Distorted Worlds

by Cryssy-miu

Chapter 6 - Deceptions Part 2

“Discord, try to keep up! You're so slow!” Chrysalis called back to the panting draconequus. The three of them were far ahead of the colt now, passed the babbling brook while Discord was still trudging his way through the flowers.

“Poor thing,” Celestia mused, “It has to be hard having four different limbs; some built for running, and some not.”

“I'm a lot faster than he is!” Luna piped in with a laugh. She squeaked as Chrysalis playfully whipped her head back, causing the filly to tighten her hold on her shimmering wings.

“You're faster, Lulu? I'm the one that's carrying you! Hurry up, Discord!”

The kid draconequus grumbled and muttered obscene words and threats to the earth tripping him as he made his wobbly way over the stepping stones across the brook. Landing with an ungraceful flop on his pudgy belly, he sulked up at his friends staring down at him in amusement. “Why are my legs so weird?”

“Because the gods couldn't decide what animal to make you so they put you in a blender with a bunch of them!” Chrysalis laughed. She squealed as the draconequus jumped playfully at her and gnawed on her tail.

Shaking off the youngling spirit, Chrysalis stood up proudly and puffed out her chest like a young warrior. “Onward, explorers, to the golden berry bush! It's just up the...” Her silver-blue ears tilted to the side at the strange, muffled mantra coming from beyond the castle walls. Cautiously, Chrysalis peered inside, to the throne room, where her mother's back was turned to her as she continued chanting.

“Mother?” Chrysalis's turquoise eyes widened in fright as she stared up at her mother. “What are you doing?” She leaned to the side a bit and saw Uncle Aegeus and Auntie Astraia's book floating in front of her. “Why do you still have Auntie Astra and Uncle Aegee's book?”

Her mother whirled to her, and the girl scrambled back in alarm at the sharp, unfamiliar look in her mother's eyes.

“Out, you foolish girl!” the older flutterpony hissed, as she knocked the filly back through the door with her tail. “Mother is very busy right now!”

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Fog, blood, red surroundings, the deaths of the ones he loved—Discord wasn't sure what was more terrifying at the moment; the siren or the nightmare. The terror resonated through his head, each horrifying flash more brutal than the last.

Gotta think! Gotta calm down! I have to focus! There's a evil little fish monster after us here!

Of course, if Discord was lucky maybe these memories would continue to cloud his head and prevent any mirage from getting to him. Surely there was nothing in this vast forest that would break him, clouded judgement or not. He may be in a frazzled state of mind, but he wasn't stupid.

Right now it was up to him to find his friends and get them out of here. He was responsible for them, after all. That was right. He was responsible for their safety and yet here he was, alone and lost and unable to protect himself. Gods, he was pathetic.

“Didn't need much calculations to figure that out,” Discord muttered. He glared at the mist, his talon glowing. It dispersed a ray of golden light and destroyed the mist. Within seconds, the mist regenerated. “Son of a...”

Gritting his teeth, the draconequus hovered through the fog and searched for any familiar pony in this maze.”Twilight! Applejack! Fluttershy? Anypony there?” His voice echoed through the forest, but no sound greeted him in return.

The farther Discord ventured into the mist the more it seemed to fade. Maybe the damn siren was finally going to leave them alone now. Discord could see the faint outline of a pony in the distance. He quirked an eyebrow in suspicion. The pony looked to be huge. It definitely wasn't one of the girls, and its stature was too buff to be Chrysalis.

“Hello?” Discord asked cautiously. “Hello? Who's there? Can you help me?” Keeping his magic on guard in case he'd need it, Discord hesitantly approached the form as the final shrouds of mist cleared and revealed who it was.

His ethereal, flaming mane rippled in the wind as his loving, sunset eyes focused on him.

“.................Dad?”

In the right state of mind, Discord's judgement would scream out here and remind himself that this was all a trick of the siren, but the only thing the draconequus concentrated on was his father standing right there, in front of him. His father, here, and alive.

Suddenly, an unnatural hue seeped through the draconequus's eyes, and illuminated his irises in an unearthly, bluish glow. “Dad!” Discord bolted through the brush and practically careened into Aegeus, but the stallion's wings enveloped him instantly and held him up.

“Dad! Dad!” Discord wailed into his father's back, blubbering and breaking down like a colt as he clutched to the alicorn as tightly as he could. A malicious glint flashed in Aegeus's eyes, too quick to be seen with the naked eye, before he went back to play the role as the ever dotting father.

“Dad, Daddy...” Discord sobbed, unable to see anything through the endless onslaught of tears. “Daddy....it's you!”

“Of course it's me, son...” Aegeus's voice came out in a soothing coo, which made Discord's five year old-like weeping grow louder. The coldness in Aegeus's eyes was betrayed by the insincere, gentle smile as Discord fell deeper into the trap of the siren. “I'm here now, son...” The stallion's irises flashed an un-natural blue, before returning to their orange color. “I'm here now...”

