Discord's Game of Hide and Seekby TheEveryDaySparkleChaptersThe Game Begins1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10!The Game BeginsAuthor's Note Been a while hasn't it? Yeah sorry. Read this. It's one of a few new ideas i've had. Been having a hard time getting ideas to flow. Enjoy. The Game Begins Discord sat in his home in the Chaos Dimension, bored out of his mind. "Uuugh, is there anything interesting to do around here? Anything would be better than just sitting around doing nothing!" Discord wandered around, trying to think of something he could do to relieve himself of his boredom. Then, just as he was about to give up, an idea came to mind. "I can go see Fluttershy! She'll know what to do!" With that said, he vanishes from the Chaos Dimension, on his way to visit his one and only friend. He reappeared inside Fluttershy's home with a shout of "Ta-da! I'm here!" Fluttershy nearly has a heart attack. "Aaaaah!" She looks around to see Discord in her home. "Oh, Discord, it's just you. I was afraid it was some dangerous monster." Discord smirked and disappeared, reappearing right in front of her, his face cloaked in red and his teeth sharp. His eyes were slits and he hissed at her like a snake. "Are you saying i'm not...Dangerous?" Fluttershy yelped and flew away toward a wall. "Oh, i'm sorry you're very dangerous, VERY DANGEROUS!!" She screamed, her back to the wall. Discord stopped his antics and reappeared in front of her, no longer trying to seem scary. He lifted her chin with his lion's paw's claw, making her look him in the eyes. "Relax fluttershy, I was just kidding! I would never hurt you! Your friends on the other hand are not so easily forgiven..." He said as he filed his claws. Fluttershy was still breathing heavily. "Oh...really? I'm...glad. I thought you were...going to...eat me." "Oh nonsense Fluttershy!" Discord said, pouting and folding his arms. "What do you take me for?" Fluttershy walked up to him and stopped a few feet away, sitting on her haunches and looking up at him. "I'm so sorry Discord. It was wrong of me to assume that about you. You are reformed after all." "That's right!" He said as he clasped his hands together, giving Fluttershy the puppy dog eyes. "Will you forgive me?" Fluttershy asked. "Of course I will darling." Discord said, patting her head. "Yay!" Fluttershy clapped her hooves together happily. "But why did you come here, Discord? You don't usually show up unannounced." 'At least not to your place.' He thought. "Oh yes that's right! Say, Fluttershy, do you know of any games I could play? I'm so bored I feel like I could faint." "Oh no we don't want you fainting!" Fluttershy said, now worried for her draconequus friend. "If you want to have fun, you could stay and have tea with me. How's that sound?" Discord smiled but shook his head. "As much as I love our tea parties Fluttershy, I don't want to simply sit around. I want to move around." "Oh, I see." Fluttershy said, a bit saddened that he rejected her offer for a tea party. "Well then in that case, you should go see Twilight and the others! I'm sure they can find some game for you to play." Discord was never too fond of Twilight and her friends, but seeing as Fluttershy had no idea, he had no other choice. Then another idea came to mind. "Celestia! Oh, why didn't I think of it before! you are a genius Fluttershy!" He said as he grabbed her hoof and shook it wildly, causing the pegasus mare to shake, even after he was done. "I'm glad you think so, but, I didn't say anything." said Fluttershy as she floated down to the ground, but the trickster wasn't listening. "Oh, this is going to be wonderful!" With that he disappeared out of her home, leaving fluttershy alone and just a bit confused. She smiled. "I hope he finds a way to cure his boredom." Inside Celestia's castle, Discord prepares yet another prank. He hides his presence in her favorite potted plant and waits for her to return. Celestia herself was in a meeting at the time, and never noticed his presence to begin with, despite being able to sense magic as well as she did. It took a lot of patience and some highly needed rest, but he finally saw her approach the plant to water it and admire it. It was a labor of love after all. As she drew closer to the plant, she stopped. He knew it was time to make his move. He teleported out of the plant and right in front of where Celestia's face...should have been. Suddenly he felt a hoof tap his shoulder. He slowly turned his head, looking for whatever touched him... "Boo." "Aaaaah!" Discord jumped and turned around to see Celestia smiling with a look of triumph on her face, wings outstretched as she flapped them, flying low to the ground. "Ha! In your face Discord!" She said as she pointed a hoof at him. "It's payback time!" "But...how...?" Discord said, honestly surprised she knew he was there. "Did somepony forget about me?" He heard a voice behind him say. He turned his head again to see Luna trotting up to them, wearing the same smug look Celestia had. "You too?" said Discord. "That is correct, though I only had a small part in it, as it was all my sister's idea." She pointed to Celestia. Discord looked back to her and Celestia spoke. "I figured you would come to play a prank on me as soon as I felt your presence leave the Chaos Dimension and come to Ponyville, so I had Luna keep an eye out for you." Discord turned to look at the moon princess. She spoke "And I used my magic to pinpoint your position and send that information to my sister." Discord looked back and forth between them a bit more before sighing and looking down. Then, suddenly, as if nothing at all had happened, he said, "Well, you got me, fair and sqaure. I admit defeat." He then teleported in front of Celestia. "But don't think this means it's over." "I wouldn't want it to be." She challenged, then she smiled and teleported away, sitting on her throne now. "So, to what do I owe this visit, Discord? Why have you come all the way from the Chaos Dimension? Don't tell me you came all this way just to visit me?" Discord smiled. "That thought had come to mind, but no." He sighed. "I'm bored!" "Now, why's that?" Luna said, sitting on her throne as well. "Surely the deity of chaos itself can make his own fun?" "Oh, how I wish I could." Discord said as he teleported over to Luna and placed his arm around her neck, causing her to make a face at him. "But alas, not even the mighty Discord can think of anything that might ease this pain." "I see." Celestia said, deep in thought as she tried to see if there was anything she could do to help her friend. Unfortunately for Discord, she thought of nothing. "I am sorry, Discord. I'm afraid not even I can think of something for you to do." Discord looked hurt. "Are you sure, Kk? Are you sure you can't think of anything at all?" Celestia simply closed her eyes and shook her head. "I'm afraid I am." "What am I supposed to do now? If not even you can think of anything, who can I go to?" Suddenly Celestia had an idea. "Whay not go see Twilight and her friends?" Discord pouted, crossing his arms. "Not you too! I came here specifically to avoid going over there. Oh fine if everyone wants me to go so badly then..." He snaps his fingers and disappears, reappearing in Twilight's home. 1...2...3...Twilight Sparkle and her friends were enjoying each other's company in a friendly visit to her home. Fluttershy was late because she had to make sure her animals were taken care of before she left the house, so they waited. Once Fluttershy had finally arrived, everyone talked and played and laughed and had fun. No one was expecting what happened next. Suddenly, Discord appeared in the center of the room, startling everyone in the room with a bright and unexpected flash of light. "Hello little ponies! Hold your applause please." Discord said with a conjured up crowd somehow cheering for him out of nowhere. "Discord." Twilight said with venom in her voice as she stepped up to him. "What are you doing here?!" "Whoa there, Twilight. I'm not here to hurt anypony." Discord said, waving his arms. "Darn Tootin' ya ain't!" Apple Jack said, stepping up as well. "Cuz we ain't lettin' ya!" "Would everypony please just calm down! I said i'm not here to hurt anyone and that's what I meant. That