Notesby DerpyStarletChaptersUnwantedWho's Guilty?What's Been LostCold MomentsConditioningUnwantedPurple smoke trailed from black eyes as Sombra grunted and crumpled to the padded floor. Discord could still feel the force of the blow he had given traveling from the pipe in his white-knuckled hand. He pulled back before striking Sombra again, feeling a painful jolt in the bones of his own wrist. Every blow he delivered brought relief, but not enough to satisfy. Sombra clawed at the fabric of the wall, trying to stand again. His shackles clinked. Perhaps this time he would respond to his punishment. But, the shadow king only snarled into his gag, a metal face mask with a piece of wood forced into his mouth to stop him from biting into his tongue. Another blow went to his already bruised shoulder blades. A woman watching from the doorway cleared her throat. “Was he really bad today?” she asked. Discord stopped to catch his breath and dry his cheeks. “Yes... and he knows it too.” The woman sighed. Her brow was furrowed when Discord turned to look at her. What is she all gloomy about? Discord wondered as he left the room, making sure the lights were on their brightest setting. The bar rang as he tossed it aside after shutting the door behind him. The adrenaline shook his hands as he tried to smooth his grey hair back. The woman stood before him with his white coat in her hand and the trace of a scowl still on her mouth. “You don’t understand...” he grumbled. “So, where’s Screwball?” “She’s with her,” Chrysalis said, rolling her eyes, “Dinnertime.” “Good,” he said, running his hand over his goatee. “You know I noticed something about Screwball when she came in to help with Celestia—” “Thank you for your help, Chrysalis.” “Excu—” “And her name isn’t Celestia, remember?” he said, grabbing the coat. She pulled back on it, staring him down. “Why will you never let me finish my questions? You don’t even know what I noticed!” “I don’t really care what you noticed. I’m more curious about what you didn’t notice.” “Wha—” “In fact, I’m very curious how you came all this way without noticing that you’re not wearing pants.” Her eyes snapped down and widened at the lederhosen that had replaced her jeans. When she looked up again the trickster was almost to the door. “Discord!” she yelled. “No shouting, my dear changeling, you might disturb the patients.” “Why does Sarah have to hide her real hair color?” Discord froze. His teeth ached as he clenched them. He felt the beige paint of the metal door chip as his thumbnail scraped across it. He knew she would figure it out eventually... just not now. “Have a good evening, Chrysalis,” he said in a low, even tone before slamming the door shut behind him. Beating times always sent his muscles into cranky protest. He stretched with a groan, pulling his coat on as he walked down the grey hall towards the patient’s room. This body wasn’t as young as it used to be. Unfortunately, things weren’t about to get any less tiring. Sarah had left the door open again. He straightened his coat and stepped over the threshold and into the small, cold room. Sarah had fallen asleep sitting next to the bed again, her head resting on the stomach of the woman lying there. Her arm was draped around the woman in a hug. No reason to scold her for that, Discord thought, approaching the bed quietly. His eyes turned from Sarah to the face of the bedridden woman. No matter how many times he felt ready to see her, he never was. The feeding tube was the worst part. While she would wake up in a few days, that thought never made it easier to see her like this. Discord’s footsteps tapped against the concrete floor as he came closer. His brow contracted as he looked down at Sarah. She looked as exhausted as he felt. The dark circles under her eyes were diminishing but not yet gone. Becoming human again hadn’t been easy for either of them. It would probably be worse for... Discord’s left hand cautiously reached out and brushed the comatose woman’s cheek with the back of his fingers. The skin of her face was still feverish to the touch and sickly pale. His heart gripped his chest as he sighed before turning to Sarah, placing a hand carefully on her shoulder. Sarah jerked awake, blinking against the light coming from the doorway. “Dad, I’m sorry... I...” she groaned as her father lifted some of her golden bangs up to look at her hair more closely. “It’s fine. Your roots are coming in, though. Chrysalis noticed. Also...” he added, letting go of her hair and looking at her eyes directly, “Remember what I said about closing the door?” “I’m sorry...” “I know you’re sorry, but it is important that the door is always locked. You know what might happen.” “I’ll shut it next time, ok Dad?” she said before sitting back and covering a yawn. Her hand went to rub the fabric impressions on her forehead. Putting his arm around her shoulder, Discord rubbed her back a bit. “I know you will. Don’t worry, It won’t be much longer. Maybe one or two more days at the most.” “I hate having to do this...” “I know, I don’t like it either... but, it’s the only way we can get her back.” Sarah nodded then leaned against him her eyes dropping closed. “Come on, let’s get some dinner and some more dye.” “Okay...” she yawned again as she stood, pushing herself up by the back of her chair. She rubbed her half-opened eyes and led the way out of the room. The lock clicked into place as Discord pushed the door closed. “Be sure to check her later, Chrysalis,” Discord called out without looking up as the other woman entered the corridor. A pair of jeans had replaced her lederhosen. “Oh and change into scrubs before you do.” She narrowed her eyes in disbelief, “Are you kidding me? She’s not waking up for days!” “She could wake up any second. Scrubs. Now.” She sighed and turned back. He knew she wouldn’t change but he couldn’t be concerned with that now. Sarah needed to spend time out of this place. Closing the hallway door, he stepped into the side stairs of the building. The scent of peppermint handrails contrasted nicely with the sugar glass and gingerbread staircase. The walls had decided to go with a vibrant green today, a nice contrast with the stairs. Unfortunately, today’s color also gave Sarah and Discord a sickly hue as the light reflected off the walls and onto their skin. The spiders looked down at them and even turned to keep watching the descending pair. “So, what will it be today, Dad?” Sarah asked at the end of the stairs. “Open the locker,” he said, snapping his fingers and making a locker appear. Sarah pulled on the handle but it wouldn’t budge. “You forgot to unlock it.” “I want you to try again,” he said firmly. Sarah sighed and closed her eyes then held her hands up to frame the lock with the L’s of her thumb and forefinger. Discord leaned against the wall. She could do it, she just needed to focus. He watched her patiently as the silence ticked by. A small click came from the lock and he frowned. Same method as last time. She needed to be more creative than that. “Motorcycle?” Sarah asked, turning to him with a smile as she held out his helmet to him. Her smile faltered when Discord’s gaze grew more disappointed. “There are many other ways to open a lock you know.” “I... Dad, I’m tired! I’ll think of something else next time.” “Alright, Let’s go then,” he said, taking the helmet. After fully suiting up, they walked out into the garage towards a lone motorcycle. “So I still can’t drive by myself?” “Not yet, Sarah. Maybe when you’re sixteen,” Discord said, climbing onto the bike with his daughter soon behind him. “Sounds good,” she said, hugging him tightly as he took off straight for the brick wall, which melted like chocolate before they hit it. Without the moon, night fell a little darker in Canterlot. Of course, Discord couldn’t see that since he had been frozen with his eyes closed. That was only one of his annoyances. However, of all the things that bothered him, there were few things as irritating as an itch. This particular one sat on Discord’s back where he could have easily reached it... but, being turned into stone tends to prevent said movement. During the day it wasn’t so bad. He could easily go into the mind of a useless bird or insect to get help. “Celestia did not seem happy today. Have you any idea why?” Oh great, not them again. “I do not know,” Luna’s voice said with a contented sigh. Discord could picture Luna resting her head against the stallion she walked with. And I don’t supposed either of them would randomly want to give me a scratch. “Hmm, you’re quite affectionate tonight.” Oh gag me... Luna’s musical laughter drove itself into Discord’s ears. He could sense the couple almost at his feet. “I’m sorry. I can’t help it,” she said with a giggle. “True. Especially with such a gorgeous night as this.” “Do you like it? Really?” No, he’s a king of shadows and he hateseverythingdark and gloomy... “Of course I do. The stars are particularly bright tonight.” The stars? Really? Please don’t start talking about the moonagain. I’ve heard this talk at least a dozen times already. “Well, of course they are. I didn’t raise the moon tonight so they would stand out more.” “Ah, I see.” Seriously? You’re going to pretend you didn’t notice she neglected to raise the moon? Oh, it’s a massive glowing orb in the sky and you justhappened to forget it was normally there? “And so...” said the stallion in his resonant voice as his hooves made a final clop at Discord’s base, “here we are in front of the famous Discord: your most powerful adversary.” Well... maybe you can talk for a little longer. “It wasn’t just me who overthrew him...” Both of them were silent. “Luna? Have I bothered you?” “No... I’m fine. It’s just a lot to think back on.” Oh, you don’t even know the half of it! I mean, here I was, ruling Equestria happily and these two sisters bust in on me and turn me into a lawn ornament! “Of course, dear one. Let us continue walking.” I wasn’t finished! “Really, I must return to the palace. Will you join me?” My my my! Luna, you saucy thing! Celestia would not approve. “No, dearest one. Perhaps one last kiss beneath your sky?” On second thought, could you just go with her? Please? Just don’t— A soft moan interrupted his thoughts and he knew that a kiss had just been exchanged. In his mind, being turned to stone with his eyes closed had its advantages. “Good night, my Luna.” “Good night, Sombra,” Luna said with her silly giggling again. Gwood night, my Woona, Discord thought mockingly as he heard Luna take off. After a few moments he expected to hear Sombra continue away. “You know, Discord,” he said with a chuckle, “I expected Luna to be smarter than this.” Can you hear me? “Years of jealousy have paid off, wouldn’t you say?” I guess not... “Your story is quite curious. I wonder how much of legend and rumor is true. More specifically, I wonder... what would you do to have your throne back?” Pain welled up in Discord’s chest. He would give up anything just to be free. Just to have a chance to turn his beautiful world back to what it should be. “Dear little Luna... Yes, she’ll be my Queen... but she’ll have to be worthy first.” Look, I really don’t care. Could you just go away? “And of course Celestia will need to be taken care of. Hmm... a shame. With the older sister by my side, bringing everything under my control would be so much easier. But, I’ll make do with what I have though.” Are you really going to continue monologuing in front of me? I don’t care. “She is beautiful, isn’t she?” I don’t know! I only looked at her for all of ten seconds before she and her sister started shooting rainbowsat me! “Perhaps... you would be willing to help me in exchange for a queen?” Discord found the whole idea hysterical. Even if he did need a queen to stave off boredom, the last pony or anything that he would choose would be the pony responsible for putting him here. He was chaos, not stupidity. The whole idea made him laugh. He hadn’t laughed in almost a century. It had been impossible. Discord was frozen in marble and there was no way he should be laughing then. He couldn’t think of any explanation for why laughter resonated from his chest. There was no more talk that night. The last noise Discord heard from Sombra was the galloping of his hooves fading into the distance. So, Sombra hadn’t planned for that. But what had caused it then? Perhaps Discord wasn’t the only one who could disrupt Harmony. A small squeak hit his ear. Finally! Without another thought the bat flew into Discord’s back , not knowing why it had spontaneously altered its course. Ahhhh... much better. Discord pulled at his tie to give his throat space to breathe. He would have to be quick; the doctor he was imitating was busy helping to finish up a surgery, but there was no telling for how long he would be preoccupied. Hopefully he wouldn’t miss his badge, either. Celeste would need him tonight. How could so much have gone so wrong? First Aiden, now... this? He straightened his jacket and knocked on the door. No response. He knew she was in there, visiting her mother. She must be hoping they won’t check for stray visitors. With a heavy sigh, he turned the knob and entered the dark room. Mrs. Pheobe Marlowe lay on the bed, wires plugged into her arms and a tube shoved down her nose. Her skin was yellow and her hair gone. It had been too late to stop the cancer but she had insisted they give it a try. Celeste looked up at Discord, her eyes and cheeks red. “I’m sorry. Is it time for me to go?” “I’m... I’m afraid so,” he said, ignoring the tightening in his chest. Celeste nodded and stood up, pulling her coat on. Adrenaline constricted his windpipe. He would get the other guy in so much trouble if she said anything. Still, he had to be here, even if he wasn’t himself. “Good night, Mom,” she whispered, placing a kiss on her mother’s sunken cheek. Celeste stood up and gave her mother’s hand a visible squeeze before letting her fingers slide away. He really shouldn’t be doing this. This could easily make things worse. “So, um... You’ll call if...” she sighed, rubbing her eyes. “Yes,” he replied, swallowing. Celeste looked back towards the bed. “Will you call when it happens, or...” “We’ll wait until morning. Try to get some sleep,” he said, pushing his hands into the pockets of the borrowed coat. “I’m sorry, by the way.” She nodded, not knowing what he was really apologizing for. His heart beat almost too loudly for him to hear. Swallowing the lump in his throat clouded his eyes with tears. How could his act of kindness have gone so wrong? Her face contorted as she tried to hold her own tears back. Discord shoved his hands deeper into his pockets. If he tried to comfort her now she would probably report the other guy and he didn’t want to ruin that life too. With a sob she suddenly latched onto him and began crying, solving his predicament for him. Oh no... he thought. Uh... pretend you’re old and have grandchildren and hug her like that! his mind shouted as he hugged her stiffly, trying not to seem eager. “It’s ok. It will be ok...” he lied, patting her back in what he hoped was a comforting fashion. “I’m sorry...” she sniffed, pushing back from him. “It’s fine. You just needed a hug.” “Yeah,” she said with a laugh. “Thank you, Doctor. I’ll come by tomorrow.” If I could save her life for you, I would... “Of course—get some sleep—she’ll most likely be here when you get back,” he said with a pat on her shoulder. As soon as she left the room, Discord leaned against the wall while his fingers traced the spot her tears had made on the coat. His eyes stared at the blank wall before him as Mrs. Marlowe’s heart faintly beeped on the monitor in the background. This wasn’t what I wanted,he thought with a sigh, leaving the room to return the doctor’s badge before anyone noticed it was missing. Who's Guilty?The screech of chair legs against the tile jolted Discord awake. He rubbed his eyes before blinking at Chrysalis. Oh great... just what I needed. “Why do you enjoy it so much?” she asked him, sitting down. Discord groaned as he took his time stretching. He bit the inside of his lip to keep it from trembling. His wedding band cooly traced his cheek as he wiped the grime out of his eyes. Chrysalis kept her impatient gaze on him while drumming her fingers on the table. “I don’t enjoy it actually,” Discord said, leaning forward and massaging his forehead. “Why not? Beating Sombra to a pulp while he scrambles around, unable to do anything? Doesn’t appeal to you at all?” Discord arched his eyebrows. “Would you enjoy it?” “Duh.” “Why? I thought you lived off of love.” “That’s the whole reason, idiot,” she almost spat. “Enlighten me then... I’m a tired old man,” Discord grumbled, leaning back in his chair. He glanced towards the coffee maker but his limbs didn’t want to reach for it. “Well... I live off of love, right? It’s how I eat.” “Yeah, and?” “So, for me to feed off of love... It needs to be abundant. Sombra thrives off of hatred and fear. He actually creates those things, and destroys love in the process.” “He’s not the only source of hate, you know,” Discord said. Chrysalis’ gaze drifted to the table and she shifted her jaw before looking back. ”My subjects weren’t always starving.” The muscles between Discord’s eyebrows contracted. “Starving?” “Why else do you think I was in Canterlot the same time you were?” Chrysalis said in a low, distracted voice. She closed her lips and her eyes got lost in the grain of the wooden table as she traced the bones of one hand with the thin fingers of the other. “So... “ Discord began for her. “You