The following days had quieted back down. With them no longer having to worry about keeping Discord a secret from Sol, everypony felt as though a weight had been lifted, especially Twilight. Of course, now that Sol knew about Discord, he made it a point to avoid him at all times, as did Discord with Sol, seeing as how his magic couldn't do anything to him, and how he didn't want to be on the receiving end of another one-sided beatdown. Keeping that in mind, and taking a suggestion from Fluttershy, Discord decided to lay low for a while at her place where he would still be around his friends and fillyfriend, and not have to worry about him and Sol accidentally bumping into each other. This also gave Discord a chance to try and make amends with Eris.
"Dad!"
… who just teleported in front of him.
"What the heck, dad?!" she shouted, earning her a look of confusion from Discord.
"What did I do this time?"
Frowning, Eris held out an empty green bottle, its label bearing a picture of a golden apple with the words 'Eris' Golden Apple Cider' written just below.
"I found this empty bottle sitting on one of the shelves in my private cellar."
"So you had a drink. So what?"
"That wasn't me." Eris let out an irritated sigh. "Dad, I personally made that cider, and the only two beings in existence that can get to it, apart from Sol's grandparents, are you and me. And you remember what happened the last time you drank this stuff."
"No, I don't."
"Exactly! Not only is it so potent that you, the Lord of Chaos, blacked out drunk and can't remember, but you also got so waisted off of it that you actually started to vomit rainbows! Rainbows, dad! Even we draconequuses aren't supposed to do that!"
"But I'm telling you, it wasn't me!"
Eris remained silent as she snapped her talon, causing a television, VCR, and a matching controller to appear before her. Grabbing the controller and pressing a few buttons, the video tape began to play as the screen came to life, showing them the inside of Eris' secret cellar. As the video continued to play, Eris and Discord both saw a familiar portal open up into the cellar, followed soon after by Discord's talon reaching through it blindly, and grabbing one of the bottles before pulling out with it. Keeping her eyes on the screen, Eris fast-forward the video to the following morning where another portal opened, this time with Discord's talon returning the bottle to its proper spot on the shelf.
Showing him what she needed to, Eris paused the video and looked to her dad, who's face was contorted in confusion.
"I don't know about you, but that definitely looked a lot like you who took that bottle and put it back," she accused.
"Discord! Eris! Dinner is ready!"
The two paused as they heard Fluttershy calling them to dinner. Though she still wasn't happy about it, Eris decided that they would pick this up later in private. After all, during these last few days, Eris found herself becoming closer to Fluttershy and didn't want to bother her.
As she started spending time with her, Eris quickly found herself coming to respect and admire the mare... and found her cooking to especially enjoyable. It actually made her think back on that comment she made about Fluttershy and Discord getting married, and how Fluttershy would be her step-mother, which she felt more okay with the longer she spent time with her. Yes, Fluttershy is a very kind-hearted and neat pegasus, but Eris saw firsthoof the mare's chaotic side when she witnessed Fluttershy use the Stare on one of the animals that had started to misbehave and throw a tantrum over the new draconequus living with them. Much like her father, Eris didn't care much for the little white rodent, and was quick to rename Angel Bunny "Equinsu Ocha".
Still, much like Discord, she would put up with him for Fluttershy's sake... despite his glaring at her as she, Discord, and Fluttershy sat down to eat.
"So, how was everyone's day?" Fluttershy asked.
"Meh, it was okay," Eris replied with a shrug. "Now that I have some time to settle down, I can finally take a moment and see all the new things that Equestria has to offer."
"So you're adjusting well?"
"I guess so."
"That's good. I remember Sol having a bit of trouble readjusting at first."
"Yeah. He told me as much yesterday when I went to see him and Twilight."
"So you and Twilight are getting along?"
"For the most part. She's a bit too organized for me, but we get along well enough." Eris grinned. "I've especially enjoyed sharing stories with her. I'm sure that I've told her enough stories about Sol for her to blackmail him for quite a while."
Fluttershy frowned. "You know blackmailing isn't very nice."
"I know. I promise they weren't anything too bad, just a few embarrassing situations that I thought she might find amusing to hear about and tease him with."
