Discord was reformed. Equestria will never suffer in chaos again. Or will it?
Discord has been reformed. He no longer has the desire to take over Equestria. But thanks to a backfired potion, Equestria will soon remember what's it like to live in disharmony. Can the Mane Six triumph over this tyranny without the Elements, or will Equestria be plunged into eternal chaos?
This story is just a random idea that popped into my head. If you don't like it, I will delete it. Just please don't take all your hate out on me. Also, the Other Tag is for the many other characters in this story.
It was a normal day in Ponyville or, at least, it started out as one. The birds were singing, the sun was shining, and ponies were trotting around the quaint, little village happily. Nothing out of the ordinary. Everypony was enjoying the beautiful day, including the Mane Six. They were having breakfast at Sugarcube Corner. The previous night had been their monthly slumber party. Each month, the girls would have a sleepover, and one of the six mares would have to host it. Obviously, this month it was Pinkie's turn. And the girls had had a wonderful time indeed.
However, this morning had started off rather unusually. Pinkie had woken up with the shivers. The Pinkie Sense that meant a doozy was going to happen. As Pinkie put it, "Something you'd never expect to happen is gonna happen." The girls would have to be extra careful today.
"How you doing there, Pinkie Pie? Still shakin'?" Applejack looked over at the pink pony and noticed that she was indeed still shivering.
"Can't y-y-you t-t-tell?" Fluttershy was trying to hold down Pinkie but was having very little success.
"Oh dear, I wonder what could be making you shiver so much. I do hope it's nothing scary," Fluttershy mumbled softly.
"Well, I hope it's scary. Or life-threatening. Things have been so slow for months. The last dangerous thing we did was with Daring Do. And that was awesome. But that was three months ago. I want some action." Rainbow kicked in the air and almost knocked down a flower vase. Rarity caught it with her magic.
"Now, Rainbow, when you say that you're just begging for trouble. I will admit that I do enjoy some of our excursions, but that doesn't mean I want to have them daily. I've enjoyed relaxing."
"I bet you have. If only I could have some relaxation. While you guys have been living it easy, I've been in Canterlot dealing with taxes, pleasing the populace, granting land, resolving this, and resolving that. The life of a Princess is not easy," Twilight said with a sigh. Twilight felt a hoof on her shoulder.
"We understand, sugarcube. But, we know that there's no pony else who would be better fit for the job than you. You've our full support. Right, girls?"
"Right!"
Twilight smiled. Her friends were truly the best. "Thanks, girls. I don't know what I'd do without you."
All of a sudden, Pinkie began shaking again. "Oooh! My Pinkie Sense is t-t-t-telling m-m-me that the d-d-d-doozy is g-g-getting c-c-closer. B-b-but f-for some r-reason, t-though, I c-c-can't f-f-figure out anything ab-b-bout it!"
"That doesn't sound good!" squeaked Fluttershy.
"Yes! Danger, here I come!" Rainbow exclaimed. Everypony gave her a glare. "Uh, I mean, no, that's bad, and stuff."
"Bad is right. We have no idea what's going to happen. And I doubt it will be as small as the last doozy." Applejack said recalling that the last doozy was Twilight's believing in the Pinkie Sense.
"Applejack's right. Whatever this doozy is, we need to be ready for it." Twilight proclaimed. Just then, the door burst open and the Cutie Mark Crusaders came barreling in. They jumped onto Twilight giving her no time to dodge the assault.
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! What's gotten into you fillies?" Twilight levitated the CMC off of her.
"Twilight! It's raining!" Sweetie Belle cried.
Rainbow looked surprised. "What? How can it be raining? We don't have a rain shower scheduled till next week."
"Could it be Everfree weather? Due to the forest's unnatural magic, it is possible for us to be experiencing an unexpected downpour considering how close we are to it."
"I doubt it," Scootaloo said, "These clouds weren't poky like the Everfree ones. But, they weren't normal clouds either. I know I've seen them before, but I can't put my hoof on it."
"Are you fillies sure you didn't imagine it? It's hard to believe that it could be raining on such a gorgeous day," Rarity said.
" If it's not rainin' , what do you call that?" Applebloom pointed out the window. True to the three fillies' word, it was indeed raining. The ponies quickly ran out side. Pinkie's nose began sniffing.
"Do you guys smell cotton candy?" She stuck her tongue out and caught a raindrop on it. "Chocolate milk?! It's raining chocolate milk!"
"But that's impossible. It hasn't rained chocolate milk since Discord took over. But he's reformed. He wouldn't do anything like this now, would he?" Twilight asked rhetorically. Discord was good now. There'd be no reason for him to do this. The ponies looked around for any sign that could explain what's causing this unsual weather.
Suddenly, an evil laugh, more like a maniacal laugh erupted in the air which sounded much too like the laugh of a certain draconeques.
"I would, I could, and I have, Twilight Sparkle. And there's nothing you and your nosy little friends can do to stop me." There was a flash of light. Discord emerged from the light. He looked the same, except instead of giving off his usual cheerful, goofy vibe, chaos, mischief, and diabolicalness radiated off of him. It seemed as if the old Discord was back.
"Discord?! What are you doing?" Fluttershy asked horrified.
"Taking back what's rightfully mine! May Equestria return to its natural chaotic state!" With a snap of his fingers, all of Ponyville had turned upside-down.
"Adios, Amigas! I've got a country to take over." He flashed away quickly leaving the six ponies totally confused. The chocolate milk came down even harder. What started out as a normal day, turned into a maelstrom of catastrophes.
The ponies stood there with blank expressions on their faces. This morning had started perfectly, and now Equestria was out of control. Houses were floating, the rabbits had once again grown long legs, and ponies were running wild. The one question that popped up in everypony's minds, what just happened?
The six ponies shook out of their stupor and came back to reality. Pinkie was the first to speak up. "Girls, I think I know what the doozy was."
"No, I never would have guessed that Discord taking over Equestria could be the doozy. Thanks for pointing that out, Pinkie," Rainbow muttered sarcastically.
Fluttershy was whimpering quietly. No one could blame her. After all, it was she who had been given the responsibility of reforming Discord. Now that he's taken over Equestria, it would seem like her efforts to do so were all in vain.
"I just don't understand. Why would Discord do this? I thought we were friends," She wiped her eyes with a hoof.
"I knew that mismatched varmit couldn't be trusted. He was jus' toying with our emotions," Applejack said bitterly.
"You are right, Applejack. He tried to lure us into a false sense of security. And as the cliché goes, he got us when we least expected it," Rarity sighed.
"Well, cliché or not, it worked. We need to get in touch with Princess Celestia and see if she has any ideas. Without the Elements, we can't turn him back to stone. To the library!" The six mares dashed to the library narrowly avoiding all the chaotic obstacles that were in their way. About five minutes later, they arrived at the tree. Twilight put up a force field to keep out anyone or anything that might try and get inside.
Spike came down the stairs in a hurry as he heard the girls enter. He jumped onto Twilight bombarding her with questions.
"Twilight! What's going on out there? When did this happen? Are you guys hurt? Do you know how to stop it?" He asked very quickly not stopping for air. Twilight rolled her eyes as this was the second time she had gotten knocked down today. She levitated Spike off of her and set him back upright.
"Discord. That's what. He's turned back to his old ways which I don't understand in the slightest. He must have had some sort of relapse or something. But what could have caused it? It couldn't possibly be because of us. We've haven't done anything to him. Fluttershy, when was the last time you saw Discord before today?" Twilight questioned.
"Saturday. We had our weekly tea party with my animal friends," Fluttershy answered.
"Aw. Why didn't you invite me?" Pinkie whined.
"Um, sorry?"
"Okay. Saturday. Now, did anything seem wrong with him? Was he miserable? Did he seem upset about something?"
"Not at all. He acted like his usual self," Fluttershy once again replied.
Twilight was deep in thought. "Strange. Saturday was only three days ago. What could have possibly happened to him that would make him go mad?"
"He was probably just pretending to be nice. He's a master of deception. He could easily have been lying," Rainbow pointed out.
"Rainbow Dash, I've known Discord long enough to realize when he's not telling the truth. And, I don't think he was lying. Of course, I...could be wrong."
