Something From Nothing

Winter's chill had begun its assault on Canterlot much as it had to Ponyville. The weather teams, as Alex had been informed, gradually eased into winter. Cold winds always came before the snowfall, which had been scheduled for the end of the week.

As an olive branch to Rarity, he had agreed to wear something other than his coat. He adjusted the scarf around his neck, a slinky white number with a black pattern that resembled the keychain on his Aubade. The earmuffs were nice, puffy and plush to the touch. If it weren’t for the change in texture they’d almost blend in with his hair. The thing he bristled at the most was the fluffy coat that hung down to the top of his thighs and was styled to resemble a stoat’s black and white fur. He’d hate it all if it didn’t do a great job of keeping him warm.

The castle's training yard spread out before him, empty after the day’s drills. Standing at an impromptu forge, Artemis tossed the last log into the fire.

“We’re ready to begin, kupo.” Turning to the gathered wielders, she studied each face. “Whose blade is first?”

“I believe that it is only right that I go first,” Luna said, levitating her keyblade over to Artemis’s workbench. “It has been quite some time since Missing Ache was given attention.”

Despite her small size, Artemis lifted Missing Ache with no issue. It was turned this way and that, every inch poked and prodded. Her brow creased, fingers tracing over the base of the blade. Placing it in the kiln, she popped open a small chest. Retrieving a cross shaped ore, Artemis placed it in a smaller oven like structure.

“Let me examine another while that one is in the forge, kupo,” Artemis said, sifting through her tools. “Prince Shining Armor, might I see your key next?”

Shining Armor summoned his blade and held it out for Artemis. “Don’t know how much work she needs, she hasn’t seen combat yet.”

“I believe its name is Fenrir?” Artemis took it from his magical grasp, eyes absorbing every facet.

The keyblade bore a mix of black, silver and gold. The bladed portion was black with teeth that resembled those of a chainsaw and ended in an indent like a taser. The toe of the hilt guard was decorated with exhaust pipes, two on the inside by the blade with two smaller ones on the outer edge of the guard. Finally, the hilt guard itself was pentagonal with the bottom half of the two sides around the hilt itself, shifting to gold.

“A fine key if I’ve ever seen one.”

“Does Fenrir even need a tune up?” Shining asked, focusing on the key. “I haven’t fought anything with it yet.”

“No, but it can be improved.”

Seeing what had once just been a quick menu event became the highlight of Alex’s week. Observing the miniscule fluff ball work the forge stole his attention. None of the material Artemis produced seemed familiar, nor was the concept of improving keyblades.

Switching Fenrir with Missing Ache, Artemis held the glowing key against an anvil. Pouring the now melted ore over its blade, she brought a mallet down against it.

“The guard was weakened,” she explained, hearing a pause in Twilight’s scribbling. “Darkness exposure, it looks like.” Ignoring a cough from Luna, she continued. “It’ll absorb the fluorite, which will reinforce it.”

“Interesting, I’ve never heard of fluorite being used like that,” Twilight commented, eyes darting from the moogle to her book.

Dunking Missing Ache in a trough of water, Artemis retrieved Fenrir. Using the remaining fluorite, she hammered away until its glow had dimmed. “Your highness, you may remove Missing Ache from the water.”

Using her magic, Luna lifted her blade from the water. Holding it before her, she cleaved the air. “Fantastic work, Artemis. The balance of the blade is perfect.”

Artemis bowed, her pom pom wobbling. “I strive to give nothing less than perfection. Princess Twilight? Might I see Sign of Innocence?”

“Of course!”

Plopping down on the grass, Alex felt a growing apprehension. How many flaws could Aubade have? It was an extension of himself. Would his flaws manifest in the blade? Was he ruining it? Clenching his fists, Alex tried and failed to chase away the dark thoughts by focusing on a random cloud. When that didn’t work he tried counting blades of grass. The dull, repetitive task alleviated the worst of it, but he was keenly aware of the specter at the back of his consciousness.

“Are you alright, Alex?” Luna leaned into his view, her mane trailing behind her. “You seem upset.”

“I’m fine, Luna,” Alex dismissed, looking up from his task. “Just thinking.”

“Might I inquire as to what?” Settling down next to him, Luna gave a smile. “It might ease your heart.”

“My heart’s plenty eased, Luna,” he retorted, not meeting her gaze. “It’s just random thoughts, no biggie.”

