Two ponies who don't have anything in common certainly couldn't be friends right? Well, opposites attract. Find out how a chaos loving spirit and a harmony loving alicorn resolve their differences and become friends.
Discord is a Spirit of chaos and disharmony. Twilight is a princess of order and harmony. You might think, how could two entirely different beings ever be friends? In this story, Twilight realizes that anypony can become friends if they're willing to look past who they are on the outside. ( The OC is not mine. It belongs to my friend.)
Princess Twilight Sparkle was reading a book in her library. Something she rarely could do anymore because of all the things she had to put up with over the past few months. From finishing Starswirl's spell, becoming a princess, traveling to the human world to retrieve her stolen Element of Magic, and most recently restoring the Tree of Harmony, the lavender alicorn had pretty much gotten used to having no ordinary days. Today was one of those days she could actually call normal. Spike was helping Rarity find gems, Applejack was busy getting ready for the zap apples to appear, Pinkie was foalsitting the Cake twins, Rainbow Dash was helping Scootaloo learn to fly, and Fluttershy was taking care of Angel who had come down with a nasty cold. With all her friends busy with something, Twilight had the whole day to herself. Of course, nothing good ever lasts very long.
There was a knock on the door. Twilight ignored it at first, but the knocking kept getting louder. Giving up, she got up and headed to the door.
"This had better be important." She said as she got to the door.
She opened the door and was met by--"Hello, Twilight! Greetings from your friendly neighborhood draconeques!"-Discord.
"Discoord, this had better be important. If it's not, I'm closing this door."
"I'm visiting one of my best friends. Can't get much more important than that!" He said merrily.
She began to close the door. "No, wait! I really mean it this time. I want to spend the day with you!"
Twilight narrowed her eyes. "Yah, right. There's a catch, isn't there?"
"I Pinkie Promise there is no catch," he said as he did the motions.
"Well, my question is why would you want to spend the day with me, when you could spend the day with say Pinkie Pie?"
He didn't answer for a little while, but eventually he took a deep breath and answered.
"Truth is, I haven't been the greatest friend to you. I tend to take your kindness and friendship for granted. So, I want to start over. As of now, Fluttershy is my only friend. I'm hoping by the end of the day to have gained another one," he spoke out truthfully.
Twilight was surprised at the chaotic spirit. She had never seen this side of him before. She didn't even think he was capable of having feelings like this. She knew what she had to do.
"Discord, I think I'd like that too. We may have gotten off on the wrong hoof, but we can become friends just like any pony else. And as you said, hopefully by the end of the day, we will be real friends. So, what do you want to do?" She asked.
"I thought you'd never ask. But before we do anything, let me ask you. Do you like pulling pranks?" He asked with a smirk.
"Oh, I see where this is going. What did you have in mind?" He bent down and whispered something in her ear.
Her face lit up at what he suggested. "Discord, I know we'll be friends by the end of the day. I couldn't think of a better prank. Let's go."
"Right, and Twilight?"
"Yes?"
"Thanks."
She gave him a nod. "Now, we ready?"
"Ready as I'll ever be." And with that he grabbed her, and they disappeared in a flash.
The pair reappeared in the glorious city of Canterlot. Many ponies all around were shocked to see one of their princesses trotting happily alongside the infamous Spirit of Disharmony. One pony in particular, Fancy Pants, a renowned noblepony, was quite intrigued by this display.
"Excuse me, Your Highness?" He said in his sophisticated accent.
Twilight turned around and greeted him. "Oh, good day, Fancy Pants! How are you doing these days?"
"Oh, I can't complain, Princess. I'm doing just fine, I might say. How is Her Highness doing? And do forgive me for my frowardness, but... what are you doing with...such an interesting companion?"
The "interesting companion" looked at the noble with mock surprise. "Well, well, what have we here? A pony who does not insult me? That is not something I'm used to." He said with a grin.
"Do not worry, Fancy Pants. Discord has been given a second chance. I am willing to do what I can to become his friend. At the moment, he's only got one. I'm hoping we'll both gain one more." She said to Fancy Pants.
Fancy Pants chuckled and said, "You are too kind to be a princess, Twilight. I'm glad Equestria has a ruler like you. Now, I'm afraid I have another engagement someplace else. Have a good day, Your Highness." With that, he kissed her hoof and walked off.
"OOOOOHHH!!! Somepony likes youuuu!" A high voice chirped.
"What the..?" Twilight looked around. She spotted a pair of bright blue eyes peeking out from behind a cloud. "Who are you?"
The eyes belonged to a light blue pegasus with a bouncy golden mane and tail. She wore the traditional knights armor.
"Sorry, I couldn't help myself," She giggled. "My name's Aurora. I'm part of the royal guard. Couldn't help but notice you're hanging out with the lord of chaos. NOT that that's a bad thing, he's actually pretty awesome, but, Twilight, you usually can't tolerate him for long."
Discord laughed and replied,"Well, I am full of surprises. Her Highness and I have been getting along swimmingly! Isn't that right, Twilight?" He said putting an arm around her.
"I don't know about swimmingly, but we have been getting along better. Nothing to worry about, Aurora, was it?"
"Yup! Nice job, normally people don't get it on the first try. I've gotten tons of replies, Laura, Rora, Rory, blah blah blah," She sighed. "It's pretty annoying, to be honest. But I guess I shouldn't be surprised, considering you're pretty talented at being smart and stuff."
"Well, thanks. You'd be surprised how many ponies have gotten my name wrong. But anyhoof, we're heading off to the castle for some 'serious matters.' Care to join us?"
"Sure! I can be your escort," Aurora said proudly, her chest swelling.
Discord bent down and whispered in her ear. "You do realize that by 'serious matters' we mean pranks, right? Cause that's what we're doing. Don't worry, it's all totally legit."
Aurora's chest deflated like a popped balloon. "Uh." She looked nervous. "I'm not sure if Shining Armor would approve of that...he is the Captain of the Guard, after all. I'm supposed to be patrolling. If he finds out I've been pulling pranks instead..." She nervously scraped a hoof on the ground.
"Shining is my brother. I'm sure that as long as we don't cause any physical harm or damage. He'll be fine with it. And if he isn't, I'll bail you out," Twilight said with a wink.
"Oh!" Aurora perked. "In that case, I'd be glad to come with! Just give me a sec." She hopped behind a few bushes then reappeared in a few seconds, the armor off. Her feathers looked a little ruffled, but after a few flaps she was fine. Her cutie mark appeared to be a pencil drawing a line across her flank.
"Oh, what's your special talent?" asked Twilight.
"Let me guess dragging a pencil across the ground?" Discord said sarcastically.
"Yes," Aurora answered in the same tone, giggling.
"Wait, really?" He said with a surprised look.
"No, duh!" Aurora laughed. "That doesn't exactly take skill. My special talent is drawing." She shrugged her wings.
"What made you become a guard?"
"You just had to ask that, didn't you?" Discord said with a cross expression. "Now, she's gonna tell us her entire life story, and I don't have the patience for that."
"Not exactly long," Aurora answered, a frown crossing her face. "Basically, my family didn't exactly like the fact that my only talent was art. So, I joined the royal guard, hoping they would appreciate my trying to please them. Apparently not." She huffed.
"Well, I'd say that's pretty noble. Doing something other than what you like to make your family happy. Even if they aren't, you're helping defend Equestria, I'd say it's not all that bad."
They heard a gagging noise next to them. "Could you be anymore sappy?! We've got pranks to pull!" said Discord angrily.
Aurora's ears flattened. "Sorry! Who are we pranking first?"
"Relax, Discord. We've got the whole day. Well, Aurora will have to get back to her post soon, but you and me will have plenty of time to do everything we want, okay?"
"Fine, whatever. But, we're leaving NOW." With that he grabbed both of them and teleported to the castle.
"Woah!" Aurora squeaked before covering her mouth with her hoof. "Sorry," she giggled in a whisper.
"It's fine. Now, Discord, what did you have in mind?"
"Let's put mane remover in Celly's bathtub. I'd love to see that mare bald." There was a long period of silence.
"I...can't picture that." Twilight said with a weird expression on her face.
Aurora burst out laughing. "Oh my Celestia! That would be hilarious! Whoops, Celestia's mane ran out of batteries!" She continued to laugh at her own joke.
"At least someone agrees with me. Well, Princess, are you in?"
She thought about it for a few minutes. "Come on, Twilight. She's got enough magic to get her mane back anyways," Aurora said.
A smirk came across the alicorn's face. "All right, I'll do it. I've even got an idea how."
" You do? Well, let's hear it then."
"Well, I'll go in and talk to Celestia. You guys will sneak the mane remover into her shampoo. Once you're done, give me a signal, and I'll end the conversion. Sound good?"
"You thought all of that up just now?!" Discord said, shocked. "Perhaps I underestimated you." He said with a rather impressed expression.
"She is the smart one of this group," Aurora said. "No offense, Discord. You're the awesome one. I'm... I dunno, what am I? The sidekick or something?"
"You can be our defense. You are a royal guard after all."
"But Discord can make things appear out of nowhere! And Twilight, you can shoot laser beams and do magicky stuff! And what can I do? I kick things."
"Every little bit helps. We can always use an extra hoof. Now, I think we've procrastinated long enough. Let's go!"
Aurora jumped into a corner, trying to look like a ninja, but failing miserably. She peeked her head out from behind a bush, pretty much everything showing except her hind legs.
"Oh my, aren't you stealthy," Discord said sarcastically.
"Hey, I'm good at drawing pictures. I never said I was good at hiding," Aurora retorted.
"Celestia's chambers are just up ahead. I'll go first, you guys will follow in a few minutes, once I've captured her attention. Got it?" Twilight asked.
"Aye, aye, princess," Aurora said, giving a salute.
"Sounds fine to me," Discord said, giving a nod.
Twilight then proceeded towards Celestia's chambers. She knocked on the door.
Celestia appeared on the other side. "Twilight! How wonderful to see you! How have you been?" She asked in her gentle, motherly voice.
"I'm doing fine, Celestia. I'd like to talk to you about, uh, Starswirl the Bearded! Yes!"
Celestia raised an eyebrow. "Twilight, don't you know enough about Starswirl?"
"Well, since you knew him personally, I'd like to know what he was like as a pony, not the great magician everypony knows him as." Twilight said, somewhat proud she came up with the that in such a short amount of time.
"Very well, come inside." Twilight turned her head and gave a slight nod to Aurora and Discord. Time for the prank to begin.
"Twilight, Twilight? Are you there?"
"Huh, what?" Twilight's focus returned to her used-to-be mentor.
"You were kind of zoning off there," Celestia said with a smirk.
"Oh! I was just, nevermind. So, what were you saying?"
Meanwhile in the bathroom, Aurora was trying to open Celestia's bottle of shampoo. She was using her teeth to try to pry off the top. "Nngh...Grr...No magic," She growled, frustrated.
Discord rolled his eyes. "Here, let me get it." With a snap, Discord opened the bottle of shampoo."Boy, I can't wait to see the look on her face when she realizes she's bald!" Discord laughed.
Aurora giggled. She opened her wing to reveal a bottle of mane remover.
"Uh, can you get this for me too?" She asked.
"Must I do everything around here? Ah, well." With another snap, the mane remover magically poured itself into the shampoo.
"Now, all we have to do is wait for Little Miss Sunshine to take a bath, wash her tri-colored mane, and *poof* we've got ourselves a bald princess," Discord grinned mischievously.
"I'm not sticking around to watch it, though!" Aurora said. "It'll be funny enough- wait, what if she's so magical her mane can't be removed?" She asked, eyes widening.
"Oh, I enchanted the mane remover. Even the most magical of creatures will be effected. Don't worry about. I wouldn't have suggested it if I didn't think it would work," proclaimed Discord confidently.
"Oh, okay!" Aurora chirped, then covered her mouth again with her hoof. "Geez, I'm loud. Let's get back quickly," She said.
"Right!" Discord quickly flashed the two away but made sure Twilight would notice.
Twilight did notice. She gave a quick smile and spoke to Celestia, "Well, thank you for divulging that information with me, Princess. I can add it to my research. Sadly, I must leave. I've got somewhere to be. Thanks again!"
Celestia gave her former student a hug. "You are welcome, Twilight Sparkle. Have a good day!"
Twilight quickly left the room and met up with Discord and Aurora. " Great job, guys. I don't know when she'll be taking a bath though. But while we're waiting, what should we do?" She asked.
"Um..." Aurora thought for a moment, then brightened. "Wanna get some ice cream? It'll be on me," She said.
"You don't have to ask me twice." Discord replied cheerfully.
"I know the perfect place. Frozen Delights! It was my favorite ice cream shop when I was a filly. Let's go!" Since Discord didn't know where it was, Twilight led the way. Aurora flew after them.
Once they arrived, they made their choices and were seated at a table eating their ice cream. Aurora put her bits back under her wing then proceeded to lick her ice cream. "MMM! This is delicious!" She said, smiling brightly. "Vanilla's the best!"
"I personally think chocolate is better, but whatever." Discord licked his ice cream.
"I don't have a favorite, but stawberry is pretty good." Twilight levitated a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth.
She then heard a familiar voice. "Twily, Lieutenant, Discord? What are you doing here?" asked the Captain of the Royal Guard, Shining Armor.
"Shiny! Oh, don't worry about it, BBBFF. We're not doing anything wrong. And if you're wondering, I gave Aurora permission to escort me around Canterlot. And before you say anything, remember, I'm a princess. I have more authority over you, even if you are the older brother," Twilight explained, "And I'm sure you've had more fun today then you've ever had on patrol, right Aurora?"
"Eh heh! Right. Sir!" She yelped, rembembering her position. "I was, uh, planning to go back to my post soon," She said.
He narrowed his eyes at first but then softened his expression. "At ease, Lieutenant. I give you my permission to escort my sister and...Discord around Canterlot until they leave. I don't expect any trouble, understood?"
"Understood. Thank you, sir." Aurora said, saluting after a brief smile.
"Good, now Twily, what in the world are you doing with... him?" Shining said distastefully.
"Why does everyone ask that? Do they not believe that I am capable of becoming good?!" Discord responded angrily.
