Where The Apples Grow

Dylan slept soundly on the floor of his little clubhouse. He had brought in several blankets, wanting to sleep through the storm. Within the structure, he felt safer than he ever did elsewhere, and he didn’t know why. Perhaps it was because it was made by a pony who was very special to him.

Some innocence from him had partly vanished, as he was more aware of his actions during his recent fight, but Dylan was okay with that. His sense of wonder was still there, and he still loved this world. He loved his family, and he loved Amber. In a sense, he was still his old self.

As he slept, he felt something tug on him, a feeling of dizziness overwhelming him. Opening his eyes, he found himself to be standing, seeing a cold, metal room. There were pegasi around him, but the most notable pegasus was a green-maned one in front of him, holding a blindfold, green eyes looking into Dylan’s.

He heard the strange pegasus say to a mare who was standing in front of a large computer, “Open the dome.”

“We can’t,” she said. “We’re losing connection.”

Before the images faded away, Dylan tried to ask, “Who are you?”

He never got his answer, with his grip on reality coming back, rain still pelting the clubhouse. Dylan was wrapped soundly in his blankets, confused and concerned. What had happened? Was it a mere dream? Then, just as suddenly as he asked himself that, he forgot what his dream was about.

He simply laid back down, falling asleep once more.

Twilight tried everything she could, digging into bits of broken memories. There was something within this crazed pony that had completely shattered his sanity. “Sweet Celestia, this is getting impossible,” she muttered.

“Well? Who is he?” asked Dash.

Twilight shook her head. “I don’t want to think it’s him, but from what I’m seeing, it’s gotta be.”

“So this here is…” Applejack was almost afraid to finish the sentence. “It’s his dad?”

Twilight slowly nodded. “I think so.”

“What do we do with him?” asked Fluttershy.

Twilight sighed. “I think we’ll need to keep him locked up for a bit. We need to do a bit of interrogating, figure out what’s really going on.”

“Well, if that’s your decision, I’m just gonna go back home,” said Applejack. “Don’t need Dylan wonderin’ too much. I gotta at least think of some way to break this to him.”

“Can’t you just, you know, lie to him?” asked Rainbow Dash. “I remember you tellin’ me about this guy, and it doesn’t really look like Dylan’s gonna take it very well.”

Applejack shook her head and replied, “Dash, you know just as well as I do that I can’t lie very well.”

“Then let me do the talking,” said Dash, walking up to Applejack. “Don’t worry. I’ll come up with something believable.”

Rarity, having been quiet the entire time, finally spoke up. “Does anypony have the sneaking suspicion that this isn’t the last we’ll see of that awful business pony?”

Twilight shook her head. “I can’t say for certain where he is now, but if he is still out there, we can take him. I have full confidence in our abilities.”

The others smiled, feeling reassured. Applejack, however, didn’t feel so sure about it. She simply let the subject pass, not wanting to bother her friends. They were already feeling okay about it, so why ruin the mood?

At night, after everypony had left, Twilight stood in front of the struggling stallion, ready to delve deep into his memories on her own. They may have been in pieces, but she needed to figure out why he was here, and how he got here.

“You know, it’s always amusing to see a pony trying to delve into chaos,” said a familiar voice. Twilight turned around, seeing a long, furred, dragon-like being with the head of a pony with two horns on his head, both different, with one being an antler, and the other being a horn of sorts. The rest of his body was made up of different animal parts, the strange creature standing tall and proud.

“Oh, it’s you, Discord,” said Twilight.

“You’re not even going to say hello?” asked Discord, crossing his arms. “I’m offended. Also, I wouldn’t go into that mind if I were you. It’s such a mess.”

“I need to,” said Twilight.

“Not really,” said Discord as he approached her. He held a magnifying glass up to his eye and then said, “You just want to. I know how you are, Twilight.~ You can’t resist a good mystery. Then again, who can? It’s engrained into every curious mind.”

Twilight shook her head, turning away from him. “Ugh… Discord, I don’t have time for games. I need to know what’s going on.”

Discord placed a finger on his chin and asked, “Now, what would you do if I said that wouldn’t be wise? Surely, as my friend, you’d at least take my advice?”

Twilight was a little puzzled. What did he want? “What’s the deal?” she asked, squinting her eyes.

“I’m saying to give it a few days is all,” Discord suggested. “Let him clear his mind. He’s not completely broken.”

“Are you trying to stall me?” asked Twilight. “Wait, you’re not involved in this, are you?”

“Who, meeeeeeee?” feigned Discord. “Why would you ever accuse me of such an act?!”

Twilight stared at him, her gaze unmoving. “Discord,” she growled.

Discord rolled his eyes, then said, “Fiiiiiiine,” he said. “I may or may not have a hand in this, but it’s not entirely my fault… this time.”

“Explain yourself,” demanded Twilight. “I’ve got all night.”

Discord suddenly pulled up a sofa from seemingly nowhere and laid on it. “It all started… when I was born,” he said, the back of his paw to his forehead. Looking at Twilight and seeing her unamused expression, he let out a great big sigh. “Yeesh, this isn’t going to be fun to explain.”

