The Worst of All Possible Worlds

by TheTimeSword

World 5: Chapter 9

Sunset couldn’t sleep. She wouldn’t sleep. She wanted to make sure the earth pony remained within the tower home the entire night. The day of the trial was upon them, and she was going to be sure Applejack would be there to see it. Of course, that wasn’t her only reason to remain awake. She hadn’t stopped thinking about the conversation between them as they stood in front of the mirror. She had told Applejack everything. Of the inhabitants, of the school, of her own past. And Applejack accepted it all.

“Well, shoot, why don’t you just go back home? I mean, if you’ve never gone through then how do you truly know it won’t lead back to your own world? Maybe your friends are waiting on the other side,” Applejack had suggested, whether it was helpful or not.

It opened a world of questions that Sunset was unsure she wanted answers for. It may be that it would take me back to CHS, to my friends. Or it may not. This world isn’t just a different world like the mirror version, it’s the same but with a different past. The mirror is completely different, and it would make sense that every timeline has its own version. I have to believe that. If I don’t hold that belief, there’ll be nothing stopping me from trying to enter that mirror in four days. My will to resist isn’t strong enough.

Those thoughts kept her awake. Those thoughts had always been there, but the mirror was always out of reach. Now she had the opportunity to act, but she was unsure if finding out was really what she wanted. Even if it did lead back to her own CHS, she would lose the Equestria she'd grown up in. And if it wasn’t, she would find another monster that she hoped never to face again, other than within the contents of her own memories.

When the light punctured the morning glories, Sunset knew it was time to get up. She had already set everything she needed inside her backpack and categorized her notes alphabetically. She even cleaned herself up, which was more of a morale boost than anything. It made her feel good, the cleanliness drew away the stress and pains.

She waited until Applejack awoke, the trial only a few hours away. Making toast and coffee for both of them, Sunset was able to bear witness to the earth pony’s inability to touch food. “So it affects plants and things made of plants, but not apples? Why not apples?” Sunset asked, sipping her coffee afterward.

“Beats me. ‘Nother thing to ask Discord, I reckon.”

A form of irony, I guess. He likes irony. An apple can’t destroy an apple. Finishing her coffee quickly, Sunset was ready to get to the castle. She wanted to be in the heat of the moment, she needed her mind to be taken off the magic mirror. “You ready to head out?” she asked the earth pony.

“I suppose. How certain are you that we’ll win today? With your magic, we could just teleport that mirror out and be gone from Canterlot before they even know it.”

The greedy temptress pushed the mirror back into Sunset's mind, no matter how much she wanted to be rid of the thoughts. “I think you’re going to have to work on that mirror another time, without my help. It’s just… not something I want to think about.”

Applejack shrugged and stood up. “Suit yourself.” With a quick downing of her coffee, she followed Sunset out of the tower home. The two trotted through the grassy tunnel and stepped into the shadow of the castle. They chose to enter through the back, looping around the long way to avoid the crowd entering the main entrance. When they were sure the spectators were seated, they headed in right behind the greasy stallion. His angered glare aimed at Sunset from his podium, but she chose to ignore it.

The rat judge arrived last. His black robe dragged behind him as he walked. When he climbed the steps to the booth and sat down, he put on his powdered pompadour. “Court is now in session,” he said, slapping his gavel for no other reason than to sound threatening. “This oughta be good. Opening statements, prosecution goes first. Yadda, yadda.”

Opening statements? That’s for jury cases. There’s no jury. Sunset grimaced, feeling the unease already tightening her stomach.

“Thank you, your honor,” the stallion said, stepping in front of his podium. “I see no real reason to have an opening statement. You know all of Applejack’s guilt about as well as I do. Grifting, thieving, forging, and destroying our food source. These are all things she’s done, and today I’m going to prove it with only a hoofful of witnesses. We will be asking for the maximum penalty. That is all, your honor.”

“Defense, openin’ statement,” the rat judge said, unenthused.

Stepping forward, Sunset cleared her throat. “Your honor, I see no reason to have an opening statement either. This court may believe Applejack is guilty, but I have looked thoroughly into the accounts given and I am more than ready to disprove all accusations. To have an opening statement would be a mockery to this court, as this isn’t even a case worth debating. My client is a victim, not a criminal.” She sounded confident. She was confident. She needed everyone in the room to believe her. “That is all, your honor.”

The rat judge acknowledged her with a short hum. “Prosecution had openin’ statement, defense gets first witness. Do you even have a witness, toots?”

