Discordant Embrace

Discord woke to an empty camp.

He shouted in anguish. Where did they all go?! He darted from house to house in a fervent manner. All empty. He came upon Chrysalis' mansion. He walked up to the door, and there he found a note.

My dearest Discord,

I am quite sorry that you had to wake up to an empty encampment. However, we are grateful for the assistance you have provided us. We had to... depart for home. You have been quite useful to us.

I was quite suspicious of you when you first arrived. I am no diamond in the rough, haha. You did not fool me. Rather, it was I who fooled you. By the time you read this, we shall have returned home. Once again, my dearest Discord, I thank you.

Goodbye,

Chrysalis

Discord roared. He set the mansion aflame. He tossed the wind itself about, tearing houses from the ground. Lightning struck all around him. He slammed his fists into the ground and there was an explosion. What was left of the clearing was a crater, three hundred feet wide. Nothing of the makeshift village remained.

The only thing that stayed the same was the constant rush of water from the waterfall. Instead of a small pool, the entire area would become a lake.

He had been so close! He pinched two fingers to each other until they were a hairsbreadth away from each other. This close. Discord had been a fool. He should have known that she would be suspicious. No one had ever treated her right.

Where could she have gone? Discord was hyperventilating. He was panicking. He had to calm down. He slowed his breathing.

There was only one logical thing to do. Go after her.

He had been following her scent for days. She smelled wonderful, something he would never forget. A nutty, natural scent with a hint of mint. He couldn't get enough of it.

He was on the right track. Her scent, her perfume, had been growing stronger by the minute. He was getting the sensation that he first got a few days ago. That he was getting close.

Another day had passed before he saw it. It was just past dawn, and the sun had risen a bit. A great city could be seen on the horizon, bustling with activity. He gave a shout of triumph and doubled his speed.

He landed about half a mile away from the city gates. It would be best to approach on foot, make a civil appearance, rather than act like he owned the place.

A few minutes later, he came upon the gate, guarded by two sentries. Discord spoke.

"Ah, excuse me. I would like to gain access to your city if you would be so kind as to let me pass. I believe you might have heard of me, by the name of Discord." Discord explained.

"Yes," the first guard explained, "our queen has spoken of you. She has told us that you are not to be permitted, under any circumstances, into the city."

Discord grunted. He waved his paw in front of the two sentries and said, "I am not the Discord you are looking for." He layered his voice, hypnotizing the sentries. Their eyes went crossed and they opened the gate.

He strolled in. He got a few strange looks, but no one confronted him. He decided to take a look around. It looked like the city was sectioned off. A business section, labor section, living, and so on and so forth. He also observed that the city had a second tier. He pulled over a passing bystander and asked what the tier was. The bystander told him that it was the Affluent District. Discord thanked the bystander and let him go on his way.

She would be up there, as royalty and other important or rich figures often took a grand view. He chuckled. He found a fondness toward her slight predictability, but he figured that that was where it ended. He headed up.

Again, he encountered a gate and sentries. He had his magic ready to go, but he wouldn't need it.

A sentry walked up to him. "You! You're... Discord, right?"

Discord raised an eyebrow. "Yeeees... Why?"

"We were in the group of changelings that you helped back in the forest! Oh man, we're all greatful to you! You are the best! Although... when Her Majesty said that we were leaving, we were a bit confused. We didn't want to leave you behind, but she's the queen, and you can't just ignore the queen, can you?"

Discord chuckled, "No, I suppose you can't. Can I enter the Affluent District? I need to have a... chat with the queen."

The second guard stepped up and replied, "Of course! Anything for you. You helped us out, we'll help you out. Brohoof?" He raised a hoof.

Discord slapped the hoof with his paw, the sentries chuckling. The gate opened and he strolled in. And there is was, in the middle of everything. Her castle, looming over the large households that lined the streets.

The draconequus strolled up to the castle grounds, walking past fountains and hedges cut into shapes, animals, and other things. The grounds were open to the public, to share in the prosperity that their queen had brought them.

He sauntered over to the grand doors of the palace and did the only thing he could think of. He knocked on the doors.

The doors opened, and a small object barreled into him. "Discord!"

He recognized the small ball of changeling that was squeezing his midsection. It was the queen's daughter.

He laughed as he ruffled her hair, which was just like her mother's. "How're you doing, kiddo?"

"I'm gooooood. I'm so glad you're here! I missed you so much! I was sad when we left you... But now you're here! Come on, I'll take you to mom!"

The changeling grabbed a single claw and pulled, Discord giving in to her pleading eyes. When they got to the throne room, Chrysalis was facing away from them, looking out a large bay window.

"Mommy, mommy! Look who's here to see you!"

Chrysalis giggled, "Chrystal, did you let in another street performer? As much as I enjoy their acts, we can't have random citizens strutting through the house, now can we?"

Chrystal replied, "But Mom! It's not a street performer! It's-"

"Me," said Discord.