Well, that had been fun!

Aaaaaaaaand a bit frustrating.

Discord had not expected to be so angry with them; but the truth was that he was full of hatred and resentment. Celestia and Luna had left him to suffer in here, after all.

During the first century of so, he had done unspeakable things to them in his dreams, cutting loose and holding nothing back. They were only figments of his imagination, after all. He probably wouldn't torture the real ones that much after letting it out.

Probably.

Surely they believe themselves the heroines. After all, what does it matter if they did something indescribable to a villain?

"It's the typical hypocrisy countless heroes suffer, dear. I have seen it too well in this and other worlds."

"If it is someone you hate, why should you care if they suffer?"

Eris and Zero‘s words were hanging around in Discord's mind while he searched for something to entertain him in Ponyville.

"You could rename it, and go for something less dull and unoriginal. After all, this is your new capital of chaos."

You're right, Meridian. But I'll think of something later; now I know what to do. Discord replied, watching an old pale green mare and a red stallion amid an apple farm, trying to contain his cotton candy clouds. Their coats were turning grayer by the minute.

"What do you plan to do?"

"Eat them?"

Ever saw an elderly woman dancing ballet? The draconequus asked, ignoring Nidhogg.

"Oh, that would be funny, dear."

"I doubt that pile of bones can move with such coordination."

Leave it to me; anyway it's time to see if I still have my skill. And to find out if ponies can burrow like bunnies. Discord thought, before cracking his knuckles and floating toward them.

"Excuse me, ma'am; Does your hips bothers you?"

Ah, it was a good day for Discord. He had gotten rid of the annoying Bearers -although Pinkie was actually fun to joke with, and there may be a little bit of guilt for taking that from her, but that bond they shared with each other and the Elements was practically begging to be smashed- and those old alicorns couldn’t stop him. And his beautiful capital of chaos (whose name was still pending) was very entertaining.

Concentrating much of its power and all of his will on the heavenly bodies, the Spirit of Chaos switched their places to bring the night. Moving such magical constructs, mainly the sun, was not easy; but challenges were so exciting.

Three minutes later, he did it again.

I'd like to see the face of the Spirit of Order now; not even the one who created the sun and the moon could make it look this easy.

All around him, the bored and rarely changing land of Equestria became a chaotic land of fun and ... well, chaos.

Some ponies were running, scared and unable to understand the wonders that surrounded them.

"Bah, typical beings of order. Change things and they scream and run like little children."

"You're right, dear Zero. Although some do seem to enjoy it." At Eris' words, Discord blinked in confusion and focused on the ponies.

It was true; small groups (for some reason, all in varying shades of gray) went back and forth enjoying the chaos and fun like never before. A couple tried to stop them, yelling for them to stop acting so crazy; but they didn’t stop dancing with animals, skating on the paths of soap, devouring the raining desserts, and other funny things.

"I'll be damned; how is this possible?" Meridian muttered, baffled. Although being a Spirit of Chaos meant to be open-minded to the possibilities, that ponies enjoyed such chaos (without the spirits manipulating their minds, of course) was completely unexpected. Pinkie Pie was an exception; but that was due to the chaos magic in her.

"Well, judging by the change of color in their coats and manes and the disbelief of their peers, I think all the chaos that we're releasing into the environment to reshape it is affecting their minds. They are experiencing a lack of inhibitions and that affects their ability to make rational decisions, simply following their unconscious impulses and whims. Or maybe they just want to have some fun."

I'd forgotten how smart you are, Silver, old gargoyle. Discord said. Should I worry? Now that you mention it, I’m leaving too much magic in the air. Honestly, he was weakening; he was putting his magic on the earth and the objects to make them change continuously, rather than making permanent changes. And he hadn’t slept since leaving the stone. It was a huge waste of energy, but seeing as he was finally rid of the itching, for the moment it was a good thing.

If he had to fight against the alicorns in that state, they had good chances to win. Sure, if this wasn’t a dream, it would be serious...

The other Spirits of Chaos (sans Eris) erupted in laughter.

