Unease and curiosity dominated my feelings as I bit my lip and gripped the covers tightly, staring over my back shoulder towards the bedroom door. I wondered what had made the barn door slam shut, but I was a little scared to go out and check. Especially without Applejack. Get ahold of yourself, AJ. Probably just... the wind blowing it shut. A distant rumble of thunder from the next round of storms made it no easier on me. I shut my eyes and pathetically attempted to go back to sleep, thinking I'd try to ignore it, and instead ponder the relationship between me and my wife and the glorious mysteries of our love that lay ahead. It's nothing... it's nothing... Hm. Maybe just a quick peak... It was anybody's guess as to what was out there, whether it be the wind or an intruder, but it's my duty, as well as Big Macintosh's, to look after Granny Smith and Apple Bloom, especially with Applejack gone. I must always be the best family member I can be... that means protecting the family from harm. Come on, Applejack would be brave. It's probably nothing anyway. But a little peek out the window can't hurt.

I gently threw back the covers and slowly crept out of bed, while Winona stayed put, breathing softly with her eyes shut and her chin rested in her forelegs. I walked up to the window, and peered out toward the barn. The side of the barn was mostly visible to me, but I couldn't see a light or anything in the windows that lined the side; only darkness. But right then as I stared into the pitch-black darkness, a small bright light, perhaps a candle, appeared in the darkness. What in the world? It was certainly an odd time for someone in the family to be out there at this time, and I could hear the loud snoring of both Big Macintosh and Granny Smith in the rooms over. Moderately concerned, I wondered whether or not to wake them. What if Applejack and her friends decided to have the sleep over out there? I would hate to wake up Granny Smith and Big Macintosh for that, much less interrupt the slumber party. I took a gulp, sighed, and rolled my eyes. Well, looks like this one's on me.

I slipped my t-shirt on and headed towards the bedroom door barefoot, walking out through the doorway and tiptoeing my way down the stairs to make sure I didn't wake the others. Reluctantly I approached the front door and looked out at the barn through our front windows. Still just the lone light in one of the windows. Here we go. Hello, slumber party... If it was an intruder, at least I knew it wasn't Trixie, who was, as far as I knew, still in the dungeons beneath Manehattan. Besides, no one has any ill will towards us. Not even Uncle Orange.

Just as I began to open the door, I heard the soft whine of Winona right behind me, which caused me to jump at first. I sighed a breath of relief and turned around to face her. She was staring up at me with wide eyes, begging me to let her come with me in her stare.

"Sorry, not this time, girl," I said, feeling bad, and petting her on the head; I didn't want her to bark when we went out there and wake everyone up if it turns out it was just the slumber party, or Granny Smith (who is full of surprises), or the wind. She looked up at me with sadness, as though she comprehended my response enough to understand it meant "no." The collie lowered herself to the ground and raised her eyes up at me with care, as though letting me know that she would wait patiently for me to return.

"Hey, don't worry, I'll be back. I've just gotta make sure everything is ok. Then we'll be right back in bed and asleep, sound good?" I said, giving her a quick rub under the chin. She remained there and kept the same loyal expression, and I didn't doubt for one second that when I returned, she'd be there.

So without Winona, I quietly made my way out the front door, shut it behind me, and came to a halt on the porch. The air was cool and misty, and a soft sprinkle had just begun to fall as distant flashes lit up the valleys and hills around the farm, a brief break from the darkness of night that covered the land as intermittent rumbles of thunder echoed softly throughout the land.

As I took a step toward the barn, a soft sprinkle began to fall, and an unexpected but very distinct noise could be heard from the barn- a familiar voice. Apple Bloom! I chuckled to myself with relief as I kept moving forward to through the night air, my barefeet splashing through mud with every step. Immediately I wondered what she might be doing out here this late and was eager to check up on her; either a secret "cutie mark crusader" (the group her and her two best friends call themselves) meeting or something beyond guessing. Nevertheless, it was still really late, and fillies her age need even more sleep than adult ponies.... and humans. I better get her back to bed. Still, I was so relaxed and relieved to know it was just my wife's little sister. If there's one thing I've learned about life in Equestria, even Sweet Apple Acres, it's that it's full of surprises.

