//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: DragonFeather // by Senyu //------------------------------// Shivering and covered in seaweed, everyone collectively shouted, “Discord!” “It’s me!” Discord triumphantly cried. Waving his arms upwards, his scuba gear vanished and behind him appeared a giant yellow star. “Yes, it’s true, I’m finally here! You can all applaud now.” “Discord,” Twilight snarled, doing her best to ignore a starfish sticking to the side of her face. “Or keep saying my name,” he cheerfully replied. “That will suffice as well.” Twilight’s eye twitched under her drenched bangs. “FIX THIS RIGHT NOW!” “Right now? Well, if you say so.” Discord vanished, and reappeared next to Rainbow Dash. Wrapping his arm around her as she jerked away, he pulled her in close and whispered, “You see, Rainbow Dash, the truth of your problem is that you can’t-” “THE LIBRARY!” Twilight screamed. Discord tilted his head, puzzled, before slapping his forehead. “Oh, you meant the library. Oh, oh-hah hah! How silly of me. One second.” Detaching himself from Rainbow Dash, he snapped his fingers, and everything was back to normal. Or at least, as normal as any room with Discord in it could be. Twilight looked around skeptically, calming down upon that everything seemed to be in its proper place. Aside from the rubber duck sitting atop the highest bookshelf, which she ignored as best she could. Reluctantly, she pried her eyes away from Discord’s not-so-subtle snickering and took a deep, calming breath. Seeing their books drenched in seawater had been more painful than Twilight and Ruby expected, triggering an unexpected negative feedback loop at their shared plight. “Yes, it’s quite dangerous you know, negative feedback loops and such.“ Twilight nodded quietly, flicking her ear in response seconds later. “Why, I think you might be onto something,” Discord said, raising his eyebrow curiously. “Whatever gave you that idea?” Silence filled the room, and shortly, Twilight spoke, “Well how was I supposed to know you’d react the same way!” Twilight’s ear twitched, and she frowned. “Well, that’s…” Discord chuckled, and leaned forward, propping his elbows on thin air as if it was a counter top. “How perceptive of you. Do you know how many ponies never figure that out?” “Wait, she’s right!?” Twilight replied in disbelief. Applejack, Spike, and Rainbow Dash stood dumbfounded as they continued to watch Twilight and Discord act as if a third pony was a part of their conversation. But after they reflected on the notion for a moment, it became rather obvious. “Uh, Twilight?” Spike asked. “Are both of you talking to Ruby?” Twilight looked to Spike, blinked twice, and turned back to Discord. A light bulb appeared over Twilight’s head, clicking on the moment Twilight’s pupils became pin pricks from the realization. “You can hear her?” Twilight squeaked. “Of course I can hear her,” Discord responded, looking somewhat offended. “I’m Discord, Spirit of Chaos, remember? Or did you just happen to forget about me during your little adventure.” Crossing his arms and half turning away, Discord snubbed Twilight. “Clearly my invitation was lost in the mail. Or perhaps you just didn’t think I liked to have fun, too. Becoming a vampony princess, losing your memories, playing wingsy with a thousand year old vampony king who’d finally let me mark the last box of my OTP bingo scorecard. Oh, and you can’t forget about joining a revolution plotting to overthrow Celestia and Luna.” Discord brought a finger to his chin. “Although, that last one does sound pretty fun. Would you be interested in starting a coup?” “Are... You... KIDDING ME?” Twilight screamed, staring daggers with her crimson eyes. “You think what I went through is some kind of joke?” Discord gave a low chuckle as he fell over and floated upwards. “Come now, Twilight. I’m only teasing. If it makes you feel better, I only caught the highlights. By the way, the part where you became two ponies was my favorite. Tricky move, really. You’d be surprised how long it took me to figure it out.” “You could see me?” Twilight deadpanned. “Don’t misunderstand,” Discord replied before yawning widely. Grabbing his tail, he began using its fluffy end to file his nails. “A Draconequus such as myself needs riveting drama whenever I have to pass the time. Doesn’t matter who it is, though, as long as it’s exciting.” After inspecting his trimmed thumbnail, he gave a satisfied nod, and then flashed Twilight a thumbs up. Winking his eye, he took on an excited baseball coach’s voice. “It was touch and go there a few times, but you pulled through. You stopped yet another ancient evil, all while rescuing the entire bat ponies race at the same time! Congratulations, you’ve simply outdone yourself this time. You truly are one of my best friends.” “A real friend would have told Celestia or Luna where I was,” Twilight growled. “Tut-tut, if things were so simple,” Discord replied. “While I do hate to admit it, even I can’t do everything. Though, it’s never stopped me from trying.” Snapping his fingers, a checklist appeared in front of Discord. Reaching up, he snapped off a piece of his horn and used it to mark off an item on the list. The words ‘Blue Ocean Paint’ now had a black line through them, while the item below it was ‘Red Ocean Paint’, and so on in other various colors. Snapping his fingers again, the list vanished, his horn reattached to his head, and he turned back to Twilight. “Still, everything turned out well enough in the end, wouldn’t you agree?” Discord asked cheerfully. “Why didn’t you tell Celestia and Luna where I was?” Twilight pressed. “Alright, alright. Fine, I