"Oh Discord, it is just lovely up here. We really should travel more often," Fluttershy giggled before taking a small sip of her hot tea, which comforted her greatly while she glanced out of the magic bubble at the howling snowstorm, that blew across the mountain top on which she and the being of chaos sat atop. Small flowers and insects tickled her hooves, both happy to finally be free of the blizzard. "And the view from up here is just lovely," she added while she glanced down the mountain to the landscape below that looked as if it could be from a painting.

"Well, anything for my closest friend," Discord laughed with a dismissive wave of his hoof, yet from his smile it was clear that he enjoyed the yellow pegasi's praise. "After all, we've been having tea in that cottage for months now, and I figured a change of pace would be beneficial to the both of us." He drank from his teacup as he said this, before changing the tea into snow and sending it back up into the sky.

"But a spell that can turn winter into summer? Twilight would love to know how to do it," Fluttershy pointed out as she looked up at the bubble that kept out the winter and allowed the two to enjoy the comforts of summer atop the mountain. "Why haven't you told her?"

"Fluttershy, my dear, I have been around far longer than any other being in Equestria. If I told Twilight all of my secrets, her already big head would get even larger," Discord chuckled before spying some cakes. "Oh, I don't think I've had this flavor before."

"It's my newest batch. I've used a variety of flavors in this one," Fluttershy giggled before pushing the basket of cakes across the table and towards the draconis. "Go head, try one."

"Simply divine!" Discord delightfully praised after downing one of the yellow cakes. "I swear that your cooking gets better by the day."

"Well, the classes have been going well and I've learned a lot," Fluttershy said before glancing back down the mountain again. "It looks really cold down there. Thankfully we had your magic to get here. I would hate to have to fly up and down this, let alone climb."

"Oh, don't be ridiculous Fluttershy, this is the coldest mountain in Equestria," Discord reminded Fluttershy with a chuckle as he made the dancing teapot swallow a few more cubes of sugar before the spoon began to stir. "The only way up here is by magic. Only a pony that was either foolish or insane would dare to-"

"...Discord!..."

Both Fluttershy and Discord perked up at the faint trace of a voice being carried by the whipping winds, but after tilting their heads to the side and waiting a moment, they both shrugged and continued to drink. That was until they heard the voice again, far clearer than it was before.

"Whatever could that be?" Fluttershy asked Discord, who frowned when he turned and glared down the mountain to wherever the voice was coming from. "It sounds like there's somepony who's here for you. Are you going to go meet them?"

"Of course they would show up during tea time," Discord grumbled before smiling at Fluttershy. "I'll be right back, dear Fluttershy, just going to go see who's calling out for me." When Discord turned, the smile changed into a scowl and with a snap of his fingers he vanished into the snow.

--|======\

The wind tore at his kimono with bony fingers, chilling him to the bone while his garb tried in vain to flutter off into the winds that encircled him. Yet, the samurai stood in the tremendous blizzard with an unbreakable will and a burning desire, which was more than enough to keep him warm in the whipping winds.

"DISCORD!" he bellowed into the snowstorm once again, before scowling slightly as he glanced down at a map that was being hurled around by the winds. 'This is where the wizard informed me the location would be and on this day as well. He must be here.'

'The one called 'Discord'. He may have the answer you seek,' the words of the wizard repeated in his mind. 'He is hard to find now-a-days, but rumor has it that he has been sensed on the top of the coldest mountain in Equestria. Nopony knows why, but his godly magic may be what you need. Take this map and when you reach the top of the mountain, if you can, then call out for him. Discord will never shy away from somepony who calls him out. '

'I pray that he was right, for I do not know how much longer I can stand this cold,' Jack shivered, doing everything in his power to keep the cold from getting to him. The climb up the mountain had been treacherous, and the samurai had no idea how he would get back down, but he preferred to think that he would finally be going home instead of back down. 'But if this god of chaos is able to send me back to my home, then I will endure any hardship...though I do wish that he would show up soon...'

"And just who are you?"

