Connor Lacey's Adventures of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - To Where and Back Again

Connor Lacey's Adventures of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - To Where and Back Again is the 142nd-143rd episode of Connor Lacey's Adventures of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

Plot
At the Castle of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle, Starlight Glimmer, and Spike carry some old boxes of books into storage. When Twilight thanks the two for their help, Starlight conveys her own thanks to Twilight for all she has taught her about the magic of friendship. As Twilight expresses how proud she is to call Starlight her pupil, Spike looks out the castle window and sees something approaching from the sky. Moments later, mailpony Derpy comes crashing in.

She delivers a letter to Starlight Glimmer from her old village. Twilight and Spike believe the town is in danger or upset with Starlight, but Starlight says it is much worse: They've invited her to the annual Sunset Festival!

The next day, Starlight travels to her old village, where Double Diamond, Party Favor, Night Glider, Sugar Belle, and the other villagers have decorated for the Sunset Festival. When Starlight greets them, they cruelly turn her away and tear up her festival invitation. As the villagers start to laugh at her, Starlight shuts her eyes. When she reopens them, day has turned to night, and everyone around her has vanished. Just then, Princess Luna appears through the fog and reveals that Starlight is only having a dream.

Realizing she is more nervous about the festival than she thought, Starlight asks Luna what she should do. Luna tells Starlight that the Mane Six have helped her time and time again and suggests that she share her concerns with them.

When in doubt, count on a great and powerful friend. The next morning, the Mane Six and Spike are gathered in the castle throne room, and Starlight confides in them her worries about going to the Sunset Festival, questioning how much they have truly forgiven her and how much she has really changed. The ponies assure Starlight that she has changed for the better and that she would not have been invited to the Sunset Festival if the villagers did not believe the same.

Twilight suggests that Starlight bring a friend along to help make things easier. Though Twilight subtly hints that Starlight bring her along, Starlight instead chooses to bring along Trixie, much to Trixie's delight and Twilight's disappointment.

Starlight fears falling back into her old leadership role. Some time later, Starlight and Trixie arrive on the outskirts of Starlight's old village. Starlight hopes to enjoy the festival without attracting too much attention, and Trixie promises to drag her out of there if she gets too uncomfortable. As they enter the town, the villagers greet Starlight much more positively than they did in her nightmare. However, they quickly overwhelm her with questions about where she is living and how long she will be staying.

Surrounded by ponies on all sides, the panicked Starlight pushes them away with a magical force field and cowers to the ground in fear. Recognizing her friend's discomfort, Trixie spirits them away from the town with a smoke bomb. As they return to Ponyville, Starlight feels ashamed about how she left, but Trixie tells her that everyone makes mistakes—even Trixie herself.

Something's rotten in the town of Ponyville... Back in Ponyville, Starlight Glimmer meets up with some of her friends, but she notices them acting strangely: Pinkie Pie does not know Starlight's name or where she went, Applejack and Rarity laugh at her misfortune, and Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy whisper to the others in secret. When she goes to speak to Twilight about it at the castle, Spike almost refuses her entry, and when she explains to Twilight what happened at the village, Twilight advises her to "cut her losses" and never go back there. Starlight is considerably surprised to hear such advice from the princess of friendship.

That night, Starlight Glimmer has another dream about her old village. The villagers she encounters all ignore her, and Twilight appears with her friends to harshly scold Starlight for disobeying her orders. As Starlight senses there is something wrong, the Mane Six vanish into thin air. Princess Luna appears out of the moon, but something appears to hold her back. She informs Starlight Glimmer that the changelings have returned and captured her and Princess Celestia. She tells Starlight to find help but to also be careful of who she trusts. As Luna is detained by the changelings, Starlight is forcibly awakened from her dream.

Changelings take control of the Castle of Friendship. Starlight sneaks out of the castle and goes to wake up Trixie in her nearby cart. After determining that Trixie is not a changeling herself, Starlight brings her up to speed on the situation. They sneak back to the castle and find the Mane Six and Spike—changelings in disguise—in the throne room using a magical scarab beetle array to communicate with Queen Chrysalis. The changeling drones report to their queen they have taken the Mane Six's places and seized control of the castle. Chrysalis reports that Celestia and Luna have also been replaced in Canterlot.