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“The mist is gone.” Twilight looked to Chrysalis for some clarification and hope, but the changeling did nothing to calm her fears.

“That means nothing, dear. If anything, it means the siren might have found a victim and given up on the rest of us. For now, we need to focus on finding the rest of our traveling group—especially that ugly, mismatched oaf. Discord could be in very grave danger.”

Twilight could only agree. After what happened last night, Discord was as vulnerable as a child and possibly unable to protect himself, especially if the siren broke him. Trying to force away those grisly thoughts, Twilight trotted a few steps ahead of Chrysalis to get a better look at the forest ahead.

“Twilight?”

The lavender unicorn spun around at the ever familiar, and welcomed voice of Fluttershy. Sure enough, the pegasus was eagerly galloping towards them, with Rainbow Dash tagging behind. “Oh, Fluttershy! You're okay!”

Chrysalis stepped aside to avoid being tackled as both pegasi enveloped Twilight in a close hug. She paid no heed to the emotional reunion and didn't even feel her hunger fulfilled by the overpowering emotions. All she could think of was her children. Pain bloomed in her heart as she watched the group embrace, and she cursed herself when she felt tears sting her eyes.

“Um...miss Chrysalis?” The changeling queen looked down for the source of the timid little voice. Fluttershy crouched inadvertently low to the ground, like a nervous little puppy. “I-I found your children.”

The most joyful look crossed Chrysalis's face when she saw those precious, beautiful eyes stare up at her from behind the pegasus's wings. Despite how much she feared the normally cruel queen, even Fluttershy had to smile as Chrysalis scooped the younglings up into a hug.

“Thank you.” Her tone actually sounded grateful. She must be losing her terrifying charm, because the weak little mouse actually smiled at her!

Within seconds of reuniting with the pegasi, the rest of the group of earth ponies, unicorns, and a little baby dragon skittered up to the trio. Relieved chatter went on for a few moments, until the ponies realized someone was missing.

“How do we lose a guy as big as Discord?” Rainbow Dash snorted. “And where did the fog go?”

“Not to worry girls.” The one thing Chrysalis hated about Twilight was how she always tried to act like she knew everything. She didn't know anything about this journey! “I'm sure the fog has passed because the siren gave up on us.”

“No,” Chrysalis cut in sharply, glaring at the stupid mare. She was the one in charge here, not them. “The more likely answer is that the siren has Discord, and so it's forgotten about us. That would explain why we can't find him. As much as I detest the oaf, Discord is strong willed, so whatever the siren has lured him with has to be dangerous...”

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“This part of the forest sort of reminds me of Moonshine Forest,” Discord mumbled. The vast area of trees and silver-blue flowers was reminiscent to his family's favorite vacation spot. If these flowers were a type of Moonshine and illuminated by the moon then journeying at night would be a lot easier.

The draconequus turned to his father and smiled at him, utterly oblivious to the grave danger his life was in right now. “I remember you and Mom took us there as often as you could. I wish we could have gone more often, but it was so far from the castle...” He leaned back against his father's folded wings, content.

Aegeus's eyes glinted like a knife, more akin to a lethal serpent than the eyes of a loving father. None the less, he tenderly draped a wing around the draconequus and rubbed his chin against the spirit's bristled mane. “Yes, well...you know a king has duties to tend to.”

Discord leaned his head back to look at his father, his vermillion eyes still glowing an un-natural, bluish hue. Discord mistook the siren's victorious smirk for one of his Dad's typical, wayward smiles.

“I can't believe you're actually in front of me. I've missed you...so much.” A golden paw tightly gripped the stallion's leg for support and security. Discord gave an awkward laugh. “Look at me, I'm acting like such a colt! I'm clinging to my Daddy as if I'm five again.” A traumatized look washed over his face. “Or as if I'm enduring another nightmare again...”

Subconsciously, the spirit scooted closer to his father, resting his head against the alicorn's cream colored side. He really did feel like a young child again, nuzzled into his Daddy for support and comfort in the midst of a sleepless night, or one haunted by horrific dreams.

“I don't know what's wrong with me... I just don't understand these nightmares. I've never had them before, and I don't know what to make of them.” His grip on his father grew tighter, causing Aegeus to wince and resist the urge to slam a hoof against the side of the brat's face.

“I've had nightmares since....since it happened,” Discord whispered. He clenched his eyes shut and the tears began to heavily flow once more. “Oh Dad, I'm...I'm so sorry.”

The siren inwardly rolled its eyes. This was getting ridiculous. Even from in this forest, it had heard of the legends of this land and knew that sitting before it was chaos incarnate. Whoever thought the terrifying god of destruction would end up being such a wimp and a Papa's boy.

“Why don't you just tell me what your nightmares are about?” It could afford to wait in consuming its meal, especially since it still needed to get the creature to the lake anyway.

