Project: Transcendence

by Bluecatcinema

Lazy Day

The next day, the crew of the S.S. Cherryblossom gathered in the galley for breakfast.

"So, how much longer are we going to be hanging around here for?" Eclipse asked.

"Yeah, don't get me wrong, it's great up here and everything, but I'm starting to get a little homesick." Huckleberry agreed.

"Me too." Globe sighed. "I'm really missing ma's cherry pies."

"Relax, young un's." Big Red smiled. "We won't be here fer too much longer. ...Right, folks?"

"Right." Shine nodded. "You kids aren't the only one who are missing home, you know."

"And the family at home." Daring smiled wistfully.

"First thing I'm gonna do when we get back is give Hurri and Mikey the biggest hug ever." Caboose pledged.

"But for now, I think we could find the nicest spot on the sanctuary, and just relax." Shine suggested. "Get our batteries all recharged before we head for home."

"Great idea." Daring smiled. "We could ask Isis where the best relaxation spot on the island is, then head there right away."

"Love it." Caboose grinned. "I bet you can get a great tan, way up here."

"I could use some time to stretch the old wings." Eclipse mused.

"You and me both, kid." Shine chuckled.

"I just want to lie back and relax." Globe smiled. "Have a nice, lazy day."

"That's the spirit." Big Red chuckled.

After finishing breakfast, they exited the ship, finding Discord sitting in a tree.

"Morning, all." Discord smiled.

"Morning, big D." Caboose smiled. "How are things with you and Isis? You ask her yet? About you and her being all... y'know? Locking coils? Snout to snout? Know what I mean?"

"Not just yet." Discord shook his head, "And I don't even know what half of what you said even means."

"Still?" Huckleberry snorted. "What are you, chicken?"

"Chicken?!" Discord scowled, briefly turning into a chicken, letting a angry bawk before turning back to normal, stating sternly. "I assure you, I am not chicken. I am just taking it slow."

"You sure you wanna do that with Isis?" Caboose asked. "The whole point of us coming here was for you to make a love connection, remember?"

"We have to reconnect as friends first." Discord explained. "You saw how angry she was about me disappearing all those years ago! If I came in, talking about wanting to court her, she might react violently and I'd end up losing her... for good this time. I don't want to ruin everything because I want a mate!"

"Easy, Discord, we get ya..." Big Red soothed.

"Sometimes, it pays to go slow." Daring shrugged.

"And sometimes, it can be really hard." Shine frowned, remembering his own experiences with Celestia.

"Yeah, but what if she ends up friendzoning ya?" Huckleberry asked. "If she has no idea you're into her like that, you will only ever be a friend to her."

"The kid has a good point." Caboose admitted. "I mean, I had a friend who tried to take it slow with this one girl... and she ended up sleeping with a zebra constantly and repeatedly, right in his face..." He shook his head. "Poor Brian..."

"Well to be honest, I don't think I have to worry about something like that happening." Discord pointed out. "Isis and Osiris are the last of their kind, remember?"

"The friendzone thing could still happen, though." Eclipse declared.

"Maybe." Discord shrugged. "But if I act too soon, everything could be ruined. I can't risk losing Isis. Not after I just got her back."

"Speakin' a' which, where is the lovely gal?" Big Red asked. "We got sumthin' of a locale question ta ask her."

"She just went off to grab some breakfast." Discord told him. "She should be back soon."

Mere moments after Discord spoke, Isis flew down towards them, carrying some fruit in her coils.

"Here we are." She smiled at Discord. "Some nice, juicy Freon fruit. Freshly ripe and grown within a matter of moments... a fringe benefit of being the Deity of Life..." She then noticed the others. "Oh, hey guys."

"Good morning, Isis." Shine waved.

"They have a... 'locale question' to ask you." Discord told her.

"More questions, huh?" Isis smiled wryly.

"Jest the one." Big Red declared. "Namely, where's the best place on this island ta jest hang back and relax?"

"Oh, that's an easy one." Isis chuckled. "Over in the east is this little grove. It's a really beautiful and quiet place, perfect for relaxing. And I should know, I've used it enough times."

"Thanks, Isis." Daring smiled.

"Happy to help." Isis grinned. "You guys just enjoy yourselves there."

