Shisno Chronicles: Friendship is Magic

by nightelf37

Extra 1: The Wounds That Remain

Author's Note:

Wow. I can't believe the insane length of the last chapter in comparison to even "Dragonshy". I was hard pressed to find fanfics where Discord actually fought at all, so I apologize if his strategy was OOC. I'm sorry for ending that chapter the way I did, but there will be two more chapters after this before I resume covering Season 2 proper. Hint, I'm not gonna start with "Lesson Zero".

Here's a secret I'll confide to you, but won't be something that'll be brought up before I reach Season 3; Discord was actually frightened by his close shave with death from the "Time Seal Revenge". A quick-time spell between the circle's "release" and the beam's "annihilation" saved his hide. He also hid his fright and relief from that escape so that it wouldn't renew Chronicle's vigor.

And here's the aftermath. I regret absolutely nothing from what I wrote last chapter. Well, if there was, it's the fact that I failed to foreshadow the details enough so that the events don't turn out to be from left field.

The "letter" in the beginning is based on the Discorded Ponies Series in the Pony POV Series. I decided to have a bit of fun with it.

[RETCONNED]: Very little is known about the Elements, but I don't think that the two Princesses were its first bearers, with Twilight et al. the second. For this story, I assume there were other bearers in the past before the Princesses. Besides, There has to be some sort of explanation behind what Chronicle had been experiencing. Given Season 4, I decided a little retcon wouldn't hurt. Besides, given what I said about the Story Crew, I need to do this.

The second dream sequence is derived a bit from Discord's Return by Triple-A-Battery.

Disclaimer: I own only the following: My originally designed OCs, and anything that doesn't happen in the show proper.

Warning: Drink moderately. Also, there's too much info dump and not enough story in this chapter.

ALERT: DO NOT READ WHAT'S BELOW UNTIL YOU FINISHED THIS CHAPTER

Disclosable Information on the Story Crew

Given what I made the Story Crew as, crossover elements are inevitable and Mary Sue/Marty Stu-ish attributes are unavoidable. Keep this in mind. As quoted in (NOT) Chapter 11…

The Story Crew had an unorthodox way of recruiting members into its ranks. Using methods classified to the common operative, including Field Operatives, the Story Crew locates individuals with any of the following "parameters"; 'part in tale is over', 'verge of death outside of disease or failing immune system', 'died on a bus', 'drifter', 'no one will miss them', etc.

'Verge of death outside of disease or failing immune system' includes doomed races/species like Kryptonians, Yoda's species, Air Nomads, Gallifreyans, and Chozos. More examples of these kinds are Helga Sinclair in Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Trini from Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, Team Galactic leader Cyrus from Pokémon, Wesley Gibson from the film Wanted (the one with the improbable sniping and bullet-curving), … the pony named Stringer from "(NOT) Chapter 11" actually came from the Lunaverse story Symphony for Moon and Sun (sorry if I 'stole' her, GrassAndClouds2, but she wasn't really that much of a character, no offense).

Also, I better stop beating around the bush and go for the obvious: The Story Crew members (and by extension the Timer family) are born humans (or humanoids, at least). This should explain the walking lessons and other training before being sent down to their Equestrias, therefore averting the 'learning to walk' issue, since they already have done so. Not to mention Chronicle's behavior; he may know ponykind's ways, but their taken-for-granted customs can still unnerve him a bit.)

Thomas Timer (Lord Record Keeper) is the head of the Timer Family, which is assigned to Equestria and all its alternate worlds. While comfortable with his position as leader, he often has to repress urges to just head there and handle the situation himself. This is mostly due to his own father, who was 'recruited' from the doomed world Vegita and is a "Saiyan", a proud warrior race.

His wife Jenny Aidem-Timer (Ebony Spell), is the assigned Field Operative to "Equestria Alpha", where the Bearers of Harmony are the ponies first intended to be the main characters (Twilight, Applejack, Firefly, Sparkler, Posey, and Surprise). Years prior to that (and her marriage to Thomas), she was the Field Operative of "Dream Valley", where the 80's MLP cartoon took place.

Extra 1: The Wounds That Remain

"Final Words in a Dark Future"

If anybody's reading this, I will have already been long gone from the dimension of the living. In layman's terms, or laypony's, or just to put it simply, it means I'm dead.

I have spent the past two to three years as a bodyguard-for-hire who also takes side jobs. Over the months, I have traveled far and wide and have met plenty of ponies. I have learned much through my charges, but not as much as when I entered the service of Princess Celestia where she would make a contract that would bind me to Twilight Sparkle.

I know that I do not bear an Element of Harmony, but I have one thing they don't; experience in battle. Sure, Applejack and Rainbow Dash might give me a hard time, but I'm sure I can beat them if all bets are off.

It may be too late or a moot point by now given the events that have led me to make this letter, but I now realize I have deeper feelings for one of my friends, and it's not with Twilight Sparkle, as much as a 'bodyguard crush' would imply.

I've been warned not to make strong attachments, but with the fact that the resident heroes' power is friendship, I felt I had no choice.

