My name is... Ava Carter.

Chapters

Chapter 1: Not again...
Chapter 2: It's just a dream anyways, right?
Chapter 3: Welcome to Canterlot... Maybe
Chapter 4: The Cracks Begin to Show
Chapter 5: The Partypoopers
Chapter 6 : The Sun and the Moon

Chapter 1: Not again...

“Alright, Ava, lean forward just a little. Keep the weight on your good leg,” James said.

His calm voice slicing through the chaos of my thoughts as I teetered precariously on the parallel bars in the therapy room.

“I only have one good leg, James,” I shot back, gripping the bars so tight my knuckles turned white. “The other one’s on strike. Honestly, I think it’s unionized at this point.”

His lips twitched into the tiniest smirk. Victory. That’s the whole point of physical therapy, right? To prove I’m funnier than my trauma?

With a grunt, I shuffled my weak leg forward, the sharp burn in my thigh reminding me how much I hated this process. Seven months since the accident, and my body still felt like it belonged to someone else—someone who got into a knife fight with a wood chipper and lost.

But hey, at least I was alive.

“Great job,” James said, stepping back to give me space. “You’re getting stronger every session.”

“Yeah, and tomorrow I’ll probably climb Everest,” I muttered, collapsing back into my wheelchair like a sack of potatoes. “Make sure you pack my yak and oxygen tank.”

He laughed softly, shaking his head. “Your sense of humor’s intact. That’s progress too.”

Nine months ago, I had a pretty solid life. Good friends, a loving family, and a terrible habit of getting into cars with drunk drivers. That last one? Big mistake.

The crash turned my body into a macabre art project, complete with scars, metal pins, and a face that looks like it lost a fight with a meat slicer. Two months in a coma, months more in rehab, and voilà! I’m now the proud owner of a wheelchair and enough emotional baggage to fill a U-Haul.

Everyone says I’m “lucky to be alive.” And sure, if you count not dying as lucky, then I hit the jackpot. But waking up with scars, a limp, and the constant reminder that I was this close to being a cautionary tale? Yeah, let’s just say the whole thing could’ve gone better.

Also, Equestria? Not real. At least, that’s what my therapist keeps telling me. Turns out, when your brain’s under trauma, it creates whole worlds to keep you from going completely nuts. Everyone’s pretty convinced that’s what my time as Twilight Sparkle was—a mental band-aid for the car crash from hell.

And honestly? They’re probably right.

My mom wheeled me into the kitchen, where my sister was busy scrolling on her phone while eating the world’s largest sandwich.

“Hey, crippled comedian,” my sister teased, glancing at me with a smirk. “How was PT today? Climb any mountains?”

“I was this close to summiting Everest,” I shot back, waving a finger in the air. “But then I got distracted by how much this therapy room smells like gym socks and disappointment.”

She snorted into her sandwich, crumbs scattering everywhere. Mom sighed, grabbing a napkin and swatting at her. “Can you two go five minutes without turning everything into a stand-up routine?”

“Probably not,” we said in unison, which made us laugh even harder.

The rest of the day was a blur of awkward wheelchair maneuvers, more physical therapy homework, and a whole lot of avoiding my mirror. Because yeah, my scars and I weren’t on speaking terms.

Later that evening, I sat alone in my room, absently scrolling through my phone while my legs screamed at me to never try standing again. It was a slow day, the kind that made you think too much, which was a dangerous game for someone like me.

As I flicked through old photos, one made me stop—a group picture from last summer. There we were: me, Maddy, and Marcus, grinning like we didn’t have a care in the world.

Maddy had her arm slung over my shoulder, her bright green hair catching the sunlight like it was made of emeralds. Marcus stood next to us, his goofy smile frozen forever in time.

My chest tightened, and I swallowed hard, my thumb hesitating over the screen. Maddy and Marcus—my best friends, the people who had been with me through every stupid decision—were gone.

And I wasn’t.

I exhaled slowly, my thumb brushing over their faces. “I miss you guys,” I whispered, the words hanging heavy in the quiet room. “I… I should’ve stopped you from driving that night. I should’ve… I don’t know. Something.”

Survivor’s guilt is a bitch. It sits on your chest, whispering all the things you could’ve done differently, making every breath feel like a betrayal. And no matter how many people tell you it’s not your fault, it doesn’t go away.

I stared at the photo for a while longer, letting the weight of it settle over me before locking my phone and tossing it onto the bed. Some wounds didn’t heal; you just learned to live with them.

My legs ached, my arms felt like jelly, and my brain was basically pudding at this point.

I parked my wheelchair beside the bed, ready to collapse face-first into the mattress. But something caught my eye.

The mirror on the far side of the room—the cheap, full-length one from a department store—looked… different. The glass was darker than usual, almost cloudy, like someone had sprayed it with smoke and forgotten to wipe it clean.

I froze, my stomach twisting. “Okay, Ava,” I muttered. “You’re just tired. Mirrors are weird. No big deal.”

But as I wheeled closer, the feeling in my gut got worse. There was something in the glass—just faint enough to miss if you weren’t looking. A silhouette, blurry and indistinct, standing behind my reflection.

“What the hell…” I whispered, gripping the armrests of my wheelchair. The figure shifted slightly, and my breath hitched. It wasn’t a trick of the light—it was there.

My first thought? Ghost. My second thought? Great. I survived a car crash just to get haunted by Casper’s edgy cousin.

I let out a nervous laugh, the sound hollow and shaky. “Awesome. This is fine. Totally fine. Nothing like a little paranormal activity to spice up the week.”

The figure moved again, and my heart skipped a beat. It wasn’t a person. It was… something else. Small, four-legged, with a shape that was all too familiar.

“No,” I muttered, shaking my head. “Nope. Not happening. I’m not doing this.”

But as I stared, the silhouette became clearer—a pony, its outline faint but unmistakable.

A chill ran down my spine, and I laughed again, the sound half-crazed. “Cool, I’ve officially lost it. Schizophrenia, welcome to the party.”

I remembered something I’d seen on YouTube—some trick about hallucinations. You could tell if they were in your head or real by looking at them through a camera. If they disappeared on-screen, it was all in your mind. If they didn’t… well, you had bigger problems.

My hands trembled as I grabbed my phone, opening the camera app and pointing it at the mirror. The figure didn’t disappear.

“Shit,” I hissed, cold sweat breaking out across my skin.

Before I could process what was happening, the mirror shimmered. The glass rippled like water, the surface shifting and bending in a way that made my stomach lurch.

“Nope, nope, nope!” I shouted, wheeling myself backward as fast as I could. My chair squeaked against the floor, but it wasn’t fast enough.

Two ghostly hooves burst through the glass, their touch icy as they grabbed my shoulders.

“What the—!”

The hooves yanked me forward, and the mirror stretched, swallowing me whole. I clawed at the armrests, but the pull was too strong. My scream echoed through the room as the world tilted,

spinning

into

chaos.

Voices.

Faint,

muffled,

like they were coming from miles away.

My head felt like it was stuffed with cotton, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t seem to move or open my eyes.

“She’s waking up!” one voice hissed, teetering between panic and excitement.

“Are you sure you grabbed the right one this time?” a second voice snapped, sharper and more skeptical.

“Yes! I swear on Celestia’s head I did!” the first voice shot back indignantly.

“Well, she doesn’t look like herself yet,” the second muttered, her tone dripping with doubt. “What if—”

“Shh! Just wait!” a third voice chimed in, softer but firm, clearly trying to stay in control. “Do you think she’ll remember us?”

I groaned, my limbs feeling strange and disconnected. The conversation was enough to push me out of the haze. “The f—?” I croaked, my voice hoarse and scratchy.

There was a collective gasp.

The first voice practically squealed, “Oh, yep, that’s her!”

“She’s back, alright!” said the second, giddy but trying to sound casual.

“Shh! Let her wake up first!” the third hissed, exasperated but relieved.

I forced my eyes open, blinking against the harsh light. The shapes above me slowly came into focus—three familiar, grinning faces peering down like they were waiting for me to tell a joke.

“Heyyyy!” one of them said with an awkward wave.

“Helloooo!” sang the second, her voice lilting like she was hosting a kids’ show.

“Mornin’, sunshine!” the third one chimed in, giving me a mock salute.

I screamed.

Like, full-on horror-movie, banshee-level screaming.

“AAAAAAAAH!”

“AAAAAAH!” screamed two of them, their hooves flying into the air as they stumbled back.

“STOP SCREAMING!” the third one yelled, but her panicked face was doing nothing to sell the whole “calm down” vibe.

“WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?!” I shrieked, flailing my limbs—and froze when I saw them. Not hands. Hooves. My flailing turned into frantic stomping as I scrambled to back away from the three ponies in front of me. “WHY DO I HAVE HOOVES?! WHY ARE YOU HERE?! WHY AM I HERE?!”

“Okay, okay, calm down!” said the pale green one with a harp cutie mark—Lyra. She waved her hooves at me like I was a feral animal about to bolt.

“Don’t tell her to calm down!” snapped Moondancer, her glasses askew as she nervously adjusted them. “She woke up as a pony again, Lyra! You calm her down!”

“I am calming her down!” Lyra shot back, clearly not helping.

“You’re both making it worse,” Twilight Sparkle said with an exhausted sigh, stepping forward with her hooves raised like I might attack. “Ava, listen to me. It’s okay. You’re safe. It’s us—Twilight, Moondancer, and Lyra. Do you remember us?”

“DO I REMEMBER YOU?!” I shouted, flopping onto my back in pure panic. “Of course I remember you! How could I forget the ponies who made me lose my damn mind the first time?!”

Lyra blinked, whispering to Moondancer, “Yep, definitely her.”

Moondancer nodded, clearly satisfied. “Oh, 100%.”

“STOP TALKING LIKE I’M NOT HERE!” I bellowed, flipping back onto my stomach and flailing my legs. “Why am I a pony again?! Why am I in Equestria?! WHAT THE ACTUAL FU—”

“Shh, shh, shh!” Twilight interrupted, darting forward and placing a hoof over my mouth, her face an awkward mix of panic and sympathy. “It’s a long story, Ava, but we’re here to help, okay? Just... stop freaking out so we can explain.”

I stared at her, my wide eyes reflecting her frazzled ones, my breath coming in short bursts through my nose. Slowly, I nodded. She removed her hoof, and I sat up—awkwardly, because sitting up as a pony is like trying to do yoga blindfolded.

Moondancer smiled nervously, brushing a lock of her mane out of her face. “There. That’s better, right? We’re all calm now?”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “Oh yeah. Totally calm. Super chill. Just your everyday WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON kind of calm.”

Twilight sighed, her hoof dragging down her face. Lyra bit her lip, clearly holding back laughter. Moondancer just adjusted her glasses again.

I finally stopped flailing and sat upright, my tail—tail?!—flicking behind me out of pure instinct. Twilight, Moondancer, and Lyra sat on their haunches nearby, each of them wearing the Elements of Harmony like they’d just raided a magical jewelry store. Twilight had the iconic crown, Moondancer’s neckpiece had a star-shaped gem, and Lyra’s had a harp.

They all stared at me like they were waiting for me to say something profound. Instead, I pointed a hoof at their accessories. “Alright, start talking. Why are you all wearing friendship-themed bling, and why am I here? I thought we were done with the ‘drag Ava into pony problems’ game.”

Twilight exchanged a glance with the others, then stepped forward, her voice calm but serious. “Ava, we didn’t want to pull you back here, but… we didn’t have a choice. We need your help.”

I blinked at her, confused. “My help? I’m not even from here! I’m barely holding it together in my world. What could you possibly need me for?”

Moondancer adjusted her glasses, fidgeting nervously. “It’s a long story, but... things in Equestria have gotten really bad since you left.”

I frowned, glancing around for the first time. The world wasn’t how I remembered it. The skies were gray and turbulent, with dark clouds swirling like an incoming storm. The trees in the distance looked twisted and gnarled, their leaves sparse and sickly. Even the grass beneath us seemed dull, like it had lost its color.

A pang of sadness hit me, sharp and heavy. “What… happened here?” I asked softly.

Lyra’s ears drooped, and she shuffled her hooves. “It started a few months ago. Weird things started happening—storms, earthquakes, magic behaving unpredictably. At first, it was just little things, but then... ponies started disappearing.”

Twilight nodded grimly. “Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were among the first to vanish. Then Cadance and Shining Armor... We’ve tried everything to get them back, but... we’re out of options.”

I stared at them, my heart sinking as their words sank in. “Wait,” I said, holding up a hoof. “You’re telling me the actual heroes of this world got taken out, and now you want me to step in? I’m not a hero. I’m not even a pony most of the time!”

Lyra glanced down, fiddling with her Element. “We know it’s a lot to ask, but... we’re desperate. You’re the only pony—er, person—who knows Equestria the way you do, even better than we do sometimes. We thought… maybe you could help us figure out what to do next.”

A part of me wanted to laugh, to dismiss everything they were saying as nonsense. This could all just be in my head, right? A coma-induced hallucination, or maybe my brain finally decided to go fully off the rails. But then a cold wind blew past, making me shiver. It felt too real.

“Look,” I said, rubbing a hoof against my forehead, “even if I wanted to help, what exactly am I supposed to do? I don’t have magic. I don’t have powers. I barely have a working leg in my real body, and now you want me to... what? Save the world?”

Twilight stepped closer, her eyes filled with quiet determination. “We’re not asking you to do it alone. We’ll figure it out together. But we need your knowledge, Ava. You’ve helped us before. Please.”

Her words hit something deep inside me, a mix of guilt and responsibility that made my chest tighten. I looked at her, then at Moondancer and Lyra. They were all watching me with a kind of hope that made me want to run away and hide.

“Where are the others?” I asked finally, my voice quieter. “The rest of the bearers. Where are they now?”

The question wiped the hope from their faces, replaced by a shared look of shame. Moondancer glanced at the ground, her voice barely audible. “They were... captured. Just like the princesses.”

“We’ve been on our own ever since,” Lyra added, her voice cracking. “Trying to figure out how to fix this, but... we’re not strong enough. Not without the Elements working properly. And we don’t know what else to do.”

The weight of their words settled on me, heavier than I was ready for. The world around us looked like it was falling apart, and these three ponies—these three desperate, terrified ponies—were looking at me like I was their last hope.

I wanted to say no. I wanted to tell them I wasn’t their savior, that they’d picked the wrong human to pony-nap. But I couldn’t ignore the way they looked at me, the way my chest ached seeing the state of Equestria.

“I’ll help,” I said finally, the words tasting strange but certain on my tongue. “But if this goes sideways, I reserve the right to say ‘I told you so.’ A lot.”

Lyra’s face lit up, her ears perking as she gave a little bounce. “Thank you, Ava! You won’t regret this!”

“Oh, I’m already regretting this,” I muttered, shaking my head.

Moondancer adjusted her glasses, a small smile breaking through her nervousness. Twilight stepped forward, her hoof resting lightly on my shoulder. “Thank you,” she said softly. “I know this is a lot, but… we’re going to figure this out. Together.”

I sighed, looking around at the chaotic world around us. “Yeah. Together. Yippe...”

Inside, I wasn’t so sure. But what choice did I have?

Chapter 2: It's just a dream anyways, right?

“So, let me get this straight,” Twilight said, walking alongside me. “You’re saying that we’re from a TV show in your world?”

I shrugged. “I mean… yeah. Pretty much. You guys are a big deal—huge fandom, lots of merch, the works. You even have a theme song, and let me tell you, it was ''catchy.''”

Twilight stopped mid-step, her ears twitching. “We have… a theme song?”

“Oh yeah,” I said with a smirk. “And your face is everywhere. Lunchboxes, toys, birthday party supplies—”

“Okay, okay!” Twilight said quickly, her cheeks tinting pink as she waved her hoof. “I get it. This is… incredible, though! If you know so much about us, then you’re the perfect pony—er, person—to help us!”

“Whoa, let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” I said, holding up my hooves. “I remember the big stuff, sure, but it’s not like I have an encyclopedia of Equestria in my brain. It’s been years since I watched the show. My memory’s fuzzy at best.”

Before I could ask what she’d meant earlier about the Elements not working, Lyra’s voice cut through my thoughts like a butter knife through cake.

“Uh… girls? We’re here.”

Twilight and Moondancer slowed their pace, the nervous tension in their posture suddenly snapping into full-blown dread.

“We know, Lyra,” Moondancer muttered grimly, her ears flat against her head.

I trotted up beside them, confused. “What are you talking about?” I asked. But the second I looked down the hill, my mouth fell open.

Below us, what should have been Ponyville looked like it had been redesigned by someone on the world’s worst sugar high. Houses floated upside down in midair, their doors opening and closing randomly like some kind of weird performance art. Rabbits with legs as long as stilts galloped across the streets, chasing terrified ponies. And the sky? Cotton candy clouds rained chocolate milk, while the sun and moon played a game of cosmic ping-pong overhead.

“What the hell happened to Ponyville?!” I blurted, gesturing wildly at the chaos below.

Lyra gave me a sidelong glance, looking unimpressed. “Uh… this is old news, Ava.”

“Old news?!” I yelled, my voice going up an octave. “The town looks like someone hired Willy Wonka as an interior decorator, and you’re calling this old news?!”

“Yeah, this has been happening for weeks,” Lyra said with a shrug, as if explaining the weather.

“WEEKS?!” I exclaimed, flailing my hooves at the scene. “How are you guys not freaking out about this?!”

“We were,” Moondancer said flatly, adjusting her glasses. “Then we ran out of energy.”

“Besides,” Twilight said with a sigh, “we know who’s responsible.”

