Decretum

by BlackRoseRaven

Piano Sonata No. 7 In Draconequus Major

Chapter Forty Three: Piano Sonata No. 7 in Draconequus Major
~BlackRoseRaven

Luna was surprised to find that there was a little more chaos around the animal center than she had expected: ponies were running around the large, barn-shaped building, trying to get animals back into the corrals and into the kennels, and Sleipnir was yelling wildly as barking dogs chased gleefully after him. Celestia, meanwhile, was trying to push a black drake back into one of the large, fenced-in corrals: but while the large, scaly, ugly reptile was complacent enough for Luna to recognize it had been tranquilized by either drugs or magic, it also was sitting firmly on its haunches and refusing to budge from the spot.

Fluttershy had herded most of the domestic animals into one spot, and Discombobulation was standing on the rooftop, staring wildly back and forth, seeming a little flustered: Scrivener frowned up at this sight, since usually the Draconequus delighted in a bit of chaos and confusion... at least, when it was like this. Madness, yes, but since the most threatening thing at this moment was the dogs chasing after Sleipnir, it wasn't like any of them were under any threat.

Then Pinkamena charged into the black drake's back, and the large-as-a-wagon reptile was knocked flying into the corral with a yowl that turned into a hiss as it spun around, baring its fangs. Celestia winced, but Pinkamena stepped forwards and snarled in return, red-rimmed eyes almost glowing, and drake and half-demon glared for a few moments before the black drake suddenly dropped flat on its stomach, hurriedly withdrawing on its belly into the safety of the corral with the other drugged-looking drakes.

Twilight was running back and forth before she yelled and pointed as several Hellhounds ran out of the barn: terrifying, demonic animals with blue fire eyes burning in bare, polished wolf-skulls, bones sticking visibly through tarry-black, smoky flesh, they were horrifying to behold. Organs made of frost and ice pulsed visibly beneath bare ribs and bones as whip-like tails lashed back and forth, claws ripping against the ground as they charged outwards... but they were also muzzled and collared with iron, chain leashes dragging behind them, their intent obviously not to hurt anypony but simply making a break for it.

Scrivener dived after the beasts, seizing the ends of the leashes... and then cursing as the Hellhounds simply dragged him along, barking and barely noticing the earth pony's weight as he skidded over the field before he managed to dig his rear hooves into the ground, but that barely slowed them down.

Luna winced and started forwards to help Scrivener, then looked up in shock as Nirvana ran hurriedly over to Fluttershy, speaking in a wild hissing flurry. Fluttershy seemed to understand, however, looking up in shock before a herd of Phooka burst out of the open back doors of the building, trampling several pony workers as they headed for the forest... and one of them was carrying Antares, who was yelling, looking not thrilled but terrified as the smoky equines carried him towards the wild woods-

Fluttershy darted forwards, using her wings to give herself an extra boost before she crashed down in front of the herd of Phooka and then looked up sharply, glaring at them. The normally-shy Pegasus looked ferocious in that moment, and the entire herd of Phooka skidded violently to a halt, the dozen or so smoky equines dropping on their haunches and staring at Fluttershy before the Pegasus' eyes narrowed slightly, and Antares was immediately ejected from their ranks, the foal landing on his rump in front of Fluttershy and looking stunned.

Nirvana hurried forwards in front of her, picking Antares up and carrying him to safety and Luna sighed in relief... then winced and flinched when she felt a firm volley of blows of force against her body, recognizing the feeling of Scrivener being battered all too well. But when she looked up, she saw that the Hellhounds had turned and converged on him... only instead of attacking him, they were shoving against him like puppies that had been starved for affection, grinding and half-trampling the earth pony as he flailed wildly. It made Luna stare stupidly, wondering why the Hellhounds of all creatures were being so... so... cuddly.

Fluttershy was quickly regaining control of the situation, however, as she gave an order in the snarling language of the Phooka to the herd and gestured violently with a hoof, and the Phooka all hurriedly nodded before scattering into the crowd: with their hypnotic gazes, they were able to quell and convince the running-rampant animals to quickly calm down and lure them back into the kennels and the enormous, circular corrals outside of the building, and then it was only a matter of closing the gates, double-checking the locks, and tying some of the beasts back up.

Then Fluttershy sighed in relief, Antares keeping close beside Nirvana before he scurried over to Luna and slightly-bruised, frost-speckled Scrivener when the group converged in front of the building. Luna picked her son up in a tight hug, then she smiled thankfully over at Nirvana even as Fluttershy said worriedly: “I... I don't know what happened! One moment everything was fine, and... and the next, all the cages were open, the corrals had been unlocked, and the animals were all acting strange...”

“Is everyone alright?” Celestia asked quickly, looking back and forth as their group was joined by several staff members, and as the ponies all nodded, she inspected them and shook her head slowly, murmuring: “Yet the Hellhounds were growling in their kennels and the black drakes were grappling and trying to establish dominance over one-another when we first arrived, even if now they've become so... lethargic. I don't understand it.”

“I...” Luna halted, then frowned as she looked around the group, from sulking Sleipnir to worried Twilight, before she looked up and spotted Discombobulation still on the roof. He seemed as distracted as he had been before, when she had thought he was just trying to avoid getting dragged into the riot... and the sapphire mare frowned as other eyes roved upwards to look at the Draconequus before she shouted clearly: “Creature? Art thou alright?”

Discombobulation flinched, then looked down before shaking his head hurriedly as he ran forwards and hopped gracefully off the roof, landing easily on the field behind them. There was no chaos, no confusion, no show of power: a smooth jump, an easy landing, and then a look over his shoulder that made Luna stare, because it was a look of distinct fear. “Ponyville. We need to go into Ponyville, now.”

“But... why? What could...” Celestia began with a frown... and then her head snapped up as there was a distinct crackle through the air before a rumble of force whispered past, strong enough to make the grasses beneath their hooves sway.

Discombobulation shook his head violently, grabbing at his horns as he began to pace wildly, his breathing turning into fearful pants as the ponies all hurried past the animal care center, past the corrals, to stare at the walls of Ponyville not far in the distance... where shocked Nibelung guards stood by open gates, staring stupidly into the town at the sight of several floating buildings and islands of stone, some dotted with lush gardens and strange decorations, many of them spinning slowly in the air as strange energies glowed and crackled around them. Celestia shook her head in denial as Luna stared in horror, and then Twilight looked with shock at the Draconequus as he said weakly: “Ginnungagap energies. Chaos energies.”