Something struck me rather odd as I approached the barn; the young filly's voice was singing something, no words, just more of a hum. It was a strange tune, one I'd never heard before. The notes and harmony of the song denoted some kind of eerie feeling, and I wondered if this was some kind of old ghost story song, or something of that nature. It was certainly different from what I'm used to from the adorable filly, who is usually so cheery and friendly.

I opened the door the barn and strolled right in, feeling the hay-covered floor at my feet.

"Apple Bloom?" I said, looking around. I quickly found the lit candle in the center of the barn, and she appeared to be covered in a blanket of hay on the barn floor.

"Ah' ain't tired, ah' swear," she said softly.

"Well, it is way past your bedtime," I remarked, in a gentle and friendly tone.

"Ah' was hopin' you'd come out here an' help me go to sleep," she said, also softly and in an abnormal tone.

"What do you mean by that?" I said, laughing, and beginning to move towards her.

"Ah' mean I was hopin' you'd let me go to sleep in your arms," she said, and I smiled confusedly. Her tone was still very strange, and very hard to figure out. It was all very uncharacteristic of her. I stopped in my tracks and the smile faded on my face when she spoke her next choice of words. "Yer really strong, hard-workin' arms."

I stared at the figure under the hay, pondering heavily what she meant by that, and beginning to feel terribly uneasy inside. Did she just say-? The tone in her voice suggested something that ... well, something I would never expect to hear from the innocent little filly, the little sister of my most innocent wife. Not since Manehattan, in the private room where Trixie revealed her insincerity and malice, have my emotions and nerves ever dipped so fast and my alarm gone up so high.

"There's a whole lot o' room under the hay."

I was now very afraid. If I knew anything, it was that wasn't her. I began breathing hard; there's only one pony I could think of who has the power to mimic her voice this way, and that's Trixie.

"Where's Apple Bloom?" I said, shaking my head angrily.

"What's wrong, AJ? This is Apple Bloom!" she replied. I began walking towards the spot where the figure in the hay was. I was very afraid, but I continued forward.

"No you're not!" I shouted, but as I reached the spot where she was and bent over to pull the hay off of her, I was suddenly overtaken by an unseen force; a gale of wind, or something of that power, flinging me back fifteen feet through the air and landing me on my back square on the barn floor.

Suddenly it was deadly silent in the barn, and as I lifted my head up from my back, I saw a small orb of intensely bright light hovering just above the ground in the center of the barn, and as I continued watching, it grew into a larger ball of blinding light, and began shooting rays of that same light out in all directions. The silence stopped as what sounded like the laughter of a male voice echoed through the barn. It started out soft, but grew louder as the light grew, until the light was so blinding I had to raise my hand in front of my eyes look away. It was all happening so fast I barely had time to comprehend what was happening, and I was so afraid that I helplessly curled up into ball on the floor and covered my eyes.

I removed my hand and looked back towards where the light was (instead, the whole barn was now fully lit, just like if we were having a party or hoedown in there), and standing before me and laughing hysterically was a tall, multicolored serpentine creature I had never seen before, yet I knew unmistakably who stood before me. My heart rate dropped, but not that much.

"Whaho!" he cackled, stuttering amidst his howling laughter, "that look on your face! Too easy!"

Did that just happen? His appearance was so complex it was almost indescribable, with the head of a pony, a deer antler on the top right of his head, a blue goat horn on the left, one long fang, different-sized pupils of yellow and red hue, a snake tongue, a goat beard, a bear's arm, an eagle claw, and white bushy eyebrows. I stared at him with wide eyes and an open mouth as I remained on the ground with my hands behind me, holding myself up. I wasn't quite as scared now as I was confused. I had wondered at his mentions at the hoedown here in the barn if it was only a matter of time before we crossed each other's paths. I was hoping to avoid him; despite his newfound love of friendship (which I'd only heard about from ponies who still considered him dubious), the mysterious draconequus' history with Applejack and the rest of Equestria was anything but good. I guess sharing an element of harmony, the concerns of Equestria can inevitably involve us sometimes.

