Replicated Wanderer

by QuartzScale

VII. Request (unedited)

I watched the door. Nothing happened. The sun was finally rising above the horizon. Over the span of time before that sun rose I had gone over a number of topics with Nana including how we could converse without anyone noticing. Apparently we could converse remotely through an internal comm system which she was perfectly suited for. It made things easier since his mismatched eyes had returned to watch me.

They were gleefully staring at me like if he told a joke only he understood.

“Sir, I'm detecting fluctuations in power around us. While faint I think I'm reading how ‘magic’ works. I will develop my sensors to read how it functions and will return to you ASAP. Thaumic seems to be the best word for measuring this energy…” Nana exposited while I kept my eyes on his emotionlessly staring him down.

I didn't answer her but she understood why. If he was around all systems had to run as silent as possible. Another topic we covered was the possibility of guarding my systems from any tampering. Mentally, I was sound due to the Suffering Circuit, but physically I was unsure. My new body could handle loads of pressure and several G forces without trying too hard, especially if it was beneath sunlight.

If the creation of a thaumic sensor could detect and identify magical beings, then maybe, I could shield my body from any magical tampering. That was provided I could be affected. As my luck went I wasn't attacked by anything but the Quarry Eel the previous night. It was modified though… and not just by Discord either. His only contribution seemed to be the teeth. I was certain but it was only a gut feeling deep inside my robotic guts and pushed on by my humanity.

The door slowly opened but it wasn't one of the ponies I knew well enough. This one was the large grey earth pony in the extensive armor set.

‘This must be Vicious Aegis… great.’ I mentally prepared myself for the eventual spiraling downfall of our meeting.

“So golem… I see you kept your word and remained. Though I suppose that would be easy for a pile of arcane circuits to follow simple directions. Guess you can teach a bucket of crystals something new any day.” Aegis snarled though his tone was jovial. If I didn't know any better he wanted to goad me into doing something stupid.

I remained passive and put my hands back together on the table. I couldn't exactly switch on my armor unless I was teleporting in. Any attack could disrupt the process corrupting the armor in the act. Shotgun Ice would be my best bet to stop him and escape or warp in my armor. That plan was poor since I hadn't placed a teleportation node anywhere on the grounds which meant that I would have to run back… which I didn't want to do. I had no idea which way to go to get anywhere near this fortress from the mountain. I had traveled in a general south direction but it veered to the west, I think.

Sensing my distress, Nana began constructing a map for my perusal to keep track of any major landmarks. It was very incomplete without satellite uplink… since those didn't exist.

“I'm talking to you, you miserable waste of space. Who the hell thinks that a golem is even useful in the first place. We wasted our time making things like you. The ponies we could have had and instead you are here.” Aegis flew into a rage as he slammed his fore hooves on the table. I didn't flinch to his misplaced rage as undeserved as it was.

“X, I'm detecting three other figures incoming. Uncertain of their FOE tag. Please prepare countermeasures.” Nana reported as several beeps went off internally.

“I should just take care of you right n-” Aegis started only to be cut off as the door slammed open.

Rockhoof, Mistmane, and Somnambula burst into the room causing Aegis to back off. He looked mildly perturbed to be stopped but it turned to full anger when he noticed I didn't even seen the least bit intimidated by his words. He would have growled out had Rockhoof not gotten in front of him.

“Aegis, what are you doing in here?” Rockhoof questioned the stallion though from his tone it wasn't really the right tone from the look in his eyes.

“Nothing, sir. I was doing my rounds and checking to make certain our guest was enjoying his stay.” Aegis spoke through gritted teeth straining just to keep talking.

“Then you have done your job soldier. Get back to your section of the fortress. Now.” Rockhoof growled out holding his hoof out and pointing out the door.

“Right away… sir.” Aegis saluted before stepping out into the hall.

As he left I could have sworn he gave me the dirtiest look he could muster. I still ignored him which I realized when I heard this furious yell out in the hall. Both Mistmane and Somnambula gave a disappointed glare toward the noise while Rockhoof merely held a hoof in front of his eyes and rocking his head back and forth in shame. I supposed this was my fault if only minutely since I didn't actually even give Aegis the time of day.

