//------------------------------// // A Call Rings Out Across the Seas! Until that Promised Day! // Story: My Little Pirates: Luffy's Adventures in Equestria // by Fullmetal Pony //------------------------------// Twilight yawned and stretched out her wings. She flinched when one of them bent out a little too far. They clenched back against her sides and she flipped a hoof around to scratch at her back. “Note to self, be careful of pulling stuff.” Spike scribbled down some notes and then glanced at his back. “Whenever I get them.” “Spike, just because I got wings doesn’t mean everypony will,” said Twilight. “Yeah, everypony, but everydragon I’ve met has had wings.” Spike looked down at Twilight from atop the stairs and grinned. “Plus you’re giving me a whole lot of pointers and stuff to avoid. Though apple trees seem like a no brainer.” Twilight blushed and then furrowed her brow. “Well, Spike, now I hope you do get wings soon too, and you can tell me how it goes when a current catches you and pulls you into a nosedive and your friend comes at you like a wall of bricks so you both wind up sore and covered in the worst way to make applesauce ever!” Twilight slammed her hooves into the table. The towers of paper flanking her creaked and teetered back and forth. Spike gulped and scratched at his spines. A stuttered chuckle escaped his mouth. “Uh, maybe I can wait… how about I get you some tea?” Twilight blinked and slipped back into her seat. “Sorry, Spike. I think you’re right, a break would be good.” Spike made his way down the stairs and over to the kitchen. He paused and looked back at Twilight. “You know, I’m sure the girls could help out too.” “Really, Spike, it’s fine.” Twilight glanced at one of the stacks. “I mean, it’s a bit more of a workload than I’m used to, but I can’t let Cadence handle everything, she’s already got enough on her plate handling things back in Canterlot. I know the girls could help out a little, but a lot of these decrees, rulings, and legislation require a thorough knowledge of the law.” “What about some of the mayor’s aides then?” asked Spike. “If I was assuming somepony else’s duties, maybe, but it wouldn’t take long for a skilled aide to notice that all this work can only be authorized by a Princess.” Spike tilted his head to the side. “And?” “And what do you think happens when somepony starts questioning why a unicorn, even a Princess’s personal student, is suddenly authorizing documents only Celestia normally should and maybe Luna and Cadence do if Celestia is unavailable? Or when they ask why the cloak I’m now wearing every time I go outside somehow moves without a breeze? Or where Celestia and Luna have been in general?” “Okay, okay, I get it,” said Spike. “Still, you can’t hide those wings forever. What are you gonna do then?” “I… I’m sure I can handle it.” Twilight lowered her head. “I just hope we find Celestia and Luna before then.” Spike watched Twilight slump in her seat. He took a deep breath. “I know we’ll find them Twilight. And you’re right, I think you can handle it fine.” “Thanks, Spike.” Twilight smiled for a second but then looked back down. “I wish it were only the Princesses I was worried about though. Mr. Rayleigh may be a powerful person, but I wish Luffy had had more time to recover.” “If his dancing was a sign of anything, I think he’ll be fine.” Spike made a fist and jabbed at the air. “Plus Jinbei is with him too! I bet even Tirek would be afraid of them.” “Good point.” Twilight smiled and managed to keep it on her face this time. “Now, about that tea?” “Right.” Spike wandered into the kitchen, filled up and kettle, and lifted it in front of his face. A tongue of flame shot out of his mouth and lapped at the bottom of the kettle. Just as small wisps of steam started rising out of the spout, the back door burst open and a royal guard flew into the room. He looked left and right and then spotted Spike. “Where is Princess Twilight?” Spike pointed into the main room. “Over there, but there’s a lo—” The guard darted out of the kitchen. Papers swirled around him as he hastily bowed to her. “Princess, we’ve found them.” ~~~ The crowd in front of the Canterlot Hospital was a teeming ocean of color and flashes. A thin golden line of guards kept them away from the doors while a platoon of pegasi guards buzzed through the air above them. Fluttershy bit her lip and pulled her head away from the edge of the chariot. “Geez, I’ve seen Wonderbolt shows less crowded,” said Dash. “Try Grand Galloping Galas less crowded,” said Rarity. One of the guards pulling the chariot looked back at the girls and Spike. “We’ve