"Shining Armor, as Princess, it is my duty to befriend anyone I can. That includes Discord. He has turned himself around. I'm sure if you give him a chance, you'll find out he's changed. Ask Aurora. She's hung out with him today as well." Twilight turned her head to the mare in question.
"It might not be my place to say, sir, but I think Discord has great potential," Aurora said. "He has unimaginable power; imagine how he could use it for good!"
Shining Armor was silent for a little while but finally relented," Very well. I'll give you a chance, Discord. But if you do anything to the Princesses, my sister, or anypony, my boys and I WILL come for you, understood?"
Discord gave a mock bow. "As you wish, Captain. I'll be good. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," he then proceeded to do the motions which only confused Shining Armor.
"Well, I'd better get going. I'll be in trouble with Cadence if I don't," he said, "Lieutenant, keep an eye on him. Just to be safe."
"Don't worry, sir." Aurora smiled. "I will."
Twilight hugged her brother, and he eventually left.
"Let's check on Miss Sun Raiser, shall we?" Discord conjured up a hologram which showed Princess Celestia getting ready to put on shampoo. "Well, talk about coincidence." Twilight said.
Aurora sat back, folding her wings. "I can't wait to see how this goes," She chuckled, taking another lick of her ice cream.
"I predict we will see results in about 3.5 minutes." Discord said, checking a wrist watch that had suddenly appeared in his arm.
"How'd you figure that?" Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Call it a hunch," he said nonchalantly.
"It was his magic. It'd make sense for him to know how long it'll take to take effect," Aurora suggested.
"Exactly, Aurora. Now, let me see. Ooh, 30 seconds remaining!" Discord exclaimed.
"3.5 minutes went by awfully fast." Twilight said skeptically.
"Shush, 5...4...3...2...1...And... 0! Mane remover take effect!" Discord shouted.
In the hologram, they could see Celestia's mane slowly disappear. Her eyes were closed, so she didn't notice. Twilight's eyes widened. Aurora spit out the ice cream she had just eaten, bursting out laughing. She held her stomach with her hooves, her wings splaying out as she giggled uncontrollably.
"Oh man! That is priceless!" Discord clutched his sides while laughing, " I have got to take a photo of that." He took out a camera and took a photo laughing uncontrollably at it. They all looked back at the hologram and saw that Celestia's eyes were opened and had finally noticed her lack of a mane.
They heard her say, "Discord, where are you? I know you're responsible for this."
Aurora was cracking up. "Oh, man! That's just hilarious," She giggled, wiping a tear from her eye with her wing. "How long until the effects wear off, Discord?"
"I was generous, so the effects should wear off in about 10 minutes."
"I actually don't feel guilty about this. Maybe breaking routine isn't such a bad thing," Twilight giggled slightly. "See? Even you need chaos in your life. You need both order and chaos to create harmony," Discord told her.
"Well, I don't know about you, but I'd like to go home. I'm pretty tired," Twilight gave a yawn.
"And I probably need to head back to my station now," Aurora said with a sigh. She finished off her ice cream before putting back on her armor. "Thanks for letting me hang out with you guys," she said, smiling. "I've had more fun today than - well, ever!" She giggled.
"Likewise, I'm glad we became friends. Maybe one of these days I'll invite you over to meet my friends." Twilight said with a grin.
"Me?! Really?!" Aurora squeaked, her wings flapping excitedly. "That would be awesome!!"
"Yes, yes, well we'd better leave. Thanks again, Aura!" Discord waved his hand.
"Aura? That's a new one," Aurora noted while she walked away.
Discord teleported the two of them home. Twilight walked into the library where she was bombarded by Spike.
"Where were you?!" He exclaimed. "When I came home, you weren't here! Why didn't you leave a note? And why is Discord here?"
"Hello to you too, Spike," she said rolling her eyes, "I was actually hanging out with Discord the entire day. I gained two new friends today, as well."
"Two? You met two new ponies?" Spike asked.
"No, I only met one. Her name's Aurora, and she's a royal guard. As for the other one, he's in the room with us now." She said looking behind her.
"Discord? You're friends with him now?" Spike looked surprised.
"I can hear you, you know!" Discord crossed his arms.
"How many times have I explained this today? Look, Spike. Discord was given a second chance. He was given the opportunity to learn about the importance of friendship. And if he only has one friend, how much do you think he's going to learn?" Twilight asked him.
Spike thought about it for a moment. "I never thought about it that way. I guess you're right, Twilight." Spike said with a small smile.
"Yes, Spike, everyone deserves to have friends," Twilight flew over to Discord, "Even Discord." She said with a smile. Discord was very touched by this. He wrapped his mismatched arms around the lavender pony in a grateful hug. He was even more surprised that she hugged him back.
Discord gently whispered to her, "Thanks," which she returned with, "You're welcome, friend."
Ever since that day in Canterlot, Discord had been hanging out with Twilight more often than not. The two had become great friends within the timespan of about two weeks. Before, Twilight would be nothing but annoyed with the Spirit. Now, she could go entire days without him frustrating her.
When her friends found out, they were all shocked that the two had become actual friends. Fluttershy was overjoyed that Discord had broken out of his shell and made another friend. Discord was happy as well. When he was released from stone for a chance to redeem himself, he didn't think it would actually happen. In the end, he was proven wrong, and he was okay with that. Even Twilight's friends started to act more friendly around him. Discord had started to learn the magic of friendship. Today, he would get a chance to see something that would remain in his memory for a long time.
Twilight was sorting through her mail. Ever since she became a princess, she had been getting a lot of fan letters. Twilight was a little bugged by it, however. Twilight had never been an egotistical pony. Even back in Canterlot, she didn't brag about being Princess Celestia's prized student. Eventually, she learned to deal with it. Besides, not every unicorn completes a spell, gets turned into an alicorn, and becomes a princess.
"Fan mail, fan mail, bill, bill, fan mail, a letter from the Crystal Empire, fan mail...Wait! A letter from the Crystal Empire?! Oooh!" Twilight exclaimed.
"What's this I hear about the Crystal Empire?" There was a flash of light, and Discord appeared in the room.
"Hi, Discord! I got a letter from the Crystal Empire! Wait! What if it's a bad thing? What if the Empire's being attacked by some other being even worse than Sombra? What if Cadence has fallen ill and needs me to watch the Crystal Empire for her? What if--"
"What if you never read it? You'll never know what it says," Discord smirked ending her what if's.
"I suppose you're right. Won't know until I read." She opened the letter with her magic and began to read.
Dear Twilight,
How have you been? I hope you've been adjusting to your new role as princess. I'm writing you to ask if you and your friends would like to come to the Empire on Saturday. I'd love to have you over. Let me know if you can make it.
~Love,
Your sister-in-law-,Cadence. "Cadence is inviting us to the Crystal Empire! Oh, it's been so long since I saw her last. I'd better let her know right away. Spike!" She called.
There was a pattering of feet that could be heard scurrying down the stairs. "Yes, Twi? Oh, hey, Discord!" greeted the purple dragon.
"Hello, Spike. Twilight needs you to take a letter," Discord told him.
"Oh, okay. To whom?" Spike asked whipping up a quill and parchment.
"Cadence. Ahem. Dear Cadence, I am just letting you know that we would love to visit you in the Crystal Empire. Saturday will be fine. I look forward to seeing you. Thanks for the invite. Yours, Twilight Sparkle. Did you get all that?" asked the alicorn.
"-light Sparkle. Got it!" Spike had learned something new about his magic fire. Not only could he receive and send letters to Princess Celestia, but he could also send letters to anypony he wanted to as long as he pictured who he wanted to send it to. With a deep breath, he sent the letter to its proper recipient.
"Wait, Cadence invited you to the Crystal Empire? Sweet! Can I come, too?" He asked hopefully.
Twilight ruffled his spines playfully. "Of course, you can, Spike. You're my friend, too, after all."
"Wow! This is great! I'd better start packing." He rushed upstairs as fast as his little legs could carry him.
Twilight felt a poke on her shoulder. "Can I go, too?" asked Discord giving Twilight his puppy eyes.
"Of course, you can. You're my friend. But, Discord, please try not to draw too much attention to yourself. I'm not quite sure how the Crystal ponies will react to seeing you, but don't spark their curiosity by using your powers." Twilight warned.
Discord nodded understandingly. "That's fine. I'll keep the usage of my powers to a minimum."
"Good. Now, I'd better find my friends and tell them. Care to join me?" The alicorn asked with a twinkle in her eye.
"I thought you'd never ask." With that, the pair headed out to tell the rest of their friends.
Saturday came up fast. All of the ponies (plus one draconeques and one dragon) were about to board the train that would take them to the Crystal Empire. Pinkie, as usual, was the most excited of the group. She hadn't stopped bouncing since she woke up that morning.
"I can't believe today is finally here! Seemed like Saturday would never come, but, boy am I glad it did! 'Cause today we're all going to the Crystal Empire!" She exclaimed enthusiastically.
"Hold your horses, sugarcube. Contain your enthusiasm jus' a little bit," Applejack told the overly energetic pink mare.
"I don't blame you for your excitement, darling. I am very excited as well to be able to visit that magnificent place. Those Crystal ponies are so lucky to have such radiant coats," Rarity sighed dreamily.
"I'm looking forward to some good R&R. Hopefully, we won't have to deal with anything bad. We've dealt with bad too many times!" Rainbow proclaimed angrily throwing her hooves in the air.
"I'm glad that Discord's able to come with us. Is this your first time going to the Empire, Discord?" Fluttershy inquired meekly.
"It is, in fact. The Empire was discovered eons after I was set in stone. So, you can imagine I'm quite excited. Twilight, are you allowed to take crystals home with you?" Discord asked the purple alicorn.
"That I'm not sure. It doesn't mean we can't inquire about it." Twilight responded.
The train whistle blew and the conductor announced, "ALL ABOARD WHO'S COMING ABOARD!"
"Guess that means us. Come on, guys," Twilight urged.
Everyone boarded the train, and in a few minutes, they were on their way to the Crystal Empire.
In about three hours, the train arrived at the Crystal Station where the Empire itself was visible from the waiting platform. The Crystal Empire truly was a sight to behold. The way the crystal buildings sparkled in the sunlight was something that one could never get tired of seeing.
Rainbow rubbed her eyes at the sheer amount of light coming from the Empire. "Is it just me or has the Empire become even more sparkly than last time?"
"I think you are right, Rainbow Dash," replied Rarity, "It seems as if every time we come here, the Empire keeps on becoming more and more stunning. Oh, how I'd love to live here! Sadly, I doubt I could afford it."
They passed many Crystal ponies on their way to the palace all going about their daily routines living without fear of being treated as a slave. Some of them looked at Discord a bit weird, but when they saw him with Equestria's heroines, they realized he wasn't here to cause harm.
"This place really is beautiful!" Discord exclaimed as he admired the scenery, "Probably the most beautiful place in Equestria!"
"Indeed. Cadence has done an amazing job of restoring the Empire to its former glory. Ah! Here we are! The Crystal Castle."
As they opened the doors, a trumpet fanfare played to announce their arrival.
"Announcing the arrival of Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends!" announced an orange Pegasus guard.
Cadence's eyes lit up with joy. "Twilight! It's so good to see you!" She exclaimed as she opened her arms.
Twilight rushed forward and jumped into the older alicorn's embrace. "Oh, it is so good to see you, too! Hey, where's Shining Armor?"
"Sadly, he is not here. He was called to a meeting with the Princesses in the Coltish Isles. He won't be here for another few days." Cadence explained. She noticed Twilight deflate a bit. Cadence placed a hoof under the mare's chin and lifted her face up. "Don't worry, Twilight. We'll still have a lot of fun today even without your brother. This will be the perfect time for us to have some nice sisterly bonding time together. Oh, where are my manners? Hello, girls, Spike, and... Discord? Twilight, what is Discord doing here?"
"He came along with us," Pinkie answered before Twilight could even formulate a response, "Twilight and Discord, along with the rest of us, have become really great friends. So, when you said Twilight could come, along with her friends, she allowed Discord to come, too, since he's her friend like we all are!" She spouted without stopping for air.
Cadence blinked twice before processing what the vibrant pink earth pony just said.
"Forgive her, Cadence. She is very enthusiastic." Rarity apologized.
After understanding what she said, Cadence turned to the group with a smile. "It is fine. But if this is true, you girls sure are something. When Aunty Tia told me she had released Discord in order to give him a chance to be reformed, I thought it was an absolutely horrible idea that would never work. Now, I definitely sense a change in you, Discord. Celestia's idea must've worked." She turned to the spirit which he replied with a nod.
"Thanks, Cadence. I, too, thought it was a bad idea. But that was before I realized that he's not so bad once you get to know him." Twilight said happily.
"I can believe that. Now, I assume you all are tired and would like to relax. Flash, escort Princess Twilight and her friends to their chambers." She ordered the young guard.
"Right away, Your Highness. Come along, Princess." With that, the Pegasus began leading them to their rooms.
Rarity walked faster to keep up with Twilight. "Say, Twilight, isn't our escort the guard you have a crush on?" She whispered smugly.
"I thought I might have had a crush on him, but that's only because he reminds me of the Flash in the human world. I realized my feelings for him weren't true. Besides, I don't have time for a love life." Twilight answered. Rarity saw no hint of a blush and realized Twilight was telling the truth, so she left her alone.
After a few hours of fun, relaxing, and catching up, everypony just settled down in their chambers. Discord was bored and decided to explore the Empire. He didn't want to go alone though. He flew over to Twilight's chambers and knocked. The purple alicorn appeared on the other side. "Oh, hey, Discord! What's up?" She asked.
"The ceiling, Sherlock. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out." He joked. Twilight gave him a deadpan expression.
"Ahem. Anyway, I was wondering if you could show me your favorite places here in the Empire." He told her.
"My favorite places? Well, I don't know if I... Oh! I can show you where we found the Crystal Heart." Twilight then proceeded to tell him about King Sombra's return and how they saved the Empire from the dark king's slavery.
"Well, if I ever told you that you were boring, I take it back," he said impressed, "I think I would like to see that if you can show me."
"I sure can. Follow me." He followed her into the throne room. He noticed she was casting a spell because her horn was glowing.
"Twilight, what spell are you casting?" Discord inquired.
