Sunny walked over to the smaller clearing in the trees “Wow these remains must be really old” she said inspecting a brick like stone off the ground. As she admired the large wall of vines that hung in front of her, she heard a small crack coming from the bushes, she quickly turned, her gaze flickering through the trees “Huh…funny I thought I heard something?” She turned back to the vines “hmm” she mumbled curiously. She reached up grabbing the vines with her hooves before quick pulling away “Ouch!” She winced “stupid pricks” she reached up again and more cautiously got a grip on the vines with her hooves, she pulled hard on the vines “Oh my stars” she said in amazement as the vines fell revealing an off-white wall, she dropped the vines and ran her hoof along the cold brick wall “This is amazing!” She gazed up at the bricks, the wall was covered in dirt and looked to be falling apart “I wonder how long this place has been abandoned?”
A deep, silk voice rang out from the trees “About a thousand years ago” He chuckled softly “You know I still can’t believe it’s been that long”
She quickly turned her gaze once again beaming into the bushes “Who…who said that? Who are you?!” She yelled her voice shaking with fear, she reached down picking up a stick holding it firmly in her hoof “I…I have a weapon and I’m not afraid to use it!”
“You really think I stick will hurt me? I would think again” he laughed
“Show yourself, coward! Who are you!” She yelled again, her tone getting louder
He scoffed “Since you're so eager to know” he said in a sarcastic tone. He slowly emerged from the bushes, the creature she saw before her was no normal stallion, he was a tall snake like creature who l was made of different animal parts with the horns of a deer and ram, a long fang hanging from his mouth, a lion paw as his right arm and his left was an eagle claw, a bat and pegasus wing, the foot of and goat and what looked to be a dragon, the tail of a red snake with a tuff white of fur at the end and a long silver mane that ran down his shoulders “I am Discord, Lord of Chaos, Spirit of Disharmony. And you are?”
Her jaw hung open she had never seen anything like him before, she was in absolute awe “I…um…I’m uh…S…Sunny Starscout” she stuttered before quickly shook her head trying to get her thoughts together “Oh..um if you don’t mind me asking…why are you hiding in the bushes?”
He paused, not really wanting to answer that, truthfully at least “l same as you I suppose, I’m just...enjoying the scenery”
She raised a brow “The scenery?” She questioned, she could clearly tell he was lying, she crossed her arms over her chest before continuing “From behind the trees? Really? I don’t believe you”
He looked at her with a fake expression of hurt on his face placing his paw on his chest “Well you should because I assure you, I’m telling the truth" he said with a slight grin
She rolled her eyes in annoyance
“What is one much like myself not allowed to enjoy a walk in the abandoned gardens in the old castle of Canterlot?” he said smugly
“You do realize that abandoned means left for ruin, never to be thought of again, right?” She asked
He walked towards her towering over her, a stern look crossed his facial features “Well then Miss Starscout, if that’s the case,” He said, his grin returning “then why are you here?”
Her mouth opened to protest but she was at a loss for words
His smile widened knowing he had won this little ‘game’ she was playing “So, are you going to answer my question or are you just going to sit there like a statute” his smile wavered slightly at that last word
She looked down mumbling something under her breath before meeting his gaze again “If you must know, I am her to finish my studies on ancient monuments of Equestria”
“Studies? So, you’re still in school, and you're out here alone, at night, with no supervision?” He said with a raised brow “Wow parents these days are out of their minds” he said under his breath
She grumbled softly “I’ll have you know I’m a not doing this for school I just enjoy studying history, I’m a full grow mare not some filly who needs to be watched over 24/7 and I’m more than capable of taking care of myself” she snapped
He laughed at her sudden anger
“What's so funny?!” she yelled
He continued laughing as he tried to speak between breaths “I’m sorry..it’s just...all I had to do was slightly insult you…to get you to tell me who you and…what you're doing out here...aw man, kid you have too much pride,” he ceased his laughter before continuing “so how long did it take you to walk here?”
“What do you mean?” she asked
He rolled his eyes “Well, no trains come around anymore and you being an earth pony, no offense, it would be an awfully long walk here” he said, as if it was obvious
“Well seems like someone’s an expert when it comes to these gardens,” she said sarcastically
“Well, I should, I’ve been here for over a thousand years, I know this place like the back of my palm” he bragged, inspecting his paw for emphasis
She rolled her eyes and sighed “I didn’t walk here, I flew.”
He looked back down at her confused “What do you mean ‘flew’?” he asked
She now wore a smirk. She closed her eyes and concentrated on her movement; a soft golden glow illuminated around her
Discord quickly took a step back
The glow around Sunny was getting brighter and in a bright flash of light she had sprouted clear golden wings and a horn. She opened her eyes again and looked up at Discord, who was staring at her, wide-eyed
“Sweet Celestia...how did you...what just...huh” he exclaimed “there's no way you could...I mean I can but...how!?”
She laughed softly at his confusion “Well after me and my friends brought the unity crystals back together, I was turned into an alicorn, but my wings and horn don’t stay permanently, as you just saw”
Discord just stood there “I haven’t seen an alicorn for what feels like eternity”
“Wait but aren’t natural alicorns immortal?” she asked
“Well yes,” Discord sighed “but after magic disappeared from Equestria the alicorns immortality did as well”
“Oh,” she said softly “but wait if magic and immortality were gone at that point in time, then how come you're still alive?”
“You see my immortality is balanced on a different type of magic, chaos magic, something the ponies didn’t have, nor could they control it. And after...um...certain events, I left Equestria and stood in my own chaotic world.”