weren’t there just to find some lost changelings?” She laughed softly. “Of course not. At that point, I was the only one in my particular hive healthy enough for reconnaissance. We used to feed off the ponies of the Crystal Empire. At least, my ancestors did. We kept hoping it would come back someday. In the meantime, we did small hunting missions, sneaked into towns we had never seen before, tried to make our own love. But, that landscape... it just— It’s like our food was being destroyed by something else. While I don’t have any concrete proof, I feel like Sombra’s magic had something to do with it.” Discord listened to the clock scratch out it’s ticking. “So... that explains why you hate Sombra. But, why Princess Celestia?” “Technically, I don’t hate her.” “Oh, come on! You can’t even say good morning to her without that disgusted look on your face!” “Well, let’s think, Discord: who was it that refused to boot King Sombra out of the Crystal Empire years ago?” “You can’t blame her for—” “Yes, I can! The previous queens of the hive recorded everything! Instead of coming and freeing the crystal ponies, Princess Celestia used King Sombra and her own sister to gain control of Equestria!” Chrysalis leaned forward, pressing her finger against the table for each accusation. “One thousand years passed and she didn’t even try to get the Empire restored. One thousand years passed and Sombra’s magic depleted our food supply. One thousand years passed and she just sat on her flank and did nothing.” “That is not true. You have no idea what—” “Do you know what starvation is?” she exploded, slamming her fist onto the table. She winced, holding her hand. “Just because you can’t get yourself off of her—” The table bruised Discord’s hand as he slammed his fist down on it. His nostrils flared and his brown eyes smoldered while they remained fixed on the floor between his shoes. Slowly, he released the tension in his back and sat up again, crossing his arms against his chest. “You don’t know everything.” He groaned and rubbed his forehead. “There was only so much she could do during that time and I'm not even sure if she knew your kind existed. She probably still doesn't know,” he added, looking at the Changeling Queen across the table. His eyes fell to her bony hands and arms, yellowing with malnutrition. She didn’t need this strain now. She needed much more than rest. “Chrysalis, give me your hand.” Her bloodshot green eyes turned toward his own tired gaze before she took his hand. Discord could feel the sensation of her feeding as soon as her skin touched his. She could control feeding when there was distance; direct contact and hunger would make it impossible for her to resist. He just had to remember something. He had a whole store of memories to generate love from. Closing his eyes, he could almost feel an infant squirming in his arms, bawling her precious little lungs out. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. Love was easy if he pictured looking down into her bright blue eyes once she was calm and awake. He lifted her to his shoulder and felt her heartbeat as she continued to wriggle around. He hugged her. He hugged his daughter; his beautiful baby girl. She would learn to call him Daddy. He would watch her grow— The smile dropped and pain seized his chest. He opened his eyes and let go of Chrysalis’ hand. Her fingers still felt thin, but at least her skin wasn’t such a sickly color. Discord’s eyes stayed fixed on the edge of the table. “I’ll bring Sarah...” Chrysalis said gently, rising from the table. As the door closed behind her, the pain in Discord’s chest ebbed away to numbness. His thumb ran along his fingertips and his eyes stayed on the edge of the table. He hadn’t watch his daughter grow up. Instead, he was frozen in stone for fifteen years. All those years he spent thinking she was dead. Would he have fought harder if he had known she was alive? Had he given up on her? She had gotten her cutie mark without him watching. She had fallen in love and had her first heartbreak without him able to comfort her. She had grown up without him. Discord traces the grain of the wood. Nothing. He didn’t feel it. He didn’t feel any of it. “Daddy?” Sarah said, walking over to him. He looked up at her, blinking mechanically a few times. His mouth was a straight line that he didn’t feel like bringing to a smile. Sarah wrapped her arms around her father and rested her chin on his shoulder. “I love you, Daddy,” she said, hugging him tightly. He sighed as the numbness seemed to dissipate somewhat. Rising, he returned the embrace. “I love you too, Screwball.” Discord sat at the head of Celeste Marlowe’s bed, massaging her scalp. Any moment she could come back completely and just end all of this. This whole game would finally be over. She was crying. Tears were flowing from her eyes even though she was catatonic. How much had she heard and understood from his and Twilight’s conversation? Still, crying could mean that she was close to coming back completely. They had been so close and then Twilight had to come and try to save her. Then again, Twilight had no way of knowing that Celestia was, in a sense, already dead. At least she was out of the room now and Discord could concentrate properly. Climbing into dreams was never easy. If Celeste was having a nightmare... Discord shivered as his hands continued to play with Celeste’s hair. Perhaps she would remember how this had calmed her before. Perhaps the dream would be an easy one to enter. She was so close. This could be over if he was successful. He watched her eyelid intently, waiting for the REM cycle to begin. He hated being patient. They were so close. Back. Forth. Back again. Her eyes watched an invisible tennis match. Discord sighed and placed his hands on her temples, closing his eyes and bringing his forehead to rest against hers. Here goes nothing... Celeste knelt on the ground of an autumnal forest, tears streaming down her face as her fingers curled around handfuls of dead leaves. Discord could see from her eyes and feel through her mind. This is a nightmare, he realized.Well, at least it's something. They can’t find him. Why can’t they find him? She thought. Celeste felt a strong hand on her shoulder and looked up with tearful eyes at her father. “No! I don’t want to leave! I have to find him!” Her brother... she had to stop searching. An older man, her father, pulled her back. “We have to go. We’ve been searching for hours and everyone is starting to tire out... We’ll keep searching tomorrow, Celeste.” She frantically scanned the ground, searching the pine needles and small weeds below her for any clue. “Aidan!” she screamed. Every shout around her from her other relatives gave her hope that they had found him. No, they were just calling his name as she was. Even with everyone searching they had no found him yet. What time was it? They had been searching for hours without he help of moonlight. He was too young to be lost like this. “Aidan!” she cried desperately, running without any clear sense of direction. The woods echoed with the call of her brother’s name. People were searching everywhere. She could hear Selene calling for him while openingly sobbing. “Aiden! Please come back! Please!” “Aiden!” Celeste yelled, her flashlight shaking in her hand. They were only partway into the woods but she wanted him to hear her. He was too young to be lost in the woods. He must be terrified. She shouldn’t have left him with Selene! How could things have gone so wrong? I only tried to help you! “Aiden! Come back!” Celeste heard her father shout. Perhaps he would just be by another campsite? “Is someone staying in the camp? Just in case?” her cousin Melody asked. “Aiden!” she shouted again. The chorus of her brother’s name was pumping adrenaline through every inch of her body. She had to find him. She had to find him. It was her fault. She shouldn’t have left him with Selene. Please, Celeste, it wasn’t your fault. The chorus echoed and rebounded in the night. It was so dark now and she needed her flashlight to see where she was stepping. Hopefully the battery would last her. They had been searching for so long already. “Aiden!” she heard her sister shout. They would find him soon—they had to. He would be found or he would be waiting by the tents. Hours of the chorus of Aiden’s name went by. The call for him to come back or go to them or yell out surged through the forest with no response. The police sirens could be heard stopping and Celeste assumed they left their vehicles to begin searching the woods with them. She stopped to look at the time on her cell phone. 8:38 P.M, they had been searching for over 2 hours. “Aiden!” she yelled, her flashlight by her side, turn off for now. She would have to turn it on soon. Her eyes were beginning to protest in the dim twilight. He had to be somewhere around here. He couldn’t have gone far. She could hear her maternal aunt shouting off to her right a little farther in. What if he was calling back and nobody could hear over their own shouting? A three-year-old’s voice could be easily lost among the noise. She stopped to listen but only heard the chorus of voices. “Aiden!” she called. They would find him soon. It wouldn’t be long. He couldn’t have wandered far. At least the sun was still out and they could see the forest somewhat clearly. Darkness would be coming soon though and they needed to find him before then. Darkness... shadows. No, Sombra wasn’t here! A little boy just disappeared without magic. “Aiden!” she heard her relatives calling. They were bound to find him soon. He couldn’t have gone far. He was probably on a trail, maybe trying to find one of them. “The Sheriff is coming and bringing a few men with him,” her uncle announced. “Did someone call the police?” her cousin, Alexander, asked. “Aiden!” her aunt Mary shouted “Everyone stay within sight of each other! We don’t want to lose anyone else.” Celeste breathed deeply before calling again for her little brother... he was way too young to have gone far in the woods. Everyone shouted around her, calling, calling, calling over and over again, almost like a chorus singing his name... “Be careful!” “We’re going to head over to the river. You take the other direction and head towards town. He couldn’t have gone far.” “Aiden! Where are you?” Celeste called. the trees were slowly thickening but there was still a decent amount of light coming through. She put her phone in her pocket and held the flashlight in her hand. It was 6:00 PM and they didn’t have much time to find him. Celeste entered the woods, checking her phone quickly. No! Not Yet! Everything faded to black again. Discord had been kicked out of her mind. One dream, or nightmare, at a time was all he had. At least now she could hear her brother’s name. She had described this nightmare over and over to him, but living it personally was something different. His shaking fingers faintly traced her cheek. Shallow breaths crossed his lips as he felt the dryness of his eyes sting with a wave of tears. His hands were so heavy. Her wanted to comfort her, calm her. He was so tired. Get to bed. Stand up and get to bed. You can’t help her like this. Discord pulled his arms back until his palms rested against the bar of her headboard. He pushed himself up, feeling every muscle in his body ache as he looked back down at the woman lying in front of him. A bitter laugh came as he shook his head. Except for the shallow rise and fall of her abdomen, she could easily be mistaken for a corpse. “What was it you said to me... that started all of this?” he said. “Well, I guess it wasn’t just that ...” He stretched, groaning again before sitting in the chair where Twilight had been moments ago. “Still, if you hadn’t talked to me then... I wouldn’t have done something as stupid as this.” he laughed again. His eyelids felt so heavy, but talking... talking felt so good. He hadn’t been able to talk to Sarah in what felt like eternity. His eyes fell to her pale lips. Can I really kiss her now? A groan went up from his chest. Of course I can’t. His hand shook less as he touched her cheek with the back of his fingers. “Where was I?” he mused aloud, lifting her tender hand in both of his. “You asked me... ‘Were you a mistake too?’ that night.” He looked down at her pale fingers as he laced them with his own. “I made a mistake with you. When I ask myself if I would make that same mistake all over again... I know my answer would be no.” His own voice seemed to echo in his ears as he sat, surprised at what he had just said. He ran his hand lightly across the back of hers, hearing the words that had come out of his mouth over and over in his mind. Yes, he had meant it. He took her hand from his and gently bent her wrist up to face him. Tenderly, he placed a kiss there before returning her fingers to rest upon the blanket. What's Been LostOutside the coffee shop, snow rode the wind in blasts. Bit of blue sky peeked between the grey clouds but they soon disappeared as the storm continued westward. Discord’s breath froze as it whispered through a brown scarf wrapped across his mouth. Even through the snow he could see the yellow and orange glow of the coffee shop through its large windows. His toes were numb in his shoes. He bent his head down against the wind and pulled on the icy metal handle of the door to let himself in, accompanied by the next wave of snowflakes. Barely anyone glanced up at him as he pulled his scarf down and breathed into his hands. Most of the patrons sipped steaming cups of coffee or hot chocolate. Those sitting by the doors Almost everyone has a screen of some kind in front of them. Discord stomped the snow off of his shoes and brushed his jeans clean. He could feel blood tinting his wind-bit face as he approached the counter, rubbing his hands together. “What can I get for you?” the girl behind the counter said with a smile. “A large Peppermint Frost,” said Discord, knocking some stray flakes out of his dark brown hair. She raised an eyebrow. “Really? On a day like today?” He laughed. “Why not?” She gave the storm outside a quick glance. “ Would you like anything else?” He shook his head, examining a hangnail while he retrieved his wallet. “Nope.” “Alright then. That’s $4.19.” He handed his card to her and she swiped it. Paying for stuff was easy when all you needed was a bit of plastic and a fake identity to sign off with. With a rip of the receipt and a brief scribble, Discord finally looked up at the brunette behind the counter. Taking the receipt he had just signed, she gave him a sales slip. “Your order number is 328. We’ll call the number out in about five minutes at most.” “Thank you,” he said with a smirk hinting at the right corner of his mouth. “Um...” Discord slowly looked up from the wallet he was putting his card back into to glance at the hesitating barista. “Yes?” “I see you in here a lot.” “And?” “You’re always by yourself but you keep staring at that redheaded girl when she comes in.” “Your powers of observation astound me,” he said as he zipped his wallet shut and shoved it into his coat pocket. “Are you stalking her?” “Yes, but I’m afraid you’re not going to do anything about it,” he said with a wink as he snagged a newspaper from the rack by the counter. “So, your order number is 328. It should be done in about 5 minutes at most—where’s your...?” Discord waved the sale slip to show her she had already given it to him. She glanced at the slip dispenser and wrinkled her brow. “I... thought it hadn’t printed yet... I... Nevermind. Ever have one of those days where your mind just derps?” “You have no idea,” Discord said with a smirk. “I could have sworn there was something I was going to ask you...” “I’m sure if it’s important, you’ll remember it,” Discord laughed, tucking the newspaper under his arm and heading towards his normal chair. “Yeah,” she sighed a bit. “Have a nice day!” Discord nodded as he tossed the paper onto a small end table next to an overstuffed maroon armchair between the girl who was on her laptop and the boy who had fallen asleep. Celeste wasn’t here yet of course but Discord was in no rush. He casually removed his coat, scarf, and gloves. Instead of sitting immediately, he glanced at his watch until his order number was called a few minutes later. Funny, she’s usually in here by now. He mused as he settled down in his seat. At least this particular coffee place had plenty of newspapers to keep him occupied. He took a sip of his drink then thumbed through to the comics. Traffic might be bad coming from the library. It is rather snowy right now. After the first three comic strips, he glanced over the top of the paper without changing position. Finally, when he had hurried through Dilbert, he sat back and watched the snow outside, letting the newspaper drop a bit in his hands. The door opened as people streamed in and out. The girl on her laptop came down from her tall chair and left. The boy was still asleep, and starting to snore. Two girls chatted excitedly about some scandal that probably came from a TV show. Discord watched the window and allowed his brow to furrow just a little. Even on a Monday she is never this late... Especially on a Monday. Discord’s brown eyes ducked back to reread the Dilbert strip as he snapped the paper up again. Celeste entered the shop in another blast of cold outside air. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that she didn’t move to the counter. He risked glancing up again. Celeste stood by the bulletin board and pulled off her mittens before reaching into her messenger bag, not even bothering to tuck her long, red hair behind her ear like she normally did to get it out of her face. She slid a bright orange paper out and searched the board for pins. The newspaper crinkled noticeably as Discord folded it up. By the time he was pulling his gloves back on, Celeste was pushing the last pin into a small poster with a picture of a girl taped onto it. Look casual. Don’t let her notice you. Snowflakes rushed inside as Celeste left the shop, still letting the hair fall over her face a bit. Discord took another sip of his half-finished drink and kept his eyes fixed on the exit before casually glancing at the poster on his way out. Silence seemed to sit impatiently between Discord and Sarah. Discord pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to ignore the random sniffles that came from Sarah as she sat on her bed, wrapped in her comforter. He spotted blood on his finger and rubbed it away quickly, hoping Sarah’s eyes were too teary to see it. Anticipation shook him. Sombra’s raging cries still rang in his ears. “I...” Sarah began. Discord’s hand quickly shot up to signal for silence. It shook as he returned it to grip the edge of his coat. “I’m not angry at you.” He paused to trap all he shouldn’t say behind his clenched teeth. “But, do you see now why I told you not to go into Sombra’s room?” “Nothing happened...” “Something terrible could have happened. Don’t you understand?” he asked, looking up towards her. “No,” she said before twisting the edge of the blanket in her hands. Discord forced himself to breathe slowly. “I can’t explain all of it. But, the way he looked at you when I came in...” He leaned forward and asked in what almost sounded like a desperate tone, “What were you doing when I came in?” Sarah curled up even more under her blankets. Her voice was defensive. “He had given himself blisters on his wrists from the handcuffs. They were starting to bleed and get infected. I wasn’t going to take them off. I just wanted to treat them so he doesn’t cry so much.” Why do you have to be so naïve? “Sarah, Sombra is a master of trickery. I have not seen those blisters before. He can always heal himself with his shadow magic, so I suspect he might just be trying to play on your sympathies.” “He told me you beat him,” she said with a note of challenge. “How did he tell you that? Did you take his gag off?” Her eyes shifted away, but her look was confused, not guilty. “I just heard his voice. It just happened in my mind.” “Did you let him into your mind?” Discord’s tone was reaching an almost hysterical pitch. “I–I didn’t know what it was!” “Sarah...” Discord went and sat on her bed next to her. “Please, if you ever feel him trying to crawl into your mind again, push him out! Letting Sombra in is dangerous. You don’t know what he might take control of. Do you understand?” Sarah nodded and Discord put an arm around her bundled form, hugging her tightly. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’ve just seen a lot of what he can do to a person or pony. I don’t want him hurting you.” “Ok...” she whispered. “I’ll be back later, alright?” he said, standing up. A certain metal bar came to his mind. Discord left the room, closing the door behind him and leaning against it. He was half-tempted to lock it but decided it might make things worse if he didn’t give Sarah a second chance to be trusted. He gripped his right hand and a steel rod materialized in his fist. “Discord?” Chrysalis called from the direction of Celeste’s room. “What now, Chrysalis?” “She’s moving.” He ran, the bar still in his hand, as Chrysalis opened the door for him to see inside the patient’s room. The bar clattered against the floor as he rushed to her bedside. Celeste Marlowe’s face contorted as she spoke soundlessly. Her head turned from side to side, as if in distress. When Discord tried to take her hand, she ripped it from him and hyperventilated. “Is this supposed to happen?” Chrysalis asked as a gentle touch to Celeste’s shoulder provoked shuddering. “No. I don’t know what this is.” “It looks like she’s in pain whenever she gets touched.” “Celeste? Can you hear me?” he asked. Her eyes remained shut as she fought her blanket. He pulled it off of her completely and she seemed to calm down. Her skin glistened with sweat. For a long while, Discord and Chrysalis watched her as she continued to sleep and twitch, most likely trapped in a nightmare. Perhaps her muscles had atrophied and moving hurt her? Whatever it was, the sunlight had moved from the middle of the floor to the edge of the ceiling before she relaxed and could stand to have the blanket touch her again. Her breathing finally calmed. She curled up on her side and hugged her pillow. She could wake up any moment. He glanced at Chrysalis. “I told you to be in scrubs.” She groaned and turned to the door, reaching for the pipe Discord had discarded. “Fine. You might want to take this out of here too.” Discord turned in time to catch the pipe as she tossed it towards him. It turned to taffy and he began to nibble at it while he left the room, closing and locking the door behind him. Sombra would be dealt with later. It was time for dinner. Discord stood on his pedestal in the garden and hummed to himself again. It was amazing how many variations of “The Hearth Warming Carol” he could come up with when given centuries to think about it. Voices approached his statue. It was still day, but, at this hour the garden was closed to tourists. From the squeak of Chairpony Jade’s voice, this was probably another unofficial meeting of the cabinet. “But is not all of this what you desired, Your Majesty?” Oh ho ho, something is amiss I hope? “I am afraid that is no longer the case.” Oh, goody! Discord almost giggled with glee (or would have if he was capable). Having spent weeks without the smallest taste of entertainment made the slightest hint of unrest a delicacy. “But the plan has progressed well so far,” said another member of the cabinet in a simpering drawl. Hold that thought for a moment, Discord said, mentally grabbing a bird to scratch an insistent itch on his nose. “I always wonder if he is the cause of that,” said a third cabinet member after a moment of silence. “Of course, it’s him,” Celestia grumbled, dropping her normal regal manner. “Just ignore it.” Ignore me! Are you out of your mind? Discord threw the bird in the vague direction of her voice and with a small cry he knew he had hit his target. The clatter of a crown preceded silence until Celestia cleared her throat. “As I was saying in regard to the plan,” Celestia huffed, “it has not progressed well so far. There are unforeseen variables which must be contended with.” “What variables could these be? This plan has been—” “Sombra’s a monster; that’s what!” Now, just because he’s playing around with you sister doesn’t — Before the thought ended a small surge pulsed in his chest. It was similar to the night Sombra had asked if he would consider working with him in exchange for Celestia. He could feel his heartbeat. Was something finally breaking the spell on him? Temper temper, Princess Celestia... Please do continue. “Your Majesty! Please, contain yourself!” “Who is in charge here? I've told you the plan is off. I can’t go any farther.” “But, if Sombra is truly a monster, than perhaps your marriage to him could be used to bring him down.” Marriage? I thought he and Luna— “I am not vowing to spend the rest of my life with him! I had no idea how much he changed the Crystal Empire— The ponies are chained there! Also, I don’t think an unrestrained cabinet would be an idea he would consider.” “But you are more powerful than him!” “Says who? You? How convenient!" "We have only tried to serve you and Equestria faithfully." "Serve me? Ha! You’re the ones who gave me the idea to curse Sombra in the first place! You even taught me that love spell so I could do your dirty work for you!” With each raised decibel of the Princess’ voice, the pulsing in Discord’s chest grew more powerful. It was like the thrum of a bumblebees going about their work, small, but constant. “Your Majesty, the statue of Discord—” a cabinet member cautioned. “What about him?” Celestia spat. “Uh... It’s... I can hear something coming from it.” Damn it! How could you possibly hear that? “I’ll handle it. But, as of now, your services are no longer needed.” “Your Majesty—” “You may inform the rest of the cabinet that you all have been permanently dismissed. I am going to talk with my sister and see what we can do to fix this little mess you’ve caused!” “Weren’t you the one who wanted to rule all of Equestria?” Silence hung in the air, waiting to be dissipated by a response. “Cabinet dismissed. Turn in your robes to the guards outside of the meeting hall.” “Your Majesty!” “You heard me! Now leave me alone!” Celestia shouted as the flap of wings signaled her departure. “Her mane... did you see that?” Former Chairpony Jade asked. “Yes. That hasn’t been there before,” “What’s causing it?” a third pony asked. “I don’t know. It was all pink when she entered the garden. Now it’s pink and purple.” The hooves slowly wandered along the path, leaving Discord behind them. Will somepony PLEASE explain what just happened? Cold MomentsThe bars on the window sliced the moonlight, laying it in strips on the stone floor. Discord breathed into his hands before rubbing his arms again. Hadn’t it been summer when he left Equestria before? He turned his head slightly and glanced over his shoulder to catch the eye of the unicorn guard that stood on the other side of the wall of bars locking him in his cell. He’s still staring at me, Discord thought with a grunt. Perhaps chasing Chrysalis back to Equestria was a bad idea. He tugged at his coat, the friction creating a brief moment of warmth. There was still a chance Luna would let him go if she believed his story that he was just a human. That portal wasn’t hidden well anyway. Anyone could fall into it from that world. His nose was cold against his hands as he pressed them to his face again. Tears pooled on his eyelashes and he wiped them away before they could spill onto his face. He was just cold. He would be even colder when trying to find Sarah. Discord’s eyes squeezed shut as his jaw trembled. She had to be still alive. She had survived so much already. Surely Sombra wouldn’t... The door leading to the dungeons opened and Discord turned to the approaching sound of hooves. “Leave us,” said Princess Luna, stepping into the main room. The guard saluted and left. Luna’s eyes scrutinized the human in Discord’s cell. “Stand, please.” Discord rose, keeping his arms wrapped around himself. “Am I... free to go?” he asked, shaking a bit from nerves and the chill. Luna’s eyes ran over him before meeting his accusingly. “Why doesn’t she recognize me?” “What are you talking about?” Discord said before an unplanned sneeze interrupted him. Luna sighed and a small fire crackled in front of him. He held his hands out and knelt to the flames for their warmth. He could see that underneath his fingernails the skin was almost entirely blue. Luna’s eyes remained on him, studying each move as he studied her in return. “Discord, why are you doing this?” “I’m not Discord.” he breathed into his hands and scooted closer to the fire before looking at Luna again. “Please, let me go home.” “I want my sister back,” she demanded, her eyes narrowing. “I want my family! I don’t know where my daughter is and—” He bit back his thoughts before they became words and sighed. “I just need to get home.” “You’ve pushed my sister to insanity—” “Please, just let me go.” “Why are you avoiding what I’m saying?” she said, leaning closer to the bars. “I just... I’m not supposed to be here.” “Oh really?” she scoffed, raising an eyebrow almost accusingly. “And you like that world you came from?” “It’s... my home,” he explained rubbing his hands together next to the flames. “How did you change my sister into a... whatever it is you turned her into?” Discord looked down into the fire even though it was now warming his face too much and hurting his eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about! Please, just let me go! I need to get back to that mirror!” “The mirror is already sealed shut!” she said with a flustered toss of her mane. Oh, clever. You know it isn’t. But, if I am human, I shouldn’t understand that. “What do you mean? Do you mean I’m stuck here?” “Yes. I can help you get back if you really want to go. But I have to be there to open the portal the mirror creates. I can send you back right now even. My magic can force it open.” “My daughter is here. Is she the woman you have imprisoned here?” “The woman here is my sister. Now I am asking you: what have you done to her! I know it’s her and you can’t convince me that you’re not Discord!” “Can I see your sister and...?” Discord wanted to split in two and punch himself in the face. His mouth had gotten away from his brain again. Luna raised her head, a grim smile on her muzzle. “As I suspected— What’s that there?” she asked, looking at a bulge in Discord’s coat pocket. “Just... something to keep me occupied.” He slipped his hand inside the pocket and took a baseball out to show her. “Use it well,” Luna warned. With a pop, she disappeared and the fire left with her. Discord felt the spot where the fire had been. Cold as the rest of the cell. He sat back and rolled the baseball between his hands. Well... so much for convincing her... She knew I was Discord all this time. Why did she make it so easy for me to escape? Discord stood up and approached the bars of his prison. The guard was still gone. He couldn’t make sense of it. Why would Luna let him go so easily? It was almost as if she wasn’t even trying to confine him. She wanted to see if I would leave. The baseball weighed heavily in his hand. He could stay here and keep trying to convince Luna that he was human, or he could try to find Screwball. Celestia or his daughter? I’m going to lose Celestia no matter what I do. A simple marker formed in his hands. He bit the cap off and pressed the felt tip to the leather surface of the baseball. Perhaps, if he left Celestia now, he might have a chance in the future to tell her. But, he wasn’t going to leave her with nothing. He pursed his lips and blew over the ink, making sure it was dry after lifting the marker. I’m coming back. Be strong. Discord poked his head through the doorway into Celeste’s room. It was open again which mean that Sarah was probably the one who was inside. Sure enough, Sarah sat next to the bed, examining the patient’s arm with a frown. “Sarah?” She jumped. “Dad, you... I’m sorry. I forgot again, but Dad—” “The drugs are expected to wear off completely tomorrow,” he reminded her. “Dad, it’s still happening.” Discord turned his eyes to the bony limb Sarah cradled in her hands. Blisters rose from the skin in precise lines to form words. “Dear Princess Celestia, Fondest wishes from....” Discord muttered a curse. “Well, just bandage it. Remember, she probably wakes up tomorrow and this doesn’t have a lot of time to heal.” “When I came in the room she just started speaking. Like the letter was going to be delivered that way....” “When the bond between her and Equestria is weakened enough the notes will stop.” Sarah looked miffed as if her father had missed the point. “What if we gave her a notepad to write everything out on?” “Absolutely not. Giving her an easy way to access the letters might cause her to remain Celestia longer than she needs to be.” Sarah sighed. “Okay.” “Sarah...” he waited until she looked at him. “You haven’t dyed your hair yet.” She stood up with a small groan. “I’ll do it now.” “Screwball...” DIscord said firmly but with kindness. “I love you. Remember that.” “Yeah, yeah, Dad,” she said with a somewhat rushed smile as she breezed past him. Discord’s smile wasn’t without worry as he watched her leave. He glanced back towards the bed and looked down at the thin figure sleeping fitfully. Ready or not, tomorrow she woke up and then he’d most likely not know one peaceful moment until this was all over. With that on his mind he turned and exited the room, closing the door tightly behind him. “Did you really think I wouldn’t figure it out?” Chrysalis asked, leaning against the wall next to the door. Discord looked down at her jeans and t-shirt. “If you say ‘scrubs, Chrysalis’ I swear—” she began with an accusing finger aimed towards his nose. “Nurse Alice, you’re not properly dressed,” he grumbled turning his back on her. “I know who Screwball is!” she shouted after him. “Of course you do.” He spun on his heels and looked her in the face. “Any questions?” His question sounded more like a threat than an inquiry. “How?” “It happened a long time ago.” He turned to leave again. Chrysalis’ hand grabbed his doctor’s coat and pulled him back. “Let go,” he said in a low, even tone. “Two more changelings starved to death today... if I’m going to be here. It better be for a good reason.” “It is,” he said, trying to pull away. She tugged him back down to look at her. “When did it happen?” Discord stood up then untwisted her hand from his coat. This time he didn’t retreat. Chrysalis looked up at him, waiting with an arched eyebrow. “Fifteen years ago I was free for one second. I made the most of it.” The wake of his voice echoed as he turned one last time and walked away from Chrysalis. The sunrise was barely enough to cut the chill. Yet people were already gathered around, huddling close for warmth. Dr. Marlowe stood next to the sheriff, talking low and worried with her. Their breathing clouded between