"I call it the Pay-No-Attention-To spell. It's got a much more complex name which I don't feel like saying right now. I cast it on the throne room. If somepony passes it, they will pay no attention to it. If I'm going to show you this, nopony can be in here." She planted all four hooves firmly on the ground. She concentrated on things she hated and used that to perform dark magic. Discord jumped back a little after seeing her horn shoot a pure black beam at a crystal atop the throne. Immediately afterwards, the crystal sparked and revealed a dark flight of winding steps leading downward.
Discord was shocked at this. "You found this while you were still a unicorn, right?"
"Um, yah?"
"Well, remind me never to get you mad. So, did you find the Crystal Heart down there?" He asked staring down into the dark abyss.
"No. We're almost there. We just need to head down these steps first, then I'll explain the rest." The two headed down the stairs , and in about ten minutes they reached the bottom. Twilight was out of breath because she walked down them all. Discord was fine because he had flown down all of them. After Twilight caught her breath, she looked at the doorway which had helped lead her to the Heart. Twilight wanted to see what Discord's worst fear was, but she knew it probably wasn't the best idea.
"Well, we're one step closer. It won't be much longer." Twilight focused on things that made her happy which then activated and opened the door. On the other side was a long winding staircase, much similar to the one before, except this one led upwards and seemed to never end.
Discord stared at the stairs for a good few minutes. "Please don't tell me that we have to climb all these stairs." He moaned.
"Nope. Only a few. I'll tell you when to stop." The pair climbed for about five minutes before Twilight stopped.
"Discord, hang on to me." She told him.
"Are you serious?"
"If you want to see the place where we found the Heart, then yes! We're almost there." Discord relented and curled himself around her body. She levitated them both into the air, and in a few seconds, she flipped the entire room upside and started sliding at incredible speeds on the bottom side of the stairs. Discord was hanging onto the mare for dear life. He knew she was powerful, but this was ridiculous. Eventually, they stopped sliding and landed in a room. Discord quickly got off of the purple alicorn.
"Mare, you are dangerous! I didn't know there were such spells for average ponies! Sure, I can do it, but if ponies start mastering that spell, who knows what they'd do!" He yelled still a little discombobulated.
Twilight giggled and replied, "Gravity spell, in case you're wondering. Anyway, we're here. Probably the highest point in the castle. King Sombra hid the Heart really well. You can see the entire Empire from here."
Discord was already looking out the window. The scene before him was truly amazing. The Crystal ponies looked like tiny sparkles from this height. He saw that the Empire was indeed very big. Canterlot was visible in the far distance, if only a blur, but still visible. No words could describe it. It was that great.
"I've said this before, and I'll say it again, thanks, Twilight. This day has been just wonderful. "
"Not a problem, Discord. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Now, let's head back to our rooms. I don't know about you, but I sure good use some sleep. Our train leaves early tomorrow." With that being said, Discord teleported both of them to their rooms and slept peacefully dreaming about nothing but crystals.
Ever since Discord had visited the Crystal Empire, he began to think of what else had changed during his time as a statue. If he hadn't seen the Crystal Empire until he was released, he figured that there were probably more places which he hadn't been to. Discord decided that he wanted to see what had changed in Equestria over the last thousand years.
Twilight Sparkle was walking home from Sugarcube Corner. She had just finished having lunch with her friends, which had become a rare occurrence. Since she and her friends were always doing something, whether it be fighting evil or busy with their everyday lives, the girls didn't really get anytime to bond. Twilight opened the door to the library and was met by a pacing Discord. She heard him muttering and even heard her name once or twice.
"Um, Discord? What are you doing?" Twilight asked puzzled.
"Oh, Twilight! Just the pony I was looking for! I need to ask you something. I'm sure that you know that I have not been around to witness Equestria's development. I've missed out on quite a lot. When we visited the Crystal Empire a week ago, I realized there's probably many places in Equestria I haven't seen. I'd like to see what's changed during my time as a Canterlot Garden sculpture. So, my question to you is, are you up for a little road trip?" He finally asked.
Twilight began processing what the Spirit of Chaos just said. A smile crossed her face. "Why, Discord, I think that's a perfect idea. Not only will you be able to explore Equestria, but ponies will get to see that you've changed. A road trip would be the perfect opportunity to let ponies get to know you. And, of course, I'll be coming with you. I'll be able to settle their nerves if they're still unsure." Twilight replied happily.
"Excellent! We can invite our friends as well. Oh, I cannot wait to get going! I'm thinking we should leave two days from now. That will give us time to pack and to inform the others." Discord decided.
"Sounds good to me! Could you go and inform them for me? I've got a few things I need to take care of." Twilight asked her friend.
Discord replied with a confirming nod. With a quick flash, the Embodiment of Chaos had disappeared.
Discord reappeared at Fluttershy's cottage. Besides Twilight, Fluttershy was his closest friend. He figured he ought to tell her first. He knocked on the door.
"I'll be right there." A small voice replied from the other side. After a few seconds, the door opened revealing the timid yellow Pegasus. "Oh, hi, Discord! What a pleasant surprise. I know you've been hanging out more with Twilight now, which I'm fine with, but it always makes me happy to see you." She greeted cheerfully.
Discord smiled at the shy mare. "It makes me happy too, Fluttershy. However, this is not a casual visit. I've come up with a fantastic idea. Since I haven't seen much of Equestria because of certain events, I have decided to explore this magnificent country. Basically, I'm taking a road trip. But, I don't want to go alone. I know Twilight's coming, but I'd like to know if the rest of you can. So, can you? We would be gone for about a week maybe two at the most." He finished.
"A road trip? Oh, I'd love to go! I always enjoy going to different places. I can't wait!" Fluttershy proclaimed happily.
"Excellent! Fluttershy: check! Wow, no wonder Twilight uses these things all the time. They are quite useful. Anyway, we will be leaving in two days. I'd start packing now if I was you," Discord suggested, "I know two days is a short time, but I'd really like to get going. So, pack the necessities. Not too little, but not too much either. Now, I need to inform the others. I bid you good afternoon, my dear." After a short bow, Discord teleported away to tell the others.
In about forty minutes, Discord had gotten the consensus from all the girls that they would like to go. All of them had different places they wanted to check out. Discord was totally fine with that. The more places they visited the better. He arrived back at his home and began packing. Only two more days.
Two days passed, and the big day had arrived. Discord got up early making sure he had everything. He literally dragged Twilight and Spike out of bed. He was that excited.
"Get up, sleepyheads! We've a got a big trip planned. The sooner we leave, the sooner we'll get to start exploring!" exclaimed the overly-excited draconeques.
Twilight teleported herself and Spike away from the enthusiastic Spirit's grasp. The purple alicorn shook her head. "Discord, I'm glad you're excited, but some of us have to wake up first. Give us a few minutes. We'll be ready in about half an hour."
"Half an hour?! I can't wait that long! I barely got any sleep last night because I was so excited!" cried Discord.
"Discord, relax! We've got plenty of time. We do not need to leave so early. It's barely eight. Just wait patiently for a little while. And before you know it, we'll be on our way to our first destination." Twilight insisted.
Discord gave a reluctant sigh. These thirty minutes would go by so slow.
As it turned out, Twilight was right. Thirty minutes went by quickly and everypony was waiting outside the library. Twilight had requested the use of a royal chariot. Since she would be traveling around Equestria, the purple pony figured it'd be a good chance for the citizens of Equestria to get to know their newest princess better. The Mane Six were all packed and ready to leave, each one of them bristling with excitement.
"I sure can't wait to get on the road or rather in the sky, since we'll be traveling via royal chariot. Twilight, dear, thanks ever so much for allowing us to ride in your royal chariot." Rarity said gratefully.
"It's not a problem at all girls. I haven't exactly used my royal chariot. The only time was at my coronation. I just haven't needed to use it up until this point."
"Hey! I can see it coming now." Pinkie pointed out. In the distance, they could faintly make out what looked like two pegasi pulling something. Judging from the distance, it would probably take them about fifteen more minutes.
"Hoo, boy! I can't wait to go visit Braeburn in Appleloosa. I hope the buffalo are still cooperatin'." said Applejack.
"Of course, they are. As long as the ponies give them pies, they're harmless. I'm looking forward to visiting Rainbow Falls again." Rainbow Dash said, hovering in the air.
"I'm excited to see Equestria's natural wonders, like Neighagra Falls and the Eiffoal Tower. I've only seen pictures and getting to see them for real would be amazing." Fluttershy told the group.
"I'm just looking forward to getting out of the library. It'll be nice to be somewhere other than Ponyville." Spike put in.
"Yes, yes, we're all looking forward to it. But where is that chariot? It should have been here by now." Discord said impatiently.
It was at that moment that the chariot arrived. Two armored pegasi landed firmly on the ground. One a stallion and one a mare. Twilight took a good look at both pegasi and immediately recognized the mare. "Aurora? Is that you?"
"Hi, Princess! Hi, Discord! Isn't this great? When Princess Celestia asked for volunteers to be your escorts, my hoof shot up like a rocket. Now, I get to escort you all around Equestria! How awesome is that?!" exclaimed the mare.
"Lieutentant! Do not get into friendly conversions with the Princess! Remember your position." The stallion beside her spoke out harshly.
"Sadly, I got stuck with this guy. Don't worry, Steel Blade. I doubt I'm going to get reprimanded for talking to a Princess. She wouldn't allow it. Right, Twilight?" Aurora spoke with a smirk.
"Exactly. You don't need to worry. Aurora and I are friends. Which means she's allowed to talk to me however she wants. With limits, of course, but you know where the line is," the Princess affirmed.
Steel Blade still looked unsure at first but eventually relented. "Uh, Twi? Beggin' yer pardon, but who's she?" Applejack asked. "Hi! I'm Aurora. Nice to meet you all. I've always wanted to meet you. Now, let me just say that you guys are AWESOME!!!"Aurora praised. Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Please, tell us something we don't know." "Ahem. Forgive me for the intrusion, but should we get going, Your Highness?" Steel Blade inquired.
"I believe so. Guys?" Twilight got seven nods of affirmation. The two guards helped load the ponies' luggage onto the chariot. Once everypony was settled in, the two pegasi rose into the air, and the Equestrian road trip had begun.
As the two pegasi were pulling the chariot, a thought came across Aurora's mind. "Um, Twilight? Sorry, to bother you but, uh, where are we going first?"
Twilight took out the map. "Well, I say we work our way up. Start in the southernmost cities and go from there. And according to the map, the closest city is Los Pegasus. That okay with you, guys?" The vote was unanimous.
"Okay! Sounds good. Come on, Steel! Pick up the pace," Aurora urged.
"Excuse me for being concerned for the safety of our passengers. Especially since we have a princess on board," retorted the stubborn stallion.
Aurora leaned over to Pinkie and whispered, "Think you can liven this guy up? He's been nothing but a big stick-in-the-mud since this morning. Always 'Don't do this or don't do that'. Get him to loosen up," She finished with a smirk.
The pink mare gave the royal guard an understanding nod. "Don't worry. I'll get a smile out of him," Pinkie assured Aurora,"Want to hear a funny story?" The talking began quieting down. "Okay, when I was filly, me and my sister Marble would always play in the snow. Maud didn't because she hated the cold, which I don't understand. How could anypony possibly hate snow? Sure, it's cold, and can give you the sniffles, but if you're all bundled up, you wouldn't get--"
"You were saying, Pinkie?" Applejack interrupted.
"Oh, right! Well, we would play in the snow for hours and hours. One day, my sister betted that I couldn't stay outside an entire night. Naturally, I accepted the challenge. If I won, she would have to give up her marshmallows for hot cocoa for a whole week. If she won, I'd have to clean her room up for her. We didn't tell Ma and Pa because we knew they wouldn't let us. So, one night, when my parents had gone out of town for the evening, I snuck out of the house. Marble knew about it, so she stayed in my room and locked all the doors to make sure I wouldn't come inside. Here comes the funny part. About four hours into the night, a sound woke me up. I saw two ponies coming towards me. My first thought was to defend myself. I started gathering snowballs. When they were about ten feet away, " she snickered here," I started chucking them as hard as I could. The two ponies didn't stand a chance. They were caught by surprise and were easy targets. After I had congratulated myself for a job well done, I went to see who it was. Turned out it was my mom and dad! And boy were they mad!" Everyone was laughing, including Steel Blade.
"Oh, man, Pinkie! That's hilarious! Did they punish you?" Rainbow asked, wiping a tear away.
"I got a cold the next day. They said that was punishment enough." Pinkie replied with a giggle.
The group noticed that they were approaching the city of Los Pegasus. Los Pegasus was the home of Applewood Studios, where most of the movies played these days came from. Los Pegasus buzzed with rich ponies similar to those in Canterlot. The only difference was that these wealthy ponies didn't have the pompousness of Canterlot nobles. The chariot landed and the ponies got off. Once again, ponies all around were shocked to see Discord roaming around and having the Mane Six unconcerned. Discord, unfazed by their surprise, already had his camera out and began snapping photos. From the multi-colored signs to the three-story tall buildings, nothing escaped Discord and his unquenchable curiosity.
"I don't believe this city was around when I was ruling. Considering all the modern technology in this town, it's probably fairly new," assumed the draconeques.
"It's relatively new," Twilight began explaining," It's development began in 897 when a group of wealthy ponies known as the "Rich Tribes" wanted to construct their own city. They were called the Rich Tribes because they had each type of pony tribe in their group, you know, unicorns, pegasi, earth ponies. Anyway, knowing they had the funds to do so, they went to Princess Celestia for permission which she granted. She gave them a charter for a piece of land, and within a few months, these ponies had built their very own little city which they called Los Pegasus. If only those ponies could see what progress this city has achieved. Los Pegasus is where most of our modern technology comes from. From what I've heard, they're working on a device that will allow ponies to communicate with each other far distances without the use of mail delivery. I believe it's called a phone. I cannot wait to see how it works."
"I can't believe we're in Los Pegasus. The home to many celebrities. Do you think we'll meet any?" Rainbow asked hopefully.
"I certainly hope so. I, for one, would like to meet Madame de Signa," Rarity was met with blank stares, "Oh, don't tell me you've never heard of her. Madame de Signa is the most popular fashion designer in all of Equestria! I mean, she created the polo sweater, the leather jacket, and so much more. My dream has always been to show her my work and see what she thinks. Oh, how I'd love to meet her!" Rarity replied dreamily.