“Actually, I do. I call Applejack to the stand.” Everything she had read for defense cases told her never to call your own client to the stand. The prosecution had no right to call her, it was only the defense’s decision. Yet she prepped Applejack, she knew how Applejack could respond, and she made sure Applejack would play the victim.

Trotting up to the witness box, Applejack sat in the plush seat and gave a wide smile. “Proceed, princess,” the rat judge told Sunset.

“Applejack. You have heard the claims against you. Could you reiterate them for us, please?”

Applejack nodded. “Grifting, thievery, forgery, and destroying a food source.”

“And are any of those claims true?” she asked the earth pony.

“Yes.”

The spectators shook with gasps, resounding the room in reverberation. The chatter went on so much that the rat judge was forced to bring down the gavel, ordering the room to be silent. Sunset caught a glimpse of the greasy lawyer, a sly grin on his face, and she knew he was eating it up. “Which of the claims are true, if any?” she asked.

“The, uh, one about destroying the food source, the agricultural center,” answered Applejack.

“But not the others?”

“No.”

“So, why did you destroy the crops? What was your reasoning?” she asked.

“It wasn’t on purpose or anythin’,” Applejack claimed, a sudden lilt came to her voice. “I-I was just visiting to see if I could help improve our crops, to maybe add some more produce that we lacked. That’s… that’s when I discovered…” The earth pony was growing increasingly upset, just like they practiced. “Discord has cursed me with a power that I cannot control. I hadn’t even known I’d done it until later. When I heard about it, I was devastated. I wanted to turn myself in, but I knew it wouldn’t do any good. I resolved to help as best as I knew how.”

Sunset nodded. “So, you only found out later. How and when did you decide to help?”

“A few days after I heard, I set up a booth on Restaurant Row. The shops were all closing down, but hungry ponies were coming there anyway. At first, I was settin’ up for free, giving away my own produce—apples, which Discord cruelly made to be unaffected by my awful power—but that stopped when ponies started takin’ too many. I was forced to set up a cost, which grew over time, tryin’ to keep it to where everypony was fed.”

“So, you weren’t being greedy. Instead, you were generous. You were helpful when no one else was.” Sunset paced the court. “And yet everyone turned against you. Blaming the victim as much as anyone else. You came from Ponyville, correct? That’s where Discord now reigns?”

“That’s right. He tore my home apart. I came to Canterlot to make sure no one else had their homes destroyed like I did.”

“Objection, your honor.” The greasy stallion waved a hoof.

“What is your basis?” replied the judge.

“These questions are leading down a path that has nothing to do with the case. The defense’s case is being based around Applejack’s character, not her actions.”

“I’ll retract my last question, your honor,” Sunset agreed. “Nothing further.” As she returned to her podium, she passed along a smug smirk to the greasy lawyer.

The prosecution was up next, to which the stallion stepped into the open space. “Applejack, you claim you’re a victim, yet you were charged specifically for forgery. That was your original crime, your original arrest stated so. You deny this charge?”

“I do. I went through all the legal channels,” Applejack lied.

“Is there anyone to back up this claim?” he asked.

“Yes. I had it formally signed at the Department of Architecture in front of a notary,” answered Applejack.

“And yet you were asking for permission for a booth to be set up in Restaurant Row, which is not under the jurisdiction of the Department of Architecture, as your notary should have known. Where is your notary now?”

Sunset shouted, “Objection! Leading the witness.”

“Overruled. No notary witnesses have been accounted for. A legitimate question. Please answer, Applejack,” the judge discounted.

But the earth pony shrugged. “I believe she left Canterlot. She was a pegasus after all, and she even said she was heading to Las Pegasus.” Sunset wanted to be sure Applejack said Las Pegasus. She ingrained it into the earth pony’s brain. Canterlot has not been subject to the rest of the world, meaning they don’t know of the problems caused by the bearers. That includes name changes.

“So you’re claiming then that the architecture department should have been aware they had no jurisdiction? Is that what you’re suggesting?” the stallion inquired.

“Objection!” Sunset hollered. “That’s definitely leading the witness.”

With a hefty groan, the judge kicked up his grody feet. “Sustained. Keep the questions direct, prosecution. The dame can’t answer for the actions of others.”

The stallion gave a curt nod. “I’ll continue to the other crimes against you, which you say are all false.” Trotting to the podium, he grabbed a few notes. “Several incoming witnesses claim you fooled them out of bits. That you raised the prices of your goods so high that almost nopony was able to afford them when the cost should have been much lower. Do you deny this?”

“Yes. I was obliged to raise my prices. It was not malicious,” she replied. “As earlier stated.”