Fluttershy kept her eyes on Eris for a few more lingering seconds before turning her attention to Discord.
"And how about you, Discord?"
"Hmm?"
"How was your day today?" she asked him.
"Boring, just like yesterday, and the day before that," he grumbled. "Seriously, why do I have to stay away like this? I know I agreed to it, but why can't I go out and take a leisurely stroll around Ponyville? I haven't actually taken the time to see any of it since I got back."
"You know why, Discord," Fluttershy sighed. "We can't have a repeat of what happened last time Sol saw you."
"Oh, come on, Fluttershy. Sol may not like me, obviously, but he won't attack me in the middle of town. He's too much of a goody two shoes to risk fighting like that in a populated area."
Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. "And the last time didn't count because...?"
"Because we weren't near town. And if you recall, my dear, he didn't start using any of his bigger spells until you, Spike, and the rest of the girls were far enough away."
"Come on, Fluttershy," Eris encouraged. "You know dad can't stay confined in one place for too long, otherwise he'll go stir-crazy."
"I know," she sighed, knowing that Eris was right, but also not wanting Discord to go out on his own until things calmed down a bit more. So, with that in mind, she came up with a way where they could have both.
"Okay, I have some shopping to do in town tomorrow, so if you want, you can come with."
Discord rolled his eyes at the catch, but also couldn't help but crack a smile at the thought of getting to spend more time with Fluttershy.
"Very well. I suppose I can do that."
It was a few minutes before midnight when Tirek and Chrysalis stood before the massive group of captured ponies, each with hardened changeling slime covering their horns or wings. Restrained by slime and shackles around their legs, the ponies looked upon the two in fear, knowing that there was no escape for them, especially with Chrysalis' changelings surrounding them from all directions.
"There," Chrysalis spoke to Tirek. "Every pony from Vanhoover and Las Pegasus, a few from Baltimare and even some from some of the smaller villages, all for you."
"Any of them from Ponyville?" Tirek inquired.
"Of course not. Taking anypony from there would be too risky, and I'm not about to take any risks at this stage."
"Good." Tirek gazed over the numerous ponies that had been gathered for him. "... quite a lot of ponies here. Just how many did your changelings capture and impersonate?"
Chrysalis tapped her chin in brief thought. "A few thousand, at least."
Tirek clapped his hands together and grinned at the ponies with a look of hunger.
"Very good. This will make for a most excellent start."
"But you still won't be strong enough to face the princess and Sol, will you?"
"No, and neither will you," he rebuked, earning him a sneer from Chrysalis. "But I wouldn't worry about them. They won't be too much of a problem for us once we begin."
"And how would you know?"
"Tell me, when you battled Celestia at that wedding, who won?"
"I did, of course!"
"And why did you win?"
"Because of the love I had drained from Shining Armor."
Tirek shook his head in disappointment. "No, you fool. It's because Celestia didn't want to risk endangering her ponies. The reason why you won, Chrysalis, is because Celestia was holding back. If she hadn't, she would have incinerated you... along with every pony and structure in the area."
Chrysalis didn't like Tirek's words, but they did hold a bit of truth to them, even if she wouldn't admit it. Still, though distasteful as those words were, it did give her an idea of what was going on in Tirek's mind.
"I see. As long as her subjects are close by, Celestia will be forced to hold herself back, along with her sister, Luna."
"As will Celestia's son. If we attack them in a populated area, they will have no choice but to hold back on their magic, less they bring ruin to their surroundings."
"And if we were to engage them in Canterlot..."
Tirek smirked. "Especially Canterlot. After all, it would be a shame if all of the chaos and destruction were to cause the city to accidentally fall off the mountainside."
Chrysalis grinned with restrained glee. "Then what are you waiting for? Drain these ponies so we can begin!"
Chuckling, Tirek turned his attention back to the ponies and opened his mouth. As he inhaled, Chrysalis and her changelings all watched with morbid fascination as ribbons of magic were forcefully pulled away from every stallion, mare, and foal, all converging in the gaping maw of Tirek. As soon as the magic reached his mouth, the effects were immediate, his body jerking and cracking as it grew with power.
