//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 (Wake Up) // Story: Interesting Times // by Timothy48 //------------------------------// Chapter 2 Waking Up If people were meant to pop out of bed, we’d all sleep in toasters. -Author Unknown Canterlot General Hospital, Room 12, July 12, 1908 6:25am “D-Discord?! H-how did you escape?!” Twilight gasped, her concern growing as she stared at the draconequus. “Oh, it wasn’t difficult really, what with all that chaos and disharmony the other night.” Discord replied smoothly. “I mean really Twilight, you should have figured that out on your own.” continued the draconequus mockingly Twilight replied heatedly, “S-shut up you overgrown jigsaw puzzle! When the princesses find out that you’re free, they’ll stop you!” Discord rolled his eyes and replied, “Oh, reduced to petty insults and empty threats now? My my, how the mighty have fallen. Still, as much as I would love to trade insults with you Twilight, I have things to do. Therefore, I need you to pay attention to what I have to say and try and keep an open mind.” Twilight just stared daggers at him, “Well I guess I’ll just have to settle for sullen quiet then.” Taking his sunglasses off and walking over to one of the boarded windows, he clapped his hands together, causing the wood to change to glass. Looking out over the street, Discord became unnaturally quiet. After a minute, he sighed and continued, “You and many ponies do not like me Twilight.” Nah, what would make you think that? Thought Twilight sarcastically, but she remained silent. “However, that doesn’t change the facts, Equestria is in trouble.” Twilight felt her ears perk up at this bit of information. Still facing the window Discord continued, “When that magic cast its spell. Equestria was ripped from its place in the old world, and thrust into a new one. What effects this will have is anyone’s guess.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose with his paw, letting out a sigh, “Twilight, I am not an evil monster.” “Yeah, right. Now pull the other one Discord.” snorted Twilight derisively. Removing his paw from his nose Discord turned from the window. The look upon his face frightened Twilight. It was a look of barely contained fury. In a deceptively calm tone, Discord replied. “I am notevil, I am chaotic. There is a very large difference between the two and you would do well to remember that.” He paused for a moment, taking a deep calming breath before continuing. “You like to read, Twilight.” It was not a question. “Tell me, in all of the books that you have read, have you ever come across one instance in which I brutally killed or maimed a pony for fun or just in general?” When Twilight failed to reply he continued, “I thought not. If I had, Celestia would have made sure that it was published and cried from the rooftops. Want to know the reason why I didn’t kill ponies?” He paused awaiting her reply, when she didn’t reply he stated. “What fun is a corpse or a half-dead pony? None, that’s what.” He sighed, the anger draining from him leaving him tired. “I wasn’t always like this you know. I used to love order and harmony.” “W-what are you talking about?” asked Twilight nervously. Discord simply sighed. “I used to be known by another name, many centuries ago. This was back before Equestria was founded and before anypony knew that Celestia and Luna even existed.” He paused, as if recalling a memory and basking in its happy glow. Then he blinked and his face returned to its serious expression. “I was worshiped by the ponies under my care, much like your Princess Celestia and Luna would later be, as a god. I brought forth the sun and moon-” “Wait, you mean that at one time you controlled both the sun and moon?!” Twilight exclaimed, interrupting the Chaos Spirit. Discord gave a snort. “Of course I could, still can in fact, I’m sure you remember how easily I was able to control both sun and moon the last time you met me. Anyways, as I was saying, I performed many of the same duties as Luna and Celestia do today...and some that they don’t.” “Huh?” Giving a small smirk, Discord said, “Chaos, my dear Twilight. Just as ponies need the sun and moon to live, so to do they need chaos. After all, if there were no chaos, there would be no order and that just wouldn’t do. I was responsible for the careful balance of order and chaos. I walked a thin line, too much of either and bad things would happen, I likened it to a balancing act and I let that balance slip one day.” “What happened?” asked Twilight, slightly fearful of his answer. “I’m not sure. Some of my memories are a little fuzzy from age.” When Twilight gave him a disbelieving look he replied a bit defensively, “Hey, you try living for a few thousand years and see how much you can remember from that far in the past.” He took a calming breath before continuing, “Anyways, what I can remember is that one morning, I suddenly woke up with a strange urge for cotton candy. Since there wasn’t any cotton candy available at the time, I simply snapped my fingers and poof! all the clouds became cotton candy. Them being able to rain chocolate milk was just a bonus. Needless to say, my subjects were not happy and after having sated my urge, I dispelled the clouds. Though when I used my powers of chaos for my own pleasure, I think something inside me changed.” “What do you mean ‘changed’?” she asked. “Well, my personality began to shift. I started playing small scale pranks on ponies. Harmless little things, like changing their coat color or turning the floor slippery underneath them. I also tried to shirk some of my duties. Often times I would miss important meetings because I decided to instead go out and play a prank or just take a nap. In addition, I found it harder and harder to call upon my powers of Order as time went one. Finally, as I continued to use my Chaos powers for my own enjoyment, I found that I needed to pull off bigger and bigger chaos to get the same...I guess you could call it ‘buzz’ as the first few times. The end result being that I fell over the edge and became what you see before you today.” Giving a small smile, he sat down on the edge of Twilight’s bed. “If it wasn’t for Celestia and Luna, I would have destroyed the land that would become Equestria in time.” He fell silent once more, a look of pain crossing his face. “Twilight, you have no idea how much it hurts, these old memories. Many of which I haven’t thought of in nearly a millenium.” A single tear escaped from the corner of his eye. Twilight pretended not to notice. Instead she found her mind abuzz with questions. What is he up to? The last time we faced him, he didn’t act like this at all! It’s like...something changed him between then and now or maybe something is changing him right now as we speak! She felt her eyes grow wide at the thought. If Discord could be changed, what about the rest of them? She gave a little shiver, remembering what had nearly happened the last time she and her friends had experienced a personality change. Twilight gave her head a small, but firm shake. Snap out of it Twilight! So far the only one who is acting oddly is Discord...and well he was always a little weird to begin with. But if what he is saying is true, then that means that maybe his powers have been ‘reset’ or something. Hmmm, can magic change your base personality? I better add that to my experiments list. Augh! Now is not the time for that! She mentally berated herself. Meanwhile Discord had remained silent, lost in his many memories. Finally, he resumed speaking. “When I turned into Discord, I lost everything I held dear. At the time, I didn’t care. So lost was I in my chaotic euphoria that I didn’t notice everything falling apart around me. My kingdom collapsing under the chaos, my friends and subjects abandoning me in droves. Though, I can’t blame them really. After all, I had turned their world upside down, sometimes quite literally. I had gone from a ruler of order and harmony to one of chaos and disharmony. Tell me Twilight, which would you choose if you had any options?” Twilight simply lay there saying nothing. Discord sighed and shook his head, another small tear slid from his eye as another painful memory surfaced. They sat like that for a time, neither one saying a word, finally Discord called out, “You can come out from under that bed nurse, I promise I won’t turn you into a marshmallow or something like that.” A small squeak could be heard from under the adjoining bed and the unicorn nurse slowly crawled out from underneath. Now that she was slightly more coherent and not having to use the bathroom. Twilight could see that her nurse was slightly older than her, her coat a light gray in color and her dark brown mane tied up in a bun. Her eyes were a light blue and right now were about the size of dinner plates as she stared at the draconequus. Edging gingerly around him, a nervous smile plastered on her face, she nervously said, “N-now I’ll j-just leave you b-both t-to chat with e-each other. C-call me if you need a-anything.” With those words, she zipped through the door and down the hall. Twilight and Discord stared after the mare before looking at each other. They both gave an awkward chuckle at the silliness of the situation before Twilight said,“Hehe, now that she is gone maybe you can tell me how you really escaped.” Turning his attention back to her Discord replied, “It was as I said, with all the