Having thought too small the last time she attempted to take over Equestria, Chrysalis has organized a systematic capture of all of the most important ponies in the land, leaving no one left to stop the changelings from taking over. When their communication ends, Starlight nearly gives herself and Trixie away with a creak in the throne room doorway, but they avoid being discovered with Starlight's invisibility spell.

Starlight teleports herself and Trixie back to Trixie's wagon, and Trixie feels unqualified to deal with such a situation as a changeling invasion. With Twilight, Celestia, and Luna captured, Starlight suggests seeking the help of Princess Cadance and Shining Armor in the Crystal Empire, but Thorax appears to inform them that Cadance, Shining Armor, and Flurry Heart have all been taken prisoner as well.

Trixie and Thorax look to Starlight Glimmer for guidance, but Starlight is unsure of what to do. As they are certain there is no one around with powerful magic to help them, Discord appears.

After determining that Discord isn't a changeling, Starlight informs him that the Mane Six and all of the royals of Equestria have been taken prisoner. Discord is furious to learn that Fluttershy has been taken, and he transports the four of them to the outskirts of the Changeling Kingdom, where Queen Chrysalis' castle lies.

On the outskirts of the Changeling Kingdom, Discord is confused as to why he and his allies didn't instantly teleport to Fluttershy's location. Before Thorax can explain or Starlight Glimmer can make a plan, Discord attempts to storm the changeling castle on the back of a flying pig, but as soon as he breaches the changelings' perimeter, his magic fades away. Thorax explains that Queen Chrysalis' throne is carved from ancient dark stone that soaks up all non-changeling magic, rendering Starlight, Trixie, and Discord virtually powerless.

As before, Starlight's friends look to her for guidance, despite her discomfort being in a leadership role. Hesitantly, she makes a plan for them to infiltrate the hive, destroy the throne, and regain their magic. On their way to the hive, Discord and Trixie squabble. Starlight suggests they come up with a way to identify each other in case they get separated, like a secret code. After Discord trips over a rock, Trixie comes up with the code phrase "klutzy draconequus", much to Discord's chagrin.

Inside the hive, Starlight, Discord, and Trixie find the inner layout to have a constantly shifting geography; chamber doorways are always opening and closing in random locations, and only changelings are able to navigate it. As Starlight and her friends traverse the inner workings of the hive, Starlight is unsure how they will even destroy the throne when they find it, and Discord and Trixie continue to argue. Starlight is barely able to keep it together being thrust into her role as leader, and the situation is made worse when they become lost in the hive in spite of Thorax's navigation. As Trixie gives up hope, she asks Thorax about changelings' feeding habits, and Thorax explains that he hasn't been hungry since meeting Spike, despite the fact that changelings are always hungry. He also explains that, since becoming friends with the Crystal Ponies, he has disregarded his usual feeding habits, and his wings became embedded with crystal.

When Discord loudly announces his intention to save Fluttershy, he attracts the attention of a changeling patrol. Starlight Glimmer comes up with the idea of Thorax disguising himself as Trixie and evading the changelings with smoke bombs. After giving them the slip, Starlight expands her plan further by following some of the changelings to Chrysalis' throne room.

Starlight and her friends follow the changelings to Chrysalis' inner sanctum, but with the hive now on high alert, the entrance is heavily guarded. Trixie is out of smoke bombs, so Discord distracts the changeling guards with stand-up comedy. The changelings chase after him, allowing Starlight, Trixie, and Thorax to enter the inner sanctum.

Discord eventually eludes the changelings in a cocoon nursery, and he reunites with Fluttershy, sobbing with her tail caught under a rock. Fluttershy is overjoyed to see Discord, but Discord immediately recognizes this to be a trap. As Fluttershy continues to cry, numerous crying Fluttershy duplicates appear, and Discord is left wondering if one of them is the real Fluttershy. Starlight, Trixie, and Thorax wait for Discord to return, but Trixie believes he might have been captured, and Thorax suggests they move on toward the throne room. Just then, Discord appears to regroup with his friends and says he learned from the changelings where the throne room is. However, he doesn't recognize their "klutzy draconequus" code phrase, and the others immediately realize he's a changeling.

