The Minuet

by Noble Phantasm

Existential Operator

Chapter 2: Existential Operator

Time and Space Await…

Despite going to sleep in a mood free of worry, when Colgate awoke she knew something didn’t feel right. No, there was no immediate danger, nothing broken, nothing burned or scorched, but it was the air around her. Colgate got up groggily, expecting the heavy feeling in her head to go away after brushing her teeth. Burshie…brushie…nothing. The oxygen around her felt stiff and her skull felt like it weighed more than usual. After eating some oats for breakfast and trying to get herself moving by stretching and running in a circle outside, the feeling still persisted.

Colgate had thought that the brisk morning air might help, but her head still felt like there was a balloon trying to inflate inside of it. The slightly chilled air still cool from the night was the perfect kind for cleaning out clogged sinuses too. Again, no effect. At this point, Pegusi were moving in clouds for the rain that they had planned. Perhaps a little cold water would clear it up, Colgate thought. But her intuition kept telling her it wasn’t sinus related. She didn’t feel that sick, just heavy headed. She could still breathe through her nose cleanly. Colgate brushed at her mane in an attempt to get rid of the static that was accumulating in it. She began bumping her head against the side of buildings, perhaps at the risk of looking a bit quirky, to try to force the feeling out of her head.

“What…is…wrong.” Colgate said the words out loud in sync with her head hitting the side of her house. Before she could try and contemplate the issue any further through her muggy conscience, she was interrupted from her head bashing.

“Hey Colgate!” It was Berry Punch with an abnormally cheery greeting. Colgate didn’t look at her, but kept muttering to herself random phrases about headaches and bad luck as she continued to make a hollow bonk without any alleviative effect. “Uhh, what are you doing?” Colgate stopped her antics and looked at her friend through what felt like puffy eyes.

“Trying to get rid of a headache,” Colgate explained. “This probably isn’t the best choice, but I’m waiting for it to rain.”

“Well wait no more!” Berry Punch nearly shouted the words and it was unlike her to be so vocal or even so awake in the morning. She was an afternoon person, the type that would always feel groggy unless they woke up at noon, but could stay awake long into the night without trouble. This was a bit unlike her, but perhaps she had used some of the crystal berry punch she had leftover to jump start herself. Whatever she was about to tell Colgate, she was very excited about. “I talked to Zecora and she said she found a way to suppress your magic!” She went to Zecora?

“You went into the Everfree forest?” Colgate gave her friend a puzzled expression. A lot of ponies were a bit wary of the Everfree, but this mare was terrified of any creature with more than four legs. “Did Bon Bon talk you into this?”

“I was worried about you. I wasn’t going to let the Everfree forest stop me from helping my friend. Now come on! You won’t have to worry about your magic anymore after this.” Berry Punch grabbed Colgate by the hoof and began to pull her along. Colgate resisted at first trying to assure her that her magic was under control.

“Berry, you don’t have to do this,” Colgate persuaded. “My magic will be fine. I-I’ve got it under control.” Berry Punch didn’t listen; she just kept tugging her friend along like her solution was indisputable. Colgate didn’t doubt Zecora’s ability to suppress a unicorn’s magic, but would she have agreed to such a thing? Colgate knew just as well as any mare that just because Zecora could do something didn’t mean she would. She was quite good at being her own power check. Even withstanding this, Colgate allowed herself to be pulled along, not entirely sold on the idea, but believing Berry Punch only had good intentions. After all, even if Berry Punch was being unreasonable Colgate knew Zecora would be reasonable and if Colgate really didn’t want an alchemic remedy to her magic problem, Zecora wouldn’t force it on her.

Something still tugged a little at Colgate though. Perhaps it was just the air bubble in her head clouding her reasoning, but once the trees of the Everfree loomed over them Colgate waited for her opportunity. Unfortunately it didn’t come quickly. She frowned after a bit of walking into the woods yielded nothing she was looking for. She supposed it wouldn’t be too bad if they got to Zecora’s without the chance she was looking for, but she really wanted to clear the air. Not the actual air that is, but rather her suspicions. The space around her still felt thick for some reason like she was surrounded by half congealed oxygen. Even so, despite its odious ambiance if there was one thing the Everfree forest had that was inviting, it was its scents. Especially due to the gathering rain, the forest a brisk and dewy smell to it, the thirsty leaves anticipating water.