Anyway…

Here's what happened. The Elements of Harmony were stolen. Twilight thought they were in the maze, and I thought otherwise. I voiced my opinion, but I couldn't split off from them as they needed me.

And then after my friends wings/horns were removed, we all realized something else about me; I was immune to Discord's magic, which we all, even he, found puzzling. Nevertheless, I followed his rules just like the others. You may think I was lucky, but it only made the pain all the worse. Personally, I wish I could've been corrupted just like the others. In the maze, Discord cut us all off from one another, though I managed to stick with my charge.

"Stop for nothing. Stop for nobody. You'll know when it's me when I give the signal." Well, that was the basic gist of the warning I gave my friends. But did they listen? Apparently not. And for some reason, Twilight either doesn't realize it or she had been planning something and not telling me. Again. Really, why can't they tell me stuff? Is it because I'm a stallion? Is there something in me that makes them not deem me trustworthy sometimes?

Either way, my friends fell to his magic one by one. And each time, my body reacted negatively to the effects because of a bond with the Elements that has formed within me, probably due to my indirect exposure to them when they were first used to purge Nightmare Moon from Princess Luna.

At the end of the maze, I had a mental falling out with Twilight and left her to go off on my own. I was so angry with her. How could she be so stupid?! I felt that they were so useless; that's why I left them to go off on my own and find help. That, and Fluttershy had been changed so drastically I couldn't bear to be in her presence. It was like a gut-punch to the heart.

However, upon arriving at Ponyville, I realized things were much worse. Every step I took, everywhere I turned, every place I went, his magic had done serious damage. A few times I had to escape or fight, and everything I saw added another cut into my already aching heart. Zecora had vacated her home, although I didn't know how long she would last. And the Doctor was safe too, though one of his companions Derpy Hooves wasn't.

Speaking of Derpy, she was the last one I confronted—a vicious mare with no love for her despaired daughters—before I saw a familiar flash of light. I somehow knew it was the Elements in action, but when it faded by the time I came, I saw Discord teleport off, and my friends break up. And finally, even as I rushed to stop it, I couldn't stop his magic from consuming Twilight completely. I was completely devastated and I did something I promised myself never to do. I cried in despair.

I stopped eventually. It never helps if I keep at it for too long. I then checked my Surveillance to find answers. Each scene I witnessed was heart-rending, but upon seeing that Discord was directly responsible for what happened to Fluttershy, I knew there was one thing I must do. He. Must. Die. Not just for Equestria or the worlds beyond it. This matter became personal.

With that in mind, I set off to find him, even when the now corrupted Twilight said it was a hopeless cause. I didn't listen as I ran off. I didn't care anymore. All that mattered what that that draconnequus's life must end. I eventually found him, and gave him what for.

As it was, Twilight was correct, but it didn't matter. I knew not if I was holding out for a miracle or just being plain suicidal. As it was, either it was the latter or the miracle wasn't going to rescue me. In any case, it was the end for me. In an out-of-character act of mercy, Discord permitted me to write this letter.

Since I was at his mercy, I had no other choice. Also, he had a large boulder over my head to crush me with. While it was too dull for him, given my invulnerability, he had no other choice either and he was growing tired of my persistence. Well, before he finally decides to crush me out of my misery, there is one final thing I have to say to him; He can go to the deepest pits of Tartarus for all I care.

- Timmy "Chronicle" Timer, Status: K.I.A.

SCFIM—SCFIM—SCFIM—SCFIM—SCFIM—SCFIM

The first thing Chronicle did at the end of such a horrible nightmare was fling himself from a lying-down position. The second thing was to look around, and realize that something was up, panting and looking around confused.

He lay in a low round bed, a fire was burning in the fireplace nearby, the entire floor was purple, and the walls were a royal blue.

"Where…am I?" he asked himself.

"I see you're finally awake," a soothing voice came.

He turned his head, and was surprised at who he saw. "Princess Celestia? Wait, awake? For how long have I been asleep?"

"Three days."

"Three days?!"

"From what I've observed, you've somehow used way too much magic than you should logically be able to. More than twice, I think."

This confused him a bit, but his mind was immediately on something else. "Wait. Discord! Where is he? Did we beat him?" All he received was a nod. "Okay. But why am I here in Canterlot instead of Ponyville Hospital?"

"The reason why you're here is because I wanted to talk to you about a few things."

"Huh?"

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Two ponies began to walk down an hallway in the castle. One was basically the ruler of Equestria and possessed great power. The other was a mere unicorn who, while not possessing as much power, was well-versed in combat, and for some reason not part of the Royal Guard. The latter was also levitating a bottle of bourbon whiskey he requested from the kitchens and the former granted.

"So…your Majesty," Chronicle started. "What is it you wish to talk about?"

"About you," the princess replied.

"Me?"

"Yes, you."

"Uhh… what about me?"

"Well, it's about that burst of power I sensed in Ponyville. I know Twilight Sparkle's magical signature very well, and that surge I felt did not come from her or Discord."

Chronicle paused in his walk, the bottle still beside him. "And you're thinking it came from me?"

