1) There...

"Well... This is it."

"Yes, Luna, my sister. We put it off long enough. It simply can not go on like this. You agree, don't you?"

"Of course, after all that--I mean, I believe we made the right decision, yet... yet, I must admit... I am afraid."

The older of the two managed a gentle smile on her otherwise darkened, even sullen features.

"There is no reason to be afraid, Luna. This is the way it has to be. Otherwise, the more we put it off, the more it'll hurt in the long run."

The younger took an encouraging breath of air.

"You're right." Luna smiled. She gazed lovingly into her sister. "Thank you for giving me courage, Tia. Thanks to you... I know everything will be alright."

"I'll always be there for you, dear sister. Now... let's go."

The Princesses of Equestria, the two most powerful Alicorns known to pony kind took a deep breath and entered a stunningly sterile, well equipped room in one of the Canterlot buildings. An elderly pony with a Cutie Mark of a shiny white tooth looked up at his guests and gave them a teasing, parenting look.

"Miss Celestia!" His voice, not a lot unlike his sudden grin, was oozing with a dark sort of satisfaction. "I was wondering when I will see you again! Tut, tut, tut, you missed your last check up~ that is no good! You know what they say, a check up twice a year leaves your teeth in no fear!"

Celestia got noticeably uncomfortable as her dentist approached her. "R-right. I'm sorry." She smiled awkwardly. When he saw timid Luna hiding behind Celestia though, an obviously ominous grin decorated his face.

"Miss Luna~ I hear you haven't been at the dentist in quite a while! It has been, what, a couple hundred years? A millennium?! Good grief, let's check those royal teeth of yours, shall we?"

Ignoring the obvious lack of tact and the possible few chuckles she thought she heard, Luna took a deep breath as she sat in her seat, while the eager dentist himself searched through his instruments, humming a melody. At one moment, her eyes snapped wide open and she suddenly addressed Celestia:

"'Tia! Aren't we- isn't tomorrow the day- We are releasing Discord tomorrow, are we not?!"

Celestia blinked in confusion before lowering her face into her hooves, a small frown appearing. She had no idea how but somehow, with the excitement of the plan she and Luna came up with, she had managed to completely forgot the day came so fast.

"Goodness, I've completely lost track of the time, haven't I?" She sighed with a small frown. "I can't say I'm too surprised - knowing the draconequus and how bothersome he can be, it is not an oddity that he manages to stay so even while trapped in stone."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"I personally think the Princesses are making a huge mistake."

"Tomorrow?! What a sudden decision. But why?!"

"They only now cared to inform us?! I'm packing my things and getting out of here as soon as possible!"

Whether the Princesses intended for it to be known or not was a mystery but soon, all of Equestria knew what event was about to take place. Such and similar comments were heard everywhere, most of the ponies distrusting the idea of letting Discord roam around, even with carefully made plan that was supposed to go smoothly - freeing him, stripping him off his powers and giving him one last chance for redemption. The news was buzzing with comments reviews and articles, some of the praising the princesses' kindness, some suggesting their time for rule should come to an end - and, some more quirky articles, suggesting the Princesses were in fact working with the draconequus all along.

One specific purple unicorn, though, was excited.

"Twilight, are you insane?! How can you possibly look forward to Discord being free again? And you of all ponies! I would expect Pinkie Pie to be excited-"

"I AM excited!"

"--- well, yeah, my point exactly, but you, Twi?! What are you possibly looking forward to, the dancing buffalo?"

"Calm down, Rainbow Dash, I can explain!" Twilight responded, with an undoubtedly joyful smile on her face and even sparkier look in her often stern purple eyes.

Her friends were over at her place to discuss the big news that shook Equestria but also to hear something Twilight had to tell them. As she put it, 'she had a great surprise' for them.

"You see, there is so much I do not know about Discord and his species! I want to learn more about both the draconequus and of Discords' magical powers! He has all kinds of magic I never witnessed before; don't you think putting something about that down in a book could be worth it? This whole situation is just brimming with opportunities!"

Rarity clicked her tongue but said nothing - she, along with Rainbow Dash, was the most against the decision the Princesses made. Dash rolled her eyes and chuckled.

"Oh sure, like the Princesses are going to allow you to just stroll around with Discord, question him about his origins and let you two do your magic tricks together - don't you think the Princesses will have their hooves full with him and his stupid antics?"

"I doubt it~" Twilight said in a sing-along voice, as she finally prepared herself to tell her friends the big news.
"Discord is coming to live with me here in Ponyville! I will be the one taking care of him and making sure he causes no trouble!" Twilight finally informed them all of the big news with the most splendid smile she could pull off.

Dreadful silence filled the room.

Rarity did her well known dramatic faint but it was for real this time, falling straight into the hooves of completely stunned Fluttershy. Pinkie Pie, naturally, seemed eager to accept this news, what with the fond memories of the chocolate rain. On the completely different note, Applejack joined Rainbow Dash in uttering a single word of disbelief.

"...what?"

"You see, the Princesses are very busy and would have to take a lot of time from their royal duties to teach Discord our values. So, I immediately sent her a letter to tell her I would gladly-"

"WHAT?!"

Rainbow Dash's voice shook the walls of a quiet library. Spike fell to the floor from the ladder as he was packing some books for Twilight, bringing an avalanche of books with him; Pinkie Pie jerked, with a rather silly sounding scream of surprise leaving her mouth.

"Rainbow Dash, don't yell like that! You sent my heart into a pitter-patter!" She remarked. Rainbow Dash hardly paid any attention to her, glaring at a confused Twilight.

"What's the problem?!" Twilight asked; the clueless pony wasn't expecting such a raging outburst.

"What is the p-- uh, Twilight, what were you thinking?! Discord, here, in Ponyville? Have you forgotten how good of a thing that was the last time? He is going to make our lives a living Hell!" Dash continued, Applejack eagerly confirming her words with numerous nods, unable to say anything more. But Twilight just giggled like a school filly.

"Oh come on guys, the Princesses know better than that! They will take away his powers, of course! They worked hard on this ancient spell that allows them to lock his magical potential while he's weak enough; and he can't get any weaker than being set into stone, right? Even if he decided to cause some trouble, I will be able to easily subdue him with my magic if I need to; Discord will be as tame as a kitten."

"Let's just hope he's not like a certain cat I know." Spike mumbled as he got out of the pile of books, which earned him a stern look from Rarity.

Rainbow Dash was still suspicious, which Twilight understood; after all, the colorful pegasus was quite fiery when it came to her friends. Twilight had a feeling Dash wanted to get the things between Elements of Harmony and Discord even once and for all; but that chance was taken away from her when the Princesses decided to free him. For all Twilight knew, it probably felt like a slap in the face to Dash.

"I could really use your support here girls; I am really, really looking forward to this, well, 'project'. I mean who knows, if it goes well with Discord, we might all even become... well... we might become friends."

While Twilight did expect a reaction, the disbelieving looks on her friends' faces kind of hurt. But then, to everypony's surprise, Fluttershy stepped out and quietly said:

"Twilight is right. Maybe Discord should get another chance now that we showed him the power of friendship, even if he was a... a big meanie. After all, every living creature should get their chance to ask for forgiveness - even if it takes a while, we should give him a chance to truly express himself."

Twilight nodded happily, not understanding how she could for even a second doubt that Fluttershy will help her; the Element of Kindness was on its full display as Fluttershy promised Twilight to be there with her.

"Well, I suppose we should make an effort and hope that brute turns into more or less of a proper gentleman. As long as his powers are restrained, of course." Rarity finally gave in. Applejack shrugged.

"Twi, Ah sure do not like what yer doin' but Ah guess I'll have to trust ya. Yer my friend after all, and Ah'll support ya all the way." She finished with a smile.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and threw her hooves into the air, resigning.

"Being the Element of Loyalty, I suppose you guys know what my opinion is." She sighed, clearly annoyed, but not being capable of hiding a small smile.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Good day, Elements of Harmony. It is wonderful to see you all again." Celestia greeted them, with Luna closely by her side.

"It is an honour to see you." Luna spoke, sounding as formal as ever, as they entered the royal gardens of Canterlot and made their way towards the familiar statue.

The mane six and the royal Princesses soon stood before the stoned Discord, alone. They decided what they were doing here wasn't a circus show, so the entrance into the palace gardens was forbidden that day; apart from the several Canterlot guards, they were the only ponies around.

"Have you brought the Elements with you?" Celestia asked. The bearers of the Harmony nodded and each of them pulled out their own piece of jewelry.

"Excellent. We should be done with this in no time. And don't worry, everything will remain under perfect control."

The fretting ponies silently obeyed as they surrounded Discord's statue. Twilight was facing its front, staring straight into those petrified, terrified eyes. His hands extended before him, in defensive posture, his mouth stuck in an eternal shriek of fear. Twilight couldn't help but feel a small sting of joy for releasing him; being stuck in the stone probably wasn't the best of experiences. She wondered what will his reaction be once he realizes he's powerless for the first time in his life.

The circle of light surrounded them all, with Celestia and Luna guiding the magical power as it intertwined between the Elements. They all closed their eyes and concentrated on the energy that flew through them. A blinding light followed by a wave of rainbow colored blast covered the garden and a mystical wind nearly threw the ponies out of balance, but they stood firm and strong. Then a high pitched sounds of spell doing its job spread far and wide, causing some guards to cover their ears.

For a few moments, nothing but pure white light was visible. The spell was done, the hum of the remaining magical force still heard in the air.

The light disappeared, with nothing but soft mist surrounding them all. The statue was gone, instead of it visible a familiar tall silhouette of a draconequus, towering triumphantly over them.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Molestia, Loonie and the Hellements of Armory. What a happy, happy encounter!" Discord watched over them victoriously, apparently not realizing what had just been done to him. Celestia but smiled politely at him. When she didn't say anything - and he didn't bother for a moment wondering why she seemed so calm - he continued, slowly strolling down from the stone pedestal: "I must say, your little turning-ponies-into-stone spell is getting weaker and weaker, dear Elements. I broke out with literally no effort at all. Maybe you should magic each other in stone for practice." He finished with a chuckle.

"Good day to you, Discord." Celestia spoke, sounding rather formal. "I am pleased to say it is actually good to see you again, regarding the circumstances. Yet, you seem quite giddy for someone so, ah, powerless."

"Powerless? Me?! Celestia, deary, as much as I like the fact your sense of humor is back after all these years, you need to work on it a bit more. Well, a lot more, to be honest. Speaking of power, though," the draconequus grinned and looked around, an eerily knowledgeable smile on his face, "I sense there are many more eyes observing us. Not sure what to make of that."

This time, Celestia blinked in confusion; she wasn't the only one caight off guard with such an odd comment. Rainbow Dash urgently looked around, as if there was a timberwolf about to jump at them and Fluttershy suddenly looked worried - but both Princesses and Twilight Sparkle had their magic to tell them that the Spirit had been wrong, for there was absolutely nopony aside from them and the several guards they put around. Whatever he was talking about, made sense only to him.

"Now, as lovely as this short encounter was, I'm sure you're all aware I have much better things to do than wait for you to light up your jewelry. So I'll be taking my leave. Don't worry, I'll make sure you don't even notice I'm here! It would mean my doom, really." He bowed and snapped his fingers confidently, expecting to be on the other side of Equestria in a matter of seconds.

Twilight carefully studied Discord's face as it changed slowly from victorious grin and a confused frown, to rapid blinking as realization hit him and finally to a panicked grimace worthy of a photo.

2) The Discordian Gambit

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"Well, say hi to your new home!" Twilight let the fairly distraught draconequus enter the library the way he hadn't entered a room in years - through the door.

After Discord caused quite a commotion that even demanded the guards to come in and restrain him (Celestia was far too busy putting on an uncharacteristically smug smirk to be keeping him in order), the Princesses explained the whole situation to him; Celestia seemingly enjoying it just a bit more than she expected. Discord spent the next two days with them in Canterlot Castle, being explained the reason for his release (to which he responded mostly by breaking things) and being told of his one chance for redemption - in general, Celestia and Luna both tried their best to convince the draconequus to at least try and behave; meanwhile, he was trying to get used to the fact that at the moment he was nothing more than a regular citizen of Equestria.

The draconequus hasn't spoken much since then, mostly pondering about the situation he literally never though he'd find himself in or pouting; which Fluttershy couldn't help but point out as 'cute'. Without his powers, he was no more but a regular pony... dragon... thingy. Magically speaking, that silly purple egghead alone was stronger than him; he wouldn't lie, his pride was wounded heavily.

Meanwhile, the six friends spent most of the time discussing the means and methods they should incorporate to at least partially open his mind to possibilities of being... well... less chaotic. Which definitely wasn't going to be an easy task.

Even though she agreed to help, Rainbow Dash was once again angrily targeting Twilight with questions, seemingly the only one who remained as equally fired up. They were sitting in Twilight's beloved Donut Shop, eating peacefully, when Dash suddenly brought the topic up, making both Rarity and Applejack sigh of boredom; they went through the same discussion over and over again, all of them agreeing on doing their best to help Twilight, but Rainbow Dash just didn't want to give up on the idea of Discord being nothing but trouble.

"Twilight, do you seriously believe there is a possibility of Discord living even a single day without causing trouble to someone? Even without his powers, that guy lives for causing chaos and torturing ponies!"

"Rainbow Dash, our goal is not to change Discord to be a completely new person! I don't want to make him miserable by making him be someone who he doesn't want to be. Besides, I doubt we could do that even if we wanted to." She finished, taking another bite of her donut. "But I do believe even he is a person like we all are - be it a spirit of Harmony, Disharmony or something third, that does not define who we are."

"Seems like an exact opposite to me!"

"That still does not prove that he doesn't have a soul. I am of firm belief Discord is capable of more positive emotions, like us."

"Oh, me too," Fluttershy joined in, "I'm sure Discord is in fact not as mean as he acts... well, at least not all the time." She smiled timidly.

Pinkie suddenly giggled. "If he heard you two right now, he would totally gag and ask us to spare him of our 'cutesy, tea-drinking ways', or something like that!"

Twilight couldn't help but giggle at the thought.

"Yeah, he would, wouldn't he?"

"Oh please!" Rainbow finally gave up - for now - and angrily dug into her donut, crumbling all over the table and floor, much to displeasure of Pony Joe.

Once the Princesses decided they told and did everything they could for Discord to get used to his new state and once Discord seemed to have had his fair share of breaking everything around him, Twilight, her friends and the still displeased Spirit took a train back, which left their whole wagon empty - everypony was still afraid of the draconequus, despite him now seeming about as dangerous as Fluttershy's bunny, Angel.

The ride was silent, apart from Pinkie Pie's constant, randomized rambling; Rainbow Dash was stubbornly staring at Discord, who either did a very good job of ignoring her, or had a genuine interest in the Sun bathed mountains, as he was staring out the window. Twilight knew Dash was dying to try and pick a fight with the Spirit, so she was thankful Discord didn't seem particularly interested in anyone around him. In fact, she uncomfortably noticed, his once lively eyes seemed fairly... dead. The dark circles around them were more prominent and he seemed generally fatigued. She figured it'll take more getting used to his situation than she initially thought.

Fluttershy looked eager to try and communicate with him, but was probably discouraged by his disinterest in anypony right now. Every once in a while, she would look at him and open her mouth, as if determined to address him, only to shrink back in her seat.

They all bid each other farewell as the train stopped in Ponyville, though Rainbow couldn't resist but to yell out, "If you do anything to Twi, you'll have to deal with me!" before the two started towards the library. Discored ignored this.

Even while they were walking through the city, the streets were rapidly becoming empty, everypony hiding into the safety of their homes. The few that were brave enough to stay outside could barely muster up the courage to look at him. Discord got noticeably brighter once he scared one of them by simply uttering "rawr". Twilight rolled her eyes.

"Do you have to do that?"

"It makes me happy." Discord snapped. It was the first time he spoke to her directly since he was released. "Why don't you just take that away from me too?"

She frowned, but didn't say another word.

Now, here he was, depressed, bored as always and moping around the library.

As she observed the upset draconequus crashing over her couch much like a ragdoll, Twilight realized she didn't quite think this through; the part where she was supposed to teach him of the values of Harmony was fine but what about her personal research? Whoever would guarantee the draconequus would tell her anything? Especially in that kind of mood.

From a corner of her eye, she saw Spike entering the room and with a wave of her hoof gestured for him to come closer, then pointed to Discord. Spike only then noticed the Spirit moping in their couch and, surprisingly, laughed. He started speaking, loud enough for her only to hear:

"Don't be too easy on him Twilight. I could help you if you want - I can teach him how to clean, pffhahaha!"

"Shh! Don't say that in front of him! I don't want him to get even more upset."

"Why, he could make an awesome assistant, heh; even though your one and only best of the best-est assistants is enough, hehe... right?" He added in the end questionably, suddenly looking concerned. Twilight snorted.

"It's Discord we're talking about. The absolute opposite of what I love above all - organization. There is no way I'm letting him touch my books."

She had to admit though - after all of Discord's confident, arrogant remarks, with his peculiar gift for showmanship, seeing him actually being genuinely upset was kind of both funny and sad at the same time. Getting from the position in which he was practically a god to the rank of a regular citizen of Equestria... for somepony as proud and confident as him, it was probably a shock.

Nevertheless, she could not give up! She was determined to try her best to befriend the mismatched Spirit and teach him the ways of the pony citizenship. With such positive thoughts on her mind, she approached the couch. Discord was staring at a ceiling with the most indifferent look on his face.

"So Discord, umm, are you hungry perhaps?... Can I get you anything?... How are you feeling?"

He didn't seem eager on answering her questions until she uttered the last one; it seemed to have attracted draconequus' attention, because he very abruptly sat up, slithered over the couch in a slighty threatening manner and stood before her. As he towered over Twilight, she could easily see just how the Spirit was feeling, her half polite and half nervous smile still lingering on her face.

"How am I feeling, Twilight Sparkle? Let me tell you how I am feeling; you released the most powerful spirit of the entire world out of his cold stone prison and reduced him to the likes of you!" He pointed one of his lion fingers at her chest, harshly poking her.

Well, if anything, his sense of drama is still intact.

"I used to be Discord, the powerful Spirit of Disharmony and Chaos! Without my power I am-- well, I don't even know what I am!," he admitted, looking genuinely alarmed about his identity for a moment, before continuing in a more familiar manner, "I know that I'm bored out of my wits, though!" He raised his hand to his forehead, much like Rarity did sometimes. Kind of alarmed with his problems, Twilight in a rush jokingly decided he needed a new title to make him feel better about himself. One more down-to-earth.

"You're~ Discord the, um, Mismatched Dragon?" She tried with an uncertain smile.

He stared at her for what seemed like an eternity and then started laughing abruptly; Twilight jerked, not sure if she just made him laugh, or made herself look like a fool. Both, likely.

"You're such an interesting character, Twilight Sparkle. Wherever did you get an idea I would be fine with being titled as such a violent and undignified creature as a dragon?" He playfully gestured towards the only dragon in the library.

"Hey!" Spike frowned.

"Well, sorry if I offended your majesty." Twilight replied, heavy on the sarcasm. With a vengeful smirk, Discord suddenly snapped his fingers. For a moment even Twilight believed something was going to happen - alas, it did not. Darkness fell over Discord's eyes, his smirk gone as fast as it came. After snapping away his magical deeds through many years, it would take him a long time to get used to not being able to use them anymore.

"Spike, could you please prepare us those awesome chocolate pancakes for dinner?" Twilight asked in somewhat thin voice. With a corner of her eye she noticed a purple tail disappearing in the kitchen. When did Spike get so fast on those short legs of his?

Discord sighed heavily.

"Oh, cheer up, Discord!" Twilight tried optimistically. "After dinner, we're starting your first lesson of the 'How to be a good Neighbor' by Mare Sue! It'll be fun!"

"Oh joy. Why don't you decorate my mane with daisies and polish my talons while you're at it." The Spirit dragged himself into the kitchen, attracted by the strong smell of pancakes. Twilight followed slowly, thinking things through with a self satisfied smile.

Well, he won't be able to just poof on me while I'm giving him a lesson and he doesn't have anything else to do anyway. This will be a piece of cake.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"So, to finally conclude the first lesson, the society dictates that one should always follow some of the most basic rules of the etiquette the society made, to be accepted into the said socie--"

"Oh, by the sweet power of Chaos, please stop, I can't stand this anymore!"

"For the last time Discord, don't interrupt me while I'm speaking!"

"Listening to you reading that book is the most boring thing I've ever had the chance of hearing!"

"It is fun!"

"It's BORING."

Approximately fifteen minutes after the dinner, Twilight was trying to get the very short first lesson of the mentioned extremely boring book into Discord's head - needless to say, boredom won and the Spirit ended up rolling around on the floor and sitting upside down on the sofa. As they started arguing, the two ended up eyeing each other dangerously, both of them furious for vastly different reasons.

"You. Are going to like this book." Twilight hissed through gritted teeth.

"I detest it." The draconequus hissed back.

"You're going to read it and you're going to follow its teachings."

"I will burn it the moment a chance occurs!"

Twilight was nearly growling.

"Why can't you just sit down and be attentive for more than five minutes!?" The purple pony yelled out in frustration.

"For the umpteenth time, I'm bored out of my mind!" Discord yelled back desperately; the look in his eyes was enough for Twilight to realize that the Spirit's energy was disappearing rapidly because of the book they were trying to read. Was it really such an effort to listen to a single lesson?! Had she not been as angry as she was at that moment, she'd find it amusing to see him acting so much like a regular pony. But nopony was insulting her books without consequences.

"If," Discord continued, "I'm already forced to learn to be a 'good neighbor~' " he threw on a mocking tone as he pronounced the words he detested so much, "I am pretty sure there is a better way to learn such things."

"Ugh. Fine." Twilight groaned as she finally gave up and put the book away. She sighed, lost as to what she should do next to-

"How about we play a game?" She suddenly heard Discord saying. Twilight was prepared to tell him this was no time for games but she figured she would just be torturing him if she kept insisting on him learning stuff he didn't find too interesting. Letting our a defeated sigh, she turned around to face him.

"A game, you say... Wait. What kind of game?" Twilight asked suspiciously, her eyebrow arching. "I'm not going to be pulled into any kind of brain washing or pranking game of yours, thank you very much."

"I like to think I'm above that." Discord replied with feigned innocence. "No, I meant chess!"

"Chess?" Twilight repeated, her jaw nearly meeting the floor. "You want to play what is unfortunately so commonly know as the 'nerdiest and most boring game ever'? If you considered that book boring, chess will kill you." She added with disapproval.

"Ah, but there is a twist to it, naturally! Plain ol' chess can be so boring."

"Ha! I knew it." Twilight was ready to reject but then she saw an sparkly glint in Discord's worn out eyes; it reminded her of herself whenever she was about to do something she loved. His playful smile and hopeful eyes were another distracting factor. Resignedly, she she took a breath.

"OK, fine."

Discord joyfully shook his fists and snapped his fingers wanting to summon a chess board. Twilight couldn't help but laugh at his face expression as he once more committed an unfortunate mistake.

"Don't worry, I have one. I'll be right back." As Twilight went to her bedroom to get the chess board, Discord followed her movements carefully, thinking. The pony seemed so relaxed around him, as if he were a regular guest. Maybe this won't be that bad. Well, of course, losing his powers was horrible but there was not much he could do about it - so why not simply play along? A little more down-to-earth relaxation might be nice until he could figure out how to get himself out of this mess.

"So, what is this twist you were talking about?" Twilight questioned once she got back and set the chess board onto the library table.

"Well, the basics are the same - one of us is white or black, whoever checkmates the king, loses. But each turn the figures are changing roles."

"Changing roles? What do you mean?"

"Every figure will take on the role of the next one - the roles will be circulating. Like a clock. Pawns included." He added in the end, sounding like a businessman making a deal. Twilight shook her head in disbelief.

"But that sounds so needlessly complicated! How will I remember which pieces are which? And the pawns? I mean, I could probably remember which is which knight, or bishop, but there are eight pawns! It will be a complete, total, absolute--"

"--Chaos?" Discord clued in gleefully. Twilight stared at him, at loss for words. "Sounds pretty fun, doesn't it?" He added gleefully, like a small child presenting a discovery to somepony. But Twilight shook her head in disbelief.

"It will be impossible to play, I can't remember all of the--"

"Don't tell me you're not smart enough for such a simple addition of a rule to the game?" The draconequus suddenly asked, seemingly innocently but with obvious intentions of mocking the purple mare. That self satisfied grin said it all.

Oh, it was on. The challenge Discord offered made Twilight burn with the passion of an egghead.

"Let's play, Discord." She challenged back with a smirk.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"It was a queen, Discord!"

"A bishop, dear!"

"I am so sure it was a queen!"

"Oh fine, then; I'll be a gentleman - let it be a queen."

"Ha~!"

"But now your supposed-to-be queen of your next move is captured!"

"Nonononononooooo~ Awww, how could I have missed that!"

"Your turn, dear!"

"... that would make my next piece a bishop then... right?"

"You got it!"

"Bam~boozled! Got my queen back!"

"How could I have missed that?!"

"Haha, I said the same thing just now!"

"Right, you did! Hahahaha~!"

"Hahahaha~!"

It was well past bedtime. The two were still playing a chaotic chess game, getting closer but still well on their way to ending the game, crying tears of laughter, constantly arguing about which piece was which and pretty much goofing around with the game play of chaotic chess at this point. Spike was sound asleep, despite the thundering laughter that shook the treehouse during the whole evening.

If he were awake right now, he would probably be surprised; Twilight Sparkle never laughed so much, so hard and so delightfully in a single evening.

3) V for Virtue

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The Sun was peeking shyly from behind the hills when Twilight Sparkle woke up. Her bed never felt so uncomfortable for some reason. Then she realized that was because she wasn't in her bed at all.

She was in a sitting position, with her head laid upon the chess board from last night. One of the pawns was stabbing her cheek. As she raised her head, the mentioned piece remained stuck on her skin for a little while, before falling down on the board and producing a small clacking noise; leaving a somewhat painful sensation on her face. The warm blanket over her back slipped quietly to the floor.

She slowly got up and stretched, then felt a bit of annoying pain in her neck. She managed to get it to leave after stretching out every muscle. It took her a few moments to realize Discord wasn't there.

For a moment she panicked, imagining he must've escaped and was already causing chaos around the Ponyville, if not all of Equestria - then she recalled the whole reason why draconequus even lived with her.

"Uh, what time is it anyway?" She asked herself quietly, searching for the old clock on the library wall - it informed her it was still a bit early. She concluded she could let Spike sleep a little bit longer, then headed to the bathroom to freshen herself up.

What a surprise was awaiting for her though, as she looked herself in the mirror - there, on the forehead of her own reflection, with a perfectly fine handwriting, she saw a small message:

Be right back!

It was written mirrored, like he knew she was going to check herself in the mirror. Twilight noticed with some distress he drew a small heart next to it. Charming. Just charming. If that was his way of trying to be cute, he was failing as far as she was concerned.

"Oh, that silly--" Annoyed, Twilight mumbled to herself as she tried to wash away the ink on her forehead. Even a bigger surprise was the fact she couldn't remove it no matter what she tried or what soap she used. Desperate, she even considered using bleach, but decided wearing a giant white spot on the forehead wasn't her thing.

"You have got to be kidding me!" She growled and when the attempt to remove the writing with tooth paste didn't work, she finally gave up. Her bangs were covering most of it anyway. Once he came back, she would demand it taken off.

Thinking of it, where in the world could he be, anyway?

The answer came with the very loud sound of door opening and closing, as well as the sound of Discord's over the top maniacal laughter. Not wanting to know what happened, yet wanting to get it over with right away, Twilight descended down to face an interesting scene: Discord was stealthily looking through the window, apparently hiding from somepony; the interesting thing was him carrying a few empty glass bottles, something that seemed to be a somewhat old and very long garland messily wrapped around him body and an ink marker behind his ear. Probably the very same one he scribbled the message on her forehead with. He was giggling like a small child, overly happy with whatever he had done.

Whatever it was, she probably wasn't going to like it. In fact, she concluded, she didn't even have to know.

"Discord." She addressed him sternly, apparently surprising the Spirit as the bottles nearly feel from his hands.

"Good morning, Twilight Sparkle! And a wonderfully trouble bringing morning it is!"

Despite the cheerful greeting, her gaze remained stern. "...Discord, what have you done?"

Discord gave her the most innocent look he could produce.

"Now, why ever would you think I did something?"

"Well, putting aside the obvious," Twilight eyed the stuff Discord had with him, as well as the, at the moment, much hated marker pen, "your happiness can never be a good sign."

"You had no problem with my joyful attitude last night, if I recall right." Discord noticed, then got back to spying through the window.

Twilight couldn't help herself - the fact he just told her he was happy the evening before, which led to the logical conclusion that he enjoyed spending time with her, made her whole mess of a morning a bit better. She smiled sheepishly.

"Right. But then you weren't pranking neighbors, or... whatever you're doing right now."

"You guessed it dear; the whole Ponyville shall once again suffer the chaotic deeds of mine!"

He turned triumphantly to Twilight, his talon finger pointing at her in an extremely dramatic way; he obviously had the intention of looking interesting.

"The fact my powers are gone doesn't mean a thing to me anymore! I, Discord, the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony will never give up at giving the citizens of Ponyville and anyone else the piece of chaos and disturbance this boring little town needs!"

The Spirit gleefully and swiftly flew into her kitchen, leaving the quite stunned purple pony alone to think. Despite the fact Discords' words should've worried her, Twilight felt a bit impressed. She knew the chaos he was going to produce wasn't going to be nearly as dangerous like before and he couldn't really do much outside Ponyville. But still, he wasn't giving up; completely stripped of powers, brought to the level he deemed unworthy at first, yet keep on doing what he loved the most in his chaotic life.

And she was supposed to change that.

Somehow, it seemed more challenging than before.

"Oh, I shouldn't be thinking like that!" The pony shook her head violently. "Ugh, don't give up, Twilight! After all, you have a lot of time ahead of you. Your time with Discord has just begun!"

She followed the Spirit into the kitchen and wished she didn't. Its ceiling was decorated with garland Discord brought in. It wouldn't be that bad if he didn't decide to spray the whole thing with a can of cream, that now quietly fell all over the kitchen table and floor.

"Discord!"

"I think it's a nice touch, for a start. Really pops out of the usually monotone decor and adds the unexisting festivity to this room. But it needs some radiant color. Like red."

"Where did you get that thing anyway?"

"I pulled it off some house."

"WHAT?!"

"They should know better, the Heart's Warming Eve has gone."

"Discord!"

"Oh right, I have to tell you this one; so there I was, sitting on this pony's window, preparing to throw a pot in front of some stallion that was walking right underneath and I notice, window is ajar! So I sneaked in and slowly and quietly woke up the somepony in their bed - you should've seen that look on that mare's face, oh my!" The Spirit bent in half and fell to the floor laughing.

"You broke into someone's house?!"

"I visited." He corrected without delay, still laughing. "And I rid them of this old thing. Seriously, why was that thing hanging in there, anyway? They must cherish the holiday greatly.

"Discord! You broke in and stole! That is punishable by law-- why in the hay am I even telling you that, you know it well!"

He snorted as he flew into the air and circled around her joyfully, mocking her:

"Oooh~ I am such a criminal, aren't I? What are you going to do - take me to the officers of the law and lock me up?"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"I can not believe you took me to the officers of the law and had me locked up."

Twilight didn't waste a moment of time bringing Discord to justice - or in this case, putting him into detention, locking him up for a few hours, then coming to pick him up, purely to show him just how are those things punishable around here and to show him he was no exception to it; but there was a limited amount of time she could feel alright with leaving Discord to scare anyone he could in the station. By the time she came back, the Spirit was wailing out of boredom in his cell and the guards were pretty much terrified.

"That cell was even more boring than your library, if that is possible."

"Then that will be your first valuable lesson, I suppose - no stealing and no breaking in." Twilight told him off, much like a parent would.

"If you saw all the wonderful things I pulled off this morning , you wouldn't be saying that."

"... what were you doing, anyway?"

"Well for one, this." He poked her harshly on her forehead, suddenly a smile on his face. "I'll tell you one delightful thing, Twilight Sparkle; the tools of the Wall are many and harmless but they are as easy to reach as before and quite fun when used in such a simplistic, childish way."

"... I'm sorry, what?"

The Spirit groaned in what sounded like frustration. "For such an intelligent prodigy of magical craft, you really are as dim as those Princesses of yours." He didn't bother explaining and Twilight figured she would have to get used to this kind of talk.

The two kept on walking for some time and Twilight realized they weren't heading home. This could be a nice opportunity for a talk and maybe learning something about him.

"While we're outside, why don't we go for a walk? If you're alright with it, of course."

"Actually, a magnificent guy such as me naturally prefers more magnificent means of a 'walk'."

"...Meaning?"

"I would rather go flying."

"If you plan on running away, I swear--"

"Even if I did my dear, without my powers it would be meaningless. No, what I had in mind," he laid his lion paw gently on her back and gave her a very significant look, "was both of us going for a flight."

It took Twilight one horrifying moment to realize what he was talking about and it was already too late to run away.

"Discord, no. No, no, no nononoNONO, NOOO!" Her words fell on deaf ears as the draconequus picked her up with no trouble at all and placed her on his back; with the very short warning to hold tight he flew swiftly into the air with surprising speed that made her squeeze his slim body tighter. As he started twirling, spinning and going incredibly fast, Twilight started to shriek.

"DISCOOORD!"

"I'm howlin' at the moon,

and sleepin' in the middle of a summer afternoon~"

"WHAT?!"

"Oh, nothing dear~!"

They kept going up and higher at amazing speed, that Twilight knew was enough to at the very least match the speed of Rainbow Dash. His flight felt odd and twirly - she couldn't tell whether he was not used to putting his wings to work so much or whether it was just him being him. They were rising towards the cloudy sky and soon found themselves in the thick, white cloudy mist. There, they were met with the blinding power of the Sun.

Twilight blinked a couple of times, temporarily blinded and felt the body of the draconequus slow down. They finally stopped, but she realized she didn't dare to open her eyes.

"Twilight Sparkle, what in the world are you doing with your eyes closed?" Discord chuckled. "Your lack of interest into this whole new world above disappoints me."

"We're even higher than the Cloudsdale's altitude; I'm kind of nervous, if you don't mind." Twilight responded automatically, both annoyed by the fact he thought this was perfectly alright and pretty frightened of falling down. She heard the draconequus sigh.

"As you wish; I'll enjoy the view by myself then."

"T-the view?"

He didn't respond and Twilight couldn't take it anymore; she opened her eyes and loudly gasped, which drew a wise smile on Discord's face.

Up, the endless pastel blue sky, with Sun in such stunningly clear vision. Looking at it made Twilight feel dizzy. Below and onwards, a white, fluffy sea of misty clouds, moving slowly and carelessly, some of them bouncing and overlapping like water in slow motion. Twilight never went so high above it all, above the whole world. It surprised her that there was little to no wind up here; and the silence. Such an amazing, loud silence, occasionally disturbed by the gentle whistles of wind somewhere below the fluffy sea.

The view got her literally speechless as she kept looking around, constantly searching for a sign of Ponyville or the tips of the forest, or anything remotely connected to the earth. Her mind was taking her flying across the endless sea of clouds, far away to the white and blue horizon.

"You've fallen unusually silent."

Twilight blinked, finding herself once again on the back of the draconequus. She didn't even notice he had descended on one of the idle small clouds that got away from its fluffy herd.

"I... I'm just... wow." She let out a breathy laugh. Her astonishment made him chuckle.

Twilight gently stooped down from his back to the fluffy surface, in the process casting a spell to be able to do so - walking on them was the weirdest sensation ever, far different than the clouds of Cloudsdale.

"Wow, this is so weird."

"I find it quite comfy."

"Hmm, I guess. It would be so hard to sleep on these, they are too soft... and bouncy."

The two once again fell silent for a moment and Twilight wondered if this is how the Spirit of Disharmony spent his time relaxing. Then again, it was way too... serene and peaceful up here. Or in Discord's terms, boring. He probably just wanted to stretch his wings.

She suddenly felt a soft poke on her forehead. The draconequus' paw was gently touching her forehead, an unusual smile over his face. For a moment, he was just sitting there, not doing anything. Twilight's curiosity got the best of her, and with a confused smile, she mumbled:

"Huh? What are you--"

She felt being pushed backwards, towards the edge of the cloud. Her heart raced.

"WHAT THE HAY?! DISCO--WAAAH!"

The purple pony stood on the very edge now, feeling like she might slip from the cloud at any second, with Discord's finger still on her forehead, as gentle as before. The very amused draconequus stifled a laugh.

"Stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it!"

"Oh dear, the look on your face is a memory I'll treasure forever!" The draconequus snickered, still not letting her return her balance. Twilight's voice turned into a semi-cry.

"I'm going to FALL!"

"I'm not pushing you any further, now am I?"

"Discoooord~" Twilight called, half annoyed, half terrified by the actions of a teasing draconequus. She was sure to a certain degree that he wouldn't let her fall but that didn't make the sensation of being dangerously near falling any less scary.

"Oh please, cut the whining, you sound like the annoying rock-obsessed fashionista."

"It's Rarity!"

"Rarity-Schmarity, I don't care." The Spirit stared at her in amusement but then squinted Twilight frowned as the Spirit bit his lip and once more started snickering.

"What?" Twilight spat angrily at his amusement.

"Come to think of it - since you never removed that ink message from your forehead - is it possible I am that dear to you?" He blinked at her with an utterly unflattering expression on his face. The corners of her mouth however, wouldn't budge and the smile he tried to draw out of her remained sealed inside of the happy but absent side of Twilight.

"Ha-bucking-HA. I can't, nothing works."

"... yeah, that kind of makes sense, knowing where it came from."

"I don't know and I honestly don't care at this point - just let me go!"

Discord seemed to be thinking before playfully continuing: "It is pretty ironic for you to have a 'be right back' written on your forehead while you're an inch or two away from falling to your demise."

The purple unicorn looked at him, horror clearly displayed in her round eyes.

"Perhaps, if you apologize for 'bringing me to justice', I might consider not letting you fall down."

"Yeah, as if you would do such a--" Twilight watch with widened eyes as the Spirit got into a slightly more comfortable position, his finger still lazily lingering on her forehead - and then gently pushed forward again.

"OH MY--I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY, ALL RIGHT?! OH, DEAR CELESTIA!"

The panicked shrieks of the unicorn and her very unique facial expression were the last straw for the draconequus; he bent over as he once again started laughing maniacally, allowing the frightened unicorn to regain her balance. Twilight scooted over to the middle of the cloud, breathing rapidly and glaring at the amused Spirit.

"You--!" The instinct took over her and she pushed Discord strongly with her front hooves; a push she gave too much strength it would appear, as it sent the still laughing draconequus over the cloud edge. She gasped.

"Wai--No, Discord!" She looked down into the cloudy sea but to her surprise the Spirit was gone and his laughter had died. Could it be possible he fell all the way down bellow? What if he didn't succeed in catching the wind properly and isn't able to fly? What if he...

Twilight's heart was probably the loudest thing above the clouds at that point. She was about to call for him once again, sheer panic taking over her, her legs trembling and her heart beating faster and faster...

"BOO!"

"Aaah! You jerk!"

"Pffhahahahaha!" The spirit slithered from underneath the cloud where he was hiding, laughing even louder than before. Twilight felt tired. The morning pranks, whole ride into the sky and Discords antics wore her out more than she expected. She laid down and buried her face into her bent legs.

"Aww, come on, Twilight Sparkle, it is all in good chaotic fun."

"This is just too much for me." Twilight noticed with heavy heart, her voice half cracking and half giggling. She just needed to be left alone for a couple of minutes. The spirit merely shrugged and sat peacefully on the cloud. The sudden silence made her suspicious, so she glanced at him. The sight of the mismatched Spirit staring at the horizon, with a certain dose of thinking being done in his head, was weird.

"What are you doing?" She asked, which sounded kind of stupid seeing as he wasn't actually doing anything; but Discord seemed to have understood what she was trying to ask.

"Sometimes, back when I was still roaming free, I liked to come up here..."

Oh, he's actually saying why? What could it be?

"... just sit back..."

Relax? Think? Have some place to be alone and confront his true feelings about the nature of his being?!

"... and imagine what would it be like to turn the sky, clouds and earth upside down for one day!"

"Huh?" Twilight deadpanned.

"Just imagine!" The ambitious Spirit turned to her, eyeing her with half crazy look in his eyes.

"Walking on the firm limited sky, with sea of clouds surrounding you you and endless earth above them! Makes no sense at all! Vertigo! Vertigo everywhere!" He laughed again on the thought of distraught ponies living through such a hellish day. Twilight, on the other hand frowned, the way she did whenever she didn't understand something.

"So how come you didn't do that already?"

Discord waved his hand dismissively.

"N'aw, that's impossible; even for a once incredibly powerful and still extremely handsome guy such as I am."

What does 'being handsome" have to do with that, anyway?

"I do demand a certain amount of power to change the laws of Nature on such a huge level. If I ever tried something that senseless though, it would probably destroy me."

"Really?" Twilight asked with interest, realizing she was getting information she so deeply wanted. She tried to sound casual. "So, where else lay the limits of your magical power?"

"Hmm, it is hard to say." Draconequus replied lazily, apparently thinking it through. "The hardest spell I ever performed involved-- what are you doing?"

"Huh? Nothing." Twilight tried to unsuccessfully hide the parchment and quill she summoned moments ago. Discord arched an eyebrow.

"You're an outstanding student of magic, Twilight Sparkle but your lying skills are terrible. Leave it to your friend, Liarjack." He grinned as he swiftly stole the parchment from behind her back. As he read what was on the paper, his face changed from minor curiosity to a surprised smile.

"Aww, I feel honored! I am a research item!"

"Give it back!" Twilight tried to grab the parchment from the fingers of now standing Spirit but he kept her away with his hand.

"Hmm, you really don't have much info on me now do you, honorary protege of Celestia."

Twilight finally used her magic to banish the quill and her research back to her home.

"Tsk, so cheap." The Spirit scolded.

"My research is none of your business!" Twilight replied a bit more snobbishly than she intended to. The Spirit chuckled, eyeing her curiously.

"Well it is if I am the one being researched; for such a fine, study-dedicated and rational pony, I would've thought you'd ask me directly instead of twisting your words around such a simple question."

Twilight didn't quite know what to say; truth to be told, she didn't expect him to be so blunt about it. In fact, for some reason, she thought he might be mad about her doing a research on him. But Discord seemed anything but angry - proud, flattered even.

"...Well-I..." a slightly awkward silence filled the air.

"Let us go back, I am starving. That assistant of yours had better made us some dinner - as far as the story's concerned, that seems to be the only thing he's good for."

"What do you mean by sto--" Then he picked her up and, knowing what followed, all questioned evaporated from her head. She gulped and smiled at him sheepishly.

"Y-You know, I could use the transportation spell-" She didn't even finish her question properly and he already held her in his hands, carrying her like a small puppy.

"Aren't you going to carry me on your back at least? Please?"

"Oh, but this way, I'll get to see that priceless facial expression of yours again! In times like these, your funny face is all I have! Aren't you touched?"

"Discord just-- just don't, no, NO, NOOO~!"

And with those words, the spirit clutched firmly the poor unicorn's body and dived into the clouds below, offering Celestia's student an excellent view on the ground she felt like she was going to hit very soon. She couldn't contain a shriek of both fear and joy.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"All done! Hope Discord likes daisy sandwiches-- then again, what do I care? He can eat dirt as far as I'm asked." Spike was in the middle of setting up the table, having indeed made the dinner for all three of them; he already had his portion of gems. Just as he was done with serving the sandwiches, the library door opened to reveal the very happy-go-lucky Spirit and pretty worn out Twilight.

"Hello, Twilight! Discord." He added, a bit less enthusiastic. "The dinner is serve-- Twilight? What's wrong? And what is that on your forehead?" Spike had to ask upon seeing her somewhat messed up mane and the somewhat visible scribbles around her horn.

"Hello, Spike. Don't worry, nothing is wrong; I just had a really... well... chaotic day." The tired unicorn smiled softly.

"I'm so glad to be of service, dear." Discord bowed slightly as he offered her a pink-tipped pen. She rolled her eyes but smiled only even wider as she applied the erasing pen to her forehead.

"Well, I'm off to bed - I'm beaten. Seriously Twilight, if you're going to keep him around here, he actually could do something to help after all; now that you're busy with him, I have more work to do than ever." The dragon commented before climbing upstairs into the bedroom.

Twilight realized Spike's idea wasn't half bad but could tell by the look on Discord's face he wasn't ready to do such things; or better said, he was absolutely unwilling.

"Today was an absolutely marvelous day - your every shriek and every prank I play on you have been more satisfying by themselves than pranking any number of ponies. There's nothing like destroying the composure of coolness itself."

"You're so mean." Twilight responded in aggravation as she finished removing the marker traces of her forehead.

The Spirit shrugged, giving her a smug look. "I am Discord. Deal with it."

Twilight didn't say anything; not until a sudden realization came to her. The purple unicorn smiled happily as she stood up from the table, finished her meal and heading slowly towards the second floor.

"No... I don't believe you're that mean, actually, now that I think about it."

Discord stared at her in disbelief; judging by his face he must've been deeply hurt or even insulted.

"How dare you?! Of course I am! I am the--"

"This morning, I found a blanket over my back. Spike was already asleep by then and wasn't getting up during the night. Which leaves you." The suddenly upset Spirit was seemingly trying to find the right words to reply but he didn't say anything. She got up and gently nuzzled his lion paw, which pretty much terrified him. "That is so sweet of you."

Discord stood so still that she might as well have concluded he became a statue again. The expression on his face was... absolutely and totally...

"Priceless." A single word left Twilight's lips as she went upstairs to her bed, leaving the utterly baffled Discord to cure his boredom however he could for the rest of the evening.

4) Lesson Laughter

View Online

"Discord... what in the world?"

"What? I'm not doing anything."

"Well that is precisely what concerns me. You haven't been doing anything for a while now."

A couple days passed since that exciting flight to the cloudy heights, during which Twilight felt like she really started to get along with Discord. Knowing the Spirit was usually up for anything but activities that included the everyday normality, she was kind of excited about what might they do next during their time together.

So it was quite an unpleasant development of the situation when the draconequus, after promptly managing to prank about eighty percent of Ponyville's population in the course of a day, started doing... nothing. He spent the whole yesterday mostly lounging around the library, sleeping on the roof and would occasionally leave to stretch his wings. Each time, Twilight would warn him not to cause any trouble; each time she also hoped he would, because that would mean he got back to his chaotic old self. Alas, he did not.

"Hmm, really?" the Spirit observed his talons as if they were the most interesting thing in the room at that moment.

Discord the Chaotic became Discord the Melancholic.

Another thing that particularly hurt her was that just the other day, she was out with her friends on a picnic, telling them all how nicely they started go get along, despite the Spirit's mischievousness. The satisfaction she got from seeing a surprised expression of Rainbow Dash was huge but she kept that bit of information for herself, not wanting to rub it into her face.

“Well, who would've known. Maybe Discord ain' so bad as we thought.” Applejack was the first to lighten up upon hearing the news.

“I, I guess so.” Fluttershy decided to state her opinion. “Who knows, maybe he realized that making troubles isn't all he can do to have fun."

“But Twilight sweetie, are you sure that maybe, just maybe that ruffian isn't fooling around with you? Men can be so deceiving sometimes.” Rarity suggested, recalling her very uncharming meeting with Prince Blueblood.

“No way, I'm sure he's being sincere with me; besides, he would have nothing to gain from lying to me anywa--”

“Oh Twilight, I'm so glad he's our friend now, because that means that I can throw him a party!" The pink pony finally voiced, about to pop from excitement. "Discord still didn't have a welcome party! There will be dance music and presents for him and he loves the chocolate milk and cotton candy, so I definitely need to make him the best chocolate milk ever and--”

“Pinkie Pie, calm down, “Twilight started gently, smiling a bit nervously, “I don't think he considers us to be that much of friends yet. I mean, he even still glares at me whenever I use my magic. Give him time.”

“There's only so much time I can hand around!” The pink pony joked as she bounced around on the grass, fulfilled with expectations of a bright future full of parties where Discord could enjoy her home made chocolate milk and learn her some awesome party tricks.

Twilight sighed as she remembered Pinkie's happy expression; the earth pony was so excited to be friends with someone who loved pranks and laughter as much as she did. Even though that someone turned Ponyville into the Chaotic center of Equestria for one full day. The fond memory of Pinkie's happiness made Discord's unusual behavior all that more worrisome.

"Come on now Discord, something is obviously wrong. A full day passed, and I didn't once end up with my posterior glued to my seat; nor did my books mix up so the first letter of their title would spell some... indecency."

The Spirit chuckled. "That was a good one."

"Come on, Discord! Tell me," she sat next to him, "what's wrong?"

He was obviously annoyed by her, she could see that; but she could also see he knew she wasn't about to let this matter go. With a resigning sigh, the Spirit sat up on, at the moment his favorite couch and lazily looked her in the eyes.

"Oh let's see, I don't know, I guess I just miss something from my life." He finally answered, though with an amount of bitterness and sarcasm she didn't hear from him before.

"Miss something from your life? What do you-- Oh." Twilight's hopes immediately sank. The depressed draconequus was obviously talking about his once available powers. Well, she wasn't that surprised; if she suddenly lost her horn and all of her abilites, she would be pretty upset - pretty much like the time she and her friends went into the labyrinth; but that was only temporarily. He even willingly returned them their wings and horns.

Discord was using his very colorful powers for pretty much anything he did. Chaotic powers brought him all the food he liked, a place to sleep, chaotic fun he so adored and could fulfill pretty much any of his hearts desires.

Sure, the first two days he thought he would be alright. But now... the Spirit that just a few days ago declared war on Ponyville, desiring to be proclaimed the most chaotic citizen of their little town, has fallen victim to certain sadness against his will. And just he was getting used to this life, too!

Twilight wasn't going to have any of that.

"Oh come on! Do you want to play Chess Mess, perhaps? You love that game." Twilight offered to play the recently named game the both of them thoroughly enjoyed that one evening.

For a short moment, he seemed enthusiastic. "Yes, yes I do. But, nah."

Twilight blinked.

"How about some other game? I have bunch of cool games for whenever me and my friends do a sleepover! We can ask Spike to play with us, too! Actually, he's spending today at Rarity's..."

"Mmm..." Discord hummed lazily. Twilight couldn't help but put on a sad face. Watching him like this was almost painful.

"Or we could watch one of those old, bad movies and do a running commentary!" Twilight honestly didn't understand this much but had caught Discord in the act one evening - he nearly cried tears of laughter at old horror movies.

Her expression lightened up when the Spirit looked at her curiously, seemingly interested. But already in the next moment, he merely said:

"I'm not in the mood."

What the hay?! Either I must be going crazy, or Discord is sick – he usually isn't so willing to do nothing at all.

She suddenly got an idea.

"Wait here, alright? I know just the thing that will cheer you up!"

"Not much of a choice for me, is it." The Spirit replied bitterly, as Twilight ran out of her home.

"Or should I say, I know just the pony." She added to herself, smirking. The idea was so brilliant she couldn't help but smile to herself.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Oh, Twilight I'm so glad I get to hang out with Discord! We'll turn that frown upsides down, put on a smile in a while, bring the happy into his 'ness!"

"That doesn't even make any-- oh, never mind, anyway; please do whatever you can to cheer him up. He's been so down for some reason, it is not at all like him! But don't tell anyone else about it, please; I don't want them to think I failed." She added, a bit embarrassed. Pinkie didn't seem to mind keeping a secret though.

"Aww you don't have to worry about that Twilight - but a promise is a promise!" Pinkie crossed her chest. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!" The jolly pony produced a cupcake out of nowhere as she firmly squished it against her eyelid, pieces of strawberry falling on the ground. Twilight kept the question of magically appearing cupcakes to herself as the two entered the library.

"Discord!" Twilight called for the draconequus, who still hasn't moved an inch, being in the same position as before. Twilight gave herself a few moments to pity him, then announced:

"Look who came to visit!"

Discord got up and glanced over the pink pony, then rolled his eyes.

"Oh. Hello, Meanie Pie."

"Hohoho, that really was mean of you." Pinkie replied joyfully as she bounced around him; the Spirit sighed.

"Is this what you had in mind, Twilight Sparkle?"

"Sure! Hanging out with Pinkie will cheer you up in no time!"

"... we'll see about that."

"Sure it will!" The pink pony grinned a stunningly big grin. "Come on, let's play a game!"

"What is it with you mares and games?"

Twilight left the two to do whatever they want, figuring they could use some time alone. She went out, sat on a nearby bench and opened up one of the big old books she used in her studies, deciding to read it again - you know, for fun!

If anything was to go wrong she could easily come inside to check things out.

Barely fifteen minutes passed when she heard Pinkie calling for her. Twilight stood up, confused, wondering whether there was a problem or even whether Pinkie truly managed what Twilight brought her here for so fast - only to horrifyingly realize upon entering that Pinkie was gray from head to toe. The sweetness of her bright smile was replaced with an utterly unhappy glare.

"What the---" Twilight's jaw dropper as the Spirit of Disharmony closed the door behind her, laughing cruelly.

"It really was a fun game with Meanie Pie, Twilight Sparkle. As you can see, it allowed me to once again gain my powers!"

"Stop laughing! This isn't fun!" Pinkie growled angrily at Discord. If it were possible, Twilight's eyes would have probably left their sockets by now.

"W-what?!" Her heart was beating so fast she could swore it will jump right out of her chest.

"B-but that's imp-- how did you--what is going on?!"

"You're done with questions! It is time for me to exact my revenge! But I am not heartless, dear, I'll let you choose." Discord slowly advanced on her as he recited another one of his creepy riddles:

"I can send you on vacation, in a rather popular destination.
One that even Luna still fears, for there she spent a thousand years."

The Spirit of Disharmony cornered her, a maniacal grin showing off his crooked teeth. Twilight was speechless, helpless to do anything but watch the Spirit as he continued to narrate his awfully creepy little rhyme, circling her with his snake-like body.

"Your other choice of vacationing spot includes the royal gardens of Canterlot,
or perhaps right next to my throne, where you'll be the first pony ever to be enhanced in stone."

It took a few moments for Twilight's racing brain to connect the dots of the rhymes - he was either banishing her in the Moon, or trapping her into stone? What kind of sick choice was that?! How did this happen, anyway? Was everything so far really just an act? Was he really going to be chaotic until the end of his eternal life?

"D-Discord, wha-what--"

"Oh my, a little indecisive are we? That's alright dear, I made the decision for you; I always wanted a pony statue!"

"No! W-what are you saying, stop-- Pinkie, help me!!" Twilight yelled out in fear, trying with all her might to concentrate on her magic but it was in vain, producing but a few sparks - she was way too terrified. The pink pony just stared at her angrily, her usually smiling blue eyes now staring angrily.

"You'll never laugh at me again."

In her mind, Twilight was saying goodbye to her family and friends; she covered herself with her hooves instinctively, awaiting the powerful spell that will seal her in the same stone prison Discord spent countless pony lifetimes in, regretting everything that happened, wishing desperately for a way out... and wishing for the Discord she got to know in the past few days back.

A snort.

Twilight peeked out and saw both Discord and Pinkie Pie biting their lips with the silliest facial expressions. Before the unicorn could even process what was going on, sheer fear still running through her veins, both the Spirit and the party pony fell on the floor to laugh their guts out.

"Wh....wha'?" Twilight asked in daze, still shocked and scared but most of all, confused. Pinkie Pie, tears running down her cheeks, revealing her naturally pink skin, gave her a firm hug as she stuttered out:

"P--p--p--praaanked, ha~ hahahaha~!" Pinkie continued laughing maniacally, like she usually did, falling back on the floor, and leaving the ash marks all over Twilights' neck. Discord was no better; Twilight noticed he was clutching his ribs most likely because he laughed so hard it hurt.

Twilight felt so many emotions stir in her. She was upset and a bit angry but relieved and happy at the same time. And their laughter was so loud, felt so embarrassing and... it was absolutely contagious.

Feeling like a victim of a mean joke still didn't stop Twilight from slowly breaking into a laugh, entertained by the hilarious laughter of the two that were by now gasping for air. It started with a snort, then a giggle and soon evolved into a laughing party of three. If anyone was passing by the library, they probably would have thought somepony was having a mania attack.

It took them quite a while to stop laughing; their cheeks were wet with tears, manes messy, their bellys' hurt and they all flopped down into the floor and laid on their back to rest, still giggling and trying to calm down completely.

"Now... now that," the Spirit was the first to start talking, his voice a bit cracked and shaking, "is what I call a good prank."

"S-sorry if it was a bit mean, Twilight," the pink pony's good nature had to apologize for what they had done, even if it was all in good fun, "but I did my best to think of a way to cheer him up."

"Oh my, this is the best prank I've ever had the chance of performing in eons!" the Spirit broke into a laughing fit again, thought not as nearly as strong one as before. While he was busy trying to make it stop ("It hurts! Oh sweet Chaos, my ribs!"), Twilight looked over at Pinkie Pie, who wore a somewhat sheepish smile.

"You did a great job Pinkie. I wouldn't expect any less of you. Thanks." Twilight gratefully said, happy to see Pinkie Pie's face break into a relieved expression.

"But boy, you sure had me fooled. I never knew just how much I---" Twilight stopped herself suddenly, making the pink pony curious.

"Never knew what?" She asked.

"-- oh! Just that, umm, how much I err, cared about teaching Discord of the Elements of Harmony! It just came to me how important I find it!" Twilight stuttered out her response, making Pinkie Pie slightly suspicious; luckily, Pinkie wasn't the pony the interfere in other peoples' minds. Well, not too much at least.

"Okie dokie lokie! Oh, the Pinkie Prank inspiration kicked in!" Pinkie suddenly said.

"Let's go and prank Applejack, the three of us! I just thought of the greatest prank ever!"

"Oooh, I simply must have on a look on the little farmer's reaction once we prank her. Judging by her fiery temper, we'll be in for so~ much trouble! " Discord eagerly agreed.

"Come on Twilight, wanna go with us? Please, please, please~?" Pinkie Pie smiled her brilliantly wide smile.

Twilight was never too much into pranks; or, to be more honest, she was never as imaginative when it came to thinking of them, so she thought she might as well leave them alone to have their fun - but she was surprised to see that Discord too was eagerly awaiting for her response. Well, the spirit liked having fun; and as the saying goes, the more, the merrier, right?

Twilight grinned, automatically receiving the smiling responses.

"Count me in!"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Twilight was surprised to realize they spent the whole afternoon and a good part of evening pranking not only Applejack but a few other ponies they came across. The victims were pretty numerous that day. Twilight felt only a slightly bit embarrassed though, as nopony expected her to turn out to be one of the pranksters.

The best part of it all though, Twilight had to admit, was when she noticed how many of the ponies, while still not approving him entirely, weren't afraid of Discord anymore - in fact, when they stopped to say 'hi' to Derpy Hoover and Dr Whooves, they both even greeted them all very politely, including the mismatched Spirit.

Luna had already lifted the Moon and the first stars shined across the sky when they slowly started to make their way home, discussing some of the pranks they pulled that day. The good mood they achieved by the end of the day was still lingering in them.

"Wow Twilight, for your first prank that was pretty good!" Pinkie Pie chirped.

"Oh come on, it is just a simple vanishing ink trick." Twilight shyly scraped the dirt underneath her hooves.

"I don't think you're giving yourself enough credit, Twilight Sparkle - the expression of fashionista's face as she saw her newest creation covered in ink was a memory I'll treasure forever." Discord commented, slowly flying next to the two, apparently finding walking too boring for his taste.

"You're being too kind!" The unicorn kept defending herself, feeling embarrassed about accepting any kind of praise. Discord and Pinkie Pie rolled their eyes as one.

The three soon reached the Sugarcube Corner, which, Twilight noticed with a surprise, was about to close for today. Was it that late already? The party pony stood in front of the entrance with one hoof on the door.

"Phew, it really has been a long day with you two but it was so much fun! We have to do it again someday!" Pinkie Pie suggested and Twilight noticed with a glee she couldn't hide that the Spirit was engaged in a normal conversation with her.

"Definitely Pinkie my dear; your sense of joke and intoxicating laughter is something I'll look forward to hang around again."

What a way with words! Twilight though, looking as the pink pony replied with, what else, a silly giggle.

"Oh! One more thing!" Pinkie ran inside and came back almost instantly, carrying a lime green box wrapped with a silky light blue ribbon.

"Cupcakes; for my new friend! Make sure to share!" She grinned widely as she handed the somewhat surprised Spirit the neatly packed box. Twilight glanced nervously from Pinkie to Discord and back, unsure whether he will refuse the nice gesture or not. Somehow she couldn't imagine him doing anything different.

Discord accepted the box, eyeing it like it was some sort of unfamiliar buried relic. Moments passed but he said nothing. Instead he just arched an eyebrow. Twilight couldn't tell just what was that reaction about.

"Well, goodnight!" Pinkie interrupted the silence, waving to the two as they started towards the library. Discord gave her a small lazy wave, still not saying anything. Wondering what was going on in his mind right now, Twilight spoke first after a few moments of silence.

"That was really nice of Pinkie Pie, don't you think?"

"Come on now Twilight Sparkle, I think we both know what this is." Discord replied, with a tiny wise smile. Twilight frowned in confusion.

"Um, a box of cupcakes? And probably really good ones, too."

"Oh dear, you're so naive. This box is a prank, obviously."

"What? Why would you think that? Pinkie was trying to be nice!"

"Yeah, right." He dismissively waved his eagle hand. "After a whole afternoon of pranking business, one would've thought she is trying too hard with this pathetic attempt at a prank."

"Ugh, you're so mistrusting." Twilight mumbled as she opened the door to the library, letting the Spirit to fly in and land softly in the middle of the room; he put the box on the floor and comfortably relaxed on the floor, much like a lion would, right in front of it, pondering.

"Now, now, what could it be..."

"Discord, it is just cupcakes. Trust me on that one."

"You really should know your friends better, don't you think? As an Element of Friendship , one would've thought you'd knew what this box was all about."

If anything ever seriously angered Twilight Sparkle when it came to Discord, then it was that particular comment. However, she decided to shake it off and instead, trying to keep a normal tone in her voice, replied:

"I know my friends just fine, Discord! In fact, how about this - if there is no prank inside, waiting on you, I must pick the first cupcake you will have to eat."

The Spirit looked at her funny with wide eyes, chuckling; he was probably a bit confused by an unusual offer but didn't seem worried.

"Fine, you're on Twilight Sparkle - see if I care when you get a blueberry pie into your face." He replied confidently.

Twilight didn't waste a moment of time. She marched right over next to him, looking straight into his mismatched golden eyes.

"Cupcakes." Her voice was ice cold as she opened the box. No flying pies on springs or streamers shooting out, or fake snakes. A dozen of beautifully made cupcakes sat in the box, all of them a different flavor and color. On the bottom of the box lid though, there was a short note in round, child like handwriting:

Hiya there Discord, thank you for trying my cupcakes! I had no idea which flavors do you like, so I just put all of the flavors I had nearby! The third one in the middle is with gems though, cause you see, we ponies don't eat gems, so I made those for Spike, but I thought maybe you liked them, so I packed one for you!

Have a cupcakestic meal!

Underneath that message seemed to be another one, shorter; it looked like Pinkie Pie added it in just before she handed Discord the cupcakes.

P.S. The one in the left lower corner is for Twilight, cause she doesn't like spicy much, so I spiced it up a little bit! Ssh, don't tell her! Enjoy the last prank for today! 8D

The Spirit's before confident smile turned to an annoyed frown, while Twilights' face was a reflection of pride. He angrily glanced over at her.

"You knew she was preparing a prank for you, didn't you."

"Considering it a prank from my part, then. A deal is a deal - open wide!" Twilight laughed as she fed the draconequus the spicy cupcake originally meant for her.

"If I may partially quote," she began as the draconequus, surprisingly enough, made a grimace and gained a darker shade of red in his face, "the expression of the Spirit's face as he ate the chilli-pepper filled cupcake is a memory I'll treasure forever."

Discord flew up and into the kitchen; Twilight couldn't suppress a loud laughter when she heard him gargling underneath the tap on the sink, desperately trying to wash away the taste of his failure.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It was late at night. Twilight carefully studied the first floor and with relief noticed the draconequus was asleep, folded like a cat on the carpet. She didn't feel comfortable doing this while he was awake.

She carefully got back into her bed and opened one of the drawers in her nightstand, pulling out her diary. The diary was not even half filled; she wrote in it mostly when something of greater significance would happen. The most recent entry naturally being the news of draconequus moving in - written about a week ago, before the Princesses even freed him.

