Discordant Embrace

Discord and Chrystal set off the next morning.

The sky was clear of any clouds, the sun was bright, and there was a light breeze that caressed their faces. Chrystal yawned. They had gotten up early. They wanted to get to Ponyville by noon.

Discord flew on in silence; Chrysalis had fallen asleep on his back. It was a moment of solitude. Time to think.

A million questions flooded through his mind: "How exactly were they going to do this? What was going to happen afterwards? Could he really get to Celestia?" These were just a few of his concerns. Finally, he shrugged, sighed, and forced the questions back into the recesses of his mind. He'd figure it out as he went.

After another hour or so, Chrystal woke up. There, on the horizon, they could see Ponyville. Discord looked around, seeking the main road. There!

He descended approximately half a mile from the town and landed. Chrystal hopped off of his back. "Okay Discord, what do we do now?"

He looked at the changeling child. "I'm not sure yet... But we'll need disguises. We can't just stroll into the place like this. Ponyville doesn't have fond memories of  me, and I'm sure they heard of what happened at Canterlot."

Chrystal nodded. "Yeah, I guess. So what dis... disgusss... costumes are we using?"

"I'll show you."

Discord swirled his hand above him and magic encased his figure. He started to change. As the magic dispersed, a tall stallion stood in his place. The stallion had a pure white coat, with a mane and tail of several colors, including red, blue, green, brown, and his other natural colors.. It was a strange look, but the ponies of Ponyville did love and tolerate, which was what he was hoping for.

Chrystal's eyes went wide. "Coooool!"

"Now, it's your turn. Hmm... See if you can do it yourself. You have magic, see if you can use it."

Chrystal nodded. Contrary to Cadance's claim, changelings could take any form they pleased.

The child scrunched her eyes shut and concentrated. Her small horn had taken on a faint green glow. Discord wanted to cheer her on, but knew that it would break her concentration. He watched in anticipation.

Finally, her horn was a solid green. It flashed once, and a green glow enveloped the changeling. The change was over in little less than a second. A small foal stood where Chrystal once stood. The filly had a pure black coat, black as pitch. Her hair retained it's greenish-blue hue, and hung straight down as it always did. Her horn had disappeared. The changeling giggled in delight, prancing around, exploring her new look.

Discord chuckled. "Good job, Chrystal, very well done." Chrystal beamed with pride. "Now, let's get going. We have some ponies to find. We can't just strut into Canterlot and the palace, now can we?"

They set off towards town.

A few minutes later, they passed the fences of the town's edges and they were in. Chrystal was buzzing with excitement, wanting to explore. Discord thought. They were a strange pair indeed. He hated to admit it, but they might need to split up. He knew Chrystal was smart and could take care of herself for a little while. But where would she go?

A few blocks later, they trotted up to the schoolhouse. They looked around for a clock. Only eleven in the morning! They were an hour early. This was good.

"Okay Chrystal, I want you to stay in school for a while, alright? No one would ever suspect a foal. Understand?"

Chrystal nodded and said, "I get it! That way, I can stay out of trouble while you figure out what to do! Maybe I can make some friends!"

"That's the spirit! I'm sure the teacher wouldn't mind another student. Now, I have to go find some certain ponies... I'll be able to talk to you with magic, alright? You won't be alone."

"Okay Discord. Do what you need to do," said Chrystal. She then turned, and trotted to the school. He hoped she would be alright. He saw her take a deep breath, steady herself, and open the door. She went in and the door closed behind her.

Discord went off on his own path. He trotted through Ponyville at a steady pace. After a while, he found Sugarcube Corner. He ached. He knew Pinkie Pie, the pony that was so like him, worked there... He wanted to talk to her about his... problem, but she wasn't the first pony he had to go to, he knew that.

Temptation won over caution, and he stepped inside. He was immediately greeted by the tireless pink pony.

"Hi there, mister! I haven't seen you before! You must be new! I'm Pinkie Pie, nice to meetcha!" she said. She shook his hoof vigorously.

Discord beamed inside. She was the only pony to treat him nicely. He chuckled. "Oh Pinkie, I assure you, you've seen me before," he dared, "but that doesn't matter now. I'd... like to place an order. Four cupcakes, please."

Pinkie smiled, like she always did. "Sure thing mister... What's your name?"

"Umm... you can just call me D."

Pinkie shrugged. "Okay D, four cupcakes, coming right up!" Pinkie trotted to the counter and slid back a glass window to retrieve four cupcakes, each with multicolored frosting. "Here you go, D!"

"Thank you very much Pinkie. How much will that be?"

"Oh, it's on the house!"

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely! It's your first visit to Ponyville! Anyway, hope to see you around sometime."

Discord couldn't help it when he said, "Oh, you'll see me later today! Count on it." He left the shop, mentally hitting himself. He couldn't let any of his plan slip. He took two of the cupcakes out of the bag Pinkie gave him and ate them. Delicious, as he predicted. He sent the bag with the other two, magically, to Chrystal. She would need the energy.

He trotted around Ponyville some more, looking for the place he had to go most. After half an hour, he found it. He trotted up to the door and knocked. After a minute or so, the door finally opened. A unicorn stood there, half reading a book, half answering the door.

"Hello! Can I help you?"

"As a matter of fact you can. I was wondering if I could come in and... have a chat with you. It's very important."

"I don't even know you!" She gave him her full attention now. "I can't just let you in."

Discord forced her back with his large chest and closed the door behind him. "I'm afraid you don't have a choice, Twilight."