Author's Notes:

Yay! A week earlier than expected!

So for some reason fimfiction was being dumb with its editting this day. As a result, although I did finish the cahpter and fix most things, the paragraph indents and spacing weren't working out properly for some reason.

So I hope you all can forgive it looking like an endless line of text. I couldn't change it for some reason this time. Hopefully this is not an issue with future chapters.

Yo dude! Can you get a move on already, I'd like to get there before I grow a rainbow beard over here!"

Ignoring Rainbows early morning jabs with nothing but a yawn in response, Daybreak took one last long look around his home. He needed to be absolutely sure he had everything that they would need to survive a trip to his fathers. Rainbow had been less than understanding when he had communicated to her that they would need a special set of items to find and enter Discords current residence within the forest, some of which were a bit...odd. Now she stood, tapping her foot impatiently at the front door.

"I still don't understand dude. How could he be living in the Everfree Forest? Someone would have noticed that by now...Hell, Zecora would have noticed that by now!"

Losing an exasperated sigh, Daybreak continued his rummaging, having realized he was indeed missing a crucial item. "I don't know who that even is Rainbow. But as I explained before, I don't know why he chose this specific location for so many years. But I do know that the enchantments placed on and around his home make it a guaranteed miss. Without the necessary items to enter the field around it, you'd just walk right through and be placed on the opposite side of the forest without ever noticing. You'll see what I mean once we're there...Oh for the Luna sake where did I put that jar!?"

He opened another kitchen cabinet, and flung several items out over his head. None smashed against the floor of course, they all just paused in midair and hovered. Scootaloo paused eating her breakfast eggs to watch the items Daybreak flung about start following him around the kitchen. He barely even seemed to notice as an abundance of items from coffee mugs to silverware bobbed up and down in the air just beyond his head.

Snapping his finger in revelation, he loosed an excited "Ah ha!" and went back to the cabinet he'd just previously emptied, not noticing all the items behind him dematerialize from existence as he did so. After sticking his head and arm well inside the cabinet, he reemerged seconds later with a medium sized glass jar in his hands. It was filled with dark blue leaves and a bit of powder at the bottom, creating a small blue cloud inside whenever the jar shook. Rainbow seemed to recognize the substance because she instantly back peddled from the door all the way to the living room after simply laying eyes on it.

"What the hell are you doing with Poison Joke!?"

Daybreak turned around with a smile adorning his cheeks. "Claiming the last of our necessary items of course! I always keep a good bit around in case I need to visit father, or make tea, but I'd forgotten I moved this last bit I picked awhile back into the corner of this cabinet."

"What's Poison Joke?" Scoots head looked between them both, perplexed.

Rainbow loosed a growl and shivered "That stuff is a plant of nightmares!"

Scoots turned to back to Daybreak in time to watch him crack up, and stuff the jar neatly into his backpack. "I bet you had a fun little run in with this leaf once, didn't you Dashie?"

Scootaloo was able to determine the answer from the unamused raspberry Rainbow blew back at him. Daybreak merely kept chuckling.

"Shrimp, this is a plant that plays a joke on whomever skin it touches. The jokes can range from humorous, to insanely annoying, and its usually different for each person. You can also brew a home version of its effect by using its leaves in tea. It's good for a laugh if you know how to brew it. The teas taste is amazing, if you can counter its side effects."

"That doesn't seem so bad."

Rainbow did not seem to share Scoots optimism. "That's cause you didn't have to walk around lopsided all day waiting for a cure. It's eeeeeeeeevil."

"Well, you gotta deal with it Dash, cause its also the last ingredient we need to breach my dads barrier, so lets go." He approached the front door, flipping his backpack over his shoulder and dawning a black raincoat. He held his arm aloft and offered Rainbow the second coat. Her eyes darted to his bag once, then she gingerly approached and swiped up the coat. "What, no pink one this time around? Or am I special?"

"Shut up and lets get going." He gave her a faint snicker.

Scoots darted up to them both and gave them each a hug "Have fun, I guess." She shrugged afterwards. Daybreak had to agree, he wasn't sure what he was hoping for out of this visit either.

"Keep practicing what I showed you Shrimp. We should be back late tonight, but in case we're not there's a pizza in the freezer...please don't burn my house down cooking it."

"OK" That response seemed a little too plain compared to her usual banter, but right now he had other things to focus on than what miniaturized evil her brain might be concocting for his home.

He flung the door wide open, and was greeted with the same sight as when he'd gone to sleep. The world, or at least Ponyville, was going to hell in weather format. Lightning still streaked across the skies, while hail, snow and rain seemed to battle for dominance of the ground. Taking in the sight as a mini tornado rolled its way across the street ahead, Daybreak turned to Rainbow.

"Are you ready?"

She nodded "You're sure that the weather isn't like this within the forest?"

"I'm not sure of anything, I said probably not... look my theory is that since the Everfree has its own weather pattern separate from the rest of Equestria, it should be different. That's not to say it won't be a worse kind of different...but that's a risk we gotta take if you wanna do this."

Rainbows hand found his and gripped him tight. "Alright, let's do it."

Reaching into his pocket, Daybreak withdrew a small drawing. Rainbow watched as he unfurled it in his hand; it appeared to be a forest, probably the Everfree, and small mansion within the center. The drawing was more detailed than the others of his she'd seen before, but she quickly discovered why that was when he released his grip on it and it fluttered to the ground. A portal erupted forth from the earth where the paper touched, and Daybreak turned to her.

"Hold your breath."

Without much more warning, he shoved her through and jumped in right behind her.

A familiar suction feeling found Rainbows body. The sensation of being squeezed through a small bottle of toothpaste made itself known in her lungs, and breath escaped her. Darkness overtook her vision and she became unable to tell whether her eyes were open or not. She felt dizzy, the world was spinning around her, and she was also spinning, but in the opposite direction. Her chest began to burn and her lungs ached for air. Just when she thought she could bare it no longer and would surely pass out, she felt a small pop in her ears and the light returned to her vision.