I froze, my stomach doing a nosedive as the pieces clicked together. Floating houses, chocolate rain, utter madness—there was only one being who could turn Equestria into a giant acid trip.

“Discord,” I muttered, my tone laced with dread.

Twilight nodded. “He escaped weeks ago. We tried to use the Elements of Harmony against him, but… something went wrong.”

I looked at her sharply. “What do you mean, something went wrong? The Elements are supposed to be foolproof!”

Moondancer stepped forward, her eyes serious. “When we tried to activate them, the spark wouldn’t happen. The magic didn’t connect. We… we couldn’t use them.”

I stared at her, my chest tightening. “So… what happened?”

Twilight’s ears drooped, and she looked down. “Discord attacked. The other girls—Minuette, Lemon Hearts, and Twinkleshine—stayed behind to distract him. I was able to teleport myself, Moondancer, and Lyra out, but…”

“They were captured,” Lyra finished, her voice heavy with guilt.

My stomach twisted at the image. The other three ponies, taken by Discord while these three barely escaped? It didn’t feel real.

“We’ve been trying to find a way to fix the Elements and stop Discord ever since,” Twilight said softly. “But nothing we’ve tried has worked. That’s why we brought you back, Ava. We need your help. Your knowledge.”

I snorted, trying to ignore the icy knot forming in my chest. “Great plan, guys. Call in the human with no magic, no powers, and no clue what she’s doing. Really stacking the deck in our favor.”

“We didn’t have a choice,” Moondancer said, her tone clipped but her eyes full of frustration. “You’re the only one who knows more about Equestria than we do. You’ve helped us before, Ava. We were hoping you could do it again.”

Their words hung heavy in the air, and I glanced back at the chaos below. The world looked like it was falling apart at the seams, and these three ponies—these desperate, exhausted ponies—were putting their faith in me.

“Well,” I said, forcing a shaky grin. “The good news is, Discord never permanently won in the show. So, technically, there’s hope.”

Lyra raised an eyebrow. “And the bad news?”

I gestured to the chaos below. “We have to go down there. Into that.”

The three of them exchanged uneasy glances before Twilight nodded. “Then we don’t waste any more time. Let’s go.”

As we descended the hill, the wind carried a faint, echoing laugh. It was deep, cold, and unmistakably Discord’s.

“This is going to suck,” I muttered.

Twilight glanced back at me, a wry smile tugging at her lips. “Probably.”

The descent into Ponyville was like walking into a fever dream.

Every step felt like it could send me hurtling into a new brand of chaos. The roads were checkerboards, alternating between cobblestone and something squishy that I really Didn't want to think about. The houses floated lazily in the air, some upside-down, others spinning slowly, their chimneys puffing out bubbles instead of smoke. A flock of multicolored ducks swam in a chocolate milk river that was somehow flowing uphill.

My jaw dropped as we picked our way through the madness. “This place looks like Dr. Seuss and Tim Burton had a love child. What the actual hell?”

“You get used to it,” Moondancer muttered, stepping over a rogue patch of what looked like neon pink grass that tried to tickle her hooves.

“I don’t think I could ever get used to this,” I said, glancing warily at a patch of cotton candy clouds drizzling chocolate rain over a field of giant candy canes. One of the rabbits with its stilt-like legs galloped by, laughing like a maniac as it knocked over a stack of hay bales that exploded into confetti.

Twilight didn’t respond, her gaze locked forward with a determined focus that made me uneasy. The tension in her shoulders was palpable, and I could tell she was barely holding it together.

I couldn’t help the bitter laugh that bubbled up in my throat. “This is all in my head, isn’t it?”

Moondancer glanced at me, frowning. “What?”

“This,” I said, gesturing at the madness around us. “This whole thing. It’s just some elaborate hallucination or dream. I’m probably still in the hospital, drooling into a pillow while my brain does its best impression of a Dali painting.”

Twilight stopped and turned to face me, her expression serious. “Ava, I know this is hard to believe—”

“Hard to believe?!” I interrupted, throwing up my hooves. “Twilight, look at this place! None of this makes any sense. I don’t know why I’m here, or how you guys even pulled me into this, but—”

“Ava, stop,” Lyra said gently, her voice cutting through my rant. She gave me a soft, almost sad smile. “I know you think this isn’t real. But it is. I promise.”

I looked at her, my heart pounding, but before I could respond, something cold brushed against my neck—a phantom breeze that sent a shiver down my spine.

A low chuckle echoed through the air, faint but unmistakable.

“Did anyone else hear that?” I asked, glancing around.

“Hear what?” Twilight asked, frowning.

“Never mind,” I muttered, shaking my head.

We finally reached what was left of the Golden Oak Library, and for a moment, I almost didn’t recognize it. The once-cozy treehouse was now a swirling mess of chaos. The trunk was twisted like a corkscrew, with random branches sprouting at impossible angles. The windows flickered between stained glass, frosted glass, and what looked like lava lamps.

“Great,” I said, staring up at the warped library. “Looks like your treehouse caught whatever disease the rest of Ponyville has.”

“It’s still functional,” Twilight said, leading the way to the warped door. She pushed it open, and we stepped inside.

If the outside was bad, the inside was worse. Books flew through the air, flapping like birds, while others were piled haphazardly on the floor in teetering stacks. The shelves were bent and twisted, some spiraling up into the ceiling like they’d tried to escape. The chandelier was now a giant disco ball, casting rainbow light across the room.

“Home sweet home,” Lyra said dryly, sidestepping a pile of scrolls that spontaneously combusted into butterflies.

I stared at the mess, my mouth hanging open. “Do I even want to know what happened in here?”

“Research,” Moondancer said, adjusting her glasses as she picked up a rogue scroll. “Lots of research.”

“Looks like a tornado happened in here,” I muttered.

Twilight turned to me, her expression softening for the first time since we entered Ponyville. “We stayed here for weeks, trying to find a solution. The books have… taken on a life of their own, thanks to Discord’s influence, but they’re still readable if you can catch them.”

I nodded slowly, taking it all in. “So, uh… how did you find me, anyway? Not that I’m not thrilled to be dragged back into pony chaos.”

Twilight’s ears perked, and she brightened visibly. “Oh! That was actually my doing!”

“Of course it was,” I muttered, crossing my hooves.

She ignored me, her voice rising with pride. “I found a spell in one of Starswirl the Bearded’s journals. It detailed how to access alternate dimensions, but the process required a significant amount of magical precision.”

“She means it was really hard,” Lyra translated, smirking.

Twilight shot her a look but continued. “It wouldn’t have been possible without Lyra’s help. She’s studied humans for years and had several theories about dimensional connections. She’s been researching them evn more ever since she met you, Ava.”

Lyra grinned, puffing out her chest. “Told you humans were real!”

I gave her a flat look. “Congratulations. You were right. I’m a real-life alien. Feel special yet?”

“Very,” she said, winking.

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help the small smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. Despite the chaos and the weight of everything they’d just told me, there was something comforting about being back with them—even if the world was falling apart.

As I sat on the warped, squishy couch—seriously, it felt like sitting on a giant marshmallow—I glanced around at the mess that used to be the Golden Oak Library. The others were picking through the chaos, Twilight poring over a scroll while Lyra tried to wrangle a rogue book that was flapping in circles above her head like a deranged bat.

“Alright,” I said, clearing my throat. “Here’s the thing about Discord.”

The three of them froze, all eyes snapping to me.

“He’s a goof,” I said, throwing up my hooves.

Twilight frowned. “A goof?”

“Yeah,” I said with a grin, leaning back into the marshmallow-couch and gesturing broadly. “In the show, he’s not even that bad of a villain. He’s funny, loves messing with ponies, but he wouldn’t hurt a fly. I mean, sure, he turns the world into chaos and drives everyone crazy, but it’s all fun and games with him.”

Lyra, who had finally caught the book, gave me a skeptical look. “You’re saying the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony is harmless?”

“Relatively speaking,” I replied with a shrug. “He’s more of a prankster than an actual threat. Like, yeah, he’s annoying, but taking him down will be a piece of cake. Just hit him with the Elements, and boom—statue time.”

The library fell silent for a moment, and I started to feel the tiniest twinge of doubt creep in.

And then, a low chuckle echoed through the room.

It started softly, like a faint breeze, but grew louder and deeper until it filled every corner of the library. The books froze midair, the walls shimmered, and the couch beneath me turned rock-hard, dumping me onto the floor.

“Oh, dear Ava,” a voice purred, dripping with mockery and amusement. “I do love being underestimated.”

The laugh grew louder, and before I could react, the tree itself groaned. Splits formed in the walls, cracks racing upward as if the tree was being torn apart from the inside out. The sound of wood splitting filled the air, and the room tilted violently.

“Holy shit!” I yelled, scrambling to my hooves as the floor buckled beneath me.

“Hold on!” Twilight shouted, grabbing Moondancer and Lyra with her magic just as a massive crack split the tree in half.

The walls peeled away like paper, revealing the swirling chaos outside. The cotton candy clouds loomed closer, the chocolate milk rain pouring down in thick sheets. Floating houses spun in lazy circles, and a rainbow-colored tornado swirled in the distance, its edges flickering like neon lights.

And then, there he was.

Discord.

He emerged from the shadows like a living patchwork quilt, his mismatched limbs moving with an unnerving grace. His lion’s paw rested on his chin as he floated lazily in the air, his snake-like tail flicking behind him. His yellow eyes gleamed with amusement, and his sharp-toothed grin stretched impossibly wide.

“Well, well, well,” he drawled, his voice oozing with smug delight. “The famous Ava. The human turned pony. The interdimensional anomaly. I must say, you’re even more interesting than I imagined.”

I stared at him, my heart racing. On the outside, I was frozen with a mix of fear and awe. On the inside? I was fangirling. Hard.

“Oh my God,” I muttered under my breath. “It’s Discord.”

“Why, yes!” Discord said, perking up. “It is Discord! How delightful that we’re on the same page.” He snapped his fingers, and a giant book appeared in the air, flipping open to a blank page with the words Ava’s Big Mistake scrawled across it.

I shook my head, forcing myself to focus. “Alright, knock it off,” I said, stepping forward and trying to keep my voice steady. “Where are the princesses? And the rest of the Element bearers?”

Discord’s grin widened, and he floated closer, his eagle claw scratching his chin thoughtfully. “Hmm. The princesses? The bearers? Let’s see…” He snapped his fingers, and a dartboard appeared with pictures of the missing ponies pinned to it. He tossed a dart lazily, and it hit Celestia’s picture.

“Oh, them?” he said, his voice dripping with mock innocence. “Let’s just say they’re… out of the picture.”

“Not funny,” I snapped, my heart pounding. “Tell us where they are!”

“Demanding, aren’t we?” Discord said with a smirk, circling around me like a predator sizing up its prey. “You know, I’ve been dying to meet you, Ava. A creature from another world, brought here by pure happenstance. Fascinating, really.”

“I’m not here to entertain you,” I said, planting my hooves firmly on the ground. “Where are they?”

Discord sighed dramatically, draping his lion’s paw over his forehead. “Oh, you’re no fun. I was hoping for more screaming, maybe a little bargaining.” His grin turned sharp, his eyes gleaming with mischief. “But if you insist on playing the hero, I suppose I can give you a clue.”

With another snap of his fingers, a riddle appeared in glowing letters in the air:

“When the moon is lost and the sun fades away,
Seek the place where the shadows play.”

“Cryptic much?” Lyra muttered, narrowing her eyes.

“That’s kind of his thing,” I said through gritted teeth.

Discord clapped his hands together. “Well, I’d love to stay and chat, but I have so much chaos to attend to. Ta-ta for now!”

Before we could react, he vanished with a flash, leaving behind only his echoing laughter. The library slowly creaked back into place, the cracks sealing themselves as though Discord’s chaotic entrance had been nothing more than a bad dream. The air felt heavy, charged with the lingering energy of his presence.

“Okay,” Moondancer said, breaking the silence as she pushed her glasses up her nose. “Does anyone else think it’s weird that Discord just… gave us a clue? Why would he do that?”

“Because he’s a big, goofy showoff,” I said, the grin splitting across my face probably a little too big for the situation.

Twilight arched an eyebrow at me. “You seem awfully cheerful about that.”

“Well, yeah!” I said, gesturing wildly with my hooves. “That was Discord! Discord! In the flesh—or, uh, whatever he’s made of. Do you know how many fans he has in my world? He’s a freaking icon.”

Moondancer gave me a flat look. “Icon or not, he’s still the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony. And he’s taken over our world.”

“I know, I know,” I said, waving her off. “But come on, you have to admit, the guy’s entertaining. Did you see the dartboard thing? Classic Discord!”

Twilight sighed, rubbing her temples. “Ava, please focus. He’s dangerous.”

“Oh, trust me, I noticed,” I said, shivering slightly at the memory of his sharp grin and too-intense gaze. “Entertaining or not, being around him is like sitting in a room with a tiger that might decide you look tasty at any second. Terrifying, but also kinda thrilling, y’know?”

“No, I don’t,” Lyra said dryly.

“Of course you don’t,” I muttered, rolling my eyes.

“But why give us a riddle at all?” Moondancer pressed, clearly unwilling to let it go. “If he’s already won, why not just... finish us off?”

“Because he’s Discord,” I said simply. “He doesn’t want to win, like, outright. He wants to play. Mess with us, watch us squirm, laugh at how clever he is. It’s his thing!”

Twilight frowned, her ears flicking as she mulled it over. “That’s… not entirely wrong. Discord thrives on chaos, and nothing’s more chaotic than letting us chase after a clue, thinking we have a chance.”

“Well, joke’s on him,” I said with a smirk. “We do have a chance. And honestly? I think we’ve got this in the bag. Riddles, chaos, whatever—this’ll be easy.”

Lyra gave me a skeptical look. “Easy? Did you see what he did to Ponyville?”

I waved a hoof dismissively. “Pfft. It’s just a dream anyway. I mean, what’s the worst that can happen? I wake up and feel a little embarrassed about getting chased by leggy rabbits?”

Moondancer frowned at me, concern flickering across her face. “Ava, this isn’t a dream.”

“Sure it isn’t,” I said, flashing her a grin. “Now, what’s the plan?”

Lyra stepped forward, her expression more serious than usual. “The riddle. ‘When the moon is lost and the sun fades away, seek the place where the shadows play.’” She hesitated, glancing at Twilight. “It sounds like it’s referring to Princess Luna and Princess Celestia, doesn’t it?”

Twilight’s eyes widened slightly, a spark of realization lighting up her face. “Of course! If the riddle is about the princesses, then we need to start where they disappeared.”

“Canterlot,” Moondancer said, nodding. “It’s the last place they were seen.”

I tilted my head. “So, what? We just waltz into the capital and poke around until we find something shiny and princess-shaped?”

“It’s the best lead we have,” Twilight said, determination hardening her tone.

“Alright,” I said, hopping off the squishy couch with way more confidence than I should’ve felt. “Let’s do this! We’ll head to Canterlot, solve the riddle, rescue the princesses, and call it a day.”

Moondancer raised an eyebrow. “You sound awfully optimistic.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” I said with a shrug. “This is classic hero’s journey stuff. We’re the ragtag group of misfits on a quest to save the day. It practically writes itself!”

Lyra snorted. “You really think it’s going to be that simple?”

“Why not?” I replied, flashing a grin. “I’ve got you guys, I’ve got half of the sparkly Elements of Harmony, and I’ve got a riddle. What could possibly go wrong?”

Twilight sighed, muttering something about famous last words, but I ignored her. In my head, this was going to be a breeze.

The trip to the train station was just as surreal as the rest of Ponyville. We sidestepped checkerboard roads, dodged flying pies, and passed what I could only describe as a herd of tap-dancing trees. Their roots clacked against the ground like they’d taken tap lessons for years.

“Y’know,” I said, watching the trees shuffle in perfect rhythm, “I kind of get why Discord does this. It’s weirdly entertaining.”

Twilight shot me a sharp look. “You’re enjoying this?”

“Not the apocalypse part,” I said quickly. “But come on, tap-dancing trees? That’s at least a little funny.”

Before Twilight could respond, a flash of movement caught my eye. I turned to see a familiar gray pegasus fluttering toward us, her golden eyes shining and a big grin on her face.

“Oh my God,” I gasped, my heart skipping a beat. “It’s Derpy! Twilight, look! It’s Derpy!”

“Uh, who?” Twilight asked, tilting her head.

“Derpy! Muffin-loving, mail-delivering legend!” I exclaimed, waving wildly at her.

Derpy noticed me and waved back enthusiastically, her wings flapping unevenly as she hovered above us. My heart swelled with pure joy. I’d always loved her in the show—she was the ultimate fan favorite.

And then, out of nowhere, a giant flaming meteor hurtled from the sky and squished her flat.

The impact was deafening, shaking the ground beneath us as blood and feathers splattered in every direction. I froze, my hoof still mid-wave, my jaw hanging open in pure, unfiltered horror.

I screamed, stumbling backward. “Oh my fucking GOD!!!! HE KILLED DERPY!!!!”

Twilight’s eyes went wide. “What in Celestia’s name—?!”

Another meteor screamed through the sky, crashing into a building nearby and sending debris flying.

“RUN!” Moondancer shouted, grabbing my hoof and dragging me forward as more meteors began to rain down.

“What the hell is happening?!” I yelled, my voice cracking as we sprinted—or in my case, stumbled—toward the train station.

“Discord!” Twilight shouted over the chaos. “He must’ve sent the meteor shower to mess with us!”

“No shit!” I yelled back, narrowly avoiding a smaller meteor that landed just inches from my hoof.

By the time we reached the station, the meteors were falling in rapid succession, turning the already chaotic landscape into a full-blown disaster zone. The train, painted in garish polka dots and glitter, was already pulling out of the station, its horn blaring.

