Chapter 11: Organizing Chaos
“Goodbye, Hoofbeard! Thank you so much for the lift!” Spike jumped into the air off the sandy beach as the massive wooden boat drifted away from shore.
“Aye! Fare ye well, Spike! I hope ye find what ye be looking for!” Hoofbeard and Jewel waved back from the front of the ship as it turned away from them, eventually pointing towards the distant horizon and releasing its mainsail to take off across the ocean back towards Equestria.
Spike took a deep breath and slowly turned around. “This is it… no going back now. The dragon lands.” Spike spent a moment taking it in. The lands smelled of wild flowers and wet dew, and the lands before him were covered in thick, green jungle. He could hear all sorts of animals chattering from the shadows within, and the rustling of creatures darting from bush to bush. Even the buzz of insects sounded very loud…
“Huhn… it really is very… green.” Spike mused curiously.
Pyralsprite moved up beside him, her snow-white scales glistening in the deep orange light of dusk. “Why wouldn’t it be? It’s a jungle, after all.”
Spiked rubbed the back of his head. “I don’t know, I just thought with all the dragons here it would be more… fiery.”
Pyralsprite huffed. “Oh yes, because that’s what we do all day here.” She raised her voice into a furious roar. “Raaawr! I am a dragon! And these living plants enrage me! They shall buuurrrrrnnnn!”
“Hehe, I see your point…” Spike chuckled. “Sorry if I offended you, I guess I just have a lot to learn.”
“Of course you do. That’s why we’re here.” Pyralsprite smiled and took one of his claws in her own.
Her claw jerked out of his in surprise when Discord suddenly popped into existence, maintaining a size close to the small dragons’ as he straddled Pyralsprite’s back like a rider on a pony. “Well this is quite touching, but aren’t we supposed to be moving? Giddyup!” His heels jerked into Pyralsprite’s sides, but she didn’t seem to notice as they rebounded off of her tough scales.
“I thought you wanted me to go home. Why are you urging us forward?” Spike demanded suspiciously.
Discord rolled his eyes. “You accuse me of being a pain when I try to stop you, and you accuse me of shenanigans when I don’t. Is it so impossible that I just genuinely would like to see the little, poor, orphan dragon shown a home he can call his own? That I’ve had a change of heart and want nothing more than for dear, sweet Spike to-“
Spike cut him off. “Not literally impossible, just statistically impossible… or super improbable.”
Pyralsprite growled. “Are we really going to let this creep travel with us?”
Spike waved his hand resignedly. “If you think you can stop him, be my guest.”
Pyralsprite turned her head upward as Discord stuck his tongue out at her from behind her head. A burst of bright orange fire hid him from sight for a moment before he suddenly appeared beside Spike, leaning companionably against his shoulder.
“In any event, I suppose you’re right, Spike. As the sun descends on the land and time runs out on the day, perhaps trekking through the jungle isn’t the smartest move.” Discord grinned a cheeky grin.
Spike glanced up at the darkening sky. “Yeah, it is getting kind of late. The sun is going down, and it’s gonna get really dark and cold in that jungle, so it would be best if we make camp here for tonight.”
Pyralsprite nodded. “Sounds good to me, we can make a fire out here without risking burning the whole forest down. I’ll go in and get some firewood.”
Discord perked up. “And I’ll go find something to start a fire with! Ladedadaaa…” Discord whirled on one foot to jog eagerly into the forest.
Pyralsprite just stood dumbfounded on the spot, then turned her bright, glowing red eyes toward Spike. “Is he stupid, joking, or mocking us?”
Spike rolled his eyes. “I’m trying not to think about it. Come on, I’ll help you find the firewood…”
___
Discord slipped inside the royal palace in Canterlot with ease, his form shifting and swaying as he floated invisibly through the hallways, past oblivious guards and maids alike. He allowed himself a soft snicker at the ponies going about their daily lives. In one hallway a guard was desperately trying to sweet-talk a disinterested maid who somehow heard from a mysterious stranger that he was a selfish lover, while in another, a maid was being scolded for leaving a stain on a rug that a mysterious being may or may not have made the moment she left the room.
