“Stupid Discord! Where the heck did that guy go?!”
>It’s definitely not an exaggeration to say that the last half an hour has been the craziest of your entire frickin’ life. The adoption, patrols, magic, portals… it was a lot to take in, man.
>At first you were super casual about everything, excited even, and the only reason was because you thought that everything was a dream. 
>That little safety net for your sanity disappeared when you crossed the portal, realizing everything that happened was the real deal and not some trippy dream caused by a patrol smacking you a bit too hard.
>And you discovered it the hard way. By landing right on your face. Dreams ain’t painful, man, and that hurt a lot, not to say anything about how your entire body felt thanks to the beating you got some hours ago.
>Even if your dreams were super realistic, that just doesn’t explain how real the place felt. It wasn’t big, after all, janitor closets are supposed to be cramped, but everything felt so… genuine.
>From the buckets and cleaning stuff, to the lantern that lit up the closet. Everything was the way it should have been, not only from their looks, but also how they felt when you touched them with your hooves.
>If the realization that you basically signed your life away to some random magical guy wasn’t enough to mess you up big time, then the fact that this guy just disappeared into thin air after saying “I need to go for a minute to take care of something. Don’t do anything brash while I’m gone," surely sealed the deal.
 
>The fact that you were a bit scared of tight spaces didn’t help one bit either. You were starting to breathe frantically, and your head was pounding like a drum.
“I-I can’t stay here, man! Gotta know what that guy ditched me in!”
>Easier said than done. It took a lot outta you to gather enough courage and put a shaky hoof on the doorknob.
“T-There’s no lock. S-Sweet heavens, thank you!”
>You slowly opened the door, and even more slowly your head out. The first impression was… not good. What you saw was a long hallway, stretching in both ways and leading to more hallways.
“O-Oh, great! T-This place must be a frickin’ maze!”
>At least it wasn’t nowhere near as depressing as that stupid orphanage. For starters, this place actually had windows made of stained glass, so you couldn’t see outside… but it was an improvement over that jail.
>It wasn’t just that, though; The floor was covered with a thick-looking scarlet carpet, and the purple walls had arcs, pillars, and golden adornments, and that’s not saying anything about the fancy drawers and bookshelves. Wherever Discord brought you, it must belong to some filthy rich ponies.
>That only made you want to get the heck out even more. So, very carefully, you got out the janitor closet and closed the door as silently as you possibly could. Then, you took the path on your right because… well, for no reason, really. You simply were too scared to think. 
 
>That said, you looked over your shoulder at every step. The last thing you wanted was to be caught off-guard by a private patrol, or one of those evil butlers you had read about.
>And if your headache wasn’t enough, the further you went down through this rich ponies’ lair, the colder you started to feel. 
“S-Stupid Discord! S-Stupid filthy rich ponies! I know the heat wave sucks but… brrr! Can’t they tone down the air conditioning?”
>it got so bad to the point where your shivers weren’t happening just because you were scared, but you had to keep going no matter what. You had to do it for Scrappy and Eris.
>And pushed forward you did… until you saw a couple of pegasi stallions coming in your direction, and by their looks, you could only think on what kind of crazy tastes the owners of this place had.
>Like honestly, why the heck were those two wearing those golden armors? Is that how patrols are supposed to dress in this place? And it wasn’t just that, both were tall, buff, white coats, golden manes and blue eyes. These looked almost like clones.
>They didn’t notice you right away. Those two were too busy talking about some random trash. So you took this chance to slowly back off and hide behind a bookshelf.
>You definitely weren’t very comfortable, but it’s not like you had much of a choice. The only thing you could do was to hold your breath in this tight space until the patrols went away.
 