“We’re not going to make it!” Lyra cried, glancing over her shoulder as another meteor crashed behind us, sending up a plume of dust and debris.

“We have to!” Twilight shouted, her horn glowing as she grabbed us all with her magic. In one swift motion, she hurled us forward onto the platform, and we tumbled into the train car just as the doors slammed shut behind us.

I landed in a heap on the polka-dotted floor, gasping for breath. My legs trembled, and my heart felt like it was trying to beat its way out of my chest.

Lyra groaned from where she’d landed on a glittery bench. “Next time, we’re leaving sooner.”

Moondancer sat up, her glasses askew. “Next time, we’re building a bunker.”

Twilight collapsed into a seat, her mane frazzled and her chest heaving. “Is everyone okay?”

“No, Twilight,” I said, my voice shaking as I pushed myself upright. “We are not okay. I just watched Discord drop a meteor on Derpy!” I jabbed a hoof toward the window, where the fiery carnage was still visible in the distance. “I’m traumatized! Permanently! For life!”

Twilight sighed, rubbing her temples. “I’m sorry, Ava. I know this is… a lot.”

“A lot? Twilight, this is insanity!” I threw my hooves in the air. “This isn’t how dreams are supposed to work! Dreams don’t have consequences! Dreams don’t kill off beloved fan-favorite characters in the most gruesome way possible!”

Moondancer glanced at me, her expression unreadable. “Ava… this isn’t a dream.”

For the first time, her words hit differently. I didn’t wave her off or roll my eyes. I just stared out the window, watching the chaos fade into the distance as the train sped away.

Maybe it was the meteors. Maybe it was the blood. Maybe it was the fact that Derpy’s adorable, smiling face had been squished into nothingness right in front of me. But for the first time, I started to wonder.

What if this was real?

Chapter 3: Welcome to Canterlot... Maybe

The polka-dotted train clattered along the warped tracks, the garish interior lit by the flickering glow of glittery chandeliers. Lyra sat awkwardly on a bench covered in sequins, Moondancer rummaged through her saddlebag for something useful, and Twilight was pressed against the window, staring out with her jaw clenched and her ears flicking with impatience.

Meanwhile, I was hyperventilating in the corner.

“I’m gonna die here,” I muttered, pacing—or rather, awkwardly wobbling—back and forth as my hooves clattered against the candy-striped floor. “I’m gonna die here in a magical pony world because a chaos god decided to throw a temper tantrum!”

“Ava,” Moondancer said gently, her voice laced with concern, “you’re not going to die.”

“Oh yeah?” I snapped, whirling to face her. “Tell that to Derpy, Moondancer! DERPY!”

Lyra, sitting nearby, winced. “Yikes. Yeah, that was… rough.”

“Rough?” I repeated, throwing up my hooves. “She got squished like a pancake! There was blood everywhere! And I’m next! I can feel it! He’s gonna drop something big and stupid on me, like a flaming grand piano or a sentient anvil!”

“Okay, that’s enough,” Moondancer said, stepping forward and putting her hooves on my shoulders. “Take a deep breath, Ava. You’re safe on the train.”

I tried to breathe, but my chest was so tight it felt like I was being squeezed by an invisible boa constrictor. “Safe? SAFE?! I almost died five times just getting to the station! This isn’t some wacky dream anymore, Moondancer! I could actually DIE here! Do you get that?! Dead! Gone! Poof! Never seeing my family again!”

Lyra glanced at Moondancer, clearly unsure of what to do. “Uh, should we… slap her or something?”

“No!” Moondancer hissed, glaring at her before turning back to me. “Ava, listen to me. You’re not going to die, okay? We’ve got your back. We’ll protect each other.”

“Protect each other?!” I barked out a hysterical laugh. “How? By chucking friendship bracelets at Discord and hoping he chokes on them?!”

“Alright, that’s enough,” Twilight snapped, not even turning from the window. “Ava, we all know the stakes here. You panicking isn’t going to help anyone, so could you please get it together?”

“GET IT TOGETHER?!” I yelled, my voice cracking. “I’m sorry, Twilight! Some of us aren’t magical prodigies with shiny crown necklaces! I’m just some schmuck who woke up in pony hell!”

Twilight finally turned to glare at me, her frustration practically radiating off her. “If you spent half as much energy helping as you do panicking, maybe we’d actually get somewhere!”

“Hey!” Lyra interjected, stepping between us. “Cut her some slack, Twilight. She’s freaked out! Honestly, I’m freaked out too, but you don’t see me yelling at everypony.”

“I’m not yelling,” Twilight said, her tone sharp and clipped.

“You’re totally yelling,” Lyra said, deadpan.

“Ugh, whatever,” Twilight muttered, turning back to the window. “I just want to get to Canterlot already.”

“Speaking of,” Moondancer said, her voice calmer now as she adjusted her glasses, “I think I know why the meteors happened.”

We all turned to her, even Twilight, who raised an eyebrow.

Moondancer cleared her throat, gesturing vaguely toward the window. “The moon isn’t where it’s supposed to be. Without it in its proper orbit, it’s not blocking meteors and debris like it usually would. They’re slipping right past it and heading straight for Equus.”

I blinked, momentarily distracted from my panic. “Huh. That… actually makes sense.”

Twilight nodded thoughtfully. “Of course. The moon’s gravitational influence is a crucial part of our planetary system. If it’s out of place—”

“Okay, nerds,” Lyra interrupted, holding up a hoof. “We get it. The moon is slacking, and now we’re all getting pelted by space rocks. Can we focus on not dying for a sec?”

Twilight huffed but turned back to the window just as the train began to slow. “Fine. But we’re here now.”

As the train screeched to a halt, I peeked out the window, hoping for a glimpse of the sparkling, regal city I remembered from the show.

What I saw instead made my stomach drop.

Canterlot was a wreck.

The once-pristine streets were cracked and warped, with fountains spewing glitter instead of water. The castle itself was tilted at an alarming angle, its towers twisted like candy canes. The grand spires were covered in polka dots, and one of them had been replaced with a giant ice cream cone that dripped molten chocolate onto the streets below.

“Oh, come on!” Twilight exclaimed, her jaw dropping as she stared at the chaos. “It’s worse than Ponyville!”

“No shit,” I muttered, pressing my face against the window. “I didn’t think that was possible.”

Moondancer adjusted her glasses, squinting at the castle. “I’m not sure what I was expecting, but… yeah, this is bad.”

“Okay,” Lyra said, cracking her neck as she stood. “We’ve got our clue, and we’ve got each other. Let’s figure out what’s going on before we all get turned into Discord’s next art project.”

“Right,” Twilight said, her expression hardening. “Let’s move.”

As we stepped off the train and into the madness of Canterlot, I couldn’t help but glance nervously at the sky. The meteors might’ve stopped for now, but I had a sinking feeling that things were only going to get worse.

The streets of Canterlot were unrecognizable.

The grand cobblestone roads were cracked and uneven, littered with debris and what looked suspiciously like oversized glitter bombs. The elegant fountains had stopped flowing, replaced by crude graffiti of Discord’s grinning face. Shop windows were shattered, and the once-regal buildings were twisted into grotesque shapes that defied physics.

But it wasn’t just the architecture. The air was heavy with tension, like the city itself was holding its breath.

“This is… horrible,” Twilight muttered, her voice breaking the silence as we cautiously made our way through the ruins.

“No kidding,” I said, stepping over what I hoped was a puddle of spilled chocolate syrup. “I knew Canterlot was fancy, but this is next-level chaos. It’s like someone threw a Mad Hatter tea party and forgot to clean up.”

“I don’t think this is a party,” Lyra said, her eyes darting around nervously. “It’s too quiet. Where is everypony?”

“Maybe they’re hiding,” Moondancer suggested, her voice low. “Or… worse.”

A chill ran down my spine at the implication, and I tried to shake it off. “Alright, can we not jump to worst-case scenarios? I’m already on edge.”

“Shh,” Twilight hissed, holding up a hoof. “Do you hear that?”

We froze, straining to listen. At first, there was nothing but the eerie sound of the wind whistling through the streets. But then… voices.

“...No, we have to stay sharp. He’s always watching.”

“Keep an eye on the streets. If you see anyone new, you know the drill.”

The voices were low and guttural, laced with a mix of paranoia and aggression. And they were getting closer.

“We need to hide,” Twilight whispered urgently, gesturing toward a crumbling alleyway.

We ducked into the shadows just as the first figure came into view.

The ponies who emerged from the foggy streets were filthy, their fur matted and their manes hacked into jagged styles. They wore makeshift armor—scraps of metal, leather straps, and bits of broken jewelry—and carried crude weapons: clubs, chains, and what looked like a frying pan with nails sticking out of it.

But what really caught my attention was their eyes. They weren’t scared. They weren’t desperate. They were wild, bloodthirsty, and full of something I could only describe as madness.

“Uh, Twilight?” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “Why do these ponies look like they just walked off the set of Mad Max?”

“I don’t know,” she replied, her voice tight with worry. “But we need to stay out of sight.”

“Too late,” Lyra muttered, pointing toward the alley’s entrance.

A pony with a jagged mohawk spotted us, his eyes narrowing. “Hey!” he barked. “What do we have here?”

Before we could react, more ponies swarmed into the alley, their weapons raised as they surrounded us.

“Well, well, well,” said a mare with a spiked collar and a torn tuxedo jacket. She grinned wickedly, revealing teeth that looked sharper than they should’ve been. “Fresh meat.”

“Wait!” Twilight said, stepping forward and raising her hooves. “We don’t want any trouble—”

“Too bad,” the mohawk pony interrupted, his grin matching the mare’s. “You’re coming with us.”

They herded us through the twisted streets, their jeers and laughter echoing in the eerie silence. I tried to keep my breathing steady, but my heart was pounding like a drum.

“Okay,” I whispered to Lyra, who was walking beside me, her hooves bound with a crude chain. “Any chance this is just a really weird welcome party?”

“Not unless your idea of a party involves clubs and chains,” she muttered back, her eyes darting nervously.

Eventually, we reached what used to be a grand plaza, now transformed into a makeshift camp. The elegant marble statues of Celestia and Luna had been defaced, their faces replaced with crude carvings of Discord’s smug grin. Tents made of tattered fabric and scavenged materials were scattered across the plaza, and a massive bonfire blazed in the center.

Ponies lounged around the fire, laughing and drinking from dented cans. They were just as filthy and savage-looking as the ones who’d captured us, their once-elegant Canterlot attire reduced to scraps and accessories that wouldn’t look out of place in a punk rock concert.

“Behold,” said the spiked-collar mare, gesturing dramatically. “The Chaosborn Resistance!”

“Resistance to what?” I asked, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “Hygiene?”

Twilight shot me a warning glare, but I couldn’t help myself.

The mare chuckled darkly. “You’ve got a smart mouth. That won’t last long.”

They pushed us toward the center of the camp, where a crude throne made of broken furniture and gold trim sat atop a platform. Above it, a massive banner bore Discord’s face, his mismatched eyes seeming to follow us as we were shoved forward.

A stallion with a patch over one eye stepped forward, his armor jangling as he moved. “New prisoners?”

“More like new sacrifices,” the mohawk pony replied with a sneer.

“Sacrifices?!” I yelped, stumbling as they pushed me toward the throne. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! What happened to the whole ‘friendship and harmony’ thing?!”

“Friendship doesn’t save you from Discord,” the patched stallion growled. “But if we serve him, maybe he’ll go easy on us.”

“Serve him?” Twilight said, her voice sharp. “You’re worshiping the Spirit of Chaos?”

The mare with the collar grinned. “Better to be on his good side than end up like the rest of Canterlot. Or Ponyville. Or anywhere else.”

Twilight’s face twisted in anger, but before she could respond, I cut in. “Alright, let me get this straight,” I said, stepping forward despite my shaking legs. “You’re willingly working for the guy who turned your city into a nightmare, just because you think he might leave you alone? That’s your big plan?”

The crowd murmured, and I saw a few of them exchange uneasy glances.

“Quiet!” barked the patched stallion, slamming his hoof down. “We don’t need lectures from some outsider!”

“Outsider?” I said, narrowing my eyes. “Buddy, you don’t even know the half of it.”

The tension crackled in the air as the crowd fell silent, their eyes locked on us. The patched stallion and spiked-collar mare loomed over us, their ragtag followers murmuring and shifting uneasily. Twilight looked ready to explode, Moondancer was trying to calculate her way out of the situation, and Lyra was shooting me looks that screamed, Fix this!

And me? I was busy trying not to hyperventilate.

The stallion raised his hoof, silencing the crowd. “These prisoners need to be dealt with. If we’re going to survive under Discord, we can’t take any chances.”

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” I muttered, glancing at Twilight. “Do you guys ever catch a break?”

Twilight gave me a look that could’ve melted steel. “Do you ever stop talking?”

Before I could shoot back a retort, a new voice rang out, slicing through the chaos like a blade.

“Stand down, everyone!”

The tone was commanding, sharp, and filled with the kind of energy that made every pony freeze in place. The stallion immediately dropped his hoof, and the collar-wearing mare took a nervous step back.

The crowd parted like the Red Sea, their muttering fading into silence as a figure emerged from the shadows. At first, I couldn’t make out who it was—just a silhouette moving with practiced confidence, their hooves clinking softly against the broken cobblestones.

Then she stepped into the flickering firelight, and my jaw hit the floor.

It was Rainbow Dash.

But not the Rainbow Dash I remembered.

Her mane, once messy but sleek, was now spiked and jagged, dyed with streaks of dark blue and red. She wore a black leather jacket covered in metal studs and spikes, the sleeves torn off to reveal her powerful wings, which looked sharper and more battle-worn than ever. Her hooves were wrapped in tattered cloth, and a pair of goggles hung loosely around her neck, the lenses cracked but still glinting in the firelight.

She was, in a word, badass.

“Is that… Rainbow Dash?” I whispered to Moondancer, who nodded numbly.

“Sweet Celestia,” Lyra muttered, her eyes wide. “She looks… cool as hell.”

I couldn’t argue. Despite the terrifying situation, I felt a wave of relief wash over me. If anyone could save us from this mess, it was Rainbow Dash.

“Who are these ponies?” Rainbow asked, her raspy voice sharp as she stepped onto the makeshift throne platform. Her magenta eyes scanned us, narrowing slightly when they landed on Twilight. “Wait a second…”

Twilight opened her mouth, but Rainbow beat her to it, a slow smirk spreading across her face. “Twilight Sparkle. I remember you.”

“You do?” Twilight asked, clearly confused.

Rainbow’s smirk widened. “Yeah, we met a few months back. You were the uptight unicorn who gave me that ‘important mission’ speech.” She chuckled, rolling her eyes. “You really know how to make an impression.”

My brain clicked into place. Of course Rainbow recognized her—she was talking about the first episode of the show! When Twilight (well, me) had met her in Ponyville!

“Oh, thank God,” I said, stepping forward despite myself. “Rainbow, you have no idea how happy I am to see you.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow, her smirk faltering slightly. “Uh… do I know you?”

Crap. Right. Twilight’s body. Play it cool, Ava.

“I mean, you don’t really know me,” I said quickly, trying not to stumble over my words. “But I know you. And trust me, you’re just as awesome as I expected.”

Rainbow tilted her head, clearly trying to figure me out, but she didn’t seem hostile. Yet.

The patched stallion stepped forward, frowning. “Commander Dash, these prisoners—”

“What did I just say?” Rainbow snapped, whipping around to glare at him. Her voice was pure steel, and the stallion immediately took a step back, his ears flattening.

“Stand down,” she repeated, her gaze sweeping over the crowd. “We don’t sacrifice ponies unless I say so. Got it?”

There was a collective murmur of agreement, and the crowd slowly began to disperse, though a few ponies lingered nearby, watching us warily.

Rainbow turned back to us, her expression softening slightly. “Alright, Twilight. Spill it. What are you doing here, and who are your friends?”

Twilight hesitated, glancing at me, Moondancer, and Lyra. “It’s… a long story.”

“Figures,” Rainbow said with a sigh, rubbing the back of her neck. “Alright, come with me. We’ll talk somewhere private.”

As she led us away from the bonfire, I couldn’t help but marvel at how different she was. She still had that trademark confidence, but there was a roughness to her now—a hardness that hadn’t been there before.

“Rainbow Dash?” I said cautiously as we walked.

“Yeah?” she replied without looking back.

“I just want to say… you look cool as hell.”

She paused, glancing over her shoulder with a small smirk. “Yeah, I know.”

Rainbow Dash’s “headquarters” was a hollowed-out tower overlooking what was left of Canterlot. The top half of the structure had been blown away, leaving jagged stone walls open to the chaotic skyline. Inside, crates of scavenged supplies were stacked haphazardly, and a weathered map of Equestria was tacked to one wall, marked with pins and scribbles. A single lantern cast a flickering light over the room, its glow barely cutting through the gloom.

Rainbow sprawled casually in a battered chair near the edge of the room, her wings folded at her sides. Despite the rough surroundings, she looked like she belonged there, her spiked leather jacket and confident smirk adding to her aura of “don’t mess with me.”

“So, let me get this straight,” Rainbow said, leaning forward and pointing a hoof at me. “You’re a human who took over Twilight’s body, saved the world from eternal night with, like, zero magic skills, and now you’re back because you know the future and think you can help us stop Discord... because you saw it all on a TV show?”

“Pretty much,” I said with a shrug, trying to play it cool.

Rainbow’s face was unreadable for a moment, her eyes narrowing slightly as if she was trying to figure out if I was messing with her. Then, to my surprise, her grin widened.

