Chaotic Order Chapter 9

Monday. Oh, how he dreaded this day since Saturday back in Canterlot...

Ronaldo tightened his grip on his backpack as he trudged through the halls of his school after the first session of his class had ended. Recess was occurring but he dared not go outside.

He feared he would bump into her.

The blonde boy gulped, terrified as he imagined the possibilities of Kendall dumping him before he could explain himself. He couldn't blame her if she did so; he did leave her without a message, left her to attend the opera house all by herself, and didn't even bother buying her a fancy present from Equestria to show how sorry he was. Not that she would find interest in anything those ponies sold...

He stopped in front of his locker before opening it and putting away some physics books he read in class. After that, he pulled from his locker a very familiar book he was proud to have borrowed from Canterlot's library.

The Elements of Harmony

Although he was quite fascinated with The Tale of Discord, this book, which Rocky highly recommended regarding their situation, was even more astounding. He couldn't believe that Twilight Sparkle, and those other five ponies, could master such magic that he never even heard of before. Laughter, generosity, loyalty, kindness, honesty...and friendship. Ronaldo liked the Element of Magic and Friendship the best because he knew that was what created such a bond among these ponies and their non-pony friends. And he was proud to be part of that bond.

Although, he wasn't sure Kick Buttowski was willing to accept Ronaldo the way the others had, especially Ogie.

Remembering his dear friend who was probably enjoying her recess at her own school, Ronaldo looked over to the pictures he had attached to his locker door. There were a few pictures of him and Kendall, but there was a good number of him with Ogie and other kids, some of those pictures having been taken a few days ago when he was in Ponyville. The boy smiled softly as he gazed at one particular picture taken yesterday. He held a chuckle as he saw both himself and Ogie standing beside the beaten up hydra while they posed with their friends and the Wonderbolts. Ronaldo immediately had great admiration for those great flying ponies, especially that Soarin'.

He saw how he placed his arm around Ogie as they smiled at the camera, before the Wonderbolts and Rainbow Dash came and saved them, he had stood protectively in front of Ogie, willing to take the hydra's blow if it were to attack them. He still remained protectively in front of her while Kick was taking on the hydra before Rainbow Dash swooped in. Recalling that event, Ronaldo recalled that that action seemed to have represented one element of the harmonic magic.

Loyalty, he thought carefully.

He would always be loyal to Ogie in their friendship, he would always be loyal to his friends in Ponyville, even loyal to dear Twilight Sparkle.

But he knew he messed up big time on his loyalty to Kendall.

"RONALDO!"

Sweat immediately poured down his neck as he quickly shut his locker and gazed down the hall. A familiar green and pink diamond sweater was seen in the blaze of an infuriated blonde. Oh, how he knew a fire was nowhere as terrifying as the rage on her face...

"Kendall..." He tried to smile, adjusting his glasses nervously.

No smile from her, obviously, as she marched over to him, hands into fists and daggers gleaming in her eyes. Ronaldo remained in place, playing with his fingers as she stood before him, her height overpowering his as he felt like a small, helpless mouse.

"Where the heck were you?" She demanded, her face red with anger.

He gulped. "I was-"

"I'm called you back on Friday," she shouted, "and all I got was this response by some stupid idiot with lame Spanish that hung up on me!" She pointed a finger at him. "I waited on Saturday for you to call me and apologize for leaving me to attend the opera all by myself!"

He bit his lip. "Dearest, look-"

"And what the heck is that?" She jabbed a finger at the book in his hands. "Did you borrow that from that horrid library in that pony place?"

He clutched the book closer to him. "Well, I-"

"I can't believe it!" She screeched, throwing her hands in the air. "Ronaldo, I told you! This magic business is stupid, and those ponies, especially those with the horns, are just making us lose touch with reality here!"

Ronaldo just blinked at her. "But you saw Discord," he said, finding the courage in his voice.

Kendall's eyes dilated a bit, recalling the memory of meeting that horrible, hideous beast. "Please don't mention that thing..." She muttered.

"He's not a thing, Kendall, dear," Ronaldo pushed gently, suddenly gaining more courage in his beliefs. "He's the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony. And we're trying to look for him!"

He immediately regretted saying that as he saw the look of pure horror on his girlfriend's face. He gulped, wishing he hadn't been too comfortable in saying what he was amazed by.

"That's why you didn't attend the opera with me?" She demanded. "To play hide and seek with those ponies?"

Ronaldo stiffened, using his book as his shield. "He took Twilight," he said quietly.

"I don't care if he takes a Breaking Dawn as well!" She spat furiously before jabbing a finger at him. "How could you have left me like that, Ronaldo?"

"Kendall..." He swallowed hard and closed his eyes. "Look, I-"

Suddenly, something red and white sped by, and before Kendall knew it, Ronaldo was out of her sight.

The boy slowly opened his eyes when he felt the rush of wind pass through his hair. They widened as he realized he was standing atop of a moving skateboard. Shifting his head, he realized the collar of his jacket was held on by a certain yellow glove.

"Kick?" He exclaimed in surprise as he watched him drive the board.

The young daredevil didn't look at him, his eyes remaining on the hallway before them.

