Prologue: Passing of an Old Friend
The doors to the balcony opened silently to the touch of a familiar magic. The crimson rays of the setting sun seeming to part as the Princess of the Night stepped gracefully out to perform the nightly ritual which she had done so many times. A deep, vibrant light emitted from her horn as the sun began to dip below the horizon behind her. The crisp, winter wind blew gently against her coat, the flurry of snowflakes glistening along with her star-filled mane.
Princess Luna closed her eyes as she focused on the celestial wheel of the heavens. With what had normally taken many skilled unicorns to accomplish, she did with an ease that served as proof of her strength. With the grace and talent of an artisan, she moved the moon and stars into position overhead. Princess Luna always took extra care to arrange the stars into the most beautiful patterns, each one having its own unique feel as she reached out to grasp it in her magic.
However, tonight, she sensed the hint of a presence that she had not felt in a very, very long time. At the very edge of her magical sight, a moving mass of ice arced towards them as part of its hundred year orbit: Snowdrop's Twinkle. Princess Luna smiled sadly at the last remnant of a friend long past. She stood there for a long moment, her magic feeling the path the comet would travel towards them, a small tear forming at the corner of her eye.
"Hello, old friend." Luna said aloud. Her voice was barely a whisper, but she thought for a moment, she could feel the comet pulse softly, as if to answer her greeting. "It's been a long time, little one."
Princess Luna closed her mind's eye and opened her physical ones to gaze up at the beauty that was her night sky. She stepped away from the balcony, out of the winter's embrace, and back into her cozy bedchamber.
"We'll see each other again soon, my little Snowdrop."
The grand door of the royal court closed as the last pony had concluded their business for this evening's Night Court. The guards escorted the last citizens through the doors, and then, after a wave from their princess, excused themselves as well. Princess Luna glanced around the large room, her eyes falling across the magnificent stain-glass windows, before she looked up to the ceiling.
"You can come down now, Discord."
With the sound of yawning and stretching, the Master of Chaos floated down to the Princess of the Night, his descent slowed by an inverted umbrella. As he touched down, he held the umbrella of to his side, which promptly dissolved into a puddle in his eagle claw.
"Greeting, Mistress of the Cheese Wheel, how may I be of service?"
Princess Luna rolled her eyes at him, though her sister usually refrained from such actions, she couldn't help but fall into Discord's game at times.
"Discord, we would like to ask a favor of you, and we truly hope you would consider it."
"Oh?" He curled forwards, around Princess Luna's whole person, before coming back up in front of her, face to face.
"You need a favor from little ol' me?" Discord punctuated his statement by pressing a claw to his nose. In a blur of color, he transformed into a miniature version of himself. Luna held a hoof out, low to the ground, which Discord climbed awkwardly. After he was properly situated atop the royal horseshoe, she raised Discord him up to eye level, a small grin sneaking across her face.
"Yes, Discord, this is very important to us, so please listen carefully, for the details should remain hidden from ponies for now."
"Alright, then, I'm all ears," he said with a grin. A flash of magic later, his claw and paw were reflected with ears with colors matching the limbs to which they were attached.
"Can you take anything seriously?" Princess Luna said with a touch of exasperation. With another flash, Discord returned to his normal size and with the correct appendages.
"I'm the Master of Chaos, a spirit of trickery and eccentric magic, I don't really do serious."
"If you do this for us, Discord, then I'll..." Princess Luna whispered softly into Discord's ear. Discord's smile became wickedly wide as he chuckles maniacally.
"Just tell me what you are planning, my sweet Princess Luna," he said with a mischievous grin.
"Well, in the near future, a very special comet will be crossing the skies of Equestria..."
Princess Luna and Discord stood amidst Canterlot's mountain peaks as they gazed into the sky. A light snowy breeze twisted gently around them, before spiraling passed the pair, upwards into the night. Slowly, a streak of blueish-white began to cross high above them, a beautiful trail of cold tracing itself into the equestrian sky. Turning her head towards Discord, a melancholic smile spreading upon her face, she's unable to stop the beginning of the cascade of tears down her dark fur.
"Don't you start crying now, Moonbutt. If you can't keep it together, how do you expect me to?" His head rolled off his head, down his arm and then landed in the snow in front of Princess Luna.
