The heat was oppressive as the statuesque woman clutching a clipboard walked with precise measured steps along the empty corridor, the clicking of her heels echoing off the walls being the only sound tentatively attempting to make up for the hubbub of students that the building existed for. As she rounded the end of a corridor, the sun shone into her face revealing a sparkle of mischief in her teal eyes that seemed in marked contrast to the rather formal high necked collar on her blouse.
She stopped by a locker with a dented door that now refused to shut properly and shook her head, tutting gently as she jotted a note on her clipboard. It would be most unlikely that any of the students would own up, so it would have to be put down to collateral damage caused by high spirits on the last day of term.
The merest hint of a cooling summer breeze blew along the corridor to caress her face and in response she stopped and smiled gently, raising her head and closing her eyes to soak in every blissful second of its pleasant relief. A strand of blue hair freed itself momentarily from her immaculate coiffure and tickled her cheek in the dying gasp of breeze. Without opening her eyes, she brushed it back with a finger and shook out her hair in a curiously equine way, knowing by instinct that everything was now in its rightful place.
The lone figure resumed her walk and headed towards a light blue door marked Principal Celestia, where she knocked out of courtesy before entering to see a woman with a yellow jacket look up to her from a pile of paperwork, her lilac eyes sparkling in acknowledgment.
“Oh, one of the few rooms with working ac” gasped the new arrival with evident delight, placing herself delicately onto a comfortable seat that they both knew was hers, “How come mine is not yet working, Tia?”
“Just the luck of the draw I’m afraid Lulu” replied Principal Celestia, wearing a sympathetic smile, “The school has endured more than its fair share of upheaval over the past year.”
“Three sirens, two students turning into demons, and on top of that, all the strange occurrences during the Friendship Games” Vice Principal Luna reeled off, ”It’s a wonder we’re all still sane. Talking of which, whatever happened to Principal Cinch?”
“I have absolutely no idea, but I do believe CPA are looking for a new Principal. Are you interested?”
“I should like Dean Cadance to have first shot at it” replied Luna, “She has earned it.”
“You know I’ll write you a reference that positively glows when you feel you’re ready for such a post” offered Celestia, ”But I must admit I would like to see her get the job too.”
“Because she is your niece?”
“Not just that. I do feel she does have a natural empathy for the role too.”
“An ally rather than a rival?” Luna interjected.
“That certainly wouldn’t be a bad thing” acknowledged Celestia pushing back her chair from the desk and heading towards a highly polished wooden cabinet with an especially obvious brass keyhole, “I trust you will join me in a little indulgence.”
“Oh, yes please Sister” remarked Luna, kicking off her shoes and lounging back in her seat, “I could become used to such decadence.”
Celestia opened the cabinet revealing an array of bottles of different colours, shapes and sizes; the only common denominator being that they were all at least half full.
“Any preference?” she asked, looking back over her shoulder to see her sister already starting to unwind.
“Make mine a double, would you?” she replied, closing her eyes as she wriggled into her comfy position.
Celestia had been looking more for a steer as to which of the bottles to choose from, but couldn’t argue with the sentiment; yes, a double it would be, for each of them.
She poured two very generous measures of golden liquid into a pair of whiskey glasses and crossed the few steps to where her sister reclined, pressing one gently into her hand.
“Thank you, Tia” she acknowledged, with a gentle smile, lifting the glass to her lips and taking a sip, feeling her mouth glow with a comforting warmth, before its gentle caress ran down her throat.
A comfortable silence extended between the two sisters, each of whom reflected inwardly upon recent events in the companionship of another who had gone through the same experiences. Without waiting to be asked, Celestia refilled both of their empty glasses with another generous measure and held hers up to the light, swirling it around slowly, musing abstractedly how it seemed to radiate the colour of sunlight. Somehow she had always had an affinity to the sun, but had no idea how she had inherited it.
Suddenly the ringing of a doorbell snapped them both out from their reverie. They both looked at each other; there wasn’t a doorbell anywhere near the Principal’s office.
It rang again. This time Celestia got up and walked over to the door, exchanging a quizzical look with her sister. She reached out for the doorknob and turned it hesitantly, pulling the door open towards her.
“Well, this is a fine kettle of fish” stated an indignant sounding male voice.
Celestia stood back, startled at the sight before her; a dishevelled looking man with black and white streaked hair, yellow eyes and goatee beard stared back at her. Before she could take in the startling nature of the man’s unconventional appearance, he waved a kettle in front of her gawping face, his demeanour demanding she take it. By reflex, she extended her hand and he slid the handle over her waiting fingers, breezing past her and into her office, claiming her seat and placing his feet up on her desk.
