Adam felt as if he had just had the best sleep. Phone must’ve died, he thought to himself. Feeling content, Adam basked in the afterglow with his eyes close. Being able to sleep in was the only good thing to come from failing university. He would’ve laid there until the end of time, however, an itch from his stomach disturbed his peace. When he attempted to scratch it, he found that he couldn’t.
With a yawn, Adam opened his eyes to investigate. This isn’t my room, he thought to himself. He was outside laying in the grass. He looked up and in front of him was some kind of alien horse-thing in armor. With a yelp, he tried to back away but failed. He was bound by rope; limiting his movement to useless squirming.
Looking back up at the alien, Adam realized where he was. An excitement like no other filled his heart. He had made it to Equestria. No need to worry about education. No need to worry about failed friendships. No need to worry about disappointed parents. All of those problems were a universe away.
Though much of his new body was wrapped firmly making it hard to see all the differences, Adam could tell he wasn’t human anymore. Oh yeah, the contract, he remembered. He tried to get a good look at his body, but could only see his legs and tail because of the ropes.
With little else to do, he began to observe what was in front of him. From what he could tell, he was in a barrier; surrounded by horse-things. They must’ve been the ones Discord was talking about. They were just as fantastical looking as Discord as well. He placed the aliens into two categories: Not-Horses and Not-Unicorns. He called them Not-Whatevers due to them only vaguely resembling horses and unicorns. Most were in armor wielding various weapons, soldiers more than likely, but there were four who weren’t; civilians maybe?
Looking behind himself, Adam saw a hunk of stone. It took him a moment to realize that it was a statue, a statue of Discord. Immediately dread overtook him. No way, he thought. The figure had to be Discord’s remains. He had said that Adam could be sealed in stone and now he knew why he said that: it was what had happened to him.
Adam didn’t want to find out if they were going to do the same to him. His “Draconequi Hunters” theory was looking accurate at the moment. Not wanting to die so soon after getting to Equestria, Adam began to wrestle against his bindings again. It was fruitless however, whoever bound him made sure he would never escape.
“I then ran towards town and met you all,” Twilight concluded.
Fast Pace was writing every word Twilight spoke onto a notepad. “Thank you Lady Sparkle. With how thorough your retelling was, you might’ve earned me a promotion,” Fast Pace jokingly said as he showed them the many newly filled pages of his notebook, earning a chuckle from the group.
“You don’t have to use my title by the way.” Twilight hated it when her title was used. Being Princess Celestia’s student made her a noble according to the old laws, however, she hated being associated with the often-called House of Snobs.
“Sorry ma’am no can do.” Fast Pace stood straight and began a perfect impression of Captain Triple, “You dishonor her Majesty by breaking the guard's honor code, no matter how small an infraction.” His voice returned to normal, “Captain’s pretty strict on that.”
“You’re gooood. Sounds exactly like Captain Triple!” Pinkie Pie complimented.
“So is there anything else you need from us?” Rarity asked.
“No, you girls are free to do whatever you-” Fast Pace began.
“Captain! The creature is awake!” came a startled voice from a unicorn guard with red highlights on his armor. Captain Triple quickly ceased his planning and turned around to look inside the barrier, while Twilight and the rest of the group ran to the side of the guard who first noticed to get a look at the creature.
The guard held his hoof out to prevent everyone from getting too close, “Captain what should we do?” the guard said.
“Continue to observe. I don’t want to take any risks until Her Majesty arrives.” Captain Triple said.
Twilight stared at the creature inside and felt conflicted. She had been brash in having it be bound, and now she was feeling regret. She wanted to see past what she saw but it looked like an innocent foal to her. “This is wrong,” she muttered.
“Steel your heart Sparkle,” Fast Pace said from her side. “It may look like a foal but this is Discord we’re dealing with. For all we know, it’s faking, and if this barrier were to come down it would find some way to kill us all.” His words flowed like ice.
Twilight looked over to Fast Pace and for a second didn’t recognize him. It was a subtle shift in the way he carried himself, yet it made him unrecognizable.
