How and Why
*Okay, from this chapter on, I've decided to add the tag of 'romance'. But don't assume ANYTHING. :D Although I am a HUGE Discolight fan, adding that 'romance' tag is basically something I decided to put to attract more attention. It's pretty much all FRIENDSHIP in here, but I'm sure you guys assume it's more than that. ;)*
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Twilight just couldn't sleep as she gazed up at the ceiling, laying her head against the pillow as she fiddled with her hooves above the sheets. Beside her was the basket of fruity pastries Pipsqueak had left on her doorstep and she had nearly finished all of them considering an appetite seemed like the only way to soothe her anxiety for what would occur in the morning.
There was no turning back from this. No more hiding, and especially no more lies. The unicorn just wondered if Discord really is worth it all...
Other than her worry refraining her from getting any sleep, Twilight also feared she would receive a bad dream again. Like the one the night before...
She was running, she had no idea why she was doing so or what on Earth she was running from exactly.
All she knew was that she was trying to escape something...someone...many?
"Twilight!" Various voices called out behind her. But the unicorn felt she had to ignore them as she kept rushing, sensing those voices behind her were leading to trouble.
Those voices didn't sound threatening nor cruel, they actually sounded...concerned?
"No!" Twilight cried out in her own surprise as she kept running. She suddenly felt tears pour down her eyes as she ran.
Crying? Why was she crying? What was going on here? Why was she running to begin with? And what was she carrying with her?
Twilight felt herself using her magic as her horn glowed a tremendous red, used as her source of light as she rushed through nothing but complete darkness. The unicorn felt even more scared and confused, wondering what kind of nightmare she stepped into.
"Twilight!" The voices were far behind her, but she could still hear them. They were worried, desperate...but the unicorn suddenly felt she just couldn't trust them.
"No!" Twilight refused angrily.
Twilight shuddered under her covers as she recalled the dream. She had that dream the night before her parents came to visit, and she had been successful in ignoring it until after the others fell asleep. Pondering about it, she wondered what the dream was even about? Why was she running? What was her magic carrying with her?
Perhaps is was a sign? A sign that would determine the consequences if she...told her friends about Discord?
Would their reactions be that terrible?
She gulped, anxiety hitting harder as she began to doubt her confidence that her little confession would go with a bang. Maybe she should just call it all off, tell her friends she was just overreacting, hide it all and save the trouble-
"No..." Twilight murmured to herself as she pushed her mane away from her eyes and looked out her window. Luna's moon still shone beautifully and the stars seemed to give the unicorn a bit of comfort. "It's been far too long and I can't let the forgetfulness continue..."
She gazed at her bedside where The Tale of Discord was lying.
"I must..." Twilight said finally before leaning her head back against her pillow, doing her best to get some sleep.
_
Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle turned from their breakfast and watched their daughter sit at her desk, reading one of her books. Twilight barely acknowledged the hearty meal her number one assistant had prepared for all them, completely engrossed in her studying as she usually was.
"Sweetheart," Mrs. Sparkle called to her, "you should eat something."
"Of course," Mr. Sparkle nodded, wiping a strand of grass away from his lips. "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and see what Spike had made for us. It's absolutely delicious!"
"Aw, it was nothing..." The baby dragon blushed, sitting beside Twilight's mother as he had himself a bowl of cereal and a small plate of gems. He gazed in Twilight's direction and raised an eyebrow at her, wondering what she could possibly find so interesting in a dusty old book that would distract her from having breakfast; this was actually the first time a book had stolen her focus from a meal. "Don't you want any of the daisy sandwiches I made?" He asked hopefully.
"Hmm?" Twilight raised her head from her book and saw her family gaze at her. She smiled apologetically. "No, that's okay," she insisted. "I'm actually not too hungry right now." She returned back to her book. "But maybe you three could hurry up and finish? We really need to leave soon."
"Leave?" Her mother questioned before turning to her husband. "Honey, what's she talking about?"
Mr. Sparkle shrugged. "I have no clue," then he bent down and continued eating. "But I think it's important."
Twilight felt a little guilty she wasn't joining her loved ones in the special meal, but she was too wrapped up in her notes placed in The Tale of Discord to actually sacrifice a moment of time. And her new form of anxiety made her hunger cease; probably because she had eaten one too many fruity pastries last night.
Finally, after breakfast was done, Twilight immediately packed her book and waited for her parents and Spike to join her outside. As the other three exited out the door, Twilight's mother took great notice of what was on her daughter's head.
Red sunglasses. Very interesting ones, she had to admit. Not the kind of style they had back in Canterlot.
Her husband took notice as well and the Sparkle couple shared a confused glance. But they didn't question their daughter as they silently followed behind her, Spike by her side, onto the heart of Ponyville.
_
Twilight knew that she was raising some questions from her parents as she wore the red sunglasses over her eyes. It had been a while since she had worn them, and despite it not being so sunny outside in Ponyville, Twilight felt she would need them.
She still remembered the day she had found them in her bag. They belonged to him, she knew it. The only question was why did he leave them in her possession? Maybe she could ask her friends about it as well.
Twilight felt anxiety at the pit of her stomach, knowing she was getting closer to that moment when everything would either piece together...or come crashing down as she had always feared. She started to wonder if this was a good idea at all...
Finally, she spotted Sugarcube Corner. The unicorn gulped, glad no one could see the distressed look behind her sunglasses.
Too late to walk back now...she thought dejectedly as she led her parents and Spike toward her destination.
Spike gazed at her curiously before turning to the sight of Sugarcube Corner. "Uh, Twilight?" He began. "We already had breakfast. Well, you didn't though." He pointed out.
Twilight didn't even look at him as she kept moving forward, fear and determination leading her hooves. "We're not here for sweets, remember?" She reminded him in a smooth, steady tone. "We're here for the meeting."
The baby dragon quickly followed behind her with her parents following. "Wait, what?" Spike asked as he walked by her side, becoming even more confused. "Meeting? What meeting?"
"I think Spike's questioning is right," Mr. Sparkle said finally, gazing at his daughter as they neared the doorway. "Sweetie, what's going on?"
