A headache raged through her skull, causing her to shut her eyes to the beginnings of vision that were starting to appear before the lavender mare. The world was still fuzzy and far too bright, every noise being far too loud and every color seeming at once too vivid and too muted to distinguish. Her eyes flickered open again briefly before shutting. This pattern continued for a few more moments. Slowly but surely, however, her surroundings began to swim into view. And what surroundings they were.

Carnival music played, a happy and upbeat sound that contrasted sharply with what Twilight Sparkle felt as she began really looking around from the ground. She’d awoken on something strangely soft, but still familiar. Rose petals, she realized, inhaling the scent. They were almost overpowering with her nostrils so close to them, her body lying flat belly down on the makeshift bed. Against her better judgement, she took a bite, realizing she was positively ravenous. She shouldn’t have been surprised, but the unicorn still was when the petals tasted distinctly of popcorn. Another bite, carrot cake this time. What in Equestria had she gotten herself into?

Twilight continued munching on the petals, despite her misgivings about eating anything even resembling food provided to her by Discord. She looked around more, finally really looking up. A soft, pinkish tinted light covered the entire space, which she noticed seemed to be coming from a string of cotton candy that had light coming from the center. They criss-crossed the ceiling which seemed to be extremely high for something indoor. She was quite sure it was indoors, however. Discord wouldn’t have made walls otherwise. That didn’t seem his style. The deep purple of the walls matched that of her mane, she realized, complete with a lighter shade of polka dots and pinkish stripes. They weren’t true walls though either, they seemed more... Circular. Like the ceiling of an auditorium or... Maybe a cave? A cave could make sense.

Slowly Twilight got to her hooves, going slowly the keep the world’s spinning to a minimum. She took her first step off the rose petals and was met with an unpleasant squelching sound, causing her to immediately jump back and raise an eyebrow. It was some strange material that matched the coloration of the walls, but seemed to be a semisolid mass. The unicorn blinked and watched as her hoofprint began to disappear from the odd matter. She decided to try again, and got a similar result, though the sound was a little slower and deeper this time. It almost sounded like a pony... Passing gas...

“Fart putty, Discord?” She asked to no one in particular, though she felt quite sure the Embodiment of Chaos would make an appearance soon, probably too proud of his own handy work to stay away. Something about the entire situation was surreal. How much time had passed since she had... What exactly had she done? Somehow she’d allowed Discord free, that she knew, but for how long? How had it even been possible? She was only one element! There was no way one element could wield that sort of power over the others... Was there?

Twilight began to walk across the putty on the floor, making her way towards what appeared to be a door, though it was made entirely from what seemed to be chocolate and was at least three times her height. The doorknob was out of reach. She tried to grasp it with her magic, but her headache surged causing the lavender mare to gasp in pain and shock. So that idea was out. She had no magic, or at least not that sort of magic, and no other ways out. The ‘room’ of sorts she was in seemed to round off behind the bed. So how did she get out?

Perhaps... Gently, she gathered magic into her horn, focusing on creating heat. Not too hot, but just warm. Warm enough melt chocolate. She put her horn forward, almost touching the door but not quite, and grinned as it began to melt away. It would be slow going, sure, but it was doable and caused very little headache. Bit by bit, a hole began to form in the door.

When Twilight had been at it for perhaps half an hour (though truth be told, aside from the looping carnival music it could’ve been thirty seconds or three hours and she’d have had no idea. It was impossible to tell time in such a place.), a small prick of white light began to show through. She beamed, but continued her work. At this point, she was hot, sticky, and covered from head to hoof in chocolate, but soon, soon she’d be able to see the rest of her surroundings. For a moment, she paused, and stepped back to admire her work.

The light disappeared from the other side, and a single yellow eye looked at her briefly before the entire door melted into a puddle on the floor, and then seemed to be sucked beneath further down. The same could not be said for the chocolate still on her coat, however.

Standing on this new frontier of the area of what had lain beyond the door, was a frowning Draconequus in a remarkably tastefully decorated area that seemed to end somewhat abruptly behind a pair of large, luxurious red curtains.

“Now look what you’ve gone and made me do! That chocolate was delicious and you had to go and make me waste it.” He glowered at Twilight for a moment, before popping up directly beside her and giving a well placed lick from the base of her horn to its tip. Despite knowing she should’ve been prepared for anything, the touch to her horn came as a surprise, given its natural sensitivity, leading to her taking a step back into the putty.

Discord began to laugh, and Twilight blushed lightly from embarrassment and frustration before glaring at the being before her.

