Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Applejack are comforting Fluttershy downstairs in Twilight's library while Twilight and Slicer Jen attend to the princess Luna on Twilight's bed. In the living room Spike lies on the couch in the hopes he will pop up any minute and regale the mares on his latest greatest dream adventure, though they have been getting a sinking feeling that won't be happening any time soon.
"Darling, you had absolutely nothing to do with Spike's condition," Rarity whispers soothingly to Fluttershy. The other three nod, a useless gesture as Fluttershy literally hides under her blanket of mane.
Rainbow adds, "Yeah, in fact, you could say we all beat up on the little guy at the same time, so it's not all your fault." Applejack growls and bops Rainbow in the shoulder as Rarity glowers at her. Rainbow rubs her shoulder and steps back, adding, "I mean, it's not your fault."
The down to earth pony pushes her hat back and says placatingly, "Ta be honest, you probly saved him by doin that flat sword thing, knockin his lights out before one of us....accidentally...I dunno, this is supposed to be a game, not no life an' death gig."
The conversation drifts up to Twilight's ears as they angle down to listen. "She's right. Nopony was supposed to get hurt, or singed, or disappeared. I guess we're lucky there's no skeletons we know personally, right?" She pauses for a response from Slicer. Silence. She glances to the side and sees the thestral shuddering silently. Twilight puts a hoof on Slicer's shoulder, "Don't worry, the princess is just tired from the strain of handling both the sun and moon, not to mention the teleporting she had to do to verify Princess Celestia was indeed missing."
Slicer edges away from Twilight's hoof and mutters, "You didn't almost kill her. That was my greatest talent, and it only just failed because Sparkly down there screwed up and lost concentration on her ice spell in the game." Twilight's eyes widen as it sinks in. The image of Slicer's blade a hair's breadth from piercing Lunar Phantasm while frozen in ice comes forth with amazing clarity in Twilight's mind. Then she shakes her head.
"No, we can't think like that. There is a logical explanation for all of this. We can figure this out. It might be an influx of raw magic or an unforeseen event...like Nightmare Moon's return. I was lucky enough to even come across literature of that as it was occurring." Luna's eyelids flutter and open at that moment. She turns her head and looks at her student, Slicer, putting her hoof on Slicer's chest. She then looks at her sister's student, Twilight.
"Neither of you did anything wrong or lacked proper action. This is far greater magic at play. And that is what we must do to get through this, play on." They both nod to the princess and help her up when she tries to get out of bed. The rest of the ponies downstairs notice the movement, and with a little coaxing to get Fluttershy moving, they all assemble around the table where somepony has placed the hexagon labeled movement board and miniatures back in position once Spike was lifted off the table. Sitting down, they try to rearrange their character sheets, but there is a significant lack of energy to it this time around, given the turn of events.
Applejack is leaning on the table while she bumps her hoof against her chin. "Ya know, Ah jes can't help but think this is kinda familiar. Reality and fantasy gittin all mixed up and the like." One by one the ponies start looking at each other. A single word, or name is hanging in the air, left there as each one glances nonchalantly at Fluttershy but looks away if she happens to look back.
For her part, Luna is starting to seethe. Mentally she is kicking herself for not thinking of it sooner, but it all fits. Who else would blend imagination seamlessly into reality? And who else would most likely break their promise to not do evil things? And yet to even summon him might be worse off. Rather than be subtle, he would practically show off once he was outed. Twilight, on the other hoof, and despite all the previous run-ins the ponies have had, tries to err on the side of friendship, at least for Fluttershy's sake. "I don't know. It's true, he has been less than perfectly innocent in the past... in almost all the past interactions we've had with him in the past. But still, would Discord really-"
>POP<
The multi-species assembled draconequus floats above the table upside down right in front of Twilight, almost a little too close than what is proper. "I was wondering when MY name would be dropped. As it were, the focus of all tragedies is heaped upon me whether it be my fault, or not." He tilted his head in Fluttershy's direction, "Why hello, friend! You are not part of this mob of pitch fork pitching ponies, are you?"
She gave a plaintive shake of her head and replied, "Um, I don't think they are actually carrying...uh, forks....Discord."
