Discord's Reign

Chapters

Ch.2 Summer Sun Celebration
Ch.3 Sweet Emotions
Ch.4 Head Games
Ch.5 Long Tall Twilight
Ch.6 The What If Mare
Ch.7 Idols & Anchors
Ch.9 Purple Hearts
Ch.10 Busted
Ch.11 Darkly Dreaming Discord
Ch.12 Set In Stone
Ch.14 'D'-Day
Ch.15 Us & Them
Ch.17 The Alpha Zone
Ch.18 G Minus
Ch.19 Calm Before The Storm
Ch.20 Heart of Darkness
Ch.21 Honesty & Kindness
Ch.22 Laughter & Generosity Pt.1
Ch.23 Laughter & Generosity Pt.2
Ch. 24 Loyalty
Ch. 25 Endgame
Ch.1 Rainbow's Dash
Ch.8 Shipwrecked
Ch.13 Head In The Clouds
Ch.16 Mac The Knife

Ch.2 Summer Sun Celebration

DISCORD'S REIGNChapter 2- Summer Sun Celebration

The day of the Summer Sun Celebration had finally arrived, and everypony in Ponyville was excited about the impending day and night of festivities. Princess Celestia had once again chosen their small town to celebrate with her subjects and the royal court. This news was enough to send Twilight into obsessive cleanliness mode as she made sure every book, sculpture, shelf and ladder had been straightened, dusted, polished and greased respectively.

"She'll be here any minute Spike! Is the food ready?" she asked frantically dusting her bust of Starswirl the bearded for the fifth time.

"Yes Twilight. You know she won't care if the library isn't spotless! We've cleaned this whole place top to bottom twice!" he protested.

"Everything has to be perfect Spike!" Twilight snapped, "This is royalty we're talking about here! She has the power to send us to the dungeons if she wanted to!"

"And when was the last time you heard of Princess Celestia sending anypony to a dungeon?" he asked, arms folded. He had long since tolerated Twilight's manic behavior when it came to the princess, but this time he had had enough.

"Don't use your fancy dragon logic on me! Just keep clean-"

She was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"It's the Princess! How's my mane?"

"Fine."

"And my tail?"

"Fine."

"And my-"

"Twilight! Answer the door." he said calmly pointing toward the knocks origin.

"Hello Princess, how good of you to stop by!" she said bowing in welcome, as the magnificent alicorn stepped into the library with Luna and her bodyguards in tow.

"Think nothing of it. No visit to Ponyville would be complete without seeing my faithful student!" she said happily as Twilight guided her toward a table of orderves Spike prepared.

"Please, you must be famished from your journey from Canterlot." Twilight said motioning with her hoof toward the table.

"Thank you Twilight, it looks delicious." she said as Twilight turned to princess Luna.

"How have you been since Nightmare Night Princess Luna?"

"We-I have been well Twilight Sparkle. I trust you and your skittish companions are doing the same? I also must remind you, that Luna will do."

"Yes P-... I mean Luna. Please help yourself to anything you like." she said offering the same thing she offered her sister.

After a short brunch, the princess settled onto a large cushion and addressed her entourage.

"Guards, leave us. I must speak to my student privately."

With a quick nod, the two pegasi excused themselves to guard the royal chariot outside.

"While I do enjoy our visits, munching on carrots and sipping tea is not why I'm here." she said as a lump formed in Twilight's throat.

'What could she want alone...with me?' she thought nervously as her highness continued, Luna looking rather disinterested in the whole situation.

"What's on your mind?" she asked timidly.

"I have had an uneasy feeling as of late...I can't quite place what it is...but it nags at me when I find myself idle. It's an impending dread that creeps into my thoughts...as if some catastrophe will soon befall us, and I don't know if I'll be able to mitigate it." the normally parental alicorn admitted to a quite shocked Twilight. Why would she be this open to her? No more than one of her millions of subjects?

The young unicorn was taken aback by her honesty, taking a few seconds to gather herself in response.

"I...see..." she stuttered to break the silence and give her more time to think of an appropriate answer.

"I tried to tell her Nightmare Moon was no more Twilight, but still her feelings persist." Luna added taking a sip of her tea, still with her look of apathy across her regal features.

"I couldn't tell anyone in the royal court. If word spread of what I have revealed to you, it may cause a panic among the subjects. I trust what I have said will not leave this room." Celestia added in a serious tone Twilight was unfamiliar with.

"Yes Princess...you have my word. I don't know of any omens or myths that coincide with our current month. I don't mean to second guess your feelings, but there are no tensions between nations, and no monsters that I know of threatening our borders...No real evidence of any impending disaster..." the studious pony trailed off, hoping the royal alicorn wouldn't be angry at her being dismissive of her feelings. She sighed in relief.

"Perhaps you're right Twilight. I have been under a lot of stress lately...This summer sun celebration will be just what I need to relax. Thank you for putting my fears to rest." she said, a smile returning to Twilight's lips as the Princess stood from her cushion, Luna following suit.

"I look forward to celebrating the summer solstice with you Twilight. Thank you for listening to an old mare's rants." Celestia said sincerely, Twilight bowing as she strode toward the door.

"Not a problem at all Princess!" she said smiling warmly at her, "Thank you for the visit."

Once Celestia had left, Spike and Twilight breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief.

"What do you think the Princess is worried about?" Spike asked eating what was left on the table.

"I don't know Spike...It's not like her to be concerned over nothing." she wondered, eating a few leftovers as well.

"Maybe she's just stressed out. I can't imagine how hard it is to run a kingdom." Spike added jumping onto her back.

"I hope so. I'm getting really tired of disasters."

"Well then lets go have some fun!" he said as she trotted out the door and into the festive town for a little relaxation and Big Macintosh's apple cider.

Twilight met up with Fluttershy and Rarity in the town square as everypony in Ponyville danced to the live music on the stage. The Princesses oversaw the festivities, flanked as usual by their royal guards.

"Twilight! You look positively radiant this evening!" Rarity complemented as she strode up in a jeweled scarf she had spent all night making.

"Thanks..." she said distracted by looking for somepony in the crowded square.

"Thats a great scarf Rarity! You make it yourself?" Spike asked from Twilights back, staring blissfully at his crush.

"Why yes Spike, it is rather nice isn't it?" she said proudly, the only reason she had complemented anyone in the first place was so that it would get noticed.

"Um...Twilight...who are you looking for?" Fluttershy asked timidly, noticing how preoccupied she was acting.

"Huh? Oh! Nopony...just seeing who's here is all. Anyone seen Applejack or Pinkie Pie?" she asked quickly changing the subject.

Spike rolled his eyes. He knew who she was looking for, but he was promised under pain of death to never reveal the lucky stallion's identity to anypony.

"Applejack's selling her apples, and Pinkie is helping Ms. Cake move cupcakes of course." Rarity answered, finding it odd Twilight had forgotten that detail after having done this for four seasons now, "The same thing they do every year."

"Right...what say we go get some of that apple cider?" she suggested walking toward the large cask in the center of town, guarded by one of the stallions to keep the fillies and colts from getting into it.

They trotted over to the cask and ordered up a shot of hard cider for each of them. Fluttershy politely refused hers, giving it to Spike.

"This is your one for tonight Spike!" Twilight said as she and Rarity slammed their drink, the warmth of the fermented apples tracing their necks and warming their bellies.

Rarity shook her head to try and ease the burning in her mouth as she sharply inhaled. Strong drink warrants this kind of reaction, Twilight twisting her face as the burning of ethanol faded, leaving only the smooth apple finish. Big Macintosh was good at only a few things. One of those things included distilling a fantastic, yet stiff apple cider. Spike noticed whom Twilight had been previously searching for and sat forward on her back, whispering in her ear. Her ears shot straight up as her whole body stiffened in apprehension, causing Spike to tumble off her back. She whipped her head around and saw her stallion. The enigmatic and reserved, Big MacIntosh.

"Looks like he's coming this way!" Spike whispered teasingly, grinning with excitement. He always got a kick out of watching Twilight's normally well calculated and rational demeanor crumble whenever he came around. She was paralyzed by indecision.

'Oh no! He's coming this way! What do I do? What do I say? Ugh...why does he do this to me?' she thought frantically. Before she knew it, he was standing right next to her.

"Hello there Ms. Twilight." he said gently, his calm personality a stark contrast to her own proactive one. She smiled at him and blushed, having lost herself in her inner monologue without having thought of something meaningful to say.

"Hey Big Macintosh..." she cracked, much to her embarrassment, adding to her already crimson cheeks.

He smiled at her, but she wanted nothing more than to shrink up and disappear. Spike was behind Fluttershy's leg barely containing his laughter, a huge grin plastered across his face.

"Are y'all enjoyin the festival?" he asked earnestly.

"Very much so." Rarity answered, "You did a great job on the apple cider as usual."

"Aw shucks...thank ya kindly..." he mumbled with a slight blush, though to anypony else it was invisible beneath his red coat.

Rarity flung her scarf over her shoulder in hopes Big MacIntosh would take notice.

"That's a mighty fine scarf ya have there Ms. Rarity." he said as he poured himself a cup full of his hard cider.

"Oh, this old thing?" she said smiling flirtatiously at him, "It's just something I whipped up at the last minute."

"And please dear, call me Rarity."

Twilight felt a weight drop in her stomach when she noticed her friends flirting with her crush.

"You're lookin' pretty this evenin' Ms. Fluttershy." he said merely adding to Twilight's uneasiness.

"Oh...well...thank you Big Macintosh...I hope you didn't mind, I haven't had any of your hard cider...but I'm sure it's delicious..." she said softly, blushing furiously at his complement.

"No ma'm, I brewed a special batch for those who'd rather not partake of spirits." he said rolling a much smaller cask out from beneath the bar with his hoof.

"Care for some?" he asked, easily lifting the heavy oak barrel onto the bar and twisting in the tap.

"I suppose...if there's no alcohol." she said as the bartender produced for them five glasses.

"To a long summer." Mac cheered as they all enjoyed the smooth yet spicy taste of his soft cider.

"That is good! Big Mac, your cutie mark should have been a still!" Spike said finishing his entire glass in one gulp, a small burp producing a tiny jet of blue fire. The workhorse smiled as he rolled his special cask back under the bar for safe keeping.

"T'was nice seein' y'all, Ah'm gonna help Applejack with the apple stand. You ladies enjoy your evenin'." he nodded as he walked toward where his sister had a steady line of customers. As soon as he left, Twilight regained her wits.

"You know Twilight, you generally engage those you admire in conversation if you want them to notice you." Rarity said almost smugly. Had she really been that obvious?

"What? I don't 'admire' Big Macintosh! He's just Applejacks brother! I've never said more than two words to him!" she snapped defensively, only further proving Rarity's point.

"You can say that again..." Spike chimed in jumping back on Twilight.

"Dear, do you really think I can't see the signs? I'm a fashion designer for goodness sake, I know infatuation when I see it! It's nothing to be ashamed of Twilight. I can certainly see the appeal." she added looking wistfully into the crowd he had entered, "A big, strong stallion who isn't afraid to work hard for his bits, or his mare! It almost sounds like a romance novel!"

"C'mon Twilight...even I could tell there was something wrong with you." Fluttershy said trying to coax her friend out of hiding her feelings. The normally quick witted unicorn hung her head in defeat. Apparently she was that obvious.

"Will you guys please not tell anypony?" she asked softly.

"Of course dear, your secret is safe with us. Now what you should do is build up your courage, and go talk to him." Rarity advised.

"Talk to him? You saw me just now! I can't get more than a few words out, and the ones I can get out generally aren't very seductive." Twilight sighed in dismay. She had read every book in the library about romance, relationships, even the art of seduction! But as soon as Big Macintosh came around, it was like she had forgotten all of that. Butterflies filled her stomach and no amount of magic could alleviate the feeling.

"Oh Twilight, you aren't trying to seduce him!" Rarity laughed at her suggestion, "You just want to get comfortable talking to him! Seduction is for later. All you want to do now is figure what he likes, what really makes him the stallion you find so enamoring." she explained as the sun sank below the hilltops. "The rest will come after."

"Okay...but I'm going to need a bit more courage." she said ordering another round of hard cider.

As they drank, the Wonderbolts performed with Rainbow Dash in their formation, pulling off every stunt perfectly and wowing the crowd with their incredible aerobatics. They cheered for their friend as she finished up her performance and landed near where they were standing in her blue uniform and goggles.

"Did you guys see that! The Wonderbolts! And me! Performing! Together!" Rainbow squealed, her unparalleled excitement evident in her voice and fragmented sentences.

"You were amazing Rainbow! So how does it feel to have flown with the Wonderbolts?" Twilight asked, her friend only responded in a girly squeak.

"It was everything I've ever wanted! They're all so cool! I'm never taking this uniform off!" she said, still on cloud nine as the moon finally rose.

"How do your wings feel?" Fluttershy asked, remembering her injury from the airshow.

"They hurt. So much. But that doesn't matter because I flew with the freaking Wonderbolts!" she exclaimed, hugging them all tightly around the neck.

"I'm gonna go catch up with them, see you guys later!" she said trotting over to where the other stunt fliers mingled.

After a few more drinks, Twilight was feeling pretty courageous (if not just a teensy bit intoxicated), but still had some doubts about talking to her crush.

"What if he doesn't go for me...I mean I'm just a nerdy unicorn who lives in a library."

"Twilight Sparkle! You are most certainly not some nerdy unicorn!" Rarity insisted, pushing her towards where he was last seen as Spike stayed behind, "You are a scholar, and gifted in magic, any stallion should thank his lucky stars if you even speak to them! Now you trot over there and spend some time with Big MacIntosh!"

"Good luck Twilight!" he called after her as she disappeared through the crowd.

'Okay...hey Big Macintosh! Great cider! No, we just talked about how good the cider was...umm...maybe...scoin' on Big Mac? No! this can't be as hard as I'm making it!' she thought as she walked through the crowd trying to find him, but to no avail.

"Hey Twilight!" a country accent called from behind her. She had unwittingly walked right passed Applejack's stand, though she was sold out of apples.

"Hi Applejack! Business was good?" she asked noticing the empty cart.

"You bet! Sold every last one! Spike said you were lookin' for Big Macintosh, he's over there by that tree." she said pointing to a small field on the edge of town with a solitary tree in the middle of it with her hoof. A silhouette of a stallion laying on his back on a blanket in the grass gazing up at the stars visible under the tree.

'I am going to seal that dragon's mouth shut!' she thought to herself as her friend pointed her in the right direction.

"Thanks!" she said with fake gratitude. She turned away from Applejack and took cautious steps toward her crush, as if she was approaching a sleeping hydra.

'Okay Twilight. You're just gonna talk to him. Find out what he likes. You just have to be cool.' she thought to herself as she continued her steady walk.

'Who am I kidding, I've never been cool in my life!' she somehow couldn't stop her hooves from progressing forward toward her secret crush. Big MacIntosh heard hoofbeats behind him and craned his neck and saw what he thought was his sister.

"Ready ta head back ta th' farm?" he asked.

'The farm? He wants to take me back to the farm?!' Twilight thought to herself in complete shock. She was not expecting him to be this forward. When he didn't get a reply, he turned his head to get a closer look at who was behind him, and saw that it was Twilight.

"Oh! Ah'm sorry Twilight, Ah thought you were Applejack." he admitted embarrassed, raising himself up on his forelegs.

"Oh that's okay! I'm sure the farm is lovely..." she repeated back to him before she found herself staring at him and smiling in embarrassment. As they both looked at each other, Twilight panicked.

'Say something! Anything!' she begged herself, lest Big MacIntosh think she was completely nuts.

"Somethin' Ah can help ya with, Ms. Twilight?" he asked breaking the solid ten seconds of awkward silence.

"Uh...yes and please, Twilight is fine..." she said, managing to string a group of words together that made sense.

"Okay then Twilight. What is it?" he asked genuinely interested, still propped up on his forelegs.

"What is what?" she asked, completely forgetting that she had just told him he could help her with something.

"The thing Ah can help you with?"

"Oh! Um..."

'Think quickly Twilight! You're losing him! Say something you know he likes!'

"Apples...?"

She went beet red with embarrassment as her ears flattened. If it wasn't already dark, her face would be as crimson as Big Mac's fur. If she wasn't in front of him she would have put her hoof over her face in shame.

'Very smooth...' she thought, having convinced herself that he now thought beyond the shadow of a doubt that the young unicorn was off her rocker.

"Ya want me ta help you...with apples?" he asked raising a confused eyebrow.

"No...I got tired of dancing and wanted a place to rest, I saw this field and came over..." she said, even though it wasn't the truth.

'That wasn't so hard now was it?' she thought to herself as she made out a smile on the stallions face, sliding over on his blanket.

"That's fine. It's a beautiful night out tonight. So long as ya don't mind sharin' a blanket with a workhorse like me."

On the outside she was calm, but on the inside she could buck for joy! She couldn't believe the thing she had been stressing over all night was as easy as that!

"Thanks." she said laying down next to him, looking up at the stars as he did. After a few seconds of silent stargazing she decided to say her next group of carefully planned words.

"So what are you doing in a field out here by yourself?" Normally the red stallion was a pony of few words, but he found something very accessible about Twilight, something he couldn't quite place, but made her easy to open up to.

"Well...Ah brewed a new batch of extra hard cider I'd made for the occasion, but Ah didn't want to pass it 'round without testin' it first." he said tapping his hoof on a mason jar full of amber liquid to his right.

"Ah would have got up to greet you, but this stuff has made walkin' a bit tougher than I s'pected."

She leaned over him to look as it glistened in the moonlight, about a third of it already gone.

"Care to try some? I gotta warn ya now, this ain't for the faint of heart." he added as he passed the jar and set it between them on the blanket. She could barely stand to swallow the regular hard cider he brewed. Extra hard cider? That seemed like a tall order, but she certainly didn't have a faint heart! How bad could it be?

"I guess I could try some...just to let you know how it is." Twilight reasoned as he unscrewed the top and she lifted the jar with her magic, bringing it to her mouth. The smell alone burned her nostrils as she took a tentative taste on her lips, then a short gulp, and instantly regretted her decision. Her eyes began to water immediately as her gag reflex nearly brought it back from her throat as she forced what she could only assume was liquid fire back down to her stomach. She almost dropped the jar as her concentration was broken by what she imagined was how Spike felt breathing fire. Her tongue flopped out as she gasped for air, trying to get fresh oxegen into her still burning mouth.

"Ahh! How can you drink that!?"

Big MacIntosh's face was holding back a grin in the moonlight as he finally couldn't contain himself.

"Ah...Ah told ya...it was...strong!" he said in between gasps of laughter. At first she was upset, but then the ethanol began to relax her mood as she too, began laughing.

"Ah'm sorry Twilight...I shouldn't be laughin'." he admitted as he set the jar back beside him and put his head back down.

"It's okay, I didn't think it'd be that bad..." she said, putting her head back down beside his. His inhibitions long since lowered, Mac decided to drop a rather forward hint.

"You came from Canterlot didn't cha?" he asked.

"Yeah...The Princess sent me here because I didn't have any friends there. Said I had to make some here, and send her reports on the magic of friendship." she answered matter-of-factly.

"Really? I'll bet you had your pick of stallions there huh?" he asked, watching her face to see how she would take this veiled complement. She nearly laughed at him, but managed to keep herself in check as she answered.

"No...I didn't really get out much. I spent most of my time studying." she said sheepishly, "Hard to believe, I know."

"You know..." he started. He was really going to be up front (by his standards) with her now. He took a deep breath and turned his head to look at her as she still gazed at the stars. The way her mane fell around her head and neck mesmerized him as he almost forgot what he was going to say. "Mares as pretty as you shouldn't stay inside all day..." he said as she turned her head to look at him, their faces only inches away on the blanket. She blushed heavily and let out a nervous laugh. Inside her mind however, she was ecstatic!

'He thinks I'm pretty! Me! Pretty!' Twilight tried her best not to break out in the goofy smile she was barely containing on the inside. At that moment, she felt a strange urge, one she had never felt in the presence of another pony before. She wanted to kiss him. She was certain it was the cider talking, and she wouldn't have even thought of trying that tonight before this very moment, but something inside told her to go for it. She inched forward right as he turned his head to face the sky again, she found her lips pressed against his warm cheek, feeling it grow even warmer as he blushed. In consolation, he put his hoof onto hers as she rested her head on his shoulder.

'Well Twilight, you blew it. Great job.' her ecstatic mood was swiftly crushed. Luckily she only had a few seconds to believe this was the case before Big MacIntosh put her fears to bed.

"Ah'd be lyin if Ah said Ah didn't like you Twilight...but we've both been drinkin'. Ah can't rightly take advantage of you like this. But Ah'll tell you what. How bout Ah take you out to a proper evenin' on the town, and we see where that ends up?" he offered, his sense of honor only working in his favor to increase his chances with Twilight. He turned on the blanket to look into her soft sapphire eyes, something he wouldn't mind finding himself lost in. She smiled in response, the heat from her face still present in her red cheeks. No stallion had ever treated her like this before. She could definitely get use to the feeling.

"I'd like that..." she whispered back to him, snuggling up against his warm shoulder as he rested his head on top of her own affectionately.

"You won't believe this, but it took me four hits of this here for me to get up the courage to come talk to you and your friends." he said tapping with a hoof on the lid of the mason jar containing the liquid fire.

She couldn't believe it. He had to work up courage to talk to her?

"I guess we have your cider making skills to thank for this then don't we?" she said rubbing her cheek against his shoulder as he still held her hoof gently. Even she was amazed with how forward she was being with him. She would never have dreamed yesterday that she would be where she found herself tonight, sharing a blanket with someone who genuinely returned her feelings.

"I suppose so. Now what can you tell me 'bout these constellations?" he asked as she gazed back toward the brilliant night sky.

"Well...that one's Orion...There's Perseus...That's Gemini...Look!" she said extending her free hoof toward the sky tracing it's path. "There's a shooting star!"

"Wow! You better make a wish!" he said as she quickly did.

"Well?" he asked looking down at her.

"Well what?"

"What'd you wish for?"

"I can't tell you! It won't come true!" she said back as he turned back to face the stars.

"Alright then...What are those four stars 'round the moon there?" he asked pointing them out.

"Those...are...I'm...I'm not sure what those are. I don't remember any stars being around the moon last night..." she said, wondering why what she was seeing felt so familiar.

"Big MacIntosh! You over there?" Applejack shouted from her fruit stand, now all packed up and ready to be pulled, only waiting on the stallion to pull it.

Mac lifted his neck up and saw his sister's silhouette against the still brightly lit town square.

"Well, looks like Ah've got some work to do." he said standing on his still wobbly legs as she stood with him.

"Are you coming back out?"

"Probably not. Ah've got a lot of chores in the mornin'. But don't think Ah didn't enjoy our time." he said smiling warmly at her, giving her stomach a whole forest full of butterflies. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek before he galloped to his sisters cart, the one act of his affection threatening to make her knees too weak to support her.

"You forgot your...blanket." she said, though he was well out of earshot.

"I guess I could hold on to it." Twilight said throwing it over herself as she walked back toward town. She caught sight of Applejack and her brother having a rather heated argument, though she could only catch snippets of their conversation from her distance.

"...Don't you go doin' that to her. Ah mean it Applejack! She's your friend..."

"...You tell me what to do! I'm just tryin' to look out for..."

"...Older than you! Ah don't need nopony lookin' out..."

She took a few steps back toward the town square before she was confronted by Applejack, whom she was certain was just a good twenty feet away.

"Oh! Hey Applejack. Having fun?" Twilight asked innocently as she was met with an inquisitor's stare from the earth pony.

"Yeah. Havin' fun with my brother?" she asked accusingly.

"We were just laying in a field looking at constellations. I guess it was kind of fun..." she admitted.

"What is this about exactly?" Twilight asked getting rather defensive to her friends stare.

"Nothin'...I just want to make sure you know what you're gettin' into." she said not dropping her serious expression as she left, heading back to the cart Big Macintosh had already begun pulling down the road. Twilight was utterly confused by her friends behavior. She was still somewhat in shock when she heard Appleblooms voice from near her hooves.

"So you like my brother huh?" she said looking up at her with a smile instead of a glare.

"Who told you that?"

"Spike."

'I am going to send him to the moon for this.' she thought angrily to herself as Applebloom continued with a giggle.

"I'm just kiddin' Spike didn't tell me. No mares ever spent time with him like you did. Anypony with eyes could see how nervous you get 'round him. And don't worry about Applejack, she's just over protective is all." the filly explained as Twilight breathed a sigh of relief, though somewhat concerned that even fillies could read her like the books she loved so much.

"Applebloom! Git a move on! It's way past your bedtime missy!" Applejack yelled from down the street.

"I gotta go...See ya later Twilight!" she said running off to join the rest of her clan. Twilight found Rarity, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash all seated outside in the town square talking while Spike was passed out on the table.

"Twilight! How did it go? You simply must give me every detail" Rarity insisted as she sat on a vacant bale of hay.

"It...was amazing! He said I was pretty!" she said overjoyed that someone she liked had returned her feelings, her cheeks still red from his complement a good fifteen minutes ago.

"Who did? I feel like I missed something." Rainbow protested, still in her Wonderbolts uniform with her goggles up on her forehead, making her rainbow mane stick out at random angles.

"Can we?" Rarity asked, eager to tell their clueless pegasus friend of how well her advice had worked.

"Everypony will find out eventually..." she sighed as Rarity began.

"Our dear friend Twilight here has a crush on a certain eligible bachelor, and you'll never gue-"

"Big MacIntosh?" Dash interrupted.

"How does everpony know about this already?" Twilight asked putting her hooves on the table.

"Come on, he's like the only unmarried stallion our age in town!" Rainbow replied.

Just as Twilight was about to respond, the moonlight illuminating the town began to fade, drawing a simultaneous gasp from every pony still awake. Everypony in the square looked to the heavens as the four stars Twilight had seen around the moon earlier seemed to swirl into in its surface as a dark beam of energy shot from it down to somewhere in Canterlot, creating a rather sizable ball that rose up in the distance before dissipating. The music stopped as the ponies talked and speculated on what they just witnessed. Twilight looked to the Princesses as Celestia whispered something to Luna, then climbed aboard her royal chariot and headed back to Canterlot. Princess Luna stood on the table and addressed the worried crowd.

"Citizens of Ponyville, there is no reason to be alarmed. Princess Celestia is on her way to investigate the mysterious event that just took place. I command thee, continue celebrating." everypony still stared at her, uncertain of what to do. Luna narrowed her eyes, knowing the old fashioned way to get subjects to do her bidding.

"I said CELEBRATE!" the lunar princess commanded, lightning striking behind her as her eyes glowed white. They all went back to what they were doing as Luna took her seat between her bodyguards with a satisfied smile.

'I hope this wasn't what the Princess was worried about!' Twilight thought.

Ch.3 Sweet Emotions

DISCORD'S REIGN

Chapter 3-Sweet Emotions

"What do ya think that was about?" Rainbow asked as the rest of Twilights friends looked at each other in confusion, Spike still passed out on the table.

"I don't know." Twilight answered, bound by her word not to reveal the worry the Princess had told her about earlier in the day.

"Did you guys see that?" Pinkie asked bounding to where her friends were sitting, unfazed by the rather odd lunar event that just took place.

"Yeah, what do you think it was?" Fluttershy asked as Pinkie ate a few of the leftovers sitting on the table.

"I dunno, but it reminded me of the night Nighmare Moon escaped! 'Member?" she said with her mouth full. Selling cupcakes all day but not being able to eat any had given her a ravenous hunger.

Of course! Twilight remembered where she had seen those stars around the moon before. She was fairly certain they weren't stars at all! The very thing they had just witnessed happened four years ago when Nightmare Moon descended on Equestria. But what puzzled her was that Luna was Nightmare Moon, and that it was supposed to happen once in a thousand years! So why would the energy used to free her strike Equestria again?

The other ponies gasped in surprise at their bubbly friends suggestion.

"But Luna's right over there. I thought she was Nightmare Moon?" Rainbow asked.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure Princess Celestia will take care of it." Twilight reasoned in an attempt to calm her friends concerns.

"Looks like I've got a baby dragon to put to bed." she said levitating him onto her back carefully, though in truth she could have dropped him and he would still be asleep. "I'll be back soon girls."

She walked back to the library, giving her time to dwell on what she had learned about Big MacIntosh. Every time she thought about him she couldn't help but smile, the blanket around her still carrying his scent as well as a few drops of his extra hard cider they had accidentally spilled.

Normally he was so quiet around...well pretty much everypony. Is it really because he's that shy? He's the biggest stallion in Ponyville! What reason could he possibly have for being shy? she wondered as the music of the town square faded behind her upon her nearing the library.

Twilight slowly pushed the door open and stepped inside, lighting a candle in the darkened library. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of something strange about her bust of Starswirl the bearded, but only for a second. It was a different face, one with horns and a pointier beard. She looked back at it and saw it was still the same sculpture it had always been.

"I guess that cider hits me harder than I thought..." she whispered to herself as she climbed the stairs and put Spike in his bed, covering him with his blanket.

After she tucked Spike in, she removed and folded the blanket on her back, putting it neatly on her bed.

"Big Macintosh thinks I'm pretty!" Twilight whispered gleefully to herself. No stallion had ever said that to her, not that she had given any of them a chance since she was mainly studying up until she moved here. But still, the idea of somepony caring about her like that, especially some male pony was quite an enthralling proposition. She found herself wearing a wide smile with a hint of red under her eyes as she headed back out of the library to enjoy the rest of the celebration, only to be confronted by Applejack a few steps from her house.

She gasped in surprise as she softly closed the door.

"Applejack!" she exclaimed, trying to get her racing heart under control. "Will you please stop sneaking up on me?"

She looked into the country mare's eyes and noticed regret, instead of suspicion.

"Sorry 'bout the fright. Listen, I came over ta apologize for the way I acted earlier." she said remorsefully, not daring to look Twilight in the eyes. "It was outta line, friends shouldn't treat friends with suspicion like that...I'm sorry Twilight. I've just been so used to havin' him 'round that, I dunno...I guess I felt threatened by him havin' another girl in his life that wasn't family."

Twilight responded with her usual expression of understanding and forgiveness.

"It's okay Applejack. I understand you wanting what's best for your brother, but we haven't even been on a date yet! Everypony is already acting like I'm having his foal!" she said throwing her hooves in the air in mild frustration.

"Yeah, I 'spose I overreacted a bit..." Applejack laughed as they began to walk back into town.

"Have you had some of that cider he made?" Twilight asked.

"Ha, I learned my lesson back at the farm to stay away from that stuff. Burns like the dickens." she said as the music from the town grew in volume as they came back to the festivities.

Once they had gotten back to the table where the rest of their friends were waiting, Twilight noticed Princess Celestia still had not returned from Canterlot.

"Princess Celestia didn't come back while I was gone did she?"

"Nope, still in Canterlot." Rainbow Dash answered, finishing her glass of hard cider.

"Hm... I'm gonna go ask Luna if she knows what's going on with the moon tonight." Twilight said excusing herself and walking towards the royal table.

The pegasus guards crossed their wings as she approached, blocking the steps to were Luna was seated.

"State your business with her highness." the one on the right commanded.

"At ease boys." Luna said from her seat as they folded their wings with a snap. "She may enter."

"Luna...where did Princess Celestia go?" she asked quietly as she bowed, so as not to draw attention from the other ponies who were still in earshot of them.

"She believes the energy released from the moon was the uneasy feeling she foretold. She has departed to further investigate it, though I cannot say for certain when she shall return." she said with just a small gleam of worry for her sister in her eyes.

"Do you think it is?" Twilight asked.

"I pray it is not dear Twilight. For if it truly is something she believes she cannot mitigate, then we may be in more peril than we thought." she answered truthfully, to the young unicorns surprise.

"With all due respect your majesty...that's not very comforting."

"The subjects are the only ones who need comforting. Royal advisors such as yourself deserve to know the truth if you are to do your job properly." she stated in the elegant manner she had worked so hard on to replace her 'Royal Canterlot voice'.

'Me? A royal advisor?' Twilight thought happily as she was pulled out of her thoughts by Luna.

"Have you any other questions, fair Twilight?"

"No Prin- I mean Luna." she said, bowing and exiting the way she had come in. Dawn was almost here as the ponies in the town square began the countdown.

The sun began to illuminate the east as it made its rounds, painting the clouds a brilliant orange and red.

As the sun broke over the horizon, everypony that was still awake cheered as fireworks launched into the air in celebration.

"I'm losin' it." Rainbow Dash yawned. "I need to hit the hay..." she stood from her hay bale and promptly tripped over her own hooves. She did have a few (10) apple ciders, and was finding walking a little more than a challenge.

"I'll help ya home R.D." Applejack said, always willing to help Rainbow, especially if she could tease her about it later.

"Thanks..." she said, walking close to her so she wouldn't fall over.

They were out of the town square and safely away from any prying eyes before Rainbow Dash leaned against Applejack, rubbing her face into her strawberry blond mane affectionately.

"C-can you believe...I flew with the Wonderbolts?" she said, her words slurring slightly.

Applejack smiled as she returned her friendly nuzzle in agreement.

"Yeah...I knew you'd do it."

"You're darn right I did! I mean...you did..." Dash added, seeing her floating home in the distance. "The head injury was worth it huh?" She asked giggling as she still leaned mostly on her earth pony crutch as she walked.

"I 'spose it was..." Applejack answered. Her heart rate increased with every step they took together. Even though Rainbow was in her Wonderbolts uniform she still felt her warmth against her strong frame, a tint the color of the apples she maintained gracing her cheeks. Her thoughts wandered dangerously about the lightning quick pegasus leaning up against her. Thoughts she normally kept well hidden, only to be resurrected by a few tall glasses of hard cider. She felt the sore wings on her right began to stiffen against her slightly. Applejack didn't know much about pegasus anatomy, but she knew what that meant. She blushed even more than before as she nudged her charge to pull herself back a bit.

Rainbow opened her eyes and quickly tucked her wings back into her sides with an embarrassed laugh, her cyan coat now hot and red under her magenta eyes.

"Sorry...I was just...thinking..." she said in a much less confident tone than what Applejack was used to. She found it cute when the normally dauntless pegasus was nervous, tripping over her words.

"Yeah? I wonder what about..." she teased with a quick but meaningful nudge against her, the rainbow mane she had always admired falling gracefully over her neck.

'No, she isn't...nah' Rainbow thought hearing her response.

Rainbow Dash giggled to herself as they continued toward her house. Ever since the running of the leaves the first year Twilight had arrived, she couldn't help but feel a strange sensation in her stomach when she looked at, or talked to her country pal. She had liked mares from an early age, and had come to accept that about herself, but had never gone so far as to start a relationship with one, or even talk to another pony about her...orientation. But things were different with Applejack.

For some reason, she was so approachable, so easy to talk to about...well anything. Dash had picked up on subtle hints that there may be something between herself and AJ, but despite all her confidence, was always hesitant to ask on the off chance she was wrong about her friend being a 'filly fooler'. She loathed that phrase, never having used it to describe herself. To her it brought connotations of fooling around with the underage, painting the entire community as perverts in her mind. She was pulled from her thoughts by a gentle sigh from her left.

Rainbow sensed something was bothering her fair maned crush. Since her inhibitions were completely gone thanks to the cider, she came straight out with a sense of guilt she had been trying her best to mask.

"I'm sorry we couldn't hang out like we planned..." she said referring to the fact that if she hadn't won the contest, the blanket Big MacIntosh and Twilight had shared was going to be where they were going to lay and watch the stars.

"Don't feel sorry sugarcube, you won your contest!" Applejack said trying to lighten her friend's guilty mood. "You should be proud!"

Before they knew it they were under the cloud house Rainbow Dash called home as dawn broke over the hills.

"I am!" Dash countered, "But still..."

She turned around, facing her earth pony crutch.

Rainbow Dash couldn't help but catch herself staring into the emerald eyes that led her here.

"Here we are..." Applejack said, breaking the gaze, looking up at the clouds that formed Rainbow's house.

"Yup..." Rainbow answered, smiling at her with her eyes half shut. What happened next she could only assume was her subconscious tired of hiding her feelings and desperate enough to take a shot in the dark, or she truly had drank too much cider. Either would have been a reasonable assumption. Before she could even come up with a reason to stop herself, Rainbow acted.

Her eyes shut, she leaned into her friends lips as they touched for a brief second before Applejack pulled away, startled. Dash surprised even herself gambling on a single impulse like that, and almost instantly regretted her decision.

"Rainbow!" Applejack said looking around in apprehension. She was completely taken by surprise by her friends advance.

The blue pegasus immediately sobered up, ears dropping and cheeks tinting feverishly red in embarrassment realizing what she had just done. How could she have been so reckless?

'Rainbow what were you thinking?!'

She had no solid evidence that Applejack would even swing that way. In fact, she had more evidence for the contrary! Her heart sank in fear as she looked with apprehension in her eyes at the earth pony who took an unconscious step backwards.

"Rainbow...I..." she began as she glanced back up at the nervous pegasus. Her soft magenta eyes breaking away from her in something Applejack thought she would never see on the usually confident pegasus' face. Embarrassment.

"I'm sorry! I don't know what came over me! I was still kinda woozy from the cider...a-and I..." she trailed off, not really knowing any way to explain what happened. Her knees threatening to give under the weight of her embarrassment alone.

Applejack was still silent, her mouth hanging open slightly as she still tried to process what Rainbow had just done. This was the first time she had ever been kissed, and to think it would come from another mare! This brought back feelings she was sure she had buried deep inside herself. To think that Ponyvilles most valuable pony was batting for the other team? What would her friends think? What would her family think? What would she think? All these questions raced through her mind as she had almost forgotten there was a certain pony waiting in front of her to say something. Anything.

Rainbow couldn't fathom a response taking this long, and assumed she was holding her tongue out of regard for her feelings. She closed her eyes and let out a long sigh as she began to flap her sore wings, mentally beating herself up over the boneheaded move she had just made when Applejack snapped out of her daze.

"R.D. wait!" she called, catching her just as her front hooves lifted off the ground.

Applejack's mind was flooded with confusing feelings. She bit her bottom lip nervously as she considered what she wanted to say, but honestly had no idea how to confront a situation she believed she would never find herself. Her heart raced at the quick recollection of all the times she had buried the feelings her upbringing had told her were somehow immoral or wrong in regards to her friend Rainbow Dash. After a few seconds of silence, she finally settled on her words.

"What was that...just now?" she asked looking her straight in the eye, a favor her winged friend was having some trouble returning.

To Rainbow's relief, she didn't recoil in disgust. Thank Celestia for small victories.

'I guess I can't un-ring this bell...' she thought taking a deep breath and trying her best to gather the words to explain what she had done.

"I...I think I..." she stuttered, her nerves impeding the progress of the words she was trying so hard to get out.

'Two more words! You're almost there!'

She looked up from the ground and into Applejacks waiting eyes, shining in the dawn sunlight. Her face alone was almost enough for her to cower away from what she knew she had to say.

"I like you..." Dash nearly whispered.

It took the country mare a second to process what she had just revealed.

'Rainbow Dash...likes me?' she thought, though in the back of her mind she felt a tinge of happiness.

"You, you mean like..." she began, Dash simply nodded. Rainbow wasn't afraid of much, but being rejected was one of those things a huge dragon or monster couldn't do.

"Yeah, like that..." she added timidly. Dash was acting quite unlike herself, but this was a huge moment for her. Up until now, she hadn't told anypony about her preferences. The fact that she was able to even say it to Applejack was a huge relief in and of itself, her response not included.

In truth, Applejack had always suppressed the butterflies she got in her stomach whenever Rainbow Dash brushed up against her, slept over at the farmhouse in her bed, accidentally sending a leg in her direction in her sleep or just held eye contact for a bit longer than necessary. But what had just happened unleashed all those pent up feelings at once, overwhelming her normally no-nonsense demeanor.

"I...didn't know that's how you felt about me..." she admitted, the normally headstrong pony flattening her ears, feeling more flattered than embarrassed. To be honest, every time they competed Applejack could care less wether or not she won, she was just glad to be around Rainbow. While her buddy seemed to be a little more concerned with victory, she always held out a secret hope that she had felt similar, whether she acknowledged it or not.

Though her voice and confident attitude would never show it, Applejack had the ability to raise Rainbow to incredible highs and crushing lows on a whim. She was a pro at hiding her feelings behind a near impenetrable wall of self confidence, but in the end, hiding her true feelings towards some mares dug at her heart and ego. The fearless and tough Rainbow Dash afraid to be honest about a facet of her personality that helped define who she was? It was in fact the most un-Rainbow Dash thing she had ever done.

She had kept her feelings hidden for one reason and one reason only. The paralyzing fear of rejection. The thought of Applejack declining her was something that haunted her nightmares, leaving her panting in a cold sweat in the middle of the night. Her paranoid mind began racing with scary thoughts as earth pony began to open up a little more.

"Well...that was mighty brave of you Rainbow." she added in an uneasy tone.

"I'm sorry Applejack...I had no right to-" she was silenced by the earth pony's hoof across her lips.

"It's okay. Really...ta be honest...I have some feelings for you too, I-I'm just not sure what they mean yet." she admitted, blushing furiously as words she'd never thought she'd say came easily for some reason.

Rainbow Dash smiled from beneath her hoof, feeling somewhat vindicated to have at least gotten her to admit that something was between them.

She looked back into Rainbow's deep magenta eyes for a brief second and realized why she had the courage to tell her of the confusing feelings she was certain she would keep under wraps for life up until that point. Those darn eyes of hers.

"I just need some time to think about them...okay?" Applejack asked, dropping her hoof and turning back toward town.

The earth pony took two steps before Rainbow Dash called to her.

"Then let me give you something to think about."

Rainbow threw caution to the wind, energized by the admittance of her true feelings for Applejack. Maybe it was the cider, maybe it was Rainbow Dash tired of hiding her feelings. She didn't know for sure, but one thing she did know was that she would make her intentions clear to the one mare who seemed to understand her on a level she had never before experienced.

Their lips met for maybe two seconds as Rainbow Dash stood on her hind legs, standing Applejack with her and pulling her in close with her forelegs around her shoulders. Rainbow 'accidentally' fell over, taking Applejack to the ground with her and continuing what she started. Her hat fell off, allowing her strawberry blond mane to set a beautiful backdrop to the face the lightning quick pegasus had cultivated secret feelings towards. She giggled from beneath Rainbows lips as she felt her friend hold her down with her forelegs.

At first she was going to resist, but after realizing her still somewhat intoxicated partner wasn't letting up, she melted into the suppressed warmth she felt for the winged pony deep in her heart. Uncertainty morphed into bliss as Applejack accepted her formerly confusing feelings instead of trying to repress them for the first time in her life. Any thoughts or worries she had about caring for another mare had disappeared, only to be replaced by a rush of unfettered adrenaline, the likes of which she had never felt before.

All the worrying thoughts Rainbow had about being rejected were swiftly put to rest as she passionately kissed the farm girl, her partner returning just as much intensity, taking her a bit by surprise. Applejacks foreleg stroked the top of her head, knocking off her goggles and freeing her rainbow mane to fall elegantly against her face. She moved her forelegs to brush against Rainbow's sides, her wings now straight out from her slender yet tone frame as Applejack rolled the blue pony onto her back, her turn to show her newfound more-than-friend that she wasn't the only one able to pin a mare to the ground.

A blue hoof ran through her mane as the relief of all the pent up and uncertain feelings flowed out through her lips, threatening to collapse her already shaky legs. A few blissful seconds passed before Applejack broke the kiss, staring with a passion she had never felt for another mare before in her eyes, their bodies so close she could feel the stirred up head radiating through Rainbow's Wonderbolts uniform. Applejack was ten shades of red as she smiled flirtatiously, her heart feeling as though it was going to explode in ecstasy. How could she have gone this long in her life thinking what she had just done was somehow wrong?

"I didn't know you liked being on top..." Dash panted, getting a playful giggle out of her earth pony friend, her eyes dancing with joy that she had the courage to accept her. Neither of their words belying their own inexperience at what they were doing, the pair simply following whatever urge came naturally. Applejack's worries about anypony else seeing them now long since melted away in the soft magenta pools of the high spirited pegasus before her.

"There's a lot you don't know..." she whispered, giving her friend a quick kiss on the end of the nose she found so cute before getting up and letting Rainbow Dash get to her hooves, wings still straight out proudly for the world to see.

"Get some sleep darlin'." Applejack said, her heart still racing and adrenaline still pumping through her veins from the last minute. "You've been up all night."

"I think I could stay up one more night." she hinted suggestively with an eyebrow waggle, never in a million years dreaming to say those words to anypony but the mare who stood before her.

Applejack smiled and turned back to town after putting her hat back on and fixing her now ruffled mane.

Rainbow Dash simply fell back onto the grass and stared up into the brilliant early morning sky, her heart soaring among the clouds she regularly moved and shaped. She didn't care in the slightest if ponies knew of her interest in Applejack anymore, but she did come from a rather conservative farming family. Unlike Rainbow, despite what Applejacks personality would lead one to believe, she did care about her reputation in Ponyville and what other's opinions were of her and the Apple clan.

As she headed back toward Ponyville, the cruelty of reality began to slowly rob her of the unbridled joy she had just shared. If anypony in her family knew of Applejack's little interest in another mare, she would be exiled from the farm for sure, she just knew it. She slowed to a trot and then to a walk as she reentered the town square, her cheeks were still as red as her big brother's coat. She couldn't deny the rush she got when she was with Rainbow, especially after something she felt so glad she had the courage to be apart of. It felt so wrong in comparison to everything she was raised to believe...but she couldn't help herself.

There was just something about the stunt flying pegasus that she found thinking about when she would lay awake at night, finding her bed too big and cold for just one pony. She couldn't put a hoof on it, but she definitely felt something between them now if she hadn't before. She wished she was as carefree as her better half, although she was unaware that even her dauntless friend was still not ready to shout her feelings from the highest mountain. She would be lying if she said she wasn't envious of how little she perceived Rainbow Dash to care about how the world saw her. She was her own pony and no one else's. Maybe that's what drew her admiration of her in the first place. She bumped head first into Twilight while she was lost in thought.

"Oh! Sorry Twilight, I'm pretty tired from bein' up all night." she answered with a yawn.

"Me too. Rainbow make it home okay?" she asked as Applejack unconsciously blushed at the mention of her name, her thoughts still occupied by what they had both shared by her cloud home.

"Y-yeah...I got her home." she said looking away. Applejack was much better at concealing her feelings than Twilight, but still not a very good liar.

"Well that's a relief, I thought she was going to pass out on the table like Spike." she said catching the yawn Applejack had just released.

"I can teleport you back to the farm if you'd rather not walk." The purple unicorn suggested, seeing how tired the earth pony looked.

"Thanks Twilight, that'd be great." Applejack said putting herself up against her so the spell would work.

In a flash of purple light they were at the entrance to Sweet Apple Acres.

"Thanks, I'll tell Big MacIntosh ya said hello." she said yawning again as she trotted eagerly to her soft, waiting bed.

Twilight teleported herself back to the library, barely closing the door behind her before letting out an exhausted sigh.

She wasn't sure she could make it up the stairs as she put one hoof in front of the other, finally reaching the top and flopping down on her bed.

She rolled onto her side and covered herself with the blanket from the night before, the scent of Big MacIntosh and extra hard cider intertwining in her nose as she fell into an easy sleep.

XXX

A day had gone by since the Summer Sun Celebration, the usual routine of Ponyville falling easily into place, just in time for a warm summer. Applejack had just gotten done tending the southeast apple field when she met her brother untying himself from the plow in the barn.

"Sure is a hot one today!" she commented as she removed her hat to wipe the sweat from her brow with the other hoof.

"Eeyup." he said taking a drink from the water trough in the barn.

"Big Mac...can I ask you somethin'?"

She had thought a lot about how she was going to phrase this question. In the past day she had done hours upon hours of soul searching before coming to terms with what she knew in her heart. That it was owned by only one pony, a blue pegasus with a penchant for speed and competition. She wished she had Rainbow Dash's courage to just come out and shout it to the world, but that wasn't who she was. In fact, for being the element of honesty, it had taken her quite a while to be honest with herself. This was the first time she would dare hint at her true feelings, knowing that if anyone would; if not understand, then at least keep her secret, it was her older brother.

"Eeyup." he answered laying down in the shade of the barn as she took a spot beside him.

She took a deep breath and began her well thought out question.

"Uh...What would you say if I told you that, Rarity and Fluttershy were...romantically involved with each other?" she asked, trying to gauge her brother's reaction to an unconventional relationship.

Big MacIntosh kept staring out of the open barn door, not breaking his gaze, chewing on a sprig of wheat in thought. Applejack looked over at him, not having a reaction to judge.

"I'd say that's their business. Though I never saw Rarity as the type to be interested in mares." he said calmly, taking a very progressive stance on something she was sure would offend him.

'Okay, he ain't judgmental...heck he's my brother! He'll understand...right?' she sked herself as she swallowed hard and tried to steel herself against what she was about to admit.

"Uh huh, well...what would you say...if...if..." she began, but found her heart attempting to beat straight out of her chest as she choked on her words.

"If t'was you and Rainbow Dash what were romantically involved?" he said in his cool monotone, still not breaking his stare out into the open fields.

Her eyes widened in surprise at his nail-on-the-head answer. She thought she had done such a good job at hiding her feelings, how could he have picked up on it so easily? Applejack only hid them because despite her rough and tumble general attitude, she didn't have the strength to face the potential ridicule of those who were less open minded, her family included.

"How...how did you..."

"C'mon now Applejack, I'm your brother. You've never shown any interest in stallions, even when they made their intentions clear. You're always helpin' her with her stunt flyin', takin' her to the hospital when she hurts herself, waitin' by her bedside till she's well, droppin' whatever you're doin' to be with her when she comes 'round the farm. When I see you the happiest, you're usually 'round her." he said, still not averting his eyes from the fields. "It don't take a genius to connect those dots."

She merely lay beside him in awe of her brother's astute power of observation, as well as relief that he wasn't chastising her or making her feel bad about the way she felt about her friend.

"You...don't think it's weird?" she asked cautiously playing devil's advocate. "For a mare to like another mare like that?"

"Maybe before the Summer Sun celebration I would have. 'Till I worked up the courage to talk to Twilight, I couldn't have even guessed what it felt like...to be sweet on somepony like that, I mean. I was a slight uncomfortable when I first noticed the two of you, I'll admit. But love ain't something that has rules. It don't just exist 'tween a stallion and a mare, it can exist anywhere two pony's have the same feelin' in their hearts when they look at each other, gender or species notwithstandin'."

"Eeyup." he said wisely. The red stallion didn't speak much, but when he did have something to say, it seemed to be just the right words the situation warranted.

Applejack felt more relieved than she had ever remembered feeling before. She may not have been ready to tell her other friends, but at least she had told somepony, and that was enough for her to feel a weight lift from her shoulders. Her jovial mood was not to last however, as she asked a follow up question.

"You think I should tell the rest of the family?"

This question did cause him to break his stare and look directly at her with a dead seriousness in his normally soft green eyes.

"No. You know Granny Smith's set in her ways. She's still the elder, she may well kick you off the farm for somethin' like that. You may be able to tell Applebloom when she gets older, but I wouldn't go flauntin' that kind of news at the next family reunion. You and I may be open minded about it, but I can't speak for the rest of the Apple clan." he said sternly warning his sister about getting too proud in the wrong setting.

Applejack looked crushed, but at least she had the small victory of the support of her older brother, one of the ponies that mattered most in her life.

"That ain't fair..." she sighed under her breath, loud enough for the red workhorse to hear.

"I know it ain't. But you can't make everypony happy. You have to live your own life. Once you run the farm, you can do whatever, and be with whoever you want. But till then, you should keep this between us."

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I tried not to Ham-fist the scene between Applejack and Rainbow, but I still feel like I did. Any pointers are more than welcome on that subject if you're feeling generous.

Ch.4 Head Games

DISCORD'S REIGN

Chapter 4- Head Games

Twilight slept for what felt like days after the Summer Sun Celebration. She was stirred from her slumber by Spike tossing a scroll onto her face.

"That one hurt..." her living mailbox mumbled as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"Uhhh...what time is it?" she moaned as she felt her head pounding. The Summer Sun Celebration was the only time she indulged in alcohol, and boy did she regret it this year.

"Wow. Twilight you look wrecked." he said chuckling at the state of his roommate.

"Please stop yelling." she said holding her head in her hooves.

Despite her headache, she unrolled the scroll and read its contents through her squinted eyes.

"What's it say?" Spike asked heading downstairs to make some food to nurse Twilight's hangover.

She let the letter fall out of her magic as she pulled Big MacIntosh's blanket over her head. She was in no mood to travel.

"It's a summons...Princess Celestia wants to see us and the girls in Canterlot." she said as loud as she could so Spike could hear her downstairs.

"Today?" he called back.

"No! Next week!" she snapped. "Of course today!"

"Sor-ry!" he called back at her indignantly. "Don't get mad at me because you can't handle your cider!"

She sighed and pulled her head out from beneath the blanket, catching sight of the ragged state of her mane in the mirror. Her hairbrush levitated toward her and began fixing it while she walked down the stairs toward the smell of veggie soup and crackers.

"I'm sorry Spike, I just have the worst headache." she said taking a seat at the table, still with one hoof on her throbbing head.

"That's what this is for!" he said sliding a bowl of piping hot soup across the table to her.

"Thanks." she said lifting the bowl to her muzzle, not having the time or energy to wait on the crackers. "If I ever try to drink any apple cider again, I want you to beat me unconscious."

"If you say so." he said with a laugh sitting down across from her.

After brunch, Twilight and Spike set out of the library. She squinted her eyes in the bright sunlight as her headache was somewhat better, but still nagging.

"So, we gonna teleport or?" Spike asked seated on her back.

"No...I don't think I can concentrate, who knows where we'd end up. Let's just get a ride with Pinkie Pie in her ballon." she said heading toward Sugarcube Corner. On her way into town, she kept catching glimpses of something out of the corner of her eye, but it moved so fast, she could never get a clear view of what it was before it disappeared, if it was actually there at all. Twilight reached the town square and reared back on her hind legs in shock, bucking Spike off her back, sending him to the dirt. Sitting on a hay bale in broad daylight enjoying a cup of tea with garish red sunglasses and large blue sunhat was none other than Discord himself, staring right at her with a mischievous smile. She gasped as Spike yelled at her from the ground.

"Twilight! What'd you do that for?" he asked rubbing the lump on his head as she quickly glanced back at him and then back to the table where instead of Discord, two mares sat enjoying a meal of daffodils.

'He was right there! I could have sworn...it was him.' she thought as she looked back to Spike.

"Did you see him?" she asked quickly.

"See who?" Spike grunted, climbing back onto his ride.

"You didn't see anypony sitting at that table besides those two mares?" she asked motioning toward where she thought she saw the spirit of disharmony.

"No. But some warning would be nice next time you decide to do that." he said grabbing a handful of her mane as he rode to prevent any more head injuries.She wrote it off as the after effects of staying up all night and testing experimental cider as they continued their walk to Pinkie's house, her ballon already inflated outside the bakery.

"Hiya Twilight and Spike! You guys get a summons too?" she asked, completely unfazed by the all night and day party.

"Yeah, do you mind if we hitch a ride in your ballon? I'm still a little tired from the sun celebration." she said as Pinkie hopped into the basket and beckoned them inside.

"Of course I don't mind, silly!" she added cheerfully as she untied the ballast from the sides of the ballon. "We just have to wait for Applejack and then we can go!"

"Don't leave without me!" they heard Applejack shout from down the street as she galloped toward the trio.

"Sorry Ah'm late, them cutie mark crusaders tried ta help Mac and Ah out with our chores and, well Ah don't think Ah need ta explain any further." she said out of breath as the three ponies and one baby dragon squeezed into the basket easily meant for two ponies, max.

"What about Rarity?" Spike asked hopefully, enjoying the thought of sharing a romantic ballon ride with his crush, even if it was rather cramped. "Isn't she coming?"

"She had some designs to deliver in Canterlot, she said she would meet us there!" Pinkie answered to Spike's disappointment.

As they rose through the clouds they saw a canary yellow and multicolored streaks pass them as they zoomed toward Canterlot, not taking a genius to figure out who they were. Twilight genuinely enjoyed being among the clouds, especially on a day when she needed to clear her head. She understood why Rainbow Dash enjoyed being up here so much of the time.

She rested her forelegs on the edge of the basket as it drifted lazily on the gentle breeze toward the Equestrian capital city. The clouds they passed were like marshmallows hanging in the sky, though one in particular caught her attention. It began swirling with no tangible wind to make it move, even as the other clouds around it held their shape. It was forming something, that she was certain of but she couldn't quite make out what it was.

Two long columns began forming from the top of the cloud, one appeared to be spiraled and another curved with many points. The middle of the cloud elongated before she realized the impossible shape the cloud was morphing into. It was Discord! The cloud became his face as another column of water vapor rose from below and formed his lions paw, lightning arcing from his fingertips! She gasped as she tried to take a step back, but in the crowded basket she ended up knocking Spike over the edge, only saving himself by grabbing onto the rope hanging from where the ballast had been tied.

"Pullmeuppullmeuppullmeup!" Spike said hanging on for dear life by one claw.

"Oh my gosh Spike!" she said quickly levitating him back onto her back.

"I'm sorry...I thought...I saw..." she began, but really had no idea how to explain what she had seen. It didn't make logical sense! Clouds don't just form shapes of things like that! She didn't know what to think as Spike hopped off her back and onto Applejacks.

"Thanks Twilight...but I think I'd rather be over here for a while. At least till we get on the ground." he said not wanting to hurt his friends feelings, but wanting a lot more to not fall to his death.

"You feelin' okay sugarcube?" Applejack asked also concerned for their normally calm friends outburst.

"Yeah...I'm fine I just...thought I saw a thunderstorm." she lied as they approached Canterlot castle. She certainly didn't enjoy lying to her friends, but what was she supposed to tell them? That she had seen Discord twice today, even though he was still sealed in stone where they left him a year ago?

'What's going on with me?' she asked herself as the ballon touched down softly on the palace grounds as they disembarked.

Twilight loved spending time at the palace. Something about the general ambiance of the precisely manicured lawns and the expertly trimmed gardens brought her a sense of inner peace she seemed to be only able to attain within it's grounds. Spike hopped on her back as they took a stroll around the castle to the front entrance where Rarity, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were waiting. The pegasus' were facing them and greeted them all by name as they approached, but Rarity kept her head turned away, the only thing visible being her perfectly curled violet hair.

Twilight walked to her alabaster friend to greet her, and to ask if her delivery had gone smoothly.

"Hey Rarity, how was the delivery?"

The fashionista turned her head to face her, but instead of the face Twilight expected, she saw the unmistakeable face of Discord! She reared back on her hind legs and shrieked, taking a few steps back and charging a magic spell to cast against the Spirit of disharmony by reflex alone. Her reaction to Rarity startled the rest of of her friends and Spike, who had been thrown to the ground yet again.

"Twilight! What is the matter with you?" Applejack asked pulling her back by her tail as she cast a quick glance at her, before seeing a scared Rarity with her forelegs over her head in fear. She had just seen it again! What did this mean? She knew she couldn't go on like this, she had to tell her friends what she was seeing.

"I..." she began, but couldn't think of a way of phrasing what she was witnessing without sounding like a lunatic.

She took a deep breath and realized that there wasn't any sane way to say this.

"I keep seeing...Discord. Since I woke up today I've seen his face three times! At first I thought it was because I was out late at the celebration and had drank too much, but now I'm not sure what it is. I mean Rarity just had Discord's face on her head instead of her own!"

"Am I going crazy?" she asked as the rest of her friends stared at her with varied looks of confusion on their faces. All except for Rarity, who was quite miffed at Twilight even implying she could be mistaken for that brute Discord.

"Discord? I know she may not have had time to prep this morning, but she doesn't look that bad!" Rainbow Dash laughed, getting a giggle from Applejack and Spike as well. Rarity shot daggers at the rainbow maned pegasus as she got control of her laughter.

"No, You ain't crazy darlin'. You're probably just tired...Big Mac said you had some a his extra hard cider. I warned him not ta go passin' that 'round before he tested it himself!" Applejack said trying to convince her friend she wasn't losing her mind, though she did find her symptoms unsettling, especially the one she just revealed to them.

"Maybe you're right. I woke up with a massive headache, maybe my mind is just playing tricks on me." she reasoned with herself trying to make sense of something that looked so very real to her, that nopony else apparently saw.

"I got an idea! Why don't we go to Statue Park and see Discord, so you can see that he's still there. You know, to put your mind at ease!" Pinkie suggested.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. You guys wouldn't mind?" she asked sheepishly.

"Course not! 'Specially If it helps you quit scaring Rarity and hurtin' Spike." Applejack chuckled.

She breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that her friends didn't immediately assume she was crazy and were even willing to help her through her trying time. They walked to the side of the castle and saw the various other monsters of Equestrian lore frozen in a variety of poses. The ponies weren't sure whether they all had entities trapped inside them, but they knew where to find the one that did. It was in nearly the dead center of the garden, a short hedge maze leading to his pedestal. Twilight gazed upon the god of disharmony's stone look of surprise with relief. It was the same one she had remembered from a year ago when the six of them had sealed him up, and the one she had constantly been harassed by today.

"See Twi? He's not going anywhere." Spike said comfortingly from her back. She took a deep breath as she finally relaxed completely.

"Yup, just as solid as we left him." Applejack said knocking on it with a hoof.

"Yeah...you guys are right. I just need some more sleep after we get done meeting with the princess. What do you think she wants?"

"We were hoping you could tell us..." Fluttershy said smelling the roses and observing the birds singing sweetly in the trees.

"She didn't tell me either...I guess we'll find out together." she said turning her back on the statue, taking one last look at it before heading back towards the front of the castle. They checked each other's mane and tail before entering the foyer of the castle as they readied themselves to be presented to the royal court.

"Now presenting, for her majesty and her court, the elements of harmony, and their dragon scribe, Spike." the pegasus guard at the entrance to the throne room announced in a booming voice that carried through the hall as the large doors to the throne room opened, allowing the six ponies to walk abreast of each other on the plush red carpet. All six of them were caught up taking in the stained glass windows and nearly sparkling white columns standing like sentries along the rather extensive walkway to the throne. Twilight was the first to look toward the royals as she had seen the interior of the palace a few times before.

She saw Princess Luna sitting in her usual spot on the right of Princess Celestia, but on her throne, sitting sideways in it as he used one hand to prop up his chin while examining the talons on his eagle claw, his mismatched legs hanging lazily off the side of the throne was none other than Discord. Twilight gasped in horror at the sight of the king of chaos sitting on the ruling seat of Equestria. He noticed her slack jawed stare and addressed her.

"How nice of you to join me Twilight!" he said through his almost constant mischievous smile. "It's disrespectful to keep royalty waiting you know."

"D-d-d..." she stammered in disbelief.

She had just seen him frozen out in the garden! How could this be possible?

'It can't be...' she thought as the rest of the ponies bowed before the throne as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

"What are you doing! Don't bow! That's Discord!" she snapped, charging a holding spell and firing it at him.

He simply batted her spell away with one paw as she felt her friends tackle her to the ground as she caught glimpses of the guards advancing on her. Pinkie Pie quickly ran to the Princesses throne and threw herself before it in a desperate attempt to apologize for Twilight.

"Please don't lock Twilight up! She hasn't been feeling well lately!" She begged trying to save her friend from the dungeons under Canterlot. "She's been seeing things! Please don't exile her!"

Discord looked down at her and smiled.

"Don't worry my little pony, nothing will happen to Twilight. We must see why she is under the impression that I am Discord!"

He said with false concern as he stepped from the throne and toward the still struggling Twilight as Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Spike tried to keep her under control.

"Twilight Sparkle, what's gotten into you?" Discord asked walking up to her.

She couldn't believe it! Her friends were holding her down! Begging for him to spare her from the dungeon as if he were the princess!

'What is going on here?' she thought.

"Into me?! You! You're Discord!" she said again as her friends still held onto her tightly.

The god of chaos snapped his fingers, and Twilight felt the grip her friends held on her freeze, along with everything around them, save for himself and herself. She shook free of her companion's grasp as they fell over, still as statues.

"What's the matter Twilight? Don't you recognize your princess?" he said smugly as she glared at him.

"You're not my princess!" she snarled, "What did you do to my friends?!" she demanded, seeing them frozen in place with looks of concern on their faces.

"I simply stopped time. You know, perspective has a lot to do with why you're about to be locked away in a dungeon. From your perspective, I'm Discord, the spirit of disharmony and assassin of logic. But from theirs..." he said snapping his fingers, causing a full length mirror to appear in front of her.

"I'm dear Princess Celestia!" he said in his best imitation of Twilights voice, joining her in front of the mirror, the reflection showing herself standing next to the sunlight princess. She didn't understand...how could he be able to make everypony in the palace not see the real him but her? Last time he could only make a few ponies see things for what they weren't...how could he have that effect on the entire royal court?

"W-why? Why are you doing this? How did you escape?"

"Please, one at a time my dear."

Discord scoffed at her first question.

"Why? Do I need a reason? Though I suppose if I had to put a label on it, being sealed for a thousand and one years in stone is enough to make any fellow go a little...stir crazy. But that's just a bonus really. Once creatures become self aware, they always try to rise up out of the disorder around them. You build some civilizations, cities, towns, countries to try and elevate yourselves from the other animals, but in the end, what are you really? Just lucky. You hit the evolutionary lottery and now you think you're so much better than the hydras, the dragons, the griffins and all the other filthy mortals trying to impose their rules on a lawless world." Discord continued his monologue, slowly circling the confused unicorn.

"So I guess you could say my reason, if you must know, is to show you all the true nature of yourselves. You think ponies obey the laws because they want to? Ha! They do it because if they don't, they'll be punished! Deep down inside all of you, if your precious society were to collapse tomorrow, do you think everyone would join hooves and work together to rebuild? Or do you think they would fight tooth and hoof for theirs, and to hell with everypony else? Plus your dear Princess and I have a bit of a history." He said turning away from her, knocking one of the guards over for his amusement.

"You're wrong Discord, ponies are inherently good! We get along because of the morals that guide us! Not because we fear punishment!" she retorted sharply.

"Morals. Now there's a straw pony argument if I've ever heard one. Forgive me, but I'm going to use some...ugh...logic." he said, the word logic spilling from his mouth as if it were poisoned.

"Where do you get these, morals of yours?"

"We're taught them as we grow! What difference does that make?" she said growing tired of the god of chaos' games.

"Stay with me Twilight. Now, you're taught them by your parents? And it's safe to assume the laws of Equestria were based on these morals yes?"

"Yeah."

"And who makes the laws?"

"...The Princess."

"That's right! And what, pray tell, gives the princess the authority to make the laws? The fact that 'she's the Princess'? That's just a title. One she bestowed upon herself I might add. Your whole system is based off the personal morals of one alicorn. Seems pretty lucky that she came to power instead of Luna, no?"

"I guess...What does any of this mean?" Twilight demanded.

"It means that she started your whole society with guidelines and rules, unquestioned because she was the most powerful. Now, I'm her! At least that's what everypony else believes. The inmate is running the asylum now, and in order to tear down your societies facades, I have to introduce a new set of morals...a more, natural set if you will. You see Twilight, when you suspend the rules of the game, it's no longer a game. It's just nature. Those who want to take, take. Those who want to kill, kill. Those who want give, well they don't last very long. Think of it as a grand social experiment if you must. What happens when you remove the strong stone framework protecting a castle? Will the wooden interior be strong enough to hold it together? Or will it collapse in on itself? I can tell you which my money is on." he finished, laying bare his intent to not do anything to physically destroy Equestria, but to allow conditions to exist so it could tear itself apart.

Twilight tried to take in all he had revealed, but found her mouth hanging open slightly as Discord flew over and closed it for her with a talon.

"Speechless? The learned Twilight Sparkle? My, my these surely are the end times aren't they?" he mused snapping his fingers and having a throne appear behind him, taking a seat and summoning a bag of popcorn with a straw sticking out of it, taking a long sip.

"What makes you think we won't just seal you up like we did last time?" she asked after regaining her wits, her uncertain voice taking on a strange echo in the frozen throne room.

"You really don't think I'm that stupid do you? A year is a long time to hatch the perfect prank." he said trying on Celestia's various royal jewelry in the mirror he made appear.

"Besides Twilight, you're the only one who can see me. If you'll recall, everypony else just sees sweet old Princess Celestia. Try attacking me like you did a few seconds ago, and I could have you imprisoned for life! Maybe even your friends too! Guilty by association and what not." he mused, switching between many different hats of varying size and shape, not paying any attention to his prisoner.

"But...why me? Why let me see you?" she asked, her inquisitive nature overtaking her confusion.

"You sentient beings and your logic. Always trying to impose order and see patterns in a universe that is truly chaotic. I find it kind of cute really. Sure you may be able to build a civilization for a good few thousand years, but eventually..." he said casting a glance over to Twilight.

"It all comes crashing down from whence it came. Chaos, order, then back to chaos." he smiled, "Weren't you listening?"

"But to answer your question, what fun is running Equestria into the ground if no one knows you're doing it? I assure you it's been hard keeping my normally erratic nature in check, but it will all be worth it soon enough." Discord said settling on a large bonnet before removing it from his head, taking a bite out of it then tossing it away.

"What if I gather the elements of harmony together again? You can't stop all six of us!"

He turned to look at her with a smile, but realized she was serious.