Celestia did so as well. "Yes. While reports of such things are rare, some books have records of exceptionally magically inclined unicorns performing a “rage-shift”. This shift occurs when a unicorn’s anger feeds into their magic to cause a physical change to the unicorn’s body. There's no other unicorn I could think of with such exceptional magic than Twilight and you.

"Most rage-shifts are temporary and rarely utilized except only for expressing anger or intimidating another individual. Yours however, was not only longer-lasting, but your power seems to have been amplified immensely. At that moment, your power only fell short to mine and my sister's."

"Oh yeah, speaking of your sister, just where was she during all this?"

"Luna? Well, as it turns out, when Discord was set free, he cast a spell so that she wouldn't be noticed by any of us. And she was also incapable of making physical contact or forming any sort of message. She's currently recovering, as is everypony."

"I can see how maddening that could be. To be nothing more than a ghost, yet without their intangibility. Not to mention the prospect of a life forever alone, I could almost see Nightmare Moon returning." Chronicle shuddered at the thought as the two of them resumed walking.

"You know, you're the second mortal pony who has actually injured Discord."

"Oh? He did tell me about that one. According to him, she knocked out one of his teeth by kicking him at supersonic speeds. She died in the end though."

"Her name was Mimic. One of the greatest unicorns in the past. Before Luna and I discovered the Elements of Harmony."

"She must've been as valiant as I was. Maybe she didn't even do what she did out revenge for her friends… unlike me."

"We'll never know. Neither Luna nor I got the chance to know her well enough before Discord killed her."

"Oh."

A minute of silence ensued, after while Celestia decided to start up another subject. "I know I might've invaded your privacy doing this, but during the time you were unconscious, I took the time to study your magic. After learning that the rage-shift I felt came from you and how different it was from usual ones, I was had to say I was curious with what I discovered."

Chronicle was disturbed by this. "What did you see?"

"Your magic, while it works the same way an ordinary unicorn does, there is some sort of…difference when it comes to limits. Normal magic-users like them and alicorns like me have thresholds that stops us from using magic for casting spells for too long. As for you, you can keep on casting and casting for much longer without suffering overchanneling as long as you have enough magic in you."

The unicorn was a little confused with her explanation. "Uh…what?"

"Let me try this again. Typically, unicorn magic works like a generator; it keeps working until it overheats. For your magic, it operates like a device that runs on fuel; it only stops working when you run out."

"Ah."

At this point, the two found themselves at the throne room. Curiously, there were no guards. The two were now in front of a new stained glass window. "I saw how disappointed you were when you weren't depicted in the image that showed Nightmare Moon being defeated, no matter how hard you tried to hide it."

The new window commemorated the valor of the heroes who defeated Discord. At the bottom were the six Bearers of Harmony (Applejack without her hat, again), and at the top was the draconequus transfixed in the Elements’ power. Above him however was another pony. It was a depiction of the unicorn who valiantly confronted the spirit to buy time for the Elements to be gathered together once more. And it showed him with his "magic horn blade" drawn, as if to deliver a finishing blow.

Chronicle couldn't help but smile and shed a single tear of joy; he finally earned his place on the stained glass. "Thank you, your Majesty." He turned to a clear window and walked towards it. "No words can express my grati—" He stopped short upon seeing something.

Through a window next to a full-length mirror, he found himself looking over the Canterlot Statue Gardens, where he and his friends entered the labyrinth and made a very critical mistake when they faced Discord. He could see his petrified form there, posing as one of the many statues. This made him frown. "Your Majesty, why is Discord out here in the garden? I figured that after all this you'd put him someplace much more secure."

"I understand your worry. But you see, no matter where I keep him, no matter how secure it is, the prospect of him being unleashed, even by accident, just keeps nagging me. I keep feeling I need to check on him to see if he's still imprisoned, especially after I had to banish my sister to the moon. Besides, the garden is on royal property, which is protected by my guards. If I had placed him in some other forbidden place, some poor pony might stumble upon him and accidentally release him."

"What about, say, a secret chamber in the castle?"

"Then I'd have to take a fair amount of time to make visits there, time I could have taken in running the kingdom. Also, same deal. That's why I put him in the gardens, where it's not only well-guarded, I can also just spend a few seconds to see for myself if Discord's still there or not."

"That…actually makes perfect sense."

"I also put him there as a monument to one of our greatest triumphs."

"I see." He then gave a sigh. "I very well know we won a great victory here, but this feels like my fourth greatest failure."

Celestia was curious. "Fourth?"

"I've had three before, though not as great as this. The first was when some assassins—out of many—carried out their mission on a charge of mine."

"Out of…many?"

"Yes. She was quite a big target, and I failed to protect her. Do you know why I use the -body suffix more than -pony? It's because of a wish I made on a shooting star—or was it a wishing well?—to try and protect her. Silly, I know. I wished that for at least one day, nopony would so much as harm her. I slacked a bit as a result, and that ended up in my charge's assassination. The reason the wish didn't work was because the successful assassins were not ponies, but a zebra-griffon duo.