The sisters recovered their wits quickly and both stood to confront the impudent intruder.
“What do you think you’re doing?” barked Celestia with Luna at her side, staring accusingly at their visitor.
“Oh my” he replied sounding mildly rebuked, “Isn’t this the right way to behave here?”
At that, he snapped his fingers and a massive ornate desk, twice the size of Celestia’s, suddenly appeared, dwarfing everything in the room.
“I’ll just sit over here then” he said dismissively as he got up and trudged towards the latest addition.
“How did you … wha …?” gasped Celestia looking shocked.
“I sense trickery” glared Luna focusing on the unkempt form making himself at home.
Celestia, suddenly realising she was still holding a kettle filled with fish, placed the offering down on the floor and punched her hands onto her hips creating an image that all of the students at CHS knew and feared, the stranger continuing to appear completely unperturbed as he settled into his new seat.
“You would be Celestia” he pronounced reproachfully, looking towards the scowling figure in the yellow jacket, “Just as grumpy as your namesake in Equestria, I’m afraid to say.”
“How do you …” she asked.
“It’s on your door” he replied dismissively before turning to the Vice Principal, ”And you must be Luna, the quiet and thoughtful one.”
“But, how do you know …” she began, before she noticed him pointing just behind her. When she turned around, she saw a big neon sign with an arrow pointing towards her bearing the word Princess, that had been crossed out, followed by Luna.
Just then, the fish started singing a chorus of Good Morning to you, and Celestia turned to them in annoyance as her sister fought to conceal the start of a smile.
“What do you think you’re doing here?” demanded Celestia, the anger in her tone snapping her sister back to the seriousness of the situation at hand.
“Well, I’ve come to warn you that there is a leak of Equestrian magic into your world and it’s centred right outside your castle” he explained, “That is what good friends do, right?”
“Would this be the same magic we saw during the Battle of the Bands and the Friendship Games …?” began Celestia.
“And turned two of our students into demons?” added Luna.
“Oh, quite probably” replied the interloper, making no attempt to hide the boredom in his voice, “My name’s Discord, by the way.”
“As in the gaming app?” enquired Luna, drawing blank expressions from the other two, “I just happen to use it occasionally when I have spare time on my hands … occasionally … don’t judge me!”
“Well, that would go some way towards explaining the loud shouts coming from your bedroom at all hours of the night” mused Celestia.
“Sister!” chided Luna.
“I wasn’t going to comment, just in case it was your choice of activity with any house guests you may have neglected to inform me of …”
Luna blushed brightly at the revelation and was about to respond caustically about her sister’s own extra-curricular activities when, fortunately for all present, she was cut off.
“Anyway” he interrupted, clearing his throat, “Perhaps we can discuss this over tea?”
He snapped his fingers again and the fish stopped singing their repetitive chorus. Instantly the kettle levitated, and three cups of the finest bone china appeared as he proceeded to pour.
“Oh, do sit down, won’t you?” he chided, “You’re making the place look untidy.”
Faced with few options, the two sisters complied and each was given a full cup within which a silver spoon span around singing an operatic aria.
“There is a volume control on the side if you find it too loud” he instructed, and the sisters both noticed a slider control ranging from loud to quiet on their cups. Both immediately slid their fingers to the quiet position, much to his evident disapproval.
“Oh, they will be so upset” he grumbled.
“So tell us about this magic” demanded Celestia.
“Oh, yes, yes, yes!” he flustered, “Well, you see, back in Equestria, I’m the Spirit of Chaos, surely Princess Twilight has told you about me?”
With no response forthcoming, he gave an embarrassed cough and continued, “How very remiss of her. Anyway, I use my magic in all sorts of random ways, but since I’ve been reformed, it’s now mostly just for fun. But, the point is that I suddenly found myself here, like I was caught in a whirlpool of magic and sucked through into your world. One minute, there I was minding my own business … well, sort of … and next thing, thump, I’m here.”
The sisters looked at each other then back to him.
“Well, you see, the thing is, I still have my magic. And if I still have my magic, then you could end up with somepony else coming through with their magic too, and they might not be quite as reformed as me, if you catch my meaning. Do either of you know any magic?”
“I can do card tricks” Luna volunteered, before glimpsing her sister giving her a pained look out of the corner of her eye.
“Ahem … quite so. Charming though that sounds, I don’t think that would be likely to stop Tirek or Sombra or Chrysalis …” he listed, reeling off names that meant nothing in this world.
“So what do you suggest we do?” asked Celestia.
“Well” he started, taking a sip of his tea, ”I think we need to have a closer look at that plinth; that’s where the power’s coming from.”