Discord curled upon the flowerbed that night, serenaded by the Tree of Harmony. Each Element on its branches chimed a gentle melody, which the one at the center united into a single tinkling tune. The music was almost beautiful as the lullabies Fluttershy sometimes sang to restless baby animals in the evenings, when the chaos spirit happened to wander nearby, unbeknownst to the yellow Pegasus. He would stretch throughout a tree at the edge of the Everfree Forest and listen to a voice reminiscent of babbling brooks, birdsong, and the first breath of spring.
Fluttershy was like the wild forests of early Equestria in many ways. Perhaps this was one reason Discord felt more comfortable around her, besides the kindness she had always shown him, and the time they had spent together.
Marveling over such thoughts, alongside happy memories from the party, the draconequus fell asleep without the same worries about shadows that had plagued him for over the past week.
In his dreams, they were having a picnic—Discord and the ponies—upon a large checkered cloth in a wide-open meadow. Dandelions drifted in the breeze, which shifted the rich green grass in noticeable waves. Meanwhile, the spread laid out had an exquisite selection. Every pony had contributed some dish or drink, including apple pie from Applejack, muffins from Pinkie Pie, spicy dipping sauce and hay chips from Rainbow Dash, Chamomile tea from Rarity, fruit salad from Twilight, and cucumber sandwiches from Fluttershy.
The scenery was a little too peaceful for Discord, though preferable to stressful visions. Perhaps the company of his friends had been the only thing necessary to disperse them—although the dark clouds bobbing in the skies concerned him.
But Discord tried to forget this for the moment and focus on what he could contribute to balance out the feast. He had several ideas in mind, from a strawberry upside-down (literally) cake to a triple-layer fudge brownie cake with vanilla pudding concealed inside. It was a hard decision to make. Still, the ponies were in no hurry, laughing over small daily matters in Ponyville and laying plans for events they could all attend as a group.
They wanted more quality bonding time, apparently, which continued to amaze the draconequus. Considering how much Discord had tormented most of them in the past, and especially his betrayal during the Tirek incident, he wondered why these ladies even chose to put up with some pony like him.
The dark clouds were gathering now, and spreading further across the skies in the dreamland. Furthermore, now Discord was aware of a keen pressure building within him and setting his skin tingling. In truth, he had felt it in varying degrees since shadows had started to appear, this mounting imbalance. The chaos spirit understood magical imbalances. His body seemed hot-wired to detect such things, somehow, though he had often thought of it as nothing more than an amusing quirk until more recently. So when he noticed an imbalance in himself, Discord had known it almost right away—although he had kept this quiet.
His friends were enjoying themselves as they had been in real life. Discord could sense the mixture of their Elements, positive and overwhelming, and he wanted to keep them like that. He definitely treasured their friendship and realized there was “nothing worth more.” But what good did this do for an entity who seemed to embody the polar opposite of everything for which friendship stood?
What if, Discord being what he was, he caused another Tirek-level catastrophe to happen?
His wings were aching again, the clouds were getting thicker, and the imbalance was becoming intolerable.
Bells rang out, sunshine broke through the clouds, and the pressure eased a bit.
“Would you mind if an ‘old wizard pony in bells’ joined you for lunch?” A familiar voice rasped from behind Discord. “I brought one of my favorite dishes: warmed vegetable pasta casserole.” It had quite a pungent aroma, with the undertone of some other spicier ingredient. Probably chili peppers.
A brief pause ensued.
“Be my guest.” Discord extended the space off to his left (Flutter sat to his right) to give Starswirl the Bearded ample space to place his contribution, and for him to sit down. The unicorn sage hobbled over and levered his weary form down upon the grass. His bones creaked and squeaked so loudly they reminded the chaos spirit of a hundred rusty hinges twisting at once. In fact, a chortle half-escaped his lips before Discord could suck it back in again. But then, because it suddenly struck him how this was his dream, he added. “You know, I could have that checked for you.”
Hearing this, Starswirl burst out laughing.
“I guess it would be wise to have a check-up, at least. Unfortunately, I cannot countenance doctors.” Starswirl’s beard rolled and unrolled in time to his heaving sides in a manner Discord found hilarious. “They poke you with cold implements all over, and then ask if there is something wrong with you. Rather barbaric, if I may say so.”
“I’ve poked doctors with cold implements.” Discord returned. “They never cared for it yet still asked the same question.”