"Even though I'm the Element of Honesty, it's hard to figure out if that sleazy scoundrel is spouting lies or not." Applejack admitted.
"Well, we're not gonna get our answers sitting around like a bunch of boring logs. I say, we march up to Discord and demand an explanation!" Pinkie exclaimed with a determined look.
"Do you really think he's gonna give us one?" Applejack raised an eyebrow. Pinkie was about to respond when she remembered who they were dealing with.
"Oh, you're right. Never mind! Forget what I said. He probably wouldn't even listen to us anyway. The jerk!"
"Thankfully, the princesses will. Spike, I think it's about time we got some help from the royals." Rarity proclaimed.
"You got it. Ready when you are, Twi." Spike said with a quill and parchment in his hands. After Twilight recited and Spike wrote it, he sent it off to Canterlot and awaited a response, which came about five seconds later.
"Well, that was fast!" Pinkie exclaimed.
Twilight took the letter in her magic and began to read. As she finished reading the letter, she lost her telekinetic grip on it as she couldn't believe what she just read. She sat down on the hard, wooden floor with a look of pure disbelief.
"Twi, what did the letter say?" Applejack asked afraid to find out the answer.
Twilight's eyes began to tear up, "D-D-Discord...he..." She shut her eyes tight angrily unable to say it. Rarity took the letter in her magic and held up so they all could read it. Their eyes widened as they read it. Their expressions turned grim as the letter ended.
"I can't believe it!" Rarity sat down on the floor as well.
"That good-for-nothing, back-stabbing fiend. Oh, when I get my hands on that insane trickster, he's going to be sorry he ever met me." Rainbow punched the wall for emphasis.
"Discord's taken over Canterlot. And he's discorded the princesses. They're of no use to us now." Twilight cried.
"Why would they be of no use to us? They still have their magic don't they?" Fluttershy asked.
"Yes, but do you remember how rough things were when Discord corrupted us? None of us were willing to work together. What makes you think the princesses will be any better?" Twilight made a valid point. Discord's influencing could turn even the strongest willed ponies into bitter, argumentative, and corrupted beings. Whether it be by manipulation or brute force. Twilight herself almost succumbed to Discord, but because of Celestia's intervention, she had been able to free her friends. Now, Celestia was out of the picture. There'd be no help coming from her this time.
"Well, girls looks like it's up to us to stop Discord again," Twilight stated.
"Uh, Twi? How are we going to do that? We've got no Elements and no princesses. Well, besides you. As much as I hate to admit it, we're running out of options here." Rainbow noted angrily.
"We'll think of something. We always do. If only we could figure out what that something was." This put each of the girls into a concentration mode, focusing on nothing other than the task at hoof.
Meanwhile, on the border between the Everfree Forest and Ponyville, something came stumbling out of the enchanted forest. The creature looked exhausted. His breathing was heavy, and his movements were forced. His wings were bruised, and his horns were slightly cracked. Whatever he gone through couldn't have been a good experience. With a limp, the draconeques rested upon a tree. He looked up to see the chaotic state of the surrounding area.
He sighed with shame. " Curses! I'm too late. Equestria's a disaster. Hopefully, he hasn't gotten rid of them yet. I have to hope that the girls will be smarter this time around." With that said, he began to walk slowly towards the library of a certain princess.
The six mares were still deep in thought. Every idea they had come up with always had a negative outcome. The key thing they had to remember was since Discord tried to take over Equestria before and failed, he would no doubt be better prepared this time. If there was one thing Discord wasn't, it was stupid. As much as they hated to admit it, Discord was in no way incompetent. He had already captured the Princesses, and he knew that the Elements wouldn't bother him this time.
The only problem was he hadn't gotten rid of them yet. They had figured that Discord would either separate them like before, take Twilight away due to her powers, or just imprison them somewhere. None of those things happened. Had Discord forgotten about them? Did he not remember they were the ones to send him back to his stone prison? Twilight came up with the conclusion that since the Elements were no longer in their possession, he didn't see the six ponies as a threat. The girls were starting to run out of ideas.
"Ugh! How long have we been here? Equestria is in trouble, and we're just sitting around doing nothing. We've got to take action sooner or later!" Rainbow groaned angrily.
"We can't take action unless we have a plan. We won't be able to take on Discord and expect to win just like that. Discord is extremely powerful. He could throw anything at us," Twilight countered.
"Could we take the Elements back? Unless...you don't want to," Fluttershy suggested meekly.
"And have the Everfree take over again? I don't know about you, but I think we've got enough on our plate," Applejack responded.
"Maybe, we could throw him a party! Remind him what it means to be a friend!" Pinkie suggested merrily.
"Your idea could work if we weren't dealing with a megalomaniac who thought friendship was a waste of time. Now, that he's taken over, what makes you think he'll just give it up?" Rarity replied.
Twilight got up and began pacing. "Ugh! This ridiculous! Has Discord really given us no options? There has be something we can do! We need help, and it's not going to pop up on the doorstep." Coincidently, after she finished saying that, there was a knock on the door.
"Wait a second, I haven't taken down the force field yet. No one should be able to get within fifty feet of the library," Twilight looked over to her friends. Another knock was heard.
"Do you think it's Discord?" Fluttershy squeaked.
"Why would he knock on the door? Wouldn't he just barge in or turn the library upside-down?" Pinkie asked.
"Well, Discord or not, we need to find out who that is," Twilight took a deep breath and headed towards the door. The other five cowered behind the table, well minus Rainbow Dash who was hovering above at a safe distance.
Twilight unlocked the door and opened it. To her surprise, it was Discord. She jumped back and aimed her horn.
"Discord! You better leave in the next ten seconds, or I will blast you. Have you come here to dispose of us? Well, it's not going to hap--" Discord silenced her by putting his tail around her mouth. Twilight was about to fire when she noticed his appearance. Discord all of a sudden looked...weak. Some of his body parts were damaged. He looked like had been in a fight with a hydra and lost. Something was definitely wrong here.
"Oh, thank chaoticness! You're all still here. Seems that insolent hybrid didn't take care of you yet. Which I'm...kinda surprised at. I mean, if this were really me, I would have taken you down in a heartbeat. Regardless, you're all okay, and that's what's important," Discord said relieved.
Twilight and the girls all looked at each other unsure. "Um, what are you talking about?"
Discord sighed, "I knew I would have to explain this sooner or later. Okay, look, I'm going to give it to you straight. That Discord is not me. You know, the one that subsequently took over Equestria but a few hours ago. He and I are not the same. We're two separate beings. I'm the Discord that was reformed. The one who neglected to tell you about the plunder seeds. Basically, I'm your friend."
The ponies' faces were a mixture of disbelief, skepticism, and incredulousness. Rainbow zoomed up to Discord.
"Yah, right! What makes you think we'll believe you?"
"Ever the brash one aren't you, Rainbow. To be honest, I really can't prove it. I had hoped you would believe me, but it seems I was wrong," Discord was about to turn away.
"I do believe you."
"What?! Twilight, how can you possibly buy his story?" Rainbow shouted.
"I can just...feel it. I can't explain it, but it doesn't seem like he's lying," Twilight looked back at Discord. "Well, Discord, if it is true what you've said, could you please explain why there's two of you, and why one of them has taken over Equestria?"
Discord smiled, "You all might want to take a seat. This might take awhile."
I suppose I'll start from the beginning. About six o'clock last night, I decided to take a stroll through the Everfree Forest. Frankly, I don't know why I chose the forest to walk through, but anyway, I had walked for about fifteen minutes when I came across a cottage.
Naturally, my curiosity got the better of me, so I went up to inspect it. I peeked into the window, and what did I find? A zebra shaman! I could tell by the native artifacts and bubbling cauldron. Of course, she spotted me and told me to come inside. Who am I to turn down such a generous offer?
I entered her, as I like to call it, workshop. She was reciting foreign incantations and a whole bunch of mumbo-jumbo. I found out her name was Zecora, and it turns out that you all know her. Do you know why she always speaks in rhyme? How does she come up with all these rhymes? Imagine if she said the word orange! There are no words that rhyme with it!
DISCORD!