chaos and disharmony in the air that night, it was relatively easy to break free. However,” He paused, stroking his chin hair thoughtfully, “Now that I think about it, it was too easy. The last time I broke free, I used up a goodly chunk of my power, even with the help of those three adorable little fillies. Hence the reason you were able to shrug off my magical personality reversal spell so easily. This time however, the magical seal was much weaker, almost as if something had drained it of most of its power. Something that would normally take centuries to accomplish. Not that I’m complaining, mind you, you wouldn’t believe how boring it can get when you’re a statue. But still, I’m left wondering what could have so easily sapped a spell that was placed upon me by the Elements of Harmony.” Twilight lay there for a moment, thoughts floating through her head. When suddenly, an idea struck her, “Discord, how do you feel?” “What do you mean, how do I feel? I feel fine, a little drained perhaps…” His voice trailed off suddenly. Looking around the room, he spotted a nearby nightstand and focusing on it snapped his fingers. The nightstand remained a nightstand. Blinking, he tried again, this time it changed colors becoming a nice bright pink. “Now that’s odd,” He looked down at his paw then back at the now pink nightstand confused. “What’s wrong?” asked Twilight confused. “Well, when I tried working my chaos magic on the nightstand the first time. I tried to make it dance. Normally that would be foal’s play, but now, for some reason, I just couldn’t. Almost as if my chaotic magic were drained as well, that didn’t happen last time I was set free. In fact it’s never happened before. I mean sure, when I broke out the last time, my chaos magic was suppressed thanks to the lingering effects of the Elements of Harmony spell upon me. But this...this is a different feeling, it’s as if my magic has been taken from me.” As he had continued speaking, Discord had become increasingly alarmed at the prospect of losing his magic. Turning to Twilight he said, “Try and lift that book on the nightstand with your magic.” Turning her attention to the book Twilight tried to focus her magic on the book. Slowly a faint purple aura surrounded the book. As she attempted to lift it, she suddenly realized that her magic was nearly exhausted and before she could release her magical hold on the book. Her magic gave out with a faint pop! sound, the book landing on the table with a solid sounding, thump! Twilight simply stared at the now motionless book, a frown etched on her face. “Hmm, it seems that your magic has been affected as well,” muttered the draconequus. Turning his attention back to the purple mare, he noticed that she was still frowning at the book. Clearing his throat he asked gently, “Twilight, are you alright?” When she didn’t respond, he raised his voice a little and snapped his finger next to her ear. “Twilight? Equestria to Twilight. Hello? Anypony home in there?” Her ear twitched at the sound of him snapping his finger, causing her to look at him. Her frown still etched on her face. “Very funny Discord.” “I thought it was funny.” he muttered. Twilight rolled her eyes and asked, “Can’t you take anything seriously?” “Of course I can...I just choose not to.” he replied. “Besides, you were acting strange. Something on your mind?” Her frown deepening, Twilight brought a hoof to her chin in thought. After a few moments she replied, “It’s just odd, I’ve only suffered magical burnout once in my life, when I was still very young and it didn’t feel anything like this.” “And how do you feel?” inquired Discord. “I feel...exhausted. Like I just ran a hundred miles and performed a complex spell at the end of it.” she replied. Discord gave a smile at her reply. “Well my dear Twilight, it sounds like you are suffering from a good old case of Magical Drainitis. In other words, you were hit by a magical combat spell that stole your magical reserves.” “Huh?” Throwing his head back, Discord let loose a gleeful cackle. “Haha! So you don’t know everything there is to know! I was beginning to worry.” If looks could kill, Discord would have been nothing more than a pile of ash by this point. “What are you babbling about?” an exasperated Twilight asked. “I suppose it shouldn’t be surprising that you don’t know much about advanced combat magic. After all, Equestria hasn’t been to war in several centuries and since Celestia had that knowledge locked away long before you were born, well...” he trailed off, awaiting Twilight’s response. Twilight considered herself an even tempered mare, but like anypony. She could only take so much before losing it. “FOR FAUST’S SAKE! WILL YOU JUST TELL ME ALREADY?” she screamed in frustration. Discord simply sat there, waiting for her to calm down before continuing as if nothing had happened. “Alright Twilight, what would you like to know?” The now panting and disheveled mare looked at him like she would love nothing better than to strangle him right then. However, after a few moments and a few calming breaths she asked, “Will you please just explain what you are talking about concerning combat spells and what they have to do with me?” “Well it’s quite simple really. You, myself, all of Equestria really, were hit by a large magical draining spell. The purpose of such a spell is to deny a pony, be they Earth Pony, Pegasi, or Unicorn of their magic and to transfer the magic to the caster. Thus accomplishing two things. One,” He held up his index finger to enhance his point. “To gather the magic of the enemy pony for use by the caster. Two,” He held up another finger, “Is of course, like I said earlier, to deny the enemy of their magic, thus rendering them weak and easier to kill. In our case, it seems that the spell was meant to sap the power of the Elements of Harmony and use it to power up the casters spell. Thus transporting us here, wherever here is.” he let his hand fall back into his lap, a smug grin on his face. Twilight ignored his smile and said, “But, I’ve taken all of the magic courses at Princess Celestia’s school and I’ve read a large portion of the Royal Libraries collection of spell books. How come I haven’t come across any of those spells before you mentioned them today?” “Because Celestia didn’t want you or any other pony to read about the subject of war. She has done her very best to erase all traces of war from the land. Going so far as to destroy entire libraries worth of books and scrolls on the subject.” Twilight stared dumbstruck at him. The mere thought that hundreds, maybe even thousands of books and scrolls had been burned and on Celestia’s orders. She had difficulty wrapping her mind around the concept. “How…how do you know all of these things? You’ve been locked away for over a thousand years in stone.” “I may have been locked away in a stone prison for eons but I still know what goes on in Equestria. Wherever or whenever there is chaos, I know about it. In a way, I suppose that everything that has ever gone wrong in this land has been caused by me in some way or another. Even though I may have been physically trapped in stone, chaos is not so easily held. It is merely weakened, not contained.” Twilight simply nodded, then asked, “Discord, may I ask you a personal question?” “Hmm? Oh, I suppose so.” “Have you always been called Discord?” She asked quietly. He was silent for a moment, momentarily caught off guard by the abrupt change in subject. “No I haven’t. Though, it’s been so long that I can’t remember my old name. Besides, I’ve grown used to my new one, after all, it’s just a name.” He gave a small smile before suddenly rising and saying, “I had better pay my ‘respects’ to Celestia and Luna and see how their doing.” He made his way to the door. However, before he could leave Twilight called out. “Wait! You’re not going to do something…chaotic are you?” Looking back over his shoulder he replied somewhat tiredly, “Twilight, I’m too tired and drained to do anything chaotic. Besides, right now a little peace and quiet sounds kind of nice. So relax and get some sleep, if you want I can come back later and we can talk some more, if that’s alright.” “Yes, I think that would be alright, thank you...Discord.” He simply smiled as he left the room. Leaving Twilight to ponder the things that they had spoken on during his stay. ~oOo~ As he walked along the hall, Discord thought to himself, That went well all things considered. Now comes the hard part. As he walked, he noticed that the halls were conspicuously empty of life. Stopping at an intersection, he pondered which way to go. Spotting motion out of the corner of his eye, he turned and saw a small nurse trying desperately to enter a locked broom closet. Sighing, he approached slowly and asked softly, so as not to further frighten the poor mare. “Do you know where I might find Princess Celestia or Princess Luna?” The mare lifted a shaking hoof and pointed down the hall. Discord gave his thanks and continued on his way. He soon found himself in front of two Royal Guards, one of the Lunar Guard, a female pegasus, the other of the Solar Guard, a male unicorn. The moment they spotted him, they made ready to attack. The unicorn charging his horn with a spell, though Discord could see that his magical aura was weak and nearly transparent. Which meant that the guard had at most one spell left in him before magical exhaustion took over. The