"I still don't like you, Ronaldo," he said in a quiet, serious tone, "but even you don't deserve to get lashed out by your girlfriend after doing so much to help us find our unicorn."

The blonde boy stiffened at his words, but he remained silent. He turned his head, watching Kendall storm away in anger.
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"Rocky?" Ogie called as she entered their school library.

She passed by the children's books before crossing over to the aisles every kid disliked: highly educational. She had a feeling Rocky would be there.

"Rocky?" She called out again for her sister.

She jumped when the sound of books falling was heard and she immediately turned to a nearby table with books surrounding it on the floor. A head popped out from the pile and there was Rocky, covered in bits of dust. Ogie had to laugh; Rocky just loved reading.

"There you are," Ogie said as she approached her, "sis, why are you here in these dumb, dusty books? You should be playing with the rest of us! I mean..." She averted her eyes. "...you know, before we have to cut the playing time and devise some plans to find Twilight and stuff."

Rocky managed a small smile before taking a book from the pile and looked at it. "I'll join you as soon as I can," she assured her, "right now, I have to read some books on the historical and cultural concepts of bonding and attachment."

"What?" Ogie raised an eyebrow.

Her sister rolled her eyes. "It's hard to explain right now, but I will tell you it has every little bit to do with the Elements of Harmony." She picked out another book. "I'm trying to dig deeper into non-Equestrian facts and figure out some sort of mechanism that might prove useful." She gulped. "I hope..."

"You know, sis," Ogie began as she ran a finger down one book on the pile. "You really should consider taking Celestia's offer to go to that fancy unicorn school."

Rocky blinked before turning to her sister, her cheeks slightly blushing. "Well, yeah, I'm still thinking on that..." Then she slowly ran a finger down her forehead. "After all, even though I don't have unicorn magic, I have been studying the basic spells Twilight showed me."

"That mustache one was pretty good," Ogie said. She turned on her heels and walked away. "Well, good luck in whatever you're doing. Get some time for recess, okay?"

"Yeah," Rocky said quietly with a smile as she waved goodbye to her sister.

As soon as Ogie was gone, her smile slowly vanished before she dug into her pocket and took out a burnt note.

She read the name Discord hundreds of times, treating the flamed paper like it was a delicate artifact.

Rocky ran a finger down her forehead again. "Why do I have this feeling that there is a bond that we're not aware of?"
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Twilight's horn glowed as she removed a book from her library. She grinned before stretching her hooves out, having felt so comfortable in the red silk gown she wore when she slept. Recalling last night, the unicorn smiled as she thought back to the dear Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony.

Last night when she and Discord saw the stars together, she would never forget the loyalty they had for each other. When she said she missed her friends and family, Discord was willing to let her go and be happy while he just remained alone. No way in the hay did she want him to be alone as he had been a thousand years before. She truly was happy. Happy to be by his side after so long; she wanted to stay with him until things were fixed and they would decide about the others.

Though Rainbow Dash was the Element of Loyalty...Twilight knew hers was just as strong when it came to Discord.

Trotting out of her room, book floating beside her, she was careful not to read at the breakfast table this time. She suddenly felt excited to see Discord again, seeing as today seemed like a beautiful morning and she couldn't wait to see what Discord had planned for today. But he needed to realize that she was a pony of balancing studying and playing, but she just knew he would fix that.

She crossed the bridge of gumdrops and found him sitting at the table. She could barely hold her laughter when she saw his blue and gold night cap. The Draconequus smirked at her as he used his magic to pull her seat out and she sat on it.

"At least I don't look like a poofy red poodle," he remarked, gazing at her red night outfit.

"Oh, touche, Starswirl," she rolled her eyes before putting her book down beside her on the table.

Discord gazed at the book before looking back at the unicorn, his expression mixed with both annoyance yet concern. Twilight noticed this and laughed.

"I was hoping that after we do some hanging out around here, you and I could do some reading together," she eyed him carefully. "You do read, right?"

Discord pursed his lips in slight smirk. "Of course I do. Even I, the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony, would love to cozy on my cotton candy cloud once in a while and read a good book."

"Mmm, I love that," she said with a dreamy expression as thoughts of her library house returned to her. "Sometimes I would lay on the park bench and read. Or at least try when Pinkie Pie keeps bothering me with whatever random stuff she wants to talk about."

"Well, as the Element of Laughter," he joked, "she is trying to make you laugh."

"Well you seem like a master of that as well," she complimented, resting her head on her hoof as she gazed at him. "What, with your chaos and all."

Discord took her comment into consideration and smiled deeply. "I will admit it was pretty surprising, seeing as you're such a strong-headed pony with a mind beyond the normal intellectual."

"Same goes for a certain Draconequus who acts so childish at times but has a wise, sensitive personality," she countered playfully.

"We read each other pretty well, Twilight Sparkle," he chuckled before he summoned their breakfast. "This is exactly why I consider you far different than any pony, and not because you have incredible magic."

Twilight smiled with embarrassment. "I thank you..." She said quietly. Then her smile faded a bit. "I do, however, wish my friends could read you the way I have..."

