The Ordinary Ponies

Chapter 16: The Rise of Discord-Part 2

This was probably the pinnacle of Mr. Miracle's pony life - he was sitting on Princess Celestia’s back, traveling with the two princesses to the most severely affected Ponyville.

Because he was afraid of heights, he had to hug the neck of Princess Celestia. He knew it was somewhat inappropriate, but falling down was even more inappropriate.

“Ahem, um...” With some time left before reaching the destination, Princess Celestia began to converse with Mr. Miracle. “Is your ability really the kind of 'predicting the future' that I imagine?”

“There are some slight differences. I just foresee a possible future, but that doesn't mean everything will definitely happen. The future can be changed, although the result may not change too much.”

“Are you saying that as long as you have anticipated the result, even if we change the process, the result may still remain unchanged?”

“You can say that.”

“Well, I want to know about Discord...um, never mind –”

"It doesn't matter, I can tell you, Your Royal Highness: Discord will eventually be defeated by Twilight,” Mr. Miracle said. “If that's what you are asking.”

Upon hearing this, Princess Celestia finally revealed a long-lost smile.

“How did you meet my sister?” she asked.

“Nightmare Night,” before Mr. Miracle answered, Princess Luna answered hastily. “When I was misunderstood by the residents, it was he and Twilight who helped me regain the trust of those ponies. Didn't Twilight tell you?”

“She didn't write in so much detail in the letter,” said Princess Celestia. “Luna, you should have told me more about that night...instead of casually skipping it.”

“What can I do? You are the ruler of Equestria, and I don't want to –”

“You are also the ruler and my sister,” interrupted Princess Celestia. “I just want to...go back to the old days when we sisters were close.”

However, Princess Luna didn’t appreciate it and said unhappily, “If you think so, it means you misunderstood the past. Have you never thought about why I became the Nightmare Moon?”

Princess Celestia remained silent, but her slightly furrowed brow already indicated her thoughts.

“Ah, it seems that you thought it was entirely my fault back then.” Princess Luna's face was getting worse.

“No, it's not like that. If I could have stopped you earlier…”

“Do you think this is the key?” Princess Luna immediately interrupted. “Do you only feel responsible in the end?”

The two princesses didn't speak again, but their faces were very bad. Mr. Miracle might have a rough idea of their conflict - he always knew, but now wasn’t the time for him to interrupt.

There is an old saying: “it's difficult for a clear judge to judge family problems”, and it is true.

“Alright, we've arrived.” With his words, the two princesses landed on the ground and looked at Ponyville in front of them...Without the tallest building in the town center, the town hall, it would be difficult to determine that this was Ponyville: the ground turned into curved chess squares, and was covered in pink soap; all the houses turned into playing cards, even a sneeze can blow them down; the sky was either a cloud of marshmallows raining chocolate or popcorn flying around.

The ponies were frantically escaping from all the crazy things.

“It seems we have a lot of things to do,” said Princess Celestia wearily.

……

On the other side, Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy had arrived at the entrance of the labyrinth. They know what Discord would do to them - nothing more than forcibly separating and then seducing and defeating them one by one, but what they hate the most was that even if they knew it clearly, they must keep playing.

A lightning strike struck, and the initiator of all chaos appeared, Discord, with a snake like body, a pony like head, deer antlers on the right, sheep horns on the left, a long sharp tooth on the mouth, eyes one big and one small, as well as snake's letter, goat's beard, and thick white eyebrows; The right upper limb was a lion's paw, the left was an eagle's claw, the right lower limb was a lizard's leg, and the left was a goat's hoof.

He carried bat’s and pegasus’s wings on its back, and his whole body was full of disharmony and chaos.

“You have indeed come, hahahaha...” he let out a disgusted laugh and winked at the six ponies in front of him, but they looked much angrier than he had imagined. “Strange, I thought your expressions would be even funnier than now.”

“Discord, we're here. Just show your magic, let’s not waste any time.” Twilight said sternly.

“Are you sure you don't want to take a look at this labyrinth first?”

“No, hurry up!” said Rarity irritably. “Don't waste our time.”

“Okay, it is you all that ask for this,” he said and snapped his fingers. Twilight’s and Rarity’s horns disappeared, so did Fluttershy’s and Rainbow Dash’s wings. “I removed them just in case of cheating. I will return them to you when you finish.”

