Discord sat in his throne, watching all of his chaos wreak havoc upon Equestria. He had tricked Princess Celestia’s protege and her friends, changing their personalities to make the Elements of Harmony useless against him. And even when Twilight Sparkle had any hope of stopping him once she found them hidden in her library in Ponyville, it was already too late. He gave her an opening, and the Elements had failed, especially when she tried to use her little dragon companion, Spike, as the Element of Loyalty’s replacement when Rainbow Dash was nowhere to be found. He was free to unleash his chaos however he pleased, and the Elements of Harmony were no longer a threat now that the six bearers were all broken and separated.
Though, as he watched the buffalo dance a hilarious ballet, homes and pieces of the land floating and spinning around in their own lack of gravitation force, and all manner of nonsensical hilarity, Discord knew that his freedom wouldn’t last long. His gut feeling told him the Elements of Harmony will eventually be reunited, possibly no thanks to Celestia, almost forgetting about the powerful alicorn goddess who turned him into stone with her younger sister, Luna. He should have done something to corrupt her, but she was wise to steer clear of an all-powerful being who can bend reality with just the snap of his fingers.
“Wonder when Twilight Sparkle will eventually come to her senses and wake her precious friends from my influence?” the draconequus pondered aloud. Letting out a heavy sigh, Discord slumped out of his seat like a slithering snake, then shooting back up on his feet with a bored look. “I’ve spent a thousand years trapped in stone, many years wasted on nothing while I had all my fun in the past...I don’t even remember how old I am. Or even when my birthday is!” Snapping his fingers, Discord materialized a cracked mirror. He glanced at his figure in the multiple reflections, running his digits along his face, mane, and his gray goatee. “I can’t even remember everything from my youth.
“Maybe I have gone a bit senile.” Slowly, he turned his gaze from his mirror to a dimension he knows exists, leering blankly at the invisible window that other creatures could see what he does and hear him say. “Or maybe the writers didn’t elaborate more on my past and my youth is left up to the interpretations of the fans and fanfiction writers.” He continued staring into space, at least that’s what it would seem to any passersby, though they were a bit caught up in his chaotic influence to pay the draconequus any mind. Sighing again, he flicked his mirror away, letting it fall to the ground and turn into an explosion of bubbles. “I might not even be immortal. And I’m the only one of my kind.
“If those Elements actually take away my life, I won’t even have anypony to take over for me. You can’t live in true peaceful harmony without a little chaos. Where would I even find an heir to be the next Lord of Chaos?” Discord paced around as he formulated an idea to keep his legacy going if worse comes to worse. “I don’t even know if I’m compatible with other creatures to have a child with. Plus, that would take too long. There is the thought of adoption, but I doubt anypony would want my chaotic powers...Except maybe Pinkie Pie. She’s definitely got what it takes with her unique ‘magic’. What sort of creature would be willing to-?”
Discord froze in his tracks, suddenly getting an idea. With a snap of his fingers, he teleported away to someplace not even Equestria was aware of.
The sound of the bell ringing snapped me out of my focused dazed. I hadn’t realized how much time had passed since I began reading one of the assigned books my teacher listed for a book report in a couple weeks. Placing a bookmark in the page I left off on, I placed all of my supplies in my backpack, barely paying attention to my teacher reminding us to read our books and get some notes down for our important assignment. Of course I would follow through as I strive to get the best grades possible, giving a small response with some of my other classmates and filed out of the classroom to head back home.
My name is Charles. I’m fifteen years old, have brown skin, hazel eyes, and a short dark brown afro. I’m not much of the outgoing type, though I do have a couple of friends I occasionally talk to. My parents both work with decent jobs to help raise me and my younger sister. Her name’s Alyssa, who’s only a few years younger than me with the same skin tone and hair color, but her hair length reaches an inch from her shoulders and ties it up in a ponytail. She’s also really obsessed with the show “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic”. I’ve heard through the internet that the other earlier generations of the cartoon were pretty terrible, and many young boys in that generation cringe whenever they heard that telltale theme song when commercials for their toys rang on the TV. Even I did when I heard that opening jingle of the current show’s theme when Alyssa would snatch the remote and change the channel to watch the newest episode...for a couple weeks. I will admit, when I was forced to watch some of the episodes, some of the bits and jokes did get a laugh out of me, and the animation and characters were far better than those older shows.
