ch2:
Lightning Dust and several other unimportant ponies sat on the roof of an unimportant skyscraper during an unimportant night in Fillydelphia. There were clouds to sit on, but there were so many that you couldn't see the ground, and pegasi in Fillydelphia needed to see the ground if they were going to make plans, due to the skyscrapers. But that wasn't important.
They were arguing about something.
“Why should we listen to you?” one of her pegasus crew responded, “You're not the fastest flyer, you're not even close! You got expelled from the wonder-bolts after the first few days!”
Most of her crew had always annoyed her, but this was personal.
She twitched, “Wonder-bolt or not, I'm still your boss! And I'm still nearly twice as fast as all of you. If one of you mother-buckers has a problem with that, then you can go home, and I'll give some other pony your job. Because I'd rather have some foal who can barely fly over someone like you who flies against me!” She was ready to kill any of her team who decided to protest further.
They wisely shut up. And sadly, most of them did go home that moment.
Lightning Dust clenched her teeth as they all turned their backs and flew away into the dusk. She watched helplessly as they flew back to their disgusting homes in their terrible city.
She had a very hard time concealing her pain and holding back her anger.
In the end, only two ponies stayed: Constellation and Motion Plus, Mare and a Stallion respectively.
Constellation was a jet-black mare of average size who had a terrible Wing Power: 6.5. She didn't care much for weather control, but it gave her time to think and study the stars or something. Her eyes were a chaotic but beautiful neon mix of every color of the rainbow, her cutie mark was some sort of disc of stars, and it seemed like the underside of her wings and fur glowed like her eyes. Lightning swore if she just practiced her flying she would look beautiful in the sky.
Motion Plus was gray-blue all over, his eyes, fur, mane and wings were all that same, dull color. He looked like a statue, but his Wing Power said otherwise: 12.9. If he paid more attention to flying instead of playing games and sports, he might have even been able to keep up with Lightning herself! But games and sports were his talents... or, no- motion was his talent? It was somehow indicated by those black squares that were his cutie mark.
He was probably the only reason Constellation was still there.
A while ago, he fancied her, she rejected him, 7 months later they're together... or... not? They never cuddled, kissed, or even hugged each-other. It was a complex... thing...
Lightning thought Motion was just using Constellation to limit himself, because whenever she was gone he was full of energy.
Lightning Dust... was confused as to why they were still here... The fact that more than half of the ponies left indicated that she wasn't fit to be weather leader, as per her job description. She probably wouldn't be able to find another job either since her record was so publicly smashed and then stomped on.
She stared at them for a while, not saying anything. Her anger had faded after the ponies had left, and it was no longer possible to hold back her pain. But she was damn well going to give it her best!
Motion sat there like a statue, staring at her knowingly. Constellation looked up at the stars, then remembered she could not see them because of the clouds, and looked down at the city. Lightning wished she would just leave if she was only going to make the situation more awkward.
Motion was the only pony she had really liked on her team, he was loyal to the end... the very end...
Lightning looked down, avoiding Motion's intense gaze and Constellation's awkwardness.
“Just go home...” She said quietly.
They sat there for a few more seconds, then Constellation reluctantly did as Lightning asked.
Motion however, galloped towards her. He threw his front hooves around her, intent on nuzzling her for some reason. But she shrank back at the touch as if he burned her.
He sat back, confused. After a while of thinking and confused glances, he held out his hoof. Reluctantly, Lightning shook it...
It felt weird.
Lightning Dust took out her keys, opened the door to her apartment, and walked inside. It was as nice, clean, and empty as it always was. Come next month, she probably wouldn't be able to pay for it.
She flopped down on her couch, not caring enough to make it to her bed. She was tired, tired of this horrible day. But not defeated... she would never be defeated.
I just have to get my reputation back! She yelled in her head.
-And how are you going to do that? Another voice fought her.
Simple... I- I just do some awesome stunts! Like always! She smiled at the simple solution.
-Awesome stunts aren't going to work anymore, that's not the problem now... It explained calmly. How could it be calm about this? This was her life!
Then... I'll show them how good of a leader I am! She answered.
-How? Nopony wants to follow you now. The voice explained away her plans again.
Well, maybe I can make them follow me. She smirked deviously.
-That will probably make your reputation even worse. The voice inside her head warned.
Not if I... She started...
She couldn't think of anything.
Her mind wandered to what she said a few moments ago in her outburst.
“Because I'd rather have some foal who can barely fly over someone like you who flies against me!”
She thought back to all of the ponies who flew against her and silently cursed all of them. She thought about what she would have done better if she were in their hooves... And she realized she probably would have flown against herself as well. In fact, that was what she was doing the whole time anyway: flying against other ponies.
But I was their leader... and they had to at least abandon a few thing if they were going to get results! She argued.
-They have aspirations too, and maybe they cared about those aspirations more than your goals. The voice still remained calm. It sounded like it was hiding something from her, and she would find out!
