//------------------------------// // Illusionist // Story: The Second Return // by Narim //------------------------------// Twilight simply gazed with her jaw open, Applejack rubbed her eyes, Rainbow Dash flew up and with her hooves ready, she started taunting Discord. Rarity was not far away from fainting, Fluttershy shrieked in her high pitched voice and Pinkie... well, Pinkie, with a huge smile, leaped to Discord and with her irresistible puppy eyes - she silently begged for something. Discord made a long, bored sigh, but quickly changed his expression into an entertained smile. "Well, well, well," he said in his mischievous voice, "I don't remember taking requests on these hours. But then again, who am I to be bound by the rules?" he questioned himself and to Pinkie's eternal pleasure, he conjured a pink fluffy cloud above her head. Pinkie opened her mouth wide open (and that's something, since she could engulf a wedding sized cake in a single bite) and let the chocolate milk rain directly into her throat. Not in the library, thought Spike, I have just cleaned the floor. "Oh, and nice to see you too, my little ponies," greeted Discord the others. To be honest, nice seeing him was the last thing you could see on their faces. "P-princes, what's going on? What is Discord doing here?" asked the Princess confused Twilight. But before could Celestia even take a deep breath to start explaining, Rainbow Dash jumped in. "Yeah, what's he doing here? So I guess the last time wasn't enough for you, huh?. How did you escaped?" Rainbow interrogated him. The draconequus enjoyed the moment. "It's all true, Rainbow Dash," pretended confession and started to be dramatic. "I am a vile criminal. Put me behind bars. Throw me into the deepest dungeon of Canterlot. Have no mercy on me. I am finished," lied and handcuffed himself along with a heavy iron ball chained to his goat leg. Despite the performance, he couldn't pass to make his wicked smile. "Stop with this at once, Discord," warned him Celestia, "I have not called for you for this." Discord made a dissatisfied 'chm', unmade the handcuffs and the iron ball, and with his deceiving tone he leaned very close to Celestia. "Let's just call this an advance payment," he whispered. "You should have listened to her," entered the conversation Luna, "she's your big sister, after all." "SISTER?!" shouted unbelieving ponies. How in Equestria could the royal alicorns, the kind and wise rulers of the Sun and the Moon could be related this deceiver, the living embodiment of the chaos and lies. "Listen? To her?" wondered Discord, almost as if he was insulted by that. "Tell me, Luna, did Celestia listen to my voice of reason before she turned me, to your dislike, I have to say, to stone? Because I remember it very well. Those thousands of years, being a statute, just to be proved correct, in the end." Discord's eyes showed recalling his long prison. "And I have given you my sincere apologies for my mistake, Discord," reminded him Celestia, "but I still stand for my actions that day. Your evildoings brought misery and despair upon these lands. It was my... ours," turned to Luna, "duty to stop you at all costs." "My research made a temporary disturbance, there is no denying," admitted honestly Discord, "but let me make this clear. All I've ever done was to set you free, my sisters, and to bring happiness and security to this world. The fact one part of me found the enjoyment in some of its phases was simply a little bonus for my work," smiled. "Excuse me," dared Twilight to enter the quarrel, "but you can hardly call all that chaos from over a year ago a plan to make Equestria happy and secure place. No one enjoyed your world." "I did," confessed happily Pinkie. "The popcorn, the chocolate milk, the pink clouds, the super soapy road, the..." "And don't you think Ah forgot about you making me a big liar," Applejack interrupted Pinkie's list. She sure was still ashamed of her behavior that day. "Or me betraying my friends," added Rainbow Dash. "I still can't believe I acted like a meanie," remembered Fluttershy. To be honest, she was more than a little mean. Rarity, in accord of the girl's agreement, has not said a word about her greedy obsession with Tom. Despite her silence, everyone remembered it. "The point is, as much as I respect Princesses' decisions, I speak for all of us that we need a lot of explanations," almost ordered Twilight, "if we are to join the forces, which is, I presume, the reason why you've called us here," made her most logical guess. Discord couldn't hold it and started laughing out loud. "Explanation? How lovely," said with tears in his eyes. "It's funny because I don't remember you requiring an explanation when Celestia sent all of you to defeat me." He started mimicking their voices and poses. "Discord is the mischievous spirit of disharmony... he ruled Equestria in an eternal state of unrest and unhappiness... You six showed the full potential of the elements... it is you who must defeat Discord," finished quoting Celestia. "We'd be honored to use the Elements of Harmony again," mimicked Twilight's voice. He again made a long bored sigh. "You were set against me, in a good faith, that's for sure, based on these few, highly inaccurate information. No need for anything else, let's just do what the Princess