"I'm just happy to be here. Some of the best artists live in this city. I'm hoping to meet one of them." Aurora said.
"We are not here to have fun. We are here to--"
"To escort the Princess and keep her safe. I know that. You don't need to keep reminding me. I've been in the royal guard long enough to know what I can and can't do. And unless you can find me a rule in the royal guard manual that says that we're not allowed to have fun, I am going to enjoy my time here. Whether you like it or not." She walked past Steel Blade with her nose in the air, clearly annoyed by him.
Spike was looking around, amazed at all the bright and glowing signs and buildings. He kept walking until he felt something underneath his feet. The purple dragon lifted his little foot and found a flyer stuck to it. After he read it, he widened his eyes and ran to Twilight.
"Twilight! Twilight! I found this poster. Read what it says!" Spike spoke out quickly. Twilight took the paper with her magic and began reading. She gave the same response. "NO WAY!!! Book Signing by A.K. Yearling!? She's the author of Daring Do!"
"Let me see that!" Rainbow zoomed in front of Twilight's vision. " The author of Daring Do?! We have to go! NOW! It starts in thirty minutes!" She glanced over at a clock tower which read 11:30.
"Who's Daring Do?" Discord asked.
Rainbow's jaw dropped. "You seriously need to catch up with the world, dude. You've missed out on way too much. Daring Do is only the awesomest book character ever. She's not even real, yet she's SO cool. Any author that can make up adventures and characters like that are OKAY in my book. Daring Do's about on the same level of awesome as me. We're both really awesome." Everypony spontaneously rolled their eyes.
"Well, if we want to make it, I think we should leave now. I mean, if you want to," Fluttershy suggested shyly.
"Fluttershy is right! The exhibition hall where this thing is being held is all the way across town. So, let's stop talking and start walking!" Pinkie shouted.
"I'm not gonna even ask how you knew that." Applejack mumbled.
"I lived here for two years before I joined the royal guard. I know where it is. Follow me," Steel Blade instructed. The group followed the stallion through the bustling crowd of busy ponies. Some ponies moved out of the way because of Twilight, but even though a princess was present, that didn't change the fact that Los Pegasus was a very busy city. About fifteen minutes later, Rarity bumped into something or rather somepony. A cultured accent spoke up.
" Oh, quite sorry, deary. I was not paying attention to where my legs were carrying me. Are you all right?" Rarity had no words. Standing in front of her was Madame de Signa. Her idol was standing right in front of her. "Wait a moment! Aren't you Rarity? The Element of Generosity as well as the spectacular dress designer?" The fashion mare asked.
"I-I-I, yes, I am! You're Madame de Signa! I am a big supporter of your work. Your designs are simply marvelous," Rarity complimented.
"Oh, please, my work is old news. I should be the one complimenting you. For a young mare, your outfits truly are amazing. Did you go to a special fashion school?"
"No, actually. You see my special talent is designing and finding the beauty of things. So, it's basically my destiny to become a fashion designer." Rarity and Madame de Signa went into a lengthy conversation about different fabrics and stuff of that nature. Pinkie was playing with a ball she found on the street, Fluttershy was talking to a robin, Applejack was talking to Aurora and Steel Blade, and Spike was helping Discord take pictures. Rainbow and Twilight kept glancing nervously at the clock. They knew that if Rarity kept talking, they'd be late for the book signing. They didn't want to interrupt Rarity, so they decided to go on ahead.
Twilight spoke up for a brief moment. "Excuse me, everypony. Could you pay attention for a little bit? I'm sure you all have something you'd like to see in this city. If you want to go, that's fine, but once you're done, head on over to Best Suites. That's the hotel we'll be staying at for the night. We'll meet there in three hours. Once we're all together, we'll check in. Sound good?" She got a yes from everyone. After that, the group separated.
Discord went with Rainbow and Twilight to see if everything said about Daring Do was true. Discord, obviously, was not a fan of reading, but he thought he ought to give it a try. The trio, along with Steel Blade and Aurora, arrived at the book signing. There was a long line. Discord didn't feel like waiting. He bent down and whispered to Twilight, "You know, now would be a good time to abuse your power."
"I don't like abusing my authority. Besides, I'm sure the line will move fast," Twilight replied.
Aurora gave a small smile. "Announcing Her Royal Highness Princess Twilight Sparkle! And Element of Loyalty Rainbow Dash!" The ponies in line gave collective gasps and immediately bowed. They also moved out of the way.
"That was easy," Aurora complimented herself.
"I don't know whether or not to thank you or to scold you, " Twilight teased.
"I say scold," Steel Blade remarked. Aurora just stuck her tongue out.
"We're wasting time! I've got a book that needs to be signed." Rainbow flew up to the front of the line. She was meeting A.K. Yearling. This day couldn't get any better. "Ms. Yearling, I would just like to say that your books are totally awesome. Daring Do is incredible. Your books are the only books I read."
A.K. Yearling smiled. "Hey, thanks. You're Rainbow Dash, right? Princess Twilight is here too, right? If you didn't know, I'm giving out my newest book: Daring Do and the Underworld Demons. For the average customer, it's twelve bits. But I'm giving it to you two for free. It's wrong to charge royalty and one of Equestria's heroes."
Discord spoke up,"What about me? Do I get a free book?"
She looked at him curiously, but then her face lit up. "Yes! You know why? You just gave me a great idea for my next book. I'm calling it: Daring Do and the Chaos Wielder. You'll be in Daring Do's next adventure, Discord. You don't mind if I make you evil, do you?"
"Thank you, Ms. Yearling. That's very kind of you. I'll have you know that your series is one of my personal favorites as well. I can't wait to read this one." Twilight said.
"Can royal guards get them free, too?" Aurora inquired hopefully.
"Sorry, you have to pay like everypony else. I'll lower the price by two. You can pay ten bits." The author decided.
"That's fine with me. Steel, you want one?" Aurora asked politely.
"I'll take one for my daughter. So, I'll pay the full amount." He insisted.
"Stick-in-the-mud," Aurora muttered under her breath.
Eventually, all of the ponies had had their books signed, and a new one along with it. The group headed over to Best Suites to meet up with the others. All in all, it had been a pretty good day, and this was only the beginning. The fun was just getting started.
After leaving Los Pegasus, the group had traveled to several different cities including Dodge Junction, New Mexicolt, and Tampa Neigh. Discord had never had so much fun. The Mexicoltans even gave him a sombrero, which he hadn't taken off since they left. This road trip was one of the best ideas he ever had. Their next stop was Appleloosa which was the home to Applejack's cousin Braeburn. Applejack was really looking forward to it.
"Hoo boy, I can't wait to see Braeburn!" exclaimed Applejack. "I haven't see him since we helped resolve their problems with the buffalo."
"Yah! We haven't seen him since Season One! Well, you saw him last season when you had the Apple Family Reunion. I don't think I had any lines in that episode. In fact, none of us did except for Applejack. Crazy, huh?" Pinkie responded jubilantly. Everyone looked at her weirdly. "What? Is there something on my face?" No one answered.
"Ahem, Your Highness. We are approaching Appleloosa." Steel Blade announced.
"Finally. I thought we'd never get there. I bet we could've gotten here a lot quicker if you had gone faster. Seriously, who trains you royal guards?" Rainbow said, exasperated. Since there were four pegasi in the group, Aurora and Steel Blade decided to rotate with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Aurora was lounging back in the carriage. "I know how you feel, RD. Unfortunately Mr. Stubbornhooves here is too concerned for the passengers' wellbeing. Honestly Steel Blade, can you name me one time where one of our passengers got hurt?"
"It may not have happened before, but that doesn't mean it never can. I took an oath when I joined the royal guard promising to keep Equestria's citizens safe. I take that very seriously. You should too," Steel Blade reprimanded.
"Ugh, why'd I have to be partnered up with you? Never mind. Twilight, we're about to land," Aurora reminded.
"Right. Discord, could you please wake up the others? GENTLY, please! I have to fly ahead to announce our arrival." The purple alicorn flew out of the carriage with Aurora following closely behind her.
Discord gently touched the sleeping ponies' heads with his talon, and they began to stir. "Attention, passengers. We are arriving at Applelossa. Please gather your belongings and kindly wake up from your slumber. If you don't, I'll be forced to use extreme measures." He announced comically, holding a bugle horn in his paw.
"Discord! Don't even think about it!" Rarity yelled.
" Yah, some of us enjoy being able to hear," Spike remarked.
"I was only kidding. Besides, you're up," Discord joked.
The chariot arrived on the ground. Earth ponies all around came to greet them with Braeburn at the head.
"Hey there, cuz'! Nice to see ya'll. Welcome back to Aaaappleloosa! Princess Twilight and the mare Pegasus are over there talkin' to the Sheriff."
"It's great to see you too, Braeburn. In case you forget their names, this here's Rarity, Spike, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Steel Blade, and Discord." Applejack introduced. Braeburn was silent for a little bit.
"THE Discord? As in, lord of chaos Discord?" The earth pony asked with a slight quiver in his voice.
Discord let out a sigh. "The very same. However, those events are all in the past now. I have been reformed and no longer wish to take over Equestria. It is such a lovely country full of friendly, innocent ponies. I have no desire to hurt them." The ponies of Appleloosa looked at each other unsure.
Twilight saw this and calmly spoke up,"I know you all have your doubts. I don't blame you for having any. But if my word means anything in Equestria, then you can trust me when I say that Discord has changed. He hasn't caused any major chaos in months. He's gained the friendship of myself and the Element Bearers. That should be proof enough. But if you still are unsure, I think Discord would be more than willing to prove himself." Twilight looked over at the dranconeques with a tender smile.
"Princess Twilight is right. If any of you need help with anything, just let me know and I'll lend you a paw." Discord literally took his paw off and offered it to Braeburn, which caused everypony to laugh. Twilight could sense that these ponies were already warming up to the mischievous spirit. She gave him a wink which he returned.
Later that day, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Spike went to see how their buffalo friend Little Strongheart was doing. Steel Blade accompanied them to ensure their safety. That left Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Aurora, Twilight, and Discord to explore the town. Braeburn was taking them to see the apple orchards which looked just as great as last time.
"Wow, Braeburn! No wonder you're related to Applejack. The orchard looks amazing!" Rarity complimented.
"Thanks. We Apples put a lot of effort into making these apple trees grow up big and healthy." Braeburn replied.
"How are things with the buffalo? Are you still getting along?" Fluttershy inquired.
"Oh, we're gettin' along jus' fine. Chief Thunderhooves and Sheriff Silverstar have become good friends. As long as we provide them with fresh pies every week and stay out of their way, they won't bother us a bit." Braeburn answered.
" Wait one chaotic minute! You mean to tell me that you and the buffalo resolved your territorial disputes over apple pie?" Discord was shocked. The ponies had told him what had happened in Appleloosa, but they never mentioned how it was resolved. Discord had assumed they signed a treaty or something, but pies?
"Crazy, I know. But as my ma always says, ' Don't question yer blessings.' We could be having weekly arguments that wouldn't end very well with them. Thankfully, all we have to do is bake 'em pies."
"Hey! There's Bloomberg! Look at ya. You've grown up into a beautiful apple tree with ripe apples, too. Mama's so proud of you," Applejack cooed as she ran to the tree.
Discord looked at her like she was crazy. "Uh, is AJ okay?"
"Oh, she's fine. Bloomberg is her favorite tree. When we came here to transport Bloomberg to this orchard, Applejack had rented a private train car just for the tree. THE TREE! I've heard of TLC, but that's going a little overboard," Rarity scoffed.
"Well, it just shows how much Applejack cares. They may be trees, but it's also her special talent. It was her destiny to run Sweet Apple Acres. She should put a lot of care into her trees." Twilight remarked.
"I can totally relate to Applejack. I may be a royal guard, but protecting ponies isn't my special talent. Whenever I'm on break, I take out my drawing pad and begin drawing," Aurora put in.
"If that's the case, I have to apologize to her for enlarging her apples when I first broke free," Discord remembered.
As they were walking, Discord noticed a little colt trying to reach an apple. The little colt couldn't quite reach it. Discord could. He flew over to the little colt.
"Discord, where are you going?" Twilight asked. She didn't get a verbal answer. They all noticed Discord had wandered over to the distressed foal.
"Hey, there little guy. Whatcha' need?" Discord asked.
"I-I-I want that golden apple way up there. But I can't reach it," The little colt whimpered.
" I can get it for you," Discord snapped his lion paw, and the apple grew legs and hopped down to the young foal.
"WOW! That was amazing! Thanks, Mr. Discord."
"It's just Discord and you're welcome, um, I didn't catch your name." Discord realized.
"I'm Appleseed. I've never seen an apple sprout legs before. No wonder you're the Master of Chaos. I have to find my mom. Thanks again," With that, Appleseed ran away.
The others were clearly impressed by Discord. Braeburn couldn't believe it. Discord had helped out a young colt. DISCORD. Maybe Princess Twilight was right. He had changed.
"That was really sweet of you, Discord." Fluttershy remarked.
"Why'd you do that?" Applejack wondered.
"The little guy needed help. I couldn't walk past him without doing anything. He's a nice kid." Discord caught a faint glimpse of the little foal he had assisted.
"Nice kid indeed. Appleseed's my nephew. You helped out a family member. Yer not so bad after all," Braeburn replied truthfully.
Discord's face lit up with a smile. He swiftly extended his arms and embraced everypony in a group hug. A few were hesitant but eventually accepted it. Twilight was especially proud.
A few hours later, the others had returned and were caught up on the day's events. All of them were surprised that Discord had actually helped somepony.
"Wow, Dissy! You helped out a little colt. I ought to give you a great big hug," Pinkie exclaimed.
"That's okay , Pinkie. A simple 'good job' will suffice." Discord politely declined.
"I bet you never would have even considered helping somepony when you were ruling Equestria." Rainbow Dash remarked.
"Rainbow!--"
"It's okay, Twilight. Rainbow is right. I would never had considered helping anybody when I was evil. But since then, I've realized that helping others can actally make you feel good."