"You must be Discord," I said, standing up and brushing the hay off of my clothes, and quite annoyed. That's no way to make a first impression with me. What could you want with me? He folded his arms and floated right off the ground. His amused expression displayed a lot of arrogance and mischief, but I could see no sign of real evil in his eyes. At my remark, he raised his eyebrows and smirked.

"Is it really that obvious?" he said, as he slithered down into the hay and twisted around on his back, looking to get comfortable. "Not that I didn't expect you to have never heard about me, Mr. Co-Element of honesty," he said, resting his hands (if that's what you call them) behind his head. I stood there awkwardly; I was not expecting this sudden conversation at one in the morning. A conversation that, mind you, started off on the wrong foot, thanks to Discord's not-so-funny prank.

"Uh, yeah," I said, laughing uncomfortably and looking away confusedly. I still wasn't sure why he was here or what he wanted, and once again he displayed a knowledge of my attributes. "So, you know me?"

"Oh yes, your story- well, not just you, but also your hard-working Earth pony wife -is one of the most entertaining tales I've ever come across. I absolutely had to meet the meek and mild AJ, not only a human, but the soulmate of honest Applejack," he said, playing with his eagle claw, which made up his left arm.

I was expectedly delighted inside at his mention of Applejack and I as a married couple, but outweighing this was that I was weirded out by his knowing me so well, and I began looking around awkwardly and rubbing the back of my neck. I didn't really know how to respond, or what to say or do. At heart, I didn't trust him; manipulating Applejack is maybe the most unacceptable and infuriating action a creature could commit. Even since his reformation, he was known for being occasionally unreliable and insubordinate. But he didn't seem to be threatening me, or Applejack, or anyone, so my level of anxiety was diminishing. But I still had no idea what he wanted, unless he really did just come here to meet me.  

"Um, so... you seem to know me pretty well," I said, laughing nervously at him with my eyes going back and fourth between him and the ground. I also was too nervous to realize it was basically the same thing I had just said before. He continued smiling, ever-confident and ever-dramatic.

"Hm, let's see, there's 'gentle AJ', 'the lovestruck human', 'honest AJ', 'AJ the smitten, 'AJ the farmer', 'the farmer's husband', 'the love of Applejack', 'Applejack's boy', 'the friendly human', and 'AJ the kind' just to name a few of your more popular titles among the ponies of Ponyville," he continued in playful fashion, leaving me dumbstruck with an uncomfortable expression. That's creepy. I continued to force a smile, breathing hard through my teeth. Give him a chance, AJ. Maybe he really is changed. Remember what Applejack said; it's our kindness that makes us Apples.

"So, uh, what can I do for you? I hear you're good friends with Fluttershy, that must be nice," I said in a complimentary tone. To my interest and encouragement, he warmed in a manner I had not yet seen at the mention of Fluttershy, and I saw what appeared to be a brief but authentic flicker of affection is eyes. Maybe he can be a friend. Maybe I could let my guard down. He even stood up and looked at me as though appreciative, breaking from his confident, prankish mannerisms, but it was short lived.  

"Yes, as a matter of fact I am," he said, before his body suddenly appeared behind me, with his serpentine neck stretched in front of me, his head turned back towards me and looking me in the eye. "I want to get to know you for myself! I've heard so much about you and your serious pony-crush, but hearing and seeing are two different things. I want to experience you first hand; oh, don't worry; I'm not working for some rich, disapproving uncle," he added, with great fun in delivering each and every word. How does he know this stuff? I hope he doesn't know about- "Besides," he muttered, looking at his eagle claw, which briefly clenched into a fist,  "it wasn't you or Applejack that left me trapped in stone for some thousands of years."

I didn't have much time to consider his latest remark, before he continued his dominance of an already one-sided conversation. Up to this point, I hadn't shown much emotion outside of my nervous smiles and blank stares.