guess I’ll explain,” he grumbled while using air quotes. “But it’ll be on my terms.” With a snap of his fingers, the library was flooded once again, though there was no sea life this time. Twilight’s horn flared with magic. “Oh relax,” Discord remarked, now leisurely floating above them. “Your precious books are perfectly fine.” Twilight snorted at him before wading through the water towards one of her shelves. When she reached it, it was just as Discord said. The water stopped just shy of the bookshelves, leaving a perfectly dry space that was far too small for Twilight to stand in. Twilight blew at her bangs in frustration. “Ahem,” Discord said, and he pointed down. Beneath him was a blob of colors, swirling around like shapeless entities that had the consistency of gloop. With a waggle from his eyebrows, the blob expanded, and then exploded in the water, sending streaks of paint that jetted out all across the library’s flooded floor. Everypony jumped in response to the oncoming streams of colors, but the paint dissipated harmlessly before it reached them. “Water colors,” Discord said in amusement. “Such an odd name for paint.” The library floor was now a mirrored surface of shifting colors, clouding and needling in ways that only waves could, and slowly within its murky depths appeared something everypony began to recognize. Spanning the entire length of the library in knee high water, was a miles-high aerial view of Equestria. “Woah,” Spike said in awe. He raised his arms up as the water rested just below his shoulders. A smile appeared on his face as he looked at the ground that seemed so far down, and he felt weightless for a moment. “You can see everything.” “Uh…” Twilight, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash said at the same time. While what Spike said was true, it wasn’t exactly Equestria as it looked, but rather a crude and yet oddly lifelike replica of Equestria done like a child’s drawing in arts and crafts. Although, as they stared, they noticed a group of figures drawn in crayon standing like giants over Ponyville. Their rough-outlined forms towered over the library, but the girls and Spike quickly pieced together their meaning, understanding that the figures represented themselves but in larger size so that they could could be seen from an aerial view. Following this line of logic, their eyes trailed northward to Canterlot, and they saw a pair of white and dark blue stick figures facing one another. “Ahem,” Discord said again, and everypony looked east. At the edges of the realistic map flew a red figure, which also happened to be heading in the direction of the library’s kitchen. The figure was high in the air, skimming between the ocean beneath it and the northern adjacent mountains looming over the shore. “Gale!” Twilight exclaimed, bounding through the water until she stood beside it. Peering through the ripples that stilled more quickly than they should have, Twilight examined the red drawing. The map’s colors were disturbed from her movements, but they too reformed, and Twilight noted Gale’s position. Interestingly the figure appeared to be in pony form. “It looks like he’s still moving towards the Celestial Sea,” she said aloud. Looking over her shoulder, she asked Discord, “Is this happening right now?” “Naturally,” he replied. “So he’s not in dragon form,” Twilight concluded. Her eyes darted back and forth as she and Ruby discussed and digested this nugget of information, already preparing more letters to send to Canterlot. Twilight then nodded and stepped towards the mountains, picking a particularly shaped jagged peak. Then, with precise steps, she counted to herself as she walked back to Equestria’s borders. Stopping at Manehattan, the nearest city from Gale, she let out a ‘tsk, and turned to Discord in annoyance. “The distances are wrong.” Discord simply shrugged. “Who are they?” Spike asked. Motioning to Vanhoover on the western side of Equestria, where two more figures could be seen, one white and the other yellow. “That’s Tailwind and Breezy Lace” Discord answered happily. “Just a couple of friends I made this morning.” Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and Spike flashed each other a surprised look, recalling the two names from the reports they had read only earlier this morning. Twilight narrowed her eyes. “You’ve meet some of the other drakes?” “Just the new ones. Nice bunch, really.” Discord then drew their attention to another figure, brown and standing south of Ponyville in the tiny town of Dodge City. “Dust Cloud is a stoic one, but I think I can get him to crack in time. Imagine, a stallion that doesn’t react when a giant bird falls out of his egg.” He twirled his tail thoughtfully. “I’m going to have to spend some time on him, it seems.” Twilight was clearly concerned by this turn of events, while Rainbow Dash seemed more nervous than concerned. “How, uh…” she asked. “How are they handling being... you know.” “Drakes? Quite well, it seems. Why, one of them is even already flying with their new wings.” Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened, looking quite shocked. “Flying? Like flying flying?” “Yes, Sea Drop. Fascinating pegasus. In fact, I was just visiting with her before I came over here to see you.” “That can’t be right,” Twilight said as she walked to Rainbow Dash’s side. “Only four ponies have been turned into drakes so far, and none of them are named Sea Drop.” Discord waggled his finger like a manager to an employee cleaning the floor. “Looks like you missed one, then. But, let’s not forget the real important matter here. ” He floated upwards and threw confetti. Joyously, he announced, “Now that I’ve said said hello to Rainbow Dash, I’ve completed my friendly neighbor task of welcoming the new millennials! I think I’m getting better at this ‘making friends’ endeavour, wouldn’t you say?” “Millennials?” Rainbow Dash asked. “What the hay are you talking about? And who-” “Didn’t you know?” Discord interjected. Swishing over to her, he stopped within inches of her face with a celebratory expression. “You’re going to live for over a thousand years! That’s right! Just one of the perks of being a drake.” “I’m what!?” Rainbow Dash screamed. Discord turned and slyly smiled at Twilight. “Sounds like somepony didn't finish her syllabus in time, did she? What’s the matter, Twilight? Can’t tell her unless you’re reading it from a slideshow? I believe you’ve listed it as Item five on the agenda?” “Item four,” Twilight corrected with mounting frustration, so much so that one of her eyes was twitching. However, in the span of a heartbeat, her infuriated demeanor turned into one of supernatural calm, as if some parts of her inside had suddenly been turned off. The eerie effect lasted only a moment, and when it ended she looked livelier and even slightly more relaxed than she had moments earlier. Twilight faced Rainbow Dash. “There are more things about drakes that I want to tell you, and... I thought it was best if I told all of you together.” Twilight shamefully averted her eyes. “I figured that… it would be best if you all figured it out together, you know, since you’re all going through the same thing.” Rainbow Dash looked hesitant in her reply, eventually asking, “Are you sure that’s the reason why you’re bringing them all here?” “Yes,” Twilight answered, calm and collected as always. Discord hummed happily, appearing excited by an idea. “I simply can’t wait,” he chimed. “What? Why?” Twilight snapped back, frowning in concern as she marched towards him. Her ears were pricked upwards and she flicked her wings in agitation. “What are you planning?” Discord pulled a feathered hat from nowhere, and sullenly pressed it against his chest as he bowed shamefully. “You wound me, Twilight,” he said. “Even though I survived my frightening, perilous, and royally sanctioned journey into the after realm, you still can’t trust me, can you?” He then twirled his hat upwards and landed it upon his head. Tilting the lid down, he grinned beneath it ominously. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Twilight’s eyes widened from a mixture of shock and awe at the single most important thing he had said in that sentence. “You were in the after realm?” “The very one.” “How did you-” “Spirit of Chaos, remember? Spike gulped. “Wait, then does that mean you’re a ghost?” “You’d have to be alive first in order to become a ghost,” Discord replied. “Although, I really should give it a try sometime.” “Why were you there? How did you get there?” Twilight exclaimed. “I was looking for an old acquaintance of mine,” he began in a carefree mood. “Celestia and Luna were wondering where she might be, and they asked if I could find her for them. Given that I’m the only one around here that could do the job, I thought I’d give it a go.” Discord placed his palm over his cheek as he thought aloud, “Oh Fluttershy, why is making friends so hard? There’s just so many things you have to do.” Shivering from the sensation, each pony made an unspoken agreement not to comment on or acknowledge the fact that those last words were heard as if they were thoughts inside their own heads. “But…” Discord said audibly in a wistful voice. “No matter where I looked, no matter which crook, crevice, rift, or portal I searched, I couldn’t find her.” He stared at nothing in particular as he contemplated this peculiar fact. “So I thought, ‘why not check the anchor points’, and so I did. Normally, her excursions are quite messy, and so what do I find? Nothing! Zip, zero, nadda. Not a single sign of passing from either side. It’s the darndest thing.” Discord fell up and began pacing about thoughtfully on the ceiling, which was quite dry much to everypony’s annoyance. “Though, I suppose I could have told Celestia and Luna that it’d turn out like this. After all, I only left the after realm in the first place because she disappeared.” He turned to everypony. “Which was why I came here, just those short thousand years ago, and we all know how that song and dance played out.” “Who is this pony?” Twilight asked, walking closer in curiosity. Discord floated down, righting himself as he said, “I’m surprised you haven’t heard of her. She’s about your height, has zero body fat, and just has the most lovely colored bones.” The hairs on Twilight’s neck shot up. “You were looking for Thistle Bell?” “Oh, so you have heard of her?” he replied while nodding in approval. “She’s quite fun, you know. Always cursing my name, always coming up with something clever in response to my chaos. Did you know she invented wendigos? Ahhh, how chaotic those memories are.” Discord let out a sigh in reminiscence. “Good times.” When no pony replied, Discord curiously turned his head over, and saw the four of them staring at him as if he was mad. “You all seem a bit tense lately,” he commented. “Is it the dragon?” “There are a lot of questions I need to ask you right now,” Twilight stated. “But first, I need to know, there’s a good reason why Celestia and Luna asked you to look for Thistle Bell, right?” “That’s right.” “And that reason would be?” “They wanted to know if she was in the after realm.” “Yes, I know that, but why did they want to know if she was in the after realm?” “I don’t know, I never asked.” “Why didn’t you ask?” Twilight