Act XXXIII - Discordance
After a little pep talk from David, Luna, and her friends, Twilight sat at the doors of Celestia’s chambers, which were conspicuously devoid of guards.
She had taken a few moments there to calm herself, after what seemed like the endless trek from David’s room. Now, she couldn’t wait any longer, as to delay would surely only infuriate the ruler more. Somewhat shakily, Twilight stood, her wings ruffling with nervousness as she approached the doors.
“Enter!” a voice boomed before her hoof touched the door’s surface.
Twilight struggled to push open the doors, something quite difficult to do with pony-power alone, and no magic. Luna had cautioned Twilight that since she now had a connection, using magic in the castle would be strictly off-limits.
Finally, with a gap big enough to squeeze through, Twilight entered the grand bedchambers, only to whip around and close the door behind her. She paused to take a breath.
Further in, Celestia sat with her back to the door on a thin, high back chair facing the balcony. All around her, the other furniture of the sitting area lay strewn across the floor, not a single piece standing in a wide circle around the white ruler as she quietly stared outside.
Twilight tentatively approached her fellow princess’ location, noting how her hoof falls seemed to echo in the chamber as she neared the chair.
“Come here,” Celestia demanded with a voice so cold anypony would have regressed back to childhood. Likewise, Twilight instinctively hung her head.
Twilight complied with the order, and walked around to the front of the chair, then sat down quietly. She faced the floor, never even making a hint of raising her head or eyes to meet the elder mare.
As Twilight sat, her mind began to churn.
‘What did I do? What do I say? How can this all be happening!?’
However, she was soon brought out of her thoughts, not due to clarity or distraction, but from discomfort. For some reason, the room felt hot, unusually so, and the perceived heat made Twilight uncomfortable. She started to sweat, with rivulets dripping from her brow, and her frogs felt odd against the warm tiles.
“Twilight…” Celestia drew out, almost in a hiss. “You have done… wonderful things, but this… Is this a result of your illicit congress with him!?”
Twilight shook as the words blew past her like a dry heat. She opened her mouth, only to shut it again, her teeth clacking as she did so.
“Look at me, Twilight. Look and answer!”
Twilight’s eyes became saucers. She moved slowly, as if her neck had rusted and her muscles were dead, yet she lifted her head to meet the ruler’s gaze.
What she saw haunted her.
Celestia sat, looking down at her, her usually kind eyes filled white with quiet rage. The air around her moved visibly and was palpable with the heat of the sun. Her mane and tail were no longer flowing, they were flitting and sparking, as if the colors were made of flame. Visibly damaged, the interior of the chair smoldered and was charred black, standing out starkly against her blindingly white fur. And then, there was the most shocking sight. Celestia’s crown… It now framed her stoic face in golden tears as the metal dripped in molten form; likewise, her peytral and its jewels were already just a pool adorned with slag at the base of the chair.
Twilight dropped her head to break her gaze but felt compelled to speak. “I… I don’t know. I just…”
“Just what?”
“I… I think I might like him.”
“Like?” Celestia questioned, as if the term did not make sense. “Your little session, and now you like him? Do you pine for him? Do you want him to make love to you, again!? Would you overthrow Us, overthrow me, to be with him!?”
Twilight trembled visibly as the words shook the surroundings. “No!” she shouted, only for her eyes to be caught in the angry glare, sending her reeling backward.
“ ‘No.’ ‘No,’ then. ‘No,’ you do not want him for yourself? ’No,’ you will not overthrow my sister and me, and ‘No,’ you do not wish to have him crawl over you and make you a mare of his own?”
Twilight’s shaking continued as her mind raced to explain the situation.
‘What did I do wrong!? I didn’t ask for that to happen, I didn’t think you’d be so mad! Wait, what did she mean when she said ‘overthrow Us’? What does Celestia have to do with all of this anyway, isn’t she just protecting Luna?’
Twilight’s face contorted as the puzzle pieces she was given did not fit. Her curiosity overrode her fear, and she looked up at her ruler, a question on her muzzle.
“Not that I would, but why would I need to overthrow you to be with David?” she asked simply.
The words hit their mark, and Celestia’s pupils returned to her eyes.
“I…” Celestia started, then dropped her head, letting the remains of her crown fall to the floor. “I am in love with him, Twilight. He and I are joined, even with Luna’s blessing.”
Understanding flashed across Twilight’s face.
‘Oh. Oh, my. I wasn’t prepared for this. This isn’t my friend, my fellow princess, or even my former teacher and mother-figure. This is Celestia in love. She’s scared, and bitter, and even jealous… of me? I don’t know what to do!’
Twilight cleared her throat. “Celestia… I do like him, but—”
Celestia whipped her tear-stained face up to meet Twilight’s, the salt water evaporating into steam as it hit the air. “But?”
“But that doesn’t mean I’m going to try to get between you… three. At all. It’s probably no more than a fillyhood crush, those don’t last anyway. You see, he was my knight… He saved me, and it put a mark on me (in more ways than one) that may take a while to fade. I can’t help but be honest and say that you used to have the same effect on me. His just came at an inopportune time and was aided by hormones.” Twilight chuckled awkwardly.