"What's the matter AJ? You look uncomfortable, is it something I'm doing?" he said, but his concern did not look sincere, only more showmanship. Setting aside his outlandish behavior, dark past, and completely unorthodox time of visit, I had no idea what a human and a draconequus are supposed to talk about. Think AJ, think! I tried my best to sound casual and more comfortable.

"No! No, it's not that, it's just that- well, actually, I uh- "

"Ugh, thank you so much, ponies," he said, cutting me off and rolling his eyes. "You need not feel nervous around me, AJ. I am completely sold on this 'friendship' thing. In fact, to prove to you that I'm telling the truth, I shall, right now, give you anything you ask of me."

"Wait, what?"

"Anything! There must be something that I, in all my magical prowess, can give you, some favor or something you desire that only something like my magic can obtain," he added, bowing his head and extending his arm in a theatrical fashion. I did not particularly like the sound of that.

"That's really not necessary, thank you," I pleaded, hoping he would let it drop. His plan to loosen me up wasn't working.

"Oh, c'mon! You're married to Applejack! I owe you something right off the bat," he said, saying her name with extra special emphasis. "It's what friends do, AJ. A friend of Fluttershy's is... potentially a friend of mine, I guess. Good grief! Can't I just be the nice guy for once?" he said, putting extra drama into his tone as he attempted his best shot at 'puppy dog' eyes. But I don't need anything! I just wanna go to back to bed, and wait for her. I gave in, only reluctantly and uncomfortably.

"Um, ok," I said, scratching my head as he expressed delight with my answer. He snapped his fingers, and suddenly there was a couch of hay behind me which he nudged me back into.

"I knew you'd come around," he smirked, and put his power on display by opening his palm and commanding straws of hay to dance around on it, much to my discomfort.  "So... what'll it be?"

I think I credited him with too much honesty; I actually began thinking to myself what I could possibly want from Discord. He doesn't seem to be scheming... maybe he really does just want to get to know me. As long as he doesn't pose a threat to Applejack, the family or me... I set aside the fact that this was some trick or plan of his and decided to play along, and began seriously contemplating what I might want from his limitless magic. I thought about what made me the happiest, and of course, I already had the source of my greatest joy in life, and what an unimaginable bliss she is. The next biggest things I wanted I also already had or had coming; the well-being of the Apple family and the chance to raise a foal with Applejack, to unite and exchange our love for the sake of a child. Obviously, I fear threats to those things, or any kind of radical change in our lives. Most of all, though...

"Well?" he said, losing his smile and looking as though he was getting impatient. I don't think he expected me to take so long. "Wings? Strength? Size? Wealth? Magic?"

I thought harder, but with not much results. I didn't want any of those things. I had no interest in material possessions, or powers or abilities I didn't already have. I didn't want to change myself at all, because Applejack loves me as I am. I feared anything like that. In regards to wealth or matters of that sort, we grow in love through our hardships and joys, and our triumphs in adventures.  I didn't want to change anything. I wanted safety for my wife and our foal, but we could handle that ourselves. I also wanted all the ponies to respect Applejack. But Discord can't force them to respect her, authentically at least. I thought long and hard about her and pictured her smiling, freckled face with those green eyes, and the life and love that emanates from them, and I felt the same warm tickle that she's always made me feel. That's when I knew Discord's magic really had nothing for me.

I turned and faced him, naturally feeling more content and relaxed having thought about what I just had. He was now very eager to hear my reply, and it was as though he was surprised I hadn't answered sooner.  

"Eh, I've got nothing," I shrugged, smiling. Discord raised his ears as though he didn't hear.

"Huh? Come on, what do you want, honestly?"

"I don't need anything," I repeated, in the same fashion as the first time. Discord looked shocked.

"Are you kidding me?"