tried to keep everything under wraps, but their appearance was so sudden… and you can imagine what it was like seeing as they were the ones to bring back the Princesses.” Twilight said nothing and just clasped the railing tighter while the wind whipped her mane around. Spike reached out and laid a claw on her shoulder but Twilight remained tense. As soon as they had landed on the roof, everypony rushed into the stairwell, down the halls, and past the waves of guards lining them. Finally, they burst into the room and came to a stop. Everypony’s heart caught in their throats. Twilight’s stomach turned into a lead lump. Celestia rested on the bed with the raised mattress keeping her propped up. Bandages stretched over the right side of her face and a plastic mask provided her extra air to take in with tiny breaths. The tip of her horn was blackened and the base had small cracks in it. Only her left eye remained uncovered and served to highlight how sunken in it was and how much her cheekbones stuck out. Her mane now only reached to the middle of her neck and hung limp, pink, and frayed. IVs and thick tubes trailed out from under her sheets and connected her to a series of drips and machines that filled the room with a squeamish melody. At the sight of Twilight though, she managed to smile. “Twilight…” Tears flooded down Twilight’s face. “Princess Celestia!” She raced across the room and draped herself over the side of Celestia’s bed. Celestia tried to lift a leg to hug Twilight but was unable to. Twilight froze when she did feel something bandaged brush against her leg. She managed to lift her head to see a thin stump straining to try and reach out to her. “S-sorry,” Celestia coughed. “I’m… used to wrapping my wing around you.” Dash and Fluttershy both shuddered and their wings bristled. Celestia glanced at them. “It’s okay.” She paused to take some shallow breaths. “Half capes…back in fashion.” Rarity’s eyes widened. “That’s why those were in fashion?” Celestia managed to bend her head a few degrees toward Twilight. “Have to… talk.” “It’s okay, Princess.” Twilight reached out and took hold of one of Celestia’s legs. “I’m just glad you’re back. We can wait.” “Luna…” Celestia called out. “Luna will explain.” Celestia let her head flop back and then she was out. Twilight clasped her leg tightly, sniffled, and then turned to the guards standing by the door. “Princess Luna is next door, right?” ~~~ Luna rested on the bed and, unlike Celestia, wasn’t in need of a mask to aid her breathing, which allowed her soft snores to escape unabated. Her entire body was still covered in bandages though and a multitude of IVs stuck out of her legs. Her face was uncovered but gauze wrapped around her head, hiding whatever was left of her mane. A few of the girls felt their stomachs roil seeing how flat the left side of her head was where there should have been an ear. Twilight glanced at the pair of chairs by Luna’s bed and then at the guards. “Could you get us some extra chairs please?” “Of course,” the guards replied in unison. They gave a salute and then rushed out of the room. They returned seconds later with the chairs. After setting them down, they backed away and assumed their positions at the door once more. All the girls took their seats and looked to Twilight. A faint glow radiated off her horn. “Everyone just take some deep breaths and relax. If this works, I’ll see you after I get a guard to cast the spell on me too.” Everyone did as Twilight said and leaned back in their chairs. The glow from Twilight’s horn spread across the room. They all took a breath and closed their eyes. When they next opened them, they found themselves floating in the night sky. Stardust glimmered under their hooves, occasionally fizzling and sending out tiny sparks that shot off into space. Most of the sky shimmered with constellations but patches of it were barren or the stars glowed dim like old lights. A collection of nearby stars shimmered and swirled around before coalescing into the shape of a pony. With a flash, Twilight materialized beside everyone else. Her head shot up and she looked around. “Good, it seems sister regained consciousness long enough to guide you here,” Luna’s voice called out. Everyone turned around to see that Luna had emerged out of the stars in her shrunken form. “Forgive me for not being awake to greet you, but with my magic and body as they are, it took most of my strength to maintain this space.” “It’s fine, Princess,” said Fluttershy. “You’ve done more than enough. Thank goodness you made it back.” “And thank goodness you appear to have prevailed over