The Land Before Us

Chapter 20 – Planning for chaos

The castle is quite and the night sky has started to take on a dimming light as the sun begins to fall from the world's line. But for Princess Platinum and Celestia there is no relaxation as the meeting being held in the dining room of the castle starts to pick up.

"...Are you suggesting we do not hold a front Celestia?" The white stallion squints to Celestia's seat across the large table.

Celestia repeats herself as she shakes her head, "No Stone Hooves, I am just saying that we must try another diplomatic solution before we create any unwanted turmoil."

Platinum brings her hoof up to her head as she talks in a fainting girls voice, "OH but Celestia you heard those unreasonable pegasus, they wish war!"

The taller white mare sharpens her eyes to Platinum's words for a moment, she notices this and quickly changes her direction as she brings her hoof back down, "But of course another meeting should be called."

Platinum quickly averts her eyes from Celestia to the earth pony leader as she talks, "You agree we should give the pegasus one last say correct Chancellor Pudding Cup?"

The stallion shakes his head as he speaks up, "Yes, a fight with the pegasus is not something we wish. Smart Cookie has been looking into our crops for this season and she has found that if we miss a week of rain the consequences could be enormous!"

Platinum nods her head as she tries to hold a sense of care, "Oh yes this would be bad."

"Then it's decided, a message will be sent to the Pegasus in order to set up this meeting." Celestia rises from her chair as she nods to Chancellor Pudding Cup, "Thank you for helping us in this matter."

The stallion nods as he stands from the table and begins to trot out of the room with a few earth pony guards.

Stone Hooves stands from the table as he looks to Platinum, "Shall I ready the carriage your highness?" He stares at Platinum for a response but she quickly holds a hoof up as she brings herself up, "No, I believe I will stay in this night General Stone Hooves." Platinum turns to Celestia as she smiles, "All of this nasty business with the pegasus have left me drained."

She trots herself a little towards the door as she looks back to the tall white mare, "Does our sun keeper require me further?"

Celestia looks her over for a moment in silence before she shakes her head, "I believe we have quelled this issue for tonight Princess Platinum."

At her words Platinum gives a smile and adjust the cloak around her body, "As I am sure we would." She holds the smile until the threshold of the door cuts the tall mare from her gaze.

She swings her head in front of her as she trots down the hall and towards her room.

But as the turn down her hallway comes to her she passes by it and continues down the hall. Her green eyes focus on the closed door of Matt's room as she brings herself to the room. Her hoof presses on it as her voice takes on a fake sweet voice, "Pardon this interruption M..." Her voice is brought to a halt as she looks to the dark and empty room. Platinum straightened her posture as she looks around the room a little annoyed to its emptiness but her eyes are quickly brought to the window as she looks to the darkened sky.

Platinum's voice is low as she whispers to herself, "Luna..."

After a moment of looking through the clear glass window she turns herself back to the hall as her trot picks back up a little.

Her green eyes stay focused directly in front of her as she hoovers her crown off of her head and begins to undo the straps to her cloak.

Platinum's destination comes into view as she rounds the open door threshold and trots herself past the purple and red throne and into her room.

The door's close behind her as a light pink field comes over them. She moves her gaze to the other set of doors for a moment as they too take on the pink gloss of low chiming magic.

Her cloak and crown are floated to the neatly made bed as she quickly turns her body to the large mirror that sits above the oval table, her voice no longer holds her regal properness as she talks to the mirror, "You will answer to me Discord...." The tip of her horn sparks up in a pink glow but as her eyes squint to the mirror the magic slightly takes on a greenish tint similar to Matt's.

The glow from her doesn't last long as she lowers her head and directs a bolt towards the mirror. The reflection of the room in the mirror begins to fade as Platinum stares to the mirror, her breaths are heavy and as the oval table and glass started to fade with the reflection it holds.

"I was wondering when I would see you."

Platinum's room has disappeared and her hooves no longer stand on her cushiony red royal carpets. Her voice is sharp and loud as she turns back to the voice, "Discord what have you done!"