“That then means it would be a he said she said so long as there was no proof. Interestingly enough, I have proof that I would like to administer to this court.” Approaching the bench, the stallion handed off paperwork that the judge took and studied. “I somehow found time last night to discuss with a few of my witnesses their sides of the story and get physical proof.” His grimy smirk crossed Sunset’s cone of vision, the smugness radiated as he walked.

“An IOU from Applejack,” the judge stated, holding up the parchment and Applejack’s cursive writing for all to see. “We’ll enter it into the records. Continue.”

“This piece of evidence came from a Wonderbolt by the name of Soarin who is one of the members of my witness team today. Though his intentions were pure, his actions were not. As such, he has asked for a bargain to testify against the defendant.”

The rat judge nodded. “And what was his involvement?”

“He is the one who fettered apples from an outside source made by the defendant in exchange for a piece of her prize. When he came to claim, all he found was that document stating that she would owe him. Her greed clearly knows no bounds.”

Applejack! Why didn’t you tell me about this!? We could have gone over this if you had! We could have bargained with Soarin into helping us rather than that jerk! Sunset’s chest tightened as she listened.

“Do you deny this claim, Applejack?” the prosecution asked.

To Sunset’s surprise, the earth pony had more quick wit than Sunset gave her. “I do. The IOU wasn’t given to Soarin as payment for anythin’,” she answered. “He was one of the few that came to my stand, but I'd run out of apples that day, and so I promised he’d have double the next so long as he was selfless enough to share with the great Wonderbolts. Their shows are a bright light amongst the darkness that Discord has brought down upon us. We are all saddened that their leader has disappeared.”

Applejack! Yes! You clever mare!

The prosecution grimaced, his brows slimming in the direction of Sunset. “No further questions, your honor. My witnesses will be more than enough.”

Crossing down from the booth, Applejack trotted her way to Sunset who gave the earth pony a big hug. “I guess I did good, huh?” Applejack asked as she pulled away. “How are our chances?”

“Far better.” Sunset felt a wave of relief washing over her as the court moved around. The prosecution called next witness. It was one of the members of the agricultural center’s staff. Sunset did not recognize the mare, but the witness held a strong presence. An expert witness, Sunset identified, their only reasoning was to prove how the crime could be committed. As the prosecution finished asking their rather dull questions, Sunset sifted through her notes.

“Cross-examination, defense?” the rat judge asked as the greasy stallion took to his podium.

Sunset trotted up to the bench, leaning against the witness booth. “For the court, could you please state your profession?”

“I am Head of Bio-engineering at the Canterlot Cultivation Center. I make sure all crops are safe for consumption along with developing better sources for our production,” answered the mare with a firmness to her voice that spoke self-confidence.

She was a red and pink mare, short, with a blonde mane. Sunset could see no imperfections on the mare. No upside-down face, no crab claws, and no faulty speech. “And what did you do before Discord altered the world?” she asked.

“Objection!” shouted the prosecution. “How is this relevant?”

“I am verifying her background. Nothing more, nothing less,” she answered.

“Sustained. Continue princess, but this better go somewhere.” The rat judge slumped forward on its claws, staring down at the two mares.

“I was a member of the CCC staff long before Discord took over. His effortless chaos has left Canterlot relatively orderly, allowing many ponies to remain as themselves,” replied the mare.

Sunset shook her head. “No, that’s not right. Everyone in Equestria has been changed in some form or fashion. I’ve seen it first hoof. In fact, I’ve seen several right here in Canterlot. Do you believe it is possible that one of your workers was changed? Perhaps one could have been the cause of the crops destruction. It could have even been you, without you knowing it.”

“I suppose,” the mare answered. “However, Applejack has been proven to have the ability to destroy plant life. I house no such means, nor do any of my staff members.”

“Right. Right. But Applejack’s ability is very quick, whereas it was days between the destruction and her visit.” She glanced over at Applejack. In reality, Applejack returned to destroy the crops in the cover of night. What a pain. “Do you wear gloves?” Sunset asked, turning back to the witness.

“Yes. All of CCC staff are required to wear working gloves.”

Returning to her podium, Sunset withdrew a single glove from her backpack. “Would you be willing to do an experiment?” she asked the mare, and the mare gave a short look to the prosecution. She couldn’t see it, but she knew the stallion wouldn’t dare deny it. The mare nodded and Sunset handed off the glove. “Please put this glove on.”

The mare did as she was instructed, and once finished, Sunset took an apple from her backpack. “Hold this in your gloved hoof, if you would.” And again, the mare followed Sunset’s instruction, holding the apple atop her glove. “Now, if you would, transfer it to your gloveless hoof.” Passing between the two, the apple suddenly went corrupt, rotting to mush in the mare’s hoof.

