If Chaos prevails...

by The Marshmallow

13 - Celebrations - Noon

"Ah ah ah ah!" The Draconeequs slammed his paw on the table in front him multiple times, gasping for air, while all the ponies in the room looked at him in fear. Nopony dared to interrupt him, or to even utter a single word. "That was a great Joke. If I am to be king, I'll certainly need some capable jesters" At a snap of his claw, the dresses in precious silks and the refined jewellery of the stallions and mare in the room vanished into thin air, immediately replaced by ridiculous attires of many colours. The richest and most influential unicorns in Canterlot were reduced to mere buffoons in front of the Lord of Chaos.

The one mare that was spared of this treatment was the only one that also had the courage to look at him in the eyes. A light grey unicorn mare with a flowing azure mane. "I understand your concerns, Your Majesty, but I'm afraid this is not a joke"

The Draconequus gave her a stern look. "Precious, you can't really expect me to agree to this madness! The Sun standing in a single place for the whole day?" He shivered for a few moments, before continuing his speech with a dramatic tone: "Can you imagine anything more boring?"

Without missing a beat, the mare answered with a confident tone, explaining further the specifics of their request. "Actually, it has to be in different parts of the sky at different times of the day and of the year. Our best natural philosophers have calculated the perfect positions to improve the harvest..." The look on Discord's face was a mixture of wariness and annoyance. "And I believe we both can imagine something more boring?"

"Urgh..." Discord's paw went up to his temples, which he started to massage thoroughly. That was more or less how all arguments ended, and there was sadly very little he could argue about that. He stayed silent for a few long seconds, during which everypony, including the mare, kept its breath. then he finally spoke: "I'll agree only under certain conditions..."

While most of the ponies in the room were still terrified and reasonably wary, a hopeful smile appeared on the mare's face "We will be glad to hear them" The Draconeequs didn't even open his mouth, he just snapped his fingers. A scroll soon fell in front of the mare, which she immediately opened and started to read, while Discord looked at her expectantly. "Oh, wow..." Her eyes widened a bit, and soon all other ponies were behind her, trying to see the list of conditions. They were quite a lot, and quite ambitious. Freedom of moving the sun however he wanted every other day? Spreading his Chaos freely once a week? Veto power over every decision of the local councils? And many other big and small conditions. Almost all unicorns in the room thought that the negotiations were over before they even started. Precious Gown had a different idea, though. "I'm surprised," she said with a smile and a teasing tone, "Some of these are actually reasonable!"

Discord couldn't avoid cracking a smile at this comment "Ah! Should I make them more outrageous, then?" With his claws he quickly reached for the horn of a brown stallion nearby, taking it away ( and leaving him paralyzed in fear). He used it to write something on the list as if it was a pen, before putting the horn back in his place with still some ink stains near the tip. Then he looked around, observing the reactions of the ponies "Oh, I was just kidding." He felt the need to reassure them since they looked (at least in his point of view) inexplicably frightened. "You can't even take a joke!" He shook his head, as if disappointed, before going back to the only reasonable pony in the room. at least in his opinion. "Seriously, the conditions I marked are non-negotiable. For the others... do your best negotiating with the Earth Ponies"

Precious Gown lowered her head and kneeled "I will, your Majesty. I should arrange a meeting between their's and the Pegasuses' representatives for tomorrow." In her head, she had everything already planned out to the most minute detail and explained everything with precision. "I should consult our natural philosophers to determine how sensitive the crop would be to deviations on the established patterns. We should be able to reach a fair compromise without "

She was a surprisingly orderly and logical mare, and yet she seemed to be able to embrace chaos sometimes. Maybe that was the reason she had accepted to have her as his advisor, and also as his main spokesman. "I... No, we have quite some leverage over them. I know how important keeping the sun under control is to them" His voice was now much more serious. Neither angry nor amused, neither annoyed nor content. It was just a very straightforward, matter-of-fact tone.
"And having to sacrifice your best magicians for it is not a great deal, especially when I can do it effortlessly..." A team of ten unicorns, each one with considerable mastery over magic, was necessary to move the sun and the moon. And even the most magically endowed ended up draining his powers completely after a few months of exertion. Celestia and Luna's ascension was a miracle in this sense, lifting the terrible duties from the other ponies. Discord could easily fit the same role, being in fact irreplaceable. Well, not that they could replace him either way. "So, as usual..." His smile widened, as his paw went below the mare chin, gently lifting her head toward his own. "I'll trust you with this!"

