Chapters I'm not a fan of puppeteers,
But I have a nagging fear
That some one else is pulling at the strings.
Discord was curled up on a cloud near Fluttershy's bed. His first friend, he had chosen to live with her instead of on his own. Discord hoped that by doing this, Fluttershy's other friends would grow to trust him more. He sighed. Angel was snoring, and he couldn't fall asleep.
Discord rolled over and stared at the moon.
"Hm... That's funny. I swore that I just saw a shadow pass in front of the moon," he murmured.
"That's because you did," a voice said. A hoof covered his mouth as he was about to call for Fluttershy to wake up. Two more hooves covered his eyes, but something about them didn't seem right. As soon as they had arrived, the creatures were gone, and so was Discord.
The first light of a new day streamed through Fluttershy's window. She yawned and stretched, still under the covers, and stared at the ceiling. Discord was usually up by now, gathering carrots for Angel.
"Good morning, Discord," Fluttershy called. No reply came. "Discord?" She looked at his cloud beside her bed where he would wait for her to wake up after feeding angel.
"Oh no..."
Derpy was wandering through the skies on a clear morning, searching for her husband. Dr. Whooves was probably in his lab at home, doing who knows what.
"I need a muffin..." she muttered.
Derpy paused to think. Only when it was too late did he realize that she had stopped flapping her wings.
"Uh-oh!"
Derpy plummeted towards the ground, her eyes focusing only for a moment for her to realize that she was falling. She squeezed her eyes shut and prepared herself to hit the ground.
"Derpy! Were you thinking about muffins again?"
Dr. Whooves voice was right in front of her muzzle. Derpy opened her eyes. Her husband had caught her in a tractor beam that kept her from crashing into the ground.
"Sorry, Whooves. It's my eyes. When a Pegasus has crossed eyes they can forget to flap their wings. But I would like a muffin."
"Derps, you can't keep doing that! Dinky needs you."
Derpy nodded.
Whooves seems worried about something. I wonder what's wrong, Derpy thought.
"Dinky!" Derpy called to her daughter. "Dinky, where are you?"
Derpy continued to call to her daughter as she went inside to get a muffin.
Dr. Whooves was outside with Dinky. The filly was galloping around the yard, chasing butterflies. Dr. Whooves chuckled. His wife, Derpy, would love to watch this.
A flash of light that only his sensitive eyes could see took him to a vision. Discord was on the loose, and using his magic for evil. A horrible feeling crept into his gut. Discord was reformed! Surely he wouldn't want to hurt Fluttershy! Discord was a bit of a trickster, but this didn't feel right.
"Great Scott!" he muttered. "Dinky! Get inside!" Dr. Whooves commanded his filly.
Dinky obeyed quickly. Dr. Whooves heard a scream and looked up to see Derpy falling from the sky, her wings faltering as she tried to regain flight.
"Oh, Nightmare Moon! Derpy!"
He caught her in the tractor beam and set her down carefully. She talked to him, then went inside for a muffin and who knows what. But Dr. Whooves couldn't help but wonder if Discord was really Discord.
"Something terrible is going down Through the entire town Wreaking anarchy and all it brings."
Dr. Whooves slowly walked up to the door. His insecurity increased each time a hoof hit the ground. Seconds felt like hours to him now, knowing that not only his, but all of the lives in Ponyville were at risk. Tentatively, he lifted a hoof and tapped on the door. The Princess herself opened it.
"Greetings, Dr. Whooves. I am assuming that you have made a major discovery since you have come all the way to Canterlot!"
Dr. Whooves bowed low to the ground.
"Yes, Princess Celestia. I fear that Discord has been corrupted."
"Corrupted? How can this be so?"
"I don't know. But it seems to me that Discord isn't really Discord. After all, why would he want to hurt anyone that Fluttershy is friends with for fear of hurting Fluttershy?"
"Dr. Whooves, there is no one that can entirely duplicate Discord. Leave me now, and come back when you have proof."
"Yes, your Majesty."
"What do you mean 'Discord escaped'?!"
"Please, Rainbow Dash, calm down."
"Calm down? Fluttershy, Discord's escape is a disaster! How can you expect me to calm down?"
"Hey! What's goin' on here?"
"Discord's escaped! And it's Fluttershy's fault!"
"Woah, there, Nellie! It's not Fluttershy's fault."
"Thank you, Applejack."
"Applejack!"
"Rainbow Dash? What's going on?"
"Great! You've attracted more people!"
"Me? Get real, Applejack! Twilight was following you!"
"Girls! What's going on?"
"Rainbow's blaming Fluttershy for Discord's escape!"
"Discord's escaped? Oh, no! We're dead! My dresses are going to be destroyed! Oh, Fluttershy, how could you let this happen?"
"Rarity, it's not Fluttershy's fault!"
"Are you sure, Twilight?"
"Of course she's sure!" somebody giggled behind them.
Everybody turned to stare at Pinkie Pie walking into the middle of the group.
"Seems to me like all of you need a SMILE! So what if Discord's escaped?? We can laugh and have fun anyway! Then we can go and stop him."
"Pinkie Pie, you..."
"Make a good point," Applejack interrupted Rainbow Dash with a glare. "We should just calm down, have a laugh or two, and then stop him."
"Agreed. Pinkie Pie, what do you have to cheer us up?"
"I don't want you to go."
"I know, Derps. I don't want to go either, but I have to. Princess Celestia doesn't believe me. And if it keeps you safe I'm all for it."
"I want you to stay here."
"I can't Derpy. I'll be home as soon as I can. I won't leave you. I promise."
Derpy carefully kissed Dr. Whooves. Tears glistened in her eyes as she looked up.
"Keep it together, Derps. Dinky needs you."
She nodded.
"Be careful."
"I will. Good-bye, Derpy. I love you."
"I love you too."
I can't sit idly, No I can't move at all I curse the name, The one behind it all!
Dr. Whooves trotted at a steady pace to where his vision showed Discord. His hooves were aching, but he had to keep going.
"Don't stop, Whooves. Derpy and Dinky's lives are counting on you."
The farther he trotted, the more anxious and worried he became. What if he was wrong? Would Celestia banish him to the moon?
It was then he realized what was going on, but he stumbled on a stone and tripped into a pile of leaves and was swept up into a tree. Dr. Whooves struggled and pulled at the tight ropes, cutting one of his hooves. A heavy feeling came over him, and he detected the faint scent of a certain chemical.
"Chloroform..." he muttered weakly. With that being said, Dr. Whooves passed out and didn't awaken for two days.
