Discord's been settling in, if you can call anything Discord does "settling", to life as Fluttershy's housemate. He's friends now with both Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, he's become an extraordinarily annoying second mentor for Twilight, he and Celestia are even making attempts to repair their old friendship. But what comes as close as Discord can get to "ordinary" life is haunted by a secret he's not willing to share with any of his new friends. He's been exiled from the Q Continuum because he's on trial. And there's a very significant chance they're going to take his powers away.
Crossover with Star Trek: The Next Generation, though don't expect to see much of the TNG characters or see the crew of the Enterprise interact with the ponies. Part of my "Next of Kin to Chaos" series, where Discord is Q. This is what happens immediately prior to and during the TNG episode "Deja Q" from the perspective of Discord's pony friends. Or, why would someone take refuge with "the closest thing" they have to a friend when they have actual friends they could go to instead?
A page for this series now exists: Next of Kin to Chaos
There is now a Progress Bar at my writing journal.
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Yes. Yes, he is. :-)
Wow, nicely done. I'm really enjoying it.
Discord is the best pony... dragon... goat. Oh you know what i mean.
Can't wait for the Terrible Doctor Twilight story. It can only be a success,
Psychology 101. You analyze the depths of the characters so well, and that is what keeps reeling me in for more. Nothing to say except, keep being brilliant.
This is by far the best writing for Discord that I´ve seen in Fimfiction, and the fact that you have been a fan of Q for a long time explains it, (I honestly have some serious Star Trek to watch sooner or later) and I just love so much the interactions between the characters that I would n´t mind at all if the story was only about that. But you went so much further than that and developed a whole psychological side to Discord that makes so much sense! I love it!
Your work is simply genius.
The amount of spin-off stories that could be made from this one alone is amazing.
Can't wait for every single one.
Two questions:
Can entropy becomes anything else?
What is "magic" in your canon? some kind of inner energy which level varies according to the specie and individual?
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Classically, no. Entropy is heat death. It's the dissipation of energy *and* order which produces a disordered but homogenized result (entropy is the force that makes your cold stuff warm and your warm stuff cold). If energy is infused into a substance that has suffered entropy, it is possible to return that substance to either a state of chaos or a state of order, but the force of entropy, itself, represents the energy running out and everything going to stasis. This is why, although both chaos and entropy represent states of disorder, I don't like treating them as synonyms; chaos does not result in homogenity, quite the opposite. Chaos results in constant change; once entropy wins, nothing will ever change again.
And magic in my Star Trek crossover stories is basically psionic energy, the same stuff that gives people occasional superpowers. Most worlds in Star Trek have very, very little available psionic energy, and *stuff* doesn't contain it, only sentient beings. On Equestria, psionic energy infuses everything, and large amounts of it must be controlled with rituals which tap into the collective unconscious, the psionic reservoir of the belief systems of all the sentient beings that ever lived on the planet. A lot of what unicorns and alicorns do is stuff they just plain *do*, and the strength and dexterity they have in doing them is dependent on their levels of energy, control and training, but Twilight messes with a lot of procedural magic, where there's a complex ritual to control large amounts of energy to accomplish weird shit.
The Q are made of psionic energy, though they can use it to create a matter-based body and inhabit that. The ponies, even the alicorns, are matter-based creatures who control psi, not beings made out of psi. This is why Discord is more powerful than anything else on the planet... but enough alicorns working together could actually take him down, which is one of the reasons he came here in the first place. Two isn't enough, but five might be.
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So, for example, griffons would need lengthy, communal, religious ritual (maybe directed by shamans/priests with some psionic affinity) to accomplish what talented unicorns like Twiligth or Sunset Shimmer could perform by themselves with some effort and quick concentration, right?
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Most likely, yes. Ditto earth ponies or pegasi, who'd be in the same position as griffons; they're infused with some degree of power but have no inherent ability to control it, except maybe to channel it into a natural talent. So they'd also have to use ritual magic.
That would be You Can't Do That On Television!, a TV show aired on Nickelodeon in the 1980s and early 90s.
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10 points!
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Excellent!
...What do I do with them?
I'll go out on a limb and say the magic school bus. I loved that show. Awesome tastic story by the way.
I'm really enjoying the world building you've got going on here. There's just enough lack of STNG to almost forget that this is a DisQord story rather than just a Reformed!Discord story, but I expect that will pick up eventually. I am somewhat curious as to the timeline in comparison to STNG and if we'll be seeing the crew of the Enterprise at some point, but so far we're good without them.
Also, I definitely enjoyed the thing on Chaos/Order/Entropy. I'll have to copy that for myself when I get my computer fixed. As well, I perked up at the reference to Koschei, considering he's the Big Bad from my favourite book ("Firebird" by Mercedes Lackey). I think I'll re-read it while my computer's being fixed up...
Can't wait to read more (eventually)!