Like being spat from a giant mouth, Rainbow was propelled forward and face planted into a small gathering of mushrooms. She came up with two of the slimy things in her mouth, and wished her tongue would stop working for a few hours. Sputtering with disgust, she quickly spit them out and spun around to locate Daybreak. He too had just made his own undignified exit, and was now working on dislodging himself from a thrall of thorny vines. Those mushrooms didn't seem so bad all of the sudden.

He freed himself before she could attempt to aid him and came up with an apologetic look, but she simply nodded and looked up. The weather here was indeed normal. It was hard to tell through the thickness of all the trees and vines, but she had a feeling that if the weather was anything similar to Ponyville, they'd already know. Daybreak's hand appeared on her shoulder and another came across her vision, pointing ahead.

She followed his finger and found her jaw struggling to hold itself up. Just like in his drawing, a mansion, massive in size, jutted out from within the forest. It was much larger than his drawing had implied, she was certain it must break the tree line with the size of it's castle-like roof. Whipping her head around, her features alone asked the question.

Daybreak held up the drawing from before. "This was the first item we needed. This place can't be found unless you already know it's here, or have been here before. This drawing brings us through the first barrier. If you were to look at this place from the outside, all you'd see is forest. You wouldn't even notice being teleported if you tried to approach close. I doubt Celestia or any of the Princesses have the slightest idea that this is here...and that's how I'd like it to stay, got it?"

She understood what he was saying to her and nodded. "I promise, this will stay between us."

His smile was confirmation enough for her. He turned his back and offered his hand, which she took. "Stay close, the second barrier is just ahead and its much more annoying if you're not careful."

"More annoying how?"

"You'll see." If she had truly tangled with his father before, than she'd already had some experience with his specific type of humor and puzzles. But here, his traps were meant more to annoy his intruders to death. The traps could deter you indefinitely and each one was more annoying than the last, but unless things had changed since last he was here, he doubted they were in any real danger.

After a few silent steps through the grass, Rainbow felt a coldness travel down her back. She shivered, and turned around to see a previously invisible barrier glimmering in the eerie light of the forest.

"Daybreak..?"

"Shh...I know, stay close and quiet, I need to listen."

Rainbow didn't know why she was suddenly so worried. Compared to what they'd been dealing with up until now, Discords tricks shouldn't be anything to worry about. Yet for some reason she couldn't shake the ominous feeling she had, like something was waiting just beyond the edge of her vision, out in the darkness of the forest.

A brief rustling in the bush to her left drew her attention. Her fists closed and clenched as she prepared to give some creature a royal ass beating. Her eyes locked with the rustling bush, she let her energy start to flow and was just about to prepare a thunder cloud, when something else caught her attention. The rustling wasn't coming from the bush alone.

Her eyes darted about as her ears twitched. She could hear it, all around them. The bush may have been moving, but the sound was all around them. Rustling, sticks snapping, a subtle slicking sound, like something was sliding or slithering about. An odd tapping sound to her front drew her eyes back to Daybreak. She barely noticed his left hand suddenly gripping hers, as she was too busy watching him withdraw the jar of poison joke at record slow pace from within his bag. He gripped the jar tight against his chest, then looked back at her. With nothing but a nudge of his head toward the direction of the mansion, she understood what he wanted.

Without words, she watched him start to move, and followed directly behind him. Without knowing, she'd begun to walk on her tip toes, attempting to make the least amount of noise possible. Her eyes stayed locked on the back of Daybreak's head, with only occasional dashes ahead at the house to see if it was drawing any closer. But her ears, they stayed focused on the rustling, the slicking sound that continued to echo around them, even as they apparently moved father and father away from what should have been the source.

Every step she took, every twig she snapped and every stump she stepped on, seemed like a blast of thunder in the utter silence of the wood. Rainbow had never beheld such utter soundlessness. She'd been in quiet places, where the noise was next to nothing. But there had always been something to hear. The sounds of creaking windows in her house, wind blowing in a quiet field, or the sounds of night critters in a forest. But this, this was something completely different. She heard, nothing. Absolutely nothing, except the ominous slicking that seemed all around them. It seemed to blend in with the background, like she had to focus to hear it. Which was odd, because there was nothing else for her to hear.

She wanted desperately to ask Daybreak what that singular sound was, but knew better. He knew this area and knew its traps, if she did anything he didn't ask, something bad could very easily occur. Especially considering whom they were dealing with.

A rustling to the left of her caught Daybreak's eye, she followed his gaze instinctively. He stopped moving so suddenly she nearly walked into his back. He planted his foot and turned quite swiftly, yanking her by the arm as he did so, and chucked his jar directly at the adjacent bush! There seemed to be no reason for this, until a serpentine mass flung itself from the bush and grabbed the jar out of the air! It tangled itself around the jar and squeezed. In the darkness it was impossible for Rainbow to make out the creature fully, but she got the general idea from its outline. Almost immediately after the creature fully coiled itself around the jar and squeezed, Daybreak hit it with a fireball and the glass exploded!

That seemed to trigger something, because the moment the jar shattered and the poison joke dust sprayed up, Daybreak yanked Rainbow so hard she thought her arm might pop off! He hissed a single word as he pulled her without explanation!

"Run."

She needed no further instruction. She pulled herself from his grasp and broke into a stride! She went from his heels to his hip in less than a second, and once she was sure she could follow, she chanced a glance back behind. She instantly regretted this decision.

Behind them was a swirling mass of serpent-like tendrils, was covering everything in sight and barreling right after them at amazing speed! The ability to speed up found her quickly, but Daybreak's arm became an obstacle as he extended it out to stop her from passing him. He did not speak, but merely shook his head and kept running. She didn't quite understand, but was content to keep at his side as long as it kept them ahead of the swarm of whatever was behind them.