Tirek. I sensed some great torrent of magic even from afar, but I wasn’t sure until I felt the great multitude of lives still within Canterlot.” Luna honed in on Fluttershy’s shortened mane. “Did you suffer any serious injuries?” “Nothing a few days’ rest couldn’t fix, but Twi…” Applejack looked over at Twilight and paused. “Uh, Twilight? Why are a unicorn again?” “What do you mean why am I a uni—” Twilight spun her head towards her bare back. “Where’d they go?” “Normally, your appearance under my influence is the same as in reality unless I will it, but with the state I’m in, you’re left more to how you perceive yourself,” Luna explained. “Were you grievously injured, Twilight Sparkle?” “No, but now I’m…” Twilight shook her head. “It can wait. I’m fine though and so is everypony else.” “And Straw Hat and his brother?” Everyone tensed up. Twilight took a breath. “There’s a lot that happened and a lot we need to explain, but Luffy is going to be fine.” “Yeah!” Pinkie exclaimed. “You should have seen the way he danced last night! I gotta ask him if he knows any other crazy moves when he gets back.” “Back?” Luna asked. “As I said, a lot to explain,” said Twilight. “What about you and Princess Celestia though? We heard some things, but we still don’t know how you beat Blackbeard.” Luna lowered her head, veiling her face in shadow. “We didn’t beat him. At best, we could have called it a stalemate. If things had continued as they had though, I’m not sure we would have both made it back…” Luna clenched her teeth and lit up her horn. Light flared up beneath everyone, replacing the stars with an overhead view of a vast and desolate landscape. The dusty grey and red plane was pockmarked by gorges and rocky ridges. Pinkie stretched out a hoof to poke at a desolate plateau and the image rippled like a pool. “Please,” Luna huffed, “remain still and watch.” Something glinted in the middle of the wasteland. A second later, a great fireball ballooned outwards, turning sections of the rocky plane glossy and black. Even though no one had moved, the entire plane shuddered, chasms opened up, and the ground either jabbed upwards or sunk into the abyss. Lightning arced across the newly formed canyons and mountains. Blasts of plasma joined it, turning the scene into a deadly light show. Spots of pure darkness swallowed up the blasts here and there, all while day slowly gave way to night. Soon though, the cycle of the sun and moon slowed. “We fought ceaselessly,” Luna explained. “We traded blow after blow while the wastes around us bore the brunt of our attacks. It was only thanks to Blackbeard’s inexperience with his powers that their damage wasn’t narrowed down to just myself and sister. His ability to engulf our magic in his darkness made up for that deficiency. And so, it became of battle of attrition with each of us slowly wearing the other down, waiting until we were too tired to deliver one final blow.” An earthquake ripped through the wasteland but split at one point that glistened like a miniature sun. When the dust settled, the earth had been trisected into vast chasms. “I probably could have withstood that attack, but I know how sister thinks of me.” Luna frowned, but then steeled her face. “I would have also fought to the last breath to protect her as well. Yet even that resolve faltered for a second at the battle’s climax.” The battlefield wavered like a stormy sea and reformed to show Blackbeard learing up at everyone. Blood soaked his coat, patches of his fur were singed off, and gashes and burns marred his body. His breaths came out ragged and he slumped forward while teetering slightly, but a chilling gleam still shined in his eyes, even if one was nearly swollen shut. Behind him, all his men but Burgess were strewn across the ground and even Burgess was wobbling a bit. Suddenly, the air near them churned and swirled in on itself. The vortex twisted and then ripped open a void. Out of it stepped a battered draconequus with his paw clenching his crooked claw. “What the hell?!” Blackbeard snarled. “Shiryu! You were supposed to wait at the ship unless I gave you an order!” “There’s trouble,” Shiryu hacked. Blackbeard clenched his teeth and then turned his attention forward once more. “Ze… haha… good fight.” “Wait!” rang a distorted echo of Luna’s voice. Blackbeard pulled back a leg and smashed it into the air. The air cracked and the ground roiled. A large section of it flew upward and the entire image rolled and went into a tumble. Blue hooves shot out and snatched an unconscious Celestia out of the chaos and then everything went black. Everyone looked up at Luna. She