EDIT: Just read the whole of the summary. That answers pretty much all of my questions from the first paragraph.
So this is both a Star Trek cross with Doctor Who?
Awesome! Maybe...At least kinda awesome...
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Not really, it's just a throwaway reference. I have no idea what Dr. Whooves is up to at the time this story takes place, but you know, he's always got something going on. :-)
I do love your seamless merging of two such disparate genres from the sole thread of a singular voice actor.
"Ten points to anyone who knows the ref for the bit with Discord taking kids on science trips."
It's a Magic School Bus reference.
I loved that show as a kid, and I have an appreciation for it now, being a Whovian.
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Hmm. A Whovian who liked Magic School Bus? So what do you think, is Ms. Frizzle a Time Lady and Liz her companion, or what? :-)
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If Ms. Frizzle isn't a Time Lady, then something is VERY wrong with the Universe.
While I've enjoyed the other stories in this series you've got going immensely, I think this one here is where you're Discord really shines, even if I don't know a thing about Star Trek. Mostly I think because it's long enough to contain something other than talking, but, more than that, it's the sheer variety in this selection of words that really works. This is very much slice-of life done right. I don't really have anything to say here, other than please keep going.
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Hmm, where have I heard this before? One moment. ...Ah, yes, here we go, Ms. Frizzle as a Time Lady, knew I had one of those bookmarked somewhere. Enjoy.
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Thank you for that fic! It was an enjoyable read.
"Carrot" (Arnold): "Please let this be a normal field trip."
Rest of the class: "With the Friz? No way!"
~Intro song begins~
I'm too lazy to go to Youtube and grab the intro.
I really love the world and back stories you've built with these AU/Crossover fics. They have been a really joy to read and I must say you do such a fantastic job writing for all the characters. I can't wait to read more!
I do believe I caught a reference here. One to a very good story.
In any case, this is a fantastic story. I do love a good DisQord fic, and this is a very good DisQord fic. Eagerly looking forward to more.
And remember, in Soviet Bearussia, party throws you.
Discord as The Frizz?
But Ms Frizzle is a Time Lord, not a zany spirit.
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How is a Time Lord not a zany spirit?
Ok, most of them aren't, but you gotta agree, the Frizz is definitely one of the ones that is.
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Wow. Well... that is a thing. I'm... frankly amazed; this is not one of my more popular fics.
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It certainly is quite the pleasant surprise, hm? Discord as Q has become more and more popular these days.
Twilight has the power to cut off a Q from the Continuum.
And they thought humans were scary.
Of course, it could be that other Q don't use the same frequency as DisQord and her spell is only going work on him, but that doesn't mean she wouldn't be able to modify it to work on the others.
This could spell Bad Things for Equestria.
Koschei is also another name for The Doctor's longest time rival: The Master.
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Oh, they've known for some time how badass the ponies might be; Discord was sent to Equestria in the first place because Alicorns are Lesser Powers (entities that the Q recognize as primitive people rather than pets; Lesser Powers are acknowledged as fully sapient and have rights within the Continuum legal structure.) They're unaging and have vast psionic power, but they're still bound to bodies made of matter -- Gary Mitchell would have been a Lesser Power, which is why humans are interesting and potentially dangerous, and by the same token, why ponies are interesting and potentially dangerous.
After all, Twilight's ability to temporarily cut a Q off from the Continuum pales in comparison to the ability that ordinary, not-particularly-magical ponies who bond with a Q expert system that was installed on Equestria millennia ago and has gone native possess, to bind a Q in solid matter, like the way they imprison their own criminals in comets.
The Enterprise crew don't know it, but the Q are actually vulnerable to stun weapons if they're not paying attention. If they aren't defending themselves and get knocked unconscious, and they're in a true avatar (physically incarnate rather than manipulating a puppet body), they can actually lose consciousness and be rendered helpless, and then anything that disrupts psionic ability could be used on them to keep them from contacting the Continuum. Of course, if they are paying attention, it's almost impossible to take out a Q, but Discord is really bad at paying attention sometimes.
So this stunt may impress them, but they won't nuke Equestria because of it. They may at some point send another agent to observe, because Discord's obviously emotionally compromised.
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Yes, but that's a coincidence. Koschei/The Master is named for/may possibly have been the mythic Koschei the Deathless, a character from Russian mythology. Koschei the bear is an MLP adaptation of the same character. I suppose it's possible that when the Bearussians overthrew Koschei, he regenerated into a pony and now he's living in Equestria as the fan-made Master counterpart to Dr. Whooves, since the Doctor exists in this universe as well. Since Discord didn't know Koschei had even been overthrown, he wouldn't know about that.
That being said I suspect that the Master is too grim and humorless a character to be my Koschei, who got drunk with Discord, after all. I can't see the Master getting drunk with Discord, or anyone, can you?