He flashed back and forth among the ponies, hoping to see their surprised expressions, but none. The six ponies rolled their eyes in unison and then stared at him with angry.

“Strange, these aren’t the reactions I wanted.”

“Then I can only say that your plan probably went wrong,” Rainbow Dash said. “So how do you want to play?”

“The first rule: no flying or magic; the second rule: all the ponies must play, otherwise I win. That’s all, good luck to you, let's see if you can find the elements.”

He jumped into the air and disappeared without a trace, leaving only a wild laughter that gradually drifted away.

“That big villain!” Even Fluttershy, who had always had a good temper, became angry at this moment.

“I guess from now on, we'll have to act separately,” said Applejack. “We must remember what Mr. Miracle said and always believe in our friends and ourselves. We will definitely pass the test.”

“That's right, girls. As long as we work together, there is no difficulty that can’t be overcome!” said Twilight. “Let's go!”

When they stepped into the labyrinth, stone walls immediately rose up, forcibly separating them. Fortunately, they were mentally prepared and not too surprised.

“We need to quickly gather at the center and then go get the Elements of Harmony,” Twilight said.

“See you all at the center!” The ponies responded in unison.

Then they proceeded along their own path. Applejack didn't take a few steps when a pile of apples led her to the open space ahead. She guessed there was a fraud ahead, but on the one hoof, she couldn't let Discord detect that they already knew the truth. On the other hoof, she also wanted to personally meet this guy, so she mustered up all her energy and followed along.

There were many apple trees planted in the open space ahead, surrounded by a small pond in the middle. As soon as she arrived at the water pool, the apples fell one after another, gradually converging into three strange faces that made unpleasant sounds.

“What are you?” Applejack took a step back and asked cautiously.

“We are the guardians of the truth,” said the three strange faces of the apple heap one after another. “No matter what question you ask, we will tell you the answer.” Their voices were hoarse and strange, but they seemed to contain magic. No matter how much Applejack resisted, their voices filled her ears without omission.

Her rationality told her that this was clearly Discord’s magic; But a sudden impulse arose in her heart, making her eager to know what would happen in the future. Just like she wanted to ask Mr. Miracle, now she wanted to know the result of this mission. Her rationality immediately battled fiercely with this discordant idea.

“No... this is all a chaotic mess...” she tried to drive away those voices, but to no avail. “I...no, but...I want to know...Oh, I shouldn't have asked!” she struggled, sinking deeper and deeper.

“The answer is in the water, take a look, take a look!” With the voices of the three apple monster faces, a situation that Applejack least wanted to see emerged in the water pool - they were going their separate ways in search of the Elements of Harmony.

“No...these are all illusions! They're not real!” She covered her ears and shouted loudly, but she looked increasingly helpless. “Is our friendship really about to end?”

“Tsk tsk tsk, look, you are seeking the truth from us, but the truth will only bring sadness.” The apple monsters’ faces kept talking around Applejack, and the magic sound kept firing like a barrage. “The cruel truth makes you heartbroken. Why not try telling a little lie? Lies forge beauty!”

“Could it be...no, no, no!” Applejack shook her head abruptly before her eyes rolled in circles. “My friends like me precisely because they like my honesty. My honesty is a part of our friendship, and the truth may bring temporary pain, but it will always be the glue.”

“What?!” Discord, flying in the sky and controlling all of these, was a bit surprised. “What's going on? She should have been immediately bewitched by me.”

“Discord, come out!” Applejack angrily shouted around. The apple monster faces still wanted to gather around and continue talking, but before they could speak, they were crushed by few hooves.

“It seems like I can only do it this way.” Discord flashed behind her, forcefully infusing negative emotions with magic before she could react. “I hope the next one won't be so stubborn.” He disappeared after finishing this.

Applejack's eyes began to spin and her whole body gradually turned gray. The labyrinth wall beside suddenly opened, and Twilight walked in and was overjoyed to see Applejack.

“Applejack! I'm so glad you're here –” She walked over and realized something was wrong. “Oh no! It was him who did it, wasn't it? He bewitched you…”

“Who? I wasn't bewitched! I didn't see any creatures!” Applejack widened her eyes and said, looking around. “What I said is true, I will never lie 'now'.”

“Yeah, our Applejack won't lie...” Twilight looked in her eyes and said sadly. Immediately she shook her head and muttered to herself, "Don't give up, as long as we find the Elements of Harmony, she can transform back. I just hope that the other girls haven't been harmed yet - Applejack, let's go!”