“Well, what happened that caused you to leave?” she asked
Discord leaned against a tree that stood behind him before sliding down to sit in the grass, he gazed directed the ground “I rather not say, hurts to talk about...what happened so long ago” he said, his tone barely above a whisper
Sunny walked over and sat next to him “I understand, sometimes the past can hurt”
They sat in silence for a moment before she looked up and saw a small flash of light through the trees, “What is that” she said softly as she stood and started walking in the direction it came from, she walked past a thick row of trees and continued walking
Discord stood about to ask her where she was going but instead he followed closely behind her thourgh the trees
Discord caught up with her slightly out of breath “Where are you going” he asked
She slowed her pace allowing him to walk next to her, “Just walking” she said in a low tone
“You could get lost, you know?” he said looking down at her
“Well, that’s going to be kinda hard with you following me” she said sarcastically, meeting his eyes, she turned her gaze forward once more. She again saw something through the trees “What is that?” she muttered to herself, now trotting
Discord noticed her change in pace and confused by what she was doing “What do you mean?” he asked
She ignored his question and continued walking through another passageway of trees
He sped up trying to follow closely behind her
She exited through the trees into a wide opening in the garden, in the middle stood a stone object covered in dirt and branches “What is a giant boulder doing in the middle of the gardens?’ she inspected the rock closely “Hmm?” she reached up, grabbing the vines the covered the larger rock and carefully “Holy Mother of Faust” she gasped “this isn’t just a rock, it’s a statue!” she said in excitement
Discord froze at the sight of the statue, staring at it with a look of angst
She quickly grabbed her bag, shuffling through it franticly, she pulled out an old book titled, Equestrian History, A Leap Through Time, and started flipped through the pages “No, no, no, no…oh wait yes!” She skimmed the page muttering to herself as she did “Ah ha! This is the statue of the Mane Six!” she laughed “Discord did you know this was here?!” The only answer she got was silence “Discord?” she yelled behind her again, nothing
Discord stood there frozen in fear
Sunny turned to see Discord staring blankly at the statue “Discord? Are you okay?”
He didn’t respond, he just kept his gaze on the statue
She walked to his side, “Discord!” she yelled trying to get his attention off the statue
He flinched at the sound of her voice yelling out his name “W-what?”
She gave him a concerned and unbalanced look “You, okay?” she said softly
“Huh, oh….uh yeah, yeah I-I’m fine” he stuttered, avoiding her gaze
She knew something was wrong, but she decided not to push him any further, she turned her attention back to the statute “Ok? Well, um anyways did you know this as here?”
“Oh No, I-I didn’t know about this” he responded
She sighed at his sudden nervousness, making an attempt to ignore it. She walked back over to the statute taking a better look at it “Hmm…” she looked back down at the book and read through the pages “Oh Wait right here!” She looked in between the book and the statue as she read “’The Statue of the Mane Six is a national monument that was built in the central gardens of the Canterlot Castle, the six, also known as the heroes of harmony and the bearers of the elements, who used teamwork and friendship to overcome their adversaries.”
Discords gaze shot to the ground
Sunny continued reading “This team consisted of Twilight Sparkle, Element of Magic and Princess of Friendship, Rainbow Dash, Element of Loyalty, Applejack, Element of Honesty, Rarity, Element of Generosity, Pinkie Pie, Element of Laughter, and...”
“Stop!” he yelled cutting her off
She saw a flash of fear in his eye “What, why?”
“Because I...” he stopped “I...I can't” he said
“What do you mean, ‘You can’t’” she asked as she pulled a piece of string out of her bag, placing it between the pages she was reading and closed the book “What's wrong” she asked sitting next to the statue
He sat down, he couldn’t answer, he felt as if he didn’t know why she couldn't continue, but deep down somewhere inside his hidden heart he knew the reason, the true reason. “Get out” he whispered
“What?”
“Get out, leave, go!” he said his tone raising with anger
“But I...”
He stood up on his hind legs, wings out, growling, teeth bared and eyes glowing red, “I said GET OUT!” He snapped, staring her down
She jumped up, her ears flattening on her head “Discord I just…”
“OUT!!” He screamed
She turned and ran back in the direction she had came, she looked back through the tree wanting to go back but knew she shouldn’t so she gazed forward again and continued walking
He stood there, with his arms crossed over his chest, staring at the statue, tears threatening his eyes, he let out a long shaky breath before he spoke, “Hi, I…uh..I’m sorry for not visiting for awhile things…things have been pretty rough lately” he said softly his eyes falling on the ground, he waited for a response but nothing came. He scoffed “And you used to tell me it was rude to ignore others” again silence filled the air, he looked back up at the statue inhaling deeply “Look at me, I’m talking to a statue” he sighed. “Wait” he whispered, a small grin forming on his face at the realization “Ha, I’m talking to a statue” he said again, he shook his head as he laughed “I’m talking to a statue” he yelled his laughter continuing as the tears the brimmed his eyes broke through, freely flowing down his face, his laughter soon turned into painful sobs full of sorrow and grief, he fell to his knees. He buried his face in his hands as he cried “W…why am I here…” He croaked
“I don’t know,” a soft familiar voice said piercing through his sobs “what are you doing here” the voice said in a slightly sarcastic tone
His head shot up at the sound of her voice, he looked around trying to find her, even though he knew she wasn’t really there, that she had left years ago
The mare laughed “Oh poor, poor Discord, what are you doing out here, all alone” the sarcasm from the voice had grown
“Why are you here, where are you?” He asked still looking around
“You should know this, that I will never leave, no matter how hard you try to rid of me, I will always be there, to remind you of what you’ve done…what you are, the lord of chaos, a monster, no pony has ever or will ever love you” the mare taunted
“Stop it…that’s not who I am, not anymore, you’re…you’re wrong”
“Am I? You do this to yourself you know, always trying to run from your past, run from me!” She hissed at him
His breathing was very shallow, what she was saying, it wasn’t true, at least not now “No” he said softly, “No!” He said again louder and angrier, “NOOOOOO!!” He cried as he raised his claw, smashing it down on the ground below him. He was now breathing heavily, he stared down at the ground, the voice had gone but what she said had stayed “a monster” he growled he could take this anymore, she had finally broke him. He threw his head back and screamed up at the sky, a river of tears pouring from his eyes, he let out another painful breath “You want a monster,” he hissed “fine, I’ll give you a monster” he looked back at the statue his gaze landed on one certain pegasus, the element of kindness, the mare who had given him the friendship and care he didn’t deserve. He felt as if someone had just kicked him in the stomach, he turned away from the stone in an attempt to ease the pain inside him, he grinned as he finalized his thoughts, his grin grew wider as he cackled “Look out Equestria, a storm of chaos is about to brew!” His laughter rang through the garden eventually reaching another wanderer
Sunny, who was now an alicorn again, flew slowly above the tree still think about her meet with Discord when she heard the laughing come from where she once was she looked back a bit unsettled by the sudden laughter for moments before she had heard a scream of pure torture, she felt a jolt of fear hit her in the head, she flew faster in the direction of her home. She didn’t know what was next to come, but whatever it was she knew it wouldn’t be good
Sunny landed in front of the bright house and ran inside, “Guys!” she yelled, trying to catch her breath
Hitch winced as he hit his head on the cabinet “Ow!” he looked over a Sunny “What’s up?” he said, rubbing the spot he had hit
“We’re in trouble” Sunny said, making her way over to Hitch
Izzy hopped down the stairs and over to the duo “What do you mean by trouble?” she gasped “did we run out of spoons!?”