I just finished rereading everything you have here. Everything, And let me say that your characterization of everyone is delightful. Any of your storylines, and individual stories are great and elaborate. Shame that some of then were incomplete.
i just wanted to say that. And thank you for taking your time to write this story and the others you wrote, and for letting me read them.
I would usually try to leave some constructive criticism or not post at all, so sorry if this feels like empty praise, but after devouring all your storys in one sitting, saying thank you felt like a necessity.
Hope you don't mind, but a stream of consciousness dribbled onto my keyboard:
Discord's prediction on the pony reaction to humanity is especially amusing given what's going on in the next timeline over with (shudder) Anon.
She's learning.
I have to love this. Yes, Dash thinks Discord is a jerk. He is the jerkiest jerk-hearted Jerklord to ever prepare Jamaican cuisine. But he's Fluttershy's friend, and—to a very limited extent—he is Dash's friend as well. So when it seems that he was kidnapped by shapeshifters, her first thought is to call them out, kick their butts, and go look for him, because that's who she is.
Allen wrenches, gerbil feeders, toilet seats, electric heaters...
Also, points to Pinkie for tagging Discord during the prize showcase. But, of course, the only rules that matter are the ones that he makes up, because Q. (And those Fluttershy insists on, because Discord.) Still, strategery won the day.
Fluttershy's ability to tease Discord is glorious. That she isn't just able to needle him but is comfortable enough with him to do so says so much.
The dissertation on different species' magic was very, very Twilight, as was how she determined how to disable the connection to the Continuum. There are few more terrifying things than that little purple pony when she puts her mind to it. At least, until she sees the consequences of her actions.
In all, great stuff. A wonderful, somewhat surreal slice of life as Discord waits for the hammer to fall. Looking forward to more, especially how it all goes wrong.
See, I know I'm meant to be taking it literally, but now I just want to read a story where Pinkie gets completely drunk as a skunk. 'Cuz Screwdrivers and Hammers are both alcoholic drinks
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Actually you're not supposed to take it literally, I just didn't know hammers were a real drink. My kids provided me the list (I'd give them one or two to start and they'd riff on it), and they wanted hammers and drills, but I thought that was too much. Now I think I should have gone with that. :-) But yes, the screwdrivers in question were drinks. (This is Discord, after all, and we've already established in an earlier chapter that alcohol in Equestria is a thing in this universe.)
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Welp!
Then by coincidence you totally got a real thing! A Hammer is a cocktail made from 3 oz of Malibu, 2 oz of Peach Schnapps, and 2 oz of 7up. It's good, but best not to drink more than one an hour.
dude. not cool.
wow. I forgot bout the little red hen
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I could see John Simm's Master doing it. Maybe. If he was in a really good mood.
Ursoviet Union...*facepalm*
Like with Hit Me, this is an amazing character piece and you really seem adept at delving into Discord's character. Hope to see more soon.
Ok, so, I've never watched Star Trek Next Gen simply because A: It started the same year I was born and B: I couldn't speak english until I was like 5 so even if I watched it as a toddler I wouldn't have understood it. I still have not watched it simply because it never came up and now I kinda want to but I don't want to because I'm so attached to Discord that seeing Q is gonna screw with my sense of reality and mind-blow me too much to enjoy the show. (My loss I guess)
So with THAT disclaimer out of the way; I'm truly enjoying this a great amount.
You really blow me away with your depiction of Discord. Your ability to weave his utter insane ideas and creativity is really really well done. I wish I could do it as well as you do (granted I haven't had much opportunity to do so in my story, but still.) But more impressively is how you seem to make it come across so naturally and make it look easy. Which, to me at least, it's not.
I find sometimes when people write or draw Discord's little brain-farts, it can come across as contrived and fake. here it feels completely fluid and natural as just a cause and effect thingy or whatever (it's really late while I type this)
So I'm really super envious and loving your skill here. Characters are absolutely spot on so much so that there isn't even really even a point to pointing it out (if you get what you mean)
Anyway, I just wanted to mention that. I'm gonna keep running with this one despite not knowing Star trek or anything like that, because chapters like this one make it 10 times worth the effort.
One down, more of your fics to go, although honestly this might be one of my favourites so far. But I have to ask, even though I don't like to ask these questions usually, what plans do you have for The Terrible Tale of Doctor Twilight? Because we already know how it goes but it sounds like a great story and I love seeing Discord get all defensive.
3952777 Cruzn' down on main street...
*sniff* but... but... mah OTP!!!
LOL
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Discord is Q in this series, and Q has a type, and Fluttershy is not it. At the moment he's not looking for a romantic involvement with anyone in Equestria, or on their planet. But Fluttershy is his best friend, and right now is the only being in the universe he truly considers a friend.
I ship Discord and Fluttershy, sorta, along with various other Discord ships because he's not monogamous, in my other Discord fics that aren't in this particular story arc.
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I will get back to it eventually, but it's low priority on the update schedule right now.