On Pinkie's side, she bounced and hummed along the way until she walked into an empty space decorated with densely packed balloons. She was usually very happy when encountering such a scene; But she had already known in advance that this was Discord’s mess, so her face turned serious instead.

She cautiously advanced, but inexplicably tripped and fell all over the mud. In an instant, all the balloons appeared with smiling faces and surrounded her, with malicious laughter swirling around her. “Hmph, this is not funny at all!” she frowned.

Discord suddenly appeared and put on an exaggerated expression, saying, "What's wrong, Pinkie Pie? Haven't you always liked to laugh?”

“Now it's different – all because of you...” Pinkie still frowned. “Now you're intentionally making fun of me.”

“Oh, what's the difference?” Discord melted his face into numerous balloons, and then they all turned into sinister smiles and spoke up together. “Anyway, your friends are also laughing at you.” His annoying voice came from all directions, although Pinkie knew that his words were all twisted and heretical, the magic inside was always difficult to resist.

“No, you're wrong!” Pinkie shook her head with her eyes closed. “They laugh with me because we spend happy time together. They like me, just as I like them.”

“Really? Hahaha...” Countless balloons began to circle around her, and evil laughter was incessant. The memories of her inner self and her friends began to emerge, but another sudden voice began to distort the laughter in the beautiful memories.

“Stop laughing! Stop it!”

But the more she spoke, the happier Discord was, and the balloons began to turn into the faces of five other ponies, all mocking her. “Poor Pinkie, I thought these smiles would make you happy!”

“Their laughter does make me happy,” Pinkie suddenly jumped up and kicked a balloon. “Because I know they are happy with me, just like I am with them. Discord, don't waste your time! Unless you give over three tons of marshmallows, or else I will smash you!”

“What?!” When Discord was shocked, Pinkie had broken several balloons. “Why is she so stubborn too?”

“Show yourself quickly, or my requirement will be five tons of marshmallows!”

“As you wish.” As soon as the words fell, a large lump of marshmallows fell from the sky, hitting Pinkie on the ground and unable to move. Usually, the weight of marshmallows should be very low, but this large lump of marshmallows was as heavy as iron blocks.

Pinkie struggled hard and had a flash of inspiration. She began to eat wildly along the marshmallows, trying to find a way out. Discord didn’t plan to wait for her, then flashed beside her, forcefully infused negative emotions with magic.

Pinkie's body gradually turned gray, and Discord disappeared immediately. At this moment, Twilight and Applejack arrived late. Twilight looked at Pinkie with her eyes circling, unable to believe what she saw. “No...no! I'm late again.”

“Very good, you're not laughing at me!” Pinkie said harshly. “I just like to see your sad face. I'm leaving.”

“No...no...this isn't you!” Twilight put her hooves on her, trying to wake her up. “That Pinkie I know represents laughter, always optimistic and never hopeless. Please, wake up quickly –”

“Really? I think you only like the old 'clown' Pinkie!” Pinkie pushed away Twilight and said arrogantly. “So you can continue to laugh at me, right? Don't even think about it! From now on, no one can laugh at me!”

Watching Pinkie's departing figure, Twilight's eyes moistened, but she immediately wiped them dry and said with a strong spirit, "It's okay, I still have a chance...we still have a chance. As long as we find the Elements of Harmony, you will all turn back, everything will turn back.”

“I don't think so,” Applejack continued to “perform steadily”.

“It seems that you also feel like we do have a chance, even though you are a liar now.” Twilight shook her head, picked herself up, and pushed Applejack forward.

Rarity seemed a bit quiet on this side, running along and constantly complaining. “I really hope this all ends soon, and then I have to make an appointment for a full body maintenance...” Then, at the end of the road, she saw an exposed crystal resembling her cutie mark.

Just the exposed part emitted a radiance far beyond all the gems she had ever seen, instantly attracting her full attention. Immediately, Discord’s ugly face appeared on the surface of the crystal.

“Today is your lucky day, Rarity,” he said. “The only thing that can rival my handsome face - you have found it. Look at this unparalleled radiance, do you like it?”

The crystal instantly burst out with even more intense white light, and in an instant, Rarity saw millions of starlight. Countless facets reflected exquisite colors, and just a glance, it seemed as if infinite fashion ideas were flooding into her mind.