The low hanging foliage brushed across her face more than once as Berry Punch made no move to avoid it and if Colgate closed her eyes and just took in the smells, the dark bushes and cobweb covered trees weren’t so creepy. Also, it was only a matter of time before the Pegusi let loose the water from the clouds they had assembled and Colgate wondered if Berry Punch even considered that they might get rained on if they weren’t quick about this. She knew Berry Punch liked warm baths, but nopony liked a cold shower.

Breaking her train of thought, Berry Punch abruptly let go of Colgate’s hoof and kept going. Colgate, finding this odd as well, stopped and waited for her friend to turn around and for a moment wondering if she actually would. She did and motioned for her to keep following her.

“C’mon,” She beckoned. “I got tired of dragging you. You can walk now let’s hurry.” Perhaps the rain did have her in a hurry, but just then Colgate saw what she had been looking for. Before Berry Punch had a chance to turn and keep walking Colgate pointed into the woods with her hoof.

“Aha!” She exclaimed. “Look! Wild berries!” Colgate grinned expecting Berry Punch to take the bait. What she had pointed at was no doubt a bush with multiple colors of berries growing on it. Colgate knew that they probably weren’t the kind that Berry Punch would really like, but she figured the mare that was obsessed with fruit juice would spare at least a little curiosity.

“Yeah? So?” Berry Punch shrugged. “Let’s go solve that magic problem of yours first.” As Berry Punch turned to proceed Colgate didn’t move and narrowed her eyes at her friend. Just then, a spider spun its way down from a cedar branch and landed on Berry Punch’s shoulder. Obviously feeling the mischievous creature on her fur right way, her head jerked to the side and eyeing it, frowned.

“Ew,” She causally brushed it off and it fell to the soil, crawling away with an indignant stride. Colgate had almost forgotten about her headache at this point. Berry Punch’s behavior was far too strange for her to be worried about her headache. Berry Punch, seeing that Colgate still hadn’t moved proceeded to almost scold her.

“Do I have to drag you?” She asked. “I thought you would be happy to get rid of your magic.” Colgate was upset now. This wasn’t right at all and the question that had been sitting in the back of her mind since they had entered the Everfree and she had been looking for that berry bush surfaced into her throat. Something wasn’t adding up. She had wished Berry Punch goodnight the previous day. Why would she have gone to Zecora’s after that? Why was she up so early and why in the world would she risk the rain and the Everfree forest for a problem that wasn’t in an immanent need for a solution? Berry Punch was a good friend, but she was also a reasonable friend.

“Who are you?” Amidst her thoughts, Colgate’s lingering suspicion slipped out almost inadvertently. Berry Punch looked shocked.

“I’m Berry Punch.” She said plainly “Your friend, Colgate. Who else could I be? Are your eyes okay?” Colgate felt a heartbeat jump into her forehead. She cringed, but nothing else came of it.

“My eyes are fine,” Colgate replied. “But are yours? I know you love berries more than potions.”

“I wanted to help you get your magic in check Colgate. Now let’s go before we get rained on.”

“I thought you hated the Everfree forest. And that you were horrified of spiders.”

“I just want to help you.”

“A bit too much,” Colgate added.

“What?”

“How many glasses of crystal berry punch did you drink yesterday?”

“What? I don’t know. I didn’t keep-”

“Wrong!” Colgate stomped her hoof in the dirt. “You had nine. You specifically bragged about how you drank nine glasses!”

“Well you know…” Berry Punch was becoming increasingly flustered, but not hurt or insulted like she should have been.

“What else was in the bag that contained the crystal berries?” Colgate was practically shouting her questions now.

“Colgate, we need to-”

“What else was in the bag!” Silence. Berry Punch didn’t answer. Something was wrong, something was horribly wrong. Had her magic done something in her sleep again? Was that the source of her headache? Had she gone back in time? Forward maybe? No, that couldn’t be. It would be far too perfect of a coincidence for the Pegusi to be planning a rainfall on the exact day she jumped to. Her contemplation was lost and Colgate and her friend nearly swapped expressions. Colgate went from glaring angrily at her friend to going wide eyed as Berry Punch’s expression went from a hurt wide eyed look, to an uncharacteristic smirk.