Oh, right! Anyway, she brought me over to her cauldron. I forget what she said exactly, but I think it was something like, "My latest experiment is almost complete, but I need another ingredient to add into the heap. For you see, this potion will allow ponies to be free from their split personalities." Basically, the potion would separate beings into their individual personalities. One pony could be chipper as a ladybug, or as gloomy as a thunderhead.
Anyway, the last ingredient she needed was magic. She would have called you,Twilight, but since I was around, she decided to use my magic. Part of me was unsure, but since that part was so little, I went with it. I conjured up a big ball of magic and placed it in the elixir.
She began to stir it. The batch started turning different colors, and I couldn't tell if that was a good or a bad thing. The potion started to bubble. I looked over at Zecora and realized she was looking worried. I think she had forgotten that I harbored chaos magic, and that's what screwed everything up.
The potion exploded. It sent her and me crashing head-first into the wall. She got knocked out, and my vision was swimming. Some of her artifacts, mainly the heavy ones came tumbling down on me. At that moment, I began to feel weak. Not just because of the heavy objects that had landed on me. I felt something being drained from me. As I was nearing unconsciousness, I could vaguely make out the silhouette of a very familiar looking creature. My last thought before I fell unconscious was, Equestria's in big trouble.
I awoke about seven o'clock this morning. My body was bruised, and I felt like mud. I found myself in a desolate part of the forest. Thankfully, it was early enough, so none of the wild animals were out. As I sorted my thoughts, I realized that the potion had worked, but it had a negative outcome. The potion split me into two Discords. My normal self as one, and the other one...is everything I was before. The only difference between my old self and this Discord is that this Discord's heart is as cold as stone. Friendship will mean absolutely nothing to him.
I also found out that I had been deprived of most of my powers. That potion had taken a great toll on me. My wings were bruised so I couldn't fly. It seemed as if all my energy had been sapped out of me. I didn't get up for about an hour or two. When I finally felt some strength coming back to me, I headed towards the forest entrance. My leg wasn't in good shape, so I had to limp all the way.
I eventually arrived and noticed that I was already too late. My other self worked fast. I had to hope you guys hadn't been dealt with yet. With resolve, I headed towards the library, and now here I am.
"And that's my story," Discord finally summed everything up. The girls were silent. Discord's story actually made sense. It wasn't farfetched, and it wasn't impossible. Discord's explanation was believable, and that meant he was believable.
"Wow! Girls, I think we can safely say that Discord's telling the truth," Twilight said with a genuine smile on her face.
"Oh, Discord! I'm so glad you're not evil!" Fluttershy flew up and gave Discord a hug followed closely by Pinkie.
"Yah, Discord's not a big meanie pants! Well, this one isn't anyways!"
"I'm glad you all believe me. But, we've got some major problems here. Most of my powers must have been transferred to the other Discord. We have to find a way to get rid of him, but at the same time we need to restore my powers. If I can obtain just a little bit of my magic, we might have a shot. Any ideas?" Discord looked around the room to see if any of them had come up with one.
Twilight's face lit up. "I've got an idea. But...it will be very risky." Everypony's face cringed with uncertainty. But since no one else had anything, they would have to go with it.
"I have an idea. But...it will be very risky." That didn't sound very promising. Their only idea and it was risky. The ponies looked around the room at each other with very doubtful faces. Twilight's ideas were brilliant, yes, but, that didn't mean they always worked. With no other options, they listened to what Twilight had to say.
Twilight trotted over to a bookshelf and grabbed a book in her magic. She set it down for all of them to see. "There's a spell in this book. If I can just find it, aha! Here it is." Everyone looked at the spell with curiosity. As they read it, they realized what the spell entailed. Their eyes widened at Twilight's suggestion.
"Twi? You're not seriously suggesting that, are you?" Rainbow asked not believing what she was seeing.
"Twilight, you don't have to do this. I'm sure we can come up with something else," Spike assured. Twilight was Spike's paternal figure. He had always been very protective of her. If she were to do this, she could get seriously hurt.
"We can't waste any more time. Discord, I mean, the other Discord is dismantling Equestria, and we're not doing anything to stop him. Unless you can come up with a better idea, this is our only option," Twilight said firmly. Everyone looked down indicating they had no other ideas.
"Twilight, are you sure you want to go through with this? This spell could have devastating aftereffects," Discord warned.
"That's a risk I'm willing to take. If it means saving Equestria from everlasting chaos, I'll do it," The ponies looked at Twilight with respect. If there was one thing Twilight was, besides many other things, it was that she was a trooper. It was hard persuading the alicorn out of a difficult situation, even if it meant causing her bodily harm.
Fluttershy raised her hoof meekly. "Excuse me, Twilight. But, um, could you explain what this spell does? I don't quite understand."
"Yah, remember, not all of us are super duper smarty pants like you are," Pinkie stated cheerfully.
"And most of us aren't unicorns. This is just a jumble of nonsense in ma eyes," Applejack said poking at the page the spell was on.
"Very well. This is known as the magic transfer spell. Basically, unicorns, or in my case, alicorns can transfer their magic into a specific being. The way I see it, the best opponent for the other Discord is himself. But since our Discord is unable to use his magic, I'll transfer my magic into him, and he'll use it against the evil Discord. Make sense?" The others nodded, but Rarity raised a hoof.
"But, Twilight, isn't your magic and Discord's magic different? If so, wouldn't that cause a problem? I mean, chaos and harmony are two very different components, right?"
"Yes, but you see, this Discord has not harbored chaos magic yet. If you remember, Discord was split into two beings. Both of whom we are acquainted with. And if you recall, Discord's magic was drained. He didn't have any when he awoke. Therefore, my magic will simply, when transferred, act as his original powers. It may feel a little different at first, but I'm sure his body will easily adapt to it, right Discord?" She asked gesturing to the draconeques in question.
"Most likely. Then again, this is the first time I've had to doing anything like this, so I'm not a hundred percent sure," Discord replied.
"But, Twilight? What will happen to you?" Spike asked worriedly. The ponies looked at Twilight with concern.
Twilight sighed and shrugged, "To be honest, I don't know. Very few ponies have used it. Clover the Clever created this spell to be used as a last resort. It's only meant to be used in dire circumstances. I think we can consider this a dire circumstance. However, whatever happens to me won't matter. What we need to worry about is will it work or not. " She looked over at the clock which seemed to have stopped ticking.
"Looks like Drocsid stopped time. Either that or broke everypony's clock," Pinkie said as she looked over at the clock.
"Drocsid?" Rainbow asked stupefied.
"Yah, Discord backwards. I don't want to keep referring to him as other Discord. So to keep these two separate, he's Discord," She pointed at the draconeques in the room, "And he's Drocsid." She pointed to the direction of Canterlot, as that was where this Discord had apparently deemed as his capital.
"I like how you think, Pinkie. But, now that's reminded me of a question I have not gotten the answer to yet. Has Drocsid forgotten about you guys? Has he done anything to you at all?" Discord asked.
"He...sent us a letter," Fluttershy responded.
"And what did this letter say?"
"Oh, nothing much. Just letting us know that he had corrupted the princesses and was keeping them hostage. Oh, and he also mentioned that our efforts to stop him were futile. Whatever that means. Nothing big," Rainbow said sarcastically.
"Hmm. I'm going to have to have a chat with my diabolical doppelganger. I think the potion messed up his common sense," Discord said with a snicker.
Twilight looked around at the chatting ponies and sighed. She hated to interrupt them, but they had a job to do.
Twilight cleared her throat, "Listen up, everypony. Let's go over our battle strategy. This spell will probably sap all of my energy, so I'm not going to be of much help. So here's what we'll do--"
"Oh, oh, oh, oh, Twilight! I have an idea!" Pinkie raised her hoof and waved it crazily.
The other ponies all groaned inwardly. Twilight rolled her eyes. "What is your idea, Pinkie?"
"Yes! Okay, so here's what we'll do," She grabbed everyone and assembled them into a group huddle, "Discord, you'll flash us over to Canterlot. Then we sneak past all the guards using stealth mode. If you're not good at sneaking around, Discord can turn you invisible. Then we'll approach the throne room. At that point, we'll split up. Discord will fight Drocsid, and we'll search for the messed-up monarchs. After that, if Discord hasn't defeated Drocsid yet, we'll have royal ammunition to finish him off. There's no way this plan can fail!" Pinkie summed it all up. She looked around and noticed everypony's expressions. They were all looking at her with utter surprise.