The problem I was seeing was his extreme awareness. He spoke to me as if I was more than a mere golem. As if I was sapient… which aside from the six who found me and Discord, no one should suspect I was sapient at all. That was assuming that everyone kept their mouths shut about me. Aegis was seeing a particular golem in me… maybe the one known as Raven Scar.

“Sorry about that X. I've trained them better than this but even I can't always predict was some hotheaded grunt will do every minute.” Rockhoof apologized as best he could. I didn't really find it necessary.

I felt a little detached and noticed my emotions were still teetering on the edge of nonexistence. I turned them back on and nearly tossed my head on the table. I didn't but I really wanted to. In that moment a torrent of rage, despair and small feelings of deep sadness nearly overwhelmed me. I had to regulate the flow before it got worse though I still had facial muscles locked to not show it. When I felt ready I managed to finally make my thoughts known.

“It's fine Rockhoof. Though I think I'm being very underestimated by ponies in general.” I mumbled while rubbing the back of my head. I briefly wondered if I had hair…

“What do you mean?” Mistmane narrowed her eyes uncertain of my tone.

“I just rather not be treated like a thing or an it. I'm a ‘he’ and that's how I identify.” I stated staring back into her eyes. She backed off first.

“Unfortunately, I don't think most ponies would appease you with that notion X. They are stubborn to change with very few leaders amongst the herd. A relic of a darker time…” Somnambula sadly mused while the other two didn’t seem to get enough of looking at the floor.

“I see. I also see that it's only you three. I take it that we're going somewhere then.” I tipped my head down furrowing my brow.

My stay within this fortress has seen only two rooms. A mediocre study with very few worthwhile books to peruse and the main hall where I was nearly forced to defend myself. It was not a very pleasant stay and I would rather travel at this point. Still, I needed to, at the very least, make certain that the locals wouldn't attack me on sight.

“You are correct in your assumptions. Starswirl needs to prepare a few things first before we discuss what we need to do.” Mistmane calmly explained though she seemed on edge.

“I take it that it's top secret and not even the guards should know about it.” I whispered out even though I knew someone was always listening. The fact that the mismatched eyes also had an ear with them said as much.

“For all our sakes yes. We need to pass by an aether gate to make certain no magical detection can see our conversation. You never know when scryers or dream walkers will try to get information.” Rockhoof uttered as if it was an obvious thing.

I had no idea what an aether gate was but Discord’s shocked expression and glowering glare were proof to me that he didn't want to be seen by anyone but me.

“Lead on then. Stuck in the same room with my thoughts is boring.” I smiled as I stood up and stood in the formation they seemed to have coordinated to deal with me.

Rockhoof took point with me following behind him while Mistmane and Somnambula remained behind me to my left and right. A veritable triangle formation but I don't think it was for my safety. As we walked through the halls I tried to keep the same robotic movements I faked the first time through. Every single pony backed up from me and was clearly fearful… all except for Vicious Aegis who simultaneously scowled and grinned at me.

Clearly, his grudge was great seeing that I was now being ostracized by everyone but the six ponies I met. It was not a good start to my life here, in where ever I was. All I know is that this place I'm at is the Equestrian Principality. I probably wasn't trying as hard to figure where I was going but apparently making a tolerable peace with the locals was more important for both my human mind and reploid mind.

We started traveling down a stairwell way past the guards to the point where none of them were even seen at this point. I also noted that the steps were much further apart allowing broad steps most likely for how their legs worked. Taking four steps instead of two must have been taxing which must have been why the steps were made this way.

“Sir, shouldn't we be talking with them. We need more information about this world.” Nana suggested though my hesitance was palpable.

Both Somnambula and Mistmane have shown hesitance and anxiety whenever I looked at them. Mistmane, I'm guessing because of the lack of magic in my system. When I peered behind me she was once again using a spell. Somnambula, on the other hand, was smiling but her eyes weren't in her smile. They were somewhere else entirely. Rockhoof was unable to speak since he hadn't turned his head once to look at me. I was uncertain if he just trusted me not to do anything… or if the other two were ready to strike me down before I did anything.