"That is why I joined the guard," Steel Blade replied," Protecting and helping ponies is a job that may be risky at times, but it is all worth it in the end."
"What about the ponies who don't need any protection? You know, the ponies who we've been escorting around Equestria? They can handle themselves. They are super powerful, and they really don't need us," Aurora retorted.
"Must we get into this now?" Steel Blade groaned.
"Twilight, can I go to bed? I spent two hours playing tag with the kid buffalos. I'm pooped," Spike said with a yawn.
"That's a great idea, Spike. We've all had a busy day, and we'll need energy for tomorrow. Let's turn in." Everypony went to their appointed rooms and went to sleep almost immediately. Discord fell fast asleep as well knowing that tomorrow would be just as good or even better than today.
After leaving Appleloosa, the gang headed northeast. They visited Baltimare, Unicorn Island, and Salt Lick City. Soon they would be approaching Mareis, Prance, the most romantic city in Equestria. The ponies,obviously, were not going to look for a special somepony. They were going to be playing the part of tourist.
"Oh, I cannot believe we are going to Mareis! It's only the most romantic city in all of Equestria. It has always been a dream of mine to come to this city and have some handsome stallion sweep me off my hooves," Rarity stated dreamily," After all, Mareis isn't called the City of Love for nothing."
"Blegh! Rares! Only you would care about that lovey dovey nonsense. I want to see how high the Eiffoal Tower is. And if any of you know, please do NOT tell me. I'll find out when I fly to the top," Rainbow said.
"I can't wait to sink my teeth into some tasty gorgonzola!" Pinkie exclaimed. Everyone looked at her. "What? Prench ponies make really good cheese."
"I bet I could make better," Discord proclaimed," But I'm not planning on ruining anypony's business. How much longer?"
"We're approaching the city now," Aurora answered," Wow! I never thought I'd be going to Mareis. I've only seen pictures. It's so much cooler in real life."
"I met my wife here," Steel Blade said nostalgically," Great memories were made here."
"Feeling sentimental, are we? I didn't peg you as the type," Aurora said smugly. He didn't even bother responding.
"I'm going to announce our arrival. Fluttershy, Spike, I want you to come with me," Twilight said.
"Okay."
"Yes, I get to do something important. I'm usually always overlooked," He mumbled the last part under his breath. The two winged ponies descended and flew towards the great city.
"Whew! I didn't think I'd ever come here," Applejack said," Upper class cities were never ones to attract ma attention."
"I feel the same way, AJ. This place is loaded with all that romance-y junk. No stallion will even try and flirt with me. I'll make sure of it," Rainbow replied as she punched her hoof.
"Ahem. We have arrived," Steel announced.
Ponies from all around came to greet them. At least, they were about to. Every pony quickly backed away when they saw Discord.
Discord sighed shamefully. "Of course. That's always the immediate reaction." The Mane Six heard this and realized what they had to do.
"Everypony! Please do not back away! Discord has changed. He's good now. My friends can back me up," Twilight said.
"She's right. I was given the task of reforming Discord. I'll admit, it was hard at first. But once we showed him the importance of friendship, Discord had changed his chaotic ways." Fluttershy smiled at the draconeques.
"Discord's one of my bestest friends. He's really fun! He makes every day an adventure!" Pinkie exclaimed.
"I will admit, I was very reluctant to the idea of befriending Discord. It took some time, but I realized that even the Spirit of Chaos could have a change of heart," Rarity stated.
"He's also become a big help around Ponyville. He helps out the townsfolk as much as he can. Us included," Applejack said.
"Heh. I never have to worry about boring days anymore. With him around, boredom doesn't exist," Rainbow snickered.
Needless to say, Discord was deeply touched by this. The ponies of Prance now had a basic idea of how the draconeques behaved. The mayor of Mareis, Madame Coquette, slowly walked towards the group. "Is this all true?" She asked in a thick Prench accent.
"Every single word," Twilight assured her. Madame Coquette thought about it for moment.
"Very well. We will let him stay. But if he misbehaves in anyway, I will have to ask him to leave.Oui?"
The ponies all nodded in agreement. The townsponies began to disperse.
"Thanks for speaking on my behalf, everypony. But honestly, I deserved it. They had every reason to run away. After all I've--"
"Stop right there, Discord. You're current actions are making up for your past mistakes. Don't dwell on the past." Twilight put a reassuring hoof on his paw.
"Thanks. Now, then. Mareis, Prance. One of the most refined places in Equestria. Let's start touring."
"Great! Fluttershy, Spike, and I will get going now." Rarity levitated a smitten Spike onto her back. She was about to run off, when a magenta aura stopped her.
"Now, hold on a second, Rarity. We need to go over a few things. First, get into groups. We don't want a repeat of what happened in Baltimare. Rainbow," Twilight gave the Pegasus a pointed look.
"Hey, that mare looked a dude. I didn't mean to offend her. I bet a ton of other ponies got that wrong," Rainbow said crossing her arms.
"Well, talk about high class. These ponies are about as nose-uppity as Canterlot nobles," Aurora bemused.
"They dwell in a cultured society. They were raised and taught proper etiquette when they were but foals. I know because my wife is Prench," Steel Blade said. He saw Aurora mocking him with her hoof which he promptly decided to ignore.
"Mareis is truly a beautiful city. These ponies also know how to treat royalty. They aren't giving me too little or too much attention, " Twilight mentioned.
"If I were my old self, this place would be in total chaos. These ponies wouldn't even know the term proper," Discord joked. Their waiter came and took their orders. "I wonder if food here tastes better than Mexicoltan food. Those tacos will be hard to beat."
"Honey, no!" cried a mare from the other side of the room. A little filly about five years old ran up to Discord. She was a white unicorn with a strawberry blond mane. She looked at Discord strangely.
"What are you, monsieur? You're definitely not a pony," the little filly noted.
"Angel!" The mare, apparently the mother, caught up to her," Pardon moi, monsieur, you must forgive her. She is a very curious little filly."
"It's fine. I'll answer any questions she wants to ask. Go ahead and ask, Angel," She was about to open her mouth when he interrupted her," Oh, wait, your first question. Well, little one, I am known as a draconeques. As you can see, I have the head of a pony, and body parts of several different animals. But you can call me Discord." He extended a lion paw. Angel tenderly placed her hoof in it, and they shook hooves. "Why do you look like that? Did you used to be a pony? Did a potion spill on you turning you into that?" Discord chuckled and happily began answering. Twilight had a smile on her face. Discord's done it again.
Eventually, they bid Angel and her mother good-bye. The ponies all met up at the chariot. They all talked about how their day went. Rarity had like five bags floating next to her indicating she bought quite a few things. Rainbow figured out that the Eiffoal Tower was about 980 hooves high, which she had to admit was pretty high. Pinkie brought cheese to share for everyone. Every pony could safely say they had a good day.
"Where to next?" Pinkie asked. Twilight was about to answer when Spike interrupted with a burp.
"A letter to you, Twi." Spike handed her the letter. She quickly skimmed it. Her face deflated a bit.
"Sorry, everypony. I'm afraid our next destination will have to be home. Celestia needs me in Canterlot. I'm sure you guys have been feeling homesick. But I hope you all had fun. Aurora and Steel Blade, take us back to Ponyville." The two pegasi saluted and everyone boarded the carriage. They took off and headed in the direction of Ponyville. This had been an awesome trip. An experience that wouldn't leave Discord's head for a long time. Equestria was a great place. Now, Discord had to wait for the next new thrill to come, which wouldn't be very long.
It had been three days since the Equestrian road trip. Discord was saddened that it had to end, but was happy to get home nonetheless. Twilight was summoned to Canterlot for the day to attend one of Celestia's court sessions. Discord felt sorry for her. Celestia suggested for him to sit through one of them to understand the state of the economy and problems the many ponies of Equestria had. How'd it go? Well, let's just say that he had gotten a well-deserved nap. So, with Twilight gone for the day, Discord had to hang out with somepony else.
Discord was flying around Ponyville searching for something to do. The townsponies no longer reacted to his presence. Seeing him around was now a common thing. Discord had found out that all the girls had something they were busy with today, so he couldn't hang out with any of them. He was running out of options.
"Ugh, great! Must everypony have something to do today but me? I can't have ordinary days because I'm not ordinary," Discord grunted.
"You can say that again," Discord whirled around upon hearing that voice. "Spike? Is that you?"
"No, it's Pinkie Pie. Of course, it's me," Spike said with a deadpan tone.
"You didn't go to Canterlot with Twilight?" Spike followed Twilight everywhere, so why not today?
"Do I look like the kind of dragon who'd want to sit through those boring court sessions?" Spike snarked with a raised eyebrow.
"Point taken. Well, this is great. I have someone to hang out with. We can have a guy's day out! What do you want to do, dragon boy?" Discord picked Spike up with his tail and placed him on his back.
"Awesome! This is the first guy's day out I've ever had. Which is...kind of disheartening. A guy who's only friends are mares. Anyway, what do I want to do?" Spike thought out loud. His stomach began to grumble. "Eh heh, guess that answers that question. Let's go to the Hayburger. It's mine and Twilight's favorite fast food restaurant."
"Lead the way, buddy." Discord put Spike back on the ground and followed him to the Hayburger.
The Hayburger became Discord's favorite fast food place soon enough. To be fair, it was the first fast food place he'd ever eaten at. But it was still the best. Fast food hadn't been created yet when he was on the throne. Discord was glad it had been invented.
"You were right, Spike. These hayburgers are deeelicious! I give this place a five out of five star rating," Discord popped a horseshoe fry into his mouth.
Spike chuckled, "You said it, Discord! If the place sold gems, it'd be the best place ever. Sadly, ponies don't mine enough gems. Also, I'm the only gem eating creature around here. Hey, do you like gems?"
Discord waved his talon with a dismissing gesture. "I'm not a fan. Emeralds aren't that bad, and sapphires are pretty tasty. But, gems wouldn't be my choice of a diet."
"I disagree, but I'm not going to argue. Are you done yet? I'd like to leave," Spike said as he got up from his seat.
"I was about ask you the same thing. I've been ready. Hold onto your scales, Spike." Discord snapped his paw and teleported them out of there.
They reappeared at Ponyville Park. Spike was feeling a bit disoriented. He was not new to teleportation. Twilight had used it multiple times. However, Discord's magic felt different, which wasn't surprising. Chaotic magic and harmonic magic were very dissimilar.
"Ow! I don't think the food I ate liked that," Spike clutched his stomach groaning in discomfort.
"Don't worry. The motion sickness will disperse momentarily," Discord assured him. While Spike settled his stomach, Discord took a quick glance around the park looking for something to do. But not just any ordinary something. Whatever that something was, he wanted it to be special. Suddenly, he felt a poke on his leg and saw several little fillies and colts surrounding him.
"Uh, can I help you?"
One of the colts named Pipsqueak shyly began to speak, "Sorry to bother you, Mister Discord, but my friends and I want to see some magic tricks. Could you do some for us?" The little foals gave Discord the biggest puppy-dog eyes ever.
Discord chuckled, "Well, little ones, you've come to the right place. Let's see. What should I do?" His eyes scanned the park once more and rested upon the Ponyville Lake in the middle of the park. After a few minutes of brainstorming, Discord came up with an idea.
"Eureka!" Discord exclaimed, a light bulb appearing over his head. He flew towards the little body of water.
"Eureka what?" Spike asked, his stomach back to normal. He noticed Discord on the edge of the lake. "What are you doing?"
Discord didn't answer. He raised his hands and concentrated. Suddenly, the lake water began to rise. The water became somewhat more solid and contorted itself into a swirling water slide, like those you would see at amusement parks. Only this time, the slide was water.
Ponies all around were smitten awestruck baffled by the display which they had just witnessed. The foals were squealing with delight. Each one of them sprang towards Discord and knocked him down. He was slightly surprised but then joined them in laughing. The foals all exclaimed their thanks towards the draconeques. Soon enough, they had jumped into the water slide and enjoyed it immensely.
"Well, that turned out better than I thought. Huh, Spike. Uh, Spike?" Discord noticed that Spike was standing still with a very surprised expression on his face. Discord rolled his eyes and summoned a bucket of water. Can you guess what happened next?
* splash* "Ack! What the hay, Discord?" Spike annoyingly grunted.
"How else would I have woken you up?" Discord said with a smirk.
"Hmph. Anyway, Discord? There's only word that can describe what you just did. AWESOME!!! You are the best, man! I've got to try this!" Spike leaped into the floating water slide instantly having fun. Discord looked on with satisfied eyes. He pumped his fist silently. He couldn't wait to tell Twilight.
Eventually, Discord returned the water to its original state. The foals were disappointed, until Discord said he would do it again. Naturally, they all cheered which made pride swell in Discord's heart. Spike and Discord left the park soon afterwards and headed to the highest hills in Ponyville known as the Elevated Plains. The two sat down on the soft grass and looked up into the evening sky.
"Luna's done well tonight," Discord commented gazing up into outer space.
"I know. It's hard to believe that a single pony can create something as beautiful as the night sky," Spike replied.
"She's not called the Princess of the Night for nothing," Discord said. The two stared at the sky for a few minutes before Discord came up with another idea. "Hey, Spike? Want to take an evening flight?"
Spike's eyes widened happily. "Can we?!"
"Hop aboard, little buddy," Spike quickly climbed onto Discord's back, and they took off into the dark sky. The evening breeze was cool and crisp, refreshing after a warm day. The stars looked even better from up above. Billions of little tiny sparkles which were in reality just as big or even larger than Celestia's sun. Spike was having the time of his life. This day had been great. Who would have guessed that it was all because of Discord. A yawn was heard from Spike.
"Feeling sleepy, Spike?" Discord chuckled.
"Can't you tell? If you don't mind, I'd like to get back to the library," Discord nodded and they flew in the direction of the library.
When they arrived at the library, the lights were still out meaning that Twilight had not yet returned. They entered the library and turned on the lights. Swooping down to meet them was Owlicious . He landed on Spike's head with a gentle flap of his wings.
"Hey, Owlicious. Home early I see? Discord, this Owlicious, Twilight's pet," Spike introduced.
"Hoo?"
"Discord."
"Hoo?"
"Discord! I--you know what? I'm not getting into this right now," Spike placed Owlicious on his perch, "You can't make decent conversations with this guy. Always who this and who that."