"What? Do you not like it?" Pinkie asked innocently.
"You...came up with that. You came up with that. A serious plan that sounds like it could actually work. Are you sure you and Twilight didn't switch brains?" Rainbow looked at Pinkie wearily. Pinkie just snorted at that ridiculous idea.
"Well, regardless of whom it came from, we've got a plan. Time to set it into motion. Commencing phase one. You all might want to stand back," Twilight commanded. The ponies did as they were told. "Are you ready, Discord?"
"As ready as I'll ever be," He said firmly. He took a deep breath and stood tall as did Twilight. She took a quick look at her friends.
Time to begin. Twilight focused all of her magic into her horn. She was loading all of her power onto the base of her horn, and soon, she began feeling the effects. She could feel the magic draining from her body. It was as if her entire life force was being sucked away, and she was the one doing the sucking. She continued anyway, even though her horn and head began to feel heavy. Her thoughts began to fog up as her mind slowly began to seep away into unconsciousness. Her eyes opened, and they were glowing with white energy. Her magic was nearly gone. With a final burst from her horn, her magic shot up and formed an enormous ball of raw energy.
Discord remained strong but had the tiniest quell of fear stir inside of him. The size of the orb of magic was huge indicating the sheer amount of power that the purple alicorn had harbored. The others cowered away at a safe distance ,but they couldn't look away from the spectacle. The magic began descending, and with a bright flash of light, it eventually inhabited itself in Discord's body.
Discord felt invigorated. Twilight's magic felt warm and refreshing as it coursed through his body. Twilight's magic felt a little different to what he was used to, but he didn't dwell on the matter for long. The feeling finally dissipated, and Discord was back on the ground.
The ponies ran to Discord and cheered as the spell appeared to have worked. Discord cheered as well as he summoned a plate of cotton candy cookies and chocolate milk. Twilight's plan had worked. Speaking of Twilight, the ponies realized that the pony in question was not amidst the celebration. They looked off to the side and saw the purple princess lying on her side.
"Twilight!" Everypony rushed to her and stooped down beside her.
Discord put his paw on her head and breathed a sigh of relief, "She's fine. But, she'll be out for a little while. I think we'll let her sit this one out. She's done so much already. Spike, I'm going to take her to her bed. Keep an eye on her. We'll be leaving as soon as I'm back." Discord flew up the stairs with an unconscious Twilight in his arms. He placed her in the bed gently.
"Don't worry, Princess. We'll stop him and save Equestria. That's a promise." He quickly flew back downstairs. The adventure had just begun.
It was a normal day in the royal court of Princess Celestia. She had raised the sun a few hours ago, and the day had started out perfectly. The few petitioners that had come in early had made reasonable requests that were easily resolved. Not only that, Luna had decided to stay up and observe what her sister did on a routinely basis. The Princess of the Night was received warmly by the denizens of Canterlot. While she still had not completely adjusted to modern society, that did not make her any less enjoyable.
Luna, before she was Nightmare Moon, was not exactly old enough to fully rule a country. She was still the Princess of the Moon no doubt, but now that she was older, she'd be more mature to handle certain things. No longer a naïve, young filly, she was now a beautiful alicorn mare ready to defend against any and all crises. But, could she fend off the upcoming crisis that was shortly on its way?
Celestia and Luna had settled down for breakfast. As Princesses, their schedule did not allow them to have an early meal. Even so, the two sisters never complained. Through millennia of experience, the princesses had pretty much gotten used to it at this point.
"Sister, how are you enjoying the morning? A lot different then nighttime hours, I should think," Celestia asked her sister.
Luna took a sip of her tea before responding, "Pardon. But, to answer your question, yes, the day differs much from my night. However, I can see why ponies stay up for it. You've done a great job, Tia." She gave her sister a nuzzle which she gladly returned.
"Thank you. It has not been easy, let me tell you. Managing both the sun and moon for a thousand years was not simple in the slightest. I missed your companionship. Now, not only I get to enjoy your company, but the good citizens of Equestria do as well. You have a way with foals, Luna." Celestia said with a chuckle.
Luna chuckled as well, "Yes, well, when you can visit dreams, you tend to score some child points. I've visited several foals in their sleep. Some of which are siblings to the Bearers of Harmony. Being the Princess of the Night has its perks."
"Yes, I suppose it does." Just then, one of the servants came rushing into the dining hall. Out of breath, the mauve mare collapsed onto the floor. The Princesses immediately knelt by her side.
"Quill Pen, what has caused your panting? Are you troubled?" Celestia helped her stand upright.
Quill Pen got up shakily and took a deep breath. "Forgive me for the outburst, Your Majesties. But, there is some turmoil in the city. Things are getting out of control. We don't know what's causing it."
Princess Celestia and Luna instantly left the room. They looked out the nearest window and could see the disorder milling about. Ponies were floating in mid-air, and it wasn't by means of unicorn magic. Street signs had grown legs and were chasing foals. Not only that, but it was raining. Not water, but chocolate milk. Canterlot was a mess.
"I don't understand what's going on. What could be causing this? Everything's so disorderly, messed up, and...chaotic. Oh no," Celestia's face had turned grim.
"Sister, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Luna asked as she stared out the window.
"There's only one being who could have done this. But this doesn't add up. He's reformed."
"Was reformed, my dear." The echo reverberated around the room. Much similar to the first time he had escaped.
"Discord!" Luna and Celestia shouted together.
"About time you uttered my name. I was beginning to think you had forgotten." Discord's voice said. He was still nowhere to be seen.
"Show yourself now, Discord! We need to talk," Celestia said angrily.
"This is the first time you've ever wanted to talk with me. Must be a special occasion," He finally appeared in the throne room. Celestia and Luna were taken aback by his appearance. There was something...different about him. He looked normal, but something was off.
"Well, Discord. I think you know what we would like to discuss. Explain right now what in the world is going on out there. This is obviously your doing," Luna said, her eyebrows furrowed.
"What gave you the hint? The chocolate rain? The panic? The mayhem? Of course, it's my doing. There is no other being capable of pulling feats like this," He said proudly gesturing outside.
"Why are you doing this? Did Fluttershy's friendship mean nothing to you?" Celestia asked accusingly.
"Who cares about friendship? I don't, that's for sure. You should have known from the very beginning that taming me was a complete impossibility. I'm not called the Embodiment of Chaos and Disharmony for nothing you know." He caused it to start raining indoors to emphasize his point.
"What happened to you? You've been fine for the past few moons, and now you start causing trouble?" Luna asked bitterly.
"I came to my senses. Equestria is rightfully mine, but you two stole my kingdom away from me. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me thrice, and I get mad. I will not fail a third time," He said confidently.
Celestia whispered quietly in Luna's ear, "Sister, summon Twilight and her friends." Sadly, not quiet enough.
Discord appeared in between them. "Tia, Tia, Tia. Calling Twilight and her friends again? Frankly, I shouldn't expect any different," He walked in front of them, "I mean, that's what you've been doing all this time, right? Sending your precious, prized protégé and her friends into potential danger."
"That is not true, Discord--"
"Let's recap," He snapped his fingers, and an image of Twilight and her friends battling Nightmare Moon appeared. Luna quickly turned away. "Here we have Twilight and company fighting off the dark persona of Lulu. Where are you? Oh, that's right. Your beloved sister banished you to the sun."
Luna was about to attack when Celestia held out a wing to stop her.
"Now wait, I couldn't control--"
"Moving on," He snapped his fingers again, and another image appeared showing Discord's first breakout. "Now here's a personal favorite of mine. You send your student and her friends into my domain knowing full well what I'm capable of. Yet, you give them no help, NONE whatsoever. Wishing them luck is about all you did. Okay, I'll admit, you did send Sparkle that friendship trash which resulted in her returning to normal, but besides that, what? You did not confront me once. Left it all up to the Elements."
Celestia was beginning to feel a little guilty but wasn't showing it. "That may be true, but--"
"Next!" Another snap, and the wedding of Shining Armor and Cadence appeared. Celestia cringed at the scene being played. She had no idea how he knew all of this.