With a soft giggle, she plucked the head from the snow with her magic and held it in front of her. Luna gave Discord an appreciative smile and boop on his nose, before placing his head snugly back into place on his shoulders.
"Are you ready, Discord?' Princess Luna asked as she looked up at the ever-growing memory of her past.
"Whenever, you are, dear Luna."
Her horn lit in response, the dark glow reaching upwards to envelope the meteor in her magic. Discord's eyes glowed a luminous gold as he rested his paw on Luna's backside. Their magic worked together, a mixture of monochromatic aura that shifted as if it were the flicking flame of a fireplace. A flash of brilliant magic later, and the comet now possessed a subtle golden sheen.
"One last time, my little Snowdrop, you'll hear wishes made into the winter snow."
Author's Note
Hey, Ponies, alright, here we go: Each chapter from here on will done by a different writer. These chapters will not be connected in an sequential way, but rather, are a collection of short stories set to the same prompt. They've only been given a few rules to follow, and this prologue as a setup for their story. I will list the rules here below.
- You must select ONE pony to make a wish upon the comet.
- The pony in question must see the comet as it passes.
- The wish is taken literally and only lasts twenty-four hours.
- Ponies are unaware that they have wishes, and the wish remains in reserve until used.
- No bringing ponies back from the dead, and wishing for love is to be treated as love poison.
Apart from that, they have free reign to create whatever have they see fit.
I will be releasing a new chapter every few days, or as they submit them, along with including links in the long description.
Maud checked her watch; 10:37 pm. She turned off the bunsen burner and returned the sample she had been working on to the cabinet. She had been mildly excited about the passing comet and wanted to study it. She left the lab and locked the door, heading to the schools observatory. She had reserved it for the specific time the comet would pass closest to the planet. As expected, the building only held a few ponies, the ones who operated the large telescope the observatory held. As she looked at it, she was slightly impressed by the size of it. It should do adequately for her needs. She walked to the viewing port and started her observations. She took notes and watched the comet for about fifteen minutes, then stowed her notebook in her saddlebags,before she left the observatory. On her way back to her lab, she took a few moments to look up at the moon. She silently mused about all of the new and strange types of rocks that were there. She wished for a moment that she could be the first pony (besides Princess Luna of course) to have a chance to study moon rocks. It wasn't about the fame or fortune, but just the mere thought of the wealth of knowledge on the moon made her blink with excitement.
When she arrived at her lab, She took out her notebook and put her saddlebags away, wanting to go over it before she logged the information into the school records. As she removed her notebook, she found there was also a strange green rock in her saddlebags as well. As she removed it, an odd smell permeated her nose.. Putting her notes aside, she closely examined the strange rock. She started with trying to find its composition. The best way she knew to do so was through burning it and observing the colors and smells of the burned portion. She reignited the burner that she had worked with earlier, and then held the exotic rock carefully over it. As the blue flames caressed the stone, she found that the smoke smelled more akin to a burnt plant than anything else. She took a deep breath of the smoke, closing her eyes in mental focus. Her eyebrows furrowed.. After several more deep inhalations, she conceded that didn’t seem to be a rock at all, but some kind of hard packed vegetation instead. Maud Pie’s dispassionate expression seemed to become even more uncaring, if that was possible. But, maybe it wasn’t a total waste of time, as ,maybe the botanical department would find it interesting. She put the plant into a sample container and set it aside for tomorrow, since most of the department would have gone to their rooms by now. She opened her notebook and started reviewing her observations of the comet.
After reading for a few minutes, her eyes began to unfocus, and she found herself rereading lines she’d written. Maud tried, but failed to stifle a long monotone yawn, so she set the notes aside and left the lab to go to her dorm room. As she walked, she saw some other students playing with a Frisbee in the quad. For some reason she didn’t understand, she was fascinated by it. She saw the head of the zoology department, Tree Hugger, catch the flying disc and throw it to another pony. She fumbled as she threw it, and ended up throwing it straight at Maud. It landed right in front of her, and she stared at it. She had no idea why, but it was incredibly fascinating. She looked up once she realized someone was speaking to her. Tree Hugger was walking over to her, asking her to throw the Frisbee back. Once Tree got closer, she looked at Maud oddly, staring at Maud’s eyes.
