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"Guys, please listen to me!" Twilight pleaded to the massive angry crowd before her.

But no one even bothered listening to her, they all assumed her mind had been corrupted by Discord, who stood over Twilight protectively while glares and sneers directed at him.

The moonlight seemed to be fading and darkness seemed to surround them even more as Twilight stood closer to Discord, never daring to break away from his side.

"Listen to me Twilight!" One shouted. "Discord's totally got you mind-racked!"

"Mind-racked?" The unicorn repeated in utter horror by such an accusation toward her best friend.

"Oh, really, is that all they assume I did?" Discord spoke sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

Twilight's eyes glistened as she gazed up at Discord. The Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony looked down at her, his mismatched eyes assuring her that what he was receiving by her friends and loved ones was much expected. He placed a gentle paw on her backside, soothing her fears just temporarily, encouraging he to resume convincing this large crowd of anger and hatred directed at him for somehow 'mind-manipulating' Twilight to find him.

No...no, they can't hate him! They shouldn't! Were they that upset when she left that note in the library? Did they just assume she had gone crazy due to his magic might have seeped all throughout Equestria and to grab at her mind like a claw to gems? Did they not understand what she saw in him like no one else could?

"Get away from her!" One voice shouted.

Before either knew it, Twilight was grabbed roughly from around her waist, pulling her away from Discord as her dear friend was held back, threatened to be met with a violent encounter as she was taken farther and father away from him.

"Twilight!" Discord cried out. He wanted to use his magic to blow them all away, but that could just make things worse for the both of them.

"Discord!" Twilight screamed.

The unicorn struggled to break free as she was held by her front hooves. Tears poured down her cheeks as she could only stand and watch the terrified, pained creature she called her best friend gaze at her from a few feet away.

She knew they were going to hurt him. Use whatever magic to keep him in his place...bring him back to stone.

"Let me go!" She cried, fighting off the hold on her. "No, please!" She begged. "Please leave him alone!"

"Dude, that wacky Discord's really got her mind drained!" One voice shouted.

"He's going to pay for that! The jerk!" Another voice said.

More tears stung her eyes as Twilight cried out once more to Discord, who just stood his ground.

Suddenly, before she knew it, some bright light emerged. The elements? No, they couldn't be working. She didn't want to use her Element of Magic.

But a bright rainbow emerged from within, heading directly at Discord-

"No!" Twilight shouted, her throat burning with both rage and agony as she saw the familiar look of horror on his face.

This was just as the first time...

"Twilight!" A voice spoke.

"No!" The unicorn kept struggling from the grasp on her. One hold was shaking her shoulder.

"Twilight!"

"No!" She cried again.

With one hoof finally broken free, she swung at whatever held her back.

"No!" Twilight screamed before her head shot out from her pillow.

She panted feverishly, her mane feeling ever so hot over her eyes as she pushed it away. Placing a hoof to her beating chest, she scanned her surroundings, wondering where the angry crowd was, where were they in Ponyville...where was Discord?

Taking a moment to take it all in, she realized she was back in her room in the house of chaos, back in her own bed; she wasn't back in Ponyville and that angry crowd never occurred.

Breathing heavily, she wiped her forehead, which was drenched with sweat. But it continued dripping down her face as her eyes widened in horror.

"Discord?" She cried.

She jumped when she heard a groan and looked over the side of the bed, a furry backside having emerged from the ground. Her look of worry immediately transformed into a smile of relief as she gazed at the Draconequus who turned his front to her, his mismatched hands placed over his face.

Her smile quickly vanished as she wondered desperately what was wrong. "Discord, are you okay?"

He looked down at her, sitting upright in bed and her mane a bit messy. "I was going to ask you the same question," he remarked. He rubbed his jaw with his lion paw. "For a little pony, you sure pack a punch."

Twilight's eyes widened in horror to realize that she had swung her hoof at someone in her dream...

"Oh, Discord!" She exclaimed, her eyes brimming with tears. "I'm so sorry! I just had this horrible dream and I...I didn't mean to..."

Discord stopped rubbing his jaw and gazed down at her, his red and yellow eyes filled with wonder and concern at her, looking as shattered as a mirror that hit the floor.

"Twilight?" He spoke softly, reaching over and placing a lion paw to her cheek. He was horrified to feel how hot she was, and the tears that fell down her face and touching his fur immediately made his heart drop. "W-what's wrong?" He asked quietly. Why was she crying? Did she miss home that much?

The unicorn managed a painful smile as she leaned into his paw, pleading she would never stop feeling his lion paw...and begging never to feel it turn stone.

"Oh, Discord..." She murmured as she placed a hoof against the paw on his cheek. "It was horrible!"

"Tell me," he ordered gently as he slowly removed his paw, much to her disappointment. He sat at the side of the bed and awaited her explanation.

As Twilight spoke about her dream, his curiosity went down to sheer fear and discomfort as she recalled that single event that clouded her mind when she slept. He fiddled with his fingers when she included the scene where they were forced away from each other, and somehow magic was created despite her not using her element. He shuddered when she reached the conclusion.

"Oh, I fought all I could..." Twilight muttered as she lowered her head in shame, her mane covering her tear-stained eyes. "I tried to tell them what goodness you truly had, but they...they wouldn't listen...they just wanted to get rid of you..."

Discord remained silent, a lump in his throat as he regarded the frightened and pained unicorn on the bed. He was just so scared for her at this moment, but her fear was much stronger considering it was for him.

Twilight slowly lifted her head and gazed over at the nightstand beside her. There lay the Element of Magic.

Her eyes squinted as she reached over and held the crown in her shaking hooves. It shone in the light her lamp was providing for the room. Despite it's beauty, Twilight saw it as the ugliest object she had ever had in her possession.

Eyes narrowed, she gripped it with angry hooves, wishing she could break it.

"Harmony, my flank!" She cried out before she swung it at a nearby wall.

Discord's ears lowered in utter shock as he watched the crown hit the wall with a tremendous thump before it fell to the floor with a soft thud. He quickly turned to Twilight, who gathered her knees close to her before laying her head against them, her face covered by her mane.

Ever so slowly, Discord slithered to where the element lay, gently picked it up, and magically popped beside the pained unicorn who didn't even bother to look up at him.

"Come now, Twilight Sparkle," he said soothingly, trying to put the least bit of playfulness into his tone as he held out her crown. "You should treat harmony better than that." He twirled the crown in his fingers, smiling nervously.

Twilight finally raised her head and looked at the crown, then at Discord.

"Not if harmony's going to put you back in that stone prison," she said flatly.

"Well, there's that..." Discord muttered under his breath. He gazed at her, the red pupils in his eyes glistening with plea as he placed the crown back on her nightstand. "Twilight, it was just a dream."

"I know it's just a dream!" Twilight exclaimed. "But what I've read, dreams can mean things! I mean, dreams can mean something for us!" She motioned between them.

"Or dreams can mean the body's way of saying always drink a glass of chocolate milk before going to bed," Discord joked, trying to bring her out of her gloom.

"I'm hoping it's that second one," Twilight swallowed, trying to smile but it hurt. "I just...I just can't imagine what would actually happen...when I take you back and..." Her eyes closed in despair.

"Now, now," Discord assured her as he placed a lion paw finger under her chin and gently raised it up, her eyes now opened to meet his. "There will be conflict, no doubt.

Then he smiled. Twilight's heart rose a bit in gratitude to see him truly smile despite her horrid nightmare.

"But I trust in you that you can make things right for harmony, for your friends..." His smile widened a bit, his nose gently touching her. "For us."

Tears threatened her eyes as a big, painful smile spread on her face.

"For us!" Twilight exclaimed, both her hooves grasping his lion paw, not bearing to let go. "For all of us!"

"There's the confident Twilight I know," he chuckled. He turned and gazed at the crown on her nightstand.

Reaching with his eagle claw, he held it before placing it upon Twilight's head, and she didn't protest, too absorbed in his presence to care.

"True Element of Friendship and Magic," he spoke admiringly, "our friendship and magic."
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Princess Luna trailed through the garden as she approached two guards standing in front of the Starswirl the Bearded wing. As soon as they caught sight of the moon royal, they immediately gave their bows before slowly rising up, awaiting to assist in whatever the other ruler of Equestria needed.

"Is she in there?" Luna asked, pointing a hoof at the door of the wing.

"Rocky?" One of the guards spoke with a chuckle. "Yes, she's in there. Along with the little dragon as well."

"Thank you," Luna said before the other guard opened the door for her to enter.

Her silver slippers clacking against the floor as she toured the aisles of old books, she caught sight of a purple tail lying on the floor next to a row. Smiling to herself, the moon princess kept quiet as she slowly snuck behind to spy on a certain raven-haired child.

"Twilight told me about the last time you guys came here and you winded up with a stomach ache of ice cream," Rocky scolded him as she sat against the wall with a massive book in her lap. "I had hoped bringing just cookies from the royal kitchen wouldn't be too much of a burden on you."

Spike said nothing, lying on the floor as he rubbed his bulging belly. After the moon had been unexpectedly raised while they were in Canterlot, Luna insisted Rocky and he stayed in the castle for what would be a longer night, where Eileen and Ronaldo were staying until the whole chaotic matter was over with. While it was suggested that, after a few hours of continuous moonlight, it was really time for bed and Rocky stayed in the room given to her while Spike was given his own as well.

However, later during the night, while the kingdom was asleep, Rocky had snuck into his room and told him they had to go the Starswirl the Bearded wing, the place Luna had shown her a while back right after Twilight told her about it.