After half an hour of waiting for my bus and riding it through the busy afternoon streets, I got off at my stop and immediately headed for my house. Luckily, my place was only about two or three streets away from the bus stop in the neighborhood, so I didn’t have to worry about rushing if I was running late. I was glad it was the weekend. I could relax, finish up this intriguing novel for my book report, and do a bit of gaming with some of my friends online.
When I arrived, I noticed both cars my parents drive weren’t in the driveway, which meant I was stuck watching Alyssa until they got back later tonight. I walked in through the front door, and from the living room, I could hear Alyssa’s favorite cartoon playing on the TV.
“Alyssa, I’m home!” I called out to get her attention, though I doubt she’d pay much attention when she’s so engrossed in her colorful ponies and the magic of friendship.
As I expected, she didn’t even turn to see who it was or hear the front door open and close. Placing my backpack down in the kitchen, skimming over the note mom wrote for us saying she and dad would be out late tonight, I made my way back to the living room. Alyssa seemed to be watching the second part of the season two premiere of My Little Pony, for the umpteenth time. We got her the DVDs of all the seasons and episodes that were currently out, and she watches them all from beginning to end until the newest episode was about to air. She was at the part where that weird guy with all the animal parts, Discord, turned Ponyville into his chaos capital, and the purple unicorn, Twilight Sparkle, was getting annoyed by her friends’ alternated personalities. I’ve seen the episodes where Discord’s around, and he kills the show as one of the best villains I’ve ever known in any show I’ve watched. He’s clever, but he’s a psychotic nutcase with the power to bend reality and create whatever he desires with just a snap of his fingers. It’s so awesome.
Sneaking up behind Alyssa, I quietly raised my hands over her shoulders, stifling a laugh, then grasped her shoulders faster than she could react with a small yell. “AHHHH!” she screamed, jumping off the couch as she turned around, and I laughed at her surprise. “C-Charles, you big dummy! Don’t do that!”
“I said I was home!” I said through my laughter. “I swear, if we were getting robbed, you wouldn’t even hear them break into the house with your favorite show on.”
She puffed out her cheeks angrily and let out a huff. “I would not!” she argued.
“Uh huh. I’ll believe that when I find a way to simulate a break-in,” I snickered. Alyssa let out another huff, then sat back down in her seat with a pout. I’m only teasing her, and I’m sure she knows it, though I can never tell if she’s just acting or she’s going to tell mom and get me into trouble. I walked around the couch and plopped down next to her to watch the second half of this two-parter. “You know, if the ponies can see color, why doesn’t Twilight realize that her friends’ colors are grayed out, and turning more gray by the minute?”
“Because Discord wants to hurt Twilight and think the others don’t care about her or saving Equestria,” Alyssa stated matter-of-factly.
“So why doesn’t he corrupt her like the others?” I asked. “He forced Fluttershy to when his plan to trick her failed.”
“Because he cheated, and he has fun messing with the ponies,” she answered in that very same tone, like she was actually the expert in everything about the show.
“He’s been cheating since he tricked them into going into that hedge maze,” I countered. “I would have just corrupted them all, and just like that, no magical crown and necklaces to stop me from spreading chaos.”
“You’re a cheater, too, then.” I just rolled my eyes at her response.
“An all powerful god who can’t be defeated by anything except his own hubris,” I said. We watch Discord poking fun at Twilight as her friends up and leave her, changing her and giving up hope as she sadly walked home to her home. “He even took the Elements of Harmony before from that safe. He can take them again.”
“Why do you have to ruin the story?” Alyssa questioned bitterly.
“Because some people like to pick apart flaws in stories that could end up with a different scenario. That’s called criticism.” She said nothing and we continued watching the episode for a few minutes before a thought crossed my mind. “Did you finish any of your homework?”
“Yes,” Alyssa said, far too quickly to my liking.
“You sure? Because dad’s gonna check on your stuff, and if you’re falling behind again, he’s gonna take all your favorite pony toys until you get better grades.” Alyssa let out a grumble, muttering something about her schoolwork being boring, but she got up out of her seat and headed to her room. I paused the episode so she didn’t get more moody when she “misses” the episode despite seeing them dozens of times. “I’ll order us some pizza, and I’ll help check on your work, ok!?”