pegasus mare had lowered herself into a defensive crouch, her wings spread in a clear threat gesture and a scrowl evident on her face. Hoping to keep the situation somewhat pleasant, Discord gave them his most charming smile and said, “Good morning, I take it that you two lovely and loyal guards are guarding the Princesses?” They stiffened slightly, as if preparing for an attack, Discord quickly continued, “I am not here to pick a fight, I am simply here to see Princess Celestia and Luna. There are some important matters that must be discussed.” The two guards looked at each other, then back to him. After a moment of tense silence, the stallion released his spell. Allowing him to use his magic to open the door a crack, lean in and say in calm voice, as if everything were normal, “Your Highness, the Lord of Chaos is here to see you...shall I send him in?” Someone replied, but Discord couldn’t make out the words, the guard nodded his head and turning his head back to him, his face like a stone mask, he replied, “Alright, you may pass. However,” He lowered his voice and leaned forward menacingly, “If you in anyway try and harm either of our Princesses, I will personally turn you into so much paste.” If he had been at full power, he would have simply laughed and turned the guard into something funny, like a chicken perhaps. However, in his current condition, Discord felt that discretion was the better option. So simply nodding his head, he allowed the guard to open the door for him and walked into the room. The sight that greeted him was not pleasant. Both of the Royal Pony Sisters looked terrible, they were each connected to a multitude of medical machines. In addition, both were wrapped in a myriad of bandages, several of which were stained a deep crimson from blood loss. Their ethereal manes were missing, either shaved away by the doctors or lost during their battle with The Magic, Discord suspected the latter. From the little patches of non-bandaged coat that he could see, Discord thought, Not one inch isn’t either bruised or bleeding, it’s a wonder they even survived. Even if they are demigods, there’s only so much a body can take before it breaks. “Discord,” His ears twitched at his name, looking towards the bed to his left he saw that Celestia’s head was turned slightly towards him. Even though her eyes were completely covered by bandages. Discord had the distinct feeling that Celestia knew exactly where he was in the room in relation to her and her sister. “Please, sit down. Tell me, how are you feeling?” she rasped. Slightly surprised by her soft tone, seeing as how last time they had met, she had been ready to blast him into little chaotic dust bunnies. Complying with her request, he lowered himself into a soft chair near her bed and replied, “I’ve been better, I would ask you the same thing, but I think I can already guess the answer.” Celestia chuckled softly, which quickly turned into a racking cough. Surprising himself once again at the concern he felt, Discord began to rise but Celestia weakly waved a hoof at him to remain seated. How does she do that? Thought Discord, seating himself again, he asked, “How is Luna?” “She is weak, though not as bad as me. The doctors have done all they can for the both of us, but do not hold much hope for a complete recovery. However, I think they might be surprised by our recuperative abilities.” Nodding his head Discord replied, “Yes, I remember our first…encounter. I had thought that I had soundly trounced the both of you. However, I was mistaken, much to my chagrin.” A small smile crossed Celestia’s lips at his reply. “You have changed Discord, I can feel it,” When he failed to deny it Celestia continued, “You do not emanate chaos and disharmony like before, its aura is weaker. What has changed?” Discord looked down at his paws and remained silent for a time, finally he spoke, “I do not know, but the more time that passes, the less I feel like causing chaos. My chaotic power is all but gone now, like it was being slowly drained. In its place, I feel another power creeping in at the edges. One I haven’t felt in a long long time...” His voice trailed off. Celestia simply lay there waiting for him to continue, finally he let go a massive sigh and finished, “It almost feels like before I fully embraced the powers of Chaos. I must confess, I’m surprised that I can even remember what the powers of Order felt like!” Celestia remained silent for a time. Finally she said, “Discord, I know that we have had our...differences in the past.” Discord gave a harsh snort. “That, my dear, is probably the greatest understatement I have ever heard.” A small smile crossed Celestia’s face at his reaction. “Perhaps, but it is true. You and I have rarely seen eye to eye in the past.” “...and this has bothered you?” She gave a small nod. “Yes, it has. I understand the need for your...magic Discord. If there were no chaos there would be no order. It is just the nature of things. Do you remember the first time we met?” He chuckled at the memory. “Ah, the good old days. If I remember correctly, I turned your mane a very complementary shade of pink that day.” Celestia groaned at the old memory. “Please don’t remind me.” Discord gave a chuckle at her discomfort. “Oh come now Celestia, you have to admit that that color suited you very nicely.” If Celestia could, she would have rolled her eyes. “While I am sure you found it nice. I on the other hoof didn’t. Furthermore, the fact that you placed a time enchantment on my mane did not help matters either.” “It only lasted what, six, seven hundred years?” he replied innocently. “Seven hundred-forty years, four months, two weeks, five days, nine hours, thirty-six minutes and twenty four seconds to be exact.” Discord simply stared at her. “You actually kept time on how long your mane was pink?” he asked incredulously. A faint hint of a blush graced her cheeks as she replied, “Well, I was kind of mad at you for doing that to me, among other things.” Discord sighed. “I agree, our first meeting could have gone smoother. Though, as I’m sure you know by now, you two caught me near the end of my fall.” He looked up at the ceiling, a look of longing on his face. “If you could have only seen it before it all went south. It was much like Equestria is today, except...more.” “More?” inquired Celestia. Discord nodded. “More wealthy, happy, productive. I could go on for hours, but I think that our time would be better spent here in the present.” Celestia gave a small nod. “Yes, I think that would be best.” She paused for a moment, as if afraid of asking the most obvious answer. “Discord?” “Yes?” “Now that you are free. What are you going to do?” she asked hesitantly. Discord idly stroked his goatee while he pondered his response. What am I going to do? Most of my powers seem to have been drained. Furthermore, I find myself feeling less...chaotic. Maybe...maybe I could change things up a bit, give order a chance. After all, if I always stay chaotic. Wouldn’t that be the same as being orderly? Fitting into a nice little mold, doing my ‘job’ in the grand scheme of things. And what fun is it being chaotic if you can’t change your mind on what you do every once in awhile? He gave a slight nod of his head and said, “I think I’ll take a break from chaos. At least for a little while.” Celestia felt her eyebrow try and rise, only to be blocked by the bandages covering her eyes. Instead she simply said, “I find that difficult to believe. After all, you did cause pain and terror for your own enjoyment not that long ago.” “You have a point. Though I think some of it was due to my unique powers.” “How so?” Discord shifted slightly in his chair. “I’m sure you heard about what I did to Twilight and her friends during my last visit?” Celestia nodded, Discord continued. “Well, Chaos Magic is a two way street my dear. It affects everything and everyone around it, especially those that cast it. It affects their appearance, personality among a host of other things. My point is that by using it, an entity becomes changed by it. Take my form for instance. You think I always looked like this?” Celestia gave a shake of her head. “I had always wondered about your appearance, but I never really had enough time to really look into it.” “Just as well. It would probably have driven you mad or at the very least made you extremely frustrated.” Celestia didn’t know how to respond to that, so she simply elected to remain silent. They remained like that for a time, neither speaking, the only sound that could be heard was the quiet ticking of the wall clock. A knock on the door broke the silence. “Enter.” commanded Celestia. The door opened and a pegasus guard entered the room, “Yes, what is it?” she asked wearily. The guard paused, taking in the sight of Discord, calming sitting in his chair. He blinked in surprise and for a moment, he appeared to ready himself to attack the draconequus. However Celestia, sensing the sudden tension in the room said, “Do not worry my little pony. There is no danger here today, please, tell me what news do you bring?” The guard, still keeping a wary eye on Discord replied, “Your Highness, I have brought the preliminary damage and casualty reports.” He walked forward, and set a rather full pair of saddlebags down at the side of the bed. Reaching in with his wing, he pulled out a thick scroll, and unrolling it began to read, “Ponyville reports six