Hearts and Hooves Day

Hearts and Hooves Day

Chapter 17: Monday Night Chaos

BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ!

My ears picked up the sound of my alarm clock going off. Opening my eyes, I rolled over to the side of my bed to face the clock and sat up. Squinting as I try to get my vision focused, the clock read 5 AM, which is always my usual wake up time when I have to get up and get ready for work. Like before, I have an hour to get breakfast, get dress, and catch the next Friendship Express to Canterlot so I can make it to Equestrian Gem and Loan.

I got out of bed and shut off the clock. Stretching my body a bit, a thought came to my mind about today's activities. First of all, I know there's a bowling game tonight with my Earth Brothers and that I have to be there before 8pm so I can register to play along with the team. On the other hand, the idea of going to MacIntosh Hills came swarming into my head as my primary choice. Last night, it was a total disaster as to find out what Daryl has been doing behind everyone and everyponies back. I asked Twilight Sparkle if we can go to the area where Glow Light was but the Princess of Friendship warned me that MacIntosh Hills is home to the Ice Trolls and that if anyone or anypony tried to make their way to their territory, the handcuffs will come next. The only said way to go such a restricted area is if I had written permission from royalty and a valid reason as to why I need to. Hell, I could write them that I need to go see whether Glow Light or Daryl were telling the truth or their secret conversation with their lanterns proved that they are plotting something dangerous. Plus, find out who the mastermind or accomplice is, which is a “she”. What kind of species is “she”? Unicorn, Earth Pony, Pegasus, Griffin; whatever. Whoever or whatever it is, I need to get an explanation ASAP.

After my stretches, I go to the closet to grab my Equestrian Gem and Loan uniform, shoes, and pants. Once I got those items in my hands, I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and freshen up. I have to look presentable for Mr. Gold Bar and for the customers inside the store.

After about 30 minutes of getting everything ready and leaving my apartment, I arrived an hour later to Canterlot via train. I stepped out of the passenger car carrying my lunch bag and proceeded to exit the station to the streets of Canterlot. Going the same direction I took like I did yesterday, with the intersection and passing town square, I found Equestrian Gem and Loan with a long line waiting in front of door. I counted 4 Earth Ponies, 5 Pegasi, 8 Unicorns, and 3 humans standing patiently as I approached the double glass doors. I knocked on the door to see if anyone or anypony inside can allow me in. My watch told me that I have about 15 minutes to clock-in and for the store to be opened at that time. I knocked again but as of yet there was no answer. I know the employees are in the store since I've been doing this for two years but never had they ignore my knockings before. What's keeping them so long?

Finally, I saw someone...or should I say somepony, approaching the doors. It was Silver Dollar and he was holding the store keys via the use of his magic. He inserts the key into the slot and unlocks the lock. Once I heard the click go off, Silver Dollar backs off from the doors and I proceeded to enter by pushing the left glass door.

“Good Morning, Frank.” Silver greeted.

“Morning, Silver.” I replied. “How's it going?”

The silver coated unicorn locks the door behind him and trots with me to the main show floor of the pawn shop. “Nothing much. We are about to have a meeting with all the employees and staff members. My dad, as always, will be on our flanks if we goof off today and not make any sales.”

I nod as I listen to Silver's last comment. “I know that. It happens all the time when we are not that busy.”

The main floor, as expected after hearing my asst. manager, had everybody and everypony standing around in a circle waiting for Mr. Gold Bar to be present. I got into the circle as I stood next to Lake and his co-worker Travis while Silver Dollar went around the counter to the door that leads to the back office of the pawn shop. I believe he's going to get his father and we can start this meeting already. Therefore, I have enough time to count my register and clock in before the store opens.

Within a few seconds, Mr. Gold Bar emerges from walking out of the door along with Silver Dollar. He gets into the middle of the circle and clears his throat. Silver, on the other hand, stood by near the jewelry counter with my register tray filled with money.