"The second failure was when another charge of mine was kidnapped by cultists, who I now remember were supporters of Discord, I'm sure you know about that. I hadn't been paying enough attention during the kidnapping, as I had been busy beating the living daylights out of the cultists. By the time I realized she was gone, I took it to myself to rescue her. I think I killed a lot of them that day when I infiltrated their base. But it was all for naught, for by the time I found her, she had suffered…Cutie Fracture, and ended her own life days later."

"I'm sorry to hear that. But, you know, the day you rescued her was the day you eliminated the last of them."

"I guess that softens that blow a bit. Moving on…the third was when I accidentally killed my charge, who had a reputation of being a molester of mares. Not one of my finest times, even worse than Prince Blueblood. Despite constantly reminding her that I was a stallion, one night I found myself at her mercy. I had a rough tussle with her and…I knocked her head into a dresser. Luckily for me, the only witness to the scene was somepony who didn't really like my charge and let me go scot-free."

"That doesn't sound like something that would be like a great failure. Unless it was on your pride."

"…Oops. Must've confused it with another case. My real third greatest failure did involve a molester, but it wasn't my charge. Rather, it was a pony I was supposed to be protecting my charge from. She never forgave me after that and for a while discredited me, making it difficult for me to find a job." He turned to his bottle. "And now, I'm going to do… what I always do… whenever I suffer such a great failure."

"Drown your sorrows?" Celestia guessed.

"That's right. Just this one bottle, I promise." He prepared to open the bottle, not caring that the Princess of the Sun was right in front of him. "I'm pretty sure you did something like this after… Nightmare Moon. But I'm not gonna ask if it's true."

"Well, before you do that, there is something I'd like to ask you."

"Anything, Your Majesty."

He shouldn't have said that. "Where are you from, really?"

"Um…what?" He was genuinely confused with the way she asked him. He felt that giving the 'default' answer would be perceived as a lie.

"You're not the only 'foreigner' who has entered this world, you know. Your records were plausible enough, but that of your 'family' raised a few questions."

What?! Dad swore that Uncle Reggie covered every agent so that the Undead Tax Exemption clause is averted. Personal records, official citizenship, birth certificates, everything. He's basically our professional fraudster, and one of the best at that. How could she have seen through them?

Celestia noted his silence and surprised face and gave a face that meant she knew she was on the right track. "I seem to be onto something. Please, what is your purpose for being here? Do you or do you not have any ill intentions for being in Equestria?"

Chronicle was left speechless, and was hyperventilating. He hadn't been prepared for this, for having been found out. No Field Operative ever is. Normally, the Story Crew would 'swoop in' and do selective memory wipes, which would work even on somepony like Princess Celestia.

Before he could sputter any sort of reply, the mirror they were nearby suddenly had ripples, as if it were a pool of water. Once it stopped, there was a number.

70.3 Kiimehertz

Celestia raised an eyebrow at this, motioned for Chronicle to stay put, approached the mirror, leaned forward, and touched her horn to it.

The frequency of magic vibrated the mirror, ripples forming in the center and pooling outwards again, like a drop of water in a pond. Her reflection bent and wavered in the undulations, the form on the other side undergoing a change. For a few seconds longer, she held the frequency, before stepping back and taking another look. Standing on the other side of the mirror was—

"I figured it would have come to this," Lord Record Keeper, in his alicorn form, spoke.

"Father?!" Chronicle couldn't help but cry out.

"Yes, son." Record turned to face him. "After I sensed your…power surge, I just knew your discovery was inevitable." He then turned to face Celestia. "I am addressed as Lord Record Keeper, but you need not call me by my title. It is an honor to meet you, Princess Celestia." He lowered his head in a bowing gesture.

Celestia seemed to be trying to hide the fact that she was stunned to see him, keeping a stoic face.

Record continued as he raised his head. "I know I might have entered at an awkward time and probably a shock to see another alicorn, but I know what you were about to ask my son. Don't worry, I'll explain all you need to know. But before I can answer your question, I'd like you answer me this. I probably know the answer, but I'd like to hear it from you; what do you know of alternate worlds?"

The princess was allowed a full minute to recover from the fact that somepony other than Prince Solaris was on the other side of the mirror. "It's…a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Record Keeper. You seem to be familiar with this sort of mirror, and the fact that you were able to reach out to me shows that you know that I can communicate across worlds."

"And what worlds have you been in touch with?"

"Only one. That would be one where everypony's genders are swapped."

"Would its ruler happen to be Prince—not Lord—Solaris?"

There was a moment of silence as she was mildly surprised that he knew of him, then answered, "Yes."

"I see. Before I begin, I would like to request that this conversation never leaves this room. Nobody, not even your sister, can know of this through you."

"Through me?"

"During your student's teleportation mishap that took them and my son to Prince Solaris's world, Chronicle had to do the same thing after a slip of the tongue of our pony assigned there." He was being careful in his words, not wanting to explain that that assigned pony was his daughter. Not yet.

Celestia was startled for a bit. "How do you know about that?"