let out her breath. “When the dust cleared, Blackbeard and his men were gone. I wandered through the waste, using the magic I could muster to stave off the worst of Celestia’s injuries and bring about day and night. I probably could have held out a few more days, but when help arrived, I finally allowed myself to give in to fatigue.” “Even considering who rescued you?” asked Applejack. “What matters is that they brought us back to civilization.” Luna furrowed her brow. “I am familiar with second chances, and with recent events, we may consider this a sign of good faith.” “I… I agree,” Fluttershy murmured. “I mean, given what we’re going to do, we should give them a chance.” “And what exactly are you going to do?” Luna asked. “Well…” Twilight sucked at her lower lip. “We should explain what happened here as well.” ~~~ “By Starswirl’s beard,” Luna said after having listened for some time. “I can’t believe sister taught you that spell. And to think you would ascend… although that does explain why I thought sister was joining us when you arrived.” Luna paused and looked down. She then bowed her head. “You have my deepest thanks for bringing Straw Hat back from the brink and saving Equestria once more.” She took a breath and raised her head. “That being said, I find freeing Discord highly dangerous. It’s not just in his nature to be chaotic, it is his very being. The normal rules of magic don’t apply to him and conventional imprisonment is impossible, even with anti-magic stone.” “Is it really okay to keep him in stone forever though?” said Fluttershy. “It sounded like that was one of the reasons he was so mad in the first place.” “Discord would get mad at ants for not dancing a gig when he passed by,” Luna replied. “I can never forgive Discord for what he did to Equestria in the past and I only see him in that light though. Perhaps Discord has lived in a similar manner, only seeing ponies as toys and never knowing of friendship or kindness. While freeing Discord threatens all Equestria, if I believed that anypony could reform him, it would be you all.” Dash scratched at her mane and blushed. “I guess we are pretty awesome.” “We don’t know when Luffy will be back, so you can rest until then, Princess,” said Twilight. “Is there anything else we can do for you?” “You have done more than enough already,” Luna replied. “I imagine our rescuers would like to discuss things with you though. I know it may be difficult, but see to it that they are treated well.” “Of course.” Twilight gave a small bow. “Oooh, I can finally test my cupcake idea too!” Pinkie squealed. The stars swirled around everyone and their vision grew blurred. Luna’s body started fading away into space. She smiled and said, “Then I shall see you when it is time to free Discord. Goodbye, my friends.” ~~~ It was a quick trip down the hall. Away from the Princesses’ rooms was one other occupied room on the floor. A collection of guards stood around the door. Twilight glanced back at her friends, gulped, and then opened the door. Two more guards stood inside the room. On the other side of the room, three changelings were huddled together, all of them bound with an anti-magic on their horns. One was smaller than the other two and had a mane that resembled a wilted lillypad. Her ears perked up and she stared at Twilight and her friends with overlapping circular and slitted pupils. “Element Bearers,” she murmured. “Er, yes,” said Twilight. “I’m Twilight Sparkle and these are my friends Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Spike.” “I’m…” the changeling bowed her head, hiding her face behind her mane. Pinkie raised a hoof to her ear and shrugged. “Anyone get that?” “I think she said her name is Pupa,” said Fluttershy. Pupa pulled back in response and tried to hide herself behind the two drones. Dash eyed Fluttershy. “You, uh, have any distant relatives you want to tell us about?” “Wouldn’t that be a twist?” Pinkie chuckled. “Girls, time for jokes later.” Twilight took a step forward and Pupa moved back further. The two drones got up and blocked Twilight’s path, revealing the tips of her fangs. Twilight rooted herself where she stood. “Okay, I know changelings and ponies don’t have the best history, but you have our thanks for saving Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. I promise we won’t hurt you.” Pupa pressed at the drone’s legs and took a shaky step forward. “Mother is gone. We were waiting like she ordered, but when the Sun and Moon fought so close to us, I disobeyed her. We… we can live here now, right? Mother said that was the deal.” Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Deal?” “Celestia hadn’t been very explicit about what happened during the war.” Twilight lifted a leg and extended it out. “There’s a lot we don’t know about changelings, but if you just want a place to live and you don’t want to hurt anypony, Equestria will always have a place for you.” Pupa shuddered, took a breath, and then tightened her muscles. She raised her leg and clasped Twilight’s hoof. “Thank you.” “Soooooo…” Pinkie slid beside Pupa and draped a leg across her back. “How do changelings feel about cupcakes made with lots and lots of love?” ~~~ A few days later Fluttershy received a knock at her door. She gasped when Luffy stood there with a wide smile on his face despite a few fresh cuts and bruises. Rayleigh was a little roughed up as well, but sported a grin. The girls all quickly gathered at Twilight’s. “I can’t believe it.” Rarity looked up from the newspaper Rayleigh had provided her. Everypony wore similar shocked expressions as they scanned over the article. “Are all pirates this insane?” “I think the word you’re really looking for is awesome!” Dash grinned at Luffy and Rayleigh. “That was a pretty smooth trick you pulled. At least Daring Do worthy.” “Well, Rayleigh was the one that came up with it,” Luffy chuckled. “Glad to hear the Princesses made it back too. And what about the bug-ponies? I didn’t really talk with them that much except for that creepy queen.” “I’m starting to think that Chrysalis was just a bad apple,” said Applejack. “Them drones can be a little odd, but Pupa’s taken to life in Equestria like a fish to water.” “And the business at Sugarcube Corner is booming because of her and the hive!” Pinkie exclaimed. Luffy’s eyes widened. “They haven’t eaten everything, have they?” “Don’t worry.” Pinkie grinned. “I made sure to work extra hard so we’d have a reserve stock ready for when you got back. Plus, since Mr. Jinbei left, there’s extra for you and Mr. Rayleigh!” “Alright!” Luffy cheered. Rayleigh scratched at his beard. “Well, you eat what you can on the way to Canterlot, but we’re not taking anything with us when we go…” Rayleigh turned his attention to the girls. “... assuming you’re okay with unleashing Discord.” A silence fell upon the room. Twilight gulped. “We want Luffy to get stronger, and we want to get stronger too. Discord may be strong, and the idea of reforming him seems impossible, but I know Luffy will succeed and so will our friendship!” Rayleigh let out a hearty laugh. “Ah, you’re making me nostalgic for my old crew. I’d best be careful and not inspire new rivals for Luffy.” A wicked grin spread across Dash’s face. “Now there’s an idea.” Pinkie saddled up next to her with an equally devious smile on her lips. “Yeaaaahhhh.” “Don’t ya girls think we’ve got enough responsibilities at home?” said Applejack. “Psh, relax, Applejack,” Dash replied. “I mean, we would totally be the most awesome pirates ever, but making Wonderbolts is still top priority for me.” “And we’ve got way too much new business at the Corner for me to leave now,” said Pinkie. “Aw,” Luffy sighed. “A magic horse pirate crew would be pretty cool.” “Don’t encourage them!” Twilight, Rarity, and Applejack said in unison. Rayleigh coughed into his hoof. “Anyway, shall we be off?” “Yes, no point in wasting anymore time…” Twilight trailed off and looked over to Luffy. “We do have one stop to make before Discord though.” ~~~ Trees and a few statues dotted the field. Some of the sculptures depicted ponies in armor while others simply stood looking off to the horizon. If a statue didn’t mark a grave, then the tombstones were inscribed with ranks and honors. Lacking those, the stones contained a short description of a pony’s deeds in service to Equestria. The majority of the cemetery was covered in a grass that lightly brushed the hooves of visitors, but the earth was still fresh by the grave everypony had gathered around. An orange hat with two smilies buttoned to it was draped onto a corner of the tombstone. At its base was a collection of blue, orange, and red flowers resembling a bonfire. Its epithet read: Portgas D. Fire Fist Ace Though his time in Equestria was short, the fire of friendship was strong within him. Luffy sat in front of the grave and was silent for some time. Nopony else said anything until he smiled and opened his mouth. “Ace,” he said. “I’m going to get stronger now. Much stronger. Just watch, I’m gonna be King of the Pirates.” Luffy got up and marched closer to the grave. He took his hat off stared down at it. “Rayleigh says where we’ll be training is going to be dangerous, so until I get back please take