Hitch snickered at her remark “I don’t think so Izz” he looked over to Sunny, who looked unamused, “What happened?” he asked gently
“Discord” she said quickly
Izzy and Hitch looked at each other then back at Sunny “Who?” they said in unison
“Discord, Lord of Chaos, Spirt of Disharmony, not like anything we’ve ever seen before...” she was cut off by another voice
Zipp scoffed, flying overhead “You mean nothing like you’ve seen before,” she landed between Hitch and Izzy “I mean, you don’t know everything I’ve seen”
Sunny groaned “This is different Zipp, he’s and odd creature, made up of different animal parts and--”
“Wait animal parts?” Hitch stopped to think for a moment “Sunny he’s a chimera” He concluded
“Wait, aren’t chimeras part goat, part lion and part snake?” Izzy questioned
“Well, there are different types of chimeras,” Hitch explained “A chimera is a creature made up of different parts of different animals, like the cockatrice or a manticore.”
“Ohhh,” Izzy said “That make sense”
“Guys!” Sunny interrupted “We’re getting off topic here.”
“Oops,” Izzy gave a nervous laugh “sorry...”
“It’s ok, but my point is...I think Discords gone insane”
“Like scary insane?” Zipp asked
“Yes” Sunny replied
“How do you know?” Hitch asked
Sunny sighed “I saw him in the abandoned gardens by the castle in Canterlot, and I had found this statue and he seemed very bothered by it, heck if I didn’t know any better, I’d say he was afraid of it”
“He’s afraid of rocks” Zipp said “I don’t think it will be too hard to take care of him if that’s the case”
“Not just rocks, there was something about that statue that hit a nerve somewhere inside of him. He had yelled at me to leave, after I had left I heard him scream, then he started...laughing”
“No offense Sunny but maybe he was just happy that you left” Zipp said
“No, it wasn’t a happy laugh, it was a more strained, crazed laugh, like something inside him snapped” she said “he looked so broken…”
Hitch looked at Zipp then at Sunny, waiting for one of them to say something. They sat quietly for a moment before he broke the silence “Well is there anything we can do? We can go back to the gardens and try to get some answers out of him”
Sunny sat and shook her head “There no point”
“What do you mean?” Zipp asked
Sunny looked out the window “I think he’s on his way…here”
“Why would he come here?” Hitch asked
Sunny was about to answer but Izzy beat her to it, “Well from what Sunny explained, he seems like a chaotic and unpredictable creature who most likely has power over all reality…I mean ‘Lord of Chaos’ says enough by itself”
Sunny got back on her hooves “Izzy's right, we don’t know what Discord is capable of, we don’t know what were up against. But what I do know is that we need to get everypony in Maretime Bay to safety,” she looked around “wait where’s Pipp”
Hitch groaned as he smacked his hoof to his forehead “She’s at the salon doing some sort of dress rehearsal with Jazzy”
“Well, we better tell her what’s going on before that maniac gets here” Zipp said dryly
Izzy ran over and pushed open the door “Then let’s get going” she yelled back to the group
Sunny and Hitch stood while Zipp took to the sky and rushed out the door, Izzy closed it and ran closely behind them
Zipp swung through the doors and landed with a small skid “Pipp!” she yelled, out of breath she ran over to her, “Pipp we...what are you wearing?” she asked her sister, who was in a bright yellow dress, a sunflower necklace, and sun glasses
Pipp fluttered her wings “It was part of the dress rehearsal, I think it looks amazing on me, don’t you?”
Zipp sigh and rolled her eyes “Yes you do, but that’s not the point-” she was cut off as the others ran in, slightly panting
Pipp looked at them confused “What’s going on?”
“Pipp! There’s no time to explain we need now get back to the bright house now!” Sunny shouted
They all turn to the window at the sight of a bright flash follow by an ear ringing crash, Sunny again heard that crazed laughter that had been in the garden. A thunderous voice rang out from the streets “To late Starscout!”