>Which didn’t happen as quickly as you’d have wanted to since the patrols decided to stop and have a nice chat.
>“Oh, don’t give me that preach! Everyhting’s cool! We got a bombastic lunch AND nopony noticed that we were gone!”
>“I know that! But what if somepony did notice that we went out? Do you even know the trouble we would get into?”
>Some… pony? Man, whoever the owners were, they totally had to be some kinda nutjobs to make the patrols speak this weird. 
>“For the ninth hundredth time! Relax! It’s not like Captain Armor will want our heads on a plate! I bet he would even congratulate you on getting a date with that maid!”
>“It’s not a date! I-I’m just gonna help Perfect Frame to babysit her sister, and…! Wait, Captain Armor? Buddy… did you even listen to today’s briefing?”
>“No? Why should I? It’s always the same stuff.”
>“Are you serious?! Captain Armor isn’t in charge of today’s operations!”
>“What? That’s crazy! Who’s calling the shots then? Cloud Spear? Give me a break! That guy is as tough as a puppy!”
>“I wish it was Cloud Spear. No, dude! It’s… HER!”
>So, if there are captains and stuff taking care of this place, then that must mean that the owners must be among the filthiest rich of the filthy rich ponies. Maybe. You wished that these guys could be more specific. 
>“Y-You’re pulling my leg, right?”
>“Do I look like I’m joking?! That crazy mare is in charge and she wants us to be in high alert!”
>“Why?!”
>“I DON’T KNOW!”
 
>“No! Why you didn’t tell me this before!”
>“I THOUGHT YOU KNEW!”
 >“Oh, sweet Celestia! Come on, dude! We gotta hurry back to our posts before she notices!”
>“No need to tell me twice! I still want to have foals!”
>You let a small sigh in relief and thanked all the heavens when you heard those guys galloping away. Now you could finally go back to look for an exit. There was a problem, though… you were stuck.
>No matter how you tried, you couldn’t get out from your hiding spot in the same way you entered. So very carefully, you pushed the bookshelf with your hinder legs.
>It didn’t move at first. The darn thing was just too heavy, but as you kept pushing, two things happened. Your headache got worse, and a new feeling of strength started to come from deep within you.
>These just kept getting bigger and bigger until…
“Man… what the heck is this?”
>Until the bookshelf got enveloped by a strange blue aura. Soon after that, the bookshelf not only fell, but it was pushed violently against the wall. Leaving a giant crack, and of course, making the loudest noise possible.
>You were speechless. Just what was that? One minute you were stuck and the other… this happened. 
>To make things worse, the two patrols that you thought were gone quickly rushed back, and of course, they saw you standing over the broken shelf.
“This really ain’t my day, is it?”
 
>One of them raised a hood and barked “Halt there! This is an unauthorized area! Surrender now and exit in an…” But he was interrupted when the other one swiftly smacked him in the head “OUCH! Hey! What was that for?!” 
>“Dude! It’s just a foal! Have some tact!” 
>The guard rubbed the back of his head as he glared at his friend “I know, but he could be a spy, you know?”
>“Don’t mind my partner, he reads too many pulp novels” The other guard rolled his eyes before turning to you with a warmer face “Anyway, he’s not half wrong. You can’t be here, buddy. So why don’t you tell us where your parents are so we can…HEY! WHERE YOU GOIN’?!”
>You weren’t gonna stay there and fall for their patrol’s lies. So as soon as the chance opened, you threw all cautions to the wind and galloped away from those two goons as fast as your hooves could.
>You mindlessly took turns and went up staircases the moment you came across them.  Soon enough, the hallways had a bit of a change. One that, despite having like six or seven patrols following close on your tail, put a smile on your face.
>There were actual windows without the stained glasses, and while you weren’t tall enough to see completely through them, looking at the bright, blue sky made you feel a bit relieved.
>That little moment didn’t last long since your distraction immediately came to bite you in the flank. As you were about to take another turn at an intersection, a patrol jumped out of nowhere and firmly held you with his hooves.
 