“Congratulations,” Her voice hissed and dissolved to something not her own halfway through the word. Before Colgate could react, a number of ropes whipped themselves out from under the leaves spun around her hooves, tying all four of them together. In one swift motion she was twirled upward and upside down. The motion ended with Colgate being suspended from multiple tree branches and viewing the world in reverse. There was a flash of green and even though Colgate’s vision was lopsided, she could tell that the thing with her was no loner Berry Punch.

She silently wished her suspicions had never been true and Berry Punch had just been uncharacteristically bold in her attempt to help her. What was in front of her now or rather below her, was a changeling. Its skin was a leathery scaly black with the filmy wings of an insect and a horn like that of a beetle. Its eyes weren’t like other changelings though. Instead of the normal, empty bug-like eyes, this changeling had substance to his. Inside the normal navy-ish blue were dilating black pupils with an aura of green about them. They stared at her satisfactorily content with the result of their venture. Colgate was a bird in a cage now, no amount of flailing would free her hooves from the ropes.

“It’s better if you save your energy,” The changeling’s voice was raspy like there was always something in his throat he refused to clear. “We’re going to need it.”

“What in the world do you need from me!?” Colgate questioned him still struggling a little against the ropes which ground themselves into her fur with every motion. It burned.

“I’ve been watching you. Yes, yes I have. And I have to say I quite like your magic. It would be quite beneficial to me and you don’t seem to be using it. I had to get your attention somehow, but nobody loves a little ol’ changeling so this was my only option.” Colgate was unsure if he had meant that last statement to inspire some kind of sympathy, but it fell a little flat in ears given her position.

“You want my m-” a beat in her head again. “Magic?” Colgate finished.

“You don’t seem to like it. Why not…tradesies?”

“Tradesies?” Colgate repeated his foreign vocabulary, although she knew what he meant. “Trade for what?”

“Oh I don’t really have anything. I just thought I could you know, take it. Think of your reward as being set free.”

“Okay…” Colgate pondered. “Just-” another pulse in her head. “Just how are you going to take it?”

“I have my ways.” The changeling was almost drooling in anticipation at this point. Then, something occurred to Colgate.

“Wait…What did you do with the real Berry Punch!?” Colgate flailed trying to get out of the ropes as she feared the worst.

“Hahahhaha,” His laugh was rather hoarse, almost asthmatic. “Let’s just say I made sure she wouldn’t show up and make me look awkward.”

“No no no no no NO!” Colgate thrashed about to no effect. Another chuckle came from the changeling. Colgate was frantic at this point. She had to get out. She had to make sure her friend was okay. She had to get out of here! It was now or never, she thought, panicking. Magic was the only option and despite the pains in her head, if Berry Punch was in danger, it would be worth it to suffer a bit of migraine. Later she might look back at this decision and laugh, wondering how things might have ended up had she not gotten so desperate. But in the moment, it seemed like the only way. She wouldn’t let this changeling hurt her friends. Her mind focused on one objective. Escape. The there was that click in her head again. No, it wasn’t a click. This was different. It was like something snapped…

It hurt…

It hurt! It hurt! It hurt! It hurt! It hurt! It hurt! It hurt! It hurt! It hurt! It hurt! It hurt!!

A splitting pain cleaved through her body starting from the tip of her horn all the way down through her tail. It felt like a large dart had been shot through her with a rifle. She heard the changeling screech and back away as her horn began to shine. Normally at first, but then in a sudden frenzy it burst into a beacon large enough and bright enough to rival a lighthouse. Its sudden fury burned straight though the ropes holding her up and as she toppled to the ground, she found that her magic was shaking the earth itself. It was like being trapped in a speeding train with no way to stop. She had no control anymore. Her magic was a wildfire that beamed atop her head. Her heart raced and each beat was like a hammer being swung at her skull with a mind for the pressure points. She could hear the changeling screaming something, but couldn’t tell what it was. He would have been mad to come anywhere near her.