"Why you should care about them, Discord?" Meridian asked.

"They're just entertainment, never forget it. And delicious snacks, once you taste them." Chryssie said.

"I agree with the queenie. Especially when they scream and fight." Said Nidhogg, creeping Discord out.

I don’t share your taste for killing, remember? Also, I don’t want to go crazy, or end up like you.

"Should I feel insulted?"

If it makes you feel better, Zero Morpheus, don’t. But please, do feel insulted.

"Just ignore the sociopaths, dear. They never cared for anything other than themselves" Eris said; one could feel the look of disdain she was giving the others.

Meridian snorted "Don't act like you were any better, little mermaid. Or do I have to remind you why they named you 'The Avenger'?"

"Discord!" That familiar voice broke him out of his thoughts.

Twilight Sparkle, accompanied by the rest of the Bearers, walked towards him, anger and determination in her gaze.

Oh, great, another heroic speech. Discord thought sarcastically, already bored; this was his least favorite part when dealing with heroes. Turning their world upside down and playing games with them so they could see how wrong and/or flawed their convictions and beliefs were, however...

"What makes you so sure she's going to monologue?"

Kevin, if it’s not a heroic speech, I’ll drink a strawberry milkshake ...

"Yes! My favorite!"

... But if it is, I'll have another glass of chocolate milk.

"Awww, but I don’t like chocolate milk..."

"Hey, why don’t you ever eat something I like?" Nidhogg complained.

That’s what happens when you convince someone on a vegetarian phase who dislikes eating sapient beings when he craves meat to be the new Spirit of Chaos. The dragon just mumbled something unintelligible, clearly annoyed.

After a brief magical confrontation and another heroic speech (and a nice glass of chocolate milk, to Discord’s pleasure and Kevin's dislike) Discord closed his eyes, bored.

I have to admit that they are stubborn; but they can’t stop me.

"Yeah; those colorful ponies should learn once and for all that they can’t defeat s Spirit, and especially if that Spirit is you with us backing you up."

"... Weren’t they gray?"

Meridian’s question made the draconequus open his eyes. All around him, beams of magic shot out from the Elements and sailed through the air, catching him in a field of harmony magic.

And it was not just a light show; on the contrary, it was very active.

His magic was numbing! The power of the Spirit of Chaos (whatever he had left) wasn’t responding to his commands. It was like it was stunned.

"What is this?"

"Discord?"

"Do something!"

"Discord, escape!"

Despite the cries of the spirits in his mind, Discord couldn’t stop the power of the Elements. The field of harmony magic was obstructing his control over his own magic, and he was pretty sure that it also blocked teleportation.

Twilight was saying something, but Discord was too busy looking for a way out to listen. Running wouldn’t work; if the increasing light was any indication, he only had a few seconds before ...

The rainbow fell upon him.

Harmony magic has a peculiar feeling, different from his beloved and energetic chaos. But in this case, he only felt all feeling being drained from his body. Quite paradoxical, really.

And he could only scream.

He was back on the nothingness.

The dream was over.

It always ended, one way or another. Either through a defeat like he just went through, or snatched from the middle of a sweet, sweet victory. It was hard to say which was worse.

The other spirits didn’t stop ranting, insulting and making threats.

Why all the fuss? As good as it was, it's just a dream. So knock it off.

Strangely, silence reigned in his mind.

Although very unusual, Discord decided to appreciate that; he needed to get rid of his annoyance at the way the dream had ended. Plus, now that he was awake, he had to deal with his magic...

... which was not as unbearable as before. Actually, the itch was almost gone. Wow, I think I managed to spend a lot in the dream; my magic is no longer like a fiery star.

"Should we tell him?" Kevin asked.

"No, dear; let it be. Ignorance is bliss, after all ..."

As always, Discord did his best to ignore the other spirits. He focused on whatever sound passed through his stone prison, to see if anything interesting was happening outside.

Shouts of joy and celebration filled the air. Oh great; another party. Another one to attend without being able to enjoy anything...

Author's Note

So, what do you think? Was it a dream, or he actually got out for a while?