//------------------------------//
// VII 
// Story: Finding Harmony 
// by Alice Eddor 
//------------------------------//

There was a frantic knock at the door knock at the door.

"Enter," said the King, consulting a map in front of him. The doors to the planning room swung and a messenger Changeling ran in, falling to his knees in front of the King, the two figures behind him walking in without hesitation.

"My lord, King Sombra, Queen Chrysalis has returned," said the messenger on the floor.

"Yes, thank you. Off you go," said the King without turning. The messenger jumped to his feet and fled the room, obviously terrified of King Sombra. "You took your time, Chrysalis."

"Yes, well, some people are more difficult to track down than others," came the voice of Queen Chrysalis from behind him.

"Who sent the message?" he asked, turning around. His face shifted from expectancy to disbelief as he noted the man beside her. "Was it him?" he asked incredulously. The man beside her looked like he had been picked up off the street. He was tall and thin, like he was made of bones and skin. He looked to be in his late 40's, with a wisp of a grey goatee on his chin. His clothes looked slightly ratty; a light brown trench coat that was open on top of a yellow dress shirt that looked like it hadn't been pressed in years. His pants were pinstriped, a faded grey in colour, covering the tops of black buckled shoes. A wide-brimmed fedora sat on his head, a purple feather extending out of it. In his hands was a simple-looking cane.

"Regretfully," said Chrysalis. She swept past the homeless man, causing him to smirk. Her translucent wings fluttered in annoyance. She pushed her dark hair out of her face and leaned over the map, cutting herself from the conversation. Obviously she wasn't a fan of him.

"So, you're the one who sent Chrysalis the message. What business do you have?" said Sombra, stepping down off the raised platform. His armoured boots made heavy sounds against the stone floor, his eyes narrow. The sight would have intimidated any member of their steadily growing army, though the man in the ratty clothes was not fazed by his extravagant armour, the dark power he radiated, or his pulsing red and green eyes with deep purple smoke curling off them, a tribute to the shadow power he held.

"I've come to offer my assistance," said the man. "I'm sure you've heard of me, I am Discord," he bowed, sweeping his hat off as he did so to reveal a head of slicked back grey hair, "Lord of Chaos."

"Ah." King Sombra had heard of the man, though had never considered him anything powerful. "Aren't you supposed to be encased in stone at the moment?"

Discord straightened up, putting his hat back on. "Get enough chaos in one place and stone can't hold me. I sent a message to Chrysalis, under the assumption that you would want my help."

"So you know of me."

"Of course I do. You get things when you're a god. Knowledge, wisdom, and all that."

Discord didn't look particularly wise or knowledgeable to Sombra. He didn't look like much of anything. "What do you think you can do for us? You don't look powerful." Sombra approached him, slightly irritated that Discord was taller.

"Don't underestimate me." Discord's smile grew, his eyes beginning to glow slightly. The ground around them rumbled, the stone floors cracking violently as lightening shot from them, arcing to the top of the room and bringing the glass from the darkly-stained windows crashing down on the three leaders and the guards in the room. Chrysalis activated a shield around herself and anything of importance, completely unfazed. Sombra ducked, throwing his arms about his head in defence as glass from the skylight rained down on both him and Discord. The latter glanced up briefly, noting the falling glass. Millimetres before it impaled their head, it came to a screeching halt.

Sombra looked up, genuine fear in his eyes as he lost himself for a moment. Seeing the glass just above his head caused him to stumble back a few feet as the shards began to twirl in the air, facing with their sharp points to the walls lined with guards. They all shot forward at said Changelings, spearing through the holes in their limbs and clothing. A few of them, the unlucky ones, stiffened as the shards fell from their bodies and stumbled out into the main area of the planning room, their hands around their necks. They fell to their knees as cupcakes blossomed from their mouths, spilling onto the floor below. They all slumped down, face-first, unconscious. Sombra straightened up, regaining his regal posture, and assessed the situation around him.

"I've always liked cupcakes," said Discord cheerily.

"Such a display was not necessary," said Sombra in an attempt to retain his dignity.

"Oh, I think it was. No one said I couldn't have a little fun, now did they? Now, allow me to save you a bundle in repairs."

He waved his hand and the glass shards shot across the room, rebuilding the windows that had broken. The cracked stone sealed itself, regaining the dark sheen that it had only moments before. The cupcakes on the floor melted into nothing and the guards all gasped in unison, coming abruptly back to their senses.

"So as I said before, I would be more than willing to offer my assistance," said Discord and the guards struggled to their feet and resumed their positions against the walls

Sombra met his eyes, his rage building. "Allow me to consult with Chrysalis."

"Take your time."

Sombra turned back to his partner, who was lifting the shields she had placed on various maps and weapons about the room. "You allowed this man into our base of operations?" he demanded, humiliated and angry.

"He could be a valuable weapon," said Chrysalis, turning her attention from the map. "Think about it Sombra, he can bend time and space to his will, with little to no effort. His power surpasses that of yours or mine, even if you don't want to believe it. Our best chance is to get him to co-operate with us, which he seems willing to do. Trust me, I like it about as much as you do."

"So we need to let him in."

"He's out of the stone now, so either he's with us or he's doing whatever he wants and that poses a serious threat to any plans we make."

Sombra scowled. "So we use him. But he's so unpredictable."

"We integrate him into our plans somehow."

"If he wants to lead?"

"Then let him join us. He is a god, and has knowledge beyond what we will ever have. Planning will benefit from him, if he sets his mind to it."

"So he stays."

"He stays."

Sombra wasn't too pleased with this decision but Chrysalis was right. Discord was valuable, whether they liked it or not. Sombra turned to Discord, who was leaning on his cane in the centre of the room expectantly.

"You, come here. We're planning the next attack. You must have a hand in it if you are to be involved."