>“Aha! I’ve got you now buddy!”
“Hng! Lemme go, man!”
>You tried with all your strengths to break free, but that guy was just too strong for you “I’m sorry, buddy, but I can’t do that! Not until we find your parents, I mean!”
>Just like a few minutes ago. The harder you struggled, the worst your headache got and with that, the strange sensation also kicked in.
>This time it was a bit different, though. There was no strange aura, only a humming sound and a blue light coming from your horn that kept getting bigger and bigger until…
“I SAID… LET… ME… GO!”
>Until the patrols, and everything in the hallway were shot a few meters away from you by a bizarre blue wave. Once again, you were speechless.
>The hallway was a complete mess. You could see broken glasses and furniture scattered all over it. Most of the patrols were knocked out and those that weren't had this horrorid look on their faces and galloped away.
 
>All while you could barely stand on your hooves anymore. Whatever that wave was, it left you beyond exhausted. You felt like just dropping off right there and then.
>But you had to keep pushing forward, for Scrappy, for your sister. So you used the little strength you had left and continued your escape, even if you could only limp now.
>It wasn’t too long after that when you heard an alarm going off, followed by the sound of numerous hoofsteps, that you closed your eyes and let out a silent yell. The patrols were now coming in full force and you couldn’t even give them a fight.
>Among your desperation, you noticed a half-open door nearby. It was made out of white wood and had a sun emblem carved into it. There was something about this door that made you hesitate for a bit. Like whatever that door lead to demanded respect.
>But that hesitation quickly disappeared as you saw a lot of patrols coming from both sides of the hallway. You knew there was no escape anymore, but you still went through the door as quickly as you could.
>You found yourself inside of what, for the most part, looked like the office of a very important pony. A quick scan made you notice the balcony that stood behind a very imposing golden desk.
>Without thinking it too much, you limped across the room and opened the big pair of glass doors that lead to the balcony, and for a brief moment, all your worries went away.
“Whoa!”
 
>The wind gently caressed your cheeks as a dream-like city of tall towers and fantasy buildings situated on top of a tall mountain opened before your eyes.
>Tears rolled down your face as a flock of birds flew in direction to the beautiful green lands down below. You had read about farm lands, villages and lush forests before, but all of it was supposed to be long gone before you were even born. It was like a dream come true.
>As you wiped off the tears from your face, you mustered to yourself.
“If…only Eris could see this… she’d love it, man…”
>But like all dreams, it had to come to an end. The patrols burst through the door and filled the room and with them, all your fear and exhaustion came back in full force.
>“End of the line, kid!” One of the said as he took a step forward “I don’t want to be rough with a foal, but if you pull another stunt like back there, we’ll have to!”
>You were breathing heavily, scared as your hooves felt wobbly and your vision became blurry at random intervals, but even with that, you looked up to the patrol and gave him a smug grin.
“It’s… not fair, man! You… You should have brought… more goons… with you… maybe… maybe you would have a chance”
>The guard let out a tired sigh and shook his head “For the love of Celestia! Why do you have to make it so hard for us?! We just wanted to help!” 
>With another sigh, the patrol walked at you and raised his hoof. You closed your eyes and braced for the impact.
 
>But it never came. The patrol basically froze in place when a thunderous voice echoed through the entire room “Can anypony be so kind as to explain me what the hay is going on?!”
>An expression of pure horror appeared on the face of every patrol. Some were trembling, others were covered in cold sweat, but all of them quickly stood aside, and with a big salute, let the source of that voice get through.
>Fully clad in a battle-worn armor made out of some weird dark purple metal. A mare like you’ve never seen entered the room.
>No, this mare was like pegasus, but at the same time wasn’t. She had the wings, but these were featherless, almost like a bat. The pupils of her dark peachy eyes were thin, again like a bat or some other nocturnal animal, and her ears… well you liked those, actually. They had these fluffy tufts at the tip.  
>Despite how fluffy her ears and coat looked like, this demon of a mare expelled the most imposing and terrifying aura ever, and it got worse when she noticed the patrol who was about to smack your brains out.
>“Corporal Spear!” The mare yelled again, making the patrols to flinch and tremble in fear “What in the sweet name of Equestria do you think you’re doing?!”
>The guy didn’t know what to do. He just looked back and forth before pointing at you and saluting the mare “C-C-Captain M-Moonlight! T-This pony intruded in the castle a-and…!”
 
