//------------------------------//
// Visions and Hopes 
// Story: Jammin' Gemini 
// by Aragem 
//------------------------------//

One pony found her voice. 
“Discord!  We turned you to stone with the Elements of Harmony!  What are you doing here!?”  Twilight yelled her back straight and her hooves apart as if she was going to charge forward to spear him with her horn. 
“Oh Twilight Sparkle, don’t be jealous.  You’re still my favorite pony.”  The creature, Discord, tucked Jelly under his arm as if he was carrying a loaf of bread. 
“What the hell is that!?”  Victory glowered at the mismatch animal.  Looking at him confused her and she didn’t like to be confused.  It irritated her.
“That’s Discord.”  Rarity whispered beside her.  Victory could smell her burnt hair.  “He’s the spirit of disharmony and chaos.”
“So he’s a Chaos God?”
“Discord.  What are you doing here?”  Twilight repeated her question in a hard voice, but if one looked carefully, they would see her legs quivering.  The Elements was far away in Canterlot it was only with their power that they were able to stop Discord last time.  And last time, he nearly won by breaking up their friendship.
“Just watching little ponies and mites play with fire.”  He waved a talon toward the still burning tree.  He snapped his fingers and the flames snuffed out as a candle being blown out.  “Cute little things, mites.  They love chaos as much as I do.  They enjoyed my last party so much they wanted to have me freed me again.”
“Wait!  Yer statue is back at Canterlot Gardens!”  Applejack pointed out. 
“True, it was,” Discord said with a flourishing wave of a hand.  But you see, mites are very quick and they have long tunnels under Equestria.  It was nothing for them to run to Canterlot and grab me once they had what they thought they needed.” 
Then understanding came to Twilight and her jaw dropped, “They thought that it takes three foals to free you.  Just like Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom’s bickering awakened you.” 
“Bingo!”  Discord thrust a thumbs up forward with a green check mark glowing above his curled talon.  “However, their ritual failed, bless their dark little hearts, but it wasn’t them responsible for freeing me.  But enough about that.  I don’t have long to chat.”
“You were in my vision!  You were the one chasing us!  That black thing full of hate after us!”  Twilight accused.
“Twilight Sparkle!”  Discord mockingly looked offended with an exaggerated gasp and touch to his chest.  “I’m shocked that you would accuse me of such a thing.  I don’t hate you.  I will say that I am bit miffed about being turned to stone, but I’m willing to let bygones be bygones and to prove it, I’m going to give each of you a gift.”
“Keep it!  We want nothing from you!”  Rainbow Dash hovered off the ground and held up her hooves as if they were fists. 
Discord clicked his tongue wagging a finger at them.  “Shame shame, you have to be polite and accept gifts from old friends.”
“I have to disagree.  You are no friend of ours.”  Rarity turned her head away in disgust.
“Trust me, my little ponies, I am a friend compared to what awaits you . . .”  A nasty grin covered his face and his blood red irises shrank as he regarded each of them. 
Then the world turned black.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Applejack opened her eyes and found was in her apple orchard.  She recognized it because atop of the hill to the east was her red barn.  The sun was dappling on the ground through overhead leaves and the smell of apples, a scent that she had always associated with home, lingered in the warm air.
Why was she here?  Where did the others go?  What did Discord do?
A large red apple fell from its branch.  It didn’t plop onto the ground or bounce and rolled.  It shattered apart into pieces of granite.  Another apple fell and it split apart into chips of rock and metal.
A third fell and it hit Appjack across the back with the force and impact of a thrown rock.  The farm mare yelped in pain and danced to the side away from the falling projectiles.  “What in the hay is goin’ on?”
Three apples align themselves into a small triangular trio and then floated off the ground to hover before her.  Discord’s voice grated in her ears.  “Applejack, my little farmer, you love your home.  You left it in distaste, but came back to make it apart of your soul.  Tell me, what happens when a soul is splinter?  Does it shatter or walk around with a wound?  Does it ever heal?”
“Stop talkin’ in riddles and talk like a normal pony ought ‘t.”  Applejack had to dodge several more falling granite apples least one smashes her head.        
“If that’s what you want.”  Discord’s lilted like a beloved family member.  “You will leave your home and when you return to it, it will not be your home no more.”
Applejack would have snorted and given a harsh retort, but she found that her mouth was filling up with rocks and granite.  She spat out the debris, but as quickly as she would spit it out, it would be replaced by more.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Twilight Sparkle opened her eyes and saw she was in a round room of cold stone with a single barred window much too high for her to look through.  A finger of light slanted into the room providing the only source of light in this darken room.
“You love magic, don’t you Twilight?”  She heard Discord’s voice all around her.  Appearing at the window was a purple star constantly giving off a glow of smaller stars.  Her cutie mark made physically apart from her body.  “Magic is a widely accepted phenomenon in Equestria as it is recognize in each race, but my dear Twilight, you will find yourself in a place that imprisons magic, hates magic, and wielding magic can be deadly.”
