//------------------------------// // Chapter One: Feeling Stagnant // Story: My Little Detour // by Scroll //------------------------------// Star Breeze floated in the empty void of space. She stretched her hooves in every direction around her while quietly relaxing. While floating out there, she sleepily gazed out into vast stretches of space and the ocean of stars that swam around her. It was mind-boggling to her how every one of those tiny dots of light may have spent thousands, millions or even billions of years to catch up to her eye. Here they were, all around her, unfiltered by the atmosphere of the planet. Just naked dots of truth which hint at endless potential and possibilities. To think, any one of those stars might have planets of their own. Any one of those planets might have life on it as well. Of those life forms, which one of them might be causing the sun to rise and set every single day and night? What special soul might be dwelling out there, causing light and darkness to rise and set for every other life form on their planet? For a moment, Star Breeze tried to imagine how she would feel if she was one of those souls out there on some distant, alien world. To imagine something that enormous and important hanging on her shoulders, it felt like a heavy responsibility. Star Breeze wasn't sure if Celestia ever got used to that. Even after nearly a thousand years, had it ever felt totally routine to her while also knowing that every single pony and creature on her entire world depended upon her and this most sacred duty? Maybe Luna once felt like that too before she got trapped on the moon. Oh, Luna. Dear, sweet Luna . . . someday you will be free, Star Breeze thought to herself as she steadily closed her eyes. Just like someday I'll be free to wander the galaxy and explore all of time and space. I can't wait for that! Celestia darn it, I really can't! Star Breeze relaxed in the void. Part of her imagined that this was what it might have felt like to float in her own mother's womb at one point in her life, except now she was floating in the womb of the whole universe! Well, at least, a mental facsimile of it. Star Breeze sighed in a bit of lament at the realization of that. This wasn't really the true void of space. If it were, she would be having a much harder time breathing or staying warm. No, Star Breeze knew that the true void of space would have been far less hospitable to herself and her kind. Despite her black coat speckled with white tiny dots like stars in the sky, which made her seem very akin to the void of black space with its ocean of stars, Star Breeze knew she wasn't truly at home in the middle of space like this. Nor was her father, whose memory she borrowed this moment from. Her father, Feather Wind, had once traveled all over time and space with the legendary Time Lord, the Doctor. Even then, she knew her father could never pull this off without the air-shield around the TARDIS. He needed protection, too, in order to float out in the void of space like this. When he did, he claimed he later stored the ecstasy of that memory into the Red Crystal, the last true remnant of Sombra, who now calls himself Crystal Sage within this crystal and its subsequent mental zone. Ever since Star Breeze learned to attune herself to this crystal as well, she had since learned to pull her mind into the Crystal and exist as a mere mental projection of herself in a virtual environment. By default, the first virtual environment created within the Red Crystal was the Crystal Empire itself, but other memories had been added to the Crystal since then. Moments like this, when Feather Wind floated out in the void of space. Star Breeze took that memory and since modified it by simply deleting the mental facsimile of the TARDIS and all who had once dwelt within it. As a result, it left her all alone in the vast emptiness of space in privacy. Star Breeze had since loved to come back here for a visit many times to simply take a private moment to think and relax. She always had a special connection to the stars and space. It always felt like that was her true home, and that her home world was just a pit stop to help prepare her for a much larger journey. Within the Red Crystal, getting time for that private moment was easy to do. Time was subjective here in the Red Crystal. She could spend as long or as short of a moment as she wanted and not even one second would pass outside in the real world, or she could make it so that one second in here equals a thousand or more years out there. All of that was under her control. In here, time itself was her toy. That felt good to her. It felt right because, deep down, that was the way she always should have been. Like time and space was always supposed to be objective. Things like the TARDIS was where she felt like she belonged. Everywhere and everywhen . . . absolute freedom of movement through both time and space. Endless possibilities. Endless adventures. She couldn't wait to get started on that journey but, for the moment, she was forced to, and that felt frustrating. Thinking of that, Star Breeze grunted in frustration then made a mental facsimile of the book, “Sky Dancer, the First Flying Unicorn” suddenly appear before her, the very same book that Discord had once created and claimed that someone else wrote about. Because of his interest in the title due to it sharing the same title as his first poem written in his life, her father requested to borrow that book for a few seconds and since copied it into the Red Crystal. That copy was what floated in front of Star Breeze. By act of will alone, she had the book open itself and flip through it to the very last two pages, to the section of the story that the book called, “The Epilogue”. This was the only chapter that Star Breeze was actually interested in because this was the only event that had not occurred for her yet. It