Chapter 17

Let the Game Begin

“Where did they go?” urged Luna to Celestia.

“I don’t know,” said Celesita. “Maybe they got out somehow and are hunting the Shapeshifter with Snap Shot.”

“Or maybe the Shapeshifter is still here,” came Discord’s disembodied voice.

“What have you done?!” Luna shouted up to ceiling. “Where are our friends!?”

“My, my, this is a treat,” said Discord amused. Seven remain, but how long will that last I wonder?”

“I don’t understand,” said Celestia, her anger fought fear. “I thought you were here to help us? I thought we were your friends?”

“Were we?” asked Discord with a snicker. “Last I checked I was under the impression that I was playing you two all along.”

“You mean all this time, you were just using us?!”

“Ding ding! We have a winner! I couldn’t have done it without you and your sister Celestia. I must thank you.”

“You’re nothing but a monster!” shrieked Luna her voice magnified to match that of Discords. “Tell us now! Where are our parents?! What have you done with everyone?!”

“Fine, fine I’ll tell you, but first in order to get to them, you must do as I say.”

“And why would we do that?” asked Tock.

“Tock!” Wind Chime warned him. “This is all a game to him remember? Lets just hear him out.”

“Clever girl,” Discord said wisely. “Yes, you would do best to hear what I have to say.”

“What do you think big si… I mean Aurora,” said Celestia, hoping that she hadn’t given her away.

“I think we should play his little game,” said Aurora.

“Fine. What do we have to do?”

“I thought you would never ask,” said Discord absolutely delighted.

There was a loud snapping noise and three doors appeared in front of them.

“To find you friends and parents all you have to do is go through one of these doors. On the other side a test awaits you. You will have to pass it in order to find what you seek. However, if you fail, it will just be one more for my collection.”

“That’s it?” asked Celestia. “This is all we have to do?”

“Yes, simple is it not?”

“It sounds easy enough,” said Aurora considering the doors in front of her. “But I doubt there won’t be another side to it.”

“Well, said,” agreed Discord. But first, for the game to start you must go through a door. I think you will notice a change once you do.”

“Alright. Celestia, you and Luna must stick together on this. Noble heart and I will go first and the rest will be up to you and the others.”

Before Celestia or any of the others could protest, Aurora and Noble Heart approached the door to the right. White light appeared as soon as Aurora opened the door and together she and Noble stepped inside. The door closed behind them and the rest waited with held breaths. They couldn’t have been gone for more than ten minutes before the door began to vanish.

“Hey! What’s going on?!” Celestia said in shock as she hurried for the door but it was too late! It had gone.

“Oh, dear,” came Discord’s voice sounding amused. “Looks like the two lovebirds failed. Who’s next?”

“Wind Chime, Tick, Tock, leave it to us!” said Luna.

“What? No way! We’ll come too!” said Wind Chime.

“No!” pleaded Luna. “You three stay here and wait! We can handle it and have everyone back in no time!”

“No Luna, if you two are going we are too.”

“She’s right! You two might need us!” said Tick.

“Tick, please listen!” pleaded Celestia taking a stand. “You three have to stay here. Don’t worry, we’ll be back with everyone before you know it.”

“But…”

“Leave them,” said Tock. “Princesses, we’ll let you go. But if you take too long, we’re going in after you!”

Celestia and Luna thought about Tocks words and slowly, they nodded in agreement. The two sisters turned to face the remaining doors. The first door was emitting white light through the cracks and through the second, green. They decided to take the second door. When the green light hit them. They could smell grass coming from the other side. Taking a deep breath, they stepped inside. Their bodies vanished in the light. On the other side, the two found themselves outside the castle looking at an entrance to a hedge maze. Its tall green walls towered over them.

“I don’t remember this being here, and wasn’t it dark outside?” said Luna.

“This all might be part of his trick,” suggested Celestia. “Stay close to me Luna. Alright creature, we’re here! Now what?”

A deep laugh met their ears and stepping out of the maze was not the Unicorn but an entirely different creature. He was unlike anything they have ever seen before. His head was that of a goat with two different antlers. He had slender body consisting of an eagle with two types of wings on his back. At the end of the eagle part of his body was a long dragons tail. His legs and arms were just as peculiar as the rest of him. His yellow eyes and small red pupils stared down at the two. One long canine tooth stuck out as he picked at it lazily.

