//------------------------------//
// Element Of Deception Pt.. 2 
// Story: Elements Of Discord 
// by Riften 
//------------------------------//

	Time seemed to stand still...Wait no, time was standing still. Diamond looked in confusion as everything around him was frozen in place. "What the hell..." His eyes darted from place to place trying to take in everything going on, or the lack of, so he stood there slack-jawed and dumbfounded. Leaves falling from trees, the change that fool just dropped, even that bird perched precariously over that sleeping homeless pony, everything seemed to be frozen in time, well except him. It took him a minute but finally he remembered his situation, Diamond turned around and walked around the corner and there stood his pursuant, frozen mid stride. "Thank the sisters this guy wasn't in the best of shape, Him and.... Oh cripes!" Standing a few feet behind his hefty chaser was about six security guards, all armed with stun batons. "Well don't that seem a bit excessive?"

"Your telling me?" A voice boomed from behind Diamond nearly knocking him off his hooves. "Scare you? Sorry about that, hehe, not really."

Diamond recovered his stature and spoke to the entity. "W-who, the hell is this? Where are you? WHY HAS TIME STOPPED?!"

The voices trademark cackle returned and filled the air with a chill. "Hahahahaha, Stopped? Was that me? You think you'd be thanking me after the beating I just saved you from. And for who I am, well look no further. See that necklace that your hefty pursuers wearing? Why don't you go take a look at it, then we can talk face to face"

Diamond shifted his eyes to a now noticeable glow coming from just under the stallions dress shirt. Diamond walked closer and pulled the....string(?) off of his neck and held it in front of him. The "necklace" appeared to be nothing more than a round stone on a string. " Hey, what the hell is this thing? Its rock...on a string?"  A scowl grew across his face the longer he stared at the object. " Now when you said face to face, did you mean face to rock or am I missing something? Because Ive never met a sentient rock before." 

The little stone resting in his hooves seemed to glow at those last words. " You my friend aren't missing a thing. For you see I am Discord, Living embodiment of chaos.  Perhaps you've heard of me?" 

Diamond raised an eyebrow at the lame jewelry's statement. "Living embodiment of chaos eh? Yeah I remember you, heard you rampaged through some backwater town for about half a day, then got you ass kicked be six mares with a magic rainbow. Pretty hardcore mate." Diamond continued his deadpan stare at the necklace. They both sat there in silence for a moment when finally spirit spoke up.

"You, You are going to be a fun one, I can already tell." The voice seemed to somehow clear his non-existent throat. "Hmgh, now where were we? Oh yes, spirit of chaos and what not. I am here in your hoof with an offer my dear lad, currently you are holding a piece of my statue, and therefor part of my power. That is, if you choose to take it." The stone's voice echoed out waiting for an answer.  

"Hmmm, Power of the disembodied spirit of chaos? Hell sounds like fun, why not. But before I get in over my head here what exactly am I giving in return? Free magic with no consequences dosn't exactly sound like something a chaos spirit would do? Diamond let his mind wonder on the possibilities he might be receiving.

"Ah of course, but what could you give me? You see boy, I am a being that dosn't necessarily have to follow your worlds law of physics. I can be here one moment and be that plant the next. So there is nothing material wise, I was thinking something more along the lines of live entertainment ".

"Live entertainment?" Diamond glared down at the rock in his hooves. "Im nopony's fool. Find your entertainment somewhere else." With a dull expression and an annoyed sigh he tossed the rock over his back into some nearby bushes. The conpony began to walk off past the frozen crowd of ponies, but something was stuck in his mind, a few thoughts fumbled their way around. What kind of power did I just give up? Times still frozen isn't it? I wonder what he meant by entertainment? The thoughts ended with a final sigh. " Don't turn around, Don't go back for it, Come on Diamond control yourself, you don't need all that....power." Slowly his eyes worked their way back to that bush the rock landed in, soon his entire body was pointed towards it. "Is chaos god power really worth it? Ha, who the hell am I kidding? Of course it is!" A confident grin popped up on his face as he slowly trotted his way to the bush, he stopped in front of it and looked down laying his eyes on the little stone necklace, his grin grew wider. He lowered his head down to the little rock and spoke to it. "I think I'd like to reconsider your previous offer if thats ok."

"Took you long enough....The ground here is filthy. Now if you don't mind I'd like to get off of it." The necklace disappeared into the air for a moment and reappeared on his new thrall's neck. "There, much better. Now onto my offer....You accept?"

"Yes." He answers with a curt nod.

"Good, Good. Well now that that's over lets get onto your powers. Say boy, did you hear of that recent attack on canterlot? The ""Great Changling siege"" Or whatever they called it."

"Heard about it? I was there on some uh...business when the whole thing went down. Let me tell ya' mate, those things are nothin' but persistent. Bashed their head on that magic barrier for a good hour 'fore they finally got in."

"Yes yes, all that stuff. But did you know that after their defeat they were left leaderless? You see when things went bad for them someone had to take the blame, and well, why not blame the one in charge? So now the Changling swarm is nothing but a wild hive with no leading mind, nopony to guide them...."

"Nopony to guide them? Well thats a shame..."

"Ah, but you see thats where you come in, what would you say to becoming the next changling king? Think about it. King of an entire race, and hey. I'll even make you look like one, give you the whole shapechangey thing too. So what do you say boy? Would you like to become my thrall, and King of the Changling Hoard?"