claimed that the TARDIS would eventually swing by and pick her up, but only when she felt emotionally ready for it. That chapter, and indeed the entire book, never did mention her age straight on so she was left guessing when this event would actually take place. As a result, she had no idea when this event would occur, but lately, she felt eager for it to show up already. At that moment, while floating out in the middle of simulated space, she couldn't tell if she fully felt ready for this journey or not. The only thing she knew was the fact that she wanted to feel ready because, apparently, that would be the moment the TARDIS finally would show up and pick her up. Star Breeze felt eager to get on with it. She was tired of waiting! She hated it! Hated-hated-hated-hated-hated-hated-hated-hated-it. Star Breeze never was a really patient filly, but that was simply because she was so excited to get on with her own adventures. Too long had she spent merely imagining the possibilities. Too long had she eagerly waited to gallivant across time and space and be both a heroine and explorer herself. To do otherwise felt like it defied her nature. Star Breeze knew in her heart that she was born to be one with the stars, and space, and space-time. She was a very strong filly physically, mentally, emotionally . . . perhaps spiritually, and that strength felt wasted if she wasn't meant for this destiny. Why would life give her so many special gifts if she wasn't meant to actually do something important with it? According to the epilogue of that book floating in front of her, it certainly hinted that such things would eventually be her destiny someday, but only when she felt ready, but now she was thinking, Ah, come on, heart! Feel ready for this, already! Why isn't it now? Or now? How about now? Now? Darn it, get on with it! And why am I hesitating? Star Breeze wondered as the book vanished in front of her. Is it because I'm not fully an adult yet? Is it because I feel I could be even stronger when I grow up? But . . . I'm already so very strong as it is. I'm the first spellcasting pegasus for crying out loud! True, it's only borrowing from Crystal Sage's potential using this Red Crystal. I haven't found my own true horn yet, but still . . . I can cast spells nonetheless. I'm also healthy and strong. I can fly, I can lift huge amounts of weight. I'm brave. I'm adventurous. How much stronger do I have to be to finally feel ready? Will the adventures of space and time really be that challenging? Will it be so hard that I'm not even ready yet despite how strong I already am? If so, what about all the others who stepped into the TARDIS? Were they really ready when they did it? Take Derpy Hooves, for example. A.k.a., Miss Ditsy Doo. She's sweet and innocent. She seems more foal-like than even I am, despite her actually being older. I haven't really met her yet, but Father did have many stored memories of her within this Red Crystal. After reviewing it so many times, I feel like I've already gotten to know her. It's enough to realize that even she probably never really felt ready to set a hoof into the TARDIS, and yet she hoofled the journey just fine. If someone that innocent and timid could do it, why can't I? What am I really missing here? The main thing Star Breeze could think of was the Doctor's preference not to invite young foals into the journey. Maybe that was true no matter how strong they were. Star Breeze had to admit, if the situation were reversed and she was the captain of the TARDIS instead of the Doctor, how would she feel about inviting a young foal to her journey? Doing so meant inviting the young foal into potentially very serious danger, and her companion would be her responsibility. The thought of such a dear friend dying in her watch was just too painful to bear. Her mind just automatically shunted that thought. While inwardly examining that reaction, she could well sympathize with the Doctor for facing the same decision. It takes far more than mere physical or mental strength to hoofle the rigors of adventures. Growing up means attaining a certain level of emotional maturity too. Derpy seemed a lot younger than she was, or at least that was how she acted, but there was strength deep in her eyes if she needed to summon it. No doubt the journey had fortified her. She must have endured a lot of painful experiences and came out on top to get that look in her eyes. Upon further reflection, Star Breeze was forced to ask herself if she really had that level of inner, moral courage. If not, how was it possible to get that kind of strength before going on such a journey? Star Breeze was already accustomed to being a traveler. All of her life, she was raised on an airship as their home which moved back and forth all across Equestria. During that time, she had seen all kinds of ponies and a few other species as well that got ferried back and forth across Equestria. Star Breeze was very accustomed to dealing with strangers. So much so that it was the familiar that felt a little strange to her. Star Breeze loved to listen to the stories of other passengers as long as they were willing to share it. Of them, it was often very older ponies who were the ones most willing to share their story, which was great since Star Breeze was so eager to listen to them. Not only that, they tended to have the most stories to share which made sense since they had lived longer lives. They stared at her and smiled that someone so young could look up to them and admired them so much. Star Breeze, in turn, felt strengthened by their stories. She felt like this was a necessary step to prepare her for her own much larger journey. Before embarking on her own adventures, she felt it was important to listen to those who trotted the long road before her. The tips they could offer as fellow travelers on the road helped to prepare her for the challenges