Noticing the discomfort in her voice, Discord placed down his glass of chocolate milk and gazed at her in concern.

"Twilight," he began gently, "look, as much as it pleases me that you have decided to remain with me until the time being, but have you ever considered letting your friends know that you're alright?"

The unicorn swallowed hard. "Well, yeah, I have been thinking about sending a message, letting them know I'm fine..." Then her eyes widened. "Then I worry they will certainly be angry with me, no, not at me. At you." And she pointed a hoof at the Draconequus. "They must think you corrupted me."

"I can't blame them," he rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "especially Rainbow Dash."

"She's just being a loyal friend," Twilight told him gently, "she just wants to protect me. And let's not forget you did steal her wings." She eyed him closely.

"Ah, her prized wings," Discord sighed. "You know, I'm sure Wonderbolts take in anyone who doesn't have one of those."

"I have to admit," Twilight rubbed her chin, "Soarin' seems more of run than flight from what I've observed."

"And you say you don't have a crush on Soarin'," he chuckled.

"I do not!" She cried out. "Look, let's just return to the topic about messaging my friends so they won't turn Equestria upside down because of us."

"Of course, my dear," he chuckled before he snapped his fingers and a quill and papers appeared on the table. "So...how should we start?"
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Thank goodness she had early classes...

Margaret held her shoulder bag close as she and Eileen neared the park, having returned from their university. As they had promised, anything important they had was to be finished and they were to immediately return to their duties as true friends and supporters of...harmony.

"I really liked that story about Hercules," Eileen stated as they came closer to the park house, "really, he's a dream compared to most of the other mythological figures. I mean, he's true to his woman." Then she twirled a strand of brown hair in her fingers. "Kind of like a certain blonde bluejay..."

Margaret felt her back stiffen as Eileen said that. Her cheeks heated up but she remained silent as they came up the steps of the house before Eileen knocked on the door.

"Oh, good day, ladies," Pops greeted as he opened the door for them to enter. "Mordecai and Rigby are in the kitchen."

"Is Mordecai okay?" Margaret asked worriedly as she followed him into the kitchen.

"Well, he does seem a bit..." Pops played with his fingers. "Frazzled."

"Stupid hair!" The voice of the bluejay rang out. Margaret looked over to see that the bluejay was trying to wipe milk away from his blonde strands after trying to eat his cereal.

"Finally," Rigby chuckled, eating his cereal, "I knew that bet would be worth it some day to see you suffer being blonde."

"Shut up," Mordecai growled as he got up from his seat and went over to the counter to get napkins.

As he got up, Margaret took great notice that he was wearing his hero attire. Except he wasn't wearing a shirt. Her eyes bugged out when she was bits of milk from his blonde hair fall down his front chest as he wiped his head. She gulped, unable to blink.

Maybe if he didn't have the hair...she thought mildly.

"Is it just me..." Eileen stated as she gazed at Mordecai. "Or does Mordecai look like he's been losing weight?"

"I don't know..." The red robin muttered as she watched him return to his seat.

"Oh, hey, girls," he greeted, having flipped back his blonde hair. "You hungry?"

"We're good," Margaret replied, having brought herself back to reality. "We're ready when you are," she said proudly.

"You know who else is ready?" All heads turned to see Muscle Man and High-Five Ghost enter the kitchen.

"Dude, no," Mordecai groaned as he placed his face in his hands. "Not in the mood for your lame 'My Mom' jokes."

"Why does everyone think I'm always talking about my mom?" Muscle Man rolled his eyes as he opened the fridge and took out a sandwich he saved from last night. He took a big bite out of it and chewed.

Suddenly, he gagged before he began coughing and immediately turned his head and spat out half of what he swallowed. It landed on the floor with a plop.

"Oh, gross!" Rigby cried as he and the others saw the gooey mess on the floor. "Chew properly, why don't you?"

"What the heck is in this sandwich?" Muscle Man cried, glaring at his unsatisfying food. "Meh, I'll just have cereal." And with that said, he tossed the rest of the sandwich into the garbage can and went to the cabinet to find something else to eat.

As he poured himself some milk, no one took notice of a piece of paper sticking out of the sandwich he threw away.

"Wait, dude!" Rigby called out. "Don't drink that milk! It's mushy! Drink the one we got here."

"Ew, thanks," Muscle Man said before he tossed the carton into the trash.

As the expired milk seeped out of its container it dribbled down onto the paper that was in the sandwich.

The words 'Dear friends' immediately faded as the liquid washed over it.
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Baldwin gazed at the clock as he sat on the couch of the teacher's lounge. Though he did say he would only teach thirty minutes of class every day until they had successfully found Twilight, he knew he couldn't just keep doing that to Principal Stickler. The urchin was probably getting his pointy sides full trying to create an alternative each day while Baldwin was in Equestria.

Today was Monday, and considering it was he most unwanted day of the week, the seahorse promised an hour-and-a-half of teaching his class. Despite Milo's pleas that they just leave the tank and go straight to Ponyville, the teacher regretfully told them they had to endure at least close to two hours before leaving. At least he kept the story of Discord alive, even adding some fascinating details of his own about how he witnessed the Elements of Harmony when the princesses placed them on the wielders.