The little girl struggled to read anything she could find in this library. Nothing but old spells for time traveling and Equestrian history. But nothing on Discord! Even her school books were proven unhelpful and she scanned through most of them!

"I don't get why you need to study so much, Rocky," Spike gurgled, too tired to burp.

Rocky bit her lip, brown eyes blinking. "I just...I just have to, alright? The fate of Equestria might rest on me!"

"As well as the rest of us."

She nearly dropped her book when she heard that familiar voice. Spike could barely get up as Rocky turned to see a smiling Princess Luna gaze at her from behind the shelves. Mane continuously flowing, the princess smiled as she approached Rocky, who quickly closed her book.

"Uh, princess!" Rocky felt the back of her neck sweat. "Um, well, just wanted to resume some reading!" She faked a smile. "Getting prepared and all that!"

"And we appreciate it," Luna nodded.

Rocky raised an eyebrow when Luna stated 'we'. "You're not using the royal 'We' again, are you?" She asked carefully. "Because I thought Twilight and I already pulled you out of the Royal Canterlot voice to a more...normal voice."

Luna laughed. "By 'we', I mean me, my sister, and everyone else." She motioned to thin air before her. "Rochelle, it truly intrigues me how much you're pulling into this situation regarding Discord."

Rocky swallowed hard as soon as she heard that name. She slipped a hand into her pocket, feeling a familiar piece of burnt parchment at her fingertips.

"We only met once," she managed to say through a nervous smile, "but I just know there's something I didn't see." By that, she meant she might not have seen any exact evil in Discord...but perhaps something else?

But Luna took it as her opinion on his chaotic character and she nodded. "It's good to analyze, dear Rocky."

As Rocky shared her nod, the lunar royal turned on her heels and slowly walked away. "Don't be up too long," she said with a chuckle as she reached the doorway, "it's only a matter of hours before my sister raises the sun. Hopefully, Discord won't bring it up so abrupt this time."

When Luna was out of sight, Rocky quickly resumed her reading. Spike was now fast asleep on his back as she her eyes scanned every word she could absorb into her throbbing mind.

Slowly, she slipped out the piece of paper from the pocket of her nightgown and gazed at it. Discord's charred name still remained visible even in the dark room. Sighing sadly, she placed it against the page she was reading before she resumed her studies.

"Hang on, Twilight," she murmured to herself. "And hang on...Discord."
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Margaret quickly walked through the open door of the bedroom with a glass of milk as she saw Mordecai's widened eyes gaze up at the ceiling, his blonde hair messier from having woken up so abruptly.

"Thanks," he muttered as she offered him the glass.

While he drank, she took a seat right next to the bed, her eyes gazing at him worriedly.

"Another Discord-related nightmare?" She asked.

"The worst of all," he grumbled after finishing his drink and placing it on the nightstand next to him. He placed a hand over his face like a towel thrown to the ground. "I dreamt he and Twilight were getting married."

Margaret winced. "Ouch..." Then she played with her fingers. "So, uh...how did Twilight look?" She asked out of curiosity.

"Totally gorgeous," he muttered, eyes closed tightly. "How can someone so beautiful want to marry some chaos-making punk like him?" He sighed heavily. "He must have fully-corrupted her by now..."

The red robin winced even more, her lips hurting from being pressed so much in slight despair. "Oh, come on, Mordecai," Margaret spoke as she placed a hand on his shoulder, "we'll stop them."

"Yeah, I hope..." He muttered. "Because when I see that guy..." He opened his eyes, which now narrowed. "Well, you remember that bo staff I got..."

"The one you showed me that had a blade on top?" She gulped as she said that. "You're not going to kill him, are you?"

"You know, Rocky asked me the same thing," he sighed. "Dude, I'm not going to kill him...but I will make him hurt." He added darkly under his breath, eyes hardening.

The red robin heard him well, quite horrified by this protective, yet new side to him. "You're also going to make him bleed, you know," she cringed, imagining the sight of blood no matter how small an amount.

"Just a cut," he said innocently. "You know, like a paper cut."

"Mordecai," she said gently, "you're my friend, and you know I care about you." She smiled nervously. "But, holy crap, don't lose your mind!"

"Rigby told me that when I decided to stay blonde," he chuckled dryly, placing a hand on his yellow locks.

"You really going to stay blonde, huh?" She asked, feeling much more disappointed than before.

"Well, I guess," he shrugged, "I mean, if Twilight hadn't told me how much she liked my hair like this, I would have gotten rid of the color as soon as the bet was over...which was a long time ago."

"Of course..." She said through gritted teeth, looking away. "Twilight likes it..."
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
As Celestia's sun shone upon the kingdom of Equestria, Kick and Gunther walked through the palace doors, having easily gained access after Princess Luna recognized them from her balcony and ordered her guards to allow them entry. Walking down the halls toward the chambers, the young daredevil felt a bit tense as they reached a certain room.

"You're really not playing me, right?" Gunther asked Kick as they stood before the door. "You're really serious?"

"I'm really starting to ask myself that right now," Kick muttered, hiding his eyes under his helmet as he placed his hands in his pockets. "I mean, yeah, he's not Kendall, but still-"

"Kick, come on," Gunther encouraged him. "Harmony? The magic of friendship? All that Equestria yada yada?" He gave a hopeful smile. "You know, recalling that story Rocky told us, Discord would be laughing if he saw how much resentment you've been showing Ronaldo."

"That stinks," Kick muttered before he motioned for his best friend to open the door.

As Gunther pushed the door and they both entered, they saw that Ronaldo was nowhere to be seen, his bed undone and his pajamas lying over a nearby chair.

"Where did Ronaldo go?" Gunther wondered.

"Oh, are you boys looking for Master Ronaldo?" Both turned to see a unicorn maid enter the room, her horn glowing as her magic carried fresh new sheets. "I'm deeply sorry, but he is out now. With a Miss Ogie."

"Oh, of course he'd be with Ogie," Gunther laughed, rolling his eyes. "She's his best friend."

"Thanks, lady," Kick nodded to the maid before the both left her to clean the room. As they walked down the halls, Kick just hunched his shoulders and gazed at the ground. "Well, maybe some other time. Not today, considering we got work to do."

"You know, I can't help but think we're just going around in circles," Gunther sighed. "I mean, it's been more than a week, and all we've found was snow...and an unexpected early moonrise yesterday."

"Oh, yeah," Kick smirked. "Brad must have missed his date. Nice to know the poor girl got spared before she would suffer a long day with him."
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Ruff, it's okay."

The canine host barely looked up to see Blossom pat his shoulder sympathetically while Ogie and Ronaldo tried to give him a pep talk. Deep in the snow-covered streets of Canterlot, the two children had found Ruff sitting on his rump beside a donut shop, a pencil and various pieces of used paper before him on the floor. No doubt he was desperately trying to figure out a way to replace the show he might have already been fired from.

"You told me not to worry about Kendall," Ronaldo said with a hopeful smile.

"But this is different!" Ruff sobbed. "This is a girl problem for you! For me, it's a career!" And the tears shot out of his eyes as he crossed out yet another item on his list. "Mayor Mare's Monday Mayhem is dubbed boring by my taste now! And no way am I considering a show featuring Fluttershy; she's too darn shy!"

"Ever consider using celebrities?" Ogie asked nervously.

"Oh, please," he scoffed, "most celebrities aren't worth being in a television series, and Justin Bieber's already got his hands full!" He cringed before shifting his eyes from side to side, gazing at various ponies around them. "I'll take anybody! Even some pony if I have to!"

"Ruff, maybe you should really think-" Ronaldo began but was cut of when the dog immediately got to his feet.

"Hey, Fancypants! Zecora!" Ruff cried as he dashed off, followed by Blossom and Chet. "You two are from different cultures! Yet you hang out constantly! Ever think of making a show that'll put 'Rednecks at the Hamptons' on the number two spot?"

As Ogie and Ronaldo watched Ruff find his way into another show idea, they both couldn't help but wonder if Fetch! was really going to be gone because of his act of friendship and sacrifice. Hopefully, his boss was merciful...

"Well, he's lost it," Ogie sighed before she and Ronaldo began walking down the street, leaving a certain stallion and zebra to fend for themselves. "If anything, I would have liked him to make a show about the Cakes."

"You know, I'm surprised he didn't go after the Wonderbolts yet," Ronaldo stated. "That Soarin' is really something beyond physics itself."

"Someone call my name?" Both turned and there stood the suited pegasus himself, eating a pie he just purchased from a nearby bakery.

"Soarin'!" Ronaldo exclaimed with excitement, eyes widening at seeing his idol once again.

"Hey, kids," the grown colt greeted after finishing the last of his after-breakfast breakfast. "You doing your own stuff today?"

"Uh, no," the blonde boy replied while Ogie nodded with him in agreement. "We're not sure what to do, exactly. But we do know we still got a unicorn to find and well..."

"Want a ride, buddy?" The pegasus laughed.

Ronaldo's eyes nearly popped out his head as Soarin' bent down on his front legs, his back offered to him. "R-really?"

"Anything for a fan," Soarin' laughed.

"Go on," Ogie told Ronaldo as she gently shoved him toward the pegasus, soon she sat behind him atop of the flying pony as Soarin' extended his wings.

The familiar feeling of the wind blowing through his hair made Ronaldo's heart beat as he held his hands out, as if he were flying as well. Ogie laughed as she kept her hands on Soarin's back, her brown pigtails flapping.

"You're not going to care what Kendall thinks when you eventually tell her about your newest dream?" She asked as Soarin' took a swift dive before rising up again.