ahead. For every problem they faced and the innovative solutions they mentioned on how they conquered those problems, it gave Star Breeze ideas on how she could deal with it if she ever faced similar problems in her own future. That had always felt important to her. This incredibly powerful urge to be ready for something. Whatever it was, it was probably something epic. Some incredible danger, likely with a great deal at stake. Maybe, one day, she'd regret rushing ahead. One day maybe she'd long for the calm days of rest again. Maybe someday her journey would burn her out, but right at that time, she didn't know what that felt like. She tried many times to simply imagine being bored of adventure and longing for some peace and quiet, but too often she failed to imagine it. She's just too much of a foal for that. Too much of her life was ahead of her, and that was precisely the problem. Too much potential and not enough fruition or action. She spent far too much time wishing she had precious memories to cherish rather than dwelling on it. Well, I take that back. I already have many precious memories to cherish. Indeed, too many, sometimes. It already feels like I can spend too much time dwelling on and appreciating the journey I've already had. I don't know why, after traveling back and forth across Equestria so many times, why do I feel so stagnant? “It's because you are comparing it to the adventures to come,” a familiar voice spoke out in the void and somewhere nearby her. She looked and saw her father materialize nearby her then subsequently floating out in space along with her. His light blue coat and puffy white mane, so much like a cloud, was unmistakable to her. Along with that, he also wore his familiar-looking Mist Cloak which was made of condensed cloud always leaking down mist and occasionally flashed with lightning. Star Breeze regarded him fondly, recalling the time, several years ago, when she accompanied him to a tall cliff and he told her about the story of his life which helped to inspire her. Back then she was still smaller than him, but now it was she who had the upper hoof. That still wasn't saying much. Her father was unusually short. Except, in a way, this wasn't her father. This was a copy of him preserved in the Red Crystal. He spent years attuning himself to the gem. Doing so imbued a copy of his soul in here, much as it did for Crystal Sage just before his physical death almost a thousand years ago by the hooves of his own dark counterpart. In a way, this was a glimpse into Star Breeze's future as well. As her own connection to the Red Crystal deepened, it slowly imbued her own essence into the gem. One day that essence will awaken to its own independent intelligence. Maybe someday it would be her turn to guide the next bearer of the gem until it gathers enough positive energy to fulfill its ultimate purpose. So this version of her father was stuck inside the gem as well, along with Crystal Sage, until the gem was ready. Her “real” father was still outside of this gem doing . . . whatever. To avoid confusion, Star Breeze started calling this version of her father, “Crystal Wind”, to which Crystal Wind gave an innocent shrug and said she could call him whatever she'd like. Certainly he was the last pony who would want to impinge upon her sense of inner freedom unless he felt it was necessary to protect her from serious danger. Since he was such a free spirit himself, he shared those benefits with others as much as he could. “Hello, Father,” Star Breeze said in a pleasant greeting. “I hope I'm not intruding,” Crystal Wind said in polite caution. “Do I have your permission to join you?” “Of course!” Star Breeze said in a very light, happy tone. “You're always welcome to join me, Father.” Crystal Wind shifted his face a bit to the side and gazed at her with one eye with a squint as he said in a cautious tone, “I doubt that I would always be welcome with you in your most private moments, but rest assured that I'm not taking your statement too literally.” He focused both eyes back at her with a calmer look. “I know what you meant.” Star Breeze gazed ahead of her blankly at nothing with a spacey look. “I think I know what you mean as well. You think I feel my current journey is too inadequate next to the journey I'm imagining ahead in my life.” “At least you do have the time to dwell on this now,” Crystal Wind said with a grin. “Trust me, you'll think this is a luxury later on. Whatever you are imagining about your own future with the Doctor, trust me when I say you will feel grossly unprepared. Both because you imagined too much and also because you didn't imagine enough. There are colors and sounds out there in the universe you never heard of or seen on this world, so you have no way of imagining it at this moment. Combine that with so many unexpected situations. “Many times I have wanted to just sit and dwell on the possibilities that might come just to help me feel more prepared for my journey with the Doctor, but usually my mind can't even open those amazing doors of his on the TARDIS. The reason for that is that I've learned, no matter what I try to imagine, I'll never get it quite right. Anything can happen so I've learned to adjust and reorient myself outside my comfort zone. I was forced to confront the unknown instead of imagining it far too often. I had to learn to take things as they were and use that information to figure out the next step.” “When it comes to your time to be on the TARDIS, analyze everything, Sweet Pea. It's all important. It's all connected. The will of the TARDIS is sentient and alive. It knows where you need to be rather than when you want to be. Always keep that frame of reference in your mind when you travel in the TARDIS someday. Wherever you go and whatever you do, know that somepony in that time and place will need rescuing.” Crystal Wind looked to his right