//------------------------------//
// Tantabus Chains 
// Story: A Hearth's Warming Carol 
// by Little-Miss-Minty 
//------------------------------//

	Suddenly, Discord awoke from his nightmarish slumber. He sat up and looked around. 

Ching, cha, ching.

"Huh?" Discord looked back and forth. He ran his view along each crack, each seam, each floorboard, then shifted his gaze on the door. "Who goes there?"

Ching, cha, ching.

"Are those... are those chains?" Discord asked, into the night.

"Chains. Yes. You could call them that." 

Discord knew that voice. It was a smooth, familiar voice that he had heard many times before.

And then, Discord had a face to go with the voice. A ghostly Princess Luna stepped through the door. Like, through the door. She didn't open it, she just walked through it. Discord jumped in surprise. Discord was hardly ever surprised, but this happened to be one of those rare occasions where is was.

"Luna?" Discord looked at the alicorn. Her dark blue coat was now translucent, and her mane was flowing in nonexistent wind as always. Around her ankles, there were heavy navy blue chains, each with a multitude of purple stars. With each step, the chains clinked and chinged on the floor. "Why are you here?" Discord asked.

"I have come to inform you of your upcoming experience," Luna said, bowing her head.

"Experience?" Discord got out of bed, and walked around her, looking at her chains.

"Yes. Your upcoming experience." She turned to face the draconequus. "Three spirits will visit you tonight."

"Spirits?" He cocked his head. "Like, the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony?"

"No, no," she replied. "Spirits. Ghosts. Angels." She looked into his eyes. "Spirits."

"Okay..." Discord nodded once.

"Let me explain more," the princess continued. "The first will be The Ghost of Hearth's Warming Past. Secondly, you will meet the Ghost of Hearth's Warming Present. And last, you will meet the Ghost of Hearth's Warming Future."

Discord thought Luna had gone mental. "Okay then, Moon Butt!" He smiled awkwardly. Trying to change the subject, he asked, "May I ask you a question?" Discord wasn't normally the one to question anything, but this particular detail was really intriguing him. 

"Yes, of course, Discord," Luna said.

"Why are you fettered? Chained?" He picked up a wispy blue end of one of the shackles and it floated out of his touch. 

"I'm a prisoner of my own jail."

Discord solemnly stared at the Princess. "At least you weren't trapped in stone for a millenia." He tried to smile, but the princess' unamused look made him stop.

"I'll take you to the moon sometime." 

Discord and Luna looked at each other for a minute, wondering what the other was thinking. Luna then spoke up.

"The first ghost will visit you when the clock strikes one." Luna walked over to the window in the room and opened it. "I hope you learn your lesson, Discord." She then jumped out the window, into the chilly air. The moon reflected off her pellucid coat, and Luna disappeared into her night sky.

Discord got back into bed. He thought, "what a strange dream. Why would Luna want to visit me with that information?" Soon enough, though, he drifted back into sleep. It wasn't a dream.