"A little," Ronaldo chuckled dryly. "I would say I'm still worried she'll break up with me after this whole Discord thing is over, but..." He let out a whoop as he raised his head to the clouds, the feeling making his blood pump and his smile too big for his face. "I'm going to enjoy all this while it lasts!"
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Rainbow Dash, please calm down!"

The rainbow-maned pegasus wheeled her eyes toward Mr. Baldwin before she resumed pounding the ground beneath her, shame and frustration taking over her body once more.

"Oh, for the love of cod!" The pregnant seahorse exclaimed in exasperation before turning to Applejack and the other remaining elements. "And you say she literally kicked the bark right off most of your trees that got you so many apples?"

"Darn right," the apple farmer sighed as she watched the pegasus continue venting for the morning. "She feels mighty upset that it's been more than a week and we've gotten nowhere in finding either Twilight or Discord."

"She really cares," Fluttershy stated quietly.

"And she really wants to put the hurt on Discord!" Pinkie Pie chimed in, jamming her hooves into the air as if she were boxing. "A punch right on the gut, a punch right in the eye, a punch right on the tummy-"

"Talk about loyalty," Mr. Baldwin muttered as he turned to see Rainbow Dash beat her wings more rapidly while she floated in the air.

"Darling," Rarity stated as she stood beside him, "I thought you were going to be with Mordecai and Margaret today."

"Oh, them?" He chuckled. "I decided to let those kids carry on together on their own without me. They should get some alone time, you know, bond and hope there's no more hurtful words that could eventually land on me afterwards..." He chuckled nervously.

The four ponies gave him curious looks before shrugging as Rainbow Dash quickly joined them.

"Okay, stretches are done," she muttered.

"Stretches?" Pinkie Pie giggled. "More like anger management!"

"Says the pony who lost her mind when she thought no one wanted to go to one of her parties," the rainbow-maned pegasus shot back as she passed by the group, not bothering to witness the widen-eyed, jaw-dropping of the pink pony by her statement.

"She's got a point," Mr. Baldwin chuckled nervously, placing an assuring hand on Pinkie. "I mean, you were talking to rocks, Pie."

"Not as much as Rarity when she had Tom," Applejack snickered.

"I thought we dropped this a long time ago," the white unicorn growled, her blue eyes narrowing.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"By the way, did Rigby finally get rid of that poison joke stuff?" Margaret asked as she followed behind Mordecai as he led them atop a rocky mountain path.

"Right before he had to fight off those spa ponies when they tried to give him a hoovicure and facial," Mordecai snorted.

The red robin could barely hold her laughter as she imagined Rigby with his hair held up by a pink towel while he was lying on a bathing chair as his nails were in the care of those spa ponies, an expression of frustration and humiliation on his face. "Lucky," she giggled, "I want the free treatment!"

"Yeah, I heard from Zecora that Upper Crust plans to give Twilight a 'welcome back, you're saved' present of a week of treatment and girl stuff," Mordecai chuckled dryly.

Margaret was quick to notice the slight change in his tone when he mentioned their missing friend's name. Silence stood between them as they continued hiking up the mountain, neither giving up in pursuing the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony for the sake of Twilight Sparkle.

As they continued walking, the red robin took the time to regard Mordecai, eyes held on the path before them like a studious child to a textbook. The bluejay, again, wore his special quest attire, looking so much like a character from a movie that was based on a book. His blonde hair was down and flowed as he walked.

Her eyes fell on his backside, where a familiar weapon wrapped in a scab was secured firmly to him. No doubt that was his weapon. The one with the tiny blade in it.

The red robin swallowed a bit before casting a glance at the back of his blonde head.

He's becoming a little too protective, she thought nervously, is this what guys do when they're really in love with someone?

She continued gazing at Mordecai before her shoulders slumped.

Dang it, why doesn't that ever happen to me with my boyfriends?, she thought bitterly, and Mordecai, he looks like he's been really working out...

Her eyes immediately widened at the thought before she placed a hand to her face, feeling it becoming very hot. Thank goodness she was a red robin, her blush matched well with her feathers.

Taking a deep breath to rid her inner heat, she rubbed the back of her neck before shifting her eyes toward Mordecai.

"So, uh..." She began quietly. "You told me this was where Twilight and the five elements went to...stop what, exactly?"

"Well, I wasn't there," Mordecai shrugged, turning to her. "But what Pinkie Pie said, they stopped a dragon from polluting the sky."

"A dragon?" Margaret cried, fearing what they were soon to meet if they climbed up any further.

"Relax," Mordecai chuckled, "the dragon moved away thanks to Fluttershy. So there's nothing to worry about when we reach the base."

"What about diamond dogs?" Margaret asked nervously. "Rarity told me she bumped into a few of them that held her captive before she was able to defend herself."

The bluejay scoffed. "They were rid of a long time ago, and trust me, Rainbow Dash scouted this area, so no diamond douches or whatever."

"Okay then," Margaret let out a sigh of relief as she turned her gaze on the path, "but still, you sure there are no dragons up here?"

"Oh, right, like we're going to meet one unexpectedly," Mordecai rolled his eyes, "only crappy karma can be such a-"

He was immediately cut off when they both heard a growl. Eyes widening, Mordecai slowly turned his head and looked up.

Before them was a massive cave...looking much like the one Fluttershy described when they got rid of the dragon.

And another loud, terrifying growl emerged from within it.

Margaret swallowed hard, eyes widening. "Y-you were saying?" She muttered to Mordecai.

The bluejay gripped his tunic, feeling his heart about to beat out his chest as he felt the blood rush through him in a sense of panic. He had fought many weird creatures back at the park...but a dragon?

It couldn't be a dragon! They only dragon around was Spike! What in Equestria could emit such a noise like that it would literally make the legs shake and the hearts pound?

Unless...

Mordecai's eyes suddenly narrowed, his mind giving image of a specific character that would somewhat fit that description.

So the jerk wants to scare us, huh? He thought angrily before reaching behind his back to grasp his staff. No **** is he going to do that after all we've gone through for Twilight!

"That troll..." He muttered under his breath before slipping his weapon out of its scab and held it tightly in both hands.

Margaret's eyes widened as she saw the staff, that expression of vengeance written all over his face.

"M-mordecai?" Margaret gulped, afraid to reach out and place a hand on his shoulder. "What are you...?"

He turned to her, his expression temporarily changing to one of concern.

"Stay here, Margie," he told her quietly, "it might be too dangerous for you."

Before he could step forward, the red robin stood in front of him, a hand having placed on his chest to halt him. Confused, Mordecai looked at her, seeing as her eyes glistening with so much worry and fear.

"I'm coming with you, Mordecai," she told him in a quiet tone. "We're in this together."

Mordecai couldn't argue with her. He was actually pretty scared right now, despite being overly pissed off with that Discord right now. At least Margaret was showing the Element of Loyalty at the moment; he wished they had those elements right now...

The red robin realized her hand was on his chest before quickly removing it, her blush becoming more red than her feathers as she walked beside Mordecai as they slowly neared the cave.

It seemed a little dark, save for the light of the sun outside, but they were able to see. Mordecai stood protectively in front of Margaret as he held his staff out in front of him, preparing to strike when needed.

"T-twilight?" Margaret called out in a child-like tone that would have made Fluttershy's seem stronger.

"Discord might have her locked up somewhere," Mordecai whispered, "oh, crap, I wish the others were here. Two against one big dude with magic powers, bad deal!"

The noise became louder, making them both jump.

"What are we going to do when we eventually see him?" Margaret gulped.

"Leave that..." Mordecai said darkly. "To me."

Margaret couldn't argue the fact that he would give Discord that 'paper cut'; she was just too freaking scared right now!

She stood close by Mordecai as they traveled deeper into the cave, the sound becoming much louder.

Finally, they were met with slight darkness, however, Mordecai could just make out a hint of light at the end of a stone wall.

And he could make out a large, shadowy figure thats silhouette seemed to indicate its breathing.

"Oh, m-man..." Mordecai's eyes bulged, nearly dropping his weapon. "That's him. That's got to be him."

"Really?" Margaret squinted her eyes. "He seems pretty big from over here." She took a few steps back. "Maybe we should just go inform the princesses and-"

"WHERE'S TWILIGHT, YOU BEARDED BLOWHOLE?" Mordecai's rage immediately took over him as he rushed at the figure.

Margaret let out a shriek when Mordecai slammed the wooden part of his weapon on Discord's supposed figure. At least he didn't slap his blade yet...Still, it was a terrifying scene before her.

"Where is she?" Mordecai demanded, slamming down on the figure. "Where is she, you monster?"

"URP!" Came a reply, which sounded like it was being muffled.

"Mordecai!" Margaret cried as she dashed over to him. "Stop! Wait!" She placed her hands on his shoulders to hold him back. "That...that's not Discord!"

"What?" Mordecai cried in disbelief.

Margaret pointed down at the figure he had attacked...only for it to be revealed as someone under a blanket. Messy brown hair and bloodshot eyes glared up at them.

"Muscle Man?" Mordecai exclaimed. "What the H, man?" He felt even angrier than when he thought it was Discord.

"Same to you, man!" The shorter male cried as he whipped the blanket off him. "What'd you do that for?" He demanded, rubbing his skull.

"Dude! What were you doing here?" Mordecai demanded, glaring down at him.

"I was taking a nap, stupid!" Muscle Man shot back. "I hurt my leg while I was with High-Five Ghost and three of those fish kids and we came here so we could rest."

"Oh, come on!" Mordecai raged on, feeling like such a fool right now.

"What's going on?" All three turned and behind them were High-Five Ghost, Bea, Oscar, and Milo, who was holding a cake.

