Discord's Patchwork Adventure

by Comicizzum

Pursuit

Shortly after her failure of following her former friends into Discord's portal, Midnight Sparkle returned to her castle to do one of the things she did best: research.

Though she had yet to be successful in her goal, she was not going to give up. Her Master demanded their capture before her return. Failure was not an option.

With an angry growl she set yet another book aside and pulled out a new prospect from the pile on her table. She'd been sitting here for hours and still no progress! Her stack of books on chaos theory were depleting by the second.

“Of course the annoying fool would succeed in shutting me out,” she grumbled, opening Magics of Mystery and Myth. “But it’s only a matter of time before I break his little spell and then there will be no crevice, no corner, no sanctuary for them to hide. I’ll find you,” she darkly chuckled, flipping the pages and speed-reading, searching. "I'll find you all!"

Her evil laugh echoed off the walls, her voice haunting the library she loved.

“T-Twilight?”

Midnight froze as a pair of hesitant steps shuffled into the room. She set her book down and quickly twisted around, spreading her magnificent wings. The intruder gasped and fell back, his green eyes widening in disbelief. Midnight’s defensive stance relaxed as she recognized her old charge.

“Spike,” she greeted with a toothy grin. “Back so soon?”

“What-What happened to you?” he gasped, shakily getting back on his feet.

Midnight did a little twirl, showing off her body. “Oh, nothing much. Just enlightenment.”

“Enlightenment?” he repeated. “You…you look like Nightmare Moon.”

Midnight snorted. “Please, I am ten times more beautiful than my sister!”

“Your sister?”

Midnight rolled her eyes. “Do get with the times, Spike. I know you’ve been away but surely the news has spread within Equestria.”

“News?” he asked weakly, backing away as she slowly advanced like a hungry lioness. “What news?”

Midnight’s smile grew, her fangs now fully exposed. “Equestria is under new management. My Master, King Tirek, now rules the land.”

“W-WHAT?!”

Midnight circled him, eyeing his tiny pink form, chuckling evilly. “You know, I think he would benefit from having a dragon in his service; better than those pony-turned-wyverns.”

Spike instinctively started to make a run for the exit but Midnight was quicker. In a flash of shadow she reappeared in front of him, wings flared, blue horn surrounded by a magenta glow.

“Give him my regards,” she laughed, hitting him with a spell.

Spike’s terrified cry abruptly disappeared as he vanished. The echo of his fear still lingered and Midnight licked her lips delightfully, trotting happily back to the table. Once seated she continued her vigil, forgetting about the little dragon entirely.

---

“Starlight, are you sure bringing them here is such a good idea?” asked Rainbow Dash, hovering next to Applejack beside Discord's neon orange couch. “Princess Celestia said we couldn’t go with Twilight to the Mirror World because it might affect the balance there. Wouldn’t their presence here do the same thing?”

Discord snorted loudly and everypony looked at him. “If I could, you’d see me rolling my eyes. Kay-Kay has such a tendency to over exaggerate things. The balance would only be affected if they stayed here long term - and by that I mean many, many years; practically as long as a perfectly healthy pony living into their old age. Short visits like this one will only be a blip on the balance scale. Things will be fine.”

“While that’s good to know, we still don’t really know much about ‘em,” Applejack argued.

“Yes, you do,” Starlight assured. “I spent a few days with them and while some things are different, they’re actually really similar to each one of you.”

“Just think of them as a twin you were separated from at birth,” suggested Discord.

“Oh! Oh! And once reunited we can switch places without telling anypony and go on an epic adventure to try to get our parents back together!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

“This isn’t the Sire Trap, Pinkie,” Rainbow Dash said, rolling her eyes. “We have separate sets of parents.”

“Ohhh,” she said before letting out a disappointed sigh. “What a missed opportunity.”

“You know, I have an entrance to the Mirror World somewhere,” said Discord, stroking his beard thoughtfully.

“Really? Because that would be super helpful!” said Starlight.

"I think it's in my "Things I Swiped from Celestia" room."

Applejack's muzzle turned down in a disapproving scowl. "You have a whole room devoted to petty theft?"

Discord smirked. "Oh, honest Applejack, you have no idea. Just wait until you see it!"

He began to rise but ended up flopping off the side of the couch, his body bunching up in a comical heap on the floor.

"Are you alright?" asked Fluttershy, hovering uncertainly, clearly debating whether or not she should help.

"Fine, fine," he said, waving her away with his paw.

He tried to get his limbs straightened out but only managed to flop from side to side. “Cursed fluff,” he grumbled under his breath.

“What’s the matter, Discord?" Rainbow Dash teased, "Got your stuffing in a twist?”

Pinkie Pie laughed, “Oh, good one!” as the Lord of Chaos flailed and fell yet again.

"Here, let me help you stitch up," said Rarity, lifting him with her magic and realigning his limbs so all four were beneath him.

Discord huffed as more laughter filled his home. "You know, normally I would appreciate a good pun but I’m finding myself rather unamused at the moment!"

"Sorry, Discord," said Applejack with a smile. "We can't help ourselves. Ya look like a patchwork quilt roped around a clothes line."

Discord's ears lowered as he growled.

Fluttershy finally came to his defense. "Girls, be nice. Discord can't help his current floppiness."