The laughter grew louder as lightning struck the earth “Oh what to do with these precious little ponies” Discord asked himself
A strong gust of wind blew open the doors. Sunny’s eyes widened in shock; she carefully made her way to the door before being blown back by the current. Her friends quickly ran to her side, and they all pushed their way to the door
In another bright flash a creature of pure chaos appeared in front of them “Now isn’t this a fun surprise, the five ponies I've been absolutely dying to meet are all cluttered in one salon” he clasped his hands “Ah Sunny it is great to see you again” he said with a fake smile across his face
“Yes, it’s um…lovely running into you” Sunny said straightening her posture
He looked at the other ponies standing around Sunny “So, these are the friends that helped you bring back magic I presume”
Zipp flew up, meeting Discord face to face “What it to you?” she asked
Discord waved his paw and laughed “Well I just wanted to thank you for all your help”
“What did we help you with?” Izzy asked, tilting her head slightly
“Well, with magic back in Equestria, I’d like to play a little game” he gestured towards the bright house “and it all begins at your absolutely extravagant hideout”
“What’s this ‘game’ about?” Hitch said taking a step forward
“Meet me at the top of the lighthouse and I’ll explain it to you” he said before spreading his wings and taking off
Sunny quickly ran out the doors “Come on, we have to go see what he wants,” she said turning and trotting in the direction of the bright house. Her friends stood and ran after her
“What do you think this game?” Hitch asked
“I don’t know but whatever it is it can’t possibly be good” Pipp said still in her bright attire, “Ugh I really shouldn’t be running in this dress” she wined
“Pipp! This is not the to worry about dresses,” her sister called from the sky “we’re dealing with a chaos dwelling monster for crying out loud!”
“Well hold on Zipp, ‘monster’ is a bit of a strong word,” Izzy said softly “we still don’t know his motives, or what he really wants, we shouldn’t jump to conclusions so quickly”
Sunny nodded, “Izzy is right, we shouldn’t be too quick to judge others, I mean that’s how the three pony tribes got separated in the first place”
Zipp rolled her eyes “Whatever, can we try and fight this guy”
Hitch shook his head “I don’t think that would be the best idea, and anyway violence isn’t always the answer, we need to talk to him first and try to get him to agree with terms”
Zipp let out and exaggerated sigh “Fine.”
Sunny looked back at Zipp “Thank you.” she looked forward again only to see they had reached the bright house and stopped her sprint, Izzy, Hitch and Pipp crashed into her from behind and Zipp landed beside them wearing a smirk on her face “Smooth landing” she teased
Sunny paid no mind to her comment and made her way to the crystal doors. “We have to get up to the unity crystals” she said as she placed her hoof on the door and looked back at her friends signaling for them to follow her. They stood and huddled around her, pushing through the doors and quickly making their way up to the roof where the crystals were kept
As they reached the opening to the crystal room Sunny stopped placing her back against the wall and her hoof on the hanging curtain “Alright he could show up at any moment,” she slightly moved the curtain peering into the room, “Just keep your guards up girls...” she looked back over at them “and Hitch of course” she added
Hitched rolled his eyes and made his way over to Sunny “Alright, you ready?” he said holding his hoof out
Sunny glanced at him before letting out a deep sigh, tapping her free hoof with his “As I’ll ever be”
Zipp joined the duo, “Then let’s do this”
Sunny nodded and pushed open the curtain and they all ran inside; they stalked around the room looking for any sign of their intruder, Sunny turned to the crystals they seemed to be undisturbed, so she doubted Discord had shown before them, “Hello?” she called out “Is anybody there?”
Suddenly in a flash of light the lager chimera stood in front of them with a grin on his face, “Oh, finally you're here,” he said, seeming tense and annoyed “took you long enough.” he mumbled to himself before making his way over to Sunny
Sunny looked at him with anger in her eyes “Okay Discord, what’s this game your playing?!” She yelled
He stood in front of her, his smile falling for a moment before he spoke “Well, I just want to play a game of hide and seek,” he turned away from Sunny and gazed at the glimmering rainbow in the center of the room “except your little crystals are the hiders.” Before Sunny could reacted Discord snapped his fingers and the crystals vanished
“For love of Equestria! What just happened?!” Sunny exclaimed
Zipp flew to her side “What did you do to the Unity Crystals Dip-cord!”
Discord chuckled softly to himself “You know Rainbow Dash used to call me that” he whispered to under his breath
“What was that?” Zipp asked Discord with raised brow
He looked back at Zipp “Hmm, oh nothing important”
Sunny’s gazed softened at Discord statement, even though she could barely hear it. She sighed looking over to the center where the crystals once stood then back at Discord “Where are the crystals?” she asked calmly
“Don’t worry the power from the crystals is still giving magic throughout Equestria, they just aren’t giving off the little rainbow light, now all you must do is find them before your time runs out”
Sunny frowned “How much time do we have?” she questioned she was uneasy as she waited for the answer
Discord summoned a large hourglass and a marker. He wrote on the glass as he spoke “Okay, Okay, I’ll give you 48 hours, and if you can find the crystals by then I will cease my chaos and go back to my home in the gardens, but if you don’t then...let's just say I would prepare myself if I were you, just in case”
He was about to set the hourglass down to start the time before Sunny put her hoof out for him to stop, “Wait!” she yelled “The crystals could be anywhere in Equestria, how are we supposed to find them in that short of a time!?”
Discord held the hourglass firmly in his claw, “Oh yes of course, I should probably give you a hint”
Izzy, Hitch and Pipp join the three, “Yes that would be more helpful if you could give us something to work with” Hitch said standing by Sunny’s side
“Yes, I can’t just send you off into Equestria with nothing but your wits” Discord cleared his throat and locked his gaze on Sunny before continuing “If you want to find what you seek listen to what I say, something somewhere in this house will help guide your way. A gift from a friend will help save you time, and the unity crystals you will soon find. But you better find those crystals soon, because the fate of Equestria lies with you” and with that he smiled flipping the hourglass and setting down on the floor he snapped his paw and vanished before any more could be said
“Wait, what does that mean” Sunny shouted, the only answer she received was the faded laughter of her foe
Sunny franticly ran around her room digging through the piles of items that lay on the floor, Izzy helped her look while also trying to get her to calm down. The others also helped with Sunny’s panicked search
Zipp leaned over to her sister and gazed over to Sunny “How long has she been at this?” this she asked quietly
Pipp looked at her phone and back at her sister “About fifteen minutes,” she responded “why?”