care of this.” Luffy placed his hat on the corner opposite of Ace’s. He stood there for a moment longer and then stepped back. He wiped an eye and then found himself wrapped in a hug by Fluttershy with tears spilling down her face. “Hey, don’t cry that much,” he said. “I’m sorry,” she sniffled. “I can’t help it.” Luffy reached out and gave her a pat on the back. “Well, thanks.” Applejack laid a hoof on his shoulder. “It’s what friends do.” “And we’ll make sure nothing happens to your hat either!” Dash gave Luffy a light punch in the shoulder. “Not that anything is gonna mess with it anyway.” Luffy smiled and then turned his head toward Twilight. “Okay, I’m ready to go.” ~~~ Celestia and Luna were waiting by Discord’s statue when the group arrived. One of Luna’s hindlegs was in a cast and the rest of them were bandaged up along with a majority of her torso and a bit of her head around where she’d lost her ear. Celestia was confined to a wheelchair and both her forelegs were in casts. She had to lean a bit to the left so that the stump where her wing had been didn’t grind into the back of the seat. Her unbandaged eye widened at the sight Rayleigh. “Master?!” she called out. “Oh boy,” Rayleigh muttered. Luna hobbled over and peered at Rayleigh. “Hmmm, Twilight Sparkle was not jesting when she said you resemble Master Starswirl.” “Luna?” Celestia swiveled her head back and forth. “What in Equestria is going on? Why is our master back from the dead and here of all places?” “Oh…” A little bit of sweat rolled down the side of Luna’s face. “I was worried I forgot something.” “Princess Celestia, you look even younger than when I last saw you,” Rayleigh chuckled and then bowed to her. “It’s an honor to formally meet you though.” “That’s not…” Celestia furrowed her brow. “How have you come to know me, human?” “Well…” Rayleigh scratched at his beard. “My captain just got a crazy idea one day and that may have led to us wandering around the island for a bit, taking a bit of cider, and finding some ancient treasure. Usual pirate stuff and the like.” “Now wait a minute.” Applejack jabbed hoof at Rayleigh. “You were the cause of the Great Cider Disappearance?” Rayleigh let out a nervous chuckle. “Can you forgive an old drunkard for youthful mistakes?” “Ya did get that Blackbeard varmint to leave so I guess that makes up for a few barrels of cider.” Applejack leaned close to Rayleigh until their muzzles were almost touching. “Don’t you ever, ever dare touch our cider again though, ya hear?” Rayleigh quickly nodded his head. “Yep, you’re definitely that farmmare’s grandchild. I’ve seen Sea Kings less scary than you two.” “Darn tootin,” said Applejack and then backed away. “I still can’t believe Roger managed to slip in.” Celestia pressed a hoof to her head, sighed, and then looked up. “That’s in the past now and matters little compared to what you are about to do. Are you absolutely certain freeing Discord is necessary?” “Well, if my captain were still alive, no,” Rayleigh answered. “Without him or Discord though, it would take too long to get to where I want to train.” “I see.” Celestia looked over everypony. “Were this in anypony else’s hooves and were it not for the great debt I owe both Straw Hat and Fire Fist, I wouldn’t allow this in a thousand years. Yet, while I feel Discord deserves to remain in stone and watch as friendship blossom around him, perhaps there could be no greater victory over him than having that very friendship grow within himself.” “It does also help to have two notorious pirates as backup,” Luna said with a wink in Luffy’s direction. “Then let’s get started.” Twilight stepped toward the statue and her friends lined up behind her. First, Twilight’s horn lit up, followed by her tiara. The rest of the Elements followed suit. Bands of rainbow light flowed out of them and linked them together while lifting their bearers off the ground. The bands spiralled upward towards Twilight’s tiara and then exploded in a cyclone that washed over Discord. Cracks and pops filled the air. A paw burst out of the statue, followed a claw, then a donkey’s leg, then the tip of a serpent’s tail. Light streamed through the cracks running through Discord’s torso and head and then a flash went off. When everyone’s eyes cleared, Discord loomed over them while fanning a polaroid photo until it cleared up, revealing everyone blinking and in varying states of temporary blindness. He frowned at the photo, crumpled it, and threw it behind him. It then exploded and left a crater, marring the very small area of the statue gardens still standing. “You know, when I make an entrance, I