Discord's Patchwork Adventure

by Comicizzum

Reunion

The cave had been the perfect hiding place; large, cool, and devoid of any other critters. Discord carried the bat pony inside and set her down. She tried to inch away but he stopped her with his tail, pulling her back towards him. She hissed in protest, rather annoyed by his refusal to let her rest. Ignoring her, he set to work licking her wounds, her blood metallic and pleasant on his tongue.

He did his best to clean out the cuts he had inflicted, an apologetic grunt coming from him as she hissed and whimpered under his ministrations. When he reached the deepest gash in her side, she lashed out, her fangs bared as she kicked his snout away. Discord growl angrily, grabbing her forelegs in his talons and pressing her back down with his paw. She squirmed but he pressed harder until she ceased her movements and whimpered in submission. Discord’s forked tongue continued its work but he didn't relieve the pressure of his paw; he didn't trust her to stay put.

Eventually he was satisfied with his work and released her from his grasp. She tiredly flicked her tail and slightly flapped her wing before lowering her head to the floor. A very weak whiney escaped her lips in thanks. He looped himself around her and curled up like a snake, his head resting near hers.

She quickly fell asleep but he kept vigil. He didn't know if the centaur and ponies were still after them. If they somehow followed their trail, he didn't want to be caught unawares. His stomach grumbled and he smacked his lips, the faint taste of his mate’s blood still lingering on his tongue. They needed food and water. After sniffing the air, he could tell a pool was nearby, further in the tunnel. With water taken care of, he made a quick decision and uncoiled himself from his mate. Nuzzling her face, he ventured into the darker creases of the cave and grabbed a quick drink before running towards the entrance. He spread his large wings and took off, following his nose.

The smell of pony permeated the area. He wouldn't mind one of those for a meal but his mate might. He had to keep looking. He avoided the pony settlement below and flew further towards a forest, his keen eyes searching for any movement in the dark. After ten minutes, he spotted a buck drinking from a stream. Several wood-wolves were closing in. Discord tucked in his wings and dived. The poor deer was clasped within his claws and lifted off the ground before the wolves could even pounce. It screamed and thrashed. Discord tightened his grip, digging further into its flesh.

He returned to the cave a few minutes later. His mate was up waiting, her eyes searching the sky. The moment she saw him with the prey in his grasp her gaze became fixed on it and her fangs extended. Discord barely landed and had time to kill the deer before her teeth plunged into its neck. She hungrily began drinking its blood. Her choice of diet somewhat surprised him but Discord didn't complain; the meat was what he cared about. He tore into the deer's hide, beginning to feast.

Once both had their fill, Discord slunk off for water again, his mate staying behind, licking her red stained lips. When he returned, he found her curled up near the cave wall, her red eyes watching his every move. She growled as he came closer, the sound low and deep in her throat, almost like a purr. Her good wing flapped invitingly and she tossed her hair about, her hoof pawing at the ground. That unique, poignant smell from before had returned. Discord crouched a little lower, understanding her implications. He was just about to pounce when something suddenly appeared in the cave in a flash of light.

Reacting on instinct, Discord attacked, a roar already escaping his throat. Before he could make contact with the new threat, however, there was an earsplitting snap and something smacked him in the chest, sending him flying into the cave wall. His head smacked against the surface and he grunted and growled, shaking his head furiously.

"Sorry about that, old bean, but I'm not particularly interested in being mauled today."

Discord's first instinct after clearing his vision was to check on his mate. She was pressed back against the wall, hissing and spitting at the newcomer.

The creature was unlike any Discord could remember coming across. He was a bipedal, his body many different colors including his wings, horns, and tail. The draconequus sniffed the air experimentally and tilted his head in confusion. The creature, for some reason, smelt familiar.

Cautious but curious, he slowly stalked forward. His mate hissed frantically at him but he snarled at her, indicating she should stay put. The bipedal remained still, watching his every move. Discord made sure to give an intimidating growl before extending his nose, his nostrils flaring as he further captured its scent. The more he smelt, the more confused he became. His gaze locked with the weird creature's and he tilted his head again.

"We're cut from the same cloth, if that's what you're wondering," the bipedal answered with a nod. "Part of me is rather amused to see you like this but I hate seeing a Fluttershy behaving so savagely. Let's get you two out of here before those terrible alicorns pick up your trail like I did."

He raised his hand and Discord, taking the action as some form of attack, roared and pounced. There was a loud snap and the draconequus slammed into the bars of another metal box, the bipedal creature standing just outside his reach. Discord roared angrily, slamming against the bars and snapping his jaws.

"Cordy!"

"You found them!"

"You're okay!"

They were no longer in the cave but a colorful enclosed space. Discord, confused and scared by the sudden change of scenery, searched around frantically for his mate. She was there, in the cage with him, huddled near his side, shivering but also hissing angrily at their new predicament.

More bipedal creatures like the first were looking at them along with an arrangement of ponies. Discord quickly crouched in front of his mate and roared, desperate to protect her. Every creature outside of the box clapped their hands or hooves over their ears.

"Who knew Discord could make a sound like that!" said a blue pony with strange rainbow hair.

"Less talking, more Rainbow Action!" snapped the bipedal he'd originally tried to attack in the cave.