Celestia slumped in the chair. The area around her grew dim and the heat dissipated with the light. Steam rose from the chair as the cooling air condensed what little vapor was still around them. It was oddly quiet for a few moments, and the tension grew as a result.
“Celestia—”
Her former mentor cut her off. “I have wronged you yet again. I do not know if I can make up for this, or that.”
Twilight smiled thoughtfully. “What do you mean, ‘this or that’?”
“Your condition, your learning about life and… and sex… and how being an alicorn would affect you. I taught you so many things, but never prepared you, always avoided those things. Just as I have avoided them in my life. I am… sorry for that.”
Twilight relaxed slightly. “I don’t fault you for not teaching me those things… it would’ve been awkward, to say the least. Let’s just say that Cadance has been filling in the gaps. You can’t teach me everything, you know.”
“Cadance… Hmm.”
“And as far as this, I forgive you, Celestia. I wish I could be more of a friend to you so you wouldn’t have to suffer like this. I think you tend to keep things bottled up; that’s not good. You taught me that.”
“I did?” Celestia asked quietly.
“Yup!” Twilight smiled widely, her eyes shut tight as she beamed her pride from remembering her lessons.
Celestia closed her eyes as they watered with fresh tears. ‘It seems she has grown more than I thought. For me to put on such a disgraceful and hurtful display, only for her to persevere and try to encourage me! But now I have failed again, never will she look at me the same.’
A soft prodding at Celestia’s cheek brought her around. Opening her eyes, she saw Twilight nuzzled close to her, wiping her tears away with her own muzzle, and it broke the dam in her heart.
Celestia wept bitterly as she leaned her head on Twilight’s shoulder.
Struggling to heft the weight, Twilight cradled her tenderly in her wings, even as she put more strength into her legs.
“Ooph,” Twilight grunted as she faltered a bit under the strain. She fought valiantly, but soon her back legs gave out, and both mares went tumbling to the floor in a sobbing heap.
Even pinned underneath Celestia’s massive frame, Twilight smiled as she held her former mentor, princess, and idol’s—now lovestruck, frightened, and sobbing friend’s head.
“That’s it. Let it all out,” Twilight cooed while gently smoothing Celestia’s mane as it lay flat and still against her back.
***
Meanwhile, in David’s room, Twilight’s friends were busy chatting with and tending to David under Luna’s watchful eyes.
“And then, the oven exploded, BOOM! sending cake everywhere. I mean everywhere too, it was like when Rainbow Dash blew up the weather factory, and it was winter in an instant, except this time it was cake and not snow! Mmmm, snow cake…“ Pinkie drooled on the floor.
Applejack rolled her eyes. “Sugarcube, I think that’s enough story time for David, he looks to be mighty tired. We should probably let him sleep more.”
“Aww,” Rainbow Dash protested. “He hasn’t even gotten to hear about the super-awesome show I did with the Wonderbolts! I’m sure he’d rather hear about it than to go to sleep.”
“Um, maybe Applejack is right, Rainbow. I bet he’d like to hear it later when he’s had some rest. You wouldn’t want him to fall asleep during your story, would you?” Fluttershy asked meekly.
“Meh, you’re right, ‘Shy. I know how important naps are to us athletes. David, I’ll catch up with you later. You won’t want to miss hearing about this!”
David nodded drowsily in thanks.
“Now ladies, let us adjourn until we can meet up again with Twilight. David, I’ll just place your new clothes here in the closet, and we can see if they need adjustments later, after you’ve rested.” Rarity then turned to the group. “Come along now, let’s not dawdle! Perhaps we can find some get-well gifts for David while he rests! Ta’ David!”
Rarity then let herself out with Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash in tow, leaving Applejack still sitting by his bedside and Luna lying on the divan. Noticing that Applejack was not behind her, Rainbow Dash turned back, but after seeing the earth mare’s sad expression, she simply closed the door behind her as she left.
David had tried to be a good host and company for the mares, but his condition had sapped him dry of all his strength. As he lay there, head and back somewhat propped up with pillows, he fought to stay conscious as his mind drifted from the exhaustion.
Applejack shed a tear and wiped it away with her hoof, then got up and approached Luna on the opposite side. She sat in front of the divan and looked up at the princess, then took off her hat and clutched it to her chest.
“Yes, fair Applejack?” Luna whispered.
“I… I know I ain’t got no right to know, but is David going to…”
“We will all do our best to make sure he recovers swiftly.”
“Yes, of course. I may just be an earth mare, and a farmer to boot, but I want to help if possible.”
Luna smiled knowingly. “I understand. I will keep you in mind, and apprised as I can.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.” Applejack bowed politely. “You… You got my message and my letter, right?”
“Indeed. Do you require an answer now?”
Applejack shook her head. “No, I’m not lookin’ to pressure you none. I just want you to know how I felt, how I still feel. I jus’ want to know if that’s okay.”
“You are free to do so,” Luna replied.
