Chapter 21
Fluttershy slowly opened her eyes and yawned, having a nice sleep. It was morning and Fluttershy wasn't sure how long she slept, she was up most of the night so she could only assume she slept in a little.
"Had a nice nap?" Fluttershy heard Screwball ask.
"Oh yes, I had the most interesting dream" Fluttershy joked, Screwball giggled in response.
"What's so funny?" They heard Twilight ask.
"Did somepony tell a joke?" Pinkie asked.
"Oh sorry, we didn't mean to wake you both up" Fluttershy said.
"I don't know bout you, but ah have been awake" Applejack said.
"Yeah, I tried to wake you and Screwball up but you two are very heavy sleepers" Rainbow said. Fluttershy noticed everybody was wide awake and the sun was very high up, as if she overslept by hours.
"Next time don't sleep for so long" Screwball whispered.
"C'mon! Tell me the joke!" Pinkie whined when she noticed them whisper.
"Fine, come here" Screwball said, signaling for Pinkie to walk over.
"Oh boy!" Pinkie cheered as she hopped over Screwball's bed. Screwball whispered something into Pinkie's ear for a long time, Pinkie kept reacting by gasping, grinning, fake barfing, coughing, and then at the end she fell back into a fit of laughter.
"Don't leave me hanging, tell me the joke!" Rainbow yelled. Screwball smiled and signaled for Rainbow to come to her.
"Don't bother, I'm sure her style of humor is questionable" Rarity harshly said. Screwball turned questionably to Rarity, then back to Rainbow and started whispering.
"What was that about?" Twilight asked.
"Whatever do you mean?" Rarity asked.
"You were a little mean to Screwball" Fluttershy said. At this point Rainbow was laughing alongside Pinkie and Screwball was now signaling Applejack to come to her.
"I have no idea what you're both talking about" Rarity said.
"Is it because she's Discord's daughter?" Twilight asked.
"If she's the daughter of that… thing, I have no interest in befriending her" Rarity harshly said. Screwball was now whispering to Applejack.
"You can't judge her like that, it's unfair to her" Twilight defended.
"I have every right to do so" Rarity responded. They heard Applejack laughing.
"Rarity, you don't' have to be Discord's friend, and you don't have to be Screwball friend either" Fluttershy started, then looked Rarity dead in the eye. "But if you call Discord a 'thing' ever again…" Fluttershy stopped, looking very mad. Suddenly she looked shocked then her ears went down. "I'm sorry, I overreacted" she apologized, Rarity and Twilight looked shocked but Twilight shook herself.
"It's alright Fluttershy, you said what you needed to say" Twilight said.
"You three want to hear my joke?" They heard Screwball. Fluttershy and Twilight turned to her.
"Sure, I like a good joke" Twilight said, walking over to her.
"I'm sorry" Fluttershy repeated.
"It's alright Fluttershy dear, perhaps I have been selfish with my judgement" Rarity admitted, Screwball was now whispering to Twilight.
"Hey whatcha both talking about?" Pinkie asked, recovering from her laughter.
"Nothing important Pinkie" Rarity responded, smiling to Fluttershy and she smiled back.
"It appears Fluttershy didn't wake up correctly" Luna said, noticing the time.
"I guess time speeds up while in dream world huh?" Spike guessed.
"It speeds as fast as the dreamer makes it" Luna told him. Spike stretched a bit.
"Man I haven't slept all night, I should probably go to bed before I get tired" Spike said.
"No need, when in someponies dream your body gets as much rest as the pony who is dreaming" Luna said. Spike scratched his head.
"Then how come you usually need to sleep in the day?" Spike asked.
"The dreams we visit are usually nightmares, the fillies who dream this don't have restful nights and as a result I get little to no rest from visiting these dreams" Luna explained.
"Oh I guess that makes sense, so you'll be up all day today?" Spike asked, swallowing a lump in his throat.
"You are correct and if we recall correctly, your week vacation ended today, we shall resume your training immediately" Luna said. Spike was already sweating.
