//------------------------------// // Chapter 212 - The Final Confrontation with Neighsay // Story: Dadonequus Discord (Book 2) // by CrazedLaughter //------------------------------// “Well, this is it.” You said, staring at door 201, among a set of doors across a dirty and moldy looking hallway. “So, are we good? Anypony wanna say something before we knock?” You said as you looked towards Chrysalis and Celestia, expecting one of them to say something about the situation. “I do. I want to remind you both that Neighsay is incredibly stubborn. He will try to come up with a reason to discredit us, or prove that you’re still dangerous, Chrysalis.” Celestia states “I’m serious when I say we will need to stay the course if we are to win against him.” “Ugh…” Chrysalis groaned. “I can handle a cranky stallion, Celestia. I can also handle my temper. Again, fooling idiots is my specialty. If he becomes too aggressive, I’ll cry and become hurt. If he tries to twist my words, I’ll twist his. If he tries to attack me, I’ll become a scared little bug. It’s humiliating, yes, but it’ll get me what I want and you out of my mane.” “I suppose that’s all I can ask for then. How about you, Anon? Do you have any thoughts before we get his attention?” Celestia asked you. A slight sense of nervousness growing in her voice. After Chrysalis’s answer, I’d be worried too. She could say anything she wants, but she hasn’t had that much control of her temper for awhile now. You’d have to hope her eyes being on the prize would keep her in check. “I’m good.” You say as you sigh, trying to relax yourself. “I’ve dealt with the guy a few times before. I’m not gonna let him push me around. Besides, me and Chrysalis are a team. Right, Chrysalis?” Chrysalis smirked and actually let out a pleased little titter. “I’m going to have to admit it. If he’s anything like those two idiots, this will be a breeze for the both of us. Celestia, I’d suggest doing your thing… I guess. But try to take notes, you might learn something.” Celestia smirked then scoffed. “So we really are doing it this way, are we? Well, I think you’ll both be surprised how tricky I can be, while still being truthful.” “Hm? Are you willing to trick the Chancellor into getting what you desire, Celestia?” Chrysalis asked, with her usual dark form of curiosity. “In this case? Yes. Even if it is more of a dishonest trick… Well… Hm…” Celestia shrugged as she noticed her own hypocrisy. “Oh well, its not as if I command the elements anymore.” Woah. “Seriously? Didn’t know you had it in you, Celestia” It was pretty surprising to you. “I believe I once nearly let a pony be thrown into another dimension, among a few other things I’ve done. I’m willing to deceive one more time, if it is for the good of my friends, my kingdom, and the foals.” Celestia said as her smile became warm and loving, giving you a wink. Okay then, you get the idea, you called her out and now she’s figured out how to use it to her advantage as well. Was that really weird to you? Or was it weird because you, Chrysalis, and Celestia were about to triple team Neighsay? Something about that wording in your head bothered you, yet removing Neighsay from said equation made you feel fuzzy. No, focus, Anon! “Hm, we’ll see…” Chrysalis said, skeptical if Celestia was truly capable of pulling it off. “So, who’s going to knock on the door?” “I shall, but be alert, Neighsay will be at the ready the moment he sees us.” Celestia said as she raised her hoof, and gave the door a gentle knock. It didn’t take long for the peephole on the door to open to reveal an eye. There were no words said as it looked upon the three of you, then disappeared as the peephole was suddenly closed. You could then hear locks clicking as the door slowly opens to reveal the Chancellor himself.  He looked mostly the same, his mane still having that Dracula like comb back, his beard still evil looking. The only change was his Hawaiian like shirt he was wearing, which didn’t fit his look at all. “Princess Celestia? Princess Luna? And… Anon? Oh no, it really has happened, hasn’t it? Well…” Neighsay opened the door wider, and stepped aside to let the three of you through. “Come in, come in. I’m sure there is much to discuss.” Wut? “Uh, what do you mean by ‘it really has happened’?” You asked as you stepped inside first. Woah, the inside of the room was in huge contrast with the rest of the hotel. Everything was clean, well kept, even new seeming. The floor was swept, the colors vibrant, and on the table seemed to be a warm cup of tea and stacks and