Applejack’s eyes misted upon hearing the words. “Thank ya, thank you so much. That being said…” Applejack reached inside her hat and rummaged around a bit. “I have something… something I made for him.” She pulled out a necklace of green woven stems and small white blossoms. “In my family, we give these to the sick. It may not be as useful as magic or a doctor, but it’s what we can do.” She held it out for inspection.
Luna smiled at the trinket, examining it in her hooves. “It is quite nice. I believe he will appreciate it.”
“Uh, can I give it to him? It’s supposed to be worn around the neck, like this.” She gestured with her hooves.
“Of course. Let us see if he is awake.”
Luna crept onto the bed and watched David closely for signs of movement. As she drew nearer to watch his chest rise and fall, David reached out with his hand and stroked her mane and neck with his fingers. She pressed into his hand and then allowed it to pull her down to his chest.
“Love, fair Applejack is here. She has brought you a talisman for health. Would you please accept it?”
David slid his hand down from Luna’s neck to her withers and pulled while Luna strained with her legs to lift him up.
Now in a seated position, David smiled down at both Luna and Applejack, who had returned to the opposite side of the bed.
“Sorry, A.J., I didn’t mean to be such bad company,” he said.
Applejack just shook her head and smiled back.
David adjusted his seating position again, so that he was pressed back into the headboard for support, then crossed his legs. He then bent forward a bit and patted the mattress in front of him, inviting the earth mare to approach.
It was a beautiful sight to see Applejack’s eyes as she understood his gesture and the happy, yet bittersweet smile that came across her face. She jumped from her spot on the floor and landed just where David had touched, a mere step away.
“You brought something for me?” he asked, smiling.
“Uh, yeah. I hope you’re okay with it.” She reached back and pulled out the braided necklace of apple blossoms. “We make these from the young trees in the orchard, full of energy and the promise of a long life. When I heard you were… that you didn’t feel good, I rushed out and made this for Twilight to bring, but she brought us all, instead.”
David looked at the necklace and took it from her. He studied it and marveled how carefully and intricately it was made, though she had only hooves and lips to works with. Lifting it carefully over his head, he let it rest around his neck.
“Is this right?” he asked.
Applejack just nodded, stifling a desire to cry.
David then reached out to her with open arms and beckoned her to approach.
Applejack did not waste any time, and threw herself into his arms and wrapped her forehooves around his chest as she nuzzled into his neck.
David looked down at the orange bundle in his arms and smiled. Turning to his left, he also saw the smile of his actual marefriend, Luna, and when their eyes met, she only nodded in approval.
After a few cuddly moments, Applejack parted from David’s embrace and sat down to face him.
“Thank ya, David. Don’t you fret none, the princesses… all of us will do what we can to help you through this.”
“Thanks, A.J., I’m sure I will be fine. Life isn’t always easy; I can take this for now, and then it’ll be over. Why don’t you and Luna go join the others? I’ll be here if you want to visit again later.”
Applejack smirked and put on her hat. She took a flying leap off the end of the bed, only to look back as she landed near the door. As she smiled back at the man, her tail swished anxiously, then she threw the door open and trotted quickly off.
One of the guards looked inside, curious about what had just happened, but seeing the princess on the bed, he quickly returned to his post outside and shut the door.
“Oh, David, look what you have done to that poor dear,” Luna said teasingly. “You have made her bold beyond her years to show such a side in front of your first lover for such a second mare.”
David looked at her questioningly.
“I have not yet decided, if that is what you are thinking. That can wait for later; even she has said so.”
“Oh,” he replied.
Luna then stood and kissed David passionately. “I think I will join them; Twilight may need my assistance as well. Is there anything more I can do for you now?”
David slumped down in the bed and put his pillows behind his head. “Not at the moment. I think I’ll just rest a bit more. Thank you, Luna. I love you,” he said, reaching his hand out for her.
Luna melted at the sight and held his hand with her hoof, then leaned over and kissed his forehead before leaving him to sleep.
***
Quite some time after lunch, the princesses and Twilight’s friends assembled for an important meeting in the solarium.
The ponies sat on pillows in a circle, lining the circumference of the room. Some against the glass, in the bright light of the afternoon sun, and some lined up against the cold, stone walls in the cool shade. In the circle, clockwise from the windows sat Celestia and Twilight, then, after a gap, came Fluttershy and Rarity. Next to the designer, claiming quite a roomy space for herself was Pinkie Pie, then Rainbow Dash, and Applejack. Completing the circle was Luna, who marked the line between shadow and sunlight as she sat next to her sister.
Celestia looked around the circle. “Thank you all for coming. As you know, David is feeling the effects from something we cannot determine, though we think it is magical in nature. Now that Twilight has formed a connection with David, and he has become sensitive to her use of magic as well, investigating this phenomenon will be that much more difficult. We are currently waiting for my niece, Princess Cadance to arrive tonight, as she may be the last of us that can perform the spell on David to examine him without contaminating the results or harming him further. Twilight has also agreed not to use her magic while she is here to avoid causing any further discomfort to David. You all are assembled here, not only as princesses, heroes, and element bearers but as David’s and our friends. Please let us know if you have any thoughts. With that, are there any questions?”
Ponies around the circle all hung their heads, ears drooping as they processed the news.