>The mare scowled at the patrol and narrowed her eyes “Have you lost the few neurons you had left, Corporal Spear?! You were about to hit a foal!”
>“B-B-But C-Captain M-Moonlight! The pony trashed the east wing, a-and used magic a-against…!”
>The mare pulled the patrol close to her face, displaying her sharp-looking fangs in the process and growled “Let me make something absolutely clear, Corporal Spear. I don’t care if he puked in the throne room. You are a Royal Guard and that means you don’t hit foals. EVER. Did you get that or will I have to drill it out inside your pea-sized brain?!”
>”N-No! I understand! I swear to Celestia I understand!”
>“Good!” The mare released the patrol, making fall on his face on the floor “Now, get up and bring me a medic.”
>“A-A medic? W-Why?”
>“Are you as blind as you’re stupid, Corporal Spear?!” The mare stomped her hoof on the floor “That foal is in a very bad condition! Bring me that medic before I break your back in two!”
>With a “Yes, ma’am!” The patrol saluted the mare and darted out the room.
>“And why are you standing around like a bunch of idiots?!”  The mare yelled at the rest of the patrols, making them all whimper “Thunder Spear! Wind Shield! You two will stay outside and guard the entrance! The rest, get the heck out of my sight and clean that mess of a hallway!”
>She didn’t need to say that twice. Every patrol quickly galloped out of the room, leaving you alone with this mare.
>And you were scared, really scared. So much that the moment she laid her eyes on you, the first reaction you had was to retreat to the edge of the balcony.
 
 
>But the mare didn’t yell, or jumped, or anything scary like that. No, she just plopped on the floor and took off her helmet, revealing a long, dark peach mane that flowed all the way to her shoulders.
>“Calm down, little dude. I’m not here to hurt ya.” The mare said with a very soft voice as she looked at you with a gentle face “Name’s Moonlight Shadow, what’s yours?”
>You didn’t say anything. Your only answer was to hold the balcony’s railing as hard as you could.
>Moonlight rolled her eyes and giggled “Alright, then I’m just gonna keep calling ya little dude, then. So, tell me little dude. What’s that thing on your hoof? Is it a present from your folks?”
>You didn’t know where it came from or why you even did it. But you glared at Moonlight and growled.
“D-Don’t…”
>“Ah! So you can speak! That’s one problem less!” Moonlight giggled “Now, what did you want to say, little dude?”
“D-Don’t try to play dumb! Y-You know what this thing is!”
>“Uh… No? Not really. I’ve been all over Equestria and this is the first time I’ve seen something like it, but given your answer, I know it wasn’t a present” Moonlight tilted her head and raised an eyebrow “Where do you come from, little dude?”
“I said don’t play dumb with me! I know you’re just another company’s patrol! Heck, I bet it was you who hired Discord to pick me from the orphanage!”
>Moonlight was at first completely taken aback by your answer “Now what the hay are you…? Hold up! Orphanage…? Discord…!” She then rubbed her temples and groaned “I should’ve knew that guy was involved with all of this… dang, I’m mad now. Thunder Spear! Tell the princesses to come here quick!”
 
>The patrol just looked at Moonlight with fear and saluted “Y-Yes, C-Captain M-Moonlight, sir!” the guy dashed off quickly after that. 
>With a big sigh, Moonlight stood up and started walking towards you. “Okay, little dude, I’ll need you to come with me. I know you’re scared, but don’t worry, everything will be fine. I just want to ask you some questions and introduce you to a couple of very nice ponies, alright?”
“D-Don’t come closer!”
>You quickly tried to get away from her, but in doing so, you crossed to the other side of the balcony’s railing.
>Moonlight’s eyes went wide open as her bat-like wings spread and she adopted a more offensive posture “Calm down, little dude! Don’t do anything stupid! We’re on the same side here!”
>You tried to take another step back, but quickly realized that the only thing behind you was a massive fall to the green lands that you admired moments ago.
>As you held to dear life to the railing and Moonlight started to get closer, your head started to hurt so much that it felt like it was about explode. 
“D-Don’t… come… closer…”
>Those were the only words you could muster before your hooves let go of the railing and fell to the abyss below.
>“Gotcha!” Or that’s what you thought. With incredible speed, Moonlight had leaped just in time to catch you with her hooves. She let out a sigh and said “Geez, little dude! Don’t scare me like that! What the hay were you thinking?!”
 
