Chaos in the World of Order

Celestia was a calm mare, a trait forged as the centuries passed and the ruling of a nation demanded of her to not be rash. Luna's return had brought back their sibling bond and all the arguments that entailed, so when it came to her sister the alicorn regressed a little.

But seeing the white alicorn rushing through the castle, frantic and cursing, and Luna nowhere on sight, was alarming for everyone.

This is impossible this is impossible I blocked her she can't be here Mother assured me the chance of that was almost none this can't be happening!!!

Maids and butlers stepped aside in astonishment as guards rushed after their ruler, only to be dismissed. Entering her room, Celestia closed and locked every door and window, even closing the curtains so none could even catch a glimpse of the princess lifting and throwing her carpet towards a wall without a care.

Taking deep breaths to calm herself, the alicorn called forth her golden magic, crafting it into a very specific spell. The arcane power shifted and amost seemed to solidify into a thin blade, gently floating towards the floor.

Gently merging with the tiles, her magic spread in swirls, forming a pulsing, spinning whirlwind. Celestia stood on the center and let out a gentle pulse of power through her hooves, feeling as the spell responded and light enveloped her.

Much like her master Starswirl centuries ago, Celestia had her own private laboratory carved into the mountain upon which Canterlot rested. A secret place that very, very few knew about; a room where she could work on spells without interruptions and the most confidential of her plans that did not involve the equestrian government were designed.

A circular room filled with ancient and recent tomes of arcane knowledge, alchemical ingredients and advanced machines for a myriad of uses.

A place where the tracking device she had always functioning received signals from the complex web of spells she had cast on her student-with her permission, of course-, gathering information and sending her alerts. Like the one that had her so worried right now.

As soon as she materialized within the room, she rushed over the machine and checked all the papers it had printed, going over the results several times. What this device tracked was something she had kept hidden from Twilight, fearing how the truth would affect her beloved student.

"Just a spike of nature magic that lasted a few seconds before disappearing, nothing more; everything is fine..." Celestia repeated out loud to calm herself. A part of her was already planning a visit as soon as possible without causing suspicion or worry among her subjects.

She then remembered her mad dash across half the castle.

Celestia groaned and buried her head in the papers. Way to go, princess.

The next day...

It was a brand new day, and Twilight had enjoyed the first new chapters of the latest addition to her library. After making breakfast, Spike had left to help Rarity as he usually did once or twice per week, so the unicorn had the library all to herself. It suited her well, seeing as she was waiting for someone.

As she absentmindedly organized some book, a gentle knock on the door announced their arrival. After greeting each other, Time Turner entered the library, noting how it seemed to be empty apart from the two of them.

He made himself comfortable and faced Twilight. "I suppose you have questions."

"Is Muffins ok?" She inquired first.

"Yes; she just needs to rest. Being erased from existence as a chrono-thief takes your place is tiring." Rolling his neck, the earth pony became more serious. "What I'm about to tell you is something you shouldn't share with anyone; not even your friends. Nor Princess Celestia."

"Why?" Twilight asked warily.

"I am a member of the Order of Chronos; we watch over and protect the timeline, dealing with beings like chrono-thieves." Turner lifted a hoof, golden power emanating from it. "Time is a dimension in on itself; beings of temporal energy are born and live there, and some protect our world and others from any threat to the timelines."

"Like the Guardian of the Timeline?" Twilight inquired as she observed the golden energy, captivated by how similar yet different it looked from magic.

Time Turner did a double take. "Ho-how do you know about the Guardian?!"

"Discord told me."

The earth pony rolled his eyes. "Of course he did..." Clearing his throat, he continued. "Yes, like the Guardian. They have recruitment programs, teaching those like me to deal and face the smaller incidents. Yesterday would have been more terrifying if a temporal being appeared in Ponyville instead of sending a pony after the chrono-thief."

"So why are you so secretive?" Twilight questioned.