"Why does Muscle Man look like he wants to kill?" Milo asked, holding the cake close to him.

"Because Blondecai here nearly killed me!" Muscle Man cried, pointing at the bluejay.

"Dude, sorry, alright?" Mordecai argued. "I thought you were Discord!"

"Discord!" Oscar exclaimed fearfully before hiding behind Bea. "He's here?"

"Unfortunately, no," the bluejay grumbled before putting away his weapon. "Dang it! I thought I'd finally get my chance!"

"Your chance for what?" Bea asked curiously.

Mordecai quickly held his breath, nervously gazing at the teen redhead fish before him whom held curious eyes.

"His chance to save Twilight," Margaret added quickly. "He thought Muscle Man was Discord, and he kind of went nuts on him with a stick and demanding where she was."

"I would have done that..." Milo muttered under his breath, gazing at the bluejay enviously.

"You really think you could fight that guy?" High-Five Ghost asked the bluejay in disbelief. "With just a stick?"

"It's a bo staff!" Mordecai argued.

"Can we talk about Mordecai's big stick later?" Muscle Man rolled his eyes before setting them on the cake in Milo's fins. "Oooh, cake..."

"Well, since you guys are here," Milo told the two birds, "we'll be glad to share this cake with you-"

Before he knew it, the cake was taken from his fins and was greedily eaten by Muscle Man, whose gorging made a pig's look more etiquette.

Milo's eyes narrowed, his stomach angry that he didn't get to eat some of that cake in which the Cakes themselves had baked for all of them.

"You know what?" He shifted his eyes toward Mordecai. "Beat him up again."
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Let's see..." Rocky began as she analyzed her recent notes. "The moon was raised at six o' clock, and few of us, especially me, went to bed at seven due supposedly by a stage 1 type of sleep, shifting the hours of body and mind when the the entire form kept unconscious..."

She tapped a pencil to her lip as she rested her head against one balled fist. She and Spike were at some cafe, considering it was near lunch time. She wished Princess Luna could join them, but sadly, she and her sister had to meet up with some search parties regarding the situation they were still stuck in.

"Oh, yeah, of course," Rocky muttered to herself in annoyance before crossing out many figures in her work, "I'm going to be staying up late! Why not?"

"Hey, I don't like bedtimes either," Spike said as he chewed his seasoned fries and donuts. "But what exactly are you going to be staying up for?" He asked curiously.

"I have to resume my studies!" Rocky exclaimed frantically.

"But your school's not having a test yet," the baby dragon said, "I mean, you're not even going to school right now."

"You know what studying I'm talking about, Spike," Rocky told him in a serious tone, her eyes showing determination.

Spike blinked at her for a few moments. Then his mouth opened in an 'oh', regarding her closely.

"You know, you really remind me of...," His voice trailed off. It sounded quiet...almost sad.

It was Rocky's turn to blink as she gazed at Spike. He lowered his head, a blush creeping on his face before he resumed eating. Rocky decided not to question him on the obvious matter as she put her notes away and returned to eating her fries and muffins.

"So, uh, I heard you cleaned Mayor Mare's office," she chuckled nervously, "a few times, actually."

"I didn't mean to," Spike mumbled, "I just...I'm a number one assistant and I just felt..."

"I miss Twilight, too, Spike," Rocky told him gently, reaching over and placing a hand over his. "Don't worry, we'll find her."

Spike looked up and his near-teary green eyes gazed into her brown ones, a grateful smile on his face. Rocky returned the smile before they continued eating.

If we find Discord...she thought nervously as she ate a fry.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Twilight made her way across the bridge of gumdrops, wondering where Discord was. She half-hoped for him to pop out of nowhere and scare the living daylights out of her.

Speaking of daylight...Twilight recalled the events of moonlight that had just occurred yesterday. Heart swelling and smile forming on her lips, the unicorn would never forget that wonderful night between her and her best friend.

Best friend...

Twilight Sparkle, best friend to the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony. Seemed like history could just erase all their books because, to Twilight, Discord was truly not a bad character. A little mischievous, but that was one of many things she loved about him. She could get annoyed by it, but she sometimes got back at him for that.

Coming across a nearby tree made of clouds, Twilight took notice of a piece of paper taped to the soft bark. Using her magic to remove it, she scanned it over.

"My dear Twilight Sparkle," she read aloud, "forgive me for not being present right now. I have some business to take care of. Sincerely, Discord."

As soon as she finished reading, a burst of confetti shot out of the note, making her scream out in terror before falling back on her rump.

"That Discord..." Twilight muttered before picking herself up.

However, a small smile formed on her face as she closed the note. Though she was disappointed not to see him for a while, she was curious as to wonder what kind of 'business' Discord had referred to.

Was he going to change seasons? Looking toward the doorway that led to the woods, she saw that it was still snowing.

"Perhaps he's just causing some 'innocent' chaos that is completely out of harm's way from my friends," Twilight told herself as she trotted on.

A few moments later, she laid on her stomach in a patch of grass that was squared off from the snow surrounding her. Before her laid her journal and a few books.

Dear Journal...she wrote.

The bond between Discord and me is much stronger than I had assumed. Our friendship is true and he considers me his best friend. And I believe the feeling mutual.

Her smile deepened as she felt her cheeks flush a bit before she continued writing.

He's just so sweet, a little bit of trouble at times, but still, he's very sweet. I can only hope my friends and family can see what I see...though, I fear when we reach that decision, I'll regret it.

Her smile slowly vanished as she paused a bit, homesickness and slight fear taking over her. Then she continued.

They must see that Discord is actually a nice creature, whose chaos is actually not too bad if used the right way. He had showered me with unusual gifts with his chaos...

Twilight recalled the wings, and reminded herself that that was far from unusual. It was beautiful, actually.

He's taken so much care of me, and while I'm here in this luxury of disorder, my friends are out there still worried for me. I hope they haven't thought I'd gone insane when they read that note I left for them.

She sighed quietly, knowing too well that perhaps Fluttershy would take it the hardest. She was the one Twilight had inflicted a memory-erasing spell on...

Discord and I aren't going to hide in here forever, Twilight wrote.

We'll eventually have to come out and make our way back to Ponyville. And I'll have to do my best to convince them of Discord, to give him a real chance.

The unicorn stopped her quill there, her dream plaguing her mind.

Anger and hate from everyone she loved...the accusation that Discord was still the same dark spirit he was...losing him while she remained helpless...seeing him turn into stone-

"No," Twilight let out a squeak of despair as her eyes tightened. "I can't lose him." Tears stung her eyes as her magic gripped the quill harder. "I can't lose my best friend..."

She needed to stop thinking so negative. It was just a nightmare. She had read that things in reality can be alternated, become different than what was dreamt. She needed to believe that.

Sniffing and allowing her tears to dry up, she continued the rest of her journal entry.

I'm going to protect him no matter what.

For all I can say, is that he makes me happy, and I just know he'll make the others happy if they can just see who he truly is.

Putting her quill down and closing her journal, Twilight looked over the books she brought along. One was just some romantic story she was almost done with, the other was-

"Why am I even still reading The Tale of Discord?" She asked herself as she opened that book up. "I've already proven it wrong."

She read over a passage she came across and decided to re-read it.

"Nonpony remained safe from his chaos," she read aloud, "his joy of causing unrest and unhappiness reached no limit as his powers created the unbelievable, scaring the ponies, Earth or sky."

She let out a sigh of exasperation, wondering if she should just put the book down and return to her romance novel. However, before she was about to do so, another paragraph, one she didn't seem to take full notice of before, became visible to her eyes.

"Chaos was his only friend," she read aloud.

His only friend...

Her eyes widened a bit as she read on. "Being more attached to his chaos and mischievous troubles, the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony found no need for...social encounters."

She let out a gasp, placing a hoof on her lips before reading on.

"However, every year, ponies everywhere were well aware of his birthday when cake fell from the sky...made of pebbles that it was a hailstorm that everypony needed to run for cover. That was his gift to him every year."

Unable to read anymore, Twilight put down her book. She blinked a few times, staring into space.

"His birthday..." Her voice trailed off quietly before she stood up and gazed at the sun-filled sky.

Of course even someone like Discord had a birthday, but Twilight wondered how he, even before his first imprisonment, had celebrated such a cherished day. That passage gave her the answer, though it wasn't a nice one.

The unicorn recalled her own birthday, which had been taken place in her birth-home in Canterlot. She had two, actually: one was only for her and her five friends, along with Fancypants and all those Canterlot ponies. And then the second one, it was a clash between Eqeustrian and non-Equestria and it made the Galloping Gala seem simple.

Twilight smiled to herself, remembering how Mr. Baldwin dressed like such a high-society man with a cane and top hat, or the lovely dress Rocky wore that seemed to resemble the one Rarity made for Twilight herself. And how could she forget the lovely little gift Mordecai had given her?

That wonderful party had been filled with love, happiness, music, and fun, and it was with friends and family. Even more friendships were formed that day, and thus more were seemed to be considered family as well.

But Discord...he had no friends, no family, just his own fun for only him and himself only. Those innocent ponies back then had some part in his 'festivities' but that hardly counted...

Discord admitted he had fun back then causing trouble, but he also admitted he was regretful...sad even.

He had been alone for so long, every birthday must have been more painful than the last deep down in his heart. And with every birthday that had passed when he was encased in stone...

"When was his birthday, anyway?" Twilight wondered, tapping a hoof to her chin. "I wonder if he knows when my birthday was..."

Shrugging a bit, Twilight used her magic to pick up her things and walked back toward the house.

She was a little bit grateful Discord was on 'business'. She had some business of her own as well.