ponies lightly injured, with no deaths and light to moderate damage. Mayor Mare’s current estimate is around fifteen to eighteen thousand bits in damages to the town and surrounding area. The city of Cloudsdale reports seventeen injuries, some critical. They also report five fatalities.” The news of the deaths struck Celestia like a hammer. The injured, while bad, could recover. Death however, was a more permanent affliction. Clearing his throat slightly, the guard continued, “They report that the damages were moderate to severe and are estimating the initial cost around forty to sixty thousand bits in damage. The weather factory has also been badly damaged and will be out of commission for the foreseeable future.” Celestia let out a soft groan. The news just kept getting worse and worse. With the weather factory out of commission, managing the weather just became much more difficult. She asked the guard, “Did they say how long till it was back in operation?” He shook his head and replied, “They didn’t give any solid numbers Your Highness, nor did they say how much it would cost to repair. But from the preliminary reports on the damages it could be anywhere from eight to ten months, maybe longer, before it can resume full operation. Of course these are only guesses.” He shrugged his wings and asked, “Do you wish for me to continue Your Highness?” Celestia weakly nodded her head, clearing his throat again, he continued, “Fillydelphia reports heavy damage, so far there are no reported deaths and only around forty injured. Damages are still being assessed, but so far the total is over one hundred thousand bits and climbing.” Celestia winced at the amount, what with the damages to Ponyville, Cloudsdale and Fillydelphia the treasury was looking at a massive hit in bits to help pay for all of the damages to the public infrastructure. Not to mention the amount of bits the insurance companies would need to shell out to individual ponies and businesses. Even with insurance and government aid, the hit that the average pony was going to take was going to be bad. What made it worse was that these were only three locations! What about the damage to Canterlot, Appleloosa and the hundreds of other towns and cities across Equestria, how would they be able to pay for it? The guard drew in another breath but Celestia cut him off, “Thank you, that will be all for now. Leave the reports here and I will have one of my clerks read the rest to me. You are dismissed.” “Your Highness.” He saluted, and giving Discord one last glance, performed a smart about face and trotted out of the room. Once he had left, Discord picked up the scroll and began to read. He whistled softly at the amount of damages and the casualty list it contained. “That bad?” “Yes it is Celestia, hundreds of ponies are hurt, many are homeless, and there are millions in bits of property damage. I doubt even Icouldn't have done this much damage in such a short period of time.” He shook his head as he continued to read. “I don’t think the treasury will be able to pay for all of the damages to public buildings and utilities. At least not all at once. Though, according to the report, the death toll is fairly low in comparison to the amount of damages. So I guess you have something to be thankful for.” “Even one death is too many,” She replied, tears beginning to stain her bandages. Discord sat in his chair awkwardly as he watched his old rival cry. After a few moments of nervous shifting, he very gently and awkwardly laid a paw on her fetlock as Celestia, Ruler of Equestria, Guardian of the Sun and a thousand and one other titles, cried for the dead. After nearly a quarter of an hour of quietly sobbing, Celestia gave one final sniff and after accepting a tissue handed to her by Discord, wiped her face as best she could. Looking at her, Discord asked, “Feel any better?” Celestia gave a slight hiccup. “No, but I shall endure. Just as I have for over a millennium and will continue to do so for millennium more.” A soft groan from the bed behind him caused Discord to turn his head. Looking over his shoulder, he could see that Princess Luna was slowly blinking her eyes and looking around in a daze. Unlike Celestia, Luna was in slightly better condition. Her eyes were uncovered, and while she didn’t look great, at least she didn’t look like death warmed over. Turning her head slightly and wincing at the pain, she saw Discord looking at her over his shoulder. Her eyes opened wide in shock and she let out a soft gasp. Luna stared in near horror at the sight before her and like any good princess she attempted to remove said horror. Unfortunately, her magic, like her sisters and Discords was dangerously depleted and her attempt at spell casting simply gave her a splitting headache. Growling slightly she said, “What are you doing here you demon?” Discord looked at Luna with a hurt expression. “Now that’s not a very nice thing to say...Woona.” “Don’t you DARE call us by that name!” spat Luna. “If We could, We would have turned thee to dust!” “Luna.” “If thou wast responsible for this...” “Luna!” “What is it Tia?” Luna all but screamed at her sister. Celestia took in a deep breath to calm herself and then said, “Luna, Discord was not responsible for what happened.” Luna made as if to protest. Celestia cut her off by saying. “It was not him Luna. For once Discord is innocent of any wrongdoing and so far he has not caused any trouble. Isn’t that right Discord?” she asked, turning her attention to the draconequus. “Hmm? Oh, of course Celestia. No trouble here.” he gave his widest smile, hoping that that Luna would believe him. Giving a harsh snort, Luna replied, “Very well, though We shall be keeping our eye on thee Discord.” Discord simply nodded, relieved that he wouldn’t have to deal with an enraged Luna. Oh, he wasn’t worried about her blasting him with her magic, seeing as she was in the same boat himself and Celestia. What he really wanted to avoid was her using the Royal Canterlot Voice, especially at close range. He happened to be quite fond of his hearing. An uneasy silence descended on the room. With Celestia laying on her cloud bed in front of him and Luna glaring at him from behind. Discord, in one of the few times he could remember, felt very uncomfortable. Just as he was about to speak in an attempt to break the tense silence, Luna said, “Tia, we need to talk. Alone.” Taking that as his cue, Discord quickly left the room leaving Celestia and Luna alone. Once she was sure that he was gone, Luna turned to face Celestia. After shifting slightly to get more comfortable she asked, “Celestia, what is going on? Since when are you and Discord nice to each other?” “Since today apparently. Though I think that there is something else on your mind that is bothering you.” Luna let out a sigh and said, “Sister, what shall we do with him? The Element Bearers can not wield their elements at this time. Moreover, we do not know how long until they will be able to do so. Nor would it be possible for us to...remove Discord, as we are far too weak at this time to do so.” Celestia simply lay in her bed, humming quietly to herself while she thought. After several minutes, she gave a small smile, one that instantly put Luna on edge. “Sister, please tell Us that thou art not planning something that We would not like.” “Fine, I won’t tell you then.” Celestia replied playfully. Luna simply groaned and gingerly placed a hoof to her forehead in tired frustration. “That is not what We meant Tia and thou knowest it.” Celestia chuckled, “Forgive me Luna. I could not resist.” Her tone however quickly grew serious. “All joking aside though, I believe I have a neat little solution to the problem of Discord.” “We await your grand plan with bated breath.” replied Luna sarcastically. “You haven’t even heard my idea and already you are against it.” Luna rolled her eyes. “You could say that yes.” “Why? You always liked my idea’s in the past.” Celestia replied, her tone one of slight disappointment. “That was when We were both young and inexperienced as to the way things work. We have since come to the realization that thy plans tended to go awry in the most spectacular of ways.” Celestia gave a harumph at Luna’s reply. Rolling her eyes once more Luna continued, “Though, We suppose that We could hear thy plan before We condemn it to the trash.” Slightly irritated at Luna’s attitude, Celestia debated on whether or not she should share her plan with her sister. The battle between her ‘Foalish’ side and her ‘Mature’ side was brief, with Maturity coming out on top. Foalishness slunk away to pout in the back of her mind and plot its silly revenge on Maturity at a later date. Taking a deep breath to once more calm herself, Celestia said, “It’s a simple plan, one that, admittedly, is still forming in my mind and is dependant on him following a certain train of thought.” Luna took in a lungful of air to begin her already forming rebuttal. Celestia however, quickly rolled over anything her sister might have said. “However, I believe he will at least be willing to listen to my idea.” Luna let her lungful of air out in an explosive sigh and asked tiredly, “And just what is your plan?” Celestia gave Luna a smug smile and replied, “Give him a position within the government.” Luna simply stared at her sister in shocked silence. Her face a mask of confusion and horror. After several moments, her brain and mouth were