wants us to do," said ironically. He was right, at least partly right. Despite the Celestia's goodwill for everypony, she could tell them more about him. The time was pressing back then, but girls wondered from time to time who Discord really was. Where did he come from? Why was he doing that? Girls, and especially Twilight were keen to learn something about him. "But rejoice, celebrate and make a huge party... not literally, for now," he added, since Pinkie was immediately pulling party decoration out of nowhere, "since this time, the good and kind Discord will tell you everything you've ever wanted to know, now that we have both parties willing to listen." He took a brief pause and looked into everypony's face. "But we need to have everyone present. I don't like telling the same story twice... so boring." "What do you mean, Discord?" asked Celestia. "I have summoned the current wielders of the Elements of Harmony as you required. All of them are here." "When I say we miss some of them, then I mean it," repeated Discord. "After all, it was I who created them." "WHAT?" shouted all six mares. There's no way Discord could be the inventor of the Elements of Harmony. They represent friendship. A trait which Discord clearly lacks. "It was I, who created them," repeated Discord with frustration; he didn't like saying anything twice. "Once again, you have no idea about these marvelous creations you are wearing and you are so connected with. The finest art, the ultimate magic, the perfection itself," praised his works. "Celestia stole, or let's be nice and say borrowed them, and not knowing anything about them, she and Luna used its powers against me. When I was gone for that moment, she studied them. You did create some boring, yet accurate names for them, but calling them the Elements of Harmony?" he turned to Celestia. "Please, you, of all the ponies, should know what the term harmony is about. Your name would be true, should they be in balance with the elements of Technology, Betrayal, Greed, Lies, Sadness and Cruelty. And I don't remember forging any of these." "So there are other elements?" asked Twilight. Her heart was rapidly beating. She was always fascinated with these items and now, the truth, or at least Discord's truth was at hoof. "Yes," confirmed Discord. "Not six, as you all think, but twelve. Twelve essences, or as you say elements, filled with the most advanced magic. And when I say advanced, it is way beyond the spells locked in the secret Canterlot archives." What archives was he talking about, thought Twilight, I thought I had access everywhere. "Don't you wonder why all wielders of these elements are mares? Not a single stallion?" he smiled. "That's because of my fail-safe protection. My creation is so powerful, that I made one half visible only to mares, other half only to stallions. Since, as you soon discover, I both fulfil and neglect these conditions, only I was able to see and use them all. A clever protection against my latter confirmed worries," pointed with his claw at Celestia. Twilight had so many questions. "What do the other six elements, or essences, represent?" was the one she asked first. Discord was obviously in a talkative mood and Twilight stood true to saying about striking while the iron is hot. "It's hard to say, they are made of complex magic, after all," he said, "but should I had to describe them in one word each, I say Defense... no, Protection is better, Strength, Agility or Dexterity, I can't pick one here, Charisma, or rather inner beauty, but that's not one word, Willpower and Perception. Yes, these will do. Agility is better I guess." So the six known elements were associated with other six. The elements of Protection, Strength, Agility, Charisma, Willpower and Perception. Who could wield them? And how do they find them? Twilight and others almost forgot they were summoned here to prevent something from happening. If they've been told an hour ago that they will be friendly chatting with one of their most dangerous foes, they sure would burst in laughter. "For now, let me say this about the elements," said Discord, not leaving any room for other Twilight's questions so far. "They are imbued with life. Their purpose, so to say, was to gather the energy for my plans. They can be inactive, in sort of a slumber, before they once again start fulfilling their task. During this era, when I broke from my prison after the elements changed their wielder, I made a mistake of thinking that only six of them are active. But during our playtime in the royal maze, I started having my doubts after having a certain... troubles with Fluttershy," he looked at her so mean that the yellow pony almost apologized for giving him such a hard time manipulating her. "Since you've proved yourself quite capable of breaking my deception and waved with the elements ready to use in front of me, I knew I had no choice but to remove you permanently if I want to have a peace for my work," said Discord coldly. "To kill us?" asked silently Twilight. "Yes. Unlike Celestia, I see the greater picture. If the six lives were needed for my plan, it was but a minor price. Trust me, if Celestia and Luna weren't so fond of you, I would have done so immediately. But," he added unconsciously and almost shed a honest tear, "I couldn't bear to see my