“Oh my gosh, Spike! I've been looking for this book forever! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!”

The floor of the library shook each time Twilight bounced around in joy, but her assistant could do nothing except stare at her while scratching his head. A pack full of food and supplies had been hastily dumped onto the table in the center of the room. As Twilight jumped up and down, a book hovered in front of her, but not just any ordinary book. It was old, and worn, with some words on the cover unreadable to the average pony. Spike opened his mouth and raised a finger, but Twilight interrupted him with more excited words.

“Where in Equestria did you find this? I wasn't even sure it existed anymore! It's so old, I figured it must have been lost or destroyed! Yet here it is, a copy of Equestrian Travels, the ancient text written by Starswirl the Bearded himself!”

Twilight stopped jumping around and took a look at the book hovering in front of her. Pages flipped by faster than anypony could possibly read. Getting her to stop seemed like an impossible task, but it was late, and there was no way Spike would be able to sleep with this noise.

“But Twilight, I didn't get you that book. In fact, I've never even heard of it.”

The pages quit flipping, and the excited smile turned to wide-eyed confusion. “Huh? But what about this note left under the front cover?”

A page hovered out from within the text, and placed itself in the dragon's hands. Twilight read it aloud as Spike followed her words silently.

“'I used to wonder what friendship could be, until you all shared its magic with me.' Spike, you didn't write this?”

The young dragon shook his head. It was hard enough keeping up with her regular reading list. He watched as his friend stared intently at the book and the note. After a moment of contemplation, Twilight spoke up.

“Spike, if you didn't write that note, then who did? Now that I've had a chance to take a good look, this doesn't sound like any of our friends. Not to mention, who would just drop it off at our house like this? Why not give it to me in person, considering how important it is?”

The young dragon shrugged, then had a question of his own. “What's the book about, anyway? Why is it such a big deal?”

As he spoke, Twilight's eyes widened once more, and words flew from her mouth without a second thought. “It's Equestrian Travels, the chronicles of Starswirl the Bearded! Until now, I thought that this book was only a legend! Within, it contains some of the greatest discoveries and secrets in all of Equestria! Not to mention, Starswirl is one of the first philosophers known to ponykind! Thanks to his studies, we know tons about faraway lands, as well as magic! We wouldn't be able to do half the things we can today if not for him!”

The young dragon yawned and muttered to himself, glancing at a clock on the wall. Twilight slowly walked over to the windowsill and looked up at the moon outside.

“Oh, how I would love to talk to him for real. All those discoveries and adventures with him and his friends... I practically know him in person already! But... that's just dreaming on my part.”

Twilight turned back to the book she had set down and looked at it. “I think I'll let this mystery rest for tonight. Maybe I can find out more tomorrow at the picnic at Sweet Apple Acres.”

“I think I'll just sleep in,” muttered the dragon, now dragging himself upstairs.

Before following, Twilight read the note from the book again. “I used to wonder what friendship could be, until you all shared its magic with me. Almost sounds like a riddle.”

Twilight shook her head, then walked upstairs. As soon as she was out of sight, the book rumbled, and a voice quietly spoke from within.

“If this book isn't satisfactory, Miss Sparkle, perhaps I can provide you with something more...”

***

Twilight sat alone at the picnic table in Sweet Apple Acres looking through her new book. Her eyes scanned every page trying to see if there was a clue to where it came from, but she was no closer than the night before. As she looked for answers, she was greeted with a familiar accent.

“Howdy-do there, Twilight! What're ya doin' here all on your lonesome?”

She looked up from her book and saw Applejack, pulling a cart full of Apple family treats. Twilight closed her eyes and sniffed the aromas filling the air around her. For just a moment she forgot about the mystery in front of her, and let the various apple-flavored treats take her in.

“Mmm, smells like you did a great job with the food here, Applejack! Can't wait to sink my teeth in!”

“You know it!” Applejack replied. “Best of all, somepony left this here cart on the farm yesterday! Never saw the feller, but it's strong and sturdy, and the colors match the barn perfectly!”

Twilight quit sniffing the air, and her eyes opened wide. Applejack leaned up against the side of the cart and continued on, unaware of her friend's reaction.

“We've been needin' one fer a while now, ever since our last one broke when Spike got all scary-like. Big Macintosh's backside has been pulling double duty for months!”

“Hold on,” Twilight said, raising an eyebrow. “A perfect cart just happens to show up, and you aren't the least bit curious about how it got here?”