Zipp flexed her wings trying to stretch them out “Because it feels like we’ve been looking for this thing for hours” Zipp complained “I mean I love Sunny, she’s one of my best friends, but we’re not going to get anywhere shoveling through this mess and I--” she was cut off by a loud crash coming from the other side of room
“Ugh, there is nothing here that can help us find the Unity Crystals, this is hopeless!” she yelled stopping her head aching hunt “We might as well just give up now because there is no way we're going to find the thing in the next 48 hours!” she said in a frustrated tone before burying her head in her hands, a golden aurora flashed around her and she again sprouted her wings and horn, she noticed the change and groaned to herself
Izzy walked over to Sunny and sat down next to her “Sunny you're getting way too worked up over this,” she placed her hoof on Sunny’s wing “I and I mean way too worked up, and thinking about giving up, that’s not our Sunny. Our Sunny wouldn’t stop until the deed is done and everyone is safe, no matter what, no matter how long it takes or who stands in her way, she would finish what she started and settle for nothing less, and she would ask for help from her friends when she needs them,” Izzy smiled before continuing “and her friends will be there for her...no matter what”
Sunny looked up at Izzy and smiled sadly
Izzy moved her hoof to Sunny’s shoulder and placed her other on her own chest, “Hoof to Heart”
Sunny followed Izzy’s motion, “Hoof to Heart”
Izzy wrapped her arms around Sunny and pulled her into a warm embrace “No matter what” she whispered
Sunny hugged her back and sighed, “Your right once again Izzy” she said softly
Izzy laughed lightly and pulled away “I know” she said with a wink
Sunny laughed along with her before they stood and made their way over to the rest of the group
“Okay guys, all this rummaging won’t do, we need a cleaner approach” Sunny said still in her alicorn form
Zipp looked over to Sunny with a smile, “Ugh, finally, we weren't getting anywhere with this. So, what's the plan?”
Sunny paused to think “Well...first off, we don’t really know what we’re looking for so before we keep looking, we need to find that out”
Hitch trotted over to Sunny “Discord said something about ‘a gift from a friend’ so that’s something”
Sunny remembered how Discord directly spoke to her as he told his riddle “A gift from a friend” she muttered to herself “hmm...Wait!” she suddenly shouted before running off to the nightstand that sat at the side her bed, her friends following close behind, “I can’t believe I didn’t think of this before!” she exclaimed as she opened the bottom drawer of the stand and pulled out a sparkling rainbow lantern, “Found it!”
She handed the lantern to Hitch, he grasped it and held it carefully in his hands, “Of course, the lantern Izzy gave you on your birthday, I’m surprised you didn’t think of this sooner” Hitch said
Sunny laughed “So am I,” she took the lantern back from Hitch and inspected it closely “let’s see how do we use this to find the crystals” she placed her hand up top of the lantern and felt it sink slightly into the wood, she lifted her hand and saw the was a small button sitting on top of her lantern “Huh, Discord must of put this so that we could harness some of its power”
Zipp scoffed at her suggestion “Why would he help us?”
Sunny shrugged “Maybe he wants us to succeed and is really trying to help?” She looked back at the wooden button and placed her hoof on top of it again. She pressed the button and suddenly the lantern flew out of her grasp, it flew overhead and a bright glowing rainbow bursted out of the wooden object. Sunny watched the floating light as it tilted on its side the colorful beam pointed out of the bright house and through the trees of the thick forest the stood far from the shore. As the lamp settled it floated its way back down to Sunny’s hooves still admitting the rainbow beam
“Welp, I’m assuming that’s where we have to go” Hitch said looking out on the distance
“Yeah, it seems so,” Zipp replied “but are we sure I mean—”
“Zipp, its fine” Sunny said cutting her off “We just need to take this one step at a time”
Zipp smiled and scoffed “You’re one to talk”
Sunny looked at the beam coming from the lantern then out to where it led “We need to hurry if we want to make it in time” Sunny grabbed her saddle bag, carefully placing the lantern inside and strapping it to her back making sure it was secure “Alright let’s do this”
They all made their way to the door and swung it open. Sunny, Zipp and Pipp took to the sky while Hitch and Izzy ran behind them and they soon made their way into the dark Everfree Forest
They all gazed into the dark, thick greenery of the Everfree Forest “Wow this forest looks terrifying” Pipp muttered
“Oh, well it can’t be that bad, it’s like a wolf in sheep's clothing, looks scary on the outside but actually really sweet on the inside” Izzy suggested
“First off, that would be a sheep in wolf’s clothing and second, I don’t think that applies to deep, dark, beast filled forest” Pipp said, as she looked sharply through the trees
Sunny stepped in front ready to take the lead “Well whatever’s in the forest, big or small, that’s where the lantern wants us to go, so that where we’re going”
Zipp flew forward and landed next to Sunny “Yeah and we'll be going through together, no creature will dare try to mess with us,” she looked over at her sister, who still seamed uneasy about trekking through the uncharted territories of Everfree. She made her over to Pipp and draped her wing over the little pegasus as she spoke “It’s okay Pippy you don’t need to worry about a thing when you have you, very brave, older sister protecting you, but if you’re too scared to go on a little stroll through the forest then there’s no shame in calling it quits”
Pipp pushed Zipp away from her and took a few steps towards the woods, “Ugh I don’t need you to protect me and besides I’m not scared, I’m…just a bit unsure about it, that’s all.” She scoffed
Zipp snickered “Okay if you say so”
Sunny smiled, now that everyone was on board, they could start their quest “Well, if we’re ready to go then let’s get going!”
