The Chimera

by Scarheart

Chimera 11: Knowing All, Seeing All

Flamespyre's private chambers were vast, having been constructed to his needs so long ago it had been forgotten by all save a select few. His lair was the foundation of the heart of the Topaz Kingdom. Kahsoon was his roof, its inhabitants his unwitting tenants. Everything beneath the vaulted ceilings of his home was build to accommodate a large creature, specifically a certain one eyed dragon. It was here he had created most of his greatest works over the thousands of years of his life, concealed by his powerful magic when not using it. The current room was filled with countless experiments, some complete, others unfinished. A few were in progress. Most had been set aside for later, being creations of whim and fancy when the dragon needed a temporary distraction from his important work.

Contrary to popular belief when concerning science and laboratories, this room was well lit by magic and meticulously kept clean. It also smelled clean, though there was a hint of desert from the vents cycling fresh air in and the old air out. Air scrubbers and filters kept the air clean and fresh, while fans pulled the stagnant air out. The walls were painted an off white, almost gray and were unadorned.

The first thing noticable about the place was its size. Expansive came to mind with plain squared pillars supporting the roof and wide and measured intervals between them. This was the largest facility in the underground compound, constructed so long ago by denizens made extinct by their own means, only Flamespyre and one other being knew who.

Tables of various sizes and lengths filled the open spaces, along with cabinets, glass cases filled with strange objects, steel machines glinting with the florescent light shining down from the multiple long fixtures stretching along the ceiling. Everything was organized from glass tubes to vials of elements and strange liquids of many different colors and compositions for his work. Tubes and wiring lined the walls and the ceilings, leading to and from the room. The floor alternated in large square black and white tiles of heavy duty ceramics made by means long forgotten. Deep beneath the earth hummed the source of power providing the massive amount of energy needed to keep things running. There were box like machines with blinking lights and strange screens, flashing data only the lair's master could understand. The dragon's mental filing system knew what and where everything was. His current project lay in a round cylindrical tube standing upright, large enough for a creature as large as a griffin to be deposited in there. A single figure floated within now, watching the dragon as he puttered merrily around his laboratory.

Here, he was at his happiest. Here the Dragonking worked towards reviving a forgotten time when science prevailed over magic and the power of the atom was the indiscriminate god. The massive bulk of the dragon's form moved with feline grace as he made mental notes from the information flashing on the multiple screens. Once, his son - a certain little thing so tiny in comparison to his massive father - had been his help in this very room, his bright little laboratory assistant. So long ago, such a different era. Alas. A replacement had been found in the most intelligent of his brood, but also the most mischievous. Altering minds was a delicate and difficult process when manipulating one for the first time. Considering the time and effort he took to acquire this one, Flamespyre would certainly be put out with himself should this opportunity go to waste.

That experiment was on pause for the moment as he was rifling through the data in his head, going again to one of the flat glass monitor in the middle of one of his machines, his claws delicately tapping on a strange rectangular object with squareish buttons on them. Strange singular symbols could be made out upon them, white against a black surface.

Twilight Sparkle watched the dragon work, floating in a warm clear liquid. A breathing mask had been applied over her muzzle and she had tubes and wires attached to all parts of her, some embedded in her skin, others adhering to the surface. Some monitored her blood pressure, others her heart rate. Diodes were attached to her head where her coat had been shaved away exposing her skin, some clinging directly to her skull. Her brain activity was of great interest to Flamespyre.

Her mind floated as her body did, with strange liquids constantly being fed directly into her blood stream. It was as though she could see images before her eyes, familiar places and faces. She could see her friends on the same ship with Silent Wing. She could not hear them, but it seemed as though she was seeing the now, that moment. That image faded and another appeared, showing Princess Celestia reading a book and drinking tea and discussing something with...Queen Chrysalis? The two appeared to be getting along, though every now and again Twilight thought she could see the tension between the two powerful mares. Both appeared haggard and worn as if sleep eluded the both of them.

