-Ponyville-

Twilight was scowling and muttering things under her breath that would've made Celestia herself cringe as she made her way to Sugarcube corner. Before she could even step up to the front door and knock, it swung open and out bounced Pinkie Pie with a big grin.

"Heya Twilight! You alright? It looks like you want to beat somepony. By the way, it wouldn't happen to be a new Pegasus in town, would it?"

Twilight blinked a few times in surprise as she processed what Pinkie had said to her before speaking very slowly. "I am looking for somepony....he's blue-grey...you've seen him?"

"Yeparooni! I tried getting his name but he took off before I could. Seems like he's really, really bad at flying. Kinda like you were when you first got wings! We gonna find him?"

Twilight twitched in annoyance before sighing and chalking it up as another 'Pinkie-Pie Moment'. "Yes Pinkie. We're going to go find him, but I need to find the others first. So let's.." Her words died on her lips as Pinkie stood aside and pointed at Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy sitting inside the bakery with tired, but bored expressions.

"I kinda figured since it seemed like he had just left your house. Plus, I need to give him a cupcake! And some ice."

Twilight just sighed again, but gave a small smile and hugged Pinkie before stepping inside. "Thanks Pinkie. This makes things a lot easier." As she sat down with the rest of the girls, they all looked at her expectantly, waiting to hear what she had to say. "Alright girls, I need your help. I had somepony that Princess Luna wanted me to look after, but he left without saying anything. All he left was a note."

Three of the four mares sitting scowled while the fourth looked slightly confused. "A...note?" Fluttershy hesitantly asked. "W-why would he do that...instead of telling you? If you don't mind me asking..."

Rarity huffed and fluffed her mane before speaking up. "I must agree with dear Fluttershy. No true gentlecolt would leave a note for a lady. It is simply uncouth!"

"Ah can't I'm sayin this but....ah agree with Rarity. Ain't right ta leave jus a note. It's rude." Applejack sighed and adjusted her hat before continuing. "When we find 'im, he's gonna get one heck of a woopin'."

Rainbow Dash got of her chair and trotted over to Twilight before giving her a quick hug. "Don't worry Twi, we're gonna get him for doing this. No stupid Pegasus leaves a friend of mine like that! I'll check every cloud if I have to!"

All the girls nodded, made their way to Twilight and gave her a hug. Each of them were thinking of different ways to help, but had the same goal in mind: catch the Pegasus who ditched their friend.

"Thanks girls. I really appreciate it. Just as a heads up, he's a bit...jumpy. So that means no beating him senseless," Twilight looked at Rainbow Dash and Applejack as she emphasized that, since they would be the two who would do something like that. "You can, however, rough him up a bit if that's what it takes. Besides, I have a few choice words to tell him." She gave a small smirk before pulling away from the hug and clearing her throat. "He's blue-grey and doesn't have a cutie mark. If anything, he'll probably be wandering around somewhere or hiding so.........let's go catch a Pegasus!"

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-Twilight's Home-

Spike was worried. He figured that since Twilight had left, she would have cooled off a little bit, but what would the others say? Fluttershy would probably try and be kind to Frost if she caught him....but the others? Giving a small shudder, he picked up a few more books off the study floor and started to put them away when a loud boom echoed throughout the castle. Worried, and slightly annoyed, Spike ran to the source of the sound, ready to give the offender a piece of his mind. When the dust cleared, all those thoughts went out of his mind and the fear he had felt minutes before returned with vengeance. Princess Luna stood before him, snorting and looking like she was ready to rip everything before her apart.

"WHERE IS THE FOAL CALLED FROST?! HE SHALL BE PUNISHED FOR HIS CRIMES!"

Spike winced and dug his claws into the ground so he wouldn't go flying into a wall. Sure Luna had used her Canterlot Voice before and it was just loud, but this time, it had enough force behind it to actually move things. Once he was sure he could properly stand (and could actually hear), Spike cleared his throat and spoke. "Um...Princess Luna? Twi's actually looking for him right now...she went to look with the girls."

Luna focused her glare on Spike, making him shrink before she gave a small sigh. Turning her eyes from him, she looked around her, taking in the interior of the castle for the first time. She had been here once or twice before, but not long enough to really appreciate the design. When she felt that she had calmed down enough, she turned her gaze back to the dragon, with a more relaxed expression.

"We.....I thank thou Spike. 'Twas rude to take my frustrations out on thou. Apologies."

"I'll say moonie! Look at the poor guy, you nearly made him pass out from the glare you gave!"

Luna rolled her eyes while Spike frowned; he was sure he knew who that voice belonged to, but who was it? When the owner popped up in front of him, he let out a small groan of irritation: of course it had to be Discord. The dragon hadn't seen much of the god since the Tirek situation, so all thoughts of him had gone out the window.

"What's wrong? All I did was point out the obvious. By the way, do you have anything to eat? It took some energy to keep up with the princess here." Discord snickered and lay back on a checkered couch as he looked around the room. "Good to see this place hasn't changed...though you might want to get someone to fix that hole in the roof, hmm?"