Finally, Twilight turned to look at them, adjusting the red sunglasses atop her head. She gave little explanation this morning, and not much to say last night at the party. But she knew not much needed to be said for what she would save for this moment right now.
"It's time I come clean," she said simply, swallowing hard before opening the door.
Confused as ever, her family followed her inside the colorful shop. They gazed over to see Twilight's friends standing around the place, having arrived early as Twilight had expected.
"Hey, Twilight," Rainbow Dash greeted. There was a bit of uneasiness in her voice as she regarded the unicorn, recalling her attitude last night in Cloudsdale. "We came just like you asked." She did her best to smile.
"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie jumped up and down, not as concerned as the others. "Even though you sounded so weirdy-like and all, we came!" She gave her usual cheerful smile.
"Now we're all ready to hear what you've been trying to be saying, sugarcube," Applejack added, her green eyes glinting with curiosity and slight worry.
Twilight actually smiled for the first time all day, grateful her friends weren't immediately going at her with questions and such. She almost felt a little confident. But still, like how a public speaker felt before facing the audience, she was still nervous.
"Well, everypony gather around and take a seat," she instructed before motioning to a nearby table that had enough room for her friends, parents, and Spike.
Her parents glanced at each other with apprehension before they joined her friends at the table, taking slight interest in the treats that lay around. As her friends took their seats, Fluttershy played with her hooves nervously, sharing a confused glance with Rarity before they regarded Twilight. They were all nervous, wondering if their unicorn friend had bad news. They were all getting worried as the seconds went by, awaiting Twilight's big announcement.
Twilight gazed at everyone, swallowing hard as she lifted the glasses away from her eyes.
Discord's sunglasses...she still wondered if he left them in her bag as a gift before they turned him into stone or he simply discarded them in her possession just to annoy her.
She didn't know why she brought them along, but she felt they would give her the encouragement regarding her situation. She put down the bag she brought along; it had The Tale of Discord inside, but she wouldn't take it out just yet.
Finally, she cleared her throat, knowing it was now or never. To say never, she would be the worst friend in all of Equestria. She gazed at her friends around the table, all watching her closely, fear obvious in their worried eyes. Spike leaned on the table, glancing at the unicorn as his face winced, afraid his friend was going to speak of something bad would happen or already did. And Twilight's parents...well, they loved her with all their hearts, of course, they would be just as worried!
She remained silent, simply giving herself one last question whether or not to back out now despite questions to arise.
No. She owed her friends so much. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a few moments. Finally, she opened them and chose her words carefully.
"Well, I've gathered you all here today, to discuss-"
Suddenly, there was a clang sound, making Twilight nearly bite her tongue on her words. She immediately turned to see the Cakes, who were standing behind a nearby table while putting away pie tins. Twilight took great notice that by the way they were leaning over the table, she knew they were trying to eavesdrop on her big announcement.
Seemed they were curious to why she was acting so serious. Twilight couldn't blame them; she had no idea what happened to them during Discord's reign over Equestria.
"Uh, sorry," Mrs. Caked apologized, pushing away the pie tins she dropped, "you were saying, dear?"
Twilight sighed, feeling no need in keeping quiet from them, considering this was their shop. "You should listen to this, too, Mr. and Mrs. Cake," she insisted quietly, her voice nearly coming out as a whisper, wondering if she would regret the offer. "You should hear this as well."
Mrs. Cake and her husband shared a confused glance, then they both gazed at Twilight. Twilight felt her cheeks heat up as her friends regarded her with slight surprise.
"More ponies should learn about what I'm about to discuss," Twilight declared nervously. When the Cakes were now close enough to hear, she cleared her throat again, feeling a little more confident. "Anyway, as I was saying-"
"What's going on?"
Twilight's eyes widened, her nervousness quickly replaced with slight annoyance as she looked around, wondering who had interrupted her once again.
Her eyes softened a little when she and the others turned and saw that the Cutie Mark Crusaders, as well as their classmates Snips and Snails, even Pipsqueak, had quickly entered the bakery and closed the door behind them. Twilight caught Pipsqueak's gaze, who was looking at the entire situation with so much curiosity.
Twilight bit her lip as she gazed at the little pinto colt. He had been so kind to her yesterday, and that basket of pastries topped it all off. She did ask herself whether or not she should tell Pipsqueak about Discord as well...
Seeing him and his little friends here, she knew she got her answer.
"Is Pinkie Pie planning another party?" Apple Bloom asked, almost excitedly, gazing at all the adult ponies around the room. "Ooh! Is the next party going to be in Cloudsdale again?"
"Apple Bloom, not now," Applejack said, "Twilight was just about to announce something, so maybe you and your little friends should scurry along."
"No!" Twilight suddenly exclaimed, startling everyone. She realized her outburst and averted her eyes with embarrassment as everyone regarded her with surprise, her cheeks becoming red. "I mean, no..." She spoke more softly. "Let the kids stay..." She gulped. "They should hear this as well..."
Before Applejack could have another word, Apple Bloom immediately took a spot beside her, smiling excitedly. Sweetie Belle took her position next to Rarity, Scootaloo beside Rainbow Dash, and Snips and Snails beside Spike. Twilight watched as Pipsqueak took a spot beside her, being the most curious of all and wanting to be the closest to the unicorn as she spoke out.
Twilight gazed down at him, a relieved smile slowly formed on her face as she gaze at Pipsqueak like comfort to her situation. Pipsqueak looked up at her from his seat and smiled back, his white teeth gleaming, hoping he was giving her encouragement in whatever she was about to do. The unicorn was grateful for his presence. Now she felt even more confident...
...and determined that she get it over with this instant before any more distractions came along!
"Okay..." She blew out a sigh of exasperation. "Now that it seems as almost every pony is here..." She tried not to show the impatience in her voice, but all these distractions were getting on her nerves. "I was going to say-"
"Hey, ya'll!"
Twilight nearly slammed her hooves on the table angrily as she tried to keep her sudden temper under control. She wheeled around toward the door, her eyes nearly twitching.