“I see your point X. There are heavy feelings in the room right now. Rockhoof is not ignoring you luckily enough. I can safely assume that he trusts you to some degree. Mistmane seems more mystified by us and our operation. Somnambula seems to be holding on to some anxiety that is not our fault. Uncertain at this time and I'll keep looking through our analysis at a later time. Thaumic sensors are within the prototyping stage, we need readings on what could possibly be the most powerful magic users possible. It will give us the best readings for future magic users.” Nana informed me as several files appeared in my brain which I silently looked through.

As we reached the bottom of the stairs I noticed that Meadowbrook and Starswirl were in the next room. At the same time there was also a shimmering field in front of me. Cautiously, I was ushered forward by Mistmane who patiently waited until I passed through the field. Nothing happened.

I look behind me and noted that Discord look pissed once again before disappearing once again. Mistmane and Somnambula followed after me looking very serious as Rockhoof took a seat near Magnus and Meadowbrook. Starswirl stepped back looking for something along the bookshelves.

As they all took a seat I remained standing nearby which was uncomfortable when they all turned to me.

“You should sit down X.” Meadowbrook intoned as she point to the chair across from her.

Mentally sighing, I took the seat… only for it to crumble under my weight. I wasn't overly heavy but a chair for me would need metal supports. There were a few stifled chuckles and some words of apology which I waved off as no big deal. After Starswirl rejoined the table I remained standing with my arms crossed listening to whatever was coming up. To my subtle joy there were no mismatched eyes watching me.

“X, I didn't want to speak of this before due to how dangerous it could be. This world is not as peaceful as it seems. We do not speak of it lightly but we have many levels of strife striking from one point in particular.” Starswirl lectured as he used his horn in the book causing several magical light constructs to appear. The most obvious one was the unicorn with the rock on his flank.

“Goring Corundum I presume…” I motioned to the construct which elicited several nods from the others.

“Yes. It is a tale not spoken of lightly. Corundum was a pony we wanted to never think about ever again.” Meadowbrook added.

“Long ago… when we still were fighting off the harshness of winter and their emissaries, the windigos, there was a family that championed the idea of using golems to fight back against them. It was a long and varied history but this is neither the time nor the place for it.” Starswirl lectured intently before taking a breath.

“If I'm reading the subtext right then he was part of this family?” I postulated keeping my arms crossed while Nana silently compiled some dossiers on the ponies around me.

“Yes. He was the fourth generation. He was born from a Crystal pony and a unicorn and was introduced to the world as Goring Corundum. As he grew older he managed to find new and inventive ways to create golems until he unveiled his newest creation, the Crystal Golems.” Starswirl continued somehow managing to sigh.

“There's a difference I'm not seeing here, is there?” I immediately felt this strange sensation of dread which caused Nana to quiver for some reason.

“Aye. It goes into the details of the first Crystal Golem created and it was called Raven Scar. It was the most lifelike golem you would have ever seen all based on a Pegasus of the same name and made entirely out of crystal.” Rockhoof spoke wistfully though with a hint of trepidation in his voice.

“It was the most complete golem ever made and managed to fight back against the surviving windigos ushering them back to the pits of Tartarus. Unfortunately after its success there was an incident involving my protege Clover. He had managed to ask too many philosophical questions in his fervor to understand how the golem works but that was a mistake. When faced with its newly acquired sapience it went berserk crying out in a rage of existential crisis. It kept screaming to everypony ‘Who am I?’ until it tried to attack him. At that point I was forced to intervene.” Starswirl sighed as his head laid on the table.

None of the others said anything but I could feel the anxiety surrounding them. I was nowhere near the level required to find the right thing to say so I remained quiet until he regained his nerve to speak again.