“Are you feeling alright, Maud?” Maud just stared at her, wondering why she was asking. Treehugged frowned as she noticed Maud’s glazed appearance.
“You look like you’re stoned.” Tree joked.
“I’d like to be a stone.” Maud deadpanned.
“Woah, that would be trippy.” A familiar odor tickled Treehugger's nose, which confirmed her suspicion. “I didn’t know you toked.”
“I don’t. I don’t feel the need to use drugs. But I do feel strange tonight. Maybe it was the comet.”
“Maud, I know what a stoned pony looks like, and you’re blazed.”
“Tree,” Maud shakes her head, “I’m not on fire and there’s no way I could be stoned. The only thing I’ve done this evening is test this strange plant I thought was a rock.”
“Can you show me the plant?”
“Of course, it’s in the geology lab.”
Both ponies walked over to the geology lab, where Maud unlocked the door and led Tree to the sample cabinet. She took out the container she had put in it earlier, and set it on the table. Tree looked at the contents, and exclaimed loudly, “Oh my Luna, do you know what this is?”
“It’s a plant. I thought it was a rock, but when I was testing, it started to show signs of being a plant.”
Tree Hugger gave Maud a pained look. Could she really be such a stick in the mud that she didn’t know what it was? “Maud, this is a moon rock.”
“It’s not a rock. I’m an expert on rocks, so I should know.”
“No, that’s what it’s called. It’s actually a very potent form of marijuana.”
“Oh. That explains why I feel funny.”
“How much did you smoke?” the stoner pony asked.
“I didn’t smoke it. I was burning part of it to determine its composition, but after testing I determined it was a plant.” the straight laced pony replied.
“How much did you burn?”
“About a quarter of it.”
“Holy Luna! And you’ve never had marijuana before?”
“No,” Maud said honestly.
“Maud, from what you’ve told me, you're soon going to be very, very stoned. You better stay with me so nothing bad happens.”
“I’m feeling a bit hungry, and so is Boulder.”
“Your rock is hungry?”
“Yes, I feed him whenever I eat. If I don’t, he gets cranky.”
“Ok, let’s head over to my dorm and we’ll get you and Boulder something to eat.”
The pair left the geology lab and walked to the dorms. As she walked, Maud thought she heard something in her pocket. She reached in and pulled out Boulder. It seemed like he was trying to say something to her. While some ponies thought she was a little nuts when she would talk to her rock, she knew it couldn’t talk to her. But he was her pet, and she treated him like anypony would treat their pet. But now it seemed like he was really trying to talk to her. She concentrated, trying her best to make out what he was saying. In a soft male voice, she heard her pet and closest friend who wasn’t her sister say, “Maud, Maud, can you hear me?”. Her eyes widened by 0.04 millimeters. Boulder was actually trying to talk to her. This was a dream come true, a chance to actually talk to a rock.
“Boulder, is that you?” Maud ventured, the smallest amount of hesitation in her deadpan voice.
“Yes, it is me, my fairest.”
Maud paused noticeably at this. “I have so many questions for you.”
“Yet I have but one for you. We have been close for many years, yet I want us to be so much more. Maud, I love you, and I know you love me too. Lets run away from all of this and get married. Let’s raise a family together and grow old together.”
“I... I can’t. I can’t run away from my future. But we can be together, here at the college. We can even start a family after I graduate.”
“But ponies would hate and persecute us because I’m a rock. They will call you weird and bully our children.”
“Ponies are understanding. Half rock ponies won’t be treated any different.”
Tree Hugger just stood agape at the romantic scene before her. Or at least half of it. She could only wonder about the other half. But one thing was very obvious, Maud was really stoned. Tree had to get Maud out of here before she ruined her reputation. She tried to lift Maud onto her back, but it seemed as if Maud weighed a tons if she were actually made of solid granite. She tried pushing her, but it was like trying to move a mountain. If ponies from the college started coming home from the local bar, with and without company, they would find out that the rock solid pony, the one that so many rested the foundation of their drug free educations on, stoned out of her mind and proposing starting a family with her pet rock. She only could come up with one idea, one that should get her attention through the haze and make her follow her. “Maud, are you and Bolder hungry?” Maud suddenly looked up at Tree and blushed exactly 0.003 percent of a hue.
