In Applewood, Ocellus got the chance to play in a movie. And she received the starring role! Ocellus asked what character she would be playing. To her surprise ... she was going to play the big scary monster!

Even in Equestria, most monster movies were played by ponies in costume. And the movie sets were basically expensive sets of toys to destroy. But this movie would be different. For greater authenticity, the producer wanted to use the actual city as the movie set. And he wanted a real giant monster. This was to be the biggest-budget movie in the history of Equestria!

Smolder also got her big break. She was going to be the director! Smolder had always wanted to play in a monster movie. But she also dreamed of leading the production team -- especially if it meant she got to direct her best friends! And who was the screenwriter? It was none other than her big brother, Garble!

Ocellus asked, how could she become a giant monster? Two stories tall wouldn't be much of a problem, using her shapeshifting powers. But how was she going to make herself 50 stories tall -- or bigger? The producer told her to tap into her inner changeling -- combined with the magic of friendship. Ocellus tried this out. To her surprise ... she found herself reaching new heights that she'd never imagined before!

At first, Ocellus was shy about playing a real-life monster. Deep inside, she liked being a big scary monster. But she didn't want to be a bully. She wanted to be sure she would cause no major trouble. Smolder, too, wanted to be sure that it would be safe to destroy a real city. The producer actually allowed Ocellus to crush a house with him in it -- just to prove there was nothing to worry about.

Ocellus really likes her dragon persona. She's kind of shy about using it. But when she does, she feels much more confident. She feels much less fear of rejection. To destroy a real pony city -- and have millions of ponies celebrating it -- that was a wonderful feeling to her! As long as she loved making friends, she would have safe ways of cutting loose -- and showing her true power to put her foot down!

This production would also double as a Nightmare Night prank. This time, it would be the week after Nightmare Night -- for an added surprise.

Who was this strange producer? As it turned out ... he was Discord in disguise ... and he was backed by Princesses Celestia and Luna!

Art by Rai-Kun. Color and contrast slightly edited by me.