> The Seeds of Chaos
>  by Lythe
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Ponyville, The Chaos Capital of the World”

Those had been his words. Despite her best efforts to block them out, even while attempting to use the Elements of Harmony to defeat him, Twilight Sparkle found herself reflecting on this statement. 

Chaos was something so alien to her. So different than how she, ever organized and always prepared Twilight Sparkle ever acted. Chaos was something better left to others, like Rainbow Dash and the disorganized mess she called a home, or Pinkie Pie’s sad excuse for a planner. Twilight still wondered idly how Pinkie had kept up with her parties, even before the events of Discord’s sudden rise to power. 

Twilight may have been the element of magic, but she was also one of order and readiness. The concept of Chaos made her nauseous. How could it possibly appeal to anypony or anything? Chaos was the very opposite of her personality. Chaos meant a loss of control. How could anypony wish for that? Why would you want to not be in charge, not have anypony at all in charge? Being the control freak she was, this very idea scared her. Yet somehow, somewhere in the depths of her mind, another thought occurred. 

What if Chaos wasn’t so bad?

What if she didn’t have to have everypony and all their various affairs in order?

What then?

Her hooves clopped lightly on the pavement as she continued to tread, head hung low, through what used to be Ponyville. A cotton candy cloud continually dumped a never ending wave of chocolate milk into her mane and all over her body. She looked around sadly, realizing just how far gone her world was. Then suddenly, the sun set and she was plunged into darkness. As she blinked, attempting to adjust to the new lighting and get the chocolate milk out of her eyes, she caught a glimpse of Discord illuminated in the moonlight. His silhouette was utterly unmistakable as he stood in what she thought used to be the town square, but couldn’t be sure. His mismatched body was washed in silver, and even without her full sight, she knew he was staring at her. She could feel his gaze boring into her skin, looking her over with a strange fascination. She could almost swear she felt him smile. 

Suddenly, it was daylight again. She blinked, and Discord was gone, only to reappear right beside her. He seemed to be in the middle of a laughing fit.

“Twilight, you’ve got to see what I just did!” He exclaimed, clearly proud of some new handy work that she would undoubtedly find a disgusting example of what he embodied. Pure, unadulterated chaos. She was quickly proven right, as she watched a poor pony, possibly Cheerily but she wasn’t sure, being what can only be described as assaulted by a giant pepper shaker the hung over her in mid air, forcing the poor mare to sneeze almost nonstop. Then suddenly the buildings that stood around her, or at least they’d looked like buildings, collapsed behind her.

Discord laughed harder. “Priceless!” The Draconequus cried out, now almost in stitches.

Twilight watched on, the biggest part of her mind somewhere between disgusted and sad, but not entirely. A small piece of her stifled a giggle that almost made its way out. The incident had been rather entertaining after all, hadn’t it? The wholly unplanned, illogical thing was a little funny, right? No. No, of course not. Or at least she told herself this, and closed her eyes.

Discord frowned. “Come now, Twilight Sparkle. You have to get into the spirit of things!” He told her, as he pulled a paper cone from nowhere and promptly began to devour the cloud that had been over her head. “After all, this is your new home!”
Slowly, the lavender pony looked up and took in her surroundings. No. No, she couldn’t let herself buy in. Not even if, in a way, it was appealing. There was a simplistic beauty to the Chaos that she couldn’t deny. Total equality. With no one ruling in any discernible form or fashion, all was left to chance. This meant all was fair and balanced. How could anypony argue with a system like that? Still, she fought the impulse. “Not anymore.” She murmured, as she trudged back to her library. Though she didn’t see it, the color began to leech out of her fur.

Surely, Twilight thought, surely I can’t be looking at this as a long term thing, can I? She had to wonder. In a way, the Chaos made sense. In its own right, it was just as reasonable as her own organized system. Her system exhausted the individual mentally, forcing them to keep up with many things in order to have what society called a successful life. Order meant that one had certain obligations to fulfill to avoid being scored. With Chaos, there was no such exhaustion. One simply lived, and you did your best to enjoy whatever came your way. No one had any more control over their circumstances than any other pony. Something about it…

Twilight shut the door and took a few steps toward the stairs. She once more tried to harden her heart against the Chaos. Spike would be waiting upstairs for her, and then they’d leave. They’d go away, somewhere Discord’s Chaos couldn’t reach. She’d almost made up her mind to do just that when a mysterious popping sound at her door caused her to turn around and gasp as she locked eyes with an intruder.

There he stood in his full glory. Four times her height, made up of more parts than any living thing could be. The head and mane of a pony, the body of an otter, the tail of a dragon. His back legs were that of a pony and a lizard, but his front two were a chicken’s and a lion’s. The two mismatched wings, one feathered and one bat-like, complimented the two differing horns, a Deer’s and something even Twilight couldn’t name with her encyclopedic knowledge of almost everything. Then there was his fang, over reaching the left side of his lips. What it came from, Celestia only knew, and maybe not even her. There he stood, Discord the Draconequus. Bringer of Chaos and Disharmony. 

He was a hideous sight. Or, at least, he should’ve been.

As if he could read her thoughts, he smiled.

“Twilight Sparkle, I can see it you know.” He told her, his grin becoming a mischievous one. Yet now, there was no real malice behind it. “You’re intrigued. And why shouldn’t you be? Little miss organized had to want a taste of something different at least once in her life, didn’t she?”

As he spoke, Twilight felt herself being drawn to him. He was the master of Chaos. If she wanted to learn it from anyone, it was him. She took a step towards him. Lavender began creeping back into her hooves.

“There’s a good little mare.” He encouraged, opening his arms as if to hug her and leaning down to her height.

She took another step, and then paused, staring deeply into his eyes. The thought of how insane this was, whatever was about to happen was something that shouldn’t. He was the bad guy, the villain, the destroyer of her home and her closest friendships. The Princess needed her! This probably would’ve snapped her out of the whole thing, if he hadn’t spoken again, this time right in her ear.

“You’re a very curious mare, aren’t you Twilight?” Discord murmured, running the lion paw across her cheek, a line of vibrant color sprouting across her face as where it touched. “A very, very curious mare. Don’t you want to learn a little something from old Discord?” 

He had her now, and she knew it. There was nothing that was going to pull her away from him at this moment. Even though she couldn’t see it, her color had entirely returned, joined by a light blush creeping over her cheeks.

“I’m so very old, you know. Older even than your dear, dear Celestia. Over the course of my life, I’ve learned many things, and many tricks.” He now ran his tongue over her ear. A snakes, perhaps? She wondered for a second, feeling shivers go down her spine as he continued. “I’ve learned all sorts of powerful magic, things I couldn’t teach you in ten life times! Things that could make your very soul bleed, but things that could bring you the highest reaches of happiness.”

For a second, he paused. A strange, even sad look crossed his odd eyes as he backed away to stare into her face again and at that second Twilight realized that even if he was a bringer of Chaos, he wasn’t evil. He was old, older than any living thing should be. Maybe even immortal. What a curse, to never be able to die. Without death, how could you live? One day simply bled into the next, a never ending cycle. Had he even been truly born? There was no ending, so was there really ever a beginning? But the creature speaking again pulled her from her philosophical thoughts.

Discord pulled away, his face no longer facing hers as he brought himself behind the mare, putting his head down to where it lined up with her own, side by side. “I’m so very, very old, Twilight Sparkle. So very, very old, and so very, very lonely.”

It was wrong, oh so wrong, but that was precisely what made it so right to the lavender female. She felt herself becoming wet in anticipation. The seductive tone in his voice was unmistakable, and the way he was on her now, so close to fully mounting her. She wanted it, she wanted this forbidden awful thing, and she knew it. For a second, she had to wonder what animals exactly would make up his genitalia. 

“Care to help me with that, Twilight Sparkle? Care to help an old, lonely Draconequus, the only one of his kind feel a little less lonely?” Discord whispered, caressing her cheek with his paw again, as he brought his face around to kiss her, an act that would be impossible with traditional ponies but was made doable by his elongated body.

The first one was almost sweet and was all too short for Twilight, who had never experienced anything like it. There weren’t a lot of stallions around in Ponyville and when she’d lived in Canterlot she hadn’t had time for such things and such urges as they forced themselves onto her now. She could feel Discord smile as she let him reluctantly pull away, something maybe even resembling love in his eyes but she couldn’t be sure before their lips met again for a second kiss, one that was now hungry and passionate. This was a lesson Twilight had never read about in any books or learned about through her studies. This was all new, and she had a distinct feeling it wasn’t going to end here.

As Discord’s tongue began to explore her mouth, she felt something nudge against her now positively dripping marehood. She felt herself starting to lose total control of her body as she gave in to the kiss, allowing her own tongue to roam freely, tasting him. Like Cotton Candy and Chocolate Milk. Discord seemed to savor her as well, holding himself back from thrusting into her. Not just yet.

“You, my dear, are quite obviously a virgin.” He stated with laughter in his gaze.

Twilight blushed, and quickly began to stutter out an apology and any sort of explanation she could come up with. Discord just laughed and put a claw to her lips. “There’s nothing wrong with that, Twilight. Nothing at all. We all were once, you know.” He kissed her again before adding. “But I think I’m going to have a little fun with this.”

With that, Discord picked up Twilight and lay her down on her side on a couch that seemed impossibly soft and fragrant to the mare, smelling of nothing but roses. Not to mention, she knew she didn’t have a couch right there in her library, as it stood in front of a bookshelf. She lifted up her hoof, shocked to see rose petals of all shapes, sizes, and colors fall away. Discord smiled. Twilight looked up at him and almost started to ask, but then recalled she was dealing with the embodiment of Chaos. If Chaos said there should be a rose petal couch in her library, than it was going to be there whether she wanted it to be or not.

Slowly, the Draconequus parted her legs with his paw. He was gentle, which surprised Twilight. She could see his massive erection, and felt herself blush. It was a dragon’s; she recognized it from her readings for Spike’s growth phases. Just the same, it seemed like he truly cared for her, cared for her first time to be special. She was quite certain no stallion would ever create a bed of rose petals for her to lay on, not that it was particularly fair to judge them based on that. Still, she was nervous, but the wetness seeping out of her gave away how badly she wanted him.

The lavender mare gasped and felt her entire body tense as Discord gave his first well placed lick. He chuckled quietly, savoring the taste of her sex. The last creature he’d done this with had turned him to stone, he recalled, as this one likely would as well, but those were concerns for another day. He licked again, his pronged tongue able to lick both sides just around Twilight’s clit, causing her to gasp again in pleasure. Nopony had ever done this to her before, and she craved more. Discord’s stopping and starting was driving her crazy.

“Don’t stop.” The mare moaned, and a devilish grin lit up Discord’s face.

“As you wish, my dear.” He spoke with a shrug, before starting again. He continued working both sides of her simultaneously, faster and the slower again and again. Small, quick moans began to escape Twilight’s throat as she bit her lip fiercely, trying to contain herself and keep her composure which was cracking more and more quickly. Discord began to speed up again, using the length of his tongue to now reach the area directly above her clit as his prongs worked the thing itself.

Twilight’s hips bucked involuntarily as she came the first time, but Discord didn’t quit there. He wasn’t going to quit until she said stop. After all, she had asked him not to, hadn’t she?

The mare grabbed a clump of rose petals with her hoof (Though magic likely would've been more effective, she lacked the focus for it) and stuffed them into her mouth, attempting to quiet her own sounds. Spike was upstairs; she couldn’t start shouting at the top of her lungs. Another wave of orgasmic pleasure came through her as she came again and her eyes shot wide, biting down hard on her hoof to contain her scream. Discord chuckled, but continued onward until she came a third time and couldn’t take it any longer.

“Take me, Discord!” She shrieked, now all semblance of her normal self now absent. Twilight Sparkle was hardly present, she just knew what she wanted, and what she needed, and that Discord could give it to her.

On her command, Discord thrust his cock into her marehood. She gasped at the pain but also the pleasure, just trying to adjust to the sensation before Discord began to pull out and thrust again, and again, slowly finding a rhythm as Twilight grew used to the new feeling. Despite the pain, it was good, oh so good, and she didn’t want it to stop. He hips once again began to buck involuntarily, her sensitive pussy craving ever more stimulation.

Discord began to go faster, loving the expression of utter bliss but also concentration on Twilight’s face. Obviously, even with her earlier outburst, she was trying to quiet down again. But the concentration would have to go. He’d make her forget. This beautiful little mare… She reminded him so much of Celestia, a thought that did nothing but urge on his rock hard erection as he thrust more and more quickly into her tight little body. 

“Discord, don’t stop, oh don’t stop.” She almost whimpered, needing more. “Please, Discord. Faster, harder.”

Suddenly, the Draconequus picked up Twilight Sparkle and pushed her body against the wall as he continued to screw her. The unexpected pain and deepness of his next thrust caused her to moan again. “You like that, don’t you, Twilight?” He almost snarled as he began to reach his peak. But he’d satisfy her one last time before he did so. If nothing else, his immortal life had provided him ample time to learn to control his cock.

“You like it a little rough, don’t you?” 

“Yes, Discord. Rough. Don’t stop.” Came the mare’s voice, close to incoherent. Twilight didn’t want to think anymore. She didn’t want to be in control. She just wanted Discord to go harder, faster, deeper. 

“What do you want from me, Twilight?” He murmured, sounding amused. “You’ll have to tell me.”

“More.” She responded, trying to form a better thought but failing.

“More what?” He questioned in an almost sing-song voice.

“More… More…” She muttered in between panting. Her eyes opened wide, all at once furious and insatiably horny. “Fuck me harder, damnit!” She shouted, seeming to surprise even herself with the outburst but not seeming to care. 

Discord was only too happy to oblige, sliding the entire length of his member up into her and back out again, tossing her slightly against the wall with every thrust. He looked down at her now closed eyes, wide open panting mouth. The concentration had vanished.

He thrust once more, a quick, sharp motion that made Twilight scream in pain and pleasure as she came again and Discord released his load. For a moment, they stood like that. Then he pulled out, and lay her down at her staircase.

Twilight looked at him through tired, confused eyes, but extremely happy ones. There was no doubt that the mare was exhausted. Discord snapped, and a small pile of cotton candy created a place for her to sleep. 

“There we are, Twilight Sparkle. There we are.” He murmured, as he shut her eyes for her. When they’d closed, he sent of pulse of magic through his fingers. She didn’t open them, just gave a yawn and turned over in her magic induced sleep. With a deep sigh, he ran his chicken hand’s claw down her back. Her color began to leak out again, and dissipate, leaving a dull shade of grey in its wake. He then pressed the claw to her forehead, and pulsed his magic again. The memory would now be erased. She’d wake up and go on as though their little adventure had never happen. Mostly, at least. He couldn’t quite bring himself to take it all away. What would remain were the seeds of Chaos he’d sowed deep within her brain. So deep, they may never have seen the light of day again.

Then again, the immortal being pondered as he stepped out of her home and into his beautiful world of Chaos, quietly shutting the door. He snapped his claw, and even through the door, he heard Twilight stir and began to make her way up the stairs, shouting for Spike.

