tree of Despair
AMORONZON

Author's Note

Sorry for this chapter taking so long to come out. I had a bad case of writer's block, but it's gone now.

(No new demons were introduced in this chapter)