“No AppleJack! I tried all I could!” But her efforts to inform AppleJack of the truth were all for nothing as her ears were destroyed and she didn’t look back. Suddenly Discord appeared in a white flash before the ponies. He looked down at the unconscious Pinkie Pie.
“Looks like you didn’t complete that last challenge, eh?” he said triumphantly. “You really need to actually try to save your friends, but I kind of like your self-preservation style. Keep it up and you just might survive until the end.” Twilight looked down at her broken wrist. Self-preservation? She tried as hard as she could to break her funny bone. How could she miss? “Alright! Next pony to face Twilight’s judgement is…” Discord studied the ponies carefully. The only ponies remaining were Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Rarity. He fiddled with his goatee as he pondered the decision that he needed to make. Suddenly, he let out a soft, evil chuckle. He pressed his fingertips together. “Now, Rarity… are we ready for our challenge?” but before she could reply Discord continued his speech, “My dear Rarity, when you have got nothing left to give, sometimes you would lend a hand, or in your case a hoof?”
“Stop it Discord! Please!” Rarity screamed, believing that she would receive some sort of disfigurement. “I’ll give you anything! Just leave us alone!” Discord let out a sigh, but just wouldn’t stop torturing these ponies.
“Rarity, we need to work together!” insisted Twilight, “we won’t be able to pull through this otherwise!”
“But whatever do we do? He told me to lend you a hoof. What does that mean?” Rarity said, panicking.
“Lend a hoof… lend a hoof…” Twilight repeated, her mind racing, trying to deduce what it was that Discord meant. She closed her eyes and brought her hoof up to her face. She instantly grabbed it and winced in pain as she had forgotten again about her broken wrist. Rarity glanced up at Twilight holding her hoof and her eyes widened up.
“Twilight! That’s it! Lend a hoof! Give away a hoof!” Rarity suddenly realised what he had meant and hung her head low. “I think he wants you to amputate your hoof.” She sighed.
“What? My hoof? But… but… my… it’s not fair! Why does it have to be me?” She cried out. Discord chuckled in delight. Rarity turned to Twilight.
“Please Twilight… without my hoof, my fashion days would be over. I would become hideous and the world would forever know me as the missing hoof mare.” She raised a hoof up to wipe a tear that was forming in her eye. Twilight took a deep breath. She lifted the shovel out of the barn with her magic and steadied it above her broken hoof. She went to turn her head, but she remembered what had happened last time she didn’t look. Twilight lifted the shovel just a meter higher and she could feel her breathing becoming rapid. Her heart was beating a million miles per hour. This is it, she thought to herself, no turning back now. She thrust the shovel into her arm, burying itself only half-way through. Above Twilight’s screaming was the audible crunch of broken bones cracking at the site of the impact. She removed the shovel to prepare it for another go. Tears were streaming from her eyes and blood came spurting out of her arm. She sent the spade down a second time, this time completely severing her hoof from her arm. Discord looked at her in disbelief.