“What in Equestria!?” the mare flung the decay to the courtroom floor. “How… How did that happen!?”

“By me,” Sunset explained, “Using my own magic, I decomposed the apple.” This trick’s getting some use, she thought, evoking the true night from memory. “I did this, yet I could do this prior to Discord’s rule. Now, explain to me how an earth pony, whose power requires her to touch the plant in question, can go through an entire farm corrupting the crops without anypony noticing?”

“I-I don’t… I don’t have an answer,” the mare stuttered.

“And do you see a horn on my clients head?”

“No.” The red mare shook her head.

Sunset flexed her brows at the greasy stallion. “That’ll be all.” She trotted back to the podium, her own sense of smugness radiating. Shooting a wink at Applejack, the rat judge called for her next witness. “No need, your honor. We have no further witnesses to present. I will gladly discredit any of the prosecution’s, however.”

“You’re gonna have to, haughty princess,” the rat replied. “Dossier says he’s got three total. Speakin’ of which, the prosecution may bring in their next witness.”

The stallion gave a nod and Sunset looked back to see who the next witness would be. Instead, the greasy attorney’s mother came through the door, a roll of parchments were held tight to her chest. “Mother!” the stallion said in a whiny voice as she approached the podium. “I told you never to show up while I’m on the clock!”

“Sorry honey, but Soarin called in sick, something about food poisoning.” Sunset turned to Applejack, and the apple mare grinned evil. Oh geez. “He won’t be able to be a witness today.” She handed off a stack of paperwork. “Oh! I also have something for you, sweetie.” The old mare trotted close to Sunset and lifted a single piece of paper to the alicorn. “Your friend gave me this as I entered. She said it was very important. I’m not sure if it’s part of your case, but I hope it helps. You have a good day, sweetie.”

“You too ma’am,” Sunset replied, smiling graciously. From a friend? Sunset flipped the paper up as the old mare walked away, the stallion still quietly chewing his mother out. “Ma’am!” Sunset abruptly said, jogging to the other podium. “Who did you get this from?”

The old mare puffed her cheeks up in a smile. “Your friend with those silly eyes.” She looked to the back of the courtroom and Sunset traced her gaze. “That one, right there.”

Grimacing, Sunset pushed out the fence gate and passed the spectators. “Who are you!?” she whisper-yelled, staring down her muzzle at the magenta-colored pony. The propeller hat spun with an endless slowness, which was at the same rate as the swirling purple eyes. “What do you want from me? What does this riddle mean?”

The mare stood silently staring back at Sunset, not uttering a word. She held a smile and tilted her head, but other than the slight movement she did not acknowledge Sunset’s questions. Turning her focus to the paper, Sunset read the words aloud for the pony. “Burn the living room, burn the kitchen, burn the bedroom and the bathroom. What is left?” She waited for the magenta girl’s reaction, but nothing ever came.

“’Ey princess, can we get back to this or are you gonna call an early quits? I’ve got like five pedicures to get to and trust me, these babies need it,” hollered the rat judge.

Looking back, Sunset shot a snooty glare to the rat, but when she again faced the magenta pony, the mare had disappeared. She gave a quick look to the left and right to see if anyone noticed, but everyone's eyes were pointed straight ahead. That mare gives me the heebie-jeebies. Trotting back to the podium, Sunset put down the written riddle atop the other notes. “You okay, Sunset? Next witness is up.” Applejack threw a hoof, pointing at the booth.

The second witness, who would have been third, was another mare, one that Sunset recognized almost immediately. That’s one of the waitresses at The Smoked Oat! Keeping her face straight, she glowered through her peripherals at Applejack. What did she do at Restaurant Row besides setting up shop?

“Please state as to why you are called a witness,” the prosecution demanded.

“I’m a witness to Applejack’s shrewd and greedy nature, sir,” the mare replied. “I am a worker at The Smoked Oat, a restaurant in the Row. A few days before she came and set up shop, Applejack came into our restaurant. She said that all the food she received was spoiled or disgusting, and then threatened us and demanded money.”

“And was the food terrible?” asked the greasy stallion.

The witness nodded. “It was. As a server, I put the food in front of her. When she claimed it was rotten, I was the first to see it. The food was rotten, but only after she touched it.”

“Objection! We have already gone over Applejack’s curse. What’s the point of this witness?”

“Overruled. Applejack’s curse ain’t been verified. This testimony might be valuable in debunkin’ it,” replied the rat judge. “Don’t throw a fit just ‘cause ya couldn’t get any witnesses.”

