Chapter 2
Discordian Hijinks
"Well, ma'am?" The guard pony asked Twilight, as they arrived in the place in question. "What do you make of it? Could it mean..."
"No." Twilight sighed, shaking her head, as well as putting a hoof on the guards mouth. "We don't know anything as of yet. I'd ask the Princesses, but I'm going to need someone that can look this over as well." She sighed, looking back at her friends. "I can't believe I'm saying this... but we need Discord."
Discord chuckled, as a few of the tables upon the boat were now dancing around. This prevented the ponies from eating, normally, as they kept running after their tables. The two guard ponies who were his escorts, sat there next to him. He glanced at each of them, before sighing. "My my..." He mumbled, waving a paw in front of one of the guards stoic face. "Rainbow Dash is right. You ponies are no fun at all... And for that matter, I think I've already proven that I'm one of the good guys now. After all, I did help Celestia with that one... hare of a problem Canterlot had a few months back." He chuckled, though got no response from either of the ponies sitting next to him. "My... not even a chuckle? Okay... I will admit that was a bad pun... but still! Give me something!"
One of the guards sighed, before looking around. "Celestia would request that you tone down the shenanigans until we arrive at our location." He relayed, the unicorn clearly having a telekinetic bond with the Alicorn princess in question. "After that, you are free to do as you please. As long as it does not disrupt the forming of the colony."
"Oh, all right..." Discord grumbled. He then snapped his fingers as the tables returned to their natural shape. He chuckled softly as he heard the collective sigh from the rest of the boats passengers. "Well, this is going to be a very fun boat ride..."
Discord sat in his hammock, glad that they allowed him to have a room with a port-side view. He didn't really understand why this room was the one he requested, though it did seem to his taste. He then stopped swinging, and looked out the small window of the room. A thought had just dawned on him, they gave him the room he requested. Though he assumed lots of ponies requested rooms, he had half expected them to toss him in the brig the moment they left port. He chuckled, as he was alone with his thought. He was just about to make a couple of copies of himself, to play poker or prodder, when a knock at the door woke him from his thoughts.
"Come in." He said, wondering who the pony could be. "I do believe the door can't be locked."
A mare opened the door, her coat a soft blue color. Not like Rainbow Dash's, which stood out as a sky blue, this pony had a softer, darker color for her coat. "Um..." The mare mumbled, her fear of him poorly hidden. "It is my job to... to um... go around and... um..."
"Well, spit it out." Discord said, slightly amused at her nervous. "I don't have all day... or well, night." He chuckled, looking out the window at the setting sun.
"I am here to..." The mare gulped, clearly afraid of what he would do. "Room service?" She finally said, in a questioning tone.
"Oh? Did I order room service?" Discord questioned the mare, blinking. "Oh never mind. Tell me, do you have those little chocolate truffles? You know, the ones that have the gooey brownies inside them?" The mare nodded, but didn't speak up. "Oh goody! I'll take twenty of those. And maybe a glass of Apple cider if you have any."
The mare nodded, leaving the room, only to return with a plater of the chocolate truffles, and a mug of cider. "Um... that'll be twenty-five bits... please."
Discord nodded, handing the mare the appropriate amount of bits. He chuckled, watching the mare leave. He hadn't expected the room service to be free, but the surprisingly low price for the chocolate amused him. Now alone with his thoughts again, he began to think of any reason why one of the most stubborn mares he knew, would ask for his help specifically.
None came to mind why Twilight would do such a thing.
A full two weeks passed, and Discord actually enjoyed it. The mare, who he learned was called Midnight Star, had regularly visited him. Though, he understood that it was part of her job, it still made him feel happy inside. Something he hadn't felt in quite sometime. It had taken him only two days for her to stop being worried for her safety every time she entered his room.
He had also learned that she in fact, did not work for the company who ran the ships, but was one of the ponies who hoped to make a living in the colony. After only a few more days, they had begun to have talks, not about important matters though. The mare, did talk a lot about her brother though. "Well, he seems like a nice pony." Discord said, when Midnight first brought him up.