Luna and Scrivener traded a look as Celestia gritted her teeth, then she looked over her shoulder and ordered sharply: “Head to town, keep your wits about you... Discombobulation, we are going to need your help.”

“This... this is way above my level. Way, way, way above my level.” Discombobulation held up his hands, breathing harder and looking terrified as he shook his head violently, and Twilight looked at him incredulously before the Draconequus clenched his eyes shut and whispered: “I'm sorry.”

And then he clapped his hands over his face and vanished from the spot, Twilight giving a shout before Pinkamena snarled, cursing under her breath and then turning to begin sprinting towards Ponyville, shouting furiously: “We don't need the coward anyway! Come on, come on!”

Celestia grimaced, then looked quickly towards Antares, saying sharply to the foal: “Stay here, stay safe in the care center!” A moment later,she followed quickly after the half-demon, Luna and Scrivener falling into pace with her even as they glanced back after their son as Twilight hurried after them. Sleipnir cursed as he charged up to his older sibling's other side, and Fluttershy and Nirvana came last, leaving the staring animal care staff behind.

Antares began to follow, but one of the animal center staff reached out and quickly grabbed the foal, stopping him even as his leathery wings flapped and he struggled forwards, tears filling his eyes as he shouted: “No! Mommy! Daddy! Don't!”

They sprinted past the terrified Nibelung and into town: chaos had already visibly spread through Ponyville, however, as yelling and panicking ponies ran back and forth. But Celestia's eyes were sharp and focused as they continued forwards, already trying to formulate a plan even as beneath their running hooves, the ground transformed from packed dirt to cheap, multicolored plastic, Scrivener skidding a bit against this with a wince as Twilight asked worriedly: “What do we do? What could this be? If Discombobulation was scared off by it then-”

“He's a coward, that's all there is to it!” Pinkamena snapped angrily, even as her eyes flashed with hurt before she looked ahead with a snarl towards town square, as the sky above cracked, then fireworks burst wildly through the air as the blue sky transformed into a wild array of purples and yellows and streaks of light and darkness that began to swirl in a slow vortex. “Doesn't matter anyway, we'll kill it!”

They ran into the square to find Spike, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Big Mac already waiting for them. Spike had a short sword in one claw and his shield in the other, and Applejack had a rope hanging at her side, but that was the extent of their equipment... yet all the same, they were ready to fight whatever it was as the two groups converted, Fluttershy looking scared but determined, Pinkamena snarling and glaring back and forth, and Luna, Celestia, and Sleipnir stepping quickly forwards... before the vine-maned earth pony suddenly grinned, murmuring: “Just as old times, sisters. Let us hope it goes better than some of our battles in the past.”

Celestia gave a small, grim smile herself, before she glanced to Luna, who looked surprised... but then the starry maned mare took a breath before looking up and around the square as buildings around them distorted and warped, growing and looming forwards but not casting shadows over the square: instead, their shadows seemed to stretch into the sky, forming teeth, a cage, a living ceiling as the square sank slightly in the middle, giving it more the feel of an arena. “Ginnungagap beast! Do not hide from us... face us, coward! Attack us if thou dares, not our defenseless home!”

A quiet chuckle spread through the air... and a moment later, reality shuddered violently before splitting open at the other end of the square as the group readied itself, the trio of siblings at the fore stepping forwards and anchoring themselves as a portal of light formed. A shape appeared in it, profiled in black against the light, tall and slender, of mismatched limbs and proportions before it said in a mocking voice: “Ginnungagap beast? And here I thought you had manners, my little ponies... manners enough to at least call me by the name you gave me!”

Celestia and Luna both leaned back in shock as Twilight's eyes widened, the violet mare stumbling forwards as the other ponies and dragon all stared... and then the portal of light burst apart into bright flares of fireworks that shot up past the creature and into the air, clear illuminating the square and the Draconequus that stood in front of them. He was grinning, revealing his large teeth and curving fangs in features that were otherwise pony-like. His eyes were wild, yellow with red irises, and despite his bushy white eyebrows and beard, his mohawk-like mane was stiff black, standing tall between mismatched antler and gnarled blue horn.

His long, lanky body was brown, but his limbs were all different: the upper set a lion's strong foreleg and the other ending in an eagle's talon, the lower a lizard's leg and a deer's. His long, flicking tail was that of a dragon's, red scaled and ending in a white tuft, and a tiny set of mismatched bat-and-bird wings flapped behind him before furling on his back as he bowed politely forwards, then looked up and winked, flashing them another grin. “Manticore got your tongue, my little ponies?”

“Discord.” Twilight whispered, and then she began forwards before Celestia reached out a hoof and touched her shoulder silently, shaking her head quickly even as the violet mare trembled and looked forwards. “No, I... it's...”

“This is... not the Discord you knew. That we knew.” Celestia said quietly but firmly, and Twilight gritted her teeth, turning her eyes away before the ivory mare looked silently up at the chimerical creature as he chuckled again, studying them intently, eagerly. “But Discord... why are you here? Where did you come from? We would have crossed paths with you before...”

“Well, you see, here I was, brand new in this great big world, pretty much alone. Very boring, by the way, being stuck alone...” Discord absently flopped onto his side in midair, propping his head up with his eagle talon as he easily floated and stirred the air itself with his lion's paw, making ripples pass through reality in front of him. “But I decided to liven things up a bit. That, however, attracted the attention of the Skin Walkers... I'm sure you've met them, yes? Well, turns out they didn't like my remodeling. They decided to put me in a... a time-out for a little while.”

Discord sat up, grinning as he rested back in midair, dropping his hands across his lap as he looked intently across at the ponies, studying them with fascination and with... something else. Something veiled beneath the smile, beneath his searching eyes. “However, after... oh, I don't know, a thousand or so years imprisoned in a chaos-proof cell... some new friends showed up, did some very... unpleasant... things to the Skin Walkers, and freed little old me! They told me they had the deal of a lifetime for me, and you know what, they were right!”

“Well, thou art free, Ginnungagap beast, and is that not simply what all thy kind desires? Why not be on thy way, cause thy mischief somewhere else, or return to Ginnungagap in peace? We do not wish to harm thee.” Sleipnir said kindly, bowing his head politely.