Looking back again, she saw they were closing in fast...but so was something else. A blue cloud of gas was flowing just behind the swarm of tendrils, and closing much faster. It would overtake both the swarm and them in seconds, and Rainbow had no idea what to do about it!

"Daybreak...!" She exhaled, attempting not to waste energy while running. Sprinting this fast in such heavy humidity was a real challenge, she could feel herself tiring much faster than normal. He must have realized this, because he finally looked back as well. Upon spotting the blue dust cloud, he took hold of Rainbows hand. Before she could question him, she felt her world vanish and go dark. The toothpaste feeling found her again, but only for a singular moment, then the light returned to her eyes and she felt that familiar wet feeling from before travel down her back.

All at once, Daybreak stopped moving as they reappeared. It was too sudden for her to stop and she barreled into him, sending them both tumbling down into the dirt. Frantic and confused, Rainbow quickly raised her head to see the tendrils and blue dust mere feet away. Momentary panic struck her, but it was fleeting. For not a second later, the thralls and dust cloud seemed to collide with some invisible force field, and could move no further. It was at that moment, that she heard Daybreak breathe a sigh of relief, which was her que to fall back into the dirt and start panting. She struggled to get out her words in between breaths.

"OK dude...what...the fuck...just...happened?"

She rolled onto her back and stared up at the foliage as she waited for a response. She got one, but, it wasn't quite as helpful as she wanted.

"That...was...the second...barrier." He too was panting, though he looked a little more tired than she did. Guess that's where her constant training paid off.

"No shit...Explanation...please."

"Yeah, yeah...just...gimme a sec here....."

She waited as he panted and recovered his breath. This was the first time she'd ever stopped to think that, maybe he should start working out with her. Without using magic, he seemed to tire too quickly. Like most Sorcerers, his power was drawn from mental strength instead of physical stamina. Because of this, most didn't ever condition their bodies. It was the fatal flaw that always put Weather casters and Earth mages on more even terms with them. A well conditioned Earth mage or Weather caster could hold their own against a powerful Sorcerer if they could just hold out until the Sorcerer ran out of juice. Once it was a contest of strength and endurance, the result was usually the Sorcerers loss. That was why so many Sorcerers tried to end things quickly instead of drawing out fights.

Up until this point, she'd never noticed how much more Daybreak actually needed to train. He always seemed to hold his own in a brawl, or had some magic to fall back on. Now that she thought back though, anytime he'd been put in a situation where he couldn't use magic, or ran out...he'd lose eventually. It had just taken her so long to notice because he always put up such a fight in those situations, and he was so unnaturally powerful it didn't really seem like it mattered. Perhaps she'd get him to start doing her morning routines with her after today's events.

After a few more seconds, he finally pushed himself back to a standing position and smiled. "Whew...sorry about that...it's a lot more humid in these woods than I'm used to...So, about what just happened..."

"Yeah dude, that was some weird shit, I need to understand what just went down. Why was there a bunch of snake things chasing us? Why did you throw the Poison Joke at them? And why did it expand like that after it exploded?"

Daybreak walked back towards the invisible barrier now separating them from the swarm beyond. Reaching out, he placed his hand upon the invisible field, and pressed, causing it to shimmer into visibility. After a moment of this, he turned back to her and smiled.

"Ok, we're clear. Let's walk and talk."

He passed her and pointed ahead. "Let's go, the third barrier isn't quite as intense, you shouldn't even notice this one if I do things right."

Nodding, she quickly pulled herself up and trotted to his side. Another moment of silence passed between them as Daybreak rummaged through his bag and withdrew another jar. This one held a jelly-like clear liquid. He quickly unscrewed it and began rubbing the substance up and down his limbs. Then, after coating himself in it, he offered it to her. Without understanding why, she followed his lead and rubbed the substance into her bare skin.

It left a cool tingle across her body, like she'd just come out of a warm shower to meet cold air. It subsided just as quick as she felt it, and then there was silence once more. She waited, assuming he'd speak first and give the explanation she desired, but he said nothing. For several minutes this time, there was silence. Fed up with waiting, she coughed loudly and said "So...about that last barrier?"

"Huh?...Oh right yeah! Sorry...umm those were Plunder Vines." He stated mater of factly, as though it explained everything. She expected him to continue, but he just kept his gave fixed ahead. She struggled not to get frustrated.

"Am I supposed to know what that means? What are plunder vines man? Are you even listening to me?"

"Huh?" His eyes darted to her briefly.

"Daybreak!" Now she was certain he wasn't paying attention, and was quite fed up with it. He turned to face her fully, quite suddenly too. She nearly jumped back when she saw him. His eyes were red and puffy, like he'd been crying, and his face was flushed with color!

"Whats up Rainbow?"

"What's up with me? Whats up with your face dude?!"

He reached up and wiped some tears from his eyes. "Oh this, yeah sorry. Im kinda allergic to the gel we have to use to get through here, it's got phoenix feathers mixed in. Sorry, I got a bit distracted by it. It can get really uncomfortable, but don't worry, it'll fade once it absorbs fully into my skin and my magic fights it off. Once we pass through the barrier I'll be fine."

"Oh...that makes sense, sorry. I was just wondering, from before. What are those plunder vines? What was all that back there? And wait...you're allergic to phoenix feathers?"

He nodded "Yeah. Figures my mother would get one as a pet...bitch...Anyways, those were plunder vines. Vines specifically created by my father to capture and store victims. Though these ones are a little more frisky than most. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't be so kind to you if they caught you...since you're a girl."

She made a disgusted face "You're dad is a sicko"

He half chuckled "What else is new. So, the whole point of those vines is to deter intruders, or capture them and fling them back outside the barrier. The logic behind it is; it's unlikely anyone who got through the barrier once could do it again, and even if they did, its the same result over and over. You can't outrun the vines for long, and if I hadn't covered them in Joke, we'd still be running, or caught."