"Oh he is!" She smiled, practically beaming. "Though I don't get to see him all that often... with him being a guard pony and all."
"Oh not to worry." Discord smiled, patting her on her head. "You still enjoy his company when he is around do you not?" Midnight nodded, a soft smile on her face. "Well, then that's something to look forward to is it not? Now, I take it your brother... Seventh Star was it? Oh, I'm not too good with new names... But either way, I take it he's in the colony?"
Midnight nodded, still softly smiling. "Yes, he is." She said, a soft chuckle escaping her voice. "I wish you could meet him though. But he's stationed on the other end of the town, then the noble district. That is where you'll be headed right?"
Discord shrugged, smiling. "Honey, you guess is as good as mine." He said, sighing. "I'm at a loss as to why Miss Twilight Sparkle needs me here anyway.
"Argh... did it really take that long to find Discord?" Rainbow Dash moaned, as the boat pulled up to the dock. "This is the third boat, and I'm thinking he's not on this one either." She groaned taking off to do a fly over, to see if there was any of the signs of Discord being there.
"You see anything?" Applejack asked, when she landed. "I'd go up on there myself, but boats... well I don't like em."
"Coming from the only pony not affected by them?" Rainbow questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, well... that don't mean I can't not like em." Applejack said, slightly defensive. " 'sides, there's Discord." She nodded, as the draconequus showed himself off the boat, in his fashion. Which, this time around involved the water making him a ramp to slide down.
"Why hello my little ponies." He said, walking up to Rainbow and Applejack. "It's a pleasure to see you two. Has it really been a whole two years? My, time does really fly by me these days. Why, if I leave here, I don't expect to see you until your old fogey ponies." He then looked around, sighing. "So, where is Twilight? Wasn't she the one who asked me to be here? Or was I mistaken?"
"No, she did." Applejack said, flatly. "She's in a meeting right now though, over in town ha..." As she said Twilight's location, Discord teleported the three there, disrupting the meeting. "Hall... gosh dang it, I should have expected that..."
"It's okay Applejack." Twilight chuckled, setting some papers down, as the noble ponies stared in shock. "It's nice to see you Discord, how have things been back in ponyville? I heard from Fluttershy that you've been helping her with the animals, is this true?"
Discord sighed, bowing his head. "It in deed is." He sighed, shaking his head. "You really do no how to talk ideally, yet be business like. Just. Like. Celestia." He emphasized the last sentence, which only made Twilight smile.
"Why thank you Discord." She smiled, the same tone emanating from her. "I'll take that as a complement. Even though we both know you meant it as an insult."
"My... she really did train you well." Discord scoffed, feigning hurt. "Or are you just a natural at it like her?"
Twilight shrugged, a soft chuckle escaping her. "Wouldn't know Discord." She said, sighing. "I assume you are tired after the boat ride. Star?" She said, calling one of the guard ponies forward. "Would you please show Discord a room... perhaps one with an ocean view." The guard pony nodded, as Discord blinked, slightly recognizing the name.
"Hold on... Your name wouldn't happen to be Seventh Star would it?" Discord asked, looking the guard pony over. The guard blinked, slowly nodding his head. "Oh, well then this won't due... This one needs to have the day off Ce... Twilight."
Twilight blinked, confused as to how Discord knew the guards name or why he ordered her to give him the day off. "Why?" She asked, hopping to get an answer.
"Why?" Discord repeated. "Why, did he not get the letter? I would assume his sister sent a letter... after all, she seemed so adamant about coming here to meet with him."
Twilight sighed, nodding at Star, who then proceeded to rush out of the room to meet with his sister. "I take it you met her? On the boat?" Twilight questioned, looking at Discord. She then blinked. "You almost called me Celestia, are we that much alike?"
"Hm... Yes, yes, and oh absolutely." Discord answered, sounding off the questions with his paw. "Well, in her youth that is... before the whole Nightmare Moon business went down."