Applejack gave her a stern look. “Of course I'm curious. But ah got work to do, and ah ain't gonna sit around playing detective on a beautiful day like today. Besides, what's that book ya got there?”

“Oh this?” Twilight replied. “To be honest, I'm not entirely sure myself...”

Applejack took a quick look at the ancient text, then rolled her eyes and walked back to the cart. “It's one of dem fancy-shmancy ack-ah-dem-ick books, ain't it? Ah'll just leave that to you, then. Got a bunch of food to set up once the rest of our friends show up.”

Applejack began laying out the various plates and foods onto the picnic table, but she noticed Twilight had her attention divided between the book and the cart.

“Ah know ya probably got a lot on yer mind because of that thing, but could ya gimme a hoof here?”

“Oh! Sorry!” Twilight replied, smiling.

As she hovered a plate of apple cobbler out from the cart, a sudden gust of wind knocked it away, and into a tree.

“Uhhh...” Twilight muttered. An apology came from above.

“Sorry about that! Tank, get back here!” the two ponies heard, just before a rainbow-colored stream passed over them. A moment passed, and things became quiet once more.

“What in tarnation?” Applejack remarked.

They looked up to see Rainbow Dash conversing with her pet tortoise, Tank, hovering in the air alongside her thanks to some sort of rocket pack.

Rainbow Dash raised her hoof to her forehead. “I know you're excited, but until you get the hang of this thing, let's just stick to open areas, alright?”

The tortoise nodded, then rocketed off to parts unknown. Rainbow Dash shook her head, then flew down to the picnic area with her friends.

“Sorry about that! We're still working out the kinks. You won't believe what happened! Um... are you guys alright?”

Applejack and Twilight stared up at the sky, mouths gaping wide.

***

“So let me get this straight - every one of us got mysterious presents?” Twilight asked.

The whole group nodded. All six were seated around the picnic table, which was set up with food. Discarded scraps piled up around Rainbow Dash and Applejack, while Rarity refrained from eating in order to not get any stains on her new dress.

“I must admit, I'm disappointed that I don't have some rich, handsome secret admirer,” she said, dreamily. “But this fabric is rare and valuable! In fact, I'm not sure there's anything like it for miles! I just couldn't sleep until I had made a beautiful dress out of it!”

Twilight wondered aloud. “Is somepony... or something... watching us?”

Fluttershy spoke up. “I don't mind too much. I mean, Reinaldo's just so cute with his widdle ball of yarn!”

Fluttershy held up the young cat, which was purring happily as it wrapped its body around a long, red string.

“The animals back home are so happy now with all the new toys! Especially Angel, the disco ball he found suits him just right!”

Back at Fluttershy's home, Angel was dressed up in 70's clothing, complete with an afro, shades, and platform shoes, showing off his moves as the other animals watched in delight.

“...I hope it won't be too much of a chore to clean up when I get back...” she said quietly, eyes down on the ground.

As Tank shot by overhead, Rainbow Dash talked as she munched on an apple fritter.

“That rocket pack is way better than the dopey propeller he had before! Now he can finally keep up with me during my morning fly! Whoever our mystery friend is, they sure know how to have a good time!”

“Yaaaaaaaaaaargh!” Pinkie gurgled, falling off her seat onto the ground.

“No offense, Pinkie,” Applejack asked, annoyed. “But when ya came across a cake the size of Sugar Cube Corner, didn't ya think it was odd at all before attemptin' to eat the whole thing at once?”

Pinkie Pie shook her head and stretched out on the ground, her face decorated with crumbs and frosting.

Twilight sighed and rested her head on the table. “I really wish whoever gave us these things would just show themselves instead of being all mysterious about it.”

On cue, an older male voice suddenly boomed overhead.

“Oh, I'm so sorry, miss Sparkle. Was that rude of me? I was just hoping to add some nice surprises to your life, that's all.”

At once, everypony stopped eating, their eyes wide open. Rarity spat out her drink. Fluttershy fainted onto the ground next to Pinkie. Applejack and Rainbow Dash jumped out of their seats and stood tall, looking up to where the voice came from. However, they saw nothing but sky. Twilight yelled at the voice.

“Discord! Are you the one behind this? Show yourself!”

“Ooh, so bossy. But I guess I can oblige,” the sky responded.