The prosecution gave a nod. “So, Applejack turned the food rotten. Did you see this happen?”

“I did. I saw it with my own three eyes.” The waitress pushed up her mane, displaying a third eye. “She put a hoof directly onto the food—even the food that wasn’t meant to be touched—and made it rot! When I told Mr. Barley, the owner, he went to kick her out. She threatened to turn our entire food stock into dust! She wanted bits as a bribe, claiming that we needed to pay her in order to stay in business. Mr. Barley and my two fellow waitresses are all witnesses.”

“Very good. Defense’s turn, your honor,” the greasy stallion said, returning to his podium.

Sunset stepped onto the courtroom floor. She knew a witness like this might come into play, and thanks to the prosecution’s advice, Sunset knew exactly how to play the mare. “You say you saw her make the food rotten, however, is it possible the food was rotten beforehand and you simply didn’t notice?”

“Well, sure, the first time. Not the second or third. We wasted a lot of good food on her!”

“And the owner, Mr. Barley, he’s a unicorn, correct?”

The mare squinted. “H-how would you know that? I’ve never seen you there.”

You have. “Answer the question, please.”

“Yes. He’s a unicorn.”

“As it was shown earlier, a unicorn has a high chance to rot food. So, would it be possible that Mr. Barley feigned the rotten food?”

“Mr. Barley was so scarred by the incident that he stayed home for three days crying!”

Poor Mr. Barley. He did seem the type to be overtly emotional. “Or perhaps he was at the agricultural center, destroying the crop. But I will not paint Mr. Barley as the criminal, only that it was possible. Possible that any unicorn could do such a thing. Were there any other patrons at the time of Applejack’s dining?”

“No,” the mare said sternly, defensive.

“Of course not. No other patrons to back up your claim, only your establishment, whom could have easily been the cause.” Sunset nodded. “No further questions.” Sunset returned to her podium, her face remained stoic though her heart jumped with glee. We’ve got this in the bag. No evidence, just witnesses. Easily disproved witnesses.

The rat judge slammed down his gavel after the witness exited the booth. “With no other witnesses from either side and no additional evidence, we will now be movin’ into them closin’ arguments. Prosecution first.”

“Your honor,” the greasy stallion began, “We can debate all day on whether or not Applejack knowingly committed these crimes. The fictitious agreement from the architecture department, the stolen bits from the hiked up prices, the destruction of the CCC’s crops. When the defense peeled each apart, they gutted the insides. This was done individually, and individually these things can easily be explained, as the defense has proven.

“However, Applejack having a hoof in each of these things paints a vivid story when placed together. To be complacent in picking these pieces apart would be foolish. The fact remains, the agricultural center was shut down, putting a damper on Restaurant Row, allowing Applejack to open up shop and sell an overpriced fruit with an undocumented forgery. There was no reason to continue this trial when we already knew she was guilty from day one. Applejack planned it all from the start.”

The room murmured their agreements, but Sunset was focused on the rat’s reaction. It hadn’t changed—he was as unenthused about the stallion as he was about Sunset.

When the stallion finished, she got her turn. “My client is the victim. I’ve stated that quite well. She had no way of accessing the agricultural center. She attempted to help starving ponies only to be arrested. She even went through the process, albeit the wrong department, to get her stand set up in an orderly manner, including a paper trail. No criminal wants to leave a paper trail, and my fellow attorney has gone through hoops attempting to prove Applejack is a good criminal. If she was so good, she would know not to leave a paper trail. As such, this was all one big misunderstanding. She should not be jailed, only banished to prevent further plant corruption.”

“Banishment!?” Applejack shouted. “Sunset, I never agreed to that. You know I want to be here! You know why!”

Sunset did not look back at Applejack. That mirror is not worth the trouble, Applejack. Even if I didn’t need your help, I still couldn’t let you go through.

“Order! Order in this here court!” The rat judge slammed down his gavel. “I will now decide the verdict,” he claimed, sitting forward. Sunset returned to her podium and stood beside the angry mare. She watched the rat’s chest slump against his arms, his hands wriggled together. For a moment, he closed his eyes and Sunset thought he fell asleep. When she went to call out to him, he said, “I have decided.” Slamming his gavel down with one loud thump, he rose up in his seat. “Guilty! On all accounts!”

“What!?” Sunset pulled her mane in different directions. “You can’t be serious!”

“Sunset!” Applejack growled. “You’re the worst!”

“Yes, yes, yes!” the greasy stallion cheered. “Never lost, baby! In your face!”