Her horn shot a beam of light skyward and the air around her began to swirl. Not like wind does in a storm or tornado, but the very space around her began to turn and distort in way it shouldn’t have. The trees began to bend like rubber toys and the bushes were melting like plastic in an oven. Lightning began jumping from her fur to the trees near hear, each bolt sending a wave of reverberating pain through her body out from its source. The beam of light shining towards the sky began spinning, pulling and bending the objects around her at its pace. It hurt. It hurt so much she had to scream. It was an impulse, like she had no choice. But the sound never seemed to escape her throat. The raging tempest about her swallowed it greedily.

Then, an enormous pop. For a moment, everything was still. Suddenly all of reality around her shattered into shards like glass. Was it so fragile? The pain vanished, but Colgate had time for only one exasperated breath and a look of amazement. What was happening? She was in a field of blackness with pieces of reality about her like a broken picture. Before any thoughts could form, all of it caved in around and toward her. It was like she was swallowed by a black hole. After that, there was nothing. Nothing but a low rumble, like the kind a bomb sends echoing through the ground when it goes off.

Interlude 1:

The changeling hisses as the mare he sought to capture sears her way out of the ropes he thought he had so cleverly trapped her with. The light shining from her horn was bright enough to blind even something with next to no eyesight to begin with.

“Don’t think you can run away!” the changeling attempts a protest, screaming against the sheer force that muffles the air. It was pillar of glowing energy hailing ever skyward that seemed to cut the wind itself. This, he thinks, this is the power he wants. He can only imagine what he could do if he possessed a magic that cleaved the very molecules of space. Why he would have even the queen bowing at his feet. But he wanted to take it, not for her to use it. But all this power. Could one body really hold all of this power? This mare’s capacity must have been incredible. The changeling is forced back. He tries to dig into the ground with his hooves, but the mare before him emits a repelling force with the iron will of a magnetic field to which he is a polar opposite.

A thin dome of energy forms about the mare before him. It is space, folding into an event horizon adding barrier upon barrier separating the changeling from what he wants. He can do nothing against this, just as the mare whose frame now warps and twists with the flexibility of clay can likewise do nothing. Dust to dust. It is like her body is being torn, liquefied, and remolded as if reality itself is unsure of what law to employ to make sense of this situation. It becomes confused. Lightening begins to jolt from the mare in random directions, striking trees, bushes, and even sailing into the sky. The changeling stops trying to advance and holds his ground. Daunted by the now deadly situation he does not fancy getting any closer to a lightning storm and lets the outward force push him back a few paces.

Then, nothing. A pop like an enormous firework ends it all and for a moment the still world doesn’t turn. Then, everything collapses. It is like the death of a star. The spatial distortion swallows everything around it, imploding like a building that has suddenly had its foundation ripped from beneath it. A force not unlike wind pulls the changeling toward the anomaly but he holds firm. In one swift wave the energy washes over him and vanishes into nothingness along with the mare that had caused it. Now, everything is quiet. The changeling is finally able to release the tension is his muscles and to his dismay, the scene before him betrays no evidence that the mare he had almost captured was even there. She is gone.

Surely she had not willingly done this. In what little he has seen, he concludes that he saw her struggling against her magic almost as he did. Nonetheless, she is gone and there is no way for him to tell just how far or to where she has gone. He would have to wait for her to reappear. Where that would be, the changeling hasn’t a clue. But, in the meantime, he knows who to ask.

Interlude end…

Wind in the rain…Wind in the rain…We wish only to be strong. Yet, as the strong raise their fists, elbows still bent, to grasp their goal, the weak will always reach as high as they can…

Her head felt light. Perhaps that was only comparatively to how heavy it had felt before. Colgate found herself recovering from a state of unconsciousness, her fur pressed against a surface that felt like a cold ceramic counter top. As she opened her eyes, everything appeared as a shade of gray blurred out of focus. As her mind slowly began to orient itself, Colgate found that she was lying on her side. The scene came into focus and Colgate had to blink a few times to make sure it actually had and she wasn’t still seeing things. There was nothing. It was all just white. Colgate wobbled to her feet, losing her balance once because she was still recovering and again when she looked down and a feeling of vertigo washed through her. She stood on what could only be described as a sheet of glass barely visible against the void below it. She looked up. The same blankness met her eyes even there. It was like she was in a huge empty room with whitewashed walls and no discernible ends or corners. Perhaps what she stood on was ice. But it wasn’t cold enough for ice. In fact, it didn’t feel like any sort of temperature. There was no wind, no sky, no ground, nothing. This wasn’t anywhere she had ended up before nor was it anywhere that she knew existed. Did it even exist?