"Allow me to explain the nature of this…Timer family…"

Of course, after this, the Story Crew will come in and inhibit her memories of this incident so that it will not influence her decisions not related to alternate worlds. I'll be pulling plenty of strings here, Record thought as he began to explain in the form of a prepared cover story that would not revel their true (but not sinister) purpose.

He told Celestia that he, Chronicle, and the rest of the family are part of a multiversal police force tasked mainly (not solely) with preventing cross-world scenarios and off-world invaders. When the princess inquired on the incident Record mentioned he replied, "For every one of those incidents that has happened, we have averted at least a hundred more."

She almost asked him of his involvement with her faithful student and her friends before remembering that she gave him a contract for him to sign that assigned him to them.

[A/N: I really hate cutting off from here, but I don't want to go into the finer details of the Story Crew not covered by the Specials in the (NOT) Chapter ##s. Partly because I'm still building up on them myself. ]

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Ponyville, Golden Oaks Library (which was about to be renamed Books and Branches Library again)…

The town was at peace again, although there were some loose ends left behind by Discord that weren't removed by the healing wave the Elements of Harmony did after turning him back to stone.

Some ponies needed extensive therapy after what he did to them, notably many of Mystic Shield's students, who had been turned into non-living objects, and Mystic himself, who was blaming himself for failing to protect Ponyville, even after being told that nopony had imposed that duty to him.

There was also some construction work to repair some of the damage not repaired by the healing wave. From what few guessed, the destruction was not something made by Discord and therefore wasn't undone when he was re-petrified. Oh, and there was a new train station linking Ponyville to Canterlot.

During the three days Chronicle was asleep in Canterlot, Twilight Sparkle had asked Pinkie Pie to arrange a party for the six of them, not only as a form of celebration, but also to patch any cracks in their friendship that have remained from what Discord did to them.

Right now however, she was reading The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide. The reason why was because she was curious about Chronicle's strange condition. To have some sort of bond with the Elements without bearing one themselves…does the book have any answers?

Finally, she seemed to find it, and began to read aloud. "Harmony Link. This link is acquired by a friend who for any reason does not obtain any of the Elements of Harmony, provided that this friend's bond with the to-be-bearers is strong.

"The Harmony Link operates when any of the bearers of the Elements is in imminent danger. First, an image of the 'endangered' pony will flash in their mind. Next, they will experience a 'symptom', which varies depending on which of the bearers is in danger. Any part of the body, be it on the outside or an internal organ, is susceptible to a reaction of sorts, but none of them are fatal.

"Third, they will sometimes experience a fraction of whatever the endangered is about to experience. If the danger is in the form of mind-altering magic however, the one with the Harmony Link will experience a headache, its severity depending on the manner of the spell. On the other side of the spectrum, when a bearer under the influence of a mind spell is released from its effects, the Harmony Link acts up and follows the first two phases. In place of the third phase, a restorative effect is bestowed on the pony, effects also varying depending on the bearer.

"Even if for any reason should the Elements lose their connection to their bearers, the Harmony Link binding its owner to their friends will remain for as long as they live."

Suddenly, she heard the sound of a pegasus-pulled carriage landing just outside. It made her pause in her reading. Usually, when she was so engrossed on a book, she wouldn't even notice anything louder than that until it actually bumped into/near her. But with Chronicle still in Canterlot, she was hoping for his safe return. They all were. Especially since he just passed out after Ponyville was returned to normal.

She exited the library, then made her way to her bodyguard's "training range"…and saw some royal guards. Four were pegasi guards at the carriage, and three were unicorn guards, and they were…'carrying' a statue that resembled Discord. It certainly startled her, even after another look told her that it wasn't the draconequus they worked so hard in imprisoning. For one, the base was deep blue and she could sense non-draconequus magic from it. For another, this statue's position wasn't the same; she didn't need a keen eye on details like Rarity to see that.

She couldn't help but ask. "Um, sirs." The pegasus guards turned to face her. "I can't help but ask what is this for?"

"Twilight Sparkle," greeted one of the guards. She didn't know it, but he was one of the guards during the Philomena incident. "We were ordered by Princess Celestia to bring this statue to this location. We haven't been given any further details though."

"I see." She wagered a guess; from what little she could deduce, this was probably a gift of sorts for Chronicle. Given his despisal for Discord, which was worryingly greater than anypony else's, he could probably use it for target practice and a means to vent his anger.

TS—TS—TS—TS—TS—TS—TS—TS—TS—TS—TS—TS

Back at Canterlot Castle…

"…and now you understand why we had to keep all this a secret," Record Keeper finished.

"I see," answered Celestia.

Chronicle, who hasn't opened his bottle and stored it in "hammerspace", had remained silent through the whole ordeal save for when his father asked him to answer a few questions.

"Now that we have concluded this matter, I'll try and minimize the legal damage caused in my organization by your discovery. If you'll excuse me, it turns out that your male counterpart has found out my daughter as well. We will meet again someday." Although depending on what the Story Crew decides to do, you probably won't remember me or any of this.