“Yes.” Maud’s stomach rumbled, showing more emotion than its owner could ever express. “Boulder and I could use some food while we discuss our future together,” Maud said, the slightest hint of a quiver in her voice.
Tree rolled her eyes and started leading Maud again, praying to Luna that it would go smoothly. As they walked, she turned to check on Maud and froze. Something that she was sure no one but a Pie had seen before was right before her eyes. Maud was... smiling? Not one of her mere quirks at the corners of her mouth, but a full on, wide, beaming smile. Then she noticed Maud’s eyes were completely glazed over, staring at nothing. Yes, the drug had finally started hitting her hard, and Tree slowly led her down the final hall and into her dorm room, and then laid her on the couch so she could rest and enjoy her trip.
Maud was in a field of rocks. Every type of rock she had ever heard of. And they were all speaking, telling her stories about their lives as rocks. Yet in the background, someone describing everything going on. She paused to focus, and started walking toward the new voice. She continued for several minutes before she walked straight into what felt like a wall, yet she could see right through it. She squinted and thought she could see words in the air, but they were backward. And a strange looking face beyond the words. Was this the fourth wall her sister told her about? She yelled as loud as she could, which was about 0.7 percent louder than her normal voice, “Hello, are you the narrator?” The strange face startled and flinched back, obviously not expecting her to try to talk to him.
“Um... hello Maud. Look, I’m really sorry I made you get stoned for this fic, but...”
“Don’t worry about it. Pinkie told me you humans did weird stuff to us for your own amusment. Thank you for not making me hurt somepony or put me into some strange sexual fetish.”
“Ok, no problem, I don’t write that kind of stuff anyway.”
Maud gave the apparition severe look, which wasn’t much of change. ”Really?”
“OK, in my defense, I was drunk.”
“Just don’t do it again.”
“Pinkie promise.”
“Shouldn’t I be getting back to the story?”
“Yeah, let’s get back before people decide one of us is weird for talking to each other while the fic is going on.”
Maud awoke on Tree Huggers couch, her mouth a bit dry and hungry. She checked her watch and found it was mid afternoon. Luckily for her, today was her day off from the lab. She smelled quesadillas cooking in the kitchen. She got up and walked into the kitchen where she saw Tree busily cooking on the stove. Tree noticed her and greeted her back to the land of sobriety. “Good afternoon, Maud. Feeling better?”
“Yes, though I can say I have no idea how you go through all of that for fun.”
Tree chuckled, “Normally I don’t get the strongest cannabis ever made and smoke that much of it. I just toke till I get buzzed and stay there all day.”
“Still, it’s an experience I don’t plan to repeat.”
“It’s like, your opinion pony. Well, I have quesadillas and apple juice, that should help clear your mind and fill your belly.”
“Thanks, and could you do me a favor?”
“Sure.”
“Never tell anypony what happened last night.”
“No problem, it was an accident. But it was really weird seeing you smile. Not one of your normal smiles, but a real, honest smile.” Treehugger blushed beet red before she said, “You’re pretty cute when you smile.”
“Are you hitting on me?”
“Maybe~”
“I’m sorry, but I’m already in a committed relationship.”
“You are!?”
“Yes, Boulder and I are very exclusive.”
At this Tree’s brain shut down for a reboot. So all that romantic talk Maud did was real? As she pondered the consequences, including what half rock ponies would even look like, the corners of Maud’s mouth quirked up just slightly as she took the quesadilla from her plate and slowly started eating it.
Author's Note
This is my return from a 2 year retirement from writing. I know I’m a but rusty, but I wanted to start out with something fun and light hearted. If it’s bad or good, just say so in the comments.
Come check me out here, where I'll hopefully be releasing new stories soon. 
Discord at the Observatory
Twilight Sparkle was still at her desk after several hours and too many pots of coffee. The most recent study binge leaving books piled into towering spires throughout her vast library. Spike entered through one door, carrying with him a tray that held all the ingredients for her cup of coffee: Some coffee, some sugar cubes, a spoon and a cup.
Spike made his way over to where she had been working to find the young princess slumped over the desk snoring. “Uh, Twilight?”
Twilight shifted her hooves under her head with a grumble that rumbled from deep in her throat before she murmured, “Chocolate with sprinkles, Shiny.”