Colgate poked at what could only be considered the floor with her hoof. It clinked against it. So it was comparable to glass, but why? Colgate turned her head, looking in all directions, a bit frantic. How was she supposed to get out? Where was she? Was this only a dream? A joke perhaps? Before anymore questions could pile up she was met with something entirely unexpected.

“Well, well!” A voice greeted her ears. “I never expected a visitor. Come, make yourself at home young mare. There’s plenty of room.” Colgate froze. There was someone else in here? What was more was that the voice seemed to echo like it was filling up the entire room. Colgate couldn’t tell what direction it was coming from if directions even existed where she was at. She made no attempt at a response. She didn’t even know what she would be responding to or for that matter where the speaker was. Looking about her once again only yielded the same unfilled landscape.

“Oh come now, sit down.” As this suggestion was made, a large fluffy red chair popped into existence behind Colgate. She spun around, expecting something bad. She relaxed slightly seeing it was only a chair, but as soon as she did so, something appeared behind her again and, giving her a bump, pushed her into the chair. Reacting quickly, Colgate spun on one hoof unable to break her momentum. She did a one eighty so when she flopped into the chair, she was actually sitting in it, instead of falling face first into the cushions. She didn’t want to sit, but it seemed she had no choice. But now facing the right way, she could see what, or who, had pushed her. The sight of him made her want to immediately get up and run away. The only reason she didn’t was because she didn’t know where she would go. It was an empty infinite space. Where was there to run?

She knew though what floated in the air before her. The head of a pony, the two different horns, the paw, the talon, and those teeth. Colgate cringed. Those teeth. It was Discord. But how? Wasn’t he supposed to be locked in stone? She had hated the incident when he tore her house from the ground just for fun.

“There,” he said. “Isn’t that better?” For a moment Colgate was inclined to agree with him, but bringing herself back to where she was or perhaps where she was supposed to be, she wanted answers. This certainly wasn’t Ponyville.

“Discord?” She raised her inflection as if she were asking. “What are you doing here?” He seemed shocked at her questioned at first, almost offended.

“What am I doing here?” He repeated. “I’m locked in stone right now. Where else can I go? A better question is what are you doing here?” He was hardly a victim to her, although he seemed to be playing the part for the moment. But when Colgate tried to answer his question, she was at a loss for words. She recalled the incident with the changeling and that horrible searing pain.

“I don’t know…” Colgate said. It was the only answer she could give. Her magic had done something truly ridiculous this time. Somehow she was in the same space that Discord existed in when he was turned into stone. A state of pure stasis. Now the question was how could she get out?

“Oh, well that’s only natural. But this could be quite fun.” Discord seemed almost giddy. “Go on, entertain me.” Discord vanished and then reappeared a few feet across from her in a chair of his own, arms folded in anticipation. Colgate didn’t move. She glanced from side to side returning to meet his endless gaze. Was he serious? After a few moments, Discord frowned. He vanished again along with his chair and reappeared directly in front of her, staring her down face to face.

“Well you’re no fun,” he said. Colgate narrowed her eyes at him.

“You have horrible teeth,” Colgate commented. Discord grinned as if happy about the fact.

“Why there is someone in there!” He bonked the top of her skull with his lion fist hand then changed his expression to a crestfallen one as if he had just realized what he said. He floated away a few feet above her.

“I never insulted you,” He seemed to pout. Colgate reached with her hoof as if trying to grab at the one garish fang in his upper row of teeth.

“Can… can I just,” Colgate wiggled her hoof obviously unable to get at the tooth. “Can I just pull that one?” Colgate surprised herself. She actually had the stupidity to toy with Discord. But given the situation, what else was she supposed to do? Discord turned his nose up to her.

“I can do that myself thank you,” With that, Discord pinched the tooth between two fingers of his eagle talon hand and popped it out like there was barely anything holding it in place. “There. Do you want it?” Discord held the tooth up to Colgate’s nose waving it about.

