Healing Hearts

Chapters

Prologue
Palace Life
Girls and Memories
The Arrival
Music Disaster

Prologue

Once upon a time, in the great kingdom of Venupil, there lived a fair king named Alpheus and his beloved queen Salene. They had a content marriage and a peaceful rule. But despite such fortune, they could not have any children. Salene had a family history of dying early, so she did not want to take a chance with any biological children. After searching through many books, the couple came upon a solution. They enlisted the help of a sorcerer to create a stone that would determine who would be chosen as prince or princess. During the process, the magician foretold that the stone would glow for only six.

Before they could test it out for the first time, something surprising occurred. When the king and queen were having a picnic, they found a baby demon in a basket caught amidst some rocks in the river. They took the infant inside their home to take care of him while a search was made for his parents. To their amazement, the stone glowed gold. Salene knew then that the baby was to be theirs. Alpheus, however, was more hesitant in raising the child, but in accordance to his wife’s wishes, the infant demon was deemed a prince.

The new parents joked about naming the baby Moses since he was found in the river, but shortly after he was taken in, the king and queen found a piece of paper with Japanese kana on it. They took it to an interpreter and the latter said it spelled “Aku”. Even though the rulers didn’t exactly see it as a suitable name, they gave it to the baby anyway because it was the name that was in the basket with him. After they took Aku in, the king and queen waited for more foundling children to arrive. They avoided using the stone in the orphanage in fear of broken hearts, both the children’s and the rulers’. Aku grew up being an only child, and being a demon, he acted very wild and had to be disciplined. Nonetheless, his untamed spirit never died.

It was to the surprise of the royal family that another foundling baby showed up at their doorstep about half a decade after Aku was taken in. This time, this infant was a strange creature with mismatched body parts. A note that was in his basket stated that his name was Discord and that he hailed from Equestria. The stone glowed once more, telling them that the newfound baby was to be another prince. Again, Alpheus wasn’t quite willing to welcome another child as strange as Aku, but he could not break his beloved’s heart. Although Discord caused more mischief and havoc than Aku did when he was little, the draconequus’ pranks were less harmful. Soon, Aku and Discord became the best of friends…more often than not.

Right when Discord was a toddler, a triangular demon about his age dropped in from another dimension. It took him a while to get used to his new surroundings, but he finally got the hang of it. He stayed with a nice family until a visiting relative shooed him out. When the king and queen discovered the strange triangular child, they decided to take him back to the palace to test out the stone. To Alpheus’s dismay, the stone glowed gold again.

He remarked, “Why can’t we have any normal children just for once?”

Fortunately, the triangular demon was able to speak and told his new parents that his name was Bill Cipher. When he told them everything that happened to him, Salene took pity on him and had him made a prince. Needless to say, Discord and Aku adored the newcomer and played with him every chance they got. He was just as mischievous as Aku, but he was also as energetic as Discord himself. Even though Aku eventually grew out of any games he called “childish”, he couldn’t help but have fun with his adopted brothers sometimes.

Just when Aku was reaching adolescence, a catlike boy appeared out of nowhere. He was one of few who escaped the massacre of his people on a planet in another universe. When he was brought before the king and queen, he told him that his name was Garazeb Orrelios and he was from Lasan. Once the stone glowed again, the rulers took him in as their own. Despite now living as a prince, Zeb couldn’t adjust to his new lifestyle very well. When they saw how unhappy he was, Bill and Discord decided to re-introduce him to fun.

Every winter, Aku and Zeb would hang out together in the Lasat’s bedroom. After a while, Bill and Discord’s voices came in through the door, “You guys?”

As Discord knocked on the door, Aku face-palmed and groaned, “Oh, not them again.”

Outside the door, Bill and Discord sang, “Do you want to build a snowman?”

Discord sang, “Come on, let’s go and play…”

Bill sang, “We never see much of you…”

“Come out, you two…”

“It’s like you’ve gone away…”

The both of them sang, “We want to be best buddies…or are we not? Don’t let us be led astray…Do you want to build a snowman? It doesn’t have to be a snowman…”

Zeb opened the door and sighed, “Oh, all right. We’ll play.”

Discord and Bill cheered, “You will? Yay!”

The bond among the four brothers was tight for a couple of years until a preteen street urchin named Negaduck was caught stealing the crown jewels. Before there was a chance to put him on trial, the stone glowed again. In defeat, Alpheus granted Negaduck a chance to live in the palace to become refined. At first, things didn’t go so well with him, but when Bill learned that Negaduck too was far away from his home dimension, the demon forged a solid friendship with the duck. Aku also grew accustomed to him as did the other brothers. Of course, Discord and Bill continued their winter tradition, but this time, Zeb joined them in their seasonal request.

After they knocked on Negaduck’s bedroom door, all three sang, “Do you want to build a snowman?”

Discord sang as he and Bill rode on a bicycle, “Or ride our bikes around the halls?”

After the troublesome two crashed into statues of armor, Zeb sang, “I think some company is overdue…”

Bill sang, “We’ve started talking to the pictures on the walls!”

Zeb muttered, “Yeah, right.”

Discord then sang, “It gets a little lonely…All these empty rooms…Just watching the hours tick by…”

When the draconequus clicked his tongue to the tick-tock of the grandfather clock, Negaduck slammed the bedroom door open in annoyance and shouted, “Stop with the ticking! We’ll play with you!”

The three brothers then smirked at each other.

A few more years had passed until a somber teenage centaur named Tirek came up to the castle gates. After his request to enter had been granted, Tirek explained how he came from the same universe as Equestria. He had been in line for the throne until Sendak, a centaur mage, drove him from his homeland and possibly destroyed his family. After many days of endless travel, Tirek had come across a crystal mirror that led him to Venupil. When the stone glowed for the final time, it was decided that Tirek would stay with them until he wished to leave.

Despite living at the castle, Tirek was restless with his new life and wanted desperately to search for his family. But he knew that Sendak probably put a bounty on his head back in Equestria, so it might’ve been too dangerous to go back. Seeing how much pain Tirek was in, the five other brothers decided to cheer him up by letting him spend quality time with them. At first, he was too grumpy to join in on the fun, but overtime, he slowly bonded with the rest of his adopted siblings. Although he now had a new family, he never wanted to forget his first family and where he came from.

The princes loved their mother very dearly because she was the only parent to care so much for them. Alpheus, however distant he seemed, gave the boys loving and gentle guidance whenever they needed it. Many years of fun times and laughter had passed until a terrible tragedy struck. Salene knew her time had come, so on her deathbed, she gave her sons a canister that was locked by decoder rings on the rim. After their mother had passed on, the princes felt as if their lives would never be the same again. Heartbroken, the king stayed in his chamber while his sons attended the funeral. After the ceremony, Zeb, Discord, and Bill Cipher went to their father’s chamber and knocked on the door.

Zeb sang, “Father? Please, we know you’re in there…”

Discord sang solemnly, “People are asking where you’ve been…”

Bill sang, “They say, ‘Have courage’, and we’re trying to…”

All three sang sadly, “We’re right out here for you…Just let us in…We only have each other…It’s just you and us…What are we gonna do?”

After they slunked to the floor and leaned on Alpheus’s doorway, they turned to see three of their brothers leaning out their doorways before the latter group closed them.

Discord sang to the brothers behind the doors as tears welled up in his eyes, “Do you want to build a snowman?”