Standing before all of them was the sight of a familiar pony in a hat that was surprising to have here. As well as the female buffalo by his side.
"Well, looky there!" Applejack smiled as the others gazed at the newest visitors to Ponyville. "If it ain't cousin Braeburn and good ol' Little Strongheart."
Twilight bit her lip in an annoyed pout as the others shared their greetings with Applejack's cousin and their buffalo girl friend. She would give her greeting as well, but right now she just wanted everyone to zip it and sit down and listen to her already! It wasn't that having Braeburn and Little Strongheart visit was no joy, but the unicorn felt she would blow her top off if things didn't go her way this instant!
Applejack turned to a distressed Twilight apologetically, seeing her face slightly fuming. "Sorry about that Twi, I forgot to mention that the day after your parents came along, my cousin and our buffalo friend would visit as well."
Twilight felt herself twitch even more, her mouth nearly feeling dry as she gazed at all the faces in the room with slight irritation. Her friends, her parents, the Cakes, the kids, now a family member as well as a native friend-
"Twilight?" Applejack called for her attention, seeing how dazed she appeared. "Is it okay that they come to the mee-"
"It's fine!" Twilight boomed, nearly scaring everyone out of their seats. Her temper had rose by now, and she was making it obvious that she was getting annoyed by all the intrusions to her meeting "Fine! I said it's fine!" She was yelling now, and it seemed to be worrying her parents as well as frightening the kids.
Twilight let out a few deep breaths, trying to keep herself under control and not let the sudden stress get to her. Finally, she glanced over at the terrified Braeburn and Little Strongheart, who flinched when they met her nearly raging purple eyes.
"You two," she said in a serious tone. "Seats. Now."
Braeburn gulped before nodding obediently. He turned to Little Strongheart. "Come on, sunshine," he urge quietly, leading the little buffalo around the room, avoiding the fuming unicorn as they took their seats beside the Sparkle couple.
Twilight trudged back to her seat, her face nearly going red from her outburst. She gazed at everyone that was in the shop right now, seeing as they were all now trembling at her presence.
"Right..." She grumbled. "Now that we've got all of this settled and there are no more interruptions..." She casted a glance at Braeburn and Little Strongheart, who winced at her narrowed eyes.
Twilight cleared her throat once more before stroking her mane, making sure it was not unruly from how exasperated she was right now. Finally, she took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a few moments, then re-opened them and gazed at everyone.
"Well, then," she began calmly, her raging tone vanished, "as I said before, I've gathered all of you here for an important matter. " She closed her eyes for a few moments, biting her lip and hoping for positive feedback. "A matter regarding-"
"Uh, Twilight?"
The unicorn's eyes suddenly blazed before she wheeled furiously toward whoever dared interrupt her after so many had just occurred.
"What?" She demanded at whoever spoke out.
The fire in her eyes suddenly extinguished as she stared down at Pipsqueak, who trembled at her sharp tone and angry expression as he gazed at her with scared eyes.
In his little hoof was a flower.
Twilight, anger and annoyance suddenly gone, widened her eyes at the gift before gazing at the little pinto colt.
"Pipsqueak?" Her voice was now soft as silk as she looked at him in confusion.
Pipsqueak stopped shaking and looked at her, holding out the flower to her. "For you," he said softly, gulping.
Twilight gazed at the flower, before she used her magic and took it from his hoof. She inspected it more closely. It was a simple daisy she usually saw at the flower shop.
"Me?" She was even more confused.
The others watched the interaction as Pipsqueak scuffled a hoof on the ground, a nervous smile on his face as Twilight regarded him with surprise.
"I wanted to give you something to make you feel better after you got a little sad yesterday," he explained, "I hope it really makes you feel better." He gave a hopeful smile
What Twilight wanted to say to everyone seemed to have escaped her mind as she was completely touched by his words and gesture. She gazed at the flower, her eyes sparkling.
"Aw, Pipsqueak..." She cooed, her heart melting. "But you didn't have to do this. I mean, you already gave me that basket of fruity pastries last night."
Pipsqueak smiled at her, grateful his little gift made her happy. However, he raised an eyebrow at her in confusion. "Basket? What basket?"
"Fruity pastries?" Spike interrupted with a look of outrage on his face. "Why didn't you wake me up last night? I would have wanted some!"
"Spike, hush up!" Apple Bloom told him before she and her filly friends watched Pipsqueak and Twilight.
Twilight looked down at the little pinto colt, her confusion matching his.
"Wait..." She tried to absorb his response. "You mean...you didn't leave those pastries at my door? But I saw you run by my house last night." She recalled how Pipsqueak had waved at her before running back to Ponyville.
"Well," Pipsqueak shifted a bit. "I was just coming back from the Everfree Forest. I was going to look for a flower for you there, but then I remembered you warning me something about looking out for blue flowers so I went back to Ponyville and looked for a flower shop." He looked at her. "I saw you waving at me with a basket beside you, though. I thought your parents brought it to you."
Twilight, by now, seemed a little anxious. "But if you didn't give me the pastries," she turned to everyone in the room, "then who did?" Her voice now carried a frightened tone.
"Don't look at us," Pinkie Pie said with a slight giggle. "If I would have sent you something, it would be a basket of cookies or muffins. Fruity pastries are great, but they can't beat what I'd make!"
Twilight felt herself shake slightly, so many questions were hitting her all at once.
Everyone jumped when they heard a sudden crash from outside.
"What in tarnation?" Braeburn exclaimed, raising himself up from his seat. "Must be trouble! Come on!"
Twilight, still confused and scared as ever, quietly followed behind everyone as they all quickly exited out of Sugarcube Corner. She bit her lip nervously, trying to figure out what she seemed unwilling to believe in whatever she thought she was believing this instant.
As they came outside, she saw many Ponyville citizens stand close together as they gazed at the commotion before them. Twilight, immediately withdrawing from her thoughts, pushed her way past her friends and other ponies and finally stood in front of the little accident that had occurred a short while ago. She barely noticed Pipsqueak join by her side, wanting to get a closer look as well. Their eyes widened as they gazed at the scene before them.