“Alright!” I heard her call back.
I got up, stretching out my back as I stared at the moment in the episode I paused on. Discord was sitting on his chaos throne, having just made a glass of chocolate milk rained down by a pink cotton candy cloud to toast to his power. I think it would have been funnier if he actually had his beverage in a wine glass instead to make him look much more like a sinister villain, but fans would probably complain about the usual villain tropes most evil characters have through the last decade of internet whining.
I walked back into the kitchen to order us that pizza. I noticed the money mom had left before I found the number of my favorite pizza place. I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and dialed the number, but I barely pushed four of the numbers when I noticed an odd flash coming from the living room. Taking a glance into the room, I thought Alyssa snuck back to the TV to continue watching the episode, but I didn’t see her, and the video was still paused with Discord on his throne.
I shrugged and continued dialing the number and ordered our dinner for tonight. It would be delivered in about thirty minutes. Plenty of time for Alyssa to finish up any missing homework, check it, and finish up the episode to move on to, hopefully, something else to watch. I love my sister and all, but it’s pretty embarrassing if anyone sees me watching a cartoon’s original demographic was only for little girls.
Grabbing my backpack, I took out my book while I took my pack into my room and set it down. As I walked back into the living room to read a little more, I noticed something odd about the TV; more specifically, something was odd with Discord on the screen. Well, odder than he’s supposed to be, but I could have sworn I saw him frozen on screen while he was gloating, not literally sitting on his throne with his chocolate milk like a villain. Curious, I grabbed the remote and pushed the Play button, but I didn’t see the arrow appear on the screen. Nothing should be wrong with the controller. Not even the batteries needed to be changed.
“What’s going on with this thing?” I mumble to myself. When I looked back up, I balked when Discord was suddenly much closer to the screen, his eyes looking like they were staring into mine. Thinking I was delirious from all the lessons at class today, I rubbed my eyes and looked at the TV again. Thankfully, Discord was back in his original pose I was supposed to see him in. Rubbing my eyes again, I let out a small groan. “Maybe I’m just too tired today. I think I’m losing my mind.”
“Hmmmm, well, I wouldn’t say that.” I snapped my eyes open in surprise. I swear I just heard Discord’s voice come from the TV. When I looked at the screen, he was nowhere to be seen. Before I could even question what was happening, I saw what looked like an eagle’s claw lower down in my line of sight, holding a clear glass with a brown liquid, which smells heavily of chocolate milk. Slowly, I looked to my right, recalling that claw was attached to a specific character’s left side. Sitting right beside me on the couch, my jaw dropped when I saw the mismatched chimera that was the Lord of Chaos, Discord, smirking down at me while still offering his glass of chaotically crafted chocolate milk. “Thirsty?
Many things ran through my mind: Why was Discord, a cartoon character, sitting beside me? How did a cartoon materialize himself and mess with my brain for a brief moment before appearing on the couch? Is that animated glass of milk able to be grabbed and if I was able to drink it? However, of all these questions that should have been meant to be exciting, I was the exact opposite.
“AHHHHHHHH!!!!” I scrambled off the couch, falling over, then squirmed away before getting up on my feet and sprinting to my room.
I quickly slammed the door shut and barricaded myself, panting heavily as my terrified heart was beating several hundred beats a minute. “Charles? Are you alright?” Oh no! I forgot about my sister! How would she react seeing Discord casually lounging in our living room!? Was he going to hurt her!? “What happened?”
I was about to tell her to stay in her room, but I felt something cover my mouth. Looking up, I let out a muffled scream seeing Discord now somehow in my room, keeping my mouth covered with his bear-pawed hand. He gestured with his other hand to keep quiet, then quietly cleared his throat.
“Oh, don’t worry, sis! I thought I saw a wasp fly in the house!” My eyes widened in shock as I heard MY voice coming out of Discord’s mouth. “Just stay in your room and I’ll get rid of it once I figure out where dad put the bug spray!”
“Oh! Ok!” I heard my sister run back into her room and close her door to avoid getting stung.
