//------------------------------// // 18. Discord's Show // Story: Like Fireworks in the Sky // by SpyroForLife //------------------------------// The road was completed even faster than Tempest expected. She had handed it off to the night crew with Sunny Oasis an easy fifteen minute walk away, and the next morning was being told that they were done. “Really?” she asked, surprised. The crew nodded as they panted for breath. Discord quickly took their canteens and filled them with water, passing them back. They drank hastily. “Once we got so close, we just couldn’t wait to finish,” Jenny said. “So we worked really hard, and managed to reach them. We did it!” The group cheered. “I’m so glad to hear that,” Tempest replied. “This is great, now you have an easy to follow path right to them. Well, we need to tell everyone else the good news.” The neighborhood was excited to hear it. Curly immediately called for a celebration, and Tempest encouraged Discord to go nuts. So he limbered up his arms, stretched dramatically, and then snapped his fingers. Colorful streamers stretched between the buildings, tables appeared covered in food, and balloons appeared tied to every available surface. “Sorry, I’ve been holding back,” he said in response to the bemused storm creatures looking at him. “But please, please, bring your own food and drinks, these are mostly just things Tempest and I like!” They happily got to preparing their own treats for the party. Tempest couldn’t help smiling as she looked around at the bright decorations, walking over to poke a balloon shaped like a dolphin. “Your powers never cease to amaze me.” “You should make something for the party,” Discord said. “Why don’t we try conjuration?” Tempest had practiced it yesterday, but had been too tired to do much. But now she was able to focus, and she summoned a single cup of water, which settled onto a nearby table. “Oh, well, it’s a start,” she said, prodding it. “If this even is water.” Discord drank it. “Yep, it is. Let’s try something else. Why don’t you make some nachos?” He created a platter and set it down for her. “Don’t hold back on the cheese.” She inhaled, letting the magic spread through her body as she pictured what she wanted. Nachos. Corn chips and plenty of delicious cheese sauce. She knew how they tasted, what they were made of. Now she just had to bring it into existence. She fired her magic at the platter. There was a flash, and then it was covered in nachos several inches high. She exhaled and collapsed onto her front. “Whew.” “Was that difficult?” Discord asked, grabbing a chip. “No, I’m just… relieved. I still get worried sometimes that I’m gonna try something new and well… blow things up.” “Just have confidence in yourself. Magic doesn’t like hesitation.” Discord bit into the chip and laughed. “Ooh, spicy!” “Spicy?” Tempest tried one for herself, and winced. “Oh man, they are spicy. I didn’t mean for them to taste like that.” “They’re still delicious. Here, I’ll just…” Discord created a bowl of ice, then rested a jug of milk in it. He set out cups. “There. Hopefully they take the hint.” They went around to chat with the storm creatures, and more food was brought out as time went by. Some storm creatures have learned to play instruments, and used them now. A violin quartet played energetic tunes, and Tempest got with Discord to create a stage. They hopped up onto it and played more loudly, receiving cheers. Discord tapped his foot, and turned to Tempest, holding out his hand. “Let’s dance.” She chuckled as she took it. “Without me being drunk? I don’t know…” He smiled. “Well, we can fix that.” He swayed her from side to side. “I think I can get used to doing it sober,” she replied, letting him lead her. The music reminded her of folk songs, and Discord seemed to think the same, square dancing with her. This was much easier to follow than waltzing. Tempest picked it up quickly, and was soon stepping forward and back with him, occasionally going in circles. “This isn’t uncomfortable, right?” Discord asked. “You four-legged folk don’t spend a lot of time up on two legs.” “It’s fine,” Tempest assured him. “You’re holding me up so it’s not that bad.” He nodded, and looked around as a few others started dancing like them. “This is fun, I just love parties! It may not be a Pinkie Pie party but it’s still great!” “As long as I’m with friends, any party is fun,” Tempest replied. She danced with him for the rest of the song, and once it ended, she got back down on all fours and stamped her hooves while the others clapped. The quartet took a bow, then started a slower song. As the day went on, some of the other residents of Klugetown came by to see what was going on, and many joined in on the celebration. Curly welcomed them happily and told everyone the good news. Discord ended up contacting Vinyl Scratch back in Ponyville via a portal, and she agreed to come play for the party, so he immediately just poofed her over with all her sound equipment. It took her a few minutes to get things set up, but then she was climbing up behind her DJ booth and taking over the music. For a moment Tempest was worried that she was going to play the usual dubstep, which the storm creatures weren't fond of... then she smiled when instead, electro swing played. “She knows how to read a crowd,” Tempest commented to Discord as the storm creatures nodded in