“But magic isn’t dangerous as long as you are responsible.”  She wanted to say, but couldn’t speak.  She couldn’t because her mouth was muzzled and her legs were restrained in chains and ropes intersecting the chains and tied to rings in the room kept her in the center. 
“Oh my dear Twilight Sparkle.”  Discord’s voice sighed as a lover’s whisper.  “You will go to a place that abhors magic and it will try to take your magic from you along with your mind.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
Rarity opened her eyes and saw that she was in a beautiful bedroom.  The carpet was a royal purple and thick which her hooves sink into at each step.  The décor was lavishing of gold, silver, and the furniture was carved in the most lovely design and motifs she had ever laid eyes on. 
And the grand bed was huge.  The blankets had elaborate embroidery and the canopy was silk.  The bed and the room were fit for only a princess.
Rarity squealed in delight as she jumped onto the bed and rolled along the crisp sheets.  They felt so good to her body and then she realized that her mane and tail were whole and the burns suffered to her legs were gone. 
Then when she moved, she heard a squelch beneath her.  She rolled onto something wet.  She looked down and saw the redness staining the white sheets.  She scrambled away in a panic, disturbing the perfectly made bed.  Rarity checked her body was injury and found that she wasn’t the source of the blood.
And the stain was spreading, invading the sheets if an unseen source was pouring ounce after ounce onto it.  Three diamonds descended from the canopy roof and floated just above the spreading blood.
“The lovely, Rarity, you love beautiful things and you have a dream, no?”  Discord’s voice spread across the room, coming from every corner, and she could not see him.  “To become a princess?  Didn’t work out at the Galloping Gala, did it?”
“If you are talking about that oaf who got to his position by accident of birth, then yes.  You are correct,” Rarity sniffed with a toss of her beautiful head. 
“But you’ll attain it.  You will become a princess with a true prince who will love you.”
Well, that wasn’t so bad.  Rarity glanced at the diamonds, with a look of unease.
“However, you’ll attain it all, but it will only cause you pain and suffering.”
Then the sheet flew off the bed as if from a spring and covered her, wrapping around her trapping her legs and pressing into her face and mouth as if to suffocate.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fluttershy opened her eyes and saw that she was a dark place with fire and cracked stone.  From all around her, she heard screams of agony and moans of ecstasy.  At her hooves, the cracks in the stone exuded intense heat that burned them if she stood too long on them, so she was constantly moving her hooves.
“I-I don’t like this . . .”  The timid pegasus said before she realized that she had wings.  Her wings picked her off the heated floor allowing her to blow on her front hooves to cool them.  She looked sadly at the pink marks on them as they ebb with pain.
“Awww, poor widdle Flwudderwhy.”  Discord’s voice crawled from the darkness as if a parent baby talking with a young child.  “You burned your hooviesy?”
“I want to go home . . .please?”  Fluttershy glanced nervously about.
Thick corded rope lashed out, crisscrossing over her back and wings.  The rope was pulled taut slamming her down on the floor.  Her body spread on the floor, held down by the ropes, was burned by the stone cracks.  She struggled, her wings flapping, but the ropes were merciless.  “It hurts!  It hurts!”
“I know.”  Discord’s voice came from a trio of pink butterflies fluttering above her nose.  “You will lose something pure and innocent in a dark place.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~       
Rainbow Dash opened her eyes and saw a desert stretch out before her.  It stretched as far as her eyes could see.  The breeze caught the sand and sprayed against her legs and wings. 
“Guys?  Guys, where are you?”  Rainbow Dash glanced around.
“They’re not here, and they won’t be there for you always.”  A shimmer of a rainbow descended from a cloud in a stark lightning bolt shape.  It struck the sand throwing up sand.  She turned her face away beneath a wing to protect her eyes.  “They won’t be there when you need them most.”
“Shut up!  My friends are always there for me!  You’re just lying.”  Then her legs sunk to her knees in the sand.  She kicked, and her wings opened, but then she was swallowed up to her neck.
Discord chuckled, “You will betray them.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~          
Pinkie Pie opened her eyes and giggled. She was inside what looked like a bubble.  The interior was dome and the floor was white.  There was no sound save for the clops of her hooves.
“Pinkie Pie . . .”  Hovering at the curvature of the dome were three balloons.
“Hello, Discord!”  Pinkie waved happily at the balloons.  “Ya gonna turn me gray again?”
His chuckle echoed about the dome, “No, Pinkie, no.  Not this time.  This time I’ve come to tell you something.”
“What is it?”  Pinkie’s ears pricked as she leaned her head forward to hear better. 
“No laughter.  That is a place you will go to.  No laughter, no kisses, no hugs, no emotion, nothing.”
“That doesn’t sound like fun.”  Pinkie stuck out her tongue to show her disgust.
“No, not really.  Not one of my favorite places you’ll be going to.  Oh yes, almost forgot.”