Summoning a quill and making sure the covers were well over her head, hiding both her and her diary from nonexistent looks she felt all around, she started writing.

Dear diary,

today I realized something absolutely terrible and yet not all that unlikable.

The funny part of this is, I realized it during a prank being pulled on me.

I realized that I got too attached to a certain Spirit; the way he acts without is powers is much more acceptable. Having no powers to hide behind, having no ability to magic himself away when the situation gets uncomfortable, or any means to prevent something embarrassing happening to him, I started to discover the real face hiding behind the title of Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony. And I started to like it.

I almost blurted out to Pinkie Pie that I realized back then just how much I cared about Discord; as he threatened to turn me to a statue, I felt my heart hurting because it felt much like betrayal. And not just the betrayal of a friend. There was... a bit of something more. It felt so strange, almost like a nightmare.

To conclude it once and for all my dear diary and I don't like admitting it at all, I think I'm starting to like Discord on more than a friendly level.

5) Sleeping Issues

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Twilight Sparkle woke up early. So early, there were still a few stars left in the sky left. Not that she could help it. Beside her bed, in his little basket, her assistant was snoring contently, not aware of his friends', well... awkward little problem. She was sitting on her bed, staring with a certain dose of disbelief at her most recent diary entry.

"What in the world was I thinking."

Mentally, she tried blaming it on the way too many of way too sweet cupcakes Discord and her shared last night. (She had to challenge him to a game of Chess Mess to be able to get them though; the Spirit obviously still hasn't learned of the "magic of sharing'. Still, the evening was fun.) She tried laughing it off as a result of not having a proper crush in quite some time. At one point, she even decided she was dreaming.

But Twilight Sparkle couldn't deny it anymore. Something changed and it changed significantly. It might not have been a great change but it was an obvious shift she hated to admit but simply had to - because denying it would be pointless. And she couldn't define it any way else. Once again, she looked at the last words on the bottom of her diary page.

"... I think I'm starting to like Discord on more than a friendly level."

The purple pony frowned. Her head flopped onto her pillow as she let out a worn our breath.

"Think, Twilight. Think. This simply can't be happening." She muttered into the pillow, stressed to no end.

Indeed, how was it possible. That question had been mingling all over her head for half of the night and once she finally fell asleep, she had the oddest dream that involved her being a statue in Canterlot's garden that now belonged to Discord; then Pinkie Pie came before her and with the angriest frown she ever saw, offered her cupcakes, laughing with a hysterical joyless laughter; as one can easily tell, a completely illogical, senseless and she had to be honest, pretty terrifying dream. Pinkie laughing without smiling was twisted. And while she made none sense whatsoever out of those dreams, it was usually a situation like this where the dreams like that would appear would usually appear; when she wasn't entirely sure what was going on or what should she do.

Once again, she tried to put it through rational thinking; ever since Discord lost his powers, he started showing the side of him that was pretty much hidden. Until then, his powers were his personality.

But now... he made her laugh, instead of worry. He showed her his playful, teasing side, instead of the one that was cruel and sadistic. He became more talkative about the silliest of things, instead of just bringing speeches of chaos and rule of entire Equestria and generally annoying the heck out of everypony with his puns. Small things he did even seemed to suggest he did have a friendly disposition towards her.

Still, that couldn't erase all the chaos he did, both back when he ruled Equestria centuries ago and his recent escape from his stone prison; not to mention what he did to her best friends. Simply denying his chaotic deeds would be irrational and she still felt a sting of anger when she recalled the horrible treatment he gave everypony.

The purple mare shook her head, trying to clear her mind.

"He will probably give me a reason not to like him soon, anyway." She finally concluded, this time putting on a determined face. So what's the big deal? That... crush, was just that - a crush, nothing more. She wasn't even completely sure of it. Sure, right now it felt like she was falling for him - but what if it was just a product of her - there was no point in denying that either - pretty desolate love life? Yes, that must've been it! Another thing to put in a research of emotional states of a pony during a complicated time of life!

"Gosh, I'm acting like such a silly filly." She finally laughed to herself, feeling quite better than before. With newly discovered confidence, she slammed the diary shut, locked it up (just in case) and put it back into the nightstand. Snuggling back into her blanket, she almost wanted to laugh out loud.

She couldn't wait for the morning to come to finally prove to herself that she was right. Seriously, how could she even for a moment think that what she wrote was true?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Wake up, sleepy head!" And a loud horn he pulled out who knows from where. What a beautiful sound to be woken up to. She made a mental note on "reason not to like him, number #1", already feeling better about herself but that feeling didn't last long as she tried to get the annoying ringing out of her ears. Next to her, she heard Spike screaming with surprise as the Spirit lifted his bed into the air, high above his head.

"Discord, what the hay are you doing?!" He demanded angrily. The Spirit but laughed, spinning around the room and making Spike hold onto his basket for dear life.

"I'm-!"

"Let me guess - bored." Twilight finished for him.

"Oh, you know me so well!" The Spirit responded sweetly as he finally let the baby dragons' basket fall back on the floor - with the mentioned baby dragon still in it. He silently cursed to himself as he tried to get out of knotted blankets but loud enough to earn a parenting look from Twilight. He grinned innocently.

"Sorry, Twilight, hehe. Um, I'm--"

"Going to make some breakfast?" Discord offered the rest of the sentence. Spike gave him a weirded-out look.

"Y-yeah, how did you--?"

"It seems to be your recurring role in these chapters... of your life."

"...?! What are you--"

"Hmm, I'm not too hungry..." Twilight pondered out loud, not paying half the mind to Spike's confusion and Discords knowing, teasing stare. "...but I guess some eggs would be nice." She ended as he got out of the bed-

Spike gave her a short glance before looking at Discord again, who looked distinctly pleased with himself. "Y-yeah, um, on it..."

"Oh, Spike, wait!" Twilight called for him before he had a chance of going down, with a questioning look on her face. "Aren't you going to ask Discord what he wants for breakfast?" She suggested. The dragon rolled his eyes, slightly annoyed at Twilight's not-very-subtle attempt to make the two get along but Discord seemed to be perfectly fine with it.

"Oh that is fine, I can get my own-- oh wait." The Spirit stopped moments before he almost clicked his fingers, planning on summoning his by now well known glass of chocolate milk along with with something to eat. Twilight grinned sheepishly. He was probably used to making his own breakfast each morning... or summoning food whenever he wanted, more like.

"... same for both, gotcha." Spike mumbled, still annoyed about being so rudely woken up and wondering what the heck was the previous conversation about.

Once again, the awkward silence fell between the two, as Discord once more reminisced about his once available powers that allowed him to summon all the chocolate milk in the world he wanted.

"Ugh, the mornings in here are always so boring. So regular! So... so..." The Spirit was trying to find the right word as he slowly flew downstairs, followed by Twilight. His brain-storming spree lasted for a good few minutes and sent him into the unbelievably prolonged period of silence, until they were in the middle of a meal. Then he suddenly burst into a triumphant laughter, making Twilight jerk so hard her snout sank into her scrambled eggs.

"I got it!"

Twilight looked over the table at him, the expression of obvious disapproval on her face. When he noticed the pieces of yolk on her face he snickered mischievously. Twilight sighed.

"You 'got' what, Discord?" Spike added annoyingly, gently rubbing his back in pain, having fallen of his chair at the booming sound of the draconequus' voice.

"My brilliant mind managed to realize exactly why do I feel like the mornings in here lack the level of excitement I'm used to!"

"Oh really?" Twilight automatically responded with a drop of sarcasm, wiping her face softly. "It wouldn't have anything to do with the inability to conjure yourself a cotton candy cloud bed, now would it?"

"Not necessarily." The Spirit replied indirectly and then finally explained: "You see Twilight Sparkle, unlike you ponies who just so love sleeping with the same old feeling of cotton fabric embracing you, looking at your ceiling before falling asleep and wake up to absolutely the same thing you fell asleep to, I prefer something different."

"And what might that be?" The unicorn asked, by now confused. It was now the draconequus' turn to frown in disapproval, as he apparently expected of her to get his point.

"The location, my dear. I never sleep in the same spot twice. Not that I even tried to avoid having a permanent sleeping facility but apparently it feels really unnatural for me."

"Oh." Twilight suddenly realized what he was talking about - even around here, he never slept on the couch more than once. Just last night he was sleeping on the floor. She wondered how she never noticed that during this past week.

"Therefore, I will probably be leaving your humble tree tonight to sleep in some more attractive place, but don't worry I'll be back by morning - I wouldn't like Celestia to personally come and give me a lesson on magic of safety." He mocked. "The Everfree forest sounds like a nice change of surroundings." He proceeded to say.

It took several moments for Twilight to register his words. "Yes, that sounds like a-- wait, what? No way, Discord! I am not letting you go into that forest!"

Not being too careful with what she was saying, she realized instantly she sounded much like an egghead he saw in her, for the Spirit started laughing right into her face, making it crimson with both anger and embarrassment. Spike muttered a quiet 'here we go again', seeing an argument coming from a mile away.

"My dear, I think you're forgetting who're you talking to here; I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Not to mention," he flew over the table, looking a bit tauntingly into her eyes, "you're not in charge of me. I go where I please."

Twilight stubbornly stared into his mismatched eyes, his slightly frightening and personal space-invading vicinity not throwing her out of tact.

"You are right; I am not in control of where you go; but I do know that right now your chances of surviving by yourself in that forest are much smaller than when you had your powers. So I simply can not let you go."

Discord furrowed a brow.

"And how exactly do you plan on stopping me?" He asked, the look in his eyes positively devilish.

...Was he just pulling her leg? Twilight still had her powers, there was no way he could've overpowered her... well, not magically speaking. He was much stronger physically than all of the ponies in Ponyville , if not even Equestria. But he wouldn't hurt her or Spike... Right?

"By whatever means necessary." She replied firmly, not revealing the sudden wave of insecurity.

The Spirit laughed once again, positively gleeful.

"We'll see about that, Twilight Sparkle! I will be leaving after sunset, so feel free to either to bid me good night, or try and stop me. The latter would be so much more amusing though."

"Again with the games, Discord?" Twilight angrily asked as she got up from the table.

"Oh, this is no silly game, Twilight Sparkle." Discord answered through a ominous chuckle. The unicorn's frown finally disappeared, replaced with a pretty obvious expression of concern. Discord merely continued laughing as he passed by her and opened one of the windows and not paying half the mind to the half formed question formed on her lips that she lacked the nerve to ask. As he stretched, preparing to go for a morning flight, he continued with a sinister:

"You asked for a challenge and you'll get one! See you for lunch, then! And please, no more daisies, I'm sick of those." He added cheerfully with a sudden shift in his attitude, then flew out through the window.

A few very silent moments passed when a sound of broken ceramics was heard. Twilight jerked and noticed a broken plate on the floor. Right next to it stood Spike but like she never saw him before - he was practically fuming with rage.

"Spike, what--"

"How dare he?!"

"Spike, calm down!" Twilight caught him by his shoulders, preventing him from grabbing a half filled glass of milk. It broke her heart to notice the tears in the young dragons' eyes. He kind of helplessy tried to hide them, staring at the floor, teeth gritting with suppressed rage.

"He- he practically threatened you, Twilight! How could he?! I am going to beat him up once and for all, I swear I will!" The tears were gone, replaced with a determined look on his face that, although slightly commendable, Twilight was sure wouldn't scare Fluttershy, let alone the draconequus.

"Spike please, just calm--" She fell silent when the dragon turned towards her and launched at her, pulling her into comically tight hug and sounding quite panicked.

"I won't allow him... I won't let him take you away." Twilight was choking up; seeing him like this was just too much for her but a part of her felt unbelievably touched at this display of affection. She smiled.

"Oh Spike, I will never leave you; I would never do that to my number one assistant and the best friend a pony could ask for." She gently nuzzled his cheek. "You mustn't let him get to you; that's exactly what he wants!"

"B-but Twilight--"

"Enough of that now; please don't worry, I'll think of something. I always do, don't I?" She smiled.

This time Spike didn't answer. He seemed to be thinking of an answer to that question.

"Well~"

"Oh shush!" Twilight smiled as the baby dragon finally gave a small giggle. "Come on now, don't worry about those things. We have studying to do."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Twilight and Spike spent much of the afternoon filling in the new found information on various researches, which luckily resulted in Spike relaxing completely, him being totally indulged into his everyday tasks. (when Twilight told him to pull out the, by now quite old research of emotions in life of an average pony, she earned a pretty suspicious look) But Twilight couldn't stop thinking of the troublesome Spirit.

She recalled that sinister look in his eyes, the way he shrugged off her warnings without a care... she even wouldn't be that much under the impression of the threatening draconequus if he didn't made Spike worry so much.

What was he planning on doing? Would he really hurt her? Or maybe do something to Spike? That was probably what Celestia expected Twilight to take care of; that was probably what she was supposed to stop by teaching Discord of the Harmony. She simply couldn't ask the Princess for involvement. The thought of asking her friends for help did cross her mind but she didn't want to ruin what little progress Discord made with others - and she especially didn't want to see Pinkie Pie disappointed after the lovely afternoon they spent together.

It was so sudden, Twilight mused in ager! So far, they got along pretty well, practically resulting in, she recalled a bit uncomfortably, her crushing on him. This sudden turn of the events unpleasantly surprised her.

With no idea of what to do, she concluded she could only wait for the evening to confront him.

Feeling a burst of inspiration, she called for Spike.

"Spike, bring me the 'Spells for Pranksters, vol 3., please.' "

"Sure but, why?"

"I just need to repeat a few spells... just in case." She added in the end, making sure Spike couldn't hear her.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Twilight? Are you OK?"

"I'm fine Spike, why?"

"Well... it's almost sunset." Spike whispered, both concern and fear audible in his voice. Twilight tried giving him a reassuring smile, at the same time glancing at the Spirit who in the meanwhile returned to her home; he was sitting in the middle of the library and, oddly enough, busy with practicing origami for some time now. Even with all the commotion, she couldn't help but wonder where in the world did he get the idea or inspiration for making origami so suddenly; or how did he even find the book on origami without her help. She would have to ask him if he stole it, she made a mental note.

"Spike, I'm sure he didn't mean anything serious." Twilight tried to comfort Spike - unfortunately, the act Spike completely lost his cool this morning had been sitting on her mind the whole day and she found herself much more concerned than she initially was - perhaps even more than Spike was - fretting as she repeated all the spells that could possibly help her to face whatever Discord had in store for her. "Look, he probably won't do anything but... I need you to go out and inform anyone if by any chance something happens. Not that it will," she added quickly "but just in case. So, for now, go up to the bedroom, okay?"

The little dragon listened to her with heavy heart and went upstairs but not being able to contain his worry or curiosity, peeking in from behind a corner. Twilight took a deep breath as she approached Discord from behind, peeking over his shoulder. She couldn't help but grin as he tossed the half finished paper box aside, crushing it.

"You know, you should start with easier shapes." The nerdy pony couldn't resist but to try and help.

"Mm?" Discord absentmindedly asked, not taking his eyes off the paper he was trying to turn into a fancy tall vase that demanded way too many folds for a beginner.

"You should start with shapes such as a boat, a paraglider or an envelope. They are much easier."

"These shapes are so much more interesting." Discord protested.

"And complicated! It will take you a good amount of practice before you'll be able to make those." She watched as his short-fingered lion paw accidentally squashed the corner of the shape. Impatient as he was with things like origami, Discord finally gave up, throwing the shape aside and mumbling out: "I forgot you need to practice these things."

As he got up, Twilight remembered why she was here.

"Discord, we need to talk!" She started off confidently. "About what you said before..." she went straight to the point. The draconequus looked at her, now looking amused.

"Indeed, Twilight Sparkle. So what have you decided? Is the challenge still on?"

Having no idea what she was getting herself into, Twilight gave him a firm nod. The Spirit grinned, apparently happy with the development of the situation.

"Excellent then! Prepare yourself, for there is no way you can outdo me in what I do the best!"

Huh? What was he talking about?

Twilight watched with utter confusion, petrified as the Spirit flew into the air and circled her a couple of times, finally dramatically stopping in the mid air to utter two simple and for her extremely baffling words:

"Riddle challenge!"

. . . somewhere in the background, a faint sound of little dragon falling down with surprise was heard, but Twilight didn't register it.

"... excuse me?"

"I see you're shocked; I would be too if I realized just how utterly hopeless the situation wa-- OW! What did you do that fo--OW! Calm down, for Chaos' sake!" Discord desperately flew as close to the ceiling as possible to avoid another one of the unicorn's surprisingly strong kicks into his flank.

Twilight was raging, the magic of her horn literally complying to her sudden, strong mood change; she for a few very long seconds turned into a fiery ball of rage, her coat as yellow as the sun, her eyes and her mane literally fiery as she was burning with anger. Discord seemed positively horrified by the display of magic he felt he didn't earn nor deserve.

The flames soon extinguished though and now the very angry, regularly purple Twilight Sparkle was challenging the Spirit to descend. Spirit noticed the vengeful spark in her eyes he knew so well - heck, he practically invented that spark.

"Come down, Discord. I just want to talk."

If that tone was any indication, she had far more planned than just talking.

"No thank you, I, err, I think I'll stick around the ceiling for a while. This chandelier... such an art." he pointed to a regular lamp that hanged in the middle of the ceiling, smiling sheepishly.

The unicorn immediately put him under a spell that dragged him down to her, putting him on her eye level, violently pressing her muzzle against his, the mismatched eyes comically staring into the purple ones. If she were any less angry, she probably would have noticed the slightly confused horror on his face.

"Discord... how dare you." She echoed Spike's words, liekly feeling about the same amount of rage she felt that morning.

"I-"

She never let him continue.

"How dare you put me into such a stressful situation?! Do you have ANY idea what I went thought this afternoon? Do you have any idea what your stupid, pointless talk about the 'challenge at the sunset' caused to both me and Spike? Do you have ANY idea just how concerned I was?!" The last question came out louder than she expected but she didn't care one bit. The Spirit didn't have a comment, so she continued, "I even prepared a few new spells just in case. I couldn't relax; I was on my wits ends as I was asking myself if you're really that cruel to hurt me or Spike!"

"Hurt y-"

"Shut up!" Twilight unexpectedly rudely yelled out. The Spirit blinked. This was the side of Twilight Sparkle he didn't know. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he felt like it was the side of her he wasn't supposed to know.

"When you said this wasn't going to be a silly game, I took your words literally! Don't feign confusion, I know this was you plan, wasn't it; poor little Twilight breaking down in tears and scared for your amusement, huh?! Well that isn't-- isn't gonna... h-happen..."

Discord observed with growing insecurity the purple pony who suddenly fell silent. The expression on her face was a familiar one, but he couldn't quite place it; it didn't look good though. Then it twisted into a grimace.

"Twilight! Happy place, think of a happy place!" Suddenly Spike burst into the room and threw his arms around her, then held her in a tight embrace, looking half concerned and half alarmed. Twilight's grimace fell and Spike silently thanked Celestia he was quick enough to stop her from going into the same manic mood she experienced when she first forgot to write a friendship report. She looked at the floor, a somewhat dying look in her eyes. Spike eyed Discord with doubtless hate, who in return started at the newly developed scene with confusion.

"You know, if there even was a slightest hint of hope I had invested in you, I think I just lost it." Spike said through gritted teeth.

"What did I do?!" Discord finally asked, upset. Spike sighed as he felt the unicorn tremble in his arms.

"Ugh! Never mind that, just-- help me put her into her bed. NOW."

While not liking being ordered around, the situation seemed slightly more serious than the everyday shenanigans. Without a word, Discord picked up the trembling Twilight and in matter of seconds flew up and put her into her bed. Spike followed, and sat next to her, at the same time silently ordering the Spirit to get lost.

Discord growled at the insolence of the baby dragon but decided he would worry about it later. Spike was saying something to the mare but he couldn't hear nor was he too keen on listening. The draconequus descended down into the library and unwillingly played with pieces of origami paper that were left on the floor, trying to realize what the heck did he just witness. After several of the longest minutes ever, he heard footsteps and noticed the baby dragon approaching him.

"Well, I hope you got what you wanted. One more pony is troubled because of you. You must be SO happy. Well of course you are, there is no such thing as being of Chaos actually regretting something!"

Spike's tone was the final straw and the Spirit got up.

"I've had enough of this," he replied angrily, "I have no idea what is going on; I know I can be a bit annoying, which I should mention I'm definitely not sorry for and in fact take a particular bit of pride in but I've done nothing to deserve this! I challenged her to a riddle game!" His voice turned into a mockery. "Did she have a bad experience with riddles when she was a filly? What happened, was she not able to figure out what the eye on the blue and green face was?"

"That was not what she-- what WE expected!" Spike fumed. "The way you so--- the way you told us we should expect a challenge, we though you would do something... something horrible!" Spike was struggling with finding the right words.

Discords' eyes almost popped out. "Horrible? What did you expect of me to do, feed you both to the Timber Wolves or something?"

"YES!" Spike finally exploded, deciding the example Discord proposed was close enough to how worried they were. The Spirit finally seemed to have realized what was going on. "You said it was no silly game!" Spike continued.

"That's right - no SILLY game! But still a game!" Spike facepalmed, wondering if the Spirit was by now mocking him or not. He did look quite confused though.

"What's with-- what as all that? I mean it was obvious she was upset, but... what's the thing with all that?" He repeated as he pointed toward to second floor where still shook up Twilight was trembling in the sheets.

Spike sighed. "Sometimes, when Twilight is overly stressed or under great pressure, she has a, well... a nervous breakdown of a sort. I was lucky enough this time to stop it before it completely took over her, so she'll be fine but usually she kinda sorta loses it." he shivered before shooting the Spirit another angry glare. "It doesn't happen often, so I guess you can be proud." He added sarcastically.

It took Discord a few pretty self discovering moments to realize a couple of things. For one, and this worried him the most, he didn't find her breakdown any fun at all. Usually breakdowns were pretty fun to watch. He decided to put that problem aside.

Second, he never realized his 'challenging' offer was so...

"So you're saying that when I 'challenged her' this morning, I was looking--"

"You were looking like you were prepared to seriously harm us, yes." Spike finished for him, finally finding the right words. To the little dragons' surprise, Discord looked insulted as he raised his eagle hand to dramatically rest on his chest.

"Seriously! And there I thought I made my chaotic intentions clear!" he flew closer to the little dragon, who eyed him carefully. "I don't know if you noticed, dragon boy but I do prefer less physically painful chaotic deeds. One of the first things I told your dear friend, along with the other Elements of Harmony and Celestia herself was that I do NOT. Turn. Ponies. Into stone." There was a weird amount of determination in his words. "I thought hurting them was included in my statement, but I guess I wasn't clear enough."

Spike now couldn't keep the expression of suspicion of her face. "...wait a minute there; so you're trying to tell me you've never hurt a pony?"

"What kind of barbarian do you take me for?!" The Spirit replied, in such a tone Spike felt he was talking to Rarity for a second.

"OK, fine, let's say I trust that one... but you still owe Twilight an apology!"

Spike waited with a frown for Spirit to finish his sudden laughing fit.

"My oh my, you are such a cute little funny delight sometimes! Twilight Sparkle's misunderstanding of my intentions is her problem, not mine."

Spike threw his hands in the air, uttering a resigning 'fine' before stomping into the kitchen to make some tea for Twilight.

The Spirit realized he really could use a change of scenery tonight, especially after what happened. He needed to think this through - which was new for him; usually, he knew what he wanted and what to do in certain situations.

Without another word, he flew out to find an appropriate sleeping place under the stars.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Spike?" Twilight slowly awoke after a short nap. Spike was sitting on her bed right next to her.

"It's okay! I'm right here and the tea is ready."

"Ugh, my head... what happ-- oh." The unicorn remembered the events before finished the question and was once again enraged. Jumping out of the bed and nearly tipping Spike over, she snapped: "Oh, I remember what happened, alright! Where is that big jerk?! I'm going to give him a lesson he's going to remember!"

"He's gone." Spike silently said. "He probably went to Everfree forest."

Twilight growled angrily. "I can't believe he was doing that to me! I can't believe that I actually allowed myself to break in front of him; oh how happy he must've been! I should've known he was nothing more but a mean schemer!" She spat as she came back and sat on the bed, pouring herself an angry cup of tea and spilling some in the progress.

"It didn't seem like it was his plan actually... but well, he actually had something to say about everything."

"Oh really? Please do tell; I want a reason or two more to leave a hoof mark on his flank!"

Spike told her of his short but informative conversation with Discord. Twilight's rage slowly melted away as he finished talking.

"What? He didn't think he sounded threatening?! How in the world could he-- ugh!" Twilight's frustration almost got the best of her, until she felt a scent of tea - Spike gently held the cup in front of her and its soothing scent and radiating warmth already made her feel better. Once she actually sipped it she felt a wave of relaxation flowing through her body.

"Thank you Spike. You're a life saver." She drew him into a close hug and then yawned. "I think I'll crash early tonight. This entire evening just... wore me out."

"I'm not surprised." Spike mumbled. "I won't be up for too long. You just get a nice, long rest."

"Right... I just hope Discord will be OK."

Spike sighed. "Still worried about him?"

"Just because he upset me doesn't mean I don't have a reason to worry you know." Twilight sighed heavily as she crawled back into her bed. "That forest is so dangerous, Spike."

"Come on Twilight," Spike spoke as he took the now empty tray, "Discord may not have his powers anymore but he's not stupid. I'm sure he'll be just fine."

"I guess you're right. I can't even imagine Discord getting lost or something, anyway." Twilight smiled softly, now a bit calmer but still feeling restless because of everything that happened. "So, Spike... he didn't seem proud of what happened? I mean... I kind of thought that as what he wanted."

"Well, I was more concerned about you but from what I saw, I'd say he was kind of... alarmed. In fact, now that you mention it, it was the first time I saw him distressed."

"I see..." She yawned and snuggled into her pillow and slowly closed her eyes, wishing Spike goodnight.

Fifteen minutes later her thoughts were still racing. The quiet and peace of the evening, interrupted with nothing but Spike who was robing the fridge downstairs gave Twilight an idea and she decided to do something a bit risky. It may not succeed but she had to try. After all, Princess Celestia was always understanding and she could be up for the plan.

She summoned a parchment and a quill, and started writing...

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Discord swiftly climbed the highest tree he could find. It took him quite some time finding a tree tall enough to separate him from everything that crawled bellow him and strong enough to support him. Once he did though, he laid lazily on one of the huge branches, making himself comfortable.

"Much better." He commented to himself. The lack of energy kind of bothered him - during the time he had his powers, he didn't require as much sleep, for whatever reason that might've been. Maybe all that chocolate milk was what kept him so hyper and awake all the time.

The Spirit took the opportunity to ponder about everything that happened that evening. For one, he couldn't believe that anypony actually thought he might seriously cause somepony any physical harm. Well...not still, that is. He liked to think he long since grew out of that phase. Not to mention it wasn't nearly as fun as messing with somepony's mind.

But what really worried him was the fact he seemingly liked Twilight Sparkle, that silly egghead, enough to not enjoy seeing her in such a distressed state. Now that he thought of it, he also felt like him and the pink one could get along fabulously well in the future. He didn't like that one little bit. Was it possible he was getting soft? Lack of his powers threw his confident, arrogant persona aside, which made him vulnerable. And if he hated anything, it was being vulnerable.

As he was slowly falling asleep, the draconequus wondered if there was anything he could do to get at least some of his powers back. Little did he know, he wouldn't have to do anything; because he already did.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Wakey, wakey!" A familiar voice called, then interrupted by a loud, deafening sound of cymbals. Twilight literally jumped into the air, frantically looking around, her purple eyes stopping on the draconequus. In each of his hands, a cymbal. Being completely awake but still slightly disoriented, she didn't have much to say.

"... ha?" She tried to process the scene in front of her.

"Discord?! You jerk, what are you doing back here, acting like everything is fine and dandy!?" Her assistant's voice echoed through the house.

"Now, now, there is no need to raise your voice." Discord said calmly, only making Spike even angrier. But the little dragon didn't seem to want to start another over-the-top fight, not in front of Twilight at least so he simply stood there and fumed in silence.

"Now, why don't you go downstairs and prepare the breakfast as always? This chapter - of our lives - can't continue if you just stand there, blocking our lives from progressing."

"... what?!"

"Spike, just... just leave as alone for a moment." Twilight said with as much elegance as she could produce getting out of her bed. Spike mumbled something angrily and marched down. A short silence enveloped the bedroom.

"How was your night?" The purple mare asked, almost too calmly to the Spirits' surprise.

"It was refreshing." He politely said.

"Good then. I'm glad to see you can take care of yourself despite the lack of your powers." Twilight proceeded with the calm treatment and descended slowly down the stairs. The Spirit flew up, slowly following her.

"While I would like to think," he started, "that you are no longer upset with me, Twilight Sparkle, because I really couldn't stand another kick in the flank, I can not help but think you're not over our little feud."

Twilight furrowed her brow, before replying: "I am not angry, Discord. Spike explained everything to me, I know you didn't have any... sinister intentions."

"Ah, I'm glad the little guy was of some use in the end."

"But Discord, let me ask you a question."

"Oh, fine."

"When I started to... well, you know...when Spike came and calmed me down.. because I was--"

"Yes, yes, now get to the point." The Spirit hurried her up. Twilight took a breath of air.

"Were you glad to see me like that?"

Of all the question she could've asked, she had to ask the most embarrassing one. Did she seriously expected him to answer that honestly? Oh sweet, sweet Chaos, by that serious look in her eyes, she probably did. Discord stared at her, becoming angrier with every passing second.

"What a stupid question. I mean seriously, what do you think? It was probably the first good thing that happened since I came to live in this sorry shack. Seeing an organized egghead such as you in her weakest moments was the most satisfying sensation ever!" He spoke sinisterly, putting as much of sweet bitterness into his tone and smirking evilly at her. He felt a burst of pride as he told off the nosy pony - that would teach her to ask such trivial things! But to his horror, she smiled.

"Excellent!"

Discord decided not to question her logic much though was dying to do so anyway. Did she believe what he said? He was pretty sure he was as convincing as any other time he lied about something.

"Now that we got that confession out of you, I have a present for you."

"Confession?! I made no confession!" The Spirit spat.

"Fine, fine, just be silent already, I have something to give you. You're going to love it."

"I sincerely doubt it." The Spirit rolled his eyes.

"Oh I know you will." She smiled. The pony used her horn to summon something to herself that seemed to be a very tiny and thin red gem, landing into his paw.

"Ta-da!"

The expression on the draconequus' face turned into annoyance. He studied the gem trying to figure out what this was about.

"Oh joy, that is definitely something I wanted for EVER." He sarcastically remarked.

"You don't know what it is?"

The Spirit stared, bemused. Twilight stared, looking almost a bit disappointed.

"Strange... I thought you'd-- well, never mind. Be still." Her horn shined and filled the room with colorful light. The Spirit blinked into the blinding light but in the next moment it was gone. The gem disappeared too.

"There you go. You got your present."

"Huh?" The Spirits' face was priceless at that moment. Twilight laughed.

"Still don't get it? If not, well-- how about that delicious chocolate milk of yours? While I don't facny chocolate milk rains, I can't deny it was tasty."

"... is this your idea of mocking me?" He asked through gritted teeth - by now he was pretty angry.

"I am serious." The pony replied. Discord was about to tell her off, pretty angrily too but there was that disgustingly sweet and honest look in her eyes. It took him a few moments to realize what she might've been talking about.

"You're kidding." He started, his voice slow and careful, his eyes studying her face, his eyes never leaving hers as he tried to read them, as he raised his hand. Then he snapped his fingers.

His eyes got as big as plates as a glass of chocolate milk appeared in front of him. In his shock he let it fall on the floor.

Twilight looked giddy as she clapped her hooves.

"Ooh, I wondered forever how am I going to give it to you! Of course you got only a little part of your powers back, I am not silly enough to ask Celestia to return all of it to you and, to be honest, you absolutely didn't deserve it. But I thought you deserved this at the very lea--" the unicorns' words were lost in a yelp, as the draconequus picked her up and span her around the library like a doll or a small filly, causing her to shriek with surprise. She dared to open her eyes to see the overly happy draconequus laughing like there was no tomorrow.

Spike observed the situation as he flipped the pancakes. If he wasn't sure before if giving Discord part of his powers back was a good idea, it may have changed slightly now; he definitely felt relieved now that he knew the Spirit was capable of gratitude.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Dear Princess Celestia,

Sorry for contacting you this late but I have a matter that I want to settle urgently.

Recently, I seemed to have made progress with Discord; apparently he slowly but surely started to learn of what it means to be a friend. He quite possibly showed signs that lead me to a conclusion that he started to think of me more and more as a friend.

Another thing I noticed though, is that he can easily fall into fits of deep sadness due to the absolute lack of his powers. A single day I spent without entertaining him by trying to involve him into activities he might like threw him into a state of near-depression. Therefore, I have made a small plan.

Since you did tell me he was going to get his bits powers back if he shows any progress, I'd like to test him if he has changed. If he passes the test I have for him, I'd like to give him, with your permission of course, the basics of his magical powers back.

Please respond as soon as possible.

Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle

That night, Twilight had to wake up Spike only once to send a message; Celestia responded very soon, seemingly excited about the news:

Dear Twilight Sparkle,

I am glad to hear that you've made progress with Discord and I am more than eager to hear the result of the test you're going to put him through; therefore, I am sending you a specifically chosen array of Discord's powers I encased into this little gem. A simple spell of release should easily bring him those back; just make sure he holds on to it.

I believe that you know what you're doing while performing this test, but just in case I put in a measure of precaution; if Discord shows signs of hostility after getting his powers, the scroll I attached contains an advanced spell of power imprisonment which will aid in taking them away; I'm fully convinced you are knowledgeable enough to use it.

Good luck with your progress,

Princess Celestia

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Twilight definitely wasn't planning on using that power imprisonment spell. Not today.

6) Dreams of Loyalty

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The whole day went by in excitement and chocolate. Fairly literally.

Discord spent much of the day making Twilight and Spike drink his famous chocolate milk, even after they drank enough to be ozzing it through their ears; while he kept simply summoning it all the time, he also kept saying it was made by "his own, original recipe" he had learned a couple decades back in a faraway land. The unicorn was laughing it off merely to tease the Spirit a little bit but she had to admit it had a unique taste and thought back to Pinkie Pie's reaction to the chocolate rain with a new sort of understanding.

As if that weren't enough, he then decided he was in charge of making lunch. And by making, he meant summoning a bunch of the oddest foods one could find, including the pizza tasting candy and candy covered pizza. The mere sight of the strange food seemed to have given him a certain sort of glow and Twilight couldn't help smiling at the expressions he made.

Naturally, the Spirit didn't spend his time summoning the food only. Apparently Celestia's gem gave him back his tranporting ability, though only on short distances - that didn't stop him from giving a scare to approximately half of the Ponyville population, popping out in strangest of places.

Discord also found out he could ever so slightly change the laws of nature - something that couldn't be avoided, his powers originally being primarily directed to chaotic deeds. Able to speed up the growth of plants, as well as make them wither, shapeshift into a few smaller animals and, on everyponys' unfortune, mess with the weather to a certain degree, he seemed to have a time of his life - and those were only the things Twilight witnessed or had heard about from a couple of distressed citizens of Ponyville. The Spirit spent the entire afternoon wandering in the vicinity of the Everfree forest, trying out his powers on whatever he could find in any way he could think of.

If she didn't know better, Twilight would have thought he was using magic for the first time; he was that excited.

It was pretty late when the Spirit came back to the library; it seemed he had spent some quality time with Pinkie Pie because she entered the library along with him for a few minutes to say good night to Twilight, nearly proceeded into telling her a full fledged story of their evening, just how awesome of a time she had with Discord and thanking him for what was probably a gazillionth time for the cotton candied, chocolate raining cloud he seemed to have made for her. The scene of the two bidding each other bye, promising to have fun again sometime and the practically blossoming friendship between the two brought a delighted smile to Twilight's face.

As she was wrapping up her daily research of the circulation of cloud in the Ponyville sky, the purple pony noticed with Discord was about as sleepy from fun as she was with her work, his eyes half closed yet a content smile on his mismatched face, comfortably nested into her favorite sofa and sipping on a glass of orange juice. It was strange seeing him acting so regularly, so much like a... well, like a pony.

Before she managed to vocalize that, he contently announced: "I don't think I ever had a better day in my thousands of years long life."

She frowned in disbelief. "I thought you had everything you wanted back when you ruled Equestria; before Celestia's rule."

"It was indeed quite a prosperous era for me." The Spirit admitted. "But I guess one does not know what they have until they lose it. And the feeling of gaining it back... there are no words to describe it."

Such a comment left Twilight stunned. "Wow. That's pretty... um... I don't know what to say."

"What?" The Spirit's eyebrow arched as he gave the unicorn a questionable look. It was kind of funny that he didn't understand.

"Well... it is not like you to be, um... grateful, I guess?"

Discord got lost in his thoughts as he digested the comment before deciding to frown upon it.

"Grateful, me? I am simply happy to have my powers back, I owe no gratitude to anyone." He replied snobbishly, standing tall and proud in his sofa and looking just as silly as he sipped on his juice again.

Twilight laughed. "As you say."

"I am serious."

"Fine, you are serious."

"I am."

"I heard you the first two times."

The Spirit was nearly upset by now. Apparently, he cared a lot about other ponies' opinion. It was odd to see someone so desperately wanting to be terrifying, mean and evil in other ponies' eyes, though Discord didn't have to work hard for that - while she did get used to him, he was still dangerous if not watched after and she knew that she still had a long way to go if she wanted to show him just what is so attractive about not turning houses upside down.

Then again... it only slightly reminded her of Rainbow Dash, who always wanted to be looked upon as tough, strong and cool, to be looked upon as an idol rather than a regular pony and was yet still not more dazzling nor special in any other way than her ability to outfly half the Equestria. As accomplishing as it was, Twilight figured, she was still just Rainbow Dash.

She hadn't expected to be able to say the same for Discord any time soon and yet, here he was. Just being Discord and not causing half the Equestria to worry because of it.

"You'd get along with Rainbow Dash." Twilight said out loud to no one in particular but herself. The words. however, caused quite a reaction, as the draconequus started giggling uncontrollably.

"Just how in the Equestria am I like your rainbow maned friend? Well, apart from leaving allies alone in times of trouble..."

"Well, you both like to be thought of as something specific, an image you created for yourself," Twilight started off, ignoring the jab at her friend, "you don't like the idea of someone thinking of you differently than from what you think you are. Not to mention Rainbow Dash is also pretty prone to making bits of trouble every once in a while. Also, despite preferring to think of yourselves as grandiose, you're both pretty humble when you get that out of your head."

Discord eyed her suspiciously.

"I am not grateful."

"...Definitely like Rainbow Dash. That reminds me of that time she refused to admit she loved the book I loaned her." Twilight laughed, much on the chagrin of the mismatched Spirit. She paid for her insolence by getting a huge shower of bubbles upon her and her book.

"The book! No! No!" The pony gasped in terror and used a spell instantly to create a heat wave that burst the bubbles in a second. She dully noticed the book was still wet sprinkled with the remains of now gone bubbles. The perfectionist unicorn wasn't happy. Discord raised his arms defensively when she glared at him.

"You asked for it."

Twilight mumbled something that sounded an awful lot like "the book didn't" and put the injured thing back in its place on the shelf after drying it out as best as she could. The view of her well-organized library reminded her of a warning she was supposed to give him.

"Oh Discord, one more thing now that I know you'll mess with whatever you can with your powers: if you ever, ever decide to mess with my books, I promise you that not only will you lose your magical powers but you'll probably lose your physical powers for quite some time as well. Think that through." Twilight said sweetly, a bookishly protective look in her dazzling eyes.

Discord gave her a look of disbelief but as the unicorn turned around and headed upstairs to bed, he had to admit that her creepy sweet talk gave him chills.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Discord pondered whether he should go to sleep. Once Twilight fell asleep, he spent some time setting up a prank for her in the morning and the excitement of it kept him wide awake.

He looked outside the window. The night was beautiful. It invited for a fly.

Deciding a short stroll around the sky might be a relaxing option, as well as a chance to stir up some trouble, he flew out into the dark night. Luna's Moon was almost full, shining especially brightly. The visibility was pretty good; if he were any more into flying as a hobby, he definitely would have thought it was a great night for a recreational flight.

Apparently a certain pegasus thought so.

"Discord? What are you doing here?" Discord cringed as he heard a painfully familiar sound of Rainbow Dash's annoying, challenging voice. It took him a moment to notice her, flying directly above him - she has apparently just descended from the heights of the sky where she practiced, being a bit out of breath.

"Can't a draconequus enjoy a stroll through the beautiful night sky, Rainbow Dash?" Discord purred. The pegasus snorted.

"If I were asked about it, you'd still be a statue."

"That's nice to hear - it is because of the whole 'me being a statue' thingummy that this story was born."

"... what? What story? What are you yammering on abo--"

"It is too meta of a concept for you to understand, my dear, so let go of it now, for I have a complaint to make! You're being excessively harsh, my dear. I haven't done anything since I was released to deserve such hate."

"I don't care about 'now'! Everypony seemed to have just forgotten about what happened, forgotten what you have done to us." Rainbow angrily replied. "Well not me! I will never, ever forgive you for what you have done."

"It is not like I asked for forgiveness though, did I?"

The draconequus' coolness and teasing smile only served to make her angrier. It seemed to have amused him as he started laughing lightly.

"Oh that angry face! I kind of missed that expression ever since you first challenged me to a box match in Celestia's dear, and for reasons unknown, amazingly complicated maze."

"The box ma--?" Rainbow paused, having recalled her eagerness to fight the Spirit hand to hand; or in this case, hoof to paw... or talon. Whatever. The memory of it made her snort, as she smiled a bit smug.

"Oh right; the match you were too afraid to accept."

"Afraid? You will not taunt me with your petty challenge, dear Rainbow Dash. The fact I don't like senseless violence you're trying to drag me into only proves my original theory of you being a local, to use the fashionista's words, brute."

Discord happily noticed he hit the nerve of the colorful pegasus.

"Alright then Discord, how about this - we both have a pair of wings, don't we? How about a race?"

"By the Chaotic Cupcakes, you're not thinking of actually defeating me in a race, now are you?" Despite the mocking, Discord knew she was serious; the pegasus' determination intrigued him.

"Heck yes I do! Come on! If I ever want to be in the Wonderbolts, I simply gotta have a 'defeated the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony in a race' in my résumé." She teased back, by now in a much better mood than when she met him; she couldn't help but think she was probably the first pegasus ever who had a chance to race Discord. The thought excited her.

"Alright fine, Rainbow Dash. You're on. It'll be such a satisfaction to show you just how faster than you one can get."

"It's settled then." Rainbow smiled, now devilishly smiling. "Tomorrow, the Ghastly Gorge, noon."

"Oh, the good ol' showdown at high noon. I like it."

The two slowly parted ways. They both eyed each other, their looks full of adrenaline already.

Discord had quite a difficulty falling asleep that night. He would've never admitted it to anyone, mostly because he had a feeling Rainbow Dash would make a joke of it, but the truth was, this was the first actual race he would ever be participating in.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"A race with Rainbow Dash? That is a brilliant idea! Maybe you two can even--"

"Don't get your hopes up Twilight Sparkle, your colorful friend is holding a very well rooted grudge against me and I am wasting no time to reciprocate those feelings."

"Rainbow Dash? No way, she's not that ill-willed."

"Oh well, suit yourself; once you see her glare, you'll understand. It's as if she was trying to turn me back into stone with the power of hate."

When Twilight awoke that morning, aside from a very successful prank where she got a bucket of water over her head the moment she put a hoof out of her bed, she got another surprise as she heard about Discord's racing plans. She accompanied him, deciding to be the judge of the race; she believed the race was a great way for the two to connect, even though it seemed Rainbow Dash hated the Spirit with a passion. On their way over to the Gorge, Twilight invited her friends, Pinkie Pie being the first to eagerly accept the invitation. Later on, Twilight meekly thought it was sheer luck that they had her with them, because Pinkie was mostly responsible for talking Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy into accompany them. They all reluctantly agreed, eyeing the draconequus suspiciously.

Discord, on the other hand, had a hard time being around a bunch of ponies that he wasn't about to turn into plants. Not to mention that these ponies could talk. Oh boy did they talk... Usually.

Yet now, they did nothing but glare suspisciously, ocassionally exchanging a glance or a whisper whenever he did just about anything.

He got tired of that quite quickly.

"Well ladies, I do applaud you, you're all indeed a marvelous company and you could keep this draconequus occupied with your silent judgment for days but I should get a move on and stretch this little things should I ever hope to beat the amazing Rainbow Dash in her own game." Blowing them all a collective kiss, he flew ahead, leaving the five ponies alone to their distaste of the Spirit.

"Well, this is kinda awkward." Applejack decided to give in, trusting that if Spirit was that blunt, it would be better for all of them to just join in. "I don' think any of us, including Discord, figured this would go any smoother than it seems to."

"Well no wonder, that ruffian does not know how to behave around the proper ladies such as we are!" Rarity huffed, feeling more than a little offended by the subtle way he used to tell them they were boring him.

Twilight bit her lip. "You just have to get to know him better! He changed at least a bit, I promise!"

"Well, um, I would love to try and make friends with him but, he doesn't really seem to notice me." Fluttershy added in.

"Well, duh!" Twilight tried to point out. "It is not like you ever tried to - I never saw you coming to visit me while he's around or anything."

"Well, actually," Fluttershy continued, shyly as always, "on several occasions, when I saw him flying around Ponyville and such, I tried to say hello, or start a conversation... but, um, I don't know... he either ignored me or hadn't noticed me. Oh, but I'm sure it was the latter."

"What?" Twilight seemed to be disturbed by the discovery. "That is so mean of him! He could at least have... pranked you or something to make a point of noticing you!... Then again, if he didn't prank you..." the unicorn scratched at her chin and finally admitted with a deadpan: "Yeah, he probably just didn't notice you."

"Truth to be told, I am not surprised." Applejack started. "You're probably the quietest pony I've ever encountered, Fluttershy. Discord is flippin' bananas all the time. Ya wanna talk to him, ya'll probably have to attract his attention first by doing something out of ordinary."

"Oh. Well. I guess so." Fluttershy admitted quietly and seemed to have sank into thoughts.

When the five of them finally arrived at the Ghastly Gorge, there was an amusing scene; Discord and Rainbow Dash were staring at each other intensely, their faces a few inches apart. They both had determined looks in their eyes.

"Oh, oh! The Stare challenge!" Pinkie pie exclaimed quietly, motioning her hooves to tell everypony to stay quiet. The mares accepted the game, deciding to wait for the two to finish their contest.

Twilight honestly couldn't have thought of a more boring and pointless competition, so when Rainbow Dash finally blinked she let out a breath of relief, somewhat amused by her friend's her agonized expression that threw Discord into hysterics.

"Alright y'all, let's get this over with." Applejack interrupted Discord's laughing fit. The two looked at the newcomers.

"Finally; I was getting bored with this guy already. Let's race!" Rainbow Dash immediately settled on the start line, eager to show the draconequus who's the best flyer in all of Equestria. Discord lazily followed her.

"Alright then, I think you know the rules." Twilight started, probably less formally than she usually would. "No cheating, flying out of the Gorge, pulling at each others wings and hooves, fighting, tickling, touching on purpose in general, and NO magic."

"Fine with me." Discord positioned himself into the take-off pose. Rainbow followed his example. Whereas the draconequus looked relaxed, Twilight noticed the tense position of Dash's wings. If she were to lose this race, there would be Hell. She silently gulped.

"Once you start racing, I will transport us all to the finish line." Twilight added to her friends, before turning to start the race. "OK then, ready! Set! GO!"

The two took off fact, way too fast for an untrained eye to notice the incredible precision it took. Discord and Rainbow Dash disappeared into the Gorge in a matter of seconds.

"Well, we'll see how that goes." Twilight commented before using the transport spell.

Then something strange happened.

Twilight found herself in the midair. That wouldn't be so bad, if it weren't about twenty feet above the ground, and inside of the gorge itself. Her friends were nowhere to be seen. In a single horrifying second, Twilight put the puzzle pieces together: her spell malfunctioned. She was lucky enough to have successfully transported her friends but now she had to face the fall. A pony's legs weren't nearly strong enough to endure the fall without consequences; she concluded she would at the least end up with a broken leg if she doesn't do something.

Twilight was lucky to be a pony of quick thinking. About only a few moments before she hit the ground, she used a spell that didn't stop the fall completely but did slow it down enough for her to try and land as best as she could. She shut her eyes tight and yelled out in pain as her rear left ankle twisted in a pain, her voice silently echoing the tall stone walls of the Gorge.

Calming herself down, Twilight tried to use her magic, only to discover the pain in her ankle was distracting her too much. She suppressed the tears of pain and consoled herself quickly: soon Rainbow Dash or Discord will pass by and pick her up. The pain was such a bother though. She will probably have to stay put for at least for a week.

Minutes passed as Twilight tried to distract herself from the pain by looking for shapes in those few clouds she could see from her position. Just as she thought she might as well try walking, she heard the familiar zooming of Rainbow Dash in the distance, as well as the roars of the monsters living in the Gorge caves. Soon enough, she saw two spots in the distance.

"Was about time!" she sighed. She tried her best to prop up to be more visible, but with her ankle twisted, she couldn't do much.

"Hey~! Over here please!" She waved her hooves at the two as the were approaching, their speed much too fast for her taste. If she hadn't witnessed both of their flight skills by now, she would be worried for their well being. But at that moment, she was more worried about being missed.

The purple mare gave away a desperate sigh of annoyance when both of the fast flying blurs completely ignored her. She was probably no more than a speck on the ground from their point of view.

"Great! Just great!" She angrily argued with herself and stomped her hooves - which was a mistake, she realized as she winced in pain. She felt the familiar tinge of frustration and it rose into the feeling of sheer anger as she realized just how helpless and useless was she at that moment. "Might as well get eaten, for all I care." She deadpanned and flopped into the ground, pouting and annoyed.

"Twilight Sparkle, just what in the name of everything Chaotic are you doing?"

Twilight truly never thought she would cheer up this much at his voice ever in her life. She turned over on the place and got up as best as her injured leg let her.

"Discord! Thank Celestia you saw me!" She piped and noticed the mismatched Spirit being out of his breath... Which was strange, considering he was in as good condition as Rainbow; and it took a lot of work to get Rainbow running out of breath.

When the draconequus stomped over to her and crossed his arms, a sort of a grumpy look on his face, Twilight blinked, confused. It was a strange expression, she hadn't t seen it before.

"Uh, is everything alri-- OW!" The draconequus poked her harshly in the very top of her head, making the unicorn frown. "What the actual hay, Discord?! What is your problem?!" Twilight unsuccessfully tried removing the sharp talon digging into her scalp but he was simply too strong.

"Nothing." Discord hissed and without another word lifted her onto his back carefully. The unicorn was immensely confused about his behavior and wanted to question it further but figured this wasn't the time to think about that - nor she could think of that, since pain spread all over her leg suddenly and in the end, all she could let out was a painful hiss.

"Hold on." The draconequus briefly informed. He flew up, bringing Twilight to the finish line in less than a minute. Her friends all stared at both of them in confusion.

"Twilight, where were you?" Rarity started. "We were all transported here and--"

"Oh goodness! Twilight, you're hurt!" Fluttershy immediately approached her as she came down from Discord's back, limping.

"Just what in tarnation happened?"

"Ugh, my spell was kind of a... well, a failure to put it bluntly; it didn't transport me properly, so I ended up in the Gorge hurting myself. It was quite a fall." She winced as Fluttershy touched her leg, checking it out.

Discord, in the meanwhile, didn't say much of anything. If his expression was to speak for him, he was thoroughly distressed and grumpy about something. Twilight figured they best move the things along before anyone dared questioning it; she could practically see the questioning wheel turning in her friend's heads.

"Uh, anyway, I should be heading to the hospital."

"Oh b-but my house is so much close, Twilight! I know I can help you, I have experience with injuries like these!" Fluttershy chirped in. "It'll be alright, anyway - you don't need to hospital for this kind of injury."

Those words marginally fixed Twilight's ominous predictions about not being able to stand for weeks and she smiled. "Alright, thank you Fluttershy. I'd much rather spend some time at your place than in the hospital, anyway."

The five of them suddenly looked expectantly at Discord, who confusedly returned their looks.

"What?"

"Um, her ankle is twisted?" Applejack started. "You can carry her much easier than the rest of us."

He rolled his eyes.

"Fine."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As all of them got comfortable in the space of Fluttershy's cottage, the pegasus excused herself quietly, saying she needed to get some bandages and medicine she kept in her shed. Rainbow Dash looked particularly guilt ridden as she tried to apologize to her friend for missing her.

"Sorry Twilight; I really didn't see you back there. You know I would come back to get you if I did."

"Oh, of course Rainbow Dash - I mean since when are you the one to abandon her friends? You don't have to worry about it, really." The unicorn gave her a reassuring smile, making the somewhat fretting pegasus relax. "Another thing though... what's with Discord? He's been acting so strange. Did you guys have a fight with him or something?" The now absent draconequus was unusually grumpy all the way to Fluttershy's cottage and once he was free of Twilight on his back, he instantly flew away into the blue bright sky. Twilight was certain he had caused some sort of trouble none of them were willing to talk about in front of her.

Much to her surprise, however, three of her friends giggled in response; all except for Rainbow Dash who rolled her eyes.

"You guys make me wanna puke." She commented, waving her hoof dismissively.

"What is going on?" Twilight asked, frowning.

"Well, Twi, let's just say that all of us, except for maybe Rainbow Dash here, got to know Discord a lil' bit better; an' we think that if ya keep up the good work, he'll turn out to be an acceptable fella... in time." She shrugged.

The manner in which Twilight smiled at these newst caused another laughter among her friends. "Oh my, I'm so glad to hear that! But what made you think that? I didn't notice you guys talking much to him."

"Well, it wasn't about talkin', 'twas about what he had done."

"What do you mean?"

"Well you see darling," Rarity began, swaying her hair out of her eyes, "we were quite surprised when he decided to go back and look for you; Discord is not really known for being, well, friendly." She tried to explain. "I mean just think about it; the same draconequus who once turned us against each other, the same one who once brought chaos to countless of ponies with not even a blink of en eye, the same one whose ego is bigger than a mountain," Rarity recalled Discord in the maze, comparing his 'beautiful' face with the beauty of a diamond, "has now willingly abandoned the race he took such great importance to, just to go and look for you. I must say, I never expected such an act from him."

Twilights' eyes got as wide as plates.

"He never got to the finish line?"

She tried to make sense of this. The only solution that came to her mind was that Discord did see her down there in the Gorge but pretended not to... could it be his conscience told him to go back and get her? Could it be he deemed her worthy and friendly enough to deserve such a treatment?

Could it be he was genuinely... worried, about her?

All the mares jumped when Twilight started laughing abruptly.

"What is it?" Pinkie Pie asked in surprise, probably thoroughly confused by the fact someone laughed so hard without being prompted to it by her. Twilight shook her head at her, trying to catch her breath.

"Oh, nothing, nothing... I just thought of something... totally silly. Never mind, really."

"Is everything OK?" Fluttershy appeared at the door, having returned from her shed with the necessary equipment.

"Everything is just fine, Fluttershy. Thank you for your help. I can't wait to just get home and read, I think I've had quite enough of excitement for now."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Twilight?! What is wrong with your leg?!" Spike immediately approached his purple friend as she entered the library. Her rear leg was in bandages, two little planks that keeping her hoof in place. The twist of her ankle wasn't as serious as she thought - in fact, it wasn't even an actual twist - but Fluttershy figured resting up for a little while would do her good. All six of them spent some quality time together at Fluttershy's before finalyl departing for the day - the sun was already setting by the time Twilight got back to the library, Rainbow Dash following closely behind..

"I had a little accident." The unicorn smiled softly. Behind her, Rainbow Dash snorted.

"A little accident?! If you weren't thinking quick and magicked yourself safely, you could've been seriously injured!

"Just tell me what happened already!" the little dragon demanded.

Twilight slowly limped her way to the center of the library where she sat down at the table, letting out a relieved sigh.

"Oh, that's so much better. So uh, this is what happened..." Twilight told Spike the whole story, every once in a while interrupted with Rainbow Dash's specific statement that she was the one who won the race in the end.

"So, where is Discord anyway? He seemed to be angry when he left, I want to talk to him." Twlight asked Spike, who shifted uncomfortably.

"I, I haven't seen him since you guys left..."

"... Wait, you mean, he's not home yet? He never came back to the library?"

"No." Spike replied a bit carefully. He and Rainbow Dash eyed Twilight with newborn worry - the purple mare seemed to have been upset.

"What are you worried about, Twilight? That he might try and cause some chaos? Because if he does, I'll slap his flank across the Equestrian skies!" Rainbow threatened, but Twilight shook her head.

"It's not that... he just seemed upset with something, is all."

"Huh, I couldn't care less!" Rainbow replied, her heartless comment making Twilight frown.

"Come on, Rainbow Dash, why can't you just give him a chance? Why are you so bitter around him?" Rainbow didn't answer, instead pouting for reasons that remained a mystery to Twilight. Then again, not really; Rainbow Dash was an awfully proud pegasus. Still, it didn't look anymore like it was just the matter of Dash's pride. "Rainbow Dash, what are--"

"I'll see you tomorrow." Rainbow Dash abruptly said, as she turned to leave. "Don't overwork that leg of yours, you hear? G'night, Spike!"

"Night, Dash."

As the door closed behind the colorful mare, Spike patted saddened Twilight on the shoulder.

"Are you alright?"

She gave him a soft smile, melancholic mood reflected in her eyes.

"I am. I just wish I knew what was wrong with him."

"Don't worry, I'm sure he'll be back soon. I was just about to prepare something to eat; are you hungry? We can spend some time on that research of Star Swirl the Bearded's notes!"

"That doesn't sound bad. Get us some snacks and tea then," Twilight suggested, with a renewed, happy smile on her face, "we're in for a relaxing night of reading!"

The two spent the evening researching on the notes on a casual atmosphere, every once in a while starting a conversation that had nothing to do with research and feasting on the snacks. It helped Twilight forget the trouble-bringing draconequus; for now, she could enjoy Spike's company, tasty food and her lovely books.

The time passed fast, the two of them enjoying themselves way too much to notice - in fact, Twilight, probably due to the somewhat stressful day, fell asleep unintentionally, together with Spike on the fluffy pillows they brought for themselves in the library.

Once again, Twilight had a good old course of odd dreams running through her head. She was well aware of the fact she was dreaming though - in fact, it was the most self conscious dreaming sequence she ever had.

After a whirl of unmemorable, unreasonable and colorful scenes, she found herself in a forest that contained way too much of bright color yellow - sure, it was a nice color but its brightness, and the fact the mentioned color decorated both the sky, the ground and even the trees, made her eyes hurt. As if on cue, the colors started changing, the sky becoming sea green, and the grass soft pink. The trees changed the colors all the time which, while kind of dizziness inducing, was fun to see.

Just as she started wondering what was with this colorful dream, she saw a familiar Spirit laying on one of the tree branches. He didn't seem to notice her. In fact, he was seemingly asleep.

"Wow, that's pretty defined." Twilight mumbled to herself, finding it funny for her dream to be so realistic - a Spirit of Chaos in a chaotic surrounding. "Discord! Hey, Discord!" She eagerly called for him, wondering what her actions will cause - for as we all know, dreams can easily change drastically with a single word or action.

But nothing irregular happened - the Spirit awoke at the sound of her voice and stretched, seemingly still not taking notice of her.

"Oh, what a bother..." He mumbled. He looked around, and upon noticing her suddenly yelled out in surprise, which caused Twilight to yell out in return and look around herself, searching for the source of his racket.

"What?! What is going on?"

"You!"

"Me?"

"You, Twilight Sparkle!" The Spirit angrily descended from a tree and approached her, poking her harshly in the chest, getting down for his angry eyes to meet her confused.

"What in the almighty Chaos are you doing in MY dream?!"

"What? Your dream?" She arched an eyebrow, making draconequus sigh dramatically.

"Oh, do not pretend with me missy - you are spying on me and my dreams!"

"What in the hay are you talking about! I thought I was dreaming-- wait, you're just a dream, what am I talking about anyway!"

"You're calling me a segment of your imagination? While I'm sure you fantasize about my handsome face a lot, I can assure you I am the real, one and only, Discord!"

Twilight decided to let the embarrassing remark about fantasizing slip by.

"Ugh, what is going on here? This dream is so confusing! And for your information, Discord, or whoever, or whatever you are, I have no idea how to enter somepony's dream! I think that's even illegal without consent of the dreaming subject, too."

Discord seemed to have started believing her. He pondered for a moment or two, and then let out a victorious 'ha!' and smiled so widely it was almost creepy. For some reason, he looked over at her with an amused smile, as he lay down on the ground, like a (part) lion he was, then looked at her.

"What?"

"I just got it - I know why you wandered into my dream, Twilight Sparkle. You probably aren't going to like what I am about to propose though."

"Just say it already, Discord."

"Well, it is possible to enter somepony else's dream instead of dreaming your own; but that happens rarely, mostly with ponies with great magical ability and only in certain cases. It bring us to the most probable conclusion of why you are in my dream."

"Really? What is it?"

"You were probably dying to see me." Discord finished, a most devilish tone in his voice and most playful look in his eyes. If Twilight had any less self control, she would allow herself to fall victim to his teasing and even blush. It was obvious his reply embarrassed her to a certain degree, however and before she could utter any sort of a clever reply, he pinched her cheek and yawned.

"What is it then, Twilight Sparkle? Be quick, I want to sleep again."

She didn't reply right away, instead noticing another incoherent detail. "...But if we're in your dream, doesn't that mean you're already sleeping? What were you doing, sleeping in your own dream?" Twilight couldn't help but ask, forgetting her wish to talk with him for a moment.

"Ah, well, I'll sleep twice as much, gaining extra energy."

So that was why he seemed so full of energy back when he first appeared in Ponyville. Twilight was pretty impressed by such a complicated branch of magic but decided there were other matters at hand.

"Right, so, I did want to see you. I wanted to as you, are you angry with me for some reason?"

The Spirit looked at her lazily, a playful smirk still lingering on his face.

"I have no reason to be, now do I, Twilight Sparkle."

"I... well I don't think so, no." She replied and flinched when he again pinched her, this time on the nose.

"Then don't break your pretty little purple egg-head of yours over nothing! Ha, did you just see what I did?" The Spirit laughed at his joke. If it was even qualified to be called a joke. Despite not liking being called an egghead, Twilight tried hard to suppress a smile - the effort she put into that seemed to have bothered him.

"Come now, Twilight Sparkle!" He sang, as he reached for her cheeks and stretched them into a badly formed smile - and she couldn't help it as corners of her mouth started rising against her will. "Where is that wonderful smile! I know it is in there somewhere~" He started to baby talk with her, which reflected so ridiculously on his face that she not only smiled but laughed loudly too. "Much better! I will have no sulking faces or hidden smiles in my dreams." The Spirit commented. Suddenly a sound was heard in the distance, making both of them look up. Discord seemed to have known what was going on and he didn't look too happy.

"Aww, shucks."

Shucks?

"The morning is already approaching. Time really does fly fast when you're having fun."

"It is? How can you tell?"

"It is my dream, I can tell easily." He turned towards her. Twilight noticed the dream world she was in started to disappear, seeing the trees vanish slowly into the air in the distance and the sky growing colorless. "Time to say goodbye, Twilight Sparkle. I'll see you back in the library. Before we part though, here's some food for thought." He added in the end, and leaned in towards her:

"Was this all just a dream, or was I really here?"

The unicorn frowned.

"Discord, you--" She couldn't finish her sentence before falling into a vertigo as the world around her collapsed, the last thing she heard being Discord's all too known laughter.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Twilight woke up. She still felt a tickle on her nose but had no way of finding out whether it was real or dream induced.

"Oh, good morning, sleepy head! It was about time you got up!" Spike cheerfully greeted her, immediately returning the box of ice cream back in the refrigerator, hoping Twilight wouldn't notice. Twilight didn't comment on the gluttonous little dragon, deciding to catch him unprepared later.

"Morning, Spike." She managed as she tried to stand up, only to have a sharp pain spread over her rear leg. She had already forgotten about it. "Ugh! Oh, I should've known how troublesome this will be."

"Oh, so you'll have to spend some time at home - no biggie."

" 'No biggie'? Spike, I can't walk. And if I tried, the only one who could match my slowness is Tank."