"Oh, you mean the ponies currently begging me not to throw you in a dungeon to rot for the rest of your days? The ones who think I'm the real Princess Celestia? Them? How exactly do you think you'll convince them to believe you? You don't exactly have a spotless mental health record." he said referring to her fear of tardiness, though how he had known about that she was unsure. With a snap of his fingers, he replaced another hapless guards face where his cutie mark was, and vice versa.

"I...uhm..." she wasn't sure. How could she expect them to take her word for something there was proof of right before their eyes? She would have to prove to them this was Discord...but how?

"Now tell me your thoughts on some of these new titles I've been thinking of while I was waiting on you." he said as a scroll and quill appeared in his hands with another snap of his fingers.

"I've got 'King of Chaos', 'Lord of Lunacy', 'Bishop of Bedlam'...Ah, 'Illustrious Potentate of Insanity'! Oh I quite like that one." he said as Twilight ignored him, still in thought.

"I don't know how, but they'll believe me!" she contested as he rolled up the scroll and put it in a flap of fur forming a pocket on his goat leg. "I'll figure out a way and stop you just like last time!"

"Even if you could, I assure you the elements of harmony are quite useless now." he said with another snap, producing the six elements before her on a royal purple pillow. Instead of the brilliant shine each of them had every other time Twilight had seen them, this time they appeared dull and unpolished, like they had been weathered for years.

"They won't work without the one who created them." Discord added. She suddenly realized she had been so wrapped up in questioning him, that she had forgotten about the real princess!

"What have you done with her Discord?!" she shouted at him, the echo bouncing off the stone columns and arched ceilings eerily.

"That my dear, was my greatest jest yet! I honestly thought you'd never ask!" he said grabbing the bottom of a stained glass window pane and rolling it up as if it were a curtain. With a snap of his fingers, the sun retreated and the moon hung in its place. He took a quick glance at her, then pointed a talon toward the moon, admiring his handiwork.

"How's that for poetic justice hmm?"

"Y-you...banished her?" she stuttered in shock. Princess Celestia was the most powerful being in Equestria! How could he have managed to defeat her?

"Ha! Just be grateful I didn't send her to the sun!" he said happily, walking away from the window.

"You should be happy Twilight! No more friendship reports, no more royal traditions or any of that nonsense, and no more silly visits for you to obsess over!" he added gleefully as he floated along beside her, tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

"This...this can't be real...it can't be happening..." she said on the verge of a breakdown.

"Pfft. Real. What would you know about real? How do you know anything is real?" he asked, gasping as a twisted idea hit him, floating up next to her as she shed silent tears for Princess Celestia.

"What if nothing is real? What if everything you've ever known is a lie?" he whispered into her ear as the throne room began to slowly melt around her. The columns began to drip as if they were made of wax, the colors of the tapestry and ornate stained glass running together as they slowly moved toward the floor, as did the guards and even Princess Luna. She watched in horror as her friends slowly descended into piles of goo, melding with the shades of everything else slowly reaching the amalgamation of colors pooling on the ground.

"What if there's no one else out there? What if it's just been me, and you, your entire life? What if every interaction you've had, every friend you've made, every lesson you've learned, every stallion you've loved...has all been a figment of your imagination? What if in the whole entire universe...there were only two beings...you...and I?" his voice seemed to come from everywhere, Twilight no longer able to see him.

Her vision blurred as she struggled to refocus it, finding herself now standing in the ruins of the palace, the magnificent vaulted ceilings and spires that once reached proudly toward the heavens now collapsed and broken shells of their former glory. An unearthly fog covered the ruins of Canterlot as she looked around frantically for something, anything to tell her this wasn't really happening.

"Perhaps the real Equestria fell a thousand years ago, and your fragile mind couldn't take living in such a desolate world, so your imagination made up Canterlot, Ponyville, Equestria and everything you ever thought you knew. The few books that remained you read over and over, until your mind was so warped that you eventually conjured up five friends and a baby dragon to keep you company as you lived in a burned out tree on the edge of a town that had died eons ago. Playing and pretending amongst the rubble in your own little bubble of insanity that things weren't as bad as they truly are. Your own twisted mind trying to protect you from the harsh reality that in the real world, there is no magic. In the real world, you have no friends. In the real world, no one cares for you, and in the real world...you're the only one left." he said, his voice echoing endlessly around the ruins though he was still unseen.

A mirror appeared before her and she gasped in terror as did the pony that was her reflection. She looked old and battered, her once brilliant purple mane now matted, grey and missing in places and the lines on her face told the story of many years of hardship. She recoiled in disgust and horror as she turned to run down the tattered old carpet she was sure was a bright red mere seconds ago.

She dashed away from what used to be the throne room and out of the decrepit castle until she got to the edge of the cliff on which the castle was perched. The elegant waterfalls flowing from the palace having long since dried up, the bushes and gardens all dead or overgrown, the statues having been weathered to unrecognizable monoliths as vines clung haphazardly to their frames. She could see almost the rest of the kingdom, or at least what remained of it. The tall buildings comprising Manehattan still stood, though chunks of them were missing as smoke rose from the horizon, some of the buildings even appeared to be floating in mid air; Discord's trademark.

Her heart sank as she looked to Ponyville. The simple homes and shops turned upside down, some floating as the buildings in the distance did, and some simply burned out shells of their former selves. In all of the kingdom there wasn't a trace of another pony, and looked like there hadn't been for some time. The only life being the crows and buzzards circling silently overhead. The thing she found most disturbing about the entire experience was the lack of sound. No wind, the sound of her hoofbeats were even absent. All she could hear was the ringing in her ears, and Discord's voice when he finally addressed her.

"So you see Twilight. Reality is what I make of it. You and your friends made my reality a living hell. And now I've simply returned the favor! Karma truly is a barrel of laughs isn't it?" his voice echoed through the barren landscape as his red eyes and face appeared on the moon. She took a few steps back from the face of the cliff when she felt cold stone bump against her flanks. She turned to see what she had hit, and would regret she had. Six tombstones, all worn and crooked sticking up at shallow angles out of the ground, bearing the faces of those who lay below carved into each, an expression of anguish across them all. She read them one by one.

Fluttershy

Applejack

Rainbow Dash

Pinkie Pie

Rarity

Spike

All that was written underneath them were the words:

Left to die by Twilight Sparkle

More began rising out of the ground behind them, having more names of those she knew scrawled on them. Big MacIntosh, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Applebloom, Princess Luna...The headstones continued to fill the land in front of her as tears of fear and sadness mixed in her eyes and down her cheeks. Each marker still baring the same phrase:

Left to die by Twilight Sparkle

She backed up to the edge of the cliff, feeling her hind hoof slip against it as she turned around to face the sheer drop.

"Looks like there is only one way out now isn't there?" he said as he watched her forelegs shake a few pebbles loose, sending them plummeting to the fog below. She felt her legs become almost limp as she stood at the precipice, petrified in fear. What choice did she have? This twisted new world made her question everything she had ever thought to be real. She was in the palace a scant few minutes ago, now she was in a post apocalyptic wasteland with only herself...and Discord. Had it always been like this? What if he was right? What if he was just her imagination? What if she was just his? Was she finally starting to crack? Or had she already, and was only now coming out of her delusional state? She took a step away from the ledge, unsure of what to do.

"Oh, you're no fun. I guess if you want something done right..." he said appearing behind her as she bumped her flank into him.

"You see Twilight, madness is like a boulder sitting on the edge of a hill. You don't need the strength to lift the boulder to set it in motion, sometimes all it needs...is a little push." he whispered, that same grin he had always held still present on his face. With a quick shove, she found herself plummeting to her death, her heart racing as she anticipated a sudden stop against the rocks she knew were waiting for her. A bright flash lit her vision as she screamed, bolting upright and looking around her. She was back in the library, Big Macintosh's blanket still wrapped around her.

"Gah! Twilight what's the matter!?" Spike shouted clutching his chest having jumped out of bed after her screaming awakening. She looked at her number one assistant with worry in his eyes, she was still gasping for breath and her pillow was soaked in sweat, or tears; she wasn't sure which. Her eyes shifted around the room, the sunlight shining in through the window that always woke her if she tried to sleep in late as it cast itself over the shelves and perfectly aligned spines of her books. Was this real? What if it was just another one of Discord's tricks? She had to know for sure, but how?

"Spike, what was the last thing you remember doing?" she asked as she finally caught her breath.

"I remember having apple cider at the Sun celebration...and then I woke up here with you screaming bloody murder!"

Twilight took a deep breath and continued her inquisition.

"So you haven't received any letter's from Princess Celestia?"

"No. Why?" Spike answered, genuinely wondering why she would be asking him a seemingly random series of questions.

"No reason." she sighed, flopping back onto her pillow, forgetting it was rather wet.

She grimaced having laid her mane in moist fabric, but dismissed those concerns as she thought back on what had to have been a dream.

'It felt so real. Was it just a nightmare?'

No dream in her recent memory had ever felt that real. The sense of dread and hopelessness she had experienced still clung to the back of her mind even as she lay in her bed, fairly certain that this was reality.

She heard Spike's footsteps on the hardwood floor as he headed down to make breakfast, jarring her from her thoughts.

Her stomach grumbled loudly as she looked down at it between her forelegs.

'Well, no use trying to decipher horrific nightmares on an empty stomach.'

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Discord fans, accept my deepest apologies for making you get through the shipping before a story entitled Discord's Reign had anything to actually do with Discord. For those of you keeping score at home that is two chapters named after late 70's rock songs. If you would still like to toss your spoiled vegetables at me, my hours in the Ponyville stocks are from 3-6pm.

Ch.5 Long Tall Twilight

DISCORD'S REIGN

Chapter 5-Long Tall Twilight

After breakfast Twilight removed a book from the 'M' section, gently floating it on the ground in front of her. She settled herself on her reading pillow and opened the book to about one third of the way through.

'Mythical and Magic Entities of Equestria'

'Dilong...Dipsa...Dirawong...Discord.' she thought stopping on the entry for the Spirit of disharmony.

"A draconequus by nature, not much is known about this mythical creature's origin. Some believe he is as old as time itself, while other more conservative estimates say he is most likely only as old as 1020 years, as the first record of his existence has been dated to sometime before the rule of Princess Celestia. His powers include the ability to bend the laws of physics and space-time at will, and to conjure items out of seemingly thin air. It is not known wether or not the items must already exist, or if he can manipulate matter in order to create objects. Aspects of his personality include a constant need for the illogical and a contempt bordering on hatred for the logical and orderly. The source of his power is widely believed to be the misery and confusion of others. For example: under his rule, widespread disharmony across the land of Equestria grew his strength to unreal, almost invincible levels before being sealed in stone by Princesses Celestia and Luna via the elements of harmony. While he sees himself simply as the antithesis of order, his tricks sometimes border on the dangerous and thus make him a mortal threat to any seeking him out. According to legend, he is sealed inside the statue of himself inside the gardens of Canterlot palace, watched over by guards at all times."

"Well that didn't tell me anything new." she said aloud to herself, still wondering what the dream she had could have meant.

"You want to tell me why you nearly made me have a heart attack this morning?" Spike asked taking a seat next to her, leaning his back against her side.

"It was just a nightmare." she sighed, still unsure if that's all it was or if it was some kind of omen.

"Must have been some nightmare." he added snacking on a pile of gems he had pulled down from the cabinet.

'You don't know the half of it.' she thought as a knock at the door echoed through the library.

"I'll get it." Twilight said almost relieved to have one of her friends, or really anypony stop by after that disturbing dream.

She got to her hooves allowing Spikes head to hit the floor without her to lean on. The door opened to reveal a red stallion digging his front hoof into the ground nervously, he obviously didn't hear her answer his knock.

'I forgot Big Macintosh said he was going take me out!' she thought panicked as he looked up, somewhat startled to see her. She knew she must have looked horrendous, but couldn't just run away to fix her ruffled main and tail.

"Oh! Hello Ms. Twilight...I...came by to, um..." he stammered in uncertainty. No more than five minutes ago he had worked out every word he was going to say, and when he was to say it. Now all that planning had gone out the window, and left him stuttering like a nervous colt in front of her. Twilight shared his apprehension as she opened the bottom door.

"Come in Big Macintosh!" she invited in her best confident voice. She didn't have the aid of cider to bolster her courage this time, she would have to rely on her personality. Something that she was fairly reluctant to try. The earth stallion carefully wiped his hooves and stepped into the main room of the library. There were more books here than he had ever seen in one place before. He was by no means averse to reading, but never really found time with all the work he did around the farm, him being the only male strong enough to do most of the more difficult and strenuous labor. Spike sensed it was about to get rather mushy and girly in the main room, so he quickly retreated to the loft after greeting their guest.

"Excuse me Big macintosh, I'll be right back." Twilight said following Spike up the stairs before he could get a word out. He could hear her searching for something above him as the rummaging sound abruptly stopped. He noticed the book open on the floor and the subject of the page it was turned to.

'Discord? Wonder what Twilight would want with that feller?' he thought as she descended the staircase, starling his nose out of her book. He noticed her mane was now straightened and combed, bouncing with her shoulders as she descended each step. Her tail seemed much more perky than it had when he got there, the dark red stripe really jumping out from the rest of her violet locks. It was dark at the time of the Summer Sun festival and he was glad he finally had the opportunity take in what was in his eyes, the most beautiful mare in town.

"Ms. Twi- err, Twilight...you didn't have to do all that." he said blushing at the thought of her wanting to look her best for him. It may not have been much, but since all he lived with were girls who didn't particularly care what state he saw them, it was a welcome relief.

"Do what? I just brushed my mane and tail." she admitted, though in truth she had brushed it, sprayed it with de-tangler and given it a quick once over with a bottle of MareShine Rarity had lent her. He was right though, she wasn't about to let him see her look like she'd just wrestled a hydra. He took a seat on the end of the couch as she joined him on the other side.

"So..." she began, her nerves now threatening to erase all the confidence she had spent the last few minutes trying to build.

'Mac, you're a dang stallion! The strongest in Ponyville! Real stallions say what they want ta the mares they want! Now pony up and say what you came here ta say!' he berated himself, his pep talk giving him the courage to speak. He took a deep breath and exhaled before he began.

"You remember when I told you I wanted...to...take you out?" he said, his confidence evident in the first few words, but waning toward the end of the sentence.

'How could I forget!' she thought, even though she had just forgotten five minutes ago. She barely contained the mile wide grin threatening to break out onto her face.

"Yes, I remember." she said calmly, her words belying her unbridled excitement bubbling just beneath the surface.

"Well, I was wonderin' if...you had no plans later..." he started, unconsciously breaking eye contact with her.

'Eye contact!' he reminded himself, moving his head back to eye level with hers as what he feared came true. Her eyes had the remarkable ability to clear any and all thoughts from his mind, whether he wanted them to or not. The soft sapphire spheres filled him with a contentment in his heart he had never felt before, as if something that was missing in his life was being filled completely by her gentle gaze alone. Under her cute button nose a smile traced her lips as he couldn't help but return a slightly flustered grin of his own.

'Aww, he's nervous! That's so sweet...' she thought watching the toughest and strongest stallion in Ponyville stammer nervously over his words. Seeing him like this helped give her the confidence to complete his sentence.

"I would love to go out with you tonight, Big Macintosh." she responded softly. The earth stallion smiled quietly, his brick red cheeks even showing through his coat, happy that the mare he had growing feelings towards wasn't just interested in him because of his extra hard cider.

"Mac, is fine Twilight." he said softly.

"When should I come by for you?" he asked, the only confident sentence he had gotten out since his arrival.

"I'll be ready by around eight." she answered.

"Until then Ms. Tw- I mean Twilight." he said as she leaned over from her side of the couch, putting her forelegs on his right hind leg.

"Until then Mac." she whispered giving him a soft kiss on the cheek. She felt like she had just put her lips to the outside of a cup of hot chocolate, his face feverishly red now as he stood up from the couch and bid her goodbye. His heart raced as he left the library, so fast he almost felt the need to break into a run outside to burn off his excitement. She laid over the length of the couch on her back as she watched him leave.

'That was bold Twilight!' she praised herself, recalling having read in her book 'Everything You've Ever Wanted to Know About Courtship (but were afraid to ask)' that most stallions find a mare making a move to be quite a refreshing change of pace. Even if her definition of a 'move' was just a kiss on the cheek goodbye. She reveled in her newfound confidence as she hugged the throw pillow Big Mac had been sitting against with her forelegs, the smile she had kept suppressed now bursting on to her face in a toothy grin as the haunting dream she had was all but forgotten. She caught sight of Spike leaning against the railing lining the second floor, a look of disgust on his face, typical of the young dragon whenever her friends began girl talk or anything fashion related.

"That'll be you one day Spike!" she called to him from the couch as he pointed a claw into his open mouth walking back down the stairs.

"You can keep all that mushy stuff down here." he said as he began cleaning up the kitchen.

"What'd Big Macintosh want anyway?"

"He asked me on a date." she said happily sitting upright on the couch before her left brain reminded her of a very important if not buzz-killing fact. She had never been on a date before! A new wave of stress washed over her as her thoughts went a mile a minute.

"Oh no! What am I going to wear? Should I wear anything? What if he does but I don't? Would I look like a tramp? What about my mane? And tail? Spike what do I do? I've never been on a date before!" she lifting him up off the ground in her forelegs and shaking him in panic.

"A book! There has to be a book on dates in here somewhere!" she said searching frantically through every book in the 'D' section scattering them about one by one.

"Twilight!" Spike shouted after being unceremoniously dropped onto the hardwood floor, getting her attention as she was now up to her forelegs in a pile of books beginning with D.

"You could keep ruining the library trying to find a book, or you could go ask a pony who's been on a few dates." he suggested beginning to pick up some of the books she had flung around the room.

"That's right! Rarity will know what to do!" she said climbing out from the book pile she created.

"Sorry about the mess Spike...I just really want this thing between me and Big Macintosh to get off to a good start." she admitted lowering her ears in embarrassment over the way she had just been acting.

"It's okay. Now shoo so I can get this place put back together." he said carrying an armload of books up the ladder.

Twilight stepped out of the library and down the road towards Rarity's boutique, drinking in the warm summer's day as other citizens of Ponyville went about their daily routine. While she walked, her mind drifted back towards the visions in her nightmare. The sound of the birds chirping sweetly in the trees and the dull mumble of distant conversations assured her that this was real, but the seed of doubt Discord had planted still nagged her. Surely her imagination wasn't powerful enough to keep her in a constant state of delusion. She ran into Fluttershy putting a baby bird that had fallen from it's nest in a tree back in its place when she greeted her.

"Hello Twilight, lovely day isn't it?" she said landing softly in front of her.

"Yeah, it's nice out." she said, still distraught by the faces she saw on the tombstones in her dream, especially Fluttershy's.

"Is something bothering you? You know you can always talk to me about it...I mean...if you want."

Fluttershy had an uncanny ability to pick up on subconscious queues, and Twilight was certainly not immune to her powers.

'Well, it couldn't hurt. It was just a dream.' Twilight reasoned as she motioned for the shy pegasus to walk with her.

"I had a nightmare last night." she began as Fluttershy let out a soft gasp.

"Angel gets nightmares sometimes, then I let him sleep with me. I secretly enjoy it...the cuddling I mean, not the nightmares..." she added timidly as she continued.

"Right, well this one was...I don't know how to explain it. It felt so real when I was dreaming it...I woke up screaming, and nearly scared Spike to death." she admitted as the pink maned pegasus kept pace with her.

"Oh my...that does sound scary. What was it about?" she asked inquisitively.

"I'd rather not say...but trust me it was pretty frightening. I just can't get it out of my head, no matter how hard I try. I've got a date tonight with Big Macintosh, and I don't want to ruin it by looking over my shoulder for Discor-" she tried to stop herself a letter short, but it was too late.

"D-Discord? You had a dream about...him?" she stuttered nervously, his name alone striking fear into the caring pegasus' tender heart.

"Well...yes. I might as well tell you the whole thing..." she began, regaling her with every horrific detail she could remember, against her better judgement. By the end of her story, Fluttershy's walk had slowed considerably as some color had drained from her normally rosy cheeks.

"T-that...um...I...I have to go Twilight." she said, fluttering away as Twilight's ears dropped in regret, having probably scared her friend out of her wits.

"I knew I should have kept that to myself." she sighed, mentally kicking herself for not considering Fluttershy's overly sensitive nature. She stopped at a fruit vendor's cart and bought slice of watermelon, eating it quickly as she walked, savoring its flavor and texture, certain that she would have no way of making this feeling up.

'No...it was just a dream. After all crazy ponies know their crazy...right? Right.'

She knocked gently on Rarity's home business as Sweetie Belle opened the door.

"Hi Twilight! Rarity's in the back filling some orders, come on in!" she said, the filly having a pin cushion strapped to her back as she heard her sister calling for her pins.

"Who was at the door Sweetie Belle?"

"Twilight." she said as the white unicorn held a blue and green ribbon in front of her, trying to decide between the two. Rarity stopped what she was doing and turned to greet her friend.

"Hello Twilight! What brings you to Ponyville's fashion capital?"

"I've got a date tonight, I want-" Rarity cut her off as her eyes lit up with excitement.

"Oh, you want an elegant dress to stop Big Macintosh dead in his tracks! Come darling, I've got just the one!"

"No, It's not that!" she said digging her hooves in as Rarity attempted to push her behind her changing curtain.

"I just want some advice, I've never been on a date before..." she admitted with a touch of embarrassment in her voice, though she was fairly certain her lack of dating experience wasn't a secret.

"Oh. Well that's fine as well! Sweetie Belle be a dear and go play with your friends for a while."

"But I want to know about dates too!" she complained as she stamped her small hoof on the ground demandingly.

"Sweetie Belle, you're far too young to be concerning yourself with colts. Now gather your friends and go crusade for your cutie marks." she instructed firmly, the little filly hung her head but reluctantly headed outside.

"Care for some tea, Twilight?" Rarity asked pouring two cups.

"Sure. So, what do you...do, on a date?" Twilight asked, figuring the best way to get straight answers was not to beat around the bush. Rarity smiled as the teacups hovered toward her, taking a sip of hers before setting it on an end table and finding a seat on her fainting couch.

"Well Twilight, it all depends on where you go. Since this is your first date, I wouldn't expect too much. Your main goal here is to have fun, and see if you and Big Macintosh go together well." she stated very matter-of-factly. "Physical attraction is one thing, but if you don't connect on a deeper level, a fling is all you could ever hope for."

This information helped somewhat, but she still had a few concerns.

"Okay, but what should I do with my mane? I mean, should I try to style it? Or should I wear jewelry? And how do I wear my tail?"

Her flurry of questions amused the elder unicorn as she took another steady sip of her tea.

"When Big MacIntosh asked you on your date, how did you look?"

"Pretty much like I do now..." she answered, not sure where she was going with this.

"That's the Twilight Big MacIntosh asked to accompany him to dinner, so that's the Twilight you should be. Yourself."

"There's no point in pretending to be something you're not to try and impress somepony. That will just lead to you living a lie, or him falling in love with one. Neither option is very desirable." she continued, Twilight fighting the urge to start taking notes.

"Now, having said that, there's no harm in putting a little work in your appearance." she said getting up from the couch and levitating some mane and tail care products her way.

"Before your date arrives, give your mane and tail a quick wash with this, and he'll swear he's dining with Princess Celestia herself!" she added as she put them in a bag and Twilight grabbed the handle with in her mouth.

"Thanks Rarity!"

"Not a problem my dear, and do come by after and tell me how it went; I just adore our visits."

Twilight teleported back to the library, startling Spike as he had just put the last few books in order on the shelves.

"Get any advice?" her dragon roommate asked as she set the bag down on the table.

"Be myself..." she said somewhat disappointed.

"Well that shouldn't be too hard. You've been yourself practically your whole life!" he joked, eliciting a chuckle from his roommate. As the minutes ticked by, the closer it got to eight o'clock, the more nervous Twilight felt. By the time the hour had rolled around, she was on pins and needles. A knock at the door made her heart skip a beat as Spike went to answer it. She hadn't changed too much about herself, save for a dark red flower in her mane she had plucked from the bushes outside the library.

She took a deep breath and walked behind Spike as he looked to her one last time to make sure she was ready. She nodded as he opened the door. But instead of a tall, dashing stallion awaiting her escort, two royal pegasus guards stood in the doorway with two more hitched to a chariot, their armor gleaming brilliantly in the moonlight.

"Twilight Sparkle, by order of Princess Celestia, you are to come with us to Canterlot castle at once." the grey one on the right commanded.

"What? Can't this wait a few hours? I've got plans tonight!" she protested.

"We have been given permission to treat you as hostile by the Princess if you don't comply." he stated authoritatively.

"Hostile?! The Princess would never..." then she recalled her dream. Of course the real Princess wouldn't treat her this way! A lead weight dropped in her stomach as she realized that at least some of the nightmare had to have been prophetic.

"No, there's no need for that. Let me gather my-"

"You are only to bring yourself and nothing else, by royal order." the pegasus stated again in the same demanding monotone. She had to act quickly, she turned to Spike and whispered

"Tell Big Macintosh I had to go to Canterlot on business, and I'm sorry. If I'm not back by tomorrow, tell the other's I've been kidnapped by Discord."

Spike had a look of utter confusion on his face.

"What?!" he repeated before she boarded the chariot, flanked by the two guards who had come to retrieve her. As the chariot rode off into the night sky, Spike could still only stand there with the door open, mouth agape.

After a short flight, the chariot landed in front of the large castle doors. As she exited the chariot, another guard hastily affixed a magic absorbing shackle to her forelegs. That was the final nail in the coffin. The real Princess would never do this to her. She was her favorite student! She didn't know how, but she was now certain that behind those doors sitting in Celestia's throne would be the chimera from her nightmare.

She was right.

Ch.6 The What If Mare

DISCORD'S REIGN

Chapter 6-The What If Mare

"Ah, my faithful student Twilight Sparkle! How nice of you to visit your princess." He said facetiously. "My dear you look wonderful! I hope I wasn't interrupting anything by having the guards retrieve you."

"But you do appear to have a few bags under your eyes. Tell me, how have you been sleeping?" he said emphasizing the last word. It was him responsible for her nightmare, but why? Since the guards and even princess Luna seemed calm, she assumed everyone else saw Princess Celestia, and withheld any attempt to resist, not that she could use her magic with the shackles around her forelegs.

"What's this? Guards, remove those bonds!" he ordered as they obediently acted, stepping back from the unicorn as she continued to put on a brave expression in the face of her nightmare scenario.

"There, much better yes? I trust you won't be using any magic in here." he said walking from the throne down to his prisoner. She merely glared at him, she had prayed that her dream was not prophetic, but all signs were pointing in the other direction.

"Enjoying your charade Discord?" she asked as the royal court behind her gasped in shock.

"Twilight Sparkle! How dare you insult my sister in her own court!" Luna snapped in disbelief from behind the chimera, Discord only grinning in glee as he held up a paw to silence her.

"Please dear sister, allow me to handle this." he ordered, Luna nodding and softening her angry expression.

"Discord? Me? You surprise me Twilight. You know slander of the Princess is punishable by imprisonment. But I'll make a deal with you. Bow to me, and I'll let you go."

Twilight was stunned. He had her in the palm of his paw and now he was just going to let her go? It didn't make sense, but it was Discord she was dealing with, so things seldom did.

"All I have to do is bow?" she repeated, her voice revealing the fear hiding just beneath the surface.

"Thats right." he sneered smugly, feeling himself to have bested the element of magic. "Bow to your ruler."

"Never." she shot back, a burst of confidence shining through her formerly scared demeanor. "I'll never bow to you."

An audible gasp followed by murmurs flooded the throne room as the rest of the royal court reacted in surprise. The element of magic, refusing to bow to the ruler of Equestria? Such action was unheard of. A quick scowl crossed Discord's face, but it was soon replaced by his ever present mischievous smile.

"Very well. Guards! Take her to the dungeons." Luna's eyes widened with surprise at her sisters command. The dungeons were only for the worst of the worst! Twilight's offense had been an insult, but surely it didn't warrant such harsh retribution.

"Sister, the dungeon is only for the most heinous of villains! Surely Twilight realizes her mistake!" she pled with her, not forgetting how she had helped her overcome her social problems in Ponyville on nightmare night. Luna's eyes conveyed an apologize-if-you-want-to-live stare into Twilights own. The guards affixed her shackles and she looked to Luna and by gaze alone, thanked her for trying.

She was led out of the throne room and down around the back of the castle without a struggle. Her chains glistened in the pale moonlight as a basement door opened, the stench rising out of it almost enough to push her back onto her flanks as she hesitated. The guards gave a quick yank on her binds and she was forced to keep moving down a long flight of stone steps, the darkness of the dank dungeon only broken up by seemingly random torches mounted on the wall. As she walked, the other prisoners called to her, calling her every name in the book, and some describing in graphic detail what they'd do to her if she was their cellmate.

She took a deep breath of the putrid air to try and calm herself, but it didn't work. This was easily the most frightening place she had ever been. After what felt like miles of walking, they arrived at an empty cell, much to her relief. They opened the door and gave her a quick nudge inside, at least treating her like she was a pony and not a hardened criminal or a lunatic.

As soon as she heard the iron door slam behind her, she gritted her teeth to keep herself from breaking down. Unfortunately, her strength was short lived. A line of tears flushed down her cheek as she thought of what would become of Ponyville, her friends, and the rest of Equestria under Discord's reign. On top of that, she was now locked in a dungeon below Canterlot, with no one but Princess Luna and Discord aware of her fate.

For the first time in her life, the bright unicorn was out of moves, out of options, and out of ideas. She slumped against the wall of the empty cell onto her flanks and couldn't help but think of what should could have been doing right now. Sure, she found it somewhat shallow that while the real Princess Celestia is probably on the moon, and her civilization about to be destroyed, all she could think about was how crushed Big MacIntosh must be feeling knowing she stood him up. Not by choice, but it still pulled at her conscience. The night wore on as Twilight's usually unshakeable resolve slowly withered away in the horrid darkness of a place she never thought she would find herself.

Applejack sat quietly as Applebloom brushed her mane while wearing her hat, glad to help her sister prepare for whoever it was she was going to see tonight. Which reminded the curious filly...

"How come you're gettin' all brushed up tonight Applejack?" she asked as she looked at her little sister in the mirror.

"Ah'm showin' Rainbow Dash around the farm." she answered calmly.

"Rainbow Dash? But she's been here a million times! What else could you want to show her?" she asked innocently.

"Shes wantin' to help me keep an eye out for apple rustlers is all." she countered, tip-hoofing around the delicate subject matter.

"Oh...but how come you wanted me ta brush your mane? You never brush your mane before ya go out on watch!" the observant filly stated as Applejack decided her mane had been brushed enough.

"Because! There ain't no law against lookin' pretty is there?" she half snapped at her little sister, causing her to recoil slightly in fear.

'Good lord I sound like Rarity.' she thought feeling a pang of guilt in her stomach.

"I'm sorry Applebloom. Ah'm just gettin' tired. Thank ya for helpin' me comb my mane, now get ta bed. You got school tomorrow."

"Aw, can't I have five more minutes?" the filly begged, trying her puppy dog eyes on her sister in desperation.

"No ma'am. Get to bed. Granny Smith would have a fit if she knew I let you stay up this late." she insisted as her little sister hung her head and retreated to her room.

"Goodnight Applebloom."

"Night Applejack..."

With that, the earth pony set out of the farmhouse and into the moonlit apple fields as she waited under the agreed tree. After a few minutes, she spotted her significant other on a low approach over the orchard. She flared her wings in front of her and softly landed on the grass, a sly smile across her cyan lips.

"Well hello there hot shot." Applejack said quietly as Rainbow Dash stepped toward her to greet her with a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey cowgirl. How's your day?" she asked as they began their walk around the fields.

"Same ol' same ol'. Big MacIntosh is on a date with Twilight, Granny Smith and Applebloom are in bed...we got the whole farm to ourselves till he gets back." she said, Rainbow Dash's face brightening a bit, relieved that they wouldn't have to sneak around.

"That's a relief. So what do you do out here by yourself anyway?"

"I tell Applebloom I'm lookin' out for apple rustlers."

Rainbow couldn't help but laugh at the idea.

"Apple rustlers? Seriously?"

"Better than the truth." she said joining in her laughter.

"Which is?"

"Mostly I'm just out here alone with my thoughts...but sometimes I catch a few colts and fillies out here in the fields, doin' all sorts a things." she went on as they continued their stroll around the grounds. Rainbow Dash normally hated walking, but given the present company, she didn't mind.

"All sorts a things huh?" Dash said flirtatiously, draping a wing over Applejacks back as she nuzzled her rainbow mane affectionately.

"Yup." she said back softly, enjoying each other's embrace as they continued their patrol. Though in truth, every apple in the field could have been stolen and neither would have cared. They walked around the fields in silence as it was Rainbows turn to get leaned on. Once they made their rounds they ended up at the barn, the bales of hay scattered in a large pile on the floor from having fell from the loft.

"C'mon, I'll show you my favorite place to relax after a good walk." she said, leading her winged love interest up the ramp to the hey loft. Rainbow Dash couldn't help but watch her flanks bob as she walked up, holding her stare for just a touch too long.

"See somethin' you like back there?" Applejack asked casting a flirtatious gaze back at her. She turned bright red as she looked away startled.

"Uh, no...I mean yeah...just keep movin'." she said as Applejack laughed at her normally confident friend's moment of embarrassment. She stopped at a rather large pile of hay with one side flattened down as if somepony had been laying on it regularly. Applejack walked over to it and laid down on her back, crossing her hind legs as she patted the spot beside her. The open loft door let the moonlight shine onto the waiting farmer's daughter, her emerald eyes alone beckoning Dash closer.

"It doesn't look very comfortable..." Rainbow Dash admitted casting unsure eyes at her partner.

"Well, I reckon it ain't as nice as clouds, but us earth ponies have ta make do with what we got." she said as the pegasus shuffled over and laid down beside her, snuggling up close, closing her eyes and taking in her mates intoxicating scent. She slid a hoof behind her back and nuzzled her blond mane with her nose as Applejack put a hoof around her shoulder, pulling her in tight.

'Perfect.' AJ thought, staring up at the moon she had seen so many times before alone in the hay loft, indescribably happy after finally finding the one pony with which she had been longing to share these moments.

After a few seconds of quiet embrace, Applejack felt Rainbows lips on her cheek, then slowly moving down to her neck as she continued, throwing her free foreleg over her chest. She felt the pressure of Dash's lips tugging on her neck gently, eliciting a soft giggle and a shift in the hay as the cyan pegasus shifted from her back onto her belly, still tenderly kissing her neck.

"You better quit..." she teased.

"Don't pretend you don't like it." Rainbow whispered returning her soft laugh.

"It's not that...How'm I s'posed ta explain a hickey?"

"I dunno, that's your problem." she smiled at her before getting back to what she was doing. She was kind of worried how she would play it off, but Rainbow was right, she couldn't pretend she didn't like it. She stroked Rainbows mane with the hoof she held around her shoulders, beginning to feel her wings start to straighten out. After a few minutes more, R.D. gave her neck a good lick, admiring the purple mark she had left on Applejack in the moonlight as she rubbed her cheek against her chest lovingly.

"All done?" Applejack asked sarcastically. Rainbow's wings spread wide, one draped over her stomach just in time to block a cool summers breeze that came rolling through the fields. A short 'hm' was her response as her rainbow maned partner asked her a rather innocuous question.

"Who's your 'what if' mare?"

Applejack turned her gaze away from the moon and into Rainbow's waiting magenta eyes.

"My who?"

"You don't have a 'what if' mare?"

"What in the hay is a 'what if' mare?" she asked in confusion as Rainbow propped herself up on her elbows.

"You know...what if you could get any mare you wanted, famous or whatever, who would it be?"

She had never considered anyone else but Rainbow...in the back of her mind, she felt kind of hurt that her unbridled affection wasn't one hundred percent returned. She shook these thoughts from her head, knowing it was unrealistic to expect two ponies to immediately fall for each other right off the bat. Applejack decided to play along, not wanting to be a stick in the mud.

"Uhm...I've never thought 'bout it really. If Pinkie Pie would shut her trap for longer than five seconds she might be one...Fluttershy's always been kinda cute to me, then Twilight-" she was cut off by Rainbow's laughter.

"Twilight? Ms. 'I've read every book on romance, but have never had a coltfriend ever'?" she laughed as Applejack looked somewhat offended.

"Some ponies happen to think smarts are sexy." she said defensively, sitting up on her flanks against the hay pile. After R.D. had controlled her laughter she felt she needed to clarify the rules.

"No, no, you're supposed to pick ponies you wouldn't probably ever have a shot with. Now besides having the hots for almost all of our friends, which celebrity would you pick?" she asked laying her head across Applejack's lap.

"I do not have the hots fer!...Anyway, princess Luna I guess." she said just throwing a name out, having embarrassed herself in front of Rainbow enough for one night.

"Ohh, attracted to power huh?" she teased as Applejack put a hoof on her head and resumed softly stroking her mane.

"How about you hot shot? Who's your 'what if' mare?"

"Spitfire." Dash answered, almost before she finished asking the question; taking her somewhat by surprise.

"Didn't have to think long about that did ya?" she fired back.

"I thought about her a lot more often before we got together. Mostly at night..." she said suggestively, trying to get a rise out of her equally competitive companion. Applejack saw right through her ploy and shrugged it off with a grin, bending her hind legs to raise Rainbow's head up toward hers.

"It's a good thing you're cute ya know that?" she whispered, placing her lips on the eagerly waiting pegasus, a spark feeling like it arced from both their mouths and energized them as they lost themselves in a moment that Rainbow Dash was so thankful for. She no longer felt like something she couldn't put her hoof on was missing from her life. She was melting on her mare's lap, and couldn't care less if the world ended tomorrow, because all she needed was tonight.

A sound from below the barn startled Applejack out of her kiss as Rainbow's magenta eyes looked up at her with concern.

"What's wrong?"

"I heard somethin' downstairs. Big MacIntosh ain't 'sposed to be home for three hours!" she whispered worriedly as she got up from under Rainbow and crept toward the hay loft door facing the front of the barn. Rainbow stood up and shook the hay from her mane as she quietly walked over to join her.

"Somepony's in the barn!" Applejack whispered.

"Think it's apple rustlers?" Rainbow teased, suppressing a giggle as Applejack turned her head towards her.

"I'm gonna slide down the rope and surprise 'em, you..."

"Better take care of those." she said noticing the straight out state of her wings.

"You may have to give me a minute for them to soften up..." she laughed nervously, her cheeks now brick red.

"Meet ya down there!" she said jumping from the loft and grabbing the rope in her teeth as she slid to the ground.

"Freeze you no good theivin'...Mac?"

Her brother stood in the barn, tying himself to the plow.

"What are you doin back this early? I thought you had a date with Twilight?" she asked as her brother put his yoke back on, a dejection on his face the likes of which she had never seen before.

"Nope." he said in what she thought was his normal tone, but detected a tinge of hurt behind his words.

"What happened?" she asked earnestly.

"Nothin'... I'm gonna get a head start on my work. Eeyup." he answered shortly as Applejack walked up to him and untied him from the plow.

"You cain't work in the dark. Now what happened between you and Twilight?" she demanded, taking a sharp tone as the Apple family fire began to rise inside her. She knew when her brother was upset he would shut down (more so than usual) and she was determined to get to the bottom of it. He looked at the intense stare his sister was giving him and knew she wouldn't quit pestering him until he came out with it.

"She stood me up. Ah went by the library when Ah told her Ah was goin' ta pick her up, and she weren't there. Spike said she went to Canterlot on business and that she was sorry, but Ah knew better..."

Applejacks normally soft green eyes narrowed into a furious glare as she processed the hurt on her brother's face as well as the news of what Twilight had supposedly done.

"Sorry?! Ah'll show that low down snake in the grass sorry!" she said taking off in the direction of the library followed quickly by Rainbow Dash as she cut her off at the entrance to Sweet Apple Acres.

"Hang on there cowgirl, where do you think you're goin'?"

'Never thought I'd have to say that.' Dash thought as Applejack held her angry glare.

"This ain't none of your concern Rainbow! Get outta the way!"

"Firstly, if it's your concern, it's my concern. Secondly what are you gonna to do? Beat Twilight up? You know she'd never hurt anypony on purpose! Especially not somepony she likes."

"Likes?! Do you stand up ponies you like?" she snapped, her rage still blocking any attempt at reason.

"Look, I'll go over there with you, but you aren't gonna get any answers from anypony by being all worked up like this. You need to chill." she said, the irony of herself talking somepony else out of acting irrationally not lost on her.

Applejack growled as her angry expression broke, though she held her glare.

"Fine." she spat, "But she better have a damn good reason for breakin' my brother's heart." Rainbow finally stepped beside her and they began their walk toward the library.

Twilight did nothing but stare at the wall across from her. She had long since run out of tears, but still felt just as hopeless as when she had first been tossed in here. Sleep was an impossibility, as the constant noise and shouts of the other prisoners permeated the heavy air. She had no idea how long she had been there as there were no windows, and the door was so far away from her cell she wasn't able to see when it opened, not that it mattered, as it rarely ever did.

A chute in the ceiling occasionally dropped dry hay for her to eat, as well as a splash of water following it as if they just poured it down the hole after the food. If you weren't quick enough or your aim was off, you would miss it, and have to wait until the next randomly assigned feeding time to get a drink. She couldn't believe such a hellish place could exist in Equestria, under the Princesses castle no less! This certainly undermined her preconceived notions of Princess Celestia. The real one anyway.

She heard the distant creak of rusted metal down the dark hallway. She normally would pay no attention to it except that she heard hoofbeats approaching her door. The shining hooves of the royal guards stopped outside her cell as the tortured metal creaked open, revealing a unicorn and a pegasus in gold and white armor respectively. The torches reflected brilliantly off their gleaming metal plates, a stark contrast to the otherwise dark and moldy dungeon.

"Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia requires your presence in her chambers at once." the pegasus stated bluntly.

She didn't hesitate as she sprang to her hooves and gladly followed the guards out of the dungeon. She didn't know what Discord wanted, but she didn't care. Just as long as she was out of here and able to see the sun again.

The guards led her up out of the dungeon as the catcalls of the other prisoners fell on deaf ears. She couldn't climb the stairs out of the dungeon fast enough as she drank in the calm night air like so much apple cider.

'At least I wasn't down there too long...it's still night out' she thought as they led her inside the castle and up through Canterlot tower to the Princesses chambers.

Two more guards were posted outside the door as the two escorting her knocked.

"Princess, we have the prisoner you requested."

"Yes, bring her in." she heard Discord call from within. Twilight steeled herself for what could possibly be waiting for her behind those doors. They opened the heavy wooden monoliths to her room and she gasped at what she saw. Discord sat on the ceiling, while a pile of ice cubes burned in the fireplace without melting. A bookshelf made of playing cards appeared to be attempting to eat a desk covered in fur while it rained snakes in the corner of the room, only to have them vaporize on contact with the ground and float back up to the cloud to repeat the process endlessly.

"Neither of you are seeing this are you?" Twilight asked, already knowing they didn't, but wanted to humor herself. They both shot quick glares at her before Discord dismissed them.

"Welcome to my sanctuary Twilight! Please pardon the mess, it's quite difficult to keep all my illogical energy cooped up in this one room all day." he said descending from the ceiling.

"Why did you bring me here?" she demanded, the initial fear of him now less of a factor in her mood because at this point she was more fed up with his nonsense than scared.

"Why do you ask? Would you rather be back in the dungeon? I could arrange for you to have a cell mate if you get lonely-"

"No!" she shouted, surprising even herself at how loud she yelled.

"As I suspected. Now, you didn't think I'd just let you rot down there with the cretins did you? No. Plus, refusing to bow is technically treason, so I could have had you killed! But I never found any use for murder. Misery is much more powerful than death could ever be."

"Just answer me Discord! It's the least you could do after everything you've done to me!"

"I'VE DONE TO YOU?!" he shouted at her, his eyes flaring bright red with rage, though only losing his cool for a second before he regained his composure.

"Hmhm, oh Twilight. You have no idea what it means to truly suffer. Take a seat won't you?"

With a snap a chair appeared out of the ground, seating her in it and wrapping it's arms around her to prevent escape.

"Now you may be asking yourself, why did I capture you, throw you in a dungeon and then bring you back up here with me? Well the first reason was to feed you. I know what passes for nourishment down there. Guards!" he commanded as a pegasus came through the door pushing a huge cart of food of every kind, still hot as steam rose off most of it. He stopped the cart in front of her and saluted Discord before departing.

"I replaced the bow with the salute. A little militant for my tastes but I must admit it adds a certain snap." he mused making a teacup appear and slowly taking sips of the glass as the tea remained shaped as if it were still there. Twilight was starving, the food in front of her looked absolutely delectable. She glared up at him, suspecting he had poisoned it or cursed it somehow.

"Weren't you listening earlier? If I wanted you dead, I would have sent you to the gallows as soon as you refused to bow! Now please, I know you're hungry." he said standing smugly in front of her. Her stomach protested loudly not giving her much of a choice.

"This means nothing!" she snapped before digging into the food before her like she hadn't eaten in days, a slice of watermelon at noon being the last thing she ate.

"Thats right, eat up. You'll need the energy if you're going to listen to the true tale of your beloved Princess."

After Twilight had eaten, Discord summoned the guard again to retrieve the cart.

"Now then, back to why I brought you here. How much do you know about Princess Celestia Twilight?" he asked.

"Lots. She rules Equestria with fairness and equality, she banished you to stone for a thousand years...I could go on." she quipped, still strapped uncomfortably to the chair.

"No, that's current Celestia. You had access to the entirety of the royal library while you lived here in Canterlot yes?" he asked, stepping onto the balcony as the chair followed him outside.

"Yes. So?" she answered. Truthfully, the Canterlot library was one of her favorite places in all of Equestria. She would literally spend hours reading the countless volumes and first, second and third editions of books so rare they could only be found there.

"Tell me, have you ever run across any books about the Pre-Celestia period?" he asked producing a pipe with a snap and lighting it with a match, only to have bubbles rise out of it.

"Yeah, there are a few."

"Ones that weren't written by Princess Celestia?" he clarified.

"...No."

He glanced back at her with a satisfied smile as he took a long inhale from his pipe before he continued.

"Ever wondered why that is?" he asked leading her.

He turned completely around and faced her, leaning against the stone railing of the balcony.

"No...but you're going to tell me aren't you?"

"Now you're getting it. Your benevolent princess wasn't always the shining beacon of hope and protection everypony in this kingdom sees her as. No, there was a time when she was quite...different. Before I begin down that path, let me ask you one more question. Have you ever wondered why I look like this? Why I'm so many different animals seemingly thrown together at random? Or why there is only one of me?"

"You're the spirit of disharmony. Many different parts that don't match on one body. It kind of made sense I guess." she concluded, still not sure why he was asking her all this.

"You've learned your propaganda well my dear! Celestia would be proud! Now, I could tell you her story, but a picture is worth a thousand words, so I think I'll just...show you." he said snapping his fingers as the room started to melt again just as it did in her nightmare. This time however, Discord stayed right in front of her as the chair she was sitting in also melted away, freeing her to stand, though her magic absorbing shackles remained in place. Her expression shifted to one of fear as she prepared herself for whatever unholy visions he was planning to confront her with.

"Oh, there's no need to make that face Twilight. Last time was just a fantasy! I assure you the truth, is often times much more frightening."

Thanks to all my readers, raters, commenters and lurkers! I love feedback, so if there is anything you liked, hated, or otherwise feel free to critique! It's the only way one can get better! Thank you all again for the high ratings and nice comments! You guys/girls are the best!

Ch.7 Idols & Anchors

DISCORD'S REIGN

Chapter 7-Idols & Anchors

Applejack saw the top of the library come up over the hilly road Rainbow and herself traveled down. A light illuminated the loft window as she quickened her pace, her placated anger now reemerging from where she had buried it for the time being. Rainbow kept up with her as they reached the entrance after a short jog. Applejack bucked her back hooves hard against the door, nearly knocking it down.

"Applejack! You need to chill out!" she snapped as Applejack took a step behind the pegasus reluctantly. "Let me do the talking okay? All you're gonna do is scare Spike into a coma."

"Fine..." she said as the door creaked open about a half inch, revealing a green vertical pupil in the crack.

"Oh, it's just you guys..." he said opening the door completely, Applejack rushing in before Rainbow had a chance to stop her.

"Where is she?!" AJ growled as she got face to face with the scared witless young dragon.

"She went to Canterlot on business! The Princess sent an escort for her and everything I swear!" he answered frightened, his back against the wall before Rainbow Dash got a hold of her tail and pulled her back.

"What did I tell you?!" she said getting just as angry as Applejack.

They glared at each other before the earth pony glanced at Spike, then back to her, anger still present in her eyes as she finally relented and took a step back.

"Spike, how come Twilight didn't go on the date she said she was going on with Big Mac?" she asked somewhat calmly, the young dragon still shaking in fear from Applejack's outburst.

"She got ready to go, and we waited until eight o'clock, b-but when the time came royal guards showed up and told her the Princess needed to see her immediately!" he pled, imploring them with his scared eyes alone to believe him. Rainbow turned to look at Applejack, her face still unsatisfied with the answer (or excuse, as she saw it) he had given.

"When is she supposed to come back?" the pegasus asked in as nice a manner as possible, trying to calm Spike's nerves enough to give a straight answer.

"I don't know...she said if she wasn't back in a day, to tell you she was kidnapped by Discord." he added, unsure of wether or not they would believe him, as he barely believed Twilight when she told him.

"Discord?! That's a lie if I ever heard one! Just wait till I get my hooves on that yellow bellied-"

Rainbow Dash silenced her with a glare as she turned back to Spike.

"That doesn't make sense Spike, Discord is still sealed in stone. If she didn't want to go out with Big Mac, she should have just said so instead of leading him on like that." she added, doubting his story and losing some respect for Twilight in the process.

"That's what she told me to tell you guys! Honest!" he admitted, though their expressions still held stares of suspicion.

Applejack stepped passed Rainbow Dash and got into Spikes face as he cowered away.

"You tell her when she gets back, Applejack's lookin' for her." she nearly whispered in a threatening tone. He simply nodded as she turned and headed out the door, Rainbow following close behind as they headed back to Sweet Apple Acres.

"You probably coulda handled that a little better." the blue pegasus stated after they were a ways away from the library. She shot daggers at her before she responded.

"Don't tell me what I coulda done!" she said, anger still prevalent in her words. "Nopony does that to my kin and gets away with it."

Rainbow looked down the road to the farm deep in thought. It just wasn't like Twilight to lie, or make up some lame excuse for something she didn't want to do...but then again she was the element of magic, not honesty. She couldn't shake the thought in the back of her head that perhaps there was some truth to what Spike had told them. The official business part anyway, Discord escaping was just ridiculous.

"What if Spike was telling the truth?" she asked, earning a disgusted look from Applejack for even entertaining the thought.

"She was kidnapped by Discord? He somehow magically escaped from stone and is now pretending to be princess Celestia just so he could ruin Twilights romantic life? You do hear how dumb that sounds don't cha?"

"No not that, I mean that she coulda been called away by the princess, she is her number one student or whatever..." she suggested.

Applejack didn't respond, not wanting her anger to be explained away so easily.

"For her sake, I hope that's true."

After Celestia's chamber had melted away, they were transported to a quaint village, not much larger than ponyville, though the houses and buildings were much more primitive.

"Where are we?" Twilight asked looking around.

"This is where Princess Celestia was born. Humble beginnings for a pony destined to have the lives of millions in her hooves isn't it?" he asked as he walked down the dirt road toward what appeared to be a schoolhouse judging by all the fillies and colts outside it as he beckoned Twilight to follow. As they approached, they heard the mocking laughter of foals, in what looked like a group they had formed on the playground. Discord and Twilight were tall enough to see that in the middle of the group, being laughed at was none other than the filly version of princess Celestia, silently crying while the other foals mocked her every facet, from her multicolored mane to her sun emblem cutie mark.

Twilight was stunned by this egregious lack of respect for the monarch of Equestria before remembering this was clearly before she came to power.

"Yes, dear princess didn't have an easy childhood. She was different from all the other ponies. She had wings and a horn. You know how cruel children can be..." Discord said seeming as if he was amused by her suffering. His expression disgusted her.

"At home, things weren't much better." he said snapping his fingers and transporting them to the inside of a modest home, the sounds of arguing echoing through the closed bedroom door of a young princess Celestia as she hugged her stuffed unicorn close on her rather shabby bed.

"This was long before advancements in understanding the way alicorns and all other races were formed. The rest of the village thought of her and her parents as dangerous, thinking they had made a pact with some sort of dark entity or some other superstitious nonsense in order to have her. This caused an undue amount of stress on her parents, especially her mother while she was pregnant with Luna." he explained, the argument between Celestia's parents growing louder and more heated as the scared filly lay there, crying into her stuffed animal trying desperately to wish herself somewhere else.

Twilight had never known or would have even guessed her princess could come from such an upbringing. Her heart ached for the filly, wishing there was something she could do to help her, but swiftly remembering this was all in the past. She tried to detach her emotions from the situation as she heard a door slam, followed by the soft sobbing of a mare from somewhere else in the house.

"This was the night her father left her and her mother to fend for themselves. Truly a sad sight isn't it?" he said as a barely pregnant looking white unicorn came softly into Celestia's room, herself having looked like she had been crying for a while. She whispered something to her daughter that Twilight couldn't understand, as if they were speaking a different language. She looked to Discord in confusion as he remembered that the language had evolved considerably in 1000 years.

"Oh right, allow me to translate." he said snapping his fingers, their voices now speaking in a recognizable dialect.

"Where's dad?" Celestia asked.

"He's...he's gone sweetheart. He...He's not coming back..." she said quietly to her daughter, wanting to make up some story, like he'd gone on a long trip or business meeting, but she couldn't take lying to her daughter anymore. The filly's teary eyes filled with more hurt than Twilight could stand to look at directly.

"B-but...he said he loved me." she stammered through her agony, the thought of not being wanted by her father crushing the little filly's spirit right before Twilight's very eyes.

"I know Celestia...I love you-" she began, but was cut off by an angry outburst from her daughter.

"It's because of these stupid wings and this dumb cutie mark isn't it?!" she shouted angrily, her horn beginning to glow as her magic surrounded her wings, in an attempt to pull them off by force.

"I wish I was never born like this!" she said gritting her teeth through the pain as she pulled on her wings with her magic before her mother stopped her in a tight hug, wrapping her forelegs around the struggling child.

"Celestia stop! You're perfect the way you are! I wouldn't want any other filly but you as my daughter! You're beautiful to me Celestia, just the way I made you..." she cried, still holding the child in her arms as they both broke into tears together. Her mother laid onto her back on the young princesses bed, pulling her daughter into her arms as she snuggled close against her. Her mother softly began to sing her to sleep as the little princess continued to cry quietly into her mane. Twilight recognized the song as one the princess had once sung to her when she was just a filly, still training at her academy one night when she couldn't sleep.

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy, when skies are grey. You'll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don't take, my sunshine away..."

Celestia's mother's words rang in hear head as Twilight could barely see the scene in front of her through her tears. She heard the echoing snap of Discord's fingers as they were transported back outside, into a forest during the daytime.

"I'd say that's quite enough of that. Now that you have a some background on dear old princess, why don't we move ahead a little?" he said walking through some bushes to a small clearing where the young Celestia had gathered a seemingly random assortment of items. An eagle's feather, a lion's claw, a dragon's scale, a goat and deer's antlers and a small lock of her mane she had just pulled out with a wince, arranging them in a five pointed star with her hair in the middle, then looking back to consult a very old looking book she had placed next to her on the ground. Twilight walked over to try and read what was written on it, but the language was indecipherable.

"It's an ancient spell book. It was rumored to be just superstitions since even the most powerful unicorns of the day couldn't make any of the spells work. I figured you'd be curious." he explained as Twilight looked over to the young Celestia, counting off steps from the circle as she positioned her hooves properly. She took one last look at the book then took a deep breath.

"Pay attention Twilight!" Discord said excitedly as he pulled an inexplicable pair of red goggles down over his eyes. "You're about to witness Celestia's greatest sin!"

The alicorn's horn began to glow white, as did the corresponding objects before her. She said a few words that sounded to Twilight like gibberish as a small ball of energy encompassed the items in front of her. The strain on the filly's face was obvious, biting her lip to keep from breaking her concentration as Twilight shielded her eyes with one hoof. A thunderous boom and a blinding flash, later, the princess-to-be was thrown back a few feet, her face coated in soot as she coughed, getting to her hooves.

She rubbed the dirt from her eyes and ran to look at what she had done. Twilight lowered her hoof as Discord removed his goggles. Twilight couldn't believe what was sitting in the crater. It was a smaller, cuter version of the deity standing to her right. It was baby Discord.

"It worked!" Celestia gasped in happiness.

"It worked! It worked! It worked!" she repeated merrily as she bounced around her creation, little Discord smiling at her and laughing.

"You...she...created you?" Twilight asked in disbelief, looking to the god of disharmony as he seemed to have a nostalgic expression on his face.

"Well that's pretty obvious isn't it?" he answered as Celestia walked up to her new companion and picked out a name for him.

"Hm...I'm gonna call you...Discord! It was our word of the day yesterday, and your body's all mismatched, so it kinda fits." she said smiling at him as he just sat there looking at her, returning her grin, which was all he pretty much knew how to do at this point.

"Looks like I'm gonna hafta teach you how to talk." she said as little Discord repeated her last word.

"Talk!" he said happily as he grabbed his mismatched feet and rolled onto his back giggling.

"C'mon Discord, let's go show you to mommy!" she said levitating him onto her back as they rode out of the woods.

"Wait...why did she create you?" Twilight asked as they stood now alone in the clearing of his birth, her head still spinning trying to take in such an improbable revelation.

"She wanted a friend. Everypony in town ostracized her and her mother with the exception of a few kind souls. I was her only companion for many years, even after Luna was born. She taught me everything, how to speak, how to read, how to plan and organize...she was a lot like you Twilight. A place for everything and what not."

This was astounding to her, Discord was once...nice? Moreover, he was once Princess Celestia's friend? Twilight was speechless as the Spirit of Disharmony snapped his fingers once more. This time they arrived at what appeared to be the edge of town, Princess Celestia now looking just a few years older than Twilight, flanked by four royal guards as rain came down, causing their armor to make soft pings in the night air. Discord looked more like he did now, though without the goatee being quite as long, standing opposite her. There were no words, just cold glares.

"The irony of this situation is, she created me, granted me immortality so I could be by her side forever. I promised her I would be, and she ended up exiling me so she could rule Equestria with her sister. She cast me out so that none of her loyal subjects would ever know she had toyed with nature itself in creating me. To them, I was a monster, and she could't have any of those running around in her kingdom, especially one for which she was responsible. My sole purpose in life, the reason for my existence in the first place, was pulled out from under me. The funny thing was, I didn't want revenge. I just wanted her to know how it felt, to be roaming the planet, unable to die, only able to live without a cause. So I left her kingdom without a struggle, or even a cross word. But it was out in the wasteland that I discovered I too had some rather unique abilities, granted to me by way of her using a bit of herself to create me. I honed those abilities until I felt I was able to take on anything she could throw at me. I had to cast off everything she had previously instilled in me. Rules, order, logic, all had to be replaced. It was then I took up the mantle of chaos, and I truly became the being I am today." he said in an unusually somber tone.

"When the time was right, I emerged from the wasteland with a storm of furious madness that shrouded the land in insanity. There was little they could do to stop me, and I arrogantly thought I had them on the ropes. The land was under my control, and I was more powerful than you could possibly imagine, every pony in Equestria feeding my power with their misery under my chaotic spell. Then she created those blasted elements of harmony, sealed me in stone for a thousand years, and meticulously erased any and all evidence of my true origins, rewriting the history books to make me seem like some kind of god that has always and will always exist. While I always will exist, I am certainly no god. For a thousand years, anyone who dared mention Celestia's past was banished, and their traces struck from the history books until eventually, I became the stuff of ghost stories and legend." Discord concluded as he watched his former self walk into the stormy night, not even giving a cursory glance in the direction of his creator.

"Discord...I had no idea..." she said in disbelief as their surrounding's slowly morphed back into Celestia's chambers'. He turned to her and smiled.

"Of course you wouldn't. Your dear princess made sure of that." he said checking a watch that had just appeared on his wrist.

"Well, I think that's enough time. You're free to go Twilight." he said summoning the guards to escort her out of the castle.

"Wait, you're letting me go? Why?" she asked stunned, only minutes ago assured that she would be his prisoner forever.

"I only wanted to waste your time, and by now I'm sure there's a certain country friend of yours who would like a few words with you about a certain stallion." he said grinning gleefully as she realized what he had done. He had only imprisoned her to make her miss her date? Surely he wasn't that petty?

"You locked me up in that hell hole just to make me miss my date?!" she snapped furiously, angry at herself for not seeing through his ploy.

"Have you been paying attention? I deal in misery and chaos! What better way to cause misery that wasting your time and making you miss your night out with some excessively emotional story?" he said smugly as an anger built in her heart the likes of which she had never felt before.

"Was any of it even true?" she growled as he snapped his fingers, producing an envelope in his claw.

"And the Oscar goes to...Oh my goodness! Me! I'd like to thank the academy! Princess Celestia, and all the little ponies out there who will soon know misery and confusion beyond their wildest imagination!" he began as a sinister smile graced his face. Twilight couldn't believe what she was hearing. The normally calm unicorn felt rage building inside her as the guards entered the room and led her out.

"Have a good evening Twilight! Send my regards to the Apple family!" he laughed as the chamber doors closed. A short trip to a waiting chariot and she was flown back to her house just as the sun was beginning to rise. She entered the library to find Spike asleep against the door, waking him as she opened it.

"...Ugh...Twilight? Twilight you're back!" he said happily as he jumped to his feet to greet her.

"What happened to you?" he said noticing how tattered she looked compared to when she left.

"I...I'm not even sure. Spike...remember when I told you to tell the other's if I didn't come back, that I had been kidnapped by Discord?"

The young dragon nodded slowly as she continued.

"I said that, because Discord has escaped. He's posing as princess Celestia in Canterlot right this second!"

Spike's eyes were filled with doubt as she pled with him to believe her.

"I know it sounds crazy, but he's making everyone else see himself as princess Celestia, and I'm the only one who see's him for what he is!" she said passionately, trying her best to make what she had said not sound completely insane. It didn't appear to be working.

"So you think, that princess Celestia...is really Discord in disguise from everypony else in the kingdom...but you?" he said trying to get what she had said straight.

"He has the power to make ponies see things for what they aren't, why wouldn't he apply that power to himself?" she asked, trying to convince Spike she wasn't slowly spiraling into the depths of insanity.

"Well...The princess has never sent an escort for you, and she probably wouldn't treat you as hostile if you didn't do what she said..." he said starting to possibly believe her arguments to have some merit.

"I don't know how he's able to do it to everypony, but you have to believe me Spike! Discord is free, and he's planning to run Equestria into the ground!" she pled, as Spike thought of another question.

"Okay...well if he is pretending to be princess Celestia, then where's the real princess?" he asked, Twilights expression shifted to one of worry as she sat on her flanks in the middle of the hardwood floor.

"That's what worries me Spike. I don't know. I don't know what he could have done with her. She's supposed to be the most powerful pony in all of Equestria..." she said softly as Spike tugged gently on her mane breaking her gaze away from her forelegs.

"You look really beat. I made your bed, now go get some rest, we can worry about this later."

"Spike! There wont be a later if we don't stop Discord!"

"Twilight, you need rest. You've been up all night doing Celestia knows what, and you know you can't think straight when you're tired. Now go." Spike demanded in a very uncharacteristic manner. She took a deep breath and sighed as she slowly walked upstairs.

"You're right...but you believe me, don't you?" she asked stopping in the middle of the stairway, her eyes begging him to give her the benefit of the doubt. After a second or two, he answered.

"Yeah Twilight. I believe you."

She smiled gently, thankful that her best friend still had her back even when she knew everypony else would think she was crazy. He was her anchor in this turbulent time, and she was glad that even if the rest of her friends may well want her committed to an insane asylum, that he would at least come visit her. Twilight's sleep cycle was all kinds of messed up as she woke around four in the afternoon that day. Spike had made her something to eat for when she got up, but it had long since gotten cold. She walked down to the main floor of the library where Spike sat asleep on the couch with the DSM IV open next to him.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence Spike." she said lifting the dragon onto her back and carrying him back up the stairs to his bed.

She trotted back downstairs and sat on the couch she had just evicted Spike from. Her thoughts dominated by one thing, and one thing only. How she could patch things up with Big MacIntosh. She was sure he had to have been hurt by her missing their date, but had no idea how she was going to explain it without sounding like a lunatic. She assumed Spike had told him what she instructed, but knew that even if she had actually been on royal business he would have had his doubts.

Then there was Applejack. She had already encountered her overprotectiveness, and that was before they had even done anything! The thought of facing her after doing that to her brother made her feel as though she had swallowed a beehive. She laid on her back and stared up at the ceiling forlornly. She could tell the truth, and hoped they believed her, or she could try and lie. Neither of which she was exactly comfortable in doing.

"Tomorrow. I'll just have to go to Sweet Apple Acres tomorrow and explain what happened, and take my lumps like a mare." she said swallowing in apprehension.

Tomorrow came and went, and Twilight hadn't so much as set hoof outside the library. She couldn't bear to show her face around Ponyville on the off chance she would run into Big MacIntosh, or worse, Applejack. Spike was supportive of her feelings for the first few days, but by day four, his patience was wearing thin.

"Twilight, you can't keep hiding in the library. Every day you spend not talking to Big Mac is one more day he'll spend thinking you stood him up on purpose!" he reasoned as she lay on the couch, paralyzed by the potential consequences of something that wasn't even her fault to begin with. She was wrapped in the blanket they had laid on during the Sun Celebration as she looked at the baby dragon standing in front of her with his arms folded.

"But he'll never believe I was captured by Discord! Nobody will!"

Spike walked closer to her and yanked the blanket out from around her.

"You've never, ever lied to your friends before have you?"

"No..."

"Then if they truly are your friends, they'll give you the benefit of the doubt like I did. You can't keep running from this, or you let Discord win. You said it yourself, he feeds on misery, and what are you right now?" he asked astutely.

She sighed and buried her face in one of the pillows before speaking a muffled response.

"Miserable..."

"Then go make yourself un-miserable!" Spike demanded as she pulled her face from the pillow and got up off the couch, stretching her legs.

"You're right Spike. I can't keep running from this. Thanks for putting up with me." she said as she gave him a soft kiss on the cheek, the young dragon trying desperately to wipe it off.

"Bleh. Just say what you need to say, and you'll be fine." he said opening the door for her as she stepped outside for the first time in days. Her heart fluttered in fear as she thought of the task at hoof. She took a deep breath and reassured herself.

'They'll believe you...they're your friends. You've saved Equestria with this pony twice! She'll believe you.'

With confident thoughts in her head and nervousness in her body, she set out toward Sweet Apple Acres.

Ch.9 Purple Hearts

DISCORD'S REIGN

Chapter 9-Purple Hearts

Rainbow flew low over the treetops, her normally erratic flight pattern replaced by a straight shot to the edge of the Everfree forest. Her thoughts swirled in a mix of ego stroking self congratulations for making out with the smoking hot celebrity mare of her dreams, and nerve shattering fear of how Applejack would react to those circumstances. Rainbow Dash was as brave as they come, but Applejack wasn't some monster she could beat up, or some arrogant punk she could race and win. She would require something of her that scared even the fearless Rainbow. Talking things out.

She recalled how upset she got over her brother getting stood up, ready to stomp Twilight into the ground without even getting her side of the story! She could only imagine how incensed she would become if it were her feelings at stake.

Rainbow swallowed in apprehension at the thought, a small cottage coming into view below her. She glided gently down to an open second floor window and perched on the sill. Fluttershy was hovering about, dusting her wooden furniture and various other antiques happily humming to herself as Angel helped as best he could. Rainbow knew she could go on like this for hours, so she cleared her throat to get the shy pegasus' attention.

She nearly startled her out of the air as she settled on her hooves softly.

"Oh! Hello Rainbow. Is there a shower planned this afternoon?" she asked as Angel hopped down the stairs to continue dusting the first floor. "The swamp is getting a little low on water, and the frogs are running out of places to soak."

"I dunno, I have the day off today." she answered climbing inside.

"That's good. You weather pegasi do a really good job, you should take more days off...I mean...if you want..." she said getting back to her dusting. She felt as though her oldest friend had something on her mind, but decided as she often did, not to press the matter. Fluttershy certainly wasn't one to pry.

"There's some tea downstairs if you'd like some." she offered, "I just made it a few minutes ago, it should still be hot."

Rainbow accepted, going downstairs and buying herself some time to think about what she was going to say. She had spent her flight over so worried about how Applejack would react, she hadn't thought about what she was going to tell Fluttershy!

She sat on the rather stiff hoof-carved couch in her living room. Technically, Applejack hadn't ever told her not to tell anyone about their relationship, still young though it may be.

In order to tell her about Spitfire, she first had to do something she had often rehearsed to herself. Tell her friend from flight school about her, preferences. Though she would never admit it, when she was a filly she had quite a crush on Fluttershy. Though at the time, she was still uncertain what the feelings she got in her belly when she looked at her canary yellow friend meant, so she never acted on them. That had long since passed however, and now she looked at Fluttershy as more of a sister than anything. Still, she felt like just telling her about herself and Applejack would be a betrayal of the earth ponies trust, and she felt sure she had done enough of that today.

'I don't want to just tell her...but maybe I can make her guess it out of me! There, then I can say I never told anyone!' she thought, leaving herself a loophole and agreeing with herself that faulty logic was the best kind of logic.