Zipp grinned at her sister “After you m’lady”
Pipp scowled at Zipp’s remark “Don’t try anything Zephyrina”
Zipp groaned “Mmh, full name”
Pipp smiled as she turned and trotted ahead, her sister following quickly behind.
Pipp squeaked in fear when Zipp stepped on a small twig as the made their way in, “I thought you said you weren’t scared” Zipp teased
“You did the on purpose!” Pipp mumbled and Zipp simple laughed under her breath
They had been walking for about half an hour now in mostly silence besides the soft ringing of lantern, Sunny muttering to herself as the marked their journey through the forest on a small map and the pegasus sisters going at each other's throats ever so often
Pipp heard a soft growl coming from behind her “Ugh! Cut it out Zipp!” she snapped
“I’m not doing anything” Zipp replied, sounding genuinely confused
Hitch turned to look where Pipp was standing and his eyes widened in shock “P-Pipp, whatever you do, don’t make any sudden movements”
Pipp froze, she heard the growling again though it was more audible and now she knew wasn’t coming from her sister for Zipp stood in front of her, both Hitch and Zipp looking above her head, Pipp slowly turned around to see what loomed behind her, she carefully yet quickly moved away from the creature, all five of them now cautiously watching it as its growling got louder “That...that's a manticore” Pipp said, her voice shaking with fear, the manticore slowly approached them and noticeably keeping its eyes on Hitch
Izzy softly tapped the stallion on the shoulder “Hitch, I don’t think that it wants to hurt us, from the looks of it seems like its protecting something,” she whispered
Hitch looked back at the beast before his gaze shot to the bushes when he heard a small whine, his eyes widened at the sight “I think your right Izz,” he slightly lifted his hoof in the direction of the shrubs “look over there” he said
She followed his instructions and gasped as her eyes fell on three smaller manticores “Aw, she's just protecting her cubs.”
Hitch nodded in agreement; he looked up at the Manticore then back at her cubs. He inhaled deeply as he took a step forward
“Hitch, what are you doing?” she rasped
Izzy called back to her “Don’t worry, I think he knows what he’s doing”
The large being growled at Hitch as he moved closer. Hitch softly hushed the manticore as he stepped “It’s ok, we don’t want to hurt you,” he looked back to the bushes where the cubs sat then back up at the creature he approached “and I know you don’t want to hurt us” he reached out to touch the manticores paw, but she quickly pulled back. Hitch sat down and kept his eyes on her as he held out his hoof to her
The manticore hesitantly placed her paw on the stallion's hoof, hitch lifted his other hoof to softly stroke her paw, the manticore rested on the ground as he did so, he looked back up at her as he continued petting her paw “Hmm, I can see you’re just a mama trying to protect her babies, right?”
The manticore nodded then she pulled her paw from Hitch’s hold and walked over to where her children were, she looked at Hitch and she hummed softly signifying for him to come over to where she stood, Hitch slowly made his way over to her and her cubs he smiled at the young manticores then up at their mother, “Well now that everything is in understanding we will be taking our leave” Hitch said
The manticore gave Hitch a small lick on his muzzle before turning and walking away, her cubs running closely behind her and Hitch went back over to the others who all, besides Izzy, stood in amazement
“That was great Hitch” Izzy chirped
Hitch chuckled “Eh, it’s just what I do,” he looked down at the glowing lantern “now that we’re done with all the manticore business, we should get going” he said as he started in the way the bright beam pointed
“Yes, of course,” Sunny replied with a somewhat nervous laugh “we only have so much time, you know?”
Zipp hovered off the ground “Alright guys, enough chitchat, let's get this show on the road!”
Now they all trekked in the direction that the lantern shined in, and now the trip seemed cheerier as they all talked and laughed with one another, thought their funny would soon be cut short for a pair of small beady eyes watched them trot along, hidden away by the thick green of Everfree
Discord sat at a scratched up wooden desk in a room that would’ve been pitch black if it weren’t for the small candle that stood in place at the corner of the desk, and he held in his hand a picture frame, it was a picture of him and a buttercream pegasus with a rose-colored mane, his breath shook as he held back tears “I...” he began but he couldn’t find the words a simply I miss you wouldn’t work he wanted to say something, but he couldn’t he sighed heavily all he could do was softly stroke the dull wooden frame with his thumb, and let the tears roll down his face
“Um, Discord are you alright?” a voice suddenly called from behind him
It had cause him to jump as he shoved the frame into a drawer of the desk, he quickly wiped the tears from his eyes, keeping his back to the creature who had entered the room “R-Reginald,” he stuttered “what have I told you about coming into my office without knocking?”
The opossum made his way over to Discord and hopped up onto the desk “I know, and I’m sorry to bother you sir but I was just in the forest, and you’ll never believe what I saw!”
Discord rolled his eyes “So, what did you see?”
“I saw five ponies, four mares and a stallion, heading in the direction of the cottage, and the stallion even calmed a manticore, not only that but the manticore had cubs! Now that’s not something you see every day and once I saw it, I ran back here as fast as my paws could take me and--”
Discord cut him off “Wait, five ponies?”
“Yes, saw it with my own two eyes” he confirmed
Discord growled “Where’s Tabby?”
Reginald laughed nervously at his sudden anger “Oh...um...well he’s...he’s...somewhere?”
Discord’s growl became louder “Where. Is. TABBY!?”
“I should probably go find him, huh?” Reginald asked
Discord gave him a stone-cold gaze then looked off at the wall
“I’ll taking that as a yes,” he jumped off the desk and ran over to the door “I’ll be back” he yelled behind him before scurrying off and down the hall
Discord snorted and again growled under his breath, he looked down at the drawer he had stuffed the photo in, he reached down, opened the drawer and pulled the frame out again, he looked down at the item he held in his hands, he shook his head and set the picture face down on the desk, he laid his head in his hands and softly sobbed to himself, he wanted to see her again, more than anything else in the universe but he knew he couldn’t, he knew that not even he could bring her back, but that didn’t stop his longing for her
Reginald quickly ran in and out of each room of the cottage as he called out Tabby’s name until he had eventually stumbled across the large brown tabby cat sprawled out on his back, “TABBY!”
