Discord's Family Reunion

by Mister E

Part 17

Part 17
Heart of Chaos

Over the next several months, life the royal castle of Equinity had settled into a familiar pattern. Cordial and Harmony would take breakfast together in the private dining room, and discuss the events of the day, then Harmony would go be about her royals duties, while Cordial spent the rest of the morning learning more about his new powers. After his brief experiment with using chaos on his own mind wore off, Harmony had made him promise to restrict his experiments to purely external applications of magic. Later, the two would meet again for lunch, and then they would spend the afternoon in much the same way until supper time. Sometimes Cordial would accompany his sister when receiving important guests, or the occasional visit to the city. During these trips Cordial would maintain an illusion of his former self. Although he was able now to maintain his original form for much longer, it would still eventually revert to his Draconic patchwork visage, so Cordial felt an illusion was a much simpler way to move about among the public. By now most of the population knew about his transformation, and on occasion, when asked, Cordial would drop the illusion and allow other ponies to see his new, natural state. Almost to a pony their reactions were the same, an instantaneous recoil in horror, and Cordial would quickly reapply his illusion. However at home in the palace he drew the line, he always went about unaltered when in his home. It had taken some time, but the staff of the palace had finally begun to become accustomed to seeing him that way, and several of the ones who remembered him from before were even speaking to him like they used to before his return.

Of these, the servant pony Snowblossom, the one that Cordial had pointed out to his sister, shortly after his return, had been the most welcome. Cordial had been quietly overjoyed when, one day, as he was passing her in the hallway, she had remarked to him how good it was to have him home safe. He had stopped, and turned to her, and although her eyes were downcast, she did not shy away from him. Unsure of what to say at the time, he merely thanked her politely and continued on his way. However, every time thereafter, over the course of the next few weeks, she would greet him kindly, and he found himself more and more looking forward to seeing her each day. Finally, one afternoon, when her duties were completed. Cordial had gotten the nerve up to visit her quarters. He knocked on her door, and fidgeted nervously as he awaited her approach.

She had apparently been in the process of changing out of her work clothes. She had shed her formal maid’s apparel and her mane had been let down from its tight bun and flowed in a wave of teal majestically across her back. All of this Cordial took in in an instant as she answered the door.

“Oh, your highness! Forgive my appearance, I had not expected any visitors this afternoon. How may I serve you?” She inquired.

“I-I-I...you-you... mane...” Cordial stammered in the doorway. “Oh very smooth, oh great and noble prince of Equestria,” he thought to himself. “Ahm, that is to say, I was considering taking a walk through the palace gardens, and I was wondering... that is, if you didn’t have any plans... well, I was wondering, if you might care to accompany me?” He finishes, almost in a hesitant whisper.

Snowblossom’s eyes widen for a moment, “Oh great... NOW you’ve done it,” thinks the lord of chaos. “Could you have made a bigger fool of yourself? There’s no way she wants to spend time with you socially, she was just being polite, and now you’ve ruined it. She’ll have it all over the castle by-”

“Of course my lord.” Snowblossom interrupts Cordial’s thoughts, “Give me just a moment to grab my cloak.” she says closing the door.

Cordial’s draconic visage undergoes a remarkable series of changes, from shock, to joy, to trepidation, back to joy, before finally settling on one of hopeful optimism by the time Snowblossom opens the door again. He smiles down at Snowblossom as they walk together through the palace hallways and out into the garden. They make small talk as they wander around, avoiding anything deep, and before long they have made their way into the center of the garden, and sit on a bench, side by side and gaze upwards for a long moment at the statue of Charity.

“I never met her, but everyone says she was an amazing pony,” Cordial says absently.

“Yes, we have all heard the stories about her. A humble apple farmer, an earth pony like myself, raised in a far off land, and chosen by the goddess herself to rule all of Equestria.” Snowblossom replies.

“I heard that there were many ponies skeptical at first, despite the goddesses decree. But after several years under her guidance, even the most cynical had been forced to admit that she was the right pony for the job.” Cordial remarks.

“Yes, she is truly an inspiration to all of us. She reminds us that no matter how some pony may appear at first, that you never know what they can be capable of, if they are only given a chance.” Snowblossom says as she looks up at Cordial for the firsts time since they left her quarters. “I’m afraid I must apologize to you my lord,” she adds.

“Apologize? Whatever for?” Cordial replies.