One hour and fifteen minutes of that...

Unable to wait much longer, Baldwin emerged from the couch, a determined look on his face as he swam over to table where he placed his things. Underneath it, he took out the gleaming guardsmen armor.

Gazing at it, Baldwin fought back his tears as he placed on the chest plate, followed by his jacket. He put on his shoulder bag and held the helmet under his arm before he began swimming toward the door. He took little notice of Principal Stickler, who was being pushed on his chair by Nurse Fishington.

"I have to go, Stickler," Baldwin said quietly, not even bothering to look at him as he turned the knob and immediately swam out the door.

The sea urchin sighed as he watched the teacher leave. Then he turned and gazed at the many pictures that were displayed above the couch where Baldwin just sat.

Ushering for the nurse to push him closer, Stickler let out another sigh as he gazed at one picture in particular.

"I know you have to," he said quietly.

The picture showed a happy Baldwin with his arm around a just as happy Twilight, wearing a breathing device, as they sat at the seahorse's desk, both smiling at the camera.  
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"Lip gloss...lip gloss...lip gloss..."

Oscar looked up from his map of Equestria and gazed at Bea, who sat on their couch and was digging through her backpack. He rolled his eyes.

"It's not like this Discord guy will care whether or not your lips are strawberry-shined," he sighed.

"Oscar, I am an actress," the goldfish said in a poise tone as she finally found her lip gloss. "I create the inner drama of this situation. And trust me, this situation has started out dramatically."

"Yeah, we saw the drama as soon as Celestia told us Twilight was taken and Baldwin was on the floor crying more than Mrs. Sparkle," Oscar sighed.

"Oh, how absolutely tragic!" Bea cried out dramatically as she placed a fin to her forehead as if near-faint. "This is, by far, the worse possible thing!"

"Hey, that's what Rarity said," Oscar noticed as he looked back at his map. "Hey, Milo, come on! We're suppose to be at Ponyville by now!"

"Right here!" Milo shouted as he swam out of his room and stood before them.

"Why do you have a camera around your neck?" His brother asked.

"So I can take a picture of the Elements of Harmony when they use it on Discord!" Milo said excitedly. "Baldwin got to see it up close! I want to keep a memory of that!"

"Those elements aren't toys, Milo," Bea sighed, "though I will admit...I so adore Fluttershy's Element of Kindness. It is so cute and it would look so awesome with my party dress!"

"That's what you said about Luna's crown," Oscar rolled his eyes. He hoisted his backpack. "Now come on, we got to go."

"Hang on, I'm going to get a quick snack," Milo said before quickly swimming over to the fridge.

Searching through it, he took out a sandwich he had made earlier. He hungrily bit into it before chewing it thoughtfully.

"Hmm, tastes different..." He mumbled. With a shrug, he shoved the whole thing into his mouth and swallowed.

"Are you ready yet?" Oscar called.

"Ready!" Milo stated, swimming back to him. He let out a loud belch, and a small piece of paper flew out of his mouth and fell on the floor with a plop.

"Ew, gross!" Bea cringed as she stepped away. "Do you put just anything on your sandwiches?"

"Hey, it was pretty good!" Milo remarked. "Now let's jet! The sooner we'e gone, the sooner we might find Twilight!"

As the fish swam out the door, none of them even noticed the the words 'I'm fine' disappear from the saliva on the wad of paper Milo just spit out.
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"Oh, look who's here," Ruff stated as he, Blossom, Chet, and Ogie saw a skateboard in the distance coming toward them.

"Missed us?" Kick stated with a smile as he, Gunther, and Ronaldo got off his board.

"Man, I am so glad to be out of class," Gunther sighed as he stretched.

"I'm so glad Ronaldo here didn't get toasted by that girlfriend of his," Ruff joked as he gazed at him checking his backpack.

"I was about to get toast," Ronaldo blushed. Then he turned to Kick. "But then Kick came in and-"

"Don't mention it," Kick cut in sharply, "ever."

Ronaldo held up his hands nervously and nodded. He knew there was still a bit of friction between them.

"Ronnie!" Ogie exclaimed before she rushed over and hugged him. "Oh, man, I'm so glad you could come!"

"I made a promise, Ogie," Ronaldo said, blushing a bit as she hugged him.

"Aw, look at that," Ruff sighed as he and Blossom watched them, "now does Kendall hug him like that? Heck, you should see the hugs Luna's been given me. Oh, yeah, I'm top dog in her eyes." He didn't notice Blossom roll her eyes.

"Hey, Ruff?" Ronaldo said as Ogie finished hugging him. "You know, it's been a while...you think your boss is still mad at you?"

"What, Henry?" Ruff chuckled. "Henry can take it, I mean, it's not like I called him out and slammed the phone on him..."

He turned to Blossom, who shook her head in disagreement. Ruff's eyes widened in horror and he pursed his lips.

"Yeah, I might be doomed..." He gulped. "But it's worth it!" He said strongly. "Henry needs to know that friends are more important than a show!" He held a stiff upper lip. "A show I'm proud of and hope I haven't lost yet..." He muttered.