Without saying a single more word, and before Precious could answer, Discord simply vanished, leaving the mare with a clear mission, that she simply acknowledged by saying: "You won't be disappointed." All the other ponies in the room, though, were much less resolute. They were still somehow confused about what had just happened and were still dressed as jesters. They were all looking at each other, unsure about what to do.

That is, until a disembodied voice made itself audible to them all "Oh, I almost forgot about your clothes. They looked quite expensive, it would be a shame if they were lost just like that." In the room there were some sighs of relief, as the less than flattering attires they were given simply disappeared, soon to be replaced. "I don't remember which is whose, but you should be able to sort it out easily..." All the stallions were now wearing mare's clothes, and the opposite was true for almost all the mares (almost, as there were slightly more mares than stallions). And if that wasn't enough, the principle Discord followed was that of the worst fit. The largest stallions were given the dress of the smallest mare and vice versa, while for some he just chose whatever would most weirdly contrast the colour of the mane and of the fur.

Precious Gown, immune from this treatment, simply cracked a small smile and the confusion and almost panic of her peers. In the end, it was nothing more than an innocent and innocuous way to slight them and to spread a little bit of chaos. She knew well that the other members of the council would, given a few minutes, be back to their most presentable, ready to help her in easier meetings. She couldn't wait, though; she had much more relevant things to do, so she simply moved towards the door, ready to go on with her plans. She wasn't going to leave anything to chance.

---

"Your Super-Duper Majesty?"

The cheerful voice of Pinkie Pie, his trusted Royal Advisor, brought Discord's mind back to the present time, after he had been assorted for too long in his own thought "Mmh? What?"

"I said It's almost noon" She looked out of the window "Uhm... almost 12?" She corrected herself, a bit uncertain. The sun was still stuck in place as if it was no later than 6 in the morning, but it hardly felt like that after all those hours of light. And all the clocks agreed with her, obviously. "You should come to have lunch, all the nobles and foreign emissaries are waiting for you"

Living together with ponies for so long, their short-sighted sense of time had started rubbing off the Lord of Chaos. Even the meagre one thousand years that had passed since them seemed to him a long time. And once in a while, he even thought back at all that happened with a little bit of nostalgia. Not as much as Pinkie, sure, but Precious Gown was certainly a fun mare. And she was both loyal and capable, judging by the deal she crafted that time. A deal that became the basis for the original treaty between Equestria and Discord. "I'm coming." He had thought long enough about the past, and now had better things to do. It didn't take but a snap of his claws and the two were already in the large dining room of the castle.

Although Discord's personal tastes were well reflected in the room, like in the somehow irregular pattern painted on the floor and in the golden chandelier in which every candle was held by a miniature of the Draconeequs, the room was overall one of the more normal and functional. It was one of the few places where he could properly welcome his guests, such as the multitude of Equestrian and foreign nobles, politicians and influential figures that were now sitting around the table, while a whole platoon of veteran guards was lined near the walls, ready to intervene at the smallest disturbance. At the head of the table, in the leftmost of fours seats, there was Rainbow Dash. Just at her right one could barely see the head of Fluttershy peering from below the table, visibly anxious at the presence of so many important ponies and unsure on how to act. She was clearly much in need of all the reassurance that her friend was trying to give her. Just beside them, two more seats, empty and clearly waiting for the two figures that had just entered the room.

Their presence didn't go unnoticed, as all the creatures around the table got up from their seat, lining up to go greet the King. The Queen of Saddle Arabia was first in line, as usual. A relatively young and very lively mare, with a pink fur and a dark blue mane; tall, agile and with an elegant figure, wearing a beautiful traditional outfit made of the finest silks. She had ascended the throne only a few years back, and just like her mother cared a lot about the special relationship between the two kingdoms. "Lord Discord, It's always a pleasure, if not honour, meeting you!"

This bothered Discord. Just a little bit. Not for the fact that those were close to the very trite and meaningless words many others would soon have used to address him. No, the problem was that everything, from the words to her large smile, was completely genuine. She really knew so little about what really happened in Saddle Arabia, so many years prior. And probably it was for the best. "I could say the same!" So he just answered with a smile of his own "You are growing to be the image of your grandmother, aren't you?" That was enough to make her blush a little, and giggle. And Discord just had to conduct a little bit more of painful small talk, to have her trot back happily to her seat.

Most of the other greetings were mostly boring, but still less painful the first one. There were some highlights here and there, such as Fancy Pants or the King of the Yaks. Discord found him especially funny, for the contrast between his pride and the need to show humility in front of the fearsome Lord of Chaos. And after a representative from Griffonstone, a few ponies from the other side of the seas, a representative of the Storm King and a multitude of Equestrian Nobles, he could finally take her seat. Overall it wasn't as bad as he thought, it took more or less ten minutes.