“That... is... AWESOME!” she exclaimed, jumping out of her chair and flaring her wings. “I mean, come on! A human saving the day? That’s like something out of a Daring Do book!”

I blinked, caught off guard by her enthusiasm. “Uh, thanks? I guess?”

“No, seriously!” Rainbow said, circling me like she was sizing me up. “That’s the coolest thing I’ve ever heard. So, what’s it like being a human? You guys don’t have wings or magic, right? How do you even get around?”

“Uh, cars,” I said, scratching the back of my neck.

“Cars?” Rainbow tilted her head, intrigued.

“Big metal machines that go really fast,” I explained.

Her eyes lit up. “That sounds AWESOME!”

Twilight, sitting stiffly on a crate nearby, rolled her eyes. “Can we focus, please?”

Rainbow huffed but plopped back into her chair, still grinning. “Fine, fine. So, what’s the plan? Why’d you guys come here?”

Lyra stepped forward, her voice steady but tinged with urgency. “We think the princesses’ disappearance is connected to Discord’s riddle. ‘When the moon is lost and the sun fades away, seek the place where the shadows play.’ We figured starting where they vanished—here in Canterlot—would give us a lead.”

Rainbow’s grin faded, replaced by a somber expression. She leaned back, her wings drooping slightly. “Makes sense. But… good luck finding anything. This place has been a death trap since Discord took over.”

“We can handle it,” Twilight said firmly.

Rainbow snorted. “Maybe you can. But let me tell you something—. When Discord first showed up, I thought we could fight him. That’s why I started this resistance—to stand against him, protect the ponies who couldn’t protect themselves.”

Her voice grew quieter, tinged with bitterness. “But it didn’t take long for everything to fall apart. Ponies started disappearing. The princesses were gone. And then…” She gestured vaguely toward the camp below. “Well, you saw what happened. Ponies went feral. Stopped fighting for each other and started fighting for survival. I couldn’t stop it. All I could do was keep what was left of us alive.”

The room fell silent for a moment, the weight of her words settling over us like a thick fog.

“I didn’t want this,” Rainbow said softly, her gaze fixed on the floor. “I didn’t want to give up. But what was I supposed to do? Keep fighting until there was no one left? At least this way, some of us are still here. Barely.”

I felt a pang of sympathy as I looked at her. She was trying to hold it together, but the cracks were showing. This wasn’t the Rainbow Dash I remembered—the fearless, brash daredevil. This was someone who had been beaten down and forced to compromise everything she believed in just to survive.

“Hey,” I said, stepping closer. “We’re here now. And if there’s even a chance we can fix this, we’ll do whatever it takes. I don’t know how yet, but I promise we’ll try.”

Rainbow looked up at me, her magenta eyes searching mine. For a moment, I thought she might argue, but then she gave a small, crooked smile.

“Alright, Ava,” she said, her voice steadier. “If you think you can save the world again, I’m not gonna stop you. I want my life back as much as anyone.”

Twilight nodded, her expression softening slightly. “We’ll make it right, Rainbow. I promise.”

Rainbow’s smile grew, and she gave a sharp nod. “Then let’s do this.”

I couldn’t help but grin. Despite everything, there was a spark of hope in the room now.

“Well,” Lyra said, clapping her hooves together, “I guess we’d better get started. Where do we look first?”

Twilight turned to Rainbow. “You’ve been here longer than us. Is there anywhere in the city that seems… off? Somewhere Discord might’ve left a clue?”

Rainbow frowned, thinking for a moment. “There’s the castle,” she said finally. “I haven’t been able to get close—too many traps—but if Discord’s hiding something, that’s where it’ll be.”

“Then that’s where we’re going,” Twilight said, determination hardening her voice.

“Great,” I muttered, glancing out at the ruined city below. “Just a casual stroll through chaos central to infiltrate a booby-trapped castle. Totally easy.”

Rainbow smirked, slapping me on the back. “Welcome to the resistance, Ava.”

The few ponies in her resistance who still had a shred of sanity moved about, hauling crates and unpacking scavenged goods.

“Alright,” Rainbow said, nodding to the small pile of supplies in front of us. “Take what you need. Food, water, tools, whatever. The castle’s no joke, so make sure you’re ready.”

Lyra stepped up first, her eyes scanning the pile. “I’ll take this,” she said, picking up a length of sturdy rope with a grin. “Never know when you’ll need to tie something—or somepony—up.”

“Noted,” I muttered, eyeing her nervously.

Moondancer grabbed a grappling hook, her expression focused. “This should come in handy. The castle towers are probably crawling with traps.”

When it was Twilight’s turn, she gave Rainbow a polite but firm shake of her head. “Thank you, but I’ll rely on my magic. I know quite a few spells that should help us navigate and defend ourselves.”

Rainbow shrugged. “Suit yourself, egghead.”

Then she turned to me, a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. “And you, Ava? Got any preferences? You want rope? A grappling hook? Or maybe…” She reached into a pouch at her side, pulling out a dagger.

The blade was sleek and polished, gleaming faintly in the dim light. Its hilt was wrapped in black leather, and etched into the base of the blade was Rainbow’s unmistakable cutie mark: a cloud and a multicolored lightning bolt.

My jaw dropped. “Is that… your dagger?”

“Yeah,” Rainbow said casually, holding it out to me. “Figured you might need it more than I do right now.”

“Oh my God,” I breathed, staring at the blade like it was the Holy Grail. “You’re giving me your dagger? With your cutie mark on it?”

Rainbow chuckled, her grin widening. “Uh, yeah. You gonna take it or just keep staring at it?”

I grabbed it like a kid getting handed their favorite toy on Christmas morning. “This is the coolest thing ever. Thank you. Seriously. I don’t even care if I ever use it. I might just frame it and stare at it forever.”

Rainbow blinked, then burst out laughing. “Wow. You’re really into this, huh?”

“You have no idea,” I said, clutching the dagger to my chest.

Her laughter died down, but the sparkle in her eyes remained. I could see her standing a little taller, her shoulders squaring as her confidence seemed to creep back in.

“Alright,” Rainbow said, her tone softening. “Listen. I want to go with you guys—I really do. But… these ponies down there?” She gestured vaguely toward the camp below. “They need me. If I leave, they’ll tear each other apart before you even make it to the castle.”

I nodded, understanding. “You’re keeping them sane.”

“Trying to,” she said, sighing. “It’s not easy. But if you guys can fix this—if you can stop Discord and bring things back to normal—I’ll finally be able to get them out of this mess. So don’t screw it up, alright?”

“Don’t worry,” I said, holding up the dagger with a grin. “I’ve got your blade and your blessing. What could go wrong?”

Rainbow smirked, giving me a playful nudge with her hoof. “Just don’t go poking yourself with it, alright?”

We left Rainbow’s camp behind as the chaos of Canterlot loomed before us. The castle sat in the distance like a twisted crown, its towers leaning precariously and its walls warped into jagged, unnatural shapes. The sky above it swirled with storm clouds, crackling with faint flashes of purple lightning.

“Alright,” Twilight said, her voice steady as she led the way. “Stay close, and keep your eyes open. We don’t know what traps Discord might have waiting for us.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” I muttered, glancing nervously at the cracked streets and shadowy alleyways. Every sound made my ears twitch—a clattering can, a distant scream, the faint hum of magic in the air.

Lyra, walking beside me, glanced over with a grin. “You okay there, dagger girl? You’re looking a little twitchy.”

“I’m fine,” I said, gripping the hilt of Rainbow’s dagger tightly. “Just… not used to navigating nightmare worlds on foot. Or, uh, hoof.”

As we approached a narrow bridge leading toward the castle, a sudden voice rang out behind us.

“Hey!”

We all froze, spinning around to see Rainbow Dash standing on the edge of her tower, her wings flared as she yelled down at us. “Watch out for The PartY Poopers! They’re sneaky!”

“What?” Lyra yelled back.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “We’ll be fine. Let’s keep moving.”

Rainbow called out again, her voice tinged with something I couldn’t quite place. “Seriously, keep your heads down! And don’t trust anything that talks to you!”

“I said we’ll be fine,” Twilight muttered under her breath, trotting ahead. “Let’s go.”

I hesitated, glancing back at Rainbow one last time. She looked… worried. More worried than she’d let on before.

“Come on, Ava,” Moondancer said gently, nudging me forward.

I nodded and followed, my grip on the dagger tightening. Something about Rainbow’s warning sent a shiver down my spine, but I pushed the thought aside.

After all, how bad could it really be?

Chapter 4: The Cracks Begin to Show

"Okay... this is bad," I said, stopping dead in my tracks.

The rest of the group came to a halt beside me, their faces quickly mirroring the mix of horror and disbelief that was undoubtedly plastered all over mine.

In front of us was a bridge. Or at least, something pretending to be a bridge.

It was a rickety, slapdash creation of mismatched planks and frayed rope, the wood warped and splintered as if it had been left out in the rain for decades. Below it? A pit of bubbling, flaming lava that hissed and popped like it was just waiting for a snack.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, scattered along the rocky edges of the pit were skeletons—actual skeletons—still wearing what looked like Royal Guard armor. One of them was leaning awkwardly against the rocks, its jaw hanging open in a grim parody of a grin.

Moondancer’s face turned green. “Oh… oh no.”

“Yep,” Lyra said, taking a hesitant step back. “Big nope. Nope times infinity. This is not happening.”

I couldn’t blame them. The whole scene looked like something out of a bad dungeon-crawling video game. Except, you know, we didn’t have extra lives.

“Relax,” Twilight said, stepping forward with what I could only describe as infuriating confidence. “It’s just a bridge. My magic will keep us safe.”

“Just a bridge?” I repeated, staring at her. “Twilight, it’s barely holding itself together! Look at it!”

She gave me a sidelong glance. “It’s fine. We’ll cross one at a time to avoid putting too much weight on it, and I’ll reinforce it with my magic. Nothing will happen.”

“Except, you know, lava,” I said, gesturing wildly at the bubbling pit below. “Hot, melty, end-your-quest-instantly lava! And skeletons, Twilight! Actual skeletons!”

Moondancer groaned, clutching her stomach. “I think I’m gonna be sick.”

Twilight turned to her, her tone softening slightly. “Moondancer, I promise, you’ll be fine. I won’t let anything happen to any of us.”

“Uh-huh,” Lyra muttered, clearly unconvinced. “And what if your magic fails? Or, I don’t know, the bridge just decides to snap because it’s held together with hope and bad decisions?”

“Do you have a better idea?” Twilight snapped, her patience visibly fraying.

“Actually, yeah,” I said, raising a hoof. “How about we don’t cross the murder bridge at all? There’s gotta be another way into the castle. A less suicidal one.”

Twilight turned on me so fast I nearly tripped backward. Her eyes narrowed, her ears pinned back as she stepped closer. “You think you know better than me, Ava?”

I blinked, caught off guard by the venom in her tone. “What? No, I’m just saying—”

“You’re not in charge here,” she interrupted, her voice sharp. “You don’t even belong here. So maybe you should keep your suggestions to yourself and let me handle it.”

The words hit like a slap, and I felt my chest tighten. My first instinct was to snap back, but the look on her face stopped me. She wasn’t just angry—she was tired. There was something dark and heavy in her eyes, something I couldn’t quite put my hoof on.

I bit my lip, my jaw tightening as I forced myself to stay quiet. “Fine,” I muttered, looking away.

Twilight’s gaze lingered on me for a moment before she turned back to the bridge, her horn glowing softly as she prepared a spell.

Lyra stepped closer, her voice low. “Hey, are you okay?”

“Peachy,” I said flatly, my hooves scuffing the ground.

“Don’t let her get to you,” she said, her tone gentle but firm. “Twilight’s just… under a lot of pressure right now. We all are.”

I nodded but didn’t say anything. Instead, I focused on the bridge, my stomach churning as Twilight tested the first few planks with her hoof.

“Alright,” she said, her voice calm but commanding. “One at a time. I’ll go first, then Lyra, then Moondancer. Ava, you bring up the rear.”

“Great,” I muttered under my breath. “Leave me for last. Totally not stressful at all.”

As Twilight stepped onto the bridge, her magic casting a faint purple glow over the planks, I felt a cold knot of dread settle in my chest. Something about this whole situation felt off.

“See?” she called back, her voice as steady as her steps. “It’s perfectly safe as long as you take it slow. Just follow my lead.”

“Yeah, sure,” I muttered, watching her make it to the other side. “Perfectly safe, except for the lava and the skeletons.”

Lyra gave me a nudge. “Hey, if Twilight can do it, we can do it. No sweat.”

“I’m pretty sure my sweat begs to differ,” I muttered, wiping my forehead.

Lyra went next, moving with surprising confidence despite the unnerving creaks and groans of the bridge. She even turned back halfway and waved at us. “See? Easy peasy!”

“Stop looking down and keep moving!” Twilight barked from the other side.

Lyra rolled her eyes but kept going, eventually reaching Twilight and giving her a smug grin. “Told you I had this.”

Moondancer was up next, her movements more cautious. She placed each hoof carefully, her ears twitching with every groan of the planks. By the time she made it across, her face was pale, and she was clutching her rope like a lifeline.

“Great job, Moondancer!” Lyra said, patting her on the back.

“Never. Again,” Moondancer muttered, leaning against the edge of the cliff.

That left me.

“Alright, Ava,” Lyra called, her voice full of encouragement. “Your turn! You’ve got this!”

I swallowed hard, staring at the rickety bridge. The lava below hissed and popped, sending up bursts of heat that made my skin crawl. The skeletons seemed to leer at me, their empty eye sockets daring me to join them.

“Come on, Ava!” Moondancer added, her voice shaking a little but still earnest. “We believe in you!”

“Yeah, sure, you believe in me,” I muttered under my breath. “But what about the bridge?”

Twilight sighed, her horn flaring slightly as the purple aura around the bridge grew brighter. “It’s fine, Ava. Just move. We don’t have all day.”

Taking a deep breath, I stepped onto the bridge.

The first few steps were fine, the planks creaking but holding steady under the glow of Twilight’s magic. My legs wobbled with every step, but I kept moving, focusing on the cheering voices of the girls on the other side.

“You’re doing great, Ava!” Lyra called, her voice warm and encouraging.

“Almost there!” Moondancer added.

I was starting to think I might actually make it when, out of nowhere, the purple glow disappeared.

“Wait, what?!” I yelped, freezing in place.

The bridge groaned ominously, and before I could react, the planks beneath me snapped.

“Shit!” I screamed, scrambling as the bridge began to collapse in slow motion.

“Ava, run!” Twilight shouted from the other side.

Run. Right. Great idea.

I bolted forward, the planks tipping and breaking under my hooves with every step. The bridge swung wildly, throwing me off balance as chunks of wood fell into the bubbling lava below.

The heat was unbearable, and the sight of the skeletons at the bottom made my stomach churn.

This is it, I thought, panic clawing at my chest. I’m gonna die here. I’m gonna fall into a pit of lava, and no one’s even gonna find my body.

The end of the bridge was just a few feet away, but the gap between the last plank and solid ground was getting wider with every second. My legs burned, my breath came in ragged gasps, and I could feel the bridge giving way beneath me.

“Come on, Ava!” Lyra shouted. “You can make it!”

With one last burst of energy, I leapt toward the edge.

For a split second, I thought I’d made it. But then my front hooves missed the edge, and I slammed into the rocky wall, my body dangling precariously over the pit.

“No, no, no!” I gasped, clawing at the rock with my hooves. My legs flailed helplessly, the heat of the lava licking at my fur as panic surged through me.

“Hold on!” Moondancer shouted, her voice sharp with urgency.

I couldn’t hold on. My grip was slipping, my strength fading fast. I was going to fall.

And then, out of nowhere, a rope looped around my torso.

“Gotcha!” Moondancer yelled, pulling the rope tight.

Lyra grabbed the other end of the rope, her teeth clenched as she heaved with all her might. “Don’t let go, Ava!”

The rope bit into my sides, but I didn’t care. Relief flooded through me as I felt myself being pulled upward, inch by inch.

“You’re okay!” Moondancer called, her voice shaking. “We’ve got you!”

“Holy shit,” I muttered, my breath coming in gasps as the girls hauled me over the edge. When I finally collapsed onto solid ground, my legs felt like jelly, and my chest heaved with every breath.

“Are you alright?” Lyra asked, her face pale but her eyes full of concern.

I stared up at her, my heart still pounding. “I think I need new pants. Oh wait, I’m not wearing pants. Great.”

Despite everything, Moondancer let out a shaky laugh. “You’re okay. That’s all that matters.”

Then I turned to Twilight.

“You let go of the bridge on purpose, didn’t you?” I said, my voice low but laced with accusation.

Twilight whipped her head around to stare at me, her eyes widening in shock. “What?”

“You heard me,” I said, standing up on wobbly legs. “Your magic didn’t just fail. You dropped the spell! You let the bridge fall!”

Twilight’s face twisted in offense, her ears pinning back. “That’s ridiculous! Why would I do that?!”

“I don’t know,” I shot back, my voice rising. “Maybe you’ve got it out for me! Maybe you’re still pissed about this whole ‘human in a pony body’ situation and decided to make a point!”

“That’s absurd!” Twilight snapped, her eyes narrowing. “I was trying to keep the bridge together, but my magic isn’t invincible! Discord’s chaos is everywhere—something must’ve disrupted the spell!”

“You expect me to believe that?” I yelled, pointing a hoof at her. “You’ve been nothing but passive-aggressive with me since we got here, and now you’re telling me it’s all just a coincidence that the bridge fell when I was on it?!”

Twilight took a step closer, her horn sparking faintly. “Maybe if you hadn’t hesitated so much, we wouldn’t have had this problem in the first place!”

