The swirling clouds of dreams parted as the stallion woke, his eyes gazing around bleakly and slightly out of focus. His sluggish thoughts from his last endeavour returned as his focus adjusted to the dimly lit cave. He sat there, staring at the ceiling, pondering the fate of his master. He studied the patterns that traced the rock, like veins running through the mountain. He was well aware that the large cave once housed a large dragon and his treasure trove, but that was a time long ago. "I guess I have those 6 fillies to thank for this home," he muttered to himself. All he could think of was confronting those ponies and forcing them to undo their torturous magic. How could something as seemingly simply as friendship confound the most powerful entity in all existence? He tossed and turned, squirming under the warmth of the bed sheets. His body refused to find a comfortable position, forcing him to abandon his attempts. He forced himself upright and leaped from the bed, fanning his wings so as to gently touch the ground. After making his bed, he set out to the mouth of the cave. Below, he gazed upon the acres of forest that surrounded his mountain, like giant needles aimed toward the sky. His eyes drifted over the landscape before settling on the sight of the familiar town, Ponyville. He hadn't decided exactly what he was to do, but he felt drawn to the small village of ponies. "Perhaps all the answers I need are right there, I just haven't been looking hard enough..."

He made his way to the old cracked mirror by the cave entrance, studying himself closely. "I'll need to disguise myself," he thought, "while these antlers have proven useful, they are too plain obvious..." He cast several spells in quick succession. Slowly, his antlers faded as they were turned invisible, along with his majestic horn. His ears straightened and changed shape to resemble the ears of the other ponies he had seen. He examined his handy work swiftly as his attention was drawn to his eyes. He watched as his iris' changed from blood red, to a light shade of blue. Of all things, his disguise could not be menacing if he was going to meet those ponies without scaring them. Satisfied, he stretched his wings and nodded to himself with approval. "I would make a fine Pegasus, if I weren't already what I am," he thought. What he was, he wasn't quite sure... but he was certain that such trivial concerns were pointless. His goals were what mattered most, and more importantly, those of his master.

The flight to Ponyville was shorter than expected, the winds aiding in his descent from the mountain across the tips of the forest trees. He had decided upon visiting each of the ponies who had imprisoned his master, those who represented the elements of harmony. If he was careless enough to return Discord without a way to thwart the power of the ponies friendship, he may as well quit. By knowing his enemies well, keeping a close eye on them all... maybe he can learn more of the powers they possess. His attention was drawn to the large field of apple trees he was rapidly approaching. "First stop..."

He walked along the edge of the field, following the path edged by the white fence.
"YEEEE-HAWWW!!!"
The sudden outburst escaped from the trees, firing off all of the stallion's nerves. He maintained his composure with strained effort and focused his attention on finding the source of the noise. He peeked at the apple trees, and noticed a light orange blur dashing through them. The mare twirled around and gave the Apple tree a mighty kick, stopping her in place while at the same time causing the heavily burdened tree to release its bounty. The apples fell in 3 piles, collecting in crates that were placed there earlier.

"Well howdy there stranger! What brings you 'round these parts?" the pony asked as she noticed him watching.
"Shoot!" he thought to himself, he hadn't planned what his reasons were for visiting the pony, or any of the others for that matter. "Um, sorry for intruding," he managed to say, "I'm new to this place and I'm still learning to find my way around."
"Well don't you worry yourself sugar cube, you'll find the ponies 'round here are plenty friendly and always looking ta help out a friend in need," the country pony smiled. She tilted her hat up as her eyes levelled with the stallion's.
"Beggin' yer pardon, but what did you say your name was?" she inquired.
"Um... Storm," the stallion lied, grateful for his quick thinking.
"And where 'bouts are you from?" continuing her investigation, though not unkindly.
"I don't really have a place to stay at the moment." he started.
"Well, you always got a place t' stay here with the Apple family, Storm." the mare interrupted "ya'll never be without a home so long as yer here."
"Thanks I..." the stallion replied
"Aww shoot, I nearly forgot! Name's Applejack, rodeo champion of Ponyville." the mare intervened.
"Well thank you Applejack, I'll keep your offer in mind," began the stallion, "I'll be sure to catch up with you later, I've got a few more stops I need to make first."
"Happy t' help," the mare beamed at him, "See ya'll later!"
The mare waved after the stallion as he resumed his journey down the road, toward the forest once more. As soon as the mare was out of sight, the stallion took flight and headed back to town square. He squinted at the sun, there was still plenty of light left for him to visit the other ponies today.

