//------------------------------//
// The Elements 
// Story: The Breaking of a Non-Brony 
// by BronyWriter 
//------------------------------//

This chapter works well with this

The sleek train pulled into the Ponyville station at around four in the afternoon the day after the Gala. The arrival of the steam beast automatically set in motion a hubbub of ponies all departing or boarding. Everypony had some place to be; everypony had a purpose with the train this afternoon. 

Amongst those disembarking were six rather sullen mares that wasted no time in collecting their luggage and departing for the town proper. If one didn't know better, one would say that they hadn't just come from what was supposed to have been one of the best gatherings in Equestria. However, they had and the events thereof were weighing on them and it was apparent by their demeanors. 

Yes, the Elements of Harmony were worried about their human friend. They had not seen him since Luna had broken his spine the previous night. He had stormed off after Celestia had repaired it and Applejack had the sense to tell her companions that he needed some alone time to digest the magnitude of the news he had just received, that is to say, that Celestia couldn't send him back to Earth as the journey would have likely killed him.

They had searched for him after a while, of course, but he was nowhere around Canterlot that they could determine. As such, they had decided to go back to Ponyville as TD had a home there and it was the closest thing to a safe and familiar place that he had. If they had to put bits on it, they would have bet that he was there. 

Applejack took a deep breath and shifted her saddlebags on her back. "What if he ain't there?" she asked. "Ah mean, he had a return ticket so Ah know that he had the means, but what if he didn't go back?"

"Where else would he have gone?" reasoned Twilight Sparkle. "I mean, what other part of Equestria would he be comfortable going to?" The purple unicorn shook her head as the town proper came into view. "No, after hearing what he did, he'd want to go somewhere he felt safer."

"And you think that's here?" asked Rarity. 

Twilight nodded. "I do," she said. "His house here is the closest thing he has to a home and he feels more at home when he's with the foals. I think he came back here."

The group walked to the town center and Twilight walked up to a nearby Berry Punch. "Hey Berry, have you seen TD around? Did he come in last night?"

Berry Punch shook her head. "No, I don't think so. Granted, I'm just one pony and he had this whole town to walk around, but I didn't see him, nor have I heard anypony else talk about how they saw him either. Why? Did he not come back with you?" 

Twilight shook her head. "He got some rather bad news at the Gala and left before we did."

"Then he probably came back and I just missed him. If he left after or during the Gala he would have made it home late at night, yes?"

A look of relief crossed Applejack's face and she let loose a sigh of relief. "Yeah, Ah'm sure that's it!" she said. "Ah'm sure he's at home."

"I think you're right," said Twilight. "Thanks Berry!" 

The earth pony nodded and the ponies went their separate ways. 

The Elements quickly went over to the simple brown house and Rainbow Dash knocked on the thick wooden door, hoping desperately that TD was inside. Even when he was feeling down, he always answered when he was home. 

However, this round of knocking was met with deathly silence instead of the noise of Ponyville's resident human coming to open the door. Frowning, Rainbow Dash knocked again with no success. She turned back to her friends. 

"I don't think he's in there!" she said. 

"Maybe he went to go talk to somepony?" suggested Fluttershy. 

"Like who?" asked Rarity. "I doubt that he would come to any of the foals with something like this and Cheerilee's away in Manehattan for the weekend."

"So you think he never made it back to Ponyville?" asked Rainbow Dash. 

Twilight didn't respond for a moment, choosing instead to look at the door one more time, hoping that TD would answer and they could talk to him about the events of last night, but nothing happened. She sighed and turned back to her expectant friends. "I think we need to find out what happened to him," she said. "If he went off and is alone, then something bad might have happened!"

"I feel that I have to agree," said Rarity. "He only knows his way around Ponyville! If he went somewhere else in Equestria then I'm not sure what would happen to him!"

"Now hold on y'all," said Applejack. "He could just be out and about, you know, takin' a walk to clear his head or somethin' like that. Ah'd rather make sure of that before we go off and search Equestria for him."

"You may be right," said Twilight. "Okay, I'll write to the princess to see if she knows where he is. Applejack, and Rainbow Dash, you take the east end of town. Ask anypony if you know where he is. Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy, you take the west side of town and do the same. We need to help him, girls! TD got some rather terrible news last night and we need to make sure that he's doing okay! Meet me back at the library in an hour!

The Elements cheered and split up to do their respective tasks. 

Traversing around Ponyville, it became more and more clear that TD was not there. Everypony that the five asked gave the same answer: they hadn't seen him but they were sure that somepony else had since he had shown up late at night. Each denial made the five of them more and more nervous as to the fate of TD. Granted they hadn't known him that long, but the idea that he'd just go and get himself lost after news like that? It didn't seem very likely. 