Twilight raised her hoof. “Can I just ask… When was the last time David was examined before today?”
Celestia and Luna looked at each other, communicating silently.
Luna dropped her head.
“I believe it was at the outing,” Celestia answered.
Twilight’s eyes grew large. “The outing!? He hasn’t been checked since Sunday? Why not!?”
Luna raised her head somewhat. “He had seemed to be getting better—”
“And we did not want to cause him any further pain or discomfort—” Celestia added.
“And then, you were… incapacitated. We could not—”
Twilight interrupted the two. “But he does still feel it twice a day… when you move the sun and moon?”
“Yes.” Celestia nodded.
“And yet you still didn’t think it would be wise, even if for a little discomfort, to check on him!?”
Celestia and Luna hung their heads in defeat.
Luna perked up a bit. “We did determine that David could only feel the effects within a short range. When Sister took you home, he felt it, but upon her return, he did not. With a bit of experimentation, we were able to determine the range. He could not even feel Sister teleport to him from the throne room!”
Twilight huffed. “That’s right, you teleported him as well, didn’t you? Why didn’t you check him after!?” she asked, fighting her frustrations.
“That was…” Celestia and Luna said in unison, then turned to look at each other.
Twilight cocked an eyebrow. “You teleported him multiple times?”
Celestia sighed. “Twice. Once, yesterday morning, and… it was not my proudest moment, but I did forcibly eject him from my quarters a few days ago.”
A few ponies gasped.
“I only took him to your castle and back. He reported that it did not affect him much,” Luna added.
Celestia huffed, causing Luna to turn to her sister.
“I knew it! I knew David was in Ponyville! Why. Wasn’t. There a. Party!?” Pinkie asked, exasperated.
“David was in Ponyville?” Rarity looked on, confused.
Luna shook her head. “No. We took a small trip to see Twilight while she was ill, that is all.”
More confusion painted the faces of Twilight’s friends.
Twilight shook her head. “It’s not important.”
Luna turned to Twilight. “He was exposed to a great deal of magic while you were in his care…”
Ponies heads tracked from Luna to Twilight, looking at her expectantly.
“Twilight, did you not think that you may form a connection with David?” Celestia asked, pulling the attention from her.
“I… No. I was a bit under the weather; I wasn’t thinking straight. I suppose now, that was it.”
Celestia clicked her tongue. “Let us put that aside. What can we do now?” she asked the group.
“We should wait for Cadance to arrive,” Luna suggested.
“I’m not so sure, Luna. He seems to be getting worse,” Twilight said.
“Who else can we turn to?” Luna asked.
Twilight chewed her lip. “I hate to say it…”
Celestia shivered. “Twilight, no.”
“But he’s seen and done magic that is far beyond what we can understand!”
Luna looked at the two, puzzled, then realization dawned across her face.
“Twilight…” Celestia said softly. “He is still too unpredictable.”
“I don’t want him near David,” Applejack spoke up, finally having a say in the conversation.
Luna nudged Applejack and caught her gaze with tender eyes, softening the earth mare’s fury. “Fair Applejack, we cannot be too judgemental in this. He may be able to do something, though I too hold reservations.”
“He’s getting better, I can help too. Let me ask him,” Fluttershy said.
Rarity nuzzled her yellow friend in encouragement. The room grew silent as the other members held their tongues, but Rainbow Dash seemed to be struggling with the conversation. Her wings twitched, and she tapped her hind hoof in annoyance. “Okay, I don’t get it! What’s going on? Spit it out already!”
Celestia raised her head and looked at the pegasus across from her and met her eyes with a serious look. “Discord.”
“You rang!?” I said, appearing grandly in a small puff of smoke, startling everypony.
All around the pretty pony circle, faces of surprise and some of… well, less than surprise greeted my arrival. At least Fluttershy didn’t look too displeased.
“What? No spot for me?” I asked, putting on my best puppy dog eyes. They usually worked too.
Twilight, ever vigilant, stood up to greet me. At least I thought so, but instead, she pulled a spare pillow over to the bare spot between herself and Fluttershy, then sat down again, motioning to it coldly.
I smiled brightly. “Oh, thank you, friend Twilight!” I said, then reappeared on the proffered spot with a pot of tea. Nothing beats tea at a party, after all. I took a sip, then remembered my manners and poured a cup for Fluttershy before offering to the rest of the mares. They somewhat politely declined. Looking around the room, I asked, “What seems to be the trouble?”
Celestia stood to face me. “Discord, a stranger has come to our lands, one that is foreign to us and has no magic but seems to be pulling from our own, possibly in an attempt to become in harmony with our world. He does not do it consciously, and it is of no harm to us, but it does seem to be causing harm to himself. Would you be willing to take a look at him and see if there is anything we have missed? Please, Discord.” She then bowed politely, causing me to spit a bit of my tea in shock.
Luna also stood to address me. “It is of extreme importance to me as well. And I should warn you, should any tricks or harm befall him, stone would be the least of your worries.”