Back in Ponyville, Discord was sleeping peacefully with Fluttershy when the two were jolted awake by Discord. Without warning, his body suddenly started to jerk and contort all on its own. After a few seconds had passed, his body suddenly stopped its sporadic movements. However, while Fluttershy's eyes were filled with worry for Discord's sudden uncontrollable movements, Discord's eyes were for an entirely different reason.
"Discord? What just happened... and why are you sweating? Was it a nightmare?"
No. It's worse.
"Dad!"
Throwing the door open, Eris burst into their room with a panicked look on her face.
"You felt it too, Eris?"
"Yeah. What's going on, dad? The last time I felt something like that was back before Sol sent Tirek to Tartarus."
Fluttershy's eyes widened in fear. "T-T-Tirek?!"
"Yes. It's Tirek, and he's back." With a dead serious face, Discord slid out of bed. "Eris, Fluttershy, I want you two to stay here and look out for each other while I'm gone."
"Gone?! But why?! Where are you going?!"
"I need to see Celestia and Luna about this." With his paw primed to snap, Discord looked over at Eris and Fluttershy with a reassuring smile. "Don't you two worry, I'll be back in a little bit."
Over in Twilight's castle, Sol bolted up from his sleep with eyes wide open, panting as he broke out in a cold sweat. Beside him, Twilight, who had been cuddling with Sol, stirred with a groan as she was abruptly awakened.
"Sol? What's going on?" she tiredly asked, rubbing her sleepy eyes with a hoof
Though he heard her, Sol had to take a moment for himself to regain his breath from what he just experienced. While he's had plenty of lucid dreams, much like his mother, Sol would occasionally have a vision while he slept and recognize it for what it was. However, while his visions wouldn't normally cause any problems, it was whom he saw in it that had disturbed him so thoroughly.
"... Twilight."
Twilight's ears perked up at how eerily calm Sol's voice was.
"Yes?"
"We need to go to Canterlot... now."
"Canterlot? But, Sol, it's the middle of the night-"
"Tirek's escaped Tartarus."
Now that got her attention. If Twilight wasn't awake before, then she definitely was now.
"Tirek's escaped?! Again?! But how?!"
"I don't know. All I know is that Tirek is somewhere back, somewhere in Equestria."
Twilight moved over in front of Sol. "Are you sure? M-Maybe it was just a dream?"
Sol looked her dead in the eyes. "No, Twilight. What I had was not a dream, but a vision. Tirek is back, and he's already begun draining ponies of their magic."
As Twilight listened, memories of Tirek's rampage resurfaced in her mind. She remembered the fear in everypony's eyes upon hearing the news, the sacrifice the other princesses made so save their collective alicorn magic, her battle with Tirek, the capture of her friends, and worst of all, the destruction of the Golden Oaks Library. The more she remembered, the more her body began to tremble.
No... not again.
Seeing her body's reaction, Sol placed a comforting claw on each of her shoulders, regaining her attention as she looked back up at him.
"Twilight. We need to go and speak with mother and Aunt Luna about this."
Regaining her wits, Twilight gave a small nod and lit her horn to teleport herself and Sol off to Canterlot.
Luna's body trembled as she raced down the halls to Celestia's bedroom. Just moments ago, she felt something terribly wrong that shook her to her core and needed to see her sister. What's worse is that this is something that she had felt twice before, something that she would never forget.
Despite seeing the doors to Celestia's room quickly approaching, Luna didn't slow her pace as she instead threw it open with her magic, nearly threw the doors off their hinges as she did.
"Sister!"
"I know, Luna," Celestia said, sitting up in her bed as she tried to get her breathing under control.
Coming in and closing the doors shut behind her, Luna made her way over to Celestia's bedside. Once she got there and Celestia slid out, two flashes of light appeared in the middle of Celestia's bedroom, one belonging to Twilight and Sol, and the other to Discord.
"I take it that you three know as well?" Luna inquired.
Spotting him out of the corner of his eye, Sol shot a quick glare at Discord, but otherwise did nothing as they had more urgent matters to attend to.