direction with an expression of regret on his face. “When you do face that situation, you might not always succeed in your mission. Watching others suffer and/or die on your watch is very painful, at least for me.” Star Breeze regarded her father sympathetically. He shook his head. “I could never adjust to that,” he went on. “I could never get my heart cold enough to just blindly accept that. Every wound I witnessed pained me. It all mattered to me.” Crystal Wind looked back at his daughter. “Life is a gift, Star Breeze. Cherish it, and protect it whenever you can. Indeed you are strong, and I've known plenty out there in the universe who are in dire need of that strength. “As thrilling as it can feel out there, remember to cherish these quiet moments too. You'll need these memories of peace and contentment to help you cope with the stress out there. “And with that in mind, I got a tip for you. You'll need a least a few minutes to pull this off, depending on your connection to the Red Crystal, but most of the time you can always sink your mind into the Red Crystal and create more time for yourself whenever you need it. There may come a time when you'll need this luxury. “For my part, I've usually spent this time to myself writing poetry, usually about the adventure I've just experienced. It's my own way of keeping track of my journey. When your turn comes, what will you do to keep track of your journey?” “I'm not sure.” Star Breeze folded her forehooves behind her neck as they continued to float out in space. “I'll think of something.” “Until you do, it might be another layer that is keeping you from feeling ready for your own journey, I think,” Crystal Wind said with a knowing, slightly squinted look to his right eye. “Several years ago, I thought you said you were interested to write poetry like I do. What happened?” “Life happened,” Star Breeze answered quickly, then shrugged. “I don't know. Lately, I haven't felt inspired to do so. Instead, all I can think about is the journey I haven't taken yet. I don't feel ready for it and yet I want to feel ready. “Isn't that odd? I'm eager to get started, yet part of me hesitates. Part of me feels afraid, and yet I'm also thinking . . . when has anypony ever been totally ready for the journey of the TARDIS? With that many endless possibilities landing on one's plate, it almost feels arrogant to say to oneself, 'I feel ready.'” She shook her head. “How can anypony possibly be ready for something that huge?” “You might be surprised how much you have in common with the Doctor,” Crystal Wind said with a loving grin to his daughter. “At one point in his life, the Doctor was a young child as well, gazing up at the stars with wonder. In his heart, he knew he was an explorer too. He promised himself that, one day, he'd go up there and see it all.” Crystal Wind gazed out at the stars around them with wonder. “He swore to himself that he would be acquainted with every star and planet in the universe. Obviously a goal that large would take a great deal of time, but nopony could possibly complete a journey like that without taking one hoof step at a time.” “Is that something you learned in the TARDIS's hidden library?” Star Breeze guessed as she looked at her floating father. Even as she slowly rotated in space, he matched her alignment so he remained right-side-up to her. “That, and other things,” Crystal Wind answered calmly as he looked back at her with gentle eyes full of wisdom and compassion. In fact, it was actually more wisdom than Star Breeze had seen on her real father outside. She had to remind herself that time was subjective here in the Red Crystal. This version of her father could potentially be millions of years old. Then she thought to herself that her father had many opportunities to take these “time-outs” within the Red Crystal, potentially many times throughout his life as he grew up and grew more attuned to the Crystal. Maybe that was one of the reasons he acted far older than he was physically. Maybe that was what it would be like for her when she grew up. With all this extra time she spent here, she might be both mentally and emotionally twenty-six when she physically turns twenty. That might also account for another reason why she felt so impatient for her “real” journey to start. By spending extra time here and virtually pausing time outside of the gem, she's only delaying her destiny even further . . . unless this experience counts towards building her up to “feel” ready to start her journey. Maybe it does? “You know, in a way you don't have to wait for your journey to start,” Crystal Wind reminded. “You are an adventurer right now, and you are a pegasus. You can just take off into the sky and fly wherever you want. Send a wind message to your father outside. Tell him that you're going for a fly and you'll be back whenever you feel like it. Since I know your father pretty darn well, I have to say that he'd most likely not object unless he had a specific reason to object, like learning through another wind message to him that there is an emergency in the direction you happen to be flying off to. In that case, he would at least wish to pass on a warning to you. “Remember, Star Breeze, I have personally met your future self in my past. I already know that you will start your journey among the stars someday, but right now my priority is helping you to prepare for that. “You are, indeed, part of the reason why I chose to live in an airship and ferry passengers and cargo across Equestria. I factored you into the equation. I knew you were meant to be an adventurer. I knew you were going to choose this lifestyle. I gave this gift to you in the hopes to make you happy. That's all I ever wanted for you, Sweet Pea. I love you.” “Thanks, Dad. I love you too,” Star Breeze said with a mild grin. She heard that too many times in her life to always get rocked by that statement, but