able to resume functioning. “Thou art mad! Why wouldst thou place that foul beast in charge of our peaceful nation?” Celestia simply waited till her sister’s rant ran down, which took several minutes. Finally, sensing that she was nearing the end of her speech, Celestia softly replied, “Luna. I know that it may seem crazy for me to say that, but I think it would work.” “Why do this? Why not just banish him from our lands and be rid of the monster? After all, he was thine enemy for many years and he caused much suffering for his own enjoyment. Why allow him the chance to do more damage?” “Because we need to keep an eye on him. I agree with you, he has done many horrible things in the past. However, he hasn’t killed anypony, directly, or indirectly.” “That thou knowest of.” interjected Luna. Celestia nodded her head. “I know, he has done many terrible things. But that is one thing he has not done.” When Luna didn’t shoot back with a verbal retort, Celestia continued. “Do you remember that old saying? ‘Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?” “Yes, but what does that have to do with giving Discord power over the country?” was her reply. “Everything. He wouldn’t be in our position as rulers of Equestria. Instead he would be below us, another layer if you will, in the running of the government. We would still have the final say in anything he does or approves.” Luna remained skeptical. “We do not know if this shall work Tia, nor if we should even try it. How canst thou be so certain he will not try and betray us?” “I don’t, call it a...feeling.” She fell silent for a moment, lost in thought. Her silence however, didn’t last long. “But if I allow him to leave, it would be much more difficult to keep an eye on him and you know that Luna.” “But why must thou put him in a position of power? Why not just place him on some out of the way manor and leave it at that?” complained Luna. “I had thought of doing just that. However, there is one thing that you are forgetting when it comes to Discord.” “And what pray tell is that?” “Discord does not do ‘bored’ well. If we just hide him away in a remote manor or other location. He will quickly become bored and when Discord becomes bored...” “...bad things happen.” Luna finished. “Exactly, if we placed him in a position of power. He will have plenty of things to do, which should keep his paws full for the foreseeable future. In addition, being in that position means that he will be more exposed to scrutiny. With everypony ‘watching’ him, it will make it more difficult for him to try anything contrary to our wishes. Though, I doubt he could try anything by this point.” Luna cocked her head in confusion. “How canst thou be so sure dear sister? He could be just pretending, waiting for you to give him what he wants. Then when he has it, he would betray us, all for the sake of his precious chaos.” “Perhaps, but I do not think he would and even if he did. I doubt could pull it off, his powers have been critically weakened. It is unlikely that he could create the kind of large scale chaos he was infamous for in the past. In fact, I doubt he could create small scale chaos at this point.” “So, thou wouldst have us place him somewhere within the government, all so that we may keep a better eye on him? In addition to keeping him occupied?” inquired Luna. Celestia nodded. “I believe that with his chaotic powers reduced, he will be more...accommodating to our requests. Furthermore, he will be close by and easier to watch and who knows? He might be useful. He did rule a successful empire for many years before he snapped.” Luna remained silent for a time, mulling over Celestia’s argument. She still thought her sister was crazy. Offering Discord, of all beings, a position of power all for the sake of ‘keeping an eye on him’. Still, she was willing to at least listen to the rest of her sisters plan, and who knew? Maybe it wouldn’t blow up in a most spectacular fashion like her many other plans. “Very well then, let Us hear thy plan for him.” ~oOo~ Discord meanwhile was getting bored. He didn’t do bored well; a trait that had gotten him into trouble in the past. Running an empire had been both fun and challenging in the beginning, but as the years had gone by, the day to day tedium had worn on him. So, like had told Twilight earlier, to help alleviate his boredom, he had begun to do little pranks and silly things to amuse himself and his subjects. At the time he had thought ‘what could go wrong?’ Of course, everyone knew how that had ended. He shook his head to try and clear away the old repressed memories. It was getting harder to do so, as his Chaos Magic continued to weaken. He gave a grimace at the thought of completely losing it. No more chocolate rain, such a pity. I bet that pink mare in Ponyville will be most disappointed, in addition to myself of course. He gave a sigh. Though I suppose it is for the best, being turned to stone is a rather unpleasant experience. While he had been standing there lost in thought, the two guards had been keeping their eyes on him, neither one making a sound. The three of them remained that way, while they waited for Discord to be called back in. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, a muffled voice could be heard calling out from behind the closed door. The Lunar guard opened the door slightly and poked her head inside. After a minute of muffled conversation, she pulled back and addressed Discord as if he were just an ordinary pony. “The princesses will see you now.” Giving a nod, he calmly strode back into the room. Striding up, he resumed his seat in the chair between the two sisters beds. Leaning back, he folded his paws neatly in his lap and awaited the sisters decision on his fate. “Discord,” began Celestia. “After much discussion between myself and my sister. We have come to a decision. You shall be given another chance. In exchange for this chance, you will be required to swear an oath of obedience and to serve Equestria as a public servant.” “What if I refuse?” asked Discord. Luna answered him, her tone cool. “Then thou shalt be entombed once more in stone.” “Hmm, both of those options sound unpleasant.” “Unpleasant or not, those are your only two choices Discord. We shall not allow thee to roam free, causing chaos as thou wish.” “How do you know if I’ll keep my word should I go with option one?” he asked. “You are familiar with Geas spells are you not?” inquired Luna. Discord immediately became wary. “Yes, yes I am. Why do you ask?” Luna gave a small, unpleasant looking smile. “Because, that is what shall be placed upon thee when thou swearest fealty to us.” “I...see. I am not sure if I am comfortable with the direction that this conversation is going though.” Discord replied uneasily. Luna’s smile simply got wider and more unpleasant looking. “It is either this, or returning to the gardens as a statue. Thou mayest profess that thou art a ‘changed’ being, but We do not believe thee. Those are the conditions if thou wish to remain free.” Discord gave a snort. “Yes, ‘free’. Good one Luna, I can either choose legal slavery, or I could go back to being a lawn ornament. What a wonderful pair of choices.” Celestia felt a little guilty at Discords reply. While it was true that she had at one time hated him, her hatred had cooled over the centuries. In its place had formed a sense of pity for him. Though make no mistake, she had been plenty angry the last time he had broken free of his stone prison. But much of that anger had stemmed from her fear and worry at the time, fear of him and his strange powers and worry over the well being of her subjects. However, that was then, this was now and now she needed to calm both her sister and the draconequus. Clearing her throat, she said, “Discord, I am...sorry that it must be this way, but my sister is right to worry.” “Of course she is right to worry. I may not have all of my powers right now, but that could change at any time and if my Chaos Magic returns, my personality will most likely become unpleasant again. Though I am still hesitant to take on a Geas without knowing its punishment should I break it.” “Shouldst thou break thy oath, it would return thee to a statue.” came Luna’s reply. Discord mulled their proposal over in his mind. If I accept, I would in effect be in servitude to them, with the threat of returning to stone hanging over my head. On the other paw, if I refuse, they’ll just summon the Elements of Harmony and I’ll be right back in the garden. Being pooped on by pigeons. He gave a slight shiver at the thought. The sound of Luna clearing her throat impatiently brought him back to the present. “Sorry, I was just weighing my options.” Luna cocked an eyebrow at the draconequus. Returning her gaze with his own, he continued. “It appears that I am caught in a nice little web and here all I wanted to do was to pop in, say hi and be on my way.” He gave a sigh. “Doesn’t look like that’s going to happen now.” “Stop stalling Discord, do you have an answer for us or not?” “Fine, since you seem to be in such a tearing hurry Luna, I’ll give you my answer.” He paused, savoring the last few moments of his freedom before saying, “I’ll do it. It’s either that or being a statue and that is something I would very much like to avoid.” Celestia gave a relieved smile, while Luna simply grunted. “Very well then, shall we begin the ceremony?” she asked. “Hold on. I thought