> Stallion X
>  by Lost Brony
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

		He took a deep breath. It was strange, almost like waking up for the first time in years, decades, maybe even centuries.  As he breathed in and smelled the sharp chill and dust in the air, refilling his lungs, he also had the feeling of being unfrozen. The rough movements of his joints moved through his body. He felt heavy and weak, like a statue coming to life. A statue gaining movement and thought. Not just thought, but memories as well. Although, they were blurred and faded with time, he could remember two fillies of white and blue, and a bright flash of yellow light. There were other things he can somewhat remember, but those memories were scattered like the broken pieces of a mirror. 
He opened his eyes. There he stood, in the middle of a dark, wet place. A cave? Maybe. Underground? Possibly. The only source of light was towards his right; a small fire lit up the whole place with its dancing light reflecting upon the wet rocks and puddles.
But one question was still bothering him, “What‘s going on?”
“Oh, you’re awake.” He couldn’t help himself from getting a little startled by the second voice. It was a kind of sinister, yet happy-go-lucky voice. 
“Who’s there?” He turned to see who it was and became quite surprised at what he saw. The creature had the head of a horse, with the antler of a deer and the horn of a goat, as well as its beard. After noticing the one sharp fang in its mouth, he looked down and noticed its arms: a lion’s paw and an eagle’s claw. Then, its legs of a reptile and a goat. Finally, its tail of a snake and its wings of a bat and a Pegasus. Despite this bizarre appearance of an animal, it all still seemed familiar.
“You don’t remember me, do you?” the creature chuckled. A snake-like tongue moved in its mouth as it speaks.
He took a moment to look into those red and yellow and saw something. He saw something he could just look up to in times of doubt, something he could believe in and rely on for support, someone he had learned from for a long time. “Discord.”
“Yes?” he answered quite proudly.
“I remember. I remember you helped me.” He turned his head towards his dark gray flank only to have found no cutie mark. “You helped me find purpose.”
“Just like how you’ve helped me rise to the top.” Discord stood taller and the tone of his voice changed with anger. “Until your friends had set me to stone.”
He remembered. Remembered how his two best filly friends had betrayed him by stopping his master. Could that have been the yellow light that had cast the spell? “Discord, Master,” he began to plead, “it was not my fault. If I had known-”
“Calm down, I don’t blame you,” Discord’s tone returned to normal, “Especially, after seeing that you were also set to stone.”
A loud, popping crack came out of his neck as he tilted his head, “OW!” It was a huge relief for him. “Well, now I know why my neck feels so stiff,” he said with a small laugh of pain. “How did this happen?”
After a pause to think, Discord explained, “I believe it was Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Perhaps they knew you’d rise to power after me. So, out of pure fear, they stopped you. And everypony lived happily ever after.” Then, he started to laugh. The thought of a happy ending for all seemed to be a very funny joke to him. “They’re going to be so surprised to hear that we’ve returned.”
Although he smiled along on the outside, inside, pieces of his memories came together. He remembered Luna, how she and her sister betrayed him, and what he had done to her. “That’s not the way I remember.” He closed his eyes as if he tried to dig deep within, “I put a curse upon Luna, and so Celestia turned me into stone. She knew I wanted to rule Equestria.”
Discord had stopped laughing to speak once again, “And I promise you will, but until then, you must restore your strength. You are still weak.” 
“But won’t you need my help?”
“Well, I found someone else to help me while you recover.” he calls out, “Trixie, can you come in here please?” After a moment, the sound of echoing hoof steps came into the cave from outside a large opening, followed by small green light. A blue unicorn came in following her lit horn. She wore a star-spangled, purple cape with an emerald holding the cape together. Her cutie mark was of a wand surrounded by a light blue cloud of pixie dust. “This is Trixie. She will be your student, and you will be her master.”
“Is she any good?” he asked with doubt in his voice.
Trixie walked over to him, “The Great and Powerful Trixie has received new magical powers from Discord for as long as I am loyal to him.” Then, she shot a green lightning bolt towards a large boulder. It exploded into dust.
Unimpressed, he sarcastically smirked, “Do one of those powers involve speaking in the first-person? Because I think you should start doing that.” 