"I don't know," said Starlight with a sly grin. Discord grimaced, knowing exactly what was coming, unable to open his mouth fast enough to stop her. "He's always seemed like a klutzy draconequus to me."

The room erupted with laughter, everypony knowing the code word she, Discord, Trixie, and Thorax had used during the Great Changeling Rescue. Even Fluttershy couldn't help herself from releasing a quiet snort.

"Et tu, Fluttershy?" Discord said, thoroughly miffed and exasperated.

The yellow pegasus' guilt was immediate and her smile instantly dropped. "I'm sorry, Discord," she said sincerely.

He sighed. "It's alright, my dear. I would have laughed too, had the subject not been myself. Let’s just look for that mirror.”

He hoisted himself up on all fours and carefully padded across the room, testing out his new body. There was more fluff in his lion paw than his eagle claw and he had to keep his tail lower to counterweight the position of his head. Eventually he mad it across the room with only a few stumbles.

“He looks like a cute little snake!” Pinkie Pie commented.

Fluttershy giggled and Discord tried not to be self conscious of all the brightly colored eyes as he slithered towards the slide that led to the hallway.

The others followed him, waiting until he was out of the slide before following one after the other, Pinkie Pie giggling happily as she zoomed down backwards.

“How in Equestria do you even know where anything is in this place?” asked Applejack, eyeing the different doors on either side of the hallway and ceiling.

“Sight, smell, taste, touch, sound,” Discord said, flicking his tail back and forth. “You use your senses, obviously.”

“What do you mean by taste?” Rarity asked cautiously.

“Exactly that,” said Discord, demonstrating by sticking out his tongue and tapping it against a pink door. The wood shivered and Discord smacked his lips. “Hmmm, that would be the chalk zone. Don’t go in there; you might get erased.”

Everypony skirted as far away from the pink door as possible.

“Don’t tell me we have to lick every single one?!” Rarity cried in horror, staring down the hallway in dismay.

Discord laughed. “No need to fret, Rarity; you don’t actually lick the door but the magic that’s attached to it. It’s perfectly sanitary. Besides, you only have to lick the pink ones.”

“Dibs on those!” Pinkie Pie cried, zooming off to lick another pink door three doors down. “Mmmm, savory! This one’s a soap room!”

“How do you know that?” asked Rainbow Dash.

Pinkie Pie thought for a moment and then shrugged. “The room’s identity just came to me after I got a taste.”

Discord nodded, fairly pleased with himself. "The identity of the room will come to mind when you use the specific sense tied to each door."

“Okay, so we have to taste the pink ones," said Starlight, "What about the other four color options?”

“You have to smell the green ones,” Discord answered. “Blue you listen to; just putting your ear to the door will do. Yellow you touch; soft caresses are best. Purple you simply have to stare at.”

“What about the brown ones?” asked Fluttershy curiously.

“Oh, those are guest bedrooms and bathrooms,” he said. “My bedroom is the only red door in the house and I would appreciate if none of you tried to enter it. A draconequus needs his privacy, after all.”

“Like anypony would ever want to go in there anyway,” Rainbow Dash muttered, Rarity nodding in silent agreement. Fluttershy scuffed the ground, avoiding eye contact with everypony.

“Right,” Starlight muttered, regaining everypony’s attention. “Pinkie gets the pink ones. Fluttershy, you take the yellow since you have the gentlest touch. Rainbow and I will handle the purple ones. Applejack you get the blue and Rarity you take the green.”

“Why do I have to get the smelly ones?” the latter bemoaned.

“Because you have the best nose,” said Applejack, shoving her towards a door. “Now get sniffin’; the faster we find this mirror, the better.”

Discord decided to stay back and watch the show, snickering heartily when Rarity stumbled upon the Putrid Museum, a room filled with the most repulsive objects a pony could find.

“Why,” she cried, tears streaming down her face, skin tinted a remarkable green, “Why do you have a Putrid Museum?”

“Smells are chaotic,” Discord replied with a shrug.

Rarity marched over to him and bent down, her large blue eyes narrowed in anger. “Let me make one thing clear,” she whispered. “I loathe your taste in smell!”

She huffed and whirled around, smacking him with her tail. His stuffed body slid across the floor into the wall, Discord rubbing his eagle arm and scowling at the retreating unicorn.

“Well, that wasn’t really necessary,” he muttered.

“You did slightly kill her nose,” Starlight said in her defense.

“Only for a moment,” he argued. “Her sense of smell will be fine with the next door she tries.”

“Is there really an ocean on the other side of this or am I just hearin’ things?” asked Applejack, pointing towards the door she stood in front of.

“You heard right,” Discord confirmed, squirming to right himself on his four limbs again.

“Wow, you have a stadium?” Rainbow Dash exclaimed excitedly, staring at a purple door. “What do you use it for?”

Discord shrugged. “All kinds of things. Games, rodeos, experiments.”

“A yarn room?” Starlight questioned. “I didn’t take you for a knitter.”

“There’s a lot about me you don’t know,” Discord huffed. “I’ve been knitting since before Celestia and Luna were even born. Of course I have a yarn room!”

“Oh, a room full of pillows!” Fluttershy exclaimed. “For pillow forts?”