Then again, Discord thought with a small smile. Then again, maybe they would.
> Chapter 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was faint, but unmistakable. A distinct glow was being emitted, blood red in color, pulsating from scarcely visible to a weak but telling glow in stark contrast to the whiteness of the stone it came from. If one stood perfectly still in the dead of night, one may have even heard a light ba-bump in a slow, rhythmic pattern. Indeed, one did stand perfectly still in the dead of night. She watched the glow, and heard the sound. She took a few steps closer and squinted her eyes, as dark as the skies above. What in Equestria could that be?

Ba-bump. Ba-bump. It was steady and unending, a regular beat that seemed to coincide with the light. Ba-bump. Ba-bump. The unyielding pattern, both sound and light, seemed to be… Almost inside the stone rather than on it, or near it. They seemed to come from the very core.

Her hooves clicked on pavement, going closer to the source of the light. The lavender unicorn had been a ways away when she first heard the noise, thought she caught the first glimpses of light. Surely though, surely nothing in Canterlot Gardens would do such a thing? It seemed so strange and unnatural of an occurrence, something that could’ve occurred in the Everfree forest, but not in the regulated gates where she stood now, so near the Palace.

She had arrived there with her friends a few days prior. Rarity had thrown her birthday party in the Canterlot Palace Ballroom, after her poor Opal coming down with an illness rendering them unable to travel. Fluttershy had been so proud of the little dear’s recovery, it had only taken a few hours for the cat to go from a shivering mess to her normal self, though she’d seemed a tad spiteful with her owner for reasons no one quite understood. Rainbow Dash and Applejack had taken little notice of the surprising recovery. Twilight herself was the only one that sensed something had been amiss, but decided not to act on it. She’d still had a wonderful time after all, and Rarity had made her that lovely ever so plain, practical dress.

That dress was what really had spoken volumes to Twilight though. As much as she adored practicality and simplicity, she knew for a fact that Rarity didn’t. Rarity was larger than life itself, and so was her work. Twilight had trouble believing that the white unicorn would suddenly alter her style, especially after such grandiose promises of an elaborate ensemble. Secretly, the lavender pony found herself somewhat annoyed. Did she like the dress? Sure, it was quite nice. But it wasn’t Rarity, it wasn’t right. Overall, the situation seemed wrong. Twilight felt… Almost blown off.

It had been a couple days now since everypony else had gone home. Twilight, however, had decided to stay in Canterlot for a little longer, catching up with her brother who had been away from even Canterlot during the actual birthday party. He was such an important pony now, Twilight remembered, but he still made time for his little sister. The thought brought a smile to her face, even as she followed the light, and now the sound which had gotten louder as she got closer to what she assumed her destination would be.

She took a look around. She’d entered a different part of the garden than she’d ever been in before, which surprised the mare. Twilight had explored almost every nook and cranny of the Palace during her time under Celestia’s direct tutelage. This area could’ve been added in the past months, she supposed, but still found it strange. The garden was rarely altered in form. The lavender unicorn wondered if it was some of Luna’s doing, but found that to be an unlikely thing. From what Celestia had said of her sister, she hadn’t been much of a gardener.

Something about this area felt… Off, somehow. Twilight caught herself almost tempted to turn around, forget the light, forget the sound, forget it all, but a combination of curiosity and another feeling she couldn’t quite place made her press onward. Suddenly she realized that the light seemed to be getting distinctly brighter, and the pulse of light and sound was most definitely getting more rapid, closer together. It sounded something like a heartbeat, the mare noted.

She lost track of the light for a moment, as a large hedge came into view. She could swear that hedge hadn’t been there before… Or had it been? Surely it had been. Hedges didn’t just pop up out of nowhere. /Why not? Why shouldn’t they? Maybe the hedge likes it here, it thinks this is just a perfect place to grow and wants to grow right here./ The thought was silly, but caught Twilight off guard. /Hedges can’t just grow willy-nilly. Then no one could have a proper garden. Imagine if plants just grew wherever they pleased. We’d have chaos./

Twilight stopped abruptly in her tracks as she rounded the hedge.

The light was undeniably brighter now, not just a maybe, and the sound was loud, touching her somewhere deep.

Perhaps most disconcerting, it came from the statue of Discord.

In that second, Twilight knew she shouldn’t be there. She knew she should turn around, and go tell the princess what she had just seen. The palace could double security and get some guards on duty in this area. Thinking about it, she noticed there’d been surprisingly few sprinkled around at all, especially here, in the deeper part of the garden. But if she told Celestia, she could go home and forget this ever happened unless her mentor needed help handing the situation. It would be so much simpler. It only took a few moments of thinking before the lavender mare realized that despite knowing exactly what she should do, it simply wasn’t what she was going to do. At least not without doing a little of her own investigation first. 

She felt like an outside force had taken over her body as she moved forward, her legs stepping on of their own accord despite her internal misgivings. Discord was a bad thing, a bad creature. He was the embodiment of Chaos and all manner of disorganization, her exact polar opposite. She was of order, not disorder. She was of structure, not disarray… Right?

Something about this felt familiar, and an odd sense of Déjà vu overtook her. Twilight realized she was now directly in front of the statue. The pulse throbbed through her entire body, louder and faster than ever before, and the light was a bright, blood red hue. As if in a trance, the mare raised herself onto her haunches, and reached her hooves out to touch the light. They connected with the stone.

Everything stopped.

The light was gone, the sound was gone.

All Twilight could hear was the pounding of her own heart in her ears. The spell was broken. Whatever had possessed her to… To just reach out and touch the statue of a creature she herself had helped lock away, was gone now.

The unicorn sat back down in the ground before the statue, breathing heavily.

“This doesn’t make sense.” She murmured, magically wiping away the sweat that had accumulated on her brow.

“Oh, what fun is there in making sense?”

Twilight blinked. That voice. She knew the voice. Where had it even come from? She’d heard it, she knew she’d heard it. But where had it…

There was a chuckle, an all too familiar chuckle that froze her to the bone. This was impossible, improbable, unthinkable, of all manner of unlikely and unusual occurrences this must be the least likely to happen and yet…

“Oh, it’s been far too long, my dear. Left old Discord encased in stone for quite some time, you did. But you’re here now, Twilight Sparkle.”

/Inside./ She realized, her eyes wide with fear and awe. /He’s in my head./

“Quite right, Twilight. You always were such a bright one, after all. I’m not surprised you figured it out already.”

/Inside my head. How.../

“Twilight, Twilight, Twilight. Are you really so surprised? You couldn’t possibly think locking me away in a little stone would keep me away from such a curious pony like yourself.”

Her breathing rate rapidly increased and became far more shallow. Twilight’s heart pounded in her ears, unable to make any sense of the situation. 

“Discord! But you... You’re encased completely in... You can’t still be... We defeated you months ago! You can’t possibly...” The unicorn stopped talking, and shook her head violently. What was yelling at a hunk of stone going to do? Even if this stone was talking and had a what seemed to be a distinct heartbeat... He was imprisoned. He wasn’t going to hurt her or her friends anymore. She heard him chuckle.

“Now Twilight, don’t lie to yourself. Sure, I may be encased in stone now, but that hardly needs to be a permanent condition. Moreover, now that you’ve come by, I’ll be much more free than I was before.”

Twilight blinked. What had she done? Had she somehow broken the spell the elements placed over him, or at least a part of it?

“There you are, Twilight Sparkle! You’re the magic, aren’t you? The binding agent of all that ‘lovely’ harmony.” His voice oozed sarcasm as he spoke the word lovely, showing he really believed it was anything but, thought for some reason he decided to still humor the unicorn. “So it’s only natural that you’re the agent who can unbind it as well.”

She stood as still as the statue before her. How had she... There was no way she’d broken the spell. Was it when she touched him? Or...

“Now, now. Don’t get yourself in such a tizzy, Twilight Sparkle. You have limited power in the unbinding. All of the elements have to agree, and I doubt we’ll be getting their approval any time soon. No, you cannot free me entirely. At least, not for long.”

The unicorn felt herself relax. Mostly, at least. Something about it irritated her. For a moment, she’d had total control of the situation. She could free or encase Discord as she saw fit. Not, of course, that she would ever even slightly entertain the notion of freeing him, but just the same. She /could/ if she so chose. It was her choice, not a choice belonging to tons of other people. even just her six best friends, that meant she’d have to organize votes and make sure their schedules all lined up and all the other work that went into making a choice... That... What was she thinking? There was no choice to be made.

“Well of course there’s a choice, Twilight. There’s always a choice.”

It hardly seemed fair that he could just access her thoughts like this. He knew just what to say to make her question... Well, no, no, not that there was anything to question (She continued to hear him insisting there was), but just the same. He did provide an interesting viewpoint, a unique one she couldn’t find in anypony else, save maybe Celestia but-

“I’m older than her, Twilight.”

He was, wasn’t he? He was older than even her mentor, Celestia. Older than anything could or should be, and yet for some reason was. He knew things nopony else could, because he was so old, so ancient, so lonely... /A lonely old draconequus./

“The last one of his kind.” Discord added. By the way he spoke, the unicorn could almost feel him grinning.

His words echoed. They were so familiar, as if she’d heard them before, as if she’d lived this moment previously... For some reason, an image of roses came to mind, a scent she recognized from something she couldn’t quite put her hoof on, sweat and cotton candy. Twilight focused harder, struggling to grasp whatever it was that was just beyond her reach. She felt Discord almost reveling, but seeming reluctant to do so. It was as though he wasn’t even sure he wanted her to get whatever she was getting to.

Her curiosity was getting the better of her.

“I can show you, Twilight.”

The mare blinked, and looked at his statue.

“I can show you that, and so much more. I’ve learned all sorts of powerful magic, things I couldn’t teach you in ten life times! Things that could make your very soul bleed, but things that could bring-” Twilight cut him off.

“Bring me to the highest reaches of happiness.” She murmured, finishing the sentence. Fractured pieces of a memory she couldn’t have, that couldn’t have existed. Sensations she was so sure she’d never really felt before. She felt herself becoming excited against her will. The statue before her now seemed to be more of a taunt than anything else, standing in the way of her and what she wanted. She wanted him, she wanted him out, she wanted him with her for reasons she didn’t understand.

Thoughts flew through her mind, rapidly recalling that day, the repressed piece that was just now resurfacing. Discord had gone strangely silent during this most recent occurrence.

Something about this made Twilight angry. How could he have... How could she have let him... But she knew, because she knew herself. She’d had so much sympathy for him. In reality, she still did. More than that though, she wanted answers. Answers she was only going to get from one source. She needed him out of stone. In an instant, the spell came to her, and she began to flow magic into her horn then out into the heart of the statue.

For a few moments, nothing seemed to happen, and then suddenly the stone cracked and fell apart. The lavender unicorn maintained the magic in her horn, glaring furiously at the form before her, who seemed entirely shocked. 

Discord moved his mouth a couple times, as though he couldn’t quite speak yet. He was still stunned. He glanced around, perplexed. 

Twilight took a step forward, eyes flashing and horn glowing dangerously. Anger flared through her entire being.

The Draconequus stood, perplexed for another moment, before he grinned and began to laugh.