But Discord only smiled before he spread his arms, saying easily even as his head rotated in a slow, full circle on his neck: “One good turn deserves another, doesn't it?” He paused, then clapped his hands together, adding delightedly: “And you ponies are just so fun to play with already! Besides, they warned me, too, about your kind... that if I didn't make sure I put my foot down quickly, you would gather these nasty things called the Elements of Harmony and they would do away with all my powers. And that, of course, would be... unpleasant. No one wants an unpleasant ending, right? So uh... let's have fun with this!”

Discord clapped his hands cheerfully together, then he winked and held his hands out as party balloons and fireworks popped through the air around him, a hail of confetti falling over the ponies as they stared and an enormous, cloth poster unfurled behind the Draconequus. 'Discord for President' was written over it in sloppy capitals, with a childish drawing of the chaos creature in a top hat on it, and Discord looked thoughtfully over his shoulder as he rubbed at his chin and murmured thoughtfully: “Damn I'm handsome.”

“Discord... I will not use the Elements of Harmony against you. In... another place, another time, I...” Celestia halted, then she shook her head and closed her eyes before looking up sharply, saying quietly: “You don't want to fight us or start this war. It won't end well for you.”

“Oh no! Harsh words!” Discord clapped his hands to either side of his face, then he grinned and held a hand up, snapping his talon, and in a burst of light Celestia was sealed in a giant hamster ball. Luna and Sleipnir both stared in shock at this as Celestia winced, then stumbled and accidentally sent herself rolling backwards, cursing as she half-fell and the ball rolled quickly through the crowd of ponies, sending them scattering.

Luna and Sleipnir both looked at each other... then fought hard not to giggle, Sleipnir covering his face as Luna looked quickly away, and Scrivener sighed as Twilight hurried over to Celestia. The ivory winged unicorn only looked irritated, however, as she carefully stood up before flicking her horn... and then her eyes widened when nothing happened.

This cut off Luna's laughter as she looked sharply forwards, and Discord smiled at them, gesturing easily at the air around them as he said kindly: “The... nasty little friends I made... told me to take precautions, and now I'm very glad I did. This whole area is just chock-full of chaos energy, baffling and muffling every kind of magic you have at your disposal, so-”

Sleipnir and Luna both leapt forwards into sharp sprints, so sudden that even Scrivener Blooms was almost caught by surprise, and Discord stared blankly before Sleipnir tackled him backwards. The Draconequus yelled in shock before he was slammed fiercely down onto his back by the stallion... but then he promptly shattered into nothing but sand and glass, and Sleipnir slipped in the mess left behind, cursing and rolling violently several times before Discord reappeared beside him with a giant bucket, slamming this down overtop the earth pony.

There was a loud clang from inside it as steam hissed up, the bucket sealing itself against the ground, and Luna snarled furiously as Discord leaned against the oversized plastic pail, grinning widely even as there was a loud clanging from inside it before Sleipnir said in an awkward wheeze: “'Tis not fair! I... I am very claustrophobic!”

“Imagine the ocean!” Discord retorted, turning his attention away... and then he winced when Luna leapt towards him, the Draconequus vanishing from the spot before reappearing behind her as she passed through the area where she had once been, seizing her by her long, starry tail and half-spinning to fling her hard through the air before he grinned brightly as Scrivener Blooms began to run forwards. “That's what that feeling is... you two are really attracted to each other, right?”

With that, Discord snapped his fingers... and a moment later, there was a loud buzzing before Luna was drawn into Scrivener like a magnet just before she could land on her hooves, smashing into him and knocking them both sprawling before they yelled as their bodies and limbs were dragged against one another's, unable to pry themselves apart. They cursed and half-rolled, struggling and flailing as Discord threw his head back and laughed cheerfully... and then he winced when Celestia came barreling towards him in the hamster ball, flailing his limbs before leaping high into the air and clinging to an invisible ledge.

Celestia shot beneath him and smashed into the overturned, giant pail, and both it and the plastic sphere exploded into shards of light and sound, freeing the two ponies but also leaving them stunned long enough for Discord to drop quickly down and point at them with a grimace. Immediately, Celestia's mane puffed into multicolored cotton candy as Sleipnir's became rope, and the two substances twisted violently around themselves and each other, tying the ponies together in sticky bonds of candy and green coils.

“I... feel as if I have gone through this once before with a mare. One who wasn't thee. And 'twas slightly more pleasant.” Sleipnir muttered, and Celestia looked at him moodily as the two struggled and winced as they yanked against each other's respective, transmogrified manes. “Discord, is it? I shall have thee know that to mess with my mane is a most serious offense. I shall pummel thee for this.”

“And I shall break thee into pieces for this humiliation!” Luna added furiously as she and Scrivener wiggled against each other and tried to pry free, but only managed to force themselves into further awkward positions. “Damnation!”

“You all have such bad senses of humor. I'm doing this because I care!” Discord said compassionately, touching his own chest, and then he sighed and rolled his eyes as the other ponies began to step forwards, led by Twilight. “Oh come on, now. Did you not see what just happened here?”

Pinkamena snarled, and Discord shivered at this, rearing away from her before he snapped his fingers and a moment later the ground beneath her exploded upwards in black tar that sealed around her and yanked her down, Sleipnir giving a raw, outraged shout as the Draconequus said disgustedly: “Funny. No matter what I cover you with, I could never make you any dirtier than Helheim already has.”

Pinkamena only hissed at him fearlessly and furiously, even trapped as she was up to her neck in the thick black goo, and Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie both hurried to the half-demon. Discord looked almost amused, then he frowned when Twilight Sparkle stepped forwards and pleaded quietly: “Please. It doesn't have to be this way. We don't want to hurt you, to fight you.”

Discord only snorted at this, but his eyes flicked to the side before he strode slowly forwards and reached out, flicking Twilight's horn and making her wince backwards. “Please. You're just afraid, aren't you? But I can tell from here you're a little miss goody two-hooves so... I'll tell you what. Look up, look up-up-up, and I'll read your mind.”

The Draconequus grinned as he leaned down, his eyes beginning to glow, but Twilight shivered as she began to look up anyway... before a voice said clearly: “There's no such thing as mind readers.”