“Now, calm yourself,” Discord suddenly said, though with a smile. Noticing how frustrated his stallion looked, Discord said, “She won’t be replacing you. Again, she’s your student, so as soon as you regain you strength and if anything should happen to me, it shall be your responsibility to rule Equestria. Do you understand?” 
“Yes, Discord.” He calmed down.
“Good. Now, Trixie,” he turns to face her, “I want you to break into Celestia’s castle, take the Elements of Harmony, and hide them in any place unexpected. And, remember to tell me where you’ve hidden them.” Before she had the chance to even ask the question, he added, “Trust me, with those powers I’ve given, you’ll know where she keeps them.”
“Yes, Discord.” She seemed confident and reassured.
“In the mean time,” he returned to his older student, “You must be hungry after all those years.” 
“Actually, yes, I am.” He had barely noticed how empty his stomach was.
“I’ll get you something to eat. After that, I shall prepare for my return.” As he turned and left through the same opening that Trixie had entered through, his voice continued to bounce off the cave walls. He was mumbling to himself, “Perhaps I should make it rain chocolate milk from cotton candy clouds…”
After a few moments of silence, “You know,” Trixie spoke, “Discord has said you were his greatest student, and you would soon be the greatest ruler.” Then she said. “I’m sorry, but Discord hasn’t told Trixie your name.”
He smirked again, this time out of pride, and answered, “Stallion X.”

“Twilight, wake up! You’re having another bad dream.”
> Chapter 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight quickly woke up, out of breath and drenched in a cold sweat. She was blinded by the sudden sunlight brightly pouring in through the window of the library. As soon as her eyes adjusted to the sudden change of light, the first thing she saw was Spike standing beside the bed, holding her front right leg. Then she saw her leg. Purple, she thought to herself, Not dark gray. Still breathing heavily, she asked, “It happened again?”
“Yeah,” Spike let go of her leg and gave room for her to breath, “You were talking to yourself again. Something about Discord. Just like the past several nights.”
Every morning, for over a week, Twilight had woken up talking, sometimes screaming, and feeling much more tired than the previous night. Her dreams were usually the same. There was a conversation between a stallion, a mare, and Discord. Some kind of plot was being planned out among them. On a few occasions, instead of just those dreams, they were nightmares. The nightmare had always felt as if it was only a few minutes, yet the next morning, she still had to struggle herself awake. The nightmares were worse than any other she had before. She placed a curse on Princess Luna, so Princess Celestia attacked Twilight, setting her to stone. That was where her screaming came from, seeing her own teacher angrily punish her own faithful student.
After rubbing her eyes again, she noticed the dark shadows underneath Spike’s. “I’m sorry, Spike.” Twilight couldn’t feel any more sorrow for her dragon assistant. Her constant speaking and yelling hadn’t only taken a toll on herself, but also deprived him from any sleep. She wished so badly that these visions of madness simply went away and never came back. “I’m wide awake now. If you want, you can go back to bed and rest.”
“No, it’s alright,” Spike yawned, “I’ll be fine with just three hours of sleep. I just need a drink of coffee or something.”
“Really Spike, I could just get Owloysius to help me out today.”
“But the Summer Sun Celebration starts tomorrow, and-”
“And that’s why you need to sleep.” With her horn, Twilight sent a purple dust cloud towards Spike. He dropped to the floor and quickly fell asleep. “I’ll wake you up tonight,” she said softly. She still wanted Spike to be awake during the night, she would only feel safer that way.
Twilight Sparkle got out of bed, walked over to the mirror, and performed her usual morning routine. Her messy, rocker-like mane became the clean, straight style she always liked with a few strokes of a brush. She repeated the same thing with her pony tail, matching it with her mane. She stared at the mirror, seeing eye to eye with the unicorn inside. You look really good, she thought with false happiness, Dark purple with a pink streak? Very clever, Twilight.
There was no use in trying to make herself feel better. It grew to bother her whenever she looked at her reflection and finding those stars on her flank. It made her think of the dream. It made her think of how her life would be like if she had never earned her cutie mark. Would I still have my friends or my magic? Although she had been able to convince herself that these dreams were simply dreams, somewhere in her mind, all this wasn’t a good sign.