"Sorry for the wait, my darling!" He gave a wink to her soon to be bride, at which she blushed wildly. As much as she was trying to, she still wasn't fully comfortable with this. But discord was sure it was nothing but a healthy amount of shyness. She would get over it eventually. For now, it was nothing more than a reason to get a chuckle here in there. "Wonderful dress, by the way..." It was the same he wore during the selection, just a few days prior. By far the prettiest she owned, although a bit boring from Discord's perspective. he should have asked Rarity to make her something. But his one request was, considering the little time available, just more than enough, "I can't wait to see you with the other one, though" Unsurprisingly, but much to Discord's amusement, she was now red from head to hooves.

As his maids started coming in the room with trails full of lavish food, the small talk all but ceased.

---

That day noon never arrived in Equestria, never did the sun arise fully above the horizon, as Discord thought that kind of light was the most pleasant. Romantic, even, quite perfect for his wedding. Still, it would have been about one hour after noon when the Draconeequs finally revealed himself in front of the crowd. He waited for the current group of performers (Some Yaks showcasing their traditional music) to complete their performance and leave the stage. Then the real show could begin. His own.

Before new performers could be introduced, a dozen drums appeared floating above the stage, rhythmically hit by twice as many sticks. "Mares and Gentlestallions!" many floating spotlights started to appear well above the stage, moving around it and then focusing on the centre of it. Some mist started to rise, but not just on the stage; no, in the entire square "Please, give your welcome to the Ruler of Equestria, Emperor of the Frozen North, King of the Western Lands..." And the list of titles went on, a large, two-horned figure started to appear in the mist, slowly getting closer to the edge of the stage. "Saviour of Saddle Arabia, Brother to the Griffons, yak among the Yaks. Please give your welcome..." There was an audible drumroll, and the mist started to fade "To His Super-duper Majesty, King Discord!"

Plain for everyone to see, there was the figure of the legendary king. Clad in a large, intimidating battle armour fully made of gold, keeping in his paw a large golden spear in which a carving of his own figure held the tip. His smile was filled with pride, his smile was filled with power. And almost everypony felt it was appropriate to give him a round of applause. For some, it was the natural reaction of awe, seeing for the first time His Majesty up close. For others, it was simply fear. For Discord, it was exactly the same "Thank you, everypony!" His cheerful voice resounded in the whole square perfectly clear for Everypony to hear, while his right arm was being waved at the crowd. "I hope you are enjoying the show, me and my Royal Advisor, Pinkie Pie, chose the best performers from all over Equestria... No, from all over the world with the utmost care!" Pinkie Pie was actually just beside his king, smiling as well. She was not only the Advisor, but also his master of ceremonies; it was her who announced moments earlier, after all. "Don't worry, we will not bother you with long and boring speeches. there is a whole show to see, and we surely don't want to miss it!" At a snap of his fingers, a whole new tribune appeared from nowhere, floating ten meters above the crowd, and about ten meters from the stage. All the nobles that were previously having lunch with him were there already, enjoying the best possible seating. And he reached them by teleporting to it together with the pink mare. Again, she was to his right and Fluttershy to his left as he seated on his throne.

Discord was quite satisfied with his own performance, and the smile on his face gave that away quite easily. He thought he had struck the right balance between powerful and relatable. Sure, his subjects needed to fear him a little bit, but also to feel a certain fondness for their ruler. The wedding was set to be the perfect chance to reiterate the latter... And thanks to the careful management of Pinkie Pie, everything was set to be just perfect.

Author's Note:

Right now I'm also writing my thesis, so I'm having a little bit less time to write this... But I still should manage to publish a chapter per week.
I certainly don't lack the motivation, as I'm quite excited about the next few chapters!

With Love,
The Marshmallow

Comments

[duckmagee]

i look forward to see how discord reacts to the plot against him it be interesting how he responds to chaos not of his doing

[Vaguely Demented]

Wonder if this rage will top his interactions with Tia or if he will see some humor in trying to stage this.

[The Marshmallow]

9656697
9659669
getting the Characters right, Discord especially, is always one of the things I worry about while writing this! Next chapter he will have the first 'contact' with the plot against him, and overall deciding on the reaction was fairly easy. But in a few weeks there will be a few Discord actions that I'm afraid might be a bit controversial xD I hope you'll like it!

[duckmagee]

9659669
in a funny sort of ironic way discord and celestia are on opposite side he technically the good guy ands she the baddy trying to take over hope he points this out to her :p