Exhaling shakily, Discord gazed off with a frightened look. “I'm in this...pit, I think. This void of black and suddenly everyone I love is around me and telling me...how much they hate me. They say I'm just a monster that could never be loved. I try to fight their words, but this voice tells me that I am evil.”

Aegeus jolted as Discord's grip tightened even more, practically puncturing through his skin. He stared down at the spirit, resisting the urge to smirk at the sight of those owlish and terrified eyes. The siren knew the wretch's father probably wouldn't smirk. It feigned a look of concern.

“This voice, this...demon--it's in every dream! The dreams vary, but the demon is always there. The demon is the one thing that never changes. It's always trying to rile me and convince me I'm a demon. It tries to get me to join its...cult, or something.”

Discord gripped his head as the visions of blood red eyes assaulted his mind. “And I never know what it looks like. Sometimes I catch a flash—red eyes, long and mangled horns, and huge wings—one looks soft and pure, and the other looks jagged and black. And I-I try to fight the demon, but I can't move!”

The spirit's body shook with terror at the visions of his loved ones on the ground, dead and bloody. All because of him. “And then I see everyone on the ground, dead and bloody, and the demon tells me that I did it!” His voice grew louder as it became slightly hysterical. “The voice tells me it's because of me that they're dead, that I killed them!”

The air lapsed into silence as the heavily disturbed siren only stood there, staring down at this lunatic in fright. Perhaps this wasn't worth a good meal.

“W...well...” The one good thing about trapping a victim was the link the siren got with their memories. “Surely you don't believe that's true, that you could possibly be evil with all you've done to help the kingdom. And you know no one sees you as evil. Your child certainly won't.” This maniac was going to be a father? Pity on the poor mother!

“I don't understand what those dreams are... I feel like they're trying to tell me something, just like the nightmares I had about killing you and Mom tried to tell me to talk to Tia and Lulu.” He shook his head. “But what in Equestria could this be trying to say? Is it trying to warn me I'm turning evil? Is it confirming that I am the offspring of demons? What if I hurt the girls?!” He looked desperately up at the awkward stallion.

The siren inwardly groaned and vowed to stick to easier victims, like pigeons.

Xxxxxxxx

“We should've kept the varmint on a leash,” Applejack growled. “Ah mean really, ya had him on one once Fluttershy, and ya should've brought it with ya. Least this way we could keep a better eye on 'im.”

“What if the siren already has him?” Twilight whispered. She was hoping the changeling would ease her fears, but Chrysalis wasn't one for sugarcoating.

“It's a possibility. It's definitely possible he may already be dead right now.” She winced from the ear splitting bawl of Fluttershy. “The only thing we can do is keep searching for him, and to pray we find him alive. Twilight, is there any sort of tracking spell you could perform? It might help us a little. ...Twilight?”

The lavender unicorn was staring blankly off into the distance, mesmerized by something. Her friends waved their hooves in front of her face, but she only continued to sit there. “It's the king... And-And Discord is with him! It's Aegeus! But...how...?”

“What?” Chrysalis snapped, whirling to where the spaced out mare was gazing at. Sure enough, it was King Aegeus. It may have been over a thousand years, but he didn't look as if he had aged a year; the perks of immortality.

“It...it's...” She shook it off, eyes darkening to a a rage when she realized what Discord obviously didn't. In his defense though, she did a double take herself. “It's the siren...a...and Discord.”

Discord washed away the night's sweat, dried tear stains, and dirt in the lake. His frazzled nerves simmered to a calm as the cold droplets hit his face. Ponies were right when they said water was the number one, natural healer for everything. As for him, he'd still prefer chocolate milk, but he'd take what he could get.

Discord dried his face with a nearby leaf—only for his vision to suddenly be obscured once more. Wiping the stinging water from his eyes, he whipped up his head to see Aegeus in the water with a hoof raised playfully, about to deliver another splash.

All at once, the trauma washed from the spirit's face, leaving him almost looking like his typical-insufferable Discord self. He grinned devilishly at the stallion, snaggle tooth poking out from under his lip. “Are you really foolish enough to challenge me to a splash duel, Dad~? I do so hope you're prepared to be buried under the water and feasting on bubbles!”

Discord was too caught up in the moment of truly missed play with his father to notice the teasing grin on Aegeus's face was becoming far more sinister as the king lured him into slightly deeper waters. The strain had left Discord's voice as he giggled impishly and splashed his father, who took a leap behind him.

The spirit laughed and draped his tail over him for coverage as his back was sprayed from behind. Still snickering and spluttering out droplets of water, Discord watched as Aegeus's reflection behind him distorted and muddled together, until it wasn't recognizable.

Happy laughter turned to tense laughter as the reflection began to slowly settle, and Discord noticed the jumble of colors didn't resemble his father in the slightest. A cold fear pierced the spirit, harsh and frigid enough to take his breath away. He leaned in to look into the water, and felt his breath quicken in a panic when the cold eyes of the siren glared back.