“But of course,” Discord smiled, happy to see her excitement shining through the distance still between them.

“You know, all of these rooms seem to be organized by theme,” Starlight said, sending him a sly grin. “I thought you hated order.”

“I like my rooms to have themes,” Discord said defensively. “If you bothered to actually open the door, you’d find a delightfully chaotic mess; no organization whatsoever.”

“This hallway seems to go on forever!” Rarity complained. “If I have to smell one more door-”

“Found it!” Applejack declared.

“Oh, thank hoofness!” Rarity exclaimed, hastily cantering over and throwing the door open. “Let’s find a… sweet Celestia!”

The others filtered into the room, their mouths dropping at the sheer chaos before them. There were paintings, furniture, tapestries, scrolls, books, hair brushes, an entire collection of forks in a case on the wall labeled Cake Escapees, a couple of thrones, and even a bed.

“Ahhh, the joys of pranking,” Discord laughed, wandering inside.

Something wavy, pink, blue, and green came scurrying out from under the bed on four legs.

Rarity screamed and jumped into Applejack’s arms. “What is that thing?” asked the latter, struggling to keep herself from falling over.

“Lesti!” Discord happily cried, laughing as the wavy thing leapt onto him, smothering his face in its hair.

“It looks like… Princess Celestia’s…” but Starlight stopped, too repulsed to finish.

“Down, Lesti! Down!” Discord commanded. The hairy thing reluctantly backed up and sat down, whining. “Good girl.”

“Discord,” Fluttershy haltingly asked, torn between amusement and revulsion, “Is that…Did that… Was that Princess Celestia’s… ?”

“Hmmm? Oh, Lesti is Celestia’s old tail. I stole her shortly before Kay-Kay and Lulu turned me to stone. Of course I snapped her up a second tail; I’m not completely immune to how you ponies feel about those lovely long locks of yours.”

“And you made it come alive?” asked Rainbow Dash, disturbed.

“Yep!” Discord said happily, rubbing Lesti’s head. The wavy tail end seemed to wag. "She likes to pretend to be my wig when we play charades."

“Awww, she’s so cute!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “Can I pet her?”

“Sure, she’s pretty friendly,” Discord said. “Although she can get a little testy if she doesn’t have some shampoo.”

“Shampoo?” Rarity faintly repeated.

“That’s what she eats,” Discord muttered, hunting around until he found a bottle and started dragging it towards a ceramic bowl. It depicted an image of Starswirl the Bearded. Scowling at the old unicorn, Discord turned the bowl so he couldn’t see the ancient depiction and squirted the bottle of shampoo, filling the inside. Lesti’s head shot up and she bound over to the dish, climbing within and nestling happily into the gooey contents. Discord chuckled, “That a girl.”

Everypony stared.

“Um, is she sitting in it?” asked Starlight.

“How else is she supposed to soak it all in?” Discord asked, chucking the bottle aside and moving away from the wavy hairball.

“Anypony else find that critter unnerving?” asked Applejack.

Most of them nodded.

“I think she’s adorable,” said Fluttershy, smiling as Lesti rolled around in her bowl.

“Me too!” Pinkie Pie agreed.

Starlight coughed. “Right, um, strange pets aside…Discord? What does that mirror look like?”

“Hmmm? Oh, it’s rather small, actually,” he said. “Celestia had it commissioned as a portable. Terrible idea, given how quickly she lost it. It’s gold with purple gems around the edges.”

“Something that small could take hours to find,” Fluttershy commented, staring at the massive collection of objects.

“Then we’d better get started,” said Starlight, her face one of firm determination.

The hunt began with gusto but, as time wore on, everypony’s energy began to deplete and tempers were on the rise.

“This place is worse than Goldie Delicious’ cabin!” Applejack complained, tossing an old quilt out of the way to get to a bunch of random junk underneath.

“Who knew Princess Celestia could have so much stuff,” Rainbow Dash grumbled, rummaging through a bunch of drawers.

“Well, when you live a thousand years, you tend to lose a few things,” said Discord, his voice slightly muffled from under the bed. “So you get new things to replace the old things and those things go missing and, well, you get the idea.”

“Why do I get the feeling you were the one responsible for most of the ‘things going missing’?” Starlight murmured, shifting books around on the shelves.

“Is anypony else getting hungry?” asked Rarity while picking through the tapestries. “It seems we’ve been at this for hours.”

“I can pop down to the kitchen and whip something up,” Pinkie Pie offered. “I’m sure Discord has a ton of food options.”

“Indeed I do,” he stated, emerging from under the bed, unsuccessful. “Do you think you can find your way there and back?”

“I’ll figure it out,” she said, hopping out of the room without a care in the world.

Out of all the ponies, Discord was most confident that she could live up to that claim.

“Do you think we’ll find the mirror anytime soon?” Fluttershy asked, shifting around a trunk full of trinkets.

“I don’t think so,” Rainbow Dash answered, slumping down for a rest. “This seems hopeless!”

“Why do you have to be lacking in any organization skills?” Applejack murmured to Discord, plowing her way through a jewelry box.

“Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony,” Discord testily reminded, pointing at himself.

“I know, I know,” she snapped. “That doesn’t make this job any easier though. If you had your magic you could just snap that stupid mirror out from wherever it’s hiding!”