said, exasperated. To everyone’s surprise, Discord dropped from his floating position and splashed into the water. He still stood straight, and after a polite cough, his clasped hands together and blinked his suddenly long and full eyelashes that sparkled in the light. With a mockingly high pitched voice, he pleaded, “Oh, Discord, why can’t you just tell me everything? Why would I ever figure it out for myself? Why why why?” Twilight glared at him with visibly restrained fury. Dropping the charade, Discord placed a hand on his hip and gave her an annoyed glare. “That’s you. That’s what you sound like.” “Is all of this just a big joke for you?” Twilight snided. He genuinely grinned. “Only the biggest.” Twilight’s pupils shrank as she gnashed her teeth. Having enough of the matter entirely, Applejack sloshed towards Twilight and placed a reassuring hoof over her back. “Easy, Twalight. He’s just trying to get you riled up is all.” Turning her head to Discord, she asked in hostile tone, “If you ain’t here to answer questions then why are you here?” “Can’t a draconequus simply pop in and say hello?” he innocently replied. Applejack raised her eyebrow. Discord placed a hand on his chest. “Honestly, it’s true. After all, it’s only fitting to welcome new neighbors in this itty bitty world.” “Ah doubt that,” she replied. Discord rolled his eyes. “Fine then, if I were to be honest…” He then locked eyes with Applejack, and his eyebrows furrowed tightly. Applejack leaned back, unsure and uncomfortable at the sudden focus. Yet, when she opened her mouth to ask what he was up to, she paused, and a thin smile appeared on her face. She stepped away from Twilight,  flicking her golden locks playfully. “If Ah were to be honest,” she said. “Ah guess Ah’d say Ah’m here to help.” Discord shouted horror, stumbling down into the water and splashing about haphazardly. His limbs flailed about in an uncoordinated fashion. “What’s happening!? Where’d my hooves go?” Somehow managing to stabilize himself on all fours, he looked to Twilight in panic. “Twilight, I don’t like this!” Twilight’s horn erupted in magic, and at the same time, Rainbow Dash flared her wings open. Together, they bared their fangs as they snarled, “DISCORD!” Smiling with Applejack’s face, he simply snickered in amusement. Twilight surrounded his body with telekinetic magic, restricting his movement nothing but the mouth to allow breathing. And yet, still he smiled. “Fix her, now,” Twilight growled. “If you insist,” he replied, and he opened his mouth. His tongue split apart into two digits, and together they produced an audible snap. In a flash of light, Applejack was back to normal, though still lying where she had fallen while in Discord’s guise. Discord, on the other hoof, still appeared as Applejack, and was now leisurely laying down on one of the library’s couches a short distance from them all. Conveniently, the water stopped right at the cushion’s edge instead of spilling over and onto it like it did to the other couches. “See? No harm done,” Discord said, still speaking in Applejack’s voice. “No harm done!?” Applejack exclaimed. “How in Equestria what that no harm done?” “What’s the matter, sugarcube,” Discord said, drawing out her accent as far as he could. “Can’t handle a little fun? Everypony is doing it, after all.” Applejack glared daggers at him. “It was just a simple mix of teleportation and low transformation, that’s all,” Discord replied, giggling softly at them. “Honestly, ya’ll could figure it out for yourselves if you just applied yourselves. But if’n ya’ll’re still confused about it more than a pig shucking corn at a rooster from the barn roof, then all you need to know is that Ah didn’t actually swap bodies with Applejack. Do you know why Ah didn’t actually swap bodies with her, Twalight?” “Because it’s dangerous?” Twilight managed to reply between her clenched teeth. She and Rainbow Dash stood as an impromptu shield in front of Discord while Spike helped Applejack stand back up. Discord stopped smiling, and his voice returned as he answered, “Because it’s too powerful.” Letting his blonde mane hang across his face, he dipped his orange hoof into the water, seemingly musing over the water’s wetness while he spoke. “Mortal generally can’t handle magic like this, it’s simply too consuming and too powerful. And the fact that it can be so easy to do is also troubling. You think vamponies and drakes are special? Probably didn’t know they weren’t the only kinds of magic being used to try to pull the same stunt off, huh? They’re just lucky they were one of the few magics that ponies could actually live through. Also, fun fact about transformation magic, ponies couldn’t survive being turned into stone, but I digress.” Discord looked to Twilight, which was rather unnerving for her given that he still wore Applejack’s face, and even more strangely, while talking about ancient high level transformation magic history. “If I had actually swapped bodies with Applejack, she might as well have been dead both here and in the after realm. But then again, maybe she would have been just fine.” Chuckling, he gave a coy smile to Twilight and Rainbow Dash. “After all, you two seemed to have managed. Even Rarity went through her own ordeal, though, I suppose hers hardly counts in this matter. Strange how so many ponies seem to be handling things so well these days.” Snuggling against the couch, Discord nonchalantly waved a hoof in girls’ direction. “But strange or not, if you keep things up like this, you aren’t always going to have your happy endings when dealing with this sort of magic. Eventually, it will go wrong. It