I shook my head like it wasn't a big deal. But to him it apparently was. He faced me and dropped his arms to his side, his eyes and mouth open with bewilderment- this time real, authentic bewilderment. He paused silently for a long moment, and now it was awkward for both of us, not just me anymore. He couldn't reconcile my response. He eyed me intently, as though reading my mind for answers. Well jeez, I'm not some hoarding dragon. He teleported to behind me again, leaning over my shoulder and eyeing me before another flash of light and he was back to in front of me. It was as though I messed up his entire way of behaving and acting, like he'd been planning for me to want something. Like he couldn't believe she was all I needed. The reality was she was just that and so much more.

I still didn't know what to say. I was getting extremely uncomfortable. It certainly seemed like it was best for me to just end it right there, and return to Winona and the rest of the family.

"Uh, it was nice meeting you, Discord, but, I really better be getting back to bed, but, uh, stop by soon, won't you?" I said, standing up and smiling, and pretending to stretch. At first, he did nothing. I waved, just as I turned around to head out of the barn, he called out to me.

"Wait. AJ, hold on a second."

I turned around, and his expression was still somewhat confident, but there was less self-amusement and more seriousness. Comparatively, that is. "Forgive me, I must admit I underestimated you," he said, bowing his head before turning back up at me and once again examining me. "Though you are a meek one, aren't you?"

I couldn't help but be somewhat amused at him; he was a difficult one to figure out, I must admit. This apology was most unexpected. Then again, everything he'd done up to this point was unexpected. I appreciated his apology, even if I didn't fully understand why it was needed.

"Hey, it's no problem," I said, smiling.

"How is life treating you? Believe you it or not, I know what it's like to care for a pony while not being a pony," he said. I took that to mean his friendship with Fluttershy. He signaled for me to sit back on the hay couch, while he slouched into a newly formed couch of his own. Feeling obligated, I walked over to the couch and sat down. I actually was very tired, but I was feeling a lot more comfortable with his approach, as he was seemingly harmless.

"I can't complain," I shrugged, smiling with a guilty smile. I loved being an Apple family member, I loved my "country boy" identity I had acquired among the townsponies. Most of all, I loved Applejack. And of course I looked forward to being a parent with her, regardless of what it was or looked like. "How about you?"

"You're a pon- oh, excuse me- a man of few words, AJ," he said, as though it's something he admires.

"Must be the time of day," I remarked, to which he smiled amusedly. He responds positively to humor, even dry humor.

"I like you AJ. As a matter of fact, I've always liked you, even though I didn't really know you until a moment ago," he continued, back to his fast-paced talking. "Oh, and to answer your question, it's-" he paused, staring up at the ceiling as he searched for the right words. "It's... pretty good," he continued, with more amusement in his expression this time. It seemed like he was thinking of something that could make it better. "But since you brought it up, let me just ask you a little question," he continued.

"Go for it," I said, figuring it was related to falling in love with a pony, like it usually is.

"What is your opinion of Celestia?"

"The Princess?" I said, scratching my head again. Kind of an odd question. Gee, I haven't seen her since-. Since the other elements, Applejack, and I returned from our first big adventure against the evil unicorn, detailed in my first testimony. If you recall, she was actually against Applejack and I for a time period, until she found out the element of honesty became one in the both of us at our wedding when our hearts became one, thus incomplete without me- kind of forcing her to accept it. Actually, I had seen her a couple of times since then; she makes visits to Ponyville from time to time, and is especially sure to check in with the two of us and the other elements. She always greets us with smiles and a kind of motherly love. I actually smiled at the thought of her. And to think Applejack will be an even better mom. My wife thought highly of the princess, and that was more than enough for me.

"Well, she's very friendly," I said, with extra delight added in my response given the last thought before I spoke. Discord, though, did not seem to feel the same way. He seemed to roll his eyes at my response.

"It would seem that way, wouldn't it?"

"You don't think she is?"

Discord sat back in his couch and yawned, and looked away from me out the window, where a flash of lightning lit up the sky and a mild rumble of thunder echoed outside. I hadn't even noticed the light rain that could be heard on the roof of the barn.