The seven females of his species locked hands and stepped forward. Discord was about to snarl again when one of them gave him pause. Her skin was yellow, her hair a light pink, and her scent… it was somewhat similar to his mate's. He didn't have time to dwell on that oddity for a moment later she was glowing and a huge array of light slammed into his body.

Every door within his mind instantly flew open, restoring all memories that had been previously hidden away. His sense of self returned and Discord looked up to see a majestic white alicorn standing before him within the confines of his mind.

Now fully sapient, he immediately rose onto his back legs and looked anywhere but her, his arms folded and his face on fire.

"Oh, don't be like that, Discord," Amity gently chided. "It's been ages since we've seen each other and I don't have long before you wake."

"Oh sure, use that as an excuse," he groused, still unable to face her. "I know you're really here just to rub this in my face, sister dear."

Amity frowned. "Well, it was kind of humorous to see you behaving like a beast. But I'm not happy that it happened."

Discord snarled, whipping his head around, anger and rage causing his eyes to flare red. "Humorous? HUMOROUS?! It was humorous watching me nearly murder Fluttershy?!"

"I knew you wouldn't."

"That doesn't matter!" Discord shouted, summoning a chair only for the purpose of throwing it satisfyingly across the mental room. "I hurt her, Amity! I hurt her." His wrath transformed into pure anguish and he fell to his knees. He stared down at his mismatched hands, the tools that had caused so much pain and suffering. "I hurt her again," he whispered, disgust and revulsion rising in his chest. "I'm a monster."

A pair of large white wings wrapped around his back as two long forelegs looped around his neck.

"No, you're not," Amity countered. "You're the best older brother I could ask for. You know that under your own sapience you would never hurt Fluttershy the way you did."

"That doesn't change the fact that I did it," he muttered.

"Discord-"

"No, Amity," he muttered, standing up and pushing her away. "You and I both know what is inside of Tirek and where it came from. Everything that has happened…" He stopped and shook his head mournfully. "I thought it was gone for good."

Amity let out a deep, resigned sigh. "Obviously it's not. But it is its own creature now and should therefore be judged for its own actions. Your choices while under its influence were not your own. They came from it and it alone."

Discord shivered, the ghost of its evil still slithering inside of him, bringing back horrible, haunting memories. Amity placed a comforting hoof on his shoulder.

"I know this is hard for you and I know that eventually everything will be revealed to the others."

"Fluttershy is going to hate me," he mumbled, tears falling down his angular cheeks. He quickly tried and failed to wipe them away before Amity could see.

"She won't," she countered with certainty. "She understands you better than anypony else. She always will."

Discord shook his head. "I don't think I can face her. Not after everything I've done."

"She's forgiven your past transgressions. This will be no different."

Discord snorted in disbelief. 'Yeah, right."

Amity rested a comforting hoof against his paw. "You know I'm right. She's your match, Discord. She may experience a bout of anger and hurt from time to time but in the end her kindness will always win and she will always forgive you. It's been a well established pattern between you since the moment you met."

"I'd rather you didn't bring that up," he grumbled, remembering how he had forced Fluttershy to change into Fluttercruel.

"You know what I mean."

Discord sighed, leaning his side against hers. Their heads touched comfortably together.

"This is an absolute dumpster fire," he muttered.

"I'd like to think of it as a patchwork adventure," she teased. Discord scowled, shooting her an annoyed glance. "Too soon?"

"Way too soon," he said, his scowl deepening. "You probably found that whole doll business incredibly entertaining."

Amity chuckled. "A bit. But I made sure you were taken care of by your favorite pony, didn't I?"

"Yeah, thanks for the Cutie Map intervention," Discord muttered, still rather sore over the whole affair. "But something tells me you could have prevented the whole thing from happening in the first place."

"Oh, please, you were taking forever to get your cloven hoof through the romance door. I just helped move things along. Besides, you have to admit it was nice to finally snuggle up with Fluttershy."

Discord’s face burned and he pushed his little sister away from him. She laughed, catching herself with her forehooves before completely falling over.

"So, when are you going to tell her?" she asked curiously.

Discord feigned ignorance. "Tell her what?"

Amity grinned, poking him annoyingly in the shoulder. "I think you know," she said in a sing-song voice.

He swatted her hoof away. "Leave it alone, Amity. I'll tell her when I tell her. And it certainly isn't going to be in the midst of all this. Evil baddie needing to be taken care of, remember?"

Amity frowned. "I know, I know. Just, remember, in order for her to be with you she's going to have to a-"

"I know what she's going to have to do," he snapped. "Stop rushing me! Sheesh! We haven't even made it to being special someponies yet. These things take time, Amity."

The white alicorn pouted, folding her forelegs. "I know but I can't help being a little impatient. I've waited centuries for you to find your mate. I'm excited. Especially since she's one of my Champions."

Discord rolled his eyes. "Instead of living vicariously through my love life you should be looking for a creature of your own."

Amity didn’t meet his eyes as she frowned and muttered, "Kind of hard to do, brother."

Discord smirked. "Not my fault you chose to fall to pieces. How are you even here anyway?"

"This is the first time all of my Champions are gathered together in one place. Their closeness made it possible for me to appear to Twilight and to you."

"Wait, Twilight has seen you? You didn't tell her about-"

Amity smiled slyly. "And if I did?"

Discord frowned. "You didn't. I know you didn't."

"What's so wrong with telling her and the others about our relation?" she asked, a little hurt.