She smiled to herself as Fluttershy came down the stairs and sat on the couch next to her.

"Didn't want any tea?" she asked noticing the teapot was still on the counter where she left it.

"Huh? Oh! Nah I wasn't thirsty." she answered, not having to think too hard about her words, as the present company was easily the pony she was closest to in all of Ponyville. "Anyway, I came here to ask you something."

"Okay." the pegasus asked curiously as she tossed her pink mane out of her eyes, "What is it?"

"What do you think I'm into, Mares or Stallions?" she asked bluntly.

Fluttershy blushed profusely and recoiled slightly, not expecting such a personal question from her friend out of the blue like that.

"Well...Um...I..." she looked up to Rainbow's waiting eyes only to break contact a second later. She never liked being put on the spot like this, especially not with a potentially loaded question.

"I...I don't know..." the bashful pegasus said softly, feeling enough embarrassment for two ponies.

"C'mon Fluttershy, I think you know the answer to this one." she said getting a little impatient with her.

Fluttershy had always suspected Rainbow of being a filly fooler, but would never dream of asking her if it were true. Like many things, she kept her assumptions to herself most of the time.

"Um...Mares?" she replied meekly, searching her friends expression hoping she had chosen the right answer.

"Right. I...I got this problem." Rainbow continued, Fluttershy breathing a sigh of relief that her time having to answer uncomfortable questions was now over.

She sat back comfortably on the couch as Angel jumped into Fluttershy's lap.

"Okay, you know I'm always here if you want to talk about it." she said as the cyan pegasus' face twisted up in conflict, still trying to find the right words to explain her situation.

"I...I have this marefriend..." she began, a brief pause allowing Fluttershy to express her happiness that her best friend had found somepony.

"Oh that's wonderful Rainbow!" she chimed smiling at her, beginning to pet the restless bunny in her lap, "Who is she?"

The cyan pony paused for a second, still wanting to assuage her guilt by seeing if Fluttershy could just guess who it was without her having to tell her directly.

"Whose the last pony you'd ever think I'd end up with?" she asked, the pink maned pegasus still not sure why she wouldn't just tell her instead of making her guess like this.

"I...Uhm...Rarity?"

Rainbow stopped herself from scoffing at the very suggestion that she would ever consider a overly dramatic fashionista like her. Although she did ask for the last pony she would suspect.

"Nope. Try again." she said leaning back against the couch as Fluttershy nibbled on her bottom lip in thought.

"Pinkie Pie?"

Rainbow put her hoof on her forehead in mild frustration as she figured she might as well come out with it. If there was anyone she could trust to keep a lid on things, it was her old buddy Shy.

"Applejack! Applejack is my marefriend!" she nearly yelled causing the meek pegasus to shy away from her, Angel jumping off her lap, startled.

"Sorry Fluttershy...It's still kinda on the down low." she admitted, her inflection expressing a sadness Fluttershy had rarely seen in Rainbow. "She isn't comfortable letting other ponies know about us yet..."

"Well...I suppose that's kind of a problem...But you don't have to worry about me, I'll keep your secret." she assured softly.

"I know you will, but that's not the problem. Do you remember Spitfire?" she asked, recalling that during her short time as a model, Fluttershy had met all sorts of celebrities at her fashion shows and after parties.

"Oh yes. She was very nice, she said I had an excellent runway walk." she added innocently.

'She would...' Rainbow thought getting back to her original point.

"Yeah...she came over to my house today..." she began, pausing to gauge Fluttershy's reaction, her sea green eyes waiting intently on her every word.

"And we...kinda...made out." she said almost in a sigh of relief, looking back to the yellow pegasus. A look of surprise coming over her normally shy features as her almost natural blush took hold of her cheeks.

"You...cheated on Applejack?" she asked softly.

"No! I mean...well technically, but it wasn't my fault! We were playing tag for a shot at becoming a Wonderbolt and she tried to lose me by going straight up, but I followed her and passed out, and when I woke up we were on my couch..." she explained, taking a deep breath as the last sentence probably sounded like one long word.

"Kissing..." she completed with a look of shame in her eyes, her ego having long since lost the battle with her feelings of guilt for betraying Applejack's trust.

Fluttershy was speechless. This wasn't uncommon for her, but she was not expecting this kind of revelation from her flight school buddy. She honestly thought she just had some bird problems or came by to warn her of some upcoming weather, not admit to a secret relationship and follow up by telling her she was concerned she may have just ruined said relationship.

"Oh..." she whispered to try and buy herself some time to think about how she would respond to such news.

"I had to tell somepony! I just...figured you would understand..." she said looking to the still silent Fluttershy as she blushed, flattered that she was Rainbow's go to gal, even though she knew she had been for quite some time.

"Yeah...Um, I don't suppose you've told Applejack this have you?" she asked regaining her faculties.

"I still have a face don't I?"

Fluttershy giggled at her joke and sat back against her end of the couch.

"Are you going to?"

"I don't know...I don't want to lie to her, and it was just a kiss...It didn't mean anything to me. But I don't want to break her heart like that. I kinda came over here hoping you could help me decide." Dash admitted as she stared down at the floor in shame.

Fluttershy raised her hoof to her mouth as she tried to think of the best course of action for her friend to take, before finally settling on one.

"Well, lying doesn't do any good for anypony, and if she find's out not only that you did it, but then lied to her about it, she'll probably be twice as upset." she advised, putting a foreleg on Rainbow's shoulder in support.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. But...I don't know if I can look her in the eye and...hurt her like that." she said looking up into Fluttershy's sea green eyes with something the yellow pegasus had absolutely never seen on her face. Fear.

It was almost enough to scare her into not speaking, but she knew she had to help her friend in her hour of need.

"I know it'll be hard...but you have to tell her. The longer you wait, the worse it's going to get. She needs to know." she said as sternly as the normally soft spoken pony could manage.

Rainbow took a deep breath as Fluttershy withdrew her foreleg and stood up.

"You can do it Rainbow. Just be honest." she said taking a walk toward the kitchen to feed Angel.

"You're right. Wish me luck." Dash said as she gathered her nerve and left through the same window she had entered, scattering any loose papers about as she took flight.

Rainbow's heart was in her throat as she flew. She had never been more scared before in her entire life. No challenge she had ever faced began to compare with what she was about to attempt. Her greatest fear, ruining something that made her so happy, and by her own hoof no less. The thought was like a swift kick to the gut as she slowed her normally fast flight to try and buy her some time to think about what she was going to say. Try as she might, she couldn't even concentrate on that, her thoughts dominated by the crippling fear of rejection she knew was only moments away. Sweet Apple Acres orchards appeared over the horizon and she stopped, gathering a low hanging cloud beneath her as she sat just outside their property line.

'What am I gonna say? I cheated on you? I made out with my 'what if' mare? She'll never trust me again!'

She imagined how angry she would be after she told her, figuring she would need to be ready to fly out of there at a moments notice. She took a deep breath, and remembered her best friends words.

'Just be honest.'

She jumped off the cloud and headed towards the farmhouse in the distance, her heart still thumping madly in apprehension as she flared her wings and landed in front near the porch.

"Howdy Rainbow! What're you up to today?" a voice from her left said as she turned to see Applejacks bright eyes greeting her from the side of the house.

She swallowed hard and tried to put on her most normal face as her conscience tore her up inside.

"Not much...uh, listen...Is there someplace we can go and be...alone?" she asked, the earth pony looking around for her family members before lowering her voice.

"Rainbow, can't you wait until nighttime?" Applejack whispered, the cyan pegasus getting a quick laugh out of her comment.

"No, I don't mean like that...I, need to tell you something." she responded, her knees feeling a bit weak as the moment she was dreading drew nearer and nearer, while she was helpless to stop it.

"We can talk in the barn. Big MacIntosh is out in town, so he won't be back for a while." she said still completely oblivious to the bomb that the rainbow maned pony was about to drop.

She followed her into the barn, Applejack stealing a look back expecting to embarrass her lover again, but instead seeing her magenta eyes focused squarely on the ground. They reached the barn as Applejack now shared the same worried expression as her partner.

"What'd ya want to talk about sugarcube?" she asked softly, figuring it was something important to have her acting this way.

'Oh Celestia, I'm not ready for this.'

Rainbow looked into Applejacks eyes and opened her mouth to speak, but was only able to produce a single letter.

"I..."

Applejack was getting increasingly worried, she had never seen Rainbow like this in all her years of knowing her.

She walked over to her and put a hoof around her shoulder, bringing her in close for a hug, only exacerbating Rainbow's already hard choice.

"Whatever it is, you can tell me." she whispered as the lightning fast pegasus pushed her away, to her surprise.

Applejack noticed a narrow stream running down Rainbow's cheek as she asked again for her to tell her what was making her so upset. For nights afterward, she would wish she hadn't.

"I...I cheated on you..." she mumbled, barely above a whisper; all that her normally confident voice could muster under the heavy emotional toll this was taking on her.

Applejack knew she couldn't have heard what she thought she had, so she asked her to repeat.

"I said I CHEATED on you!" Rainbow Dash shouted in a mix of anger and frustration at herself, the word 'cheated' echoing through the mostly empty barn.

Applejack felt like she had just been bucked in the face. The words alone were enough to knock her on her flanks in stunned silence.

Rainbow couldn't bear to see her like this. She wished she would yell, she wished she would get angry, she wished she would try and throw things at her. All of those responses she could deal with, but not this. The look on the orange pony's face was one of unrivaled devastation. Her expression was burned into the back of Rainbow's eyes as it only piled on more guilt to her already heavy heart.

Applejacks mouth hung open slightly, but no words escaped. She was absolutely crushed. How could she have done this to her? Was she not good enough for her? Not pretty enough? Not competitive enough? These thoughts raced through her head as anger was the farthest emotion from her mind. She took no notice of the tears forming in her eyes and spilling down her cheeks as Rainbow stared at her, remorse across her face, her eyes begging her to say something. Anything.

After what felt like years of silence, Applejack found her unsteady, hurt voice.

"How...how could you..." she began, but trailed off as the terrible news still hadn't sunk in all the way.

"It was an accident, I was passed out...when I woke up, Spitfire was kissing me-"

"Spitfire? You cheated on me with Spitfire?" AJ said, a slow anger beginning to build inside the burnt orange earth pony.

"She came over to give me a chance to join the Wonderbolts, I had to-"

"I don't want to hear anymore. I hope she was worth it Rainbow." she snapped coldly, tears still streaming from her soft emerald eyes.

"Please...Applejack, she didn't mean anything to me-"

"I said I don't want to hear it! How could you do this to me Rainbow!? I thought you cared about me?!" she shouted through her pain.

"She came on to me! I'm telling you she meant nothing-"

"Go. Just get the hell out of here before I say something I regret you treacherous..." Applejack trailed off, biting her bottom lip to stop herself from hurling insults out of pain. She couldn't even look in her direction as she turned her back to the cyan pegasus who had just stepped on her heart.

Both of the headstrong ponies natural defense mechanisms shielded their egos as Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth in frustration and stepped toward the barn door.

"Fine. Have a nice life." she said bitterly, taking off into the clear blue sky. Not even able to enjoy the cool breeze around her because of the shattered heart within her, tears streaming across her face as she flew.

Applejack wanted to stop her, but her stubborn pride held her hostage, just as Rainbow's ego had done to her. Once they were apart, the hurt truly began to set in for both of them. Applejack cursed herself for thinking she could trust anypony with her feelings, and allowing that snake Rainbow Dash to get close to her like that. She knew she should have called her out when she mentioned Spitfire was her 'what if' mare, but didn't think it was anything other than some silly game.

Most of her anger boiled down to the simple fact that she had found something that made her happier than any thing in her life before that, only to have it ripped away by some big shot celebrity. She laid back against a hay bale and clutched the hat her father had given her before he passed, picking up a habit she thought she had dropped when she was a filly. She laid silently in the barn as tears flowed from her closed eyes, understanding now how somepony could die from a broken heart.

Twilight lay quietly on her bed, anger and frustration at her predicament feeding a seemingly endless cycle of silent tears. Spike hated seeing his best friend like this, but didn't really know what he could do to help her. He couldn't make Big Macintosh forgive her, and he certainly couldn't make him believe Discord was responsible for her missing their date. He stood on the edge of the steps quietly looking at his roommate stare out the window into the steadily approaching night, wishing there was something he could do. She had followed his advice, so he felt somewhat responsible for her situation.

A gentle knock at the door stirred him from his thoughts as he nearly tripped walking backwards down the stairs.

'Who would need a book at this hour?' he thought reaching the door to find a large red stallion waiting behind it, a purple flower in his mouth. Spike was slightly surprised to see him, thinking he would never have believed Twilights seemingly ridiculous story.

"Hey Big Macintosh. Come by for a book?" he asked politely, but assumed he was here for a bookworm.

He shook his head, not wanting to drop the flower as Spike stepped aside to let him in.

"I'll get Twilight." he said taking a short trip up the stairs as the workhorse took a seat on the same couch he had asked her out on the first time. This time however, he wasn't nervous. In fact, he was more sure of himself than he had ever been before.

He heard some fumbling upstairs and a few hoofbeats as he waited for Twilight to make her appearance.

After a few minutes, she came down the stairs. Try as she might, her eyes were still a little red and her cheeks somewhat puffy from the crying she had been doing. Big Mac felt terrible for making her so upset, his chivalrous sensibilities overpowering his disbelief of her reason for standing him up. If there was one feeling he hated besides hurt, it was guilt.

She put on a smile as she walked over to him, taking a seat on the couch next to him before noticing what was in his mouth.

He put it back in her mane as she laughed nervously.

"You...kept it?" she asked, pointing out the obvious.

"Eeyup. Twilight...Ah'm sorry Ah didn't believe you or Spike when you told me you'd been called away on business. Ya see...when it comes to mares, well...Ah'm not the most suave fella there is, so Ah thought that you were just makin' up a story so you wouldn't have to go ta supper with me. Ah didn't think I was good enough for you Twilight, so Ah assumed the worst." he said quietly, looking down at his forelegs as was his nervous habit.

Twilight had never felt such hurt one moment then such monumental relief the next. He had come to apologize to her, and she was the one who stood him up! He certainly was somepony she could see herself with for a long time. He glanced up at her, a gentle smile across her lips as he smiled back at her. Before he knew it, her forelegs were wrapped around his shoulders in a hug he slowly returned.

She felt his muscular forelegs wrap gently around her as she whispered to him.

"Thank you Mac...you don't know how much that means to me."

"It's the truth Twilight." she pulled away from the hug as the redness in the stallions cheeks was apparent even through his coat, "Well, Ah also came over ta ask, if you'd like to try our date again tonight?"

Twilights eyes shined with happiness for the first time since she was released from Canterlot.

"Of course! Just give me five minutes to get ready." she said hurrying upstairs.

Thirty minutes later...

She descended the stairs once more, her mane elegant and shiny, her tail perky and bouncing with every step she took, the purple flower still in her mane behind her ear. She was simply stunning, as Big Macintosh could only gawk at her with his mouth hanging open slightly from the couch he had nearly fallen asleep on. Needless to say, he was wide awake now.

Twilight's ego shot through the roof noticing the stallion of her desire's expression.

"Ready to go?" she asked in her most seductive tone. Even though Rarity told her not to worry about trying anything overtly suggestive, she had to admit it was quite thrilling knowing she had that effect on him.

He managed a nod as he stood up off the couch and stepped toward the door with her.

"I'll be back later Spike, don't stay up too late!" she called over her shoulder in a motherly tone.

"Yeah yeah, go have fun already!" Spike responded from upstairs.

The night had just fallen outside as they walked toward the center of town.

"Ah don't really go into town much Twilight, is there some place in particular you want ta eat?" he asked.

She was so excited about all the possibilities the night would bring, food was the farthest thing from her mind.

"Oh, um...what kind of food do you feel like Mac?"

"Any kind. So long as we get there in the next few minutes." he added, getting a giggle from his lady friend as they entered the town square.

"Is there someplace you been wantin' to try?" he asked trying to narrow down the options.

One place came to her mind, though it was a bit expensive.

"Well, there is a new place on Stirrup street, La Jumet Elegante...but it's kind of expensive-" she began as her date cut her off.

"Say no more. Applebuck season was good last year, money ain't a problem."

"Are you sure? I mean, It could be-"

"Nonsense Twilight. The gentlecolt pays, and Ah'll hear no more of it." he said confidently as she looked to him with a smile.

"Alright then Mr. gentlecolt." she answered as she brushed up against him affectionately. She felt his coat spike in warmth as he returned her nuzzle. He could act as confident as he wanted, but she took comfort in the fact that she had the ability to take all of that bravado away with a single nuzzle, or a well placed kiss.

They entered the fancy restaurant to the sound of violins and cellos playing softly as the maitre d' with a pointy thin mustache and red vest looked up from his seating chart to greet them.

"Welcome to La Jumet Elegante, how many in your party?" he asked in a dry French accent.

"Two." Big Mac answered.

"There is a forty five minute wait mesure." he added just as dryly, Twilight looking somewhat disappointed as it was a Friday night.

"We can try someplace else if you want Mac." she suggested as he reassured her with a grin.

"Don't you worry darlin'. You wanted to eat here, we're eating here." he said producing a small brown sack from beneath his yoke and tossing it on the podium, the contents spilling out slightly as some of the bits fell across the waiter's hooves.

"I believe a table just opened up! May I take your yoke mesure?"

"No thank ya. We'll take our table now."

Twilight wasn't normally one to be impressed by stallions throwing money around, but Big Macintosh wasn't some big headed celebrity. He was, in her eyes, the perfect combination of down to earth-ness and generosity.

A single candle lit their table in the low light atmosphere as the soft music set the scene for quite the romantic dinner. Big Macintosh had never felt more out of place in his life. He would have just as soon stayed at the farm and had Twilight over for supper, but Granny Smith insisted the first date had to be someplace where, to quote her: 'Tha cookin' an tha cleanin' were done fer ya'.

"You'll have ta excuse my ignorance Twilight, but Ah can't read a thing on this menu. Ah don't know a lick a French." he said slightly embarrassed.

Twilight couldn't help but giggle at her dates honesty as she took a look at her menu. Her French was a little rusty, but she figured a rough translation should still get her point across.

"What do you feel like eating?" she asked.

"They got any hay?" he asked simply, Twilight finding it adorable that he would take her to the fanciest restaurant in town and order hay.

"Uh lets see...they've got a...soup with eight different kinds of hay! And whatever d-dugere am frie is..." she said looking back up at Big Mac with a perplexed look on his face.

"Tell ya what. Ah'll just get what you get. Ah trust ya Twilight."

She couldn't help but laugh at their situation as the waiter took their order.

"Applejack didn't give you too much grief did she?" he asked, knowing she had to have gone through his fiery sister to even get a shot at talking to him.

"No, she was actually pretty understanding after I got through the yelling..." Twilight admitted through a nervous laugh.

"That's good...She was mighty upset when she found out."

"I understand her being that way...She didn't want you to get hurt." she added as their eyes met across the table. "She was looking out for her older brother."

"Yeah, she thinks she needs to." he added through his own apprehensive chuckle. "It's not that Ah don't appreciate it, but it often times does more harm than good."

The dinner was everything Twilight could have hoped for. In that short time, she learned more about the red stallion and his family than she had ever known in years of being friends with his sister. The fact that he opened up to her that much was pretty astounding, only further convincing her that Big MacIntosh could be her perfect match.

The happiness in her heart reminded her that maybe there was a small chance that Discord could be defeated even after everything he had tried to do to break her spirit.

Unfortunately the thought only resurrected her worry about the fate of Equestria, especially since he was still sitting on the throne, known only to her, Spike and maybe Applejack and Big Mac if they truly believed her. She continued her worry as they left the restaurant, Big Macintosh noticing the smile she had carried all night had now vanished.

"Somethin' the matter Twilight?" he asked earnestly.

"No...just got a lot of other stuff on my mind, thats all." she answered with a sigh.

"Ah'm all ears if you want ta talk 'bout it." he said walking back with her toward the town square.

"That's okay. It's nothing major."

'Just the end of civilization as we know it...'

"All right then. Is there anything else you wanted to do?" he added a little embarrassed, "I'm not too sure how many things you're 'sposed to do on a date b'sides dinner."

"Well that makes two of us." she said rubbing her horn gently under his chin. He reddened even more than usual as they came into the town square.

"It's a beautiful night tonight...We could go back to the library and stargaze...I mean...if you wanted..." Twilight added in a Fluttershy like manner.

Big Macintosh's heart skipped a beat. She was inviting him back to her house. After a date. He didn't know volumes about dating by any stretch, but every stallion friend he had who was more experienced with mares always told him; mares only have one reason for letting you inside their house after an evening out. He gulped as the nervousness he had thought he had defeated returned to him with a vengeance.

"Um...sure." he said quietly as they began to walk toward the library, the big stallion's heart racing as they got closer to something he had only known about through hearsay and speculation. And now on the first date he was possibly going to get a chance to do...that with Twilight? He couldn't help but grin to himself, his normally small ego now somewhat swollen at the thought.

Twilight was having a debate with herself as to wether or not to go through with what she had planned.

'I'm an adult, I can make my own decisions about this kind of thing! It's my body I can do what I want with it! I'm probably the oldest mare in ponyville who still hasn't been with a stallion!' she thought confidently, though she almost instantly replaced that confidence with uncertainty.

'But what if he doesn't want to? Or what if he thinks I'm easy? What if I'm no good at it?'

'No! Twilight! The world could end tomorrow with Discord in charge! You want to be alone forever? You're just going to have to take a risk, and play it cool.' she thought, though she knew how good she was at playing it cool, her heart beating rapidly as they reached her front door. She opened it quietly and stepped into the darkened library, lighting a single candle and guiding it in front of her as she climbed the stairs, letting Big Mac follow close behind her. She opened the door slowly to her balcony as she extinguished the candle and grabbed the blanket they had laid on the first time they had agreed to go out, spreading it flat on the hard floor of the balcony with her magic.

'Okay Mac, just be cool, and let whatever happens, happen.' he thought nervously as he lay down on his back on the blanket, only to be quickly joined by the lavender unicorn he found himself increasingly sweet towards. He put a foreleg around her shoulder as she snuggled close to him, much closer than the last time they had laid together. They looked up at the stars, though they were the furthest thing from either of their minds. Big Macintosh found his heart feeling like it was going to escape from his chest as fast as it was beating, and Twilight's wasn't far behind. They didn't say a word as they lay there in minutes of silence, both of them far too nervous to do anything but breathe.

After what felt like hours, Big Mac decided to take the initiative to see where this invitation would lead. He turned his head to face her as she felt him move and did the same. They looked into each other's eyes as they held themselves close. Neither said a word, Twilight simply knew what she would do next. She pressed her lips against his and closed her eyes, not caring what any book said about waiting till the third date to try anything intimate. She would later swear she felt electricity flowing through her as her first real kiss was something more pleasurable than anything she had ever before experienced. The sheer thrill of not being afraid to take what she wanted excited her more than a thousand successful experiments or a million first edition books ever could.

She clumsily played with his tongue as he returned the motion, letting go of his worldly concerns with her. The deep kiss lasted maybe a few seconds before Twilight decided to make her intentions clear. Emboldened by her successful kiss she rolled on top of him, now sitting directly atop a rather sensitive area for stallions. As soon as he felt her weight on him, he broke the kiss and stared into her beautiful sapphire eyes as they glistened in the moonlight.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" he whispered, always the consummate gentlecolt.

She leaned down onto him, their chests meeting as she whispered into his ear.

"Yes, I'm sure."

She kissed him again as she felt his hoof run through her mane gently. She broke the kiss and slowly climbed off of him. Twilight took a few steps toward the door back to her bedroom and cast the most seductive glance she could muster at him as he still lay on the blanket, shifting his hind legs to one side to cover a rather embarrassing development.

She couldn't help but giggle as she slowly opened the door, beckoning him to follow.

Spike was sound asleep in his basket as she gently levitated him and his bed outside her bedroom door, closing and locking it from the inside.

"There, now it's just you and me." she said softly as the still unbelievably nervous Big Mac sat back on her bed as she joined him. Her magic levitated the yoke from his strong neck and onto her bedpost as she sat on his lap facing him, using her same magic to brush the shaggy blonde mane from his eyes. Discord had tried his best to ruin her relationship, but despite everything, she guessed he didn't count on Big Macintosh being so forgiving. She felt him take hold of her hooves looking deeply into her eyes.

She made one last attempt to find a reason why she shouldn't bed the stallion that was nearly twice her size, but couldn't think of a single one. His forelegs wrapped snugly around her back as he pulled her into another passionate kiss, Mac's turn to take some initiative as they resumed what they had started on the balcony. A feeling of security warmed her as his strong, commanding forelegs enveloped her upper body. Twilight put her forelegs over his shoulders to help hold herself up. After a few more blissful seconds, Big Mac pulled his lips away, their noses gently rubbing as they both caught their breath.

"T-twilight...Ah've never really...done this, before..." he admitted shyly. Even though she was just as inexperienced, she had at least occasionally read a few books on the subject whenever Spike was out running errands.

"It's okay, I haven't either. But we have all night to figure it out."

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I know I've been Mr. Rapid fire update lately but that is going to stop, at least for this weekend. I'm going out of town and there is a 100% chance I will be hammered most of the time, so not much writing will get done. A new chap should be out on monday or tuesday. Thanks for staying with me and my overly shippy fic! Cheers!

Ch.10 Busted

DISCORD'S REIGN

Chapter 10-Busted

"How'd I end up out here?" Spike asked himself as he woke from his slumber behind the closed door to the library loft where Twilight slept. He hopped out of bed with sleep still in his eyes and banged on the door.

Twilight slept wonderfully for the few hours they actually slept. Being alone in her bed for so long had desensitized her to how cold it got in her loft at night. Having another warm body, especially one nearly twice her size to cuddle with was something she could definitely see herself doing more often. Big Macintosh's hoof was firmly wrapped around her shoulders as she slept with her head on his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. Their back legs intertwined under the sheets as she found her eyes began to flutter awake.

Every muscle in her body was sore, but the good kind of sore, as if she had just run a marathon or saved a group of foals from a burning building. She couldn't believe she had tried to think of a reason not to be with the stallion she clung to. Twilight discovered the emptiness she had always felt she could fill with books and academics was more perfectly filled by the love of another. She had never felt so emotionally connected to anypony before last night, and now she could swear her heart and his were now beating in sync. Among other things she discovered last night was that the 'Big' in Big MacIntosh was most certainly not an ironic nickname.

The lavender unicorn glanced up at her still sleeping lover, his shaggy blond mane flopping lazily over one side of his face. She lay her head back down on his chest as she threw a foreleg over him protectively, content with the world, even temporarily forgetting about the escaped lunatic currently running the kingdom.

All she wanted was for the satisfaction and relief that was coursing through her to stay with her forever. But that was not to last a she and Big Mac were startled by a pounding at her bedroom door.

The red stallion simply stirred and settled back down, not even opening his eyes as Twilight used her magic to unlock the door, knowing it was Spike.

"Why the heck did you..." he trailed off seeing the two of them so close together and under blankets.

"Oh. Oh! Ugh, gross! There isn't enough soap in all of Equestria to clean this room!" he huffed, "Looks like I'll just sleep downstairs for the rest of my life." he closed the door behind him as he headed towards the kitchen to start on breakfast. Truthfully, he had no idea what he was finding himself disgusted by, but he had always heard of ponies 'sleeping together' as some kind of ultimate act of love. Though why making somepony sleep in a space half the size of the bed they were used to was seen as an act of love, he was unsure.

Twilight couldn't help but laugh at her friends reaction, still too wrapped up in her happiness and their afterglow to honestly care what anypony thought at this point.

While Twilight was experiencing bliss beyond her wildest imagination, two of her other friends were feeling quite the opposite...

XXX

Rainbow got maybe two hours of sleep the night after she confessed to Applejack. Only out of sheer exhaustion was she finally able to achieve any kind of slumber. Her body may have been tired but her mind was wide awake, thoughts of what she had done and the image of Applejack's devastated expression haunted her consciousness and kept her from feeling anything except monumental guilt. She heard a knock at the door as she rolled over on her bed, debating wether on not she should even bother to answer it.

Rainbow reasoned it sure as hell couldn't be Applejerk so she decided to drag herself from her bedroom. Her mane was a mess and her eyes were bloodshot from the tears she had been crying through the night as she opened the door, revealing a canary yellow pegasus coyly waiting outside it.

"Hey Rainbow...I just came by to see-"

Her ego picked a rather sensitive target for her to take her frustration out upon. It wasn't Fluttershy's fault that Applejack had felt such tremendous hurt over Rainbow's actions, but it was certainly enough for her ego to save herself from admitting who was actually in the wrong by blaming the shy pegasus.

"What do you want?" she sneered.

Fluttershy recoiled in fear behind her pink mane, forgetting why she had even stopped by in the first place as Rainbow narrowed her eyes, masking her anger towards herself and directing it towards the pegasus who had told her foolishly to 'tell the truth'.

"I...just...wanted t-to see how...uhm..."

"What? How your crappy advice ruined the one thing that made me happy?! What was I thinking listening to you!? I've never even seen you with anypony else!" she snapped as Fluttershy completely shut down in the face of her oldest friends anger. "I was such an idiot for thinking you would know what you were talking about!"

She didn't utter a word besides a soft squeak as she darted off her porch in fear, heading back to her cottage with tears in her eyes, Rainbow feeling little remorse for her actions.

'She told you to tell her the truth, and look where that got you.' she thought slamming her door and going back to her bedroom, the large poster of Spitfire she had kept next to her bed having been ripped off the wall.

Her directionless anger consumed her every thought as she flopped back onto her bed. Her ego shielding her from responsibility while she cursed her former idol for coming on to her the way she did. Rainbow's rage slowly began to replace itself with sadness as she realized there was very little she could do to reconcile with Applejack. Tears in a mix of frustration and sadness resumed their march down her face, knowing in her heart that Fluttershy was only trying to help, but having made such a scene in front of her would make it somewhat difficult to apologize and keep her perceived dignity. Apologizing wasn't one of Rainbow's strong suits to begin with, and her overprotective ego was putting up a stiff fight to keep her pride intact.

She rolled onto her back and thought of her options. She didn't need Applejack, she had Spitfire! She practically invited her to be a Wonderbolt! Her head swam with all sorts of ideas about what it would be like to be a stunt flier full time. To get to hang out with Spitfire, Soarin and the rest of the group all while making tons of money and living whatever kind of life she chose.

However, Rainbow's feelings soon began to wane as she thought of all the good times and the fun she had here in Ponyville with her friends. Her thoughts naturally drifting back to a certain orange earth pony she had drunkenly kissed the day after the Sun Celebration. Sure Spitfire was her perfect idea of a beautiful mare, but she didn't even know her on much of a personal level. She could be a completely different pony behind closed doors. Applejack on the other hoof was someone she knew, someone whose feelings didn't just exist because she was attracted to her physically, but gradually shaped and formed into the unrivaled sense of wholeness she felt in her heart when she was near her.

She had to ask herself, was maintaining her pride worth giving up everything she had worked so hard for here in this tiny town outside the capital?

Rainbow still couldn't fathom trying to see Applejack again. Not after what happened in the barn...she just couldn't face her. Admitting fault was like admitting defeat, something she had never in her life even dreamed of doing.

'But I didn't even do anything wrong! I didn't kiss her, she kissed me!' she reasoned, though she knew that wasn't entirely true. This was herself she was arguing with, so it was somewhat difficult to keep secrets. Rainbow knew she could have immediately withdrawn as soon as she felt lips on lips, but she didn't, in fact she let it go way farther than she had any right to allow.

Her eyes shut tightly as the battle inside her head raged on. Indecision was her only companion as every window she had was closed to shut out the day. She pounded a hoof on her bed in frustration, scattering some cloud fluff about her room as she bit her lip, a fresh line of tears leaving her eyes.

She rolled onto her belly burying her face in her cloudy pillow, her whole body limp on the bed as she heard a sound that made her heart jump.

The echoing snap of taloned fingers.

XXX

Twilight and Big Macintosh laid lazily on her couch, the lavender unicorn's head across his lap as a book hovered in front of her face. The red stallion had a book on soil composition across the arm of the couch, but was steadily losing his interest in it, as well as his interest in staying awake. His head began to nod a few times before he caught himself, though not before accidentally knocking the book out of Twilight's magic and onto her face. Her eyes furrowed beneath it before putting on a rather disheartened expression.

"Sorry Mac, I know this is boring..."

"I don't mind sittin' here with ya Twilight, I'm still just a bit tired from...last night." he added, a deep crimson outshining his normally apple red coat.

She grinned, taking that as a compliment. Truth be told she was just as tired, but after finally taking a risk whose outcomes she didn't meticulously calculate before hoof, she felt emboldened to become more assertive and less coy in her dealings with a certain stallion.

"You should be." she added, casting at him the bedroom eyes she had worked so hard to perfect. "I don't see any reason we couldn't go one more round..."

Somehow, Big Mac grew even more crimson at her suggestion. Twilight reveled in the newfound feeling of power she had over her genteel coltfriend. She found herself trying to think of a happier time in her life, and while she was content with studying and academics, nothing compared to knowing that no matter how far she roamed or where her life would take her, there was one pony here, back in the stable, slow paced town of Ponyville that still kept her in his heart.

Big Macintosh's eyes held a look of reluctance. Not that he didn't want to be with Twilight, but every muscle he had was sore. He had plowed entire plots of Sweet Apple Acres in a single day, planted hundreds of trees in a season, but nothing compared to the absolute exhaustion brought on by the night he had just shared with her.

"You know normally I'd be more than happy to Twilight...but you couldn't possibly have any more energy after last night." he said calling her bluff. She was actually somewhat relieved, as she didn't see anything they would have done as being a very motion oriented affair.

"You'd be lucky to get me off this couch in the next six hours." she laughed in agreement. She propped herself up on her elbows and moved her head close to his, rubbing the side of her horn against the underside of his chin before she looked up into his waiting eyes.

"I guess I'll just have to settle for this..." she said softly, her lips against his in an unintentionally deep kiss. She felt his foreleg wrap around her back to support her as she lightly drug a hoof down his chest, barely ruffling his coat as she went. They held each other close until Spike interrupted with a rather loud throat clearing.

"Do you have to do that in the living room?" he asked indignantly, his usual grossed out face conveying his feelings on the mushy, lovey-doveyness on display in front of him.

Twilight broke the kiss and turned to face Spike with an unamused look across her face.

"Spike, I'm out of scrolls. I need you to go get me some more." she instructed turning to face him, still laying across her red stallion.

"You've got ten scrolls right over there!" he said pointing to a stack in the corner. Without missing a beat she gathered them in her magic and held them over a candle, setting them all ablaze in front of them until they were but ashes. Needless to say, Spike was not impressed.

"Now then, the bits are on the table." she added as Big Mac held in laughter. "We probably need about ten."

Spike mumbled under his breath as he took the bits and left them alone.

Twilight spent a second or two looking at the door to make sure Spike wouldn't burst back in before rolling back to face her coltfriend after locking the library door via magic.

"Well, we've got the place to ourselves..." she whispered as the red stallion smiled at her knowingly.

"I'm willin', but I don't think I can get off tha couch, let alone up them stairs a yours."

"Who says we have to get to my room?" she said wrapping her forelegs around his strong neck and pulling his head towards hers in another kiss. She figured just in case Discord couldn't be stopped, she could at least die knowing she had experienced one of life's most basic pleasures. Twice in 24 hours!

XXX

"Applejack! I'm here for Mrs. Cakes order!" called a bubbly voice the orange pony recognized immediately even through the solid wood walls of her farmhouse.

Applejack was a wreck from the past twenty four hours. Like Rainbow, she hadn't got much sleep the night before, a general malaise settling over her as her mane fell freely and untethered under her hat while bags hung under her eyes. The farm girl drug herself out of bed and headed downstairs. Her chores remained undone and oddly enough, so were her brother's.

'Wonder where he got off to...' she didn't have much time to ponder as a pink pony pulling an empty cart waited eagerly outside for her.

"Hiya Applejack! Just here for-" the sight of her friend was enough to stop her sentence dead in its tracks. She had never seen her like this before, even after she tried to harvest all the apples in Sweet Apple Acres by herself.

"Are you okay?" she asked, putting aside her normally carefree nature with concern for her friend.

The self reliant pony didn't want to burden Pinkie with her problems, plus she still wasn't entirely comfortable with telling even her friends about her so far secret relationship. She trusted them, but as the old saying goes, loose lips sink ships. The very idea of Granny Smith or any of her other relatives finding out was simply mortifying, as family was the most important thing to an Apple. Or so she had been raised to believe.

"Nothin' sugarcube. Let's get you them apples." she said putting on her most normal face for her friend as she led her around to the side of the barn where large bushels of apples waited to be moved.

Pinkie unhitched herself from the cart and began helping Applejack load them. The hard partying pink pony may enjoy a good time, but this didn't mean she wasn't observant.

'Something's bothering Applejack. Pinkie, it's your duty as a friend and your privilege as a party planner to find out what it is, then throw a related party to cheer her up!' she thought confidently.

"C'mon Applejack! You look like you just worked all day, and it's only eleven! Tell me what's the matter." she insisted, though the stubborn as a mule country mare still refused.

"Ah already told ya it's nothin!" she snapped at her, "I didn't get much sleep last night. There, ya happy?"

Pinkie withdrew slightly, but her anger only gave her more reason to think she was on to something. The pink pony let out a defeated sigh before giving Applejack a few minutes to calm down.

She cast a quick glance toward the orange earth pony before trying one last time as she loaded the last bit of apples into the cart.

'Lets see, she's never looked this sad, so whatever happened must have been something that hasn't ever happened before...' she thought, suddenly remembering a rainy day when she had gotten stuck under a storm inside Twilights library for a few hours. Twilight was studying a psychology book and when she'd asked what she was reading, she said it was about word association. She went on to explain that in the book, it said you could give a pony three words to pick from, the pony in question memorizing one of the words. Then you could guess which word it was simply by repeating the word and studying their reaction! They had tried it a few times on each other, and it seemed to work, so she decided it couldn't hurt to try.

'So who was the last pony I saw her with...' she thought back searching her memory to the night of the Summer Sun Celebration.

'Wow it's been that long since I've seen Applejack? I should visit her more often- No! Stay on point Pinkie! This is about Applejack, not...Applejack. Now then, the last time I saw her she was walking Rainbow Dash home. Something must have happened between then and now!' she thought as Applejack stared at her in confusion, since she had simply been standing there for the past few seconds looking at her, but not saying a word.

"You okay, sugarcube?"

"Rainbow Dash." Pinkie responded calmly, searching her friends features for a reaction, getting a subtle one almost instantly.

Applejack's ears lowered slightly as she broke eye contact. The exact tells Twilight had told her to look out for.

"What about her?" she said in a flat monotone.

"I knew it! Rainbow Dash has something to do with why you're all mopey!" she said nearly jumping in excitement, which was not the emotion the situation warranted.

"Horseapples!" she snapped defensively. "She don't got nothin to do with me!"

"Aww, c'mon Applejack. You can tell me what she did! I bet she knocked some of your apples off one of your trees before they were ripe huh? Or did she schedule a thunderstorm and not tell you again?" she asked rapid fire before she could decide wether or not she wanted to tell Pinkie about the two of them.

The pink pony gasped as she slowly realized what was truly going on.

"Oh...Oh my gosh. I saw Rainbow flying toward your farm a few times after dark when I was out walking Gummy, and I never see her come back. It's so obvious! She's always around the farm, she hangs out with you constantly! I can't believe I've been so blind!" she said as her eyes widened and Applejack recoiled somewhat in anticipation of her friends reaction to their relationship. Rainbow assured her no one ever saw her come over, even that she took a route around town just to avoid being seen!

'I guess I should add that to tha list of things she's lied about.' Applejack thought as Pinkie took in another lung full of air.

"Rainbow Dash, is an apple rustler!" she whispered in disbelief.

"She must just be using you for apples! I'm so sorry Applejack!" she thought throwing her pink forelegs around her friends neck in a hug.

The farmers daughter didn't know whether to feel more relived or surprised that Pinkie thought Rainbow was something she was fairly certain she had only told Applebloom about.

Applejack couldn't help but smile as her friend let her go, her blue eyes etched in sadness as she looked into her green ones.

"No darlin, Rainbow ain't a apple rustler." she sighed, still debating wether or not to let Pinkie in on her and Rainbow's now former relationship.

'Well, I spose there's no harm in it now, seein how it's over.' she thought. Plus she knew how well Pinkie could keep a secret. The idea of opening up to somepony about this was a gratifying thought, so she decided it could only make her feel better to come clean.

"Come inside the barn sugarcube, I'll tell ya what's been botherin me." she said as Pinkie bounced merrily beside her.

Applejack laid down on a soft spot in the side of a large pile of hay in the barn as Pinkie took a seat next to her.

"Alright, I'm all ears!" she said ready and eager to help her friend and fellow earth pony through her troubles.

Applejack took a deep breath and glanced at Pinkie before she began. She got all the way to the part about the events from yesterday before she started getting choked up. Pinkie's expression had changed a couple of times during the story, from generally happy, to somewhat less happy, to confused.

"I'm glad you and Rainbow make each other happy Applejack, but I still don't get why you're acting all grumpy."

"I was just gettin' ta that part...Rainbow came over here yesterday to tell me that...that..." she began, losing her nerve about half way through the sentence as a few tears began to drip from her eyes.

Pinkie's ears flattened as she sensed her friends hurt in her stuttered words.

"She cheated on me...with Spitfire, that 'what if' mare I was tellin' ya 'bout. She said she came over ta her house and one thing led to another...and..." she faltered, biting her bottom lip to keep herself from continuing something she had spent most of last night doing.

"Oh...Applejack, I'm so sorry..." she said putting a hoof around her friends shoulder in support, feeling sure she was one of the few people outside the Apple family that had ever seen Applejack cry.

"There's nothin for you to be sorry bout darlin'. I shoulda never trusted that yellow bellied snake in the first place." she added bitterly, just as angry at herself as she was at Rainbow Dash.

"Hey now, Dashie may have gotten carried away, but you don't think she wanted to hurt you on purpose do you?"

"Then why did she kiss her Pinkie?" she nearly growled at her, getting agitated that she would even consider Rainbow's side of the story.

"I dunno, how did the kiss happen? Did she start it? Did Spitfire start it?" she asked, Applejack's anger slowly defusing at the use of logic.

"Well...Ah didn't really give her a chance ta explain." she admitted sheepishly.

"The thought of her with someone else just hurt so much that...I didn't give her much of a chance to tell me her side of the story. I told her to get the hell out." she added, her one tracked heart now split between two emotions, anger at Rainbow and guilt for not letting her at least try to explain herself.

"You said it happened that day right?" Pinkie asked.

"Yeah...so?"

"Weeeeeeell, I don't know much about relationships, but it seems to me that if she didn't care about you, she wouldn't have told you anything at all!" she answered in a happier tone than the one she had held for the duration of the conversation.

"She cared enough about you to actually come and tell you about it right after it happened! Was she upset when she told you?" she went on to ask.

Applejack could hardly remember anytime Rainbow's eyes held that much pain while she was with her.

"Yeah...she seemed pretty broke up about it...Oh Pinkie, I've been such a dang fool!" she admitted, burying her head in her forelegs in shame.

"That may be true, but there's nothing stopping you from telling her you're sorry next time you see her is there?"

"I spose not..."

"Then there ya go!" she said happily springing to her hooves as Applejack brushed the little moisture remaining from her eyes.

"Thank's so much Pinkie...Ah'm glad Ah talked to ya bout this."

"Me too! I'm just glad I could help!" Pinkie said hitching herself to the fully loaded applecart.

"Oh and Pinkie, do ya think ya could keep me and Dashie's little...thing a secret? We haven't really decided to err...go public yet..." Applejack added.

"Your secret is safe with me! Say hello to Granny Smith for me! Oh wait, you won't have to, she's right there! Thanks for the apples Granny!" Pinkie said waving goodbye as she started off down the road.

Applejacks heart stopped, her pupils shrank to pinholes, her eyes widened and her stomach felt like she had just swallowed a ten pound weight.

'Celestia, I don't ask for much, but please let her be joking.' she prayed, gathering the courage to glance behind her.

She slowly looked over her shoulder to see an unamused Granny Smith slowly coming down the ramp to the hay loft. Her greatest fear having just been realized.

"G-Granny...how long have you been up there?" she asked through an extremely nervous laugh.

"Long enough."

Ch.11 Darkly Dreaming Discord

DISCORD'S REIGN

Chapter 11-Darkly Dreaming Discord

Rainbow Dash raised her head and looked around. Her room was empty, and she knew she was alone in her house. She flopped her face back down onto her pillow, shrugging it off as her ears playing tricks on her due to lack of sleep. She allowed her mind to wander back to her moral dilemma as she heard it again.

This time though, she thought she pinned down where it came from. It seemed to originate from inside the closet where she kept her Wonderbolts uniform. She threw her hind legs over the bed and slowly stepped onto all fours. Her ears perked up. The sound came again. Now she was sure it was coming from the closet. Her heart began to beat faster as she carefully inched closer toward the closet door, her eyes transfixed on the source of the noise.

She lifted a hoof and quietly rested it against the closet door, ready to fling it open and make whatever was inside regret being there. She took a silent, deep breath. Her heart still pounding in her throat, she flung the door open and quickly checked every last inch of the closet. She sighed in relief, seeing nothing but her Wonderbolts uniform staring back at her.

She closed the closet door and walked away, shaking her head. 'I need to get some sleep.' She thought.

A yawn came over her as she turned back towards her bed, taking no notice of Discord sitting on it until she nearly ran into him. His mismatched blazing red pupils staring into what felt like her very soul as she took a cautious step back.

"Why hello Rainbow Dash!" he said jovially. "Long time no see."

She quickly regained her wits and glared at him, ready to attack.

"How did you get in here?" she demanded.

"Now is that any way to treat a house guest?" he asked standing from the bed, adopting a chastising tone.

She charged him, ready to slam into his chest. "I've got your 'house guest' right here!"

He simply moved his thin body out of the way and allowed her to crash into her wall, half of her outside her house and the other half inside.

Discord sighed grabbing her hind leg and yanking her out of the wall. "Always so quick to resort to violence. You certainly haven't changed."

"I don't know how you escaped," Rainbow Dash snarled, wings flapping wildly as she hung upside down, "But I'll get the other elements, and we'll put you back in granite where you belong!"

"Well, I don't want to spoil the surprise, but suffice to say I couldn't have done it without that lovely blind ambition of yours!" He smiled dropping her onto the floor on her head.

She quickly sprang back up and got ready to charge him again.

"Well, looks like you are still as stubborn as ever." he said snapping his fingers and summoning a rope that wrapped itself tightly around her hind legs and wings.

"Let me go!" she snapped, struggling against her bonds but to no avail.

"You've already proven you are prone to violence." Discord said, a devilish smile curling onto his lips. "I'm not here to hurt you, you know. I'm just here to talk."

"Now, if you think you can behave yourself, I might release you. Do we have an accord?"

Discord may have been a showman, trickster, word twister and malevolent prankster, but he wasn't a liar. She realized this and nodded, still keeping a sharp eye on the god of disharmony.

"Good." he said snapping his fingers. The pegasus collapsed to the floor as her bonds disappeared. "See? I'm a chimera of my word after all."

She got to her hooves and looked at him, a deep seated mistrust and dislike permeating her stare.

"What did you come here to talk about?" she asked, a small but genuine curiosity behind her words.

"Not so much talk about, but show. Words can be powerful, but actually being there, now that evokes all the senses." he added. "So why don't we begin our chat with your third day on the job as a member of the weather team?" a snap of his fingers and her house began to melt away, much to her alarm.

"What the hell are you doing to my house?!" she shouted, about ready to charge him again.

"Don't worry, your house is fine. I'm just taking you on a little trip back in time." he said as they found themselves standing in the middle of the sky. Rainbow immediately began flapping her wings, much to Discord's amusement.

"No need for that." he chuckled, walking across the empty sky. "I assure you, the ground is perfectly solid." Rainbow Dash looked ahead, startled to see a younger version of herself hovering next to an older pegasus stallion with a silver coat and light blue mane, a snowflake on his flank.

"Remember him?" he asked as he continued walking towards them. Rainbow followed hovering beside him; she still didn't trust his word about the sky being solid.

"Yeah." she said guardedly, folding her arms. "Sleet Fall. My old boss. What about him?"

Her was patience wearing quite thin.

"You know you never noticed," Discord said, "But he had quite the soft spot for you back then." Rainbow couldn't help but feel a slight disgust. She knew she liked mares even when she first dropped out of flight school and moved here, but even if she hadn't, Sleet was at least twice her age at the time.

"Ugh...so what? What does this have to do with anything?"

This had gone far enough. Discord somehow escaped, had broken into her house and was now subjecting her to embarrassing memories.

"You don't remember what day this is," the chimera asked smiling, "Do you?"

"No." Dash snapped, out of patience by this point.

"Well then," he said stepping closer to the pair of spectral pegasi. "Let me enlighten you."

The cyan pegasus hovered forward, a sudden premonition of misfortune burning the back of her throat.

Sleet Fall's words drifted through the still air.

"Alright Rainbow, you've been doing good these past few days, all that's left is for you to make a small shower over the apple farm and the meadows outside town. There are a few clouds to the southeast you can use, but don't bring in too many at a time. You'll have a thunderstorm or worse on your hooves before you know it. The static charge in those clouds will make them stick together and attract more clouds the bigger they get, so only use a few. Understand?"

"Yeah, yeah, not too many." she said smiling confidently, "It's not my first day on the job ya know."

"Alright. I gotta go check on the other trainees. After you get this done you can take your lunch break. You think you can handle this by yourself?"

"I said I got it!" she answered, her confidence bordering on arrogance.

The elder pegasus flew away as young Rainbow gathered the clouds from the southeast. Her stomach rumbled loudly as she decided that faster she got her work done, the faster she could eat.

"I could get a shower goin' in ten seconds flat if I just brought all the clouds from over there..." she said in direct defiance of her instructors warning.

"Starting to come back to you now?" Discord asked as Rainbow continued to watch her younger self gather as many clouds as she could manage and began pushing them over the apple orchard.

"Nope." she said flatly, unamused by whatever game he was playing at. "This just looks like another boring day as a trainee."

"Then let me try and jog your memory." Discord said sitting in the sky without any visible object to support him. "This was the day your boss got fired, and you gave yourself a concussion and a broken rib or two. Sounding familiar now?"

She did remember a time early in her career that she had hurt herself, but couldn't remember why or how it happened. No one else had been in the sector that day besides her boss. He had since resigned and left Ponyville following the accident, or so she was told.

The official story was that Sleet had not been paying attention to the wind speeds and directions while creating a shower, and perfect conditions allowed it to spiral into a thunderstorm in which one of his students was injured and two other ponies killed. His position and job protected him from criminal liability, but he was forced to quit and leave town in shame to search for new work.

Young Rainbow had already moved two large groups of clouds before she noticed the wind beginning to pick up, the particles in the air slowly charging the clouds, drawing more moisture from the air and increasing in height and size. She stopped and pushed the clouds she was bringing back where she'd gotten them as she tried to disperse the ones currently growing and turning darker by the second.

"Oh no! Oh no! Oh no!" she panicked as the towering cumulus began to rise, the winds above it going the opposite direction of those below, a perfect way to start a tornado. She knew she'd be fired if she didn't stop this system from developing further, so she ignored everything she had learned up until that point and flew into the heart of the clouds to try and drive them apart.

Soon the storm had grown so large that the clouds from the southeast she had used to build it were slowly drawing nearer to the massive thunderhead now settling in over the Sweet Apple Acres fields.

"Rainbow Dash! What have you done?!" Sleet shouted from outside the clouds as another weather manager followed him. He recognized what was happening and took quick action.

He glanced at the pegasus beside him, trying and failing to keep the panic out of his voice. "Sound the tornado alarm! I'll see if I can find her!"

"Have you lost it?" the other pony gasped. "That's a thunderstorm! Only an idiot would fly into that!"

"Just go!" he insisted as he took off toward the heart of the quickly developing storm, lightning illuminating the interior of the clouds as he disappeared into them.

"Rainbow! Rainbow where are you!" he shouted above the howling winds. He got no response as he continued searching, the strong gusts and frequent hail battering his wings as they struggled to keep him aloft. As luck would have it, a small break in the clouds revealed the unconscious rainbow maned pegasus in the dirt of a freshly plowed field. He darted downward snatching her up in his forelegs as he quickly flew beneath the clouds and toward Ponyville, the tornado warning siren blaring loudly.

At this point, everything froze as Discord snapped his fingers.

"So I bet you didn't know your little rush to get something to eat created a tornado did you?" he asked with that same mischievous grin across his face.

"So, everypony makes mistakes, mine was just a little bigger than most." she growled, still unmoved by Discord's forced trip down memory lane. "If you don't mind, I'd like to get back to my house so I can get the elements together and seal you up again."

"Right, everypony does. I understand. Now here's something else I bet you didn't know." he grinned as if he were about to open a birthday present. "Ever wonder why Applejack lives with only her grandmother on that big farm?" Discord asked, preparing to resume time.

"No. It's never come up..."

Discord's grin grew ever wider upon hearing her response.

"This is easily the best part of this job." he said to himself as he snapped his fingers, resuming the normal flow of time.

"What say we follow Mr. storm cloud and see where he ends up shall we?"

Rainbow was slowly putting two and two together as she followed Discord and the cloud over the farm. The tornado alarm was still blaring as what appeared to be an Apple extended family picnic was interrupted by the sudden onset of the storm. The adults scrambled to gather up the children and herd them into the outdoor basement.

An orange mare with a red mane looked out into the fields to make sure everypony had been accounted for, and saw what couldn't have been more than a year old Applebloom crying out in one of the far orchards.

She raced toward her as fast as she could go, a larger dark red stallion calling to her from the cellar outside the barn where the entire Apple family hid. Rainbow spied a worried Applejack and Big MacIntosh looking on from inside the cellar as the mare quickly reached the scared filly, just as the funnel cloud touched down on the opposite edge of the field. Applebloom's hind leg lay pinned under a heavy fallen tree branch as the mare struggled to lift it, Rainbow hearing her words over the storm as if she were right next to her.

"It's okay sweetie, Momma's here."

The scared young filly only cried as her mother failed to lift it, the winds getting more fierce as she heard the dark red stallion call her name.

"Hurry Gala! The twister's coming!" he said taking a few steps out of the cellar, despite attempts from other family members to pull him back. Shingles from the roof of the barn flew off as the creaking of metal from one of the two apple silos echoed through the howling winds.

"I can't get it off her leg!" she responded still struggling as hard as she could but to no avail. The stallion took off at full speed toward the pair, reaching them just as the tornado was midfield and closing. The two of them combined moved the heavy branch and threw the still crying Applebloom onto the stallion's back as they ran as fast as they could toward the cellar.

Rainbow couldn't bear to watch her marefriends parents die, but she found herself unable to even blink, her muscles utterly frozen in such an intense amalgamation of feelings she could scarcely describe what emotion was currently coursing through her.

Debris from the farm had now scattered across the ground as they jumped and wove around other fallen branches and overturned tables on their way to their waiting family in the cellar. Rainbow watched on edge as they approached them, only a crossbeam from one of the tables laid in their way, but both were so focused on getting to the cellar, neither saw it. Their forelegs stumbled over it, catapulting Applebloom into the cellar and into Applejacks waiting hooves.

A creaking of tortured metal finally giving way brought all their eyes to the old apple silo sitting next to a brand new one as it listed heavily to the left, falling right on top of the two ponies only ten feet away from their waiting family, the sickening echo of collapsing metal reverberating through the farm and in the cyan pegasus' ears. The tornado moved across the field and into the Everfree forest before dissipating, Rainbow now standing on the solid sky Discord had told her about in stunned horror.

She had created the tornado that orphaned Applejack and her brother and sister. She felt sick, barely able to grasp what she just seen. She was a murderer, and not just any murderer. She orphaned the one pony in this world that brought her any real happiness. The headstrong pegasus hadn't even noticed the echoing cries of baby Applebloom right before the silo fell, tears of unimaginable guilt pouring from her eyes as the scene before her paused with a snap of Discord's fingers, and this too began to melt away as it reformed back into her bedroom.

"Well isn't that something? First you cheat on her with Spitfire, and now this!" he said clasping both hands together happily, "Although I suppose that happened in reverse order. Some element of Loyalty you turned out to be."

She couldn't believe it. Had what she seen been true? It conflicted with everything she had been told about that seemingly insignificant day. She literally felt like she was going to be sick as she sat on her flanks, her mouth still open with no words to accompany her expression.

"But...they said Sleet caused it..." she whimpered.

"Looks like old Sleet didn't want you to take the fall, so he took the blame, and with you not awake or able to remember what happened, no one questioned it." Discord shrugged, "Quite foolish if you ask me, but I guess he must have just been a hopeless romantic. I suppose you owe him more than you thought?"

Rainbow could do nothing except stare straight ahead, dozens of painful emotions battling for supremacy inside her. A mix of shock and pure self loathing fought for dominance across her face as the god of disharmony grinned, his work now complete.

Discord checked the time on a watch that had just appeared on his taloned wrist and added

"Well, that's my time. I hope whatever you ate for lunch that day was worth it!" he laughed sharply as he snapped his fingers, a bright flash filling her vision as Rainbow Dash awoke in her bed with a start. She tried desperately to catch her breath as her eyes darted around the room.

'It...it was just a dream...' she assured herself, though the indescribable guilt still tore at her heart. No dream in her recent memory had felt that real. Regardless, as she regained control of her heartbeat she settled on the realization that she had to at least try to apologize to Applejack, weather that meant taking a deserved buck to the face or not. She dried her eyes and tamed her mane as she set out on the front porch.

A sense of relief began to replace the guilt she felt in her dream after she realized it was just that. The thing that bothered her however was that none of her dreams up until that point had been so coherent or linear. Usually it was just a random assortment of ponies and places, but that...that was something completely different. And Discord was in it acting as some kind of guide. Certainly strange, but she assured herself it was just a harmless dream, probably brought on by all the worrying and stressing she'd been doing.

It was then that she decided to do something she had never done in all her years as the fastest pegasus in Equestria. Swallow her pride, and apologize to those she had wronged. She knew Applejack may not take her back, but she had to have closure, for her own sake. Before taking on that particular challenge, there was a certain old pegasus friend of hers she needed to make amends with.

Applejack stared nervously into her grandmother's somber expression, unsure of what was to happen next. She supposed she had heard the whole story she had told Pinkie as she inched closer.

"Now, I may be hard a hearin', but I know when my grandfoal has somethin' on her mind." she said taking a seat on a square bale of hay softly.

Applejack still couldn't find words as she considered that maybe there was a chance Granny Smith hadn't heard everything she said.

"Now dearie. This Raibow Dash feller done put his lips on another mare did he?" she asked to Applejacks relief.

The muted orange earth pony found herself at a crossroads. She could correct her grandmother and tell her that Rainbow Dash wasn't a stallion, or lie to one of the ponies that helped raise her. She thought of life in exile and being outcast from the only family she had ever known, never being able to see any of her kin again so long as she lived. Then she thought of the lie she would be living if she kept up business as usual.

'You're tha element of honesty for Celestia's sake!' she admonished herself. 'How can ya live up ta that title if ya try an lie to yourself and your family about who you love?'

Love. That was a word she'd never before used to describe her little Dashie, even in her head. She began to realize how miserable she had been without her, and it had only been a few hours. The cyan pegasus dominated her thoughts every waking second since she had broken her heart in the barn she currently stood. The choice she had to make was an easy one.

"Granny...Rainbow ain't a fella...she's a mare. A mare that...I love." she stammered, though she was confident in her head, her voice betrayed her true nervousness.

A pensive look crossed her Grandmothers face as Applejack steeled herself for all kinds of harsh names and expletives, but none came.

"So, it's a she? You fell fer another mare?" the elderly earth pony asked leaning back some against the hay.

Applejack nodded, still unsure of how Granny Smith would handle this news. Her brother had warned her about this, but this was a genie that couldn't be put back into its bottle.

"Well, I s'pose you have yer reasons, but I am a might sore at ya." she said quietly as Applejack immediately assumed the worst.

"I...I guess I'll get my things then..." she said sniffing up her tears and turning to the barn doors when Granny stopped her.

"Where you goin' child?"

Applejack turned to look at her as she took a step from the hay bale toward her granddaughter.

"I...I thought you were gonna kick me of tha farm...for likin' mares instead a stallions." she stuttered, still unsure of Granny Smith's true feelings.

"Heavens no child! I raised you. You thought I was gon exile you from tha Apple family home jus' 'cause you love somepony?" she asked in honest surprise.

Applejack's heart began to lighten as she realized that not only was Granny Smith not banishing her from her home, but also didn't seem to care she was in love with another mare!

"But- you said you were sore at me?"

Granny Smith put an aged foreleg on her granddaughter's shoulder.

"I was sore at ya on account a you not tellin' me what were the matter darlin'. I seen how hurt you were yesterday, but I weren't 'bout to pry inta yer business."

The heart stopping fear in Applejacks eyes morphed to tears of joy as she hugged her frail old grandmother around the neck, her shawl moistening from her occasional sobs.

"There, there child...It's all right now..." she whispered as she patted her back softly.

"Now from what I heard, she went ta kissin' on somepony else. That right?"

"Yes 'm." Applejack answered.

"That nice Pink filly gave ya some good advice. Ya tried gettin', Rainbow, was it? Her side ah tha story?"

"No ma'am."

"Well then, t'ain't much I can tell ya cept to go on an try ta find her. An keep that temper a yers under control." she added, knowing that she too had the same Apple family fire when she was younger.

"After, ya git yer chores done."

Big Macintosh had headed back toward Sweet Apple Acres as Twilight could only think of one thing she had managed to put off for the last day or so as she sat on her bed, books scattered about the loft. How to stop Discord. She still had no idea what he had done with Princess Celestia or how he had escaped in the first place, though she could only assume it had to do with the events of the night of the Sun Celebration.

Then there was the fact that she still had to get the rest of her friends to even believe Discord had escaped. So far only Applejack and Big MacIntosh said they at least gave her the benefit of the doubt. She was still at a loss as to how she would convince the others, let alone seal Discord back in stone where he belongs. The elements of harmony stopped him last time, but they were locked in Canterlot tower, if Discord hadn't cast them into a volcano already.

She heard Spike return with an armload of scrolls and set them on the table below her.

His footsteps trudged up the stairs as he flopped back onto his bed face down, having moved it back to where it belonged.

Twilight rolled onto her back and rubbed her eyes with her hooves.

"Spike, take a letter."

The young dragon produced a quill and paper from under himself and held them together, his head still buried in his bed.

"This is an emergency meeting of the elements of harmony. Everypony come to the library as soon as you can!"

Spike's tireless claws transcribed her every word while not looking up from his bed, expertly rolling up the scroll and lifting his face from his sheets.

"Going to the rest of the girls?" he asked inhaling.

"Yes. Thanks Spike."

With a blast of green fire the scroll was engulfed and split off in five different directions in the afternoon sun.

"Any ideas how to get the others to believe Discord's escaped once they get here?" she asked, craning her neck from her bed.

"None whatsoever."

The baby dragon answered. A moment later his head 'thunked' back onto his pillow.

Twilight laid her head back down and stared up at the ceiling.

"You're a big help Spike." she said sarcastically.

"Maybe I would be up to thinking for you if I didn't have to wait in line for an hour behind some old mare with forty coupons to buy another ten scrolls!" the tired baby dragon snapped back at her.

She opened her mouth for a rebuttal, but her normally silver tongue had turned to clay.

"Touche."

Big Macintosh trotted slowly through the iron gates, keeping a sharp eye out for Granny Smith or Applejack. He was supposed to be back last night to do his chores in the morning, but obviously got a little caught up at Twilights place.

"Macintosh! Where'n Celestias name ya been boy? Yer sister's out thar doin' yer chores." Granny Smith called from the porch in her rocker.

The red stallion jumped at her unexpected question before answering.

"Uh...I walked my marefriend home Granny, but she ahh...wanted me to keep her company through the night."

"Ah made my bed out in tha livin' room acourse." he added quickly, catching Granny Smith's inquisitive stare.

"I raised a proper gentlecolt then. Go'n an do yer chores now."

A curt nod and he set off toward the barn, his muscles still sore, but figuring he could power through his work and actually get a few hours rest tonight if he turned in early.

His sister was in the barn packing up apples into bushels when she saw his shadow.

"Well hey there Mac, where'd you get off to last night?"

He hooked himself to his plow harness as he answered his sister carefully.

"I took Twilight out for dinner."

"Really? I 'spose she actually showed up this time?" she said smiling back at her older brother.

"Eeyup. We ate at some fancy french place, then we..." he stopped halfway through, not wanting to kiss and tell.

Applejack caught on to her brother's trailing voice as she continued to probe.

"Yeah? Then what?" she asked earnestly, though the red stallion had known her long enough to know when she was trying to get something out of him.

"Then...we went back to the library and looked at the stars."

Applejack lowered her eyes, a sly grin coming across her lips.

"Looked at the stars? For all night and until this afternoon?"

"A lady doesn't ask, and a gentlecolt doesn't tell." he added tying off himself to the plow.

"Big MacIntosh you sly dog!" she teased, catching sight of his reddening cheeks as he left the barn.

After he had gone, she sighed to herself. Seeing her brother happy only reminded her that she still had a damaged relationship to fix, and was still unsure of how she was going to go about it.

Before she could consider it any further, a scroll appeared in front of her, floating gently down to the ground. She flattened it out with her forelegs as she read it.

'An emergency? I s'pose Big Mac can mind my chores. I did most ah his today anyway.'

She shrugged, left the barn and trotted off toward Ponyville.

During her trot, she had time to think of what she was going to say to Rainbow, knowing she'd be there.

'Guess I should start with an apology for flyin' off the handle...then I s'pose I let her tell her end of the story.'

Her thoughts interrupted by a rush of winds from behind her, two pegasi having just landed to her rear.

"Howdy Fluttershy and...Rainbow."

Rainbow looked down at her forelegs. "You go ahead Shy, I need to talk to Applejack for a second."

"Okay. Good luck!" she whispered as she continued along the road to the library.

At first, neither said much of anything. Unsure of who should make the first move, Applejack took it upon herself to initiate the conversation.

"Rainbow-"

"Applejack-"

They stopped talking as they both realized they'd cut each other off. Both shared a quick chuckle before continuing.

"Listen Rainbow...I...I'm sorry for...acting the way I did." she began, drawing her hoof along the ground nervously.

Rainbow's face lit slightly at Applejacks suggestion that she was the one who should apologize. "Sorry? You had every right to be mad! I made...a mistake. A huge mistake."

The cyan pegasus found herself digging into the ground with her hoof in apprehension as well, mentally preparing herself to utter two words she was fairly certain she had never said to anypony before.

"I'm sorry Applejack. I'm sorry it took me hurting you to realize how much you mean to me." she whispered, looking into her emerald eyes as they shined with relief.

"It's okay Rainbow. The time I've spent without you has been the most miserable I've ever felt in my life." the normally proud earth pony admitted.

Applejack met Rainbows magenta eyes, a relieved smile plastered across her face beneath her rainbow mane.

The farmers daughter nuzzled her head against her cheek affectionately, wordlessly accepting her apology.

"I know how hard that must have been for you." Applejack teased, earning a scoff from her cyan companion.

"Yeah, well..." she began, her earth pony mate cutting her off as she stood her up on her hind legs, her forelegs resting on her shoulders. Rainbow couldn't help but gaze into the perfect emerald bedroom eyes Applejack was sending her way, the heat of her breath across the bridge of her nose almost driving her to come the rest of the way toward the orange pony's waiting lips.

She whispered softly into her ear, rubbing the spot between her wings that she had discovered drove her cyan friend wild with desire.

"Ah missed you Rainbow. But you know what I missed the most?"

Her wings almost instantly stood straight out as she couldn't even muster the breath to respond. Applejack finished her sentence, but not before giving her a playful nibble on the ear.

"Whippin' your tail in a race."

She gave a sly smile before taking off toward the library, laughing as she went.

"Have fun eatin' my dust!" she called over her shoulder.

Rainbow smiled, a look of determination across her face as she tried to get airborne, but found her wings too stiff to fly.

'Clever filly...' she thought breaking off in a hoof race after her.

Rarity was the first to arrive at the library, hanging a rather large hat on the hatrack by the door as Spike greeted her with his usual lovestruck stare.

"Twilight darling! I've been meaning to ask you how your date with Big MacIntosh went. I'll bet you looked simply ravishing."

She took a seat on the couch next to her pouring them some tea Spike had made.

"It went pretty well..." Twilight said, a slight red tint warming under her eyes as she thought of the events of last night...and again later on that night...then early that morning...and once on the couch they currently sat.

"Well let's hear it! Spare no detail! I simply must know where he took you."

After a soothing sip of tea, Twilight began.

"We went to that new french restaurant on Stirrup street-"

"You got in to La Jumet Elegante?" Rarity interjected "I've been on a waiting list for weeks!" she added with slight indignity.

"Mac can be pretty persuasive when he wants to be." Twilight added with a contented smile, taking another sip of her tea to mask her the redness under her eyes.

"Very well, what about afterwards?"

Twilight's blush grew even more obvious as she stumbled over her words. She may have gotten to a comfortable place with Big MacIntosh, but her friends were another story.

"Ah, we...um...came back here...and we...stargazed!"

She thanked Celestia she had remembered what she had told Big Mac they were going to do originally.