stacks of papers. “Indeed, I’m rather confused as well. Were you expecting us, Chancellor?” Celestia asked, leaning on caution due to the fact that Neighsay almost seemed relieved to see the three of you. “Not exactly, it is more that I was expecting some sort of royal visit after Princess Twilight most obviously had caused some sort of war between Equestria and… Well, it was the hippogriffs, wasn’t it?” Neighsay asked, almost seeming positively yet negatively excited on the false notion that something happened at the school. “Oh…” Chrysalis chuckled “I’m sorry to disappoint the both of us, Chancellor, but this has nothing to do with Princess Twilight herself.” Chrysalis said as she gave Celestia a wink. “Hrm? I wasn’t aware you shared my sentime- Wait…” Neighsay looked upon Celestia, looking upon her up and down, before turning his head slightly and peering deep into her eyes. “Is this about the wager?” “Well, yes. But it was something I didn’t expect we’d be chatting about so soon. Perhaps you’d like to sit down for this, share your tea with us perhaps.” Celestia said, trying to be as polite and proper with Neighsay as possible. “With this kind of news? No, I think we should get it out of the way. As you can see, I’ve been spending my vacation cleaning this vile room up into something respectable, while also practicing my hoofwriting over and over until I can keep my quill steady. Though, I have to admit, I don’t think whatever has been driving me to making the mistakes I have made has manifested itself during my vacation, as my writing seems fine.  Ah, but I digress, the wager. I have to admit, Princess Celestia, I had expected you to concede to me after my vacation was over, but I suppose such an evil creature such as the queen of the changelings is beyond help.” Neighsay said as he used his magic to bring over his tea and take a sip. He closed his eyes, sighed, then smiled towards Celestia with a warmer yet arrogant smirk. “But you needn’t fret too much. I’ve decided that any changes to your school would be too drastic. In other words, and despite my current opinion of you, there is no point changing anything when the results your school produces are good enough to produce an alicorn princess… Even if said princess is delusional. No, Princess Twilight’s school will suffice, as it doesn’t really serve a purpose anyway.” Oh god, this fucking bastard. You groan and just let him know yourself, rather bluntly, that he was wrong. “Holy sh-... Why would we be here if we lost the bet? That’s stupid! We won, Chancellor Jackass.” “Chancellor Jackass? I don’t think I’ve heard of that nickname before, but it does seem to have some nice ri- Wait, what?! You’re here to declare yourselves the winner?!” Neighsay said as he spat out his tea, even dropping the cup on the floor as it shattered, as he gave Celestia a wide eyed and shaken look. “Surely you jest! That’s impossible! You are aware one of the conditions of winning the wager is to produce proof of such a claim, correct?” “And I believe that’s my cue.” And without an actual cue from you or Celestia, Chrysalis transforms from Luna back to her original form, though she doesn’t hide her seraphic wings this time around. “Hello, Chancellor, I’ve so been wanting to meet you.” Neighsay froze, he started to swallow rapidly as he stared upon Chrysalis. “She’s here…” “Hm? Well, that was easy. I expectedhmmm?!” Suddenly, Chrysalis found herself floating in mid air, being held in some sort of stasis. “Okay, I see where this is going.” “Neighsay? What are you doing?! Let her go!” You shouted. Neighsay, despite his initial shock, immediately prepared himself to restrain Chrysalis, believing she was on the attack. And even without your chaos magic, you’d still toss his tea in his face if you had to, the fuck was he doing? “Back off! Can’t you see she disguised herself as Princess Luna to get close to me?” Neighsay said to you as he looked to Celestia. “Princess! We need to banish her immediately!” “Chancellor, would you mind letting my friend down? I already knew she was pretending to be my sister, it was the only way to get her here without arousing suspicion.” Celestia said calmly, quietly enjoying Chrysalis’s position before looking to her with a smirk. “I’m sorry, Chrysalis. He didn’t frighten you too badly, I hope.” “Without arousing suspicion?! Your friend?! What trickery is this?!” Neighsay said, bewildered by the reality that lay before him, unwilling to let Chrysalis down. “It’s not a trick! Let her down, she hasn’t even done anything to you!” You shouted