said, if you want me to hurt one of you, I'd be glad to oblige." Discord said, lifting twilight up in a choke hold with his magic and scaring everyone into silence. "There, that's better. Now listen up. I'm here because i want to play a game" He said, smiling a sinister smile. "What kind of game, Discord?!" Rainbow Dash asked, flying up to face him directly. He simply made her wings disappear and she dropped to the ground with a loud thud. "Rainbow!" Apple Jack screamed as she glared at Discord from below her stetson. "There, now if everyone's ffinished interrupting me, I believe i'll explain the game now." He released Twilight and she quickly joined Rainbow Dash on the ground, coughing. Discord leaned his head down to look at her. "What are you going to do to me?" Twilight said, still glaring at him. She said this with a sore throat as he had squeezed quite a bit. "Why nothing dearest Twilight. If you had let me finish, you would know that. Besides you're too important to the game." "So then finish already so we can play this game and get it over with!" yelled Rainbow Dash. "And gimme back my wings!" Discord simply snapped his fingers and returned the wings. "The game is simple. A game of hide and seek. You have to find your friends within twenty four hours, but be careful, there's a special rule to this game." "What's the rule?"Rainbow Dash said. "Oh,Rainbow Dash you silly filly! I can't tell you that. That would take all the fun out of watching you run around like headless chickens." Those words scared Fluttershy. The thought of a headless chicken made her said and afraid of what he might do. Sh started hyperventilating, then she collapsed. Rarity looked over and saw her, then went to confront Discord, saying, "Now look what you've done, you brute! You've gone and made Fluttershy faint." "While I am deeply and immensely sorry for that, I am still bored. I will apologize after the game. In the meantime, have her be put to bed or something." "Do you Pinkie Promise?!" Pinkie Pie yelled at the Draconequis, using her tail to float in the air so she could meet his eyes. Discord sighed. This was getting annoying. All he wanted was to play a game, and they had to go turn it into this. Nevertheless, he did as she said, going through the motions and everything until he ended with a paw to his eye. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye, etc, etc, etc. Come on i'm gettin' old here just waitin' for ya." Discord said in a fake New York accent. He had slicked back gray hair with obviously too much gel and a mustache. Pinkie floated away a little before zooming up to get in his face. "I'm watching you..." She said in as threatening a tone as she could muster. In response he simply grabbed her spinning tail and threw her off of him, like a giant would a fly that bit him. Twilight caught her in her wings. "Thanks, Twilight." was all Pinkie said, her hair now flat and lifeless. "You're welcome Pinkie" Twilight said before storming up to Discord. "No more stalling Discord! We'll play your game so let's just get this over with!" "Well, excuse me, young lady. But I do believe it was you who was stalling me from starting the game. But since you insist so strongly, I guess it's time to up the stakes a bit." "What do you mean by that?" Twilight snapped. "Oh nothing major. Just thought I'd up the anty a bit with a hostage is all." "A hostage? How barbaric!" Rarity almost fainted herself. "If that's what you want, then fine! i'll be your hostage." Twilight said, volunteering herself. "No no no. That just won't do." Discord said, shaking his head and folding his arms. "What's wrong? Why won't it work?" "Because you are the first player Twilight. I can't have someone so important in a cage now can I? Now here on the other hand..." He snaps his fingers and Zecora appears in his arms, asleep. "You put her down now! She has nothing to do with this." Twilight yelled. "Oh but she does, Twilight Sparkle. She's the prize for victory. If you win, she will be released. If you lose, she will be stuck in this cage forever." He makes a golden cage with a lock on it. The lock is shaped like Discord's face. "I can't believe you would do this to us. I thought you had learned your lesson." "The only lesson i've learned is that your so called 'friendship' only extends so far, Miss Twilight Sparkle. Now I suggest you get moving. You only have twenty three hours." "But I thought you said-" "Should've thought of that before you started rambling on about how terrible I am." Discord said, coming close to her face and making an angry face as red flames rise in the background. Twilight looks ready to cry as she gallops of into the distance. Discord appears in front of her. "Uh-uh-uh. You can't just start running off without giving your friends a chance to properly hide. You have to count to ten." Twilight glared at him but obeyed, knowing that arguing would get her no closer to finding her friends and that if she didn't find them in time, Zecora would be stuck forever in that cage. "One, two, three, four, five, six-" "uh-uh-uh. Slower. And close your eyes." She did so and started over, covering her eyes with hr hooves. "one...two...three...four...five...six...seven...eight...nine...ten." She opened her eyes. She was done counting, so she could start the game. But strangely, nopony was here. She knew all her friends were hidden by discord, but she didn't see him anywhere either What had happened. Had he hidden himself as well? It seemed like the only one there was Zecora, asleep in the cage. She thought about freeing her, but decided against it when a thought came to mind. Discord would know. She trotted outside and looked around. There was no one. Not a single pony was present in the town. Had Discord hidden the entire population of ponyville? What was going on. 'This is too weird.' Twilight thought as she walked the barren streets of the once bustling town. 'Where is everypony?' She shook away the thoughts of her fellow ponies and began her search. She was sure she had wasted too much time worried about what was going on instead if doing something to stop it. With that she galloped off in search of her friends. She would start off in each of their homes. She was sure they had to be there. No, that would be too obvious, and If there was anything Discord was good at, it was being unpredictable. Something like that just wasn't Discord's style. But, even if they weren't there, there had to be some sort of clue to their location in their homes. She would start off with Apple Jack's farm. There had to be something that would tell her where she was. Back in Twilight's home, Zecora had finally woken up. She stood slowly and wiped the sleep from her eyes, looking around. "uhh...What is this place that I have found myself in? I wish to return to my home and my bed once again." "Sorry if the accommodations are not to your liking. I didn't have time to order the super deluxe cage." A voice said from seemingly nowhere. Zecora looked around and soon saw him. "Discord, what have you taken me for? Is this another of your tricks? If so, show me to the door, for I do not like to be used for kicks." "Relax, my zebra friend, I won't hurt you. I just want to take you somewhere a little more...comfortable." Suddenly, Discord had a bag, which he was bringing over the zebra's cage. Her eyes widened as he scooped her up like a thief and carried her away, disappearing in a flash of light as he said, "Now all I have to do is sit back and enjoy the show." 4...5...6...As Twilight makes her way to Sweet Apple Acres, she finds herself wondering about why Discord would do something like this. She thought he was reformed. He did say he was bored. ...No. Discord was up to his old tricks again, she was sure. And after all that time she and her friends spent with him. She couldn't believe he would betray their trust like that. Especially with Fluttershy. She was sure of one thing, though. When she found him, she was going to make him sorry for tricking them the way he did. She continued to make her way down to Apple Jack's farm, hoping to find a clue to where Apple Jack might be, and, possibly but much less likely, Apple Jack herself. she trotted up to her friends barn and knocked on the door, tapping her hoof as she waited-impatiently-for