"There, you'll have someone to hang out with." Spike tried to humour her. It didn't quite work. "Heheh... I'm gonna go. Now. See ya. Watch out for that leg." He inched away from her sight and back into the kitchen, were he likely continued to devour the ice cream.

Twilight used her solitude to once again replay the events of the dream, desperately trying to connect the dots, to find something that could tell her whether the dream she had was fruit of her imagination, or the actual dream of Discord. It was so real, she remembered it all so clearly... yet she could prove nothing.

"I hope you slept well, Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight yelped with surprised as the Spirit came out of thin air, transporting himself from wherever he was before into the library, and startled the living daylights out of her.

"Discord, for goodness sake!" Twilight panicked.

Of course, he laughed.

... Dear Celestia, how she came to love that laugh.

7) Lesson Kindness

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"So Discord, uh... what do you think of Fluttershy?"

The silence Twilight got in response made her suspicious, so she turned around from cleaning the shelves to face the Spirit on the other side of the library - the dumbfounded look on his face was something that she was probably supposed to expect but in fact didn't. She expected a cackle. Maybe some mockery. A roll of his eyes, definitely. Definitely not this.

It was late morning. Twilight and Spike had cleaning duties to attend to so they were stuck in the library, dusting the shelves and rearranging the books for what was probably a millionth time. Deciding he didn't have anything particularly more interesting to do, the Spirit hung around as well, mostly just leading a playful chit chat filled with some of his best puns and occasionally, much to the Unicorns' chagrin, mixing up the books she so nicely rearranged.

Perhaps it was good that she had nothing better to do, because she still had to go easy on her leg - it was much better once Zecora heard of her injury, immediately visited with her own potion that tasted worse than anything Twilight had the chance to drink in her life, including Celestia's secret stash of what she called 'super secretive fun' serum. (Twilight never got to find out what that was.) The potion Zecora brought her however didn't have nearly as bad consequences; it helped her leg recover much faster, Twilight being able to normally run only two days later, though for that she had to go through a night of pain in her ankle, as well as some odd dream where a small creature visited her bed and told her that "Dark deeds are planned in this place, but Twilight Sparkle must not be here when that happens". Needless to say, Twilight was reading too much of 'Harry Trotter and the Stable of Secrets".

The mentioned book just so happened to be in front of her as she recalled the events and she affectionately nuzzled it before taking it down, proceedeing with her dusting as she wait for Discord to reply.

Collecting his thoughts, the draconequus let out a curious hum. "Now where did that question came from?" He asked curiously as he flew up towards her. The unicorn bit her cheek, casually and intentionally keeping her eyes on the already clean shelf and dusting it as if it were about the dirtiest thing in her entire home.

"Oh, no where in particular, you know." She regretted the words immediately as she knew no other way to convey this little issue to him. Admitting defeat, she started again slowly, "Well, actually...,"and was interrupted by the knowing 'ah' of realization from the draconequues. Shooting him a small deadpan, she continued: "You see, Fluttershy is really eager to meet you - to get to know you a little bit better and such."

"Oh... Is that so...?" the Spirit pondered, lazily drawing circles on the cover of 12th volume of Equestrian History with his talon finger. The unicorn bit her tongue at the sight and decided to stay on-topic.

"Yeah. I mean just a day or two ago, she told me she saw you around Ponyville and, well, she was concerned you flat out ignored her, I suppose." She tried to sound casual, knowing that if she were to sound as if she were judging him, they would start talking about the do's and the don'ts and why exactly those existed and then the discussion would never end.

Discord shrugged. "She didn't seem all too eager to have to do just about anything with this old fella' which is a surprisingly rare occurrence." He 'modestly' replied. "Little Fluttershy is all too quiet around me. I wonder why?" He ended, feigning innocent ignorance. Twilight heard a click of fingers and a squeal of delight. Spike was dancing around with a new, magically acquired beard. She tried her best to ignore the scene.

"Wait, so you did notice she was trying to speak to you, didn't you? Why didn't you let her, then?"

"Oh, Twilight Sparkle, you really do disappoint me at times for such a smart pony."

The unicorn pouted and shot a glare at the giggling little dragon, who fell silent just as quickly as he began to laugh. The Spirit suppressed a smile. "Now, now, don't get angry dear. You see, I just thought it was pretty obvious that little Fluttershy, as an Element of Kindness and being so naturally meek simply couldn't get along with someone as wonderfully chaotic as I am. Besides," he continued, giving Twilight a deadpan look, "I would most likely make her cry. By Chaos, then I would have to put up with your boring lectures and reprimands, maybe even some form of, uh, 'punishment' and that is all so eternally boring and so on and so forth..."

If she were to be perfectly and absolutely honest, Twilight had to admit that she couldn't quite imagine the two getting along. Poor Fluttershy would probably took all his teasing and pranks too seriously; not to mention that her kind attitude and willingness to help would probably be make a field day for Discord, who enjoyed mocking such behavior mercilessly. Twilight more than once warned him that he'll definitely be in serious trouble if he ever tried to do anything mean to her; Fluttershy was simply too much of a nice pony to be pranked by someone who could be as cruel as Discord.

Having fallen into silence, she returned to dusting the shelves and one of the books fell, raising some dust, enough to make Twilight sneeze loudly. Unfortunately, the force of her sneeze sent her bumping into the nearby table and a small mountains of books, parchment and quills fell to the floor.

"Chaos be with you!" Discord offered his blessings, that didn't truly got appreciated. Thanking Celestia that her bottle of ink didn't spill all over her books and researched, Twilight magicked her books back up and then noticed the forgotten research she was initially so excited about - the one on Discord.

Twilight put it away a while ago, thinking she would get to it these days. But the dusty parchment reminded her of just how much of a slack she cut the Spirit. She put the rest of the books away and dusted the parchment. It contained a few pages, including general information on Discord, a bit about draconequues she could find from the books and everything she ever wrote on his magic. But aside from that, nothing much. Most of the parchemnts were empty anyway, nothing but their title on the top of the page, such as 'list of unidentified spells' or 'draconequus anatomy'.

He once did tell her that all she needed to do was ask, didn't he? Perhaps he was serious about it. She cleared her throat and started as casually and as sweetly as she could, "So, how do you feel telling me about the draconequues and, well, um, your powers and such?" and smile just about the goofiest grin at the end.

The Spirit chuckled at the sight. He would let her know most things without a problem but withholding it held a certain charm to it. "Well wouldn't you like to know." He teasingly responded.

"Oh come on! I really, really want to learn more about your species! And the magic, it's incredible! It has virtually nothing in common with the magic of unicorns or alicorns! There is so much learning potential right here in the tips of your hooves-- I mean paw- I mean- Well, you know what I mean!"

Discord's face shifted into the most reddening fake blush Twilight had ever seen and he waved a shy hand at her. "Oh you flatterer, you!" He didn't keep the shy form for long though and simply leaned on the shelf, looking smugger than ever. "I guess you'll have to look harder~!" The draconequues sang, making the unicorn more frustrated with every second of his teasing.

"Ugh, fine, be like that! Why was I even expecting you'd be of assistance." Twilight turned her back on him, frowning, when his upside down head suddenly popped out in front of her, making her flinch.

"We never got to settle that riddle challenge I proposed, Twilight Sparkle." The Spirit reminded her, his mismatched eyes confusing her even more now that the were upside down. "Perhaps this could be the opportunity you were looking for."

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked, a bit confused. The Spirit flew up again, the familiar smile on his face - whenever they were about to play a game, or when he was up to something, that smile would come out.

"I'll be giving you a set of riddles!" He started in a very business like tone. "The solution of each one will hint at some information you so desperately crave for your cute little research. Of course, I will add in more because I do so love talking about myself; if you catch me ion a good mood, I might even answer you a question or two, since the solution of a single word can't tell you much."

"You'll be giving me information on my research through riddles?" Twilight asked skeptically. While she loved riddles, she doubted she could learn anything from them.

"Precisely!" Discord seemed happy that she got it so soon. "You'll have the course of precisely one day to solve every riddle and you can ask for more than one of them at a time. And I have to disappoint you but you must use no books for this one," Twilight let a disappointed 'oh', ",nothing but your cute little brains! Should be easy for a smarty pants like you. But!" He dramatically paused. "Should you fail to solve a single one," this time he sneered evilly, "I will be allowed to get away with pranking Fluttershy once."

Even though her brain was instantly screaming at her not to accept the challenge under such conditions, Twilight wanted to think it through; but the Spirit didn't give her any time to think it through coherently, as he leaned in and said: "A pony as smart as you should be capable of solving a couple of riddles, if I am terribly, terribly wrong."

The side of Twilight that was absolutely desperate to prove the world that brains matter just as much as brawn responded for her.

"I did it once and I'll do it again Discord! And I'll do so right now! In fact!" The unicorn was on fire! (not literally) "In fact, I want three of your best riddles right now!" She summoned herself a quill and a piece of parchment. The Spirit seemed just about as excited about the whole thing, laughing silly.

"Oooh, ambitious!" He rubbed his hands gleefully. "Don't say I didn't warn you, Twilight sparkle! Let us start then." He snickered and flew around her happily, narrating his riddle:

"I am what was sought after since the end first began,
in every war, in every battle, I'm the best, impossible plan.
Both the rich and the poor looked all over for me,
But nopony could have what I am, except for the Almighty Three."

Twilight tried to make sense of the confusing riddle and felt nearly cheated when nothing came to her as an idea right away. She was supposed to be good in these things!

"Are you sure you're not pranking me?" She cocked an eyebrow.

Discord deadpanned, smile disappearing momentarily. "Riddles are serious business, my dear." He replied coldly.

Twilight gave him a sneaky glance. "If you say so... alright, I got it down. Ready for the second one."

"Are you sure you're not taking a bit too much of a burden onto yourself? You still have time to satisfy yourself with just one little riddle." He mocked, provoking a frown.

"No way, I want to find out as much about you as I can as soon as possible! And once I solve those three, I just might solve three more for the heck of it!" By now she nearly sounded smug and Discord had to admit he kind of liked this competitive version of the Unicorn.

More than that though, he loved the fact she so blindly rushed into his challenge. "Pranking Fluttershy will be such a sweet, sweet feeling." He said devilishly before narrating once again:

"This time, it's Generosity who can bring you far,
remember the names aren't all they are.
What you're looking for is not as common as it seems,
but it is as usual as every nights' dreams."

Twilight felt excitement in her rise as she wrote down the next riddle, believing she already figured part of it out - he mentioned Generosity and addressed it as 'who' - he was probably talking about Rarity for some reason; maybe she was able to help her. It was worth a shot.

"Right!" She smiled to herself proudly then looked the Spirit in the eyes. "Last one, please!"

As if his own excitement weren't enough, Twilight's smile felt contagious and the Spirit grinned as he narrated the final riddle of his challenge:

"Knowledge and learning, the books and the scrolls,
it is nothing to me, I lie in 'their' souls,
never to be polished, nurtured or tamed.
One of 'them' all shall have my name famed."

Eagerly, Twilight wrote the last riddle down. She felt like a little filly again; when she was very young, her dad oftentimes gave her riddles or puzzles and the two would spend the whole afternoon together, solving them and afterward trying to find different solutions or possible paths to them. The nostalgia was nearly overwhelming and she never noticed the silly smile that crept onto her face but a certain Spirit did.

"Now what is that wonderful smile about? Did you get stricken by a Spring Fever?" He teased, making the Unicorn blush shyly at his suggestion.

"W-what, no! Don't be silly-"

"You're asking for a lot, dear."

"I just remembered the good old times when I was just a small filly... I had these challenges and puzzles of a sort sometimes put before me. They were so much fun to do with my dad." Twilight reminisced the good old times in her childhood.

"Aren't we sentimental today." The Spirit quietly said to himself. "Well, I'll leave you to your little quest Twilight Sparkle - I on the other hand, have some pranks to pull off. When you think you got the solution right, just call say it out loud and I'll be back in a jiffy. Too-dal'oo!" With those words, he left Twilight and Spike in half cleaned library.

"Spike, continue this work without me please, I have a few riddles to rid!" Her pun didn't seem to amuse the little dragon who now had twice as much work on his claws so he merely gazed at her, a mixture of angered disbelief and the kind of face that said 'I don't quite want to live right now'.

"Heheh." She laughed nervously, "See ya," and then she galloped out. Spike let out a weary sigh as his eyes captured the library that suddenly seemed about five times as big as before.

"Discord and his riddles." The little dragon mumbled. "If his plan was to make anyponys' life harder, he sure succeeded."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Placing herself comfortably on her favorite bench in the park, Twilight had been going through the three riddle before her, for the start unsure which one should she try to figure out.

Rarity was mostly busy at this time of the day, so she figured she might leave that one for later. The last riddle sounded a bit too vague, so she decided to go for the first one.

"I am what was sought after since the end first began..." She repeated the first verse. Since the end first began... the first beginning of the end? But what was the end? What was the beginning for that matter?

"In every war, in every battle, I'm the best, impossible plan..." Something like an ultimate weapon, perhaps? Something impossible... something every soldier would want? Something of huge destructive or protective power but unattainable? The choices were many on this one. She continued.

"Both the rich and the poor looked all over for me,
But nopony could have what I am, except for the Almighty Three..."

Both rich and the poor... that was probably a way to say that everyone, regardless of how much money they had or how prosperous or not they lived, wanted it and there were probably ways of seeking it that didn't require money or fortune. But the last part confused her... the Almighty Three? Whoever or whatever that was referring to, those three had something nopony and nothing else had.

"Urgh, I feel like I'm so close to the solution!" Twilight grumbled, countless thoughts running through her head.

The first beginning of the end... the end... the end of a trip, the road... the end of an adventure? Nah, too specific. The end of something, somepony... the end of somepony? The end of life?

"Death?" Twilight asked out loud, wondering if it might be it. It was definitely the closest she got to the solution of the first line. She scribbled 'death' in tiny letters next to it, then continued.

"Best, but impossible plan in every war. What plan could be so great but impossible to pull off, that could bring victory?" Twilight recalled her studies of Equestrian history, remembering the greatest deeds of Equestrian ponies; such as the battle at Thermoponylae, where a mere bunch of three hundred ponies managed to fend of thousands of rampaging manticores. Or the legendary plan where a brave pony Odyhay hid his soldiers into a giant wooden alicorn and presented it to the savaging tribes of Diamond Dogs that tormented the cities at that time as a gift of respect. Over the night, they came out and captured all of the tribes' members, restoring the peace to the region.

But those stuff weren't impossible! Just... improbable, or difficult to achieve.

"According to the next two lines, it is a plan that no pony could ever have... except for the 'Almighty three'..." What or who was that referencing? The only 'almighty' person she knew of would be...

Celestia? Her sister Luna? Who else was the-

"Well of course! It would be just like him, putting himself into the riddle!" Twilight laughed; the Almighty Three, divine Princesses Celestia and Luna that once governed the Elements of Harmony and Discord, the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony; the forces that governed Equestria. So, what did the three have in common?

"The ultimate power?" Twilight questioned but concluded it was not exactly right - while both Princesses and Discord were powerful, they were never unstoppable. It would explain the perfect battle plan, though.

"Something similar to God-like status? What would Gods have in-- !" And in an instant, she finally realized, a victorious smile on her face. It was what everpony wanted, but will never have; it was what would bring victory in any battle; and it was something only Celestia, Luna and Discord had.

"The answer to the first riddle is Immortality!"

Her words summoned the Spirit right before her, startling her a little. He was floating in the air in a relaxed position and for some reason, sipping tea with a calm expression on his face. If she didn't know him so well by now, he would almost look like a gentleman.

"Well, well, well, I must say I am impressed; even though it took you long enough to crack the first riddle."

"I told you I would! Now come on," she summoned her quill and parchment and settled herself on the grass, "let's hear your first lesson!" She gave him a radiating smile.

Discord rolled his eyes, sipping some more tea slowly. Then he vanished the cup away and started:

"You see dear, draconequues are fairly rare creatures, much like Alicorns - but while Alicorns are considered royalty and are slowly growing in numbers, draconequues' don't have much of a fame going along with their species. We - well, most of us - are very seclusive creatures, living in places that nopony probably ever got to and survived to tell the tale."

"Survived? You mean you'd--" Twilight gasped, but Discord quickly calmed her.

"Oh no, dear, we're not brutes - well, again, there are exceptions to the general rule. On the contrary, however, the draconequues species is quite knowledgeable of the good and evil, of the world and its ways, despite their detachment from it. The thing is, we live in places that are hard to reach and dangerous to live in; even strong winged pegasi and powerful unicorns would rarely wander into our territory but when they did, most of them would never come back." He paused to summon himself some cotton candy which, in Twilight's opinion, was totally inappropriate considering what he was telling her. "So, while there's no such thing as affirmative information, it is our belief that our immortality was born as a form of immunity against the harsh conditions we live in."

Twilight's eyes practically sparkled - heh, sparkled - from all the information she gathered.

"You seem pleased." Discord noticed with a smile as he flew down next to her, nesting himself neatly on the bench and observing her writing.

"Pleased? I'm much more than pleased! You gave me more information than I expected! Thank you so much!" Discord chuckled, noticing that her excitement was so big even her magic had trouble writing without making the quill tremble slightly. It was a nice sight seeing her so happy for some reason; seeing her so happy just because of his little input. The very next moment, he mentally slapped himself for such a dandy thought.

"But... wait." Twilight was suddenly confused. "I thought you were immortal because you gained the power of Elements of Disharmony. Just what is the difference then--"

"Sorry dear but if you want to know anything more, you'll have to answer the next riddle~!" the Spirit sang, making Twilight groan in the unpleasant surprise.

"Oh~ but I have just one more question!"

"It can wait, can't it?"

"But I'm so curious~" Twilight pleaded, though knowing she sounded silly and that her pleads were futile.

"Oh, you're just adorable when you're invested!" The Spirit painfully pinched her cheek. Twilight glared at him but on the inside, she was burning of embarrassment - adorable? Seriously? The draconequues must've been up to something fishy to sweet talk with her like that. "Feel free to declare your second solution out loud should you manage to solve it but do watch the timing, will you? Before you called me I was in the middle of an excellent prank in the Mayor's Office." He frowned. "Perhaps there's still time to witness the consequences."

Before Twilight managed to question what in the Equestria was up to, he snapped his fingers and disappeared.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Having spent quite some time working on the first riddle, Twilight figured Rarity is probably available at this time of the day; she slowly trotted towards to the Carousel Boutique, thinking through the second riddle.

This time, it's Generosity who can bring you far,
remember the names aren't all they are.

While it was possibly about Rarity, she had no idea what the second line might've pointed to.

What you're looking for is not as common as it seems,
but it is as usual as every nights' dreams.

That downright didn't make any sense! So it is both common and uncommon? Both part of every day yet hard to find? Urgh.

When she finally entered the Boutique, she was met with an unordinary sight - Rarity was sleeping on her divan. She must've overdone it again. It was rare to catch her sleeping like this though, sprawled on the sofa, looking like she accidentally tripped into it, fell and just remained there.

I'll just hang around until she wakes up, Twilight thought to herself, sitting in a nearby sofa and studying the riddle once again.

Her attention kept going back to Rarity though and she had spent quite some time not solving anything. More than an hour passed for sure and time just continued to slip. Our of all times she needed a rest...

"Generosity can bring me far, my flank." She mumbled. "You rarely go to sleep during the day anyway, why all of a sudden-- wait. Rarely." She repeated to herself.

"Rarity rarely does rare things." She continued nonsensically, excitement growing.

"That's it! Names are not all they are, each of them has a meaning! Rarity - rarity is 'being uncommon' but then again, there are so many rare things in the world it makes it common! Thank you, Rarity!" She ran out and slammed the door behind her, waking up the fashinosta.

"W-wha? What is going on? Who goes there?" She looked around in confusion but saw nopony. Everything was quiet.

"Oh well... might as well continue with my work now that I'm awake." With those words, she lay back just for a moment and unwillingly fell asleep again.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The night has already fallen and Moon was already in the sky when Twilight left Raritys' boutique.

"The answer to the second riddle is Rarity!" Twilight spoke aloud once she found herself in the park again - she really didn't feel like shouting in the middle of the town.

When Discord appeared this time, he was in pose that absolutely gave away what he was about to do - in his eagle claw, a pair of scissors, while his lion paw was in position like it pulled something in the air. Like a ponys' tale, or mane.

"... Oops." He gave her an innocent smile as he made the scissors disappear.

"Discord, please leave other pony's manes alone." She demanded, a disapproving look on her face. He laughed. There was something oddly innocent in his laugh and one of her eyebrows rose to rest beneath her bangs.

"Oh, it is all just in good fun - I would give Pinkie her mane back."

The undeniably funny image of Pinkie with no mane came into Twilights' mind; it was impossible not to smile at the very least but she kept her cool for the sake of getting the message across.

"If you were to do so, I guess it is fine. Just don't freak her out too much."

"Rules, rules, rules." the Spirit sang.

"Anyway, I've solved the second riddle."

"I noticed." Discord replied, not sounding all too happy. "Two riddles in an afternoon and an evening. I wonder if you'll manage to solve the last one before tomorrow at two o'clock."

"You don't have to worry about that." Twilight bragged, as she once again summoned her writing equipment and sat in the grass.

Discord flew around her and descended once more on the bench. "What do you want to know?"

"Just what is the difference between you and the other draconequues?" Twilight shot out, nearly desperate for information. "I mean, where are the limits of their powers? Just how powerful are the draconequues?" It was interesting, the way she wanted to know so much, asking so many questions. It was also kind of amusing to have all that knowledge, as well as being the only one who could give that knowledge to her. But, she solved it fair and square, so he simply stretched before starting to talk.

"Draconequues powers vary strongly from specimen to specimen," he started, "because the draconequues learn, teach and use magic differently than unicorns and Alicorns - or any other creature, for that matter, by different laws. As such, the kind of books you read can not help us. Draconequues are all on their own. Some draconequues never even get to use their magic properly if then don't polish it themselves during childhood."

Twilight's quill was rapidly gliding over the parchment, making small side notes and questions she might have for the Spirit. She had no idea the draconequues' used magic by a different set of laws but she figured since there were no books on it, Discord probably couldn't tell her much about it.

"Wow, I can't believe how much I got in only one day! With this I can already start a proper research paper!"

She continue to ramble something about how proud Celestia will be and started to continuously bounce in circles. Discord slapped himself mentally for the second time that day.

"Ugh enough, you're making my stomach twist." He groaned, using his still limited powers to trip the bouncing unicorn - as she fell in the grass, she was surprised for a moment and he expected her to shot him one of her usual glares - but then just continued laughing.

"... Just what has gotten into you?" Discord wondered out loud."You're acting very out of character and trust me, it means a lot coming from me."

"I can be happy for once in a while, can't I?" Twilight beamed and the Spirit rolled his eyes.

"Well, enjoy your little giggle party while you can, you still have one riddle to solve. Until then, Twilight Sparkle." And he was gone in a flash of light.

Twilight just kept lying in the grass, feeling like she had a day full of accomplishes.

"Twilight?"

"Oh! Hey, Spike! What are you doing here?" As the little dragon walked over to her, she noticed he carried a large basket and that, thankfully, he no longer had a beard.

"I was out to get some things. We were seriously lacking some stuff. I needed some extra rags and wood regenerator and-"

"Ice cream?" Twilight interrupted with a teasing smile as she used her magic to pull out a pretty big bucket of vanilla flavored dessert. Spike blushed slightly and Twilight grinned. "I'm just teasing you, Spike - in fact, I'm really in the mood for some of that. Maybe we can play some games this evening, what do you say?"

His eyes spread in surprise and delight. It was rare that the two of them did game nights, so he definitely wasn't going to miss the opportunity. "Y-yes, totally! Let's go right away!" He exclaimed happily as he placed himself swiftly on her back and held her warmly. Twilight smiled.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Mmm... Spike, stop that... hehehe, stooooop." Twilight wiggled and laughed playfully as she felt a tickling, teasing sensation on her neck. "Spike! Stop it already!"

Her blood froze when she heard a familiar snicker.

"Discord?! What the hay!?" She immediately pulled the sheets over herself, watching the Spirit pulling his tail away from her snickering to himself. "Discord, what are you doing here?" She asked, now completely awake - last night she and Spike stayed up late, her trying to teach him how to play Chess Mess - while Spike liked the messed up version of chess, he had no skill whatsoever for it. The two ended up playing mostly ignoring the rules and with personal additions to the rules, much like when Discord and Twilight first played it.

"Oh, I just wanted to remind you you have a riddle to solve, is all."

Twilight laughed as she stood up and approached the mirror, brushing her mane.

"I think I'll manage, Discord. After all, I do have a whole morning to solve it."

"I wouldn't be so sure." The Spirit replied wickedly. The brush Twilight was using suddenly stopped in the air.

"What is that supposed to mean?" She asked carefully.

"Haven't you checked the time, dear?" He asked back. Twilight's pupils got tiny as she looked out the window - the clock tower was showing one-thirty in the afternoon.

"WHAT?" Her loud questioning of the trick Father Time played on her woke up her assistant.

"Looks like somepony stayed up for too long last night~" Discord said in delight.

"Discord, if I discover you had something to do with this, the deal is off!" Twilight hissed, startling the Spirit.

"I didn't do anything, dear!" The Spirit said playfully as he sat on the window sill. Twilight had no choice but to believe that as she left her mane unbrushed and embarked on a journey to locate the suddenly missing paper that contained the Spirit's riddles.

"Spike, we need tea! Lots and lots of strong tea! I need to solve this riddle immediately or Fluttershy is done for!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Spike seemed to have comprehended the difficulty of the situation as he rushed down into the kitchen. It took the unicorna good few minutes to find the paper she was looking for and she drank nearly the entire pot Spike fetched for her in a few large gulps, the seethingly hot tea burning her throat but keeping her awake.

It made for an awfully amusing sight but she ignored the Spirit, who watched her panic attentively as he munched on a bag of buttered popcorn.

"OK, I can do this... I must do this... for poor, poor Fluttershy... what was I thinking..." She took a deep breath and repeated the riddle to herself under her breath:

"Knowledge and learning, the books and the scrolls,
all that is nothing to me, I lie in 'their' souls,
never to be polished, nurtured or tamed.
One of 'them' all shall have my name famed."

Her brain was racing and she was panicking. Her thoughts incoherent and messed up, she spent- she tried to spend at least fifteen minutes calming herself down with breathing exercises before being able to approach the riddle with rational attitude. "Let's see... the riddle mentioned 'them' two times... it could be referencing the draconequues, unless it has a deeper meaning but that is probably it... alright, something... something that resides in souls... huh..."

Minutes passed, one seemingly faster than the other. Sweat broke underneath her mane.

"For some reason, this riddle sounds so familiar, but I can't point my hoof at it." Twilight mumbled to herself, bitting at her hoof. Discord did his best to stay quiet, for if he were to laugh out right now it would surely throw her into disarray... and for some peculiar reason, he felt the need to play fair.

"One of 'them' shall have my name famed? What, what could it possibly be?!"

"Five more minutes, dear."

Twilight stared at the riddle, confused out of her mind, panic slowly rising in her. Precious minutes passed by and she still didn't have an answer, her mind blank, weird, unsuitable solutions coming back and forth.

"A minute."

There was a lump in her throat.

"Come on Twilight! You have less than a minute left!" Spike bit his claws in anxiety.

Then, suddenly, something started to shift in her mind. The words started slowly to make sense.

"Knowledge as we know it is nothing to it..."

30 seconds.

"It is something that is inside of a person, untouchable, yet available...perhaps..."

15 seconds.

"One of the draconequees shall have its name famed!" suddenly the pieces fell to their rightful place.

3...

"The answer-"

2...

"-to the third-"

1...

"-riddle is-"

Just as her tongue got into the position to pronounce the word, her mouth remained magically stuck together - not the courtesy of cheating, as she initially immediately assumed but of the magical contract that prevented her from busting out the solution when it was too late, and her answer was replaced with loud banging of the clock tower. It never sounded so loud to her, never so terrifying. Once the banging stopped, her mouth opened, and she gasped out the word she had formed half a second too late:

"Magic! The answer to the third riddle is Magic!"

"Ooh~ I'm sorry, my dearest, dearest Twilight Sparkle! Looks like I'll have a lot of fun with Fluttershy this afternoon!" The Spirit giddily flew through the air, swirling and turning. Twilight fell onto her knees, letting out a way too dramatic "noooooo!" that got Spike laughing hard; he shut up the moment she shot him a glare. Almost automatically, knowing her chances to persuade him were pretty much close to zero, Twilight followed Discord who was already heading out with a lot of what she assumed was his 'pranking equipment' - which consisted of just about any item anypony could name.

"Oh Discord, please, please, don't do this!"

He froze in place, seeming pretty dumbfounded by the fact Twilight was literally pleading him for something. The fishing pole he had on his shoulder comically bobbed on his shoulder and he cleared his throat.

"But Twilight, my dear... We had a deal." He said in the most parenting tone he could possibly manage, making the unicorn's face all that more contorted from panic.

"I know, I know! But- but Fluttershy is so timid! The smallest of things scare her! If she finds out about all of this and you prank her, not only will you never get a chance to befriend her but she'll also be angry with me! I'll make it up to you, I promise, I promise!" The unicorn panicked, her hooves making a rapid motion tapping on the wooden floor; this obviously meant a lot to her.

Discord observed her for a second.

"Fine." he pouted.

"Why can't you see how impo-- Huh?" Twilight made the dumbest face without realizing - her funny expression had, like many times before, made the Spirit laugh and he loosened some of that frustrated pout he had fixed.

"Fine, fine. I won't prank Miss Sensitive then. But I can't say the same for anyone else."

"... What are you planning?" Twilight questioned carefully, making Discord chuckle.

You won't believe it dear but I have planned absolutely nothing. My only plan was to prank Fluttershy mercilessly today but that seemed to have gone down the drain." He looked at her and noticed she looked doubtful of that. Raising an eyebrow, he again started lecturing her playfully: "Now now, don't make that face, smile suits you so much better."

"Again with that!" The unicorn finally exploded and the Spirit blinked.

"With what?"

"You're being so nice to me!" Twilight protested his politeness, incapable of understanding such a course of events. Her words seemed to have gotten the Spirit thinking.

"You're right." He suddenly said. Awkwardness ensued as Discord probably wondered why was he so nice all of a sudden and Twilight tried not to show just how strongly her heart started to beat at the sight of the draconequues that got confused by his own ability to show kindness.

8) It all started with a Pie

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The next couple of days passed in relative normality - relative being the key word; it was the an 'acquired taste' sort of normal but that didn't stop Twilight Sparkle from feeling about as proud as she could; proud of Discord, proud of everyone who gave him a chance but of herself as well - she never knew Discord could change so much with a bit of friendly nudging. And it all happened in barely two weeks!

It was now a regularity to see Discord on the streets of Ponyville but it was very irregular to see him actually talking to somepony. Aside from Pinkie Pie, who became his number one pranking buddy, Twilight saw him actually having a lengthy conversation with Dr. Whooves and Derpy - and a very in-depth conversation, too. The three were discussing the possibilities of space and time travel through periods of hundreds of years and even parallel worlds. Where did they get an idea to talk about that Twilight didn't know, although for a moment she was worried ponies have heard of her little time traveling accident. For the sake of her own good name, she decided to avoid the topic, unknowingly missing out on an opportunity to talk to a time-traveler.

Of course, there was also Twilight, who by now considered him a friend that was always welcome at her place and at any time, as bothersome and trouble-making as he still was more often than not; but while she considered him a friend, she was pretty sure he wasn't feeling the same. In fact, she was pretty certain he viewed most relationships with ponies as more of a pleasant experience to take part in, rather than a friendship. More than once, she felt pretty disappointed over that possibility but decided it was just logical that someone like Discord would take longer to actually respect someone in such a manner.

At the very least, Twilight figured, he seemed to have really started getting along with her best friends. Having just been out to get some more quills and ink, she accidentally ran into him tasting one of Applejack's pies from her stall on the main plaza - from what she gathered, watching them from behind a corner and not wanting to disturb their communication, he was teasing and bothering poor Applejack so much, she gave him a complementary apple pie just to make him go away. Once he actually ate the pie though, he was very interested in how she made them taste so good. The two engaged into a short discussion of cooking secrets.

"I still don't understand how is it possible to make a pie taste so good; I can summon the best pies in the world - or at least I like to claim so! What is so different about yours that makes them so... better?" He bitterly picked that word, much to the Earth pony's pleasure. Applejack merely shrugged but judging by the small smile on her face, she was quite flattered - not because she never knew the pies of Apple family were the best pies ever to exist in the history of everything. No, it was because it was Discord, who was usually able to create just about anything, who actually showed appreciation of her family's hard work. It both pleasantly surprised her, and impressed her – the old Discord would never show any sign of appreciation for anything that didn't come out of his click of fingers.

"... give me another one." The Spirit demanded nicely. To him, there was no ask. There was demand it nicely or demand it like a boss, but most common of all was just take it. Still, he had no threatening powers right now, so he went with the 'nicer' way.

Applejack cocked an eyebrow.

"Ya ought to pay for one before ya get one, ya know?"

The Spirit sighed. "Unfortunately, it still isn't in my power to create bits out of thin air - apparently it is against the law because it 'puts economy out of balance'." Discord imitated Celestia's motherly tone. Applejack frowned.

"Well, y'can always get some kinda job and, yanno, work for it."

The Spirit erupted into a laughing it that made Applejack's teeth grit. "Oh, you're a funny one Applejack, you really are." Discord stuttered out as he finally managed to get some air.

"Well pardon me but yer no exception to the rule - no bits, no pie. An' if ya even try an' steal one, ya'll get a such kick in yer flank, it'll send ya flyin' over Equestria, ya got that?"

The Spirit pouted, which on his 'handsome' face looked especially funny. Applejack suppressed a grin and suddenly remembered Twilight's eagerness to befriend the Spirit and the look on her face as she excitedly told them about Discord's progress. She instantly felt warmth in her chest, knowing the purple pony would be over-thrilled if she knew Applejack hung around with Discord - little did she know the same purple unicorn was peeking at them from behind a house corner, not believing her eyes nor her ears.

So Applejack decided she might give it a try; her way, of course. "Say Discord," the pony continued, "I bet'cha couldn't make a pie this good without using your fancy magics."

"Oh, please," Discord waved his eagle hand dismissively, "it would be a piece of cake - see what I did there?" He laughed. "I could easily summon the exact same ingre-"

"Nuh-uh; I said no magics. At all."

Discord finally seem to have understood what she meant by 'no magic'. "I would have to make it by hand? Quite an outrageous proposal! I wouldn't even be allowed to supply myself?"

"You'd supply yerself like we all do - buy what ya need."

Discord saw where this was going. "Still trying to make me work, Applejack? I'm afraid I have better things to not work on."

"Just as Ah expected; givin' up as soon as it gets complicated." Appjejack continues, her words making the Spirit slightly upset.

"Your petty taunting attempts will not work."

"Ah'm not attempting anything - I'm challenging ya, Discord." Applejack bluntly said. Discord paused. The word 'challenge' was a really dangerous and exciting, yet by now, really bothersome word. He loved challenges, when he was the one proposing them. Another way around was also fun. Coming from ponies, however... somehow, he'd always get in trouble. Or get someone else in trouble. Or cause trouble.

And now it involved baking a freakin' pie.

"So what's it gonna be?" Applejack gave him a flashy smile because she recognized that stubborn spark in his eyes as one that occasionally lighted up in her own; there was no way in Equestria he was going to refuse.

"Oh for goodness sake, fine, fine, your silly challenge is on." He finally gave in, drawing a satisfied smile from the Earth Pony.

"Excellent. The only thing at stake is our pride an' honor. Be done by the evenin'!"

"This evening?" Discord repeated in disbelief, to which Applejack laughed yet again.

"What did ya expect; an afternoon is enough to supply the Sugar Cube Corner for a day!" Seeing the Spirit getting more dissatisfied with every second, she added in: "If ya want, you can have Twi help ya."

Both of them failed to noticed the purple unicorn that excitedly trotted back to her home upon hearing Applejack's words.

"Ha! I need no such thing as help! I'll make that silly pie in the matter of minutes!" With those words the Spirit flew away swiftly. Applejack smirked.

"This oughta be fun. Hope it pays off."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Once coming before the library, Discord realized just how difficult will this be for him. Powerful, troublesome Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony, who used to rule and conquer and shed fear... baking an apple pie. He was pretty sure he never missed his powers as much as he did in that moment. He facepalmed before letting out a resigning sigh and entering the library in a rather unfabulous fashion he usually didn't really prefer - through the door.

"Hiya there, Discord!"

Discord's eyebrows practically left his face when he was greeted with the unusual sight. First of all, it was rare of unicorn to greet him the way she did now. So disgustingly overjoyed, sounding and looking so cute it was suffocating... like a puppy at the door. He tried to contain the expression of disgust to himself.

Then, there was the fact she was wearing an apron. An apron. While he was not familiar with the cooking skills of Twilight, he would bet his tail she pretty much never managed to successfully cook an egg. Mentally, he figured that would at least make the two of them.

It didn't take the Spirit long to connect the dots.

"You heard everything, huh?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Twilight responded playfully, knowing well that he knew exactly what she knew.

She is positively excited about this, Discord realized. If he were to tell her right now he didn't want her help it would probably sadden her greatly. It used to be fun, to sadden her, or anypony else. The fact it wasn't as fun anymore only aided his frustration. A groan escaped him as he finally said, annoyed:

"Fine, let's bake the stupid pie already."

Twilight clapped her hooves happily.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Now what?"

"Just-- press into it! With your hands! Is it really that hard?"

"It is not hard, it is just so... so..."

"What? What is it?"

Quite some time passed in the small kitchen. Luckily for Discord, he didn't have to, as he put it, "humiliate himself by going shopping like a silly pony", since they had enough of ingredients. But surprisingly he had difficulties doing the simplest of tasks and Twilight simply couldn't comprehend why. It took him almost five minutes the open the bag of flour and pour some of it into the bowl. At the moment, he was practically wrestling with the dough for the crust, looking like he was going through great discomfort doing it.

The Spirit gritted his teeth.

"Nothing."

Twilight looked over at him, slightly disconcerted but decided not to say anything. "Alright, while you finish that, I'll slice some apples."

Making a pie isn't like learning the flipping theory of quantom magic, so why is he having so much trouble with it, Twilight wondered as she watched the Spirit who was pressing the dough like it hurt him every time he did so.

However, it turned out making a pie - at least for these two particular cooks - was perhaps even harder then studying the theory of quantum magic. Twilight didn't know her magic could fail in in wielding a simple kitchen knife and as such cutting the apples the way she wanted them to be cut - to the perfection, that is - turned out to be one of the small near-impossibilites her cooking anti-talent provided her with. After Discord finally managed to do it right, the crust was soon done, and apples prepared. Oonce they clumsily added whatever the cookbook instructed them with and somehow made the shape in the pan look relatively like a pie, they finally pushed it into the oven, after which Spirit literally laid on the floor and breathed with relief.

"What is with you?" Twilight frowned, deciding to act as if preparing the pie for a whole hour wasn't anything unusual. "You act like you just ran a mare-a-thon, or something."

Discord didn't reply. By now, Twilight was not concerned by his behavior. She was irritated. "Alright, enough of this nonsense."

"What nonsewow!" Discord felt the unpleasant tug on his tail as Twilight's magic lifted him up to hang upside down before her. He dangled a bit comically as Twilight started to speak.

"What is going on Discord? You're totally out of place! Since when does the 'almighty' Spirit of Chaos have trouble making a pie! A pie! You must've created like... a whole avalanche of them by now!" She argued, visibly upset with his strange behavior. She let the Spirit fall on the floor. Much to her surprise, instead of a witty reply or an arrogant remark of what she had done, he got up and proceeded to lazily wipe the dust out of his fur. Obviously avoiding the answer.

"Well?"

He let a big sigh, which only added to her frustration; he almost sounded as if he had an actual problem which she truly didn' nor couldn't believe.

"You can be so annoying sometimes, Twilight Sparkle." He finally answered.

"Well-- you can be so weird sometimes!" The unicorn shot back, throwing her hooves in the air. "I don't know what to make of your behavior!"

"My behavior is my business only."

"Not if you're obviously not feeling well about something."

Feeling. He knew the word 'feeling' didn't always have to represent one's emotional state but he hated the word nevertheless. It was so cheesy, so overly honest. Worst of all, it was horribly intrusive.

"I don't see how my 'not feeling well' has anything to do with you."

"Well I'm sorry but I can't let anypony, especially a good friend of mine, suffer."

It took Twilight a few second to realize she probably said something he considered weird; at least if it was to judge by the Spirit's reaction and the two suddenly stared at each other in confusion. Discord blinked a few times. Twilight wondered what was going through his head, but he decided to remain silent, suddenly knowing those were not the words he had ever expected to hear from her. Just as she opened his mouth to say something, an unpleasant smell spread through the kitchen.

"The PIE!" The two shrieked as if their lives were on the line, then opened the oven so forcefully they almost broke it.

Inside, a half black, crispy remains of once (maybe) edible pie waited for them.

Discord let out a groan and threw himself on the floor. Twilight looked defeated, as if she had just failed an exam.

After one of the most devastating silences they ever experienced, she turned around to face the Spirit and tried giving him a smile, which, while it didn't seem to repair his mood, has gotten him curious; probably because she didn't have anything to smile about.

"Again?" Hope audible in her sweet voice. It took Discord a second to think the suggestion through.

She wasn't giving up easily, was she? He smiled back.

"Again."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

About eight burnt, over baked, under baked, too sweet, too salty, prank-containing, cinnamon challengy or accidentally destroyed pies, Discord and Twilight put the supposedly good pie on the kitchen table, both of them wearing a slightly tired but satisfied smile on their faces; they have spent the whole afternoon trying to get the pie done right, which with their unbelievably low level of cooking skill wasn't even that bad of a timing. Through pranks and conversation, they have spent quite an enjoyable day, talking about the random things such as Ponyville citizens, the pretty much nonexistent strategy of Chess Mess, even books and once Spike came home and yelled at them for messing up the kitchen, about his crush on Rarity.

When Twilight called Spike to test their new pie, he gladly accepted even though he wasn't too fond of desserts that didn't contain gems. Tension was in the air as Spike tasted a slice, chewing slowly. Then he blinked in surprise.

"Wow, you two. I didn't knew you can cook so well. Remind me why am I the one behind the stove every day?" He asked teasingly.

"Oh, it is because there has to be a side character who does all these menial tasks for us."

"... huh?"

Twilight didn't even hear Discord's weird reply, her eyes glinting at Spike's compliment of their shared hard work.

"Oh, I'm so happy to hear those word! Thank you so much Spike, we spent the whole afternoon trying to get it right. Pierce was really hard to make."

"Pierce?" Spike covered his mouth trying not to laugh

"After a third one failed, we started naming them." Discord explained. "It was quite fun, looking for names with 'pie' in them."

"Sure, I guess that's... a good way to waste time." Spike rolled his eyes and glanced around the kitchen and mulled over the fact it looked like an aftermath of Pinkie Pie's part, then caught the eyes of the two, hands on his hips. "This kitchen better be clean by tomorrow morning, because I'm not taking care of this mess."

The two quietly nodded their heads, eyes on the floor, as Spike went up, satisfied that he managed to get the message across.

"...Well, let us not waste our time here," Discord suddenly said, grabbing Twilight like a doll as she levitated the pie, "I have a point to prove!" With a click of fingers, he transported both of them to the Sweet Apple Acres, which caught Twilight by surprise.

"I didn't know you could transport that far."

The suspicious silence was all she got as a reply for a few seconds. "Lucky day, I suppose." The Spirit shrugged, not sounding too certain himself. Twilight decided she'd think it over later, as they both searched around - it didn't take them long to notice a certain orange pony with a bucket of apples among the trees.

"Hey, Applejack!" Twilight called for her - as the Earth Pony turned around, a delighted smile decorated her face.

"Well, what do we have here." She said in amusement as she approached them, looking at the pie Twilight was offering her.

"He's called Pierce! Treat him gently!" Discord said jokingly as Applejack took a slice. She gave him a funny look for his statement, but didn't question it. Then she slowly ate the slice.

"Well spank my flank and call me Suzie, ya did it." Applejack said in disbelief. While Twilight wondered what in the Equestria did Applejack just say, Discord let out a victorious 'ha!'.

"Like I said - easy as pie."

Twilight decided not to mention that little detail about just how many times did they make it over and over again, thining Discord would probably be upset with it. But Applejack seemed to have been observant enough to know they worked hard without them telling her anything - the fact they completely forgot to wash up all the flour and yolk from their fur was a giveaway even a blind pony would notice.

"Well, congratulations, Discord. Ya passed."

"Of course I-- wait, passed?" The Spirit asked in confusion, floating next to Twilight, who had an equally confused expression on her face.

"Ya were willing to work hard after all, weren't ya?" Applejack asked. Discord frowned upon realization.

"You..."

"Ah wanted to see if ya really can work hard if ya want to - well, even if you don't want to - an' apparently ya can, and with quite the results, too. Now I can feel the same appreciation for you because of yer work, just like ya felt when ya tasted mah pies."

Twilight suddenly let out a wise "oooh" as if she just realized what two plus two was, while Discord didn't look pleased at all. These ponies really liked to play games with him. It was so mischievous of them.

He liked it.

"Well, thanks for th' pie! Granny Smith will be pleased! I'd ask ya to cook us something again, but I reckon Twilight wouldn' like to have her kitchen burn down!" she laughed, her teasing making Twilight smile a bit shyly. Discord was still slightly upset.

"G'night y'all!" Applejack finally greeted them before entering her house, feeling like today was quite a success for all of them.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Once Discord and Twilight transported back into the library, they both felt just how worn out they were. But for some reason, neither of them felt like sleeping. They ended up on the top balcony of the library, using the telescope and looking at the stars, discussing Applejack's successful plan. Both of them got comfy on the balcony floor, and once Discord summoned some oddly colored tea, which had a unique taste Twilight swore she never tried before, the evening was pretty much perfect for relaxation.

"She really got you this time though, you have to admit."

"Hmpf. That farmer pony just earned herself a weeks' worth of some of my best schemes." Discord evilly replied, a devilish smile on his face.

"Just don't be too cruel." Twilight warned.

"Oh, so I can be cruel, only not too cruel, hm?" He continued to tease.

"That was totally not what I meant!" Twilight shook her head, smiling incredulously.

"Don't worry dear; I'll have Applejack on her wits ends without causing too much trouble... for everypony else..." He ended with an asuible whisper.

I guess I'll have another think to look out for during the week, Twilight thought triedly as she took some more tea. She hoped Applejack wouldn't regret she challenged the Spirit and 'humiliated' him by pointing out his virtues.

"Are you still not going to tell me what got into you this afternoon?" Twilight tried once again. As she expected, a frown formed on his face, followed by a groan.

"Ugh, again with this. If you'll continue to pester me like that, I might as well go to sleep." As he was about to stand up, the unicorn quickly grasped his shoulder to stop him and he blinked at the motion.

"Oh, don't go! I'm sorry, if it really bothers you that much, I won't ask anymore." As she reteratedher hoof, she didn't notice how unprepared Discord was for her gesture.

"... Well, how about this Twilight Sparkle - I'll answer your question if you answer one of mine."

"Oh." Twilight blinked, wondering just what was it that made the Spirit curious. "Well, sure I suppose."

The Spirit eyed her for a short while, as if trying to realize something for himself.

"Do you really think of me as a- a friend?" Twilight was nearly pitying the fact his voice was so full of suspicion and disbelief; he was obviously expecting her to deny she ever thought of him as someone close and couldn't understand why. After all, he used to mock them all for being so invested into relationships and friendship, mock their loyalty and kindness to each other, the way they treated each other with respect. So why the sudden surprise?

“... of course. Why would you think I'd say that otherwise?” Twilight asked back, adding immediately after, “I don't really understand why were you questioning that, I mean...” She paused. “I've been thinking of you as a friend for some time already, even though you don't think the same.”

Discord opened his mouth to say something but stopped himself in the last second by loudly slapping his mouth. Twilight looked at him funny for a moment. Before she could question it, he started answering her own question.

“It is just so...weird, doing all of these things...” The draconequus seemed confused by his own behaviour as he tried to find the words to explain. “How do I make you understand this...” In a moment of inspiration, he flew up and put his hands slightly up – in one of them he summoned a, by now mascot of his powers, glass of chocolate milk.

“You see? That was quite easy, wasn't it. On the other hand...” With a few soft popping sounds, ingredients appeared before Twilight on the balcony floor – milk, cocoa beans, sugar, bottles of flavour, vanilla...

“...look at all of this!” He gestured towards the summoned goods. "No matter what kind of warm bevarage I choose, I have to deal with this! I think this is the first time ever I've actually summoned cocoa beans! I never needed them. I always have everything prepared. I'm pretty sure I never in my life touched half prepared food.” He admitted, sounding once again confused.

But Twilight slowly started to see what the Spirit was talking about – not just the fact he wasn't used to working for what he wanted; during the afternoon, he didn't complain once, it was definitely not the matter of laziness or unwillingness. It was the fact he once had everything literally a click of fingers away. He used to summon pie rains. Now, he had to work the whole afternoon for a pie that didn't even get tossed into somepony's face. And this was a just a silly pie they were talking about! What if he wanted to create a palace he usually probably spent approximately a second or two summoning out of nothing?

Discord needed to get used to being normal.

“...I see what you're trying to say. Getting used to changes isn't easy but it pays off in the end... sometimes with a little help from your friends.” Twilight smiled at herself, remembered when she first came to Ponyville, totally unused to all the friendly attention she's been given. It was awkward, annoying and bothersome... to an end. It paid off.

"Thanks to them, my life is so much... not just better but... richer, fulfilled. Sometimes it takes a while to get used to something but once you do, you can see what are the beauties of doing so. I mean hey," she nudged his shoulder, "I'm willing to bet you had a pretty good time in that kitchen."

Making the food disappear and nesting himself comfortably next to her, Discord seemed to ponder about her words. The he gave her a small side glance, smiling... unusually seriously. No teasing, no mockery. Just an honest smile.

"You're a good friend, Twilight Sparkle."

It took Twilight every single atom of strength she possessed not to throw herself around the Spirit's neck and just hug him the way she's usually reserve for her closest friends. Instead, she decided to distract herself with probably the oldest dumb joke in the history of the world.

“Hey, what's that?” She pointed to his beard. As he looked down, she playfully and softly brought her hoof up, hitting him in the nose. Judging by the priceless look on his face, he didn't expect to fall for such an old trick but then again, neither did she.

"You... you booped me." He stated, as if it wasn't obvious already.

Managing to decipher just what the heck 'booping' mean by the context, Twilight couldn't suppress continuous giggles. “I can't believe you fell for that!”

That good old, mischevious smirk appeared on Discord's face, and for some reason, she felt so secure seeing it.

“Did you know I am still capable of casting a spell that makes a pony extremely ticklish?”

... on the other hand, she didn't fell secure at all.

9) Honesty in a Glass of Punch

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Sleeping and waking up at a random time, as well as in a random place, became a regularity for Twilight Sparkle since the chaotic Spirit moved in with her. Catching up with her studies wasn't that hard for the smartest student of Celestia but she barely had anytime to just sit and clear her head - be it having a game night with Spike, whom with she suddenly started to spend a lot more time playing instead of studying, hanging out with her friends, whom she didn't see as much as before or, of course, trying to entertain and teach the hyper and often bored Spirit of Ponyville ways, it was hard to balance so much fun with all the studying she had to do.

So she was quite happy once she caught up with all of her studies and found some free time to go to Pinkie Pie's party - she had already missed out twice thanks to her filled schedule but nothing was going to stop her from having a wild party in the Sugar Cube Corner today!

"Is that a party invitation?"

Well, almost nothing.

Twilight bit her lip. No matter how hard she wanted to bring the always party-hardy ready Spirit to hang out with her friends, she had a bad feeling it wouldn't go well. Now that she thought about it though, it was weird Pinkie Pie didn't specifically invited them both. Perhaps she had the letters ready weeks in advance?

"Um, yeah~ Pinkie Pie has invited me and Spike to--"

"Who else but Pinkie Pie, my dear!" Her distinct accent on the words 'me and Spike' didn't stop Spirit from performing a joyous loop in the air. "Oooh, I can't wait to see her, I have the most entertaining party prank prepared!"

"Eh-he-he... yeah..."

"...I am invited, right?"

Twilight finally looked at Spirit's red, mismatched and way too expectant eyes for her to refuse. Besides, they were officially friends now. Perhaps he'll know he has to behave... a bit, at least.

"Well, of course! Where I go, you go! If you wish, that is." She gave a slightly embarrassed grin.

"Brilliant!"

A short silence fell between them; Discord lying on the window sill and sunbathing, while Twilight was looking through her closet, suddenly slightly anxious and looking for a cool accessory or a cute dress she might wear - she hadn't dressed up since forever - when Discord suddenly asked:

"What do ponies do on parties?"

Twilight looked over at the Spirit, who seemed slightly lost in thoughts. "You haven't been on a party for quite long, have you?"

"Well, technically, never." Discord admitted. "Sure, I would prepare parties of a more chaotic nature but those were mostly big parties for the whole cities - and usually I was the only one enjoying them." He snickered a bit evilly.

Twilight couldn't decide between a frown and a smile. "A party of one isn't a party."

"It is not my fault nopony enjoyed." Discord pouted. Twilight rolled her eyes.

"What you thought of as a party, other ponies saw as a threat, you know."

"But they were so much fun! I mean come on, wasn't my last party brilliant? You were there, after all." He teased, making the unicorn frown.

"I don't know just how is turning houses upside down fun."

"Mostly because it is unseen sight, don't you think?" Discord asked. Twilight thought his answer through.

"Hmm, while I believe I do get your point, you being the Spirit of Chaos and everything, you weren't the one living in those homes, so you can probably never understand how scary can that be."

"Scary? It was scary?"

"... yeah?" Twilight looked at the surprised Spirit again. "Just imagine something you really love and cherish being completely twisted and used in such a sort of manner that makes you, personally, confused and afraid. That's basically what you do. How do you not know this, I thought it was your goal all along."

Twilight turned to her closet, pulling out that yellow dress Rarity had made for her quite some time ago while Discord was thinking in silence, wondering whether he should tell her his intention wasn't so much to scare as it was to... establish a rule of a sort.

... come to think of it, that sounded much worse.

"Such a boring dress." She flinched when he suddenly appeared behind her shoulder.

"It is not boring! It's simple and practical! I like it just the way it is."

"Suit yourself, dear." He chuckled as he eyed the dress with clear distaste and tried fly downstairs. He payed for his insolence by bumping into an invisible wall Twilight had conjured.

"Watch where you're going~" she sang out from the beneath and he snapped his fingers.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Hello, Twilight! Oh, gosh, oh gosh, Dissy you're here too, I'm soooo glad to see you both here, I wasn't sure if it would be clear that you're all invited or not because like, I've written a gazillion of these in advance and I usually just put the date and the time and--! Oh,Twilight, your dress is so awesome! I didn't know there was the kind of fabric that has moving prints on it!"

"I call it 'discotton'." Discord mischievously commented. As a sign of revenge for that invisible wall, he turned Twilight's yellow dress into a colorful mess with animated prints of balloons, cupcakes and presents. The colors were eye stabbing, the dress was a mess and Spike was laughing the whole time.

"Thank you so much, Discord." Twilight deadpanned. Pinkie just laughed.

"Come in, come in, everypony is here already!"

Though it was quite early, the party was already in full swing and there were more ponies than Twilight expected. She could spy Applejack and Rainbow Dash out in the back, having a one-on-one dancing contest. There was also Golden Harvest - or, if it were to judge by something incredibly humorous she had been telling to laughing Redheart and Junebug, she currently went by her alternative name of 'Carrot Top'. She saw Cheerilee, who already seemed to be in the spirits of the party, talking to Davenport, whom Twilight was fairly good friends with (the two were able to go on for hours about quills). Pinky must've had big plans for this party because even Vinyl appeared to handle the music and her roommate Octavia seemed to know how to follow the beat as easily as she followed the orchestra. There were quite a few more familiar faces but Twilight kept pushing through the crowd until she found Rarity and Fluttershy lingered near the punch bowl, slowly sipping and talking about 'Fluttershy's gorgeous mane'.

"You really ought to do something with so much of that beautiful hair... not to mention such soft, natural color!"

"Um, I think I like it the way it is... sorry..."

"Guys, guys! Look who is here!"

Rarity and Fluttershy both looked at Twilight and Spike with welcoming smiles (Spike immediately got closer to the fashionista) but their smiles soon turned into expressions of surprise when they noticed Discord by their side. Twilight didn't pay too much attention to the fact many ponies turned their heads his way because, she figured, this was going to become normal even if they had to visit every last party there was for a year.

At least Rarity didn't pay him much mind - she was infinitely more surprised by Twilight's dress and let out a sharp gasp.

"Just where... in the world did you get that fabulous fabric?! I mean the pattern is awful, of course but for goodness' sake, it is moving!" She rambled, staring at the weird dress in awe.

"Don't tell me you like it? Discord played a little joke on me." Twilight explained; Discord bowed as his name was mentioned.

"It is movable print. It is simply fantastic!" Rarity exclaimed, her eyes going a tiny bit wild. Twilight let the SPirit take over the conversation as he seemed incredibly flattered that someone managed to respect the bit of him that made thing come to life.

"I'm glad at least somepony appreciates my fashion creation." The Spirit proudly announced. Only onceTwilight looked at him did she notice something.

"Have you gotten shorter?"

"If I hadn't, I'd be much too tall for the house. I just took away a couple of inches."

"I didn't know your magic could do that."

He shrugged. "I never used it in front of you, is all."

It was the second time in two days he used magic on level she didn't know he was capable of, the first time being when he transported them both all the way to Sweet Apple Acres. Her growing suspicion was interrupted though, once Rarity spoke again to Discord, this time sounding like he was an old acquaintance.

"Oh, you have got to teach me that spell, dear! I'd work my horn off until I learned it!"

"Oh, I doubt I can do that, generous Rarity. Your magical abilities, whole at times respectable hardly match your beauty." Rarity ignored the remark on her lack of powers because she pretty much expected that sort of behavior from him sooner or later. His unexpected compliment though, left her completely speechless and blushing and she laughed one of those high pitched giggles. It was enough to make Spike start fuming. Twilight could practically feel the heat emanating from the dragon.

"Khm, khm!" he coughed loudly as he got in between them. "Hey, hey Rarity, can I ask you for a dance? Please?" Spike added the pleading word before Rarity could say she was busy talking. Rarity was too much of a nice lady to refuse such a nice plead.

"Excuse me." She smiled at the Spirit delightfully before following Spike to join Rainbow and Applejack, who were still much too into their dancing to notice the chaotic visitor.

"Well, well. Looks like not everyone is ignorant of dangers my charm possesses." Discord smugly commented as he watched Spike, the little dragon's face still red both from fury and the fact he actually managed to get Rarity on the dance floor. Twilight and Pinkie Pie laughed, while Fluttershy gave but a small shy smile. Her eyes were constantly trying to avoid him, yet her curiosity of the Spirit and eagerness to know him better constantly forced her to glance at him again and again.

Not being completely oblivious to that, Twilight decided they she should try and leave them alone to give Fluttershy a chance to talk to him. Though she had no idea what the timid Pegasus could possibly discuss with likes of him.

"Hey Pinkie, wanna dance?"

"What kind of question is that?!" Pinkie asked back laughing and dragged Twilight away to join the dancing crowd. While she was dancing, the unicorn she would occasionally glance at the two. Pleasant surprise took over when she saw them actually talking and Fluttershy didn't seem upset. Wow, did she just smile? Did he just laugh?! Watching them was awkward - she almost dozed of staring at them before remembering she promised Pinkie a dance.

Two songs later, record player stopped as Vinyl headed to her well deserved break and everyone returned to the snack table while Pinkie was looking through music suggestions - it was only then that Rainbow Dash noticed the Spirit; him and Fluttershy enjoying the punch, the snacks and most of all, it would appear, their conversation. Twilight already saw Rainbow opening her mouth, undoubtedly to loudly protest Discord being at their party, so she swiftly grabbed her from behind and put a hoof in her mouth to stop her from talking, then dragged her to the side.

"If you say anything negative, I swear Rainbow Dash, I'll never forgive you."

"What the hay is he doing here?!" Rainbow hissed silently, dangerously eyeing Discord as he showed Fluttershy an amusing spell - putting four chips together, he created a flying butterfly. Then, much to Fluttershy's shock, Pinkie jumped up and ate it in the mid air.

"Relax, he is not bothering anypony! Look, even Applejack is completely fine with seeing him here!" She gestured toward the orange pony who greeted Discord with a smile. Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth.

"Well-- Yes, he is, he is bothering me!"

"He didn't even do anything! Would you just knock it off? What is it with you?"

"Ugh! I just can't, Twilight! Just seeing his stupid face here make me wanna--! Ugh!"

"You should give him a chance, you know. Him and I have actually become friends and I really think--"

"Friends? With him? As if! It is impossible to befriend someone like him. You two are as much of friends as Spike and Opal are! Can't you see, Twilight? He's pretending. He wants to gain your trust."

"That is not true." Twilight replied, hurt by her words but deciding it was Rainbow's hot head spewing nonsense. Rainbow was a second away from continuing her furious bashing of the draconequues, when Fluttershy suddenly joined Twilight by her side.

"Wow, Twilight, I, I never even dreamed that Discord could be such a pleasant company."

Both Twilight and Rainbow stared at her is disbelief - despite seeing them getting along, Twilight didn't expect to hear that big of a compliment from Fluttershy so soon. Rainbow didn't expect anything but Fluttershy's tears and nearly felt sorry about the fact they weren't there, proving her point.

"Really?" Twilight asked, still totally baffled. The pegasus nodded eagerly.

"Yes, he really seemed... well, I wouldn't like to get ahead of myself but..." She glanced at Discord, who was whispering something to Pinkie and turned back to Rainbow and Twilight with a shy, eager smile on her face, "I think he actually enjoyed talking to me." a shade of red covered her cheeks; it was obvious that meant a lot to her, especially since she was usually so shy and quiet.

Twilight proudly patted her on the shoulder but Rainbow let out a frustrated "oh come ON!" before marching over to the snack table, grabbing and furiously chewing on a hoof-full of chips. Fluttershy arched an eyebrow.

"Is Rainbow Dash alright?"

"She is just being a regular stubborn mule, is all." Twilight sighed.

"Oh, that is too bad... I think the two of them would get along nicely."

"Really? How come?"

"Well, Discord seems to love flying just as much as she does, by what he says - ever since his powers were taken away, he's been flying much more than usual, especially during the night." Fluttershy explained.

"Really? I guess I never noticed." Twilight wondered. Their conversation was interrupted by Applejack's desperate scream - for a moment Twilight panicked, asking herself what had Spirit done now - but it turned out she was the victim of prank.

"Who would have known even Applejack would get scared by a rubber centipede!"

"Well, when ya find one the size of your hoof swimming in yer drink, ya get a slightly bigger scare, ya know." Applejack breathed out with a chuckle, taking the rubber centipede out of her glass. Rainbow Dash was not amused as she slowly sipped on her punch.

"Come on, let's just have fun. I'm sure Rainbow will relax soon." Twilight told Fluttershy as the two joined their friends.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The party was one of Pinkie Pie's bigger successes. In fact, it got so loud and fun, at least a dozen ponies crashed it, which Pinkie didn't seem to mind in the slightest. Twilight was in fact pretty sure some of those were literally dragged inside from the street.

The weirdest thing of all was that they didn't mind the Spirit of Chaos being in the same room with them. There were still ponies who glanced at him suspiciously, uncertain about putting their trust into him but many others didn't seem to mind him at all, even greeting him and trying to lead small talk.

The best thing of all, however, was that they weren't afraid of him anymore.

No, actually, the best thing was the fact they all collectively bonded when Discord decided it was the proper time to teach the the Shuffle.

The only thing amiss with the entire evening was, of course, Rainbow Dash; she completely ignored him. Discord had completely grabbed everyone's attention while she stood alone by the window, munching on the poptart.

"If you continue like this, you'll eat all the snacks for tonight." Twilight teased her when she bit into the third pop tart in the last two minutes. Rainbow glanced at her shortly, then at the poptart. The next moment, she angrily threw the half finished poptart back on the plate, and sternly announced:

"I'm going home."

"Oh come on, why are you being like this?"

"Because I can!" The pegasus stubbornly answered before finally leaving the party through a nearby window, nopony ever noticing her departure.