“You can thank the Pillars for that loss!” Discord retorted, dropping the search to scowl angrily at the farm pony. “I'll have you know, I’m doing all I can to find the stupid thing in this infernal stuffed body!”

“Well, maybe, if ya hadn’t stolen so much stuff, we would have found it by now!”

Discord opened his mouth to retort but Fluttershy came between the two, flaring out her wings. “Enough!” she snapped, glaring at each of them. “Fighting isn’t going to find the mirror and it certainly isn’t helping our situation. I think everypony should take a break.”

Applejack looked thoroughly chastened as she scuffed her hoof along the ground. “You’re right, sugarcube. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have lashed out.”

“Don’t apologize to me,” she said.

The farm pony looked rather miffed but turned to the stuffed draconequus and sighed. “I’m sorry, Discord. I know you're trying yer best.”

“Yes, I am,” he began, “And I don’t appreciate-” Fluttershy cleared her throat, staring at him pointedly. His ears drooped a bit and he sighed. “Oh, fine. I’m sorry too.”

“Lunch is ready!” Pinkie Pie cried, hopping into the room with a cart loaded down with all sorts of food. “Your kitchen is super impressive, Discord. I found everything in there!”

Every pony but Fluttershy hastily gathered around the cart, piling their plates full of cucumber and daisy sandwiches. The yellow pegasus ventured forward after the crowd had passed. Being a stuffed animal, Discord didn’t think it wise to eat so he reluctantly left the ponies to their food and continued in the search.

“You know, he’s getting quite good at navigating his stuffy self around,” Rainbow Dash commented through a mouthful of sandwich.

“Yeah, he is,” Pinkie Pie agreed. “Hey, is he as squishy as he looks Fluttershy?”

Discord, able to hear everything they were saying, quickly spared the pegasus by shouting, “I can hear you, you know!”

Fluttershy sent him a grateful glance before looking away, her cheeks aflame. Discord frowned, returning to his rummaging.

We really need to clear the air between us. I hate being at odds with her.

After lunch and yet another hour of scouring, Rainbow Dash’s patience had worn out. “That’s it, I give up! We’ve looked through every corner of this room. It’s not here!”

Discord poked his head out of a shoebox and reluctantly confessed, “There is a chance I may have moved it somewhere else.”

“And you’re only sharing this now?” Rarity cried, her mane slightly rumpled as she glared at him from a classy golden vanity.

“Your house didn’t look this big from the outside,” complained Applejack. “Just how many rooms do you have anyway?”

“Honestly, I’ve lost count,” he confessed, looking apologetic. “I’m sorry to say it, ladies, but Rainbow Dash may be right. I don’t think we’re going to find it.”

“Perfect! That’s just great! We’ve wasted so much time!” the blue pegasus snapped, stomping her forehoof angrily.

Starlight wearily sighed, leaning against the side of the bed. “It looks like we’re going to have to go with Plan B.”

“And what, pray tell, is that?” demanded Applejack.

Starlight looked grim. “You’re not going to like it.”

---

The candles burned bright in the kitchen of the Crystal Castle, Midnight sitting at the counter, taking a break; even evil alicorns needed to eat.

She had just finished her daisy sandwich when a letter appeared, the scroll tied together by a seal with a sun on it. Midnight rolled her eyes before breaking it open.

Greetings Sister,

Our Master thanks you for the dragon tribute. Already it has joined our ranks, serving as an excellent guardian over the castle. I commend you on the gift but I also feel the need to remind you that your lack of presence has been duly noted and met with impatience. The Master’s generosity grows thin. If you do not return by tomorrow, he will send the rest of us to fulfill what you have failed to yet accomplish.

Sincerely yours,

Daybreaker

Midnight’s teeth ground together before blasting the scroll into ash.

“That pompous cake-eating equine!” she snarled. “Who does she think she is? She’s no longer the head monarch. She can’t boss me around. I’ll show her who’s failing… I’m close… I can feel it!”

She left the kitchen in a huff but before she could return to the library, the castle doors opened and the very ponies she’d been tasked with capturing walked cautiously over the threshold. A wicked smile curled over her lips at such good fortune and she crept forward. She was about to leap out of the shadows when something gave her pause.

Not only was her prey on high alert, they were also accompanied by a curious doll that was walking on its own four mismatched feet. Her eyes narrowed.

Discord.

She didn’t know why he’d decided to accompany them in such an insignificant form but she wasn’t stupid; she knew what Discord was capable of. He was one of the most powerful beings of this world. She would be a fool to take him on alone. But the Lord of Chaos had decided to completely forsake total control of Equestria and side with the Light, making him both foolish and vulnerable. If she could return him to the Darkness, bring him into the servitude of her Master, the world would fall into glorious ruin!

A grin began to form as a wicked plan spun within her brain. She’d have to act fast, and she would have to watch for any move from the draconequus, but, if she played her cards right, she would succeed in bringing the Chaos Lord to his knees at the feet of her Master. Before she could execute her plan, however, she needed to feed her curiosity as to why her former friends were here, invading her castle.

She stayed in the shadows, stalking them, her body poised, her senses extended.

---

“Are you sure Twilight’s not here?” Applejack asked as the ponies nervously moved down the hall.

