//------------------------------// // Epilogue // Story: Over There // by Boltstrike58 //------------------------------// The chaos dimension was an unusual place, as one would expect. None of the established laws of the universe really applied there, mostly because Discord felt they were superfluous. Chunks of land floated without reason, water tended to flow upwards, and stepping on the wrong blade of grass would make you sneeze (don't ask how that one works). Any creature not native to such a place would probably find themselves driven mad. Not because the sight of it was so illogical or mind-breaking, but because it was so confusing to navigate. Luckily, after some coaxing, Discord had been persuaded to cut off most of the entrances, meaning ponies or other creatures couldn't just wander into it. Speaking of the lord of chaos, he was currently attempting to write another letter to Fluttershy, hoping to establish a time for their next meetup. He chewed on his pencil (which proceeded to make a squeaking noise) as he mulled over his words. When it came to Fluttershy, Discord always tried to get everything just right, cherishing his friendship with the introverted pegasus more than anything he possessed. Unfortunately, Discord was not the most poetic of souls, so expressing his feelings didn't come easy to him. He crumpled up his most recent letter and tossed it into the trash bucket, which was, of course, on the ceiling. As he grabbed another sheet of paper to begin again, Discord was distracted by a knock at the door. This peaked his curiosity, as he almost never got any unannounced visitors. If Twilight or Celestia or somepony needed him, usually they'd just activate the summoning spell. He hadn't scheduled anyone to come over today, so he had no idea who was coming. Putting his writing materials away, Discord snapped his fingers, causing the door to swing open. At first, he thought he'd been at his work so long that night had fallen. That is, until he saw the edge of the long black cloak, which obscured the figure's face. Underneath the cloak was a dark blue suit. Looking up into the cloak's hood, Discord saw a pair of piercing blue eyes. "Oh, it's you," said the master of chaos. "Since when do you make social calls?" "Since I have nothing better to do with my time," replied the cloaked being. "Come on, Discord, that's part of friendship. You should've learned that by now." "Whatever." Discord didn't look happy about it, but he stood aside all the same, allowing the figure passage into his house. "Seriously, what brought you here? Don't give me that 'social call' nonsense." "What? We haven't seen each other since before you were turned to stone the first time! Can't a guy just want to catch up?" Discord's expression was one of sheer disbelief. The figure sighed, his cloak ruffling as he pulled a floating chair down to the floor. "Alright, you win. I wanted to talk to somebody about a...deal I made." "The deal that sent Mr. Swift Wing to Equestria?" inquired Discord, pouring his guest some tea. "It was that obvious, huh?" asked the cloaked one. "I know it would've been more 'interesting' to just dump him in Equestria in his human form, but he wanted to fit in, and...y'know, he asked nicely." "Did you actually come to me to ask about whether or not you did the right thing by offering him that deal?" asked Discord. "Because you'd be better off talking to Celestia." "First of all, Celestia doesn't even know I exist. And I'd like to keep it that way. Second, I don't regret it. He's actually doing okay, if you're interested." The cloaked figure raised one hand, and his index finger popped alight with fire. He drew a circle in the air with the flame, and in the middle of the circle, a window appeared, projecting an image. Inside the image, Swift Wing hovered above an assembly line of clouds, bucking each one as it passed him. A lightning bolt struck lanced downwards at each buck, but if the cloud failed to produce the electricity, he pulled it off the line and stuffed it into a vat. "He made it to Cloudsdale, got a job. He seems to be doing alright." "You still sound doubtful. So tell me: Why are you here?" The cloaked being sighed to himself, closing his blue eyes beneath his hood. "Okay, maybe I'm not completely sure of myself." He folded his hands together. "Look, the kid had a hard life. I watched him for years before I offered, trying to see if the circumstances beyond his control would get better. They didn't, so I gave him the chance to start over. Some people really need a completely new environment in order to thrive. But be honest, Discord: Did I do the right thing?" "What makes you second guess yourself?" asked the draconequus. "I guess I sort of underestimated just how bad his problems were," admitted the figure. "I thought maybe, since he knew the show, he'd just go up to Twilight and confess everything, but he didn't. I thought he'd let them in, and he'd get better from being around them. But he assumed they'd judge him, that everypony would judge him. He won't let a single living thing inside." Discord nodded. "It's enough to make even me feel empathetic. I've never really met the guy, and I can tell you, he's got issues." The cloaked one's blue eyes glared at him for that. "You might be a little more sensitive, Discord," he remarked. "I mean, it's true, but still. The question remains: did I do the right thing, sending him to Equestria? Did it really make a difference in his life?" Discord thoughtfully scratched his beard. "Well, why did you do it in the first place?" "I just wanted to help people who deserved better than what they got," admitted the cloaked being. "People pray and hope that something better will come along, because their mental problems sap all their energy and make it hard for them to fix themselves. I thought, if I gave them that push, put them in a world where maybe they'd be happier, they'd snap out of that funk." He looked sadly at the image in the portal. "But Swift...he's still sick. He's got so many problems, and I have no idea how he's gonna fix them." Discord shrugged. "Look, buddy, I'm hardly the expert, but you did everything you could. If we could just magically take the pain of living beings away, you know Celestia would've asked me to start doing that. And besides, like you said, the kid's doing okay now. He's starting over somewhere no one will figure out what he really is, meaning that he won't have that imaginary obstacle to deal with, at least for a while." "Yeah, I guess that's true," sighed the cloaked figure. He got back to his feet. "Thanks, Discord. I'll leave, I won't make you serve me stuff." "Thanks," replied the master of chaos, snapping his fingers and opening the door. The figure stepped back out into the wastes of the chaos dimension, cloak swirling behind him. Discord walked back to his desk, pulling up another sheet of paper, but the muse still hadn't struck. Curious, he snapped his fingers, recreating the projection mirror from before. An image of Swift Wing appeared in the center, flying alongside several other pegasi, pushing clouds towards the weather factor. Discord placed his lion's paw on his chin, thinking. "I'll have to keep an eye on you, Swift Wing," he muttered. Somewhere in Cloudsdale, Swift Wing looked out across the sky. He had the strangest feeling someone was speaking about him.