*Disclaimer: There is a slight use of gore in this chapter.
The rest of the night passed silently for Discord. He had made his point quite clear with his closing remarks. Nopony knocked on his chamber door. As far as he cared, that was a bonus to his probably-hated-guts. However, something within him continued to prick at the back of his mind, leaving him with an ever-growing sense of guilt. It felt weird. In all his thousands of years of life, he had never once felt guilty about any of his chaotic actions. And now, having refused to stop the chaos of the Parasprites left him with an empty pit in his gut.
Perhaps his vow of using his power for good was changing him. It could be that he simply thought he was a little harsh on his ‘friends’. While the majority of them deserved a harsh treatment, Fluttershy had been one of the few that never asked for any kind of favor. If for no other reason, he should have helped upon her request…
Sheogorath’s words from the prior evening echoed in his head as he attempted to sleep. “…You have emotion behind that scheming face, and emotions kill scheming faces…Ah, there’s that pesky emotion I was talking about...”
The draconequus’s emotions were most definitely altering his demeanor. He didn’t appreciate being slowly turned into a kind and caring beast, as he’d always flourished on being cruel and crazy. Yet, he’d never taken the time to consider these changes until they were flashed directly in front of his face by his newly found humanoid friend.
The abomination tossed and turned all night long, unable to sleep as his mind chased through the thousands of years’ worth of memories it held in search of some other signs of change.
It wasn’t until roughly noon the following day when somepony finally had the urge to disturb him. With a hesitant knock, an armor-clad guard announced, “The Princesses and Elements wish to speak with you in the throne room, Discord.”
With an annoyed grunt, the beast rose from his bed. He scoffed, “What could it possibly be this time, eh? Do they need me to move a painting a few inches up a wall? Or maybe they want me to go shopping for them?” When the guard didn’t respond, he snapped, “Well, what do they want?”
The guard, now shaking in fear, mumbled, “Th-they want to apologize, s-sir…”
Discord’s face fell blank. “Apologize?” he repeated. “Oh, I simply must see this!”
With a signature snap of his claws, the draconequus vanished from his chambers. The guard let out a relieved sigh just as the doors to the chambers closed behind him. He was fairly happy until he realized that they shut him within the chamber. What’s more was that the solid threshold wouldn’t budge at his hooves or magic.
…
The Ex-Prince of Madness sat at the top of the tallest tower of Canterlot castle, hunched over with staff in hand, letting his eyes scan every square-inch of visible land. He needed a host to inhabit before he could set any of his plans in motion. While it would be more convenient to pick a body that wouldn’t limit his magic, he had very few options at the moment as to who to use.
The most obvious host would be Discord. However, the abomination’s power would very much rival the Madgod’s, and it would be no simple task to take control. If the possession failed, Sheogorath would cease to exist both physically and spiritually. This was an outcome he had no intentions of allowing. If the Daedric prince were to take over Discord’s form, it would have to be voluntarily. And, with the creature’s feelings for the princesses, it would be dumb to possess them.
The Elements of Harmony were out of the question as well, being capable of imprisoning even Discord for two thousand years. Again, that was an outcome that couldn’t be tolerated. Despite how limited his powers would be while in another form, he had no choice but to take over a normal creature’s shell until he could set his dominoes in place. And once the first one went tumbling, a powerful body would be his to use at his leisure.
The longer it took to set the dominoes, the more innocent ponies would die. But the Madgod was okay with that sacrifice, as there were plenty more to drive insane later on down the road.
The Madgod caught a taste of the aura of a single pony in particular, heading straight for Discord’s chambers. With a maniacal laugh, he was standing right behind the armor-clad pony. Unlike the previous guards he’d seen in the dining hall, this one was wearing a brighter shade of gold, with a larger build and sterner face. The emblem on this guard’s side revealed that he was the captain of the royal guard.
A name would be unnecessary for now. Sheogorath would find his name before shattering the poor fool’s mind. If he could get the guard alone, the Madgod would have a body to use for at least a day.
The Daedric prince kept out of sight for the duration of the exchange between his friend and the guard, until the former finally fled from the scene. With the guard hesitating to leave in exchange for a sigh of relief, Sheogorath sealed the door to the chamber closed, leaving the guard alone within.
He laughed, “Now it’s time to have some fun! Let’s see if I still have it in me!”
…
“I’m sorry, could you repeat that?” Discord chuckled smugly, astounded by what he’d just heard.
Princess Celestia sighed, “You were right, Discord. We’ve done nothing but abuse your powers since you were set free. I apologize for losing my temper yesterday.” Sincerity beamed from the alicorn’s face, while several other present ponies seemed hesitant to agree.
The sibling princess was the next to speak. She, too, spoke with a tone of sincere apology, “I hope you can forgive my outburst. Biting my tail was the last straw…” She glanced back to her slightly-ruffled tail, the Parasprite’s bite mark still visible.
“Why of course I can forgive you!” he chuckled. “I know how it feels to have your tail munched on, and it’s not nice.” With a smug grin, he turned his attention to the six Elements standing beside the princesses.
After a few hesitant seconds, Fluttershy spoke up, “We’re sor-“
“Nope.” Discord snapped.