The lavender mare might have been mistaken, but was that Trixie in the room with them? Was that a foal in her hooves she was feeding a bottle to? A question was asked of her and she got up, her horn carrying the baby over to the two matriarchs. Both apparently wanted a break from whatever they were working on, taking a moment to play with the baby while a very proud Great and Powerful Trixie looked on with a beaming smile. What appeared to be a changeling foal was also there, garnering the attention of the Queen even as Celestia played with the pony toddler.

The clear tank was suddenly filled with a face distorted by the curvature of the glass as a red eye peered in, chasing away the visions.

"What do you think of the holograms, Twilight?" the dragon asked politely. "I did not want you to become bored, so I thought some entertainment might help you to pass the time. I have eyes and ears everywhere. Most entertaining when those who despise you don't know you're looking in on them. Such a lovely scene, yes?"

She stared at him, her eyes filled a mix of hate and fear.

"You can speak normally, if you wish. The apparatus allowing you to breathe also allows you to speak, so long as you behave yourself." He was tapping the side of his snout and pointing at the Alicorn with a smile. "Once I have my data I need from you, I might feel inclined to let you out and see what wonders I have in store for the future here." The dragon practically bubbled with glee as he stepped aside, sweeping a claw over the expanse of his laboratory.

Twilight chanced a quick look, allowing herself a moment of curiosity. "What is this place? Where am I and why do you have me in this...glass tank?" She felt like she was in an aquarium that made her feel sluggish. "What is this stuff I'm floating in? It feels like warm molasses."

Flamespyre laughed. "So many questions, my young Alicorn princess! I shall answer them all. Perhaps I should release you and give you a tour of my facilities before the process is complete. It can be completed later. There is no rush. You are, after all my honored guest," he said, apparently in good spirits.

The dragon sat back on his haunches his empty eye socket turning towards his captive for a second, giving her a full view of the emptiness. It chilled her more to look beyond the three scars and into the dark pit where at some time in the past an eye had been. To the mare, it was like looking into an open grave.

"I shall answer your questions, my dear. Your friends have provided me with entertainment while I wait for my moment to respond." The dragon turned his snout to the tiny mare, tracing a claw delicately over her face upon the glass. "You are confined within an examination tank, designed to hold the biogenetic fluid I am experimenting with to take readings on your body, measuring everything from your pulse rate to the length at which your hair grows. It keeps you free of germs and maintains your body in pristine health. The devices currently attached to you are redundancies as the goop, as I like to call it is still in developement. You have the honor of being my first living test subject larger than a lab rat."

"I'm honored," she snapped flatly. Twilight hated this monster ogling her, making her feel dirty with just his stare.

"You are afraid of me," the dragon noted, looking at one of several monitors next to the tank. "You hate me. You wish to kill me." He might have been reading off the price of farm produce at the market in Ponyville. "We'll work on that. I want you to be able to draw upon your anger, your hatred. I would love nothing more than to have you see the world through my emotions."

"I'm nothing like you!" cried Twilight, trying to struggle. The goop made her struggle in slow motion. "I'll never be like you!"

"Not yet and we'll see about that." Flamespyre pulled away from Twilight's clear prison, his talons clicking on the tiled stone floor. Even as they left holes in the floor, within seconds the pits left by the dragon's claws repaired themselves. "I should show you a sample of my greatest creation, my most marvelous invention, yes?"

"I'm sure it's something evil," she replied, glaring at his back.

"Evil? Since when is eliminating all magic from this world evil?" The dragon turned slightly, peeking over his shoulder briefly before resuming his walk. He came to a very large metallic cabinet and opened it. "There was once a time when magic was but a myth, Twilight Sparkle. The elements of fire, earth, wind, and water were contained within their respective planes and spirits knew nothing of the mortal plane. There was a time when mortal creatures who could think and feel and govern themselves survived by means of mind and body, not magic. Magic is a crutch this world leans far too heavily upon."

He reached in and plucked out a tiny ball of what appeared to be polished silver. Holding it up into the light, the dragon turned it between his talons, flashing a loving grin upon his little possession. Closing the cabinet, he backed up a few steps, still regarding his prize. Flamespyre flared his eye at Twilight, triumph flickering smugly. He returned to the tank, awash with glee.

