"And how are..." Twilight started before being pick up by Discord and dropped from a few feet in the air over the edge of the platform.
Twilight was about to protest when she noticed that she didn't fall at all. "Uh... Nevermind." Twilight blinked as she noticed that she was lying on stone stairs.
"What? How? What?" Rainbow stammered, confused.
Not only was Twilight standing on stairs, which weren't there before, but the stairs seem to be floating in the air. The stairs continued around the mountain and out of sight.
Discord just laughed. "Well come on. It will take up to three days to climb."
"Three days!?!" Rarity gasped fidgeting a bit at the thought of how sweaty she would get climbing three days worth of stairs.
"No need to worry as I'm sure you got hearts as strong as horses." Discord rolled his eyes while singing the last part of his sentence.
Everyone groaned, minus Pinkie who giggled. Resigning to the long climb they slowly walked towards the stone stairs.
Twilight's horn stopped glowing. Shaking her head in confusion. Something about these stairs were alluding her so she decided to stop and ask Discord. She had to wait for everyone to pass her as she had been in the front while he had taken the rear. Discord looked up as he approached her, a smirk on his face. "I have been studying these stairs for hours and I don't get how they are here."
Discord was expecting the question but didn't know the answer so he shrugged adding, "I'm not sure. Harmony might know but you will have to wait as he will be meeting us at the top."
"What. Why?" She was sure he would have known and she was not really looking forward to talking with Harmony again.
"One, he is still in emotional pain from your 'attack'. If I recall correctly it was you that wanted him to leave," Discord held up his paw to stop Twilight's coming objection. "Two 'The Bullet' took more out of him then he anticipated. He still as not recovered completely and it may take a while as his body has not had such large reservoirs of mana in a long time. I don't think walking up stairs for three days is a good idea at this time."
Twilight went silent at that. She had other questions but didn't want to push anything at the moment.
"Ee-AAAHAHHHHHH!!!" Rainbow screamed flailing about in her sleeping bag.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Relax. You are not falling out of the sky." Discord shook her to get her attention.
"Uh. right." Rainbow hoped no one could see her blushing. " I knew that."
Twilight was getting edgy and was also tired of the endless stairs. So she let her mind wonder over the events over the pass few weeks. Something kept coming up in her thoughts. She hated when there was something odd that didn't follow logic and couldn't be explained.
"Discord something has been bugging me for a while." Twilight commented to the dragonequus who looked over at her curiously, "You seem less chaotic then your usual self. You weren't this serious even with the threat of Tirek. I mean you have been a bit chaotic at times but its more subdued... You know what I mean?"
Discord sighed heavily visibly shrinking a bit. "I still hadn't completely recovered from my madness at that time... enough about Tirek though. You are wondering about my recent seriousness?"
Twilight paused for a moment unsure for a second if she really wanted the answer. But her curiosity overcame that and she nodded slowly.
Discord didn't immediately respond seeming to debate himself on wither to speak on it. "Because we are reaching the tipping point Twilight. I have seen what the 'Chaos Bringer' influence did to the world over the years. Do you want to know how?
Twilight gulped a bit but nodded. Discord stopped climbing the stairs for a moment and eyed Twilight. For a while he stood there gazing into her to the point that she was getting very uncomfortable. She so wanted to run ahead and catch up to the rest of the group who had disappeared around a bend than to continue to have the red and yellow eyes bore into her.
Discord finally spoke in a whisper. "Spike is the Last Keeper. I am the First Keeper."
Discord began to climb the stairs again. Speaking louder he explained further, "I know what the wendigos were like. I have seen reanimated corpses of dragons! I have seen weapons that would melt ponies like they were a sugar cube in tea." Discord shuttered violently and lost all of his color, literally. "The early days of the Keepers were much rougher than they are now. By the time that Harmony, the eleventh keeper, came the harmony of the world was much, much stronger so that he had comparatively less work to do then those before him... and yet will ultimately have to deal with the 'Chaos Bringer'."
"When Spike chooses his name the final strands that hold the seal will fail, if they haven't already. I saw the lingering effects of it's power when they were strongest. Imagine what will happen once it is free instead of just a lingering influence."
Twilight stopped her mouth agape. She knew this or at least figured that but it still was a shock to hear it nonetheless.
"Now you see why I've have gotten more serious." Discord lower him self down to gaze into her eyes. "But don't worry too much as I am still my chaotic pranking self... it's just right now..."
Applejack suddenly felt something sticky on her back. Turn to look back she saw that she was covered in pink and blue frosting.
"Discord!" Applejack yelled giving Discord an evil eye. Discord shrugged and slyly point at Pinkie Pie who was giggling at Applejack.