someone to open the door. When it did open, she was face to face with Granny Smith, squinting at her. No doubt to make sure she knew who it was. When she finally recognized her, Twilight was in her face in mere seconds. "Excuse me, Granny Smith! Would you happen to know if Apple Jack is home?!" Granny Smith simply dug in her ear in a gesture that said "You;re too loud." before saying, "I reckon she left quite a while ago. To visit you in fact!" Twilight looked at her for a moment before facehoofing. In her rush to find her friends, she had apparently forgotten that they were all present at her home only moments before this all happened. She thought of a new question. "Would you mind if I took a look around the barn? I think Apple Jack told me she left something here that she might need. She sent me to go get it for her." Granny Smith thought about this for a second, staring down the purple mare. This made Twilight sweat profusely, nervousness coating her every movement as she stood stock still in front of the elder mare's scrutiny. Her nervousness was only washed away as she heard Granny Smith say, "Alrighty then! Come on in. If Apple Jack sent ya, it's fine with me!" She sighed audibly and stepped inside, walking around the barn like a mare with a purpose as she searched the place from head to toe as fast as she could. And what a purpose it was. She tipped over every hay bail she saw, checked inside and outside every pen she could see. and scoured every single solitary inch of land she laid her eyes on. She had to make sure she was extra thorough. After finishing her search and finding absolutely nothing, not even a clue as to where her friend might be, she sat down on her haunches and thought. The only thing remotely close to a clue was a lasso tied to a tree out in the Apple Family Orchard, but after running trough every possible meaning it could have and finding no connection, she gave up. Strangely, she took the thing with her. She didn't know why, but it was like, she needed to have it. She felt it was something she had to have. She decided that if she couldn't find Apple Jack, she would try and find Rarity. Remembering that they were all with her before they disappeared ruled out the possibility that she would be back home. It would be easy to find a clue for her, though. All she would have to do is look for the shiniest, most fashionable thing she could think of, and she'd be there. Or so she hoped. With that, she left the farm, giving Granny Smith a quick "Thank you!" as she galloped away back towards ponyville. She made her way towards Rarity's home, which also doubled as the fashionista's very own boutique as well, and soon found herself face to face with it's door. She knocked carefully, afraid that her friend might be in the same predicament as Apple Jack. It took a while for anyone to come to the door, and when it did open, the one to open it was Sweetie Belle, Rarity's younger sister. "Hello?" She said in her usual small voice. Yet again, she nearly knocked someone over with how fast she got in Sweetie Belle's face. "Hi Sweetie! Do you mind if I come in?" Sweetie Belle pushed Twilight's face away from and said, "Sure, Twilight-" She grunts as she pushes her away. "-you can come in. Just hold on a second." Twilight pulled back and waited, urgency in her eyes. 'Wow, she must be in some hurry.' Sweetie Belle thought as she opened the door further and let her in. Once inside, Twilight immediately began searching the room. She pushed aside sowing machines, looked under fabric, lifted up mannequins. Heck she even undid clothing. Sweetie Belle saw this and wondered just what Twilight was looking for that she had to mess up her big sister's home like this. "What are you looking for?" she asked, wanting to know the more her home was torn up.. "I'm looking for any sign of Rarity." Twilight said as she lifted a stack of designs off of Rarity's work desk. "Oooh are you two playing hide and seek?" Sweetie Belle asked in excitement. "Yes." Was all Twilight responded with. "Oh, I wanna play I wanna play! Can I? Huh, Can I?" "No." Twilight turned around to look Sweetie in the eye. "Aww, but why not?" Sweetie Belle whined. "Because this is a very dangerous game of hide and seek." Twilight said pointing a hoof at Sweetie. "D-dangerous!" Sweetie gulped. "That's right." "Are you going to hurt my big sister?" Sweetie asked, near crying now. Twilight stopped. "No, Sweetie. I would ne-" "Please don't hurt Rarity, Twilight! Whatever she did, i'm sure she didn't mean it, so please don't hurt her! Forgive her!" Sweetie was crying openly now, begging and pleading Twilight not to hurt her sister, whom she loved so dearly. She was clinging to her leg. Twilight almost cried herself. But she held it in and put her hoof around Sweetie in a hug. "I would never hurt Rarity. She is a treasured friend of mine. I love her." Sweetie looked up at her, sniffling. "R-really?" "Yep. I love her just as much as I do all my friends. I would never dream of hurting her." Twilight said, pride welling up inside her at the thought of her friends. She put her hoof to her chest. Sweetie wiped her eyes. "Good. That's good. I'm glad." Twilight used her magic to conjure a clock. She checked her remaining time. "Oh no! I only have eighteen hours left!" She galloped out of her friends home as quickly as she could, taking the rind she found when searching under Rarity's designs, and leaving Sweetie Belle to wonder what happened. As she went, Twilight thought of Where else to go search. She could go to Fluttershy's place, but it was so close to the Everfree Forest that her search might get interrupted by monsters as they try to attack her. What's worse, she might not even get in because of Angel Bunny and her tendency to be suspicious of anyone who isn't Fluttershy. She didn't want to go through having to tell her what was happening. That would take up time she didn't have. She decided to go to Clousdale and look for any clues that could lead her to Rainbow Dash. But she couldn't just invade her home. She would have to ask the Wonderbolts if they knew anything. She flew up to Cloudsdale and stopped at Rainbow Dash's cloud house. She may not be able to look inside, but she knew her way best from here. With that, she began her journey anew. 7...8...9...Twilight makes her way toward the Wonderbolt Academy school. Her mission is to find out as much as she can about where Rainbow Dash might be. She already knew the first person she would ask. Spitfire. After all, it was basically her job to keep up with all the members of the Wonderbolts, as well as new trainees. If anyone would know anything about where Rainbow Dash was, it would be her. She now stood in front of the door to the Academy. she didn't have to knock. Not this time. It was a school, not someone's house. Thta being said, she couldn't just walk in. She decided to look around for someone with access. Before she could even move to put her thoughts into actions, however, she was stopped by a voice directly behind her. "Hey! What do you think you're doing down there!" It was Spitfire. She was sure of it She turned around. "Get away from that door right this- Oh, it's just you, Twilight. Sorry. I thought you were one of the newbies." "It's fine. Nothing for you to apologize for. You were just...doing your job, after all. hahaha." Spitfire spoke up. "So why are you here in Cloudsdale? What could a princess possibly want with grunts like us?" "Well, I'm looking for Rainbow Dash. Do you know if she happened to come back at any time?" "Nope. Dash hasn't been back since I gave her today off. She's probably off slackin' somewhere." "I see. Well, do you mind if I search anyway? I believe she told me she forgot something important up here." "That Dash, always so irresponsible. I aught to drill her for this. remind me to give her five hundred laps as punishment later." "I will, but, my question..." "Oh yeah, that. Knock yourself out. And make sure to tell Rainbow Crash to be more careful next time. I won't always be here to look after her things for her." Twilight giggles. "Will do, Spitfire." She was let in to the Academy by Spitfire, and, after receiving directions from her as to where Rainbow's locker was, she made her way down the corridors, looking for the