“’Ey, I’m a good judge of character. Also, I know the princess here has been chasin’ after villains. What was that pony’s name? Rainbow Crash? Yeah. Clearly, it all means Applejack is one-hundred percent guilty. Knew it from day one. I just wanted to see how far you’d go, what with that whole heartfelt speech about bein’ a victim. What a joke.” The rat burst into laughter, showing of his grimy, hole-filled teeth. “Escort Applejack here back to the dungeons. In fact, take the princess too. She’s been collectin’ those scoundrels for a reason. Applejack ain’t her first rodeo.”

Sunset slammed down both hooves onto the podium. “I’m collecting them to make this world right again! To beat Discord’s game!”

“To beat his game, or to beat him? ‘Cause those are two different things, toots. Winnin’ a game ain’t gonna do much for this world,” the rat replied. “Not that I care. Guards, take ‘em away.”

Shoving her stuff into her backpack, Sunset threw it over her shoulder. “We’re getting out of here,” she told Applejack, turning to the earth pony. “I need you to agree to help me, right now.”

“Help you? You won’t help me get that mirror! I came here for that and I ain’t leaving without it!”

The guards were closing in, literally barking their orders, surrounding the two. With a quick flash and a lapse in judgment, Sunset teleported herself and Applejack, arriving in the darkened storage room in the pits of Canterlot Castle. “You want this thing? I told you what happened when I went there. I told you what I became! And now you want it just so you can repeat my mistake!? Well, I won’t let you!”

“Then destroy it,” Applejack shouted back. “If you ain’t want anypony usin’ it, destroy it! If you can’t do that, then I’m going to wait here until it opens. Only thing that’s going to stop me is you.” She pushed Sunset’s chest, squaring her eyes at the alicorn.

“Destroy it?” Sunset wasn’t sure she wanted to do that. Even if it doesn’t go back to my CHS, am I really willing to risk that chance? What about the me on the other side? What if I she wants to return and beg for forgiveness? I have no right to deny her that. “No. I’m not going to do that. If you aren’t going to leave this mirror’s side, then I’m going to have to take both of you back with me.” Wrapping her forelegs around the mirror’s sides, she yelled, “Discord! I’ve got Applejack and a bonus! Bring us back!”

“Now Sunset—let’s not be foolish…” Applejack spoke, but was interrupted by the voice of Discord.

“What a pleasant surprise!” he replied. The room changed in an instant. The draconequus floated above the mirror with the earth pony tucked between his arm and body. Petting the mare like a cat, he added, “And you did quite an amazing job defending her. You should have won! I was rooting for you. An interesting choice, though, choosing to stay and defend rather than escape immediately.”

“You’re Discord!? I ought to rough you up for what you did to Ponyville!” the earth pony shouted, struggling to move.

“Do not fret, little pony.” Discord snapped his fingers on his free hand, forcing a birdcage to appear beside the other two. “You get to live here again. And charging rent is not something I do!” He chuckled to himself as he put the mare inside the cage.

Sunset let go of the mirror. She stomped her hooves and grabbed the draconequus with her magic, dragging him down to the earth by his tail. “I am done playing games, Discord! You’re going to start being truthful with me.”

“Using one of your lifelines? Well, it is the weakest one, I suppose.”

“No. This has nothing to do with the game. You’re going to tell me one thing, and you’re going to tell me the truth.”

Discord snapped his tail from her grip with a small shake. He then twisted his body and folded his arms. “You are certainly pushy today. Has something got you mad? I thought you and Applejack were getting along fine. Applejack? What do you think?”

Pawing at the door to the cage, Applejack shot a look down at the draconequus and alicorn. “I don’t think she ever had the intention of lettin’ me choose whether or not I wanted to help her. I think she was gonna drag me back here anyway. If I had that mirror, she would never have been able to get me,” replied the earth pony, glancing over at her supposed prize.

“Yeah, Sunset’s a huge liar. She broke a Pinkie Promise!” Pinkie yelled, thrashing about in her cage like a screaming toddler.

“My, oh my, Sunset. You are growing quite the litter of crazed cats, and they all want one thing it seems.” Discord wrapped around Sunset, his toothy grin going in and out of her peripherals. “Go ahead and ask your question, though I cannot say if I will be honest.”

She threw the question out without hesitation. “Are you my Equestria’s Discord?” She needed to know his intent. If he is my timeline’s Discord, then he’s setting me up for something. If he’s not, I’m taking him down here and now. Forget the Elements of Harmony. Forget the bearers. She was confident in her decision, her desire to defy the draconequus.

However, Discord had other plans. “Am I your Discord? Hmm. That is quite the question. Of course, your focus is still on you. Your Equestria. You seem awfully obsessed with it, yet you have not even tried to go back.”