This palace was a delight to live in, so many unsuspecting ponies going innocently about their daily lives, but he didn’t have time to dwell on his playthings today. He zipped the rest of the way down the hallway, gliding between the guards just outside the throne room and phasing straight through the door, leaving it closed and untouched. Evening was just beginning here, and Princess Celestia remained on her throne, looking over a letter hovering in front of her while her pet phoenix, Philomena, perched obediently on the arm beside her.
The phoenix turned its gaze to watch him despite his invisibility, letting out a soft chirping noise that brought Celestia’s attention up from her letter.
Celestia smiled tensely. “I hope you’ve found Spike, Discord.”
“I have indeed, Your Highness.” Discord bowed deeply as he reappeared in front of the alicorn, fading into her sight. “He and his little friend are resting on the shores of the dragon lands as we speak.”
Celestia gritted her teeth. “Then there isn’t much time to waste… Twilight Sparkle is currently in Fillydelphia. If you can go to her and take her to find Spike, she can convince him to return home.”
“Perhaps I could…” Discord stroked his chin thoughtfully. “But then you know how I feel about solving problems for people. Simply taking Twilight Sparkle to her target feels like cheating.”
“Discord, please, this isn’t a game!” Celestia’s voice began to rise, but she quickly caught herself and took a deep breath, speaking in a softer tone. “I know you have your ways, Discord… and you know I wouldn’t ask you to violate them. Just please consider the options… and at least speak with Twilight. She can tell you what’s at stake in this…” Celestia’s horn glowed, floating the letter from her throne up into his waiting paw. “Her exact location is in this letter she had Philomena bring back to me.”
Discord adjusted a pair of suddenly-appearing reading glasses on his nose as he scanned the letter. “Very well, Celestia. In light of our friendship, I will speak with Twilight.”
“Thank you, Discord. I’m certain after you speak to her, you’ll agree this is extremely important.”
“Rest easy, Celestia. It all rests now in your no-doubt-capable pupil’s princessly hooves.” Discord bowed once more with a wink, and was off, leaving the note fluttering through the empty air behind him.
He reappeared just outside of a small clinic in the city of Fillydelphia, less than the blink of an eye later. Distance was no obstacle to a creature like Discord. Still, it was rude to simply pop into rooms with ponies without warning. Sometimes he simply didn’t care, but given the situation, scaring the living daylights out of Twilight Sparkle, while not without its appeal, wouldn’t be very practical.
Through the window he could see the new alicorn princess sitting beside one of the stiff hospital beds, on which a zebra mare was lying asleep on the bed before her. Discord had never met the zebra, Zecora, but he made it his business to know as much as possible about his new friends.
Discord slipped gingerly through the closed window, leaving the glass untouched behind him. “You know, Princess, hanging around in hospitals is a rather creepy hobby. I approve.”
“Discord!” Twilight whirled and jumped to her hooves in surprise. “What in Equestria are you doing here?”
“Princess Celestia said you had some things to tell me in the hopes that I may assist you in reaching your missing dragon.”
“Spike?” Twiight’s eyes widened. “You know where he is? You can take me to him!”
“I can, if you convince me to.”
“Oh, I have no doubt once you hear this you’ll understand why this is so important…”
Twilight told him everything about the dragon Patriarch and what might happen if they figured out where Spike came from. She neglected to mention how she came by this information, but Discord knew better than to accuse Twilight Sparkle of lying. Twilight Sparkle was many things, and she most certainly didn’t trust him, but she didn’t outright lie, especially not in a situation such as this.
He listened to her warnings silently, his lips curled into a contemplative pout until she finished. “So you see, it makes sense for you to help us.” Twilight nodded firmly. “Maybe you’re immortal, but all of your Ponyville friends will be in grave danger.”
Discord mused, “that is one argument I suppose…”
Twilight looked up at him with a hopeful smile. “So will you help me? You can take me straight to Spike and we can put an end to all of this immediately.”
“I don’t believe in simply helping ponies with everything they have a problem with.” Discord took a step towards the alicorn. “If I did that what purpose would there even be to your life? You would all become fat and lazy.”