that you both weren’t in any condition to use magic?” Luna snorted. “I thought that thou knew better. Seems that I was mistaken.” Discord cocked an eyebrow inviting further comment from the indigo alicorn. Rolling her eyes she said, “It is true that our powers are considerably weaker now.” A sudden thought struck Discord and he gave a mocking smile. “Does that mean you can’t control the moon and stars anymore Luna?” A dark look descended over Luna’s features and she spat back, “Of course We can not call upon our Lunar powers you simpleton. However, We do not need to move the moon in order to place the Geas on thee. Now, kneel before Us.” she commanded. Discords smile vanished and his left eye started twitching. “Be very careful how you speak to me Luna. I may not have my Chaos powers at full strength, but I could still give you grief.” “I doubt that. Still, thou art wasting time. Now kneel, so that We may begin the ritual.” Grumbling to himself Discord knelt before Luna’s bed. This is so humiliating. “Bow thy head.” commanded Luna. Discord did so, still mentally grumbling at the injustice of it all. “Close thine eyes and repeat after Us.” “Fine.” he replied as he closed his eyes, waiting for Luna to begin. Clearing her throat, Luna began. “I Discord, do solemnly swear,” “I Discord, do solemnly swear,” he repeated. “That I shall obey and serve without question, the laws and statutes of Equestria and that I shall never go against them or The Royal Pony Sisters, Celestia and Luna.” continued Luna. After having repeated the words, Discord felt a cold chill fall upon him. That must be the Geas taking effect. Funny, I don’t sense much in the way of power being exerted by Luna. He shook the thought off as she continued speaking, “I shall carry out the duties assigned to me by them without question and fulfill them to the best of my current abilities.” He repeated after her once more, the cold continuing to grow around him. Luna’s voice had since risen in power and volume and while not quite at the levels of the Royal Canterlot Voice, it was still pretty loud. “Finally, I Discord, do solemnly swear to renounce both my Chaos powers and my chaotic ways. Choosing instead the path of order and harmony and do swear to protect them to the best of my abilities. This I so swear and if I shall break this oath may I be returned to my stone prison.” The cold was swiftly becoming unbearable for the draconequus. He felt his teeth chattering and barely managed to chatter out the final words of the oath. As the final word left his lips, the bitter cold ceased and in its place a rising warmth could be felt. At first he welcomed the warmth as it reinvigorated him, but when it continued to climb in its intensity he began to worry. What is happening to me? I feel like I am burning! He tried to open his mouth to scream as the pain became intolerable, but he found that his mouth was sealed, preventing him from speaking, or in this case, screaming. Finally after what felt like an eternity of pain, both his body and mind could take no more and merciful blackness greeted him. When he awoke, he found himself laying on the floor. Every part of his body hurt, like he had been beaten, stretched and squeezed. Groaning he tried to sit up but found himself unable to. A smug voice permeated his pain fogged brain. “Ah, I see that thou art awake now Discord. Tell me, how was thy nap?” “B-bite me Luna.” was his reply. “Tsk, tsk, now is that anyway to speak to thy mistress?” she replied sweetly. He was about to give a retort when Celestia spoke, her voice loaded with disappointment. “Luna! He is not your servant, anymore than you are his mistress. Just because you cast the Geas does not make him yours.” Even though he couldn’t see her face, Discord could imagine the look of shame on Luna’s face at Celestia’s rebuke. “F-forgive Us sister, We are not sure what came over Us.” Celestia sighed. “You used one of your old Geas spells didn’t you?” When Luna didn’t reply Celestia sighed again. “Luna, I thought we had agreed that you wouldn’t use them again. You know what they did to you all those years ago.” Discord was confused. What is she going on about? Old Geas spells? Blinking away some of the pain induced blur, he once more tried to stand, only to once more fall over on his side. “Thou wouldst do better if thou tried standing like a normal pony Discord.” Shaking his head, Discord asked, “What are you talking about?” “I mean that thou shouldst try standing on four hooves, rather two. Twould be much easier We would think, given your current...condition.” she replied, a trace of smugness tinging her voice. Grumbling at the cryptic reply, Discord made to stand once more. However, now that the pain had worn off, he finally noticed that something was amiss. Why can’t I feel my paws? Looking down at where his paws used to be his eyes widen in surprise. Instead of seeing his familiar lion paw and eagle claw, a pair of normal pony hooves greeted him. “Gah!” he exclaimed. Tearing his eyes away from his hooves, he looked around the room for a mirror. Spotting one in the far corner, he scrambled over to it and peered into it. The reflection that greeted him wasn’t that of his draconequus body, instead it was that of an amberish gray unicorn. He spent the next few minutes looking himself over in the mirror. The first thing he noticed was that he was actually a little bit taller than the average unicorn, stopping just shy of five hooves in height. Both his tail and mane were cut short, the tail only coming down to just above his hock and his mane remaining as it was when he was a draconequus. In addition, they had retained their dark gray color. Sadly, his trademark goatee and snaggletooth were gone, in addition to his eyebrows, which were now standard size ones, instead of the bushy ones he used to have. Letting his eyes wander upwards, he saw that he now sported a horn. Unlike a normal unicorns horn, his was slightly longer and had a sharper tip. When he looked into his eyes he saw that his irises had remained a crimson red. However, the rest of his eyes had lost their yellow coloring and were now a standard white, in addition, both were now the same size, unlike his previous forms. He didn’t know how long he stood there staring at his reflection. Finally managing to tear his gaze away from the mirror, he slowly turned around, so as not to get his legs tangle up. “What have you done to me Luna?” he exclaimed. She gave a cold smile, one that instantly put Discord on edge. “It was part of the Geas, did We not tell thee?” She replied mockingly. Waving her hoof dismissively, she continued on. “No matter, what is done is done. To answer thy question better, We placed a special Geas upon thee. One that We created shortly before our fall. The Geas, in addition to binding the being upon whom it was cast upon, to the caster, can also be used to change their outward appearance. We used that spell to create the bat ponies that made up Our old guard back then. Though, nowadays it is a simple armor enchantment, similar to the one that Celestia uses for the Solar Guard.” She gave a longing sigh. “No matter, that was the past. Anyways, that is the reason you are no longer a draconequus.” “That still leaves the question of how you just cast an advanced spell with so little magic.” Her smile grew wide and proud. “Normally a spell of this type would require a large amount of power. However, this particular spell doesn’t.” “I don’t follow.” Discord said. “It is simple. Instead of using Our magic, We used yours for the binding ritual instead. The little Chaos magic you still had was used to bind the Geas to you as well as change your outward appearance.” Discord stood there, looking at Luna, an unreadable expression on his face. Finally he gave a shrug and asked, “Now what?” Luna blinked, surprised slightly by his reaction. “What do you mean ‘now what’? Art thou not angry?” “I wouldn’t say angry, more like annoyed, but this is the hand that fate has dealt me. So I will just have to play it.” he shrugged and stumbled over to the chair in between the beds. Celestia had been silent for most of the exchange. Discord couldn’t tell if she was just waiting for the right time to speak or if she had fallen asleep. “Discord.” she said. So much for being asleep. he thought. Outloud he said, “Yes Celestia?” “While we may have been enemies in the past. I hope that we can put that behind us and move forward with our lives.” “Yes, yes, I know. Bury the hatchet and all.” he sighed. “Why don’t we just cut to the important stuff and skip the flowery prattle?” he asked. “Very well then.” clearing her throat, Celestia continued. “Since you are now bound by your oath to serve and protect Equestria. It is only fitting that you be given a position from whence you can accomplish this task. Thus, I Princess Celestia, co-ruler of Equestria, decree that the office of Chancellor be created and that Discord be appointed to said office at once.” Discord blinked. “What?” A groan could be heard from Luna’s bed as Celestia gave a weak chuckle. “I’ve always wanted to do that.” He tone however, quickly turned serious. “All silliness aside, both Luna and I have already begun the process of transferring more of our governmental powers over to our little ponies.” “But I thought you two loved your jobs?” asked Discord sarcastically. If she could have, Celestia would have rolled her eyes at him. “Please