Comprehension entered Twilight’s eyes, and she took a step back. She, an element of harmony, had just broken all order. She had once more loosed chaos on the pony world. She stepped backwards, terrified, as she watched Discord come towards her before the entire world went black.
> Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	A headache raged through her skull, causing her to shut her eyes to the beginnings of vision that were starting to appear before the lavender mare. The world was still fuzzy and far too bright, every noise being far too loud and every color seeming at once too vivid and too muted to distinguish. Her eyes flickered open again briefly before shutting. This pattern continued for a few more moments. Slowly but surely, however, her surroundings began to swim into view. And what surroundings they were.
        Carnival music played, a happy and upbeat sound that contrasted sharply with what Twilight Sparkle felt as she began really looking around from the ground. She’d awoken on something strangely soft, but still familiar. Rose petals, she realized, inhaling the scent. They were almost overpowering with her nostrils so close to them, her body lying flat belly down on the makeshift bed. Against her better judgement, she took a bite, realizing she was positively ravenous. She shouldn’t have been surprised, but the unicorn still was when the petals tasted distinctly of popcorn. Another bite, carrot cake this time. What in Equestria had she gotten herself into?
        Twilight continued munching on the petals, despite her misgivings about eating anything even resembling food provided to her by Discord. She looked around more, finally really looking up. A soft, pinkish tinted light covered the entire space, which she noticed seemed to be coming from a string of cotton candy that had light coming from the center. They criss-crossed the ceiling which seemed to be extremely high for something indoor. She was quite sure it was indoors, however. Discord wouldn’t have made walls otherwise. That didn’t seem his style. The deep purple of the walls matched that of her mane, she realized, complete with a lighter shade of polka dots and pinkish stripes. They weren’t true walls though either, they seemed more... Circular. Like the ceiling of an auditorium or... Maybe a cave? A cave could make sense. 
        Slowly Twilight got to her hooves, going slowly the keep the world’s spinning to a minimum. She took her first step off the rose petals and was met with an unpleasant squelching sound, causing her to immediately jump back and raise an eyebrow. It was some strange material that matched the coloration of the walls, but seemed to be a semisolid mass. The unicorn blinked and watched as her hoofprint began to disappear from the odd matter. She decided to try again, and got a similar result, though the sound was a little slower and deeper this time. It almost sounded like a pony... Passing gas... 
        “Fart putty, Discord?” She asked to no one in particular, though she felt quite sure the Embodiment of Chaos would make an appearance soon, probably too proud of his own handy work to stay away. Something about the entire situation was surreal. How much time had passed since she had... What exactly had she done? Somehow she’d allowed Discord free, that she knew, but for how long? How had it even been possible? She was only one element! There was no way one element could wield that sort of power over the others... Was there?
        Twilight began to walk across the putty on the floor, making her way towards what appeared to be a door, though it was made entirely from what seemed to be chocolate and was at least three times her height. The doorknob was out of reach. She tried to grasp it with her magic, but her headache surged causing the lavender mare to gasp in pain and shock. So that idea was out. She had no magic, or at least not that sort of magic, and no other ways out. The ‘room’ of sorts she was in seemed to round off behind the bed. So how did she get out?
        Perhaps... Gently, she gathered magic into her horn, focusing on creating heat. Not too hot, but just warm. Warm enough melt chocolate. She put her horn forward, almost touching the door but not quite, and grinned as it began to melt away. It would be slow going, sure, but it was doable and caused very little headache. Bit by bit, a hole began to form in the door.
        When Twilight had been at it for perhaps half an hour (though truth be told, aside from the looping carnival music it could’ve been thirty seconds or three hours and she’d have had no idea. It was impossible to tell time in such a place.), a small prick of white light began to show through. She beamed, but continued her work. At this point, she was hot, sticky, and covered from head to hoof in chocolate, but soon, soon she’d be able to see the rest of her surroundings. For a moment, she paused, and stepped back to admire her work.
        The light disappeared from the other side, and a single yellow eye looked at her briefly before the entire door melted into a puddle on the floor, and then seemed to be sucked beneath further down. The same could not be said for the chocolate still on her coat, however.
        Standing on this new frontier of the area of what had lain beyond the door, was a frowning Draconequus in a remarkably tastefully decorated area that seemed to end somewhat abruptly behind a pair of large, luxurious red curtains.
        “Now look what you’ve gone and made me do! That chocolate was delicious and you had to go and make me waste it.” He glowered at Twilight for a moment, before popping up directly beside her and giving a well placed lick from the base of her horn to its tip. Despite knowing she should’ve been prepared for anything, the touch to her horn came as a surprise, given its natural sensitivity, leading to her taking a step back into the putty.
        Discord began to laugh, and Twilight blushed lightly from embarrassment and frustration before glaring at the being before her. 
        “Come now, Twily!” He exclaimed fondly, before snapping. The chocolate suddenly evaporated from her body. “There was no reason for all of it be thrown away so carelessly! Besides, it’s hardly the first time I’ve licked you.” He added, scratching under her chin before she jerked away.
        “Now, now. Don’t be like that with old Discord.” He told her with a disappointed expression as he cocked an eyebrow. “You’re the reason I’m here, after all.”
        “I am not!” Came the outraged response from the adolescent mare. “This was all your fault! You did it!”
        Discord looked at her flatly, hands on hips, before nodding sarcastically. “Right, right. I just magicked myself out of stone. Oh yes, I never tried that during the time I was encased before.” The mockery in his tone oozed through every word, punctuated by a final grand eye roll, in which his eyes rolled out of his head, down his arm and into his hand, where he plopped them back into position.
        “I’m only one element, Discord. I couldn’t have released you!” Twilight insisted. She was very certain it was true. There was no way the natural order of harmony would allow it to happen.
        “Ah yes, only one element. But not all elements are created equally, my dear.”
The unicorn gave an almost stupefied blink. The concept that one element could hold any more power than any other was alien to her. It was inconceivable. Illogical. But not impossible, she realized, more disturbed than anything else.
        “Twilight, Twilight, Twilight. There is so very, very little that your beloved rulers have shared with you about that fancy accessory on your head.” The Draconequus chuckled, and pat the mare on the head. “So little they’ve taught you and so much I know.”
        What Twilight hated more than almost anything else in the entire warped situation was the simple fact that more than likely, he was right.
        She was Celestia only knew where (if Celestia even knew where.) with the lord of chaos who she had, through some strange means she didn’t fully understand, allowed to escape from his eternal imprisonment. This Lord of all things Disorderly now held her fate in his claws, unless she could understand how to use the elements to trap him once again. Even then, she had no idea where she was. She could be too far to teleport to her home or to somewhere that was familiar in any way. If she did get away, then what? Discord would be left to his own devices, free to create havoc and disarray until they were able to find him again. What if he was smarter this go around? If he didn’t do something giant and ridiculous right away, or if he started somewhere deep in the Everfree, or even in another land outside of Euqestria... The risks were too great for her to leave.
        At the same time, how could she stay? What about her friends and studies, what about Spike? How long had she been gone now? It was likely it had been at least a day, she imagined, having no concept of how long she had been passed out. Somepony was likely looking for her by this point. What would they do when they couldn’t find her? Or when they discovered the statue of Discord missing?
        “It isn’t all so bad you know. As I told you once, I know more than even your dear, dear Celestia. Far more than her, actually, and of course more than the young Luna.” He smiled, seeming to remember a happier time.
        Twilight blinked in surprise, Discord’s statement breaking her train of thought. “You don’t know about Nightmare Moon, do you?” She questioned. How could he? Sure, he may have heard stories but he wouldn’t know the true nature of what had happened. It would’ve been after his initial imprisonment.
        The Draconequus eyed her quizzically. “Nightmare Moon?”
        “When Princess Luna turned dark and was banished to the moon for one thousand years? All the foal’s tales about the Mare in the Moon? Nightmare Night?” The unicorn probed.
        “Never heard of such a thing.” He stated.
        “But how can you... Your dialect...” Twilight trailed off. It had never occurred to her before, but when Luna had returned, her dialect had remained the old style. How had Discord’s been newer when he’d had to have been imprisoned eons before her initial banishment?
        “All in due time, Twilight.” He told her with a wink. “Now, as I’m sure you understand, you’ll be remaining in this place for now. I can’t risk you deciding to run off on me and tell somepony I’m here, not that you know where here is. I’ve also taken the liberty of blocking most of your magic from penetrating the walls, though you’re welcome to put up a new door and redecorate however you like. This is home, however, for the mean time.”
        She looked at the putty, vibrant floors, cotton candy light strings, and rose petal bed the lay in the room beyond. This was to be her prison. “Discord, you can’t just keep me here forever. I’m Celestia’s personal student. I have friends and loved ones. They’ll come looking for me.”
        “Twilight, I have no concerns about who may or may not come looking for you.” 
        “But they will come, Discord. It’ll be easier on yourself if you just turn yourself in. I’m sure I could convince the Princess to drop any kidnapping charges at my request! I could-”
        “I am not going back to be trapped in stone, Miss Sparkle.” The Spirit of Disharmony snarled, suddenly mere inches from Twilight’s snout, and for the first time since coming to, Twilight found herself afraid.
        The Draconequus took a deep breath. His anger was still evident on his face. His lion’s paw came up, starting from the top of his face down, and moving across it, and his face contorted into a silly, beaming grin. He brought his paw across again, and the anger returned. He repeated this a few more times until, perhaps out of little more than some sort of relief, Twilight let out a small, shaky giggle.
        Discord smiled, a genuine smile, and took a step back, as well as rising himself to his full height. 
        “I’m sorry, Discord.” Twilight told him. “I didn’t...”
        He eyed her. “You did. I am no idiot, Twilight. I know you have no love for me nor what I stand for. You believe it would be better for everypony if I were locked away, somewhere my ‘evil’ magic could do no harm. I alsoI know though, you are a good mare at heart. Perhaps you can even understand my predicament, or at least sympathize. I am an immortal in a world full of mortals. Mortals who despise me and make me out to be a monster and a demon. I am neither of these things, Miss Sparkle. I am simply an idea as old as time, as old as ponykind and even older, who will live on until the last sentient race fades from existence. From order comes disorder, Twilight. They do not exist without each other. Remember that.” They way he stared into the unicorn made her feel as though he was looking into her very soul. For a few heartbeats, she could see what he meant. She could see his logic, strange and warped as it often was. There was no concept of order without its opposite. Her own love couldn’t possibly exist without Discord’s passions. It was a balance. 
        But did order really need Twilight Sparkle’s assistance? Couldn’t it function just as well with another pony? After all. She was the element of Magic. Magic, the way she saw magic, was often a science, sure. Great works of art were created by Unicorns wielding a paint brush or chisel. Musical instruments could be played in the grip of an aura. Magic was a science in many ways, sure, but it wasn’t necessarily meant to be one exclusively.
        These thoughts blossomed into being in the length of time Discord and herself maintained eye contact. His face had held such a serious expression when he spoke, something so unlike his nature. Was it really unlike his nature? The Draconequus loved fun, to be certain, but Chaos was more than a hobby for him. It was his very essence. In a way, one could argue he took it quite seriously. As they looked back in forth into each other, Twilight felt quite positive Discord could see the doubt she was harboring about her own place in the world. The doubt she’d been harboring since their previous encounter, despite him taking the memory from her. She was sure of this, so sure of this, she found herself almost drawn to him, and so she took a step forward.
        A slow, rumbling fart from the putty floor shattered the moment.
        Discord began to laugh uproariously, and Twilight followed suit.
        They both laughed until tears ran down their faces, and many more steps were made causing many more sounds to be issued, each time making them explode into giggles until finally, the odd duo was spent.
        In the end, Discord snapped, and the entire room changed. The floor went from fart putty to breathtakingly white marble. The carnival music stopped, replaced by something classical the Twilight realized she’d never learned the name of but sounded vaguely familiar that seemed to be played on a record player made from... Was that parmesan cheese? It sounded flawless just the same. The unicorn found herself in a dress made of blue iris petals, and Discord in a shimmering tuxedo, complete with top hat and mustache although he’d neglected in sort of shoes. “I’m afraid, Miss Sparkle, I must insist that you remain with me for the time being, until I can figure out exactly what I want my next course of action to be. I promise you, however, that I recognize your intelligence and I will not allow you to grow bored or complacent. I will teach you myself.” He snapped again, and Twilight could no longer see anything around her, with the exception of two spotlights shining down on herself and Discord. “
Under the odd circumstances we now find ourselves in, might we put all that aside for the evening?” He asked, smiling as he reached out his lion’s paw, where a Stargazer Lily materialized that he placed promptly behind Twilight’s ear. He then bowed and extended his paw again. “My lady, might I have this dance?”
Was she hesitant? Naturally. Everything in her sensible, rational mind (which normally overpowered anything else) told her that she needed to work on a plan, needed to try and escape. Despite this, she still found herself considering the opportunity at hand. She could learn from something even older and potentially more knowledgeable than her current teacher. Chances like this didn’t knock often, even if she would rather it had never happened (She would rather that, right?), she didn’t see a better option.
She would learn from Discord until she could break free and figure out the next best thing to do. 
Learning to properly ballroom dance would be the first step.        

> Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Learning to properly ballroom dance had proven nothing short of a disaster. Twilight was a mare of many talents, but also seemed to have been born with four left hooves. She tripped over herself, over her dress, over absolutely nothing at all more times than she cared to admit. Despite the unicorn’s extreme clumsiness, however, she had a marvelous time. The music played in the background, the spotlight shown down, and no matter how many times she fell, or was held up just in time by Discord, it was a lovely evening overall.

When the night ended, Discord bid her goodnight and sent her along to her room. He even blew a comically large kiss which took the shape of two huge pink lips that had sprouted wings, and smacked itself into a wall with a resounding splat. Twilight flopped onto her new bed as soon as she walked in, utterly exhausted, and for the first time in several hours began to contemplate her situation.

She was essentially Discord’s captive. She would have no opportunity to escape, realistically. Did Discord even need to sleep? Was that an advantage she could consider? Even if he did and she somehow made it out of the cave, there was no telling what sort of enchantments he’d placed to keep her from getting far. Realistically, the unicorn was stuck. She supposed she should make the best of it, however. Twilight would be the first pony in ages to study a Draconequs up close, assuming it had even been done before. Her mind began to run wild as she realized she’d be exposed to incredible amount of Chaos magic, the possibilities of the experiments she could run. Surely she could persuade Discord to acquiesce, he’d said he wouldn’t let her grow bored, after all.

The unicorn gulped after her last thought brought up certain memories. That day stilled seemed impossible. Who did Discord think he was, wiping her memory? She felt anger rise up from her belly like bile. He had the gall to rob her of her virginity and hadn’t even let her keep the memory? That was monstrous behavior! And yet the memory made her feel somewhat conflicted. She’d been a more than willing participant. Even in her anger, Twilight felt herself reaching down beneath the sheets towards her marehood.

She thought about Discord with his snake’s tongue as he delicately traced both sides of her clit simultaneously. A shiver a pleasure came over her as she began to recall more and more. How his tongue had reached everywhere around the center without touching it. Her hoof began to lightly mimic to motion, slowly rubbing gentle circles. Wetness began to appear at her slit as she serviced herself, recalling more and more. Despite Twilight’s anger, she couldn't deny her arousal either.

Discord’s first thrust had been gentle. The dragonlike cock had felt so different than any toy Twilight had ever been exposed to. It had ridges in all the right places, a ring of small bumps further down that had provided even more stimulation. The unicorn found herself trying to mimic the sensation with her magic. It wasn't quite as good as the memory, of course, but still… It did feel damn good. She began to use her magic to thrust in and out, letting out small moans of pleasure, but still trying to keep quiet.

As Twilight kept going, an unintentional branch of magic broke off and began to take the place of her hoof. It was split like Discord’s tongue, and it was starting to overwhelm any ability she had to remain silent. The sheets were becoming soaked in the mare’s juices as her pussy began tightening around her magic. Her breathing was growing more and more frantic as she drew closer to her now inevitable climax. Realizing how close and loud she had become, Twilight chopped down on a pillow just before the orgasm took her. She trusted hard with her magic, and moaned deeply. Her body rocked with pleasure as it radiated outward, reaching the tips of her hooves in delicious waves.

The unicorn knew she'd been thinking about something important before, but the thought was gone now. For once her mind was quiet, a peaceful forest instead of a whirlwind of thought. Against her own desire, her eyes began to close, and she drifted off into a very deep sleep.

Morning was announced by the smell of waffles. Getting clumsily to her hooves, Twilight dragged herself out of bed and began to look around, rubbing at her bleary eyes to get the sleep out. The world came into view and Twilight abruptly remembered where she was. Her cheeks grew red as she realized how she had fallen asleep the previous night, not to mention how wet the bed still was. Nothing a couple basic spells couldn't take care of though. At least, normally. There was still a noticeable amount of pain when she performed magic, but it was significantly less than the day before.

Twilight slowly began the task of cleaning herself up, getting her mane into a reasonable state and making sure she didn't smell quite so bad. She would definitely prefer a full bath, but the smell of food was calling her name. An angry growl from her stomach reminded the unicorn that she needed to get going. She could finish cleaning up later.

Her door was now made of wood, two huge brass pulls in the shape of a draconequs were at a standard height. Pulling with magic didn't seem to get anywhere, so hooves were the next step. When the pull wriggled out of her grasp, Twilight helped and fell backwards. Of course some thing like would happen. Discord couldn't make this easy, could he? She reached toward the pull again, prepared this time, and found herself pleasantly surprised when the pull stayed and the door creaked open.

Discord was standing in the center of the cave, which now resembled a kitchen. The appliances were a garish shade of green. Discord, donning a blonde long haired wig and ‘kiss the cook’ apron was putting a plate stacked cartoonishly high with waffles onto the center of a table. Two smaller copies of Discord sat at the table, both holding their forks and knives vertically while drool literally pooled out out their mouths. Twilight took a free seat.

“Oh Twily! I'm so glad you got up, I was afraid you'd miss breakfast! I couldn't keep these two back much longer.” The wig-wearing Discord said, nodding to the two small versions. When had they gotten baseball caps? Twilight wondered idly. Another version of Discord came out of seemingly  nowhere. This one wore business casual men’s attire. He came up behind the Discord that Twilight now realized was meant to be the mom, gave her a hug and kiss, and downed a glass orange juice.

“I'll have to take breakfast to go honey, I'm already late today.” The Dad Discord said, as the Mom smiled and handed him a brown paper sack.

“Breakfast and lunch, sweetheart.”  She (He? Twilight wasn't sure) said with a smile. The Dad grinned back, before walking towards a coat rack the unicorn could sweat hadn’t been there before, placing a hat on his head, and walking down a hallway. When Twilight turned back to face the table, the kitchen had disappeared. Discord looked normal and was sitting at the table with her.

“You could clap, that was some good work.” The Draconequs muttered sulkily.

Twilight took a waffle, but did smirk. “Thank you for breakfast.” She said flatly. There was no incentive for him to harm her at this point, so she assumed the food was safe. The waffle was surprisingly delicious. “What is on the agenda for today?”

“Oh!” Discord exclaimed, clapping his hands together excitedly. “I'm so glad you asked!” He snapped, and a scroll appeared before Twilight. It was held aloft by magic on the top, while the bottom spilled down across the floor. Surprised, the mare reached out with her hooves and looked more closely at the writing. Every line seemed to say the same thing. “Whatever Discord wants.”

