Phthisis is Magic Preview · 4:31am Jun 9th, 2012
Well, after cocooning Celestia, laying the framework for the compleation of four of the Mane Six, and adding Pinkie's mother to my ever-growing list of ponies I've made into badasses, I got down about a thousand words of the next chapter, "Immune Response." And yes, as the name implies, Equestria doesn't just sit there taking it on the chin this chapter. Celestia, for example, has a discussion with a certain someone...
"Why do I want to see you free after you sealed me in stone for more than five thousand years? Not that I'm bitter or anything, mind you. Well, suffice to say, it's fairly obvious where things are going at the moment.
"On a normal day, a friendly scrum between Twilight Sparkle and Luna would be a tossup. However, this is hardly a normal day, and when they clash – and they will – it will not by any stretch of the imagination be described as 'a friendly scrum.' Twilight bolstered by a draconic familiar and the physical Element of Magic, your sister hampered by high noon and the potential for oh so much collateral damage were she to cut loose? It's not even going to be close. Your so-called 'faithful student' will wipe the floor with Princess Scary Butt Fun.
"After that, with you imprisoned and your mother and me as we are, young Twilight will be, without exaggeration, the most powerful being in the universe. Worse, she will be free of the twin shackles that normally keep her in check: her own humility and the thought of your disapproval.
"From there, well, as I said, it's obvious. Twilight wins. She remakes the world in her increasingly unpleasant image. And if you think ponies had it bad when I was in charge, kiddo, you ain't seen nothin' yet. She'll take ponies apart and put them back together in the name of making them tick a bit more efficiently, and that's just for starters. I shan't impinge on your delicate sensibilities by listing what she's got planned for later."
Celestia waited a moment to make sure that, however briefly, the chaos spirit had had enough of the sound of his own voice. So you're doing this out of the goodness of your heart? she asked snidely.
"Hearts," corrected Discord. "I have two. And a half. And no. I'm doing it to keep things interesting. I'm doing it because for all the horror and anguish Sparkle will sow in the name of progress, she will also do her utmost to eradicate chaos. I'm doing it because, as far as I'm concerned, this is the lesser of two evils.
"Now, I'm not asking for your service, your trust, even your respect. All I'm asking is for you to let me help you do something you want to do anyway. You already wear a lot of hats, Celestia, and most of them are crowns. I'm just offering a necklace to balance out your look. Say yes, I make this one adjustment, and then I leave you to your self-imposed duty. Say no, and you watch your surrogate daughter destroy the work of millennia in a way far worse than any I would employ, but at least you get to do it with a clear conscience. You have this one Pendant of Life and you don't even have to assemble that blasted monkey. What say you?"
Well, I did expect that he'd have standards. It's "Screw the Chaos, Even I have rules!!"