Knowing there was nothing she could do, Twilight got back to having a good time, though the rainbow colored mare wouldn't leave her mind no matter what she did.

Around midnight, the ponies finally scattered home. Spike was long asleep due to too much of strong punch and Pinkie Pie offered to let him sleep over since he seemed to enjoy sleeping in the pile of flour bags so much. Once Twilight promised she would get him in the morning and thanked her for the party, her and slightly... in fact, completely disoriented Discord finally started going home.

Twilight had to suppress her laughter more than once because of the Spirit's state - much like Spike, he drank a lot of sweet punch but one that was more intended for ponies tougher than her - it was the best one Berry Punch had and brought over; the level of fun grew instantly when the ponies tastes punch spiced with strong wine.

Discord actually sang as they finally entered the library; she recognized that song slightly but could not recall where she heard it first.

"Disco-hic!-oord, I'mma howlin' at th' Moon~ an' sleepin' in th' middle of th' sumrreh aftree-noon..." The Spirit 'sang' as he finally flopped down on the couch, letting out a grateful groan. As she got out of her colorful, still animated dress, Twilight could hear him laughing like a loon. She did her best not to join him, because she had a feeling she would never stop if she did.

"I can't help but think you had fun tonight." She leaned over the couch to look at him. The Spirit looked at her, still chuckling. Twilight never thought she would see the Spirit being this out of it; she had to admit, it was quite fun to watch.

"Twilight Sprrraarrkle, my dearest -hic!- pony lady---" he paused to, "tonight was a ff-...fffulll... I forget what I was gonna say..." his forgetfulness caused another wave of hysteric laughter. Twilight was glad she let Spike sleep over - Discord would have waken him up by now.

"You should get some sleep." Twilight reasonably said - she didn't expect her words to cause a reaction; Discord instantly sat up, looking at her half confused and half disappointed.

"Sleep?" he leaned slightly closer to her, not realizing he was getting into her face - Twilight could feel the scent of sweet grapes from the wine and alcohol in his breath. "Night is still young, Twilight Sparkle." He spoke almost clearly, as if the mere thought of going to sleep suddenly put him in the mood for more entertaining things. "Neither you nor I are ready for sleep yet."

"Oh." Twilight realized he was, as he'd put it if he weren't drunk, bored. Well sure, why not. She could be up for another half an hour or so. The Spirit will probably be asleep by then. "What do you want to do?"

The Spirit pondered or a few moments, throwing one of his arms around her shoulder, the force of it nearly sending her to her knees.

"Let's turn on some...," he hiccuped, "some music."

"What? Now you feel like dancing? Again?"

"No, no~~ th' Shoofle is awesome but-" It was obvious he wasn't much for dancing once he accidentally tipped over the couch and fell face first on the floor.

"Discord, you can barely stand. It is time to call it a night." Twilight managed through the laughter. The Spirit was about to retort when he suddenly tensed up, falling silent.

"Shh! Listen. Can you hear that?" Again, he thre one of his arms around her but this time he instructed her to listen, the other hand on his perched up ear. Twilight fell silent; she held her ears up, trying to catch a sign of any unusual noise. Aside from a few crickets and occasional howl of Owloysius somewhere in the night air, nothing else was heard.

"Discord, I can't-" He interrupted her silently, putting a talon over her lips.

"The sound... of magic!" The Spirit smiled knowingly, staring at her with wide, almost sparkly eyes.

Twilight was by now sure he was pulling her leg.

"Discord, what in the world are... you..." She observed as the Spirit let go and sat next to her, extending his arms before himself; he looked like he was in state of complete tranquility as he closed his eyes. For the next few moments, they were both silent and still.

In the next moment, a small pool of some liquid formed in his palms and from in between his fingers dripped what looked like it was the light itself - it was bright, emitting pure light and of purest white color Twilight has ever seen. It soundlessly dripped to the floor but Twilight didn't care. Right now she was in absolute awe of the Spirit, both frightened and astonished by his capabilities once she realized what the liquid was.

The pure, white, shining liquid was the very essence of Magic.

How was he doing it, she had no idea. This kind of magic extracting power was noted down in her history books perhaps three times altogether but it was never mentioned somepony did it on themselves. She wasn't entirely sure even Celestia could do it, though Twilight believed she probably could... with greater effort.

And yet, here he was, with but a fraction of his power bestowed upon him, half drunk and displaying one of the most powerful acts of magic and body in the history of Equestria. Finally realizing this was something worth writing down, Twilight instantly summoned the quill and the parchment, writing and sketching furiously but her eyes never leaving the Spirit.

With a swift movement of his arms, Discord threw spread his arms, one of them releasing the Magic into the air, and the other pouring it over the floor. Then, he snapped the fingers of both his hands.

The drops of Magic that were spread through the space of her library and around, then zoomed away and disappeared into thin air. Discord's eyes popped open, shining almost eerily with the white light.

Twilight yelped when the floor beneath her moved. The windows closed and became one with the wall, and the ceiling rose and rose upwards until it was no longer visible. What was once ceiling became the night sky, covered with newly formed sky and star constellations that Twilight didn't recognize. Some stars were as huge as the Sun and the crescent Moon was bigger of them all, spreading though bigger part of the night sky.

The walls, much like the ceiling, disappeared in the distance, the space they created being replaced with weird, twisted and nature defying trees, buildings that were architecturally impossible to build and crossbred or never before seen animals. The floor became a colorful grass of purple and blue color shades and colorless flowers popped around her. Tiny ponies the size of a hoof flew through the air, their wings leaving a foggy, cyan trace behind.

Taking in everything that happened, Twilight noticed Discord had left only one thing untouched - her library door. One of the weird houses had exactly the same front door her library had. It was safe to conclude everything he just did was inside of her home only, and that nopony from outside could probably see what was going on.

He is creating a small universe in a confined space... that defies every single rule of physics and magic as we know it! And where did he acquire such power? When did he acquire it? He couldn't have possibly gained his powers back, Celestia is keeping them under a lock!

All those questions will have to wait, Twilight finally concluded, as she watched final touch of magic taking place; green-lit bugs flew through the air, reminding her of fireflies but as big a her head.

Everything calmed down and Discord closed his once magic engulfed eyes. When he slowly opened them again, Twilight thankfully noticed they were back to their golden-scarlet state.

"Discord?" she asked quietly. The Spirit looked around, got up and triumphantly laughed. The wobble in his legs was gone though he was still clearly tipsy.

"My home! My Chaos!" He twirled in the air, looking almost innocent as he 'danced' in the midst of the newly created chaotic world.

Twilight followed him slowly, swallowing - she only now felt how dry her throat got. "Discord... what have you... I mean..." She was too confused to ask but Spirit seemed more than eager to explain.

"I missed my Chaos, Twilight, dear, I-I just had to do somethin' about it!" Discord said, still tipsy. "Do not fret, your boooring old home will be back by th' sunrise!"

"Oh... alright." Twilight replied, figuring she might let him enjoy for now. He really seemed happy... happier than ever.

Now that she looked around, the world Discord created wasn't half bad. Sure some of the animals were a bit creepy but the dark grass, the eerie green light from those fireflies, the cyan foggy air and gorgeous, unusual night sky were quite a nice sight. It fact, it pretty much resembled something she would create if she were to able to conjure her own world.

"You're quite an artist." she noticed.

"O-of course mah dear; naturally I went with somethin'-- somethin' that you could enjoy 'swell!"

"Oh... thanks."

"Don' mention it!" The Spirit collapsed into grass, and Twilight trotted over to him to check on him - he looked so peaceful. She never saw him like that before.

"Enjoying yourself?" she asked softly.

The Spirit smiled the most sincere smile she ever saw. "You have no idea." The beloved surrounding seemed to have put him out of his drunken stupor a little bit. Twilight sat down next to him. Who knows how he felt all this time, with no chaos whatsoever; and he obviously couldn't help himself but loving the Chaos more than anything.

... Twilight tried to imagine it. She remembered what they all thought once they encountered chaotic world. They didn't like it much and could only live in it if they were to try their hardest to adapt. But they probably couldn't love it.

...Was that how Discord felt in their world of Harmony?

"Discord?"

"Hmm?"

"What do you think of our world? I mean--" She realized he might not understand the question, "What do you think of living normally... living like us?"

The Spirit laughed. "Oh it is fine dear. But at least every once in a while, if I can't have it all the time, someone like me needs something like this."

"Someone like you?"

"An outsider, I guess. You might as well call me an abomination."

"Discord, you're not--"

"Oh but I am, my dear. Do not be afraid to admit it, I came to terms with that long ago. It is simply who I am, I was never ashamed of it."

Silence.

"Weren't you lonely?"

Discord looked up at the sky. "I had my powers. With great power come a lot of possibilities and you end up not even thinking about that most of the time. Then I lost everything. It wasn't... nice." He glanced at her and grinned toothily. "But I have gotten you and some new friends in return, didn't I?"

Twilight was at loss for words. To think he came to appreciate them so much... her eyes unwillingly started to get wet; he didn't miss the fact she turned her head away. "Now, now, what did I say? I want no tears in my dreams, or in my own worlds." He teased as he gently pulled on her mane, making her face him.

"But I'm crying because I'm-I'm ha-happy." she stuttered a bit, smiling meekly.

"I can tell." She felt his claw patting her on the head. It felt warm.

"Too bad you'll be denying all of this in the morning." Twilight brought up what has been bothering her for some time already and the Spirit chuckled.

"If we're going to be honest, I most likely won't even remember it. I hadn't had a drink for a long time, if you'll remember."Tthe Spirit laughed. "But you don't have to be sad. It is not like you'll forget what I said."

"Never." Twilight confirmed. They both spent the rest of the evening watching the sky until they both drifted off to sleep.

Twilight's parchment and quill, having written a half finished research, laid forgotten somewhere in the grass.

10) Acceptance

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A faint noise of flapping wings and a quiet 'whoo' woke Twilight up. Feeling warm and lying on something soft, Twilight felt like opening her eyes had the be the most difficult task at the moment – she wanted to remain warm and at peace. But the new day was here, if it were to judge by the noises Owloysius made as he came back to the library and it was time to seize the day.

Reluctantly, she opened her eyes.

The first thing she noticed, which made her sigh contently, was that her old library was back. For a moment she thought there was some movement in the windows and walls. Whether she woke up just at the moment to see Discord's world ending or was she simply still half asleep, she didn't know. Owloysius had indeed just returned from his night flight, carrying a juicy piece of fruit in its beak.

Next, she noticed her soft warm pillow was in fact the Spirit's body and her warm blanket his fuzzy lion arm. She snickered, wondering how would Discord justify the fact he cuddled her while he was asleep but then again, it wouldn't be too hard - he was drunk out of his mind. As she slowly got up, she had to do her hardest not to laugh out loud – his mouth were open, his snake tongue hanging out silly, every once in a while, a small snort escaping him. If it weren't for those sleepy sounds, one might as well have thought he was knocked out.

After refreshing more in the bathroom, she started to open up the windows; it was still early, as Sun had only begun to rise far away on the horizon and a star or two were even still visible. It was relatively dark outside and the citizens of Ponyville were probably mostly still sleeping. Once the Sun comes up, she would have to go and pick up Spike, she mused.

After fixing herself a sandwich, which took more time than she had expected, she finally recalled her research papers. Hoping they haven't disappeared together with the world Discord conjured, she snooped around the library until she noticed a slip of paper under one of the book shelves. Excited, she pulled out her notes and took a look.

A quick sketch of the draconequues' palms holding the essence was present, as well an unfinished sketch of the conjuring world. At least two dozens of notes were written down, all in two or three words. Together with what she saw with her own two eyes, Twilight had more than enough material for a couple of solid pages but it opened a lot of questions.

She spent the whole early morning writing down her observations, setting up theories, writing down hypothesis that were being born one after another her and trying to make sense them - every question she asked herself yielded more questions than answers, however and it ended up looking like work of a fan rather than a research. Still, while she didn't come up with any concrete answers, her work got a few pages longer and the wholes in her knowledge filled up a bit and that was good enough for her.

She took quite a bit of time with her theorizing however, because she noticed the Sun was already out in its full glory by the time she finished and ponies were already on the streets. Just about then, she could hear the yawn of the draconequus, and heard a series of crackling noises that startled her pet.

Figuring Discord will probably be very thirsty because of all the alcohol in punch he drank last night, the unicorn prepared a glass of water and, just in case, an aspirin and trotted with it back into the living room, where the Spirit, who had seen better days, was staring into empty space, clutching at his head.

"Drink this; the pain should go away soon."

Without a question or even so much as a glance, he grabbed the aspirin and swallowed it, it being immediately followed by the refreshing water. After finishing the glass he gratefully smacked his lips.

"Much better." He mumbled, then frowned. "But my head is pounding..."

Figuring Discord was probably not very used to headaches, Twilight patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, in about half an hours it'll go away. Just lay down and relax, alright?"

Spirit obediently lay down, not much for complaining - half an hour felt like a small eternity. For a couple of long moments Twilight was watching him, so many question going through her mind... but it was not time to ask.

In fact, she figured, there was no time at all when she could ask.

"I'm going to pick up Spike. You'll be here when I get back, I hope?"

"Unless something interesting happens... probably." The Spirit smiled teasingly. Twilight shook her head but returned the smile before going out.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Spike? He's still asleep, Twilight! He must've had a blast last night!" Pinkie Pie was in top shape, unsurprisingly. She could hardly even imagine the hyper pony sleeping, let alone tired. Parties were probably filling her up with energy instead of the other way around.

"He is? Oh, Spike..." Twilight giggled when she saw the little dragon on the same place like the last night, only in slightly different position. His claws seemed to have teared one of the flour bags a bit, spilling some flour over the floor.

"Sorry about that, Pinkie."

"No prob! It is just a little flour. I spill more of it while I work on my treats!" Pinkie chirped.

"Well, anyway, I'm going to take him home now; I don't like leaving Discord alone for too long. If he gets bored he might try... turning the sink into a waterfall or something, I don't know." Gently putting Spike on her back, she offered pinkie to clean up the mess but Pinkie didn't want to have none of that, instead covering the sleeping dragon with a small blanket.

"Say 'hi' to Dissy for me and thank him for the Shuffle lesson! Now I'm rockin' it perfeclty on the dance floor!"

Spike must've been awfully tired because even the growing noise of Ponyville's daily grin didn't wake him up as Twilight carried him to the library, where she found the Spirit in the same position as before. After placing Spike in his basket, she took a better look of Discord. He wasn't asleep but he didn't seem too fond of moving either.

"Pinkie says 'hi' and thank you for the Shuffle lesson."

The Spirit let out an acknowledging sound.

"Don't tell me last night was too much for you?" she teased but kinda worried he might've recalled something.

"I hope I haven't done anything indecent yesterday, because I have to admit, I started to forget things about the time we headed home."

Thought she wasn't supposed to be glad about that, she really was. On the other hand, she was a bit disappointed he couldn't recall such a touching moment of honesty with her.

Ultimately, she knew it was for the best. His powers were growing again for reasons she couldn't comprehend and even though he couldn't have felt that it was obvious to her. If the Spirit realized he was once again capable of greater thing than even anypony ever knew, would he grab the opportunity? Would it be good to ease him into the idea of living free, powerful but reformed? Was that even a possibility? It came as a sort of a pessimistic realization that Twilight was all by herself in this one. Telling the Princesses was risking him being imprisoned again. Telling her friends meant the work on their relationship with the Spirit might go to waste for if they thought of him as potentially dangerous, things might go awry. Telling Spike would only cause him to panic, she was certain. Telling Discord--- that was in fact the biggest mystery but she wasn't going to risk.

I'm on my own this time. Oh, feathersticks.

"Not at all! You were your good old, amusing self."

"I'm glad to hear that. If I had done something weird and somepony knew, I'd be forced to seal their mouth for a week or so." He chuckled.

Oh don't worry... they won't.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Twilight spent much of that day thinking. Thinking about pretty much everything that happened so far, since the day Spirit moved into her home, spinning her thoughts in circle and trying to find a solution to the by now lasting feeling of concern that enveloped her.

Thinking about the progress he made, about the Chaos he loved, the words she weeks ago wrote down in her diary only to dismiss them the very next morning, the fun times they had and all the amazing things she learned of him... about the impossible array of powers he possessed.

Discord did say the draconequues magic was something never written about and never researched. But was he even aware of how different was it? She was pretty certain no pony had ever developed magical abilities just like that.

She tried to approach it logically but there was no way to avoid the fact he was only given back a tiny fracture of his powers, chosen spell and abilities that would make his life that much more interesting. How in the world then...

Fast learning? Could it be the draconequues learned that fast? Discord did also say some draconequues don't even use magic during their lifetime, having never practiced it since born, thus making them incapable of it, so that couldn't possibly be it - hard work was something all types of magic required... right?

"I'm bored!"

Twilight jumped, draconequues's voice putting her out of her train of thoughts.

"You should really learn to invest ponies in the conversation more... discreetly." She deadpanned.

"This way is more amusing, if you'll forgive me."

"Ah." Of course. "So, what do you want to do?"

"Nothing too exciting; my head is still aching." He frowned, tapping his table.

"We could play Chess Mess. I could use some relaxation."

"Sure, why not."

The game, due to its complicated set of rules, was usually a mess of laughter, rage and skewed logic but having so much to think about and being so confused left Twilight in the state of temporary disarray. Discord seemed to have noticed this. At one point he actually let her get lost in thought in purpose, just to see if she really was thinking something over and over again. Sure enough, he spent about nearly quarter of an hour just waiting and amusing himself with some origami practices while she stared at some nonexistent point in the air, not aware of anything around her, including the Spirit.

Not too fond of being ignored to begin with, Spirit figured he waited long enough.

"Hmm, I guess that settles it." He pondered aloud but still not being noticed. He reached out and harshly pinched her nose and the unicorns entire face contorted.

"Ouch! What gives?!"

"You have dozed off for exactly..." He checked out the invisible watch on his wrist, "thirteen minutes, forty six seconds. You most definitely owe me an explanation."

"Oh." The unicorn tried to think quick but nothing clever came to mind. "It's nothing."

"Indeed and I'm Princess Celestia, at your service." Discord snorted. Twilight wondered how was she supposed to convey a message without giving away the events of last night as she realized; she was annoyed. She had a wonderful time yesterday and he forgot it all. Though he could hardly help that, it almost made her angry with him and the fact she jumped on such an irrational train of thought only angered her more.

"It is nothing that concerns you."

"I'd say it is the exact opposite. You've been acting weird since the morning."

"Discord-"

"I've learned to read your pretty face quite well, Missy. What happened? Come on now, you can tell uncle Discord anything."

"Alright. It is about you."

The Spirit didn't seem too concerned about whatever she might say, instead playfully asking: "What about me?"

Twilight nervously shifted her hooves, trying to find the most comfortable position on the floor and it came to then her - perhaps it was a moment of inspiration but she was suddenly aware of the 'how's' of the conversation she was about to begin.

"I was just thinking-- well, I am not sure if you're aware of that, but you--" She paused.

"... Yes?" Discord hurried her up, almost eager.

"... You changed." Twilight finished.

The Spirit's smiled slowly faded. It was impossible to say into what, however. He glanced around, fidgeting. His face being indifferent, she couldn't draw any information about it, but the way he started playing with his beard told Twilight a surprising fact: he was uncomfortable.

"That- that's good, you know!" Twilight tried, not knowing she was only making things worse for the chaotic being. "Is-isn't a bit of, uh, 'lesson learned' what we were going for anywa-"

"It was your goal, not mine." Discord cut her off a bit coldly, finally making the unicorn realize.

Somewhere from upstairs, Spike's quiet snoring noises reached them.

"...What was your goal anyway?"

"A mastermind of Chaos never reveals his plans, Twilight Sparkle." Discord replied a bit devilishly, this time with a small smile.

Well, he admitted to have changed, at least. She recalled his words from last night...

Then I lost my powers. It wasn't... nice. But I have gotten you and some new friends in return, didn't I?

Discord may not have even been aware of how many friends he gained during his stay here and how differently some ponies started to look at him. Until last night, he probably never even gave it a thought; yet, he didn't remember most of the last night, Twilight thought sourly.

"A plan, huh? I suppose I should've seen that coming." Twilight replied with a gentle smile. The Spirit arched his eyebrows.

"You're not upset at the notion of me having a plan?"

"Of course not; if anything I should've expected of you to have one. I doubt anything or anypony will change your plans anytime soon. After all..." She paused to think her words through. "I do believe that if I had something I love so deeply, even if nopony understands, I would probably fight for it. Whether it was wrong or right. Heck, I probably wouldn't be able to help it. Still," she added, finally grinning, "don't expect me not to do something about your plan." She found it weird she actually managed to joke around with such a thing.

Probably not expecting such approach from her, Discord smiled incredulously.

"Twilight Sparkle, you celarly told me you consider me a friend, yet you approve of my chaotic needs and plans. Are you telling me you're accepting me for who I am?" The, by now familiar disbelief was both visible in his eyes and audible in his voice.

Twilight laughed as she realized that indeed what she had just done. Strangely, it wasn't half as hard as she thought it might be once she confronted it. "Yeah, I guess I am." She rearranged the chess figures into their starting position. "Well, now that we got that sorted out, how about another game? I'm sure I can concentrate properly this time."

"Nopony can concentrate around my handsome face, missy."

Twilight was soon way too much into the game, feeling both relieved and excited by their little conversation, having the burden finally lifted off her heart. She enjoyed the game so much she failed to notice the grateful look in the Spirit's eyes.

11) Weird Day

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"Snow!"

The astounded gasp of the small dragon echoed through the library and its denizens gathered at the window.

"What say you?! My beloved snow has fallen?!"

"Discord, you better not have had anything to do with this!"

"If I had, the snow would pile up in a second, dear. No, this is the surprising work of nature itself!"

Spike, Twilight and Discord had all stared in astonishment as the thin white curtain covered most of the ponyville during the early morning hours but it didn't look like it was going to stop anytime soon. Though it was likely not going to last for long, the first snow came much too early this year.

For a day, though, it seemed it was going to be the middle of the winter, because the white curtain just kept getting thicker and the air kept getting colder.

"Wow, I can't wait to go out and build a snowpony!" Spike excitedly said, watching as the snow nearly reached the sill of their window. The Spirit wasn't satisfied with just watching the flakes, so he transported outside. It didn't took him long before he popped right back in, stuttering: "I-it's f-f-f-freezing out there!"

"No way!" Twilight replied sarcastically, only to realize the Spirit was dead serious. "Discord, what, if I may know, did you expect?"

"Certainly not that it will be that cold!" The Spirit grabbed little dragon and approached the fireplace with him - he pulled on his tail which, surprisingly, produced a flame strong enough to start a fire but also earned him quite a glare.

"You can use your magic for that too, can't you?" Spike, massaging his aching tail.

"Nah, Celestia didn't give me that power - she obviously thinks I might start a forest fire or something."

Gee, I wonder why.

"Have you never been on the snow?"

The Spirit looked at her strangely. "Never without using a spell that wouldn't cause me to freeze to death! My, so covering that village in 3 meters tall snow was probably quite mean of me."

"Yes, yes it was." Twilight confirmed as she sighed.

"But how will I go out then? I'll freeze!"

"Hmm, I may have a scarf and pair of gloves extra for you."

"Ooh, goodie! Let's get dressed and head into an adventure, then!" The Spirit happily flew around the library. Standing next to equally confused Twilight, Spike asked: "Any idea why is he so excited?"

"Beats me. Since I don't know him that well, my only guess is that it's been a while."

"Oh." Spike fell silent as Twilight searched through her closet for the winter clothing. "Is it just me, or has Discord been missing out on a lot because of his ways?"

"Huh, now that you mention it..." she glanced again at the Spirit who impatiently tapped his hoof on the floor. "Probably."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

When they finally emerged into a snowy afternoon, the Spirit all but giggled from excitement. He flew up to one roof and, just as Twilight was wondering what was he up to, she noticed somepony leaving the house that Discord sat on so conveniently. She wanted to warn the stallion but it was too late - in the next moment, a whole bunch of snow fell on him. The stallion's head remained out and for a second he seemed a bit shocked. Twilight was already preparing an apologetic speech but as the stallion freed himself of snow, he looked up just in time to see Discord flying off, laughing maniacally, let out an 'oh' as he just realized something and laughed, leaving without another word.

"That's it? An 'oh'? Isn't he upset?"

"I guess he realized it was an innocent prank."

"What does that change? It's still Discord!"

"Spike, don't you see? This is good! He is getting accepted! Stop being such a Rainbow Dash and don't judge him all the time."

"Well... he has been behaving pretty nice lately... in fact, wasn't he talking with Fluttershy just the other day on Pinkie's party?"

"Yes, isn't that amazing? I can't wait to see her, I have to ask her about it!"

"Alright, I'll try to get along." Spike said, though pretty unwillingly.

"Let's build a snow pony!" Discord suddenly popped in front of them.

"Fine, fine - let's go to the park, we'll have both a lot of snow and supplies there!"

The three made their way through the city. Discord was constantly making snowballs and shoving them in the coats of unsuspecting ponies. Most of them didn't appreciate that. It was chilly enough as it was, and they still weren't used to the sudden winter that enveloped Ponyville.

"Hey Twilight Sparkle, think fast!"

"Huh?"

She wasn't thinking fast; thus earning a snowball into her face. She shook it off. "My, that is cold! Cut it off, we can play when we reach the park."

"Come now, Twilight Sparkle," Discord got closer to her, "don't be such an ice queen!" And with those words caused snow from a nearby roof to fall on her. The pun sent both him and Spike into hysterics. Twilight barely got out of the huge bunch of snow.

"Oh ha, ha, ha." She rolled her eyes. She for one wasn't particularly fond of snow. It made a beautiful scenery but was impractical on just about every level.

The moment the got to the part, the idea of building a snow pony was forgotten as Discord instantly started an all out snowball war with every single pony present and the number wasn't to be neglected. Most of the ponies agreed it is the payback time for everything he'd done; naturally, all through good fun.

Discord had to agree this wasn't quite going as he planned. Soon, he was mostly covered from head to toe in bit of snow and he realized a bit later he couldn't even fly well because his wings froze underneath the heavy impact of many snowballs coming his way. Once he finally landed, it took citizens of Ponyville a minute or two to completely bury him. Exactly the opportunity Cutie Mark Crusaders decided to use as they climbed the small snow hill underneath which Discord was buried.

"Cutie Mark Crusaders claim this hill as their kill!" They joked, causing the light hearted laughter to spread among the ponies. What nopony expected was Discord suddenly bursting through the snow straight up and grabbing the three fillies as he yelled out in the silliest possible "monstrous" voice:

"I'm going to eat you~~"

It caused a huge game of tag.

Meanwhile, Spike tried to pick up Twilight's jaw from the ground. "I know Twilight; it is pretty shocking."

"They are playing." Twilight managed, her pupils the size of sand grains.

"Yes, they are. It is pretty creepy now that I think about it." Spike noticed.

Twilight looked at the sky. Spike didn't know why but he had a feeling she hoped to find some answer to all this awkwardness up there.

"Twilight Sparkle, Dragonboy; why in the name of everything chaotic are you not playing?!"

"Huh?"

Cutie Mark Crusaders jumped at Twilight, them apparently being the 'it' together.

"We got you; now we'll eat you!" With those words, three little fillies started to gently gnaw on her neck and mane, causing a series of tickling sensations and throwing Twilight into a laughing fit.

Spike could hardly believe the scene in front of himself. "This day is so weird."

After a moment of silence, he pulled a camera out of nowhere and started taking pictures. "Hmm..." he looked curiously around, thinking. Taking pictures will be a good way... yes, and it would also be fun.

After being gnawed to death, Twilight could barely breathe.

"Alright, alright, you win, just please enough; don't you know it is possible to die laughing?"

"Then that must be the best death in the whole world!" The Spirit added in as he slithered next to them. "Good job, my little minions; now let us gnaw on some other unsuspecting pony... like Bon Bon and Lyra!!" He yelled out as loud as possible; the two ponies that were until then hiding in the privacy of a snow covered bush squealed in feigned fear and ran as fast as possible when the Cutie Mark Crusaders ran through the deep snow towards them.

Discord was laughing out of pure delight. "Those fillies are adorable!" He actually embraced his own body in the heat of the moment. He embraced himself. Spike took another memorable shot of Discord doing that and another one of Twilight, dropping her jaw.

"Oh, oh!" Discord noticed Spike's camera and immediately grabbed Twilight. "Take a photo of this!" Then cradled her as if she were a baby. Needless to say, the unicorn wasn't happy with that and she tried to get away.

"Oh, please! There is no way I'm-!"

"Hold still!"

"I won't let youuuu[iwooow!" They lost their balance and fell into the snow. Or better said, Discord fell through, leaving nothing but big hole in shape of his body, while Twilight stood on his chest.

"Sorry!" Twilight said through a grin. "Are you alright?"

"Oh, I'm fine--" He suddenly tugged on her, pulling her down into the deep hole of snow he was in and held her in place so she wouldn't get up.

"What in the world are you--"

"Shh! I have a great trick up my sleeve!" The draconequus clicked his finger - in the next moment, he was sitting on a tree, holding her in his arms. Through the branches, Twilight could see they were close by, as Spike was staring into Discord shaped hole with surprise.

"Twilight?" she heard him calling, worry in his voice.

"Oh Discord, that is so mean! He'll think you did something to me."

"If I wanted to, I would've done it a long time ago, don't you think?" He noticed with a playful smile and promptly melted something inside of her.

"I guess so."

"Now let's scare every scale off his body. This time, it's your turn."

"I don't know how to scare anypony!" Twilight protested but he would have none of that, a devilish glint in his eyes.

"There's a first time for everything, my dear. Just 'boo' him, it's an easy start." He quietly flew to the ground, putting her down. They both sneaked to the small dragon, Twilight coming right behind him as Spike still stared into the hole, confused. Twilight gave one last insecure look to the Spirit, who gestured with his hand for her to hurry.

Twilight took a big breath.

"BOO!"

"AEEGH!" Spike let out a weird, high pitched scream before falling into the hole, in the process accidentally taking about three photos in a row.

Twilight had to admit there was something quite delightful in doing this. There was a sort of adrenaline based enjoyment in sneaking around and catching unsuspecting ponies unprepared.

"That was brilliant, my dear! You're a fast learner!"

"Very funny, you guys! You almost scared me to death!"

Twilight was about to say something when she felt a poke on her back. She turned around to face a certain cyan Pegasus.

"Rainbow Dash, hi!" She blurted out, surprised - she didn't expect her to approach her with Discord around.

"I thought I might come and say hello." Dash replied with a smile but not as confident as she usually was. Probably because of the Spirit's presence.

"Dash? Dash, is that you?"

"Spike? What are you doing down here?"

In the moments Dash spent getting Spike out, Discord's and Twilight's eyes met, both thinking about the same stubborn mare in front of them. Twilight silently pleaded him for something, he got that. For what was she pleading exactly, he didn't quite know, since the Rainbow maned Pegasus was always hostile to him, rather than other way around.

Still, he didn't feel like ruining the fun day.

"Oh, hello Rainbow Dash; you know, we never got to settle that race - how about we do it now?"

Dash looked a bit stunned for a moment but then replied with the best smile she could manage:

"You're on, Discord. And we're starting... now!" With those words Rainbow Dash swiftly flew into the air but her element of surprise didn't work on the Spirit who was just as equally eager to win. Soon, the two blurs were flying in circles around the park in great speed.

"Wow, I didn't know Discord was that fast!" Spike noticed. Suddenly the two flew up above the clouds and they couldn't see them anymore.

"Well, no sense in waiting for them, they'll probably take a while to f- Spike, run!"

"What?" Spike wasn't fast enough to escape the gnawing attack of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Twilight took the matter of photographing into her own hooves this time.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Discord and Rainbow Dash flew shoulder to shoulder, practically touching as they rose higher and higher into the cold snowy air. Once they reached the space above the snowing clouds, and felt warmth on their wings, Rainbow Dash suddenly slowed down, causing the surprised Spirit to do so as well. She landed on a nearby cloud, eyeing him carefully.

"OK, Discord... what is this all about?"

"Well this is a convenient location for us to talk in private and settle our differences, made possible by our love of competition... truly, such a cliche to be used in my own story is a bit disrespectful. I don't expect you to understand," he added, noticing the confusion, "but I guess my point is, you seem to want to talk. Was this not about a friendly race between rivals?"

"No way. I still don't believe you're all about fun and games. I've been watching you today--"

"Oh dear, now I know I've been charming ponies left and right but I have to disappoint you, for I truly do consider myself married to the playful mistress that is the Chaos, and-"

"Not like that, you mismatched schmuck!" Rainbow replied angrily on his teasing. "You usually don't act this way! I know you have some weird plan and I want to know it now!"

The smile was no longer on Spirit's face, not even an amused one. "Just what is your problem, Rainbow Dash?"

"My problem is you!"

"Yes, yes, spirit of Chaos, endangered your friends and all, so last year," he dismissed the obvious, "but I have been behaving so nicely lately, almost everypony practically likes to have me around and to be perfectly honest, I truly am enjoying myself about as much as I can as one your kind - but you insist on despising me. And I can tell it is not for who I am, it is something else that I have done. Something recent."

His entire speech seemed to have been the short of the pegasus' predicament, because he left her utterly speechless. She tried to hink of an answer, but only halfway stuttered a few unfinished words before the Spirit took over the conversation again.

"You, Rainbow Dash, are an Element of Loyalty. Being eternally loyal to your friends, you must have expected for them to be equally loyal to you. But," he made himself comfortable on the cloud, glancing at her cleverly "you didn't get your loyalty in return, am I right?"

2:0 for Spirit of Chaos, Discord thought with a smile as he watched the obviously horrified expression on her face.

"H-how-"

"How did I know?" Discord asked aloud. The he repeated, this time telling it more to himself: "How did I know, indeed... Well, to continue," he turned back to her again, "my best guess is that you, Rainbow Dash, are angry because you think I stole your friends."

And there it was - heavy blush on her face confirming everything he had said and suddenly the pegasus broke, angry, frustrated and shouting, much to the Spirits amusement.

"Yes, OK! You're right! To hay with it, you might as well know!" She was determined to put this whole mess behind her, barring her issues loud and clear and, if needed, making the Spirit pay for it. "First you convince Twilight that you're oh, so awesome, whereas she probably suffered the most by your flippin' chaos! Then it turns out you really are being pretty good to everypony and I don't understand why! I always thought you were doing it because you had a plan but you have no powers! You even managed to talk to Fluttershy without upsetting her, which is like, the darnest definite proof of you having changed, if only a little! Heck, you even save Twilight from the Ghastly Gorge, whereas you could've- you could've gotten rid of her and we would never know!"

She paused to take a breath.

"Rarity thinks better and better of you and Applejack who, trust me, thought of you about as much as I do right now, even told me about your little pie contest or whatever like it's the dandiest thing... They all act like every my suspicion of you is silly! They should support me!"

Again she paused but this time it was for a different reason, he realized as her eyes fell down.

"But what irritates me the most is--is--" She angrily kicked at a few clouds to let the steam out but as she sat down again, she didn't say anything. Discord's smile gone long ago.

"It is because of Pinkie Pie, is it not?"

Rainbow Dash angrily stood up and got into his face, surprising him.

"She talks about you all , all the time! We can't do a anything together without her mentioning just how awesome you and your pranks or dancing or whatnot is! Discord did this, Discord can do that-- Even when we're just hanging out in a park or something, she has to bring you up sooner or later, saying what a wonderful friend you have came to be!"

"Really? How nice of her!"

"You stole her for yourself!" Rainbow Dash ended. "I love all my friend but Pinkie is- she is- she could always... get me, better than anyone. And you took that away." She paused. "I can't stand it."

"Hmm, that is quite interesting you see. Pinkie Pie more than once told me of her regrets of not having you in my company." Rainbow blinked, astonished to hear that. "You're thinking too much about all this dear... or not enough. If we were to hang out together, you wouldn't have a problem listening about me all the time because you'd find out about it first hoof." There was something more to her attitude, Discord realized. "Pride, my dear, does not suit you well and jealousy is a nasty accessory." Spirit advised, then teased her: "Remember what happened with Mare-do-Well event?"

"You--! How do you--"

"I know many things Rainbow Dash, don't find it so surprising." He chuckled and got up. For a moment they just looked at each other.

"Discord, while I know honesty isn't exactly your thing, could you answer me a question?"

"I'll do my best not to lie but I might be lying right now."

Rainbow rolled her eyes.

"Well, let's put the card on the table then and I'll simply have to trust you. So... If you could, if you were the almighty blah blah and whatever again... what would you do?"

The Spirit opened his mouth instantly, reply already halfway formed, before he realized it wasn't the truth. It wasn't speaking the truth the he minded... it was the fact that the answer he prepared, the answer of +take over my rightful throne as the ruler of Equestria' wasn't true.

The simple truth was, actually...

"I don't know."

Rainbow observed him and finally, gave him a solidary nod.

"That is good enough for me." She got on her hooves and flew up slowly.

"We still have a race to finish." He heard her say. She turned around to him, her smile this time not competitive nor challenging nor wicked. It was friendly. Forgiving, almost. He wasn't sure if he was glad about it or not... but he didn't want to win that race.

"...Last one to catch the Dragonboy looses."

With those words, the two sped down from the clouds, both smiling.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Wow, I took so many awesome photos today, Twilight! This is going to make an awesome photo album!"

"... Spike, give me the camera."

"Why?"

"Quickly. Also, step aside a bit."

"Uh, OK. Oh, you want to take a photo of me? Right but wait till I strike a poooOOOOO-!!" Spike was simultaneously grabbed by a pair of hooves and pair of mismatched hands.

"I got him first!"

"Did not, you freaky liar!"

Twilight stared at the unusual scene in the snow. Rainbow Dash and Discord proceeded to have a friendly snowball fight.

"This day is getting weirder and weirder. Not that I complain." She added to herself when the two started laughing, enjoying each others company as well as their game.

Twilight stared some more.

Then she took a photo.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

There was probably nopony that hadn't visited the park that day. There was definitely nopony that left the park without a smile on their face.

Twilight and Spike spend much of the time taking turns in photographing other ponies and each other as they played. Applejack and Pinkie Pie definitely weren't the one to miss out on games in snow and even Rarity came out once she managed to pick a coat that was decent enough to wear out.

Twilight was wondering when Fluttershy would come, as she wanted to talk to her about Discord but Applejack was quick to remind her she was busy with keeping her animals warm and fed during the snowy weather.

Still, the timid Pegasus managed to find some time in the late afternoon, when she appeared flying over the park, careful about picking where should she land. Before she even managed to do that though, the Spirit hit her with a flying snowball, that properly made her land in the soft snow.

Twilight promptly ran up to her, expecting the very sensitive Pegasus to be hurt by his actions but she merely smiled.

"It's OK Twilight; it didn't hurt. Besides, I hardly believe he can help himself."

Of course she'd understand.

"Oh, good. I was worried you'd be unpleasantly surprised."

"Oh, no no no no, it is quite OK."

"Spike, would you mind grabbing the camera? I need to talk to Fluttershy."

"Oh? Is something the matter, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked as Spike went off to take a photo of Discord entertaining some fillies - specifically, by stealing Diamond Tiara's tiara and turning her mane into a bunch of green leaves.

"Nothing serious, don't worry; I was just wondering-- well, sorry for prying but I'm super curious about your conversation with Discord on the party the other day." Twilight ended shyly.

"Oh, well..." She glanced at the Spirit. "We didn't talk about anything special, really. About me, about that time back in the labyrinth; he was surprised I wasn't as easily corrupted; I didn't really want to talk about it but he just wanted to mention he was impressed by my strength." She blushed slightly. "Then we mostly talked about Ponyville. He seems to like it here, despite it being... well, as he put it 'pretty boring and regular place'. But he surprised me the most when he apologized for making a bunny stampede last time he got out."

"What, he did?"

"Yes, though not directly - he just said something about how it was really mean of him, in a pretty apologetic tone. I think he was trying to say 'sorry'"

"Wow."

" I know. And he seemed to have finally made friends with Rainbow Dash, too." Fluttershy noticed as Dash threw a well aimed snowball into his head - the shot was precise and strong enough to make him fall over, in process losing the tiara he levitated in the air.

"I don't know what happened during their race in the clouds, but they seemed to have finally made amends. I'm glad - Rainbow Dash was really getting very cranky."

"Well, I am not surprised... Rainbow Dash was- well, she kinda told me but didn't that she was feeling lonely. She avoided the subject but... but I think she was feeling left behind."

"Yeah... we should apologize to her... she probably didn't feel quite nice having been all by herself."

"True. We might as well do it later - she is having a good time now."

The two joined the snowy fun for the rest of the day. Twilight observed all the fillies that played around with Discord as if he were their best friend. The grown up mares and stallions weren't looking at him as worried or as mean as before.

He himself looked like he genuinely enjoyed.

She found herself wondering how could he possibly have enjoying himself so much and still think about taking over Equestria with his Chaos.

Well, whatever plan he has, she thought a bit sarcastically, it better be good for everyone.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Well, I suppose I should have expected you two would catch a cold."

"Now now dear, it is but a little snow. Nothing than can't be cured over nigh-ah-ah-choo!" The contents of his sneeze got shot right into the fireplace and turned the flames green for a couple of seconds, startling both the mare and the dragon.

"Given that that didn't look well - at all - I'll have to ask you to stay put for the night, anyway. Now sleep, both of you."

There was no need to say that twice - Spike didn't have anything against of sleeping by the fire and curled up comfortable and Discord, though he tried to protest, joined him soon enough, both of them absolutely worn out from a playful day. Once Twilight heard the pegasi would melt the snow the day after and once she warned them about it, Spike and Discord stayed out even during the evening, wanting to get the most out of the white day.

Before parting way, Rainbow Dash received apologies from her friends, which Rainbow eagerly accepted. While she did tell the Spirit she would still keep an eye for him, she did confide in her friend that 'he's not so bad I guess'. For Rainbow Dash, it was as good as it could get at that moment.

That night, Twilight fell asleep easily and dreamed of perfect future where she, her friends and Discord himself enjoyed the charms of Winter Wrap-Up.

A weird, hardly attainable dream but hey... It was a weird day.

12) Lesson Loyalty

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While Spike surprisingly didn't show symptoms of a cold and got better by the next morning, Discord, equally surprisingly, got worse. It wasn't anything that required hospital treatment but it was bad enough that the unicorn very sternly dared to forbid him from going out for just one day, convinced he was going to be much better by the time evening came if he rested.

"Oh, I get to be grounded now, too!" He sarcastically started. "Well if that is so, give me one good reason I couldn't fly out of here this instant."

Patient as she could be, Twilight decided to explain she didn't mean to specifically forbid him from anything when she used that word. "If you truly want to go out though, being in the shape you're in, you'll collapse due to exhaustion. Not to mention you have a fever. The best you can do is sleep and rest up."

Despite his protests, yammering and generally being as grumpy as he was old, he did spend the whole day lying in front of the fireplace, sipping gallons of tea Spike was making for him and occasionally napping. Now that he was silent and sleeping most of the time, Twilight could happily indulge in her studies. It was kind of mean to think of his illness as as opportunity to catch up with her studies but the Spirit was taking up a lot of her time lately. In comparison, the day truly felt calm, which she hadn't had in a while. Of course, once all the studying was done she had to dedicate her evening to the draconequues, who by the end of the day felt infinitely better (Twilight wondered if it was possible he had been curing himself in his dreams to have gotten better so soon) and to Spike who was very eager to spend some time with her, having gotten used to spend evenings doing something fun instead of working on reports.

However, much to Spike's disappointment, the mare announced she had plans.

"Actually, I promised my friends we'll have a sleepover, all six of us. We rarely get together by ourselves anymo-"

"You won't be missing out on anything. From what I heard, mares do the silliest things on sleepovers."

Deciding not to admit he more than once took a part in such and similar activities, Spike decided on another approach: "But why can't you have a sleepover here?"

"Well we were going to, since my place is most suitable - the Cakes are often too busy to allow Pinkie a sleepover or a party at the Sugar Cube Corner, Rarity doesn't even consider bringing any party materials in her shop, Rainbow lives in the sky and we're all kind of worried if cloud walking spell wears off, Applejack's grandma goes to sleep early and Fluttershy can't imagine the noise near all of her animals. But I didn't want to bother Discord since he's ill, so we settled for sleeping in Applejack's barn."

"There? How can you have a sleepover in a barn?" Spike arched an eyebrow, ignoring the Spirit who snickered at their misfortune.

"It is not that bad..."

"Twilight, I can see your facial expression, you know. The mere thought makes you uncomfortable."

"Well-- it may not be the most comfortable place but they're my friends and I don't get to see them often lately! I'd spend time with them even if it were in a sewer." Twilight stated, not precisely sure just how truthful or not that statement was.

"Well, Discord is fine now, as you can clearly see, so there's no need not to have a sleepover here."

Before Twilight could say she rather wouldn't risk the Spirit's health for her own fun, the Spirit suddenly started being dramatic, which was definitely the biggest mistake he could have made.

"Oh goodness me, I need rest! No, no sleepover in Twilight's library I'm afraid, I am simply terribly, terribly ill!" The draconequues whined, feigning being sick as he dramatically raised his hand to his forehead and lied down.

"I can't believe you!" Twilight exclaimed. "You'd really feign being sick just to spite me?"

"Not to spite you, darling but because sleepovers are just a tad bit too girly for my tastes. I put my foot down the moment somepony starts doing another pony's hair."

"Oh is that so? Spike, could you go and give girls the message? We are having a sleepover at the library! Just get in touch with Pinkie Pie, she should be able inform everyone in a second." Twilight stated stubbornly, ignoring the exasperating sigh that escaped the Spirit.

"Oh come on! You're doing that on purpose now!" The Spirit rebelled as Spike hurriedly left the library.

"Well, you feigned being sick to spite me - revenge is sweet." Twilight cut him off with a satisfied smile.

Mumbling something incoherent, Discord slithered out from underneath the warmth of his blanket and approached the unicorn as she opened up a book (of course). It didn't seem to be any sort of research and for a while he was silent, just watching her read.

"You can be so mean sometimes, Twilight Sparkle."

"I can?" She blinked. "Well, I learned from the best, I suppose?" She grinned.

"Hmm, quite right. I guess you give as much as you receive."

A page paused in the air.

"Whatever do you mean by that?"

Discord fumbled with a splinter on the table edge before giving her a playful look.

"Exactly what I said. Don't you understand your own language?"

"Discord." Twilight deadpanned.

"What? I meant what I said, if you can't understand it, it is YOUR problem." He playfully said.

"Ah, you're impossible to talk to!... I can't concentrate on the book with you talking nonsense to me!" She shook her head and pushed away the Lord of the Things.

"Oh, goodie, we can do something then!"

"Must we?"

"Oh please; you know as well as I do that you're having a blast with me!"

"I could say the same thing about you then!"

"No way! How so?"

"Well, you're the one who always wants to do something with me on the everyday basis! Not that I complain of course but you are! Even though you keep repeating I'm boring, I know you're having fun with me. At least I can say for certain that I'm worth that much in your eyes."

She interpreted his silence as pouting, not knowing he was in fact wondering why she thought so lowly of herself.

"Cut me some slack Discord, I'm trying to be humorous here." Inspired by their silly banter, she put a hoof on his cheek and pulled gently, as if trying to make him smile. "You shouldn't wear the mask of Chaos all the time." She blurted out, meaning to sound silly and poetic yet not realizing her words have hit a certain spot in Discord as he stared at her, doing his best to keep his surprise under control. Continuing to smile, she let go of him. "I mean, you're so much more approachable when you're relaxed. Remember how nopony was afraid of you or anything yesterday? They were hanging out with you, went along with your antics!"

The sweet smile she gave him only terrified him more. "Isn't that nice?"

Yes and I don't know when did it become so, Discord thought once he managed to arrange his thoughts properly. It would be impossible to describe to her how unfamiliar and strange and sometimes downright frightening the thought of the pony lifestyle seemed to him but figured now truly wasn't the time to discuss it.

So instead, like many times before, he went with being a goof and smile arrogantly. "Sure, why not. I guess it is nice." She laughed at it and it was exactly the simple reaction he was hoping for. He decided not to think of what she had said anymore. Taking in a deep breath to regain his usual composure, he suddenly went into a coughing fit, immediately erasing any remnant of laughter from her face.

"Hold on, I'll get you some tea!"

Discord didn't protest as she brought over the pot of fresh tea and a jar of golden honey to the table. Without even caring to take a cup, he grabbed the pot and drank from it, feeling the hot liquid soothing his throat. While his inappropriate action left Twilight startled for a bit, she quickly brushed it off and grabbed a generous spoonful of honey.

"Say 'aaah!" She teased.

"You better be kidding me." Discord replied, almost annoyed.

"It was just a joke, Discord. You're really not in the mood today, huh?"

She was way too playful this afternoon. Unfortunately, he seemed to like that side of her which, truth to be told, rarely popped out. It was very hard to resist her game of feeding.

"No." He replied simply, hoping she'd let it go. Why did he even hope she would?

"Well then, I guess it is the time for a feeding song."

"The what?"

With the expertise of the 1st grade filly, Twilight Sparkle started to recite an old children's rhyme.

"Don't want to argue, I don't want to debate,
Don't want to hear about what kind of food you hate,
You won't get no dessert 'till you clean off your plate,
So eat it!"

The worst thing was, it was kinda cute.

"Don't you tell me you're full,
Just eat it!
Get yourself an egg and beat it!
Have some more cheesecake, have some more pie,
It doesn't matter if it's boiled or fried,
Just eat it!"

He would have never hoped he would her her rhyme, let alone recite a poem. Heck, the thought itself was amusing; having the real thing doing it in front of him was basically priceless.

"Oh, fine fine, you deserved it through your little recital!" He replied through laughter - but decided he would let her have ti her way entirely. He decided to disgust her a little. With expertise of a French pony, he put out his overly long snake tongue and wrapped it around the spoon, taking in the honey with nothing but his tongue and sucking in the entirety of the poor utensil into his mouth.

"Eep!" Squealing in surprise, Twilight allowed the Spirit to have his spoon, staring in disbelief as he gave her the smuggest of looks, as if he had actually done something worthy of admiration.

"... Uh... Did you eat it?" She decided to check after several long seconds of staring at him, her tone half filled with digust.

Her answer came quickly as the Spirit once again stuck his tongue out, it wrapping around the now honey-free spoon.

"Thanks." He said as politely as he could, tongue sticking out of his mouth. Twilight made a face.

"Uh... No problem." Using her magic, she made the spoon reappear in the kitchen sink. An awkward silence ensued. Then Twilight snorted. "But you still ate it."

"Oh, shutty."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Twilight! We arrived, dear!" Rarity announced.

"Oh, just in time!" Spike hopped out of the kitchen to greet his crush, a cute apron tied around his waist. "We just finished making some homemade pizza for you guys, along with a few other treats!"

"Homemade pizza? That's the best kind!" Rainbow Dash happily rushed of into the kitchen, not even caring to greet the host.

"Look at her; actin' like she had never had pizza before. You'd have thought they was starving her at home." Applejack rolled her eyes, followed by a timid Fluttershy. Pinkie Pie bounced her way into the library, as cheerful as ever.

"I am. So. Excited! This is going to be so much fun! We'll play games, and gorge ourselves till we pass and watch a movie, and so so so much more! Not even necessarily in that order!"

"We know the drill by now Pinkie but yer just not gettin' tired of it, huh?"

"Nope!" The mare simply replied and bounced off, even more cheerful than before.

The five visitors made themselves comfortable as they lounged around in the library. Twilight and Spike had both been busy in the kitchen and told them they'd be done with the food in a few more minutes.

"Twilight? In the kitchen?" Applejack asked in disbelief, eyeing her friend who were equally surprised. "That pony can cook?"

"Why do you always assume that I can't cook?!" A faint question was heard from the kitchen, throwing them all into a laughing fit. Though, truth to be told, Spike did most of the hard work.

Fluttershy looked around as looking for something - or in this case, for somepony.

"Um, Spike, where is Discord? I, I heard he was sick so I brought something for his cough and..." The more she spoke, quieter Fluttershy got as she pulled out a small plastic red bottle and gave it to Spike; some of the few last words were inaudible but she spoke nevertheless. Pretending to hear it all, Spike waved his hand.

"He said that he felt better and wanted to catch some fresh air - he should be back soon but I'll let him know."

"Food is ready!" Twilight announced as she brought in a big square platter with the most colorful pizza on it; topped with dandelions, daisies, mushrooms and some hay, sinking in lots of tomato juice and cheese. Rainbow Dash eyed the pizza as if it were the first time she ever saw such culinary beauty.

"Watch out for that tongue of yours Rainbow, or it'll fall out!" Pinkie Pie teased.

"Hey; I had a long day of practice and didn't eat almost anything! I think I deserve a piece of pizza and I'll drool over it all I want." Rainbow Dash finished playfully and opened wide to take a bite of pizza. She was unpleasantly surprised when instead of juicy, crusty, cheesy beauty, she bit into thin air.

"W-what? Where is- Oh gosh, not the cider thing all over again!"

"Don't worry Rainbow Dash, that's just Discord playing around." Twilight explained.

"How come doesn't he show up?" Pinkie Pie looked around expectantly, hoping to see him appear suddenly.

"I don't know..." Twilight replied a bit absentmindedly, "... I guess he considers this amusing."

"Well, never mind him, then! Enjoy the pizza, Discord! More power to ya!" Rainbow said out loud to the Spirit and took a new piece. Soon the room was filled with sounds of their chatting and soft laughs as Spike tried to show pictures of the time Discord summoned him a big, manly beard to Rarity. As expected, she wasn't very impressed.

Soon enough Discord himself appeared but this time he didn't seem to have a need to cause a scene or ruckus of any sort. He quickly hid beneath a fat blanket and took a light nap in front of the fireplace. He wasn't going to stay asleep for long, though.

After they somehow managed to finish three huge platters of pizza (mostly thanks to Rainbow and Applejack, who somewhere along the way started an eating contest with Pinkie being the judge and somehow, somehow winning), Rarity excitedly declared she wanted all of them to do each others mane. Applejack was already used to this, even kinda enjoying having someone touch at her hair - Rainbow Dash on the other hand, was a whole different story.

"Come now darling, just look what I did with Fluttershy's gorgeous mane!" Rarity gasped as she stared at the yellow Pegasus, having made her long pink cut into many long, thin French braids. The edgy manestyle didn't quite suit her soft persona but it did look good on her.

"Ah' know it seems silly Rainbow - trust me, I know better than anyone - but it's actually a bit fun when keepin' it simple. Comfy, even." Applejack remarked as Spike did his best to turn her mane into two equal pigtails, which with her bushy, thick hair wasn't that easy.

"Nuh-uh, no way. There is nopony that could ever make me agree on a silly manecut!"

"Rainbow Dash, you poor, innocent soul." Twilight shook her head. She didn't even need to look to know Discord was already wide awake, and indeed, there he was, standing behind the colorful Pegasus with a most wicked grin.

"Did somepony say 'silly manecut'?"

Rainbow Dash turned to look at him and saw his fingers, ready to snap his fingers.

"... Oh, for Pete's sake."

One signature click later, Rainbow Dash was presented to her friends with a rainbow colored afro. The outburst of laughter was loud enough to shake the foundations of library. Even Rarity, temporarily forgetting of her ladylike manner, practically howled at the ridiculous sight.

"Get me a mirror!" Dash demanded, frustrated, to which Discord readily replied with summoning one. A stare of horror Dash gave to her reflection turned into a grimace before she too started to laugh as well.

"Hey, I guess this can be fun, after all! Now do one for Rarity!"

"Heavens, no!" Rarity gasped in horror but there was no escaping it - a click of fingers was all that was necessary for her mane to turn into a short, round bob - which wouldn't be so bad if it weren't the colour of a carrot.

"Orange?!? Why orange of all colors?!"

"Because I was kind enough not to make it green." Discord replied, stunning the fashionista.

"How did you know I dislike green mane?!"

"He knows a lot of things." Twilight rolled her eyes, not expecting to say that in unison with the Spirit: "I know a lot of things."

Their ready and identical replied caused a short, interested pause but it didn't last long, all of them successfully distracted by the sight of pink mustaches on Fluttershy. Discord quickly became the life of the sleepover, testing more awful mane styles on a now pretty playful pack of mares. After they threatened to tickle-fight him into giving them their original manes back (he very quickly complied), they sat down to munch on some snacks and put on a lame horror movie that they didn't really watch as much as they were commenting on how stupid it was, chatting along the way.

Somewhere next to her, Twilight could hear, Rarity started a conversation some of them were both eager or uneasy to have.

"So, girls! What is it that I hear about some of you having a specific kind of interest in specific ponies of Ponyville?"

The reactions were obvious; Fluttershy immediately hid behind her long mane and Applejack bit her lip. Pinkie Pie on the other hand replied readily: "You mean a special somepony? Nope, no such thing! But that's okay, I don't need nopony as long as I have you guys!"

Twilight laughed; being an egghead she always was, she felt obligated to reply since she knew a bit on that subject.

"It is nice of you to say so but there will probably come a moment you'll wish for somepony to share your life with in a bit more intimate and romantic way. Like..." Twilight paused for a second to think, "...somepony who will be there every morning when you wake up to make you company. Somepony who will do things with you no matter what it is; like, if either one of you hates it, you'll still enjoy it because of the company. Somepony who can share their private thoughts with you with no fear or shame; things like that, you know?"

The unicorn munched on some more snacks but as suspicious silence filled the room, she broke the stare from the movie, and realized all of them, including Discord, seemed surprised by her response.

"How do ya know so much about that stuff?" Rarity asked in a curious tone, eyes sparkling immediately. Twilight waved her hoof, realizing what they just concluded.

"No, no you guys, I don't have anypony special; I think that is just pretty much what everypony is wishing for in their partner. At least that's what I think I would want someday."

"A mare can talk like that only out of experience my dear." Rarity sneakily replied, despite what Twilight had said. She was starting to feel a bit uneasy already, when Applejack jumped to the rescue.

"Now y'all; don' bother her with your assumption. Besides, Rarity, if ya brought the subject up, ya obviously have something to say about it." She wisely noticed; and indeed, Rarity gained a crimson shade all over her face that immediately attracted the attention of Pinkie Pie and Twilight was soon left alone.

"Thanks Applejack; for a moment there I thought I will never hear the end of it." Twilight sighed as Rarity was overwhelmed with Pinkie's much too curious - and sometimes too intimate - questions.

"No problem, sugar cube. Now Ah'll bother the hay out of her, for bothering you." Winking at her, Applejack along with very curious Pinkie Pie started to bombard Rarity for details, which was particularly funny as Twilight knew Applejack wasn't the type to be curious about these things at all. Rainbow and Fluttershy were both aside, one of them slightly disgusted, while the other one too shy to discuss such matters.

"I can't believe it." Twilight heard soft muttering and looked to her side - Spike was staring at Rarity with a disbelieving look on his face.

"Oh Spike, don't sulk now."

"But, Rarity... She... She-"

Twilight simply had to say something. "You never know, she might be talking about you." Twilight's word gave the small dragon a new sense of hope; he quickly rushed over to eavesdrop on Rarity's shy descriptions.

"You make me wanna puke." The draconequus commented. "Is this really what you girls do? Talk about your crushes instead of watching this magnificent piece of movie?"

"Huh?" Twilight arched her eyebrows on Discord's question and glanced at the film - it was in the middle of a scene where a pony was escaping through the dark words. "Magnificent? It is the cheesiest horror ever made!"

"I find it unbelievably entertaining. Just look at all the weird things this monster does to these poor ponies! Forests nbeing cute down. Bif monsters with light spewing out of their eyes! They even eat pigs! Imagine that! I mean seriously, just what kinda of loony mind made this movie?"

"A poor mind with no sense of realistic approach to a horror movie and obviously no taste." Twilight put in her own two cents. Still, she joined Discord in viewing the movie, having fun going against Discord's logic with her own despite the fact the movies was an utter bore. By the time it was over, Rarity was long done with her story and instead used the creepy movie soundtrack as a theme music for a scary story of her own.

"And once she opened the box... inside she found... cotton."

"What? Cotton? What about it?" Fluttershy asked in confusion. The unicorn sighed.

"I specifically said there was silk in the box, silk! NOT cotton! Imagine a dress for the Gala of nothing but cotton; ugh, the mere thought is dreadful!" She shivered.

"Seeing how horror is obviously not your forté, my dear, how about I tell you all a scary story? I happen to be quite a master of the spoken word, even if I do say so myself." Discord suggested.

"Please do," Rainbow Dash moaned, "Rarity here has a scary storytelling potential of a sponge."

"I say..." Rarity muttered but settled down for the story anyway.

"Well then, gather round, little ponies, for I want to share a undeniably truthful story with you, the greatest of horrors that had ever happened on the Equestrian territory! Naturally, that calls for a slight change of ambiance..." With those words, the room got dark as Discord magically put out the light. The frightened gasps stopped once Discord summoned a small, blue flame that hung in the air.

And then he started doing what he was best in - narrating a rhyming story but with a voice so dark and so different it was chilling to the bone, the flame throwing an eerie light, making his already mismatched face that much weirder.

"There was once a pony, white as the snow
at least I think it was a pony, who would ever know.
But it was a very unique pony indeed,
Always wearing a tie and a black suit of tweed."

He paused for suspention; Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy had already squeezed next to each other one with a bit more of an excited glint in her eye than the other one while Rarity, who was tense like never before, clutched Spike firmly to his chest, most likely not even noticing she was gently suffocating the little dragon. (he didn't mind.)

"You see, this pony had none of its mane,
had a rich white tail but head not the same.
Nopony knew if that pony was sick,
or if somepony else took his mane slick.

But that's not what made the pony special at all.
The difference it owned was not quite that small.
What made it different was something like a spell,
for this pony's face...", he paused dramatically,
"...was just an empty shell."

For what seemed like barely a second, Discord's face disappeared, leaving nothing but a flat white surface - that second was enough to startle everyone and make them gasp, while Fluttershy barely suppressed a scream.

"No eyes or nose, mouth or teeth,
its face was just a white empty heath.
Nopony knew what was with that,
many suspected it was a curse of somepony's wrath."

At this point, Spike already turned blue, so Twilight had to warn Rarity about it with a poke of her hoof. However she herself proceeded to gently squeeze his arm.

"And to this very day,
that pony is looking for somepony to pay.
For the disappearance of its gorgeous face,
somepony must take the grave's place.

And a rumor it is, that at this time of year,
it visits Ponyville and sheds around fear!"

"Pff, yeah right." Rainbow Dash's whisper was audible to everyone, but her suspicion didn't make anypony anymore relaxed - especially when the draconequus chuckled quietly, sinisterly, at it.

"Oh Rainbow dear, believe me, you must...
For it is said it comes first after those with no trust."

Even Rainbow had to gulp at this point.

"That is how the story goes," Discord continued, stopping the rhyme and taking on a different attitude, seemingly confused and concerned, "that the faceless one lies hidden in the home of one of the Elements of Harmony. It is forgotten where it was..." Discord pretended to think while by now positively scared to death ponies squeezed each other in a huge hug.

"Oh... Oh! Oh goodness, oh no!" He suddenly stood up dramatically, his legs and torso the only thing visible as his flame flickered faintly and his long neck disappeared in the darkness.

"It is said... it resides in the house of the Element of..."

And then he stared down at them.

"...Magic!"

Discord's head was no more, and a blank faced pony stared them down.

Screaming at the top of their lungs, six mares and Spike scattered around the library, hiding wherever they could in matter of a few second. Everything went silent. Discord didn't return the lights; instead, he sang eerily, loud enough for all of them to hear:

"Come out, come out, wherever you are,
the faceless pony is not that bizarre.
it just wants some friends, somepony for play,
but if you keep on hiding, where you're hiding, you'll stay."

He laughed wickedly as his rhyme ended. Silence surrounded the room as nopony dared to come out.

"Nopony is brave enough to face the guilt?
Then in your hideouts you'll stay, for you only rebuilt!"

Twilight almost cursed when basket started to change around her, tightening around her. She tried to struggle and yell out but was too shocked to do so. Having no idea what was going on, she relaxed and let whatever was happening happen.

Then she felt air on her skin and saw brightness on her eyelids and she opened her eyes.

The library was lit up and she was no longer in the basket. Her and all her friends were outside, observing Discord as he fought for the air he lost during laughing his lungs out.

"Wow, that sure was scary!" Giggling, Pinkie Pie jumped into Twilight's view and the unicorn then yelled out in surprise, suddenly realizing exactly what was so incredibly amusing. Pinkie was white from head to toe, her mane included, wrapped tightly in a white bed sheet... no in fact, both her her skin and mane became a sheet. Like she was made of cotton.