at him, ready to blow him away if he tried anything on Chrysalis. You didn’t know how you’d blow him away, but goddammit you would. “She hasn’t… Yet. Do you expect me to believe she doesn’t have the both of you in some sort of trance? She is an ancient evil who has never shown even an ounce of good. And now you expect me to just let her roam about? You expect me to believe she came here of her own free will? To help you both win this wager? Tell me, what does she get out of this? Why would she want to save Princess Twilight’s atrocious little school?” Neighsay demanded answers, he wasn’t going to back down without some sort of fight. “Trust me, I agree with you, that school is atrocious. If it was up to me, I’d help you close down that school just for the satisfaction of seeing Twilight suffer.” Chrysalis said, with quite the agreeing yet sinister tone. But then she sighed, and looked over to Celestia with disappointment. “...But, Celestia is my friend, as is Anon. They asked me to come here to settle the wager and save Twilight’s school, and that is what I’m doing. As for what I get out of this? Nothing, I gain nothing from any of this. Anon has given me a home in the forest, and I’d rather just get back to that before I regret even coming here. That regret being not turning you to ash for assaulting me like this. It is taking a lot of my patience not to obliterate you right now.” Chrysalis calmly explained as she looked to her right forehoof boredly. “Are you threatening me? Are you aware of the hold I have on you right now?” Neighsay said, feeling he had the upper hand. “Yes, I believe I explained that I was in your clutches and that fighting back is something I’d do if you continue this course of action. You’re assaulting a queen, you, not me. So before I actually do anything, let me just ask, is it normal for idiots like you to make the first move and not expect retaliation? Or let me put it in simpler words for your feeble little mind. You’re being rude and I don’t like it.” Chrysalis said as regally as she could before turning to you with a pout. “Anon, he’s being a bwig bully. I came here to help and now I feel like a bad little mare.” “Geez, Chancellor, you really are that guy, aren’t you? You attack without warning, you make my friend feel bad, you’re kinda sorta committing treason attacking a friend of the princess who means no harm, and you’re being a shitty sore loser. Tch tch.” You shake your head at him, dismayed by his shameful display. “Quite frankly, this is pretty pathetic.” Finally, FINALLY, Chancellor Neighsay seems to buckle under pressure, and from your words no less. He gulps, then looks towards Celestia with a hard stare as Celestia gives him a cool discerning one. “H-he’s making it sound like I’m the villain here. But you, Princess Celestia, you understand how this looks, don’t you?” Celestia nodded. “Yes…” She then shrugged. “I do understand that a pony stands before me who can’t take a loss, and is willing to incite an entire war because he can’t accept defeat. Chancellor, you haven’t even given her a chance yet. If you want her to do anything evil at this moment, it’d be out of retaliation.” “In other words, it’d be your fault. Like, geez, come on. Heck, why are you so invested in this anyway? You’re some head of an education society, so why does this bother you so much?” You had to know. You had heard he loved Equestria, you knew he hated the five non-pony students at the school, but what gave him the right to interfere with Chrysalis’s reformation? Like, at all. But of course, he was gonna give you the same old shtick. “Because it is also my duty to protect Equestria, on my own terms, with education being my very battlefield. You may not realize this, but if she is pretending to be reformed, and she is allowed to do as she pleases, It’d create a sense of validation for Princess Twilight’s school to exist. Then, when this degenerate being reveals her true intentions, all those foals, everypony who had learned friendship from that princess who doesn’t truly understand it, would be devastated and lost, perhaps beyond saving. Not to mention that Equestria itself would be in danger, probably moreso, as this ‘queen’ would have access to secrets and places she shouldn’t have. So, do you understand now? Do you understand why I must seal her away into Tartarus?” Neighsay seemed dead serious in his words. Dammit, the guy really wasn’t a villain, he was just a fucking equivalent to an evangelical crusader. At least it puts away any last doubts you had about him allying