Discord's eyes flashed as he straightened, Twilight looking up with relief washing over her face at the sight of Discombobulation standing at the other end of the square. He was serious and calm, his eyes focused as Discord slowly spun around on his heel... then he grinned widely as he slowly strode forwards, asking with interest: “What's this? You? How did you, of all the little puppies, get out of Ginnungagap? No wonder they seemed to know so much about me! Have you been here with them, playing with them, is this your territory now... no... no, no, no, they're not scared of me, and that isn't fear I'm tasting in the air, is it?”

The Draconequus faced each other, only a few feet away from one another before Discombobulation quickly strode past Discord, almost brushing against him as Discord's smile faded from his features before Discombobulation spun around, standing in front of the ponies as they instinctively tried to gather themselves behind him. “They're my friends. The name I have taken is Discombobulation... and if you wish to get to them, Discord, you have to go through me first.”

Discord covered his nose to suppress a snort, looking incredulous before he leaned back and asked in amazement: “Friends? They're your friends? By Loki! What happened to you? Who even are you? Yes, I know you just told me but I still can't believe it... do you have no sense of self-preservation whatsoever, do you really think that... wow. Wow. Seriously, just wow. This is amazing.”

The red-eyed Draconequus threw his head back and cackled, hugging himself before he dropped his gaze forwards, gazing condescendingly over at Discombobulation. “You've really changed, my little puppy. You were my... what? Second, third rodeo?”

“I was the fourth acolyte you imprisoned, actually.” Discombobulation said stiffly, and then he grimaced as he rubbed slowly at his chest before breathing hard and raising his fists gamely. “Still. I'm the only person here-”

“You're not a person! I'm not a person! I... what are you talking about? We're not... what?” Discord looked stupefied again, shaking his head before he laughed once more, straightening and saying as if explaining something to a child: “We are chaos. We serve our own interests, that's always been the rule, the law, the everything. We don't have friends. We don't need friends; heck, I didn't even need servants but I had nothing better to do in Ginnungagap until I got out of that festering rat-hole. How you escaped servitude is beyond me...”

Discord studied him intently, frowning for a moment, but then he only grunted and shook his head, waving his lion's paw dismissively. “Well, whatever. It doesn't matter. Okay, you've had your fun, you gave me a great laugh, so... go away. I have to finish up with these ponies here... does hypnosis work on them? I'm sure you'd know if you're so friendly-wendly with them.”

Discombobulation looked sour, crossing his arms before he glanced over his shoulder at Twilight when she began to step forwards, saying quietly: “Stay back. All of you, stay back. There's too much Ginnungagap energy in the air, it will have... adverse effects on all of you, and faster still if you try to fight him. Just let me... handle this. I can handle this.”

“How? How are you going to win?” Discord seemed less thrilled now as he realized how serious the opposing Draconequus was, frowning as he straightened and his eyes narrowed slightly. “Oh sure, I've torn a little rip here and there in reality to feed more chaos into the air, but that's going to be to my advantage much more than yours. You can't do squat against me, you're just a little tiny puppy trying to play with the big dog.”

Discord backed this up by barking loudly twice, but Discombobulation only straightened, pointing across at him as he said seriously: “I'll win... because unlike you, I'm backed by the power of friendship!”

For a moment, Discord only looked across at him... then he fell over laughing, rocking back and forth as colors exploded through the air above their heads, hugging his stomach as he cackled wildly. Discombobulation visibly slumped, looking sour as Twilight winced a little and looked awkwardly up at the Draconequus as Discord howled gleefully: “Oh god, stop, stop! Is that your p-plan? Make me laugh myself to death?”

Discombobulation ground his teeth together in frustration, and then Discord suddenly popped to his feet, and as he leaned forwards with a grin, the atmosphere seemed to visibly change, becoming more menacing as he shouted cheerfully: “Well, then if we're all in the mood for some laughs, why don't we start things off with a bang? Have some balloons! They're filled with doom!”

Discord flung an arm forwards, and all around him, balloons sparked into existence, flying straight towards Discombobulation... but with a flick of his wrist, the Draconequus replied sharply: “I much prefer water, thank you very much!”

With that, the balloons fell suddenly out of the air, bursting apart harmlessly into liquid, but Discord grabbed at his mane, pretending to look vexed as he shouted: “I told you not to over-water the plants!”

The ground trembled, and massive vines ripped out of the earth, along with enormous, gasping jaws of carnivorous fly-traps and thick brambles that raced and lashed towards Discombobulation as the ponies shouted and staggered backwards behind him, but the Draconequus only snarled and leaned forwards, flicking both wrists out as he retorted: “I mixed in herbicide!”

The vines immediately began to twist violently back on themselves, withering to grays and ugly browns as hisses and shrieks rose up from the fanged plant-jaws as they rotted away, and Discord gritted his teeth, raising a talon. “Well, then I guess I might as well just burn it all away.”

He snapped his fingers, and a massive torrent of flames exploded upwards, spinning violently into a crimson tornado that stretched to the sky above, incinerating the plants and leaving a terrible trail of char in its path. Even Celestia stared in amazement, but Discombobulation only calmly stepped forwards, and flicked a hand outwards in response. “Bad season for it, with the high winds.”

A powerful gust of wind shot past their heads, knocking several of the ponies staggering from the force and ripping the tornado of flames to shreds and embers that spilled down in a twinkling rain around them, Discord staggering back a step in surprise... and then he grinned widely before lacing paw and talon together, cracking his digits loudly as he said in a delighted voice: “Maybe this will be more fun than I first thought!”

“Once I was the student. Now I am the master.” Discombobulation replied quietly as he reached behind himself, then he pulled out a short black handle before pressing a button on it. A glowing blade of energy sprung from this, and Discord paled slightly as he leaned back, waving his hands wildly as Discombobulation charged forwards with the weapon.

“Hey! Hey! No laser swords... no laser swords! No laser swords!” Discord shouted wildly, staggering hurriedly away as Discombobulation rose the weapon... and then the laser blade flickered blankly out, and the attacking Draconequus staggered to a halt before he looked grumpily down at this, peering into the handle. Discord wheezed in relief, then frowned when Discombobulation pointed the handle at him before pressing the button, shining a bright red point of light into Discord's eyes.