There had been a cart accident as two ponies shared apologies while standing before their carts carrying general items like milk bottles and hay. Neither seemed to have gotten hurt though the contents had spilled to the ground and remained before their hooves.
Twilight blew a sigh of relief before she casually walked over to the two ponies. "What happened?" She asked.
One of the ponies, wearing a milkpony's hat, glanced at her. "Well, I was just pulling my cart along right here," he motioned to the ground beside him.
"And I was just making a delivery of hay," the other pony, wearing a green vest, explained. "I was just walking beside him when suddenly my cart just jumped!" And he held his hooves wide apart to demonstrate.
Twilight raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Jumped?"
"Yeah, jumped," the green-vested pony repeated. "And suddenly my cart crashed into the other fellow's." He motioned to the other pony.
"But don't worry, we're not hurt," the other pony assured her.
Pipsqueak stood close by Twilight, gazing at the scene before him curiously. "Wow, I wonder how it could've have happened." He turned to the unicorn. "What do you think, Twilight?"
Twilight barely heard him as she placed a hoof under her chin and began to ponder the possibilities. She gazed over at the mess before her, one of the carts laying on it side while the other one was set upside down, and clumps of hay and scattered bottles covering the ground.
"Jumped?" She questioned herself quietly before taking a step closer to the scene, Pipsqueak beside her.
"Twilight, what are you doing?" Spike called as he and the others watched.
"Looks more like Officer Sparkle to you," Rainbow Dash chuckled as she and the others observed the quite observant unicorn.
Twilight walked around one of the carts, inspecting it closely. She gazed at the cart that carried hay, scanning its wheels and seeing if anything had broken. Then she turned to the milk cart, nudging it and moved it a little. Finally, she used her magic to lift both of them up, raising them high above their heads.
Finally, her eyes found the cause.
Laying on the ground was a gray rock, too small to notice but large enough to create a problem.
Twilight gently placed the carts aside as the citizens gathered closer to watch her magically pick up the object that was responsible for the accident.
"What is it, Twilight?" Pipsqueak asked curiously, trying to stand as much as he could on his tiny legs to gaze at the object she picked up.
Twilight scanned the rock once more before turning to him and the others. "Well..." She gave a light chuckle. "This proves that we should clean the streets of Ponyville better." She gave the rock a light toss in the air with her magic before landing it in her hoof and she gazed at the surprised ponies around her. "That's all, people. Nothing to see here."
"Well, I nearly got scared silly thinking there was incredible danger occurring this way," Rarity said dramatically, giving her mane a light flip. "All because of some dumb rock."
"Wasn't it because of some dumb rock that you got your cutie mark?" Applejack asked playfully.
Rarity pouted her lips, her blue eyes narrowing slightly. "We are not speaking of this now," she muttered.
"Are you going to keep it?" Pipsqueak asked Twilight, gazing at the rock in her hooves. "It actually looks nice and could be some kind of treasure."
Twilight smiled down at him before gazing back at the rock in her possession. "You know what, Pipsqueak? Maybe you should have it."
"Really?" He jumped on his tiny hooves with excitement. "You'll let me?"
"Well, I can't find any interest in collecting rocks," Twilight chuckled. "If it were possible, I would rather collect stars from the sky."
"That sounds better," Pipsqueak said as he reached his tiny hooves out to for his special present. Twilight gently descended the rock down with her magic toward his stretched out hooves.
POOF!
Twilight, Pipsqueak, and other ponies cried out surprise by the sudden explosion that emerged from the rock. Twilight coughed as a blue, glittering dust surrounded them, causing a magical yet intimidating effect to their surroundings.
"Pipsqueak!" Twilight cried as she waved a hoof to rid the dust around her.
She past through the remaining dust and found the little pinto colt laying on his stomach, trembling with fear from the sudden surprise. Twilight quickly rushed to his side, lowering her head down and nuzzling him comfortingly. "Sweetie, are you okay?" She asked him desperately.
"Y-yeah..." His voice trembled a bit, his body still shaking.
"Twilight!" Both looked to see Rainbow Dash quickly flap over to them, the gust of her wings rapidly blowing away the dust. "You guys okay?"
"We're fine," Twilight told her as she nudged Pipsqueak to his feet. She looked over to the 'rock' which had broken into pieces with bits of blue dust on the floor. "That was...that was..." She tried to searched for the right word. "I don't know what to call that..."
"Seems somepony was trying to play a practical joke on us," Rainbow Dash implied, gazing around the distraught ponies. "A joke that really isn't funny at all..." Her eyes narrowed.
Twilight gazed around her, suddenly feeling nervous for some reason. She let Pipsqueak lean close to her, scared that another 'surprise' would occur.
"Sweetie!" Mrs. Sparkle called out worriedly. "Sweetie, is everything alright?"
Twilight gazed around her once more before turning back to her mother. "Y-yeah..." She said quietly. "Everything's fine."
With that said, she led Pipsqueak toward the group, gently placing one hoof forward carefully with every step.
"It's okay, Pip," Twilight told him softly, nuzzling her leg against his tiny body. "Somepony was just trying to be funny in a cruel way."
Suddenly, she slipped and fell forward, nearly falling over Pipsqueak as she landed on her face.
"Are you okay?" Pipsqueak cried as he gazed down at her figure on the floor.
Twilight shook her head, rubbing her mane tenderly from the impact. "Something tripped me!" She cried before looking around, wondering if that exact same practical joker was making her a new target.
Spike had witnessed everything, and his green eyes widened. He bared his teeth angrily as he regarded around him. "Alright, who's messing with Twilight?" He demanded.
"No one's messing with Twilight," Pinkie Pie said in her usual cheerful voice. "Twilight's hoofies are just not cooperating with her today!" And she gave a small giggle, not intending to laugh at her unicorn friend.
Twilight gave the pink pony a slightly annoyed frown as she dusted herself. "My 'hoofies'..." she repeated with irritation in her voice. "Are fine." She turned her head, wondering if some mysterious force was against her. "Somepony or something is jus being plain rude."