"Discord pulled a little trick on us with a final spell." Dash added - as Twilight glanced at her she noticed Rainbow's coat took on the pattern and hardness of red bricks that decorated her chimney - she must've hidden in there. Rainbow looked like a well assembled piece of fillies' playing blocks.

"That..." Twilight looked at her legs - she was made out of stiff, wooden fibres. She didn't know whether should she be impressed by such magic, horrified by her appearance or happy that the whole thing was over. "That is pretty impressive." She finally decided, studying Fluttershy's skin that was now papery, as she hid inside one of the shelves among her books.

Rarity, who took on an interesting pattern of wood Twilight's closet was made of, studied her skin with a certain interest. Spike, bearing the same skin, was right next to her, having apparently hidden with her in the dark closet. "This would make quite a fancy dress pattern."

"Come on, Discord," Applejack, with her skin of plastic, having hidden in a cupboard in the kitchen, tried to pull Discord, who had by then been doubling over on the floor, to his feet, "enough of this, I want my old skin back."

Shedding the last few tears of laughter, the Spirit clicked his fingers, drawing relaxed sighs from ponies.

"Now wasn't that fun?" He finally asked and once they calmed down they had to confirm they had yet to hear a story as scary as that one.

"All this action made me sleepy. I don't know about you but I think I'm gonna crash." Rainbow concluded, stretching her wings.

"You can say that again; this fuss has made me tired." Rarity agreed and soon all of them decided to go to sleep.

Discord was kind enough to offer a better spot to sleep for all of them and with the help of his magic turned Twilight's bedroom into what practically became a single huge bed where at least ten ponies would fit comfortably.

"Made it from the clouds but I enchanted them, so you can all walk on them - it is definitely one of my dearest materials, they are just so--"

"Plush?" Rainbow interrupted, suddenly remembering Discord's lounging on a cloud in the labyrinth. Discord gave her but a knowing smile.

"Oooh, bouncy!" Pinkie Pie took her sweet time in testing the bounciness of the bed, only stopping once the Spirit tripped her. It took them quite some time before they finally settled down but once they did, they fell asleep quickly.

But Twilight Sparkle couldn't sleep. She stared at the ceiling, still excited and happy about what a wonderful night this had turned out to be. After she lay asleep for almost an hour, she suddenly felt her stomach rumbling and realized that despite the amount of leftover pizza, she didn't eat much of it during the evening. Slowly and quietly she got up, watching not to step on Pinkie's mane and avoiding Discords' tail, as he crashed on the bottom of the huge bed and went down the stairs - in the darkness, she didn't see a corner of the wall and bumped her hoof strongly against it and cursing quietly.

She did not turn on the light, enjoying the natural faint shine of Luna's full Moon. A cold pizza lay there. Heating up would be to much work at this time of night, she thought. Then she got an idea - hot sauce.

She was about to head into the kitchen, when she noticed the red bottle on the table. "Time to spice it up!" She laughed at her own terrible pun. Pouring generous amount of sauce on it, she bit into the meal and nearly choke when the voice of the Spirit came right from behind her.

"Can't you keep your voice down?" He yawned as he clicked his fingers, casting a barrier over her bedroom so her friends could sleep in silence.

"Oopsh, shorry. Ah wash jusht ahmushin' mshef."

"What?" Discord arched an eyebrow as he approached her, swiftly grabbing a pizza slice and eating it in one gulp. Twilight swallowed and repeated: "I said, sorry, I was just amusing myself." She smiled.

"I can only imagine." Discord rolled his eyes as he sat next to her, already eating his third piece.

"So," Twilight started as she herself bit into a second slice, "did you enjoy yourself tonight?"

"Heh," Discord chuckled, "you should know you don't have to ask me such things anymore."

Twilight shrugged. "It is nice to hear it from you every once in a while."

"You ponies and your words." Discord remarked as he tried to pick out a piece of cheese form in between his teeth. "It was a lot of fun, if you simply must know; I haven't used chaos in such a creative and amusing way for some time already."

A memory of a world he conjured a few days earlier while drunk flashed across Twilight's mind but she ignored it. They spent several minutes feasting on the leftovers. "Gosh, this sauce sucks!" The pony suddenly said much louder than the Spirit would have expected her to and, to his further surprise, grabbed the sauce bottle and threw it against the floor.

"...It can't be that bad." He suggested a bit meekly. Instead of a reply, he received over the top, horribly loud and obnoxious laughter Discord didn't know she was capable of producing. Or was willing to.

"It is." She nodded briefly, sounding very confident. Then she started rolling all over the floor and kept laughing like, for a lack of better description, a complete lunatic.

"Twilight Sparkle, just what has gotten into you?!" Discord asked, not sure if he should be amused or concerned.

She just wasn't going to answer him, was she? Instead, she suddenly fell completely still, if not even rigid. "...Now that I think of it, that sauce only ruined my appetite." Twilight stopped, slowly got up on all her four legs... shaking legs.

Discord let out a loud gasp when she suddenly threw up.

"What the--?" Doing the first thing he could think of, he summoned her a glass of water but she kept refusing it, mumbling words 'too much'. Discord scanned the pizzas, needing only a second to realize the problem was not in them as all of them ate it, too - and then he remembered the red bottle Twilight threw to the floor. With a click of fingers, he summoned a small orb of light to help him see.

He picked the bottle up to check the expiring date, only to surprisingly realize it wasn't hot sauce at all. The white label read a lengthy description:

FLIP-FLOP INSTANT COUGH REMEDY
!! CAUTION !!
Take only A SINGLE teaspoon of medicine with drinkable liquid PER DAY. Bigger amounts can cause potentially dangerous symptoms that vary from one individual to another; known to cause sudden mood swings, fevers, purging, headaches, shivers, hallucinations etc.
Drinking more than half of the bottle can result in permanent or long lasting loss of consciousness.
Do not consume any food three hours before or after taking medicine.

"...Whoever Flip-Flop is, he better expect a stern letter. An explosively stern letter.?!" Discord growled, suddenly angry. He tried to think which next to the pony who was momentarily occupied with talking to an invisible pony wasn't really easy.

Think, think damn it! What spell could possibly help her?!

It hit him then that he never in his entire life used any kind of healing magic.

"Bloody Chaos!" He cursed his own powers, or better said, the lack of them, feeling he was starting to panic.

Behind him, Twilight started sobbing for no particular reason. That's where the draconequus suddenly got serious and knew what to do.

Without wasting another second, he took her into his arms and brought her to the bathroom. While it definitely wasn't pleasant, he helped her throw up in the toilet with some magical help of his own, hoping it would get at least some of the toxins out of her system. That seemingly calmed her down a bit but he knew she needed professional care. He grabbed her in his arms and clicked his fingers.

Nurse Redheart screamed when the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony suddenly appeared in the hospital lobby.

"D-D-D--You!" She finally managed.

"I'm sure you're amazed but this pony need intensive care, now!" He blurted out, ignoring her frightened stare as he put Twilight down - the mare was heavily sweating and shaking. The nurse immediately caught her cool and approached Twilight whose breathing was quick and shallow.

"She drank a lot of this." He pushed the bottle into Redhearts' hooves. Upon seeing the label, the nurse turned even paler than her coat was.

"Doctor! Doctor, we have an emergency!" She ran into an office and dragged the elderly pony out. It took him a second to eye the bottle and Twilight, taking in Discord's appearance with barely a bat of an eye and immediately called for nurses who took Twilight away. Discord followed them and nopony dare to say anything about it.

The unicorn had lost consciousness and the nurses quickly started working on her, two of them working with some spells Discord never saw before, thus having no idea just what was going on and the third one preparing some strange machine that, Discord noticed with a certain discomfort, looked a bit menacing. Deciding he really did not want to see what was going on, yet wanting to be of help, he realized there was one thing he could do Closing his eyes and clicking his signature click, he disappeared.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Oh dear, oh dear! What is going on, where am I? Why is everything so weird? Why is everypony spinning? Wait, where is everypony for that matter? They were here moments ago! Oh, there they- why are they shapeshifting?! Oh for the love of Equestria, why is everything upside down?!"

Twilight wandered her own hallucinating mind as the world span, turned upside down, changing colors and shapes, completely rebuilding itself over and over again in seconds and crumbling down just as fast, followed by so many random sounds, some of them long forgotten words, some of them never heard songs, the noises that seemed to be from another world.

"Vertigo! Vertigo everywhere!"

♪ It wasn't your hair, that bounces in the breeze or even your eyes, as blue as the seas... ♪

Cyber Ponies-hahahaha!

♪ I mean are you supposed to be a dentist, or are you supposed to be a time lord... ♪

"You... are going to LOVE ME!"

Oh no, it's the Bro! Chair mode activated, boop!

Hey Twilight? Do you like, mmmm, BANANAS? 'Cause there's plenty of bananas- ON THE MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!

Twilight was suddenly shot through the air as countless images passed her by and landed on the moon, quite literally, where she was greeted with an awkward scene of Luna drinking tea and wearing a top hat. Before she managed to say anything, Luna eyed her and produced a mustache on her nose.

"Surely, you don't mean to defy my 'stache?" She said with a distinct Canterlot accent. And then she disappeared.

Oddly enough, everything went calm and silent. The world didn't shift or change anymore and she could even feel a breeze on her face. Finally rid of the colorful and almost sick imagery that flashed painfully before her eyes, she felt less sick than before and took a big breath of air.

"Just what is going on?"

Then, somewhere in the sky, a star shined slightly stronger... and grew bigger. Soon enough, it was no star or asteroid but Discord that started falling towards her, for some reason not being able to stop himself and screaming at the top of his lungs and landed on the Moon a few feet away from her, leaving a deep print of his body in the Moon's ground. Pulling himself out, he coughed a few times as he shook his head to rid himself of the Moon dust.

"Discord? Are you alright?" Twilight asked as she offered him a hoof and helped him come out.

"Oh, I'm quite alright my dear. It is you who is not exactly pulled together." He managed.

"Discord, what is going on? Where am I? The last thing I remember before things got weird was you and I eating pizza! Did you do something?!" She finally asked angrily, then gasped as a thought occurred to her - what if he discovered his massive powers?!

But she let out a breath of relief when he answered: "No you silly, I didn't do anything. You are sick." He paused, then took a breath and told her exactly what happened, his story draining every single drop of blood from her face.

"I am so stupid! I shoud've noticed something, it was stupid of me to eat it without knowing what it was!" The pony scolded herself.

"It was dark, you couldn't see the label." Discord tried to console her but Twilight was overwhelmed with guilt.

"And what about my friends? Oh, I must have them so worried! I ruined the whole evening!"

"Well, actually, they are still asleep. I cast that spell earlier and forgot to remove i, and I didn't want to cause a ruckus and wake them all up. I'll tell them about it as soon as I make sure you're waking up some day."

"... Wait, it is that bad?!"

"Well, according to that bottle, it could be dangerous enough to put you in a coma." He growled. "But I think you'll be alright," he quickly added as he noticed a fright in her eyes, "since you haven't taken that much."

"Well that's a relief, I think... So wait, why are you here anyway? I mean, you don't seem like a hallucination."

"I figured you'd be a bit lost, so I came to make you company and put you at ease." Discord replied with a posture of a heroic knight on a white hor-- uh, never mind.

Twilight suddenly felt a weird, foreign pain in her stomach and throat - in fact her whole digestive system felt like it was twisting, and Discord noticed it.

"Speaking of which, I'm pretty sure they're pumping your stomach right now. Need a hand?" Twilight's face cringed painfully and she nodded, not knowing what else would it be, anyway, as the Spirit held her hoof. While she seemed to appreciate it, he knew it owuldn't help much. Realizing looking at her like that was as equally painful as cutting his own tail, he started distracting her with the only thing he knew would grasp the attention of a rational pony like her - nonsensical talk.

" ...You know, I'd have though we'd be treated a bit better, having come from a series predominantly for kids but this one just can't help pop-culture references, can they?"

"... I'm sorry, what?" Twilight managed, shooting him a confused frown.

"I'm just saying, no author does that anymore. Memetic horrors, allusions to famous people and songs - references? It is nearly shameful that a writer should reach to those just to be considered amusing, funny or entertaining. I mean it is perhaps a little bit interesting because it show just how bad of a taste they have but otherwise-"

"Discord, what in the whole wide world are you talking about? Am I hallucinating again?"

"No but I did my best to distract you - I think they're done with you."

The twicthes in her stomach were gone. The unicorn blinked.

"Oh, I see." Twilight simply replied. When she said nothing else, Discord asked, a bit frustratingly:

"Well, did it work?"

"Huh? OH!" Twilight laughed softly. "Yeah, that... that was quite an amazing thing you did there, actually. Thanks, Discord. Really, what would I do without you?"

"Hmm, probably be still indulged into your boring old researched of Parasprites' mating process or something."

"Were you digging through my things again?" Twilight asked suspiciously and he laughed, deciding not to tell her he in fact did. The unicorn stared up at the starry sky.

"You know, in any other situation, I would love this scenery."

"Can't you enjoy it now?" Discord wondered.

"No, because I think I'm waking up... or something. It feels weird, like I'm floating."

"Ah! You're slipping away from hallucinations and starting to dream. I'll leave you to your sleep then; you need it, trust me."

"Alright. Thanks again Discord." Twilight smiled sweetly as the world around her became fluffy and cloudy and Discord slowly disappeared from her sight. "You're a true friend."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Twilight!"

Voices of her friends made Twilight jerk, nearly tipping over her breakfast (which consisted of nothing but very light, barely salty soup). They all rushed over to her hospital bed, each of them trying to get a good look on her, asking countless questions and some of them looking particularly guilty.

"Whoa, whoa guys, calm down! I'm alright really. How did you know I was here, anyway?"

"Spike received a letter just about fifteen minutes ago - apparently Discord used him as a mailbox to inform us of everything that happened."

Huh, another spell he discovered he was capable of. Unsurprising, but slightly concerning.

"Oh Twilight, I am so, so sorry!" Fluttershy started, only to be interrupted by Spike: "No, it is my fault - I should've put the medicine where it belonged, in the cabinet!"

"Guys, guys! It is my, and MY fault only. I should've read the label."

"But-"

"I should. Have read. The label." Twilight firmly said, making any arguments of whose fault it was cease once and for all.

"Oh darling, I'm so glad to see you're fine. Rainbow Dash here nearly lost her marbles when we got the news."

"I was worried!" Rainbow defended, suddenly flustered but Twilight appreciated the concern.

"Thank you, guys. I know you're worried but really, I'm alright. The doctor said he only need to perform a few tests more just in case - I'll be going home by this afternoon."

"Oh, thank goodness." Applejack concluded, when Pinkie asked: "So, where is Discord anyway? That guy just keeps disappearing."

"I don't know, I haven't seen him since last night. He probably went outside to entertain himself or something."

The five mares and Spike kept talking to her and it almost looked as if they were about to relive the fun moments they had last night but then a nurse came in and chased them all away with an excuse of 'all the rest' Twilight had to get.

"There, Miss Sparkle; now you can finally catch up on your sleep!" The nurse stated, obviously thinking she did her a favor, and left Twilight alone in her room. The unicorn sighed, feeling a bit lonely... And bored. Not knowing what to do, she got out of the bed, and opened the window widely, letting the breeze carry the thin white curtains and refresh her tired eyes...

Next to her window stood a tall tree that didn't stand there before; it was apparently magically summoned, at least if it was to judge by it's bright colors and weird apples. On the tree branches, Discord slept deeply, barely even supported, only a small movement away from falling down.

"Oh, Discord..." Twilight smiled, feeling her heart beat a few beats quicker. Deciding she could return a favor at least a little, she took one pillow from her room and with a bit of magical help, summoned an extra branch that supported him much better; then she sneakily pushed a pillow underneath his head. A grateful snore escaped him.

Not really having anything else to do, Twilight simply stood there at the window, observing with a gentle smile the vile and mean Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony who spent the whole night being her guardian.

13) Storytelling Time

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"Miss Sparkle?" Doctor Stable called for the purple mare as he entered the otherwise empty room.

"Present and ready to go!" Twilight chirped as she got rid of her hospital gown, ready to leave. Unbeknownst to her, Discord was awake, floating in the air by the window of her room, sunbathing and waiting for her to come out.

"... Right, err, I'm sorry to inform you that the tests didn't turn out quite the way we expected; we'll have to run a few more of them." Stable informed, rechecking the result a bit uncertainly. The expression of anxiety he was wearing erased the happy smile off Twilight's face.

"Oh, so I have to stay here even longer? Is something wrong?" Their conversation also attracted the attention of the draconequues, who was curiously peeking into the room.

"Don't worry, it is nothing serious - we just want to make sure you're not still sick, or maybe even in worse condition than we know." How is that not serious, Twilight thought. Unfortunately, re-testing might take some time and we're extremely busy. It'll take just until the evening, at worst."

Twilight let out a saddened 'oh' as Doctor Stable apologized to her and left the room. Head down and her mood suddenly flopping, Twilight sat on her bed. If she at least had somepony sharing a room with her, it wouldn't be so lonely. And she had already read all the books the hospital had to offer. Some of them multiple times.

If only her friends weren't all busy on this exact day.

"Why so serious?" She perked up the moment the mischievous draconequues finally showed himself as he nonchalantly leaned his elbows on the window sill, his body hanging outside.

"Discord! I thought you were still asleep!" She jumped giddily off the bed and trotted over to him.

"Nah, I've been trying to gain some color with the little help of Celly's Sun - what do you think?" He extended his claw effeminately - whatever spell he used, it was now pink. It took Twilight a moment to realize he was talking about Celestia and she laughed.

"It sure does look like Princess Celestia's work," she notices, "it looks like the pink of her mane"

Discord let out a curious sound as he observed his arm with that thought in his mind.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. No good then." SHe frowned at his words as his claw got its old color back.

"When did you first meet Princess Celestia?" Twilight suddenly asked as the question popped into her head, without much purpose to it. Discord's eyes widened a bit in surprise as he didn't expect her to ask something like that but then he laughed excitedly.

"Oh, it is quite an amusing story! Wanna hear?"

"Do I?" Twilight questioned back with an equally excited smile, immediately jumping on the bed and making herself comfortable. Discord sat up on the sill and cleared his throat.

"Long long ago, there was a funny, charming, incredibly handsome and on top of all modest Prince, named Discord." He started, his feigned modesty already making Twilight giggle. "Now, Prince Discords' favorite thing in all world was doing whatever was opposite of normal," he continued, "which the ponies, afraid of changes and frightened by anything out of ordinary, called Chaos and proclaimed it evil - they weren't all wrong, mind you; Prince Discord was often quite naughty for the purpose of having selfish fun." He admitted with a mischievous wink.

"One day, while the Prince was turning a nearby river into a flow of tasty, cold, thick chocolate and filling it with cherries, he noticed a pony, drinking from the river. But it was no ordinary pony. It was an Alicorn called Celestia, who many ponies loved and adored thanks to her continuous and quite successful effort to maintain what the citizens of Equestria cherished the most - Harmony. So, of course, as she took a drink from the river, Celestia was quite surprised to realize it tasted much like delicious chocolate. That's when she saw the Prince for the first time."

He paused and smiled the silliest, goofiest smile he could as birds and butterflies erupted from his hands. "And then they fell in love at first sight, got married, had tons of cute little ponies and lived happily ever after!" He abruptly finished; he himself was doing his best to try and remain serious as he delivered a fake ending, while Twilight was laughing out loud.

"Oh come on, Discord!"

"Fine, fine... so anyway, the Princess saw the Prince of Chaos for the first time but immediately knew who he was, having heard of his naughty deeds and the way he liked to pull mean pranks on everypony. What do you think the Princess said to him upon seeing him?"

"Hmm..." Twilight pondered for a moment or two. "Well, knowing Celestia, she probably said something noble and refined, and she probably sounded tough and strong... something like... 'It is time to put your chaotic wrongdoing to an end!'"

Twilight's gentle smile as she imagined strong Princess Celestia saying those words melted into a confused grimace as Discord started to laugh. "Not even close my dear." He snickered.

"Not even close."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Hey you! Yeah you, you jerk! What are doing? This is the river that runs through several cities, duh! You can't just ruin everybody's water source like that! Sheesh, what is wrong with you?" The Alicorn yelled out in frustration, flying over to the mismatched Spirit who was amused by the sight of a very flustered Alicorn.

"Oh? Whatcha gonna to do about it, anyway?" The jolly Spirit laughed, his voice young and boyish. The Alicorn gritted her teeth.

"You shouldn't be doing this! It is forbidden!"

"Says who?"

"Says me!" She snapped. "Some ponies down there want water, not your chocolate milk!"

"But it is so tasty." He defended and summoned a glass to grab some. "Here, have a sip."

The Alicorn hastily pushed his lion hand away and the young Spirit chuckled, flipping his mane as he suddenly took on a bit different approach. "Come on, you're too much of a beauty to be frowning like that all the time!"

"I'm warning you, Prince Discord!" Young Celestia threatened, ignoring his flirty advances. "I have powers too, you know!"

"Let us test them, then." Young Discord replied with an evil snicker. In the next moment, the two were in air, shooting at each other with beams of light and balls of fire, trying to tackle each other constantly and unsuccessfully. It didn't take long though, before the powerful Spirit subdued the inexperienced Alicorn by spell binding her wings long enough for her to fall and even taking away her horn, which left her in a state of utter panic.

"Oh. I didn't know I could do that." The Spirit chuckled, his eyes wide with surprise as he observed the panicking Alicorn.

"M-my horn!"

"I do believe that is a permanent effect. Oops!" He playfully added in the end, making the Alicorn eye him dangerously.

"Liar! Give me my horn back, now!"

"Calm down dear, calm down - don't you know of the magic words?" The Alicorn gritted her teeth again, her face flushed with both anger and embarrassment. "Hmm. I guess your horn is mine then." He waved dismissively as he laughed and turned around to leave. He didn't expect a strong kick of Alicorn's hooves in his back and in next moment he was tackled to the ground.

"My horn. Now." The Alicorn didn't give up. The Spirit chuckled underneath her strong firm hooves but winced when she stepped on a very painful stop near his wings.

"Ow ow ow, fine fine, you can have your horn back." He snickered through the winces and did a small clap of his hands. Above him he could her the Alicorn sigh with relief as he horn popped back into existence.

"Now you shall come with me, and I'll present you to the Equestrian court - they'll be more than happy to learn of the Chaotic Princes' surrender."

"Surrend--- bwahahahaha! My dear, dear Alicornian friend, I never surrender!" With a click of his finger and a last laugh, he disappeared, his voice echoing in the air.

"Once you grow up and become stronger, come and find me so we can play again. Until our next meeting, Celestia!" His disembodied voice greeted.

"H-how do you know my name?!" The Alicorn demanded but got nothing more than a playful laughter in response. Frowning and stomping her hooves, she swore to become the most powerful Alicorn to have walked the Equestrian lands, all for purpose of putting Chaos out of lives of the ponies she loved so much.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"And that's how Celestia and I met! Little did she know she was as equally loved and famous for her goodness just as I was hated and infamous for my Chaos, so naturally, I knew her name well!" Discord finished with a laugh. Twilight joined the laugh but only shortly, being pretty fascinated by the story.

"That was so interesting! I had no idea Princess Celestia was so-- eh, I mean--"

"Celestia was a child too, Twilight Sparkle. She wasn't always as wise as today." The Spirit knowingly said. Twilight shrugged.

"I guess that was to be expected but it is really funny to think about her that way!"

"Too bad I never got to know Luna too well. She was quite seclusive."

"Miss Sparkle?" They were interrupted once again by Doctor Stable; judging by his smile, he was delivering some good news.

"Tests seem to be alright. We can let you go home now."

"What? But you said it would take long time!"

"But... it's been a few hours already."

"Oh." Twilight stared at the Doctor a bit confused, then shrugged. "Oh well, thank you!" She giddily replied, before bidding Stable goodbye. The moment he left the room, Discord took her in his hands and flew out the window, gently putting her down on the grass.

"Time really flies fast when you're having fun, huh." Twilight observed, noticing it was already four in the afternoon on the clock tower. For some time, they aimlessly wondered Ponyville, Twilight not feeling like going home and Discord simply making her company since he didn't think of anything better to do.

"So, you mentioned Princess Luna before. You didn't know her well?" Twilight asked, still curious about how well Discord knew the Princesses.

"Oh, no, not really. I mean, Celestia and I met many times after our first encounter and had countless fights." Discord reminisced like he was talking about some good old memory. "It was loads of fun; well, for me at least. Your Sun Princess was a feisty, stubborn creature. Still is, in fact, only with a certain... finesse." He remarked. "Luna joined her in her quest to put me 'out of business' when she was old enough and strong enough - them together against me was a bit harder to handle, so the fights turned more serious each time we clashed. Thus Luna never really got to know that teasingly charming side of me." He continued without modesty. "Only the aggressive one. And the rest of the story..." he gave Twilight a meaningful smile, "...is history as you know it."

Twilight fell silent; feeling she might've gotten too serious as she remembered the unpleasant destiny he was given, Discord decided to let her in on a little secret. "But you know..." He looked around as if he was going to spill something confidential, then said in low voice: "I believe Luna thinks I'm a riot!"

"A riot?"

"Amusing! Darling! Easy to laugh with." Discord complimented himself without a pause. Twilight furrowed her brow.

"You just said she never got to know you well!"

"Ah," Discord wisely started, "but those two days I spent at their lovely palace once you all set me free were quite eventful!"

Twilight's eyes popped wide open. "Really? Tell me, oh please, please, please!" The Spirit laughed and waved his hands defensively as she approached him eagerly.

"Alright my dear, you'll hear everything, don't you worry. Let's go for a fly though, I need to stretch my wings."

He didn't need to tell her twice; she immediately got on his back and he gently flew into the bright blue sky, starting his story.

"As you may remember, back then I was pretty agitated about loss of my powers..."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"This is breaking of ones' civil rights!"

"You're no civilian, Prince of Chaos." Celestia said calmly, feeling slightly guilty that Discord's rage brought so much satisfaction to her; by now he tried to destroy most of the guest room with a click of his finger, only to every time painfully realize he couldn't do that anymore. He proceeded to angrily rip the drapes on the bed, flip over the writing desk and do just about as much damage as possible to the room but her reaction was nonexistent.

"Settle down!" Celestia finally said, her command followed by a spell that forced him to hold still. With a resigning sigh, he finally sat down and continued to fume on the luxurious carpet.

"Listen to me. Luna and I did our best explaining you your situation and unless you're completely delusional - which I'm certain you're not - you should understand we're doing you a favor. It isn't exactly wise of us to release the number one enemy of the kingdom just to give him another chance, especially since the majority of the citizens are against it."

Discord said nothing, instead just eyeing her in pure rage. Celestia sighed.

"I did what I could. I'll leave you alone for now. Think your situation through and do it thoroughly... please, Discord."

With those words, Celestia left him alone to let his frustration out on poor pieces of furniture. But he had enough of that. He wasn't usually the one to let his anger out in this way but the entire situation got out of hand for him and he helplessness he felt was... it was maddening.

Brought back with no powers? Just what were they thinking? What was he supposed to do then? He might as well go live in the mountains and start a bloody rock farm. Without his powers, he was nopony. Just another civilian that happened to look like a spell gone wrong. Just another-

His ears caught a faint sound, similar to a breeze but when he turned around the door were closed. However, thousands of years old Disco-sense was tingling. He wasn't alone.

"What in Tartarus do you want, Lunnie?" He finally asked, not even eyeing the Alicorn. After a moment of silence, Luna's magnificent starry mane came into his view as she made herself visible.

"It is Luna, not Lunnie." The Princess of the Moon replied, oblivious of the joke. The bad mood he was in stopped him from laughing at her attitude. When she approached him and simply stared at him, he finally snapped. "What?"

Luna just kept looking at him; it irritated him greatly.

"What?!" He repeated, this time quite aggressively. But Luna didn't seem frightened. Then she finally spoke.

"You look much different than the last time I saw you."

Discord raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you see enough of me while I was a statue?" He bitterly asked. Luna blinked.

"That is a different matter. What I mean is, back when we defeated you. Back when I was still much of a child."

Discords' eyebrow again popped up.

"Meaning?"

"You were more frightening back then."

The answer was both surprising and anger inducing. Discord stood up tall and towered over the pony in the same manner he would have used back then. Back then, she would gasp in fright, call for her sisters' spell or, if she dared, try using one of her spells only for him to mock its weakness.

This time, she didn't even blink. In fact, she seemed to be wondering what was he doing.

"Is something wrong?" She finally asked.

"What isn't." Despite the pessimistic reply, he smiled, albeit not happily.

"You grew up, Luna."

The Princess of the Moon returned the smile kindly. Discord flew over to the window, lost in thoughts.

"You never took me and my sister too seriously, now have you?" Luna asked as she joined him in observing of Celestia's maze garden.

"Nah." He replied lazily, without hesitation. "Well, not until the day I realized getting out of the stone was not an easy feat. Once I realized I'll be trapped inside for quite some time, I decided you may represent a bit of a threat." He praised with a bitter chuckle. Luna laughed softly.

"Well, those times are behind us now. My sister and I didn't free you because we're bored you know."

"Whatever do you mean by that?" Discord asked as he looked over to her. Luna let out a soft hum as she thought her words through.

"While we didn't exactly... know you very well... we do think there is a chance we could... in time,, of course" Luna started carefully and very surprisingly aded, "I personally think you actually seem to be quite a fun person to have around."

Discord laughed loudly at Luna's words. "Well, this is interesting! Just how did you conclude that?" He asked, genuinely intrigued.

"Well, for one," Luna began, "while many of your powers were obviously serving to deliver some sort of sadistic fun, I couldn't help but notice it wasn't the majority of your chaotic repertoire, so to speak. In fact, some ponies loved it... the day when the sea descended down the mountain chain to the North, chasing off the absolutely devastating heat... the bubble homes that many took as the chance to travel for a while... showers of vanilla rains, self-explanatory..."

"I've upgraded it to chocolate, you know."

"So I've been told. Good call."

"What can I say, " the Spirit replied, waving his hands, "I had plenty of time to pick my favorite forms of Chaos; Celestia never liked them." He added in the end in a tone that clearly gave away just how 'highly' he thought of Celestias' distaste for his powers.

Luna gave away a giggle that he didn't miss.

"What are you laughing about?" He growled, thinking she was mocking him. But with a smile, she continued:

"You're a funny character, Discord. If you weren't such an evil doer, you and many other ponies could probably get along."

Discord wasn't exactly sure if he heard her right but her silly, confident smile said he did.

"Do tell me, Princess Luna, do you think you and I would get along?"

"It is a fair possibility." Luna replied. "You seem like a nice guy. It is the usage of your powers, your chaos, that make you monstrous... in the eyes of public, eyes of my sister and eyes of your own. But not mine. I see things many hide... and I know what you hide, Discord."

Discords' face contorted into a grimace that clearly said he found this situation way too intrusive and perhaps even dangerous to his own well being. Luna laughed. "I'm not threatening you. I'm just being informative. But I should take my leave, you're clearly upset." Before exiting the room, she added:

"Hopefully you'll get along with the Elements of Harmony; I hear some of them can be quite demanding."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Demanding?" Twilight repeated but Discord just shrugged.

"I don't really know what she meant by that. Then again, you guys are quite a handful. Who knows, who care~" He sang out, gripping Twilight's front hooves so she wouldn't fall and spinning through the air.

After a lengthy session of flying that left Twilight quite dizzy, they got back into the library just in time for dinner, which Twilight wrapped up quickly - her stay in the hospital had only worn her out and she just wanted to sleep.

"Phew, what a day!" The unicorn sighed as she climbed into her bed. The Spirit had disappeared somewhere, most likely to find himself a place to sleep somewhere outside, as he tended to do. Spike was already snoring and she knew she was going to be asleep soon, her eyes slowly closing as she made herself comfortable, the golden-red orbs dancing before her ey--

Wait.

She opened her eyes again to be met with Discord's slightly amused gaze as he floated above her. At this point, she wasn't even surprised anymore. He startled her countless times in all sort of ways.

"What is it, Discord?" She asked, half entertained, and half wanting to sleep. Then she got an unexpected answer.

"I want a bedtime story."

"... You mean... Like a fairy tale, or something?" The mare asked, frowning and getting a frown in return.

"Funny." He descended next to her on the floor and leaned onto her bed. "No, I meant a story from your life."

"Oh!" Twilight was mildly surprised. The fact he even had any interest in such a thing as stories from her life was just...unimaginable. "Are you serious?" She asked, making him sigh impatiently.

"Come on, I talked so much about myself today, I figured I want to know something about you!"

"Oh. Umm, OK, uh..." Twilight shifted nervously. Seeing she wasn't sure what to tell him about, Discord pointed to her flank.

"How did you get your Cutie Mark?"

"Oh, now that's a good story! You see, I was on this exam..."

So Twilight told him of her Cutie Mark. And after than mentioned she was indeed one of the gifted students. And after that told him about how they brought Luna back to normal after her one thousand years long banishment, as Discord naturally missed that story. Then about all the things that had happened back on the wedding of her brother ("So, how is Chrysalis these days?") and then started with a story of how and why she moved to Ponyville. She was telling him all these stories with so much passion because he didn't seem to get bored with her tales - he'd let her talk, then asked questions if he didn't understand something, or wanted to know something extra and sometimes friendly teased her or joked about the events she told him of. She never even noticed how invested they both were, her into telling, him into knowing.

Alas, she started to yawn, sleep overwhelming her as she recalled the experience with parasprite invasion. The Spirit seemed equally tired as he stretched and curled himself up on the floor and bidding Twilight good night.

"Sleep well, Twilight Sparkle."

"Good night, Discord." Twilight said gently as she leaned on her pillow and observed the Spirit as he slowly departed to Dreamland. Twilight fell asleep some time after, not even realizing she was staring at him the whole time until her consciousness slipped away into colorful, pleasant dreams that faithfully depicted the interesting stories she heard that nice, sunny day.

14) Cat 'n the Hat

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"Twilight? Twilight my dear, where have you gotten to? I have an emergency!"

Twilight heard a familiar voice but, still being half asleep, couldn't quite pinpoint whom it belonged to. The dream was heavy on her eyes, not allowing her to open them. But a sudden shriek of pain coming from the draconequues woke her up in an instant; she jumped right out of the bed in panic, took a moment to regain her composure and looked around wildly. Discord was wailing, swirling through the air, hitting the ceiling and the walls with a heavy thud. His apparently painful flight finally ended once he smashed into one of the bookshelves, much to Twilight's horror.

"My books!" She shrieked as she trotted down the stairs, sleep completely forgotten, in process almost knocking over Spike, who just like her tried to get down to see what was causing all the racket.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine! You don't have to worry about me, save the books!" Twilight heard Discord yelling sarcastically as he got out of the huge pile of her literature, apparently struggling with something. To her surprise, a few feet away from him stood Rarity, gasping, wincing and yelling out something incoherent.

"Help! Oh, for the love of Chaos, help!"

"Stop it, you ruffian! You'll hurt her!" Rarity bellowed but Discord kept squirming and wrestling with whomever was bothering him.

"Hurt whom?!" Twilight questioned in fear, wondering what did Discord do to anger anypony. Finally, as she focused her mind on magic, she used it to separate Discord from... "Opal?!"

"Oh, my little baby!"

"I'm going to smite that little furry-"

"Discord, no!" Twilight warned, using her magical shield to stop Discord from launching at Rarity's cat - Opal didn't seem terrified by the angry, raging Spirit as she hissed, trying to probe the shield with her short, sharp claws.

"Opal! Down darling!" Rarity said sternly, her words not affecting the cats' behavior at all. Once the agitated Spirit settled down a bit and Rarity dragged her cat from him, Twilight lowered the shield. They still eyed each other dangerously.

"Rarity, you needed me?" Twilight asked, finally realizing it was Rarity's voice that called for her before.

"And why did you have to bring Opal?" Spike added, eyeing the ferocious cat with a careful stare.

"Actually, Opal is the exact reason why I came to visit you." Rarity said as she petted her beloved fuzzball. Opal was finally calm but was still hissing at the Spirit quietly, who returned with an angry gaze. "Twilight, dear, I'm glad to see you're back on your hooves but I have a fashion emergency - you need to watch Opal for me! Just until the evening! I have to go out of town for a little bit!"

"What? Me? Why don't you ask Fluttershy? I mean, it would probably be fine but Fluttershy is much more suitable for this."

"Fluttershy is coming with me, darling! I begged her to wear a few of my designs for a fashion show just this one more time; my regular model is ill." Rarity explained, a pleading look in her eyes."And I don't have anypony else to ask! The only available pony aside from you is Rainbow Dash but... well, you seem like you'd know what to do better." She grinned a bit sheepishly, not wanting to give Rainbow a bad reputation. Twilight gave her a reassuring smile.

"It is not a problem at all. It might even be fun!"

"What?!" Spike and Discord spoke in unison, both of them not angry nor upset as much as terrified of the notion of an afternoon with Opal. Rarity ignored their reaction as she gratefully threw herself around Twilight's neck.

"Oh, thank you, thank you dear! I promise, I will make it up to you all. I have to run now; our carriage is about to leave. Here's a list of some basic things you should know but don't worry, my Opal is easy to handle. Have fun!" She cheerfully greeted before closing the doors of the library and galloping away.

"Well, I guess this would be a good opportunity to broaden my research on behavior of domesticated felines!" Twilight grinned.

Unsurprisingly, she got no smiles in return.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Twilight, dear? I need to speak to you." Discord tried about half an hours later, sounding as meek as he never did, as Twilight studied her encyclopedia, looking up an entry on felines.

"If it is about Opal having to leave the library, no you don't." She briefly answered.

"... No, I actually do." Discord retorted.

Twilight sighed and raised her eyes from the chapter on anatomy of a cat's ear. "Discord, what is wrong? Opal has been so peaceful and nice so far! Look at her, she's just resting in front of the fireplace!"

"She is watching me." Discord whispered as if he was talking about something incredibly confidential. Twilight eyed the cat. Opal was seemingly sleeping.

"What are you talking about, she's taking a nap."

"She is not. That cat... that cat is a calculating, cunning thing. She is not to be trusted."

At this point, Twilight was believing the Spirit was pulling her leg, trying to dramatize things for entertainment and she started giggling softly which the Spirit misinterpreted.

"Not funny!" The Spirit hissed into her ear. "It's a conspiracy! That cat is on to me... I can smell it."

"Oh, you're being so silly!" Twilight openly laughed. "Opal may be a little demanding but she is a good pet. If she causes any trouble I'll do something about it but until then be a good Spirit of Chaos and just calm down already!" Her tone was clearly saying that was the end of discussion as she got back to her research, deciding she was going to dedicate her day to writing a few reports. In short, she wanted nothing to do with Discord's antics that day - she missed her books and her work.

Discord grumbled at his failure as he once more again over at Opal - who was now staring right back at him. With a terrified gasp, he climbed the second floor and hid behind the wooden stair railing, watching the seemingly calm cat from there. Her gaze was still on him; there was some emotion in her eyes he couldn't quite place but it was nothing positive. Everything she held in those eyes was once in his, when he sought to rule Equestria with an iron fist...

"How can she not notice it?!" Discord grumbled to himself, wondering if it was because of the gender that the mares didn't see that need for world domination lurking in Opal's sharp eyes.

"You can see it too, right?" He heard a quiet voice. Turning his head slightly, he saw Spike a few feet away from him, hiding behind a plant and observing Opal in the same manner. His eyes looked calm, experienced, like he went through this ordeal many times before. "That bloodthirsty stare." Spike continued, his voice unusually cold and solemn. Discord slowly nodded in response.

"We have to do something about that cat." Discord whispered. Spike gazed at the Spirit, almost feeling sorry for him..

"It will be dangerous, you know. Opal is not just any cat. She is..." He never finished his thought, not exactly knowing how to express himself; but Discord seemed to understand.

"We have no choice. If we don't do something... she will." They both gave the cat a dangerous, threatening stare. Opal seemed to frown as she quietly hissed, showing all of her teeth. It attracted Twilight's attention for a couple of moments but by the time the purple mare checked on the cat, she pretended she was asleep once again. Shrugging, Twilight returned to her research. The cat grinned evilly at the two hiding.

"I knew it." Discord managed, his eyes burning with growing determination.

"So what do we do?" Spike questioned. Discord stood up. No hiding, not anymore. Spike followed his action - their sudden change of attitude made Opal tense up.

"We attack." Discord dangerously said, observing the unsuspecting mare, who was likely to be the victim of the raging war between good and evil, life and death... The Hellish forces of Opals' claws against two lone soldiers of (Dis)Harmony.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Discord slithered between the vases, picture frames and other smaller things that took up space on the shelf above the fireplace. He had no idea why didn't he try transforming into other animals for so long - it was quite amusing to observe the world from this perspective. As a picture frame nearly fell on him, he remembered why - he was a quite vulnerable in such forms.

"Hey Twilight," he heard Spike talking, distracting the mare's attention, "what are you up to?"

"Oh, just finishing up a few reports - I have to double check them all, I want to make sure I didn't miss a thing." Discord turned around the large vase full of flowers, nearly gagging. As a lizard, the overpowering smell of flowers felt nearly nauseating.

"Oh, let me help you then!"

"Spike, you hate double checking." The mare retorted. Discord finally reached his goal on the corner of the shelf. The white ball of fur was right below him.

"Still, I want to be of help!"

"Oh well, if you really want to, you can help me with this one..."

The Spirit waited, eyes on the cat and waiting for the signal. Finally, Spike slowly, carefully turned around and after a few seconds of searching for now quite tiny form of Discord and meeting his glance, gave him a reassuring nod.

Taking a deep breath, Discord jumped down, straight on Opal's fur and strongly bounced off her to the floor.

The cat jumped up in the air, span around wildly until she located the small animal that ran across the wooden floor at great speed. Her hunter instinct kicking in, the great chase began.

Twilight didn't notice anything as Spike surprisingly had oh so many things to say about her research as well to point out the numerous mistakes she somehow managed to miss during her last grammar check. The little dragons' heart beat faster when Opal darted after Discord having her sadistic fun with him. Then Discord climbed the wall, slithered out one of the windows and swiftly crawled out, Opal following him. He sighed a breath of relief, wondering how exactly will Discord make Opal behave. If they did anything to her here in the library, Twilight would freak out.

A minute passes before the Spirit reappeared, his original form back and a satisfied smirk on his face. He gave Spike a conspiring wink, and Spike returned it.

"Spike? Are you even listening to me?"

"Huh?"

".. You know what Spike, I'm fine doing this by myself, you seem a bit out of it." Twilight deadpanned.

"Oh... alright." Spike left Twilight alone to correct the mistakes he inserted on purpose and met the Spirit in the bedroom. "Where is she?" He asked quietly. The Spirit merely snickered at first.

"She is right here." He replied with a whisper and opened his hand. There on his palm, a tiny white cat the size of a bottle cap looked at them with a murderous stare.

"She manages to look terrifying even when she's so tiny." Spike noticed.

"Appearances, appearances. She will bother us no more. This time, there is no way she could OW!" Discord suddenly yelped, Opal digging her tiny sharp teeth into his claw. Led by instinct, he shook his hand off and the cat flew through the air and swiftly landed on her feet right on the railing of the stairs. Both the Spirit and little dragon stared, their jaws dropped.

Having no idea how he managed to feel anything remotely painful from the likes of a tiny cat, Discord hissed in anger. He had made a horrible mistake of underestimating the little abomination and for that, his pride had to pay. But he was set on repaying the feline.

They tried to catch her but she was too small and much too fast; Opal ran down the railing quickly, with speed Discord didn't predict. She was heading straight for the librarian.

"She mustn't find out!" Spike squeaked and they both launched after the cat, Discord in process turning into a small bird. Spike tried to grab the cat again but she simply bounced off his scaly fingers. Discord in his feathery form caught her for a moment but Opals continuous scratching and biting quickly made him let go and return to his original form. Opal made a fatal jump aiming for Twilight, and everything seemed to have gone slow.

If they didn't do something in the next few seconds, it would be over. Twilight would see the shrunken cat... and then they'd have to face the wrath of the librarian.

Not having a choice, Discord desperately clicked his fingers, returning Opal to her regular size. The cat was slightly surprised with the change as she fell right onto Twilight's head, drawing a surprised shout from her.

"Ah! What the...?" She looked up to see Opal. The cat gave her the most fake and adorable face she could produce in such a short amount of time but Twilight didn't seem to have noticed anything out of order as she nuzzled the cat. "Aww, you must be so lonely, right Opal?" She asked. The cat purred sweetly in response, making her smile. The two defeated warriors gritted their teeth. "I'm really sorry, but I have much work to do... Spike!"

The sound of his own name made Spike's blood run cold. He swallowed hard before descending the stairs, Discord saluting him as he did.

"Yeah?" He asked, his voice on the edge of quivering.

"Would you please play with Opal a bit? She is bored and I just don't have the time!"

Taking her reluctantly in his hands, he had the honour of watching her sweet expression turning into a grin of pure malice.

"Sure."

"Thank you." Twilight smiled at him before going back to her research.

The dragon and the cat sat on the floor, Spike realizing he'd have to imitate some sort of game to occupy the cat with that would satisfy Twilight yet wouldn't have to mean his inevitable meeting with pain. Just as he was wondering whatever should he do, the cat suddenly scratched his arm harshly, his dragon scales for whatever lovecraftian reason not protecting him entirely from the seething pain.

"Here, kitty kitty..." Spike tried to pet her; in return, Opal launched at him and tackled him to the floor and hissing into his face as her claws pulled at the more sensitive skin on his belly. For the first time ever, as he wondered if it was possible for the cat to slice his skin open, Spike was afraid.

"Oh, that's so sweet!" Twilight, who thanks to Opal's quickly fixed face of a playful pet got the wrong impression they were playing, gave Spike a grateful look.

Spike never wanted to cry so badly.

Discord decided it was time to get serious. Still with the lack of his powers, he wrecked his brains trying to think of something, knowing he couldn't do anything like simply change her personality upside down... right?

... Maybe he could try? There was no other choice, really.

Sneakily, he approached the cat and in a swift motion put a talon finger on top of cat's head. He was surprised to feel the magical energy running through his finger as he managed to cast a powerful spell with no difficulty - however, he felt a need for a few... 'magical words'.

"Soft kitty, warm kitty,
little ball of fur~
happy kitty, sleepy kitty,
purr, purr, purr~"

Opal's complete body color turned from white to soft pink and she suddenly stopped hissing, nuzzling against Spike instead and licking his face affectionately.

"Wow, how...?" There was little space for questions in the suddenly delighted mind of the little dragon. Discord shrugged, not being entirely sure how did he manage to do that, himself. Maybe Celestia was a bit more generous with her gift when she gave him his powers back?

... Then he realized he did just make Opal nice, so...

"I guess Celestia only allowed me to make things fine and dandy." He mumbled, annoyed.

Spike wasn't paying much attention, as he now actually had a pleasant time with Opal as they ran up to the bedroom to play; even Discord joined him, conjuring a few funny looking pet toys.

Twilight was done with her research before the sun set, feeling tired but satisfied. Unfortunately for Discord, both him and Spike forgot about Opal and her color change once they stopped playing and have left the cat alone to wander around; the purple mare wasn't the one to miss obvious details. With a distinctive cough, she called for both of them to come down to the library.

"What happened to Opal?" She asked strictly. Discord and Spike exchanged the looks of guilt before Discord managed, pointing at the little dragon:

"He did it."

He earned two deadpanned looks for that.

"Spike, go and prepare us dinner." The mare coldly said and the little dragon wasn't going to wait a moment before retreating into the kitchen. Discord cleared his throat.

"You know, you'd think that little guy would get tired of his role as a perpetual meal-maker in this story just for the sake of the two of us being able to lead a more or less private conversation."

"You won't confuse me with your strange tales this time, Discord."

Drats. If breaking the fourth wall didn't work as a distraction, he didn't know what in the world would.

"Opal hates being scratched on the tummy." Twilight finally said, as she did just that. Discord mumbled something incoherent.

"Sorry?"

"Maybe she dropped into a can of paint?" He tried, drawing the words.

"She doesn't smell like paint."

"She might've blushed!" The Spirit decided, giving her a playful smile that didn't seem to be taken well.

"That is impossible."

"... Well I dunno, then."

Being met with the most patronizing and warning glare he finally gave up. The draconequues dragged over to her and placed a finger on Opal, returning her the old fur color and her natural aggressive state. Opal swiftly escaped from Twilight's gently grasp and placed herself on the couch, practicing her claws on it. "I just gave her a little change in attitude is all." He finally admitted. Twilight gasped and Discord imediatelly started to justify his actions. "She was very hard to deal with!"

"Well that is not how one deals with problems, Discord." Twilight sternly said. "You can't deal with problems by magically making them disappear."

"Apparently I can!" Discord noticed with a smirk. "And I had no idea, really! Celly must've really taken a liking to me when she was so generous."

"Yeah, I'm sure that's the reason." Twilight replied sarcastically, trying her best to hide the fact that the reason of her anger wasn't the little spell they put on the fact but the fact Discord was becoming aware of his abilities and he was doing it at an increasingly fast pace. "I don't want you to do this kind of thing anymore, Discord."

"Why not? It makes lives easier!"

"You did the same to me and my friends in the labyrinth." Twilight reminded. Discord was petrified for a moment, before replying:

"Oh come on, Twilight Sparkle, this is different! I turned her nice! She was cuddly and a cute, fluffy little delight to be around!"

"... So if I were for whatever reason in a bad mood, you'd go as far as to magic me into feeling better for your own needs?" Twilight finally asked. Discord was very much prepared to reply that was exactly the sort of scenario he would be a part of... only to realize it wouldn't.

"... Oh." Was all he finally had to say, caught of guard by how own thoughts. Twilight victoriously smirked however, believing her message had in fact gotten to him.

"That's what I thought. So, no more pony-changing magic?" She offered a hoof to seal the deal. Reluctantly, still wondering what was going on with him, Discord accepted it.

"Fine."

"That's a good draconequues!" Twilight said proudly as she patted his paw, which he pulled away from her swiftly.

"Stop patronizing me, it is positively horrifying." Discord shuddered. The unicorn shrugged.

"I don't know, I think it is kind of fun."

Before Spirit could reply, there was a knock on the door that was followed by the impatient entrance.

"Hello my darlings!" Rarity loudly greeted as she trotted in, wearing a warm, fancy purple coat and a slightly over the top hat. Fluttershy followed, still in her clothes she wore on the fashion show - a winter set in the colour of soft pink.

Spike rushed over to greet her enthusiastically, offering to take their coat too, which Rarity delightfully accepted, while Fluttershy shyly said there was no need. Twilight trotted over to the fashionista with Opal on her side.

"Welcome back, Rarity, Fluttershy! How was the fashion show?"

"Oh it was simply marvelous!" Rarity started, the excitement still sparkling in her blue eyes. "You should've seen Fluttershy, everypony were gasping as she ever so shyly and humbly walked down that podium!"

"It was... um, well, it was nice this time." Fluttershy quietly said, a meek smile on her face.

Rarity felt the need to explain: "I made sure nopony bothered her after we were done with the show, so she could socialize and mingle without being pestered. We were having a wonderful time in the end."

"Well, I'm glad to see you both had fun despite your differences." Twilight confirmed, at the same time glancing knowingly at Discord; he threw his arms into the air, defeated, annoyed and silent.

"Oh, right - I have something for you all!" Rarity happily said, digging through one of her bags. "I say, Canterlot seems more beautiful every time I visit - they have the most interesting things in their shops, so I couldn't resist but to find you all a little something!"

"Oh Rarity, that's so nice of you, thanks!" Twilight replied as she watched her digging through her luggage - judging by Rarity's excitement, she most likely brought them clothes. But to her surprise, the first thing that flew from Rarity's bag to Twilight was...

"A book?" Twilight gasped, looking at the royally blue book with a silver trim in surprise.

"Why, yes; we all know well just how much you love books, so what else would be a better present!" Rarity smiled and went on to explain the book that was titled 'The Gown of your Dreams comes from the Trees'. "You see, they are all awfully indulged in fashion there, so I couldn't really bring you just any book that you haven't already most likely read but I think you'll like this one! It is on how exactly the fabric is made. My, when I went through it, even I was surprised by some of the things - to think such wonderful, elegant fabric comes from something so wild and untamed."

Twilight opened the book randomly; judging from her growing smile, Rarity choose well. "Hey, this does look interesting! I've been looking for light read before sleep. Thank you, Rarity!" Rarity let out a relieved breath.

"Spikey-Wikey~," she called playfully, "time for your present now!"

Spike blushed almost instantly. "M-me? Aww, shucks, Rarity, you didn't have to, yanno..."

"Nonsense! I would never forget my sweet little dragon!" With those words, Rarity once more went through her luggage and handed the dragon a big, heart shaped gem, much like the one he once gave her once before, only of radiant, green color. It was heavy in Spike's hands.

"An... an emerald!" Spike stated in disbelief. "And... wow, this one is so well kept! This must cost a fortune!"

Rarity laughed softly. "Nothing is too much for my friend. and this one is all yours!"

"Wow, Rarity, I-- Thank you, thank you so much!" He eagerly rushed over to give her a hug, which she gladly returned. Somewhere in the back, Discord pretended to throw up.

"Now, don't think I forgot about you!" Rarity suddenly said to him. Discord looked around to see who was she talking to, until he realized all of the eyes were upon him.

"Me?" He asked in disbelief, his face contorting. Even Twilight felt surprised a bit but then again, who was she kidding? Element of Generosity in action!

"Alright now, we may not know each other well and you may have almost murdered my cat this morning-"

"It was the other way around."

"-but who am I to deny a shopping spree fever! Besides, you are our friend, now!" Discord twitched upon hearing those words, much to Twilight's wonder but he remained silent and waited for whatever unneeded thing she was going to give him. "You are quite a demanding soul though - having been able to get yourself whatever you wish, in the end I had no idea what should I give you." Rarity admitted. "So, I just went with my lady instinct; something told me you would like something like this." With those words she pulled out a hat.

But not just any hat. It was a top hat. (dun-dun-DUUUN)

It was much taller than any hat Twilight had ever seen, of bright crimson color and had a golden ribbon of silk tied around it but the probably best part was the fact it was utterly covered in glitter. Underneath the warm lights of the library, it sparkled immensely at the tiniest nudge.

"I've made it a bit bigger, so it would suit you better." Rarity couldn't help but to try and justify the reason for it's size. Twilight frowned.

"Wait... you made it?"

"Well of course! Hats of that measurements are hardly sold anywhere close by, my dear."

Discord took the hat in his hands, his face expressionless. Rarity bit her lip.

"It is alright if you don't like it! I mean, I'd understand, since you could probably make one yourself. I just thought- you know, that it would be nice if you had a piece of fancy clothing, just in case an occasion pops up! It also, well, it matches your eyes." She tried with a smile.

Discord was quiet as he studied his present. "This hat..." He slowly started. Then he put it on his head and with the seriousness Twilight didn't know he was capable of, uttered: "This is the best hat ever."

"Oh!" Rarity let but a relieved laugh, a soft shade of pink covering her cheeks, showing just how happy she was. Spike didn't look nearly as satisfied with the situation. "Well," she started with a stutter, obviously confused by the compliment, "I best be on my way! We have friends to visit! Later, darlings!" Taking Opal and Fluttershy with her, Rarity swiftly left the library, barely giving Spike the time to say 'bye'. Silence ensued as Discord checked himself out in a mirror.

"This hat is positively stunning." Discord stated again, tilting the hat. "I must say, I am pleasantly surprised. She doesn't seem like the type to give thoughtful gifts."

"That just means you haven't met her as well as you think." The unicorn said wisely. "I'm glad you like it, though. Rarity was pretty happy she choose well."

"You ponies get happy about the dumbest of things." Discord mocked but it was undeniable that he was heavily flattered by the gesture. Neither him nor the unicorn could take the smiles off their faces until Spike finally decided to speak up, not being able to resist addressing the obvious.

"Oh come on! You could easily conjure one up yourself!"

"Spike!" Twilight started, about to lecture the little dragon but Discord beat her to it as he chuckled.

"My dear dragon boy, you fail to see the importance of what just happened."

"Oh?" Spike inquired, crossing his arms.

"Clearly," Discord cleared his throat, "dear Rarity was fond of me enough to give me a hat in colors she knows I would both like and will suit me. And a top hat is obviously her try to get me one step closer to what is known as 'courtesy' - because as we all know, top hats are one true sign of a proper Sir in addition to being just incredibly awesome. Rarity probably knew how much I love 'awesome'. I appreciate both her efforts and kindness greatly."

Twilight was positively glowing as Discord analyzed Rarity's gift, not being able to believe her ears. It was nearly like listening to Celestia, understanding and caring, sharing her wisdom of magic and frie-

"Indeed, Miss Rarity obviously fancies me~!" He sang, drawing a loud 'what?!' from Spike and promptly making Twilight's deadpanning face fall into her hoof. Discord started summoning little birds and making flowers grow under his feet as he pranced around.

"No way! Rarity would never--!" Spike stared, only to be interrupted by Discord's singing as he started waltzing around the room, grabbing Twilight in the progress to spin her around. She let out a squeak and in the similar pitch of voice tried to demand to be put down but the Spirit wasn't listening.

"She glanced this way, I thought I saw
and when we touched she didn't shudder at my paw~
No it can't be, I'll just ignore,
but then she's never looked at me that way before~"

To anyone who wasn't Discord, Twilight or Spike at that moment, it would nearly look as if Discord were tormenting them both but a part of Twilight that got used to the Spirits' presence, miraculously, rebelliously went against her and she found herself enjoying the whole thing - the revelation which, to be fair, she didn't like one bit.

"Stop it! That'll so never happen!" Spike bellowed, nearly panicking. "Twilight, say something!"

The Spirit paused in his prancing steps to look at the unicorn and gave her a meaningful look. About a month ago, when she didn't know Discord like she did now, Twilight would have no idea what he wanted. But she knew now; she was supposed to play along with the joke. Of course, she would refuse as she wouldn't have it in her heart to do this to Spike--

"I'm sure you two are going to make a wonderful couple." She found herself saying instead, both impressed by her own courage and mentally chastising herself. That line was the last straw for everyone; Discord went into hysterics, Twilight let a few hesitant giggles escašpe her and Spike realized they were just pranking him. He let out a sigh of relief.

"You two are horrible." He managed shakily, looking semi serious as he continued: "If anyone should make a couple, it should be you two, you are both horrible, evil pranksters."

"You insult me, dragon boy - Twilight Sparkle here has a long way before she becomes as evil of a prankster as I am."

"I think I prefer with my current title of 'egghead', thank you very much." Twilight retorted.

"And in the true spirit of your eggheadedness, you remain as boring as usual, so congrats! You're living the dream!"

For a moment, they all fell silent, looking back on the interesting day they had.

"... So, should I ask her out on a date?"

"NO."

The draconequues and the unicorn snickered.

15) Lost, Found, Discovered

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Well, who would have known. This chapter turned out pretty serious. Hope you enjoy it anyway.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Twilight woke up to the cloud covered sky and the sounds of rain. The air was stale and humid, the whole day altogether seeming like a perfect day to spend doing absolutely nothing but mope around and wait for such ugly weather to move on. But Twilight Sparkle would have none of that! Lighting the fire to chase away the humid air, she woke Spike up before trotting away to look for the whereabouts of the draconequues. The draconequues in question, however, was nowhere to be found. Frowning, she went into the kitchen where Spike already started making preparations for the breakfast.

"Spike, have you seen Discord?"

"Not since last night."

Though wondering where could he be, Twilight didn't pay it much thought. After all, the Sun was still in place, plants were still rooted firmly in the ground normal and houses didn't turn into flying coaches. Instead of worrying about it, she dug into her sunflower seed sandwich as she and Spike discussed the plans for such a foul day. They both agreed it was no time for anything productive and decided on visiting a movie theater and eating out someplace nice and warm. It was going to be a nice, calm, comfortable rainy day, Twilight Sparkle figured and nothing was going to ruin it.

Still, as her and Spike sipped on a dispenser coffee in the cinema coffee shop, she couldn't help feeling like she missed out in certain aspects of fun thanks to Discord's absence.

"I wonder where Discord is." She finally spoke. Spike didn't seem like he missed him much or at all for that matter, as he waved his claw dismissively.

"Oh, he's probably at home already and wondering where you are."

"I hope so - I think he would get a kick out of the move we've just seen. I can't wait to tell him about it." She smiled to herself as she imagines Discord's face as he found out he had to miss an afternoon of fun.

When they finally got back to the library though, an ugly surprise waited for her.

"He's... not here?" Nothing but the same emptiness they left behind them greeted them back in. Twilight was only slightly surprised. Truth to be told, she was sure that Discord, once he would realize he was home alone, would transform her library into an amusement park or something... Which, she supposed, would mean he wasn't here at all. For the first time, seeing her regular library for what it was was an ugly sight.

"Where could he be? It is past dinner time."

"Well, we could go and ask around if somepony had seen him."

"No, no, it's alright. He'll probably be back by the morning. He can't be gone for good, right?"

Discord wasn't back the next morning. The morning after that either, upon which Twilight decided it was definitely the time to conclude Discord wasn't just out and about.

Twilight and Spike had spent most of the day questioning everypony in the whole city if they had seen him. Finally they found a clue; the last time he was seen was by the young Post Haste. He claimed he saw the Spirit flying to the direction of the Everfree forest one early morning a few days ago.

Twilight didn't take the news too calmly.

"Are you alright?" Spike asked her. Twilight was in her room and packing only the most necessary supplies frantically.

"I will be as soon as I find him." The unicorn replied firmly as she packed her bag with several scrolls.

"Shouldn't you ask the others to help you?"

"I don't have time to get them all and explain. Discord could be in great danger right now and I can't afford to wait for anypony." She turned to the baby dragon, a serious, determined look in her eyes. "Inform Rainbow Dash at least, she could scout it easily - Everfree Forest, remember."

Spike barely managed to utter an 'on my way' before the unicorn ran out of the library frantically. He watched as she disappeared behind the corner and through the library door and slightly panicking as he followed in her hoofsteps; though Twilight's magic was powerful, he didn't know just how much of that forest could she handle.

Getting an idea, he skipped out to find Pinkie Pie - if anyone could spread news fast enough, it was her.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Twilight felt no regrets when she stepped into the dark forest alone, feeling chills climbing up her spine but bravely ignoring them as she moved forward. If her friends were going to come, fantastic - but she sure as heck didn't have time to organize a rescue party while Discord could be at a bottom of some ditch, or desperately stuck somewhere, or-- she shook her head, cutting off the dark thought process and proceeded.

The path under her hooves was quickly lost once she reached a certain point, so she was happy she brought her compass - even if she got utterly lost, or was for whatever reason incapable of casting her transporting spell, she always just had to head west and she would eventually reach Ponyville with ease.

The forest got darker the further she went, the trees forming a thick shield of leaves that Sun barely shined through, offering Twilight little to no light. Soon, she had to ignite her own spell to light the nonexistent path.

At some point, she decided to look at the compass - and instantly felt the heavy load in her stomach becoming even heavier with horror. The needle wasn't still - it kept turning and turning, never pointing North.She had no idea what caused the compass' unusual behavior until that very word got stuck in her mind. Unusual. Chaotic? Resemblance was close enough for her to attempt making a connection. Twilight decided Discord must be somewhere nearby. Her hopeful mind didn't have any space for doubt.

Twilight soon lost the track of time - for all she knew, she could have been in here for half an hour or whole day. She kept looking at her compass - at one point it actually pointed North, upon which she trotted back until it started acting weird again. By now, she was absolutely sure it was Disord's magic that caused this. Which meant, he was capable of casting magic, which meant he was relatively okay, at least. But why wasn't he returning home then?

The area his magic had affected must've been big, because it took her quite some time before she found a first clue - a few blue feathers. Blue as the sky. Feathers of Discord's wing. Encouraged, the unicorn trotted on faster, her hooves echoes eerily in the huge, quiet, deserted forest.

Then, before her, an unusual, unsettling scene. A tree, scratched and torn in so many ways, as if somepony tried to get something out of its core. A few broken and fallen branches. Twilight shuddered, afraid to even think what might've happened. She took a look at the compass. It's needle was spinning wildly, faster than ever. Silently she kept walking, observing the numerous traces of destruction, following its path, until she finally rounded a large, thick bush...

