//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Chaos Orb // Story: Wandering Through Realities // by plsnobully //------------------------------// Chapter 2: Chaos Orb (Discord's Perception) (Optional Background Music: ReallySlowMotion Music - Elevation) [Approximately one hour before Ætherial breaching...] At the edge of the Everfree forest, near a comfortably-sized cottage in peaceful seclusion, The Spirit of Chaos had been perched upon a hammock all morning, sipping away at some refreshing chocolate milk as Fluttershy's choir of avians finished singing their songs. Yet another song, Discord thought, that could make even an Ursa Major drowsy. The reformed life had been the good life for Discord, and he relished in every moment as true happiness had reigned his way of life. Though the journey to benevolence had not been easy for him, Discord could say for the first time in his longevity that he was content with himself. He never considered himself evil nor naïve, yet he was proven false two-fold when he was persuaded by Tirek to betray the only ones who accepted him. The Elements of Harmony were apprehensive at first (all but Fluttershy, who truly knew the goodness inside of Discord) to accept him once again, but over time, by-gones were left as just that, for Tirek would have claimed victory if it had not been for Discord to attain self-realization for his actions. Discord liked to reflect on these events that made him who he was. Interestingly, Discord had no regrets of any kind, for he would not have his circle of friends if fate had different plans. He appreciated the fact that before you can become your best, you had to rise from your worst, and so Discord underwent a rebirth. He knew all too well what it felt like to be ousted and villainized, and he understood that this was a natural consequence after ruling pre-Equestria in the name of chaotic overtures. Finishing up his philosophizing for the time being, Discord aroused from his epitaph of comfort. With a snap of his talon, he blinked his empty cup to his pocket-dimension of dishwashers as he made his way to the pantry, setting to prepare the usual ten o'clock tea brunch with Fluttershy. A shame, thought Discord, that Flutters had to be called to another 'gathering of the ghouls' on such short notice. Dawning his favorite apron, Discord hummed a tune to himself as he put on a kettle of Earl Grey. Expecting Fluttershy's return, Discord continued making merry as he prepared scones of various fillings: blueberry, raspberry, apricot, and Fluttershy's favorite, boysenberry. Discord also made carrot scones for Angel Bunny, the devious furball of pure and vile naughtiness. He began to wonder how Angel would like it if he received zucchini scones instead of carrot ones. Well now, I'd probably never wake up again! Discord mused, laughing to himself. He wouldn't be surprised if the small rabbit could best an ancient god of omnipotence and whackiness. And in that faith, Discord placed the tray of scones into the oven. (Fluttershy's Perception) (Optional Background Music: KPM Music - A Silent Prayer) [Approximately thirty minutes before Ætherial breaching...] "Bye girls, I'll see you all later," said Fluttershy as she exchanged farewells with her friends as the Friendship Summit has now ended. It was nine-thirty in the morning, and Fluttershy was looking forward to her ten o'clock tea brunch with Discord and Angel. "By Cranky and Matilda! I'm glad your honeymoon was nice and not crashed by a big...scary...bugbear," squeaked Fluttershy as she walked out of the Castle of Friendship. Applejack accompanied her, since their homes weren't far from one another. "It was nice of Cranky and Matilda to visit after their honeymoon. I'm glad everything worked out even after that awful bugbear attacked Ponyville," said Fluttershy with a slight shiver. "Sure was, Sugarcube," exclaimed Applejack. "Ah think Pinkie still has a concussion from that extreme noogie th' vermin gave 'er. Ah mean, how were we s'pose to know that it left its honey jar in Town Square the night before?" "I'm not sure AJ," replied Fluttershy, "I'm not even sure how a bugbear can have a... honey-hangover." "That bugbear was more ovuh' honey-holic than a honeybee in a binge pollen drinkin' contest!" Applejack couldn't contain her laughter with that one. Afterward, she cringed at her own humor. Nearing the edge of Ponyville, both mares parted paths to their respective abodes, with Applejack going up to Sweet Apple Acres to commence the day's apple bucking quota, and Fluttershy going down to her cottage to spend time with two more friends that day. The path to Fluttershy's cottage was always a serene migration for her. While a dense patch of coniferous, supreme natural selection reigned king fifteen feet to Fluttershy's right, the denizens and predation food chain retained their positions in the Everfree Forest, rarely making an appearance past the treeline to wreak havoc on the locals that dwelled near it. However, the usually timid pegasus had no qualms travelling near the treeline, for she has found and rehabilitated many an injured animal in the Everfree, and has befriended nearly all she came into contact with. This is why she lived so close to the independent climate. If she hadn't, she would've never found Angel Bunny. Fluttershy remembered this day very clearly – it was the very first time that she ever used the Stare. She was still new to Ponyville when it happened. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Six Years Ago ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The mighty manticore – a lion fused with a scorpion – the vicious lord of predation. Legend shared whisperings of the Equus Gods of Old, who in a desperate attempt to rid themselves of evil, combined their shared pride and hatred into a single being, and so the first manticore – Mealøg – had been forged from the fires of Tartarus. A descendant of Mealøg; the modern manticore, had been chasing prey for hours the same day that Fluttershy adopted Angel. Meanwhile, Fluttershy had been exploring the Everfree to study the effects of an independent climate at work, to better prepare for future journeys into the untamed frontier. Fluttershy had just finished taking notes on the observed weather patterns of the day when a high-pitched whimper caught her ear; a cry for help from something extremely young. Making haste, Fluttershy frantically searched for the young animal in need of help, eventually coming face to face with the situation. She tried to plead for the Manticore to spare the young rabbit, only to have her negotiations fall upon deaf ears. Little did Fluttershy know at the time that Manticores did not possess reason – their conscience runs off of pure carnivorous instinct alone. As the Manticore leapt towards Angel with its massive stinger, Fluttershy's world slowed down. A sensation unlike any other began manifesting within the young pegasus, one that she had never felt before. Pure, blinding rage. "STOP," shrieked Fluttershy as she leapt in front of the abomination. Afterward was but a blur to Fluttershy; regardless, she gained a lifelong companion because of that event. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Realizing she had slowed her pace due to her memory, and the fact that she was almost late to the tea brunch, Fluttershy decided to hightail it to her cottage. (Discord's Perception) (Optional Background Music: Audiomachine - Rise of the Black Curtain) [Approximately ten minutes before Ætherial breaching...] "Discord?" Discord had heard his name, which meant that his companion was now home. Excited, Discord decided to do what any good friend would do: he would blink into existence right in front of Fluttershy to greet her! With a sharp snap of his talons, and a femtosecond later, Discord was in Fluttershy's face. "HELLO, my dear Fluttershy!" said Discord enthusiastically, forcing Fluttershy to jump out of her skin. Out of instinct, Fluttershy screamed and leapt behind the sofa. "O-oh gosh, Discord, I-I don't t-think I'll ever get used t-to that," Fluttershy managed to whisper with chattering teeth. Discord made no effort in containing his hearty laughter at his own antics. "Oh now Fluttershy, what kind of friend would I simply be if I didn't properly greet you? Now up you get, I've taken the liberty of making your favorite scones!" As soon as Discord said the latter, to his amazement, Fluttershy had recovered from her traumatic episode. In a flash, a yellow and pink smudge whizzed past Discord and into the dining room, where Discord found Fluttershy and Angel Bunny patiently waiting and seated. Knowing what they were eagerly waiting for, Discord smiled and recovered the scones from the breadbox, still slightly warm from toasting in the oven. After the distribution of delectable pastries, Discord retrieved two tea mugs and a small teacup from the cupboard and poured savory tea for the three of them. With the serving rituals completed, the Fluttershy and Discord spent the next five minutes enjoying their brunch and indulging in conversation. Discord was happy to hear that Cranky and Matilda's honeymoon had gone swimmingly, compared to their wedding, that of which Discord was under royal business in Canterlot when the bugbear attacked Ponyville. Some time passed before an ancient sensation crept into the forefront of Discord's mind. It was so long ago that he almost forgot what this feeling meant. Almost. He knew all too well what was happening. Before he could cast a protection ward, Discord felt the agonizing ping of a gigantic influx of energy spreading over Equus. As soon as it came, it faded. As an echoing *BOOM* rumbled the world, Discord gripped his head as if something smacked it. A concerned Fluttershy noticed that he was grimacing. "Oh dear, Discord, are you alright?!" Fluttershy rushed to her friend's side. To alleviate Fluttershy's worries, Discord assured her that he was fine. In his mind, though, Discord was a nervous wreck. This was big. What?! That's impossible! He frantically thought, The dimensional boundary hasn't been breached since I did it all those years ago! Where has the time gone? As Discord continued reliving the past, the situation that just unfolded started sinking in. He began a cold sweat. "Fluttershy," said Discord. An uncomfortable pressure of seriousness flooded the atmosphere. "Y-yes? What is