Twilight flared her wings, hooking the front legs of Discord in her hooves. Taking to the air, they leapt out of the front of the Castle, skimming the large herd coming toward them. Glancing back, Twilight cursed, seeing the two Wraiths screeching as they flew after her. They were catching up quickly.
“There! That tower!” Discord pointed to one of the round towers at the corner grounds of the Castle. Landing on top, they both watched the herd begin to try to break in from the bottom. Taking out her blade, Twilight crouched. They had a small amount of time to defeat the Wraiths and escape into a building before more showed up.
Twilight jumped up as one dived for her, landing on top and slicing off the two wings protruding from it with one deft flick. Tossing the blade toward Discord, she jumped backward, pivoting and aiming a strong buck at the Wraith, sending it skittering off the edge of the building. Discord took the blade, removing the wings with ease before pushing the Wraith off the edge of the building as well.
Twilight flared her wings, once more picking up Discord as they took to the sky. Both scanned for a sturdy building, hearing the cry of a flock of Wraiths on it’s way. Finding one, Twilight dived down, casting a silence spell to silence their movements just as they landed. Opening the door, they dived inside just as the flock descended upon the city.
Barricading the building, Discord and Twilight picked the only corner with no openings, and set up a small trench in the ruined building. Twilight took off her cloak, tossing it over their heads and holding it down with some stones, levitating them based on memory. Breathing a sigh, she ensured they were soundproof, and turned her attention to Discord.
“So what’s our next move? With the Princesses affected, we’ve lost our chance of regaining control of the Sun for now. Heck, even the moon would suffice at this point.” Grimacing, Twilight shuddered as she dry heaved for a moment. Discord gently patted her on the back as his ear flickered, hearing the cries from outside pass them by.
“If we can release my power, I could control the Sun. As much as I love chaos, it’s no fun when there was no order to begin with.” Discord gave a smile, wiggling his eyebrows. Twilight chuckled, wincing as a sharp pain passed through her stomach. Flying had not been a good idea, it only sped up her deteriorating state.
“Alright, that sounds like our best bet. How do we go about doing that?” Twilight finally shook off her affliction, and returned her attention to Discord. Pulling out a map, he pointed out their location, and then traced the path back to Ponyville. Twilight groaned, they had come all this way, and now they had to return back to where they started?
“I knew you would not listen to my plan until you knew the fate of those two, so I did not mention it. But the seeds of chaos I planted should have grown their fruit by now, in soil so ripe with it. It should help boost my power enough to break the seal.” Discord held out the map, and Twilight put it away, sighing, she rubbed her forehead. It was true, she would have never trusted Discord if there was another option.
“It’s gonna take us twice as long to walk now that I can’t fly. We could risk it, but with how quickly it is affecting me, it is not a good idea.” Twilight closed her eyes, folding her arms as she considered their options. Discord looked up as the sounds of screeching began to die down. As he did, he attention went to an old toy surprisingly still sitting on the rotten carcass of a desk. Gently, he directed Twilight’s attention to it with a hoof, and the silence stretched for a moment.
“Would it even work after so long in this environment?” Looking to Discord, Twilight wanted to believe in it. It would greatly speed up their journey. Even with the tracks being close to rotten, they looked like they might support one more ride. Shrugging, Discord levitated the toy off the desk, watching it crumble silently into a mouldy pile.
“Working on not, it is our best option if we want to reach Ponyville in time. You have days left, at most.” Gravely looking at Twilight, Discord wondered if she would last. There had been times during the last week she had been unable to even move, and he had been forced to carry her. As fighting fit as she was, none had lasted as long as her.
Coughing, Twilight nodded. “You’re right, we don’t have any other option at this point. Will your magic be enough to get it running?” Wincing, Discord gave a mournful nod.
“Running? Yes, living? Sadly not. Oh how I wish I had the power to just brighten this world up with wonderful chaos.” Discord smiled sadly, looking toward the cloak above them. Twilight chuckled, before beginning to cough uncontrollably. Breathing out, she began to lie down, closing her eyes.
“Never change Discord…” Growing faint, Twilight began to breathe slower. Discord pursed his lip, and then shook Twilight, giving a sly grin.
“Now now my dear, you’ll have plenty of time to rest once we get ‘er running. And if we don’t get her running, well we’ll find you somewhere to rest regardless. I’ve got one more question for you my dear.” Smiling, Discord watched Twilight open one eye and look at him. A small smile fell on her face.
“Oh?” For a brief moment in time, neither spoke, simply smiling and enjoying the other’s company. There was no separation between them, nothing that prevented them from understanding the other, in such a way that they could be considered friends. Each one knew their chances were low, and they didn’t care.
“Do you choo-choo-choose me?” Winking, Discord smiled as Twilight snorted, standing up and putting her cloak back on.