“Listen up, everyone!” Mr. Gold Bar announced on the main floor. “Today, I expect everyone and everypony to be as busy as possible. It may be Monday, which might be a slow day, but I don't care! I want all my pawnbrokers to sell and make deals! Warehouse workers, I want you to move inventory from out of the warehouse to the show floor if we have enough room or to fill up empty shelves! Window team, finalize all transactions and keep records! I don't want any mishaps on your behalf. Bodyguards, protect my store at all times. If you have nothing to do, then clean or stock up! I want no laziness around my store! If I catch you not doing anything, you will be written up and sent home! Understood?!?”

All of the staff members, including myself, all nod at the instructions from the owner. I head over to the counter where my tray is and took it over to my register. As I placed the tray in the register, I began to count the money as I heard the sound of hoof steps approaching.

“Frank Archer, my boy!” The light orange Earth Pony said with glee.

“Hello, Mr. Gold Bar.” I replied as I finished up my count.

“Frank, I know I can count on you to make me some great deals today. Am I right?”

“Yes, sir. You knew from day 1 when you hired me that I never messed up on anything when it comes to ponies and humans pawning or selling their items. All I have to do is my let my brain and skills do all the talking.”

“That's right, Archer. That's exactly what I want to hear. Keep up the good work and you will be this close to being a candidate to be an asst. manager for my shop.”

My eyes opened up widely in astonishment. “Really, Mr. Gold Bar? Asst. Manager?”

“You bet!” He replied by raising his right hoof up while feeling proud. “Just don't let me down and don't worry about clocking in. I got it all covered for you. Oh, and don't tell anyone or anypony about this because they'll feel jealous. Understood?”

“Yes, Mr. Gold Bar! I won't you let down and thank you for clocking me in.”

He nods and trots away to his office in the back. Once he did, one of the bodyguards went to the double doors and unlocks both of them. Once every employee in the store were at their designated position, the customers came filing in. Some headed towards the Layaway and Redeem windows while the other half were on the show floor looking around at the merchandise. I took a deep breath and waited for my first customer of the day to approach me. This is going to be a long day but hopefully not a hectic one.

I took a lunch break around 12:30pm. So far, my day at Equestrian Gem and Loan is going well. I did at least make a lot of sales and striking deals to pawn off items for several ponies and a few humans in the store. I even had Granny Smith coming by to purchase a brand new walker since her old one was so rusty and useless. She was even accompanied by her grandson Big MacIntosh and granddaughters Applejack and Applebloom as they had a bit of a conversation with me about the upcoming Hearts and Hooves Day Ball coming this Saturday and asking if I would like to be interested in buying their apple based food like pies and cake. I told them I would love to and that I'll see them there when I can. After the Apple family left, Applejack asked me to tell Josh that she said 'Hi' and that 'she misses him.' I told Applejack that I will once I see him sometime this week or maybe tonight.

I went into the break room and grabbed my lunch bag from the freezer. I sat at one of the four, round tables in the break room and unzipped my bag. In it contain a cheese sandwich, an apple, and potato chips. I also just remember that I forgot to buy the chocolate candy from the grocery store that I went to last week when I helped Aloe...and before I met Daryl. Oh well! I'm not too crazy about it so I'll just eat what I got.

I began to munch on my red, delicious apple as I sat down thinking of what to do next. Right before a thought came to mind, the top corner of my eyes caught my co-worker Lake coming in. He walked up to the table where I was sitting at.

“Hey, Frank!” He said as stopped his approach a foot away. “You got some visitors waiting for you on the show floor.”

I cocked an eyebrow in confusion. “Who?”

“Some guys who are twins and another guy that's Asian.”

I didn't need to answer anymore questions as I knew who my visitors were: the Pooler Twins and Xavier Shou, my Earth Brothers. However, what exactly do they want at this time? Are they supposed to be working or do they have a day off today? Whatever the case, I guess I should see them before I go back to my shift.

I got up from my chair, walked towards the break room door while thanking Lake for informing me. He nods and headed towards his left to the door down the hall which leads to the warehouse in the back. I go through the office door and onto the show floor. As expected, th store itself was pretty busy with ponies of all kinds waiting in line at the Redeem and Loan and Checkout windows. The bodyguards were patrolling the floor as they kept their eyes on each every customer for any sign of suspicion. As for the rest of the employees, they are doing exactly what Mr. Gold Bar instructed earlier from the meetup this morning. Nobody and nopony is being lazy around the store and that everyone and everypony is either helping customers, stocking, or cleaning. I pretty much will do the same once my break is done.