Description
"Guys, please listen to me!" Twilight pleaded to the massive angry crowd before her.

But no one even bothered listening to her, they all assumed her mind had been corrupted by Discord, who stood over Twilight protectively while glares and sneers directed at him.

The moonlight seemed to be fading and darkness seemed to surround them even more as Twilight stood closer to Discord, never daring to break away from his side.

"Listen to me Twilight!" One shouted. "Discord's totally got you mind-racked!"

"Mind-racked?" The unicorn repeated in utter horror by such an accusation toward her best friend.

"Oh, really, is that all they assume I did?" Discord spoke sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

Twilight's eyes glistened as she gazed up at Discord. The Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony looked down at her, his mismatched eyes assuring her that what he was receiving by her friends and loved ones was much expected. He placed a gentle paw on her backside, soothing her fears just temporarily, encouraging he to resume convincing this large crowd of anger and hatred directed at him for somehow 'mind-manipulating' Twilight to find him.

No...no, they can't hate him! They shouldn't! Were they that upset when she left that note in the library? Did they just assume she had gone crazy due to his magic might have seeped all throughout Equestria and to grab at her mind like a claw to gems? Did they not understand what she saw in him like no one else could?

"Get away from her!" One voice shouted.

Before either knew it, Twilight was grabbed roughly from around her waist, pulling her away from Discord as her dear friend was held back, threatened to be met with a violent encounter as she was taken farther and father away from him.

"Twilight!" Discord cried out. He wanted to use his magic to blow them all away, but that could just make things worse for the both of them.

"Discord!" Twilight screamed.

The unicorn struggled to break free as she was held by her front hooves. Tears poured down her cheeks as she could only stand and watch the terrified, pained creature she called her best friend gaze at her from a few feet away.

She knew they were going to hurt him. Use whatever magic to keep him in his place...bring him back to stone.

"Let me go!" She cried, fighting off the hold on her. "No, please!" She begged. "Please leave him alone!"

"Dude, that wacky Discord's really got her mind drained!" One voice shouted.

"He's going to pay for that! The jerk!" Another voice said.

More tears stung her eyes as Twilight cried out once more to Discord, who just stood his ground.

Suddenly, before she knew it, some bright light emerged. The elements? No, they couldn't be working. She didn't want to use her Element of Magic.

But a bright rainbow emerged from within, heading directly at Discord-

"No!" Twilight shouted, her throat burning with both rage and agony as she saw the familiar look of horror on his face.

This was just as the first time...

"Twilight!" A voice spoke.

"No!" The unicorn kept struggling from the grasp on her. One hold was shaking her shoulder.

"Twilight!"

"No!" She cried again.

With one hoof finally broken free, she swung at whatever held her back.

"No!" Twilight screamed before her head shot out from her pillow.

She panted feverishly, her mane feeling ever so hot over her eyes as she pushed it away. Placing a hoof to her beating chest, she scanned her surroundings, wondering where the angry crowd was, where were they in Ponyville...where was Discord?

Taking a moment to take it all in, she realized she was back in her room in the house of chaos, back in her own bed; she wasn't back in Ponyville and that angry crowd never occurred.

Breathing heavily, she wiped her forehead, which was drenched with sweat. But it continued dripping down her face as her eyes widened in horror.

"Discord?" She cried.

She jumped when she heard a groan and looked over the side of the bed, a furry backside having emerged from the ground. Her look of worry immediately transformed into a smile of relief as she gazed at the Draconequus who turned his front to her, his mismatched hands placed over his face.

Her smile quickly vanished as she wondered desperately what was wrong. "Discord, are you okay?"

He looked down at her, sitting upright in bed and her mane a bit messy. "I was going to ask you the same question," he remarked. He rubbed his jaw with his lion paw. "For a little pony, you sure pack a punch."

Twilight's eyes widened in horror to realize that she had swung her hoof at someone in her dream...

"Oh, Discord!" She exclaimed, her eyes brimming with tears. "I'm so sorry! I just had this horrible dream and I...I didn't mean to..."

Discord stopped rubbing his jaw and gazed down at her, his red and yellow eyes filled with wonder and concern at her, looking as shattered as a mirror that hit the floor.

"Twilight?" He spoke softly, reaching over and placing a lion paw to her cheek. He was horrified to feel how hot she was, and the tears that fell down her face and touching his fur immediately made his heart drop. "W-what's wrong?" He asked quietly. Why was she crying? Did she miss home that much?

The unicorn managed a painful smile as she leaned into his paw, pleading she would never stop feeling his lion paw...and begging never to feel it turn stone.

"Oh, Discord..." She murmured as she placed a hoof against the paw on his cheek. "It was horrible!"

"Tell me," he ordered gently as he slowly removed his paw, much to her disappointment. He sat at the side of the bed and awaited her explanation.

As Twilight spoke about her dream, his curiosity went down to sheer fear and discomfort as she recalled that single event that clouded her mind when she slept. He fiddled with his fingers when she included the scene where they were forced away from each other, and somehow magic was created despite her not using her element. He shuddered when she reached the conclusion.

"Oh, I fought all I could..." Twilight muttered as she lowered her head in shame, her mane covering her tear-stained eyes. "I tried to tell them what goodness you truly had, but they...they wouldn't listen...they just wanted to get rid of you..."

Discord remained silent, a lump in his throat as he regarded the frightened and pained unicorn on the bed. He was just so scared for her at this moment, but her fear was much stronger considering it was for him.

Twilight slowly lifted her head and gazed over at the nightstand beside her. There lay the Element of Magic.

Her eyes squinted as she reached over and held the crown in her shaking hooves. It shone in the light her lamp was providing for the room. Despite it's beauty, Twilight saw it as the ugliest object she had ever had in her possession.

Eyes narrowed, she gripped it with angry hooves, wishing she could break it.

"Harmony, my flank!" She cried out before she swung it at a nearby wall.

Discord's ears lowered in utter shock as he watched the crown hit the wall with a tremendous thump before it fell to the floor with a soft thud. He quickly turned to Twilight, who gathered her knees close to her before laying her head against them, her face covered by her mane.

Ever so slowly, Discord slithered to where the element lay, gently picked it up, and magically popped beside the pained unicorn who didn't even bother to look up at him.

"Come now, Twilight Sparkle," he said soothingly, trying to put the least bit of playfulness into his tone as he held out her crown. "You should treat harmony better than that." He twirled the crown in his fingers, smiling nervously.

Twilight finally raised her head and looked at the crown, then at Discord.

"Not if harmony's going to put you back in that stone prison," she said flatly.

"Well, there's that..." Discord muttered under his breath. He gazed at her, the red pupils in his eyes glistening with plea as he placed the crown back on her nightstand. "Twilight, it was just a dream."

"I know it's just a dream!" Twilight exclaimed. "But what I've read, dreams can mean things! I mean, dreams can mean something for us!" She motioned between them.

"Or dreams can mean the body's way of saying always drink a glass of chocolate milk before going to bed," Discord joked, trying to bring her out of her gloom.

"I'm hoping it's that second one," Twilight swallowed, trying to smile but it hurt. "I just...I just can't imagine what would actually happen...when I take you back and..." Her eyes closed in despair.

"Now, now," Discord assured her as he placed a lion paw finger under her chin and gently raised it up, her eyes now opened to meet his. "There will be conflict, no doubt.

Then he smiled. Twilight's heart rose a bit in gratitude to see him truly smile despite her horrid nightmare.

"But I trust in you that you can make things right for harmony, for your friends..." His smile widened a bit, his nose gently touching her. "For us."

Tears threatened her eyes as a big, painful smile spread on her face.

"For us!" Twilight exclaimed, both her hooves grasping his lion paw, not bearing to let go. "For all of us!"

"There's the confident Twilight I know," he chuckled. He turned and gazed at the crown on her nightstand.

Reaching with his eagle claw, he held it before placing it upon Twilight's head, and she didn't protest, too absorbed in his presence to care.

"True Element of Friendship and Magic," he spoke admiringly, "our friendship and magic."
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Princess Luna trailed through the garden as she approached two guards standing in front of the Starswirl the Bearded wing. As soon as they caught sight of the moon royal, they immediately gave their bows before slowly rising up, awaiting to assist in whatever the other ruler of Equestria needed.

"Is she in there?" Luna asked, pointing a hoof at the door of the wing.

"Rocky?" One of the guards spoke with a chuckle. "Yes, she's in there. Along with the little dragon as well."

"Thank you," Luna said before the other guard opened the door for her to enter.

Her silver slippers clacking against the floor as she toured the aisles of old books, she caught sight of a purple tail lying on the floor next to a row. Smiling to herself, the moon princess kept quiet as she slowly snuck behind to spy on a certain raven-haired child.

"Twilight told me about the last time you guys came here and you winded up with a stomach ache of ice cream," Rocky scolded him as she sat against the wall with a massive book in her lap. "I had hoped bringing just cookies from the royal kitchen wouldn't be too much of a burden on you."

Spike said nothing, lying on the floor as he rubbed his bulging belly. After the moon had been unexpectedly raised while they were in Canterlot, Luna insisted Rocky and he stayed in the castle for what would be a longer night, where Eileen and Ronaldo were staying until the whole chaotic matter was over with. While it was suggested that, after a few hours of continuous moonlight, it was really time for bed and Rocky stayed in the room given to her while Spike was given his own as well.

However, later during the night, while the kingdom was asleep, Rocky had snuck into his room and told him they had to go the Starswirl the Bearded wing, the place Luna had shown her a while back right after Twilight told her about it.