"This is my Oblivion Sphere," he cooed to it, holding the sphere up for Twilight to see. "The magic Silent Wing had stored in him for the past five thousand years is now in here. Would you like to know what this little darling does, my dear?"

Twilight had to admit, she was curious to know. "What?" she asked, her own violet eyes locked in morbid fascination at the sphere.

Flamespyre inhaled deeply, closing his eye as his grin went impossibly wider. "Oh, this is rapture, my dear! What I hold in my hand is a nullifier for magic. Any magic contained stored within is reversed, turning the energy into an anti-magic field. While active, any magic within its area of effect is rendered useless, its energy drawn automatically to this little beauty. I have spent an immortality trying to set right what went horribly wrong so long ago when Pandora's box was opened, unleashing magic upon the world." The eye flipped open and blazed fiercely as it beheld the Oblivion Sphere.

"Impossible," Twilight Sparkle breathed, horrified at the prospect of magic being taken. "Why would you want magic destroyed?"

"Not destroyed," the dragon corrected her flippantly, turning his snout up. "Rendered useless. The energy expelled in using it would be absorbed by the spheres, or by anything that can draw it in." He regarded his creation again, running his long tongue along the length of one of his long fangs. "It still needs tweaking here and there, but my wayward son has proven to be a remarkable test subject, though he is not yet able to project his field. So far, it is contained within his person. A minor setback, but then again he is not yet truly awakened."

"Question," Twilight Sparkle dared to state.

"Ask it, please."

"How did a sleeping infant gather five thousand years of magic while encased in an amber prison?" The lavender mare held her breath as she wondered how Flamespyre would respond.

"Not sleeping," he corrected her absently. "Suspended. Sleeping implies aging. While suspended, all functions of living are suspended. To answer your question; Ley lines. Ley lines criss-cross the planet with set points throughout where they cross over each other. As you know, Ley lines are flows of wild magic made orderly."

Twilight Sparkle understood immediately what the dragon was implying. If the prison had been sitting in a position where the Ley lines converged, then if Silent Wing was what Flamespyre suggested him to be, then...

"No," she blurted, trying to shake her goop enshrouded head. "What you're proposing is monstrous! If you take away magic, then everything will descend into chaos. There will be no more order in the rising of the sun or the moon!" Surely this was nothing more than madness! The rantings of a lunatic! Magic taken away?

"How do you think they moved before some Alicorn got the bright idea to control the movement of the sun and moon?" Flamespyre laughed enormously, placing his face right up to the glass. "I'll let you in on a little secret, Twilight Sparkle. It's not the sun or the moon they move, but the rotation of the planet they control! Do you honestly think any Alicorn has the omnipotent power to move an object in the sky several billion times larger than the planet upon which they live upon? Think, child!"

It flew in the face of everything she knew and had been taught. "I don't believe you," she spat stubbornly.

"No, you don't," the dragon agreed with a snort. "But you will understand. You will understand magic for the illusion it has always been. At least with what you think has been impressive magic. Smoke and mirrors, all of it." He began to check the monitors when one of them began flashing a green light from a single bulb on top of the odd multiple viewing device. "This planet is nothing but one great mirror surrounded by smoke."

Twilight watched with fascination. Her own curiosity overrode her loathing. She could not help but wonder how everything worked. She was sensing no magic emanating from them. The devices she had at home were powered by magic.

Sensing her staring, Flamespyre tapped away at some arranged buttons set upon a thick rectangular platform. Some sort of sequence? He said to her, "Hydroelectricity, Twilight Sparkle. No magic. Physics involving water and a turbine from and underground river beneath this laboratory. Everything is run on electricity. Nothing runs on magic. The technology is so ancient, is is far beyond your understanding. But I shall share it with all once I have the world and magic is no longer a thorn against nature and science."

"You don't use magic?" Twilight was incredulous.

"Not here. Magic is forbidden here. I have an Oblivion Sphere in use as we speak with a field large enough for my private quarters." The diodes detached themselves from the lavender mare's head, pulling up into the cover above her soundlessly as the dragon continued to tap away. "I have all the information I need on Alicorns, specifically you. You are the first one I have had the opportunity to study in depth. For that, I thank you."

