A fifteen-minute walk to their first class of the year gave Sunset a chance to clear the air with Adagio, though the results made her wonder if it was such a good idea. Having once been moved beyond tears by forgiveness, Sunset found Adagio’s reaction to the same… worrying.
She scrunched her face against a hot September breeze, trying to understand and coming up short.
“Problem?” Adagio asked after the chat lapsed into silence.
“Not to be petty, but yeah.” Sunset gave her a wary look as they trod the grass-lined walkway. “I didn’t apologize just to make you do the same. I am sorry for snapping, and I’m sorry you’re in a rough spot right now. But I don’t mind saying it’s a little disconcerting to learn you wish you’d have killed us all at the Band Battle.”
Adagio shrugged with one shoulder. “I don’t like you enough to lie to you. I went from being a majestic, immortal siren to diet pills and student loans. The less we bring that day up, the better we’ll get along.”
“Then how can I feel safe with you?” Sunset asked. “How do I know you don’t want revenge?”
Adagio rolled her eyes, but the tight frown beneath spoke of more difficult feelings. “Because making nice with you will get me perks. Taking revenge will get me arrested.”
She reached up and flipped back her curls, though Sunset noticed the windup and dodged in time. “And I simply don’t feel the want for it. Everyone’s a predator in the end, living and prospering from the pain of others. The fish starves the shark by fleeing, then is killed by the fisher, who is killed by his brother for the fish. You lot won, and that’s all the justification you need. I’m lucky enough to have survived the fall.”
Rounding a wooded bend brought their destination to sight – the Spoiled Rich Hall, named for one of the college’s wealthy patrons. A casualty of modern art nearly equal to the Dali Hall, done up in giant image of a piggy bank.
Sunset held the door for Adagio, still watching from the corner of her eye. “I won’t argue philosophy with you, but let me ask: was that how it was with the sirens? Just three sharks prowling together for convenience, with no love or friendship?”
“You heard what happened, isn’t it obvious?” But a glare and snapped tone again belied Adagio’s indifferent words. She stormed past Sunset, this time catching her with a whip of the hair. “If you’re done with stupid questions, then tell me if you or Mommy Dearest found any clue about our blood-seeking ‘Mister D.’
A wave of air conditioning greeted their arrival, drawing a relived sigh and shiver from both. Sunset took advantage of a brief escalator ride to check her phone. “Room two-oh-two, ten minutes early… no, not really. Although our professor’s name is–”
“I know,” Adagio huffed.
Sunset pocketed the phone. “Right, him and all the other D-names in existence. I’m surprised you’re taking this class. For me this seems relevant to Mom’s work, for you it looks like old news.”
Adagio talked as they stepped off the escalator. “Introduction to myths and legends? You won’t learn a thing, but whatever. We both have mandatory electives to knock out, and if I can pass one blindfolded, so much the better.”
Some familiar faces greeted Sunset in the quarter-full classroom. She leaned in for a quiet hello to Fluttershy in one back corner, then tried a companionable wave to Sugarcoat in the other. The gesture was duly ignored, and Sunset took the seat next to Fluttershy.
The room grew no fuller until a door at the front opened, revealing a comical orange top hat above an absolute disaster of a suit. Orange and barf-green checkered the jacket, with one arm terminating in a mitten and the other in a gentleman’s glove. Mismatched dress shoes stood beneath the pant legs, themselves split between brown and yellow.
So bizarre was the outfit it took Sunset an extra second to realize it was occupied by a person. Odd red eyes on a slate-gray face cast lazily over the students as the man took off his jacket, revealing another of the exact same colors beneath. He doffed his hat and bowed, revealing an unkempt mane of alternating black and white hair.
The flamboyance ended with his words – the monotone of a bored man going through the motions. “Hello, hello. I’m Mister Discord, the pleasure’s all mine.”
Sugarcoat’s voice blared from Sunset’s left. “Why are you dressed like an idiot?”
“Because your mum picked out my clothes.”
