Twicord AGAIN?!

Part 6

With a yawn, the sleepy Draconequus woke to the sound of a soft whimper.

His eyes first dragged down to the empty space between his claws, where a soft purple princess once sat. Blinking slowly, he examined the space and found that she was gone. Where was she? He began to panic, his eyes opening wide, only to hear her voice in the space just by. He peeked around the corner.

She was curled into a ball, shuddering with fear, her eyes scrunched shut. Her wings were fluttering nervously at her sides. Her eyes were rolling wildly under their lids.

"Poor thing," Discord whispered empathetically.

Gently, he grabbed her, pulling her to his chest. Almost immediately her tremors ceased. She sighed, relaxing and falling limp. Her breathing slowed, and softly he felt her heartbeat settling into a slower, steadier rhythm. He poked her with his nose, and she did not wake.

"Why were you meddling with his things?" he pondered aloud. He stood, lifting her out of the pile of papers that had accumulated around her. "Curious little pony. You need rest, not more study time."

She shifted again. He cradled her carefully to his own body, tightening his grip. His head swiveled towards the entrance, now open and exposed. Should he teleport them out and risk waking her, or let her rest and take her home manually?

He decided the latter. It was a beautiful night after all. Spreading his wings, he launched softly from one side of the cavern to the other, careful not to accidentally knock his cargo out of his grip. She held fast. He sighed with relief, standing to his full height and walking onwards.

Time seemed to slow as he meandered down each path. He could feel each second slither past, slower than a fat python. He could hear the ticking of a clock in his head.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

His heart beat in tune. It pounded in his ears like the hooves of a vast Equestrian army, marching back and forth in his brain. Like individual explosions each time. He heard his lungs working at full capacity, each inhalation of breath and each exhale that followed. In and out it went like a pendulum back and forth. Each breath rattled his thin frame as he shuddered. Each sound was like a gun firing. Each step he took only added to the cacophony in his head, like his own chaotic orchestra.

A soft groan drew his gaze downward. The princess of friendship had shifted again in his grip, grabbing onto him with her hooves, wrapping around his arms with her wings.

For the first time in millions of years, his heart was warmed, seeing her so content. A smile was etched onto his face.

Hmm, he thought. Precious thing.

Something in his chest skipped alarmingly high.

Stop it, he scolded himself firmly. Stop getting attached to her. She is not cute.

He looked down at her face, relaxed for the first time in forever, her forehead creased in some form of frustration.

Yes she is.

Finally they reached the mouth of the cave, the moonlight flooding in. Discord observed the sky and their stars, escorting the thin crescent moon in her ascent. Crickets assaulted his ears with their shrill voices. An owl called to something from nearby. With a sigh, he once again examined the soft thing he had held.

I could probably risk it, he thought. She seems out pretty solidly.

Without a second thought, he brought his hand around her back and snapped.

They reappeared in Twilight's castle, specifically her lush bedroom. Everything glowed in the eerie light of the moon, all made of crystal. Ever-so-gently, Discord placed the alicorn on her bed. She seemed to relax further, her breathing slowing to compensate.

With a slight inhale, she opened her eyes slightly, her pinprick pupils adjusting as she yawned.

"Huh?" she asked lightly. "Discord, where are we?"

"Your castle," he said softly. "Ponyville. I thought it best to leave you to sleep here."

She nodded, her head collapsing back to the pillow. Her breath slowed as she opened her eyes again. "I had a nightmare."

He sat down beside her, yawning. "I saw that. What did you see?"

She shuddered before sitting up, stretching and cracking her joints. "I saw the cavern, all glowing and filled with crystals, and King Sombra was coming out of it all, and he was threatening me and trapping me, and laughing at my failures." She shivered. "It was really scary."

He nodded, his eyes trailing away from her for a moment. "I see. Sombra is a rather terrifying figure when he wants to be. I'm not sure why he would be in your dreams."

She tapped her chin. "Well, he's, like, the king of fear, right?"

Discord nodded. "A long time ago, he was considered the god of fear. He still is, the embodiment of fear, anger, and storms. It explains his 'Door of Fear' and his ability to control and create fierce thunderstorms."

"Celestia said that there was a big thunderstorm above the Crystal Empire," Twilight said. "Is that him, do you think? Does he have that kind of power?"

"Yes, he can manifest big storms using his magic, and keep them going forever, if he wishes. It doesn't matter how weak he is, or the state of his magic. As long as his horn is attached to his head, he can do whatever he wants with storms. I'm assuming that he is trying to destroy the Empire, at least keep anyone from leaving."

Twilight nodded. "And he's succeeding. No one has left the Empire since his arrival."

He turned to her, cocking his head. "Why exactly were you leafing through his notes?"

"I was reading that book, about the Empire, right? A slip of paper came out, and it had that flower on it. You know, the flower you gave me?"

His heart skipped again. With a sigh, he motioned for her to continue.

"It was written only two years ago, during the time of his banishment. And if it wasn't him, who would sneak in and put it in the book and leave? It even had his handwriting on it. So I decided to go through his desk and look for notes on it while you were asleep. I found more notes on the flower, on pony behavior, even some notes on the draconequus." She smiled. "That's you. But I also saw this."

She produced a crumpled piece of paper from her wing. Unraveling it, she showed him a drawing, a picture-perfect drawing of her, sitting at her desk from a window perspective, a little message signed at the bottom. She peered at him from behind the paper.
"Was this you?" she asked shakily.

 He shook his head violently. "Of course not! I would never scare you like this." He took her hooves in his hands, squeezing her gently. "I can't draw that well, anyhow," he said with a smile.

She laughed nervously. But a frown returned to her face, and she rubbed her shoulder nervously with her wing, curling into a ball. "I'm supposed to go to the Empire tomorrow," she mumbled. "And see him."

He leaned closer to her, examining her face. Tears threatened at her eyes. He pushed her mane back. "Yes?"

"What if he recognizes me?"

Discord chuckled, and she glanced at him. "He's bound to recognize you, my dear," he remarked. "Your face is renowned all over Equestria and beyond. Recognition is part of the reformation process. But he won't laugh at you. I promise. I will personally ensure that not a single tongue speaks ill of your name, especially the one that sits in his mouth." Her bangs fell in her face again, and he tucked them behind her ears gently. "Okay?"

She nodded, a grin crossing her face. He snapped his fingers, summoning the crystal flower she'd found the other night. He placed it gently in her grasp. "Why don't you give him this? It might help him remember."

She stared at its translucent surface, shining in all pastel colors of the rainbow, and sighed with relief. "I will."