"Do you honestly think the ponies would believe a mismatched animalistic draconequus would have a perfect sparkling white alicorn for a sibling?"

"Fluttershy would."

"Well, of course she would," he snapped. "I'm talking about the others."

"You just don't want to be compared to my greatness," she teased.

He scoffed, hiding behind the fact that was exactly the reason. "Please, your greatness pales in comparison to mine!"

Amity smiled knowingly and flew up, giving him a brief kiss on the cheek. He grumbled but didn't wipe it away.

"I think you're great just the way you are, big brother." She glanced around, noticing the mental space shifting. "You're beginning to wake up."

Discord glanced around, frowning. "So it would seem." He looked at her and sighed. "It was nice to see you again, sis. Sorry for all the trouble I put you through over the years."

She smiled happily. "It's okay. I'm used to cleaning up your messes."

"Hey!" he protested, lightly shoving her.

She lightly shoved back.

"Take care of yourself," he muttered.

"And you remember what we talked about," she pressed.

"Which part?"

Amity raised an eyebrow and Discord sighed in defeat.

"Yes, yes, I know. My actions weren't my own. Thanks for the pep-talk. See you when I see you."

"Bye," she muttered, sadly.

Discord bent down and gave her a hug before ruffling her wavy hair. She giggled and he grinned.

"Take care, kiddo," he chuckled, happy to see her smile.

Amity's smile grew before she burst into a thousand tiny stars. Discord opened his eyes, returning to the mortal plane.

His blurry vision cleared to see a beautiful set of worried teal eyes surrounded by a sea of pink hair. He weakly smiled.

“I liked the red but the teal is my personal favorite,” he muttered.

“You’re okay!” Fluttershy cried, latching onto him. “Oh, thank Celestia!”

He gave her a tender smile before sitting up, slightly confused but appreciative of his chaotic living room. He finally caught sight of the human Discord and raised a fluffy eyebrow.

“Your work?” he asked. Cordy nodded. Discord looked around, liking what he saw. “I might make a few changes… once I’ve recovered from that infernal Death Rainbow. Have I mentioned how much I hate that thing? And can we get this infernal collar off my neck?”

Cordy produced a skeleton key and successfully removed it. He was about to blast the collar into oblivion when Discord stopped him.

“Might prove useful in the future,” he said offhand. “Can you snap it to my room? I’d do it myself but Death Rainbow and all.”

“It’s good to have you back,” Twilight said as Discord shakily stood up on his back hoof and foot.

The draconequus managed a smirk. “Likewise, Princess Bookworm. Gotta say, I’m not a fan of your dark side. At. All.”

“I’m sorry,” she muttered, hanging her head, “To both of you. Fluttershy, I understand if-”

The yellow pegasus cut her off with a hug. “It wasn’t you, Twilight,” she said. “It was whatever dark magic Tirek has. He changed me too and I did things I’m not proud of.”

Her ears drooped and she looked down at her hooves. Discord knew exactly what she was thinking of. He quickly checked his teeth to make sure there weren't any remains of deer. He hadn’t had meat in centuries. Though it was good, he knew how Fluttershy felt about animals. He didn’t want to upset her more than she already was by confessing he was actually an omnivore. After proving himself meat-free, he surveyed the yellow pegasus. Amity’s Rainbow had cured her of all the physical injuries she’d sustained as Flutterbat; his shoulders sagged in relief.

Is it weird that part of me kind of misses the animalistic look? Don’t get me wrong, I love the way she looks right now but Flutterbat was rather attractive too. Maybe, once this is all over, and an opportunity arises in the future, I could… only with Fluttershy's permission, of course. It would just be the look…well, maybe…

His claw rubbed the side of his neck where she had bit and started sucking his blood. At the time it had hurt but the thought now was making him feel rather…

The human Discord suddenly elbowed him in the side, pulling him out of his fantasies. Discord scowled, eyeing him questioningly.

“You were beginning to drool,” he explained.

“I was not!” he denied.

“She’s your Fluttershy,” Cordy said with a shrug. “You can’t help it.”

“You seem to have done quite well for yourself too,” Discord commented, watching as the two Fluttershys interacted with their friends.

Cordy grinned, his tail wagging a little as he watched his beloved smile kindly down at the yellow pegasus. “She’s quite the gem; it only took a thousand years to find her.”

“Only a thousand? I'm rather envious,” Discord muttered, watching his Fluttershy hug all of their friends. "I've been waiting practically since the dawn of this world's time."

"And was she worth it?"

"Every second," he said without hesitation.

It was good to see the team fully assembled at last. Discord knew they were going to need them -all of them- in order to stop the evil controlling Tirek’s ambition. He shuddered, wishing with all the chaos he had left that he could lock the time he’d spent as a mere beast into the darkest, most forgetful part of his mind. Unfortunately, it refused to move from the forefront. He silently re-lived everything in fast forward, his face slightly tinting pink when he realized that if Cordy hadn’t come along when he did, he and Flutterbat would have…

He forced the thought away, coughing into his paw.

“You alright?” Cordy asked.

Discord cleared his throat, nodding. Without looking at the Count, he muttered, “Thanks for…you know…”

Cordy nodded, wisely keeping his gaze focused straight ahead. “You’re welcome. Happy to help.”