she also knew it was always spoken from his heart. If she needed more proof of that, she could simply review any of the messages stored within the Red Crystal to verify, and indeed experience, the intensity of his love towards her. He was always like that. That was something she always loved about him. He was always intensely genuine with her. There was something he said that made her curious, though. “What was she like?” Star Breeze wondered wistfully. “My future self, that is. What was her personality like? Right after she asked that she already predicted how he would answer. “She was like you, Sweet,” Crystal Wind answered. “Every feeling, action, and word spoken by her will be up for you to decide. As I have told you many times before, I won't take that choice away from you.” “There had to be more than that,” Star Breeze decided. “She was me, but an older version of me. A version that had been on the journey longer. A version of me that probably feels fulfilled to finally start her journey instead of simply looking forward to it all the time. I keep wondering if it will be everything I am imagining, or if it's more.” “Of course it will be more than you can imagine,” Crystal Wind assured. “Life is always like that, no matter where you go or what you decide to do. The future is filled with too many possibilities for you to see it all coming. “For now, the most accurate prediction I can offer you is to decide now what you will do. The future is always your choice, just as your present is.” “My present?” Star Breeze reflected. “Is that enough? Am I doing enough now to prepare for that future? I feel so stagnant right now. I've been wandering and exploring all of my life, and yet it doesn't feel like enough anymore.” Crystal Wind sighed briefly, then decided to switch up his tactics. “Okay. Since that is the reality you are choosing to live with right now, what do you think it will take to get you out of this rut? I love you, Sweet, so I always want what's best for you and for you to be happy. What would that take at this very moment?” “Um,” Star Breeze shrugged, “what I'm doing right now is all I can think of at this precise moment. I've been spending my time here doing exactly that, contemplating my next move. It's frustrating for me to not 'feel' ready for this journey. According to the epilogue of the “Sky Dancer” book, my true journey won't begin until that condition is met first, so I've been floating here and contemplating exactly that. What would it take for me to feel ready?” “Feel ready for what? An adventure?” Crystal Wind checked. “Is that what you want?” “I guess,” Star Breeze decided lamely. “Maybe not the full scope of the adventure in the TARDIS, but at the same time something more than I have now. Right now I have Equestria, but that doesn't feel like enough anymore.” Her eyes focused on her father. “I say this because I have to consider what's ahead of me, too. To prepare me for something that big, what would it take? Something less than the TARDIS, but more than Equestria.” Star Breeze shrugged. “Right now, I don't know what that should be.” Crystal Wind gave a knowing grin. “So, if I'm understanding you correctly, you want a chance to practice your life in the TARDIS. Does this sound accurate?” “YES!” Star Breeze exploded brightly and excitedly. “That's exactly what I want!” Star Breeze beamed, then cooled down a bit as she went on. “But it also has to be meaningful. I want my adventure to actually accomplish something. No more virtual environments like this here.” She gestured to the stars all around her. “No more practicing or simply 'viewing' your adventures through your memories stored in the Red Crystal.” She gestured to her chest with her own hoof. “If I'm to add any meaningful feelings into this crystal so that those feelings could later bring back the real Crystal Empire, I need a fair chance to feel included in something more real. “I love my life, I love my family, I love my many, many friends, I love being a girl, I love being a pegasus, I love being a pony in Equestria, I love being your very special daughter, but I'm also meant to do something more. Something that's truly important, and right now I don't feel ready for that role fully but I want to feel ready. Does this make sense?” Crystal Wind nodded. “Absolutely, and I have some ideas to that effect. Do you mind if I make a few suggestions?” Star Breeze nodded eagerly. “Please, do!” “But, for my plan to work,” he said with a sideways glance at her, “I'll have to get another person involved.” He focused at her fully. “Do you mind if I do so?” “Huh?” Star Breeze looked confused. “But . . . you and I are the only ones attuned to the Crystal enough to do anything in here, unless . . .” Star Breeze realized that he might be referring to Crystal Sage, and he had plenty of past experience to draw upon. Lately that pony has been more and more reclusive within this gem as he prepared himself to fully cross over into the afterlife after completing one last unfinished task, but if her father knew some way to encourage that old grump to get more involved with her life, then so much, the better, so she beamed as she said, “Sure, Dad. Invite away.” Crystal Wind bowed to her out in the middle of space as he said, “Sure, Honey. Thank you for your permission.” Then he called aloud. “DISCORD! Discord, please come. I have need of you again. I need your help in spreading a little chaos.” Star Breeze's eyes exploded widely. “DISCORD?!” She had not even thought of that draconequus. Also, she had never met the Lord of Chaos before other than a hoofful of memories from her father stored in the Red Crystal. And potentially the real author of the book, “Sky Dancer, the First Flying Unicorn”. The jury was still out on that one, but the writing style didn't seem to match the Lord of Chaos, though. The way the plot points build with obvious structure, that