“Come now, Twily!” He exclaimed fondly, before snapping. The chocolate suddenly evaporated from her body. “There was no reason for all of it be thrown away so carelessly! Besides, it’s hardly the first time I’ve licked you.” He added, scratching under her chin before she jerked away.

“Now, now. Don’t be like that with old Discord.” He told her with a disappointed expression as he cocked an eyebrow. “You’re the reason I’m here, after all.”

“I am not!” Came the outraged response from the adolescent mare. “This was all your fault! You did it!”

Discord looked at her flatly, hands on hips, before nodding sarcastically. “Right, right. I just magicked myself out of stone. Oh yes, I never tried that during the time I was encased before.” The mockery in his tone oozed through every word, punctuated by a final grand eye roll, in which his eyes rolled out of his head, down his arm and into his hand, where he plopped them back into position.

“I’m only one element, Discord. I couldn’t have released you!” Twilight insisted. She was very certain it was true. There was no way the natural order of harmony would allow it to happen.

“Ah yes, only one element. But not all elements are created equally, my dear.”

The unicorn gave an almost stupefied blink. The concept that one element could hold any more power than any other was alien to her. It was inconceivable. Illogical. But not impossible, she realized, more disturbed than anything else.

“Twilight, Twilight, Twilight. There is so very, very little that your beloved rulers have shared with you about that fancy accessory on your head.” The Draconequus chuckled, and pat the mare on the head. “So little they’ve taught you and so much I know.”

What Twilight hated more than almost anything else in the entire warped situation was the simple fact that more than likely, he was right.

She was Celestia only knew where (if Celestia even knew where.) with the lord of chaos who she had, through some strange means she didn’t fully understand, allowed to escape from his eternal imprisonment. This Lord of all things Disorderly now held her fate in his claws, unless she could understand how to use the elements to trap him once again. Even then, she had no idea where she was. She could be too far to teleport to her home or to somewhere that was familiar in any way. If she did get away, then what? Discord would be left to his own devices, free to create havoc and disarray until they were able to find him again. What if he was smarter this go around? If he didn’t do something giant and ridiculous right away, or if he started somewhere deep in the Everfree, or even in another land outside of Euqestria... The risks were too great for her to leave.

At the same time, how could she stay? What about her friends and studies, what about Spike? How long had she been gone now? It was likely it had been at least a day, she imagined, having no concept of how long she had been passed out. Somepony was likely looking for her by this point. What would they do when they couldn’t find her? Or when they discovered the statue of Discord missing?

“It isn’t all so bad you know. As I told you once, I know more than even your dear, dear Celestia. Far more than her, actually, and of course more than the young Luna.” He smiled, seeming to remember a happier time.

Twilight blinked in surprise, Discord’s statement breaking her train of thought. “You don’t know about Nightmare Moon, do you?” She questioned. How could he? Sure, he may have heard stories but he wouldn’t know the true nature of what had happened. It would’ve been after his initial imprisonment.

The Draconequus eyed her quizzically. “Nightmare Moon?”

“When Princess Luna turned dark and was banished to the moon for one thousand years? All the foal’s tales about the Mare in the Moon? Nightmare Night?” The unicorn probed.

“Never heard of such a thing.” He stated.

“But how can you... Your dialect...” Twilight trailed off. It had never occurred to her before, but when Luna had returned, her dialect had remained the old style. How had Discord’s been newer when he’d had to have been imprisoned eons before her initial banishment?

“All in due time, Twilight.” He told her with a wink. “Now, as I’m sure you understand, you’ll be remaining in this place for now. I can’t risk you deciding to run off on me and tell somepony I’m here, not that you know where here is. I’ve also taken the liberty of blocking most of your magic from penetrating the walls, though you’re welcome to put up a new door and redecorate however you like. This is home, however, for the mean time.”

She looked at the putty, vibrant floors, cotton candy light strings, and rose petal bed the lay in the room beyond. This was to be her prison. “Discord, you can’t just keep me here forever. I’m Celestia’s personal student. I have friends and loved ones. They’ll come looking for me.”

“Twilight, I have no concerns about who may or may not come looking for you.”

“But they will come, Discord. It’ll be easier on yourself if you just turn yourself in. I’m sure I could convince the Princess to drop any kidnapping charges at my request! I could-”

“I am not going back to be trapped in stone, Miss Sparkle.” The Spirit of Disharmony snarled, suddenly mere inches from Twilight’s snout, and for the first time since coming to, Twilight found herself afraid.

The Draconequus took a deep breath. His anger was still evident on his face. His lion’s paw came up, starting from the top of his face down, and moving across it, and his face contorted into a silly, beaming grin. He brought his paw across again, and the anger returned. He repeated this a few more times until, perhaps out of little more than some sort of relief, Twilight let out a small, shaky giggle.