sisters crying, never again." Before could anyone start to sympathy with him for his sibling love, he once again switched to his common, deceiving voice and expression. "To your luck, although you might not remember it, you shielded yourself and your friends with that protection spell of yours. When I saw how the small part of affected landscape got erased, my doubts were cleared. This realization changed my plans. I let you to use the elements on me." He made a filly voice and whined. "But it huuurts so much." "What has my protection spell to do with this?" wondered Twilight. She was proud of this spell, although she was not a good with it as... "Your brother," finished her thought Discord. "Shining Armor, your so called B. B. B. F. F. The spell you've casted is unique, can not be learnt. It was of a weak form however, but that only means someone very close to you had to be able to use it properly. During my second time being a statue, I have confirmed it, especially during the Changeling's invasion. Your brother, Shining Armor, is, and I am absolutely sure, the element of Protection. Only its wielder can cast this spell in its fullest and correct form." Of all the news she heard today, this for the most incredible for Twilight. My big brother is the element of Protection, she thought. It does make a sense. She told Discord and others her story about how she first used this spell. Shortly after being accepted into Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, she and her brother got lost in the Canterlot Mountains. They got separated in a heavy blizzard. Twilight cried for her brother, but her voice only caused an avalanche. Later, the Rescue Ponies found her buried under the snow, unconscious, yet somehow maintaining the protective field around her. However, her brother was concious, inside of a much bigger bubble. While Twilight had to spent weeks honing her spell to the point where she could cast it at will, Shining were able to do this feat with absolute ease, and with bigger radius every time. Discord yawned and stretched himself. Stories with happy ending and predictable development very incredibly boring for him. "Yes," he took the word once again. "When I confirmed the elements of Magic and Protection being related by blood, I knew where to look. You see, every single element is paired with other one. Magic is the best way to protect, that path is the only one correct. Honest ones tell only true, no wrong, for that inside they need to be strong. Loyalty is not rock solid, it's agile, only the masters can do it with a smile. Kindness is clearly the best trait, it does affect the others, there's no debate. Generosity is very hard to truly hold, only with willpower you are able to share your gold. If you can make your friends smile, for that you need to perceive a good while." Discord finished his dose of wisdom. The unlikely voice have spoken. "Ah s'posse my brother is the element of Strength, watcha think?" guessed Applejack. "What? It ain't like I can't take together one and one," said when the others disbelievingly looked at her. Heavy thinking was usually Twilight's specialty, while Applejack was ready wherever the hard work laid. "I have reached the same conclusion, dear Applejack," confirmed Discord her calculations. "Honesty is indeed paired with the strength. You sure are strong for yourself," flatted her and she quickly blushed. She was not good at receiving compliments. "But, as I have told you, these six elements, are only visible to stallions. Since the rest of you three are brotherless, according to my rules, remaining elements should be inactive," concluded Discord his theory. "You can hardly blame any of us for not having a brother," objected Rarity. "It is not like we never wanted to have a brother." "Hold on a second, brother," told him Luna. "You said the three are brotherless. But only Twilight Sparkle and Applejack have brothers. Does it mean...?." "Yes," Discord didn't let her finish. "Although the mare does not know it yet, she indeed has a brother. An older brother. She already met him several times. A Pegasi stallion," he paused for a moment and looked at Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash was confused. "You mean to say that I have a brother?" she asked. "That's as likely as the Wonderbolts failing one of their performances." Discord made his wicked smile. "Search your feelings and memory. What Pegasi stallion have you met several times, you think about him every day and is older than you?" The remembering part was easy for Rainbow Dash. She wasn't very sociable. She knew everpony from Cloudsdale, since they work together, but a Pegasi so important she thinks about him every day? There is one name, however... "Nah, that can not be. There is no way I could be related to Soarin'," she said almost, laughing on her foolish idea. "You sure?" Discord still pierced Rainbow with his manipulative gaze and smile. "The Wonderbolt. One of the fastest fliers in Equestria, just like you. Famous for his acrobatic stunts, just like you. The coat of a color not so different from yours. Your hero you've been always attracted to." "Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh," Rainbow Dash suddenly realized. It all makes sense! "I am a sister to the Wonderbolt. This is the best day EVER!" rejoiced from