I dabbed the dripping tea from my face with a hanky. ‘Must. Be. Proper!’ “Me? Tricks?” I pulled out my certificate, hugging my friend/therapist next to me. “I’m reformed, remember? Right, Fluttershy?” She smiled and nodded, so I let her go. Putting on my serious face, which took a moment, mind you… I turned to the princesses. “Look, I’ll do it. I’ll take a stab at ol’ David there and see if I can help. That’s what friends are for. Right, Fluttershy?” I looked at her sweetly and batted my eyelids at her, I knew I was going to need her help with this after all.
Fluttershy just blushed softly, earning a confused look from Luna.
Then Twilight stood again. It seems something didn’t sit right with her. “Wait! how did you know his name was David?”
‘Drats.’ I put on my best innocent act. “What? Did I say something wrong?”
Everypony stared.
“Okay, I give. I’ve been watching over David since he arrived. When that black cloud came around, it had a smattering of what seemed to be Chaos magic with it, so I went to investigate. Little did I know that he would appear. Oh, ho, ho! He is a treat,” I said giving Celestia a little brow waggle. “I kept watch over him because, you know, I needed to protect my friends from the awful invader—if it came to that. But he’s harmless, in most ponies’ company, anyway. And I’ve grown quite fond of him. Since I can’t make chaos and mayhem anymore, I needed some outlet, and he’s made more trouble here than I have in quite a while. Yes, indeed he has!”
Twilight chewed her lip again. “So, let me get this straight… you’ve been spying on him!?”
I nodded honestly in reply. “But only out of concern… and minor entertainment.”
“And you’ve been around…”
“The whole time. I went everywhere he went, and some places he didn’t.”
Luna shook her head, a light blush was on her cheeks, only to be replaced with a righteous fury in her eyes. “You foul creature!”
‘Oh boy.’
Luckily both Applejack and Celestia held her back, or nopony would’ve been able to say what she would’ve done.
The orange mare spoke up again. “I know you want to, Princess, but don’t give him the pleasure. If somepony needs to get their hooves dirty, let it be me.” Applejack then tossed her prized hat to the side.
“Oh, Honesty, if you say I am vile, it must be true, then. Am I vile, Fluttershy?” ‘I am going to have to pamper her terribly after this.’
“Uh, Discord,” Fluttershy spoke with a bit more strength than usual. “It wasn’t right for you to spy or intrude on David or the others like that. If you understand, you should apologise.”
I turned back to the princesses; just one more bit to fling. “You know, if you hadn’t called me, this would have never come out.”
Luna snarled fiercely at me, and Celestia huffed and turned away. Such a tasty display!
“Discord!” Whoops! There goes Twilight again.
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly as I’d seen it done many times. It’s not easy to be nice all the time, I’ll have you know. “Alright. I’m sorry I pried into your private lives. At first, I was just ‘curious,’ like you, Luna. But after a while, it was just so interesting, I couldn’t stop! Forgive me?” I did actually feel a bit bad, and I hung my head in shame.
Fluttershy smiled at me. “I forg—”
“That will have to wait. Can you do anything to help or not?” Miss bossy-pants Twilight asked.
“I’ve been observing a lot, but not interfered,” I replied. “I can try, but I do not know if I can help.”
“Fine. Our current best chance is this peeping pervert,” she huffed.
“Twilight!” The elder one did not approve of such language!
“I don’t know… it sounded right to me,” Rainbow Dash quipped. Maybe she was right.
“Yes, I may have deserved that. I promise on my relationship with Fluttershy that I will not endanger him.” I quickly held up three claws in salute, even putting on my uniform.
Luna finally relaxed a bit. “So, you will help then?”
“Yes. No tricks.”
Celestia even smiled at me, saying, “Your word is enough, and we thank you, but I do have a question…”
“Your Highness?” I asked with a polite bow.
“You said you sensed a bit of Chaos magic in the black cloud or void as we have come to call it…”
“Correct.”
“Do you have an idea of why that is?”
All eyes became transfixed on me. It was quite unnerving!
“Maybe?” Twilight raised an eyebrow at that. “Well, you see, Princess… As we all agreed, I’m reformed! I don’t spread chaos and disharmony in this world anymore. That being said… when I get a bit of a buildup, I have been known to shoot the excess Chaos magic out into the vastness of space. I just didn’t think it would ever come back.”
Luna looked at me intently. “Are you to say that David’s arrival, nay, that and all of his ordeals here in Equestria were solely due to your negligence?”
I didn’t have a proper answer for that, so I just shrugged, but seeing her reaction, I decided to elaborate. “Perhaps. With what little chaos I could sense from the void, as you called it, I could not recognize it as something that came from me. I am only willing to entertain the possibility that I was the original source.”
Luna didn’t take that well and wilted in shock. ‘Drama queen.’
“Now what?” Twilight asked her former mentor.
“We will have him look at David, then go from there.”
“There is one more thing we could try…” Twilight said.
Celestia seemed interested. “Hmm?”
So was I.
“The elements of harmony. We can still use the magic of friendship to try and help David. It’s been shown to conquer enemies as well as cleanse and purge magical anomalies and contamination. There’s a chance it can help him too,” she said.