The wires and tubes were the next to painlessly withdraw from her body, following the path up as with the diodes. Somehow, the Alicorn felt her wounds healing as the dragon looked up from his work and at her, squinting his one eye, his lips moving silently as he watched her wounds close up and heal.

"Nanites are performing as expected, repairing muscle tissue," he remarked, speaking for himself as he shifted his attention to another monitor. "How are you feeling, Twilight?" Flamespyre spoke professionally. "This is for posterity and for science."

She stared at him, wondering if he was serious. Twilight even asked him if he was.

"Most certainly. I may have aims for world domination, but that does not mean there are things I will not care for. Please answer my question; How are you feeling?" That dreadful eye peered at her intently, curious, inquiring to know the answer as if the fate of the world hinged upon Twilight's answer.

She found she wanted to answer, as the sensation was most curious to her indeed. "It's as if I can feel it, sort of like a tickling sensation on my nerve endings ending in a dull throbbing as I feel muscle and fat and skin knit together. It's like the severed nerve endings are reconnecting and checking themselves to see if they're working. Very weird."

"No pain?" the dragon pressed.

"No, none at all," she admitted. Why was she compelled to answer him? Why did it feel like she was missing something? An important part of her life was missing and she could not for the life of her remember what that was.

"Excellent! I shall release you now. Please relax and wait for the tank to drain." Flamespyre began entereing a sequence pattern on the strange flat box with the multiple buttons again, his eye focusing on yet another monitor flashing pictures and spidery letters at him. It began to flash and the dragon leaned back, his neck curving in an S. He turned his snout to the tank and waited expectanlty.

Twilight felt a sucking sensation beneath her hooves. She managed to look down and see the goop swirl down slowly, a few air bubbles being pulled down into a metallic white floor. Four round grates integrated perfectly with the flooring and it was through those four openings the goop drained into, growing more and more like a liquid than firm sliminess. Slowly she dropped lower and lower until there was the sensation of gravity. The weight of her body pressed down upon her four hooves, her legs wobbling weakly.

"How long?" she found herself asking.

She plopped to her belly, her face pressing against the glass. Goop dripped off her mane like clear slime, making the mare appear as though she had just been born. The mask fell away and disappeared up into the tank, allowing her to breathe without aid. The smell reminded her of pickle jars and vinegar. The glass barrier dropped away into the floor, allowing the mare's nostrils to inhale fresh air. Her wings shuddered as her sides heaved.

Suddenly great claws were cradling her gently, her violet eyes fixing on a curved talon and staring with unfocused fascination. It was larger than her head, ending in a dulled point. Minute cracks ran up and down the length and she could see it was somewhat opaque near the base. How odd!

Warm water was suddenly dribbling over her body. Somehow she was in a white square tub, feeling very out of it.

"The nanites were giving you energy," a voice explained above her. Flamespyre? Yes, it had to be him. No other creature had that deep voice, pleasant yet so twisted and evil. "As soon as the tank drained, your own body had to take up its responsibilities. You should be fine in a moment. I am cleaning you off before the goop dries."

He was surprisingly gentle with the Alicorn, thorough as his claws presented shampoo to her mane, delicately going through her hair and over her body as if she were a pet dog getting a flea bath. Twilight found she was standing, having found her hooves. Her legs still trembled, but she had control of them. Her mind was becoming less and less blurry as she became aware of her surroundings. The warm water felt good, she decided, not worrying about anything else at the moment. Her head was still swimming as it reset itself.

"Where's my son?" she asked, having found the thought she was missing. The question came dreamily from her mouth, still not aware of her predicament nor his plight. "I want Star Journey! May I have him? I want my baby."

"All in good time, my dear," replied Flamespyre, concentrating on a sparkling clean Twilight. "There are some things we need to discuss, that I need to show you first. Your friends shall be here within the month and there is much to prepare for. I've had a chance to study them. You have wonderful friends, Twilight. I find I envy you. Such stalwart companions!"