Pinkie Pie stomped a hoof down, “Fast Pace, that’s crazy. Discord didn’t try to kill anyone and he had tons of chances to. What makes this foal any different?”
It was like a switch flipped and in an instant Fast Pace’s demeanor switched back. “Oh, sorry. It’s just you know all the stories about him,” he said flustered, “like all the cruel things he’d do to families back during medieval Equestria.”
“Yeah, and those are just stories. The real Discord was a little mean, yeah, but it seemed like he just wanted everyone to have fun,” Pinkie Pie argued.
“Yeah, I’m sure he did,” Fast Pace said sarcastically.
Applejack decided to chime in. “I’m with Fast Pace. There’s always some truth to a story, and I wouldn’t doubt that Discord was just playin’ nice since we had the elements.”
Pinkie Pie scoffed, “AJ, not all stories are true!”
“Yeah but if enough of ‘em are all about the same thing, something in them’s gotta be true,” Applejack retorted.
“You’re both wrong,” Rarity interjected, “As someone who loves a bit of gossip, most stories aren’t true.”
“See? Rarity agrees,” Pinke Pie smugly proclaimed.
“Now wait a minute darling, I’m not finished. Most of them aren’t true because they get exaggerated. Maybe in the past Discord did hurt some ponies, but I doubt he ever burned down villages…ok, somewhat doubt it.” Rarity said.
Maybe Luna was right, Celestia thought as she rode her chariot toward Ponyville with two solar guards. She had planned for many things, but Discord leaving behind a “baby” was something he wouldn’t do. Ok, she was lying to herself, leaving behind a baby was something Discord would definitely do. Celestia commanded her chariot to descend to the ground. Upon landing, Captain Triple came to welcome her. She and the two Solar Guards that had accompanied her exited the chariot.
“Captain,” she greeted.
“Your majesty,” the captain said with a salute.
“Triple Trouble, please explain to me what has happened. The letter I received was lacking detail.”
The captain turned to Twilight’s group. “Fast Pace, come hand Her Majesty your notes,” he yelled.
“Yes sir,” Fast Pace called back, hurrying over to the two. He handed the princess his notes, which she took with her magic.
A smile crept on her face as she read through, “My student is always thorough with the details isn’t she?”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Fast Pace chuckled.
When Celestia finished reading the notes she began to ponder. According to Twilight, the plan had been going fine. But now that Discord was potentially sealed it had fallen through. Two scenarios ran through her head: It could be Discord faking or an immature clone. The only beneficial one would be that the foal left behind was a clone. She could mold it to be a defender of Equestria as originally intended for Discord.
“Captain, what do you know of the foal? Has it shown any signs of aggression?” Celestia asked.
“No, Your Majesty. It was unconscious until a few minutes before you arrived. So far all it’s done is an attempt to free itself from the bindings placed upon it.”
“You’ve had it bound?” she quickly asked.
“Lady Sparkle had Applejack tie it in ropes when she came for the guard.” Fast Pace explained.
Celestia sighed. That would make things harder. A terrible first impression, but she wouldn’t waste an opportunity even if it wasn’t in her favor. “I’ve formed a plan. Captain, be ready for battle with my two solar guards if it fails.”
“And what is this plan, Your Majesty?” he questioned.
Celestia chuckled. She and Captain Triple would have this conversation often when the two worked together. It bemused her he was still asking as she would always give the same answer. “If I told you, Captain, you would disapprove as you usually do.”
The captain facehooved and grumbled, “Why do you always do this?”
Celestia chuckled and turned to Fast Pace. “Fast Pace, I will need to talk with you in private when I am done,” she told him.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Fast Pace said.
“Now then, wish me luck you three.”
“We wouldn’t need luck if she told us the plan,” the captain complained. The solar guards nodded in agreement.
Adam watched the group of not-horse-civilians converse with each other on the other side of the barrier. He had been tricked by Discord as far as he knew. The not-horses weren’t pacifists at all it seemed and were probably preparing his execution. He still didn’t know why Discord went through the trouble of sending him here.