"She isn't much fun, not to much at all, it gets really quite boring after a while," he said. Part of me wondered if I should feel somewhat concerned that he felt this way. It seemed like she was a wonderful, benevolent princess, a much better ruler than he was... or would be even today.

"I wouldn't know," I said, shrugging with a smile to hopefully lighten the mood.

"I'm surprised you like her, AJ, after all, wasn't she kind of a frowner on you and Applejack's... romance?"

"Eh, I can't really blame her. And she came around in the end," I said. Discord squinted his eyes with interest.

"So it's that serious, huh?" he said with a smirk. "And uh, what was it about the young cowgirl that won you?"

It's a question I've been asked a hundred times, and the answer lies within me, on my mind at all times as her presence in my own heart lives on. Therefore, it's the easiest answer I could give anyone. I've tried as best I could to detail as many of the things about her that make her so special as I could. I still do try. But there's so much.

"Everything," I said with a little chuckle, before looking out the window with dreamy eyes. I could see her working tirelessly in the trees for her family. I could hear her sweet voice in my head. Aw shucks, sugarcube. "She's clean of heart," I heard myself say, unaware of Discord's reaction or expression. "I mean, she doesn't even swear. Her love is sweet and selfless. It's innocent and undemanding. I've never met anyone like that before. Not to her level," I said, without thinking about who I was talking to. I usually have no problem- more like take great delight in- discussing my feelings for her, but something about Discord made it a little uncomfortable. I didn't feel like going anywhere beyond this.

"You wouldn't want to change yourself when she loves you this way, is that why you want nothing?" he asked, with a great deal of interest in his eyes, easily the most thought and consideration I'd ever seen him show.

"That's part of it," I replied. He was definitely right about that, but I have greater fears than that. "But she loves me for who I am, and what I am. Species makes no difference."

"Does it not?" he said with a brief sneer. Without using any of his power, he actually took the energy to sit up on the couch all by himself, and paused a moment before looking up at me with a kind of mischievous curiosity. "So tell me, are you and her, uh... expecting?"

Now this was going to far. I had no interest in disclosing this to him, especially before Applejack and I told the family. The way he asked it was just... I don't know, I just didn't like it. As you recall I'd hoped he hadn't known that too, among everything else, that is. About our future foal. Apparently he didn't, otherwise there would be little point in asking me. Yeah, I'm not about to answer that question. I sighed, followed with an uncomfortable laugh.

"Um, look, Discord, uh," I said, continuing to chuckle as I searched for the right words, without having to lie to him, "We're cool and all, but uh, I don't think this is... I'm awfully tired," I said, resorting to my old excuse and once again standing up and stretching my arms and yawning. Discord smiled, however, and in a manner that was somewhat devious.

"So you are?"

"Actually, I never said that," I replied, visibly annoyed, but also not forgetting who I was talking to. His smile faded as he stared intently at me once again. I was becoming increasingly uncomfortable, and rather quickly at that. I was back to wanting him to leave. Or wanting to leave him. Or both. He didn't need to know these things. Before Granny Smith, or Big Macintosh, or Apple Bloom, or anyone else we cared about. He looked at me and came to his own conclusion.

"Oh, you devil!" he chuckled.

"You know, I don't appreciate that," I remarked rather loudly, and extremely annoyed. I would never dream of saying something like that, especially to Discord, if I wasn't in love, and it wasn't the subject. He didn't change.

"I can tell you want others to respect her, don't you? It really, really bugs you when ponies have the wrong opinion of her, doesn't it?"

He smiled convictively; meanwhile, I just raised an eyebrow in silence. How is he so in-tune with my feelings? Yes, actually, it does... I love her. My heart's deepest desire is her happiness. As a result, I can be very protective of her. Maybe that's where these feelings come from. But they're there. And Discord guessed it. And now, all I wanted was to leave that barn, without upsetting him.