The sound of running water ceased and the warmth no longer fell over her. Twilight was disappointed and looked up. The black scaly chest of the dragon obscured her view of Flamespyre's head until it blocked out the light. Something warm and soft was draped around her neck and shoulders. It was a towel, smelling of a rose garden. Gently the dragon dried off the Alicorn, humming to himself.

Again, she was lifted, set upon a counter next to what she could see now was a large sink she had been bathed in. Everything in this room was sized for the dragon, looked very neat and clean, from what she could tell.

"We are now in my private quarters," the dragon explained.

He lowered his head to her eye level and studied herself. Twilight shook the excess water from her body. Water droplets sprayed everywhere. She had squeezed her eyes shut, opening them to find a dripping dragon face impassively watching.

"There are currently millions of tiny machines inside your brain adjusting your peripheral nerves and altering the electrochemical messages in the places where your thoughts and memories come from." Flamespyre was making a little circle with a single claw to the side of her head as he explained, "You are at the receiving end of my greatest work in manipulating a mind. I'll let you experience the results for yourself. I certainly don't think you'll mind the alterations to your memories. Minor ones, mind you. Nothing too serious."

Twilight shook her head, coming somewhat to her senses as she began to backpedal from the monster, her wings flaring out. They beat helplessly. Her eyes went wide, finding focus and fixing on Flamespyre.

"Get them out!" she cried, her chest heaving as she began to panic. Twilight scrambled, her hooves scrabbling on the slippery surface as two sets of claws closed in around her. "Get the monsters out of my head! Why are you doing this to me?" Tears began to run down her cheeks as he picked her up in one gentle fist.

Flamespyre regarded her, tapping his free claws on the counter. Finally, he said to the frightened mare, "I think you need to rest." With a flare of his crimson eye, Twilight lost consciousness.

When she awoke, there was a great white screen before her eyes within a darkened room. She could not identify anything around her as her eyes could make out nothing else. Twilight felt calm, even rested. Had it all been just a dream? The room was relatively small. To her right sat a figure, another pony.

"Awake?" asked the black Alicorn Flamespyre with a slitted left eye. "Good. I thought you might be hungry, so I took the liberty of presenting you with a variety of food you might enjoy."

To her left a table was lit up by hidden lights, revealing trays of fruits and vegetables, many different steaming vegetable soups, apple pies, cakes, alfalfa sprouts, fresh clover, and several other things she could not name off the top of her head. Sitting upright and folding her legs beneath her, Twilight took a moment to regard her options. The mare suddenly found she was famished and was already hungrily reaching for the nearest food item to her. It was one of the soups. The small porcelain bowl contained what tasted like a blend of radishes and onions. It was seasoned with salt and pepper and a few other exotic spices she could not identify. The soup was delicious. Twilight consumed it quickly, savoring the taste as it was one of the most magnificent taste sensations she had ever experienced.

She realized she was not using her magic and found it odd. Not that it mattered, she noted as she turned the empty bowl in her hooves. The Alicorn set it aside and moved on to the next plate on the table, a fruit salad of the tropical kind and filled with foods she was not familiar with. The smells from it were intoxicating, delightful. She simply placed her muzzle into the bowl, nipping delicately as she experimented with a taste. Taste buds swam and she attacked the remainder with the gusto of a starved wolf.

Flamspyre watched the mare eat, amused. "Watch the wall in front of you, Twilight Sparkle. See what I see. Know what I know," he said to her.

It was the images she thought she had seen while in the tank. Wait. Had she been in one? When did this happen? Was it nothing more than a dream? The lavender mare found she could not remember. Doing as she was asked, she drew the bowl closer to her chest and shifted her attention where she had been directed. She found she was watching a moving image on the wall, but where?

"What is this?" she asked inquisitively, munching on a tangy mix of fruits.

"Just one pair of many eyes allowing me to see the movements of my enemies. Just a set of ears among many to hear what is planned." Flamespyre waved a hoof at it, his ears perking forward. "This one here is Canterlot, where one of my children releases a set number of nanites upon Princess Celestia to keep her mind muddled and indifferent to the runnings of her nation."

Celestia? The name was familiar to Twilight. Why?