“Gathering up my magic, I injected it with so much magical energy I shattered it from the inside out. My protege was safe but that also drew the ire of Corundum and his clan. When the existential crisis was mentioned the entirety of his clan wanted to sweep it under the rug and forget about it. Corundum didn't. He shouted incessantly about the next step in pony evolution. There were constant comments about golems being our next step, being bigger, stronger, and more magical than ever. Of course when his clan attempted to cut off his sacrilegious comments he defended himself… lethally. His father was his target and without so much as an ounce of remorse he teleported away while the rest of us were in shock. I would have tracked him immediately, had I not used most my magic destroying Raven Scar.” Starswirl uttered full of remorse if the sight of him burying his face in his hooves was anything to go by.

“We did manage to track where Corundum had fled to. He managed to make it to a small bunker outside of the Crystal Empire. From what we managed to find he had stored several of his prototypes within which soon became the vanguard of his assault on the empire toppling the family that held dominion thereafter the passing of Queen Majesty.” Mistmane stated with sheer contempt of the act clouding her eyes.

“From what we could tell he had most of the family executed to secure his rule and from there he began to create more complex Crystal Golems to help run the ravenous war machine he created out of the nation.” Magnus growled out clearly pissed as the atrocities that were committed, something I didn't know much about.

Honestly it was hard to stomach that al it took was one being to cause such upheaval on their own. Even Discord seemed to be wary of being so open with his own actions though there was probably a deeper story there. I wasn't as dense about the importance of their topic. Nana had also come to the same conclusion I just waited until they confirmed it though they were beating around the bush way too long for my own patience.

I had been virtually locked within a small area of influence for long enough and I could only take the same space for so long without anything else to do.

“I take it there is more to telling me this story than a history lesson.” I mused aloud as I closed my eyes looking as if I was deep in thought. Truthfully, I was going over the designs of the thaumic sensor Nana had materialized and chose design three which worked well with my modular systems.

“Heh… are we that transparent to you?” Starswirl chuckled albeit nervously. The others were unable to look straight at me.

“No. I just could tell from how this conversation was going towards something so serious that what you wanted to ask me would be just as serious.” I connected the dots making eye contact with Starswirl so that he could just spit it out.

“It is. I will not mince words here. The triumvirate wants to remove him from power and restore the former family back to its position… providing they actually survived. That means removing Corundum both from his seat of power and if necessary his head from his body. Commander Hurricane has already collected several warriors of each tribe ready to lead an assault on the Crystal Empire.” Starswirl grimly stated while his thousand yard stare looked off into the distance.

“That plan is suicide!” Magnus shouted slamming his hooves on the table with several ponies voicing their concern as well.

“YOU THINK I DON’T KNOW THAT!” Starswirl screamed over the protests causing them all to quiet.

“Understood. I think it would be better if I went alone there then…” I muttered realizing that if it took all the magic of Starswirl just to decommission one Crystal Golem then there would be far too many casualties if they followed me.

“Are you volunteering to die X?” Somnambula spoke while a shocked looked covered her face.

“I wouldn't die. I'm far more resilient than anything you would have on your side right now.” I stated nonchalantly though I could feel the anxiety start building up.

“Sir, while it is true that we are far more resilient there is still a limit to our toughness. I suspect that if these golems are as dangerous as Starswirl has suspected they may be similar to maverick status. Most likely only around generation one models. From analysis of past records reploids made from generation one were still only able to produce red flames upon destruction.” Nana peered through several files. “Generation two models were able to produce more energy and emitted blue flames upon destruction. This may be dangerous depending on the make of the golems. I would suggest finding out how they are made.”

“Before we try anything would you mind telling me how this golems are made?” I questioned the ponies placing my hands against the table as I stared Starswirl down hopefully not menacingly.

“That's the problem. No pony knows anything of their make. We can only tell that several of them are made of gems that were found specifically within the Crystal Empire. Each of them were blood red and supposedly shined brighter than any known gem ever found. Only Corundum had any idea what they actually were but he didn't deem it necessary to tell anyone about them.” Starswirl hissed as he grew angry, not at anyone in particular, but at the secrecy that the golems held.

Even I wasn't sure if these golems were comparable to reploids in any manner but there was something sinister certainly going on in the Crystal Empire. The biggest concern at this point was the process by which golems were created. The first was Raven Scar and its durability reaching beyond normal unicorns as well as how much power Starswirl expended to actually stop it.