“Well,” he began sounding bored. “You said you wanted to see who I was and now, here I am; the real me. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Discord! Master of Chaos!”

“Who?” asked Luna.

“Discord!” repeated the Shapeshifter. “I wouldn’t expect you to know about me! I am however, astonished that your parents knew about me and didn't bother to tell you! I expect the past Princess told them who I was. Before they came along, She was my favorite pony to mess with!”

The way Discord talked about their parents was taunting. Luna started toward him, but Celestia held out a wing to stop her.

“Come now Princess,” said Discord amused. “Let the young one fight her own battles for once.”

“That’s enough!” Celestia said glaring at the Master of Chaos. “We’re here now! So what’s the game?”

“Anxious are we?” asked Discord with a sneer. “I like it! Behind me is what you have to beat! To win my game, all you have to do is find your way out! But be warned. You may not be as alone as you think once your inside. Once you reach the end only then will you find what you seek. Do you understand the rules so far?”

The two nodded.

“Perfect! Oh, and before I forget, just to make things all the more interesting…”

He snapped his talons and the two sisters looked around as if they had expected something else appear. Nothing was there however. Discord’s smile widened, as he continued to stare at the Princesses. Perplexed, Luna looked at her sister and her mouth dropped.

“C-Celie! Your wings! What happened to your wings?!”

Celestia looked behind her and saw that her wings were gone! She gasped in shock and felt around her head. Her horn was still there. Looking back her little sister Celestia saw that Luna still had her wings but her horn was gone. Luna saw the look her big sister was giving her and looked at her back. She sighed in relief when she saw that her wings still attached. Luna felt her head and let out a gasp when no horn was found. Discord’s smug couldn’t have been clearer. He started to laugh. Luna felt her blood boil as she stomped her hoof and glared at him. His tricks could give Tick and Tock a run for their money.

“Enough!” she growled. “What did you do to us?!”

Discord hiccupped himself back to seriousness before he spoke. “For this challenge you will not be aloud to use magic or fly. Well, go on! And good luck, you’ll need it!”

He let out one last laugh before vanishing with a loud crack! Celestia and Luna exchanged looks before they headed inside the maze. Over and over they told themselves they could do this. Once inside, the maze walls closed behind them and they became trapped with only the long path to follow. With Discord gone, Luna and Celestia tried to test their wings and horn, but it was useless. Celestia concentrated hard, but she felt like the only thing she would be able accomplish was a migraine. Try as she might, Luna couldn’t get her wings to open. It felt like they were carrying unnecessary amounts of extra weight, making it impossible to spread them.

“Let’s go,” said Celestia at last. “We won’t find anyone staying here.”

The towering walls of the hedge made them fell belittled as they traveled deeper into the unknown. Every couple minutes they thought they could here something or someone on the other side of the wall. The further they went they saw that their hooves were becoming lost in a growing mist.

“On the bright side, at least we have the light of day on our side,” said Celestia.

Her confidence was soon to be tested as the day was covered by an overcast that showed no sign of leaving. The two were left in an uneasy shade. Before the clouds covered their only source of light, Celestia hadn’t realized how much they were depending on the sun. The day provided them with a sense of comfort. But now, with their only source of light gone and their magic and wings rendered useless, they felt more vulnerable than ever. What else did Discord have in store for them? And more importantly, what would they find once they reached the end of the maze? They came to another split path and pondered on what direction to take. So far they haven’t run into any dead ends and they were about to continue on the right path when they spun around. Their hearts threatening to jump out their chests.

“Did you hear that?” asked Luna looking at the misty path behind them.

“I know I heard that time!” said Celestia wanting to get away from the split paths as soon as possible. “Lets hurry before…”

The sound of rolling thunder drew closer, louder than ever. There was a small gust of wind and the hedge’s leaves brushed against each other as the sound grew louder and then… All was silent. They stayed where they were, listening carefully for the noise again. Before Celestia opened her mouth to speak again, the walls behind them slammed shut and the maze was closing around them! The two screamed and galloped off wanting to get far away from the closing walls! Up ahead, a new path was forming and without hesitation they decided to follow it. The wind was howling now as they continued to run away. The wind finally died out and the maze had become still. Panting, the two sank to the dirt ground.