Record moved his horn to adjust the mirror's magical frequency (presumably to 'save' Timerity from Solaris's questioning) and the vision of him began to waver once more, the harmonic energies infused in the mirror wearing off. As the surface rippled back into its previous silvered form, she turned to face the blue more-foreign-than-she-thought unicorn, who faced her as well.

"Uhh…" He was interrupted by a knocking on the doors.

"Your Majesty, the nobles are here to conduct court with you," one of the guards called from the other side.

"I think I've spent a little too much time with you I nearly forgot my royal duties," Celestia said to Chronicle. "You're free to go."

"Thank you, your Majesty."

Just as he turned to leave, Celestia raised a hoof. "Wait. I want you to have this." As she put her hoof down, her horn flared and something appeared around Chronicle's neck. He held it up with a hoof, taking a good look at it.

It seemed to be a pendant held by a simple sturdy string. The 'jewel' depicted something akin to his own cutie mark, and was colored a deep blue like his own coat. From its design, it looked like it would've been what his Element of Harmony would look like if he had been selected as one of its bearers. Well, except for the pendant part. "This…" he sputtered.

"It's the least I could aside from putting you in the stain glass. You did say something about an award before the new contract, right?"

Chronicle remembered. It was during the party after Nightmare Moon's defeat, Princess Luna's return, and the knighting of his then-not-yet friends. "Right. Well, thanks." With that, he stowed his pendant into hammerspace, then made his way out of the room as the doors opened (having turned out to have been locked by the Princess), letting in the guards and Canterlot nobles, the latter looking at the blue unicorn in puzzlement as he passed them by.

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Chronicle was wandering the streets of Canterlot, a destination in mind, and it wasn't the new train station. Not yet. As he entered a narrow alley, he located a certain shop he had been to before. A certain shop whose owner he (in a way) had met in the Grand Galloping Gala.

He walked up to the shop, opened the door, jingling the bell mounted above it, and entered. The room was filled floor to ceiling with random items. As he regarded the haphazard mélange, a voice greeted him.

"May I help you?" The unicorn turned to see the shopkeeper, who reacted upon seeing his face. "Oh. It's you. You're here for the 'elemental crystals', are you not?"

"Yes, sir." Now I certainly need them. After Discord, I'm not taking any chances.

"I see." He walked over to the counter and began to dig into something behind it. He took out a saddlebag, opened it, and showed six spherical marble-sized crystals. "I know you asked to reserve an Ice crystal, but I'm afraid it's been taken. All I have left are Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, Lightning, and a magical amplifier."

"They'll do." Chronicle then procured from "hammerspace" a large amount of bits in a bag. After paying for this, I'll only have just enough for a ticket back to Ponyville, but it'll be worth it. Anything to make sure my friends will be safe. "Will this be enough?"

"Yes." The shopkeeper took the entire bag, then shoved the one with the crystals to Chronicle, who stored them in "hammerspace" so they wouldn't be stolen. "Thank you for your patronage."

With what he needed to do done, he left the store without a word, then made his way to the train station, ordered a ticket, and waited. During his father's conversation with Princess Celestia, he asked her to write a message that he was coming home, and to send it after her talk with Lord Record Keeper is over. He also began to ponder another surprising revelation about him.

F—L—A—S—H—B—A—C—K

"This emblem?" Record said when Celestia inquired of his and his son's cutie mark. "This is a symbol of our allegiance. It represents our force." He turned to Chronicle, making a face that said he was revealing something hidden from him for quite some time. "We conceal our cutie marks due to protocol, which I am not allowed to confide to you."

"That explains a few things," Celestia said. "I was wondering why he had flank stickers."

"I had what?" gasped Chronicle, then felt something be peeled away from his flank. He turned to see Celestia peeling away his cutie mark. Underneath it was…a different one. It still had the Story Crew Emblem (an orange circle depicting an open book inside), but it was inside a shield, and a sword was pointed downwards behind it.

The unicorn tried to contain his surprise. Was I a blank flank the entire time? Or have I contracted Cutie Shift sometime during the ordeal?

E—N—D—F—L—A—S—H—B—A—C—K

Chronicle continued to ponder. Of course, his 'turned-out-to-be' flank stickers have been replaced. Should I tell me friends about it? Why didn't I ask Celestia what ponies who have experienced Cutie Shift did? What can my 'old' cutie mark mean anyway? No, it's best they do not know. Not yet. I'm still in turmoil over my failure. I can't have this adding up to my problems right now.

Just then, the train finally arrived. "About time," he muttered as he boarded it. Since he was in quite a slump, he paid very little attention to the details to remember them. Once inside the train, after making sure that it was headed to Ponyville, he 'took out' the bottle of bourbon, popped the cover open, and instantly started to down the whole thing.

C—?—C—?—C—?—C—?—C—?—C—?

At the train station in Ponyville…

Twilight and her friends, as well as Spike and Mystic Shield, waited for Chronicle to arrive. Pinkie Pie had a few flags up and was ready to celebrate Chronicle's Welcome Home Party.

"Are ya sure he's comin' home at this hour and not later?" asked Applejack.