Discord smiled, a genuine smile, and took a step back, as well as rising himself to his full height.

“I’m sorry, Discord.” Twilight told him. “I didn’t...”

He eyed her. “You did. I am no idiot, Twilight. I know you have no love for me nor what I stand for. You believe it would be better for everypony if I were locked away, somewhere my ‘evil’ magic could do no harm. I alsoI know though, you are a good mare at heart. Perhaps you can even understand my predicament, or at least sympathize. I am an immortal in a world full of mortals. Mortals who despise me and make me out to be a monster and a demon. I am neither of these things, Miss Sparkle. I am simply an idea as old as time, as old as ponykind and even older, who will live on until the last sentient race fades from existence. From order comes disorder, Twilight. They do not exist without each other. Remember that.” They way he stared into the unicorn made her feel as though he was looking into her very soul. For a few heartbeats, she could see what he meant. She could see his logic, strange and warped as it often was. There was no concept of order without its opposite. Her own love couldn’t possibly exist without Discord’s passions. It was a balance.

But did order really need Twilight Sparkle’s assistance? Couldn’t it function just as well with another pony? After all. She was the element of Magic. Magic, the way she saw magic, was often a science, sure. Great works of art were created by Unicorns wielding a paint brush or chisel. Musical instruments could be played in the grip of an aura. Magic was a science in many ways, sure, but it wasn’t necessarily meant to be one exclusively.

These thoughts blossomed into being in the length of time Discord and herself maintained eye contact. His face had held such a serious expression when he spoke, something so unlike his nature. Was it really unlike his nature? The Draconequus loved fun, to be certain, but Chaos was more than a hobby for him. It was his very essence. In a way, one could argue he took it quite seriously. As they looked back in forth into each other, Twilight felt quite positive Discord could see the doubt she was harboring about her own place in the world. The doubt she’d been harboring since their previous encounter, despite him taking the memory from her. She was sure of this, so sure of this, she found herself almost drawn to him, and so she took a step forward.

A slow, rumbling fart from the putty floor shattered the moment.

Discord began to laugh uproariously, and Twilight followed suit.

They both laughed until tears ran down their faces, and many more steps were made causing many more sounds to be issued, each time making them explode into giggles until finally, the odd duo was spent.

In the end, Discord snapped, and the entire room changed. The floor went from fart putty to breathtakingly white marble. The carnival music stopped, replaced by something classical the Twilight realized she’d never learned the name of but sounded vaguely familiar that seemed to be played on a record player made from... Was that parmesan cheese? It sounded flawless just the same. The unicorn found herself in a dress made of blue iris petals, and Discord in a shimmering tuxedo, complete with top hat and mustache although he’d neglected in sort of shoes. “I’m afraid, Miss Sparkle, I must insist that you remain with me for the time being, until I can figure out exactly what I want my next course of action to be. I promise you, however, that I recognize your intelligence and I will not allow you to grow bored or complacent. I will teach you myself.” He snapped again, and Twilight could no longer see anything around her, with the exception of two spotlights shining down on herself and Discord. “

Under the odd circumstances we now find ourselves in, might we put all that aside for the evening?” He asked, smiling as he reached out his lion’s paw, where a Stargazer Lily materialized that he placed promptly behind Twilight’s ear. He then bowed and extended his paw again. “My lady, might I have this dance?”

Was she hesitant? Naturally. Everything in her sensible, rational mind (which normally overpowered anything else) told her that she needed to work on a plan, needed to try and escape. Despite this, she still found herself considering the opportunity at hand. She could learn from something even older and potentially more knowledgeable than her current teacher. Chances like this didn’t knock often, even if she would rather it had never happened (She would rather that, right?), she didn’t see a better option.

She would learn from Discord until she could break free and figure out the next best thing to do.

Learning to properly ballroom dance would be the first step.

Author's Note

I know, I know, I promised sex soon. I may have unintentionally lied. I promise it's coming, I'm just trying to time it out correctly. It'll be consensual, so Twilight needs to be sweet on our lord of Chaos, you know? And that takes work, guys! XD Anyways. I still need to do the hard edits on this chapter, so please feel free to crit the crap out of it and suggest anything you like. I could use help and a fresh set of eyes just with reading it too, because I'm struggling to see where things are awkwardly worded at this point, and I feel like I left out some critical thoughts to make Twilight Sparkle easier to follow as a character. I'd love some help with it if anyone happens to feel like it! Anyways, lack of sex aside, I hope ya'll enjoy!