Flamespyre watched her closely. "Chrysalis is proving to be a more meddlesome pest as an ally to her greatest enemy. She defeated the most powerful queen I had in my inventory and set back one of my armies for a few weeks in the process. A formidable opponent when motivated," he said with some admiration. "I may have misjudged her. To think she has found value in her males and even has begun to treat them as her children instead of meat shields."

As if on cue, the vision entered a room where the Queen lay reclined comfortably on a chair, going over what appeared to be field reports.

---

"Ah, Ivory Buttons, so good of you to come," she sighed in relief to the Secretary of Defense. It was late in the evening and several candles lit the darkened room.

Spread before her was nothing but leafs upon leafs of bad news. The Diamond changelings were on the march again, this time led by the real Blood Assault. Dark circles hung under her eyes and she had just spent the day visiting her own refugees. None of the matriarchs from the powerful houses had fled with the commoners. The minor houses were few and they immediately pledged themselves anew to the Emerald Queen.

The fat Unicorn waddled in and bowed to the queen. "You requested to see me, your Majesty?" He appeared no less worn than the foreign monarch who unwittingly had been thrust into the role of caretaker of Equestria. The robust stallion straightened his collar.

"How much longer did the generals say Manehatten had before it would fall? They're in the second week of the siege. Can we get any relief to them?" She looked at the Unicorn hopefully, wondering herself how she could find herself holding Equestria in her hooves and now not wanting anything to do with it.

"I'm afraid there's nothing we can do. I am pleased to inform you the commander of the besieged forces feels he was able to refuse demands for the surrender of his forces." Ivory Buttons smiled, pulling a note from his jacket pocket. He unfolded the doubled over little piece of paper. "His response to the enemy commander was, erm, 'nuts'."

She stared at him for a moment as she accepted the note. "Nuts? I don't understand the meanings of some of the words you ponies say," Chrysalis admitted.

"I doubt the princess herself would fully understand some of the more modern terms used these days," admitted Ivory with a snort. "But in this instance, it was just a flippant way to say 'no'."

---

"Or we could see what my son is doing," Flamespyre said, waving a hoof at the screen. It shifted, taking the view of somepony asking Silent Wing questions He was with a group of other Pegasus, listening to an older Pegasus stallion go over flying tactics while they flew in a holding pattern over a great airship.

"I've met him before," said Twilight. Her memories flickered to a nervous light colored changeling with the red mane. "Changelings don't have manes," she blurted suddenly, tilting her head to one side as her ears flew forward intently. "That uniform. Is he connected to Chrysalis some how?"

"Ah, pity," grunted Flamespyre. "Not as effective as I had hoped, but a significant improvement. Are you finished eating?" he asked politely.

"Yes, I'm quite full, thank you." Twilight smiled. "Are we going to see more movies?"

He gently took the bowl from her. "Perhaps later. Sleep for now, my sweet." His eye glowed and Twilight promptly fell asleep. "Where did I go wrong this time?" Flamespyre reached over and gently stroked her mane. "You look so much like her. The color is all wrong, of course, but everything else is there."

---

Star Journey was curled up against his mother's side, nestled against her belly and between her legs. The plump little lavender colt slept and she awoke to seeing him. Around them was a garden of grass and flowers. Dozens of songbirds lifted their voices in gentle song, the sound of a babbling brook offering up a gentle background of constant trickling. The mare shifted a wing over his little body and snuggled with him, nuzzling his blue mane and just happy to see him after...

How long had it been?

She didn't care. She had her baby! She could not see the double pair of amber harlequin eyes glaring at her spitefully, but held in check by the presence of a black Alicorn between them. His own dark wings were draped over their whithers, pulling them close as he consoled them their temporary loss of their plaything. Twilight could not see them, as they were not meant to be seen. Instead, the private gardens of the Topaz Queens was serving as a temporary respite for the besieged Alicorn princess. Her mind needed mending of its own accord before the experimentation could continue.

"I shall give her until my son arrives," the shapeshifted dragon said to them. "There are other things requiring my attention. She is not to leave the garden and the restraining collar must always remain upon her neck. Keep feeding her the medicated food." He pulled them tighter, using his magic to turn their faces to his. "Do I make myself clear? You shall have your darling little pet returned to you, but for now, his mother needs him. I want her mentally healthy and sound. He will speed the process of recovery."

