//------------------------------// // Chapter 24 – Brave Face // Story: The One True King // by JDPrime22 //------------------------------// Chapter 24 “The more the panic grows, the more uplifting the image of a man who refuses to bow to the terror.” — Ernst Junger The Radiance Eastern Ocean Radios were ablaze. Emergency beacons were activated and alarms blared all across the Radiance’s bridge. Communications were filled to the brim with panicked world leaders all receiving the same terrifying distress signals from their own home countries. And all they could do was stand in the midst of the chaos and try and breathe it all in. Celestia, Luna, Twilight, and all the Council of Friendship tried to make sense of what was happening, but it was practically impossible. One letter after another kept magically appearing in thin air, with a flash of magic and an aura of power falling into the hooves of the communications officers in the bridge. Those letters would then be transferred to the center table for Celestia, Luna, and Twilight to decipher and respond. Sooner rather than later, it was becoming much more hectic. The radios started calling in, with nearby airships wishing to speak to Celestia and Luna on the issue at hoof. That being the sudden distress letter the ruler of each kingdom received. Such as the rulers of Saddle Arabia and Hailberg, each of them speaking of their T.I.T.A.N. outposts suddenly being breached. There were even distress letters received from Zebrabwe and Casaflanka, from Trotsylvania to Griffonstone, all the way in Dodge City and even in Somnambula. Pockmarked and stretched across the globe. All of them the same. Giant monsters inflicting their will and madness upon the helpless cities and settlements. Whatever they tried to hide from the world was no longer applicable to their current situation. The Titans were free and thousands had already witnessed them with their own eyes. There was no reason to hide the truth anymore. All they needed to focus on was containing the situation to the best of their abilities. Even that seemed like a pipe dream, an impossible reality. But one was not bound to their reality. One had chosen to assist them in a way that benefited all of Equus, not just his own chaotic desires. And now they had no word on where he was, or what even became of Discord. They had all known and agreed to the inclusion of Discord in their joint operation. Some world leaders even had the gall—or the right mindset—to consider Discord as the one to blame for the sudden destruction of the outposts. With no sign or response from the Spirit of Chaos, they could only assume the worst. The worst had yet to come, and everypony felt it. Ember gazed to each distress letter scattered across the face of the table, her expression hardened and cracking at every conceivable notion she tried to take, at every brave stance she tried to formulate. Her home had already suffered well enough, and now the thought of seeing others suffer just as well from these beasts was too much for the Dragon Lord to take in at once, let alone properly and effectively respond to. The two sisters remained resolute yet terribly shaken, responding to each radio transmission and informing the communications officers of what they wanted to tell the other world leaders. They read each letter in unison, discussing with Bon Bon, Shining Armor, Cadance, and Twilight how best to respond both from their homeland and beyond. With aid from the Council—though all of them hardly appeared to be in a positive state of mind—they managed to create some form of response to each letter. They told the remaining survivors at each city and settlement to report to the designated bunkers created specifically for their present emergency. Mentioning the bunkers to the Council was a surprise, especially to Twilight, and yet another one of Celestia and Luna’s many secrets. One of T.I.T.A.N.’s secrets, and their species’ last means of survival in case of an apocalyptic scenario involving the Titans. Bon Bon knew about them, too, slightly pained by the memory and the severity of the bunkers’ purpose. Now, they were finally being brought into play. Her worst fears were coming to light. For added assurance, they informed each settlement that support would arrive soon, and to keep a steady contact with the Titans to see where they would travel next. All they knew, from what the destruction could tell, the Titans were moving in the same direction, to the same destination: Outpost Peak. Or, what was left of it. With wishful thinking and praying for a whole lot of luck, Twilight let her magic flow from her horn and surround each responding letter, which were then magically transported back to each specific location. Celestia and Luna also assisted, with Cadance and Shining aiding as well, and Spike spewing his green flames to help Twilight. The letters were sent out in puffs of different shades of magic, off through the air to hopefully reach the ponies crying out for help. Thankfully, the letters T.I.T.A.N. supplied to each city and settlement were magically set to travel only to Celestia or Luna’s present location, and in return to the cities of which they came, as they had created the letters to respond in such a way. That way, the populace of each settlement had the