//------------------------------// // Cold Moments // Story: Notes // by DerpyStarlet //------------------------------// The bars on the window sliced the moonlight, laying it in strips on the stone floor. Discord breathed into his hands before rubbing his arms again. Hadn’t it been summer when he left Equestria before? He turned his head slightly and glanced over his shoulder to catch the eye of the unicorn guard that stood on the other side of the wall of bars locking him in his cell. He’s still staring at me, Discord thought with a grunt. Perhaps chasing Chrysalis back to Equestria was a bad idea. He tugged at his coat, the friction creating a brief moment of warmth. There was still a chance Luna would let him go if she believed his story that he was just a human. That portal wasn’t hidden well anyway. Anyone could fall into it from that world. His nose was cold against his hands as he pressed them to his face again. Tears pooled on his eyelashes and he wiped them away before they could spill onto his face. He was just cold. He would be even colder when trying to find Sarah. Discord’s eyes squeezed shut as his jaw trembled. She had to be still alive. She had survived so much already. Surely Sombra wouldn’t... The door leading to the dungeons opened and Discord turned to the approaching sound of hooves. “Leave us,” said Princess Luna, stepping into the main room. The guard saluted and left. Luna’s eyes scrutinized the human in Discord’s cell. “Stand, please.” Discord rose, keeping his arms wrapped around himself. “Am I... free to go?” he asked, shaking a bit from nerves and the chill. Luna’s eyes ran over him before meeting his accusingly. “Why doesn’t she recognize me?” “What are you talking about?” Discord said before an unplanned sneeze interrupted him. Luna sighed and a small fire crackled in front of him. He held his hands out and knelt to the flames for their warmth. He could see that underneath his fingernails the skin was almost entirely blue. Luna’s eyes remained on him, studying each move as he studied her in return. “Discord, why are you doing this?” “I’m not Discord.” he breathed into his hands and scooted closer to the fire before looking at Luna again. “Please, let me go home.” “I want my sister back,” she demanded, her eyes narrowing. “I want my family! I don’t know where my daughter is and—” He bit back his thoughts before they became words and sighed. “I just need to get home.” “You’ve pushed my sister to insanity—” “Please, just let me go.” “Why are you avoiding what I’m saying?” she said, leaning closer to the bars. “I just... I’m not supposed to be here.” “Oh really?” she scoffed, raising an eyebrow almost accusingly. “And you like that world you came from?” “It’s... my home,” he explained rubbing his hands together next to the flames. “How did you change my sister into a... whatever it is you turned her into?” Discord looked down into the fire even though it was now warming his face too much and hurting his eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about! Please, just let me go! I need to get back to that mirror!” “The mirror is already sealed shut!” she said with a flustered toss of her mane. Oh, clever. You know it isn’t. But, if I am human, I shouldn’t understand that. “What do you mean? Do you mean I’m stuck here?” “Yes. I can help you get back if you really want to go. But I have to be there to open the portal the mirror creates. I can send you back right now even. My magic can force it open.” “My daughter is here. Is she the woman you have imprisoned here?” “The woman here is my sister. Now I am asking you: what have you done to her! I know it’s her and you can’t convince me that you’re not Discord!” “Can I see your sister and...?” Discord wanted to split in two and punch himself in the face. His mouth had gotten away from his brain again. Luna raised her head, a grim smile on her muzzle. “As I suspected— What’s that there?” she asked, looking at a bulge in Discord’s coat pocket. “Just... something to keep me occupied.” He slipped his hand inside the pocket and took a baseball out to show her. “Use it well,” Luna warned. With a pop, she disappeared and the fire left with her. Discord felt the spot where the fire had been. Cold as the rest of the cell. He sat back and rolled the baseball between his hands. Well... so much for convincing her... She knew I was Discord all this time. Why did she make it so easy for me to escape? Discord stood up and approached the bars of his prison. The guard was still gone. He couldn’t make sense of it. Why would Luna let him go so easily? It was almost as if she wasn’t even trying to confine him. She wanted to see if I would leave. The baseball weighed heavily in his hand. He could stay here and keep trying to convince Luna that he was human, or he could try to find Screwball. Celestia or his daughter? I’m going to lose Celestia no matter what I do. A simple marker formed in his hands. He bit the cap off and pressed the felt tip to the leather surface of the baseball. Perhaps, if he left Celestia now, he might have a chance in the future to tell her. But, he wasn’t going to leave her