usually expect a better reaction,” he sighed. He vanished in a pop and then reappeared at Celestia’s side and stroked her chin with a talon. “Ooh, but if the wait wasn’t worth it to see you like this, Celestia. It brings back such fond memories of when you and Lulu were putting up your little resistance.” Celestia pushed Discord’s talon back with a hoof. “Don’t act like you haven’t been watching already, Discord. I know how the Elements affect you.” Discord snorted and with a sarcastic tone growled, “Yes, and it was oh so much fun watching my failure of a creation cause absolute pandemonium and not let me join in on the fun.” He then leered at Fluttershy and snapped his talons. There was a flash and Fluttershy now stood with her three bats on her flank, her wings leathery, and fangs poking out of her mouth. “Quite a shock seeing sweet little Fluttershy fling him from here practically back to Tartarus on her own. Probably would have gotten a good laugh if I wasn’t, you know, imprisoned in stone!” Dash flew up between Discord and Fluttershy and glared at him. Discord yawned, and made a motion to stretch his arms above his head, but he backhanded Dash while doing so and sent her flying across the courtyard. “Ah, nothing like a good stretch before unleashing the daily morning chaos.” Discord glanced up at the sun. “Hmm, or maybe I should make it a middle of the night stretch.” “You jerk!” Luffy bent his knees and prepared to throw himself at Discord, but Rayleigh raised a leg and block his path. “Oh-ho,” Discord mused while the girls rushed over to check on Rainbow. He looped through the air and floated around Rayleigh. “Well isn’t this quite a treat. The Dark King himself, come to free little old me. Come on, tell me the plan. Overthrow Equestria and make your title literal? Steal the Elements and sell them on the black market? How about some good old chaos? Never hurts to just go with some basic chocolate rain, barking cats, or reversed gravity. Don’t wanna do anything too extreme at first, gotta get in the groove and all.” A flamboyant red open faced shirt materialized on Discord and two maracas appeared in his paw and claw. He then danced around Luffy and Rayleigh. “Actually I’d just like to spend some time on Ruskaina if you wouldn’t mind,” said Rayleigh. Discord came to a halt. The clothes and maracas vanished off of him and he bent backwards to stare upside-down at Rayleigh. “Oh, you even visited my vacation home. I suppose from one chaos maker to another, I could send you there. I believe the fire rain season is just around the corner.” He then twisted his neck in a full circle and glared at Luffy. “I have no reason to send Straw Hat though. He’s just a goody two-shoes masquerading around like a pirate.” “Am not!” Luffy shouted. “What kind of good guy doesn’t share his meat?” “Tell it to Goku,” Discord hissed and then crossed his arms. A vicious gleam glistened in his yellowed eyes. “Besides, I intend to pay you and everyone else back for sealing me… again. Ooooh, Celestia and Tirek throwing their temper tantrums distracted me for a little, but once I get back in the swing, I’ve got so many fun ideas to try out!” Something poked at his donkey leg and he looked down to see Fluttershy staring up at him. Her fangs gave her a lisp when she spoke. “Maybe we’th could hath fun doing sumthing elth?” Discord snicked and then let loose with a round of laughter. He snapped his talons and Fluttershy returned to her normal form. “Fluttershy, you really are full of surprises. How’s it feel knowing Celestia and all your friends think you’ve lost it trying to make nice with me? After all, what’s to stop me from turning you into a wild bat-pony that’ll be the stuff of campfire tales for ages?” Discord leaned down at tapped at the dull grey butterfly jewel resting in the middle of her Element. “Especially when you’ve worn down your backup plan.” “Hey, I’m still here!” Luffy yelled and flexed a leg. “And I’ll kick your butt as many times as it takes for you to stop being such a jerk!” “Ah-ah-ah.” Discord waggled his paw at Luffy. “Last I recalled, you wanted to go to my vacation home, which, now that I think about it, does sound like a wonderful idea after all. Seeing you torn apart by the weather and the beasts will be quite the show. I may need to even dust off my toga for it.” “So will you take us there?” Rayleigh asked. “Hey, wait a minute!” said Luffy. “Weren’t we gonna make sure he doesn’t cause too much trouble first?” “He’s a tricky one, I’ll give him that.” Rayleigh looked up at Discord. “I get the feeling though that with the right ponies around, he’ll