I was stunned, frozen in place, actually feeling Discord’s paw against my face. He snapped his fingers with his free hand, making my room flash for a tenth of a second, but thankfully, he didn’t change anything.
“Ok, NOW you can start screaming,” Discord said, using his own voice this time.
All I could utter was a squeak when he removed his paw, my hand fumbling around for the door handle, but either I was too startled to find it or it somehow disappeared. Discord seemed amused by my shock, waiting for me to make some sort of noise in response.
I finally lifted a finger, pointing at him, then shakily inched it forward to touch his serpentine body, feeling the brown fur of his torso. “...Y-Y-You...Y-You-You...Y-You-”
“Yes, I know,” he interrupted. “The Lord of Chaos graces your presence, Charles. You’re quite the lucky human.”
“Y-You’re...You’re real?” I finally uttered, ignoring his words due to the fact that Discord was actually in my room, in the flesh, and gave me a fright. I was in disbelief, either hallucinating or having some sort of vivid dream, though I don’t recall passing out to take a nap. I let out a small laugh and shook my head. “This is crazy. I think the show is finally making me a little bit bonkers.” I walked past Discord, barely noticing the way he looked at me. “Maybe I have a fever or something. I’ll just close my eyes, and when I turn around and open them, Discord will be gone.” So I did just that: shut my eyes, turned on my heels, and after counting down from ten in my head, I opened them back up. No Discord in front of me, not to my right, nor my left, or even behind me. “There. Just a figment of my imagination.”
“Nope. Still here.” I flinched when I heard his voice coming from above me. I quickly looked up, expecting Discord to be lounging or having a random tea party on my bedroom ceiling, but it was bare aside from my ceiling fan. I then felt something ruffling around in my hair. Quickly grabbing what I hoped wasn’t the wasp Discord lied about, I pulled it out and held it in front of me. Shocked, but a bit annoyed at this point, it was the Lord of Chaos himself, shrunk to the size of a wasp with an amused grin. “You’re not dreaming. I really am here.”
Dropping the draconequus, I gave up and flopped on my bed, where he grew back in size and loomed over me, though I could have sworn I heard the sound effect that was from a Mario Bros. game when you grab a super mushroom. “This is actually happening. I really am talking to Discord.”
“Yes, and lucky you, Charlie boy, I came to you!” Discord eagerly said. Before I could ask what he meant, he made my bed warp and pushed me back up to my feet with a startled yelp. “I know you have a lot of questions, but I’m going to be very brief with you about why I’m here getting your attention.” He handed me the same glass of chocolate milk he had earlier, placing it in both my hands. I looked at it strangely, confused, but he tilted my head back up to look at him. “You see, I had realized something in the long, long life that I seemed to have, possibly including my one thousand year prison in stone thanks to the Elements of Harmony. I have no idea how old I am, or even if I am truly immortal.”
“But...aren’t you?” I asked quizzically.
“Exactly my point!” he exclaimed. “I’m not crazy enough to test that theory, but the Elements of Harmony could have KILLED me! They stop disharmony, and I’m the pure embodiment of that: chaos! And at this moment, Twilight Sparkle is going to snap out of my spell, free her friends, and use the Elements against me again.”
“Wait, you mean you know you’re going to lose? Even after all you did?” I asked, startled to know that Discord actually KNEW he wasn’t going to succeed in his second chaotic siege on Equestria. “But...but you...How!? You got too overconfident and underestimated them!”
“Oh, you mean this?” Discord made a TV screen appear in front of me, giving me a blank look as he played the moment Twilight and her friends used the Elements of Harmony on him once they were reunited. Discord tries to corrupt Applejack, but Twilight saves her, protecting herself and all her friends in a magic bubble, then Discord, in his hubris, lets the bearers use the Elements, turning him into stone. The draconequus in front of me was not amused by the results of the premiere’s ending, dismissing the screen with a pop. “Whatever that show details, it only has a majority of those events recreated flawlessly. I may be silly, but I’m not THAT gullible.”
“...So...you’re going to eventually go back and turn to stone again?” I asked. Discord nodded his head silently with a forlorn expression. “...Then why...are you here? And...why am I lucky?”