The brown tom looked over at the screeching opossum and laughed “What's up Reg, stressing over some missing mushrooms again,” he flipped over onto his stomach “I swear I didn’t take them this time”
“Don’t call me that,” he said walking over to him “and no I'm not missing any mushrooms”
Tabby stood and stretched out his back and front paws letting his claws unsheathe with a loud yawn “Then why did you have to coming into my room screaming like the house is on fire?”
“Because Discord is asking for your presence” Reginald said as he rubbed his temple
“What? Why?” the tom questioned
“I don’t know but he seemed pretty angry” he replied
“Well, we better not keep him waiting,” Tabby said moving towards the door “you know how he gets when he’s mad”
Reginald sighed “Yes, and all too well” he ran over to Tabby’s side, and they made their way to Discord room
The brown cat looked over at the small opossum and he could tell something was wrong, he nudged his companion in the side to get his attention “What on your mind” he asked
Reginald shrugged “I just...I really wish we could help Discord; I mean he’s aways so sad or angry all the time and even though he tries to hide it we see, I see it, from the stories that have been passed down all those years ago, he used to be happy, he used to smile, he used to laugh, what happened that made him how he is now? We can’t help him if we don’t know what's going on, I...I just want him to be happy again”
Tabby gazed at the ground “I don’t know if that’s possible Reg, Discord like this because he lost so much, I mean his wife passed over a thousand years ago-”
“And he’s still not over it?!” he yelled cutting him off and stopping his slow trot "Sure he’s lost someone, but look how much he’s gained, he has the sanctuary, he has us! And that’s still not enough for him!? Why can’t he just forget about her?! Why does he worry so much about some stupid pony who died over an eternity ago?!”
Tabby walked over to his upset friend and placed a paw on his shoulder “I know you hate to see Discord this way we all do, even if this is how we’ve seen him our whole lives, and I know you want to do something about it but there's nothing we can do, I-I’m sorry”
Reginald again started walking towards Discord’s room “It just doesn’t feel right, leaving him like this, it feels like we’re abandoning him, like we’re giving up on him, and even if there’s no way to help him, I still don’t want to leave him alone”
Tabby followed in the direction he was heading “And were not, we are not ever going to leave him alone, not even after death, we'll be there for him even if he doesn’t get better, we will not leave him”
Reginald smiled sadly at the tom “Yeah, I guess so, and I'm sorry for yelling it was uncalled for”
The cat nodded “It’s fine Reg, just hope Discord didn’t here you...he’s...he’s a bit sensitive when it comes to the mentioning of his lost lover”
The two continued their walk down the hall until they eventually reached the door of Discords office, Reginald reached out his paw and knocked on the door and after a few moments of silence they heard a mutter from the inside “You may enter.”
They both crawled into the room quietly and stopped once they were fully in the room, they looked up at Discord, who's back was to them, and Tabby was first to speak “Y-you wanted to see me sir?”
“Yes,” he stood up and turned to face the two, looking the large cat in the eyes “now tell me Tabby, what did I ask you to do for me earlier today, hmm?”
“You asked me to hide the crystals” he replied
“Well, have you seen the crystals?” he asked
“Yes” he answered
“And did you do that task for me?” he said
“Yes” the tom replied again
“Really? Then tell me, WHY ARE THOSE MEDDLESOME PONIES HEADING HERE?!” he shouted
“Oh, uh well that's because I hid the crystals in the tunnel maze that goes through the mountain in the everfree, not too far from here” he said
Discord took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself down before continuing “Ok...I’m not...I'm not mad...I just need you to...” he paused to think of what he could do “I need you to go find Hazel, and chase those wondering ponies out”
“Yes sir, right away sir!” he said quickly before turning to run off
“Wait.” he said before the cat had exited out the door
“Yes?” he asked
“The stallion…well uh, he can…apparently…understand animals…so watch what you say fur boy, you tell him any information that he don’t need to know and I will it hesitate to pull out the clippers and shave you to the skin!” he told the tom
“Y-yes sir” he said, getting the last word and heading out the door
Discord turned back to his desk and sat in the wooden chair placed in front of it his back now to the opossum that still stood in the room, Discord reached over to the picture frame that laid face down on the desk, he held the frame carefully in his hand and again started stroking the wood of the frame with his thumb, Reginald leaned over and looked over Discord’s shoulder, he vaguely saw the photograph the draconequus grasped onto as if his life depended on it but his focus was broken when he heard a choked sob coming from the chimera
“D-Discord are you okay?” Reginald asked softly
Discord threw the frame onto the desk and slammed his hands down on the edge of the table digging his claws into the wood “Does it look like I’m okay Reginald?” he hissed
The opossum took a step back “I-I’m sorry” he said, though he knew the creature that sat in front of him wouldn’t ever hurt him he still felt uncomfortable and even a little scared being alone in the office with him, especially in the state
Discord sighed heavily “You have nothing to apologize for...” he grabbed the photo again “I just...I’m so tired...”