Rainbow pondered that for a moment. It seemed like a solid defense, but she could see many flaws to that idea.

"What's to stop someone from just blasting the vines apart with magic, or flying through to the next barrier?"

His face smirked, like he'd expected that line of thought from her.

"The vines are covered in sap that soaks up magic like a sponge and stores it in the trees here, which then grows more vines from the magic, and so on. As for just out running, or flying by. If you got through the barrier, you'd have to deal with the gas that's currently covering our entire bodies..."

Rainbow tensed and looked around, ready to hold her breath. All she received, was a chuckle from Daybreak for her reaction.

"It's colorless and nearly odorless Dash. It has a faint scent of salt and watermelon. Sound familiar?"

She thought for a moment, then seemed to realize. "Oh shit! What does it do of we breathe it in this much?"

He shrugged "I dunno, I've never tested it before. As long as we have this gel on, we're fine. But I imagine it would certainly slow anyone who got through the vines enough for them to catch up, considering its a relaxation drug on its lowest dosage, and you saw what it did to me at a higher one. So yeah...As for why they couldn't follow us through; that barrier is specifically designed to not allow any plant life through other than the vines, and Poison Joke changes the properties of whatever it touches. So a little bit of Poison Joke, mixed with an expanding and glue charm, the vines are suddenly covered in the stuff and can't be recognized by the barrier. There aren't many plants that can do that, and Poison Joke is the easiest to come by since it grows within this part of the wood. The counter to each barrier is within the woods already, so anyone with some advanced alchemist knowledge should be able to get through. Even this jelly on our skin is made from a plant that grows deeper in the forest."

"Oh, I guess I get it now...that's kinda cool I suppose."

"Glad you think so, cause we are coming up on the last barrier now. This last challenge might be a real pain, so get ready Rainbow..."

She opened her mouth to answer, but before she could utter a sound, she was cut of by a loud, drawn out cackling.

"OHHOHO! THAT WON'T BE NECESSARY M'BOY, I'VE SEEN MORE THAN ENOUGH! AND QUITE FRANKLY, I'M BORED FROM THE LACK OF VIOLATION MY VINES AREN'T INFLICTING RIGHT NOW!"

It was a sound she hadn't heard in some time, yet was still all too familiar to her. "Discord" She growled his name under her breath.

"AND WHAT DO WE HAVE HEAR? BROUGHT YOUR LITTLE FRIEND WITH YOU TO VISIT DEAR OLD DAD THIS TIME? I SHOULD HAVE SET THE TABLE FOR THREE! NOW I HAVE TO BAKE MORE SPINACH PUFFS!"

His voice echoed all around them, allowing her to easily recall why she hated him just by the sound of his voice. It was like he was miles away, while also being right next to her ear hole. Daybreak, to her joy, did not looked pleased by his fathers loud greeting. He'd since stopped walking forward and was simply standing still with his arms crossed.

"Enough father, if you know its us, just brings us in already. I don't feel like dealing with the last barrier today!"

OHHOHO! WEREN'T YOU LISTENING SUNNY, I ALREADY SAID I'D SEEN ENOUGH! SO, WELCOME HOME!"

Rainbow had a sinking feeling that had nothing to do with the fact she was about to meet Discord again. Looking down, she noticed her legs were suddenly sinking down into the ground. The earth beneath her had turned to mushy slush! In a panic she tried to struggle but found her body would not respond to the commands she gave it. Frantic she looked to her left, and was surprised to see Daybreak with his arms crossed, sinking just like her, and looking very bored. She almost laughed at his unamused features. Something about him sinking into the ground with such a plain scowl on his face was too funny, she had to hold back her laughter.

The ground reached her arms, and then her head within seconds. It was hard not to continue panicking, but since Daybreak wasn't reacting, she figured they'd be OK. Even as the earth covered and basically buried her alive, she held onto the belief that they would be fine.

She blinked and the slush was gone. Now she was inside the entrance hall of some grand looking room. Perplexed, she turned around to see Daybreak, already moving to hang his raincoat on the rack nearest them.

"What the-"

"Just roll with it Dash, it's much easier than wondering, trust me."

"...kay..."

She twirled herself in a complete circle, mesmerized by the grandness of the room. Even from the outside it didn't look as big as it was within, and it already looked enormous enough! She couldn't even tell how far up the ceiling of the room was. She'd been inside actual castles with rooms smaller than this! She could feel a cold sweat trickle down her back at the mere thought of having to climb up and do repairs on this ceiling.

Though despite it's grandness, the architecture was surprisingly...underwhelming for someone like Discord to be living here. It was big and bold sure, and everything looked like it was made of marble, or chiseled from some fine stone, but something seemed...off.

"This is boring. I was expecting much worse." Her arms crossed in a kind of sad disappointment.

Daybreak had to grasp his mouth to keep from laughing. "Trust me Dash, I thought the same thing the first time I stepped in here. I thought; where are the floating trees and chocolate rain clouds and chairs on the ceiling. All the things I'd heard from stories about him. Compared to that, this place can seem a bit underwhelming at first."

"I'M GLAD YOU ADDED THE 'AT FIRST' TO THAT LITTLE STATEMENT M'BOY, OR I MIGHT HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN OFFENDED! I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT I HAVE TO TONE DOWN THE CHAOS AROUND HERE QUITE OFTEN, TO KEEP PRINCESS CELERY AND HER DEPRESSINGLY DRESSED SISTER FROM LOCATING ME!"

Discords loud voice still boomed around their ears, frustrating Rainbow to no end. "We are right here damn it! You need to keep ripping off Princess Luna's voice! Just get in here already!"

"WELL, WELL, IF YOU INSIST DEAR RAINBOW."

Almost on que, all the lights went out, and a bright stage suddenly became illuminated at the far corner of the room. A pair of great golden twin doors slowly creaked open, to reveal a red carpet unraveling itself in their direction. It stopped just shy of touching their feet, after which a long red string slithered up from its fabric, with small scroll tied to its end. Daybreak reached out and took up the scroll. Shaking his head and sighing he began to read the scroll aloud for Rainbow.