Twilight blinked, shocked at how much she and the younger Celestia were alike. "Wait... you were stone when she ruled, how could you have know what she was like?" Twilight asked, forgetting one simple thing.
"Honey, I was stone." Discord sighed, resting on the table which he had turned part of into a hammock. "Yes, I was trapped and couldn't move. But I could still hear, and think... Man, do you know what it was like waking up everyday, and being in the same place? Every day, in the same place, for a thousand years?" He said, in a very serious tone.
"Excuse me?" One of the nobles said, having had to move because Discord turned his seat into a mug of cider. "But are you forgetting the matter on hoof?"
"No, I am not." Twilight responded. "And quite frankly, I take the earth ponies stance in this. I'm not raising the taxes on the lower classes, just so that you can have more bits." Twilight sighed, shaking her head. "And didn't I tell you that no pony is going to have a say in legal matters until we hold an election? That includes the nobles."
"But..."
"You heard the lady, that includes you." Applejack said, smiling. "Understand?" The noble nodded, grumbling incoherently. Though it was safe to assume that there were insults and a mention of Twilight in there. "Now... can you go and show Discord that thing now? I'd like to put this behind us, and send him back to Canterlot by next week."
"No Applejack," Twilight sighed shaking her head. "I think I need a little rest, perhaps you and Rainbow can show him. I'd ask the guard who brought it to our attention to do so. But I just gave him the day off..."
"Sure we can." Rainbow said, puffing her chest out in her unique manor. "We won't let Discord get to us that easily.... Well, as easily as he did when we first met him that is..." She chuckled softly, remembering their meeting.
"Oh yes, that was in deed a good time." Discord chuckled, as he followed Rainbow and Applejack. "So, where we headed? Some mysterious cave? Or perhaps a mine? Oh... I do love mines. They do such good fun.... Oh wait, those are mimes." Both Applejack and Rainbow sighed. Though he wasn't going to get to them how he did last time, that doesn't mean annoying them was out of the question.
After her two friends and Discord left, Twilight sighed as well. She knew he would be a bother to have around, but she didn't expect him to be so... mellow. Perhaps he had finally come to terms with the term friendship. Twilight chuckled softly, shaking her head. "No... the day he does that is the day I win first place against Rainbow Dash." She mused to herself, looking out a window.
Though the majority of the nobles had left the meeting hall, after Twilight dispersed them, as single one remained. And that was the pony Celestia had put in charge of the guards for in the colony. "Princess." He said, turning to look as the last of the nobles left. "There are a few things I wish to talk to you about."
"Yes? What are they?" Twilight asked, not turning away from the window. "If it's about Discord, I don't want to hear it. We already talked about that and I stand by my decision."
The stallion shook his head. "No." He said, standing firm. "I understand that this was your only choice. It is about why we sent for him."
"Oh? Do tell."
"Well, ever sense you ordered the guard to seal off the section in question, the ponies have begun to ask questions." He said, looking around. "A patrol has already caught a group of foals attempting to enter the restricted area. When questioned, they... they mentioned a club they belonged to. Something called Cutie."
"Mark Crusaders." Twilight finished, a soft smile on her face. "I knew we got a couple of families that had one or two of them. Though I didn't expect a whole group. How many do we have?"
"Around five were caught Princess." He responded. "Though we have reason to believe that their numbers are closer to 10."
"Dusk Shine."
"Yes, Princess?"
"Believe me when I tell you this, if there was only three or four I wouldn't ask you to do this." Twilight said, placing a hoof over her mouth to prevent herself from laughing. "But if what you say is true, and we have 10 to deal with. Then you'll need all of the guards on the look out for their capes. Believe me, you'll have your hoofs full with them alone." She chuckled, unable to hold herself anymore.
"Ma'am."
Twilight chuckled, shaking her head as Dusk Shine left to inform the guards. "Yes... we will have our hands full." She chuckled again, thinking back to Ponyville, and a certain group of young fillies who had plenty of hijinks. "At least we don't have them to deal with them... Scootaloo comes up with some crazy things. Some of them Pinkie level crazy." She chuckled, as she left the room as well.