With a flash of light, Discord appeared next to Twilight, his arm casually stretched around her. Everypony gasped.

“Did you all miss me? I must admit, I didn't think much of you girls when I first saw you, but I had such a good time, I just had to come back!”

Applejack pushed him away from Twilight and growled out a question.

“How are you even free? We turned ya back to stone just like ya were before!”

Rainbow Dash hovered at eye level with Discord. “Are you the one behind all these odd gifts?”

“Mmph mmph mmph mmmmmmmm?!” Pinkie grunted from her position on the ground, lazily raising a hoof.

“Now now, only one question at a time, please,” Discord replied, holding up a finger and shaking his head. “Though, I suppose if I just tell the tale from the beginning, then everything will make perfect sense.”

Discord disappeared, then reappeared nearby laying down on a psychiatrist's couch with the back of his palm resting on his forehead.

“It all started when I was a little boy. My mother took me to the circus, and I...”

“Quiet, Discord!” Twilight interrupted, stomping a hoof. “I'm going to retrieve the Elements of Harmony from Princess Celestia right now and stop you before you cause Equestria any more harm!”

“Oh Twilight, you wound me,” he replied, sitting up and placing his hands over his chest. “Here, I'll make it easy for you.”

With a snap of his fingers, the chest containing the Elements of Harmony appeared on the picnic table.

“There. Now can I continue?”

Twilight looked at the chest, then back at Discord, frowning. The only word she could stammer out was, “...what?”

“If you think I'm such a threat, go ahead and turn me back to stone.” Discord floated over to the table and opened the box for the six mares. “These elements are the real deal. See for yourself. Here, I'll even strike a nice pose so I make a real handsome statue.”

Discord stood up straight, grinned, and gave a “peace” sign with his paw. Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity walked to the table where the chest sat and took a closer look. Twilight lowered her head, and her horned glowed, causing the chest shimmered for a moment. The other ponies looked at her with hesitation.

“He's right! These are the true Elements of Harmony!”

Applejack and Rarity gasped, but Rainbow Dash didn't look impressed. She hovered above the chest and picked up the element of loyalty. “He already stole them once the last time he got free. I'm not exactly surprised he managed to do it again.

“I... I don't understand. Why are you doing this?” Twilight asked Discord, turning her attention back to him along with the other ponies.

“Can I PLEASE tell my story, my little ponies? I'm getting so impatient,” Discord droned, his arms stretched out wide.

“Fine.” Applejack sat down. “We'll listen to yer tale. But I don't trust you just yet.”

The group quieted. Twilight and Rarity sat as well, while Rainbow Dash remained floating in the air. Pinkie Pie mustered the strength to turn her head towards him. Fluttershy woke up, saw Discord, and fainted once more.

“So rude of her to sleep while other ponies are trying to tell a story. But no matter.” Discord shook his head. “Anypony want a drink?” he asked, snapping his fingers and conjuring glasses of chocolate milk for everyone.

None of the ponies touched them.

“Tough crowd,” he sighed, shaking his head and snapping his fingers to remove the glasses. “I was stuck in that stone for oh, say, a couple thousand years, give or take,” Discord related, holding his paw sideways for approximation. “I had a lot of time to think while I was in there. No pony to talk to, nor could I entertain myself in any way. Until one day, these three little fillies got into a little kerfuffle outside my statue...”

“Three little fillies?” Twilight asked. Then suddenly, the group's eyes opened wide.

“THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS?!”

“Ah yes, I believe that's what they call themselves.” Discord stroked his beard.  “It was during a class field trip at the statue gardens. While standing near my stone body, those girls had a little 'discord' amongst themselves. Canterlot had been such a peaceful, BORING place for a statue. That bit of chaos was all the energy it took to free me from my prison.”

“That darn Applebloom!” Applejack complained as she looked towards the Apple family home. She rested a hoof on her chin. “Come to think of it, Cheerilee told me the three of them had a little fight on that field trip, but ah completely forgot about it, what with the whole 'you taking over the world' business,” she said, pointing her hoof at Discord.

Discord held up his hand, sighing. “Oh, Applejack. That was a while ago, and I've already told you: I'm one of the good guys now! You should leave your little sister alone. Poor little thing had no idea what she was doing. That goes for you too, Rarity!” he exclaimed, pointing towards her. “Love your dress, by the way,” he said with a whistle.

Rarity's eyes opened wide as she blushed, looking at her dress made from Discord's fabric.