Overcome by the joy they were feeling, the Pinkie Pies surprised everyone by whipping up a makeshift reunited party, each pulling a miniature cannon out of their hair and exploding confetti into the chaotic room. A cake also appeared and the two Pies happily distributed it to everypony and everyone.

“Are you sure they’re not related?” Cordy asked after accepting a piece of cake from Pinkie Pie.

“If you don't count the chaos magic they use as a form of relation then yes,” Discord muttered, staring down at his cake without an appetite.

Fluttershy seemed to be feeling the same since she quietly set her cake down and kept her gaze averted, sitting between Rainbow Dash and Applejack. A heavy frown pulled at the corners of her mouth.

“Pinkie, I don’t think this is exactly the time to be celebrating,” Sunset gently admonished, setting her cake portion on a floating side table. A tongue came out of its little drawer and stole the confection before returning to 'normal'. Sunset stared for a second before shaking off the unpredictability. She continued, “I’m glad everyone here is okay but Equestria is still in great upheaval. Shouldn’t we be coming up with a plan on how to save it?”

“Discord isn’t going to be fully operational for at least twenty four hours,” Cordy reminded before Discord could. “If you want the might of two Chaos Spirits, we have to wait until he has enough energy stored to fight.”

“That should give us plenty of time to make a plan,” Twilight said, taking charge. "As much as I want to forget about Midnight Sparkle, there are certain benefits we can use in her memories. Discord?"

"Yes?" they both answered.

Twilight frowned. "Draconequus Discord."

"Yes?"

"Do you have a chalkboard and a marker?"

Discord smirked. "I have more than that. Cordy, would you be so kind as to take us to the war room?"

Cordy snapped his fingers and they all reappeared in the same meeting room most of them had been in before. Twilight was at the head of the table this time with both Discords on her immediate left and right, each Fluttershy sitting next to them. Behind Twilight was a chalkboard along with a huge detailed map of Equestria. The princess blinked slightly in confusion at the random scrapbook pages, pencils, and candy confections on the table.

"Ooo, you read my mind!" Discord approved, picking up a flat swirled lollipop and taking a bite out of it, wrapper and all.

Cordy smirked while unwrapping a caramel. "Can't make a liberation plan without the proper equipment."

"I second that!" Mirror Pinkie Pie said, sucking on jawbreaker.

"Just roll with it," Starlight advised, seeing Twilight's coming reprimand.

The purple princess sighed and nodded, lifting a piece of chalk with her magic.

"Alright, everyone and everypony, pay attention," she commanded. "Being one of Tirek's unfortunate puppets enabled me to learn a little bit about what he has planned. His main focus is taking out us- and by us I mean the ponies. Tirek doesn't know about the Mirror World. And I'd like to keep it that way for as long as possible."

"So besides trying and failing to take us out, what are his other objectives?" asked Applejack.

"To take control over every allied kingdom of Equestria's before moving on to all opposing lands."

"Classic villain world domination," Sunset muttered, "not very original."

"He wants to spread eternal darkness until it dominates the entire world," Twilight clarified.

"With him being the master puppeteer," muttered Rarity.

"I think I speak for all of us when I say I'm not comfortable with that arrangement," Mirror Applejack said with her arms crossed.

"So what's the plan?" Rainbow Dash demanded.

"Yeah!" said her double. "Sitting here isn't doing us any favors."

"Our first move is to find my brother and Flurry Heart and bring them safely here," answered Twilight.

"Um, sugarcube," Applejack delicately interjected, "I know you're concerned about your family -we all are- but don't you think right now we should be focusing on how to stop Tirek?"

"You misunderstand me," Twilight said gently, "I'm not only worried for their safety. I'm worried about Flurry Heart. Now that Midnight is lost to Tirek, Heartbreaker might reveal Flurry Heart's existence-"

"And suggest a new recruit," Starlight said, catching on, her face one of horror.

"Surely Cadence wouldn't do that to her own daughter!" Rarity cried.

"She wouldn't," Mirror Twilight said, "but Heartbreaker could."

"We have to find her!" said Fluttershy, her teal eyes drawn downward with panic and anger. "We can't let that happen to a baby!"

Discord reached out to comfort her but drew back at the sight of his paw so close to her side; the scratches may be gone but the memories were still fresh. Instead he rested his paw on the table and said, "We won't let anything happen to Flurry, Fluttershy. Cordy?"

"Already on it," he muttered, staring intently at Twilight.

"Um, why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, feeling uneasy.

"Well, they're your family," he answered, closing his eyes. "You have the best magical ties and mental imagery of them. Now, one moment, please."

Nopony moved. After a minute Cordy opened his eyes and maniacally sang, "Found you!" before snapping his fingers.

There was a faint pop and Shining Armor, Flurry Heart, and two other stallions magically appeared in an undignified heap on the floor.

"What the-"

"Shining! Flurry!" Twilight cried, rushing over and giving him and Flurry Heart a hug. "You're okay!"

"Twilie?!" he gasped in disbelief. "You're not evil?"

"Sunburst!" Starlight happily left her chair and gave the bearded stallion a hug.

"Starlight? Where are we?" he asked, looking around, his jaw dropping at the sight of the others' human counterparts. "And what are those?!"

"Welcome to my dimension," Discord revealed. "Please be advised not to look out the windows."

"You'll literally go mad if you do," Cordy said with a grin.