"Sweetie, I'm sure it was just a simple mistake," her father assured her. He motioned back to Sugarcube Corner. "Come on, let's just go back inside. You were about to tell us something, remember?"
Twilight's eyes widened, realizing that she still had a meeting to host and she still had so much to talk about. "Oh, right!" She said quickly. "Everypony back inside!"
She smiled softly as Pipsqueak trotted past her, following behind her parents and Spike. Twilight breathed deeply before giving her mane a slight flip and followed behind them, knowing too well she was ready as well as somewhat enthusiastic. She seemed almost excited, feeling quite light on her hooves.
And even lighter...as if her hooves were barely touching ground.
Twilight gazed down and shrieked, catching all the other ponies' attention as they all turned to look at her.
"Twilight!" Her friends cried.
Everyone gasped as they saw the unicorn being lifted into the air, her legs struggling to get back to the ground.
"What's going on?" Her mother cried as she watched her daughter helplessly.
"Alright, dumb, mysterious force!" Rainbow Dash growled as she launched into the air, wings flapping furiously. "Let my friend go!"
"Rainbow Dash, don't worry!" Twilight assured her, flapping her hooves in the air as her horn glowed. "It's just magic. Simple child's play." And she used her own magic to quickly descend to the ground. As soon as her hooves met the surface, her friends rushed over to her.
"Are you okay?" Fluttershy asked her desperately.
"Are your hoofies hurt?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"What varmint or whatever is doing this to you?" Applejack demanded.
"Guys, guys!" Twilight told them, feeling useless in answering any of their questions. "Really, I have no idea!"
"Uh, Twilight?" She turned to see Pipsqueak stand close to her. "I don't want to scare you...but there's this fog coming."
Twilight gasped. "Fog? What fog?"
Pipsqueak pointed a tiny hoof in the direction between them and Twilight yelped in surprise.
A blue mist floated between them, passing all around throughout the streets of Ponyville. Ponies cried out in fear, too scared to move as the mist glided past them, like a trail of stars at night.
Twilight gulped as she held Pipsqueak close to her, his little body trembling in her hooves. "Just stay close..." She whispered tenderly to him, holding him protectively as she gazed at the sea of magic around them. "This is just...just..."
"Scary?" Pipsqueak mumbled, holding closer to him.
"That's a good term to describe it," Twilight muttered.
Honestly, the blue mist seemed quite...lovely. It managed to make Twilight's eyes sparkle as she continued gazing at it. This little 'show' would be entertaining if it wasn't scaring everyone!
Suddenly, the blue mist sped at a fast rate, from every direction it moved forward and landed right where Twilight and Pipsqueak stood. Twilight closed her eyes, hearing her friends and parents cry out for them as the blue mist surrounded her body. She held Pipsqueak tighter to her, both crying out in fear as the wind blew through her mane, nearly ripping her off the ground.
"What is going on?" Twilight cried out desperately. The sunglasses on her head flew off but she didn't care; she just didn't want Pipsqueak to fly out of her hooves as the strong wind pushed against their bodies.
Finally, the blue mist ceased and descended to the ground before her hooves. Twilight breathed out heavily, seemingly exhausted from what just occurred as she watched it motion like a puddle of water before her and Pipsqueak. The little pinto colt hugged her tighter as they continued gazing at it, fear still visible on their faces as they awaited for what would happen next.
Suddenly, the blue mist lifted up, and expanded like how a book was opened. It continued widening, nearly occupying the streets as terrified ponies ran off for protection.
Twilight was just too stunned to move, holding a terrified Pipsqueak close to her as the blue mist overshadowed her, blocking her from her friends and family.
It stopped expanding, and it began to sparkle, flashing so bright it nearly blinded her. And then the light effects turned down as the blue mist disappeared like a popped bubble...
And then something landed on the ground.
Suddenly, it felt like time stood still as Twilight gazed at what was before her. She barely heard Pipsqueak call her nor realize she had loosened her hold on him as she continued staring. Her purple eyes widened, not sure whether they were in horror or relief, as they gazed into the eyes of-
"Discord!" Rainbow Dash growled furiously as soon as she and the rest of Ponyville were finally able to see through the evaporated mist.
Twilight just remained still as Pipsqueak fell from her hold, standing close to her now as his eyes watched with just as much shock. The unicorn felt her head spin, wondering if her mind was playing tricks on her.
No...no...
She felt her head growing painful with so many questions as she remained standing and gazing at the obvious before her. But she wasn't sure she wanted to believe what she was just seeing. Especially since it had been so long...Was reality playing a joke on her? Was she simply going crazy as the day she had been desperate for a quick lesson in friendship to write?
She just stood there, her body trembling, her eyes meeting those...of red and gold.
Mismatched pupils blinked at her as a snaggletooth became even more visible in a wide smirk at the sight of her stunned face.
"It's been a while, hasn't it, Twilight Sparkle?" Discord chuckled, smiling down at her from his increased height. His voice was smooth yet cheerful and he gave a light laugh as he continued gazing at her expression of distraught.
Twilight couldn't speak, her mouth felt dry. She just gazed at him with disbelief, unable to absorb the impossible before her. Luckily for her, the others spoke out.
"What in tarnation are you doing here, Discord?" Applejack demanded as she and the other Elements of Harmony stood their ground in front of the other ponies and glared at his backside.
Applejack's question immediately caught Twilight's attention as she looked behind the creature and gazed at her friends, at all the other ponies. She was shocked to realize that they had actually spoken out Discord's name.
They...they remember him? She thought with amazement.
"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash growled, zooming up to the creature's height and glared at him eye-to-eye. "I thought we got rid of the likes of you and shoved you back in that stone prison of yours!"
They remember what we did back then...Twilight's mind cried. They remember!
The surprise seemed so overwhelming at the moment. For so many weeks, for so long, no one had spoken Discord's name or shown any slight hints of recalling him. Twilight had always assumed that, like how the elements had turned Nightmare Moon back into Princess Luna, her friends as well as everyone else had forgotten about Discord as well as turning him into stone.