When he began crying, Bill and Zeb comforted him. Bill shed some tears while Zeb rubbed Discord’s lion arm. Alpheus heard it all from the other side of the door and leaned on his desk in despair. Behind his door, Negaduck tipped down his fedora and shed a single tear. In his bedroom, Aku sat down at his desk ad buried his face in his arms. Tirek suffered worst of all because he had already lost his family once. All he could do was just sit by his window and look out in a sorrowful daze.

Author's Note

The song in this chapter is "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" from Frozen. See? I told you I'd base this story partially on the movie.

Palace Life

There he was again…Scorpan…He was just as Tirek remembered him: the gargoyle who was his devoted younger brother. The centaur tried calling out to him, but no voice came from his mouth. He tried to wave at him, but Scorpan looked around as if Tirek was invisible.

The gargoyle started to sing, “Who will rescue me?”

Even though Tirek had no voice, he screamed in his thoughts, Brother, I am right here! Why can’t you see me?! I’m standing right here!

Scorpan sang again, “Who…will rescue me? Who…will rescue me?”

Suddenly, a black shroud loomed over them and an inky arm stretched from the darkness and grabbed Scorpan.

The gargoyle screamed, “Help! Tirek! Where are you?!”

Tirek ran to him as his brother was being lifted in the air. He shouted in his mind, I’m coming, brother! Don’t worry!

Scorpan continued to shout with tears streaming down his face, “Tirek, save me! I need you!”

The centaur jumped as he reached for his brother’s paw, but to his surprise, his hand went right through. He crashed into the ground and looked up to see Scorpan being taken by the shroud of darkness.

Tirek screamed with his voice now regained, “SCORPAAAAN!”

He woke with a start in his bed of blankets. It was the same nightmare he’d been having for the last week. The resulting insomnia made him a force to be reckoned with around the castle. He didn’t understand why he kept having that dream, but he had a pretty good idea. The last the centaur saw of his brother, Scorpan stayed inside Midnight Castle while Tirek ran for his life. The centaur regretted his decision ever since then and wanted to rectify the great wrong. However, his lust for power as a prince prevented him from going back to Equestria to find Scorpan. For many years, guilt hung over him and became his burden and his alone.

Tirek sang softly, “I’m at a loss without a friend…” As he got up from his blanket bed, he continued to sing, “This nightmare…Will it ever end?” He went to the window forlornly and sang, “Who…will…rescue him?” His front legs then rose up on the window seat as Tirek put his hand on the window and sang, “Rescue him…” He leaned against the window as he finished sadly, “Rescue me...”

It had been a couple of years since Salene’s passing. Even though the kingdom healed from the devastation, some hearts were still raw with pain. Alpheus felt as if he could never get over his wife’s death, so he became stoic and more distant from his sons. To him, the princes reminded him of Salene because of how much she loved them. Only a few of the brothers healed from the tragedy, but it was only mostly.

Sometime after the queen died, Discord and Bill Cipher went back to their carefree ways. Although they still missed their mother very much, they wanted to keep her memory alive. However, they found out the topic was a touchy issue with most of their family, so they only ever talked about the good times with Zeb and sometimes Aku. Because of this, Zeb’s heart was able to heal considerably, but the queen’s death had made him more mature and aloof.

For Aku, Salene was the only mother he’d ever known. Her death had devastated him past the point of tears. He felt so empty inside that he wasn’t able to cry even if he wanted to. Soon after the funeral, he became detached from almost everything he knew, save for a lukewarm relationship with Discord, Zeb, and Bill Cipher. Aku made himself promise to never love anyone else but his mother ever again. In his view, to let himself love once more would mean risk putting his heart through more pain. He could not take that chance for fear of being irreparably broken.

Though Negaduck could not feel the pain as deeply as Aku did, he loved his adopted mother just as much as any of his brothers did. Salene’s death reopened a wound in his heart that was made when he had to leave the Negaverse. Leaving his family and the life he’d known behind was the hardest thing Negaduck had to do and it pained him every day since. Now that he lost another person he loved, he closed off his heart and turned angry and sour. He may have had become someone to fear at the castle, but there was one other being bitterer than he was.

Tirek had been separated from his family when he was a teenager, so he was familiar with the pain of losing a loved one. Despite the experience, though, it was still as unbearable as ever. He was afraid of opening up to his adopted family and look where bonding with them got him: back in the same situation he had been in over a decade earlier. His uncertainty about whether or not any of his biological family members were still alive stopped him from taking off on a search. As much as he wanted to leave Venupil, he had virtually no leads to go on. Being stuck where he was at made him grumpy and unapproachable.

Life at the castle changed from happy and blithe to dull and gloomy. Although Discord and Bill Cipher tried to invoke fun around the place, their attempts failed most of the time. The people and both princes wondered if there would ever be joy in the palace again…

It was a bright and sunny day, but Aku’s room was as black as pitch – save for a small beam of sunlight that flowed in from a crack between the curtains. He had to try again. He just had to. If there was only one way for Aku to communicate with his mother’s spirit, then this had to be it. It was the one moment when Aku would find out whether or not his magic training paid off. He sat on the floor with his legs crossed, extended his hand, and concentrated on the crystals in front of him.

He began to chant in Japanese, “Shisha no sekai ni ikite iru no sekai kara, watashi wa kono messēji o sōshin shimasu. Watashi wa watashi ni kite saren, Venupil no joō no tamashī o yobi. Watashi ni kite, watashi no tangan o kikimasu. Watashi ni kite, watashi ni kite, watashi ni –“

“All right!”

The sudden voice broke Aku’s concentration and the floating crystals immediately fell to the floor. He opened his right eye in agitation before closing it again.

Once he calmed down, he levitated the crystals and chanted again, “Joō saren, watashinohaha wa, watashi o kikimasu. Watashi ni kiite, mōichido watashi ni hanashimasu.”

“Got it!”

Another voice ruined his focus. Aku growled and stood up, having enough interruptions. He grabbed the curtains and shoved them aside. He looked out the window and saw Bill Cipher and Discord playing tennis in the courtyard while Zeb acted as referee.

Aku opened the window and shouted, “Do you mind?! I’m trying to concentrate here!”

Zeb said, “We’re just having a little fun. I don’t see any harm in it.”

Discord agreed, “Yeah, we’ll show you.” He tossed the tennis ball up in the air as he shouted, “Think fast, Bill!”

When Discord swung the ball over the net, Bill readied himself, saying, “Here comes a high one!” The triangle then swung with all his might and the ball flew up into the air.

Discord remarked, “That is a high one.”

Zeb warned Aku, “Aku, look out!”

The trio closed their eyes and braced themselves for the impact the ball would have on Aku.

Whump!

When they opened their eyes, they were surprised to discover that Aku had caught the ball a mere three inches from his face. Despite the amazing catch, the demon still kept a stern face.

Bill exclaimed, “Wow! Now that’s what I call a lucky shot!”

Aku said in an unamused tone, “Yes, and you all will be lucky if you can evade this shot.”

He morphed his right hand into a tennis racket and swung the ball towards them. The ball rocketed at nearly lightspeed and smashed into the ground with a burst of dust. The trio looked into the newly-formed crater and saw that the tennis ball was wrecked.

Zeb said as he started to walk away, “Come on. We can tell we’re not wanted here.”

Bill said as he followed the Lasat, “Yeah. Let’s head to the beach. I could use some rays.”

Discord was about to join them, but he looked back to see Aku closing his window. Feeling dismayed, he followed his brothers to the beach.

