//------------------------------// // Chapter Two: The Journey Begins // Story: Broken Hearts // by Silver Inkwell //------------------------------// Chapter Two: The Journey Begins Three days after Flurry’s birthday party she was mostly packed and ready to go, all for the one notable exception of a few last-minute items, some magical spells and more protection, saying her goodbyes, and also most importantly, a friend. Flurry and Cadence were stumped on this particular subject, guards were out of the question, Discord couldn't be trusted (not to mention he was a VERY bad influence), Twilight was family and her friends were suitable, but Flurry thought that her mother could still use them to spy on her and would probably try to keep her safe (maybe not to the extent that her mother did, but still, she wanted her freedom), and all of Flurry’s old friends were either busy with work, school, life, or had just moved on from her and the situation seemed completely hopeless until a surprising situation presented itself as the answer to all their problems. Cadence sighed to herself sitting on her throne room chair when all of a sudden… POOF! BOOM! CRASH! BANG! KA-BOOM! DING! These were the dramatic and loud sounds of the spirit of disharmony and chaos entering the scene exploding confetti everywhere with a blue but very familiar party canon. “Well hello there everypony, no wait,” he said looking around the room to see only Cadence and Flurry and just guards, “Ah damn it, did I miss the party? Why does this always seem to happen to me? I mean come on, how hard is it to feature me as the main focus more than just one episode in a season? I mean I know voice actors can be busy, but seriously I am the star of the show, I am great, in fact I think they should cast ME as the main focus and the show should be called Chaos is Disharmony because you know it could never be friendship, right? Even though chaos is technically magic…” “Discord, what are you rambling on about and who are you speaking to?” “Why I’m speaking to them of course, the audience that loves and adores me!” Discord said smiling as he put on a fancy suit and black bowtie and top-hat bowing to a wall, “But it’s not like you would understand, after all, it’s not like you have inter-dimensional cosmic powers to bend space and time to your will even being meta to other trans-dimensional being and quantum mechanics and old boring science stuff and whatnot,” he said making his clothes disappear with a snap as he turned towards her making a blue and orange portal appear in the walls sticking his hand in the blue one as it came out the orange one. And using his other hand he snapped a strange and mysterious looking blue police box up and a brown stallion holding some kind of strange and mysterious device, “Whoops! Wrong universe and crossover cameos, silly me!” he said with a giggle snapping his fingers and making them disappear as he gave a slight yawn and coiled himself around Cadence as she gave a long and tired sigh. “What’s with the long face? You’re looking a little blue there…” he said smiling as he used his magic to turn her skin blue making his first pun of the day. “Discord, I do not have the time or patience for your silly little jokes and unless you have something helpful to say or useful to do please just leave us alone.” “Sorry my dear, I can't, I’m nosy and the plot of this terrible story requires me to mess around with your heads, honestly was the writer even trying to accomplish something funny here by being meta and doing puns? Seriously he should consider just getting a life and leaving me to do my own thing., anyhow, that’s not the point of this story or me being here, I am here to quote, ‘make your life better with a twisted and/or complicated and/or confusing message/lesson’ oh gosh, that mission/purpose sounds terrible already. Anyhow I think I might have a solution to all your problems, and I know your problems because ponies just love being talkative and to gossip and no news escapes the attention of myself.” “Alright, fine then, what is the solution?” Cadence asked. “Simple, you either let Flurry Heart do her journey by herself…” “Not an option,” Cadence said getting slightly upset. “Or you put a little trust in a pony to be her new friend.” “That’s also not an option either,” she said now clearly upset. “Oh, don't be so fast to judge Cadence my dear!” “Discord, as I said before, leave unless you have a real solution to our problems.” “But I do! You’re just refusing to listen to me and my silly little advice!” Cadence sighed, “Alright, fine then, what will it take for you to leave?” “Getting my way of course!” he