always does.” He focused entirely on Twilight as he finished, “I doubt all the elements would be as lucky as you two.” Twilight’s heart tugged at her chest, and she found no words to reply with. Rainbow Dash, however, stamped forward, causing the water to splash around her. “If you’re here to help then why aren’t you doing it? What’s stopping you from snapping your fingers and turning me back to normal, huh?” “Because that’s not why I came here,” he answered. Standing up on the couch, Discord slowly morphed back into draconequus form, and then began stretching his limbs out as if they were sore. Once his horns popped out of his head, he shook out the last bit of orange. “Phew, being honest like that really wears you out.” “Well?” Rainbow Dash asked. Sighing, he asked sardonically, “You really want me to snap my fingers and fix you?” Rainbow Dash’s chest fluttered, and she hesitantly hoped for a moment. “Can you?” she asked. A mad grin appeared on Discord’s face. “Let’s find out!” he declared, and he snapped his fingers. A white light engulfed Rainbow Dash, and when it cleared a second later, Twilight, Applejack, and Spike gasped at what they saw. Rainbow Dash’s wings were back to normal, feathered and petite unlike her draconic wings moments ago. She froze at their familiar rustle, their nostalgic softness that felt each wisp of air. A shuddered cry escaped her mouth as she nearly stumbled, overwhelmed by the sudden restoration. Turning her head, a tear fell at seeing her blue feathers again. “I must say, not bad for my first try,” Discord spoke, rubbing his chin as he admired his handiwork. “They’re back,” Rainbow Dash choked. Falling onto her back legs in the water, she wrapped her wings around herself as far as they could go, making a soft blanket of feathers in which to lay her head in as she tucked it towards her chest. The gentle tickles of the soft edges, and the sleek firmness of the quills made everything begin to feel right again. Even her teeth were back to normal, flat and smooth without a hint of a point. She let out a joyful cry, holding her wings with returned hoped. “Discord,” Twilight breathed, completely taken aback by the scene. She too was crying, and she spoke in wonder. “You… You changed her back.” She turned to him with a newfound look of admiration. “You actually changed her back. I… I can’t believe it.” “Then don’t,” he replied flatly. His face was devoid of charm, humor, and mischief while he watched Rainbow Dash. He was stoic, and patiently waiting. Twilight was puzzled by this at first, but she soon gasped in worry, turning back to Rainbow Dash in fear. Rainbow Dash hadn’t heard a word between them. She was far too preoccupied by something she thought she would never have again, and she felt awesome for it. That feeling was short lived. Rainbow Dash suddenly stiffened as she felt a prick in her mouth, and she felt as if a pit formed in her gut. She gasped fearfully, and prodded the tooth that had so recently been a fang, finding a short but sharp tip. Worse, it was growing larger by the second. “No,” she whispered, clinging tightly to her wings as if they might be stolen away. Her declarations soon became pleas as aches appeared over her body. “No... No, no, no, no!” The first feather fell, and others followed promptly. Rainbow Dash screamed and frantically grabbed at them, trying to catch them and stuff them back as more slipped away. Little snips and snaps could be heard echoing across the still water and deathly silent library as feather after feather fell like leaves from a dead tree. “No, stop! Stop! Please! Don’t- UUAARGH!” Rainbow Dash then screamed, overtaken by sudden pain as flesh and bone warped, revealing a blue and tough leathery hide beneath the patchwork of missing feathers. Skin split, blood spilled out, and more feathers continued to fall. Everypony heard a terrible snapping as bones and muscle were shattered, regrown, and split again. The straining and knotting of muscle growing and tightening could be heard, like rope becoming taut as her shoulders packed on size for the large wings emerging from her tattered pegasi wings. With a terrible ripping noise, her thumb hook claw at the apex of her wing burst forth, leaving bits of her previous wings to tear like cloth. Blood fell in the water, staining the sky above the watered aerial view of Equestria in red, coloring the clouds like fire. Rainbow Dash’s pupils shrank at seeing this, and her body froze at the sight of a cloud raging across the sky, trailing embers of fire. Then, the map’s magical enchantments kicked in, and scene was back to normal. However, blue feathers with speckles of red floated around her. Mouth hanging open and revealing her fangs, Rainbow Dash sobbed at the grisly pile of bits littering the water around her. Her ears were pressed flat, her vision blurred by tears, and she quietly sobbed at what once was. “Discord,” Twilight said quietly, pain and anger clear in her voice as tears fell from her cheeks. “Yes?” Discord asked, equally quiet and without humor. “Take it all away. Now.” A white light filled the library, and every drop of water, speck of blood, and feather was gone. Rainbow Dash gasped as everything vanished from her. “Come back,” she said, pawing where a feather had been just moments ago. The ache in her back had lessened somewhat after Discord’s magic, but the pain was still there, and her blue draconic wings hung limply at her sides. “Please, come back,” she asked between sobs. “Come back…” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The guest room on the second floor of the library remained dark, thanks to the thick curtains shutting out