The little girl struggled to read anything she could find in this library. Nothing but old spells for time traveling and Equestrian history. But nothing on Discord! Even her school books were proven unhelpful and she scanned through most of them!

"I don't get why you need to study so much, Rocky," Spike gurgled, too tired to burp.

Rocky bit her lip, brown eyes blinking. "I just...I just have to, alright? The fate of Equestria might rest on me!"

"As well as the rest of us."

She nearly dropped her book when she heard that familiar voice. Spike could barely get up as Rocky turned to see a smiling Princess Luna gaze at her from behind the shelves. Mane continuously flowing, the princess smiled as she approached Rocky, who quickly closed her book.

"Uh, princess!" Rocky felt the back of her neck sweat. "Um, well, just wanted to resume some reading!" She faked a smile. "Getting prepared and all that!"

"And we appreciate it," Luna nodded.

Rocky raised an eyebrow when Luna stated 'we'. "You're not using the royal 'We' again, are you?" She asked carefully. "Because I thought Twilight and I already pulled you out of the Royal Canterlot voice to a more...normal voice."

Luna laughed. "By 'we', I mean me, my sister, and everyone else." She motioned to thin air before her. "Rochelle, it truly intrigues me how much you're pulling into this situation regarding Discord."

Rocky swallowed hard as soon as she heard that name. She slipped a hand into her pocket, feeling a familiar piece of burnt parchment at her fingertips.

"We only met once," she managed to say through a nervous smile, "but I just know there's something I didn't see." By that, she meant she might not have seen any exact evil in Discord...but perhaps something else?

But Luna took it as her opinion on his chaotic character and she nodded. "It's good to analyze, dear Rocky."

As Rocky shared her nod, the lunar royal turned on her heels and slowly walked away. "Don't be up too long," she said with a chuckle as she reached the doorway, "it's only a matter of hours before my sister raises the sun. Hopefully, Discord won't bring it up so abrupt this time."

When Luna was out of sight, Rocky quickly resumed her reading. Spike was now fast asleep on his back as she her eyes scanned every word she could absorb into her throbbing mind.

Slowly, she slipped out the piece of paper from the pocket of her nightgown and gazed at it. Discord's charred name still remained visible even in the dark room. Sighing sadly, she placed it against the page she was reading before she resumed her studies.

"Hang on, Twilight," she murmured to herself. "And hang on...Discord."
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Margaret quickly walked through the open door of the bedroom with a glass of milk as she saw Mordecai's widened eyes gaze up at the ceiling, his blonde hair messier from having woken up so abruptly.

"Thanks," he muttered as she offered him the glass.

While he drank, she took a seat right next to the bed, her eyes gazing at him worriedly.

"Another Discord-related nightmare?" She asked.

"The worst of all," he grumbled after finishing his drink and placing it on the nightstand next to him. He placed a hand over his face like a towel thrown to the ground. "I dreamt he and Twilight were getting married."

Margaret winced. "Ouch..." Then she played with her fingers. "So, uh...how did Twilight look?" She asked out of curiosity.

"Totally gorgeous," he muttered, eyes closed tightly. "How can someone so beautiful want to marry some chaos-making punk like him?" He sighed heavily. "He must have fully-corrupted her by now..."

The red robin winced even more, her lips hurting from being pressed so much in slight despair. "Oh, come on, Mordecai," Margaret spoke as she placed a hand on his shoulder, "we'll stop them."

"Yeah, I hope..." He muttered. "Because when I see that guy..." He opened his eyes, which now narrowed. "Well, you remember that bo staff I got..."

"The one you showed me that had a blade on top?" She gulped as she said that. "You're not going to kill him, are you?"

"You know, Rocky asked me the same thing," he sighed. "Dude, I'm not going to kill him...but I will make him hurt." He added darkly under his breath, eyes hardening.

The red robin heard him well, quite horrified by this protective, yet new side to him. "You're also going to make him bleed, you know," she cringed, imagining the sight of blood no matter how small an amount.

"Just a cut," he said innocently. "You know, like a paper cut."

"Mordecai," she said gently, "you're my friend, and you know I care about you." She smiled nervously. "But, holy crap, don't lose your mind!"

"Rigby told me that when I decided to stay blonde," he chuckled dryly, placing a hand on his yellow locks.

"You really going to stay blonde, huh?" She asked, feeling much more disappointed than before.

"Well, I guess," he shrugged, "I mean, if Twilight hadn't told me how much she liked my hair like this, I would have gotten rid of the color as soon as the bet was over...which was a long time ago."

"Of course..." She said through gritted teeth, looking away. "Twilight likes it..."
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
As Celestia's sun shone upon the kingdom of Equestria, Kick and Gunther walked through the palace doors, having easily gained access after Princess Luna recognized them from her balcony and ordered her guards to allow them entry. Walking down the halls toward the chambers, the young daredevil felt a bit tense as they reached a certain room.

"You're really not playing me, right?" Gunther asked Kick as they stood before the door. "You're really serious?"

"I'm really starting to ask myself that right now," Kick muttered, hiding his eyes under his helmet as he placed his hands in his pockets. "I mean, yeah, he's not Kendall, but still-"

"Kick, come on," Gunther encouraged him. "Harmony? The magic of friendship? All that Equestria yada yada?" He gave a hopeful smile. "You know, recalling that story Rocky told us, Discord would be laughing if he saw how much resentment you've been showing Ronaldo."

"That stinks," Kick muttered before he motioned for his best friend to open the door.

As Gunther pushed the door and they both entered, they saw that Ronaldo was nowhere to be seen, his bed undone and his pajamas lying over a nearby chair.

"Where did Ronaldo go?" Gunther wondered.

"Oh, are you boys looking for Master Ronaldo?" Both turned to see a unicorn maid enter the room, her horn glowing as her magic carried fresh new sheets. "I'm deeply sorry, but he is out now. With a Miss Ogie."

"Oh, of course he'd be with Ogie," Gunther laughed, rolling his eyes. "She's his best friend."

"Thanks, lady," Kick nodded to the maid before the both left her to clean the room. As they walked down the halls, Kick just hunched his shoulders and gazed at the ground. "Well, maybe some other time. Not today, considering we got work to do."

"You know, I can't help but think we're just going around in circles," Gunther sighed. "I mean, it's been more than a week, and all we've found was snow...and an unexpected early moonrise yesterday."

"Oh, yeah," Kick smirked. "Brad must have missed his date. Nice to know the poor girl got spared before she would suffer a long day with him."
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Ruff, it's okay."

The canine host barely looked up to see Blossom pat his shoulder sympathetically while Ogie and Ronaldo tried to give him a pep talk. Deep in the snow-covered streets of Canterlot, the two children had found Ruff sitting on his rump beside a donut shop, a pencil and various pieces of used paper before him on the floor. No doubt he was desperately trying to figure out a way to replace the show he might have already been fired from.

"You told me not to worry about Kendall," Ronaldo said with a hopeful smile.

"But this is different!" Ruff sobbed. "This is a girl problem for you! For me, it's a career!" And the tears shot out of his eyes as he crossed out yet another item on his list. "Mayor Mare's Monday Mayhem is dubbed boring by my taste now! And no way am I considering a show featuring Fluttershy; she's too darn shy!"

"Ever consider using celebrities?" Ogie asked nervously.

"Oh, please," he scoffed, "most celebrities aren't worth being in a television series, and Justin Bieber's already got his hands full!" He cringed before shifting his eyes from side to side, gazing at various ponies around them. "I'll take anybody! Even some pony if I have to!"

"Ruff, maybe you should really think-" Ronaldo began but was cut of when the dog immediately got to his feet.

"Hey, Fancypants! Zecora!" Ruff cried as he dashed off, followed by Blossom and Chet. "You two are from different cultures! Yet you hang out constantly! Ever think of making a show that'll put 'Rednecks at the Hamptons' on the number two spot?"

As Ogie and Ronaldo watched Ruff find his way into another show idea, they both couldn't help but wonder if Fetch! was really going to be gone because of his act of friendship and sacrifice. Hopefully, his boss was merciful...

"Well, he's lost it," Ogie sighed before she and Ronaldo began walking down the street, leaving a certain stallion and zebra to fend for themselves. "If anything, I would have liked him to make a show about the Cakes."

"You know, I'm surprised he didn't go after the Wonderbolts yet," Ronaldo stated. "That Soarin' is really something beyond physics itself."

"Someone call my name?" Both turned and there stood the suited pegasus himself, eating a pie he just purchased from a nearby bakery.

"Soarin'!" Ronaldo exclaimed with excitement, eyes widening at seeing his idol once again.

"Hey, kids," the grown colt greeted after finishing the last of his after-breakfast breakfast. "You doing your own stuff today?"

"Uh, no," the blonde boy replied while Ogie nodded with him in agreement. "We're not sure what to do, exactly. But we do know we still got a unicorn to find and well..."

"Want a ride, buddy?" The pegasus laughed.

Ronaldo's eyes nearly popped out his head as Soarin' bent down on his front legs, his back offered to him. "R-really?"

"Anything for a fan," Soarin' laughed.

"Go on," Ogie told Ronaldo as she gently shoved him toward the pegasus, soon she sat behind him atop of the flying pony as Soarin' extended his wings.

The familiar feeling of the wind blowing through his hair made Ronaldo's heart beat as he held his hands out, as if he were flying as well. Ogie laughed as she kept her hands on Soarin's back, her brown pigtails flapping.

"You're not going to care what Kendall thinks when you eventually tell her about your newest dream?" She asked as Soarin' took a swift dive before rising up again.