assurance that their messages were always going to be received by the former princesses. At least, that was how the emergency distress letters were set up in Equestria. It was undoubtedly similar—or possibly different—for the other nations. Stress flowed like untamed river rapids, rapidly increasing in both turbulence and anxiety. The engines of the Radiance and of the airship fleet surrounding them increased to the maximum velocity, to ensure they reached the epicenter of the explosions worldwide. Everypony was on edge. They had no idea what to expect, only that when they reached what remained of the outpost, something undoubtedly terrible was awaiting them. Fluttershy seemed to take it the hardest. For even in the midst of such uncertainties and strife, there was one that boiled the hottest, the one in the heart of their situation that everypony seemed to mention and then quickly move on from. But not Fluttershy. She could only fear for her friend’s safety. Even if nopony else did, she believed Discord was not to blame for what happened. She alone prayed that her friend was still safe, even after all that had happened. The Pegasus whimpered and shuddered from her meager position at the center table, but she was not ignored. Rarity and Applejack consoled and comforted their friend to the best of their ability, assuring her that Discord was fine. He had gotten out of far worse situations before, and all of them unscathed. But it only grew worse as time went on. With each passing minute, not even the comforting words from her friends could supply Fluttershy with the hope she needed. A near half-hour had passed, and there was still no sign of him. Nothing to indicate he had made it out. No signal. No letter. No— Just then, a chaotic burst of magic flooded the bridge and earned the attention of everypony present. Fluttershy gasped, her hooves rising to her agape mouth, eyes wide with hope. With stunted fear. Silence suddenly flooded the bridge, and every last breath was held as the portal swirled and grew, until finally, in a bright flash, there appeared the withered draconequus to every conceivable eye. He flopped flat on the metal floor, chin crashing first as he practically melted. “Discord!” Fluttershy cried, the tears she had managed to keep in for so long finally bursting free. She couldn’t help herself. She spread her wings and flew forth from the center table. A rush of bodies slid to his sides, Fluttershy being the first with shocking speed. The remaining members of the Council reached him quickly, from Twilight, Spike, Rainbow, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie. Bon Bon broke away from the table but did not approach Discord, choosing instead to stare from a distance. “Oh, we were so worried! Do not, I repeat, DO NOT do that to us again, Discord!” Fluttershy exclaimed, moments before giving in and nuzzling the side of his face. Cradling his head in her hooves, Fluttershy was rapidly panicking at the lack of reaction from the draconequus to seeing his friends. “Discord…?” He appeared deeply wounded and weary, scorch marks and dried blood plastered across his fur from head to toe. His bones felt like broken sticks, or rubber, putty in everypony’s hooves as they gawked in horror at the touch. Pinkie giggled and waved Discord’s floppy goat leg above her head, Applejack responding with a swift cuff in the back of her head. After several tense moments of calling his name and gently prodding at him, Discord finally responded by fluttering his eyes open. Everypony expressed smiles of relief, especially Fluttershy. Then, he answered with a heaving cough—causing the Council to flinch back in shock and disgust—the draconequus hacking up a smog cloud before his neck wilted like a dying flower once more. “Discord…” Finding the strength to lift his head on his own, Discord turned to face the approaching figures of Celestia, Luna, Cadance, Shining Armor, and Ember, all of them reaching where Bon Bon stood. The special agent cast them each a quick glance before falling forward, before allowing her stare to settle with theirs on Discord. Their shadows fell over him, and Discord could only shrink at the mere presence of a shadow, his expression tightening, furthering in his own display of disgust, shock, and trauma. Mostly, though, embarrassment for what had happened. They read him like a book, studying every burn, every broken bone, and every detail emphasized from his expression. They read nothing good, nothing comforting, and dared to even ask the simplest of questions. “What happened?” Celestia demanded. Soon enough, all the bridge fell fully silent and turned their attention onto the wilted Spirit of Chaos. Every breath was held, every head was turned, and every eye remained unblinking. Even the Council of Friendship were at Discord’s word, staring at him with those wide, hopeful, terrified, unsettled stares. All of these things, and yet only Discord knew the truth. Only he knew what really happened. Cracking his neck with a satisfying flurry of pops, Discord sighed with a grimace and held up his lion paw. He managed a growing, nervous grin, narrowing his disjointed eyes to the former princesses as he closed his pointing finger and his thumb close together. Answering with a high-pitched, timid voice, “Little problem.”