I looked towards my right and spotted Bradley, Brandon, and Xavier waiting for me near the front entrance. I got out from behind the counter and approach my three Earth Brothers; all three of them with disappointed looks on their faces.

“Hey guys,” I greeted. “What's going on?”

“We need to talk.” Xavier said. “Come with us outside.”

All three of them turned their bodies in unison and opened the front doors to the outside. I didn't bother to ask why so I just followed them to the outside of the store for this so called private conversation.

The four of us stood outside with the weather being at estimated 65 degrees. I should have brought a hoodie but that's just aside the point. Xavier stood in the middle of the twin brothers as they looked at me with their eyes forming half crescent moons.

“So what do you guys want to talk about?” I asked.

Xavier unfolded his arms set them to his side. “Richard came to work and he told us while we were clocking in that you made a visit to him last night.”

“...Yeah.”

“And he told us that you went to see Princess Cadance and told her about Daryl when Dean told you not to.”

I let out an annoyed sigh. “Seriously? Now, you guys are jumping the band wagon on this?”

“We're not just jumping the band wagon,” Bradley spoke. “We're pissed off at you!”

“For what?!?” I shrugged.

“For being a baka!” Xavier spoke. “You basically can't keep your mouth shut for one second and you want to go tattle tale to the royal family about Human #61 hurting his marefriend, that can send all of us back to Earth!”

“Guys, Look! Nothing happened! Okay?!? Yeah, I did tell on Daryl and Cadance didn't do anything. However, I still believe Daryl is hiding something that he won't tell and whatever it is, it could be somewhere in MacIntosh Hills!”

The twins and Xavier wide eyed on I mentioned MacIntosh Hills.

“MacIntosh Hills?!?” Brandon took a step to my personal space. “Dude, that place is a deathtrap! Those Ice Trolls will bash your brains in with rocks and icicles if you step foot in their territory!”

“My brother has a point, Frank.” Bradley agreed.

“GUYS, LOOK!” I huffed, nearly losing whatever sanity I had left. “I GET IT! I GET IT! I GET IT! You don't want me to go to MacIntosh and get killed! Cool! Fine! Awesome! That's all folks! IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU NEED?!?”

“Yeah, there's one thing,” Brandon answered. “Show up at the bowling game tonight. We can't lose against the Grundles like last time. We lost by two pins in overtime.”

“Sure, I'll be there or I'll be squared!” I singsonged in a goofy manner before returning to my normal tone. “Now can I go inside and eat my lunch?”

My Earth Brothers didn't respond but they turned their backs to the left and began to walk away from the pawn shop grounds. Xavier, on the other hand, decides to let out one more message to me.

“You better show up, Frank!”

I responded by saluting an index finger to my forehead as the three continued their trek. I turned myself around and walked back inside the pawn shop to finish up my lunch break.

After working seven hours at the pawn shop and boarding the train for an hour long ride back to Ponyville, I arrived at my Rolling Hills apartment. Today's work went well without any incidents that happen after Xavier and the Twins made their appearance. I'm just glad I didn't have to deal with any customers that had serious issues, problems, or anything that made me lose my temper nor the managers with their foolish antics.

I opened the door to my apartment and went inside. Heading towards my room, I set my lunch bag down on the bed and began to undress out of my uniform. Setting my work clothes aside, I go to my dresser and pull out a pair of blue Nike shorts and put them on so I can get comfortable. I go back into the living room and turned the TV on to Video 1. I feel like playing a video game to pass the time before the bowling game later with the rest of my Earth Brothers. Besides, I only have five hours to spare before I go. So I'll be playing video games for two hours while cooking homemade french fries with a grilled cheese sandwich on the side.

