//------------------------------//
// All Cloak, No Dagger (Part 2) 
// Story: The Wild Card 
// by Tyrant 
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	 For the past few days I had been studying the only link I had between my world and Equestria. It was as if my mind was obsessed, and my face was constantly buried in the pages of this somewhat illegal book. What got me thinking was that somewhere in Equestria there were some ponies in powerful positions that did not want anyone knowing of humans. Did it go all the way up to the royal family? Or was this a sort of secret society? Even than, if there were some hiding it, were there others trying to find evidence on it? Not just the one who sent me the letter?


I had more questions than I wanted, and that started to make a sense of panic fill me. I didn't know whether some pony could be friend or foe. The very thought made me cringe, I had started to become very friendly with them. Some I could even talk for lengthy periods of time on just random topics. What if any of them were in this society to keep humans a secret?


Sure, I could assume the worst, but why waste what thinking power I have on that. The only thing that some pony would be able to do is run me outta town, or abduct me. Still, all I've seen is a friendly attitude, though some uncertainty for the "alien" that had come in to their peaceful lives. Even the Cakes seemed to like me down at Sugarcube Corner. I did have a sweet tooth, which had a constant stream of bits flowing in their pockets.


I continued with my reading on the history of my people here in Equestria. One person had actually enlisted in the militia when Equestria seemed to be torn in a sort of civil war. The cause for the war was not in full detail but his loyalty to his brothers in arms was all there. It contained a few journal entries and I was a bit shocked at how he seemed to even found a wife for himself here. Lucky bastard. The journal sort of abruptly ends though, and I’m curious to know if he died in battle or was the journal lost. Another seemed to mind a more quiet life, and found solace in the Everfree. Nothing more than that. Anti-climatic but it's not like I expected them all to be recorded in history.


Not all the information was pleasant though. One human actually was banished to the Equestrian equivalent of Hell. Something called Tartar I think it was, apparently he continued to demand to be sent home and when no one could help him he began to terrorize the poor country folk. I suppose like me, he got to witness their capacity for magic and thought they were lying to him.


The thought of returning home once again filled my mind. If I could return, would I? I really was starting to grow fond of this place. Fluttershy, for a mare, was really breath-taking. Soft-spoken but elegant, kind yet firm when needed, and those wings… hotcha! I mentally slapped myself for starting to drool over the mare of my desire. Down boy, focus on the task at hand.


In no way though did I know think this was coincidence, and I had to talk to him about this. How to make it appear as though I wasn’t doing anything with an ulterior motive was going to be the hard part. Being in Canterlot made me stick out like a sore thumb, but being in the garden where he was made me look like an accomplice. Ah well, I'd burn that bridge when I came to it. Now I had to see if he was home.

"Wake up, stone boy."


"Oh haven't I been tortured enough already, what do you want?"


"I have some questions, and you should have some answers. So let's sit here like we can pretend to be civilized. I'm sure it'll be a blast, you sitting up there as a birds perch while I talk your ear off. C'mon, can you think of anything more fun?"


"Watching you blasted off to the moon comes to mind."


"Cute. Keep it up and I'll be sure to not spread an inch of chaos for you." That ought to shut him up, I'm sure he was dying for some action.


"You've made your point, now what can ol' Discord do for you."


"I need to know if you think someone would be following in you or your friends footsteps. A sort of legacy you two might have left, or if there were others who shared your ideas in the first place."


"And what do I get for telling you, hmm? Although I am stuck in stone don't expect me to be cooperative so easily, I could just as well lie to you for my own amusement. I could also sit here and wait longer than you, believe me."


I held up the book to him but not before taking a quick glance of my surroundings. Last thing I needed was to be questioned by the royal guard on what I was doing with Discords statue. It was already bad enough I was near him, but to be told I could be conspiring with him. The thought made me feel a little like a guilty party. "I'll just have to take your work for it, and for what I can offer not much but a favor. Now remember how you told me you had found a book? I'm not even sure if this is it, but it does have some entries in it that have gotten my interest. Some of these writings I can tell where from my world, they mention events that no pony should know. I'm assuming that it could be a copy of someone else's notes that they've collected. What do you think?"