Discord tried to hold back laughter. "Spike, *snicker* please tell me you know that's the noise owl's make."
"Well, duh! Of course, I do. But it's still weird that he responds to you with a 'hoo' instead of the chatters other animals make."
Discord silently chuckled, "Spike, don't ever change." He rubbed Spike's scales with his paw which only caused Spike to give him a confused look.
Spike shook his head and looked up at Discord. "You know, Discord, this was one of the most fun days I've ever had. Thanks for a great time! Do you think we could do it again?" Spike asked hopefully.
Discord smiled, "Of course, we can. I had fun with you, too. Which I thought, no offense, wouldn't happen. I don't see you around much."
"Don't worry. I'm used to it. You're not a bad guy, Discord," Spike made a fist, and the two fist-bumped each other.
They heard the door open and in walked Twilight. Discord and Spike's faces lit up.
"Twilight!" They exclaimed in unison.
"Yah, hi," She walked right past them. Spike and Discord exchanged glances. Ookay? They took a closer look at the alicorn and noticed how tired she looked.
"Somepony looks like they had a bad day," Discord joked.
"How could you tell?" Twilight replied flatly, "Court is so tedious. I am soooo glad I don't have one of my own. Nothing but 'she did this' or 'he did that' or 'grant me this'. I am so tired," She sat down on the wooden floor as if all her energy had been zapped out of her.
Discord looked at her with sympathy. "Here, Twi. Allow me to take you to bed. I don't think you could walk another step in this state." He picked her up in his arms and carried her upstairs and tucked her into bed. "Comfy?" He asked as he pulled the covers over her,
"Very. Thanks, Discord. I can tell you have a lot to tell me. I look forward to hearing about it in the morning," She closed her eyes and allowed sleep to take her. Discord smiled happily deciding to stay with her until she fell asleep. Eventually, he fell asleep, too. Spike came in later and saw Discord and Twilight sleeping soundly. He jumped into his little basket next to Twilight's bed, and went to sleep almost immediately.
It was a quiet morning in Ponyville. Nothing out of the ordinary. It was a Saturday, so everypony both young and old could sleep in. This, however, did not include Princess Twilight. Ever the early bird, Twilight would get up and make sure she had everything she needed for the day. Discord also had a habit of getting up early. There would be days where he would come to the library and watch as the purple pony sped around the room hectically. Twilight would either not realize he was there or would just flat out ignore him. It's not that she wanted to purposely ignore him. They were friends after all.
Twilight, as a princess, was being called to Canterlot a lot more often after the Tree of Harmony had been restored. Princess Celestia had decided to officially start her princess training in case something else might happen to the two of them. Since Celestia and Luna had gone missing, Twilight was focused primarily on locating them and stopping the Everfree Forest from invading instead of the citizens of Equestria. If Twilight was more versed and educated in the role and duties of Princess, she would have a better handle of things in the event that Celestia and Luna are absent. Today, however, Celestia doesn't summon just Twilight.
"Discord! Can you come here for a minute?" Twilight called from upstairs.
Discord was in the middle of a game of Snakes and Ladders with Spike. "Can it wait? I'm almost at 100!"
"Discord!"
"All right, all right! I'm on my way. Spike, don't touch anything." Discord quickly flew up the stairs knowing it was a bad idea to keep Twilight waiting. Twilight was on her bed reading a letter which had arrived last night but hadn't read it until now.
"You summoned me, Your Highness?" Discord said with mock respect.
"No, but Princess Celestia has," Twilight said looking up at him.
"...Come again?"
"Read this," Twilight levitated the letter to him which he quickly snatched up with his talon.
"Let's see. Dear Twilight, blah, blah, blah, I need you to come to Canterlot...and bring Discord along...so we can discuss some matters. Did I read that right?" Discord took another quick look at the letter. "This is a joke, right?"
"Princess Celestia isn't known to joke around. Well, most of the time anyway. Our chariot should be arriving in the next ten minutes. We'll be in Canterlot for a good portion of the day."
Discord began pacing the room, "What could she want? I've been good. Aside from a few pranks, I haven't caused any major chaos in months."
"We'll find out when we get there. Go tell Spike for me. I need to get a few things." She quickly ran to one of her drawers and began taking out some objects.
Discord quickly teleported downstairs startling Spike. "Yikes! Don't do that! You almost gave me a heart attack. What took you so long?''
"Turns out I've been summoned to Canterlot by Her Royal Snootiness. And just when I thought nothing could ruin this day," Discord huffed angrily.
"I feel your pain, dude. There's been times where Twilight would get summoned to Canterlot, and she'd freak out thinking she did something wrong. Thankfully, she hasn't had too many emotional breakdowns recently, but when she does, it's usually pretty bad," Spike said.
"I feel like freaking out right now! You don't think she's mad about the prank I pulled a couple weeks back, do ya?"
"I don't think Princess Celestia is like that. I'm sure you've got nothing to worry about," Spike assured.
"I hope you're right, Spike. I hope you're right."
About an hour and a half later, Twilight and Discord had arrived at Canterlot Palace. Celestia was outside waiting for them. Discord grudgingly followed Twilight and walked towards the Day Princess. Celestia warmly greeted them.
"Twilight, it is always great to see--"
"Whatever it is, I didn't do it!" Discord loudly interrupted. Twilight and Celestia looked at him curiously.
"Discord, I did not call you here to punish you. What right would I have to call myself a ruler if I discipline the innocent? Your behavior has been spectacular. But that is not why you're here. It's more of a...political matter," Celestia explained.
Discord deadpanned, "You brought me here to talk about politics? Do you even know who you're talking to? I ruled Equestria for over a thousand years, albeit a little different, but it still counts," He remarked.
"I'm not going to teach about politics. What we're discussing will include politics. Come inside." Princess Celestia walked inside with Twilight and Discord following closely behind.
The three entered the throne room. They were greeted by Luna, Cadence, Shining Armor, and Prince Blueblood. Discord was getting even more confused. These were all of Equestria's rulers. More and more questions kept popping up in both Twilight and Discord's heads.
"Twilight! It's great to see you," Cadence said as she hugged Twilight.
"Likewise, Cadence. But, um, do you know why we're here? I haven't been told anything," Twilight said pulling away.
"Nope, only Aunt Celestia knows. Must be pretty important for her to want all of us here. Including my pompous excuse of a cousin Blueblood," Cadence said rather distastefully.
"I heard that, Cadence. I don't think our aunts would appreciate your rude remarks, dear Cousin," Blueblood huffed with his nose in the air.
"All right, that is enough. Sister, please tell us why you have requested our presences," implored Luna.
"Very well. We are here today to talk about my choice of an ambassador for Equestria. There have been requests from Saddle Arabia, Griffonia, and Maretonia who wish for me to send one. Up until now, I have been the one seeing to this position. But, I realize that I need a real ambassador. I've been getting too busy to respond to their requested audiences. We need somepony or rather someone to represent our country," She turned to Discord, "Discord, because of your behavior and cooperation over the course of these last few months, I can think of no one better than you to be Equestria's ambassador. Your powers are one of the many qualities they will look at. They'll see that Equestria is a force to be reckoned with if talk of war ever occurred. Is this okay with you?"
Discord was silent. His mind was pondering whether or not this was all true. He looked at her. "You trust me that much? After all I've done? You want me to be the ambassador of the country I turned upside-down?"
Celestia looked around at the ponies present. "Let's see what Equestria's rulers have to say about it."
Cadence spoke up first, "When you came to the Empire a few weeks ago, you were nothing but enjoyable. You gained the trust of my subjects in only one day. Mine included. I'm sure you'd do a great job as ambassador," Cadence said with a smile. She elbowed her husband.
"Ow! Not very subtle, are you? Anyway, I don't how much I can say considering I don't know you very well. But, seeing as you haven't caused any trouble lately, I can believe the Princess. As Cadence said, I'm sure you'll do great as our ambassador." Shining stated firmly.
"Indeed. A few months ago, I would have lashed out at Tia for even suggesting such an idea. But, now that you have been reformed, I think the idea is brilliant," Luna said with a wink.
"I think you can guess what my answer is. You're the best candidate for the job, Discord," Twilight laid a hoof on his paw. Everyone turned to Blueblood who was adjusting his suit. "What?"
"Do you have anything to say to Discord?" Celestia said with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh, um, yah, I'm sure you'll do great," He then went back to adjusting his tie. Everypony rolled their eyes. Typical Blueblood.
"Well, does that answer your question, Discord?" Celestia asked with a smile.
Discord took a deep breath and smiled, "You all have answered more than a mouthful. I can't thank you all enough for your support. Even yours, Bluey." Everypony laughed. The haughty prince didn't respond.
"Well, the choice is yours. You can accept or decline. I will be satisfied with either. If you do decline, I can always find somepony else. We will talk more if you accept," Celestia explained in her gentle voice. Discord was about to accept when he thought of something.
"Quick question, Tia. And the answer to it will determine whether or not I accept. Would I still be able to see my friends everyday?" He asked with complete seriousness.
"Sadly, no. You will be required to come to Canterlot on a regular basis for training if you accept. You cannot simply meet with the rulers of Saddle Arabia and expect them to warm up to you just like that. You will need to know how to answer certain questions they might ask," Celestia told him. That was all he needed.
"Well, then Princess. I appreciate the offer, but if this new role would prevent me from seeing my friends, I'm afraid I can't accept." Everyone, including Prince Blueblood, was shocked.
Luna quickly shook it off and smiled. "Well, Tia. You're plan truly worked. Discord has refused this rare opportunity because of his friends. Whatever you're doing, Twilight, keep it up."
Twilight quickly wiped away a tear. "Discord, you've done it again. I'm proud of you."
"Thanks. Now, I believe we're through with the serious atmosphere. Who's up for a royal party?" Discord snapped his fingers, and throne room became decorated in party materials.
Celestia laughed, "This is the only time I will allow it. You deserve it, Discord. Now, where's the cake?" The six royals and draconeques partied for a good, long while. This had been a pretty great day after all.
It was a quiet morning in Ponyville. It was the middle of winter, so all the birds had migrated south for the chilly season. It was getting cold enough to the point that no pony wanted to leave the warm confinements of their homes. The weather had become considerably colder during the course of a few weeks. The month had started in the upper forties, but come the middle of the month, the temperature had dropped a considerable amount.
Even the great Spirit of Chaos wouldn't go out in the cold. The moment he stepped hoof onto the first blanket of snow that had fallen this season, he turned ice blue and literally became a popsicle. Twilight begrudgingly had to drag the spirit inside and allow him to ''thaw." Needless to say, he didn't step outside again, and if he did, it would be only when he was wearing the warmest of clothes he could muster.
This cold was also affecting the Mane Six. Applejack couldn't get outside to collect the remaining apples because the snow had become too deep to walk through. Fluttershy's animal friends had all gone into hibernation leaving her with nothing to do. Pinkie couldn't throw as many parties because the weather was too cold for ponies to be able to enjoy it without freezing their socks off.
Rainbow Dash was trying her best to help guide the weather team into clearing some clouds to let the sun provide some warmth, but the chilliness would make their wings go numb and prohibit their flying. Rarity was being bombarded with orders left and right for winter wear for the freezing townsponies. Twilight was unable to study or focus on her work because of the cold. Even with all the heat spells she had cast around the library, the cold still managed to penetrate through its walls.
Discord couldn't help but wonder if ponies experienced this kind of cold every year. During his time as a statue, the weather wouldn't affect him for obvious reasons. His stone imprisonment had protected him from the physical world. Discord was not ignorant about it, mind you, but rather not used to it. Even though he was not used to it, he couldn't help but feel like something was different about this particular winter.
Twilight was hunched over by the fireplace trying her best to perform a heat spell and levitate her book at the same time. The library had been enhanced with a magic heating/ A.C. system. The temperature would drop if the outside temperature was a certain degree of hot, and it would go up if the outside temperature reached a certain degree of cold. For some reason though, the temperature in the house was a lot colder than it should be. Twilight was at the very moment trying to figure out the issue.
"Ugh, this makes no sense! I reapplied the spell but a few days ago, and yet the current temperature is 38.6. The house should be at least 70 degrees. Did I miss a step in the spell? I've performed the spell in the past without any issues. Ugh, Spike!" The shivering alicorn yelled. No response.
"Oh, wait, he's helping Rarity shovel snow. Ugh, just the day to do so. Oh well, I've got back-up," She opened one of her drawers and took out a necklace that was shaped like her cutie mark except it was brown, resembling the coat color of a certain mischievous being. It was her means of summoning Discord when she didn't know his exact whereabouts. The amulet would work the same way as the Elements of Harmony would in summoning Discord. Only this time, Twilight didn't need the others.
Her horn glowed and with a swirling of rainbow light, a blanket-covered Discord appeared. He jumped in the air feigning surprise.
"Twilight! What did I say about giving a heads up before summoning me? This is the fifth time you've caught me unprepared. What do you want? As much as I love hanging out with you, it is rather nippy out there," He took off his blanket but quickly put it back on.
"Brrrrgh. It's rather nippy in here, too! Twilight, I would have thought that you would not be affected by this wintry cold that's upon us. You being a princess, and a whole slew of heat spells in your arsenal, ponies should be flocking here for warmth. However, it's about as cold in here as it is out there," Discord shivered.
"Do you think I don't know that? Believe me, I've tried every single heating spell I could find. The library is even enhanced with an automatic heating and cooling system. It lasts for three months, and then needs to be reapplied. I recast the spell Monday, but for some reason, nothing's working. Hey! Do you think you could try it? Your magic is more powerful than mine after all."
"Well, I don't know. I mean, I could. But if you can't do, I won't have that much better a chance. More powerful I may be, but only by a little. Besides, I've already tried tampering with the weather, but my magic isn't working," Discord looked out the window and noticed that cold winds were picking up once more.
"Is it just me? Or does this cold seem...unnatural?" Twilight bemused. "I don't think I've ever remembered any previous winters being as cold as this."
"I've been thinking the exact same thing. As unused to the cold as I may be, I believe it's safe to say that it's a little too cold. Wait a minute, don't pegasi control the weather? If so, why aren't they doing anything?"