He landed lightly in the middle of the street, it was nearly deserted save for an elderly pony making her way through town. He walked by the numerous stores in search for the famous cake store, the second home of Pinkie Pie. He circled around the buildings, losing himself in the town as he found where the ponies were all gathering. "Sugar cube corner," the sign read. The stallion shuddered, remembering the name Applejack had called him. A swirling cloud of pink candy floss stirred him from his thoughts as he gazed over the crowd. Soon however, he realised that it was merely the mane of a bouncing, pink pony. Trailing behind her was a unicorn with a shimmering white coat and purple mane, a small purple dragon close at her heels. The stallion's vision widened with realisation. Pinkie Pie and Rarity... but who was the dragon? Nopony of consequence he assured himself. He watched as the two entered one of the many stores, the aroma of sweets and treats teasing him all the while. He followed the ponies into the store and waited patiently behind them as they placed their orders. The ponies bags of goodies levitated with a purple glow. The stallion moved forward as the unicorn turned around, tossing her hair from her face as she did so. Their eyes met briefly, however were disrupted by the excited pink pony. Her gasp was loud and somewhat frightening as she advanced and let loose an avalanche of questions.
"Oh my gosh! Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie! How are you? Who are you? Are you new to Ponyville? how long are you staying for?"
A white hoof forced its way into the pink mares mouth, stopping the flow of pressing questions and reducing the noise substantially.

"Don't mind her good fellow, that's just her way of welcoming you here. At least she hasn't run off and started preparing a huge party in your honour already." the mare said.
As if set off by some unknown trigger, the Pink mare pulled herself away from Rarity and again gasped. She flew through the door, faster than the eye could follow. Apparently she could fly, for there were no hoof steps to be heard as she did so.
"Again, not to worry my dear, you may learn over time that is just how she is," she said as she battered he eyelashes, "My name is Rarity by the way, what may I ask is yours?"
"Storm." the stallion flatly replied.
"And I'm Spike!" came a voice from Rarity's hooves. The stallion looked down to see the purple dragon looking up into his eyes.
"I see you've already met my girl friend here?" he indicated towards Rarity proudly.
"Spikey Wikey! There's no need for that!" the mare exclaimed. The stallion forced down a smile at the dragon's nickname.
"I'm terribly sorry, he might be feeling just a little... jealous," she battered her eyelashes once more before sliding the disheartened dragon behind her.
"No problem whatsoever, he ought to be proud," the stallion stated. It was obvious that she was susceptible to flattery, and he intended to take full advantage of it. The unicorn tossed her mane once more and smiled in response.
"He should be careful not to show you off too much, miss Rarity. I think I have heard of you once before... something about your boutique perhaps?" the stallion questioned. The unicorns eyes sparkled as she was lifted with enthusiasm.
"Why yes indeed, I own the Carousel Boutique not far from here," the mare proclaimed happily.
"Perhaps I'll have to stop by and check your store sometime, I bet it is smashing," the stallion managed to say. This conversation was driving him nuts, if only there were some way to end it quickly without appearing rude...
"Well that's great Storm, see you there sometime. Quick Rarity, we've got a lot of places to go and ponies to see!" a voice came from behind the white unicorn. She began sliding across the floor as the little dragon pushed her past the stallion, the dragon giving him the "I'm watching you" look. "That was easy," he thought to himself. That mare sure seemed a little too... vain for his liking. Perhaps he'd have her name changed once his master returned to the world.

The breeze was ever so faint as he walked down the stoneless path with butterflies following him all the while. He had to keep reminding himself that they were riding the breeze, not following him in particular as they played at his anxiety. He didn't understand why the small creatures were causing him to worry, his paranoia was besting him. He continued down the path until it reached a fork. The stallion already knew the path he had to take, but again his fear of being watched.

His journey down the path seemed never ending, it was relentless. Too much nature, and too different from the desolate cave he called home. "Where is she?" he thought. As if in answer to his question, a faint voice began to sing. There were no words in its melody, no instruments... pure vocals. Perhaps he would have been moved by the singing had he been somebody else, but all he heard were indicators that he was approaching his target. He quickened his pace and searched through the trees as the voice somewhat appeared to surround him. His eyes darted between the rows of trees, his focus was directed too much toward the trees. Too much so that he missed what was in front of him. A bolt of pain broke forth on his forehead as he stumbled backward. A whimper broke the silence that followed, but it was not his own. He opened his eyes and glared forward. He had stumbled right into a cowering mass of pink hair that hid the head it sat on. The hair fell to one side as the mare looked past its length with one, tear rimmed eye. She attempted to speak, and failed. She shut her eyes and edged backward ever so slowly. The stallion softened his discontent as he asked as nicely as he could for her name. She refused to answer, only letting out faint squeaks in response to his following queries. At least he knew this pony was the source of the singing, that coupled with the fact that she was so truly terrified of running into him confirmed what he had suspected. So this is the element of kindness? A cowering scaredy pony?

He let out a small sigh as he apologised again for running into the mare and turned around to begin searching for the other ponies. The whimpering stopped as she watched him leave the path, this time he chose to fly away. The faster he could get away, the better off he would be.

He soared through the sky, enjoying the blissful absence of everybody. The sky was clear save for a few clouds here and there, and the sun was still high in the sky. "Seems like a lot more time has passed..." he thought. A blur of rainbow dashed past the corner of his eye, interrupting his thoughts. He looked around for the streak of colours, but found nothing. He continued his flight, waiting for the blur to zoom past again. He needn't wait long it would seem, he could already hear it fast approaching from behind. He prepared himself for the wall of noise that was fast approaching. He was surprised then when the noise faded to a dull roar as the blur came into focus beside him. A flowing rainbow mane extended its way past the cyan pegasus' head. She called out to him, and he replied likewise. Neither could hear the other clearly, so they flew closer together by unspoken agreement. Their wing tips almost touching, the mare offered to race him. He immediately agreed to the opportunity at hand. At last he will be able to find out something about somebody without having to talk with them.

