//------------------------------//
// Space 
// Story: Autumn 
// by canonkiller 
//------------------------------//

     "What is the meaning of this!?"
"Saywhatnow?" Discord yelled, jumping up from his cloud. Standing in front of him was a very aggravated Pegasus, staring at him from inches away.
"What in Equestria is going on? I want to know what happened yesterday!"
He moaned, sitting back down and giving the newcomer a sideways glare. That sounded way too much like Celestia... "What about yesterday?"
"The world blew up!"
"Thank you for specifying."
An angry hoof punched through the cloud. "Tell. Me."
"Geez, calm down. You basically just explained it yourself."
"I know you know more."
Discord shrugged, identifying the huffy creature. "The world blew up, lightning-butt. The end."
Storm snorted. "You're good at insulting those who ask uncomfortable questions."
The spirit stopped mid-breath, turning slowly and glaring at the smug Pegasus. "You have no right to say that."
"I have just as much right as anypony el-"
She was cut off as Discord flexed his claws, an invisible hold tightening around her neck. "You have no right." He repeated. "You wouldn't say things like that to Luna or Celestia, and you cannot say them to me."
"Okay." She squeaked, hooves scraping at her neck. "Okay!"
He let her struggle for a few more seconds before releasing his grip, claw by claw. The limp Pegasus slid down on the cloud, coughing and weakly pushing at her neck.
"I am King." He growled. Truth be told, even he didn't believe himself. "You treat me with as much respect as you would the Princesses."
"Yes, King Discord." The Pegasus instantly bowed, trembling.
Discord lifted one eyebrow, examining the mare's quick submission. "Are you kidding me? All this time I've been treated like dirt, and all I had to do was call myself one pitiful word? Really?"
Storm Catcher opened one eye, glancing up at the chaos deity. "Does it displease you, King?"
"Stuff it, lightning-butt. I'm the same draconequus you were insulting."
Slowly, Storm stood back up, trying not to flinch away from Discord's cynical stare. "Sorry. I didn't-"
"Didn't know I hated power? Not the only one." Before she could leave, he continued. "And about yesterday? This all happened... because I couldn't handle responsibility."
The Pegasus raised an eyebrow before spreading her wings and plummeting back down to the ground.
Discord sighed and rolled onto his back.

Sunrise lifted her muzzle, opening her mouth to draw in any trace of scent. The tunnel was small, and dark, and the floor was suspiciously slimy, but that didn't matter.
Bat post had returned a letter, and given it to her when Discord was absent. From her father, asking when Discord would be coming around.
He had been preoccupied.
Which was why Sunrise was crawling through a tunnel meant to fit cats and young draconequi, and leaving a trail of magic light on the roof.
Slowing down for a few moments, she looked around for any branching tunnels, for some kind of light that would guide her to the next chamber. Instead, the glow from her eyes landed upon a larger space up ahead, and something collapsed inside of it.
Starting to panic, Sunrise slid through the mush, stopping beside what seemed to be a pony and checking to see if it was breathing. Almost. Almost breathing. Her lungs were working, her pulse was racing... but there was no exhale other than Sunrise's own.
Moving to the pony's head, Sunrise found the problem. It looked like a massive hulk of mud, slowly expanding higher on her face, currently around her ears. She hissed, partially in shock, and the mud actually lifted itself up from the limp pony and turned what might have been a head towards Sunrise. This drew the mud away from the pony's head, and for a few seconds, a panicked purple iris cloud be seen searching for any sign of help.
Their eyes locked, and a nauseating horror filled Sunrise's throat. Scootaloo. 
With a magical burst, Sunrise flooded the cavern with light, watching as the mud - actually a scarlet mess, swirled with black - drew away with what might have been a hiss, and disappeared into a side tunnel.
The dragon pulled Scootaloo to her feet, holding her up as she coughed. "Thank... you..." Scootaloo panted. "I thought... I was going... to die."
"All in a day's work. How did you end up here?"
"I was flying... and all of a sudden, I wasn't. The ground just opened up under me, and I was pulled in, and then... nothing. No... I hit my head on something... then... I woke up... in the dark... and that thing... climbed over my face... and then the dark, oh, the dark..."
"It's okay. You're safe now. But we have to keep going. Stay close behind me."
Scootaloo nodded, ducking to follow Sunrise deeper into the tunnel complex.

"What do you mean, she's gone?!" Discord roared, landing with a tyrannosaurus-esque thud. "I told you to keep an eye on her!"
Twilight flinched back. "I turned around for one second! I promise!"
"You should have been keeping a better eye on her!" He growled, tail flicking impatiently over the dusty ground. "She could be anywhere!"
"You said we were safe."
He stiffened, the muscles in his shoulders tensing. "In the caverns, you're safe for long enough. The tunnels... the tunnels aren't safe. And this cave is special. Fulmen enchanted this one long ago. Nothing can enter here without permission. That's why I want to retrieve as many creatures as possible as fast as possible. Sunrise's gone looking for her father, and he's a long way away."
"What's in the tunnels?"
"Let's just leave it at the fact that even I could get killed if I went there with my magic restricted. My mother... saw many of her servants die from what lurks in there. And you can't get away, they're too narrow."
"Then why the buck are we down here?!?"
Discord's eyes filled with golden fire. "Because my SON just sacrificed himself to save all of us, that's why! And because the only thing I HAVE LEFT OF HIM is carrying their child! And because I THINK that I HAVE some responsibility in TAKING CARE OF MY CHILDREN, THAT'S WHY!"
Twilight's ears had gone from laid back in anger to drooping in what could have been called mistaken anger, if anypony around wasn't too shocked to speak. Small squeaks wheezed from her throat whenever he raised his voice. 
Out of breath and motivation, the draconequus slumped, tail dropping flat to the ground, head and neck bowed. He sighed, before continuing in a much quieter, deeper voice.
"If you don't mind, I'll be going."