“Good, good.” Starswirl appeared tickled by his answer. “Perhaps your visit caused the doctors to rethink their methods.”
“But you’re not here to discuss ‘medical professionals’, or even to simply have a picnic lunch, are you?” Like their first encounter, the old pony maintained a calm and knowing air. Even after all these years, that was still somewhat irritating. Despite this, Discord had to admit to being grateful for the distraction. “You’re probably here because of the prophecy made during our last meeting, which as you can see—” Here Discord made a sweeping gesture towards the assembled ponies. “Has come true. So congratulations.” Confetti sprinkled upon Starswirl from above. “Everything is fine now, ponies are my friends, and you can go home satisfied.”
Starswirl said nothing for a long while, letting the question hang in the air.
However, Discord could wait.
***
Meanwhile, Twilight had sat hunched over the work desk in her personal study, which adjourned a spacious bedroom where Spike and she now slept. The princess could hear her number one assistant snoring in the small bed beside her much larger one—provided by the palace alongside so many other features. But she preferred the smaller and cozier study, just big enough to accommodate the desk, a bookshelf with volumes proffered by her friends, and a lamp that could bend for whatever angle she needed.
Here, enveloped in the calm shroud of Luna’s night, Twilight could write an uninterrupted account of the experience she had had with Discord in the cavern where the Tree of Harmony stood. This was not the same journal in which the alicorn and her friends had discussed their adventures while learning more about the chest. It was a new volume that she planned to fill with all their discoveries related to the Tree of Harmony—or “TOH,” as Discord had called it.
Ah. Twilight still got a thrill whenever she remembered hearing the Tree of Harmony—even if just briefly—and the stories they had shared.
And when it came to recounting the vision from the Tree of Harmony, Twilight found that the more she wrote, the more she truly recalled. Until then, so many things had happened it was hard to absorb the whole narrative or its implications. But now she seemed to relive it again, specifically the part where Starswirl the Bearded prophesized in the cave beside Clover the Clever. She also had time to begin thinking through what the legendary wizard had said, regarding the spread of TOH’s presence, and the need for protectors in the future as Equestria continued to grow.
Of particular interest to Twilight was the part about balance. Starswirl had stressed the importance of change and individual will, which somehow abounded in the wilderness.
Well, that made sense. The Everfree Forest moved on its own, seemingly without any pony to help make things happen.
Then there was the second star.
Ah. Twilight had forgotten that detail. There had been the second star, on the ground, to the right of the Tree of Harmony—the magic from which had apparently disappeared.
But had it been there in the cavern while Twilight and Discord were investigating the Tree of Harmony? Discord might have noticed it, at least, although he hadn’t said anything.
The chaos spirit had acted odd at points…
Hmm.
Oh, well.
Twilight yawned. The second star was a matter they could find out tomorrow, if Discord was still around or wanted to continue helping her. It still wasn’t clear to her why he had been there in the first place, except maybe out of curiosity.
Major events tended to occur when the draconequus was nearby.
Today could have been the exception, unless Twilight counted how they had spent time on a task together for the first time as extraordinary (and it certainly was for her).
Twilight hummed the little tune she had heard from the Tree of Harmony, struggling to stay awake.
She must have dozed off at some point, because in the next moment Twilight found herself in a dream. It wasn’t often that the princess realized this while actually sleeping, but this time she did—seated around a picnic in a gorgeous meadow with some dark cloud cover overhead. Her friends were laughing and snacking on various treats, and Twilight might have done the same if she hadn’t seen who sat at one end of the picnic blanket: Discord and Starswirl the Bearded.
Discord seemed to be studying Starswirl, while Starswirl seemed to be studying the skies, the surroundings, and everything else.
When the wizard’s look turned her way, the breath caught in Twilight’s throat. All she could do was gawk and listen.
***
“You indeed have some true friends.” Starswirl noted quietly, refusing to take the bait Discord had offered and instead throwing a look around at the circle of ponies, resting on Twilight. “All of them, and even Princess Twilight Sparkle, want to become closer to you as well.” He sighed. “My, how that little pony has grown. Celestia must be proud.” There was a definite fondness in his tone. Discord could not tell for sure whether Starswirl was talking about Princess Celestia or Twilight, though he had a fair idea.