it?" Fluttershy squeaked at Discord's sudden change in mood. "To be fair and honest, my dear Fluttershy, no, I'm not alright. An event of very large proportions has just occurred in our universe, the magnitude of which can throw the wellbeing of the world out of balance. Such an event on this scale hasn't happened in ten thousand years." "Oh dear, that doesn't sound good at all! You seem to know what you're talking about, Discord, what do you think we should do?" Fluttershy paused, then asked, "Should we tell Twilight?" "Oh, she knows, Fluttershy. Every unicorn and alicorn from here to the nearest star system felt that massive energy spike. In fact, I'd wager that she's on her way here right now," said Discord. "As to what we should do, I suppose we shouldn't let these scones get cold." Discord has a point, thought Fluttershy, and there's some boysenberry left! (Twilight's Perception) [Approximately five seconds after the Ætherial breaching...] "AGH!" yelped Twilight. "Spike, what was that?!" "Uh...Twilight? Are you okay? Your horn is shooting spar–" *ZZZT* "Watch it, that one almost hit me!" "Sorry, Spike! An enormous magical presence just appeared out of nowhere and–" *CRACK* "–WOAH!" "Holy cow, since when can you shoot lightning?!" exclaimed Spike. "Since never! Take cover!" Twilight Sparkle has always been a magical prodigy with an affinity for the arcane arts. Ever since she became an alicorn princess, her power and array of spells have grown ten-fold. However, the amounts of magic she was feeling flow throughout her body was quite frightening to the young Princess of Friendship. Energy was literally crackling out of her horn at a quickening pace, as her magical reservoirs began to overflow. When that happens, Twilight pondered, pure magic will violently rush out. Suddenly, Twilight had an idea. I need to burn some of this energy before I accidentally blow the whole castle up, she speedily thought. Twilight figured that Discord might know what's going on. She should have no problem teleporting to Fluttershy's cottage with this sheer amount of energy. "Spike! I need you to stand back!" Twilight yelled over the loud hum of pure energy. "I'm going to get to the bottom of this! I'll be back soon!" With that statement, Twilight began charging a teleportation spell, the immense energy causing the floor to crack. *WHAM* A crater resided where Twilight once stood, now well on her way to find an explanation. Before she knew it, Twilight was standing in Fluttershy's living room, catching the attention of who she was looking for. "Speak of the Princess and she shall come!" A familiar, mischievous voice began to snort. "Discord, Fluttershy," Twilight said while recovering from her backlash, her horn still sparking here and there. "Did you feel that?" "If it's that dreadful energy wave you mean," said Discord, "then yes. I'm just recovering from a migraine it caused me." "And what about you, Fluttershy?" Twilight asked. "Did you feel anything?" "Oh, no I didn't, but judging from Discord's reaction, it couldn't have been pleasant. I wonder what caused it...Discord said something about someone entering our universe before you came," explained Fluttershy. "Also, we heard what sounded like a distant explosion, a big one." Both mares turned to Discord, eagerly awaiting an elaboration. Discord had no idea to break the news, so he decided to give it to them straight. "Twilight," Discord began, "I assume Princess Celestia taught you about me when you studied with her, correct?" "Right," confirmed Twilight. "Then you know that I have access to other dimensions," Discord continued. "Correct," said Twilight, "stories of Old claimed you created a pocket-dimension of cotton candy, where you would throw your enemies to indulge in sugary goodness for all eternity!" Both mares shuddered at the thought of sugar-overload. Hmph, Discord pouted, looks like the grape vine is still going strong, Celestia, he thought. "Anyway, what I'm getting at," said Discord, "is that a force from outside of our universe has breached the dimensional boundary for the first time in ten thousand years. The results of such an event could be catastrophic, more so than even my power." At the closing of Discord's explanation, Twilight's pupils expanded in wonder, excavating her clear thoughts from her jumble of confusion to think of the big questions. Somepony from another universe, pondered Twilight. Think of what we could learn! The new information Twilight was processing made her question everything she thought she knew. Imagine, she thought, being able to see other universes. Maybe Princess Celestia knows about this. Twilight thought intently, trying to think of a game plan. Before she could speak, Discord broke the silence. "I know what you two are thinking, my friends," said Discord, "and I think me, you, Fluttershy and the rest of the Elements will be contacted by Celestia very shortly. We should gather everypony else and prepare for our task." With no objections, the three went about their plan in double time. Equestria's history books were about to be rewritten. If only they knew of the poor, young Planeswalker who only wanted some food and rest, barreling in from the Heavens.