“I’ve been trying for four worlds now to get home.”

“No. I said Equestria, not your home. You brought your home to me.” He turned his back to her, staring at the oval mirror. Picking at his teeth, he said, “Do you ever get tired of confusing the two? I mean, you are less of a pony than you have ever been, yet you will never truly be one of them. An interesting predicament.”

“Stop dawdling around my question, Discord. I’m tired of your nonsense. You’ve been putting a lot of stock into pushing me toward things and I want to know why. If you are my Discord—great. That at least means you’re trying to help.”

“And if I am not?”

“Then this is the biggest farce I’ve ever been a part of, and I’m tired of it. You’re just another Tirek—another Sombra! Whatever you want the bearers for, it ends here and now unless you tell me.”

Discord tapped the mirror, leaving a speck of drool on the otherwise pristine glass. “You want the bearers so you can leave. They have nothing to do with me. I could not care less about them. They are your goals to help in moving on to the next world. This place is not a prison for you, though you might find that ironic later.”

“You’re lying, Discord! You sent that metal monster in after Rainbow Dash long before I ever got here! And that rat was there presiding over Canterlot for years! You’ve had your big meaty hand in every single thing, regardless of my appearance in your world,” she argued, snarling up at him.

“Time is a mysterious concept, is it not? You should already know the answer. The question is a simple one. Am I or am I not the Discord from your Equestria?” He threw a look over his shoulder, freezing as they made eye contact. “You believe I am not the Discord that the bearers from your world reformed.”

“I don’t. You said that there was only one Discord, but the more I’ve talked to you, the more helpful you’ve been, it’s nothing like the helpfulness Princess Twilight described to me.” She pulled the filled journal out from her backpack, the notes she'd taken for the trial spilled out onto the ground. Flipping through the pages, she lifted a passage to Discord’s face. “None of the worlds I’ve been to have had your vines. Do you know what that means? I’ll answer for you. It means that you were the one that set them to pop in my Equestria. You haven’t been around in any of these timelines. Only a name to be gossiped about. No you? No pop.”

He leaned to one side, shrugging halfheartedly. “That does not justify anything. In fact, it tells the opposite of what you want. I may be the only Discord, and I could have simply been busy here. Those other worlds would have to wait for their turn at chaos.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” She locked eyes on the mirror. “It's just like the mirror. I don’t know if there really is a different CHS on the other side, it might be mine, but I trust it isn’t. I can feel it in my gut.” She grimaced, glaring back at him. “You’re an embodiment of chaos that doesn’t influence other timelines. Come on. Seriously? Like I’d buy that. I know for a fact that you don’t have the self-control. That means those other worlds have their own Discords to pester with chaos.”

Discord gently scratched is cheek, his long face was visibly impressed. “Really? That is how you came to deduce the multiplicity of me?” He raised his brows and shook his head, placing a cupped hand around his beard. “I mean, you saw the other Discords on the first day you arrived. Not to mention the complete lack of contractions within my vernacular. I feel as though I made it quite obvious. Maybe you have not fully recovered from your bout with Rainbow Dash.” He stepped forward and shook her head. “That brain of yours might still be running at a slower capacity.”

Shoving his hand away, Sunset let out an aggravated exhale. “So, I’m right? You’re not my Equestria’s Discord?”

His tail slapped the birdcage that held Pinkie Pie, spinning her from side to side. “No, I am not your Discord, Sunset Shimmer. Though how you figured it out is… lackluster. I was really hoping for some sort of epiphany. I suppose that will have to wait till later…”

“You’re in my way.” Sunset steadied her stance, pointing her horn at him.

Discord held out his arms, exposing his chest. “Go ahead. Strike me down.” He waited, but Sunset did not falter, nor did she advance. “Believe it or not Sunset, but I am trying to help you. I know what you do not. I know how you will help time, I know what you must face, and I am trying to prepare you for that eventual battle.”

Tilting her horn up, Sunset relaxed ever so slightly. “What battle?” she asked, squinting at him.

“This is the world that was picked.” He underhanded a ball at her, to which she caught with her magic. The number on the small sphere was three. “Let us investigate it, shall we?”

“Discord, no! I don’t want to see any more of these worlds. I’m not going to choose any of them.” The CRTs came into view within the dark hallway, both of which blurred into existence around her. Clicking on one of at a time, the tube TVs displayed all sorts of events from the world of Nightmare Moon. “Come on! Tell me about this battle. Stop giving me something and not telling me what it means! This world can’t even have anything wrong with it. Nightmare Moon was a powerhouse. She’s the reason I saw Tirek as an unbeatable force. Nightmare Moon even has the bearers on her side, what possibly could be a problem for her?”

