//------------------------------// // Meeting Discord // Story: An Alternate Ending to A Canterlot Wedding // by MeadowRosePony //------------------------------// “And that’s how I got my cutie mark!” Pinkie Pie finished, bowing with a flourish. Princess Cadance looked at Pinkie Pie and decided not to even attempt to make sense of that last statement. “Oh Twilight…” Cadance said shaking her head as she realized why her old foal-sitting charge was upset. She looked around her at the group of ponies. Excepting Pinkie Pie, who was putting her hat and now empty tea cup into her mane while bouncing in place, all of them were in differing stages of despair. Rarity was fainting, again, while Fluttershy did her best to comfort her while still hiding behind the duvet. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were both looking at the ground guiltily, Rainbow being too depressed to fly on hearing Pinkie Pie's surprisingly accurate and un-sugarcoated account of the day. Shining Armor had retreated into his guard face and even Princess Celestia looked slightly ashamed. Cadance shook her head. There would be plenty of time to feel sorry later. Right now they all needed to find their friend. “Well she probably would have teleported somewhere where she could be alone. Someplace she could think." Cadance started, recalling how Twilight had acted as a filly when she had gotten upset. "Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy. I think you two should go fly over the parks to see if she’s there. Rarity, could you check the library? Start with the 'Star Swirl the Bearded' wing, that’s her favorite. Pinkie Pie, ...uh, why don’t you and Applejack go back to Ponyville in case Twilight goes back there?” “Okey dokey lokey!” Pinkie Pie sang as all the ponies split up, Spike deciding to go with Rarity since he hadn't been assigned a task. “I will be in my tower in case Twilight returns.” Princess Celestia said before flying up to her balcony. "I guess we'd better tell the guests that the wedding is postponed." Shining Armor said quietly. Cadance nodded. As much as they wanted to be married, it just wouldn't be a special day without Twilight. Wordlessly, Shining Armor pulled her into a hug. "Don't worry, Shining." Cadance said whispered softly in to her fiancee's ear. "We'll find her." Together they headed back towards the castle to inform the guests of the change in plans. “I was wondering when you would figure it out.” A voice echoed in the stone room. Twilight jumped, smothering a yelp as she lowered her horn and readied a blast spell. “Ah the ol' knock out spell. Not very original, I’m afraid you’ll lose points for that.” A score board appeared in front of Twilight, causing her to jump back as one of the cards fell. And a mouth appeared on the front. “But then, your brother was always one for the ole rule book wasn’t he? What was his name again? Gleaming Armor? Shining Shield?” The voice broke off as Twilight blasted the score board into bits. “Shining Armor!” Twilight shouted, “And he’s Captain of the Royal Guard so-Ahhh!” Twilight yelped as a new score board appeared and smacked her with a score card. “Blah blah blah!” the voice countered, this time coming from behind her. Twilight whirled around. A Royal Guard's uniform was floating in midair. Along with a whistle that was currently laughing at her. “Oh yes, how could I have forgotten. Silly me. After all, he’s the one I need to thank for all this fun.” The guard's uniform transformed to be a secretary's outfit and the whistle became a quill. “Now, do you spell ‘Shining’ with two ‘n’s or four?”, The quill asked, pulling a gaudy thank-you card out of Twilight’s mane. “Wh…what?” Twilight asked in disbelief. The quill lengthened into a pointer as the floating uniform pulled a chalkboard out of Twilight’s tail. “My dear little pony, all of this drama with changelings and switcheroos, it’s absolute chaos! If it weren't for your brother, I'd probably still be trapped in stone in that dreadful garden." The pointer said while the uniform drew a comic style tale of the events in question on the chalkboard before moving back towards Twilight. “Hey!” Twilight yelped as she jumped away from the pointer. “Although I suppose I should be thanking you as well.” “Me?” Twilight asked looking around dizzily as she appeared on a cartoon throne, the room having suddenly been decorated as if for a