“I really, really, really like it...no, no!” She stopped before her eyes completely turned around. “No! This is clearly your plot! I can’t...I must…meet them!” She tried to step out of her way, trying to stay away from the temptation; But that annoying voice kept echoing in her mind, reminding her how rare this treasure was.

The pure beauty of the crystal lingered before her eyes, and even with her eyes closed, she could see that radiance again. “Shoot! I can't just give in like this...but it's really beautiful...no, no matter how beautiful it is, it's fake! But, but...I want...no, no, my friends need me more…”

Discord watched from the side, ecstatic, but soon felt annoyed - because Rarity paced back and forth in front of the crystal for dozens of rounds, still neither being bewitched nor as stubborn as the previous two.

She blinked uncontrollably and watched for a few more rounds, still engaged in a "fierce" ideological struggle. Discord couldn't help but yawn, and drew a watch on his paw, looked at the time on it, and realized he had to hold on tightly, so he flashed behind her and forcefully pushed her over.

Finally, Rarity shouted "mine" while chiseling the rocks with her hooves. Discord helplessly shook his head, although Rarity was not stubborn, the actual situation was even more boring. “What's wrong with these ponies? Why is everything different from my plan?”

“As the chaotic spirit, perhaps I shouldn't have any plan. I wouldn't have acted like this if I followed my inspirations at first,” he muttered to himself, and then disappeared.

Twilight arrived late again with her friends. When she saw that Rarity was gray all over and throwing a big stone at her, she closed her eyes disappointedly and sat down on the ground dejectedly. “I can't believe I'm late again.”

“This diamond belongs to me, no one can take it away! I will take it home now.” Rarity burst out with unprecedented strength and carried the large stone she thought was a diamond, but was actually worthless, onto her back.

“Oh, what should I do...Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash must have also been bewitched...What can I do?” Twilight covered her face with her hooves and tears welled up in her eyes. But deep down, a voice appeared, belonged who had never said these things - it was her consciousness reminding herself.

Don't be defeated by him. He seduces all your friends but not you, just to make you feel helpless like you are now. Because he fears the magic of friendship, he wants to see you suffer. Don't let him succeed, you will definitely be able to do it.

“That's right, I can definitely do it!” Twilight immediately got up, wiped away her tears, and said, “I must do it. When I find the Elements of Harmony, they will all come back.” She walked up to help Rarity, but was repelled by her with ponytail and five whips.

“What are you doing, Rarity?”

“I know what you're up to - you want to steal my diamond! Don't even think about it!” Rarity lay on the "diamond", as fierce as a beast guarding her territory. “What I found is mine!”

Then Rarity struggled forward with the big stone on her back, while Twilight followed behind, hoping that Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash would not be deceived as imagined.

Looking on the positive side, although her companions were all bewitched, at least they were willing to continue walking with her.

Fluttershy, who had always been timid, was trying to squeeze out courage for her friends, just like how she faced the dragon back then. She stood alone without the support of her friends, and maintaining her courage was much more difficult than she had imagined.

So when she saw the familiar butterflies flew by, she was as happy as finding a confidant and chased after directly. These butterflies were obviously not normal, but Discord ghosts - just look at their faces to know.

“Oh, poor Fluttershy. It seems like you've been abandoned by your so-called ‘friends’.”

“It's not like that...they must be looking for me, just like I'm looking for them,” Fluttershy's timid expression continued to show a hint of anger. “And all of this is your fault. If it weren't for you forcibly separating us.”

“How could you say that? I was just reminding you kindly.” The three butterflies began to circle around her, like a verbal attack around Applejack. “Do you know what they say about you? They say you're weak and useless, and I really feel pity of you. You must be very angry, right?”

“They never said I was weak and useless,” Fluttershy furrowed even tighter. “When I was timid, they always encouraged me and made me successful - not like you, deliberately belittling me just to sow chaos between us.”

“I'm not belittling you. For a long time, they've been using your cowardice as an excuse. Doesn't that make you angry?”

“They have never lost faith and patience in me. Being timid is my weakness, and they hope I can overcome it and become better. Friends are just like that...” Fluttershy took a deep breath and raised her voice for a moment, saying, "Discord, don't waste your time. If you think I will submit to you, you are completely wrong!”

Discord couldn't help but revert back to his original form, looking hysterical. “Why did you have to be brave today? You’re hopeless!” He flashed behind Fluttershy, who wanted to fly away, but was still forcefully infused with negative emotions.

