//------------------------------//
// Chapter Six 
// Story: Two Sides of Discord 
// by MLP Fangirl 
//------------------------------//

"Well, I'm waiting," Drocsid tapped his talon on the arm of his throne, waiting for his twin to answer.
Discord couldn't decide. How could he? Both choices would put him in the guilty seat. If he joined up with Drocsid, he'd have to give up everything he had come to love. His friends, his freedom, his acceptance, all of that would be taken away. But, if he should refuse, his friends would suffer the consequences. 
"Oh, I hate myself," Discord thought angrily, "Why does this have to happen to me? My evil self is a clever one, which is to be expected. Ugh, what am I going to do?"
His train of thought was interrupted by the impatient tyrant. "I am losing my patience with you. Your answer NOW. If not, I will make the decision for you!" Steam was practically coming out of the furious creature's ears.
Discord was running out of options (something that rarely ever happened). He decided to stall for time and wait for a miracle. If there was one thing that both Discords had in common was, it was their self-esteem.
"Well, Discord, I have to say, you've clearly bested me. You accomplished what I never could. Equestria is in a frenzy, a sight which I simply revel in. You are quite the devious trickster. I commend you, my evil doppelgänger. I am envious," Discord smirked.
Drocsid stopped in his tracks. Discord could tell it was working. Drocsid gave a haughty laugh.
"Why, thank you. You should give credit where credit is due. Yes, I truly am amazing. I mean, is there any doubt? I'm the best ruler Equestria could ask for. After years of dwelling in a harmony-infested wasteland, it would do the citizens of this pathetic nation some good to have some chaos in their life. As harmony departs, entropy enters." Drocsid continued to rant about his victory and about the dullness of normal life. Discord smirked, not really paying attention to the "amazing" speech. 
But, a problem still remained. His magic was still bound. He couldn't get up without being noticed. He needed a plan. He needed a miracle.

At that moment, the Mane Five were still contemplating on how to free the princesses. A painting prison was not something they had ever encountered before.They tried tapping it, rubbing it, hitting it, talking to it, magicking it, but nothing worked. They were wracking their brains. But, try as they might, they couldn't get the princesses out.
"Rarity, are you positive you don't know any spells?" Rainbow asked for the twentieth time.
Rarity rubbed her eyes. "For the last time, Rainbow Dash, I don't know anything that could help us. I'm not a magically inclined unicorn."
Rainbow pounded her head into the wall in a fit of frustration.
"Oh, I wish Twilight were here. She'd have the answer, I'm sure," Fluttershy sighed, rubbing her left foreleg.
"Ah keep tellin' ya, if'n she were here, without her magic, she'd be no more help than a filly trying to buck a tree. She ain't in no shape to be here with us," Applejack reminded them.
Pinkie placed her head in her hooves and sighed. "Huh. Too bad we can't contact Twilight. She'd probably be able to give us a clue on how to free the princesses. But, Spike's not here. So, there's no way that could work." 
Everypony's head suddenly jerked up. "Pinkie Pie, you are a genius!" Rainbow slapped her on the back.
Pinkie gave a sly nod. "I know. So, what did I do?"
"We can send Spike a letter. We've got a unicorn here. It's worth a shot," Rainbow pointed at Rarity.
"You do know how to, right?" Applejack raised an eyebrow at the unicorn in question.
"That is one spell I do know how to execute. I'd be happy to," Rarity sparked her horn and took out a scroll and quill from her saddlebag.
"Dear Twilight..."