"That's the thing. They can't. They've tried clearing some of the clouds, but the cold is freezing their wings making them unable to fly. I've talked with Rainbow about it, and even she's unable to fly in this weather. Something is definitely wrong.'' As soon as she finished speaking, the door blew open revealing an out-of-breath Spike and a worried Rarity.
Discord and Twilight looked alarmed and ran to their sides immediately.
"Spike! Rarity! What's going on? Are you okay?" Twilight asked bending down at Spike.
"Urgent letter...from...huff...the princess!" Spike panted. He handed Twilight the letter. She took it in her magic and noticed the scroll was not its usual gold color. It was midnight blue, and its seal was a full moon. The letter was not from Princess Celestia but from Princess Luna.
"This is from Princess Luna! She's never sent me a letter before. If she had a message to give me, it'd usually arrive via Celestia's letters. It must be pretty urgent for her to send me a letter." She carefully opened the scroll.
" Dear Princess Twilight, I have some very serious business I need to discuss with you. Due to this freezing, cold weather, my sister has been doing her best to emulate more warmth from her sun for the shivering citizens of Equestria, which is why I am writing to you instead. I'm sure you've realized by now that this cold is not being caused by natural means. We shall discuss more when you arrive. Come to Canterlot ASAP. Bring your friends and Discord. We need all the help we can get. Respectfully yours, Luna"
"Unnatural cold? Why am I not surprised. Twilight, I shall grab Pinkie and Fluttershy. You can get Applejack and Rainbow," Rarity trotted out of the library to get the others.
"Looks like our theory was correct, Discord," Twilight said with a grim expression on her face.
"Of course, it was. There's no other explanation for it. I can't wait to find out what's going on," Discord pumped a fist.
"I can't wait to end this cold. Ponies are lucky they have fur. All I've got are scales, and they're not very warm," Spike said as a draft came in causing him to shiver.
"I'm with you on that one, little buddy," Discord said ruffling Spike's spines.
"Well, whatever's causing this unruly cold, we'll make sure to get to the bottom of it. Discord, grab Applejack and Rainbow Dash for me."
"Aye, aye, Princess," With a snap, he was gone.
"Spike, can you get Owlowysius for me? He should be on his perch. I don't know how long we'll be gone, but I don't want the poor little guy to freeze."
"Sure," He scurried up to the second floor.
Twilight looked out her window watching the snow pile up into mounds. This weather was without a doubt caused by some other force. What that force was Twilight had no idea, but one thing was for sure. She, along with her friends were going to find out, one way or another.
The gang arrived at Canterlot Palace. The weather conditions here weren't any better than Ponyville's. The snow kept on falling and piling into huge mounds. Almost no pony was out on the streets. Those that were outside were either royal guards or civilians trying to get home. The cold continued to linger, and it wasn't going to die down anytime soon.
Upon their arrival, a familiar Pegasus mare was waiting in front of the main gate. She was covered head to hoof in winter clothing but on her vest was the royal guard insignia, which distinguished her from other mares. Aurora greeted them but with less enthusiasm than per norm.
"Princess Twilight, Princess Luna is waiting in the throne room. I suggest we get inside now before we freeze to death," Aurora ushered.
"What's with the attitude change, Aurora? I thought you'd be excited to see us," Pinkie said as they entered the castle.
"Believe me, I'm really glad to see you guys. It's been about two months since the road trip. But, thanks to this weather, no one can really put on a cheerful smile. Except maybe you, Pinkie," Aurora answered with a semi-happy face.
"Well, don't worry. We'll figure out the cause of this cold in no time," Twilight assured. They entered the throne room and were greeted by Princess Luna. Princess Celestia was on her throne with her head down and horn glowing. She looked much like Princess Cadence when she was protecting the Crystal Empire. Twilight rushed up to her.
"Princess! Are you--?"
"I wouldn't bother her, Twilight. She needs to keep her concentration on the sun. Sadly, in spite of this, the cold has not gotten better. We've done everything we can to warm things up. However, nothing's working," Luna said with a sigh.
"You've looked at all your heat spells?" Rarity inquired.
"Of course, only to be met with more cold," Luna replied.
"What's causing it?" Discord asked.
"Is it a...monster?" squeaked Fluttershy.
"Well...at this point in time, I cannot accurately answer that question. In other words, we don't know yet," Luna answered sadly. Everyone looked down.
"We may have an idea, though." Everyone turned their heads towards Celestia who was no longer casting her spell.
"Sister, what are you doing? That spell should not be interrupted in order for it's full power to be unleashed," Luna scolded.
"Yes, but it's not working. I've been casting this spell for hours, and nothing's improved. I'm not going to waste my energy on a spell that doesn't work. Now, as I was saying, we might have an idea on where it might be coming from." Celestia materialized a map.
"Ooh! Where's Ponyville? Oh, I see it. It's right there!" Pinkie pointed to a spot on the map.
"Thanks, Pinkie. Now we know where Ponyville is," Rainbow said flatly.
"Do I hear sarcasm?" Pinkie gave Rainbow the stink-eye.
"No!' Rainbow quickly said avoiding eye contact.
"All right, all right, settle down you two," Applejack scolded.
"Anyway, we have reason to believe that this blizzard is coming from the Icy Mountains. If you look outside, past the Crystal Kingdom, you can scarcely make out the outline of a mountain range. Some scientists believe that the Icy Mountains is where snow was first developed. And as it turns out, the snow fall there appears to be the strongest. The cause of this cold might be coming from there." Celestia rolled up the map with her magic.
"Luna and I were going to go up there ourselves, but many of Canterlot's citizens have come here seeking warmth. We need to look after them. I hate to have to keep calling on you girls to save the days, but I know you six will be able to do it."
"Well, what about me?" Discord asked indignantly.
"Yah, and me?" Spike asked in the same tone.
"Spike, we could use your assistant skills here in the castle. After all your years of helping Twilight, I think you'd be perfect for the job," Celestia explained in her gentle voice.
Spike thought about it for a moment. "Any other options?
"Well, you may accompany the others. But would you rather go out there in the cold or stay in here where it's relatively warm?" Luna raised an eyebrow.
"Yah...I think I'll choose the latter," Spike answered.
"Good choice, Spike. I don't what I'd do if you would have frozen to death," Twilight gave Spike a quick nuzzle which he reluctantly accepted.
"As for you, Discord, I would think you'd want to accompany the girls on their journey. Your powers will benefit all of them greatly I'm sure. Unless, of course, you would like to stay here," Celestia said.
"No, no, I'm perfectly fine with that. Don't worry, ladies. I'll protect you. We'll be rid of this blizzard in no time," Discord stated firmly.
"I'm holdin' you to that promise, Discord," Applejack said, slightly smirking.
"Should we gather some essentials before we go? You're not going to send us out with nothing are you?" Rarity asked.
"Of course not. You'll be able to gather some equipment. Assemble items you might need, then meet us back here in, shall we say, an hour. You may leave." Celestia dismissed them, and they all gathered the necessary objects needed for the precarious journey that lay ahead.
As agreed, the ponies met back in the throne room after an hour. Each pony had with them a saddle bag, minus Discord who could materialize any object at any time. Twilight was levitating a map and planning their course. The journey, according to her calculations, would take at least three and a half days without any major delays. Of course, as the ever-organized Princess, Twilight had come up with a plan if they were to run into any unexpected predicaments that might set them back. If an avalanche would occur, she had a plan. If the cliff would crack, she had a plan. Whatever was to come, they would be ready for it.
Celestia stood in front of the ponies, face serious but calm. She knew that anything could happen to them out there, but she understood what these mares were capable of. They'd saved Equestria multiple times before, and they would do it again.
"Are you all ready?"
"Yes!" They all said in unison.
"Good. Now, if you should run into any trouble, contact me immediately. Few ponies have been to the Icy Mountains, mostly due to the extremely low temperature. However, I trust you will be able to endure it. Twilight, Discord, you two should know at least a few body warming spells that will aid you immensely. Once, or rather if you have find the cause to this weather, send me word so that we may come, and hopefully we'll be able to rectify it. Is that clear?"
They all nodded their heads in confirmation.
"Excellent, we wish you luck on your journey. May it be a swift and safe traverse. We implore you to return to us unscathed. Equestria is counting on you," Luna said grimly.
"Thanks, Luna. We will. Come on, everyone. We've got a long trek ahead of us. The sooner we leave the better," Twilight beckoned.
The ponies were escorted out by Aurora. She led them out back in the direction of the mountains.
"Well...good luck, guys. Wish I could go with you. But sadly, I have to stay here and keep control of things. Come back, please."
Twilight hugged Aurora tightly. "We will. That's a promise."
The others said their goodbyes as well. With a final nod, the group headed off, prepared to face any challenges or roadblocks that might stand in their way.
The wind was blowing strong. The cold was beginning to become unbearable. Yet, the heroes trekked. They weren't going to allow the weather stop them. They'd been through worse. Besides, at this point, they were pretty much used to being sent on life-threatening adventures to save Equestria. The entire nation depended upon them, and they weren't going to let it down.
Twilight did her best to navigate through the wintry storm. The snow and wind mixing together didn't make things easier. Her heat spells were amounting to nothing. The cold atmosphere was making it hard to concentrate on spells.
Discord was faring no better. Discord was powerful, no doubt, but his magic couldn't solve everything. Chaos magic wasn't known to be a helper. Event though he didn't use his magic for evil anymore, chaos magic was still chaos magic.
The others were not doing much better. They were all bundled up in the warmest of winter clothes the could find. If there was ever a time ponies needed to wear clothes, it was now. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had to travel by hoof. Flying might freeze their wings, and that was the last thing they wanted to happen. Rarity had applied a body warming spell to herself. Though her magic was nowhere near the level of Twilight's, she had learned a few spells outside of her area of expertise. Unicorns needed to how to survive, after all.
Applejack trudged through the piling snow. Used to manual labor like this, the farm pony was determined to get through the blizzard. Pinkie Pie, of course, was bouncing through the snow as if it were nothing. To the average pony, that might seem abnormal but being best friends with the pink mare would make these kind of things seem common.
The group located a cave just a few yards north from their current location. Seeing as it was almost nightfall, they decided to settle there for the night and rest. As they entered the cave, Twilight and Discord used their magic to create a bonfire. It didn't create enough heat to completely warm everyone up, but they would take what they got.
"You know, this reminds me of the Hearth's Warming Eve Story. An unexpected cold front, six ponies, uh, and draconeques," Twilight patted Discord's paw, "Looking for warmth; a cave. Strange, isn't it?"
"I'll say. But thank Celestia we found this cave. I don't think I could have walked another step out there," Rarity looked towards the cave's entrance watching the freezing winds pick up.
"I second that, Rares. My hooves were going to get frostbite if I walked any further," Rainbow hugged herself with her wings, trying to get warm.
"So, what do you think is causing this monstrosity of a blizzard?" Discord asked casually, hands rubbing together.
"D-d-d-do y-y-you th-th-think that i-i-t's w-w-windigoes?" Fluttershy chattered.
"Of course not, silly. Is Equestria fighting? No, I don't think so. Sure we ponies may argue from time to time, but it's usually just little bickering. Windigoes wouldn't go after that," Pinkie said, satisfied with her answer.
"Well, whatever's causin' this, we need ta put a stop to this before ma apples turn into icicles. This cold ain't good for 'em," Applejack rubbed her arms.
"Don't worry. Tomorrow we should reach the Icy Mountains. We'll find our answer there guaranteed. As we get closer, this blizzard becomes stronger. Whatever's causing this, we'll be ready for it," Twilight placed a magic barricade in the entrance, cutting off the cold and any outsiders.
Rainbow gave a long yawn. "Well, I don't know about you girls, but I'm ready to hit the hay. Need all my energy for tomorrow." She pulled out her pillow and blanket from her saddlebag and lied down.
The others promptly followed her example, and pretty soon, they all fell asleep.
Meanwhile back at the castle, the two monarchs had managed to calm down the freezing populace. Spike and Aurora were racing from room to room delivering blankets and warm carrot soup to the sheltered ponies. Canterlot's citizens couldn't survive this cold on their own. They needed ''help'' from the royals. However, given the circumstances, their desperation was believable.
Princess Celestia sent messages to the mayors of each city to do the same for their townsfolk. She also sent a letter to Twilight via Spike requesting a report on their progress. Twilight had answered saying they were settling down in a cave for the night. So far so good.
Spike and Aurora were hanging out in one of the guest chambers, trying to stay warm and at the same time entertained. They resorted to small talk.
"Soooo, Spike, assistant to one of the most powerful ponies in Equestria, how's that been working out for ya?" Aurora asked casually, snuggling in her blanket.
"To be honest, she doesn't really need my help. As you said, she's one of the most powerful ponies in Equestria. She can do my chores and her chores in half an hour at the least. Ever since she became a Princess, she hasn't been asking very much from me," Spike rubbed the back of his neck.
"Are you okay with that? From what I've heard, you've been her assistant for most of your life," Aurora said, sitting up.
"Well, it's better for me. Before, I'd be running all over the house trying to find a book for her. She's now become more independent. Which I'm rather grateful for. But, can I tell you a secret?"
"Me? Keep a secret? Uh, sure. I don't get told many secrets," She leaned down a little so she could hear him.
Spike whispered quietly, "Twilight would fall apart without me. She's obsessed with order. She needs everything to be perfect. If something's out of place, she'll go to the extremes to put it back. She caused a town ruckus trying to find something to write a friendship report about. She freaks out over the smallest things. I'm here to make sure she doesn't break. If you know what I mean."
Aurora patted the young dragon's back. "Yah, I catch your drift. And I can understand that. Sure, I don't blow up the city when I can't find my pencil, but I do tend to get worked over less than significant things. You're a good dragon. I'll need to try and draw you sometime."
"Well, thanks, I try. Hey, want to head to the kitchen? I think I smell hot chocolate."
"Sure. If you can keep up." Without warning, Aurora took off flying in the direction of the kitchen.
"Hey, no fair! You got a head start." Spike ran to catch up with her.
The sun's rays peaked through the magenta barricade, casting the same hue of light to shine in the cave. The colored light reached the sleeping ponies' eyes, causing them to awaken. Discord was the first to wake, stretching his snake-like body to get rid of any cramps. He walked over to the entrance, wiping away some condensation that had formed. The wind was still whipping. Discord sighed knowing they were going to have to get back into that.