Fortune Beach was a popular place to be in Venupil when travelers would come in from all sorts of places and dimensions. The beach was known for its gleaming white sands and lovely spots to set up a picnic. Sometimes, the tide would bring in pieces of gold and priceless jewels, rumored to have floated up from a treasure chest buried deep in the waters. When people would come to the beach, they usually searched for such valuable pieces that probably washed up on the shore the night before. That was what Zeb was doing at the moment as he and his brothers were at Fortune Beach. Bill Cipher was sitting on a beach chair while holding a tanning mirror to catch some sunlight, and Discord was just lying on his stomach and drawing shapes in the sand with his talon. Zeb knew the look on the draconequus’s face all too well. Whenever Discord’s ears drooped and he looked downwards, the Lasat knew something was bothering him.

Zeb sat down beside Discord and asked, “Doing okay, Discord?”

The draconequus sighed, “I don’t understand. We were a happy and close family one day and the next, we’re not. It’s like everything went wrong when Mom died.”

“Yeah, I know how you feel. I felt like fate messed me over when most of my people were massacred on Lasan. I was lost, confused, angry even. But then I found Venupil and a loving family to give me a new home. I may never forget my old life, but at least I found something that’s become close to my heart.”

“Well, this is the only place I’ve known. I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else but here. I went to Equestria one time and got ridiculed and jeered for my appearance all because I wasn’t a pony like they were.”

“Hey, if they couldn’t see you for who you are, then it’s their loss. Count your blessings you live here instead of Equestria.”

“Yeah. I’d rather have just one person who’s unsettled by me than a crowd who acts the same way.”

Zeb put his hand on Discord’s shoulder and said, “We’re peas in a pod, Discord. Peas in a pod.”

Aku walked down the long hallway in silence. His attempt to contact his mother from beyond had failed. He pinned the blame on the brothers who were out in the courtyard when he was trying to concentrate. He had tried again after the others went to the beach, but no matter how hard he tried, he did not succeed. He could not dwell on his despair for long. He needed someone to talk to, even if the other being wasn’t exactly chatty.

He entered Negaduck’s room and saw that it was empty. Aku knew that Negaduck had to have gone off somewhere…and he knew exactly where. He tilted his brother’s bed at the foot and put it against the wall. On the floor beneath where the bed used to be was a circle tiled with a round red center and two rings of letters, the larger of which held the first 14 letters of the alphabet. All of the princes had a circled lock like this underneath their beds. Whenever they entered a code – i.e. their names – a panel would slide open and a secret stairway would be revealed. Only they and their mother knew about it. Aku entered Negaduck’s name in the tiled lock and the stairway was exposed.

In his secret workshop, Negaduck was underneath his motorcycle doing mechanic work. Suddenly, he heard the panel in the workshop creaking open. He froze in case someone besides his brothers discovered his secret place.

A voice said, “It is only I, Negaduck.”

Negaduck released the breath he held and rolled out from underneath his motorcycle. He sat up to see Aku at the bottom of the stair. Aku saw that Negaduck’s regular attire was on a hanger and his fedora was on a hat stand. The mallard himself was wearing black overalls with yellow buttons and a red shirt, not to mention a few oil spots here and there.

Negaduck crossed his arms and said, “Why are you down here?”

Aku answered, “My attempts to contact Mother’s spirit have been...less than fruitful. If what I assume is correct, you might just find something to help me succeed.”

“And how would I do that exactly?”

“You have your motorcycle, don’t you? I take it you’re not planning on going on a joyride in it, are you?”

“No.” Negaduck put his hand on his motorcycle and continued, “I’m sprucing this baby up for after the Quincentennial Ball. When the festivities are almost done, I’ll enlist Tirek’s help in teleporting me and my motorcycle outside the castle gates and then I’ll make my clean getaway. You know, it’s surprising you’ve never left the palace once after Salene died, considering that you can teleport anywhere.”

“I have left the palace, time and time again. You just never seem to notice.”

“Oh? Then how come you never actually moved out?”

“I’ve nowhere else to go. Besides, my destiny is here as heir apparent. As for my short departures from the palace, it was in search of a way to communicate with Mother…” His eyes slit at Negaduck as his voice dripped with venom, “…whom you call Salene.”

Before Negaduck could retort, a voice came in through a pipe, “Your Highnesses, it is time for dinner. Your father requests your presence.”

Though the page in the hallway did not know it, pipes were connected to the vents that dotted the hallway outside the bedrooms. It served as an advantage to the princes whenever they were in their secret rooms.

Negaduck gritted his teeth at Aku and said, “We’ll finish this later.”

Author's Note

The English translations of Aku’s chants are as follows: “From the world of the living to the world of the dead, I send this message. I call upon the soul of Salene, queen of Venupil, to come to me. Come to me and hear my plea. Come to me, come to me, come to-“
“Queen Salene, my mother, hear me. Hear me and speak to me once more.”
The song Tirek sings in the beginning of the chapter is "The Journey" from The Rescuers.

Girls and Memories

Tirek had scoured through every bit of recent news that had come in from Equestria. He was hoping there was anything about his brother, but found no indication. Defeated and irritated, he walked to the dining hall and took his seat at the table. This was virtually the only time the brothers saw each other. They didn’t strike up a conversation like they used to in fear of setting someone off. There had been an original order in which the princes usually sat, but after the queen died, some decided to take different places. Discord, Bill Cipher, and Zeb now sat on one side and Negaduck, Aku, and Tirek sat on the other.

After they finished their supper, Alpheus said to his adopted sons, “Before you go, I would like to share some interesting news for you.” He gave a smirk, which was a sign that it was juicy info. “To help us prepare for the Quincentennial Ball, a special visitor and her six daughters will come to the castle about a week prior. And who other than Lady Evelyn herself?”

All at once, excitement filled the room. Zeb and Tirek were downright surprised by this, but the other four were enthusiastic with the arrangement.

Aku chuckled in surprise, “Lady Evelyn?!”

Discord squealed happily, “Eve herself?! You’re not joking, are you? Please say you’re not!”

Bill Cipher said in giddy wonder, “The most powerful witch on this side of the world is coming here!”

Negaduck asked in happiness, “Can you think of anything better?”

The three that had previously spoken said with broad smiles, “No.”

All four of them gave squeals of delight and fell backwards in their chairs. Tirek and Zeb looked down at their excited brothers.

The centaur questioned the king, “You said she had six daughters, right? I don’t recall reading that she had six daughters.”

Suddenly, Bill floated up to the table and sternness had replaced sheer joy. He said, “Seriously? How could you not know Eve has six daughters?”

Discord also stood up and gave a stern look. He said to Tirek as he conjured up one of Eve’s books, “It’s right here in this section.” He flipped to the page labeled “About the Author” and read aloud as his finger slid under each word, “’Lady Evelyn now lives in Jijasuma with her six daughters.’ See? She has six daughters!”

Negaduck mused, “I wonder what they look like.”

Alpheus pointed out, “Why not look in the archives for anything about Evelyn and her daughters? You are excused, you know.”

All six sons raced out of the dining hall as they said, “Thanks!”

The king then put one hand under his chin as he sighed, “My sons…What am I going to do with them?”

The princes scoured through the archives while Tirek stood by and watched.

Discord said to Tirek, “Hey, Tirek! Aren’t you going to search for juicy tidbits about Eve and her daughters?”

Tirek said, “No, thank you. I’ve already combed through here today. I’ve got the paper cuts to prove it.” He showed his nicked hands for proof.

Bill Cipher held out a rolled-up newspaper as he said, “Hey, guys! Look what I found!”

