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.