"And by stargaze, you mean..." the alabaster unicorn trailed off as Twilight broke eye contact and turned about as red as her coltfriends coat.

"Oh Twilight! I'm so happy for you! You're a grown mare now! How was he? I'll bet he was all the stallion he looks to be-"

Twilight glanced nervously around the room before seeing Spike staring blankly at Rarity from the kitchen.

"If you don't mind Rarity, I'd rather not...in front of Spike."

"Oh! Yes, say no more darling. We'll catch up later. So what is this emergency about?" she asked taking a sip of her tea.

"I'd just like to wait until everypony gets here so I won't have to repeat myself five times."

The bell above the door rang as Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie walked in together followed shortly by an out of breath Applejack and Rainbow Dash.

The orange earth pony threw her hooves in the air in victory. "I won! Ha, eat that hot shot!"

"Cuz you cheated!"

"More like kept you from cheatin!" she replied as Twilight cleared her throat to get their attention.

"Thanks for coming girls. I called you all here because princess Celestia and indeed the whole kingdom is in trouble."

The tone in the room dropped to one of seriousness, everypony knowing Twilight didn't joke when it came to the kingdom or Celestia.

"What is it, Sugarcube?" Applejack asked, forgetting the race and focusing on the lavender unicorn as she stood from the couch.

'Well, I guess the best way to say it something crazy...is to just say it.' she reasoned taking a lung full of air before dropping her bombshell.

"The pony sitting in Canterlot castle right now isn't princess Celestia. It's Discord. He escaped from stone somehow and now everypony sees him as the real princess!" she paused for a moment. "Well, everypony except me. But that's beside the point!"

As she expected, they weren't accepting her story right of the bat, most of their faces holding looks of confusion.

A lump in the back of Rainbow's throat returned as she remembered her dream, and who was in it. Potentially lending some credibility to her disturbing nightmare.

"Twilight...wouldn't we have noticed if Discord escaped? I mean, he changed everything and made it all crazy last time remember?" Pinkie suggested, recalling her favorite part of Discord's previous escape, that delicious chocolate milk rain.

"Yes, but he's keeping himself under control for some reason. He's planning something, I just know it...but I don't know what."

Twilight sighed and looked around, noting with dismay the doubt still present on her friends' faces.

"I went to Canterlot and saw him sitting on Celestia's throne! The whole royal court treated him like he was the real princess! He tricked Rarity into lugging that boulder around, and made Rainbow think she was in Cloudsdale, why couldn't he do the same thing to himself?"

"I thought we agreed to never speak of that." Rarity added in aggravation.

"What's the matter, you and Tom havin' a lovers quarrel?" Applejack teased as Rainbow giggled from behind her.

"Why you uncouth little-"

"Girls!" The lavender unicorn snapped, losing her patience. "We can make fun of Rarity later! I think we have bigger problems!"

Twilight was running out of ideas. She had said everything she thought would work, but her friends still looked unsure.

Before she could come up with another word, the window in the loft burst open, a small pink cloud coming through it. It hovered above the loft overlooking the ground floor where they were all standing.

A bolt of lightning struck from the cloud with a deafening crack, revealing the deity they had been discussing.

Everypony's eyes were wide with shock as the god of disharmony stood above them, resting his mismatched hands on the railing before addressing his waiting audience.

"I'll say you do."

Ch.12 Set In Stone

DISCORD'S REIGN

Chapter 12-Set In Stone

Discord gracefully descended the staircase to the main floor where the mane six stood in silence.

"Surprised to see me?" he mused, "I figured at least four of you would be."

As his sinuous form reached the bottom step, Twilight finally found her voice.

"Decided to show your true form, Discord?" the lavender unicorn growled.

"Indeed." he responded with a grin. "I figured you trying to explain to them I was free would have taken some time, so I thought I'd be generous and help you out."

Rainbow Dash took an aggressive stance and charged the god of chaos just as she had in her dream. He glanced in her direction and held up a paw. The cyan pegasus slammed into an invisible wall before bouncing back to her flanks on the ground. She shook her head and focused on him as Applejack helped her off the floor.

"Now, now" he chastised, "Did you learn nothing?"

Dash blinked. Was that a reference to her earlier nightmare? A lump of fear rose in her throat as she took a step back.

He relished their dumbstruck stares. "Why so shocked? Aren't you pleased to see your old friend Discord?"

They all backed away, forming a tighter group around Twilight as she stepped forward.

"What have you done with the princess?" the lavender unicorn demanded.

"In due time my dear, in due time. While I've got you all here, I simply wanted to give you fair warning that soon everypony in Equestria will be looking to capture you." he paused, taking in their expressions of confusion with utter delight, "I'm a sporting fellow, so I thought I'd give you a chance to skip town. Or face the mob." he shrugged and examined his talons.

"Makes no difference to me."

Rainbow Dash knew a bluff when she heard one. "Really? You're gonna get all of Equestria to turn on us? Looks like a thousand years in stone really did drive you nuts."

Discord's expression remained the same, flicking his eyes toward the overconfident pegasus.

"Very well," he said, still unconcerned by his captive audiences skepticism. "I can't force you to believe me now can I? I take it you all believe the citizens of Equestria view you as their saviors, the six wonderful ponies who sealed away big bad Discord, defeated Nightmare Moon and so on?"

"You bet!" Applejack shot back. "S'not like we let it get ta our heads or nothin'."

"Uh huh. Well, how long do you think their loyalty to you would last if it were their lives in danger? How many days do you think you'd have before they'd turn on you to save themselves?" Twilight recognized his grin. It was one he would adopt before making clear a rather painful point. "The masses are like sheep. They listen to the dog that barks the loudest, even though it may not be a dog at all, but a wolf. These ponies deserve a better class of wolf."

"There's no way you could turn them on us! They love us!" Rainbow added, certain that Discord was just blowing smoke. "We've saved the world like, three times now!"

"Well I certainly won't spoil the surprise, but that isn't the only reason I stopped by for a visit." he said excitedly, taking a step or two back from the group. "You see, I wanted to give you girls a gift for being such good sports while I tear your kingdom apart." he said snapping his fingers, conjuring six boxes all matching the respective pony's coat in front of each of them.

They stared back at him suspiciously. "Go on! Trust me, if I wanted to hurt you I'd have done it already."

Against all of their better judgment, they carefully removed the lids, wincing as they expected some kind of trap or bomb to go off in their faces.

Instead all they found were their respective elements of harmony, resting on a fetching purple pillow.

"Ha!" Applejack exclaimed, throwing her necklace on. "You're crazier than Ah thought!" the others followed suit with the exception of Twilight, who continued to glare suspiciously at hers.

"C'mon Twilight!" Rainbow urged, "Put on your crown thing so we can end this!"

"What's the matter, Twilight?" Discord asked, reveling in the mistrust across the young unicorn's features. "It's the real deal, I assure you."

'It can't be this easy...he must have done something to them, or knows something we don't...he would never just let us win like this.' Despite her doubts, she didn't see any other option. It was either try, or let him go back to ruling Equestria unchallenged.

Though she felt like she was walking right into his trap, she slowly donned her tiara. She expected it to steal her soul or turn her to stone, but sighed in relief when neither event occurred.

"See?" Discord said, putting his hands behind his back. "Would I lie to you?"

"Now, I consider myself a fair player in life's game, so I'll give you this opportunity to send me back to the gardens and free Equestria from my chaotic grip. Sound fair?" he snapped his fingers as a rather flashy bullseye appeared on his chest.

The six friends cast nervous glances at each other, but weren't about to argue. If he wanted to make this easy, far be it for them to stop him.

"All right girls, lets send this guy back where he belongs!" Twilight concentrated, using her magic to power up her element. Her eyes glowed white as she felt the power take hold...before flickering back to their normal sapphire a moment later. They looked to each other in confusion as they tried their best to activate their elements, but to no avail.

"Why isn't it working?" Pinkie asked, "Are we not harmonious enough or something?"

Twilight groaned. She knew it couldn't be that simple. "What did you do to the elements?" she snapped, stamping a hoof onto the floor.

A sudden realization hit Twilight the moment her words left her lips. She remembered in her nightmare that the elements didn't work there either, because of what Discord had done to the princess. The god of chaos let out a single chuckle as he recognized the dots the lavender unicorn had just connected.

"Who me?" he answered coyly, "I didn't do anything to them. Though I suppose the elements won't work unless the one who created them walks among you, which brings me to the second part of my gift."

He said snapping his fingers, a large, sheet-covered object appearing next to him.

"I was using this as a hat rack, but with only one place to hang a hat, I found it rather useless. I was going to toss it into a volcano, but I figured you all would enjoy it a bit more." He reached up and took hold of the sheet, "Let no pony ever say the new ruler of Equestria isn't generous!"

With that, he yanked the sheet away, revealing a horrifyingly familiar face. It was none other than princess Celestia, frozen in stone. The expression on her face was one of silent pleading, her wings extended to protect something behind her.

A stone tear could barely bee seen tracking down her cheek.

The six ponies couldn't say a word, so stunned they were by the horror of what Discord had done. The god of chaos' laughter ripped through the otherwise silent air, as he delighted in his masterpiece.

"The elements of harmony have the power to seal one in stone," he gloated, "and so does the one who created them, but what happens when the one who created them is sealed in stone herself? he asked, the disbelief on their faces fueling his delight, "The elements won't work like this, yet you need them to free her from her granite prison! Quite the fun catch twenty two isn't it?"

"Well I'm sure you all have a lot of catching up to do, so I'll leave you to it. Arrivederci girls, I have a kingdom to ruin!" he slowly began to fade away, only his eyes and devilish smile remaining before they too evaporated before them.

There was silence as all eyes focused on their frozen leader, her remorseful expression burning into their souls. Twilight could scarcely feel her hooves beneath her as the shock of who was before her set in. Her second mother, her teacher of all the things she had ever known about magic, friendship, and the magic of friendship...set in stone. The other pony's were of course stunned and saddened, but none so much as the heartbroken lavender unicorn.

Every memory she had of herself and the princess from when she was a little filly came flooding back into her minds eye as her physical eyes began to moisten. The normally bright, sharp minded unicorn hung her head in defeat. A few sobs escaped her lips as the straw that broke the pony's back stared down at her. The element of magic fell from her brow, making a dull metallic clang as it struck the floor.

The others wanted to say something, anything to find some bright spot in their situation. Perhaps some loophole that would allow them to best Discord once more. But this time, it seemed that he had truly won the day, indeed the millennium. Without the elements of harmony, they were powerless to stop the new king of madness from imposing his will across the entire world. Every nation, state, village and town would be torn asunder beneath a tidal wave of insanity, and those in charge of stopping it were rendered impotent in the face of a villain who seemed to always be a step ahead.

"Twilight..." Pinkie began, her normally happy attitude completely hidden beneath the gravity of their situation. "What do we-"

"I don't know!" she snapped in frustration, tired of being the one everypony looked to for answers. For the first time in her life, she didn't have a solution.

"I don't...nothing. What can we do? Without the princess we..." she began, unable to continue.

She fought a losing battle against her overwhelming urge to lay down and give up.

"Hold on now Twilight," Applejack started, slightly off-put by her outburst toward Pinkie. "We can't just give up. The princess is countin' on-"

Twilight raised her head, a look of anger etched onto her face that was quite alien to the normally kind and helpful unicorn.

"In case you haven't noticed, the princess is sealed in stone! She was the whole reason we beat him in the first place! Without her sending me all my old letters on the magic of friendship, I would have never gotten all of you back to normal!" she snarled in a mix of frustration and anger at the situation. "Now... now she's gone...and there's no way to bring her back."

The lament in the unicorns heart was plain as day in her voice. She fell to her flanks and looked up through her tears at the princess, wishing she could just get some hint, some clue as to the correct course of action. Almost by will alone trying to free her teacher from stone, only to resume hanging her head in sorrow.

'He did it...he finally won...'

"Uhm...Twilight?" Fluttershy asked meekly from the corner of the room she had been hiding in since Discord arrived.

The learned unicorn gritted her teeth in frustration that her friends still hadn't got it through their heads that this was the endgame.

But she knew yelling at Fluttershy wasn't going to help their situation. "What is it, Fluttershy?"

"Uhm...well...you lent me that book on the princesses history a few weeks ago and...uhm..." she trailed off, intimidated by Twilight's smoldering glare.

"What does this have to do with anything?" she asked in an unnaturally cold tone.

"Oh! Uhm...nothing...I mean wait...It said that princess Celestia created the elements of harmony because she was an alicorn." Twilight cut her off again, her patience and frustration at the circumstances reaching a boiling point.

"She's sealed in stone!" she snapped, "What good does that information do us?"

Fluttershy recoiled behind her pink mane as Rainbow Dash stepped up towards Twilight.

"Dont get mad at her!" she shot back with just as much anger in her tone. "She didn't do this to her," she snapped, pointing a hoof toward the princess, "Discord did!"

The rainbow maned pegasus changed her glare at Twilight to a look of encouragement toward Fluttershy.

"What were you going to say, Shy?"

The shy pegasus emerged slightly from behind her mane as she continued nervously.

"Well...uhm...if she had the power to create them, shouldn't Luna also be able to create some?"

Twilights ears perked up, a flash of hope entering her otherwise darkened heart. She shook the tears from her eyes and stood back onto her hooves.

"Fluttershy, you're a genius!" she exclaimed her mood lightening as if somepony had turned the sun back on.

Her mood flashed from defeated to determined with startling speed. "I need to do some research, and contact princess Luna for starters. This may be our only shot, but you can be bucking sure I'm taking it!"

"Atta girl!" Applejack added happily. "You sure you can handle this by yourself, sugarcube?" the muted orange pony asked, somewhat concerned about her rapid shift in moods.

"Yes, I've got Spike and Owlowiscious to help me out if I need it."

"Better leave the elements of harmony here so I can run some tests." she said, the rest of her friends putting their elements on her table. "It may take a few days, but hopefully Discord won't make his move until then."

"And what if he does?" Rarity asked, concern evident in her tone. Twilight didn't say a word. Her eyes conveyed everything that needed to be said.

"I don't want to be a bring-down here, but just in case this doesn't work...if any of you have anything you've ever wanted to do, I'd suggest you do it."

They nodded leaving Twilight to her work as they left the library, gathering just outside it. They were still in the grips of disbelief that Discord had not only escaped, but had taken down what they believed to be the strongest pony in the world.

They stood quietly among themselves. Not even Pinkie Pie had anything fun or interesting to say, the gravity of their situation so deeply serious.

"If anyone can figure out a way to beat Discord, It'd be Twilight." Applejack broke the silence. It was intended to reassure her friends, but her unsteady tone betrayed her.

They all nodded in agreement, though not at all confidently. Princess Celestia had always been their safety net, only a scroll away from helping them if things got out of hoof in Ponyville. Now they had no safety net, now the fate of every pony in Equestria, indeed every sane creature on this planet, rested squarely on their shoulders.

"Take care girls. I'm gonna head back ta the farm." Applejack said, not wanting to make what for all she knew was their final goodbye any harder.

They said their quick goodbyes and trotted slowly in opposite directions with the exception of Rainbow and Applejack.

The two ponies walked in silence, still deep in thought about the implications of what had just been revealed to them.

Rainbow Dash's head was spinning with all sorts of disturbing thoughts as she walked. If Discord was free, that meant he could have very well entered her dream and shown her that which she had wished he left buried. The guilt from the mere thought of what he had shown her tore at her heart like a bear tears through a bee hive.

'No...he can't control dreams! Right...?'

The seed of doubt in the back of her mind continued to nag, casting a looming shadow over her true feelings for her muted orange companion.

"Hey now, why're you lookin' so glum darlin'?" Applejack said with a friendly bump on Rainbow's flank.

'I may have killed your parents.'

"Just...thinking about how we're gonna stop Discord." she lied.

"Twilight is on the case. I'm sure she'll figure out a way." Applejack answered, her outward confidence belying her own apprehension at the prospect of actually beating Discord without the elements or the princess.

After a couple more minutes of silence, Rainbow managed to shake her guilty thoughts.

"So, what's one thing you've always wanted to do, but haven't?"

Applejack screwed up her face in thought for a moment before answering.

"Ah don't rightly know. I've never had to think about anythin' like that before ta be honest."

The cyan pegasus looked over with a skeptical expression.

"You've never had one thing you've always wanted to do? Nothing?"

"Not really. I lived in Manehattan for a while, didn't much care for the big city though. My life's been this farm, and that's what makes me happy." she added contentedly. "Never needed much else 'cept a hard days work. Somethin' you'd know nothin' about." she teased, getting a soft scoff from Rainbow.

"Right, let's see you manage the weather for a day." she shot back, returning her bump on the flank, "Oh that's right, you can't."

"What about you hot shot?" she asked turning the tables on her partner. "What's one thing you've always wanted to do?"

Rainbow nibbled her bottom lip in thought as she tried to think of something. Well, something that didn't involve another certain mare...

"I dunno. It was fly with the Wonderbolts, but I already did that."

"That wasn't the only thing you did with the Wonderbolts," Applejack teased, bringing a grin to Rainbow's lips. She was glad her orange love interest was so quick to forgive, though she still felt somewhat bad about it.

"I said I was sorry..." she giggled back.

"I know...but that don't mean I don't get ta tease ya 'bout it from time ta time."

The conversation died down for a few more paces before Applejack realized something she wanted to do before their showdown with Discord.

"I thought of somthin'." she gasped looking to Rainbow who returned her gaze expectantly.

"I've always wanted to go to one a them cloud cities you pegasi are always goin' on about."

"The closest one is Cloudsdale, but haven't we already been there?"

"Well yeah, but we were just at the Cloudiseum. I woulda liked ta see the rest of the city..." she added with a slight drop in her tone.

"It's too bad Twilight is busy workin' on a way to save our hides or I'd ask her ta whip me up some ah that lightness potion."

Rainbow thought for a moment before remembering there was a potion shop in Cloudsdale where she could get some! Though why it would sell a potion an earth pony or unicorn would need in a city were earth ponies or unicorns couldn't travel was beyond her.

A sly smile crossed Rainbow's lips as she stopped her trot.

"What are your plans for tonight?"

"Uhm, none as far as I know..." Applejack answered stopping beside her.

"Good, don't make any. Meet me under our tree at sunset." she added stretching her wings in preparation to fly.

Applejack looked a touch confused but responded with a slow, "Okay..."

With a quick kiss on the muted orange earth ponies cheek, she was off into the clouds.

Twilight worked feverishly in the shadow of her princess, drawing determination instead of despair from her frozen form. She believed Discord's true motives for giving them Celestia and the elements of harmony was to break their spirit, but a nagging thought held her from accepting that reasoning completely. It seemed Discord always had a hidden motive that wouldn't be immediately obvious until it was playing out before her. He may have been the god of disharmony, but that by no means meant he wasn't a meticulous planner.

Spike carried volumes of books to Twilights desk as she referred back and forth to the many already open in front of her.

"Anything else?" the young dragon asked stacking the books beside her.

"Yes. I need you to take a letter."

Spike dutifully produced a quill and scroll, ready to write down Twilights next words.

She opened her mouth to speak, but came up with nothing, closing it shortly after.

"Dear Princess Luna..." she began, repeating the same motion as before.

"Any ideas on how to convince the princess her sister is actually Discord?" she asked glancing over from her desk.

Spike shrugged, causing Twilight to let out a deep sigh.

She put her hooves on her head, trying to think of the best way to convey her message without sounding like a lunatic.

Twilight thought back to her dream, and how they'd gone to visit Statue Park to assure her Discord was still encased in stone.

"Of course!" she said proudly to herself.

"All we have to do is get her to go to the park and see that his statue is missing!" she said triumphantly to Spike as he began composing the message.

"But what if he replaced his statue?" the baby dragon added.

Twilight's proud mood quickly deflated after having a hole punched through her idea.

"Then she'll have to break open the statue, and see that Discord isn't really inside!" she countered, her content smile gracefully returning.

"Sounds good! Except that to her, we're pretty much asking her to free Discord."

Twilight put her hoof on her head in thought trying to find a way around this dilemma.

"Right...it's our word...versus her eyes." she sighed.

"We've never steered her wrong before have we?" Spike added as he continued scribbling on the parchment.

"No...I guess she'll just have to trust us." Twilight said, knowing how foolish it was to pin the fate of everypony everywhere on weather or not the moon princess would have the wherewithal to take a chance on setting free the spirit of disharmony based on a single scroll from one of her 'royal advisors'.

"Wait a second. We've got the real princess Celestia sealed in stone in our living room! Why don't we just invite her over here and show her what Discord did!" Spike suggested, realizing that trying to convince someone via letter to break a statue they believed to be holding a dangerous entity to be a little more than a tall order.

Twilight wanted to hit herself for not thinking of the simpler option.

"Spike, I don't know what I'd do without you!" She said scooping him up in a hug as he struggled for air.

After she released him and he caught his breath, he produced another scroll, ready to write.

"Dear princess Luna,

Ponyville is throwing a celebration in honor of your glorious job at keeping the night sky beautiful. We have planned this party for tomorrow night, and we would ask that you not tell princess Celestia, as we will be planning her a surprise party the very next day! The gathering will be held at the Ponyville Library. We hope to hear from you at your earliest connivence!"

Your faithful subject,

Twilight Sparkle

Spike rolled the scroll up and sent it away in a jet of green fire, "And off it goes!"

"How long do you think it'll take to hear ba-URP" the young dragon almost immediately coughed up a scroll with an 'L' seal affixed to it.

Twilight unrolled and held it in front of her as she read it aloud.

"Dearest advisor Twilight Sparkle,

I am delighted you and the other subjects have decided to incur my favor with your celebration! I will arrive before sunset on the morrow. I look forward to having more of that 'fun' you all seem to enjoy so thoroughly!

Princess of the moon,

Luna."

"Well that was fast." Spike commented hopping up on Twilight's bed.

"Make us some tea Spike, tonight is gonna be a long one."

The sun was setting over the hilltops while Applejack waited underneath her and Rainbow's tree. Not long after she had arrived she spotted a trail of multicolored light zipping through the few clouds in the afternoon sky.

She smiled as her airborne companion flared her wings and landed softly before her.

"Just what is it you have planned?" Applejack asked raising a suspicious eyebrow, only to be met with Rainbow's constant cocky smile.

"You'll see. First you need to drink this." she said reaching into her saddle bag and producing a small vial of purple liquid.

She glanced skeptically at her, then at the vial between them.

"What? It's just that lightening potion Twilight made that time!" Rainbow assured.

"You pestered Twilight while she's tryin to save us all?" Applejack said in disbelief.

"No! I bought it at a potion shop in Cloudsdale!" She answered defensively, "You said you always wanted to visit a cloud city, well that's what we're gonna do." Rainbow smiled at her, enjoying the feeling she got when she made somepony happy, especially Applejack. She hadn't spent a lot of time helping anypony else besides Scootaloo on occasion, and that was mainly because if she didn't she wouldn't leave her alone. The look of joy on the earth pony's face made her heart flutter in a way she had never experienced before.

"Rainbow...I don't know what ta say..." Applejack added softly, truly touched by Rainbow Dash wanting to spend what could be their last days as sane, un-turned-to-stone ponies with her, making her wish to visit Cloudsdale come true.

"How about 'Thanks Rainbow, you're the best marefriend in the whole universe!'" The cyan pegasus teased, her gentle smile still across her lips. Applejack stepped towards her and nuzzled her lover affectionately beneath her jaw. She moved up to her cheek and gave it a quick kiss before planting another...then another...

"You know, I never paid you back for that hickey..." She whispered.

Rainbow reluctantly pulled herself away from the farm girls flurry of kisses to look her in the eyes.

"Slow down on that stuff, or we won't get there." the cyan pegasus said as another skeptical look crossed Applejacks face.

"You go Pinkie's ballon hidin' somewhere?"

Rainbow scoffed at such an idea.

"A ballon? No self respecting pegasus would be caught dead in a ballon. I'm your ride tonight." she said proudly, striking a confident pose with her wings outstretched.

"Now chug this so we can get moving. The stallion at the shop said it would last for twenty four hours."

Applejack removed the cork with her teeth and swallowed the same bitter liquid she remembered from the last time she had taken it.

It tingled all the way down as it took effect almost instantly.

Rainbow knelt down in front of Applejack, her flanks facing her as she glanced over her shoulder, "Hop on, cowgirl."

"Uhm...how do I..."

"Just put your belly against my back, and leave room for my wings. I can hold you, I promise!" she reassured, allowing her to gingerly straddle her as Rainbow stood up, lifting Applejacks hooves off the ground.

She shifted nervously as the cyan pegasus whispered softly to her, "It's okay. I gotcha. Ready? 1...2...3!"

With one mighty flap of her wings the two of them departed Sweet Apple Acres and headed west towards Cloudsdale.

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An extra special Atomic Brohoof to my editor-in-cheif FanNotANerd for his work in improving this chapter and the last.

Ch.14 'D'-Day

DISCORD'S REIGN

Chapter 14-'D'-Day

Applejack sat on the balcony, wondering what could have upset Rainbow Dash so badly. It was her parents that died, and Dash had brought the whole thing up to begin with. Surely she had known there would be a reason no one ever saw the orange earth pony's mother and father. She lifted her gaze to the still glimmering city of Couldsdale, a city that seemingly never slept.

Her thoughts drifted back to the last time Rainbow Dash was upset out of the blue. The headstrong earth pony gulped in apprehension as she considered the idea that her cyan marefriend could have cheated on her again.

"No! She said she loves me!" Applejack said aloud, for no other reason than to comfort herself. "And I love her..."

Still, she knew Rainbow was hiding something. She only acted like this when something huge was on her mind. The country mare wracked her brain trying to think of what in Equestria it could be. At least when she had cheated on her she had the wherewithal to tell her immediately, though in a rather abrasive manner. She lazily drug her foreleg across the fluffy could balcony, her mane billowing softly behind her without her hat to hold it back. It was getting rather late, and she had to get back to the farm early in the morning to do her chores. She turned to take a step back inside before the fluttering of wings drew her attention.

Rainbow had perched on the railing, the eye makeup she still had on now beginning to run down her face through the tears she had been shedding.

Worried as she was about what her marefriend was going to tell her, she was more concerned with having to see her like this. Applejack hated to see any of her friends upset, but seeing Rainbow's pained expression tore at her heart.

"Sugarcube, you want to tell me what's been botherin' you?" she asked softly.

Rainbow stepped off the railing and joined Applejack on the balcony, unable to look her in the eyes.

The country mare knew that wasn't a good sign. Her heart began to sink as she mentally prepared herself for any kind of heart breaking admission from the winged pony.

"Applejack..." she began, taking in a long calming breath after her name, only to exhale it in nervous bursts.

Applejack knew she had to be as strong as she could for her. She took a step towards her, but kept her distance. A cold wind rushed over the balcony, causing Rainbow's wings to shutter involuntarily as she pulled them close.

"Lets head inside, it's gettin' too cold out here." the country mare suggested opening the double doors. In silence they walked into the luxurious suite and stared at each other, each too afraid of what the other was going to say to make themselves comfortable.

"What is it, darlin'?"

The anticipation was killing her. Applejack nearly wanted to shake it out of her for as long as she was drawing this out, but somehow knew that whatever she was about to say had to be devastating to have her acting like this.

Rainbow finally raised her head, looking into Applejack's worried emerald eyes as she gathered the strength to continue.

"Your parents died because...because of a tornado?" after a long flight by herself she finally was ready to admit what she feared most, "Didn't they?"

Applejack released a soft gasp. How in Equestria could she have know that? She hadn't even mentioned how they died!

"And the wind from the storm...caused the apple silo to...to..." Rainbow couldn't finish, not that she needed to. Applejack was dumbstruck. How could she have known exactly the way her parents died?

"Rainbow...how in the wide world of Equestria did you-"

"I did it." She added softly.

A mix of relief and confusion settled over Applejack's features, somewhat relieved that she hadn't cheated on her again.

"No you didn't, that Sleet Fall feller did. He got run out of town for it an everythin'." she assured her watching more tears slowly gather on Rainbow's chin before dripping off.

Applejack noticed Rainbow grit her teeth and wipe away a few tears before continuing. She normally hated crying, and only did it when she was sure she was alone, if she did it at all. Anger was how she generally dealt with any painful emotions, and this time was no different.

"No he didn't. It was my third day on the job..." she began, recounting everything Discord had shown her.

"...He took the fall so I wouldn't have to. He lost his job, and you lost your parents...because of me." she finished, just hearing the words out loud was like a railroad spike through the heart. It was her fault Applejack was an orphan. There was no contributing factor, no partial blame, the responsibility was placed squarely on her cyan shoulders. Rainbow didn't dare look in Applejack's direction. She couldn't stand to, not with the immense guilt weighing on her soul like an overburdened cart.

Applejack was at a loss for words once again. How could this be true? How could she have known? How was she able to recall details about the day that had been burned into the country mare's mind for all these years as if she were right there?

Unless she was telling the truth.

"I'm...I'm so sorry Applejack...it wasn't supposed to be a storm, it was just a shower that got out of-"

A range of emotions came over Applejack's lightly freckled face, not sure what to make of what was just revealed.

"I...I need a minute." she said stepping past her and towards the balcony, closing the door behind her.

She nearly stumbled to the edge of the railing, catching herself with her forelegs as tears began to well in her eyes. This couldn't be happening. It was as if the universe was throwing everything it could between her and the mare she was trying so desperately to love. First Spitfire, now this? What was next? Was she the one who freed Discord too?

Applejack fell to her flanks sobbing, the revelation recalling all her fond memories with her parents. She heard the door creak open, but snapped her head around sharply, a glare in her eyes as she snarled uncharacteristically "Alone!"

Usually Rainbow would have an insult or comeback ready, but not this time. For the first time in her life, she couldn't even fathom anger. Dash had killed her parents and she was going to get mad? Even in Rainbow's guilt rattled mind, that didn't make much sense.

She quietly closed the door. Through the glass she could hear Applejack crying, the sound pulling straight at the young pegasus' heart. She took a few steps and flopped onto one of the couches, where not an hour ago they had been expressing their love for one another. Now it was only left with the scent of what once was, and what Rainbow was certain would never be again. She cursed Discord's name and herself for not just keeping what he had shown her bottled up inside her forever. Surely keeping a secret from Applejack would have been easier than the heart wrenching pain the two of them were going through?

Rainbow buried her head in the cloudy couch cushions, her tears flowing just a freely as Applejack's did outside.

Tear filled minutes past before Rainbow picked up her ears, noticing the sound from the balcony had ceased. She went into the bathroom and removed the makeup than ran down her cheeks and eyes. She glanced toward the balcony as she exited, seeing Applejack still seated on her flanks, beginning to shiver in the cold night air of the high altitude. Rainbow grabbed the blanket off the bed and opened the door gently, expecting another reprisal from Applejack. To her surprise and relief, none came. She opened it loud enough for her to hear in case she still wanted to be alone, but got no acknowledgement of her presence. Dash walked slowly behind her and draped the blanket over her still shivering shoulders, Applejack still not daring to look anywhere near her.

Rainbow sat down a few feet from her on her flanks, her tears dried up but the pain still fresh in her heart. Minutes that felt like years of silence followed. Rainbow didn't have the courage to utter a word, even afraid of breathing too heavily. She gazed out at the city like Applejack had been doing, the searchlights from Cloud 9 still scanning the heavens in their predictable pattern.

Dash had no idea how long they had sat out there, pulling her wings in close to fight the cold as she somberly waited for Applejack to acknowledge her presence.

'Silence must run in the family...' she thought casting a quick glance toward the stoic Applejack, her tears now gone but the trails they had left still evident across the freckles below her eyes.

"Do you know...what it was like, to watch your parents die in front of you?" Applejack asked coldly, almost glaring out across the distance.

Rainbow wasn't sure if she should even respond. Her mother had raised her when her father skipped out on them after she was born. It wasn't a perfect family, but it was still better than the alternative.

The cyan pegasus slowly shook her head.

"I had nightmares about it for years." she added in a monotone Rainbow found disturbingly unlike her normal voice, "I had to sleep in Big Macintosh's bed for months afterward."

The cyan pegasus still held her silence. She figured her mouth got her in this much trouble, listening held the only hope of getting her out.

"Applebloom didn't know how it happened for years. Neither Mac nor myself could tell her." she added, "Granny Smith had to do it."

Rainbow bit her bottom lip to keep herself from crying again, disgusted with how weak she thought it would make her look. She had orphaned her marefriend, and she was the one crying? Pathetic.

"She cried for days. Why? She would ask me; Why don't I have a mommy and daddy like the other foals?"

"Because you have me and Mac, I told her. Without Ma and Pa there, Mac and I's foalhood ended. Granny Smith was able to help at first, but soon it was just the two of us lookin' after Applebloom and runnin' the farm." she continued, turning her gaze away from the city and down to her forelegs.

"Mac had to quit school, and so did I. The farm became our life." Applejack's tone took on a heavy forlornness, "Up until recently, we were one bad harvest away from losin' everything."

Her words hammered away at Rainbow's heart like so many hooves on apple trees. Not only had she killed her parents, but also sentenced her to a life of hardship, robbing her of one of the basic things foals need before they have to face the real world, and all the problems that come with it. A carefree youth.

She couldn't stand herself. Though it was an accident, her impatience had started a chain of events that would inadvertently ruin the lives of one of the ponies closest to her. Rainbow had never felt more worthless in her life.

"I...I know I can't say anything to make this better. All I can say...is I'm so, sorry Applejack." she stuttered, finding the courage to speak at long last.

It was Applejacks turn to maintain her silence. She still hadn't even so much as looked at her, still as stoic as her brother as she pulled the blanket tighter around her.

The uncomfortable silence was broken by two scrolls appearing in a flash of green before the both of them. Inscribed were the plans for convincing Luna that Discord was masquerading as her sister. Applejack stood up, still with the blanket around her and turned to head back inside. Rainbow sat on the balcony for a second longer as she let a few tears drip from her eyes. The thought of getting Applejack back only to lose her again was devastating. She stood up and headed toward the door, half expecting it to be locked, but finding it open.

Applejack had already climbed into the bed, and rolled over to one side, blankets pulled around her snugly. She already appeared to be asleep.

"I guess I'll be on the couch..." she said softly, not thinking Applejack was even awake.

"Suit yourself." the earth pony shot back coldly.

Rainbow let out a defeated sigh as she threw herself onto the same couch from earlier, the clouds still wet from her tears. She put a pillow beneath her head as she cried silently.

'Alone again. Good job Rainbow, you really have a talent for screwing up what makes you happy.'

XXX

Discord sat on Celestia's throne contently, gazing at all he had accomplished in a few short days. He could feel the misery of those imprisoned in the dungeons under Canterlot castle flowing into him, giving him more strength with each passing minute.

His arms twitched sometimes as he sat idly, not being used to this kind of power since he hadn't held it in a thousand years. A grin settled over him as he noticed Luna directing her guards to pack certain items from around the throne room.

"Dear sister, where are you going?" he asked, arching his mismatched fingers against one another curiously.

"The subjects in Ponyville have chosen to honor their princess with a...oh what the devil do you call those things..." she thought to herself putting a hoof to her regal chin in thought, "A party!"

"Really?" Discord asked, genuinely intrigued, "By subjects, you mean Twilight Sparkle, and the like?"

"Yes, I believe her and her eclectic group of companions wish to praise my well kept night sky! I certainly won't have their exaltation go unheard." she added, her guards packing an array of seemingly random items. Luna didn't go to many parties, so she wasn't exactly sure what one would need at such an event.

Discord's smile faded for a brief second before instantly being replaced.

"Well have fun!" Discord said cheerfully, "Do send my regards to my faithful student!"

"Oh I won't be leaving until tomorrow, but one shouldn't procrastinate!" she added taking leave to her chambers.

Discord's mischievous grin belied the turning gears in his mind.

'So Twilight Sparkle has enlisted Luna in an attempt to free Celestia from her righteous punishment?' he mused.

'Good.'

XXX

Two nights, minimal sleep. Rainbow felt like she was running on fumes. Their checkout was at 9, but she had already heard Applejack up and about earlier than that.

The sunrise was beautiful, she imagined. She missed that by a couple hours, not that it mattered. Nothing felt right anymore. Even though it had only been a few hours, which had been preceded by a few of the happiest moments in her life, it seemed like those blissful times were years behind her.

Checkout wasn't for another hour, but Applejack was ready to leave. The orange pony took a few steps toward the couch where a pair of cyan hind legs lay dangling off the end, not coming around it but staying behind.

"I'm gonna take a cab back to the farm. I 'spose I'll see you at Twilight's thing." she said. Her tone hurt Rainbow the most. Before this point she had always had a warmth accompany her words, a caring she could pick out from the way she addressed anypony else. Now that was gone, every syllable spoken as if she was some stranger she was politely greeting in passing.

"Okay..." Rainbow muttered weakly, not bothering to move from her sprawled out position on the couch.

Without another word, she heard her hoof beats walking away. She had to say something.

"Applejack." she said in a slightly stronger, but still cracking tone.

The muted orange pony stopped with a hoof on the door handle, not looking back, but acknowledging her call.

"What does t-this, mean for us?" Rainbow asked rather boldly. She could have guessed, but the masochist in her wanted to hear it straight from the mares mouth.

A sigh floated across the room as Applejack gave her a cursory glance. "I don't know."

With that, she left Rainbow alone in the room with nothing but the sound of silence and the soul crushing burden of her guilt to keep her company.

The angry tears she was sure she had no more of, flowed freely once again.

XXX

Twilight had read through nearly every ancient tome in the library searching for some way for princess Luna to create alternate elements of harmony. So far she was out of luck, not a single page described the process for creating them. It was as if princess Celestia had just willed them into existence.

An idea made all the more worrying by the fact that Discord had somehow managed to trap Celestia in stone.

The lavender unicorn sat at her desk, sipping her eighth cup of tea. Her bedraggled mane indicative of her lack of sleep. Spike had long since passed out on his bed, and even Owlowiscious had called it a morning. The sun was already well into the near noontime sky as Twilight heard a gentle rapping at the door.

"Spike can you..." she glanced toward the sleeping baby dragon and hopped down from her workspace with a sigh.

"Nevermind." she headed toward the door, rubbing her eyes with one hoof before descending the stairs.

A shy yellow pegasus waited beyond her entryway. "Hey Fluttershy."

The pegasi withdrew behind her mane seeing Twilight's rather unkempt appearance.

"I'm sorry for being so early...I hope you don't mind..."

"Not at all!" she added through a yawn, "Spike's been asleep for hours, I could use the company."

Twilight stepped aside and let her in, taking her time closing the door.

"How's the research going?" Fluttershy asked noticing the overall state of the library.

The lavender unicorn sighed, "Not so well...I can't find anything on how to create the elements. We just have to hope princess Luna knows how."

Twilight began putting books back on the shelves as Fluttershy examined some of her notes. "It looks like it took a lot of energy to create the elements."

"Yeah, the folklore said Celestia had to rest for a month afterward." Twilight answered walking next to the canary yellow pegasus. "But folklore isn't any substitute for facts, and so far I've got nothing."

"I hope Princess Luna can figure out how Celestia created them..." The lavender unicorn admitted in a worried tone. This was their only shot at stopping Discord. Without the elements of harmony, they had no chance. Even with them there was no guarantee Discord's power wouldn't have grown so much as to render them useless anyway. Still, Twilight knew she'd rather go down swinging than roll over and give up.

After a few more hours, the other element bearers filed into the library. They stood in front of the frozen princess as Twilight filled them in on what she had discovered.

"Alright, princess Luna will be here before sunset. When she gets here, we just have to calmly and articulately explain that her sister is Discord and her real sister is trapped in stone in my living room."

"Sounds simple enough!" Pinkie added, the dip in her mood from yesterday only lasting a scant twelve hours.

Twilight wished she shared her pink maned friends optimism. It seemed as though Rainbow Dash and Applejack were sharing her lack of energy. The earth pony just looked tired, but the cyan pegasus looked downright disheveled.

"Rainbow, are you okay?" Twilight asked, breaking her out of the thousand yard stare towards the floor.

"Huh? Oh! Y-yeah, I'm fine..." she answered, putting on a fake smile, though the hurt in her eyes was more than obvious. Twilight didn't have time to probe further, as Discord making good on his threat to have every pony in Equestria hunting them still loomed over her head.

"Right. She thinks this is a party in her honor, so hopefully she'll have left her guards in Canterlot." Twilight added as a commanding knock at the door interrupted her thoughts.

"Twilight! Your lunar princess is here to listen to your praises!" an unmistakeable voice from beyond the door declared.

The lavender unicorns ears shot up.

'It's barely noon! What is she doing here so early?'

The other five looked around in confusion.

"Twilight! I thought you said she was coming at sundown!" Rarity whispered, "My mane isn't nearly ready to greet royalty!"

"I thought she was too!" the lavender unicorn shot back defensively, "Well we can't just leave her waiting out there."

Twilight stepped towards the door and opened it with a smile wide across her lips.

"Princess Luna! So good of you to join us! Though you are a little early."

Twilight breathed an internal sigh of relief, noticing Luna had only brought herself.

"Yes, I was talking to Celestia and she insisted I go...oh what did she call it...fashionably early!" Luna added happily, "She informed me it's how one shows up to a party in ones honor nowadays."

Twilight's jaw dropped in disbelief, "You...you told Celestia?"

"Oh yes, I needed her advice on what one does at a party in ones honor. Don't worry fair Twilight, I didn't spoil her surprise party tomorrow!" she added trotting into the library.

As the princess entered, Twilight closed and locked the door.

She entered the main room and saw the statue of Celestia, taking a gasp in awe of its realism.

"Is this the way you've chosen to honor my sister tomorrow? Oh she'll absolutely adore it!" Luna took her time taking in the entire work, though noticing something rather odd about the statues expression.

"Why is she crying?" Luna asked examining the tear frozen in time on her cheek, "That seems a bit of an odd expression for a tribute to hold."

'Well, being blunt has gotten me this far...' Twilight thought approaching Luna from behind.

"That's not a statue. That is the real princess Celestia."

The learned unicorn wasn't sure how Luna would take the news, but quickly got her answer. She laughed.

"This must be one of those 'pranks' my sister always talked about! Oh how delightfully droll!"

Twilight looked to her friends with concern across her face. How could they convince her that they were telling the truth?

"Your highness, this really is her! Discord managed to escape and sealed her in stone somehow!" Rarity pled, only adding to Luna's uproarious laughter.

After she had regained control of herself, Luna addressed the mane six.

"That's preposterous girls! I just spoke to Celestia before I arrived!" she added wiping a tear with a hoof.

Twilight had to think quickly. There had to be some way to show her they weren't kidding.

'The elements! Of course!'

"Princess Luna, how much do you know about the elements of harmony?"

"I've studied them quite extensively." she answered, unsure of how this type of party was considered 'fun'.

"Then you know that if the elements were to ever falter, it would be because something terrible has happened to their creator." Twilight continued.

"Right...I suppose that's true." Luna added, still unsure if this was a party game of some sort. "The elements are locked safely in Canterlot tower! Only Celestia can access them."

"Only Celestia, and Discord. Last time he escaped he stole the elements of harmony, like the seal she placed was nothing!" Twilight argued, her horn glowing purple and producing the six talismans from the loft where she had been studying them.

"How did you get those?" Luna gasped. Not even she had the power to break her sister's magic seal.

"Discord gave them to us, because he is masquerading as your sister!" Twilight said, losing her patience, "Now watch what happens when we try to use them."

They donned their elements and powered them up briefly, before they flickered back to normal.

Luna was dumbfounded. Indeed the elements didn't work, and there was only two reasons they wouldn't. One was if the bearers minds were clouded by disharmonious thoughts, and the other was what Twilight had suggested the whole time. The statue before her was in actuality, her sister.

"Do you believe us now?" Twilight asked impatiently.

"I...How? How could he have imprisoned her in stone? How could he have escaped?" she stammered, the realization still slowly sinking in, "Only alicorn's and the elements of harmony have that kind of power!"

"We don't know. All we know is that with each passing day Discord gathers more strength."

Luna gazed into the face of her sister, an angry glare settling over her regal features.

"There is much to be done if we are to make Discord pay."

XXX

The chimera felt something faint. A brief spark of hope across an empty field of darkness. He stood from the throne and smiled.

'They've convinced Luna. Now the real fun begins'

Discord summoned a guard, "Gather all my subjects in Canterlot, I have an announcement to make."

Within hours, the entire city had shut down, as all who were able stood before the castle balcony, awaiting the arrival of their princess.

"The masses have been assembled for you, your highness." a guard said pointing a hoof in the direction of the balcony.

"Excellent." Discord hissed, taking in every step as he mentally prepared himself to finally put the lions share of his plan into action.

He pushed the curtains aside and was greeted by thunderous cheers from the populous below. Rose petals rained from the rooftops as he reached the edge of the railing.

'Rose petals? I suppose humility wasn't one of the six elements was it?' he thought taking a deep breath, a grin wide across his face in anticipation of what came next.

"My little ponies. I greet you today with an announcement that will affect each and every one of you! A new day is dawning, a glorious new tide is sweeping in to wipe away the old, and carry in the new!" he paused as the cheers erupted again, then slowly died back down.

"For too long, you have lived under the oppressive rules of an autocrat! For too long, you have had to send your sons to fight and die for this monarchy! For too long, your individual liberties have been stifled under laws deemed 'good for society'." there were no cheers this time, only confused faces and murmurs sweeping through the crowd.

"Well I'm here to tell you all, that I will lift your chains. I will free you from the yoke of order!" Discord held both hands out away from his sides, finger and thumb ready to snap.

'Here comes the fun part.'

With a flick of the wrist, all witnessed princess Celestia burst into flame, starting at her hooves, the fire slowly consumed her. To the crowds horror, the rising flames revealed something else entirely. A dragon leg on one side, a goats leg on the other. The flames continued to climb, revealing a sinewy thin body, until the visage of Celestia was gone, and a loud gasp emanated from the crowd.

"Thats right!" He added as the smoke cleared, resting both hands on the railing. His body was still smoking as he spread his wings. He could feel their confusion flowing through him, only adding to his power.

"Discord's back."

Ch.15 Us & Them

DISCORD'S REIGN

Chapter 15-Us & Them

The silence was complete and absolute. Discord loved it. He was a showman by nature, reveling in moments like this.

"Your princesses are no more! I am in charge now!" he announced, catching a glimpse of the guards advancing on him out of the corner of his eye.

"Now, now, boys," Discord added condescendingly snapping both fingers. The guards blinked, frozen in place. "Let's not mar this joyous event with violence."

The pegasi guard on his left began brushing himself off wildly as he screamed about spiders, while the other guard on Discord's right shrank into the fetal position. Discord grabbed both guards by the back of the armor and held them up in view of the crowd.

"Now then, if all of you want to try and avoid being mad for all eternity, you will bring me the bearers of the elements of harmony!" the chimera dropped the guards and set his hands back on the railing of the balcony. "You have two days to bring the six ponies to me."

He snapped his fingers once more, freeing the guards of his mental snare. The crowd below regained their senses to an appropriate degree of panic as ponies galloped in every direction. He knew not all of the ponies in Canterlot and the surrounding areas would go after Twilight and her friends. He didn't need them to, all he needed was a few desperate or crazy enough to get a group together to prove his point.

The energy of their confusion drove him as he tightly gripped the railing of the balcony. He closed his eyes, concentration evident on his furrowed brow. His hands began to glow, an otherworldly aura slowly tracing the entire castle. In a few minutes, the entirety of the massive stone structure glowed a bright sunlit yellow. A slow but building rumble shook the whole city as Canterlot castle freed itself from the side of the mountain and floated above the capital.

This was Discord's Equestria now.

XXX

They had worked through the afternoon, with almost nothing to show for it. Luna simply had no idea how to create new elements of harmony. Celestia was the only one with knowledge of how to free one from stone, and she wasn't talking. It was a spell she designed especially for the elements to use, and never written down. As Luna admitted sheepishly, they weren't written down so as to keep her from creating her own elements and overthrowing her sister. Ironic now that the measures she took to prevent herself from being turned to stone were now preventing her from being freed from it.

"My apologies Twilight." the lunar princess admitted, "I cannot seem to recharge the old elements, or create any new ones."

Twilight released a frustrated sigh. This had to work! This was their only hope! The other five ponies had spent most of their time flipping through a few of Twilights books that sparked their various interests, though it was mostly Twilight and Luna doing the work.

"It's okay." the lavender unicorn assured, "We'll figure this out."

On the inside, her hope was slowly fading. No amount of magic seemed to be working on the elements, or Celestia's stone prison. Twilight paused to look around the library. Rarity had her nose in a book on Parisian fashion, while Pinkie Pie and Applejack were having a quiet conversation about something on the edge of the stairs. Rainbow still had that same dejected look on her face as when she first arrived. Fluttershy sat close next to her, Rainbow's thousand yard stare seemed to pass right through the floor and out the other side of the planet. They all had to work together in harmony for this to work, and Twilight recognized potential disharmony when she saw it.

"Hey Fluttershy, can I talk to you for a second?" she asked stepping away from her work.

The shy pegasus whispered something to Rainbow as she got up. The cyan pegasus held her expression as if she were the one sealed in stone.

A short walk away from the corner where Rainbow sat, Twilight had to ask, "What is going on with Rainbow today?"

"I don't know Twilight. She's been acting like this since she got back from Cloudsdale with Appleja-" the canary yellow pegasus blushed heavily and scolded herself mentally for letting a few words slip.

"She went to Cloudsdale with Applejack?" Twilight asked obliviously, "Why?"

Fluttershy frowned. She had really painted herself into a corner now.

"Um...well...they...uhm..."

A sudden realization hit Twilight like a sack of apples.

"You mean...the two of them..."

Fluttershy was as red as the setting sun, giving Twilight her answer.

"Oh." Twilight had never considered either of them would swing that way. To be honest, she had never even contemplated her friends orientation, though she supposed two mares together probably wasn't as uncommon as she expected. After all, she already had a lock on the most eligible stallion in town.

Still, a hardworking farm girl and a rowdy stunt flier? She had always read that opposites attract, but she also read you don't get to pick those you love. She would have been happy for them, had it not appeared that they both weren't exactly on speaking terms.

Besides being partially upset at two of her best friends for keeping her in the dark about their relationship, her concern was also peaked by their apparent distance from each other.

"What happened in Cloudsdale?"

"I don't know." Fluttershy whispered. "She won't tell me."

A distant rumble interrupted their conversation as the ground trembled softly beneath their hooves.

Confused looks shot around the room as the vibration ceased just as quickly as it had come.

"What was that?" Applejack asked standing from the stairs.

Pinkie bounded down the stairs and out the front door to investigate while her friends stood and stared.

"Oh wow! The chocolate milk rain is back! Horray!" she stuck her head back through the door, her mane still somehow puffy, despite being drenched. Apart from Pinkie, everpony in the library wore the same shocked expression. They hurried to the nearest window and saw the pink clouds gathering over Canterlot in the distance as well as a few over Ponyville. The castle was hovering commandingly over the city as lightning lit up the unusually colored sky.

Twilight's eyes widened. Discord was making his move now, and they were still no closer to freeing princess Celestia!

"No, no, no! We still haven't freed the princess!" she added in panic as Pinkie frolicked in arguably her favorite part of impending chaos.

Rainbow immediately pushed her hurt deep inside her, knowing if any of them were to have a chance of weathering this, she couldn't be distracted by the events of last night.

"You think he's turned everypony on us?" Rainbow broke the silence she had held since arriving.

Twilight's gaze held out the window towards Canterlot, "I don't know."

As if to answer her question, a scroll appeared in front of Twilight. The royal seal keeping it rolled was not an 'L'

or a 'C', but a 'D'.

The other five and Luna gathered around the lavender unicorn as the letter hovered in front of her.

"Dear element bearers," she began aloud, "By now I'm sure you've all noticed my redecoration of Canterlot and my re-zoning of the sky to allow floating castles. I trust I don't have to remind you all of the conversation we had at the library about you being hunted down by the populace you claim loves you. I sent a scroll to everypony in Equestria to inform them of the price I put on your heads. It's funny the lengths some will go to protect themselves and their families isn't it? So if you've left town, I congratulate you on making the right choice! If you haven't, then I suggest you make the right choice, or I'll be seeing you a lot sooner that you think! The time will come to make that decision right...about...now."

As if on queue, a few ponies began to gather in the village square, each holding the communiqué from Discord.

The news of Discord's takeover spread like wildfire through the kingdom, sending major cities and small towns alike into panic. Soon a rather large crowd had gathered in the square, the mayor struggling to quiet the uneasy citizens.

"I know these are dark times everypony, but we must trust in the princess-"

"The princess is gone!" a stallion in the crowd shouted, earning a few shouts of agreement from others who saw the fall of Celestia as complete as ever.

"The letter says Discord will spare our town if we bring him the element bearers!" another yelled, gathering a few more calls and whinnies of concurrence.

"And you believe him?" the mayor shot back, trying desperately to talk some sense into the already anxious ponies.

"I believe he'll curse our lands if we don't, so what choice do we have?" another pony answered, "It's us or them!"

Twilight took a step back from the window as the crowd slowly began to move towards the library.

"I don't like the look of that group." Rainbow said keeping an eye on the mob.

Applejack knew of one place they could hide out until they figured out a plan.

"Twilight!" the country mare called, "Use your magic to take us to the farm!"

"All of us?" the lavender unicorn shot back surprised, "I've never teleported more than one other pony!"

The mob had begun to surround the library, angry ponies seeing their targets through the windows waiting for them to come out.

"Forget that! I'll fight my way out of here if I have to!" Rainbow added taking a defensive stance against the door.

"Rainbow! We're supposed to be helping them!" Twilight said trotting to the center of the room, ready to try and teleport all seven of them to Sweet Apple Acres, "Not fighting them!"

The other element bearers and princess Luna gathered around Twilight as she concentrated on charging the biggest teleportation spell she'd ever attempted. She was already tired from lack of sleep the past night, she prayed she had the energy to teleport everypony without leaving half of somepony here and the other half at Sweet Apple Acres.

"If anypony has any extra limbs when get there, let me know!" Twilight grimaced, a transparent purple ball of energy surrounding them. With a loud crack like thunder and a flash of light, they appeared behind the bright red barn.

"Everypony still the same... as when we left?" she panted.

After a brief once over, they all seemed to have their wings, horns, and hooves in the proper place. An unmistakable deep voice drew everypony's attention to the corner of the barn.

"I'll get to it in a second Granny!"

Big Macintosh came around the barn and stopped, seeing he had some unexpected company. He held his constantly calm expression and swished his wheat stalk from one side of his mouth to the other.

"Howdy."

Applejack didn't have time for pleasantries. "Big Macintosh you have to unlock the cellar!"

"Eeyup."

Without another word, he turned tail and the six ponies and alicorn princess followed him. He flung the heavy wooden doors open with a flick of his neck. The other's quickly trotted into the space beneath the barn, leaving the red stallion standing above them with an eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"Somepony want to tell me what it is y'all are doin' hidin' in the cellar?"

Twilight climbed out of the cellar and pointed a hoof behind him. The pink clouds loomed heavy on the horizon toward Ponyville and the rest of Equestria.

"Hm...Discord again?" Mac asked, getting a nod from Twilight.

"Alright. Now I'm no element bearer er nothin'..." he began, turning his head back toward his sister and her friends still in the cellar, "But shouldn't y'all be stoppin' him?"

"We been tryin' to ya big dummy!" Applejack snapped, though her occasional insults bounced off her brother's thick skin.

"It's a long story Mac, I'll explain later." Twilight explained through a yawn. The amount of magic it took to take a group that large that distance had exhausted her. "You wouldn't happen to have a bed free would you?"

"There's one inside the farmhouse." Big Macintosh said taking a step towards the stately old home. "I'll show ya."

As they walked away, Applejack couldn't help but wonder why they had all immediately entered the cellar, when the angry mob was back in Ponyville.

"We'll have to sleep in the barn until we figure out how we're gonna stop Discord." the country mare stated ascending the steps. A quick glance back toward town instilled an uneasy feeling in her stomach. The seed of doubt she carried about stopping Discord sprouted, becoming a growing dread that began to eat away at her confidence.

"Looks like it's gonna rain soon." Rainbow said to nopony in particular, but directing it toward Applejack.

"Yup. Better head in the barn." she responded. Still the same tone Applejack had used back in Cloudsdale. It still stung, but at least the earth pony acknowledged her.

'Better than a buck to the face...' Rainbow thought.

Applejack turned to face their royal guest, "Sorry about the accommodations princess Luna, you can stay in the farmhouse in my bed if you like."

"We-I am most grateful for your most generous offer, fair Applejack," Luna said, "But I will not warm myself indoors while those responsible for saving the kingdom many times over shiver in the cold!" the alicorn proudly took a step toward a rather large pile of hay in the corner.

"I shall lay here this night." the lunar princess proclaimed, settling herself atop it with a ruffle of her wings.

Applejack nodded slowly before addressing the others, "Y'all just find someplace and get comfortable. Whenever Twilight wakes up, I'm sure she'll tell us the plan." the muted orange mare's motherly tone belied her worry at the increasing desperation of their situation.

A distant rumble of thunder echoed her concern as she took a glance over her shoulder at the fog that seemed to be consuming the town they called home.

XXX

Twilight followed Big Macintosh into their quaint country home, the permanent scent of apples heavy in the air. All the furniture and she assumed the house itself; was made of applewood. She greeted Granny Smith, the elderly mare busy knitting socks for Applebloom in her favorite rocker.

Pictures of mares and stallions, all sharing apple themed cutie marks adorned the walls. Applejack's extended family photos took up most of her living room. Twilight had seen all the faces at one time or another during her time in Ponyville. As she followed him to the steps, she noticed a picture of a mare and stallion she was sure she had never met before.

The mare had Applejack's coat but Appleblooms mane, while the stallion was almost the spitting image of a much older Big Macintosh. The hat the stallion in the photo was wearing seemed very familiar to her as Big Mac broke her stare with a gentle throat clearing.

"My Ma and Pa." he said stopping on the first landing of the steps to the second floor.

"Oh! I...I was just..." she had always assumed something had happened to Applejack's parents, but never felt the need to inquire due to the awkwardness such a question could create.

"It's okay." the workhorse assured, "If we didn't want folks to see 'em we wouldn't a hung 'em up."

Twilight glanced away from the picture and back to the stallion's gentle smile, nearly the same one as his dad in the photograph, "You look just like your father."

The rural stallion nodded at her compliment turning his head toward the top of the stairs, beckoning her to follow. "That's what everypony says."

Twilight found herself stealing glimpses of Mac as he climbed the stairs, admiring every toil-hardened muscle in his powerful flanks.

'Ugh...if only I wasn't so tired-'

Mac snapped Twilight out of her daze, "Here we are."

He pushed opened the door to reveal a simple bed, with nothing but a few spare yokes hanging on the wall and a modest desk flush in the corner. She had never imagined what Mac's room looked like, but if she had it would be along these lines.

"Ah know it ain't much..."

In truth, Twilight was just thankful for a bed. Expending that much magic at once had sapped what energy she hadn't spent working through the night and with Luna all day.

"It's fine Mac, I just need somewhere to sleep for a while." Twilight trotted over to the bed and laid on her belly, stretching out every leg before rolling onto her back and letting out a long yawn. Big Macintosh held his smile as he watched the cutest mare in Ponyville make herself comfortable.

"So you want to tell me what's goin' on out in the barn?" he asked watching Twilight shimmy under the plaid sheets. He noticed her sapphire eyes gently closing; the comfort of being in a bed for the first time in days, coupled with the comforting scent of Big Macintosh's bed was slowly melting away her resolve to stay awake.

"Right...Discord escaped...and he's the princess...I mean he looks like the princess..." she paused to let out another long yawn before continuing her response in the form of a soft snore. Mac leaned against the doorway and smiled; taking in the sleeping form of the filly he was so glad he gave another chance. He strode over quietly and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek as he pulled the blanket up over her shoulders.

"G'night Twilight."

The stallion closed the door softly and took his leave. He walked back outside to the barn where he found most everypony asleep with the exception of princess Luna. Mac noticed that his sister and Rainbow Dash were sleeping on opposite sides of the barn, backs turned. He shook off his concern for another time as he softly addressed the princess.

"What brings you to our neck of the woods your majesty?"

Her star-studded mane blew gracefully without wind, her head turning slowly in his direction to respond, "Dark times, I'm afraid."

"I s'pected as much." Mac whispered with a nod, not wanting to wake the others, "Discord, from the looks of it."

"Yes, the spirit of disharmony walks the land once again. He sealed my sister in stone," she began, looking out through the open barn door toward the chaos enveloping the rest of the kingdom. "The subject-I mean element bearers and I were trying to find a way to free Celestia when Discord put a price on our heads."

Big Macintosh withdrew slightly hearing the suggestion that the citizens of Equestria would turn on those who had kept them safe for so long at the order of a despot. Surely the populous would have a bit more loyalty?

"A price? I take it no pony came to collect?"

Luna scoffed, "They did. The subjects are merely sheep. If you threaten them, they'll usually give you what you want."

"That wasn't the way my sister ruled. She was kind, forgiving, trusting...everything I should have been. Instead I was Nightmare Moon." Luna trailed off, Mac somewhat confused as to why she brought up herself being Nightmare Moon, but decided not to press the matter. He noticed a distinct emotional distance in Luna's tone when she spoke of her sister, a concept quite alien to the close-knit Apple family. Though he supposed he couldn't blame her for maybe being a little upset, after all she did banish her to the moon for a thousand years.

"S'alright. You're princess Luna now ain't cha?"

His accent drew a smile to her regal features as she held her gaze toward the rest of her kingdom.

"Indeed I am...er..."

Big Macintosh blushed in embarrassment. He had forgotten to introduce himself, and to royalty no less! Granny Smith would tan his hide if she were still physically able.

"Macintosh Apple, your highness." he quickly added, a simple bow accentuating his introduction.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, noble Macintosh." she responded, extending a hoof and expecting a gentle kiss on the end.

Big Mac gladly took her hoof and shook it vigorously before giving it back before a rather dizzy Luna.

"If'n you'll excuse me, I've got a few chores ta finish up before dark."

Luna watched him go, amazed at how even in the face of a chocolate milk flavored apocalypse, some ponies still found it necessary to work until their last day. She also took notice of the stallions more impressive physical attributes, casting her mane beside her head with a quick flick of the neck.

'Macintosh Apple...perhaps living in a barn won't be so bad.' she thought grinning, crossing her forelegs in front of her and resting her head upon them.

Discord had allowed night to fall regularly over the land, Luna's moon rose above the clouds, its crescent face shining brightly between the stray cotton candy clouds that managed to make it out this far.

Twilight rubbed the sleep from her eyes with her hooves and looked out the only window in Big Macintosh's room. It was pitch black except for the lights in the barn. She could have easily slept until the next day, rolling over away from the window and rubbing her face into the pillow, still trying to squeeze a few more blissful minutes out of this rather firm mattress. A few medallions hanging on one of Mac's spare yokes somehow managed to directly shine moonlight into her eye, as if nature itself was forcing her to get out of bed.

Her mind began to drift, influenced by Mac's scent toward some saucy thoughts about what she and Mac could do on a sturdy bed like this. She grinned to herself as she stretched her legs, tossing the blanket off of her top half, willing herself to leave the bed and continue trying to figure out a way to stop Discord. She exited the room and started down the stairs when a hurried Big Macintosh met her halfway.

"Twilight!" he said breathlessly. She had never seen him so worked up before, "Go hide in the cellar, Rainbow said she saw a group of ponies from town headin' this way!"

She squeezed by him as he hurried Granny Smith and Applebloom into the upstairs bedrooms, despite the yellow filly's protest.

"But I wanna go to the sleepover in tha barn!"

"I told ya it ain't a sleepover! Now mind Granny till I get back." the stallion closed the door and headed back outside. The crowd had a few torches and more than a few of them had ropes, ready to hogtie Twilight and her friends no doubt. He met them at the entrance to Sweet Apple Acres, standing as broad as he could in front of the iron gate.

"Somethin' I can do for y'all?" he asked calmly as the girls looked on from the darkened barn, both Twilight and Applejack feared for Mac's safety. He was outnumbered ten to one easily, and to try and help him if things got out of hoof would only give away their hiding spot and force them to find new refuge.

"I think you know why we're here Mac." the workhorse recognized the stallion that seemed to be leading the group as the colt of the kindly old stallion who ran the cart repair shop. Axel, if his memory served.

Axel never knew an honest days work, so it didn't surprise him that he'd show up looking to take the easy way out and try to listen to Discord.

"Well, the element bearers ain't here."

"Don't feed me that line! We've checked everywhere else they live, and this is the last place on our list."

'No use tryin' ta stop 'em.' Mac thought, maintaining his always cool composure as he switched his wheat sprig from one side of his mouth to the other.

"Fair enough. You can look wherever you'd like."

They sent a few into the house with Mac, finding nothing but Granny Smith and Applebloom. After a thorough search, they turned their attention to the barn.

"How bout down there?" Axel motioned toward the structure.

The workhorse nodded, leading them to the barn while silently praying the other ponies had taken his warning seriously and hidden in the cellar.

He slowly pulled the two large barn doors opened and allowed the invaders inside. Every square inch of the interior was inspected, six ponies and an alicorn literally stuffed beneath the floor planks of the barn, looking through the floorboards at those who would have them turned over to Discord.

The wood creaked and groaned under their hooves as Big Macintosh kept a close watch on the invaders from the door. After an exhaustive search the mob turned back to the red stallion, frustration clear on their faces.

"We know you know where your sister is Mac." the cart mechanic's son growled, "Now are you gonna tell us, or are we gonna have to kick it out of you?"

Twilight cringed hearing the threat of violence. She glanced to Applejack, who wore a confident expression in the face of her brother taking on ten stallions at once.

"You're more than welcome ta try." he said cracking his neck and taking off his yoke.

"If you think you got what it takes."

Twilight couldn't help but admire Big Mac's bravery in the face of such a challenge, her adoration quickly being replaced by extreme worry for the red earth stallion's safety.

"I hope Mac knows what he's doing." Twilight whispered.

"Don't worry, he does." Applejack answered just as softly.

"Did ya happen ta catch sight a the medals he's got in his room?" she continued.

The lavender unicorn returned a nod. "What about them?"

"Three words cousin. Ponyville. Heavyweight. Champion."

Ch.17 The Alpha Zone

DISCORD'S REIGN

Chapter 17-The Alpha Zone

"Huh?" Mac mumbled, stirring from his slumber.

"Spike!" The lavender unicorn snapped getting to her hooves, "I left him at the library when I teleported us all here!"

Before Mac had a chance to speak, Twilight was nearly out the barn door. "Twilight!" he called after her, "You can't go into town!"

The red stallion came clumsily to his hooves after her, still quite groggy from being woken from a dead sleep.

"I have to!" she whispered sharply, suddenly remembering there were others in the barn trying to sleep. "Oh Celestia...I can't believe I forgot him!"

"Twilight, what if you get caught?" Mac pled, trying to get her to see reason. "How are only five elements a harmony goin' ta stop Discord?"

"I won't get caught," her eyes narrowed in determination, "He'd do it for me, I have to try."

Macintosh recognized a losing battle when he saw one. He despised the thought of his fillyfriend being caught by any of those dirtbags in Ponyville, yet he knew she wasn't about to leave Spike. With a sigh, he relented.

"I s'pose you aren't gonna be talked out of this are ya?"

A raised eyebrow gave him her response.

"Will you please be careful?"

"If they even laid a hoof on Spike..." she growled, "They will regret it." her tone softened once she noticed Mac's concern. "I'm just going to teleport there and back," she assured him. "Don't worry, nopony will see me." she leaned in, giving him a quick peck on the cheek before departing.

As she walked outside, a loud snore from above startled her. She flicked her eyes upwards, relaxing once she located the source.

Rainbow Dash had fallen asleep on the roof of the barn.

'Some watch-pony!' she thought walking well away from the barn so the flash and noise wouldn't wake anypony else.

Just before leaving, she made the monumental mistake of looking back. Big macintosh was just standing in the barn door, his muscular silhouette outlined in the moonlight, watching her go. Twilight bit her lip in indecision.

For a moment, the worry etched across the normally calm and stoic stallions features was enough to make her reconsider the risk she was taking. After what the mobs did to Mac, she assumed if anypony spotted her, she would be taken to Discord straight away, though probably not without a few bumps and bruises. On top of that, she would have to suffer through whatever twisted-ness Discord himself had planned for the six of them.

With great effort, she tore her eyes away from Big Mac's and disappeared into the night air.

XXX

A flash of purple light and she was back at her home, only it appeared to have been ransacked. Her heart broke as she looked upon the scattered books, overturned furniture and general disheveled appearance of her formerly well organized house.

Everything in every cabinet and drawer had been scattered about the floor. Clearly those who'd searched the place were looking for somepony in particular; she prayed they hadn't found Spike. If they were willing to dismember Big Mac over her location, she shuddered to think of what they would do to a baby dragon.

"Spiiiiiike." she whispered as loudly as she dared. No response, save for the wind blowing through the open windows of the library. Twilight bottled her anger at those who wrecked her house and climbed the stairs toward her loft, almost not wanting to know what those traitors had done to her personal belongings.

Her hooves came to rest two steps below the door to her loft, or what was left of it. She frowned noticing scorch marks on the wall outside her bedroom, trying to push her renewed fears aside. If Spike had to resist, that meant he'd been found. And if he'd been found...

Twilight's heart pounded. She turned her attention from the walls to the door itself, clinging to the doorframe by a single strong top hinge, though it rapidly lost its grip as she pushed it open. The clatter of wood on wood pierced the silence as her worry for Spike grew with each passing second.

