"We're really in for it now, aren't we?" Ron asked.

"No," Twilight said. "We cannot give up. This chaos needs to stop."

"And you think you can handle that, Miss Sparkle?" Discord asked. "I'll put you to the test. Let's see if you can handle an army of my mites?"

Suddenly spawned thousands more of those mini Discords, their screeching making everyone cover their ears in anguish.

"This isn't right!" Harry yelled, although he could barely hear himself. "You've taken our wands, their magic horns and wings. Are you too afraid to fight us fairly?"

"Fighting fair is for losers," Discord said. "This is far more amusing."

"But you just said earlier you were getting bored!" Hermione shouted.

"I do not recall ever having said that," Discord replied.

"This madness ends now!" bellowed a voice that Harry recognized. The volume of it cut through the cacophony of the tiny mites. Suddenly, seven silver beasts stampeded through the air, twisting this way and that, and causing the mites to explode on contact, leaving confetti behind.

"Which one of you is doing that?" Discord asked, a slight waiver in his voice suggesting that this was no longer going according to his plan.

"Yeah, who is that?" Pinkie asked. "Not that I'm complaining."

"It's our teachers," Harry said.

"And our friends!" Ron added.

As though on cue, Professors McGonagall, Slughorn, Sprout, and Flitwick appeared alongside Neville, Ginny, and Luna, stepping awkwardly through the gelatin.

"My word, what is going on here?" Professor Flitwick asked.

"We're being attacked by an agent of chaos!" Pinkie said.

"It…probably makes more sense in context," Fluttershy muttered.

"Does this agent of chaos have a moniker?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"Discord," Ron said.

"Discord!" Professor McGonagall shouted, her voice once again bellowing through the air. "I know nothing of you except that you have put three of our students in danger. I taught them for six years, and they are some of the most remarkable students I have ever had under my tutelage. Whatever problems you have with these…um, colorful ponies, apparently…keep it at least to them. Let us take our students home."

"These whelps belong to you, do they?" Discord asked. "They have been interfering with my plans, therefore making them a problem I have to deal with."

"We want nothing to do with you," Harry said. "Trust us. We didn't ask for this fight, and we want nothing else but to go home."

"And our wands," Ron whispered.

"And our wands!" Harry added. "Look, we came here by mistake along with that Death Eater Rowle."

"Hold on," Hermione said. "What even happened to him?"
"Huh?" Harry asked. He looked around and noticed that Rowle was nowhere to be found. "Wait a minute…what happened to Rowle?"

"Oh, you mean this meatbag?" Discord asked, while Rowle suddenly appeared suspended in midair. "In all the chaos, you must have lost track of the poor fellow! He's been saying a lot of things about you three younglings. Much of it is not flattering. I almost don't want to repeat it aloud."

"Help me!" Rowle shouted. "This thing is crazy! You can restrain me, throw me in Azkaban, whatever. Just get me away from this freak!"

"Rowle, is it? You should learn to mind your manners. I'll have to wash your mouth out with soap." Suddenly, a bar of soap appeared and began scrubbing Rowle's mouth. He coughed, looking like he was barely able to breathe.

"After what he's done," Ginny quipped, "he deserves a little payback."

"That man, appaling as he is, has no more to do with you than our three students," Professor McGonagall bellowed again. "Allow him to return with us, give these students back their wands, and we will ask nothing further of you."

The soap bar disappeared. Rowle started coughing.

"Hmm…fine, I shall release this flesh-covered lout to you. I shall also return these foals of yours their wands. BUT…I want something in return."

"What more could you possibly want?" Twilight shouted. "You've got us all right where you want us."

"Yes, I do," Discord said, "and it would behoove you to stop antagonizing me, Twilight. Look, these fleshbags and I are attempting to barter. We both need to gain something of benefit in order for the transaction to be worthwhile. It's simple economics, really, and I'm surprised you didn't realize that, being the bookworm you are."

