Chapter Fourteen:
The Confrontation

	Luckily the hill wasn't as steep as Twilight initially thought it was going to be. Unfortunately with the way that the path wound around the hill it made the pace gruelingly slow. Their were so many wasted steps from one end of the coiling path to the next. Applejack lead the charge up the hill, Twilight fought to keep up with her, Big Mac and Rarity lagged at the rear of the group. Twilight could see that Rarity was wearing down, but there was something else in her eyes. Something that weighed heavily on her brow, it brought about a sad look in the blue oceans of her eyes.
	At the final turn Twilight dropped back to join Rarity during the last leg of their journey to the house. “Are you alright?” Twilight tried to get a feel for where the filly's mind was at.
	Rarity shook her head slowly, motioning her hands over her clothes. The classic lavender Carpis were torn and dirty, the short mid-rift t-shirt was stained with blood, one of the sleeves was missing from her silk button up over-shirt. “Just, I'm tired of be cold, dirty, and wet. I'm tried of being concerned for myself, my sister, and my friends. I'm just tired of feeling guilty because I want to think of something happier, something better.” Twilight looked her over, even with all the tatter and dirt Rarity always managed to look so beautiful.
	“I know, I feel the same way.” Twilight took her hand, surprised that her hands were warmer than her own.
	“I think we all feel that way, huh Big Mac?” Applejack turned around, continuing her walk backwards. Big Mac looked over his shoulder giving a nod with his confident 'eyup'.
	“But if there's one thing I've learned tonight. If you need to think about something, for goodness sake make it thoughts about a happier time. Do it, if you think it's going to keep you from losing your mind.” Twilight explained, feeling Rarity's pace starting to pick up as if new life was breathed into her.
	“Shoot, if you have a hard time thinking about the good stuff, just think about something naughty. Whatever get's you through, ya know.” Applejack graceful turned around, continuing to walk without slowing down.
	“Something dirty?” Rarity asked, the green moon glinting in her blue eyes.
	“Yeah, you know like stuff you wouldn't talk about in church. All those jokes you were making about me and Twilight rolling in the hay, have been a great distraction for me.” Applejack giggled, finally slowing their pace as they walked up the pathway to the porch of the house. Twilight saw that Rarity wanted to retaliate her disgust, but instead her mouth hung open as she studied the house in more leisure.
	It's rickety shape creaked in the gentle breeze. It looked as if it could fall apart at any moment. When Applejack put her weight down on the first step it groaned. They all expected the front door to fly open and Discord be there to greet them, but no one came. Applejack hurried up the short flight of steps to the porch in a literal chorus of creaks and groans. “Strangest damn place...” Applejack mumbled under her breath. The rest of them followed her up crowding around the front door.
	“Do you suppose he's home?” Applejack whispered as if the cur was on the other side of the door eavesdropping.
	“Yeah, I think he's in there plotting a grand entrance for us.” Twilight pointed down to the mat at their feet, it read 'emocleW'. “See, I don't think he would have put this out unless it was meant just for us.
	“True, well then let's not keep him waiting.” Applejack tried the door knob surprised to find that it was locked. “So much for the easy way.” Applejack rocked back doing a hard stomp right next to the doorknob, rewarded by a healthy crunch of wood and a shower of splinters scattering across the floor.
	The door flew open revealing a dark living room that was as twisted and confusing as the rest of the house. Furniture on the ceiling, everything was painted white with black polka dots, that is with the exception of the purple one in the left hand corner of the room. The air was filled by a familiar smell. It was the pungent smell from the tobacco Discord smoked in her library earlier.
	Twilight stepped into the living room first, giving it a slow scan. There was no sign of life in the room at all, even a thin layer of dust coated everything. If Discord had been there, he was long gone by now. Twilight saw a book sitting on an end table, there was something written across the cover in the ancient language of the Draconequus. She picked it up and tucked it under her jacket. Twilight wasn't sure what the book was for, but had an overwhelming feeling that it was important.
	“Did that bastard fly the coop?” It was Rarity who swore this time, making everyone turn to look at her. It was not in her nature to let loose a profane as she said it was surely undignified. Twilight could only remember two times that she'd ever heard her say something like that in all the time she'd known here. The look on Rarity's fair face told that she'd been saving this one up all evening.
	“I don't know.” Twilight cupped her mouth and shouted. “Discord! I'm here, come out so we can finish this nightmare.” It was quiet for a moment, then something moved in the room nearby.