“Ok, we’ve figured out one thing!” said Celestia catching her breath. “If we hear the sound of thunder and the wind starts to pick up, it’s time to move!”

“No kidding!” said Luna clutching a stich in her side. “I thought it was going to catch us for a moment! Where do you think we are?”

“I don’t know. Hopefully that shift brought us closer to the end of this maze,” said Celestia. “Maybe with the maze closing up, other parts have opened making it easier on us.”

“You think so?” questioned Luna.

Now that the maze had stopped switching forms, the two sisters had a chance to collect themselves before moving on. They saw that they were in a wider space of the maze. A fountain stood at the center. When Luna got close to it she saw that the water was pink. Her dry mouth longed for something to drink. For a time she stared curiously at the pink substance. Celestia was trying to guess where they were by drawing a miniature maze on the ground. Shrugging, Luna leaned in and took a sip from the fountain. She spat out the liquid and looked down at the fountain.

“Lemon?!” she said smacking her lips. “The sooner we get out of here the better!”

Celestia was muttering to herself while following the mini maze with her hoof. When Luna sat next to her she too began tracing the maze. After a while, Celestia stood up confidently.

“Alright, I think I got it! If we continue down this way we should come across another split. We take the left this time and we should be close to the end!”

“What if the maze closes in on us again?” asked Luna worriedly.

“Then we’ll have to outrun it until we reach the end,” said Celestia.

Ready to begin their journey once more, the two headed down the narrowing path ahead of them and became lost in the ever-growing mist. Unbeknownst to them, the trickster was watching from the cover of the clouds. The two Alicorns were indeed on the right track. If they continued on the same path then they would reach the end of the maze in a matter of minutes. This was something he wasn’t going to let happen so soon. Taking the form of a butterfly, he flew ahead of them to a part of the maze where he made a bewildered Black Wood appear before him.

“What? Where am I?” he said looking around.

Discord knew what had to be done and he flew to eye level.

“Who are you?” asked Black Wood.

“Poor Black Wood,” spoke Discord in a pitiful voice. “Always left behind even now.”

“What do you mean?”

“Didn’t you know? The Princesses are here too with the rest of your friends. Didn’t they tell you where they were going to be?”

“N-no I only thought they had escaped with the rest of the party guests.”

“They did, but wouldn’t they have told you where they were if they saw you outside too?”

“I… I think so…” said Black Wood sounding doubtful.

Just one more push and Black Wood was all his. Discord flew close to the Unicorns ear and whispered.

“You know, if I was your friend I would be looking for you. I saw the Princesses not too long ago and they are busy with their own ordeals to worry about you. And they’re supposed to be rulers of a kingdom? What kind of rulers are they if they only care about themselves? The others are in danger Black Wood. You could be the one to save them all if you make it out of this maze before them.”

“Wait, everyone’s in danger! I-I’m sure they can handle…”

“Didn’t you hear me?!” said Discord facing Black Wood, his eyes staring hypnotically at him. “The Princesses only care about themselves! If they reach the end of this maze before you, they will run away and leave you and the rest behind!”

“No!” Black Wood shouted. “They can’t! I thought they cared about us!”

“Maybe they did at one point, but things can change once the chips are down and true colors start to show. See for yourself.”

Suddenly The wall in front Black Wood began to take shape. Black Wood blinked and saw a vision of the Princesses.

“Come Luna,” said the fake Celestia to her little sister. “We have to leave now before he gets us too!”

“Alright, but what about the others?” asked the fake Luna.

“Forget about them!” The fake Celestia shot back. “It’s everypony for themselves now! You saw what hat thing did back there! We could be next if we don’t hurry!”

“I don’t believe it!” said Black Wood angrily. “How could they? I thought we…”

The image of Celestia and Luna had disappeared to be replaced by the heads of all his friends who cried out in terror. Pleading to be saved. Black Wood couldn’t take their screams of fear any longer. His eyes grew fully dark and his coat had turned to gray. With a since of determination running through him he stomped the ground with his hoof.