But as she turns around she blinks a little confused to the scene behind her.

Discord's legs are dropped carelessly over one side of the armrest and his head is cocked up words as he stares at a large almost mirror like object that Platinum has never seen before.

He gives a little laugh as he rolls himself back to a proper position, his lion like arm extends upwards as he talks in a laugh, "HA! Do you like it? Its called a TV." He lets out a happy sigh as the static snow-sound on the tv beings to lower its chatter.

Platinum squints her eyes to him as her anger proceeds her confusion, "Discord I demanded to know what you have done! This pla..." Her voice is cut off as Discord snaps his paw and a remote is poofed into her mouth. She blinks to the foreign object as she takes it out of her mouth and into her hoof.

Discord smiles as he beckons her, "Go on, place your hoof to the button." He holds a crooked one sharp toothed smile as he waits for the confused mare to move.

Platinum looks to the black object in her hand as she reads the words out loud, "NEXT?"

Discord nods his head as he holds his life filled orange eyes to her, "Yes next."

She moves her hoof to the button as she presses down on it.

The static snow on the tv blanks as a image of Matt and Luna sitting on the balcony of the castle appear on the screen.

"What is this Discord!?" Platinum toss the remote to the ground as she brings her hoof to the goat creature, "You have better tell me why you have changed my plans...."

"YOUR PLANS!" Discord's eyes darken as he stands from the chair.

His booming voice echos off the walls of the castle as Platinum's ears fall down, her mouth quivers as she talks, "O-our plans."

Discord's eyes are still a coal black as he smiles and brings a claw finger up to his mouth, "Shh shhh shhh." He lifts his arms up to the large tv that now begins to float a little higher in the room as he talks, "War is not what we want..."

"But..."

"Silence!" He brings his head back down from the floating screen as he talks, "...War is only temporary....it only will last as long as nopony stops it." He smiles devilishly as he talks, "I wish to do something that will cause problems for this land and fear for this lands ponies."

Platinum quivers her lips as she talks, "But what about our power? What about our rule?"

"Awww." Discord cocks his head as he brings his to hands cupped beside him in a innocent like pose, "I would rather see Celestia and Luna unhappy..." He spins back down to his throne as he laughs, "...I want to see ponies in fear for years to come!"

His laugh rings through the castle as Platinum blinks her eyes to him, "B-but Discord? We were going to use Damien, Celestia has sent him back...what will we..."

Discord cuts her off as he snaps his fingers and a cup of chocolate milk is poofed into his hand, "Damien is not the only human..." He turns his head to Platinum in a smile as he talks, "Besides how does Celestia know that spell anyways hmm?"

Platinum blinks to him as she talks a little, "I...I don't know..."

Discord nods his head, "Than a spell is what you will seek." Platinum's face takes on a slight lightness as his words hit her. But he waves his hand as he talks, "But this is your task not mine...I have my own plan which you will help."

Platinum loses her sense of joy as her voice calls back annoyed to his words, "Help? You have ruined my plan why would I help?!"

"OH?" Discord smiles as he drops the glass to the floor to shatter, "But Platinum, you have your power from your..." His smile grows as he elongates his words, "Prince."

Platinum's face turns a hot angry red as she screams back to him, "He is a lie and must pay for what he has done!"
Discord moves his lion arm to the side of the chair as he brings his head to rest on it, "Oh yes, he and he alone is the biggest liar." His eyes drift from there black back to a orange and yellow glow as he listens to the mare.

Platinum stomps her hoof to the stone floor as her slightly whiny voice comes out of her, "Yes! How dare he use me."

Discord snaps his fingers as he teleports beside her, "Yes yes, he used you that's what happened."

The white mare holds a slightly annoyed gaze to his sarcasm as she talks, "He will pay for deceiving me..."

"Yes and I know a way if you trust me." He holds a smile to her as he holds out his lion paw.

Platinum looks over his face as she talks, "You have taken my plans and ruined them...what would I gain now?"

Discord's claw hand glows a deep orange as he talks, "But Princess you will get your kingdom and all kinds of subjects...Earth ponies....Unicorns....Pegasus...all you have to do is do one simple thing for me."