Sunset found herself paradoxically fighting down both a smile and sympathetic wince as Discord continued without missing a beat. “I’ll be your teacher, in as much as any of you will spare me time from Angry Bees or whatever the kids play these days. The subject of course is myths and legends, which pretty fairly establishes you’re all here for either easy electives...”
Sugarcoat and Adagio coughed and looked away.
“...Or to satisfy some juvenile love of pixies and unicorns.”
Fluttershy shrank down in her seat.
“I have good news for both parties. Yes, the class is easy, and no, I don’t take attendance. And we will discuss pixies and unicorns, as well as vampires, werebeasts, sirens, and other nonsensical bollocks the idiots of the past invented to scare themselves.”
“Moron,” Adagio murmured, having chosen a desk next to Sunset.
Sunset’s hand shot up. “Mister Discord? Aren’t some of the legends based on reality?”
“No, that’s stupid,” Discord said drolly.
The bored tone broke for one second as a high giggle squeaked out, though he immediately righted himself. “No, Miss… ah, yellow skinned girl...”
His eyes wobbled to Adagio and Fluttershy. “...With the red hair, it’s all poppycock, superstition, so on, so forth. The thirteenth century’s equivalent of the moon landing.”
Another pitched giggle escaped. “Oh, snap, got political there. Don’t tell your mums.”
“My grandpa worked on the moon landings,” Sugarcoat grumbled, though she spoke low this time and hid it with a hand.
Adagio jerked a thumb at Fluttershy. “And she’s a were-manatee. This guy’s a freaking jo–”
A loud, deeper burst of laughter interrupted from the front, though by the time they looked Discord’s bored expression was back in place.
“Sorry,” he said in a dull tone, though a final titter escaped with it. “I have a condition. Anyway, this class will be a colossal waste of time because it doesn’t involve the real world in the sl...slight… tee-hee, excuse me.”
Chuckling wracked his body. He bent over, squeezing his sides and slapping a knee, then righted himself. “But you need electives and I need paydays, so here we are. Intense and profound study of the subjects here could be
Dangerous.”
The word ended with a hiss like snake teeth on a chalkboard. A shiver moved down Sunset’s spine, then worked its way back up as she realized Discord was staring right at her.
His mouth opened, revealing one sharp canine as a foghorn-like “BWA-HA-HA,” erupted.
“...For your career prospects,” Discord clarified, his evil grin folding back to listlessness. “Everyone, please take out the textbook that regurgitates old stories with absolutely no new information that cost your parents $120 and turn to the first page. We will start with myths of ancient Egypt, then move chronologically forwards in human history. You young sir with the unimportant face, if you could start reading below the picture of the pretentious lady who wrote the introduction, we shall begin.”
WHELP HE’S NOT SUSPICIOUS AT ALL TIME TO LOOK ELSEWHERE SUNSET
She has a point, that does suck.
Also a fair point.
Discord?
Called it.
Heh.
You are not right.
I will be laughing if this Discord was not the big bad in the end, but someone who will be helping them all along, or is in fact the real discord and he just pop over to human side for some laught/troll everyone
Discord, keepin' it real. This has been the most college like chapter yet. feels bad man.
Hoping he’s not evil, because damn that’s a well written character
I wouldn't be too surprised if Discord were an Ethan Rayne-type character, part of Celestia's unknown past in a maybe darker part of it.
Well of course Sunset's Giles would have to be Discord once she gets away from Celestia. I really should have seen this coming.
This has to be the real Discord. Him trying and failing to keep a straight face after hearing what Fluttershy is a dead giveaway. :)
Now, my main questions are: is Sunset smart enough to realize this? Was Discord sent here? And what is his ultimate goal?
Kinda hope he'll be more of an antihero than a villain they kill off in the end. Also needs more Luna ;)
I half expect Discord to leave a false trail that points to him just for entertainment value.