A few days earlier, in one of her encyclopedias, she looked up what exactly a dream was. According to her research, a dream is an involuntary succession of images and ideas. It didn’t help very much. She needed a more psychological explanation.
Afterwards, when researching from her books had failed, she had decided to ask a good friend she knew, Zecora. Zecora was a wise, rhyme-chanting zebra. What she didn’t do in spells, she made up for in potions. She’s usually a voice of help for any situation Twilight and her friends faced. She was especially helpful when she was explaining the meaning of dreams. “A dream,” she chanted, “is a symbol to represent our past, future, and sometimes our present.” Zecora’s philosophy had always sounded like a complicated riddle, but this one made perfect sense to Twilight. Which is why she didn’t believe it, at least, she didn’t want to.
Even though she concluded Zecora’s theory of predicting the future as untrue, she still considered the fact that dreams can show things from one’s past. Twilight remembered her days as a young filly in her hometown, Canterlot. She loved to read and learn new things about magic. She loved her parents for making sacrifices for her to enroll into Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. She loved her big brother, Shining Armor, for being her best friend forever. Twilight could never forget the day she had gotten her cutie mark. She would always be grateful to Princess Celestia for teaching her, and would always be thankful for having a new friend, a green and purple baby dragon, Spike. There was no reason that her dreams and nightmares came from her happy childhood.
The dream seemed to take place just before Discord made his appearance. It was then that she realized that all the bad dreams took place from the point-of-view of the stallion. A dark gray stallion. Discord’s student. Maybe it wasn’t from my past, she thought, but from somepony else’s.
Is it possible to see anyone’s past in a dream? Who was that stallion and why was he learning from Discord? She suddenly thought of Trixie. Wait, why was Trixie there? Why did she suddenly turn to Discord for help? Twilight remembered how she humiliated Trixie in front of everypony in Ponyville. She had been very boastful when claiming that she had fought and defeated an Ursa Major, but it was Twilight who had to take on an Ursa Minor, since Trixie was far too afraid. Was this her revenge?
Her thoughts returned to the dreams. If these are just normal dreams, why do they always come back almost every night? And whenever I don’t dream of Discord, I have a nightmare of Princess Celestia cursing me. Why?
Out of everyone she knew, Twilight had only told Spike about the dream, but even then, it wasn’t a very detailed description. She only mentioned Discord planning something. Spike simply said, “Don’t worry, it’ll be okay.“ It helped a little to have someone listening.
The problem, however, was that she had a strong feeling things weren’t going to be okay. She felt this way just before Nightmare Moon returned, and when Queen Chrysalis had almost ruined her brother’s and Princess Cadance’s wedding. Why should this have been any different?
Because these are just dreams, Twilight answered herself, Zecora said dreams “can” show things from the past, not that they “should”. She felt some relief growing within. It is possible to have the same, recurring dreams every night without any deep symbolic meaning. She remembered a few months ago, one of her best pony friends Rainbow Dash had a recurring nightmare that Pinkie Pie, another best friend, had murdered her and baked her flesh into cupcakes. That didn’t mean anything, except that Rainbow Dash needed to stop eating sugary snacks before bed. Twilight turned towards Spike, sleeping in his usual adorable way. When Spike dreams about Rarity, that just means he has a cute, little crush on her. It’s never anything serious. So, why should I worry about it?
Despite the relief effort, she looked at her reflection again and still saw a pony filled with grief and fear. Twilight felt scared deep down in the pit of her stomach. Her mind was a ticking time bomb on the brink of insanity. Or maybe I have lost my mind, because I‘ve spent about 15 minutes standing in front of this mirror. She didn’t know what she was more afraid of, going to sleep at night or everyone finding out about her dreams. She was able to work up enough courage to tell Spike, but not anypony else. She desperately needed to tell someone, she didn’t want to carry the weight of her emotions any more. She had felt a little safer when she told him about it.