Yet here her friends and the rest of Ponyville were...in mixed fear and hatred for the creature Twilight never thought she would see again.
Then her eyes fell on Fluttershy. She thought the yellow pegasus would break into rage as the unicorn recalled the day she told her about Discord before Fluttershy went into a ranting state, thus leaving Twilight with the only option to use the memory erasing spell to not further any damage...
But now...gazing at her shy friend with the surprising temper...Fluttershy showed neither hostility nor anger. Instead, she showed great fear as she lowered her head and gazed nervously at their old enemy. Twilight couldn't believe the complete contrast from last time. It was like a failure to repeat itself to confuse Twilight even more right now.
What? Twilight thought almost desperately as she gazed at the terrified pegasus. But Fluttershy...last time...
She was quickly taken away from her thoughts as Discord let out a small chuckle, simply amused by Rainbow Dash's temper.
"Oh, please..." He said calmly. "Stop being such joykillers, you silly ponies..."
He gazed around Ponyville, all its citizens trembling at the sight of him. Twilight remained still, allowing Pipsqueak to move closer to her as she watched Discord regard their home.
"Hmm..." Discord pondered, stroking his goat-like beard. "I'm not sure whether to put some cotton candy clouds in the sky or turn the flowers into gummy candies..." He still held his amused smile, thinking what his magic could do.
"You'll do no such thing!" Rarity shouted, standing in front of her friends as she glared at Discord. "Your chocolate rain had ruined perfectly good manes last time!"
"But Rarity!" Pinkie Pie cried as she stood next to the white unicorn. "Chocolate rain!" She grabbed her head in her hooves and gazed at her eyes, almost insanely. "Chocolate rain!"
If Twilight could, she would have laughed at Pinkie Pie's statement. Just like the last time Discord's magic had affected their home. To hear Pinkie Pie talk about the joy of chocolate rain...to have chocolate rain once more to Discord's pleasure...
"What's all this about chocolate rain?" Twilight snapped out of her daze as she watched her father step forward, gazing up at Discord. She winced as she watched the older unicorn bravely gaze up at the Draconequus, hoping her father wouldn't get into any trouble with the Spirit of Disharmony; this was, afterall, the first time Discord has met her parents.
She watched her mother tremble behind her father as they both stood before Discord. The mismatched creature simply smiled down at them, as if pleased to meet to make their acquaintance, especially to the parents of the Element of Magic and Friendship.
"Well, you must be the parents of Twilight Sparkle," Discord said with a gaze of interest as he gazed down at them. "Yes, you certainly are," he nodded. "You each have that...sparkle." And he laughed at his own joke.
"What in tarnation are you up, whatever you are?" Twilight watched as Braeburn and Little Strongheart, who had been quiet and frightened the whole time Discord had came through thin air, approached the creature with expressions of hostility, standing protectively among the children.
"You better not hurt our friends!" Little Strongheart said in a warning tone, her eyes blazing the same as the day she had fought Rainbow Dash for the first time.
"Why does everypony assume that I intend to hurt?" Discord rolled his eyes, the subject dawning on him as pure boredom.
"Well, duh!" Rainbow Dash flew right back into his face. "You nearly broke us apart with your dumb chaos and stuff!" She held out her hooves in a fighting stance. "And I'll be darned if you pull that again!"
Twilight gulped, seeing a slight reference to the day Rainbow Dash had flown straight into a glass window image of the Draconequus. She had been willing to fight him back then, she was willing to beat him to a pulp now.
Twilight felt even more nervous. She couldn't speak, but she desperately wanted to say 'Don't hurt him'. However, that odd demand seemed useless considering Discord remained unintimidated, as usual.
Discord sighed, losing interest in the pegasus' anger. Without another word, he simply placed his lion paw atop her head and lowered her back to the ground like an apple through a chute. Rainbow Dash was stunned by the gesture, but she immediately pushed it aside as she glared at him while remaining on the ground with her friends, wings flapping furiously.
"Come on, Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo urged her as she immediately stood by her side. "Take him down!"
"Aw, isn't that sweet?" Discord chuckled at the little pegasus' support. "I never knew Rainbow Dash had a fan." He cooed a bit, making him appear even more childish than usual.
"Oh, enough of this!" Rarity huffed, getting tired of the creature talking. "What on Earth do you want, Discord?"
"The elements?" Applejack questioned.
"Equestria?" Rainbow Dash growled.
"Control over us?" Fluttershy gulped.
Twilight bit her lip, terrified that her friends could be right and Discord might be out for revenge. Would he steal the elements again and lead them on another quest? A quest, like last time, that would affect each of her friends, perhaps even worse? And what about their home?
Twilight did a quick scan of her surroundings. Ponyville seemed fine, with the exception of the terrified citizens around her.
Discord gave another amused smile, his eyes lowered and calm as he gazed at all the trembling ponies before him. It always satisfied him to watch these ponies become so intimated by his sudden appearance and chaotic magic. However, fooling around with their fears was not what he intended to do.
"If you must know," he said in a communicative tone as he smoothed the top of his head with his lion paw, "I've simply come here to just be, well..." He smirked, his single tooth more visible. "Myself."
"Yourself?" Rainbow Dash demanded. "Cause problems for all of us? Ruin our friendship again? Turn our home into the chaos capital of the world?"
Twilight continued staring at Discord, wondering if what Rainbow Dash was stating would be true. To watch Discord take over Equestria as he did before...cotton candy clouds...sudsy grounds...that mischievous smirk on his face...
One part of her felt she needed to formulate a plan to stop him once again...yet another part of her was telling her that it all seemed like innocent fun. Wasn't that what her mind had been fighting about for so long?
And for so long, she had been thinking about Discord...she never thought she would actually see him again.
"Oh, you still remember those," Discord laughed, rolling his eyes. "A good time, was it not?" He gazed at all the ponies before finally turning his back.
And gazed down at Twilight.
The unicorn had been quiet and apprehensive the whole time he kept his focus on her friends. She was still in disbelief, still wondering if this was all a trick or simply her mind losing itself to having been thinking about him for so long.