“Of course. Are you looking forward to winter? I imagine your mother and her friends are conspiring to make your first hearth's warming season a good one.”

“Fluttershy has been trying to feel out what I want as far as presents go,” he admitted, his features falling. “She even left a sales ad and marker on the table for me to find.”

Luna placed a hoof on his shoulder. “Alex, have you been to a therapist yet? I know you’ve talked to my sister about such a thing.”

“Not yet, we agreed to wait until after the Gala since the prep for that took a while. Fluttershy and Discord are still looking for one they like for me.”

“I could recommend you to mine,” Luna offered, shifting her gaze to Artemis. “Dr. Clear Mind is a wonderful doctor.”

“Pass it along to Discord,” he said, glancing at the alicorn. “He keeps insisting we get a doctor that ‘recognizes the need for a little chaos’.” He made sure to punctuate that with finger quotes.

Artemis cast Blizzard on herself, shaking off the heat of the forge. “All that’s left is Aubade. Alex, may I see it?”

Alex froze, a knot forming in his stomach. Standing up, panic overtook him. “Aubade’s fine,” he dismissed, shaking his head. “Don’t worry about it.” Brushing off his outfit, Alex tried to walk away. “If you need me I have a class field trip to get ready for.”

“Alex, this is important.” Twilight caught his sleeve in her telekinetic grip. “You shouldn’t just toss Artemis’s help to the side like that.”

“It’ll be fine, Book Horse,” Alex assured, tugging his arm free. “I’ve gotta get going, but if I feel like Aubade needs the tune up I’ll grab Arty here.”

Luna spread a wing, cutting off Twilight’s response. “You can’t force someone to accept help, Twilight. Do have faith. Alex will come around. Just give him time.”

Sighing, Twilight could only watch as Alex scurried off.

Airships always gave Alex a sense of wonder. Soaring above the countryside, they reminded him of his younger days playing on a hand-me-down SNES. Alex took in the scenery, the town of Ponyville already passing by. He scanned the ground, seeing if he could spot anyone he knew from his eagle-eyed view.

“How did your meeting with Luna go?” Fluttershy took a spot next to him, rearing up to look over the railing. “You got on so quickly I wasn’t able to ask before.”

“It was fine. Got to meet Twilight’s brother in person and see that moogle again,” Alex quickly said, not letting his eyes meet the mare’s.

“That sounds nice.” An encouraging smile graced Fluttershy’s face. “Was there anything else that happened?”

“I got to see Artemis work on a keyblade.”

“She only worked on one? Was it yours?”

Alex turned his head, spying an eagle float lazily below. “Everyone’s got a tune up. Aubade’s fine though. Didn’t need one.”

“Shining Armor got one and you didn’t?” Fluttershy questioned, her feathers ruffling. “But he hasn’t fought any real heartless yet. How could he need a tune up before you?”

“I couldn’t tell ya. Maybe he cracked it in the shower?”

Fluttershy went to open her mouth to say something only to snap it shut. It was clear Alex didn’t want to talk about his meeting. Forcing the topic would only wind him up more. “Are you excited to see my hometown?”

Scratching her ear, he graced her with a smile. “Of course I am! You can show me where you grew up. Plus, I’ve never cloudwalked before.”

“If you want to be spoiled again, we could swing by my parents’ home if we have time,” Fluttershy offered, giggling. “I know they wouldn’t mind us coming without telling them beforehoof.”

“If I may interrupt?” Cheerilee approached, a unicorn at her side. “We’ll be reaching Cloudsdale in a few minutes and it’s time for the students to have their cloudwalking enchantments.”

“Okay, spell me up,” Alex replied, approaching the unicorn with arms stretched out at his sides.

“Stay still please.” Lighting his horn, the unicorn wrapped Alex in an orange aura. “And done! You’re good to go!”

“Thanks,” Alex answered, suppressing a shudder from the lingering tingle of magic on him. Wiggling his fingers, Alex noted he didn’t feel any different. “What exactly does walking on a cloud actually feel like?”

Fluttershy tapped a hoof to her chin, considering the question for the moment. "Imagine walking on a pillow that has springs inside."

Nodding, Alex attempted to imagine such a feeling. Nothing came to mind beyond simply walking on a trampoline. “As long as it’s not a day of feeling damp.” He shrugged, switching gears. “So there’s an entire factory for making weather?”