appreciation, many of them going in front of the stage to dance. “She's the best DJ I've ever seen,” Discord said. “Good choice, Vinyl!” She waved to him and went back to nodding her head to the beat. “So we have music, food, but I don't know, I think this party could use something more,” Tempest said. “Me too. But what is the question.” She nudged him. “Why don't you have a magic show?” “Magic show? Well I can certainly amaze them with my powers.” Tempest hummed. “I was thinking something more like... what Trixie does.” “Trixie?” Discord groaned. “You mean that fake stage magic?” “Absolutely! It may be fake but it's entertaining. People love that stuff. Besides... maybe you could use your magic to change things up a little. Do the usual tricks, but in unexpected ways.” “Hm.” Discord thought about it, then smiled and said, “Sounds like fun.” He rubbed his hands together and walked a good distance from the stage, conjuring up a new stage with curtains, spotlights, and a table. “Just give me a moment to check on something.” He snapped his fingers and disappeared. Tempest looked around, but couldn't see him. She waved her hoof through where he was to make sure he wasn't just invisible, but no, he had teleported. She shrugged and went to one of the buffet tables, grabbing a cupcake. Seeing a familiar face approaching, she trotted toward him. “Capper!” “Hey, I heard there was a party happenin' in the storm creature neighborhood, decided to stop by,” he said. He had clearly just finished working, a bit of dirt smudged in his fur. “What's the occasion?” “We finally finished building the road to Sunny Oasis,” Tempest replied. “Curly was so happy she just asked to have a party right then and there, so. We've been celebrating.” “I see that. Wow.” Capper walked over to a table. “Is this for anyone?” “Sure, help yourself, Discord made everything.” “Heh, of course he did.” Capper picked up an apple, rolling it along his arms before taking a bite out of it. “So where is Discord?” “He vanished. He's getting a magic show together but I have no idea where he went.” “Oh, that'll be fun.” Capper began nodding to the music, looking over at the booth. “Oh, is that um...” He snapped his fingers, trying to remember. “DJ Pon-3,” Tempest replied. “Her real name is Vinyl Scratch. She was at Songbird Serenade's concert.” “That's right. She's got talent.” Capper watched everyone dance, his tail swaying to the music. “How long is the party going for?” “All day, probably,” Tempest replied. “When it gets dark I'm thinking of starting a bonfire.” “Sounds like a plan. Well, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get some punch.” Capper turned away, and Tempest went to watch Vinyl, hips moving to the music and front hoof tapping. It took several minutes for Discord to return, but when he did, no one could miss it. Because he appeared on his stage in a shower of colorful sparks, calling out, “Hello, everyone, and welcome to the show!” Everyone's attention shifted to him, several people going to stand in front of the stage as he rested his hands on the single table. “Gather round, gather round... you don't mind me stealing the crowd, do you Vinyl?” Discord called. She just shook her head and turned down the music slightly, before changing it to a more mellow tune. “You're a good sport. Okay! Come on, come on, don't be shy!” Discord encouraged everyone. “I don't bite. Without provocation. I wanted to put on a little show for all of you. You've all done such a great job building up your home here and letting me help you, but not being able to use my magic has been rough. So now I'm going to let it all out!” Tempest made her way toward the front with Capper, and Discord waved his hand, lifting everyone, placing chairs down, and setting them down in them. There was laughter as people got situated, and Discord waited patiently. “Okay! So, I'm sure you've all seen magic tricks before, but I'm here to blow your minds! So sit back and enjoy!” He flexed his arms, and summoned a wand. It was just for show, but it made Tempest laugh. He tapped the table with it, and it turned into a large turtle, which lumbered around the stage. While it was doing so, Discord showed everyone a deck of cards, shuffling through them. Then he closed his eyes, picked one, and held it out to everyone. “Take a look at this card. Memorize it.” It was the ace of spades. After a few seconds, Discord shuffled the card back into his deck and opened his eyes. “Alright. Now, is this your card?” He pulled out the eight of diamonds. Everyone said no. He hummed and put it back in, then chose another. “Aha, this one!” Two of hearts. No. This time, Discord gave the deck of cards a long look, and glanced at the turtle that was circling back toward him. He gave a knowing smile and went over to it, shoving his hand into its shell and yanking out a card. “Tortuga, you rascal, I knew my deck seemed a little light! This probably isn't their card, but let's check anyway.” He held it out to the crowd, and they could see it was the ace of spades. Everyone cheered. Tempest clapped for him. A simple trick for him to pull off, but it was the showmanship that sold it. “Alright that was just a warm up,” Discord said, turning Tortuga back into a table and placing the cards on it. He rubbed his hands together and then separated them, showing everyone a crow that sat on his right