"Twilight is spouting out accusations at your niece, Princess Cadence. None of you gave her a chance to explain herself. As Twilight had said, you all were too caught up in your wedding plans to notice something was wrong. You harshly scold Twilight, and as a result, she gets placed in the Canterlot caverns. In the end, it turns out she was right. Oh, and you also get beaten up by an evil queen wannabe. That right there should put you to shame. I could have taken Chrissy with both hands tied behind my back." Discord let out a laugh causing Celestia to angrily flare her wings.
"Discord, I think you've made your--"
"Not done yet," An image of the Crystal Empire appeared. "Twilight is given a test. To protect the Crystal Empire all by herself. You didn't want her receiving help from anyone. Not even her friends. You didn't really give her any details, and you pressured her. You even taught her dark magic. If she wasn't drenched in harmony, she could have succumbed to the dark. In the end, she winds up getting trapped in crystals, and her little dragon winds up saving the day. Her dragon! He doesn't even have magic except for his fire. You did not offer any help. You literally sent her into the cold."
Luna was a little surprised as well. She glanced over to her sister and could sense she was faltering.
"Discord, please--"
"One more! A recent one," He snapped his fingers once more making an image of the Tree of Harmony appear. "Right, before the Summer Sun Celebration, the Everfree takes over thanks to my plunder seeds. Oh, don't look so shocked, it was clearly my doing. Anyway, you two are captured by the vines leaving Twilight once again to save the day. Did you guys even try to escape? The vines didn't suffocate you, and your magic should have still been intact. I'm sure you could have easily escaped. But, of course, who winds up saving you? Twilight and her friends."
Celestia was taking deep breaths trying to dismiss all the thoughts coming into her head. Luna could tell she was distraught.
"Okay, Discord. I get it. However, I am not doing this on purpose. Twilight is a powerful pony, but needs to learn how to properly utilize her magic. Being placed in situations like those will allow her to mature. She is growing up. She is a Princess of Equestria after all. I do not send her out completely unprepared though." Celestia defended herself.
"So you're method of gaining maturity is sending ponies into danger that might get them killed? I have to wonder what Twilight feels about this sometimes. She looks like she's fine with it, but looks can be deceiving. One of these days, you'll send her some place, and she might not return. Think about it. Twilight may be powerful, but she's not omnipotent. Her friends could fall the same way. They'll run into something they've never encountered before, and they may not be prepared." Discord could tell Celestia was falling.
Discord's words were beginning to get to her. She was sending her student into danger without warning her about what to expect. Granted, Twilight was successful, but there could come a day where she's not. Celestia couldn't even fathom how she would feel if Twilight was hurt or worse killed. Twilight was her prized student and now a powerful princess in Equestria. She was favored by ponies all over Equestria including the princesses themselves. She would never be able to forgive herself if Twilight was hurt. The emotional strain was tearing down Celestia's mental defenses.
Luna tried to calm down her sister, but Discord threw her against the wall.
"Twilight will--" Discord appeared in front of her eyes and hypnotic swirls filled both of their eyes. "Not doing anything worked before. You know Twilight can take care of it all by herself. That's why you've been sending her instead of doing it yourself. You know she doesn't need you. You don't need to do anything." Celestia's fur turned grey indicated Discord's influencing worked. No one was strong enough to overcome his manipulation. Not even the most powerful alicorn could withstand his influence.
Discord pumped a fist. Celestia was dealt with. Now, it was Luna's turn.
"One down, one to go," Discord turned around to see Luna getting up. She had witnessed Celestia's corruption and was not happy out it.
"Discord! You've crossed the line. I do not need Twilight's help in besting you. I was always the better fighter of the two of us." Luna shot four consecutive beams at Discord which he quickly dodged, but they came back around. He was surprised but quickly caught on. He snapped his fingers causing the beams to reverse direction towards Luna. She quickly surrounded herself in a blue bubble reflecting the rays and making them collide with the wall.
Discord scowled. If that didn't work, he produced eight or nine clones of himself trying to confuse Luna. Luna looked bewildered at first, but then figured out which was the real one. She shot a beam at him causing him to flinch and avoid it.
"How'd you know?"
"Believe me, I can tell. Bring on your next move!"
Discord realized this might go on for a little while. Celestia was feeling too down to do anything, yet she stayed the safe distance away. The corruption had not made her stupid. Discord snapped his fingers and froze both sisters.
"Discord! Let us go! We will not stand for thy insolence!" Luna tended to talk in Old Equus when she was mad or confused.
"You two will just get in my way. I have a country to take over. I don't anything or anypony interfering." He summoned a blank portrait and snapped his fingers. With that snap, the two princesses were placed in the picture not able to move as if they were the actual painting.
"With the Princesses out of the way, I am free to rule as I please. There are no Elements that will imprison me this time. Twilight may be a threat, but I'll deal with her when she comes around. I don't need to even worry about her friends. Without the Elements of Harmony, those mare pose as no major threat. They are now just poor, helpless beings. Equestria is mine!" He let out a mean-spirited laugh. Discord had succeeded, and absolutely nothing was going to stop him. At least, that's what he and everypony else thought.
Discord and the five mares had left the library and stepped into the chaos that Ponyville was suffering. Discord couldn't help but feel a wave of nostalgia come over him. True, he would never do anything like this now that he was reformed, but that didn't mean he never felt the urge to.
Ponies were still in a frenzy. Most of them would quickly scurry away at the sight of the spirit. Discord couldn't blame them. They had no idea that there was another Discord roaming around. Their natural inclination would be that he had come to harm them. He could not explain it to everypony, for that would take too long. However, there was something he could do.
"Discord, can you fix Ponyville?" Fluttershy asked hopefully.
"Yah, then the townsponies will realize you're not evil. Drocsid's the bad one. You're good!" Pinkie stated happily.
"I think I can mend this town. It might be kind of tough reversing the effects of chaos magic for me, but I'm sure I can do it." Discord snapped his fingers twice, and in a moment's notice, Ponyville had returned to normal. It took the freaked-out citizens of Ponyville a minute to realize that everything was fine. They all jumped for joy but then looked confused as they figured out who did it.
"Don't worry, everypony. We'll explain everything as soon as we take down Discord, I mean, Drocsid," Rainbow assured from the air.
"Don't try to figure it out jus' yet. It will hurt yer head. Trust me," Applejack said as she rubbed her head.
"We'll stop that evil being in no time. Discord, teleport us to Canterlot, please," Rarity directed.
Discord obliged, and with a snap, the group had vanished.
Spike watched Twilight sleep. He felt sorry for her. Magic was her life, and now, she was completely depleted of it. Twilight was a strong mare no doubt, but without her magic, who knows how much strength she would have? Spike headed to the kitchen for a snack figuring he would be here for a little while.
Twilight slept in her unconscious state. Though her body was unconscious, her subconscious mind was still functioning. She could still create thoughts. Her magic deprivation had knocked her out physically. Mentally, she was still fine.
Ugh, what happened? The last thing I remember is talking with Discord and my friends. Discord? Oh, now I remember. I had just transferred my magic to him. I guess the lack of magic managed to knock me out. I hope I wake up soon. They probably are on their way to Canterlot as I speak, uh, think. I hope they'll manage without me. Her mind went into hibernation mode as she carried on in her slumber.
Discord and the ponies arrived in the chaotic ghost town that Canterlot had become. No pony was on the streets probably due to the disorderly state of things. That did not change the fact that everything was still a mess. Discord decided not to tamper with anything for right now. The evil Discord would no doubt realize what was happening and work to correct it. And not in a positive way.
There were no regular ponies around. However, there were royal guards patrolling the city who most likely were duped into working for Discord. Whether by manipulation or brute force was unknown. Time to enact phase two.
The ponies were in an alleyway that was behind one of the stores. The guards would pass by without even a look.
"Who trains these royal guards? They sure aren't doing a good job of patrolling," Rainbow whispered, unimpressed.
"They're probably brain-washed. Ponies who are mind controlled usually don't function as well when they're not. Trust me, I know," Discord replied.
"Well, I think it's time to initiate phase two. Discord, if you will," Pinkie prodded. With a snap of his fingers, the ponies...remained the same. Huh?