Fluttershy’s brief explanation filled the final minutes of their commute. Falling in with the rest of his class, Alex’s anxiety subsumed his curiosity. The dock seemed far too small, leaving him with a descent much too soon onto a sea of white. Putting a hand on Fluttershy’s withers, he forced himself to step off the ship. He bounced a bit, but settled safely atop the cloud.

“You get used to it, Alex.” Snails poked the fluffy ground. “It took me a few trips to get my cloud hooves.”

“Come here often to visit family?” Alex questioned, thankful to have Snails take his mind off the idea of falling through clouds.

Snails nodded slowly. “My dad’s parents live here. I was gonna stop by after school.”

“We were thinking of doing the same with Fluttershy’s parents,” Alex shared, smiling at his friend. “Great minds think alike, eh?”

Snips bumped Snails’ shoulder, grinning. “Snails’s grandma makes the best salads! She even has a secret recipe!”

“It’s all in the dressing and her garden fresh ingredients,” Snails said, a bashful smile on his muzzle. “She even makes her own cheese.”

“Alright students!” Cheerilee strode to the front of the group, standing with Fluttershy and a few other adults. “I know everyone is excited to see Cloudsdale but please stay with your chaperones. For those of you with family in the city, if the proper arrangements have been made, you’ll be picked up after our tour of the weather factory.”

The students gave a cheerful affirmation before falling into line in the groups they were assigned to. Fluttershy’s group consisted of Alex, Snails, Snips, Rumble and Twist. Alex hadn’t spent much time with the last two, but Twist seemed nice enough.

Using a wing, Fluttershy held up a piece of paper to read. “Okay everypony, our schedule has us start in hail production followed by rainbow mixing.”

“How do you mix rainbows? Do you melt Skittles together?” Alex joked, trying not to think about the oddness of his steps.

“No, they just wait for Rainbow Dash to go to the bathroom,” Rumble chimed in, snickering at his own joke. His laugh died at Fluttershy’s gaze. “S-sorry, dumb joke,” he sputtered out, his ears sticking close to his head.

“Rainbowth are made by mixing theveral kindth of juiceth together,” Twist elaborated. “Ith kinda like making sweeth. They even uthe tiny bith of rainbow to flavor treath.”

“But be careful, they’re spicy,” Fluttershy offered, glad to change the subject. “Pinkie Pie found out from experience.”

That wasn’t what Alex had expected. It was good to know that Equestria could still surprise him. The idea of actual rainbows being spicy amused him though, if he ever did make it back to Earth that’d be something to tell the people behind Skittles.

Cloudsdale soon revealed itself as a surreal mix of cloud and marble. No visible foundation aside from clouds bore the city's many stone pillars, each as white as the ‘ground’. The entire thing was mobile, having been brought close to Ponyville to start winter production. Peering over the edge, Alex noted several streams of rainbow runoff.

“Do you ponies make anything but spectacles for your cities?” Alex questioned, not really expecting an answer. “Capitals built into mountains and floating cities that you move around. What’s next, a lost underwater city?”

“I don’t know about any of that.” Fluttershy braced a wing across his back. “But Cloudsdale is very old. It’s one of Equestria’s original cities.”

“Does feel like it’s been around for a while.” Alex could only be reminded of the time he went on a class trip to Philadelphia to see the Liberty Bell and the old Congressional Meeting Hall. It was like a time capsule that people could walk around in.

Fluttershy kept her wing on his back, steering him along the fluffy streets. Her sudden protectiveness became clear as the class came to the start of a long bridge. Arching over open space, and lacking rails, it served as the gateway to their destination.

"Does no one ever break a wing?" Alex commented, eyeing the pathway with a frown. "That's a fall risk for sure."

The weather factory looked nothing like what he expected. Rather than being bleak looking it matched the ornate greco architecture of the city. A rainbow from another part of the city streaked onto the facility and ended in two waterfalls. At the top of the facility was a dome with clouds puffing out on occasion.

The chaperones, which Alex realized were all pegasi, walked across the bridge at the outer lanes, keeping the students in the center.

"Was it your idea for all the chaperones to be pegasi?" Alex asked, turning to Fluttershy. "Can't imagine Cheerliee knew about this."

“Of course she did. I know she’s done field trips to Cloudsdale before.” Fluttershy retracted her wing upon their return to more open space. “You might see your grandfather on shift today but try not to distract him. Weather work needs a lot of focus.”

"Seeing his grandson is a distraction by itself," Alex countered with a grin. "Did you see how eager he was to spoil me?"