“I think she probably went back to Tirek when she couldn't find us," said Starlight. "But we should be on our guard just in case. I'm not sure if they left the wyverns or not."

Fluttershy was huddled close to Rainbow Dash, internally shaking all the way down to her hooves. The castle hallways were dark, the shimmer they usually displayed lost in shadow. The whole place felt eerie and haunted, like somepony or creature was watching them, unseen. Discord scurried across the floor beside her, his movements slightly reminiscent to a snake. She smiled, grateful to have him near.

Before they'd left his dimension, he'd asked to talk to her briefly in private. She recalled the whole experience, a slight blush on her face.

They slid up the slide into his kitchen, Fluttershy closing the door to give them some privacy.

"So…" she began but paused, unsure of what to say.

She still couldn't fully look at him. She was too mortified.

Discord, mercifully, came to the rescue. He scurried over and placed his lion paw on her hoof. She stiffened and he instantly removed it.

"I'm sorry," he muttered.

"It's okay," she whispered.

"No, Fluttershy, it's not. Though entirely outside of my control, I invaded your privacy. I violated the sacred trust you've given me and I fear no apology will ever be good enough to fix it."

"I…" she stopped, her face a blinding red as her eyes welled with tears, "I nu-nuzzled you. I snuggled with you in my bed!" She sniffed, wiping away her tears. "I took advantage of you."

Discord stared up at her, his plastic eyes devoid of any emotion. She hated it. She hated that she couldn't see into the soul of the draconequus she loved.

Yes, she loved him. She may be despised by all of ponykind but she couldn't help it.

Before Discord, her life had been so stagnant. She loved the occasional adventure with her friends but those never lasted. Most of the time she was stuck doing the same thing day in and day out. Not that she had a bad life. She loved caring for her animal friends and helping ponies in need with friendship problems. But Discord brought an unexpected color, a healthy dose of magic to spice up the mundane dances of routine. It also helped that he was made of so many different types of animals. Fluttershy had been attracted to stallions in the past but their features paled in comparison to the unique majesty that was Discord.

Her face reddened further at the thought of her squeezing said majesty against her chest all night.

Discord shook his head, a chuckle of disbelief escaping his material mouth.

"My dear canary horse, only you would think you were the one taking advantage of me."

"But you had no control over yourself," Fluttershy said. "I was the one hoof-handling you all night." Her cheeks could fry an egg they were so full of heat. "Oh, sweet Celestia!" she cried, sinking to the floor and hiding behind her wings in humiliation. "I said things to you! Things I didn't think you'd hear! I called you… I called you Dissy!"

Discord carefully placed his soft paw and talon between her wings and pushed them aside, forcing her to look at his patchwork appearance.

"You didn't know," he consoled. "And that's okay. The Pillars are the ones to blame for all of this. Once again you saved me, Fluttershy."

She sniffed, wiping her tears away. "Really?"

Discord shuffled back and forth on his four feet, his face lowered towards the ground. "After they… did this to me, I was afraid I was never going to see you again. When you saw and won me at that carnival, you saved me from a life I shudder to even consider. And you fixed my arm when Angel…” He stopped, his eagle talons unconsciously rubbing the green thread at the top of his lion arm.

"Oh, my goodness, Angel! He hurt you and I-!" she looked at his arm. "Did it hurt?"

"A little," he said, sugarcoating the pain. "Nothing I can't handle."

"I'm so sorry," she said. "I can't believe he'd do such a thing! I'll make sure to talk to him."

"Don't worry about it, Flutters. That rabbit and I will probably hate each other until the end of time. It's fine. Besides, what mattered to me was what you did when you saw I was hurt. You took care of me immediately." He fingered the green thread again. “I'm afraid I'm never going to be able to repay you for all you've done for me, my dear."

"I don't expect any kind of reward," she said hurriedly.

"I know," he smiled, his fangs and snaggle tooth showing. "I'm just trying to say that you are the kindest pony I've ever met."

She blushed again but this time in pleasure. "Thank you."

"And, for the record, I'm okay with you calling me Dissy - but only when we’re alone. Can't have anypony else learning I'm a bit of a softie, you know."

She laughed, the weight over her chest already feeling lighter. "Okay."

"I'm sorry for putting you in a difficult situation, for going into your room, and for making you feel uncomfortable," he finished in a rush.

"It's not your fault," she assured, " but I forgive you."

"Best friends again?" he asked, his paw and claw rubbing over each other nervously.

"The very best," she assured.

They shared an adorable hug -he was so cuddly this way!- and shortly thereafter rejoined their friends in the living room.

Fluttershy shook herself out of her memories and looked down at her secret love, a smile on her face. She was grateful they had been able to reconcile and put what happened behind them before they went with their friends on this venture.

Eventually the small group reached the room they were looking for and everypony quickly trotted inside except Starlight who held her hoof out, denying Fluttershy entrance.

"I need to talk to you," she muttered before turning to the others. "Give us a minute."

Discord made to follow but she shut the door in his face.

Fluttershy nervously shifted from hoof to hoof. "Um, Starlight? Is everything okay?"

"I know how to break Discord's curse."

"What?"