I go to the kitchen, took out a bag of frozen fries, and took out a plate from the cupboard. I opened the bag and put at least 50 pieces of fries on my plate so I can set it to cook in the microwave for 8-9 minutes. Once that was done, I headed back to my room and went inside my closet. Right underneath my winter clothes, I pulled out a large, white plastic tote labeled GAME SYSTEMS (CONSOLES), right next to a smaller tote that read GAME SYSTEMS (HANDHELD). I opened it up and found my systems that I told Princess Celestia to fetch for me back on Earth when I moved: NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, Sega Dreamcast, Nintendo 64, PS1, PS2, and Nintendo Gamecube. Out of all the systems, I picked out my N64 with its controller and wires next to it on a pile of other wires and controllers that are kept together with rubberbands that belong to each console within the tote. After that, I reached underneath my bed and pulled out one out of the three bed size, plastic totes with the words VIDEO GAMES (CONSOLES [NINTENDO]) written on the lid. I opened it and thought about what game I should play for tonight.

Consisting of twenty N64 games inside the tote, I decided to play a racing game that my little brother and I loved playing back then: Destruction Derby 64. I took the game, the console, and accessories to my living room, where I disconnected my PS3 from my TV and replace it with the N64. Once I had everything all setup with the wires, controller, and game; I went back to the kitchen to cook my grilled cheese sandwich and get my fries out of my microwave.

After a few minutes of cooking, I took my plate of food, set it on my coffee table, and sat on my armchair while grabbing the controller. Once the Start Screen appeared on my TV, I pressed the Start Button on my controller. I chose an Exhibition Race with Car 222 and Terminal Impact race track as my selection.

“WELCOME TO TERMINAL IMPACT!” The race announcer spoke once the selection screen transitioned to the game's rules. I took a bite of my sandwich and set it down on my plate as the screen transition again to the start of the race.

“3...2...1...GO!!!”

With one of the best music tracks booming through my TV speakers, I hit the gas and off my car went, trying to pass and collide with other drivers racing up north. Not only that, I end up colliding with another set of drivers coming down the opposite direction on the same exact track. Meanwhile, not only do I have to watch my car's health when it comes to colliding with other cars, I have to reach each checkpoint to get more time and try to be first place before my car explodes.

I took three pieces of fries and munch on them while keeping my eyes focused on the game. Car 222 entered my favorite area of the track: the service area with the parked plane. I see Car 18 coming down in front of me, which means he's going to ram me head on. I gunned the engines and went for it.

Until...the screen went blank! Then, a familiar gray, furry face with red eyes appeared on my screen!

“HIYA, FRANK!”

I jumped out of my seat, nearly yanking my N64 off the TV stand by pulling my controller while gasping in horror and landing back in my armchair. Thankfully, my food wasn't harmed during my sudden shock of terror and the game console is fine.

I shook off my sudden terror and stared back at the TV screen and realized who it was: a familiar draconequus with a horse-like head, deer antler on the right of his head, a blue goat horn on his left, a goat beard, and a fang sticking out.

“Discord?!?”

The king of chaos took a few steps back in the blank void and stood in the middle. He raised his right, eagle claw and snapped his fingers, revealing the Destruction Derby selection screen with the cars again. Then, he snapped his fingers again and magically appeared right in front of my TV with another N64 controller.

“Playing my favorite game without me?” The draconequus said, faking his sadness.

“What are you doing here, Discord?” I questioned him. “And how did you get inside my apartment?”

Before I was able to get an answer, Discord snapped his finger again and appeared right in my kitchen. He opens up the fridge and takes out a can of soda pop. Next, a swirly straw appears out of nowhere and he inserts it inside of the can he drinks the cold beverage. Then, in another flash, another armchair, similar to mine but with foam cushions popping out of makeshift holes, appeared right next to me with Discord lounging on it with his drink and controller.

“Don't you remember what today is Frank?” Discord asked me as he sips his drink.

“I...I...don't recall.” I replied. “All I know is that it's Monday and I know that back on Earth, a new episode of Monday Night Raw is on and my brother, Jason, is watching it and I'm not watching it with him!”

The king of chaos gives me an odd stare and blinks, follow by a moment of silence.

I sighed and shook my head. “Never mind.”

“Actually, Frank,” Discord sat up and threw his can in a trash can that just magically appeared in front of him. “Today is just not only Monday...”