them and Dr Marlowe had to remove his glasses to wipe away the moisture clouding his vision. Celeste stood somewhat separated, staring at the cup of coffee-to-go warming her hands. “Who are you?” the Sheriff inquired politely. “John Babel,” Discord lied. “Did you already give me your cell phone?” Discord took his phone out and checked his last few messages. “If you got the text from me last night you should have it.” The sheriff checked her phone. “Sent at 9:21?” “Yeah.” “Ok, I think I got it then,” she said, fiddling with the buttons of her phone. After a moment, Discord’s phone rang from her calling him. “Yes, I got it,” she said, satisfied as she headed to her previous spot. “Since we already have a good group now we’ll send you out towards the east. Keep your cell phones on and try to stay together. Even if you have to split into pairs make sure someone is with you at all times. Hate to say it but we don’t want anyone else getting lost.” Discord’s eye shot to look at Celeste. She looked even more pale but her expression stayed resolute. She must know by now that there was no hope in finding her sister alive. Selene had been gone for days in this dead cold. Celeste and her dad just needed to find the body for closure’s sake. The group trudged off and Discord tried to keep his distance from Celeste. He wanted to help her, not use this as an opportunity to flirt. Okay, he did want to use this as an opportunity to flirt but for once he was going to try and be subtle about it! It wasn’t long before they entered the wood full of bare trees. “We should go over the ridge into town,” said a man with a bright orange snowcap pulled down over his ears. “Actually, I think we should check the river,” Discord said. “Well, we can split up here then,” chirped a persistently cheerful woman. “I’ll walk with you to the river,” mumbled a surly guy from the local college. “I’ll go to the river too...” Celeste said so faintly almost nobody acknowledged that she spoke. The rest of the group followed the first man to head for the ridge into town. So much for splitting into pairs, Discord thought. The surly guy gave Celeste’s shoulders a quick one-armed squeeze. “Don’t worry, we’ll find her,” he said, almost sounding like a bear rather than a human. Nuh-uh! You are not moving in on her like that! “Thanks,” Celeste said in a tone chillier than the weather. The grizzly removed his arm from her but kept between Discord and Celeste. And I thought Iwould have to worry about not being subtle. The three of them trudged through the snow as the woods sloped downhill. Discord still wasn’t sure if he wanted to be the one to find Selene or not. He glanced at Celeste who was finishing her cup of coffee. She may or may not view him as a hero if he found Selene, but she would at least get some rest to know the search was over. He turned his eyes back to the ground and watched his breath steam before his face. Even with his facial hair, his chin was growing cold and he pulled his scarf up. His ears also began to protest whenever a breeze picked up. At least he brought gloves, unlike the mammoth next to him. Discord smiled behind his scarf as the guy awkwardly rubbed his hands together or shoved them into his coat pockets. Discord listened to his multiple attempts at getting a conversation going. However, each attempt was either met with irritable silence or vague grunts. The sky was fading from pink to blue when they reached the river. They stopped at the edge and Discord carefully reached his foot out and tested the ice. It crackled under pressure and he hastily pulled his foot back. “It’s a little deeper upstream...” Celeste mumbled. Her coffee was gone by now but she still held the cup tightly. They silently followed the stream, listening to it run. Discord became glad that the blockade was between him and Celeste. It gave him some cover to scan the stream every few steps. They walked for hours until the stream cut into a culvert. All three of them bent down and peered into the long metal pipe. Celeste retrieved a flashlight from from her backpack and searched the tunnel. She stared hard into the darkness while Discord peered over her shoulder. He wanted to search ahead but didn’t feel safe reaching his magic out with the bear huffing down his neck. He almost thought he saw something... That moment was not a good time for Discord’s phone to go off. Especially when his ringtone was the chorus of “Highway to Hell.” Still, he sighed and stood upright to check it. His left leg promptly broke through the ice at the edge of the stream. Here erosion had given the stream enough depth to submerge him. He panicked and the cell phone was forgotten as he tried to find the hole. His hands scraped around rough ice. His goved fingers clawed and his fists pounded as ice water stung his eyes and body. His lungs felt like they were being being squeezed even though he was trying to hold his breath. Somewhere in the confusion he felt the ice hit his face and realized he was being pulled out of the water. Every bit of him hurt as his whole body lingered between numbness and waking up. The air felt warmer now until a breeze picked up. He could only feel his body tremor violently as his teeth chattered. Something pulled at his jacket and he felt warmth on his chest. He hurt too much to care where it came from. His arms and legs cramped with cold. He couldn’t even open his eyes. He couldn’t feel anything outside of the warmth pressed against his torso. There was noise but he couldn’t hear it above the sound of his teeth and his ears throbbing. He finally opened his eyes to a black ceiling. There was a strap around his waist and blankets piled on top of him. A round light was on above him and to his right was a window with small horizontal lines. He was in the back of a truck. It jolted and he watched trees roll past the windows. His whole body hurt as the numbness gave way to intense pinpricks. Am I wearing a shirt anymore? He moved his arm and groan out loud as the pricking got more intense. “Oh, good. He’s awake,” someone sighed at his head. “John, can you remember anything?” Asked a woman at his feet, turning to look at him. John? “Does your body feel like it’s waking up?” she insisted Where am I? This isn’t my body. What am I doing here? It was important and I can’t remember! “John? Do you remember what you were looking for.” Was it a book? A letter? A cup... no, someone was holding the cup and there was a river. “Celeste?” he found himself asking. “She’s fine,” said a woman Discord vaguely recognized. “She and Ed kept you from freezing to death before we drove down and got you.” “Should we tell him?” the driver of the car asked. The woman hesitated. “If he can’t remember what he was looking for...” “A girl was lost...” Discord realized. The woman looked at him sadly and nodded. “We found her body downstream from where you went under.” ConditioningDiscord, or Dr. Cruebel as he would soon have to introduce himself, sat at his desk with his dry eyes fixed on the screens in front of him. Any moment now. His focus darted between the screen for Celeste's room and Sombra’s room. How many hours have I been awake? He rubbed the bridge of his nose. Too many. He jumped at the sound of chains. Sombra was pulling at them again. Discord groaned and pressed his fingers to the button for his intercom. “What did I tell you about doing that, Sombra?” Sombra glowered at the camera, raising a hand “My dear little unicorn you did not tell me that you knew sign language,” he said humorlessly. Sombra dropped the chains and leaned against the wall, closing his eyes. Discord returned to massaging his face. He needed coffee. This body got tired too easily. “Dad?” Discord jumped. Once again he had fallen asleep. The clock on the screen showed him almost an hour had passed. He blinked his eyes and sat up in his chair. “Good morning.” He glanced at her and gave the best smile he could muster before yawning. He stretched his arms above his head and arched his back, giving a satisfied groan. “Your hair looks nice,” he said, opening his eyes and glancing towards her messy bun. “Thanks... has she woken up yet?” she asked, pulling an extra chair over to watch the screens. Discord shook his head. “Not yet... any moment now. Did you sleep well last night?” “Only after I took some meds.” His brow furrowed. “How did you get them?” “I made them.” “Hmm...” he kept his gaze on Celeste’s screen. “Don’t do that too often. Last night was fine but I don’t want you developing a habit.” “I’ll be fine,” she protested. Discord paused before nodding. “Yeah... you will. Maybe I’m the one who should be taking meds to sleep.” Screwball wrapped her arms around him and rested her head against his shoulder. That prompted a smile and a kiss in her hair from him. “I can’t wait to meet her,” she said, her eyes fixed the Celeste’s screen. “Neither can I.” He groaned again as Sombra pulled at the chains. “What have I told you?” he said, after pressing the button and provoking another glare. “Why do you keep him chained?” Sarah asked, her brows contracting. “Trust me, it’s for your safety.” “I don’t go in that room anyway.” “He could still reach you... I don’t ever want that happening.” “Dad!” “I mean it, you don—” “No! Look! She’s awake!” They both leaned in to stare at her on the screen. Her eyes were definitely opened. She seemed to be shaking. Could she remember any of it? Would she know who Screwball was? It was a lot to hope for but it could be possible. After some looking at the room and herself, she sat up and hugged her knees to look around again. She felt her face. her hand went to the back of her head and she stopped when her fingers reached her hair. She tried to grip it but it had been cut short. She stared at her hands. “I am Princess Celestia.” Discord sighed. Of course... she couldn’t have remembered. “So... this isn’t her then?” Sarah sked with some disappointment in her voice. “Not yet. She’s in there, but we’ll have to get her the hard way.” The woman on the screen held the blanket to her chest then looked down curiously. Discord’s eyebrows furrowed as he watched her take out a piece of paper. She unfolded it and read the words. “Did you leave her something?” Discord asked his daughter. “I... didn’t put that there.” The chair rolled back as he pushed himself away from the table. “Dad?” Sarah asked, following. Discord stopped in front of Celeste’s door and cracked his neck. He needed a moment. How had a note gotten to her? Did it appear when he was asleep? Did Chrysalis do it? He nodded to Sarah who opened the door. Discord stopped and tried to hide the fact he was staring. She had been so beautiful before... so alive and... Now she was just skin and bones despite his best efforts to keep her fed. He cleared his throat and approached her, stopping his feet before the came too close, stopping his arms before they wrapped around her and pressed her to his chest in comfort. No, that would scare her. He held out his hand. “Now, you remember what we told you about the notes. Please give that to me.” “Luna, I want to wake up now!” she shouted. This hurt more than he was expecting: to see her here and to not be known by her... No, he had to focus! He took one step closer. “Give me the note, please.” she pulled the covers up. Seeing her so scared of him that she would put a physical barrier, however fragile, between them... his resolve was slowly being eroded. "Should I give her a sedative?" Said the girl he knew was still clutching the door handle anxiously. He almost flinched at the thought, almost, he's a man with a strong resolve. "No, that is not necessary. Besides, we don't know how it will react with her treatment." He replied calmly. He reached out his hand expectantly, but Celeste only retreated further away. "Daddy?" "Honey, listen to me. Do not get nervous, that will only encourage her to act rashly, but we must all be calm and reasonable- mustn't we Celeste?"he didn't dare break eye contact, in case the action gave away his emotions. "Do you really think I'm going to believe any of this, Discord?" He sighs internally at the name. "Give me the note." He repeats calmly, his hand still outstretched. "Answer my question!" looking into her eyes you can see confusion pain and anger if you know where to look. Unfortunately, he did. "Let me help you." He pleads. Her response is to spit in his hand, he doesn't move to wipe it away. Anyone else and he might have found the gesture cute, spunky. Here it just hurt, but he retained the mask of calm indifference like a true professional. "Please, may I have the paper?" "What does it mean to you?" She asks defiantly. "It means nothing to me. But to you, it furthers your delusions," the lie is carefully practiced, carefully sculpted. "Delusions?" She scoffed. "You haven't been well these past few years." "This is ridiculous!"she yelled in a fury. "Please, give me the paper." He repeated. "No!" Her rage increased once more. "Why don't we talk then?" He asked her, turning towards the metal table. He sat in one of the three chairs bolted to the floor, then he waited. Celeste didn't move, she just watched. She stares for a long while, and in her eyes he could see that she felt something wasn’t right. He hid his smirk for the sole fact it wasn’t appropriate, but he did find a subtle amusement in her distrust. Even if this was a serious matter, it was still nice to see a smidge of that old rivalry between him and Celestia. He dispels the thought, she can’t be Celestia, not anymore. “I don’t want to talk,” she says defiantly. “Well then, give me the note,” “No,” She repeats. “You have to give up one thing or the other,” he tells her. “Or what?” she asks, attempting to sound menacing, but she looked a little scared if anything. He shrugs and sits in a chair. “Then I’m just gonna sit here” He says, looking at her idly. “Until I talk or give you the paper?” “That’s the idea.” “And if I talk to you, can I keep the note?” “Perhaps,” his first thought is no, but he quells that in the interest of getting a little bit of cooperation. “Then I’ll do neither,” she says, crossing her arms. He holds back an exasperated sigh, she was always a little hardheaded. “Celeste, you realize we can take the note from you at any moment. However, it’s better for you to give it to us.” he tries to reason, she doesn’t say anything for several seconds as she thinks, but her answer is clear. “Then you’re going to have to force me,” “I had hoped it wouldn’t come to this...” he sighs and his shoulders drop as he releases the tension from upholding his composed demeanor. He turns towards Sarah, “Sarah? Please bring Nurse Alice, tell her that Celeste isn’t cooperating.” She jumps slightly and nods. His gaze stayed fixed on Celeste, who looks away occasionally. He can see words brimming on the edge of her tongue, but she doesn't say anything. It's almost like she's thinking intensely on something, maybe multiple something's. She shifts uneasily as Cruebel continues to watch. "Celeste?" He asks, she corrects him abruptly. "My name is Princess Celestia." "May I call you Celeste?" He struggles to not sound like he's begging. "No." She affirms. "My name is Princess Celestia." "No nickname?" “Definitely not.” “Was there something you remember your friends calling you?” “You’re not my friend,” she said after a long, emphatic stare. He holds back a cringe and instead opts for a more tactical approach. “Well, I want to be.” He offers a small smile, but Celeste just stares some more. “You’re not yourself.” I could say the same to you. Dr. Cruebel jerks back slightly in surprise as Celeste rushes him, she grabs his clothes and gets close to his face. His shock quickly turns to anger, she was attacking him. He watches as she comes to her senses and he tears her off him. She doesn’t resist and sits back down. “That surprised you, didn’t it?” he asks her, she nods shakily. he calms down as his anger subsides, “You keep forgetting that you’ve been like this for a while. When we took you out of the catatonic state, this became your normal behaviour. That’s why we don’t want you writing notes to yourself.” He holds out his hand but Celeste doesn’t respond. “Celeste, look at the note.” She looks at the note hesitantly, Dr. Cruebel could see the emotions dancing across her face. “Please...” he insists. She continues to stare at the note, playing with it slowly. “But, why should I even trust you?” “Because if you don’t give me that note, I will have to stay here until you do, constantly trying to get you to talk. Do you want that?” he finds hope in the fact it seems like she’s resisting less. “Don’t worry. We’ll help you get through this,” he reassures her as she reaches her hand out and places the note into it. He puts his hand on her shoulder reassuringly, but she just stares blankly at the table. “I heard you needed my help?” a svelte female voice says. Dr. Cruebel looks at the door to find the other ‘doctor’ at the door. “It’s unnecessary now; she’s agreed to cooperate,” he said, taking his hand from her shoulder and advancing towards the door. “So, the drugs are beginning to work then?” the girl asks as Dr. Cruebel as he leaves the room. “Of course they are, Screwball,” the female voice said. The door slams. Alice, the other ‘doctor’, looks at him unamusedly, he looks absolutely livid at her, though. “What?” she asks. “Are you trying to help her relapse?!” He whispers fiercely. “ her name, is Sarah.” He says, he pushes past Alice coldly. She rolls her eyes as Sarah runs after him. Alice takes a second to look at the door before slowly turning and walking the direction opposite of Doctor Cruebel.