"Uh, Discord, not to be the bearer of bad news, but I can still see all of ya. Your spell didn't work," Applejack noted.
"You can turn ponies invisible, right?" Rarity asked, checking her hooves.
"I can, and I did," Discord replied with a smirk. The ponies looked at each other.
"Uh, Discord, we can still see each other," Fluttershy mentioned meekly.
"That's the beauty of it. This spell is known as perception. You're not invisible, just unnoticeable. Other ponies will be able to see you, but won't pay you any mind. I disabled the perception for us so we won't have a hard time finding each other. We'll just walk right into the castle. The guards won't pay any attention to us," Discord explained proudly.
The Mane Five's faces lit up as they figured out what it meant. Discord was smart. With that, they headed towards the palace.
As they entered the palace doors, they noticed that Drocsid had done some remodeling. There were some statues erected in his honor. The castle itself no longer had that majestic look that most castles had. Instead, it looked more like a haunted mansion.
Everyone was starting to feel paranoid. Even Rainbow Dash and Discord. The castle had an eerie vibe about it. Discord was shocked at how different the old him was from this new Discord. They had the same goal but took different paths to get there. Discord sighed in shame as he remembered memories from a long time past.
Fluttershy looked at Discord with concern. "What's wrong, Discord? Are you getting nervous?"
"Me? Nervous? Pffft, as if. I'm completely capable of taking down that phony, baloney me. It's just seeing all of this...havoc reminds me of my former self. Even before I escaped the first time. During my reign, I was nothing but a maniacal, tyrannical despot. You wouldn't believe all the things I had made ponies go through. None of which were pleasant. I was a different creature back then. Not a single care for friendship. Now I've changed but, if I didn't have such great friends like you mares, my temptations would most likely get the better of me," Discord said remorsefully.
"Don't worry, Discord! We'll make sure that you stay on our side for good. It's our job as friends to make you happy! And if you turned evil, I don't think you'd be happy! Well, the good happy anyway," Pinkie jumped up and hugged him.
"You probably already know this, but I'm pretty sure none of us thought you'd change. Turns out we wrong. Frankly, I'm peachy keen with that. You're all right, Discord," Applejack said with a tip of her hat.
"Indeed. You've surprised, Discord. Who would have thought that the Embodiment of Chaos would be changed by Harmony. Ironic, but true," Rarity also put in. Discord smiled at their compliments. He, too, thought it would never happen. Yet, he proved himself wrong which he was okay with.
Rainbow groaned. "Um, I hate to ruin the moment, but we're on a mission. The sooner we do this, the sooner Equestria will return to normal." With that reminder, the gang started heading towards the throne room.
Meanwhile, in the library in Ponyville, the unconscious alicorn began rousing from her sleep. She was still weak as expected. After all, magic was basically a unicorn's main source of energy. With it all of it sapped out of her, she felt rather terrible.
As she awoke, she was met with a big hug from Spike who didn't realize he was adding to her pain.
"Oh, Twilight! I'm so glad you're up. I had thought that the lack of magic would have put you in a coma. Since you're up, I can disregard that theory. I'm so happy you're okay," Spike cheered happily. He noticed she was cringing. "Uh oh, are you going to pass out again?" He asked worriedly.
"I-if you don't l-let go, I...might," Twilight said with both eyes shut tight.
"Oh! Sorry!" He immediately let go of her. "How are you feeling?"
"Tired. That spell took a lot out of me. My cutie mark's gone, too. Without magic, I feel so meaningless. I can't even fly," she sighed poking a hoof at her wing.
"What? Why?" Spike asked bewildered.
"All ponies have magic inside them. Magic is what makes earth ponies stronger than the other races, allows pegasi to fly, and unicorns, obviously, to perform spells. Cutie marks are also enhanced by magic. Once a pony discovers their special talent, the magic inside them generates the cutie mark. Since I don't have any magic in me, I can't fly, and I don't have my cutie mark," Twilight explained sadly.
"So, does that mean you don't have a special talent anymore?"
"No...well, kind of, in a way," Spike looked at her curiously, "Let me put it to you this way. My special talent is magic. But, I don't have any magic. I can't so much as levitate a teacup. So, in a way, I don't have a special talent right now. But, I'm sure once this whole fiasco is taken care of I'll get my magic back. I hope," She said with a wistful eye towards Canterlot.
"You think they'll be okay?" Spike asked looking in the same direction.
"I'm sure they are. They're strong mares. Plus, they've got help from Discord. With his powers, they should be successful. Let's just hope that Discord and...what did Pinkie call the bad Discord again?"
"Drocsid?"
"Right. Let's hope Discord and Drocsid won't be evenly matched. Because if they are... who knows what the final outcome might be?"
Back in Canterlot, the gang was nearing the main H.Q. of the despotic draconeques himself. Some of the ponies had a terrible foreboding about what the result might be of the battle. Discord, of course, had no premonitions about it. His reformation had gotten rid of his evilness, but it hadn't completely gotten rid of his over-confidence and arrogance. Within a few minutes, the group had arrived at the soon-to-be, great battle scene.
They could hear some talking on the other side. Discord recognized one of the voices as a more sinister variation of his own, which meant that Drocsid was in there.
"Perfect. This will be over in no time. I guarantee it," Discord boldly proclaimed.
"Discord, if I were you, I wouldn't have such a calm head 'bout this," Applejack scolded worriedly.
"I have to agree with A.J. This isn't some run-of-the-mill type of bad guy we're dealing with. You're going up against an evil you! I doubt it's going to be as easy as you think," Rainbow put in, hovering in front of his face.
"Have you forgotten who I am?" Discord asked with mock offense.
"Have you forgotten who you're facing? Discord, we don't want you getting hurt. You're our friend. We'd feel terrible if something happened to you," Fluttershy gently whimpered, putting a hoof on his paw.
"Yah, Dissy! I don't know what I'd do without you. Life wouldn't be nearly as great if you weren't in it. Cheesy, I know. But, true all the same," Pinkie stated firmly.
"So, Discord, I suggest, for your own good, to reevaluate your assumption of victory. I'm not saying that you'll lose. I honestly don't know who will win. But, it will help you immensely if you focus on the battle and not on the hopeful triumph. If you go in there with high hopes, you might come out of there defeated. Keep an open mind. You know Twilight would encourage you to do the same," Rarity finished her mini pep talk.
Discord groaned but not one of frustration. "All right, all right. You've convicted me enough. I shall do my best not to get too cocky. Can't say the same for my twin. Anyway, wish me luck, ladies. You've got some royals to locate," Discord gave them a final wink.
They nodded to him in return, and with a final glance, the five mares started their search for the Princesses.
Discord approached the grand double doors and pushed them open. The battle was about to begin.
Drocsid was sitting on his ill-gotten throne, relishing in his triumph. He was talking with some of the brainwashed simpletons who had so foolishly thought they could challenge him. Their attempts were valiant but completely ineffective. Upon hearing about the Princesses' unfortunate defeat, a squadron of guards led by Captain Swift Sword, the new Captain of the Guard, came thundering in; they didn't last five minutes.
Drocsid dealt with the entire guard and didn't stop there. The tyrannous draconeques had hypnotized the entire castle staff into working for him. At the very moment, the chefs were preparing him a meal, and the guards with him were praising him up and down. Canterlot was in a panic, as well as the rest of Equestria. At this point, hope for Equestria was beginning to die.
But, it would soon rise up quickly. The double doors burst open, surprising both Drocsid and the guards. Smoke filled the room causing them to shield their eyes.
"Who dare approaches my throne room without warning? I should have you thrown into the slammer for almost giving me a heart attack!" Drocsid angrily shouted.
"You would throw yourself in prison? Talk about hating yourself. Although, let's admit, it'd be very hard to cage this handsome specimen." A voice which sounded exactly like Drocsid's joked.
Drocsid used his magic to clear the smoke away. "Now, you mock me by impersonating me. You're a very good impressionist, I'll give you that. Show yourself before I do it for you."
"It's not very hard mimicking yourself. You should have figured it out by now, Drocsid." Finally, after a lengthy amount of concealment, the mysterious figure stood in front of the despot. Drocsid was immediately taken aback. His astonishment caused him to fall backwards off his throne, hitting his head on the back wall in the process.