Suddenly, his eyes began to water.

"Blossom, I need comfort food! Now!" He cried, wiping his eyes.

Quick as a pegasus, Blossom returned with a cupcake she got from Sugarcube Corner and handed it too him. He immediately attacked it, pink frosting covering his face.

"Ruff, you got some frosting on..." Ronaldo pointed at his cheeks, then his chin, even on his nose.

"Sorry, I'm a dog," Ruff sighed, "I eat like one, even when I'm depressed."

"Here," Ronaldo said as he dug into his pants. "Wipe your face with this paper I somehow found in my pocket." He took out the folded material and handed it to the TV host dog.

"Thanks, kid," Ruff said before he quickly buried his face in the piece of paper. With a sigh or relief, he crumpled it up and threw it over his shoulder. Thankfully, Blossom held a waste basket behind him. "I'm feeling better now."

"Even though there's a possibility that you might get fired?" Gunther asked innocently.

The dog's eyes began to water again and he shut them tight. "Blossom, get me a bear claw! With extra almonds!"

As they all watched Blossom dash off to get his next snack, no one noticed the words 'Love Twilight' on the crumpled piece of paper Ruff threw away.
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A few heads turned when Mordecai and Margaret walked down the streets of their town, searching in hopes that perhaps the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony was among their living areas. Margaret's eyes shifted over to gaze at Mordecai, whose blonde hair was blowing in mysterious wind as he dawned his rescue attire; in his hands was the bo staff he kept with him at all times.

He does look like he's been working out...Margaret thought, her eyes softening a bit.

She immediately looked away when Mordecai turned to her in confusion. She felt her cheeks heat up as she placed a hand on her cheek, feeling it growing hot.

"So..." She began quietly. "You think Discord might be here, really?"

"He's been here before," Mordecai said with a determined expression, holding his weapon firmly. "He's trying to make us think he's only residing in Equestria. But considering he also visited Rocky and the kids, he could be there or maybe here."

Margaret gazed at him, simple just amazed as well as surprised. "You know..." She began quietly. "You're really sweet."

The bluejay's eyes widened before he turned to her in utter disbelief. The red robin smiled nervously and laughed.

"Well, you're going to so much to help a friend," she added quickly, "how is that not sweet?"

"Oh..." Mordecai said, feeling his face heat up. "Well, thanks, Margie."

"I don't know what exactly what we're going to do once we actually do find Discord," she said.

"Leave that to me," he said darkly, tightening his grip on his weapon. "I'll take care of him."

Margaret's eyes widened a bit. "You're not going to kill him, are you?"

"Who told you that?" Mordecai cried, startling her. "I mean..." He swallowed hard. "Why would I do that?"

"Oh, no reason..." She said quietly. "Still, even though this Discord has quite the magic..." She smiled at him. "You're a good match."

"Aw, wow, Margaret," Mordecai chuckled with flattery. "That's...that's really cool of you to say."

"The princesses mentioned something about how the elements could give out a special kind of magic that could take care of him for good?" She asked.

"Oh, yeah," he recalled, "they didn't go into full detail on account of we were in a bit of a hurry, but I'm sure it's big."

"And we're part of that 'big' thing?"

"Well, we are supporters of harmony," he chuckled.

"Oh, yeah, magic of friendship," she nodded. "some bond."

Mordecai smiled at her. "You know, I'm real glad you're part of that bond."

She became surprised once again as she gazed at him with her mouth slightly open. He just smiled at her. A sweet, genuine smile.

They both shared a laugh before they continued down the street, both searching for Discord and enjoying each other's company.
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Spike watched worriedly as Twilight's parents talked with a few friends from Canterlot, hoping there was some news to the whereabouts of his unicorn friend. His eyes lowered sadly when he saw the tear-stricken look on Mrs. Sparkle's face.

"Nothing, huh?" Spike turned and behind him stood Rocky, holding a book close to her.

"No matter how hard we search," he sighed sadly, "I feel so useless..."

"Oh, Spikey, don't think that way!" Rocky told him gently. "You're not useless! You're Twilight's number one assistant, remember that!" She gave him an encouraging smile. "You were with her when Discord was here for the first time."

"I wasn't a good Element of Loyalty, remember?" He pointed out.

"Just because the jewel doesn't fit doesn't mean you aren't full of loyalty," Rocky told him. "You're full of it! Excessive even!"

"Yeah, thanks," Spike said, his green gazing into her brown ones thankfully.

Finally taking a good look at her, Spike noticed she wasn't wearing her usual pink and orange dress, nor did she wear her headband or had her hair tied back. She wasn't even wearing her bracelet. She wore a purple, sleeveless sweater and blue tights, her hair was let down and a light purple hair clip with a pink design was on the side of her face, and she seemed to be wearing pink/purple gloves that were holding her book.

"You're still reading The Elements of Harmony?" He asked.

"I have to," she said, "there is critical details that I might have overlooked that could be proven useful on our situation."

"I have a feeling you've been spending time in your school library again?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Like Twilight," she said modestly, "I am a star pupil as well."

"Yeah, you keep up with that," Spike said before he walked off, "I got to go talk to Twilight's parents and make sure they're at least a little okay."