"You are leaving us?" Tappis asked sadly, her pretty face suddenly mournful.

"You will not be gone long?" wondered Tappaz, mirroring her sister's visage perfectly.

Both sisters began kissing Flamespyre's neck, cooing and pleading with him to stay, giving him tender loving nuzzles. Tappis reached up an nibbled on the monster's ear. "Ladies," he said with a smile. "Your affection moves me. I shall return after I have completed business elsewhere. I shall return just before Silent Wing arrives upon your shores. You know how to welcome him and his friends, yes?"

"What of Draccaria?" they both asked, wondering. "Do you take our friend with you as well?" Tappaz rubbed his neck teasingly with her own.

"I need her to tie up a few loose ends in the Emerald Kingdom," he said to them. "Fear not, my beautiful queens. I would not dare to leave you without protection. Your kingdom and your rule of it is very important to me. My second eldest son is here. You have met him already."

"Him?" The both pulled back from their master, worried expressions on their lovely faces. "He is a strange one. His sense of humor is random. We do not understand him."

"But the children will love him!" chuckled Flamespyre, stroking both mares soothingly with his feathered wings. They trembled at his touch, bumping against him reverently. His one eye never left the scene of Twilight Sparkle and Star Journey, thinking them a lovely sight together. Pity it could not be.

"Why all of this?" asked both queens, each on miming the other perfectly as they swept a hoof to the garden. It was certainly much brighter than they had imagined. Most of the birds were not of this continent. Neither were upset. Rather, they found seeing plants and wildlife from the other side of the world quite exotic and beautiful. They were both curious.

"Part of the restoration process," Flamespyre said patiently, pleased they would take interest in his work. As much as he detested magic, it did have its uses, if even for just an elaborate illusion. "Just keep her in here and do not let her out. So long as she stays there, the illusion will hold. As I told you, keep her fed and happy and just let her enjoy her son for just a little while longer. Then I will return Star Journey to you and complete the last phase of mind alteration."

"Is it true you intend to take magic from us?" asked Tappis nervously.

The shape shifted dragon never broke his gaze from his prized Alicorn. "Only from my enemies and those who would argue against my world. Magic is far too ingrained in this planet to have it dispelled. Fear not, my beautiful queens. I promise you both will never be without your magic." He offered them each a smile, winning and sincere.

"Father, you wished to speak with me?" came a voice in the shadows.

Red on yellow eyes popped open, one slightly larger than the other as the speaker emerged from the shadows. A snaggle tooth in the shape of a triangle hung at the front of his mouth, his long face mounted by both a goat horn and a deer antler. The right arm was that of a lion's, the left an eagle. His right hind leg a lizard, the left a goat. Upon his back were the single wings of a Pegasus on one side and a bat's on the other. The chimera had the body of a snake and a red tail of a dragon, ending in a white tuft of hair. A short dark pony mane bristled up his back. The newcomer was met with uncertainty by the two monarchs and a warm smile by Flamespyre. It was the only draconequus in the world and the second eldest of Flamespyre's children.

"Discord," the dragon greeted through his Alicorn guise. "I trust you have made yourself at home."

"Oh," said the Lord of Chaos, "You know me and deserts, Father. Nothing but dry humor to be found everywhere you look."

"None of your antics, my son?" Flamespyre asked with some surprise.

The draconequues shrugged, not at all feeling the desire to being chaotic at that moment. He was busy focusing on Twilight Sparkle, a pony whom he had once considered an amusing foe, then the cause of his second downfall, and in later years, a goody-two-shoes foe he happened to enjoy teasing on occassion. In short: he liked her. Absently, he snapped his fingers, a flash of white and a pair of small pink clouds floated over the heads of Tappis and Tappaz. Tiny snakes began to rain on their heads, laughing.

Discord was not laughing when the two took off down the halls, screaming at the falling snakes now tangling into their manes.

"Problem, son?" asked the Dragonking curiously.