“I’m sure you don’t remember it, but shortly after your return, I was sent to bring you some refreshment. I had not seen you in your new form, and although I had been told about all the terrible things that had happened to you, after you left to save your mother. And had been warned by the other members of the staff about how you looked since your return, I was unprepared for just how different you appeared. You were always so very handsome,” realizing what she has just said, Snowblossom blushes furiously, but forces herself to continue. “Anyway, the shock of seeing you like this, it was just too sudden. I all but ran away from you. I couldn’t bring myself to approach you for the longest time. Not because of how you looked, but because I was sure that you must hate me for behaving that way. Over the next month I watched you from the background, as you struggled to deal with your new appearance, I saw how sad you were, and wanted to say something, anything. But as a servant, it wasn’t my place, and I was still thinking about the way I had acted. Gradually you learned your new magics, and seemed to be more like your old self. I even saw you smile on occasion. You were smiling that day in the hall when you passed me. I was so happy to see my lord smile again, that without thinking I spoke to you. I was so worried that you would remember me, and still be upset. But you were just like you used to be, you were kind and polite. After that I became more confident, and spoke to you more often, just like I used to back before, when I had such a crus-” Snowblossom breaks off in mid sentence, realizing what she was going to say, blushing so hard her light blue face begins to turn crimson.

Cordial, to his credit, politely pretends not to have noticed, while inwardly his heart begins to beat faster and faster. “Snowblossom, I accept your apology, but I think, looking back, that your reaction was totally understandable. The first time I saw even part of myself, was while floating above and ocean in the middle of nowhere. I cried and cried, for hundreds of miles as I flew slowly home. When I finally returned, I knew to expect fear and outright rejection. I had expected to spend days in captivity just trying to prove to my family who I was. Even after my sister convinced them all, it still hurt every time I would walk down the hall, and every pony would stop what they were doing and stare. I can only imagine the conversations in the servants quarters, and around the city in the weeks following my arrival.

“I had had a long, long flight back to think about how every pony would react to me. Back then I was sure I could find a cure for my condition. I didn’t know about the goddess, or about my father. I didn’t know my sister had married my best friend. Or that he was the one that was responsible, however accidentally, for my mother ending up in that horrible place. I still haven’t seen him, or my nieces, or Boots, and Icarus, or their children, since my return.” Cordial says sadly.

“Yes, it was only a few days before your return, that they left for their trip. I was told that their ship had left port on the same day you arrived, heading to the far south. Otherwise perhaps word could have gotten to them and they could have come back.” Now that you can do magic again, could you teleport to them?” Snowblossom asks.

“Not really,” Cordial admits. Chaos magic, isn’t the same as alicorn magic. I don’t have the same control I used to. I’d say I’m about as good as any normal unicorn. But even if I had my original powers, I couldn’t go to somewhere I hadn’t seen before.”

“Oh, I see. That’s too bad. But if that’s the case, then how did you get to the island where your mother was?” She inquires.

“Ah, well Zacherle had a magical viewing globe in her study, and I was able to use it to memorize my mother’s location well enough to teleport there. Cordial replies.

“A magical viewing globe? How wondrous. It is a shame that her residence has been sealed since her departure, perhaps it is still there.” Snowblossom says.

“That’s right!” Cordial says, focusing on the present. “I wonder if it is. I will have to ask my sister tomorrow about the possibility of finding out. That would be an incredibly useful magical artifact. Perhaps with study, either the court wizards or myself could make more.”

“Really? that’s amazing, I always wondered how your new magic worked compared to every pony else.” Snowblossom says wide eyed.

“Well,” Cordial admits, “To be honest, I’m still not so sure myself. It seems almost like wish fulfillment. Really, all I need to do is focus on something, snap my claw, and it... well... it just happens. No real effort involved. The only limitations I have found so far, is that I can’t create anything that I can’t visualize fully in my mind, and I can’t turn myself back the way I was, or into anything else, for a prolonged amount of time. I’ll eventually just snap back to looking like this.” He admits sadly.

However Snowblossom is looking up at him in awe. “Your highness,” She begins.

“Please, when we are alone, I’d like it if you just called me Cordial.” Cordial says blushing slightly.

“Very well... Cordial” she says hesitantly. “But only when we are alone. Much like our conversations in the halls, it really isn’t proper for me to address you this way, or at all,” she admits lowering her gaze.

“Very well then, as Crown Prince of all Equestria, I hereby command you to address me as however you see fit, given the circumstances at the time. I also command that you don’t refrain or hold back from speaking to me anytime you feel you must. These are royal commands, and if any pony has a problem with that, have them see me about it.” Cordial says crossing his mismatched arms and trying to look stern.

“Yes your highness,” Snowblossom says with a proper curtsy, smiling slightly.

“Now, my most favorite subject,” Cordial says before realizing his slip, “What was it you were about to say?”

Snowblossom’s cheeks warm again, noticing his choice of words, as she says, “Your hig- I mean Cordial, what you said before, do you mean to say that you can literally do, or create ANYTHING, just by thinking about it?” Have you become... a God?” she asks with awe in her voice.