“Well now I just feel unclean!” she screamed.

“Good to know,” Discord said, grinning. “Anyway, where were we? Oh, that's right, the Cutie Mark Crusaders released me. Thanks to them, I was free for a few glorious days. Relatively speaking. Hard to tell considering I messed up the lunar cycle. I tricked you all into hating each other, and crowned myself king of the new world!”

Discord's upbeat voice turned sour. “Then, somehow, you all pulled yourselves together. Used the Elements of Harmony against me with your little show of 'friendship'. Sure, I could expect that kind of power from Celestia and Luna, but a group of random girls? It was unlike anything I had ever seen!”

Discord began pacing back and forth with his arms behind his back, looking at the ground, away from the ponies.

“For the past year, I've been contemplated in that stone shell you locked me in. Maybe there really is something to this 'friendship' thing. If it's strong enough to overcome the obstacles set in place by a being such as myself,” he said, putting his paw to his chest, “maybe I could really learn a thing or two from you. Once I realized that, the stone casing holding me down shattered, and I was freed, this time with a new outlook on life!” he proclaimed, raising his hands.

The ponies were silent. Rainbow Dash raised a hoof as she asked a question.

“So what you're saying is... you managed to break free because... you wanted to be our friend?”

“Mm-hm!” Discord nodded, smiling at them.

Rarity looked down at her dress. “So all those presents were just... presents?”

“That's right!” he cheered. “Just a small token of gratitude for what you've done for me! So tell me, can I be your 'friend'?” he asked, holding his hands together as he grinned in anticipation.

A cheerful gurgle erupted from Pinkie's mouth, but Rarity replied in a much lower tone.

“What exactly do you mean by 'friend'? Do you just want to... hang out with us? No offense, but I'm sure a... whatever you are... would have some trouble fitting in with the rest of Ponyville.”

Discord rolled his eyes. “Relax, Rarity. I have no interest in interfering in your daily lives. Just think of me as an observer. Besides, all of Equestria is my sandbox. What would I accomplish by limiting myself to this little town of yours? Though, I must admit, a lot of crazy things happen in this neck of the woods...”

Tank made another pass overhead. Discord laughed.

“See, even before I came back, you already had flying tortoises! I just gave him a little extra kick.”

“So, uh, you promise not to hurt anyone or nothin'?” Applejack asked him.

“Absolutely not. In fact, if it makes you feel better, I'll even Pinkie Promise!” Discord summoned a cupcake and smooshed it in his eye. His face drooped. “That's not quite as comfortable as you always made it sound, Pinkie Pie.”

Pinkie weakly raised her left front hoof and placed it against her eye.

Twilight cautiously asked, “So... does that mean we're good? You'll leave us alone and you won't cause any more problems?”

“Not quite,” Discord responded, holding up a finger. “I heard a certain pony express some dissatisfaction with her book this morning.”

Twilight looked away. “It's not like I don't appreciate the gift... like I said, I've wanted to see it all my life. But I always thought it was buried in the ruins of some lost civilization or something. That it could take an entire lifetime to find, and I was just hoping someday I would be privileged enough to be allowed to study it whenever it did turn up. For it to just drop out of the sky like it did... makes me feel like I cheated.” She closed her eyes and let her head sag.

“Well, to be fair,” Discord explained, “it WAS in a long-lost city. If you want though, I'll return it right where I found it.”

With a snap of his fingers, the book vanished, but it did little to change Twilight's mood. Discord continued.

“Should take about, say, 43 years and two months before it's 'legitimately' discovered. However, since it's not a suitable gift, how about this, Miss Sparkle? I heard you mention that you would love to talk to the REAL Starswirl the Bearded. Isn't that right?”

Twilight's eyes opened wide. She turned around and spoke quickly, her body shaking in anticipation.

“You can do that?! You can really take me back to when Starswirl was around?!”

“Of course I can!” Discord exclaimed, delighted. “Heck, you won't be gone but for a little while! Whaddya say?”

“Woah, hold on there!” Applejack butted in. “Ah still don't quite trust you to be my friend, and now ya want to take my pal Twilight to who knows where?”

“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash agreed. “I'm not letting you go anywhere with her!”

“Darling?” Rarity worried. “Did your dreams of meeting your hero cloud your common sense?”