Pinkie felt a twinge in her forehooves and she looked down in time to see wires with small lights on the end burst from her legs.  “Hey!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Shit!  What the hell is this!?”  She wasn’t a pony anymore, she was her human self and she walked down a street lined by tall buildings.  It was empty devoid of any city life.
And her clothing was different.  She wasn’t wearing military fatigues or coveralls.  She was wearing a long sweater with a loose pair of pants and her hair was tied back away from her face in a loose pony tail. 
She confused again and it was making her angry.  Anger was an emotion that she can utilize.  It has aided her well in the past when she was familiar with fear. 
“Mrs. Noa Laotaner, it is finally nice to meet your acquaintance.  You are exactly what Equestria needs.”  The rain began to fall, large raindrops that splattered on the pavement and dotted her clothing. 
“Where am I?”  Laotaner looked around, but couldn’t tell where the voice was coming from.
“You don’t remember?  Well, you never did like thinking about the past, which is fine.  I prefer to think about the future.” 
“What?  Is this the gift you were talking about?  No thanks.  I’ve been through streets and alleys before.” 
“No, this isn’t the gift.  My gift is words.  Words you’ll remember.”
“Yeah?  And those are?”
“Friendship is Magic.”
“What!?  What the hell does that mean?”  Laotaner ducked into an ally to get out of the rain.  The water was rushing along gutters and sloshing from the pipes.  “You get that from some little girl cartoon?”
“Friendship is very important to the ponies.  But do you know what is stronger than friendship?  Do you know what bond can trump friendship?”
“I don’t know.  The power of love, I guess.”  Laotaner moved further down the alley. 
“You think it’s a joke, but you’ll understand in time.”  Discord’s voice echoed against the alley’s walls.  “Don’t turn around by the way.”
Laotaner turned around and saw a trashcan.  Then recognition flooded her psyche and all her anger dissipated and the fear she had forgotten became reacquainted with her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“What is wrong with them?”  Jelly was still in Discord’s arm and she stared down at the ponies below. 
Twilight and Rarity were wriggling on the ground as if struggling against bonds, Fluttershy was weeping in the snow, Rainbow Dash had buried herself in the snow, and Applejack was hacking and choking, while Pinkie Pie appeared to be playing cat’s cradle.  Even Victory was not immune.  She was sitting on the snow covering her face with both hooves. 
Only Derpy looked untouched and her eyes moved back and forth oppositely at their strange behavior.  Jelly leaned forward, “Hey, you!  Go get help!  Now!”
“Oh!  Right!”  The gray pegasus kicked off the ground and flew . . . away from Ponyville. 
Discord and Jelly watched her fly away nearly a football length away before turning around.  As she flew over she sheepishly looked down at Jelly, “Sorry, I was  . . . turning around.”  Then she was flying away in the right direction. 
Jelly covered her eyes with both hooves and groaned.  Discord hefted her up, by grasping her middle with both hands bring her face to face with him.  “Let’s not have that face, Mikala Miki Briggs.  I already gave you your gift.”
Jelly blinked, “You know my name?  My real name?”
“I’ve been keeping track of you since your arrival.”  Discord replied as he lowered her onto the ground.  “Neat trick with your little friends.  They certainly were fun to talk to.”
“What are you talking about?”  It felt good to have solid ground under her.  She backed away from him, fearful that he had set her down to crush her under his large feet.
“You call them nanonites, I call them Amy, Sam, Betty Lou, Sally, Candi, Mandy, Bobby, Mary . . . oh, there too many to name, but you’ll understand.  Let’s have a lesson.” 
Then with a wave of a paw, a pair of thick glasses appeared on his face and a projector screen flashed behind him.  In his talon he held a pointer stick and was tapping the white screen with it.  Jelly found herself sitting in a school desk with a pile of books bound with a leather belt and an apple sitting at the edge of the desk.  Beside the desk were an old fashion projector that creaked and then a cone of light created a static image on the screen.
An image of a round metal bug with tiny legs wiggling on either side appeared.  Then a heavy full voice that sounded a lot like Discord’s began a lecture.
“The nanonites are tiny machines, smaller than an atom, that can break down compounds and rearrange them to change the basic structure of that item.” 
As he spoke, the video demonstrated his lecture by showing several caricatures of nanonites taking apart a block and then rearranging it to form a triangle. 
“Nanonites are usually used for medical purposes, such as fighting cancers, putting a halt to dementia, and fighting other diseases that plague mankind.” 
Now the nanonites were wearing doctors and nurses’ outfits and were looking over an image of a sick patient lying on a hospital bed.
“Medical experimentation has proven that nanonites can be used to restructure DNA to change appearances and habits.  For example, changing a human being into a pony is no problem for these little doctors.” 
A childlike drawing of her appeared on screen and the nanonites took her body apart, flipping the pieces over to pony shape body parts and putting them back together to create her pony self. 