The princes huddled around him as he laid the newspaper out. They were hoping that there was a picture of Eve’s daughters, but were disappointed to see a picture of Evelyn herself.

Negaduck chastised Bill Cipher, “That’s Evelyn, you knob!”

Bill said slyly, “I never said it was her daughters.”

Tirek walked to a shelf and said, “Well, goes to show you can never fully trust a three-sided demon.”

He leaned against the shelf and to his surprise, another rolled-up newspaper fell on his head. Zeb grabbed it and opened it.

When the Lasat’s eyes widened, he uttered, “Wow.”

Aku asked, “Did you find something, Garazeb?”

“Well, yeah. Or rather, Tirek did.”

Zeb then showed the newspaper to his brothers. To their surprise, a picture of Eve and her daughters was on the front page!

Discord playfully slapped Tirek’s arm as he smiled, “You rascal! You found the newspaper and you weren’t even looking!”

Tirek deadpanned, “Believe me, I wasn’t.”

Negaduck rubbed his hands together as he said, “Let’s see what kind of babes Eve’s daughters really are.”

As Zeb laid out the newspaper, the princes huddled around the table again, this time with more anticipation. When they got a close look at Eve and her daughters, most of them uttered, “Oooh…”

Zeb said, “Well, Evelyn does looks remarkable in this photo.”

Bill Cipher scoffed, “Evelyn? We’re fawning over her daughters here!”

Negaduck said, “They sure look pretty.”

Discord agreed as he gazed at the picture with bright eyes, “Uh-huh…”

Aku said, “I don’t even know who to choose as my bride.”

This broke the awestruck trance the princes had and they turned to Aku in disbelief.

Discord said in repulsion, “Your bride?”

Zeb said, “But we haven’t met the girls yet! You want to choose any one of them when they walk into the castle just like that?”

Aku held out his hands to calm his brothers as he pointed out, “When the time comes. When the time comes. Of course I won’t choose a girl right away. She must be the most suitable one for me. She must also have what it takes to be a queen if I am to be king someday.”

Negaduck rolled his eyes and said, “Well, duh. Why do you think they were all trained to be proper ladies?”

Discord waved his hand dismissively, “Oh, come now. They don’t need to be proper ladies all the time. They need to show some life and have fun at least once in a while. That’s what I want in a girl.”

Zeb said, “Well, I’d rather have a girl who’s compassionate and kind.”

Bill Cipher remarked, “Not to mention an ability to withstand your smell.”

Zeb pretended to take offense and growled, “That’s it! You’re dead!”

Bill pleaded for mercy as Zeb chased him out of the room.

Discord smirked, “You know what this calls for? Chase time!”

After Discord went out the door laughing, Negaduck turned to Aku and Tirek and asked, “So, any takers?” When his brothers didn’t say anything, Negaduck said, “No?” He then shouted as he sped out of the room, “Then I’m in! I’m gonna getcha!”

When it was just Aku and Tirek in the archives, the demon turned to his brother and said, “Negaduck tells me that you’re going to teleport him and his motorcycle outside the castle gates when the Quincentennial Ball was almost over.”

Tirek asked in genuine confusion, “What? I was not aware of this.”

Aku said in mock shame, “Weren’t you? Oh, forgive me for ruining the surprise.”

“Why are you so concerned about Negaduck’s plans?”

“I could care less about what he wants to do, but I’m certain Mother wouldn’t have condoned it.”

Tirek’s voice sharpened, “Well, she isn’t here right now. Stop trying to act like she’s going to return, because she isn’t.”

As the centaur left the room, Aku retorted, “I can find a summoning spell to reach her! Don’t underestimate my capabilities!”

Meanwhile, the rest of the brothers were having fun chasing each other through the halls. They laughed and tackled with one another until Zeb and Discord rolled into a bookcase. The force of the impact caused several books to fall.

Negaduck crossed his arms and chuckled, “Had enough roughhousing for one day?”

Zeb said as he began to get up, “Yeah. We’d better clean up this mess before –“

His sentence was cut off when a beige canister fell on him. The brothers’ eyes widened when they recognized it.

Negaduck breathed in surprise, “No way…”

Bill Cipher uttered in astonishment, “Mom’s canister?”

Discord said as he grabbed the canister, “I forgot Aku put it way up there.”

Zeb nodded, “We all did.”

Discord grew disturbed by this and said with a furrowed brow, “But why didn’t we try to open this ASAP?”

Bill shrugged, “Maybe it was too difficult to solve?”

Zeb said, “When Mum gave us the canister, it was a difficult and painful time for us all. But if you want to honor her memory, why don’t we try to open it now?”

Discord smiled, “What a wonderful idea! No time like the present, I say!”

Negaduck asked, “But shouldn’t we show this to Aku and Tirek first?”

Zeb said as he stood up, “I’ll go round them up while you three search for decoder books in here.”

Bill said with his index finger and thumb making a circle, “You got it!”

Pretty soon, the three brothers were exhausted from searching through every book about decoders and locks.

Negaduck panted as he sprawled over a book he had opened, “Who knew decoder rings were so complicated?”

Discord said, “Maybe in this case, it’s different. Remember the hint Mom gave us just before she died? ‘Four rings, four words. The O is always second.’”

“Yeah? There are only O’s on the second ring and only E’s on the bottom ring.”

Zeb’s voice came into the room, “We’re here.” The Lasat then entered with Aku and Tirek at his side. “It took a while to find these two.”

Tirek asked, “So, what is it you want to show us?”

Bill Cipher held out the canister and said, “This.”

Aku and Tirek looked at the item with wide eyes. The demon uttered in surprise, “Mother’s canister…How did you…?”

Zeb explained, “Fell right on top of me from up there.” He pointed to the top of the bookcase as he said that.

Negaduck said, “We’ve been trying to get it open, but no luck so far.”

Aku took the canister and said, “This could be the key to finally contacting Mother from beyond!”

Tirek said as he held the container with his magic, “Let’s break it open so we can find out what’s inside.”

Discord pounced and grabbed the canister as he cried, “No! You’re not breaking anything of Mom’s! No way!”

Aku pointed out, “Well, breaking it wouldn’t have done us good anyway. I tried once, but it’s protected by a shielding spell whenever it falls or almost crashes into something.”

The draconequus exclaimed in shock, “What?! You tried breaking Mom’s canister?! Her gift?! Well, if none of you can respect Mom’s memory, I’m just going to keep it in my room until we can figure out how to unlock it!”

In a flash, he had vanished.

Discord then flashed into his room and levitated his bed upwards. His circle lock had a white center instead of a red center like the one in Negaduck’s room. The draconequus entered his name and a secret stairway was revealed. He walked down to another panel, which opened to a playroom. He and his brothers once played in here, but now it was Discord’s sanctuary and his alone. He placed his mother’s canister in the toy box and closed the lid.

His knees were on the ground and his head hung over the toy box as he sighed, “Mom…what am I going to do? I want others to remember you, but some of them want to forget you and destroy anything that was yours. Why can’t they see that I loved you and want to keep your memory alive?”

Discord ascended the stairs and came back to his bedroom. After he put the bed back on the floor, he began to sing, “I’m so lonely and blue…when I’m without you…I don’t know what to do…Mother, without you…The joy and tears…that love endears…would have no meaning…if I didn’t have you…to keep me dreaming…” He went out to the balcony as he sang, “At the close of each day…when I’m without you…and my heart kneels to pray…I pray about you…You take a star and lead it far away from heaven…and the star will be lost…as I’m lost without you…”

He didn’t realize it, but the other brothers were walking back into their rooms and grieving in their own way. Even though they shed no tears, their pain was very real. All the while, Discord went back into his bedroom and closed the balcony doors.