She holds a skeptical stare as she talks, "Celestia has said that Matt is to be sent home tomorrow...how can you already have a plan?"

Discord cocks an eyebrow as he laughs a little, "Believe me Princess, that fool has worked herself right into my plan..," He holds his arms up high as he talks, "She wishes to create an element of harmony...But I know what it really needs."

Platinum blinks to his words as she talks, "She wishes to what? I have not been told of this?"

Discord pinched at her cheek as he talks, "Awww she doesn't trust you....but I do." He poofs back to his throne as he talks in a loud voice, "Do we have a deal...Power and a kingdom your own...for your help?"

The room is silent for a moment as Platinum looks over the goat creature, but the moment of truth is only just that a moment, "Deal Discord."

He smiles as he talks, "Good." His claw sparks back up in a orange glow as he talks, "Don't move."

With a loud laugh the magic is sent toward Platinum and she is struck with it. Her breathing becomes fast and heavy as the magic begins to seep into her, "W-what are you doing?"

Discord folds his arms as he talks, "Making you a Queen my dear..."

Her legs twinge without an impulse from herself as she starts to give a few pained groans. The pink mane that hangs to one side of her crownless body starts to darken as her green eyes begin to glow a little brighter, "D-ISCORD!"

His smile slightly fades a little as her own magic starts to form around her horn, but the pink glow is quickly being replaced by a green shine as her pained groans come back to her.

Platinum's body starts to become shaded in a orange and green mist as her screams start to muffle from the magic encasing her.

"Whoa." Discord snaps his fingers as he takes his seat in the throne again, a pair of 3D glasses now set over his missized eyes as he watches the bright swirl of magic around the mare in front of him.

The magic's booming chime starts to fade as a panting voice starts to come out from it.

The goat creature no longer has a sense of joy as he looks to the no longer white coated and pink maned pony barely standing in front of him.

"What happened..."

Platinum's voice is almost echoey as she pants.

"Oh y-you're fine you don't need to..." Discord's voice is cut off as she talks.

"A mirror..give me a mirror!"

Discord hesitates for a moment before he snaps his fingers.

A large full body mirror is poofed in front of Platinum as she stops her breathing and stares to the dark black mare reflected back to her.

"Its really not that bad." Discord presses the 3D glasses close to his eyes as he tries to look away from the mare.

Platinum's horn has become long and jagged, her perfectly combed pink curled mane now is a sickly green-blue with split ends and strains unbrushed. Her mouth now has two changeling like fangs and her back now seems to have almost bug like still magic glowing wings. But she stares at her eyes as she holds her breathless gaze; the eyes that were once just a simple green topaz are now a two shade green with a rim the same as Matt's magic.

Platinum's voice is low and ecoey as she press her hoof to the glass, "I...Im..."

Discord gives a slight laugh as he talks, "Well its not that bad, you could be all holey."

Platinum's voice still stutters out as she hold her new black hoof to the reflection, "I'm...I'm beautiful!"

Discord is a little stunned by her words but he quickly follows her as he stands from his throne, "You took the words right from my mouth my Queen Platinum..." He bows to her as he smiles to the ground.

"NO!" Platinum turns to him as her green-blue mane falls back to one side, "We are creating a new kingdom...a better kingdom, I am its cocoon from which it will grow...I am Chrysalis ." She smiles as she drops her voice, "I am Queen Chrysalis." She lets out an ear pounding laugh as she stops her words.

Discord wraps his lion arm around her neck as he talks, "Yes, and now Queen Chrysalis you need to listen...there are a few things I need to teach you for tomorrow." He puts his paw to her mouth as he talks, "It's very important you listen."

Chrysalis smiles as she brings her split tongue to his lion finger that rest against her mouth, her eyes flicker a little more green as her voice drops to a hypnotic low, "I'm all ears...Discord." Her tongue licks at his finger for a moment but Discord is quick to step away from her as he brings his arms back to the TV still showing Luna and Matt, "Good, then listen up."

End of chapter 20