proclaimed loudly for the whole entire room. “And what is your way?” Cadence asked. “If I told you my way then that would be no fun, you have to guess it!” “I don't like guessing games…” she sighed. “I love games! Now then, 20 questions, go!” “Alright, fine then, do you want me to let Flurry go alone?” “Maybe,” he said growing 20 fingers and pushing one down, “19 left to go.” “Do you want me to listen to you?” Cadence asked. “Well of course, 18 questions left,” he said still smiling at her. “Do you want me to put trust in somepony else that I don't know?” “Bingo! You need to trust others more otherwise life is nothing, it becomes boring and meaningless, Fluttershy trusted me and look what happened, I became reformed and I’m good now!” he said summoning angel wings and a halo on his head, “And everypony is better off because of it!” “That's a very debatable statement,” Cadence retorted. “Oh, stop being such a killjoy Cadence! Back in the old days at least you were some fun! But it’s so hard to get any kind of reaction from you I sometimes ask myself if you’re even worth it anymore, honestly, it’s like you’ve become a completely different pony,” he said snapping his wings and halo off and away making them disappear to who knew where, “You’re no fun anymore, if this is what everypony is like when they lose something they care about then maybe we should consider giving everypony something to distract their minds off of it.” Discord smiled and summoned a blue gift box present for Cadence while she sighed to herself yet again, “Discord! I have no time or patience for these silly little games and tricks of yours and I don't want anything you have to offer me!” “Oh, that’s too bad,” he said watching as she flung the gift away, “Because it was chocolate cheesecake in there, but I suppose if you don't want it,” he said smiling as he ate the entire gift box whole leaving the chocolate cheesecake somehow intact. Flurry blinked in surprise but quickly shrugged it off, it was Discord, he never made any sense and everypony should know that much by now. “Discord, is there a time where you are never not a complete…” “Woah! Easy there, there could be kids watching this!” Discord said shoving a bar of soap into Cadence’s mouth, “We want to keep the rating way below mature or Teen! Unless the author wants either or those, but I don't think he does yet!” “Okay, at this point you still don't make any sense Discord…” “Of course not, I’m crazy or don't you already know that by now?” “I do know that, but can you ever for once be clear about what you want?” “Nope! Not even if the world ends!” he said with a giggle and grin. “Right, anyhow if you have nothing else to say…” she said. “Wait, I do have one more thing to say!” he said. “And what would that be exactly?” she asked clearly annoyed at this point. “It’s not for you, it’s for your daughter! Good luck on your journey Flurry Heart and have fun, cause a little chaos and stay safe little squirt!” he said rubbing her head down with a great big grin and then he hugged her tightly. “Anyhow, that’s all for now, I’m going to go invade some other people’s stories, do a few crossovers and cause chaos, the usual stuff, alons-y!” He smiled and with a snap of his fingers he was gone. “Well, that was painfully short,” Cadence said once he was gone and away. “Yes, it was, but about my trip mom…” Flurry said. “Well unless we can find somepony I don't know if we can do it, but I’m sure that we’ll find a way to work something out, right?” “As soon as you feel good enough to let me out which will be never,” Flurry said. “Flurry, I do not wish to fight with you again,” Cadence said. “You’re going to have to face me and my anger if you keep going against my wishes, you know that, right?” Flurry asked her mother plainly. “Yes, I suppose that by now I do, I just wish there was a way to solve itself…” Cadence sighed at the same time with Flurry this time around as they pondered and searched for an answer, but such is fate of having its own strange and mysterious way, we never know when opportunity might knock, literally in this case as a loud and unexpected knocking came from the front castle doors. “That’s weird, I didn't expect anyone to come here today,” Cadence said walking up to the doors slowly and opening them to see a very familiar face from last night, or at least one for Flurry Heart, the black stallion smiled warmly at Cadence, but even more so to Flurry to whom he gave a slight wink. “Hello there your majesty, sorry for the unexpected intrusion but I think I may have left something very important and special to me last night, do you mind if I take a look