Rocky watched the baby dragon leave before she turned to see the slight empty streets of Canterlot around her. How she adored Canterlot, and how she adored the unicorn population as well. Though they were high-class, what really intrigued her was their intellectual. And their magic.

She slowly placed a finger and trailed it down her forehead, a slight feel of self-pity and hope coursing through her. Ignoring the thought, Rocky had to go and find Kick and the others, knowing they were waiting for her so they could do search outside Canterlot before doing another search in, supposedly, Mellowbrook.

"Ah, good day, Rochelle."

Rocky turned and smiled as she gazed up at the most high-class unicorn of all of Canterlot. "Hello, Fancypants."

The stallion unicorn smiled at her before gazing down at her book. "My, my, studying again?"

"It's important, actually," she blushed a bit. "I'm trying to dig deeper into the facts of the elements as well as discover some details in my other books in relation of this matter."

Fancypants chuckled before he floated the book out of her hands and gazed at the cover. "Ah, I studied this recently. Perhaps I might have missed something as well." He smiled before he returned it to her. "I'll leave it up to an intelligent young filly like you to find out."

"Filly?" Rocky laughed. "Fancy, I'm a human."

"Indeed, you are," he said knowingly. Then he reached a gentle hoof and placed it on her shoulder. "But I must say, although you do not have a horn, you are quite a unicorn in our eyes, and I speak that on behalf of all unicorns."

Rocky blushed. "Thanks, Fancypants..."

"It would be quite a thrill if you came to the decision to go to dear Twilight's school," he said. "Because, as I can see, you've got quite a bit of Sparkle within you."

"Well, I have been studying spells that she showed me..." She said. "Though, to actually try them...yeah, ain't going to happen."

"Sometimes the impossible may be possible," the stallion told her. He leaned down and gave her a nuzzling embrace. "I must go now, my dear. Me and the others must tend to continue our journey with Zecora."

"You know, it's surprising how much the Canterlot ponies like her now," Rocky stated.

"Well, a little kindness and enchantment can do well in the matters of friendship," he winked at her. "And that's how I was the first to befriend Zecora."

Rocky waved farewell to him as he trotted off to join the others. Holding her book under one arm, Rocky dug into her pocket and pulled out the note Spike had burned. The name Discord remained charred but visible.

Her eyes lowered a bit as her bottom lip quivered. She had to dig deeper into what she was studying. She had a feeling something was going to happen that was going to be regretted...

"Oh, bleh!"

Rocky immediately turned to see a nearby unicorn with a monocle glaring at his cup of tea. In it was a soaked piece of paper.

"I say!" He cried. "I asked for lemon sugar! Not paper!"

Rocky raised an eyebrow as she watched the paper continue soaking in his cup. Whatever was written in there was gone thanks to the tea...
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Alright, Big Mac, show me what you got."

The red stallion gave a nod as he raised his hind legs up and bucked a nearby tree, causing it to quiver as branches and leaves fell.

"My cod..." Mr. Baldwin gasped as he held his helmet under his arm.

As everyone was grouped, he knew Mordecai was partnered with Margaret. And he definitely knew Rigby was partnered with Derpy and Cheerilee. He snickered at how much that high school dropout was suffering at the hooves of two intellectual ponies. He partnered up with Big Macintosh. He truly admired the stallion, seeing what a kind, gentle, big-hearted guy he was. He did, however, envy his strength as he watched him buck the tree once more to prove how strong he was.

"Discord won't stand a chance," Mr. Baldwin said in amazement.

"You know, he made a dog out of me the first time he was here," Big Macintosh stated as he stood on all fours.

"Yeah, what was that like?" Baldwin asked as he smoothed the top of his bald head.

"Don't know," the stallion shrugged, "all I recall is that I've been digging holes all over the farm."

"Just digging holes?" The seahorse asked.

"Well, I know I did something else..." Big Macintosh pondered a bit. "Oh, well, I can't remember what I did. But I bet you it wasn't that important."
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Discord looked up from the book they were reading and gazed at Twilight, who was totally engrossed in the material they had laid on the table. After some playing around with cotton candy clouds and drinking chocolate rain, Discord took Twilight's request that they read together. Somehow, he found the activity more enjoyable now that he actually had someone to read with.
He smiled to himself, watching as Twilight turned the page.

"I do hope your friends aren't too angry once they read the messages we sent them," he said.

"Oh, they'll probably be upset," she said, not tearing her eyes away from the book. "You sure you put them in good places?"

"Where I'm sure they will be able to find them and soon read them," he promised.

Twilight smiled up at him as she flipped the page. "Good," she said, "I'm not worried then."

"I will admit, though," he said, "that Mordecai of yours was quite displeased the first time he met me."

"Oh, Mordecai," she rolled her eyes. "Yeah, he's pretty aggressive, but he's just being a good friend is all. I hope you don't hold it against him if he tried to go at you."

"Nonsense, my dear," he said, "I can't blame him for wanting to fight me. Just as your dear Baldwin friend might do if he saw me."

"Oh, Mr. Baldwin," Twilight sighed. "He's really wonderful."