"Oh, and these are humans," Discord added. "The Rainbooms and Discord Delancy, Count of Chaos, to be exact; creatures that live in the Mirror World."

"The one Twilight chased Sunset Shimmer through when she stole her crown?" the orange stallion with the blue mane asked. Sunset sunk a little lower in her seat, averting her eyes and wincing.

Discord watched with interest as Twilight’s cheeks suddenly darkened. "Flash Sentry! I didn't think you'd be here. Um, yeah, that's the, uh, world I told you about, heh heh."

Discord couldn't resist. He slithered over quietly and muttered near the princess's ear, "Friend of yours?"

Twilight leapt and instinctively shoved Discord away with her magic. "Discord! You know you're not supposed to startle me like that!"

"Sorry, not sorry, bookhorse," he grinned before extending his talons to Flash. "Discord. Nice to meet you, Twilight's coltfriend."

Stallion and mare both stuttered incoherently, their faces as red as apples.

"Discord, leave them alone," Fluttershy gently admonished, still sitting in her chair.

"As you wish, my dear," he said, popping back next to her.

"Did you bring us here?" Shining Armor asked Discord as he and Flurry sat down in a freshly conjured chair.

"Actually, that was me," Cordy revealed. "Discord isn't quite up to performing powerful spells just yet."

"For a few more hours," Discord grumbled.

Shining Armor looked between the two with slightly narrowed eyes. "While I'm grateful to be reunited with my sister, I can't say I fully trust you. Either of you."

"Perfectly understandable, Shiny," Discord said, taking no offense. Cordy shrugged his shoulders, not caring either way.

Shining Armor gave them one last wary glare before turning back to Twilight. "Is Cadence…?"

Twilight shook her head regretfully. "No. Celestia and Luna are still lost too."

Heartache deepened the frown on his face. "How are you safe?"

"Discord," she said, nodding to him. "He deceived my evil self and the Rainbooms brought me back."

"And if you're wondering why, it's because the Rainbow only works with a complete set," Discord said as Shining tuned angrily on the draconequus for an explanation. " And I couldn't very well steal all of the princesses from under Tirek’s nose."

"Why not?" he demanded. "Surely you're more than capable."

"One because that would make a lame story," said Discord, counting with his claw, "and two because Midnight Sparkle was the only alicorn capable of falling for such an obvious trap. Like the other princesses, she was hardwired to obey every one of Tirek's commands."

"He'd already asked me to capture my friends," Twilight quickly explained. "Discord used them as bait to lure me here."

"And it totally worked!" the Lord of Chaos said, grinning proudly. "I do love it when a plan comes together."

"I'm glad we have at least one princess back but can somepony explain why we're here?" Sunburst asked, piping up now that there was a lull in conversation.

Sunset Shimmer was the one to answer. "The reason for that is this just happens to be the one place the princesses aren't allowed to be."

"Without my permission," Discord added.

"After the Rainbooms freed me from Tirek's control, I was afraid he might seek Flurry as a replacement." Twilight revealed. The small alicorn gave a whimper and Twilight quickly hugged her. "Not that I would ever let that happen."

"We were hiding in the desert," said Shining Armor, “trying to reach the hippogriffs."

"We figured the sea was a good place to hide her," Sunburst said.

"It was a good plan but it would have failed if the princesses were to use the same tracking spell I did to find you," Cordy said while playing with a strand of Mirror Fluttershy's hair.

"How did you do that anyway?" Mirror Rainbow Dash asked.

"He simply used Princess Twilight's aura signature to search for similar auras until he honed in on Flurry Heart and Shining Armor. He probably located her parents too but deduced the aura difference between Flurry's alicorn magic and a regular unicorn's," said Mirror Pinkie Pie, popping a chocolate into her mouth.

Pinkie Pie sighed and forked over a bit. "You beat me by one second."

Cordy's jaw was dangling slightly. Discord chuckled and quietly muttered in his ear. "Chaos relation, remember?"

"I'm not even going to pretend to understand how it is you know that," Mirror Applejack said, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Sunset cleared her throat. "Well, now that we have Flurry Heart, maybe we should return to planning Tirek’s defeat?"

Twilight forcefully looked away from Flash. "Huh? Oh! Um, right, of course." She walked over to the chalkboard and proceeded to write down a list of names. “You’re all, of course, familiar with our current exchange program at the School of Friendship?” she began before pausing, flaring out her wings. “Oh my gosh! The school! The students!”

Starlight came to the rescue before she could have a full scale panic attack. “I took care of it. Mayor Mare was at Sugar Cube Corner the day you teleported me out of the castle. I told her that she needed to take care of the school until further notice. I’m sure the students are fine.”

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. “Starlight, I don’t know what I’d do without you.” The light purple unicorn beamed. The princess turned back to the blackboard. “Okay, students are fine; no need to panic. Their nation's leaders, however, are in danger.”

“Whatever do you mean, darling?” asked Rarity.

“Tirek is planning to do to the other royals what he did to us princesses,” she revealed. Everycreature gasped. “He’s already sent out invitations for a Royal Summit through ‘Celestia’s’ royal seal.”

“When is the Summit?” asked Sunset.

“Two weeks from now.”

“We can’t let him get away with that!” cried Pinkie Pie. “Prince Rutherford can’t become a meanie!”

“And I can’t stand the thought of Thorax becoming like Chrysalis,” said Starlight.