Luna looked up at the roof and blushed heavily before her horn glowed in preparation for a spell. With a small flash, the hole was repaired and she looked at Spike once more, but with a sheepish expression. "Apologies once more Spike. I lost myself within fury...I hope thou will forgive me."

"Nah, don't worry about it Luna. You want something to eat too? Might be awhile before Twilight comes back."

"Thank you. We would like a glass of water, nothing more."

Spike nodded and turned his eye to Discord with some irritation but tried to be polite as possible. "We have stuff to eat, but what do you want? Please keep it sensible: I don't need to drive Twi crazier with some mess just because you were hungry."

Discord sat up and stroked his beard in thought before nodding and making a surprisingly simple request. "Some apples if you don't mind. Just one or two is fine." When both Spike and Luna gave him a surprised look, he gave a small pout and blew a raspberry at them. "I can ask for simple things too. I don't always need things chaotic."

Spike just shrugged and went off to the kitchen to get what they asked while the princess and the god sat in the room. Dunno why he's here Spike thought to himself. Things are gonna be interesting when Twi gets back though...

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-Ponyville-

Frost was trotting through the streets, making sure to keep an eye out for any of the Elements of Harmony, especially Twilight. He wasn't sure if she had told the other girls about him, but it was better to be safe than sorry. That, and it would be difficult in getting away when he didn't even know how to fly properly. When he found a better place to hide, he could practice flight, but his main focus was getting through town unnoticed. That was the worst part: since he was new, it would be almost impossible to sneak around, and what made it worse was Pinkie Pie. He didn't mind getting to know her, but it would have to be on his own terms. The way she appeared out of nowhere was downright creepy.

"Alright, where would be a good place to hide? Can't be obvious.....and there's no way I'm going in the Everfree...."

He began to get so lost in his thoughts that he nearly missed the sound of something moving through the air at a near-impossible speed. Without thinking twice, Frost jumped to the side and felt a blast of air go past him. When he finally looked where he would've been, his eyes widened and his ears went flat in fear: Rainbow Dash stood there giving him a look that could make anypony tremble.

"You. You're that bucking stallion that ditched Twilight earlier?"

"Uh...not really. I left a note and.."

"And nothing! You left Twilight without telling her! Now, be a good little punching bag and let me drag you back to her house..."

".............eep."

Frost turned and ran as fast as he could, making sure to weave in and out of the crowd as much as possible. That look she gave him...it was like a cat getting ready to pounce on a mouse. He didn't like that feeling one bit. When he finally ran out of breath, he slipped into an alleyway and prayed that she missed where he went. Hearing Dash scream out, "I'm gonna catch you eventually, you bucking jerk! Quit hiding!" made him feel slightly better. Right as he was about to make his way out the other end of the alley, his fur raised and a primal fear was urging him to flee. Turning his head very slowly, he saw a pony in a cowboy hat, with a rope and a cool, but determined expression.

"You that stallion who ditched Twi?" She asked in a country drawl.

Frost could only gulp and attempt to back out of the alley carefully as possible while keeping her in his sights.

"Well, since you ain't sayin' a thing, guess that means ya admit it. Now, Twi said we can rough you up if we need to, but ah think you're a smart fella. Just come with me an' we can put this behind us. Then again, been awhile since ah got to use mah rope. Your choice."

He looked at the rope and he had no doubt that as soon as she started to throw it, he would be sunk. Glancing around himself, his eyes rested on a trash can, giving him a desperate idea. "Sorry about this..." he muttered. Before she could respond, he put himself behind it and bucked the can as hard as he could towards her. Not wanting to waste any time, he ran out the alley and heard Applejack swearing and trying to get around the mess.

"Get back here ya varmit! Ah swear, when ah get mah hooves on yah..."

Before long, Frost found himself panting and hiding in the bushes at some park. As he tried to regain his breath, he quickly went over who he had met and escaped from so far. Let's see...Dash nearly ran me over from the air, Applejack was this close to hogtying me, haven't seen Pinkie since my first 'flight'.....so that leaves Sparkle, Rarity and Fluttershy. No way am I running into Twilight, she'll turn me inside out. Rarity, she hates ponies who aren't gentlecolts so... Giving an involuntary shudder, he peeked out of the bushes and looked around to make sure the coast was clear. As he stepped out and began to pull out bits and pieces of bush and garbage from his fur, he heard a small squeak. Deciding to ignore it, he continued to clean himself before he heard the sound of hooves coming up to him.

"U-um....I'm really sorry for this....please don't be mad..."

Mad? Mad for what? I....wait. That voice.....Fluttershy? As he began to look up, his mind processed a new thought, only this one was slower, and too late. She said sorry....wait! Fluttershy?! The stare! Don't Look! As soon as his grey eyes locked with her aquamarine eyes, he knew he was doomed. His entire body froze and he could do nothing but simply sit and look at her. Within minutes, he heard hooves headed in his direction followed by the shouts of joy at his capture. Even though he couldn't move an inch, Frost knew that the other Elements of Harmony were standing right behind him and ready to attack him the moment he attempted an escape.