“Because I’m having a bit of an existential crisis,” he said. “I appear to be the only one of my kind, and mere moments ago, I was wanting to go into an early retirement. But, in order for me to pass down my chaos, I need an heir. The only issue is making a baby would take way too long, and no creature from my world would want to agree to a deal like that after witnessing my reign. So, after some thinking, I figured out who would be perfect for the job.” The curl of his lips in that smirk made me grimace. Discord lowered his muzzle closer to my face, then poked me lightly in the chest. “Humans spread so much havoc in your world, so who better than one of you?”
“B-But I’m not chaotic,” I nervously said. “I’m just in high school. I can barely socialize with any of my peers.”
“That’s why you’re the lucky one,” Discord said, giving me another couple friendly pokes in the chest. “If you agree to be my heir, you will be granted all of my chaotic powers. And it’s very simple for such a complex form of magic. All it takes is a wild imagination, a creative thought, and with a snap of the fingers-” Discord held up his hand, gave his fingers a snap, and with his power, he created a pink cloud smelling of strawberry cotton candy. He snatched a piece of the edible cloud, then stuffed it into my mouth, to my surprise and chagrin. Strangely enough, it really did taste like strawberry cotton candy, and as I chewed on it, I tasted chocolate milk blending with the sweet cottony confection. It was a weird combination, but it was actually really delicious. No wonder Pinkie Pie wanted some. “-it comes true. No gimmicks, no drawbacks, just your brain and what you can come up with on the fly.”
I swallowed the piece, smacking my lips slightly. The thought of having such chaotic powers was kind of exciting, almost like being a superhero. But, being Discord’s heir, that meant I would have to leave my world and live in Equestria, which actually does exist if the draconequus in my presence tells me otherwise. That would mean leaving my family behind, the few friends I had. Alyssa would probably be jealous if I told her I was going to be transported to her favorite show’s world and be with all her favorite pony characters, but he didn’t want to leave her all alone. Part of him still thinks this is all too real to be true, however, by proving he actually touched the draconequus, he made his bed bounce him back up on his feet, and actually taking a bite of his chaotic confection, this wasn’t a dream or an hallucination.
“...What about my family?” I asked Discord. “They’ll know if I’m gone. And I’m supposed to watch my little sister. I can’t just leave her by herself.”
“Hey, with chaos, you can go anywhere you want, whenever you want, and be whoever you want!” Discord reassured. He proved his point, transforming into a variety of different creatures, including a normal, human version of himself, though his eyes were still yellow and red with different-sized pupils. Unless he wore sunglasses to hide his eyes, I wouldn’t have known he was the chaotic deity up close. He turned back to his old self, slithering up to my right side and draped an arm over my shoulders. “You can come back whenever you want once you get the hang of controlling your new powers. It’s like you never left.”
“I...I don’t know…” I wasn’t sure if I should even trust Discord. He was a villain and he could be trying to trick me into taking his place for some devious scheme. But from the way he talked about his midlife crisis, as odd as it sounded, I have no idea just how old Discord really is. Maybe he is much older than he seems and he just wants to spend some peace and quiet in someplace secluded. Well, that actually sounded out of character for Discord, but it would be a peaceful retirement in his own way. “Do you even trust me to handle your power?”
“I’ll leave a little bit of my personality within you to see your progress, and help fix any messes you get into that are too big to handle,” Discord promised. “You’ll still be yourself, so you don’t have to worry about me taking complete control over your brain. Though, you might have some split personalities, but those can be fun once you get to know them.” I quirked a brow at him when he mentioned “split personalities”. I kind of hope I don’t really go insane with chaotic powers. “Oh, don’t give me that look. You’ll be fine! You can get down with the chaos, home fly! Come on, give me some claw, my brony!”
Discord held his eagle hand out to me with a wide grin. I just gave him an awkward look. Was he really trying to be cool and “hip” with me with his style of ‘70s lingo?
“...Do you have any idea what year it is in this world?” I asked him. “I don’t even think my dad ever said anything like that when he was my age.”
Discord’s grin dropped into an annoyed frown, lowering his hand with a huff before disappearing and reappearing before me. “Hey, I missed a thousand years of different trends in Equestria. I’m just trying to get on your good side.”
