Discord's Game of Hide and Seek

by TheEveryDaySparkle

1...2...3...

Twilight Sparkle and her friends were enjoying each other's company in a friendly visit to her home.

Fluttershy was late because she had to make sure her animals were taken care of before she left the house, so they waited.

Once Fluttershy had finally arrived, everyone talked and played and laughed and had fun. No one was expecting what happened next.

Suddenly, Discord appeared in the center of the room, startling everyone in the room with a bright and unexpected flash of light.

"Hello little ponies! Hold your applause please." Discord said with a conjured up crowd somehow cheering for him out of nowhere.

"Discord." Twilight said with venom in her voice as she stepped up to him. "What are you doing here?!"

"Whoa there, Twilight. I'm not here to hurt anypony." Discord said, waving his arms.

"Darn Tootin' ya ain't!" Apple Jack said, stepping up as well. "Cuz we ain't lettin' ya!"

"Would everypony please just calm down! I said i'm not here to hurt anyone and that's what I meant. That said, if you want me to hurt one of you, I'd be glad to oblige." Discord said, lifting twilight up in a choke hold with his magic and scaring everyone into silence.

"There, that's better. Now listen up. I'm here because i want to play a game" He said, smiling a sinister smile.

"What kind of game, Discord?!" Rainbow Dash asked, flying up to face him directly. He simply made her wings disappear and she dropped to the ground with a loud thud.

"Rainbow!" Apple Jack screamed as she glared at Discord from below her stetson.

"There, now if everyone's ffinished interrupting me, I believe i'll explain the game now." He released Twilight and she quickly joined Rainbow Dash on the ground, coughing.

Discord leaned his head down to look at her.

"What are you going to do to me?" Twilight said, still glaring at him. She said this with a sore throat as he had squeezed quite a bit.

"Why nothing dearest Twilight. If you had let me finish, you would know that. Besides you're too important to the game."

"So then finish already so we can play this game and get it over with!" yelled Rainbow Dash. "And gimme back my wings!"

Discord simply snapped his fingers and returned the wings.

"The game is simple. A game of hide and seek. You have to find your friends within twenty four hours, but be careful, there's a special rule to this game."

"What's the rule?"Rainbow Dash said.

"Oh,Rainbow Dash you silly filly! I can't tell you that. That would take all the fun out of watching you run around like headless chickens."

Those words scared Fluttershy. The thought of a headless chicken made her said and afraid of what he might do. Sh started hyperventilating, then she collapsed.

Rarity looked over and saw her, then went to confront Discord, saying, "Now look what you've done, you brute! You've gone and made Fluttershy faint."

"While I am deeply and immensely sorry for that, I am still bored. I will apologize after the game. In the meantime, have her be put to bed or something."

"Do you Pinkie Promise?!" Pinkie Pie yelled at the Draconequis, using her tail to float in the air so she could meet his eyes.

Discord sighed. This was getting annoying. All he wanted was to play a game, and they had to go turn it into this. Nevertheless, he did as she said, going through the motions and everything until he ended with a paw to his eye.

"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye, etc, etc, etc. Come on i'm gettin' old here just waitin' for ya." Discord said in a fake New York accent. He had slicked back gray hair with obviously too much gel and a mustache.

Pinkie floated away a little before zooming up to get in his face. "I'm watching you..." She said in as threatening a tone as she could muster.

In response he simply grabbed her spinning tail and threw her off of him, like a giant would a fly that bit him.

Twilight caught her in her wings. "Thanks, Twilight." was all Pinkie said, her hair now flat and lifeless.

"You're welcome Pinkie" Twilight said before storming up to Discord. "No more stalling Discord! We'll play your game so let's just get this over with!"

"Well, excuse me, young lady. But I do believe it was you who was stalling me from starting the game. But since you insist so strongly, I guess it's time to up the stakes a bit."

"What do you mean by that?" Twilight snapped.

"Oh nothing major. Just thought I'd up the anty a bit with a hostage is all."

"A hostage? How barbaric!" Rarity almost fainted herself.

"If that's what you want, then fine! i'll be your hostage." Twilight said, volunteering herself.

"No no no. That just won't do." Discord said, shaking his head and folding his arms.

"What's wrong? Why won't it work?"

"Because you are the first player Twilight. I can't have someone so important in a cage now can I? Now here on the other hand..."

He snaps his fingers and Zecora appears in his arms, asleep.

"You put her down now! She has nothing to do with this." Twilight yelled.

"Oh but she does, Twilight Sparkle. She's the prize for victory. If you win, she will be released. If you lose, she will be stuck in this cage forever."

He makes a golden cage with a lock on it. The lock is shaped like Discord's face.

"I can't believe you would do this to us. I thought you had learned your lesson."

"The only lesson i've learned is that your so called 'friendship' only extends so far, Miss Twilight Sparkle. Now I suggest you get moving. You only have twenty three hours."

"But I thought you said-"

"Should've thought of that before you started rambling on about how terrible I am." Discord said, coming close to her face and making an angry face as red flames rise in the background.

Twilight looks ready to cry as she gallops of into the distance. Discord appears in front of her. "Uh-uh-uh. You can't just start running off without giving your friends a chance to properly hide. You have to count to ten."

Twilight glared at him but obeyed, knowing that arguing would get her no closer to finding her friends and that if she didn't find them in time, Zecora would be stuck forever in that cage.

"One, two, three, four, five, six-"

"uh-uh-uh. Slower. And close your eyes."

She did so and started over, covering her eyes with hr hooves. "one...two...three...four...five...six...seven...eight...nine...ten."

She opened her eyes. She was done counting, so she could start the game. But strangely, nopony was here. She knew all her friends were hidden by discord, but she didn't see him anywhere either What had happened. Had he hidden himself as well?

It seemed like the only one there was Zecora, asleep in the cage. She thought about freeing her, but decided against it when a thought came to mind. Discord would know.

She trotted outside and looked around. There was no one. Not a single pony was present in the town. Had Discord hidden the entire population of ponyville? What was going on.

'This is too weird.' Twilight thought as she walked the barren streets of the once bustling town. 'Where is everypony?'

She shook away the thoughts of her fellow ponies and began her search. She was sure she had wasted too much time worried about what was going on instead if doing something to stop it.

With that she galloped off in search of her friends. She would start off in each of their homes. She was sure they had to be there. No, that would be too obvious, and If there was anything Discord was good at, it was being unpredictable. Something like that just wasn't Discord's style. But, even if they weren't there, there had to be some sort of clue to their location in their homes. She would start off with Apple Jack's farm. There had to be something that would tell her where she was.

Back in Twilight's home, Zecora had finally woken up. She stood slowly and wiped the sleep from her eyes, looking around. "uhh...What is this place that I have found myself in? I wish to return to my home and my bed once again."

"Sorry if the accommodations are not to your liking. I didn't have time to order the super deluxe cage." A voice said from seemingly nowhere.

Zecora looked around and soon saw him. "Discord, what have you taken me for? Is this another of your tricks? If so, show me to the door, for I do not like to be used for kicks."

"Relax, my zebra friend, I won't hurt you. I just want to take you somewhere a little more...comfortable."

Suddenly, Discord had a bag, which he was bringing over the zebra's cage. Her eyes widened as he scooped her up like a thief and carried her away, disappearing in a flash of light as he said, "Now all I have to do is sit back and enjoy the show."