Spike shook her shoulder gently, “Twilight, wake up!”
“Mmm...” Twilight licked her lips before she pursed them with the hint of a smile. “But I just had lunch! It’s too early to go swimming…”
Setting the tray down, he shook twilight awake. Unfortunately, her old study-bug habits kicked in as she jerked suddenly, swung her legs out across the table and sent towers of books flying. Amidst the chaos, one landed on the edge of the coffee tray, propelling it through the air. Both of them watched in awe, unable to move as the cup shattered, the sugar cubes scattered with all the books.
“Coffee!” Spike shouted, pointing at the pot just as it hit the book shelf and shattered. His arm dropped. “Uh…” He started with a sigh, “I’ll get the mane drier.” Seeing the shock painted across Twilight’s widened eyes and gaped jaw, the little dragon quietly exited the room. The coffee had drenched an entire shelf of books, Their bindings splattered with sweet caffeinated goodness.
Twilight finally let go of the breath she’d been holding. In desperation, she closed her eyes and rubbed them with the back of her hoof. “Please be a dream. Please be a dream. For the love of Equestria, please be a dream.” she muttered quickly. Risking reality, she opened her eyes to find the library still in disarray. “Horse apples.” she muttered quietly as she used her magic to quickly organize the books that hadn’t been damaged from the ones that had.
Spike came back in carrying a mop and a bucket of hot, soapy water. Twilight, who was too focused at the moment, spoke without looking over at her assistant. “I’ve got the books, Spike, can you clean up the floor and shelves?”
“Well sure, but Twilight-” he began to before getting cut off as he started mopping.
Twilight looked over at Spike, who had stopped mopping up the coffee and was now looking up at the night sky beyond one of the many giant windows this library sported. She looked out it for just a moment and frowned, kicking her magic into an even higher gear. “We don’t have much time. That meteor will pass before long and I’m need to study it!”
Spike shrugged, but continued cleaning up the mess. “Go ahead than, I saw it.”
This made Twilight drop every book in her magical grip. “You’ve already seen it? But that means I’m missing it! I gotta go!” She flailed for a moment in excitement. Her horn lit up and she disappeared in a flash of purple light.
Spike looked around the wreckage around him. “Figures,” he grunted as he continued to clean. “She literally dropped everything… for space ice.”
Meanwhile, Twilight reappeared in the Canterlot Castle Observatory, where she had begun to calibrate the telescope to suit her needs. She focused on the comet and smiled, “There you are. Now to figure out how far away you are…”
She levitated a quill and some parchment to the table before moving the entire table over to her. Just then, she heard the soft sound of a door clicking closed. She ripped her eyes away from the celestial phenomenon to find Princess Celestia walking towards her. “Hello, Twilight, my dear.”
Painful as it was, Twilight pulled herself away from the telescope and the precious time she had with the comet. Turning to face her old mentor, she smiled and answered, :Oh! Hello Celestia, sorry for barging in unannounced. I just couldn’t resist a chance to study the comet.”
Celestia’s grace was unparalleled as she silently walked over to Twilight. “I believe this offence is forgivable.” Taking a seat, at the table Twilight had repossessed, she levitated a antique tea set over to the table and cleared a spot to set it between herself and her student. “Tell me what you’ve learned so far,” she asked in her usual elegantly smooth, motherly voice as she prepared the tea.
Twilight gave a small smile, “From my research, this comet has been documented to pass by us like this only once every one hundred years! You know what that means, don’t you?” Her hoof landed on the table with a dull thud to emphasize the question. She smiled wide up at the princess, ready to explode with her redundant answer.
Celestia smiled back and answered, “Because you won’t get another chance for a long while?”
Twilight deflated a little. “Right, immortality… You know, we got to talk about that later. But yes, I won’t have another chance.”
“Did any of your books tell you that comet’s name?” Celestia asked with a motherly touch.
Twilight simply sighed away her mood before a soft smile crossed her lips once again. “None of them had. One speculated and even tried naming it themselves. Of course, it also mentioned that you denied the request for naming it… oh what was it?”
Celestia grimaced a little, “Ice Bell’s Big Ice Ball of Ice.”
