The Elements Of Chaos

-Start-

The storm continued to rage above Equestria. The pegasi in Cloudsdale worked their flanks off to maintain the storm, completely oblivious to the danger brewing below.

Twilight trotted in a circle around her exploded machine, slowly graving a mark into the floor. She thought pensively, considering all of the possibilities that would have resulted in her machine exploding but only one made sense. "This is bad. This is really, really bad. Spike, get the Elements for me."

Spike began climbing a bookshelf to get the Element of Laughter, "Could you for once, think about what your stress is doing to the floor?"

Rarity nodded in agreement, "Yes, I agree with Spike, it was just your machine, no need to get so stressed. I'm sure you could just rebuild it. In any case, the poor thing was a crime against fabulosity." She started stroking her mane.

Twilight stopped pacing and drew a deep breath, "CAN'T YOU THINK OF THE SAFETY OF EQUESTRIA INSTEAD OF HOW MY BUCKING MACHINE LOOKED!" Her nostrils flared as she panted.

Rarity shook her head disapprovingly, "No need to yell my dear Twilight. I do show concern for Equestria, I really do. I just like doing it while looking fabulous!" She struck a dramatic pose.

Twilight face-hoofed at Rarity's ignorance. "Looks don't matter when the end of Equestria is just around the corner. The only logical explanation for this is that magic from the Elements overloaded the Hermaphrium."

"Yes and? You're forgetting that it was hoofmade. By your hooves no less," she pulled a hoof-file from her saddle bag, "Anything could have gone wrong." She started gently filing her hoof.

"My machine was perfectly calibrated to the Elements. The chance of something as drastic as that to happen is one in a trillion. There can only be one explanation for it...As much as I don't want to admit it...It's the only plausible reason..." Twilight looked out to Canterlot beyond the window.

Rarity stopped and approached Twilight, "What is?"

At that moment Spike fell from the bookshelf while burping out a scroll. Twilight and Rarity stared at Spike as books fell from the shelf, landing on Spike's already twitching body. Twilight picked up the scroll with her magic and examined the wax stamp which kept it rolled up neatly. It was the stamp of Princess Celestia.

Rarity observed the scroll, "What is it Twilight?"

"I'm not sure," she lied as the scroll unravelled. She cleared her throat read it out aloud, "To my faithful student Twilight, It seems that we have quite the predicament in Canterlot. I have been informed that –" Twilight's eyes widened as she read the next three words to herself repeatedly. "Discord has escaped." She read the rest of the letter hastily. "The storm was too powerful and broke the spell of Discord...That Rainbow Dash really is in for the beating of a life time."

Rarity gasped loudly, "OF ALL THE WORST THINGS THAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED. THIS IS .THE. WORST. POSSIBLE. THING!" She pretended to faint. Silence. "Twilight? How are you so calm in my moment of need?"

Twilight grumbled. We have the Elements here in the library. We have almost no reason to panic. It's not like Discord can take them from us now." She picked up her tiara and blew off some dust.

Rarity looked confused, "About that...How did you land your hooves on the Elements? As I recall, the Princess kept them in Canterlot tower. I also know you kept them in this book..." Her magic pulled the "Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide" from Twilight's study room. "But I thought that was a one-time thing."

"So you don't even remember the day after my own BROTHER'S wedding?!" Twilight's mane started smoking.

Rarity dug her hoof into the ground.

Twilight sighed, allowing her mane to return to normal, "After the incident with the Changelings, the Princess thought it would be better if we, the Spirits of Harmony kept these close by." She pointed at the Elements that littered the library. "I thought to keep them in the book that Discord ruined. Fortunately for us, the book was enchanted to mask the magic of its contents. That's why Celestia and I couldn't detect them with our magic the last time Discord escaped and THAT'S why I always keep the Elements in it! Also, if that wasn't enough to refresh your memory, the Princess gave you the chest that used to hold the Elements!" Twilight's mane spontaneously erupted into flames before dissipating once more.

"Oh yes, that marvellous, MARVELLOUS box. I think I still have that with me." She pulled a jewelled chest from her saddle bag. "I remember EVERYTHING now!"