"When I examined him," she said quickly, her eyes shifting this way and that, “I saw the way to set him free. The spell the Pillars used is actually quite ingenious. To them, it was probably foolproof. You see, the cure to unblock his magic and restore his appearance is True Love’s Admission and Kiss.”

Fluttershy felt like somepony had kicked her right in the gut. “W-What?” she squeaked.

“You heard me,” Starlight said, looking at her knowingly.

Fluttershy did her best to hide her flaming red cheeks behind her rosy mane. “Why are you telling me this?”

“I think you know.”

Panic filled her chest. Starlight knew. Sweet Celestia, somehow, someway, Starlight knew.

“Is-Is it really that obvious?” she asked, unable to bring herself to look at the unicorn.

Starlight set a comforting hoof on her shoulder. “It is to those who are open to seeing it,” she said. “I’ve known something was between you since we rescued everypony from the changelings. Discord only joined our quest to save you. Nothing else mattered to him. I saw the way you two hugged after you were freed and I’ve noticed things between you ever since.

“Look, I’m not going to force you to break the spell but I can tell you that if we ever want the old, powerful Discord back -and we could sure use him right now- you’re going to have to do one of the hardest things a pony can do: confess your heart. And, in case it wasn’t clear, you’ve got my full support.”

Fluttershy’s eyes immediately found hers. Unbelievably, she saw that she was telling the truth. Her vision swam as she lunged forward and wrapped the unicorn in her forehooves and wings.

“I didn't think anypony would understand,” she muttered. "Thank you, for being so accepting."

“You’re welcome,” Starlight said, patting her back before pulling away, offering a smile. “Right; come on; we’ve got a world to save.”

The two ponies quickly went inside, unaware of the shadow above their heads slipping into the room unseen.

“What kept you?” Rainbow Dash asked the moment the doors were closed.

“Nothing you need to be concerned about,” Starlight said since Fluttershy was too preoccupied to answer.

Discord slithered over to the yellow pegasus. “Are you alright?” he asked quietly.

She let out an undignified squeak. Mortified, she cleared her throat and tried again. “Yes.”

The way he was frowning made her feel like he wasn’t convinced but she wasn’t going to go into any more detail. Forcing herself to trot towards the rest of the group, she tried to put the conversation with Starlight out of her mind.

“Are you sure this is going to work?” asked Applejack, eyeing the great invention attached to a significant mirror.

“Trust me,” Starlight said, stepping up to the reflective surface. “I’ve been there before. It shouldn’t take me long to find Sunset Shimmer and the others. I’ll be back in less than an hour, tops.”

“Good,” Rarity muttered, “because something about this castle feels positively dreadful!”

“Maybe that’s because all these shadows are perfect for a big baddie to hide in,” said Pinkie Pie cheerfully, “Or it could be because the whole place lost its luster the moment the Tree of Harmony was destroyed.”

Everypony gathered close, looking at the shadows in the room. When nothing stirred, Applejack reprimanded the party pony.

"Dagnabbit, Pinkie, don't go givin’ us a scare! This castle is creepy enough without your help!"

"Sorry," she muttered, her ears flattening.

"Best be gettin' on yer way, Starlight," Applejack continued. "Pinkie's right about one thing: somethin' ain't right about this castle."

"I'll be back before you know it," Starlight promised, stepping through the portal.

The six remaining friends stayed close, none of them trusting their surroundings, hoping for safety and her success.

---

Starlight felt like she was being pulled through one of Pinkie Pie’s taffy machines. Magic seeped into her body, quickly transforming and clothing it before she stepped out of the stone statue in front of Canterlot High. A now human Starlight flailed her arms as she attempted to gain balance on two legs instead of four. It took a moment but she managed to steady herself.

“I forgot how weird this feels,” she muttered, flexing her fingers.

It looked like the human world was prepping for autumn. Fallen leaves were scattered across the courtyard and a chill hung in the air. Starlight shivered and hugged her arms, wishing that she was wearing a jacket instead of a thin vest.

She started towards the school, her legs slightly wobbly.

"May I help you?"

Starlight whirled around. Standing there in a long black jacket and dark pants was-

"Princess Luna?"

"Vice Principal Luna, actually," the woman kindly corrected, eying Starlight up and down. "I take it you're one of Princess Twilight's friends?"

"I am," she said, slightly wary, eying Luna suspiciously. "Starlight Glimmer."

She couldn't help her distrust; the Luna of her world was currently working for the forces of evil, after all.

"Sunset Shimmer isn't here," Luna deadpanned, shifting the weight of a heavy bag hanging from her shoulder. "Fall Break started two days ago. The students won't be back until next week."

"Next week?" Starlight repeated, dismayed. "I can't wait that long! Please, can you tell me where I can find her?"

"I can look up her records in the school computer," Luna said, "You can come with me, if you'd like; better than staying out here in the cold."

"Thanks," Starlight said as another cold breeze ruffled her hair. "T-That would be nice."

They headed into the school and walked down an abandoned hallway lined with lockers until they reached the Vice Principal's office.

"Can I ask you a question?" said Starlight, taking the seat Luna offered her.

"By all means."

"I told you I was a friend of Twilight’s but what if I was lying?"

Luna looked up from her computer, her eyes piercing practically into the secret pony's soul. Starlight unconsciously gulped.

"I would be able to tell if you were," the older woman said. She looked back at her computer, unconcerned.