I have the greatest friends anypony could have, she thought positively. They care about me, no matter what. She looked directly into the purple eyes of the unicorn in front of her, giving off as much confidence as she could. “Alright, you’re telling everypony,” she told herself. “You shouldn’t let fear run your life, Twilight. I know they’ll help you get through this.”
She left into town, feeling ready to start and seize the day.
> Chapter 3
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	Princess Celestia had just finished her royal morning duties. After washing the dried saliva off her cheek and brushing her white teeth and bright, flowing mane, she put on her crown and jewelry and, more quickly than usual, used her magical talent to raise the sun and start the new day. Being quite annoyed with her sister at the moment, she wanted to get through the whole morning avoiding her. 
As much as she loved Luna, she was also irritated with her being so anxious in the recent days. Celestia understood that her sister meant well, but she spent a long week accusing her of having weak security throughout Equestria. Luna gave endless warnings of an incoming attack. Despite having tried to reassure her, Luna continued to claim that danger is coming. But, all that Celestia needed was some time to think things through.
She calmly sat on her bed, trying to enjoy one of her favorite hobbies, reading Cosmarepolitan magazine. It was hard for her to enjoy with her personal problems distracting her. While reading an article about Sapphire Shores getting married to one of the Wonderbolts, there was a knock on the door. “Come in.” She knew it was the head chef.
A black-haired, light-colored unicorn poked his head in. “Good morning, your majesty,” he said in a French accent. “What would you like for breakfast?” He magically had a paper and quill ready.
“Oh, not much,” she answered, “Just an egg-white omelet with extra peppers, some hashed potatoes with extra ketchup, some pancakes with extra syrup, some toast with extra jam, a fruit salad, and a powdered doughnut.” The chef’s jaw literally dropped from the fact that anypony, especially somepony like Princess Celestia, would eat so much. Even Celestia was a bit embarrassed with her sudden hunger.
“Anything to drink, Madam?” he asked, still quite stunned.
“Apple juice, please,” she replied, still blushing.
He rechecked her request, making sure he wasn’t mistaken, and said, “Your breakfast should be ready in half an hour.” And with that, he left.
Celestia normally ate a single course at each meal, but whenever her stress peaked at its highest point, she’d eat anything that was at least cooked. Comfort food was usually her way to deal with so much stress and emotion. Best if you skip lunch today, she thought to herself.
A few minutes later, she was just about to start on the month’s issue of Ponies when the door knocked a second time. “My goodness, that was fast. Come in.” But instead of a chef with a large tray of food, it was her sister, Princess Luna. Buck. Of course it would be her. She got rather fed up with having constant arguments with her.
Luna also seemed like she was tired of arguing. She‘d spent the last several nights on patrol, watching for signs of a supposed attack. “Sister, please let me take about 10 minutes of your time so I can talk to you.” Celestia looked down at her magazine and said nothing. Luna took that as a sign to continue, “The evidence of his return is incontrovertible. We’ve received countless information about him, accurate information that we cannot prove wrong.” She continued to stare at a random article. “If you don’t believe me, then-”
Celestia cut her off, “I know he’s returned.” She put down her magazine, got off of her bed and walked over to the window to see the world outside of royalty. “But we cannot cancel the celebration because of something that nopony is even sure may happen.”
“She told us that he’s after the Elements of Harmony, one of whom is also your student and apprentice!” Luna said much more sternly, “Perhaps he will come to the celebration and-”
“And do what?” she asked, frustration shown in her face. “Do you really think he is going to kidnap the Elements of Harmony in front of so many witnesses?”
“How are you so sure he wouldn’t?!”
“How are you so sure he would?! She never told us when or where he will strike. For all we know, he may want us to believe that he’ll attack. He may be biding his time.” Celestia looked closely at the grounds of the kingdom. Her little ponies had just started their casual day, just like any other. She took a deep breath to calm herself and glanced towards the night goddess. “Luna, please come to the window.” She came. “Now, look down and tell me what you see.”
She did as she was asked. “I see… ponies.
“And what are they doing?” 
“Sister, is this really necessary?” Luna asked irritably. Judging from Celestia’s face, she realized this was serious. She looked back down at the city, “They are just minding their own duties.”