Nothing but the sound of creaking floorboards greeting her ears as she stepped over the shattered door to her bedroom. Her bed was in shambles, the mattress and bedspread scattered across the floor. Her personal bookshelf had been overturned, as well as her writing desk and ink jars.

Big Mac's blanket caught her eye, it had been waded up in the corner. Upon closer inspection, another darker crimson pattern had stained the plaid fabric. A quick spell and the sentimental covering hovered outstretched before her.

Twilight released a soft gasp, realizing what stained this blanket. Only dragon's blood had that strong metallic odor. She let the blanket fall to the floor and sat back on her haunches, trying and failing to keep from assuming the worst.

"No...please Celestia let Spike be okay..." She prayed aloud, the emotional roller coaster she'd been on for the past few days sapping her will to carry on. "Please..."

Twilight buried her face in the blanket, her tears already adding to the numerous stains adorning the plaid cloth she used to find so comforting.

For the first time since this whole mess started, Twilight deeply considered an alien thought.

Giving up.

Maybe she'd just be better off trying to scrape out a meager existence under the rule of the god of chaos with Mac. After all this, it started to seem like a good idea. But it wouldn't bring back Spike, or Celestia, or the idyllic lifestyle she had taken for granted.

'You forgot Spike, your best friend! You left him here to fend for himself! Some friend you are!'

'Mac nearly got his leg cut off for you, and you recklessly charge into the belly of the beast that sent those stallions after you in the first place? Celestia certainly knows how to pick a personal protege doesn't she?'

'You raised him, and then left him here to die!'

The thoughts cut into her heart as they swirled around her head, growing louder with each passing second. Before long she wasn't certain she could hear anything but the negative, biting voices in her mind. She buried her head in her hooves, covering her ears in a vain attempt to shut out these strange ideas. They kept growing louder until she was sure she would go deaf if the volume increased anymore. Twilight gritted her teeth and stomped her hind legs to try and assuage the pain, but the voices just kept coming.

Finally, Twilight couldn't take it anymore.

"SHUT UP!"

Her shout echoed through the stillness of her home, the voices falling silent just a quickly as they had come. She peeked an eye from below her hooves, slowly raising her head and embracing the silence. A few deep breaths and she was somewhat calm again, leaving the blanket on the floor and descending the staircase in the darkened library to where Celestia still waited to be freed. Her frozen expression only made regaining her past drive that much more difficult.

Twilight sat on her flanks in front of Celestia, staring up at her second mother with no idea what to do next. Spike was gone, Luna couldn't recharge or recreate the elements of harmony, all of them were living in and sometimes underneath a barn, while all of Equestria drowned in a tide of madness.

Helplessness. Here it was again, permeating her every breath like an icy winter wind. If Discord wasn't the god of chaos, she was certain he could just as easily have been the incarnation of making others feel useless.

'No, Twilight.' she thought to herself, standing on all hooves, 'You've got more raw power than anypony Celestia had ever seen! She said so herself!'

She exiled the negative thoughts from her consciousness as she stood firmly in front of Celestia.

A purple glow and a low hum filled the bottom floor of the library as Twilight gathered all the energy she had left into the tip of her horn.

"I won't let him win."

The magic's hum grew in intensity as the energy built. Loose papers and books began sliding away, as if blown by an unseen wind.

Although a bead of sweat fell from her brow, Twilight's concentration held. Not since hatching Spike had she tried to contain this much power in a single, sensitive place.

Her knees began to go numb as she pushed closer and closer to using a dangerous amount of energy. Only a few cases of complete magical exhaustion had ever been recorded, but Twilight knew every case had been fatal. Using all of ones energy for a single spell was a good way to ensure the heart and brain lost the electric currents keeping them functioning. The brave unicorn walked that narrow line, her only consolation in death being that hopefully her life force would be strong enough to free Celestia, and allow her to banish Discord once again.

Twilight neared the point of no return, acutely aware that she barely had enough energy to keep her legs under her. Her vision began tunneling and flickering around the edges as the colors of the room faded to black and white. The silence of the library had been replaced by a constant ringing. She could see the wind from her magic blowing everything that wasn't tied down to the edges of the room, yet couldn't feel it.

The spell was almost ready. Every ounce of power at her disposal gathered into a single point. The aim of a spell meant to free Celestia or take her life. In all honesty she knew it was her one shot at freeing the princess, but a prevailing worry that it wouldn't work kept her from committing everything.

'You only get one shot Twilight!' she reminded herself, the strain making her grow weary as she fought to control the powerful spell above her head.

It was at that point she realized what she had to. She had to give this everything she had, if there was just a fraction of a chance it could work. It was better than herself and the rest of Equestria living in a psychopath's paradise.

'So, are you truly prepared to make such a noble sacrifice?'

That voice...it was one of those that had flooded her mind with negative thoughts earlier! It certainly wasn't coming from inside her head, though she was hearing it as if it were her own mind.

'Who are you?' she thought quickly.

'What? Don't recognize your old friend Discord?'

How? How could he be inside her head? How long had he been there? These questions came and went in the milliseconds it was taking to carry out this conversation.

'How are you in my head?'

'No, no my dear, this is about you. So you're ready to lay yourself on the altar of logic and order to be sacrificed so that your fearless leader can be restored to the throne, eh?'

Twlight didn't dignify that assumption with a response, not that she needed to. Discord hit the nail straight on the head.

'Well far be it for me to try and stop you, but before you martyr yourself; perhaps there is a certain somepony who wouldn't want to live in a world without you?'

Discord managed to flood Twilight's mind with every happy memory she had made with the draught stallion she...dare she even think the word? Loved. However, she was somewhat perturbed at some of the memories the god of disharmony had retrieved. Those few of course being of a more...intimate nature.

'He feels the same way you know. You all may think you're safe out there on Applejack's farm, but my reach is kingdom wide. So, now that you know where your beloved's heart lies...can you go through with it? Will you forfeit your own life, your own happiness, Macintosh's happiness, for a chance at stopping me?'

A scene played out in her mind, forced on her by Discord. She saw Mac in the barn, as princess Luna consoled him. He wasn't crying, but the look on his face was one of pure devastation. "Macintosh..." Luna began, her voice echoing wildly.

"I'm so sorry." Luna continued, putting a wing around her stallion. A quick glance, a forced smile and a deep blush from the imaginary Mac was all it took to back Twilight down from full power. She fired, leaving just enough of her energy intact to survive the massive spell.

'Of course you wouldn't.' Even in her head Discord maintained his smug condescension.

If all of the windows in her house hadn't been broken out or open, the difference in pressure would have blown apart the sturdy tree. A cloud of purple smoke shot out from every available opening of the library, rising high into the night sky and intermingling with the pink clouds. Brief arcs of lightning flickered through the clouds as the blast of magic faded. Twilight sagged, lacking even the strength to cough and clear the smoke from her lungs. She could only wait for the smoke to clear, and silently pray her insane gambit had been successful.

As the smoke thinned, it became painfully obvious that her prayers had fallen on stone ears.

Any hope she had left now evaporated. She put everything she had into that shot, short of killing herself. What if she had played right into Discord's hands? By backing down at the thought of leaving Mac and her friends behind, had she fallen just short of what would have saved them all?

'Well, I guess you won...' she admitted, unsure if Discord was still knocking around in her mind.

'Oh no Twilight, my ultimate victory will be at hand soon enough. In the meantime though, I know you're trying your hardest to free Celestia, so please keep a better eye on these.'

A purple gift box with a red bow appeared in front of her. She flipped the top off, too tired to worry about what was inside and too apathetic at this point to care.

"The...the elements?" she whispered aloud. Twilight hadn't taken them to Sweet Apple Acres when she took everypony else, that much she remembered.

She couldn't help but give in to her naturally inquisitive nature. 'Why are you giving these back?'

'Because I asked for the element bearers, not the elements. Apparently the IQ of Ponyvilles angry mob population isn't very high.' he responded dryly.

'But...you stopped me from using all my magic! Why?' Twilight demanded of the voice in her head.

'Hmhm...' Discord mused, 'How are only five elements of harmony supposed to stop me? I'll need all six of you ready and willing to fight before you witness my infinite jest.'

Twilight was stunned, still sitting on the floor in front of Celestia as she tried to make sense of something that truly seemed to make none.

'None of that makes sense!'

'Sense...what fun is there in making sense? I really must be going now, the moon is scheduled to make a daylight appearance tomorrow. Anyhow, the fog should be rolling in soon. I suggest you pick your two favorite facial orifices and cover them tightly!'

'Discord? What fog? Answer me!' Twilight seemed to shout in her head, but to no response. Discord had vanished as quickly as he'd come.

"Twilight?"

The young unicorn didn't have time to dwell on what Discord meant by fog, as her ears perked up. Her head whipped around to the source of the voice at the top of the stairs. Spike made it halfway down before Twilight tackled him in a excruciatingly tight hug.

"I'm so sorry I forgot you! Please don't hate me, you were asleep in the loft and I forgot and then the mobs surrounded the library and-"

"Woah, woah, slow down! And please get off of me, you're crushing my arm."

She stood from her position on top of Spike and allowed him to get to his feet.

"Where have you been this whole time?" she asked, glad to have at least garnered a small victory.

Spike leaned against the wall, trying to catch the breath Twilight had just squeezed out of him.

"I hollowed out one of the wood knots in the loft to keep...stuff in. I was asleep until I heard somepony shouting in here." he explained taking a seat on the bottom step.

"I think the teleportation spell you used to get everypony out of here woke me." he added leaning against the steps, "By the time I was awake enough to see what was going on, a bunch of angry looking ponies burst through the door. I tried to scare them off with my fire breath, but I guess it wasn't that scary..." He shifted awkwardly, embarrassed.

"I locked myself in the loft, and climbed into that hollowed out knot." he finished.

"Okay, but why is your blood on Mac's blanket?"

A nervous laugh accompanied his response, "Yeah, I accidentally cut myself on a nail trying to climb into my hiding spot. After I was sure the crazies had left, I kinda...used it to clean myself up."

The young dragon glanced back up into Twilights eyes as she caught sight of a rather sizable gash across his inner thigh. He was genuinely expecting her to be upset with him.

"Sorry..." he admitted earnestly.

"I'm just glad you're okay Spike." Twilight said, relief shining in her eyes. "When I first saw that I thought you'd been captured by Discord, or worse! Besides, it's just a blanket."

'A blanket that needs washing if I'm ever going to use it again.'

Twilight thought, her mood lightening momentarily.

"So, you're not mad?" she asked, expecting him to be at least a little upset.

"Well, I'm not happy. Looks like you owe me one huge favor now, huh?" he added grinning.

"I guess so." Twilight added, turning her attention back toward the stone matriarch of Equestria.

"I don't suppose you found a way to free Celestia have you?" he asked as the answer to his question stared down at him.

"Not exactly." the exasperated pony answered, throwing up both hooves, "I just don't know what to do anymore Spike!"

"I...I just want her back. Twilight admitted, putting her forelegs around the statues neck, and looking into Celestia's stone eyes. "I know she would know how to fix all this..."

The cold, rocky orbs she looked into provided no comfort or solace. A far cry from the warm, caring eyes she had grown to know and trust.

A single tear, reflecting the one frozen forever on Celestia's face rolled off Twilight's cheek and splashed against the princesses stone foreleg.

Twilight sniffed up her tears and fell back onto all fours. She turned to face Spike, his own dapper mood beginning to wane at the sight of his best friends despair.

"I wish there was something I could do Twilight..." he added, trying to if not cheer her up, then at least empathize with her.

"Me too Spike...It'll be a minute or two before I can take us back to the others." she said taking a seat on her flanks at the hooves of her mentor.

Without a word, the young dragon followed and sat down beside her, offering what warmth he could on an unseasonably cold night.

Even with Spike back, hopelessness found its way back into her heart. After a few moments of contemplation, Twilight spoke up again.

"I gave it everything I had, you know?" she said referring to her effort to break the stone curse. Spike had actually witnessed her attempt, but didn't want to break her concentration by calling to her from the loft.

"Yeah, I saw. You were amazing Twi."

He got another sniffle in response, followed by a weak voice Spike was unfamiliar with.

"I was ready, Spike. Ready to put all I had into that spell." Twilight continued, her voice shaking with every word as the direness of their situation slowly began to sink in, "Ready to give up everything if it meant stopping Discord...but I just couldn't."

"I let her down Spike...I let every single pony in Equestria down."

By this point her words were coming in bursts, accompanied by sporadic gasps of breath.

"Twilight, you can't rely solely on yourself. There's a reason the six of you are the elements of harmony."

"But I'm her student Spike! I'm supposed to be the one she can rely on! I'm supposed to be the one who's there for her in times...like these." she cried, putting her hooves over her eyes, "After all the times she's saved me...I just want to be able to save her..."

Spike shied away from arguing with her, but understood where she was coming from. Celestia had been an integral part of their lives since at least the day Spike was born. To see her like this, and to be unable to do anything about it hurt the young dragon more than he was letting on.

"You were Twilight. Think of how happy you made her when she was alive."

To hell with backing down, Spike knew he had to be strong for her. She had been strong for him after countless rejections from Rarity, though at the time they seemed like more of a big deal than they actually were. Still, Spike knew he had to do something.

Twilight held her silence, a few tears still falling from her soft sapphire eyes as she drew him closer with a foreleg. A thousand yard stare burned right through her overturned couch as they accompanied each other in the oddly still darkness of Discord's night.

"You did everything you could." Spike said looking up at her, though her stare remained constant, "You don't think princess Celestia would want you to beat yourself up for the rest of your life do you?"

A soft cough broke her gaze as she glanced back at him, "No...but how do we stop Discord without her?"

At that moment Twilight noticed a silvery haze creeping in from her right, like a block of dry ice was a few feet away.

She stifled a gasp, pushing Spike to the other side of the room with herself as she watched what she assumed was the fog Discord had mentioned earlier billow in through her open windows.

"What is that stuff?" Spike asked hiding behind Twilight's hind leg as it crept in their direction, as if it knew where they stood.

"Fog. It's got something to do with Discord, but I don't know what. Whatever you do, just don't let it touch you!"

As soon as Twilight's warning had left her mouth, they both heard a cracking noise, though neither could place the origin.

Again, another cracking like splitting wood echoed through the library as the fog inched closer. A light shone from the cracks forming in Celestia's foreleg, spreading rapidly to the rest of her. Twilight couldn't believe her eyes; soon the entire exterior of the formerly stone princess was cracked, beams of light shining through and illuminating the darkened library.

With a final crack, the stone portrait of princess Celestia shattered and was replaced by the genuine article in all...well definitely some of her former glory.

Twilight was in shock. Had that really just happened? Or was this some kind of devious hallucinogenic effect of that mysterious fog?

The gentle eyes Twilight remembered refocused on the world before her as her legs nearly gave in from holding her position for so long.

"Twilight? Where am I?" she asked wearily.

Even though they were about to be consumed by a mysterious and potentially fatal fog, the lavender unicorn couldn't help but smile. The face she had longed to see was finally among them once again.

"We're in the library! But don't let the-" Celestia took one look at the encroaching mist and joined Spike and Twilight against the wall.

"Discord's fog!" the princess exclaimed, clearly having some experience with it. Her terrified reaction was somewhat disconcerting.

"Twilight we must get out of here before-" Celestia didn't even have the time to finish her sentence before a tendril seemingly made of the fog shot out, missing Twilight's nose by an inch or two at the most.

"I can't teleport us! I used all my magic trying to free you!" Twilight admitted, covering her nose and mouth with a foreleg. Unfortunately, she left her ears wide open, a connecting blow struck into her ear like a buck to the side of the head. She was unconscious almost instantly.

"Twilight!" Spike cried desperately shaking her in an attempt to rouse his best friend.

Celestia scooped them both up along with the elements in what little magic she had left and placed them onto her back.

"Hold tightly onto Twilight." Celestia commanded, "I may not have the energy to teleport, but I can still fly us out of here!"

With a beat of her massive wings, Celestia gracefully jumped to the high ground of the loft in a single bound. A quick blast from her horn and they disappeared through Twilight's new sky light and into the night.

After a short flight out of Ponyville and away from the fog that enveloped the whole town, and seemingly Canterlot as well; Celestia landed in a clearing a stones throw from the beginning of the Everfree forest.

She gently lay Twilight on the soft grass, Spike's concerned expression illuminated brilliantly by the moonlight.

"She'll be fine." Celestia assured him.

"How do you know?" his worry outweighing his respect.

"Temporary exposure to Discord's fog only brings about nightmares. The density and power of the fog should not have been very high, I would wager we were only at the edge of the alpha zone-"

"The what?"

Celestia had momentarily forgotten she wasn't addressing her star student, and tried to simplify her explanation.

"Discord rules from the castle does he not?"

"As far as I know." Spike answered taking a seat in the grass next to Twilight as she mumbled, her legs kicking a few times in the throws of her nightmare.

"His power is immense, even by my own standards. I could feel it growing while I was imprisoned as my strength weakened substantially." Celestia went on to explain, the drop in her tone rather disturbing to the young dragon who was sure the princess would have come out swinging.

"If his power in concentrated in Canterlot castle, his excess power radiates in all directions, getting more intense the closer you come to Discord himself. A thousand years ago, during mine and my sister's raid on Canterlot, the kingdom was divided into zones according to the mental danger they posed to any who would enter. The alpha zone was the very furthest Discord's physical power could reach. The fog we saw earlier is simply a manifestation of his chaotic energy. If held under its grip for too long, it has been known to drive ponies mad."

Spike was hoping for a bit of a more rousing explanation, but nodded all the same.

"What about the ponies in Ponyville? And Canterlot? Twilight's parents live there!" the young dragon recalled, resurrecting his worry.

"For now, the effects should still be reversible. How long had I been frozen?"

Spike had honestly lost count, but searching his memory he gave a good ballpark estimate.

"Almost a week and a half."

Celestia let out a single huff, "Discord certainly is efficient."

"Where are the other element bearers?"

"Somewhere safe...but I don't know where." Spike admitted, "Twilight was going to teleport us there before the fog came in."

"Very well, we can rest here until she awakens."

Spike nodded, curling up into a ball against Twilight's back, still kicking from time to time as she fought off her incubus.

"Princess, what kind of nightmares does the fog give you?"

Celestia raised her head from her laying position on her forelegs to address Spike, "I can't say for certain. I've never been infected." she cast a warm look of concern toward her faithful student, "I do not imagine it could be any worse than a world ruled by Discord."

Oh how wrong she was.

XXX

Discord sat on his twisted new throne, the once majestic interior of Canterlot castle now bent to his insane will. The occasional shout or cry from the city below played like music as he drank in the sounds of his handiwork. A look of tranquillity held across his face, the god of chaos seeming to meditate as his eyes flicked open, as if by a signal known only to him.

'Celestia is free.'

He thought to himself, a smile coming across his lips in anticipation of the oncoming final act of his divine comedy.

'It's about time.'

Ch.18 G Minus

DISCORD'S REIGN

Chapter 18-G Minus

Big Macintosh couldn't get a wink of sleep. Every couple of minutes he found himself raising his head toward the barn door, hoping to see the silhouette of the mare that had been keeping him awake with worry. Each time he was met with disappointment.

His constant shuffling unwittingly woke a sleeping princess across from him.

"What troubles you, Macintosh?"

Her whisper startled the red stallion, turning his head to her in the darkness. "Ah'm sorry princess, I didn't mean ta wake ya."

"Think nothing of it, noble Macintosh." he couldn't help but wonder why she kept adding 'noble' to the beginning of his name, but brushed aside his curiosity for the time being. Her mane flowed elegantly even in the dark, the specks of light scattered throughout guiding his eyes to her regal features.

"Now, what is on your mind?"

Mac debated burdening Luna with his worry. Twilight had promised she wouldn't get caught, but an uneasy feeling took refuge in the pit of the red stallions stomach all the same.

He reasoned that if something had happened to Twilight, Luna would be the only pony capable of doing anything about it.

"Twilight...she went back into town ta find Spike." he whispered, "She forgot him when she brought y'all here."

A soft gasp from the royal alicorn met his ears, "Has she lost her mind?"

Big Mac exhaled sharply. It certainly seemed like it.

"You could say that...but she couldn't leave the little guy back in Ponyville." he sighed, "Ah tried ta stop her, but she wouldn't hear it." Luna detected a hint of worry behind the red stallions words.

The moon princess paused, crafting her next sentence carefully, "Do you care for her, Macintosh?"

Big Mac blinked. Of course he did, what kind of question was that?

"Ah do."

The red workhorse couldn't see it in the dark, but Luna's expression dropped like a lead weight.

"She's only been gone a half hour, but still..." he trailed off, taking solace in his constant companion: silence.

"You miss her?" Luna asked.

"Eeyup. More worry now though."

The princess envied the feeling Macintosh had for Twilight. Even before she had been locked away for a thousand years on the moon, she was not allowed to fraternize with the commoners. Since her sister and herself were immune to the ravages of time, Celestia had always warned her that any kind of intimate relationship with any other pony would only lead to heartbreak.

Luna understood why; she may have had a bit of an immature streak, but she wasn't stupid. She would have to watch as the one she loved grew old, and eventually died, all while she remained forever young. Sometimes she felt her gift was more of a curse. Cursed to watch a million generations come into this world, only to die off in the seeming blink of an eye.

She knew the earthly pleasures of self-gratification, but had always secretly wanted a stallion to give her heart and body to. Eternity is a long time to spend without another soul to love you. Sure her sister would have been by her side, but she wanted the passionate love of a stallion, of one who would travel over glaciers, frozen tundras and volcanos simply to see her face. For a fleeting second, she felt that maybe before they were all consumed by madness, that the muscular stallion a few feet to her left could have been such a lover.

Only to have her hopes shattered by an honest admission of his love for another. Luna berated herself for even thinking such a handsome stallion would be unspoken for.

"I'm sure she is fine noble Macintosh." a frustrated, yet silent tear left Luna's eye. "She is a very capable unicorn." The princesses words did little to comfort the anxious stallion.

A single sniffle would prove to betray her feelings to the sharp-eared draught horse.

Mac had lived with mares long enough to know the difference between a sniffle brought on by allergies, and one caused by sadness. His expression dropped, realizing this was of the latter variety.

"What's the matter princess?" he asked softly, turning the tables on the disheartened alicorn.

Luna debated saying anything at all. What could a mortal like himself possibly know about the problems faced by an alicorn?

She countered that idea with another. If they were unable to stop Discord, she might as well die unburdened by her somewhat embarrassing secret.

"Nothing...I am simply having some trouble sleeping with all the dust in the air."

Or perhaps not.

Unfortunately for her, Mac was also quite good at detecting when mares weren't being one hundred percent honest. He had his little sister Applebloom to thank for that.

"Ah don't mean to prod, but talking about it may make ya feel better." the irony of that statement was not lost on the normally reserved stallion.

Luna's will finally broke. The comfort she was able to find in Mac's drawl made her realize how Twilight could have fallen for him.

"It's just..." she began softly, more tears threatening to flood her eyes and break her down into sobs. The words about to cross her lips had never been heard by another pony. Dare she confide in a commoner? And an earth pony at that?

"I..." she let out a defeated sigh as she finally showed her true feelings.

"I have never known the love of another..." she whispered, Big Macintosh somewhat taken aback by her admission.

"For over a thousand years...I've barely even experienced the touch of another being besides my sister." she went on, her words peppered in between barely audible sobs.

Mac could certainly identify with her loneliness. Until he had gathered the courage to ask out Twilight, he had been in much the same position. Going through the motions of his daily chores, wondering if there was more to life than just looking after his family and his farm.

"But...you're a princess. Couldn't you have any stallion you wanted?" he asked, continuing the growing depth of their quiet conversation.

A soft exhale floated across the barn, "In reality, I suppose, but royalty mustn't associate with common- I mean subjects in such a way. To simply pick a stallion from the masses would be an abuse of power."

Big Mac tried to contemplate being alone for thousands of years, but simply couldn't wrap his mind around it. He honestly felt sorry for the princess. An alicorn as beautiful as she was, unable to even know what it was like to love, or be loved by another? Truly that was a shameful thought.

"Ah had no idea being royalty was such a..." Mac trailed off, searching for the right words.

"Raw deal?" Luna completed, mildly surprising him with such a seemingly uncharacteristic phrase.

"It's nothing for you to concern yourself with Macintosh." she said, her sporadic sniffles now coming less frequently. "My problems are my own."

It pained the red stallion to know somepony was hurting, especially when there was potentially something he could do about it. The thought of a thousand years with no contact with another living, sentient being seemed like hell to a stallion whom, no matter how alone he felt in the past, still had a family, and a few good friends to make memories with.

Among the other things to which his prefix nickname applied, his heart was one of them. Surely Twilight wouldn't mind if he comforted the princess in her hour of need? She had to have known by now that she and she alone held the highest honor in his heart? After all, Twilight's affection had rescued him from a tedious life of the same thing day in and day out, would it kill him to at least show Luna that she wasn't alone in this world? After a bit of self-convincing, he stirred to his hooves.

Luna looked in his direction in the darkness, startled by the sound of hooves on wood. Before she knew it, the still battered features of the red workhorse stood next to her, reflected in the moonlight.

Her cheeks still shined with the moisture from her eyes as Big Mac dropped to his knees, legs tucked neatly beneath him.

"What are you-"

"You said you ain't had any contact for over a thousand years?" he asked, cutting her off.

"Yes..." she began, unsure of where he was going with this.

"Ah can show ya what it's like, so long as ya promise me two things."

A smile graced her regal features as she nodded enthusiastically.

"Anything!" she added a little loudly, earning a 'shh' from Mac.

"The first thing is, you cast a sleepin' spell on me until Twilight gets back safe and sound. When Ah worry, Ah can't sleep. Secondly..." he began wondering if his next request would come off as an insult to her character. "Ah'll lay here with you, but Ah ask that you respect what I have with Twilight. I..." he began. The next word was something he certainly didn't throw around. He had only said it to his immediate family, and never to anypony else, not even in jest or sarcasm.

"Ah love her."

He hated that Twilight wasn't around to hear his confession, but figured as soon as he saw her again he would pull her aside to let her know.

Luna smiled at Mac's beautiful sentiment; sliding over on the hay pile she called her bed.

To the red stallions relief, the moon princess was not insulted. "I'll keep my hooves to myself. This I promise, noble Macintosh."

Big Mac was nearly Luna's size, fitting almost perfectly against her. The youngest alicorn had never felt more comfortable in her entire life on that hay pile on the floor of a dusty old barn, even though she was used to a life of thousand count silk sheets and the finest pegasi down pillows.

The warmth of Mac's form against her back was everything she could have ever hoped for, even as she struggled to control her wing's more primitive urges. Even this little bit of contact was enough to send her soul soaring to the moon (figuratively). She gently pushed her neck back against his own, startling him a bit as he caught some of her magnificent mane tickling his nose.

Before he let Luna enjoy his company too much, he inquired about their deal. "About that sleeping spell..."

"Oh! Right, my apologies." she whispered, casting the soft glow over his eyes. The stallions eyelids drooped as his worry for Twilight replaced by a confidence that she would soon return with her dragon assistant in tow.

A gentle snoring let Luna know her spell had worked. She wanted to thank Macintosh for showing her this feeling, something she had yearned for in the countless eons she was stranded on the moon, and even before that.

With a quick, levitation spell, she moved the unconscious stallions foreleg across her shoulder, to simulate an embrace. It wasn't much, and Luna knew it wasn't even real, but it was enough for her. This was all she needed to be happy, if just for a night. She held a permanent smile as she drifted off into one of the most wonderful slumbers she had ever taken.

XXX

"Ms. Sparkle!" Twilight's eyes shot open, identifying the source of the voice demanding her attention. "Eyes forward!"

It was a male voice, though the accent seemed to be of Buckingham in origin. A proper professor's accent if ever she had heard one.

She found herself sitting in a desk much too small for her, her hind legs sticking out awkwardly from the sides as she tried to sit in it comfortably. After a bit of uneasy shifting, she finally directed her eyes to the front of the classroom. She remembered the decor as her old kindergarten class from when she had just been enrolled in Celestia's school for gifted unicorns.

Only instead of the kindly old mare she remembered instructing her, Big Macintosh sat behind an impossibly large wooden desk, a monocle over one eye, and a tweed jacket adorning his broad shoulders.

"Pay attention Ms. Sparkle, the test is about to begin." she hesitantly obeyed, unnerved by the proper accent.

A packet of papers appeared on her desk, as well as a quill and ink jar.

"Begin."

Twilight flipped open the test and found the first question.

1) What is your name?

The unicorn grinned, ready to add another aced test to her records.

She quickly filled it in and moved on to question two.

2) Describe the flavor of light, and calculate its mass using only the materials provided. Explain your answer.

Twilight looked back to her desk to see the materials provided waiting for her, consisting of an empty toilet paper roll, a ball of string, a rolled up newspaper and a packet of ketchup.

Her expression sagged in disbelief before her attention was drawn away by a whisper from her left.

"Psst."

She glanced over, Owlowiscious sat next to her in a desk, inexplicably using his wings to grasp a pencil.

"What's the answer to number one?" her pet owl whispered loudly. The impossibility of everything around her completely lost on Twilight's dreaming mind as she acted the way she normally would under such bizarre circumstances.

Twilight ignored the question, trying to figure out how to calculate the mass of a stream of subatomic particles with such a random assortment of items.

"PSST."

"What's the answer to number one!"

"Figure it out yourself!" she whispered back angrily. An impossible test was one thing, but Twilight couldn't stand cheaters.

"Ms. Sparkle!"

Twilight gulped loudly, looking up from her test at Professor Macintosh glaring at her from behind his monocle.

"Is there something you would like to share with the rest of the class?"

"N-no sir..."

"Need I remind you that talking during an examination is considered cheating?" the red stallion responded dryly, taking a toke from an inexplicable pipe appearing between his lips.

A loud bang interrupted the tension as none other than princess Luna burst through the classroom door.

"Headmistress Luna!" Macintosh exclaimed.

"I understand there is a filthy cheater in this room." she said, maintaining her normal speaking voice.

"Oh no headmistress, everything is fine-"

"You dare lie to me Macintosh?" Luna seethed, strolling into the classroom.

"For that you must be disciplined!"

Twilight looked around the room, vaguely noticing the random assortment of students that had been surrounding her were gone, leaving only the three of them in the classroom.

Professor Macintosh cleared off the surface of his desk with one strong hoof, sending all manner of papers, books and pens clattering to the floor.

Luna literally threw Mac onto his back atop the desk, straddling him. Quite an impressive feat for a rather lithe alicorn, considering Big Mac's size. She lowered herself until she was practically laying all her weight on his firm chest.

"What of the cheater headmistress?" the red stallion asked, his forelegs wrapped around Luna's shoulders. "Shall we give her an 'F'?"

Luna drug her foreleg along professor Macintosh's chest softly, "I'll give you an 'F'..." she said seductively.

Try as she might, Twilight found herself unable to look away.

"No, something lower."

Twilight swallowed nervously again, still inexplicably bound to her seat. 'Lower than an F?'

"Give her a G minus!" Luna instructed, casting a glare right into the unicorns eyes, but not before laughing maniacally.

"As for your punishment, Ms. Sparkle..." Luna turned her attention back to the aroused stallion beneath her, laying a few kisses on his chest. Her eyes locked with Twilight's, seeming to know the hurt the entire scene was causing the lavender unicorn.

"You have to watch!"

Both of them began to laugh before Twilight finally regained her wits and bolted from her desk towards the back of the classroom. She ran as fast as she could, but the end of the room stayed the same distance away from her, no matter how hard she tried to reach it. The thought of Mac together with Luna instead of her put tears of frustration and betrayal in her eyes as the scene around her blurred.

She didn't dare stop running as the feel of firm tile beneath her hooves soon softened to what felt like grass. As the laughter from her tormentors faded away, she felt herself slow to a trot, then to a walk. The young unicorn tried to get her bearings as she caught her breath. The classroom she had been in was nowhere to be found, instead she found herself on a grassy hill, overlooking hundreds of thousands of identical hills surrounding it. A cool breeze blew across her forehead, simply grateful to be out of that horrid room.

At the top of the hill, she spied the unmistakable outline of a workhorse wearing a yoke, seated against a tree on his flanks facing away from her.

She slowly walked up the grassy knoll, hoping to find a normal Big Mac waiting at the top.

"Hello Twilight." he said looking toward her as she sat beside him. Not a whiff of any coltfriend thieving lunar princesses in sight.

"I missed you Mac." she said leaning against him, feeling his muscular foreleg wrap around her shoulders tightly in a way she found so comforting.

"Did you see?" he asked, seeming to ignore her sentiment.

Twilight looked up to his eyes, though they were focused on something in the distance. "See what?"

He lifted his other hoof and pointed toward two meteor looking objects rising into the sky, one leaving a bright trail of the visible spectrum, and the other just behind it burning like the white hot fire of a thousand suns.

"They're saving the world." he added. Twilight was beyond confused at his nonsensical answers, but the fact that she was merely dreaming was still lost on her unconscious mind.

"Applejack ain't too happy 'bout it, though."

Twilight looked to the big stallion again in confusion.

"Applejack doesn't want the world saved?" she asked softly.

"She just wants what she had. What we all had."

After a moment of silence, the two objects rising into the sky met, creating a blinding flash.

Twilight awoke with a start, startling both Celestia and Spike as the early morning sun began to cast it's rays across the ground.

After a few gulps of air, Twilight realized that indeed she had freed Celestia last night in the library. An overwhelming sense of joy came over her, unable to do anything but smile.

The monarch returned her affection with the motherly gaze Twilight was so grateful to see again.

"Good to see you again Twilight." she said warmly.

Twilight threw formalities to the wind and wrapped her forelegs around the still laying princesses elegant neck, taking the monarch a bit by surprise, but returning the embrace all the same.

"I'm sorry it took so long to free you." Twilight whispered, happy to at least have taken a first step on the road to defeating Discord.

"I'm just grateful you were able." Celestia responded.

Twilight released the princess as Spike walked between them, wearing the elements of harmony around his neck as well as her tiara on his head.

"What was your nightmare about?" he asked curiously.

"How did you know I had a nightmare?"

Princess Celestia stepped in to explain, "Short term exposure to Discord's fog brings about nightmares in the unconscious mind. It prays on even your most hidden of fears."

"You took a shot to the ear in the library before the princess brought us here." Spike added.

"Oh...well...it was weird, let's just leave it at that."

Spike's stomach demanded he begin searching for gems, leaving Twilight an opportunity to question the princess about her bizzare dream.

"Princess...is there any chance dreams caused by the fog...mean anything?"

Celestia smiled, as if Twilight had just told her a mildly amusing joke. "No, generally the fog simply brings about your fears and presents them in dream form."

The princess' eyes flicked upward, noticing the expanding of the pink clouds from Ponyville.

"It's no longer safe here. We must get to the other element bearers." she said rising to her hooves. "Where are they?"

"Sweet Apple Acres." Twilight answered. "I can teleport us there."

"Thank you Twilight, but if it is all the same to you, I'd like to stretch my wings a bit."

The alicorn kneeled in the grass, beckoning the two of them onto her back despite the protest of Spike's stomach..

A beat of her magnificent wings and they were off into the sky, toward the safe haven of Applejack's farm.

XXX

"Ahem!"

Mac's eyes fluttered open to the sound of his sister's cleared throat. Her expression was none too pleased with the situation she had discovered. Mac quickly withdrew his foreleg from across Luna, sure he hadn't put it there when he slept. Out of options, the stallion tried the tired line that every male, regardless of species used any time they had been caught in a compromising position.

"This ain't what it looks like."

Never in the history of time had those words ever convinced any female it was true.

"Macintosh. Might Ah have a word with you?" Applejack hissed through gritted teeth.

'Uh oh. Full first name again...'

He got up softly, so as not to wake the sleeping princess, and followed his sister outside the barn.

Once they were around the side of the barn, Applejack hit him with both barrels, "Just what in tarnation do you think you were doin' in there?!"

"Ah weren't doin' nothin'!" he answered defensively.

"It didn't look like nothin'!" the muted orange earth pony said, holding a mix of disappointment and anger over her features.

"All this time Ah was worried about Twilight hurtin' you, when I shoulda been keepin' and eye on yer wonderin' hooves!"

"Now wait just a damn minute!" Big Mac said sharply, raising his voice for the first time Applejack could even recall. "Don't you think for a second that I would betray Twilight like that!" he nearly barked, causing AJ to back down, even recoil somewhat.

Her brother never yelled. He barely raised his voice at all, so she figured his relationship with Twilight must have meant a lot to him. His sharp rebuke helped ease her concerns that her brother was a playboy.

The anger in Mac's eyes faded as quickly as it had risen, knowing he would have assumed the same thing had he been presented with such a scene.

"I'm sorry for yellin'...but you know I would never cross that kind of line."

Applejack felt just as guilty for immediately jumping to the worst conclusion without considering his side of the story. "Ah'm sorry for accusin' ya Mac." she admitted, gathering a white cloth soaked in an old Apple family remedy for cuts from just behind the barn door.

"Sit down here, it's time to clean them cuts." she instructed as Mac sat down beside her on his flanks, quietly dreading the cold sting of the antiseptic against his wounds.

After a few winces, the red stallion sat still as his sister dabbed the cloth over his injuries.

Big Mac's thunderous outburst had stirred a certain sleeping pegasus from her rooftop nest, still with a sleeping filly tucked beneath her wing. Unable to move without waking Scootaloo, she tuned an ear in the direction of the Apple siblings. She certainly wasn't proud of eavesdropping, and would have gone back to sleep if Big Mac hadn't uttered a rather enticing question.

"What's goin' on 'tween you and Rainbow?"

Applejack stopped what she was doing and set the cloth down so she could answer. "She...we...I'm not real sure how ta tell ya this Mac."

The workhorse's soft eyes grew concerned over what potential trouble his sister could be having with her young relationship.

"What?" he asked softly, Applejacks eyes looking everywhere but into his.

Rainbow braced herself from the roof, her unconscious muscle tightening gently rousing Scootaloo from her dreams, before she eventually settled back down.

"You remember the tornado?"

"Eeyup."

"Remember how we all thought that Sleet Fall fella caused it after he admitted to it and all?" he nodded.

Applejack let out a heavy sigh, seeming to have made peace with the idea, but still not ready to be as close to Rainbow as she had been. "Rainbow caused the tornado. Sleet took the blame so she could keep her job. Heaven knows why, but he did."

Mac eyed his sister in disbelief, "How do you know it was Rainbow?"

"She described everything that happened like she was right there with us in the cellar that day!" she snapped, a bit of anger rising in her voice.

Mac held his stoic silence as he considered what she revealed.

"Well, I suppose that is unfortunate."

AJ looked at her brother's battered features in shock, "You ain't mad?"

"Mad? Why would I be mad?" he asked earnestly.

"Because Rainbow killed our parents!"

The sting of that one sentence cut the cyan pegasus deeply. She blinked back a tear threatening her magenta eyes in the early morning sunlight.

"Did she do it on purpose?" he asked calmly, always the cool and rational customer. Sure he missed his parents, and would do anything to have them alive again, but he knew blaming others for their death, or hating them because of it would do nothing to bring them back.

Applejack huffed, "No..." she hated when he used that darn logic of his to muddy the issue.

"You think bein' mad at her is goin' ta bring them back?" the red stallion asked. He was leading to something, but Applejack already got the point.

"Alright, alright Ah get it." she said, picking up the cloth and placing it none too softly against his face, causing him to wince again. If she couldn't stay angry, she could at least have a touch of revenge this way.

Rainbow could have flown off and kissed Big Mac at that moment, had it not been for Scootaloo potentially falling off the roof if she tried.

She promised herself that if they made it through this, and Applejack still cared about her, she would do something huge to repay the big stallion.

Applejack's glare melted into a more caring expression as she dabbed the last of his cuts. "No wonder Twilight fell for you, ya big softy."

Big Mac's eyes shot open wide. "Twilight! Where is Twilight?"

The muted orange earth pony had never seen or heard such urgency on the stallion's face or in his words before.

"I thought she was in the barn?"

Big Mac's heart sank to the pit of his stomach. If she hadn't come back, then that meant...

He shook the thought from his head and dashed back in the barn to look for her, figuring her to still be asleep somewhere inside from being out all night.

Rainbow sat back, relieved that Applejack's brother had talked some sense into her before running into the barn about something; she had stopped listening after AJ said she got the point, and was happier than she had been since their little spat in Cloudsdale.

She felt a small nose rub against her ribs, followed by a soft yawn.

"Mornin' Squirt." Dash said as Scootaloo stood up and stretched her short wings and legs.

"Sleep alright?"

"Yeah," the orange filly added with a yawn.

A loud grumble from her stomach betrayed her hunger, the last time Scootaloo had eaten was the lunch she had at school yesterday.

Rainbow smiled at the filly's embarrassment, nudging her onto her back and hopping down from the roof of the barn.

"C'mon kiddo, let's see what we can scrounge up to eat around here."

Rainbow trotted over to the barn. Everypony else was already awake, woken by Big Mac's frantic searching. The cyan pegasus stopped for a moment, frowning. Had the big guy lost something? What was he looking-

Applejack skidded to a halt in front of her. "Did you see Twilight leave last night?" she asked breathlessly.

"No...I didn't see anypony leave the barn." she admitted sheepishly, after all, she didn't physically see anyone leave...but she also had her eyes closed at the time.

"Where'd she go?" Dash asked, finding her concern for their, as she put it, 'adorkable' friend.

"Mac said she went back into Ponyville ta get Spike!"

Rainbow's expression dropped as Scootaloo hopped off her back. "We have to go get her!"

"That would be unwise." A voice from behind the two of them stated rather plainly.

"Discord's fog controls Ponyville now. To venture in would ensure you would never return." Luna added, stretching her wings and tucking them neatly by her sides.

"His what?"

"As Discord's power grows, it manifests itself in a silver fog that drives any within it to insanity." she explained, "To enter into the alpha zone or any other outlying areas without the proper protection would be suicide."

"We have to do something!" Rainbow insisted, "We can't just leave her out there!"

"I don't think we have to worry!" Pinkie said bounding out of the barn and pointing a hoof skyward.

The other's gasped in unison, as none other than princess Celestia herself soared gracefully over the tops of the trees lining the road into town, with Spike and Twilight seated on her back.

A quick descent later, and the element bearers were re-united with their elements and their princess.

"Dear sister...I knew Discord couldn't keep you imprisoned forever!" Luna said happily, nuzzling her sibling affectionately, Celestia returning it.

"Actually, it was Twilight who set me free." she said, smiling at her star pupil, making her blush a considerable amount, "She deserves the credit."

After an appropriate amount of greeting, they adjourned to the barn to figure out their next move, while Big Macintosh took the fillies inside the farmhouse; but not before getting a chance to speak to Twilight on the porch, away from prying ears.

"Sorry for not coming back last night." the lavender unicorn said, guilt heavy in her voice for making him worry about her.

"It's okay Twilight. You're back now, that's all that matters to me." he answered softly, earning a nuzzle from the filly he found occupying his thoughts even when she was right in front of him.

"While you were gone, I did some thinkin'..." he began, his heart jumping to his throat like it was the first time he had asked her to dinner.

"Uh huh." she responded, waiting for Mac to finish his thought, though not without secretly finding his nervousness to be the cutest thing she had ever witnessed.

He cast his emerald eyes down to his hooves, as was his nervous habit before feeling a purple foreleg lift his chin to face her "My eyes are up here."

Her words were comforting, and seemed to be the only thing that could comfort him anymore.

"Ah don't normally say this to just anypony...but...Ah love you Twilight. I'm sorry it took you puttin' yourself in mortal danger for me to realize it...but it's true."

"I..." For one of the few times in her young life, the unicorn was at a loss for words. Someone out there loved her? The nerdy, quiet girl from Canterlot who would have chosen her books over companionship nine times out of ten if given the option?

In secret she had always dreamed of what it would be like to know there was a stallion out in the world who wanted nothing more than to be with her as much as possible, to give her everything he could stand to give without a second thought or hesitation. And finally, after all those frustratingly real dreams of herself being whisked away by a stallion in shining armor, hers had finally arrived, though instead of armor, he wore a simple workhorse's yoke.

The nervous smile girls often get when they are on the verge of tears of joy graced her lips as she tried to fight looking like a blubbering filly in front of him.

Mac's own nervousness began to get the better of him as he waited on pins and needles for a reply. "Somethin' the matter?"

"No!" she nearly shouted, not wanting him to even think that for a second. "It's just...I never...thought I'd..." words continued to fail her as she looked into the comfortable warmth of the eyes she lost herself in the first night she laid with him on the blanket under the stars. What she considered their first 'not a date' date.

"What?" the red stallion asked, his concern more than evident in this one word alone.

It was then she knew that the stallion before her was hers and hers alone. That the strong, powerful stallion who had taken the beating that gave him the lacerations across his handsome face had done so willingly, and would a thousand times over to keep her from harm. Everything seemed to click into place as Twilight's tongue untied itself, allowing her to give him the answer he had been yearning for.

"I love you too Mac."

XXX

Discord sat on the railing of the balcony, playing a somber tune on an inexplicable violin. His eyes closed as he swayed gently with the melody, his lions paw expertly caressing the bow across the strings while his eagles talon plucked delicate chords on the neck. This was easily the most sensical thing he had done to date, playing music while Canterlot burned beneath him. The occasional wail of misery accompanying his solo as a nervous guard approached from behind the black curtain leading to the rest of the now warped and twisted castle.

The royal guards were sworn allegiance to the crown, and at the time of his takeover, most vowed to fight Discord to the death. Only the god of chaos did not wish unnecessary bloodshed to mar his beautifully chaotic castle. A fate worse than death was in store for those who attempted to rise against him; total and complete immersion in their darkest fears until the end of time. After making crying, screaming lunatics out of a few of the mightiest royal guards, the rest quickly fell in line behind their new master. After all, what choice did they have? It was either serve Discord, or take their chances...down there.

Before the guard could utter a word, the chimera stopped his playing, as if he knew there was another in his presence.

"Yes?" Discord asked calmly.

"R-reports indicate that your power has completely swallowed Manehattan." the pegasi guard stuttered, more afraid than he had ever been before in his life, "Only outlying villages and towns remain free of the fog, sir."

Discord smiled, throwing his violin and bow to the ground between them in a puff of smoke. Once the smoke cleared, to the messenger's horror, two royal guards appeared, coughing and begging forgiveness for whatever crimes that had committed against the deity.

"Learn the proper temperature at which I take my teacups, or next time I will throw you off the balcony."

They apologized profusely, and thanked him for giving the two of them a second chance as they bolted back into the castle, leaving the stunned pegasi's mouth agape in shock.

"You're dismissed." he said, a quick salute and he too disappeared behind the curtain from whence he came.

Discord hopped off the balcony and set his hands against the railing, looking toward the few columns of smoke rising from the eastern metropolis of Manehattan.

He smiled.

Finally. He held all the cards, and every string was firmly in his grasp. Soon it would be time to make the puppets dance.

Ch.19 Calm Before The Storm

DISCORD'S REIGN

Chapter 19-Calm Before The Storm

Princess Celestia found repose on one of the numerous hay piles in the barn as Spike distributed the Elements of Harmony to their respective bearers. Big Macintosh had taken the fillies inside while Granny Smith cooked them something to eat. The six ponies and Luna sat patiently, waiting to see if the elements still functioned now that Celestia was free.

"Try and charge the elements."

Twilight did as instructed and the others followed suit, albeit rather tentatively. The unicorn's eyes immediately began to glow white as the power took hold, and continued to grow.

Celestia allowed herself a small smile at the result as the bearers powered down their elements. After a moment, Big Macintosh entered the barn, pulling a cart stuffed with apple related breakfast items. It never ceased to amaze him how even though Granny Smith was well advanced in years, she could still feed a huge group in about a half hour.

After a quick breakfast, the element bearers and the princesses got down to business.

Luna had sketched a crude map of Equestria, laying it across an empty spool of rope they gathered around. The map contained three concentric rings indicating the intensity of the fog starting with Canterlot (the exclusion zone), the outlying towns up to the city of Manehattan (the beta zone), and Ponyville along with the borders of the kingdom (the alpha zone).

"Just like old times, dear sister," Luna added after she had caught Celestia up to speed.

"Yes, the circumstances are similar..." the princess admitted.

"How did you beat him last time?" Dash asked.

"I created the elements of harmony." the solar princess replied. Her expression dropped slightly as she gave voice to her concerns. "Discord was strong then, but nothing our combined efforts couldn't combat. Now however, I fear he may be too powerful for even the likes of us."

"Princess, how can he be stronger now than he was a thousand years ago?" Twilight asked, breaking the tense silence.

"There are far more ponies alive today for him to draw his power. A thousand years ago, most ponies only lived to be forty or so. Thanks to advances in medicine, our population rose sharply after Equestria was re-established."

"Still Celestia, we must act quickly," Luna added, "If left unchecked, Discord will smother the world in chaos."

The white alicorn nodded in agreement, "This is true, but I cannot allow any of you to come to harm over this. Discord is my mistake, I've run from him for too long."

The others blinked, uncomprehending. Twilight fought to keep her neutral expression, still fairly shocked that Discord had told her the truth about his birth.

Celestia sighed. She had kept up the charade for a thousand years. It was time to come clean with those whose unwavering faith had given her hope, even while sealed in that stone prison.

"I, am responsible for his existence..." the matriarch began, looking around the makeshift table at the hanging jaws. "I created Discord."

Luna was the first to find her voice, "Celestia...why on earth would you-"

"I was just a filly...back before I became the princess, before you were born, Luna."

The hurt and shame in the princesses eyes threatened to drag every pony there into the depths of despair with her.

"I was desperate for a friend, desperate for somepony to tell me I was not a mutant, or a freak of nature...I was pushed far enough, to create life for the selfish purpose of being with me forever."

Twilight already knew the rest of the story, but hearing it from her once thought infallible princess, mentor, and second mother made it all the more difficult to sit through.

"Once I came to power, I had no use for him...so I removed him from the kingdom."

The silence in the barn enveloped every ear as Celestia continued, "Once he attacked Equestria, I was forced to seal him in stone, yet I knew that would not hold him forever."

"With every new dawn I wondered, would today be the day he escaped? Now that the unthinkable has happened, I cannot bear the thought of any more of my subjects falling prey to his madness if I can help it."

The princess's firm words silenced any dissent before it began. All present however where thinking the same thing; a thought that her faithful student vocalized for the rest of them.

"Princess, we can't let you go it alone. We've worked too hard to back down now-"

Celestia silenced her with a single raised hoof.

"I cannot thank you enough for what all of you have done. I would not be having this conversation if not for all of your faith and effort, but I must insist you honor my request."

Twilight had never heard the princess use such a stern tone in her presence before. She knew arguing at this point would get her nowhere, but maybe she would listen to a well thought out, logical alternative.

"Tomorrow, I will journey to Canterlot, and confront Discord." Celestia concluded.

"But princess-"

"Twilight!"

The lavender unicorn withdrew in fear, along with everypony else. No one, save for Luna had ever heard Celestia shout before. It was quite unsettling.

"I apologize...I did not mean to raise my voice. I am however, your princess, and I must insist you obey my command without question, for your own safety."

With that, Celestia stood from her hay pile. "I must rest if I am to have the strength to best Discord."

"We've got a spare bed in th' house princess." Applejack offered.

"Thank you." the princess added, her soft, familiar voice returning, "Lead the way."

Once Celestia was inside the farmhouse, the others considered their options.

"We aren't really going to let her do this," Twilight asked, "Are we?"

The expressions everypony else wore answered her question silently.

"It seems it is our only choice." Luna responded somberly. "I fear that even she may not be able to match his strength now."

Twilight heard what Celestia had said. They all had. If there was merely a chance that she could get the princess to see reason, she had to take it.

"I'll see if I can talk to her," the violet unicorn sighed, "We've all done too much to let her try and face this alone."

She walked out of the barn with Spike in tow, heading into the farmhouse as Applejack was leaving.

The muted orange earth pony trotted back to the barn, her eyes glancing upwards as a cyan streak circled lazily in the sky, over their tree.

Applejack took a seat beneath the shade of its branches, the hot morning sun beginning to intensify as it rose into the sky.

Rainbow noticed her audience and swiftly decided her wings had been stretched enough. With a quick flutter, the cyan pegasus landed beside her, sweat just beginning to form on her brow from the heat of the noontime sun.

"Hey." she said rather awkwardly.

"Hey." Applejack responded, in much the same tone.

After what felt like minutes of strained silence, Applejack swallowed her pride.

"Listen Rainbow, I'm sorry for blowin' up on ya like I did in Cloudsdale...I know you didn't do it on purpose, but just hearin' that it was somepony else, and not the fella I was told, it just...I don't know..." the normally forthright earth pony trailed off, having run out of words to express her feelings.

Secretly, Dash was overjoyed to simply have Applejack be speaking to her again, but she held a concerned expression nonetheless.

"It hurt." Rainbow completed, knowing what it was like to be lied to.

The emerald orbs the cyan mare found so enticing flicked up to meet her, a gentle smile she was sure she would never see again rested across the country mare's lips.

"I can't say I know how it feels..." Dash continued, "All I can say, is I'm sorry for everything I've ever put you through..." she trailed off and studied her hooves, unable to meet Applejack's eyes for another moment.

"No, don't blame yourself darlin'."

"But it was my fault! I was impatient, if I had just listened to Sleet that day, none of this would have happened! He'd still have his job, and you'd...still have your parents..." she shut her eyes tightly, hearing her past sins out loud still brought about more un-Rainbow Dash emotions. The cyan pegasus felt something around her that nearly made her jump in surprise. A hug, and a tight one at that. The type of hug you get when you've journeyed across a thousand miles of open desert just to be near someone, the type of hug that, with just an embrace alone confirmed that you were in the presence of a love unlike any before it.

Rainbow needed it now, more than ever in the face of the seemingly insurmountable obstacles that had been placed before them all.

A single drop of moisture fell on Applejack's shoulder, keeping her gentle smile in place as she settled again on her hooves.

"Don't look at it that way Rainbow. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be who I am today."

Dash looked a slight confused, "What?"

"If my folks hadn't passed away, Mac and I would have never learned th' value and pride that comes with a hard days work! Who knows the kinda ponies we'd have become!" Rainbow's expression lightened, her watery eyes dried up as she returned a soft smile.

"I guess that's one way to look at it."

"Everything happens for a reason Rainbow." Applejack added.

"You believe that?"

"Of course Ah do! If it didn't then everything would just be...ah..." the earth pony put an orange hoof to her mouth, searching for the right word.

"Chaos?"

"Exactly. Now what were you and little miss Scootaloo gettin' so cozy about last night?" she asked, taking a seat on her flanks beneath the tree.

"Heh, well, I may have...kinda...unofficially...adopted her."

Applejack burst out laughing, taking her hat off and wiping a tear from her eye. "You always were quick with jokes Rainbow."

"Yeah, about that..."

XXX

"Princess?" Twilight called from beyond the closed door of Applejack's bedroom while Spike entertained the fillies with Big Mac downstairs.

No response. Twilight was just about to leave and try again later when Celestia's voice responded from beyond the door.

"Come in Twilight."

She nudged the heavy applewood door open and walked in, as her mentor shifted atop a bed that was much too small for her. Still, Celestia wasn't about to spurn Applejack's generous offer, no matter what strain it placed on her already bowed mattress. Beams of sunlight shot through the apple patterned curtains that hung half closed against Applejack's window, illuminating the alicorn in bright yellow stripes.

"Again, I apologize for getting upset in the barn." the matriarch of Equestria reiterated.

"It's okay princess." Twilight said, "I can't imagine what being sealed in stone for that long is like. I'm sure it was stressful."

Stress was something Celestia was all to intimately familiar with at this point.

"Yes...but not as stressful as the day ahead."

Twilight swallowed nervously, hoping not to arouse the princess' anger by bringing up the same topic she had been chastised for in the barn.

"I actually wanted to talk to you about that...if you don't mind..." she asked timidly.

Celestia sighed, she knew this was coming, but was at least glad she could explain herself to Twilight. Her unshakeable resolve was responsible for her even being here in the first place. She owed her faithful student that much at the very least. "I do not. Close the door."

The lavender unicorn closed it with a soft kick of her hind leg.

A brief lull in the conversation stretched into an awkward pause, Twilight hesitant to bring up something she had already been semi-scolded for earlier, even though Celestia had given her permission.

"Princess...I ask that you let us accompany you into Canterlot to fight Discord."

"That is a request I cannot allow."

Twilight was growing frustrated at this point. Her patience wore thin, yet she held her respect for the royal alicorn.

"Why not?" she asked indignantly. She wasn't a child anymore, and hated to be treated like one, even by somepony she considered to be a second mother.

The solar princess closed her eyes; readying herself to reveal a secret she had stricken from history itself to maintain order in Equestria.

"Twilight, how many times do you believe Discord has escaped his prison?"

She was somewhat confused by her answer, but gave an honest response all the same.

"Two times, counting this one."

"Four. He has walked the earth two additional times while Luna was serving her exile on the moon. Each time he escaped, I was able to re-seal him in his temporary granite tomb but not before...he got to them..."

Twilight raised a curious eyebrow, "Them?"

"My apprentices. The ones that came before you." the look of remorse on the princess' face took Twilight by surprise, "I've lost two of them in my lifetime to his madness...I will not lose a third."

Twilight tried to wrap her mind around what she had revealed, but seemed to be having some trouble.

"I don't understand...lose them?"

"He targeted my apprentices to try and get to me. Each time, the element bearers and myself have locked him away...but in two instances...I was too late." a mournful expression crossed Celestia's normally regal features, "He drove them insane...walked them to the edge of madness...and pushed them off."

"The tear I shed before Discord used my own spell against me, was for you, Twilight." the quiet admission stoked a flurry of conflicting feelings within the young unicorn. She appreciated Celestia's concern, but also couldn't hide the fear brought about by the realization that Discord had been trying to make her lose her mind all this time. "I knew he would come after you once I was out of the way, to try and take from me that which I cared for...like I had done to him."

Princess Celestia's mood lightened inexplicably as she went on. "I take it he contacted you in some way shortly after the Summer Sun Celebration?"

She nodded, still dumbstruck by her revelation.

"But you resisted." she smiled proudly at her student. "You took his mental assault in stride, and managed to free me. You certainly are every bit the strong unicorn I sensed when I first laid eyes on you."

Twilight blushed slightly at her compliment, and felt a genuine curiosity grow inside her.

"Princess...if you knew the stone spell wouldn't hold him forever, why didn't you just...um..." she searched for the right word to try and soften this question as much as she could.

"Kill him?" Celestia completed.

A sheepish grin let the solar princess know exactly what Twilight had been thinking. "I had the opportunity many times, but I couldn't bring myself to do it." she whispered sadly.

"Why?" Twilight questioned, "After all the pain he's caused you?"

The princess sighed; knowing to try and explain such a matter to a mortal would be futile. She searched for a scenario Twilight could relate to before settling on one.

"Do you remember Spike's first birthday in Ponyville?"

"Yes..." she frowned, remembering what a monster he had become once he let his innate greed take hold.

"Suppose he was unable to regain control of himself." she began, "Could you look him in the eye, as you erased him from existence?"

Twilight blinked. 'No way! I'd never hurt Spike, no matter how crazy he acted! He's like my...oh.'

Celestia continued, knowing from Twilight's expression that her point had struck home.

"Or would you attempt anything you could to try and revive your most loyal friend? To give him chance after chance to reclaim the part of him you knew was still hidden somewhere underneath all the pain you caused him, and...just for him to know you still care."

Twilight nodded dumbly. Now she understood the futile hope her mentor had clung to for a thousand years...her desperate prayers for her one time best friend to recover from the wounds of the past, to forgive her of the terrible treatment at her hooves. The unbearable knowledge that with every waking moment, the stone talon of blame pointed squarely at her.

"So you see Twilight...I cannot sit idly by while my subjects suffer for my mistake," she added, "And I most certainly will not allow you, of all ponies to put yourself in any more danger than you already have."

Twilight had one last card to play to try and convince the princess they all needed to pull together if they were to beat the ever powerful tyrant.

"What about the last time Discord escaped?" she snapped, fully aware that she was striking a soft spot. "You weren't trying to protect me then!"

The young unicorns tone surprised even herself. But she held fast, fighting the urge to apologize.

"Discord made his presence known almost immediately," Celestia explained, "And I was not sealed in stone. He, for whatever reason, isolated his chaos to Ponyville, and all you needed was a gentle reminder of your friendship. The elements did the rest. As for why he chose to conceal himself this time...the answer to that lies somewhere within his warped mind."

Twilight knew how weak the princess must have been. Her tired features alone suggested it would take at least a few days of rest before she would stand a ghost of a chance against Discord.

"Please princess, you can't hope to face him in your condition!" she pled, "You haven't eaten anything but breakfast for over a week!"

"There is no time for me to rest!" Celestia insisted, " The longer I wait, the further Discord's reach becomes. Soon his power will expand beyond our borders, and I will not be responsible for a global catastrophe."

"But-"

"I'm afraid I must cut your visit short Twilight." the princess said raising a hoof, "I must rest if I am to face him tomorrow."

Twilight knew there was no point in arguing. Instead, she steeled herself to do something she had never before considered: disobey a direct order from the princess.

Twilight bowed deeply, almost as if mocking the princess before speaking, "Then I will take my leave, your highness."

There was a sharp edge to her words. The princess flinched, as if the goodbye had stung, but held her tongue. Her student had every right to be upset. Twilight left Applejack's room, fierce determination etched across her brow. She knew what needed to be done.

She entered the living room to find Spike regaling the three fillies with tales of his somewhat exaggerated bravery in the face of the Diamond Dogs the time they kidnapped Rarity.

Granny Smith had fallen asleep in her rocker, halfway through knitting what appeared to be a winter jacket about Applejack's size. Though why she was making one in the middle of the summer Twilight hadn't the slightest idea.

She quietly passed through the living room out to the porch where Big Mac sat, staring off into the silvery haze that used to be Ponyville.

"Why hasn't that fog come out here?" Mac asked.

"I don't know. I'm just grateful it hasn't."

"How'd your talk with the princess go?"

"She still wants us to stay behind while she tries to fight Discord." Twilight admitted in defeat.

Mac knew better than to think that would stop his marefriend, "You've got a plan, Ah take it?"

She looked to the red stallion and smiled, "You know me well."

"And that plan would be?"

"We beat her to the punch, and stop Discord ourselves." Not the most elaborate plan, but he figured she knew more about stopping evil deities than he ever would.

Despite her apparent confidence, a look of worry crossed his battered features once again.

She noticed his expression and affectionately rubbed her head against the highest part of his neck she could reach. "Don't worry. We've got the elements, and the princess with us. We can't fail."

Twilight's words conveyed confidence, but the draught horse felt an unease just the same. "You just came back from over there, and now you want to charge back in?"

Twilight sighed, knowing he was only trying to protect her from harm, just like the princess. But sometimes, in order to achieve something incredible, she knew you had to put yourself in harms way.

"Yes." the lavender unicorn whispered softly to her significant stallion, "I know it's risky, but we don't have a choice. If we do nothing, Discord's power will only grow, and that fog will swallow the world."

Mac let out a heavy sigh. It seemed like he had just gotten her back, and now she wanted to leave again? It didn't seem fair. The look on his face drew a nuzzle from Twilight, her horn grazing a few of his cuts, the magic stored in her appendage making the side of his cheek tingle before going numb.

"I promise I'll come back to you."

He looked her straight in the eye, her stare conveying her sincerity. "Ah'll hold you to it."

She planted a quick, yet passionate kiss on his still somewhat cut up lips. "You better."

Twilight stepped off the porch and towards the barn to rally her troops as Mac watched her leave. He wasn't normally the type to worry, but this wasn't a normal set of circumstances either. Even so, his face was still as stoic as ever, his apprehension concealed by his naturally calm facade. He took his leave back into the farmhouse, unable to take his mind off the risk the mare he cared about the most was taking. Mac knew he would have this feeling in the pit of his stomach until she came back safe, and everything was back to the way it was. He prayed that moment would come sooner, rather than later.

"Alright girls, as you know, the princess is bound and determined to take on Discord by herself." Twilight said, pacing back and forth in front of the other element bearers and princess Luna, who had lined up outside the barn. "But even she has expressed doubt as to whether or not she'll be strong enough to beat him. Given enough time to rest, I'm sure she would be more than formidable, but time is a luxury we don't have."

"What do you propose Twilight?" Luna asked.

"I propose we march into Canterlot, and put Discord back where he belongs ourselves!" her enthusiasm wasn't met exactly as she'd hoped.

"March?" Fluttershy squeaked, "Into...that?" she shuddered, casting a nervous at the silver shroud enveloping the trees.

Twilight sighed, "Listen girls, I know this sounds crazy, but if we don't try everything we can, the world may never be the same again!"

"Do any of you want to live in a world ruled by Discord?" she continued, Pinkie raised a hoof.

"Anypony besides Pinkie?"

The pink hoof lowered slowly.

"Twilight, I'm all for courageous plans, but what makes you think we can defeat Discord if the princess doesn't think she can?" Rarity asked, getting a nod of agreement from the others.

"We don't have to defeat him. All we have to do is hold our own until she arrives! When she realizes we've left, she'll come straight to Canterlot, and when she does, there's no way he'll be able to beat the elements of harmony and the one who created them!"

"Ahem!"

"And princess Luna, of course!" Twilight added quickly.

Still, their expressions remained uncertain.

"Oh! Oh! I gotta question!" Pinkie said stepping forward, "How are we going to get past that fog princess Luna was talking about in the barn earlier? I don't think we can seal that meanie Discord back up if we're all crazy and stuff!"

In all honesty, that detail had escaped Twilight's seemingly perfect plan.

"I...uh..."

"I can answer that." Luna responded, "My sister and I developed a spell to combat the reality distorting effects of the fog. I can cast it over an area large enough for us to take shelter, but it takes a lot of concentration. I'm afraid if I get you there, I may not be of much use in battle."

"Then its settled. Before dawn tomorrow, assuming dawn comes, we set out to fight Discord!" she stamped her hoof proudly, some of her enthusiasm finally beginning to rub off on her comrades. "Together."

Each extended a hoof on top of the others, repeating what their brave general had said as they went. "Together!"

As what could very well have been their final day wore on, Twilight couldn't help but consider everything Discord had done so far. He gave them the elements of harmony, twice! Not to mention, instead of dumping the stone Celestia in a volcano, he gave her to the six ponies he knew could free her to fight him. Try as she might, Twilight simply couldn't find any rhyme or reason to Discord's actions.

She knew he was the god of chaos, but he had to have some kind of plan, even if it did seem nonsensical to her.

Big Macintosh sidled up beside her, noting her thoughtful expression. "Somethin' on your mind?"

"Yeah..." Twilight sighed.

She felt the weight of the stallion bend the boards beneath her as he took a seat to her left.

"I can't help but feel we're walking in to a trap."

"What d'ya mean?"

"If it weren't for Discord's intervention, we wouldn't have Princess Celestia, or the Elements. He gave them both to us, he wanted us to have them."

She stomped a hoof irritably, "It's like he wanted us to free Celestia and come fight him. But it doesn't make any sense! If he wanted to take over the world, he could have easily done that by now! And the fog! It should have made it here by now, but it never crosses your property line, even though it's already spread across Equestria! It's like it's just waiting out there, mocking me!"

Twilight hated it when things didn't make sense. Call it a fault, but to a logical mind like hers, unanswered questions were like hooves on a chalkboard. There had to be a purpose for everything that had happened so far. She was sure there was, even if she simply couldn't see it yet.

The red stallion paused for a long moment. "You can't look for reasons b'hind what Discord does. I'm no scholar or nothin' but Ah caught a few lines outta that book you had on him. If he's averse ta logic, the only thing you're gonna get outta tryin' ta figure him out is a headache."

Twilight groaned, she knew he was right, but trying to figure everything out was part of who she was! She couldn't just 'turn it off'.

"You're right Mac. Once we put him back where he belongs, we'll all have a good laugh about this." she said, reassuring Big Macintosh as well as herself.

"That's the spirit. Now come on inside and bring the other's with ya. Supper's ready."

The smell of Granny Smith's southern fried delicacies had been teasing Twilight for almost an hour. She hastily gathered the others from the barn as they ate at Applejack's rather large dinner table, Celestia even stirring from her rest to join them, having been lured by the same smell as Twilight.

After a rather quiet dinner, the barn and the setting sun called to all of them. Celestia attempted to sleep in the barn with the rest of them, but after some insistence from Applejack, she remained in her bed for the duration of the night. Sneaking out early that morning would be near impossible without her in the farmhouse.

Instead of the normal nightfall, the moon eclipsed the ever present sun, and held it's unnatural darkness over Equestria. The heavens themselves seemed to halt their normal courses as Discord's power continued to influence the very earth beneath their hooves.

Still, it was dark enough to sleep by, though very few in the barn got any rest. The eve of battle unnerved them all, though luckily they had each other to confide in.

Spike had curled up beside Twilight, while Mac lay on her other side. Spike was already sound asleep, oblivious to the plan that had been hatched while he was inside with the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Twilight contemplated a thought she had been able to suppress up until this point. What if this was her last night as a sane pony? What if Discord truly had reached a strength that could not be matched by any combination of alicorn or element?

If it was, she wished she could be alone with Mac one last time, to show him how much his admission earlier that day had meant to her. There was no doubt in her mind that she would have rocked his world. But as it stood, they were together in the barn, with Spike literally right next to her. Twilight was okay with that, but her primal side still wished she could drag Mac behind the barn and show him how much his love meant. But alas...