‘Hmm.’ I thought. “Or turn him to stone, or banish him for a thousand years. You should be more careful in where you point that, you know?” ‘Gotcha!’
Celestia shot me a dirty look. “Let us think on that later. Twilight, what you said may have merit, but as David is not a creature of magic as we are, it could do more harm than good.”
I couldn’t help but agree with that, and nodded, showing my position.
“It is settled then? Discord is our only hope for the time being?” Luna asked. “Cadance will be here on the eve, should we not wait for her?”
Celestia shook her head. “It should not hurt to let Discord examine him. Time seems to be precious, and he does know things we do not.”
‘Thank you for that, Celestia.’ “And some you wish I didn’t! Am I right!?” I added.
“DISCORD!”
‘Oooh, Twilight!’ I shrank back at the sound, making a pathetic squeak. “Sorry. I’ll be good.”
Celestia sighed. “Fine. Are we all in agreement?”
“Fine,” from purple-smart.
“Yes. Please trust him,” dearest Fluttershy encouraged.
“I trust you, darling,” Rarity said to Fluttershy. ‘Figures.’
“I’m in! Can I have some chocolate rain!?” ‘Maybe later, Pinkie Pie.’
“I’ll be watching him, but if you say so…” Rainbow Dash reluctantly agreed.
“I stand by whatever Princess Luna thinks,” Apple-butt deferred.
Finally, Luna looked me in the eyes. “Though I would have been loathe before… I will trust you this time draconequus.”
“It is settled,” Celestia finished the call. “We will formally introduce you to David soon. Please be on your best behavior.”
I nodded. “I promise.”
***
Luna and Celestia lead the group back to David’s quarters. There, they asked us all to wait as they checked on the man inside.
Apparently, they either woke him, or he was awake, as Celestia came out minutes later to invite us in one at a time. They made me wait until last, probably to give him a bit of warning, but I bet he knows enough about me already for it not to be too much of a shock.
“Come in, please,” Luna called out.
Checking myself in the mirror, I straightened my bow tie and cocked my hat. ‘No reason not to put forth a good impression!’ Looking quite fine, if you had asked me, I opened the door and came in with a flourish, taking off my hat and bowing for my grand entrance.
“Good day to you, Sir! My name is Discord! Don’t let the word bother you any, it’s just a name like all the same. Sure, Twilight actually sparkles, and Fluttershy might be a teensy bit awkward around ponies she doesn’t know, but there’s no harm here! Just look for the mirror ball. When I’m around, it’s Disco-fever’rd!” I said as I darkened the room and whipped out the lights and music for extra pizazz.
By the look on the mare’s faces, I knew they weren’t going to buy it, and the joke fell flat, but the smile on his face… priceless.
“So, Mr. Discord, we meet at last. My name is David Marshall,” he opened boldly.
“Oh? Have you heard of me before?” I asked, putting away the show.
“Yes, I believe you know that I have. I’ll try not to let your previous reputation color our interactions. I’ve heard that you’ve put quite a bit of effort into… new ventures. Is that right?” David asked.
‘Well, he’s no fun.’
“Yes. Quite. I was convinced,” I air quoted, “that there are better things than just doing the same old chaos thing all the time. Some things might even be quite worth it.” Curse those words, I couldn’t help but look at her after saying that.
David spoke again, drawing my attention back to him. “Forgive me for not getting up, I’m a little under the weather at the moment. Would you mind coming a bit closer, I’d like to shake your paw.”
“That’s a first,” I said and walked over to him, then pulled my paw off of my right arm and offered it to him.
“No, no. Come on now, “ David chided. “There are so few men around here that I’ve met, the least you can do is shake my hand.”
My brow furrowed at the idea. ‘He’s telling me, the spirit of Chaos, to bend over and shake that thin, bony appendage he’s been putting all over these mares?’
Though I was somewhat loath to the idea, he just sat there (he couldn’t do much else) and held out his hand, waiting… and smiling.
“Oh fine!” I reattached my lion’s paw and reached forward, meeting his flesh with my fur.
It was my loss.
His grip was strong, I’d give him that. Sure, I’m not much of a fighter, but it’s a lion’s paw, for goodness sakes! I should have been able to do better! It might as well have been a squishy bunch of worms I’d handed him.
Feeling my strength give, he could’ve crushed me, but for some reason, he didn’t. He let up a bit, and just gripped my paw firmly and stared into my eyes.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Discord. Call me David.”
“Uh, likewise. And no ‘Mr.,’ just Discord.”
“Fine.” He smiled.
‘Hmm.’
“So, I hear you have a specialty in magic that even the princesses here can’t comprehend.”
‘Flatterer.’ “It’s true, though only because we are different on the inside. If they ever wanted to change, they could learn.” I couldn’t help but glance at Twilight. She didn’t seem to appreciate the offer and turned up her muzzle at me.
David smiled. “Well, I’m in a bit of a pickle here… I feel like I’m bursting at the seams from the inside, but the doctor says nothing is wrong with me. Twilight, though, she knows that there is some odd magical stuff happening to me, but we can’t quite figure it out. Do you think you can take a look and see what you think?”