“Discord, I’m not asking you to stuff my face, I’m asking you to save Equestria! That’s completely different!”
“Details, details.” Discord waved her off with his eagle’s claw. “Here’s how I see it, Twilight Sparkle…” Discord suddenly appeared on the other side of the hospital bed, resting a claw on Zecora’s forehead. “Everything comes and everything goes. Before the pony queendom there was the buffalo tribunal, before the buffalo tribunal the dragon hordes, and before the dragon hordes the draconequus empire… even I don’t know what, if anything, came before that.” His claw slid down Zecora’s face, turning her head toward him. “Civilizations come, go, expand, and shrink, endlessly through time. Time would not end if Equestria did.”
“The draconequus once ruled the land?” Twilight stepped forward in shock. “You mean there’s more of you!?”
“There was… before the dragons got finished with us.” Discord shrugged and released the zebra’s chin. “Water under the bridge now, of course. One of me is all I need, but that doesn’t change what’s happening now.” Discord turned to face Twilight now. “As I said, the pony queendom’s fall won’t mean the end of time; it wouldn’t even mean the end of ponykind. Ponies would escape, establish elsewhere, and everypony would start all over again in the ashes of what once was. It’s how these things happen.”
“But it doesn’t need to happen.” Twilight marched around the bed with a dark glare. “You can stop it. You can prevent that from even being a risk, right now, with a flick of your wrist. What possible reason could you have for sitting back and letting this happen?”
“Because existence is not a right, Twilight Sparkle.” Discord smiled mischievously. “If you want to continue to exist, if you want to keep what you have, you must earn it. Such is the way of the world. It’s why I was never upset with Celestia and Luna for imprisoning me so long ago. It was annoying and uncomfortable, but they earned their victory, fair and square. They bested me and I lost the right to the throne, then you bested me again and I lost the right to the throne again. Why, taking revenge on them immediately after breaking free didn’t even cross my mind, however simple it would have been. How did you put it? A flick of the wrist?” He flicked his wrist out to the side.
“Discord…” Twilight gritted her teeth, visibly holding herself back. “Don’t you care about anything? Don’t you care about your friends? Don’t you care about Fluttershy?”
“If the time comes, I’ll worry about Fluttershy’s safety, as a friend…” Discord scratched his chin. “But frankly, princess, you and I have never been and will never be friends, and I think you will agree with me on that little point.” He took Twilight’s silence as a sign to continue. “But I am not without some regret in this, Twilight. I will tell you where Spike is, but I will not lift a single claw to help you reach him. He’s currently on the Western beach in the dragon lands, fixing to move inland come morning.”
Twilight was all business now. “Do you know how long it will take them to reach the other dragons?”
“I don’t, but I will let you know when they do.”
Twilight was silent for several long moments before speaking again. “Thank you…”
“Ah, there’s that courtesy you keep trying to teach me.” Discord turned back to Zecora’s sleeping form. “By the way, you may wish to leave the zebra here when you go to the dragon lands. Dragons can sense each other’s fire on their victims.”
Twilight looked up in surprise. “You… you know?”
“A memory spell, if I remember my dragon fire.” Discord clicked his tongue. “A strong one too, bet she doesn’t remember a thing about herself.”
“No… no she doesn’t.” Twilight looked down at the floor. “A mind is like a painting… once erased, it can’t be restored, only redrawn…”
“For a creature of order, perhaps… dragons are powerful, but the nature of their harmonious magic is a natural inhibitor.” Discord heaved an exaggerated sigh. “Of course it’s also what made us powerless against them… yin and yang and all that, I suppose.”
Twilight looked up from the floor slowly. “Are you… are you saying you can heal her?”
“Tell me something chaos cannot do, and I will prove you wrong. The only thing chaos cannot do is resist order… but creating something from nothing? Such as a memory? Child’s play. Literally, I used to give my toys memories all the time as a tot. They were horrified because they couldn’t move or speak, but them’s the breaks when you’re inanimate.”
“You… you did take away those memories when you were done, right?”
“Huhn… you know that didn’t occur to me.” Discord scratched his head. “Oh well, I’m sure they’re still fine.”