Discord cursed in frustration, grabbing at his eyes with both hands, and Discombobulation quickly threw the laser pointer away before he simply balled his hand into a fist and slammed it into Discord's face, knocking the Draconequus flat on his rear with a gape of shock and horror. Luna and Pinkamena both immediately cheered loudly, roaring in approval before Discord vanished and reappeared at a distance with a snarl.

“Cheap tactics! Get him, boys!” Discord shouted, pointing a claw forwards, and the ground in front of him erupted before black, shadowy wolves ripped free with snarls.

“Pinatas!” Discombobulation hurriedly snapped his fingers, and the shadow wolves turned into bright pink, paper-mache dogs covered in frills and ribbons.

“Rabid pinatas!” Discord howled in frustration, stomping his feet childishly as he clenched his hands into fists, and the eyes of the pinata glowed bright red as they began to shudder and foam, their square jaws working violently as their stubby legs began to spasm.

“Wait, don't rabid animals attack whatever's closest?” Discombobulation asked hurriedly, and Discord looked stupefied at this before the foaming pinatas spun towards him and tackled him onto his back, beginning to stomp and bite at the Draconequus wildly as he flailed and yelled in horror, before Discombobulation winced and shouted hurriedly, a baseball bat appearing in one hand: “I'll help!”

Immediately, he charged forwards... then began to slam the bat violently down into Discord again and again as the pinatas continued to bite and claw at him wildly, the yells of the red-eyed Draconequus rising in volume and fury before he thrusted a hand upwards. A shockwave blasted outwards, sparks and streaks of chaos energy ripping through the air as Discombobulation was knocked flying and the pinatas exploded in bursts of sound and light.

Then Discord snarled as he yanked himself to his feet even as Discombobulation continued to roll backwards, before Discord snapped furiously: “You are really starting to piss me off!”

Discombobulation winced as he skidded up to a crouch as Discord rose his hands, then began to make vicious dropping gestures; and, in the air above, massive, rounded weights, enormous blades, and huge pyramids of metal began to form, beginning to crash down from the sky towards Discombobulation as he dodged back and forth with surprising, almost-liquid grace, barely avoiding the larger weights as he ran towards the empty corner of the square and away from the ponies.

Then Discord gritted his teeth and clapped his hands savagely, and the weights still floating above and chasing after Discombobulation formed into one enormous meteor, the red-eyed Draconequus leaning forwards and swinging both hands down to send this massive globe of steel dropping towards Discombobulation as he looked over his shoulder with a curse. His eyes widened, and then the dragon-headed chimerical creature leapt into the air and dove into the ground as if it was liquid.

The meteor smashed down with a tremendous bang before exploding into nothing but smoke as Discord snapped a hand down, then suddenly flicked it upwards... and a moment later, Discombobulation was ejected from the earth in a violent geyser of steam, sending up a burst of tile and dirt as he flailed wildly in the air before Discord slapped a hand out, and chaos energies shocked viciously across Discombobulation, knocking him hurtling backwards to bounce off the front of a house and flop onto his stomach with a weak curse.

Discord snorted, then he flicked a hand outwards, a crescent of green fire erupting outwards and shooting towards the fallen fellow Draconequus, but Discombobulation shoved against the ground and flopped out of the way. The blast of emerald flame narrowly missed, instead striking the ground and sparking out of existence, and Discord glowered as Discombobulation slowly hauled himself up to a crouch, features serious, eyes narrowed.

For a moment, they only looked at one-another... and then Discord leaned forward and flicked a wrist out as if throwing something, and a massive block of steel appeared in mid-lurch towards Discombobulation: a moment later, however, it simply exploded in a hail of fragments and shrapnel and smoke, Discord's jaw dropping before Discombobulation lunged through the cloud of smog, tossing away some kind of black and orange explosive launcher, a blue bandanna tied tightly around his head.

Bob hit the ground in a crouch, then pounced forwards before Discord could react, covering the distance between them in a blink of an eye before his fists smashed back and forth across Discord's face. The red-eyed chaos entity squawked in horror before yelling when a kick slammed into his shin, and then Discombobulation seized him by the lion forelimb and half-turned as he flipped him over his shoulder, slamming Discord viciously down onto his back.

The Draconequus bounced once before laying flat as three tiny golden stars spun in a slow circle above his face, laying prone and stupefied. Discombobulation looked down at him for a moment, and then Discord's fingers twitched, and the three floating stars shot up and smacked into the bandanna-wearing chimerical creature's face before bursting apart in flashes of light and sound.

Discombobulation staggered backwards in shock, and Discord was immediately back up on his feet, seizing viciously into Bob's shoulders, electricity and concentrated chaos energy ripping over his body and making him howl in agony as Discord leaned forwards and shouted: “You can't win!”

“I can't, but I must!” Discombobulation swung his arms up, knocking Discord's grip loose and sending him back a step, and then his eyes widened when Discord simply twiddled his fingers at him with a cold smile before he stomped one foot against the ground, and the earth beneath Discombobulation burst upwards in a springboard that launched him backwards before he crashed against thin air as if it was solid.

He slowly peeled off the invisible barrier, falling to land on all fours with a wheeze of pain as Discord shook his head, looking distastefully across at the fellow Draconequus. “Now, alright. I have to admit you made me lose my temper, which is impressive, and you put up a good fight. I'd almost forgotten... sure, I have the advantage over you when it comes to chaos powers, but in this world, physical blows hurt us. And you laid some good punches into me... shameful, damn shameful as it is for you to resort to that, of all methods!”

“I had good teachers.” Discombobulation muttered, and then he suddenly hauled himself up to his feet, breaking into a run, but Discord only made a quick shutting gesture, and a door appeared in midair before slamming itself into Bob's face, halting him dead in his tracks before it vanished and Discombobulation wheezed and twitched once before he stumbled backwards.

Then Discord rose a talon, and Discombobulation's eyes widened before he simply vanished from the spot: the other Draconequus did the same, however, and the two reappeared only a few feet away from each other before vanishing again and reappearing standing in midair, Discombobulation upside down and Discord already beginning to lash his talon out as it glowed with energy, but Bob just managed to crane his head away before he flicked a wrist and sent a blast of lightning hammering into Discord's face.