Mac was still awake, and so was Twilight, each knowing why the other was still conscious. Twilight felt a foreleg reach across her gently as she backed into the larger stallion on his side behind her. He was like a big warm teddy bear; simply knowing he was near enough to calm her anxiety toward the coming storm. She nuzzled his chin with her head affectionately, the big stallion returning the gesture softly.

"Will you wake me before ya leave?" he whispered.

"Mhm." she hummed softly.

"Goodnight Mac," she turned her head and gave him a soft kiss on his still somewhat swollen cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too Twilight."

A contented smile crossed her lips as she fell into a light sleep.

On the other side of the barn, Rainbow and Applejack shared a hay pile near the door. "Ah've never seen an eclipse before."

"Me neither. It'd be pretty cool if it wasn't so...um...one of those big words Twilight uses, it means bad?"

Applejack put a hoof to her mouth in contemplation, "Uh...ominous!"

"Right ominous!"

They shared a quiet laugh as they returned their gaze to the phenomenon above them. Both sat with legs tucked neatly beneath them, knowing they should be trying to get as much rest as possible before their date with destiny. Both however, wanted to resolve a few burning questions first.

"So...I don't want to sound too forward...but...do you...still...uhm..." Rainbow faltered, a bright red tint rushing below her eyes as she flattened her ears in apprehension. Applejack still found her nervousness adorable. "Mean what you said on our way to Cloudsdale?"

"You mean, do I still love you?"

Rainbow looked up at her with a sheepish grin "Y-yeah..."

The country mare only smiled, assuring her without words that obviously the planets themselves had to come between them in order to tear them apart.

Even though her gentle gaze told Dash everything she wanted to hear, there was no substitute for hearing the words straight from the mare's mouth.

"Yup. Ah do. C'mere you!" she said tackling the cyan pegasus in a flurry of soft giggles, giving her a tight hug and a quick peck on the lips before rolling over onto her back, Rainbow beside her, smiling like she had just been made captain of the Wonderbolts.

"We need ta get some shut-eye." Applejack yawned, "We got a heckuva day tomorrow."

Rainbow swallowed, her mind drifting to the same worrying thought as Twilight before her.

"AJ...you ever wonder what'll happen if...we can't stop him?" such a question was quite unlike the normally confident pegasus, taking Applejack a bit by surprise.

"That's just stinkin' thinkin' darlin', of course we can stop him. Ain't no way he can stand up to both princesses and the elements a' harmony." she whispered, inching closer to her worried partner. A comforting hoof rested across Rainbow's chest lazily as Applejack dug her nose into her multi-colored mane, the gentle tug of her lips on her neck making Dash chuckle softly.

"What are you doin?"

Applejack stopped to raise her mouth to Rainbow's ear.

"Revenge."

XXX

Twilight was the first to awaken in what she assumed was the pre-dawn hours. There was no way to tell, as the permanent eclipse cast everything in an eerily dim twilight. Big Macintosh had rolled off of her during the night, his back now to hers as she quietly raised herself to her hooves. Spike was more of a stationary sleeper as Twilight stepped over the balled up baby dragon to wake the others.

She crept over to Rainbow and Applejack, finding them both huddled together, whatever problems they had been having apparently solved.

It was kind of cute how well they went together, but knew she had to interrupt their sweet dreams with matters of pressing importance.

"Rainbow!" she whispered.

The cyan mare began to stir, before yawning and rubbing the sleep from her magenta eyes with her hooves.

With a single glance to the pony that woke her, she figured the time had come.

"Is it morning already?" she asked sleepily.

"I'm...not sure. But the sooner we beat Discord, the sooner we can get back to our lives."

Rainbow stood, nudging Applejack awake.

"I need you to make sure the princess is still in Applejack's room." Twilight added, Dash nodded, silently fluttering out of the barn and up to the window.

After a short while, she returned with the news Twilight had been hoping for.

"She's sleepin' like a log."

Soon everypony had been quietly roused, as Twilight considered Big Mac's request. She wanted to tell him goodbye, but couldn't bear to see the worry on his face she loathed. Any farewell would be painful, as the thought of this being their last goodbye resided in the very back of her mind, and she was sure it took refuge in his mind as well. She thought it best to leave a note, grabbing an ever-ready quill and scroll from inside the house.

"Mac,

I'm sorry I didn't wake you, but I couldn't stand the thought of you having to watch me go fight Discord, not knowing whether or not you would see me again. Maybe by the time you wake up, I'll be back, and you'll never have to read this. I pray that you will wake up to a blue sky and the warmth of the bright sunlight, with me by your side; this whole nightmare behind us.

I know we will come back victorious, but just in case something happens; remember,

I love you Macintosh Apple."

She set the note next to the red stallion and kissed him gently on the cheek before turning to join the element bearers and princess Luna outside the barn, each pony's element donned and ready.

He stirred only slightly before settling back down.

The six ponies gathered around Luna as her horn began to glow a bright blue. Within seconds, a bubble of the same color surrounded them, stemming from the lunar princesses forehead.

"Twilight, I cannot use two spells at once." she explained, "Can you teleport us to Canterlot?"

Her magic restored, the gifted unicorn felt confident in her ability. A swift nod and they all gathered in a tight group outside the barn.

Twilight took one last look at the sleeping Spike and Big Macintosh, memorizing the scene as her motivation to return with Discord defeated.

"If, for whatever reason, the lens of truth spell breaks," Luna began as Twilight charged her teleportation spell, "Remember. Nothing you see, is real."

Ch.20 Heart of Darkness

DISCORD'S REIGN

Chapter 20-Heart of Darkness

Luna released a strained cry, the anger of the fog buffeting harshly against the thin layer of magic holding back the tide of madness mere inches from consuming them all.

From the gaps in the mist, they could see the twisted buildings of the once magnificent city. Some floated in mid air, some appeared to be melting, only to reform themselves in new ways and resume dripping towards the ground. Cracks in the earth revealed giant gears and cogs beneath the surface, grinding away as if the planet were one giant mechanical ball. The streets flowed like rivers, the carts and fruit stands having sunk halfway beneath the cobblestone tide as it buckled and bounced like waves undulating up and down the roads. The constant cloud coverage did not allow much sunlight to get through, casting a creeping darkness over the entire city.

Twilight looked up to try and locate the castle, but couldn't see through the fog that surrounded them. She looked to Luna, whose expression seemed to scream that she was using all of her power just to keep the truth spell from collapsing.

"Princess Luna, how are you holding up?"

The lunar princess' eyes were shut tightly; beads of sweat beginning to form on her brow as she fought to keep the spell from faltering.

"He's...so much stronger...than I remember!" she gasped, her knees feeling as though they were going to buckle at any moment.

Twilight called to the princess over the swirling wind of the fog as it continued to hammer away at their lone island of sanity.

"Just hang on until we can find-" Twilight stopped herself mid sentence, seeing their target standing just beyond their spell.

Both hands behind his back, he still held his constant, mischievous smile.

"Discord!"

The chimera seemed to hold a look of disappointment before flashing a reserved grin. He exhaled a deep breath onto the side of the spell as it fogged up, in a manner similar to glass. With his lion's paw, he began to inscribe a message backwards so those within could read it.

You should not have come.

The words slowly vanished as he repeated the process with a different sentence.

This is not your fight!

Just as he added the dot beneath the exclamation point, the spell began to crack. The long tendrils of the expanding crack spread like a spider web across the length of their protective bubble.

An instant later, the spell shattered completely, letting the hurricane-force winds rush in and fill their lungs with Discord's twisted power. One by one, they collapsed, falling into an endless abyss of inky blackness.

Oddly enough, Twilight felt her awareness persist. She had the disconcerting feeling of falling, but it quickly passed. She immediately regretted her seemingly perfect plan, acutely aware that she'd most likely doomed herself and her friends to insanity.

"You were a fool to come here."

She inhaled to respond, but found no air available. It was as though she was suffocating, but still her consciousness remained.

"Think, my dear." Discord's voice echoed endlessly around her. She knew her eyes were wide open, but there was nothing except the pitch black staring back at her. Was this what being insane was like? Had the students Celestia had lost all gone through this on their journey to a complete mental breakdown?

"What is this place?"

Though Twilight only thought the words, they manifested themselves in the same echoing manner as if she had uttered them aloud. Even more unsettling, this meant her thoughts were no longer private.

"You tell me." Discord's voice responded, "This is your subconscious. I half expected it to be an endless library."

She felt her sense of direction return as what felt like gravity began to settle her hooves on solid ground.

"But I suppose this is your first time here," Discord continued, "So let me make it a bit more familiar to you."

The darkness rushed away as Twilight found herself back in the ruined Canterlot castle of her nightmare. This time, Discord sat on the dusty throne instead of hiding. He rested his head on his talon, looking almost bored as Twilight approached him. The dust from the faded red carpet rose with each step, tickling her sinuses as she stopped before him.

She recalled briefly what Luna had said just before they arrived: That nothing she saw was real.

Twilight knew how skilled Discord had become at blurring the line between reality and fantasy, and even now she was having trouble keeping her senses and emotions from overriding what she knew was just a mirage.

"What have you done with my friends?" she demanded, not as easily intimidated as she had been the last time.

"I'm with them as we speak." he explained, standing from his throne. "You've made a grave mistake in coming here."

Twilight gritted her teeth, fully fed up with this nonsense. First the elements, then Celestia, now this? How could he have not meant for them to come after all that? It felt like they were just his pieces in some insane game of chess. She found herself casting doubt over whether this was a highly elaborate plan, or just some kind of sick game.

"Really?" she snarled, "Then why did you capture me, give me nightmares, then give us the elements and the princess?"

Discord sighed. On the surface, he was growing weary of explaining things to a unicorn who was supposed to be sharp. But on the inside, he secretly loved every second he was allowed to unravel his web of secrets. "Your job was to free her, and you did." he clapped his hands together happily, "So congratulations!"

"Why however, you chose to come here to try and fight is beyond even me," he began circling Celestia's star pupil, "Not everything is about you, but humility wasn't one of the elements of harmony now was it?"

That condescending tone almost drove Twilight to attack him right then and there, but without the other elements of harmony, she knew it would only annoy him at the most.

"So this is about revenge?"

Discord chuckled softly. It looked like he'd have to hold her hoof through this whole process after all. "Revenge?" he sighed, "I suppose when I was first trapped in stone, the case could have been made. But now, it's much bigger than that. You could certainly say that you would not find yourself in this position if Celestia hadn't turned her back on me, so in that respect you are technically correct."

He snapped his fingers and made an ornate ivory pipe appear in his hand, and struck a similarly produced match on his scaly leg. Instead of fire, a drop of water seemed to cling to the matchstick, which lit the pipe nonetheless. Discord then took a deep drag on the newly lit piece, blowing out a stream of bubbles which quickly fell to the ground.

"The truth of the matter my dear, is much simpler than that." he took a drag of his pipe as he stopped in front of her, "I play this game, for the games sake, of course!"

Twilight was stunned, though in the back of her mind she expected this type of answer.

"So you toy with the lives of thousands, just for fun?"

"Lives?" Discord said, lifting himself from the ground and floating before her as if in an invisible hammock, "You call what these ponies were doing before I came along living?"

"What was it they were doing that was so fulfilling? Working their precious gift of life away to secure a place in your high and mighty 'society'? All I did was free them from the trappings of their miserable lives."

"Who are you to judge whether they were miserable or not?" Twilight stomped, "I was happy with my life until you came along!"

Discord simply laughed before resting his hands behind his head, "My dear girl, you still don't get it."

"I get that you made thousands of ponies crazy with your stupid fog!"

"Curious thing about the fog; it brings your worst fears to fruition before your very eyes, but only if you allow it. Why is seemingly every one of the citizens of Equestria suffering under the immersion of their greatest fears?" he asked turning his head toward Twilight. "Because they allowed their lives to be governed by them. Fear controlled them before I came to power, all I did was expose them to the truth."

"But enough about me, I'm sure you have some questions?"

Twilight certainly couldn't deny that fact. "What is this place?"

"This is Canterlot castle my dear! About nine-hundred-ninety-four years seven months and twenty-one days ago, during my first stint as ruler of Equestria."

The lavender unicorn looked around, taking in the torn tapestries, the shattered stained glass and the holes in the roof where snow was beginning to fall into the throne room. The fact that Celestia and Luna had allowed...this...to happen to their capital? Her horror was plain on her face, and did not go unnoticed by the draconequus on the throne.

"Did you think I would lie to you?"

A sharp stare from Twilight gave him his answer, "No, no," he said, "I abhor lying. Anyone can lie, but the truth can have a profound effect on the entire world. None can hide from it; it can't be proven wrong. It's permanence and finality are much more effective than even the most well crafted lie."

"I like you Twilight." Discord smiled at her. "You're by far the most observant of Celestia's students I've had the pleasure of matching wits with, even though sometimes you need a bit of guidance. I see a lot of her in you. I often sat on that very throne contemplating why your mind was so hard to break for many nights before it dawned on me. Celestia nearly forced you to become friends with the other element bearers, instead of simply selecting them herself as she had always done. The bond between you all kept you from going over the edge. Quite a clever strategy on Celestia's part I must say."

"So because you couldn't let go of your grudge against Celestia, you chose to punish every innocent pony in Equestria?" Twilight growled, unsure of what to do, but certain she was not taking comfort in his explanations.

"There are no innocents, Twilight. Everypony is guilty of something." Discord was running out of ways to try and explain his reasoning, so he tried empathy. "What if you were in my position? What if you had been handed a golden opportunity to do whatever you could imagine...what task would you undertake if you knew you could not fail?"

Twilight grinned. She had him now. Just keep him talking for a little while longer...

"But you have failed," she sneered, "Celestia will be here soon, and this whole game of your's will come to an end."

She leaned close, making a mocking grin, "And when she gets here, you won't stand a chance!"

The god of disharmony was dumbstruck for a moment, to the point where Twilight thought her words may have had some effect. Then he burst out laughing, giving a few good pounds to the throne's armrest before catching his breath.

"Is that so?" he managed, holding back giggles with his free hand. "It's almost funny. In fact, it is funny! I've explained everything to you, and you still don't get it!

His expression dropped as he noticed Twilight still held her look of contentment, "You still don't see it? I've already won. Your civilization is in ruins, your citizens are consumed by my influence, and you're pinning all your hopes on an alicorn who is at most only at half her strength." he chuckled, taking another long toke from his pipe "And I'm supposed to be the illogical one."

"But even I am not blind to reality. As beautiful as my chaos is, I know nothing lasts forever. Eventually, my reign will come to an end. You see Twilight, unlike you mortals, the princesses and I find ourselves in a unique position. We are immune to the ravages of time, yet can still die. I'm sure Celestia has regaled you with the opportunities she had to end my life?"

"Yes, and she didn't!"

"I suppose I can't blame her. When you get right down to it, I am unsure if I could end her life as well. I've lived for over a thousand years, I have no fear of death. I'm sure she feels the same way."

Twilight took a seat on her flanks, silently praying Celestia would come rescue them all, temporarily forgetting that any thoughts she had were immediately vocalized.

"She'll come." Discord said, "I'm counting on it."

"So we're just going to wait here until she gets here? No mind games? Repressed memories? Horrifying hallucinations? Nothing?"

His smile remained, "Nope. As I said before, I like you. You've resisted my attempts to shatter your will, and while I may be illogical, I'm not unfair. Besides, aren't you curious to see how your friends fare against me?"

Twilight snapped to her hooves in anger, "Don't you dare hurt them!"

"Oh Twilight, surely you know me better than that. I've got something special planned for each of them. It is the strength of their resolve and the bond they have with their element that will determine whether or not they come through unscathed."

'Please hurry princess!' Twilight thought, 'Before we lose somepony forever!'

Discord smiled knowingly, taking a slow drag of his pipe.

"Don't fret Twilight." he said conversationally, "By the time the game is over, we'll all have lost more than you could ever imagine."

XXX

Applejack awoke to the sound of birds singing sweetly in the trees of her apple orchard. Her eyes fluttered open, revealing a bright summers afternoon beneath a cloudless sky. The grass around her belly danced gently with the breeze rolling across the hills as she tried to piece together how she got here.

'Last thing I remember was goin' ta Canterlot...'

She jumped. Her thought had echoed, somehow. Almost as if she'd spoken aloud.

"Well that's different," she said getting to her hooves and heading toward the farmhouse.

"Granny? Big Macintosh? Applebloom?" Applejack called into the house from the porch. She gently nudged the door open, greeted only by silence. As she stepped further into the house, the quiet clacking of knitting needles drew her attention to the living room. The grayed bun of her grandmother stuck up from behind Granny Smith's favorite rocker, a sigh of relief and a smile escaped her lips as she trotted around in front of her grandmother.

"Granny you wouldn't believe th' dream Ah jus'-"

Discord looked up at her from the old rocking chair as he set down the sweater he had been knitting.

"Hello Applejack." he smiled, an excitement shining in his eyes, "But this is no dream."

The muted orange earth pony took a cautious step backwards, her eyes wide in disbelief. "What've you done with my family!" she yelled.

Discord cracked his neck from side to side. This one, just like her love interest, would not be so easily intimidated.

"They're safe back at your farm, of course. You don't think you're back at Sweet Apple Acres do you?"

Applejack recalled Luna's words before they left.

"So none a' this is real?"

"Oh, I wouldn't go that far." he said beginning to rock slowly but purposefully in the creaky old chair. "You feel the boards beneath your hooves, and smell the applewood scent of your home, do you not?"

She couldn't deny that everything certainly felt real. No dream she ever had could stand up to this level of detail or lucidity.

"I know you're not much for conversation, so I'll cut right down to it. Your parents left you at an early age, didn't they? The result of a tragic accident perpetrated by none other than your old friend Rainbow Dash."

A look of anger fell across Applejack's normally gentle features. "Don't you ever talk about my parents or Rainbow!"

"Now, now, calm yourself. I only come to you with a proposition."

Though she was still upset, she had enough common sense to know that no good could come from a deal with the devil.

"Come now, you still doubt me? I may enjoy a game or two at another's expense, but I'm no liar."

Applejack figured there was no other way out than to go along, so she sat on her flanks before him, still holding her suspicious glare.

"Fine." she huffed, "What's is it?"

"I'll give you two choices, but you may only choose one. Once your choice has been made, the results will be irreversible. Understand?"

"Yeah, yeah can we just get this over with?"

Discord smiled at her impatience. "Good, then lets get started."

"What is the one thing you wish you could change about your life?" he asked nonchalantly.

She thought, but only for a moment. She missed her parents, but assumed that wasn't what he was talking about. Unfortunately for her, she had forgotten all her thoughts repeated themselves aloud, confirming what Discord had already known.

"You miss your parents? Understandable, no pony should have to grow up when they're still a filly. What if I told you I could give them back to you?"

Applejack scoffed at the idea, "I'd call you a swindler and a liar."

Discord smiled, "You still doubt my power?"

"Ah think that goes without sayin'. Not even Celestia can revive the deceased."

The god of chaos laughed at her notion, "There is a lot you don't know about dear old Celestia. You think just because she doesn't go around raising the dead, means she is physically unable? Ah, you mortals are always good for a laugh."

Applejack was getting tired of being talked down to, and her tone showed it. "So what, you're sayin you can revive my parents?"

A simple nod, yet she refused his answer. "Ah don't believe you."

"Hm...then I find myself at an impasse. But if I cannot convince you..." he added, snapping his fingers, "Then perhaps they can."

He pointed a talon behind her, toward the kitchen.

"Applejack?"

That voice. She hadn't heard it in so many years, at first it sounded foreign, yet she knew exactly who it belonged to.

She slowly turned her head, and nearly shut her eyes in disbelief. In the kitchen stood her mother and father, both waiting for her with tears of joy in their eyes, having been separated from the children they loved for so many years.

The orange earth ponies eyes welled even though they were closed. She opened them again, expecting to see nothing but an empty kitchen, figuring this to be one of Discord's tricks. But instead, they still stood there, waiting for the daughter they had missed so much.

She bolted toward them, putting her forelegs around their necks as she sobbed into their manes. They had to be real. Their coats were just as soft as she had remembered growing up. Their warm embrace had the same tenderness she had recalled in every fleeting dream she ever had of this exact scenario.

"We missed ya sugarcube..." her mother whispered.

Applejack was at a loss for words. The unfettered joy she felt charging through her veins did not help the fact that she never wanted to let go of the two ponies before her. She pulled back from her hug, looking into the faces of those she could only see in one picture on her living room wall.

"Ah...Ah can't believe it...is it really you?"

"It is sweetheart. We're so sorry we weren't there to see you grow into the beautiful mare you are today," her father said, his voice alone more comforting to her than a thousand feather beds. "We're so proud of you, Applejack."

"I see you're still wearing my hat." he smiled warmly down at her. The orange earth pony responded weakly, her lip still trembling, "Y-yeah...I never let it outta my sight..."

Her father buried his head in her mane with another hug.

"How's your brother and sister?" Gala asked.

"They're doin' fine," Applejack said breathlessly. There was just so much she wanted to tell them. "I wish they were here ta see you. Applebloom's growin' like a weed, and Mac, well he's finally found him a special filly."

The parents grinned, the joyous news of the well being of their offspring offering them a glimmer of happiness in what had been eternal worry up until this point.

Applejack's dad pulled away from the hug in shame, remembering the reason he and his wife had missed out on their children growing up.

"I'm so sorry sweetheart, if I had just taken down that silo earlier we'd...we'd still be with you."

Applejack inhaled sharply, trying to get ahold of herself to respond. "That don't matter...you're here now. That's more than Ah could ever want."

"Ahem."

Discord's rather loud throat clearing drew their attention.

"What on earth is that?" Gala asked.

"I, am the one responsible for this touching little reunion. Now Applejack, you still haven't heard the rest of the deal."

The orange earth pony turned to face him, drying her tears.

"Alright then. Let's hear it."

"I will return you to the day your parents met their untimely end, and give you the opportunity to save them. You will live the life you would have had from that day forward." a somber expression crossed his face as he stood from the rocker.

"However, if you choose to travel down that road, you will not have any memory of any of the events past that point. You will have never met any of the other element bearers, and would not be an element bearer yourself. Rainbow Dash will have been fired from the weather patrol, and leave Ponyville, to parts unknown."

"Or, you could choose to send your parents back to their eternal slumber, and resume your attempts to try and retake Equestria, scraping out your meager existence on your farm with your overworked brother and ailing Granny."

A truly impossible choice. How could she be expected to make such an agonizing decision? To radically alter the course of history, to give up everything she and her friends had worked for, and forget all the wonderful memories she had made with her best friends, to forsake Rainbow Dash's love all for a chance to live happily with her parents, and have a real foalhood, instead of a hard life of even harder work day in and day out?

Applejack glanced back over her shoulder at her parent's pleading eyes. "We just want to be... with you again." her father whispered. "We've missed you and your brother and sister...more than you could ever realize."

Her father's impassioned plea tore at her very soul, the tears she had fought threatening to escape her eyes once more. She turned to face the god of chaos.

"Well?" he asked opening a portal with a snap of his fingers to his right. Inside was the day that had haunted her nightmares. She caught glimpses of her filly self, playing out in the fields with Big Macintosh, both of their flanks blank as they wrestled in the tall grass. They laughed as if they hadn't a care in the world, and for the most part...they didn't.

"What's it going to be?"

Ch.21 Honesty & Kindness

DISCORD'S REIGN

Chapter 21-Honesty & Kindness

Fluttershy's lip trembled in fear. She couldn't see, hear, smell or touch, but she knew she was conscious. Eventually, she began to feel a gentle falling sensation, until she landed on something like solid ground. The canary yellow pegasus stood, still unable to see anything. One by one, her senses began returning. The sound of leaves rustling in the winds greeted her ears as an inexplicable warmth fell over her coat, like she had been standing in sunlight. A bright light chased away the darkness, making Fluttershy duck behind her mane for a moment. She continued to gaze timidly over the clearing behind her mane, unable to shake her normal nervousness.

The heavy scent of an evergreen grove wafted toward her as she found herself in an unfamiliar forest. Even though the terrain was alien, Fluttershy felt right at home. Any forest was fine with her as long as there were adorable animals to love and sing with. Still, she couldn't help but feel there was something off about this forest. The birds whose songs she enjoyed so were absent from the trees. Fluttershy looked around, her sea-green eyes scanning every inch of the flora surrounding her, but found no trace of any living creature.

"Where am I?" she whispered, only to have her words echo around her. She squeaked in surprise at the volume of her echo, hiding behind her mane as she continued to scan the forest for life.

A rustling in the bushes drew her attention. Fluttershy timidly trotted over to the shrub that seemed to be shaking more violently as she approached. By the time she was a few feet from it, the shy pegasus trembled in fear.

"Rawr!"

A small yellow blur jumped from out of the bushes and onto her chest. Fluttershy fell onto her back screaming in terror. She covered her head with her forelegs and begged the monster not to hurt her. As she awaited a response from what she was sure was something intent on making her its dinner, she felt a sensation that took her by surprise. A tongue drug up the side of her cheek. A quick peek from behind her forelegs revealed that the creature that had so viciously attacked her was none other than a filly version of herself.

"Hiya!" the little Fluttershy squeaked happily.

"My name's Fluttershy! But you can call me Shy!" the energetic filly hopped off of her chest as the adult Fluttershy got to her hooves. "What's yours?"

"Uhm...it's Fluttershy..."

The youngest pegasus cocked her head at an angle before giving her a look of confusion. "You can't be Fluttershy! I'm Fluttershy!"

"I think we're both Fluttershy." the elder pegasus said, still in disbelief that her younger self was standing before her, just as happy and care free as she remembered being at that age.

"So, how come you're here?" the little one asked curiously.

"Uhm...I'm not sure...the last thing I remember...was something about Canterlot." Fluttershy's soft features twisted up in thought, trying to remember how she got here, or where 'here' is.

Unable to remember anything useful, she decides to satisfy her own curiosity, "Why are you here all by yourself?"

The filly laughed at her question before answering, "I've always been here, silly!"

"A-always?" Fluttershy's voice trembled. How could a filly, especially herself as a filly survive in the wilderness for so long?

"Yeah always!"

"B-but, what do you eat?" she asked timidly, her concern for every living creature shining through the confusion and darkness of the situation, "Where do you sleep?"

Once again, Fluttershy received the same head tilt and confused look, "Eat? Sleep?"

The filly took a sharp gasp as she hopped around her older self. "You don't know where you ar-re! You don't know where you ar-re!" she sang.

"No, I don't. Can you please tell me?"

Her filly self stopped bouncing in front of her and grinned. "You're in your subconscious!"

Fluttershy's jaw fell open. She had passing knowledge of the levels of the psyche thanks to many a boring winter's reading session. However, the idea of visiting a subconscious, especially your own was definitely not covered in any book.

"I...I am?"

"Yeah!" the precocious filly responded happily, behaving much more like Pinkie Pie than herself. A faint memory seemed to assure her that early in her youth, she had been just as outgoing and carefree as her earth pony pal. "You don't visit me very often though..."

The dejection in the filly's voice sent a pang of guilt into the elder pegasi's stomach, though she wasn't exactly sure how she was supposed to visit her subconscious more often.

"Do you hate me?"

Fluttershy inhaled a soft gasp, "Goodness no! I'm sorry...this is the first time I've been here."

"It's okay!" the young pegasus chirped back happily, her moods seeming to adjust on a dime.

After a moment of awkward silence, Fluttershy began to piece together how she got here, and what she was supposed to be doing.

"Shy, do you know a way out of here?"

"Oh yes, the Gatekeeper can let you out!"

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow in confusion, "The who?"

"The Gatekeeper silly!" Shy added, taking notice of her older self's larger wings.

"Wow, your wings are so pretty!" the little one gasped, "Can you fly?"

The filly's short attention span and relentless enthusiasm contrasted sharply with Fluttershy's more reserved nature.

"Well, yes, but I don't like to...I don't like heights" she admitted sheepishly, even though she was simply admitting a truth to herself.

"But about the Gatekeeper..."

"Oh!" the small yellow filly turned around to lead her. "I'll take you to him! He just showed up here a few hours ago, but he said if I take you to him, he'd give me big wings like yours so I can fly!"

Fluttershy gulped. Surely she wasn't this naive as a foal? Still, naive or not, she didn't see any other choice in the matter. She had to escape her subconscious and help her friends fight Discord.

"Okay...you said he was nice?" the elder pegasus asked.

"Yeah!" Shy responded happily as she hopped along into the forest ahead of Fluttershy. "He even locked the Meanie away!"

Fluttershy raised a curious eyebrow as she timidly followed her younger self through the underbrush.

"The Meanie?"

The canary yellow filly stopped her jovial bouncing and looked over her shoulder. The happy smile she had been wearing erased by the mere mention of this things name.

"You d-don't know about him?" Shy asked softly, her tone becoming more meek, like the elder pegasus.

"No...what is he?"

Shy turned all the way around, "He's scary, and mean...a-and he makes me cry when he sees me..."

Fluttershy gasped softly, covering her mouth with a hoof. "Oh dear, that sounds terrible!"

The filly had been on the verge of tears, before seamlessly shifting back into her carefree attitude.

"But it's okay now!" Shy chirped happily. "He's all locked up, and he can never make me cry or be mean to me again!"

With that, they resumed their trek though the empty forest, Fluttershy still somewhat unnerved by the lack of the usual sounds that accompany a walk in the woods.

After what felt like hours of walking, they finally arrived at a rather imposing structure. A huge wooden portal, ornately carved with beautiful images of nature, and all creatures big and small. In front of the gate stood a tall figure, in a black robe.

"Gatekeeper!" the filly cried out bounding toward the scary looking apparition as if they were old friends.

Fluttershy stopped dead, alarm bells ringing throughout her mind. The figure was far too tall to be a pony, and certainly didn't seem to belong here in her subconscious.

Her suspicions were immediately confirmed as the figure swept aside his hood with its sinuous neck, revealing two mismatched red eyes.

"I brought the yellow pegasus you wanted!" Fluttershy's filly self chirped, bouncing in excitement.

Discord smiled down at the little filly, patting her gently on the head. "Yes you did my dear. And for that, you get the reward I promised."

Fluttershy withdrew behind her pink mane in fear of what kind of twisted 'reward' Discord might have in store for her young self.

With a snap of his fingers, a bit of magic appeared over Shy's eyes before fading away. She looked back at her wings, which hadn't changed in size, and gasped. She flexed and extended her little wings as far as they could go, staring in amazement at what she saw as a pair of gloriously elegant wings.

Fluttershy was not amused. She hated being pranked, and this was nothing more than a cruel trick, even if it was against her filly self.

"What are you doing in my subconscious Discord?" she asked rather sternly.

"My dear Fluttershy, your mind is under my control now." he mused, striding in front of the portal to consciousness "Remember the fog? I'd say you're neck deep in it as we speak."

The canary yellow pegasus narrowed her eyes as her filly self kept attempting to fly on her young wings around her. "Okay, but it's still not very nice to trick other pony's subconscious selves into thinking they have wings."

"Well I couldn't very well give them to her now could I?" he asked folding his arms.

"But to answer your original question, I'm here to help you."

"I don't want your help." she responded as shortly as she could, though being intimidating wasn't exactly Fluttershy's specialty.

"I've already helped you, so too late!" Discord responded happily. He snapped his fingers and a large wooden box appeared beside him. It was secured by two large chains wrapping around it, themselves secured by bulky metal padlocks. Almost as soon as it appeared, it began to shake and thrash about violently, as if something inside was just waiting to burst out.

Fluttershy noticed Shy had stopped frolicking in the surrounding forest when Discord summoned the mysterious box.

A quick glance toward the young filly revealed a terrified expression on her face, nearly on the verge of tears.

Shy darted behind Fluttershy's hind leg in fear, nearly trembling as the elder pegasus faced their tormentor.

"You know, you really should keep an eye on what's running rampant in your subconscious." he said patting the box with a talon, "If I hadn't locked this little gem up, you'd still be cowering in the bushes by Applejack's barn while your friends risk their lives in Canterlot."

Fluttershy gritted her teeth but held her silence, keeping a close eye on her younger self before her high pitched voice broke the silence.

"You aren't gonna...let him out...are you?"

Discord sighed, "Yes my dear, I'm afraid I must, if Fluttershy is to conquer the one thing that holds her back in life."

"I don't need your help to face my fears!"

"Is that so? Why don't we take a survey shall we?" Another snap of his fingers and Rainbow Dash's disembodied voice echoed from everywhere, telling her how useless she was, and how a coward like her would never be good for anything except for applying bandages to real ponies. The same sentiment echoed through the forest with every one of her friends taking a turn to tear down the emotionally fragile pegasus.

"Well then, it seems your companions have a different view doesn't it?"

Fluttershy felt her eyes welling up. So many hurtful things had just been thrown at her, and by her friends no less!

"Come now my dear, don't bring in the waterworks just yet!" Discord added clasping his hands together. "We still have to let the beast out of the box."

With a malicious grin, he snapped his fingers. Both of the heavy padlocks disappeared, and the chains fell away. Whatever was inside took that opportunity to thrash around inside, loosening the nails and threatening to destroy it's temporary housing completely.

"I hope you're ready, Fluttershy!"

The front wooden panel fell open. The inside of the box was impossibly deep, seeming to stretch a few feet back into the darkness before she heard hoofbeats on the wooden planks. Fluttershy withdrew behind her mane out of instinct as well as apprehensive fear. Shy had long since covered her eyes with her hooves and was cowering behind her elder self, praying the Meanie's gaze would be directed at somepony besides her for once.

A gruff, uncaring voice that sent chills down her spine echoed from the within the box.

"It's been a long time, Fluttershy."

XXX

Applejack stared Discord straight in his mismatched eyes. She quickly glanced toward the portal, and back to her parents. The country mare let out a heavy sigh, having made her decision.

"Ma, Pa...I love you. Never forget that."

Within the blink of an eye, Applejack sent both hind hooves into her parents jaws, shattering their entire bodies like glass as they fell into shards on the floor.

Discord flashed a dissatisfied glare for the first time since being freed from stone. She had seen right through his ploy, but he would be damned if he wasn't curious as to how she knew.

"Quick to act as always." he added, folding his arms. "Tell me, what gave my game away?"

"To be honest, Ah wasn't sure they weren't my parents. But even if they were, the life Ah have now is everythin' Ah've ever wanted. Things happen for a reason Discord, and the reason my parents died that day was to make me into the mare Ah am. Ta make me into the element of honesty, and to re seal your mismatched butt back in stone!" she answered, stamping a hoof proudly.

"Everything happens for a reason?" Discord nearly burst out laughing. "I suppose everypony needs some misguided belief to cling to."

Though she would have liked nothing more than to buck the god of chaos before her right in his smug face, she knew she'd be unable to damage him at all without the other elements. She certainly was upset he used her parents image to try and get her to betray her friends, but decided a calm approach was more likely to get some answers.

"Let me ask you somethin'." she began, "What is it you plan on doin' once princess Celestia gets here? You know she's strong enough with the six of us and princess Luna to beat you."

Discord simply smiled back at her. "I suppose that's possible. Though to be honest, I'd welcome another granite repose at this point, reality is a nice place to visit, but I certainly wouldn't want to live here."

"Now let me ask you something. How much would you be willing to sacrifice to ensure I was defeated? To ensure a safe and chaos free future for your little sister Applebloom and brother Macintosh?"

Applejack stood firm, a glare coming over her features, remembering all the hardships she had endured up until this point. She was ready. Ready to make certain that this plague of insanity would never befall any unfortunate ponies at any point in the future.

"Everything."

Discord simply returned to his mischievous smile.

"Good."

XXX

The beast emerging from the box stood as tall as Discord, even taller than Celestia herself! This pony was massive, his eyes burned red like smoldering coals, and each step seemed to shake the ground. An older model Wonderbolts uniform stretched tightly over it's massive frame, giving away the identity of this monster. Fluttershy recognized it immediately, as her father: Lightning Bolt, the first captain of the Wonderbolts.

"I can't believe this Fluttershy! You failed your flight entrance exam again!" he roared in a thunderous voice that seemed to shake the leaves off the trees. She recoiled even further behind her mane, remembering now why she was so quiet.

"I was the greatest flier in all of Equestria!" the beast continued, "And now I can't even show my face at the officers club without being heckled about my flightless daughter!"

He thrust his face toward hers, almost as if he was striking out at her. "I am so disappointed in you Fluttershy."

His words were like punishing blows, each striking harder than the last as the canary yellow pegasus began to silently cry. It appeared as though her filly self was right.

"Was it too much to ask that you do something a normal pegasus would do? Like fly?"

"I'm...I'm sorry dad-"

"Sorry?!" he howled as Discord looked on in amusement.

"You're always sorry." he growled, "In fact, I should have named you sorry. Because that's all you are. A sorry excuse for a pegasus, and a sorry excuse for a daughter."

The last sentence stung even more than the rest combined. A soft sob escaped Fluttershy's muzzle, as her fathers words crushed her fragile spirit.

"So afraid of disappointing anypony else, you let your shyness take over your personality until you became...well, yourself." Discord interjected. "It makes a lot of sense; fear keeps you from letting anyone else down, and if you don't try, you can't fail, right?"

She shut her eyes tightly, tears still spilling from them as she tried to think of what to do. A sudden recollection of Luna's words before they left sparked a bit of courage in her heart, an ember that began to grow inside of her.

"So you think just because I don't like to fly, I'm a failure?" she asked softly, but in a much more serious tone than before.

"You heard me! Are you deaf too?" Lightning snapped.

A glare crossed her normally shy features as she looked her teary eyes straight into the monster before her.

"I'm not like you dad!" she shouted, "I love what I do, I love animals and have friends that love me for who I am!" she snapped, "If you don't like it...well...I don't care!"

Fluttershy certainly wasn't used to shouting angrily, but tried to wing it as best she could.

"Just because I'm not a Wonderbolt doesn't mean I'm a disappointment! I love you dad, and if you don't love me...then...I don't need you!"

The timid yellow pegasus was trembling, but not out of fear. Out of pure exhilaration she got from finally standing up for herself to her father. Curiously, the more of a stand she took for herself, the smaller the beast before her seemed to get.

"And if I ever hear about you making this filly cry again, I will come back here, and finish you off!" she growled, the monster that was so intimidating earlier now the size of the filly she protected.

A slow clap echoed from behind the now tiny form of the monster before her as Discord applauded her effort.

"Very good Fluttershy! I thought for sure you would have cowered away from the one pony in this world whose opinion of you shaped your very being."

A snap of his talons and the box and the former monster within disappeared.

"Now it's time for the fun part," he added with his trademark grin, "Kindness is a strange word isn't it?"

Fluttershy shifted in confusion, "Not really. Being kind is easy."

"Yes, but what defines kindness? What makes an act kind?" he probed further.

The shy pegasus thought for a moment, not quite sure what defined an act as kind. "If an act helps somepony, or makes them happy." she stated confidently, having her minuscule ego boosted by her defeat of 'The Meanie'. "That's kindness."

"Ah yes, but what if by making one party happy, you've injured another?" he asked, stroking his goatee in thought, "Was the act then kind?"

Fluttershy paused, puzzled. She'd never had to consider that before. The longer she thought about it, the more unsure she felt. "I...uhm...How badly is the other party hurt?"

It was as though Discord had been waiting on her to ask that exact question as he snapped his talons once more. With a short yelp, her filly self disappeared from behind her. Before she could demand her return, she reappeared in front of her, tied with magical bonds to a large tree that had just sprouted out of the soil, seemingly at Discord's command.

"Why don't we find out?" he said darkly, before summoning a hungry looking timber wolf tied to and opposite tree, though the rope holding the wooden wolf was of an ordinary variety, and seemed to be fraying at the ends.

"Now, the game is simple," he began to explain, snapping his fingers once more to produce a large, ornately carved knife on the ground before her. "The wolf is hungry. The wolf only eats meat, and right now, it appears your inner child is on the menu!"

Discord's chuckles set a disturbing background melody to the decision Fluttershy would have to make. She glanced at the knife, then back to the wolf. It was literally clawing and tearing at the air in an attempt to eat Shy. Her little self was screaming in terror, trying her best to break free of the magic bonds that held her, but to no avail.

"Fluttershy! Don't let the wolf eat me!"

"Can you do it Fluttershy?" Discord asked happily, "Can you take one life to save another?"

Slowly, the normally frightful pegasus took the handle of the blade in her mouth, the grooves aligning perfectly with her teeth as though it had been custom made for her to use.

She couldn't harm another creature willingly, even if it was a timber wolf trying to eat her subconscious self! It was just doing what came naturally, how could she fault it for the way it was born? It just wasn't in her.

Fluttershy noticed the rope holding back the hungry wolf beginning to wear thin. In a matter of moments it would be darting toward her filly self intent on ripping her to shreds. Shy's cries echoed through the forest as she continued to plead with her older counterpart to save her.

Her eyes locked with Discords as he awaited her choice. A thin glare crossed her normally caring sea-green eyes.

Maybe it was in her...

Ch.22 Laughter & Generosity Pt.1

DISCORD'S REIGN

Chapter 22-Laughter & Generosity Pt.1

The rope continued to fray around the trunk of the tree. Fluttershy's eyes darted from Shy to the wolf and back as she contemplated her next move. With a flick of the neck, she flung the blade expertly through the air toward its target.

The knife's tip hit the edge of the fraying rope hard, pinning it to the tree, and holding the wolf at bay for a few precious seconds. They were all she needed.

With a burst of speed, Fluttershy zipped between the wolf and her filly self, ready to defend Shy the only non-violent way she knew, the stare.

'This is my subconscious, so this thing should answer to me!' she reasoned as she squared herself toward the snarling timber wolf.

"Go! Go find food somewhere else!" Fluttershy demanded, the icy grip of her sea green eyes beginning to calm the ravenous animal. "You're not eating her!"

The wolf whimpered, baring its teeth in defiance. After what felt like eons, it finally broke eye contact and fled. Fluttershy watched it go, her confidence beginning to return. “Now let her go,” she demanded.

He obliged, although begrudgingly. Perhaps he hadn't given the timid pegasus enough credit.

“Such a pity,” Discord said, snapping his fingers and freeing the filly. “You actually had me thinking you were going to kill it for a moment.”

Fluttershy glared at the complacent draqonequus, wishing her Stare worked on him. Unfortunately, it didn’t. “Can I leave now?” she asked impatiently. Though she appreciated visiting her subconscious, Fluttershy was quite ready to be in the real world again.

"Yes, I won't stop you, but what is it you plan to do once you get back to reality?"

She raised an eyebrow in curiosity, "What do you mean? We're going to seal you back in stone...I mean...if its alright with...no, regardless of whether its alright with you!"

"Ah, right." Discord nodded taking a step aside from the archway to the outside world. "Well good luck with that!"

Who dared knock on her door at this hour? Didn’t anypony know she needed her beauty rest?

Rarity stirred underneath the sheets, forcing bleary eyes to focus on the door, where the incessant knocking originated from. She grimaced and pushed the silk sheets to the side, rolling out of the elegant four-poster bed.

Wait…four-poster bed? Even she couldn’t afford such a thing! For the first time, the unicorn registered her surroundings. The room’s décor was easily fit for royalty. Ornate, hoof-carved furniture and fine art was arranged tastefully around a massive stone fireplace, where embers still glowed.

"Ms Rarity!" a frantic stallions voice called from behind the door. "The grand opening is in twenty minutes!"

She hadn't recalled anything about an opening event, but when one wakes up in a hotel room one knows she can't possible afford, it's sometimes best not to ask questions.

Although she was certainly curious...

"You may come in." she instructed. After a moment, a young stallion pushed the door open, but kept his eyes tightly shut, as if it was a sin to gaze upon her.

"What is all this about a grand opening?" she asked.

The stallion frowned.

"Your casino, Ms. Rarity. After you opened your sixth boutique in Canterlot, you decided to 'expand your brand' and open a casino and entertainment complex."

Rarity sat on her flanks in awe. Did he say sixth Canterlot boutique?

"Oh! Allow me to select a formal gown and I'll be right out."

"Very good Ms. Rarity, I'll be right outside if you need anything."

The door closed softly, leaving her to peruse the closet. No doubt it was crammed with nothing but the finest in…

Rarity’s jaw dropped as she swung the door open. The walk-in closet seemed to stretch down the entire length of the room. Magnificent formal and evening wear filled it nearly to the brim, leaving little room for the dozens of tasteful accessories standing beside their respective dresses.

The unicorn slowly strode inside, examining each dress as she passed it. They were…flawless. Each one more fabulous than the last.

Rarity stopped before a glass case in the center of the closet, eyes shining to match the display lights. It was…it couldn’t be described as anything less than the perfect dress. Every stitch straight, every button and ornamental piece perfectly secured and in the proper spot. The colors blended perfectly and matched her coat and mane as if Celestia herself had commissioned the stars themselves to design it.

She let out a stream of school-filly giggles as she put it on and looked at herself in the mirror.

"Absolutely radiant!"

After a few more minutes of primping, she was ready for the public eye, her previous mission of stopping Discord with her friends now completely forgotten.

"I'm ready." she called opening the door.

A shorter unicorn stallion snapped to attention upon her appearance in the hallway. Rarity looked him over, after finally getting the chance. He was a certain shade of grey, like a heavy fog, or more like the mailmare in Ponyville. His mane was somewhat shaggy, though had a bouncy auburn color. His horn poked out through it as his similarly colored eyes met hers, only to retreat in embarrassment, as if he'd just interrupted something.

After a bit of awkward silence, the stallion spoke up, "The chariot is right outside to take you to the opening."

Rarity smiled. Though she had no idea how she had gotten into this situation, she was certain she didn't want to leave if she could help it.

"Excellent, lead the way...um...Forgive me, but what is your name again?" she asked sheepishly.

The stallion looked a bit hurt, but immediately hid his expression beneath a smile as he answered.

"Dailey Planner, Ms. Rarity. Your assistant...?"

Rarity nodded, as if it had just slipped her mind. “Of course, darling. Forgive me. It’s been a long day.”

A pair of elevator door opened before them with a dull ding, and the stepped inside. Rarity took a quick moment to admire the solid walnut paneling and mother-of-pearl inlay before realizing Dailey Planner seemed bored by it, if anything.

"Are you ready?" Dailey asked in an unfamiliar tone.

"For what?"

With that the doors opened, revealing a crowded lobby. Some ponies appeared to simply be hotel guests, but most of them had cameras around their necks. Rarity may not have been a big shot fashionista back in Ponyville, but she knew paparazzi when she saw them. Unfortunately, they apparently knew her when they saw her, too. A flood of hooves rushed the elevator as blinding flashes lit up the opulent lobby.

A pair of large stallions pushed their way through the crowd, and stood on either side, allowing her to get to the stretch chariot waiting outside.

The ponies love me! she thought happily, settling into the velvet seats. Dailey stumbled into the chariot behind her, nearly closing the door on a photographer’s hoof.

The interior was nearly as opulent as the hotel she had just left. A butler even waited inside with a tray of food and drinks.

This must be how the princessess live!

After a brief half hour, the limo pulled up in front of a red carpet, all manner of celebrities walking it, greeting fans and taking pictures before all eyes turned to the stretch chariot that had just arrived.

"Ms. Rarity, once you enter the casino, you'll play the inaugural hand of a game of your choice, and Lady Rarity's will be officially open for business!" Dailey added, confirming what he had said with a small black notebook he'd produced.

"Right. How do I look?" she smiled, wanting one last check before she graces the public with her presence.

Her assistant's jaw hung slack as he took her in. She could tell he was impressed, even though he had to have been at least five years her junior.

"Beautiful..."

Her door opened, the driver of the chariots white gloves holding the door for her as screams and camera flashes enveloped her.

"Fabulous," she said to nopony in particular as she stepped out of the vehicle and instantly became the center of attention. She absolutely loved the feeling of adoration that came with her apparent celebrity status. Every pony in Canterlot that mattered was represented at her opening, all of which stopped by at one point or another to give their congratulations on the opening of her newest enterprise.

This night was everything she could have ever wanted. It was perfect, almost like a dream of some kind.

After a few more minutes of basking in the love of her fans, she decided her hooves were tired of walking in such uncomfortable hoof-wear. Just because her ensemble looked fantastic, didn't mean it was comfortable.

The two door ponies opened the large double doors and allowed her onto the gaming floor, the neon lights and colorful games stretched as far back as the eye could see, though the peculiarity of such a building was lost on Rarity's unconscious mind.

A larger looking stallion in a snappy suit who identified himself as the 'pit boss' acted as her guide, showing her the games and asking if she was ready to try her hoof at any that struck her fancy. Rarity had never been much of a gambler, but she was at least somewhat familiar with table games.

Blackjack was always a pretty easy game, in fact she recalled her friend Rainbow Dash was quite good at it, and she had lost enough bits to her rainbow maned buddy to prove it. Still, if she had to play one game...

"Blackjack will do nicely."

"Excellent choice Ms. Rarity. Right this way..."

She followed the stallion to a table behind a velvet rope. Four other ponies had already been seated and appeared to be waiting on her to arrive so they could play.

She took the last available seat as the pit boss produced a stack of chips for her to use.

The dealer had his back to her, appearing to be shuffling the cards. He looked to be about her age, with a light green coat and purple mane.

Certainly an odd combination...

"Are you ready for your first hoof, Ms. Rarity?" he asked, still turned away from her.

"Yes darling." she added, as a server deposited a vodka and lemon martini beside her.

Rarity took a slow sip of the martini, closing her eyes in delight. Somepony was quite good at mixing drinks!

She looked back at the dealer to see if he was done yet, taking another sip.

She blinked. Discord grinned back at her, wearing a matching suit and bow tie. Rarity spit out her mouthful of martini in shock, although Discord simply reflected it back at her, soaking her mane.

Now it all made sense. The inexplicable hotel room, amazing dress and casino, all of it. The memories of the six of them and Luna teleporting to Canterlot to fight the deity before her all came flooding back.

"Discord!" she growled, indignant at not only being tricked, but also having her mane ruined. "I should have known!"

The embodiment of chaos chuckled. “Of all your friends, that reaction had to be the best.”

Rarity glared at him, barely registering that the other four players had suddenly vanished, along with the casino, leaving them alone at the table in an endless black void.

“Why the long face?” he asked, effortlessly juggling the cards. Several landed on his shoulder, where they flowed down his sleeve like water to rejoin the deck. After another moment, he slapped the deck onto the table.

"Care to cut the deck before we get started?" he grinned.

Glancing around her, Rarity realized she didn't have much of a choice but to go along with Discord's scheme.

"Fine."

She removed the top half of the cards and set them under the bottom half before quickly withdrawing her hooves, as if the god of chaos were likely to take them if she wasn't hasty enough.

Rarity held her glare, not daring to let him out of her sight even for a second.

"Alright then, lets play."

The unmistakeable echo of carnival music pricked up a set of pink ears as an earth pony with a penchant for parties stirred from an uneasy sleep. Napping wasn't something Pinkie was known for, or even liked to do. Abundant energy rarely allowed her any time for sleeping, not that she needed it.

A few hours of sleep seemed to always be more than enough for her. The smell of fried foods and funnel cake drew her to her hooves as she surveyed the bright tents and booths of a carnival in the distance, set in a huge open field. The weather was perfect for a few rides and some cheap food, and soon Pinkie found herself bouncing merrily towards the sound of laughing foals.

As she entered the fairgrounds ready to have fun, something struck her as odd. The moment she crossed the gate, all the joyful sounds and smells that beckoned her stopped, as if cut off from her senses. The park was full of ponies of all species and ages, but they weren't moving. In fact, they seemed to be frozen in place. Their colors still stood out, so Pinkie knew they weren't stone, but they simply held still, frozen in their actions. Some were even frozen in impossible positions, such as the pair of foals now suspended in the air, frozen in the midst of a jump of joy.

"Hello?" she asked, waving a hoof in front of the pony selling tickets. The unicorn stared blankly ahead, face frozen in a yawn.

"What is with everypony?" she wondered aloud as she moved deeper into the carnival. After she took a few steps, an eerie feeling began to crawl up her spine. She glanced over her shoulder, her heart skipped a beat. The ponies she thought had been frozen in place now craned their necks in her direction, their soulless eyes staring right through her.

The black pits boring into her soul put a lump in her throat as she continued to walk backwards, relived that they didn't appear to be moving while she looked at them.

She quickly looked back around and saw the ponies in front of her staring too, closer than she remembered them being when she had first turned. They were moving towards her while her back was turned! Realizing this, she whipped around only to see the first few ponies inches from her face.

Now she could get a good look at these...things.

She gasped.

They weren't ponies, that much she knew. No irises, pupils or even whites. Just large, impossibly dark orbs.

Pinkie shrank back in terror, unwilling to turn her back on them for fear of what they might do. Eventually, horror won out, and she fled through the first gap she spotted.

As she ran through the crowd of…things, she noticed with a dull sort of horror that they all sported the same cutie mark, if it could be called that: a capital ‘P’ that looked as though it had been carved into their flanks, through it had no depth or blood.

Pinkie fled farther into the carnival, passing hordes more of frozen patrons. As she galloped past, their eyes blackened, and their necks slowly turned to follow her.

As she ran, she could hear the thunder of hooves on ground behind her. A quick glance back and the mob of terror appeared frozen mid sprint, unmoving. Pinkie thought about keeping her eyes on them so she could run, but she knew she had to watch where she was going or-

She collided with a snack stand, sending the powdered sugar to cover the funnel cakes into her face.

Unable to see anything, she scrambled to rub the debris from her eyes.

As she kept her blurry eyes on the mob still frozen behind her, the organ music began again, only this time it carried with it a sense of comfort, of safety, on the breeze it floated. Pinkie felt drawn to it. After getting to her hooves, she continued her sprint, picking up even more followers as she went. She had no idea what they wanted, but did not want to stay and find out. Unfortunately, she feared just giggling at these particular ghosties wasn't going to cut it.

After a few more alleyways between stalls and tents, she found the source of the music, a big top in the center of the carnival.

Glancing behind her, she sighed having lost the mob. She didn't want to stay out in the open any longer than she had to, so the earth pony gladly ducked into the tent, a welcome reprieve from this bizarre circus.

The interior of the tent was quite musty, the smell of sawdust on the ground greeted her nose as well as the blasting of light into the main ring via unseen spotlights.

"Hello Pinkie Pie!" a voice echoed through the canvas castle.

The spotlight focused on Discord dressed in a ringmaster's outfit.

"I've been looking forward to this!" he added clapping his hands together.

Pinkie raised a confused eyebrow. "Discord? Oh..." All her memories came back to her, realizing this was most likely a result of the fog. Luckily for her, Pinkie had some experience delving into her subconscious. She had done so when she was very young to subdue a certain aspect of her personality that most found...rather unpleasant.

In her dreams she fought to hide what was arguably another persona all together. One that Discord had taken immediate interest in upon his arrival.

"Why are you in my head?"

"The fog, remember?" he asked producing one of Pinkies beloved pink clouds. "Thirsty?"

She wasn't sure how often she would get the chance to enjoy this particular treat once they locked Discord up again, so she took him up on the offer.

"How come you've been looking forward to me?" she asked in between gulps, not too concerned about her overall situation or the creepy pony-like things that had been chasing her earlier.

"Because my dear, you and I are the most alike!"

"I like making ponies happy, silly!" she informed him smiling. "You make ponies miserable, we're pretty opposite."

"Well, our professions not withstanding, I found a certain somepony imprisoned here and I thought you might enjoy a reunion with your childhood friend."

Pinkies ice blue eyes shot open. Her usually joyful expression now twisted into a furious glare. "I know, you didn't release her," she said gravely.

Discord simply smiled, "I'm afraid I did, but she's been wanting to talk with you for a while now, so being the good hearted fellow I am, I let her out. She did a wonderful job with your welcoming committee wouldn't you say?"

With that, another spotlight focused high above them, where a pink earth pony with a straight pink mane slowly descended on a tightrope.

Pinkie's eyes narrowed. "Pinkamena." she spat.

"Pinkie." the identical pony stepped off the rope smiling wryly. Her voice held similar to Pinkies, only with a much more somber tone and air about her. Not like the normally bubbly party planner at all. "It's been a long time."

"Not long enough, if you ask me." Pinkie huffed.

Pinkie had struggled for years to keep this little mental 'splinter' in check, and once she had, she decided to leave her parents rock farm for a life with a bit more excitement. Now, thanks to Discord, all that work would have to be redone. For the first time in her life, she felt a genuine anger build toward the two of them.

Pinkamena's grin widened, a feral glint in her eye, "You keep telling yourself that. You can push me back into the shadows, bury me in the deepest recesses of your mind and yet...I persist." she paused, taking in the full form of her identical counterpart.

"Why do you try to hide me? Are you ashamed of me? Ashamed of the part of you that helped shape who you are?"

"You did nothing but put me down!" Pinkie growled, "I'm a better pony because I got rid of you!"

"Is that right?" Pinkamena purred, sliding around behind her twin. "What is hiding beneath all that laughter, and that ridiculous, poofy mane of yours?"

Pinkie was transfixed by her voice, not speaking or moving as Pinkamena returned to face her. The straight maned pony stared into her eyes, as though into her very soul.

"Oh right. I, am what's hiding beneath the laughter. Just below the surface I've waited for the chance to finally get you on my terms, and here you are."

Pinkie finally found her voice. “You weren’t hiding anywhere! You’re just a Voice in my head! You. Aren’t. Real!

Pinkamena giggled maliciously at her rebuttal, "Deny all you want, you naive little filly. You know without me, you'd be nothing. It was I who drove you to move off your parents rock farm, it was I, who drove you to seek out something better than what we had, and you repay me by attempting to purge me from your consciousness?

"Well, that's gratitude, I guess." Pinkamena added.

"Nopony liked you Pinkamena, that's why you had to go!"

"I didn't care whether anypony else liked me!" the straight maned earth pony stepped forward, her teeth barred in anger, "I only cared that you did." she hissed.

Discord smiled. He’d known there was some history between the two, but never realized it would be quite this…colourful. Or that Pinkamena’s history would mirror his so closely.

“We were best friends back then!” the repressed figment continued. “We didn’t need anypony! But you sent me away, never to see you again…”

"Until now." Pinkie completed.

For a moment, she felt a pang of guilt. What she had done seemed a lot more mean-spirited now, when she was confronted by a face, with actual feelings, instead of just a whispering voice in the back of her head.

Then she remembered why she had banished Pinkamena in the first place. Any time Pinkie had felt proud of an accomplishment, or felt happy in any way, she heard Pinkamena’s voice in the back of her mind, a nagging negativity that always tried to pawn off her accomplishments, and generally rain on her parade. It had pushed her nearly to the point of depression before she finally decided enough was enough and drove the figment into the depths of her subconscious.

"Now you've got your real friends. Applejack, Twilight, Rainbow and the like." she added, coming closer to Pinkie, the party pony unfazed by her advances.

"I see them. All the fun times, the happiness, the laughter. I've seen it all. I know everything you do.All the adventures, all the good memories…things I’m only allowed to see from the inside looking out."

Pinkie bit her lip. “Would it…would it help if I said I was sorry?”

Her counterpart actually seemed amused by the idea. “Sorry? You’re sorry? That’s just supposed to make everything better?”

“I just-“

“Do you have any idea what it’s been like in here? Watching you laugh, play, party the night away…while being cut off from it all?”

“Pinkamena, listen to me-“

“No, you listen,” Pinkamena snarled. “I’ve watched you carry on, oblivious to my pain, for nineteen years. Discord here’s offering me an opportunity to escape. And you know what? I’m going to take it!”

Pinkie stiffened. “What? No! You can’t do that!”

“I don’t think you have a say in the matter,” Pinkamena snarled. “I sure didn’t.”

“But…then Discord will win.”

The repressed figment snorted. “As if I care. He promised me freedom. You just promised me a prison.”

“I’m sorry for what I did to you, really!” Pinkie yelled, tears starting to track down her cheeks. “But Discord’s going to destroy Equestria! What’s the point in controlling my body if everything’s going crazy?”

That gave Pinkamena pause. “Is this true?” she asked the draconequus.

Discord shrugged. “In a sense. What does it matter? I help you, you help me.”

Pinkamena’s eyes narrowed. “Letting the world burn was not part of my plan.”

“Since when did your plan have anything to do with it? You’ve never been in control.”

The repressed figment glared at the deity, her rage reaching a slow boil. “You…you played me for a fool! Did you even plan on helping me?”

Discord shrugged. “Well, I may as well come clean. I was only planning on helping you as long as it benefitted me.”

“Well, not any more!” Pinkamena snapped. “We’re done!”

Discord frowned. This certainly wasn't going according to plan. But as the old saying goes, when a door closes, a window opens.

“Well, you two are no fun,” he complained, snapping his fingers, and bringing up the house lights in the circus tent. “Looks like I’ll have to start the party myself.”

To both pink ponies’ horror, the stands were crammed with the things that had chased Pinkie on the way in. A swarm of black eyes slowly turned toward them, and they began shuffling toward the center of the ring.

Before long they found themselves surrounded on all sides by a horde of ravenous monsters.

"Pinkamena, you can stop them whenever you feel like it!" Pinkie said getting more and more nervous as they approached.

"I've been trying! They aren't listening to me anymore!"

"Well this is an interesting scenario isn't it? Can one be mauled to death by figments of ones imagination?"

Discord smiled, clapping his hands together happily, "Lets find out!"

Ch.23 Laughter & Generosity Pt.2

DISCORD'S REIGN

Chapter 23-Laughter & Generosity Pt.2

Rarity glared at the deity of chaos before her, casually tracing circles on the felt of the table.

“At long last I get a one on one with the Element of Generosity,” Discord said, continuing to shuffle the cards. “Tell me…do you and Tom still keep in touch?”

That was the final straw. “Can we please get this over with? I wish to put you back where you belong, and quickly.”

Discord held his grin, taking her venomous words in stride.

"Now Rarity, is that any way to thank the being that allowed you to enjoy the fantasy world you had been so enthralled with earlier?"

Discord shifted as he stood ready to deal the cards, "For the element of generosity, you certainly are stingy with your appreciation. Tell you what, if you win one hand, I'll release you from the fog to fight me with your friends. Sound fair?"

Rarity knew he controlled everything around her, and figured if he had wanted to hurt her, he'd have done it already. At least she had a chance.

She nodded.

"Which brings me to why you're here in the first place. But before we take a leisurely stroll down that road, why don't we play a hand or two?"

The god of chaos placed a card in front of him face down, as well as one in front of her, her ante having magically set itself on the table next to her cards. Another card, this time face up showed a ten, but instead of the normal suits, it appeared four of the elements of harmony made up the lesser cards suits, while her friends images adorned the face cards, as well as the alicorn princesses.

Rarity used her magic to check her cards. A ten and a seven, a dangerous hit to take. Discord had an ace showing, with Spike's picture on it, though he looked rather sad. Unsure whether the cards themselves carried any meaning, Rarity knew the faster this was over, the faster all of them could go back to their normal lives.

"I'll stay."

Discord grinned, flipping his cards over. An ace and an eight, almost a dead pony's hand.

"Nineteen. One loss, Lady Rarity." the chimera mocked taking her chips and discarding the previous cards.

"Funny thing about generosity, in order to be generous, one must achieve total selflessness. The ancients believed this could only be obtained through years of meditation, yet you just happen to be the embodiment of such an abstract concept," he explained as he dealt another hand, showing the queen of hearts, on which princess Luna's likeness appeared.

Rarity glanced down at her cards; a six and a two.

"You've never meditated a day in your life, have you?"

The alabaster unicorn ignored his question with a rather blunt statement, "Hit me."

Discord flipped another card over in front of her.

Big Macintosh, the king of hearts.

She smirked at the likeness, figuring she had Discord beat this time.

“And yet here you are, the element of generosity,” he continued. “Things always came easily to you, didn’t they?”

Rarity gritted her teeth and answered, for no other reason than to cut off his monologue. “One could say that. Fashion and design has always been by forte, ever since I was a filly.”

"And you certainly are generous. You've made formal wear for your five friends free of charge, and supply those in Ponyville who desire clothing with designs, I've seen the advertisements." Discord added, flipping his own cards over. Celestia and Prince Blueblood, the ace of spades and jack of diamonds, respectively.

Twenty one; he won again.

"But lets talk about a certain someone you aren't exactly generous with, emotionally." Discord said, smiling and studying her face for a reaction.

Rarity’s composure slipped for a moment. She knew exactly who he was talking about. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she insisted, feigning innocence, as Discord dealt the next hand.

"Really? Come now am I going to have to draw it out of you?" he asked.

The fashion conscious unicorn bit her lip. Stonewalling wasn't going to work if Discord had access to her entire subconscious. Better to come clean now...

She let out a heavy sigh, "Spike..."

"There it is. Your old pincushion and ever faithful helper. Never asking for any reward, or payment, and happily aiding you in all your fashion endeavors. Even on his birthday, the one day a year when he is supposed to be the center of attention, and he is supposed to be receiving tokens of affection from his friends, what did you ask of him?"

It appeared as though he was going to make her admit to every time she might have taken advantage of Spike's feelings.

"I asked to use the gem he had found to make a necklace-"

"A necklace for whom?" Discord interrupted, a glare and a smile across his face.

Rarity swallowed, disgusted with the way she felt after looking back on her actions, "For me...But he said he wanted me to have it!"

"Really? Perhaps you'd like a little background on that particular gemstone. Surely you didn't think it came out of the ground shaped that way?"

The dragon had assured her he had found it that way, and insisted that he wanted her to have it. On the other hoof, a possible second meaning of the stone was nagging at her. It had been heart-shaped for a reason, after all.

"He spent countless nights carving it, absolutely certain this one gesture would be enough to win your heart. He built up the courage to give it to you as he counted the days until his birthday, when he would see you again. He almost ate it at the last minute, but then you arrived, and gave him the courage to go through with it, as soon as you expressed interest."

Rarity blinked hard, her vision blurring. Spike had always been so helpful and kind, even more so to her than Twilight. And what had she done to repay him? A jeweled bow tie once, that had been discarded from another project anyway, after he had been a pincushion for the better part of three hours.

She fought to maintain her composure, but ultimately failed, finding herself swamped in guilt. She had strung the baby dragon along for free service, and given him almost nothing in return. Evan after he had gotten ahold of himself on his first Ponyville birthday, he was even ready to confess his feelings, but she had silenced him. It wasn’t the truth she was afraid of; she’d known long before the two of them were free-falling to their doom.

But to hear the words aloud would erase the hope that allowed the unicorn to sleep at night. The hope that it was simply a passing infatuation, and like all young loves, would simply pass.

She had viewed Spike platonically, and had never given it a second thought. A sick feeling began to rise within her. How could she honestly call herself the element of generosity when she's breaking a little dragons heart with each passing day, yelling at her sister for simply being a filly, and sometimes simply making excuses to get out of helping others when they asked for it.

She gave up maintaining her elegant façade and let a few tears darken the felt between her forelegs.

I've been so cruel to Spike...I'm just as much a monster as Discord...

"You took his heart and ran with it, now he longs for something he cannot have," Discord added, dealing the next hand.

"And I thought I knew how to make beings miserable." he mused, dealing the next hand.

Rarity took a desultory glance at her cards, eyes brightening when she saw an ace of diamonds. This could be my ticket out of here! she thought as she waited for the next card.

"Oh, so sorry. I win again." Discord chirped, having twenty one showing before him once again. "And look! It appears you're out of chips!"

Rarity glanced beside her; sure enough, her respectable stack had vanished within a few hands.

"Not to worry, I've got you covered," he said, producing six chips from between his talons.

"Pay special attention to these chips my dear, they are worth more than their denominations indicate."

Rarity took a better look at them, unable to find any denominations at all. Each one, however, was a different colour, and bore the cutie mark of one of her friends.

"You're a high roller now Ms. Rarity, are you ready to up the ante?"

"If it gets me out of here," she hissed

"Thats the spirit!" Discord shuffled the cards once more as he explained the significance of the chips. "The chips before you may seem a tad familiar. For this round, you'll be betting with something a little more valuable than plastic."

A snap of his fingers caused the chips to glow. Upon second inspection, the reverse side of the chip held an image of the owner of the cutie mark on the front.

"These chips represent your friends consciousness. Without this, they are nothing more than a breathing organism, comatose, if you will. No speech, no personality, no nothing. Now, are you willing to gamble such immeasurable value, for such a simple reward?"

Gamble with her friends minds? That certainly didn't sit well, especially not after all the reflection of her less than stellar performance as a friend, much less the element of generosity. But she had to beat Discord somehow!

A realization hit her like a ton of bits, her unsure and broken features now sharpening up. She was ready to beat the god of chaos at his own game. She wasn't exactly proud of her idea, but if it deserved to be set into motion against anyone, it was Discord.

"Fine. I'll take that bet. How much per hand?"

"One consciousness to play, madame." Discord answered dryly, trying to hold back a grin. He had the unicorn right where he wanted her. But Rarity had a different idea. If you can’t beat them…cheat.

She threw the white chip between them, smiling. Discord noticed with some disdain that it was her own psyche on the table.

"How noble of you-"

"Discord darling, would you mind if I dealt this hand?" she asked, her confidence restored in her plan.

Discord frowned. He’d manipulated enough ponies to know when something was up. But he saw nothing in her expression, and no harm in letting her deal.

"Very well." he slid the deck across the table to her, eyeing her suspiciously.

Rarity gripped it in her magic and began to shuffle them. "You don't mind if I re-shuffle these do you?"

"Be my guest."