“I won’t allow them to leave! I don’t need them! I’ll save everypony on my own!”

“Indeed!” Discord said with an evil smile, making the illusion stop. “Then allow me to help you find them!”

Black Wood watched as the hedge in front of him opened up and he heard Celestia and Luna’s voices somewhere off in the distance.

"One last thing," said Discord making one last thing appear. "This will help you stop them. Careful though, you are not a Unicorn."

Black Wood felt around his forehead where the unmistakable horn of a Unicorn was now a part of him. With a fire raging inside him, and his new horn lowing bright red, he tore off down the open path. Discord flew away, greatly pleased with his disseat. Ahead of Black Wood, Celestia and Luna had just reached the point where the paths split in two again. They were just about to take the one on the left when they felt like they were once again being watched. Celestia looked down the way they had just come from. From the cover of the mist, Black Wood approached the two with his horn glowing.

“Did you see that?” asked Luna. “Right there! I thought I saw somepony.”

“Hello?” Celestia called out.

There was no answer. Celestia was about to call out again when a flash of orange light zipped toward her. Luna screamed as her big sister moved out of the way! Another flash of light missed Luna by inches!

“You can’t dodge forever!” Black Wood shouted from the mist.

“Black Wood?” said Celestia cautiously. “Wait, stop! It’s us! Come out, we thought you were somepony else!”

Black Wood stepped out of the mist, his horn still glowing and his expression was anything but happy. He looked like a stallion on a mission. His anger was obvious, but Celestia and Luna didn’t know why he had just attacked them.

“Black Wood, What happened to you?” asked Luna. “Have you been here this whole time? Is that a Unicorn's horn?”

“And what if I have?” questioned Black Wood coldly. “Like you would care where I was! And as for the horn it's a gift.”

“Ok,” said Celestia taking a couple steps forward. “I don’t think you understand what’s going on here.”

A streak of red light hit the ground making her stop in her tracks.

“Hey! How can you cast magic?!”

“Stay back!” Black Wood snarled. “I understand what’s going on! We’re in a maze and if you two reach the end you’ll abandon us!”

“No we won’t!” protested Celestia. “Who told you that?!”

“None of your business!” argued Black Wood.

“Black Wood!” Celestia said warningly.

“Nope! We’ll see how much you like it when you’re kept in the dark! Not knowing what others are up to!”

“See how much… You are acting like a colt! Just tell us…”

“Celie wait!” Luna said, stopping the argument. “Black Wood, I don’t know how you got here, or how you came in possession of that horn, but you have to go back. If Discord knows you’re here, you could be in serious danger.”

“Nice try!” Black Wood shot back. “But you can’t fool me! I won’t let you reach the end of this maze!”

“Black Wood, you’re scaring us!” Celestia said, placing a hoof over her heart. “You don’t mean that! We have to find our way out!”

But even as she said it, Black Wood’s horn glowed bright red, his expression mad.

“Don’t make this harder than it already is!” he pleaded. “Just stand still.”

The wind began to pick up again. Celestia and Luna exchanged looks. They knew what was coming. In the distance they could hear the rumbling sound moving toward them. They had to run for it! They would not allow Black Wood to stop them from finishing the maze! Celestia leaned close to Luna and whispered.

“Luna, as soon as Black Wood turns around, we run!”

“Ok, but what about him?” Luna asked.

“There’s something wrong with him! We have to separate him form that horn!”

“You better not be planning to run away!” warned Black Wood. “Sorry your highnesses, but I cannot allow you to…”

A loud thundering noise made Black Wood turn on the spot! It was now or never! Celestia and Luna turned their backs on the Unicorn and took off down the path they had always meant to take! Black Wood shouted something from behind them and Celestia heard his spell whoosh past her! As they galloped down the growing path, flashes of orange light came after them! The missing spells hit the hedge walls as the path started to lead them down sharp turns. Black Wood was starting to catch up from behind as the path straightened out again. Right behind the attacking Unicorn, the mazes walls were closing in. Luna and Celestia had just managed to jump over a rock, but Black Wood had eyes only for his two targets. He hadn’t seen it and… It happened in a matter of seconds. He felt himself trip and hit the ground hard! He was just starting to stand back up when both walls slammed into him!