"A little," Ronaldo chuckled dryly. "I would say I'm still worried she'll break up with me after this whole Discord thing is over, but..." He let out a whoop as he raised his head to the clouds, the feeling making his blood pump and his smile too big for his face. "I'm going to enjoy all this while it lasts!"
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Rainbow Dash, please calm down!"

The rainbow-maned pegasus wheeled her eyes toward Mr. Baldwin before she resumed pounding the ground beneath her, shame and frustration taking over her body once more.

"Oh, for the love of cod!" The pregnant seahorse exclaimed in exasperation before turning to Applejack and the other remaining elements. "And you say she literally kicked the bark right off most of your trees that got you so many apples?"

"Darn right," the apple farmer sighed as she watched the pegasus continue venting for the morning. "She feels mighty upset that it's been more than a week and we've gotten nowhere in finding either Twilight or Discord."

"She really cares," Fluttershy stated quietly.

"And she really wants to put the hurt on Discord!" Pinkie Pie chimed in, jamming her hooves into the air as if she were boxing. "A punch right on the gut, a punch right in the eye, a punch right on the tummy-"

"Talk about loyalty," Mr. Baldwin muttered as he turned to see Rainbow Dash beat her wings more rapidly while she floated in the air.

"Darling," Rarity stated as she stood beside him, "I thought you were going to be with Mordecai and Margaret today."

"Oh, them?" He chuckled. "I decided to let those kids carry on together on their own without me. They should get some alone time, you know, bond and hope there's no more hurtful words that could eventually land on me afterwards..." He chuckled nervously.

The four ponies gave him curious looks before shrugging as Rainbow Dash quickly joined them.

"Okay, stretches are done," she muttered.

"Stretches?" Pinkie Pie giggled. "More like anger management!"

"Says the pony who lost her mind when she thought no one wanted to go to one of her parties," the rainbow-maned pegasus shot back as she passed by the group, not bothering to witness the widen-eyed, jaw-dropping of the pink pony by her statement.

"She's got a point," Mr. Baldwin chuckled nervously, placing an assuring hand on Pinkie. "I mean, you were talking to rocks, Pie."

"Not as much as Rarity when she had Tom," Applejack snickered.

"I thought we dropped this a long time ago," the white unicorn growled, her blue eyes narrowing.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"By the way, did Rigby finally get rid of that poison joke stuff?" Margaret asked as she followed behind Mordecai as he led them atop a rocky mountain path.

"Right before he had to fight off those spa ponies when they tried to give him a hoovicure and facial," Mordecai snorted.

The red robin could barely hold her laughter as she imagined Rigby with his hair held up by a pink towel while he was lying on a bathing chair as his nails were in the care of those spa ponies, an expression of frustration and humiliation on his face. "Lucky," she giggled, "I want the free treatment!"

"Yeah, I heard from Zecora that Upper Crust plans to give Twilight a 'welcome back, you're saved' present of a week of treatment and girl stuff," Mordecai chuckled dryly.

Margaret was quick to notice the slight change in his tone when he mentioned their missing friend's name. Silence stood between them as they continued hiking up the mountain, neither giving up in pursuing the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony for the sake of Twilight Sparkle.

As they continued walking, the red robin took the time to regard Mordecai, eyes held on the path before them like a studious child to a textbook. The bluejay, again, wore his special quest attire, looking so much like a character from a movie that was based on a book. His blonde hair was down and flowed as he walked.

Her eyes fell on his backside, where a familiar weapon wrapped in a scab was secured firmly to him. No doubt that was his weapon. The one with the tiny blade in it.

The red robin swallowed a bit before casting a glance at the back of his blonde head.

He's becoming a little too protective, she thought nervously, is this what guys do when they're really in love with someone?

She continued gazing at Mordecai before her shoulders slumped.

Dang it, why doesn't that ever happen to me with my boyfriends?, she thought bitterly, and Mordecai, he looks like he's been really working out...

Her eyes immediately widened at the thought before she placed a hand to her face, feeling it becoming very hot. Thank goodness she was a red robin, her blush matched well with her feathers.

Taking a deep breath to rid her inner heat, she rubbed the back of her neck before shifting her eyes toward Mordecai.

"So, uh..." She began quietly. "You told me this was where Twilight and the five elements went to...stop what, exactly?"

"Well, I wasn't there," Mordecai shrugged, turning to her. "But what Pinkie Pie said, they stopped a dragon from polluting the sky."

"A dragon?" Margaret cried, fearing what they were soon to meet if they climbed up any further.

"Relax," Mordecai chuckled, "the dragon moved away thanks to Fluttershy. So there's nothing to worry about when we reach the base."

"What about diamond dogs?" Margaret asked nervously. "Rarity told me she bumped into a few of them that held her captive before she was able to defend herself."

The bluejay scoffed. "They were rid of a long time ago, and trust me, Rainbow Dash scouted this area, so no diamond douches or whatever."

"Okay then," Margaret let out a sigh of relief as she turned her gaze on the path, "but still, you sure there are no dragons up here?"

"Oh, right, like we're going to meet one unexpectedly," Mordecai rolled his eyes, "only crappy karma can be such a-"

He was immediately cut off when they both heard a growl. Eyes widening, Mordecai slowly turned his head and looked up.

Before them was a massive cave...looking much like the one Fluttershy described when they got rid of the dragon.

And another loud, terrifying growl emerged from within it.

Margaret swallowed hard, eyes widening. "Y-you were saying?" She muttered to Mordecai.

The bluejay gripped his tunic, feeling his heart about to beat out his chest as he felt the blood rush through him in a sense of panic. He had fought many weird creatures back at the park...but a dragon?

It couldn't be a dragon! They only dragon around was Spike! What in Equestria could emit such a noise like that it would literally make the legs shake and the hearts pound?

Unless...

Mordecai's eyes suddenly narrowed, his mind giving image of a specific character that would somewhat fit that description.

So the jerk wants to scare us, huh? He thought angrily before reaching behind his back to grasp his staff. No **** is he going to do that after all we've gone through for Twilight!

"That troll..." He muttered under his breath before slipping his weapon out of its scab and held it tightly in both hands.

Margaret's eyes widened as she saw the staff, that expression of vengeance written all over his face.

"M-mordecai?" Margaret gulped, afraid to reach out and place a hand on his shoulder. "What are you...?"

He turned to her, his expression temporarily changing to one of concern.

"Stay here, Margie," he told her quietly, "it might be too dangerous for you."

Before he could step forward, the red robin stood in front of him, a hand having placed on his chest to halt him. Confused, Mordecai looked at her, seeing as her eyes glistening with so much worry and fear.

"I'm coming with you, Mordecai," she told him in a quiet tone. "We're in this together."

Mordecai couldn't argue with her. He was actually pretty scared right now, despite being overly pissed off with that Discord right now. At least Margaret was showing the Element of Loyalty at the moment; he wished they had those elements right now...

The red robin realized her hand was on his chest before quickly removing it, her blush becoming more red than her feathers as she walked beside Mordecai as they slowly neared the cave.

It seemed a little dark, save for the light of the sun outside, but they were able to see. Mordecai stood protectively in front of Margaret as he held his staff out in front of him, preparing to strike when needed.

"T-twilight?" Margaret called out in a child-like tone that would have made Fluttershy's seem stronger.

"Discord might have her locked up somewhere," Mordecai whispered, "oh, crap, I wish the others were here. Two against one big dude with magic powers, bad deal!"

The noise became louder, making them both jump.

"What are we going to do when we eventually see him?" Margaret gulped.

"Leave that..." Mordecai said darkly. "To me."

Margaret couldn't argue the fact that he would give Discord that 'paper cut'; she was just too freaking scared right now!

She stood close by Mordecai as they traveled deeper into the cave, the sound becoming much louder.

Finally, they were met with slight darkness, however, Mordecai could just make out a hint of light at the end of a stone wall.

And he could make out a large, shadowy figure thats silhouette seemed to indicate its breathing.

"Oh, m-man..." Mordecai's eyes bulged, nearly dropping his weapon. "That's him. That's got to be him."

"Really?" Margaret squinted her eyes. "He seems pretty big from over here." She took a few steps back. "Maybe we should just go inform the princesses and-"

"WHERE'S TWILIGHT, YOU BEARDED BLOWHOLE?" Mordecai's rage immediately took over him as he rushed at the figure.

Margaret let out a shriek when Mordecai slammed the wooden part of his weapon on Discord's supposed figure. At least he didn't slap his blade yet...Still, it was a terrifying scene before her.

"Where is she?" Mordecai demanded, slamming down on the figure. "Where is she, you monster?"

"URP!" Came a reply, which sounded like it was being muffled.

"Mordecai!" Margaret cried as she dashed over to him. "Stop! Wait!" She placed her hands on his shoulders to hold him back. "That...that's not Discord!"

"What?" Mordecai cried in disbelief.

Margaret pointed down at the figure he had attacked...only for it to be revealed as someone under a blanket. Messy brown hair and bloodshot eyes glared up at them.

"Muscle Man?" Mordecai exclaimed. "What the H, man?" He felt even angrier than when he thought it was Discord.

"Same to you, man!" The shorter male cried as he whipped the blanket off him. "What'd you do that for?" He demanded, rubbing his skull.

"Dude! What were you doing here?" Mordecai demanded, glaring down at him.

"I was taking a nap, stupid!" Muscle Man shot back. "I hurt my leg while I was with High-Five Ghost and three of those fish kids and we came here so we could rest."

"Oh, come on!" Mordecai raged on, feeling like such a fool right now.

"What's going on?" All three turned and behind them were High-Five Ghost, Bea, Oscar, and Milo, who was holding a cake.