does not seem to be his modus operandi, as far as she could tell. Star Breeze's heart skipped a beat when she actually saw an eagle talon appear and seem to shred a piece of reality, causing a hole to appear in existence. After the tear, the talon shifted back and forth to widen the hole in reality. Shortly later a very mixed up racial individual snaked his way out of the hole and rose up in front of Crystal Wind. “Oh, you've finally found the need to call upon my majestic majesty again?” Discord asked with pleasant excitement as he gestured to himself with his lion paw while regarding Crystal Wind. “It's about time you've called upon me and my services. I've been eagerly awaiting for you to say that you were actually looking forward to spreading a little chaos with me!” He tapped his eagle talon and lion paw together as he grew a trollish grin. “Please tell me you plan to involve your wife in this devious little scheme of ours! I do know how much she adores me!” He gave an evil snicker. “DISCORD!!!” Star Breeze exclaimed with positive, shocking intensity like beholding a famous celebrity. She launched at him then wrapped all four of her hooves tightly around him. By now she was big enough to do so to his thin, serpentine-like body. “WHAT IN THE WORLD?!” Discord exclaimed with shock, noticing Star Breeze for the first time. She didn't give him much of a choice, actually. As he asked, he looked down in surprise at the moderately sized filly hugging him tightly. “Who in the hell are . . . wait a second.” He narrowed his eyes with mismatched sized eye pupils at the filly. “You look awfully familiar. Black hide,” a black chalkboard materialized beside him, “white dots,” he went on, then the black chalkboard quickly gained many tiny white dots in the space of a few seconds, “and sunset color mane,” he added, then a yellow base rainbow streaked across the background of the chalkboard which was followed by red, then deep purple, then ended in black. A tiny trollface image of Angel Bunny was quickly drawn a few seconds later beside that rainbow. “Don't tell me!” He pointed back and forth between himself and her. “This is the moment when we first met each other?” “I've so eagerly wanted to meet you!” Star Breeze cried out excitedly, then she shrieked in explosive excitement. That shriek caused Discord to wince in pain. During that time, his eyes cracked like glass. He held that expression as he stared straight forward at the readers of this story for four blank seconds before he blinked his eyes and regarded her again. When his eyes blinked, it instantly repaired the damage to his eyes. He then chuckled, split himself apart in the middle of his serpentine body which caused her to clasp upon nothing anymore, floated back a few feet then gently pat Star Breeze on top of her head with his lion paw as his body reassembled. After that, he said, “Oh-ho-ho! That's adorable! It's always nice to meet another one of my many adoring fans.” “Please be my friend!” Star Breeze cried up at him eagerly while giving him very wide, hopeful, puppy-dog like expression. “Why, my dear, when have I ever given you the impression that we weren't already?” Discord asked with a dramatic wave to himself with his lion paw and bowed to her. “Consider thy request granted.” “Oh THANK YOU!” Star Breeze was about to launch at Discord again for another hug but Discord stilled her by pressing a talon finger into her lips which caused a brief squeaking sound. “Ah! But first . . . why don't we get a little more acquainted with each other before we get on hugging terms again,” Discord recommended a little insistently. Star Breeze barely cooperated. Her whole body shook, especially her head, and steam spewed out of her ears as she struggled to contain herself from launching at Discord again. “I assume you had a plan in mind?” Discord asked Crystal Wind, temporarily ignoring Star Breeze for the moment. “You often do have some of those disgusting things.” Crystal Wind shrugged. “More like a goal, and a few ideas how to accomplish it. You see, my daughter has been feeling stagnant lately so I was thinking that . . .” “Say no more!” Discord commanded as he held up his lion paw in a stop gesture. At the same time, a red octagonal stop sign appeared beside him for a brief moment while he closed his eyes for two seconds. “Dispelling boredom is my specialty. That would have been my cutie mark if it already wasn't the sign of the Lord of Chaos and Disharmony. See?” Discord lifted his torso up to Crystal Wind which had a new image on it, much like a cutie mark. The image, in this case, was simply his face with a wide-open, smiling mouth with one long fang hanging down and his eyes wide open in delight. “This here,” he paused in silence for a second as he pointed as his “cutie mark”, then went on to say, “represents one thing about me. It is a symbol expressing how utterly awesome I am. Huzzah!” There was a sudden explosion of party confetti and fireworks going on behind him as he started blowing kisses with both his eagle talon and lions paw out at some invisible but not inaudible audience that was clapping, cheering, and whistling at him ecstatically. “Thank you! Thank you all, my wonderful adoring fans! You're welcome!” “Well, true. That is the basic idea I have in mind,” Crystal Wind admitted. “Keep her age in mind, however. This version of my daughter is not as mature as the one you've worked with before. I did invite you here to put a little chaos in her life, but,” he lifted a hoof up high then slowly scaled it down as he said, “in this case, you'll need to scale it down just a little bit. Keep it E-Rated, okay?” “Eh.” Discord suddenly looked a bit bored as he shrugged while regarding Crystal Wind. During that time, the cheering crowd, party confetti and fireworks in the background disappeared. “That won't be as fun, but trust me when I say I've had plenty of experience