Twilight shook her head quickly. “Discord, I… I suppose I shouldn’t ask, but…”
“Is that really the most important thing you have to worry about at this moment?” Discord asked curiously.
Twilight stared up at him, then rested one of her hooves on Zecora’s thigh, staring into her sleeping face. “Discord… I know it wouldn’t take more than two seconds for you to heal her. The only question is… what must I do to earn it?”
Discord smiled.
___
It wasn’t long before Spike and Pyralsprite had several good sized logs set up on the sand, and not a moment too soon either. The orange flash of Pyralsprite fire lit the wood seemingly moments before the last of the sun’s rays disappeared behind the horizon, bringing with it a bitter, chill wind. It wasn’t enough to hurt the cold-blooded dragons, their inner fires would keep them more than safe and warm enough, but attempting to leave the fire would be a discomfort they didn’t need.
Pyralsprite mused as she settled down beside the flame. “Creepy has been gone a long time. Do you think he ditched us? Please tell me he ditched us.”
“I wish Discord was that simple.” Spike settled himself down on the sand beside her with a sigh.
Pyralsprite smacked her lips. “Mmh, I sure could go for something to eat right now. If only someone hadn’t insisted we leave all our gemstones with Captain Hoofbeard.”
“A deal is a deal, Pyralsprite. He risked a lot to bring us here, it was the least we could do. Besides, you said you had a hoard at your place. Just one more night and we can fill up there.”
“That doesn’t make me any less hungry now,” Pyralsprite grumped.
Spike chuckled lightly and scooted closer to her. “Awww, you’re not hungry, I bet you’re just cold.” He slipped his arms around her middle, pulling her toward him and draping her serpentine body across his lap. “There, you’ll be warmer.”
Pyralsprite blushed in surprise. “Y-yeah… that is a lot warmer…”
Spike smiled. “I did say we’d talk about this once we got across the ocean… well, here we are…”
“Yeah… here we are.” Pyralsprite’s tail slowly circled his waist as she squirmed in his arms to face him, her claws resting on his shoulders and hips. “You thought a lot about it?”
“Not sure how I couldn’t…” Spike stared into her eyes, though he knew she couldn’t see him back. “Pyralsprite, you’re the first creature ever who hasn’t just seen me as a child… and you’ve shown me that I can be more than that…”
“Yeah…?”
“You make me feel like a grown-up…” Spike’s arms tightened around her, pulling her body gently up against his own, his face nearing hers. “You make me feel like a man…”
Pyralsprite’s lips curled into a smile, opening to speak just as their lips lightly touched for the first time. “You are a man, Spike… you even saved the girl and outsmarted the monster… I guess that makes you a hero too…”
Spike couldn’t help a boyish giggle. “Hehe, yeah…”
“Now just…” Pyralsprite’s body coiled more tightly around his, her claws gripping his shoulders. “Keep doing what a man does…”
Even just a few days ago Spike would have freaked out at such a forward suggestion… but now his arms tightened around her and he leaned forward, pressing his lips hungrily against hers.
“Hey!” A voice echoed like a thunderclap, scaring him beyond words. His arms tensed and shot forward, shoving his female companion right into the fire that kept them warm.
“Gah!” Pyralsprite squirmed to get off of her back and stand upright, walking out of the fire. “You… you!” Pyralsprite jerked her claw at Discord, who was now hovering right over spike’s head. “You’re lucky my scales are fireproof! You fucking piece of… of…!” Pyralsprite’s cursing continued, getting stronger with each word as she whirled to march away from the boys, a short distance away from the crackling fire.
Spike’s claws and eyes twitched, his arms still stretched out in front of him toward Pyralsprite, as if he could magically draw her back to him and pick up where they left off. Alas it wasn’t to be, the girl instead made herself a small hole in the sand and curled up, with her wings wrapped around her body and her tail coiled around to touch her mouth.
Discord clicked his tongue and shook his head as he hovered down beside Spike, leaning companionably against his shoulder. “My, she’s a sensitive one, isn’t she?”
“G-gguuuhhhh…” Spike grunted. Eventually his hands plopped into the sand at his sides and he turned his narrow gaze on Discord. “You are a dick.”