“We just barely convinced Queen Novo to bring back the Hippogriffs too,” Applejack pointed out. “I don’t want to see them running scared back to the sea.”

“Our standing with the griffons is pretty rocky,” Rainbow Dash muttered, frowning. "If any of them were to get hurt in our kingdom it could lead to war."

“And I shudder to think what Tirek could have Ember command the dragons to do,” Rarity shivered.

“Dragons?” Mirror Fluttershy quietly squeaked, instinctively grabbing Cordy’s hand. The Count put his arm around her protectively.

Discord glanced down at his own shaking Fluttershy, mentally envisioning all of Equestria on fire. There was no way he was going to allow one of her worst nightmares to become a reality.

“I’m glad to see all of you understanding the gravity of the situation,” Twilight said grimly. “And that’s why we have to act now. Some of these nations’ leaders will already be traveling towards Equestria to make it in time to the Summit.”

“So you want us to intercept them before they get to the capital,” Starlight surmised.

“Yes,” said Twilight, nodding. “We also might manage to get a few of them to rally to our cause. We could really use their help taking out the creatures between us and Tirek. In fact, I’d prefer if they could handle them entirely so we can solely focus on him and the princesses. I’d hate to see them slip away while we were trying to fight our way through.”

“Just how many creatures are we talking here?” asked Sunset.

“For sure? A slew of pony-turned-wyverns, all the beasts from Tartarus, an evil Cerberus, and… Spike,” Twilight said, hanging her head shamefully at that last part.

“Spike?” the other ponies repeated together.

“I thought he was in the Dragon Lands on a diplomatic mission for Celestia,” said Rarity.

“He was,” Twilight muttered. “He finished it and came home.”

“What happened to him, Twilight?” asked Applejack fearfully.

“I -Midnight- he found her in the library and she teleported him to Canterlot,” she whispered, her eyes welling up with tears. “I didn’t see Tirek change him but I saw the after effects. Let’s just say that he’s five times his size, terrifying, and very capable of frying any of us to a crisp.”

Nocreature said anything.

The thought of tiny little Spike being a fifty foot monster was staggering to Discord. They’d just barely played O&O together a couple weeks ago. Now he was a beast more terrifying than anything found in the game. Discord wasn’t particularly scared -he could hold his own just fine against a dragon- but he didn’t want Fluttershy or any of the others turning into Spike’s next meal.

“Leave Spike to me,” he said, gaining the others' attention.

“What?”

“No!” Fluttershy cried in horror. “Discord, he’s an evil dragon!”

“I’m well aware of that, my dear,” he said kindly, “But he’s also my friend and I have the magic to deal with him.”

“So do I,” Cordy pointed out. “I’ve always wanted to wrestle with a dragon. Besides, with him being your friend you might hesitate to attack.”

Discord didn’t like to admit he had a point but he was humble enough to acknowledge the possibility.

“If our allies come through, neither of you will have to fight him,” Twilight reminded. “Ember and the other dragons would be the greatest advantage against Spike and I have an inkling that once the Dragon Lord finds out what Tirek has done to one of her own, she’ll be more than happy to get involved.”

“That’s true,” Rarity muttered. “If there’s one thing we can rely on it’s the pride of their race. They will not take kindly to seeing one of their own in such a state.”

“Sure, go with the obvious choice,” Discord griped, folding his arms.

“Book Horse sucks the fun out of everything,” Cordy grumbled, slouching in his chair.

“Welcome to my world.”

Twilight glared at them. “The might of two Chaos Lords would be better served taking down at least one vengeful alicorn than wrestling a rogue dragon.”

“She's right, Cordy,” Mirror Fluttershy said, resting a hand over her boyfriend’s.

“And I don’t think I need to tell you how I feel about you fighting a dragon, friend or foe,” Fluttershy muttered quietly next to Discord.

The Chaos Lords sighed; they knew they had to throw in the towel on this one.

"Fine," Discord said while Cordy muttered, "You win, Flutterbunny."

“But what if none of your allies decide to join us?” Mirror Twilight voiced. “We need to calculate all possible outcomes, right?”

“We need a back up plan,” Sunset agreed. “What if we split into two groups? Our Discord has already volunteered to keep Spike busy. The Rainbooms could take care of the creatures from Tartarus while the rest of you head into the palace to deal with Tirek and the princesses. That way each group has a Chaos Lord and a Rainbow set.”

“That doesn’t really seem fair though,” Starlight argued. “There’s a reason those monsters were locked up in Tartarus. Each of them will be very hard to beat.”

“Three alicorn princesses plus the mastermind behind all of this will be just as difficult,” Sunset argued back.

Discord had to agree. With Cordy, he was sure the Rainbooms would have enough firepower to deal with Tirek’s minions but it would take him a minute to disable Spike before he could help elsewhere. Some of the girls could end up getting hurt during that time. And then there was the thought of fighting three unrestrained alicorns. None of these ponies had ever truly seen an alicorn fight. There was a reason they were figureheads; if they wanted, they could easily topple kingdoms. Then there was Tirek himself. Discord knew what dwelt inside the centaur. It was going to take a fully charged Rainbow of Light to take that evil out and that meant he might have to take on most of the princesses' attacks while the ladies gathered their powers.