guest-starring in a certain children's cartoon show. Your wish,” he bowed to Crystal Wind while placing his right limb to the center of his serpentine body just where he bent it, “is my command.” When he straightened himself, he then rubbed his lion paw and eagle talon against each other as he regained his evil, scheming look. “Now then . . . what sort of chaos and disharmony adventure did you have in mind?” “First,” Crystal Wind lifted a hoof to halt Discord for a moment, then regarded his daughter as he lowered that hoof again, “I need to explain something to you, and this is important so pay attention!” Crystal Wind finished that sentence in a rare demanding tone to his daughter which helped to shake her out of her stupor of regarding Discord excitedly and instead regarded her father. Once he had her attention, he resumed. “It's important that you understand something when it comes to relying upon Discord for any favors. It may be true that he can do anything in reality, but never forget the fact that he is the Lord of Chaos and Disharmony. He is rarely here to solve your problems, my dear. Instead, he often shows up to specifically cause your problems, but that is his own way of granting you a favor. “Also, it's important to remember never to abuse his friendship. If he does you a favor then it is important to remember that it is exactly that. Just because he can do anything easily, doesn't mean his services should be taken for granted or never returned. Discord is not my bellhop.” The moment Crystal Wind said that, Discord suddenly gained a bellhop outfit but he continued to regard Crystal Wind as if oblivious to the fact that he suddenly gained that outfit. That action seemed to have no point other than to disprove Crystal Winds words. Glancing at him for a second, Crystal Wind chuckled to himself for a few seconds then went on, once again addressing his daughter. “Instead, he is first and foremost my friend, and I'll never allow myself to forget that fact. I advise you to keep that in mind as well. If he does do you a favor, then he does it as a friend and appreciate it accordingly.” “Um, sure but . . .” Star Breeze regarded Discord with a little bit of fear, “. . . he's going to cause me problems on purpose? How is that doing me a favor?” “Well you said you wanted an adventure, didn't you?” Discord reminded as he finally looked back at Star Breeze. At the same time, his bellhop outfit suddenly disappeared. “What great adventure lacks risk? “Besides, you don't have to worry.” He waved her off. “I'll be sure to scale the adventure appropriate to your skill level. One should never throw a level twenty dungeon at a level one novice. “Well,” he glanced to his side with a troll grin which showed his teeth a bit, “I do it sometimes as the game master but my players have learned to expect the unexpected when it comes to my fantasies.” Discord looked back at her as his expression returned to normal. “But you are my friend too, and I shan't overwhelm you unnecessarily, at least not on purpose. “That said, my magic always has at least a little chaos in it.” He gestured to himself and closed his eyes for a second as he gained a brief arrogant expression. “I am the Lord of Chaos, after all. Whenever I use my powers, not even I can completely predict what will happen. That's just my nature.” Discord closed his eyes again and lifted his lion paw upward in a dramatic gesture. “Chaos . . . is a wonderful, wonderful thing,” he opened his eyes at Star Breeze again and lowered his limb, again, “and it shouldn't be taken for granted.” “Ultimately,” Crystal Wind added, “the purpose of the journey is to strengthen you. Take this as you would regard anything else in life. Right now we're asking the Lord of Chaos for a favor so that basically means we want to be surprised, but that happens every single day anyway. Every time you wake up in the morning, you'll never know what you'll encounter until you encounter it.” Discord lifted a talon finger as he said to Star Breeze, “Which is why I argue that chaos is the ultimate determinate of all things within the perspective of a single, fixed reality.” “Oh wow!” Star Breeze widened her eyes. “My father said that you said that to him years ago.” “But of course! It's still true, my dear.” Discord said matter-of-factly as he folded his limbs behind his back under his mismatched wings. “What is and was shall forever be.” Discord then regarded Crystal Wind again. “But we're getting side-tracked here.” Just after he said that, train tracks appeared under Discord and Crystal Wind, and it was the same fixed track, but two seconds later the tracks shifted two feet to their side. Right after that, the tracks vanished as suddenly as they appeared before he went on to his next sentence. “You said you invited me to spread a little chaos, and I'm eagerly awaiting the specifics of that request.” He waved Crystal Wind off, unfolding his arms from behind his back in order to do so. “Rest assured I shall make my games passable and fair, and age appropriate in this case, but did you have something more specific in mind?” “I do, but the specifics are up to my daughter.” Crystal Wind looked at her. “You are welcome to accept suggestions, but this is your adventure. I want to remind you that you are the one who must trot it, and you will always be in control of your journey. Same as it always was, and same as it ever shall be.” “Well,” Star Breeze began as she looked at her father, “right now I choose to listen to a little advice. If you have something specific in mind, I'm all ears.” “So am I!” Discord agreed and, for a few moments, he turned into one giant ear which was aimed at Crystal Wind. He then said in a conniving sort of way, “I'm listening!” Crystal Wind thought back as he looked off to his side. “During the many adventures I had with my extended family in the TARDIS, which occasionally included