Celestia looked back down and saw many things: a few ponies opening up the local shops, fillies and colts walking to school,  a cross-eyed, blonde Pegasus popping up from the branches of a tree. For them, normal. For the goddesses, stressful.
“Each one of them are living innocently without a care in the world,” she began, “We are responsible for keeping it like that.”
“And to protect them,” Luna spoke up through closed teeth, “Not to celebrate something you do every day.”
“Yes we must protect them,” she ignored the last comment, “but only in times of trouble.” She paused to think, then continued. “When we’ve heard of his return, we have vowed to keep a look out for anything suspicious. Since then, he’s been growing stronger. It has now been almost three months since any mention of an invasion. We are the only few who know about this. No one else, not even the Elements of Harmony or anypony from the Royal Guard. Our watch guards, by the way, are growing impatient with having to secretly spy on Twilight and her friends.” 
She turns her back to her sister and returned to sitting on her bed. “We have to stop this,” the sun princess demanded, “Luna, you must understand that there is no point in continuing this endless charade that’s giving us no results whatsoever. I am through with wasting our tax money on unnecessary protection when we already have economic problems! I am even through with discussing this subject any longer! Discord is gone now, and there is no one that will help Stallion X! Unless you have any proof that he’s returning during the Summer Sun Celebration, I suggest you leave now!”
Luna continued to stare out the window. She didn’t move except with each breath. “Well…?”
Celestia asked.
The younger sister turned around, and Celestia’s frustration suddenly transformed into guilt. Luna’s cheeks were wet from the tears flowing from her eyes. “Tia…” She hasn’t called me Tia since she was a filly. “Please, you must believe me. I know there is no proof of an attack, but… I simply have a very strong feeling about this. I don‘t know why, but I just do.” She fought hard to keep her tears away. She was losing the battle. “I am reaching out to you, not as a ruler seeking for advice, but as family asking for help. Because, if you can’t help me, then I’ll have no one else to turn to.”
Celestia had no idea what to say. She quickly pondered in her memories. She remember that horrible night. I had no idea this was so important to her. I should’ve known. I only wish she could understand that what had happened all those years ago wasn’t her fault.
“Luna,” Celestia stared at her sister through her own tear-struck eyes. “I’ve told you time and time again. You were possessed by his dark magic, and I did what I had to do. I was left with no other choice. You know that.”
“Just like how you know of what he’s capable of, Tia.” Luna sniffed and wiped away the tears from her eyes. There was silence between the two sisters. Then Luna spoke again, “But if you still refuse to believe me, I’ll just leave.”
“No.” Celestia stopped her just as she was about to leave. “Don’t go.” She didn’t want to spend the day with a guilty conscience, knowing she left her own beloved sister to sleep in depression. “I don’t believe you… but we shouldn’t have this tension between us. This afternoon, I’m making last minute announcements. While I’m away, I will also request that the Royal Guard should provide heavier protection and security during the celebration. I will ask Shining Armor to create a shield around Canterlot. And tonight, I will continue to have Twilight and her friends guarded.”
“What will happen when he does return?” Luna asked. She tried to speak with bravery, but tears were still visible in her puffy eyes.
Even after many centuries, Celestia still remembered that night very clearly. She could never forget. “Last time, it greatly weakened me, but I alone defeated him,” she explained, “If he does return, we will have each other. And also Twilight Sparkle. You and I both know how powerful her magic is.”
The way Luna’s face looked reminded Celestia of the first time she raised the moon. No matter how hard she had tried, her little sister couldn’t do it. She sat and cried, ready to give up. If it wasn’t with the help and support from the sun goddess, she would have. Despite struggling to start the night, it was still a happy victory for Luna, as it was then she earned her crescent moon cutie mark. Celestia remembered very well that it was a happy night for her… but a loss of hope for a former friend.
