If Discord wasn't reformed

Twilight flew back to her library while vines were covering and grabbing everything in Ponyville.

Spike held on tightly as he braced for impact from Twilight's unbalanced landing, she was still getting used to these wings after all.

She eventually crash landed into the golden oak library while her friends were doing some digging through some books, trying to find a solution to end this THORNY problem.

(Pun very much intended.)

"Oh, thank goodness!" Rarity sighed as Twilight arrived home.

"Oh, I hope you know we wouldn't normally go through your books without permission." Fluttershy assured.

"Sweet ground! Sweet, sweet, wonderful ground!" Spike praised as he kissed the wooden floor.

"Okay! I get it, I need to work on my flying." Twilight acknowledged.

"Dunno if you noticed, but the Everfree forest is just a teeny-tiny bit out of control." Pinkie pointed out, as her pinkie sense told her to duck for cover, and when she did, a vine crashed through the window and hit Rarity. Pinning her to the wall.

"Guess it turns out you were missing something here in Ponyville after all." Applejack lamented, as she closed the window the vine was reaching out of, cutting it in two in the process.

"But perhaps you know what's been causing all this calamity. Has Princess Celestia sent you to dispel it posthaste?" Rarity asked.

"Not exactly. You see, Princess Celestia is, well......... She and princess Luna are both..........." Twilight tried to tell them the bad news in a calm way until........

"They're missing!" Spike yelled due to panic, causing the rest of Twilight's friends to gasp in horror.

"I don't know who has taken them, but I've got a hunch we're going to need the elements of harmony to get them back." Twilight stated, as she grabbed the elements from their case and gave each element to their distinct barrier.

"Oh yeah! Just like old times." Rainbow Dash celebrated as she wore her necklace, as well as every other pony who bore the elements.

"I told ya we'd always be connected to the elements. Now we just gotta figure out who to aim these bad boys at so we can get Celestia and Luna back and keep the rest of Equestria from becoming plant food! Any ideas?" Applejack asked the rest of the mane seven, while Pinkie looked in a coloring book.

"Half day, half night........ Strange weather patterns........... Out of control plants........... I think I'm starting to get a pretty good idea of who we're up against." Twilight stated, as her thoughts pointed towards a certain trouble making chaos loving draconequus.

"Wait wait wait! You don't think Discord is behind all this?" Dash asked the former unicorn.

"It's the only explanation! The Everfree forest isn't meant to act this way, it doesn't make sense!" Twilight explained to her friends.

"But how could he have reverted from being stone? I thought since we were now connected to the elements that he should remain in his prison forever." Applejack thought.

"I don't know, but we better head to Canterlot to make sure that he hasn't escaped." Twilight stated, as she lead her friends out of the golden oak library to head to the train to Canterlot.

Later........................

The mane seven arrived at the Canterlot sculpture garden, and saw that the statue is seemingly still intact.

"See? I knew he couldn't be behind it! He's still very much contained by our awesome elements!" Dash boasted.

"I don't know, something about this just feels wrong to me......... I think-" Twilight was about to speak up, until she was interrupted by a vine grabbing her from behind.

"Twilight!" Her friends called out as they witnessed her being held captive by one of the vines.

As Twilight struggled, she saw the vine's thorns turn into a familiar deer antler and goat horn, while most of it's thorns formed a toothy grin.

Twilight panicked as it started to laugh wickedly.

"Surprise squeeze attack!" Discord announced, as the vine manifested into his usual serpentine body as he squeezed Twilight.

"Wait, if he's over there, then how can-?" Pinkie pointed her hoof at the statue, which began melting into chocolate pudding.

"What? You don't like the cake I made to celebrate your promotion? I'm hurt." Discord stated, as he pulled a forced frown as he noticed Twilight's upset expression.

"Let her go Discord! Or we'll blast you back to concrete!" Dash threatened.

"Ahh you'd do that anyway. And besides, you can't use the elements if one of you is unable to." Discord stated, as his Twilight struggled to get free.

"So you are the one behind the Everfree forest invading! But how were you able to do it if you were imprisoned?!" Twilight demanded the chaos spirit for answers.

"Oh, the answer is more complicated then you'd think. But I don't have time to explain these things myself, I have some chaos to bestow. Arrivederci." Discord bid, as he slithered into the ground while Twilight was released from his grip.

"Are you ok darling?" Rarity asked her friend.

"I'm fine, but we need to catch Discord! We can't let him turn Ponyville into the chaos capital of the world again!" Twilight stated.

"Now wait just a second! Catching Discord isn't gonna be easy, and we still need to figure out how to stop the Everfree forest from invading. I reckon we outta head back to Ponyville, and look for the source of these growing weeds." Applejack suggested.

"Ok, let's just hope that we find the princesses in the process." Twilight prayed, as she and her friends head back to the train for Ponyville.

Twilight eventually met up with Zecora and drank the potions that allowed her to see the flashbacks of the elements, including the tree of harmony.

As Twilight and her friends made their way to the tree, they got attacked by a Cragadile.

Thankfully, the ponies were able to subdue it by tying it's legs and arms to the trees with the vines.