the bottom of her heart. "Anyway," calmed Rainbow's excitement Twilight, "that still makes only three of us. Does that mean the elements of Charisma, Willpower and Perception are inactive for this time?" "I thought you might already solve my little riddle, my dear," said Discord with a slight, but obvious disappointment. "As far as my rule goes, you should be right. But as I said, it was me who forged them. They might have a little laws disobedience inherited from me." "That means they could be visible to mares too?" asked Twilight and Discord nodded. Fluttershy was silently standing close to the doors. She was not that afraid, but she still shivered in fear when Discord instantly moved to her and gently pat her on her mane. "You see, ever since our maze encounter," he was thinking aloud. "I never stopped wondering how. How were you able to resist my deceiving skills I am so proud of. Where others quickly failed, you, the most unlikely of all, stood undefeated and beat me in my own game." He recalled his futile attempt to make lose her kindness by pointing out her weaknesses. "Sorry, but there was nothing else I could've said," silently apologized Fluttershy for no reason. "And that's exactly why I failed. Your kindness is the source of your charisma. Your greatest strength, and, to a certain degree, your greatest weakness. Discord himself defeated by a shy pony, who turned my trap against me. You, however you might deny it, are the element of Charisma. Even if it's not obvious to ponies, you sure have it when you react with the other life forms of Equestria. To tame a wild manticore, that's truly a great feat. Deeds of the ancient heroes would pale compared to this. Who would have thought, that this small, fragile pony could stand face to face to a mature red dragon, one of the strongest wild creatures, and make him cry? I have you know, I have an endless imagination, yet this is something I can not comprehend. Your personality is way stronger than any of us can imagine." Nopony ever said something this magnificent about Fluttershy. Sure, her friends always encouraged her and cherished, but have herself compared to the bravest heroes of Equestria is something she could never dream of. "Why, thank you," she thanked him with a smile on her face and a few happy tears. Does that means a pony can wield multiple elements at once? Should make sense, the Princesses used all six and there are only two of them, thought for herself Twilight. According to Discord's pairing system, Rarity should be the element of Willpower. When others looked at her, she admitted without a hesitation. "It is true; I do happen to surprise myself how am I able to withstand all that pressure I have to face as a fashionista. Once I set my mind on something, you know I have to see it finished." Girls knew she was telling the truth. They remember well her endurance as she made their dresses for the Grand Galloping Gala. Discord still had something to say on Rarity's account. "The willpower is incredibly useful for many spells. Your gemfinding is one of them. The levitation spell, the core magic for every unicorn, is exceptional in your case too. It is one thing to levitate a brush to fix your mane, but to use a tiny needle to sew small pieces of cloth together is something completely different." The last unassigned element, the element of Perception, Pinkie Pie, was trying to squeeze a few more drops out of the pink cloud. She ignored Discord's telling. Or maybe she was paying attention, there was no way to tell. Discord watched her for a moment with a smile, and confessed to other ponies. "Pinkie is my favorite pony, because she reminds me of myself. We both enjoy everything funny, after all. Yes, maybe my fun is just for me and not for others," he stopped Twilight when she was about to lecture him about his ways of fun. "But you have to agree with me that there is something magical about this earth pony. Unless you have some boring logical explanation of her being able to travel anywhere faster than anypony, her being able to pull anything out of nowhere. I am almost certain she is, to some degree, capable of the same reality bending as I am," expressed his theories. "As for her... Pinkie Sense, yes, that's the way she calls it, and her eidetic memory, it is due to her style of perceiving the reality. She perceives the world on a different level, putting emphasis on the insignificant and minimizing the important. That's how she can laugh in the face of danger. It sure would be interesting to see through her eyes. Even I would be..." Discord suddenly interrupted mid-speech and with a huge, painful roar grabbed his lion paw. Celestia and Luna quickly ran to him and ask him if he's feeling all right. He was breathing, slowly and heavily, and eventually changed his painful expression to his confident smile. "Nah, it's nothing. A small miscalculation reminding me of the time I am wasting here," said and whispered for himself something about someone giving him a harder time than he expected at that moment. Celestia agreed. "Time is precious. We must gather the missing elements," she started ordering. "Applejack, go to your brother and kindly bring him here," Applejack with the cowpony 'yeehaw' dashed into the night. "Rainbow Dash, fly to Cloudsdale and find Soarin' there. I am sure he