"Hmm, quite right. Point taken, or not as the case might be for now." >POP< He disappears. The ponies whip their heads around to track where he went. "Down here, lost souls of accusatory anguish." They look down at the table and see that a miniature Discord has grabbed hold of Twilight's miniature and is dancing around with it. Somehow, the miniature has reshaped itself to be up on two legs in a perfect dance position. That gets Twilight's attention.
"Hey! Stop doing that with me...my other self...the miniature...stop that!" She taps the table with her forehooves furiously.
The draconequus shrugs and puts the miniature down, as it is now reshaped to lie down on the board while reaching a hoof up to her former dance partner. "Eh, just as well. You do seem to be a stiff dancer."
"I am NOT!"
Discord rubs his chin and watches the minature. "Your alter ego tells me otherwise." He sits down with Twilight's miniature who is now sitting next to him, holding a hoof up to her muzzle as he leans closer. "Oh? She does? And in full light of the moon? How interesting...." The real Twilight gets up out of her seat, but Pinkie Pie and Rarity are there to grab her and reel her back in.
A throat clears and to everypony's surprise, it is Fluttershy. She cringes a little when she notices all the attention, but lowers her hoof and says, "Mister Discord...."
"Please, call me Discord. We have such swell times together when we are chummy chummy and not accusey-cusey, mmm?" >POP< He is now lounging next to the real Fluttershy while Twilight's miniature is on her knees, holding her hooves to the sky as if a great thing has left her. Twilight growls.
"Um...yes, we do. It just seems, well, with all the chaotic things going on..." Fluttershy pushes her mane out of the way to see Discord better and continues, "well, that is, one might think, um, that somepony familiar with chaos magic might have an insight into the events here."
Discord twists around in fascination of Fluttershy. "Yes, definitely more appreciative of my value than SOME others. To answer your question, no, I did not strike down your Spikey Wikey. Nor did I dress the populace, nor did I steal your goody-four-shoes princess, nor did I spike the punch at the senior citizens' weekly denture cleaning party. No, wait. I actually want credit for that one. The other things I honestly did not do. Please, my fashion designs are so much more 'this millenium' too."
Rarity perks up and asks, despite her suspicion of Discord, "Wait, darling. You recognized those atrocious outfits out there?"
"Of course! They were the wraps of choice back in the hay day. And I do mean hay." A bale of hay pops up in midair and explodes into nothingness.
Applejack leans forward and asks, "Denture cleaning? Wait a hoot, is that why Granny Smith went all-" Twilight waves her hoof to cut off Applejack.
"Not now, Applejack, this is more important. Discord, do you think this game is changing things? Changing reality?"
The draconequus undulates his body until he is back near Twilight, then glances down at the board and the scattered notes. "Hmmm, doubtful. There is no magical fingerprint, though I'm sure you've surmised that with your brainy brain of yours. It IS as if reality itself is changing little by little. Very entertaining, if you ignore the little drake's bad acting up to this point." Some of the ponies flare up, especially Rarity.
Twilight tries to keep the peace by speeding along her questioning, "And the sun princess?"
Luna levels her gaze at Discord, "Yes. What has become of my sister?"
Discord smirks and becomes very still. "Sigh. Yes I said it out loud. Sigh. I suppose I could locate her for you. Watching Moony here flail around in the skies does give me the chuckles come dusk and dawn." Luna glares at him but she knows what Twilight is angling for and stays quiet. Just this once. When Twilight does not say anything else, Discord backs from the table and winks at Fluttershy. "Yes yes, save the princess. As an ass I go into the world to do my duty." With that, a final pop of air punctuates his vanishing.
The group lets out a collective sigh. Luna even smiles at Twilight, "An admirable job handling such as he. To be sure, he would play this out as long as he can to squeeze every last ounce of enjoyment-"
>POP< "JUST TURN ME INTO STONE, NOW!" The draconequus is back, only looking very disheveled and unkempt. Even his goatee is ragged looking. His scales and fur are all scratched, matted and dirty, given whichever surface of his you look at. Parts of him are even burned. "Better a punishment of petrification than what I have been through! That is the last time I go on a wild goose chase for YOU lot!"
The ponies stare at him. Twilight gulps and asks, "What happened?"