Discord, while I love my little ponies, neither Luna or I want to keep doing this forever. We can’t keep holding their hooves for them anymore. They need to learn how to stand on their own, instead of relying solely on myself or Luna when things get difficult. That is part of the process of growing up after all.” “I had always thought that you had coddled them a little too much. Especially after Luna’s...episode.” replied Discord. Celestia sighed sadly. “Yes, I have coddled them a little too much over the years. However, I began to realize my mistake several years before Nightmare Moon’s return. That was the main reason I sent Twilight to Ponyville. I knew that she was one of the Elements and that she would be able to gather the rest together...and well you know the rest.” Discord rubbed his chin in thought. “I had wondered at the time of my last return, why you didn’t just zap me like you did the last time you and I faced each other. Are you saying that you were holding back?” “Not so much ‘holding back’ as just letting my little ponies do things for themselves for a change.” Celestia replied. Discord gave a small smile. “Well, it looks like you still don’t think they are ready for the the big colt shoes yet. If I am reading this right, you giving me this Office of the Chancellor.” Celestia inclined her head slightly. “In a way. You do have experience running a country, even if you did go insane at the end from boredom.” “Well, noponies perfect.” he replied with a sheepish grin. “Quite.” came the reply from behind him. “Though it pains Us to say this, Tia is right. There are very few ponies who are actually qualified to lead the country at this time. Thus, you need to step up and fill that hole, at least for the time being.” Oh this is going to be so much ‘fun’, I can just tell already. he thought to himself sarcastically. Taking a deep breath and turning to fully face Luna, he replied, “Not like I have much of a choice in the matter now do I?” “No, not one little bit.” came her reply. “So that means that thou hath better get working. Though we should find something to cover you with, at least while thou art in public.” This confused Discord. “What are you talking about Luna?” She simply pointed to his flank. Looking down he could see that it was blank. Terrific, not only am I bound in an unwanted Geas and stuck in an unicorn body. But now to add insult to injury, I happen to be a blank flank! While it did occasionally happen, in which a foal didn’t earn their cutie mark while they were young. Adult blank flanks were rare and they generally tended to avoid public attention, for obvious reasons. So this little development presented a problem for the group. The sudden arrival of a previously unknown unicorn, who also happened to be a blank flank, so soon after the reported sightings of the Spirit of Chaos roaming free about Canterlot would call unwanted attention to Discords new form and if it did get out that he was in fact the self same Spirit of Chaos, things could bad real fast. With a sigh of resignation, Discord replied, “Alright, so on top of being made into a pony, I now have to wear clothes. Terrific. I can’t remember the last time I wore a piece of clothing, though I do remember that I was somewhat partial to carvets.” Rolling her eyes Luna called out, “Corporal!” The door opened and in stepped the bat winged mare. After giving Discord a slightly confused glance, she turned to her princess and bowing deeply asked, “Yes Your Highness?” “What you and your fellow guard are about to hear and witness today is to remain a secret between us. Understand?” When the guard gave a solemn nod, Luna continued. “This pony here,” she waved a hoof Discord. “Is Discord, the jigsaw puzzle of a creature you saw earlier, he has been placed under a Geas spell. The result is that his form has changed, in addition to him working for us now.” The guard nodded at the appropriate points, but remained otherwise, silent. “Now, what We need thee to do, is to find him some clothing that will cover him and his blank flank.” The guard leaned slightly to one side to get a better look at his flank. Flushing slightly, he turned to one side giving her a better look. After staring at him for a few moments, she nodded her head and asked, “Do you have a preference as to what you wish to wear?” Shaking his head Discord replied, “No, I just need something large enough to cover my flank, it doesn’t need to be fancy or expensive looking.” The guard nodded and bowing her head slightly, replied, “I will see to it personally, is there anything else you need?” When Discord shook his head, the guard continued. “I shall return shortly with your new cloths. If you will excuse me.” Discord simply nodded, as the guard bowed her head in respect to the princesses and performing a smart about face, left the room. When she was gone, Discord turned to Celestia and said, “Well, that went well I think.” “I must agree, however I think a change of name wouldn’t be a bad idea either.” Sighing Discord replied, “I know, I wish it wasn’t needed but…” “Chancellor Discord just doesn’t really cut it, does it?” Chuckling ruefully, he replied, “No, no it doesn’t, I will need something new.” He sat back on his haunches and pondered for a short time. Finally, he nodded and announced. “For lack of a better name to go with my new ‘job’ I have decided on…Legal Accord.” “Chancellor Legal Accord.” Celestia tasted the word and finding nothing seriously wrong with it, said, “Well, it’s not what I would have picked for you Discord, but it will do.” Luna nodded her head in tact agreement and said, “We find it a strange name to call thyself, but if that’s what you want, then by all means.” “It is. I agree it is a strange name, but it just popped in my head and wouldn’t leave, so I guess I’m stuck with it.” He smiled at his little joke, but then he grew serious. Picking himself up from his sitting spot, he began pacing. “Getting back to business, I assume you plan on keeping an eye on me, so who shall be my new ‘secretary’?” Celestia pondered this for a time, running through the list of names of possible candidates in her head, finally she gave a satisfied grunt and said, “I believe that Raspberry Tea would be an adequate secretary and watch dog for you. She is quite pleasant, in addition to being efficient in her duties. Not to mention, she also makes a rather wonderful raspberry tea.” “Do you want to tell her or should We tell her dear sister?” asked Luna. “Why don’t you do it? After all you can still see.” replied Celestia. “Very well then, We shall compose a message for her as soon as we have a quill and parchment.” With that out of the way, both Celestia and Luna gave Discord a quick rundown on some of the new duties that he would be assuming in the coming days. The clock on the wall was nearing six o'clock before the guard finally returned. She was loaded down with several large brown bags on her back, each full of clothing. She carefully placed them on the floor in front of Discord for his inspection. Looking them over carefully, he pulled the first item out of one of the nearby bags. It was a white long sleeved shirt, with plenty of lace giving it a slightly frilly look. The sleeves were full and dropped at the shoulder, while the collar was a simple stand-up type. The cuffs of the shirt were gathered around where the hock would be when worn and had lace trimming. Nodding his head in approval, he selected the item and after a minute or two, had put it on. After he finished tightening the straps and buttoning it up, he turned back to the now opened bags and selected from them a simple white cravat. Expertly tying it around his neck, he thought to himself. Heh, looks like I still remember how to tie these things, fancy that. Once he was satisfied with it, he then selected a simple green waistcoat with golden trim. With brass colored buttons down one side and a small breast pocket to the other side. Upon trying it on, he found that the coat extended nearly to his flanks and giving a satisfied grunt turned his attention back to the pile of clothes in front of him. The next item, which completed the ensemble, was a long green greatcoat, with golden trim, large brass buttons down the front and deep pockets on either side; its sleeves coming down to just above the cuff of his shirt. However, the best part of the coat was that it completely covered Discords blank flank. The coat even had a small piece of cloth that could be fastened under the tail by a small button to one side, to prevent to the coat from riding up the ponies back. Turning, he walked over to the nearby mirror, and inspected himself in it. Given the present circumstances, he thought he cut an impressive figure. While most ponies preferred to run around without clothes on, and admittedly he did as well, he wasn’t allowed that luxury at this time. Finishing his inspection, he turned back to see Luna looking at him, an appraising look on her face. “Not bad, it covers your blank flank at least, so that is good. Though We have to ask,” She said turning to the guard who was still standing near the pile of clothing, “where did you get all of these old styled clothes and why?” “They were the only clothes I could find in his size Your Highness. As to where I found them, they were in one of the local clothing stores back storage rooms. The proprietor said they were for a play, however the ponies organizing it never