with the Storm King. “I understand your concern, but you also must understand that she’s not only my friend, but that I was also her biggest enemy. If she wanted to try anything, she’d have made an attempt on my life when she had the chance.” Celestia explained. “I also understand your concern, simply because it’s good to know I’m fearsome in your eyes. But, she’s right, she completely ruined my life and for the longest time, all I ever wanted to see from her is the daisies rising up from her grave. And yet, here we are, me trying to save her former student’s school because she’s now my friend. And I’m sure you’re putting it together in your head right now, the only reason all of this happened was due to my best friend, Anon. Yes, it’s strange a girl like me would be best friends with a colt like him, but he’s such a little darling when he wants to be.” Chrysalis explained with a snicker before looking to Neighsay with vicious eyes. “NOW LET ME DOWN! IT SHOULD BE CLEAR BY NOW THAT I’M NOT HERE TO DESTROY ANYPONY! BUT KEEP THIS UP! KEEP THIS UP AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU TRY ME!” “Again, Chancellor, you lost. So I’m just gonna ask one more time. Please let down my friend before she loses it, okay? You're making her angry.” You tried to stay calm. But really, god, you wanted to at least slap his shit. Neighsay was twitching more and more. He still hadn’t loosened his grip on Chrysalis, but he wasn’t saying anything either. Fine then, if he was going to be this much of an asshole, then it looked like you were going to have to go with plan B. Suddenly, you began to become dramatic as you looked towards the window. “Chrysalis! My friend, Chrysalis! I can’t, I just can’t! I can’t continue to exist knowing Neighsay is going to take you away from me forever. I’m going to end myself by jumping out that window!” You say as you point to the closed window next to the bed. ”That window right there, going to jump right out! Nopony try to stop me! Because I don’t feel like living anymore.” You said as you gave Chrysalis a wink. Chrysalis was a little confused at first, but then suddenly she began to also speak in a dramatic way. “Anon! My friend, do not do it! Do not jump out that window! If you do, and I lose you, then I will take everything back. I will destroy you, Neighsay. And Celestia, I will take pleasure in ending you for causing Anon to jump out that window! Everypony will know my fury, and it will be all thanks to you, Chancellor!” “What? What are you both talking about?” Celestia said in confusion. Neighsay snapped out his stunned stupor upon hearing the poor acting from you and Chrysalis, as well as noticing that Celestia seemed confused about it as well. “What is this? I should have known this was some sort of-” But before Neighsay could finish his sentence, you suddenly just… Flew out the window, screaming in confusion. It was so horrid and stunning that Neighsay once again froze, and even dropped Chrysalis from his spell. “Nooooo! Anon, I was too late!” Celestia said as she reached towards the window, her horn softly glowing for some reason. Chrysalis slowly stood up and dusted herself off, then slowly walked towards Celestia without garnering notice from Neighsay and whispered. “Did you just throw him out the window?” Celestia then whispered back with a nod. “Yes, I didn’t realize what was going on immediately, but I picked up on it. Good trick. So, when do you reel him back in?” “Me? I didn’t catch him, I thought you were holding him, your horn is glowing after all.” Chrysalis said. “I…” Celestia gulped, as she began to tense up. “My horn was glowing to try to counter any spell the Chancellor would try on you, as I thought there was a chance this wouldn’t work.” “Ah, that makes sense.” Chrysalis said as she began to calmly peer over to Neighsay, who had fallen to the ground, looking to his own hooves in shock. “W-what?! Aren’t you worried?! Shouldn’t we get to him as soon as possible?” Celestia said, shocked to see Chrysalis’s calm demeanor, and horrified that she herself may have actually killed you. “Bah, he’ll be fine. Are you seeing this? He’s having a mental breakdown, that’s hilarious. Relax, Princess, we’re about to see a real show.” Chrysalis said as she plopped onto her butt, and just observed the grieving Neighsay, who slowly walked over to the window, and began to break down before he could reach it. “These are the times you wish you had some snacks to enhance the moment.” “...” Celestia froze, having suddenly realized you may have actually died. She