The insult rolled right off of Discord with a shrug. “Interesting choice of words.” He plopped down on the sand beside Spike, his body shrinking back down to match the dragon’s as he ran his toes through the sand. “You realize there’s going to be nothing pleasant about reaching her homeland.”
Spike sighed softly. “Yes there will… I’ll get to keep being with her. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I came because I wanted to. I want to see what it’s like being a dragon. What it’s really like, not just what those jerks I met before were like. But still… I think there’s something about her that just… it’s amazing…”
Discord chuckled. “You haven’t really been around your own kind before, let alone a female. Of course there’s something enticing about her.”
Spike frowned. “Come on, it’s not just physical, there’s like… a connection between us. She gets me. She believes in me.”
“Well far be it from me to stand in the way of love, lust, or other worldly desires.” Discord shrugged.
Spike looked over at his companion for a short time. “Are you really coming all the way with us? Are you really here to help us?”
“I would like to see you find a place of your own, Spike. Though as I told you, I’m here on a mission. In fact I’m reporting your movements to Twilight Sparkle from now on.”
“Really? Wow, that…” Spike blinked. “That’s very… honest?”
“She didn’t ask me to keep it a secret.”
“Well… uh, thanks for telling me. So you talked to her just now?”
“Mmhmm.”
Spike crossed his arms over his chest, staring for a moment into the fire on the sand before speaking again. “Is she worried about me?”
Discord considered that for a moment. “If by that you’re asking if she’s still Twilight Sparkle, then yes. Very much so.”
Spike couldn’t help it, he let out a loud belly laugh through the claw he put over his mouth so he wouldn’t wake up Pyralsprite, who seemed to be sleeping peacefully on the other side of the fire.
Discord waved his eagle claw in front of him, turning it upward just as a piercing light appeared in his palm, fading into a glittering blue jewel that he held out to Spike. “As a token of my sincerity. I really would like to see you find your place.”
“Wow…” Spike smiled and took the gem from him. “You really mean it, don’t you? I didn’t think it was possible for you to be supportive. I thought all you liked was chaos and messing with ponies.”
“Well you’re not a pony, are you?” Discord smirked. “Besides, I’ve been learning some things, lately.”
“Well, whatever the case… thank you. Really, I mean it.” Spike stood up with the gemstone in one claw.
Discord waved him off with a wry smirk. “Just don’t let it go to your head.”
“Heh, no way.” After one more smile Spike turned to walk around the fire, approaching Pyralsprite’s inert form. He couldn’t tell if she was really asleep or not, but he didn’t want to risk waking her up anyway. So he approached her with a light step, kneeling to dig a small hole in the sand beside her head, and place the gemstone securely in front of her.
With a smile Spike rose to his feet and walked a bit closer to the fire, settling down on the sand between it and Pyralsprite. He lay down on his stomach, curling himself into a comfy ball facing her. It wasn’t long before Pyralsprite’s tongue shot out from her lips, wrapping around the gemstone to drag it back in, followed by soft, delicate crunching noises as she began to chew.
Spike grinned to himself and settled down in the sand to try to get some sleep. Come tomorrow they would reach Pyralsprite’s home, and he would have a whole new way of life to learn. Thinking about it, maybe it was a little frightening, as Discord had implied, but he still wasn’t about to turn around and run back home to Ponyville. He loved Ponyville, and he missed Twilight more than he’d realized… but this was too important to just give up on.
Besides, he didn’t want to leave Pyralsprite. He was pretty sure he was genuinely in love with her. It was nothing like what he’d felt for Rarity either. Rarity was beautiful, but there was so much more to Pyralsprite. She was tough and caring, trusting and intelligent. There was so much more to her than a pretty face, in fact if he was being honest her face wasn’t even very pretty… and yet looking into her creepy red eyes still felt like a treat and made him feel giddy on the inside.
He turned his head slowly to glance toward Discord, but the master of chaos had vanished again. Oh well, that was to be expected. He was sure he would be back by morning before they left the campsite. For now, Spike really did need to sleep and gain his strength for the days to come…
To Be Continued