"That's the plan." Caboose nodded.

"Thanks for the intel." Daring grinned.

"No problem." Isis smiled.

"And what is this?"

The sky turned black for a mere moment as Osiris descended upon the airship.

"What were you just talking about?" Osiris demanded, as he glared at his sister, "Isis, are you spilling more secrets to the outsiders?"

"No, actually." Isis scowled. "I'm just telling them about the best place to hang out and relax in."

"I see." Osiris glared. "I wasn't aware our private sanctuary had turned into a resort."

"Oh, lighten up, big O." Discord snickered. "Surely there's no harm in our pony friends just lying around, doing nothing..."

"No, but it's the principle that matters." Osiris retorted.

"Principal?" Discord flashed on a suit. "I didn't know you went to school! Hey, what's your alma mater? Maybe we had the same classes!"

"Can't you ever be serious?" Osiris glared, as he muttered, "It's like talking to a child."

"Sorry, not in my job description." Discord snickered, flashing back to normal.

"So, am I to understand you have no objections to our guests having some relaxation time?" Isis asked.

"No... I guess not." Osiris frowned. "As long as they're not actually doing something shady, I supposed it couldn't hurt."

"Thank you, your magnificence." Shine bowed.

"Your gratitude is... much appreciated." Osiris said grudgingly. "And Isis, I imagine you'll be spending the day with Discord again?"

"Perhaps." Isis said teasingly. "Why, do you have a problem with that?"

"...No, not a at all." Osiris shook his head, his teeth gritting. "Just... try to stay out of trouble."

"Trouble's my middle name." Discord smirked. "Or it would be, if I even had a last name..."

"What, you don't trust me?" Isis asked.

"Of course I trust you." Osiris stated, before glaring at Discord. "It's him that I'm worried about..."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Discord growled.

"Do you even have to ask?" Osiris sneered. "Considering you're the Spirit of Chaos, I'd say that makes you unpredictable and untrustworthy by design."

"Osiris!" Isis yelled.

"Prejudiced, much?" Discord snorted. "You can't judge somepony by their breed. Or is it just you who's the exception, Mr Death Deity?"

"I don't judge by breed, I judge by actions." Osiris shot back. "And your actions leave a lot to be desired."

"Just back off, Osiris." Isis groaned.

"Look big fella, I get the whole 'overprotective brother' thing." Discord declared. "But you have nothing to worry about."

"Just remember, your continued presence on this island is only at my behest, and I will not stand for any trouble from you. Try and behave yourself." Osiris muttered, taking off into the sky once more.

"Ooh, I love you too." Discord joked, blowing a kiss in his direction.

"Don't let him get to you." Isis declared. "He's always been overprotective. He just... needs to get used to the idea of you being around."

"Either way, I won't hold my breath." Discord said sourly.

"Well, we'll be off to this grove then." Daring declared.

"You two have fun, doing... whatever you'll be doing." Caboose smiled, before whispering to Discord. "Like we all don't already know..."

"What does he mean?" Isis asked.

"Oh, um, nothing." Discord said shiftily. "He's just joking around! That Caboose is something else..."

"If you say so." Isis shrugged. "So, what shall we do today?"

"Well, since everypony's relaxing, what do you say we go in a different direction?" Discord suggested.

"Like what?" Isis asked.

"A race." Discord turned into a bird once more, only this time retaining his size.

"Seriously?" Isis frowned.

"Why not?" Discord shrugged. "Come on, it'll be fun!"

"Fun, yes, but I doubt it'll be fair." Isis smirked. "I'm a much better flyer than you."

"Oh, please." Discord snickered. "If I could outfly your brother, I think I can outfly you."

"Oh, yeah?" Isis smirked. "You're on. Once around the island." She scratched an X in the ground with her claw. "Whoever gets to this spot first wins."

They took their positions.

"May the best flyer win." Discord smiled.

"Oh, I will." Isis boasted.

"And... go!" Discord flashed up a starting gun, which went off.

The two took off into the sky, Discord's wings flapping, Isis' coils undulating. Discord was slightly in the lead.

"Not bad, little bird!" Isis teased.

"What can I say?" Discord smirked. "You just can't beat a good pair of wings!"