“Well?” asked Twilight.

Discord touched his two index fingers together. “It all started before my first encasement in stone, over a thousand years ago. I was in my old stomping grounds, back before I discovered that Equestria was full of life.”

“That far back?” asked Twilight. “What does that have to do with now?”

“Don’t interrupt me,” scolded Discord, sitting up. “Honestly, I thought you were the Princess of Friendship, not the Princess of Rude.”

Twilight sat down, staring at Discord. “Go ahead,” she said.

“Thank you,” said Discord, a smug smile on his face. “Now, as I was saying, it was over a thousand years ago. I was all alone, wandering as I normally did when, suddenly, I stumbled upon a rift in spacetime. Imagine my surprise when I saw an ancient civilization of two-legged hairless apes.~”

“You mean humans?” corrected Twilight.

“Same difference,” replied Discord. “I ran into someone who went by the name of Dimitris. He was a learning philosopher, and he was definitely questionable about my appearance. He thought he was dreaming.~”

“And you messed with him, didn’t you?” assumed Twilight.

“Oh, goodness, Twilight, I would never!” said Discord, a big grin on his face. “Regardless of whether or not I did, we both came to an interesting conclusion in our conversation. Chaos is everywhere.”

“Excuse me?” asked Twilight.

Discord smiled and said. “The beauty of the human world is that many of their philosophers have agreed to the fact that chaos is the natural state of the universe, unlike ponies and their obsession with harmony.”

“Why would humans accept that?” asked Twilight.

“Twilight, you of all ponies should know better,” scolded Discord. “Although you won’t admit it, the universe is naturally chaotic. There are many forces that aren’t consistent, and they’re all pushing and pulling at each other, helping to shape the universe.”

Twilight was a little skeptical, but nonetheless, she knew that the human world did operate on strange laws, nothing like her own world. They didn’t have the sisters to raise the sun and the moon. Those celestial bodies moved on their own.

“I suppose you may be right,” she conceded.

Discord, pleased, continued. “I became very good friends with this human. And it was only when they were nearing the end of their life that I decided to share a little mercy. I gave them a chance at immortality.”

“You what?!” asked Twilight. “You can just… give somepony immortality?!”

“Oh, please,” said Discord. “What do you take me for, some cheap knockoff? I’m Discord, Spirit of Chaos. If it can cause mayhem, I can do it.~”

Twilight was stumped. “Wait… Immortality causes chaos?” she asked.

“Well, given enough time,” he said. “As I was saying, I gave him immortality, but what I didn’t know was that magic worked differently in the human world. He received his immortality, but at a high price.”

Twilight, intrigued, asked, “And that was…?”

“He needs to swap bodies with a younger being,” said Discord. “I was a little surprised by his eagerness to kill…”

Twilight, eyes wide, was disturbed. “He killed another human?!”

“Indeed, he did,” answered Discord with a nervous chuckle. “Needless to say, he continued to do this without me keeping him in check, as I was frozen in stone by Celestia and Luna.”

“Why tell me this?” asked Twilight.

“Well, it turns out that my presence in the human world may have caused some rifts, ones that allowed humans to cross over here when they died,” replied Discord, rubbing the back of his neck. “Very few made it here without dying, like Dimitris. He eventually gained the body of a pony, I presume, and I think I know where he is now.”

“Where?” asked Twilight.

“Why, it’s Quick Stacks,” said Discord. “I could feel his chaotic magic, magic that I taught him. I’m always watching your adventures, Twilight, and I knew from the moment I saw Quick Stacks that it was Dimitris.”

Twilight was ready to fume. This was all Discord’s fault? “Discord, I’m gonna--!!!”

Discord put a finger to Twilight’s muzzle. “Shh. He’s still nearby,” he hushed.

Twilight raised a brow, but then realized… She looked at the struggling stallion. “You mean…?”

“Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!” applauded Discord, clapping his hands. “How wonderful!”

“No, not wonderful!” shouted Twilight. “You caused all this trouble?! You ruined Dylan’s life by messing with spacetime!”

“Nuh-uh,” said Discord. “If I hadn’t done what I did, Dylan would never have been born.”

Twilight quietly stared at him in anger. She wanted nothing more than to knock the mischievous spirit upside the head. Lucky for him, she was a little more patient than that. “So he’s in Dylan’s father?”

“Yes, but he hasn’t taken over yet,” said Discord. He knocked on the stallion’s head, creating a conking noise. “It looks like there’s too much rage in that scattered mind of his. All anger, no thought. If you go in there on your own, you could come face to face with Dimitris.”

Twilight looked at the stallion, then at Discord. “Then you’re coming with me,” she stated.

“What, moi?” asked Discord, faking his surprise. “Why would you want me to help when I’ve caused so much trouble already?”

“Because it’s your magic,” said Twilight. “You should know how to defeat him once and for all, right?”

“Well, that depends on what he’s learned while he’s been here in Equestria,” explained Discord. “If you insist, then I’ll tag along, but don’t expect any miracles.”

Twilight slowly nodded. She turned to the stallion, then finally moved her horn forward until it touched his forehead.

Everything went black.