It knocked him sprawling through the air, flailing as he fell towards the ground before colliding heavily and shattering like glass... but instead of fragments of the Draconequus, dozens of tiny Discords were left sprawled all over. Immediately, Discombobulation vanished from the spot... then he reappeared a moment later floating just above them, a maddened look on his face as he held a steamroller above his head, and the countless tiny Discords all squealed before Discombobulation slammed the massive machine violently down on top of them, then leapt up on top of it with a war cry, arms thrusted up into the air.

Then he stared as the steamroller simply started to melt, colors changing as it twisted and transformed until Discombobulation was standing on top of a giant Discord, the unhurt Draconequus lounging back with a wide grin on his face as he chastised: “You always did steal everything. Makes it very, very easy to predict what you're about to do, puppy.”

Discombobulation leapt childishly in the air and stomped viciously down into the giant Discord's stomach, and the red-eyed Draconequus gagged loudly, before Discombobulation slammed both hands outwards into Discord's gaping head, fingers curled into claws and bases of his palms almost pressed together. “Hadouken!”

Discord's head simply exploded backwards in a hail of candy and pieces of plastic, and Discombobulation hurriedly leapt off the body before it did the same. He stumbled as he landed, wheezing loudly and flailing his limbs... and then, behind him, the shattered pieces of plastic and candy swirled upwards, quickly reforming into Discord as the glaring chimerical creature rose a claw still half-made from sugary treats and shards of debris, firing a single bolt of electricity outwards as the dragon-headed Draconequus just began to turn.

The blast slammed into the forelimb of his talon, and Discombobulation staggered backwards with a rasp as electricity jolted around his arm as he clenched it into a first, staring in horror as his limb rapidly began to petrify. At the same time, a band of gleaming green metal formed around his wrist, and Discombobulation shook his head violently as Discord said almost gently: “Game over. I've had enough playing with you for now.”

“N-No...” Discombobulation breathed hard, staring as he leaned away from his own petrifying arm, stone spreading up to his shoulder as the emerald metal hummed quietly before steam rose up from the limb as the stone finally ceased to spread. But his entire arm had been turned to rock... and Discombobulation fell to his knees, grasping at this before cursing in agony when he touched the green band as electricity tore against his fingers and over his arm, features contorting with agony.

Discord slowly approached him as ponies shouted and stared in horror, and Discord waved a hand at them irritably, shaking his head as he said distastefully: “Oh, stop it! It's not that bad, really... it's just a little something that I always kept in stock for nasty little chaos entities that like to be particularly troublesome. Works on little puppies, works on the big dogs: you know what it is, right?

“Stillness.” Discombobulation muttered, breathing hard as he slowly forced himself up to his feet, trembling as he held onto his stone limb, and Discord smiled at him indulgently as he came to a halt in front of the dragon-headed Draconequus. “If I try to focus chaos energy, if I try to use my powers... the petrification will spread. If I attempt to take it off... the petrification will spread. You...”

“You made me. This was my choice, yes, but it was the best choice I could make for all of us. You'll understand one day, maybe.” Discord said gently, reaching up and clapping him on the shoulder before he smiled and turned around, facing towards the trembling, staring ponies led by Twilight Sparkle. “Oh, yes, the audience! Was it a good show? Did you get the message, little ponies, that you can't win?”

“Show's not over yet.” Discombobulation muttered, closing his eyes as he bowed his head forwards, and Discord's smile faded as he frowned and turned around, and then stared in surprise at the determined look on Discombobulation's features. “I learned a lot from these ponies, Discord. More than I ever learned from you, and you did teach me plenty, if only so I could be more amusing to you. But most of all, I learned that you never have to stop fighting. That you can win against all odds. And maybe hope, mixed with chaos and madness, is what means that even though you're stronger, better, smarter than me, I can still beat you.”

Discord looked almost pitying as he sighed and shook his head, and then Discombobulation rose his working hand and added mildly: “And oh, I learned this from Scrivener Blooms and Luna Brynhild.”

And then Discombobulation stepped forwards and forced his stone arm to rise, swinging his petrified fist as hard as he could into Discord's stunned face, and the Draconequus was sent flying backwards with a cry of misery as one of his fangs was knocked flying from his mouth in a fine spray of blood as his jaw snapped loudly.

Discombobulation howled in agony as his own petrified arm shattered, cracking apart from the force of the blow and falling in a hail of marble... but even as tears of pain filled his eyes and chunks of marble and concrete fell from his devastated limb, he swept his other hand outwards, seizing the falling band of emerald metal. He leapt forwards with this in hand as Discord began to sit up, his jaws gaping wide, his eyes staring in horror... and then Discombobulation snarled as he shoved the band into Discord's maw and forced it down his throat.

Discord gagged and wheezed around the arm invading his jaws, grabbing wildly at Discombobulation's limb as he flailed and kicked... and then Discombobulation finally yanked himself backwards, staggering away and grasping at his stump of shoulder as he breathed hard in and out, gritting his teeth as the wound sparked, sealing itself closed. Discord, on the other hand, was bleeding profusely from the mouth, hacking and gagging before he grabbed at his stomach and howled in misery, shaking his head wildly before his eyes bulged as he looked up desperately. “Oh no! Oh no!”

“Oh yes!” Discombobulation snapped back, and then he grinned painfully as Discord began to snarl, saying quietly: “You may want to think twice before you lose your temper. Look how easy my arm broke off... I'd hate to think of what life for you would be like without a stomach.”

Discord froze at this... and then, slowly, he stood up as he looked weakly back and forth before Discombobulation closed his eyes and snapped his fingers. A shudder tore through reality, and then Bob fell to a kneel as the sensation of poisonous energies in the air began to lighten, the world around them returning to normal bit-by-bit as the shattered skies healed, homes twisted themselves back into normal positions, and the chaotic bindings trapping the ponies started to lessen.

Scrivener and Luna shoved apart as Celestia and Sleipnir's manes both returned to normal, letting them yank free of each other as well, and Twilight bolted forwards as Pinkamena was pulled up out of the soggy ground. Ponies ran towards Discombobulation as the Draconequus was seized in a fierce hug by Twilight, the mare burying her face against his neck with a tremble as the Draconequus smiled faintly, then looked quietly across at Discord as the beaten chimerical creature dragged himself backwards, shaking his head with a look of disbelief. “I... I don't understand.”