Discord finished singing in a mournful tone, “At the close of each day…when I’m without you…and my heart kneels to pray…I pray about you…You take a star and lead it far away from heaven…and the star will be lost…as I’m lost without you…”

He sat on his bed and covered his eyes as he began to weep.

Author's Note

The song Discord sings is “Without You” as sung in Make Mine Music.
Can any of you take a guess at what the code could be for the canister rings? :raritywink:

The Arrival

Days after the canister was found, the entire castle was preparing for the arrival of Lady Evelyn and her daughters. The princes barely talked to each other after the incident the other day. Despite their discovery, they never uttered one word about it to their father. Some thought that Alpheus wouldn’t care about the canister, but Discord thought that the king would discard their mother’s precious gift in some way. To keep their father from finding out about the canister, the brothers agreed to solve the mystery of the decoder rings if each ring and letter was drawn on paper. Each brother got a copy and tried to solve the enigma that surrounded the canister. Alas, it proved to be too difficult for them.

No matter how tensed out they were about the container, they distracted themselves with the excitement of the visitors coming. They couldn’t wait to impress at least one of the girls when they came to the castle. Only a couple of the brothers weren’t interested in romancing Eve’s daughters. Some of the other brothers picked out who they wanted to woo. Negaduck and Aku wanted to charm the ladies, but they had to remind themselves to keep distant at the same time. They would not allow themselves to fall in love after what happened to Salene. Romance wasn’t worth the heartbreak, but if they were to have suitable wives, they had to play the flirt card.

On the day Lady Evelyn and her daughters were to arrive, Discord went out to the garden to air his excitement and anticipation. He giggled and squealed in ecstasy as he floated around the garden. Even though there were reminders of his mother everywhere, he was too keyed up about the arrival to care.

He then began to sing, “I wonder…I wonder…I wonder why each little bird has a someone…to sing to…sweet things to…A blithe little love melody…” He went to the gazebo on the far end of the garden as he sang, “I wonder…I wonder…If my heart keeps singing…will my song go winging…” He reached the railing of the gazebo and put his arms on it as he finished, “…to someone…who will find me…and bring back a love song to me?”

He gazed out to the bay and mainland affectionately from being distracted by such enchanting thoughts of being in love. Still, he worried if anyone would love a creature such as him. Despite this, though, he kept hope in his heart as he walked back to the castle with a wistful smile. In the foyer, something caught Discord’s eye. He was surprised to see Bill Cipher reading Romeo and Juliet by the fireplace!

He floated to his triangular brother and said in a patronizing tone and a snide look on his face, “Why, Billy, I didn’t know you read Shakespeare.”

Bill said, “I’m only doing it to brush up on the old wit and charm. Bet the ladies love this kind of stuff. How’s this?” He cleared his throat and recited, “’But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east and…So-and-so is the sun.’”

Discord laughed while holding his stomach and kicking his legs in the air, “Is that the best you can do?”

Bill scowled, “Hey, it’s not easy reading Shakespeare, Jigsaw Puzzle!”

Suddenly, they heard a great shout. Footsteps echoed down the grand stairway and more screaming followed. Soon, they saw Zeb wearing only a towel, but to their surprise, he was blue! Bill Cipher and Discord snickered at seeing their brother like that.

Zeb leaned over the railing and shouted in anger, “Discord, you sabotaged me! Look!” He ran down the stairway and towards his brothers as he shouted, “Look what you’ve done to my fur! LOOK!”

Discord chuckled, “But it’s a great color on you.”

“It’s hideous! You replaced my fur conditioner with a bottle of blue dye!”

“Well, look on the bright side. You might be a better sight for the girls.”

“No! No! I do not want them to see me like this!” He then sighed, “I want them to see the me you guys have always seen.” He slumped down in a chair and put one paw on his head while his left arm drooped to the floor. “Now that Lady Evelyn and her girls are almost here, I don’t have time to wash this off.”

“Oh, come now. It’s just a quick fix.” With a snap of Discord’s fingers, Zeb’s dyed fur was back to its original purple color.

Zeb chuckled as he looked up to Discord, “Thank goodness for your chaotic powers. If it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t get anything done quickly around here.”

Discord then scoffed, “As if I’m a maid.” Maid attire then flashed on him before he continued, “I only help clean the rooms and deal with important emergencies.”

A page then poked his head in the room and said, “Excuse me, Your Highnesses. Lady Evelyn has just sent a message from Kuiper. She and her daughters will be arriving in less than an hour.”

Discord gulped, “And if there ever was an emergency, it’s now!”

In less than a second, the three brothers sped out of the foyer as fast as the wind.

Thankfully, all six princes got prepared in time to wait in the throne room for the arrival of Lady Evelyn and her daughters. Discord and Bill Cipher were practically bursting with excitement while Zeb managed to contain his anticipation with a confident pose. Aku and Negaduck were excited, but they kept a stone face to maintain their royal status. Tirek, however, expressed the very emotions he felt inside: apathetic. He did like reading the adventures Evelyn herself had recorded, but he saw no reason to get excited over her visit. After all, she had become another noble and nobles were to be treated with respect, not wild gushing and tiresome praise.

When a herald blew a fanfare, Discord squealed, “This is it! This is it!”

The herald then announced, “Your Majesties, I present to you Lady Evelyn and her six daughters!”

The doors were opened and there she was, their childhood hero. Evelyn looked exactly like she had in the illustrations of her books: her soft brown hair – now tied up in a French bun – her kind blue eyes, and her regal face to match the power she possessed – status and magic-wise. Her lean physique allowed her to be agile and super-fast when she was a traveling witch. Although she was semi-retired from the evil-busting-and-adventure business, she was quite a force to be reckoned with in extreme situations.

Negaduck, Bill Cipher, and Discord had theirs eyes and mouths wide open with awe as Eve came into the throne room. Aku and Zeb were also enthusiastic to see their hero in the flesh, but their smiles and eyes were less wide than three of their brothers’. Even Tirek’s eyebrows lifted from their normal furrowing position in wonder. The gaze of the princes then turned to the girls who followed their mother in the room. Needless to say, they were each a wonder to behold. The princes were also surprised to see that one of the girls had a deep red skin color in contrast to the light skin the rest of her sisters shared with their mother. For Discord, this sparked an interest in her because she was different from the other girls.

After she and her daughters lined up in front of the royal family, Evelyn bowed and said, “Your Majesties, my daughters and I are honored to be here today. From eldest to youngest, my girls will give their names.”

The daughter with deep red hair and eyes bowed first and said, “I am Garnet.”

The girl with the deep red skin also had violet eyes and blue hair with gray streaks. When she bowed, she said, “I am Teardrop.”

Discord thought it was a fitting name for her, given that her eyes were shaped like giant teardrops with the points angled towards her nostrils.

The next girl had blonde hair and blue eyes. She said when it was her turn, “I am Genesis.”

Bill Cipher whispered to his brothers, “She’s a keeper.”

Next was a girl with blue eyes behind glasses and shimmery blue hair in a rope braid. She bowed and said, “I am Juno.”

The girl after Juno had red hair slightly lighter than Garnet’s and yellow eyes also behind glasses. When she bowed, she said, “I am Sheba.”

Bill whispered again to his brothers, “That one’s a good choice, too.”