"We keep to ourselves, trying to keep everyone else in the dark as much as possible to avoid interfering with the timeline. You wouldn't imagine what being public knowledge would cause," he explained, shuddering at the idea. "Ponyville is such a magnet for trouble that yesterday remaining unexplained will soon be forgotten by whatever decides to wreck the town next month.

"I have permission to inform you of my job and the Order, but just on a basic level. And it must remain a secret; you can only tell others in case of extreme urgency. Being late for a report doesn't count," he finshed in a joking tone with a knowing smile.

Twilight coughed, smiling sheepishly. "You know about that?"

"We have Starswirl's time spells under surveillance; it was one of the initiation rites back when I was doing training. Most boring job ever." Realizing they were getting off track, he cleared his throat again. "So, do I have your word?"

"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

No hurt eye this time, which the unicorn was grateful of.

Two braincells made a connection in Twilight's mind, a doubt surging from it. "Wait, haven't you been around for a couple of years? Were you waiting for the chrono-thief for that long?

Turner waved a hoof. "No, she happened to appear here; seeing as I was in the area, they asked me to take care of it. I'm actually on Ponyville due to a certain Spirit."

I didn't take Twilight more than a few seconds to understand what he was not so subtly implying. "So, you're here to keep an eye on Discord?"

"Yes; his current situation is... delicate. My superiors thought that a friendly face would help if it seemed like he would come to clash with Equestria again," he answered, rubbing his neck nervously at the titanic effort that possibility implied.

"You two have met before?"

"I have met him before; but I'm not sure if he has met me yet." Noting the unicorn's confused face, he elaborated. "Discord travels through time a lot, so he doesn't always meet people in a linear manner. Your past may as well be his future, and viceversa."

WIth a sigh, Turner massaged his face. "Discord is one of the most dangerous beings of the planet, Twilight, but not because he is evil or something like that. Chaos magic grants him endless possibilities he's more than capable of executing flawlessly. I know him well, and not even I can tell what he could do to Ponyville, to you if he wanted."

Though it wasn't his intention, Time Turner was starting to worry Twilight.

Not scare, worry. There's a difference.

Said dangerous being was now phasing through Fluttershy's door to greet her friend, debating between summoning a band or fireworks for an entrance.

A carrot to the face interrupted that plan. Blinking in surprise, he looked down to the rabbit that was glaring at him.

"So, what do yout think of a rabbit stew for dinner?"

Nidhogg, I get the feeling I would choke on that rabbit's spite. Besides, I think Fluttershy would get angry if I ate her carrot-loving friend.

"So, we meet again, fierce protector of this cottage," Discord challenged as he shrank down to Angel's size. "That chrono-thief and a fierce battle against those fifth-dimensional beings from beyond this universe may have delayed me for a day, but I am finally here to visit Fluttershy. And not even you will stand in my way."

Rabbit and draconequus charged, clashing against one another in an encounter that had every animal in the living room captivated. Discord was powerful, magic bringing his every thought to existence as bubbles, arrows, chainsaws, cakes and more flew towards the relentless mammal.

Angel took everything head on, showing incredible abilities in boxing by blocking or evading every attack while throwing punches and kicks at blinding speeds, never staying in the same place for more than an instant.

A blur of white clashed against a storm of a myriad colors as both fighters exchanged blows all over the living room, more than once forcing a spectator to jump or fly out of the way to avoid being caugth in the relentless crossfire.

"What a worthy foe," Chryssie mused.

Eris cheered him on as the pair moved to the table. "C'mon Discord! Show him that no rabbit fighter is a match to the Spirit of Chaos!"

"Incoming! Duck, punch and spin!" Kevin warned as Angel launched himself forward at top speed. Caught by surprise, Discord barely managed to dodge before following Kevin's advice. Using the spin to hit the rabbit with his tail and push him back, the Spirit retreated a few steps as he considered his next tactic.

Nidhogg shot a fist forward. "Your turn! SENT HIM FLYING!"

Fast as lightning, Discord shot forward and headbutted a surprised Angel in the chest, sending the rabbit flying against a wall. The wood flexed under the rabbit like a soft pillow, absobing all his impulse before letting him fall to the ground.