“Oh really, wretch? Then allow me to put it in simple terms.” Luna said sharply as she strode past Bob, and Discord looked down at her dumbly before he wheezed when she tackled him backwards and shoved him to the ground, pinning him as he helplessly rose his upper limbs and she snarled into his eyes. “He is our friend. And he beat thee, arrogant upstart! And now, now does not have the protection of chaos, trapped and foiled by thine own designs... for I suspect that even if thou wishes that cursed hex-band away, 'twill still do damage to thee, damage thou cannot reverse, is this true?”

“N-N-Now please, I... I was only trying to help!” Discord grinned lamely, and then Luna slammed her head down into his nose, knocking him flat and making him yell in agony as he stared up at her with horror. “Wait, I can explain!”

“Luna, wait... please.” Twilight pleaded quietly, and Luna halted at this, looking slowly over her shoulder. The violet mare was trembling a bit, still tightly embracing Bob as he breathed slowly with his head lowered, his body pale and shivering, but all the same Twilight had a look in her eye... that begged for mercy, that wanted to give Discord a chance. “Let him explain. I... Discord, I knew you in... another place. You weren't... you tried to warn me. You tried to save us. I don't want to believe that you're... just a bully and a coward. Why would you do this?”

“Bully? Coward?” Discord laughed dryly, looking moodily up at Luna. “Surprising she's talking to me, not to you.”

“I can do much to thee without killing thee.” Luna said darkly, and Discord quailed a bit at this before the sapphire mare snarled: “Now thou had best explain thyself, or I shall be making thee into a patchwork quilt instead of a patchwork doll!”

“No offense, Bob.” Scrivener muttered aside to the wounded Draconequus, and Discombobulation gave a wry smile before the earth pony asked quietly: “Are you... going to...”

But Discombobulation remained silent, and Twilight trembled as she hugged the Draconequus tightly again, not speaking. He seemed to appreciate it, even as he slowly, tiredly looked upwards as Luna stepped moodily back from Discord as Sleipnir and Celestia flanked him and looked down at the red-eyed chimerical creature.

It clearly intimidated the Draconequus as he swallowed a little, rubbing at his throat before he finally sat up and slumped his shoulders, closing his eyes as he cursed under his breath. “I suppose it doesn't matter either way now anyway... silly ponies. Silly, stupid ponies... the other ponies wanted to use me, you see. Not that I'm normally very cooperative, but these ponies had something about them... I think it was the electricity and the torture machines and all the scary metal parts. That, and the fact they slaughtered an entire cadre of Skin Walkers just to get to little old me. Made me feel special: even in Ginnungagap I wasn't that wanted.”

He laughed dryly, then winced when Celestia's horn glowed slightly and she leaned down, asking coldly: “The ponies. Describe them in detail.”

“I could show... oh no, wait. No. No I can't. Thanks for that, jerk.” Discord glared across at Discombobulation, and then his face puckered in irritation when the one-armed Draconequus calmly rose his hand and flipped him off in return. “I suppose I deserve it, though. Chaos. Chaos, stupid... Loki-damned chaos. This is all my fault, you know; I let myself get sure of myself. And when you're sure of anything that has to do with Ginnungagap, then you've immediately already lost.”

Discord sighed tiredly, grasping at his stomach and wincing in pain before he shook his head moodily. “So it's all on my head now that you're all going to die. You, me, we, us.”

“What are you talking about?” Celestia asked quietly, but her eyes flashed as if she already knew the answer, as Scrivener and Luna frowned and leaned forwards, and Twilight looked up worriedly from Discombobulation.

“It sounded simple! All they wanted me to do was cover the land in chaos; easy as pie. I wasn't quite... sure why I was supposed to do it, though, but they made it very clear why I should listen to them, why I should drown everything in the deluge instead of just letting myself wander as I pleased, having fun here and there.” Discord halted, giving a twisted, pained grin as he reached up and rubbed slowly at his missing tooth and bloody jaw. “Because they said if I blasted the land with chaos, they wouldn't kill everyone. Now, I don't know about you, but I figured that eternal chaos was better than eternal... nothing. I don't like eternal nothing, and I figured it would be bad for you, too.”

“And they told you to get rid of us. These... ponies. They were...” Celestia halted, looking over at Scrivener Blooms quietly.

The stallion caught her glance, and then he looked at Discord, asking calmly: “They were everything you hate, weren't they?”

“Precisely!” Discord looked up in surprise, and Scrivener smiled wryly as the Draconequus frowned at him moodily. “You seem to be rather similar to everything I hate, too. You're not going to be my next employer, are you? Because until I get this nasty little trinket out of my stomach, I'm no good to anyone.”

“Why didn't you warn us or try to communicate with us, if you were intent to try and 'save' us?” Celestia asked quietly, and Discord looked caught off-guard by this question, turning his eyes to her blankly. “We would have listened.”

“Because this Discord is not the same Discord who was in your world. This Discord is still stuck in Ginnungagap.” Discombobulation said moodily, and then he finally shrugged Twilight off and stood up before glancing down and adding mildly: “I have something that might help with that.”

Discord looked up curiously... and then all present stared when Discombobulation leaned down and slammed a punch across Discord's face, knocking the red-eyed Draconequus flopping backwards into an unconscious, drooling heap. Bob looked down at this and shook his fist out with a grimace before Twilight asked incredulously: “How did that help anything?”

“It made me feel better.” Discombobulation muttered, then he turned and began to limp away, pushing through the crowd of ponies as Pinkamena grinned widely at his back, her eyes almost admiring. “Scrivener Blooms, I'm beginning to understand why you hit everything physically instead of using your magic. The pain is bittersweet, isn't it?”

Luna smiled faintly at the male's back, and then, even as Celestia began to open her mouth, Discombobulation called dryly: “No, I have enough strength to see myself home, thank you. I'm going to curl up in my apartment with an ice pack, which is to say, a pack of ice. Ice is for dismemberment, not heat, yes? Ice now, heat later.”

He nodded to himself moodily, then simply vanished from the spot as Twilight looked worriedly after him... but Luna only sighed and reached up to touch her shoulder gently, saying quietly: “We shall... figure out everything in time, Twilight, fear not. And the first thing we do, I promise thou, shall be to pick up Antares and return home to ensure the creature is alright. Celestia, I trust thou does not mind... attending to the matter of ensuring Ponyville is safe and restored?”