“Dad?” There was no one there when Discord spun around. Everything had fallen ominously silent, other than the haunting echo of water dripping and rippling across the lake. “Dad?”

It reminded Discord of something out of a horror novel as the demonic form slowly rose out of the depths of the lake. It was still taking the form of his father, but his sunset eyes were now a piercing blue, and only now could the draconequus see the true evil on the alicorn's face that he couldn't before.

The draconequus stood there, wading in the deep waters, utterly expressionless as he stared up at the form of his father. A talon subconsciously raised in instinct, but the moment it ignited, the magic crackled and fizzed away to nothing.

“Discord!” Twilight shouted, “Discord, snap out of it! That's not Aegeus! Discord, MOVE!” The unicorn charged over to the spirit's aid, but a sphere of lime green magic held her back as Chrysalis stepped in front of her.

“Twilight, it's no good! We can't snap him out of it! There's no getting him back to reality after the siren claims him!”

“Well we can't just let him die!” Twilight retorted furiously, struggling in Chrysals's magical binds.

“That's not what I'm saying!” the changeling snapped. “Follow me, and hurry! This may be Discord's only shot at survival!”

The mirage dispelled as the tides washed away all traces of Aegeus, and left only the haunting and beautiful appearance of the lethal siren. A pale white mane tumbled down into the frigid waters as the deadly creature emitted a hiss.

A silver fin slapped the surface of the water and sent a harsh force rippling over the water. Waves rolled up and Discord immediately found himself nearly swallowed up by the sudden, raging rapids.

The spirit was yanked, and before going under, the draconequus heard the blood curdling scream of Fluttershy and saw a glimpse of familiar faces before he was swallowed by the waves. He quickly realized that same force that pulled him under rendered him unable to pump his legs in the water.

From under the water, Discord heard the muffled sound of a struggle and felt his body rocking violently from the force of the waves above. There was the sound of a muffled screech and Discord realized he now had control of his limbs. He used this time to propel himself back to the surface, where the battle above was taking place.

“DISCORD!” The draconequus barely had the chance to reach a paw out to grab Fluttershy's hoof before being consumed in another wave.

“It's trying to drown him!” Chrysalis shouted. “All of you, distract the siren! If we don't keep it occupied it'll be able to bind Discord again! One of you, try to grab him the next time he rises to the surface!” A sparking orb of green pulsed from the tip of her jagged horn and engulfed the shrieking demon.

Discord rose again, flailing and sputtering. The roar of the waves and the blasts of magic was deafening, but the draconequus was still able to hear his guardian's desperate screams over it all. He watched as the body of his father slammed against a rock from the force of Twilight's magic. The siren had long since gone back to its original form, but all Discord could see was Aegeus.

“Dad!” the spirit spluttered. “No, don't hurt him!! Leave my father alone!!” He was yanked from the water by two certain pegasi, but he struggled and fought in their hold to try and get back to his father. “Let go! DAD!!!”

The look on Aegeus face twisted into unimaginable hate, and Discord was frozen as his father lunged at him once more. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy lifted him up out of the way and darted through the air as they tried to avoid the foaming waves.

“NO! DAD!!” Discord screeched and clawed in the ponies' iron grips as they attempted to pin him to the sand. He fought and bit and clawed at them with all his might, but even as they became covered with marks and bruises, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash wouldn't let go.

Weeping, the saffron pony wrapped her hooves around him, rocking his form back and forth as she tried to push his face into her fur so he wouldn't see what was happening. “It's okay, sweetie! It'll be okay,” she sobbed. “It'll be okay...”

The siren twisted around and screeched in rage as Pinkie Pie latched around its face and clung adamantly, refusing to let go.

“No!” Pinkie shrieked, snarling like a wild animal as she tightened her hold on the demon's face. “You're not making seafood out of OUR Dissy!!” She yelped as the siren bit down on her hoof, causing her to go crashing into the rapids. The force created a sudden splash that lapped up the rocks near the shore, where the infants were.

“MY BABIES!!” Chrysalis screamed in horror, watching as two of the children were swept into a sudden whirlpool the enraged and dying siren created with its last strength. She lunged towards the lake, but the siren abruptly whipped its tail around and sent her slamming into the rocks. Bleeding and disoriented, the mare flexed her wings in an effort to fly, but only collapsed from the effort.

Spike watched in terror, his heart tearing as the babies cried out in fright for their mother. His frightened eyes took in the horror of the ponies around them. They were all too far from the deep part of the lake to reach them in time. Having been left on the rock with the changeling children, he was the only one close enough to grab them before it was too late.

With a snarl, he leaped straight into the crashing waves, amidst his friends' – Twilight's especially - screams. He pushed himself up with the effort to remain above water—at least long enough to get to the children.