UnwantedPurple smoke trailed from black eyes as Sombra grunted and crumpled to the padded floor. Discord could still feel the force of the blow he had given traveling from the pipe in his white-knuckled hand. He pulled back before striking Sombra again, feeling a painful jolt in the bones of his own wrist. Every blow he delivered brought relief, but not enough to satisfy. Sombra clawed at the fabric of the wall, trying to stand again. His shackles clinked. Perhaps this time he would respond to his punishment. But, the shadow king only snarled into his gag, a metal face mask with a piece of wood forced into his mouth to stop him from biting into his tongue. Another blow went to his already bruised shoulder blades. A woman watching from the doorway cleared her throat. “Was he really bad today?” she asked. Discord stopped to catch his breath and dry his cheeks. “Yes... and he knows it too.” The woman sighed. Her brow was furrowed when Discord turned to look at her. What is she all gloomy about? Discord wondered as he left the room, making sure the lights were on their brightest setting. The bar rang as he tossed it aside after shutting the door behind him. The adrenaline shook his hands as he tried to smooth his grey hair back. The woman stood before him with his white coat in her hand and the trace of a scowl still on her mouth. “You don’t understand...” he grumbled. “So, where’s Screwball?” “She’s with her,” Chrysalis said, rolling her eyes, “Dinnertime.” “Good,” he said, running his hand over his goatee. “You know I noticed something about Screwball when she came in to help with Celestia—” “Thank you for your help, Chrysalis.” “Excu—” “And her name isn’t Celestia, remember?” he said, grabbing the coat. She pulled back on it, staring him down. “Why will you never let me finish my questions? You don’t even know what I noticed!” “I don’t really care what you noticed. I’m more curious about what you didn’t notice.” “Wha—” “In fact, I’m very curious how you came all this way without noticing that you’re not wearing pants.” Her eyes snapped down and widened at the lederhosen that had replaced her jeans. When she looked up again the trickster was almost to the door. “Discord!” she yelled. “No shouting, my dear changeling, you might disturb the patients.” “Why does Sarah have to hide her real hair color?” Discord froze. His teeth ached as he clenched them. He felt the beige paint of the metal door chip as his thumbnail scraped across it. He knew she would figure it out eventually... just not now. “Have a good evening, Chrysalis,” he said in a low, even tone before slamming the door shut behind him. Beating times always sent his muscles into cranky protest. He stretched with a groan, pulling his coat on as he walked down the grey hall towards the patient’s room. This body wasn’t as young as it used to be. Unfortunately, things weren’t about to get any less tiring. Sarah had left the door open again. He straightened his coat and stepped over the threshold and into the small, cold room. Sarah had fallen asleep sitting next to the bed again, her head resting on the stomach of the woman lying there. Her arm was draped around the woman in a hug. No reason to scold her for that, Discord thought, approaching the bed quietly. His eyes turned from Sarah to the face of the bedridden woman. No matter how many times he felt ready to see her, he never was. The feeding tube was the worst part. While she would wake up in a few days, that thought never made it easier to see her like this. Discord’s footsteps tapped against the concrete floor as he came closer. His brow contracted as he looked down at Sarah. She looked as exhausted as he felt. The dark circles under her eyes were diminishing but not yet gone. Becoming human again hadn’t been easy for either of them. It would probably be worse for... Discord’s left hand cautiously reached out and brushed the comatose woman’s cheek with the back of his fingers. The skin of her face was still feverish to the touch and sickly pale. His heart gripped his chest as he sighed before turning to Sarah, placing a hand carefully on her shoulder. Sarah jerked awake, blinking against the light coming from the doorway. “Dad, I’m sorry... I...” she groaned as her father lifted some of her golden bangs up to look at her hair more closely. “It’s fine. Your roots are coming in, though. Chrysalis noticed. Also...” he added, letting go of her hair and looking at her eyes directly, “Remember what I said about closing the door?” “I’m sorry...” “I know you’re sorry, but it is important that the door is always locked. You know what might happen.” “I’ll shut it next time, ok Dad?” she said before sitting back and covering a yawn. Her hand went to rub the fabric impressions on her forehead. Putting his arm around her shoulder, Discord rubbed her back a bit. “I know you will. Don’t worry, It won’t be much longer. Maybe one or two more days at the most.” “I hate having to do this...” “I know, I don’t like it either... but, it’s the only way we can get her back.” Sarah nodded then leaned against him her eyes dropping closed. “Come on, let’s get some dinner and some more dye.” “Okay...” she yawned again as she stood, pushing herself up by the back of her chair. She rubbed her half-opened eyes and led the way out of the room. The lock clicked into place as Discord pushed the door closed. “Be sure to check her later, Chrysalis,” Discord called out without looking up as the other woman entered the corridor. A pair of jeans had replaced her lederhosen. “Oh and change into scrubs before you do.” She narrowed her eyes in disbelief, “Are you kidding me? She’s not waking up for days!” “She could wake up any second. Scrubs. Now.” She sighed and turned back. He knew she wouldn’t change but he couldn’t be concerned with that now. Sarah needed to spend time out of this place. Closing the hallway door, he stepped into the side stairs of the building. The scent of peppermint handrails contrasted nicely with the sugar glass and gingerbread staircase. The walls had decided to go with a vibrant green today, a nice contrast with the stairs. Unfortunately, today’s color also gave Sarah and Discord a sickly hue as the light reflected off the walls and onto their skin. The spiders looked down at them and even turned to keep watching the descending pair. “So, what will it be today, Dad?” Sarah asked at the end of the stairs. “Open the locker,” he said, snapping his fingers and making a locker appear. Sarah pulled on the handle but it wouldn’t budge. “You forgot to unlock it.” “I want you to try again,” he said firmly. Sarah sighed and closed her eyes then held her hands up to frame the lock with the L’s of her thumb and forefinger. Discord leaned against the wall. She could do it, she just needed to focus. He watched her patiently as the silence ticked by. A small click came from the lock and he frowned. Same method as last time. She needed to be more creative than that. “Motorcycle?” Sarah asked, turning to him with a smile as she held out his helmet to him. Her smile faltered when Discord’s gaze grew more disappointed. “There are many other ways to open a lock you know.” “I... Dad, I’m tired! I’ll think of something else next time.” “Alright, Let’s go then,” he said, taking the helmet. After fully suiting up, they walked out into the garage towards a lone motorcycle. “So I still can’t drive by myself?” “Not yet, Sarah. Maybe when you’re sixteen,” Discord said, climbing onto the bike with his daughter soon behind him. “Sounds good,” she said, hugging him tightly as he took off straight for the brick wall, which melted like chocolate before they hit it. Without the moon, night fell a little darker in Canterlot. Of course, Discord couldn’t see that since he had been frozen with his eyes closed. That was only one of his annoyances. However, of all the things that bothered him, there were few things as irritating as an itch. This particular one sat on Discord’s back where he could have easily reached it... but, being turned into stone tends to prevent said movement. During the day it wasn’t so bad. He could easily go into the mind of a useless bird or insect to get help. “Celestia did not seem happy today. Have you any idea why?” Oh great, not them again. “I do not know,” Luna’s voice said with a contented sigh. Discord could picture Luna resting her head against the stallion she walked with. And I don’t supposed either of them would randomly want to give me a scratch. “Hmm, you’re quite affectionate tonight.” Oh gag me... Luna’s musical laughter drove itself into Discord’s ears. He could sense the couple almost at his feet. “I’m sorry. I can’t help it,” she said with a giggle. “True. Especially with such a gorgeous night as this.” “Do you like it? Really?” No, he’s a king of shadows and he hateseverythingdark and gloomy... “Of course I do. The stars are particularly bright tonight.” The stars? Really? Please don’t start talking about the moonagain. I’ve heard this talk at least a dozen times already. “Well, of course they are. I didn’t raise the moon tonight so they would stand out more.” “Ah, I see.” Seriously? You’re going to pretend you didn’t notice she neglected to raise the moon? Oh, it’s a massive glowing orb in the sky and you justhappened to forget it was normally there? “And so...” said the stallion in his resonant voice as his hooves made a final clop at Discord’s base, “here we are in front of the famous Discord: your most powerful adversary.” Well... maybe you can talk for a little longer. “It wasn’t just me who overthrew him...” Both of them were silent. “Luna? Have I bothered you?” “No... I’m fine. It’s just a lot to think back on.” Oh, you don’t even know the half of it! I mean, here I was, ruling Equestria happily and these two sisters bust in on me and turn me into a lawn ornament! “Of course, dear one. Let us continue walking.” I wasn’t finished! “Really, I must return to the palace. Will you join me?” My my my! Luna, you saucy thing! Celestia would not approve. “No, dearest one. Perhaps one last kiss beneath your sky?” On second thought, could you just go with her? Please? Just don’t— A soft moan interrupted his thoughts and he knew that a kiss had just been exchanged. In his mind, being turned to stone with his eyes closed had its advantages. “Good night, my Luna.” “Good night, Sombra,” Luna said with her silly giggling again. Gwood night, my Woona, Discord thought mockingly as he heard Luna take off. After a few moments he expected to hear Sombra continue away. “You know, Discord,” he said with a chuckle, “I expected Luna to be smarter than this.” Can you hear me? “Years of jealousy have paid off, wouldn’t you say?” I guess not... “Your story is quite curious. I wonder how much of legend and rumor is true. More specifically, I wonder... what would you do to have your throne back?” Pain welled up in Discord’s chest. He would give up anything just to be free. Just to have a chance to turn his beautiful world back to what it should be. “Dear little Luna... Yes, she’ll be my Queen... but she’ll have to be worthy first.” Look, I really don’t care. Could you just go away? “And of course Celestia will need to be taken care of. Hmm... a shame. With the older sister by my side, bringing everything under my control would be so much easier. But, I’ll make do with what I have though.” Are you really going to continue monologuing in front of me? I don’t care. “She is beautiful, isn’t she?” I don’t know! I only looked at her for all of ten seconds before she and her sister started shooting rainbowsat me! “Perhaps... you would be willing to help me in exchange for a queen?” Discord found the whole idea hysterical. Even if he did need a queen to stave off boredom, the last pony or anything that he would choose would be the pony responsible for putting him here. He was chaos, not stupidity. The whole idea made him laugh. He hadn’t laughed in almost a century. It had been impossible. Discord was frozen in marble and there was no way he should be laughing then. He couldn’t think of any explanation for why laughter resonated from his chest. There was no more talk that night. The last noise Discord heard from Sombra was the galloping of his hooves fading into the distance. So, Sombra hadn’t planned for that. But what had caused it then? Perhaps Discord wasn’t the only one who could disrupt Harmony. A small squeak hit his ear. Finally! Without another thought the bat flew into Discord’s back , not knowing why it had spontaneously altered its course. Ahhhh... much better. Discord pulled at his tie to give his throat space to breathe. He would have to be quick; the doctor he was imitating was busy helping to finish up a surgery, but there was no telling for how long he would be preoccupied. Hopefully he wouldn’t miss his badge, either. Celeste would need him tonight. How could so much have gone so wrong? First Aiden, now... this? He straightened his jacket and knocked on the door. No response. He knew she was in there, visiting her mother. She must be hoping they won’t check for stray visitors. With a heavy sigh, he turned the knob and entered the dark room. Mrs. Pheobe Marlowe lay on the bed, wires plugged into her arms and a tube shoved down her nose. Her skin was yellow and her hair gone. It had been too late to stop the cancer but she had insisted they give it a try. Celeste looked up at Discord, her eyes and cheeks red. “I’m sorry. Is it time for me to go?” “I’m... I’m afraid so,” he said, ignoring the tightening in his chest. Celeste nodded and stood up, pulling her coat on. Adrenaline constricted his windpipe. He would get the other guy in so much trouble if she said anything. Still, he had to be here, even if he wasn’t himself. “Good night, Mom,” she whispered, placing a kiss on her mother’s sunken cheek. Celeste stood up and gave her mother’s hand a visible squeeze before letting her fingers slide away. He really shouldn’t be doing this. This could easily make things worse. “So, um... You’ll call if...” she sighed, rubbing her eyes. “Yes,” he replied, swallowing. Celeste looked back towards the bed. “Will you call when it happens, or...” “We’ll wait until morning. Try to get some sleep,” he said, pushing his hands into the pockets of the borrowed coat. “I’m sorry, by the way.” She nodded, not knowing what he was really apologizing for. His heart beat almost too loudly for him to hear. Swallowing the lump in his throat clouded his eyes with tears. How could his act of kindness have gone so wrong? Her face contorted as she tried to hold her own tears back. Discord shoved his hands deeper into his pockets. If he tried to comfort her now she would probably report the other guy and he didn’t want to ruin that life too. With a sob she suddenly latched onto him and began crying, solving his predicament for him. Oh no... he thought. Uh... pretend you’re old and have grandchildren and hug her like that! his mind shouted as he hugged her stiffly, trying not to seem eager. “It’s ok. It will be ok...” he lied, patting her back in what he hoped was a comforting fashion. “I’m sorry...” she sniffed, pushing back from him. “It’s fine. You just needed a hug.” “Yeah,” she said with a laugh. “Thank you, Doctor. I’ll come by tomorrow.” If I could save her life for you, I would... “Of course—get some sleep—she’ll most likely be here when you get back,” he said with a pat on her shoulder. As soon as she left the room, Discord leaned against the wall while his fingers traced the spot her tears had made on the coat. His eyes stared at the blank wall before him as Mrs. Marlowe’s heart faintly beeped on the monitor in the background. This wasn’t what I wanted,he thought with a sigh, leaving the room to return the doctor’s badge before anyone noticed it was missing.