“Er…no.” Colgate glanced at it and then back to him.

“Then I’m keeping it.” Discord took the tooth and just as easily as it came out, it went right back in. Colgate cringed. She should have taken it. Then she wouldn’t have to stare at that horribly out of place fang. It was irksome. She frowned.

“When’s the last time you brushed your teeth?” Colgate didn’t know what to do, so she reverted back to dentistry, the one thing she knew best. As long as she was stuck here she might as well play the part of Discord’s dentist.

“You’re quite the obstinate little mare,” Discord commented. “You need to lighten up. I know! Let’s play a game.” Discord snapped his fingers and the chair Colgate had been comfortably seated in unfolded into an oversize checkerboard that she flopped down onto. Her whole body fit in just one of the black and red squares.

“Do you like checkers?” Discord asked as he leaned in from above her and nudged her with an elbow. Colgate gave an uninterested huff as she got to her feet. “I see,” Discord seemed to agree. “You’re a bit more of a strategist.” Discord snapped again and Colgate found herself warped to a different square on the board now surrounded by chess pieces that were taller than she was.

“Chess?” Discord laid out a palm in suggestion. Colgate glanced about her, finding that to her left and right were both pawns. The rest of the pieces were behind her. She looked to Discord who smirked, satisfactorily hovering between a bishop and the queen piece.

“Ha ha.” Colgate spoke a sarcastic laugh.

“Oh come now,” Discord lounged back. “This is simply how it ought to be.” Discord snapped again and the whole board and its props vanished. Discord popped up in front of Colgate and floating up beside her put his hands on her shoulders. “Give me something to work with pony! I need a little chaos. I’m starving in here.”

“Why here of all places…” Colgate muttered, knowing Discord was close enough to hear her.

“Well then,” He sighed. “I guess if you’re only interested in leaving, I’ll make you a deal. If you can answer a riddle, I’ll let you go.” This piqued Colgate’s interest. Her ears perked up. Had he said, let her go? He certainly had.

“You can do that?” Colgate asked, turning her head to look at him.

“You think I can’t? I’m Discord!” Discord threw his hands in the air happily.

“Prove it,” Colgate challenged him.

“Tsk tsk,” Discord waggled a finger at her. “You haven’t answered the riddle yet silly.” Colgate put on a bit of a pouting face, but Discord simply folded his arms, nodding in approval of his own statement.

“Fine. Get on with it.”

“Alright. Here it goes. How do you add eight eights to get one thousand?” Discord grinned and there was a pause. Colgate stared at him, cocking her head to the side in confusion.

“That’s not a riddle.”

“Sure it is,” Discord affirmed as he pushed himself around through the air like a jellyfish with his hands clasped behind his head in a lounging position. “Do you know the answer?”

“Well, no…I-”

“Then it’s a riddle!”

“That logic is hardly sound.”

“Who cares about logic? Think!” Colgate reconsidered her statement in light of who she was talking to. But if answering this simple question would be enough to get him to let her leave then she would. She considered the question and realized the answer wasn’t as simple as she thought. Eight plus eight plus eight plus eight plus eight plus eight plus eight plus eight wasn’t one thousand. It was only sixty-four. This riddle was all wrong. There wasn’t a way to add eight, eight times to get a thousand. No matter what one did, all the numbers were still eights and addition was the only option.

“I can’t…Multiply or…anything?” Colgate asked

“Nope,” Discord nearly laughed. “Not that it would really help.” He was right. Multiplication would yield an answer far too high. There was silence as Colgate pondered just what Discord wanted her to do as he pushed himself around above her like a worm as carefree as he could be. There had to be another way of ordering the eights.

Ordering…Colgate pondered the word. The solution had to be simple, she knew it. It was one of those questions that only tricks the subject into over thinking it. Colgate knocked a hoof against her head as if she could dislodge any unnecessary thoughts. Eventually, Discord stopped his midair antics and, looking down at her, held up three fingers. At first, Colgate assumed her was making a silly gesture to distract her. But was it a hint? Three? Why three? Three eights? But there had to be eight of them, the question said so.