The baby dragon lunged forward through the foaming waves and took the children into his arms. They instantly clung to his chest, wailing. The force of the vortex felt as if his scales were being torn right off his body, but Spike still paddled and thrashed against the current with all his might. But his efforts seemed to be in fain, and he cried out, and squinted his eyes shut as he and the frightened infants dipped into the center of the gaping hole in the water.

Right before the vortex sucked him under completely, a lavender hoof suddenly grabbed onto his claw. With a fierce tug, Spike and the changelings were pulled out of the vortex's grip. Spike opened his eyes to see a rope of multi colored hooves connected together as Applejack held them together by gripping a rock behind her.

With a final, hoarse snarl, the siren made one last effort to drown them as it lunged into the water. Rainbow Dash managed to pull him in just before the beast crashed into him.

“Spike,” Rainbow Dash panted, “You have got to be either the bravest or the stupidest dragon I have ever known!”

Spike clambered to his feet, coughing and spluttering out water. In an instant, he found himself swept into a pair of lavender hooves, and Spike was able to feel Twilight's chest convulsing with sobs.

“Don't you ever do that to me again,” Twilight whispered fiercely through a sudden hiccup. Spike could only nod shakily and nuzzle into the mare's chest.

“I won't,” he promised softly. When she released him (and the babies as well), the little dragon walked timidly up to the large changeling mare. Chrysalis didn't say a word, evidently completely stung and frozen. That was broken as her children crooned tearfully and happily, and ran straight for their mother.

The mother nuzzled her whining and sniffling babies, tears rolling down her black cheeks as she held them and mumbled words of reassurance and comfort. Slowly, her cool, serpent like eyes focused on the baby dragon, and Spike suddenly found himself pressed against the mare's leg, draped under her hoof.

Utterly stunned, the baby dragon could only blink for a few moments, and then he gently rested his cheek against Chrysalis's leg.

The heartfelt moment was broken by the siren's dying croak, and the group turned to stare at the water. Discord's frozen, and seemingly lifeless eyes watched as his father slowly began to sink under the water, until there was nothing but a few, quiet bubbles at the surface. The water became still.

“Discord...sweetie?” Fluttershy whispered hoarsely. She gripped his face in her hooves and tried to see any semblance of familiarity in his eyes, but there was nothing. His eyes were literally blank and were still illuminated an un-natural blue. They were dead.

Chrysalis limped up to the group beginning to crowd around the silent draconequus. She stared hard at him through her puffy eyes, and a grim and almost sad look crossed her face. “He has been severely damaged...”

“What do you mean?” Fluttershy wept. “We got to him before the siren managed to hurt him!”

Chrysalis folded her wings against her sides with a wince. “The evil of a siren is beyond comprehensible. Those that meet one rarely escape alive, and if they do...it is not without a lasting effect. Few can get over the horror of seeing what they think is their loved ones trying to kill them. It often leaves temporary to permanent emotional trauma.”

Twilight's horn began to glow, but Chrysalis stopped her with a hoof before she could gently tap Discord's forehead. “I'm afraid a soothing spell will do nothing for this. There is nothing that we can do. Discord will have to come out of it on his own...”

“And if he doesn't?” Fluttershy whimpered. The group stared up at Chrysalis with prying and desperate eyes, but the changeling didn't respond and only turned her head so she wouldn't have to look at them.

“We need to keep moving; once night hits we won't be able to see a thing in this forest...”

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Traveling with a group of soft-hearted, wimpy little kids must be starting to get to her, because Chrysalis couldn't understand why she felt something tug at her black heart as she watched the girls attempt to bring Discord back to reality. Of course, it wasn't as if she didn't have a soul at all. It was hard not to feel affected by seeing a group of helpless kids try to futilely bring their friend back to them. Hay, even her children tried to help!

Dark came sooner than it normally did. Perhaps it was just the shade of the forest, but either way, the traveling group quickly found an un-occupied cave to rest in for the night.

“How are ya feeling now, Chrysalis?” Applejack asked the changeling.

“Sore,” Chrysalis said honestly. Fluttershy had bandaged her broken wing and the mare had just escaped a concussion. “I'm sore and my wing feels as if every tendon in it has disappeared.” She stared at the limp, noodle-like appendage. “ She shrugged, and gave something close to a smile. “But I'm living.”

“Hey, come on you guys!” Spike whined, chasing after a bunch of flitting, happy little infants. “This game of tag isn't even fair! I mean, you all have wings!” He scowled as one of the babies rubbed it into his face by flitting just above where he could reach.

“Spike,” Twilight advised the scurrying dragon, “You should settle down anyway. I know you're tired, however much you want to fight it.” She smirked when the child scowled at her. “It's true, and you know it.”

Adamant to prove that wasn't true, the little dragon stuck his snout up in the air and returned to chasing the infants. Twilight rolled her eyes and just gave up. He was a kid; kids never went to bed when they were told.

Within a matter of moments, it was clear sleep was taking its toll on the children as their movements gradually began to get slower and lack luster. Chrysalis glanced up and felt her hard heart melting at the sight of the stumbling babies, and one certain little dragon.