Twilight gave Discord a deadpanned expression before turning back to her waffles. Honestly, it seemed like her fault for even asking. She looked up when she heard a pop, and was startled to realize they were now in a class room. Discord wore a strange dress covered in lightning bolts, his hair up in an untidy auburn bun. A strange green lizard sat on his shoulder before he proclaimed “Get ready, Twilight! We're going to take chances, make mistakes, and get messy!”

Twilight groaned in response.




Despite the days inauspicious beginning, Twilight had learned a great deal. She was learning about how Chaos magic interacted with Harmonic magic. Discord had been excellent during the hand’s off portion, but almost worthless in the theory behind it. He had, however, given her access to a remarkable library full of books by authors Twilight had either never heard of, or could only remember finding vague allusions too. The library did have the occasional hazard of some strange pranks, such as opening a book only to have it explode into confetti, but on a whole seemed to contain vast amounts of knowledge unseen by pony kind for generations.

Discord had told her she'd be allowed mostly unfettered access to the library, which had led Twilight to the first real start of an escape plan. As the days wore on, her strength was coming back in leaps and bounds, but with it she noticed some interesting changes. She had only ever reached out to harmonic magic before, but Discord insisted ‘his hidden cave, his hidden rules.’ which would allow only chaos magic. Harmonic castings seemed to result in blinding headaches if she did much more than lift a small object or turn a page in a book. Chaos magic, on the other hoof, seemed to work perfectly. If she could apply herself and learn how Discord teleported, she could likely go home.

With a full library at her disposal and almost nothing but time on her hooves, Twilight devoured books at an incredible rate. Chaos magic theory was very different than Harmonic magic theory, but she progressed quickly nonetheless. Discord, ever an interesting host, would stop by with occasional interruptions (He’d consider them lessons, but to Twilight turning her own mane into cotton candy didn't seem like much of a lesson.).

The first few days began to turn into a week, and then two, not that it was easy to tell inside a cave. Twilight had gotten a decent hang of transmutation, but teleportation had continued to elude her. None of the books she had found referenced it. She'd considered asking Discord, but couldn't risk giving away her plan. It had been the only one she came up with. Given how much time had passed with no rescue party arriving, the unicorn could only assume she was on her own.

Why were there no teleportation books?

Twilight was a librarian. She could find reference material better than almost any other pony. So how was it possible there wasn't even a footnote in anything?

Another day, another lesson, and it seemed like with each passing cycle her chances of getting out seemed further and further away. She missed her friends dearly, and missed Spike in particular. Hopefully he was okay, but she had no way of knowing. With the Spirit of Chaos as her only company, aside from a selection of books from long dead authors, Twilight grew lonely, but had a dogged determination in her pursuit of escape. All she could do was keep learning, studying, and working towards her goal of getting free.
> Chapter 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two months had gone by. Twilight had learned much. She'd learned not just Chaos magic, but forgotten chapters in pony history. Many of the bloodier ones had been almost entirely erased. When she got out, she'd have to find a way to bring some of this knowledge with her. Ponies deserved to know the truth. She had been surprised to learn Discord felt the same way. Before his imprisonment, which he insisted was a result of a huge misunderstanding, he had been a hugely prolific teacher. His lessons had been criticized as unorthodox, often wholly unrelated, and at any and all hours, but had been considered incredibly beneficial to pony kind by many. Often, books she found discussing his unusual methods praised them as much as they crucified, but none seemed to feel he had been overtly evil.

Her mentor, as it were, had kept true to his promise not to let Twilight become bored. He had brought in new books to the library, regularly beefing up various sections depending on his interests in the moment. Still no teleportation books had appeared, but this hadn't stopped Twilight at all. Instead, she'd resorted to working on understanding the theory behind Chaos magic. She was getting close, she felt, to being able to start trials.

Toiling away, page after page, and hour after hour took its toll, however. If Discord hadn't seen fit to arrive in a puff of purple smoke in a magician’s outfit, complete with a top hat, she'd likely not have gotten up for some time. Instead, where there had been a shelf there was now a pond which had a small waterfall tinkling itself in. Twilight looked up. After the past couple months, things like this were just a fact of life. She noticed there were some sort of shimmery fish swimming about, and without thinking a bolt of magic shot from her horn. The fish swam up next to each other and embraced using their fins. The unicorn smirked.

“What do you think, Discord? Cuddlefish.”

The pond turned back into a table where three copies of discord sat, staring around disapprovingly before holding up score cards that read 5, 5, and 7 respectively. Twilight snorted, but the waterfall had woken up her bladder and she decided it was as good a time as any to go for a walk. Discord didn't appear to feel like following, winking when Twilight hesitated to leave, materializing a full pitcher water to pour back and forth. She gave an amused but annoyed smile as she walked out of the library.

Twilight couldn't help reflecting on her situation. As miserable is she felt, Discord was working hard to keep her entertained and her spirits up. The biggest issue he had was his inherent selfishness. He wanted Twilight to feel better because HE wanted her to feel better, not because she felt bad. His motivations always struck her as so strange, but she had come to understand him as the spent more and more time together. She had begun trying to share friendship lessons with him, but so far had seen minimal improvement. She could only hope it would get better in time.

That wasn't to say Discord made no effort. Him and his various temporary copies would do all sorts of things to help keep Twilight amused. Lately he had taken to full theater productions of some obscure plays written in old Ponish that Twilight would have never had exposure to otherwise. The funny thing was, when Discord wanted to put away the silliness, his flair for the dramatic made him an excellent theater director (and actor, she supposed.) He'd also sit with her to watch the performance, and have an depth discussion afterward. Twilight had to admit, for a warden, Discord was good company.

Finding the bathroom typically proved to be a nightmare, but had gotten easier over time. The cave seemed to have a life of its own. The floor, walls, and even ceiling would routinely shift colors, their consistencies changing as you stepped onto them. Her new-found grip on chaos magic seemed to prevent a lot of the earlier issues, such as doors melting away before she could touch them, or the knobs trying to snap at her if she used a hoof instead of magic.

Normally the bathroom (perhaps bathrooms, she'd found several, and no two seemed to look the same) would be the seventh door she tried, regardless of placement. The other doors could be fake, fall off the wall, lead to rooms full of junk, or any other number of things. She also swore Discord had some sort of intentional spell to make doors scarce when she began searching for them, sometimes it could take ages to find 7 doors.

Twilight made her way down a hallway with an uncomfortably fleshy feel to the ground, her discomfort only enhanced by the pinkish hue. She looked up. There was a chandelier that had an uncanny resemblance to a uvula. Suddenly on her left a large section of wall sloughed onto the floor with a wet thump. Startled, she looked up at the new opening, pleasantly pleased to see a new pair of doors before her. Lucky number six!  This time, however, she pulled and nothing happened beyond feeling a distinctive resistance from the door. It was locked.

Twilight hadn't run across a locked door at any point. Discord seemed to have strange rooms rearranging themselves at the drop of a hat. She frowned. Of course, she needed the bathroom, and instead of something else ridiculous the damn door was locked. Studying the door, well, doors, it was a huge pair of French doors that looked remarkably old and felt sturdy, she notes there didn't seem to be any other booby traps. Just the lock.

Feeling another twinge of nature’s call, Twilight chewed her lip. She really could have used the bathroom about now, she didn't often take breaks from studying and had a proclivity for drinking hot tea as she went, but she was drawn to this strange set of doors. If she left, she was confident she wouldn't find it again. Well, what could it hurt. She began to probe the lock with her magic. It was a complex lock, she could give it that, but not if somepony could turn it into marshmallows.

As it turned out, with a little chaos magic, this was very attainable. Also as it turned out, marshmallows make terrible locks. Twilight pushed through the doors.

There were a great many things that could have been expected on the other side. A toilet had been the first thought and hope, but failing that, almost anything would have made more sense than what stood before her. A quartet of small desks surrounded by numerous shelves, all nearly brimming over with books. The room was squat, barely taller than the shelves, with a blackboard  on one of the back walls. Fluorescent track lighting provided plenty of light to the whole room, but she noted their were individual desk lamps as well.

She had found a secret library.

Twilight blinked in surprise. Was this where Discord had been pulling books from? And why would he hide it? It was dusty too, which was strange. Twilight had encountered very little dust during her time as a captive. She began to walk the shelves, occasionally taking out and looking through books. This library seemed very similar to the other one in some respects, she could recognize several of the authors. It wasn't as large, maybe a quarter of the size, but it was still lined with a respectable collection. Something about the place, maybe the dust, but more than that a feeling, positively reeked of disuse.

The thought bothered her until she stumbled onto a section that caught her eye. Chaos and Movement: A Labor of Love. A weird title, sure, but something in it called out. Nervously, Twilight took the book. She felt like she was doing something she shouldn't, and would be found out any second. Her eyes widened with surprise as she began to pour over its pages. There were detailed diagrams and spells, theory discussions, everything anypony could ever need to start learning chaotic teleportation. She began pulling other books near it. All over teleportation. This was her chance. She had to seize it.

Setting the small pile of  books on a nearby desk, she began to read as quickly and accurately as possible. Teleportation was not something to be taken lightly. Casting it on a living creature as a first test would be stupid, particularly if you had anything to distract you. However, given her shortage of time and desperation to get home… Twilight supposed she'd have to try. Discord may have been a kind captor, and while she had a learned a great many things, she wanted to cuddle in her own bed again more than just about anything else in the world.

Speed reading like the wind, Twilight began to understand the spell. It was somehow both complex and simplistic, like most chaos magic tended to be. It would often have basic components with complex pieces holding it together. It didn't follow a set order the same way as harmonic magic, it was much more forgiving than most magic she was used to. Chaos magic required all parts of a spell, but typically would accept them in any order. There was no guaranteed beginning or end, but you couldn't let go before all the parts were ready, otherwise all Tartarus could break loose.

Unsure of how much time had passed or how long she would have, Twilight made the hard choice of making the spell attempt after only a couple read throughs.  She was sure she got the basic theory now, and while she would have preferred to be able to test it, time just wasn't on her side. Discord could appear at literally any moment. The unicorn began to weave the spell. She worked quickly but with precision, carefully crafting each piece of magic. It didn't take long to put together. For a moment, Twilight held the magic, felt it out, made sure her intention was clear.

Home.

She visualized it with the most intensity she could manage. The library tree, proud and tall, surrounded by her best friends in Ponyville. The magic’s warm glow surrounded her, with eyes shut tight to protect themselves with the light. Soon, she'd be home, safe and warm, and this would all be a weird dream. Life would go back normal! She couldn't wait to see her friends again, to hug Spike, to talk to Celestia once more and figure out how they could handle Discord as a team. There had to be a better solution than imprsonment,

Truthfully, after this experience, she didn't want to see him encased in stone again. He wasn't exactly a monster, even if he had kidnapped her, but he would need work. These were problems for another time, however. There was a small twinge of concern. The spell seemed to be taking an awfully long time. It must have been a different one than she had seen Discord use. Perhaps magic went slower when teleporting. She had no way of knowing.

The magic began to wick away, leaving her horn, and setting her down lightly. When the brightness before her dissipated, she opened her eyes excitedly.

An angry pair of twin red irises in a sea of yellow glared back at her. They were all Twilight could see. The rest was pure blackness.

“I see somepony has been mucking around where she wasn't invited.” The Spirit of Chaos growled.
> Chapter 6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thunder clouds and lightning began to rise up behind him, illuminating only him as he pulled away. His form was giant, towering over the now cowering unicorn. Rage practically came off him in waves, so potent it had nearly taken a physical form. Twilight cowered, covering her face with her hooves. She instinctively tried to pull up a shield to protect herself, pain exploding across her skull as harmonic magic surged outward. The shield was patchy at best, but it was all she could do, and it wouldn't hold long. Tears began to gather in the corners of her eyes.

Discord reached out, grabbing Twilight roughly with his lion’s hand. She tried desperately to bite at him, but it didn't seem to do anything. Gone was the silly, often fun loving Spirit of Chaos she was familiar with. He had left a creature of anger and seriousness in his wake. Everything had go so wrong so quickly. The night before that had sat in a theater together, watching Discord’s version of Hooflet, enjoying each others company. Now things were an absolute mess.

As the giant brought his hand on level with his eyes, he seemed to pause, eyeing the little pony carefully. Then his expression began to shift. Discord took a deep breath. The thunder stopped cracking and the lighting stopped striking. It seemed like a matter of seconds before the ground came up to meet Twilight, but it was gentle, and she was placed down without hurting harming them. Her legs buckled under the second the hit the floor, she realized uncomfortably that at some point in the last minute or two she had urinated on herself. Sadly, she sat in a heap on the floor, crying tears of fear, homesickness, and bitter disappointment.

As she began to calm down, Twilight looked up, perplexed. She had never seen Discord look so emotionally drained, and for a brief second she almost pitied him. They had seemed to be growing some sort of friendship but instead… “Why?” Twilight mewled.

Discord opened his mouth to speak before confusion passed across his face. “Which part?”

“All of it.” She said with as much clarity and confidence as she could muster.  “Why didn't it work, why are you keeping me like this, and why did you stop?”

Discord ran his bird hand through his name before sitting down, looking utterly exhausted. “Let's start with the simplest first. Why it didn't work. I had a feeling, whether I hid the books from you or not, you would work out teleportation eventually. I was able to do it, after all, so there was very little doubt to me that you would as well once you had a first grasp over Chaos magic. So I put in a safety net. Anything that teleports within these walls would appear in front of me first. It did work. You were successful, but it was interrupted.”

“Your next question. Why I'm keeping you here. I suppose because if you left my free days would be numbered. Eventually, regardless of what you want to happen, Celestia would track me down and then back into stone I'd go. She isn't terribly creative when it comes to punishments. Although this go around I'd have to be on tighter lock down. Instead of the garden I might get a cell in the dungeons.” Discord paused as an involuntary shiver passed across him. “I haven't come up with a way to avoid that yet, so you're still here.”

“As to why I stopped,” The draconequs sighed heavily. He looked nothing short of ashamed, but seemed to be working himself up to say something incredibly difficult. “imsorryiwaswrong.” His voice was a low mumble at best.

Twilight stared at him, unable to really interpret the conglomeration of noise that had come out of his mouth. She wouldn't dignify it by calling it words. “What?”

Discord sighed petulantly. “I am sorry. I was wrong.” He said, crossing his arms as he did so. For a millennia old creature, he certainly had a knack for behaving like an absolute foal at times.

Twilight was shocked. Did it make up for him scaring the literal piss out of her? No. This was significantly more progress with him than she had expected to make. “Thank you, Discord.” She spoke with measured politeness. “That was… kind of you.”

Discord sighed again. He detested apologies, particularly when he was the one who had to make them. Apologies were just so unbecoming of a Chaotic god. Next they'd be expecting pleases and thank yous, and all sorts of ridiculous politeness that he had no time for. He did, however, have to acknowledge that perhaps just this one time, he was in the wrong. Twilight had tried to run, but she was captured. She wasn't free. A lack of freedom could do funny things to somepony.