While looking at my TV screen at the game and heading back to the Main Menu, a magical ball of light exploded right in front of me revealing a calendar. The month, of course, is February of this year with the date being the 9th, which is today. On the calendar were written notes by Discord that included certain events from last week that led up to today. Events from last week include:

• Tea time with Fluttershy at 11am

• See Celestia, Luna, and the R.A.S at Filly Delphia at 2pm

• Visit human #48, #111, #119, and #16 between 3pm - 5pm

• Dinner with Fluttershy at 6pm

In a blink of an eye, Discord materialized into the calendar as a tiny pencil, sketch outline “...Today's the day that I make a visit to your place once everyweek.” Discord explained as his lion paw pointed at today's date on the calendar with the statement “VISIT HUMAN #142 UNTIL 9pm” written on it. “Just like how Celestia and Luna check on the other humans, I more so do the same except socialize and have fun. Don't you even the remember the last time I was here?”

“Yes, I do.” I realized as I remembered a similar event last month. “You showed up and nearly glitched my copy of Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf. I almost had a heart attack the moment you popped up unexpectedly as a 16 bit Churchill Crocodile and blew up my Apache. I was trying to save a stranded MIA Soldier, you know?!"

“I was only trying to provide air cover from those ZSUs.” Discord said as he had a face of shame, followed by puppy eyes.

Another snap of the claw fingers and the calendar and Discord vanished in front of my eyes, only for Discord to appear once again right next to me in his armchair again.

“So...shall we play Bomb Tag Now?!?!?” Pleaded Discord, while batting his eyes like a girl. “PPPLLLEEAASSEEE?!?!?”

I let out an annoyed grunt. “Ugh...fine. We'll play Bomb Tag.”

The draconequus jumped out of his armchair in pure joy. I personally didn't care since Discord had requested Bomb Tag multiple times whenever he came over for visits. Any other game in my collection that is for two players or more he cared less about whenever I tried to persuade him into trying. Like last year in December, after Hearth's Warming, I offered that we play Power Stone or Marvel vs Capcom 2 on the Dreamcast. In the end, Discord brushes them off and insist Destruction Derby 64, which disappointed me a bit since both of the games were classic. Then, the next month, he came by again and I insist we play Mortal Kombat 2011. Guess what? Discord called the game “boring” (don't ask) and grabs the same game as always and that we play Bomb Tag for the zillionth time.

This whole thing reminds me of my brother back on Earth when he kept bragging about playing WWE'12, which is a WWE game I wasn't a fan of since I prefer the older titles (except Smackdown vs Raw 2008) but nonetheless, like Discord, I played it and had fun with it. However, at the same time, I just got bored playing the same match type over and over again. I wonder how WWE'13 and WWE'14 are holding up back on Earth and I wonder if Jason likes them, even though deep down inside I know he's still worried about me since I disappeared to Equestria.

I selected Bomb Tag and chose the same car like before. Discord flipped through the selection of vehicles and he chose the Blue Demon. I selected the Ground Zero arena, which happens to be Discord's favorite track of all time. Once we were ready, I pressed start.

“WELCOME TO GROUND ZERO!” The announcer said outloud through my TV speakers. The game began with a horizontal split screen showing me on top while Discord is at the bottom. The goal of Bomb Tag is that one of the cars, between Players and CPUs, has a bomb rigged and the only way to win is to bump, or tag, another player so that the opposing vehicle has the bomb. Then, you have to run and hope you don't get tagged by the opposing vehicle. Once the bomb goes off, the vehicle is eliminated and the game continues until one car is left standing.

“PLAYER 2 HAS THE BOMB!” The announcer warned Discord as he drove erratically around the track trying to tag a CPU car. Beads of sweat pour down his face with his teeth clenched tightly. “SOMEBODY GET RID OF THAT BOMB!”

Miraculously, Discord tagged a car and he was bomb free. He sighed in relief and relaxed in his armchair. I, on the other hand, was too busy making jumps around the ramps and bumping into other cars.

“So tell me, Frank,” Discord spoke while keeping his eyes on the screen. “Whatcha been up to? Found a special somepony yet for the Hearts and Hooves Day Ball this Saturday?”