locker rooms. Once she found the corresponding locker, she opened it and checked inside. Nothing. Nothing but her Wonderbolts uniform and the goggles that came with it. Twilight frowned. Where could her friends be? Without a word, she made her way back through the way she came and out of the academy, completely out of Spitfire's line of sight. While in her grief she spotted a...rather strange cloud. It was blue, and not white like the others. Too upset to care enough to study this strange new phenomenon, she simply went about her search on another direction. Heading for Fluttershy's, she hung her head low as she sulked. Once there, she shook off her sadness in order to pay attention to the trees around her. She had no idea what dangers could be lurking out in the forest. She knocked on Fluttershy's door once she reached it, and sure enough, there was Angel Bunny, looking at her as though she was an intruder on someone else's land, which, technically she was. Twilight simply ignored her and stepped into Fluttershy's home. "I'm sorry, Angel, but I have no time to tell you what's going on." she was right, she didn't. Once she left Fluttershy's, she still had one friend to look for, and she wasn't sure how long this search was going to take. The search of Sweet Apple Acres and Rarity's boutique took five, and the search at the Wonderbolts Academy took six if she factored in the extra time it took to look for a clue to Rainbow Dash's Whereabouts. Twilight began gently moving Fluttershy's things around, just as she had done with her other friends homes, albeit in a bit of a quicker and less time consuming way. At some point she found a rose. She put it with the rest of her things. The lasso she had tied loosely around her neck, the ring she wore on her hoof to keep it form getting lost, and the cloud she had taken notice of in her mind. She had a perfect picture of it in her mind still despite being the way she was when she saw it. She made a second hole in the lasso and put the rose in it, wearing it like a necklace. She gave the place one last quick search. She couldn't enlist the help of the animals like Fluttershy, so she had to do it alone.She looked under her rug, checked behind her clock, and just about every other spot in the little cottage once more before apologizing to Angel Bunny and leaving. She had one last place. to go. But with her spirits crushed, and her friends still gone, did she really want to continue? NO! she couldn't think like that. She had to do it. For her friends. For Zecora. She trotted away and over to her friend's home and job, new hope filling her being as she went. But would she be able to do it, with only seven hours left to search. "I can do this." She said to herself as she made her way to her friends front door. Once there, she knocked on the door. The store was still open, so someone had to be there, right. The door creaked open slowly, and sure enough, Mrs. Cake stood there smiling. "Hi there, Twilight! What can I do for you today?" "Hi Mrs. Cake. Pinkie told me she left her party cannon at home, and she sent me to pick it up. May I come in and look for it?" "Really? But Pinkie never leaves home without her beloved cannon. Something must be very wrong if she forgot it at home. Come on in dear." She trotted away, still in the middle of a worry storm about her 'poor baby.' Twilight got to work, making her way upstairs to pinkie's room. She searched everywhere. From under the bed to the very cracks of the walls. She had had enough of Discord's little game and was not about to be outdone by an evil trickster like him. Or so she thought. She searched everywhere, and still there was no sign of where pinkie was. Not anywhere. She walked down the stairs, sighing in defeat. Where were all of her friends? She had been searching all day and she hasn't found a single thing to tell her anything about them. And now here she was, out of ideas and out of places to search. She said goodbye to Mrs. Cake and left the sweets shop, sulking even more than before. She sat down on her haunches on the grass next to the path that stretched all the way through the center of ponyville, and cried. 10!"Why Discord! Why! Why would you do this to us? I thought we were friends now. Where are my friends? What did you do to them?" "We're right here, sugar cube." Twilight stopped. She swore she could hear a voice coming from somewhere, but where? "Down here, darling!" She looked down at her hoof. Was it coming from the ring? But...that couldn't be! It was impossible. It was...it was...it was Discord. "That's right, Twilight! It was all me!" Discord said as he appeared before her. "What did you do to my friends, Discord?!" Twilight yelled, enraged. "Oh, relax, would you?! I didn't do anything." "You're lying!" "No, he's not!" A voice suddenly yelled, as loud as it could, which wasn't that much. Twilight looked around. Where were all these voices coming from? "You still haven't figured it out? Wow, for someone so smart, that's really lame." "Oh, you! Stop teasing her. Heehee!" Twilight looked up. There was the strange blue cloud again. Next to it was a pink balloon. Twilight looked at Discord. "Get it now?" He said, narrowing his eyes at her. It had been right in front of her. It should've been obvious. She couldn't believe it had taken her this long to figure it out. All those items she had felt she needed to pick up. Those were her friends! She collapsed from exhaustion as Discord turned all of her friends back to normal. She couldn't help but laugh. "What's so funny?" Discord said, seriously wanting to know. "Oh nothing. Nothing at all. You beat me far and square Discord." She looked at all of her friends. "Tell Zecora i'm sorry." Then she had a thought. Zecora. She was so absorbed in her grief she had forgotten! She glared at Discord. "What have you done with Zecora!" Discord smiled. "Oh you mean, her?" He said as he tore open a dimensional hole to reveal Zecora in the chaos dimension...drinking tea? She looked over to them six stunned ponies. "How are you doing today girls? Isn't it a wonderful day to pay a visit to the chaos world?" Twilight nearly short circuited. She looked between Discord and Zecora in utter disbelief. "Wha...ah....uh...but...you..." "Yes, Twilight Sparkle?" Discord said, bringing his ear close to her as if to say, "I can't hear you." "But you said that if you won, she would be stuck in that cage forever!" Discord simply laughed. "Hahahahaha! I lied, Twilight! I was never going to do anything to her! I was just using her as motiation to get you to play! I told you I was bored." "Discord explained everything once he brought me here. I assure you, you had nothing to fear." Twilight turned her head to see that Zecora was speaking. "So this was...just a game? No tricks or anything?" Discord looked hurt. "Of course it was just a game! I'm reformed remember? I would never hurt anypony ever again. The very fact that you think I would makes me sad." He looked at her, a tear rolling down his face in a comical fashion. "Then what about the rest of the ponies? What happened to them?" Twilight asked, still confused. "Oh them. I froze them and made them invisible. Wouldn't want any noise distracting your search now would we?" With that, he snapped his fingers and all of ponyville was back to normal, as if nothing had even happened. Twilight had been laughing then, but now she was laughing harder that she'd ever laughed before. Her friends had stopped to stare at her, along with Discord and Zecora. "What's wrong, Twilight?" Rainbow asked, concern in her voice. "Oh nothing, girls. It's just...now that I realize it...I've never had so much fun!" Suddenly Pinkie appeared behind Twilight, smiling wide, and said, "Best...game...ever!" Everypony laughed at that, and then, with a wipe of his brow, Discord said "Well, girls, I'll be off. It's been fun hanging out with you." Twilight looked up at him. "What, you're leaving?" "That's right!" Discord said. "I only came to see if I could cure my boredom. Thank you for that, by the way. Ta-ta!" With that, he snapped his fingers and disappeared, returning to the Chaos Dimension. "Well alright then. Good bye..." Twilight said, a bit sad now. Apple Jack put a hoof on her shoulder and the six friends trotted back to Twilight's home, to finish off the night in each other's company once more.