“A God?” Cordial repeats, laughing to himself. “Oh sweet Zacherle, a God?” “My dear Snowblossom, that has to be the most amusing thing I have heard since my return. Just look at me! I am the most pathetic ‘God’ in existence.” Cordial sits back onto the bench beside Snowblossom, unconsciously sitting somewhat closer than before. “I’ve lost everything. My father, my mother, over ten years of my life, my very alicorn nature. From what I’ve been told, there were floods, tidal waves, world quakes, magical chaotic fallout over the whole planet, and it was all my fault. No Snowblossom, I’m no ‘God’, I’m a monster. A monster that hides behind illusion so that other ponies can stand the sight of me. There are days when I don’t even want to exist. A God is the last thing I am.” he says morosely.

“No.” Snowblossom says quietly. Then more forcefully, “You are NOT a monster. You are my prince. You are the hero that saved all of Equestria from being invaded by creatures of Chaos. You are a good, good, pony that has had terrible things happen to you. But you are NOT a monster. And the sight of you isn’t so very bad. It just takes some getting used to.”

“Some getting used to,” Cordial repeats, “right...”

Snowblossom rises from the bench and faces Cordial, “Cordial, are you suggesting that I am LYING to you? To what? Spare your feelings?” She asks, her voice rising.

“What? No! Not lying exactly...” Cordial begins but is cut off in mid sentence as Snowblossom leans forward and pulls Cordial’s head toward her, and before he can react, softly kisses his lips.

There is a stunned silence in Discord’s sitting room. A stunned silence that is mirrored by the Cordial on the viewer before them.

Snowblossom speaks. “My prince, I have wanted to do that for several years now. And although it may be stretching the meaning of your royal commands of a few moments ago, I still feel that I am abiding by them in spirit. That being said, also in the spirit of your command to speak to you ‘however I see fit’ I feel compelled to say the following...

“You stupid, stupid pony! How can you sit there feeling all lost and alone, where there is some pony sitting right next to you that loves you with all of her heart? Do you have ANY idea what it has been like for me? Watching you walk by, knowing that you are trying to shoulder all the weight of the world on you shoulders. Knowing how you must feel every time you look into a mirror, or when you cast that stupid illusion on yourself. Don’t you think I blame myself for that? For how I acted the first time I saw you? When I should have taken you aside and given you words of support, instead I ran and hid. Just like I ALWAYS did, even back before you left.

Every pony wanted to be your special somepony back then. All those daughters of dignitaries, and refined and cultured ponies. And there I was, just a serving pony. But you spoke to me, you knew I was there. Servants are trained to be just furniture, to keep themselves unnoticed, to be summoned and dismissed without a thought. But I broke the rules, I spoke to you, it was the bravest thing I ever did. I could have been dismissed from the palace if any pony ever found out I was behaving with such impropriety. Oh, and believe me the servants keep their ears open for gossip. I played such a dangerous game, just to say a few words to you, all the time watching you, seeing what a wonderful pony you were, so kind and thoughtful, a good, good, prince. You were so brave, rushing off to that island and facing those creatures down all on your own. There was no way to know what was going to happen afterwords. And no pony blames you Cordial. No pony lost their lives back home. And when word was spread, every pony knew you for a hero. You were MY hero. When I overheard your sister talking about how you were supposed to return to us one day, my heart beat with joy. And then... and then” Snowblossom falters, “And then when you did, and I finally saw you again...” tears well up in her eyes. But Cordial puts a paw up to her lips and silences her.

“Snowblossom. I saw you.” Cordial says with compassion. “All those years ago, when you first joined our staff, before you ever had the courage to speak to me, I saw you. I enjoyed talking with you when you finally did speak to me. You never had any agenda, you were never trying to get on my good side. You were always just being nice. And I saw that. I considered you to be a friend. A secret friend that I couldn’t tell anyone about. Your game was more dangerous than you knew, because if any pony at court knew that I had any type of feelings toward you, you would have been deluged with ponies trying to use you, one way or another, for my favor. So I kept you as my secret friend. And yes, when you saw me when I first returned, it did hurt, your reaction. Harmony noticed as well, and I covered it by saying that it was something I was seeing everywhere, and that it had begun to get to me. It wasn’t exactly a lie, because when it was you, it did get to me. But it really doesn’t bother you now does it? How I look?”

Snowblossom shakes her head, tears still threatening to spill. Cordial speaks again.

“Snowblossom, I knew of you, but I don’t KNOW you. Not the you inside, the one that seems to love me, in spite of myself. That you, I never knew existed.” Cordial confesses.

“I know sire,”Snowblossom says as her tears start to flow.“It was a stupid, dream, a fillies crush, I knew that there was no-” but Cordial cuts her off again.