with nothing. He pursed his lips and blew over the ink, making sure it was dry after lifting the marker. I’m coming back. Be strong. Discord poked his head through the doorway into Celeste’s room. It was open again which mean that Sarah was probably the one who was inside. Sure enough, Sarah sat next to the bed, examining the patient’s arm with a frown. “Sarah?” She jumped. “Dad, you... I’m sorry. I forgot again, but Dad—” “The drugs are expected to wear off completely tomorrow,” he reminded her. “Dad, it’s still happening.” Discord turned his eyes to the bony limb Sarah cradled in her hands. Blisters rose from the skin in precise lines to form words. “Dear Princess Celestia, Fondest wishes from....” Discord muttered a curse. “Well, just bandage it. Remember, she probably wakes up tomorrow and this doesn’t have a lot of time to heal.” “When I came in the room she just started speaking. Like the letter was going to be delivered that way....” “When the bond between her and Equestria is weakened enough the notes will stop.” Sarah looked miffed as if her father had missed the point. “What if we gave her a notepad to write everything out on?” “Absolutely not. Giving her an easy way to access the letters might cause her to remain Celestia longer than she needs to be.” Sarah sighed. “Okay.” “Sarah...” he waited until she looked at him. “You haven’t dyed your hair yet.” She stood up with a small groan. “I’ll do it now.” “Screwball...” DIscord said firmly but with kindness. “I love you. Remember that.” “Yeah, yeah, Dad,” she said with a somewhat rushed smile as she breezed past him. Discord’s smile wasn’t without worry as he watched her leave. He glanced back towards the bed and looked down at the thin figure sleeping fitfully. Ready or not, tomorrow she woke up and then he’d most likely not know one peaceful moment until this was all over. With that on his mind he turned and exited the room, closing the door tightly behind him. “Did you really think I wouldn’t figure it out?” Chrysalis asked, leaning against the wall next to the door. Discord looked down at her jeans and t-shirt. “If you say ‘scrubs, Chrysalis’ I swear—” she began with an accusing finger aimed towards his nose. “Nurse Alice, you’re not properly dressed,” he grumbled turning his back on her. “I know who Screwball is!” she shouted after him. “Of course you do.” He spun on his heels and looked her in the face. “Any questions?” His question sounded more like a threat than an inquiry. “How?” “It happened a long time ago.” He turned to leave again. Chrysalis’ hand grabbed his doctor’s coat and pulled him back. “Let go,” he said in a low, even tone. “Two more changelings starved to death today... if I’m going to be here. It better be for a good reason.” “It is,” he said, trying to pull away. She tugged him back down to look at her. “When did it happen?” Discord stood up then untwisted her hand from his coat. This time he didn’t retreat.   Chrysalis looked up at him, waiting with an arched eyebrow. “Fifteen years ago I was free for one second. I made the most of it.” The wake of his voice echoed as he turned one last time and walked away from Chrysalis. The sunrise was barely enough to cut the chill. Yet people were already gathered around, huddling close for warmth. Dr. Marlowe stood next to the sheriff, talking low and worried with her. Their breathing clouded between them and Dr Marlowe had to remove his glasses to wipe away the moisture clouding his vision. Celeste stood somewhat separated, staring at the cup of coffee-to-go warming her hands. “Who are you?” the Sheriff inquired politely. “John Babel,” Discord lied. “Did you already give me your cell phone?” Discord took his phone out and checked his last few messages. “If you got the text from me last night you should have it.” The sheriff checked her phone. “Sent at 9:21?” “Yeah.” “Ok, I think I got it then,” she said, fiddling with the buttons of her phone. After a moment, Discord’s phone rang from her calling him. “Yes, I got it,” she said, satisfied as she headed to her previous spot. “Since we already have a good group now we’ll send you out towards the east. Keep your cell phones on and try to stay together. Even if you have to split into pairs make sure someone is with you at all times. Hate to say it but we don’t want anyone else getting lost.” Discord’s eye shot to look at Celeste. She looked even more pale but her expression stayed resolute. She must know by now that there was no hope in finding her sister alive. Selene had been gone for days in this dead cold. Celeste and her dad just needed to find the body for closure’s sake.         