"Introducing the Master of Chaos, the Lord of Mayhem, the Bringer of-Oh are you serious right now!" He tossed the scroll to the ground. Immediately Discords voice boomed across the room yet again.

"NO NO NO! YOU'VE GOT TO DO MY WHOLE INTRODUCTION M'BOY! AREN'T YOU TRYING TO IMPRESS DEAR RAINBOW? COME ON NOW, IT'S NOT THAT MUCH TO READ!"

Daybreak flicked his finger, the scroll ignited in aura, and began unraveling itself to its full length...which nearly made it back to the twin doors at the far side of the room.

"Really?" He pointed at it, scowling.

"WHAT? A MAN'S GOTTA HAVE PRIDE IN HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS!"

"Are you seriously not gonna come out until I read that stupid paper?"

"NOPE"

"Fucking child."

Daybreak turned to Rainbow with an apologetic look on his face, but was surprised to see her holding back a giggle. His scowl only deepened. "Not a word from you Skittles."

"I didn't say anything." She snickered. "Come on, I wanna hear you introduce your daddy. Read the scroll."

He was half tempted to tell her where she could shove the scroll, but was interrupted before he could start.

"WE'RE WAITING SUNNY."

"Ugh, fine!"

He swiped up the parchment and cleared his throat. "Ahem!...The Bringer of Everlasting Cheese...ugh...the Messiah of Meme's, the Titan of Trolls, the Screwer of the Sun Bu...OH WHAT THE FUCK!?"

A loud, boisterous fit of laughter boomed around the room, making Rainbow wish she could materialize some earmuffs for herself. Daybreak's face bloomed bright red as he ignited the scroll in flames. Frustration etched his features as the scroll refused to turn to ash. He waited until Discords laughter subsided before venting.

"What the hell is that bit about mother doing in there!"

Redness dominated his face, and it grew more so as Rainbow suddenly understood what he meant, and could not withhold her own laughter any longer. Daybreak rounded on her the moment the first burst left her. "Oh fuck you Rainbow Dash!"

"I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM M'BOY! IS IT NOT AN ACCOMPLISHMENT TO SAY ONE HAS QUITE LITERALLY SCREWED THE SUN? I'M QUITE PROUD OF THAT ONE!"

"Just get in here already! I haven't even been here ten minutes and I already want to leave!"

"GEESH! AT LEAST RAINBOW DASH HAS A SENSE OF HUMOR! HONESTLY SOMETIMES I CAN'T BELIEVE WE'RE RELATED...FINE, I'M COMING DOWN!"

The lights in the room burst back to life, revealing Discord hanging by his feet from a tight rope many meters above their heads, and holding a megaphone in his right hand. Even from here Rainbow could see, he was not exactly in...traditional clothes. The pink tightrope walker get-up and netting her wore about his legs was...something she could have done without seeing.

With an, admittedly impressive somersault, Discord twirled his way back down to earth and landed on the tips of his toes. An unseen crowd erupted into applause as he took a bow and blew kisses at...somewhere. "Please please no applause, just throw your first born."

Daybreak's hand slowly dragged down his face. "Are you finished?"

Discord stopped blowing his kisses, and turned to face him "My my, you are a party pooper today. Fine."

With a snap of his fingers, they were no longer in the entrance hall, but instead in a dimly lit living room of some kind. Rainbow was seated; somehow in a red armchair next to a intensely warm fireplace, with her feet resting on top of a fur rug of some kind. It clearly wasn't a bear, but it was a furry beast to be certain, because it felt amazing against her, now suddenly bare, toes. She looked to her right and saw Daybreak seated in a similar chair directly beside her, also missing his shoes. Directly across from her but adjacent to Daybreak; Discord sat in a slightly bigger chair sipping a cup of what appeared to be tea. His whole appearance had changed as well. He'd gone from his ridiculous outfit, to one of more...class at least. A black suit and bow tie that would have made Rarity gawk now covered his top, and long smartly ironed black pants covered his legs. His scruffy white beard now looked trimmed and neat, barely reaching two inches below his face. On his right eye sat a monocle with a gold chain wrapping behind his head and in his left hand, he held an old timey looking smoke pipe.

"Is this more to your liking mister snooty britches?"

Daybreak almost cracked a grin. "It's certainly an improvement, though the pipe and eye piece are a bit much even for you."

Discord shrugged "Meh. It's a look" With snap of his fingers both items vanished and the lights dimmed to near blackness, leaving the only light illuminating the room to be the fireplace. In the light, Rainbow could easily notice Discords glowing yellow eyes, and sharpened canines. It was a brief reminder to her, that she must remember who was in front of her, lest she get caught off guard by him like a few years prior.

Discord leaned back in his chair and brought his hands together at his center. With a shockingly unnerving smile, he spoke again, though now his voice was calm...and that somehow made him almost more frightening than when he was actually doing something.

"So m'boy, tell dear old dad why you finally decided to visit after all this time."

Daybreak as a whole, seemed unintimidated by Discord in the slightest. This should have made sense to Rainbow, seeing as he'd apparently lived with him for some time and must have surely seen sides of him that no one else had. But somehow it still didn't feel right. Discords very presence this close to her was enough to bring her shortness of breath. She could feel the overwhelming power swimming within him. Like a tidal wave that was just barely being held back and could burst forth at any moment. The pressure in the surrounding air made drawing breath feel like an effort, but she pretended otherwise so as not to show weakness to either of them.

Daybreak seemed to take his time answering his father, which seemed odd since Rainbow had made it plenty clear why they'd come here. Perhaps he was just too proud to admit they hadn't come to ask for anything, and it really was just a visit. After likely considering the hundreds of different ways he could answer his father and try to save face, he eventually just raised a finger and pointed over at her.