was completely speechless. Chrysalis gives her a gentle shove to the side and grins at her. “Come on, enjoy the moment. If you think a one story fall is going to end Anon, then you’re worrying too much.” “Are you going to tell me he’s not going to be horribly injured from the fall?” Celestia said, giving her a horrified yet serious stare. Chrysalis shrugged. “Yes, because I know he’s smart enough to use his horn to at least produce a barrier to soften his fall. I’m not worried about it, and neither should you. Now, hush, he’s starting to shake.” Neighsay had slowly ventured towards the window, he could already hear the shrieks of ponies rising into the air, yet he dare not look through the window. “I…  Why would he… Was his friendship that strong? Is… is that what a true bond of friendship is?” "Chrysalis, I can hear ponies screaming." Celestia whispered. "Fine, fine, let me go make sure he's not splattered all over the ground. You royal baby." Chrysalis said with an eyeroll. Neighsay fell to his ass, and looked to his two front hooves once again. “Did I do this? That young colt, at the prime of his life. I-I didn’t mean to be so difficult, I was just trying to look after Equestria’s best interests.” Neighsay slowly stood up, and walked to a mirror above the dresser of the room, and stared into it, horrified with himself. “I’m no better than those I condemn…” He then looked to Celestia, his voice still filled with regret, his tone was pained and sorrowful. “Princess, I… I’m no longer fit for my position, I’m… No longer fit to be allowed to roam this land. I’ve done an ultimate evil, and… and…” “And I got him.” Chrysalis said as she hoisted you up from a flagpole you had somehow landed on and latched onto, Chrysalis then brought you into the room to brush you off while you hung there in mid air. “Well, Anon, good to see you didn’t leave any marks on the pavement.” And, of course, you were livid as you began to kick to and fro. “Why didn’t any of you catch me?! Concrete is hard, you know?! I do not feel like having a rea-MPH” Suddenly, a golden glow came upon your lips and kept them sealed. Celestia, using a spell to silence you, sighed in relief that you were alright. However, she could also see you were too pissed to play along at the moment, and decided to lead things along herself. “Chrysalis?! Oh, thank goodness, you saved Anon! That’s so wonderful, you’re so wonderful!” Chrysalis groaned as she dropped you onto the ground after seeing you were alright. "Ugh, can it, Celestia, he isn’t even listening anymore. See?” She pointed over to Neighsay, who went back to staring at the mirror. “How could you do it, Neighsay? Maybe she was reformed, maybe she wasn’t. You saw her wings, maybe they were telling the truth. Anon, he believed it either way, so much so… How? How does a foal have so much devotion? So much love for one so evil? Is she evil? No, I’m evil… I lost my way. Perhaps I don’t even care about the schools, the foals, the safety of Equestria maybe. I don’t hate Princess Twilight, I just… Felt…” He stopped, and brought his hoof to his heart as he felt a pained agony in his chest. “I’m deluding myself, I had their records, I had seen they had not caused any trouble, and yet I persisted. Mercy… No, I don’t deserve it at all, not after this. I am no better than even that despicable centaur.” “Anon… Just go let him know you're okay, he’s being so pathetic that it’s throwing my senses off.” Chrysalis said as she waved you over to him. "It's just too much." “Yeah… I see what you mean. I didn’t expect him to react this much, I thought he’d think it was a trick.” You said, truly surprised by Neighsay’s sudden shift in emotion. “As I had said, he truly cares about Equestria and the ponies who reside within it. I wish it was more than ponies, and in fact, you might be able to make that happen, Anon. Please, go to him, I can’t bear to see him like this.” Celestia said, feeling sympathy for the Chancellor’s lament. “Yeah… Got it.” You nod, and walk over to Neighsay, and gently tug at his shirt. “Chancellor, hey? You okay?” “As you can see, I am not. I just ended your life through my own stubbornness.” He responded, not even looking at you. “I mean, you almost did. But, er, um… Then Chrysalis caught me, heh, she didn’t want to see me get splattered, y’know? I guess I overreacted.” You said, trying your best to sound like an innocent and foolish little colt. “Tch, it doesn’t matter now that… Wait.” Neighsay turned over to you, with visible tears in his eyes. “Anon?” You shrug, and give him a warm