 “Nanonites have very basic AI.  They are given a command and they will dutifully follow that command until their internal timer runs out and they stop functioning and passed out of the human body with natural waste.”
The educational film featured the nanonites one by one stop function, literally dropping death on their backs with a white funeral flower appearing at their chests. 
“This is necessary because nanonites will continue to replicate inside the human body and will continue to pass down the command.  This can result in tumors, poor health, and possible loss of life.  So remember, don’t let your nanonites run amuck in your body.”
The film ended as the projector wheels came to a halt, burbling out the voice.  Discord was behind a desk with his mismatched feet propped on the desk and reclining back on a chair taking a nap. 
“What does that have to do with my nanonites?  The film just spat out facts I already know.” 
Discord opened one eye and looked at her, “I told you, I had a little chat with them.  I pointed out that they shouldn’t have to turn themselves off.  I had to stretch their noodle a bit, but they got the idea.”
“Wait, you can’t do that!?  You don’t have the necessary equipment or the override codes!”  Jelly felt a finger of terror touched her heart.
“Ah, I’m the Spirit of Chaos, my dear.  I only need to do this and I can do anything.”  He elaborated by snapping his fingers and the school furniture was gone.  She was left sitting on the grass with a pounding heart as she remembered what the dull voice said about the side effects of overactive nanonites.  As if sensing her distress he said casually, “Don’t fret.  They don’t want to harm you.  They understand that what happens to you also happens to them.  They’ll be careful about letting anything nasty happen to your body, but they are in control of when you are a pony and when you are a human.  So you see, it’s completely random and chaotic, the way I like it.”
Was that what happened to her in the hospital?  Her changing back into a pony when she needed it most?  And why she hasn’t changed back into a human since?  “Why?  I don’t understand why you would want to do that?”
“I don’t need a reason.  I’m chaos.  Hellooooo.”  He disappeared and reappeared above her to rap his knuckles along her skull.  “How many times so I have to say it?” 
She ducked away covering her head with a hoof.  “So what now?  What are you planning on doing?”
“Oh, I’m planning on going on a trip.”  Two suitcases appeared on either side of him which he picked up with both hands. 
“What?  You’re just leaving?  If it wasn’t the foals that freed you then what did?” 
“Curiosity tickled the cat, Miki.  May I call you Miki?  Thanks.”  He didn’t wait for her to give her actual permission.  “I suppose I have time for one more tidbit.  Dear old mother’s disharmonious nature was what freed me.  The moment she landed I felt her and her crew.  I simply adore humans.  You think you know what you want, but you’ll waste time arguing exactly what it is and how to get it without actually coming to a solution.  What gave the camel the heart attack was when your mother’s destructive rage took over and she retaliated against the mites without any care for the foals.”  When he saw her worried glance at the burrows, he said, “They’re fine by the way.  Frightened, but untouched.”
“So that’s it?  You pop out, do this to my friends and mother and just leave?  I still don’t understand.”
“Ah, it isn’t for you to understand,” he said as if he was explaining a simple math problem to a dumb child.  “You might want to check on your mother.  She doesn’t look well.”
Jelly turned and saw that Victory was laying on her make, making a high keening sound.  And were those . . .tears leaking beneath her hooves which covered her eyes.  “Mom!”
Jelly cantered to her mother’s side and touched her shoulders.  “Mom, wake up.  Are you okay?”
Victory swung.  Her hoof collided with Jelly’s mouth sling her head away with the taste of blood on her tongue.  The green unicorn pressed a hoof against her mouth and then noticed that Discord was gone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Trevor wasn’t doing what he was supposed to be doing.  He was supposed to be watching the nanonites AI download and double checking the algorithms.  Not on the floor in a tight lip lock with Belgard fumbling with the hooks of her bra.  He gave up as several attempts to conquer the hooks and dropped his hands to her thighs, enjoying the feel of tight flesh against his palms.    
At the abandoned desk, the monitor which was showing the download progress at 63 percent and then halted.  Error flashed in red on the screen before it was replaced by the long face of a strange leering creature with mismatched horns.  The face faded out and the progress reduced to 0 percent and then progress bar slowly crawled across the screen again, but this time instead of being a generic blue, it was a bright pink color with white spirals. 
“Why, aren’t you talented?”  Belgard whispered into Trevor’s ear before she nibbled his lobe.
“Hmm?”  Her ass felt amazing in his hands.
“Undoing my bra while groping my ass.”  Her bra was slipping down her arms.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At Discord’s leaving, the ponies woke up from their visions.  Twilight and Rarity stopped struggling in the snow, Fluttershy looked around shuddering from relief, Rainbow Dash burst from the snow piled atop of her, and Pinkie Pie rolled confused onto her back. 
Victory got shakily to her feet, her eyes dazed as if she was blind.  Then her eyes focused on Jelly who was holding snow against her bleeding mouth.  “What happened?”
“Um, he ran away . . .”  Jelly dropped the pink snow.