Starlight let out a strained laugh. "I-I see. How did you know I was looking for Sunset?"

"She's from your world. Both of you are friends of Princess Twilight. It logically makes sense to draw to that conclusion."

Starlight blinked, unsure of what else to say. Luna finished typing before printing something and holding it out. "Her address," she explained.

Starlight looked down at the paper, at a loss. "I went there the last time I was here but I have no memory of how to get there."

The V.P. stared at the high stack of folders on her desk and sighed.

"I suppose a few more hours of procrastination wouldn't hurt," she muttered, standing up. "Come on; I'll drive you."

"Really?" Starlight's face brightened. "Thank you so much!"

After locking up her office again, Luna led the way out to the faculty parking lot.

"You've been in a car before?" she asked with some surprise as Starlight opened the car door.

"Yes. Last time I visited, Sunset took me to a huge building with a lot of smaller stores inside. I forget what it was called."

"My guess would be the mall," Luna muttered as she turned the car on. The engine roared to life.

"That does sound familiar."

Luna pulled out onto the main road, heading south. "Why were you here last time?"

"Curiosity at first," Starlight confessed, her cheeks slightly flushed. "But it turned into a magical rescue problem and then a friendship lesson."

"Of course it did," Luna said, unfazed.

The neighborhoods slowly transitioned from upper to middle to poor, the buildings wearing down as if time were aging them right before Starlight's eyes. Luna eventually pulled over in front of a tiny two story home wedged between other apartment complexes. Starlight faintly recognized it.

"She's the red one," Luna said, pointing.

"Thank you so much for this," said Starlight. "I really appreciate it."

"Happy I could help. If you need anything else, I'll be at the school the rest of the day."

Starlight thanked her again. Luna waved before driving away, leaving the young purple woman standing on Sunset Shimmer's doorstep.

Starlight took a deep breath and rapped on the door, praying that Sunset was home. After a few tense seconds, the door opened. Sunset Shimmer, pony turned human expert, stood in the doorway, her red and yellow hair flowing freely down her back. She wore a dark pink shirt under a black jacket and deep purple pants studded with yellow gems. Her cyan eyes widened and her jaw dropped at the sight of her unexpected visitor.

"Starlight?"

"Hi," she said, waving awkwardly. "Look, I'm sorry for just showing up like this, but I -we- really need your help."

Sunset's brow furrowed as she opened her door further. "Come in."

Starlight quickly shuffled passed, grateful to get out of the chill.

Sunset's apartment was quaint and slightly messy but Starlight didn't really mind. Right by the front door was a mini fridge next to a desk with two computer screens and several scattered papers on its surface. The desk setup was underneath a loft bed, the wooden staircase attached to the left wall further into the large space. A cozy living room complete with couch and gaming station was on the far side of the room near a door that led into the bathroom. There were a few shelves containing various knickknacks and books and the wall by the staircase proudly displayed three guitars.

Sunset led the way over to the living room. "So, what's going on?" she asked as they both sat down.

"I don't know where to begin," Starlight confessed. "So many things have happened- things I still can't believe- and I can't even fully explain how they even occurred!"

"Wow, wow, slow down," Sunset advised at the sight of Starlight's panicking. "Why don't you show me?"

"Huh?"

"Oh, it's a power I picked up at Camp Everfree. One touch allows me to see and feel things from other people."

Starlight blinked. "That's… a pretty cool power."

Sunset pushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear, a slightly embarrassed smile on her face. "Yeah, it really comes in handy. Would you mind?" She held out a hand.

"Go right ahead," Starlight invited, extending her own.

Sunset's eyes lit with an ethereal white glow the moment she touched Starlight's palm. Seconds later she pulled away, gasping, her face now holding the same panic Starlight felt.

"I don't believe this!" she rasped. "Starswirl the Bearded is alive? Discord’s reformed? The princesses are evil and are under Tirek's control? The Tree of Harmony is gone?!"

"It's a lot to take in," Starlight consoled. "But now you understand why we need you and the others to come to Equestria right away! You need to help us fix all of this!"

Sunset sat there, horrified. "I talked to Twilight through my book two nights ago. I can’t believe she turned into Midnight Sparkle."

"Midnight Sparkle?"

"That's what our Twilight called herself when she went bad," she quickly explained.

"Oh."

"Yeah, it wasn't the best introduction. But she's totally okay now," Sunset quickly assured. "I gathered the magic from the others and we were able to change her back."

"Do you think you could do that for our Twilight as well as the others?"

"I think so," Sunset muttered in thought, "But we need to find out if my friends can come with us. This looks like it might take more than a day to fix."

Starlight bit her lip. "I hope they can because at this point we don't have any other options."

Sunset placed a comforting hand on her arm. "I'm sure once we've explained what's going on their parents will let them come. All of them have oddly come to terms with us having magic and saving the day."

"That's good," Starlight muttered, her brow furrowed. "I don't want to take them away from their families but…"

"I know," said Sunset, completely understanding. "Equestria needs us. We'll do what we can."

"Thank you," Starlight smiled. "So, how do we contact them?"

Sunset whipped out her phone and started punching her thumbs into its surface. After a moment, she set it back down.

"Taken care of. It shouldn't be long before we get a response."