Jack spun on his hooves to come face to face with a being that startled him, a mismatch of animal limbs all attached to a head that had a less-than-happy expression on its face. Jack tried to answer the creature that frowned down at him, but in the cold his teeth began to chatter beyond his control. Discord rolled his eyes as Jack fought to make words before snapping his fingers, creating a second summer bubble around the pony.

"Again. Who are you," Discord growled.

"It is true," Jack whispered when he glanced down at the warm ground beneath his hooves that had been sleet and ice not a moment before. "Your magic truly is beyond that of any other pony in Equestria. You are who I need! You can grant me my wish!"

"Whoa whoa whoa, slow down there. You're not making any sense, and that's supposed to be my job," Discord butted in before flicking his glasses open and glancing down at the strange pony. A frown crossed Discord's face while he moved it right in front of Jack's with narrowed eyes. "You are...strange. The magic that's coming off of you isn't like the other ponies. Okay, now you've got my attention. You have thirty seconds to keep it before I leave you here in the cold."

"Ten is all I require. I need a way to return to the past, and I was told that your magic was strong enough to do so. Please, is it true?" Jack quickly asked, getting Discord to place a claw under his chin as he began to think.

"Time travel, huh? I mean, it's been a few centuries since I last did it, but I should be more than able..." Discord muttered to himself, creating a few extra hands so he could count something before he tilted his head upside down and smirked at Jack. "Yeah I can still travel through time. Messing with time causes tremendous amounts of chaos, and as a god of chaos, it's right up my alley."

"Then, you will send me back in time?!" Jack asked with shining eyes, almost able to smell the grass of his home and feel the sun on his skin once again.

"Sorry, but no," Discord said with a shake of his head, shattering all of Jack's hopes then and there. "In case you didn't know, I've been reformed. That means I no longer do things that would cause unspeakable chaos, like sending a pony back in time." Jack's eyes slowly lowered to the grass at his hooves, unable to accept what Discord was saying. "Sorry I couldn't help you, but look at the bright side. At least you get to say that you climbed all the way to-"

Discord stopped talking when he heard the sound of steel being drawn behind him, able to feel the intensity of the samurai's gaze burning into the back of his skull. Very slowly, the draconis turned his head with narrowed eyes to see that Jack had his blade pointed at Discord, eyes burning with the fires of defiance.

"And just what, if I may ask, are you doing?" Discord asked with a cold laugh when he appeared behind Jack, catching the samurai off guard and causing Jack to jump back. "I'm a god of chaos. A being that can warp time and space as I see fit. And you plan on fighting me with a toothpick. Cleary, I'm not the only insane one up here."

"The wizard who told me where to find you, and also told me this: That centuries ago, before the sisters sealed you, you made a boast. That if anypony was to defeat you, that you would grant that pony any wish," Jack reminded Discord before the warrior took up a stance and glared down the god. "I shall best you. And then I shall finally return home."

Discord frowned at Jack's words before he pulled out his autobiography and started to skim through the pages, coming to a stop when he got to the era of which Jack was speaking. "Let's see...tornadoes that only sucked up clean things...ponies that could only talk in rhyme...wait a moment, it's in here? But why would I say something like...oh right, that was when I discovered cider for the first time," Discord remembered with a frown as the memories and the headache came back. He then shrugged and slammed the book shut, tossing it away before glancing back at the samurai again. "Oh very well, but let's make this quick. I'm missing tea time."

With a yell that could be heard over the wind Jack lunged at Discord, sword brought back as he flew towards the god. Discord's response was to raise an eyebrow at the samurai before snapping his fingers and causing a wall to appear before the attacker, smirking when he heard Jack smack into the concrete face first.

Jack grunted in pain as he kicked off the wall and landed outside of the bubble, wiping away a bit of blood from his nose before he lunged at Discord again. And once again, Discord snapped his fingers to construct a wall before the samurai, but to Discord's mild surprise Jack sliced through the obstruction with one mighty swing.

"Not bad, whatever your name is, but you're not in the same league as me," Discord chuckled while he teleported away from Jack's swings, getting the samurai to growl in frustration when he began to glance around for Discord. The he felt a strange magic grab him and a moment later he was being dangled upside down in the air. "In fact, you're not even in the same ballpark. You're also playing a different sport," he continued to taunt as Jack swung his sword at the god to no avail. "Just give up."