She went quiet for a while...
You know what? She thought, Maybe I did make a mistake!
-ahuh It responded, bored but hopeful.
Maybe I made a lot of mistakes! She admitted.
-Ahuh. The voice responded again, a little more hopeful this time.
So what! She sat up, I've heard of ponies that made far worse mistakes! They didn't have their lives ruined! No, some of them actually benefited from it.
To think that I should be punished worse than them is just horseapples! She continued.
-How unfair the situation is doesn't change anything. Her sad side said.
She lied down and sniffed, defeated...
No, she wasn't defeated. She was never defeated... ever.
"NO!" She screamed and held up a pillow, hopefully blocking some sound. "BUCK THAT! BUCK YOU! AND" She smothered her face with the pillow and screamed as loud as she could "BUCK THE WONDERBOLTS!"
I'll get my reputation back... She told herself, seething with rage.
-How? That voice just wouldn't leave her alone.
Exhausted of all the fair and normal ways of doing that, her thoughts took a darker turn. If the world wasn't going to play fair with her, then she wasn't going to play fair with it!
Her dissonant thoughts and plans continued throughout - and into - the night.
***
"I'm sorry," Discord interrupted, "May I take a bathroom break?"
All the ponies stared at him in slight annoyance. Well, all except Celestia.
"Of course," She nodded.
***
Discord stood near the door.
Here he was... at the doorstep of the impossible pony. The pony who had shined far too brightly for far too long.
Now that he was here, he swore he could feel her mind constantly rearranging itself. It would find or create some order, heal itself accordingly, and then break down cataclysmically, blasting Discord with chaos the likes of which he had never tasted before! Best of all, it was all completely unpredictable!
He stood by the door, too awed to do anything for a while...
*Knock*... It was like nothing he had ever felt before...
*Knock*... It was terrifying...
*Knock*... It was beautiful...
He waited nervously, readying himself for a good impression.
I'm actually nervous! He chuckled, Fancy that!
Lightning Dust heard a knock on her door.
Who would be out at this time of night? And who would be knocking at her door now that her reputation was so publicly smashed?
...Maybe it was Motion... She honestly wouldn't hate seeing that pony again...
Curious, she trotted over and opened the door with her hoof. Standing before her was Discord, the god of chaos.
She looked up with confused, slightly terrified eyes.
“Hello there," Discord smiled cheerfully and waved his paw at the mare, "mind if I come in?"
This scenario was simply too surreal. I mean, imagine if zombie Hitler knocked on your door and asked to enter your place, all while beaming a disarming smile at you. You'd want to say no, but you'd be too shocked and confused to think for a while.
Lightning Dust acted the same; she simply stared back, not comprehending things for a moment. Unwittingly, she took a few steps back, allowing him room to enter.
“Why thank you!” Discord gleamed and let himself in.
Lighting panicked, “I- bu- wh-”, she looked around and found a hiding pla- a strategically advantageous location. She flew behind her couch and ducked.
Discord teleported, closing the distance with ease, and reached down...
“I'm sorry,” Discord said as he picked her up from behind the couch, as if she were a kitten. A terrified, confused kitten, “as much as I'd like to play hide and seek, I have something important to discuss.” He placed her on one end of her own couch, teleported, and seated himself at the opposite end. He was starting to get tired of sour tastes.
“w-..." Lightning Dust took a moment to gather herself. She would not be stuttering or showing any fear, not even to this... thing.
"What do you want to discuss!?” She spoke bravely.
“Oh, nothing too important," he shrugged, "just a simple matter of chaos."
Lightning stared back blankly. She had no idea what he was talking about.
Discord sighed.
“Well, look at it this way,” Discord coughed twice into his claws. As he did so, a top hat, monocle, pipe, cane, and other spiffy attire covered him.
“I'm not a god so much as a beast,
for the chaos I bring is naught but a feast.
Over the years I found the food that I yearned,
and over that time there was so much to learn!"
Discord teleported to a nearby table in Lightning's living room. He put his paws down on the table and faced Lightning with a terrible grin. Everything on that table levitated a few feet into the air.
Then he stood back up and swung his cane in patternless motions, continuing his song.
“You see chaos at best is just a terrible mess,
And now you should see what I must now confess:
I feed on order, and absolutely nothing less!"
Suddenly, the pieces flew every which way, scattering about Lightning's living room and kitchen. It was sweet; Discord licked his teeth.
He threw his cane away and stretched.
“So when rhythm is corrupted,
and rhyme is all gone,
it fills me up,
and makes me feel all... *Buuuurp*”
Discord brought out a handkerchief and wiped his maw. He was quite satisfied with the taste of the patterns in his song.
He started pacing in front of Lightning, a bit depressed now for some reason. His spiffy clothes suddenly disappeared.