"Discord... I know you probably don't sleep, but I really must be getting back to bed," I muttered, feeling as awkward, uncomfortable, and helpless as ever. But he just kept smiling at me deviously, which did absolutely nothing to help. "Goodnight," I finally said, and refusing to put up with it any longer, I began walking away from him towards the barn door. I eyed the open barn doors in front of me. That was too weird. Applejack, I'm glad you missed out on that, but I need you in my arms now. There are two barn doors, but only the one that I came through was open. As I approached the door,  however, it closed. Just before I reached it, the door swung shut, seemingly by itself, but I knew what it was; it was obviously Discord's magic.

I turned around and stared at him confusedly, hoping it was another of one his pranks. He looked at me with a fake concern, pretending to look surprised. Other than that, he did nothing and said nothing. Disregarding my own fear and the uncertainty of whether or not it was just a prank, or all part of an evil scheme of his, I began walking over to the door on the side of the barn, paying no attention to Discord. The door had been closed during our conversation, but it was open now; that was a good sign. I begged the door not to close in my mind. Please stay open... Just before I could walk through the two open side doors, they too slammed shut.

I gave a quick glance to Discord, who was enjoying himself, and ignored everything else and walked fiercely towards the doors on the other side of the barn, and as I approached them, they too closed. Without any hesitation, in a desperate final attempt I walked over to a window and attempted to pry it open with my fingers. The window wouldn't budge. It was as if it were glued shut. I turned around and faced Discord, looking for an answer for all this.  I wasn't sure if I should be afraid or annoyed, but I tended more towards the first one.

"I'm sorry about that, guess I got a little carried away with my curiosity. Please don't leave, not yet! We haven't finished our conversation. Now, I know the last subject was your favorite," he said, chuckling with sarcasm, "but allow me to switch topics. The reason I'm here is not to discover your fears and what not, far from it; after all what use would I have of them! I just need your help. We don't have to be enemies, we can be friends, I promise," he continued, as he began to hover up off the ground. "Here's the deal. I'm really, really, tired of being on a leash. You're a reasonable guy, you know what I'm saying! Well, since I have the power to do something about it, my thought is, simply, why not do something about it?"

"W-what do you mean?" I said, taking a gulp. It seemed he was sincere, but I still was afraid of what this meant. It didn't sound good. Not one bit. At the end of the day, he was the one with the power, not me. We did not have the elements of harmony lined up against him; it was just him and me. That left with me with a little voice. I was suddenly getting really uneasy. This sounded like a scheme. Why can't you just leave me and Applejack alone?

"Don't be afraid, AJ, remember; I like you. But tell me, have you ever been imprisoned in stone?" he said, his his voice lowered and his intensity increased, which made it sound more menacing, though it thankfully wasn't directed at me. Not yet, at least. I took another gulp and my eyes began twitching in fear.

"No, n-no I have not," I said, looking down away from him eyes.

"AJ, look at me," suddenly his face was a few inches in front of mine, his big yellow eyes staring straight into mine. "That wasn't easy to get over. And don't think that I didn't try," he said, as I nodded in fear, pretending to understand. I was struggling between my fear and my ability to comprehend and put together information. I got that he was obviously harboring resentment, and planned to act out on it. He raised himself up once more, in the center of the barn.  

"Ok, so yada yada I'll just cut to the chase; I plan on relieving Celestia of her royal duties and assuming them myself."  

My worst fears had been realized. Discord is scheming to overthrow Princess Celestia. Worse than that, he wanted to involve me in his plans. My heart wrenched in agony. I held my hand over my it as I cried out on the inside. Help me Applejack! She could hear my plea in her heart, as she has before, and come to my rescue with Twilight and the other elements. She'll know what to do. But that wasn't the end all solution to my problems. What if they were all asleep? What if they didn't get here in time? Given Discord's immense power, our future was potentially in danger.

To my hidden relief, Discord began to ease his attitude, once again showing more intentional drama and amusement in his expressions.

"Now... I'm fully capable of admitting that I maybe wasn't the best ruler Equestria's ever seen," he said, shrugging his arms and intentionally underplaying his failure. "But, I promise you that things are going to be different this time around, and I also promise to be quite generous to you and your precious wife if you decide to help me."