The mares woke up, slightly cold but not uncomfortable. They gathered their bearings remembering where they were. The six ponies shook their heads clearing away their bed manes. Once refreshed, they decided to have a quick snack.
Their breakfast comprised of granola bars, apples, and hay bales. Nothing much, but enough to keep them from starving. Pretty soon they finished, and, whether they wanted to or not, the heroes stepped into the blizzard.
Almost immediately after leaving the cave, the ponies discovered that the snow had gotten even deeper. The snow was almost up to their necks. To resolve this, Discord snapped everypony a pair of snowshoes. He was fine because of his height. With their new hoof gear, the travelers pressed on.
"Phew, how much farther? I don't know if I can endure this much longer," Rarity squinted her eyes as the wind howled passed them.
"According to my calculations, by Celestia it's cold! We should be approaching the mountains in about two hours," Twilight pumped more energy into her horn warming her body. "Without delay, anyway."
"W-w-what k-k-kind of d-d-delays?" Fluttershy's teeth chattered.
"Avalanches, falling trees, unexpected snow slopes, those sort of things. Don't worry your pink-maned head about it," Discord assured her, "Nothing will prolong our trip." As soon as he finished saying that, a ghostly howl filled the air causing everyone to freeze in their tracks. They all frantically looked around trying to find the source of that terrifying sound.
"N-nope, I heard it to. It was probably nothing, though," Rainbow quivered, trying her best to put on a brave face. Suddenly, they heard it again, only it was much louder.
Fluttershy ducked behind Applejack cowering for her life.
"Yikes! It sounds like it's getting closer! Run if you want to live!" Pinkie tried to run only to be stopped by Twilight's magenta magic.
"Calm down, Pinkie. It won't do you any good to flee. We need to stick together," Twilight looked towards the mountains which were becoming more visible, "That sound appeared to have come from there. My guess is that something is trying to keep us away. We need to get to the Icy Mountains, and we can't afford anyone chickening out. I know this is scary, but Equestria need us."
"Right. Besides, what could possibly hurt you when you've got me to protect you?" Discord posed in a defiant manner causing everyone to roll their eyes.
"It's not that I don't trust you, Discord, but whatever made that noise could be dangerous," Rarity shuddered as she recalled the ghastly sound.
"Well, dangerous or not, we've got a nation counting on us. We've been through this kind of thing before. We'll get through it, we always do. Because we have..." Rainbow placed her hoof in the middle, "Loyalty."
The others joined in. "Laughter!"
"Generosity."
"Honesty."
"Kindness."
"And Magic." They raised their hooves. Discord smiled at this. With a new mode of confidence, the group journeyed the rest of the way and reached the mountains' bottom. Something was waiting for them, but they would stay strong until the end.
As they looked down from the mountain peak, all they could see was a blanket of white. No grass was visible, no trees in sight, just snow. Twilight looked down with panic, realizing they had to hurry. As they continued climbing, the snow pressed on. Upon further observation, a swirling hurricane of snow and ice lay ahead. No doubt the answer was near.
Rainbow decided to try and fly up to get a better view. Using every ounce of energy she could muster, she flew up. Her hoof in front of her face, she noticed a little cabin about seven hooves below the snowy vortex. Rainbow quickly came down to alert the others.
"Guys! There's a small cabin up there. I think the weather's coming from there," Rainbow pointed up towards the cabin, which was slightly visible from where they were.
"How could a cabin possibly be responsible for this here cold?" Applejack shivered, speaking with skepticism.
"Well, duh! The answer's inside! Cabins aren't alive, silly," Pinkie giggled at the thought of a walking cabin.
Fluttershy looked up then quickly looked down. "Um, do we have to go up there? We're pretty high up."
"We have to. Something in that cabin might be responsible for this crazy blizzard. We need to investigate," Twilight's eyes showed determination.
"Well, a lady always prepares for these kinds of situation," Rarity levitated several items from her saddlebag: four, rather fashionable hiking boots; ear muffs; and diamond-studded goggles. She daintily put them on.
Discord scoffed. "Yah, that'll help you climb. Rarity, honestly, must you always make every trip a fashion outing?"
"Oh, what would you know? Now, shall we ascend?" Rarity asked with dignity.
"All right, everyone. Let's go." Twilight and Discord combined their magic and created an air-tight force field around them. The higher they went, the less oxygen they breathed. Quickly, they made their way up the cliff.
After a few minutes, the gang arrived at the cabin. The wind was howling viciously. The snow blew in every direction. But, they paid the cold no mind. The answer to this wintry mess might possibly be in that cabin. Bravely, Twilight carefully approached the door and knocked. The girls, despite their squinted eyes, looked on with slight apprehension, not knowing who or what would answer.
The door opened, and they were met by, surprisingly a unicorn stallion. His coat was white and his mane was a bluish-grey hue. He looked to be about the same age they were.
"Oh! Princess Twilight! The Element Bearers! Discord! Oh, please, don't arrest me. This isn't my fault, well not entirely, but I assure you it was an accident!" The stallion fell on his hind legs begging for mercy. Twilight looked at the others.
The wind was whipping more, making it hard to hear.
"I THINK WE SHOULD TALK INSIDE!" Twilight shouted. Reluctantly, the white colt let them in.
The stallion offered them hot cocoa, which they were ever so grateful for. His cabin was equipped with a cold-dispelling force field. It wasn't working perfectly due to the unnatural chill, but it was good enough. Hopefully, now, they would get their answer.
"Forgive us for barging in like this. But, all the evidence pointed here. Albeit we didn't have a lot of evidence, but we've come this far. Who are you? Do you know anything about this weather?" Twilight asked in earnest.
The stallion sighed, "I suppose it's only fair. I am Tundra Ice, Your Highness. A simple stallion with a love of winter. I've lived up here for about two years now." He took a sip of his cocoa.
"Why ever would you want to live here? It's positively freezing up here," Rarity shivered, sipping her drink as well.
"It's kind of a long story. When I was a foal, my family lived in the Bahaymas. As you know, it's usually very warm up there. Winter doesn't really effect it. Nothing but sunshine and warm days. You're probably wondering how I could love winter. Well, when I was seven, my dad took me to Canterlot for the annual Winter Solstice Celebration." Tundra smiled at the memory.
"When we arrived, I saw the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. Snow. It covered the grass in a white blanket, the sun ray's shining on it made the snow sparkle. That was also the first time I had ever felt cold before. It felt good, much different than the heat I was used to. I then realized that this is what I wanted. I didn't want heat, I wanted coldness. My special talent made it somewhat possible. I can turn inanimate objects animate. I'd tell you about how I got my cutie mark, but that's another story." He chuckled slightly.
"Anyway, when I was eighteen, I studied at Manehattan University, mostly about winter and the like. I got a degree in Snow Making and Weather Control. After I graduated, I decided to come and live here. May have been stupid at the time, but I'm glad I did it." He concluded.
His audience sat in silence for a few minutes. Pinkie, of course, broke it.
"Awwww! What a nice story! I know how you feel. I like winter, too!" Pinkie chugged the rest of her drink down, and popped her marshmallows into her mouth.
"We all like winter, but not to this extent. How did it become like this?" Discord asked, his eye brows slightly furrowed.
Tundra cowered slightly under the draconeques' gaze. "Well, I--"
Fluttershy noticed this and tried to alleviate his fears. "Don't worry, Mr. Tundra. Discord won't hurt you."
"I don't like hurting ponies. Violence is only used as a last resort. I come in peace, I swear," Discord put his eagle claw on his chest.
"Are you sure?" The unicorn wasn't entirely persuaded yet.
"Yes, Mr. Tundra. You don't need to be afraid. He's harmless. Now, what were you saying?" Twilight gently prodded.
Tundra Ice took another deep breath. "Very well. I don't know if you remember me saying this or not, but my special talent is bringing inanimate objects to life." They nodded. "Well, about a week or so ago, I was experimenting with some snow and ice. I was trying to create a living snowpony. Sounds a bit childish, I know. But, I was hoping to create a companion. Someone to keep me company up here in these mountains. It gets rather lonely up here." His face turned slightly downtrodden, but he quickly shook it off.
"Anyway, I mixed up a batch of 'animate elixir,' as I like to call it. I didn't realize it at the time, but a few drops of Carbonate D had fallen into the pot. Carbonate D, as I'm sure you know, Princess, is the liquefied DNA of Windigoes. Don't ask me why I have it. So, I began mixing--" Rarity's hoof shot up.
"Um, yes?"
"Pardon me for interrupting, but DNA can be liquefied? How?" Rarity asked.
Twilight answered for Tundra. "It's a very complex process. Only high-level unicorns and alicorns can pull off the spell. It's also very dangerous, which is why it's rarely done, and few ponies know about it."
Rarity seemed satisfied with that answer and gestured for him to continue.
"Where was I? Oh, yes. I began mixing the brew. Not suspecting anything was wrong, I spread the elixir onto my test subject. Naturally, I cast my signature spell. However, as I cast it, something felt different. My magic seemed to be acting up. I felt the magical energies build up on the base of my horn. Was I having a magic surge? I wasn't sure. Suddenly, the snow and ice erupted and manifested itself into a living maelstrom of snow and ice. The storm was alive. I tried to stop it, but it was too powerful. It escaped through my chimney and penetrated Equestria. The climax of the storm has remained here, but it's or...my magic has caused it to spread. And because the storm was created by magic, it seems to have be resistant to other magic. Heat spells included." Tundra firmly finished, his face stern and serious.
No words could describe how the ponies felt. All of this caused by a mere accident.
"Do whatever you want to me. I'm responsible for everypony's misery." He slumped his head in shame.
Applejack put a hoof on the stallion's shoulder. "Listen, sugarcube. None of us blame ya. As you said, it was purely accidental. You weren't aimin' to cause this. Don't go beating yourself over it."
"Applejack's right. You are not going to be blamed for this. You didn't know. It's not like you did this on purpose. We're not going to hold it against you." Twilight assured him.
"Thanks, Twilight. But, now that you know, what are you going to do?" He asked.
Twilight looked down. "Well, I don't know yet."
"But, don't worry, she will." Discord placed a paw on her shoulder.
Twilight quickly smiled, but it soon faded as she sat in contemplation. "I hope you're right, Discord. Wow, a sentient snow storm. That's a new one. I didn't realize there were such spells. Sure, I mean, I know one or two animation spells, but none quite to this extent. Do you have any idea on how to stop it?"
Tundra Ice sighed once again. "I don't. As I said, my magic is resilient to other types magic. If somepony were to discover my creations, they might want to try and replicate it. Some might even go to the extremes just to do so. For safety, I've attuned my magic to resist opposing forces. So, I don't have any solutions."
Twilight wasn't happy about that answer. She believed it, but it wasn't easy accepting it.
"I say we ram the storm head on. Physical assault may put a dent in it," Rainbow punched her hoof.
Applejack face-hoofed. "Dash, how do you attack a living storm? And don't go sayin' it's like any other storm cloud. I ain't no weather expert, but even I can tell that ain't yer everyday, ordinary snow cloud."
Rainbow wanted to give a rebuttal, but nothing came out.
Rarity gasped. "Hey, we can combine our magic. Twilight, Tundra, and I can each cast a melting spell on it. It has to work."
"Didn't you hear what he said? His magic is resistant to other magic. We've tried heat spells, and they don't work,'' Twilight reminded her.
Fluttershy meekly raised her hoof.
"Yes?"
"Um...I'm no alchemy expert, but you created the storm with a potion, right?"
Tundra blinked, unsure where she was going with this. "Yes, why?"
"Well, I studied chemistry a little, and...well, can't you like make an antidote? Something that will reverse the effects of your...what did you call it? Oh, right, animate elixir?"
The ponies were silent. Did that idea just come from Fluttershy?
Tundra stared at her. "That...could work! Brilliant idea, Fluttershy! I can use the opposing chemicals of each compound, and recast my spell. It should return the storm into regular snow and ice. Why didn't I think of that before?" He ran over to his chemistry set and began taking out some beakers.
Pinkie hugged Fluttershy. "I didn't know you were a scientist. Can you make a pink potion?"
Fluttershy stammered. "Um...well...I...only studied it for one semester. I...didn't really enjoy it."
Twilight put a hoof around her. "Well, if you ever take an interest for it again, my lab is always open."
Fluttershy smiled bashfully. They all watched the white unicorn hustle from one end of the cabin to the other. He mixed in some liquids and some other products.
He walked back to them. "Well, the liquid needs to settle for a little while. So, we wait." Suddenly, the ghostly howl they heard from before came back, only much louder this time.
Fluttershy jumped behind the counter followed by Pinkie.
"Um, Tundra? You...wouldn't happen to know what that is, would you?" Rarity, stiff as a log, asked.
"Oh, yah. Did I mention the storm has taken a physical form? I think it senses your body heat and isn't taking too kindly to trespassers."
"So, the storm made that noise? Kind of creepy, if you ask me. " Discord asked, regaining his composure.
"Yes. But, do not worry. Once the elixir has settled, I'll cast my spell on it. Hopefully, this will disintegrate this weather. Again, I apologize."
"It was an accident. We've already forgiven you," Twilight looked out the window and could barely see anything because of the ceaseless snowfall. "But, this had better end soon. Equestria can't endure this cold much longer. If this lasts much longer, we may not even have Hearth's Warming this year."
The blizzard continued its course, but now they had a solution. They weren't sure it would work, but they weren't going to give up hope.
Hi! MLP Fangirl here. For those of you who have been reading this, first off, I'd like to say thank you to all who are liking and favoriting my story. It's really an encouragement. However, I'm sure some of you are disappointed at the long gaps in between updates. I apologize. I am currently having writer's block for this story and my other ones. I'm having a hard time coming up with new ideas.
Do not worry, though. This story and Two Sides of Discord are not being put on hiatus nor are they dead. They will remain incomplete. When I will update again remains to be seen. Again, I apologize. I'm sure many of you writers know what I'm talking about.
"Well, I say we work our way up. Start in the southernmost cities and go from there. And according to the map, the closest city is Los Pegasus. That okay with you, guys?" The vote was unanimous.