smile. “I mean, yeah? Who else would I be? And I can’t be Chrysalis, she’s still standing right there.” “I-indeed…” Neighsay said, using a handkerchief from his shirt to wipe his eyes. “I… I hadn’t even noticed that she had caught you. Why would you even do that?” “Because you wanted to send my friend to Tartarus, and I… I couldn’t handle it.” You sat next to him, and looked up at him as you swished your tail about, your ear flicking. “I don’t know what I’d do if I lost any of my friends, and Chrysalis is especially important to me. She’s like family to me, Neighsay. And I know she feels the same about me. She loves me too, even if she has to be a butt about it sometimes.” “I would have never believed that, until I saw you had survived your fall thanks to her. Such dedication. If she was such a truly foul being, as I had believed, she wouldn’t have saved you, she’d have no reason to, given I was going to send her straight to Tartarus regardless of any proof. To have caught you from the second story window without hesitation, before you hit the ground, it was much too quick to make me doubt if she had any other intention in saving you.” Neighsay sighed, and looked ahead, back into the mirror. “It seems I have made too grave a mistake this time. I don’t expect you to forgive me for causing this much trouble.” “Bah, it’s cool.” It wasn’t, but whatever. “You’re alright, Chancellor. But… What about Chrysalis? You’re not going to send her away, are you?” Neighsay sighed, looked to Chrysalis, then Celestia, then to you. “No, I suppose I won’t, I need to take this loss with dignity, even if I have only acted like a foolish foal thus far.” Neighsay slowly stood up, and walked over to Celestia, and bowed before her. “Princess Celestia, I acknowledge my defeat. So much so that once I return to the office, Princess Twilight’s school will be fully accredited under the EEA.” Celestia nearly sighed in relief, but kept her regal composure as she nodded. “Thank you, Chancellor. Of course, if you don’t mind, I’d also hope you’d apologize to our dear new friend, Chrysalis.” “Ah, yes! O-of course.” Neighsay said, with only slight hesitancy. He looked to Chrysalis, and gave her a polite bow. “My apologies, truly, I have been nothing short of a lousy parasprite.” “You have, but I can forgive you. Oh, I cannot wait to tell my little sister, Diamond Tiara, about this.” Chrysalis said out loud, causing all three of you to freeze. Shit, she wasn’t supposed to say that! “W-what?! You k-” But before Neighsay could finish, Chrysalis cut him off. “Yes, I know her, we’re friends. Practically sisters.” Chrysalis slowly began to approach Neighsay with an insidious smirk. “It doesn’t bother you, does it? You wouldn’t think that I might perhaps be trying to corrupt her young little mind for evil purposes, hm? You wouldn’t think that at all, correct?” Neighsay gulped. Now he wanted to say something, but that traumatizing moment was holding him back. He didn’t want to be the cause of another potential suicide or fill you with resentment. “O-of course not, I’d like to think I’d h-have noticed something if you w-were.” “Indeed…” Chrysalis said as she even dared to rub her hoof on his beard before giving his chin a slightly painful flick. She then walked over to you and began to give you a gentle hug. “Anon, my bestie best friend, I really am glad you’re okay.” While she was holding you up with her magic, you had to ask, you had to know why. “The hell was that about?” “A matter of dominance. To make sure he understands that if he tries anything with me, you, or now, Little Diamond… Well, let’s just say it won’t end nicely for him.” Chrysalis said with a dark chuckle. "I want him to ferment in his doubt, knowing he can't do anything about it." “Nice.” You said, as you got a little bit more into the hugging. Celestia just stood there, relieved with how the situation turned out. And while you had your time with Chrysalis, she had decided to ask Neighsay if she could talk to him outside the room. For everything that just happened, she couldn’t leave him all shaken up like that. In the end though, finally, everyone got what they wanted. Well, except for Shining, that asshole was gonna get his. But holy shit, it actually worked out! The three of you beat Neighsay! Maybe that was the season ender all along. There was finally no more conflict or evil to contend with, and Chrysalis? Oh man, she was good now! Well, as good as she was gonna get.  And yet, somehow, the story continues on, with one more ominous cloud hanging in the distance.