The Game BeginsAuthor's Note Been a while hasn't it? Yeah sorry. Read this. It's one of a few new ideas i've had. Been having a hard time getting ideas to flow. Enjoy. The Game Begins Discord sat in his home in the Chaos Dimension, bored out of his mind. "Uuugh, is there anything interesting to do around here? Anything would be better than just sitting around doing nothing!" Discord wandered around, trying to think of something he could do to relieve himself of his boredom. Then, just as he was about to give up, an idea came to mind. "I can go see Fluttershy! She'll know what to do!" With that said, he vanishes from the Chaos Dimension, on his way to visit his one and only friend. He reappeared inside Fluttershy's home with a shout of "Ta-da! I'm here!" Fluttershy nearly has a heart attack. "Aaaaah!" She looks around to see Discord in her home. "Oh, Discord, it's just you. I was afraid it was some dangerous monster." Discord smirked and disappeared, reappearing right in front of her, his face cloaked in red and his teeth sharp. His eyes were slits and he hissed at her like a snake. "Are you saying i'm not...Dangerous?" Fluttershy yelped and flew away toward a wall. "Oh, i'm sorry you're very dangerous, VERY DANGEROUS!!" She screamed, her back to the wall. Discord stopped his antics and reappeared in front of her, no longer trying to seem scary. He lifted her chin with his lion's paw's claw, making her look him in the eyes. "Relax fluttershy, I was just kidding! I would never hurt you! Your friends on the other hand are not so easily forgiven..." He said as he filed his claws. Fluttershy was still breathing heavily. "Oh...really? I'm...glad. I thought you were...going to...eat me." "Oh nonsense Fluttershy!" Discord said, pouting and folding his arms. "What do you take me for?" Fluttershy walked up to him and stopped a few feet away, sitting on her haunches and looking up at him. "I'm so sorry Discord. It was wrong of me to assume that about you. You are reformed after all." "That's right!" He said as he clasped his hands together, giving Fluttershy the puppy dog eyes. "Will you forgive me?" Fluttershy asked. "Of course I will darling." Discord said, patting her head. "Yay!" Fluttershy clapped her hooves together happily. "But why did you come here, Discord? You don't usually show up unannounced." 'At least not to your place.' He thought. "Oh yes that's right! Say, Fluttershy, do you know of any games I could play? I'm so bored I feel like I could faint." "Oh no we don't want you fainting!" Fluttershy said, now worried for her draconequus friend. "If you want to have fun, you could stay and have tea with me. How's that sound?" Discord smiled but shook his head. "As much as I love our tea parties Fluttershy, I don't want to simply sit around. I want to move around." "Oh, I see." Fluttershy said, a bit saddened that he rejected her offer for a tea party. "Well then in that case, you should go see Twilight and the others! I'm sure they can find some game for you to play." Discord was never too fond of Twilight and her friends, but seeing as Fluttershy had no idea, he had no other choice. Then another idea came to mind. "Celestia! Oh, why didn't I think of it before! you are a genius Fluttershy!" He said as he grabbed her hoof and shook it wildly, causing the pegasus mare to shake, even after he was done. "I'm glad you think so, but, I didn't say anything." said Fluttershy as she floated down to the ground, but the trickster wasn't listening. "Oh, this is going to be wonderful!" With that he disappeared out of her home, leaving fluttershy alone and just a bit confused. She smiled. "I hope he finds a way to cure his boredom." Inside Celestia's castle, Discord prepares yet another prank. He hides his presence in her favorite potted plant and waits for her to return. Celestia herself was in a meeting at the time, and never noticed his presence to begin with, despite being able to sense magic as well as she did. It took a lot of patience and some highly needed rest, but he finally saw her approach the plant to water it and admire it. It was a labor of love after all. As she drew closer to the plant, she stopped. He knew it was time to make his move. He teleported out of the plant and right in front of where Celestia's face...should have been. Suddenly he felt a hoof tap his shoulder. He slowly turned his head, looking for whatever touched him... "Boo." "Aaaaah!" Discord jumped and turned around to see Celestia smiling with a look of triumph on her face, wings outstretched as she flapped them, flying low to the ground. "Ha! In your face Discord!" She said as she pointed a hoof at him. "It's payback time!" "But...how...?" Discord said, honestly surprised she knew he was there. "Did somepony forget about me?" He heard a voice behind him say. He turned his head again to see Luna trotting up to them, wearing the same smug look Celestia had. "You too?" said Discord. "That is correct, though I only had a small part in it, as it was all my sister's idea." She pointed to Celestia. Discord looked back to her and Celestia spoke. "I figured you would come to play a prank on me as soon as I felt your presence leave the Chaos Dimension and come to Ponyville, so I had Luna keep an eye out for you." Discord turned to look at the moon princess. She spoke "And I used my magic to pinpoint your position and send that information to my sister." Discord looked back and forth between them a bit more before sighing and looking down. Then, suddenly, as if nothing at all had happened, he said, "Well, you got me, fair and sqaure. I admit defeat." He then teleported in front of Celestia. "But don't think this means it's over." "I wouldn't want it to be." She challenged, then she smiled and teleported away, sitting on her throne now. "So, to what do I owe this visit, Discord? Why have you come all the way from the Chaos Dimension? Don't tell me you came all this way just to visit me?" Discord smiled. "That thought had come to mind, but no." He sighed. "I'm bored!" "Now, why's that?" Luna said, sitting on her throne as well. "Surely the deity of chaos itself can make his own fun?" "Oh, how I wish I could." Discord said as he teleported over to Luna and placed his arm around her neck, causing her to make a face at him. "But alas, not even the mighty Discord can think of anything that might ease this pain." "I see." Celestia said, deep in thought as she tried to see if there was anything she could do to help her friend. Unfortunately for Discord, she thought of nothing. "I am sorry, Discord. I'm afraid not even I can think of something for you to do." Discord looked hurt. "Are you sure, Kk? Are you sure you can't think of anything at all?" Celestia simply closed her eyes and shook her head. "I'm afraid I am." "What am I supposed to do now? If not even you can think of anything, who can I go to?" Suddenly Celestia had an idea. "Whay not go see Twilight and her friends?" Discord pouted, crossing his arms. "Not you too! I came here specifically to avoid going over there. Oh fine if everyone wants me to go so badly then..." He snaps his fingers and disappears, reappearing in Twilight's home.