They counted down from three as the slowed down in preparation for what was to come. The mare shouted go at the top of her lungs, taking off ahead of the stallion. She left behind a trail of rainbow as she flew, tracing her path across the sky. The stallion sped up, flapping his wings ferociously as the pegasus returned to his sights. He edged closer and closer to the mare, before realising that they were not racing to anywhere in particular. He shot the mare a quizzical look as she grinned at him. She lowered one of her hoofs enough for the other to point ahead of her where a cloud lay unsuspectingly in the distance. A grin spread across his face as he acknowledged her, and set off even faster than before. The wind howled in his ears and stung his eyes as he flied forth. The mare quickly caught up to him in the final seconds of the race. Heart pounding, wings flapping and tears streaming they collided on the soft cushion of the cloud.
"I won!" the mare exclaimed, pumping her hooves up and down in victory. "Well, she's certainly not the modest, shy type like Fluttershy at least," he thought to himself.
"Yeah yeah, dream on little miss," he snorted "seeing as I'm in a good mood I'll let you slide with that one. Next one though, is mine."
The cyan pegasus nodded in approval and extended her hoof "the name's Rainbow Dash by the way."
"Storm" the stallion extended his hoof likewise. They exchanged a hoof bump before Rainbow Dash flapped her wings and began hovering above the cloud. After exchanging stories, most of those Rainbow Dash's and her tales of Awesomeness, he asked her if she knew where Twilight Sparkle might be, knowing full well that she lived in the towns library. He bid farewell to Rainbow Dash as she sped off into the distance, apparently she was also busy with practising her signature moves for the Wonderbolts. The conversation may have been more to his liking, however he wished he hadn't wasted so much time on listening to the tales of the Glory days. All he needed to know about the mare he had learned from his race. She was driven, competitive and never quit. Words were hardly necessary to tell him that.

He glided lazily toward the ground, exhausted from the extended flight. His race with Rainbow Dash took him too far away from Twilight's home for him to race back quickly. He suppressed his emotions as he landed softly on the grass, not too far away from the great tree. He marvelled at its structure for a while before noticing the position of the sun. He would need to make his visit brief, it was a library after all.

He knocked on the front door, just in case the library was already closed. A few seconds passed and the door opened with a faint squeak as a purple unicorn answered the door. He asked her if the library was still open.
"Of course it is Mister...?" the mare asked him expectantly.
"Oh I'm no Mister, just 'Storm' will do" the stallion replied. He surprised himself as to how softly he answered.
"Welcome to Ponyville Storm. Say, are you new here?" she asked ever so politely.
After answering yes, the two ponies proceeded inside and talked for a while. When he mentioned he was a student however, he noticed a spark ignite in the mare as she grew ever more interested in what he had to say. She told him of her study on friendship that Celestia charged her with and of her almost weekly reports. She continued in telling him more or less her life story, chatting away about all sorts of adventures she has had and how much more enjoyable her life now is with her friends. Her persistence was not met in kind as the stallion disclosed little information about his personal life outside of his study, although he neglected to mention exactly what he studied. The practice of Chaos could hardly earn trust from the mare. After a silent pause had enveloped the two, the stallion asked Twilight for a book. A book on the story of Discord. The sudden change in tone was evident in the mare's voice as she questioned him. All he said was that it was necessary for his studies, the truth in part. He needed to know the complete story. His hopes were not high however, what book could exist in this Library that he hadn't already read in the Royal Canterlot library?

She told him to wait at the desk as she left to search for his book. He didn't wait long before she returned carrying a small notebook in front of her. She placed it on the counter in front of him, the cover was plain and the spine was a spiral of string.
"What book is this?" the stallion asked as he examined the first page.
"One of a kind. This is my personal notebook, I've been working on it for some time," the mare said, "it's a novel, a recount of the events that occurred in Ponyville leading up to and including the return of Discord." She gave him a small smile as she signed his name into her log book at the desk.
"I haven't completed it yet, and it's definitely not published so you won't find another quite as accurate or as detailed as this one," she continued, "I hope it helps you with your... study."
He nodded slowly as his eyes widened. This is what he needed. The answers he beheld before him, the key to salvation. He took the book and carefully stored it under his wing as he thanked Twilight for her help. The giving of a first edition, one of a kind book was the kindest act he had ever experienced, which left him feeling somewhat confused as he flew home.

He abandoned his disguise back in Ponyville where he could not be seen. The book hovered before his face as he flew around the clouds, careful not to get moisture caught in the pages. He was so close... so close to saving his master. He would read the novel all night if he had to, and he would expel it of its secrets. He may even learn the secret of the Elements of Harmony. The winds of change had stirred, and they were growing ever stronger as he flew to mountain in the distance.