will believe your explanation, but in case of not, tell him that I, Princess Celestia, require his presence here," Rainbow Dash saluted and flew through the opened window so fast, leaving her typical rainbow line behind the flight path. Celestia turned to Twilight. "Your brother is on a night guard duty in Canterlot right now. I will teleport there and bring him here as soon as possible." Twilight stopped the Princess before she could use her spell. "There is no need for that, Princess. Shining was rather worried about some of my recent adventures. He knows his duties, and Princess Cadence now too, make him very busy, unable to watch over me all the time. To be able to help me when I need him, he and I are connected to use the Astral Bridge." Astral Bridge is a transportation spell, where the two users are connected between themselves and the invoker can invite his counterpart to his position any time and anywhere. It is an advanced spell, but since the invoker does all the magic, it can be used to call ponies regardless of being an earth pony, a Pegasi or an unicorn. Shining Armor told Twilight not to overuse it for every occasion. "But listen, Twily," she remembered his words, "don't hesitate to use it when you are in a danger. Better safe than sorry, right? I can't go against my guard squad motto," he told her. This crisis, even though I still know nothing about the threat, Twilight thought, could be called dangerous for sure. Her horn brightened with its characteristic purple glow, as she was focusing her magic. I wonder how easy could this be for Rarity, Twilight was interested. This spell required a maximum concentration. Slight mistake and the summoned pony could end miles away. Twilight stopped her focus. She finished the casting. A small misty circle, just large enough for a stallion to fit in, appeared before her. Now it was up to her brother to answer it. Twilight couldn't know how long will it take. Could it be that her brother is something more important to do? Her worries were proved false, since within a few seconds, a white unicorn, dressed in the yellow and purple royal armor, showed up in the circle. Shining Armor wasted no time. As an experienced captain, he quickly checked the surroundings. He did show a little surprise when he saw the princesses, but it was nothing compared to the sight of a draconequus. "You must be Discord," he correctly guessed and within a blink of an eye, Discord found himself trapped inside a purple protection field. "What are you doing to my sister?" threatened him with apparent anger in his voice. Before could Twilight start explaining, Discord wasn't keen to stay obediently in the bubble. "Valiant effort," he admitted and touched the field. With ease, the field was diminished. "But I know how to break this," he taunted him with a smile. Twilight grabbed her brother, as he was about to charge forward. "Listen Shiny," called her brother, "he's here to help us. Trust me. Let me explain it." She summarized everything important of what has Discord told them today in a few short sentences. Twilight needed this skill when dealing with impatient ponies like Rainbow Dash, who considered everything longer than three sentences boring and not worthy of her time. Her brother Shining Armor still had his eyes fixed on Discord. Even with the Twilight's explanation, the suspicion was still great enough for him. "I don't believe him, but if you do, then so should I," he remembered his wedding experience, where he wrongfully framed his sister, only to be proved she was right all the time. "But let me tell you this, Discord. One single doubt, no matter how small, and I will personally throw you into the Dungeon," threatened him with his captain's voice. Please, what could a pony like you do to me, wanted to say Discord. Before he could strike back in their taunting battle, Applejack returned with her brother. The huge, red stallion seemed to be still watering the apple trees, despite the late night. Big Macintosh properly bowed to the Princesses, as the etiquette requires and when he saw Discord, he silently asked his sister AJ. "Is that him?" "Eeyup," she confirmed, obviously imitating his ways of speech. "Can ya trust him?" "Dunno," she expressed her hesitation. She almost never holds grudge against anypony and she's always the first to forgive and apologize. But, as she thought, Discord would had to do more than this 'fancy schmancy explanation' to redeem all what he put her and her friends through. "I have one question," asked Twilight again. Everyone present knew, and Twilight the most, she had more than one. But since every answer opened several others, there was no way she could've get all of her answers in the near future. "Isn't it possible that Fluttershy is the element of Willpower and Rarity the element of Charisma? One could say you have to have a strong will to stand up to the dragon. And I never saw any colt or stallion refusing Rarity's request," proposed her argument. "Oh please, Twilight," objected Rarity and shook up her well treated mane, "that is something anyone can achieve with the proper approach and manners. I simply happen to know the right words," she smiled, proud of her manners required for a lady like her. "You know, my dear Celestia," Discord turned to his sister before replying Twilight, "your