“Enough!” Lyra shouted, stepping between us and holding up her hooves. “Both of you, stop it!”

Moondancer nodded, her face pale but her voice firm. “Ava’s right, Twilight. This wasn’t funny, and it wasn’t okay. If your magic failed, you should’ve said something before we started crossing!”

“Exactly!” Lyra added, glaring at Twilight. “We almost lost Ava back there! You can’t just brush this off!”

Twilight looked genuinely hurt, her ears drooping as she glanced between the two of them. “I didn’t mean for this to happen,” she said softly. “I was doing my best.”

“Well, your best nearly got me killed,” I said flatly, crossing my hooves.

The silence that followed was heavy and suffocating, broken only by the distant bubbling of the lava.

And then, as if on cue, a deep, mocking laughter echoed around us.

“Oh, this is delicious!”

The laughter grew louder, bouncing off the jagged walls of the canyon. It was smooth, taunting, and unmistakably Discord.

We all froze, turning toward the source of the voice.

“Bravo, my little ponies,” Discord said, appearing in a puff of pink smoke. He was lounging on an invisible hammock, sipping from a glass of chocolate milk that seemed to refill itself every time he tilted it back. “You didn’t die! Truly impressive. I was certain the bridge would get at least one of you.”

“You!” Twilight snarled, stepping forward.

“Me!” Discord said cheerfully, flipping out of his hammock and landing gracefully on his mismatched feet. “And might I just say, watching that little spat of yours was chef’s kiss. So much tension, so much drama! I couldn’t have written it better myself.”

“What do you want, Discord?” Lyra demanded, her voice trembling slightly despite her attempt to sound brave.

“What do I want?” Discord said, feigning offense as he placed a claw over his chest. “Why, I just want to welcome you to my domain! You’ve made it past the bridge, but now you’re officially in my territory. And, well…” His grin widened, his sharp teeth glinting in the light of the lava. “There are rules here.”

With a snap of his fingers, the air around us shimmered like a heat mirage. I felt a strange tug in the pit of my stomach, like something was being pulled away, but nothing seemed to happen to me.

The others, however, gasped in unison.

“My horn!” Twilight shrieked, staring up at her now-smooth forehead.

Lyra and Moondancer looked equally horrified, their hooves flying to their foreheads as they realized their horns were gone too.

“What did you do?!” Twilight demanded, her voice shaking with fury.

Discord smirked, twirling a glowing horn-shaped bubble between his fingers before popping it like a balloon. “Oh, nothing too drastic. Just a little tweak to the rules. You see, while you’re in my domain, magic is prohibited.”

Twilight’s jaw dropped. “You can’t just—”

“Oh, but I can,” Discord interrupted, grinning as he leaned closer to her. “This is my playground, dear Twilight. And I don’t play fair.”

He straightened up, brushing off his mismatched hands like he’d just finished a hard day’s work. “Well, I’d love to stay and chat, but I have princesses to tend to! Ta-ta for now!”

With a snap of his fingers, he vanished, leaving behind only the faint echo of his laughter.

Twilight stood frozen, her eyes wide and her breathing shallow. Moondancer and Lyra exchanged worried glances, clearly just as shaken.

And me? I stared at my hooves, a cold knot forming in my chest.

This wasn’t just bad. This was catastrophic.

The aftermath of Discord’s appearance left us shaken. We had made our way to a rocky outcropping a short distance from the castle, its shadow looming ominously over us. The jagged spires seemed to stretch higher now, like twisted fingers clawing at the stormy sky.

The lava pit behind us bubbled softly, its heat radiating against the cool air, but no one said anything for a long time.

Twilight sat off to the side, her face pale and drawn as she struggled to read a book she’d packed. Without her magic, she had to use her hooves to flip the pages, a process that was both clumsy and frustrating. Her lips were pressed into a tight line, her movements jerky and impatient.

Nearby, Moondancer was gently petting Lyra’s mane, her hoof moving in slow, soothing strokes. Lyra lay on the rocky ground, her face buried in her forelegs as soft sniffles escaped her.

“My horn,” Lyra muttered between sobs. “It’s gone. It’s gone.”

“Shh,” Moondancer murmured, her voice soft and steady. “We’ll get it back. I promise.”

I sat a little farther away, my back against a jagged rock, trying to piece my thoughts together. My stomach churned as the weight of everything settled over me.

Discord had done this before, hadn’t he? Taken away magic, thrown the world into chaos. But in the show, it was playful, almost cartoonish. There were no lava pits or dead ponies. There were no feral mobs or bridges of doom.

This Discord wasn’t just chaotic. He was… morbid.

I thought about the meteors that had rained down on Ponyville. Maybe he hadn’t directly hurled them from the sky, but he’d let it happen. He’d turned Equestria into a death trap, and for what? His own amusement?

My chest tightened as I remembered his parting words. I have princesses to tend to. He’d said it so casually, like it was just another day at the office. But if he was tending to the princesses, it meant they were still alive.

And if the princesses were alive, the other Element bearers were too.

I had to hold onto that hope. It was the only thing keeping me from breaking down like Lyra.

As I stared at the ground, an idea began to take shape in the back of my mind. It wasn’t much, but it was something. I stood up, my legs shaky but determined, and made my way over to Twilight.

She didn’t look up as I approached, her focus fixed on the book in front of her. She was using her hooves to awkwardly turn a page, the edge slipping out of her grip multiple times before she finally managed it.

“Twilight,” I said hesitantly, sitting down beside her.

She didn’t respond.

“Look,” I started, my voice soft. “I’m… sorry. For accusing you back there. I was scared, and I lashed out, and it wasn’t fair.”

Twilight finally glanced at me, her expression unreadable. “It’s fine,” she said flatly, her gaze flicking back to the book.

Ouch. That wasn’t exactly the response I was hoping for, but I pushed on. “No, really. I shouldn’t have doubted you. You’ve done nothing but try to keep us safe, and… I appreciate that.”

She didn’t say anything, her hooves fumbling with another page.

I bit my lip, glancing toward the castle. “Twilight, I’ve been thinking. Is there… any other way into the castle? Like, a secret entrance or something? Somewhere Discord might not have thought to block off?”

Twilight froze, her hooves hovering over the book. For a moment, she didn’t move or speak, her eyes narrowing slightly as she seemed to be considering something.

Then, slowly, she turned to me. “There is one,” she said quietly. “When I was a filly, I used to sneak into the castle through a hidden passage. It led from the gardens to the lower halls. My brother never figured it out—it was the perfect hiding spot for our games.”

I perked up. “Do you think it’s still there?”

“It should be,” Twilight said, her voice tinged with uncertainty. “But if Discord knows about it…”

“He might not,” I said quickly. “I mean, it’s not like he can see everything, right? If we can get to the gardens, it’s worth a shot.”

Twilight nodded slowly, her expression softening just a little. “Alright. We’ll try it. But we need to be careful. If Discord catches us…”

“We’ll deal with it,” I said firmly. “Together.”

For the first time since the bridge, Twilight looked at me with something other than irritation. It wasn’t quite trust, but it was a start.

As I stood up, Moondancer and Lyra joined us, their faces still heavy with exhaustion and sadness.

“Got a plan?” Lyra asked, her voice hoarse but hopeful.

I nodded. “We’re going through the garden. Twilight knows a way in.”

Moondancer adjusted her glasses, her eyes narrowing with determination. “Then let’s move before Discord decides to come back.”

“Right,” I said, gripping Rainbow’s dagger tightly. “Let’s end this nightmare.”

Twilight and Moondancer were hunched near the castle’s wall, their hooves brushing against the rough stone as they searched for the hidden entrance. Moondancer’s hornless forehead glistened with sweat as she pressed her ear to the wall, knocking gently in different spots.

“Are you sure it’s here?” Moondancer asked, her tone a mix of urgency and frustration.

Twilight frowned, her hoof running along the seams of the stone. “It should be. I remember it being somewhere near the eastern side of the garden. Just keep looking.”

Meanwhile, Lyra and I stood a few paces away, scanning the darkened garden for any signs of movement. The eerie silence made the hair on the back of my neck stand up, and my grip on Rainbow’s dagger tightened.

“You okay?” Lyra asked, her voice low but kind as she glanced over at me.

“Not really,” I admitted, my eyes never leaving the shadows. “I just… I don’t understand why I’m here. You guys seem like you’ve got this under control. I feel like I’m just slowing you down.”

Lyra tilted her head, her expression softening. “Ava, that’s not true. You being here is the reason we even got this far. Rainbow Dash trusted us because of you, remember?”

“Yeah, but…” I sighed, shaking my head. “I’m not strong like you guys. I’m not magical or brave or—”

“You’re stronger than you think,” Lyra interrupted, her tone firm but gentle. “You’ve been thrown into this crazy mess, and you’re still standing. That counts for a lot.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could, a faint sound caught my attention.

A whisper.

“Did you hear that?” I asked, my ears swiveling toward the sound.

Lyra frowned, her body tensing. “Yeah… it sounded like…”

The whisper grew louder, coming from the tangled bushes to our left. It was faint at first, like the rustling of leaves, but it quickly grew sharper, almost childlike.

“Help…”

I tightened my grip on the dagger, my heart pounding as I stepped closer. Lyra followed, her eyes darting nervously between the bushes and the shadows beyond.

The whispers grew louder still, and then, with a sharp rustle, a small figure tumbled out from the underbrush.

It was a filly.

Her coat was once a soft pink, but now it was smeared with dirt and grime. Her mane was tangled and matted, and her wide eyes shimmered with fear as she stumbled forward, collapsing onto the ground.

“Help me…” she whimpered, her voice trembling as she looked up at us.

Lyra immediately softened, dropping her guard and rushing to the filly’s side. “Oh, you poor thing! Are you okay? What happened?”

I hesitated, my instincts screaming at me to stay alert, but the filly’s trembling form tugged at something deep inside me. Against my better judgment, I crouched down beside her.

“Hey,” I said gently, my voice soft. “It’s okay. We’re here to help. What’s your name?”

The filly blinked up at me, her lip quivering. “I… I don’t remember,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Lyra frowned, brushing the filly’s mane out of her face. “It’s alright. You’re safe now. Is there anything we can do for you?”

The filly sniffled, her eyes darting between us. “Well… maybe there’s one thing you can help us with…”

I stiffened, my grip tightening on the dagger. “Us?”

The filly’s expression twisted into a wide, unnatural grin. Her voice dropped into a guttural growl as she whispered, “Yes. Us.”

Before we could react, her body began to contort and shift. Her pink coat turned a sickly green, her legs elongating into grotesque claws. Her eyes turned black, and her mouth split into a jagged, toothy grin as her skin seemed to stretch over her bones.

Lyra stumbled backward, her scream catching in her throat.

The bushes rustled violently, and more of the grotesque creatures emerged, their hunched forms cackling and growling as they surrounded us.

“Twilight! Moondancer!” I shouted, my voice cracking with panic.

I turned to see both of them struggling against a group of the creatures, their hooves pinned to the ground by the clawed hands of the goblin-like monsters. Twilight’s bag had been torn away from her, one of the creatures clutching it greedily as it hissed, “Shiny! Pretty! Ours now!”

“Get off me!” Twilight snarled, thrashing against her captors, but without her magic, she was helpless.

“Let them go!” I shouted, brandishing the dagger, but the creatures only laughed, their twisted voices echoing through the garden.

Lyra scrambled to her hooves, grabbing the rope she’d brought with her. “What do we do?!”

I didn’t have an answer. My mind was racing, my heart pounding as the creatures closed in around us.

The goblins cackled, their grotesque forms scuttling around us like a pack of rabid dogs closing in on their prey. One of them—bigger than the rest, with jagged teeth that glistened in the faint moonlight—held Twilight’s bag aloft, its clawed hands fumbling with the straps.

“Shiny… shiny!” it hissed, its black eyes gleaming with greed as it rummaged inside.

“No!” Twilight shouted, her voice raw with desperation. She struggled against the goblins holding her down, but their grip was unyielding.

My stomach churned as the larger goblin pulled out Twilight’s crown—the Element of Magic. Its golden surface caught the faint light, glinting like a beacon of hope even in this chaos.

“Shiny!” the goblin hissed again, holding the crown high above its head like a trophy.

Time seemed to slow as I watched the goblin’s claws tighten around the crown. If they took it, if they lost it, everything would fall apart. The Elements were our only chance at defeating Discord, and I couldn’t let them take that away.

“Not happening,” I growled under my breath, gripping Rainbow’s dagger tightly.

The smaller goblins lunged at me, their claws outstretched, their grotesque grins splitting their faces. I dodged the first one, spinning on my hooves and delivering a solid backhoof kick to the second. It yelped and tumbled backward, crashing into the others like a grotesque bowling ball.

“Ava!” Lyra screamed, her voice full of panic. “What are you doing?!”

“Getting that crown!” I shouted, my heart pounding as I bolted toward the larger goblin.

It saw me coming and let out a guttural snarl, holding the crown higher as if to taunt me.

“Oh no, you don’t!” I yelled, leaping into the air.

My hooves stretched out, and for a split second, I felt the cool metal of the crown beneath them.

Then everything exploded.

The moment I touched the crown, it shone with a blinding light, its golden surface glowing brighter and brighter until it was impossible to look at. The goblins screeched, their voices like nails on a chalkboard as they scrambled away from the searing glow.

I barely had time to register what was happening before I felt a sudden, jarring pull, like I was being yanked by an invisible hook. The light consumed everything, and I heard Twilight’s voice shout my name just before the world disappeared in a burst of smoke and ash.

When the blinding light faded, I found myself sprawled on the ground, my chest heaving, and the bitter sting of cold biting into my skin.

The first thing I noticed was the crown, still clutched tightly in my hooves. Its golden surface felt like the only warmth left in the world, its faint glow dimming as if it, too, was succumbing to the chill. The second thing I noticed was the dagger—it was gone. My heart sank. Rainbow’s gift, the one thing that had made me feel safe, was nowhere to be seen.

“Lyra?” I called out, my voice shaky and thin. “Moondancer?”

The wind answered me, howling around like it was mocking my desperation. I struggled to my hooves, the crown still held close to my chest as I squinted against the flurry of snow that whipped through the air. The landscape stretched endlessly in every direction, a vast and frozen desert with no landmarks, no trees, no sign of anything alive.

“Where am I?” I whispered, my breath forming faint clouds that were stolen away by the wind. “Is this the Crystal Empire? Or… somewhere worse?”

The snow beneath my hooves felt soft and treacherous, and every step sank me deeper into the cold. My mane whipped against my face as the blizzard seemed to intensify with every passing second.

I stumbled forward, calling out again, this time louder. “Lyra! Moondancer! Twilight!”

Nothing.

My chest tightened, and my mind raced with panic. What if I was completely alone? What if the crown had saved me only to dump me in the middle of nowhere to freeze to death?

And then, through the swirling snow, I spotted it—a flash of lavender against the endless white.

“Twilight!” I shouted, my hooves digging into the snow as I ran toward her.

She was lying still, half-buried in the drifts, her mane tangled and her eyes closed. My heart leapt into my throat as I dropped down beside her, shaking her shoulder. “Twilight! Wake up!”

She stirred slightly, her eyes fluttering open. Relief washed over me like a wave.

“Oh, thank God,” I said, my breath hitching. “You’re okay. Come on, we have to get moving. We have to find shelter or—”

Twilight didn’t move. She just stared at me, her face blank and unreadable.

The cold was gnawing at me now, stealing the strength from my legs and the air from my lungs. My adrenaline was running out, and the reality of the situation was hitting me like a freight train. I pressed harder. “Twilight, come on! Snap out of it! We need to figure out how to get back!”

She didn’t answer. Instead, she slowly stood, the snow falling away from her as she turned to face me.

“This is all. Your. FAULT,” she snarled, her voice cutting through the wind like a blade.

“What?” I stammered, stepping back. “Twilight, what are you talking about?”

Before I could react, she lunged at me, her hooves colliding with my chest and sending us both tumbling into the snow.

“Twilight! Stop!” I yelled, panic rising in my voice as she pinned me down.

Her eyes were blazing with fury, tears brimming at the edges as her hooves pressed against my shoulders. “You don’t belong here! You shouldn’t even BE here! Everything that’s happened—it’s because of YOU!”

Her words hit like a hammer, and I struggled against her, the freezing snow soaking into my fur as I tried to push her off. “Twilight, please! I didn’t mean for any of this to happen!”

“Liar!” she shouted, her voice cracking as the tears finally spilled down her cheeks. “You took my body, my life, and now look where we are! You’ve ruined everything!”

Her hooves pressed harder, and I felt my breath hitch as the weight of her anger crushed me. “Twilight,” I gasped, my voice barely audible. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Please, just… stop.”

For a moment, I thought she might not. Her eyes were wild, her breaths ragged, and her whole body trembled with anger and grief.

But then something shifted. Her hooves slackened, and she collapsed onto the snow beside me, burying her face in her forelegs as sobs wracked her body.

I sat up slowly, my chest heaving as I tried to catch my breath. My body ached, and the cold was unbearable, but all I could focus on was the broken mare beside me.

“I’m sorry,” I said again, my voice soft and trembling. “I never wanted any of this, Twilight. I swear.”

Twilight’s sobs were the only sound breaking through the roar of the wind, raw and uneven, like the tears had been held back for too long and now refused to stop.

I sat beside her in the snow, clutching the crown tightly as if it could somehow anchor me to reality. My chest was heavy, and my throat felt tight as I watched her crumble in front of me.

“I—” she started, her voice cracking before she buried her face deeper into her forelegs. “I don’t know if I can forgive you, Ava.”