“It wasn't a friendly thing to do.” Discord stately, awkwardly but thoughtfully. “Circumstances aside, at this point I'd consider us friends.”

Twilight went to cast a spell to clean herself, but gasped out in pain instead. Trying to use such a large burst of harmonic magic seemed to have had a similar effect as when she had first arrived. Even now, attempting to use Chaos magic was a no go. She sighed, resolving herself to a bath, but quickly found her legs still refused to cooperate. Against her will, tears began to well in Twilight’s eyes again. Such a frustrating day. She stopped, however, when Discord reached out to stroke her mane.

It was a nice feeling, despite everything else that had just happened. She hadn't had physical contact hardly at all the last couple weeks. Discord was typically quite hands off. So even though they were his weird fingers instead of a nice, smooth hoof, Twilight leaned into it. Discord’s other arm came around in a gentle embrace, and Twilight felt herself reach up to hug him back. For a few minutes, they sat together, savoring the warmth and contact. A gentle kiss upon Twilight’s forehead made her snuggle harder against him.

Discord broke them apart as he stood up, eyeing his companion carefully. “I think, my dear, that you have overextended yourself.” Her murmured softly, as he knelt down to pick her up. Carrying the comparably small, furry, purple bundle in his arms, he began to walk straight into the wall. Before running into it, the wall gave way to reveal a door, which too pulled itself up something like a map to get out of the way. Twilight didn't fight in any way, instead choosing to lean into his strong chest. She swore her eyes only shut for a second, but realized she must of drifted off.

When she came to, Discord was lowering her to the ground onto a remarkably soft rug. Wholly overcome with magical exhaustion, the unicorn snuggled into the fluffy thing, sleepily blinking her eyes. Not even the sounds of water and Discord cursing at Celestia only knew what could rouse her.

Sometime later, she was gently shaken awake. “Twily, wake up. You need to clean yourself off.” A now familiar voice called out tenderly. Twilight stretched luxuriously, rolling onto her forelegs, pushing her rear all the way up into the air. Her closed eyes didn't see the Draconequs watching her backside as it wriggled toward the top of her stretch. She yawned hugely, before opening her eyes to see another bathroom she didn't recognize with what smelled and looked like a lovely warm bubble bath awaiting her. Twilight smiled. She was looking forward to this.

Gingerly, the unicorn clambered up the side of the tub. It was the size of a small pool, really. Seashells pouring water down across each other formed a set of three small waterfalls that emptied into the center.The tensions in her muscles began to melt away as she sank into the water, the scent of cucumber melon floated into her nostrils. Despite the rest of her day, the mare felt more relaxed than she had the rest of her time I'm the cave. She looked around, expecting to see Discord somewhere, but was surprised to find him nowhere. The bath was too enjoyable to care.

Twilight tested her horn again. It seemed to be improving, she could manage some basic prestidigitation. A bottle of nice mane  shampoo proved easy enough to levitate. She poured a small amount into her hair, and began to massage it into her mane with magic and a little hoof work. She lathered up the suds, spreading it all over, working through clumps and knots and all sorts of nastiness that hastily done chaos magic just couldn't fix. Twilight realized she hadn't had a real bath in ages, but it felt so good now. As she began to reach for the conditioner, she noticed what she assumed was meant to be some sort of a back scrubber. The head looked like it had a magnetic bit that would hold one of the attachments next to it. It also was… well… Phallic.

It had been a while, to say the least, since Twilight had tended to herself. She realized this bath was some of the first time she'd spent either not studying, sleeping, or being entertained by Discord in weeks. She eyed the scrubber again, and felt a slight pulling sensation coming from inside herself. It had been way too long, and the feeling was growing more urgent. Nervously, Twilight looked around again. Once she felt confident she really was on her own, she picked up the scrubber again with a light touch of chaotic magic, and brought it down under the water.

She'd intended to slowly put the makeshift dildo in, easy it a little at time, but her body was having none of it. Lightly at first, she began pushing it against herself, and she swore her hips took on a mind of their own, bucking against it, plunging it deeper into herself. She wished the damn thing would vibrate. Then, suddenly, it did. Chaos magic was so emotionally driven, something she could typically remember, but didn't look further into now as a warming sensation began to encircle her whole body.

Between this and the bath, she was too warm. The unicorn got out of the tub, and rolled onto her back atop the rug from earlier. Squeaks of delight and pleasure came out with every thrust. Her magic basically just held the vibrating toy in place as Twilight's body went to town, pushing against it wildly. She rolled back over, getting to her hooves, and began fucking herself from behind. Her eyes screwed shut and tongue lolled out of her mouth as she approached an extremely intense orgasm.

If she hadn't caught such an unexpected sound, right at the moment she tipped over the edge and past the point of no return, she'd likely have kept going for a round two. Instead, while riding a wave of euphoria, she opened her eyes and turned around.

The door, which she had sworn she couldn't even see when she had been in the bath was wide open. Discord stood holding a towel, his face a blushing comically, complete with lines of embarrassment wafting off. The wave crashed, Twilight panted from exertion for a moment before really grasping the show she had given. Meekly, Discord snapped, the towel appeared directly above Twilight’s head, and by the time she had gotten the fluttering fabric off of her, Discord was long gone.

Embarrassed but unsure what else to do, Twilight called out. “Discord! Wait! You took the door!”

There was no response.

With a sigh, Twilight crawled back into the bath to finish conditioning her fur. She supposed Discord would turn up eventually.
> Chapter 7
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight finished her bath, but Discord still hadn't turned back up. She took time to dry herself with the towel Discord had so kindly provided before making his abrupt exit. She had materialized in a blow dryer for her mane, which had left it soft and wonderfully clean. After her alone time earlier, despite the beginning of her day, she felt a good deal better and more energized. This wasn't the crippling end, but the beginning to something else.

She had gotten down teleportation with Chaos magic. She could create and disperse daily items with little thought, influence living creatures without any real exertion. She had a living god whom she had just embarrassed as at least some sort of friend. Twilight had come a long way in a relatively short time. She would get her freedom back, but not only that, she would get Discord’s.

At this point, that was the only viable option. He had proven an ability to admit he was wrong, to stop himself in the face of doing something catastrophic and more than that, he had shown he had the capacity for empathy. Empathy! Discord could put himself in another's shoes if he wanted to, it was just getting him to want to a little more often. Twilight had met plenty of selfish ponies before, who if they'd had power like Discord would have been tyrants.

She began to toy with the idea, realizing she had been going about this the wrong way. She couldn't exclude Discord from her planned escape. She needed to include him in their planned escape! Assuming, of course, that he came back with the door.

She continued to wait, pondering her potential escape options. Discord had a reputation as a troublemaker, to say the least. Very few ponies would be willing to trust him or work with him. It wasn't impossible, sure, and she was confident if she talked to her friends they would come around, but it would be a long and hard fought road. Discord would have to really want change for himself. He'd need to learn how to put aside some of his selfishness to compromise, to have a conversation, to listen to someone even if you weren't all that interested in what they were saying.

Some of those criteria though, he'd already been making progress in. He went out of his way to entertain Twilight day to day. When she'd mentioned an interest in theater, he had made it happen. He had given her the library on the first day. His lessons, while still sometimes meandering and strange, did center around helping her harness chaotic magic. Maybe she was part of the problem, looking at all his failings instead of the many things he was making an effort to do right. Then again, she had been captured and held against her will. A little bias was probably reasonable.

Looking back more on his lessons, as well as the library, she found it strange how much praise and how reasonable the criticism was regarding Discord’s teachings prior to his reign of terror. Most of the complaints were from ponies who seemed to disagree with using chaos magic all together, but even they didn't exactly crucify the Lord of Chaos. The just cautioned against his methods in many cases, but did give credit where credit was due.

Twilight wasn't sure how long she'd been waiting now, but finished with her preening which she had badly needed, she was growing annoyed. He had walked in on her. It was embarrassing, given they hadn't been… intimate… since that initial incident which seemed so far away. Yes, it was embarrassing, but it was no reason for a literal god to take to hiding. She swore she hadn't remembered him being so... Sensitive to something so mundane. It wasn't like something strange and new, it was masturbation, something as old as ponies themselves. 

Then a thought occurred to her. Why wait for him come to her. She could go to him. Was it ideal? No. Twilight really wanted to go to her quarters and get some rest (Her room was normally the third door she checked, but sometimes the fifth.), and face Discord in the relative morning. Instead of what she wanted, magic began to build in her horn, weaving a spell that was becoming more familiar. She focused hard on the library she normally studied in. She let go of the teleportation spell and landed there, with a slightly grumpy looking Draconequs flopped across a table.

“Do you mind?” He began rudely, removing a silk sleep mask from one eye which he used to glare at Twilight. He wore pajama covered in small ducklings against a baby blue backdrop. “Some of us are trying to get our beauty sleep.” With that, and an unceremoniously annoyed snort, the table became a bed, he pulled a blanket from nowhere, and turned to face the other way. Before he did, Twilight noticed he looked… Sweaty. Weird.

The unicorn stifled a giggle. The goal had been met, she had made it out of that bathroom. Idly she wondered if she would ever run across it again, but put the thought away. “Oh, well, okay. I think I'll go get some sleep too. But tomorrow I'm going to have a surprise for you!” She exclaimed, turning around to leave the room.

“Twilight, I assure you. I have had all the surprises I need from you for quite some time.” Discord’s tone was incredibly matter of fact. 

Twilight's normally purple cheeks turned scarlet as the door shut behind her. She  thought she heard Discord quietly laughing just the same.


Morning (Twilight assumed it was morning. With no sun telling time was anypony’s guess.) came and with it a certain sleepy unicorn began her work. She materialized a cup of tea, some paper, and pens, and began to brainstorm. Chaos magic made brainstorming an interesting process. Any time she was stuck, she could push her magic through without a proper spell, launch it at a piece of paper, and watch her jumble of thoughts hit the page. Sometimes they were words, pictures, even the occasional animation. At some point she had summon a cork board, tacs, and string. That had been a while back, now it was covered in paper and multicolored yarn, looking very much like one of those she'd seen in a mad pony’s room in the paper one time. She was so involved her process that she didn't even hear a knock at her door.

Suddenly the door melted, and in marched Discord, wearing a blindfold. Twilight hardly looked up enough to be properly mortified. Frowning at his lack of attention, Discord spoke. “Is it safe to come in?”

“If it you were worried about that why did you MELT the door?” Twilight snapped back. Why did he have such a thing for melting doors, anyway? When it was chocolate sure, that had made sense, but Twilight had remade it from wood. Regardless, Discord had no retort beyond a haughty ‘well' as he crossed his arms and pointedly looked away. Twilight rolled her eyes and returned to planning. “I almost have it.” she murmured, her magic wandering over different source materials as she continued to piece something together.

“What exactly is all this, Twily?” Discord questioned. He loved Chaos, but the room looked like it had been hit by the world's most organized tornado. Things were everywhere but somehow seemed like there was an order to it. Everything seemed to somehow flow into itself, looking like a total mess in small pieces but cohesive when taken as a unit. That didn't make her room look any less insane. Discord idly summoned a baseball and began jamming a screw into it.

“This! This is it! The is the way out! This is the future!” Twilight exclaimed, seeming manic. “I have most of it figured out. Celestia can't put you in stone anymore, Discord! I should have realized it ages ago but it didn't click. Now I understand!” Twilight talked faster and faster as she went, taking notes on three separate scrolls simultaneously. Spike would have called it an episode. Twilight called it progress.

“You covered this in a lesson! See, I was able to free you because the magic is the binding agent. The other elements held mine back! They keep it in check so it doesn't do awful things in the name of progress. Magic always is ties to someone with ambition, because otherwise it wouldn't have the proper power to activate. Someone willing to go to the ends of Equestia and beyond for something. Friends, power, love, it doesn't matter. It is kept in check by the others, who ground them.” Twilight had begun pacing, her voice increasingly excited. “But! The elements are the elements of HARMONY. When I freed you, it's because I used magic without restraint. I used latent magic deep within myself, and magic with no bounds, magic self serving for its own sake, is chaos. When the binding agent tried to do something so chaotic and irresponsible, with nopony around to restrain it, you were freed.”

Discord’s bottom jaw fell off. He scooped it off the ground, pushed it back into place, and gave a few test clicks with his teeth. Then he gave a gesture with his bird's hand, asking Twilight to go on.

“I couldn't rebind you because unrestrained magic isn't harmonic. Without the other elements, magic isn't inherently one or another. Chaotic magic can be used for harmony, and vice versa, because it really doesn't matter what pool it comes from, but the intention behind it. I was angry when I freed you. I wanted answers, and while searching for them I broke the spell.”

Twilight paused. “When you first brought me here, you didn't know about Nightmare Moon, the form Luna took when she lost control over her power. You wouldn't have known because for a millennia, you were locked away in a garden statue. Somehow you picked up a recent dialect, I don't understand that part, but mostly you missed that time. So you didn't know Celestia no longer controlled the elements. You thought her and Luna’s power were still unmatched. But they aren't. With the elements of harmony, my friends and I saved the world from Nightmare Moon, and later on from you. Without the elements though, Celestia is still powerful, but not powerful enough to lock away a deity.” Twilight finished. “Discord, we can leave here. Safely, together even. We can both get our freedom back, if you'll just agree to work with me. I don't have all the details worked out yet, but I will.” The unicorn's eyes were bright with excitement and realization. She was so hopeful, so ready to take on the world.

Discord sighed. Her plan was sweet, but how a tiny unicorn was supposed to get past Celestia and Luna was beyond him. Twilight was strong, but that was not a battle he thought she could win. The way she explained it, however, seemed like she didn't realize there would even be a battle. Even with her friends by her side, which Twilight seemed to believe was a key factor, Discord harbored doubt.

“Discord, I've read the old history books now. No one mentions you were evil, because you weren't. You weren't vilified back then. Chaos was just another school of thought. Something that shared its place with harmony. You still pulled tricks, you still did all sorts of goofy things but while annoying, they weren't so... Mean. What changed?” Twilight’s demeanor grew more calm and searching. She needed to understand. Almost without thinking, she reached a hoof out to touch his paw.

Discord pulled his hand away. His impulses screamed for him to do something silly, but he resisted. He pondered her words, deciding between his own return question or giving her the answers she sought. Looking into her little face, he couldn't help it. “ The short version of what happened? It was a bad breakup. For the long version… well, I'd recommend you go ahead yourself a tea.”
> Chapter 8
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight took her companion’s suggestion quite literally, materializing a cup of steaming hot green tea, with just a hint of honey and milk, held aloft by her magic. A small white spoon quietly stirred the mixture before she took a tentative sip, and then looked up at Discord expectantly. She was prepared to listen.

Discord was incapable of telling the story without flair. Twilight’s bedroom fell away into shadows. The mare found herself seated in a plush red veleteen coated inside a small auditorium. She appeared to be surrounded by a veritable sea of Discords, all shapes , and hair styles, and ages. A small child version tugged on its mother’s sleeve next to, asking if they really had to stay for the next act. He was shushed. Twilight rolled her eyes, but said nothing as yet another Discord with a tacky orange suit and slicked back mane took the stage.