"I'm sure," answered Twilight. "Princess Celestia herself sent a letter, although she did warn me that he might need some assistance."

"I wonder what that could mean," mused Mystic.

Just then, they saw the train arrive. Pinkie was quick to wave her banners in celebration. But when the train stopped and opened its doors, only a couple of ponies came out, and none of them were the friend they were waiting for. Thankfully, he emerged a few minutes later. But something was strange about his walking.

"Chronicle's sure walking funny," Pinkie said as she stopped waving her flags.

"He ain't walkin' funny," replied Applejack as he pointed at a levitated bottle next to him. "He's drunk!"

"Sweet Celestia," Mystic grumbled as they ran to him before he could drop. Rainbow Dash was the first to reach him and kept him steady as the bottle, now empty, fell from his grip.

"Oh my stars!" gasped Rarity as she went to his face. "Just how much did you drink, Chronicle?"

The blue stallion raised his head, his eyes glassy, "Just the one bottle. Trust me."

"He probably hasn't recovered yet from, well…" Fluttershy cut herself off as she looked at the others, all of them knowing just what she didn't want to say.

"Let's take him home," Twilight volunteered. "Come on, guys. Help me."

And that's what they did. They helped him all the way to the library and all the way up to his bed, where he ushered himself to it. The moment he felt the soft mattress and pillow, he was out like a light.

"What should we do now?" asked Spike.

"Let him rest," Twilight decided. "I'll talk to him in the morning."

C—TS—S—A—RD—R—F—PP—MS—C—TS—S—A—RD—R—F—PP—MS

Evening…

Chronicle woke up with a splitting headache. The lights were off, but there was enough moonlight to see by. He thought he could hear voices downstairs. Still a bit sleepy, he went down the stairs, cursing Twilight for not setting up a bannister yet, and made his way to the ground floor. He could see his friends and Spike talking about something. What it was he'll never know as some kind of force suddenly pushed the seven of them into the walls.

What's going on?! Chronicle thought as he went on alert mode instantly, unsheathing his "blade".

His question was easily answered when Discord teleported directly into the middle of the library.

"Discord!" Rainbow shouted, immediately trying to fly towards him, but to no avail.

"Really? Discord?" the draconequus commented with the air of one who was merely talking about the weather. "I think we've known each other long enough for you to just call me 'Q'."

"Q?" Twilight asked.

"It was a nickname given to me in my youth. I could never figure out what it meant…" Discord admitted.

"Um, Discord? If you don't mind me asking… What are you going to do with us?" Fluttershy queried.

"Well, I'm going to give you a taste of your own medicine, so to speak. But first…" Discord walked over to Spike, "You're the dragon who can message dear old Celestia, correct? Here, send her this" He held forth a letter.

Spike did as he asked, immediately deciding Celestia would be the one pony they would need about now. And then his eyes turned to gaze at something.

Discord noticed it and swiftly turned around… catching Chronicle in the neck with his talon hand, who had jumped with the intent to sneak attack him. He then slammed him to the ground, ready to choke him. "I hate having to do this by hand…" He started tapping the unicorn on the horn repeatedly to prevent him from casting spells. "But given your immunity, I'm forced to do this to you."

"How did you escape?" he snarled.

"You see, this time, the Elements of Harmony weren't at full power because their bearers' friendship was still fractured from what I did."

"I swear when I get out, I'm gonna finish what I started!"

"If, you mean."

"No. When. I will get out of this!"

Just then, Celestia arrived via teleportation. "Discord!" she snarled, obviously angry at the draconequus.

"Ah Celestia, how nice of you to join us," he greeted, quickly hitting her with the same magic he used on the others.

"What do you want from us?" Applejack asked.

"It's quite simple. I'm going to do something I've never done before, but you have done twice. Have a guess."

"Ooh! Is it a party!" Pinkie answered.

"No. Guess again." Discord had the air of one who could do this all day.

"You're going to seal us in stone until the end of time!" Celestia growled.

"The end of time? You were going to keep me in there until the end of time?" Discord asked, sounding a bit hurt, "You were close. You all will get to have a day in my prison. It might just re-evaluate your opinions. Oh, except you Spike. You didn't have any part in my prison, so you're free to go. Luna is also exempt, as I believe the moon was enough. And Chronicle, I'm gonna find a way to do that to you too, but first…"

He snapped his lion paw and two things happened. One, Spike disappeared in a flash of light. Two, seven statues replaced the seven other ponies.

Unfortunately for Discord, seeing them all in stone was just the motivation Chronicle needed. Instantly overflowing with anger, he screamed at the top of his lungs. His aura burst out and his eyes changed once more. As Discord paused in shock, the unicorn grabbed the draconequus's arm with his forelegs, then flared his horn. A flash ensued and they were both gone.

The two emerged somewhere above the Everfree Forest, the angry stallion right above the spirit as they began to fall.

"Impossible!" gasped Discord. "You managed to teleport me?!"