Throughout the entire conversation there was one little voice in the back of my head talking to me. It was strange though since it wasn't Nana either. The only thing it said was that it was a bad idea to get too involved… which I countered with the fact I had no way to get home and there were a lack of supplies to actually accomplish anything of note. It voiced concern about the lack of weaponry and I countered that the first set of weaponry was the most versatile out of all the other weapons in the series with only the second set beating it on usefulness and the sixth set beating them all on damage dealt. The voice went quiet leaving me alone again. I slowly wondered if my doubts were trying to get the best of me. Uncle Claudius had always said I got my sense of worry from his sister, my mom… I missed her.

“Can we count on you to help us bring this fiend to justice?” Magnus finally spoke up breaking me out of my trance even if my body had reacted to his summarized thoughts.

“What is justice to you all?” I blurted out without thinking. I don't know what possessed me to go along with this train of thought but it felt like something that I needed to know without a doubt what they wanted.

Justice was a concept that could be twisted to whatever anyone wanted at that particular moment. My mom and dad believed that everyone deserved to be brought to trial and judged for their crimes based on the rules set by society. Uncle Claudius, however, was not of the same mindset. In his words there were three crimes that deserved mandatory death penalties. They were rape, murder and strangely child endangerment of any kind. When I asked him why though he remained quiet and said absolutely nothing to me for the rest of the day. Those views painted my views a certain way. I was not extreme as my uncle but I knew sometimes a case by case situation was deserved on each felon and how they actually felt about their crimes.

“Left to rot in a dungeon.” Magnus and Rockhoof agreed.

“Brought back alive to stand trial for his crimes.” Somnambula and Meadowbrook chimed in together.

“Banished and exiled for the rest of his natural life.” Starswirl and Mistmane pointed out.

“Glad to hear you are all in agreement. So how should this be handled since the moment I step out of this room I won't stop until I've caught Corundum.” I mentioned almost offhandedly.

‘I literally can't stop since sleep mode does absolutely nothing for me. Though I still need to make a teleporter spawn for me to use and this room would be perfect for me to leave one.’ I looked over the ponies at the table who all seemed to be lost in debate with each other.

In some cases it was difficult to really decide if this was the best course of actions considering just how dangerous Corundum was made out to be. The X I was to be would never believe in dealing with any threat aside from Sigma permanently. The human part of me was conflicted since there was that disparity between justice and what it means. If it was decided for me though… at the very least I wouldn't feel so out of my depth as I did at that point. Little by little it felt that the human part was shunted to the side but for some reason I was a little glad for it.

I was happy as a human regardless of how my uncle acted. He still believed in being a good relative as taught me both how to fight and to take responsibility for my actions no matter what comes. Even through my concerns, I decided to play the role of X even though I knew I could lose who I was as a person. The moment I entered this world the human side didn't seem to cope well with the stress forcing me to run everything through the robotic half more often than not. When it came to conversations though the human side would flourish constantly figuring out those small perceptive details that the robotic side would dismiss as unimportant.

“We can agree to your plan. Commander Hurricane probably won't. For now I think it best of you act as a breaking point in any defensive force that Corundum may have sent down into Equestrian territory.” Rockhoof answered for everyone receiving nods of confirmation from Magnus and Starswirl.

“That's fine I can handle it if someone needs to shadow me. I can work my way towards where Corundum is and capture him… but I need something from all of you first.” I passively stated.

There was sudden silence in the room. I could've sworn that every single pony nearly had their mouths gape open in surprise at my own request. Some were tapping their hooves in worry while others nervously chuckled.

“Make your requests X. We are asking you to go to war for us… there is little you could ask us for while we are in such a subtle crisis as we are now.” Starswirl solemnly stated.

“Honestly I have my own secrets as well and since this requires you to trust me so much then I can say some things now. It's especially good that this room is sealed against all intrusion… I don't know if he is watching or listening though.” I coughed out the last part nervously enough that it raised a few eyebrows. I quickly looked around the room and sure enough there was no sign of anything that could be misconstrued as Discord.