The group trudged off and Discord tried to keep his distance from Celeste. He wanted to help her, not use this as an opportunity to flirt. Okay, he did want to use this as an opportunity to flirt but for once he was going to try and be subtle about it! It wasn’t long before they entered the wood full of bare trees. “We should go over the ridge into town,” said a man with a bright orange snowcap pulled down over his ears. “Actually, I think we should check the river,” Discord said. “Well, we can split up here then,” chirped a persistently cheerful woman. “I’ll walk with you to the river,” mumbled a surly guy from the local college. “I’ll go to the river too...” Celeste said so faintly almost nobody acknowledged that she spoke. The rest of the group followed the first man to head for the ridge into town. So much for splitting into pairs, Discord thought. The surly guy gave Celeste’s shoulders a quick one-armed squeeze. “Don’t worry, we’ll find her,” he said, almost sounding like a bear rather than a human. Nuh-uh! You are not moving in on her like that! “Thanks,” Celeste said in a tone chillier than the weather. The grizzly removed his arm from her but kept between Discord and Celeste. And I thought I would have to worry about not being subtle. The three of them trudged through the snow as the woods sloped downhill. Discord still wasn’t sure if he wanted to be the one to find Selene or not.  He glanced at Celeste who was finishing her cup of coffee. She may or may not view him as a hero if he found Selene, but she would at least get some rest to know the search was over. He turned his eyes back to the ground and watched his breath steam before his face. Even with his facial hair, his chin was growing cold and he pulled his scarf up. His ears also began to protest whenever a breeze picked up. At least he brought gloves, unlike the mammoth next to him. Discord smiled behind his scarf as the guy awkwardly rubbed his hands together or shoved them into his coat pockets. Discord listened to his multiple attempts at getting a conversation going. However, each attempt was either met with irritable silence or vague grunts. The sky was fading from pink to blue when they reached the river. They stopped at the edge and Discord carefully reached his foot out and tested the ice. It crackled under pressure and he hastily pulled his foot back. “It’s a little deeper upstream...” Celeste mumbled. Her coffee was gone by now but she still held the cup tightly. They silently followed the stream, listening to it run. Discord became glad that the blockade was between him and Celeste. It gave him some cover to scan the stream every few steps. They walked for hours until the stream cut into a culvert. All three of them bent down and peered into the long metal pipe. Celeste retrieved a flashlight from from her backpack and searched the tunnel. She stared hard into the darkness while Discord peered over her shoulder. He wanted to search ahead but didn’t feel safe reaching his magic out with the bear huffing down his neck. He almost thought he saw something... That moment was not a good time for Discord’s phone to go off. Especially when his ringtone was the chorus of “Highway to Hell.” Still, he sighed and stood upright to check it. His left leg promptly broke through the ice at the edge of the stream. Here erosion had given the stream enough depth to submerge him. He panicked and the cell phone was forgotten as he tried to find the hole. His hands scraped around rough ice. His goved fingers clawed and his fists pounded as ice water stung his eyes and body. His lungs felt like they were being being squeezed even though he was trying to hold his breath. Somewhere in the confusion he felt the ice hit his face and realized he was being pulled out of the water. Every bit of him hurt as his whole body lingered between numbness and waking up. The air felt warmer now until a breeze picked up. He could only feel his body tremor violently as his teeth chattered. Something pulled at his jacket and he felt warmth on his chest. He hurt too much to care where it came from. His arms and legs cramped with cold. He couldn’t even open his eyes. He couldn’t feel anything outside of the warmth pressed against his torso. There was noise but he couldn’t hear it above the sound of his teeth and his ears throbbing. He finally opened his eyes to a black ceiling. There was a strap around his waist and blankets piled on top of him. A round light was on above him and to his right was a window with small horizontal lines. He was in the back of a truck.  It jolted and he watched trees roll past the windows. His whole body hurt as the numbness gave way to intense pinpricks. Am I wearing a shirt anymore? He moved his arm and groan out loud as the pricking got more intense. “Oh, good. He’s awake,” someone sighed at his head. “John, can you remember anything?” Asked a woman at his feet, turning to look at him. John? “Does your body feel like it’s waking up?” she insisted Where am I? This isn’t my body. What am I doing here? It was important and I can’t remember! “John? Do you remember what you were looking for.” Was it a book? A letter? A cup... no, someone was holding the cup and there was a river. “Celeste?” he found himself asking. “She’s fine,” said a woman Discord vaguely recognized. “She and Ed kept you from freezing to death before we drove down and got you.” “Should we tell him?” the driver of the car asked. The woman hesitated. “If he can’t remember what he was looking for...” “A girl was lost...” Discord realized. The woman looked at him sadly and nodded. “We found her body downstream from where you went under.”