No. I couldn't do this. I couldn't! I couldn't make this promise to Discord, that I would be willing to help him overthrow Princess Celestia. It would put Applejack in danger, first of all, not to mention our foal, and myself, and potentially a lot of other ponies. Also... this didn't seem right. Even if Discord planned to be a "nicer" ruler. Princess Celestia was the benevolent ruler of Equestria, and helping Discord overthrow her is not something Applejack would approve of. Discord had to know that this idea of his would not sit well with Twilight. Not at all. I suddenly had a thought, though. If there was any truth to Discord's reform story, and if he actually did care about Fluttershy, she could play a huge role in dissuading him from something like this. I perked up from my lowly spot on the floor with fear and trembling, attempting to sound as friendly and concerned as I possibly could.

"Do-do you think that Fluttershy will be ok with this d-decision of yours?"

Discord was taken back by my question, and he took a deep sigh and stared at me for a moment with intensity, but soon he looked away with thoughtfulness. It was clearly weighing on him. He seemed to think she'd disapprove of this. But perhaps not enough, as he soon looked upward with certainty and more resentment.

"No... but she'll come around. I will not be the same as I was before. Mostly, anyway" he muttered, which also sounded mischievous. "She will understand. She already understands how mistreated I was."

That was not the answer I was looking for. His conversations and his overall relationship with Fluttershy were completely unknown to me, and I didn't know what kind of role she played in this. But I was almost certain that she was not on his side with this plan of his. This was too far. My heart started to pound faster and faster as I begged for nothing bad to happen. My self-esteem seemed to plummet, and I felt unworthy to be Applejack's husband. Applejack... please help me... I'm sorry I'm so weak... I'm sorry I'm so helpless... I realize I may have been too hard on myself, given that it was just a fact of matter that I was no match for someone like Discord by myself. But it didn't matter at that point. I was scared to death. I just wanted to return to Applejack's arms.

"So," muttered Discord's voice from above me as I wiped tears away from my eyes, "can I count on you? Or will you raise your element against me? And force me to take action against you?"

I felt like sobbing. I was so afraid, and I had no idea what to do or what to say. Any answer I gave would be wrong. I couldn't agree to helping him. I wiped away tears from my eyes as Discord lowered himself, staring at me for an answer. Please.. just don't hurt Applejack... or our foal... Amidst all this, I struggled desperately to think of some solution, or find a way out. I didn't know all of his motives and desires, only that he clearly wanted to return to being the sovereign and was planning to somehow  .

"Look, Discord..." I said, putting my arms up in an attempt to calm him down, "you miss being in control, you miss having fun, I get that... but j-just because you're not happy with the Princess... is no reason to just... "

Before I could finish, he frowned and looked very angry with me, causing me to nearly die with fear and sadness.  

"So you won't help me?"

"No! I didn't mean-"

"Ok. That's fine. I'm not going to hurt you. Hurting creatures is not something I do... anymore, at least," he said, with grave disappointment in me. But he once again raised his head to me, and a certain mischievousness entered his eyes. A mischief that- to my horror- was directed at me. You better think quick, AJ!

"Look, Discord, can't we talk about this?" I pleaded desperately, but he only smiled and looked upwards thoughtfully, as the rain began to fall hard on the roof of the barn, and thunder shook the foundations.

"Nah, we already have! I didn't think you'd jump on board, but that's ok, I forgive you. I'm said I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm not even gonna take away Applejack from you!"

The saying itself was supposed to be good, but the way he said was terrible. He said it with a wicked smile, like there was some terrible catch he was leaving out. He was just having fun with me now, as the wind began to twirl around us in the barn like some kind of tornado, as he floated high above the ground.

"Though you have lost your talking privileges, I'm afraid. Can't have you ratting me out of course! Now I will give you time to change your mind, of course! But you're going to have to play my little game now first. If you do change your mind, the game will end and things will go back to the way they were. But if you don't, you will spend the rest of your life with Applejack a little bit... differently. Now, what was it you thought to yourself you *weren't*?"