"Why does Muscle Man look like he wants to kill?" Milo asked, holding the cake close to him.

"Because Blondecai here nearly killed me!" Muscle Man cried, pointing at the bluejay.

"Dude, sorry, alright?" Mordecai argued. "I thought you were Discord!"

"Discord!" Oscar exclaimed fearfully before hiding behind Bea. "He's here?"

"Unfortunately, no," the bluejay grumbled before putting away his weapon. "Dang it! I thought I'd finally get my chance!"

"Your chance for what?" Bea asked curiously.

Mordecai quickly held his breath, nervously gazing at the teen redhead fish before him whom held curious eyes.

"His chance to save Twilight," Margaret added quickly. "He thought Muscle Man was Discord, and he kind of went nuts on him with a stick and demanding where she was."

"I would have done that..." Milo muttered under his breath, gazing at the bluejay enviously.

"You really think you could fight that guy?" High-Five Ghost asked the bluejay in disbelief. "With just a stick?"

"It's a bo staff!" Mordecai argued.

"Can we talk about Mordecai's big stick later?" Muscle Man rolled his eyes before setting them on the cake in Milo's fins. "Oooh, cake..."

"Well, since you guys are here," Milo told the two birds, "we'll be glad to share this cake with you-"

Before he knew it, the cake was taken from his fins and was greedily eaten by Muscle Man, whose gorging made a pig's look more etiquette.

Milo's eyes narrowed, his stomach angry that he didn't get to eat some of that cake in which the Cakes themselves had baked for all of them.

"You know what?" He shifted his eyes toward Mordecai. "Beat him up again."
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Let's see..." Rocky began as she analyzed her recent notes. "The moon was raised at six o' clock, and few of us, especially me, went to bed at seven due supposedly by a stage 1 type of sleep, shifting the hours of body and mind when the the entire form kept unconscious..."

She tapped a pencil to her lip as she rested her head against one balled fist. She and Spike were at some cafe, considering it was near lunch time. She wished Princess Luna could join them, but sadly, she and her sister had to meet up with some search parties regarding the situation they were still stuck in.

"Oh, yeah, of course," Rocky muttered to herself in annoyance before crossing out many figures in her work, "I'm going to be staying up late! Why not?"

"Hey, I don't like bedtimes either," Spike said as he chewed his seasoned fries and donuts. "But what exactly are you going to be staying up for?" He asked curiously.

"I have to resume my studies!" Rocky exclaimed frantically.

"But your school's not having a test yet," the baby dragon said, "I mean, you're not even going to school right now."

"You know what studying I'm talking about, Spike," Rocky told him in a serious tone, her eyes showing determination.

Spike blinked at her for a few moments. Then his mouth opened in an 'oh', regarding her closely.

"You know, you really remind me of...," His voice trailed off. It sounded quiet...almost sad.

It was Rocky's turn to blink as she gazed at Spike. He lowered his head, a blush creeping on his face before he resumed eating. Rocky decided not to question him on the obvious matter as she put her notes away and returned to eating her fries and muffins.

"So, uh, I heard you cleaned Mayor Mare's office," she chuckled nervously, "a few times, actually."

"I didn't mean to," Spike mumbled, "I just...I'm a number one assistant and I just felt..."

"I miss Twilight, too, Spike," Rocky told him gently, reaching over and placing a hand over his. "Don't worry, we'll find her."

Spike looked up and his near-teary green eyes gazed into her brown ones, a grateful smile on his face. Rocky returned the smile before they continued eating.

If we find Discord...she thought nervously as she ate a fry.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Twilight made her way across the bridge of gumdrops, wondering where Discord was. She half-hoped for him to pop out of nowhere and scare the living daylights out of her.

Speaking of daylight...Twilight recalled the events of moonlight that had just occurred yesterday. Heart swelling and smile forming on her lips, the unicorn would never forget that wonderful night between her and her best friend.

Best friend...

Twilight Sparkle, best friend to the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony. Seemed like history could just erase all their books because, to Twilight, Discord was truly not a bad character. A little mischievous, but that was one of many things she loved about him. She could get annoyed by it, but she sometimes got back at him for that.

Coming across a nearby tree made of clouds, Twilight took notice of a piece of paper taped to the soft bark. Using her magic to remove it, she scanned it over.

"My dear Twilight Sparkle," she read aloud, "forgive me for not being present right now. I have some business to take care of. Sincerely, Discord."

As soon as she finished reading, a burst of confetti shot out of the note, making her scream out in terror before falling back on her rump.

"That Discord..." Twilight muttered before picking herself up.

However, a small smile formed on her face as she closed the note. Though she was disappointed not to see him for a while, she was curious as to wonder what kind of 'business' Discord had referred to.

Was he going to change seasons? Looking toward the doorway that led to the woods, she saw that it was still snowing.

"Perhaps he's just causing some 'innocent' chaos that is completely out of harm's way from my friends," Twilight told herself as she trotted on.

A few moments later, she laid on her stomach in a patch of grass that was squared off from the snow surrounding her. Before her laid her journal and a few books.

Dear Journal...she wrote.

The bond between Discord and me is much stronger than I had assumed. Our friendship is true and he considers me his best friend. And I believe the feeling mutual.

Her smile deepened as she felt her cheeks flush a bit before she continued writing.

He's just so sweet, a little bit of trouble at times, but still, he's very sweet. I can only hope my friends and family can see what I see...though, I fear when we reach that decision, I'll regret it.

Her smile slowly vanished as she paused a bit, homesickness and slight fear taking over her. Then she continued.

They must see that Discord is actually a nice creature, whose chaos is actually not too bad if used the right way. He had showered me with unusual gifts with his chaos...

Twilight recalled the wings, and reminded herself that that was far from unusual. It was beautiful, actually.

He's taken so much care of me, and while I'm here in this luxury of disorder, my friends are out there still worried for me. I hope they haven't thought I'd gone insane when they read that note I left for them.

She sighed quietly, knowing too well that perhaps Fluttershy would take it the hardest. She was the one Twilight had inflicted a memory-erasing spell on...

Discord and I aren't going to hide in here forever, Twilight wrote.

We'll eventually have to come out and make our way back to Ponyville. And I'll have to do my best to convince them of Discord, to give him a real chance.

The unicorn stopped her quill there, her dream plaguing her mind.

Anger and hate from everyone she loved...the accusation that Discord was still the same dark spirit he was...losing him while she remained helpless...seeing him turn into stone-

"No," Twilight let out a squeak of despair as her eyes tightened. "I can't lose him." Tears stung her eyes as her magic gripped the quill harder. "I can't lose my best friend..."

She needed to stop thinking so negative. It was just a nightmare. She had read that things in reality can be alternated, become different than what was dreamt. She needed to believe that.

Sniffing and allowing her tears to dry up, she continued the rest of her journal entry.

I'm going to protect him no matter what.

For all I can say, is that he makes me happy, and I just know he'll make the others happy if they can just see who he truly is.

Putting her quill down and closing her journal, Twilight looked over the books she brought along. One was just some romantic story she was almost done with, the other was-

"Why am I even still reading The Tale of Discord?" She asked herself as she opened that book up. "I've already proven it wrong."

She read over a passage she came across and decided to re-read it.

"Nonpony remained safe from his chaos," she read aloud, "his joy of causing unrest and unhappiness reached no limit as his powers created the unbelievable, scaring the ponies, Earth or sky."

She let out a sigh of exasperation, wondering if she should just put the book down and return to her romance novel. However, before she was about to do so, another paragraph, one she didn't seem to take full notice of before, became visible to her eyes.

"Chaos was his only friend," she read aloud.

His only friend...

Her eyes widened a bit as she read on. "Being more attached to his chaos and mischievous troubles, the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony found no need for...social encounters."

She let out a gasp, placing a hoof on her lips before reading on.

"However, every year, ponies everywhere were well aware of his birthday when cake fell from the sky...made of pebbles that it was a hailstorm that everypony needed to run for cover. That was his gift to him every year."

Unable to read anymore, Twilight put down her book. She blinked a few times, staring into space.

"His birthday..." Her voice trailed off quietly before she stood up and gazed at the sun-filled sky.

Of course even someone like Discord had a birthday, but Twilight wondered how he, even before his first imprisonment, had celebrated such a cherished day. That passage gave her the answer, though it wasn't a nice one.

The unicorn recalled her own birthday, which had been taken place in her birth-home in Canterlot. She had two, actually: one was only for her and her five friends, along with Fancypants and all those Canterlot ponies. And then the second one, it was a clash between Eqeustrian and non-Equestria and it made the Galloping Gala seem simple.

Twilight smiled to herself, remembering how Mr. Baldwin dressed like such a high-society man with a cane and top hat, or the lovely dress Rocky wore that seemed to resemble the one Rarity made for Twilight herself. And how could she forget the lovely little gift Mordecai had given her?

That wonderful party had been filled with love, happiness, music, and fun, and it was with friends and family. Even more friendships were formed that day, and thus more were seemed to be considered family as well.

But Discord...he had no friends, no family, just his own fun for only him and himself only. Those innocent ponies back then had some part in his 'festivities' but that hardly counted...

Discord admitted he had fun back then causing trouble, but he also admitted he was regretful...sad even.

He had been alone for so long, every birthday must have been more painful than the last deep down in his heart. And with every birthday that had passed when he was encased in stone...

"When was his birthday, anyway?" Twilight wondered, tapping a hoof to her chin. "I wonder if he knows when my birthday was..."

Shrugging a bit, Twilight used her magic to pick up her things and walked back toward the house.

She was a little bit grateful Discord was on 'business'. She had some business of her own as well.