The words cut through me like ice. I opened my mouth to respond, but no sound came out. What could I possibly say to that?

Twilight lifted her head slightly, her eyes red and swollen as she looked at me. “Do you even know what it felt like? To have someone take over my body? My life? To be pushed aside like I didn’t matter?”

“I…” I stammered, guilt tightening its grip on my chest. “I didn’t mean to—”

“It doesn’t matter what you meant!” she shouted, her voice shaking as fresh tears streamed down her cheeks. “You were there. In my mind, in my memories, in my thoughts. I could feel you, like a shadow I couldn’t escape. And I was scared, Ava. Every second, I was terrified you’d take over completely, and I’d just… disappear.”

My hooves clenched around the crown as I looked down at the snow, the weight of her words pressing down on me like the blizzard itself. I hadn’t truly thought about what it had been like for her. Not really.

“And then,” Twilight continued, her voice quieter now but no less filled with pain, “when it was over, and you were gone… it didn’t end.” She sniffled, wiping at her face with a trembling hoof. “Everypony started talking about you. About how brave you were, how much you’d helped, how incredible it was that you saved Equestria. And me? I was just… there.”

“Twilight…” I whispered, my voice barely audible.

“They barely even looked at me,” she said, her gaze distant. “It was always, ‘Ava did this’ or ‘Ava would’ve done that.’ I wasn’t even myself anymore. I was just the pony who had been possessed by the real hero.” Her lips trembled, and her voice dropped even lower. “Sometimes, I feel like the only reason they even kept me around was because they thought you might come back.”

I flinched at her words, my heart sinking into my stomach.

We sat in silence for what felt like an eternity, the blizzard swirling around us as her sobs began to quiet.

“I never wanted to bring you back,” she said finally, her voice flat but still tinged with pain.

I turned to her, my throat tightening again. “Then… why did you?”

Twilight closed her eyes, her breath hitching as she tried to compose herself. “Because I trust them,” she said softly. “Lyra, Moondancer, the others… they believed in you. They believed that you could help, even after everything. And they trusted me to make it happen.”

She opened her eyes, meeting my gaze with a look that was equal parts vulnerable and resolute. “So I helped. Not for you. For them. Because I couldn’t let them down, no matter how much it hurt.”

Her words hit me like a freight train. I felt a lump rise in my throat, but I swallowed it down, my chest heavy with guilt and shame.

“Twilight,” I said quietly, my voice trembling, “I didn’t… I didn’t think about what it was like for you. I was so caught up in surviving, in trying to figure out what to do, that I didn’t stop to think about what it cost you. I’m so, so sorry.”

She didn’t respond, her gaze dropping back to the snow as the wind howled around us.

For the first time since arriving in this world, I felt the full weight of my actions—the repercussions I had never truly considered. I had taken something from Twilight, something she might never fully get back.

We sat in silence, the cold biting at my skin and the guilt gnawing at my chest. I didn’t know if she would ever forgive me, and maybe she shouldn’t. But if there was one thing I could do, it was make sure that what I’d taken from her wasn’t for nothing.

“Twilight,” I said softly, my voice steady despite the storm inside me. “I don’t know how to make this right. But I’ll do whatever it takes to fix this. To help. Not just for Equestria. For you.”

She didn’t look at me, but after a moment, she nodded ever so slightly. It wasn’t much, but it was a start.

And for now, that was enough.

Twilight sat silently for a moment, her eyes lingering on the crown still clutched in my hooves. She furrowed her brow, her breath visible in the cold as she thought deeply.

“It only worked when you touched it,” she said finally, her voice quiet but steady.

I blinked, looking down at the crown. Its golden surface was dull now, but I could still feel a faint warmth radiating from it. “Yeah, I noticed that too. Weird, right? Must’ve been a glitch in the Matrix.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow, and for the first time since the blizzard started, I caught the faintest hint of a smile. “I don’t know what that means.”

“Figures,” I said, smirking despite myself. I held up the crown, tilting it in the faint light. “Maybe it’s because I touched it first. I mean, I did steal your body that one time, so maybe it’s connected to me now?”

My stomach churned. The cold wasn’t the only thing gnawing at me anymore. I glanced at her again, my breath hitching. “You’re not gonna attack me for this, are you?”

That got her attention. She blinked, then let out a short, awkward laugh. “No. I’m not going to attack you.”

I exhaled, relief washing over me as the tension in my shoulders eased slightly. “Oh, good,” I said, forcing a grin. “Because I really don’t want to do another round of rolling in the snow. My legs are already killing me.”

Twilight gave a faint, almost reluctant smile, her gaze softening. “You’re impossible.”

“Yeah, I’ve been told,” I said with a small shrug, holding the crown up for emphasis. “But seriously, this thing—it only lit up when I touched it. What if it’s connected to me now? Maybe that’s why it zapped us here.”

Twilight tilted her head, considering my words. “That… could make sense,” she said slowly. “If the crown connected to your spirit when you first used it, it might still be responding to you.”

“Great,” I muttered, looking down at the crown. “So now I’m some kind of magical battery.”

Twilight reached out, her hooves brushing against mine as she gently took the crown. “If that’s the case, then maybe it’s the key to getting us back.”

“Yeah, maybe,” I said softly, watching as she turned the crown over in her hooves.

She hesitated for a moment, her gaze flicking to mine. Then, without a word, she leaned forward and hugged me.

I froze, caught completely off guard, but then I let out a shaky breath and hugged her back. The warmth of her embrace was a stark contrast to the freezing cold around us, and for the first time since we arrived in this nightmare, I felt a flicker of hope.

“Thank you,” she whispered, her voice trembling slightly.

“Don’t thank me yet,” I murmured. “We’re still stuck in the middle of a frozen wasteland with no idea how to get out.”

As if in response, the crown began to glow softly, its golden surface shimmering with a warm light.

“Uh… Twilight?” I said, my voice tinged with nervousness.

The glow intensified, spreading around us in a wave of heat and light. The blizzard faded into the background, the cold giving way to a warmth that seeped into my bones.

“What’s happening?” Twilight asked, her voice barely audible over the roar of the light.

“I have no idea!” I replied, clutching her tightly as the light consumed everything.

When the light finally faded, the cold was gone.

I blinked, my vision adjusting to the dim, flickering light around us. The twisted hedges and broken statues of the Canterlot Gardens came back into focus, and the crown was still perched atop my head, its glow now faint but steady.

“We’re back,” Twilight said, her voice filled with cautious relief.

I exhaled slowly, the weight of the blizzard lifting off my chest. But as I glanced around, my relief was short-lived. “Where are Lyra and Moondancer?”

Twilight’s expression darkened, her ears flattening slightly. “I don’t know.”

My eyes darted around the garden, scanning the shadows for any sign of them. Then I saw it—a narrow opening carved into the base of the castle wall.

“Twilight, look,” I said, pointing toward the secret passage.

She followed my gaze, her brow furrowing. “It’s open. They must’ve found it.”

“Or someone else did,” I muttered, my stomach churning.

Twilight stepped toward the passage, her steps slow and deliberate. She paused at the entrance, glancing back at me. “We have to go in.”

“Right,” I said, swallowing hard as I adjusted the crown on my head. “Into the creepy mystery tunnel. Sounds like fun.”

Twilight gave me a small, tired smile. “You don’t have to come.”

“Are you kidding?” I said, forcing a grin. “And miss out on all the excitement? Not a chance.”

She nodded, her smile growing just a fraction. Without another word, she stepped into the passage, and I followed close behind, clutching the crown like it was the only thing keeping me steady.

The darkness swallowed us whole, the air growing colder and heavier as the light from the garden faded away.

And somewhere deep in my gut, I knew that whatever waited for us in this passage was going to test us both.

Author's Note

Longest chapter to date! and packed with action and emotions! I am just taking a moment to deeply thank each and everyone of you that eagerly weait after each chapters! I do pour all myself in the World of Ava, and I hope you love it just as much!

See you in the next chapter! :twilightsmile: :heart:

Chapter 5: The Partypoopers

Moondancer's Perspective

Wherever we were, it stank.

The stench was overwhelming, a nauseating blend of rotting vegetation, unwashed fur, and something metallic that I didn’t want to think too hard about. The burlap bag over my head didn’t help, its coarse fibers scratching at my fur and adding to the general discomfort.

"Moondancer," Lyra’s muffled voice piped up beside me, trembling slightly. "What are these things? Do you know? You’re supposed to know this kind of stuff!"

I gritted my teeth, trying to wriggle against the tiny, clawed hands gripping my sides. "Lyra, I don’t exactly have my encyclopedia of magical creatures handy right now."

The claws dug in tighter, and I winced as the creatures—whatever they were—chittered and cackled around us. Their voices were high-pitched and grating, a chaotic cacophony that made it impossible to tell how many there were.

"Seriously," Lyra pressed, her voice rising with panic. "You’re the brainy one! Just guess!"

I took a deep breath, or as deep as I could manage without gagging on the smell. Focus, Moondancer. Analyze the situation.

The claws were small but strong, the hands themselves rough and gnarled like they belonged to something that spent its life burrowing or scavenging. Their grip was coordinated, each creature moving in sync with the others, dragging us steadily forward despite our struggling.

"I think…" I started, my mind racing as I pieced it together. "I think they’re constructs. Some kind of magical creation. They feel too… unnatural to be an actual species. Discord probably made them."

"Great," Lyra muttered through her bag. "So we’re being kidnapped by some DIY abominations. That’s comforting."

"Just stay calm," I said, though my own heart was pounding.

"Easy for you to say! You’re calm about everything!"

I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could, the clawed hands holding us tightened and a guttural voice barked something unintelligible. The creatures slowed to a stop, their voices dropping to low, excited murmurs.

Then, with a sudden jerk, the bag was ripped from my head.

I blinked against the sudden brightness, my eyes watering as they adjusted to the dim, flickering glow of torches lining the walls. When my vision cleared, I wished I still had the bag on.

We were in an enormous underground cavern, its walls jagged and uneven, like the inside of a monstrous beast’s ribcage. Wooden bridges crisscrossed the space, rickety and uneven, their planks sagging under the weight of the goblin-like creatures scurrying across them. Spiral staircases twisted nonsensically, some leading to nowhere, others looping back on themselves.

But the centerpiece of the cavern was what truly caught my attention.

At the far end of the room, a massive statue of Discord loomed over everything, carved crudely from dark stone. It was comically exaggerated—his head oversized, his grin impossibly wide, his mismatched limbs out of proportion. A gigantic crown sat crooked on his head, and a tattered cape hung from his shoulders.

For a moment, I forgot the danger we were in as my mind raced with theories. Did Discord create this as a joke? A tribute to himself? Or did these creatures do it, worshipping him like some chaotic deity?

Before I could figure it out, a raspy, gravelly voice echoed through the cavern.

"Bring them... to ME!"

The creatures surrounding us chittered excitedly, their clawed hands dragging us forward once more. I tried to resist, but their grip was unrelenting.

We were hauled across one of the precarious bridges, the planks creaking ominously beneath us, and down a winding staircase that led to the base of the Discord statue. There, sitting on a crude wooden throne made of mismatched planks and adorned with scraps of shiny metal, was the ugliest creature I had ever seen.

It was one of them, but larger and far older, its skin sagging and wrinkled like an overripe fruit. Its claws were longer, its teeth yellow and jagged, and one of its eyes was clouded and milky. A rusty crown perched crookedly on its head, as though it were mimicking the statue behind it.

"So..." the creature rasped, leaning forward on its throne. "These are the intruders, hmm? Ponies. Shiny-loving ponies."

"Ponies!" the surrounding creatures echoed, their voices high-pitched and mocking.

Lyra glared at them, her ears pinned back. "Who are you calling shiny-loving, you walking dumpster fire?"

The king ignored her, its milky eye narrowing as it focused on me. "You... the smart one," it said, its voice slow and deliberate. "You know... who we are?"

I hesitated, my mind racing. “You’re ...- I...”

The king grinned, revealing rows of uneven teeth. “We are the Partypoopers!” It raised its claws triumphantly, and the surrounding creatures let out a cacophony of cheers and growls.

"Partypoopers?" Lyra echoed, incredulous. "Seriously? That’s what you call yourselves?"

"Quiet!" the king snapped, its voice cracking like a whip. It leaned closer, its cloudy eye glinting with malice. "Partypoopers... make Discord smile. Make him proud. And you..." It jabbed a claw toward me. "You will entertain him."

Lyra and I exchanged a nervous glance. Whatever the Partypoopers had planned, it wasn’t going to be good.

The Partypoopers’ idea of entertainment was… absurd. Ridiculous, even. And yet, as I stood there, my hooves chained together and my mane reeking of whatever foul substance coated the goblins’ claws, I couldn’t deny the very real danger we were in.

The king leaned back on his rickety throne, his gnarled claws tapping together with delight. “Yes… yes! Shiny ponies go in the bubbly! Very shiny, very fun!”

The goblins around us chittered in agreement, their sharp voices rising in a chaotic chorus.

I glanced at Lyra, whose ears were perked in confusion. “What’s the bubbly?” she whispered, her voice low.

“I don’t know,” I muttered, my eyes narrowing as I scanned the cavern for anything that might give us a clue. “But I’m guessing it’s not—”

Before I could finish, the crowd of goblins parted with a flourish, revealing a massive pit at the far end of the cavern.

The “bubbly” was, for lack of a better term, lava—if lava had been carbonated and dyed a sickly, neon orange. It bubbled and frothed like an oversized cauldron of soda, the surface hissing and popping with an unsettling intensity. A faint, sickly-sweet smell wafted from it, mixing horribly with the already rank air of the cavern.

The bubbly let out a loud hiss, and a geyser shot up from its surface, spraying droplets of the molten liquid into the air. The droplets hit the stone floor with a sharp sizzle, leaving behind tiny, charred craters.

The king let out a rasping laugh, his crooked crown wobbling precariously on his head. “Shiny ponies will sparkle in the bubbly! Discord will be pleased!”

“Yeah, I don’t think Discord actually cares,” I muttered under my breath, my mind racing as I tried to come up with a plan.

Before I could say anything else, two goblins scuttled forward, dragging a tall, spindly figure behind them. Unlike the others, this one was… disturbingly clean. Its skin was still green and leathery, but its claws were trimmed, and it wore a threadbare waistcoat that looked like it might have once been fancy.

“Dresser!” the king barked, pointing a claw at us. “Make them shiny! Very shiny!”

The goblin—Dresser, apparently—pushed up the tiny monocle balanced on its snout and nodded briskly. “Yes, Your Majesty,” it said in a surprisingly smooth voice.

Dresser approached us with a bundle of mismatched jewelry, ribbons, and sequins, all jangling noisily in its arms. It squinted at me first, tilting its head as if considering my “aesthetic.”

“Hold still,” it said, its tone clipped and professional. “This won’t hurt. Much.”

“Much?!” Lyra yelped, trying to take a step back despite the chains holding her in place.

Dresser ignored her, carefully draping a garish string of pearls around my neck and attaching a sequined bow to my mane. It adjusted the bow several times before finally nodding in satisfaction. “Elegant. Simple. But daring.”

Dresser didn’t respond. It had already moved on to Lyra, its claws working with unnerving precision as it clipped shiny bracelets onto her legs and tied a gaudy sash around her waist.

Lyra gave me a sidelong glance, her lips twitching as she tried not to laugh. “At least I’ll look fabulous when I die, right?”

I groaned, leaning toward her as Dresser busied itself with another bundle of accessories. “Lyra,” I whispered, my voice urgent. “We need to figure out a way out of this.”

“No kidding,” she muttered back, wincing as Dresser tugged at her mane. “Got any bright ideas, Ms. Encyclopedia?”

My mind raced as I glanced around the cavern. The goblins were distracted, their attention focused on the spectacle of our “shiny” transformations. The chains on our legs were thick, but the locks looked old and rusty. If I could get my hooves on something sharp…

“Okay,” I whispered, lowering my voice further. “The locks on these chains look weak. If we can find something to break them—”

“Like what?” Lyra hissed, her eyes darting around. “A rusty nail? A sharp rock?”

“I don’t know yet!” I snapped, frustration bubbling up alongside the panic. “Just keep an eye out!”

“Time to shine!” Dresser declared, stepping back to admire its work.

The goblins cheered, their voices grating and chaotic as they began dragging us toward the edge of the bubbly pit. The heat was oppressive, the sickly-sweet smell growing stronger with every step.

“Moondancer?” Lyra said, her voice tight with fear.

“Yeah?”

“Please tell me you’ve got something. Anything.”

I clenched my jaw, my mind racing as I desperately tried to come up with a plan. “Working on it,” I muttered, my eyes scanning the ground for anything that could help us escape.

The king stood on his throne, raising his gnarled claws triumphantly. “Shiny ponies go in the bubbly! Discord will laugh! Discord will be pleased!”

I swallowed hard, my heart pounding as the edge of the pit loomed closer. We were running out of time.

The bubbly pit loomed before us, its neon-orange surface hissing and popping with menacing glee. The heat was unbearable, waves of it pressing against my face and filling my nostrils with the sickly-sweet stench of molten cola.

Lyra and I stumbled as the goblins dragged us closer, our chains clinking loudly with every step. Despite the absurdity of our situation—the gaudy jewelry, the sequined bows, the bizarre soda-lava—I couldn’t stop the icy dread creeping into my chest.

“This is it,” Lyra said, her voice trembling as she gave me a sideways glance. “This is how we go out. Looking like discount Hearth’s Warming decorations.”

I swallowed hard, forcing down the lump in my throat. “We’re not done yet,” I said, though the words sounded hollow even to me.