The last girl shared her mother’s brown hair and blue eyes, although her eyes were a bit lighter than Eve’s was. She bowed and said, “I am Eden.”

Alpheus then said, “Welcome to Venupil, ladies. I’m sure the Quincentennial Ball will go spectacularly with your help.” He faced his sons and said, “Why don’t you take Lady Evelyn’s daughters to their guest room while I go over the preparations with their mother?”

The princes bowed to their father and said in unison, “Certainly, Father.”

The brothers then escorted the young ladies out of the throne room while Evelyn stayed behind with Alpheus. As they were walking down the hall, the princes could tell that some of the girls looked apprehensive towards them.

Bill Cipher whispered to his brothers, “Hey, guys? Notice how three of them are looking at us funny?”

Zeb said, “I think it’s because of the way we look.”

Discord added, “Of the six of us, I don’t know who’s the best-looking one.”

Negaduck smirked, “It’s probably me.”

Aku rolled his eyes and said sarcastically, “Oh, sure, Mister I’m-Covered-With-Feathers-And-I-Wear-A-Mask. That’s bound to make you mysterious.”

Tirek joked, “Probably too mysterious for your own good.” The brothers – sans Negaduck – snickered at that.

Garnet crossed her arms and said, “You know, for princes, you don’t seem like the prim and proper types to me.”

Sheba added, “More like snarky and snippy.”

The girls giggled at that.

Aku smirked, “Oh? It seems to me that you girls aren’t so above it all, then.”

Genesis pointed out with a shrug, “Hey, we aren’t perfect.”

Discord said cheerfully, “Neither are we!”

Teardrop smiled, “It’s a good thing we found common ground after all. Otherwise, it would’ve been a long week for us.”

When they came up to a door at the end of the bedroom hallway, Tirek gestured, “This is where you’ll be staying for the week. Your mother will be sleeping in the Blue Room.”

Eden asked, “Are all the rooms in the castle named by color?”

Discord explained, “Just the bedrooms and guest rooms.” He pointed his thumb towards his bedroom as he said, “I got the White Room.”

Zeb said “Green Room.”

Negaduck said, “Red Room.”

Bill Cipher said, “Yellow Room.”

Aku said, “Black Room.”

Tirek said, “Gray Room.”

Discord added, “Dad sleeps in the Purple Room and there’s a Brown Room for other guests just in case.”

Juno asked, “Which room did we get?”

The draconequus grabbed the doorknob with his talon and chuckled, “You get…”

When he opened the door, the girls chuckled at the sight of an orange slice floor mural in the middle of the round room.

Teardrop smirked at him and said, “Let me guess, the Orange Room?”

Discord winked at her and said, “You got it.”

Bill Cipher explained, “You see, we thought that since the room was round and it was called the Orange Room, we decided to paint an orange slice on the floor as a way to be funny.”

Genesis remarked, “Well, I definitely think it’s funny.”

Teardrop agreed, “Me, too.”

Sheba raised her hand, “So do I.”

Garnet then gave a sly smile and grabbed her sisters as she said, “Girls, I have an idea.” As she escorted her sisters inside the guest room, she turned to the princes and said, “We humbly thank you for welcoming us into your home and this room in particular. We will see you all at dinner.”

After the door was closed, Discord said playfully, “Uh-oh. The sisters are plotting.”

Zeb chuckled, “Yeah. Reminds me of the times we used to pull pranks on the servants and even our parents.”

He, Discord, and Bill Cipher chuckled at that, but the other brothers stood in silence until Tirek began to walk away, saying, “Let’s just prepare for dinner.”

This made Discord sad that three of his brothers didn’t want to revive the good times they once had. All he wanted was for him and his brothers to be close again, just as the sisters were.

The dining hall was decorated lavishly to impress Lady Evelyn and her daughters. Eve and Alpheus set up a new arrangement for the princes and ladies to sit. From the head of the table to the end on the king’s left side, there was Garnet, Zeb, Juno, Discord, Teardrop, and Tirek. On the other side, there was Bill Cipher, Aku, Negaduck, Eden, Sheba, and Genesis.

Evelyn then came into the hall after everyone else was seated and said, “Well, I guess I’m the last one to sit down.” When she sat down in the chair at the end of the table, this elicited uneasy glances from the princes and Alpheus in particular. Eve asked in concern, “What’s wrong?”

Alpheus stammered in awkwardness, “Oh, um…It’s just that my wife used to sit in that chair. I didn’t plan for it to affect me this way. Forgive me.”

Eve said in understanding, “I get it. You’re just not used to someone else sitting in this chair.”

“I’m sure we can figure something out for future meals. But for tonight, this is the arrangement.”

While everyone was eating the meal, Eve pointed out, “We’ve got so much to do tomorrow if we want the ball to be an absolute sensation. There’s decorations, the catering, the invitations. Oh! And don’t forget practice for singing and dancing.”

Zeb spat out his drink, “Singing?!”

Negaduck coughed, “Dancing?!”

Bill Cipher said, “We haven’t done that since…you know…”

Juno pointed out, “It’s a tradition in Jijasuma for the hosts themselves to entertain the guests.”

Tirek said, “Unfortunately, I feel the need to bow out of the tradition.”

Discord scowled, “Oh, come now. We should at least honor Mom’s memory in some way.”

Negaduck shouted, slamming both palms against the table, “Well, Salene isn’t here right now!”

This upset Discord greatly. Without another word, he disappeared in a flash.

Alpheus muttered, “Oh, dear…”

Discord sulked as he lied on his bed. He never understood why Negaduck insisted on calling their mother “Salene”. It was like the queen was never their mother to begin with.

Knock-knock-knock!

A voice said from the other side of the door, “Discord? It’s me, Lady Evelyn. May I come in?”

Discord’s ears perked up and immediately, his upper body shot upwards into a sitting position. He turned to the door with a smile on his face, replacing the frown that had been there moments before. “Oh-oh, Lady Evelyn! Come in!”

When Eve entered the room, she could see he was trying to contain his excitement by putting his closed-up hands on either side of his chin and practically squealing with joy. After she closed the door behind her, she chuckled, “I take it you’re the prince who sent me 25 fan letters, four of which I answered because they were the only ones that had questions in them?”

Discord said, “Right in the ballpark.”

“Then you’re definitely one of my mega-fans.”

“My brothers and I absolutely love your stories. The action, the beauty, the gravitas. You have put so much passion into your books, Eve.” When he caught himself, he covered his mouth and exclaimed, “Oops! Should I call you ‘Eve’?”

“It’s fine. You can call me ‘Eve’ or ‘Evelyn’. Just don’t call me anything derogatory. That’s reserved for my foes.”

They both chuckled at that.

Eve then asked tentatively, “By the way, why does Negaduck call your mom ‘Salene’?”

Discord sighed agitatedly, “He would rather just forget that Mom was even our mom in the first place.” He then added sadly, “A lot of my brothers want to forget Mom. I’m just trying to keep her memory alive, but no matter what I do, they always push me and anything involving Mom away.”

Eve suggested, “Well, maybe they’re still hurting from her death. Another way to look at it is that they’re all adopted like you, so maybe some of them remember their original families before they came to Venupil. They could’ve lost them before and Salene – I mean, your mom’s death reopened those wounds in their hearts.”

This made Discord consider what she said. If Eve was right, then maybe everyone was still hurting from the queen’s death. The only thing he could do was at least try to bring them closer so they could heal. After all, it helped him, Zeb, and Bill Cipher. The rest of the brothers and their father shut everyone else out after Salene died, so maybe talking and bonding could help them as well.