“Ran away?  Discord doesn’t run away.”  Twilight shook the snow from her mane and tail.
“He said he had to leave.”  Jelly wasn’t going to discuss his lesson on nanonites.  That was something she would share with Victory later.
“Yeah, taking over Canterlot.”  Rainbow flicked her eyes, throwing snow against the cyan feathers.
“What’s that over there?”  Twilight pointed toward the tree.
Waving from one of the burrows was a stick with a white scrap of cloth tied to it.  Then an ugly blue head appeared looking around.  He saw the ponies and held out the white surrender flag.  He walked out and then followed by another and another.  In surreal fashion, the mites each walked sheepishly from the burrows, some of them coughing from smoke inhalation.  Then a round pony face appeared.
Ember walked out looking about curiously.  He was followed by a pretty pink unicorn foal with tangled purple mane suckling on a red pacifier.  She was wearing a frilly little night gown that had several tears and dirty.  Next to her was a striped foal with a short spiny mane.
What kind of pony is that?  Then Jelly realized that it wasn’t a pony.  It was a zebra, an actually little zebra foal.  The little zebra had large blue eyes that had a lovely slant shape.  She looked at them curiously, before she sat down and nosed the snow, sneezing in surprised at the cold.
Weaving between the foals was the Mite King, the little blue man with a gold tin crown.  He walked out before the foals and his fellows and held up hands no bigger than the tip of a human finger said, “We surrender.”
“Damn straight,” Victory muttered as she recovered.  “Send the foals over.”
Whereas Ember was eager to wade through the snow to Jelly, Sweet Hearts and the zebra foal didn’t know any of the ponies, and stayed with the familiarity of the mites despite the gentle calls from the ponies.  Victory rolled her eyes and stormed over, kicking snow and a few mites aside.
Jelly called out to her, worried that Victory would frighten the foals.  The pale unicorn stopped before the foals.  Both of them looked up at her with wide eyes.  The unicorn’s pacifier bobbed as it was sucked and the zebra inclined her head curiously.
Noa leaned her head downward and nuzzled them.  Her nose rubbed along the zebra’s spikey mane and then switched to the unicorn’s purple mane.  The foals rubbed their faces against hers affectionately and didn’t protect when she used her magic to levitate them onto her back. 
As Victory walked bend her head to bring her face on level with the king of mites, the zebra foal began chewing on her silver streaked mane.  “I don’t like repeating myself, so listen closely.  This isn’t to happen again, understand?  Play your pranks and trip people up, I don’t care, but foals are off limits.  I don’t care if it’s because a foal has gotten too far from his mother in a store or is late coming in from curfew, but if I hear of a foal going missing, I’m coming straight here to burn this eyesore down.  A foal goes missing, I’m blaming you guys, and this tree burns.  Understood?”
By the shaking of the Mite King’s legs, and the yellow snow between them, it was safe to assume that he understood perfectly.    
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The zebra foal continued to content herself with chewing Victory’s mane which she didn’t notice or mind.  The unicorn foal had laid her head down to sleep.  Jelly carried Ember on her back and she hung back to walk close to Victory who was allowing Twilight Sparkle to lead their herd back to Ponyville. 
“If mites weren’t the ones to release Discord, then what was responsible?”  Rarity asked Twilight as the rising sun cast a gray morning light over the Everfree Forest.
“I . . . I don’t know, but the Princess must know about this at once,” Twilight replied.
“Our first priority is t’ get these fillies and colt back t’ their folks.”  Applejack pointed out.  “We might better hurried on over t’ the hospital.”
“Good idea.  We can get Ember back to his father sooner.”
Jelly walked in silence, the image of Victory, aka Laotaner, nuzzling the foals kept repeating in her mind like a video recording on loop.  The move had been so out of character for the fierce unicorn that it had been surreal for her.  Now she was carrying the foals safely on her back and without one complaint of the zebra playing with her mane.  Maybe it was a soldier carrying out her mission, but Jelly felt that there was more.
When they arrived at the edge of the Everfree forest a search party was about to enter the forest to search for them and a cheer went up when they emerge with the missing foals.  Derpy was there to throw her hooves in the air in a whoop.
“Oh my god . . .they knocked her in the head and fucked up her eyes!”  Victory muttered.
“Oh, um, no, they’ve always been like that.”  Fluttershy whispered nervously. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~     
An hour later, Jelly was watching a happy reunion between father and son.  Smokey had been lying in the hospital bed fighting off tiredness to stay awake for news.  After getting a clean bill of health from the doctor, she took Ember to his room.
Ember whinnied when he saw his father and began to prance on her back.  Smokey sat up to quickly, he looked as if he was about to be sick, but he swallowed it back and held out his forelegs for his son.  Jelly brought them over and the young foal bounded across the bed and into his father’s embrace.
Smokey nuzzled his body, forelegs holding him close.  “I was so scared.  So so scared.”