Wait…Colgate thought, a different way of ordering the eights. Three? Three of them together?

“That’s it!” Colgate clicked a hoof against the glass floor.

“Oh? Discord twiddled his fingers anticipating her answer.

“You have to group the eights together. The question says there have to be eight eights, but not eight addition signs. You can add eight hundred eighty-eight plus eighty eight plus eight plus eight plus eight. That’s one thousand!” Colgate puffed herself up proudly upon answering the question.

“Oooo!” Discord clapped for her. “Perhaps you’re not completely dumb.” Before Colgate could retort, Discord popped up in front of her and rubbed a fist through her mane. She smacked his hand away.

“Hey,” Colgate said indignantly. “You said if I answered the question you would let me go.” Discord frowned.

“Fine, fine,” He slouched back indifferently. “You’re not that fun anyway.” He snapped his fingers and Colgate waited. And she waited some more. Nothing happened.

“Hey what gives?” Colgate asked after several moments.

“Ahaha! Looks like I can’t.” He didn’t even seem upset.

“But you said-”

“I know. But you try being caged in stone. We shouldn’t even be able to talk to begin with.” He was right. Colgate wasn’t even sure where she was supposed to be. The only thing that would get her out of here is what got her in. Her magic. But how was she going to conjure up what she had done before?

“It’s those darn elements of harmony.” Discord broke her thoughts

“What?”

“Yes,” Discord floated down and put his hands on her shoulders again. A chill traveling down her spine set her fur standing on end. “If it weren’t for those elements I could get you out. In fact you might not even be here.”

“They used the elements on you for reason.” Colgate scowled at him

“I have only ever been misunderstood,” Discord put his hands up and shrugged at her. “I only wanted a little chaos. I was giving boring ol’ little Equestria something to talk about. Every day is fun when you don’t know what’s going to happen.” Discord was now smirking at her through narrowed eyes. Colgate stared back at him. “I had only good intentions… You believe me right?” Discord donned a worried look. He seemed almost hurt. But before Colgate could reply something began to form at her feet. It was black goopy mass like tar. It stuck to her hooves and as she instinctively flinched away from it, it stuck to her and began pulling her in like quicksand.

“Oh what a pity,” Discord said. “I guess you’ll be going then.” The slime began grip at Colgate’s knees.

“Wh-What is this!?” Colgate panicked.

“Dunno,” Discord turned himself upside down to look at her. “Looks fun though.”

“No,” Colgate flailed to no effect “No, what is this!?” She began sinking into mass and through the floor with no power fight against it.

“You’ll remember what I said though right?” Discord asked. “When you get back, tell everyone Discord deserves another chance.” Colgate had no time to respond. The black mass leaped up over her and sucked her under and everything went dark again.

Colgate woke up for a second time to find herself lying on her side and on a another surface that was cold and uninviting. This time however, the surface on which she lay was hard and rigged like stone. Opening her eyes yielded the same result as it did before and after her vision came into focus and she got to her feet, she found herself in some kind of cavern. There were far off drips of water clicking against the cave floor as they fell from the ceiling. At least, wherever this was, looked like it was back in reality. Colgate was in a roundish room with a flat gravely floor and two passageways leading opposite directions, both ominously dark. The room she was in was strangely lit by bluish spheres that were suspended in the air and emitted a blue glow like they were fireflies. There were several of them providing just enough light to see everything. The ceiling of the cave was several feet above her and the room was large enough to fit perhaps seven normal sized ponies and still have shoulder space.

Fascinated by the glow of the ambient light sources she took a step toward one, but her hoof met something soft on the ground that she hadn’t seen. She had been too distracted by everything else. A bump perhaps? She looked down. Colgate’s eyes widened. It was no bump or rock, but a pony. A mare taller than Colgate, but smaller than someone full size like Nightmare moon lying on her side. The mare had a glittery, long, pink, flowing mane, eyelids closed peacefully as if only asleep. The horn on her head was slightly longer than most and as Colgate observed, she had wings as well. An alicorn? It wasn’t possible. Colgate’s eyes moved to her cutie mark and even though it was partially hidden by a folded wing, she could tell what it was. It was a brilliant golden sun. In her astonishment, Colgate breathed out only one word.

“Princess?”