	Applejack stalked past moving towards the door. “I've had just about enough of this s...” The door ruptured off it's hinges, some of the bigger pieces struck Applejack, forcing her to cover her face and flail away. Discord stormed into the living room growling and panting and yet it wasn't Discord. It was merely a shell of him, something had gotten in, infected him, and he locked himself away in the hopes of finding a cure. The Frankenstein mix of his body was wracked with the virus, it was seeping through open wounds that dotted his body. A thin stream of the glowing poison dribbled from the corner of his mouth blackening the wooden floor at his feet. It was moving fast, heading straight for Twilight.
	“Oh...what are...what are we going to do now?” There was listless sound in her voice, with that she revealed that she was done playing now. Her shoulder slumped and her body slipped to the floor on her knees.
	“You're gonna pick yourself up and keep going.” Big Mac stepped between Discord  and Twilight, throwing a hard punch into the side of the beast's face. It flailed back a few steps, then launched at Big Mac. “Get her out!” Big Mac yelled again, grabbing the back of Discord's head bringing his knee up to crack against his infected head. The hit was hard enough to shutter Discord's teeth, yet gave it opening it had been waiting for. The infected Discord bit down hard into the muscle of Big Mac's thigh. The stallion gritted his teeth stifle the scream in his mouth. A fountain of blood sprayed out all over the floor.
	When Applejack saw what happened she hesitated, wanting to help her brother, but knew that there was little she could do without getting infected herself. Instead she ran to Twilight, pulling her to her feet and running out the door. They stopped on the porch when they heard someone screaming from down the road. It was Pinkie Pie running up the path swinging something wildly.
	Rarity stepped out behind them. “What do you suppose that is?” The three of them simply stepped to either side of the door as Pinkie Pie barreled through the door in a flash of pink. There was a harsh shocking sound and Discord fell to the floor unconscious. Twitching as the current still flowed through him.
	Pinkie Pie stood in the center of the room panting, her eyes snapping around the room frantically. “He was…infected.” She screamed, kicking his unconscious body hard in the ribs. “What are we going to do now?”
	“Let's get back to Zecora's and figure something out there.” Big Mac started dragging himself out the door, where Applejack waited to help him to his feet. He was forced to lean on her for support.
	“How darlings, in case you've forgotten the tree fell into the ravine?” Rarity gestured to the large expanse of the ravine.
	“Which I tried to warn you about, not to be the one to say I told you so, but I did tell you so.” Pinkie Pie glared at Applejack as she stepped through the door, pulling it closed behind her.
	“Alright, you were right, I was wrong, now can we drop it for Apple's sake.” Applejack almost stumbled down the stair under the weight of her big brother.
	“Wait a minute. Pinkie, how did you get all the way here?” Twilight cocked her head, looking at the crazed look in the pink pony's blue eyes.
	“There's a bridge of course. You guys didn't see it because it's invisible. Gosh.” Pinkie Pie walked by the group, twirling her shock baton as if she were a drum major.
	“A what? An invisible bridge, how did you see it?” Twilight quickened her pace to catch up with Pinkie Pie. “And where did you get that thing?”
	“This?” She asked holding out the stick, which Twilight nodded. “Well, I found this shack you see, when I was being chased by those timberwolf meanies. When I saw it I thought it was odd that a shack would just be sitting their at the edge of the ravine so I headed over there to take a look. Of course the timberwolves followed me. I ducked behind the shack and sure enough two out of the three of them went flying into the deep dark. The last one just landed on the thin air and started back after me.”
	“And?” Applejack grunted under Big Mac's weight.
	“And what?” Pinkie Pie shot a glance behind her.
	“What did ya do with the last timberwolf?” Big Mac panted out, grimacing with each step.
	“Oh, I ducked into the shack, found this shock doohickey and gave it the business of course.”
	Twilight giggled, excited that Pinkie Pie was alright. “I'm glad you're okay, sorry you got left behind.”
	“No worries. I'm sure you wouldn't have, if the tree bridge hadn't taken a plung.”
	“You're right about that, Pinkie.” Twilight gave her a sincere smile.
	“Now, let's get back to Zecora and figure out what we're gonna to do next.” Pinkie Pie, picked up the pace so she was in the lead. Rarity shot a gentle smile at Twilight as she passed by, clearly impressed with how things worked out for the pink pony in the end. The smile on Twilight's face faded as she shot a glance back at the struggling Applejack. There was a deep worry in her eyes, one that scared Twilight. This had been the first time Applejack looked like she was going to give up and Twilight wasn't sure if she had the words to reignite her spirit the same way that Applejack had been doing for her all evening.