>You didn’t say anything, or tried to break free once Moonlight went back with you in her hooves to the balcony. The headache was getting worse and you were now shaking without control.
>“Dang it!” Moonlight said when she touched your forehead with her hoof “This kid is burning with fever. Where’s that medic?!”
>Before she could yell a new order to the remaining patrol, your horn glowed with an incredibly bright blue light, but that wasn’t the only thing that lit up…
>On the distance, another light, bright enough to be seen for miles, appeared in the middle of a dark, lush forest.
>“That comes from the tree… what the hay is going on? No…” Moonlight said as she narrowed her eyes at you “Who’s this kid?”
>That was the last thing you could see before your vision became blurry. You didn’t pass out, though, but the only things you could tell now was that your horn was glowing more with each passing second, and that your head hurt a lot.
>You could hear Moonlight yelling “WIND SHIELD! FORGET THE MEDIC! GET YOUR FLANK OUT OF HERE! DON’T LET ANYPONY BUT THE PRINCESSES TO COME THROUGH!”
>You didn’t know what was going on anymore. You heard yelling, hoofsteps, a new alarm going off, the sound of thunders and voices… whispers in your head frantically calling out for you.
>Everything stopped for a moment when you saw two blurs, one navy blue and the other white, entering the room. They had to be ponies, or something that could speak.
 
>“Finally!” You heard Moonlight yelling “We have an emergency!”
>“I can see that, Moonlight! But… What is happening?! Why is the tree of harmony active?!”
>“We’ll figure that out later, Luna! Captain Moonlight! Get away from that colt! He’s about to have a…”
“Help… MEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”
>You couldn’t see or hear anything else those ponies were doing. Everything was cut by a blinding light and the sound of a thunderous explosion.
>… …
>…
>The next thing you knew was that the light had disappeared, and that you were lying in the middle of a tall, large almost otherworldly cave. 
“W-What… w-what is going on?”
>Thin, almost transparent vegetation grew from the cracks on the ground with some pink lotus flowers blossoming here and there. Looking up, you could see some huge purple diamonds encrusted all over the walls and ceilings of the cave.
>But what caught your attention the most, was the center piece of the cavern. A tall, crystal tree proudly stood up in front of you. Whoever made this thing must have been a master.
>The roots sprawled all over the cave’s floor, with the purple crystal they were made of ending right where the darkish blue trunk began. This in turn, ended with the branches that were made in a way that each one made the points of a star.
 
>It didn’t really end there, the trunk had the sun and the moon carved into it, six gems were placed at the end of each branch and at the center of everything, a giant white star was placed.
>The voices inside your head became sweet, inviting whispers as you fell into a trance. It was like this tree was alive and calling out for you.
>You were still very weak, but this invitation felt like it was too good to let go. So with a lot of effort, you slowly stood up and walked to the tree.
>And it responded back by giving a calm but rapid series of glows. Like the tree had been waiting eagerly for your arrival, and now that you were finally here, it could finally embrace and welcome you into its world.
>You could hear some voices outside your head as you made your way to the tree. Was it Moonlight and the other two ponies? Maybe, but you didn’t care about what they had to say. The tree was the only that mattered at that moment.
>Once you finally reached it, you rested your head against the trunk, it was as warm as a nice summer day and comforting like the stars at night. The tree responded by glowing even more, and in turn, your horn glowed back at it.
>As the light from both sides increased, you let out a calm sigh and said.
“It’s okay… I’m here now… everything will be alright…”
>The light finally enveloped both you and the tree before. The last thing that you remember was the sound of chirping birds and the other ponies desperately calling for you.