"Never! I have come too far to back down now!" Jack roared while he slashed at the magic holding him up with his blade, cleaving through the spell and allowing the samurai to land on his hooves. The moment he touched down again, he hurled himself at Discord, but this time the draconis split in two when Jack tried to cut him. "I shall not let Aku be victorious! I will do whatever I must to return to my home!"

"Look samurai, it's not happening," Discord sighed as Jack continued to slash at him, thinking more about the cakes that Fluttershy had made than the battle at hand. "Here's an idea, if you give up now I promise Fluttershy that you can have some of our tea. I'll even let you sit near...at the edge of the bubble so that-"

Discord, who wasn't paying attention to Jack at that point, never saw the samurai switch his tactics on him and hurl his sword at Discord instead of swinging it. Discord did catch the moment out of the corner of his eye, but considering how swords could barely even tickle him, he wasn't concerned. That was, until the blade sliced right across his face.

With a roar that blasted away the snowstorm and the clouds above them, Discord cried out in pain, seething as he held a hand to his cheek while pain coursed through his face. Jack, sensing his moment of opportunity, grabbed his blade once again and lunged at Discord, but this time the god was angry. With a roar he spat a bolt of chaotic magic right at the samurai...only to watch in disbelief when the warrior sliced clean through his spell.

"That shouldn't be possible," Discord muttered, forgetting about the pain as he teleported out of the way once again. Jack spun around to see Discord floating above him with arms crossed and a strange expression upon his face, almost as if he was seeing Jack for the first time. "Pony. Who are you and why do you have a weapon that can hurt me?"

"They call me 'Jack', and I am looking for a way back to my time," Jack introduced himself before pointing his blade at Discord. "And this sword was forged by the gods to strike down any evil that it touches. With it, I shall slay Aku and fix the future that he ruined."

Discord narrowed his eyes once again while he began to use his magic to scan Jack, the frown growing larger when he felt the bizarre magic that radiated from the pony. After a minute, he then snapped his fingers. But to the surprise of Jack, and somewhat to Discord, nothing happened.

"That's what I thought. You're not from this world, are you?" Discord asked, though from his tone it was clear that he knew. Jack confirmed his suspicions with a nod of his head. "Then I can't help you."

"Why not?!" Jack roared as he prepared to fight once again, but Discord held up both hands to stop him.

"Listen, if you were an Equestrian pony, then I would be able to send you back in time. But you're not from Equestria, meaning my magic has less of an effect on you, and I'm also betting that you don't want to return to Equestria's past, but a different one." Once again Jack nodded and once again Discord frowned. "Sorry Jack, but that's beyond even me. That's not chaos, that's a different kind of reality warping."

"So...my quest...my journey here...it was all in vain?" Jack whispered in defeat, hanging his head with sorrow clutching at his heart. Despite barely knowing the pony, Discord felt a little saddened at his words.

"Not necessarily. Just because I couldn't do it, doesn't mean that there isn't a magical being in this crazy world somewhere that can't get you home." Jack's head shot up as he stared at Discord, his eyes demanding that the god tell him more. Instead, Discord snapped his fingers and Jack's map began to glow, showing him a whole new destination when he pulled it out.

"Go to where I've marked on the map. There's a strange magical disturbance coming from there," Discord informed Jack, who placed the map in his kimono before sheathing his sword. "Maybe that's one of the beings I was talking about. Maybe not. But there's only one way to find out."

"Thank you," Jack said with a bow before he turned and raced off into the snowstorm, not even giving Discord a chance to offer teleporting Jack down the mountain. Discord debated whether or not he should go after the samurai before shrugging and heading back to where Fluttershy was.

'Man, that guy was a weirdo,' Discord thought to himself before he raised a hand and placed it on his face, on the cut that still hadn't healed despite his magical properties. 'But for somepony like that to be wielding a weapon as powerful as the Elements...I need to test its full power. Fortunately, an old "friend" seems to have resurfaced. Alright Jack, show me what that blade of yours can do.'