“Not at all... it's important you see to our strange friend. And with Sleipnir here, I have someone who I can trust to keep a close eye on Discord until we figure out... what we can do with him.” Celestia replied softly, nodding firmly as she smiled a little over at her brother, who grunted and nodded quickly in return. Then the ivory winged unicorn gazed over the group of still-gathered ponies as she added softly: “And I'm sure I can count on help from all our other friends, as well.”

“Anything you need, Baroness Celestia.” Applejack nodded firmly as Big Mac looked up and Rainbow saluted, and when Celestia gave her a pointed look, the goldenrod mare smiled a little as she said in a softer voice: “I mean, just Celestia.”

Twilight smiled a little before she began to turn to follow Luna... but to her surprise, the door to the library was forced open before a thick flood of half-melted cotton candy and chocolate milk flowed out, along with a soggy, disgusted-looking Kvasir. All eyes stared at the god as he carefully hauled himself up to his rear hooves, brushing at himself with his black, lineless hands, and then he glared when the ponies gaped at him before his eyes roved to still-unconscious Discord. For a few moments, he looked at the Ginnungagap entity... and then he sighed tiredly, rubbing at his face and turning to storm back inside as he muttered: “Bring him in here. I'll contact Odin.”

Celestia shrugged after a moment, then she smiled over at Luna when the winged unicorn began to turn, shaking her head quickly and encouraging gently: “No, go. We can use his help, and I won't have a problem dealing with him. But you need to attend to Discombobulation. He does... have a habit of hiding his injuries.”

Luna and Scrivener both nodded, smiling faintly at the look Celestia gave them, and then Twilight turned and hurried off without another word, and the sapphire mare and charcoal earth pony turned to follow quickly after her. For a few moments, Celestia only watched them leave... and then she sighed softly, turning her eyes to Discord as he began to stir before she looked to Applejack, noting the rope at her side. “Tie him up. Let Sleipnir help you, then bring him in and... try to trust Kvasir. Fluttershy, I would like you and your Phooka friend to come with me: Rainbow Dash, scout the skies, look to see if Discord left any other marks anywhere, I need to know what to close and where. Rarity, Spike, please find Cowlick, Ross and Greece. Pinkie Pie, Pinkamena, stay here at the library, keep an eye open: Clockwork World may have been watching and assessing Discord's actions.”

The ponies and dragon nodded to her, then hurried off about their duties as Celestia turned quickly to leave: their job was to tend to the panicked villagers around Ponyville, to calm them down and find out if anyone had been injured. Something both Nirvana and Fluttershy were suited for in their different extremes: the Pegasus could naturally soothe, and Nirvana could forcibly calm down a pony if necessary.

Discord proved no trouble: even after waking up hogtied, there was nothing he could do. His own swallowed bauble meant trying to use his chaos powers would severely injure – if not outright kill – him, and he simply wasn't strong enough to tear through the rope... or if he was, he wasn't stupid enough to think he could out-muscle Sleipnir.

The Draconequus spent a lot of time staring at Kvasir as the god strode around on his hind hooves, paging through books and muttering to himself as Discord uncertainly tried to figure out what he was looking at. Sleipnir, meanwhile, had sat for a while, moodily studying the creature until he finally muttered: “'Tis funny. In my home world, I died upon a quest to retrieve the Elements of Harmony and turn them against thee, to drive thee from the land. I always imagined that thou would be more of a monster but... Celestia had oft admitted that the entire quest was based upon selfishness and lies.”

“You all keep talking to me like I'm the bad guy. But maybe you're all the bad guys and I'm the good guy, you ever think of that?” Discord asked seriously, and then he winced when Pinkamena stepped in front of him and leaned down with a sharkish grin, red-rimmed eyes glowing dangerously.

“Do I look like a good guy to you?” she asked contemptibly, and when Discord swallowed thickly and hurriedly shook his head, she grunted in approval and patted him a bit too firmly on his bruised cheek, making him hiss in pain. “Good. Guess even you can learn a thing or two, huh?”

Discord only grumbled miserably under his breath, glowering around at the ponies in the room before he asked in a whiny voice: “Can someone loosen these ropes? I can't do anything anyway, I was beaten by my own acolyte at what should have been nothing more than a minor irritation. Discombobulation, pah. Nothing but a confusion sprite that got too big for his britches. Then kicked my ass in those stretched britches and earned himself a pair of cowboy boots.”

But he only went ignored, and so the Draconequus resigned himself to grumbling moodily, figuring that if they hadn't killed him yet, maybe they'd let him live after all... but his eyes glowed with fear that he wouldn't have much longer to exist either way, as thoughts of the grinning, metallic monsters shaped like ponies danced through his twisted mind.

Comments

[Koekelbag]

Slip-ups:

“Yet the Hellhounds were growling in their kennels and the black drakes were were grappling and trying to establish dominance over one-another when we first arrived, even if now they've become so... lethargic. I don't understand it.”

Because until I this nasty little trinket out of my stomach, I'm no good to anyone.

until I get/retrieve/remove/... this etc.

Oh... wow... did not see that one coming... that sure was pretty epic.
Confirms why the special guest today is the scariest character for me, both in the show as well as in this series, and only a bit scarier then Gymbr.

But... with:
However, after... oh, I don't know, a thousand or so years imprisoned
Hm...
*Sinks away in thought*

Totally unRelated question: If the special guest and Gymbr would fight, who would most likely win? And if Gymbr would win, could the guest at least beat Full-Tyrant Wyrm Scrivener?
I honestly couldn't make a guess, since they are all so ridiculously powerful...

[BlackRoseRaven]

5314804

There'll be someone scarier eventually. You really won't like him. You really really won't like him. But he's a whole story away, at least.
But uh... Gymbr at full strength is pretty insanely strong. There's only a few things that can match him, in terms of his raw power. The tricky thing is that my version of this special guest, as you so eloquently put it, doesn't like to kill and prefers to keep the party going. Another thing to consider is that while Tyrant Scrivener would have a lot of trouble with him, he also has the incredibly cheap Verses at his disposal to fall back on if things start going badly. If our special friend could shut Scrivener up, he'd stand a much better chance. And while these "rats of Ginnungagap" are notoriously difficult to kill, the Verses are the Voice of Entropy, the Void given form. To something of chaos that's just as bad, if not worse, than Order. Order is at least the other side of the scale: Nothingness is just... Nothing.