“Well, Twilight adores you.” Discord muttered. Their settings grew quieter, and even the volume of his friends’ light-hearted banter faded to a muffled undertone. They stayed jolly as before and went on, seemingly oblivious to Starswirl’s presence, except for Twilight. In the way of dreams, she stared towards them in dumbfounded wonder, as if to illustrate the chaos spirit’s point. “While comparing notes in an attempt to understand TOH better, she spoke quite highly of you.” He crossed his arms, brows knitting together. “Actually, Twilight pretty much worships you. I’m sure she would have loved for you to be her teacher, aside from Princess Celestia, far more than any other pony.”
He paused here because the pressure was building again. Discord massaged his temples.
“Careful.” Starswirl the Bearded said low enough for Discord to wonder if he had misunderstood him. He used his magic to gather helpings from each dish, taking his time munching this and that. “It is true I have known about Princess Twilight for a long while.” He sipped a little chamomile tea. “In many ways, you might even say I was able to watch her grow into the lovely young wizard and princess she is today. Yet you must understand, despite everything, we belong to different times.” The wizard’s tone was firm yet pensive. “My world and work resided far in the Princess of Friendship’s past, and this is how it is best for her to learn from me.”
Then he turned his attention back to Twilight for some reason.
“I could not, and would never, teach her in the same capacity as those ponies active and important in her life. It would have been unfair to take away from the experiences dear Celestia had as her mentor. Princess Twilight doesn’t need me like that, which I suspect she already knows well.” Starswirl smiled at dream Twilight, who sat with one hoof placed on her chest, mouth slightly open as if she weren’t a figment of his imagination at the moment. Before Discord could give the matter any real thought, however, the wizard continued. “What she does need, and has chosen to do, is to learn from her own real-life mentors. Understand?”
Silence prevailed in the meadow.
Discord rolled his eyes.
“You really know how to lecture and talk somepony’s ear off.” The chaos spirit’s ear popped off his head and dropped upon the ground beside Starswirl, where the bit wiggled like a worm into the soil. “Now I realize where Princess Celestia learned to give her moralistic rants. You ought to be ashamed.” He said this not in an unkind fashion.
“Very much so.” Starswirl replied. “And thank you for the compliment. Now, what are you going to bring to the meal?” The query was such a sudden one—after the serious turn of events—that even Discord got taken aback. “I’m sure your friends are eager to see what you have to share, although they have the patience to wait for a long while if need be.”
“I know. Nowadays, I don’t know how any of them can stand a bother like me.” Discord had tried to say this jokingly, yet it felt heavy on his tongue and grated on his teeth on the way out. Then many things happened at once, beginning with a distinct lost sensation that washed over him, which caused the whole dream world to twirl. His head cried out in agony, and his body tingled and jiggled harshly. An intolerable moment later, the chaos spirit was struggling to stop his pupils from rolling about in his eyes. “Argh! That was worse than the vision TOH filtered through me to Twilight.”
The ponies were still present at the picnic, but Discord wasn’t paying much attention to them right then.
Starswirl, of course, was still there too—and he shook his head at the draconequus with something akin to the same sadness he had shown long ago.
“You have found a great deal.” The wizard said. “But it appears you are still lost in a few fundamental ways and have held a lot inside. That has been detrimental, since issues afforded tend to find their own way out. You’re almost at your limit now, I’m afraid. It might get messy.”
“Meaning?” Discord liked riddles. However, at this befuddled moment, he wasn’t exactly their biggest fan.
Starswirl didn’t answer. He simply pointed a hoof.
Discord followed his line of sight to see a peculiar change had come over his own shadow. It was trembling, quivering, and jiggling about. To his horror, the shade began to grow and take on another form, growing bent horns and brawnier arms. It zipped along the ground, an icy chill shot up his back, and the chaos spirit felt as if his wings were pulling free from his back. He could see their shadow extending outwards, and then a shape breaking free from between them and detaching itself—the same shape reflected on the ground a second before, yet with considerable more mass. The pressure was draining outwards as well, and had the imbalance not made him shudder involuntarily, Discord would have done it on his own.
Twisting around, he found himself looking right into a terrifyingly familiar face.
“Tirek.” The centaur appeared made from shadows, yet his torso, head, and curled horns were clear and well-defined. Discord started back, only to have this frightful visitor seize the chaos spirit’s griffin-clawed arm, turning it a pale grayish hue like his wings.