Author's Note

The song Discord sings in the beginning of the chapter is “I Wonder” from Sleeping Beauty.

Music Disaster

Author's Note

The song featured in this chapter is “The Glee Club Rehearsal” from You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.

Music Disaster

To take up Lady Evelyn’s suggestion for the ball, Alpheus had hired a music teacher so the princes could re-learn singing. The teacher was none other than the famous Clef. Although he was high-strung at times, he always created and directed wonderful music. Rarely would Clef ever fail at such an endeavor, but his first session with the princes and ladies would be far from perfect.

Clef was pleased to see the ladies all arrive on schedule in the music room, but he was becoming especially ticked that the princes were tardy. He fretted, “Where could the princes be?”

Juno said with a hopeful smile, “I’m sure they’ll be here shortly.”

Suddenly, Zeb barged through the double doors. He ran to his spot as he apologized breathlessly, “Sorry I’m late! There was a little bit of trouble with the confetti. Discord went a little overboard again.”

Clef said in an annoyed tone, “A little?”

Zeb noticed the girls were giggling and looked back to see his rear all covered in confetti. He smiled sheepishly as he wiped the confetti off, “Eh-heh-heh. Okay, a lot overboard.”

Clef turned to the girls and chastised, “Ladies, we do not find amusement in others’ embarrassment, especially not a prince’s.”

The girls all stood up straight and said, “Yes, Master Clef.”

Just afterwards, Tirek and Bill Cipher arrived. The centaur muttered under his breath, “Might as well get it over with.”

Zeb asked Bill Cipher in a deadpanned tone, “Let me guess: you’re here for the girls, aren’t you?”

If Bill had a mouth, he would’ve been smirking. He said, “Yep.”

At that moment, they heard scuffling and quarreling outside the music room. The double doors then burst open as Negaduck and Aku tumbled inside, fighting with each other.

Tirek scoffed, “Very mature.”

Negaduck grunted as he reached for something in Aku’s hand, “Give me my spark plug, you four-horned egomaniac!”

Aku taunted as he kept the spark plug away from Negaduck’s grasp, “Oh-ho! Look who’s talking!”

Clef cleared his throat forcefully and loudly, “Ah-he-hem!” The quarreling brothers stopped fighting and looked up at the teacher. “Your Highnesses, you will do well to behave in this room and everywhere else in the castle.”

When Discord entered the room, he said, “We live here. There’s no reason for us to not act like ourselves. I mean, we can’t be proper all the time.”

“Need I remind you that you are princes? You have guests and I suggest that you put your etiquette to good use and-“

Garnet interrupted, “Master Clef, I think it’s best we get on with the music lesson. After all, we don’t want to be late for everything else today, now do we?”

After a few moments of silence, Clef gave a gruff humph before instructing, “To your places, sires. To your places.”

As the other princes were getting into their positions, Negaduck hissed to Aku, “Give me back my spark plug or you won’t get what you want.”

This intrigued Discord and he asked, “Oh? Aku wants something from you? Do tell.”

Clef ordered, “Quiet! Now remember, this is a mood piece. We must paint a picture with music and words…and CONCENTRATE!”

The princes and ladies were surprised by the shout of the last word. When he blew the pitch pipe, the sisters vocalized beautifully, but unfortunately, the brothers were horrendously off-pitch.

Clef gave a grimace before saying, “Remember…adagio con brio!”

Even though Tirek only mouthed the words, the rest of the princes and their female guests began to sing, “Oh, give me a home…where the buffalo roam, and the deer and the antelope play…”

Negaduck whispered to Aku as if he was singing, “Give me my spark plug.”

“Where seldom is heard a discouraging word…”

Aku sang/whispered back to Negaduck, “Not on your life.”

The rest sang, “And the skies are not cloudy all day…”

Discord said to Aku, “If you don't tell me what you want from him, I'm just going to scream!”

Negaduck talked over Discord, “Give me my spark plug, you oozebrain!”

The brothers and the ladies still sang, “Home, home on the range…”

Negaduck demanded, “Give me my spark plug.”

Aku refused, “No!”

The rest of the group sang, “Where the deer and the antelope play…”

“Not until you promise I have your help.”

Negaduck retorted, “What are you trying to do? Stifle my freedom of speech?”

The group sang, “Where seldom is heard…”

“Give me my spark plug!”

“A discouraging word…”

Aku crossed his arms and said “No promise, no spark plug!”

“And the skies are not cloudy all day…”

At that moment, Discord teleported the spark plug into his paw and teased, “What spark plug?” He then gave a chuckle.

Aku exclaimed, “No!”

The group sang, “Oh, give me a land…”

“Give me that spark plug!” Aku formed his hand into something like a short whip and struck Discord’s wrist. The draconequus gave a yelp as the spark plug flew out of his paw. Aku grabbed the spark plug before anyone else did.

“Where the bright diamond sand…”

Discord pouted as he rubbed his wrist, “Aku, that just isn’t fair.”

Tirek hissed to his brothers, “Sing!”

The group then sang, “Flows leisurely down the stream...”

Zeb turned to Aku and asked in confusion, “Why did you take Discord’s spark plug?”

Aku growled in frustration, “Aaarrgghh!” He then teleported out of sight.

The people still in the music room sang, “There the graceful, white swan goes gliding along...”

Discord asked Negaduck, “Why did he take it?”

“Like a maid in a heavenly dream…”

Negaduck confessed, “He knows...when the ball ends...I’ll be leaving!”

Discord cried in surprise, “You’ll be leaving?!”

Zeb turned to them and said, “You’ll be leaving?”

Bill Cipher did the same thing and echoed, “You’ll be leaving?”

The girls and most of the princes sang, “Home, home on the range...”

Discord shot back in an upset tone, “Well, that makes me...What a terrible thing to do to…Oh, just forget it! Never mind!” Like Aku, he teleported out of the room in a flash.

The rest sang, “Where the deer and the...”

Bill Cipher started to leave as he said, “Know what? I’m done here.”

“Antelope…”

Tirek said as he joined Bill, “I’ll take my leave, too.”

“Play…”

Zeb tried to stop his brothers, “Wait, you two-“

Negaduck shouted, “Hey! He's still got my spark plug!” He then raced out of the music room.

Even though the girls were tapering off, they and Zeb sang, “Where seldom is heard a discouraging word...”

When the girls stopped singing, Zeb finished while feeling awkward, “And the skies are not cloudy all day…”

Clef gave a groan before plopping his head against the music stand.

In his secret playroom, Discord was trying desperately to open the canister. He figured that if he could solve the code, maybe Negaduck would be convinced to stay. He spun the decoder rings at a fast pace as he tried to come up with four words to open the container.

He fretted, “’Lore’, no. ‘More’, no. ‘Dore’? What’s ‘Dore’?”

Just then, he heard a voice through the pipe. “Discord, are you in there?”

He gasped and quickly put away the canister. After he shut the toy box lid, he flashed into his room and sped to the door…before he realized his bed was still in the air. “Oh!” With a flick of his tail, the bed fell to the floor with a loud thud.

The voice outside the door asked in concern, “Discord, is everything okay?”

Discord said with a nervous smile, “Be right there!” He opened the door and said, “Teardrop! What brings you to my humble bedroom?”

Teardrop said, “I wanted to make sure you were okay after what happened in…” She trailed off when she noticed new scrapes and bumps on Discord hands. She asked in concern, “Why are your hands callused?”