“Ponies and gentle Draconeqqus! Our next performer needs no introduction, but he's getting one anyway. The master of disasters, the Prince of pandemonium, the bonafide spirit of Chaos himself! I give you…” The announcer Discord began to walk off stage while Discord began to walk on. A drumroll  played from somewhere unidentifiable. “The one, the only, Discord!” Then the announcer was gone. Twilight debated if what he had said was or was not ironic. She remained unsure as Discord took a bow. The rest of the audience clapped while Twilight clip clopped her hooves on the floor.

“Well, I suppose I should begin at the beginning. It may come as a shock to all of you, but I wasn't always the embodiment of disharmony I am now.” A huge, shocked gasp came from almost the entire crowd. A certain purple pony instead sat slightly perplexed, but without the same level of awe. The Discord on stage nodded sagely. “Yes, I know folks. It's shocking, but true. There was a time I was but a humble practitioner of the chaotic arts. Draconequs, as you well know, are not born with a knack for harmonic magic. I was an exceptional student at one time, though I was often bored by teacher after teacher, my magic continues to grow, and grow, and grow.” With utterance of the word grow, Discord’s size increased. He suddenly shrunk again rapidly as he began to speak again. “Draconequs are an exceptionally old race. We lived before the three pony tribes banded together. I like to think somewhere out there, others still survive, but I doubt this is the case.” For a moment, Twilight noticed the room began to fade out. The showmanship being poured into his story seemed to melt away as Discord’s face grew sad, but almost as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone.

“In any case, in addition to being old, we are very long lived. The average draconequs doesn't seem to have a specific lifespan. They lived for millennia in many cases, before eventually just sort of fading away. I was born after the pony tribes had come together, but before Celestia and Luna had taken over their duties as being the sole unicorns to take responsibility for the sun and moon. For that matter, I was nearing adulthood before I met Celestia the first time, but was still considered something of a teenager by Draconequs standards.” Discord morphed again, this time into what was clearly a younger version of himself. Twilight watched with intense curiosity. His transformation had been so subtle she had almost failed to notice it before completion. Voice became slightly higher, less weathered and exhausted, instead carrying a youthful optimism to it. “Back in those days, settlements were small and scattered, as well as segregated. There was no concept of interspecies mingling, which is likely why my kind got such a reputation. We have always been, by our very nature, chaotic. Ponies typically could go either way, with an inclination towards harmony or chaos that was apparent within while they were still foals.  There was no Equestria in those days either, just a large swath of land inhabited by an abnormally high concentration of ponies.” At this point Discord had summoned some sort of screen and projector that appeared to be broadcasting things as he described them. Twilight saw the falls that would eventually become Canterlot, the clouds that would form Las Pegasus. In the distance, she could make out the Dragon lands and Griffin Kingdom.

“The lack of boundaries presented issues for the weaker races. Ponies could easily be picked off by even weak dragons. Griffins and Hypogriffs began to have deeply entrenched feuds. Ponies who had a part in creating hypogriffs were often outcast from all sides. The days were different, and angrier. When the pony tribes came together to form Equestria’s oldest iteration, and the unicorns were able to control over the celestial bodies, things began to change. Dragons couldn't pick on the weaker ones without fear any longer. My kind, the draconeqqus, cared little for what happened either way. We always were a mixed breed, which made us more welcoming. Ponies taking control over and upsetting the dragon’s almost unlimited power was honestly a bit of a blessing for us. However, the changes brought about a great unrest over the land. War began to loom.”

The map he projected took on a reddish tint across everything. Huge storm clouds from all directions began to move in. “I met Celestia during this time period. I think I would have been around five hundred then, still young for a draconeqqus, and she was past the age when most would have discovered their cutie marks. Little Luna was never far behind, following closely in her sister’s footsteps. Our lovely little Sunbutt was beginning to rise as a diplomat. Despite her faults, Celestia always had a remarkable wit, a mind for strategy, and ability to exude kindness. It made her beloved, a a dangerous combination of gifts that few creatures have ever possessed.” Discord sighed, almost dreamily, before continuing. “But Celestia’s greatest talent, far more than raising the sun, has been her utter ruthlessness when it was required.”

Had it been a few months earlier, Twilight would have snorted at the ridiculousness of such a statement. Celestia was a benevolent ruler who used love and taught friendship, after all. But her newfound knowledge of Equestria’s checkered past had changed Twilight’s views. There had been so many bloody battles wholly stripped from history, showing her mentor’s willingness to sacrifice in the name of their country. Given her age, they went back an awfully long way, but seemed to have stopped in more modern times.

“I met her on a diplomatic mission to plead for the aid of the draconeqqus. She was a determined and remarkable young pony then, radiant but wise beyond her years. I was an idiot, but a gifted Chaos magic user who could see the writing on the wall. Unicorns could now control the sun and moon, something I had not quite managed at that time, and the dragons were rising up to fight back. While the rest of my kind refused the call, I was considered young, reckless, and utterly smitten with this pony. I agreed to help her cause in exchange for protection in her new land that ponies sought to build. I was an asset, and she fancied me as well. We moved forward.”

“Celestia knew a war against the dragons would require more than fighting, more than just blood. It would require a demonstration of absolute power. Luna too understood what would need to be done. They needed something so incredible that no dragon would dear step on pony land again, and that they would talk of the spectacle for generations to come. As leadership around her began to crack under pressure or fall in battle, Celestia went higher and higher up the ranks. The pony army was, as whole, failing. Earthponies fought and died daily, unicorns were slaughtered in their sleep, and pegasi would be grounded by the air currents created by the beating wings of a thousand dragons.”

“The war would drag on, until late one night she told us her plan. Luna and I were dearly trusted advisors. Celestia told us she would gather the remaining unicorns to raise the sun and moon together, forcing the moon before the sun in a display of their abilities. The problem was that even the strongest unicorns had advised her this could not be done. Sunbutt was adamant. This was the plan. This would work. This would be the course of action on the next battle. Luna and Celestia both would help, despite neither being a terribly strong magic user, and not having been a part of the ritual before.”

The next part, Discord didn't speak, but let Twilight watch. Uncountable numbers of ragged pony troops marching to the border of the dragon lands. The arid ground scorched their hooves and the heat wafting up made it hard to carry on, but the group did. It seemed like nothing but grit and determination drew them forward. Suddenly, a massive dragon appeared in the distance. His great wings outstretched, blocking the sun for a large portion of the army as he flew overhead. The ground shook as the great green beast landed, belching plumes of fire everywhere in a clear display of ability. “Ponies!” He roared, his voice seeming to knock back creature with its sheer force. “Stand down or be slaughtered!”

It zoomed in on Celestia. Her eyes flashed with anger. Luna sat at her right side, getting to her hooves, while Discord remained calm on her left. In his eyes was a steely determination. He reached out with his lion's paw to stroke his lover’s flank. She didn't react beyond a barely perceptible nod. Discord smiled nonetheless.  Her amplified voice matched the dragon’s volume. “We will not yield, Dragon Lord! We shall fight until thou has surrendered the false claim to our lands!” Twilight recognized the royal canterlot voice, though she found it strange coming from Celestia. “We generously offer thou this one chance to surrender.”

The gargantuan dragon snorted. Celestia was young. She hardly came up to his foot. “So be it.” He growled, before unleashing a wave of fire into the oncoming army. The unicorns set up shields against it, and suddenly the battle had begun.  It would rage for hours, Twilight realized, but Discord seemed to speed things along somehow. The ponies weren't winning, but neither were the dragons, until a small branch of dragons somehow overran a large group of shielding unicorns. The tide turned quickly, Twilight watched on in horror as hundreds were slaughtered before her eyes. Several time, Twilight was able to see Discord on The  The projector seemed to focus back in on Celestia.

The unicorn was beginning to glow. She turned to Luna. “Sister, it is time.” She told her, surprisingly quietly. “But I will not give the order. You and I will do this together.”

The Discord on screen snorted. “Celestia, are you mad? There is no-” He was silenced with a kiss.

Celestia gazed at him lovingly. “I can do this. We can do this. Believe in us.”

With a flash, she was in a bubble above the battle. “Dragon Lord! This is thoust last chance! Kneel and I shall let thou live.” The unicorn called out, her voice impossibly loud.

“I will never yield to a pony!” He declared, before letting loose with a torrent of fire.

“I am Celestia of Equestria.” Suddenly, her mane was fire. “I am the Sun! I am the light! And thou shalt kneel or die!”

Luna appeared before her, held aloft by magic Twilight couldn't see. She too began to glow, her mane becoming a bright blue. Twilight watched until she couldn't bare to look at them. An explosion of light went out in all directions. Orange and blue raced into the sky as twin streams of incandescence, and suddenly it happened. Before the Sun stood the moon. The battlefield was bathed in an eerie light a even more disturbing silence. A perfect eclipse. A silent minute passed in confusion and terror. The dragons began to retreat. A strange thing began to come back to earth. A comet with an orange and blue tail.

There was no battlefield any longer, only pandemonium. Dragons ran every which way to escape whatever the incoming doom was. Only the dragon Lord stood still, proud and defiant, as a massive rock hurtled towards him. He did nothing as he was crushed beneath its bulk.

Celestial and Luna came back into view, panting with extortion. Each now had a pair of pegasi wings. The battle was won.

Twilight hadn't noticed, but at some point the theater had melted away. They sat together on her bed, as Discord watched his own memories play out. She said nothing to risk interrupting the moment, but swore she saw tears at the edges of his eyes.

The vision became muddle for a few moments, before clarifying into what was obviously a bedroom. A sweaty draconeqqus and white Alicorn lay tangled in the sheets. Twilight blushed realizing how private of a moment she was seeing, and belonging to her mentor no less. They didn't speak, but snuggled contentedly in each other's embrace. Softly, she heard Celestia mumble “I love you, Discord.” He gave a happy with in return. “I love you too, Sunbutt.”

There was a knock on the door. Discord groaned. “Again? This late?” But Celestia was already getting up and combing her fur.

“Duty calls.’ She sighed, sadly.

Discord shook his head, but blew a kiss as she put on her regalia. It splattered against the wall, and she turned around to stick her tongue out at him.

“There are a thousand more memories like that.” Discord spoke, his voice heavy with pain. “I loved her dearly. When she established her school, I taught Chaos there.” He paused, watching a series of other memories play out. Discord played with fillies and colts, the whole lot laughing and smiling. Discord teaching, pointing at  black boards and conjuring things. Discord, sitting teary eyed at a graduation as his students walked the stage. “We spent generations of time together, but eventually… it came to an end. As I said, I wasn't the only draconeqqus. We weren't all so… considerate with our magic. More and more problems began to happen as the civilized world demanded harmony. Weather control, keeping forest pushed back, creating rainbows. The list goes on and on. Things that I can do with chaos magic, but no others ever managed. Chaos began to fall out of vogue. Fewer and fewer ponies studied it. I felt neglected, unwanted, and lost.”

“The death knell for our relationship came on one of our anniversaries, somewhere around the hundred and twentieth. Celestia had many good qualities, but she wasn't much of a romantic, but I was. It was such a cliche story, really. I planned out an elaborate date, we'd spent so little time together with how busy she was over the last few years. Once we realized she'd stopped aging after reaching her full size, the perception of time changes a bit. But I needed that night to be special, for us, and instead she blew me off, forgetting the whole thing in favor of some diplomatic dinner party.”

“I can't remember much after that, things became very fragmented. I left the castle of the pony sisters, running blindly and angrily into the Everfree. I didn't look where I flew, having little reason to fear anything with the strength of my magic. At some point, I stumbled into a cave. I still don't know precisely what I found there. It was a rock of some sort, with jagged edges on all sides. I was drawn towards it, but when I reached out to touch it the entire world around me melted away. I had horrific dreams. My eyes glowed with a red fury as disembodied voice reminded me of every awful thing Celestia had ever done, every unkind word said to me by other draconeqqus, every unjust scowl… I was sick of all of it. None of it was fun, and I hadn't had real fun in years. I had contained myself, and for what? So a bunch of unappreciative dolts would understand me? So that I could make sense to the rest of the world? What fun was there in making sense anyway?”

“When I came to, something had gone wrong. My moments of lucidity were brief. Every time I woke, things were more chaotic than the last. Eventually I regained control, but by that point the damage was done, The world was a sea of popcorn and chocolate milk rained down from cotton candy clouds. Ponies surrounded me, but looked at me with pure fear and hatred. I sat atop a massive throne made from cheese in what would become Canterlot. Scores of pony clowns tried to amuse me, but I didn't care. I did as I pleased. They had shunned my Chaos, well then chaos would engulf them. I was no longer a user of chaotic magic, but instead I had become chaos itself.”

“You know the rest of the story. I would encased in stone until eventually I was freed by that angry group of little fillies running around the gardens. I sat in a strange half state. I could hear when ponies bickered, or had any sort of disagreement, but couldn't respond. I think the only reason I was able to get out was Celestia and Luna losing their connections to the elements of harmony.” Finally, Discord stopped. He finished his tale.
.
Twilight sat in silence. She wasn't sure how to respond. That had been a lot of information to digest. He'd overreacted and lost his mind a long time ago. Somehow he had become the embodiment of disharmony. And now what? What was next? He'd changed, she thought. His recent pranks had been harmless, if ridiculous, but then again… She remembered her fear as he had picked her up as a gargantuan monster. Sure, he'd calmed down, but that anger was still their. Latent, just below the surface. Twilight sighed.

“Discord, I want you to have your freedom.” The unicorn began. “I think I can help you get it. But I will need help. I'll need my friends here.” She concluded thoughtfully. “I know you'll be apprehensive, but it's the only way. After I can convince them you aren't a bad guy anymore, we can worry about the princesses. I'll need you to promise me though that you want to change. That you will never pull another stunt like you did to us in the castle maze again.”

Discord raised an eyebrow. “That's the trade? No more attempts at world domination?”

Twilight nodded resolutely.

He shrugged. “That seems fair.” He spit in his palm, and then reached out to shake hooves. Twilight, though grossed out, returned the gesture. Internally she celebrated. She WAS going to get to go home. Discord wouldn't have to go back in stone. She just would had some fine tuning to do once the others arrived.
> Chapter 9
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight hadn't realized how long they'd been speaking until her stomach growled angrily at her. She had skipped breakfast, so it made sense she'd be wanting something to eat. Discord eyed her up on down dramatically, as one of his eyes became cartoonishly huge looking about the size of a dinner plate. The unexpected reaction made her giggle, but there was a noticeable blush of embarrassment as well. “Well, would you care for something to eat?” Discord offered sarcastically. Twilight nodded meekly. She knew she could get her own food at this point, but finding the kitchen was tricky sometimes, and some company wouldn't be the worst thing. 

“Come on.” Discord said, gesturing to the doorway where no door stood any longer. She stepped in the puddle of melted wood on the way out, idly wondering if it would give her splinters. Fortunately, it didn't seem to, and Discord led on. He seemed to know exactly where he was going, touching the wall and suddenly creating a hole they could walk through. The first room the traversed looked like some sort of art studio gone wrong. Tons of half finished oil paintings scattered about. They passed through too quickly for Twilight to notice much else.
Then, suddenly, they were in another hallway. Two gigantic galley doors stood before them. A Discord in a waiter’s uniform ran through them, cowering as another one in a chef’s hat stomped angrily after him. “I am so sorry, chef!” He cried, holding a tray like a shield in front of his long body. 