“I said I didn’t know that part of you,” he says, tilting her head upwards as he gazes into her eyes, “but if you will allow it, I would very much like to,” Cordial says, returning her kiss as he wraps her in his embrace. Afterwords the two say nothing for quite some time. They sit holding each others hoof and claw, looking up at the statue of Charity, while inside, their thoughts are a swirling tempest of emotion. Snowblossom leans toward Cordial and rests her head on his side. Cordial reflexively puts his arm around her and strokes her mane. They sit together, trying to understand what this will mean for their futures, their hearts beating furiously.

“May I call on you tom-” Cordial begins, and is quickly interrupted.

“YES!” Snowblossom says, not giving him a chance to finish. Cordial smiles fully for the first time since his return.

Then he adds wryly, “I suppose one more kiss would be out of the question, since we’ve only just-” but this time it is Cordial who is interrupted, and they kiss again, for the third time.

Discord forwards the remote.

A collective “AWWW” is heard throughout the sitting room, as Discord forwards out of the scene they were watching. He arrives at the next scene he wants to show and hits pause. Without a word, he rises and walks toward the kitchen, knowing that Fluttershy will be right behind him. And he is correct.

Fluttershy had remained silent throughout the last few scenes. Ever since her accidental bout of jealousy at Pinky when she had spent just a little too long hugging her husband, she had returned to her normal sweet and caring self. But then she saw another pony confess her love to her husband. Worse, she had to sit and watch that pony comfort him, and kiss him repeatedly. She knew intellectually, that all this had happened hundreds of thousands of years in the past, that whatever had taken place between them was long, long done. But although her mind was telling her these things, her heart was giving her quite a different message. And yes, she was feeling jealous... again. So when her husband rose from his seat, and walked into the kitchen, she immediately rose to follow him. She was not a pony to hide these kinds of things from the one being she had given her heart to, and he was definitely going to know just how she felt. She was thinking these thoughts as she almost walked into Discord, who had stopped in the kitchen and turned to her. Before she could begin, Discord leaned down and whispered something in her ear. A look of horrified shock passed across her face. She looked up at her husband for confirmation, unsure that she had understood what he just said. He looks down at her and nods, then leans in close again and whispers to her again. As he pulls away, he can see tears spilling from her cheeks.

She looks up at him and says, “I’m so sorry. Oh my husband, I’m so very sorry!” And she hugs him tightly. Discord returns her embrace, his head bowed. They spend some time in the kitchen, in quiet conversation.

“Oh, I’d hate to be in his shoes right now!” Rainbow Dash says.

“Technically, he doesn’t wear shoes,” Twilight adds before saying, “but your right, this isn’t going to be pleasant.”

“Oooh, one time I saw Fluttershy get jealous because she saw Octavia looking all starry eyed at him once while he was playing a full string quartet by himself.” Pinky confesses. “I though she was going to break a cello right on his head.” She adds conspiratorially.

“Do you think one of us should go in there?” Spike asks.

“No brah,” Shining Armor, interjects. “Trust me, this is like totally personal. Husband and wife stuff. You DO NOT want to get in between that!”

“The thing that has gotten me in quite a flush, is that some other pony was once Discord’s crush.” Zecora adds, staring at the stilled viewing globe.

“Ya, and she was like, totally hot!” Shining Armor adds, earning a stare worthy of Fluttershy, from Cadence.

Celestia and Luna share a glance. “This is a surprise to us as well. I think I may barely remember Snowblossom from when I was a child. But I have no recollection of her and Uncle Discord being... an item.” Celestia confesses.

“It’s just one thing after another, ever since he got that letter.” Applejack says. “I reckon we never really knew what all Discord had gone through. Heck, he’s been around almost since the beginning of Equestria. I never really thought about what that must be like. Seeing everything change. Outliving all the ponies you get close to.” At that she glances over at the Princesses.

“It is not... pleasant” Luna confesses, as Celestia puts a hoof around her shoulder.

“It’s gotta be hard on him, “Applejack continues, “having to relive all of this. He says he wants to prepare us for when his sister gets here, but more and more I get the feeling that he’s trying to reach out to all of us. Like he wants us to understand something. Maybe he doesn’t even realize that’s what he’s doing... What?” Applejack asks as she notices that all the other ponies are looking at her.

Twilight is the first to speak, “That was very profound Applejack,” she says. “And I can’t help but get the feeling that you may be right.”

Applejack colors slightly. “Well, it just seemed kinda obvious.” She adds.

It was then that Discord and Fluttershy return. Neither of them seem to be upset. But neither do they seem happy. Discord returns to his seat and Fluttershy settles in next to him. He puts his arm around her and she snuggles in close. Several of the other ponies exchange curious glances, but no one says anything, as Discord resumes play.