So, what's on the agenda today?
None of your business.
Actually it is, I need to know if you're going to spread some real chaos now.
Yes I am, I'm just now sure how yet.
You don't know how to spread chaos? Man you're a joke.
You know what I meant.
Perhaps start off small.
Your definition of 'small' isn't what mine is.
Why don't you start off by overthrowing the princess?
No thanks, it'd be boring without competition.
So you're saying you'd do it.
I didn't say that.
Now you're just messing with me! C'mon tell me!
I thought you could eavesdrop on my conversations.
I can't do that when you go into somebodies dream.
Well we're going to discuss it with the others today, so just stop being annoying and you'll figure it out.
Fair enough. But don't do anything wimpy, I want something good.
"Wait, muffins can't talk" Twilight said.
"They do for this joke" Screwball responded.
"But how did the Muffin go to Equestria without legs?" Twilight asked.
"I don't know, let's pretend it had legs" Screwball said.
"Why would Princess Luna talk to a muffin?" Twilight asked.
"You're ruining the joke" Screwball sighed.
"The joke doesn't make sense" Twilight responded.
"That's what makes it funny!" Screwball shouted.
"She has a tendency to do that" Rainbow said, looking annoyed.
"Wow really!? I didn't know that!" Everyone heard Pinkie yell, Rainbow laughed.
"No need for sarcasm Pinkie" Twilight said, sounding annoyed.
"Sarcasm? Oh right, yeah I was being sarcastic" Pinkie said, not sounding convincing. Fluttershy was nervously smiling. Screwball was suspicious and walked to them.
"What're you both talking about?" Screwball asked.
"Nothing" Pinkie said, smiling and suppressing a laugh. Screwball gasped loudly.
"Fluttershy, you swore not to tell her" Screwball hissed.
"I didn't tell her" Fluttershy immediately said.
"Tell me what?" Pinkie asked.
"About how I'm not really Discord's daughter" Screwball said.
"You're not Discord's daughter!?" Pinkie asked loudly. Screwball froze and Fluttershy shushed Pinkie.
"What was that?" Applejack asked, not hearing what she said.
"Nothing" Screwball responded quickly, smiling awkwardly.
"Right… so I'm going to look for Discord" Rainbow said, walking towards a window.
"Why?" Twilight asked.
"I want to be sure he isn't causing trouble, I don't trust him one bit" Rainbow harshly said as she flew out the window.
"Rainbow wait" Fluttershy (somewhat) shouted. She didn't hear her and kept flying.
"Hah, is she going to be mad or what?" Screwball joked.
"How come?" Twilight asked. She got her answer when a bright flash appeared in the middle of the room.
"Hello everybody" they heard Discord chant.
"Oh, it's you" Rarity harshly said.
"'you'? That's the weakest insult you've drown at me, am I finally warming up to you?" Discord taunted as he hovered over Rarity. Rarity rolled her eyes.
"Hi Dad" Screwball said.
"Hello my little abomination" Discord responded, shrinking himself and teleporting in her mane.
"You're the one who looks little Dad" Screwball joked.
"Hi Discord" Fluttershy greeted.
"Hiya Dizzy" Pinkie cheered.
"Ladies" Discord said, laying down in Screwball mane.
"So I just heard the most interesting thing" Pinkie taunted.
"Is that so?" Discord asked. Screwball thought she knew what she was talking about.
"Yup, your secret didn't stay secret from me, Detective Pinkie" Pinkie joked, putting on her old detective hat. Discord looked amuzed.
"I can assure if you knew my secrets you'd be going insane right now" Discord said.
"She's already crazy though, so what would happen?" Screwball asked.
"Hey! I'm not crazy!" Pinkie whined.
"So what did you find out?" Discord asked.
"I actually learned two things" Pinkie said.
"Oh?" Discord went, looking at both Fluttershy and Screwball.
"It wasn't actually a secret" Fluttershy clarified.