They would occasionally look at him and he would purposefully look into their eyes. If they’re going to kill me then they're going to feel bad about it, Adam had thought. He noticed that they quieted down and looked past him, behind the Discord statue. He would’ve looked as well but the statue blocked him from seeing.
As he waited he heard what sounded like a sci-fi airlock opening. Within an instant, the air went ablaze. It was as if the sun was next to him, burning him. Two pairs of gold-cladded white hooves came into Adams's vision causing him to look up. What he beheld was extraordinary and terrifying. It was an incredibly tall horse-thing that towered over him like a skyscraper. The horn it possessed was as long as a sword and as sharp as a spear. Its mane was multi-colored and flowed as though there was a breeze, and the golden regalia it wore was full of meticulous detail. A crown rested atop its head in between its mane and horn.
The God-Horse looked down at him intently, taking in every detail. “Do you understand me,” she calmly asked.
Adam opened his mouth but couldn’t find his words due to pain and fear. The aura the God-Horse was giving off made his body freeze as if it were trying to hide from a predator. The clueless God-Horse patiently waited for him to respond.
What eventually made it through was anything but words. A quiet squeak was all that managed to come out of Adam’s mouth. The God-Horse awkwardly looked back not expecting Adam’s response. Noise from outside the barrier caused Adam to follow the God-Horse’s gaze. The Not-Horse with a poofy mane was trying to yell into the barrier. It was pointing at the God-Horse and then at the ground.
A quiet, “Oh!” came from the God-Horse. “I’m sorry, sometimes I forget my height can be intimidating.” She said as she lay down on her stomach.
Celestia expected the foal to look like a mini-Discord. But what she saw was a filly, which would’ve meant it was Discord in disguise. But that couldn’t be true, Twilight had confirmed it lacked magic. One could suppress their magic to hide it with enough practice, but spells needed the caster's magic to be open to persist. So it had to be a new life, but without any other draconequi around how could Discord have a child?
That’s going to need an investigation later, she thought. However, its origin didn’t matter to her plan. If she couldn’t get Discord, she could instead get his presumed child. All she had to do is show the filly the kindness of Equestria and harmony.
“Now let’s try this again,” she said warmly. Laying on her stomach, she used her magic to untie the filly. Captain Triple was no doubt angry now, but she needed to handle this as “The Mother of Equestria” rather than “The Princess of Equestria.”
“My name is Celestia. Do you have a name?” she asked. The filly didn’t respond.
Celestia wasn’t that scary…was she? “Is there something wrong?” she asked worryingly, placing a hoof on her side.
“It burns,” the filly groaned.
Celestia realized the problem. She took a deep breath and suppressed her Will. I’m messing this up. I didn’t expect her to be able to feel my aura, she thought.
Immediately the filly stopped shaking with the disappearance of Celestia’s aura. “I’m so sorry for that,” Celestia said, “Are you ok?”
Celestia watched as the filly had trouble rising to her feet. “Yeah,” was all she said before trying to run away. The filly immediately tripped, landing on her face. “Ow, fuck!” squeaked the filly.
Celestia chuckled and lifted the foal with her magic before putting them back down on their two legs. “Still ok?” she jokingly asked. The filly remained quiet.
“Please, I don’t intend to harm you. If you just answer a few questions we’ll let you out, okay.” she bargained.
The filly thought it over for a second and agreed with a simple, “Okay.”
“As I said, my name is Celestia. Do you have a name?” she asked.
“Yes, my name is-” the foal’s voice cut out before it could finish. “My name is-” once again the filly stopped before telling. She scowled in frustration muttering under her breath. She kept trying to tell Celestia her name but wouldn’t finish, getting more frustrated with each failed attempt. With a yell, she turned around and punched the statue of Discord with her wing. “Agh, why?” she yelled in pain.
“Why would you do that? Let me see your wing,” Celestia said, grabbing the filly’s wing before getting an answer. “You should be careful, wings are fragile and break easily—” upon closer inspection of the filly’s wing, Celestia discovered that she had claws beneath her feathers, “—though I guess that doesn’t apply here. Well still, you shouldn’t be hitting any part of your body against hard stone.”