Who's Guilty?The screech of chair legs against the tile jolted Discord awake. He rubbed his eyes before blinking at Chrysalis. Oh great... just what I needed. “Why do you enjoy it so much?” she asked him, sitting down. Discord groaned as he took his time stretching. He bit the inside of his lip to keep it from trembling. His wedding band cooly traced his cheek as he wiped the grime out of his eyes. Chrysalis kept her impatient gaze on him while drumming her fingers on the table. “I don’t enjoy it actually,” Discord said, leaning forward and massaging his forehead. “Why not? Beating Sombra to a pulp while he scrambles around, unable to do anything? Doesn’t appeal to you at all?” Discord arched his eyebrows. “Would you enjoy it?” “Duh.” “Why? I thought you lived off of love.” “That’s the whole reason, idiot,” she almost spat. “Enlighten me then... I’m a tired old man,” Discord grumbled, leaning back in his chair. He glanced towards the coffee maker but his limbs didn’t want to reach for it. “Well... I live off of love, right? It’s how I eat.” “Yeah, and?” “So, for me to feed off of love... It needs to be abundant. Sombra thrives off of hatred and fear. He actually creates those things, and destroys love in the process.” “He’s not the only source of hate, you know,” Discord said. Chrysalis’ gaze drifted to the table and she shifted her jaw before looking back. ”My subjects weren’t always starving.” The muscles between Discord’s eyebrows contracted. “Starving?” “Why else do you think I was in Canterlot the same time you were?” Chrysalis said in a low, distracted voice. She closed her lips and her eyes got lost in the grain of the wooden table as she traced the bones of one hand with the thin fingers of the other. “So... “ Discord began for her. “You weren’t there just to find some lost changelings?” She laughed softly. “Of course not. At that point, I was the only one in my particular hive healthy enough for reconnaissance. We used to feed off the ponies of the Crystal Empire. At least, my ancestors did. We kept hoping it would come back someday. In the meantime, we did small hunting missions, sneaked into towns we had never seen before, tried to make our own love. But, that landscape... it just— It’s like our food was being destroyed by something else. While I don’t have any concrete proof, I feel like Sombra’s magic had something to do with it.” Discord listened to the clock scratch out it’s ticking. “So... that explains why you hate Sombra. But, why Princess Celestia?” “Technically, I don’t hate her.” “Oh, come on! You can’t even say good morning to her without that disgusted look on your face!” “Well, let’s think, Discord: who was it that refused to boot King Sombra out of the Crystal Empire years ago?” “You can’t blame her for—” “Yes, I can! The previous queens of the hive recorded everything! Instead of coming and freeing the crystal ponies, Princess Celestia used King Sombra and her own sister to gain control of Equestria!” Chrysalis leaned forward, pressing her finger against the table for each accusation. “One thousand years passed and she didn’t even try to get the Empire restored. One thousand years passed and Sombra’s magic depleted our food supply. One thousand years passed and she just sat on her flank and did nothing.” “That is not true. You have no idea what—” “Do you know what starvation is?” she exploded, slamming her fist onto the table. She winced, holding her hand. “Just because you can’t get yourself off of her—” The table bruised Discord’s hand as he slammed his fist down on it. His nostrils flared and his brown eyes smoldered while they remained fixed on the floor between his shoes. Slowly, he released the tension in his back and sat up again, crossing his arms against his chest. “You don’t know everything.” He groaned and rubbed his forehead. “There was only so much she could do during that time and I'm not even sure if she knew your kind existed. She probably still doesn't know,” he added, looking at the Changeling Queen across the table. His eyes fell to her bony hands and arms, yellowing with malnutrition. She didn’t need this strain now. She needed much more than rest. “Chrysalis, give me your hand.” Her bloodshot green eyes turned toward his own tired gaze before she took his hand. Discord could feel the sensation of her feeding as soon as her skin touched his. She could control feeding when there was distance; direct contact and hunger would make it impossible for her to resist. He just had to remember something. He had a whole store of memories to generate love from. Closing his eyes, he could almost feel an infant squirming in his arms, bawling her precious little lungs out. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. Love was easy if he pictured looking down into her bright blue eyes once she was calm and awake. He lifted her to his shoulder and felt her heartbeat as she continued to wriggle around. He hugged her. He hugged his daughter; his beautiful baby girl. She would learn to call him Daddy. He would watch her grow— The smile dropped and pain seized his chest. He opened his eyes and let go of Chrysalis’ hand. Her fingers still felt thin, but at least her skin wasn’t such a sickly color. Discord’s eyes stayed fixed on the edge of the table. “I’ll bring Sarah...” Chrysalis said gently, rising from the table. As the door closed behind her, the pain in Discord’s chest ebbed away to numbness. His thumb ran along his fingertips and his eyes stayed on the edge of the table. He hadn’t watch his daughter grow up. Instead, he was frozen in stone for fifteen years. All those years he spent thinking she was dead. Would he have fought harder if he had known she was alive? Had he given up on her? She had gotten her cutie mark without him watching. She had fallen in love and had her first heartbreak without him able to comfort her. She had grown up without him. Discord traces the grain of the wood. Nothing. He didn’t feel it. He didn’t feel any of it. “Daddy?” Sarah said, walking over to him. He looked up at her, blinking mechanically a few times. His mouth was a straight line that he didn’t feel like bringing to a smile. Sarah wrapped her arms around her father and rested her chin on his shoulder. “I love you, Daddy,” she said, hugging him tightly. He sighed as the numbness seemed to dissipate somewhat. Rising, he returned the embrace. “I love you too, Screwball.” Discord sat at the head of Celeste Marlowe’s bed, massaging her scalp. Any moment she could come back completely and just end all of this. This whole game would finally be over. She was crying. Tears were flowing from her eyes even though she was catatonic. How much had she heard and understood from his and Twilight’s conversation? Still, crying could mean that she was close to coming back completely. They had been so close and then Twilight had to come and try to save her. Then again, Twilight had no way of knowing that Celestia was, in a sense, already dead. At least she was out of the room now and Discord could concentrate properly. Climbing into dreams was never easy. If Celeste was having a nightmare... Discord shivered as his hands continued to play with Celeste’s hair. Perhaps she would remember how this had calmed her before. Perhaps the dream would be an easy one to enter. She was so close. This could be over if he was successful. He watched her eyelid intently, waiting for the REM cycle to begin. He hated being patient. They were so close. Back. Forth. Back again. Her eyes watched an invisible tennis match. Discord sighed and placed his hands on her temples, closing his eyes and bringing his forehead to rest against hers. Here goes nothing... Celeste knelt on the ground of an autumnal forest, tears streaming down her face as her fingers curled around handfuls of dead leaves. Discord could see from her eyes and feel through her mind. This is a nightmare, he realized.Well, at least it's something. They can’t find him. Why can’t they find him? She thought. Celeste felt a strong hand on her shoulder and looked up with tearful eyes at her father. “No! I don’t want to leave! I have to find him!” Her brother... she had to stop searching. An older man, her father, pulled her back. “We have to go. We’ve been searching for hours and everyone is starting to tire out... We’ll keep searching tomorrow, Celeste.” She frantically scanned the ground, searching the pine needles and small weeds below her for any clue. “Aidan!” she screamed. Every shout around her from her other relatives gave her hope that they had found him. No, they were just calling his name as she was. Even with everyone searching they had no found him yet. What time was it? They had been searching for hours without he help of moonlight. He was too young to be lost like this. “Aidan!” she cried desperately, running without any clear sense of direction. The woods echoed with the call of her brother’s name. People were searching everywhere. She could hear Selene calling for him while openingly sobbing. “Aiden! Please come back! Please!” “Aiden!” Celeste yelled, her flashlight shaking in her hand. They were only partway into the woods but she wanted him to hear her. He was too young to be lost in the woods. He must be terrified. She shouldn’t have left him with Selene! How could things have gone so wrong? I only tried to help you! “Aiden! Come back!” Celeste heard her father shout. Perhaps he would just be by another campsite? “Is someone staying in the camp? Just in case?” her cousin Melody asked. “Aiden!” she shouted again. The chorus of her brother’s name was pumping adrenaline through every inch of her body. She had to find him. She had to find him. It was her fault. She shouldn’t have left him with Selene. Please, Celeste, it wasn’t your fault. The chorus echoed and rebounded in the night. It was so dark now and she needed her flashlight to see where she was stepping. Hopefully the battery would last her. They had been searching for so long already. “Aiden!” she heard her sister shout. They would find him soon—they had to. He would be found or he would be waiting by the tents. Hours of the chorus of Aiden’s name went by. The call for him to come back or go to them or yell out surged through the forest with no response. The police sirens could be heard stopping and Celeste assumed they left their vehicles to begin searching the woods with them. She stopped to look at the time on her cell phone. 8:38 P.M, they had been searching for over 2 hours. “Aiden!” she yelled, her flashlight by her side, turn off for now. She would have to turn it on soon. Her eyes were beginning to protest in the dim twilight. He had to be somewhere around here. He couldn’t have gone far. She could hear her maternal aunt shouting off to her right a little farther in. What if he was calling back and nobody could hear over their own shouting? A three-year-old’s voice could be easily lost among the noise. She stopped to listen but only heard the chorus of voices. “Aiden!” she called. They would find him soon. It wouldn’t be long. He couldn’t have wandered far. At least the sun was still out and they could see the forest somewhat clearly. Darkness would be coming soon though and they needed to find him before then. Darkness... shadows. No, Sombra wasn’t here! A little boy just disappeared without magic. “Aiden!” she heard her relatives calling. They were bound to find him soon. He couldn’t have gone far. He was probably on a trail, maybe trying to find one of them. “The Sheriff is coming and bringing a few men with him,” her uncle announced. “Did someone call the police?” her cousin, Alexander, asked. “Aiden!” her aunt Mary shouted “Everyone stay within sight of each other! We don’t want to lose anyone else.” Celeste breathed deeply before calling again for her little brother... he was way too young to have gone far in the woods. Everyone shouted around her, calling, calling, calling over and over again, almost like a chorus singing his name... “Be careful!” “We’re going to head over to the river. You take the other direction and head towards town. He couldn’t have gone far.” “Aiden! Where are you?” Celeste called. the trees were slowly thickening but there was still a decent amount of light coming through. She put her phone in her pocket and held the flashlight in her hand. It was 6:00 PM and they didn’t have much time to find him. Celeste entered the woods, checking her phone quickly. No! Not Yet! Everything faded to black again. Discord had been kicked out of her mind. One dream, or nightmare, at a time was all he had. At least now she could hear her brother’s name. She had described this nightmare over and over to him, but living it personally was something different. His shaking fingers faintly traced her cheek. Shallow breaths crossed his lips as he felt the dryness of his eyes sting with a wave of tears. His hands were so heavy. Her wanted to comfort her, calm her. He was so tired. Get to bed. Stand up and get to bed. You can’t help her like this. Discord pulled his arms back until his palms rested against the bar of her headboard. He pushed himself up, feeling every muscle in his body ache as he looked back down at the woman lying in front of him. A bitter laugh came as he shook his head. Except for the shallow rise and fall of her abdomen, she could easily be mistaken for a corpse. “What was it you said to me... that started all of this?” he said. “Well, I guess it wasn’t just that ...” He stretched, groaning again before sitting in the chair where Twilight had been moments ago. “Still, if you hadn’t talked to me then... I wouldn’t have done something as stupid as this.” he laughed again. His eyelids felt so heavy, but talking... talking felt so good. He hadn’t been able to talk to Sarah in what felt like eternity. His eyes fell to her pale lips. Can I really kiss her now? A groan went up from his chest. Of course I can’t. His hand shook less as he touched her cheek with the back of his fingers. “Where was I?” he mused aloud, lifting her tender hand in both of his. “You asked me... ‘Were you a mistake too?’ that night.” He looked down at her pale fingers as he laced them with his own. “I made a mistake with you. When I ask myself if I would make that same mistake all over again... I know my answer would be no.” His own voice seemed to echo in his ears as he sat, surprised at what he had just said. He ran his hand lightly across the back of hers, hearing the words that had come out of his mouth over and over in his mind. Yes, he had meant it. He took her hand from his and gently bent her wrist up to face him. Tenderly, he placed a kiss there before returning her fingers to rest upon the blanket.
What's Been LostOutside the coffee shop, snow rode the wind in blasts. Bit of blue sky peeked between the grey clouds but they soon disappeared as the storm continued westward. Discord’s breath froze as it whispered through a brown scarf wrapped across his mouth. Even through the snow he could see the yellow and orange glow of the coffee shop through its large windows. His toes were numb in his shoes. He bent his head down against the wind and pulled on the icy metal handle of the door to let himself in, accompanied by the next wave of snowflakes. Barely anyone glanced up at him as he pulled his scarf down and breathed into his hands. Most of the patrons sipped steaming cups of coffee or hot chocolate. Those sitting by the doors Almost everyone has a screen of some kind in front of them. Discord stomped the snow off of his shoes and brushed his jeans clean. He could feel blood tinting his wind-bit face as he approached the counter, rubbing his hands together. “What can I get for you?” the girl behind the counter said with a smile. “A large Peppermint Frost,” said Discord, knocking some stray flakes out of his dark brown hair. She raised an eyebrow. “Really? On a day like today?” He laughed. “Why not?” She gave the storm outside a quick glance. “ Would you like anything else?” He shook his head, examining a hangnail while he retrieved his wallet. “Nope.” “Alright then. That’s $4.19.” He handed his card to her and she swiped it. Paying for stuff was easy when all you needed was a bit of plastic and a fake identity to sign off with. With a rip of the receipt and a brief scribble, Discord finally looked up at the brunette behind the counter. Taking the receipt he had just signed, she gave him a sales slip. “Your order number is 328. We’ll call the number out in about five minutes at most.” “Thank you,” he said with a smirk hinting at the right corner of his mouth. “Um...” Discord slowly looked up from the wallet he was putting his card back into to glance at the hesitating barista. “Yes?” “I see you in here a lot.” “And?” “You’re always by yourself but you keep staring at that redheaded girl when she comes in.” “Your powers of observation astound me,” he said as he zipped his wallet shut and shoved it into his coat pocket. “Are you stalking her?” “Yes, but I’m afraid you’re not going to do anything about it,” he said with a wink as he snagged a newspaper from the rack by the counter. “So, your order number is 328. It should be done in about 5 minutes at most—where’s your...?” Discord waved the sale slip to show her she had already given it to him. She glanced at the slip dispenser and wrinkled her brow. “I... thought it hadn’t printed yet... I... Nevermind. Ever have one of those days where your mind just derps?” “You have no idea,” Discord said with a smirk. “I could have sworn there was something I was going to ask you...” “I’m sure if it’s important, you’ll remember it,” Discord laughed, tucking the newspaper under his arm and heading towards his normal chair. “Yeah,” she sighed a bit. “Have a nice day!” Discord nodded as he tossed the paper onto a small end table next to an overstuffed maroon armchair between the girl who was on her laptop and the boy who had fallen asleep. Celeste wasn’t here yet of course but Discord was in no rush. He casually removed his coat, scarf, and gloves. Instead of sitting immediately, he glanced at his watch until his order number was called a few minutes later. Funny, she’s usually in here by now. He mused as he settled down in his seat. At least this particular coffee place had plenty of newspapers to keep him occupied. He took a sip of his drink then thumbed through to the comics. Traffic might be bad coming from the library. It is rather snowy right now. After the first three comic strips, he glanced over the top of the paper without changing position. Finally, when he had hurried through Dilbert, he sat back and watched the snow outside, letting the newspaper drop a bit in his hands. The door opened as people streamed in and out. The girl on her laptop came down from her tall chair and left. The boy was still asleep, and starting to snore. Two girls chatted excitedly about some scandal that probably came from a TV show. Discord watched the window and allowed his brow to furrow just a little. Even on a Monday she is never this late... Especially on a Monday. Discord’s brown eyes ducked back to reread the Dilbert strip as he snapped the paper up again. Celeste entered the shop in another blast of cold outside air. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that she didn’t move to the counter. He risked glancing up again. Celeste stood by the bulletin board and pulled off her mittens before reaching into her messenger bag, not even bothering to tuck her long, red hair behind her ear like she normally did to get it out of her face. She slid a bright orange paper out and searched the board for pins. The newspaper crinkled noticeably as Discord folded it up. By the time he was pulling his gloves back on, Celeste was pushing the last pin into a small poster with a picture of a girl taped onto it. Look casual. Don’t let her notice you. Snowflakes rushed inside as Celeste left the shop, still letting the hair fall over her face a bit. Discord took another sip of his half-finished drink and kept his eyes fixed on the exit before casually glancing at the poster on his way out. Silence seemed to sit impatiently between Discord and Sarah. Discord pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to ignore the random sniffles that came from Sarah as she sat on her bed, wrapped in her comforter. He spotted blood on his finger and rubbed it away quickly, hoping Sarah’s eyes were too teary to see it. Anticipation shook him. Sombra’s raging cries still rang in his ears. “I...” Sarah began. Discord’s hand quickly shot up to signal for silence. It shook as he returned it to grip the edge of his coat. “I’m not angry at you.” He paused to trap all he shouldn’t say behind his clenched teeth. “But, do you see now why I told you not to go into Sombra’s room?” “Nothing happened...” “Something terrible could have happened. Don’t you understand?” he asked, looking up towards her. “No,” she said before twisting the edge of the blanket in her hands. Discord forced himself to breathe slowly. “I can’t explain all of it. But, the way he looked at you when I came in...” He leaned forward and asked in what almost sounded like a desperate tone, “What were you doing when I came in?” Sarah curled up even more under her blankets. Her voice was defensive. “He had given himself blisters on his wrists from the handcuffs. They were starting to bleed and get infected. I wasn’t going to take them off. I just wanted to treat them so he doesn’t cry so much.” Why do you have to be so naïve? “Sarah, Sombra is a master of trickery. I have not seen those blisters before. He can always heal himself with his shadow magic, so I suspect he might just be trying to play on your sympathies.” “He told me you beat him,” she said with a note of challenge. “How did he tell you that? Did you take his gag off?” Her eyes shifted away, but her look was confused, not guilty. “I just heard his voice. It just happened in my mind.” “Did you let him into your mind?” Discord’s tone was reaching an almost hysterical pitch. “I–I didn’t know what it was!” “Sarah...” Discord went and sat on her bed next to her. “Please, if you ever feel him trying to crawl into your mind again, push him out! Letting Sombra in is dangerous. You don’t know what he might take control of. Do you understand?” Sarah nodded and Discord put an arm around her bundled form, hugging her tightly. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’ve just seen a lot of what he can do to a person or pony. I don’t want him hurting you.” “Ok...” she whispered. “I’ll be back later, alright?” he said, standing up. A certain metal bar came to his mind. Discord left the room, closing the door behind him and leaning against it. He was half-tempted to lock it but decided it might make things worse if he didn’t give Sarah a second chance to be trusted. He gripped his right hand and a steel rod materialized in his fist. “Discord?” Chrysalis called from the direction of Celeste’s room. “What now, Chrysalis?” “She’s moving.” He ran, the bar still in his hand, as Chrysalis opened the door for him to see inside the patient’s room. The bar clattered against the floor as he rushed to her bedside. Celeste Marlowe’s face contorted as she spoke soundlessly. Her head turned from side to side, as if in distress. When Discord tried to take her hand, she ripped it from him and hyperventilated. “Is this supposed to happen?” Chrysalis asked as a gentle touch to Celeste’s shoulder provoked shuddering. “No. I don’t know what this is.” “It looks like she’s in pain whenever she gets touched.” “Celeste? Can you hear me?” he asked. Her eyes remained shut as she fought her blanket. He pulled it off of her completely and she seemed to calm down. Her skin glistened with sweat. For a long while, Discord and Chrysalis watched her as she continued to sleep and twitch, most likely trapped in a nightmare. Perhaps her muscles had atrophied and moving hurt her? Whatever it was, the sunlight had moved from the middle of the floor to the edge of the ceiling before she relaxed and could stand to have the blanket touch her again. Her breathing finally calmed. She curled up on her side and hugged her pillow. She could wake up any moment. He glanced at Chrysalis. “I told you to be in scrubs.” She groaned and turned to the door, reaching for the pipe Discord had discarded. “Fine. You might want to take this out of here too.” Discord turned in time to catch the pipe as she tossed it towards him. It turned to taffy and he began to nibble at it while he left the room, closing and locking the door behind him. Sombra would be dealt with later. It was time for dinner. Discord stood on his pedestal in the garden and hummed to himself again. It was amazing how many variations of “The Hearth Warming Carol” he could come up with when given centuries to think about it. Voices approached his statue. It was still day, but, at this hour the garden was closed to tourists. From the squeak of Chairpony Jade’s voice, this was probably another unofficial meeting of the cabinet. “But is not all of this what you desired, Your Majesty?” Oh ho ho, something is amiss I hope? “I am afraid that is no longer the case.” Oh, goody! Discord almost giggled with glee (or would have if he was capable). Having spent weeks without the smallest taste of entertainment made the slightest hint of unrest a delicacy. “But the plan has progressed well so far,” said another member of the cabinet in a simpering drawl. Hold that thought for a moment, Discord said, mentally grabbing a bird to scratch an insistent itch on his nose. “I always wonder if he is the cause of that,” said a third cabinet member after a moment of silence. “Of course, it’s him,” Celestia grumbled, dropping her normal regal manner. “Just ignore it.” Ignore me! Are you out of your mind? Discord threw the bird in the vague direction of her voice and with a small cry he knew he had hit his target. The clatter of a crown preceded silence until Celestia cleared her throat. “As I was saying in regard to the plan,” Celestia huffed, “it has not progressed well so far. There are unforeseen variables which must be contended with.” “What variables could these be? This plan has been—” “Sombra’s a monster; that’s what!” Now, just because he’s playing around with you sister doesn’t — Before the thought ended a small surge pulsed in his chest. It was similar to the night Sombra had asked if he would consider working with him in exchange for Celestia. He could feel his heartbeat. Was something finally breaking the spell on him? Temper temper, Princess Celestia... Please do continue. “Your Majesty! Please, contain yourself!” “Who is in charge here? I've told you the plan is off. I can’t go any farther.” “But, if Sombra is truly a monster, than perhaps your marriage to him could be used to bring him down.” Marriage? I thought he and Luna— “I am not vowing to spend the rest of my life with him! I had no idea how much he changed the Crystal Empire— The ponies are chained there! Also, I don’t think an unrestrained cabinet would be an idea he would consider.” “But you are more powerful than him!” “Says who? You? How convenient!" "We have only tried to serve you and Equestria faithfully." "Serve me? Ha! You’re the ones who gave me the idea to curse Sombra in the first place! You even taught me that love spell so I could do your dirty work for you!” With each raised decibel of the Princess’ voice, the pulsing in Discord’s chest grew more powerful. It was like the thrum of a bumblebees going about their work, small, but constant. “Your Majesty, the statue of Discord—” a cabinet member cautioned. “What about him?” Celestia spat. “Uh... It’s... I can hear something coming from it.” Damn it! How could you possibly hear that? “I’ll handle it. But, as of now, your services are no longer needed.” “Your Majesty—” “You may inform the rest of the cabinet that you all have been permanently dismissed. I am going to talk with my sister and see what we can do to fix this little mess you’ve caused!” “Weren’t you the one who wanted to rule all of Equestria?” Silence hung in the air, waiting to be dissipated by a response. “Cabinet dismissed. Turn in your robes to the guards outside of the meeting hall.” “Your Majesty!” “You heard me! Now leave me alone!” Celestia shouted as the flap of wings signaled her departure. “Her mane... did you see that?” Former Chairpony Jade asked. “Yes. That hasn’t been there before,” “What’s causing it?” a third pony asked. “I don’t know. It was all pink when she entered the garden. Now it’s pink and purple.” The hooves slowly wandered along the path, leaving Discord behind them. Will somepony PLEASE explain what just happened?
Cold MomentsThe bars on the window sliced the moonlight, laying it in strips on the stone floor. Discord breathed into his hands before rubbing his arms again. Hadn’t it been summer when he left Equestria before? He turned his head slightly and glanced over his shoulder to catch the eye of the unicorn guard that stood on the other side of the wall of bars locking him in his cell. He’s still staring at me, Discord thought with a grunt. Perhaps chasing Chrysalis back to Equestria was a bad idea. He tugged at his coat, the friction creating a brief moment of warmth. There was still a chance Luna would let him go if she believed his story that he was just a human. That portal wasn’t hidden well anyway. Anyone could fall into it from that world. His nose was cold against his hands as he pressed them to his face again. Tears pooled on his eyelashes and he wiped them away before they could spill onto his face. He was just cold. He would be even colder when trying to find Sarah. Discord’s eyes squeezed shut as his jaw trembled. She had to be still alive. She had survived so much already. Surely Sombra wouldn’t... The door leading to the dungeons opened and Discord turned to the approaching sound of hooves. “Leave us,” said Princess Luna, stepping into the main room. The guard saluted and left. Luna’s eyes scrutinized the human in Discord’s cell. “Stand, please.” Discord rose, keeping his arms wrapped around himself. “Am I... free to go?” he asked, shaking a bit from nerves and the chill. Luna’s eyes ran over him before meeting his accusingly. “Why doesn’t she recognize me?” “What are you talking about?” Discord said before an unplanned sneeze interrupted him. Luna sighed and a small fire crackled in front of him. He held his hands out and knelt to the flames for their warmth. He could see that underneath his fingernails the skin was almost entirely blue. Luna’s eyes remained on him, studying each move as he studied her in return. “Discord, why are you doing this?” “I’m not Discord.” he breathed into his hands and scooted closer to the fire before looking at Luna again. “Please, let me go home.” “I want my sister back,” she demanded, her eyes narrowing. “I want my family! I don’t know where my daughter is and—” He bit back his thoughts before they became words and sighed. “I just need to get home.” “You’ve pushed my sister to insanity—” “Please, just let me go.” “Why are you avoiding what I’m saying?” she said, leaning closer to the bars. “I just... I’m not supposed to be here.” “Oh really?” she scoffed, raising an eyebrow almost accusingly. “And you like that world you came from?” “It’s... my home,” he explained rubbing his hands together next to the flames. “How did you change my sister into a... whatever it is you turned her into?” Discord looked down into the fire even though it was now warming his face too much and hurting his eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about! Please, just let me go! I need to get back to that mirror!” “The mirror is already sealed shut!” she said with a flustered toss of her mane. Oh, clever. You know it isn’t. But, if I am human, I shouldn’t understand that. “What do you mean? Do you mean I’m stuck here?” “Yes. I can help you get back if you really want to go. But I have to be there to open the portal the mirror creates. I can send you back right now even. My magic can force it open.” “My daughter is here. Is she the woman you have imprisoned here?” “The woman here is my sister. Now I am asking you: what have you done to her! I know it’s her and you can’t convince me that you’re not Discord!” “Can I see your sister and...?” Discord wanted to split in two and punch himself in the face. His mouth had gotten away from his brain again. Luna raised her head, a grim smile on her muzzle. “As I suspected— What’s that there?” she asked, looking at a bulge in Discord’s coat pocket. “Just... something to keep me occupied.” He slipped his hand inside the pocket and took a baseball out to show her. “Use it well,” Luna warned. With a pop, she disappeared and the fire left with her. Discord felt the spot where the fire had been. Cold as the rest of the cell. He sat back and rolled the baseball between his hands. Well... so much for convincing her... She knew I was Discord all this time. Why did she make it so easy for me to escape? Discord stood up and approached the bars of his prison. The guard was still gone. He couldn’t make sense of it. Why would Luna let him go so easily? It was almost as if she wasn’t even trying to confine him. She wanted to see if I would leave. The baseball weighed heavily in his hand. He could stay here and keep trying to convince Luna that he was human, or he could try to find Screwball. Celestia or his daughter? I’m going to lose Celestia no matter what I do. A simple marker formed in his hands. He bit the cap off and pressed the felt tip to the leather surface of the baseball. Perhaps, if he left Celestia now, he might have a chance in the future to tell her. But, he wasn’t going to leave her with nothing. He pursed his lips and blew over the ink, making sure it was dry after lifting the marker. I’m coming back. Be strong. Discord poked his head through the doorway into Celeste’s room. It was open again which mean that Sarah was probably the one who was inside. Sure enough, Sarah sat next to the bed, examining the patient’s arm with a frown. “Sarah?” She jumped. “Dad, you... I’m sorry. I forgot again, but Dad—” “The drugs are expected to wear off completely tomorrow,” he reminded her. “Dad, it’s still happening.” Discord turned his eyes to the bony limb Sarah cradled in her hands. Blisters rose from the skin in precise lines to form words. “Dear Princess Celestia, Fondest wishes from....” Discord muttered a curse. “Well, just bandage it. Remember, she probably wakes up tomorrow and this doesn’t have a lot of time to heal.” “When I came in the room she just started speaking. Like the letter was going to be delivered that way....” “When the bond between her and Equestria is weakened enough the notes will stop.” Sarah looked miffed as if her father had missed the point. “What if we gave her a notepad to write everything out on?” “Absolutely not. Giving her an easy way to access the letters might cause her to remain Celestia longer than she needs to be.” Sarah sighed. “Okay.” “Sarah...” he waited until she looked at him. “You haven’t dyed your hair yet.” She stood up with a small groan. “I’ll do it now.” “Screwball...” DIscord said firmly but with kindness. “I love you. Remember that.” “Yeah, yeah, Dad,” she said with a somewhat rushed smile as she breezed past him. Discord’s smile wasn’t without worry as he watched her leave. He glanced back towards the bed and looked down at the thin figure sleeping fitfully. Ready or not, tomorrow she woke up and then he’d most likely not know one peaceful moment until this was all over. With that on his mind he turned and exited the room, closing the door tightly behind him. “Did you really think I wouldn’t figure it out?” Chrysalis asked, leaning against the wall next to the door. Discord looked down at her jeans and t-shirt. “If you say ‘scrubs, Chrysalis’ I swear—” she began with an accusing finger aimed towards his nose. “Nurse Alice, you’re not properly dressed,” he grumbled turning his back on her. “I know who Screwball is!” she shouted after him. “Of course you do.” He spun on his heels and looked her in the face. “Any questions?” His question sounded more like a threat than an inquiry. “How?” “It happened a long time ago.” He turned to leave again. Chrysalis’ hand grabbed his doctor’s coat and pulled him back. “Let go,” he said in a low, even tone. “Two more changelings starved to death today... if I’m going to be here. It better be for a good reason.” “It is,” he said, trying to pull away. She tugged him back down to look at her. “When did it happen?” Discord stood up then untwisted her hand from his coat. This time he didn’t retreat. Chrysalis looked up at him, waiting with an arched eyebrow. “Fifteen years ago I was free for one second. I made the most of it.” The wake of his voice echoed as he turned one last time and walked away from Chrysalis. The sunrise was barely enough to cut the chill. Yet people were already gathered around, huddling close for warmth. Dr. Marlowe stood next to the sheriff, talking low and worried with her. Their breathing clouded between them and Dr Marlowe had to remove his