"We'll see about that!" Isis chuckled, putting on more speed. She passed by Discord

"Oh, is the warm-up over?" Discord grinned. "Good. Now the real race can begin!"

Discord took on a burst of speed of his own, matching Isis.

"Nice of you to join me." Isis joked. "I was starting to get lonely!"

"And you will again... when I take first place!" Discord taunted.

"In your dreams!" Isis retorted.

The two laughed heartily as they flew around the sanctuary.

Meanwhile, the others reached the grove. It was a lush, beautiful place, filled with dazzling golden flowers, trees filled with juicy looking fruits, and a small stream nearby.

"Wow." Daring gasped. "This place is gorgeous."

"It sure is..." Globe looked around. "And it has food!"

"Boy, it's too bad getting here's so hard." Huckleberry declared. "Because this would be the perfect place to bring my dates..."

"Well, it sure is the perfect place ta relax." Big Red chuckled, lying down on the grass.

"Relax? Nah." Eclipse smirked. "I came here to stretch my wings. Hey Shine, wanna come with?"

"Well..." Shine mused.

"Come on, yer highness." Big Red chuckled. "Don't tell us all yer royal duties ain't sapped yer flyin' skills?"

"Heh, doodie." Caboose snickered.

"Why, Ah remember when ya wuz one a' the fastest flyers in Dodge Junction." Big Red grinned.

"Whoa, really?" Eclipse gaped.

"Darm tootin'." Big Red nodded. "Fer a while there, we wuz all convinced his Cutie Mark would have sumthin' ta do with flyin'... But we know better now, huh?"

"True, I was a pretty good flyer." Shine admitted. "But that was a while ago. I really haven't had the chance to stretch the ol' wings like I used."

"Like they need stretching." Caboose snickered. "The Golden Phoenix supersized those things!"

"No kidding." Daring agreed. "Any bigger, and you'll whip up windstorms every time you take off."

"Very funny." Shine rolled his eyes. "Though I will admit, these larger wings have come in useful. They've really increased my speed and range..."

"No joke." Big Red smiled. "Ah've seen Wonderbolts that ain't as fast as you."

"Okay, now you have to fly with me." Eclipse urged Shine. "Come on... bro?"

"Playing the family card, huh?" Shine chuckled.

"Come on, Shine." Big Red urged. "Show Eek some of yer old moves."

"Well, I guess I have a few tricks I can still pull off..." Shine admitted. "Okay, let's go."

"Awesome." Eclipse grinned.

"Just try and keep up." Shine teased.

The two both took off into the sky, starting off by going as high as they could.

"Nice acceleration, kid." Shine smiled. "To be honest, I've never gone wing-to-wing with a Griffon before."

"And I've never flown with a pony." Eclipse nodded.

"Then this should be pretty educative for the both of us." Shine grinned. "You know how to barrel roll?"

"Please." Eclipse snorted. "Learned that trick practically my first day in the air."

"Then let's see what you've got." Shine smirked.

"Challenge accepted." Eclipse grinned.

They both started diving downwards, spinning as they did. Down below, the others watched.

"Well, look at that." Big Red smiled. "Two a' mah boys, sharin' the skies..."

"They're really not getting the concept of a 'lazy day' are they?" Huckleberry yawned as he lay on the grass, tipping his hat over his eyes.

"To each, his own." Globe shrugged, picking some fruit with magic.

"Yeah." Daring nodded, nuzzling against Caboose. "If that's how they want to spend the day, I say go for it."

"And this how we want to spend the day." Caboose kissed Daring.

"Yuck, old people love." Huckleberry cringed.

"Watch it, kid." Daring glared. "We're not that old."

"Please, you're like... Big Red's age!" Huckleberry snorted.

"Not even close." Caboose sniggered. "We've still got some youth in us yet."

"An' anyways, what's wrong with bein' mah age?" Big Red glared at Huckleberry.

"...Nothing, pa." Huckleberry cringed.

"Yer darn tootin' nuthin'." Big Red nodded. "Growin' old ain't sumthin' ta be ashamed of. It's practically a badge a' honor."

Meanwhile, Eclipse was following Shine in his manoeuvers, executing loop-de-loops and spirals with ease.

"Nice moves, kiddo." Shine grinned. "You really know your stuff."