Jelly smiled, but felt uncomfortable, as if she was intruding on them.  She looked away, and noticed the flowers on the bed stead.  They were the generic flowers you’d bring to someone in the hospital and Jelly felt guilty when she began to wonder if they would taste as good as the flowers Fluttershy brought her.
“Jelly, I . . .I can’t thank you enough.  It must have been dangerous.”  Smokey settled Ember on his lap, keeping his son close.
“It was, but no one was hurt.”
“Your lip is swollen.”
“I tripped.”  Jelly pushed the topic aside by glancing at the flowers, “Nice flowers.”
“Oh, um, June Bug brought them for me.”  Smokey looked away as if he was caught in doing something he shouldn’t do.
Jelly understood and took this opportunity.  “I don’t think I met her, but she was very nice to do this for you.  Does she like Ember?”
There was a moment of silence, then Smokey said, “Yes, she adores Ember and he likes her too.  She was very worried about him.”
“Then you should take him to visit her when you get out of the hospital.”  Jelly licked her lips, her tongue rolling over the pained swelling.  Maybe she should get some ice from a nurse.  “And if she isn’t going with someone to the Winter Dance, you should ask her.”
She didn’t see his face.  She didn’t want to see his face.  She kept her eyes on the flowers and let the pregnant silence carry until it was broken by Smokey, “Are you going with anyone to the dance?”
“Yeah . . .I’m hoping that maybe my mother will come with me.  You see, we’ve been having problems and I want to work through them and become closer to her.  And I have other responsibilities as well.  I . . .don’t have time or room for anything else.”
“I . . .see.”  She could feel the disappointment in his voice.  “Yes, I think I will ask June Bug to the dance.  Like you said, she’s very nice.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~                             
It was easy enough getting the unicorn filly off Victory’s back, but the zebra whinnied and held onto her mane which was pulled sharply as a nurse pulled the foal away.  The zebra filly whined as she was carried down the hall to the doctor’s exam room. 
Victory saw on a cushion in the lobby and grunted when a nurse came back to report that the foals were in good health despite being a bit dirty.  The events of last night with Jelly’s revelation, her drinking, traipsing through the forest, and Discord’s vision was catching up to her and she was about to fall asleep when of all people should come up and hug her was Jelly.
“Hey mom.”  Jelly said close to her ear.  “Sorry to wake you.”
“I wasn’t asleep.  I was waiting.”  Victory muttered as she nudged Jelly away from her.
“Where are the others?”
“They talked in the lobby for a while.  I didn’t pay attention to ‘em.  The purple one said something about sending letters and the others went home.  But the pink fucker wanted to throw a goddamn welcome home party for the foals.  Thank god the others had enough sense to tell her no.” 
Jelly claimed the cushion next to her and slipped in their language.  * “You’ll probably want to kill me, but I need to say some things.” *
*”Is there any way I can avoid this?” *
*”It’s got to be said.”*
Victory rolled her eyes, * “Proceed.”*
*”I want to love you,”*  Jelly said, her eyes on her fetlocks as she rubbed her hooves together in a genuine human sign of discomfort.  * “I want to  . . . I want us to know each other.  The things you said earlier, they were hurtful and I want to believe that they were said out of shock and fear.  I didn’t mean to make you . . .afraid or uncomfortable and likely, I went about meeting you in the wrong way.  I should have stepped forward and told you while we were on the ship . . . but . . . I was afraid too.” *
Victory raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.
*”When you first met me on the ship, I was so scared.  I thought that you might recognize me.  I was hopeful that you would and scared that you might.  It was so weird for me.  But you didn’t.  You told me to stop shitting myself and report to my station, remember?”
* “Yeah,” * Victory replied, * “You looked as if you had eaten a bad lemon.  How were you put on my ship?” *
Jelly swallowed and said, * “I was hired to spy on you, I won’t lie.  They arranged for me to be assigned on your ship, but I’ve sent them nothing.  Any investigation I did was to find out more about you as a person, but as a soldier.  I was going to go back to them and tell them I found nothing.  I wasn’t going to do anything that hurt you.” *
You couldn’t hurt me if you tried.  Victory said instead, * “So what now?”*
*”I want to stay and complete this mission.  I don’t want to leave in the middle of it and I think I can be real asset to this mission.  My time here has made me familiar with the pony culture, though, I am sure there is more that I need to learn, but I can’t learn it if I am stuck on the ship.  These ponies, are . . .just so open and friendly.  I think there is a lot humanity could learn from them if we let them.  I think engaging them peacefully will be beneficial to both parties and that’s something I want . . . no, I have to be part of.” *
Victory had never seen Jelly speak so passionately.  In fact, this was the most she had ever allowed the yeoman to speak in her presence.  And the yeoman was in good with the group she had dubbed the Mane 6, some sort of pony celebrities who are the favorites of the leaders of this world.  There could be some use in that.