"Star Journey might be a chunky little spoiled brat," shrugged Discord with a dry smirk. "But nopony deserves to be mothered by those two. I am also not at all happy with what you did with those two children. That was simply awful to hear about."

"Pawns, my son. Nothing more than pawns."

The Lord of Chaos joined his father in watching Twilight Sparkle as if they were a pair of visitors looking at a zoo exhibit. The mare was washing her sleeping son happily with her tongue, him rolling on his back, giggling as he woke up. "As cruel and single minded as ever, I see," he noted. "Why am I here? You know I want nothing to do with what you are doing. I decided my own path long ago after you went to ground."

"Prophet is here."

Discord glared at his father. "Why?"

"Oblivion is nearly ready."

Shaking his head, the draconequus barked out a laugh. "Oh, that thing is still a thing for you? It's bad enough you spent thousands of years tweaking the mind of your youngest child who happens to be my youngest brother to the point where you had to split him into two parts and strip his power to wander the lay lines until a certain mare awakened it and became...well, no need to wax poetic the virtues of mangling your own children. Let's talk about the side effects of Nightmares and how much you need chocolate rain to lighten that sado-masochistic personality of yours!"

"ENOUGH!" roared the Shadowdragon, his voice shaking the very foundations of the stone the castle sat upon.

Twilight Sparkle looked up in her illusionary garden, her eyes a little frightened as she hugged Star Journey to her. The mare was so innocent, her magic locked, but indifferent to its existence within her. Life for her right now was just centered around her colt and she clutched his shivering form to her chest, shielding him with a wing.

"Keep him from speaking to the mare and the changeling princess, Atalanta. That is your only task for the next thirty days."

Discord glowered at the creature who sired him, loathing the thing he had nearly become himself. To think he had wanted to be like Flamespyre once! "As you wish."

"Do not disobey me, son."

"I will do as you ask, but no more." Father and son glared at each other before Discord disappeared in a flash of white light, his sense of humor and love for fun chaos having evaporated since coming into the presence of Flamespyre.

Flamespyre spent the next hour watching with a stone face a mother play with her child in sheer love and bliss, thinking of how he would have to eventually destroy Discord, his most mischievous and dangerous of his brood. Already the draconequus was far more powerful than even the one-eyed dragon could have ever imagined, surpassing him to levels boggling the laws of physics. Yet Discord stayed his power from obliterating the only being he truly hated above all things. Discord had become a part of the natural order and beyond even Flamespyre's considerable might. It was painfully obvious to the dragon the Spirit of Chaos was essentially a god and nigh unkillable, unlike Alicorns. Truly had Frankenstein created a perfect monster.

Thankfully, the answer to his problem was approaching and would be in Kahsoon soon enough.

Author's Note:

Quick update. Just needed to do a couple of tweaks to the chapter. Enjoy!

Comments

[Evowizard25]

Discord is the son of Flamespyre?....Well at least Flamespyre considers him a threat. Discord is pretty much the equivalent of a Greater Demon of Chaos. {Practically a god in their own right.}

And seeing how he acts, Discord is blessed by Tzeentch. So he should have some plans of his own.
denver.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw5485-Discord_just_as_planned.gif
{Also Dislestia...Just throwing it out there.}

And are you implying that Flamespyre is human or knows about humans? Humans caused the destruction of their world and thus created magic? AHH, bullfeathers. *pouts* I prefer my headcannon that Equestria is a daemon world in the warp...And that it staves off the ill effects.

Still, it's interesting. {Sorry, I apologize for the WH40k stuff. I tend to combine FIM and it a lot...they have a lot in common.}

[Scarheart]

3653532 Eh, it's not my firm head canon, but all this is just fun to write and I'm going with what the little voices in my head are telling me to do...most of the time.

For this story and universe, one could be convinced this is Earth in the distant future...say ten to twenty thousand years from now. Still, fiction is fiction and fantasy is still fun to play with!

[tankmanbrony]

I like where this story has gone, though I have a question why does Flamespyre hate magic. Also I take it Twilight is going to become the mother of the newest of Flamespyres brood.

[Razzy]

I can't wait to see everything collapse around Flamespyre.