Luna slowly walked up to her older sister, and they both held each other in a tight embracing. Being in the upper class society had, at first, been a dream come true for the both of them. But, eventually, they simply grew bored of hearing about one pony losing 15 pounds by eating only celery, or another having an affair with the servant. Having to deal with politics, money, traditions, and constant false rumors, the two princesses barely have time for themselves act like two real sisters. They wanted to hold onto their hug for as long as possible.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
They snapped out of their reminiscing and their hugging. They both stared at each other and laughed. How long were we hugging each other? Celestia called out, “Come in.”
It was the head chef, he began to walk in until he saw Luna. “Oh, forgive me, your highnesses. Am I interrupting?” 
“Oh, no,” Luna said, still giggling. “I was just about to leave.”
“Very good, because I wouldn’t want this breakfast to go cold.” He magically bought in five trays of food and a glass of apple juice, all of what Celestia ordered. “Bon apatite.” He went to return to his kitchen.
Impressed by her sister’s gluttonous appetite, Luna decided to it was time for her to go to sleep. “I’ll see you tonight, sister. Enjoy your buffet,” she humorously added, and finally left.
Celestia was relieved that the dispute was settled. They may fight a lot, like normal sisters, but they have agreed on one thing, no one else, not even the Elements of Harmony, can know this secret until the time is right. 

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

	It was a very beautiful day. The sun shined brightly across the clear, blue sky (thanks to Rainbow). The birds were twittering within each leafy, green tree. A cool breeze was lightly blowing through her mane. Living in Ponyville for the past year, Twilight had grown accustomed to the small town. The weather was almost never harsh. She knew almost everypony around. And a lot of her favorite places were usually nearby.
It wasn't as fancy as Canterlot, but there was one thing Ponyville had that her first home didn’t… actually, there were five things. 
When Twilight first became interested in her magical studies, she thought the only best friend she ever needed was Shining Armor. It was only a year before when she realized that her truest friends had been waiting in Ponyville. She was not ashamed to admit that she missed Canterlot. After all, it was where she was born and raised, where her parents lived. But it was in Ponyville where she learned the values of friendship.
As she trotted down through the town, Twilight politely greeted all the passersby. “Good morning” she waved to Lyra and Bon Bon, “Hello” to Caramel, “How are you doing?” to Oat Meal who was telling another one of her crazy tales to a friend of hers. Although, they gleamed back, these weren’t the ponies she was wanting to see. 
She knew her five mare friends were doing as they did last year, making preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration. Just the thought of them seemed to lighten her spirits, even after those past couple of nights. The six of them could be seen simply as best pony friends, whom in reality, were more than just that. 
Everypony learned and knew of their combined powers, as they have saved Equestria at least twice. Twilight represented the most powerful of the Elements of Harmony, Magic. Each one of her best friends also represented other elements. Rainbow Dash was of Loyalty. Pinkie Pie was of Laughter. Fluttershy was Kindness. Applejack, Honesty. And Rarity, Generosity. It was those powerful artifacts that have provided great protection for the kingdom.
Twilight looked across from her and saw Sugar Cube Corner down the street to her left. She knew Applejack and Pinkie Pie were meeting there. The orange country pony was catering the event while the happy party pony was helping out.  They both agreed to cater to the celebration together. She was just about to enter the bakery when she heard a Southern drawl from the right of the building. “Well, mornin’ Twilight!” It was Applejack. On top of her flank, she carried a large basket full of ripe, shiny apples. “I was just bringin’ these here apples to Pinkie so we can get them ready for tomorrow.”
“Well, here,” Twilight magically held the door open, “Let me help you out.”
“Thanks, Twi.” Applejack walked in and placed the apples behind the counter while Twilight followed. As the door shut behind her, Twilight stood in the middle of the shop, instantly smelling the hot, steamy goodness of all the treats it held. Pinkie and Applejack never held back when it came to baking. Warm and fresh apple pies, fritters, dumplings, and cupcakes were just the beginning of the stack of food on the shelves. It was only the sight of it all that made Twilight starving. Good thing I skipped breakfast today!
She wanted at least one taste. “Is it alright if I could just… you know?” She was hungry, but not enough to be rude.
“Of course!” Pinkie suddenly jumped up from behind the batches of  caramel apples. “I even pre-made a special cupcake just for each one of my bestest friends,” she said as she tossed a cupcake to Twilight. When she caught it in her hooves, she noticed that her own smiling face was formed into the purple frosting. It was a bit creepy, but she took a bite anyway.