So, Applejack and Rainbow Dash found themselves walking back to the library after dozens of failed interviews. 

"He'll be okay," said Rainbow Dash. "This is the guy who punched Princess Celestia, I think he can handle himself."

Applejack glanced over at her friend, but she couldn't bring herself to agree with her. What was more, she thought she saw a look of unease come across Rainbow's face. She wasn't sure Rainbow believed herself. "Say Rainbow, did soemthin' about today seem... off to ya?" she questioned. 

Rainbow glanced over at Applejack and raised her eyebrow. "Uh, no, I don't think so. What do you mean?"

"It's probably nothin', but... throughout the questionin' Ah occasionally saw somethin' a little odd. It was little things here and there that made me more than a little nervous, but every time Ah looked again, it was back to normal."

"Like what?"

Applejack frowned as she tried to recall the specifics. "Ah think Ah saw a flower in Roseluck's basket turn bright green with blue spots but again, when Ah blinked Ah realized I'd been seein' things." Applejack cocked her head. "You didn't see nothin' like that?" 

To Applejack's surprise, her pegasus companion didn't respond to the contrary. She simply stared ahead and continued walking towards the library. 

"You did, didn't ya?"

Rainbow took a deep breath and slowly nodded her head. "Just like you, it was little things that I couldn't quite explain: a shingle would be an odd color, a pony would be walking into a wall... and just keep walking. Their legs would move forward, but they wouldn't." Rainbow Dash shook her head. "But it's like you said, every time I blinked it went away and I thought I was hallucinating."

"Ya don't think..."

Rainbow Dash shook her head. "No, I don't think that Discord got out. I mean, Celestia would have told us long before now, right?"

Applejack pondered her words for a brief moment before slowly nodding. "Yeah, Ah think so. Still, it's worth at least mentioning to Twilight, right?"

Rainbow Dash nodded and the duo walked up to the library's front door. Rainbow Dash pushed forwards and the door swung open revealing...

"TD!" said Rainbow Dash. 

Sure enough, the lost human was sitting at a small table that Twilight had apparently set up for him. He was surrounded by Twilight, Spike, and the rest of the gang as well. When he saw them come in, TD gave them a wry smile and raised a hand in greeting. 

"Oh mah goodness gracious, are y'all okay?"

TD shrugged and looked down at the plate of food that had been set in front of him. "I think so," he said, picking up a cupcake and taking a large bite out of it. 

"Where were you?" asked Rainbow Dash. 

"He was here at the library when I got here to ask Princess Celestia about if she had seen him."

TD shrugged and finished off the cupcake before grabbing an apple. Applejack didn't want to voice it, but there was something a little... animalistic about the way he was eating. It was like he was tearing into his food like a predatory would his prey, it just seemed a bit off to her. She chalked it up to him just being hungry and did her best to push it out of her mind. 

"You haven't answered me," said Rainbow Dash. "Where were you?" 

TD frowned and took another bit of the apple before answering. "I came back early today," he said. 

"How?" asked Fluttershy. 

"The train of course!" said TD with a laugh. "How else was I supposed to have come back?" 

At the laugh, all six ponies and Spike took a small step backwards. It wasn't the laugh that TD normally had. No, this one sent chills down their spines, and there was something vaguely familiar about it. 

TD, noting their unease, frowned. "Is something wrong?" he asked. 

"We were wonderin' the same thing, actually," said Applejack. "Yeah, we wanted to talk to you about what Princess Celestia told ya at the Gala. You seemed pretty upset about it." 

Whatever vague happiness TD's demeanor held immediately vanished at the mention of the Gala. His hand, which had been reaching for another apple, slowly curled into a fist and the corners of his mouth stretched down into a frown. "Let's not talk about that," he said quietly. 

"But TD," said Fluttershy, "we're just trying to--"

"If you try to talk about it with me I'll give you what I gave Celestia, is that clear?" 

The room gasped and Fluttershy's lower jaw quivered.

"TD, that was uncalled for!" said Rarity. "Look what you did to Fluttershy!"

"Well now she knows that I don't want to discuss it," said TD, taking the apple from the plate. 

Twilight frowned and narrowed her eyes. She was about to use her magic to take the plate of food away, but before she could, she looked up at TD and saw something a little unsettling: a small streak of his hair had gone grey. It was small enough that Twilight found herself lucky that she had spotted it at all. 

"TD, why is your hair gray?" she asked. 

TD reflexively reached a hand up to his hair, but stopped himself and instead stretched his arm behind him, draping it over the back of the chair. Twilight continued to study the lock of hair, but TD made no effort to answer her question. However, the mere fact that he reflexively went up to touch it told Twilight that he knew it was there and the fact that he was silent about it meant that he also knew why it was there. 

