//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 - A Star is Born! // Story: Dis Place Needs A Star! // by Northern Desert //------------------------------//         “You’re pretty determined to find something from all this, aren’t you?” Discord asked, his red scaly tail holding a cup of pink milk as he stood across a table from a familiar griffon.         The griffon in question had her iconic green highlighted headfeathers.  Her body was a hybrid of bird and cat, a hawk and a panther with fluffy feathers puffed out due to her nervous state.  She had managed to get an appointment with the famous draconequus, who often made many stops to talk with want-to-be producers and actors, in order to get some more information about what had exactly happened all those years ago. “We--ll, the story about you and the former Element bearers meeting Mettaton was never brought to the public,” the griffon said nervously. Her own curiosity concerning the adventure had driven her to make such bold decisions, like flying the Manehattan.  “And while I was still young, Griffonstone was in a state of panic when Mettaton and his former minions had occupied it.” Discord perked up at her mentioning of the Griffonstone occupation, giving a soft smile at the avian.  At her age, she was probably fourteen or fifteen when the recovering city was overtaken by the mischievous  robot and his ‘modernization’ plans for the ancient place.  It was probably a confusing, if not hectic, time for the griffons, especially someone whose entire young life had not been prepared to such drastic changes. “I hope that you and your family fared well when Mettaton brought about his brief rule,” Discord said, worried that the eccentric robot may have done some damage to the town to gather this much interest.   “It would most certainly be a shame that something dreadful had happened.” “No, no!” the griffon said quickly in order to reassure the draconequus.  “I was just wondering...well where Mettaton came from and why he decided to try and takeover? While most of the adventure we know was edited and reworked so that it was more suitable to audiences, not much of the original story exists.  I hope to write a book on the whole thing, with your permission of course!” “Well of course, dear!” the draconequus clapped, closing his eyes and giving a warm smile at the suggestion.  “As for where Mettaton came from...well do you want the full, 100%, uncensored tale of how Twilight and her little pals saved the world and how Mettaton came to be?” The griffon nodded her feathery head excitedly, a smile breaking her beak. This was something she had been dying to know for a loooong time. It was amazing that she had managed to gain the director’s attention, let alone get him down for a story.         “I do, sir!” she said excitedly, her wings shuffling about and she dug out a laptop from her backpack.         “Alright then!” Discord said cheerfully, snapping his fingers and magicking a paper document and quill.  “Just sign here because I don’t want anyone trying to claim you never had permission from me. You know how some of these crazy ponies are.  What was your name again?”         “Chirp, Mr. Discord, Chirp Bawker!” Chirp said as she signed the document.  The paper teleporting away after she had finished reading it and signed her name.         “Okay Chirpy...in return let me give you a list of names,” the draconequus mused, snapping his finger again and placing it in the open talon of the griffon.  “That’s a list of others you should talk to, in order to get the full story from what I’ve just told you.”         “I really do appreciate it, Mr. Discord,” Chirp replied, folding the list and tucking it into her backpack. “For everything. I know you’re often busy.”         “I should be the one thanking you, my dear,” Discord chuckled, giving the griffon a small wave.  “No one has really asked for the story in such a direct manner, mainly because they don’t bother to think about it. What they saw on the big screen was enough for them.”         “Now,” he yawned, stretching his limbs and dropping both his cloven hoof and reptilian foot on the top of his desk. “Mettaton was, and still is, an...interesting character I had stumbled upon, but he was not always the lovable and fabulous robot that everyone knows and love.  No, long ago he was a creature called a human…” “Well, what do you think, Barney?” the patchwork creature asked the now calm human, taking a drink from his pink mug.  “Do we have a deal?”         Barney himself was a human, a tall and bipedal creature with no fur or tail, but with short dusty black hair on his head.  He wore a simple pair of glasses as he read over Discord’s document for a job, one that he had not be prepared to receive.  Then again, no actor has ever expected a transdimensional creature to pop into their reality and offer them a job.         “Well...it is certainly an interesting proposition,” Barney replied, giving the document another readover while sipping a mug of hot chocolate. “But um...why exactly have you come to me with it, Decor was it?”         “Discord,” the draconequus answered, giving the human a toothy smile. “As to why I chose you...well, you just fit all the areas I was looking for.  