the afternoon sun. The door to the room opened, allowing a beam of light to rest upon the bed facing the adjacent wall. Twilight entered, stepping unusually noisily as she took great care in levitating Rainbow Dash’s unconscious body through the doorway. Having been strained both physically and emotionally, Rainbow Dash had fallen comatose, and she hung limply as Twilight brought her to the bed. Twilight laid Rainbow Dash belly down over the blankets, ensuring that her draconic wings were comfortably spread out across the mattress. To Twilight’s surprise, Rainbow Dash groaned at the touch of the soft bed, but did nothing more. Twilight sighed and used her hoof to brush Rainbow Dash’s bang. “Today hasn’t been too good for you, has it?” she asked softly. Rainbow Dash’s back slowly rose up and down, though Twilight could hardly hear her breathing. Leaning closer, she heard how laborious Rainbow Dash’s tiny breaths were. A noise escaped Twilight’s mouth as she shuddered. “I’m sorry, Rainbow… I should have been more careful. Instead, I let you get hurt and now I… I… I’m worried I messed you up more and made things worse and- I- I-” Twilight squeezed her eyes shut, took several deep breaths, and exhaled. It took some time to calm down, but she eventually wiped her eyes and gave a hollow smile. “I… I’m sorry, Rainbow. I’m going to do better now. And I promise… I won’t let you go through what I had to.” Rainbow Dash didn’t reply, and Twilight was embarrassed to admit she was relieved by that. “After all,” she said, looking to Rainbow Dash more sweetly, and yet, with even more concern. “We’re going to be together a lot now, once I get back. Like a pony once said to me, ‘You're one of the few ponies who can follow me through time now’...  I didn’t know how much that would mean to me, until now.” Twilight patted Rainbow Dash gently, and went to exit the room. As she reached the door, she paused to take one last look at Rainbow Dash. Twilight’s eyes narrowed at the thought of any further harm coming to her friend, and she felt torn knowing she would have to leave Rainbow Dash very soon. “Don’t worry, Rainbow,” Twilight said with steel in her voice. “I’ll make sure you’re protected.” With that, Twilight closed the door and sighed. “Now… Onto the next problem.” Preparing herself, Twilight straightened her posture and trotted towards the stairs. When she reached the top, she effortlessly bounded down five steps at a time, quickly bringing the library’s main floor into view. Twilight stopped at the last few steps before the floor, and said, “Ahem.” Discord, who was floating above the still flooded library, half-heartedly waved in her direction. “Consider it a gift. It’s a clap on, clap off sort of thing.” Twilight was reluctant to try at first, but eventually decided it was worth the risk if it meant having a clean house. With a sigh, she clapped her hooves, and the library was back to normal. Twilight blinked as her mind tried to register the sudden change. Without much thought, she clapped her hooves again, and the library was flooded once more with its water-colored aerial map of Equestria. “I’m going to need ‘No Clapping’ signs,” she said with a hint of annoyance. “Make sure the penmanship is good,” Discord commented. “To get on with things, I believe you’re here to ‘scold’ me?” Twilight clapped her hooves and trotted across the dry floor. “Believe me, I would love to scold you right now.” Moving until she stood in front of Discord, Twilight looked at him sternly. “What you did to her was uncalled for.” “You can’t blame me for giving it a shot,” Discord replied. “I really did try. But like I said, that kind of magic is too powerful.” “What does that even mean?” Twilight asked testily. “If I had to explain again, I’d compare it to a curse.” Folding his tail, Discord reclined back and relaxed in mid air. “Think of curses like a ball of magic trying to force its influence on the victim, changing the world around it to meet its goal. Their powerful in that they can affect other magic. But when you kick things up a notch above anything sensible, you get the same concept except now that ball of magic is your soul, and anyone that’s anyone in the after realm knows what that means.” Twilight waited for him to continue, realizing only after some time that he was done. With a polite cough, she said, “Seeing that I’m not from the after realm, can you tell me what it means?” “I haven’t the faintest clue,” Discord said. “I’m not from there either.” Twilight’s ear flicked, but she otherwise kept her demeanor intact. Discord craned his neck towards her, and gave her a once over look. “Am I imagining things, or are you being awfully courteous right now?” “I’m just doing what’s necessary,” Twilight said, though her smile lessened. “As much as I hate to admit it, you are, and I quote from the meetings with the commanders, ‘an indispensable ally with unpredictable results.” Discord raised his eyebrow, unimpressed. “How dry of them. Still, that doesn’t explain the fact that you’re being friendly towards me after I traumatized Rainbow Dash in such a horrific but you-just-had-to-be-there sort of way.” “No, it doesn’t,” Twilight said. She stoically went on, “I won’t forgive you for what you did, but… I can hope for the effect it’ll have. Right now, she needs to be working on moving forward through this. Though, I’d prefer if it was at her own pace, and without horrible reminders about her situation.” Discord didn’t reply, and Twilight didn’t expect him to. “Still,” Twilight continued. “I can hardly believe how resilient she’s become. It’s only been a few days since her change, but she woke up from Ruby’s