best students used to be brighter in the past." Celestia ignored this insult, since she was in no mood for arguing, and in the same moment as Twilight opened her mouth to try to prove him wrong, he continued. "As I said, the elements are more alive than artificial. Their power fluctuates. The names we have given them are insignificant. I have seen all of you acting against your so treasured elements even without my little help. I have seen you, Twilight Sparkle, questioning your use during your first Winter wrap up here in Ponyville. How helpless you were without your magic. You could hardly call Fluttershy kind after Iron Will's lesson. Rarity's greed for admiration made her forget about the birthday present for you as a reward for all the hospitality you've secured for her. Applejack reluctant to tell you the truth about her reason for leaving Ponyville. Rainbow Dash abandoning her friends the very same day, leaving them to their fate in the desert. Pinkie's party with rocks and flour? I could laugh, but I highly doubt she would. I can go on, I've got pages of these," he showed a full stack of heavily written papers. His snake tongue clearly enjoyed this highly. Every bit of respect and sympathy Discord earned from ponies so far was gone. It is never nice to point ones mistakes, especially the ones they want to forget. All the things Discord has mentioned again were one of the things the said pony was least proud of and wanted to forget. Now, the wound has been opened again. But Twilight did not intend to let Discord have it his way. "Yes," she admitted, "our hearts quivers sometimes. But, and I will stand for this any time, every obstacle we encountered, every disagreement we had, and every trouble we faced was overcome, settled and prevailed by our friendship. It reinforces our connection among us every time. Makes us stronger. I have absolute faith in our friendship, and I forever will," finished her speech. Gosh, that would be an excellent report for the Princess, realized Twilight. She looked into Celestia's face and saw a satisfied and proud smile. The Princess was impressed. Even Discord was impressed. In his case, that only fuelled his lust for victory. Resisting prey makes the triumph tastier. "Your overconfidence in friendship is your weakness," stated with his worst intentions. "And your lack of faith in it is yours," struck back immediately Twilight. She sure was in a fighting mood. Unfortunately for her, Rainbow Dash just flew back through the window with her rainbow barrel roll, followed by a pale blue Pegasus with dark blue mane and a winged yellow bolt cutie mark. Her long lost brother, member of the Wonderbolts - Soarin'. He bowed to the princesses and greeted them and when he saw the draconequus, simply scratched his head and shrugged shoulders. Rainbow Dash was on cloud nine. "We flew from Cloudsdale, it was an awesome flight. Sure, we had that one winner flight after the Best Fliers Competition, but at night? Now that's something completely different. It's like 20..." spouted Rainbow, only to be stopped by still upset Discord. "Yes, yes, we all get it," he said as annoyingly as possible. "Now that everyone is here we can explain to you what's going on." Finally, thought Rainbow. She never liked to skip her naps, but now she had to skip her bedtime, despite her flying all over Equestria today, just to listen to Discords overly long story. "How is the time? Shouldn't we hurry?" asked Celestia with concerns. "It's fine," reassured her. "I will try to make this quick." He took a deep breath and his energy seemed to be decreasing. That too applied to other ponies. Still dirty, sweaty and with messy manes, their attention level could drop to zero any time. Sure, Discord kept the telling interesting, and with some of his insults more than exciting, but everypony has its limits. Discord noticed their fatigue and to his unusual hospitality, he conjured comfortable pillows, along with grape juice and large variety of snacks. Without any encouragement, the ponies started to gobble up. This looked like a sleepover at Twilight's, one of their outdoors picnic or Rarity's tea parties. Meanwhile, Discord turned to sisters and quietly asked them. "Is there something you don't want me to tell them? I will have to tell them almost everything for them to get the picture about who she is and why is it so important to stop her. Lies, deception and words manipulations are my proudly honed skills, as you know," he praised quietly himself. "No, Discord," she refused him loud enough for everypony to hear. "I want them to know everything you consider important. Only the truth. Lies and my reluctance to listen to you led to this. I won't let it happen again." "Boring, but wise choice," agreed Discord. "Well then, my dear audience, let me tell you my story. And as you know, the best way to start a story is at the beginning. No interruptions please," he directed his request to Twilight mainly and started. So Discord is related to Celestia and Luna, and is the creator of not only six, but twelve elements of Harmony. Rainbow Dash discovered her brother and he's going to help our mares, together with Big Mac and Shining Armor. But who will they fight with? And what secrets is Discord willing to reveal? Discover more in the next chapter of The Second Return.