“So…” Celestia said getting the conversation back on track, “I’m guessing you don’t have a name?”
“I…” the filly sighed, “no.”
“Well then, how about I give you one?” Celestia offered. Putting a hoof to her chin, she hummed in thought. “How about…Dizzy?”
The foal gave Celestia an incredulous look. “Dizzy? That’s a bit lazy.”
Celestia chuckled. “It is, but you don’t have to keep it. I just don’t want to keep calling you foal or filly. Would you rather be Discord Juinor then?”
“No, Dizzy is good enough I guess,” Dizzy said.
“Dizzy it is then,” Celestia said happily. “Now then, my next question is, what do you know about Discord?”
Dizzy stayed silent for a second before speaking. “He was a lord of chaos, and he did his job by being a trickster. Umm, his dad was Mayhem and he was the lord of chaos before him.” The way Dizzy talked about Discord was as if she was liting facts from a history book and didn’t personally know him.
“I see. And what is Discord to you?” Celestia pressed. Any answer Dizzy gave could indirectly help Celestia know more about her creation.
When Dizzy attempted to speak nothing came from her mouth once again. Dizzy thought momentarily before speaking, “He’s my…father. He said he needed me to succeed him as lord of chaos. Look, I don’t know what he did, just please don’t turn me to stone and kill me.”
“Is that why you were scared earlier? We would never turn a foal into stone,” she assured. “Besides, Discord isn’t dead. Stone sealing is a form of imprisonment.”
“So you’re not hunting draconequi?” Dizzy asked.
Celestia chuckled. “No.” The filly was an enigma. Celestia wished she had been there when Discord was sealed to see how Dizzy was made. The answers Dizzy gave just left more questions to be asked later. “Now, let’s get you out of here,” she said.
Adam followed Celestia to the edge of the barrier. It was awkward walking with his mismatched legs. As he followed her everything felt surreal. The mixture of excitement and fear left him confused about how he should act. His body told him to run and his brain asked how, where, and why.
It didn’t help that the not-horses were hard to gauge. They had him contained in some kind of bubble surrounded by soldiers. Yet Celestia was telling him that they didn’t want to harm him. Would he have run if given the chance? Well, he tried to earlier and he could barely take a step before falling. Where would I even go? he thought.
They reached the edge of the barrier. “Wait here a moment,” Celestia said. Her horn went alight and a hole appeared in the barrier. She passed through the barrier and Adam watched as she began to converse with the other not-horses.
While waiting, Adam turned and scowled at the statue of Discord. “You couldn’t let me keep my name!?” He yelled. Being a Merkur was something Adam prided himself on. They had fled Norway for a better life in the U.S. and over decades became one of the wealthiest families in the states. In a way, Adam wanted to do the same in Equestria and make his forefathers proud. Become a great figure and have the Merkur name be well regarded. However, it seemed Discord had deemed his name “forbidden knowledge.” Would it be the same if it wasn’t his family name and was instead a name like-
“Dizzy, are you ready?” Celestia asked. Adam was shaken from his thought’s by a nudge from Celestia.
Adam thought it was pointless to ask him that since he was at their mercy. “Sure,” he said. Celestia nodded and pointed a hoof into the air. Adam watched as the barrier disintegrated into the air, leaving a circle carved into the ground.
Most of the not-horses had left leaving only two in sun-themed armor with Adam and Celestia. “Where did everyone else go?” he asked.
“Well since you’re not dangerous, having so many guards around is unnecessary. These two here are a part of my personal guard.” Celestia said.
“So then why do you need personal guards if I’m not dangerous?” Adam asked
“Oh, I didn’t tell you did I? I’m the princess of this land,” Celestia nonchalantly.
They were so afraid of me and yet they send their princess? Then again, the air was practically on fire from her earlier. Adam thought. “So they’re just here for appearances?” he said.
The guards both raised an eyebrow, taking offense to essentially being called useless. Celestia chuckled. “You’re very blunt Dizzy. Anyway, there’s a lot that needs to be taken care of due to your arrival. So we must get going.”
Going where? Adam thought.