"TD, what's going on?" pushed Twilight. "Something seems... off about you."

TD snorted and put an empty apple core on the plate. "I've had a long few days as you can imagine," he said. "I think we all know that something is wrong: Celestia refuses to send me home!"

"TD, you know that isn't true!" insisted Rarity. "She told us all about it, she won't send you home because she can't!"

"Uh-huh, suuurrre," TD deadpanned. "I'm sure that she's telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth. You know, like she did when I first came here."

"TD, you're scaring me," whispered Fluttershy. 

TD turned to the pegasus with a raised eyebrow but broke out into a large smile when his eyes landed on her. Somehow it was even more unsettling than his laugh. "And how am I scaring you, Fluttershy?" he queried. 

"You're acting funny," she mumbled. 

TD rolled his eyes and turned back to his plate of food. He picked up a piece of hay bread and buttered it before taking a large bite out of it. As he did, Twilight took a look at the Clovevellian Staff that he had come in with. The two of them had briefly talked about it when she had seen him, but she hadn't looked at it in any detail. She wasn't too sure why her eyes were drawn to it at that moment, but something about the bottom carving caught her interest. 

"Hey, TD, do you mind if I take a look at this?" she asked. 

"Be my guest," said TD. 

Twilight thanked him and picked up the staff with her magic. As she brought it over to her, Applejack gasped, grabbing the attention of everypony else. To their surprise, she slammed her front hooves on the table and put her face really close to TD's. 

"Hello to you too, Applejack," he said with a chuckle. 

"Who are you?" said the workhorse with an impressive level of venom. 

"TD Harrison Powell," said TD without missing a beat. "You know, the human that Celestia brought here a few months ago when she--"

"Don't gimmie that!" spat the farmer. "Ah know you ain't TD so why are ya really!"

"Applejack what are you talking about?" asked Rarity. "Sure TD might be a little off but he's gone through a bit--"

Applejack shot Rarity a glare that silenced her. "This ain't TD!" she insisted. She put her hooves back on the ground and pointed at the plate that TD had in front of him. "Ya see that?"

"What, the hay bread?" questioned Rainbow Dash. 

"Exactly! HAY bread!" Pinkie Pie gasped when she realized what Applejack was getting at. "The real TD is deathly allergic to hay and this feller here has eaten five slices of hay bread! The real TD's lungs closed up when he ate a cupcake with a few sprinkles of hay!" She wheeled back to TD and fixed her glare on him again. "If you really were TD, you'd be dead after eatin' that!"

The rest of the group's jaws dropped and everybody took a nervous step back, save for Applejack. TD's face split into a wide grin at the reaction. 

"Maybe the butter acted as a cure," he said. 

"Who. Are. You?" growled Applejack. 

"Why are you asking me?" said TD. "Twilight has the answer right in front of her."

The group all turned towards Twilight as TD leaned back in his chair. Twilight frowned and re-examined the staff once more. Her eyes scrolled down the various carvings, none of which held the reason for why this may not be TD. 

Then she reached the bottom carving and her eyes widened in horror. 

Carved into the staff was a carving of TD standing in front of a very, very familiar statue. Discord's statue, as a matter of fact. The carving of TD was facing it and his head was tilted up as if he was talking to it. The realization of it all caused her to drop he staff and take another step backwards, staring at TD in horror. TD's unsettling smile grew even larger and his eyes trialed over to Spike who seemed less than okay with being the subject of TD's gaze. 

"Five," said TD. "Four... three..." As TD counted down, Applejack glanced down at the staff that had rolled over towards her. It didn't take her long to put the pieces together herself and she let out a loud gasp. "Two... and... one."

At one, Spike's cheeks inflated and it sounded like he was about to throw up. Everypony in the room knew it as the signal that a letter was being sent from Celestia and sure enough, Spike belched out a scroll in a jet of green flame. It hit the ground and lay there, unmoving as the ponies around it looked at it. 

"Go on, Twilight, read it. I'm sure it will be most informative." 

Twilight shakily used her magic to pick up the scroll. She broke the seal and cleared her throat. "My dearest Twilight, I am afraid that I must call you to Canterlot once more. It seems that Discord has escaped once again! You know where the Elements are so I don't need to tell you to bring them. Please hurry! I do not know how long he has been gone."

At the news that Discord had escaped his stone prison once more, the Mane Six gasped and looked at TD in fear. 

"Now you know," he said. Only this time he didn't say it in TD's voice. No, the voice that came out of TD's mouth was not that of the human that had come to Equestria a few months prior, but rather that of the god of chaos that they had sealed away after a brief confrontation. "Well, now that the cat is out of the bag, Twilight Sparkle. I only have one question for you." TD stood up and summoned the staff over to him. 

"Where are the Elements of Harmony?"