My Little Ponybots

Work always came first for Rarity, now more than ever... Ever since Princess Celestia had announced a brand-new holiday, she had been flooded with requests for new dresses and suits from both Canterlot and Ponyville. She tended to work though many of the holidays, like Nightmare Night. At the moment, she was working hard to make a dress for a cream-coated client, but she had run horn-first into a brick wall of a problem.

I can't BELIEVE Sweetie Belle managed to spill grape juice and ink all over my cream-colored mannequin! Honestly, even if she DID have a cutie mark in tacky tye-dye, who wants one with the colors of a bruise? Rarity shook her head, clearing away the mounting frustration and stress. Well, at least she's trying to be more creative, but now I need a model to make sure that the color scheme is as flattering as I think it will be. Her mind quickly set itself to the task of determining how to solve this problem, running though every cream-colored pony she knew who might have a hour or two to spare.

Apple Bloom is too small, Caramel is out of town, Red Delicious is at the Apple Family Picnic, Junebug is making sure that her flowers are ready, Bon Bon and Candy Mane are busy making their famous caramel sweets for the party... Oh, even Golden Harvest is busy! Wait... Like picking out the spool she needed from a drawer of thread, her mind latched on to the solution. Of course! Fluttershy won't be busy, she wasn't asked to do the music this time! I'm sure she'll be willing to help me! Without another thought, she ran out the door in a flash of white and violet, not even taking the time to remove her working glasses.

As she was on her way to Fluttershy's cottage, she couldn't help but notice Discord's statue coming up in the distance. Ugh, I still cannot believe that the princess is making us keep that dreadful monster just outside of town! As she ran closer, though, she began to notice that something had changed.

"Has Discord... moved?" She could hardly believe her eyes, and the very idea of what she was seeing completely pulled her mind off of her work. "But that's impossible. The elements rendered him completely helpless..." She trotted closer to inspect the gargoyle-like figure. "This definitely isn't how he looked before, but what is he trying to grab?" She circled around to the front of the statue, trying not to stare too long at the angry snarl. When she moved to inspect his claws, though, she began to notice something that she hadn't before. Tiny strands of silver ran along his arms, like individual strands of thread in an embroidery. "Well, well, what's this? It looks like some kind of metal... But I've never seen metal in rows and columns this small before. Maybe Twilight would know someth-"

"Rarity!" A hushed whisper came from behind her, launching Rarity about three feet into the air with a loud squeal.

"Auuugh! Who's there? Discord?" Rarity whirled around, holding her hooves up in a defensive position and ready to fight. All she saw, though, was a pair of familiar blue eyes peering out from a nearby bush.

"Rarity! Get back, before he moves again!" Fluttershy whispered, making no effort to hide her fear in her trembling voice. "He- he tried to attack me... I heard him talk!" The timid pegasus hardly spoke above a whimper, but her words came through loud and clear for Rarity, who quickly ran over to her friend.

"Fluttershy, goodness gracious! How long have you been hiding there?" She was shocked that her friend hadn't tried to leave for help. "Come on, let's get away from here. I'm sure that Twilight will be able to make some sense of this!" Rarity prayed that this wasn't what it seemed, because if the Elements of Harmony were failing or growing weaker, it could have far greater implications than simply more of Discord's bad jokes.

You know, this day was going to be perfect... Twilight thought to herself as she and the other Element bearers ran out from Ponyville to find their old foe. Celebrations were about to begin, everything was in place... And now Discord! She snorted loudly in frustration, picking up her pace. "If Discord's gotten free, we're going to make him wish he hadn't. Today was supposed to be my day off!"

"Now, Twilight, let's not put the cart before the horse!" Applejack chimed in. "Rarity and Fluttershy just said that he had moved and that he was talkin'!" She laughed to try and ease the tension. "Freein' himself would be darned near impossible! I bet he just needs another dose of the Elements of Harmony to cure his insomnia!" She adjusted her hat to make sure that it didn't fall off while she was running.

"I had insomnia once!" Pinkie Pie shouted, bouncing in front of Twilight and hopping backwards. "It was really annoying because I couldn't sleep! And when I couldn't sleep I was sooooooo tired! In fact, I got so tired, I got tired of being tired! So, I threw a going-to-sleep party, and then I never had a problem again! Well, a problem with insomnia, anyway. I still have other problems, like trying to figure out the perfect recipe for my chimicherries! Or are they cherrychongas? I still don't know, but it's SO fun to say! Chimicherrychonga! Pickle barrel kumquat! Chimicherrychon- OOF!" Pinkie pie was cut off as she bumped into Discord, falling into his outstretched arms. She gasped loudly and immediately jumped out again. "Augh! Discord's back! Get away!"