“So I’ve heard. Do you really want me to stick my nose in your business?” I asked.
He chuckled. “Let’s keep your nose out of it, but I do want your honest opinion on my magical issues.”
I crossed my arms. “Party pooper. Okay, I’ll do it.”
“Thanks.”
The walls of the room rippled and flowed as I opened the floodgates to my own chaotic magic. Purple flowers grew on the bed, and the air became sweet with the smell of fresh pancakes.
I clapped my hands and then snapped my claws, sending waves of magic over him. As the energy seeped around him like a sopping wet blanket, his internal magical workings became visible to all in attendance. Having finished the preparation, I closed the door to the chaotic realm and returned the room to normal.
“There, let’s have a look, shall we?”
“How did you do that!?” Twilight yelled.
I ignored her the best I could and just shrugged.
She snorted in anger. “Answer me, who taught you how to do this stuff!?”
I’m not proud, but I lashed out. “You alright! I learned it by watching you!” I said with tears in my eyes.
Twilight backed up at my outburst, but David just looked at me with a puzzled face, then laughed.
“What?” I asked in all honesty.
“Nothing. Sorry, Discord, please continue.”
“Okay, if there aren’t any more objections!”
I reached forward to the masses of magic emanating from David’s body. Picking up the blue, corded rope, I gave it a little tug, causing Luna to jump forward a bit.
“I see…”
I then dug my claws into the pool of magic and pulled the three separate colors apart, creating a small gap, then shoved my head in it, which squashed it painfully flat.
“Ow!”
Besides being a bit uncomfortable, I was able to see something odd. There were definitely separations between the different magic David was getting, and after worming around in there, I was able to see yet another empty section as well.
Finding this clue, I pulled my head out of the brightly-colored pastel mess and reinflated it to its proper proportions.
“Well, that was educational!” I said.
“Did you find anything?” Luna asked, looking concerned.
“Perhaps I did. You all could see that the magic in David was separated, but I bet you didn’t see that each bit was actually in its own container, did you!?”
Celestia stepped forward. “They are forcibly separated? Do you have an idea of why that is? Is that what is causing him pain?”
“Hmm. I think it’s time for a little demonstration. Pinkie, would you be a dear and let me borrow some balloons?”
“I thought nopony would ever ask! Here!” she said, showering the room in multi-colored flaccid rubber.
“Thank you, I knew I could count on you,” I said, grabbing a few from the air. “Okay,” I started my demonstration, drawing a box in the air. “Pretend this is David’s magical pool. If he were normal, it would be roughly the same size and shape as his physical self, and it would be filled with magic.”
Everypony stared. They were actually paying attention… to me!
I continued, “Since David doesn’t have any magic, he’s been gathering some from, let’s say, ‘willing donors.’ These donors have a connection which pumps magic into him, but it is filling up a vessel inside of him that is separate from his own magical pool.”
“Separate?” Twilight asked. “How can you be so sure?”
“Well, why don’t you try sticking your head in there and tell me what you see!?” That shut her up. “Now, as I was saying, let me show you…” I then blew up a blue balloon and placed it into the box. “See, this balloon is inside him, but it has its own container!” I blew up another balloon, a bright yellow one. “This one is taking up space too!” Blowing up my last balloon, a lavender one with a frowny face on it, I stuffed it inside the box with the others. “And then came this one, and it took up all the rest of the room! I bet it’s really cramped in there!”
“This is useless, outside of the containers, we have already surmised this much,” Luna started. “Is there really no more you could teach us?”
“Be patient, it won’t take me a thousand years to get to the point, I promise.”
“Discord!…” Celestia grumbled.
“Oops, sorry. Crossed the line, did I, Celestia?” I turned back to my diagram. “Okay, now for the important part. See how they all press against each other? Well, even though they try to take up all the space, there’s actually a bit more, see right here?” I reached into a small corner of the box and, with perfect slight-of-hand, pulled out another empty balloon. Tada! We have yet another container!”
Luna raised her head to look me in the eyes. “Are you implying that David has yet another magical vessel within his pool that has yet to be filled?”
“Precisely.”
“And this vessel, do you know which magic it is intended for?”
“Not. A. Clue,” I answered truthfully.
“I might have an idea,” Twilight spoke up. “Remember when Tirek was looking to steal Alicorn magic? Celestia, you had me hold all of the alicorn magic to keep it hidden from him. It was extremely difficult to handle, especially because it felt like I then had four separate pools of magic to draw upon. Taking that to its logical conclusion, especially since David has not made a connection with anypony other than princesses, I think the last magic vessel may be… Cadance’s.”
Feeling my heart swell, I stood and clapped enthusiastically. “Bravo, Twilight! Bra-vo! I was just pondering that possibility myself!”
“Thanks,” she said, somewhat disingenuously.
Celestia puzzled over this new information. “Even if that is true, and if Cadance does form a connection with David, with his pool already full and stretched how would she be able to fill it? And, is her magic what we are truly missing?”
That, I didn’t have an answer for. “Sorry, Celestia. That’s all I’ve got for now.”
Luna turned to me. “Is there not anything you can do or think of that would reduce his pain?”