"He's really pregnant?" He asked, recalling an earlier conversation they had.

"Male seahorse thing," she said with a blush. "But I let him know he'll make a great mommy/daddy."

"You must care about him so much," Discord observed.

"Well, he thinks of me as his daughter figure to him," she confessed. "Oh, he used to be such a grouch until that one night we hung out on a Friday. Now he's become less of a grouch, and is determined to make sure his child will be raised well." She smiled up at him. "Can you believe he hopes to have a daughter and name her after me?"

"Won't that be confusing?" Discord laughed.

"Well, something related to my name," she giggled.

"So you're really a daughter to him."

"Well, I love my real dad, of course," she said, "but I love Baldwin as well. Sometimes I call him Unkie Baldy, sometimes Sea Daddy, sometimes just Baldwin. And he calls me Sparkle, Twi, or even cute names like honey or sweetie."

"Soon-to-be-mother, coming soon," Discord joked.

"He loves kids, I assure you," she said, "though, his students...that's a different matter."

"Speaking of kids," Discord began, "what about that brown-eyed girl with the black hair?"

"Rocky?" Twilight asked. "Oh, yes, she's quite the star pupil. Reminds me of myself. You know, both her and Mordecai are considering going to my academy for gifted unicorns."

"Even though they're not...?" He began carefully.

"They study hard," Twilight told him. "Though, as I've noticed about Rocky...she seems really determined for some reason. I'm not sure whether it's about the school or something entirely different..."

"I immediately knew she wasn't like the other kids as soon as I met her," Discord said. "She spoke carefully, peacefully, and chose her words in a proper but terrified manner."

"I guess she was somewhat excited when she saw you," she laughed.

"I know her blonde-haired friend with the glasses was," Discord stated.

"Oh, you mean Kick's friend Ronaldo," she said, "yes, he just wants something to admire other than physics...or his girlfriend."

"Oh, yeah," he sighed, "I met her..."

They shared a laugh, not realizing they had finished the book they were reading. Putting it away, Twilight gazed out a nearby window and noticed Luna's moon having been raised up.

"Wow, time flies," she realized. Then she shifted her eyes toward Discord. "Unless you really did make it fly."

"I did not mess around with the sun and moon this time," he confessed. "Not when I'm enjoying so much time with you, my dear."

"Well, nice to know the night is truly still young," she said playfully. "Shall we read a new volume?"

"Actually," he began, "I was hoping we'd drop the reading and go to more different matters."

"Such as?" She raised an eyebrow.

He smirked at her before snapping his fingers.

Before Twilight knew it, the area around them changed and was replaced by a polished wooden floor. Confused, she turned and saw a DJ system standing across from them. And, as Discord snapped his fingers once again, bright neon lights shown around the room.

"It's been a while since I've danced," he confessed playfully.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Nothing..." Mordecai muttered as he played with the straw in his half-empty glass of ginger ale.

Margaret gazed at him sadly, her hands around an ice tea. They had spent hours going around town in search of their unicorn friend or the dreaded Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony. No such luck and before they knew it, was was night time. Poor Mordecai felt so ashamed that he hadn't found Twilight yet, and here he was now, moping and drowning himself in non-alcoholic beverages. His brown cape removed and placed on his chair, the hero wannabe's eyes dropped in despair.

"Not a single sight of him..." Mordecai drawled, not bothering to push the strand of blonde hair that fell over his eyes. "Nor Twilight..."

Either the ginger ale was getting to his head, or he could just imagine right now...Twilight in the arms of that monster. And she liked it. He was just so sure Discord had her under his spell of love. And lust.

He felt his feathers ruffle in sheer anxiety to imagine the possibilities those two were doing right now. He already imagined nightmarish thoughts of Discord taking Twilight and...now he felt those thoughts become worse because he suddenly imagined Twilight actually love that guy.

I'm screwed in every way possible...he thought miserably as he downed the last of his ginger ale.

"I think I'll order one of those giggle water things," he droned, pushing his empty glass aside.

Margaret's eyes widened in horror. "Mordecai, come on!" She urged desperately. "You know you don't drink that crap!"

"Well, we're not in Sugarcube Corner right now, are we?" He muttered. "If we were, I'd be drinking a dozen milkshakes by now."

"Oh, Mordecai..." She said softly, reaching over and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, you shouldn't be this way. You know none of us are giving up hope."

"I know, I know..." He sighed. "I just...I just can't help but think that Discord's got Twilight around his huge lion paw finger right now."

"Corrupted, you mean?" She suggested.

"Worse," he sighed, "romanced."

The red robin's beak curved in a slightly disgusted frown at his suggestion. Mordecai's expression remained unchanged as he gazed at her.

"Well, why else would he have taken her?" He asked. "It's not like Twilight would even think of actually going to him first. I mean, that would mean that she...she..." He suddenly gulped.

"We don't know, Mordecai," Margaret said. "And let's try not to know and realize that we're on a mission."

"This mission is starting to suck..." He muttered.

"Mordecai," Margaret began again.

Suddenly, music blared from the sound system of the bar, nearly startling them both. As a familiar beat came to Margaret's ears, the red robin suddenly smiled in realization.