"This is great!" Eclipse smiled. "I've... never really had somepony to fly with before."

"Well, you do, now, little brother." Shine declared. "If you ever want to have a flight together, give me a call."

"Nah, I couldn't." Eclipse shook his head. "You've got your own family..."

"And they'd be happy to join us." Shine said supportively. "I know Miracle would love to fly with her new uncle..."

"Uncle..." Eclipse chuckled. "It wasn't so long ago that it was just me and my brothers. Now I've got a new dad, a new mom, a new brother, a new sister, and a niece and nephew."

"That's life." Shine smiled. "You never know where it'll take you. I never thought I'd end up married to Celestia, but here I am."

"And here we are, on a magical floating island in the middle of Faust-knows where." Eclipse chuckled. "Sure didn't see that coming..."

"Me neither." Shine grinned. "Now, you up for another run?"

"Try and stop me." Eclipse smirked.

The two flyers went into another run of tricks, while the other watched from below, cheering them on.

Meanwhile, Discord and Isis was nearing the end of their race. The starting point was in sight, and they were jockeying for position.

"Get ready to eat my tail feathers!" Discord boasted.

"Not today, birdie boy!" Isis sneered.

As they neared the finish, Isis nudged Discord lightly, knocking him off course.

"So that's how it's gonna be, huh?" Discord sneered.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Isis fibbed.

"Suit yourself." Discord nudged her back.

"Hey!" Isis snorted.

"What?" Discord said innocently. "I didn't do anything."

The two started nudging each other, laughing merrily. As they neared the ground, they were more interested in their playful shoving match to notice. Suddenly, they crushed, tumbled across the dirt. Discord flashed back to his true form along the way. As they came to a stop, the realised that Isis was sprawled across Discord, her face on his fuzzy chest.

"Oh, sorry." Isis said awkwardly.

"No problem." Discord hid a blush. "Boy, that was quite a finish, wasn't it?"

"It sure was." Isis chuckled. "I think it was a tie."

"I don't know, I think my antler passed the mark first." Discord insisted.

"Not before my snout." Isis retorted.

The two glared at each other for a minute... then burst out laughing.

"Oh, this has all been so great." Isis sighed. "I always missed you, Discord. I just didn't realize how much."

"Thanks, Isis." Discord smiled. "I guess I forgot how much fun we could have together."

"Yeah, those were good times." Isis grinned.

"Speaking of old times, might I ask why you never told me about your entire race going extinct?" Discord asked, becoming serious. "Sore subject, was it?"

"Kind of." Isis shrugged. "I wanted to tell you, but could never find the right time to bring it up..."

"If I'd only known, I'd... well, to be honest, it probably wouldn't have made a difference." Discord shrugged. "I was more than a little self-absorbed back then. Knowing probably wouldn't have stopped me from leaving. Boy, I was such a jerk back then."

"Maybe a little." Isis said charitably. "But you were a lot of fun. Without you, my life would have been so boring. And now you're back, ready to liven it up again."

"That I am." Discord nodded. "And this time, I won't abandon you." He muttered under his breath. "No matter what your brother says..."

"What was that?" Isis asked.

"Nothing." Discord said quickly. "You know, I was such a vain egomaniac back then that I never understood the beauty in other things. It wasn't until recently that I came to realize what a beautiful creature you are."

"Oh... you really think so?" Isis blushed.

"I do." Discord nodded. "I never truly realize it before, but I do know now."

"Wow..." Isis smiled. "...What exactly happened to you, anyway? What brought on this big change?"

"It's a long story." Discord shrugged.

"I've got nothing but time." Isis smiled.

"Fair enough." Discord flashed up his reading chair. "I went to Equestria, planning to make it the "Chaos capital" of the world, but was defeated and turned to stone Princess Celestia and Princess Luna and their 'Elements of Harmony'."

"Stone?" Isis gasped. "But petrification is an immortals' second weakness..."

"Tell me about it..." Discord nodded. "For a thousand years, I was petrified. Sure, at first, it wasn't a big deal, I was practically singing while they did it... but then it became so boring after the first hundred years. It wasn't till three little fillies got into some fight in front of me that I finally managed to break free."

"A thousand years, trapped in stone..." Isis mused. "Now I feel bad about being so mad at you for being gone for all those years. You couldn't help it."