“As you say.” Tirek glowered at him, beady yellow eyes burning into Discord’s own. “And I have come to take my revenge.”
Then, unbidden by Discord, the dark clouds amassed and filled the skies with thunder and lightning. The gentle breeze turned into a fierce gale. Meanwhile, his friends were viewing the surroundings, probably with the same panic he felt.
Starswirl, conveniently, had vanished in a series of sparkles.
The natural elements were coming down on them all.
Discord snapped the fingers on his lion’s paw, willing the dream to grow light and cheery once more. But the scenery remained unchanged, and a dark foggy wall was even sweeping towards them now.
“Give up. You cannot beat me.” Tirek rumbled, matching the thunderclaps. “I am too clever.” He gestured to the smoky wall.
Trying to affect this wall did no good. Discord settled for putting a protective magical shield around the ponies before turning back to Tirek. Lifting his lion’s paw, he prepared to attack. But his paw was shaking, and his mind was a terrible blank.
Why was it a terrible blank?
“Trapped again.” Tirek swatted Discord to one side easily as a horsefly. “Now for the Elements of Harmony.” The wall was almost upon them now.
None of the ponies were reacting how the draconequus would have known them to do. They cringed on the ground, as if tethered there.
The only exception, once more, was Twilight. To her credit, and Discord’s dismay, the princess left the boundaries of the magical shield—which was already deteriorating—and charged Tirek, horn bursting with power. She unleased a blast so wide-sweeping and strong that it could have debilitated an entire army.
Until the smoke cleared, and Tirek stood there unfazed. Now he was reaching down for Twilight.
Discord had to end the dream. If there was one nightmare he didn’t want to have, it was this one—and so he willed with all his strength for this to happen. But it was hard. Cracks formed across the dreamscape, and he didn’t do it in enough time to keep from seeing the foggy sweep over the screaming ponies—with Fluttershy’s the loudest and most heart-rending—and Tirek clutching
Twilight in a tight fist.
“Where are you, TOH?” Discord practically screamed, and the light at last broke through the cracks and burst the dream apart.
Discord awoke in the cavern, sweat drenching his form.
Oh, what a dream!
But only a dream…
The fact Discord had cowered like some tiny colt before a threat stung his pride, and the dream had gotten out of control in an even worse manner than any that had come before it. But at least it had all been contained within a dream.
“Perhaps I should have my head examined.” The chaos spirit reached for his head, to perform the procedure himself—only to realize his lion paw was pale gray.
Then Discord looked down, trying to find his shadow.
It wasn’t there.
Laughter filled the cave, echoing upon the walls. Reaching his feet, Discord tried to discern from where it came. However, the direction kept changing.
“All right.” He said, struggling to regain some measure of composure. “Show yourself.”
“Very well then.” One of the shadows in the cavern seeped into the light of the Tree of Harmony and shot up into the form of Tirek, who shot the draconequus a nasty grin. “Did you miss me, Discord?”
***
A harsh cacophony of sound, which could have best have been described as violins screeching, harmonicas bursting, and fiddles getting broken in two.
Twilight jolted awake, soaked in sweat. She looked around frantically, taking in her study and gasping for breath. Jumping out of her chair (apparently, the princess had fallen asleep at her desk), she raced into her room.
Spike lay curled in the bed, safely dozing away.
Had it all been a dream? Twilight wondered, trying to calm herself. It had seemed so real at the time, with the encroaching fogbank, the storms, Tirek, and—
Discord.
“Twilight? What’s going on?” Spike murmured, rubbing his eyes. Yet Twilight was already through the doors of her bedroom, galloping along the hall, leaping down the stairs, and finally teleporting across the final stretch to the guest bedroom they had provided for Discord only a few hours ago.
Please be here. Twilight wished, even if the dread in the pit of her stomach suggested otherwise.
She flung open the doors on an empty, untouched room.
Plopping onto the floor, Twilight panted while considering her next move.
“Twilight.” Spike called, racing to her side. “What happened? Are we under attack?” Seeing Twilight’s worried expression, the little dragon stared into the room. “And what—are we looking at? Discord’s guest room?”
“I had a terrible dream.” Twilight said. “Well, it felt closer to a vision—but it was definitely a nightmare.”
“And?”
“I get a feeling that something has gone terribly wrong.”