Soon her shuffling became more and more outlandish, the cards arcing from one hoof to the other, behind her back then around her chest again before settling neatly in front of her. All the while, she had arranged the proper cards in the proper order to surely best the chimera before her. She honestly never believed that the card tricks she learned to entertain Sweetie Belle before she could talk would ever be useful for anything other than making a filly giggle. Rarity prayed she shifted the cards in the proper position while shuffling.

"Shall we?" she grinned.

Discord was certain she was up to something. But his curiosity had been piqued, and he decided to let her have her way. After all, this was just a game to kill time until the real guest of honor arrived in Canterlot.

Rarity quickly levitated a pair of cards before him, and did the same to herself. Discord glanced down at his cards, a grin spreading across his face. A pair of queens.

"Well?" Rarity asked, "Hit or stay?"

"Stay."

Rarity nodded, flipping over her card to reveal a pair of sixes.

Discord held back a laugh. It looked as though he'd be playing cards with a coma patient next hand.

"Hm...looks like I'll have to take a hit!" she added after pretending to ponder her next move.

Rarity flipped the next card, then another, then another.

Ace of spades, ace of hearts, ace of diamonds, all in a row.

Discord couldn't help himself, letting out a soft chuckle before expressing his amusement, "Maybe you should have stacked the deck a little more carefully."

"Ahem." Rarity had her hoof stretched out across the table, pointing to the decorative words that covered the table. The sentence she was pointing to made Discord scowl in disgust. How could he have not noticed that?

"Do you know what that says, Discord? I don't have my reading glasses on me..." she grinned, knowing full well she just bested the normally all powerful god of chaos.

"Five under twenty one pays." he growled, conceding victory to the alabaster unicorn.

"I think I stacked the deck quite nicely." she added in response to his earlier comment, using her magic to yank him face to face with her, nearly pulling Discord across the table.

"Next time you feel like galavanting around in somepony's subconscious, you better remember who's in charge of it." she hissed, releasing him from her grip as she gathered her chips/friends psyches.

She had cheated, and beat him at his own game, all while he was none the wiser. Discord's usual smile returned quickly. He liked this mare.

"I must apologize, I obviously didn't give you enough credit! Perhaps it was you I should have been matching wits with instead of Twilight Sparkle."

Rarity took the compliment in stride, and stood from the table, moving toward the ornate doorway standing behind Discord.

"I enjoyed our time Ms. Rarity! I'll have to come up with a better game next time!" he called to her.

Rarity stopped at the gateway, glancing over her shoulder in disgust, "There won't be a next time for you, Discord."

She's fiesty. I like that...

Pinkamena and Pinkie stood back to back against the approaching horde.

"Any ideas on how we can get out of this mess?" Pinkie asked, noticing Pinkamena's attention drawn above them. A single rope beginning to lower itself down to them.

"Hang on tight!" Pinkamena ordered, before taking a tight grip on the rope between her teeth. Pinkie threw her forelegs over her counterparts shoulders and clung to her as the rope suddenly flung them upwards at an incredible speed, causing an involuntary shout of excitement from Pinkie to echo around the tent. The canvas ceiling split apart as they rocketed toward it, allowing them to exit. Once outside the tent, Pinkamena let go of the rope. A quick free fall onto the roof of the big top let them slide down the angular canvas roofing and land safely on the ground.

“There isn’t much time,” Pinkamena snapped. “They’ll sniff us out if we don’t hide. C’mon. I know a place.”

Pinkie watched in awe as Pinkamena drew a circle with a few runes inside it into the dirt, suddenly transforming into a portal in the ground.

“Wowee!” Pinkie squealed, following her counterpart through the portal. “How do you know all this stuff?”

Pinkamena reached back through with a foreleg and shut the portal behind them before answering. “My subconscious is your subconscious,” she said matter-of-factly. “I just know it better than you."

The portal spat them out in a library like environment. A few tall shelves stretched toward the impossibly high ceiling, while a few dusty candelabras lit the room. It was rather dank and stuffy, but this was to be expected as the room appeared to be hewn out of solid rock, with no visible means of entry or exit. In the corner there was a magnificent four poster bed, with matching pink sheets, as well as a fireplace, a comfy if not old looking armchair, and in the opposite corner of the room, sat odd photographs of her friends. Pinkie stepped cautiously as she noticed what made the pictures so weird. The ponies inside seemed to be alive! They were moving around inside their frames, expressions conveying contentment despite being trapped in an eight-by-ten inch prison.

"Those are you friends." Pinkamena's voice echoed from behind her. "How you envision them, anyway."

Each frame was representative of the pony inside it. Pinkie turned her attention back toward her counterpart.

"How did you get them in there?"

"They aren't in there." Pinkamena scoffed, "This whole place is just a metaphor representing the abstractness of thought!"

Pinkies curiosity undeterred by her remark, she continued her questions. It seemed Pinkamena to be more of an opposite personality to her own. An apparent appreciation of books, stillness and reflection.

"The book shelves are your memories. Lessons learned, skills, abilities, everything you've ever known, forgotten, or thought about knowing is in here," The straight maned pony explained as she walked toward the large shelves with Pinkie, anticipating her question.

"So...you live here?" Pinkie asked, finding a touch more empathy for Pinkamena within herself than she would have thought after seeing her living conditions for almost two decades.

"For nineteen years. Compiling your memories, reading and categorizing each one, all the while making none of my own."

For the first time since arriving, Pinkie noticed a frown instead of a scowl form across Pinkamena's lips.

"All that I have is because of you. Without you, I wouldn't exist...and yet, I despise you for keeping me here." she spat.

Though her words were meant to be harsh, Pinkie's eyes began to well with tears. She hated to see anypony hurt, and yet she had unknowingly kept this pony in constant torment.

"I'm sorry Pinkamena...I didn't know you had your own thoughts and feelings!" Pinkie pled, repeating her case as she did while they were under the big top, "I just thought you were a voice in my head!"

"Well you thought wrong." the straight maned earth pony countered. "Now you get to live out the rest of your days trapped in here with me. Let's see how you like it."

Pinkie's jaw dropped in disbelief. "I thought you were going to help me escape!"

Pinkamena smiled cruelly, "Just because I stopped helping Discord, doesn't mean I'm going to start helping you."

Pinkie frowned in confusion, "Then why did you help me escape the tent?"

The figment giggled, "So you could spend the rest of your life with me."

The element of laughter pouted in defeat, trying to figure out how to avoid the rest of her days stuck in her own head.

"So pick a corner, and get ready for a lot of quality time with your old friend Pinkamena!" the straight maned pony laughed cruelly, taking a seat in her armchair, simply watching Pinkie.

"This is my subconscious right?" she asked

Pinkamena raised a curious eyebrow, "Yeah, for the second time."

"Then how come I can't just make a portal to leave right now?"

Pinkamena rested her head on her hoof in boredom, "Nothing's stopping you," she said shifting to cross her forelegs, "go ahead."

Her look of amusement should have warned Pinkie that this was easier said than done.

She scrunched up her face in concentration as she thought hard about opening a portal back to reality, but producing nothing other than a mild headache.

"You act like my abilities are something I was born able to do. When you spend the years in here I have, you can do anything, you want." Pinkamena still held her apathetic expression.

"Given a few years, you'll probably be able to get out of here yet!" she laughed, seeming to delight in her counterparts misery.

"Will you please let me out?" Pinkie asked as politely as possible.

"No."

"Puhhleeeeaaase?"

"Nope."

"Pretty please?"

"No!" Pinkamena growled, tensing in her chair.

Pinkie pouted. “Fine.”

Untold hours went by as the two earth ponies sat with each other in the dank, stone-walled room. Pinkie's eyes wandered near the tall shelves that stretched endlessly toward the ceiling.

"What are the books in the shelves?"

Pinkamena groaned, "Your memories,"

"Have you read them all?"

"You don't read them," the figment said, shifting uneasily in her chair, "you experience them. And no, there are millions."

"Do you have a favorite?"

Pinkamena frowned, she hadn't expected her counterpart to be this chatty when faced with eternal imprisonment.

After a long pause, the figment relented. "Well, there is one..."

A book floated down from the middle of the shelf, as if held by unicorn magic neither could produce.

The old tome opened in front of her, a light shining from within its pages as thought the book held the sun itself. Its light filled the room and soon Pinkie was no longer in the walled, dingy cave; but back on her parents rock farm with her two sisters.

"Remember this day, Pinkie?"

"I do! It was the day we got our cutie mark!"

The first and up until then only sonic rainboom arced across the clear sky as the pink filly's eyes lit up like diamonds.

"This was the last time you and I were whole. After this day, we split apart." The memory faded from around them and soon the dark walls of the cave welcomed back the pair.

"That was the last memory I experienced before being sent here." she added in disgust, "The others...aren't the same. I wasn't there to experience them. They're your memories, not mine."

Thinking quickly, Pinkie devised a ploy to try and get her grumpy counterpart to let her out of her eternal sentence.

"So you've never seen any of these? Or any of the happy memories past when we were young?" she asked, pointing a hoof toward one of the higher shelves.

"I told you, I only relive the memories I made." she explained, though Pinkie's sharp ears picked up on the subtle sadness behind her words.

"Why?"

Pinkamena's face twisted into a scowl, "Because I can't look at the other ones okay?!"

Now we're getting somewhere! Pinkie thought.

"What do you mean you can't?"

Pinkamena stood from her chair, striding over with a look of intensity she had never seen on her face before.

The figment skidded to a halt in front of her, inches from her nose, "I can't...because you won't let me."

A puzzled expression crossed Pinkie's face as she scooted back a few steps from Pinkamena.

"I won't let you?"

Pinkamena's expression dropped, the look on her face suggesting she had said more than she had meant to. "Well...not exactly you."

The figments expression softened while she spoke. Having been alone for so long had taken such a toll, she couldn't help but feel a weight begin to lift from her shoulders as she aired her grievance.

"I...I'm afraid to look at any of the others."

This struck her as odd. Pinkamena seemed to be the one in control of this place, yet she was afraid of something as harmless as a memory; a happy memory at that.

"You're afraid?" Pinkie asked shifting uneasily, "Of what?"

This wasn't going according to plan. Pinkamena was supposed to imprison Pinkie as she had been, but something about having her physically with her began to chip away at the moment she had waited years for.

"I'm...I'm afraid to look at them, because I'm afraid...that you're happy without me."

Pinkie cocked her head to one side, curiously "I didn't...I..."

She couldn't argue the fact that her life had improved once she had to stop fighting another entity for control over it.

Pinkamena closed her eyes tightly, knowing her real counterpart couldn't admit that she was right.

"I'm sorry Pinkamena...I didn't think you'd end up like this, I just thought you disappeared once I got rid of you."

The figment glared at her through slits in her eyelids, "You thought wrong."

Pinkie couldn't take the guilt any longer. The bubbly pink pony wrapped her forelegs around Pinkamena, feeling the figment tense up beneath her hooves at the unexpected show of affection.

Pinkamena had never known the touch of another real being, only those that she created in this realm. A strange feeling began to snake down her spine, starting in her chest. Warmth? Was this what being hugged felt like? Pinkamena looked down at the poofy mane beneath her chin. Even after agreeing to help an enemy, and imprisoning her in her own mind forever, she still wanted her to feel better?

The figment quickly regained her senses and shrugged the earth pony's hug away, taking a few cautious steps back.

"Keep your hooves to yourself!" she snapped, though Pinkie saw right through her ploy. The hug had meant something, and and Pinkie knew it. Since she was short on decor, and was without the trusty party cannon, she decided to drive her point home with a some water works.

"Pinkamena...why are you afraid of being happy?" she asked wiping the tears from her eyes. Though the tears were part of the plan, they weren't any less real. The thought of somepony, especially what was essentially herself spending so many years without so much as a smile brought great sorrow to the normally fun earth pony's heart.

Pinkamena opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again, unable to find the right words to answer such a seemingly innocuous question.

"Because...I'm afraid if I do, I'll just...lose the feeling. I've held onto my anger and hate for so long, now that you're actually here, at my mercy, I can't do a thing to you, because I don't feel that way anymore."

Pinkie sighed in relief, yet probed further, "Well that's good! Who wants to feel all angry all the time anyway?"

Pinkamena groaned, "It's not a good thing! I can't feel them anymore, no matter how hard I try!" the figment shifted in her chair as Pinkie took a few steps toward her.

"I'm afraid if I feel happy...I'll enjoy it, only to be stuck with it for so long that I'd get used to it, and feel nothing again...just like right now." she spoke somberly, Pinkie swearing she noticed her counterparts lip trembling as she spoke.

"Well, have you ever felt happy before?"

"Were you even listening?" Pinkamena snapped in annoyance.

"Yeah!" she responded, going over to the shelf and scanning the shelves within reach. "And I am happy, but that doesn't mean I'm happy because I got rid of you! You're part of me, and wether we like it or not, we're stuck with each other."

Pinkie grabbed the spine of one of the books in her mouth and trotted happily over to her figment, the tears of moments ago now long forgotten in true Pinkie Pie fashion.

She tossed the book in Pinkamena's lap, eliciting a quizzical stare.

"What's this?"

"It's one of my favorites. It's the day I threw a surprise party for Twilight when she first came to Ponyville!" she added happily, opening it and allowing the bright light to flood the cave once again, and transport them to another time and place.

Pinkamena stared in awe at the interior of Twilight's library. It was filled with books of all kinds, but at the moment it was filled with ponies of all kinds, waiting to surprise Twilight Sparkle upon her arrival back home.

"See? This isn't so bad is it?"

Pinkamena shrugged, "I guess not..."

"She's coming! Everypony hide!"

The ponies in the memory all hid while Pinkie and Pinkamena stood in the center of the room, watching the door.

Ponies jumped from their hiding spots as the surprise went off without a hitch. Pinkie stole a glance toward Pinkamena, noting with a sly grin the beginnings of a smile tug at the corner of her lips.

Almost there...

"Pinkamena!" she shouted.

"What?" the figment replied, quickly burying her smile.

"How do you feel right now?"

She thought about it, and noticed for the first time in years, she did feel something.

Is this happiness? This is amazing!

"I...feel good. Do you feel this way all the time?" she asked curiously.

"Most of the time. And this was just one happy memory! I've probably got millions more I haven't even made yet!"

The memory ended and they found themselves right where they had left.

"You can relive any of my memories, any time you want!"

Pinkie wasn't done quite yet.

"Pinkamena, you know I'm the element of Laughter right?"

"Yeah. So?"

"Laughter is something you share with your friends, and when you do, you allow them to feel the same joy you're feeling." Pinkie explained, resting her forelegs on the armrest of the solitary chair. "I want you to laugh with me, Pinkamena."

Such a suggestion warranted a raised eyebrow from Pinkamena.

"No way."

"But you just-"

"No!"

Pinkie shelved that particular idea in favor of something equally as unlikely.

"Fine, you don't have to laugh...but...can you forgive me for what I've done to you?"

Pinkamena wasn't expecting that. She supposed they would just spend time in here torturing each other until their physical body died, but things had gone off the rails long before this point.

Something unexpected began to play across her lips, though it was exactly as Pinkie had planned. What started as a small grin, snowballed into a giggle, which then lead to a full blown laughter.

Pinkie joined in, and both ponies’ hoots of mirth echoed off the walls

"Pinkamena!" Pinkie said between gasps.

"What?" she answered in staccato laughter.

"How do you feel now?"

Pinkamena couldn't stop laughing if she tried. The feeling in her heart was simply devine. After years of emotionless existence, she finally let go of herself and allowed a moment of levity she wished could last forever.

As Pinkamena regained control of herself, she seemed to have changed personalities completely.

"What was it you asked me again?" she asked, still giggling slightly and wiping a tear from her eye.

"For you to forgive me, and let me out of here to fight Discord with my friends." she answered somewhat sheepishly.

"Hm...I can look at your happy memories...and you're still going to throw that party for me after all this is over with?"

Pinkie nodded sincerely, hoping she finally talked her way out of her own subconscious.

"Well...I guess I-"

"Oh there you girls are!" A thunderous voice echoed from the ceiling. Pinkamena jerked her head up. What? How did he find us? Only I can get to this place!

A portal opened above them, and Discord’s head poked through. “You certainly are a hard mare to find, Pinkamena! I’ve got some friends of yours who’ve been looking all over for you!”

With that, the pony monsters began climbing out of the portal, walking on the ceiling effortlessly as though they were also part fly.

"Pinkamena, I have to stop him! Will you please forgive me and let me out of here?" Pinkie was practically begging. The time for subtlety long since gone with their position compromised.

Pinkamena took one last look into the face that was essentially her own and nodded.

"I forgive you. Now go." she commanded, opening the portal against the farthest wall behind her.

"Thankyouthaknyouthankyou!" Pinkie babbled, hugging her straight maned counterpart one last time.

Reaching towards her ear, Pinkie gave her long forgotten sister something to hold on to while she was holed up in her mind.

"I love you Pinkamena. Please don't forget what laughter feels like."

Pinkie settled on all fours before realizing something rather obvious.

"Wait, why don't you come out with me! We can escape together!"

"No, we can't. Whoever goes through that portal, controls the body," Pinkamena explained, shifting to face the approaching horde of monsters, "two of us can't control the body at the same time."

"But...escape is your dream! You don't want to know what the outside world is like?" she asked, gambling with her own chance at freedom by continuing to ask questions.

"I do, but not like this. Not the way this freak has made it." she growled, glaring at Discord as he gleefully watched the monsters creep in.

"Just go Pinkie, you're running out of time!" Pinkamena demanded, using her control of the subconscious to bring parts of the cave crashing down on the approaching creatures, though not at nearly a fast enough pace to defeat them all.

"But I can't just leave you with these things!"

Pinkamena laughed for the second time in her life. "Don't worry about me. This is my domain."

With that, Pinkamena pushed Pinkie through the portal, the pink earth pony's last vision was one of a rare sight indeed. A smile on Pinkamena's face as she watched her go.

Ch. 24 Loyalty

DISCORD'S REIGN

Chapter 24- Loyalty

"Rainbow...Wake up."

The echoing voice pulled her from a deep slumber. As Dash regained her wits, she felt the softness of a cloud beneath her belly. Forcing her eyes open, she blearily took in her surroundings. She was on a cloud, about her size. This wasn't unusual, as she napped on clouds constantly when she wasn't flying. What was unusual, was that she had no memory of how she got here, or what she had been doing before she woke up. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she peered over the edge of the cloud. Nothing but a cloud layer below her, obscuring the ground. A glint of light from a distant cloud bank caught her attention.

Rainbow gasped as she recognized where the light had come from. The clouds in front of her were in fact the Pegasi city of Cloudsdale. Or, what was left of it. The skyscrapers that once reached proudly towards the sun now sat in ruin, some having collapsed completely, while others listed dangerously against its neighbor, threatening to fall at any moment.

"Come to me, Rainbow..."

The city itself seemed to call to her. Its voice seemed to convey a since of comfort, of safety. As unlikely as it looked, she felt following the voices orders would protect her from whatever had done this to her hometown. She pushed the cloud out from under herself as she spread her wings to catch the breeze. After a short flight, she landed at the edge of the city, the only sound to greet her was the lonely whistle of the wind through the ruins. The voice seemed to be coming from the cloudesium in the center of town. The once magnificent structure that served as the background for many a postcard had decayed nearly beyond recognition. The mighty walls now fallen, the seats and press boxes now collapsed in on themselves from what appeared to be decades of neglect.

The eerily quiet streets were nothing compared to the disturbing scene around her. Cloudsdale should be full of life, full of pegasi living out their lives as they planned. It was the capital of the old pegasi empire before the princess united pony-kind under a single banner. Yet here it stood, abandoned, floating where ever the winds pushed it, a lost city inexplicably crumbling from its lofty perch above the world.

How could this have happened? she thought as she slowly made her way to the center of town. Trash littered the streets leading up to the once glorious gateway to the cloudesium. It seemed as though it was just recently abandoned, but the wear on the structure itself suggested otherwise. A lump rose in Rainbow's throat as she continued her trek, passing beneath the crumbling archways and making her way into the stands, as the arena had no 'floor' to speak of.

"Finally, you've arrived."

That voice. It was terrifyingly familiar. Clouds from the decrepit structure began to move toward the center of the arena, forming into the unmistakeable shape of that which was responsible for all the pain and misery in this world. Discord sat on the cloudy hammock he created for himself, looking to Dash with mild disinterest.

"Glad you could make it."

Her wits regained, she remembered instantly the events leading up to this illusion. "What have you done to my city!?"

An aggravating smile was all the answer she received as he rolled on his side to face her.

"What I've done?" he repeated coyly, "No my dear, this is all your doing, I assure you."

Dash was dumbstruck. How could she have done all this? She loved Cloudsdale, and would never do anything to hurt anypony on purpose!

"Bull! I would never do this!" she snapped, "Especially to my own hometown!"

He kept his same, deviant smile as he continued to explain, "Well, I suppose you didn't do this directly, but you are responsible for the fall of Cloudsdale, nay, the entire planet!" he cackled in delight.

"Or, you would be, depending on the choices you make in the next few hours."

Dash's curiosity piqued, she figured she might as well let him finish his explanation. Her first encounter with Discord let her to realize that whatever he had planned to show her would be revealed, whether she liked it or not. She decided it best just to play along for the time being. At least until she and the other girls were able to put him back where he belongs.

"So what is this?" she said motioning her hoof to the dilapidated ruins of her former home. "What choice led to this?"

"This is but one of two outcomes, my dear. But this isn't all gloom and doom. Should you choose this fate, you will remain with her, for all the days of your life." With a snap of his fingers, she felt a presence behind her. A half turn was met with a loving tackle, as a straw colored mane brushed against her face, tickling her nose as the owner planted a flurry of kisses on her cheeks.

"Rainbow! Ah can't believe it's you!" Applejack said, stepping back and allowing her lover to stand. "Ah thought Ah'd never see you again..." she said, tears present in her eyes. Rainbow hated to see Applejack upset, nearly bringing tears to her own.

"I'm here now AJ." she whispered, embracing the mare she loved more than anything in this world. "Why'd you leave us Rainbow?"

Dash's confusion was obvious, "What? What happened here? Where are Twilight and the others?"

Just as Applejack opened her mouth to speak, a snap of talons zipped her mouth shut, before she disappeared in a cloud of orange smoke.

"Ah, ah, Applejack! We mustn't spoil the ending!" he said from behind Rainbow as she turned to glare at him.

"This is but one outcome, of one choice." he added, standing from his cloud and walking over to her on thin air. "The world lies in ruin, yet you get to live with your beloved, until the both of you are old and grey."

"And the other?" Dash asked impatiently. Discord smiled his trademark grin.

"Let's find out."

Another snap, and the two of them were transported to a vastly different place than the ruins of Cloudsdale. They seemed to be in Canterlot, the entire city now a bit more modern than the one she remembered. They floated above the city, no clouds to support them as Rainbow took in all before her. The royal palace was different, it was of similar design, but it certainly wasn't the old castle she recalled on her many trips to see the princess.

It seemed as though the entire city was celebrating something, though from this height, she couldn't say for certain what it was. One building beside the castle struck her as odd. It had never been there before, that much she was certain. It seemed to be some kind of temple, and while not as grand or imposing as the castle, it was still a marvel to behold. As if he could read her mind, Discord began descending towards it.

"Come, you'll enjoy this." he said as she followed him down to the steps of the structure she had been admiring from afar. Dash gasped as she took in the massive entranceway. Two statues flanked the long stairway leading to the entrance, both statues were of her! They held an imposing stance, one foreleg raised slightly, resting on what looked like a ball of lightning, her signature confident smirk adorning both the statues faces.

"Those...that's me!" Dash exclaimed excitedly, noticing her cutie mark adorning the massive double doors leading inside.

"That's right. This is the temple of lightning. Your temple. Should you choose this route, you will become a goddess among mortals. These ponies will practically worship you, your deeds, and your image." he said, beginning up the steps.

"Shall we have a look inside?"

She nodded quickly, bounding past him up the steps as Discord simply admired her enthusiasm. He was certainly no stranger to appealing to a ponies most easily manipulated emotions. Pushing the heavy oak doors open, Dash was greeted by a even larger statue of herself than the two outside, though this was one of her in the gala dress Rarity had made for her, inlaid with solid gold, and all kinds of jeweled accents. It certainly was fit for a goddess. Her ego swelled to immense proportions as she took in all the stained glass windows lining the walls. Each one depicted an important event in her life. Her first flight, her first and second sonic rainbooms, their first battles against Discord, and various other accomplishments she'd managed in her youth. As she took in the beautiful stained glass, she noticed a halo around her head in every image of her. Discord was right! She truly was treated as a goddess in this scenario!

The opulence of her temple gave way to a quiet sobbing, echoing around the high, vaulted ceilings. It seemed to be coming from the foot of the massive statue of her at the front of the temple. She hovered over to the front and noticed an orange mare laying on the altar, perhaps just out of fillyhood in a black leather jacket, her purple mane ragged as she continued to sob into her hooves.

Rainbow recognized the mare immediately, landing next to her softly.

"Scoots...what's the matter?" she whispered softly. The sobbing mare ignored her, as if she hadn't said a word. Dash reached out to comfort her number one fan, only to find her hoof passed right through her.

"What the..."

Rainbow's head whirled around as the temple doors flung open again, this time Applejack stood at the entrance.

"AJ! Thank Celestia you're here!" she said flying towards her marefriend before she too walked right through her on her way to the front of the temple.

"Ah thought Ah'd find you here." she whispered to Scootaloo, still gently crying beneath the statue.

"I-It's not fair..."

Applejack began to tear up as soon as the young mare spoke. She harbored the same pain in her heart, if not more so.

"Ah know it ain't sugarcube..."

"We were going to-!" Scootaloo shouted in anguish.

"Ah know darlin', Ah know." AJ consoled, though tears flowed freely from her eyes as well.

"She meant everything to me...I did everything to try and make her proud of me. I even joined the Junior Speedsters! How could she leave us like that?!" the tears of sadness streaming down the orange mares face now becoming tears of anger and frustration.

"She had to sugarcube...so we could live our lives the way we want to-"

"I don't care about that! I just want Rainbow back!" she sobbed.

"Ah know you do darlin'...so do Ah." Applejack took Scootaloo in her arms and held her tightly as they both wept beneath the monument to the mare who gave everything she had to ensure they would have a happy, chaos-free life.

Dash was dumbstruck. Before she even had time to grasp the implications of their words, Discord transported them out of the temple and onto the castle balcony, where Princess Luna, and the other elements of harmony stood, dressed in black. Even Scootaloo had managed to dry her tears enough to stand with the rest of them on the balcony. The normally sun red banners adorning Canterlots main street leading up to the castle were changed to the same dark shade of mourning. It appeared as though every citizen in Equestria had gathered beneath the castle for whatever was going on. A central lane stood cleared as Dash noticed the Wonderbolts march slowly, in perfect lockstep, carrying a flag draped casket on their shoulders. As it passed, the royal guards saluted one by one. None of her friends were able to hold their composure as the processions neared the castle, a solemn drumbeat announcing each step they took as they neared the occupants final resting place.

The quiet was unreal, as the Wonderbolts laid the casket to rest beneath the balcony, where a concrete monument had been constructed. The flag of Equestria was folded by Spitfire and Soarin as she gave the command to the other Wonderbolts to present hooves. After her command, every hoof gathered saluted the fallen hero. Soarin took the folded flag and flew up to the balcony, stopping in front of Applejack, who had broken down long before this point.

"On behalf of a grateful nation, and a proud flier, I present to you this flag, honoring the sacrifice Rainbow Dash has made, for all of us."

The color drained from Dash's face as those words reached her ears. Discord had brought her to her own funeral!

"Were you not curious as to how a mortal can reach the plane of the immortals?" Discord whispered to her, his apathy making her sick with anger. "Only through death, can one truly achieve immortality."

Princess Luna stepped forward to address the citizenry.

"Hail, my ponies."

"Hail, our princess!" the crowd roared in unison.

"I speak this day, with a heavy heart, as we commit our greatest flier, to the earth. Without the noble sacrifice made by Rainbow Dash, we would not be able to live our lives according to our will. Though she leaves behind many friends and loved ones, we must never forget what she would want for us." Princess Luna was arguably the only pony on the balcony besides the guards not on the verge of hysterics, though as the new ruler of Equestria, it was part of her royal duties to show strength when all others falter.

"Though our hearts are heavy now, we should not grieve for too long. Instead, we should celebrate the life of our friend and savior, my sister, and Rainbow Dash. We may commit her to the ground, but when you cast your gaze skywards, remember, she is all around us now, and would want us to be at peace, and appreciate what she has given us. A life free from the tyranny of Discord, and a chance to honor her memory, and Princess Celestia's..." Luna stopped, a hoof coming toward her face to remove a stray tear as she mentioned her beloved sister's name.

"Every day of our lives. Equestria prevails."

"Equestria prevails!" the gathered masses responded in unison. With a nod, a lonely trumpet belted out taps, the casket containing the fastest flier in Equestria slowly being lowered into the ground with the utmost respect and dignity.

Rainbow had no words for what she had just seen. This had to have been just another mind game. This couldn't be the only two choices she had!

"No...NO!" she shouted, fluttering away from the balcony. "This isn't real! It's just your stupid fog!" she shouted, tears streaming from her eyes at the thought of leaving her friends behind.

"Deny all you want, Rainbow. It's your fault I'm free from my prison in the first place."

"No it's not!"

Discord laughed, "But it is! Was a sonic rainboom over the statue garden really such a good idea? Let alone a double rainboom?"

"I should be thanking you, after all. If you hadn't pushed yourself for that double rainboom, I'd still be in my stone prison!"

"You're lying!"

"Afraid not, my dear. You, and you alone are responsible for freeing the deity that brought the world to it's knees!"

Dash flew towards the sun, a bright portal opening up before her.

"That's right Rainbow, run away from the hard choices. The time will come for you to decide whether or not you want the blood of millions on your hooves, soon enough."

The end is near. I know I said I'd release everything once it was complete, but I didn't want to keep you guys waiting any longer for a few new chaps.

Ch. 25 Endgame

Chapter 25- Endgame

Princess Luna found herself in a rather familiar setting. The endlessly-cratered and dead landscape of the moon stretched before her, though unlike the other ponies around her, she knew exactly where she was and what had brought her here.

"Make haste Discord, We haven't got all day," she called into the void, as if summoning the god of chaos. He appeared before her with a look of discontent.

"You're no fun. I must admit, your subjects were much more entertaining."

"Preying on the minds of the unfamiliar? How low can you sink?" she growled.

"Come now, it was all in good fun! After all, your sister is the main attraction. Any chance she'll be arriving to save you all sometime this millennia, or has she finally realized my power is undeniable?"

Luna scoffed. "We defeated you once, we will do it again."

The moon princess was unshaken by his threats, steadfast in the face of what appeared to be assured defeat.

"Time will tell, my dear," Discord mused. "but while we wait, there's someone I'd like you to meet." he snapped his talons, and a beast Luna knew had been banished from this realm came trotting out of the shadows: the black form of Nightmare Moon, her mane shining like blue fire, and her eyes glowing white like the sun. The essence of her transgression stood before her, ready to attack at a moments notice.

"Your tricks do not scare us, Discord," she snarled. The god of chaos simply cocked her head at her response, and a blast of magic suddenly filled her vision, flinging her into a nearby crater. It took her a moment to realize that the attack had not come from Discord.

Impossible… Luna thought, forcing herself to her hooves. Nightmare Moon was gone, wasn’t she? Panic clawing at her throat, she hurled herself out of the crater and flung a concentrated spear of power at the apparation, only to have it pass straight through.

"Now, is that any way to treat the energy that nearly brought your sister to her knees?" he asked as Nightmare Moon simply laughed at her attack.

"You aren't here to fight, you're here to become whole again!" Discord extended his talon, giving the signal Nightmare Moon had been waiting for. The darkness charged Luna, galloping full speed with magic charged in her horn. Just as she was about to slam into her, she became a cloud of black smoke upon contact. The noxious cloud quickly enveloped Luna, choking her in darkness as she fired spells wildly to try and hurt the evil magic.

"Don't fight it princess, Celestia imprisoned us both for 1000 years! Why would you take up her mantle after all she has done to you?"

"I love her! I'll never betray my sister again!"

"Betray her?" Discord chuckled, "Is that what she told you? Surely being on the moon didn't erase your memories too? You were to lead your army in glorious rebellion against your tyrant sister! Who do you think built the hellish pit of despair that is the Canterlot dungeons? Who purged the land of Equestria of non ponies by any means necessary? Who installed herself as supreme eternal leader over an entire race of creatures?"

Fight though she did, Luna could feel the darkness beginning to seep into her core. The shroud of hatred closed tighter and tighter around her like a python, cutting off her senses one by one until she fought for every breath. As she gasped, the darkness smothered her face, choking her completely. So this is it, she thought numbly. This is how it ends. I’m sorry, ‘Tia. I wasn’t strong enough.

“Luna!”

White-hot magic tore into the dark cloud, flinging it away from Luna’s body and into the dust of the moon. Luna looked up, shocked, unable to believe what she was seeing. “‘Tia?”

Her sister didn’t respond, instead flinging another blast of magic at the prone form of Nightmare Moon, rending the illusion into a hundred screaming scraps of shadow.

Discord whipped around in annoyance to see his primary target standing a few paces away.

"Let them go, Discord." Celestia growled. "Your quarrel is with me, and me alone," Another blast of magic sent the Nightmare Moon screaming into oblivion as the god of chaos smiled.

"I'm glad you're here—Now the real fun begins!" he snapped his talons, and the lunar backdrop melted away to be replaced by the middle of the street from which they had first teleported. Celestia had been providing a shield against the torrent of madness that raged beyond.

The other ponies began to wake up, realizing everything Discord had shown them to be an illusion.

"Girls, this fight is between Discord and I. I must order you to retreat."

Twilight glared at Celestia for what was probably the first time in her life. "I won't leave your side, princess."

Celestia did not have patience to argue, an angry stare crossing her regal features as well. "Disobeying a direct order is treason, Twilight,"

"Then I'm a traitor to Equestria."

"And so am Ah," Applejack added.

"And me," Dash chimed in from behind her.

"And I." Rarity said.

"Me... too." Fluttershy mumbled, although she looked like she'd rather be anywhere else.

"Don't forget me!" Pinkie pipped up.

"It appears as though you've got quite the bunch of turncoats, sister," Luna commented, standing next to her. "Now what say we put this beast back where he belongs?"

Discord smiled, ready to finish a fight thousands of years in the making, "Well then, let's get started!"

The fierce winds outside of Celestia's protective magic ceased blowing, retreating towards Discord, seeming to flow directly into his form. A gold aura of magic, the same color as Celestia's, gathered around his fists. The very fabric of reality began to warp around him as space and time bubbled and twisted his visage to unimaginable proportions.

"Can you feel it? Can you all feel the end coming?" he shouted, his voice warped by the sheer volume of chaos flowing through him.

"Elements, we must seal him in now!" Luna barked, charging a spell at the tip of her horn.

"Let's finish this, Girls!" Twilight commanded, as the magic flowed through her. She and her friends floated from the ground as the Elements of Harmony prepared for use once more. Discord eagerly awaited their attack.

"That's right," he mocked, holding his chest out, giving them a clear target. "I've taken everything from you, now destroy me!"

The magic of the elements united, forming the same prismatic beam of energy they had used to seal him in stone the first time they'd encountered the god of chaos. The energy constricted around him, slowly sealing him up from his mismatched paws to the tip of his horns.

The energy of the elements receded, and the fog began to dissipate.

Celestia smiled cautiously as a statue of Discord stood motionless where their foe had been standing.

Twilight gasped in relief, letting the tiara fall from her head, "We... we did it!"

As soon as the words left her lips, the statue shattered, revealing a very intact and very upset looking Discord.

"You'll have to do better than that!" he laughed, unfazed in the slightest by their onslaught.

"Impossible..." Celestia squeaked, unable to believe her eyes.

"Quit stalling Celestia, you know what it's going to take to defeat me!"

He released a swath of yellow energy toward the Elements and knocking them into the hard stone side of one of the ruins surrounding their makeshift arena.

Luna fired spell after spell at their foe, only to have it deflected away as if she were shooting peas at him through a straw. "What is he talking about?" she asked.

Celestia charged Discord, ready to destroy him or die trying.

"That's more like it!" he grinned.

Celestia fired a massive sphere of magical energy into his chest at point blank range, sending him tumbling backwards. It had merely knocked him off balance.

"Not bad, but tell me how you like this!" He dashed from the pile with unreal speed projecting five copies of himself around her. Unable to tell the real Discord from the copies, she took her only shot and fired into the one she believed to be her actual foe.

She was wrong.

A strong punch underneath her jaw sent Celestia skidding backwards toward her sister and the slowly recovering Elements of Harmony.

"Princess!" Twilight shouted, running to her mentor's aid as Discord readied another blast of chaotic energy.

Celestia shook the dust from her eyes, the unwelcome metallic taste of blood filling her mouth. She glared at Discord, who simply returned his same deviant smile, his eyes now completely yellow and pupil-less.

"I think it's about time we had some fun with the fog, don't you?"

"Luna, stand close to me," she coughed. "Girls! Come here, now!" Luna and the Elements gathered around her just as Discord released his fog, choking the ruined city once more.

In a flash, they left Canterlot and reappeared on a cliff, overlooking the battle zone that used to be the Equestrian capitol.

Once the others had realized they were no longer in danger, all eyes turned to Celestia.

"Why are we out here? We should be down there fighting Discord!" Twilight pled as her princess caught her breath.

"There is... but one way... to defeat him... now," Taking to her hooves and heading toward the edge of the cliff, she gazed at the capitol she had built. It was mostly obscured by his fog, but her castle still floated above the city, the clouds illuminated from time to time as Discord searched the ruins for where they had gone.

Luna stepped up behind her sister, seeing a line of moisture stream down her face.

"Give me the elements," Celestia instructed.

"Princess, I know we can beat him if we just—" Twilight began.

"Twilight, I command you to give me your element!" she snapped. This was not as easy choice for her to make, but she knew what Discord meant when had told her to 'stop stalling'.

Without further hesitation, Twilight and the other elements removed their regalia and placed them at her hooves. Luna and the others were quite perplexed by her request, with the exception of Rainbow Dash, whose silent tears hadn't stopped flowing since sealing Discord in stone hadn't worked.

How she wished Discord was a liar, or that what he had shown her was simply to toy with her emotions, but alas, it seemed he was foretelling the future. Luckily for her, no one had noticed.

A golden aura surrounded the Elements and the gemstones embedded in them removed themselves from their bindings and reattached onto Celestia's chest plate. The power within them surged through her, causing her mane to light ablaze with orange fire. She was certain this would attract Discord's attention, so she knew she would have to be quick with her goodbyes.

"Sister, what are you doing?" Celestia looked into the same eyes she used to know when they were but fillies, playing in their mother's front yard.

"Discord is my mistake. I created him; he is a part of me, and I will destroy him. It will take everything I have, but I cannot allow him to survive any longer."

Luna realized what she was saying. Her bottom lip began to tremble, "You... you cannot mean... surely there must be another way to—"

"There isn't." she interrupted. "He knows it, and so do I." Celestia was trying her best to keep her composure, though failing miserably. "Luna, you must rule as I have ruled. You must be fair and gracious in all matters of governance,"

"Stop! Do not speak like that sister!" Luna cried as the reality of their situation finally set in. "Please don't leave me..."

"It is the only way! I must go and face him alone," she whispered as she embraced her sister for the last time.

She turned to Twilight, whose tears had been flowing since Luna's began.

"My faithful student, have I ever told you how proud you have made me?"

Twilight sniffed, unable to even form proper words, let alone a sentence. Celestia knelt beside her, and her student flung her hooves around her dirty coat, sobbing deeply into her shoulder. "Please... Don't go..." she whispered.

Celestia was just as emotional as Twilight, having some problems forming a reply. "I must, my dear. You are to advise Luna in all matters..." she cooed.

"Please don't do this princess!" Twilight begged, finding her voice, and hugging her as though that alone would keep her there forever.

"Twilight, energy can be neither created, nor destroyed. You'll never be without me, I will simply be all around you."

She lifted her chin with a hoof to look into Twilight's teary eyes one last time.

Celestia stood, looking at the tearing faces of her other Element Bearers before noticing Rainbow Dash. Celestia knew she would need a exceedingly fast pony to break through the fog so she could properly attack Discord. It seemed Rainbow knew it too.

"Rainbow... do you know what I must ask of you?"

Dash swallowed hard. She had thought about this choice a lot in the past few hours. She knew she would never be happy without AJ, but also knew that a life on the run, constantly in hiding was no life at all. The decision was clear.

"Yes, I do," she replied confidently, her voice cracking a bit.

"What are you talkin' about?" Applejack asked, turning towards her lover.

"AJ... I love you, more than any pony in this world... that's why..." she began to choke on her words. She didn't want this, she wanted to be with Applejack forever. She wanted to marry her, adopt foals with her, eat burned dinners with her, grow old with her, and be beside her bed as she took her last breath.

Life however, isn't about wants. It's about needs, and right now, the world needed to be cleansed of Discord, and she was the only pegasus able to help do it.

"That's why I have to leave you," she finished,

"No, no, no, no, no, you can't! Ah love you too, you can't just... what do ya mean leave?"

Princess Celestia stepped forward to explain. "I must fly as fast as possible and collide with Discord while transferring every ounce of energy I have into him. I will only get one chance, and it is imperative that I crash directly into him. Rainbow must fly ahead of me to perform a sonic rainboom to clear out the fog so that I may have a clear shot."

"So? Then Rainbow can just fly back here, right?" Applejack hoped as Celestia continued her explanation.

"The resulting energy released with incinerate anything within at least four thousand yards of he and myself. I'm afraid she will not have the speed to make it out in time."

"Horsefeathers!" Applejack swore, "You're the fastest there is! You can make it, Ah know you can!"

"AJ listen: Discord showed me my options. If I don't do this, he'll win. I can't let him do that, since I'm the one that let him out in the first place."

All parties gasped. "What?" Twilight muttered.

"My sonic rainboom over the gardens set him free. Now I have the chance to put him back, and I'm going to take it," she admitted, her ears pinned back in shame.

She turned back to Applejack. "Don't forget about me, okay?" she whispered, planting a final kiss on her lips. Applejack was overcome with a heavy mix of emotions. She wished this kiss would last until her dying breath, but she knew the sweet taste of freedom that was always on Rainbow's lips would be fleeting. After a few moments, their lips separated.

"Please Rainbow... Ah'm begging you," she whimpered, out of options, and out of time. "Don't do this."

She wasn't going to make this easy, and this was already the hardest thing she would ever have to do.

"I have to. I made this mess, and I'm going to clean it up, so you can live and fall in love again—"

"Don't you dare say that!" AJ snapped, "Ah'll never love anypony but you!"

Rainbow could see Applejack was angry. In time, she hoped she would forgive her, but now she knew she had to let this argument go.

"I'll always love you AJ," she said softly, turning to face her friends. "I'll always love all of you."

Applejack attempted to physically keep Rainbow from flying into the sky with Celestia, only to have Twilight hold her back with magic.

"So help me Twilight, Ah'll never forgive you for this!" she screamed, more hurt than angry. Twilight was just as upset, but she knew the importance of what the two ponies were about to do.

"Celestia and Rainbow flew into the frigid upper atmosphere high above Canterlot as Dash fought to keep her chattering teeth from interrupting her words.

"What's the plan?" she asked.

"I'll need a sonic rainboom in the heart of the fog." she replied. "It will only clear it for a few seconds, but that should be all I'll need."

"Well, it's now or never."

Celestia couldn't help but admire the Element of Loyalty's bravado in the face of almost certain death. "You are not afraid?"

Dash scoffed. "Of course I am. But I know what's on the line. If it means dying, to keep my friends safe... then that's what I'll do. That's who I am."

Celestia nodded, proud of the pony she had chosen to so well represent that trait. "I'll be as close behind you as I can."

Dash nodded. "Then let's fly."

Rainbow dove toward Canterlot, the princess only feet behind her. As they flew Celestia reflected on the life she had lived. She was ready to go, she had served her ponies for thousands of years. The mare in front of her however, had only lived but a fraction of her lifespan. She had a mare that loved her, and she would gladly give that up in order to protect her future.

Something inside Celestia demanded she correct this injustice—and correct it she would. This was her mistake, and she'd be damned if she let another pony's life be lost to it. It risked everything, but her conscience had to be clear.

Rainbow came upon Canterlot and performed her rainboom perfectly, clearing out the fog and revealing the powerful form of Discord himself, staring straight up at the princess.

With a quick glance, the solar princess cast a small shield around her guide before using her remaining energy to slam horn-first into Discord.

Rainbow rolled onto her back, convinced that if she was going to die, she'd at least have front row seats to his execution.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as she watched Discord and Celestia impact, creating a blinding ball of white light that moved outward in all directions. She could see it rushing towards her but could do nothing to stop it. Her entire life played back before her eyes on the white hot screen of death, finally coming to an end with all her cherished memories of Applejack. She would miss her more than anything.

Eternity was a long time to spend without the pony you loved.

She closed her eyes as the wall of flame reached her, praying that it would at least be quick.

From the cliffs edge, a burning comet and a rainbow streaked toward the center of Canterlot, before exploding in a multicolored mushroom cloud than obliterated the floating castle and loomed ominously over the city. The ponies on the cliff shielded their eyes before daring to look upon the ruins of the Equestrian capitol.

As the dust settled, the cursed fog began to evaporate and the land started to return to normal.

Celestia and Rainbow Dash had done it. Discord had been defeated.

Luna teleported the others back to the enormous crater where they had attempted to fight the god of chaos. Of Celestia, there was no sign. And all that remained of Discord was an eagles feather, a lions paw goat's horn a dragon scale, and a small, grayed lock of Celestia's mane.

Applejack looked up, hoping against hope that she’d see a familiar rainbow streaking through the sky… but there was nothing, save a few clouds blown by the wind.

Applejack wearily trotted away from her friends to the rubble of Canterlot castle, taking off her hat, flopping down on her haunches, and crying silently. She should have felt happy that Discord had been defeated at long last, but all she could feel was heartache. How would she break this to Scootaloo? Just when the filly thought she'd found a home, it was ripped away from her. She supposed she'd take her in now, though she knew it'd be no substitute for her idol.

"Ah don't know if you can hear me Rainbow, but Ah'm sorry Ah got so upset over somethin' you did such a long time ago," she sobbed, taking a seat on some of the rubble. "Ah just wish you were still with me. First my parents, now you... Ah don't think Ah'm allowed to be happy..."

Twilight noticed AJ leave and stowed her own hurt feelings, putting up a strong facade for her normally unshakable friend. "Applejack, I know there isn't much I can say to make you feel any better right now."

"You'd be right," she sobbed, not wanting anypony to see her like this. "What am Ah supposed to do without her?" she asked, honestly expecting an answer out of Twilight.

"I... I don't know. I do know that Rainbow would want you to live the best life you can, and be as happy as possible while doing it." Twilight put a hoof over Applejack's. "Otherwise, her sacrifice meant nothing."

Applejack threw her hat to the ground, unable to pull herself together. "Ya know... when my parents died, Ah thought the pain wouldn't ever go away. Ah finally accepted that they were gone, but it took years. It was the hardest thing Ah'd ever had to do, but Ah did it," she explained between shuddering breaths, "And now Ah have to do it all over again? Twilight, Ah just don't think Ah'm strong enough."

Twilight hugged her tightly, before pulling back and meeting AJ's teary eyes with her own. "You are strong enough Applejack, I've never met anypony stronger."

Applejack looked away, still unsure of herself. "What am Ah supposed to tell Scootaloo?"

"You tell her that Rainbow gave up everything she had to keep her safe, and that the best thing the both of you could do for her now is to live and be happy."

After a few more hugs and reassurances, AJ rejoined her friends to grieve.

Once true night had fallen, the clean up efforts were abandoned. Beneath a bit of rubble, a few bricks shifted, then broke loose, a cyan hoof reaching out of them, freeing the rest of her trapped body. Rainbow gasped for air as she freed her head from the debris, only buried up to her waist in stone.

"I'm... I'm alive?" she asked herself, biting her leg to see if she felt pain. She did. She had never felt so happy to hurt in her entire life. Discord was wrong, but she wondered what could have intervened. He had been right every time up until now.

She decided not to look at her blessing too closely, freeing herself from the rest of the pile and shaking the dust from her mane. Turning in the direction of Ponyville, she stretched her stiff wings and took off, ready to give a certain earth pony the surprise of her life.

That night, Applejack lay in the hay loft, still not having told Scootaloo the fate of Rainbow Dash. She remembered the happy times they had shared in her orchard. She would miss them, and doubted whether she'd ever even want to love again, after losing a pony she felt such a strong connection with.

All other bonds were but acquaintances compared to what she and Rainbow had. She sighed, tears still flowing from earlier in the day. She simply couldn't bring herself to stop grieving. Princess Luna had told her an entire temple would be erected in Dash's honor. She'd have traded a thousand temples just for one more day with her.

"Rainbow... Ah can't bring myself ta tell Scootaloo you're gone... it would break her heart, Ah just wouldn't be able ta take th' sight right now..." she whispered to the heavens.

"You won't have to!"

That voice... it came from below her. She peered out over the ledge of the barn, only to have the color drain from her face. She must be going crazy from grief! There was no way Rainbow Dash was standing below her, slowly flying up to the hay loft and now staring her in the face.

"R-r-r," she stammered.

"Rainbow? What's the matter AJ, you look like you've seen a ghost?" she smirked, as Applejack extended a hoof and felt the soft, if not matted coat of the lover she'd thought she'd lost.

"You're... you're really here," she gasped.

"That's right, now are you gonna gawk all night, or are you gonna kiss me?"

With that, Rainbow lunged toward her partner, collapsing in a sea of giggles, as AJ's tears finally began to dry up.

"How in Celestia's name did you survive?"

"I dunno, I guess somepony up there likes me," she answered, planting a kiss she never thought she would have the chance to share on Applejack's waiting lips.

After their kiss, AJ remembered what Celestia had done for them all by sacrificing herself. "Yeah, Ah guess somepony does."

Ch.1 Rainbow's Dash

DISCORD'S REIGN

Chapter 1-Rainbow's Dash

By Bronuis Maximus

Edited By: FanNotANerd

Stone. A prison from which there was no escape. An icy cold tomb of motionless discontent, there to punish those within inside the confines of their own imagination. Eons of silence, deprivation and unimaginable torment, all while on display for anypony curious enough to visit the gardens outside of Canterlot Castle to see. He felt their eyes, their filthy undeserving eyes gazing upon him as he could only hold his eternal look of surprise. He tasted freedom only for a few glorious hours before being sealed away inside his granite tomb by six ponies whose will he was sure he had broken. If it wasn't for that meddlesome Princess Celestia, his sweet chaos would still be the law of the land.

The one thing her highness didn't count on was the more time he spent sealed in stone, the longer he was allowed to perfect his plan to finally envelope the land of Equestria, and soon the entire world in eternal madness. He underestimated the power of the six ponies the first time around, but this time, there would be no elements of harmony, no Princess Celestia and most importantly, no magic of friendship. His plan was complete, it having been a year since those loathsome six ponies cursed him back into his current form.

He had a lot of time to perfect his scheme, he had worked out every angle, and every last detail. All he needed now was some way to break free. The tours of the garden were now off limits to fillies by royal decree, after the royal court deduced how he escaped last time. Little did he know, his chance for freedom would come sooner than he thought.

XXX

Twilight, Spike and Applejack sat in one of the unplanted fields of Sweet Apple Acres with their necks craned skyward as a streak of rainbow colored light ripped across the sky. Their winged friend soared high and low, performing aerobatics that would make an ordinary pegasus' head spin as she finished her performance high above them. Rainbow Dash knew this was the hardest part of her entire routine, a grand finally that was sure to seal her place among the Wonderbolts.

'Here goes.' she thought as she entered a ninety degree dive, building up speed as the air particles struggled to get out of her way. The heat from the friction warming up her muzzle as her cheeks withdrew from her teeth, the incredible G-forces threatening to give her tunnel vision.

'Almost...there...'

Her eyes watered and strained against the wind as she streaked through the clear blue sky.

'2000 feet...1800 feet...1600 feet...'

Rainbow counted off in her head, knowing the exact altitude she needed to either continue with the rainboom attempt, or abort and save herself some serious head trauma.

The air formed a cone around her as she felt the sound barrier buffering against her form, resisting as much as it could her attempts to shatter it.

'1300...1200...'

By 1000 feet, it was do or die.

Her mind was made up; she had aborted five times already, her frustration mounting with each failed attempt. Without this move, she was convinced she would be just another face in the crowd. Dash was confident that being able to do this on command would remove beyond all doubts, who was the best young flier in Equestria. This time she would do it, she was certain this would be sonic rainboom number three. With the annual Equestria Amateur Air Show only three days away, her practice sessions had gotten considerably more intense as the day of the contest neared.

The grand prize was a chance to perform at the Summer Sun Celebration with the Wonderbolts, so Rainbow knew this was her dream at stake. Up until this point, she hadn't even allowed her friends to watch her routine, mainly practicing at night.

She was well below her abort height before she felt the anger at herself for another failed attempt release inside her.

'No! Why can't I do this? I've done it twice already!' she thought furiously to herself as she tried to pull up, but found it nearly impossible at her current speed. It wasn't a question of would she crash, but of where and how much it would hurt.

Twilight and Applejack realized this and covered their eyes, not wanting to see their friend end up as a pile of goo and feathers in Applejack's field. Spike looked on, but only out of morbid curiosity; having never seen anyone crash going that fast before.

Rainbow's impact shook the ground beneath their flanks as her feminine grunt accompanied a rather loud thud.

Twilight rushed over to the crater Dash had made along with Applejack as Spike sat on her back, all three of them looking over the hole from different sides with an expression of concern across their faces.

"K-karate...snow machine...chops it!" Rainbow stuttered in a semi conscious manner, her eyes slightly open but not at all focused. The country mare looked at Twilight, who returned her stare before rolling her eyes.

"Let's get her to the hospital..." she said expecting this exact result, having seen the conclusions of a few other attempts by Rainbow to perform a sonic rainboom on command. They loaded her unconscious body onto Applejack's back as they walked back to town.

"If she ain't careful, she's not gonna have many flyin' days left." Applejack commented as they neared town; the out cold pegasus gently bouncing with the movement of her flanks as she walked.

"Yeah, but you know Rainbow. She won't give up unless she is physically unable to continue...but at this rate I think that may come sooner than we thought." Twilight said with concern.

They reached the hospital, where nurse Redheart was there waiting for them outside.

"Let me guess. Another sonic rainboom attempt gone awry?" she asked as Rainbow babbled incoherently from her position on Applejack's back.

"How'd you know?" Twilight asked sarcastically as a few large stallions appeared from inside the clinic with a stretcher mounted between them.

"Call it a hunch my dear. Prep the concussion ward boys, Rainbow Dash is back." she said following her assistants inside after they had relieved Applejack of her weighty rider.

"I've got some studying to do, do you mind waiting with her until she comes to?" Twilight asked.

"Sure, Big MacIntosh is pickin' up Applebloom from school today anyway."

"Thanks. See you tomorrow!" she said Spike echoing her sentiments as they strolled away towards the library.

She followed nurse Redheart into the hospital and sat in the waiting room while they treated her friends injury. Within a half hour, Redheart called Applejack back to the patient rooms.

"How bad is it Doc?" she asked tilting her hat back in concern as they walked down the long sterile hallway.

"Well, it certainly isn't good...but it's not the worst I've seen. Especially not from miss Rainbow. She is very lucky she had you to bring her here." she explained as they came to her room. "If left untreated, the swelling might have done a quite a number on her."

In truth, Applejack and the rest of her friends had been here a lot more than they would have liked in the past weeks. Although Rainbow Dash was one of the toughest ponies around, hollow bones certainly don't make for a bruise free aspiring stunt flier.

"We kept it the way she left it on her last visit. She's honestly the only one who uses it aside from the occasional emergency from the flight school."

"Thanks Doc. Any idea how long she'll be out?"

"Shouldn't be much longer now, we gave her some medicine to reduce her cranial swelling, but a side effect is drowsiness. She should be up and talking to you soon enough." she added setting Rainbow's medical chart by the end of the bed, "Now if you'll excuse me, I must tend to a young colt who thought it would be a good idea to emulate the Wonderbolts 'High Speed Stallion Strut' in the middle of town." with that, she went about the rest of her rounds.

Applejack entered the room and noticed the sad state her normally feisty companion lay. Her head was wrapped in a white bandage and back against her pillow, mouth agape, steadily breathing as Applejack found a seat next to the bed. It pained her to see her like this, as it would any of her friends. She had a soft spot in her heart for Rainbow Dash for a reason not even she quite understood. An old issue of Farmer's digest sat on the end table next to her chair. She opened it to the page she had last left off from her previous visit and continued the article on proper apple crop rotation.

Rainbow found herself standing before her idols, the Wonderbolts. An unseen spotlight focused on her as the reflection shined brightly in her heroes aviator goggles.

'Oh my gosh! The Wonderbolts! How are my wings? Is my mane ok?' she thought frantically as she looked herself over before being interrupted by Spitfire.

"You think you can just 'join' the Wonderbolts? We're elite! We're at the top of our game, not a single one of us has ever crashed. EVER." she emphasized as their expressions harshened toward her. A strange echo followed their voice as her ego felt the sting of their words slice through her normally thick skin. Dash was still too shocked to speak. Her tongue twisted itself into knots in her mouth, all she was able to choke out was a feeble

"But I..."

"But what? You think just because you can make some pretty colors in the sky with a loud noise, that makes you worthy to join our ranks? I fought in three tours of duty during the Lunar Wars, and shot down better fliers than you!" Soarin mocked.

"We own these skies, and we don't want an amateur like you crowding up our airspace with your unremarkable acrobatics. You're just lucky we don't recommend Princess Celestia have your wings removed! You're an embarrassment to pegasi everywhere!" Soarin growled as the spotlight burned, tears overwhelming her eyes while her heroes destroyed everything she had ever believed about herself.

"Oh, is the little filly gonna cry?" Spitfire mocked as the Wonderbolts glares now turned to malicious grins.

She turned her head away from them to try and hide the tears now falling from her magenta eyes as she flattened her ears in sadness and shame. Flying was all she knew, it was who she was! If she didn't have that...then who was she?

"Wonderbolts definitely don't cry. I knew you didn't have what it takes to be one of us! You can't even pull off a sonic rainboom, not that it matters." Soarin added as they all began to laugh at her. Anger built up inside her as she glared back at her tormentors, gritting her teeth and lifting herself into the air. The Wonderbolts continued to laugh at her, no matter how high up she got, the volume seemed to get louder. They were extremely small from her current height as the laughter still followed her, feeling as though if it didn't stop her ears would surely bleed. She glared back down at them, still laughing where they stood as Rainbow Dash dove straight towards them.

"I'll show you! I'm the best there is!" she said through tears of anger. "I'll prove it to all uh ya!" the familiar cone of air formed around her as she picked up speed, their ever present laughter still ringing in her ears.

"STOP LAUGHING!" she roared as she felt the sound barrier slip behind her, a sensation she had only felt twice, but remembered the feeling like it was a comfortable winter jacket.

"Ahh!" Rainbow said bolting upright in bed panting, startling Applejack out of her seat and onto the floor.

"Geez R.D.!" she said getting up and adjusting her hat. "You nearly scared me to death!"

Dash looked around and saw she was in the hospital, a sense of relief washing over her that the nightmare was over.

Rainbow sighed and leaned back against her pillow.

"Sorry Applejack..." she said as she tried to think back to the last thing she remembered.

"I didn't pull off the sonic rainboom, did I?"

"Nope. Listen Rainbow, Ah don't know much about flyin', but you should really be careful tryin' to do that sonic rainboom a yours." she said concerned, stepping beside her bed, "You coulda really hurt yourself!"

Dash knew she was only trying to look out for her friend, but the realness of that dream still shook her to her core. She couldn't let any of her friends see her vulnerable, especially Applejack. She raised her usual walls.

"I'll get it. I just need to practice more. The contest is in three days!" she contested guardedly, "If I don't get this right I'll never impress the Wonderbolts!"

"Sugarcube, Ah'm not saying ya have to stop practicin'...Ah'm just tired of seein' ya in the hospital like this." she countered as Rainbow avoided eye contact, staring at the lumps in her blanket that were her hind legs.

"Ah mean, all of us are!" Applejack corrected quickly.

"Ah believe in ya Rainbow. I know ya never fail when ya put yer heart and mind behind somethin' ya want." she added, putting a hoof under Dash's chin and looking into her eyes to convey sincerity. "If ya want ta impress th' Wonderbolts, I know ya will."

Rainbow smiled. Those words meant a lot coming from her. Since the time they met, Rainbow had never known a mare quite as competitive and fun loving as herself. Something she found rather alluring about her buddy Applejack, among other things. She hugged AJ tightly, enjoying the closeness they shared, more so than with any of her other friends. Nurse Redheart knocked on the door, startling the hug apart.

"Ah, you're awake!" she added, entering the room, "You had quite a bump on the head Ms. Rainbow."

"You're tellin' me..." Dash admitted, blushing in embarrassment.

"You are free to go whenever you like, just please try and be careful next time. I know you're the only one who uses the concussion ward, but it's not your personal lounge." Redheart said as the two mares left together.

Outside the clinic, it was already late in the afternoon.

Rainbow's stomach protested loudly enough for Applejack to notice.

"Sounds like you're mighty hungry. I guess givin' yourself head injuries all day'll do that to ya." She teased as R.D. laughed off her joke.

"Very funny. You want to get somethin'?" she asked.

The country mare looked at the sun and figured there was still an hour or two before sunset, so a quick bite couldn't hurt.

"Sure, Ah hear they've got some good daffodil sandwiches at that new place on mane street."

They set out towards downtown and ate their fill as the sun began to sink behind the hills.

"I'm gonna head back." Dash said, standing up off of the hay bale that was her seat. "I've only got two days left to practice until the competition."

"Go easy on yourself darlin'. Ah don't want anymore craters in my fields!" she called as she flew away.

"Don't worry about me!" Rainbow called back confidently, her words masking the doubt growing inside her.

The day of the contest had finally arrived. Rainbow Dash and her friends walked through the courtyard of Canterlot castle, enjoying the well manicured lawns and general ambiance of the royal palace.

"I'm gonna go sign up for the contest, I'll catch you guys after!" Dash called, zipping away toward the line of other pegasi waiting to register.

"I hope she doesn't kill herself in front of the Princess." Twilight sighed as the rest of her friends agreed. There were bleachers set up facing the open sky where the contest would take place, Princess Celestia was seated in the center beside her sister Luna, flanked as always by their royal guards.

They found five seats and waited for the show to begin.

"So how big of a cake do you think Dashie will want after she wins? Maybe I should make a Wonderbolts cake! Who do you think would taste better, Soarin or Spitfire?" Pinkie asked as Applejack turned to their overly excitable friend.

"She has to win first darlin'."

"Oh, right! Well I don't think we'll have to worry about that too much longer!" she said happily, her mood unspoiled by these so called 'facts'. "She's the best flier in Equestria!"

"You didn't see her last practice session." Twilight whispered to Applejack as she and Spike giggled to themselves.

"Mares and Gentlecolts! Welcome to the 34th annual Equestria Amateur Air show!" A booming announcer voice said as the crowd erupted in cheers.

"This contest features several categories! Best single stunt, Best acrobatic routine, Best precision flight and Best overall performance! Without any further delay, here come the judges; the fabulous Wonderbolts!"

The three pegasus' zoomed in low over the crowd before pulling up at the last possible second right in front of the Princess, their smoke trail dissipating as they climbed vertically above the audience before splitting off into three separate directions. After a few more simple tricks, they landed in a booth beside the Royal skybox, ready to judge the competitors. After a few contestants, Rainbow heard her number come up. She swallowed nervously as she tried in vain to settle the butterflies in her stomach.

'Here we go...' she thought stepping out from behind the curtain to the cheering crowd as the announcer introduced her. She had quite a few fans from the other airshows she had competed in, but was far from the celebrity status of the Wonderbolts. She caught sight of her friends cheering her on frantically as she ascended to the proper height to start her routine. She gave a quick wave back to them before the music started. She took one deep, calming breath and slowly exhaled. This was it.

She started her performance perfectly, every glide and turn just as graceful as it could be. She formed and swirled the clouds into many different shapes, barely able to hear the 'oooh's' and 'aaaah's' of the crowd below. She completed every trick in her arsenal before ascending to a great height above the spectators. She looked down at the dizzying height she had achieved and recalled her nightmare in the hospital.

"You think you can just 'join' the Wonderbolts?"

"I fought in three tours of duty during the Lunar Wars, and shot down better fliers than you!"

Their mocking voices echoed in her mind, fueling her desire for victory. She gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes in determination.

"I'll show them...I'll show'em all!" she said aloud to herself, beginning her descent. Dash was certain to make sure to prove those Haterbolts wrong, even if they were just figments of her own imagination.

Twilight recognized her trick as soon as she began climbing.

"I hope she knows what she's doing." she said aloud as the others faces seemed to echo her concern. The multicolored streak of light that was their friend began to take a more shallow angle, planning to end up over the gardens when she broke the sound barrier so as not to perforate the audiences eardrums.

She felt the cone of air begin to form, but knew she needed to go a little faster to break through it. Dash could feel the air buffeting against her wings as she flattened them to reduce her drag. The air cone conformed more and more to her body as she smiled excitedly, though you couldn't tell due to the wind nearly peeling the skin off her face. She was so close! Only a little faster and she would have it for sure! Rainbow pushed her wings past their limit as she felt the barrier slip past her forelegs, then slowly around the rest of her body before dragging behind her completely.

An explosive ring of the visible spectrum radiated out from her as she held a celebration in her head. Then she realized that once the barrier was out of the way, the air was incredibly smooth. Smooth enough in fact to perhaps do the never before seen. Something that ponies would be talking about for years to come. A double rainboom. The crowd erupted in cheers as the ring of light expanded from the garden over the crowd, followed closely by a loud 'boom.'

"She did it! Sonic rainboom number three! Yay!" Fluttershy yelled uncharacteristically loud as the rest of her friends echoed her sentiment.

Twilight noticed she wasn't slowing down, in fact she seemed to be turning back towards them at a still supersonic speed.

"She isn't slowing down. Why isn't she slowing down?" Twilight asked with rising panic in her voice as the rest of her friends began to realize the same thing. Watching their friend smash herself against the stands was not exactly what any of them had planned on doing today.

Dash caught a second wind and pushed herself as hard as she could without feeling like her wings would break while executing a gentle turn back toward the spectators. This was extremely dangerous as she was going fast enough to annihilate half the crowd and possibly the princess, not to mention the fact that they'd be able to clean up what was left of her with a sponge. Rainbow picked up more speed, feeling the hypersonic air begin to form a cone around her, adding to the one already a few feet behind her tail. She felt it slowly conform to her forelegs and then around her muzzle, her face having long since numbed to the sensation of the wind rushing past her.

Rainbow had to break the barrier before she was halfway to the bleachers so she would have time to pull up and not kill everyone in front of her, a detail she found somewhat important to a successful finish. One final push and the stubborn hypersonic barrier broke past her as well, releasing two rings of multicolored light radiating outward as she pulled up with all her strength, coming within mere feet of the crowd, sending many diving for cover. Once she was vertical she tucked her wings close to her body as she bled off speed. The hyper and supersonic barriers both overtaking her as she finally stopped rising and began to fall back down.

The stadium was dead silent. Not a single jaw was closed as the blue pegasus gently landed on the grass, her wings feeling like if they so much as twitched, they would fall off. She panned across the crowd, happy that not a single face held an expression other than awe. It felt like an eternity before the announcer regained his wits and told the audience what they had just seen.

"A-a double rainboom mares and gentlecolts! Never in the history of this competition has such a feat been accomplished!"

The crowd exploded in cheering as roses fell from the stands. Rainbow Dash had never been so happy in her life! Not only had she pulled off a sonic rainboom, but she had added a stunt never seen before by anypony, and in front of the Wonderbolts!

'There's no way I can lose.' she thought confidently as she walked back behind the curtain she had come from, the next colt in line to perform after her still had his mouth agape in shock.

"Good luck following that."

As soon as she was backstage, she ran to the nurses station, holding her wings out at her sides as they literally had smoke rising from them. After some cooling ointment and bandages, she noticed her friends had come to see her.

"That was amazin' R.D.! How'd you do that?" Applejack asked as the rest of her friends congratulated her.

"Easy. I'm the best there is. Duh." she said arrogantly, a confident smile gracing her lips.

She heard the last contestant had gone and bid her friends goodbye.

"I got some awards to accept!" she said trotting happily back outside to a stadium full of cheers.

"This was truly an unprecedented performance by one special young flier in particular. The winner of Best single stunt, Best overall performance, and winner of the grand prize; a chance to perform with the legendary Wonderbolts at this years Summer Sun Celebration is...Rainbow Dash!" The crowd cheered madly as the Princess glided down to her where the medals awaited. Dash bowed before her as she commended her on a spectacular performance.

"You should be proud today Rainbow." she said, allowing her to stand and putting the medals around her neck.

"I am!" Dash beamed at the princess and the Wonderbolts as they walked up beside her.

'Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh.' she thought as they congratulated her.

"That was incredible! I've never seen anything like it!" Spitfire praised. She could only smile and laugh nervously as her heroes told her how highly they thought of her routine.

"Looks like you'll be gunning for my job with moves like that!" Soarin added.