Cheerilee gathered the groups at the factory's front door. A few ground rules were set, nothing out of the ordinary from Alex’s experience. “And with that, enjoy your visit everypony!” Cheerilee ushered her own group inside, leaving the chaperones to their duties.

Fluttershy held up a wing and motioned for her group to gather up around her. Once the foals and Alex had settled, she led them to where a sign indicated hail production was done.

Large chunks of ice hung from the ceiling, swarmed by pegasi. The majority chiseled sections of ice away, tumbling down onto conveyor belts. More pegasi broke those sections into even smaller shards, separating out the tiniest.

"Hello class!" A chipper voice called out. From a catwalk, a sky blue pegasus mare swooped down to hover in front of them. Bits of curly white mane hung out of her hard hat. "Welcome to hail production! Be mindful of the yellow and black tape, anything beyond that is a hard hat zone. Does anypony have any questions before I explain what we do here?”

“Why would ponies make hail?” Alex asked, watching the process for a few seconds longer. “Just seems weird to create something that’s an inconvenience.”

“An excellent question!” the pony said, pointing a hoof at Alex. “Hail does seem inconvenient and can really hurt if you’re not careful on those scheduled days. So why do we make it? The answer is that much like there are plants that rely on controlled burns or Celestia forbid, a wildfire to properly germinate, hail interacts with a lot of medicinal herbs as part of their life cycle. Does anypony here have mana buildup issues?”

Snips shuffled, slowly raising a hoof. “I do.”

“Then you can thank hail for the moonleaf that goes in your medicine,” the pegasus commented, proudly puffing up her chest. “Just a helpful lesson from us hail workers, foals; everything has a use, even things you don’t expect in ways you don’t see coming.”

Alex’s eyes drifted upward, scanning the upper work stations. He thought he had seen a swath of rainbow. A gentle nudge from Snails got his feet moving, following their brief guide through the hail department.

“And this is the snowflake carving room!”

Their guide led the group into what Alex thought was a cold room. Unicorns and pegasi sat in rows of tables, flickering magic lights above them. The pegasi bore sharp metal tips on their wings, chipping at small bits of ice.

“Each pegasus adds their own flare to each snowflake. We’ve asked across Equestria, and not a single duplicate has been found.”

Now that was something, Alex thought. Such a job must be a pain on the eyes, however. Keeping a respectful distance, he watched the nearest pegasi closely. He noticed a few of them were wearing an eye lens like one might find at a jeweler’s, using it to apply fine detail work.

Noticing Snails besides him, Alex spoke. “Where I’m from, snowflakes form naturally.”

“That’s weird,” Snails said, tilting his head. “Does that mean all your snowflakes look the same if nopony’s making them?”

“Nope! Nature makes every snowflake different. Though, humans have managed to make identical snowflakes in laboratories.”

Glancing over at the hard working ponies, Snails leaned towards Alex and whispered, “Best not to say that too loud. I think it’d hurt their feelings to hear that nature can do their job for them.”

“Yeah, my sister said something similar.” His face shifted, slightly downcast. Turning back to the group, Alex sighed. “I’m becoming naturalized, Snails.”

“Naturalized how?” he questioned, frowning. “And why are you saying it like it's bad?”

Alex mulled over his response. It took him a minute to respond. “It’s not bad... it’s just... living here isn’t strange to me anymore.”

“That’s good, right? Why do you look so sad when you say it?” Snails’s face scrunched up, struggling to wrap his head around what his friend was saying.

“Because it means I’m that much further away from where I come from.” And who he used to be. Snails didn’t need to know that part. Patting his friend’s head, Alex coaxed a smile to his face. “But don’t worry about that.”

Snails nodded, pacified for the moment. “Okay, but you can talk to me if anything’s bothering you.” A weak grin spread on his muzzle and a light blush peppered his cheeks. “Or maybe your mom, she’s better at stuff like that.”

“Yeah, but that’d just make her worry,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m... going to start seeing someone about that stuff.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Snails agreed, beaming up at him. “Nothing wrong with that.”

Snips saddled up on Alex’s other side, gently thumping him on the leg. “What are you guys talking about?”

“Alex was just talking about how snow worked on his old world.” Snails gave Alex a quick wink.

Smiling back at him, Alex felt some of his tension bleed out. Immersing himself into friendly banter, he managed to get his mind back onto the field trip.