“-Oh...” the timid Pegasus finished, her voice fading out.
The draconequus shook his head disbelievingly and groaned, “You of all ponies have nothing to apologize for, Fluttershy! If anypony’s got to be sorry, it’s her…” As he spoke, he wrapped a light magical aura around Rainbow Dash, pulling her from the group.
“Wha- Why me?!” The Pegasus scoffed in indignation, crossing her hooves in a defiant manner.
“Oh please,” he started, “I could practically feel the hatred from yesterday.”
Twilight Sparkle butted in, “Yesterday, sure. But we’ve all been asking you for favors. So we all need to apologize.” Her friends nodded in agreement, with the exception of the stubborn blue pony.
“And even then the timid mare is innocent...” The abomination was beginning to get angry, as the ponies insisted in splitting the blame equally. Something about his pony friend attempting to say sorry irked him. “Not once has she asked me for a favor, even one that would make sense to ask! You five are the guilty ones.”
Applejack scoffed, “Well it ain’t like we been workin’ ya to the bone!”
Discord burst, “That’s not the point!” He zipped to the orange mare’s side and mocked, “Oh Discord, help me buck these apples real quick!” Moving along the line, he stopped at Twilight, “Hey Discord, could you help me carry these books to Mayor Mare’s?” Continuing on, “Discord, help me clear up this weather! Would you mind helping me search for gems? Discord, can you teach me how to woo Rarity?” The abomination face-clawed at his final mocking comment. He groaned, “You ponies have gotten along fine without me, and now you suddenly have all these senseless favors to ask!”
Spike, hoping nopony heard the favor he’d requested a week back, asked, “What’s Pinkie Pie asked you for?”
Discord calmed down almost as quickly as he snapped. He sighed, “She asked me to help make cupcakes. I love cupcakes, so that wasn’t a big deal.” The pink pony grinned happily at the approving beast.
“Yes, we’ve asked for favors, but we’re apologizing now. Isn’t that enough?” The purple unicorn lowered her voice, taking on a tone of sincerity.
The abomination took a deep breath and sighed, “Of course it is. It’s not like it was a big deal before. I just felt like giving you ponies trouble.” The enthusiastic beast kicked back against the air like a bed.
The throne room’s doors opened as a guard announced, “Captain Aegis has something to report, Princess.” The light-golden-armored guard in question entered the room as he was introduced.
…
The stallion began to panic as the chamber doors continued to refuse him passage. He even tried to pry open the window, but it was to no avail. After several minutes of scrambling about the room, he slumped to the ground in annoyance.
“I’ll just wait for Discord to get back. He’ll open the door for me…” the guard sighed audibly, uncertainty in his voice. Under normal circumstances this series of events wouldn’t bother him. Something filled him with a sense of dread.
Sheogorath loved dread. Seeing the pony’s terrified eyes filled him with a sense of joy. He laughed, “You think that pathetic beast will help you? Nobody can help you now! You’re mine!”
At the sound of the crazy voice, the guard struggled to his hooves. He put on a brave face and commanded, “I-I am Aegis Shield, captain of the Royal Guard! I demand you free me from this room immediately!” He adopted a stern posture, as if ready to fight.
A shattering sound sent his stance to shambles, causing him to leap with a shriek. Looking all around the room, he noticed that a small vase had crashed to the ground and fell to pieces. The guard readied his horn for a magic blast in case of something hostile appearing from the shadows.
A sudden squeak made him release his magic in the direction of the source. A loud squeal ensured him that the source had been eliminated, and once the smoke cleared he saw a tiny rat lying lifeless on the floor. Relieved that it wasn’t something bigger, he tried to pry open the door again.
For a second time, Sheogorath laughed, “You can kill a rat! How lovely! I imagine that skill will help you when you’re burning in Oblivion!” The rat’s body twitched a few times before it let out a loud roar.
Aegis turned just in time to watch the rodent increase exponentially in size. Panicked at the sight of the beast, he shouted, “What the hay is going on here?! Who are you?!” Charging magic into his horn, he smothered the large rat in blue energy. With a loud shriek, it crumpled to the ground again, hopefully lifeless.
The poor stallion was getting scared. Fright only helped lead to Madness. And did the Madgod love Madness! With a dark chuckle he exclaimed, “I’m the Madgod! And you’re the mad man! Or you will be when I’m finished! If you’re lucky, I’ll scalp your mane and let you watch me fashion it into a hat!” With a tap of his staff, Sheogorath summoned a sack onto the bed, and replaced the door with one solid wall.
“Wh-what…?” the guard captain stammered as he fell back against the missing door.
With a daring, angry voice, the Madgod commanded, “Open it!”
With a twisted sense of curiosity, the stallion did as he was told. Aegis was met with a grotesque, gut-wrenching scent as he untied the knot on the sack. The sensory overload sent him into a nauseous tumble to the ground. When the sack suddenly burst into flames, the guard scratched wildly at the room’s window, desperate to escape the smell of sewage and decay that drowned out the oxygen. Every breath was filled to the brim with a noxious fume.