While he was in the midst of planning, Twilight also seemed to be doing some thinking of her own. She was pacing back and forth, ignoring the others as they volleyed their opinions back and forth across the table. Even the Fluttershys threw in a thought or two.

The purple princess finally stopped and stomped her hoof, regaining the others attention. “If none of the allies join us, Sunset’s suggestion will be our back up plan,” she decided. “But the Rainbooms won’t have to be alone. They can get help if they need it through the Pillars. Starswirl and Silvermane were both changed into wyverns so they’ll be two of the creatures you’ll have to fight. If you can change them back, you can have them and the others to help you fight off the Tartarus monsters.”

Discord blanched. “Do we really have to get those old ponies involved? Surely we can handle this without them.”

Twilight frowned. “In their day they were the equivalent of Element Bearers. Why shouldn’t they fight?”

Discord folded his arms and refused to look at her, his cheeks darkening. “I’m not overly fond of them, that’s all.”

“They were the ones who turned him into a doll,” Starlight said.

“Can we change the subject please?” Discord snapped when it looked like several inquiries were about to spring up from that revelation.

Fluttershy, bless her pony heart, came to the rescue. “While I think gathering the Pillars to help would be a good idea, I’m confused as to how we can even defeat Tirek and the princesses regardless. The Elements were destroyed. The Rainbooms still have their geodes but what do we have?”

The others looked devastated at this reminder.

“Right,” Twilight muttered, her ears flattening. “I’d forgotten about that.”

Discord suddenly began chuckling, surprising them all.

“I don’t see how this is funny, Discord,” said Applejack sourly.

"Yeah!" said Rainbow Dash.

“Forgive me,” he said. “I just find it humorous that you all believe you have to have a tiny stone in order to access Amity’s Rainbow.”

“We…don’t?” Fluttershy asked, her confusion absolutely adorable to the draconequus.

“My dear little pony, of course you don’t,” he smiled. “You don’t need the elements. Fluttershy, you will always be kind. Applejack, you will always be honest. Rarity, you’ll always be generous. Rainbow Dash, you’ll always be loyal as can be. Pinkie will always bring laughter wherever she goes and Twilight, you are -and will always be- the embodiment of magic. And, when she’s needed, Starlight will always be the empathetic pony that glues you all back together. The point is, nopony can destroy your friendship. And what is it you taught me, Fluttershy, the day you reformed me?”

Her eyes lit up with understanding and a warm smile grew on her face. “Friendship is magic.”

“Exactly,” he said, booping her nose. “That’s where the magic is; in your friendships. Combine your strengths in harmony and you already have everything you need to create the Rainbow. The elements were just training wheels to help you learn how to recognize and use the power each of you already possess.”

There was a moment before any of the ponies could speak. This was the first time most of them had ever heard Discord sound so sincere. Fluttershy looked proud and the draconequus couldn’t help ruining the touching moment by folding his arms and huffing.

“Why the surprise? I’ll have you know I’m perfectly capable of giving a heartfelt speech when needed! And you all clearly needed one.”

The ponies weakly chuckled, Twilight even wiping her eyes when she thought nobody was looking.

“Thanks, Discord. I think we all needed to hear that,” said Starlight gratefully.

Discord rolled his eyes, trying not to look pleased.

Rainbow Dash elbowed him in the side. “You big softie,” she smirked.

“You’re one to talk, Rainbow Crash,” he muttered.

Pinkie Pie threw her hooves around Discord’s neck and squeezed. “We love you too, Discord!” she cried, tears trailing down her cheeks. "So much!"

Discord caught Cordy’s smirk and rolled his eyes again, gently removing the pink pony. “Thank you, Pinkie. Ahem. Now that I’ve solved your Elements problem, what’s the actual plan, Twilight?”

Twilight used her magic to wipe the chalkboard clean before scribbling out a game plan.

“This is what we’re going to do,” she said. “First, we’ll divide into teams to intercept the allies and ask them to join our cause. Ponyville will be our rendezvous point for any who want to fight. On the day of the Summit, the Discords will then use their magic to teleport all of us to the outskirts of Canterlot. While the allies and their forces fight against Tirek’s minions, we’ll sneak into the city and make our way to the palace. Once there, we’ll take on the princesses in three separate groups.”

“I’m liking the sound of that,” said Rainbow Dash, smacking her hooves together. “Who gets who?”

“Cordy and I will take Celestia,” Discord volunteered. “My natural gift to annoy her will work to our advantage in taking her down; she’ll be too worked up to think properly through her attacks.”

“That’s an excellent idea!” Mirror Twilight praised. “Working with an enemy’s weakness is the best way to conquer them.”

“Then we’ll follow that pattern and take Nightmare Moon,” Twilight said, gesturing to the ponies. “She’ll want to get revenge on us for her last defeat.”

“That leaves us with Heartbreaker,” said Sunset. “Not that any of us Rainbooms have a reason for Cadence to dislike us.”

“You being the enemy will be enough,” Twilight assured.

“What about Tirek?” asked Starlight.

“That centaur won’t get involved until he has to,” said Discord. “He’s always loved others doing the dirty work. I should know; I did it for him last time.”

“Once the princesses are out of the way, we can take Tirek down together,” Twilight declared.

“What do you want us to do?” Shining Armor asked.

Twilight turned to her brother. “I need you to stay here with Flurry Heart. If anything were to happen to the rest of us, she’s the future and this is the only place she’ll be safe.”