“No.” I replied while playing and driving my car away from a random vehicle holding the explosives. “I didn't find my special somepony yet.”

“Oh, why not? You must have somepony in mind for the ball. Somepony that fits your qualities of what you're looking for.”

“I told you: I don't have one! I don't have ti...”

“PLAYER 1 HAS THE BOMB!” The announcer interrupted me in mid-sentence.

“Crap!” I screamed as I frantically try to tag another CPU car.

“You don't have crap?” The king of Chaos said all confused as he cocked an eyebrow.

I paused the game and looked at him. “No! I don't have time to search for one and besides, I have very important things to think about than just searching for a special somepony or a chosen mate.”

Discord sat his controller down on the floor. “What kind of important things?”

I know I can't make up a lullaby to cover up everything since Discord has a way to get inside my head with his magical powers. That alone is kind of like how Princess Luna read the minds of everyone and everypony whenever she ventures into their dreams as they sleep. Therefore, no secret is kept hidden in anyway, shape, nor form.

I put my controller down and stood up from my armchair. “Mind if I ask you something, Discord?”

“I'm all ears.” He replied. “What do you want to know?”

“Do you know a human by the name of Daryl Blackburn?”

The draconequus blinked at my question. He raised his left paw up and placed a finger on his chin as he ponders. “Hmmm...let me check one second.”

Out of a nowhere in my living room, a small file cabinet appeared right next to the lord of chaos. Discord pulls the cabinet to reveal a long drawer of files, each of them marked with numbers and names of every resident around Equestria, including humans. He must know a whole lot, I say.

Discord checks the names under “B” for the individual I was referring to. “Hmmm...lets see...Blackburn...Blackburn...Oh, here it is! Daryl Blackburn aka #61. I do in fact I know.”

“So I noticed.” I said. “When was the last time you made a visit at his home?”

“Well...I believe it was two weeks ago on Tuesday.” Discord recounted. “I went to his home where I had a nice salad dinner that his girlfriend, Aloe...”

“Marefriend!” I corrected him. Though, hearing the word “girlfriend” before Aloe's name had me choke on my saliva.

“Yes! Aloe, his marefriend, made this wonderful, scrumptuous dinner that I happily ate as we talked about today's current events before Daryl had to get ready for work later that night.”

I crossed my arms. “Did you witness anything suspicious that happen between both of them? Was Daryl being rude and cruel to Aloe?”

The draconequus cocked a left eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

“Was Daryl breaking the Human/Equine Law in front of you?”

“Heavens no! Daryl is a well respected man that loves everyp...”

“Oh, please!” I nearly snapped as I raised my arms in the arm. “I heard that before from Lotus and Dru last week and Princess Cadance and Twilight are coinciding with Daryl's innoncence!”

“Wh...What do you mean?”

Before I was able to give him an answer, a thought came to mind. I am currently speaking with Discord, who has magical powers and has the ability to summon anything in front of him, no matter what. Earlier this morning, I was trying to think of a way to get to MacIntosh Hills so I bring evidence to Cadance and Twilight Sparkle that Daryl and Glow Light are behind some sinster plot. More so, I can found out just who the so called “her” is that Glow Light mentioned during the secret conversation. Plus, it will explain why Aloe is being pushed around and treated like shit by her boyfriend behind everyone and everyponies back since I'm the only eye witness to it.

Wait a minute! The bowling game with my Earth Brothers! I know I made a promise to them that I'll be there. Looking at the time I only got one hour and ten minutes to be at the game before they become worried or suspicious or angry as to why I didn't show up. I have to make a decision quick so I can balance everything out.

“I'll tell you what, Discord,” I said. “I'll explain it if you would please do me a favor.”

“And that is?” He asked me with curiousity.

“You have the power to summon hot air balloons, right?”

Discord blinked. “Umm...yes! Why?”

“Because I need you to take me to MacIntosh Hills!”

Youtube Video

A loud airhorn blew my ears off inside the apartment. It was so loud like I was standing near the engine turbines of a Boeing 767 that's ready for takeoff. Thankfully, I was able to cover my ears with my hands while screaming pain and shutting my eyes tightly.