Groaning in pain, Angel stood on tired legs as Discord arrogantly challenged him to make his next move.

With a snort, Angel sprinted forward and jumped towards Discord, the draconequus meeting his charge halfway with his own. Angel spun midair and kicked Discord in the stomach with all his might at the same time a talon closed into a fist met the rabbit's cheek.

Both fell to the ground, Discord managed to stand on four legs after a few seconds as Angel sat down, rubbing his aching cheek.

"I've met warrions of legend, and they don't measure up to this rabbit," Zero Morpheus commented, impressed.

Discord smirked as smoke came out of his nostrils, ready to keep going. Angel glared for a few second before looking away and sighing. With a reluctant nod to the draconequus, the rabbit hopped away to heal his bruises and his hurt pride.

As the animals around him whispered excitedly about the fight, Discord stood up and grew to his normal size, shooting a fist to the sky in silent celebration.

Fluttershy then entered the room, freezing at the sight of Discord.

The draconequus shook the pain off him before noticing the pegasus. "Oh, hey Flutters."

"Discord!" With a sincere smile, Fluttershy gently flew over and surprised Discord with a hug, the Spirit not certain how to respond. "I'm glad to see you again!" Her happiness soon became concern.

"What happened? You were gone for weeks, and you left so suddenly..."

"Let me guess, you ponies thought I was plotting my revenge."

Flutthershy looked to the side before giving him a nervous smile and part of the truth. "I didn't think that."

The draconequus snorted in amusement but let it go. "Mini D helped me remember how to get to my home. I left it in another dimension, a big dimension, and we had to look of it."

"Did you find it?"

"In the stomach of a giant creature, yes." Discord floated over and let himself fall over the unoccupied couch. "A rude, new species over there, I believe. Neither I nor Mini D had seen them before."

"Oh? Where's Mini D?" Fluttershy asked, looking around for any sign of the little toy as she sat in the smaller couch.

"Back home, making sure nothing important is missing." Discord didn't mention that he wasn't helping because of his amnesia. "When you are eternal like me, losing track of time is very easy, so uhhhh..." Discord coughed and tried to gesticulate with his paw, leaving Fluttershy confused.

"Is there a problem?"

"No, I'm just... trying to apologize for worrying you?" He shrugged lamely.

"Blegh, so sentimental..." Meridian complained, pretending to throw up. Eris smacked him with her tail. "OW!"

Fluttershy smiled gently, touched at that little gesture and secretly a bit amused at his attempts to say sorry. "It's ok Discord; you don't have to apologize for that. Your home is important. I mean, I will miss having you as a roommate," she looked a bit down at this before perking up, "but I'm happy you have your home back."

Discord just stared, caught off guard. He honestly didn't know how to answer that.

Kevin snickered. "Did your heart just skip a beat?"

"Awww, how adorable!" Chryssie said in a mock-sweet voice, trying hard not to laugh. Nidhogg didn't bother holding back and was practically roaring in laughter.

Oh, $%?& off.

The draconequus tried to play it cool. "Oh, don't worry; I'll visit you often so your life won't become the dull existence it was before I moved in."

Fluttershy giggled. "That would be great. Would you like some tea?"

"Sure, why not." As Fluttershy got up and went to the kitchen, Discord discreetely admired the pegasus. It's hard to believe someone like her can exist.

"You sure you didn't dream her up?" suggested Zero Morpheus.

Terror filled the rising draconequus at the possibility.

After all, he had used his magic to create dreams as real as possible during his imprisonment; a friend as perfect as Fluttershy would be just what he needed to bear the nothingness and the burning and the cold and-pain he needed pain I NEED PAIN!

A pan materialized and whacked him in the head, exploding in little stars as he fell back onto the couch. Yes, that will do.

Nidhogg and Eris smacked Zero with their tails. "OOOF! What was that for?!"

"For the headache; now shut up or we'll see if I can make a snack out of you."