After regaining his composure, he began to walk towards his twin. "What kind of magic is this? Are you a Changeling? I didn't think they could do shape shifts to this level."
"Get real. The Changelings are a pathetic species. Anyone can shape shift if they know how to do it. But, really, this is sad. I'm much more sensible then this. You disappoint me, me." Discord frowned upon his evil doppelgänger.
"Will you start speaking in words?! I have no idea what you're talking about. You've got two minutes to explain before I force it out of ya. Handsomeness won't cut you any slack. So, start talking," Drocsid sat back down on his throne with a ''talk-or-you're-toast" kind of look.
Discord was not at all unfazed by this. "Very well, Your Impatience. Though, I still think that potion warped your common sense. I'll give it to you bluntly," Discord flew up to Drocsid stopping inches away from his face. "I. Am. You. You. Are. Me. That's about as simple as you're gonna get."
Drocsid teleported to the other end of the room. He gave Discord an evil glare. "So, it was real. Last night did happen. I thought it was just a dream. You've probably come here to challenge my rule. Well, I got here first. You were a tad bit late." Drocsid suddenly stopped. His mouth contorted into an evil smirk.
Discord knew that look. That was the look he would get when he came up with a really good plan, or, in this case, a really bad plan.
"I know that look. What are you planning, Drocsid?"
His head snapped back up. "What? I'm Discord, dummy."
"No, I'm Discord. You're just an evil copy of me," Discord smirked.
"Why you...!" He took a quick breath. "Call me what you want. After all, we're one in the same. Equestria would be helpless under us. One Discord is powerful enough, but two Discords. No one would be able to stand against us, we'd be unbeatable. We could manipulate every being in this pathetic nation. Every equine and non will be powerless against us. So, what say you, Discord? Wanna take back Equestria? It's rightfully yours after all." Drocsid grinned deviously anticipating his answer.
Discord looked at him with a deadpan expression. "Are you really that dense?"
Drocsid reeled back. "Excuse me?!"
"I'm not here to join you. I'm here to BEAT you. As the saying goes, 'If you don't join 'em, beat 'em.' And that's exactly what I'm going to do." Discord said positioning himself in a battle stance.
Drocsid's eyes darkened. "So be it."
Meanwhile, the five mares were searching the castle grounds, not finding any traces of the missing princesses. They searched the towers, the dungeons, everywhere. Yet, the Royal Pony Sisters were nowhere to be seen. It was as if they had disappeared off the face of Equestria.
No doubt this was building up some frustration in some of them. Especially Rainbow Dash. If something's not going the way she wants it to, she'll go to some extreme measures to try to force things to work out. This wasn't the first time Rainbow's aggravation bubbled.
"Ugh! This is ridiculous! Where could that sleazy snake have put them!? They've got to be here somewhere!" Rainbow hovered in front of the group, eyes scanning the entire area.
"What if they're not even here?" Fluttershy pointed out.
"No, they're here. My head's itchy. That means there's royalty in the building," Pinkie scratched her head to prove her point.
"How does that mean the Princesses are here?" Applejack asked skeptically.
"Don't ask me. I can't explain it. Just go with it," Pinkie waved her hoof at the cowpony.
"Well, if they are here, Discord...I mean, Drocsid, hid them quite well. Where in Celestia's name could they be?" Rarity glanced up at her horn and sighed. "Too bad I don't know any locater spells. They would have come in handy. How I wish Twilight was here!"
"Yah, but without her magic, I don't think she would have been of much help," A.J. reminded.
"All right, maybe we're looking at this the wrong way here. Discord, evil or good, is cunning. He would hide the princesses somewhere we'd never expect. There's probably a hidden passage here. Start knocking on the wall," Rainbow started to do just that and began thumping on the wall. The others looked at each other uncertain.
Rainbow looked back at them and frowned. "Hey, at least I came up with something. What are you all doing? I'll tell you. NOTHING! Now, start thumping," She went back to doing just that. Not knowing what else to do, the others joined her.
"Hey, it's a portrait of the Princesses," Pinkie pointed to the wall. The others looked up and noticed a picture of the two alicorns in question. Luna looked angry, while Celestia looked...gray.
"It's probably just Drocsid's way of shoving the princesses' defeat in everypony's face. Let's keep movin'," Applejack urged.
Rarity examined the piece more thoroughly. Suddenly, realization dawned on her. "Girls? Have you seen any other pictures of the Princesses around?"
They all stopped and realized that they hadn't. "Do you think it could mean something?" Fluttershy asked.
"Perhaps we're getting closer to them. My head's really itchy!" Pinkie scratched her head vigorously with both hooves.
Rainbow suddenly gasped. "The painting! That's the last place anypony would look." She glanced back at the picture, eyes wide.
"Does...that mean that the...princesses...are trapped...in that painting?" Applejack asked in pure disbelief.
"It would appear so. But...now, that leaves the question...how do we free them?" Rarity looked up at the painting once more.
The battle had just begun. Both Discords had been throwing one assault after another. Not the kinds you would expect. Then again, what can you expect from the lord of chaos? Neither Discord had broken a sweat. They were evenly matched. Both draconequi had the same level of power. What the outcome would be, no one knew.
Drocsid hurled a tornado of whipped cream at Discord. Discord simply turned that whipped cream into an ice cream sundae. Discord snapped his tail, and the pillars came to life, surrounding Drocsid on every side. Drocsid just laughed as he smashed the pillars into pebbles.
"You're persistent. This could go on forever," Drocsid snapped his fingers and summoned a thundercloud. It shot out four lightning bolts consecutively. Discord snapped the electric bolts into nonexistence.
"You're right. It could go on forever. At the rate we're going, that's what it looks like. Do you really want to spend the rest of eternity fighting me? One of us has to give in," Discord flung a flaming Frisbee at Drocsid. Naturally, Drocsid drenched the disc with chocolate milk causing the fire to go out.
"That one is not going to be me. You've ruined a perfectly chaotic day, Discord. Have you really stooped so low? Have those pathetic excuses for the Elements of Harmony really manage to tame you? We're better than this. We could have taken them down ages ago," Drocsid materialized boulders and hurled them at Discord. He easily dodged them, turning them into popcorn kernels. "The Elements are no longer in their possession. They pose no threat to us. Yet, you've simpered down to their level. Friendship is a poison. It messes with your emotions. It makes you think. Without friends, you're free to do whatever you want."
Discord narrowly avoided a banana-cream pie being flung at him. "Your words won't get to me, Drocsid. I know your methods of manipulation. You can talk all you like, I just won't listen." He threw a beam of magenta magic at Drocsid. He dodged, but it curved back around and hit him from behind causing him to stumble forward.
"Apparently Twilight's magic has a mind of its own," Discord chuckled.
"You dare speak that cursed pony's name?!" Drocsid hurled a beam of his own at Discord. It grazed his head as he ducked. "Wait? Twilight's magic?"
"Oops, you didn't hear that from me. Speaking of Twilight," Discord snapped his fingers as a copy of Twilight appeared in the room.
Drocsid reeled back and charged up energy in his fists prepared to attack. "You will not take me down this time, Sparkle!" He hurled his magic at the clone, causing it to react and counter the attack with another blast.
Discord sat back and relaxed as the Twilight clone fought Drocsid. Drocsid, eventually, hit the pseudo Twilight causing it to disappear.
Drocsid looked back at Discord with eyes full of fury. "All right. I've had enough." Drocsid snapped his fingers, and magic-constraining cuffs appeared on Discord. Discord yelped in pain as he felt an electric surge course through his body, which cut off his magic.
"Now, that's not fair!" Discord hollered.
"I'm the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony. I'm not supposed to play fair," Drocsid walked up to Discord and gave him a stern look.
"I'm going to give you another chance. Join me as Equestria's dictator. Forget about your 'friends.' Join up with me, and I'll let you go. If not, I'll amplify the cuff's power, which would leave you incredibly weak. It's your choice."
Drocsid began walking back towards his throne. He turned around again. "Oh, you know what, I'll be gracious. If you say no, you won't get hurt," He snapped his fingers producing an image of the Mane Six including Twilight. His eyes gained back their evilness. "But, they will." Discord's eyes showed worry.