The draconequues was sprawled on the ground. His slowly raising and falling chest gave her a clear proof he was still alive but the position he was in also gave indication that he had been violently attacked. Where once there was that mischievous, filly-ish smile now hanged a painful grimace, the sparkly golden eyes closed into a small, tense frown, the sound of breathing short and shallow. Even his slim, long body seemed unnaturally thinner than usual and his wings, instead of being neatly folded, laid open in the dirty ground.

Without a breath, Twilight approached the Spirit carefully, eyes peeled to her surroundings. No living being seemed to be around.

"Discord?" She called with a whisper but knew she would only get silence in response. Taking comfort in the fact he was still breathing, she checked him out. He didn't seem to be actually hurt; no blood, no scars... until she rounded him and got a good look of his neck, when she got positively sick.

Two very recognizable bite marks, slightly smudged by dark, red spots. Twilight gritted her teeth as the thought of Crysalis' hive buzzed through her mind. Apparently, a few deserter Changelings liked their new home in the Everfree forest. Twilight would have to inform her brother of this; the Royal Guards were probably ignorant of the fact a Changeling, maybe even more than one, resided here.

Twilight knew how Changelings fed of their victims; once bit, the victims would have a spell released into their body, which would provide the Changeling with constant flow of their 'food', given that their victims felt any love for anypony at all. This would continue until the victim became too weak – destroying a food supply was never an option. At the very least, Twilight thought, Changelings didn't tend to have murderous intents.

Around Discord lied traces of his magic - simple examples of food. He ate when he could and when they let him but that was likely all he could in this state - weaker than ever.

Twilight calmed her breathing and concentrated. She slowly lowered her horn to his wound, then cast a spell.

Slowly, as if she was pulling out something heavy, green thick smoke-like substance started to rise out of his wound, dispersing the moment it touched the air. The curse. Being encouraged by the unexpected success of her spell, she continued. Finally done, she managed to successfully close the wound.

The expression of Discord's face noticeably changed to a more relaxed one but he still wasn't waking up. Twilight bit her lip. She was just about to try to wake him up when suddenly, something rustled in the bushes. Two brilliantly blue eyes stared at her from the darkness. In the next moment, they closed. Everything was dark for a few more moments, when before her came the exact replica of herself. Even though her double was wearing a cocky, confident smile, Twilight felt no fear. Instead, she felt rage.

"You must not remember me kicking your kind's flank back in Canterlot." She said darkly. Changeling was looking at her in confusion before recalling the mare that ruined their queen's perfect plan, upon which it let out a frightened yelp, gaining its original form back and swiftly disappeared in the dark trees. She didn't chase him - Shining Armor would take care of that once she informed him.

With another spark of a spell, Twilight managed to transport them both to the edge of the Everfree, just in time to see her friends getting out from it - it appeared they were all going in group and searched one section of the forest by one, not wanting to risk separating or getting lost. With a surprise, she noticed the sky has grown dark - just how long has she been in that cursed forest?

"Twilight!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, drawing the attention of the other mares. They gathered round their friends and worriedly eyed the sleeping draconequues she brought with him. "Is... is he...?"

"He is fine. Bit by a changeling, though." She managed, letting out a sigh of relief and letting a smile climb her face, wanting to show the appreciation she couldn't word at their friends' presence.

"A Changeling? In the forest?" Fluttershy quietly managed, her voice trembling.

"Yeah, but I don't think there are many. In fact I only saw one and it escaped as soon as I glared at it." She mimicked the hard stare but it soon fell before the obvious exhaustion her eyes reflected. Applehack patted her on the back.

"Come along, sugar-cube - let us get ya home."

The farmer quickly brought about one of her carriages so they could take the Spirit back to the library. Once there, they gently set him on his favorite spot in front of the fireplace and covered him in one of his deared blankets. He wasn't however showing any signs of waking up anytime soon. Fluttershy and Applejack occupied the librarians' kitchen, Fluttershy preparing some strong tea and Applejack cooking something she called 'the tastiest of all yucky medicines' while the rest of her friends gathered round her, making sure she was alright.

Surprising everypony around her, Pinkie Pie seemed to be feeling worst of them all. She constantly looked over to the Spirit as if expecting to see him moving or doing something in line with his usual shenanigans.

"Is Discord going to be alright?" She finally dared to ask, her voice utterly devoid of her usually cheerful tone. Twilight gave her an encouraging smile.

"Of course he will be, Pinkie - he is just worn out. The Changeling's feeding process can harm somepony in the long run and Discord seems to have been the, err... food provider, for two days. Continuously, too." She looked over at the Spirit feeling the remnants of panic disappear as she finally realized: "After he gets a good rest, he'll be the same old annoying self, trust me."

Probably hearing the growing confidence in her voice, Pinkie finally gave way to her typical bright eyed look.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It was the middle of the night and as Twilight had expected, she had troubles sleeping. Though she wanted to sleep desperately, her eyes stinging and her bed getting more uncomfortable by the second, she had to wait until the very early hours of the morning until she finally drifted off into a restless nap... which very forcefully and on the level of consciousness she wasn't aware she could possess while trying to sleep, dragged her into an entirely lucid dream by force that didn't feel natural.

She stood in a wide, grassy green field, above her was huge sky of blue lakes and fluffy white herds chasing each other. Despite it being the brightest day imaginable, there was no Sun. Breeze was blowing. Surrounding her, wherever she looked, was nothing but hills and hills of lush grass. Nothing else. Just her, green grass, blue sky and white clouds.

Without a goal, she started to walk. Despite the desolation she found herself feeling as if she was becoming one with this world of limitless skies and endless hills and living, breathing clouds... Wait. Some of those clouds were alive. In fact, they were sheep, she soon realized.

And then among all those sheep, she noticed a distinctive shade of red. A tail, hanging off a cloud that just so happened not to be a sheep. She recognized the tail of the draconequus and figured it was too bad it was all just a dream.

Then the tail disappeared and a head popped up. Though Discord seemed to be casually looking at the grass, the he noticed Twilight, he rose up and glided down next to her.

She didn't pay much mind to the dream-Discord until he pulled on her mane.

"Ow! What gives?!" She rubbed her neck.

"Just had to show you I was real and not a figment of your imagination by producing some pain." Discord said with a teasing smile. She blinked and, deciding not to give a flying dime about anything this one time, allowed herself to leap at him and squeeze him as much as her hooves allowed. While not exactly pleased, he returned the awkward hug with a pat on her head.

"You must've been awfully bored without me." Discord teased, chuckling. However, he was unpleasantly surprised when he noticed a few rare tears in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" The Spirit asked. "I though this original return of the wonderful and magnificent me would be anythign but tear inducing."

"You know, they teach us there is no such thing as dumb questions but then there's you to prove me wrong." Twilight sniffed loudly and she laughed, wiping her wet eyes before the tears could spill over. "Just what were you doing in Everfree anyway?"

Discord shrugged. "I was bored."

Twilight deadpanned. Then kicked him in the flank with force he didn't know she was capable of.

"Ow! What was that for?!"

"I was worried about you, you dolt!" Twilight started in that good old, bookish tone.

Discord laughed but it only seem to worsen her mood, so he made a quick job out of it and finally assured her. "Oh fine, fine, mother Twilight, I promise to ask for your permission first next time. Wouldn't like to be grounded for a week." He snickered at his own pun. Twilight barely contained a straight face. "So, how is it that you got a Changeling in your midst? Not been doing our job, have we?"

Not dignifying his taunt with a reply, she instead said: "Some of them must've deserted their Queen."

"I am not surprised. Chrysalis wasn't exactly the kind of leader anypony would want - nor my charm, not looks, nor skills."

"How about your blabbermouth?"

"Such a retort! This is the kind of Twilight Sparkle I've grown to love and cherish!" He sang out as sarcastically as he possibly could as he clapped his mismatched hands. "Come, let us bicker some more on our way to the realm of awaking."

It was basically exactly what they did - though Twilight protestes such a waste of time, he protested back and soon dragged her into a completely pointless discussion about his utterly meaningless arguments until she felt her head swimming and just like that, she found herself back in her bed, the noon Sun shining on her sheets.

When trotting down to the Spirit in front of the fireplace, she wasn't surprised to find him not half as well as he seemed in dreams. Still, he managed a tired smirk.

"Welcome back." Twilight whispered with a comforting grin. Discord just nodded before grabbing both the water and the food that waited by his side during the night and devouring both in a second before flopping back on the floor.

"I am... so tired."

"You'll probably have to spend a few days resting. Being a food container of a Changeling for two days could mean severe health damage to regular ponies. You're holding up pretty good."

Before she could even finish the sentence, Discord was asleep again, quietly snoring. Now that he was safe and sound, back in her home and on his way to recovery, Twilight could finally think properly about all the things she felt that day, all the crazy thoughts that ran through her head and all the fights her stupid, stupid heart lead with her brain.

When she first wrote those words in her diary, it was easy to dismiss them - they were obviously written on a whim and she barely ever recalled them. But... what now?

The draconequues was simply becoming too good to be true. Of course, it was her goal, teaching him of Harmony, becoming his friend; but feeling something that was possibly something more than a friendship? It just didn't felt right. It didn't feel... proper.

What had changed? Was it because they simply bonded so greatly? Was it because she liked to see him happy? Were both of those assumptions leading to something greater?

"You truly are the Lord of Chaos, Discord." The mare mused out loud, a deadpan in her voice. "I hope you're proud." Yesterday, as she searched the Everfree for her chaotic friend, she constantly tried to imagine her life without the troublesome Spirit she came to respect and cherish so greatly, the life that resembled those two short days he was gone. Living was easy without him before, yet it was so painful to imagine life with the emptiness he would have left behind.

In the end, Twilight realized her feelings wouldn't matter. As long as the Spirit was safe and as long as he kept offering her his friendship, Twilight knew she could be happy.

She could handle it.

16) Lesson Generosity

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For the most part, it didn't take long for the Spirit to get better. Though he grew to be physically just as in fine shape as before, almost every time he tried to cast a powerful spell that demanded actual effort - specifically the transporting one - he would get a strong, pounding headache. Twilight tried to tell him it was quite normal and that it would take some time before he could cast the stronger spells painlessly but it still didn't make the headache nor the disability to goof around with magic any more acceptable and he stubbornly decided to spend his time testing which spell he could cast without being subjected to pain.

Twilight, on the other hand, figured it would be best to indulge in any kind of work she could find so as to stop thinking about whatever newly discovered feeling fluttered in her gut whenever he talked to her. She found the whole ordeal of having a crush entirely bothersome, and decided some good old hard research would be the thing she needed to get her stupid mushy thoughts out of her head.

It wasn't so easy, because Discord felt particularly clingy that day and wouldn't leave her alone, listing off all the things they could indulge in together.

"But I haven't done anything with you in such a long time!" The Spirit complained when she finally cut his ramblings off and told him she had work to do. "I figured Celestia's little protege wouldn't take me under her wing if she didn't know how to take care of me and my unique needs!"

"That's very funny Discord but this research is importnat to me and I can't spend another minute putting it off."

He glimpsed at her papers and manage to catch a couple words before she snatched the research away. "Different types of fabrics on the Magical Cape of Wizarding Ponies? This has to be a joke, right?"

"I just thought I might add something to what I read about in the book Rarity gave me."

Raising at her one of her bushy eyebrows, he suddenly snatched the reasearch away, "Hey, give it back!," pulled on Spike's tail, "OW!," and sent the paper into the incidental flames of the little dragon, sending the barely started research straight into Celestia's quarters.

The mare groaned. "Great. Now I have to write to Celestia and explained what happened. Thank you so very much."

"Anytime. Now that THAT's been dealt with, entertain me!"

"Did you not notice that whenever you're bored, you demand from me to entertain you?"

Discord blinked. "That is what you're here for, isn't it?"

"To Tartarus with you, Discord."

"Fine then! I shall seek for entertainment elsewhere. It is obvious you're not feeling up the the challenge of entertaining his chaotic majesty." With those words, and barely avoiding a magical projectile shot his way, he left the agitated unicorn alone in the library, wondering what could have possibly caused her to act so uncharacteristically mean - it was truly delightful!

It took him only a small amount of time to decide on his activities for the day - pranking anypony that came into his sight was basically the closest he could have possibly come to producing the sort of chaos he enjoyed. Be it putting fake snakes in their bags, sticking a note with mocking messages on their flanks or simply turning their food into rubber, he spent some time coming up with new things until his antics brought him in front of the elementary school. He rarely passed nearby. He remembered Twilight telling him he should not interrupt the young minds at work, for they learn the best while they are small. Come to think of it, it sounded almost like she thought Discord had nothing valuable to teach! Truly bold, that mare.

Figuring he might as well try and prove her wrong, Discord decided today was the day when he would not listen to her nonsense and sneakily approached one of the opened windows, peeking in. Inside, the pony he recalled as Cheerilee was teaching with her usual vigor and smile and wondered how she would react to him appearing in there. Deciding he was hiding for long enough and surprisingly curious about what a class in her school looked like, he figured, since he could transport himself magically, he would come in the old fashioned way - through the window.

Diamond Tiara happened to be the first to notice the huge draconequues slithering in and she gasped the most surprised gasp a pony of her pitch could, alarming the entirety of the rest of the class. To his surprised, nopony screamed nor seemed instantly frightened for their life - it was then that he recalled he had a sort of a soft spot for young ponies who didn't understand the potential danger he could represent and as such, didn't immediately judge him.

The only grown mare in the room, though obviously shocked, gathered her wits pretty quickly and greeted him.

"Good morning, Mr Discord!" She said, with the tone that clearly ordered the class to greet him. Most of them did so, with exception of few that were still too shocked to do so.

"Good day, class." Discord politely greeted back, then addressed Cheerilee, bowing slightly as he did. "I couldn't help but become intrigued by what you do here. You wouldn't mind terribly if I observe your skillful teaching from the back of the class, would you Miss Cheerilee?"

Though clearly suspicious, Cheerilee seemed to have other things on mind as she suddenly brightened up and addressed the fillies before her. "What do you say, children? Should we show Mr Discord here what do we do in school?" The answer came in form of cheering. Ever since that day on the snow, most of the children quickly got attached to Discord's image of a crazy but fun uncle. Still, he was pleasantly surprised to see so many small ponies watching him with a glint of excitement in their eyes.

"Very well then - as long as you don't disrupt the class, you may stay. In fact, we're about to have Arts class, so if you wish you can participate. It could be fun!"

"Why, thank you!" In his excitement, the Spirit forgot about the low ceiling and his head met it with a loud thump. His small "ow" was followed by a roar of laughter. Only one of Cheerilee's stern looks was enough for class to fall silent, but snickering was still audible.

"Do forgive them, they are still so young - they need to learn not to laugh at other pony's misfortune." She raised her voice a bit to make the lesson clear.

After a moment of inner battle, he finally said: "Well you know me, I appreciate a good misfortune when I see one." Not everybody laughed - mostly because they didn't know how to react on his self-referencing - but otherwise, his words didn't seem to alarm anyone. Hoping to break the remnants of tension in the room, he decided on the way to entertain and both fit in, and with one click of his fingers turned into a small, child-like version of himself, only slightly taller than an average filly. His eyes and whole face went round, his arms and legs much stubbier and his elongated body gone, instead the size and shape of a bowling pin. Despite his mismatching looks, he actually looked presentable and his transformation was followed by many "ooh's" and "aww's".

"Much better." He spoke, his voice just as child like. Once he settled himself in the back in one of the empty benches, still rubbing his head, Cheerilee continued her lesson.

"Alright, I hope you all brought everything needed for today's art class - the winter is nearing and with it the cold weather. So today, we'll be trying to make something out of the materials you brought - hats!"

"What do I need to make a hat for? I have like dozens of them at home." Diamond Tiara piped.

Now, now, Tiara, you mustn't think like that!" Cheerilee warned. "Sometimes, having skills you don't momentarily need can come in handy later in life. Now everypony, gather around the 'teamwork desk'!"

Tiara didn't say anything, instead letting out an annoyed sigh as everypony gathered around a big, round table holding various supplies they were all allowed to use, helping each other in process. Discord was swiftly invited by the Crusaders to join them, so he placed himself in between a small orange Pegasus whose name he vaguely recalled as Scootaroo and a white Unicorn whose name he didn't remember. It was something melodious and cute but he didn't remember much else. He did recognize Apple Bloom though - her distinct accent and tomato red mane was hard to forget.

"Maybe making hats is our special talent." Apple Bloom tried but Scootaloo arched an eyebrow.

"If my special talent is making hats, then I might as well stay a blank flank." She deadpanned. Her comment drew a wise laughter from filly-Discord. Well, as wise as it could sound with his now childish voice.

"Oh, Scootaroo--"

"It's Scootaloo."

"Right, do forgive me. Oh Scootaloo, you underestimate the power of a good hat. Just a few days ago, I got the most magnificent top hat as a present. It had glitter, even!"

"That does sound... cool, I guess but we're not making fancy hats," Sweetie Belle started to explain, "we're making winter caps and things to keep our ears warm. See?" She pointed her hoof at the big pile of colorful materials on the teamwork desk, much of which looked like wool. "We have to connect some of this materials and make caps. Then, we can gift them to someone."

"Gift them? Why would you want to do that?" Discord questioned. "I'd rather make one for myself."

Sweetie Belle raised an eyebrow, at the same time confused and struggling to produce an answer. "Well, because it's nice and kind! Because the one you'll give it to will be happy! Because other pony's happiness is just as important to us as our own happiness!" She finally managed, a smile on her face as she successfully dealt with the question. Discord frowned for a moment and suddenly gasped.

"Wait, I remember now - you're Rarity's little sister!"

"Sweetie Belle, in case you forgot." She smiled. "And yes, I am."

"That explains everything." Discord snickered, but didn't say anything else - of course the sister of Element of Generosity would speak that way. Deciding he'd still rather make something that would fit his own childlike head, he followed other fillies' example and searched through the pile of cloths and materials for something he might use. Then he came across a piece that was thick and warm in the colour of dark, heavy blue. The colour of night. It reminded him of a certain Unicorn who loved starry nights.

Then, we can gift them to someone. Sweetie Belle's melodious voice echoed once more in his mind. He imagined giving Twilight a winter cap he himself created. A cute smile upon her face, the delighted spark in her eyes, the grateful hug and her voice, stuttering, filled with surprise, thanking him...

"What are you grining about?"

"Nothing. This just seems fun. Let's make some caps, then!"

Him and crusaders eagerly got busy - Discord swiftly picked a few other materials he knew would come in handy. Sweetie Belle, being a sister of a fashionista, was expected to have some experience with making clothing but she was as clumsy as anyone else. With her magic, she carefully tried to sew two pieces together and wasn't doing such a bad job after all. Scootaloo tried using the special cloth glue but she put way too much of it - it ended up looking like a pile of discarded stickers. Apple Bloom took the task of helping Discord with his creation.

On the other side of the table though, the atmosphere was a bit more frustrated. "This is so boring." Diamond Tiara spitefully said, watching carefully that her words do not reach Cheerilee, who was grading some tests on her desk. "I could be at my home right now, preparing an awesome party or checking out the jewelry shop."

"I know, right?" Silver Spoon replied automatically but with barely any enthusiasm - she, in fact, seemed to be interested in creating something but as always went along with her friend's statements.

Discord smirked. "She's bored, eh? I could fix that."

Apple Bloom looked over at him, then at Diamond Tiara. As much as she wanted to see her pranked, she knew Cheerilee wouldn't be happy with that.

"Don't do anything silly, Discord. Miss Cheerilee will punish us."

"Don't worry, I got it all planned out."

Beneath the table, Discord cast his magic. Just as Diamond Tiara threw one of the piece of cloths back to the pile, it returned to her much like a boomerang and slapped her right across her face, stuck over her left eye - and it remained there. Not noticing the strange behavior of the cloth, Tiara tried to remove it; only to realize, with a quite the terror visible in her right eye, that is was glued to her.

"What the hay?!" She shrieked, attracting Cheerilee's attention.

"Tiara! Watch that mouth of yours!"

"Miss Cheerilee, somepony put glue on this and stuck it on my eye!"

"You did it yourself." Scootaloo couldn't help throwing in. "Don't blame your clumsiness on others, sheesh." Her remark drew a soft laugh from everypony as they observed Tiara; she did her best to try and take of the piece of clothing that made her look like a pirate, even though Silver Spoon tried to tell her it wasn't a good idea.

"Shut up! UGH, if I could just---" She pulled a stronger on the piece of cloth and it finally came of - taking her eyelashes with it. Tiara screamed and her cheeks flushed when everypony laughed.

"Stop it, all of you! Diamond Tiara, it is no emergency. Your eyelashes will grow back."

"Well how long will it take?!" She replied hysterically, as if her life were on the line. Cheerilee sighed.

"I don't know, I--"

"About two months, if you're lucky." Discord offered, a teasing grin on his face. Diamond Tiara looked at him, shocked, then suddenly frowned.

"YOU! It was you, wasn't it!? You did this to me!" She yelled, pointing her hoof at him.

Everypony blinked, glancing from Tiara to Discord and back.

"I didn't do anything!" Discord lied immediately, the most innocent expression on his face.

Everypony, except for Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon it would seem, saw that something strange DID happen before. The fillies knew better than to lie - Apple Bloom especially, her sister being the very Element of Honesty. However, they couldn't help but indulge in this one moment where Diamond Tiara got what she deserved, for a change. They quietly went along with what the Spirit had said and looked with feigned confusion at Tiara.

"Now now, Diamond Tiara, accidents happen." Cheerilee assured her. "We can do nothing about it now - and as Discord said, it will grow back. Calm down and continue your work, alright?"

On verge of furious tears, Diamond Tiara fell silent as everypony got back to their crafting.

"We shouldn't have done that..." Apple Bloom said quietly, though she didn't entirely mean it, as she had enjoyed the prank. Scootaloo rolled her eyes as she spoke.

"She got what she deserves this once. This is Discord we're talking about, remember? Let's not give him bad reputation since he's doing so well." She finished with a mischievous smile, bumping Discord friendly on the shoulder.

"Why, you're a very smart filly, Scootaloo." Discord noticed as he got back to making the cap. "And besides... her eyelashes will be back by the morning. I just wanted to give her a temporary scare."

Visibly in better mood, Applebloom got back to work. The rest of the class passed relatively calmly, with Discord, aside from the cap he made, making two hoof puppets to entertain the fillies - it was more of a success than he'd expected. Even Diamond Tiara seemed to have cracked a smile or two.

"Alright my little ponies, that would be all for today!" Cheerilee announced. "I'll see you tomorrow - don't forget your essays about the Winter Wrap-up!"

The fillies rushed out of the school, happily stretching their hooves in the school yard. Discord, who found the Crusaders to be quite a delightful little bunch, followed them outside as they participated in an excited chat about the caps they made.

"Mine is not really somethin'." Apple Bloom remarked, looking at the hat she tried to make out of straw, since caps didn't work out for her - it was a bit clumsy, but it was the right size and firm. Discord took it from her and put it on his head.

"Hmm... It protects nicely from the sun. I approve"

"Ya think so? Really?"

"Hats are serious business, my dear."

"Yeah, right," Sweetie Belle interjected, "so, what are you going to do with the cap you made, Discord?

"I dunno." He replied a bit incoherently. "I'll see."

"Yeah well, forget about the hats now," Scootaloo quickly said, changing the subject - she didn't want to talk about the failure of a hat she made. It fell apart the moment she picked it up. "We're going to the Cutie Mark Crusaders Club! Wanna come?"

Discored pondered over his answer, as his eyes fell upon the winter cap he made. "How about you go ahead and I'll join you later - I have something to do."

"Oh, alright. See ya then, Discord!"

"Hopefully you come to school again!" Sweetie Belle said.

"Don't annoy Twilight too much!" Applebloom ended jokingly, before the three fillies made their way to the apple farm.

Discord slowly flew up and toward the library, messing with the cap in his hands. It was of that midnight color, with strikes of dark violet and clumsily made white stars. It wasn't his best work but he did what he could without magic. Just conjuring one would be too easy, as Sweetie Belle had said. Besides, he had to admit, making one was pretty fun.

He entered the library still lost in thoughts when Twilight's voice reached him. "Discord? Is that you? You're so tiny and-- just-- wow!" The unicorn exclaimed, looking at him with a spark in her eyes. Her bad mood seemed to be gone, thankfully.

"Huh?" Hiding the cap behind his back, Discord realized he never brought himself back to his normal size. "Oh. I was in the school on one of Miss Cheerilee's classes." He explained. "So I thought this would be fitting. Hold on, I'll repair it--"

"No, no!" Twilight stopped his hand from clicking. "Stay this way for a while, please!" She pleaded sweetly. Discord raised an eyebrow.

"What? Why?" He asked in disbelief.

"You're so... cute!"

Discord practically snarled at her genuine joy. If there was one thing he didn't want to be, it was cute. Cute was for ponies, not for the Lords of Chaos. Not for draconequues' that wielded powerful magic. Seriously, for such an amazing being, he participated in way too many cute things lately. "More the reason for me to change back!" He replied angrily.

"At least I want to look you over a bit! You know, for science! Please?"

"Fine, just so you stop bothering me."

Twilight nodded, looking at him delightfully. "So, you were at school? Did you learn anything?" Twilight laughed when Discord gave her an unsatisfied look. "I'm just kidding. So what did you do?"

Discord shrugged. "I came just in time for Arts class."

"Oh, that's nice - I bet you had a fun time then, you sure a the more creative of a bunch." Twilight replied as she turned to her shelves and went searching through her books absent mindedly.

"It was rather enjoyable, I have to admit." For whatever reason, he found it hard to give her the stupid cap but he wasn't the type to give up. Finally though, he took a deep breath, needing it for whatever reason and tapped her on the back.

"I have something for you." His silly childish voice was definitely not what he needed at that moment and he fully regretted staying in that form. Twilight turned to him, a few specks of dust in her mane and surprise in her eyes.

"For me?" She repeated, not sure if she heard well. With a sigh, Discord slowly offered her the winter cap.

"We were making winter caps." He explained, doing his best to avoid her gaze. He couldn't believe it was happening but gifting seemed incredibly hard. He wouldn't even do it if he knew it was going to be this embarrassing. "So I made you one, I suppose."

Twilight carefully studied the handicraft in her hooves. Discord found himself worried about whether she's going to like it or not. Of course she'll like it! Was what he told himself before but now he regretted ever doing this.

Then he was suddenly drawn into a bone crushing hug and his snout ended up in her mane. He instantly wanted to struggle out of it but... it was strange. Good but strange. He was never hugged by anyone bigger then himself, so he never quite felt just how comfortable a hug could be. How welcoming. He felt like he could just sink into her hooves forever.

...He hated himself for noticing it, but her mane carried a faint scent of fresh, new parchment and some flowery odour that mostly likely came from a shampoo or soap.

"Discord, I love it!" Twilight finally spoke, breaking the silence that embarrassed him so much.

"Y-you do?" He asked, hardly believing her words, his voice muffled by her hair.

Twilight stood away from him and he saw everything he hoped he would see in her face and more; it made him much, much more happier than he expected. She was obviously excited about it as she studied its patterns.

"Of course I do! It is of my favorite colors! And it has stars on it - it looks just like the night sky! Why..." she paused, before looking at him again, "If I didn't know better, I'd say Rarity had made it, its colors are even similar to my dress! Only she would never make something sporty and practical like this. Thank you, Discord." She thanked him again, trying it out. It fit pretty well on her head though it did fall a bit towards her eyes...

Again with the cute! The Spirit of Disharmony couldn't take it anymore. In two clicks of his fingers, he regained his original size and then transported, disappearing without a trace. Twilight looked around, expecting to see him nearby, but he obviously went out.

"I guess his migraines passed!" She concluded cheerfully, carefully taking off her new cap and taking it to her closet.

At the same time, Discord was hiding in the top of the tree library was in, his head pounding like he had been hit by a huge hammer, dying of embarrassment and praying to whatever divine entities that she didn't notice just how much her words meant to him.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Thanks a bunch to Spiritto, an amazing artist who was kind enough to sketch the hug scene for me - you can check out the sketch here. Please visit her on deviantArt and give her a word of support, she definitely deserves it. :)
Her account and/or drawing is no more! Here' a reupload.

17) "...Huh."

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Biggest thanks to Skittles for editing. :)

The changes in the season started getting more obvious with each passing day in Ponyville. After that one snowy day, the temperature and weather were back to normal but autumn was passing swiftly, turning incredibly quickly from dry and incredibly colorful to humid, gray season when the rains would last for days. Fillies and colts were studying hard for their exams, farmers and gardeners did their best to grow their food in time for winter, the weather ponies tried to keep the rain falling in order to preserve the crops - the whole Ponyville was in full working force.

No citizen of Ponyville seemed to notice the sudden change much though, which surprised a certain Spirit. He watched in wonder as Twilight came home with her draconic assistant, both carrying large supplies of food and wood, then proceeded just as swiftly to Fluttershy's, mentioning something about help she offered with "homes and critters."

"Just where is everypony rushing to?" Discord questioned he dragon as the library door closed. Spike glanced at him shortly as he walked calmly into the kitchen.

"What do you mean? Nopony is rushing anywhere."

Discord blinked. "You're all so busy with whatever. Twilight Sparkle here spent the whole morning outside and now left me alone again! She knows well how easily bored I can get."

Spike raised an eyebrow before playfully replying: "What is she, your foalsitter or something?"

Discord frowned as he watched the small dragon skillfully slicing many apples on the kitchen counter. "It wouldn't be so strange if everypony else wasn't busy as well, is what I meant."

"Seriously, what are you talking about? It is just another day in the good old town of Ponyville."

"I was thinking more like, the entire week. More even."

By now, Spike was convinced the Spirit was pulling some elaborate pranks on him. Merely shrugging and hoping to avoid getting pranked by doing so, he got back to his work - he put the sliced apples into a big pot, added sugar and water and started cooking it - then proceeded to slice some more. Discord observed his actions carefully.

"Is there some kind of event coming up?" The Spirit asked.

"Huh?" Spike looked at him briefly before continuing his job. "Um, not any that I'm aware of. Why?"

"What are you preparing all that food for?"

"Oh, this? I'm making fruit preserves. Jam, marmalade, fruit butter - the choice is quite big."

"Fruit preserves? What is that?"

Spike gave him yet another confused blink before laughing lightly. "Oh yeah, seriously, how would you know that? Well, since the winter is coming, we won't be able to harvest our food, the chickens won't be as active and cows won't give as much milk. So, we make food preserves out of whatever we can to keep us fed during the winter."

"...Huh. That is... quite an interesting system. So, how do you preserve them, some kind of spell?"

"Oh, no no, it is all in cooking. You can preserve it in all kinds of ways. Drying, vacuum packing, pickling, sugaring, canning - the list is long."

"...Huh." There was a short lasting silence. "Well, um... I'll leave you to your fascinating work then; I am going to find someplace or somepony to kill boredom with."

"Alright - see ya for dinner!"

Discord flew out into the chilly air. The sky was gray and dull, Ponyville seemingly dark and colorless with no Sun reaching it. He wanted more than anything to reach up and chase the clouds away with a click of his fingers but knew it would hardly be a welcome change, with those clouds being prepared for a rainy night - Twilight Sparkle would have had a fit. Putting aside the question of why he even took her probably protests in consideration, he flew on, watching the ponies that were suddenly so busy - yet, nopony but him noticed it.Though hey were all rushing, bringing food or water, transporting hay or wood, carrying small animals or pulling carts, they didn't seem to be too burdened by the work.

"Such a strange phenomena! I need to find somepony clever enough to have noticed this!"

Without thining about it too much, Discord descended to Sugar Cube Corner and came in rushing. Aside from it's typical pink resident, nopony was there. Pinkie Pie was busy too, carrying a few large, heavy flour bags on her back. Her posture significantly improved when Discord picked them up, ridding her of heavy load. Her blue eyes glanced at him and a delighted smile decorated her face.

"Oh, hiya Dissy! Whatcha doing here?"

"I'm bored!" Discord exclaimed, knowing it was surely enough for Pinkie Pie to understand without further elaboration. "Need a friendly paw with these?"

"Oh, that's so nice of you! Well, since you're offering, I need to take about twenty more bags of flour to the basement." Pinkie gestured to neat, big pile of heavy, brown, firmly sealed packages, her voice as cheerful as her facial expression despite the hard job awaiting her.

"Oh dear, let me get you rid of all that." Discord smiled, clicking his fingers. The bags suddenly came to life and started literally waltzing to the basement, on the astonishment of Pinkie Pie. She laughed when the Spirit joined the weird dance and started humming a waltzer tune until all of the bags neatly arranged themselves in their place.

"That was so awesome! Thank you so much! Hey, hey, you want some snacks? Since you so awesomely took care of those, you just allowed me to take a break!" She smiled widely, already making her way to the kitchen.

"The question was entirely unnecessary, dear Pinkie Pie."

The bouncy mare disappeared in the kitchen for a moment and swiftly came back with several cupcakes and a bowl of weird, tiny... somethings, he never saw before. Upon closer inspection, he realized felt they were sticky and dry, with a strong, sugary scent. Popping a few in his mouth, he noticed they tasted familiar but much sweeter, texture similar to chewing gum.

"What are these?" He questioned.

Pinkie laughed with a snort. "Those are raisins! Have you never seen raisins?"

"Oh, so that's what they look like." He admitted, snickering. " I must say, these weirder than some of the things I create. The sound of their name never seemed to fancy but they do taste marvelous. Do they grow in the bushes?"

"No, silly; they grow on vines! Sheesh, even you ought to know where grapes come from!"

"... These used to be grapes?"

"Of course!" She simply confirmed, before she herself put a large portion of dried fruits in her mouth.

"...Huh." Discord commented, before taking some more, wondering if these were what he was tasting in her cupcakes sometimes. He never bothered too much with trying them himself. Come to think of it, there was a strange number of things he didn't know about Ponyvillian ways. And for some reason, those things he didn't know were connected with this weird, working atmosphere he found himself in.

Figuring Pinkie Pie might know something, he asked: "Say dear, what is everypony up to these days?"

Despite his high hopes, Pinkie Pie frowned. "What do you mean?"

He groaned. "Never mind," he said, waving his oversized paw , "I shouldn't expect you'd notice. Nopony did, for whatever reason."

"Oh, I get what you mean." Pinkie smiled once again before she strated to ramble: "Like, that feeling you have when you're the only pony who knows something is going on, or something is about to happen, yet nopony else seem to have noticed anything; I know because I had that same feeling when parasprites came, because I was like, 'get me some instruments!' and everypony else was like, 'Pinkie, stop joking around, help us with parasprites' and I was like 'well duh, silly, I am!', and then the parasprites were gone and Celestia left and that's how I learned how to play a harmonica!"

"Wait, really?!"

"Really, really! Now, that's all the time I have for a break! I have to get cookin'! See ya later, Discord!" Pinkie Pie bounced off to the kitchen, leaving the confused Spirit alone. Spending another minute trying to figure out the quirky nature of Pinkie Pie and just what sort of magical property allowed her to master music in minutes, Discord finally flew out, furthering his search for the origins of the working atmosphere.

Tiny, fresh drops of rain splashed on his face, refreshing him. As he flew up to try and get the better feeling of the tiny, refreshingly cold rain on his fur, he saw a rainbow colored blur in the distance. Almost automatically, he waved at Rainbow Dash and almost immediately after scolded himself for doing so, cursing himself for his friendly ways.

Much to his delight (he wanted to think it was 'much to his chagrin' but lying to himself grew hard these days), the blue Pegasus noticed him and flew towards him. Rainbow Dash didn't slow down at all. Noticing her intentions in the last moment, he prepared himself for the impact and felt her crashing against his chest, making him swirl backwards several dozen times in the air before finally gaining back his balance. Rainbow Dash smugly smiled as they separated and she playfully circled him.

"Hiya, 'Cord." She greeted. The draconequues returned her grin.

"Hiya, Crash." He teased.

"What'cha doing here in the sky? Don't tell me you were thinking about messing with the clouds?" She asked.

"Why Rainbow Dash, how could you ever think something like that? It is not like I'm prone to doing these things."

"I'm sure you're not." The Pegasus laughed. She looked around and flew up to the small herd of clouds, carefully picking a spot and then kicking it out of existence.

"So, what are you busy doing?" Discord asked, wondering what could the role of Pegasi in this mysterious working mess be.

"Oh, I'm, kind of, rearranging." Rainbow shrugged. "It is desirable for the rain to fall everywhere equally, so technically I'm in charge of making sure that no flood occurs. Plus, and this is more important, I have to make sure no crops get too much water, since rain was falling heavily only yesterday. Man, Applejack would be furious if I allowed 'too much water 'n th' bark of her trees'." She mimicked Applejack's accent as she quoted her.

"...Huh." Discord mumbled to himself for the umpteenth time that day. He had no idea the weather ponies had such a task on their hooves.

"Hey, wanna help? The first one to finish their side of the sky wins." Dash challenged. Needless to say, the Spirit accepted and soon the two were kicking and moving clouds and their pieces around, resembling a game of a big jigsaw puzzle.

Rainbow Dash had a great time watching the Spirit struggle with doing what he was supposed to do. She was done with her area long ago and simply observed as the Spirit finally gave up from one cloud and ripped it apart in frustration.

"Not exactly your special talent, now is it?" Dash teased.

"You know well my true talents lie in Chaotic deeds, dear. And come to think of it..." he looked around quizzically, as if studying his surroundings, "this does go against my agenda. So I'll leave the boredom of the job to you."

Rainbow Dash snorted. "Yeah, yeah. Have a good one, Discord." Rainbow Dash gave him a short wave before moving on to fix what he had done. The Spirit moved on, as entertained as he was confused by the quirkiness of the day.

As he flew over the Sweet Apple Acres, he spotted Applejack somewhere deep down, bucking trees furiously along with her older brother and younger sister - even Granny Smith seemed to be hard at work as she separated the good apples from bad ones.

He couldn't afford to bother them; if he learned anything about the Apple family through all this time he spent living in Ponyville, it was that they were not fond of slacking off.

After a few more minutes of aimless and unsuccessful searching for things to do, he recognized Fluttershy's hut beneath him and landed on its roof. It didn't take him long before he noticed both Fluttershy and Twilight among the bushes nearby, talking and seemingly building something.

"Thank you for helping me Twilight; making homes for my little critters to stay over the winter can take up a lot of time sometimes. And you're getting really good at it, too!"

"Sorry for slowing you down, Fluttershy." The unicorn said, slightly embarrassed. "I'm doing my best here."

"Oh, not at all; with your help, I'll actually be done by the sunset; even if you are not as skilled as I am, you're a great help - um, not that I mean to say I'm perfect at it; I mean-"

"Fluttershy, relax." Twilight smiled at her friend. "I know I am not as skilled as you - it is nothing to be embarrassed about. Remember how I was frightened to show my talent with magic when I needed to? You shouldn't be embarrassed to admit what you're good at either. So don't be too modest on yourself." Fluttershy gave her a meek, honest smile.

"Thank you, Twilight." She simply replied, and the two continued working.

"...Huh." Discord never realized Fluttershy had such a great task on her back. Making homes for animals that were weaker than her, maybe not even as resourceful as her despite the vicinity of nature, didn't have the warmth of firmly built homes and fireplaces. The mare was obviously more capable than she let on.

Spending a few more moments observing the two ponies, Discord suddenly realized it was getting darker with every passing minute. The Sun was setting earlier each day and he only now noticed it. Feeling chilly, he flew back to the library quickly and soon found himself in front of the warm fireplace.

The whole house smelled of sweet, tasty cooked apples and other fruits, as well as honey. Spike was asleep on the kitchen counter, probably exhausted with all the work - the mentioned counter, as well as the kitchen table, were literally overflowed with dozens and dozens of jars and cans, neatly packed and sealed away from the effects of air. Discord snapped his fingers and in a moment, Spike was levitated to his basket, letting out a grateful, sleepy groan as he felt its softness and automatically grabbing his blanket, still dreaming.

It was a bit late when Twilight finally got home too. She greeted the Spirit and then realized before her was an unusual sight. Discord was in front of the fireplace and judging by the look on his face, as well as the fact he neither heard her saying 'hello' nor saw her passing in front of him, he was heavily in thought.

"Discord?" She called again - as she nudged him with her hoof, he finally snapped out of his thoughts and looked at her.

"Oh, hello there Twilight Sparkle. How was your day?"

"It went pretty good." Twilight patted herself on the chest. "I helped Fluttershy build some homes for her animals. It wasn't easy but I learned a ton. Did you know that hedgehogs can't-"

"Sorry to interrupt you dear but I'm simply dying to know," Discord started, hoping at least that the smartest pony in all of Ponyville would be able to answer, "what is everypony so busy with today?"

The confused look in her eyes said it all. Before she could even thinking her answer through, the Spirit simply added, "never mind," as he once again turned towards the fireplace. He heard her hoof steps as she climbed the stairs and her goodnight greeting. Mumbling one in return, he kept pondering over this busy day.

Spike was making enough food to survive an apocalypse. Pinkie was using his preserves and packing huge amounts of flour into the dry safety of her basement. Rainbow Dash was carefully rearranging clouds so the crops wouldn't fail. Applejack and her family were furiously collecting all the apples one last time before the winter. Twilight got bunches of supplies for their home and together with Fluttershy was making shelters for small animals.

Preparations for the winter, he realized. Who knew preparations for the winter were such an unnoticed event? Were ponies simply too used to it to notice? Were they way too busy to even notice the other ponies working hard? Was it simply unspoken of? Was it just one big, common habit?

Huh.

Discord couldn't quite tell why it was the way it is but he had learned something today. Something he couldn't quite name but was obviously involving all of the citizens of this little town. Something everypony was an important part of. It impressed him quite a lot, to see all those ponies working hard to assure the safe winter for each other, to ensure there will always be extra food, extra shelter, extra warmth for anypony or any animal that might have failed to find it for whatever reason.

Work may not be such a bad thing after all, the Spirit concluded before his eyes slowly closed and he drifted of into sleep.

Somewhere outside, as the rain was getting stronger, a certain cross-eyed pony was playfully jumping in the puddles, not minding her wet mane as it got into her eyes as long as her hooves stayed dry under the protection of her galoshes.

"Oh dear, what are you doing here in the rain?"

Ditzy Doo turned around to see a white unicorn with a fancy mane, wearing a raincoat and carrying an umbrella and an
uncomfortable look on her face. She recognized her as Rarity, one of the Element bearers.

"I'm just playing in puddles, is all! It's so much fun! You should try it!"

"Oh my, darling, thank you for the offer but I'll pass - don't catch a cold, alright? Uh, here," Rarity took off her raincoat and placed it neatly on Derpy, "just a little measure of precaution for your health."

"Thank you, thank you," The Pegasus sang out, "so where are you going?"

"Oh, I just got some more materials for raincoats and winter coats. Have to make them as soon as possible. Wouldn't want anypony else to get wet, now would we?" She smiled.

"Ooh, you're busy too, right? Got to prepare well during the autumn!"

"... Pardon, dear?"

"Thanks for the raincoat!"

"Oh, right, always the pleasure. You'll have to excuse me, but I have to go; must start working on these you know." Rarity said while nodding towards her saddle bags.

"Sure thing, Miss Rarity! See you!"

Ditzy had to wonder why they never did name the event during which they prepared for winter. Wouldn't it be awesome to have Autumn Wrap-up, or something like that? Even a song to go with it? She shrugged and continued dancing around in the puddles, enjoying the rain and celebrating the Autumn's bounty her own little way.

18) The Different Kinds of Shy

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Edited by his editing majesty, Skittles.

"Spike, have you been touching my books?"

"Not anymore than I need to, believe me."

"Discord, I swear-"

"I have far more interesting things to disfigure and mess up than your books, my dear."

"Urgh!" Twilight stomped her hoof with a huff. "They're all in the wrong places! Just look at this mess! How in the world did 'the Introduction to Gardening Tools' end up next to 'Bedtime Accessories for a Better Sleep'?"

The Spirit cleared his throat and subtly continued to play with a potted plant the leaves of which turned into tablets of chocolate, deciding to skip answering that one.

"Discord, from now on your task is to punish anypony who misplaces a book."

"I don't think you're aware of how dangerous that might be for your library."

"Urgh!" The pony stomped again and marched out of the room.

Spike grumbled as he turned around to help with the shelves. "Good grief, can't she ever admit she misplaced a book?"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Numerous thuds and rumbles. A sound of something, much like a hoof, bumping into the wooden shelf and a silent curse.

"Chaotic fiddlesticks!"

Twilight suddenly woke up, still dazed and half sleeping, her sleep interrupted by sounds from down stairs and many angered whispers and curses. For a few moments, she simply stared into the darkness, still sleepy. Once she cleared her head, she realized it was Discord's voice she had been hearing. The faint light of the fireplace was visible from downstairs.

Slowly, she sneaked over to the railing of the stairs. Discord seemed to have really took a liking to the spot in front of fireplace, for he was once more in front of it, bent in front of something he held in his hands she couldn't see but it didn't take her long to realize what it was; the Spirit was surrounded with at least a dozen of her books. Though feeling instantly annoyed at the realization that it was him who had been messing with her books, she also felt genuinely interested - what could he possibly be reading so intensely, in the middle of the night. And why so many books at once?

"What are you doing?"

Had Twilight know the reaction would be so severe, she would have probably taken a more subtle approach than to sneak up on him from behind. The Spirit jumped abruptly, wildly turned and stared at her in horror, as if he had just been caught doing something terrible. Then, he pointed his talon at her and in a small flash of pink, the mare fell to the floor, sleeping deeply.

The Spirit knew how dumbly he reacted before her body touched the floor.

"Oop-see..." He got up and circled her, not sure what should he do now that he so blatantly obviously put her to sleep. Should he leave her here? Should he put the books away, should he just run for it? "I never should've done this to her!" He mumbled to himself in panic - as if some specifically mischievous magical force heard that, Twilight started to wake up for reasons unknown to him and out of sheer panic, he cast the sleeping spell once more. Smacking his face with his paw, he finally gave up on trying to cover things up. Biting his lip, he first put the books in what he took extra care to remember was the right place. Then he gently touched her forehead and she woke up, a bit confused. It didn't take her long to realize what he had done. Twice.

"What in the world do you think you're doing?!" She said, visibly angry. The Spirit didn't have any trouble spewing out the first lie he could think of:

"Oh, Twilight, my dear, you were sleepwalking again. Such a troublesome young Unicorn you are, really."

The unicorn narrowed her eyes. "I never sleepwalk. Well, not anymore anyway but that is not the problem right now! Discord, just what did you--" Twilight fell silent when she noticed all but one book had disappeared. It was laying half in the darkness, seemingly missed by the panicky Spirit. Twilight glanced at him to see him glancing at her.

It was obvious he didn't want her to know what book it is.

It was obvious she was ready to do anything to find out what book it is.

They both launched at it, ending up wrestling to try and reach the book before the other one did. Why neither of them used their magic to grab the book by the means of one spell or the other was a bit of a mystery.

Finally, with a tip of his talon, Discord reached out for the book and stabbed its cover with a triumphant "ha!". But Twilight, being well known for treating her books the way she would treat a newborn baby, screeched at the sight of her book being hurt and with an adrenaline rush of a concerned mother managed to tear out of the lion grasp he had over her. She leaped forward, landing straight on his eagle arm as he let out an unexpected 'squee'.

"Gotcha!" Twilight victoriously exclaimed as she tried to observe the book - however, an audible click later, the book became invisible.

"Phew! I nearly forgot I could do that." The Spirit let out a breath of relief.

"You have got to be kidding me." Twilight said, feeling the invisible book under her hoof. She gave him a stern gaze.

"What are you hiding, Discord?"

"It's 'grown ups' material for a good night."

"Funny." She bit off, though not being able to suppress a blush. "As your guardian, I am supposed to make sure you don't have a scheme up your sleeve." Discord suddenly snatched the book from under Twilight's hoof.

"My guardian, you say." Discord repeated as he flipped the pages of the still invisible book; then he abruptly closed it and gave her a weird look, that silly smile still on his face. "Is that all you are to me, Twilight Sparkle?" He teased, his eyes suddenly huge and glassy, eyelashes like fans.

"Yes, yes, let's laugh at my romantic incompetence later and deal with this now! The book, please!"

"But I am very serious!" The Spirit complained, dramatically lowering his voice to a quivering whisper. She took a few steps back, the expression on her face on a fine line between embarrassed and disgusted. She rolled her eyes.

"You know what, fine. Read the book all you want. See if I care." She said as she turned around, ready to march off into the bed.

"Ha. Knew that would work." The Spirit taunted and by Celestia she knew she shouldn't question it but she couldn't help herself as she stopped in her hoof steps.

"Knew what would work?

"Oh, my dear, dear Twilight Sparkle, your eternal inability to talk about your natural, biological in fact, interest in male population of the world is something that will eternally entertain me - even when it is nothing but a punchline or a passing jest!" The Spirit elaborated, so abruptly that it occurred to her he had been dying to tell her that for a while... which rightfully confused her.

"What do you mean by that?"

Discord laughed almost like nothing in the world was more dear to him than to answer that question. "What I mean is, you're shy to no end when it comes to love; even in a book, or a movie, even between random ponies on the street! I must say, I knew you didn't have trouble talking to ponies as much as simply relaxing and giving in to some forms of socializing but to be able to say you're shy is simply precious!"

The mare steeled her glare. "I'm not." She wasn't even sure why would she deny it so passionately. Perhaps it was simply the desire to prove him wrong.

"Well then, how about we prove it?" The Spirit asked, as if reading her mind. She blinked and laughed, humorlessly. "Oh please, how would we prove something like that?"

Discord gestured towards the shelves of her library with glee. "You have enough romantic novels here. While I have no idea if you read any of those, I am fairly sure you're collecting them just as eagerly. Books are books, after all. So, we'll sit right here and listen to you reading one."

Twilight wasn't sure in the half dark but she could've sworn there was something so similar to malice in those eyes for a second. Either that, or she had been so terrified of his proposition, she was seeing things.

Moments passed in silence, until...

"Fine." She said, reaching for her shelves. "Okay." Grabbing a book. "Reading something." She sat down angrily in front of the fireplace, voice dripping with sarcasm." Yeah, that'll stop me in my tracks." She had no idea what she grabbed until she actually looked at the written work in front of her, bearing the title of 'Naked Singularity'. It didn't sound that bad. If anything, the title was something she was more familiar with: physics. Who knows, it could even be fun and than she'd win this little game of his on even more accounts.

"Chapter one." Twilight started swiftly as she got comfortable, determined to make a point.

Discord got comfortable too, lying down with his elbows on the floor and face in hands, watching her with a childlike glee.

"As the night slowly neared, Evening Glimmer took the opportunity to take one last look on the setting Sun." Twilight started off confidently. "Its fiery colors, the mixture of red and yellow and the greenery of the grass below her. Only the blue was missing to make her feel like he was here. The sky blue, soft skin of her loved one, of the Pegasus she never forgot, never stopped thinking of... the stallion that she hadn't seen in such a long, long time."

It was pure cheese and corn, she though, but not necessarily bad.

"She sighed and with a heavy heart slowly trotted off back to the bookstore; her own, small bookstore, her sanctuary where books provided her company..."

Hey, this sounds a bit like me! Twilight noticed, amused she had something in common with the protagonist. She continued to read normally; the book continued as expected, telling of the Evening Glimmer's feelings and state she was in after her beloved went missing during a rescue mission, for a good few minutes.

Though she personally didn't think much of the book so far, she glanced at the Spirit to make sure he didn't fall asleep out of boredom and was surprised to see he was as attentive as before, munching on some snacks he got out of who knows where. She bravely continued.

"Evening Glimmer put on her night gown, ready to retire for the night but then something had attracted her attention - a faint sound she recognized as the flapping of wings. As she looked out the window, trying to locate the source of the sound, she saw a familiar blur - a blur of blue coat, decorated with streaks of colorful mane, the color of field flowers.

'Could it be?..." She spoke without breath, rushing outside, not even noticing the slow rain that had started to fall, looking around. Then, to her right, a feather. She gasped, running off in that direction, getting further away from the city... another feather.

Tears were running down her cheeks like a river, mixed with rain drops once she finally found the last feather on a familiar cliff. The place where they shared their first kiss."

At this point, Twilight wondered if Pegasi really did have that many feathers accidentally falling off, or was it some kind of plot device for further reading.

"'I knew you would come.' A strong, deep voice spoke and Evening Glimmer turned around to face her long lost love - Prism Slash stood there right in front of her, a nuzzle away, in all his magnificent glory..."

He could have simply knocked, Twilight figured.

"...stretching his sky blue wings and allowing his long, colorful mane to flow in the night breeze. The red, yellow and purple in his mane intertwined so enchantingly; it took her breath away even after knowing him for all this time, for all these years... especially after not seeing it for all these months."

Descriptions and exposition went on and Twilight wished she was back in her bed.

"'Prism Slash...' Glimmer started but was silenced by the gentle move of his hoof. 'My love,' Prism spoke, 'there was not a day I haven't though about your soft hair, bouncing in the breeze...'"

Reading the dialogue on such a intimate matter out loud bothered her - she felt like she was invading somepony's privacy.

"...your eyes, as purple as the deep, mysterious seas... and your smile, your dazzling smile, which frees all of your beauty... makes you shine... so wonderfully..."

The mare stammered at the last word but didn't thin much of it. She swallowed lightly to make it go away.

"'Oh, Prism Slash," reading a longing 'oh' felt downright weird, "I have waited for you only all this time, my love. Never leave me again, promise me!' Glimmer begged, looking straight into his radiant, magenta eyes. Prism Slash smiled. 'Never, my love.' Was all he said before he leaned in, closing the distance between them and kissed passionately."

There was a sound of snickering from across her and she knew she was blushing but she didn't plan on giving in so soon.

"Evening Glimmer let out a content sound into his mouth, allowing him the entrance through her parted lips, enjoying every second of contact between their t-tongues?"

She was very well aware that the questioning tone of her voice made it seem as if the entire concept of osculation was foreign to her and it only made her nervous. Discord was openly giggling.

"Prism Slash caressed her face gently, then lowered his hoof to her drenched gown that revealed her alabaster colored body, shaped in the image of a goddess. He whispered: 'You won't need this anymoooo-ho-ho-ho-kay, yeah, I think we're done here."

The words that followed after were those of a rather descriptive fashion and with her face already as red as the sunset, she decided she couldn't go on without becoming too obvious. So instead, she gave him a determined glare, as if to say 'come on, laugh already'.

After a few horribly long moments that seemed like hours, Discord finally spoke.

"Phew, thank goodness you're done! I was getting uncomfortable here!" Discord wore a relieved expression on his face - and with the relief that seemed to come to him disappeared all of Twilight's worries.

"You mean... it was embarrassing for you as well?" She asked, visibly glad about it.

"How wouldn't it be! It is cheesy beyond belief!" Discord rolled his eyes, looking at her in surprise before he admitted: "I didn't expect you to read half as much as you did. For a moment there, I thought you were going to..." They both shared an eye contact in which it was clear that reading any further would likely be the most embarrassing experience of their lives and they decided not to delve into it much.

"Well, I did feel awfully uncomfortable reading it, as you probably noticed," Twilight admitted, "so I guess I really am shy when it comes to those things."

"Definitely not as much as I thought." Discord said. "That was quite a thing you went through. I am impressed. I personally wouldn't read such a thing even if I was tortured."

She accepted his subtle compliment with a nod. Once her eyes fell on the still unidentified, invisible book he was clutching in his hands, she sighed. "You'll never let me see that book, will you." She said in a resigning tone. The Spirit shifted a bit.

"Well, you can look at it this way." He replied. " We both have things we're... shy, about."

She blinked. "There's something you're shy about?"

"Shh! Tell no one!" Discord replied playfully. "That little secret stays between us unless you want me to turn you into a coconut, got it? Which by itself wouldn't be bad, I assure you you'd be a very nice coconut."

"Right, thanks." She deadpanned and got caught in a huge yawn. "I can't believe I stayed up this late for this crazy ordeal. I'm going to bed. Good night, Discord."

Discord sighed as he made the book visible again. The copy of 'Magic of Healing: 2nd Year Textbook ' was a big, heavy book in hardcover. Sure, she would probably never realize he had been studying healing magic ever since she ended up in the hospital, even if she saw what book it was that he had secretly been learning from. But his pride didn't allow him to show her anything that might give her even the remote idea of doing something for her sake.

He was way too shy for that.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

If you, by some miracle, haven't read the ACTUAL FANFIC, 'Naked Singularity' yet, I suggest you do so right NOW. It is one of the funniest things I've ever read.

19) Shameless Fanservice and Discord's Newly discovered Preferences

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Discord shifted in front of the fireplace. As winter came nearer, he got more and more comfortable with his place in front of it - even though he once said he didn't like sleeping in the same spot twice, having accommodated in Twilight's home so nicely had its effect on him. And, well, it was freezing outside.

Once he heard the clock striking ten, the Spirit decided he had enough of lying about, despite how comfy it felt - it was time to discover what the day had to offer. With a satisfied smack of his lips he got up and stretched - outside, he noticed, a thin cover of pure white snow laying on the streets of Ponyville. The winter was coming, slowly.

"Morning, Discord!" He heard the small dragon greeting him and replied something incomprehensible in turn, which seemed to have been his common way to say good morning. He hadn't heard any morning greetings from the unicorn, however and was surprised to have not noticed she was gone.

"Where is Celestia's favorite student?" He questioned as he crept into the kitchen over the ceiling, much to the little dragons' amusement.

"She went to get a new batch of quills and some more ink. Should be back soon." Spike replied as he grabbed a pan to make breakfast - he was unpleasantly surprised when it suddenly turned into a rubber duck.

"Listen man, breakfast is serious business. Especially when you're as hungry as I am right now. I don't need these shenanigans."

"But why do it the hard way when you can leave things to me!" With but a click of his fingers, he summoned two small, colorful cakes. Spike frowned.

"A cake for breakfast? Twilight said-"

"Yours is filled with gems."

"I'll get us some milk."

The short conversation the two engaged in during breakfast was all the fun the Spirit was going to get from the dragon however, for Spike soon got to work, cleaning the library. Naturally, Discord found all that awfully boring, so he decided to have some fun with ponies outside - prepare a prank or two, cause some trouble - perhaps he could even make the ground in the town center icy. He hadn't gone ice skating for so long!

But as the Spirit reappeared outside, floating without a care in the world above the busy little town and enjoying the fresh wind of coolness in his face, he noticed something. Something different with ponies. He surely had never seen this, anywhere. Not even in Canterlot, where fashion was one of the things worth living for.

All ponies... wore socks.

From above their knees to just above their hooves. In all colours of the rainbow and beyond it, of all possible shades, stripes and circles, bubbles and smileys, stars and moons, accessories and pockets, loose, sleek, of wool and cotton, silk or something totally different... socks of all kinds of shapes, lengths and designs.

Now, the Spirit wouldn't usually have a problem with a new fashion trend. If anything, he himself liked to experiment with the strange things ponies would wear - oh how many times had he turned somepony's hat into a mane-eating plant. How many times he cursed a cute little pair of shoes with unstoppable tango. Or when he encountered Hoity Toity during his last escapade - the way he styled his mane. Or when he magically animated the prints he added on Twilight's dress.

Yes, if anything, Discord liked to have fun with... 'designing' but this was... different.

For starters, whoever said ponies in general weren't cute, was likely lying or had a really poor taste. If it were not for their aversion to Chaos, they would make the cutest little beings Discord had ever encountered and though he often disapproved of their orderly, friendly, saccharine ways, he genuinely found them to be a high quality pet material.

That being established, Discord figured, anyone who was saying ponies weren't cute before, would now definitely have changed their mind. Baffled to no end, he observed as Lyra walked down the streets, trotting happily around and wearing a pair of slightly puffy socks of a golden, Sun-like color that perfectly matched her Cutie Mark and her eyes. Ditzy, who flew around in wrinkled socks with the colors of the sky and bubbles printed on them. A mare he had never even met wore the cutest little socks with pockets in them.

It was cute to die for and Discord despised it. Too much cute was his number one weakness. Only one mare in all of Ponyville was skilled enough to spread so many socks around overnight, he realized, and she had mostly likely given them away, being the Element of Generosity. That bloody fashionista.

"Hiya, Dissy!"

Looking down, Discord saw Pinkie Pie in the most over-sized sky-blue socks ever, that were seemingly way too bulgy for her legs - still, she had no problem bouncing with them. Her Cutie Mark was imprinted on their sides.

"What is all of this?"

"Umm, it's Ponyville, duh!"

"No, no Pinkie, dear - I meant, why is everypony wearing... these?" He questioned as he gently pulled on one of her socks. The look of realization crossed her eyes.

"Oh! It has been getting cold and all and Rarity came up with these awesome winter socks! Us young lads think they're totally rad!"

Lads?

"Rad??"

"Well anyway, gotta be on my way! Oh, you should totally get some socks as well!"

As if! Discord thought with a surprised smile as he watched her bounce away. This was all too much or him. He flew back to the library, hoping that by the next day, those silly socks would be a thing of past.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The socks became a huge hit in Ponyville.

Discord had no other choice but to get used to it. The cuteness overload was something he'd just have to deal with - not that it was unpleasant but it sure was distracting.

There was only one thing that bothered him by the end of day three since socks took over the world.

Twilight Sparkle was prancing around the library, either indulged into her research or reading, or talking to Spike - at some point she even said something to Discord but he just nodded absentmindedly, staring at the state she was in, so shamelessly walking around with her hooves bared. The absence of socks on the purple unicorn was bothering him and Tart if he knew why but he simply had an impulsive need to see hew wear them. He contemplated simply magicking them onto her but for some reason enjoyed the idea of her choosing to wear them herself.

What in the world was going on for him to think this way?

"Twilight, look what Rarity made me!" Spike proudly showed her a cute jumper of emerald green color.

"Wow, that's a really nice jumper! I'm surprised she even had time for you with all the socks she's been making lately."

Chance! For a conversation about the blasted socks! The Spirit butted into the conversation with no pardon.

"Didn't generous Rarity make a pair for you as well?" He casually asked.

"She did, in fact and a very nice pair, too," Discord's ears perked up, "but I decided not to wear them."

He frowned and just as quickly hid it.

"Why not? I'm sure they're beautiful and would keep you perfectly warm." Spike commented and Discord decided to hop on the sock train.

"Yes, why imagine the view count for this cha-- I mean, they're pretty well made!"

Twilight shrugged. "Truth to be told, I just don't feel that cold."

... Well.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"By Celestia, it is cold!" Twilight shivered. The afternoon was much more merciless than the morning, when Sun was still slightly warming everypony. Now, thick gray clouds covered the sky and rain was falling like it hadn't in years.

"It is indeed." Discord agreed gleefully. Twilight gave him a confused look but mounted it up to Discord being Discord.

"Gosh, winter sure can't wait its turn." Spike said - the jumper Rarity had made for him suited him well on that cold afternoon. Looking outside the window, he practically saw nothing from all the rain that poured down on Ponyville.

"That is strange. The weather ponies hadn't mentioned any strong rain yesterday." Twilight scratched her chin with her hoof before she finally shrugged it off. "I guess they can't always be right."

The library door suddenly opened as a strong wind blew through the library. Discord, who was guilty of both that and the rain, floated over to the door and closed them swiftly.

"Freezing!" Twilight exclaimed, before finally climbing up to her bedroom, presumably to get dressed.

Discord in the meantime both celebrated his successful plan and cursed himself for even going with it. Though no one was wiser, he hadn't felt so humiliated with his own doing in eons. Whatever, he told himself, as the Lord of Chaos I was capable to demand whatever I want, whenever I want. And since the tables have turned and I can not no longer simply demand, I just had to improvise to get things going my way.

Whether all of that were just excuses for his unusual wish to see Twilight dressed in that accursed piece of clothing or not, he himself didn't know.

"I knew these would come in handy!" He heard her say, turned around and immediately wished he didn't because the silliest smile crept onto his face.

"Look, Spike! Don't they look like something Rarity would make?" Twilight proudly extended one of her hooves forwards. They were stripped, with various shades of pink, violet and dark blue - much like her mane. They weren't puffy, instead they went right against her skin, complimenting her legs.

"Wow, they're really nice! Rarity sure did her best!"

"She's been making them for days now - not to mention she had been giving many of them away. I heard she'll be going to Canterlot with these. With a little luck, all of Equestria will be wearing them and Rarity might even get open a branch of hers in Canterlot!"

Thus she got back to her usual business. Little did she know she was victim of Discord's stalking--

AHEM. I am not stalking, I am just.. observing.

Sure you are. Anyway, Discord got back to "observing" Twilight's movements, quite literally - her every twirl, every walk, every time she happily bounced as she observed her new socks - she seemed to enjoy them quite much as she even at one point started a little dance.