Sunset ate her words as she caught a glimpse of a white stallion walking up a wedding aisle. She recognized Shining Armor easily, but when he reached the arch and turned to wait for his soon to be wife, Sunset almost fell to the floor. “Applejack!?”

Nightmare Moon presided over the two, ready to unite the strange couple together. But it was not the odd couple that was the ultimate surprise. Not long into the ceremony, Twilight Sparkle burst through the doors with another Applejack. The mare who stood at the archway transformed into a ball of green fire, becoming the dreaded Queen Chrysalis. Sunset watched in horror as the wedding became a warzone. Nightmare Moon attacked the queen of the changelings, their horns locked in battle. Before Sunset could see the conclusion, the television shut off.

“What do you think, Sunset? Of the world you helped?” Discord’s voice wrapped around her mind like a haze of smoke.

“They can fend for themselves. Nightmare Moon beat Tirek, after all. And no matter what you argue, I’m not giving up. If you really are trying to help me then stop with this charade and push me onto the next world,” Sunset shouted, shooting a blast of magic into a few of the TVs, shattering the glass inward. “No more of this. I grow tired of reliving the past.”

“And it is until you fully understand the past that you will continue to relive it. For once you understand that, nothing will stop you.”

“I’ve already got one riddle on my mind—I don’t need yours too. Now I’ll ask again, and you better answer directly or else I’m going to destroy a few more of these.” Summoning a magical sledgehammer, she smashed in a television to verify she was serious. “Discord. What battle were you talking about? Why help me?”

Discord’s face was separated in the televisions, spanning both walls like an abstract painting. “Your friend, Princess Twilight Sparkle, once said—or will say, it is hard to tell which—that pony friendships are important to Equestria. Not just hers, but every single one. That includes the friendships you make. In the past, in the future. In these worlds. They all matter.”

Only one television changed from the pieces of Discord’s face. Upon that glass was Twilight Sparkle as she speaking. “—believe I have the power to spread the magic of friendship across Equestria. That is the role I am meant to have in our world! The role I choose to have! But I didn't defeat Tirek on my own—it took all of us to unlock the chest!”

Princess Celestia was briefly shown before her own dialogue was produced through the speakers. “—is unlikely you are meant to take on this task alone.” The television then shut off, leaving a gap within Discord’s symmetrical face.

“What is your role, Sunset Shimmer?” he asked. “Would you deny the friendships you have made?”

Sunset’s heart hurt as she thought on his words and that of the television. Twilight and the others worked so hard to defeat Tirek. She relied on the friendships she'd made. She even forgave Discord… Yet when I came face to face with Tirek, I denied Rarity and Pinkie Pie the forgiveness after they abandoned me. I gave in to Tirek’s childish charms. It clicked, much like a seatbelt. “Discord.”

“Yes, Sunset Shimmer?”

“It is all about me, isn’t it? My friends, my past. You weren’t scolding me for being selfish, you were telling the truth. It’s all about me. Something wants me here, and it's not just the Tree of Harmony.”

With a burst of laughter, Discord said, “If you truly believe that, say those magical little words, Sunset!”

She did not understand why it was Discord chose to help her, she did not understand much, but she knew that if Twilight trusted him, she would too. “I’ll continue your game, Discord.”

“Always about you…”

“It absolutely is.”

Comments

[Anachronon]

So something else than the Tree of Harmony sends Sunset from world to world? Well, it remains to be seen how she will act from now on.

I mean it's quite the most possible option by now that every bearer will hate Sunset on one way or another, because she will simply force them to come with her in order to win Discord's game, sooo... what will he do in the end?

In the moment I can't imagine the bearers as a team at all in this world.

[Mac349]

Jumping to conclusions, Screwloose is Twilight Sparkle.

Also, I bet it's burn the study as that's the last refuge. Although morbidly, the people living in the home works just as well.

[Cold Bolt]

It wasnt an accusation... it was a statement of fact. What exactly it means, of course, is something we'll just have to find out.

I noticed Discord's odd speech quirk, too; I just didn't think anything of it at the time. I suppose we should be keeping an eye on details like that from now on.

Also, I hope by now Sunset is realizing that this world's incarnations of the Bearers aren't to be trusted. Continuing to give them the benefit of the doubt is just going to get her bitten in the flank every time.

[Csquared08]

whisper-yelled

As ridiculous as it looks, it worked. Wowee.

I gave in to Tirek’s childish charms.

YES
I knew Discord was heading towards MVP status.