glasses to wipe away the moisture clouding his vision. Celeste stood somewhat separated, staring at the cup of coffee-to-go warming her hands. “Who are you?” the Sheriff inquired politely. “John Babel,” Discord lied. “Did you already give me your cell phone?” Discord took his phone out and checked his last few messages. “If you got the text from me last night you should have it.” The sheriff checked her phone. “Sent at 9:21?” “Yeah.” “Ok, I think I got it then,” she said, fiddling with the buttons of her phone. After a moment, Discord’s phone rang from her calling him. “Yes, I got it,” she said, satisfied as she headed to her previous spot. “Since we already have a good group now we’ll send you out towards the east. Keep your cell phones on and try to stay together. Even if you have to split into pairs make sure someone is with you at all times. Hate to say it but we don’t want anyone else getting lost.” Discord’s eye shot to look at Celeste. She looked even more pale but her expression stayed resolute. She must know by now that there was no hope in finding her sister alive. Selene had been gone for days in this dead cold. Celeste and her dad just needed to find the body for closure’s sake. The group trudged off and Discord tried to keep his distance from Celeste. He wanted to help her, not use this as an opportunity to flirt. Okay, he did want to use this as an opportunity to flirt but for once he was going to try and be subtle about it! It wasn’t long before they entered the wood full of bare trees. “We should go over the ridge into town,” said a man with a bright orange snowcap pulled down over his ears. “Actually, I think we should check the river,” Discord said. “Well, we can split up here then,” chirped a persistently cheerful woman. “I’ll walk with you to the river,” mumbled a surly guy from the local college. “I’ll go to the river too...” Celeste said so faintly almost nobody acknowledged that she spoke. The rest of the group followed the first man to head for the ridge into town. So much for splitting into pairs, Discord thought. The surly guy gave Celeste’s shoulders a quick one-armed squeeze. “Don’t worry, we’ll find her,” he said, almost sounding like a bear rather than a human. Nuh-uh! You are not moving in on her like that! “Thanks,” Celeste said in a tone chillier than the weather. The grizzly removed his arm from her but kept between Discord and Celeste. And I thought Iwould have to worry about not being subtle. The three of them trudged through the snow as the woods sloped downhill. Discord still wasn’t sure if he wanted to be the one to find Selene or not. He glanced at Celeste who was finishing her cup of coffee. She may or may not view him as a hero if he found Selene, but she would at least get some rest to know the search was over. He turned his eyes back to the ground and watched his breath steam before his face. Even with his facial hair, his chin was growing cold and he pulled his scarf up. His ears also began to protest whenever a breeze picked up. At least he brought gloves, unlike the mammoth next to him. Discord smiled behind his scarf as the guy awkwardly rubbed his hands together or shoved them into his coat pockets. Discord listened to his multiple attempts at getting a conversation going. However, each attempt was either met with irritable silence or vague grunts. The sky was fading from pink to blue when they reached the river. They stopped at the edge and Discord carefully reached his foot out and tested the ice. It crackled under pressure and he hastily pulled his foot back. “It’s a little deeper upstream...” Celeste mumbled. Her coffee was gone by now but she still held the cup tightly. They silently followed the stream, listening to it run. Discord became glad that the blockade was between him and Celeste. It gave him some cover to scan the stream every few steps. They walked for hours until the stream cut into a culvert. All three of them bent down and peered into the long metal pipe. Celeste retrieved a flashlight from from her backpack and searched the tunnel. She stared hard into the darkness while Discord peered over her shoulder. He wanted to search ahead but didn’t feel safe reaching his magic out with the bear huffing down his neck. He almost thought he saw something... That moment was not a good time for Discord’s phone to go off. Especially when his ringtone was the chorus of “Highway to Hell.” Still, he sighed and stood upright to check it. His left leg promptly broke through the ice at the edge of the stream. Here erosion had given the stream enough depth to submerge him. He panicked and the cell phone was forgotten as he tried to find the hole. His hands scraped around rough ice. His goved fingers clawed and his fists pounded as ice water stung his eyes and body. His lungs felt like they were being being squeezed even though he was trying to hold his breath. Somewhere in the confusion he felt the ice hit his face and realized he was being pulled out of the water. Every bit of him hurt as his whole body lingered between numbness and waking up. The air felt warmer now until a breeze picked up. He could only feel his body tremor violently as his teeth chattered. Something pulled at his jacket and he felt warmth on his chest. He hurt too much to care where it came from. His arms and legs cramped with cold. He couldn’t even open his eyes. He couldn’t feel anything outside of the warmth pressed against his torso. There was noise but he couldn’t hear it above the sound of his teeth and his ears throbbing. He finally opened his eyes to a black ceiling. There was a strap around his waist and blankets piled on top of him. A round light was on above him and to his right was a window with small horizontal lines. He was in the back of a truck. It jolted and he watched trees roll past the windows. His whole body hurt as the numbness gave way to intense pinpricks. Am I wearing a shirt anymore? He moved his arm and groan out loud as the pricking got more intense. “Oh, good. He’s awake,” someone sighed at his head. “John, can you remember anything?” Asked a woman at his feet, turning to look at him. John? “Does your body feel like it’s waking up?” she insisted Where am I? This isn’t my body. What am I doing here? It was important and I can’t remember! “John? Do you remember what you were looking for.” Was it a book? A letter? A cup... no, someone was holding the cup and there was a river. “Celeste?” he found himself asking. “She’s fine,” said a woman Discord vaguely recognized. “She and Ed kept you from freezing to death before we drove down and got you.” “Should we tell him?” the driver of the car asked. The woman hesitated. “If he can’t remember what he was looking for...” “A girl was lost...” Discord realized. The woman looked at him sadly and nodded. “We found her body downstream from where you went under.”
ConditioningDiscord, or Dr. Cruebel as he would soon have to introduce himself, sat at his desk with his dry eyes fixed on the screens in front of him. Any moment now. His focus darted between the screen for Celeste's room and Sombra’s room. How many hours have I been awake? He rubbed the bridge of his nose. Too many. He jumped at the sound of chains. Sombra was pulling at them again. Discord groaned and pressed his fingers to the button for his intercom. “What did I tell you about doing that, Sombra?” Sombra glowered at the camera, raising a hand “My dear little unicorn you did not tell me that you knew sign language,” he said humorlessly. Sombra dropped the chains and leaned against the wall, closing his eyes. Discord returned to massaging his face. He needed coffee. This body got tired too easily. “Dad?” Discord jumped. Once again he had fallen asleep. The clock on the screen showed him almost an hour had passed. He blinked his eyes and sat up in his chair. “Good morning.” He glanced at her and gave the best smile he could muster before yawning. He stretched his arms above his head and arched his back, giving a satisfied groan. “Your hair looks nice,” he said, opening his eyes and glancing towards her messy bun. “Thanks... has she woken up yet?” she asked, pulling an extra chair over to watch the screens. Discord shook his head. “Not yet... any moment now. Did you sleep well last night?” “Only after I took some meds.” His brow furrowed. “How did you get them?” “I made them.” “Hmm...” he kept his gaze on Celeste’s screen. “Don’t do that too often. Last night was fine but I don’t want you developing a habit.” “I’ll be fine,” she protested. Discord paused before nodding. “Yeah... you will. Maybe I’m the one who should be taking meds to sleep.” Screwball wrapped her arms around him and rested her head against his shoulder. That prompted a smile and a kiss in her hair from him. “I can’t wait to meet her,” she said, her eyes fixed the Celeste’s screen. “Neither can I.” He groaned again as Sombra pulled at the chains. “What have I told you?” he said, after pressing the button and provoking another glare. “Why do you keep him chained?” Sarah asked, her brows contracting. “Trust me, it’s for your safety.” “I don’t go in that room anyway.” “He could still reach you... I don’t ever want that happening.” “Dad!” “I mean it, you don—” “No! Look! She’s awake!” They both leaned in to stare at her on the screen. Her eyes were definitely opened. She seemed to be shaking. Could she remember any of it? Would she know who Screwball was? It was a lot to hope for but it could be possible. After some looking at the room and herself, she sat up and hugged her knees to look around again. She felt her face. her hand went to the back of her head and she stopped when her fingers reached her hair. She tried to grip it but it had been cut short. She stared at her hands. “I am Princess Celestia.” Discord sighed. Of course... she couldn’t have remembered. “So... this isn’t her then?” Sarah sked with some disappointment in her voice. “Not yet. She’s in there, but we’ll have to get her the hard way.” The woman on the screen held the blanket to her chest then looked down curiously. Discord’s eyebrows furrowed as he watched her take out a piece of paper. She unfolded it and read the words. “Did you leave her something?” Discord asked his daughter. “I... didn’t put that there.” The chair rolled back as he pushed himself away from the table. “Dad?” Sarah asked, following. Discord stopped in front of Celeste’s door and cracked his neck. He needed a moment. How had a note gotten to her? Did it appear when he was asleep? Did Chrysalis do it? He nodded to Sarah who opened the door. Discord stopped and tried to hide the fact he was staring. She had been so beautiful before... so alive and... Now she was just skin and bones despite his best efforts to keep her fed. He cleared his throat and approached her, stopping his feet before the came too close, stopping his arms before they wrapped around her and pressed her to his chest in comfort. No, that would scare her. He held out his hand. “Now, you remember what we told you about the notes. Please give that to me.” “Luna, I want to wake up now!” she shouted. This hurt more than he was expecting: to see her here and to not be known by her... No, he had to focus! He took one step closer. “Give me the note, please.” she pulled the covers up. Seeing her so scared of him that she would put a physical barrier, however fragile, between them... his resolve was slowly being eroded. "Should I give her a sedative?" Said the girl he knew was still clutching the door handle anxiously. He almost flinched at the thought, almost, he's a man with a strong resolve. "No, that is not necessary. Besides, we don't know how it will react with her treatment." He replied calmly. He reached out his hand expectantly, but Celeste only retreated further away. "Daddy?" "Honey, listen to me. Do not get nervous, that will only encourage her to act rashly, but we must all be calm and reasonable- mustn't we Celeste?"he didn't dare break eye contact, in case the action gave away his emotions. "Do you really think I'm going to believe any of this, Discord?" He sighs internally at the name. "Give me the note." He repeats calmly, his hand still outstretched. "Answer my question!" looking into her eyes you can see confusion pain and anger if you know where to look. Unfortunately, he did. "Let me help you." He pleads. Her response is to spit in his hand, he doesn't move to wipe it away. Anyone else and he might have found the gesture cute, spunky. Here it just hurt, but he retained the mask of calm indifference like a true professional. "Please, may I have the paper?" "What does it mean to you?" She asks defiantly. "It means nothing to me. But to you, it furthers your delusions," the lie is carefully practiced, carefully sculpted. "Delusions?" She scoffed. "You haven't been well these past few years." "This is ridiculous!"she yelled in a fury. "Please, give me the paper." He repeated. "No!" Her rage increased once more. "Why don't we talk then?" He asked her, turning towards the metal table. He sat in one of the three chairs bolted to the floor, then he waited. Celeste didn't move, she just watched. She stares for a long while, and in her eyes he could see that she felt something wasn’t right. He hid his smirk for the sole fact it wasn’t appropriate, but he did find a subtle amusement in her distrust. Even if this was a serious matter, it was still nice to see a smidge of that old rivalry between him and Celestia. He dispels the thought, she can’t be Celestia, not anymore. “I don’t want to talk,” she says defiantly. “Well then, give me the note,” “No,” She repeats. “You have to give up one thing or the other,” he tells her. “Or what?” she asks, attempting to sound menacing, but she looked a little scared if anything. He shrugs and sits in a chair. “Then I’m just gonna sit here” He says, looking at her idly. “Until I talk or give you the paper?” “That’s the idea.” “And if I talk to you, can I keep the note?” “Perhaps,” his first thought is no, but he quells that in the interest of getting a little bit of cooperation. “Then I’ll do neither,” she says, crossing her arms. He holds back an exasperated sigh, she was always a little hardheaded. “Celeste, you realize we can take the note from you at any moment. However, it’s better for you to give it to us.” he tries to reason, she doesn’t say anything for several seconds as she thinks, but her answer is clear. “Then you’re going to have to force me,” “I had hoped it wouldn’t come to this...” he sighs and his shoulders drop as he releases the tension from upholding his composed demeanor. He turns towards Sarah, “Sarah? Please bring Nurse Alice, tell her that Celeste isn’t cooperating.” She jumps slightly and nods. His gaze stayed fixed on Celeste, who looks away occasionally. He can see words brimming on the edge of her tongue, but she doesn't say anything. It's almost like she's thinking intensely on something, maybe multiple something's. She shifts uneasily as Cruebel continues to watch. "Celeste?" He asks, she corrects him abruptly. "My name is Princess Celestia." "May I call you Celeste?" He struggles to not sound like he's begging. "No." She affirms. "My name is Princess Celestia." "No nickname?" “Definitely not.” “Was there something you remember your friends calling you?” “You’re not my friend,” she said after a long, emphatic stare. He holds back a cringe and instead opts for a more tactical approach. “Well, I want to be.” He offers a small smile, but Celeste just stares some more. “You’re not yourself.” I could say the same to you. Dr. Cruebel jerks back slightly in surprise as Celeste rushes him, she grabs his clothes and gets close to his face. His shock quickly turns to anger, she was attacking him. He watches as she comes to her senses and he tears her off him. She doesn’t resist and sits back down. “That surprised you, didn’t it?” he asks her, she nods shakily. he calms down as his anger subsides, “You keep forgetting that you’ve been like this for a while. When we took you out of the catatonic state, this became your normal behaviour. That’s why we don’t want you writing notes to yourself.” He holds out his hand but Celeste doesn’t respond. “Celeste, look at the note.” She looks at the note hesitantly, Dr. Cruebel could see the emotions dancing across her face. “Please...” he insists. She continues to stare at the note, playing with it slowly. “But, why should I even trust you?” “Because if you don’t give me that note, I will have to stay here until you do, constantly trying to get you to talk. Do you want that?” he finds hope in the fact it seems like she’s resisting less. “Don’t worry. We’ll help you get through this,” he reassures her as she reaches her hand out and places the note into it. He puts his hand on her shoulder reassuringly, but she just stares blankly at the table. “I heard you needed my help?” a svelte female voice says. Dr. Cruebel looks at the door to find the other ‘doctor’ at the door. “It’s unnecessary now; she’s agreed to cooperate,” he said, taking his hand from her shoulder and advancing towards the door. “So, the drugs are beginning to work then?” the girl asks as Dr. Cruebel as he leaves the room. “Of course they are, Screwball,” the female voice said. The door slams. Alice, the other ‘doctor’, looks at him unamusedly, he looks absolutely livid at her, though. “What?” she asks. “Are you trying to help her relapse?!” He whispers fiercely. “ her name, is Sarah.” He says, he pushes past Alice coldly. She rolls her eyes as Sarah runs after him. Alice takes a second to look at the door before slowly turning and walking the direction opposite of Doctor Cruebel.