When the flames faded, Aegis saw plainly what had been in the sack. Lying there on the bed was the rotten corpse of another pony. Another guard. His brother. With a shriek of intense fear and pain, the guard turned from the sight and slammed hard against the wall, trying with all his might to break free from the nightmare around him.
Sheogorath laughed, “You’re wasting what little clean air you have left! You can’t get out!” His tone shifted to dark as he groaned, “Nobody can. Nobody ever has.”
The events of the last few minutes blinded Aegis with fear, and clouded his rational thinking. He screamed, “Stop! Get away from me!” The Ex-Prince of Madness’s image appeared before the now-insane stallion.
“Good, you can see me now…” the humanoid said matter-of-factly. “I’ll just be taking your body now. Hope you don’t mind. I should suggest you enjoy the view.”
With a snap of his fingers, Sheogorath’s body merged with the tormented guard, whose spirit was split from the shell. Now, rather than the Madgod walking in a spiritual state, it was Aegis left in the realm of the non-existent. The room around Aegis’s body returned to its normal appearance, while the shadows of his spirit and the pony corpse remained in place.
Sheogorath could still hear the poor soldier’s cries of pain. He tittered, “Another soul duly maddened!” Looking into the nearby mirror, the Madgod admired his new appearance. He commented to nothing in particular, “Not enough purple in this outfit, but it’ll do. I hope my eyes don’t give me away…”
In place of Aegis’s blue eyes were the Daedric prince’s signature golden eyes. With a shrug of his shoulders, Sheo-Aegis exited through the door. Shegorath was aware of his limited amount of magic, as simply returning the room to normal after taking the body had drained it.. He felt as if he could use a long nap. Or perhaps a few chunks of Greenmote.
Soldiers within the castle’s halls bowed to the possessed form of their captain, which sent joyful shivers up Sheo-Aegis’s new spine. He chuckled internally as he considered that before long they would bow to the actual him, rather than his current puppet form.
Using his body’s instincts, Sheo-Aegis quickly reached the throne room, where Discord’s aura continued to emanate. The soldier at the door stood at attention to the pony he thought was his captain. Attempting to emulate the guard captain’s voice, Sheo-Aegis commanded, “I need to speak to the Princess; it’s urgent!”
“Are you feeling alright, captain? Your voice is a little off…” the guard ignorantly replied.
The Madgod groaned, “I have a cold, now let me through! Very important business!”
With a nod, the guard opened the doors and entered the room. He announced, “Captain Aegis has something to report, Princess.” Sheo-Aegis trotted in with a smug grin on his face. He’d successfully tricked one pony, now to trick them all.
…
Discord watched carefully as the guard that had summoned him to the throne room entered slowly. The stallion had a smug grin plastered on his face, as if he had just won some trivial argument. Aegis’s arrival was just the distraction the abomination needed to calm down and forget about his anger.
Princess Celestia called, “Captain Aegis, what news could be so urgent to warrant disturbing my audience?”
To the draconequus’s shock, a familiar voice sighed, “We have a rat infestation in the dining hall, Princess. They’re getting into all the food!” Aegis winked at Discord, setting alarms off in the beast’s mind.
Out of nowhere, Sheogorath’s form appeared sitting atop the guard’s body. Both figures bowed, the humanoid form having a split-second head start. Discord grinned at the realization that the guard captain had been possessed. It was a neat trick, in all fairness.
Twilight Sparkle groaned, “Not another pest problem! C’mon girls!” Without hesitation, the Elements of Harmony darted from the room.
“Thank you for informing us. This is a problem… The dinner starts before long…” With a nod, both of the princesses hurried from the room, desperate to stop the rat trouble before things got as bad as the previous day.
Discord laughed, “This is your doing, isn’t it?”
Sheo-Aegis scoffed, “I have no idea what you mean. I’m just a lowly guard.” Sheogorath’s figure laughed, “But I am the Prince of Madness, and I love Madness!”
“I thought you said that a normal body wouldn’t work?” the abomination sighed, unsure of how the possession was working.
Sheo-Aegis groaned, “It barely does. I can use a little magic, but nothing serious. The rat thing makes me wanna start projectile-vomiting all over the place!” After stopping himself from tumbling over in dizziness, he chuckled, “I need some water! Got any water?”
With a snap of the beast’s claws, the two friends were blessed with a table of light snacks and pitchers of water, which the pony-form friend immediately started to consume. They carried on in almost-silence for several minutes before the Pony-Madgod had to stop eating.
He grumbled, “This body can’t handle the food! Oh the horror!”
“You look a little pale, pal. Maybe you could use some rest?” Discord developed a genuine sense of concern for his friend.
“Oh no, I only have so much time to act in this body before I lose it! I will persist in my ambitions!” With a determined expression, Sheo-Aegis fled from the room, turning in the direction of the dining hall. Sheogorath’s figure trailed slowly behind his body, turning to chuckle, “You should expect things to get wild around here, my friend!”
With that, the Daedric prince disappeared from the draconequus’s view. Discord was left to wonder what his companion had meant by only having a limited time to act. What echoed more was the part about the demigod’s ambitions. What could a man possessed by insanity hope to do, aside from spread that insanity to others?