coronation. If one could call it decorated. Balloons with cartoon faces hung upside down from the ceiling. A chandelier made of random objects like you would find at a yard sale appeared in the magic painting. And all of the school supplies turned into random animals dressed in formal wear. “Of course!” The pointer exclaimed, a crown appearing on Twilight’s head and a noise blower between her lips. “Why, if it weren’t for you and your suspicions, not to mention that last little scene you made, this wouldn’t be nearly as wonderfully chaotic. And I do love chaos!” The pointer exclaimed, drawing more pictures on the chalk board to illustrate. “Who are you?!” Twilight yelled running from a group of ducks trying to pin a rather large, not to mention pointy, medal where her tail used to be. “And give me back my tail!” “Oh tsk tsk... and here I thought you ponies liked games.” Everything vanished as a floating claw snapped its fingers. Twilight sighed in relief as her tail was returned, albeit looking a lot like Pinkie Pie’s. “Ahem...” Twilight said, looking pointedly at the still quacking books. “Fine. Although they are so much more fun this way.” With another snap of the claws the books were once more on the shelf. “As to who I am, shouldn’t that be obvious?” Another chalkboard appeared in front of Twilight as the pointer wearing a floating teacher’s hat began to make notes. “Think about it. Strong magic, changing shapes, a love of chaos, not to mention my charming good looks…” “I don’t even know what you look like!” Twilight interrupted in frustration and then yelped as she appeared on a stool in the corner of the room wearing a dunce cap. “Now now, there’s no interrupting the teacher…” The pointer bopped her on the head as she struggled to remove the dunce cap. “Now where was I?... Ah yes! My handsome and devilishly appealing appearance!” With a flash of smoke and light, not to mention the deafening fireworks going off right next to Twilight’s head, much to her growing annoyance, a strange creature appeared. It had a goat’s hoof on one leg and a green reptilian foot on the other. Its body was long, like a serpent’s, but covered in gray fur. It had a paw on the right and claws on the left. But most disturbing was his head, at least she thought it was a he. He had a goatee and a single fang poking out of his mouth. His eyes were different sizes and glowed yellow. He also had two horns sticking out of his head, one an antler and the other a longer twisted version of an unicorn’s horn. “Discord...” Twilight said, suddenly recognizing this mismatched creature from one of the many books in her library. “I thought you were trapped in stone!” She glared at the creature in front of her. “Ding ding ding! We have a winner!” Discord announced with glee. Twilight yelped again as she found herself back on the throne from earlier, with a crown replacing the dunce cap as headwear. “Discord!” Twilight shouted, struggling to escape the throne, which seemed to be made of melted rubber that sling-shotted her back on every time she tried to get off. “Why Twilight, I thought every mare wanted to be a princess.” Discord said, smiling at her in his guard’s uniform. “I don’t know how you got out but as soon as I get out of here you’re going back in stone!” Twilight said, attempting a teleportation spell. “Well if that’s the way you going to be!” Discord pouted as he poofed away the throne and crown. “And here I thought we were such good friends.” Discord said, folding his arms and curling around Twilight. “Friends?” Twilight asked. "Yes, friends! You know? Comrades, compadres, amigos, pals, close acquaintances that hang out with each other, friends!” Discord explained hugging Twilight close. “Air!” Twilight gasped as his grip got a little too tight. “Oh dear, are you all right?” Discord asked, a doctor’s kit appearing in one claw as he held Twilight upside down by a hoof. “Put me down!” Twilight yelled. Discord shrugged and dropped her, poofing away the doctor’s bag. “Ow!” Twilight said rubbing her head where she landed. This was not helping her headache. At all. “Well you said to put you down!” Discord huffed in reproach. “How was I supposed to know you didn’t want to be dropped on your head?” He asked, staring down at the glaring pony. “Why would I want you to drop me on my head!?” Twilight yelled in pain and frustration. “No need to yell, Twily, you’ll hurt my feelings.” He pouted and squeezed an exaggerated tear from his eye. “Don’t call me Twily! And we’re not friend!" Twilight shouted, glaring at the draconaques. “Why ever not, Twily?” Discord asked innocently. “I thought you liked making friends.” “Not with psychotic dictators bent on throwing the whole world into chaos!” Twilight shouted. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.” Discord replied, pouting again. “And don’t call me Twily!” Twilight repeated. “But Twily, you let Shiny Pants call you Twily.” Discord said, smiling at Twilight and pulling a comical puppet shaped like her brother from her ear. “Shining Armor,” Twilight said gritting her teeth, “and he’s my brother.” “Some brother.” Discord said putting his paw into the Shining Armor puppet and speaking in an exaggerated guard's voice. Which somehow managed to be gruff and squeaky at the same time. “Oh, I didn’t tell you I was getting married? My bad, I was so busy polishing my armor and doing captainy things that I completely forgot about my only sister.” “Hey, that’s not what happened!” Twilight shouted. “If you can’t be happy that I’m marrying the queen of changelings then I don’t love you anymore!” Discord continued in his squeaky puppet voice. “He didn’t say that!” Twilight shouted getting more upset. “Oh Twily! I’m soo sorry I didn’t listen to my one and only sister. I love you soo much!” Discord finished and raised an eyebrow. “But he didn’t say that either, did he?” He asked in his normal voice. Twilight turned away, refusing to answer. “It’s ok, Twilight.” Discord said in a soothing voice, placing a claw on Twilight’s shoulder. “I’m sure he just forgot.” Discord paused. “...Again.” Discord added after a moment. “Well I’m sure the princess can have a talk with him.” Twilight still didn’t look at him. “Oh that’s right,” Discord started “she didn’t listen to you either. What was it she said?” Discord snapped his claws, conjuring up a cartoon puppet of Princess Celestia. “You have a lot to think about.” Discord said, moving the puppet's mouth in time to his mimicry of Celestia’s voice. “Ouch.” Discord winced, tossing both puppets over his shoulder. “Well you still have your friends” He continued in a cheery voice. “They’re always happy for you, right? And they always listen to you, right?” Twilight perked up, only to slump back down. “Oh yeah, they didn’t listen to you either. Not even your 'number one assistant' Spike stayed. They all walked out to comfort the fake princess.” More puppets joined the ones he had thrown earlier. “Now, now, don’t cry.” Discord said patting Twilight on the head as tears rolled down her cheeks. “Here.” With a snap of his claws the old doll in Twilight’s hooves became brand new. With another snap, Discord was holding a doll of his own, this one looking like a cartoon Twilight, only it was an alicorn. “Why don’t we have a party to cheer you up?” He asked, levitating Twilight to the table with the letter blocks. With a snap of his claws the blocks turned into a tea party. Complete with letter shaped pastries. “Mhhmm” Discord sighed, biting into a strawberry chocolate q. “Try one” He said offering Twilight a daisy sandwich t. Twilight shook her head, “I’m not hungry.” Discord looked at Twilight as her stomach growled. “Come now, Twilight.” Discord said gently, levitating the sandwich in front of her mouth, “you must eat something. Just a bite?” He coaxed, poofing a piece of the sandwich onto a baby spoon and attempting to hoof-feed the depressed mare. “It is your favorite isn’t it?” he asked with a smile, only to frown when she turned away. “Well how about a salad? Or a cup of tea? Hayburger? Chocolate cake? An apple?” He asked pleadingly as he paraded each letter shaped snack in question on a miniature cartoon train. Twilight just sighed. “Very well.” Discord sighed, poofing away the tea fixings and floating snack train. “I suppose you want to be alone, I can respect that. Although I must warn you from experience, alone time is highly over-rated.” POP! Discord disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving behind a single daisy sandwich on a tray, with a cup of tea and a copy of one of Twilight’s favorite books: ‘The Memoirs and Travel Journals of Star Swirl the Bearded’. “I’m here if you want to talk.” Discord's voice came from the fixed-up alicorn doll, before it too turned back to the way Twilight had found it.