“Sadly you see, it normally ends there,
continuing on, ponies simply don't care.
They wall themselves up, they no longer share,
the order I need, it simply stops there."
Suddenly, everything that had previously littered her table slowly faded and disappeared, leaving a perfectly clean - and orderly - room.
He then clicked his claws, causing the table pieces to fall back to where they were before he started his riddle. He looked back at Lightning.
“And now once again, the order that I need,
has left its home-land, to the place which I feed.
And it would be sad, if the song of my new friend,
so abruptly, did end.”
Discord sadly patted his maw. This taste was much smaller and much more bitter. He ended the song prematurely, but he didn't get much from it.
Lightning Dust tilted her head and squinted her eyes, trying to decipher his strange message. The sheer unexpectedness of it combined with the new challenge had somehow calmed her down immensely.
She always liked a challenge, and puzzles were no exception.
...Apparently, Discord had sensed her inner struggle from a while ago, because how else would she have destroyed order for him? And by his riddle, that made her a friend, and now he was here to make sure her song didn't end. So...
Discord had popped into her kitchen while she was musing and was feeding himself the order of everything in it. Or, in other words, making a complete mess of things.
“You want to help me?” She asked with a bored voice, only raising an eyebrow. In truth she was annoyed, confused, and happily surprised.
“precisely,” He nodded, barely distracted from the mess he was making.
“...I don't need your help.” She lightly clenched her teeth, “I'm Lightning Dust! Fastest flier in Equestria!”
“Oh, yes...” Discord barely paid any attention to her, “I'm sure your just fine,” He replied sarcastically.
"And what do you mean by that?" She asked, more annoyed.
Finally, he turned to her and deadpanned "Do you really think your better than every single pony on the planet?"
"Yes." She didn't hesitate.
Discord had to cover his maw with a paw to stop a surprised outburst of laughter.
"What's so funny!" She grew even more annoyed.
Discord couldn't take it anymore, he let out the laughter that he hadn't enjoyed in a while.
"I said," She growled, nearly blind with rage, "What's! So! Funny!?"
Lightning's fur went white and her mane went up in flames. Like any other pony that got angry enough, she lost mot of her identifying features to the rage.
Discord simply laughed more. Lightning Dust flew over and pounced on him, collapsing him and holding him under a hoof.
"I don't care if you're a god!" She screamed at him, "Nobody laughs in my face!"
Discord quieted his chuckles. She was actually burning him! How interesting!
He hugged her, confident that he could heal whatever burns he got in an instant. Surprised, Lightning's flames quickly went out.
"Oh you ponies are just so adorable!" Discord squeezed and nuzzled her.
Lightning's entire body twitched like a squashed bug. Her eyes went wide as her ears reddened slightly. It was weird; this wasn't her usual reaction. Then again, no one had ever hugged her quite like that... and she didn't... dislike the feeling...
"Huh," Discord got up, leaving a dazed and confused Lightning Dust sprawled on the floor. "That's certainly new." He raised an eyebrow, "Haven't you ever been hugged before?"
Lightning Dust tried to open her mouth to indicate that she had been hugged, just like any other pony. Just not like that. It was usually a meaningless enveloping of her body, more of an annoyance than anything. She usually couldn't wait to break the embrace so she work on something more important.
Why had it felt different now? Was it because, for the first time in her life, she was actually distressed?
Whatever it was, she didn't like showing weakness, especially not to this creature. Her faced flamed in emberracement and anger.
Discord assumed that this reaction meant that no, she hadn't ever been hugged before.
"Well that's just sad!" Discord furrowed his brows, interrupting her confused emotions. Even he had been hugged before! His family had cared for him quite well! And Fluttershy insisted on hugging him too.
This was an injustice! Even to him!
"Tell you what," He said, looking serious for once, "I'll make it up to you." He looked down at her, "What's one thing you've always wanted to do, but were never able to?"
Lightning paused for a while, all the emberracement and anger in her changed to amusement. He completely misunderstood her and jumped to conclusions, didn't he?
I guess the god of chaos isn't perfect after all. She thought.
She would have corrected his assumption, but if she did that he might take back his offer! And she wasn't about to say no to a gift from a god!
She picked herself back up and cleared her throat. This felt terrible, using pity to her advantage... But she suddenly had the chance to fulfill a lifelong dream.
"I've always wanted to see the princess... Princess Celestia I mean..." She said. She always wanted to know what kind of pony it took to rule over all of Equestria, she just never got the chance. That pony was royalty, and it was impossible to get a word in with royalty.
"Hmm," a worried look grew over Discord's face, this would be tough!
"I'll see what I can do," He finally said and reached his paw down to Lightning Dust.
Still a bit unsure of what she was doing, she reluctantly lifted her hoof off the floor and let the alien paw wrap around it. Discord teleported the both of them to Canterlot. He knew Celestia should have returned by now, but he didn't know what to do about the duplication situation...