*”Fine, you may maintain your position in this mission, but you still answer to me.” *  Victory ran a hoof over her mane.  * “Anymore hassle and you’re going to back to ship, understood?” *
* “I understand and thank you.” * Jelly nodded, a small smile tugging at her lips, then her face turned serious.  * “I think I know why my body has been acting weird.  Discord says that my nanonites aren’t following the AI commands.  He changed them somehow.”*
Victory raised her head, *”How?”*
*”He said that he talked to them, whatever that means.”* Jelly shrugged.  * “But that would explain how they’ve been acting.” *
* “Trevor will need to run some tests.  I’ll have Winter take a blood sample back to the ship when he comes back.  Just be careful.” * 
* “Also, about us . . . can we talk?  I mean about each other?  About Dad at least?  I never got to know him.” *
Victory groaned, she rather take a shot the stomach than go through this right now.  * “Now?” *
*”No, no, I’m tired and I know you are.  Maybe later today . . .we get a cup of coffee or whatever the ponies drink for coffee.” * 
* “Briggs, I’m not big on talking . . . about feelings and . . .emotions . . .”* She saw the silent plea in Jelly’s eyes and something in her did something she rarely did.  She caved.  * “But I do drink coffee . . . just name the time and place. . .” *
Jelly left after naming a café in Ponyville and Victory could tell that the she was excited by the near prancing she did as she walked out the hospital doors.  Victory tilted her head back and stared at the ceiling.  She wanted to go back to the inn, but going would require getting up and walking.  The staff had offered a bed, but she declined it, not she was having second thoughts.
Winter Welcome may be postpone, but whether that will happen or not will be determine by the Mayor and her staff.  It looked like she was going to miss it because she as too damn tire to care.  She wasn’t interested in celebrations anyway.  It’s been years since she actually celebrated anything as elaborate as Christmas, that time she . . .
Fuck it.  Damn that Discord for dragging up memories she had drowned long ago. 
The doors swung open, throwing cold air against her body, giving her body enough motivation to shiver and shit up.  Winter had walked in with snow clinging to his wings, mane, and tail.  He shook like a dog, spraying the room with ice and water.  The nurse behind the desk gave him a sour look which he returned with a handsome smile that seemingly made her melt in her seat.
“Hey, Vic?  What’s going on?  I come back and the place is covered in snow and I was told you two were at the hospital?  You finally snapped and put her in the hospital?” 
*”Speak human or it’ll be your neck I snap,”*  Victory replied heatedly. 
* “Sorry.  It was weird.  This snow storm came out of nowhere.  I had to bunker down until it was over and something happened that set off the security.”*  Winter folded his wings against his body.
This had Victory standing with eyes wide with concern.  Any traces of tiredness was gone from her eyes and body.  *”Report.”*
*”At ninety minutes ago, there was an unauthorized transmission sent.  The techs are unable to determine what information was sent and to where.  The records were coded and the techs say that to decode it would take minimum of fifty years.  They never saw anything like it.”*
He said he had to leave.
*”Have them send what they have to HQ,”*  Victory ordered. 
* “Also, new orders from HQ.”*  Winter turned his head to dig into his bag at his shoulder.  He held out the folder with his teeth and she took it with her magic.
She flipped it opened and her eyes moved back and forth as she read.  Then her eyebrows rose into sharp arches before she focused her eyes on him, * “I want you to take time out of banging the natives and keep an eye on Jelly.” *
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~            
Applejack returned to the farm.  As she among the orchards, she stared up at the apples and each of them looked normal juicy apples not balls of granite painted red.  She even bucked a tree to collect an apple which she bit into.  The apple tasted of spring and sun and it banished the taste of rock and granite from her tongue. 
She returned to her home where her family was following their usual routines.  Granny Smith was making apple pancakes at the stove and Big Mac was reading the morning newspaper while taking a sip of coffee.  After giving Granny Smith a kiss and nodding to her brother, she went upstairs to check on Applebloom. 
Her little sister was still asleep, tucked away in bed.  The farm mare’s gaze softened as she remembered how tense things had been between them for days.  It was time to let go and just be happy that her sister was safe and sound.  And dang if watching Apple Bloom sleep so comfortably didn’t make her want to take a snooze too.
“Ap . . .Applejack?”  The yellow filly opened her eyes as an orange mare climbed into bed with her. 
“Sorry, sis.”  Applejack held the filly in her forelegs.  “Jes think of it when ya used t’ sleep with me when ya had bad dreams.”
“Ya had a bad dream?” 
The memory of the granite apples returned.  “Yeah, Ah guess Ah did.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Twilight was barely able finish her letter to the Princess.  Her vision was blurry despite splashing cold water on her face.  She could have Spike write the letter, but in her heart, she felt that she needed to write this herself. 
Spike refilled her coffee cup, “Ya think they’ll cancel Winter Welcome?”
“I don’t think they’ll cancel it, but maybe postpone it to tomorrow at least.”  Twilight hoped they would.  She was in no condition to organize the celebration, at least not without much needed sleep. 