"Okay...good...Now that I've dealt with that we can move onto more important matters. We have to defeat Discord before has a chance to rain chaos upon Equestria. Rarity, you go and get AJ and Pinkie. I'll handle Rainbow and Fluttershy. And Spike, look after the Elements while we're gone."

Spike groaned as he poked his head out of the stack of books. Twilight repeated herself. "Oh, all right, but I'm eating the rest of the ice cream."

Celestia stood in Canterlot Tower in front of the vault, thinking about her student. She touched the giant door with a hoof, no longer feeling the presence of the Elements of Harmony within. Luna flew in and landed beside her, wet from mane to hoof. She dried herself instantaneously with a spell, "Sister, Is there something troubling you during this era of peace?"

She thought about her Royal Guard unicorn and the bad news he had brought hours earlier. She thought of the time; midday had long gone and in a few hours she would have to set the sun. Her hoof slid down the door until it met the floor, "There are more important matters than what is troubling me." She unlocked the vault, only to be invited by an empty room, "Do you remember the day we defeated Discord eons ago?"

Luna joined her sister inside the vault, "Why of course! He was quite the mighty foe. Mighty enough to challenge the strongest magic of all pony kind," she looked down the hall and pointed at distant mountains, illuminated by lightning. "Our battle took place atop the tallest mountain, Mount Unity. We owe the peace of our land to the battle that occurred atop that maintain. If it weren't for our will to protect our land, our ponies and each other, the Equestria we know today would never have existed. Without a will, nopony will truly be united. It's the defining quality tha-" Luna stopped and stared at Celestia. "Why would you ask me about Discord in such an abrupt manner?"

No reply.

"Discord has escaped has he not?"

A chilly wind blew in through the wide double doors.

"Why my sister...Why would you choose to keep me oblivious. Discord concerns me as much as he does y-"

Celestia released her pent-up emotions upon Luna, "BECAUSE WE ARE COMPLETELY POWERLESS LITTLE SISTER! The only magic that can match the chaos Discord brings are the Elements of Harmony and we put those in the hooves of SIX FILLIES! WHAT DOES THAT MAKE US?!" She unknowingly unleashed the complete fury of the Royal Canterlot Voice, obliterating Canterlot Tower, neighbouring towers and causing earthquakes all over Equestria. Both of them got drenched in the storm that continued to pelt them with rain.

Luna cowered into what remained of the tower. Her sister was truly terrifying we she used the Canterlot Voice. Celestia towered over Luna's shaking body. Lightning flashed across the sky. "WELL?!"

Luna overcame sheer fear and cold and whispered a reply, "P-p-p-powerless..." She was so quiet, Fluttershy would have been proud.

Discord walked his way to Ponyville; he needed to be discrete for his plan to work. He thought aloud to keep himself from getting bored, "Oh, why are ponies so regular. It's no fun without some chaos in the mix." He continued to walk down the muddy road, "Why, even my old body was more chaotic than any pony in all of Equestria." An idea came to mind. "Now why don't I do that?" He clicked his claw and transformed into a look-alike of Rainbow Dash but with a cyan mane and a rainbow coat and without a cutie-mark. "I look fabulous," he thought, "Not quite as chaotic as my current body but...It'll have to do." He flew the rest of the way to Ponyville.

Rarity trotted to Sugarcube corner with a wide umbrella on her back. Instead of Sugarcube corner, she was greeted by a giant beanstalk. "What an unsightly plant!" she thought.

She heard Mr Cake's voice, "Hello there Rarity! What brings you to Sugarcube corner?!" Rarity followed the voice and found Mr and Mrs Cake with the babies hidden beneath a giant leaf.

Rarity took off the umbrella, "What happened to Sugarcube corner?"

"We aren't completely sure, but, as far as we know, It's at the top of this beanstalk," he tapped it with a hoof. "We overhead Pinkie talking about some magic beans and caramel eggs one day but we just thought it was Pinkie being Pinkie; until one of our electric mixers went missing. Oh that electric mixer; he was my favourite. I miss him so –"

Mrs Cake interjected, "Can you just get Pinkie for us? Only she knows how to fix this."