influence in seconds.” “Fascinating, isn’t it,” Discord mused. “A dragon’s magical resistance.” “I didn’t think it’d be this strong,” Twilight said. “I haven’t seen anything like that in Spike yet.” “He is only a baby dragon, after all. He’ll grow in time,” Discord replied. He then let out a wide yawn while stretching his arms. “Well, it’s been fun, but I really must go now. I still need to visit Celestia and Luna before the day’s end. Mission reports, forbidden knowledge, and all that stuff. Oh well, might as well get it over with. Tah-tah.” And like that, he was gone. Twilight stared at the empty space he left behind, and with considerable effort, she kept a calm expression. Eventually, due to the persistent silence, Applejack and Spike tentatively poked their heads out from the kitchen archway. “Is… Is he gone?” Spike asked. “Yeah,” Twilight wearily replied. With unusually lethargic steps, she carried herself over to one of the couches and plopped onto it. Pulling a pillow towards her, she buried her head and let out a muffled scream. When she was done, her ear twitched at the pitter-patter of feet, and she lifted her head. “Here, it’s about time for you to have one anyways,” Spike said, offering her a glass of blood. Twilight gave him a weary smile at the pleasant offer, and she reached for the glass. However, when she looked more closely, she paused at the sight of a pink tropical umbrella usually found in a mare-garita glass instead of the red bendy straws she preferred. Spike nervously laughed. “It uh… Looks like Discord got to the kitchenware. This isn’t the only change.” Twilight rolled her eyes, but accepted the drink anyways. As quietly as she could, she drank from her cup, staring intently at the wall across from her. Feeling rejuvenated from the soothing blood, she and Ruby tackled the mess of ideas that floated between their thoughts. Between their worries for Rainbow Dash, the many concerning details revealed in their conversation with Discord, and the anxiety of leading a military assault against Gale, a small detail stood clear in her mind that needed to be addressed. Lifting her head, Twilight furrowed her brow in thought. “Discord said there was another drake.” Her eyes darted back and forth as she and Ruby had a small conference, and she nodded at the conclusion they came to. Hopping off the couch, Twilight clapped her hooves, causing Applejack and Spike to groan from standing knee deep in water again. “If he’s gone then why in tarnation is this still here?” Applejack complained. “It’s a gift, but that’s not important right now,” Twilight said. Wading through the water, she scanned the water’s depths. Sure enough, the stick figures showed up as they did before: Gale flying east, Celestia and Luna talking at Canterlot, though Discord now seemed to be with them. To the west was Breezy Lace and Tailwind, and to the south was Dust Cloud. Twilight glanced to the east, confirming Gale’s slow pace using the changes in relative location, leaving generous room for the map’s ‘approximations’. “Discord’s map shows many things, most of it being nonsense,” Twilight said, peering down at an island that she knew didn’t exist. “But if you can look past all of that, you just might be able to find what you are looking for.” “And what are we looking for?” Applejack asked. Twilight didn’t reply at first, but as she waded up and down the east coast, her vampiric eyes noticed a hint of movement. Perking her ears, she exclaimed, “Aha!” Motioning to Applejack and Spike, Twilight ushered the two of them beside her, and together they stared at the city of Baltimare. Although it was visually a few miles below them, Its towering buildings gleamed in the daylight, and Spike and Applejack wondered just what it was they were looking for. Twilight coughed, and pointed to the coastal shoreline just outside the city limits. Little pathways lead up to a series of craggy cliffs hanging above the crashing waves, and down in the water, just barely visible, was a crayon figure swimming. “What the heck is that?” Spike asked. “If Ruby and I were right, this figure is supposed to represent Sea Drop,” Twilight answered. “The fifth drake.” Applejack and Spike shared a look of surprise, finally having the time to process what Discord had said now that he was no longer nearby. “Are you sure he ain’t just pulling a fast one on us?” Applejack asked. “Ah’m not saying we don’t go looking for this here Sea Drop, but Ah can’t see any good coming from just always trusting him outright.” “Unfortunately, it’s just something we have to deal with,” Twilight answered. “I don’t like it anymore than you do, but we don’t have a choice. And right now, we don’t have time to guess his motive, as long as he’s behaving within reason, that is.” Shifting the topic, Twilight began to circle the figure. With her vampiric eyes, she spotted the teal crayon figure on a series of cliffs that laid between Baltimare in the south and Fillydelphia in the north. The figure spread it’s large and triangular wings, and dove off the cliff and into the ocean. Twilight’s eyes honed in with supernatural sight as the figure blended into the deep ocean, diving further and further until it was finally out of sight. As seconds continued to pass, Twilight nibbled at her lip in concern. Eventually, the figure emerged, and Twilight exhaled in confidence. She waited to confirm that the figure would indeed swim back to shore before sharing her thoughts on the matter. “She must have been turned when Gale passed the town's edge,” Twilight said. “If I’m right about my hunch, Gale’s not picking just any pegasi, he’s picking ponies that have something