The guide went on to explain the various techniques that went into the design process of the flakes. And of course, no discussion of the stuff could be complete without the inclusion of a yellow snow joke.

A wing prodded Alex’s back, bringing his attention to Fluttershy. “We’ll be heading into the cloud section. That’s where your grandfather works.”

“Can we wave at him if we see him, or would that be too distracting for him?” Despite his prior worries, he was genuinely excited to see his adopted grandfather at work. The mustachioed pegasus had been so warm it was hard not to feel that way.

“Of course.” Fluttershy nudged him forward, giggling. “Just make sure it's just a wave.”

Nodding, he continued following the group through the archway that led into the cloud section. For a split second, he could’ve sworn he saw a pony shaped shadow dart along the ceiling.

The air carried an electrical charge, enough to make Alex’s hair stand on end just by walking. An open room stretched out before them, filled with rumbling machines and whistling pistons. It reminded him of a cartoon, something from an old Looney Tunes short.

Several pegasi stood at an assembly line, working their hooves on raw cloud material for a moment before it moved down the line for the next pony to do their part. Pistons hammered the material into the familiar fluffy shape, depositing them into awaiting carts. Once the carts were moved, ponies with clipboards sifted through the carts, either leaving them be or discarding them while making notes in their boards.

“And as you can see, this is the main cloud production room,” their guide said, sweeping an arm in front of her. “Here we create the majority of the clouds you see. Of course, your local weather team also makes them as needed.”

Pointing to a fluffy white cloud, she continued. “The inspection is to make sure the charge rate is just so. For your standard drifting clouds we need to make sure they won’t cause an unprompted storm and disrupt deliveries groundside.”

“Do clouds carry a natural charge?” Alex asked, raising a hand.

“Good question,” the guide said, pointing a hoof at Alex. “Yes, there is a natural charge and pegasi manipulate that to adjust the shape and type of cloud.” She demonstrated by giving an unattended cloud a buck.

White shifted to black, the deep rumble of a storm coming from within. The smell of ozone filled the room as the cloud rumbled with the promise of discharge.

“As you can see, pegasus magic agitates a given cloud's inherent energy.” Giving it a gentle push, she motioned them to follow.

“You know, it was always considered a pipe dream to control the weather, back on Earth at least,” Alex commented to Fluttershy. “Or a conspiracy theory.”

“I’m not a big fan of conspiracy theories,” Fluttershy answered, her wings twitching. “Not after Zephyr went on a two hour tirade about how Commander Hurricane’s charge was an inside job.”

“...He didn’t strike me as the type.”

“It was a phase. A very short, irritating phase,” Fluttershy grumbled, hiding her face behind her bangs. Joy replaced frustration, punctuated by a pointed wing. “Oh! There’s your grandfather. Up on the catwalk.”

Glancing up, Alex found the green pegasus in question fluffing up clouds and putting on finishing touches on them. Grinning, he waved at his adopted grandfather. Cirrostratus waved a wing, giving a slight show of finishing his current cloud.

“Seems like Grandpa is proud of his work here,” Alex commented, nodding at the stallion.

“He keeps a bit of cloud from every year he’s worked here.”

“He must have a lot of clouds by now.”

Giggling, Fluttershy nodded at that statement. “Oh, he had to have new shelves installed a couple times while I was growing up.”

A soft vibration passed through the floor, escalating into a frantic tremor. Clouds spilled out from the door, expanding in like a growing organism. Lightning crackled from machine to machine, sending each into a frenzy.

Falling into their emergency training, the weather factory met the emerging disaster at the gate. Half the assembled team went to do the emergency shutdown procedures on the failing machines, the other herding terrified foals to the back exit.

Cheerilee joined in corralling the tour group, offering assurances to the near panicked foals. “It’ll be alright, everypony! Just follow the weather ponies!”

Frightened murmurs went along the tour group, but they managed to keep an orderly line as they were led away from the growing mass of clouds. The mass swelled, the catwalk groaning loudly from the strain. With a loud crack, the supports of the walkway gave way and made the metal go into freefall. When it slammed into the floor, parts of the cloud floor were punched out, with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon screaming as the solid surface was replaced with open air.

Breaking from the group, Alex dove into the opening. His arms wrapped around the flailing fillies, joining them in an open plummet. Dread filled his gullet, watching Cloudsdale grow further and further away. His mind ground to a halt, locked in a logic chain of just how broken they’d be when they hit the ground.