“But Twilie,” he argued.

Twilight placed a hoof on his shoulder. “I know you want to fight -and that you are more than capable of leading an army- but I need you here.”

Shining Armor reluctantly nodded. “Fine. But at least use the army of the Crystal Empire against Tirek’s minions. They’d be a great asset.”

“And, as their captain, I will be more than happy to lead them,” Flash Sentry volunteered.

It was very obvious that Twilight was not happy with that arrangement but thankfully she was also smart enough to overlook personal feelings. She nodded her consent; the army would need a leader and who better than the one already appointed to fill that role?

Discord stretched. “Right, I think we have a plan, folks. Shall we call it a night? I need plenty of beauty rest to regain all the chaos I’ve lost.”

“I think we've covered everything,” Twilight said, looking at the others for confirmation. Several of them nodded. “Alright then; meeting adjourned.”

Pinkie Pie looked at her double. “You know what this means?”

The two shared cheshire cat grins before bellowing, “SLEEPOVER PARTY!” Confetti exploded all over the room and everypony laughed.

Twilight brushed some confetti from her mane and looked at Discord. "You wouldn't happen to have room in your house for all of us, would you?"

Discord smirked. "Twilight, you're in my dimension. I can make room."

Comments

[taterforlife]

Yet another exceptionally entertaining and well-written chapter! First off, love the sibling dynamic you gave Discord and Amity; it definitely works and now I actually feel sad for Amity absorbing herself into champions. Is your concept of Mother Nature in this world too, like in Mark of the Soul?

"This is an absolute dumpster fire," he muttered.

"I'd like to think of it as a patchwork adventure," she teased. Discord scowled, shooting her an annoyed glance. "Too soon?"

Ahhh! She said it! Nice!

I really expected Amity to talk to Fluttershy too. I imagine she's really traumatized over eating meat. Though I imagine she won't be shocked that Discord is an omnivore. "Discord, you have fangs. I know." I look forward to seeing her tackle that demon and conquer it. Because it's the same issue everyone else had. She wasn't her true self. But still. Honestly, she's probably in more pain from that than the physical damage Discord gave her.

This next parts are gon' be GOOD! I know it. I've already made some scenes in my head of what you might do. And of course, when Discord will be forced to lay his heart out for Fluttershy to see, and whatever else she needs to know.

I'm excited!

[Marina Stars]

You, my friend, clearly have siblings.

Seeing Discord and Amity interact was the perfect blend of caring for and teasing eachother. The whole scene was heartwarming in its own way. Certainly reminds me of me and my older brother.

Truly enjoyed this chapter, as always!

And a good final chapter for me, but I'll be back for sure! See you when it's all over!

[Comicizzum]

11414350
Guilty, haha. Siblings are wonderful.
It was a lot of fun giving Discord a younger sister. Hooray for the perfect blend of sibling teasing and caring! That's what I was aiming for. I'm glad you got to read this one as the last before the next chapter in your life. This is the turning point in the story. And, when you come back, you won't have to wait every week for a new chapter! Have fun and enjoy the next step in your life's journey!

[Comicizzum]

11414048
I feel bad for Amity too. It was a lot of fun giving her some time these past couple of chapters to show that even though she can't really interact with Discord the conventional way siblings do, she's still very much there. Because she's spread between the Mane 6, he's naturally drawn to wanting to be their friend and being part of their lives in some way. As for whether or not Mother Nature will be here from Mark of the Soul... It's a VERY high possibility.

It would have been a missed opportunity if I didn't plug in the title during that conversation.

Poor Fluttershy will have the issue of drinking the blood of an animal addressed. You know, that would have been wonderful for Amity to talk to her but I honestly didn't think of that possible conversation when I wrote the chapter. There is someone else she talks to though. I hope you enjoy that conversation; I believe it's coming up next.

I'd say this chapter is the turning point for this story. There's still much more to come! I look forward to any and all future comments you leave, Tater. I seriously love every single one of them!

[GeekCat]

This chapter was great! I know we're still quite a ways from the end, but things are starting to look a little better for our heroes, now...

Oooh boy, Cordy stopped the two of them just in time, huh? Bet Discord's very grateful for that, now that he's conscious again. And of course Fluttershy feels bad about drinking blood. Though I feel like she'd be very understanding about Discord being an omnivore.

Aw, Amity and Discord as siblings! I hadn't thought of that, but it's a very sweet idea!

Cordy's last name is Delancy? Nice detail!

"[...] Like the other princesses, she was hardwired to obey every one of Tirek's commands."

Interesting concept...the princesses, even in evil form, are powerful, but they have to obey commands, even if it'd be harmful to them or Tirek's actual wishes. I wonder if that weakness will continue to be exploited...

And they have a plan! Eager to see how that turns out.

[Comicizzum]

11463941
Cordy's arrival was definitely well-timed. I couldn't resist having his last name be Delancy.

Fluttershy and Discord definitely have things they have to work through together. They were both victimized by Tirek and that left several scars. It's going to take time for those to heal.

The second I created Amity I knew she was Discord's sister. It just made sense in my head. Hopefully you'll like their dynamic as the story moves forward. As to whether or not Tirek's orders for the princesses will come back to bite him one day... that may or may not happen. It's an interesting idea though. Thanks for the great comment!