"We caught youuuuu. Now to make sure you won't escape...."

Twilight's voice was calm and pleasant, but every hair on his body stood on end as she spoke. Frost was scared before by Luna, and frightened by Applejack, but the way Twilight was acting downright terrified him. When he felt her magic grip and hold him in place, he was turned to look at her, face-to-face.

A howl of pure agony erupted from the park and every stallion that heard it that day instinctively winced and sat down. It was a sound they all knew too well, and from the pitch of the howl, the hit was direct and on point.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

-Twilight's Home-

Spike, Discord and Luna were sitting around when the howl reached their ears. While both Discord and Spike looked at each other in horror, Luna frowned in confusion.

"What was that howl? It sounded male in origin but...'tis unusual for a male to scream in such a pitch. Does thou know why it was so Spike?"

Spike glanced at Luna before shaking his head very slowly. "Luna...it's.......you should just wait for the girls to come back. It's better if you see for yourself."

Just as Luna began to protest, voices carried into the room that the three were sitting in. "Twilight darling, even though he was a ruffian, don't you think you may have acted a bit....dramatically?" Rarity said.

Rainbow Dash spoke up a moment after, with a mixture of sympathy and fear in her voice. "Yea Twi, I mean sure he was kinda a jerk, but seriously? That...that was just...cruel."

Twilight gave a small snort and explained in a tired and annoyed tone. "Look, how many times do you want me to say sorry? I was angry and lashed out. Besides, he'll live. I hit him where he would feel the most pain, but would do the least damage." There was an ackward pause after she spoke before she gave a groan of frustration. "I can't always rely on magic, so I have to have a pratical way of defending myself! Pinkie gave him ice, so he'll survive."

Applejack chose that moment to speak up in an ackward voice. " Twi, it ain't about that. Yah bucked him....there. Ain't just painful, but embarissin'. Probably scarred the poor fella for life..."

"Oh, so now you feel sorry for him?! Ugh!" Twilight stormed into the room, carrying the Pegasus into the room, before roughly dumping him into the room without really realizing who sat in there. Frost on the other hoof, was clutching a pack of ice and curled up into the fetal position on the floor. Whimpering, he slowly dragged himself into a corner far from the princess of friendship and stayed put, pain and fear clear in his features.

Luna looked at Frost, where he had the ice, then at Twilight before connecting the dots. A look of pure horror crossed her face while Discord and Spike slowly made their way to where the Pegasus was hiding, in an attempt to help him out.

"Twilight Sparkle...have you done what we think thou has done?"

Twilight whirled from where she sat, ready to yell at who spoke before realizing just exactly she was just about to yell at. Her eyes shrunk to pinpricks and her mane started to fray almost instantly. "Eheh....P-Princess Luna. N-nice to see you. Um, can you clarify what you meant? I'm not to.....sure what you're implying." She looked to her friends, hoping they would help her out, but every single one of them were looking anywhere but where she sat with Luna.

"Do not try and play games with me Twilight. You shall answer yes or no. Has thou injured Frost in.....in his manhood?"

Twilight twitched slightly and tried to think of some excuse before sighing in defeat. "Yes Princess Luna. I...I did. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lost my temper like that."

Luna nodded and glanced over to Frost, who was being helped into a comfortable sitting position by Discord and Spike. "It is not I that you have to apologize to Twilight. I think thou should wait to do as such...he is still in fear of you. For now, rest. It has been a long day for all." Turning her gaze to the other Elements of Harmony, she cleared her throat and continued. "You should all get your rest, for we all have much to discuss the next evening. Discord, I trust you will be returning with me?"

Surprisingly, the god of chaos shook his head. "I think not Luna. As much as I would love to bother you and your sister...this one needs someone to look after him. Besides, I don't need any sleep."

Luna paused and nodded slowly as she digested this information. Discord seems interested in this pony...even more so than any other pony before him. I should keep an eye on this one she thought. "Very well. I will speak to you all to tomorrow evening. Rest well all of you." With a blue flash of light, she left them all in an awkward silence.

After some mumbled and strained goodbyes and goodnights, each went their own way before Discord and Frost were left alone in the room. Frost had taken off the ice when Luna had started to scold Twilight, but was still in too much pain to actually move. As he lay there in a fitful sleep, Discord created a bed beneath Frost's body and sat in a chair right next to him.

"I'm sorry Frost...I wish there was more I could do to help you along...I wish I didn't even have to do this at all...but I must. For now...all I can do is watch...and tell you I am sorry.."

For the rest of the night, there was nothing but an old, and very tired god, watching over a pony who would have to deal with the hand that fate had given him.

Author's Note

Whoooo....crazy chapter. Frost got hunted and put down hard, and Discord seems like he's got ALOT on his plate. Could there be more going on in the background? Hoepfully this was a good stopping point. As always, comments and suggestions are always welcome!