"What is it though?" Discord asked.
"It's what the Princess told you to do" Pinkie said.
"Oh that" Discord said, waving his claws in dismissal.
"What is 'that'?" Twilight asked.
"Nothing important, just that I need to be evil again" Discord nonchalantly said.
"WHAT?" Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity yelled.
"Don't worry, he's only pretending to be evil so that everypony thinks he is evil again" Fluttershy clarified.
"Why in tarnation would the Princess ask you to do that?" Applejack asked.
"Remember that lesson on Chaos and Harmony balance I gave you ponies? Well apparently I've been spreading to little chaos" Discord said.
"Too little? On the contraire you're too chaotic!" Rarity yelled.
"That's what I told her!" Discord joked.
"So what? You need to appear to be evil again just so you can spread more chaos?" Twilight asked.
"Yup! She even gave me all my powers back!" Discord said, stretching his arms.
"We need to discuss how to do that, if he pretends to be evil and we don't do anything about it, everypony will be suspicious about it" Fluttershy said.
"Maybe he can pretend being a new villain! He can be 'El Chaos'!" Pinkie said.
"El Chaos?" Everybody asked.
"Yeah! He can go around luring ponies into the woods and scaring them with spells, I got a mustache he can use! Nopony will know it's him!" Pinkie said. Screwball laughed loudly.
"It's a good idea, but 'el chaos' is too similar to what I do, I'm sure somebody will tie us together" Discord said.
"Maybe he can just be nameless, let the public name him instead" Screwball suggested.
"Perhaps he can just occupy the Everfree forest and haunt ponies who walk by" Twilight suggested.
"Will that be enough? I doubt many ponies visit the forest daily." Discord said.
"Maybe if ah offer a reward for your capture, bounty hunters will come get ya" Applejack suggested. Discord arched an eyebrow to her.
"You'd do that for me? What's the catch?" Discord asked.
"No catch, just repaying the favor." Applejack responded. Discord just shrugged it off.
"I suppose I can design an outfit for your persona" Rarity mumbled. Discord giggled.
"I guess you'll need to be able to design again huh?" Discord taunted. Rarity again rolled her eyes.
"What if ponies ask us why we aren't trying to capture him?" Pinkie asked.
"Discord, you'll need to make sure nopony actually sees you more than once, so they aren't sure you actually exist" Twilight said.
"Got it, haunt people, everfree forest, don't let them see me more than once, don't hurt anypony" Discord said, writing all down on a notepad.
"Oh my, what about Rainbow?" Fluttershy asked. Discord just now noticed she wasn't here.
"I did notice it didn't reek of ego" Discord joked.
"Discord" Fluttershy said sternly.
"Perhaps she can be my first 'victim'?" Discord asked.
"No, she needs to know" Twilight said.
"Yeah, or she'd be trying nonstop to capture you!" Pinkie said. Discord sighed.
"Fine, I'll tell her" Discord sighed, preparing to place a spell.
"Where is he?" Rainbow thought to herself, it seems she was flying for a long time now. Wait a minute, why was she going after him? At first it was just to get away from Screwball, those eyes, when they were red, and her smile, it sent shudders down her spine. Wait, was she scared of Screwball?
"No way! I just don't trust her!" Rainbow thought. Now that she thought of it, wouldn't it be better to stay with her friends? If Discord was planning something they'd need her help.
"Maybe I should turn back" Rainbow thought. Before she could turn she felt herself freeze.
"What the?" She thought. She was frozen mid-air, her wings wouldn't move and yet she wasn't falling. She tried her best to break free but she couldn't move, it reminded her of the nightmare she had. A black smoke started surrounding her.
"Discord! Stop it!" She yelled. No response, the smoke had completely enveloped her. When the smoke cleared up, she was gone.
Sorry, I'll be busy for most of this week and I didn't stockpile the chapters this time so I might take a while to update. I hope this chapter helps you remain calm till I get back on track.