When the sound was over, I opened my eyes to where the airhorn noise came from: Discord. As expected, he was carrying an air horn that somehow appeared out of nowhere in his lion paw. Seeing as though he felt guilty that he nearly made me deaf, the King of Chaos drops the airhorn to the ground, where it vanishes in a small flash of light to another dimension.

“My apologizes, Frank,” Discord spoke. “However, I must ask: WHY IN EQUESTRIA'S NAME WOULD YOU WANT TO GO TO MACINTOSH HILLS?!?”

“My only reason,” I began to explain as my hearing recovers. “Is because that there is something hidden up there but I am not entirely sure what is.”

Discord cocked an eyebrow. “What?”

“Like I said: I'll explain it if you can bring a hot air balloon to the outside on the 1st floor. Then, I'll go change into my blue, heavy down jacket with a beanie hat and tell you while we're walking downstairs. So therefore, you can assist me on finding some evidence somewhere around the mountain range. Okay?”

“We?”

“Yes, we! I need you to come along with me!”

“Hold on!” Discord argued as he crossed his arms. “There's no way I'm getting involved in this. I can get into serious trouble if I did something this absurd with you!”

“Then maybe I should let you know that something bad is about to happen in Equestria if I don't take action. Better yet, the both of us won't be able to alert Ponyville, Canterlot, Filly Delphia, and every other city there if 'she' comes.”

Discord unfolded his arms and tilted his head back a bit. “She?”

“Once more,” I repeated. “Help me out and I'll tell you when we get there.”

“Well...” Discord pondered. “I really do not want to violate rules that had been authorized by the R.A.S. and the Royal Family. I fear that Princess Celestia, Luna, and Queen Faust will hate me if I help you get pass restricted areas.”

“We're not gonna get caught!” I told the draconnequs, giving him a sense of reality. “We'll be back in an hour so I can get to my bowling game and you can continue with your schedule.”

“BUT WE'RE GOING TO GET KILLED BY THOSE ICE TROLLS!” Discord protested.

“But you have the magic of chaos and you can use that as a defense to protect us. Now, I'm going to go and get ready. Just bring the balloon and have it set outside. All right?”

A moment of silence filled the living room. All Discord do in response was rolled his eyes and snapped his claw fingers again. This time, he was completely dressed with a red jacket, white ear muffs, and blue gloves. I nodded in response and headed towards my room to get my jacket and other items for me to protect myself from freezing temperatures.

With one and five minutes remaining until my bowling game, Discord and I stood outside the apartment complex. Right on the sidewalk in front of us is the hot air balloon that the draconnequs summoned. Inside the basket were two shovels, two pick-axes, a First Aid kit, two high power torchlights, two metal detectors, and a bag of glow sticks. All of these items were brought up by me as I asked Discord to make them appear earlier after I got dressed. As a bonus, I brought my Kodak Easyshare Camera for any sort of evidence to show Princess Cadance, Twilight Sparkle, and pretty much everypony that Daryl and Glowlight were, in fact, hiding something in MacIntosh Hills or who knows what the both of us will discover.

“All set, Frank?” Discord asked me.

“Ready when you are.” I replied.

“By the way, Frank. If we make it back out alive and not get creamed by those Ice Trolls, you owe me one.”

I raised an eyebrow and turned to look at him. “Huh?”

“You promise to give me Destruction Derby 64 when we come back?”

I stared at him and shook my head slowly. “That game is irreplaceable.”

The Lord of Chaos clenched his tweeted and gives me an angry look. “Fine! I'll just send everything bac...”

I shot my arms forward in defense. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, no, no, NO! Okay, okay. You can have it...but that's only after we come back.”

The draconnequs changed his attitude from angry to delighted. His face now shining brightly (literally) with puppy eyes and tears flowing. “Ooohhh, thank you, Frank! Thank you! Best gift ever!”

I sighed. “Lets just go and I'll tell you the whole story between Daryl, myself, and what led to this on what we're doing.”

Discord nodded and hops into the hot air balloon basket. I went ahead and did the same while keeping a tight grip on the edges. Using his magic, the balloon lifted up to the night sky above Ponyville and began to sail to our destination.