"I see. Very interesting. No, no one was interested in the subject of humans while me and my associate were digging in to your culture. Even more curious is the idea that ponies would continue to it today. Old bat Celestia had told her people that you were nothing more than fairy tales from long ago. Humans have been around for generations before her time. How you all keep coming here is even a mystery to me, or anyone for that matter. Maybe not for anyone who was around long ago."


Right, so another dead end. "Okay, right. Than next question, do you believe that my life could be in danger? On a hypothetical basis that some pony would want me to disappear? Would anyone be in danger if they friends with me?"


"I doubt it. I would assume that they would ask you to leave, if you were becoming a nuisance. Nothing more or less. Although I cannot guarantee that, and I also cannot guarantee that you wouldn't be dragged away to some pony who would have a very real interest in you."


Ah, so abduction was still a possibility. Though it would take a small gang I would assume, or some really eager unicorns. The thought of some pony being on the same magic level as Twilight caused an involuntary twitch in my lower back. So now the only thing left to assume was that whoever this mysterious pony was, had acted on their own or with the approval of whatever group they belonged to. Could Equestria really be divided on this issue? I haven't met many to suggest otherwise, but again I've only been in Ponyville and Canterlot for a small amount of time.


"Color me curious but, is there a reason you are worried? Something you have done wrong? Something you didn't expect to do but it ended up happening anyway?"


"You could say that. I'm curious on dating a mare, and although I probably had very little chance to begin with, now I have to wonder would it be alright. What if they did something to her just to get to me?"


"So the human has an interest in mares, very interesting. Here I was worried you would be lonesome all your life, separated from your own female kind. Seems like we're not so different after all."


"We? You aren't even a pony. You... you are something that even I can't describe." That came out more harsh than I had intended, and before I could even apologize Discord cut me off. Though his reply wasn't want I expected.


"Do you think that would stop me from falling for a mare as well? For a female of the pony variety? My dear boy, you are sadly mistaken. I myself have had the pleasure of being in love oh so long ago. Never had I met a more charming female with such a taste for disharmony."


It was sort of hard to imagine a love-sick Discord, but to hear him go on and on about the love of his was actually putting my own worries at ease. 

Granted they had something in common and that was pranks, the idea of Discord finding love made me start to question: Why couldn't I try?


"So what happened between you two?" Suddenly he got real quiet, eerie quiet. I felt a small wave of panic and checked around me again to be sure that I wasn't being spied on. His voice came at me like a hiss, malice dripping from it.


"I was sealed."


For a moment I had no words to tell Discord, how could I even attempt to make things better. I could relate, though not completely. Something he held precious was taken from him, but it wasn't that she left him or he left her. I had to wonder how things happened for him to be sealed in the first place, what did he do that could deserve such a thing. I wanted to find the words to comfort him, but there were none. This was the bitterness of life, and I only had one thing that could lift us out of a very uncomfortable silence.


However the words that came out were something I  hadn't recalled for awhile, and I started to sing them aloud slowly making sure that I had the words correct. "When your chewing on life's gristle, don't grumble, give a whistle. And this'll help things turn out for the best, and... always look at the bright side of life."


Discord seemed silent for a moment, but as I was coming to the finish of the chorus he started to join in and we sung the next part together. "If life seems jolly rotten, there's something you've forgotten... and that's to laugh, and smile, dance and sing. When you're feeling in the dumps.. don't be silly chumps, just purse your lips and whistle that's the thing!" 

We both continued on in to the song, letting whatever grief and anguish out with our song. The one thing I did have to wonder was, where the heck did he learn it? Ah well, I won't even ask considering he was pretty good at it. Who knew? I was more curious on how he could whistle since he shouldn't be able to purse his lips, how the hell was he doing that!?