Now he was here...standing before her...and suddenly her friends show that they actually remembered him this whole time? Maybe the other ponies, like her, were simply keeping thoughts to themselves.
Maybe she doubted too much...
"Twilight?" Pipsqueak gulped, nudging her. "Twilight, are you okay?"
Discord's gazed flickered from Twilight to the small pinto colt as he decreased in size until he was at regular height, though still remaining so tall compared to the ponies.
"Aw, aren't you the cutest little thing!" He cooed lightly, bending down to look at Pipsqueak.
The little pinto colt remained perfectly still, gazing into the creature's eyes as he stood protectively in front of Twilight. Pipsqueak gulped, trying to be brave as he stared at the creature that he just learned about. His horns, his arms, his legs...Pipsqueak had to admit Discord seemed like a funny sight, but he dared not crack a smile as the creature's gaze made him stiff.
"You must not have been here when I was first released," Discord chuckled at the child's attempt at being hero. "Well, don't worry." He smirked before gazing around all the other ponies. "I'm back!" He sang.
He turned from Pipsqueak and continued gazing at Twilight, who remained perfectly still. She flinched as he moved closer to her, biting her bottom lip to keep from crying out in shock.
Those eyes...those red and gold eyes...they were as taunting as the day she first gazed into them. Twilight wanted to look away, but she just couldn't. She could barely blink as she continued looking into them.
The way she looked at him, she could see slight amusement in those mismatched pupils of his. But there was something different in his eyes Twilight just couldn't fathom...
They were gentle...innocent even...and apologetic?
"Oh, Twilight Sparkle," His voice broke her away from her trance and he chuckled softly as he continued gazing at her. "My favorite pony. How I've missed you!" He laughed like a little filly. "Judging by the look on your face, I'm certain you've missed me, hmm?"
Twilight just gulped, still unable to speak as she remained frozen, not even realizing Pipsqueak was beside her. Why did Discord have to ask her that? It was something she wasn't sure she would have a direct answer for...
He simply smirked, gazing at her priceless expression as he floated just slightly above her. He needed no words from the unicorn to know just how exactly she felt to finally see him again.
"Well, there are no words to describe this reunion now, is there?" He said in a cool tone as he fiddled with his lion paw.
Twilight's eyes moved to that familiar animal part of his. Just as she had studied before, that seemed like the only part of his body that was the least threatening. She just hoped he wouldn't run a finger down her cheek like last time, it would bring back fear she was desperately trying not to show.
"Leave her alone, Discord!" Rainbow Dash growled, she and her friends glaring at him.
"What?" Discord said innocently, holding his mismatched hands up in defense. "I'm not doing anything now, am I?" He ignored them before turning to Twilight once more. "Well, here's a little something for you, dear Twilight. Hopefully, it'll get a few words out of you." He chuckled.
Twilight's eyes shifted over to his lion paw. In an instant, an object magically appeared in his grip.
Twilight blinked as she gazed at whatever he conjured. It almost looked like a bouquet of flowers...but actually, it was just fruity pastries on sticks, wrapped in stripped paper.
Wait...fruity pastries?
Twilight's eyes suddenly widened in realization before looking up at him. "You..." She managed to finally find her voice. "Y-you're the one who...?"
"The basket from last night, Twilight?" Discord chuckled, his eagle claw scratching his ear. "An early gift, I confess." He picked a fruity pastry from the bouquet and ate it in one bite. "Honestly, fruity pastries are my absolute favorite!" He said as if trying to bring her into a conversation.
The unicorn felt herself go pale. Not only because fruity pastries were her favorite as well, but that Discord had been at her house last night! That meant...
How did he escape? Her mind suddenly asked.
She had been too busy getting over the shock of suddenly seeing him here that she hadn't even questioned herself about how on Earth Discord had even escaped his stone prison.
However, she was soon distracted when Discord offered her the bouquet of fruity pastries, smile still plastered on his face.
"Hope you liked them as well," he told her in a kind, yet mischievous tone.
Twilight moved her eyes away from his toward the bouquet in front of her. She could smell the fruity sweetness in them...just like the ones she ate last night. She gulped, not sure whether to decline his offer or use her magic to remove them and start asking questions, starting with how he had escaped after the elements had sealed him away...
She wanted to bombard him with questions, demand him to stop scaring everyone, plead him to not ruin her home...But she was just too stunned to do any of that.
Suddenly, Rainbow Dash came between them, shoving the bouquet back at a slightly surprised Discord while standing protectively in front of Twilight.
"Twilight doesn't want your dumb gift, Discord!" The pegasus shouted. "And she especially doesn't want anything to do with you either!"
Twilight's eyes widened, watching her friend speak out at Discord so harshly. She couldn't blame the pegasus for being so angry, but the unicorn felt she was just pushing it a little too far.
"Rainbow Dash..." Her voice came out too quiet for anyone to hear. She wanted her friend to cease the hostility just for the moment.
Discord simply gave an annoyed frown, the bouquet disappearing from his paw as he gazed at Rainbow Dash. Then he looked back toward the citizens of Ponyville, all trembling at his presence, only the Elements of Harmony standing before him bravely.
"Well, then..." He said finally as if it was no big deal, raising his head up like some stuck-up Canterlot pony.
He watched as Twilight's friends immediately came to her aid, holding her close as if Discord was going to hurt her. He scoffed, rolling his eyes, becoming more annoyed than amused with these stubborn ponies.
"I guess I'll just leave," he took one last glance around Ponyville.
Twilight blinked, barely feeling the comforting nuzzle Pinkie Pie had under her chin as she watched Discord. Her eyes widened when his gaze finally focused on her once more.
They stared at each other for what seemed like hours...
Finally, with a snap of his fingers, a pair of green sunglasses appeared in his hands. Twilight suddenly remembered the red sunglasses that had been blown off her head earlier. She actually felt relieved she wasn't wearing them right now, it could bring up some questions from Discord. But she still wanted to question him about that as well.