paw. It flapped its wings and squawked, proving that it was a real crow. He wrapped his left arm behind his back, and closed his right fist, the crow disappearing. He held his right arm up, fist still clenched, and removed his left arm from behind his back. He opened his left hand, and now the crow seemed to hop into existence in his palm. The crowd clapped, but he wasn't done quite yet. The crow picked under its wing for a moment, and then pulled something out. Discord grabbed the item from it and showed everyone. It was the ace of spades card again, which drew immediate laughter. “I could have sworn I put that away.” Discord set the card down. He grabbed hold of the bird, and it started flying, carrying him around the stage while he seemed to struggle to stop it. He was very convincing, and the audience was loving it. He went through several more tricks, and the card kept appearing as a running joke, making Tempest wonder where he was going with that, if anywhere. Then he finally paused and took out a disc, setting it on the table. A tap from his wand and it sprung up into a top hat, its brim up. “Now for this next trick, I'll need a volunteer.” Tempest started to raise her hoof, as did many of the others, but Discord instead reached into the hat and pulled out a blue unicorn, wearing a pointy purple hat and matching purple cape covered with stars. “Please welcome, the Great and Powerful Trixie!” Discord announced, swinging the unicorn high over his head while she posed dramatically. Tempest started laughing. Sure enough, that was Trixie Lulamoon, the stage magician that may not be too talented at real magic, but she could put on a show that made it seem like she was. Starlight has talked about her a lot and Tempest knew about her from Discord's trip to the Changeling hive as well. Once she was done posing, Trixie leaped forward from Discord's hands and spread out her forelegs, slowly floating down to the stage while her cape billowed around her. As showy as ever. She received cheers and claps as soon as she touched down, and she tossed her head back, grinning. Her horn lit up as she gave her hat a toss and caught it back on her head. “Thank you so much for the warm welcome! And I do mean warm, this place is sweltering!” Discord nudged her as the crowd tittered. “Pst, Trixie, this is a magic show, not a comedy show.” “Really? But why else would you be here, you're a laughingstock,” she replied. “WHOOO!” Capper called loudly. “Okay, okay, settle down. I've been roasted enough here without you adding fuel to the fire.” A microphone appeared in Discord's hand and he tapped on it, then said, “Now, if you thought the show was exciting before, just wait until you see what Trixie has for you!” “That's right! Today, you will see feats the likes of which have never been seen before!” Trixie went behind the curtain and brought out a horizontal glass box, bringing it around in front of the table. “Indeed!” Discord opened the box and took out a saw. “But first, a feat you likely have seen before, but done a little differently! I'm sure you've all seen a pony climb into a box and get sawed in half... but have you actually gotten to SEE her get sawed in half? Trixie, if you would.” She climbed into the box, and they were very easily able to see that those were her own hind legs that she pushed through the holes at the other end, while her head stuck out of the first end. She kept her forelegs curled up against her chest. Discord hummed as he felt over the saw blade, while everyone murmured nervously. Tempest leaned forward, intrigued. Discord set out a couple square metal plates, then took the saw and lowered it through pre-made grooves in the box. Once it got to Trixie's body, they were able to see clear as day as it cut its way right through her middle. There were gasps, but she just continued to gaze upward, looking bored. Once the saw was all the way through, Discord removed it. There was no blood on it, to everyone's relief. He set the saw aside, and took the metal plates, sliding them into the groove now. Their use became apparent as he used them to block the view of where Trixie was cut, before pulling the two halves of the box completely away from each other. More gasps, and stunned clapping. Discord smiled at the crowd. “Now, I know some of you are probably thinking it's still a trick somehow, but I don't know... Trixie, wiggle your left back hoof.” She glanced down, and then her hoof wiggled. Tempest laughed and looked over at Capper, who gave her an impressed look. “I'm willing to bet he legit cut that pony in half. Can uh, he do that?” Tempest thought about it, then said, “Knowing Discord? Yeah. He can definitely do that legit without her feeling anything.” Capper gave a small nod and kept clapping. Discord spun one of the halves of the box a few times, and finally lined it back up. He slid the halves together and pulled out the plates, then tapped three times on top with his wand. “And presto healio!” Trixie pulled her legs back in and kicked the box open, hopping out, fully restored. She gave a bow and the audience went wild. “And that's just the start,” she said. “Watch now as the amazing Trixie performs an incredible escape from Discord's trap... of chaos!” As he pulled the curtains back and revealed a complicated contraption of belts and spikes, Tempest knew they were all in for a serious treat.