//------------------------------// // Chapter 8: Double double trouble // Story: Her Whispers // by TheAtomicBomb //------------------------------// They were stressed. Discord and his three clone copies. It was too late revoke his reply to the princesses invitation. He was dressed and ready to go, cloak on and gloves in paw but wanted nothing more than to hide under a rock but he could not ignore that Baron Shy had also reached out for him to attend. Feeling guilty beyond measure because his cousin had caused all this upheaval, Discord curled a claw around his gloves, talons digging into his palm and resumed his pacing, swatting away a few flying books as he did. The cloven hoof and claw slammed against the ceiling with every uneven hoofstep echoing throughout his full study as he paced. “Will you stop your pacing!? Seriously! it’s like a circus group of hippos practising acrobatics in here!” The draconequus floating clone copy of chastised him while throwing a confidential file into the active volcano by his thinking tree in the centre of the room that sat in front of a dark oak desk, between two long chesterfield chairs. Letting his paw combing through his zebra-like mane stressfully. “Yeah, Discord. Cordy, Dissy and I understand you're frustrated. But stomping around in a huff while we’re trying to work isn’t going to solve anything” The third Discord leaned forward in his office chair, resting an elbow against the desk that sat in the right corner of the mismatched room to tap away some of the ash on his cigar and tear his eyes apart from his chess game to glare up at the original. “STOP CALLING ME DISSY!!! ” The stressed draconequus growled his patience from the last 3 hours evaporating. “AND WHAT WORK!?” landing in front of the aloof doppelganger. Bumping into the desk and knocking over a few chess pieces off of the board. “Watch it, you big oaf!” Cordy, the miniature discord, clad in shining armour shouted stopping his knight piece from falling over. Curling comfortably around it with a caring nuzzle. Discord stopped pacing and stared, the seated clone raised an eyebrow, and Dissy cringed away from the strange copy. “That is just wrong…” they muttered under their breath. “Oh hush!” Cordy cuddled the horse piece closer “You’re just jealous.” Discord huffed “Are we just going to totally ignore the fact that we are about to meet the Shy's after three years?” He pointed an accusing claw at his clones “I called you here to help me. Yet here you are wasting time again. At least you are trying, Dissy. But-” “Do not call me ‘Dissy’” “Cordy and Dex are-” “It’s Poindexter” The Discords sighed in unison. Cordy leaned against his knight piece and started removing his gauntlets. “Look, Discord. I don’t know what you’re whining about, but we are the master of chaos.” He looked up to his upside down clone “With just a click or a nod, everything would be done and dusted.” Poindexter nodded sharing Cordy's sentiment "If you didn't want to go then why did you accept the invitation?” Fiddling with his snaggletooth until it he plucked it out in the shape of a bishop and placed it on the board before taking another puff of his cigar. The regular sized chimaera ignored their argumentative counterpart “Because…” Discord fiddled with his collar nervously; the next sentence lodged in his throat. “Baron shy and Princess Cadence will be there.” His copies hissed and recoiled, as though his words had physically burned them. “Now do you understand?” “When will the mortality rate hit those bastards!?” “That contract must have expired by now!” “Will you both shut your howling screamers?” Dissy roared. “You can not silence me! you beastly heathen!” Cordy drew his sword, causing Poindexter to hide his mouth behind a paw trying to hold in his snorts and giggles at the heated Draconequus. “Oh, hush Dex! This is serious!” "My name is Poindexter, not Dexter and certainly not Dex!" “I say we pretend we to be sick and don't go!” “Oh, how smart. What next? Lie and say Fido ate our homework and invitation?” “That might work.” “No!” “Well, I say that discord should go!” All of the Discords flinched back. Without a word of warning, Dissy threw himself out of the window. “Oh dear! What was his problem?” The pink earth pony asked curiously in a normal overly cheery voice. Instead of answering her Poindexter crushed the remainder of his cigar into the glass ashtray and plucked Cordy’s king from their board game, muttering a “checkmate” pocketing the well-crafted piece before sinking deeper and deeper into his chair until there wasn't a trace of him left. Cordy, straddling his non-sentient knight piece, followed his mirror images examples. Leaping from the desk, he rode his steed at a gallop past the mare and through the open door. With Cordy's, Dissy's and Poindexter's abrupt exit, Discord found himself alone with the pink earth pony. Looking down at her, with her chaotic appearance: Her frock covered in jam and cake batter along with the wooden spoon that had somehow found its way into her incontrollable mane, he should have seen Miss Pinkamena Dianne Pie as somewhat likeable. But he didn't. Dropping to the floor with a thud he towered over the mare. Seeing her held to many negative connotations and reminded him why he kept he usually resided in his study. Discord twisted his gloves as the silence dragged on before his mind caught up with the moment and location. His ire at the pink mare having broken the same rule yet again. Annoyance flashed through his eyes as he plastered a grin on his face, one that caused the mare's own smile to dim. Leaning down, so he was eye to eye with her Discord asked, "Pinkie, what have I said about my study?" Pinkies' eyes shrunk as she remembered where she was and who she was talking to. "I-I'm sorry. I just wanted to let you know that your chariot is ready and wanted to offer you some cookies for the ride to the castle." Her ears were pinned back in fear as she trembled. Discords false cheery demeanour dropped into a snarl. "No, I don't want cookies." He began pushing her from the room. "My-my Lord, I know that you don't want to-" "You know nothing... And I can hear through the door when spoken to, so for the last time," he growled shoving her through the door. "stay out of my study!" Slamming and locking the door behind them with a click, Discord strode past the frightened mare, snorting in anger.