I know he's probably partially doing this to avoid suspicion but I bet at least half the reason he's acting like this is just for entertainment
Okay, he's hilarious. I like him. You have a talent for writing memorable characters (there's a reason I have pretty much accepted Nagitha to be Ms. Harshwhinny's first name in my cannon)
On other news. It's been a long time since I've been this amused by phrasing alone without any context. 'A casualty of modern art.' This expression truly is beautiful to behold.
Loving the situational comedy here. Nothing beats a teacher explaing to a former siren, a girl who once killed a vampire and one who's grandfather worked on the moon landings that Sirens and Vampires don't exist and the Moon landings didn't happen ... This is a large part of what I love about the first story ... glad to see it continued.
I bet he's just like Constantine. Someone who did so much, knows so much and is so powerful as to have all the supernatural give him a ride berth just so they don't get smashed into tartan puree.
That or he's just a nut job with remarkable insights and personality. Dunno which one would be the most interesting, though.
Discord be trollin' like a mofo.
...please tell me Discord is some sort of supernatural creature.
I know she'd probably shank anyone who tried, but Adagio needs a hug.
9186017
It's almost better if he's not. It would be just too perfect.
For a second, the way you discibed his clothes I thought it was the 6th doctor ( from dr. Who)
Considering his reaction to hearing that Fluttershy is a weremanatee, I almost want to say that this is Equestria Discord.
Yes, just...yes. This is everything I could have hoped for from an EQG Discord (assuming it's not the original, though I imagine his powers would make short work of most baddies).
Now all we need is a little more Limestone/Applejack shipping and Adagio having a Cthulhu plushie to snuggle when nobody's looking and I'll be eating out of your hand
And this is why I made Mr. Discord a physics teacher. At least those bizarre peculiarites have proof behind them.
Still, looking forward to his reaction to encounters with the genuinely supernatural, assuming he's never had them before.
9185624
I don't know. It seems almost too obvious.
9186665
Because that’s exactly what he wants you to think! Game over, man! Game over!
9185967
The answer is more likely YES. And it is also very likely he will be either Sunset's new hunting instructor (similar to Jiles), or just an entertaining 'red herring'.
9186601
I so want a pic of Dagi curled up with one of those plushies!
Or see her yell out "Dad?!" when they get to that section.
I've always loved the idea of EG Discord being a teacher, and it's all the more fitting since he wanted so badly to teach at the School of Friendship in "A Matter of Principals." I kind of think it would be better if this Discord is just an ordinary man who was driven insane by too many monster encounters, but I'm sure whatever you choose to do with him will be entertaining.
Why would the fisherman's brother kill him? What kind of messed-up family is this?
I think he's on some type of medication to keep him wound down.
For now *evil cackle*
9190769
greed
Okay, who else expected this?
Going to make the wild, evidence-less guess that Discord isn't the story's secret end boss, because the Rich family is it instead.
9186017
My guess is some flavor of fey (mad or trickster)
he has a point
Yeah, that is definitely Mister D
I find Discord's character hilarious, but as someone who studies ancient history and plans to do so for a living and thus has an appreciation for mythology I want to say "Mount his head on a fudgin pike and add his screams to my gosh darn Spotify list!"
10701667
The full thing is
“I will add your screams to my gosh darn Spotify and I will see your head, MOUNTED ON A FUDGING PIKE!”
Yes I’m a SAO Abridged fan.
Discord Bri'ish confirmed
Meaning at some point the perks for double crossing them will outweigh the cost of doing so and she'll strike... likely to instantly regret it and find she's actually come to see them as friends and so come back to save them at the last minute.
Or something along those lines.
Mister D....
So my first guess is, he is Mister D, that he knows full well that this stuff is all real and the whole "it's all fake" thing is an act to keep off suspicion, and because he knows 99% of people are too small minded to deal with reality so would rather pretend this is all fake, or if real it's the perfect, idyllic fantasy version of unicorns and such they want, not the reality. So this is his way of mocking that attitude.
And the story is counting on that seeming too much like what is going on for that to be true, and so it wants us to think this is all a red herring.
That chapter title is surely trustworthy.