“Mmm! This is delicious! I mean your food is always delicious, but this one has grape jelly inside.” She didn’t even care her mouth was full. “You know I love grape jelly.”
“Mine had apple jam,” Applejack spoke up. “Wanna grab a taste of my food? I’m using a new recipe this year.” She waved a hoof over the food as if sending the smell over to Twilight.
“Don’t mind if I do.” 
Two sweet apple fritters and a couple of jokes later, a light blue, rainbow-haired Pegasus flew in though the window. “Hey, guys. What’s up?”
They all greeted back, except for Pinkie who responded “You are, silly.”
Rainbow touched down onto the floor, “I‘m starving. Me and my team finished clearing the skies from Manehatten to Canterlot. So, what’s for breakfast?”
“Pinkie and I made an extra batch of fritters for the six of us,” Applejack yawned, “We got up early to make up for lost time.”
“Yeah!” the hyperactive pony squealed, “And it’s all going to be totally worth it! I even have an extra cupcake just for you, Dashie.” Rainbow, upon seeing her face molded by the colorful frosting, was bit reluctant to eat pink pony’s treat. Twilight and Applejack tried their best not to laugh. “It’s filled with zap apple jam. I know it’s your favorite.” she sang.
Rainbow decided to give it a try and, with satisfaction, ate Pinkie’s cupcake in one bite. “By the way,” she said, crumbs coming out of her mouth, “Fluttershy and Rarity will be coming over soon. They’re  just outside of the Everfree Forest.”
“What are they doing all the way out there?” Twilight curiously asked.
Dash swallowed the remainder of her snack, “Fluttershy’s working on music with her songbirds. And Rarity’s trying to get some ideas for decorating town hall.”
Here’s your chance, Twilight realized.
“Well, I’m glad that they’re coming,” she stated. She felt her voice drop into a melancholy tone as she continued, “I’ve been meaning to talk to you all about something that’s really been a lot of stress for me.”
Applejack must have sensed the change of mood, as she placed a relieving hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “What is it, sugar cube?”
“I shouldn’t say, at least, not yet. I want to wait until Rarity and Fluttershy to come by. And besides, it may not be a big deal anyway.”
Pinkie quickly butted in, “Oh, come on. You should tell us now. What else are friends for?”
“You know, Pinkie, that’s exactly what I thought,” she tried to explain, “but the thing is-”
Rainbow cut her off, “Come on, if it’s really been stressing you out, then maybe you should tell us now. Then we can let those two know what’s going on when they get here.”
Twilight knew she needed to talk about her secret with somepony, but she didn’t expect her friends to be so interested. They each looked at her with such wide-eyed eagerness. She sighed heavily, “This is really a one-sided battle that I’m losing, isn’t it?”
“Yeah,” all three answered.
There was no use in arguing about, so Twilight gave in, “All right, I’ll tell you.” Might as well get this over with now. “But remember, I might just be overreacting to this whole thing,” she added.
“It’s fine, Twi,” Rainbow said, “Any problem you have, we’re there for you.”
“Yeah,” Applejack agreed, “Just take all the time you need to tell us what’s been happenin’.”
“Well, here it goes. But no questions until the end.” The three  friends nodded in understanding. Twilight reluctantly began. “For about a week, I’ve been having these weird dreams. They’re always about Discord and I’m sure you remember him. Well, he was in a cave with Trixie, who apparently became his apprentice. There was somepony else. He called himself… Stallion X, I think. I guess Princess Celestia had made him into stone after he fought against Luna, because I’m pretty sure Discord had just revived him. Anyway, Discord was planning to take control of Equestria and he said if he failed, Stallion X would take his place. 
“Now, I did some research with Zecora. She told me dreams can sometimes represent moments from the past, which makes me think that the dream took place just before Discord returned. But I’m still not sure whether the dream is real or not.“ She stopped. Keep going, don’t stop. She continued. “I really feel like… like I‘m just being paranoid again. Which is why I felt I needed to tell you about this.” 