"Yes, we do," he said, turning his attention back to Celestia and Luna.
"I can't believe this is happening again," Twilight said in disbelief. "I thought we would never see him again after my friends and I sent him back to Tartarus."
"As did we all, but it would appear as though our efforts to keep him imprisoned had failed."
Celestia closed her eyes and lit her horn. "The spell I placed on Cerberus is still intact, so he hasn't left his post."
"Then how did Tirek not only manage to escape Tartarus, but also get past Cerberus as well?"
"I'm afraid I do not know, Luna. We should look into it as soon as possible, but first, we need to find and stop Tirek before he gets too powerful." Celestia turned to Discord. "Discord, you are able to sense whenever there is a magical imbalance. Tell us, do you know where Tirek is?"
Discord folded his arms and frowned. "Unfortunately, I don't. But, what I can tell you is that he must've drained a large number of ponies, because what I felt was very, very big. I was asleep when I felt it happen, so until he starts to drain another pony, I cannot give you even a general area of where he is."
"Just how many ponies are you talking about, exactly?" Sol skeptically asked.
"Heck if I know. But if I had to guess, I'd say hundreds, if not thousands."
"But that's impossible. There is no possible way that Tirek can drain that many ponies all at once. He can't cover that wide of a range."
"Not unless they were all gathered in one place," Celestia countered.
"It is a good theory, sister," Luna greed, "but the question then is how he could even accomplish that? He would be far too weak to capture even a single adult pony without having to drain them first, let alone gather them. And even then, surely somepony would have noticed that ponies were missing. Something doesn't seem right about this."
"Regardless, Tirek has escaped, and is now out there terrorizing our ponies," Sol said. "It would be best if I were to go out there and find him."
"No, Sol, you will not," Luna rejected. "We do not know where Tirek is right now, nor do we know the magical state he is in, which makes this whole situation all the more dangerous for everypony." Luna turned around and began making her way to the doors. "I will go inform Captain Night Wing and Captain Iron Guard of the situation, and have them send their scouts to search for him. I have little doubt that Tirek will be coming this way, not just for our alicorn magic again, but also for revenge on the Element Bearers for sending him back to Tartarus."
"Which is why I should go now. If I can find him and engage him out in the open and away from any settlements, I can subdue and capture him again, this time for good."
"Listen to your Aunty Luna, Sol," Discord said, much to Sol's annoyance. "If Tirek has absorbed the magic of over a thousand ponies, then he will be getting close to having the ability of draining chaos magic and alicorn magic. And the last thing we need is for him to get his hands on you and drain you of your magic."
"I'm sorry, Sol, but Luna and Discord are right," Celestia said, watching Luna leave before looking between Sol and Twilight. "You bear not only Scaleless Dragon magic, but alicorn magic as well. If Tirek were to drain you of your magic, then he would be more powerful than any of us could handle. So, until we know more about Tirek and his whereabouts, I would like for you, Twilight, and the rest of the Element Bearers to stay here in the castle."
Sol clenched his jaw and looked away, clearly displeased by the thought of leaving Tirek to his own devices.
"While I understand your reasoning, Princess, that might be easier said than done," Twilight said. "I doubt that Applejack will want to leave her family behind with Tirek on the loose, same with Pinkie Pie and the Cakes, Rarity and Sweetie Belle, and Fluttershy and her animals."
"And if Fluttershy stays, then Rainbow will probably want to stay as well," Sol added. "I'm also willing to bet that Spike will want to stay by Rarity's side during this time to protect her."
Celestia nodded. "I can arrange for them to join us at the castle as well, but as for Fluttershy's animals, there's not much that I can do."
"I'll talk to her," Discord offered. "She won't like it, but after I tell her that Tirek won't come after them, she should start to calm down and feel more open to listening."
"Please see that you do."
"And what of everypony else in Ponyville?" Sol inquired.
"If Tirek is to reveal himself in Ponyville, then the guards stationed there should be able to hold Tirek back while everypony evacuates."
With a tired sigh, Twilight sat down and lowered her head.
"Hopefully it won't come to that."