"Oh, dagnabbit!" Applejack shouted. "What do you want?"

"I want nothing, Applejack! That's why it's so hard to figure this out. What do you get the man who has everything?"

While Discord contemplated, Twilight trotted over to Professor McGonagall and muttered something in her ear.

"I have a proposition!" Professor McGonagall shouted. "This lovely unicorn has figured out what you want more than anything."

"Has she now?" Discord asked. "Because I don't even know what that is yet, so color me skeptical, but I can't imagine how Twilight could have possibly figured that out."

"You seek recognition," Professor McGonagall replied. "A declaration that you are the victor here. You seek that validation more than anything else, and you're just too proud to ask for it directly."

For a moment, there was no reply.

"He's stopped talking," Luna said. "Why?"

"I think he's considering what Professor McGonagall has proposed," Neville said.

Discord's body suddenly appeared, taking the four professors, Neville, Ginny, and Luna back a bit. He floated down to surface level, looking dumbfounded.

"Intriguing…" Professor Slughorn said.

"I think I've seen this creature in the Quibbler," Luna said. "He's a draconequus."

"Bless you," Harry said.

"I don't believe this," Discord said, his voice no longer bellowing through the air, instead coming in a soft whisper. "How did you manage to figure it out?"

"Because being validated is something we all want," Twilight said, "to feel like we're worth something. All this chaos, all these things you've done to our home, you just wanted someone to recognize that power. And we do, Discord, we do, but it needs to stop."

"I can't…" Discord muttered. "I don't want…I don't want to be imprisoned again."

"You put an end to this," Princess Celestia said. "Put Equestria back the way it was, and we can call this all off. You'll be free, and we'll be able to get our world back. I think that's a fair trade."

Discord continued to think about it. "Fine. I'll go along with that deal. Give me one second." With a snap of his fingers and a flash of light, Equestria was back to normal. Suddenly, the Vanishing Cabinet that had been in the Everfree Forest appeared. "This is how you humans got here, right?"

"Yes," Harry said.

"Well, I won't pretend to know how it works," Discord said, "but I think you should be able to step back through and return to wherever you came from."

"Thank you," Hermione said.

"Oh, and lest I forget," Discord said. After another finger snap, three wands appeared, the ones that belonged to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Discord also floated Rowle over to them. "I believe that's everything you came here with."

"We'd better go now," Neville said.

"Wait!" Pinkie Pie shouted. She started running over to them but suddenly fell into a traphole that had appeared out of nowhere.

"Oops!" Discord said. "Forgot to get rid of that traphole." He snapped his fingers again, and Pinkie Pie reappeared. "I was planning to use that later, but given the circumstances…"

"Let's go," Professor Sprout said to the other witches and wizards.

"Thank you!" Twilight said, as all the other ponies and Spike waved them goodbye.

"Farewell," Harry said. The wizards and witches then all stepped through the Vanishing Cabinet. After a few seconds, they reappeared in the Forbidden Forest, exactly where they had left. Waiting for them was none other than Draco Malfoy.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked.

"He helped us!" Neville said. "He reached out to our professors. The three of us, when we appeared, had no idea where you were. Then our professors joined us, and Professor Sprout was able to track down you three."

"Oh," Harry said. "Well…thank you, Mal…Draco."

"Don't mention it," Draco said. "Seriously, don't. I don't believe my father would have approved. Wait a minute…is that Rowle?"

"Yes," Hermione said. "He got caught up in all this, too."

"He's Azkaban bound," Professor McGonagall said.

Rowle said nothing to object, making Harry wonder what had happened to him when Discord had abducted him.

"So…I guess it's all over now," Ron said. "Hope those ponies are able to figure things out."

"Ponies?" Malfoy asked. "What are you on about, Weasley?"

"Never mind," Ron said.

With that, the students began walking back towards the castle grounds. Harry was relieved that the strange affair was over and hoped another new adventure wouldn't start anytime soon. After seven years of it, he felt he deserved a much-needed break.