A few of the changeling babies had already given in to sleep and rested against their mother's side. The more stubborn of the children remained stumbling and yawning, eyelids drooping. The last of her babies finally came to their mother, with only one child remaining awake.

At last, a certain baby dragon succumbed to sleep, as evident by his swaying, but Chrysalis's snout dipped down to catch him before he fell.

“I didn't know there was this side to you,” Twilight mused softly as Chrysalis tucked her children and the sleeping baby dragon under her good wing.

The changeling shrugged. “Even when you're a diabolical mare like me, when you're a mother, you just have instinct.” She glanced down with soft, aqua eyes at the peaceful infants and dragon curled up together.

“Sweetie, you need to eat something.” This was the third time today Fluttershy tried to coax anything into Discord. His mental state had recovered slightly, at least enough that he looked at someone when they said something, but he never responded. He had been mute since the incident.

Fluttershy sighed despondently as Discord's tail nudged the cupcake away. A cupcake! He was actually refusing a cupcake! “I don't know what to do...”

“As I said,” Chrysalis told the disconsolate pony, “There isn't much that can be done. He is making a little bit of progress though. At least he acknowledges when someone is talking to him. I don't know if he hears them, but...” She shrugged.

A tiny pug-like whimper sounded from the draconequus's lap, where Screwball was cuddled into her creator and pawing at his chest. She blew a raspberry up at him, waiting with a hopeful smile for him to blow her a wet one right back. But he didn't.

“It's okay, Screwy,” Fluttershy told the pony as she rubbed her mane. “He'll be alright soon, no need to cry.”

The swirly pony was persistent in her prying and ignored everypony else as she floated up to his face. A rumbling sound vibrated from her throat, purring, and the group watched, puzzled as the little mare placed her snout gently against Discord's forehead and nuzzled it.

There wasn't any reaction at first, but then Discord focused on her face and blinked hard. When he opened his eyes they were their usual vermillion and more alert. Without saying anything, Discord stared at his little companion, wrapped her up in his hands, and cuddled her up under his chin.

“Discord, sweetie!” Fluttershy breathed. “Are...are you alright?”

There was a beat, and then Discord gave a shaky nod. Finally, his lips parted and he hoarsely whispered, “I...I think so.” Immediately, Fluttershy launched herself into his arms. Still trying to process what was going on, Discord only looked down at her.

“Do you...do you remember anything that happened?”

A deep shudder shook the draconequus as he nodded grimly. “Yeah...I do.” He closed his eyes as the horrific visions flashed through his mind. His father attacking him, his father dying... “The siren...took the form of my father.”

Fluttershy draped a blanket over the draconequus's shoulder and gazed in wonderment down at the kooky little pony curled into his lap. “We thought we had lost you...” She watched as Screwball stretched and walked in a circle, laying down again. “Screwball managed to bring you back, but how? We've been trying all day.”

The spirit gazed down at the sleeping pony and smiled lightly. “Back in the day, when I first created her, my magic wasn't stable. I was strong, and I had great power, but I didn't know how to create a perfect, living being.

“Magic can do many things and there are few limits, but not everything is as easy as snapping your fingers. I wanted to create life. During my reign I had lost my family, and even villains get lonely at times. I had tried numerous times when I was younger to create a companion of chaos, but every one of them died only hours after their creation.” He smiled as the pegasus gripped his arm.

“I was sick of feeling different. I loved my magic, but I had no one to share it with. When I finally did manage to create Screwball, she lived, but not without difficulties. She became seriously ill after her creation, just like the others... I was prepared for her to die, but she was stronger than that, which surprised me. She didn't have a voice, I noticed. It was difficult for us to communicate, so I taught her to communicate through sound effects.

“She had some mental issues. She had the mindset of a two year old even though I summoned her to be a full grown pony. The main issue was her night terrors. She woke up screaming every night. I didn't get any sleep during my brief reign, but that didn't matter. Either her night terrors woke us both up or I did with my screaming from my nightmares of guilt and regret.

I found a way to calm her down and bring her back to reality. I used to press my forehead against hers.” He grinned and gave a slight shrug. “I told her that it meant our minds were connecting. I never really believed it, but it was just something silly to say to make us both feel better.” He gazed down thoughtfully at the sleeping earth pony.

“Well, maybe it's true,” Fluttershy whispered with a smile. Discord returned a fleeting smile, but it faded quickly.

“I can't believe today...everything was a hoax. F-for a thousand years, I've yearned to see my parents again. I thought I finally had a chance to tell them that I was sorry and ask their forgiveness.” He blinked as Fluttershy wrapped her hooves around his neck and rested against his shoulder.

“Discord...they do.”

Instead of denying it or agreeing, Discord only rested his chin against her shoulder and peacefully shut his eyes.