She couldn't believe it. Her idols were here not tearing her down, but telling her how amazing they thought she was! She couldn't find words to tell them how happy she felt, so she just held a somewhat goofy smile on her face as they produced a uniform like theirs and set it before her.

"Take this home and practice in it. Flying in uniform is a little different than flying commando." Spitfire added as Rainbow's eyes shined with ecstasy. The dream she had since she was a filly was literally coming true right before her eyes. She still couldn't find words, so she just kept her wide smile and muttered a weak,

"Thanks..."

"No problem, you've earned it! We meet a day before the Summer Sun Celebration to practice our routine. See you there!" Spitfire added as they took to the skies.

"Huh...b-bye..." she stammered, still in shock that she got to fly with the Wonderbolts. The rest of the day flew by as she celebrated her victory with her friends back in Ponyville.

Night fell on the royal courtyard as the guards made their rounds. The stalwart pegasi and unicorn's eyes keenly observing their surroundings in the pale moonlight. One turned the corner and came face to face with the chaos god himself in statue form. A quick glare at it and he turned back the way he came before. Only after a few steps did a rustle startle him from behind. He whipped his head around and saw nothing out of the ordinary, except that the statue of Discord was gone!

He turned to alert the other guards as his head bumped into something solid. He took a step back and stared up directly into the red eyes of the king of madness himself, free of his stone prison at long last.

The guard inhaled to call to the rest of his stallions, but in a snap of Discord's fingers, his mouth disappeared from his muzzle, leaving only smooth fur.

"No, we can't have you spoiling the surprise now can we?" he said smiling evilly as another guard rounded the same corner he had just patrolled. He looked directly at the two of them, and then back the other way before continuing his route as if he had seen nothing unusual.

"He can't see us. Magic and all that, you know. Now let me ask you a question Mr. royal guard. Have you ever wondered what it's like to be trapped inside a statue of yourself? No? Well why don't I enlighten you?" he said with pure malice in his words, grabbing the back of his armor and dragging him back toward the empty pedestal where he had been trapped for a thousand years. The stallion struggled to get free, digging his hooves in the dirt to try and slow down the inevitable. The god of chaos was simply too powerful for one unicorn to resist. A quick toss, a snap of his fingers and the unfortunate guard was encased in stone resembling the statue he had just escaped from, so as to not arouse suspicion.

"Ah, it feels good to be back! Now...time for step two." he said disappearing into the woods around Canterlot.

Ch.8 Shipwrecked

DISCORD'S REIGN

Chapter 8-Shipwrecked

Discord sat lazily on Celestia's throne a few days after he had freed Twilight. Something he hadn't anticipated began to creep into his mind. Boredom. He switched positions on the throne, putting his head at the bottom while his legs dangled off the top. To everyone in the royal court, nothing was out of the ordinary as princess Celestia appeared to be sitting normally on her throne. He flipped himself over and over in many different positions before finally settling on an idea.

"I suppose there's no harm in sowing a little me is there?" he asked himself as he summoned his messenger pegasus.

"Yes my princess?" the red coated messenger bowed.

"Fetch me the Wonderbolt Spitfire. I wish for her to have an audience with me. And retrieve for me my spell book. The one with the emotional enchantments." he said as the messenger saluted and zipped out of the castle at a speed Rainbow Dash would envy. Another servant brought him the book he required as he began to thumb through it.

"Lets see here...lackadaisical, lazy, love, ah, here we are! Lust. Lets see...time limit, about three hours aught to do it." he said, reading the incantation to himself, his index talon beginning to glow bright pink. He closed the book and waited for his guest to arrive, smiling proudly as he thought of the mayhem this plan would create for a certain pair of mares.

After an hour or so, the royal guard at the entrance to the throne room announced the presence of the desired stunt flier.

"You wanted to see me, your majesty?" she asked bowing her fiery orange mane before the throne. Discord grinned in excitement as his latest idea began to come together.

"Yes my dear. I have always been highly impressed with a certain pegasus, and I would like you to go to her home and attempt to recruit her into the Wonderbolts program. Her name escapes me, but I have a photograph of her..." he said reaching behind his back and 'accidentally' dropping the picture as it coasted on the breeze behind Spitfire.

"Oh, I'm all hooves today. Would you be a dear and grab that for me?" he asked with a sly smile.

"No problem princess!" she obliged happily turning around to grab the picture. As soon as her back was turned, Discord raised his glowing talon at her; firing the spell at the unsuspecting pegasus.

The magic hit her square in the back of the head as she felt a tingling run down her spine, past her tail, around her belly and underside. Spitfire shook her head, feeling a little dizzy before looking down to pick up the picture, seeing that it was Rainbow Dash. She grabbed it in her mouth and found herself staring at it, mesmerized by every detail of the pegasus in the photo. From her cute nose, to her sweet yet confidant smile all the way up to her soft magenta eyes and glorious rainbow mane; she found it near impossible to tear her gaze away from her.

Discord could hardly contain his excitement. He cleared his throat to regain her attention as the golden mare snapped out of it.

"The photo, dear?" he asked as she sheepishly handed it over, not exactly sure what had just gotten into her.

"That's Rainbow Dash your highness. She's an excellent flier, the first and only pegasus to perform a single and double sonic rainboom." she added regaining her wits.

"Oh yes, I remember the double rainboom quite well. Now I wish for you to fly with her, judge her skills as an aviatrix and decide wether or not you deem her fit to join your group." he instructed, the voice of the real princess Celestia floating into Spitfire's ears as she nodded and bowed before exiting the throne room. Once she had gone, Discord produced a scroll and quill with a list of names written on it. The list was titled: 'Wills to Break'. Twilight Sparkle had already been crossed out as he dipped his quill in ink and crossed two more names off the list, laughing to himself.

Rainbow Dash

Applejack

As Spitfire flew toward Ponyville, she couldn't help but wonder why she had such trouble breaking her gaze from that picture of Rainbow Dash. She had met her a few times even before she won the airshow and flown with them during the Sun Celebration. Sure, she would admit she certainly wasn't a bad looking mare, but something about that image she simply couldn't shake from her mind's eye. As she flew she found herself drifting back to thinking about Rainbow's body in her flight suit at the Summer Sun Celebration. Thin and fit like hers, but still sturdy enough, she wagered, to handle a good-

'What am I saying? Why am I thinking about all this now?!' she wondered as she gave a legitimate effort to push such arousing thoughts from her head, lest her wings become too stiff to fly. She hadn't ever thought about Rainbow that way until today, but now that she had it was all she could think about! She was a fun girl and a heck of a flier, but she never thought of her as a filly fooler like herself. The more she thought about her though, the more she noticed the similarities between them. Loved thrills, never been seen with a stallion, excellent flier, always pushing herself to new limits, an unmatched penchant for victory...but none of those things meant she swung that way.

Still, as she flew, she found herself in constant battle with her libido to stop thinking about how she had secretly been stealing glances at the young pegasus in the Wonderbolts locker room before the Sun Celebration show. She finally saw Ponyville pass under her as she adjusted her heading towards Rainbows house. She eventually saw the quaint floating home appear on the horizon as she flared her wings for a gentle landing on her porch.

'Okay, I'm just here to judge her flying ability. Nothing else!' she thought to herself as she gave one finale purge of all the things she had been contemplating on the way over out of her mind.

She took a deep breath, and rang her doorbell.

It took a while before she heard hooves moving toward the door as Rainbow dash opened it. Her starstruck eyes lit up as she realized who was standing at her front door. Spitfire was just as dumbstruck, but for a different reason than her cyan counterpart. If the picture of her was beautiful, then the real thing was beyond exquisite. Both of them simply stared at each other for a few seconds before Spitfire shook her tempting thoughts away and regained her wits.

"H-hey Dash! How've ya been?" she asked innocently, her voice cracking slightly to her embarrassment.

"Good! I've been good. How's the stunt circuit?" she asked stepping aside and allowing her idol to come inside her house.

'I can't believe it! Spitfire! In my house! Standing on my clouds! Breathing my air!' she thought as the stunt flying pegasus got down to business.

"Good. So princess Celestia sent me here, and you'll never guess why." Spitfire said taking in the charm of the place Rainbow called home.

"She wants me to join the Wonderbolts full time?" she gasped excitedly.

"Actually...wait no, you're right." she admitted as Dash squealed in delight.

"I knew it! I knew this would happen one day!" she grinned, more proud of herself than she had ever been in her life.

"Yeah, but how about you show me some of those moves of yours? I'm supposed to judge you based on those, but it's really just a formality." the golden mare said as they stepped out of her house together.

"Tell ya what Dash, we're gonna play a little game. You win, and I'll put your application at the top of the stack the next time we meet to pick new members for the academy. Sound good?"

Rainbow Dash was still in awe that she was getting to fly with her hero, unrestricted and without preset formations. Just them and the sky.

"Yeah." she said softly as Spitfire walked to the edge of her house and raised up on her hind legs facing her.

"The name of the game is tag. You're it. Try and keep up!" she said gracefully leaning backwards over the edge, closing her eyes and enjoying the wind through her mane as she snapped her wings open and rocketed forward, rolling onto her belly. Rainbow dash ran and jumped off her house breaking off after her as she followed her smoke trail, creating a rainbow contrail of her own. Spitfire looked back and saw her challenger gaining on her fast.

She knew she was no match for her in a straight speed shot, but quickly devised a way to keep things interesting.

She looked over her shoulder and locked into the confident magenta eyes closing on her six, nearly losing herself in them as she shook her head and regained her composure.

"You may be the fastest pegasus around, but how's your agility?" she asked pulling into a ninety degree climb seemingly on a dime.

Her sudden heading change took Rainbow by surprise as she pulled up in a slightly shallower angle.

"You'll have to do better than that!" Spitfire called over her shoulder as she lazily aileron rolled waiting for Rainbow Dash to catch up.

She hit the bottom of a cloud deck and flew along its underside as quickly as possible, her back facing the ground as the vortices from her wings spiraled the clouds behind her.

Spitfire pulled a winding barrel roll as Rainbow Dash followed her every move. She nosedived, beginning to build up speed as she noticed her competitor rocketing closer to her. Rainbow knew she could blow right past her if she wanted to, but it wasn't a race. She needed control, not raw speed. She closed the gap between them as the cyan pony was so close she could smell whatever shampoo Spitfire had been using.

A cursory glance backward and Spitfire was startled to see a confidant smile only feet away from her hind legs, Dash's forelegs swiping in vain to tag her. She didn't like to lose any more than Rainbow did, so she quickly knew of a move not even Soarin could keep up with. The 'top of the world', as she called it. She pulled up sharply and propelled herself straight into the sky as the agile cyan pony followed suit. Spitfire flapped her wings furiously as they broke through layer after layer of cloud decks, like two ballistic missiles they continued to climb, soon the clouds disappeared and the winds became blustery and icy cold. The air was getting thinner as the veteran stunt flier looked over her shoulder, expecting to be alone.

To her shock, Rainbow Dash was still only five feet at the most behind her! She had never gone this high before. Spitfire began to feel a bit lightheaded as her wingbeats started to slow. The air was so thin the tips of her hooves slowly turned blue as the numbness and slight euphoria of hypoxia began to set in. She felt a slight touch on the sole of her back hoof, looking back to her surprise and seeing Rainbow's foreleg slowly falling away from her as she mouthed a word to her over the high winds of the upper atmosphere.

"Gotcha..." Rainbow said, her eyes rolling back in her head and her wings stopping completely as she plummeted back toward earth. Spitfire immediately turned around in a dive to try and catch up to the speeding unconscious pegasus before she splattered herself on the ground. Thankfully, unlike her friend Rarity, Dash had the courtesy to be unconscious instead of flailing around while she tried to rescue her.

She picked up speed as she was getting closer to Rainbow's hind leg. She had to get hold of her before they hit the cloud bank or she would lose her, and the end result would not be pretty.

She gritted her teeth and forced her wings onward, making a grab right as they entered a massive thunderhead. She held on tightly to Dash's leg and shallowed her descent into a gentle glide towards the earth. She got her bearings and made a beeline for Rainbow's house as she hung limply from one leg underneath her. Spitfire flew through a window she had left open and landed her gently onto the ground in her living room. She lifted her up onto the couch on her back, the numbness in her limbs giving way to how seriously cold Rainbow Dash had become. Her lips were blue (more so than usual) and her extremities were frigid to the touch.

Spitfire was kicking herself for letting her pride get the best of her in an effort not to lose. She looked around frantically for a blanket to cover the frosty pegasus before she simply yanked the covers off her bed and tossed them over the out cold pony. She was still freezing and the blanket was doing little to warm her. She needed another heat source. Spitfire's thoughts from the way over flooded her brain all at once as she tried in vain to think of a good reason to not try to warm her up herself.

'It's just to keep her warm...That's all.' she reasoned, but her body was having other ideas. Her knees grew weak as Discord's spell began to work it's magic. She drew nearer to the couch that was easily big enough for two, lifting up the blanket and crawling under it with her before she had any grasp on what she was doing. She draped her wings over the still cold blue pegasus as she felt Rainbow unconsciously pull her closer with her forelegs, beginning to shiver as she lowered the blanket over the two of them. Spitfire could feel her hot, shallow breaths across the bridge of her nose as she continued to fight a losing battle against her overpowering need to be as close as possible to Rainbow.

'What are you thinking! You can't just take advantage of her like this! You're better than that!' she begged herself but found her lips inching closer to Rainbow's own.

She heard the unconscious pegasus mumble something incoherent, accidentally shifting her head forward, making their lips touch. Spitfire couldn't fight the spell any longer as she pressed herself against Rainbow's still cold lips like she had wanted nothing else but that her entire life. The gratification of giving into this alien feeling alone was enough to start her head swimming in euphoria. Rainbow was only half awake by this point, but too out of it to resist as she began to contribute to the deep kiss she now found herself unexpectedly locked in. Spitfire rolled Dash on top of her as her golden forelegs wrapped around her back, the blue pegasus' frigid wings stiff due to the cold or arousal, she wasn't sure which.

Spitfire felt the spark of warmth return to the cold pony's lips as she fully awakened, and realized to her shock what she was doing. She pulled away from the kiss and realized she was sitting on top of her hero and 'what if' mare, with wings straight out for the world to see. For a few seconds they looked at each other in shock, eyes locked as Spitfire was frozen in fear of Rainbow's reaction.

"Spitfire...you...you're...into mares?" she stammered in shock. She had always believed that she had a thing with at least one of the other male Wonderbolts.

Spitfire giggled nervously as her normally golden cheeks turned bright red.

"Yeah...I guess the secrets out." she admitted sheepishly as Rainbow shook her head and climbed off of her.

"No no no no no! I can't do this with you! I have a Marefriend! Oh Celestia, Applejack is gonna be pissed!" she said pacing around her living room with nothing but worry on her normally confident face. Spitfire felt horrendous. Not only had she not had the willpower to say no to taking advantage of an unconscious pony, but now she had also potentially ruined said pony's relationship, the extreme feeling of lust having evaporated as quickly as it came.

"Dash, I'm so sorry. I had no idea you had a marefriend, I don't know what came over me!" she pled, hating to see anypony, especially one she now had quite mixed feelings towards so upset.

The cyan pegasus kept pacing trying to figure out what to do as Spitfire got off the couch, unable to even look Rainbow in the eyes she had found so enamoring just minutes before.

"I'm really sorry Dash, I had no right to do that to you while you were out and-"

"No, I'm flattered, really!" she said trying to keep Spitfire from hating herself for her actions. She had just made out with a pony she was sure she would never in a million years have a chance with! However, she was already somewhat committed to another mare. While this was a massive ego boost for the rainbow maned pegasus, she couldn't even imagine how upset Applejack would be with her. Rainbow had always accepted herself for liking mares, but she felt her country pal was still somewhat reluctant to express that part of herself anywhere besides where she knew they were alone. It always bothered her, but accepting yourself isn't something you can rush, and Rainbow knew that.

But if Applejack were to find out she kissed another mare the way she did, she might never put herself out there for anypony else again! Applejack would be a miserable old spinster all because of her! She couldn't have that on her conscience, but at the same time she didn't want to lie about this to a mare she was supposed to care for. She tore herself from her moral dilemma as she remembered Spitfire was still waiting for her to finish her sentence.

"I mean, you're...you! You're practically the reason I want to be a Wonderbolt!" she added, Spitfire smiling nervously, still uncomfortable with what she had just done.

"Listen...if you tell your marefriend about this, tell her it was all me. Tell her I made a move on you while you were passed out. I'll fly out here and validate your story if I have to." she said trying to salvage some kind of professional relationship with the fast as lightning pegasus.

Spitfire stepped toward the door as Rainbow followed her outside.

"You won by the way." she said over her shoulder as she stretched her elegant golden wings.

"I know. I remember that much." Rainbow smiled as Spitfire took off towards her home in Manehattan.

As she watched her fly away, her ego quickly began to deflate as she thought of what she was going to tell Applejack, if she were to say anything at all.

'It was just a kiss...it's not like I slept with her.' Dash reasoned as she went back inside her house. She tried to remember what happened after she tagged Spitfire as she laid on the couch she had just shared with her idol, her scent still present in the cloudstuff it was made of.

She was unconscious for most of what happened, but she was half awake when she realized she was being kissed, and she didn't stop. She actually returned it, and even let Spitfire roll her on top of her. In the back of her mind, she knew what she was doing, but didn't want to stop. It was Spitfire for Celestia's sake! One of the most famous pegasus mares in the whole kingdom! Truthfully she had only pulled herself away when she realized how upset Applejack would be if she knew what she was doing. She felt terrible, realizing in her heart that she could have stopped Spitfire, but she just didn't want to. She put her hooves on her face as she tried to think of how she was going to handle a situation she was honestly not prepared for.

'Why do I have to be so cute?' she thought as her ego, while somewhat deflated was still there to comfort her.

She had to tell somepony about what she'd done, and there was only one friend she knew she could tell just about anything to. She got off the couch and stepped toward the open window in her living room, zipping out of it and heading straight towards Fluttershy's country cottage.

Twilight saw the iron entrance to Applejack's farm come up over the hill as her heart began to beat faster. She would've liked to talk to Big Macintosh, but assumed she would first have to get through his sister. She heard a series of knocks, like hooves on trees as the sound let her know at least one of them was here.

She walked past the barn looking for where the sound was coming from before she noticed the orange earth pony inside with her back to her. She stepped fully into the barn, the country mare still unaware she was behind her. Twilight's heart was in her throat as she gathered enough breath to speak.

"Applejack..." she said in a shaky voice.

The farm girl stopped what she was doing and cast a glance over her shoulder. She had recognized the voice, but just wanted to see who it belonged to for herself. She turned all the way around with a none-too-thrilled look on her face, though she was slightly impressed Twilight would have the gall to approach her after what she did.

"You got a lotta nerve comin' here." she growled in a low tone.

Twilight took a deep breath and steeled herself toward anything Applejack might throw at her, metaphorically or physically.

She put on a confidant face and tried to explain herself.

"I know you think I stood your brother up, but I didn't. I wanted to go out with him that night! I swear! But-"

"But what? Princess Celestia just happened ta call ya away and keep you in Canterlot for th' duration of th' evenin'? Next your gonna tell me it was secretly Discord or somethin' ridiculous like that." she snapped.

Twilight was already feeling defeated, but felt she had to try and salvage their friendship. She couldn't let Discord win.

"I was captured by Discord. He's escaped, and he is pretending to be princess Celestia as we speak!" she said as Applejack's expression seemed to get even more angry.

"You really think Ah'm that stupid? Ah thought you were my friend, Twilight! How could you do that to Big Mac?" she continued, more hurt and betrayed than angry at this point. "Ah knew Ah shouldn't have apologized to you after the Sun Celebration!"

"I'm telling the truth! You're the element of honesty for Celestia's sake! You know I would never lie to you, or anypony else! I really like Big Macintosh, I can see the future I want for myself with him and I would never hurt him or you on purpose! I'm not asking you to believe me, but will you please just give me the benefit of the doubt?" she begged, her eyes beginning to water after her impassioned plea. Applejacks stubborn nature battled with her want to forgive her friend as she stared into the lavender unicorns eyes. After a few seconds, she broke the stare, digging into the ground with one hoof.

'She's right...She ain't never lied to me nor hurt nopony on purpose...' she thought as she looked back up at her friends still uncertain face.

A smile graced the country mares lips as she took a step towards her.

"Okay. If you say that's what happened...Ah'll believe you." she finally said as Twilight nearly burst into tears of happiness anyway.

The bookish unicorn forced a smile as they hugged in forgiveness, all the worry and stress that built up these past few days melting away in a single friend's embrace.

Applejack broke the hug as Twilight wiped the tears still clinging to her eyes.

"Now, before we get ta talkin 'bout Discord, you need ta go see Big MacIntosh. He's out in the southwest field, he ain't said more than two words since you've been gone." she added, taking a step with her into the sunshine of the summers day.

"Good luck gettin' anythin' outta him. I've been tryin' for days." she admitted.

"Thanks. All I can do is hope he'll believe me." Twilight sighed.

"If he don't, Ah'll talk to him for ya. Hang on a second..." she said trotting over to a bush with beautiful purple flowers blooming from it. She plucked one and gave it to her.

"You're mighty lucky purple is his favorite color. Put this in your mane, he'll have a hard time sayin' no." she teased as Twilight followed her advice.

The nervous unicorn smiled back at her as she began her walk, thankful that Spike was right, and her true friends did give her crazy story a chance.

After a short stroll through the orchards, she caught sight of Big Macintosh's silhouette sitting against a tree. Even his shadow looked depressed as she slowly walked up from behind him. He was more observant than his sister, taking notice when she was still five feet away. He turned to look expecting Applejack, but was startled for a second, before recovering his melancholy expression.

"Hello Ms. Twilight..." he mumbled, staring at the ground in front of him. He was quite the opposite of Applejack as far as his attitude. Anger just wasn't an emotion he prominently displayed, no matter how hurt on the inside he was feeling.

"Hi Mac." she responded just as softly.

"Do you mind if I sit with you?" she asked hesitantly, her voice shaking a lot more than it had when she confronted Applejack.

He shrugged his shoulders, not looking up from the ground.

She took a careful seat next to him and stared out into the fields, the small red dots of the apples sprinkling the trees in vibrant contrast to their green leaves.

She gathered herself and began to speak, though she still wasn't sure what exactly she was going to say.

"I...I came here to talk about what happened a few nights ago...err, well what didn't happen, but was supposed to." she began glancing at him, his eyes still focused on the grass below his forelegs. He kept his stoic silence as she figured she might as well explain everything and wait for him to respond.

"I was ready to go with you at the time we planned, but before you came over, princess Celestia sent an escort for me, and said I had to go to Canterlot at once. They said they would force me to go if I didn't go willingly, so I didn't have much of a choice. I went with them, only to discover that Discord was pretending to be princess Celestia. He made everyone else in the royal court see him as the real princess except for me. He told me to bow to him, but I refused, so he locked me in the dungeons below the castle for the entire night, only to make me miss our date." she finished breathlessly, looking over at him for some reaction, any reaction.

He maintained his impenetrable demeanor as she felt her heart begin to sink.

"I know it sounds crazy...but it's the truth. If you don't believe me...I can't make you. All I can say is I'm sorry, Big Macintosh." she sighed, giving him one last quick kiss on the cheek. She hovered for maybe a second or two, her mind pleading with the red stallion to do something, to say anything, but it was not to be.

He felt tears on the end of her nose as she kissed him, his hurt eyes casting a quick glance toward the defeated unicorn. She laid the flower Applejack had given her down next to him and turned away, silent but streaming tears flowing from her eyes. She silently cursed Discord's name as she walked away. Once she was far enough from him, she teleported back to the library, glad to have her friend back, but crushed to have lost her first and what she felt like was her only shot at love.

Ch.13 Head In The Clouds

DISCORD'S REIGN

Chapter 13- Head In The Clouds

The two mares were above the clouds within seconds, soaring gracefully through the air. Applejack found she couldn't hold back a toothy smile, and gave up, letting it stretch a mile wide. Rainbow's forelegs were stretched out in front of her, her extended cyan wings gently corralling the air around them as Applejack realized a fillyhood fantasy she was only able to achieve with the help of her big brother by standing on his hooves while he laid on his back. She was an earth pony, but she was taken by the majesty of the air. She had been in Pinkie's ballon before, but it was nothing even close to the adrenaline rush she was feeling flow through her like a hundred stampeding cattle.

The setting sun cast a magnificent purple hue across the clouds as sank towards the horizon. The wind threatened to remove Applejacks hat, though somehow it held its place. The pure, unadulterated freedom that came with soaring through the clouds captured her very soul.

Rainbow felt her muted orange lover's forelegs wrap snugly around her lower neck. She closed her eyes, feeling Applejack's warm cheek rubbing against hers, never having recalled feeling more content with the world than she did at this moment. Rainbow wanted this flight to last forever. She slowed down considerably, taking a lazy route around the clouds as she enjoyed the soft beating of Applejacks heart against her back.

The country mare had never been happier than when she spent time with the pegasus she clung to. Her heart soared with them among the clouds, never wanting to let go of Rainbow. To hell with Discord, to hell with everything. All she needed was the pony keeping her aloft. In a very real sense, she felt Rainbow was the wind beneath her wings (figuratively speaking). The one pony who had come along and with a single kiss, accidental though it may have been; broke her from the monotony of her somewhat lonely life and lifted her up among the clouds themselves. There may have been a few fights along the way, but anything worth having is worth fighting for. She knew this in her heart, and decided to take a bold step in their relationship.

Applejack leaned closer to Rainbow's ear knowing she couldn't be shy about this, and had to speak up over the wind. Her mother had told her when she was but a filly, that when the right pony came along, you would get what she called 'A warm, flutterin' feelin'' in your heart.

She was sure that was the feeling residing in her at this very moment.

'I don't guess there's a better place to tell somepony you love 'em than the sky...' she reasoned as she steadied her rapidly beating heart.

Rainbow was stirred from her glide by Applejack's lips brushing against her ear, tilting her head back toward the orange earth pony melting into her back, her forelegs still securely around her neck.

"I love you Rainbow."

Four words that meant more to her than any others ever said to her in all her years. Rainbow smiled gently, her heart overjoyed as a warming feeling fought back against the slightly cold wind of the atmosphere. It started in her chest and spread to the rest of her as she tilted her head back, nuzzling her partners chin before flashing a devilish smile.

With a quick unexpected buck, Applejack lost her grip and found herself a few feet above the pegasus, scared to death.

A snappy roll and Rainbow's belly was facing up as she caught her, the look of terror on Applejack's face almost worth the obscenities she knew she was shouting over the wind.

Rainbow flashed an easy grin, "You kiss your granny with that mouth?"

"I never heard you complain!"

After she calmed down, she returned those special words.

"I love you too Applejack."

Belly to belly as Rainbow continued to fly inverted, Applejack shared the same warmth her cyan companion was feeling, leaning in for a passionate mid-air kiss, something she most certainly thought she would never get the chance to do with anypony, let alone the pony she loved. Applejack draped her forelegs over Rainbows shoulders, neither of them daring to break what was easily the most intense kiss either of them had ever experienced. A hoof ran through Applejack's mane, flinging the red rubber band holding it back to the ground, allowing it to flow freely over both sides of her elegant neck.

Rainbow felt blood rushing to a certain part of her anatomy necessary for flight as she reluctantly broke the kiss.

"We're gonna crash if you keep that up." she smirked, taking in how much better she looked with her hair down.

'She looks so good in a breeze...'

Then a naughtier thought hit her.

"You're no fun..." Applejack teased.

"Fun?" she said spying a rather large collection of clouds. "I'll show you fun." she kept herself inverted as she slowed down, landing softly on her back. Applejack sat up, sitting on Rainbow's hind legs, casting those same bedroom eyes she had used to win the race to the library, only this time she was sure she wasn't going to run.

She leaned back into the cyan ponies lips and picked up right where they left off in the sky. The heat from both their bodies seemed to radiate from around them as they slowly but lovingly melted into each other. After more tender kissing, Applejack felt the need to break the silence with an embarrassing admission.

"Rainbow...Ah've never...Uhm...you know. A-and I'm not too sure how two mares are s'posed ta-" a cyan hoof pressed against her lips to silence her, a confident smile across Rainbow's face.

'She's nervous. Oh that is too cute...' Dash thought, though she'd be lying if she said she wasn't feeling the same way. She had the edge however, as she had 'read' a couple of Playmares during some of her lonelier nights, and at least knew how two mares could work.

"It's okay. I haven't either." she whispered, assuring her lover there was nothing to worry about except each other. "But I wouldn't want my first mare to be anypony but you."

A simple smile and Applejack gave herself to her with another deep kiss, the unbridled love she was finally able to admit flowing freely from her lips to Rainbow's.

Cloudsdale wasn't going anywhere, but the two ponies in the sky were on a journey only two lovers could venture. For a heavenly hour, they slept in the clouds both literally, and figuratively.

XXX

Rainbow's hoof rose up and down rapidly as it rested on Applejacks heaving chest.

The country mare fought to catch her breath.

"Rainbow...that...was incredible..." she said, her foreleg under the object of her affection as her magenta eyes simply stared dreamily into the blush still heavy on the earth ponies face.

"Yeah, you weren't too bad yourself." she said, draping a wing across her, drawing her hoof playfully around her chest.

"But like most things we do, I come out on top." she smirked. Applejack couldn't help but chuckle.

Rainbow picked her head up and looked to the moon rising over the clouds, signaling the start of the night.

She felt Applejack nuzzle her cheek affectionately before resuming her barrage of kisses from earlier in the sky.

The aroused young mare slowly traced Rainbow's jaw until she stopped at her neck, gently tugging on it with her lips.

"I'd love to stay and go another round," the cyan pegasus giggled playfully, "But we should really get to Cloudsdale if you want to see all the cool stuff before it closes."

Applejack tore herself away from her lovers neck with a slightly agitated stare.

"Mark my words Rainbow Dash, Ah will give you a hickey if it kills me."

The lightning fast pegasus grinned, casting a soft look of love towards the earth pony who had reverted onto her back, forelegs playfully in front of her. "You gave me a lot more than a hickey cowgirl. Now saddle up and lets get movin'."

Applejack carefully moved herself onto Rainbow's back, though this time her muscles were far from tense. She lazily put all her weight onto the strong pegasus as she took off, resuming their night flight toward Cloudsdale.

The stars shone brilliantly as they made their way toward the floating city. The lack of lights made the stars stand out beautifully against the dark sky, the center of their galaxy shining brightly, as if to herald their arrival. It was no wonder pegasi loved the air. Applejack could only dream of such freedom on the ground. Rainbow was her escape. Her lightning fast, competitive, but loving escape.

They arrived in the lofty city, heading straight towards a large high rise hotel made entirely out of packed clouds.

The pegasus at the door opened it and allowed them inside as Applejack stared in awe at the opulence of the lobby.

"Rainbow, are you sure we can afford this?" she asked hesitantly, noticing all the staff in sharp black vests and ties.

"We? This is my treat. After all the junk I've put you through, it's the least I can do. Plus I know the manager; he owes me."

The rainbow maned pegasus led Applejack to the front desk, the pegasus behind it looking up from her reservation book and greeting them with a warm smile.

"Checking in?"

"Yup. Should be under Rainbow Dash." she added, tapping a hoof impatiently.

After a few seconds of searching, the mare spotted the name in the book while another fetched their room key.

"Ah yes, Ms. Dash. Your room is all ready for you, the Imperial suite is on the top floor." she slid a polished gold skeleton key across the desk. "Do enjoy your stay!"

'Did she say Imperial suite? How well does she know the manager?' Applejack thought, still dumbfounded by the fanciest looking place she had ever set hoof in. She felt like she was wasting a fortune by just standing in the lobby.

Rainbow nodded and beckoned Applejack to follow.

"Pretty cool huh?" Rainbow asked over her shoulder noticing her friends saucer-like eyes still trying to take in her surroundings.

Applejacks first thought, being a financially minded individual was, "How can ya afford this?"

"I already told ya, I know the manager!" she added slightly annoyed at her marefriends worry, "Now are you gonna play twenty questions or are we gonna enjoy ourselves?"

They reached the room after a quick elevator ride. There were only three rooms on this floor, and theirs was right in front of them. Two large double doors greeted the pair as they stepped off the elevator, the golden handles gleaming in the artificial light. They cast excited glances at each other before Rainbow put the key in the lock, and gave it a good twist.

The couple opened the doors at the same time and gasped simultaneously. The room was as opulent as Celestia's palace, maybe even more so. A fountain of rainbow colored water sat in the stately center of the room, while priceless looking furniture and paintings adorned the walls and floorspace. Large curtains covered the floor to ceiling windows as Applejack stepped toward them while Rainbow Dash headed straight for the complimentary basket of fruits and hay left there by guest relations.

Applejack noticed a tassel on the end of an elegant braided rope. She put it in her mouth and gave it a tug, parting the curtains and revealing a breathtaking view of all of Cloudsdale. The rope dropped from her mouth as she took in another involuntary lung full of air.

"Pretty schweet view huh?" Rainbow said trotting over, her mouth still full of food.

"It's...incredible..." she gasped in awe of the architecture and glistening lights of the city of pegasi.

"Yeah, you kinda get used to it once you live here, but it is pretty nice." Rainbow gave Applejack a playful bump on the flank, "A lot better than lookin' at apple trees all day."

She earned a quick cut from her emerald eyes before a smile cracked across her lips.

"Get ready, we leave for Cloud 9 in a half hour." Rainbow commented walking toward the luxurious bathroom.

"Where?" Applejack asked turning away from the window.

"Cloud 9. Cloudsdales best night club!" she added bobbing her head to inaudible music. "You think I'd take you all the way out here just to look at buildings and stuff? Nah, you're getting a tour de Rainbow."

Applejack lowered her eyes with a grin, "I think I had one of those an hour or so ago."

The cyan pegasus chuckled at her remark before rolling her eyes and heading back to the bathroom.

After a few minutes, Rainbow reappeared, only a few minor changes to her regular appearance. She had donned a light multicolored shade of makeup on her eyelids that matched her mane, as well as two diamond studs, one in each ear.

Applejack couldn't help but giggle. "You're lookin' mighty nice tonight Rarity."

Rainbow cast a sharp grin, taking her marefriends teasing in stride. "I know I'm hot to begin with, but there's no reason I can't make great into amazing is there?"

Applejack at first wasn't going to change anything, though after some pushing from Rainbow, she allowed her mane to flow unrestricted by her usual rubber band as she had done on the way over.

"I don't suppose I could convince you to leave the hat huh?" the pegasus asked already expecting a rocksteady no.

"Not on your life."

"Alright then, lets go. I'll show ya some other cool stuff while we walk over."

With that, they left the hotel and set out towards the searchlights in the distance, the heavy, thudding bass growing louder as they approached.

Once they arrived, a line of all manner of sharply dressed mares and stallions stretched around the block.

"Rainbow...this doesn't seem like my kinda place..." Applejack said nervously. She wasn't much into any kind of music other than country western or bluegrass, and the speakers seemed deafening outside! She couldn't imagine how loud it was actually in the nondescript, white building.

Her cyan partner faced her with an unamused expression. "Seriously? You need to live a little! I tried to take Fluttershy here for her birthday but she didn't make it past the front door. Are you telling me you're a scared little filly like her?"

"No! I ain't scared!" Applejack shot back defensively, "It just...seems a bit loud in there is all."

Rainbow scoffed, "Pfft, if it's too loud, you're too old! Now lets get movin'" she added nearly dragging Applejack along.

Much to Applejacks worry, Rainbow headed straight to the front of the line, getting more than a few angry looks in the process.

"Don't the line start back there?"

"Lines are for suckers. I know the DJ." Rainbow said over her shoulder as two stallions, dwarfing even her brother in size guarded the door, in tight tee shirts and sunglasses even though it was dark out.

As they got closer, the music seemed to be blasting with enough force to knock Applejack over. She put a hoof on her hat for fear of it being blown away by the pounding bass.

"Name?" the bouncer on the right said. The two of them were so big Applejack wondered how they didn't sink through the clouds, despite them being pegasi.

"Vinyl Scratch."

The bouncer with the clipboard raised an eyebrow. Applejack nearly had a heart attack. These two stallions could have easily eaten the two of them in one bite, and now Rainbow was lying to them?

"I know Vinyl Scratch, and you ain't her miss."

"I know I'm not her! Bring her out here." Rainbow demanded indignantly, undaunted in the face of the two intimidating bouncers.

"She ain't arrived yet, so unless you're on this list, I suggest you get to the back of the line." Applejack recognized the bouncer's threatening tone and tugged on Dash's tail.

"Well look who it is!" a voice from behind the both of them announced.

"Vinyl!" Rainbow greeted throwing her forelegs around the newcomer like they were old friends. Applejack had heard of her, but only because Applebloom had borrowed one of Sweetie Belle's records and liked to listen to it in the barn.

"Never thought I'd see you out here again!" the white unicorn with the short blue mane and red sunglasses said before releasing the pegasus. Behind her two stallions carrying all her equipment moved past them and into the club to go set it up.

The cyan pegasus stepped aside as the DJ moved her glasses down her nose to get a better look at Applejack.

"Who is this?" she asked, Applejack feeling a little more than uneasy being ogled by a celebrity.

"This is Applejack. She's with me, you can look, but don't touch. Get me?" Rainbow added putting a hoof between the two mares.

"Oh, so you finally came out eh? About time." the white unicorn commented extending a hoof to Applejack, "The name is Vinyl Scratch. Welcome to the club sister. Nice hat, is it ironic?" Applejack gently shook her hoof.

"No...it's just my hat..." She was unsure how a hat could even be ironic.

Vinyl slowly nodded, seeming just as confused as the earth pony. She stepped past them and toward the bouncers, "Rocco, hook my girls up with VIP wristbands will ya?"

The huge stallions gently affixed two silver plastic bands around their forelegs and held the velvet rope back as they entered. Applejack couldn't hear a thing but the pounding speakers, the sound waves buffering against her chest as every beat of the bass felt like someone was gently bucking her in the sternum. They made their way toward the dance floor, and Applejack gasped for what must have been the fifth time that day.

Ponies (mostly pegasi) were dancing in the giant cloudy center of the room, some parts of the floor gently rising and falling while strobe and lazer lights created a mesmerizing effect as they flashed and moved in time with the music. She spotted Vinyl up on a central stage removed from every one else as she cut the music and spoke into a mic mounted in front of her turntables.

"Alright ladies and gentlecolts it's about to get buck wild in here!" she said throwing on a large pair of headphones, "If you ain't got a drink yet get your flanks to the bar and get one! This is one of my best girlfriend's jam, and she's here tonight so I want to make her feel welcome, this is for you and your beautiful piece of leg-candy Rainbow! Drop the bass!"

If Applejack thought the music was loud before, she was sure her ears would bleed by the end of the night as a thumping bass line erupted from the speakers. Though she was somewhat miffed about being called leg-candy, the look on Rainbow's face was one of pure happiness. She didn't want to ruin this for her by being a stick-in-the-mud. Besides, once she got used to the volume, the rhythm was actually pretty easy to move to. After a few free drinks in VIP, they hit the dance floor.

Rainbow was in her element, even dancing on two legs while her wings held her up. Every eye was on her as she flaunted what she had. Applejack had no such talent, but still enjoyed watching what she knew was the envy of every stallion (and probably a few mares) in the club gyrate on and in front of her. Best of all, she was the one going back to the fanciest hotel she had ever seen with her.

After a few hours, Rainbow and Applejack were exhausted. They stumbled out of the club holding each other for support...and a few other reasons.

Applejack shook her head, ears still ringing from the club. After a few more steps, both lost the coordination to walk entirely, and went down in a tangle of limbs.

Applejack was the first to get up, laughing and leaning against the nearest wall. The situation was just too funny: both ponies were suffering from such a combination of intoxication and sheer exhaustion that neither could walk without the other.

"What are you laughin' at?" Rainbow Dash said, standing on her hind legs and pinning the laughing country mare agaisnt the wall.

"What?"

"I said, what are you laughin' at!"

"What?" Applejack repeated, her smile growing wider.

"I SAID," Rainbow stopped as she realized what she was doing.

"Oh, you think you're sooooo funny don't ya?" the pegasus responded with her own sly smile.

Rainbow pinned Applejacks forelegs against the wall and planted a powerful, if not a bit sloppy kiss onto her still giggling lips. Applejacks sobriety began to slowly return as she realized they were in the middle of a bustling city in full view of anypony outside the club. Her initial reaction was apprehension, but perhaps the alcohol had lowered her inhibitions to a point where she didn't care to hide anymore. After all, the world could be ending soon, why not take a few chances?

She broke the kiss and stared deeply into Rainbow's eyes, now wild with desire.

"Maybe we should head back to the hotel and see how sturdy that dinin' room table is?" Applejack suggested, getting a burst of laughter from her rainbow maned lover.

"I need to drink with you more often!" Rainbow said hopping down and getting onto her knees in front of her.

"Hop on, I don't feel like walkin'"

"Are you sure you're okay to fly?"

The pegasus snorted, "Please, I've been doin' this for years."

After a short but harrowing flight, the arrived back at their suite, wasting little time in resuming what they started outside the club. They went from the front door, barely closing it before they moved to one of the many couches in the living room, not daring to break away from each others lips as the only sound in the room was an occasional giggle. After marathon rounds of love making on various surfaces and rooms, they finally ended up on the king size bed. Both mares breathing heavily as they laid next to each other, beginning to sweat in each other's embrace. The club had tired them out, but this had completely exhausted any energy they had left.

"You're...a fast learner..." Rainbow said between lung-fulls of air.

"Heh...I learned...from the best..."

The booze had long since faded from their systems, both of them sure they had sweated it out during their escapades. Suddenly, a creeping feeling worked it's way from the back of Dash's mind to the forefront. Discord's dream began to unsettle her as she nuzzled her nose into Applejacks apple scented mane. The sweet smell helped to put her mind at ease, but she hated not knowing the truth. She mustered all of her courage and decided to find out.

The only problem was, how to go about it gently.

"Hey AJ...you mind if I ask you a personal question?" She inquired rather timidly, earning a scoff from the muted orange earth pony before she smiled down at her. Applejack closed her eyes and returned the nuzzle into the soft mane of her lover, ready for a reprieve from the action and settling in for a bit of pillow talk.

"Sure Dashie, what is it?"

Rainbow was normally the most up front pony there was, but with Applejack, she knew this could be a rather sensitive subject.

'I can't just ask her why she doesn't have parents! What to do...I know! I bet one of them gave her that hat she loves so much!' she thought, 'Rainbow, you're a genius.'

"Why do you love that hat so much?" she asked gesturing toward the article resting on the bedpost.

"My Pa gave it to me. Before he passed away." Applejack added, a drop in her tone apparent following her words.

Rainbow swallowed hard. The burning guilt in the back of her throat returning with a vengeance as she continued.

"Oh...I'm sorry to hear that...What about your mom?" Rainbow wasn't really concerned with tact at this point, just her insufferable yearning for closure.

"Ma passed away with him...They died at the same time..."

Applejack's voice broke as she said that, making Rainbow regret she'd even considered going down that road.

"I'm sorry AJ, I shouldn't have brought it up-"

"Naw, it's okay. It feels good to talk about it with somepony besides Big Mac." she added reassuringly, "Applebloom was too young to remember it, and Granny Smith has her good days, but she don't remember much from the past. Her mind's startin' to leave her."

They died at the same time. Just like in her nightmare. How could she hope to continue this relationship with that hanging over her head? Still, there was a chance Discord was just lying to her. After all, he could make ponies see what wasn't there, why wouldn't he do it just to try and mess with her?

"AJ...I don't mean to pry, but...how did they, you know..." she added looking into her soft emerald eyes. A saddened expression taking hold of Applejacks gentle features, though thankfully, there were no tears.

The muted orange earth pony stared down unblinking at their hind legs intertwined beneath the blankets as she spoke. "There was a shower scheduled that day. Pa, Big Mac and a couple of my uncles and cousins had come in from all around to help us raise a new apple silo." she said as she began stroking Rainbows mane with the foreleg she had around her shoulder, more to comfort herself than the cyan pegasus, "The old one had outlived it's usefulness and was getting so rickety a strong gust woulda knocked it down. Pa was supposed to take it down, but decided the rain wasn't gonna last very long and it could wait till after."

Rainbow's eyes were filling with tears, though fortunately Applejacks unblinking stare remained focused on their hind legs. Her worst fear was coming true right in front of her. Discord was telling the truth...it had been her fault Applejack was an orphan. The guilt washed over her like a tidal wave, a tear escaping the wells of her eyes and falling onto Applejacks chest, breaking her gaze and drawing her attention.

"Hey now sugarcube, that was a long time ago." the farm girl reassured her, wiping a tear away with her hoof, "I miss them everyday, but there's no reason to cry about it."

She barely heard what Applejack had said as her legs began trembling. She removed herself from the bed and walked briskly toward the balcony.

"Rainbow where are you goin?" the orange mare demanded.

The cyan pegasus hesitated at the door to the balcony, debating weather to even give an answer at all.

Rainbow spread her wings and glanced over her shoulder, tears glistening down her face, jaw quivering, "I...just need a few minutes."

With that she disappeared into the still dark early morning sky, leaving only a few feathers and a confused Applejack in her wake.

Ch.16 Mac The Knife

DISCORD'S REIGN

Chapter 16-Mac The Knife

Big Macintosh closed his eyes, a look of serenity settled across his brow. The attackers in the barn circled around him, making sure he had nowhere to run until he gave up the location of his sister and her friends.

"Last chance Mac," Axel warned.

'You'll get your filthy hooves on them over my dead body.'

His thoughts fueled his resolve, the very idea of Twilight, his sister, or any of the other mares in their hooves driving him to commit violence if it meant protecting those he cared about.

Mac's unwaveringly stoic expression only drove the impatience of the stallion itching for a fight. A set of hoofbeats announced an earth pony had charged forward. The red workhorse gauged the distance between them, readying himself to strike.

His green eyes snapped open; the first thing he saw was a stallion reared up on his hind legs, ready to unleash a barrage of kicks. The first hit aimed right for Mac's jaw. A quick tilt of the head, and the limb shot past his right ear. His opponent was stunned at the big stallions agility as he felt Mac's foreleg wrap around his own. The draught horse quickly sat on his flanks and rolled onto his back, taking his attacker with him, positioning his hind hooves against his enemies stomach and using his powerful flanks to propel him out of the open barn door.

A quick hop and he was back on all four hooves, ready to send more stallions flying. He released a short, angry exhalation through his nose and drew his foreleg into the dirt, flinging dust behind him momentarily resembling a raging bull. Two more pegasi stallions flew towards him, a foreleg extended ready to deliver a flying punch. Mac jumped high into the air above his attackers, bringing both forelegs down between their wings as the hard wood floor knocked the air from their lungs. He casually regarded his fallen opponents with a sort of vague disinterest, as the remaining seven stallions exchanged worried looks. Against such a dangerous enemy, their numbers didn't seem so reassuring anymore.

Axel stepped ahead of the group confidently, "Stand back boys."

He charged Mac, just like all the others before him.

'This's been a long time comin' Mac thought to himself, pondering the method he would use to send this scumbag to the dirt. 'How bout a reverse throw through the barn door with a buck to the ribs to keep 'em down. Eeyup.'

His opponent was no more than two steps away. Mac readied himself to move, but found his muscles frozen. A light green aura surrounded his entire body. Mac had neglected to notice his current adversary was a unicorn, his horn barely protruding from beneath his shaggy black mane. Axel turned on his forelegs, facing his back legs toward Mac as he braced for a punishing buck.

'I'll feel this'n tomorrow!'

Big Macintosh had never been hit; heck he'd barely ever been in a fight! But he supposed his streak had to come to an end sometime. Though wrestling had been his sport before he committed himself to a life of farm work, no bucking was allowed. One could almost say he was a tad excited at the idea of shaking off this kick and continuing the smack down he had been laying on Axel's group. Still, none of that should matter; this guy was nowhere near as big as he was. Lithe by comparison in fact! There's no way he could possibly-

Stars. Big Mac would later claim he literally saw stars as the powerful hind legs connected with his jaw, sending him a few feet into the air and onto his back. His ears were ringing and his vision was still doubled as he tried to shake off the massive ache in his mouth. The warm metallic taste of blood overwhelmed his tongue as it began to pool. He spit a mouthful out onto the wooden planks beneath him, momentarily forgetting there were six ponies and a princess potentially hiding directly under his spit. His tongue searched readily for the source of the blood, finding a loosened molar in the back of his jaw. With a wince and a quick flick of the tongue, he dislodged the offending tooth and spit it onto the ground.

The tooth rattled across the floor, breaking the otherwise tense silence.

Mac smiled, a small stream of blood running from his mouth, "If I wanted a kiss, I would have called your mother."

Normally insults were not Big Macintosh's forte, especially against that kindly old cart mechanic's wife, but that kick actually hurt!

Axel's expression twisted in anger as he froze Mac in his magic again. The other stallions approached the imprisoned workhorse, emboldened by their leader's tight hold over the him.

Twilight and her friends were directly below Big Mac when he got knocked on his flanks. Princess Luna had to hold Applejack in place from bursting through the floorboards themselves to tear those stallions apart herself. Twilight on the other hoof was having a fierce internal debate as to whether to help her coltfriend and give away their hiding place, or stay quiet and watch as Mac had his face pounded in trying to protect them.

They had him surrounded, frozen in place as they began to take shots at him one by one. With every hit, Twilight found her resolve to keep their hiding place a secret dwindling away, wanting nothing more than to show this 'Axel' what real magic looked like.

Macintosh's grunts of pain echoed through the barn, each one making Twilight feel as if she was the one taking the beating. Every strike tore at the unicorns heart, as the noble stallion took blow after blow in the name of protecting them. Each time one of the stallions would get tired, a new one would take his place to continue the beating, all while Big Mac kept his bleeding lips sealed.

After a few minutes, Axel grew impatient of Big Macintosh's iron will. He looked around the barn, his eyes settling on a sickle hanging on the wall. An evil grin crept across his face as the razor sharp farm implement gleamed in the torchlight, hovering in front of him, basked in a green glow.

"Alright Mac," He said turning to face him, the sickle still in front of him menacingly. "How about this. How about you tell me where your sister and her friends are, and I won't cut off your leg!" He demanded, emphasizing his point by lightly dragging the tip of the blade over Mac's foreleg.

Twilight couldn't wait any longer, she had to act now or Mac would be disfigured forever. To her right, Applejack appeared to be on the verge of a stroke, fighting as hard as she could against Luna's holding spell. Twilight's horn glowed a soft purple as she readied the nastiest spell she could think of off the top of her head. The spell was fueled by a burning in her heart, an all consuming fire that only rises when a loved one is in peril. To Twilight's grim satisfaction, it couldn't have come at a better time.

Axel had just taken another step forward, when a flicker of purple light from between the floorboards caught Big Mac's attention. He could make out a set of eyes below the planks beginning to glow.

The stallion directed a single, sharp glare at the floor, meeting Twilight's eyes. She released her magic and bit her lip until she was sure it would bleed.

She was starting to get really sick of feeling helpless. In fact she found herself beginning to loathe the feeling. Her mind raced, desperately trying to find a way to save the stallion she cared about.

Macintosh turned his attention back to the sickle-weilding unicorn in front of him, relieved that he hadn't noticed the magical glow from underneath the floor.

He noticed the maniacal gleam of somepony mad with power in the unicorn's eye. Up until now, he was sure Axel had been bluffing, but the cold, calculating gaze he held assured him that the unicorn would have no qualms about cutting his leg off of he didn't cooperate.

"Well?" Axel asked shortly, "You gonna talk?"

Mac was scared, more than he had ever been in his entire life. Oddly enough, he wasn't concerned for his safety, or even how much having a sickle hack away at your leg was going to hurt. His biggest concern was how he was going to help his sister with the farm work if he only had three legs? Who would pull the plow? Who would yank down the dead apple trees? Not him without all four hooves.

His fear replaced by anger, the stallion spat a stream of blood into Axel's face. He would get through this...somehow.

Axel wiped his face, snarling in rage. He smashed a hoof into the red stallions face one last time before forcing him to raise his right foreleg. The muscular appendage struggled with all his might against the green aura commanding it, but to no avail. Big Mac could no longer hide the terror in his eyes as they traced the blade he was sure would soon be stained red.

"Leave my big brother alone!"

A high-pitched voice shouted from behind Axel. Every eye inside (and below) the barn shifted to three fillies with red capes, swinging in on one rope from the hay loft at a rather impressive speed. Applebloom let go of the rope exactly at the right time to deliver a kick with both hind legs to Axel's temple. His concentration broken, Mac found himself free once more. In the blink of an eye, Mac had bucked the two attackers behind him through the back wall of the barn.

He was eternally grateful that Applebloom had shown up, but now felt the fearful grip of uncertainty wrap around his mind. If he couldn't take on all these ponies, he didn't want to think about what would happen to the fillies at the hooves of these lunatics. He knew the cavalry waited just beneath his hooves, ready to even the odds at his call. He couldn't let them risk the only hiding place not under Discord's direct control, even if it meant...

He shook those thoughts from his head, and a few quick steps and he was defensively in front of his littlest sister and her friends.

"What are y'all doin' here?" Mac demanded keeping an eye on the still groggy Axel as he stirred on the floor.

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS BULLY BUSTERS!" they shouted gleefully in unison, completely oblivious to the grave danger of their situation.

"Applebloom you were so awesome! You were all 'Leave my brother alone!' then he was all 'Blahhh' then you kicked him right in his stupid face!" Scootaloo added excitedly, Sweetie Belle echoing her congratulations.

"Girls!" Mac hissed, grabbing their attention, "You have to run away from here! These stallions will hurt you!"

"You got that right." Axel stood, a streak of blood trailing from his mane to his chin, the familiar paralysis of his magic not only embracing Mac, but the three fillies as well.

"This doesn't involve them!" Mac pled, trying to spare the little ones from whatever twisted plans the clearly aggravated Axel and his goons had conceived. "Let 'em go!"

"Oh no. They just involved themselves." He said, the sickle that had stuck in the floor now dislodged from the boards and floating in front of Mac once again. There was murder in his eyes now, the enraged unicorn settling the cold blade of the sickle against Big Mac's throat. Axel savored his position of power just for a moment.

Luna whispered to Twilight, "Hold Applejack."

Her voice snapped the lavender unicorn out of her indecisive trance, following her orders almost by reflex. "I'm putting an end to this."

"How?" Rarity whispered.

Luna closed her eyes, her horn glowing lightly as the armor that made her the feared Nightmare Moon affixed itself to her out of thin air, her mane glowing dark like the night sky, peppered with stars.

"I'll find a way."

In a flash, she disappeared from beneath the barn, leaving a struggling Twilight to hold back the unbelievably strong Applejack.

Axel's eyes narrowed. "Say hello to your parents for me."

Thunder erupted from inside the barn as a bolt of lightning struck just behind Axel, startling him out of his skin.

Arcs of electricity struck randomly from around Nightmare Moon's form, making for a stunning visual effect. She smiled. She hadn't gotten to really intimidate anypony since freeing herself from the moon.

"So, you would betray the elements of harmony to Discord?"

Mac had never been more relieved to see an evil deity. The look on Axel's face was almost worth the beating he had taken to see it.

The rest of the mob trembled in absolute terror.

"That, my DISloyal subjects, is treason," She growled in her most frightening voice, "And do you know where I send traitors?"

Luna was maybe six inches away from Axels petrified face, getting a weak shake of the head form the scared bit-less unicorn.

"Take a wild guess!" Luna roared, unleashing the royal Canterlot voice.

With that, Axel bolted toward the door, followed by the rest of those he had gathered.

"I needed that." Luna sighed contently as the rest of the ponies burst from beneath the barn. A muted orange blur shot past everypony and collided with Big Mac, checking over his wounds obsessively.

"Don't you ever. EVER. Scare me like that again MacIntosh!" Applejack yelled at him. The volume only worsened the headache that had been building, now that the adrenaline had worn off. He noticed his sister's use of his full first name.

'She must be pretty upset.' He thought raising himself up onto his elbows. Applejack had knocked him onto his back into the bale of hay Luna claimed.

He could have returned her shout, reminding her that he was only getting his flank kicked so he could keep her and her friends safe. But he wasn't the type for arguing if he could help it.

"Sorry Applejack."

His apologetic whisper was met with a hug, feeling a few drops of moisture fall onto his shoulder as a bloody, broken smile lit his slightly swollen face. Applebloom quickly joined the hug. Her bravado instantly evaporating when she got a good look at the damage those mean stallions had done to her big brother. Her lip began to quiver as Mac smiled at her, releasing Applejack and sitting up on his flanks, taking her into a hug with both forelegs. Moist sobs began emanating from the filly burying her nose in his chest, feeling his little sister give him a tight hug as if it were the last they'd ever share. He pulled her back to leg length, looking into the scared, wet eyes of a filly that couldn't stand to lose another family member.

"Hey now." Mac began, lifting the hoof she had saved and wiping away her tears. "Why are you cryin'?"

Every laceration, bruise and streak of blood on the earth stallions face cut deeply into the little filly's heart as she gave an honest answer.

"T-those stallions...w-were hurtin' you."

The thought of anypony hurting her family fostered an anger the likes of which Applebloom had never felt before, but even it was finding itself overwhelmed by fear for her brothers safety.

"Oh no darlin'," Mac assured her, even though he had never hurt so badly in his life. "They couldn't hurt me. You want to know a secret?"

"W-what?" She stammered through her tears.

"You hit harder than they do," He whispered, smiling in an attempt to comfort her.

"I think that's enough crusadin' for one night." Applejack insisted, controlling her emotions enough to regain her maternal tone.

"How'd y'all know I was in the barn? And what are the three of ya doin' here anyway?" Mac asked at the rest of the crusaders gathered around Applebloom.

"Granny fell asleep, so I snuck out ta the clubhouse and found Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle havin' a sleepover!" Applebloom explained after her tears began to dry.

"Sweetie Belle!" Rarity interjected, "You never told me you planned a sleepover tonight!"

"We didn't plan it. After I got back from school, the house was locked, and you were gone!" Sweetie Belle added indignantly, much to Rarity's embarrassment, "Then stuff started to get all weird in town, so I went to the clubhouse and found Scootaloo! You sure do hang out there a lot!" She added glancing at the orange pegasus who returned an sheepish grin before continuing the story.

"Yeah...anyway, after Applebloom showed up, we decided to play Cutie Mark Crusaders super spies!"

"We watched those other ponies go into the barn with Big Mac, so we climbed up the super secret ladder to the hay loft and saw those other jerks were hurting him! So we sprung into action as the bully busters!" The orange filly said proudly, checking her flank for a skull smashing cutie mark, her expression falling when she realized her flanks were still blank.

On a dime, Scootaloo's expression shifted from disappointment to joy, bounding over to her idol.

The young pegasus gestured wildly while she engaged Dash's feigned interest, "Didja see me Rainbow? I was all, swoosh! on the rope and Applebloom was all like, Kick! and that one guy hit the ground!"

A brief pause allowed Rainbow to look into the similarly colored eyes of the filly in total adoration before her, even though it was she that had done something heroic. Dash had been depressed for a while now, in fact she'd wager it was the only thing she felt since last night, and being a jerk to the one pony who would still love her no matter what wasn't going to change anything.

"Yeah I did kid. You were awesome." The words she chose were correct, but her tone managed to shoot down the unbridled enthusiasm Scootaloo seemed to be bursting with at all times.

Rainbow immediately regretted her apathetic sounding response; the drop in the orange filly's eyes hit her like so many bucks to the face.

"Squirt, wait!" She called, "You weren't awesome. You were amazing!" She injected as much enthusiasm into her tone as she could, though every fiber of her being was still wracked with guilt and sadness.

It was enough to convince Scootaloo however, and she quickly gave Rainbow a hug, one that was willingly returned (for once). The rainbow maned pegasus found her mind drifting to a comment Sweetie Belle had made earlier, about Scootaloo always seeming to be around the treehouse the three fillies used as their crusading headquarters.

"What were you doin' out in the clubhouse by yourself kiddo?"

Another sharp drop struck the happiness from the orange filly's eyes.

"Nothing...I just like to hang out there." She lied, not daring to admit the truth she had kept for four long years.

Rainbow couldn't believe she had been so blind. All the years Scootaloo had watched her practice until dusk, and she had never once asked where it was the little filly laid her head at night. Couple that with the fact that nopony had ever seen her parents, or even knew where she lived. The next question was rather obvious.

"You've...been sleeping in the clubhouse?" Rainbow asked in a hushed tone, noting the shame creeping across the young pegasus' face. "Haven't you?"

Scootaloo's lip began to tremble, her eyes welling up as her greatest secret was discovered by her idol.

"Please don't tell anypony Rainbow! I swear I'll find a new place to-" the cyan mare silenced her with a hoof over the mouth, stunned that she would be apologetic at all. This filly had been living on her own for at least four years? In that old wooden clubhouse? Even during the dead of winter? Where had she been getting food? Or blankets? Or anything?

Questions like these raced through Rainbow's mind as she realized a still nervous filly awaited her response.

"You don't have to apologize..." she whispered, "I should be the one apologizing."

Scootaloo was taken aback. "You apologize? For what?"

"Because, I never once thought to ask where you go after you watch me practice, or why I've never seen your parents even though you spend most of your free time following me around. I was blind to anypony else's problems, especially yours, and I'm...I'm..." Never before had Rainbow had to say she was sorry, now she was looking at saying it three times in one week. That had to have been some sort of record.

"Sorry."

Scootaloo witnessed the drop in Dash's eyes, those only a truthful soul could hold. The filly comforted her the only way she knew how; a hug.

Rainbow would never admit it, but she needed that hug, that token of affection more than anything in the world. It spoke to her heart, reminding the cyan mare that maybe all was not lost just yet, and maybe there was still some way to restore the lives they had before all this began. The question she found herself pondering was; how hard was she willing to fight, and how much would she be willing to sacrifice to revive the life they had?

After a warm hug, Scootaloo snuggled herself against Dash's side, below her wing. She instinctively sheltered the filly beneath the soft down, warming her better than any tiny crusader cape could have hoped for.

The orange pegasus was asleep almost instantly beside the warmth of her idol. Rainbow couldn't help but smile down at the little one, whose annoying and constant need for her attention all made sense now. In fact, the times she didn't have the patience for Scootaloo began to flood her mind, reminding her of all the unknowingly hurtful things she had said to the young pegasus who only wanted to know somepony in this cold world cared about her. It was at that moment, that the fastest flier in all of Equestria had an epiphany. She had finally found her reason to fight, her reason to charge headlong into the face of madness, only if it meant securing a future for the little one tucked beneath her wing.

Accompanying her brave thoughts, was the odd feeling somepony was watching her. A glance over her shoulder exposed the culprit. Applejack quickly turned her eyes elsewhere, trying to play off her stare.

Dash smiled slightly. Maybe all wasn't as lost as she'd figured.

Rainbow laid her head on her crossed forelegs, settling in for what she hoped would be a restful nights sleep.

XXX

Twilight had let Mac have his family moment before walking over, though her tears were stifled by the sense of relief she felt after having Luna terrify the mob back to Ponyville.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, immediately scolding herself for asking such a dumb question.

"Ah've been better." He answered, still on his back in the hay, under order from his sister to rest, or face the consequences.

Twilight let out a nervous giggle, "I bet. That was pretty brave of you Mac." she admitted, making the red stallion's bruised cheeks light up in a way only she could.

"Ah couldn't very well let 'em take y'all to Discord could I?"

"And you couldn't very well work on a farm without a leg!" Twilight shot back, trying to make light of the rather dark situation that had almost transpired.

"Ah'm just glad you're safe." Mac said softly, getting to his hooves only to be immediately chastised back to his flanks by Applejack.

"I guess I'm sleepin' here tonight." he added as princess Luna gracefully strode over to the injured stallion.

"My word noble MacIntosh! Those ruffians gave you quite the kicking." she stated, her horn glowing softly as her armor removed itself and she returned to her normal form.

"I s'pose you could say that." he answered modestly.

"Fear not Macintosh Apple," Luna said confidently, "Those who would betray the crown will be hunted to the last pony, once we retake Canterlot. To besmirch such a handsome visage is a transgression that will not go unpunished, I assure you."

Mac blushed even more than Twilight thought possible at Luna's compliment, though it was buried between words she wasn't sure Mac even understood. Another emotion sparked in the very deepest recesses of her mind, one she didn't have much experience with. Jealousy.

Luna took her leave to an adjacent pile of hay while the red stallion continued to lie on his back, still reveling in the complement given to him by the second in command of the entire kingdom. He quickly shut down his grin, seeing Twilight's somewhat annoyed expression.

"Let's get some ice on those bruises." the lavender unicorn said, casting an ice spell and pressing the block of frozen water against Mac's cuts. The workhorse recoiled at the drastic temperature change. Twilight held the ice closer, partially out of caring for her coltfriend, but also to see if he could blush for Luna with a block of ice on his face.

Eventually, the malice lost the battle, and Twilight eased up on the ice and lay down beside him. She scooted close; almost uncomfortably close to make sure a certain princess knew which workhorse was already spoken for, and by whom.

They all claimed their respective bedding and settled in for the remainder of the night. Rainbow decided they should have someone keep watch in case those goons decided to show up again. Since it was her idea, she was volunteered for first watch.

Rainbow perched herself on the roof, still grumpy that they had interrupted her precious few minutes of sleep to sit on the roof all night. She was promised she'd be able to sleep all day tomorrow if she wanted. But that was then, and right now she found herself struggling to keep her eyes open.

'They won't come back tonight...not with Nightmare Moon here...' She thought hazily, her eyelids falling closed more often than she would admit.

A soft whisper caused her ears to perk up, "Raiiiiiiiiinbow."

She leaned over the edge of the roof to see Scootaloo on the ground below.

"What is it squirt?" she yawned, fluttering down off the rooftop next to the orange filly with seemingly boundless amounts of energy.

"What are you doin' on the roof?"

"Keepin' watch in case those jerks come back." the cyan pegasus answered matter-of-factly. "What are you still doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep..." the filly admitted, though truthfully she didn't want to sleep without her multi-colored heat source.

"Right. You want to help me keep an eye out?" Rainbow asked, knowing full well the answer.

"Yeah!"

The rainbow maned pony couldn't help but smile as she lowered herself in front of Scootaloo.

"Hop on kid."

The little orange filly gladly hopped onto her idol's back, ecstatic to finally spend some quality time with the mare she wanted nothing more than to emulate.

A quick beat of the wings and they were perched back on the rooftop, Rainbow settling in as Scootaloo resumed her position beneath her wing. She embraced the silence, thinking the orange filly had drifted off before her words shattered that illusion.

"What happened to Canterlot?"

Rainbow looked down to her right, the purple eyes of her number one fan gleaming back at her. She figured everypony had to have seen the castle floating why would Scoot be any different?

"Discord happened." she answered bluntly.

"We didn't free him this time! I swear!" Scootaloo pled in a worried tone.

"I know you didn't." Rainbow softly reassured her, "We don't even know what did."

After a brief moment of silence, another question floated up towards Dash's ear from underneath her wing.

"How are you gonna beat him?"

'Good question' She thought. No use frightening the little one. It was better in her mind to have them live as if everything was fine, down to the last minute if they couldn't best Discord. Why put the creeping thought of ones own mortality into somepony so young?

"We'll figure something out." Dash answered, considering the filly asking the flurry of questions housing situation.

"Listen Scoot, I've been thinkin' about what you told me." Rainbow looked down to see nervousness in the purple eyes reflecting her image.

"You mean...about the clubhouse?" the orange filly clarified, her voice cracking as she did.

"Yeah. After all this is over...if you want to, I mean...you can live with me."

Scootaloo nearly exploded. The look on her face suggested Rainbow had just single hoofedly defeated Discord, healed the sick, fed the hungry and walked on water all at once.

"YOU MEAN IT?!" Rainbow quickly clapped her hoof over the overjoyed filly's mouth.

"Shh! Not so loud!"

A smile defied her insistent hushes beneath her hoof. Rainbow had never seen eyes light up like that...well, that wasn't entirely true. But seeing a certain set of emerald eyes sparkle again was quite out of the question for the time being.

"Yes, I mean it. You won't have to sleep in that old clubhouse anymore unless you want to."

Scootaloo tried as hard as she could to blink away the tears welling in her eyes, but they persisted, flowing from the violet orbs as she tried her best to hide under Dash's wing. The orange filly was sure she was dreaming, there was just no way her secret fantasy was coming true right in front of her! After four long years of letting her shame keep her from telling anypony her little secret, Dash had finally figured it out.

The rainbow maned pegasus couldn't help but pull the filly close to her, the warm feeling rushing through her reminded her of the feeling she got taking Applejack to Cloudsdale.

Rainbow felt Scootaloo snuggle as close to her as possible, finally falling into an easy sleep. She turned her gaze back to the road towards Ponyville, a new energy ran through her veins as she found a renewed resolve to maintain a vigilant watch.

Twilight lay quietly beside Mac, the draught stallion taking on a bit of a wheeze from the punishing blows he had taken at the hooves of the mob he had fought off. His foreleg was over her shoulder as she snuggled closer against him, trying her best to recapture the sleep she had forced herself from in Mac's bed. Hay was certainly no substitute for a mattress.

Twilight would have gladly taken all the momentary discomfort in the world if it meant besting Discord and restoring Celestia to the throne. Try as she might, she couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right, as if something had been missing this entire time they'd been hiding out in the barn. She couldn't put a hoof on it, but she felt certain she had forgotten something.

Twilight shot upright from the modest bed, startling Big Mac from a dead sleep.

"Celestia's mane! I forgot Spike at the library!"