The Hatchling

by Dafaddah

Chapter 4: Secrets and Sins

Stormblast was still saluting as Princess Celestia left the courtyard of Canterlot Castle, no doubt bound for her apartments. He and the other guard, a young kid with the ridiculous name of Eagle Badge, saluted Captain Sentry, and then set to stowing the chariot away for the next time her majesty needed it. They were experienced working as a team so the whole process hardly took more than a few minutes, and then they were officially off-duty.

They helped each-other remove and stow their armour, reverting to their normal colors when they removed the guard plastron with its uniform enchantment. It was funny how the captain was the only pony known to be immune to the plastron’s magical effect. Apparently it had been the source of much ribbing before the Captain moved up to his current rank. Of course nopony now dared to mention it.

Stormblast was a cloudy grey of coat, with a darker grey mane and tale. He was rather nondescript, as far as ponies went, which suited him just fine normally, and even better on nights like tonight. He begged-off going to the tavern with Badger, claiming to be feeling his age. The stallion laughed and waved as he trotted off.

No, he had other business tonight. Far more important than going drinking with some kid. Tonight he had something to report for the first time since the death of the foe.

He got there via a circuitous route, making sure that he hadn’t been followed. Finally he saw his destination, a rather non-descript door in an older, slightly shabby part of town. He gave the secret knock: one, three, one, and waited. The door cracked open, and he entered.

An old unicorn mare that looked to be as far ahead of him in years as he was ahead of the kid, levitated a candle aloft and led him inside, walking with a cane. They went up a narrow stairway, and on the second landing passed through a heavy oak door into a large room that held several dozen ponies. He was surprised at what he saw in the light of the huge chandelier that hung from the high ceiling. Almost everypony was here!

The mare extinguished her candle and led him to the center of the room. She tapped her cane on the floor.

“Brothers and sisters,” she called out in a strong voice, “our patient vigil is coming to an end. Our brother in the castle has seen the chaos orb with his own eyes.” She gestured for him to give his report.

“It’s true!” he said, causing several ponies to gasp. “The orb was found in a farmer’s fields near Ponyville, where Chaos last resided. Princess Celestia became aware of it and we conveyed her to the site.”

“So then surely it was taken into custody!” said a stallion’s voice.

Stormblast shook his head. “I’m afraid it was not,” he said. The room became very quiet.

“So what did the princess do with it?” asked the old mare. “Did she destroy it?”

Again, he shook his head. “No,” he said. “She gave it into the care of one of the Element Bearers, Kindness, if I recall.”

“You say she gave it into the care of the Element Bearer. For what purpose?”

He swallowed, having a hard time to believe what he had himself witnessed. “She intends to let the egg hatch, and to raise Chaos as she would a foal.”

A cacophony of voices broke out, with several questions being shouted at the same time. Stormblast couldn’t make neither heads nor tails of the confusion until the old mare again tapped her cane and shouted loudly, amplifying her voice. “Quiet!” she called. “This is supposed to be the Order of Harmony!”

Under her baleful glare the hubbub died. She turned her gaze to Stormblast.

“Do you know where where they took the orb?”

“Yes,” he said, and swallowed. What he was about to do was edging awful close to treason. But then he steeled himself. To do otherwise was to betray Harmony itself. “The egg sits unguarded in the cottage of Lady Fluttershy, and could very easily be taken from her.”

A murmur spread through the room. The old mare tapped her cane a single time and the noise faded.

“Then we know what we must do,” she said. “The orb must be brought into our custody, and permanently sealed. The Lord of Chaos shall not be born again!”

The room shook as every pony in the room began repeating the call of the order while rhythmically stomping their hoofs on the floor. “The Lord of Chaos shall not be born again! The Lord of Chaos shall not be born again! The Lord of Chaos shall not be born again!...”

Stormblast stood tall as he too kept chanting the words, reassured of the rightness of their cause. His expression was grim, for he harboured no doubts that he would be the one honored to lead the order in action.

---

It was barely a week after the egg had been discovered that it happened. The first one to notice something was amiss was Angel Bunny.

Fluttershy had been outside cleaning the chicken coop when the distraught rabbit entered it and demanded her attention by drumming a hind foot loudly on the floor. The moment she looked at him he burst from the coop and hopped back to the cottage at full speed.

Fluttershy arrived a moment later, and screamed in horror when she saw the empty blanket in the box that had formerly contained Discord’s egg.

---

The Friendship Rainbow Castle’s throne room was mostly used for ceremonial purposes. The girls and Spike generally preferred to meet in more relaxed environments. Today though it was a scene of tears and multiple ponies coming and going as dispatches were exchanged with Canterlot, and everypony took turns trying to reassure a despondent Fluttershy as she alternately wept and retreated into a shell of silence.

There was a loud burping noise accompanied by a flash of light.

Twilight called her friends to attention. “Everypony! Pipe down! We’ve just got a dispatch from Princesses Celestia and Luna.”

Spike wiped his mouth and handed Twilight the scroll that had materialized from his fiery expectoration. It unfurled as it levitated in her magical field. She read it aloud.

Dear Twilight and friends,

We are very saddened to hear of the news of the disappearance of Discord’s egg. We are at presently mobilizing the resources at our disposal to as quickly as possible determine its whereabouts and return it safely into the custody of the Bearer of the Element of Kindness. Until then, please expect a dispatch every few hours with our progress. Please also keep us in the loop of any developments from Ponyville.

As a first contribution to this collaborative effort, please be advised that our Royal Intelligence Service is aware of and tracking the activities of groups that have in the past expressed extreme views in regards to the activities of Discord, including after his reform. We recommend you keep a wary lookout for any sign of their presence in Ponyville, and ask that you report to us any unusual ponies or unexplained activities in your domain.

Also, please convey our sincere feelings to Fluttershy, as well as our confidence that Discord’s egg will soon be back in her care.

Sincerely,

Princesses Celestia and Luna

Twilight looked towards her weeping friend. “Don’t worry, Fluttershy. No expense is being spared to find Discord’s egg. And with all of us working together, it should be sooner rather than later. Right girls?”

The Element Bearers all echoed their reassurances each in her own way, except for one mare, who held back and got a certain squinty yet determined look in her blue eyes. Suddenly, she was coiffed in a Deerstalker hat and clenched a Meershaum pipe between her teeth. A large pink soap bubble emerged from the bowl of the pipe and rose at a stately pace towards the ceiling. With a toss of a foreleg, the mare wrapped herself in a travelling cloak, and sank into the shadows.

Spike raised a claw to shade his eyes. The massive chandelier above them had suddenly caught several rose coloured bubbles in its branches. He scanned the throne room. “Hey,” he called out. “Has anypony seen Pinkie Pie?”

Comments

[StormWindows]

They helped each-other remove and stow their armour, reverting to their normal colors when they removed the guard plastron with its uniform enchantment. It was funny how the captain was the only pony known to be immune to the plastron’s magical effect. Apparently it had been the source of much ribbing before the Captain moved up to his current rank. Of course nopony now dared to mention it.

I see what you did there. ;)