"In fairness, you didn't know." Discord shrugged. "Besides, I sorta deserved it. Though I had this wicked itch that drove me crazy for a few decades."

"I guess you could call it... what's that term ponies use?" Isis wondered. "Karma?"

"That's the one." Discord nodded. "And boy did I get a dose of it. Just not enough to learn my lesson..."

"So, what happened after you broke free?" Isis asked.

"Well, I tried to pick up where I left off. And Celestia sicked six mares on me to try and stop me with the Elements of Harmony." Discord explained.

"Wait, so you tried again?" Isis raised a brow.

"Not only tried, I almost succeeded." Discord scoffed. "Those mares were a tenacious bunch, but it was nothing a little chaos magic couldn't fix... unfortunately, 'friendship' was something I didn't account for, and before I knew it, I was stuck in a rock again."

"So you were beaten twice?" Isis frowned. "By a bunch of girls?"

"Yes, yes I was." Discord growled, still a little sore about those times.

"So how did you escape the second time?" Isis asked.

"I didn't." Discord admitted. "I was released on Princess Celestia's orders. She hoped I could use my powers for good. I scoffed at the idea at first. I mean, Celestia took no precautions for what I could do. There was the Elements of course, but I wasn't going to let that stop me. I was about ready to give my 'world domination' thing a third try..."

"Really? What stopped you?" Isis asked.

"A single pony." Discord smiled. "A pony who showed what friendship is. A pony who showed me kindness, and helped me see the error of my ways. Her name is Fluttershy."

"'Her', huh?" Isis frowned.

"Yes." Discord nodded. "Thanks to her, I understood what having a friend truly meant. If it weren't for her, I probably would never have sought you out again."

"So it's because of this 'Fluttershy' that you turned things around?" Isis asked.

"More or less." Discord shrugged. "I'll admit, there were some... stumbles along the way." He thought with a shudder of the Tirek incident. "But thanks to her, I integrated with the very pony society I once sought to enslave. I made more friends, watched as Fluttershy found love, and even became an 'uncle' to her daughters. She really is an amazing pony, you know"

"I'm sure she's wonderful." Isis gritted her teeth, not liking the adoring look in Discord's eyes.

"Why, Isis." Discord smirked. "You're not jealous, are you?"

"What?!" Isis snorted. "Of course not! Like I'd be jealous of some mortal pony..."

"You shouldn't be." Discord told her. "You can have more than one friend, you know. I learned that one a while back."

"But not all friends are as amazing as you." Isis pointed out.

"True." Discord smirked. "And not all friends are as wonderful as you. I really am glad I found you again, Isis."

Discord placed his paw on Isis' shoulder. The ivory serpent smiled widely.

"Here's to friends." She pulled Discord in for a hug. "Old and new."

"I'll second that." Discord rubbed his paw on her back, elated by the close contact they shared.

Unbeknownst to them, Osiris was watching from nearby. The ebony Serpent snarled as he noticed the bodily contact, as the vegetation around him began to decay once more. A Spectrawing nearby immediately dropped dead as it flew by him.

"I've had just about enough of this." He scowled. "I had humored Isis long enough with letting her hang out with that abomination. But I refuse to let that thing get his mismatched claws back on my sister."

His anger continued to boil as he saw his sister nuzzle the Spirit of Chaos. It took every ounce of his 'calm' mentality to not unleash his complete wrath upon him here and now. With a scoff, he turned away.

"Enjoy it while you can, Discord." Osiris declared, a growl echoing in his throat, "But I am not going to stand by and let you weasel into our lives' again. I made you disappear once... and I sure as all Tartarus can make you disappear again..."

With that, the incensed Deity flew off into the sky, a plan already forming in his head. Meanwhile, Discord and Isis kept hugging, unaware of what was to come.

Comments

[Vakama95096]

what is Osiris up to? whatever it is, it can't be good

[HolyCross9]

I swear. Osiris' jealousy is going to lead to utterly serious consequences.

[danick]

6245620
I dont think its jealous that osiris have

[HolyCross9]

6245698 Then what exactly?

[danick]

6245731

I believe it is hate, no doubt about that

[HolyCross9]

6245781 That's even worse.