Chef Discord didn't seem to care.  “How could you do something so careless? Do have any idea how much product you just wasted?” He growled furiously. He grabbed his hat and threw it at the waiter. The Discord Twilight was following didn't stop, so she decided to follow.  They entered a great hall next, once she didn't recognize. Given its immense size, the unicorn had no idea how it was possible, such things no longer nagged her the way they first had. A large ornate table that looked to be hand carved from a red wood, with small Discords and Twilights decorating the sides, stood ahead. The waiter Discord from the last room stood next to it, pulling out the chairs for first herself and then Discord.  They sat next to each other at the head of the table. 

“What may I get you to drink, madam?” He asked with an accent Twilight couldn't quite place. She requested a tea, and Discord a banana milk. The waiter assured them both they were excellent choices before disappearing through the double doors at one end of the room. Immediately after, he reappeared with their drinks and a pair of salads. Daisies and Roses. Twilight smiled as she began to eat. This was a surprisingly romantic dinner for a glorified prisoner. 

Discord looked at her wistfully from across the table. He remembered a similar dinner with another beautiful mare so very many years ago. Twilight reminded him of Celestia in so very many ways. Sure, the beauty was there, but on a timeline like his, beauty was something that came and withered away as quickly as the sun giving way to the moon. Twilight had a precocious nature, a relentlessness in her desire for knowledge, but it was tempered with a level of kindness he couldn't remember many other ponies possessing. Who else, with all her skill and talent, would ever have chosen to give something like him another chance.

So lost was the draconeqqus in his reverie that he hardly noticed Twilight beginning to blush, squirming somewhat in her seat under what she perceived as an intense gaze. He blinked, coming back to their reality. With an uncharacteristically genuine smile, Discord held his glass aloft. “To the future.” His eyes twinkled with something other than mischief. Something he hadn't felt in such a pure form in ages. Hope stirred in his chest. With cautious optimism, he didn't squash it, but clinked cups with Twilight, who was happy to drink after their toast.

The dinner was lovely. At some point during the meal, Twilight had switched to wine and Discord to mixed drinks. By the end of desert, the duo was well and drunk. They stumbled out of the dining room and began to make their way back to Twilight's room. Discord insisted it was the gentle-draconequus thing to do, and Twilight was having far too much fun giggling at nearly everything to argue. As they neared her room, Twilight's legs gave out and the unicorn found herself unable to get back up. “Discord! I'm a turtle!” She whinnied, laughing all the while.
Discord rolled his eyes, but helped right her up, the slid his neck under her until she seemed stably on. “Your carriage has arrived, madam.” He proclaimed as he lifted her off the ground, walking on all fours to keep Twilight in a safe position. The unicorn snuggled into the fur on his neck, happy and warm in her new place. 

“You're so soft.” She murmured, as she rubbed her face against Discord's mane. Discord chuckled under his breath. They were nearly back now, he'd be able to let her sleep this off in peace.

Twilight had other plans. Mischief sparkled in her eyes as she leaned up, breathing lightly on the back of Discord's neck before nibbling on one of his ears. He hadn’t expected it, and Twilight her his breath hitch, but he didn't stop her. She started to rub a hoof up and down his neck sensually. This time she felt his jaw tighten, but again he said nothing. Twilight wasn't sure if that was good, bad, or neither, but decided to press forward anyway. “Where did you go the other day, Discord?” She murmured to him. “You left me in that bathroom for a long time. You saw how lonely I was. Why didn't you come assist?”

Discord didn't say anything. Against his will, he could feel his cock starting to harden as they rounded the last corner. Twilight wasn't the only one it had been a while for. Discord wasn't much for celibacy ,and even a master of chaos got bored of thing he had complete control over eventually. This was new, and different. Exciting. He knew sober Twilight wouldn't do this, however. Did that make it wrong? Did he care?

“I know you can hear me. I noticed you were awfully sweaty when I found you. Did I interrupt something?” She inquired, planting a gentle kiss on the nape of neck. “I think I did. I thought about it last night, you know. Remembering how good it felt. I hadn't done that in so long, Discord. I needed it.” Twilight was an open, horny book when drunk. Discord wondered if she got this way around her friends as his dick began to poke out. She wasn't wrong. He'd been so aroused the other day he'd gone to take care of himself after, then taken a nap, which had probably been inconsiderate but the mare running her hooves all over him didn't seem to care. “It wasn't enough though. I think I know what would be.” She added. 

Discord’s composure was rapidly cracking. He hadn’t intended on going through with anything, but the offer was looking to tempting to resist, and he felt quite certain that soon Twilight would be outright propositioning him. He'd be able to mount her, feel her pussy wrapped tightly around his dick again. He’d get to experience her moans and that mouth, her tongue undulating against him. Precum started to collect at his tip. Finally the door was in sight. He opened it and walked in as Twilight adjusted herself so that her vaginal lips were against his neck.  It was nearly scorching hot, and his cock throbbed as it filled completely. He flopped her off his neck and onto the bed. 

She rolled onto her back, legs splayed open. Twilight gave Discord a seductive smile, reaching down with a hoof to part her lips. The smell of her arousal was driving him crazy. Discord couldn't take it anymore. He leapt onto the bed, pulling Twilight into a passionate kiss that she happily returned. She nibbled his bottom lip gently, reaching down to find his cock. She could feel it pulse as she rubbed on it, encircling it in both hooves as she began to stroke him. Discord moaned, but otherwise said nothing. There were no words needed. 

Twilight pulled away from the kiss, moving to where she could put the dick in her mouth. She looked up at Discord's face. Her eyes so wide an innocent, such a contrast to the phallus she took in her mouth and began to suck.

Discord knew Twilight wasn't experienced. She wasn't the best kisser and her hooves were clumsy. But he never would have guessed she was a natural at giving head. She continued to work him with her hooves as she bobbed her head on his cock, managing to flick the ridges with her tongue at just the right time. Over the course of his life, Discord had gotten many blow jobs from mares, stallions, and others. But this was up there with one of the best. Twilight seemed to be enjoying herself as well, going after it even as snot gathered in her nostrils and tears ran down her face.

Not wanting to leave his partner high and… Well, not dry, but unsatisfied nonetheless, Discord pushed Twilight’s head off his dick. She looked at him curiously as he flipped her onto her hooves, then giggled as she wiggled her rump at him. Her pussy lips puffed out, and Discord could see her fluids dripping down her hind legs and onto the sheets. He put his paws around her waist as he mounted her, pausing at her entrance. Twilight, frustrated, bucked back against him, slipping him inside. She was dripping wet and perfectly tight, hugging his cock without crushing it. Discord began to thrust slowly at first, but Twilight was having none of it. She pushed back against him, plunging him deeper into her as she squeaked in ecstasy. Twilight could feel every ridge on his cock, getting louder and louder as she realized they were the only ones who could possibly hear her. Discord leaned down, gently kissing her neck and snaking his tongue in and out over her as he felt her grow closer and closer to climax.

Remembering last time, Discord began to pull at Twilight's mane. She loved it, somehow getting even wetter as Discord felt a sploosh all around his dick. “You like that, don't you Twilight? You like having your mane pulled.”

“mmm. Yes, please, pull my mane. Pull my tail.” She whimpered.

Discord suddenly had more arms, though Twilight couldn't see it, she quickly felt the effects. One pulled her mane, another her tail, while two gripped her more tightly around the waist. Discord wrapped his he underneath, using his tongue to lightly brush against her clit. Twilight's hips spasmed as he did so, pushing for more. Her lover was happy to oblige. His tongue worked feverishly, alternating speeds along with his thrusts as he brought Twilight to the edge. “Do you like that, Twilight.”

“Yes, Discord. Please don't stop.” She begged. She had needed this so badly. There was nothing quite like alcohol to make a pony honest.

Discord could feel his own orgasm drawing close. He began to go faster with his thrusts, and working Her clit with his tongue until the pony couldn't take it anymore. She cried out as she came, her pussy starting to contract over Discord's cock, pushing him over the edge. He came hard, shooting cum into Twilight like it would never end. She rode the orgasm, savoring every moment as Discord's continued thrusting felt amazing, until her legs completely gave out. Discord fell beside her on a sweaty, messy heap. She cuddled happily against him, giving him a quick kiss before falling asleep.
> Chapter 10
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight awoke the next morning to her dearest friends trying to extricate themselves a mound of what looked like chewed bubble gum. Twilight had a brief moment of annoyed confusion before she realized she should have been more specific the day before. What the hell happened last night, anyway? Her memory was fuzzy. She started trying to piece things together as she dealt with the situation at hoof.

Gum was stuck to every surface of every pony. Rarity appeared to have fainted at some point, probably from the shock of the state of her mane, while Pinkie appeared to be actively trying to eat her way out. Twilight, though still on the weaker side from the last couple days, found it enough magic in herself to remove the gum from her friends, who suddenly were unceremoniously plopped onto the ground. There was a beat of confused silence, followed by every pony attempting to speak at once.

“Where are we?” Squeaked Pinkie, though it came out muffled from her mouthful of gum.
“What is this place?” Rasped Rainbow Dash, who had apparently been trying to fight her way out for some time judging by the sweat dripping off her body.

They began speaking over each other, more and more loudly, until the unlikely Fluttershy piped up with an authoritative “Stop!”. When she felt sure she had the floor, she gestured towards Twilight. Realization dawned I'm the eyes of the other four, and a miniature stampede of trying to reach Twilight first broke out. The purple mare found herself smothered in love, choruses of how much she had been missed, and how happy they were to see her. 

The unicorn felt herself begin to tear up, which turned to crying, and then full blown sobs of relief. The others began to join in until the six of them were reduced to little more than a snivelling heap on Twilight’s bed.  “I m-mis-missed you girls s-so much.” Twilight whimpered. She felt as though the absence left in her life by the girls missing had suddenly grown so intense she couldn't bear it. There was a gaping hole that had been filled, and the relief was overwhelming. They group hugged intensely until they were all cried out, before beginning to get up and walk around, questioning their surroundings. 

“Okay Twi. Ya know we're real glad to see ya, but what in Equestria is going on?” Applejack asked, putting a foreleg around her friend in a side hug. 

Twilight took a deep breath. “I was taken captive by Discord and he's been keeping me here for months but it hasn't been all bad he's been training me in all sorts of magic but I missed you girls so much and I found out Celestia isn't who I always thought and-” the unicorn paused the world’s longest run on sentence to take a breath, only to have Applejack’s hoof reach out to stop her. 

“Twilight, Ah need ya tuh calm down, you're talkin' awful fast. Discord captured you?” The earth pony clarified. Twilight nodded an emphatic yes.

“Why I'll knock him all the way to Yakyakistan for messing with you!” Rainbow growled protectively. Twilight shook her head in an equally emphatic no. Almost instantly, the other five heads in the room turned to face her with a chorus of some variation of “What?”. Applejack moved her hoof away and gave Twilight a skeptical look.

“Darling, not that I agree with Rainbow's methods, but we should be doing something to him for what that vile ruffian has done to you.” Rarity brought up.

Twilight sighed, then started over. Calmly this time. She told them almost everything, which she knew would be believed because these girls were her best friends in the world. She told them about how she'd arrived, how strange things had been, but how she'd come to know more of Discord. There was some creature behind the veil worth knowing. He wasn't all evil. He was strangely immature in some ways, but he'd promised her he wanted to change. He wanted his freedom enough to give up being the bad guy. He wanted to be who he'd been before, when he worked with ponies instead of against him. She told them everything, every last detail, except for the sex. As the conversation continued, she'd been able to remember the night before. She found herself holding back on wanting to admit to having slept with the embodiment of chaos. Twice. 

At the end, she could see a concerned expression mirrored across her dearest friends. Pinkie was the first to speak, having miraculously stayed quiet during Twilight’s speech. Her words were simple. “Okie dokie loki.” The party mare shrugged. “So what can we do? Oh! Can we throw a ‘Discord isn't such a meanie pants party?’” She suggested, her enthusiasm obvious in her voice. A grin quickly broke out across her brightly colored face.

Cautiously, Fluttershy nodded in agreement, then Rarity after some nervous lip chewing. That left Applejack and Rainbow Dash as the two holdouts. They eyed each other, and then Twilight.
“Ah think we're going tuh need some proof before we do anything else, Twilight.” Applejack asserted as kindly as she could. 

Twilight nodded. She understood their perspective. “Well girls, are you hungry? I can try to lead us to the kitchen.” The purple unicorn suggested. The others gave appreciative nods as Twilight began to lead the way out of her room. She had a better hoof on getting around than she had initially, but it was still tricky. 

“Stay together, girls. Things move around here pretty frequently, and I don't want us to get separated.” Twilight explained as they filed out into the hallway. The little group clumped up uncertainty around the unicorn as she headed in the direction she hoped the kitchen would be. It was strange how little the shifting walls and doors seemed to bother her now, emphasized by Fluttershy giving a startled meep as one of the doors growled when the sextet passed by. A pair of large double doors came in sight. Twilight opened them, hoping for a kitchen. Instead, she was met with darkness.

Then, out of nowhere, Discord appeared. He held a flashlight and was dressed like an usher. Oh no. What now?

“Ah miss Twilight! So pleased you and your guests could make it. The show is about to begin. Right this way, please.” He gestured towards a set of seats that twilight could swear hadn't been there moments before. They surrounded a lovely wooden table, just the right size for six ponies. With some assurance from Twilight, the others followed along. Their host Discord was a perfect gentle,am, pulling out their chairs and putting them in, gingerly filling their glasses with water as the group chartered about what was happening next. The lights began to blink over head slowly, as though  play was about to start.

Out of the inky blackness, a single light shown down. It illuminated a gorgeous marble staircase. Discord, wearing what may have been the most form fitting tuxedo a draconequs had ever worn, stepped into the spotlight. Twilight tried to prepare herself for what could be next. She failed as Discord began to sing.

“Be our guest,” Six more spotlights appeared, shining onto several equally nicely dressed versions of Discord. They began to sing as well.
“Be our guest
You've tried others now the best
Take a seat my dearest Rainbow Dash
And soon you'll be free from stress,” One of the Discords snapped his fingers, and Rainbow’s chair became a recliner. Two more appeared dressed as spa attendants on either side of Rarity.
“Nice hot towel, Rarity,
Would you like a spot of tea?
Have some cream or sugar, deary
There's no need to feel so dreary!” One poured the tea, while another trio came up beside Applejack.

“Applejack, Honestly,
We'd just like to be free
No more hiding, no more lying, not from me!” Several at once the looked to Fluttershy.
“Oh my dear Miss Fluttershy,  
We'd love to show you why
Twilight here, Has no fear
It's all clear,” The group on the stairs gathered up, linking arms and getting ready for a slow high kick down to the ground floor.

“Changing times, Are coming soon
Let me prove I'm not a loon!
I'll improve and you will see
That Discord can become a boon!” Another Discord appeared before Pinky Pie. He blew an orange like a balloon, and shaped it into an alligator.
“Pinkie Pie, Queen of fun!
Can't some partying be done?
Smiling oh so wide from ear to ear
While we make the cake disappear!
Take a chance! One more shot!
It's the only one that we've got,” Twilight had been using an eye on the one who was snapping. That appeared to be the main Discord. He seemed sincere, she thought she saw desperation on his face.