unique in their flying abilities. Looking over the reports, I think I saw something that supported this theory, but I can’t confirm until I meet all of them.” Twilight leaned as close as she could to the water’s surface, memorizing the location and its ‘probable’ distance to the nearest guard outpost. “What I don’t understand is why we didn’t know about her until now. Why hasn’t she gone to the guard yet? We sent out notices for anypony who ran into Gale to provide a testimony. Is she keeping it a secret?” “Why’d you say that?” Applejack asked. “She’s only a mile out from Manehattan,” Twilight replied. “And look, she keeps diving over and over again from these cliffs. I’m not sure why she’s doing that, but if she’s able to move this freely, then surely she’s had chance to let somepony else know what happened to her.” Twilight clapped her hooves, causing the water map to vanish. Everypony sighed in relief at suddenly being dry again. “Spike, prepare a letter. We’re contacting the Eastern Commander.” Spike, ever at the ready, had already grabbed a quill and parchment the moment she had dismissed the map. Smiling, he nodded for her to begin. “Commander Grass Shade, through upper intelligence reports, we’ve learned that there is an additional drake just a mile or so north of Manehattan. You are to prioritize efforts in finding the mare Sea Drop and properly see to her. Once all drake protocols have been followed, please escort her to Ponyville by airship at once. By commanding order, Princess Sparkle.” “Got it,” Spike said, scribbling the last letters in moments. He prepared the letter for delivery, expertly rolling it up, tying it, and wax stamping Twilight and Ruby’s royal seal. He then burned it with his fire, and the ashes whisked themselves eastward. “There’s a protocol now?” Applejack asked with a skeptical expression. “Just a thirty page document I drafted to assist the guard,” Twilight said proudly. “It outlines proper procedures in assisting ponies experiencing magical trauma.” “Alrighty then,” Applejack replied, looking hesitant in asking her next question. “So, uh… What’s the protocol for Discord then?” Twilight shared in Applejack’s lack of enthusiasm about the topic. “Suspended, because apparently it’s in need of heavy revisioning.” Twilight changed her voice into a somewhat forced tone of optimism. “But that’s okay! Who cares if Discord used to know Thistle Bell, or the fact that he went to the after realm while looking for her? No big deal!” Applejack and Spike waited for Ruby’s intervention, but when Twilight began to pace, a note of concern came across their faces. “After all,” Twilight continued, now with a twitch to her step. “I only ordered the rapid deployment of our military to the Griffin nation an hour ago!” There was no sign of intervention from Ruby, and Spike and Applejack began to fear Ruby strongly shared Twilight’s feelings on the matter. Twilight suddenly whipped her body towards Applejack and Spike. Through great restraint, neither of them jumped, despite Twilight’s intense stare and exposed fangs. “And even more importantly, I still need to help Rainbow Dash and the other drakes start their recovery, and not only does it turn out that there’s one unaccounted for, I let Rainbow Dash be emotionally scarred by the Discord! Who was looking for Thistle Bell, the last Shepherd!” Twilight’s pupils were two different sizes as she finished with a clenched grin, “So everything is fine! I can totally handle it!” “Ah’m sure you’ll be just fine,” Applejack said with confidence, catching Twilight’s immediate and intensely focused attention. Applejack drew upon every ounce of her practice over the last few months alongside Rarity, helping Twilight settle into her princesshood when the castle’s restorations first began. “Ya’ll can handle that just fine, and we’ll figure the rest out when we get there. But right now, what do we do?” “What do we do?” Twilight asked in a nervous voice. “We should… Well, we’ve…” Twilight’s voice faded as she look downwards, shifting her eyes left and right as she wandered away from them. Applejack and Spike shared a sigh of relief. “Nice job,” Spike commented. “Only thanks to Rarity,” Applejack replied, though, still looking quite pleased with herself. “Ah started to pick up on a few things watching her calm those two down. Whenever they start worrying over something too much together, Rarity would get them to think about something they felt differently on. Doesn’t always work, but Ah figure Ah’d give it a try. Anything past that, Rarity’s the pony you want.” Spike had a thankful smile, reassured that he had nothing to fear for Twilight’s sake. “I’m glad you’re able to help Twilight out through all this.” Applejack tilted her hat shyly. “Well, when you’re friends with a vampony princess, it helps to pay attention to stuff like that.” “So how long do you think she’ll be?” Spike asked. “Don’t know,” Applejack said, tilted her head as she watched Twilight pace about, muttering to herself now and then. “They usually figure things out pretty quick when they’re both focusing on something together. Ah’m sure she’ll have a plan ready to put together here shortly.” “I better get the ink ready,” Spike said, keeping an eye on Twilight as he made his way to a desk. “By the way,” Applejack asked, catching him in a few steps. “Who’s Commander Grass Shade? Ah don’t remember hearing about him from Twalight. He newly appointed?” “Yeah, he got his post last week,” Spike said. Hobbling onto the chair to reach across the desk, he said, “Twilight hoof-picked him herself.” “Well, if Twalight picked him, Ah’m sure he’ll have no problem finding Sea Drop.”