you, Discord,” he said with a brief nod to the draconequus, who promptly nodded back even in his giant ear form, “I remember there was one time and place he continuously brought us back to in order to rest and recover.” He looked at Star Breeze. “Since it was so new to me, your mother and Vision, it was still an adventure, but a tamer one. In consideration of your age and your desire to explore a small piece of the many wonderful locations of all of time and space, how about you start with Ponyville from the future? Are you still curious about that place? I recall you used to ask me a lot of questions about it before.” Right after Crystal Wind asked that question, the opening of the giant ear of Discord's current form aimed at Star Breeze. “Sounds perfect!” Star Breeze cheered. “I always wanted to see the future of Ponyville and what will happen to Sweet Apple Acres. By now I have seen the version of it in this time, but I've longed for years to see what will become of it later and how successful it will be.” “Eh.” Discord suddenly turned into his “normal” mixed-up self while waving Star Breeze off with a bored expression. “It's just a normal apple farm, like a thousand others, with the exception of the Zap Apple trees. I tried to spruce the place up a bit at one point but my efforts weren't too appreciated so,” he shrugged, “I had to change it back. Personally, I felt it could use a little more flair, but I guess when you have friends, you can't always have things your way. It's a give-take situation.” “That's true,” Star Breeze agreed as she looked at Discord. “I have lots of friends spread out all over Equestria. Mostly we're just pen pals, though.” “Oh!” Discord's eyes lit up with delight, then seemed to disappear for a moment except he appeared again at the same time much closer to Star Breeze, only this time he was shaped like a tiny black pen with Discord's face on it which was directed at Star Breeze. “We could do that too!” Discord proposed to Star Breeze, then gave her a mischievous look while still looking pen-like. “Actually, I have a wonderful idea what we could do about that. “Here is my proposition. Take me and write a letter to Princess Celestia. You must begin each letter with the exact phrase, 'Dear Princess Celestia', then proceed to write whatever you want, except with a twist.” He paused a moment as he snickered, then went on. “Whatever you write in that letter, it is a fate that will come true in her castle, no matter how outlandish it is. This includes your spelling and grammar errors. No matter what you write down, it will come true. How about it? Want to become the new author of this reality, just like the author of “Sky Dancer” was?” “You might be disappointed,” Crystal Wind warned. “I taught my daughter very good spelling and grammar, just as my father once drilled into me . . . and no! Please don't demonstrate that by putting an actual drill to my head! That would give me uncomfortable recollections of Puppet Master.” “Oh my Celestia, your proposition sounds so fun!” Star Breeze said excitedly, sorely tempted. “That would basically put your powers into my hooves!” Somehow Discord's pen form actually shrugged, then he said, “Which I don't mind, as long as you solemnly swear that you'll be up to no good.” “No,” came Crystal Wind's flat and firm denial. “You know I'm normally very lax with your pranks, Discord, but this is my daughter we're talking about and I'll not have you corrupt her innocence too much.” “But you called upon me!” Discord objected as the face of the pen turned to Crystal Wind. “You promised me that there would be chaos. What's wrong with a little harmless fun? You do trust your daughter not to be too naughty with my powers, don't you?” “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. I may allow you to make that offer again when she's older and more mature, but for as long as she is under my care, I won't allow you to let my daughter rewrite the fabric of all reality.” He looked to his side. “Dang. I didn't expect I'd need to say that sentence today, but I suppose I should have known better when inviting the likes of Discord.” Discord sighed in lament. “Oh, very well.” The pen version of him disappeared and he reappeared as his normal draconequus self beside them. As his “normal” self, he gently patted Star Breeze. “For as long as you are under your father's authority, I must respect it because I have too much respect for him to do otherwise. Perhaps later.” He twisted his head to the side, leaned his head towards her and put the back of his lion paw beside his mouth as he whispered at Star Breeze in a conspiratory way, “And if you ever need a little chaos in your life later on as well, you let me know.” “Will do!” Star Breeze promised with a mischievous wink. “Ooo!” Discord looked giddy as he leaned back and shook his upper limbs near his face with a slight “squee” sound. “A girl after my own heart. I'd better be careful.” He regarded Crystal Wind as he said to him, “You didn't warn me that this one is such a charmer.” “Well she is smart, and knows a golden opportunity when she sees one,” Crystal Wind agreed. “Anyway, it sounds like she agreed to my proposal, but there is one little twist that I'd like to propose. She wanted to get to know the crew of the TARDIS too, and most especially me.” Crystal Wind gave a mischievous wink to Discord. “Think you can arrange that?” For a moment Discord looked confused instead because he caught Crystal Wind's subtle message but couldn't translate it for a short while. Then he recalled something that put this situation in perspective. After that, he gained a very devious smile which made Star Breeze nervous to observe. He said with a dramatic wave of his limb, “Your wish . . . is my command!” Above his head, he snapped his lion’s paw. A brief white flash assailed all of Star Breeze's reality, then she noticed she was somewhere else.