around?” he asked using a hoof to rub back his hair, he seemed slightly nervous, but then again, meeting royalty would do that to some. “Yes, of course, you can ask my daughter if she saw anything because she was the one to clean up and not myself, or if that fails ask one of the guards, but before you do enter may I have your name please?” Cadence said. “Yes, of course your majesty, my name is Shadow Moon, you’ve heard of my family, right?” he asked hoping that his family legacy was great enough for such things as he had been told on many occasions before when meeting nobles. “Yes, of course I have, tell me how is your sister?” Cadence asked him. “Indigo? She’s doing well at school and she is very healthy and a fast learner.” “Ah, yes, excellent, well once you are done here please send your parents my regards and tell them that I would like to meet with them for a private talk as soon as it is possible for them, and if they ask what for tell them only this, royal and important matters, that is all, enjoy your stay and stay safe and have fun.” “Yes, I will your majesty, thank you,” he said with a bow and smile as Cadence gave yet another long sigh as she slowly walked back to her own room again. “What’s up with your mom? Did something get stuck in her hoof or what?” “No, she’s been this way for many years, ever since my father died…” “Ah, yes, I see, yesterday I just thought she didn't like parties.” “She has not enjoyed anything much lately, most of all parties and celebrations because she sees no reason or point to celebrate and wear silly little dresses that make one cute when one should be spending time protecting themselves and others first and worrying about more important matters like safety and money, her own words, not my own, but thanks for coming again Shadow.” “Well of course, the dance with you last night was one of my best, other ponies dance good, but I could tell that you seemed to have nothing left to lose, you danced like it could be your last dance ever and that’s something that makes a pony truly special and unique, something that I like, but I hardly had time to get to know you with your mother stopping us short and all, but I did promise you to come visit again and I never break my promises, ever, you can ask anypony if you don't believe me, but anyhow do you mind showing me around the castle a bit? I want to know what your life has been like and what you have done.” “Yes, I can take you around the castle, but I don't want to do it for every stallion that comes back to me knocking on my doors and begging for a date or attention.” “Hey, I don't beg unless I really mean or want it, and I didn't beg for a date with you yet, I have only asked for the things that you decided to mention.” “Oh, sure you have, alright, fine then, stick with that story but that doesn't mean I’m not going to tease you, it’s my job,” she said smiling at him warmly. “Yes, I know that already, you don't have to keep reminding me,” he said. “I know, but come on, we have a castle to explore and not all day to see it.” And with that said Flurry slowly took him around the castle showing him the music room, the art room, the theater, the bathrooms the armory, the training room, the gym, the sports room, and many more rooms too. “Wow, I never imagined that this place could be so huge, this is amazing!” “Yes, I guess it is, but it gets boring when you’re trapped every single day in here because then you start to repeat the same stuff over and over again…” “And it gets dull and boring, repetitive, I completely understand,” he said. “Wait, you do?” she asked wondering how much they were alike. “Totally,” he said smiling at her warmly, “But hey, I have an idea.” “What kind of idea?”  she asked him ruffling her feathers in focus. “The kind that can get us in big trouble if we get caught,” he said. “I like the sound of that,” she said. “Well of course you do, after all, you want to be free, right?” “Yes, of course I do,” she said. “Well then princess, follow me and I shall show you a whole new world.” “But what about the guards? We’ll never get past them.” “Oh, don't you worry about that, just leave that to me…” “Well, if you say so, I trust you,” Flurry said. “I like your attitude, let’s just hope that will be to our own advantage.” “You seem so practical and serious,” Flurry said. “When I need to be, not always,” he said casually. “Well, if you say so, but how will you get past the guards?” Flurry asked. “Simple, I’m going to create a distraction, that’s it for my plan” he said. “A distraction? But what will it be?” Flurry asked. “Trust me, you really don't want to know,” he said smiling at her.