Twilight could hardly believe what she was seeing. Discord, the being who had haunted her nightmares for months, nearly broken apart her fondest friendships, conquered Equestria twice, and just plain got on her nerves, had moved within his stony prison. A prison from which they had all been assured he would never escape.

"How is this possible?" She asked, hesitantly moving forward to give closer inspection. She could see some kind of etchings in the granite. Not really cracks, just another layer coming up from below. She "borrowed" Rarity's glasses to examine it more closely.

I do apologize, Fluttershy. I'm afraid I let my temper get the best of me back there. But I was standing on ponies' heads before it was cool! Discord spoke, if anything, to watch the ponies squirm. They all leaped back and gasped in horror. Oh ho ho ho! You should all see the looks on your faces! Seriously, out of all the creatures I've met, ponies emote in the FUNNIEST ways! He knew that the cracks had grown wide enough, and he was almost strong enough to strike out in an attack. But this attack would have to use his talents at their fullest strength, which meant buying time for a few more minutes.

"Discord!" After the initial scare, Twilight had hurried back, away from the statue and away from the horridly comical voice. She had taken a few deep breaths, trying to re-establish the resolve that had grown and hardened inside of her chest for the past hour. "How are you doing this? How can you talk? How can you move?" She stood defiantly and asked her questions boldly, praying that he wouldn't notice that she was also standing a safe distance to take such measures: out of his reach.

Ah, Twilight Sparkle! The funniest of all! You lasted the longest you know, but I got you in the end! Every pony turns grey at some point. As for how I'm up and running again? Let's just say that you never quite shut me down. Every element bearer has some kind of weakness. Some glaring flaw in their character that impedes the Elements of Harmony from working to their full potential. This is how I'm moving and speaking! There was a flash of light, another sound like a firework going off, and Discord was standing in yet another position: smug and confident, with his arms crossed in front of his chest and a contented grin plastered across his face. I think that turnabout is fair play, don't you, my little ponies? And you know, I just LOVE to play!

"Whatever you're playing, count me out!" Rainbow Dash flew up to the statue, jabbing it in the side of the head with her hoof. "I had enough of your stupid games last time you came to have fun with our world!" She hovered next to the head, trying to stare it down. It was a difficult feat to stare at a rock, however, no matter how angry you were at it, so she settled for giving the draconequus a thorough glare before settling back behind her friends.

It made sense that Twilight could catch a glimpse of it first. The sparks. She knew quite a bit about sparks, herself, and she was beginning to see them, jumping along the silver lines, arcing between them. She remained silent, though, refusing to speak unless she knew what she was talking about. Soon, however, they all began to see it. Some, like Fluttershy, stayed silent out of nervousness and fear. Others, like Twilight, dismissed it as unimportant in the larger scheme of things.

"Girls! Formation!" Twilight shouted as she opened up a book she had been carrying in her saddlebag. Inside, the pages had been removed to make room for the Elements of Harmony. It was a carrying case made by the Princess herself after the changeling attack. She had decided that it would make sense for the elements to be near their bearers. "I don't know what you're up to, Discord, but rest assured. You're not escaping on our watch!" Twilight could feel the Elements beginning to work their magic. Like a warm presence in her soul, the Element of Magic began reaching down into her heart, connecting to the fountain of her own love for her friends. Around her, she knew that her friends were all feeling the same sensation.

Discord chose this moment to make his move. He had built up strength until the last possible second, and this was the moment! My little ponies, I think your watch... just stopped! In one massive explosion of pure chaos, all of Discord's pent-up energy surged outward, knocking back all of the ponies and changing the sky to darkness. The stone surrounding the body disintegrated, allowing him to move freely once more. With a cocky gait, he waltzed over to Twilight Sparkle, who was lying on the ground among the wisps of black smoke. He leaned down over her limp body, listening to her moan in what he assumed was shock. One violet eye stared up at him, dazed and on the verge of collapse, just like her consciousness.

He bent down, looking her straight in the eye. "Pleasant dreams, my little pony. This may be the last time you ever sleep again..." A single claw drifted down to the tip of her nose and gently poked it. Silver lines, the same kind that had covered his vitrified body, now began spreading over her muzzle in sharp angles and straight lines. "After all, machines need no rest..." With a final groan, the last pony slipped into unconsciousness. Discord waved his lion paw in front of his face, covering the scene before him for a split second. After it had passed, all that remained of the six ponies that had been lying before him were five necklaces and a tiara.

"Well, now that they're out of the way, it's time for a little FUN... or a lot. It's my choice, really. I choose a lot. More fun that way..." Discord had no idea why he was talking to himself, except for the fact that the pony that he enjoyed teasing the most was gone.