However, the rest of the ponies feel that Twilight is in risk of serious danger if she continues to look for the tree with them.

"Twilight, I think it would be better if you headed back to ponyville, while me and the others look for the tree of harmony ourselves." Applejack suggested to the princess?

"But why? We're a team! What we do, we do together!" Twilight told AJ.

"Yes well, Equestria's gonna need a princess if things don't turn out OK." Applejack told her friend.

"But the elements won't even work without me! It was because of our friendship that the elements were able to be used in the first place, our friendship is what allowed us to overcome our challenges and save Equestria! The reason Discord tried to break our friendship was because he knew how powerful it was, that it was the only way to defeat him. And if I leave, it won't have the same effect! So do you all trust me when I say that no matter what obstacles we face, we face them together?" Twilight assured her friends, as they all looked at each other in contemplation.

"Alright Twi, I'd hate if something terrible happened to ya, but if you're that confident we can do it together, I believe you." Applejack agreed with Twilight, as they continued to head towards the tree.

Eventually, they found it. But it was being guarded by numerous vines holding onto it tightly.

"I think it's dying!" Fluttershy cried.

"So let's save it already!" Applejack stated, as she and Dash tried attack and pulling out the vines, but they resisted every attempt they made to move them.

"I don't think it's going to be that simple, these are vines created by Discord. There's got to be a different way to save the tree......" Twilight speculated.

"Even without these elements, the tree of harmony will possess a powerful magic. As long as that magic remains, it will continue to control and contain all that grows here." The words of Celestia's statement in the flashback echoed in Twilight's brain, which made her come up with her next idea.

"I know how we can save the tree, we need to give it the elements of harmony." Twilight declared.

"Woah woah woah! How are we supposed to defeat Discord?!" Dash asked.

"How are we supposed to contain him if we can't use the elements to turn him back to stone?" Rarity added.

"Twilight, the elements of harmony, they're what keeps us connected no matter what." Applejack stated, as she looked at her necklace.

"You're right about one thing Applejack, the elements of harmony did bring us together. But it isn't the elements that will keep us connected, it's our friendship. And it's more important and powerful then any magic. My new role in Equestria may mean I need to take on new responsibilities, and our friendships may be tested, but it will never, EVER, be broken." Twilight stated, as her friends looked at each other confidently.

"There's no time to lose! Everypony ready?" Twilight asked as she flew up, prepared to give up her and the others elements to save the tree.

"Ready!" All of her friends confirmed, as she took each element from their necklace and prepared to store them in the tree, until...................

"Oh no you don't!" Discord suddenly appeared and made the vines grab onto Twilight, earning several gasps from her friends.

"I'll be taking these, thank you very much." Discord thanked, as he took the elements with his magic. While he took off his head and bowed it as if it were a top hat.

However, Twilight's determination to restore the tree made her try to take the elements back from Discord, and she surprisingly had a stronger grip then him.

"What the- how are you-?!" Discord was shocked as Twilight levitated the elements to their places in the tree, as it began to glow.....

"No no no no NO! What have you done?!" Discord berated the ponies, as the tree began to evaporate all of the plunderseed's vines, emitting a flash of rainbow energy throughout Equestria.

Discord shivered as he felt the energy course through his very being. He felt restrained, and he did not like it.

As the vines were all eliminated, the vines holding Celestia and Luna were extinguished as well. Letting them see the light of day once more.

Twilight and her friends smiled as they saw the faces of their beloved princesses after so long.

However, they were interrupted by Discord's cocky giggles.

"You think you've won? Well, now with the elements unable to be used, nothing can stop me from spreading my unrestricted chaos! Chocolate rain for everypony!" Discord announced, as he snapped his fingers.

......................................................

"Umm, where's the chocolate rain?" Pinkie asked, as there was a considerable lack of chocolate rain.

"What?" Discord pondered, as he repeatedly snapped his fingers to spread his chaos further, but it didn't work.

"Now that the tree has been restored to it's former glory, and having been used to thwart Discord's chaos, it means that his power has been notably weakened." Celestia stated, as Discord kept snapping his fingers.

"This isn't right! My chaos should be unrestrained! Unlimited! BOUNDLESS." Discord proclaimed.

"It's over Discord, no chaos is meant to be endless. Balance is restored and you can't do anything to end it!" Twilight declared.

"...................... No, NO. It is NOT over until I say so! I don't follow the rules, and I never will. I make up my own, and this one is that only I have the LAST LAUGH!" Discord announced, as he snapped his fingers and teleported away. He still has limited amount of chaos magic, just not all of it.

Twilight rushed over to the princesses and gave them a hug.

"We know how difficult it must have been for you to give up the elements, it took great courage to relinquish them." Celestia told Twilight, as she and Luna hugged Twilight tightly.

However, Discord merely spied on them from behind a wall, and schemed to himself.

"I will not allow Equestria to remain a boring, dull, blank space forever. If I am to regain my magic, I'm gonna need to think outside the box for this." Discord stated, as he sat on a box as a walking lightbulb on him walked across his head, until it lit up.

"I've got it, if I am to regain magic, I'm gonna have to.......... Take some first.......... I think it's time I paid an old friend, a little visit. Heh he he..............................."