"I guess I'm off," Discord said before finally placing the sunglasses over his eyes. "This reunion was pretty...interesting if you should call it that." He smirked a bit.
Twilight opened her mouth as she watched him step away. She was about to say something when he held his eagle claw fingers out.
"N..." Twilight wanted to speak, but she felt too shy to do so considering everyone around her.
Finally, he snapped his fingers and he disappeared in an instant.
Just like that. He was gone. Just as he had been weeks ago.
"Don't go..." Twilight whispered sadly.
Thankfully, no one heard her as Rainbow Dash immediately flew up high in the air, scanning the area and making sure Discord hadn't left behind any of his chaos for them to deal with.
"This is bad, guys!" She hollered down below. "I have no idea how the hay Discord suddenly came back, but we got to do something about it!"
"You sure are right, partner!" Applejack nodded before turning to Braeburn and Little Strongheart. "Cousin, you and Little Strongheart check around Ponyville and make sure everypony is fine." Her cousin and buffalo friend quickly nodded before fulfilling their order.
"What do we do?" Sweetie Belle asked as she looked to her sister.
Rarity gazed at the little filly with concerned eyes. "You, young lady, stay safe with the other kids. Leave it to your big sister to handle this."
"Wait a minute!" Twilight turned from her friends and saw her parents step forward, becoming even more concerned as before. "What exactly are you girls going to do? I mean, now that this creature is back..." He bit his lip.
"And our daughter!" Twilight felt her mother's gentle hoof on her back and turned to see the terrified look on the older unicorn's face. "What is our daughter going to do?"
"Well, stop him, duh!" Pinkie Pie roller her eyes.
Twilight needed to speak up. Things were going out of control by what she analyzed, and she felt she had to say something, especially since she had planned to do so earlier before all of this occurred.
"Girls, wait!" Twilight called out.
All eyes turned to her and she trembled nervously, her cheeks blushing a bit.
"What is it, Twilight?" Applejack asked her. "Did Discord actually do something to you?"
The unicorn quickly shook her head. "No..." She said quietly. "He didn't do anything." She shuffled her hooves. "See...this is what I've been meaning to tell you earlier..."
"About Discord?" She turned to see Spike walk casually toward her.
"Exactly, Spike," she gave a guilty nod. "I've been meaning to tell you guys, but I wasn't sure that-"
"Say no more, Twilight!" She backed away a little when Rainbow Dash flew down to her level. She was confused to see the smile on the pegasus' face. "We totally understand what you're talking about!"
Twilight blinked, raising an eyebrow. "Y-you do?" Perhaps she had been worrying for nothing.
"Yeah, of course!" Rainbow Dash said cheerfully before gazing at the others. "You sensed Discord was going to come back, but you weren't sure if you were just going crazy or not."
Twilight felt her heart drop at the guessed statement. "Well, actually-"
"And you were right!" Pinkie Pie intervened, bouncing on her hooves. "He's back! Boy, I can't blame you for being so nervous about it, Twilight! You were just scared that we wouldn't take you seriously!"
"But we do now!" Applejack added. "To think that trying to forget about him would do no good! And boy, howdy, we're going to take action now!"
Twilight's jaw fell. This was not what she had in mind.
"Spike!" Rainbow Dash turned to the baby dragon. "Write a message to Princess Celestia! She and Luna got to know about this!"
"On it!" Spike said as she quickly took out a quill and paper.
Twilight watched as everyone set right to work, leaving her completely dumbfounded as well as distraught.
"Twilight?" The unicorn looked down to see Pipsqueak look up at her. In his tiny hooves was her red sunglasses.
Discord's sunglasses.
"I found these for you," he said softly. "They were in the hay."
Despite everything, Twilight gave a grateful smile before she used her magic to remove them out of his hooves and placed them on her head. Thank goodness Discord had not seen them! She would not have been prepared for a mere taunting from the Spirit of Disharmony, as well as questioning from her friends who assumed something far from what she meant to say.
"Are we in danger?" Pipsqueak asked nervously, siding close to her.
Twilight sighed before draping a gentle hoof over his tiny body. "I'm not sure, Pipsqueak..." She told him in a sincere tone.
She gazed back toward the area where Discord had disappeared. She wanted to say so many things to him, things she had been meaning to tell him as she had done with his statue in the gardens.
But now he was gone. Again.
Why did you go? She thought sadly.
_
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everyone but twilight got me fuckin' pissed
Curse these updates, they drive me to stop writing and press F5
EPIC! That's the one word I can describe this chapter! Seeing Discord back somehow and seeing Twilight torn is just plain awesome! Now this is where the story gets interesting!
Also, you put a romance tag, but said that there won't be any just friendship to get mores views, so I guess you can say that this story has.... *Puts on sunglasses* Friendshipping.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I found one mistake:
1."We're fine," Twilight told her as she nudged Pipsqueak to his feet
Wait.... Pip has feet!?! You should change that to hooves. He has legs but no feet.
Romance, you say?
Heh, just pulling your chain, but seriously, this is coming along nicely. Please continue. 
111255
YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FINALLY! the last chapter of fanfiction crossed the internet and arrived here!
now things just got real ^^
you are a fan of Discolight? (heh, sounds funny)
do you know some non-tragic/grim fanfic with discolight?
Do I detect.. A Batman gambit? or perhaps Discord is just being Discord.
111264 You can ignore that if you were speaking metaphorically about the feet thing.
111311Sorry, I don't.
111311Sorry, I don't.
111255Well, as I mentioned before, you might get HINTED. 
111266Still, as I mentioned, I'm a Discolight fan...so you might get HINTS.
Just so you know, I am a follower of this on Fanfiction.net
And when i read the beginning of Chapter 16 I literally pointed at my screen stood up and yelled
"BULLSHIT" When i read what happened to her letter. I now slightly hate you.
Good day
Cheers
~iraqlobstah
YAAAAYYYYY!!!!!!!
Oh great, way to trick readers into thinking this was a romance story. In what language does romance = friendship?
Im highly disappointed that you lied about the romance. If its it's not romance then it shouldn't have the tag.