There had to be a spell. Aero? Gravity? Maybe he could lock them all in stasis with Stop until someone could get them. No. He couldn’t cast, not without releasing one of his rescuees. Come on, he chided himself. Do something!

The rush of wind abated, their momentum throttling back. Alex blinked, listening to Silver and Diamond screaming. “We stopped falling,” he said dumbly.

Diamond and Silver could only hold onto him, silent sobs wracking them as they tried to process what had just happened to them.

No, they hadn’t stopped Alex realized. Cloudsdale was still shrinking, merely having slowed its process. Daring to look down, he could see the ground slowly come into more detail. Checking his body over, he noted the distinct lack of a unicorn’s glow.

“Wait... am I gliding?”

"I don't care what you're doing, just don't drop me!" Diamond cried, finding her voice as she clung to Alex tighter.

Relying on the adrenaline still in his system, Alex dared to roll. Keeping his arms around the fillies, his eyes met the sight of the ground. As dangerous as it was, he needed to push the limits of this new ability. Spotting a clearing beneath them, he willed himself towards it, shifting his body.

Slower than he would've liked, his body complied with his will. Clenching his jaw, he kept an eye to the ground in preparation for a bumpy landing.

“Best not die, girl. Finding hosts is far too much of a hassle to do again.”

Ignoring Nightmare, Alex narrowed his focus. With the ground in reach, he tucked into a roll, shielding the fillies as much as he could. Taking the brunt of the impact, Alex came to a stop when his head collided with a rock.

Letting himself slump down, a dull throb formed in Alex's head as his adrenaline waned. “You guys okay?” he asked, feeling the sting of blood enter one of his eyes.

“Y-yeah.” Diamond nodded weakly, gingerly stepping off him. She stumbled, regaining herself a few steps away from him.

Rolling off Alex, Silver Spoon wretched before standing. “Uh-huh, I'm okay,” she croaked.

“Good.” Alex touched his head, feeling a liquid seep into his glove. “Okay... you got this.” Calling upon his magic, the soothing wave of Cure passed over him. The simple spell proved far more taxing than usual, a blanket of exhaustion laying on him.

"Let's hole up here while we wait for the group to come get us," he offered, turning his head to face the pair. “I need a breather.”

"Not like we can get back to Cloudsdale on our own anyway," Diamond agreed without a hint of snark. Her eyes lingered on his face, her own downturning. “Are you doing okay?”

Alex waved her off, wiping away some of the blood. "I'm all good. A little tired, but this head wound shouldn't even need stitches."

Diamond nodded slowly, sitting down beside him. “That’s good...” Falling silent, her ears splayed backwards. “...Thanks for saving us.”

"What was I supposed to do, let you go splat?" Alex countered, chuckling. "I don’t think Screwball would’ve forgiven me.”

“Can’t you rub it in our faces just a little?” Diamond whined, poking him in the side. Her eyebrow cocked, eyes narrowing. “What does your weirdo sister have to do with this?”

Alex sucked air through his teeth. That was a slip he didn’t need right now. It was out of the bag now, he might as well dig deeper. “Would you believe that you're related to Discord?”

“Considering the lack of random body parts, yes,” Diamond deadpanned.

“Screwball is your grandmother... not sure how many greats though.” Seizing the moment, he scratched one of her ears.

Diamond pulled away from the action, swiveling her ears back.. “Hold on, my grandma is Discord and Princess Celestia’s daughter?”

“Yup.” Pulling her into a hug, he made a point to grin wide. “Which means, you're my niece.”

“And that I’m royalty,” Diamond added, letting herself be hugged. “I knew I wore a tiara for a reason.” A sound akin to a dying turkey emitted from her throat, hooves desperately searching the space above her head. “I-It’s gone!”

“It must’ve fallen during the accident,” Silver offered, looking around the field. “Since Cloudsdale was over Ponyville, it might be in town somewhere.”

Alex kept his grip, letting a stern edge creep into his voice. “We can’t go looking now. Just relax and sit down.”

“I know but…” Diamond paused sighing. “It’s not just expensive jewelry, I got my cutie mark because of it.”

“We’ll find it, don’t worry.” Alex held her close, resting his chin on her head. “Promise.”

“Thank you,” the pink filly replied, settling into the embrace.