Twilight stopped again and remained silent, waiting for a reaction. Pinkie, Rainbow, and Applejack just stared. The stares seemed blank and hollow, but they still made her feel uneasy. Maybe I was wrong, maybe they’ll just laugh at me. Finally, Applejack spoke up, “Is there anything else we should know about this?”
She was quite relieved they were actually listening to her. “Well…” Should I tell them about that nightmare I’ve had about me, Luna, and Celestia? Or that Stallion X and I had the same point of view? “No, there’s nothing else.” She thought it was best if she didn't say. A silent pause quickly filled the room, with no sound except for the muted creaks of wood.
“You see?!” The happy Pinkie voice shot through the somber feeling in the air. “Told you we’d still be here for you!” She trotted over and gave Twilight a tight hug. 
“Did you think we wouldn’t understand?” Rainbow Dash said as Pinkie let go. “Remember how you guys were there for me after that whole ‘killer Pinkie’ thing? Even though I still get chills looking at knives.” She blushed with her last comment. 
“Hee-hee!” Pinkie giggled, “Besides, why would Trixie be with Discord? Isn’t he, like, evil?”
“Yep,” Applejack chuckled. It took her own laughter to help Twilight realize she was smiling along, “Y’all have nothin’ to worry about. The Great and Powerful Show-Off was just too scared to face an Ursa Minor. Why would that be enough to make her go bad?”
“You were right.” laughed Rainbow, “You were overeacting.” Everypony was laughing. Not at Twilight, but with her.
Twilight could hardly stop her own fits of laughter. Her breathing was becoming so short and fast, that it almost made her chest hurt. Her sight was unfocused. She felt the room spin beneath her hooves. All of the voices around her began to echo and fade away. All but one. “Twilight Sparkle” She could feel herself falling with something following… “I’m coming for you” …the floor hitting her head… “The Elements of Harmony” …pain was horrible… “Will be mine” …the warm wetness from her nose coming down her face… “Your powers” NOOO!! “Your magic” …screaming… “Will be in my hooves” Dear Celestia! Please make it stop! “I will find you Twilight” She was crying… begging… “Join me Twilight” …so cold…  “Or perish.”
“Twilight!”
“Twilight, get up!”
“Does somepony know CPR?! Please!”
A voice had cut through her ears and into her mind. Every hair on her body stood on end while chills crawled down her spine. It sounded so strange and haunting, yet she knew it was there. It knew she was there. It was taunting and laughing at her suffering.
Something was holding her, shaking her awake. Her eyes sprang open, blurred and blinded by tears and surrounding lights. She was taking deep but fast breaths. Her friends, all five of them, surrounded her with fear and worry locked to their faces. Fluttershy was the first to speak, “Are you okay, Twilight?” She spoke very softly, as if not trying to frighten anypony. 
Rainbow was next to talk, “Rarity, go get a napkin for her blood.” Rarity went to get them. Blood? Was I bleeding? Almost by instinct, Twilight felt her face and looked down at her hoof. Sure enough, there was a warm, red, almost sticky substance. Blood.
“What just happened?” Twilight asked as she sat up. Her head hurt so much, she was  actually feeling dizzier. Rarity quickly returned with a wet napkin and carefully wiped away on Twilight’s stained muzzle. “Rarity, I’m fine,” Twilight lied as she moved her head away. “Can somepony just tell me what happened?” All stood silent, seemingly scared to answer. “Did I just faint?” she asked again.
“We're not sure,” explained the white-coated unicorn, “When me and Fluttershy came in, you were on the floor screaming and crying for help.” She had red around her eyes. She’d been crying.
Then Rainbow talked, “It looked like you were having a seizure or a heart attack or something.” She reached out a hoof toward her, “Can you get up?”
She ignored her friend’s question and helping hoof and looked around. It’s just us in here. Who else did I hear talking? The voice seemed eerily familiar to her. Too familiar. “Girls, I think heard him. He was talking to me. He’s trying to find the Elements.”
“Who?” They all wondered.
“Stallion X.” It the most ridiculous answer she had ever given, but it was the only one she could find that would make any sense.