“I'll be on my best behavior, you will see!
So please expect the best
I promise there's no jest
You can look at something new
(I would check out me, not  you)
You'll be blessed, I'm no pest, See this vest?” A pair of Discords were at once beside Rarity, each wearing a vest with a stunning pair of Angel wings embroidered on the back, twin glowing halos appearing in a puff of smoke above their heads. Then, they were gone. The spotlight cut off. It reappeared in the center of the room. One Discord lay forlornly against a chaise lounge. His bird hand was thrown back over his face dramatically.

“Things are so perturbing
For a Discord who is learning
That maybe there is another way to live
Perhaps toned down could be a good life too,
This old soul still has a lot to give,
So much time has passed on
How many years now long gone?
While I wasted away, a sad forgotten stone.
Even now, hiding inside this dull cave
Dying, or worse, boring
But now you're all here exploring!” On the last line, Discord jumped to his feet, kicking the lounge away. He became excited and animated again, moving quickly to the center of the grand staircase. More lights came down, a dozen Discords dress as show girls appeared. They had gotten through one high kick when Rainbow Dash had enough. 

“Discord, stop!” She shouted, banging her hoof on the table angrily before leaping into the air. She flew right up to Discord, breathing heavily. “You kidnapped our friend, tried to destroy Equestria AGAIN, somehow pulled us all here, and your apology is a dance number?” The draconequus shrank away from her hoof being aggressively shaken in his face. 

“I can change to a monolog if you prefer.” Discord replied with a shrug. He raised his paw to snap, only for the Pegasus to swat it down. “Perhaps a novel?” He added, producing a book with a ‘My Apology’ across the cover from nowhere.

“The only reason I sat through this was because Twilight trusts you. I don't. And this isn't helping.” Rainbow growled.

Discord sighed. He shook his paw, and the lighting turned into normal lamps. The staircase was gone, replaced by some tables and chairs. The extra copies of himself were nowhere to be seen. 

“Rainbow Dash, I am sorry. Let's sit down, have breakfast, and I will give you, all of you, the apology you deserve.”

To everypony's surprise, he had. He offered a sincere, eloquent apology to Twilight and her friends. When it had been brought up that Spike had been left out and must be worried sick, Discord summoned the little dragon in the middle of the table. After calming him down, the draconequus apologized again.  Despite their reservations, Applejack and Rainbow seemed won over. They would help Discord get his freedom. 

They realized they would need to act quickly though. Twilight missing had put Celestia and Luna in a tizzy. The rest of the element bearers disappearing would be discovered soon enough, and Twilight had no doubt they would redouble their efforts. She would begin planning at once. While Discord began showing her friends to their rooms for the duration of their stay, Twilight went back to work alone. She would ask for their help once she had some ideas, and would regroup that evening over dinner. 

As the unicorn flopped against her bed, she wasn't sure what to do. She knew at this point, with the girls on board, Discord wouldn't be going back into stone. Not unless Celestia or Luna had some sort of spell she wasn't aware of. Banishment to the moon was possible, but hopefully it wouldn't come to that. Not just for Discord, but for her. Working with a known enemy of Equestria like this would be treason. She could get sent to the dungeon, or moon, or Celestia only knew where else. Maybe even sent to a remote corner of the world! It could be anything. Nervously, Twilight got up and started to pace.

Even if she wasn't punished for freeing Discord, it didn't change the fact that she'd slept with him twice would come to light eventually. She couldn't sleep it under the rug indefinitely, even if she wanted to. Which was another thing. Did she just want to pretend it had never happened? To move on with her life pretending she didn't crave more from him? But if she came forward, she'd have to tell the truth to her friends. That she had some kind of feelings for a creature who had done truly awful things.

Which brought her back to Celestia. The allegedly benevolent ruler who had, if Discord's books were correct, personally led all out wars against nations herself. She had killed thousands in the name of bringing peace to the land and expanding her territories. Twilight wanted to talk about it with her mentor. Her mentor, who had also been a significant factor in Discord's insanity. The entire Discordian era might have been avoided if Celestia had just prioritized their relationship. 

How would she explain this? Any of this? Brush it off as a drunken mistake while interrogating Discord's ex-girlfriend about the atrocities she'd committed centuries before Twilight was even born? At the core, the situation was steeped in so much foolish drama. Celestia was Discord's ex. Twilight was both of their students. It was almost comically ridiculous. A nagging voice asked which of the two mares were better.

She was still pacing when Discord entered her room. She didn't even look up as the door swung shut. Discord frowned, walking up to the mare and reaching out a paw. Twilight walked right into it as she turned around, causing her to stumble backwards and notice him. “Discord? What are you doing in here?”

“I can hear you pacing outside the door. There are Yaks that are quieter than you, Twilight.” He told her.

Twilight gazed down at the ground, frustrated. “I am still working on a plan here.” She told him, looking at her notes from the day before. “There are so many things that we need to consider before moving forward.” She felt a warm furry paw on her chin, pushing her face up to reach Discord's.

“Twilight, you are one of the smartest mares I have ever met. You know I don't say that lightly. But you are so wound up right now. You need to relax!” He smiled mischievously before snapping. A warm hot tub was beneath them. Twilight found herself sitting on some soft sort of cushion in the calming water, the scent of lavender wafting through the air. “Isn't this better?”
Twilight, in that moment, understood how much she changed in the last few months. She'd been frustrated by Discord's methods before. Now she was just annoyed he hadn't added bubbles. With a smirk, she added them herself. “Now it's better.” She giggled. Discord cocked an eyebrow before joining in the laughter himself. 

Twilight summoned a drink for herself. A cool slushie in a hot tub  was a fun thing to try. She sipped at it happily. 

“Is that where you learned to suck on things, Twilight?” Discord asked, his tone nonchalant but a naughty smile on his face.

Twilight’s sip caught her in her throat. She coughed it out, little ice particles landing all over her visitor, much to his displeasure. Her face flushed as she set the drink down. “I'm kind of glad you brought that up. I guess we need to talk.”

Discord's left ear twitched. The dreaded ‘we need to talk’ was not where he had imagined this conversation going.

“I know I was the instigator last night. I'm sorry for being so… um… forward.” She murmured, looking away for a moment before making eye contact again.  She'd almost literally thrown herself at him. It was embarrassing behavior. “I guess I had a bit too much to drink, I shouldn't have acted that way with a…” The unicorn trailed off. Friend? Teacher? Captor? All accurate labels. All confusing to use.

“Twilight, are you familiar with the phrase ‘drunk actions are sober thoughts’ ?” Discord inquired. “If you aren't, it poses the idea that drunk actions are things sober versions want to do, but don't act on.” 

Twilight rolled her eyes. “No, really?” Her voice dripped with sarcasm. She didn't appreciate being condescended to.

“Twilight, here's the short of it. It's fine. What happened is fine. What happens in the future, whether that happens again or not, will be fine.” Discord sighed. He wanted to tease her, but it just seemed mean. She was young, and he too had once been inexperienced and confused. Making her squirm just didn't look fun anymore. “Twilight, look. I like you. You are a brilliant, hardworking, and above all truly kind mare. You have seen it in your heart to help me, a monster by many definitions. So if you had wondered where I stand, that's it. I like you. I consider you a dear friend, despite the circumstances bringing us here. You don't need to apologize or explain.”

“I really feel like I should-” Twilight began to speak, but Discord cut her off. 

“Twilight, I want us to be friends. If, someday there is more there, that could be lovely. If you want to pretend last night never happened, we can. I'll only tease you behind closed doors.” He couldn't resist the small jab, sticking his tongue out and flicking it suggestively in the air for a moment. Twilight blushed. “Or if you want to come find me when you've had one too many so I can buck you senseless, that'll be nice too. But I want to be friends, if nothing else.” He spoke sincerely, feeling vulnerable at the end. It wasn't like him to be so open, but he felt he could trust Twilight. He had to.

“I… I don't know where I am just yet. But I'd like to be friends too.” The unicorn replied after a short silence. Just gave a weak smile. 

Discord returned the expression. 

She shifted over to sit beside him, and he wrapped his lion's paws around her. They sat together, enjoying each other's company in silence. Neither one realized Discord had never bothered to shut the door after he came in. A very shocked yellow Pegasus who'd had walked by earlier finally left, feeling awfully guilty over how long she'd been eavesdropping, but also very conflicted about what to do with the information.
> Chapter 11
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fluttershy had stumbled away from the door sometime later. It wasn't like her to eavesdrop, and it surely hadn't been her intention. She'd come to check on Twilight to see if she could offer any help to her dear friend. When the door was already open, she'd just peeked her head around the corner. She couldn’t help but overhear Discord make a rather tasteless joke at Twilight’s expense, and just before she’d spoken up to defend her friend, Twilight had confirmed it to be… Well, truthful, it sounded like. After that, she really thought she could go, but her hooves simply hadn’t been willing to cooperate. She knew listening to something so private was wrong, but she just couldn’t bring herself to pull away.

Twilight and Discord.

Not an item, but they had certainly been together in more than just a friendly, or even perverse capture-captive sort of way. What was a mare to do with such information? By the time she came out of her own head, she was nearing her room. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were having a very tense conversation in the hallway. Pinkie stood nearby, but seemed to be having a staring contest with a somewhat unsettling pair of eyes coming out of what looked like a light switch rather than really participating.

“Ah still don’t like this whole thing. He must’ve done somethin’ to her.” Applejack growled. Rainbow looked irritated, but shook her head no.

“We know Twilight. I don’t like Discord, but I don’t think he was lying earlier.” She replied uneasily. “Oh hey Flutters, any luck finding Twilight?”

Fluttershy’s words froze in her mouth. That was an easy question that led to many more complicated ones. “Yes.” She finally answered hesitantly.

“And?” Rainbow asked, annoyed. “Did she tell you anything?”

“Well, not in so many words, no.” Fluttershy replied dodgily. 

Applejack rolled her eyes. “What in the hay does that mean?”

Fluttershy felt her face going red. “You know, Rainbow, I’m just so exhausted I can’t remember, oh look at the time, I should really check on Angel. ” She blurted quickly, opening and shutting the door behind her with remarkable speed to close the open path between herself and her friends.

Out in the hallway, Rainbow Dash and Applejack exchanged looks. No words needed to be said, but both clearly understood something weird had just happened. Pinkie Pie broke the silence.

“Was that the weirdest thing that has happened today to anyone else?” She chirped. Applejack and Rainbow Dash nodded back. “Should we check on her?” Another nod. With a shrug, she turned to the eyes to apologize for having to leave and congratulate them on being great stare-ers. Then she began pounding on Fluttershy’s door.

“FLUTTERSHY! ARE YOU OKAY? YOU KNOW ANGEL ISN’T THERE, RIGHT?” She shouted loudly between the sound of her hooves smacking against the wood. The noise was enough to bring Rarity out to the hallway as well. 

But they heard nothing but shuffling on the other side of the doorway.

“What seems to be going on?” Rarity asked.

“Fluttershy supposedly found Twilight, but she’s actin’ awful strange.” Applejack explained. “She decided to just hide in her room instead of talkin’ to us about it.”

“I mean… Fluttershy does enjoy her privacy and the last few hours have been awfully overwhelming. I do hope she’s alright. Maybe we should leave her be?” Rarity suggested.

“Not until she spills!” Rainbow Dash growled back, going to aggressively hammer the door. “FLUTTERSHY! GET OUT HERE AND TELL US WHAT HAPPENED!”

Looking concerned, Pinkie Pie put her ear to the door. “Stand back.” She stated. The others looked on in wonder as Pinkie’s mane seemed to reach into the door’s keyhole. In the sudden silence, the others could hear audible clicks, then Pinkie Pie turned her head to an alarming degree. An even louder ‘clunk’ sounded from the door, which creaked open. Pinkie Pie pulled back from the door, with a distinct key shape in her poofy mane for a moment before disappearing. She sat back on her haunches and gestured ‘After you’ with her forehooves. 

Shaking off the utter confusion of how Pinkie Pie managed to do anything she did, Rainbow Dash led the way inside. Fluttershy was nowhere to be found, but there was an armoire with a conspicuous pink tail coming out of it. “Flutters, come out and talk to us.” The blue pegasus sighed. “I can see your tail.”

There was a muffled noise from inside the armoire as Fluttershy opened the door and stepped shamefully out. She kept her head down and her eyes focused on the ground.

“What happened, sugarcube?” Applejack asked, joining Rainbow inside.

“I went to check on Twilight, like I said. But when I got there, her door was opened and Discord was inside with her. Neither one seemed to notice I was there” Fluttershy began. “They were talking, and I knew I should’ve left but he said something nasty about Twilight. I was going to defend her, but Twilight… Said it was true. I should’ve left but I just kept listening…” She trailed off.

“Well… What did he say?” Rarity asked, unable to resist the allure of gossip.

Fluttershy sighed. “I think… I think they’ve um… Slept together.” She barely managed the last part, it was said in a squeaky whisper.

Rainbow couldn’t contain herself. She busted out laughing. “Fluttershy, seriously? You must have misheard. Twilight hasn’t looked up from a book longer enough to care about a stallion or mare that way since we’ve met her.”

Rarity tentatively agreed. “Really, darling, I’m sure it’s a miscommunication. That just doesn’t sound like Twilight.” She added, going over to give Fluttershy a friendly side hug.

Fluttershy looked conflicted. She really, really didn’t think there was another way to take anything she’d heard. But… Maybe? Somehow? “But what if he cast some kind of love spell on her? What if that is why she’s so keen on getting him out now?”

Applejack chewed her lip. Twilight would be the pony to ask about an errant love spell. “She sure didn’t act like she had a spell like that on her. Don’t you ‘member? They tend to get stronger and stronger over time. If he’d cast a spell on her, she wouldn’t be able tuh keep her hooves off him.”

“Maybe she just likes him. I mean Discord is a ton of fun, maybe Twilight got really fun all of the sudden?” Pinkie suggested. 

There was an uncomfortable beat of silence as the group pondered this new information. Twilight was many things, but somepony who the embodiment of chaos would consider ‘fun’ seemed unlikely. 

“We need to keep an eye on them, and we can’t say anything about this until we know what’s happening.” Rarity spoke, with a heavy sigh. 

“Guys, come on, it’s Twilight. She’d never do anything like… that.” Rainbow replied, shaking her head. “Fluttershy misunderstood something. That’s all.”

“She might’ve if he’s done somethin’ to her. Ah think we need to be awful careful with this information, and keep a good eye on them. If this is all some trick, Twi may not even know somethin’ happened.” Applejack added. “Ah can’t imagine her fallin’ for something he did again, but Ah also wouldn’t have thought he’d have been able to keep her captured this long. Whatever he’s been doin’ here, it’s right powerful stuff.”

The rest of the quintet nodded solemnly. 

“Ah think we should try to get her alone, and just talk to her a bit. See how she’s actin’. What do yall think about that?” 

They nodded again. Applejack set off, leading the way to Twilight’s quarters.