"Hey, I know!" She said cheerfully.

"What?" Mordecai asked, uninterested.

"Oh, don't be such a grump!" Margaret giggled before she got up from her seat, her hand grasping his.

"Hey, what are you-" Mordecai began before she pulled him from his seat.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Twilight sat at the couch with a book in her hooves as she watched Discord dance to a slight disco beat. Though she wanted to continue reading, she grew quite interested in the music.

And Discord. He was dancing. He was happy, doing what he loved before he had been turned to stone. That made her smile.

"Join me, Twilight!" He encouraged, holding his lion paw out to her.

Her eyes widened. "Me?" She exclaimed. "Uh, no..." She averted her eyes. "I don't dance..."

"Oh, really?" He chuckled with amusement before snapping his fingers.

Suddenly, a song blared through the system as Twilight's ears perked up at the familiar tune. Next thing she knew, the couch disappeared from underneath her and she fell on her hooves, making her drop the book. Before she could protest, Discord slithered beside her, smirking.

"Tell me, have you ever listened to Hayhanna?" He asked. "I must say, this song of hers if my absolute favorite!"

"Well, this song does seem nice-" Twilight was immediately cut off when Discord grabbed her by the hooves and brought her to the center of the dance floor.

She found herself gazing into his mismatched eyes, his height a few feet above hers but he was able to accommodate her size as his feet centered with her back hooves.  

"Let's see if you can't dance, my dear," he said quietly as the the voice of Hayhanna began to sing.

Twinkling stars in the night
And we're standing side by side
As the dullness comes upside
We must find a way to see the light
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mordecai was surprised when Margaret dragged him into the center of the club. He barely realized that his hands were now in hers as the beat of the music began to progress.

"Rihanna?" He asked.

"I know you like her," Margaret said playfully. "And I just know this song will help you out for the night. So please..." She gazed up at him with pleadingl eyes. "Dance with me?"

Before Twilight came along, he would have anticipated and hoped the red robin would ask him those words. However, the words he used to hope for were 'would you go out with me?', but this was fine. Even though he threw away such feelings...he just couldn't say no to her, especially when she was trying so hard just to help him.

"Sure, Margie," he said softly, smiling down at her.

The red robin smiled as she swayed her hips to the beat as song began.

Yellow diamonds in the light
And we're standing side by side
As your shadow crosses mine
What it takes to come alive
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Twilight found herself moving in motion with Discord as he led her to dance, feet and hooves going all over the dance floor as they danced all around. The unicorn was quite surprised at herself before gazing up at Discord, who simply smiled down at her.

What can we do when things seem to stultify?  
We just got to go with the flow
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
We found love in a hopeless place

Mordecai found he was enjoying himself as he and Margaret danced around the club. It didn't matter that they were the only ones dancing, it only mattered they they were having fun.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
We found fun in a boring place

Before Twilight knew it, she was leading the dance as her hooves grasped Discord's hands and she felt her tail swishing as they glided along the dance floor.

"Oh, wow..." She couldn't help but say.

"And you said you couldn't dance," he chuckled, enjoying every moment.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
We found love in a hopeless place

"There's that smile!" Margaret laughed as she placed her hands on Mordecai's shoulders as they swayed to the beat.

"Don't try and make it any bigger," Mordecai joked. "It's really starting to hurt."

"Oh, no pain, no gain!" She giggled as they continued dancing.

We found love in a hopeless place
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Twilight placed a hoof along Discord's arm as she her other one continued grasping his lion paw. By now, she immediately forgot their reading as she absorbed in the moment.

Flash a smile as we hit the floor
Sadness and fear should be pushed aside
With you here is what I adore
Let my hooves beat from side to side

This is what she had hoped for Discord. To dance, be merry, enjoy himself with no worries.

And she had been the key to that.

What can we do when things seem to stultify?  
We just got to go with the flow
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
We found love in a hopeless place

Mordecai allowed Margaret to grasp his arms as they laughed and continued dancing.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
We found fun in a boring place

Twilight laughed out in surprise when Discord placed his lion paw above her back and spun her around.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
We found love in a hopeless place

"How about after this..." Margaret began as the song was coming close to an end. "We get something to eat? My treat."

Mordecai smiled down at her, shoving away the blonde strands to gaze at her better.

"That would be sweet."

Suddenly, another song blared out and his eyes widened with excitement.

"Right after we're done shuffling!" He said.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
We found fun in a boring place

Twilight smiled in content as their dancing slowed as the song faded. Hooves on his arms as his paw was still on her back, they shared a laugh before complimenting each other.

"Well, that was fun," the unicorn said shyly.

"That's what Hayhanna's song was all about," he chuckled.

"Well, you got me in the mood," she said playfully, smirking at him. "Tell me, what dance do you have in mind now?"

Discord raised an eyebrow at her, an amused smile on his face.

"Tell me, my dear," he began. "Do you like..." And he snapped his fingers. "To shuffle?"

Twilight's eyes widened in surprise as a quick, uptight beat began to play. Then her eyes shone with mischief as she smirked at him.

"You're looking at the pony who mastered the shuffle after you."