Twilight was lying on her bed gazing up at the ceiling. For the past few hours, she and Spike had been doing their best to keep themselves occupied. They had played several board games and had read many of the books that surrounded them on all sides. Twilight eventually became bored, and without her magic, she found herself with nothing to do.
Twilight was thinking about her friends, hoping they were doing okay. In most of their adventures together, Twilight was always the one figuring out how to overcome the villain. She might not have defeated the threats directly, but she always played a part in gaining the victory. Now, she had to rely on her friends to save the day without her. She felt so useless.
"And the prince and princess lived happily after ever. The end. Wow, that ending was so unexpected. I can't believe I didn't see that coming," Sarcasm dripping in her voice. She closed the book and placed it on her bedside table. She trotted over to the window and took a peek outside.
"Chocolate milk, flying pigs, ballet-dancing buffalos, yup, Drocsid hasn't been defeated yet," She headed downstairs to find something to do.
Spike was reading one of his many comic books. Beside him was an empty ice cream bowl and a half-eaten sapphire. Twilight slightly envied the fact that Spike had something to take his mind off things. He perked up at the sound of her hooves clopping against the wooden floor.
"Oh, hey, Twilight, are you doing all right?" Spike put his comic down, focusing his attention at her.
"What do you think?" Twilight's voice was flat lacking any joy.
"I know, I know. You miss your magic. Don't worry, Twi, you'll get your magic back soon. I'm sure Discord and the girls are close to defeating Drocsid. So, why don't you just sit down, have a snack, and--" Spike suddenly clutched his stomach. 
"Spike! Are you okay? Do you have a stomachache?" Twilight bent down. Her answer came as Spike belched out a scroll. 
"A letter? The Princesses must be free!" Twilight tried to pick the scroll up with her magic but quickly realized her error. Spike picked it up for her.
"I don't think it's from the princesses, though. It didn't feel normal. Anyway, let's see." Spike skimmed the letter and his eyes widened.
"This is from the girls!" Twilight snatched the letter from his claws with her hooves.
"The princesses are encased in a painting? That's new. Although, I wouldn't expect any less from Discord. How to free them? Uh..." Twilight searched her mental library, trying to come up with a solution, or at least a book that would help.
"I've got it!" She ran over to one of the many bookshelves and skimmed the book titles. Her expectant eyes lit up as she found the book she needed. She trotted back over to Spike and sat down.
"Prisons Least Expected, this book gives in full detail places and even things that you never suspected could be a prison. I've never actually read this book in full yet. I didn't really see much reason, too. Never thought this kind of information would be useful."
"And you think that paintings might be in there?" Spike scooted over to her, giving glances at the book.
"Only one way to find out." Twilight opened the book and began researching.

Discord was getting bored. Who would've guessed that his evil twin would pull off one of the most cliché bad guy acts ever: rant for an hour or two like no one's listening. Discord began to think that Drocsid might have forgotten about him. He was still waiting for a miracle to happen. Something, anything that could restore his magic. The girls hadn't returned, so obviously the two royals either hadn't been located or freed yet.
This was a rare moment. Discord actually needed help. Not that he would ever admit out loud. There had to be something he could do. What kind of Spirit of Chaos would he be if he sat around doing nothing?
"So, after that I hypnotized the tailor and made her stitch me some--hey!"
Discord snapped back to reality. "Who did what now?" He sputtered.
"Don't ignore me. I bet you didn't hear half of what I just said," Drocsid crossed his mismatched arms.
"Of course, I did. There was cotton candy, a boomerang, zompony chefs, oh! and I think you mentioned something about a walking fruitcake. Very amusing story, I must say." Discord looked up. 
Drocsid did not look amused. "Well, I think I've wasted enough time. I want an answer. You going to join me or not?" 
Discord sighed and thought. I still haven't made my choice. If I side with him, I get to do whatever I want. I have been having  chaotic urges lately. I wouldn't have the right to call myself the spirit of chaos if I didn't. I would gain back everything I love. But...what would I be giving up?
Discord thought about his friends. They hadn't always been the best company. But, they offered to him what he never thought he'd find. The magic of friendship wasn't some silly story. Friendship is magic. He couldn't see his friends hurt. They meant too much to him.
With a heavy heart, Discord was about to respond, when all of a sudden, he felt something ignite within him. He felt a surge of energy race throughout his veins. He smiled to himself readying his tail.
"You want an answer? Well, how's this!"
All it took was a snap. The magic cuffs broke off dissipating into nothingness.
Drocsid took a step back. "How?! Those cuffs can't be broken!"
"Really? But, I just broke them," Discord chuckled. "You may have cut off my magic. But, I have found an even more powerful force than chaos. And that's-I never thought I'd say this- FRIENDSHIP!" Discord caught Drocsid off guard and pinned him against the wall.
"Let me go! You can't do this to me!" Drocsid struggled, but Discord proved to be stronger.
"Oh, how the mighty have fallen! Time to end this!"