As "Discord" leads his friends down the left path at a fork in the road, Thorax warns that he's leading them into an ambush. Trixie volunteers to distract the changeling while Starlight and Thorax find the throne, but Starlight is unsure of moving on without her best friend. Trixie assures Starlight that, even without magic, she has been an excellent leader thus far. After Trixie distracts "Discord" with a magic trick that binds their wrists together, Starlight and Thorax escape, leaving Trixie to be captured by the waiting swarm.

As Starlight and Thorax continue running from the changelings, they split up in order to avoid capture. Eventually, Starlight finds her way into Chrysalis' throne room and discovers the throne – as well as all of her friends trapped in cocoons on the ceiling. Unfortunately, Chrysalis had been waiting for Starlight to arrive, and the changelings come out of hiding to restrain her.

Chrysalis brags that she thought so little of Starlight that she didn't bother replacing her with one of her changeling drones. With all of the most important and powerful ponies in Equestria captured, Chrysalis is certain of her victory. However, Starlight reminds her of Thorax, and Chrysalis angrily tells her not to mention the "traitor". As Chrysalis threatens to teach Thorax a lesson for betraying the hive, Starlight's eyes glimmer with a blue light, and Chrysalis realizes that Thorax has been in front of her the whole time. Meanwhile, Starlight herself attempts to break the throne, but she is caught in the act and forced to take shelter from Chrysalis' attacks inside the hollow throne. Despite this development, Chrysalis remarks that everything has gone according to her plan to harvest all the love in Equestria and feed her hive for generations.

Remembering Thorax's crystallized wings and satisfied hunger, Starlight proposes to Chrysalis that she and her changelings don't have to take others' love by force. Chrysalis dismisses this notion, stating that changeling hunger can never be satisfied. Starlight explains that ever since Thorax made friends and started sharing love, he hasn't needed to feed as often as changelings usually do.

Starlight's words start to reach the changeling drones, but Chrysalis is still dismissive of the claims of a "mewling grub". Despite her powerlessness, Starlight confronts Chrysalis directly, understanding what it's like to lead through fear and intimidation.

Ignoring Starlight's words, Chrysalis starts to drain the love that Thorax gained from the Crystal Ponies. Thorax is unable to hold onto the love inside him, so Starlight tells him to share it with Chrysalis willingly. This creates a tremendous burst of light that blows Chrysalis away and transforms Thorax into a new form of changeling: he is now taller with a green coat, orange pincers, and luminescent wings, and the holes in his hooves have been healed.

The other changelings follow Thorax's example of sharing love and take on similar, colorful forms. The resulting magical energy causes Chrysalis' throne to explode, and the ponies that the changelings captured are all freed. As Princess Luna commends Starlight on her accomplishment, Chrysalis emerges from the rubble. Starlight Glimmer stands before her again, telling her that she can be a leader her subjects deserve, and offers her hoof in friendship. However, Chrysalis rejects Starlight's offering and swears absolute revenge upon her before flying away.

With Chrysalis' abandonment of her kingdom, Thorax is declared the changelings' new ruler, and Princess Celestia looks forward to improving relationship between ponies and changelings. Discord proposes a tea celebration at Fluttershy's Cottage, but Starlight Glimmer has a better idea.

Starlight returns to her old village, and Double Diamond and Party Favor are surprised to see her again after the way she left just recently. Starlight expresses how much she has changed since she first founded the village and how comfortable she is being a more positive and listening leader. With that in mind, she offers to help oversee the remainder of the Sunset Festival and asks to allow her other friends to join, to which the villagers happily agree.

As the ponies join in the festival, Discord and Trixie reconcile after their earlier arguing, and Discord even offers to incorporate some of his chaos powers into her magic act.

Taking Trixie at her literal word, Discord conjures up a pair of untamed flying pigs, and he and Trixie go flying down the street, much to the confusion of the Mane Six and Spike.