1...2...3...Twilight Sparkle and her friends were enjoying each other's company in a friendly visit to her home. Fluttershy was late because she had to make sure her animals were taken care of before she left the house, so they waited. Once Fluttershy had finally arrived, everyone talked and played and laughed and had fun. No one was expecting what happened next. Suddenly, Discord appeared in the center of the room, startling everyone in the room with a bright and unexpected flash of light. "Hello little ponies! Hold your applause please." Discord said with a conjured up crowd somehow cheering for him out of nowhere. "Discord." Twilight said with venom in her voice as she stepped up to him. "What are you doing here?!" "Whoa there, Twilight. I'm not here to hurt anypony." Discord said, waving his arms. "Darn Tootin' ya ain't!" Apple Jack said, stepping up as well. "Cuz we ain't lettin' ya!" "Would everypony please just calm down! I said i'm not here to hurt anyone and that's what I meant. That said, if you want me to hurt one of you, I'd be glad to oblige." Discord said, lifting twilight up in a choke hold with his magic and scaring everyone into silence. "There, that's better. Now listen up. I'm here because i want to play a game" He said, smiling a sinister smile. "What kind of game, Discord?!" Rainbow Dash asked, flying up to face him directly. He simply made her wings disappear and she dropped to the ground with a loud thud. "Rainbow!" Apple Jack screamed as she glared at Discord from below her stetson. "There, now if everyone's ffinished interrupting me, I believe i'll explain the game now." He released Twilight and she quickly joined Rainbow Dash on the ground, coughing. Discord leaned his head down to look at her. "What are you going to do to me?" Twilight said, still glaring at him. She said this with a sore throat as he had squeezed quite a bit. "Why nothing dearest Twilight. If you had let me finish, you would know that. Besides you're too important to the game." "So then finish already so we can play this game and get it over with!" yelled Rainbow Dash. "And gimme back my wings!" Discord simply snapped his fingers and returned the wings. "The game is simple. A game of hide and seek. You have to find your friends within twenty four hours, but be careful, there's a special rule to this game." "What's the rule?"Rainbow Dash said. "Oh,Rainbow Dash you silly filly! I can't tell you that. That would take all the fun out of watching you run around like headless chickens." Those words scared Fluttershy. The thought of a headless chicken made her said and afraid of what he might do. Sh started hyperventilating, then she collapsed. Rarity looked over and saw her, then went to confront Discord, saying, "Now look what you've done, you brute! You've gone and made Fluttershy faint." "While I am deeply and immensely sorry for that, I am still bored. I will apologize after the game. In the meantime, have her be put to bed or something." "Do you Pinkie Promise?!" Pinkie Pie yelled at the Draconequis, using her tail to float in the air so she could meet his eyes. Discord sighed. This was getting annoying. All he wanted was to play a game, and they had to go turn it into this. Nevertheless, he did as she said, going through the motions and everything until he ended with a paw to his eye. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye, etc, etc, etc. Come on i'm gettin' old here just waitin' for ya." Discord said in a fake New York accent. He had slicked back gray hair with obviously too much gel and a mustache. Pinkie floated away a little before zooming up to get in his face. "I'm watching you..." She said in as threatening a tone as she could muster. In response he simply grabbed her spinning tail and threw her off of him, like a giant would a fly that bit him. Twilight caught her in her wings. "Thanks, Twilight." was all Pinkie said, her hair now flat and lifeless. "You're welcome Pinkie" Twilight said before storming up to Discord. "No more stalling Discord! We'll play your game so let's just get this over with!" "Well, excuse me, young lady. But I do believe it was you who was stalling me from starting the game. But since you insist so strongly, I guess it's time to up the stakes a bit." "What do you mean by that?" Twilight snapped. "Oh nothing major. Just thought I'd up the anty a bit with a hostage is all." "A hostage? How barbaric!" Rarity almost fainted herself. "If that's what you want, then fine! i'll be your hostage." Twilight said, volunteering herself. "No no no. That just won't do." Discord said, shaking his head and folding his arms. "What's wrong? Why won't it work?" "Because you are the first player Twilight. I can't have someone so important in a cage now can I? Now here on the other hand..." He snaps his fingers and Zecora appears in his arms, asleep. "You put her down now! She has nothing to do with this." Twilight yelled. "Oh but she does, Twilight Sparkle. She's the prize for victory. If you win, she will be released. If you lose, she will be stuck in this cage forever." He makes a golden cage with a lock on it. The lock is shaped like Discord's face. "I can't believe you would do this to us. I thought you had learned your lesson." "The only lesson i've learned is that your so called 'friendship' only extends so far, Miss Twilight Sparkle. Now I suggest you get moving. You only have twenty three hours." "But I thought you said-" "Should've thought of that before you started rambling on about how terrible I am." Discord said, coming close to her face and making an angry face as red flames rise in the background. Twilight looks ready to cry as she gallops of into the distance. Discord appears in front of her. "Uh-uh-uh. You can't just start running off without giving your friends a chance to properly hide. You have to count to ten." Twilight glared at him but obeyed, knowing that arguing would get her no closer to finding her friends and that if she didn't find them in time, Zecora would be stuck forever in that cage. "One, two, three, four, five, six-" "uh-uh-uh. Slower. And close your eyes." She did so and started over, covering her eyes with hr hooves. "one...two...three...four...five...six...seven...eight...nine...ten." She opened her eyes. She was done counting, so she could start the game. But strangely, nopony was here. She knew all her friends were hidden by discord, but she didn't see him anywhere either What had happened. Had he hidden himself as well? It seemed like the only one there was Zecora, asleep in the cage. She thought about freeing her, but decided against it when a thought came to mind. Discord would know. She trotted outside and looked around. There was no one. Not a single pony was present in the town. Had Discord hidden the entire population of ponyville? What was going on. 'This is too weird.' Twilight thought as she walked the barren streets of the once bustling town. 'Where is everypony?' She shook away the thoughts of her fellow ponies and began her search. She was sure she had wasted too much time worried about what was going on instead if doing something to stop it. With that she galloped off in search of her friends. She would start off in each of their homes. She was sure they had to be there. No, that would be too obvious, and If there was anything Discord was good at, it was being unpredictable. Something like that just wasn't Discord's style. But, even if they weren't there, there had to be some sort of clue to their location in their homes. She would start off with Apple Jack's farm. There had to be something that would tell her where she was. Back in Twilight's home, Zecora had finally woken up. She stood slowly and wiped the sleep from her eyes, looking around. "uhh...What is this place that I have found myself in? I wish to return to my home and my bed once again." "Sorry if the accommodations are not to your liking. I didn't have time to order the super deluxe cage." A voice said from seemingly nowhere. Zecora looked around and soon saw him. "Discord, what have you taken me for? Is this another of your tricks? If so, show me to the door, for I do not like to be used for kicks." "Relax, my zebra friend, I won't hurt you. I just want to take you somewhere a little more...comfortable." Suddenly, Discord had a bag, which he was bringing over the zebra's cage. Her eyes widened as he scooped her up like a thief and carried her away, disappearing in a flash of light as he said, "Now all I have to do is sit back and enjoy the show."