Discord eyes her. "As if you didn't know!" He starts walking around the room, arms out, "Months of searching the world and every living creature not having the faintest clue who Celestia is, much less where she is. Then the lot of you up and make Ponyville disappear. And THEN you hide the castle and Canterlot and yourselves while hurtling a meteor at me! You even said, 'Wait here and when we call for you, come in, chaos blazing.' A pox on you, such backstabbing as even I have never managed. I might as well have been in another age for your lack of chivalry, you knights bedamned!"
Twilight looks at the others to confirm she is in the same reality as they are. "Um, you were gone for only a few seconds."
Discord blinks, glances at each pony in turn to see if they are messing with him, but they all nod in agreement. "A few seconds, you say? Huh. I WAS in another age. Fine, you are on your own." >pop< He reappears on the board, grabs the miniatures of both Twilight and Fluttershy and starts marching off the board to the edge of the table towards the door.
Luna finally jumps up out of her seat. "Wait! Why are you leaving?! You know something!"
He hops down onto the floor, still tiny and loaded with miniatures. He spins around and spits out, "Isn't it obvious? No of course not. Even immortal ponies have mortal minds. Time was bent back on itself just for little ole me. Someone doesn't want me helping you. Someone far more powerful than I." He shakes his head as he notices glimpses of hope alight on their faces, "Noooo, not Celestia. She is a whelp compared to this. This entity." He pauses, then shakes off a chill and puts Twilight's minature down. "This entity scares me."
>pop< He is gone. With Fluttershy's minature.
The princess sits back down and slams the table with her hoof. "Burn him, he knows what all of this is about. Nevermind. I have a plan. Everypony, you have defeated the evil that held Silvery Orb hostage and the other princess is actually back at her home castle waiting to reward you. Now!"
The ponies look at each other as they stand in the middle of a castle throne room, not unlike Canterlot. Twilight is shaking her head. "I don't think this is going to work."
"It has to."
Twilight sighs sadly and turns to the throne. The princess stands there, Princess Whatever, waving for them to come forth and receive their gifts. The ponies shuffle forth, get their gifts. The End.
Luna gets up and teleports away. Nopony says anything as they wait. Several minutes pass. Pinkie Pie hops up. "I don't know about you, but whenever I feel sad, I raid the fridge! I'll grab something for everypony!" She hops off to the kitchen, though those closest to her notice there is less bounce in her than normal. The silence drags on. Twilight uses this lull to create another miniature for Fluttershy, as well as reform her own miniature into a more dignified pose. There is a momentary bump in the mood when Luna does return, but the look on her face tells it all as she sits back down at her seat, staring at the notes in her sister's handwriting. Pinkie Pie sticks her head out with renewed hope, nibbles her lip as she reads the mood and goes back to snack gathering.
Rarity sits up and says, "Well, we are certainly not at an impasse just yet. We know the rules. Now we know the stakes. I vote we press on, conclude this business as it was meant to be played. That should win the day, yes?" The simple, straight forward plan takes hold and invigorates the party. Rainbow starts warming up her dice. Pinkie Pie trots in with refreshments, further boosting their spirits. Luna smiles forlornly, admiring the courage but not sure if the others were aware of what the odds were. Skipping to the end didn't work. That means no shortcuts, no cheating. No more gimme's. Whatever manifests from their actions would do so according to wits, stats, and the insanity of randomness granted by their dice. She catches Twilight staring at her with what she can only describe as her inner turmoil plastered across the smaller alicorn's face. Good, at least the group's leader was aware of things.
The DM clears her throat and addresses the eager adventurers before her. "Up to this moment, we have been blind, plodding along, singing a song. Ignorant. Now we know this is no game." She eyes the ponies and is greeted with steely eyes. "Your group stands atop a castle, before a ruined contraption, with a princess who has lost her memory, and another princess who is lost to all, though temporarily. As you decide your next step, keep in mind your actions will now have far reaching consequences. Stick together." She gazes at Slicer, who in turn looks to Twilight and shares a nod with her. "Provide each other strength." Applejack puts out supporting hooves to both Rarity and Fluttershy, who smile their thanks. "Never let the light die." Pinkie Pie beams a grin and crunches into some chips loudly as Rainbow holds her dice in her hoof, ready to get some awesome rolls. "You are the Magnificent Seven.......ponies." There are muted groans from the group.
Twilight mumbles quietly, "That was terrible, your highness."
Luna replies, "Give me a break, I just made that up."