“It couldn't be that bad…” Meadowbrook muttered though she felt a slight bit frightened.

“The day I woke up I was stopped by this strange looking creature in the forest. I think he tried to use some mind control magic that didn't work on me at all. When that happened I was forced to fight back and actually wounded him.” There were a few gasps but Starswirl looked deathly serious when I mentioned the mind control magic. “He instantly healed by running a finger over his wound and threatened me with a ‘we shall see about that,’ phrase. He looked like a mish mash of different animal parts all together and his yellow eyes with red pupils were the most memorable parts of him.”

“Discord…” Starswirl choked out causing the other ponies to neigh in a confused fearful tone.

“Yeah… apparently from our little bout we are enemies now. If I am as durable as I say I am that time frame could be in centuries.” I quietly muttered the last sentence which they didn't hear if the clamor over the existence of Discord threw them for a loop.

“You're saying you picked a fight with a spirit of chaos and technically won?” Mistmane sputtered as she tried to wrap her head around that statement.

“Yes.” I guessed out loud forcing another outburst of panic and incredulity. This was supposed to go better at least in my head and through Nana’s simulations.

“Maybe you are a spirit of order then… that must be it!” Starswirl cried out.

I think I was was caught in a blinking fit because the others all stared at the wizened wizard as if he were a fool instead.

“Wait, what?” I spat out.

“It makes sense. Chaos needs a counterpoint to effectively be something more than it is. It needs Order to make it have purpose. You have been the only being to both meet with Discord and effectively shut down the very skill that most tomes that talk about him say he loves to do. Perhaps even our original plan might actually be able to come into fruition as well!” Starswirl cheered causing Somnambula’s eyes to twinkle with hope.

“You mean the Crystal seed plan? It may actually come to pass…” Somnambula was in tears, tears of joy if her smile was anything to go by.

“Yes it all might make sense. X, whatever you want you may have it. This plan is more important than you could possibly know.” Starswirl smiled and several of the ponies were actually looking at me with true kindness. It wasn't like before where there was always the shadow of doubt in their eyes though I had a feeling that it came from doing something for another which gave me that trust.

“Alright first…” I pulled out one of the teleportation devices from my arm and placed it on the table. “This must stay here protected by the shield that has been cast upon this space. It allows me to teleport to locations I've been to before but I need it to stay in one place where I know it will be safe from being smashed or studied for any wrong doing.”

From their eyes I could see an immense amount of interest and Mistmane scanning the device only to look perplexed. Starswirl looked on noting just how different and almost unreal the device in front of him appeared to be.

“Don't ever let anyone study it or try to look into it. It is not dangerous but as it is now there is no way to reverse engineer this sort of technology without me doing it.” I stated numbly. I had no idea how to make any of them and Nana was barely showcasing the schematics to my memory since all the engineering blueprints were in her mental databases instead.

“I really want to see what makes this device work but we shall guarantee that so long as we walk Equestria nopony shall ever get their hooves on it.” Starswirl answered for everyone at the table who each nodded in understanding. They were really good friends to one another.

“Is there anything else that you require?” Meadowbrook brought up making certain to keep her eyes on me.

“Yes. Since Discord is watching me I need all of you to pretend that you don't know about it. I'd rather that none of you get involved unless you have a very large window of opportunity and an overwhelming advantage. Only you six must know and you must keep quiet about it to not garner his attention.” I defined one of the terms I needed them to follow.

“Doable. I don't like the though of leaving you alone to handle him.” Magnus worriedly stated as he gripped the shield on his back with one hoof.

“For now. It's for the best, right now. That brings me to the last thing I need. Starswirl. Mistmane. I need the two of you to cast spells on me. I need to find my threshold on how much magic resistance I actually have.” I looked towards the two unicorns making certain they understood what I wanted.

---

Discord was torn once again. For his plans to work he need to keep an eye on his counterpart… well his chosen counterpart. In the grand scheme of things he had dealt with the true spirit of order long, long ago knocking the fool out of existence for his own pigheaded designs.