“It really drives me crazy! This is not part of my plan at all!” Discord was furious, and shouted a few words loudly and felt that Twilight was about to arrive, so he had to leave. He guessed that there must be a problem in some part, but which part was it exactly?

A labyrinth wall suddenly collapsed, and Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie, and Rarity walked out.

“Fluttershy, it's so good to see you - no! You've also been...” Twilight knew it was too late when she saw Fluttershy's round eyes and all gray body color. “Now we need to quickly find Rainbow Dash. If she also...no, we must leave quickly.”

“Haha, save it!” Fluttershy suddenly became sarcastic. “Do you know the difference between you and earth pony? Without your horn, you're even weaker than them now.”

Upon hearing this, Applejack and Pinkie furrowed their brows in displeasure.

“Oh~~It hurt your two fragile hearts, didn't it?” Fluttershy said in a sweet and cloying voice. “Then you should eat more stones and not cry like little babies!”

“Oh my goddess, Fluttershy is actually the worst after being bewitched!” Twilight exclaimed in surprise, then shook her head. “No, now is not the time to focus on this. I must quickly find Rainbow Dash.”

“Who can help me?” Rarity was covered in dust and dirt, struggling to carry the big stone on her back. None of other friends responded to her, only Twilight rolled her eyes and went over to help.

“Thank you, Twilight.”

“You're welcome, because we're all friends –”

“But don't have any idea about my diamond,” Rarity interrupted immediately. “I know where you live. Did I make it clear?”

Twilight nodded and swallowed a mouthful of saliva. She really hoped all of this would end soon.

On Rainbow Dash's side, losing wings made her a bit uncomfortable, but the task was urgent. She must quickly find the Elements of Harmony and defeat Discord with her friends to solve the chaos crisis. There was still a 'Cola outbreak' in Cloud City.

At the end of the road, she saw Discord basking in the sun, even though the sky was now shrouded in dark clouds and there was hardly any sunlight.

“Come on, let's fight! Duel like a pony!” Rainbow Dash immediately jumped up, stood up with her hind hooves, and kept punching. “Come on, do it! I dare you!”

“I had no intention of fighting...I was just here to deliver a message.”

“Do you think I'll trust you? Watch this!” Rainbow Dash immediately flew up and kicked him, but he dodged after a flash, leaving her kicked empty.

“Listen, this affair is very important - hey, can you stop for a moment?!” Discord wanted to finish speaking, but Rainbow Dash kept attacking, and he could only keep flashing to avoid.

“No! dodge this!” Rainbow Dash flew up again, with Discord’s uninteresting expression on his face. He snapped his finger and she was sitting in mid-air.

“You're even more boring than I imagined.”

“And you're even more coward than I imagined,” Rainbow Dash retorted, unwilling to be outdone.

“Believe it or not, Cloud City is experiencing an unprecedented crisis of chaos while you are helping your so-called ‘friends’ search for the elements.”

“I already knew - it was all done by you!”

“It's not important, what's important is how you choose?” said Discord in a voice full of magic. “Help your friends, and Cloud City will be destroyed; help Cloud City, perhaps there is hope yet. I suggest you don't waste any time in this labyrinth, do what really matters.”

“What I know the truly important thing is to defeat you!” Rainbow Dash remained unwavering. “As long as we bit your tail, everything will return to its original state.”

Discord’s face was becoming dark. His plan never went wrong, except for the vine seeds he sprinkled long before, and he hadn't stolen the magic of the Tree of Harmony. What was going on today?

He had to forcefully infuse negative emotions and then return the wings to her. Although their performance was not as "exciting" as he had imagined, it was okay, as long as Rainbow Dash flew away, his plan could still be implemented as usual.

On Twilight's side, she still held the last glimmer of hope. “As long as we find Rainbow Dash...she never disappoints us.”

“Look, she flew away! She abandoned us,” exclaimed Applejack.

Twilight looked up and indeed saw Rainbow Dash flying away with rainbow luster. “No, that's not true! Even she...why did you tell the truth this time?”

She seemed to have lost all her strength and collapsed on the ground, without the motivation to continue moving forward.

What should she do? Her friends had always been her strong supports, but now she was forced to fight alone...How could she possibly do it? Without the supports of her friends, she was just an ordinary and helpless unicorn.