Chronicle didn't answer as they crashed through some trees and into the ground. Now free of the talon, he started kicking the spirit at the same spot where he delivered his final blow before Discord was re-petrified. He then started bouncing on him, something Pinkie sometimes does when excited. Of course, given that he was trying to hurt Discord, his legs were landing with more force, bolstered further with magic.

"I am going to enjoy this!" Chronicle said with an evil grin. It turned into a frown when Discord melted into the ground, emerged from it like it was water, and started floating away. "You won't escape from me!" He then pursued him further into the forest.

The chase went on for a few minutes. Sometimes the draconequus would teleport out of sight but somehow Chronicle would find him again. Discord seemed to be looking for something, but the unicorn wasn't going to let him succeed. Finally, he found him standing up and holding something behind him. With a grim face, he charged head-on.

He counted on Discord flipping that object to his face once he was close enough and so the moment he thought he moved, he teleported right behind the draconequus…only to find himself staring in the eyes of a cockatrice. And this one had been affected by Discord somehow. Unfortunately for Chronicle, he wasn't immune to "stone gazes", and he felt himself begin to stiffen near-instantly. The last thing he felt was Discord catching his stone form and backpedaling from his velocity.

C—TS—S—A—RD—R—F—PP—PC—D

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

For the second time, Chronicle flung himself from a lying-down position. He found himself in his bed. And miraculously, Spike and Twilight didn't stir from their sleep. Also miraculously, he wasn't feeling any hangovers.

He put a hoof to his head and gave a sigh. Ugh. Stupid nightmare. I need to vent. Getting up from bed, he jumped down to the reading room, skipping the steps, then teleported to his training range. Unbeknownst to him, Twilight did stir and his teleport woke her up.

He rematerialized just outside the training range…and was glad he did. In the center of the range was a statue with the likeness of Discord, but his position was different. Also, its base was deep blue, which made him wonder. He quickly dismissed the thought, drew his "blade", and began slicing the statue with a quick slash combo.

It quickly fell apart, the pieces dropping to the ground. A few seconds later however, the statue's base glowed and a purple flash came. Once it was gone, the statue was back to normal. Chronicle was both miffed and excited from this, miffed because seeing the statue come back together began to flare a bit more of his hatred for Discord, and excited because he could vent his anger again and again.

"Chronicle?"

"Hmm?"

He turned to see Twilight looking at him worryingly, standing just outside the training range. "What are you doing?"

"Just venting my anger. It's what I do after a twice-in-a-row failure, aside from drinking." Before she could speak up, he continued. "I know in the end we actually won and defeated Discord, but the fact remains that I failed to protect you from him. Not only that, I also failed to avenge you for what he did."

"I don't understand."

"There's no way you could. It's a burden I bear from bearing a 'fighter's mentality'. And there's a difference between being a fighter, like me and perhaps Mystic Shield, and being able to fight, which I know all of you are capable of. The difference is while you can fight to defend yourselves, it's not in your hearts to end a life so casually. When you're forced to do so, it's a huge matter every time, and if done wrong can turn you to a criminal.

For me, it's just part of what I do. Yes, I might feel some guilt over doing in anyone higher than what I call 'mooks', but I just tell myself that if I don't do this, more lives will be at risk. I also try to finish them off swiftly, so that they wouldn't have to suffer. Discord is a different case though.

"When I fought him, I wasn't fighting for our friendship. I was fighting for my friends. And friendship wasn't my drive. It was…revenge." Chronicle dealt a few more 'slashes' on the Discord statue replica and let out a deep sigh. "It's like this, Twilight. I don't forgive him for everything he did to all of Equestria, but what I can't ever let him get away with is breaking and mentally raping the six of you, not to mention most of Ponyville, and turning you into the antitheses of your respective elements. That was my fuel for revenge. And no matter how much I try, I just can't get it out of my head."

Chronicle turned his head to face his charge. "I know it's all in the past and that I should put it behind me, but that's easier said than done. I hold nothing against any of you because I can easily pin the blame on Discord doing his magic on your minds. His brainwashing caused our friends, especially Fluttershy, to think and act the way they did by force. I admit he played mind games with them, but that all turned out to be unnecessary after I saw he can brainwash directly."

Twilight didn't need to ask how he knew; with his Surveillance, he can find out.

He turned away and walked up to the statue. "The same can't be said for me, since he didn't even try to mess with my mind as far as I can tell. Every decision I made was my own, and mine alone. If I was influenced by anything, it was my own desperation to stop him and eventually hate and desire to kill him. He may have made it more likely for me to do what I did, but in the end it was all me."

He turned his entire body around so that he was comfortably facing Twilight. "I'm glad I had this talk and I know you'll all be working on…'re-harmonizing' me." He gave a weak smile. "Just wanted to know what you'll be…up against, so to speak." The two unicorns looked up to the sky and at the moon, which was glowing rather brightly tonight. "It's late. we should go to bed. I'm sorry to have worried you."

Before Twilight could speak to him, he teleported away. She gave a sigh, knowing that he was not feeling all right. But with what he has told her, she'll find a way to help him come to terms with his hatred. This cannot be healthy.