"She made me. We're...together now...and Rainbow wanted to meet you formally. Not as an enemy."

This response seemed to please Discord immensely, which could be both a good or a bad thing, depending on how things turned out. Discords grin widened into a toothy smile, and he slapped his hands together joyfully.

"Well well m'boy! So you took the leap eh? Glad to see you took my advice after all! I must say this is a surprise! You actually listening to your parent, who'd have thought!"

Daybreak's eye twitched, bringing Discords smile ever closer to the edge of his face.

"This has nothing to do with what you said father! I made my own decision!"

"And just what did he say Daybreak? What advice is he talking about?"

The tone in Rainbow voice is what made him look at her. He immediately saw the suspicion plastered on her features and realized he'd dug his own grave.

"Oopsie doopsie m'boy! Did you not tell her we've been chatting?"

"No, he did not."

Daybreak shot a glare that could have melted iron at his father. He knew this had been a bad idea.

"Its not like we talk often Rainbow. He appeared once when we first started out, we talked, he left. Its that simple. We haven't talked since. I just didn't think it was worth mentioning."

Rainbows gaze seemed to relax for a moment, until Discord spoke again that is.

"Bet you didn't think it was worth mentioning that you tried to run out on her like you did Twilight as well...did ya?"

"No! I did not!" Ignoring his fathers grin he turned his gaze to Rainbow and spoke before she could say anything.

"Its not like he says Dash! It was that day under the tree! When we...ya know...anyways...After you fell asleep I got up and walked off. Back then I still thought it would be best if I left before you got too attached. But I changed my mind!-"

"You mean yours truly changed your mind m'boy."

"Who fucking cares! The point is; is I made my choice and I stuck around. I'm still here, and I'm not gonna run out on you Dashie!" He was standing up by this point and practically yelling. "This is exactly why I didn't wanna come here!" He thrust a accusing finger at his father "He's just gonna take every little mistake I've made and serve it up to you twisted so I look like an ass. We shouldn't have come here!"

He took in several breathes once he stopped and sat back down with his face in his hands.

"You done?" Rainbows voice was dry. Not hinting at anger or any kind of emotion really, which was actually scarier for her. A trait she shared with his father. He lifted his head for a moment "What?"

Rainbow just shook her head "You're such a dumb ass sometimes, ya know?"

Daybreak found himself confused. Meanwhile Discord, who was floating above his chair with his legs criss-crossed, was barely restraining his own laughter. Rainbow just continued to shake her head. "I'm not a moron dude. I know he's gonna twist things that happened, good or bad. But that's why I'm here right? I gotta learn to deal with him if I'm gonna be with you from now on right? That's what you do for family. So quit yelling and making a scene or I'll have to kick your ass in front of your dad!"

Silence was his only ally at that moment in time. He truly didn't quite know what to say to that. "This girl...may she never cease to amaze me."

The slow clapping of hands and a building low laughter drew Daybreak's attention to the air above his fathers chair, where he now hovered. Discord look like he was leaning forward on something as he clapped and stared intently at them both. "Ah young romance. How I remember those days. Over a thousand years ago now. Back when Celery and I first met."

He hovered down in between them both and patted their heads simultaneously.

"There was a time when a bouquet of flowers exploding water into her face would actually make her laugh ya know? Now she just tries to impale me on a spear whenever I pop by."

Rainbows eyebrow raised as she ducked out from under Discords grasp. "Do you visit Canterlot often?"

"More often than you think m'dear."

"Uh huh...and why's that?"

Still sitting with his legs crossed, Discord motioned Rainbow close. She leaned in and he whispered into her ear. "I promised your boyfriend I'd create some fun little bits of chaos out of town to draw attention away from here. I've been having loads of fun filling Loony Luna's bath tub with custard. And poor Celery must be scared to even sit down by now, with all the items I've been stashing in her chairs. You ever tried holding a press conference in your throne room, only to sit down and hear the loudest of farts whistle out from beneath you? Best part is, the items all vanish before she can grab 'em! Ha ha! No evidence! It's great!"

Discord was beside himself, rolling about in the air clutching his knees to his chest and cackling like the madman he was. Daybreak averted his eyes and tried to cover his twitching mouth with his hand. "Gods...I didn't think you'd go and do that" Was all he could muster without losing himself. Rainbow on the other hand, had no qualms about joining in the fun. Losing a cackle of her own she stood from her chair, reached up and pulled Discord from the air by his coat tails.

"Yo dude, next time you should charm their shampoo's so they get each others hair styles when they shower, and replace all the royal banners with lewd portraits of Princess Celestia that say something like "Praise the Sun Butt!"

"Ho ho!" Discord somersaulted himself higher up into the air, materializing a notepad as he did so. Daybreak smacked his palm to his face and grabbed Rainbow by the shoulder.

"What the hell are you doing giving him ideas?!"

Rainbow wafted her hand "Psssh, what? You suddenly care if your mom and aunt switch hair style a few days? Or like Celestia won't see and burn down those new banner within an hour? I'm just making friends with your dad like I said, besides, you said Celestia was awful to you right? Well, I've never seen that side of her, but I can still exact some harmless revenge in your place, right?"

She watched his face. For a minute, she was actually worried he wouldn't go for it. But then, she saw the smile start to creep across his cheeks, and knew victory was hers.

"Alright, if your sure this won't bite us in the ass later...I'm game...But I get to add a few ideas of my own."

Rainbow nodded gleefully "Aw yeah, pulling pranks on the Princess. I've made to the big leagues now baby!

Discord floated back down to just above head height "Oh Rainbow Dash, you couldn't survive in the big leagues, you'd become a criminal within a days time. And as for you my little offspring..." He floated particularly close to Daybreak's face "I'm not sure you know the difference between pranking your mother and attempted murder, so I'll not be having any of your ideas?"

Daybreak smirked "Whaaaaat, you saying a couple live scorpions in her bed is too much? She is immortal after all."