"I got this!" Pinkie Pie quickly cleaned up all the frosting off of Applejack. She then promptly ate the frosting in one gulp.
"Eww..." Rarity gagged.
"Pinkie!!" Applejack shook her head in disbelief at the party mare.
"Creamy, creamy frosting..." Pinkie Pie dreamily drooled.
Everypony ended up laughing at the situation and the stress and tiredness at least for a moment left them.
Discord eyes sparkled at Twilight for a moment his mouth curling to a small smile. Usually Twilight would be a bit leery about him ever having that kind of look but right now it warm her to see that he was trying to act 'normal' to ease her uneasiness.
"Can we talk Twi?"
"Sure. Do you need to hop on to rest as well?" Twilight smiled knowingly. Spike blush a bit before climbing onto her back trying to avoid her wings which was a bit hard given that she was standing on different stairs.
After getting comfortable he sighed a bit before letting her know what was on his mind. "Twilight you need to stop being so hard on Harmony."
"A-and what makes you th-think that?" Twilight tried and failed at not letting her nervousness show.
"Twilight I have lived with you for how long now?" Spike gave Twilight a 'really' look that Twilight couldn't see but she was sure that he was giving it to her nonetheless.
"Twilight he is trying to help. Yes he tends to avoid saying things that in hindsight he should have said. I think he's not used to having to protect others. He's not a loner per say... its almost as if he's a dragon in a pony's body."
"You been raise by ponies how would you even know that?"
"I just do." Twilight turned her head to glare at him and Spike raise his hands waving them slightly in defense. " Hey it's the truth I don't know how but somehow he just acts more dragon-like then pony-like."
"I suppose so." Twilight stopped absentmindedly to chew on his words.
"Um, Twi, we might want to stay with the group I don't want to test out what would happen to these stairs if we lag too far behind."
"...one hundred and forty-five thousand and twenty-two, one hundred and forty-five thousand and twenty-three, one hundred and forty-five thousand and twenty-four..."
"Pinkie what are you doing?" Rarity was getting very annoyed at the counting and bouncing of Pinkie Pie. A headache was forming further testing her frayed nerves. She wasn't going even think about her mane that was messed up from sweating in the long climb.
"Oh I'm counting how many stairs they are." Pinkie giggled happily.
"Ugh." Rarity grumbled quickening her pace to get away from Pinkie who started counting again.
"One hundred and forty-five thousand and thirty-six, one hundred and forty-five thousand and thirty-seven..."
"AAAHAHHHHHH!!!" Rainbow screamed jumping out of her sleeping bag.
"Again!?" Spike grumbled rubbing the bridge of his brow.
"Please tell me that we will not be out here another night." Rarity turned to Discord irritated herself that her beauty sleep was interrupted by rainbows screaming for second night in a row.
Discord pulled on his beard thoughtfully before answering, "If we keep the same pace we should be at the top...or is it bottom, by very early afternoon."
"Are we there yet?" Rainbow grumbled.
"No." Applejack deadpanned.
After a few moments Rainbow again asked, "Are we there yet?"
"Rainbow! I swear you're worse then Pinkie's counting!" Rarity spoke up.
"...one hundred and fifty-two thousand, nine hundred and thirty-four..." Pinkie Pie counted
Everypony groaned at this. Discord chuckled lightly. Spike for the moment was sleeping on Twilight and only mumble a bit in reaction.
"Harmony!" Spike yelled seeing Harmony up ahead at the top of the stairs and ascended the stairs between them two by two.
Pulling Spike into a hug Harmony chuckled, "Brother, it's not been that long."
"I know it's just that I..." Spike blushed fiercely.
"I'm not leaving this time."
"You promise?" Spike pulled his head out of Harmony fur to look up at him.
Harmony just laugh and shook his head looking up to the sky. "Spike, brother, I will stay for as long as it takes for you to choose."
"Will you two stop doing that!" Twilight shook her head in disbelief.
Harmony and Spike looked at each other then back at Twilight before bursting into laughter.
"Ugh! What is with this mountain!" Rainbow exclaimed raising her fore legs in exasperation.
"What do you mean?" Harmony looked at Rainbow.
In answer Rainbow pointed off towards the mountain 'base.' A path made from the same stone that comprised of the stairs and the platform down below weaved into a mass of trees. In the distance a strange spiral like tower could be see over the tree tops.
Harmony and Discord laughed heartily at this. Harmony was the first to speak, "What did you expect bare rock and dirt?"
Rainbow opened and close her mouth unable to come up with a good response. Everypony just laughed at the expense of Rainbow who now only grumbled.