We stopped at the edge of the pit, the goblins cackling as they crowded around us. I could feel the bubbling heat below, the fizzing surface practically daring me to take another step.

Lyra reached for my hoof, her chains rattling as she managed to hook her fetlock around mine. “Hey,” she said softly, her eyes glistening. “If this is it… it’s been nice, Moondancer.”

I bit my lip, the weight of her words hitting me harder than I expected. “Lyra, don’t—”

“Seriously,” she interrupted, giving me a shaky smile. “You’re smart. Like, scary smart. And yeah, you can be a little intense sometimes, but… I’m glad I got to know you.”

I stared at her, my chest tightening as a wave of guilt washed over me. I had been so focused on logic and survival, on analyzing every detail, that I hadn’t stopped to appreciate what we’d gone through together.

“Lyra,” I said quietly, my voice trembling, “I—”

A sudden, piercing scream echoed through the cavern, cutting me off mid-sentence.

The goblins froze, their cackling abruptly silenced as they turned toward the source of the sound. Even Lyra and I snapped our heads around, our ears perking up as the scream grew louder.

At the far end of the cave, two figures emerged from the shadows, charging toward us with all the grace and subtlety of a stampede.

“Oh my Celestia,” Lyra whispered, her eyes widening. “Is that—?”

“Ava!” I breathed, relief flooding through me.

Sure enough, Ava was leading the charge, a determined scowl on her face and a long stick clutched tightly in her hooves. Twilight was right behind her, wielding a similarly unimpressive weapon with a mixture of awkwardness and determination.

“Get away from them, you freaks!” Ava bellowed, her voice echoing through the cavern as she swung her stick wildly.

The goblins screeched in surprise, their chaotic formation breaking apart as Ava and Twilight barreled into them. Ava’s stick connected with the nearest goblin, sending it tumbling backward into its companions. Twilight followed suit, her strikes more precise but no less effective.

Lyra let out a choked laugh, her eyes shimmering with a mixture of disbelief and joy. “They’re actually doing it! They’re saving us!”

As if on cue, the goblins began to regroup, their screeches growing louder as they swarmed around Ava and Twilight. The two of them fought valiantly, their sticks swinging with impressive force, but it wasn’t enough.

One by one, the goblins closed in, their clawed hands grabbing at Ava and Twilight’s legs and sides. Ava kicked furiously, her stick snapping in half as she tried to fend them off. Twilight managed to stun one of the creatures with a particularly sharp jab, but another quickly took its place.

“Let go, you goddamn little creeps!” Ava shouted, her voice filled with frustration as she struggled against the growing swarm.

But it was no use. Within moments, the goblins had overwhelmed them, dragging them down and pinning them to the ground.

The king let out a raspy laugh, his milky eye gleaming with delight. “More shiny ponies! More fun!”

My heart sank as I watched Ava and Twilight struggle, their faces twisted with anger and desperation. The relief I had felt moments ago was quickly replaced by a crushing sense of helplessness.

“This is bad,” Lyra whispered, her voice trembling. “This is really, really bad.”

Back to Ava!

I was not going to die in a pit of bubbling soda-lava.

The goblins’ claws dug into my sides as they dragged me closer to the edge of the fizzing death trap. The heat was unbearable, and the sweet, sickly smell of the bubbly made my stomach churn. My fur was damp with sweat—or fear—and my legs were practically useless with these stupid chains.

And to top it all off, Dresser, the world’s most annoyingly fastidious goblin, was adding the final touches to my outfit.

“There,” he said, stepping back with a self-satisfied smirk. “Absolutely radiant.”

I glanced down at myself and nearly gagged. My mane had been tied into some ridiculous knot with a giant sequined bow, and I was draped in a tangled mess of glittering necklaces and shiny ribbons. I looked like the losing contestant at a really bad pageant.

“Wow,” I deadpanned, glaring at him. “I’ve always wanted to look like a piñata that threw up on itself. Thanks for making my dreams come true.”

Dresser didn’t even flinch. He simply turned to Twilight, who was similarly bedecked in a mess of shiny garb, and gave her mane an overly enthusiastic fluff. “You’re welcome.”

Twilight, for her part, looked less murderous than me but still visibly irritated. “This is ridiculous,” she muttered, her eyes darting to the bubbly pit.

“Ridiculous is an understatement,” I shot back, eyeing the pit warily. The fizzy surface hissed and popped, a geyser of molten cola shooting up and sizzling against the rocky ceiling. “They’re actually gonna throw us in there.”

Twilight said nothing, her jaw tightening.

Before I could say anything else, Dresser gave us a little shove, sending us stumbling closer to the edge.

“Careful!” I snapped, glaring at him. “You push me into that pit, and I’m taking you with me!”

Dresser smirked. “Unlikely. My duty is to accessorize, not perish.”

“Lucky you,” I muttered, my heart pounding as I glanced at the bubbling surface below. My mind raced, desperate for a way out of this mess.

That’s when I noticed the statue.

It was hard to miss, really—a massive, gaudy monument to Discord himself, standing smugly at the far end of the cavern. But it wasn’t the statue itself that caught my attention. It was the oversized crown perched on its head.

An idea sparked in my mind. A stupid, ridiculous idea. But it was better than nothing.

“Hey, King Ugly!” I shouted, turning my glare on the goblin leader.

The king’s milky eye narrowed as he leaned forward on his rickety throne. “What… did you call me?”

“King Ugly,” I repeated, smirking despite the claws gripping my sides. “You seriously think this is gonna please Discord? Throwing us into your sugar-soda jacuzzi while we’re dressed like discount Halloween costume?”

The goblins hissed and growled around me, and I heard Twilight mutter, “Ava, stop.”

But I didn’t. If this was going to work, I had to keep pushing.

“You call yourselves Partypoopers,” I continued, my voice dripping with mockery. “But this? This is amateur hour. Discord’s the Lord of Chaos! You think he’s gonna be impressed by this half-baked bullshit?”

The king growled, his claws tapping against the armrest of his throne. “You dare insult… the Partypoopers?”

“I’m just calling it like I see it,” I shot back. “If you really want to impress Discord, you’ve gotta go big. And shiny. Like, actually shiny. Not this glittery garbage.”

The king’s eye twitched, and Twilight shot me a warning glance. “Ava,” she hissed, her voice low. “What are you doing?”

I ignored her, my gaze locked on the king. “You want to make Discord laugh? You want to make him proud? Then give him what he really deserves—the shiniest treasures you’ve got.” I pointed a hoof toward the elements, which were sitting in a messy pile beside the throne. “Like those.”

The king’s gaze followed my hoof, his milky eye narrowing as he stared at the crown and necklaces.

Twilight, finally catching on, straightened up and nodded. “She’s right,” she said, her voice calm and authoritative. “Discord’s magic craves chaos, yes, but it also craves extravagance. If you truly wish to honor him, you must use only the most exquisite items for your display.”

Lyra and Moondancer, still chained near the bubbly pit, stared at us like we’d lost our minds.

“Are you two serious right now?” Lyra hissed, her voice barely audible over the goblins’ murmurs.

“Shh,” Moondancer muttered, her gaze fixed on the king.

The king tapped his claws together, his expression thoughtful. “The shiny treasures… for Discord?”

“Yes,” I said quickly, giving him my best smug smile. “Only the best for the Lord of Chaos. And those shiny treasures? They’re perfect.”

The king grumbled, his claws scraping against his throne as he considered. Finally, he waved a claw at his minions.

“Give the shiny crown… to the loud one,” he ordered, pointing at me. “And the necklaces… to the others!”

I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding as the goblins scurried to obey.

“Nice work,” Twilight murmured under her breath as one of the goblins placed the Element of Magic crown on my head.

“Thanks,” I whispered back, my heart pounding as I felt the familiar weight of the crown settle on my mane. “Now let’s hope this works.”

The goblins began chanting the moment the Element of Magic settled on my head. Their high-pitched, screechy voices rose in a chaotic chorus, repeating the word "shiny" over and over like it was the only thing they knew how to say.

"Shiny! Shiny! Shiny!"

I smirked, adjusting the crown slightly. It wasn’t the most comfortable thing I’d ever worn—seriously, how did Twilight not get a headache from this thing?—but it felt good. Powerful, even.

"Are you completely insane?!" Lyra shouted, her voice cutting through the chanting like a knife.

I turned to her, my smirk widening. “What can I say? Desperate times, desperate measures.”

Lyra’s eyes narrowed, her shiny accessories clinking as she shifted in her chains. “You’re gonna get us all killed! What if this doesn’t work? What if the Elements don’t do anything? They’ll be ruined!”

“Relax,” I said, giving her a quick wink. “I’ve got a good feeling about this.”

That was a lie, of course. I didn’t have a “good feeling” about any of this. My heart was pounding, my legs felt like jelly, and the heat of the bubbly pit was making me lightheaded. But I couldn’t let her see that.

Harmony, please don’t let me down now, I thought desperately.

The goblins’ chanting grew louder as they surrounded the pit, their beady eyes gleaming with excitement. The king, still perched on his rickety throne, watched with a crooked grin, his milky eye glinting in the torchlight.

"Shiny ponies… into the bubbly!" he bellowed, pointing a gnarled claw toward the pit.

“What?!” I yelped, my stomach dropping. “Wait a second—”

Before I could say anything else, the goblins shoved us forward.

My hooves scrambled for purchase, but the slick surface of the wooden platform offered no grip. Twilight let out a startled gasp as she stumbled beside me, her hornless forehead bumping against mine as we both tipped over the edge.

The heat hit me first, an intense, suffocating wave that made my eyes water. Then came the fizzing sound, loud and menacing, like the bubbly was mocking us as we fell.

This is it, I thought, panic clawing at my chest. I’m gonna die in a pit of soda-lava, dressed like a rejected holiday decoration. What a way to go.

But then, just as the fizzing heat reached its peak, something incredible happened.

The crown on my head glowed.

A soft, golden light spread outward, meeting the faint glow of the necklaces around Lyra and Moondancer. The three Elements pulsed together, their light growing brighter and brighter until it surrounded us in a blinding flash.

I felt a sudden jolt, like I’d been yanked upward by an invisible string. The heat of the bubbly vanished, replaced by a cool, comforting breeze.

When I opened my eyes, we were floating.

I blinked, trying to process what I was seeing. Twilight, Lyra, Moondancer, and I were encased in a shimmering, iridescent bubble of light. It was warm and soft, like being wrapped in the world’s coziest blanket, and it hummed with a faint, harmonious melody that made my chest feel lighter.

The bubbly pit below us hissed angrily, its neon surface bubbling and frothing like a child throwing a tantrum. The goblins, meanwhile, were completely mesmerized.

“Shiny…” one of them whispered, its clawed hand reaching toward the bubble.

“Shiny,” another echoed, its voice trembling with awe.

The chanting resumed, but this time it was different. Softer, reverent. “Shiny… shiny… shiny…”

Even the king seemed struck by the sight, his milky eye widening as he stumbled off his throne. He fell to his knees, his claws clutching at his chest as he bowed low. “A sign! A blessing! The shiny ponies… are chosen!”

“Uh, Ava?” Lyra said, her voice shaky as she clutched her necklace. “What the hay is happening right now?”

I couldn’t help but laugh, the sound bubbling out of me like the fizzy pit below. “I think… I think Harmony just saved our flanks.”

Twilight gave me a sidelong glance, her expression caught between disbelief and a grudging sort of respect. “I’ll admit, I didn’t think your plan would work.”

“Neither did I,” I admitted, grinning.

The bubble of light began to rise higher, pulling us away from the pit and the goblins below. The king let out a pitiful wail, reaching toward us as though he couldn’t bear to see us go.

“Wait!” he cried, his voice breaking. “Take the shiny back to Discord! Please!”

“Sorry, King Ugly,” I called down, unable to resist one last jab. “Looks like this shiny’s got other plans!”

As the bubble carried us higher, I couldn’t help but feel a surge of hope. The Elements had worked. We were alive. And now, we had a chance to turn this fight around.

The transition was seamless, like being whisked away by a soft breeze. One moment, we were floating above a pit of molten cola, the goblins chanting below us. The next, the shimmering bubble of light landed gently on the smooth marble floor of a dimly lit corridor.

The light faded, and we were left standing in the silence, the warmth of Harmony still lingering in the air. My hooves felt solid beneath me again, but my knees wobbled like jelly as I tried to process everything that had just happened.

"Everybody okay?" I asked, turning to the others. My voice was steadier than I felt.

Twilight nodded, though her mane was frazzled, and her chest heaved as she caught her breath. "I think so," she said, her voice a bit hoarse.

Lyra slumped against the wall, her sequined sash slipping down her side. "I’m shiny, sweaty, and completely over this day," she muttered, rubbing her temples.

Moondancer adjusted her glasses, her expression thoughtful despite the exhaustion in her eyes. "That… was incredible," she said softly. "The Elements—whatever just happened—saved us. They really are powerful."

"Yeah, yeah," I said, my heart still racing. "Harmony’s great and all, but we need to stay on guard. I doubt that was the last time Discord throws something insane at us."

As if on cue, a sound echoed down the corridor, breaking the momentary calm.

It was faint at first, like the distant rustling of leaves. But as it grew louder, it became unmistakable: a low, heart-wrenching wail, carrying with it the unmistakable sound of… sorrow?

Twilight’s ears perked up, her eyes widening as she whipped her head toward the sound. “That voice…” she whispered, her tone suddenly urgent.

“What is it?” I asked, but she didn’t answer.

Her legs were already moving, her hooves clattering against the marble as she galloped toward the end of the corridor.

“Twilight!” I shouted, chasing after her. “Wait! It could be a trap!”

“I don’t care!” she shouted back, her voice raw. “That’s Princess Celestia! I know it’s her!”

I exchanged a quick glance with Lyra and Moondancer, who both looked equally uncertain, before we all bolted after Twilight.

Chapter 6 : The Sun and the Moon

The crystal ball flickered with a swirling haze of magic, shifting between distorted images of a ragtag group of ponies making their way through his castle.

Discord leaned forward, his mismatched arms resting lazily on the edge of the ornate stand that held the ball. His sharp, snaggletoothed grin stretched wider as he watched Ava Carter. The imposter. The little human masquerading in a pony’s skin.

“Look at them,” he mused, his voice dripping with amusement. “So determined. So hopeful. So…” He trailed off, watching as Ava and her friends stumbled toward the grand chamber he had so lovingly defiled with polka dots and balloon animals.

A chuckle bubbled up in his throat, then a full-bodied laugh as he threw his head back, snapping his fingers. The crystal ball zoomed in on Ava’s face—her ever-skeptical eyes darting about the castle halls, her mind undoubtedly racing with plans. Oh, she was trying so hard to play the hero, wasn't she?

“A human playing knight in shining armor,” he sneered, circling the ball like a vulture. “Oh, what delicious irony! A creature from a world of concrete and logic, trying to save a land of dreams and madness. What a joke!”

Another bout of laughter escaped him, a rich, theatrical sound that echoed through the empty chamber. He danced back from the ball, twirling on his mismatched feet before snapping his claws. The floor beneath him turned into a checkerboard, shifting and twisting like a funhouse mirror.

But as he spun, another voice slithered into the room, smooth and familiar.

“Oh, I don’t know,” it mused. “It is rather unusual, isn’t it?”

Discord froze mid-spin, his bushy white eyebrows arching as his golden eyes flicked toward the new presence.

A second Discord stood there, lounging on a throne that hadn’t been there a moment ago. He was identical in every way, down to the curl of his snaggletooth and the flick of his serpent-like tail. But unlike the real Discord, this one wasn’t laughing. He was watching. Studying.

Discord scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Oh, wonderful. Me again. I really must stop thinking so much, or I’ll keep making copies of myself.” He waved his talon dismissively. “Alright, what is it this time? Come to tell me how brilliant I am? How utterly, undeniably fabulous my work has been?”

The copy’s gaze didn’t waver. Instead, he leaned forward, tapping his claws against the armrest of his throne. “You mock them, and yet you watch them,” he said smoothly. “That little human—”

“Human,” Discord interrupted, waggling his fingers mockingly. “Such a dull, dreary little word, don’t you think? I much prefer ‘chaotic inconvenience.’”

The copy ignored him. “Her presence in Equestria is unnatural,” he continued, his voice steady. “And unnatural things tend to… disrupt.”

Discord’s tail flicked, his amusement waning slightly. “Oh, please,” he scoffed. “You think one little human-pony hybrid is enough to bring about my downfall? Don’t be ridiculous.”

The copy tilted his head. “That’s just it,” he said, his grin widening. “We are ridiculous. And yet, here I am—you are—having this conversation.”

Discord frowned, the air around him growing heavier. His usual lighthearted mischief wavered for just a moment. A moment too long.

The copy saw it. And oh, how he grinned.

“You feel it, don’t you?” the copy purred. “Something is different. Something about her.”

Discord let out a sharp snap, and the copy vanished in a puff of pink smoke, his smug smile the last thing to disappear.

Silence fell over the chamber.

For the first time in what felt like forever, Discord’s grin faltered. Just a fraction.

Then he shook his head, rolling his eyes dramatically as he stretched out his limbs. “Oh, how dreary,” he muttered, his usual humor slipping back into place like a well-worn mask. He gave the crystal ball one last glance, watching as the ponies hesitated outside the clown room.

“Unnatural,” he echoed to himself, chuckling as he stepped away. “Please. I am the unnatural one here.”

With a snap of his fingers, he vanished, leaving only a faint trace of laughter behind.

The moment we stepped into the room, I knew we had made a mistake.

