//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: The Wager // by kudzuhaiku //------------------------------// Charon looked down at Anomie. He studied her, sniffing her, running his nose all up and down her arms, and then finally, he pressed his nose into her belly and snuffled a few times, causing Anomie to squirm. Night Fright stood close by, looking nervous, Squeaker by her side. Charon’s tongue came out, and licked Anomie’s ear, he paused, looking thoughtful, his eyes closed. He pressed his nose back down upon her head and continued to sniff. “I can’t smell what I am seeking.” Charon said. Night Fright looked puzzled. “Evil.” Charon blurted out. “Humans are supposed to be evil. And I can’t smell the presence of evil anywhere upon her. I can smell you, the princesses, Squeaker, Calpurnia, and a few things I don’t recognise, but I can’t detect a single flicker of evil anywhere, and believe me, I was thorough.” “Is that what you were doing?” Night Fright asked. “I am the gatekeeper. It is my job to find evil and determine threats.” Charon said, shrugging. “Anomie has an absense of it. Maybe it will develop later. But I doubt it. She seems so fragile and harmless. Then again, I am sure he seemed that way at one time.” Charon leaned down and planted his lips on Anomie’s forehead, leaving behind a wet smooch. “You are a strange pony.” Night Fright commented. “Look, you pursued me. You knew what you were in for.” Charon replied, smiling, his fangs showing. “Calpurnia, what do you think?” “You are a strange pony.” Calpurnia responded, smiling. The minotaur cow stood waiting, watching Anomie, curious about the tiny hominid with a body so similar to her own. Charon grunted in annoyance. “So hard to get good help.” “I am the best help you’ve ever had.” Calpurnia retorted. “Do you know what I have to put up with? I have to open up the door all the time and play a gracious host to all manner of things. Psychopomps, demiurges, small gods, large gods, polymorphic manifestations of primordial powers, chaos entities, and now I am about to nanny that!” She pointed at Anomie. “I want to see you find a maid that will put up with everything I do!” Charon grinned broadly, having aroused the ire of the maid, one of his favourite pastimes. Seeing his grin, Calpurnia mooed in annoyance, and then flounced out of the room. “I guess Calpurnia is in a bad moo-od.” Charon said, causing Night Fright to cringe. “Gah! No puns! Not in front of the foals!” Night Fright demanded. “I will not be cowed.” Charon said sternly. “Ugh, no more.” Night Fright pleaded. Charon kissed his mate warmly, pressing up against her side, his tail brushing up against hers, leaning on her much larger body. After a long passionate moment, he pulled away and smacked his lips in an exaggerated fashion. The two of them gazed upon the infant and the foal, now curled up together, Squeaker covering Anomie with his wing. His eyes opened and he yawned, revealing a mouth full of teeth and a long orange tongue, and then he closed his mouth and his eyes, his head settling to rest beside Anomie’s. “I think I like her. Squeaker seems to like her. You seem to like her. She will fit in well in our family I think.” Charon whispered, not wanting to wake the sleeping pair. “Squeaker nearly took a chunk out of Luna when she drew near Anomie.” Night Fright confessed in a low voice. “Good Squeaker.” Charon whispered. “He is so much like you.” Night Fright said. “One day he will be the next keeper and inherit my name.” Charon replied. “Just as I inherited my title from my father.” Night Fright nodded, reveling in her mate’s warmth, his body still pressed against her side, his scent strong in her nostrils. “Let’s go to bed.” Charon nodded, and the both of them left the room. “So, I take it Anomie has found a home.” Discord said, his voice lacking in his usual sarcasm, his face strangely blank. Celestia could swear that she heard a tone of relief in his voice. She seized upon this weakness and raised an eyebrow smugly, looking Discord in the eye. Celestia felt a surge of pride as the draconequus looked away, avoiding her stare. “So now we have to see if she is loved.” Discord announced, slumping slightly. “How do we determine love. I feel it needs a definition of some sort, a common exchange of understanding between two minds.” For a brief moment, fear gripped Celestia. She hadn’t expected this. It seemed perfectly reasonable though. “So we have to define what love is.” Celestia said. “That is easier said than done.” Discord rubbed his paw and his talons together. “I am at a weakness here, I will confess.” Discord proffered. “Trust is important.” Celestia said. “How does one measure trust?” Discord asked. “You must leave yourself open and vulnerable and then trust that the one you love will not do harm. You show somepony all of you, even the bad parts, and then trust that they will accept you, both the good and the bad.” Celestia said, her gaze falling upon some invisible point on the ceiling, her head turned upward in concentration. “How do we measure that in a family?” Discord inquired, confused. “I am not sure yet.” Celestia replied. “We have plenty of time I suppose.” Discord began to pace, his paw and his talons folded behind his back, his face thoughtful. “Determining love is going to be complicated.” “Love isn’t always easy to see, but you will know it when you see it.” Celestia offered. “That is illogical!” Discord snarked. “You… Chaos incarnate dare say something is illogical?” Celestia said, more than a little sarcasm flooding into her voice. Discord froze in place, his mouth moving but no words coming forth. “Gotcha.” Celestia crowed. Discord pulled out a sheet of paper and made a mark, scowling and muttering as he did so. After making a mark, he snapped his talons and the paper vanished. “What was that?” Asked Celestia. “The scorecard.” Replied Discord. “Ha!” Celestia laughed. “Hey, I trusted you enough to play fair during this wager.” Discord muttered, his features now sullen. Celestia eyed him curiously, now feeling a dreadful sense of fear that she could not explain, something about Discord’s words chilling her marrow.