He hated it with passion.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"What do you mean, the socks were a flop?!" Twilight's jaw fell slightly on the news Rarity had just delivered, her head hanging low. Somewhere in the back, Discord accidentally broke a plate upon hearing the news.

"Well, apparently those fancy gents of Canterlot think my darling socks are too much of a 'street wear'." Rarity said, her face composed but her voice clearly announcing just how upset she was. It would probably take her some time to start looking at her precious Canterlot the way she did before. "Some smaller businesses have offered to buy most of what I made, so it won't be a complete waste... but I had hoped so hard they would make it to the top of the tops, you know?"

"I know Rarity. I am so sorry to hear that. Hey, if anything, us 'commoners'," Twilight tried her best to be heavy on sarcasm, "love these. You made something amazing, you just gave it to wrong crowd, that's all."

Rarity gave her friend a small smile. "Thank you Twilight. I guess not all is lost. I gave so many of them away, I might just do the same again. Oh, or maybe a charity sale, that would be fun! Oh, I have so many ideas right now! Thank you dear!" She was ready to leave, suddenly in a good mood, before turning around again: "Oh, right! Here is another pair, complimentary of course - I thought this one would suit you well. Ta-ta, dear!" She rushed off, mumbling some plans under her breath.

Twilight frowned as she closed to door to the library.

"Too bad. I really started to love these." She got out the pair she just got - midnight blue with white stars. Rarity sure knows my taste, she thought as she put them on, waving her hooves playfully.

"Spike? Spike, where are you? We have work to do!"

"If I am not mistaken," Discord spoke as he floated around the ceiling lamp, "you just about missed him sneaking out to console lady Generosity."

"Figures - just while we're in the middle of cleaning, he has to leave."

"I guess I could help you."

After a moment of recovering from shock of even receiving such an offer, the mare firmly said: "No way! I am not letting you anywhere near my books!"

The Spirit chuckled. "I'll be a good Lord of Chaos, I solemnly Pinkie Promise. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

"... Alright but you promised, so..."

"Nopony breaks a Pinkie Promise." Discord said seriously before the two got to work - or in Discord's case, glancing constantly at the purple pony's attire.

Such a stalker.

20) Things that We Do

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Twilight Sparkle felt like curling up into a tiny ball, walking into a mouse hole and sleeping for a season or two. Perhaps an exaggerated statement but it meant a lot in the context of her habits. For the past week, she had barely gotten three hours of sleep each night. It wasn't the first nor the last time she'd stay up late, attending to some of her numerous interest in the library but it started to cross the line. She would commonly stay up until the dawn would break, catch a few hours of rest and then wake up, grumpy and messy, to continue her studies.

Her bad mood, inflicted by both lack of sleep and the ton of work she insisted on having, had rather negative consequences for the rest of the natural flow of the library, one of them being that Spike had much more work to do which by itself already meant most residents of the library weren't in a peppy mood. As for the rest...

"For the 18th time, Discord," Twilight started through the gritted teeth, "no, I don't have time to go out, play a game or watch a movie. I can't help you prank anypony, nor am I in the mood to leave the house. It is too cold these days, anyway. I have a ton of work to do, so I implore you, leave me alone already."

It would be a fruitless effort to whine about how bored he was - even more than he already had - so he offered to do the one thing he definitely hated more than all.

"How about I help you with these, dear?" Discord flipped through a fat, heavy stack of research that was only one of the many that were ready to be sent. "You have been under a lot of pressure lately, I can see - if I was any more impolite, I'd even suggest you need your beauty sleep."

Twilight glared at him momentarily before snorting. "Yeah, as if you could actually help me with something like this. My job isn't easy, you know."

"Well then, teach me. I have been doing nothing you pony folk would call 'useful', anyway. While a life of pranks and mean spirited antics has its many perks that I would could never do without, I prefer to be of use every once in a while." Discord replied.

Twilight honestly doubted his words, concluding he was simply so bored out of his mind, he was even willing to assist ion menial tasks. "Alright, fine then." Twilight said as she pulled out her one of her lists, "let's see if there is something in here to keep you busy for a bit. But if you screw it up, forget it. I'd rather do it all properly than do it again."

Discord clicked his tongue but said nothing - who knew she saw him as that unreliable of a draconequus. He peeked over her shoulder to check out the list. It was mostly composed of research she had to finish and reports she still needed to write. One of them was on friendship. Huh. Discord wondered if he was ever the main subject of her findings in the end.

"Oooh, how about this?" Discord excitedly pointed over her shoulder to one of the tasks on the bottom of the page. Through tired eyes, Twilight focused to make out her tiny writing among the countless tasks; finally she made out the small letters that read 'visit Princess Celestia and pick up the books - important, pick up personally'.

"No."

"Oh come on." Discord whined, playfully swirling around the Unicorn. "I'll guard those books with my life and I won't cause any trouble, I promise. I do wish to pay Celestia a little visit, though." He sneered.

"See, that!" Twilight pointed her hoof accusingly at him. "That very grin is why I can't allow you to go there! You'll do something, I know it!"

Discord's smile faded a bit. "Don't you have any faith in me?"

Twilight groaned at that face. He probably wasn't aware of it but that whenever she as much as gently nudged at some spot of his personality that bothered him even in the least, his eyes would grow bigger - it was hard to say whether literally or not. "Well- I-- Oh, fine, fine but I swear, you must be at your best behavior, or else! This will be the first time you're going out of Ponyville since you were released and I don't want you to cause mayhem in Canterlot, or anywhere else for that matter!" Twilight kept on with her little lecture with a long list of to-do's and not-to-do's, nearly bringing the Spirit to sleep with her long winded speech. Not that she noticed. "... and last but not least, do not. Bother. Anyone." Twilight warned.

"Yes, yes, I understand." Discord rolled his eyes. In the next moment, pushed something into his hands.

"This is my letter with my signature, so you can prove you came with my approval," Twilight started, "just show this to the guards at the entrance and they'll let you in... hopefully."

"Hopefully?"

"The best you can do is catch a train - although I somehow doubt that is the method of travelling you prefer."

"You doubt right!" Discord smiled at her sweetly before clicking his fingers and disappearing. Twilight let out yet another sigh and frowned a bit sadly as she turned back to her lengthy research. "Maybe I'm overreacting with all this studying... I can't avoid him forever nor is it good for me." She murmured in frustration as she scribbled another note about the development of dragons in young age.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Oh, the joys of a road trip!" Discord joyfully exclaimed. He indeed had taken the train but much to discomfort of the train staff, he took his spot on the roof. Once the train moved, he summoned a picnic basket and enjoyed the crackers with cheese, not at all minding the strong wind nor the way it made most of the food before him fly away. Once they were about to enter the tunnel, he barely avoided getting his head hit before he ducked.

Not even halfway on his journey to Canterlot, Discord became predictably bored and he flew up, watching the train as it got lost behind the hills, the noise of its engine disappearing quickly along with it. He was all alone, surrounded with hills and small mountains. In the distance, he could see the shiny glory of Canterlot. Slowly, almost lazily he continued flying, on his way there deciding to be a little naughty as he colored the trees, left a few cotton candy clouds behind him to wander around and creating a few new flowers to grow at rapid speed - a short lasting freedom but he was going it enjoy it as long as he could.

It was already late afternoon when Discord reached Canterlot. Deciding it would be fun, he pulled out the enormous hat Rarity had gotten him, in addition producing a cane and a monocle and started prancing through the city like a really awkward but utterly smooth gentlecolt.

Needless to say, the fine ponies of Canterlot were both shocked and frightened to see Discord here - many of them had frozen in terror and some even retreated silently to their homes, despite knowing he had spent quite some time living quite peacefully in Ponyville. Much to his entertainment, a few mares dared to comment on how different he looks as they eyed his hat and cane, thinking innocently that he had gained at least some of the Canterlots' refined behavior.

Soon, he found himself before the very castle he intended to visit and was greeted by two tense but determined guards. The unusual visitor didn't stop the faithful servants of her Majesty to stand firm before him and demand an explanation for his appearance and the reason for his seeking audience with the Princess.

"Miss Sparkle had sent me on official business." Discord spoke with an accent, enjoying his fake role of a sophisticated citizen - it would seem the guards didn't exactly buy it but the moment they saw Twilight's letter, they allowed him through. Discord danced right in, twirling like a ballerina around the fancy floors and swirling around the massive decorative columns. It was unusually empty, aside from an occasional guard that would pass - most of them gave him but a surprised glance and some of them even ignored the playful Spirit. The punishment for ignoring him was having their armors turn pink - which, much to the Spirit's amusement, most of them didn't notice.

"Celestia, sunshine? Luna, our sorrowful ruler? Royal Princesses, where are you hiding?" He sing-alonged just as he passed a certain room - he took a few steps back and entered it. Ah, now he remembered. This was the room where the Elements of Harmony were locked - oh how easy it was to break Celestia's protective spell... with power he didn't have anymore, he bitterly noticed.

Oh! This was the window where he showed them all his famous shuffle dance, that which he had picked in the world beyond the Great Fourth! Oh, good old times when he had all the Chaos of the world under control. He reminisced until a familiar voice made him jump.

"Discord? What in Heavens are you doing here?" Princess Celestia asked, genuinely surprised. Discord decided it was time for a royally good prank.

"Why, to steal and hide the Elements once again, of course. I already took care of Miss Bookworm and the entirety of your Kingdom is next."

Prank was a brilliant success if it were to judge by her expression of shock - but it was time to stop the fun once he saw the dark aura spreading around her, her face already contorting into an expression filled with rage.

"I'm joking, I'm joking!" He waved his hands. "Twilight Sparkle sent me for books she needed to pick up! See? There is a letter too!"

Celestia blinked and whatever rage that had been emanating from her disappeared in an instant as she eyed the familiar seal on the letter, still angrily frowning at him for such a cruel prank. "Jest like that again and you shall spend the next century being taught manners by a foalsitter." She seemingly threatened but couldn't help a playful smile. "So, how is your chaotic Majesty dealing with the life of a regular citizen? Twilight hadn't written me much about her progress with you - in her words, I have to see it to believe it." Celestia started, still stern, though with a hint of curiosity in her voice.

"Is that so." Discord wondered, then gave her a smile. "So, do you believe it?" He bowed to her, grinning.

"Well, you do seem much more cheerful than the last time I saw you. At least I can rest assure that my drapes are safe."

"Really? I think I am just as same as before."

Celestia arched her brow. "Before your depart, you physically attacked my guards, wrecked my chambers, called me a tyrannous ruler and wished for my royal career to end swiftly."

A short silence ensued.

"Well, aren't we spiteful." Discord said, feigning emotional pain as best as he could while trying not to laugh. "That's all in the past."

Celestia's clicked her tongue. "I sincerely doubt you had any good intentions whatsoever coming all the way here instead of my protege."

Discord shrugged, twirled through the air. "No intentions that aren't meant to aid me first, dearest Celestia. Twilight Sparkle is an extremely busy mare at the moment, which means she has no time for me which, ever since you so evilly stole my powers, put me in a situation that makes my eternal and usually fairly colorful life rather boring."

"If you think you'll make me regretful of my decisions, you're very wrong, Discord." Celestia noticed.

"Drat. Tricking you is no easy task. Never was, in fact."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Celestia remarked. They finally found themselves in Celestia's chambers, a room that was as neatly decorated and as serene as Discord remembered it from those few times he was here.

"Did you know that the last time I got out, I came here to prepare a few pranks for you?" Discord suddenly remembered gleefully - a memory that Celestia didn't seem to appreciate.

"I unfortunately do." She deadpanned, recalling having fallen into a pool of ice cold water that was once her bed and her carpet coming to life and trying to turn her into a taco ingredient. "It wasn't welcome."

"Then I did well." Discord nodded wisely. Celestia gave him a brief smile before reaching with her magic for a package that contained some books. It was heavy in Discord's hands.

"There you go. Give Twilight Sparkle the best of our regards."

"Already kicking me out, Celestia? Don't you want to chit chat about the philosophy of Harmony and Disharmony over a cup of tea? I heard quite a bit of rumours coming from beyond the Fourth and I'm sure you'll love them all."

"Perhaps I would if I knew what it was and I'm sure I'd have the time of my life with your lucrative offer but alas, I am still a ruler of a big and, for some reason, quite trouble-attracting country. I have many duties to attend to."

"Is that the reason you were prancing around the castle before meeting me?" Discord tried to tease but was met with Celestia's indifference.

"As you like to say, one can hardly make right decisions on an empty stomach."

"I can't argue that. I was however hoping for a longer conversation with one of you's. Where is the other?"

"If it's Luna you're speaking of, I am not certain. She might be asleep, it is too early for her to be awake. I'd love to help you look for her but duty calls. Enjoy your short stay, I assure you you're quite welcome." Celestia made sure to give her tone just the right amount of sarcasm that came off more as a joke than an unwelcoming, bitter sentiment before flying of her balcony into the sunny sky.

Discord pondered over whether he should or not leave a prank or two waiting for her but decided against it. She'd have seen it coming and that would kill the entirety of the fun. Carrying the package, he kept wandering the castle, unsuccessfully searching for the younger Princess. Frustrated with his fruitless search, he was about to give up when out of the corner of his eye he saw her starry, dark mane. In one of the lounging rooms, Luna was napping on a divan, a few books surrounding her. For a short second, he remembered Twilight and wondered how was she doing with all that research she had to do.

Then, with an evil grin, he entered the room, summoned a pair of cymbals, each bigger than any normal he's seen... he spread his arms...

"What are you doing?"

A new, young male voice came from the doorway and Discord turned around. There stood a Unicorn of dark, blue mane and pristine white coat. He was seemingly an important pony, as he was wearing a unique uniform and some sort of medal. His stare was slightly displeased and confused as he raised one of his eyebrows.

"Just waking little ol' Lunny up, no biggie." Discord snickered. The Unicorn remained bemused for a while, then broke into a grin.

"Great Discord, the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony. I see you're living up to your title."

Discord felt the obvious hint of playful mock and lowered the cymbals, not smiling anymore. "Well, your Princess here is the one to blame for my inability to do so properly; if anything, I wanted some sort of payback. Now that you're here, though, I might as well bother you for some time."

The Spirit flew right over to him, following him down the hall. This visit was getting more interesting with every passing minute.

"So who are you anyway? I doubt I had seen you around before." Discord wondered.

"My name is Shining Armor. I am the Captain of the Royal Guard." The Unicorn replied politely. Discord could've sworn he had heard that name and title before, but he couldn't for the life of it remember where from.

"You sound familiar. Have we encountered each other before? Had I perhaps cast my chaotic spells upon you?"

"I am fairly sure we never met; I was fortunate enough not to get affected much by your last break out." Shining Armor said, enjoying the fact Discord had no idea he was Twilight's brother. He decided to question him a bit, if he was willing to talk, anyway. "So, how is your stay with Celestia's protege going? I heard she had you tamed."

Discord let out a frustrated gasp, obviously angered to be put on the same level as a wild animal.

"There's nothing to be tamed about me." He hissed. "If it weren't or the lack of my powers, you'd all already become dancing bananas."

"Indeed, our evil ways do need some fruitful reprimand." Shining winked. Before Discord could muster a reply to the dumbest pun in the universe, the Unicorn continued: "When I first heard about you being released, I was convinced it was a bad idea. So far, if I may be honest, my opinion hadn't changed much."

"My, am I that unpleasant of a company? Here, have some cotton candy, that usually works with everyone."

As his face got engulfed in the sugary cloud, Shining had a hard time deciding on how funny the situation was. "Thanks?" To be fair, it was rather good cotton candy.

"Say, you knew Twilight Sparkle from when she lived here, I assume," Discord suddenly started, curious, "what was she like?"

Shining Armor did his best not to laugh. Oh, the stories he could tell of his sister. "I'd say she was much like she is now, only much cuter." Shining Armor joked, laughing softly.

"You mean cuter than she is n-- I mean, I didn't mean physically," Discord swiftly corrected himself, "I mean, was she as book loving and workaholic as she is now? Lately she has not been leaving her books for even a moment."

"Oh, Twilight has those time periods when she simply wants to indulge in studying all day and all night." Shining Armor explained. "Especially when she's bothered or stressed out about something. Then she won't even get any sleep."

"Really now?"

"Yeah, she can really tire herself out - all because something is on her mind. But then, that blissful, smiling face when she finally falls asleep - so adorkable! More than once did I have to carry her off to bed when fell asleep at her desk..." Shining Armor recalled his little sister's studying sessions and tapped his hooves on the marble floor, his eyes squinted as he remembered the scene, completely forgetting about the fact he never mention she was his sibling and causing a good deal of awkward when Discord finally popped the question that's been on his mind since the moment Shining started talking:

"What are you, her special somepony?" If Twilight Sparkle had anypony like that, he would have surely know! The Unicorn, however, suddenly shook his head, looking unpleasantly surprised.

"W-wha-- No, oh by Equestria, no way! Twilight is--"

"Well, if you observed her in her sleep, that can be either romantic or creepy - depending on the relationship status, I guess."

"No, you-- Twilight is my sister!"

Silence.

"Oh. Oooooh!" Discord suddenly remembered where he heard the name. "Oooh! You are a sneaky one!" Discord sneered and laughed, the Unicorn soon joining him in doing so.

"Well, that was awkward." Shining Armor nodded. "I must say, as surprisingly pleasant as it was chatting to you, I must meet with my wife Cadance, now. I promised to be back early as we're going out for dinner."

"Oh, what's the occasion?"

"A monthly anniversary of our marriage."

"... a monthly one?"

"We do it every month." Shining Armor admitted, a bit sheepishly.

"Not sure of horrible or terrible but it sure is one of those." The Spirit teased. "But never mind. It is already that late, now is it? I best be going back - your little sister will be giving me one heck of a death stare should I not provide her with her precious literature."

"I know the feeling." Shining Armor confirmed. The two stood there for a moment, reminiscent of how unsettling Twilight could be when something involving her book would go amiss.

"Well, it was a pleasure meeting you." Discord finally said.

"I am surprised to say so as well." Shining Armor admitted. "Say hi to Twily for me."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait. Twily? Seriously, Twily?"

"You're going to abuse that nickname now, aren't you?"

"Why, I would never." Discord devilishly smiled before clicking his fingers and disappearing.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Twily, I'm home!" Discord sang playfully as he burst into her home. He was however met with complete darkness, aside from a single candle that burned on the table in the middle of the library. Twilight was there, surrounded by six complete research papers and ten reports stacked on top of each other, all ready to be sent.

"Wow, she is actually done." Discord noticed, as he gently put the package of books on the table. He sat down, wondering if he should wake her up.Then he realized she was probably extremely tired and much too worn out for any sort of communication. Having nothing to do, he opened the package for he because he had no sense of manners.

Inside, there were three books. Two of them were just new copies of historic books, both with a small note that said these were an addition to her library. The last book, though, was a book of poems. It was apparently borrowed from Canterlot library. Twilight read poems? This was new. The mare never struck him as a poetic type. Or any sort of artsy type.

He opened the book to read a few. He had absolutely no sense of what was good or bad. He ended up hating some and liking some but nothing in particular caught his attention.

"...'cord?" He looked up. Twilight looked over at him through a sleepy squint, a small smile on her face.

"How was..." she was interrupted by a big yawn, "...how was your trip to Canterlot? I hope ya didn' make any trouble?"

"It was loads of fun." Discord admitted. "I met your brother. I though he was your coltfriend."

A stiffled laughter came from Twilight as she tried to stretch without much success. "That's hilarious. Did you get my books?" She asked as another yawn occupied her. Discord tapped the book he was reading.

"I am reading the poem one right now."

"Oh."

"What is it?"

"Well, um... how is it?"

"Most of the stuff is boring. Some of these are quite weird though, I don't understand them at all."

"Oh goodie." Twilight relaxed. Discord frowned.

"What is so good about that?!"

Twilight wondered whether she should tell him it was a collection of some of the best of love and romantic poems every written. Of course, that would only bring up question and since he was the subject matter of the romantic thoughts in her head, she thought better than to elaborate.

"Nothing. Sorry, I'm talking nonsense - I'm just so tired." Twilight gave him a suitable excuse. Discord's expression immediately softened.

"How about I take you to your bed? You seem too tired to even walk properly."

"Hey, if you insist." Twilight joked with a smile, before her headed plopped on the table again. She was sleeping. No wonder, he figured, it was a good thing he got to talk to her at all.

Once Discord put her in her own bed, Twilight's face was graced with a grateful smile as she nuzzled into the soft pillows. Shinging Armor sure knew what he was talking about. Adorkable.

21) Lesson Honesty

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Twilight Sparkle was sitting contently in the middle of Ponyville park, on her favorite bench, reading a book. The day was calm, the chill pleasant, air fresh. A perfect day for relaxation, and a perfect setting for certain somepony to ruin the serenity of such a day. Which is why Twilight had decided to take her reading elsewhere. That and, she had been partying way too much for the last three days.

Ever since she finished her working spree she decided to have her time occupied by her friends, all of whom she hadn't properly seen in a while. More than anything, however, she missed coming back to some of her older readings. So there she was, sitting in a park in the late afternoon, her scarf keeping her warm and an anthology of stories keeping her company, with a simple daisy sandwich for her dinner backed in a small paper bag.

Nothing was going to ruin her small vacation. Not until she would get home, at least, where a letter of great importance waited for her. A letter that would start an unfortunate chain of events but also seal the deal on Discord's education on Harmony.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Hey. How was your day?" Spike asked once the mare came home, her smile wide and eyes relaxed. Discord was nearby, floating upside down and observing a small spider that was descending on its thin thread from one of the bookshelves. He had bunches of fun trying to make it dance in the mid air and it was hard to decide whether the spider had just as much fun or was simply trying to run for its life.

"It was great! I finally got to read the Seeds of Kindness. For a collection of stories done by ponies who aren't into professional writing, it is incredibly good."

"I'm just glad you finally had some time to relax, the last week was pretty hectic." Spike said. "We got some mail, by the way. I left it on the library desk." Interested, Twilight went through the pile of letters. A few bills, a pamphlet or two, an incorrectly placed letter that was seemingly for Daisy (Ditzy Doo must've had her hooves in this) and to her sudden joy, a letter from the Canterlot Science Research Facility. It is there where all of Twilight's various researches went and it was from there that came the letters that usually contained something exciting. Knowing how much she's been working lately, she quickly grew optimistic with some sort of a thank you letter, or an evaluation chart with good results on her job.

Discord seemed to have noticed her excitement as he finally left the small spider to practice its waltzing on its own and descended to the floor.

"Good news?" He asked.

"I should hope so!" She said. "I figure since I've sent in so much during the last week, they probably want to send a thank you letter for my work." She beamed as she got the letter out and started reading.

"'Dear Miss Sparkle'" Twilight started giddily, "'thank you for your contribution during the course of the last week. It is greatly appreciated.'" Twilight allowed herself to let out a proud giggle before she continued. Discord rolled her eyes.

"'We greatly appreciate any sort of assistance in our ongoing researches, no matter the topic or importance and as such we greatly enjoyed studying your works. However, we regret to inform you that approximately thirty eight percent of your reports are in one way or another... flawed'?" She exclaimed, suddenly confused.

"'We're not sure if you mixed up your papers but wrong paragraphs seem to be written in the wrong reports. For example, your research titles "the Mating Habits of Parasprites" has several paragraphs on various other agendas, such as the body anatomy of griffins, development of dragons, alchemy traits of poison joke, etc.'"

"Slacking off, were we?" Discord added in an attempt to be entertaining but it did nothing to improve her downcast mood. She continued:

"Thus, we can not accept those reports until you've rightfully edited and fixed them. We're well aware of your magical prowess and can thus assure you your magical skills are developed enough for you to be able to make sense of it; you won't need more than a day or two of work. Once fixed, we'll gladly accept your reports. Sincerely, the, the members of..." She trailed off. Though clearly not nearly as relaxed as before, it went completely unnoticed by the Spirit, who seemed to have greatly enjoyed her predicament.

"Oh my, you have been working on these for days! This has to be the most evil, most devious thing I've ever seen! Oh, who would've thought so much cruelty can hide in the wonders of research! How I love it!"

Not taking much of his behaviour, Twilight picked herself up and slowly trotted up the stairs. It was lucky for Discord, who remained confused and still in a fit of giggles next to the desk, when library came back from the basement, carrying a large crateful of books.

"What's so funny?" He asked, wiping his hands of dust.

"Read this!" Was all Discord said, so giddily one might've thought the won a lottery of some sort.

The dragon's face changed from that of curiosity into that of concern. "Ouch. Is Twilight alright?

"Why wouldn't she be?" Discord questioned, a smile beaming at him. Spike looked back at the letter worriedly.

"She isn't the kind of pony to take something like this easily. I better check on her."

"Oh! Allow me! You seem to be busy, anyway."

"Oh - right, sure. Right." He paused, eyes narrowing. "Are you sure?"

"What do you mean?"

Spike opened and closed his mouth. He had better things to do than making them understand each other. "You know what, never mind. Go nuts." I'm definitely not getting into their little strife again.

After a little bit of searching, he found her on her small balcony, her telescope beside her, pretending to look at the first stars of the evening but otherwise just looking angry.

"Twilight Sparkle, my dear, just where did you disappear so suddenly?"

"Just some fresh air." She answered a bit impatiently. He rolled his eyes, annoyed and flew over next to her. Pretending absolutely nothing is wrong, he began to talk.

"As you can probably imagine, I have been told many times that what I do is wrong in the course of history - and my life, coincidentally - but I decided the best way to make amends with oneself is to own up to it. It's what make me such a Master of Chaos, after all. Perhaps you should embrace your little mistakes as well."

Though she believe she was angry enough with herself to not say a word, such a weird statement made her speak without thinking.

"That has to be the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

"It can't be more ridiculous than the mistakes you sent their way."

"You're so kind today, you know that?" She bitterly said.

"Hey, don't blame me, it's all Fluttershy's work. Perhaps bad work but again, work nonetheless. I'm sure she'd embrace the mistake I turned out to be."

She didn't know what to make of that attempt at humour.

"Come now, you know you're not as bad as you think."

"I guess. It's just..." She sighed. "I overworked myself so much for stupid reasons and I lost sight of what's important - and that's the quality of my work, not quantity. I can't believe I allowed myself to act like such an irresponsible student." She sighed again. "Well, this wore me out for the day."

"I am not surprised - you did such a splendid job of relaxing these last few days, anyone would get tired."

Twilight finally offered a a more sincere laugh at his joke. "That's the spirit! Now, let's get you to bed then - you have plenty more resting to do during your vacation!"

At the sight of a now more genuine smile, Discord was pretty sure he could consider the conversation a success.

"Thank you. It was nice of you to keep me company." With a nod and a silent good night, Twilight descended down into her bedroom. Discord happily flew down in front of a fireplace and curled up on a fuzzy warm blanket, glad he had resolved the issue.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

By the next morning it had become clear they were far from resolving the issue.

Twilight Sparkle, for whatever unfortunate reason, decided to try and fix a dusty old gramophone Spike found in the basement the day before. It was all going fine until she got a bit too into it, not realizing the gramophones old's technology didn't mix well with experimental spells. It exploded into many temporarily decorative pieces along the walls of the library, and she had to spend the rest of the morning pulling out it's pieces out of the wooden walls.

After that, she decided to fix a dress she had accidentally ripped herself, instead of taking it to Rarity's, which she normally would do. She ended up re-sizing the dress to so it might've fit Scootaloo if she sucked in her tummy but was otherwise, but was otherwise unwearable.

With the failures piling up and Twilight's rage meter growing along with it, the Spirit cunningly figured he needed some rest himself, so he kindly invited himself over to Fluttershy's for tea, finding amusement in helping some of the tone deaf birds with singing. The effort went surprisingly well and was awarded with cookies. Discord decided it was going to be a good day all the way until he came back to the library, suddenly face to face with a scene of smoke coming out of it and several firefighter stallions speaking to Twilight. One of them had just come out with a hose. Spike did his best not to smile emphatically at her.

"What happened?" Discord asked him once he approached them. With a mixture of some amusement and what was mostly compassion, Spike replied quietly:

"You know Twilight has been trying to do things around here today?"

"I tried not to." Discord snorted, the sight of ruined dress still lurking in his mind, entertaining him.

"She kind of tried to, eh, prepare the lunch."

"That doesn't sound bad."

"As in, cook it."

"Oh, that is bad."

Discord headed inside - the damage wasn't serious nor big but the stove and a cupboard have definitely been ruined once and for all and they mess brought back some nostalgic memories to the Spirit, fondly remembering the days when he was the one causing such and similar mess.

Once Twilight bid the firefighters farewell, promising not to ever cook again without supervision, she sighed heavily.

"Well, what did we learn today?" Spike asked her patronizingly.

Frowning, Twilight replied: "Never cook without the presence of somepony responsible who can watch you."

"And?"

"... Oil heats up much faster than I thought."

"Good. Now go upstairs and think about what you had done."

Twilight oddly obeyed the small dragon. Discord gave him a weird look, and Spike explained:

"Hey, she knows what she did both today and in the past." He established and went to the kitchen, mumbling to himself and bidding farewell to his faithful metallic cooking assistant.

Discord floated up and peeked through the railing. Twilight was on the bed reading a book. As he studied the book she was reading, he concluded she was probably just hiding behind it.

"That must be one interesting reading read you got there, if you can read it upside down." Twilight lowered the book. She was positively fuming by now. "Do tell, what in the world is wrong? You've taken on some quite interesting tasks today,
none of which turned out well, if I might add."

"Funny as frickin' always, Discord."

"Why, look, I didn't spend the entirety of ten minutes yesterday comforting you for you to be acting this way! I wish to know what's going on in your head but,"he continued as he shrank to the size small enough to be able to point a magnifying glass into her ear, "I unfortunately can't read minds unless I take over one."

Twilight fumed. It soon became obvious by the smoke coming out of her ears so he made a quick retreat so as to give her some space.

"I'm useless! There! I said it!" She suddenly groaned, in style of a bitter criminal admitting a heinous crime then suddenly going into a rambled spiel of the ways she's useless, which started with her undeserved position of Celestia's student and ranged over every single thing that ever managed to go wrong in her life, including the time where she forgot a line of the poem she was to recite in her class as a filly.

Once she was finally that, Spirit wasn't so much amused as weirded out.

"Now hold on for one Chaotic minute!" He started. "Where did this all came from?!"

"What do you mean, where did it come from?! Have you not seen that letter I got?!"

"Oh, who cares about the letter; anypony can make a mistake!"

"Exactly! How could I allow that! I was always striving for great results at least! This is not something I should have allowed myself to do!

He sighed, pinching his brow. "You, my dear, are sometimes so confusingly blind."

"What in Tartarus does that mean?!" She said a bit too angrily and had to force herself to calm at the sight of him taking a step back.

After making sure he won't yet again be kicked in the flank, he started speaking. "Well, now," Discord managed, having little choice than to say something but already regretting every single word he was about to say, "if you really must know, I have to say I never met, or saw a more hardworking and smarter mare than you are - and yet, here you are, grieving over one small mistake you did."

"It wasn't a small--"

"Everypony makes mistakes, both big and small. I can tell you that from a very experienced record I had with ponies, that spans over thousands of years." He deadpanned, finally getting silence in return. "Fine, there, you screwed up. But have you ever wondered what ponies you sent these reports to thought upon seeing them?" Twilight blinked and lowered her head.

"That it was dumb and stupid." She replied numbly, not truly believing her own words, he realized.

"Do you really think that all of a sudden they would find you stupid? No, much like I am wondering, they probably asked themselves, what in the world happened to you that you managed to perform such an odd and unusual mistake - you who check every single thing at least three times!"

Her eyes finally properly met his.

"Now listen," the Spirit began once more, suddenly inspired by his own comforting speech, "if I hear one more word about you being useless or stupid or anything silly like that, I'll honestly have to turn your home into a big piece of jello. Do you not realize that your schedule is filled with constant work? Do the memories of all the things your friendship reports hold simply vanish into the thin air? By Celestia, how have you not yet- Do you remember what I keep telling you every day?" There were suddenly puffs of clouds with echos of memories in them all around them, all portraying the same thing - countless of Discord's 'I'm bored!' proclamations. "Have you realized already," Discord was nearly out of breath, "that most of my boredom comes from you not having the free time to spend it with me?!"

By the time he would realize what he had said, it would be too late and Twilight Sparkle realized what she was witnessing:

Friendship.

He was reminding her. Everything she had achieved, everything she ever acquired, not by pure luck but by hard solid work. He was reminding her of her own pride and her own vision of her greatness she used to have, he...

He was being honest.

"Thank you."

He simply stood there, shocked by his own confession - shocked because he himself didn't realize it by now.

"You were being sincere with me." She simply had to add.

"... I'm just being realistic."

Twilight smiled to herself. Discord hated his existence at the moment.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

For reasons undisclosed, Spike decided himself to invite everyone on a picnic. The God of Chaos, the six that were once his enemies and the faithful, draconic servant of Equestria were thus in the park, enjoying one of the last warm days of the season and indulging in sandwiches. Twilight had entertained them all with the story of her attempts to make lunch, much to Pinkie Pie and Applejacks' amusement.

"And then the firefighters came so everything was under control. But we'll need to get a new stove." Twilight finished, a bit sheepishly. "But I learned a valuable lesson today. Oh, Spike, that's right," Twilight turned towards the small dragon, who was just in the middle of a gem sandwich, "I'm really sorry for everything I've done yesterday; I am such a troublemaker sometimes. Forgive me?"

Spike was stunned with her words for a moment but then just grinned. "Aww, it's all right, Twilight. You don't have to worry about it, really."

"So, how are you two getting along? I heard from Discord you've been having a pretty good time." Fluttershy asked, glancing at Twilight and Discord, who was busy playing with bugs in the grass - or, to be honest, he was more scaring them by burning the small pieces of grass around them. The Pegasus winced.

When he realized they were all looking at him, Discord abandoned his little game and spoke: "We're getting along remarkably, thank you for asking. Here are your invitations to our wedding as well."

Applejack spit out her juice in surprise when Discord gave her the fake cards decorated with two white Pegasi drawings and a golden trim. Pinkie Pie, who had yet to find her common sense, nearly lost her head as the party ideas popped into her head and getting excited my the millisecond at the prospects of the twp pursuing a romantic relationship.

"For a fake, it certainly is well done." Fluttershy commented softly. Twilight merely rolled her eyes, feeling slightly embarrassed that Discord would compare their ever growing friendship with a wedding.

Still, it was worth to her more than anything in the world.

22) The Truth and the Fury

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It was only Rainbow Dash who could've burst into the library without a warning, properly scaring every occupant of it in progress at any time, and not completely and utterly anger Twilight Sparkle with it. The librarian was in the middle of reading the book of poems Discord had brought her for relaxations' sake but the little of relaxation she managed to get went out the window with the same speed her pegasus friend flew in.

The unicorn frowned but instead of a panicked yelp and concern for her books, she simply reprimanded the ever impatient pony, because she knew nothing would ever change about her rash ways. "Rainbow Dash, don't you know how to knock?"

"Sorry about that Twi' but I'm just so excited!"

"Oh, what about?" Twilight inquired as she slowly picked up the books scattered on the floor.

"I got the tickets, Twilight! I got. The. Tickets! Five super special awesome tickets!" Rainbow twirled in the air but her excitement didn't help Twilight in understanding the object of such giddiness.

"Tickets for what?"

For a moment, the colorful mare's face fell. "Twilight, I've been talking about the upcoming Spritebreach match between the Manehattan and Ponyville for weeks now. Seriously, were you even listening to me?"

Twilight suddenly brightened up. "Oh, that thing! I'm sorry Rainbow Dash, it was just completely off my mind lately."

"Well no wonder," Rainbow Dash snickered, "you've been at work for days. But now that you're free, you totally have to go with me! Applejack and Pinkie Pie will be there too!"

"What about Rarity and Fluttershy?"

Rainbow Dash impatiently waved her hoof. "Rarity was the one that gave me the tickets. I asked them both if they wanna come with but neither seemed too interested. I'm not surprised about Rarity but Fluttershy as a Pegasus should have been more supportive." Rainbow Dash concluded with a disdainful click of her tongue. "They decided to go to the spa together instead."

"Oh, the spa? When will they be there, I-" One stern look from Rainbow Dash later, Twilight corrected herself, "I mean, I would love to go with y'all, hahaha! So uh, does that mean you have a ticket extra? I am sure Spike would love to go with us."

"That would be amazing." A strained voice of the little dragon came from behind them. The still opened library door seemed to have slammed into Spike once Rainbow Dash so violently rushed in and banged him into the wall but that didn't stop him from looking absolutely hyped for the match. Half worried and half trying to contain herself from snickering, Rainbow Dash rushed over to him.

"Oh gosh Spike, I am so sorry. Of course you can have the extra ticket - after this mess, I'd day say you even deserve one." Dash apologetically managed as she grabbed his claws and helped him to get out the newly-formed dragon-shaped hole in the wooden wall of the library.

"Thanks, Dash." Spike mumbled, coughing up a few splinters.

"No problem." Rainbow Dash coolly ran a hoof through her mane. "I'm heading to Pinkie's now, we'll be making some snacks for the match - you both better come prepared! Tomorrow, three o'clock, Cloudsdale - there will be an air balloon transporting ponies and many of them casting spells for those who can't walk up there! Come a bit earlier, there's gonna be a lot of ponies and you'll want to get a good spot!" With those words, she flew out, granted with more care than she flew in.

"My, the day has only started and we've been invited to see a match of Spritebreach! I've never been to one of those before!"

"Me neither. What kind of sport is that, anyway?"

"I-... am honestly not too certain!" Twilight said, seemingly surprised with herself for not knowing. "Hmm, I'm sure we have a book on it somewhere..."

Twilight swiftly brought up several books on sport and started going through them expertly, soon finding what she wanted.

"There it is! Spritebreach, a popular sport played by Pegasi in the air; the rules don't seem complicated... three Pegasi of each team, named hunters... flying skills... collect points by throwing a ball through one of the three hoops... a guardian of hoops... two smackers..."

She paused for a bit as she read the rules until coming to the most important bit.

"Ah - each team also has a scout that must catch the runaway parasprite - catching it automatically ends the game and brings the most points, usually but not necessarily, meaning victory for the team."

Spike frowned. "That sounds complicated." He complained, earned a roll of the eyes from the Unicorn. "Besides, isn't it dangerous to let a parasprite wander around?"

"Apparently, there's some sort of special training regime that puts certain control on their urge to eat," Twilight further explained, reading on, "and instead makes them in need of exercise; thus making them faster, more agile and harder to catch. Goodness, I need to look that one up."

"Nifty. Sounds like a good dieting plan."

"I am really excited to see this. I haven't had a chance to participate in many sporting events. The last time I was a part of one was during that Summer Camp. And I don't have a lot of nice memories to brag of either."

"You mean the dodge-ball accident?"

"I though we agreed not to speak of that again."

"We did but still, it is quite hard to forget that weird hat you had to wear for almost a month."

"The ball mark just wouldn't go away!" Twilight replied defensively. "Even my bangs couldn't cover the obvious imprint on my forehead."

"If my memory serves me right, you were affectionately dubbed as 'Sockhead'."

She gave him a rather unflattering glance, which prompted him to quickly dedicate himself to whatever he had planned for the day.

"Where is that draconequues?" She suddenly asked to herself, mildly annoyed Discord wasn't here when she needed him - usually, he was around her all the time, at times even bothering her with his constant presence - yet not here the one time she wanted him to be. Just where had he gotten to?

"Discord?" She called, her voice giving away her mild annoyance. No answer. She let out an exasperate sigh. "Never mind, I'll get to him later. Hey, Spike, we're eating outside today."

"What's the occasion Twilight?"

"Occasion? I spent yet another day fixing those reports, that's the occasion. If I spend another minute inside of here, researching anything else, I might finally go officially crazy." Twilight explained, opening the library door and breathing in chilly, fresh air. The day was surprisingly sunny considering that winter was at the door but it was still cold, prompting them both to get their scarves.

The duo stopped at the nearby cafe, sitting in comfy chairs outside and observing the faint, barely noticeable rainbow forming somewhere in the distance while the waiter trotted towards them. Spike, as always, first questioned if they had any gems, to which the pony replied with but a deadpan look. After both settling down for pancakes with marmalade the pony left them alone to enjoy their quiet day. The silence of the frosty noon, the unusual emptiness of the town, the impeccable pre-winter weather and the serenity of a peaceful outing caused Twilight to doze off, her mind obviously somewhere else as she never noticed the small dragon started talking.

"...and I thought, heck, if a mustache doesn't work, what else will? So I decided that just maybe, I need a wig, I mean after all, stallions probably wouldn't look as good without their manes, so if I technically get a mane, I just might-- Twilight? Hey, you listening? Equestria to Twilight." He waved his claw gently in front of her face, finally getting a reaction as she shook her head and her eyes recognized the dragon in front of her.

"I'm sorry Spike, I completely wandered away there."

"Is something troubling you?" Spike asked. Twilight shrugged.

"Not really, I..." She herself didn't know what it was, she realized.

"You really spent too much time in the library. It's messing with your head." .

"I guess that's a possibility." Twilight agreed, not wanting to talk about her wandering head too much - it had been happening a bit too often lately, and it would commonly involve a certain Spirit. "But that's all over now. We can finally relax!"

"Awesome!"

"But the daily rearranging of the books is still happening."

"D'oh."

"We can't allow ourselves to get too lazy, after all." Twilight sternly continued. "We must nurture the working habit if we wish to do our work with ease as always."

"Ease as always?" Spike skeptically repeated.

"You wouldn't want to be like Discord, now would you."

"Well- uh..."

"I mean, with his powers he doesn't need to really DO anything... but still!"

"Twilight-"

"I know, I know, he isn't lazy, he's just bored with whatever it is that 'mortal ponies' do - but it wouldn't exactly kill him to be of use to the community every once in a while."

"Here's your pancakes my dear, with extra butter as you requested."

"Thank you, Discord. Now like I was- huh?" Twilight blinked before looking back at the waiter - that is, at Discord who was for some reason there with their order.

"Now that you have so bluntly expressed your opinion about me," Discord started, though knowing fully well she didn't mean anything bad, "is there anything else that bothers you about me?"

"Discord, just what in the world are you doing?" Twilight frowned, immediately sensing some kind of ploy must be at work. The Spirit merely shrugged.

"Well you see I was on my way to cause trouble for the ever hardworking citizens of Equestria and just happened to stroll by upon hearing you're in for some tasty pancakes - but what is better than a crispy one full of cockroaches?" At his words, dozens of tiny little pugs crawled out of her breakfast and fell all over the floor, promptly scaring some ponies into leaving immediately.

"That's terrible! And... disgusting, on a whole different note." She made a face. "Fluttershy would not be pleased with you."

"It would certainly do you better than an extra serving of butter but then again, it's been pretty generous on you so far." The draconequus said flirtatiously. Though her teeth grinding in annoyance she couldn't help emitting a soft blush at his comment. Momentarily, Spike decided to pretend he was somewhere else, looking anywhere but in their general direction.

"ANYWAY." Twilight started, "I've actually been looking for you. You wouldn't in any possible way be interested in Spritebreach match tomorrow, would you?"

"Not particularly. Seen many of those during my life. It's fun when they let you spice it up but otherwise pretty generic."

"Are you telling my someone's let you 'spice up the match' once?"

"Are you telling me you've never heard of the Jacuzzi Terrain Incident, long 68 years ago?"

"That was you?!" Spike's jaw fell in awe and since they were both obviously about to delve into the history of this mysterious accident, Twilight had to interrupt the exchange.

"The reason I asked is that we're going tomorrow!" She exclaimed before they could get another word out, "and I just wanted to ask you if you would mind not burning down my library or whatever if that happens to be where you'll hang out."

"Not a problem my dear!" Discord absent-mindedly confirmed. "But for now, let me educate this young dragon on what was one of the greatest matches and baths of all time! It was back when I was even more handsome than I currently am..."

The story went on for a whole until the manager came out. Apparently, Discord thought it would be a good prank to tie up the waiter while he pretended to be one. They apologized, paid up more then necessary and quickly left the premises, Twilight and Discord bickering the whole way back.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Hurry up, Spike! The match is starting in barely thirty minutes!"

"Hold on; my hat keeps tilting!"

Twilight sighed. "All these fan clothes and cheer leading... equipment," she pronounced, glancing at the small flags, scarfs, hats and face paints Rainbow Dash brought a few hours ago, all of them a combination of golden yellow and emerald green colors, "is not even necessa-"

"It is so necessary!" Spike gasped, looking at her in astonishment. "Nothing shows the significance of the competitive spirit in an important match like a tiny flag or a pointy hat!"

"Fine, fine." Twilight smiled softly, amused by the excitement of her assistant. "But hurry up."

When Spike kept struggling to maintain his hat on his head, Twilight finally interfered with a bit of magical assistance, and his hat finally stopped looking as if it was about to fall.

"Onwards to victory!" Spike yelled out, and skipped through the opened door.

"Spike, wait for me!" Twilight yelled out, scribbling a quick message for Discord, who was once again absent, and then followed the dragon him out.

One balloon ride and a few cloud-walking spells later, they were in the familiar cloudy city - there was a huge stadium built of sturdier that usual blocks of clouds. Countless ponies, as well as griffins, were present, both from Ponyville and further, some of them coming from far away to see their favorite team playing or simply to see the legendary game at all. A large number of ponies was outside of stadium boundaries, hoping to nevertheless catch a piece of action going on during the match. At the end of the each side of the stadium stood three hoops in bright red, resembling giant bubble blowers.

"Hey, glad to see you wore your cheer leading uniforms!" Rainbow Dash greeted them once they came closer to her and sat down.

"Uniforms?" Twilight questioned briefly but her remark went unheard.

"The match is starting in ten minutes!" Dash was obviously excited like Twilight had never before seen. Those ten minutes passed painfully slow to her but at last the two teams, one of ponies in golden-green vests, and the other of griffins in blood red and dark blue clothing flew into the field, drawing many screams of excitement from the crowd.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Discord floated around the library, bored as ever and with no one to bother. By the time he came back from Pinkie's, as she had asked him to help her get her full body painted into the colors of the team she was cheering on, Twilight and the little dragon were already gone.

Having literally nothing to do and knowing the town was empty as everypony left for the game, Discord thought of the ways he could entertain himself but ultimately decided he was much too weak to do anything of any greater entertaining importance. Remorsefully, he lied on the floor and stared at the ceiling, truly a point so low in his life he was surprised by himself on how he was still doing it. The Great Spirit of Disharmony, Master Trickster, Lord of Chaos, lying on the floor, staring at the ceiling, with nothing but snacks and fillys' shenanigans at the reach of his magical snap of fingers.

Though he told little - or nothing, really, to Twilight, about the thoughts going on in his head, he had lately become nostalgic to the point where it felt like ancient hunger. The grand things the morality of which he would rarely question, the magic of the disbelieving reaction he drew from other citizens of the world, the cruel things he once enjoyed so much...

Oh yes, pranks were fun. He liked having fun. Yes, he did posses a few spells that effectively granted him thing like... ugh, chocolate milk - one of the things everybody remembered him by and one of the things the taste of which turned nearly literally sour when he recalled he used to be able to just as easily summon a flood of purple mud, or turn ravens into desks or inside out, or become a bug, sneak into an ear of a unsuspecting pony and whisper stories and secrets and things that made them turn in fear, stop with curiosity or wince with joy. The shambling fortresses, turning into jello, skies growing dark and thunder the sound of orchestra, dimensions he'd seen, he'd visited, worlds he had left behind--!

It would never be the same, would it?

He couldn't really say he was actually suffering but it was like an itch one couldn't reach, or a thing on the tip of your tongue you couldn't speak out, or a fantastic dream one would dream up one night, so close to being remembered but never recalled at all - feeling nostalgic, feeling close, feeling known but never here, ever again...

The Spirit shook his head, chasing the uncomfortable thought out of his mind, deciding to make himself busy with cleaning the library as Twilight had asked him to - again, he thought, a low point in life of the Lord of Chaos. Floating in the air and whistling some random tune, all he needed was a click of fingers to get the furniture floating in the air, and another click to get the brooms moving, sweeping the dust towards a pile in the middle of the room.

Soon, he managed to forget his life's problems, singing loudly about cleaning and the low point it turned out to be for him, dancing around the library and animated furniture, orchestrating them into working for him and summoning a tiny actual orchestra while he was at it and in that moment felt as if the music might as well be a solution to all of the world's problems, the tiny, comforting voice of hope starting whispering that everything would be alright, no matter the magic, the chaos and any of it whatsoever- when he accidentally bumped into a bookshelf and something fell on the floor and the music stopped. A research of some sort. In the next moment, reading Twilight's handwriting on it, Discord delightfully realized it was a research on him.

"Oooh, let us see what it says and make a musical out of it!" Not minding in the least going through what was probably a private read, he jumped right into it.

The first few pages didn't say anything concrete, mostly facts about the draconequues species that he told her, assumptions and small changes Twilight noticed in his behavior. Pretty much the expected. There were many questions written down, presumably those she always wanted to ask but never did, for some reason. He giggled at her shyness, if that is what it was.

Then he came to a strange sketch. A sketch of... himself, he realized, sitting on a floor and cupping something in his hands. It took Discord several long, silent seconds to realize what that was. What the drawing represented. For once in his life, his heart shipped a beat and his hands trembled for a moment with what was everything at once - fear, anger, excitement, disappointment, anger, nostalgia, anger...

Like after line, sketch after sketch, the truth suddenly felt like weight in his stomach that kept going down and whatever joy and serenity that found home in his heart suddenly fell victim to that sinking weight.

His arms hanged, research held tightly in his grip. Teeth were barren in a snarl. Eyes sparked with an old, reawakened menace; he raised his arm and with a single click of two yellow fingers, things changed.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Sky Trotter caught the Parasprite! Clouders win!"

A series of excited screams and whistles was heard, as well as a massive amount of hooves hopping against the soft cloud in celebration. A pony with a dark black mane flew one last time around the stadium area, the Parasprite secured in her mouth, before landing somewhere down on the fluffy field. The match was over and the Sun was going down. Many of the them, both the victor ponies and the defeated griffins, stayed for an upcoming after party that was going to be one of the biggest parties ever made. Needless to say, Pinkie was going to stay, and Rainbow Dash desperately wanted to meet the team members and even Applejack seemed excited for the party to come and when Spike suggested some cider, she was the loudest to call dibs on the first glass. Twilight on the other hand wouldn't stick around for too long. Despite Pinkie's numerous pleas to stay and the fact that Rainbow Dash just decided to show some of her dance skills to a rather large group of ponies, challenging Vinyl Scratch to a dance-off, she went back to her hot air balloon. She was pretty tired from all the excitement - and she realized she had spent little to no time with the Spirit today, kind of even, she didn't want to admit it to herself, missing him.

She made her way back to Ponyville, which was completely devoid of life, oddly enough - even with the match, the emptiness of it was surprising. It would be eerie if it were any darker. Twilight smiled, thinking of a good day she was having, not in the slightest expecting to find what she had found when she opened the door to her library.

The world that awaited her inside was familiar. The floor was covered in chess-like pattern, the familiar houses of neighbours were floating around and the sky was of sickly pink color. Huge tower of cards stood strong and somewhere in the distant sky, pigs were flying. One last reminder was a bunch of rabbits running past her, all of them running on their long, thin legs.

It was just like that last time. The last time he broke out - she was back there. Once again witnessing the madness.

She turned around - her door had disappeared. There was nothing but Discord's old menacing world of madness here and she didn't know what to make of it. Where was Discord? She was certain it was just a magic anomaly, he would certainly be able to explain-

"Beautiful, right?" He called?

The Unicorn turned, saw the Spirit lying on one of the candy cotton clouds, not too high, right above her. He proudly observed his land of Chaos, his voice sounded nearly sickeningly happy.

"I missed this scenery! Nothing but the replay of the past, if you'll notice but still, it has such charm to it!" He pointed at something, where Twilight surprisingly noticed another Discord, the one from the past apparently, turning one of the houses upside down as he cackled madly - she had forgotten that laughter. Though she recalled it as the laughter of evil and chaos, she couldn't help but notice... this time it sounded as if composed of nothing short of sheer happiness.

"What is... going on?"

"Enough, Twilight Sparkle!" Discord interrupted, loudly and theatrically. "Enough of this pretense, of this thing you call friendship and caring when there's such a simply reason you do it all- for science, if I dare refer to popular culture!"

If it wasn't for the fact he was actually being serious, Twilight would have found the whole situation funny - the theatrics, the speech, the faces. Then he threw her forgotten research before her. Frozen on the spot, she could only observe as he flew down before her, smiling wickedly and yet his eyes burning with the sort of rage she wasn't sure if she saw before.

"I've had my powers for a whole now, it would seem!" He announced as if surprised and then laughed again, this time at himself. "I can't believe my own blindness. The self-pitying fool I was, you made me believe I was actually torn apart from Chaos. My Chaos." He looked at her wildly. "Quite impossible for somepony who's supposed to be an embodiment of it, wouldn't you agree?"

Twilight took a deep breath and gulped; she tried to speak but all she managed to do was open her mouth, closing them just as fast. The draconequues chuckled evilly as he advanced on her and though every instinct in her told her to keep her distance, Twilight stood as tall and firm as she could. The Discord that stood before her was no longer the playful draconequues she knew and cared for...

But it couldn't be. Not so suddenly, not just because he-

"Tell me my dear, when did you plan on telling me? Have you planned on telling me at all? Have you perhaps informed Celestia of my little 'development'? Perhaps you even already have a plan to set me back in my crafty prison of stone. Perhaps she figured she might want to visit me to try and steal my powers for her own use. When did you plan on telling me? Please, by all means, answer!" Once he finally finished the speech that gradually grew in intensity, it was like in a vision and Twilight Sparkle could suddenly see everything behind the anger and rage and chaos that he played up right now - what she saw was that, much like any normal pony would be, he was actually hurt, and it was the one thing that ensured her she must try and reason with him. I must talk to him.

"Never again, Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight opened her mouth but the words she tried to get out were lost as the floor underneath her moved. Her own library was suddenly back and she fell to the floor clumsily.

I must talk to--

She felt his strong hands wrapping firmly around her hoof as he lifted her up, his face inches away from hers. If it wasn't obvious by then that he was downright furious, she could now see it in all of its frightening glory.

"So before I turn Equestria completely around and destroy those blasted Elements you wanted me to cherish so much, tell me Twilight Sparkle." He paused, taking a deep breath and behind the fury there was a desperate need to know: "Was it worth it? Tell me Twilight Sparkle, what do you, Celestia's protege, the smartest pony of them all, think; did I learn anything?"

Twilight had stared into those menacing eyes. It was impossible to know if there was any of that goofy draconequues present at that moment but she decided to believe in all the time they had together, all the time in Ponyville, all the chess games, attempts at pies and a weird day in the snow and believe that they were as important to him as they were to everypony else.

"Put me down, and I'll tell you."

The unusually calm request was not something he expected and he blinked, though hardly any less angrier. He let her slip onto the floor. From there, she could see his fists clenching. Slowly, as if treading on an explosive field, Twilight walked over to the shelves - her knees shook and were it not for her mind keeping her in check - I need to talk to him, she kept telling herself - her body would have betrayed her a long time ago.

She summoned a book and opened it. Discord squinted his eyes as he saw the familiar cover of the most boring book in the world. Licking her lips and clearing her throat, Twilight read a single sentence she had read him a dozen of times that first night he had come to live with her:

"'The society dictates that one should always follow some of the most basic rules of the etiquette the society made, to be accepted into the said society.'"

She closed it and looked back at him. "Discord, I don't know if you noticed and if you remember but this was our first lesson. Well, technically the only actual lesson." She allowed herself to digress for a moment. "In the mean time, I've realized that there is truly no such thing as a unique learning theory when it comes to things like this. I had to rely on nothing but what me and my friends can offer you, in hopes you will actually learn- no, that's wrong to say. In hopes you'+ll understand us. Living here, participating in things, causing trouble as you always do and learning to understand a thing or two as you go." She paused. "But I must admit... all this time... I never realized you'd manage to get this far." She her eyes stinging but endured it, instead shooting him a bold look, with even a ghost of a smile playing on her lips.

"You can pretend all you want that you haven't learned a thing, Discord but I got to know you too well for your own good, I guess. So if you sincerely want to destroy everything around you and all the memories all of us made, be my guest. I got no choice anyway because I'm at a point where, even if I could turn you to stone myself, I would probably never do it." Twilight admitted in the end.

There was something shifting this time in the eyes of mismatched creature as he raised his talons, ready to click. Ready to use one single click to make the sky bloody red, make the ponies go crazy, run a stampede of crazed parasprites through the town, dig out the foundations of every single home in all of Equestria and placing them on the bottom of the ocean.

The talons trembled. His face was a mixture of some pained expression and anger. Rage was growing. Insecurity appeared. His breathing was shallow.

"Discord, you found Laughter." Twilight started softly."You learned Kindness and discovered Loyalty. You gained Generosity and realized the importance of Honesty. It all leads up to the greatest Element of all. And that Element, as powerful as it is, as much as everybody think it is-! it isn't Magic."

His hand shook violently, already slippery at this point from the sweat he didn't notice accumulated there. Then his fingers relaxed and the arm fell.

Before Twilight even had the time to feel relieved, he suddenly roared. An angry, extremely loud, almost animal-like scream, sounding defeated, frustrated; almost helpless. He looked around and then spun, looking for something, anything, he could let out his frustration on. When he found no such thing, the Spirit suddenly flew up and burst out through the closest, still closed window, shattering the glass and sending the splinters and pieces of wood all over the carpet. Twilight ran to the window and caught the glimpse of the Spirit's wings and tail before he disappeared over the top hills and trees.

With no idea of where could he be gone and no idea of what he might do next, Twilight slowly trotted off into the kitchen, grabbed a small broom, and started to pick up the glass from the floor. Then she climbed to the balcony. There, she stood for a long time, observing the distance Discord disappeared in, and once she had calmed down, that's when the realization hit her.

It was so painful for the Spirit to realize that, despite his efforts and successful accepting of the Harmony's Elements, she was the one failing him, collectively going back on all the lessons her learned and deceiving him instead of doing what she had always done - talk to him.

Would he ever realize her fears?

From here on, it was up to him .

23) Wished Away

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The Everfree forest was a quiet place. Still during the day, the only sounds disturbing the serene silence of it being the occasional chipper of a bird or shuffling of leaves in the breeze. Tense and eerie during the night, when predators come out. Everything and every being was quiet then; sleeping, hiding... or hunting.

This night though, the forest was awakened. The creepers were trembling in their homes and the birds hid in the high tops of the trees, wondering where the sounds were coming from. Wondering what brought such an unsettling feeling into their home.

A single timberwolf scout put its ears up and listened, confused and lost by the strange, unfamiliar cries of fury and anger cracking through the night. The sounds of tree bark being scratched, torn, destroyed. For an animal whose skin was mostly covered in timber, it wasn't a pleasant noise.

It slowly sneaked around the trees, following the sound. Soon, it came upon traces of destruction, much more violent than the animal expected. Most of the trees were still cracking sickeningly, threatening to fall down any second. The timberwolf eyed the darkness, observing the path of destruction the creature left behind... then continued on its way.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It wasn't long after his furious rampage in the Everfree that the Spirit settled down a bit. To use magic in this or aby moment after would now be, in a way, a sign of weak will. He wanted to burn the whole forest down but the face of a purple mare kept appearing before him, telling him in a few simple words exactly what he gathered from their last conversation:

You're better than this.

His voyage of thought took him all the way to the White Tail forest; being far away from Ponyville, yet in a familiar and acceptable surrounding, it was one of the rare places he enjoyed being alone in.

There was a feeling of anger and disappointment, with both himself and those around him. Then there was slight satisfaction, in a way. Betrayal and guilt, too many things at once he wasn't used to. The fact he felt disgusted by his own powers and what they could do angered him immensely. Since when was he the one to wonder just how powerful he was and just what kind of things he could do if he only wanted to? Such... horrible things.

Almost all of the colorful leaves had fallen from the trees, being replaced by icicles. One of the freezing drops from icicles fell on Discord's nose. The innocent drop toyed with his temper and he quickly relieved himself of the anger by slashing an innocent nearby tree, leaving three long, deeps marks of his lion talons.

"An impressive display of your physical power; a truthful exhibition of your brutal personality as well."

Discord was seriously ready to send whoever was bothering him flying to the Moon. He turned around. The mare didn't look familiar at all but the extravagant cloak and hat gave her away - he heard many stories of 'great and powerful' magician from Twilight.

"Give me one good reason not to turn you into similarly disturbed tree." Discord purred evilly. The Unicorn cocked her head.

"If my sources are not deceiving me, you are Discord, the Spirit of Chaos who is at the moment residing in the library of my nemesis, Twilight Sparkle." She replied, ignoring his previous demand; there was a rather specific note of elegance and self centered pride in her voice. No wonder nopony in Ponyville liked her. She reeked of her own ego.

"Well done, well done," Discord clapped slowly, his face giving away his boredom, "you certainly did your research."

"'It is but the main story in most current papers."

"Ah."

"I'll take my chance and ask, what are you doing here, Spirit of Chaos?" Trixie asked. "Should you not be learning of Harmony? It would delight me to hear that Twilight Sparkle failed in a task of such importance."

"Oh, she succeeded, alright." The Spirit said nearly playfully. "It's exactly why I'm venting here."

Realization spread over her face but she said nothing, perhaps not expecting it. Discord measured her up. "You're the 'great and powerful Trixie', am I right?"

The mention of her not so truthful title still made her hold her head up high, which he didn't expect. If anything, he expected a more humbling appearance. But then she added:

"It's appreciated but, just Trixie is fine." She assured him, still with that proud, confident tone.

He waited and got nothing more. "That's this? No bragging on about what a powerful magician you are? No display of your colorful little powers and tricks?" He followed up each of his questions with a childish magic trick. "No story of the Ursa Major banishment? After all the gossip I heard, I expected to be held by you for the next few sunsets.

With every question, Trixie's face turned a bit more red. "I see you're informed of my life story as well as I am informed of yours." Trixie said. "Thank goodness mine isn't all over the newspaper, though; having been publicly ashamed in only one town is quite too much."

"Informed of my life? You?" He paused. "Anyone? I doubt it."

"You'd be surprised."

She is quite bold for a failed magic user.

"Well, what are you doing here; came back for some more humiliation?" Discord taunted, giving her a hearty mocking laughter. Trixie glared at him.

"Oh, no no no, I am just passing through, Spirit - though I can promise you I will return to this wretched little place someday. On the other note, I could ask the same; seeing as you so successfully 'escaped' the grasp of Twilight Sparkle, you must be in possession of some abilities we all didn't know are still in you."

It was so easy to confide in a stranger. Before he knew it, he very briefly retold her the gist of the situation he was in. For a moment, she seemed to be taken aback.

"Well, should've expected that out of a draconequus. It surprises me however that I have yet to see anything upside down or inside out." She paused, now bitterly adding. "Like my magic skill, for once."

He hiccuped with contained laughter. "Now, now, come on dear; surely your powers amount up to some level you can be proud of." He assured playfully. But the mare shook her head.

"Not really." Trixie admitted, suddenly feeling just as prompted as he did to share her bad experience. She sighed. "Ever since the run in with Twilight Sparkle, I've been thinking... Magic must not be what my Cutie Mark is standing for. Some Unicorn I turned out to be."

"How does the fact you're a Unicorn have anything to do with your magic? As far as you're concerned, you could get into petriculture!"

"You do not understand - I have a reputation to uphold!"

"Yes, you can say that again."

The unusual due sit in the forest, pouring their heart out to each other and it was already dark. The entire situation was unusual but unbeknownst to them, did wonders to their mood.

She suddenly spoke: "You're a creature of mismatched proportions and a rare species at that; your kind is associated with mystery, danger, and even evil in more than a single story or legend."

"Why, you're making me blush." Discord feigned embarrassment. Trixie ignored the remark as she continued.

"And you seemed to have been the perfect description of those things during your first break out - even the Princesses don't seem to know much of you or your powers. You can only be stopped by the Elements of Harmony and your troublesome antics are already being retold in some newer books.

"Are we getting somewhere with this, or are you just trying to get on my good side?" Discord playfully asked.

"Indeed," Trixie nodded, "if I were to judge by my sources, as well as the newspapers articles, you are much more of a darling creature then you let us know." She smiled a bit mockingly.

"I am not a 'darling' creature." Discord spat. "If you really wish for a proof, I can easily provide one." His talons lightened up with a powerful burst of energy, easily felt around them, so as to try and make a point.