Reginald's ears perked up at this “Oh, well, you were up pretty late last night, though I know you prefer work through the later hours of the night-”
“No Reginald,” he said cutting him off “that's not what I mean...I mean I’m tired of this, of living this cursed life, tired of being alone...I don’t want to go on and yet there's nothing I can do, I...” he couldn’t continue, his built-up emotions had swelled over him, and he broke down in tears covering his eyes with his hand and resting his elbows on the desk, Reginald ran over and jumped onto his desk
Discord didn’t stop he just continued his hysterical sobbing, his insides flooding with painful emotion, his body shaking uncontrollably “I...I...I” he tried to speak but through his sobs he could barely breathe “I miss you...I miss you my love...please come back...I miss you please...I want you back...I need you back...please...PLEASE!!!” he pleaded
All Reginald could do was wrap his small paws around Discord arm trying comfort him, but his efforts didn’t succeed as Discord’s sobbing carried out through the hours that they sat in the office in a tight embrace
Tabby hopped across the yard and into a large cave hidden behind the trees, inside the cave slept a relatively small bear, with a light brown colored coat. Tabby stood in the entrance of the cave looking down at the bear “Hazel” the tom whisper, trying to wake her up
Her ear flicked which gave the cat a sign she could hear him “Hazel,” he said with a slightly louder tone of voice “I know you can hear me”
The bear grumbled softly “Yes, I can, and I'm trying to ignore you” she shifted to lay on her side, facing away from the tom
“Well, I wouldn’t advise that” he said impatience creeping into his tone
“Oh? And why is that?” She asked sarcastically
The Tom sighed heavily “Now I know what Reginald feels like,” he rasped under his breath before turning his attention back to the bear that laid in front of him “Discord, has a job for us…and it’s important” he told her
“If it’s so important then why didn’t he come and asked me himself?” She spoke
“He’s…all I know is that he can’t come down here and that he sent me to ask you” at this point Tabby was started to get annoyed with the young bear
She groaned loud before rolling onto her stomach and rising to her feet “Alright, alright I’m up, what does Discord need anyway?”
“There are five ponies, heading here as we speak, and we need to...push them in the right direction” he explained
“What do you mean ‘the right direction’? Why don’t we just chase them out?” she asked
“It’s...a long story, that I would be glad to tell you, but we don’t have time! And besides, I'm not the best at explaining things,” he admitted “now come on, I have a plan” and with that he turned and trotted out of the cave, Hazel following closely behind
Hazel made her way out of the cave and looked down at the determined tabby cat, “Alright, what's your plan”
Tabby smirked “Alright here what were gonna do”
After a minute or so of explaining from Tabby, Hazel finally spoke “Ok, let me get this straight, you're going to do a whole monologue for a stallion who can supposedly understand us and on my que I jump out and chase them towards the mountains, because there are magical gems that power pony magic and they have to find them in the next 36 hours (about 1 and a half days) or else?” she asked summing up the plan
“Yes” he responded
“Or else what?” she said
He shrugged “Beats me, all I know is that there on a timed run”
“And were doing this instead of letting them find it themselves because...?” she asked
“Well, Discord doesn’t want them snooping around the cottage” he replied
“And?” she pushed, a grin appearing on her muzzle
The tom rolled his eyes “And Discord threatened to shave me” he mumbled
The bear snickered at his statement “Really? Wow that is just brutal...I know how much love your fur”
“Don’t you mock me baby bear” he snapped
“Ok, sheesh, don’t get your tail in a knot” she replied
Tabby growled before he made his way to the side of the cottage “Ok so you know your que?”
She scoffed “Of course, you go out their put on you little show then when you say, ‘to late’ I pop out and send them running for the hills,” she laughed “well, mountains, but same thing”
“Ok now all we have to do is lie in wait” he said
She looked out and through the thick green of the forest. She pawed at the cats back careful, as not to hurt him with her large paw “Not for much longer” she whispered
Tabby gazed in the same direction as the bear only to see the ponies they had been waiting for
“Is that them?” Hazel questioned
“Yes, it is” he confirmed, he stretched his arms and shoulders and looked over to the newcomers “Alright, it’s show time!”
Five minutes earlier
Sunny looked up from her map and saw a small source of light through the trees “Hey guys, looks like we’re almost out of the forest” she yelled behind her, she sped up her pace and the rest followed, they eventually broke through the bushes and into the light and the sight they laid their eyes on left them in shock, an old cottage that seemed to be withering away, rapped in vines, twigs and flowers dancing around the scenery, where they stood held a beautiful piece of history. Sunny went to take a step forward but stopped when she heard a growl come from the side of the cottage
Hitch looked over to where the sound had come from trying to see if the was anything there, soon the large tabby cat had jumped out from the shrubs and started to hiss and yowl at the group
Sunny looked back at the Stallion “Hitch, what is he saying?!”
“He’s telling us to run? I-I can't tell, he’s going too fast!” Hitch said
The cat then whipped around and started hiss in the direction he had came
Hitch cocked his head “too late?” he repeated
“What does that mean?” Pipp asked
Suddenly the brown bear had broken from the bushes with a loud roar, and started charging at them
“RUN!” Sunny screamed and with that they all bolted in the direction opposite of the charging bear
Tabby jumped up onto the bears back as she ran by, tightly holding onto the fur on her neck “Hey! Watch the claws!” she yelled back at him
“Sorry” he said loosening his grip, the two continued running until all five ponies were back in the everfree. After a few moments of waiting Tabby let out a sigh of relief and rest on Hazels back “We did it, at this rate they should find the crystals in no time!”
Hazel chuckled “Glab I could save your fur Tabby”
“Ha ha, very funny” he said sarcastically
This just caused her to laugh even more as she turned back in the direction of the cottage, “They still have time too, with also have to put in to play that those mountains are one of the greatest mazes we’ve ever seen” she said
“Discord said that those ponies are pretty smart,” he answered “they should be able to find their way, and besides they still have the magic lantern, we did our part, now they just have to finish theirs”
“You know for a house cat your pretty wise” Hazel said
The tom laughed “Aw, that’s the nicest thing you’ve said to me all day”
“Don’t get used to it kitty cat” she said
He smiled and rolled his eyes “Oh don’t worry I won't”
“Good”
They both laughed as they made their way back to the cottage to tell Discord the good news