Drocsid sat back down on his throne. "So, Discord, what's your choice?"
"Well, I'm waiting," Drocsid tapped his talon on the arm of his throne, waiting for his twin to answer.
Discord couldn't decide. How could he? Both choices would put him in the guilty seat. If he joined up with Drocsid, he'd have to give up everything he had come to love. His friends, his freedom, his acceptance, all of that would be taken away. But, if he should refuse, his friends would suffer the consequences.
"Oh, I hate myself," Discord thought angrily, "Why does this have to happen to me? My evil self is a clever one, which is to be expected. Ugh, what am I going to do?"
His train of thought was interrupted by the impatient tyrant. "I am losing my patience with you. Your answer NOW. If not, I will make the decision for you!" Steam was practically coming out of the furious creature's ears.
Discord was running out of options (something that rarely ever happened). He decided to stall for time and wait for a miracle. If there was one thing that both Discords had in common was, it was their self-esteem.
"Well, Discord, I have to say, you've clearly bested me. You accomplished what I never could. Equestria is in a frenzy, a sight which I simply revel in. You are quite the devious trickster. I commend you, my evil doppelgänger. I am envious," Discord smirked.
Drocsid stopped in his tracks. Discord could tell it was working. Drocsid gave a haughty laugh.
"Why, thank you. You should give credit where credit is due. Yes, I truly am amazing. I mean, is there any doubt? I'm the best ruler Equestria could ask for. After years of dwelling in a harmony-infested wasteland, it would do the citizens of this pathetic nation some good to have some chaos in their life. As harmony departs, entropy enters." Drocsid continued to rant about his victory and about the dullness of normal life. Discord smirked, not really paying attention to the "amazing" speech.
But, a problem still remained. His magic was still bound. He couldn't get up without being noticed. He needed a plan. He needed a miracle.
At that moment, the Mane Five were still contemplating on how to free the princesses. A painting prison was not something they had ever encountered before.They tried tapping it, rubbing it, hitting it, talking to it, magicking it, but nothing worked. They were wracking their brains. But, try as they might, they couldn't get the princesses out.
"Rarity, are you positive you don't know any spells?" Rainbow asked for the twentieth time.
Rarity rubbed her eyes. "For the last time, Rainbow Dash, I don't know anything that could help us. I'm not a magically inclined unicorn."
Rainbow pounded her head into the wall in a fit of frustration.
"Oh, I wish Twilight were here. She'd have the answer, I'm sure," Fluttershy sighed, rubbing her left foreleg.
"Ah keep tellin' ya, if'n she were here, without her magic, she'd be no more help than a filly trying to buck a tree. She ain't in no shape to be here with us," Applejack reminded them.
Pinkie placed her head in her hooves and sighed. "Huh. Too bad we can't contact Twilight. She'd probably be able to give us a clue on how to free the princesses. But, Spike's not here. So, there's no way that could work."
Everypony's head suddenly jerked up. "Pinkie Pie, you are a genius!" Rainbow slapped her on the back.
Pinkie gave a sly nod. "I know. So, what did I do?"
"We can send Spike a letter. We've got a unicorn here. It's worth a shot," Rainbow pointed at Rarity.
"You do know how to, right?" Applejack raised an eyebrow at the unicorn in question.
"That is one spell I do know how to execute. I'd be happy to," Rarity sparked her horn and took out a scroll and quill from her saddlebag.
"Dear Twilight..."
Twilight was lying on her bed gazing up at the ceiling. For the past few hours, she and Spike had been doing their best to keep themselves occupied. They had played several board games and had read many of the books that surrounded them on all sides. Twilight eventually became bored, and without her magic, she found herself with nothing to do.
Twilight was thinking about her friends, hoping they were doing okay. In most of their adventures together, Twilight was always the one figuring out how to overcome the villain. She might not have defeated the threats directly, but she always played a part in gaining the victory. Now, she had to rely on her friends to save the day without her. She felt so useless.
"And the prince and princess lived happily after ever. The end. Wow, that ending was so unexpected. I can't believe I didn't see that coming," Sarcasm dripping in her voice. She closed the book and placed it on her bedside table. She trotted over to the window and took a peek outside.
"Chocolate milk, flying pigs, ballet-dancing buffalos, yup, Drocsid hasn't been defeated yet," She headed downstairs to find something to do.
Spike was reading one of his many comic books. Beside him was an empty ice cream bowl and a half-eaten sapphire. Twilight slightly envied the fact that Spike had something to take his mind off things. He perked up at the sound of her hooves clopping against the wooden floor.
"Oh, hey, Twilight, are you doing all right?" Spike put his comic down, focusing his attention at her.
"What do you think?" Twilight's voice was flat lacking any joy.
"I know, I know. You miss your magic. Don't worry, Twi, you'll get your magic back soon. I'm sure Discord and the girls are close to defeating Drocsid. So, why don't you just sit down, have a snack, and--" Spike suddenly clutched his stomach.
"Spike! Are you okay? Do you have a stomachache?" Twilight bent down. Her answer came as Spike belched out a scroll.
"A letter? The Princesses must be free!" Twilight tried to pick the scroll up with her magic but quickly realized her error. Spike picked it up for her.
"I don't think it's from the princesses, though. It didn't feel normal. Anyway, let's see." Spike skimmed the letter and his eyes widened.
"This is from the girls!" Twilight snatched the letter from his claws with her hooves.
"The princesses are encased in a painting? That's new. Although, I wouldn't expect any less from Discord. How to free them? Uh..." Twilight searched her mental library, trying to come up with a solution, or at least a book that would help.
"I've got it!" She ran over to one of the many bookshelves and skimmed the book titles. Her expectant eyes lit up as she found the book she needed. She trotted back over to Spike and sat down.
"Prisons Least Expected, this book gives in full detail places and even things that you never suspected could be a prison. I've never actually read this book in full yet. I didn't really see much reason, too. Never thought this kind of information would be useful."
"And you think that paintings might be in there?" Spike scooted over to her, giving glances at the book.
"Only one way to find out." Twilight opened the book and began researching.
Discord was getting bored. Who would've guessed that his evil twin would pull off one of the most cliché bad guy acts ever: rant for an hour or two like no one's listening. Discord began to think that Drocsid might have forgotten about him. He was still waiting for a miracle to happen. Something, anything that could restore his magic. The girls hadn't returned, so obviously the two royals either hadn't been located or freed yet.
This was a rare moment. Discord actually needed help. Not that he would ever admit out loud. There had to be something he could do. What kind of Spirit of Chaos would he be if he sat around doing nothing?
"So, after that I hypnotized the tailor and made her stitch me some--hey!"
Discord snapped back to reality. "Who did what now?" He sputtered.
"Don't ignore me. I bet you didn't hear half of what I just said," Drocsid crossed his mismatched arms.
"Of course, I did. There was cotton candy, a boomerang, zompony chefs, oh! and I think you mentioned something about a walking fruitcake. Very amusing story, I must say." Discord looked up.
Drocsid did not look amused. "Well, I think I've wasted enough time. I want an answer. You going to join me or not?"
Discord sighed and thought. I still haven't made my choice. If I side with him, I get to do whatever I want. I have been having chaotic urges lately. I wouldn't have the right to call myself the spirit of chaos if I didn't. I would gain back everything I love. But...what would I be giving up?
Discord thought about his friends. They hadn't always been the best company. But, they offered to him what he never thought he'd find. The magic of friendship wasn't some silly story. Friendship is magic. He couldn't see his friends hurt. They meant too much to him.
With a heavy heart, Discord was about to respond, when all of a sudden, he felt something ignite within him. He felt a surge of energy race throughout his veins. He smiled to himself readying his tail.
"You want an answer? Well, how's this!"
All it took was a snap. The magic cuffs broke off dissipating into nothingness.
Drocsid took a step back. "How?! Those cuffs can't be broken!"
"Really? But, I just broke them," Discord chuckled. "You may have cut off my magic. But, I have found an even more powerful force than chaos. And that's-I never thought I'd say this- FRIENDSHIP!" Discord caught Drocsid off guard and pinned him against the wall.
"Let me go! You can't do this to me!" Drocsid struggled, but Discord proved to be stronger.
"Oh, how the mighty have fallen! Time to end this!"