The ponies had agreed to make no mention of Discord, lest they have a panic on their hooves. 
When she finished the letter, she rolled up the parchment into a tight scroll and passed it to Spike to send.  “Wake me as soon as you get a response from Her Majesty.  I’m going to bed.”
But despite her exhaustion, sleep didn’t come.  She stared at the wall as she remembered that dark room with only a window for light and the chains that bounded her.  A place that magic was hated?  But magic was everywhere in this world.  It was in every pony: unicorn, pegasus, and earth pony.  The Princesses’ magic raised the heavens each day.  Why would magic be so hated?
Take it away from her?  Even if her horn should be broken, it would grow back.  Her magic would be unstable until it regrew, but it would still be with her. 
No, the words came from Discord of all things.  It was something better left ignored.
Yet, they kept repeating in her mind.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rarity nearly wept when she saw her state.  Her mane had singed at the tips and her tail ended in snarled crisp curls.  She would have to cut it short lest she go out in public with burnt hair.  It was painful to cut her lovely tail, but it had to be done.
She tossed the ruined hair into a trash bin before going to bed.  Before climbing into bed, she pulled the blankets back to check for blood. After she was certain that it was stainless, she mentally scolded herself for paying so much heed to Discord’s vision. 
This was Discord after all, the chaotic trickster that had her believing that a boulder was a giant gem.  Oh, must never think of that again.  Never again. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fluttershy returned to her home, fed her animals, and retired to bed.  As she curled up under the layers of blankets, she had both pillows clutched against her head, to shut out the sounds she heard in that terrible place. 
On her way home, she had kept looking at her body to see if there were any burn marks on her coat.  There weren’t any, but she kept feeling her body burning. 
What was that place?  Oh, how she hoped she wouldn’t have to go that terrible terrible place.  Maybe she should stay in her cottage for the rest of her life?  Maybe that way she can stay safe and away from that dreadful place.
Soon, she was able to sleep, cocoon in her blankets and pillows. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By the time Rainbow Dash joined the weather patrol, they had it pretty much under control.  In fact, the rogue clouds had saved them some work Winter Welcome, since they were already packed with snow.  She aided them in storing the clouds for later use.
As she worked, she glanced down at Ponyville.  Though she was a pegasus and her passion was the sky and flight, her heart belong to the earth pony town of which her friends resided.  She was loyal to this town from the cobbled streets to the clouds. 
Discord’s lie was just that.  A lie.  There was nothing more to really think about it.  Just do her job so she can take a much needed nap on a cloud.  Maybe later she would go by and visit Pinkie Pie and sneak some cakes out before the Winter Welcome celebration started.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pinkie Pie had her tongue against her lip as she concentrated on the strong looped over her hooves.  Mrs. Cake watched her curiously from behind the bakery counter.  Ever since the pink mare returned, she had been at the table toying with string.
“Pinkie, don’t you think you should get some sleep?  I heard you had a rough go of it with mites.” 
“Oh no, Mrs. Cake.  I’m not tired.  I ate some coffee cakes and I’m ready for Winter Welcome start.”
“Oh dearie, they may cancel it,” Mrs. Cake said gently.
“Nah, they’re not going to cancel it.”  Pinkie Pie spread her hooves apart to show off an intricate string design of a cupcake before she unwounded it.
“Pinkie Pie, why are you playing with that string?” 
“I gotta practice so when I have strings growing out of my legs I’ll be the best at it.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At the inn, Victory stared out the window deep in thought.  She had new orders now.  They shouldn’t have come as no surprised and it was pretty much what she expected from the government she served. 
They cared nothing for what happened at Shraxi.  It had always been about once thing.  Power.  No matter how much blood flowed and lives lost or destroyed.  Anything and everything must be done to aid the spread of human influence in the galaxy, to line greedy pockets, and quench the thirst for resources and to boost the morale with powerful weapons. 
Her daughter will weep and Winter will be disappointed, but nonetheless, she was pointed in direction and as any good gun, she will fire death in that direction.  She felt more focused now and more eager to begin. 
The orders were simple.  Make the Element of Harmonies the property of Havensguard and take the planet.
Victory smiled, hopeful for the future.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jelly watched the pegasi collect the wanton clouds.
To think, hours ago, she was in so much pain she didn’t know what to do with herself, but cry.  But now, she felt good.  She felt hopeful about today and tomorrow. 
This was the first she felt like this since joining Laotaner’s crew.  No, not since she found she had a living mother.  Laotaner wasn’t the mother she imagined.  She wasn’t nurturing, patient, or kind, but she was her mother nonetheless.      
Yet, she saw her do something gentle and kind for those foals today.  It gave her hope for their relationship.  It was going to be tough and Jelly was no fool, she knew that she would be hurt several times by Laotaner’s indifference and hateful attitude, but she was determine to strive forward. 
She was determined to love and tolerate her mother.
Her flank flared with light and once the light faded, on her flank was her cutie mark.