Rarity looked up at the towering beanstalk and thought of the pony at the top; it reminded her of the incident at Dodge Junction. It took five whole hours of ChimmyCherry-CherryChanga before they arrived at Ponyville station. Her eye twitched uncontrollably at the thought of being stuck at the top of the beanstalk with Pinkie. She hesitated to reply to the Cakes' worried looks, "Okay Mr and Mrs Cake. I'll go...get...Pinkie..." She looked up at the stalk and wished Pinkie wasn't so Pinkie.

Mr Cake rummaged inside a chest and pulled out a brown saddle bag, "Here, take these." The bag was filled with climbing supplies. "I was going to climb Mount Unity as part of an Ancient History course at Canterlot University but..." he pulled Mrs Cake closer, "I never got around to doing it."

Rarity hesitated in taking the brown saddle bag; it didn't compliment her coat like her one did. "Uh, thanks." She replaced her saddle bag with Mr Cake's one. She took some duct tape for Pinkie and the ornate chest for good luck, "I'm going to need it," she thought as she looked up at the clouds.

Twilight walked up the hill to Fluttershy's cottage with a Mare-Do-Well getup; it was the last of her waterproof clothes. The lights inside were off and the windows were boarded up. She knocked on the door lightly. Only the soft chittering of animals could be heard.

Twilight yelled over the wind that howled past, "Fluttershy! It's me, Twilight!"

The sound of hoofsteps made it through the door, "Good, she isn't a complete scaredy-pony," thought Twilight as Fluttershy unlocked the many bolts made up her door. The door eased open as a yellow pegasus came into view, "Oh, hi there Mare-Do-Well. Where's Twilight?" She shrieked and slammed the door in Twilight's face, flattening her muzzle. "Thought too soon," she muttered quietly.

Twilight pushed the door open to find Fluttershy balled up beneath the carpet in the centre of the room. She pulled off her Mare-Do-Well suit before pulling the rug off Fluttershy, "Oh Fluttershy, it was only me." Twilight put out a hoof.

Fluttershy grabbed it and got back on her hooves. "So Twilight...what brings you to the cottage?" She brought Twilight into the kitchen, the only room without a window.

Twilight was about to tell her about Discord until a thought crossed her mind, "If I tell her Discord got free, she'd panic. But if I don't I'd betray her trust...OH! Great idea!" Twilight calmly faced Fluttershy, not letting her inner panic get the better of her, "Have you seen Rainbow anywhere? I haven't seen her since she left for weather duty."

Fluttershy poured two jugs of apple cider and handed one to Twilight, She told me that she was going to get some sleep in her Ponyville house. I'm not quite sure what she does to have two houses; one in Ponyville and one in Cloudsdale if that's what you wanted to know," she slurped some cider, "Is there something wrong Twilight?"

Twilight thought about Spike and the Elements in the library. She let some of her desperation into her eyes, "Yes, there is something wrong. I need Rainbow Dash."

Discord moved around freely in Ponyville; everypony was far too afraid of the storm to go outside, let alone open their windows. He trotted to where he was defeated; in the middle of town square. He placed a hoof on the statue of the Six Spirits of Harmony erected in honour of his defeat, "It won't happen again. I won't let it happen again," he repeated to himself. He pulled a feather from his wing and left it on the statue. "Never again..."

He looked up and began trotting towards the library.

Spike moaned in his bed with a stomach ache. "Overdid it with the ice-cream again," he groaned. He left the light on in case Twilight came back. The Elements were buried deep within his blanket. He pulled it closer. "Must stay awake," he thought, "For Twilight...I have...to stay...awake..." Just before he shut his eyes, a familiar figure hovered outside the window, "Oh good...Rainbow Dash...Is here...." But it wasn't Rainbow Dash who was outside.

-End-

Second chapter is finished! I'm going to take a short break and get my plot together before I release anymore chapters. Feel free to leave constructive criticism on how I could improve my writing.

Warning: The next Chapter is COMPLETELY about Discord.