“Intriguing.”
“Fascinating.”
“Interesting.”
Pandemonium sat in the middle of the throne room, fidgeting in place while twiddling his tail as he glanced nervously at three giant ponies with sparkly manes and tails scrutinized every detail that is him.
Twilight Sparkle rushed toward Canterlot castle to meet up with her mentor, hoping to find an answer to her Pandemonium conundrum. To her surprise, Princess Celestia has prepared a celebration to commemorate her victory over Discord. What no one expected was Twilight’s own little surprise, causing the festivities to a halt and an immediate summoning of the security council of three alicorns and the captain of the royal guard, who seemed too chummy with Twilight for Pandemonium’s taste.
“Inquisitive,” reiterated Princess Luna, eliciting a groan from Twilight Sparkle.
“We get it already,” Twilight exasperated, “can you tell us what’s going on?”
“Patience Twilight,” Princess Celestia bowed a little in order to peer at Pandemonium, “it seems you have a perfectly healthy draconequus foal on your hooves.”
“And a cute one at that.” Cadance quipped with giggles.
“I know that already, what I want to know is how Discord ended up like that in the first place.”
“It seems much is unbeknownst to us about the Elements of Harmony’s function,” Luna exclaimed in a rather high volume voice causing all present to recoil, and one draconequus foal to run toward his mother in fright.
“That big butt pony is scary!” he declared to Luna’s embarrassment, and the giggle of the court.
“As Luna just said,” Celestia managed to bring her giggles and sister under control, “much about the elements we still don’t know. From past experiences, it seemed like the Elements were meant as a measure of control, if an entity brings chaos, it either isolate it by turning the perpetrator to stone such as the case of Discord,” Celestia pointed at Pandemonium who shrieked further under Twilight, for her increased frustration, “or in Luna’s case exile them to a place they can do no harm,” she then took her sister with a gentle embrace, increasing Luna’s blush, but not her discomfort.
“So what happened this time?”
“Don’t be silly Twilight, I think it’s quite obvious what happened,” Princess Cadance brushed the bushy tail sweeping Twilight’s chest with her magic causing a yelp and a certain Pandemonium rushing to another hiding place, behind Spike the dragon, “All I can tell you that he is the same draconequus who broke into my engagement party and turned everything into jelly...”
“You’re engaged?” Twilight Sparkle interrupted with glee, “who’s the lucky colt?” Shining Armor stiffened, “Or is it a lucky filly?” Shining Armor choked, “Congratulations either way.”
“Thanks,” Cadance looked at her suitor who shook his head vigorously, “as I was saying, Pandemonium is in fact Discord, but at the same time, he isn’t.”
“Huh?” came the unanimous response from the bearers and Spike.
“What Cadance is trying to say is that this is Discord in body and form, however he is not the Discord we once knew. He seemed to have lost most of his powers, as well as his millennial long memory,” Celestia explained.
“So, we turned Discord into a foal?” Rainbow Dash was the first of the mane six to talk, “Can we even do that?”
“I don’t think so, Rainbow Dash,” Celestia paused, “I think it’s about second chances.”
“Indeed it is,” every head in the room turned toward Luna’s affirmation, which came out in a rather normal voice for the first time she spoke, “Dearest sister, hast thou thought of how the Elements cured us of our darkness? Or hast thou assumed that mine darkness vanished because of magic?”
“We… never really talked about this didn’t we?”
Luna shook her head, “The Elements acts in two fold, first they nullify thin magic to nil, then they judge thee, if ye are worthy of redemption then tis’ the path chosen for thee,” she looked toward Pandemonium who was peering at her, “guess now we know what happens if thin was found unworthy.”
“Woah woah woah,” Rainbow Dash landed in the center of the group, “So the elements were trying to reform Discord?”
“Affirmative.”
“So, what does all this mean to us?” Rarity gestured at the group.
“More importantly, what does that mean to me?” Twilight could feel her heart pounding oddly, from everything she could gather, this could only go one way.
“I’m afraid you are now a mother of a draconequus Twilight Sparkle.”
“YES.”
Suddenly all eyes fell on Shining Armor who was suddenly prancing like an idiot singing to himself “I’m an uncle now.”
Twilight glared daggers at her brother. She clomped angrily toward him until he was within reach, then she screamed, “How Can You Be Dancing at My Misery!” causing her dancing brother to fall down face first from the outburst with ears ringing.
“Aren’t you blowing this out of proportion Twi?” He asked the moment the ringing in his ear started to subdue.
“Let’s review the facts shall we?” Twilight started pacing in front of her brother, “I’m twenty year old single mare with no experience in how to deal with foals, who has just been assigned to take care of an apocalypse waiting to happen in an attempt to prevent it, and you are asking me if I am blowing things out of proportion?”
“You took care of a dragon at half that age,” Shining pointed at Spike who responded with a shrug, “how hard would it be to raise a draconequus in comparison?”
“Well I… But this…I can’t… urgh!” Twilight huffed at her grinning brother, “I hate when you use logic like that.”
“And just like with Spike, you will not be alone in this Twilight,” Celestia turned toward the rest of the mane six, “this is a burden you all shall share, although Twilight will be taking the hardest part, I expect all of you to be there for her aid.”
“Of course we will,” Rainbow Dash was the first.
“You can count on us, Princess,” Applejack affirmed.
“This is going to be fun!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.
“Someone has to teach him some class,” Rarity mused.
“We’ll do our best,” Fluttershy quietly spoke last.
“I don’t believe this,” Twilight shrunk under her hooves.
“Don’t worry Twi,” her brother wrapped his hoof around her, “you also have me and Cadance, heck even Spike can help. He is Panda’s big brother after all.”
“Panda?” Twilight glared at her brother incredulously.
“That’s his pet name.” Shining whispered before returning to his glee of becoming an uncle.
“Don’t drag me into this!” Spike protested while trying to escape the big hug from a very happy Pandemonium.
Twilight hid her face from all the commotion going on around her, “what have I gotten myself into?”