Discord rolled his eyes as his feet finally touched solid ground once again. "Immortality isn't the same as invincibility. In fact, you know that better than most...don't you?"

Daybreak flipped him off, even with his back now to him, Discord could feel his eyes burning in the back of his head. He merely smiled and spoke without looking at them.

"Now now m'boy. Manners. Show young Rainbow to the dinning room and I shall prepare something proper for you both."

Daybreak huffed "Thanks but we've-"

Discord had already walked through the adjacent wall like a poltergeist before Daybreak had even finished speaking, leaving them both just standing there in the living room by the fire.

"-already eaten...what a jackass, I swear."

"He's YOUR father." Rainbow chuckled lightly, but Daybreak was hardly as amused.

"He's an ass."

Rainbow chuckled again. "Same thing. Come on, since he just Danny Phantomed through the wall, I doubt he's coming back, so we might as well go sit down to eat whatever he's cooking up."

Daybreak growled aloud as he grabbed the nearest door handle and held it open for her to proceed.

"The last time I ate something my father gave to me, I turned purple for a week."

"Well then you and Twilight will finally have some common ground to talk about. Come on." She walked through the door and kept moving ahead of him, as though she actually knew where she was going.

They proceeded like this through a few rooms, before coming to a large set of twin doors. Rainbow smirked and took a step forward, but Daybreak's arm came out to block her path. Rainbow cocked her to the side.

"What's the big deal? Its the only way to go."

"No it isn't. One door, many exits." Daybreak looked back the way they'd come just to confirm his fears, which were indeed accurate. He sighed as he saw the door they had just come through was indeed gone. "This place hasn't changed...huuuh...Remember whose house this is Dash. Tame as it may be compared to his usual preferences, there is still a trick to getting around in this place...and sadly I've forgotten what it is."

"Well aren't you a big help. Glad I brought the expert."

"Hey, bite me Skittles! It has been quite a few years ya know. Not like I come here for summer getaways....Ugh we don't have time for this." He walked up the to handle closest on his right and grabbed ahold.

"We don't?" Rainbows head drooped to the side.

Pulling back hard, Daybreak felt the door resisting him. "N-No we-urrrrrgh-don't!" The door began to budge slightly. "Not if we're gonna get to your dads and back home today....aaaarrrrrgh!" The door creaked forward a slight bit as if to open, then in an instant shot forward from his grip and shut itself once more. He turned back to her in frustration and extended his palm at the door. "You gonna stand there like a doofus or you gonna help me yank this thing?"

Rainbow shrugged her arms "Call me crazy but I don't think forcing open a door in Discords house, that doesn't wanna open, is a good idea."

Daybreak rolled his eyes "Pssssh! Fine." He returned his hands to the handle and began pulling once more. The strain in his voice was apparent "You just-urrrrmph-don't understand this place-uuurrgh-like I do." He had one foot off the ground now and pressing against the wood of the adjacent wall as he pulled back. The door budged the slightest of inches.

"Ahhhh! Fucking thing! Open already!" For a moment he let go and gave the door a frustrated kick, as if that might solve the issue. Though he instantly regretted his decision, when seconds later he found himself being hurtled across the room like a toy as the door grew a giant fist in its center and punched him square in the gut. He hurtled backwards through the opposite wall like it was made of legos, only to be plucked from the air by his father. He was twirled around once, then placed in a red velvet cushioned chair, in front of a grand dinning table the likes of which one might find inside a palace.

Following just behind Daybreak, Rainbow peeked her head through the cartoonish human sized hole in the wall. Upon seeing Daybreak seated at the table, she smiled and made her way over, taking the seat directly opposite him. Discord was already seated adjacent both of them at the head of the table. He was still dressed in his fancy suit from before, though now he had an oversized napkin tucked into his collar and dangling from his neck down to his lap.

Discord clapped his hands together once, then rang the small bell that appeared between his palms as he brought them apart.

"Let's not keep our guests waiting boys."

A door directly behind where they were seated burst open, and out strolled something out of Daybreak's nightmares. An army of three foot tall Discords, all wearing different, but equally ridiculous multi colored suits strolled forth from behind the twin doors. They each carried a tray or platter of some kind and began filling the massive table with a large assortment of odd looking foods. Some scurried around and laid silverware, while others assaulted him and Rainbow with napkins to cover their laps.

It started and ended so quickly, Daybreak didn't even have time to get annoyed by it. Though he was relieved to see the battalion scurry back inside the twin doors once the table was fully set and prepared. Rainbows eyes widened as she took in the sight of all the interesting foods laid out before her. She took up her knife and fork then darted her eyes about like a hungry predator. Discord motioned his hand across the table.

"Dig in my dear."

She didn't need so much as another word of encouragement; with ferocity that likely depicted her as starving, Rainbow massacred the dishes before her. She crammed food onto her plate like she hadn't eaten in weeks, and only after her plate depicted a Jenga tower of epic proportions, did she start to eat it. Discord actually looked as surprised as Daybreak did, and shot him a worried look. To which he responded with a meek shrug.

Pushing his own plate away from him, Daybreak stood from the table. "Father, which way...?"

Sighing Discord shook his head "I should have figured as much. Through the twin doors third right door on the right, top to bottom, same as before."

He nodded and proceeded past Discords chair towards the exit. Rainbow briefly looked up from her siege upon Discords table. "Whereyougoin?"

"Swallow your food before you choke Dashie...relax I'll be right back."

With a nod Rainbow returned to her onslaught and Daybreak proceeded out through the doors.

Silence. That was all that accompanied Daybreak as he put several rooms worth of distance between himself and the dining room. The light dimmed to near nothingness as he made his way toward the only room in this house he'd always be able to find. Even with no light illuminating his way except for the candles lining the walls, Daybreak knew this route, this walk, better than possibly anywhere else he'd ever been in the world. The floor changed to old brick and stone, no longer feeling welcoming against his toes. The humidity spiked with such intensity, he began to sweat within seconds of entering the hallway. He'd walked here hundreds of times when he'd lived in this house so many years ago, he could make this walk blindfolded. In fact, he'd grown so familiar with the whole thing, he just shut his eyes as he walked.