Plus, I threw a dart while blind folded and it hit your picture.”         Barney mused over this information, remembering clearly his first reaction to finding the draconequus eating the last piece of his mousse cake.  It had involved the human screaming, only to faint a few minutes later.  When he had woken up and still found Discord in his house and lying on his couch, he had grabbed his glass table and smashed it over the surprised mythical creatures head.  That had also involved screaming, but it was more from Barney getting over the fact that he had just smashed the poor creature's head added on with Discord’s own cries of pain as he plucked the glass shards out of his own cranium.         While the human was ready to apologize for this and get somethin to help the poor guy, Discord decided to get even and thumped the still conflicted human over the head with his lion’s paw. When he finally woke up, he found himself tied to his comfy computer chair.  Discord waiting patiently and reassuring the human all was fine and that he had indeed not lost his sanity.         This had led them to where they were now, both taking a sip of the delicious chocolatey beverage and talking out business opportunities on a relativity snowy day.         “Well that’s one hell of a selection process. Probably involved more than just a dart through...but I highly doubt I would understand with the way you go about things,” Barney smirked, having seen the creature’s wacky magic first hand. “But you make one heck of a bargain!” He was still unsure if he was giddy due to his childish dreams of seeing some magical creature come true, or if Discord had spiked his hot coco.         “I trust that you’ve read over the entire contract then?” Discord asked patiently, happy that someone could appreciate his unique approach on life.         “Turning me into a magical ghost possessing a magical robot,” the human snorted, giving Discord a snarky look. “What, is my face not beautiful enough for ya?”         “Unfortunately...no!” Discord snarked back, his wide grin never leaving his face. This sarcastic answer earned a chuckle from Barney.         “And you want me to play the role of a villain and terrorize a land of magical ponies…” Barney trailed off, looking up and giving the draconequus a questioning look.  “Geeze, are you serious? I mean, I can do that I guess...but am I actually, like, terrorizing them?”         “Terrorize is a strong word,” the spirit of chaos pursed his lips, taking another sip of his drink. “But essentially, you will provided the picture of an evil and devious force that the heroes of Equestria must stand up to.” “Hmmm, your friends...right?” “Correctamundo!” Discord said. He summoned a rotating wheel of clapping hooves, giving the human a small round of applause.         “Well...why exactly do you want me to ‘terrorize’ your friends?” Barney questioned, raising an eyebrow at the creatures seemingly unfazed response. He didn’t look or act like a bad guy, so the question pertaining as to why he came to Earth with intent to give a human powers and harass his friends seemed strange.         “Ah...well while I have friends from where I’m from, it is more on a toleration level,” Discord respond, clicking his tongue as a bitter taste came to his mouth.  “I use to be what many would consider ‘a villain’, but I have put that past me know. However, what I want is more than toleration or simple friendship, which are both nice to begin with, but most of all, I want to be admired. To be the hero of the world, and everyone else to look up to me!”         “And in order to be the hero, you need a villain!?!” Barney replied, the answer finally dawning on him.         “Correct...I know it sounds selfish,” Discord sniffed, thinking back to his earlier childhood. He had attempted to be a performer himself, using his magic to wow the crowd. “But this has been something I’ve wanted for a long time.” Barney gave the draconequus a sympathetic look; this really hit close to him, his entire career being based on admiring (and occasionally envying) people he would never be. But if he could help one person become something they always wanted to be...well, it would be good to bring a smile on the draconequus’s face.         “Mettaton...this could work,” Barney sighed, realizing that this may come back to bite him later. “Okay Discord, I’ll play your villain to this little quest of yours!”         The draconequus in question perked up and wagged his tail like a dog, grabbing the human’s hand and shaking it violently.         “Oh thank you, my dear friend!” Discord said ecstatically, shaking the poor human up and down due to his excitement. “You will not regret this. For in Equus, there are no real tv shows or movies. The invention of the box itself was only created a few years ago.  You’ll be the first actually performer to hit the big screens.” After recovering from Discord’s burst of excitement, Barney raised a hand to make one objection. The creature gave him a puzzled look, but waved for him to object away.         “Here’s the thing. I’m going to need more than just this rectangle body,” Barney brought up, deciding on one of his conditions.  He didn’t want to be some plain old box; he need fancies in order to dazzle the viewers! “I’ll need an actually body, maybe as a big reveal or a ‘final boss transformation’.”         “Oh, don’t worry pal,” Discord smiled, hugging the human to his side with one of his arms and waving the other in front of them. His hand left a trail of rainbows as it passed through the air. “I’ve already got the entire thing laid out...with some inspiration of course. We wouldn’t want to take all of the credit from good old Toby!”         “Okay...well, what about where my lair will be?” Barney questioned, thinking over the possible cool evil bases. “I don’t want something dark and dingy! It has to be big and scream ‘I’m the king, baby!’. Like a castle or something.”         “Oh, don’t worry, I have just the thing for that!” the patchwork creature chuckled manically. The sweet irony he was going to put Celestia through was almost enough to make him rethink his good behavior...almost. “You’ll have a great base of operations, trust me.”         “Hmmm, I’ll also need minions...” Barney added in. By now, both draconequus and human were beginning to let their devious sides come out and blossom.         Walking over to his consoles, he picked up one of the cases of the game and looked at it carefully.  He then tossed it over to Discord, who caught it with great precision. The mixed up creature gave him a confused glance before looking at the cover and letting out a small chuckle.  Barney came over with two more cases, handing them to the draconequus to inspect. “You think these guys will do?” the human questioned, getting really in the feel for this entire business. He was already thinking of his dramatic entrance as the ‘villain’ that would take the world by surprise. “I don’t want them throwing off the ‘flow’ the various areas in the world may have.”         Discord stroked his goatee and stuck out one of his tongue, picturing the perfect settings for the various creatures to be spread out. After laying out such an ambitious plan he gave himself a pleased nod and snap his fingers, sending the games to his dimension for an extra look over. “All will be taken care of, my friend,” Discord said, giving the now ecstatic human a grin. “Well...with all this said, you ready to go?”         Barney gave the draconequus a shocked look, somewhat taken aback by the sudden rush for them to leave.         “Well...I’ll need to make my monthly payments to my landlord and--” Barney tried to explain, but was cut off abruptly by the cheery draconequus.         “Nononono,” Discord said quickly, giving the human a thumbs up. “I’ve already taken care of all of you bills with some of my own--” he snapped his finger and a couple hundred dollar bills appeared in his furry fingers, “--so you don’t have to worry about that!”         Barney’s jaw dropped at the large sum of money before him. While he really shouldn’t have been surprised by this, it still astounded him that someone could have such powers like manipulating reality or creating other things. Shaking his head, he finished his drink and put the mug in the sink, stretching his sore muscles and walking towards his door.         “Alright then, let’s go to this Equus!” the human said, ready for this short adventure. “But...let’s make sure I don’t get turned into a statue like you did. That would be extremely uncomfortable for me.”         “Trust me, Barney, you have nothing to worry about!” Discord replied, snapping his fingers once more.  The world shifting around them and darkness overcoming the human’s vision, his mind becoming empty as he seemingly moved effortlessly through whatever universe he was in.   “OHHHH....” the human groaned in a robotic voice, feeling dizzy from the sudden teleportation. He began getting up with his feet...wheel? “WHA--WHAT HAPPENED TO MY LEGS!?!” he cried out in surprise, now seeing his long metal arms wave out in front of him. “WHAT IS HAPPENING, WHAT AM I!?!” Sailing across the room his his single wheeled leg, he frantically searched for anything or anyone that could answer his questions. He saw a door in the middle of his path, but chose to ignore it and ran right through the wooden obstacle in his panicked flight. The now metal and rectangular human soon found himself crashing and sliding across the ground as he splintered the door, his breathing becoming distorted and horrifying as he felt his body remain cold. “Wow, calm down there Barney!” a familiar voice cried out, lifting the robot up into the air with a strange golden aura. “Crap! Hold on, I can fix this pal.”         Snapping his fingers together, a loud poof followed by Barney becoming calmer. Now having control over his emotions and feeling more...alive, the now-robotic Barney wiggled in Discord’s grasp.         “S--ORRY, I HAVE NO IDEA...I JUST FEEL WEIRD!” the robot said apologetically, now being placed down as draconequus got down on one knee to inspect his partner.         “I’ve rarely done this, so fully Displacing both your mind and body into this body was less effective than it should have been,” Discord mused, stroking his beard at his mistake. “Luckily, I managed to rectify this feeling. So don’t worry about the side effects.”         “RIGHT...WHERE ARE WE CURRENTLY LOCATED, DISCORD?” Barney asked, looking around as the small yellow and orange boxes on his face flicker and blinked.         “Canindia. The capital to be exact,” the draconequus commented, giving the robot a mischievous grin. “This is where the beginning of your show will start, my friend!”         “WHAT AM I TO EXACTLY DO IN ORDER TO START OFF THE PLOT TO YOUR STORY?” Barney questioned, somewhat excited to get this little show started.         “Well, in this very building is a meeting with the world’s national leaders, each working to rebuild this tiny kingdom for the better of the people,” Discord smirked. The sheer lack of guards had made this entire plan laughably easy. “You are to take them hostage and broadcast this to the world, taunting six heroines in particular!”         “YOU HAVE INFORMED ME THAT THE TWO PRINCESSES WILL ALSO BE HERE...HOW DO YOU PLAN FOR ME TO DEFEAT SUCH POWERFUL CREATURES?” Barney asked, unsure on how well he could handle two magical pegacorns who could raise celestial bodies.         “Well, ‘Mettaton’, you will not be doing this alone!” Discord reminded him. He snapped a finger and multiple creatures of odd origins filled the room, each ready to serve their robotic master. “Plus, I have a little gift for you!”         Tossing the now named Mettaton a strange remote, the draconequus pointed to one of the minions in front of them. Urging the robot to point the remote at one of the many creatures with them, the remote gave a small click before a strange beam shot towards the confused minion. As it hit, a bubble formed around the surprised minion, earning a chuckle from Discord.         “By using my own magical makeup, the bubble will send any magical or physical attack through small pockets in my dimension!” Discord said proudly, snapping his fingers and causing the bubble to vanish the poor creature falling to the ground.         “PERFECT! THIS WILL DO WELL IN MY CAPTURING OF THE PRINCESSES!” Mettaton cheered, clapping at the display as his many tiles flickered. “DO WE HAVE THE CAMERAS SET, THE TELEVISIONS READY!?!”         “Of course, my dear friend,” the patchwork creature chuckled, happy to see his ‘villain’ just as enthusiastic as he was. “When this is all over, you will be a star and I a hero! And you will find yourself home and free from any burden afterwards!”         “o--OH, OF COURSE...I LOOK FORWARD TO THAT!” The robot seemed to deflate at Discord’s last words, but the draconequus showed no notice to this.         “See you soon pal, have fun!” the draconequus winked before disappearing in a flash of pink light and rainbow confetti.         Turning around at his new followers, Mettaton took a mic out of thin air and pointed at them. His tiles flashed yellow and orange as music soon erupted from his metal body.         “LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN TO AID ME AND LORD DISCORD IN THIS NOBLE STORY!” Mettaton announced to the crowd, murmurs of excitement filled the seemingly newly created creatures. “OUR FIRST OBJECTIVE IS TO SECURE THE MONARCHS OF THIS WORLD AND BROADCAST OUR SUCCESS WORLDWIDE!”         The many strange creatures nodded in understanding, looking around ecstatically at their new goal in life. For while they were just created moments ago by the spirit of chaos, they still believed themselves to have already lived their past lives from whatever universe they came from. But all of this mattered little, since they had no idea where they were now, and with this strange metal being offering them some sort of payment by helping takeover the world...well, who were they to decline such a bargain?         “Alright boss!” they cried in chorus, all of the giving their own pose as they ready themselves for their first order.         Turning his back to his new minions, Mettaton turned to the iron door that stood in the way of them and their goal of capturing the many kingdoms’ leaders. Pointing a hand at the door, a beam of energy flew into the steel object and blew it wide open. Shocked faces from those in the room that was separated by the door were apparent, and two equines with wings and horns had the most hilarious expression on their face when they saw all the strange creatures surround them in the room.         What even caught them more off guard was the metal rectangle. It’s flashing yellow and orange titles seemed to distract them as it scooted up and wagged a finger at anyone who was looking to retaliate.         “GOOD EVENING DARLINGS!” Mettaton boomed, his tone filled with delight if not smugness. “I WANT TO CONGRATULATE YOU ON BEING A PART OF MTTV'S NEWEST SHOW, ‘SAVE THE CAPTURED PRINCESSES’!”         “Why does this always happen to me and not Twilight?” Celestia groaned, beams of energy leaving the strange controler in the robot's hand and hitting everyone who was not a member of the mechanical being’s possy. The Princess of the Sun floated up in some strange bubble and upon using her magic found it unescapable.          “Yup, it’s definitely one of those days….”