Xxxxxxxx

Chrysalis and Discord were the only ones still awake. Discord was too afraid to try and sleep again, and Chrysalis was tucking her changelings into a bed of moss. The changeling mare trotted quietly over to the make-shift bed and lowered her head, allowing the seven infants and baby dragon to delicately slip off, into the moss.

“Funny, I didn't know changelings could birth dragons. When did he become yours~?” Chrysalis rolled her eyes and turned to the smirking draconequus. She wasn't sure whether she should be relieved or annoyed that he was going back to his old, obnoxious self.

“He's not; I'm just showing my gratitude.”

“Good, because if you want to adopt the child you'll probably have to pry him away from Twilight's hooves. And trust me, she bites. I'd know. I tried to take her gummy bears once.”

Chrysalis gave the spirit a weird look, but decided not to ask on the matter. “So how are you feeling?”

“You care~?”

“I'm just trying to start a conversation here. You don't want to have nightmares and frankly I don't want to dream about my children drowning either. So it looks like it will just be the two of us awake tonight.”

Discord heaved a shuddering sigh. “I don't know what I'm supposed to feel. As if my nightmares weren't bad enough on their own, now I'm haunted by the fact that some demon took the form of my father and tried to kill me.”

“...You're hurt.”

“What?”

The spirit jumped as Chrysalis's magic engulfed his arm and illuminated a gash that he had obviously gotten from some rocks when he was pulled from the water. Her horn glowed more and a pulse of magic attacked the wound.

Discord almost screamed from the sudden, needle-piercing pain that attacked his arm. “WHAT THE BU-”

“Shut up!” Chrysalis snapped, slamming a hoof over the idiot's mouth. It didn't do much to quiet him since she had holes in her hoof. “It's just a soothing spell!”

“That is not a soothing spell!” Discord snarled into her hoof, eyes almost watering from the intense pain digging into the wound. “That is a dipped-in-salt-with-an-extra-spurt-of-acid-for-effect spell!”

The changeling smirked, enjoying the oaf's discomfort. “Our magic is more for changing, attacking and defending rather than spells. Our methods of healing are quite...aggressive.” She pointed to where Discord's flesh was slowly mending back together with invisible stitches.

“Healing magic should only be used if the situation is dire, but from what I heard you're quite susceptible to illnesses. The last thing we need is for you to develop a case of blood poisoning. That will only slow us down more and you did enough of that today when you decided to go play with a siren.”

Discord flashed her a livid glare, but the queen only smirked and crossed her hooves. A few more moments of silence passed before the spirit spoke. When he did, his voice had become quiet and somber. “Chryssy, can I ask you something?”

“Only if you promise never to call me that again, as I will gore you through your corneas with my horn if you even think about it.”

The spirit didn't react to the threat. His vermillion eyes shone with desperation and confusion. “Do you think I'm evil?”

The question caught her off guard, as shown by the perturbed look on her face. How he managed to switch moods so quickly was beyond her. She took his question in silence as she thought things over. Finally, she shook her head with a sneer.

“You're...the guardian of Equestria, and their king. You've done everything for a bunch of little girls you used to hate... You're risking your life on a dangerous journey to save an entire kingdom of ponies that probably wanted you dead a time ago.” Something barely resembling a smile crossed the changeling's face. “There are a lot of words to describe you, you ugly oaf...but evil is not one of them. And I'm not saying this because I like you, because obviously I hate you.”

The draconequus blinked and then gave a slight amused smile of his own and looked down at the cave floor.

“Get some sleep,” Chrysalis told him. “You're not much use to begin with, but you'd be utterly useless as a zombie.” She exited the cave as Discord settled down beside Fluttershy and Screwball, and she walked through the brush and into a clearing.

The queen exhaled deeply as she settled next to a spring and gazed into the waters. The tip of her horn began to glow as a gentle pulse of magic rippled the water. Her grim faced reflection disappeared, and Maelstrom's reflection came into view.

His eyebrows shot up as he smirked, both at the mare's expression and appearance. She was still banged up and battered from her battle with the siren. “My my, you certainly look ravishing. The blood really compliments your complexion, and why the long face, my dear~?”

“Just...one of those days.” Right, one of those days. One of those days where you begin questioning your motives when a group of brats save your life, and your children—twice, and with nothing to gain on their side.

“Tsk-tsk. What a shame. Does it have anything to do with why you're bruised more than a peach~?”

“Ever heard of a siren, Maelstrom?” She hopped back as he gave a hearty laugh.

“Heard of them? Why, they're practically my creations! Such beautifully conniving and manipulative creatures. How I adore the way they break their victims down to a pile of mental and emotional mush before devouring them.”

“Your evilness knows no bounds.”

“Says the mare that was hell-bent on draining an entire kingdom of their emotions.”

She smirked. “Touche.” A more serious look crossed her face. “We should be approaching the Decaying Mountains in a few days. In other words, we're almost to your realm, so I certainly hope you're prepared for us.”