4...5...6...As Twilight makes her way to Sweet Apple Acres, she finds herself wondering about why Discord would do something like this. She thought he was reformed. He did say he was bored. ...No. Discord was up to his old tricks again, she was sure. And after all that time she and her friends spent with him. She couldn't believe he would betray their trust like that. Especially with Fluttershy. She was sure of one thing, though. When she found him, she was going to make him sorry for tricking them the way he did. She continued to make her way down to Apple Jack's farm, hoping to find a clue to where Apple Jack might be, and, possibly but much less likely, Apple Jack herself. she trotted up to her friends barn and knocked on the door, tapping her hoof as she waited-impatiently-for someone to open the door. When it did open, she was face to face with Granny Smith, squinting at her. No doubt to make sure she knew who it was. When she finally recognized her, Twilight was in her face in mere seconds. "Excuse me, Granny Smith! Would you happen to know if Apple Jack is home?!" Granny Smith simply dug in her ear in a gesture that said "You;re too loud." before saying, "I reckon she left quite a while ago. To visit you in fact!" Twilight looked at her for a moment before facehoofing. In her rush to find her friends, she had apparently forgotten that they were all present at her home only moments before this all happened. She thought of a new question. "Would you mind if I took a look around the barn? I think Apple Jack told me she left something here that she might need. She sent me to go get it for her." Granny Smith thought about this for a second, staring down the purple mare. This made Twilight sweat profusely, nervousness coating her every movement as she stood stock still in front of the elder mare's scrutiny. Her nervousness was only washed away as she heard Granny Smith say, "Alrighty then! Come on in. If Apple Jack sent ya, it's fine with me!" She sighed audibly and stepped inside, walking around the barn like a mare with a purpose as she searched the place from head to toe as fast as she could. And what a purpose it was. She tipped over every hay bail she saw, checked inside and outside every pen she could see. and scoured every single solitary inch of land she laid her eyes on. She had to make sure she was extra thorough. After finishing her search and finding absolutely nothing, not even a clue as to where her friend might be, she sat down on her haunches and thought. The only thing remotely close to a clue was a lasso tied to a tree out in the Apple Family Orchard, but after running trough every possible meaning it could have and finding no connection, she gave up. Strangely, she took the thing with her. She didn't know why, but it was like, she needed to have it. She felt it was something she had to have. She decided that if she couldn't find Apple Jack, she would try and find Rarity. Remembering that they were all with her before they disappeared ruled out the possibility that she would be back home. It would be easy to find a clue for her, though. All she would have to do is look for the shiniest, most fashionable thing she could think of, and she'd be there. Or so she hoped. With that, she left the farm, giving Granny Smith a quick "Thank you!" as she galloped away back towards ponyville. She made her way towards Rarity's home, which also doubled as the fashionista's very own boutique as well, and soon found herself face to face with it's door. She knocked carefully, afraid that her friend might be in the same predicament as Apple Jack. It took a while for anyone to come to the door, and when it did open, the one to open it was Sweetie Belle, Rarity's younger sister. "Hello?" She said in her usual small voice. Yet again, she nearly knocked someone over with how fast she got in Sweetie Belle's face. "Hi Sweetie! Do you mind if I come in?" Sweetie Belle pushed Twilight's face away from and said, "Sure, Twilight-" She grunts as she pushes her away. "-you can come in. Just hold on a second." Twilight pulled back and waited, urgency in her eyes. 'Wow, she must be in some hurry.' Sweetie Belle thought as she opened the door further and let her in. Once inside, Twilight immediately began searching the room. She pushed aside sowing machines, looked under fabric, lifted up mannequins. Heck she even undid clothing. Sweetie Belle saw this and wondered just what Twilight was looking for that she had to mess up her big sister's home like this. "What are you looking for?" she asked, wanting to know the more her home was torn up.. "I'm looking for any sign of Rarity." Twilight said as she lifted a stack of designs off of Rarity's work desk. "Oooh are you two playing hide and seek?" Sweetie Belle asked in excitement. "Yes." Was all Twilight responded with. "Oh, I wanna play I wanna play! Can I? Huh, Can I?" "No." Twilight turned around to look Sweetie in the eye. "Aww, but why not?" Sweetie Belle whined. "Because this is a very dangerous game of hide and seek." Twilight said pointing a hoof at Sweetie. "D-dangerous!" Sweetie gulped. "That's right." "Are you going to hurt my big sister?" Sweetie asked, near crying now. Twilight stopped. "No, Sweetie. I would ne-" "Please don't hurt Rarity, Twilight! Whatever she did, i'm sure she didn't mean it, so please don't hurt her! Forgive her!" Sweetie was crying openly now, begging and pleading Twilight not to hurt her sister, whom she loved so dearly. She was clinging to her leg. Twilight almost cried herself. But she held it in and put her hoof around Sweetie in a hug. "I would never hurt Rarity. She is a treasured friend of mine. I love her." Sweetie looked up at her, sniffling. "R-really?" "Yep. I love her just as much as I do all my friends. I would never dream of hurting her." Twilight said, pride welling up inside her at the thought of her friends. She put her hoof to her chest. Sweetie wiped her eyes. "Good. That's good. I'm glad." Twilight used her magic to conjure a clock. She checked her remaining time. "Oh no! I only have eighteen hours left!" She galloped out of her friends home as quickly as she could, taking the rind she found when searching under Rarity's designs, and leaving Sweetie Belle to wonder what happened. As she went, Twilight thought of Where else to go search. She could go to Fluttershy's place, but it was so close to the Everfree Forest that her search might get interrupted by monsters as they try to attack her. What's worse, she might not even get in because of Angel Bunny and her tendency to be suspicious of anyone who isn't Fluttershy. She didn't want to go through having to tell her what was happening. That would take up time she didn't have. She decided to go to Clousdale and look for any clues that could lead her to Rainbow Dash. But she couldn't just invade her home. She would have to ask the Wonderbolts if they knew anything. She flew up to Cloudsdale and stopped at Rainbow Dash's cloud house. She may not be able to look inside, but she knew her way best from here. With that, she began her journey anew.
7...8...9...Twilight makes her way toward the Wonderbolt Academy school. Her mission is to find out as much as she can about where Rainbow Dash might be. She already knew the first person she would ask. Spitfire. After all, it was basically her job to keep up with all the members of the Wonderbolts, as well as new trainees. If anyone would know anything about where Rainbow Dash was, it would be her. She now stood in front of the door to the Academy. she didn't have to knock. Not this time. It was a school, not someone's house. Thta being said, she couldn't just walk in. She decided to look around for someone with access. Before she could even move to put her thoughts into actions, however, she was stopped by a voice directly behind her. "Hey! What do you think you're doing down there!" It was Spitfire. She was sure of it She turned around. "Get away from that door right this- Oh, it's just you, Twilight. Sorry. I thought you were one of the newbies." "It's fine. Nothing for you to apologize for. You were just...doing your job, after all. hahaha." Spitfire spoke up. "So why are you here in Cloudsdale? What could a princess possibly want with grunts like us?" "Well, I'm looking for Rainbow Dash. Do you know if she happened to come back at any time?" "Nope. Dash hasn't been back since I gave her today off. She's probably off slackin' somewhere." "I see. Well, do you mind if I search anyway? I believe she told me she forgot something important up here." "That Dash, always so irresponsible. I aught to drill her for this. remind me to give her five hundred laps as punishment later." "I will, but, my question..." "Oh yeah, that. Knock yourself out. And make sure to tell Rainbow Crash to be more careful next time. I won't always be here to look after her things for her." Twilight giggles. "Will do, Spitfire." She was let in to the Academy by Spitfire, and, after receiving directions from her as to where Rainbow's locker was, she made her way down the corridors, looking for the locker rooms. Once she found the corresponding locker, she opened