This wasn’t just any chamber—it was an entire landscape. A massive, rolling field stretched out before us, covered in garish, oversized polka dots in every clashing color imaginable. The hills weren’t just soft curves of land but exaggerated, rounded mounds that felt wrong—like they were deliberately bent in ways that didn’t make sense.

And above us, instead of a normal ceiling, there was a sky. A fake sky. Painted in swirling blues, greens, and yellows, with fluffy clouds that occasionally popped like balloons.

But the worst part? The sun.

It wasn’t the real sun, of course. But it moved like one. A massive, grinning, cartoonish orb with a face that stretched just a little too wide. Its eyes were round and black, staring down at us with eerie, unblinking amusement. As if we were nothing more than a game to it.

"Okay," Lyra muttered, her voice barely above a whisper. "This is officially the worst room I’ve ever been in."

I couldn’t argue.

Even Moondancer, who was usually the picture of analytical calm, looked unsettled. "Spatial distortion magic," she murmured, adjusting her glasses as she scanned the endless hills. "This place is bigger on the inside than it should be."

"Gee, you think?" I shot back, shuddering as the grinning sun let out a slow, breathy haaaaaaa like it was laughing at a joke only it understood.

But then Twilight’s breath hitched beside me.

"There," she whispered, pointing ahead with a trembling hoof.

We all followed her gaze.

Atop the highest hill, bathed in the eerie light of the grinning sun, stood a massive cage.

Inside it… was Princess Celestia.

Even from here, I could see her slumped form, her pristine white coat dulled with exhaustion, her usually flowing mane hanging limply against her sides. The golden bars of the cage shimmered under the unnatural sunlight, casting warped shadows across her still body.

Twilight didn’t hesitate.

"Princess Celestia!" she cried, her voice breaking as she bolted toward the hill.

"Twilight, wait—!" I shouted, reaching for her tail, but she was already gone, her hooves kicking up tiny clouds of polka-dotted dust as she sprinted toward the cage.

"Oh, for the love of—!" Lyra groaned, facehoofing.

I barely had time to exchange a panicked glance with Moondancer before we all took off after her.

And as we ran, the fake sun above us let out another breathy haaaaaaa, its grin stretching even wider.

The climb up the polka-dotted hill felt like trudging through syrup. The terrain beneath my hooves shifted unnaturally, like the ground itself was toying with us. Twilight didn’t seem to care. She charged ahead, her breaths ragged, eyes locked on the figure trapped in the golden cage.

Princess Celestia.

Even in my hazy memories of the show, I had never seen her like this.

Gone was the proud, regal ruler of Equestria. Gone was the warm, unwavering presence that stood as a pillar of strength for ponies everywhere. Instead, what sat slumped in that cage was a shell of her former self.

Her mane—once a cascading flow of ethereal rainbow light—was now a dull, faded pink, limp and tangled as it draped lifelessly over her back. Her golden regalia was missing, leaving her bare and vulnerable in a way that felt wrong.

And she was whimpering.

Not crying softly, not muttering in distress—full-body trembling, whimpering like a wounded animal. Her breath hitched with every exhale, her face pressed into the cold metal bars of her cage as if they were the only thing keeping her upright.

"Princess Celestia!" Twilight’s voice cracked with emotion as she rushed forward, practically throwing herself at the bars. "It’s me! It’s Twilight!"

Celestia flinched at first, like a startled deer. Then, slowly, her head lifted.

Her sunken, tired eyes locked onto Twilight’s face, and for the briefest moment, something almost like recognition flickered within them.

"Twilight?" she whispered, her voice barely audible, as if the name itself was foreign to her.

Twilight’s relief was instant, her whole body sagging as she pressed herself closer. "Yes! Yes, it’s me! We’re here to save you!"

Celestia’s lips trembled, her breath stuttering. Then, with sudden desperation, she threw herself against the bars, her hooves reaching out as best they could. "Twilight! You came for me!"

A lump formed in my throat at the sheer joy in her voice.

Twilight lifted a hoof, as if trying to touch her through the bars. "Of course I did! What happened to you? How did—"

Then she froze.

And I saw why.

Celestia’s wings weren’t just missing.

They had been ripped away.

The once-proud limbs that had carried her through the skies, that had graced Equestria with their presence for centuries, were gone. Not neatly removed, not vanished like some kind of spell—torn from her back, leaving behind jagged scars where feathers and flesh had been savagely taken.

And her horn? Nowhere to be seen.

Twilight’s pupils shrank, her breath catching in her throat. "What—what happened to you?"

Celestia blinked at her, as if confused by the question. Then she smiled—a weak, shaky, far-too-bright smile.

"Discord took them," she said simply, her voice eerily light, like she was commenting on the weather. "He took them so I would stop fighting back."

I felt something in my stomach lurch.

There was something wrong with the way she was speaking. This wasn’t just trauma. This wasn’t just exhaustion.

This was a broken pony.

Twilight, still frozen in horror, could only whisper, "Princess…"

And I, standing just behind her, could only watch. Because something deep in my gut told me this wasn’t right.

That this Celestia was wrong.

My skin—er, fur—was crawling.

Something was wrong. Very wrong.

Celestia’s words, her smile, the way she pressed herself against the bars with this… unnatural eagerness—it wasn’t right. She was too excited to see Twilight, too quick to answer, too eager to gloss over the absolute nightmare that had been done to her.

My gut screamed at me, and I had learned to trust it.

I took a slow step forward, ignoring the way Twilight was still reeling from what she’d seen. My eyes locked onto Celestia’s, studying her carefully.

Then I smirked.

"Hey, Princess," I said casually, tilting my head. "Quick question. Was Twilight ever late to class?"

Twilight, still emotionally spiraling, barely registered the question at first. But Moondancer and Lyra snapped their heads toward me, their ears flicking in confusion.

Celestia, however, immediately brightened.

"Oh, no!" she said cheerfully, sitting up straighter. "Twilight Sparkle has always been my most punctual and dedicated student! She never missed a class, never arrived late, and never lost focus!"

Twilight, despite her lingering horror, blinked and instinctively nodded. "That’s… true," she muttered, rubbing at her face with a hoof. "I’ve always prided myself on being on time. I—"

Then she stopped.

Her breath hitched. Her eyes widened, darting toward me in realization.

I grinned wider, stepping back. "Yeah. That would be true, if I hadn’t controlled your body that one time and showed up to class TWO whole hours late."

The room fell into a tense, heavy silence.

Moondancer sucked in a sharp breath. Lyra mouthed a slow oh shit.

And Twilight, finally catching on completely, reeled. "Wait. Wait. Oh my Celestia—you’re right!"

Celestia’s face—no, not Celestia—froze.

Her too-wide smile remained fixed, but the rest of her features twitched—just slightly, just barely enough for me to see it.

"You’re not Celestia," I announced, my smirk fading into a hard glare. "The real Celestia would definitely remember that."

I took another step back, my hooves scraping against the warped, hilly floor. "Girls," I said firmly, "back up. Now."

Twilight stumbled backward almost instinctively, her whole body stiff with realization. Moondancer and Lyra followed suit, their expressions shifting from concern to fear.

The thing in the cage tilted its head. The motion was stiff—wrong, like a puppet being yanked on its strings.

And then, very, very slowly…

The grin stretched.

Wider.

And wider.

A slow, eerie chuckle bubbled up from its throat, and when it spoke next, its voice had changed.

"Oh," it purred, "you are clever, aren’t you?"

My breath caught in my throat.

The fake Celestia’s head twitched to the side, and with a sickening crack, her entire body convulsed—her legs bending wrong, her neck twisting in a way that made my stomach churn.

Then, with a horrific, echoing snap—

The cage vanished.

And whatever was inside it wasn’t Celestia anymore.

A spider. A massive, hulking spider with a pony’s head.

Its many glossy black legs twitched, each one razor-sharp and twice as long as any of us. Its grotesque, bulbous body pulsed with unnatural movement, and from its back, fleshy remnants of wings twitched—not like they were moving, but like something inside them wanted to.

And then… it hissed.

The sound wasn’t a normal hiss. It was deep and layered, like something had taken the sound of a regular pony breathing and warped it into a broken, insect-like screech. Its sharp pony teeth gnashed together, its sunken eyes gleaming with intelligence.

This thing wasn’t just a monster. It knew us.

“OH HELL NO—” I barely had time to yell before it lunged.

Twilight screamed as one of its massive legs came crashing down where she had been standing just a second ago. The floor cracked beneath the impact, sending splinters of polka-dotted debris into the air.

“MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!” I shouted, shoving Lyra and Moondancer back before grabbing Twilight and hauling her to her hooves.

The creature let out another chittering screech and struck again. I barely managed to shove us out of the way before one of its needle-like legs pierced the ground where my head had just been.

Twilight, panting heavily, turned to me. “We can’t fight that thing—”

“We don’t have a choice!” I yelled back, dodging another strike. “We gotta do something!”

The creature reared back, its pony head twisting unnaturally as its many legs spread wide. It was blocking the only exit.

Which meant we had to take it down.

I clenched my jaw. “Girls—grab something and throw it!”

Lyra, Moondancer, and Twilight barely hesitated. We all scattered across the twisted terrain, grabbing whatever we could—discarded furniture, broken balloons, even a whole-ass clown-shaped statue—and hurling it at the spider.

A chair crashed against its side, making it stumble. Moondancer lobbed a chunk of polka-dotted debris straight into its creepy pony face, making it shriek in fury. Twilight, despite having no horn, launched an entire bookshelf with her hooves.

It wasn’t enough.

The monster let out a deafening, unholy screech and lunged forward, this time aiming directly for me.

I barely had time to react before a blinding flash of blue light exploded across the room.

The monster screeched in agony, its spindly legs flailing as it was repelled backward by an unseen force.

The light dimmed.

And standing at the center of it…

Was her.

Princess Luna.

Not the monstrous, shadowy figure she had once been. Not Nightmare Moon. Not the ethereal ruler that Celestia had once overshadowed.

But Luna.

She was taller now—graceful, powerful—but still had the short, deep blue mane of her younger form. Her eyes, however, burned with an intensity that made my breath catch.

Luna narrowed her gaze at the spider-creature and lifted her head.

“You shall harm them no longer, vile beast!” she boomed, her voice like rolling thunder.

The creature screeched, reeling from the magic still burning across its grotesque body.

Luna’s horn flared with energy.

With a single, fluid movement, she unleashed a wave of magic. The blast ripped through the air, colliding with the spider and sending it crashing through the walls of the madhouse.

I stared, my heart pounding as the dust settled.

Luna—Princess freaking Luna—had just saved our asses.

And as she turned her gaze toward me, her piercing blue eyes locking onto mine…

I could only stare in awe.

Luna landed gracefully, the residual glow of her magic still lingering in the air like the fading embers of a firework. Her wings tucked neatly against her sides as she exhaled, steady but controlled. She was tired, that much was clear, but her composure was unwavering—because, of course, it was.

She was Princess Luna.

And holy shit, I was standing in front of her.

I trotted around her, practically vibrating with excitement, taking in every inch of her presence. She was taller than I remembered, but still smaller than Celestia had been. Her short blue mane had a soft shimmer to it, no longer the wispy mess it was when she had first returned to Equestria. And that posture— the effortless grace of a battle-worn warrior who still carried herself like royalty.

"Wow, okay, you are so much cooler in person," I blurted, my hooves practically skipping against the warped polka-dotted ground. "Like, I knew you were badass, but seeing you actually obliterate that nightmare fuel spider thing?? Ten out of ten. Would watch again."

Luna blinked at me, tilting her head slightly. Then, much to my surprise, she smiled.

"It is most wonderful to see thee again, Ava," she said, her voice carrying that same regal authority, but with an unmistakable warmth beneath it. "I had faith that thou would endure, even beyond the limits of one’s own world."

I stopped, my excitement faltering slightly. She… believed I would survive? Even after everything?

I cleared my throat, rubbing the back of my head. "Well, uh, yeah. I mean, I had some help." I glanced toward Twilight, Lyra, and Moondancer. "Would’ve been super dead without them."

Luna nodded, turning her gaze to my friends. "And still, thou hast returned, knowing full well the dangers that lurk within our world. Equestria owes thee a great debt, for thou art not merely a visitor. Thou art a protector."

I don’t know why, but those words hit hard.

I opened my mouth to say something—**anything—**but Twilight stepped forward, her voice trembling with urgency.

"Princess Luna," she said, barely holding herself together, "where is Princess Celestia?"

Luna’s expression shifted, her body stiffening slightly. I didn’t like that. Not one bit.

Luna hesitated for only a moment, but that hesitation was loud.

Then, slowly, she looked away.

"My sister commanded me to flee," she admitted, her voice quieter than before. "After the Elements of Harmony failed, she gave me no choice. She saw that Discord’s chaos had overrun our kingdom, that I alone could remain beyond his reach. For the realm of dreams is one he cannot claim."

Twilight took a shaky breath. "You mean… you don’t know where she is?"

Luna closed her eyes. "Nay. I have not seen my sister since that day."

A heavy silence settled over us.

Lyra, who had been oddly quiet, suddenly bowed her head, pressing a hoof over her chest. "Then we will find her," she said, her voice steady and full of conviction. "We will put an end to Discord’s rule, once and for all."

Moondancer gave a firm nod, stepping beside her. "And if the Elements don’t work the way they used to, then we’ll find another way. There’s always an answer. Always."

Luna gazed at them, eyes flickering with something… unreadable. Maybe regret. Maybe admiration. Maybe both.

She sighed. "Discord’s reign has grown far more twisted than I could have foreseen." She glanced toward the broken remnants of the nightmare spider. "That beast was but one of many—a failed attempt to harness my power. A mockery of what I once was. It was an abomination, crafted in imitation of my magic. A creature born not of dreams, but of madness. He seeks to twist my realm into something he may control, but such power will never be his."

"Good," I muttered, still glaring at the scattered remains of the creature. "Because I really don’t wanna see whatever else he’s cooked up."

Luna’s gaze sharpened. "Then thou must prepare, for there shall be more."

I clenched my jaw. "Yeah. I figured."

Luna stepped forward, her presence alone seeming to steady the room. "Tell me, Ava," she said, her tone softer now, "hast thou returned with knowledge that may aid us in this war?"

I swallowed.

Did I?

My memories of the show were already slipping, details blurring together. I had known so much before, but now?

I wasn’t sure.

But one thing I did know?

I was here.

And I wasn’t leaving until we won.

“Oh, now this is getting interesting.”

Discord lounged lazily across a floating patchwork couch, one leg draped over the armrest while the other swung idly in the air. His eagle claw swirled in a glass of chocolate milk—though the liquid didn’t quite follow gravity, lazily sloshing upward rather than down.

Before him, the swirling crystal orb projected an image of her.

Princess Luna.

Finally, she had entered the game.

He smirked, watching the way her presence steadied the little band of rebels. The way Twilight and her friends rallied in her presence. The way that human—oh yes, he hadn’t forgotten about her—stood there with that same ridiculous fire in her eyes.

The moment the spider fell, the moment Luna appeared, the tides of the game had shifted.

Oh, the stakes had certainly risen.

And so, too, would the losses.

Discord chuckled, swirling the milk a little faster. “Well, well, well. Welcome to the board, dear Luna. You always were a bit late to the party.” He tossed the glass over his shoulder, where it yelped before exploding into a dozen rubber ducks.

“Are you sure?”

The words slithered through the room like a whisper that had teeth.

Discord’s smirk twitched.

He didn’t have to turn his head. He already knew what he’d see.

A second Discord, draped across a throne that hadn’t been there a moment ago, idly flicking at his own claws with disinterest. His eyes half-lidded, unimpressed.

“Oh, not you again,” Discord groaned, dramatically flopping backward onto his couch. “Really, must I keep manifesting these little existential nuisances?”

The other him didn’t move, but his smirk widened ever so slightly. “Oh, don’t be so dramatic. That’s my job.”

Discord waved a paw through the air. The second him promptly exploded into confetti.

“Predictable.”

The voice was behind him now.

Discord let out an exaggerated sigh, rubbing his temples. “You do realize that you’re incredibly annoying, yes?”

His double chuckled, now appearing as a floating head, spinning idly in the air. “Oh, come now. Surely you’ve noticed the pattern.” His eyes glowed briefly, flickering like a candle. “Villains never win.”

Discord’s claws twitched.

The head grinned wider. “Oh, you play the game so well. Toying with them, shifting the board, throwing in those delightful little surprises—but in the end?” The head rotated upside down, eyes boring into him. “You lose.”

Discord huffed, crossing his arms. “Oh, please. You think I haven’t prepared for that?” He lazily snapped his fingers, conjuring a puppet version of Twilight and Ava, their little wooden limbs flailing as they dangled from invisible strings. “This isn’t some storybook. This is my story. My game. And I don’t plan on losing.”

The head just laughed. A deep, knowing laugh.

“You always think that,” it mused.

Discord’s expression darkened, his tail flicking sharply. He snapped his fingers again—this time, the head burst into mist, fading into the air.

But the laughter remained.

Echoing. Lingering.

Discord stood in the now-silent chamber, the crystal orb flickering idly before him. The vision of Ava and the others was still there—Luna standing tall, Twilight looking determined, Ava still running forward despite knowing nothing about what truly awaited her.

He stared at the scene for a long moment.

Then, with a flick of his claw, he dismissed it.

For the first time in a while, he was left alone with his thoughts.

And for the first time in even longer…

He began to wonder.

Author's Note

It has been quite a while! I am sorry if I scared any of you into thinking I was going to quit on this story! lots has been happening lately and I just now find the time to finish this chapter!

Please, be understanding of my lack of presence lately, and thank you for those willing to stick around! :twilightblush:

Please make sure to comment and dont be shy to leave a critic on this chapter!

See yall!