"And that's exactly my point." Trixie said, rolling her eyes. "Your incredible power provides us with many of faces you desire to show, Spirit. With great power come limitless possibilities; both to create and change things around you... and to change yourself. Whether for better or worse, you can always decide, change your opinion and decide again. All you are and all you do... everything is literally in your hands. Nothing any no pony to stop you." Her words made the Spirit fall silent, the magical light slowly going away. "I may not know your initial reasons for the mayhem you love to cause so much but the facts stand firm; you're putting on quite a show with it all-"

"Just when did you become such a wise-cracker?" Discord interrupted, not only annoyed but clearly uncomfortable with Trixie's surprising ability to hit nail on the head.

Trixie didn't respond right away. Her head hung down; she seemed to be embarrassed. "Despite our many, many obvious differences, you and I share a rather similar story; however vastly different it may appear at first." She paused. " I merely seek deserved acknowledgment. I was and still am convinced that my magic could measure up to the ability of Alicorns themselves, should I only keep trying. I only went from that assumption, I am still going from there, and the rest... The rest is history. Twilight Sparkle changed something in my, though time will tell if it was for better or for worse. I'd say her actions changed something inside of that old, chaotic draconequues heart of yours, too; at least judging by the fact you have yet to use your chaotic powers on me."

Discord opened his mouth, probably wanting to retort or think of a clever comeback, but he found himself without an idea for saying something sounding just as wise-cracking. She grinned.

"It's alright," Trixie teased; her tone however, was sincere, "I know change is hard. I guess I'll leave you alone. I have much business to attend to, anyway. Spells aren't going to learn themselves."

"And revenges aren't going to plot themselves."

"Sorry?"

"Oh, just a prediction. Safe travels, Great and Powerful."

With those words and with a nod of her head, Trixie trotted off her way, though not before the draconequues shouted after her.

"Since you're so full of them, any advice on what should I do?

"Didn't I tell you already?" He heard her cackling in the distance. "Whatever you wish for."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Night had fallen.

Twilight Sparkle was once again on the balcony, staring into the same spot in the sky the Spirit had disappeared in yesterday. She was thinking. Wondering what he was up to at that moment.

At the same time, Discord was hiding out in some wilderness he failed to recognize. Being away from familiarity felt more comforting than he thought it would. He was thinking. Wondering what was Twilight Sparkle up to at that moment.

He couldn't have done anything terrible so far. He probably just left for good. And if he ever does come back I doubt he'll...

She probably assumes I'm my good old self again. If only. Not a worry in the world. Though dear Twilight Sparkle really did show me a good time while I was incapacitated. It wasn't the best but it was fun. Lovely of her, how she gave me a chance.

Will he ever realize the fear in me? Could I ever explain my reasons for keeping it hidden?

But would she ever understand my chaotic needs? Could I ever use them for anything good? Could I ever live free and unconcerned with such an incredible power just a click of the fingers away? Could everypony else?

If he comes back, I swear I'll do my best to- to- oh, I don't even know what I would do anymore! To be the best friend I can be? I don't even know if he's ever appreciated it anymore. Too cheesy, he'd say.

Goodness, I almost allowed myself to get cheesy.When was the last time I got cheesy before I met that mare? I cannot recall. She'd probably break her mind over trying to help me remember, though. I miss that silly little unicorn.

I really miss him around... I wish I had a bit more time. Just a bit more time to say I'm sorry.

I should've asked her for assistance.

I wish I could tell him how much he means to me.

I wish I didn't feel so weird.

In the end, I guess I really, really started to...

Seriously though, I feel awfully wei-- hey, what the---?!

The branch Discord was lying atop of was suddenly empty, the draconequues unwillingly disappearing with a silent 'pop'.

Back in Ponyville, in a certain library, Twilight Sparkle barely had any time to wonder why did her body feel tingly before she disappeared into the air with the similar sound effect.

The library was silent. As well as the forest Discord resided in moments ago. Nopony knew the two had, for the time being, disappeared from the world. And nopony knew of the struggles the mare and the draconequues were about to go through.

24) Friendship is Magic

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"..."

"... Well, well, well. We meet again, Twilight Sparkle."

"... Uh ... Discord?"

"I can't believe you still have the audacity to ride on my back, after what you had done."

"Discord."

"And sure, it is fairly obvious you didn't come here by free will but if you had a shred of manners left--"

"Discord, would you please listen to me?"

"Yes, Twilight, my dearest betrayer?"

"... Right, um... where in Equestria are we?"

"Funny you should mention it because, I've a feeling we're not in Equestria anymore."

"You know perfectly well that is not what I meant."

"Well either way, our current situation, seeing as only the two of us are here, is rather awkward and, for at least one of us, rather shameful, don't you agree?"

"I could care less about that now! We'll deal with social awkwardness and issues later, we first need to get out of... whatever this place is! You did this, didn't you! Why did you bring me here, anyway?!"

"Oh, now I'm a criminal again, am I? Have you not shown me enough discourtesy lately?" They both glared at each other. He rolled his eyes. "I haven't done a thing! I was brought here against my will as well, by means I'm not exactly familiar with. At least, I think so. In one moment, my body felt ticklish and 'poof'! I found myself here, with you enjoying a ride on my back. Seriously - manners. You lack them."

"Well, same thing! I just disappearing from my library and the next thing I knew I was here. Do you have any idea about this place?"

"It's nothing I've ever seen, yet it strikes me as familiar."

"It does look like a place only you could create."

"I think I already told you, a while ago as well, that I can't turn ground and sky upside down. Though I must admit, whoever or whatever did this, deserves at least a nice bouquet of flowers."

"Discord..."

"Oh fine, fine. Let's look around a bit, shall we?"

The world the two had found themselves in was indeed literally turned around. High, high above them, right after the thin patches of fluffy clouds, they could make out the unlimited amount of solid ground, with trees, river and flowers, even an occasional house or two. No matter how hard they tried to reach it though, it seemed eternally distant.

Underneath them was the sky. The sky acted entirely unnaturally as a solid land. The moment Twilight tried to put a hoof down on the apparently invisible, airy surface that now acted as ground, it would crumble and then grow up again, or disappear completely - it was highly unstable and constantly changing; nopony's short legs, or any legs whatsoever were made for walking on such a surface. Clouds were floating by them, only a hoof or two away. Occasionally, they would encounter a chunk of land floating around as well, the kind the pair could thankfully stand on - but all of them were either too small or held nothing of interest. There was however, a most impressively sized cloud that took up literally half of the sky in front of them and apart from others, seemed to contain colours in its core, which would every once in a while flash through it's surface, like a colorful light breaking through. Not exactly sure about it, Discord didn't go right through it.

"Well this is boring." The Spirit finally noticed after they kept rounding the cloud like a race track for about good ten minutes and they couldn't tell if they were going in circles or if the clouds was even more massive than they thought. "I mean sure, it is wonderfully weird and totally and absolutely amazingly done but I had hoped to reach the Land of Upside Down through my own magic one day." He pointed upwards. "Though, looking down at the sky and up at the ground does induce a rather funky nauseating feeling, don't you think?"

"No way I'm looking down for more than a second." Twilight deadpanned. The flight moved on in silence.

"... Hey, Discord?"

"Hmm?"

"Look, I... about what happened-"

"It's alright." The Spirit said abruptly. Even though he seemed really honest about it, she decided he was wrong.

"No it is not alright." She protested. She could hear Discord sigh.

"Well of course it isn't, Twilight Sparkle but, in a way, it is."

"Uh..."

"I am not - well, not entirely - angry with you anymore. Will I need to spell these things out to you?"

"You... you're not?"

"No, I'm just... how about this, we'll discuss this when we get out of here." Discord finally said, this time turning his head to give her a short, sincere smile. There was something in it that helped Twilight's sorrowful mood she was in for the past day. Suddenly she felt that the good old draconequues she knew and loved was back, if even a little piece of him.

"Alright." She said. Both of them already felt a bit better from just that one, small conversation. Twilight opened her mouth again, not sure what she wanted to say, when she suddenly heard him say:

"Ah-ha! I spy with my little eye~"

She could help but chuckle, despite rolling her eyes. "Not the time for games, Discord."

"Something that begins with 'L'!"

"Oh, for the love of--"

"Wrong! It isn't 'love', it's 'land'!"

"What?"

Somehow, Discord managed to suddenly round the huge cloud that blocked their path so much and in the distance, Twilight could clearly see a large, wide piece of land, as wide as the cloud they just rounded was.

"Discord, look! The cloud!"

"Mm?" The draconequues lazily looked over at the giant cloud and as just as surprised when he saw it rapidly dispersing.

"What do you think caused that?"

"...I have a feeling we'll find our answer on land." Discord said, obviously not telling the entire truth of the matter. Twilight let it go, for now. "Land ahoy, Captain!" Discord laughed before zooming as fast as he could towards it. Twilight held onto him for dear life.

"Well, I'll be---" Discord observed the land in surprise. He landed down and once she finally met the firm ground, Twilight could see why.

This piece of land, so far entirely illogically but thankfully, had its own normal sky - Twilight was getting seriously dizzy from the previous setup. However they found themselves in a peculiar land that Pinkie Pie would definitely move into if she could. The trees were coated in sugar and made of what seemed to be jelly, giant gummy bears growing on them. Flowers were literally replaced by lollipops and their petals by candy. Grass seemed the same as always, but was extremely soft, almost like it was fake - and, Twilight noticed with surprise, it let out random noises when stepped on. Each step she took would produce a different noise, such as a balloon popping, or horn honking, or a weird 'squee' most likely produced by a toy or a clown's nose. A single path that led through the party engulfed land was made of chocolate. As fun and tasty as it looked, Twilight didn't particularly enjoyed walking on it and quickly hopped onto the Spirit's back once again after the last step of her hoof produced a flatulent noise.

"What is this place?" Twilight's voice was filled with both disapproval and amazement. As Discord continued to float down the path, they could make out a small house in the distance. Upon investigating, they realized two things - one, there was not a living soul in there and two, the house was made entirely of cakes and candy, just like their surroundings.

"This place almost screams of Pinkie Pie." She finally spoke. "I wonder if she had anything to do with-- Oh no way, Pinkie can't even do magic. But this place is just so... her."

"Oh!" The Spirit suddenly exclaimed, his face giving away something akin to shock.

"Are you alright?" Her genuinely concerned voice made him snap out of it.

"I... I have to check something out. We do, in fact!" Twilight had only a millisecond to take a better look of the candy house as they zoomed right past it. They passed next to several large tables that seemed to be set up for an upcoming party, with plates and drinks already prepared - there were even decorations on the sugary trees and balloons stuck to the ground and even a party canon nearby.

It would appear that the land Twilight affectionately dubbed 'Pinkieland' ended very abruptly with a thick, extremely high forest of sugar-coated trees that at some point turned into normal looking, tall pines. Not wanting to miss anything, the Spirit decided to fly through it, instead of flying over it. On the way the encountered several small clearances with various different looking houses and cottages, but nothing caught their interest too much - except for one house with a bigger yard that had been literally round and entirely painted in blue, with numerous bubbles drawn on it. It had weird, round flowers growing in the yard but Discord didn't stop for them to have a better look.

The Spirit halted soon after - once they got out of a forest a huge meadow upon which the Sun was shining appeared before them. It was covered in the greenest, most lush grass Twilight had ever stepped her hoof on, filled with the most colorful and wonderful flowers Twilight had ever seen - the meadow's most noticeable feature was its animals. Or to be more specific, the variety and number of them. Bunnies, squirrels, butterflies, ducks, every possible critter, countless of different bugs, the wonderful singing of thousands of different birds hidden in the shade of nearby trees and bushes, or flying in flocks over the half cloudy sky... It all reminded Twilight heavily of Fluttershy.

"Oh, dear." The Spirit let out a sound as if he just realized something.

"What is it?" Twilight turned to face him. He was fidgeting.

"Um... well, I am, kind of, sort of, the one to blame for us appearing here.

Twilight immediately frowned and Discord couldn't help but to laugh at it. "But you said you had nothing to--"

"Indeed; not willingly, was what I said." Discord managed sheepishly. "You could say that my... personal conflicts brought us here."

"Discord, what in the world--"

"Congratulations, Twilight Sparkle, we're having the honour of dealing with myself."

"Yourse-- what?"

Discord cleared his throat for a dramatic effect. "You see, doesn't this meadow remind you of somepony?"

Twilight frowned, at this point wondering if he just read her thoughts.

"Of... of Fluttershy." She replied and the Spirit clapped his hands.

"Exactly! And-- oh goodness, just look up there! Who does THAT remind you of?" He suddenly looked up, his talon pointing to something. Twilight followed his motion. Somewhere up in the sky, not too high and clearly visible, was a sky city very similar to Cloudsdale - only it was bigger and its shape was much more... edgy. From what they could see, still being on the ground, it had extremely high cliffs, countless of dangerous looking mountain peaks and several big slopes; as well as numerous cloudy rings all around it. It looked almost like some sort of training ground.

"That's where Rainbow Dash resides!" Discord exclaimed in excitement.

"Nobody lives here, Discord! I'm sorry, but I still have no idea what you're talking about!"

Discord sighed, exasperated. "Haven't you ever studied a pony's... consciousness and psychology and such?"

"Well, not in terms of whatever it is you're talking about!" Twilight noticed, frustrated by her own ignorance . "This looks solely like a work of magic."

"And it is, it is." Discord confirmed, floating around and observing. "It is a very powerful, very rare and very hard branch of magic. I myself wasn't aware I had it in me."

Something went of in her mind and Twilight asked before she could contain herself. "Discord, do you know why you gained your powers back?"

Discord was silent for a moment or two, seemingly in thought.

"I can't say for sure, my dear." He started. "But from what I know of our species and our rather awesome magical ability, it seems that I sort of... relearned it." He shrugged playfully.

"But how is that possible?" Twilight continued to wonder. "Nopony can master magic that fa--"

"Exactly, Twilight. No PONY. That's another thing you can put into your precious draconequues research. Aside from being undeniably handsome and charming, we're also a species of many... geniuses. Yes, I believe that's the appropriate title." He literally patted himself on the back, prompting Twilight to roll her eyes. "A small fraction of magical ability Celestia gave me was just enough. Ever since, all the wishing to do greater magical deeds, all the growing, suppressed power I had in me started to leak through... until it quite literally leaked, according to your sketches." He chuckled, throwing her a cunning glance.

"I guess even Princess Celestia doesn't know much about the draconequues, huh." Twilight dared to admit her beloved mentor had a 'flaw'.

"Not even Celestia, my dear." Discord confirmed. Twilight was silent for a while, simply rethinking his answer and pretty much being surprised by the simplicity of it. As they crossed the colorful meadow and once again headed through the thick forest of cedars she realized he still hasn't explained his theory on "dealing with himself", so she opened her mouth to ask and right in that moment, she tripped and landed nuzzle first into the dusty ground. Wait... dusty?

"This must be the territory of Miss Applejack." She heard him say. And really, once Discord lifted her from the dusty ground, she realized she was on the edge of a valley - valley filled with most beautiful, mature apple trees she had ever seen. Its fruits were clearly visible even from the distance, bigger and redder than most apples Twilight had seen in Applejack's orchard. Behind the trees was a large, fancy farmhouse, as well as a firm, tall water tower. It looked pretty much like everything Applejack dreamed of having one day, Twilight figured - it looked firm, safe and like a proper home for such a big family as hers.

And so little thinking cogs started to turn in Twilight's head. The Rainbow Dash's 'home'? The 'territory' of Applejack? Two pieces of land that so undeniably looked like perfect homes to Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie? Even the house of bubbles that, although Twilight didn't say anything about it, seemed to scream 'Ditzy Do'.

Twilight gasped as the realization hit her. That huge cloud... it moved the moment they finally spoke to each other, the moment they finally achieved some sort of temporary but honest truce. Everything in here changed and shaped itself according to him and the way he felt. What he felt.

"We are inside of your hear--"

His fingers immediately moved to shut her mouth.

For the love of Chaos and everything that is Harmonic, don't." Discord facepalmed. "Let's just assume we're in my mind, because technically, we really are."

Twilight couldn't help but laugh. "Fine, fine. Still, that's quite sweet, you know."

"What is?"

"Well... the level of care you have for your friends, I suppose." She spread her hooves to point out the giant dream-home Applejack seemingly deserved in Discord's opinion.

He growled. "You just had to go and say it out loud, huh."

"But I still don't understand how did we get here in the first place. I mean, I could understand how you did but what about me?"

"I... I don't know." He admitted." I think we'll just have to continue and see where the path takes us. The answer is definitely around here somewhere."

The two continued to travel through Applejack's valley until reaching a batch of thick and dark trees that stood as a kind of a border between it and another piece of land. This time, there was a small path leading to the next piece of land. Soon after, they found themselves a small, fancy town Twilight immediately knew was Rarity's land. Here, the Sun was eternally setting and offered a romantic view. There were several places that were obviously made primarily for the purpose of a date - restaurants, a theater and cinema, dancing hall and a few other buildings, many of them shops with fancy clothing. Near the very end of the land was Carousel Boutique, looking bigger and more extravagant than ever.

"I don't need to guess who this space is meant for." Twilight smiled. Behind her, the Spirit let out a tired sigh.

"This is such an invasion of privacy."

"Oh, oh! Where is mine?"

Discord already looked angry. "Like, I said, privacy! Mind your own beeswax!" But his bad mood couldn't take off the curious expression off her face.

"I'm going to find it anyway!" She announced as she pranced towards the cherry trees of rose petals that swayed in the breeze in the edge of Rarity's land.

Discord had little choice but to follow her. On their way, the trees got significantly different and a weak mist gathered at the ground, which was the first sign they were entering another area. Twilight suddenly gasped so loudly in her excitement, that the draconequus almost jerked.

"These are willows!" Twilight whispered mesmerized.

Discord arched an eyebrow. "You nearly gave me a heart attack over trees?"

Twilight's eyes almost popped out as she stared at him. "Willows are so magical! Great and soft, swaying in the wind... I adore them!" She claimed. For her it was a definitive sign that they were getting closer to area Discord had dedicated to her. All that happening, Twilight hardly thought of it as unpredictable when the Spirit suddenly stopped her.

"Do you really HAVE to see it?" He questioned, annoyance in her voice.

"How else do you expects us to get out of here unless we look into everything?"

I guess she's got a point.

But the further they went, the more noticeable and thicker the mist started to become. Twilight tried to use her magic to chase it away, only to realize in utter horror that her magic wouldn't listen to her - whether it was the area that prevented her from using magic, or was it that specific spell that simply malfunctioned, she couldn't tell. Discord seemed satisfied with this progress of the situation.

Even when they exited the forest, the fog was to thick she could barely see the blue-ish grass before her.

"What?" He asked once she shot him a dirty look. "It's not like I'm doing this on purpose!"

"Well, you are in control here! We're technically inside of your mind, or something! It should be your doing, it's the only logical thing!"

"Well, do tell me then," the Spirit started impatiently, "were you ever fully in control of what and how you feel?"

"I am--- well, no, but-- Well, I crave to be!" She finally stammered out before turning away from him and heading into the fog. The Spirit chuckled and followed her closely.

"Slow down dear, you don't want to get lost."

"I can easily call for you."

"True, but my mind is a scary place sometimes." She heard him say, half jokingly and half trying to sounds creepy. While he failed at that, the thought of being lost in a Chaotic mind was not something that seemed attractive.

"Oof!" Twilight suddenly hit something, like a wall or fence. It took her a few moment to make out a big tree and a few more moments to realize it was her library. To her surprise, this was the first house they encountered that had its lights on, as she could make out through the glassed windows.

"Oh finally, a familiar place!" Twilight gasped - to her disappointment and surprise, though, the door was closed, windows too. Her magic couldn't open them, and Discord unsuccessfully tried to transport them inside.

"We can not enter." He noticed, earning a glare from Twilight.

"Well thank you! I had no idea about that!

"Which means the solution to our problem is inside."

"... that at the same time makes sense and yet, we don't really have any logical proof to support such a statement."

"Well, seeing as it is my mind we're residing in..." He smiled.

"Point taken." Twilight accepted. "How do we get in?"

"Well, certainly not by magic."

"...Discord, don't you think it is obvious that you should open it... as you said, it's your mind."

"What do you propose?"

"Well, I do think this fog is to blame for all of it." Twilight admitted, and Discord rolled his eyes.

"This again? What does that have to do with--"

"The cloud moved the moment we made amends, remember? We talked. We need to remove doubt from your heart.

"Again, don't call it that."

"So, swat's the problem? You can talk to me about it."

Discord and Twilight eyed each other intensely as he tried to count the choices he had. Once he realized he didn't have any other, he whined like a filly.

"I just don't want to!"

Twilight laughed out loudly. "Discord, you don't have to be shy!"

"I am not shy!" He said a bit too desperately; at that moment, for the first time ever, Twilight had the honor to see a barely noticeable crimson color on his face.

"I know you're not." She said calmly. "But still, we have to enter somehow."

"Oh, fine, fine, for goodness sake- just let me do it on my own!" Discord took a deep breath to calm himself down, his eyes closing for a minute. Then, though reluctantly and with a short pause, he clicked his fingers. To Twilight's surprise, it worked, as the fog started to slowly disappear.

" How come that kind of magic worked?" Twilight questioned.

"I guess sometimes actions speak louder than words." Discord said tiredly as the world before them rapidly unraveled. Once the sky became visible, Twilight gasped.

Unlike others, this piece of land was engulfed in night. A huge full moon provided more than enough light for everything to be visible. As the mist retreated, the trees emerged in the dark, gorgeous, sad looking willows, swaying in the gentle breeze. There was a sparkling river nearby, dark and deep, reflecting the moon.

The most noticeable feature though, once the fog was gone, was definitely the sky; aside from the Moon, it contained not only numerous stars and constellations but also big, colorful nebulae, far away dots of color that Twilight instantly recognized as other planets or bigger stars. It was like the whole beauty of the universe tried to fit into that one part of sky.
Instantly, she thought of all the researches she could do, if she only had her telescope and maybe a piece of parchment. As if somepony heard her thoughts, she suddenly noticed a small building in the distance - her keen eye instantly recognized it as an observatory.

"Discord, this is... this is just magical."

As expected, he simply waved his paw dismissively. "Let's just get this over with, or at least try to."

Upon a second try, the door opened effortlessly. Discord ducked to enter through the tiny door, with the mare following him closely, still fascinated by the vast world of night Discord 'created' for her.

The moment they stepped in, the door slammed behind them. All the lights in the library vanished, the candles being blown out by a sudden, eerie wind that had no plausible source, and the windows, that opened along with the door, suddenly slammed shut again. Twilight felt something old and familiar in that wind, something that shook her to the bone and that made her skin crawl. She found herself being scared though there was no reason to be as of yet.

"Discord." She whispered, not sure what exactly she wanted from him, or why did she call for him in the first place. The draconequus, though, didn't seem at all shaken, perhaps even indifferent.

"Hmm?" He lazily replied, trying to get the candles to burn once again - and once again, his magic betrayed him.

"Discord, somepony is in here." Twilight knew it. That cursed, horrible wind marked the presence of somepony, somepony she met a while ago. Somepony who put that same fear she felt right now into her heart... only now, it felt so much worse.

"What are you talking about?" The Spirit chuckled. "There is nopo--"

"Can't you feel it?" Twilight cut him with a whisper - Discord frowned as he recognized the tone of fright her voice held. "That wind and that... that presence?"

"... No?" Discord simply stared at her, at the loss for words. If anything, he felt pretty good. In fact, for whatever reason, he felt great. Even nostalgic, though not realizing why. Like he was about to meet an old friend. "In fact, I feel brilliant!"

"...Oh... Oh, sweet Celestia, no!" Twilight suddenly backed away, staring into the darkness of the library as if somepony was about to jump out at any minute.

"Now what has gotten into you, Twilight Sparkle?"

"D-Discord... remember how you told me that we're here because... you have personal conflicts?"

"Of course I do."

"Well maybe," Twilight gulped, "maybe those, err... conflicts have manifested themselves in a... sort of a, um, 'living'... form?"

For a moment or two, they were silent. Both of them jumped when they suddenly heard slow, slow clapping.

"Bravo, bravo, my dearest, dearest Twilight Sparkle." A cold voice, incredibly similar to Discord's, yet so much more sinister, spoke mockingly. "Once again, Celestia's perfect little protegé did it.

Twilight did her best to silence a yelp and Discord stood next to her in what she could only define as an absolute shock. Down the stairs the being descended and though there was nearly absolutely darkness, they could see its features clearly.

To describe it as a more weird and sinister looking version of the draconequus was an understatement. The creature before them had dark, shining red irises that like two gems were set into the depths of its black eyes. These eyes had no place for kindness, friendly disposition or even the ever chaotic playfulness. Its body was long but its grace lost - literally bent in a few places, like a badly folded piece of paper, the bones in his body stabbing but not piercing from the inside, like a broken doll. Its horns were crooked to weird, unbecoming angles and its sharp, crooked teeth were barred into a perfectly abominable grin even the bravest pony couldn't look at without losing their cool.

Discord stared at this terrifying creature and realized it was the part of him he missed most of all. It was his magic. His chaotic, trouble bringing, cruel self. It was Discord bare of any personality he ever had, nothing but his body and Chaos in one. The fact It bore such a terrifying form unsettled him. The fact that a part of him was like that... suddenly he wasn't sure if he could accept it.

"Dissscord." It hissed. "What a pleasure it is to find you here. It was about time you visit me."

"You have to settle this now, Discord." Twilight started silently. "If you don't, you might lose control over this monster."

"Monster?" It chuckled darkly - Its laughter sent shivers down her spine. "Are you calling your friend a monster? The Power of Friendship sure has fallen on hard times." Another chuckle. "But you are right, Twilight Sparkle. Your precious little 'test subject' has a job to do. So why don't you go and... play for a little while we do the talking?"

Twilight started, determined to stick to Discord despite the terrible fear that ate her insides: "I am not going any--" But It cut her off.

"Oh, that's what you think." It snapped its sharp, bony talons. Twilight suddenly disappeared.

"Twilight!" Discord automatically called but no reply came. He turned to It. "What in Tartarus--"

"Don't worry, my little draconequus." It spoke. "Your precious little friend is merely dealing with some problems of her own right now. In the meantime," it grinned, "let's talk."

Discord eyed It suspiciously but didn't say anything.

"Come now, you missed me for so long. No embrace? No greeting? You've changed so much." It continued, shaking its head. "What happened to the good old days, hmm? Well, never mind... time is the bringer of change but I could help you, if you only let me. We could do so much more, Discord. We could bring so much more... pain."

Well, that was new. He was fairly sure he didn't want to do that since the time he was a silly kid. Why bring it up?"

"All the power, Discord."

Ah, right. It was the sweet, sweet taste of utter control over everything and everypony.

"All you have to do is let me... take over for just a little bit."

Why was it that power suddenly didn't matter? Was it seriously the fact he had friends? God, what a cheese he turned out to be.

"With your magical ability and my Chaos, there's no pony that can stop us."

Back then, he sincerely had no one to trust. At best, he had followers who feared him. He never got any respect merely because of the fact he was different. For the fact he liked to spice things up. For the fact he was the embodiment of Chaos.

What was wrong with a little Chaos? Eternal question that bothered him since the day he first got punished for his strange magical preferences. Staring at the creature before him, he realized he might've found his answer.

The creature had nearly laid one of it's cursed hands on his shoulder when he swatted it away.

"Oh, would you shut your oversized trap already?" The creature stared, his eyes holding no emotion but something akin to regret washed over its face as Discord produced a mischievous smile. "If I have to listen to your booooring speech for another second, I'm seriously going to have to do something about it, and judging by your much too dark and serious personality, I suppose you don't like chocolate milk nor cotton candy. Ponies know me for both and though I hate them both since, they sure would cheer you up." He pondered for a moment. "Though with those teeth, perhaps better not."

The creature gave him that sinister look one last time before grinning maliciously. "So.... that's how it is going to be, my little draconequus?"

"I am no draconequus of yours." Discord said, and after thinking for a moment, added. "In fact, if anything, you're the draconequus of mine! My control, my rules. Now be a good boy and settle down - talking to a part of me is entirely too cheesy and even though I hate to admit it, it's much more boring that I though it would be. But oh well, even I have my bad days!"

The creature snarled. "Then you give me no choice. After dealing with you..."

"Bring it on, Mr-I-Can't-Afford-Dental-Care." Discord challenged with a good-natured chuckle. For a few seconds, tension was in the air. Then they both launched at each other.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Discord? Where are you? Anypony?" Twilight wandered. Where she was, she couldn't tell - she literally couldn't because around her, above her and below her was nothing but black nothingness. It wasn't even dark, as she could see her own hooves perfectly well but there was no source of light, no ground, no sky, no air... no nothing nor anything.

She walked on, not sure if she was going to find anything that way. She wasn't even sure if she was walking to begin with.

"Twilight? What is she doing here?"

Pinkie? And for real, a mare of bouncy pink mane was sitting comfortably on the floor, her hoover crossed before her as she observed her friend. Twilight couldn't tell whom was the question directed to as everything was empty but at that moment, she didn't care.

"Pinkie Pie! Oh goodness, how nice it is to see you again, even if it isn't for real!"

"Oh it is nice, isn't it?" Pinkie replied snobbishly and Twilight stopped in her tracks.

"Oh... hey there, Meanie Pie." Twilight bitterly noticed.

"What do you mean, Meanie Pie?" Pinkie laughed an obnoxious laughter that certainly wasn't hers. "I'm your good ol' friend Pinkie! Always ready for a laugh!"

"Uh, right... so, what are you doing here, um, Pinkie?"

"What am I doing here? The better question is, what are YOU doing here, Twilight?" Pinkie noticed. "You should be helping your coltfriend over there."

"What? Discord is not my-"

"Awww, she's blushing, shes blushing!" Pinkie once again laughed obnoxiously, though twilight felt anything but shyness in her current predicament - from everywhere around her, faceless ponies popped out, laughing that same, disgustingly fake laughter. Twilight felt a lump in her throat but stood firm.

"What are you up to, Meanie Pie? You're not getting to me that easily!"

"What is it, Twilight? I thought you were up for a good laugh. I know I always am! So tell me, when do you plan telling that lizard about your stupid little crush?"

"It's not- I mean-"

"Ha! I knew you were nothing but a coward!" Another round of mocking laughter.

"Would you just cut it out!" Twilight angrily shouted and because of that little loss of control the world suddenly played with her mind. Everypony pointed at her. She couldn't tell what was real and not, if it was a dream or if it even ever happened. She tried to concentrate but the laughter was hard and loud in her ears.

"By the way Twilight, how is that book going? You know, the one you always mention you're writing about us and all the things that we did, adventures we went onto, as friends?"

At that point, even though stressed and disturbed by the current situation, Twilight had to frown. Indeed, she had been toying with the idea many times but it was still far from coming into realization.

"What are you talking about, Meanie? I mean, you know I love books but I never wrote a thing myself..."

"Twilight Sparkle, how dare ya to lie to yer friends like that!" Applejack appeared from the darkness. Her face was that of a stern parent. "And we were lookin' forward to your stories so much... yer a disappointment!"

"No, for real, I never wrote such thing!" She had at this point forgotten about the fact anypony around her weren't in fact her real friends but she was too deep in to realize.

"Oh, she didn't lie completely, alright." Rainbow Dash appeared in the air with the book Twilight never saw in her entire life. Across its cover was her face alone with a smug grin she didn't know was capable of producing; it was titled "Adventures of Great and Powerful Twilight Sparkle".

"Like, she completely gave every single credit to herself. That's so twisted, Twi. I thought we were friends."

"What are you- if I ever write such a book, I swear I'll-"

"Just like her, truly," Rarity appeared in her fancy robe, carrying a copy of the supposedly written book. "And look at the price of that thing! I say Twilight, I know you need your bits but if anything, you could've at least kept the cost at a small fortune."

"I could never overprice books, you know that well!" Twilight yelled out. "I even forgive anypony who returns the book late, because they probably can't help it and-"

"To think our dear friend Twilight," Fluttershy started, appearing behind her; she, of all things, didn't seem angry or bitter but disappointed, "would do such a thing to both her friends and to the books she supposedly respects and loves... I thought you were a better pony than that, Twilight. I guess I was wrong. We all were."

There is no reason to cry, something inside of her told her. Just calm down.

"Hahaha - look at her, such a crybaby! What's the matter, Twilight? Elements of Harmony got your tongue?"

"No, I... I just-"

"Why don't you just admit it Twilight... you're not fit to be an Element." Rainbow Dash said it like it was something she finally got out into the open. "You need something... different."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you're a dishonest, selfish and egocentric pony, Twilight." Pinkie Pie started, nuzzling her as she spoke. "Trust me, you can take it as a fact when it's coming from your friends. But you know what? You deserve to be. One of the most powerful Unicorns to have ever lived, the very Element of Magic itself, schooled and tutored by Celestia... You're brilliant, Twilight. You're like a star."

"A... star?"

"Definitely, my dearest, bestest friend-o! And so you know what? We had an idea! You could do a great service to the Chaos."

Twilight was silent. "... Me?" She finally gasped.

"Oh, definitely, Twilight." Fluttershy approached her, gently nuzzling her as well, to offer her comfort. "I've never seen anyone as powerful as you are, Twilight. The very display of your power sometimes scares me."

"True, true." Applejack threw in. "Yer powers are your biggest asset, Twi. You shouldn't let it go to waste."

"All you have to do to gain Chaos' guiding, powerful hand," Rarity appeared before her, "is to honestly answer: do you accept Chaos as your guide?

"Ho-honestly?"

"Why, naturally. Whoever saw a deal being made by lying?" Rarity sneered. Ponies around her chuckled. "Of course, you being such a dishonest mare in the first place, it can be hard; but we know you can do it. You're not the most powerful Unicorn for no reason. You definitely can be honest just this one time. For yourself. For us. For the balance your Chaos could bring to the world."

"Come on, Twilight." Applejack nudged her. "Say yes."

"Say it Twilight... please."

"For everypony."

"For the good of Equestria."

"For Chaos."

"Say it for Discord, Twilight. Spare him of your awful self. Maybe once you change, he'll come to like you as well. I most certainly am sure he will!"

Discord.

"Are you guys stupid?" Twilight suddenly uttered. The Spawns of Chaos around her retreated in surprise.

"That wasn't very nice, Twi--"

"Oh, shush!" Twilight interrupted Fluttershy. "For ponies spawned by that awful... 'thing', I'd thought It could've planned something better. Sure, you were doing just fine at driving me completely depressed and very likely emotionally scarred, but whoever seriously thought I might even for a moment wish for even a fraction of that thing's power - or even power as an ambition - must be stupid."

Her words were echoing stronger and stronger in the darkness; she was so much into it she failed to notice ponies around her disappear slowly.

"I am an Element of Harmony - but I by myself mean nothing as an Element, or as a regular pony, without my very best friends. Our powers comes from all of us, together! And that happens to include that "lizard" Pinkie!" Pinkie gasped, and disappeared into the nothingness, with Rainbow Dash following closely.

"I refuse to be fooled like this! Return me to my friend! Return me to Discord this instant, and I just might decide not to kick your flank!" The last words were shouted and the rest of the ponies disappeared completely, darkness fell onto her and she was spinning. She closed her eyes firmly, not knowing what was going on...

And then she landed into something.

"Ah, just the one pony I wished to see!"

Twilight opened her eyes. Whatever caused it, the laws of probability wanted her to land into Discord's arms. He was smiling so widely. She hadn't seen that wide smile in a while. It was Adorable.

"Discord!" She threw her hooves around him, holding onto him like never before at that moment, and much to her surprised, he returned the hug just as firmly. It kind of, sort of, melted her heart into a jello.

Somewhere behind her, she heard a painful hiss.

"You mentioned you wished to see me?" Twilight asked with a smile as Discord gently put her onto the floor. The creature was looking even worse than before but also much angrier, and... weaker?

"Indeed. You see- remember when you and your friends trapped me into the statue?"

"Uh... yeah." Twilight sheepishly recalled.

"No, no, that's a good memory thingie! Well, back then, I was appalled by the idea that the Elements of Harmony can do such a thing to the all powerful Chaos I love and cherish so very much - NOW, though, I am using the very Elements to defeat this thing here!"

Twilight blinked. "But... you don't have the Elem--"

"Oh, I didn't mean your precious little jewelry. Besides, this is all in my mind, I don't need such things." He chuckled. "First, I went along with my favorite. Laughter." Discord snickered. "So I reminded myself of all the funniest things. Somehow, most of them included your facial expressions."

"Hey!"

"Like that time you almost fell off a cloud and begged me to leave you alone? Oh goodness, you were shrieking so much!" Discord laughed loudly - the Chaotic creature hissed in pain upon hearing it.

"But, I'll leave the description of my wondrous fighting tactics for later - the most important Element has finally arrived and I can finally sent my Chaos back where it came from! Which, in fact, is back to me."

Twilight gave him a strange look. "But you have your own magic, don't you?"

"If I may quote," Discord returned her with an equally strange look, "All the Elements lead up to the greatest Element of all. And that Element, as powerful as it is, isn't Magic."

Twilight wasn't sure if she heard that correctly. Whatever the case was, she decided to roll with it, because those were the most wonderful words she ever heard him say. She wasn't even aware of the painfully big smile on her face.

"So, let's show this awfully un-handsome Me just how I learned to control Chaos"" Discord grinned. Twilight nodded and Discord noticed something; the mischievous smile on her face. Very much like his own.

"Taste the Rainbow, freak!" Discord yelled out as he and Twilight both cast their spells and a ray of all the colours of the rainbow it hit the creature, engulfing him in the prismatic orb. As that happened, Twilight could hear Discord yelling "ow, ow, ow," constantly.

"Fighting myself was just a bit more painful than I expected!" She heard him shout out jokingly before the whole world of Discord's colorful mind collapsed.

25) A Farewell to Hooves

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Twilight Sparkle's whole body seemed to slam on something - oddly without pain - and she gasped. Her eyes shot open. She was standing. She was back on her balcony. The horizon was the only place in the sky that wasn't completely dark or covered in stars, marking the first signs of the Sun that would rise in a couple of hours. Time had passed. She was back.

They were back.

Though her body was tense and her head bothered by a sudden aching caused by all the commotion, the feeling of excitement she felt as she joined Discord into controlling his Chaotic self was still there. Headache and body tension were forgotten as quickly as they came.

Even though she had no idea how would she go about the search, Twilight suddenly made her way down, deciding to look for the Spirit despite having the slightest about this whereabouts. It just wasn't a problem right then. Nothing was, she realized with a smile.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Discord reappeared back in the White Tail forest. The first thing he couldn't really help noticing was that his whole body felt like it was being pricked by countless needles. It prompted the draconequus to rapidly move, trying to locate the source of the awfully painful feeling, not realizing right away it was the effect of him having used his powers against himself. Sadly, he had forgotten he was on a tree, so he found himself tipping over and soon after, loudly crashed into the ground.

"I'm OK, I'm OK!" He informed the non existent conversationalist before struggling to get his muzzle out of the hole it made in the ground upon the impact of the fall. Once he managed to get himself free, he shook his head violently. As if the impact with the ground helped, the awful feeling in his body finally started to fade away.

"Much better." The Spirit was just standing idly, for a moment or two, regaining his composure. Then, knowing exactly what to do all along, he transported into Twilight Sparkle's library, right to the spot in front of the fireplace he came to love so dearly and though he wasn't absent for long, it felt as if he hadn't been here for years. Figuring she was in bed, he was about to fly up the stairs, when a purple blur descended from above at full speed and knocked him to the floor. All he could hear as his back hit the hard wooden floor was a surprised call for his name. Twilight had to quickly get off him to let him catch his breath, apologizing as she did.

Moments passed as both of them just stared, not processing right away that they didn't need to look for each other anymore. Then Twilight squealed in joy, Discord yelped in delight, and they gave each other a firm hug, like two long lost old friends. They stayed like that for a long time.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"So basically, what you're saying," Twilight started to clarify for herself, "is that your conflicts were so strong and so heavy for your own well being, that they prompted a subconscious spell that sent both of us to your mind?"

"Something along that scenario, yes."

"But why me along with you?"

"Several reasons, I believe." Discord yawned, "One was that you had to do with those conflicts in a lot of ways. But the main reason, I think, was that I needed a... ugh... a friend to help me subdue myself - even though I wasn't aware of that, apparently a subconscious part of me was. As my emotions ran wild, so did my power."

"That makes sense... I think." Twilight shrugged, before drawing another sip of hot chocolate milk from her cup.

The two had been sitting on front of the fireplace, wrapped in a fuzzy, warm blanket and discussing what had happened - Twilight had lots of questions considering it was a branch of magic she genuinely knew nothing of. The Spirit didn't seem to mind answering them, though. He summoned a whole pot of tea and some biscuits for them to munch on as they talked.

Discord had explained to her that, since his powers of Chaos had ran a bit wild back then, she was sent to a small realm of her own, where, as he concluded by what Twilight had told him happened (naturally, she didn't tell him all about the dialogues she had with Pinkie), her own bonds to the Elements of Harmony were tested.

"So what would've happened if I were to, uh... bow to the Chaos, as they asked?" Twilight chuckled before sipping her tea.

"While I like to think that nothing I couldn't fix would occur, it is quite possible you'd become the new host to the Elements of Chaos." He casually said, never noticing Twilight choked on her tea. "It does seem to consider your magical skills enough to be able to carry the burden, so to speak. Furthermore, If it were to somehow subdue one of us, the other would be in quite the trouble... luckily, we make a great team." He pushed a fist into her shoulder lightly, misinterpreting her concerned grin for a genuine one. "But who knows, maybe you'd be 'twisted' the way you and your friends were during my last breakout. Seeing as my many powers were blocked while we wandered my rich fantasy-land, I would probably have to use some more 'mortal-ish' methods to help you."

"Oh, like what?" Twilight asked as she foolishly took a another sip of tea from her cup.

"Oh you know, cheesy stuff that appear in fairy tales and such, like um...," Discord span his finger in air, "Speeches of our wonderful growing friendship, or memories of good times we had, a true love's kiss, tears of regret..." Discord continued to count the ways, either ignoring or not noticing the baffled Twilight, who nearly spat out the contents of the cup.

"... or perhaps the self sacrificing act that proves my devotion to magic of friendship, yadda, yadda, yadda, so on and so forth. The list is pretty much endless." The Spirit concluded and or a moment, all was silent.

"... so, which method would you pick?"

Twilight had absolutely no idea why she had asked that; she knew only that she was both strangely calm and nervous, both serene in Discord's vicinity and startled by it. She was aware of how challenging she made the question sound and all of a sudden became too painfully aware of it. Judging by Discord's strange look he gave her, he got her question loud and clear, as well as caught the change in her voice. The mare never had so much difficulty staring back into his eyes, and yet, she simply couldn't turn her head away.

I am Twilight Sparkle, the honourary student of Celestia. I'm carrying and wielding one of the Elements of Harmony. I'm the student of Friendship. And I, on this day, flirted with my good friend and embodiment of Chaos.

Suddenly heavily concerned about whatever had gotten into her right then, she swore to herself she wouldn't make the same mistake again, if only he were to completely miss her tone and start rambling on the pros and cons of different methods.

No such luck.

"... Whichever method is most comfortable with me, I suppose." Discord started off innocently enough, after a long pause. He took a moment to carefully comb through his small beard with his fingers. "That is, whichever method I would enjoy the most." He continued slyly, a wide, very wide smile spreading on his face. There was something in that smile she knew she wanted to see, to draw it out, to experience it, yet she was so frightened of it, so sickeningly excited about it. She wanted him to know, but then again...

Once again, her mouth ran ahead of her thoughts and started talking against her will.

"Which one would that be?"

Shut up! Shut! Up! What is wrong with you!? This is not how you usually behave! What would your mother say if she saw you right now?!

"Hmm, well, I'd probably have to think about it...," Much to her surprise, Discord expertly slid one of his arms around her in what she hoped was a friendly manner but what she wanted to be something more. She glanced at the eagle claw hanging over her shoulder nervously. The fingers were gently touching her, lazily making circle patterns in her coat and her eyes rose to meet his again, noticing with quite a discomfort he was still staring into her own eyes intensely... and from a distance far too short, a closeness that has already broken the private space she used to occupy by herself, "...but if I were to just-- blurt one out, you know, of the top of my head..." Twilight felt her heart lifting into her throat, bumping strongly, almost louder than his own voice that was so audible, so near. Discord's eyes stared straight into hers still, not leaving for a moment. He was so close. She knew she wouldn't be able to resist closing those few inches by herself any second now, "...it would probably have to be-"

"Twilight? Is that Discord with you? He is back? Are you OK??"

Twilight never felt more grateful and more furious for having the small dragon live with her.

"Spike, did we wake you up?" She swiftly got up, feeling both the blanket and Discord's warm hand sliding off her. "Oh, Spike, we have so much to tell you!"

"Twilight... it's five o'clock in the morning! couldn't you have kept it down for like, five more hours?"

She gave him a deadpan look. "Well, since you're up already, we might as well start telling you." Twilight insisted despite Spike's groan, that clearly announced he was ready to go back to bed. Still, he was curious about what happened. Taking up a place between Discord and Twilight, he made himself comfortable before Twilight started talking.

Twilight and Discord had told Spike everything, about Discord's growing powers, about their fight, about how he ran away and at last about their battle in the realm of Discord's mind. Spike just sat there and listened, mostly shocked to hear all of the ne

ws. Twilight made sure to cover everything so the little dragon wouldn't have to crack his head with questions. By the time she finished her story, the first ray of Sun already peeked out on the horizon.

"Wow... so you actually had your original powers all this time? And if you knew better you could at any time totally turn Ponyville into the chaos capital of Equestria once again?"

"Right!" Discord replied cheerfully. Spike shook his head.

"Twilight, you need to inform Princess Celestia of this! This is huge! I will go right now to make a reservation on the tickets--"

"Slow down, Spike. We'll buy the tickets tomorrow. As well as for my friends. We'll all go to Canterlot and tell the Princesses of what happened - together!" Twilight gave him a smile.

Spike's expression of excitement melted into a friendly smile as he nodded in understanding. "I see... Umm... do you guys want breakfast or something?"

"Truly, you have a more important role these days than that!"

"Role?"

"Ah, forget it." Discord grumbled. Having gotten used to his strange ramblings, Twilight ignored it and nuzzled Spike.

"It's alrightSpike, we're both very tired ourselves. Just go to sleep - in honor of this event, we'll have a day... or three, off from work."

"Well. Don't mine me, then. Good night Twilight, 'Cord." Spike greeted before going up to return to his slumber.

Twilight herself felt quite worn out, so she lied down, warmed by both the fuzzy blanket and thick rug beneath her. She smiled into it.

"What are you so happy about?" She heard the Spirit ask.

"Just... everything." Twilight smiled as she further snuggled into the rug. Suddenly a thought crossed her mind and she raised her head abruptly, drawing a confused look from the draconequus.

"I-- I never apologized to you properly."

"Oh, goodness." Discord chuckled.

"What?"

"It is all right. Dandy and fabulous. A-OK. Nothing to worry about." He pinched her cheek. She backed away with a frown.

"But I still feel terrible about it. I mean you were so angry and... well, I assume, felt betrayed."

Discord sighed. "Yes, I was quite, as you say, 'angry' but a draconequus of my greatness realizes that sometimes, just as pure Chaos means constant trouble, Harmony means doom."

"Wait... what do you mean?"

"Well, had you been honest with me back then, I'd either be free and producing Chaos or back in my statue-y form. And I have a feeling you wouldn't like either of those options, while I'd have quite a problem with the latter one."

"Um... no I wouldn't. So what you're trying to say is--"

"Life is a path full of mysteries, Twilight Sparkle." Discord said with seriousness he himself probably wasn't aware of. "Had there been only Harmony, with nothing to disrupt it, life wouldn't be worth living. Imagine a predictable existence, where you know exactly what and how and when everything will happen. It would be so--"

"Boring." Twilight ended as realization hit her. The word he had been repeating the most ever since the day she first saw him dancing on her head on those colorful windows of Celestia'a palace. She looked over to him. "You had been present here... even while you were in stone; weren't you?"

The draconequues laughed a mysterious laugh before he descended into the rug much like she did before and closed his eyes, offering his last words for the day before he'd drift off to sleep:

"Chaos, like Harmony, is a natural force just as much as it is magical. Not easy to subdue, Twilight Sparkle." Twilight decided not to discuss that statement... she had no doubt in her mind that he was in fact telling it the way it was. So she returned back to snuggling the warm rug and felt the overall warmth putting her slowly to sleep - her skin may have been warmed by the blanket but she couldn't tell if her insides were so hot thanks to Discord's tea or something else.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The next day, Spike had immediately bought eight tickets for Ponyville Express and sent the Princesses a letter to inform them of their urgent arrival. The clock tower didn't even strike nine and all of them were already riding a train to Canterlot. Twilight didn't want to tell her friends right away what was the matter - in her words, she wanted it to be a surprise for when they all gather together - but she said it was an 'urgent happy occasion'.

"So what is this important thing you two must tell us?" Fluttershy decided to try asking. Twilight was about to tell her it was a pleasant surprise, when Pinkie interrupted it with a guess.

"Oh, oh, oh!" She raised her hoof as if she wanted to be given permission to speak, but spoke anyway with an excited, wild glint in her eyes: "Are you two finally getting married?"

Discord arched one of his hairy eyebrows and Twilight let out a deadpan 'what?' while the rest of them just laughed - with the exception of Rarity who looked slightly mortified by the idea. "Oh, I gotta see that!" Applejack exclaimed as she wiped a tear from her eye, hardly catching her breath. Still giggling, Rainbow Dash went in for the most childish reaction she could have possibly though of.

"Twilight an' Discord, sittin' in a tree~"

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Pinkie finished happily, clapping her hooves. Discord lowered his face into his palms in disbelief, muttering 'mares' into his hand.

Despite the eventfulness of the ride and the jokes they continued to crack, traveling to Canterlot had never been so slow for all of them - even the Spirit, who always had something to entertain himself with and was hard to surprise or excite, was a bit silent in expectation.

Just as the Sun reached its peak, they finally reached the capital of Equestria. The citizens gave them strange looks as they made their way to the palace. The surprised guards let the bearers of the Elements and the Lord of Chaos through the palace gates without a word, slightly startled by the unusual sight. Several guards inside nodded to them as they told them they were expected, gesturing for them to follow them. Soon, they were brought before what Twilight recognized as the door to Princess Celestia's chambers.

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were both in there, sipping tea and awaiting their guests, when Discord barged into the room, prompting Luna to jerk and spill tea all over herself and the rug. He laughed loudly, stopping only when Applejack kicked him in the flank and mumbled 'show some respect' - she was obviously not familiar with Discord's behavior around the Princesses.

"Princess Celestia, Princess Luna!" Twilight excitedly hopped to her mentor and affectionately pressed her cheek against her neck, a hug Celestia eagerly returned. Rarity still had the need to bow before her, even though such formalities were long since needless for them around the Princesses.

"Celly, Lunny!" Discord, for reasons that were known only to him, threw a bunch of flower petals around the room as Celestia rolled her eyes, then pulled both of the royal sisters into a group hug and cried fake tears of happiness. Pressed somewhere into Celestia's fur, Luna let out an audible sigh and a chuckle.

"Same old you, I see." Celestia noticed when he finally allowed them to get free of his crushing hug.

"Not entirely. Did you know I can control the Sun and the Moon again?"

"Very amusing, Discord." Celestia wisely smiled. The smile slid off her face in an instant when dracnequus clicked his finger and for several moments, day and night rapidly exchanged before returning to normal. Luna seemed quite surprised but didn't seem half as shocked as Celestia.

"Well."

"It's alright!" Twilight happily interrupted before Celestia had a chance to do anything. "Please, just sit back and relax - we have quite a story for you!"

As elegantly as she could, Celestia sat down on a nearby cushion, eyeing Discord with quite a careful and observant eye. "We hear you two have a lot to tell us." Princess Luna finally started as she took a place next to Discord - he wasted no time in giving her an affectionate noogie that she didn't acknowledge as much as he had hoped.

"You have no idea, Princess Luna!" Twilight laughed as she sat down and started the long story. She was regularly interrupted by Discord, who was more than eager to tell most of the story to still concerned Celestia - he seemed to enjoy in every surprised look she gave him and in every gasp Luna emitted as he got into it with so much joy that Twilight let him tell the rest. He put on quite a show as he used his magic to portray their little adventure with small replicas of himself and Twilight made of light and smoke. Once the final 'scene' of the story dispersed into nothingness , Discord looked around, with a look of an author expecting his first critics.

A long, grave silence ruled the room. Rainbow Dash looked like she just received a marriage proposal from a Wonderbolt, her thoughts most likely at that moment made of such words as 'awesome' or 'fantastic' and Appejeck seemed to share her sentiment, though seeming perhaps a tad nit confused about the whole magic bit. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie looked genuinely happy about the situation, with sensitive Fluttershy even letting out a tear of happiness as they were done telling. Rarity looked just as much in shock as Celestia was.

"I must admit," Celestia finally spoke, "I did not expect such a development. Definitely not so soon and definitely not of such..." She trailed of, but her meaning was clear.

"I don't think anyone was." Rainbow Dash added blunty - once again, Applejack's hoof had something to say about the matter, thanks to her friend's bluntness.

"Well, I am sitting in the same room with the Lord of Chaos, without having to worry about Equestria crumbling over us... it is something I'll hardly get used to but I can promise I'll try." Celestia finally gave way to a smile. Next to her, Luna simply looked content. It was hard to read what she had in her mind.

"Indeed, I gave Celly enough trouble back when she was young." Discord sneered. "I might use this to my advantage. It'll be so much fun to stress you out everyday."

"Oh stop it, you." Twilight scolded him cheerfully. The two laughed. Pretty much everypony in the room gave them a weird look.

"You two resemble an pair of very old friends." Celestia noticed, a hint of pride in her voice. "I can not even express my amazement, with both of you. To think that Discord, our ages old enemy agreed it was time for truce... to think my student successfully showed him why it is worth it... I couldn't be more proud of you two." She gave them a soft smile.

Twilight looked as flattered as any time Celestia would say something like that, while Discord simply rolled his eyes - he himself though, had trouble with keeping the happy smile off his face.

"So, my protegé, do you have a friendship report for me?" Celestia suddenly asked. Twilight at first blinked, then thought about it for a short moment of two and smiled.

"Dear Princess Celestia..."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It was already night when mostly empty Ponyville Express rushed back towards its home with six ponies and a draconequus sharing a wagon, most of them either sleeping or about to fall victim to the land of dreams. The rest of the visit to Princess Celestia was mostly spent in celebrating - Celestia decided they should all stay for dinner and Pinkie Pie deemed it a perfect opportunity for a party, thus starting the wackiest party inside of royal castle of Canterlot that was crashed by few guards and a few of royal advisers - apparently, partying hard was something they were new to and they found themselves absolutely loving it.

Twilight was still awake, though. Despite the overall awesomeness of the day, her mind was running and she couldn't stop thinking about the future with a heavy heart. Looking over to the sleeping draconequus, who found it very comfortable to sleep upside down on the train seat, she wondered what was he going to do now. His number one purpose when staying with her was simply to learn. Like he did all this time, slowly, day by day.

So what to do with all the knowledge he gained?

Deep inside, the selfishly attached side of herself, wanted him to stay with her in her library. For the most part he didn't really enjoy books and she figured he definitely wouldn't find much else of interest in the library, Twilight had no idea what he would do but she knew that one thing - she wanted him to stay. The rational side of her knew better.

"I am going to miss you so much, aren't I?" Twilight she wondered aloud with a heavy sigh. She was happy to have gotten that out though.

Oh well, Twilight decided as she too, closed her eyes, hoping to get some sleep, we had some wonderful time together... a few months? Was it only a few months? Goodness... feels like years... and years...

Twilight drifted off into a light nap filled with pages and pages of her poorly filled diary, all of them dated the same, to that long, practically forgotten day when she wrote those silly, filly-aged words into her diary. Those stupid words she never knew would one day mean so much more.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Life was pretty much... well, perfect from that day on, for everypony.

Discord enjoyed his now full array of powers, occasionally bringing back the old tricks such as cotton candy storms (he called it an upgrade) and sometimes not being able to help himself but to do something on a more "menacing" scale; in the end however, he'd always make things right again, thus not really bothering anypony. More than anything, he seemed to have enjoyed 'decorating' Ponyville with weird things; like over sized, huge flowers that showered upon Ponyville with colorful bubbles or turning the fountain water into green colored soda and clogging it so for the whole day ponies would walk around with sticky hooves.

Sometimes he'd run a little overboard and do things. Like turning most of the little town into a huge amusement park for one whole day. While it did get in the way of most ponies' jobs, those same ponies decided to take a day off upon seeing the perks of it. He was asked, however, by many of the citizens, not to do that too often, as it would interfere with their chores too much. The good part was seeing the draconequus agree, rather than turning them into inanimate objects.

Every single evening, though, Discord would settle down - somewhat - and to Twilight's surprise, read a book. They all had to do, as she noticed, with either history or geography. He never read them too long, only checking a few interesting chapters or facts he was curious about. Twilight wondered what was that reading all about... until today.

"Twilight?"

"Hmm?"

"I think I'll be leaving your lovely home soon."

After a few seconds, which was how long it took her to register his words, Twilight lifted the head out of her book. The Spirit stared at her a bit excited, like he just realized what his true call in life was.

"Leave?" She repeated. "What for?"

"To travel." The draconequus excitedly announced. "Meet the world while it is not under my chaotic influence. Meet the ponies from all over. Perhaps find a random draconequus nest as I do and visit others like me - though I'm fairly sure none of them are as amusing." The draconequus playfully noted. "I just know there's a whole new world waiting to be discovered out there, someplace where nopony has ever even stepped close to; and who better to do that but me! After all, I can't simply dilly dally all my eternal life in your library, now can I?" He snickered. "I have at least one thousand years of catching up to do!"

"You're absolutely right! You should definitely do it! I'm so happy you found something you want to do!" Twilight beamed at him.

"Really? You think so?" Discord looked even more excited than before.

"Definitely!" Twilight said, firmly believing it was something the draconequus needed to do - he was a curious, hyper creature, after all. If he was so interested in the outside world, she believed there was nopony better equipped not mentally prepared to do so. "Learning is the mother of good ideas, and if you want to learn of the world, what better way but to explore it yourself."

"Yes, well, I never actually traveled around with a purpose - well purpose other than to bring chaos wherever I can. I think it's exactly what one needs after this long and so many changes."

Twilight suddenly grew much too excited for him, as if seeing the world through his knowledgable eyes. "You'll see the world you never got to see before." She whispered. "In fact, how about we celebrate this in the evening, with a nice, big dinner? You could go on your journey tomorrow right away, if you should want so! I'll even provide you with my own map! Though," she gave him a stern look, "treat it carefully, it took me ages to make it."

"... you're way too nice about this."

"It's what friends do, you silly." Twilight couldn't hold it in. She should've known she couldn't. With the last restrain of hers disappearing, she cried. But she didn't wail or cry out, yell or even try to hide her tears. It was just a few small tears, pourng out, and though she was quick to dry them and even quicker to get it together, it was all the cues the Spirited needed, and he picked her up into a gentle hug. Just as their reunion after their adventure in realm of Discord's mind was followed by a long lasting hug as they expressed their joy over the happy ending they came to, the two had shared a heart ripping moment as they decided it was the time to say goodbye.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

That evening, Twilight, with help of Spike, prepared dinner for all them and their friends, all of whom were to some degree disappointed at the news of his departure. To hear she prepared food, even with help, was close to a miracle for everyone present; especially Discord, eho enjoyed her meal much more than he would summoning his own. They all stayed up long into the night, giving Spirit the last of their thoughts and words of fondness but Spike seemed to have specifically won him over when he gave his reason for why he didn't want him to leave:

"I dunno. I guess... You just feel like family at this point, really."

Rarity had melted on the spot.

Even when everypony left and Spike went to sleep, Discord and Twilight were awake for a bigger part of night; just talking and peacefully playing Chess Mess. While it was as confusing, messy and fun as it was before, none of them were acting too amused about the game.

Twilight wasn't sure since when did she have so much to talk about with him but now that he was leaving, it seemed as if they just couldn't run out of things to talk about. Judging by the fact he never once seemed bored during the course of evening, she took it as a sign that he too didn't mind spending their last evening together like that.

It meant a world to her.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Twilight felt a fuzzy, big lion paw shaking her gently. She didn't want to wake up. Not yet. Well, not until he shook her again. The feeling of that soft paw was so nice and familiar.

As he shook her again, Twilight finally gave in and yawned.

"Is it morning already?" She groaned and he chuckled.

"Indeed!" Discord grinned. "Time to hit the road!"

"... you'll be flying and/or transporting." Twilight noted.

"Well, you know what I mean." He grinned. While Twilight went up to the bathroom to make herself presentable, Discord summoned them a modest breakfast, like he knew she wasn't too hungry that early morning.

Afterwards, they climbed up to the balcony. Breathing in deeply, Discord opened the window and observed the world he was about to fly off into. Everything was covered in a thin layer of snow and it sparkled beautifully in the sunrise. The excitement on his face was obvious.

"Well, it's time." Twilight made an obvious statement. He didn't linger on it, though.

"Sure is."

Twilight paused. "Well... have a nice trip, I guess? Don't be a stranger." She laughed, knowing he was going to be gone for a long time.

"Come on, it'll be, what...a few months before we see each other? I mean, I do have a lot of exploring to do."

"True - Equestria itself is rather big; I can't even imagine what miracles you might find beyond these lands. Even you'll have to travel for quite a while before reaching its borders."

"Indeed. Well, how about we make a compromise; as soon as I start missing you guys so much that it becomes unbearable, I'm coming back. Sounds good?"

"Sounds great!" She confirmed. Twilight wasn't sure whether to say it or not but she found herself speaking anyway: "...we will miss you, you know. We all will."

"Ah. Well, while I am not the one for cheesy moments, this old draconequus here is friendly enough to admit he will miss you all as well." He probably wasn't used to be being missed, she figured.

"That's so sweet of you. Too bad everypony else is still asleep, they would probably love to bid you goodbye. Especially Pinkie Pie."

"I am not one for tear-jerking goodbyes, really; so I prefer it this way, if you don't mind."

The two fell silent and stared each other in awkward silence; even Discord looked a bit uncomfortable.

"Well!" He suddenly chirped, "I'll see you around, Twilight Sparkle. Thank you... for everything." He vaguely gestured around but Twilight knew what it meant - for welcoming him here, for being his friend. For accepting him.

"I... thank you as well."

"Me?" The draconequus let out a shaky laugh. "For what? What in the world did I do?"

"For being a good friend and a good person."

"A good pers-- now you're totally overdoing it." He waved his mismatched hands at her dismissively.

Twilight remained stubborn. "I mean every word of it."

He laughed once again. "Well, thank you, again. I just don't seem to be leaving, am I?"

A snicker. "Not yet, no."

"... Alright, I am ready now. For real this time."

"Alright. Take care, Discord."

"See you later, Egghead."

The two shared another short hug, before he climbed the balcony fencesill and flew over the Ponyville and towards the tops of the trees of White Tail forest.

In the early morning, on a particularly sunny day, Discord had left Twilight Sparkle alone in her library to explore the world.

Surprising herself, Twilight didn't shed any tears anymore. If anything, she was happy. Her friend and not-so-undefined-crush-anymore was off to do something he never even knew he wanted to do. Perhaps he was even going to make a dream or two come true on his journey. Who was Twilight to say that she wasn't glad for him? Heck if he didn't leave by himself despite his want to discover the world, she would kick him out if necessary!

After all, she figured with a grin, that's what friends are for.

Learning ABCs - Adorable, Bothersome, Chaotic

by Isopod

1) There...

2) The Discordian Gambit

3) V for Virtue

4) Lesson Laughter

5) Sleeping Issues

6) Dreams of Loyalty

7) Lesson Kindness

8) It all started with a Pie

9) Honesty in a Glass of Punch

10) Acceptance

11) Weird Day

12) Lesson Loyalty

13) Storytelling Time

14) Cat 'n the Hat

15) Lost, Found, Discovered

16) Lesson Generosity

17) "...Huh."

18) The Different Kinds of Shy

19) Shameless Fanservice and Discord's Newly discovered Preferences

20) Things that We Do

21) Lesson Honesty

22) The Truth and the Fury

23) Wished Away

24) Friendship is Magic

25) A Farewell to Hooves

26) ... and back again.

Author's Notes