“Scaring the daylights out of me just to tell me I could be your replacement wasn’t a good start,” I grumbled.
“...Right,” I heard Discord mutter. “But, anyways, what do you say? Want to be my heir, Charles?”
After a bit of thought, I contemplated the pros and cons of taking Discord’s deal. Granted, I could come back and explain to my family what happened while I’ve been gone, and hope they don’t freak out if I show them my new powers. Alyssa might even get a kick asking me about Equestria, the princesses, Twilight and her friends in Ponyville, and ask for autographs from all of them. I was also curious to see how the world would look up close, if it was just like the show or maybe something else.
“...Ok. I’ll...I’ll do it,” I answered.
“Splendid!” Discord cheered, shooting confetti as he raised his hands in triumph. The bits of colorful paper disappeared when it hit my floor. At least he was keeping my room spotless so no one thought anything strange happened while I was gone. “Now, before we go, I need you to drink up that chocolate milk.”
“Uhh...Why?” I asked curiously.
As I looked down at the glass, Discord hovered both his hands over the glass, then wriggled his fingers as he sprinkled a flurry of some strange magical aura of purple into the milk. It almost looked like he was pouring in a void with odd, warping patterns flickering inside it. After distributing the extra “ingredient”, he removed his hands, and I watched the chocolate milk shimmer briefly before it turned back to normal.
“Drink every last drop, and you’ll receive all my powers,” Discord instructed.
“...Is it...gonna taste weird?” I asked nervously, wondering how chocolate milk would taste with essence of chaos blended in.
“Hmmm...I don’t know,” Discord said with a shrug. How reassuring of him. “A little warning, you might feel a little bit nauseous, but that’ll be normal. Having chaos magic inside you can make any mortal woozy and feel like a hive of bugs squirming around in your stomach.”
THAT doesn’t help reassure me at all. I sighed, already accepting Discord’s deal, and I wasn’t going back on my word to someone who could bend reality. Bracing myself, I brought the glass to my lips and began to drink down the enchanted chocolate milk. I only tasted the cocoa-flavored dairy as the liquid hit my tongue, but I continued downing it if there was a horrible aftertaste. I finally drank up every single ounce, removing the glass from my lips as I swallowed the last mouthful. I smacked my lips, feeling perfectly fine as I stared at the empty glass, then back up to Discord, who smiled eagerly as if he was waiting for something to happen.
“...I don’t really feel all that si-” I let out a sudden grunt, dropping the glass as it fell to the ground. My insides suddenly felt like they were on fire. I was too focused on the pain to notice the glass bounce off the floor and back into Discord’s hand. Falling to my knees, I clutched my stomach as my body began burning up. “W-What’s...happening!? I-It...It hurts so bad! I...I feel like...I’m dying!”
“It’ll pass.” I shakily looked up at Discord, who remained completely nonchalant as he looked down at me and ate the glass I drank from. When he finished his crunchy snack, he lowered his bear paw and placed it on my head while raising his eagle claw up, poising his fingers to snap them. “I’d brace yourself. Teleporting for a first timer can be very disorienting.”
I had no chance to react or question Discord. With a snap, I felt like I was shot out of a cannon and flew through an epilectic void of flashing lights. I wanted to scream in terror, feeling like I was freefalling in thousands of directions a millisecond, which only made the intense feeling in my body worsen from what was happening to me a moment ago. I wanted to vomit, but it wouldn’t come, and the pain I was feeling caused me to black out. The last thing I saw in my fading vision was a faint image of Discord smirking at me, then it disappeared as I faintly heard what sounded like the draconequus’s fall to Twilight and her friends using the Elements of Harmony to turn him back into a statue.
Slowly, all my senses began returning to me. My stomach still hurt from that awful experience, but my limbs felt intact. I had no idea how long I was out for, but teleporting was something I don’t ever want to experience again. The dull sound of silence began to disappear as I started hearing muffled voices around me. I had no idea what they were talking about, but they must have noticed I was unconscious and gathered others to help me. At least, that’s what I hoped.
I let out a small grunt, squinting my eyes open, only to flinch when the sun’s rays burned my retinas. I strained my ears to listen to what sounded like men, which sounded like panicking as I tried to move.
“It’s waking up!”