get better. And if he doesn’t… well, you’ll have a good way to test the fruits of your training.” Discord cackled. “Ha-ha! Pirates really are a riot! You want to give me all that time to make Equestria mine again— plenty of time to get back to full strength so I don’t get sucker punched again— and your best bet are these foals? Without their Elements?” Rayleigh smirked. “You may be laughing now, but I have a feeling the magic of this land can affect even you.” “He’s right,” said Twilight. “I may not be fully sold on freeing you yet, but the bond I've made with my friends has overcome challenge after challenge.” “And you almost undid it all on your own,” Discord sneered. “Maybe I can just sit back and wait until you create another big mess, Princess Twilight.” “You’re right, I did screw up.” Twilight lowered her eyes and sighed. She then stared back up at Discord with a look that made him reel his head back. “But my friends still stood by me and forgave me for my mistake. That's one of the most powerful friendship lessons I've learned so far.” “And an excellent one at that,” Celestia commented. Discord scrunched up his face and bared his fangs. “Well now I just feel like crawling back to sleep.” He glared at Luffy and Rayleigh. “Have fun dying. Bye.” Luffy and Rayleigh vanished in a flash. Discord twisted around and grinned down at everypony. “So you think being forgiven for mistakes is a great friendship lesson? Well, let's see how you feel about making the mistake of freeing me!” Discord opened his mouth to cackle, but Fluttershy spoke up. “And what if it wasn't a mistake? What if it was a chance for you to make up for your mistakes?” One of Discord’s eyes twitched and he pressed himself up to Fluttershy’s face. Sparks fizzled off of his eyes and smoke curled out of his maw. Fluttershy stared straight at him. “You listen to me, you weak little toy,” he snarled, “I don’t make mistakes. I make chaos.” “Well, just because you do, doesn't mean you have to be mean or hurt ponies,” Fluttershy retorted. “Oooh,” Discord seethed. “I'm going to have fun showing you just how wrong and foolish you and your stupid friends are.” ~~~ Hot air whipped around Luffy. Sweat had already collected on his brow. He raised an arm to wipe off some of it, paused, and stared at his hand. He looked over to Rayleigh to see that he was fully human again as well. All around them was a thick forest filled with the sounds of wild beast prowling through it. Smoking volcanoes poked up above the canopy and dark clouds rumbled in the distance. Luffy flexed his hand. “Always feels weird not having fingers.” “Don’t get too comfortable,” said Rayleigh. “This island sits at a nexus between Equestria and the rest of the Calm Belt. You’ll find pockets of magic that can do all sorts of things to you. The weather rapidly fluctuates with a different season each week and only the most ferocious of creatures have survived here. In fact, there’s a few nearby.” “How do you know all that?” Luffy asked. Rayleigh blinked. “Nopony told you? Ah well, before we get started let me tell you about an ability called Haki...” ~~~ Across the seas, for what was perhaps the first time since ancient days, a call had rung out that both human and pony had responded to. A shipwright toiled in the burnt remains of a lab while an apple farmer fought against pony eating apples. A navigator studied hard while a pegasus tried to regain the speed Discord had stolen from her. Both a sharpshooter and a party pony tried to work off the massive weight they had suddenly gained. An archeologist conversed with revolutionaries while a fashionista tried to maintain her dignity even while bound to lewd caricatures of clothes. Both a trio of fillies and a skeletal musician tried new things and vowed to make their way through a crazy world. Somewhere, a swordsman threw away his pride and two princesses made fools of themselves to distract Discord and give their friends a brief reprieve from his madness. A young dragon struggled with constantly shifting sizes due to a nefarious prank and a chef fought for his manhood against an army of crossdressers. A doctor poured over text after text in an ancient library while an animal caretaker endured the unending torment her “guest” bestowed on her, making note of the way he sometimes hesitated and restrained himself around her. In both Equestria and on an island not so far away, a newly ascended alicorn and a pirate greeted each day with a smile no matter what chaos was thrown their way. They all knew that no matter what happened, in two years, it would be time for them all to meet once more. 3D2Y