The rescue crew found the trio settled in around a small campfire. Ponyville’s sudden winter made its presence known, covering the forest in snow. Alex endured a field exam, assuring the doctor that the blood didn’t indicate injury. It took some effort, but he was finally able to pry the persistent pony off him. Fluttershy was a different story. She clung to him the instant the doctor stepped back.

“I was terrified when you fell. I-I thought...” her words devolved into sobs, her muzzle nuzzling into his neck.

“Sorry for making you worry,” Alex offered, stroking her mane gently. “I just sorta moved on instinct. And hey. I uh. Flew. Kinda.”

This caused her to pull away from his neck to meet his eyes and search for any signs of a joke. “You flew? Did you grow wings?”

Alex smushed her face, wiping her tears away. “It was more of a glide. No wings involved.”

“Then why didn’t you say that?” she retorted, giving him a flat look. “I swear you’re picking up on Discord’s habit of phrasing things to make me ask silly questions.”

“No, I think he’s picked up your magic, dear.”

A chill wafted over Alex, heralding the cold touch of metal. He made a sound akin to a bark, pulling his shirt back down. “Seriously!?”

Discord tsked, stethoscope held between his talons. “Oh come now. It’s not that cold, my boy.” Removing his surgical mask, Discord studied a clipboard. “Mmmhmm. Clear case of pegasus magic.”

Fluttershy composed herself enough to thwack Discord on the leg with a wing. “Discord! You know better than to do that!” Fighting to keep her wings under control, her voice remained firm. “You told me you handled Alex’s magic problem.”

“I most certainly did, Flutters.” Scooping her up, he flipped through his papers. “But I didn’t account for the passive magic of ponies seeping in. He’s spent so much time with you, he’s naturally adapted a form of pegasus magic.”

“Do you think the same thing will happen with other kinds of ponies?” Alex questioned, looking down at himself. “I spend a lot of time with unicorns and earth ponies too after all.”

Discord tapped his chin, rubbing a blushing Shy’s belly. “Perhaps but you don’t live with them. The effects wouldn’t be as pronounced.”

“What about you?” Alex questioned, picking up the implications. “I live with you, and you have magic.” He squirmed, finding himself cradled in Discord’s arm.

“Nonsense my dear boy. I fixed that problem when we adjusted your magic intake.” Discord coiled himself around the pair, nuzzling both of them. “You won’t be polymorphing anyone with sneezes.”

Alex smirked, leaning back against Discord’s fur. “Oh, I get it. You only want to pass on chaos magic to your bio kids. Nothing for the step-kid except chores.”

“Perish the thought. You wouldn’t want it.” Discord set them down. His head turned, akin to an owl, facing backwards. “Yes, pink filly? Can I help you?”

“Um, Alex kinda told me that your daughter was my grandmother,” Diamond said, kicking at a rock with a hoof. “So wouldn’t that make you my grandfather?”

Discord’s second face looked down at Alex before the first one spoke. “No my dear, that makes me your grandmother of about...twenty five greats. Celestia is your grandfather.”

Diamond blinked, a far off look on her face. Shaking her head, she found her voice. “Either way, that makes us family.”

Twisting his body right-way around, Discord pinched her cheeks. “Yes it does, Cubic Zirconia Headwear. Thankfully, you didn’t turn out very chaotic.”

“My name’s Diamond Tiara,” the filly huffed, trying and failing to escape the assault on her cheeks. “And if it’s chaos you’re looking for, that’d be the Cutie Mark Crusaders.”

Discord relented, instead peeking at her through a magnifying glass. “Oh, I know, my dear. Thankfully, I’m not related to them.” Tossing the glass away, he pressed his face against hers. “It seems you're lacking your trademark.”

Letting a hoof rest against the top of her head, Diamond nodded. “Yeah, it slipped off during the fall. Alex was going to help me look for it.”

Gathering up the startled youngsters, including a very confused Silver Spoon, Discord herded them along the path. “Come now, children. You too, Metallic Spork. Youngsters shouldn’t witness murder.”

“Why would we be witnessing murder?” Silver questioned, paling.

“Well, you see, Shy can be very intense when it involves something she cares about. She’s going to be very upset when she finds out a certain rainbow flavored friend of hers almost made her son go splat.”

“Wait, Dash did what?” Alex said, trying to wriggle out of Discord’s grasp. “There’s no way I’m not having a talk with her.”

Discord merely turned Alex forward. “Your mother’s going to handle it, Alex. Besides, we have a tiara to find and you’ve a promise to keep.”