“Oh indeed I am. I've prepared the most spectacular cake for your arrival, and I'm readying the loot bags and pin-the-tail-on-the-pony as we speak! What type of beverage do you think the children will prefer~? Perhaps Discord can help me decide when we get there. Of course, the center piece will be the Elements~!”

The mare frowned. “What could you want of the Elements? They're the representative of friendship and harmony, and I can't possibly see what you have to gain from them. Even Discord wasn't going to do anything with them during his reign. He simply hid them from the ponies.”

“Well...” A malicious sparkle came to the entity's blood, red eyes as he feigned a look of innocence and curiosity. “Perhaps I want to know more about the magic of friendship and love. Perhaps I could get that kid draconequus to teach me.”

“And what do you want of Discord?”

The demon smirked and wagged a claw at her. “Nosy, nosy; what I want with the boy is of no concern of yours. Concentrate on your duty, my dear. Til next we meet.” We waved his fingers at her mockingly. “Toodles~”

Chrysalis sat back against the bank and thought back to the events of the day. Mostly all she really thought about was Twilight; Twilight offering to sacrifice herself for her children, and Twilight tackling her out of the way from the incoming siren. She remembered the way Fluttershy nuzzled her children and how they had cuddled right into her.

And then she remembered the little dragon; not much older than her own children, and yet he still courageously put his life on the line to save them.

There was no way Chrysalis could harm any of them now. Of course, killing them wasn't in her top priorities anyway. She more so would have just handed them to Maelstrom so he could do what he wanted with them. Perhaps a comfortable prison would suffice instead of an untimely end when she took over with Maelstrom. Maybe she'd be able to convince him to spare the group.

An eye for an eye, she thought.

xxxxxxxx

(So this is the un-editted version; I have to post them like this now until they're edited by my professional editor. c: I'm just a noob that knows nothing about grammar. XD

The idea of Chrysalis subconsciously mothering Spike is just too freaking adorable. I'm thinking at one point I might do a small side story with the two of them. Don't know what it'd be about though.

Poor Discord, he never gets a break.

On the other hoof, how great was the premiere?! c: WELL...not the best, in my opinion. Enjoyable and ponies, yeah, but a few things just made it seem less epic than it should have been. But man, black magic. Didn't think we'd see Twilight use that. Why do I have the feeling Twilight is going to be the next ruler of Equestria? XD)

Comments

[SciGuy]

Why do I have the feeling Twilight is going to be the next ruler of Equestria?
2.bp.blogspot.com/-pBePNR5xLi0/UH8V2g01zaI/AAAAAAAA8_4/KbJZLBRRvl0/s320/A5VYKeXCAAAaOWb.jpg+large.jpg

[Talen]

1602717
.....I have no idea where you are going with this. >_>.....<_<

P.S. Glad this finally updated. I have been missing this story something fierce.

[Cryssy-miu]

1602717 WHOA! I never saw that before! :o

[Cryssy-miu]

1602754 Haha, I know, hun. But life has been busy. And my muse was so dead. I barely managed to get a small paragraph per night. The episode on Saturday finally brought my pony spark back. c: Hopefully the next update won't be another month wait.

[Talen]

1602800
We can only hope. Plus I know what it like to have your creativity suddenly take a nose dive into the ground. There you are full of great ideas and wonder, but the only thing you are missing is a surface to place it on. Then out of no where your creativity is suddenly grabbed by the seat of its pants and chucked out the window and this turn of events makes it spoon feed you ideas at a considerably slower pace.

Anyway here is hoping your spark will turn into a blaze that we all may enjoy!

On a completely unrelated side note. I found this song and have decided to share it for no reason.

[Cryssy-miu]

1602913 Yeah...uh, that actually sums it all up in detail. XD

*clicks link* Ou, da tune at the beginning.

[Talen]

1602919
Found that song and instantly fell in love with it. It just keeps reminding me we have some amazing people out there, and that if I ever get bored to just delve deep into the music side of the fandom.

[Arcane Howitzer]

Poor Chrysalis. This could get messy if it turns or Maelstrom hid any strings in that little gift of his...

And poor Discord! That will be messy no matter what happens.

[Armalite]

When Chrysalis delivers the group to Maelstorm, he's going to flip Chrysalis onto a knife.
Epic backstab.

[SomeRandomMinion]

Glad to see this back!

The scene with the siren was excellent; you know how to depict a fight! (and the psychological part was great, too; the sheer horror of what was/could have happened to Discord was perfect).

Loved the bit with Spike and the baby Changelings.... so frikkin adorable!

[Chaotic Discord]

Screwball is just D'AWWWW

[cs95]

maelstorm is gonna fuck her over

[ninonybox]

"The idea of Chrysalis subconsciously mothering Spike is just too freaking adorable. I'm thinking at one point I might do a small side story with the two of them. Don't know what it'd be about though."

"Im thinking at one point I might do a small side story with the two of them."

"story with the two of them"

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