“Seriously, who wants to create a world where nothing changes. That’s so boring…” Discord slumped against the wall that held reality together and waited.

There were several things he could’ve checked on but disinterest left them unseen. Had he felt any inkling of interest he would‘ve seen changelings descend upon one of the fringe towns of the principality wiping it off the map and draining the love from it. He would’ve seen the Pony of Shadows storming through the jungles on the southeastern part of the continent draining the darkness out of the dragons that called it home. He could’ve seen Ruby Geode fume and rant about there still no sighting of Concerto and her spirited escape towards Mount Canter.

All things he could’ve seen and chose to ignore because they weren’t that interesting. Even X had become a boring player as well sitting around talking about nothing. Discord snorted. He knew he could break the barrier but then that would confirm his decision to be in Equestrian territories.

As it stood all he needed was time to gather as much strength as possible. The entire country that was made up of all these territories was perfect. It would be the Chaos Capital of the entire world and nothing would stop that plan.

Except that there was a small flaw in his plan. It was miniscule, an almost insignificant kink in the plan that had come from his battle against the spirit of order. Without Order around, Chaos meant nothing and something within his soul had rebelled against him. His powers had been sealed somehow.

‘I knew I should have sealed him away. Instead I eliminated him just to get my way.’ Discord mentally groaned. Once again his shortsightedness cost him an effective plan. Still… if a new avatar of order could be found… well then, he would be free to deal with the threat before painting the canvas with chaos.

“Now which card should I play next…” Discord chuckled as he pulled out a small deck of cards and shuffled them around.

From the draw he pulled five random cards and turned them over. The Pony of Shadows, Ruby Geode, Goring Corundum, Queen Chrysalis were the first to be flipped over. The fifth was of him in one of his favorite poses which merely winked back at him in coy amusement. Foregoing the Queen and the ten card, Discord set down the king and jack card while placing the ace back into the deck. Goring Corundum needed some more coaxing by little boy blue but there needed to be a small exhibition match.

“Oh Mr. Geode… do I have some fun in store for you.” Discord smiled maliciously as he snapped his talons and returned back to the planet proper.

Comments

[QuartzScale]

8612847
See that's the thing. If we do take certain talks about Celestia and Luna's words during their meeting with Starswirl then it seems Discord happened after that because both Celestia and Luna were already in their adult form when they faced Discord based on their appearance in the season 4 episode 1 appearance. So if we take their words into account then Luna's disappearance happened long after Starswirl disappeared since he didn't recognize Nightmare Moon by name when it was mentioned in episode. Only Tirek garnered a response and that was one of annoyance.

Unfortunately because of that Mirror Sombra cannot exist unfortunately due to how the show canon went with this and that also came with the Sirens actually got made into legitimate threats in their Equestrian forms. So the timeline as far as I can see goes something like this:

Founding of Equestria -> Tirek's First Assault -> Rise of the Pony of Shadows -> Age of Discord -> Sombra's Reign -> Changeling Incursions -> Mare in the Moon Returns.

So as it goes over about a 1500 year bridge like that. Tirek's first attack had to have happened within a few years after Equestria was founded but before Stygian got the pillars together. When Stygian got them together Discord was waiting in the shadows for a place that was orderly enough where he could have fun for a long while. At most he probably reigned for a few generations before he was taken care of most likely 200 years. At the tail end of those first 500 years most likely six years before it got to there Sombra had taken control forcing Celestia and Luna to act. Luna was corrupted around that point leaving those 1000 years all alone for Celestia. Then Chrysalis became a true threat and Celestia was forced to handle it on her own being much harsher at this point due to her swirling emotions. Then it was 800 or so years before Luna returned and the show canon starts.

At the very least that's my view.

[GIGA-XISBASS]

8612947
Interesting take on how it could've happened.

[QuartzScale]

8615047
It's an interesting concept and something I'm gonna be following through on this story.

[GIGA-XISBASS]

8615575
Well I can't wait. ^^

[Detsella Morningdew]

8612947
Yeah, that's the conclusion I came to as well.

Though I was surprised to have a HiE fic use this time period. Very interesting. I like it so far.