I took a moment to think, then a light shone above my head. “When balloons get too full, you let the air out.” I demonstrated noisily. “Perhaps we need to get him to expel some magic, as he did before with Applejack and Twilight.”
‘Twilight?’ Celestia mused.
“He healed me as well!” Luna added.
“Yes, he did, didn’t he. Got a little boo-boo falling off a rock, if I remember? Sorry, Luna, he needs a bigger release, that much won’t cut it.”
Celestia furrowed her brow. “That much of a magical release could be dangerous in its own right. He does not have control over the energy he wields yet, and due to his condition, I am worried he may not have the mental fortitude to handle casting such spells.”
Luna and I both could not help but nod in agreement to that.
“There has to be something!” Twilight protested. “Maybe we can siphon some of his magic off? Discord, do you know how Tirek was able to take magic?”
I shook my head, “No, I do not. That kind of dark magic is beyond me. Chaos is not exactly evil, mind you. It only walks the muddied line between the good and bad.”
Celestia put a comforting wing over her former student and nuzzled her gently to soothe her nerves. “Twilight, while it was a good idea, we cannot venture down the path into dark magic. We will have to find another way.”
Twilight seemed to settle under the appendage, but then broke away and stood tall and resolute.
“Thank you, Celestia. You’re right. We can’t fall to darkness, it might even end up hurting David more than helping.”
Surprisingly quiet through all of this, David himself chose to speak up at this particular point. “Thanks for your insight, Discord. May I ask a few questions myself?”
“But of course! What is it you would like to know?” I asked.
“First, do you think that this magical anomaly is what is actually causing my current condition? And do you think it’s really dangerous? Our first impression was that it was actually good and necessary for me to have magic; that I might be adapting. What do you think about that?”
I looked at him with all seriousness. “You were told how long I’ve been hanging around since you came here, weren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“And you’re okay with that?”
David shrugged. “We’ll talk about that later. I’ll say that I’m not exactly angry, though.”
‘Well, that’s a surprise.’ “Okay. I’ll answer. Yes, I do think magic is the cause of your pain. As you said, you’re not from here, magic is not natural to your make-up. I don’t think it’s exactly ‘dangerous,’ per se, but any magic can be, and in this case, it is. On the flip side, though, I’ll agree with the earlier sentiment from the princesses that it is also necessary. Our nature here is magical. Non-magical things have a way of either balancing out or getting out, if you catch my drift. I think your situation is more of the former. Lucky you.”
“I don’t feel so lucky right now, but thanks. Also, in a previous discussion where we noticed the different magic was separated, we considered that they stayed separate because of conflict, not due to being in a vessel. Celestia suggested to me that the magic might be able to mix and not be in conflict. Do you think it would be possible to remove the vessels and, if we did, do you think mixing the magic could improve the situation?”
That warranted a bit of thought. “It is hard to say. Magic is not all that easy to intermix, mind you, and getting the vessels to disappear seems harder yet. I don’t have a clue on how to achieve that.”
“Fair enough. One last question, for now. I promise.”
“As you please…”
“So, going off of what both you and Twilight said, it sounds like my pool expects there to be another source of magic. Do you think that might be the solution to all of this?”
I shrugged. “I can’t be sure. It could make things much worse, or it could resolve it all. I suppose all that matters is if you want to take the risk or not.”
“I understand. Thanks, Discord.”
“Don’t thank me. I’ve been nothing but a fly on the wall this whole time! If you’d have been given a proper tail, you would have swatted me long ago.”
He laughed. Not at me, but he laughed at my joke. ‘Hmm.’
After David had stopped his chuckle, a conspicuous silence grew, making the air thick with tension. It was sliced through completely when his stomach made a loud growl reminiscent of a timberwolf.
“My stars!” Luna exclaimed. “Dear, would it be safe to say that you are a bit hungry?”
David laughed again. “Yes, sorry.”
“There is nothing to be sorry for, my dear. Though it is just a bit before dinner, with a little snack, do you think you would be able to wait and join us?”
David scratched his head. “Maybe? While I do feel a bit better with all the rest I’ve gotten, I think I might actually need some help moving around. I’d be glad to join you all for dinner, though.”
“Wonderful news!” Luna said, then turned to the rest. “Perhaps, then it would be best if we adjourn till dinner. What say you, Sister?”
“Yes, I agree. I may be a bit late to dinner, though, I plan to check in with my attendant to see if cancelling court went over without issue.”
Luna nodded, then turned to face the others. “Twilight, would please look after David while my sister and I tend to the heavens? Be sure to report quickly if he seems to suffer any further deleterious effects during the ritual.”
“Of course.”
“Applejack,” Luna continued. “Would you please venture to the kitchens and see if Miss Cherry could supply David with a small snack to hold him until the meal is ready?”
“Sure thing, Your Highness.” Applejack bowed.
I squinted my eyes. ‘Hmm, those two…’
The royal sisters then sent everypony off, even Twilight, to take a private moment with David. I too was hurried out of the room, and even complied with their demands, choosing to stay by Fluttershy’s side mostly as to not provoke them.
***