Twilight settled down as her excited grin wore off. “Girls... I know you're uncomfortable with me leaving with him, but this is a huge chance for me! I'll learn far more talking to the real deal than I could from any book!”

Discord chimed in, laughing. “Besides, if I wanted to trap her somewhere, I could do that right now. Asking for your permission is only a formality.”

The ponies looked at each other and nodded in unison.

Rarity put her hoof on Twilight's shoulder. “It's quite a risk. Are you sure you can handle it?”

“Of course she can!” Applejack interrupted. “Ah know you, Twilight. You've always proven yerself to get out of trouble before. No matter what happens, ah count on you to take care of yerself.”

“And if things don't go as planned,” Rainbow Dash finished, “then maybe I'll just learn some new Rainboom to go back in time and save you!”

Twilight smiled, ran to her friends, and hugged them. “Thanks, girls. I know you're all worried, but I have a feeling we can trust him.”

“Graaaaaaaaaaargh!” Pinkie moaned.

Discord laughed. “Thank you for that, Pinkie. That moment was almost touching. Ready to go, miss Sparkle?”

Twilight nodded her head and walked back to Discord. He picked her up, then the two of them disappeared in a flash of light. Just then, Spike walked into the picnic clearing, yawning.

“Finally up from my nap. What'd I miss?”

He looked around. “Where's Twilight? And why are Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie just lying there?”

***

With a flash of light, Twilight and Discord appeared in the middle of a grassy field in the evening. He let her down, shortly before she shut her eyes and shook her head. Twilight's legs wobbled, and her stomach grumbled. Discord seemed unaffected, and patted her head.

“Don't worry, Twilight. Time travel takes some getting used to. Besides, you're standing in ancient Equestria. You might notice that the air is different, the grass is different. It's like you're in a whole other world! Not a hint of civilization as far as the eye can see!”

When she regained her balance, Twilight looked around. No buildings or structures anywhere. The grass was long, and the valley was as hilly as could be. However, off in the distance in one direction, the sun was setting behind a large mountain range. As she scanned the landscape, she asked Discord a question.

“Where's Starswirl the Bearded? He's here, right? In this time period?”

“You're so impatient,” Discord replied, laughing. “Wait just a moment, and you'll meet the legend in person.”

Twilight continued to look around, until she finally heard some voices in the distance. They gradually grew in volume. A bold, older voice talked to himself as he wrote on a scroll.

“Captain's log, Equine Date twenty-three point zero-nine-five. My group and I are on our way to the western mountains that border Equestria. In about a day or two, we will be able to explore the mountains for ourselves to see what mysteries they may contain.”

A pale-coated earth pony with brown, slick-backed hair and a brain for a cutie mark spoke up in an awkward, stilted fashion.

“Sir, we have been traveling nonstop since noon. Perhaps it would be best if we set up camp for the night.”

“Captain, I think Info is right,” exclaimed a long, red maned pegasus with blue fur, as well as a red cross for a cutie mark. “Our group is getting tired, and we need to rest if we are to continue on this journey.”

A male griffin, taller than the rest of the group, spoke up. “I am still fully awake, Gates. If necessary, I can keep watch while everyone else rests.”

“Thank you, Frow, but you shouldn't act so tough. I can tell you are just as tired as the rest of us,” remarked a slender female unicorn with long, dark hair and pink fur, and a pillow cutie mark.

A tall earth pony with red fur and a distinctive brown beard, the same as his cutie mark, spoke loudly to the group. “I may not be able to sense emotions like Leanna, but I can still tell when we need to call it quits. Jorri, can you search the area for anything that might cause us harm?”

“Sure thing, Stryker,” replied a short-haired, brown-furred unicorn with a gear for a cutie mark, and a blindfold around his eyes. He crouched and stood still for a moment, then a sphere emanated from his horn, expanding but becoming more transparent the longer the spell held.

“Captain, there are two figures to the west!” Jorri exclaimed.

“Everypony on alert!” yelled the leader of the group. “We need to find out who or what is out there before we can set up camp!”

The entire group ran towards the spot the blind pony picked up. However, they stopped when they found a young, wide-eyed unicorn, and a tall creature they had encountered many times before. The leader rubbed his eyes and took another look. Discord greeted the bald, bearded unicorn who wore a large hat with bells on it.

“Hello, Swirly. It's been such a long time, hasn't it?”

Starswirl the Bearded raised his hoof to his forehead and breathed a heavy sigh.