“Did it come from the statue?”
“How did that thing even disappear? Didn’t the Elements of Harmony seal that monster?”
The Elements of Harmony? Am I really in Equestria? And the voices I’m hearing are coming from stallons? I tried to open my eyes again, wincing slightly in order to finally see my surroundings. The first thing I saw was the grass beneath me, along with a couple pairs of white hooves in front of me. I blinked, clenching my eyes to adjust to the light some more when I heard more voices and hoofsteps rushing over to where we were.
“What is going on? What is the emergency?” I recognize that voice; feminine, almost like a goddess. As I tilted my head up slightly, I got a glimpse of the legs that belonged to that voice. Much more slender and longer than the stallions I could see, and with a color of a purer shade of white while she wore royal gold horseshoes, those legs belonged to none other than Princess Celestia. I heard her gasp in surprise, struck with silence before she spoke again. “H-How? That’s not possible. Twilight Sparkle and her friends sealed Discord with the Elements.”
Wait, he’s free? I thought he said he was going to lose on purpose. More hoofsteps arrived, where more gasps rang out. Moving my arms, I struggled to push myself up a bit. As I felt my fingers clench at the grass, something felt odd about them. I sat myself up, but before I could look at my hands, my eyes shot open when a spear was pointed inches from my face.
“Don’t move!” the stallion holding the spear ordered.
Aside from the long-reaching weapon pointed at me, the stallion was wearing the golden armor that Celestia’s guard wore. And behind him and a couple other guards who found me, my jaw dropped when I saw the Princess Celestia, and standing at her sides were the six Element bearers: Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy. I was too stunned for words as I’m staring at them all, in the flesh, but they seemed a bit...taller than I thought? If Princess Celestia was the normal size of a horse back in my world, I would have been a few inches shorter than her. And they looked...terrified of me?
“No. How did the Elements of Harmony fail again!?” I heard Twilight exclaim in distress. “I pulled the girls back to their senses and we turned him into stone! They shouldn’t have failed!”
“Twilight, remain calm,” Celestia said to her nervous student.
“W-Wait,” I tried to say, only to freeze when I heard my own voice. I sounded younger. MUCH younger. “H-Huh? W-What happened to my voice?” I grasped my neck in confusion, only to balk when I felt two different sorts of digits. Pulling my arms back, I looked at my hands, and immediately regretted it. I didn’t have matching hands, not even four fingers and a thumb; my right hand was now a tiny bear paw and the left was a small eagle claw. I flexed my fingers, watching them move as I willed them to, which made my stomach drop. “W-W-W-What the-!?”
“I said don’t move!” the guard shouted.
He gave a warning thrust, inching the spear closer and making me fall back in shock. I landed on my back, getting a good look at my front, which made my anxiety skyrocket. My body was tiny, but what horrified me the most was that I had all sorts of different parts of my anatomy that were of a different animal; exactly like Discord. Panicking, I rolled and tried to get up, but my strange new body couldn’t handle standing on two legs as I flopped onto my stomach several times. I heard the guards warning me not to move, but I stumbled over to a nearby fountain that was in where I woke up in a royal garden.
Thankfully, the wall for the fountain was small enough for me to grab. I pulled myself up with a grunt, flopping my belly onto the railing and looked at my reflection. I looked at myself, staring at the water’s surface with a gasp. I looked exactly like Discord, but much, much younger, like he was the age of a young colt. I had the same yellow eyes with two different sized red pupils, a short snaggletooth fang sticking out from the right side of my small muzzle, a huge tuft of white hair that led to a thin black mane running down the middle to the back of my neck, small stumps barely sticking out of my white hair that would eventually be the two mismatched horns that would grow in, and on my back, I spotted a pair of mismatched wings at my sides, which I didn’t even know I had when I fell earlier.
I was suddenly yanked away from the fountain, held in a golden aura as I was carried away. I squirmed, unable to escape, but froze in fear when I was staring face to face with Princess Celestia, and she was NOT as calm or collected with a small, motherly grin on her face; she was glaring at me with a small frown, no hint of kindness in her eyes, and I felt powerless underneath this alicorn goddess’s furious gaze.
“How did you manage to get free, Discord?” Celestia questioned.