came to pick them up.” replied the guard. “Did you give this pony a pay receipt for the clothes?” asked Luna, the guard simply nodded, “Good, then you are dismissed. Thank you.” “As you command, Your Highness.” Saluting the princess, the guard turned and left the room. Leaving the two princesses and former Spirit of Chaos alone once again. After a moment of silence, Celestia spoke. “I believe it is getting late and I am sure that you are tired Discor-forgive me, I meant Accord. If it is alright with you, we can arrange to have a room made available for you tonight. Tomorrow we can go over the rest of your new duties and responsibilities, if that is alright with you?” “Always the diplomat, Celestia.” ‘Accord’ chuckled. “But yes, I think that would probably be for the best right now. You two need your rest as well as I.” “Very well, when the guard changes in the next few minutes, I will have one of them show you to your rooms.” replied Celestia. “Thank you.” was his reply. They didn’t have to wait long for the changing of the guard. After having given her instructions to the Solar Guard concerning Discords new lodgings for the evening. Celestia bade him a good night, while Luna simply waved a hoof dismissively in his direction. Giving stiff bow of his head in Luna’s direction, he gave a return goodnight to Celestia and followed the guard out of the hospital and into the gathering twilight. ~oOo~ SS Marlin Spike, July 12, 1908 6:20 pm As the Marlin Spike plodded along off the picturesque Equestrian coast, Joshua, having finally gotten some rest, stood on the port bridge wing and thought to himself. What strange event has brought this land here? It is obvious that this place is not a natural part of our world. If that is the case, then where did it come from, and what will happen to the world now that they are here? A soft tap from behind him interrupted his thoughts, turning he saw Patrick standing behind him holding two steaming hot mugs of coffee. Offering one to Joshua, who accepted it with a ‘thanks’, he strode over to the railing to Joshua’s right and leaning his arms on it asked, “What are you thinking about Cap’n?” Blowing on his coffee to cool it slightly, he took a sip and replied, “Just thinking about our new neighbors.” He waved with his free hand indicating the shoreline, “Wondering where they came from and what brought them here to our world.” “You honestly think they came from another world Cap’n?” “I do, it is the most logical answer.” Patrick shook his head and replied, “I guess the truth is stranger than fiction sometimes. So, we still heading for that port town the lighthouse keeper told us about?” Joshua simply nodded his head and took another sip from his mug, smacking his lips together he said. “This is some good coffee, who made it?” “I did sir, me momma’s own secret recipe.” “Your momma knows how to brew good coffee,” remarked Joshua. “She should sir, she owns a little coffee shop in San Francisco, or did anyways. The quake nearly leveled it and the fires finished it off.” He replied with a hint of sadness in his voice. “Is she alright?” “Oh yeah, she’s fine, sad over the loss of her business, but fine otherwise, thanks for asking Cap’n. I got a letter a couple of months ago from her, saying she planned to try to start it up again.” “Good to hear, if she ever does get it back up and running, I’ll make it a point to stop in and have me a cup of coffee.” A smile slowly spread across Patrick's face, nodding his head in thanks, he turned to leave when a shout from forward caught his attention. Looking over the railing he called out, “What’s wrong Mr. Clauss?” Clauss shouted back up, “Sir, there’s debris off the starboard bow and what looks like a pony floating on a piece of wreckage!” Joshua and Patrick looked at eachother, then rushed over to the starboard bridge wing. Looking towards the bow, Joshua could indeed see debris floating on the surface of the water. Looking out across the floating debris, he spotted the stranded pony clinging to a chunk of timber. He shouted down to the deck below, “Get a lifeboat over the side and pick em up!” Sailors hastened to obey and in a few minutes where rowing over to the poor pony with all their strength. Joshua had already rang the engine room to stop and by the time the lifeboat had picked the pony up and were on their way back the Marlin had come to a stop a few hundred yards further on. As the lifeboat drew alongside, Joshua realized that they had no way to bring the pony on board. Hooves were not really designed to grasp things, like ladder rungs. Joshua was about to order one of the crew to get a couple ropes, when to his amazement the pony actually began to climb up the ladder! Hooking its front hooves around the upper rung it would then bring its rear legs up, much like a man would. Joshua was amazed at the dexterity of the pony. Before long the pony was standing on the deck and one of the crewmen draped a woolen blanket across its back. Joshua quickly made his way down to the deck and in short order, was standing in front of the waterlogged pony. The pony looked slightly different from Misty Spray, instead of having a humanized looking face this one’s looked more like a normal equines with an elongated muzzle, it still had the huge eyes that Misty had, except these ones were a slate gray in color. Its mane was a light orange and its coat was a purplish-blue in color. It was also few inches taller than Misty had been and when the pony moved, Joshua could see the powerful muscles rippling just beneath the its skin. As he looked the pony over, the pony looked him over, much like Misty Spray had done. Finally, Joshua cleared his throat and said, “My name is Joshua Phelps and I am the Captain of this ship, may I ask you for your name?” “Names Sea Kelp, it is a pleasure to meet you Captain Phelps, I must thank you and your…crew for rescuing me. Normally the weather isn’t something I have to worry about this time of year. Guess that’s not the case today.” Replied the pony, which Joshua now realized, was a male, a stallion if his memory served him right. “What were you doing out here, and where’s the rest of your crew?” Asked Joshua. “You’re looking at it. I’m a one pony show, kelp fishing isn’t as profitable as it used to be, so I do most of the work myself. One of the reasons I ended up in the drink. Most of the sheltered kelp fields have been depleted and under Princess Celestia’s order, they are to remain protected until they recover. So I had to travel farther to harvest kelp than normal and I guess my little boat wasn’t as seaworthy I thought it was.” He sighed and looked back over his shoulder with a sad expression. It was an expression Joshua had seen before, when a captain and his surviving crew had been brought into Manila harbor a couple years back. The captains steam ship had been struck by a typhoon and he and his crew had been lucky to escape with their lives. However, losing one’s ship was never easy. “I’m sorry to hear about the loss of your ship, how long have you been in the drink?” The pony put a hoof to his chin and thought for a moment, before replying, “I reckon a little over a day.” He shrugged his shoulders and said, “It is kind of hard to tell when you don’t have a watch or clock to keep time with, but it really doesn’t matter I guess. You’re here, I am rescued and if you could just drop me off in Manehattan I would be grateful.” Joshua nodded his head and replied, “We were already on our way to Manehattan when we spotted you drifting, so it’ll be no trouble. Though I gotta say you are quite calm given the situation.” “What is there to worry about? You were kind enough to pick me up, so I won’t say boo to that. Yes, you look strange to me but I’m sure I am equally strange in your eyes as well.” Joshua mulled that over and simply asked, “Can we get you anything to eat?” “If you would be so kind, I haven’t had anything to eat in a while. If you have it I would be most grateful for kelp on pumpernickel bread with mustard sauce.” “I don’t think we have any kelp, sorry. However, we do have pumpernickel bread and I’m pretty sure Cookies got some vegetable soup cooking right now.” Kelp looked a little crestfallen at the news of no kelp, but brightened up when he heard they had pumpernickel bread and vegetable soup cooking. “A nice warm bowl of soup would be nice I think and if you would be willing to spare a loaf of pumpernickel I would be very thankful indeed.” Joshua smiled and motioned for one of the crew to take Kelp below to the galley. However, before Kelp left, Joshua called out. “How far are we from Manehattan?” “Oh not very far, no more than a few hours at the most, in fact you should be able to see the cities lights on the horizon when the sun sets.” replied Kelp as he was taken below to get dry and have a hot meal. “Thank you, now you have a good dinner Mr. Kelp.” Sea Kelp simply waved his thanks as he disappeared below deck. Joshua turned his head towards the horizon as the Marlin Spike once more got underway, continuing on its long, strange journey into the unknown. A/N Well, here we are. The second chapter, sorry for the length of time it took for me to get this rewritten. I found that I had to add a lot more dialogue than I thought I did. As always, special thanks goes to my awesome editor Shoggoth who helped me get this thing ironed out. Anyways, it is here now and I'm going to go to bed. Till next time!