In moments there were several chirping sounds and Sunset picked up the phone again.

"Yep, they're all on their way. I said it was a code red; that's usually how we say it’s an emergency."

"Oh." After a slightly awkward pause, Starlight commented, "It's crazy how much technology has advanced in this world. You'd think it was magic."

"I know," Sunset agreed. "I'm not gonna lie, sometimes I really miss my horn. But picking things up with my hands is nice too."

They shared a chuckle before the atmosphere turned heavy again, Starlight filling the wait time by explaining Discord's reformation and the Pillars' return from limbo. It was a good distraction since under the surface she felt like her nerves were on fire. She had no idea if her friends were still okay. Her anxiety was about to burst when the first knock finally sounded on Sunset's door.

Rainbow Dash was unsurprisingly the first to arrive. Rarity came striding in next with her usual grace and poise with Pinkie Pie and Twilight following shortly thereafter. Fluttershy came next, immediately apologizing for being late and Applejack was last, having to finish her chores before Granny Smith would let her leave.

"Okay, now that we're all here, can we please finally know what’s going on?" asked Rainbow Dash, her impatience clearly showing as she bounced on the balls of her feet.

"I think the short version is Equestria is doomed if we don't go back with Starlight to save it," said Pinkie Pie, spinning around in Sunset's chair.

"What?!" the others -minus Sunset- exclaimed together in disbelief.

"How do you know that?" Starlight asked before remembering this girl was a Pinkie Pie and therefore prone to the same unexplainable tendencies as her friend. "You know what, nevermind."

"Pinkie's strange ability to know things aside, what does she mean by 'Equestria is doomed' without our help?" asked Rarity, her eyebrows drawn together in concern.

Starlight quickly unloaded everything that had happened. When she finished Twilight looked particularly pale.

"The other me turned into her?" she said faintly.

"Because of this Tirek dude?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Yes! And the only way we can save her -and the other princesses- is with your magic," said Starlight, nearly tearing her hair out. "Please, if you don't help…"

Applejack crossed the room and laid her hands on Starlight’s shoulders to steady her. "Of course we'll help, sugarcube."

The others voiced their own assurances and nods. Starlight couldn’t stop herself from crying, she was so relieved and stressed.

"Thank you," she said, rubbing her eyes. "I'm sorry to just dump all of this on you but…"

"Don't worry about it, darling," said Rarity with a comforting smile. "We were planning to spend most of our Fall Break on a small camping trip. This is obviously much more important.”

“Kicking some bad guy to the curb sounds more fun anyway,” said Rainbow Dash, happily pounding her fist against her palm.

“We're more than willing to help," said Fluttershy, sending Starlight a kind smile from her corner of the room.

Starlight looked at each of them, her eyes watering again when she saw their sincerity and determination. They were just like her friends. She sniffled and Applejack handed her a handkerchief.

“Thanks,” she muttered, wiping her eyes and nose before throwing the tissue in a nearby trash can. “I honestly can’t thank you enough. All of you.”

Sunset gently helped her to her feet and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"That's what friends do,” she said with an assuring, confident smile, “Now, come on; let's go save Equestria."

Author's Note:

Shout out to Tatorforlife for the klutzy draconequus suggestion.

Comments

[Marina Stars]

And... they're going to go back through the mirror and everyone's been captured by Midnight. (Hopefully not! But I wouldn't be surprised.)

Spike noooo!
Chaos? Yes!
(Smol) Fluttercord moments!?! Horray!!!
And how to break this curse has been revealed at last! Great to see Starlight so accepting.

(Sorry this comment is all over the place. My brain is fried, but I enjoyed this chapter and the progressions to the story. Hope my scatter-brained thoughts make sense! Lol)

[Comicizzum]

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I'm glad you're still enjoying it and, don't worry, I was able to dissect what you were trying to say. Thank you for your comments! They're always welcome and appreciated.

[GeekCat]

Oh no, Spike

Oh, more details of Discord's house, love to see that! And that even if things aren't ideal, Fluttershy is there to stop any real fights between Discord and the others.

It was sweet to see Fluttershy and Discord have a private conversation about what happened when she thought he was just a doll...and that there's no bad blood between them because of it! Not that either are the type to hold a grudge against the other, but it's always nice to see healthy communication.

So, Starlight knows what's up, and exactly how Fluttershy can break the spell...hopefully Flutters will screw up her courage and do it soon. And it's great to see at least one of her friends be so accepting of her feelings!

And the Mane Seven are going to help...good, good, great! I just hope the others are still safe by the time they make it through the mirror.

[Comicizzum]

11461189
What happened to Spike was very sad. Poor dragon was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The conversation with Discord and Fluttershy, I felt, was a good way to establish that these two are comfortable talking with each other and they care about each other enough to actually share vulnerable thoughts and feelings. Discord isn't like this with anyone else but Fluttershy and Fluttershy, I feel, reveals a little but not a lot to others. She seems to keep a lot of her thoughts and feelings bottled inside. I feel that for a relationship to work, you need to be able to communicate even when it's hard and these two can do that.

After seeing Starlight and Discord work together with Trixie and Thorax to save everyone in season 6 I really felt like she would be a friend to Discord. I think she would be one of the few ponies that doesn't automatically ostracize him either.