it and checked inside. Nothing. Nothing but her Wonderbolts uniform and the goggles that came with it. Twilight frowned. Where could her friends be? Without a word, she made her way back through the way she came and out of the academy, completely out of Spitfire's line of sight. While in her grief she spotted a...rather strange cloud. It was blue, and not white like the others. Too upset to care enough to study this strange new phenomenon, she simply went about her search on another direction. Heading for Fluttershy's, she hung her head low as she sulked. Once there, she shook off her sadness in order to pay attention to the trees around her. She had no idea what dangers could be lurking out in the forest. She knocked on Fluttershy's door once she reached it, and sure enough, there was Angel Bunny, looking at her as though she was an intruder on someone else's land, which, technically she was. Twilight simply ignored her and stepped into Fluttershy's home. "I'm sorry, Angel, but I have no time to tell you what's going on." she was right, she didn't. Once she left Fluttershy's, she still had one friend to look for, and she wasn't sure how long this search was going to take. The search of Sweet Apple Acres and Rarity's boutique took five, and the search at the Wonderbolts Academy took six if she factored in the extra time it took to look for a clue to Rainbow Dash's Whereabouts. Twilight began gently moving Fluttershy's things around, just as she had done with her other friends homes, albeit in a bit of a quicker and less time consuming way. At some point she found a rose. She put it with the rest of her things. The lasso she had tied loosely around her neck, the ring she wore on her hoof to keep it form getting lost, and the cloud she had taken notice of in her mind. She had a perfect picture of it in her mind still despite being the way she was when she saw it. She made a second hole in the lasso and put the rose in it, wearing it like a necklace. She gave the place one last quick search. She couldn't enlist the help of the animals like Fluttershy, so she had to do it alone.She looked under her rug, checked behind her clock, and just about every other spot in the little cottage once more before apologizing to Angel Bunny and leaving. She had one last place. to go. But with her spirits crushed, and her friends still gone, did she really want to continue? NO! she couldn't think like that. She had to do it. For her friends. For Zecora. She trotted away and over to her friend's home and job, new hope filling her being as she went. But would she be able to do it, with only seven hours left to search. "I can do this." She said to herself as she made her way to her friends front door. Once there, she knocked on the door. The store was still open, so someone had to be there, right. The door creaked open slowly, and sure enough, Mrs. Cake stood there smiling. "Hi there, Twilight! What can I do for you today?" "Hi Mrs. Cake. Pinkie told me she left her party cannon at home, and she sent me to pick it up. May I come in and look for it?" "Really? But Pinkie never leaves home without her beloved cannon. Something must be very wrong if she forgot it at home. Come on in dear." She trotted away, still in the middle of a worry storm about her 'poor baby.' Twilight got to work, making her way upstairs to pinkie's room. She searched everywhere. From under the bed to the very cracks of the walls. She had had enough of Discord's little game and was not about to be outdone by an evil trickster like him. Or so she thought. She searched everywhere, and still there was no sign of where pinkie was. Not anywhere. She walked down the stairs, sighing in defeat. Where were all of her friends? She had been searching all day and she hasn't found a single thing to tell her anything about them. And now here she was, out of ideas and out of places to search. She said goodbye to Mrs. Cake and left the sweets shop, sulking even more than before. She sat down on her haunches on the grass next to the path that stretched all the way through the center of ponyville, and cried.
10!"Why Discord! Why! Why would you do this to us? I thought we were friends now. Where are my friends? What did you do to them?" "We're right here, sugar cube." Twilight stopped. She swore she could hear a voice coming from somewhere, but where? "Down here, darling!" She looked down at her hoof. Was it coming from the ring? But...that couldn't be! It was impossible. It was...it was...it was Discord. "That's right, Twilight! It was all me!" Discord said as he appeared before her. "What did you do to my friends, Discord?!" Twilight yelled, enraged. "Oh, relax, would you?! I didn't do anything." "You're lying!" "No, he's not!" A voice suddenly yelled, as loud as it could, which wasn't that much. Twilight looked around. Where were all these voices coming from? "You still haven't figured it out? Wow, for someone so smart, that's really lame." "Oh, you! Stop teasing her. Heehee!" Twilight looked up. There was the strange blue cloud again. Next to it was a pink balloon. Twilight looked at Discord. "Get it now?" He said, narrowing his eyes at her. It had been right in front of her. It should've been obvious. She couldn't believe it had taken her this long to figure it out. All those items she had felt she needed to pick up. Those were her friends! She collapsed from exhaustion as Discord turned all of her friends back to normal. She couldn't help but laugh. "What's so funny?" Discord said, seriously wanting to know. "Oh nothing. Nothing at all. You beat me far and square Discord." She looked at all of her friends. "Tell Zecora i'm sorry." Then she had a thought. Zecora. She was so absorbed in her grief she had forgotten! She glared at Discord. "What have you done with Zecora!" Discord smiled. "Oh you mean, her?" He said as he tore open a dimensional hole to reveal Zecora in the chaos dimension...drinking tea? She looked over to them six stunned ponies. "How are you doing today girls? Isn't it a wonderful day to pay a visit to the chaos world?" Twilight nearly short circuited. She looked between Discord and Zecora in utter disbelief. "Wha...ah....uh...but...you..." "Yes, Twilight Sparkle?" Discord said, bringing his ear close to her as if to say, "I can't hear you." "But you said that if you won, she would be stuck in that cage forever!" Discord simply laughed. "Hahahahaha! I lied, Twilight! I was never going to do anything to her! I was just using her as motiation to get you to play! I told you I was bored." "Discord explained everything once he brought me here. I assure you, you had nothing to fear." Twilight turned her head to see that Zecora was speaking. "So this was...just a game? No tricks or anything?" Discord looked hurt. "Of course it was just a game! I'm reformed remember? I would never hurt anypony ever again. The very fact that you think I would makes me sad." He looked at her, a tear rolling down his face in a comical fashion. "Then what about the rest of the ponies? What happened to them?" Twilight asked, still confused. "Oh them. I froze them and made them invisible. Wouldn't want any noise distracting your search now would we?" With that, he snapped his fingers and all of ponyville was back to normal, as if nothing had even happened. Twilight had been laughing then, but now she was laughing harder that she'd ever laughed before. Her friends had stopped to stare at her, along with Discord and Zecora. "What's wrong, Twilight?" Rainbow asked, concern in her voice. "Oh nothing, girls. It's just...now that I realize it...I've never had so much fun!" Suddenly Pinkie appeared behind Twilight, smiling wide, and said, "Best...game...ever!" Everypony laughed at that, and then, with a wipe of his brow, Discord said "Well, girls, I'll be off. It's been fun hanging out with you." Twilight looked up at him. "What, you're leaving?" "That's right!" Discord said. "I only came to see if I could cure my boredom. Thank you for that, by the way. Ta-ta!" With that, he snapped his fingers and disappeared, returning to the Chaos Dimension. "Well alright then. Good bye..." Twilight said, a bit sad now. Apple Jack put a hoof on her shoulder and the six friends trotted back to Twilight's home, to finish off the night in each other's company once more.