Discord looked down at his hands and saw that she was right. He was trying so hard to open the canister that he ended up scraping his hands. He put them behind his back as he nervously chuckled, “Oh! Heh-heh-heh. I was, uh…rubbing…my bedknob! I always rub my bedknob whenever I get anxious.” While he was speaking, the tuft of his tail rubbed the finish off the bedknob.

When he ushered Teardrop inside his room, she asked, “I was wondering if you were doing okay.”

Discord uneasily tittered, “Why wouldn’t I be? I’m as happy as the day is long. Look at me. Not a grumpy frown on my face.” He smiled as widely as he could to show Teardrop he wasn’t upset.

Teardrop didn’t seem convinced. “I don’t know. You left the music room in quite a huff.”

The prince then knew he couldn’t fool her, so he gave a hurt sigh and confessed, “It’s Negaduck. He wants to leave Venupil when the ball’s over.”

“Did he say why?”

“No, but I’m probably guessing it has something to do with Mom. When she was here, we were a close-knit family. But now that she’s gone, I’m the one keeping us together.” He scornfully scoffed, “Nice job I’m doing.”

Teardrop didn’t know what to say. She felt bad for Discord, but at the same time, she knew no one could stay under one roof forever. She sighed and said, “Look, Discord…”

Suddenly, they heard scuffling outside the bedroom. Discord opened the door and he and Teardrop leaned out to finding Aku and Negaduck hitting each other on the floor again.

Discord face-palmed as he muttered, “Not again…”

Negaduck roared at Aku, “You threw away my spark plug!”

The demon retorted, “As I said before…’No promise, no spark plug’!”

That did it for Discord and he shouted, “What promise?! What could you possibly want Negaduck to promise?!”

The mallard explained as he grunted, “He wants me to find something to contact Salene from the dead, though he should probably know by now –“

Aku shouted, “She is not Salene! She is our mother!”

“Well, she’s not mine!”

It tore Discord’s heart in half to hear such a thing. It also made Aku pause in surprise. Teardrop just watched from the bedroom door in stunned silence. Just then, they heard someone clear their throat. The princes looked up to see the chamberlain.

The chamberlain said, “Need I remind you we have guests in the castle? Proper conduct must be upheld at all times.” He faced Teardrop and apologized, “I regret that you had to see such behavior, miss. I assure you that it will not happen again.” He gave a glare to the princes as he said that. He then said to the brothers, “Your father requests your presence in the throne room with the rest of your brothers. I assume you know what it’s about.”

As the princes followed the chamberlain, Discord gave a heartbroken glance at Teardrop before continuing on his way. She couldn’t bear to see him unhappy like that. From what her mother had told her about her chat with Discord the other night, Teardrop knew that the brothers could still be healing from the queen’s death. If they were fighting like this, then they really needed help. At that moment, Teardrop knew what to do.

Discord couldn’t bring himself to look at his brothers, so he only either focused on their disappointed father or looked down in shame.

Alpheus sighed in frustration as he rubbed the bridge of his nose with two of his fingers, “Do you realize what you’ve just done today?”

Bill Cipher asked, “Do we get three guesses?”

The king glared at his adopted son and sternly said, “No.” He then addressed all of the princes, “Because of your careless behavior –“

Clef interjected in a peeved tone, “Careless and reckless behavior!”

“Yes, Clef. As I was saying, that kind of conduct not only disrupted the music lesson, but also –“

Clef once again interrupted as he spouted off, “Leaving the room and thereby ruining, wrecking, and COMPLETELY DESTROYING IT!”

Alpheus looked at the music teacher and asked in surprise, “What? They damaged the room?”

Clef clarified, “No, sire.” He then glared at the princes, “Only the lesson and my reputation overall.”

“I see. You may be dismissed, Clef.” After Clef left the room with a pompous humph, Alpheus turned his attention back to his adopted sons. “What you’ve done during the music lesson today not only bruised Clef’s pride, but also humiliated the royal family. We are the hosts of seven ladies, but you’ve disgraced yourselves by acting up in front of Evelyn’s daughters! I believe it is time for you to start behaving like proper princes. I shall make arrangements for you to be taught etiquette and poise. You will not be allowed any spare time for yourselves. Tomorrow, you shall –“

Once again, he was interrupted, but this time, the double doors swung open. To the surprise of the royal family, Evelyn stepped into the room.

The lady requested, “I have something to say, Your Majesty.”

Alpheus asked, “Then say it, milady.”

Eve curtsied before she stated, “I have a moral code that I raised my daughters to uphold. We always judge people by who they are, not how they act or who they’re supposed to be.” She gestured to the brothers as she said, “These princes here are not your ordinary princes. They show no stiff upper lip, no composure, and certainly no temperance.” The princes were afraid she might speak ill of them until she said, “And I commend them for it, though I’m less than pleased about the music lesson incident. So they might’ve been testy, but hey, we all get like that. The point is these guys have shown their true colors by just being themselves around us.

“If it’s all right with Your Highness, I propose to supervise the first few dance lessons…after I take your sons out to town tomorrow.” She turned to the princes and gave them a reassuring smile. She faced Alpheus again and continued, “After all, I think they can find crowd approval if they show that they can relate to the citizens of Venupil. Do we have your permission, Your Majesty?”

Alpheus gave it some thought before he said, “Very well, milady. You may tour Venupil with my sons, provided that they are on their best behavior.”

“Oh, I don’t expect them to behave their best. I want them to be their best.” She gave a wink to the princes, which confused and surprised the guys a little.

The sisters were busy creating crafts and threading bits and pieces together when their mother came in the room.

Sheba asked, “Is everything okay now, Mom?”

Eve said, “Thank goodness Teardrop told me about what was happening in the hallway. I just saved the princes from being in hot water…for the time being.”

Teardrop asked, “Uh-oh. What was the king going to do to them?”

Eden asked, “Put them in the dungeon?”

Garnet asked, “Flog them with chains?”

Eve gave a smirk, “Worse. Etiquette.”

Juno shrugged in innocence, “Well, I don’t think etiquette can be that bad.”

Her mother pointed out, “Arching the back? Not really. Putting a napkin on your lap? You can live with that. But does not having any free time for yourself count as not that bad?”

This left the girls in stunned silence until Genesis said, “Wow. He must’ve been really upset, then.”

Eden asked, “Do you suppose he’s truly that bad?”

Eve chastised her youngest daughter, “Now, Eden, we don’t judge people by how they act unless it’s who they really are. I don’t think Alpheus is rotten to the core or anything close to it. If anything, he could still be suffering from his wife’s death. His sons, too.”

Teardrop whistled, “They must be really hung up about Queen Salene’s death.”

Sheba pointed out, “Remember how hung up we were about Dad’s death?”

Garnet nodded, “It took us a while to heal from it, but we eventually moved on. Why haven’t the king and his sons done the same?”

Eve explained, “They’re guys, and guys might go through grief differently. Sometimes, they heal at a different pace than girls do. Also consider the fact that the princes are all adopted, so they might’ve had families before they were adopted. One must wonder what each went through before he came to Venupil.”

Eden said, “Well, it never hurts to ask.”

“Just remember: it may be a touchy topic for them, so be careful.”

Genesis said as she stroked her hair back, “Mom, with my charm and infectious joy, I’ll draw their backstories out like they were buckets of water from a well.”

The girls and their mother chuckled until Juno asked, “So, Mom, what are we doing tomorrow?”

Eve smiled, “We and the princes are going on a tour of Venupil, arranged by yours truly.”

Teardrop remarked, “Ooh, you’re good, Mom. Really good.”