Pitter

Patter

Pitter

Patter

Drip

Drip

Drip

Utter silence granted him the courtesy of hearing every foot step he made, combined with the dripping water droplets clinging to the cold brick walls. The mere trip to the upcoming room perfectly reflected the feelings it never failed to cause him within. He tugged at his collar, sweat already nearly soaking him through.

"After all these years, would it have killed him to install a fan down here..."

The air tasted stale and his voice came out ragged even in whisper. The walk was so unchanging and familiar, that he knew how close he'd come to his destination just by the amount he'd already sweat through his clothing. A slight draft of air ahead told him the final doors were near.

He stopped just shy of walking into solid stone, and slowly looked up, opening his eyes. Directly before him stood two twin doors, massive in size. Due to the darkness of the area, he'd never been able to see all the way to the ceiling in this passage and so had no idea how large the doors actually were. But, judging by how much of his vision they took up with him just trying to look at them, he could wager a guess. The doors lacked any handles and were void of any kind of imagery, even more so in this utter blackness, leaving no hint as to how entrance might be achieved. The only clue, was a small surgical scalpel that hung neatly nearby, visible only in the light of the candle just above it.

No normal human could ever open these doors with brute force alone. The sheer size and thickness of the stone assured him of that. Even with magic, he doubted anyone could actually smash through the door. There was only one way to open it, and it was the first test to gaining entrance to the room ahead. Luckily for him, having coming this route so many times throughout his life, this test had become little more than a minor annoyance at this point.

He snatched up the scalpel from under the candlelight and brought it into his left hand. With swift movement and precision, he sliced the blade down the center of his right hand without a sound. Then, just as the blood started to run from his wound, he placed his palm upon the cold stone, wincing only slightly at the salty sting the contact caused through his body. Once he felt the stone begin to shimmer beneath his palm and the momentary pain subsided, he began to move. He slathered the door with his blood, slowly spelling out his full name upon its center.

Sol Daybreak

Once he finished his task, he withdrew and swiftly healed his hand. As he returned the surgical knife to its hanging place, he heard the satisfactory sound of crunching and sliding stone. He returned his gaze to the front, finding the doors fully open, inviting him in to enter. He accepted and swiftly proceeded through into the room beyond. He heard the doors slide and crunch shut behind him, but he paid them little mind, he knew he could exit anytime he wished. For now, his destination lay just ahead of him, through one last door.

He came upon this door a few moments later. This obstacle was very much different from the last. Where as the last one was surrounded by utter darkness and beheld no imagery, this one was doused in the light of dozens of hanging candles and splattered with life of both text and picture alike. The door itself was large, not nearly as much so as the previous, but still enough that Daybreak had to look up to behold all the images painted across its surface. There were so many things to see upon its stone, it would likely have taken anyone hours to observe them all, and equally as long to understand the meaning behind them. For the images all varied, and were all so different, but yet they were all also common in one way. This one similarity was the key to entrance beyond, for this door also lacked any handles to speak of. But it too, also had a singular clue, though this one was written text rather than a physical object. A single line of text to be precise, written at average eye level upon the stone.

Know Thy Self, Seek Thy Desire, Conquer Thy Weakness.

Daybreak approached the door and placed his hand upon its surface. Unlike the previous door its surface felt warm to the touch, but its hell-like heat did not feel anymore welcoming than the frost cold stone of the last one. Upon his touch, Daybreak heard a voice ring out across the room, and echo within his head, something he would never get used to.

"What do you seek beyond my stone?"

Daybreak removed his hand and took a breath. He made sure to speak loud and firm.

"I seek myself!"

"Sol Daybreak. Why do you seek yourself?"

"I desire to know myself!"

"And why do you desire to know yourself?"

"I must conquer my weakness."

"And what is thy weakness, child of Champions?"

"...Myself."

"Enter."

He hung his head as he made his entrance into his destination. Even as the stone passage opened before him, he couldn't help but feel...something, about the answers this time around. For years he'd given the same responses and always been allowed passage, never giving it any real thought beyond the knowledge that it was the answer to the riddle. But his father had once told him that the questions and answers varied for each person, yet the text upon the door remained the same. Only now did he start to wonder about that, and was suddenly curious to ask what his father had said when it had been his time. He resolved to ask him about it before he departed.

Unlike the previous passages, the room before him cast no heat nor cold feeling about him. It was perfectly room temperature. Not a feeling a of comfort nor discomfort crept upon him. As he strode forth, and single light hung from unknown source above, illuminating the only object in the room despite its spacious nature...A large and very familiar, mirror.

The room that housed said mirror was plain in almost every variation of the word. It lacked color, or feeling about it. It portrayed nothing. Yet Daybreak always found that to be appropriate for such a object to be in such a room. The mirror was a path to infinite possibilities, it could be or do anything, just as the plain room housing it could become or do anything if cared for the right way.

Daybreak had resolved with himself to one day return to this place and finish what he started all those years ago with his other self. That other half that lived within every person. Their true selves. Hidden beneath all the lies and masks humans wore to coexist with one another. He knew his other half well. Yet as he stared upon the gold encrusted, glistening surface of the object of his eternal hell, he found a different desire welling up inside of his chest. One that had always been there, in the back of his mind, making him wonder. What if...

Now faced with a violent urge to be free of his past so that he could actually think about a future, he found that desire, that old curiosity pressing its way to the forefront of his mind. Flames sprouted up around his hands and a faint wind stirred in the room. His fists clenched, and anger he could rarely remember feeling scorched through his blood like acid! He took a step forward and shrieked, striking the glassed surface of the mirror with all force he could possibly muster!

"NEVER! AGAIN!"