“Yeah, that sounds familiar. Though I remember reading something by Starswirl the Bearded! He claims that the comet has unique magical properties, He speculated that it could change our views on how magic works in nature itself. Oh! And he-”
Celestia placed a hoof over Twilight’s lips. “I knew Starswirl pretty well, Twilight. The two of you are quite alike,” she said softly with a chuckle.
This just made Twilight bloom with embarrassment. She took a few quick breaths and followed up with a long deep one before looking up at Celestia once more. “So, what’s the comet’s name?”
“Luna named it Snowdrop’s Twinkle ten centuries ago tonight.” She answered as she bowed her head in respect.
“Who’s Snowdrop?” Twilight eagerly asked, her eyes sparkling like amethysts in sunlight.
Celestia’s shoulders sagged a little as she rested her forelegs on the table. She looked down into her half drank cup of tea with a look of longing. “She was an unfortunate little filly with the biggest heart and kindest soul I’ve ever met.” Celestia looked up and met Twilight’s tearful eyes. “Luna saw such promise in that young filly. Her story is a long one for another time, though it’s one I’m sure Luna would prefer to tell.”
Twilight nodded, looking back at the telescope. “I’d like to hear more about her sometime, but why keep the name such a secret?”
“My dear, Twilight, isn’t it obvious?” Discord’s voice echoed down from somewhere up above. With a snap of his claws spotlights illuminated the top of the telescope, where he sat in a lawnchair with a megaphone and a bag of popcorn.
He was no bigger than a gold bit, but his voice boomed against the bookshelves of the observatory. “Moonbutt was banished not long afterwards, of course the moon sounds much more comfortable than as a statue.”
Snapping his fingers once more, the spotlights vanished along with discord. He reappeared standing on the table next to the tea pot with an empty cup. He proceeded to pick up the giant tea pot and pour it into his tiny cup. He took a sip, “Mm, delightfully dark brew for you, Sunny.” He murmured, shooting Celestia a sly smile before directing his attention at Twilight Sparkle, who leaned towards him with a smile. “But the real reason I’m here is-”
Twilight interrupted him with a gust of air, making him stagger a little. “To hear yourself talk? Not now, Discord, we’re busy.”
At this, Discord furrowed his brow and teleported to Twilight’s shoulder. When Twilight looked down at him, he held a sign up that proclaimed “Look Up!” She did so, just in time to close her eyes as a bucket of orange paint dumped itself over her head.
When she opened her eyes to growl at Discord on her shoulder, she found that he was normal sized hovering innocently nearby. He shrugged and held up a mirror. In it, Applejack stared back at her. Discord smiled, “Let’s be honest here, Twilight, because frankly I’m not here for a history lesson. I came to ask you a very important question.”
Twilight rolled her eyes, “Discord…” she growled.
“Discord interrupted her with laughter, “I know what I forgot! Your hat.” His claws snapped once again making a brown stetson hat appear on Twilight’s orange mane. “There we are, now we can play cops and robbers!”
“Discord, what’s your question?” Celestia questioned in an elegantly smooth voice. When Twilight looked over, Celestia was sitting upright and proper.
“Of course, of course. Straight to the point. Never got that rod outta of your-”
“Discord!” Twilight scowled at him.
Discord smiled as he conjured a cozy chair for himself. He slowly puffed on a bubble pipe.
“Well,” he burped, letting little pink clouds float up, up and away. “I was thinking about you last night and… well, before I tell you what my brilliant mind concluded, I have another question first.” he blew a pink heart-shaped cloud at her and smiled his most devious smile.
Twilight waved the cloud into non-existence before growling at Discord. “Celestia and I are having an important meeting— and you’re interrupting it!” she exhaled heavily through her nose.
When Discord just chuckled, Twilight slapped her forehead and sighed. “Twilight, my dear, You’ve come a long way, haven’t you?”
Twilight glowered at him with irritation, but gave a curt nod. “I suppose I have, yes.”
Discord snapped his claws causing a curtain of pink to drape across half of Twilight’s face. “My much preferred color pallet.” Discord explained. “Now be kind and do what you do best. Take a note, because I have another question!” He chuckled before bursted into laughter.
Twilight just sighed and pushed the long pink mane behind her ear and out if her face. “Discord, what’s your next question?” She asked in an incredibly soft voice. The sound of it made her color drain and she flushed with recognition. Even Celestia couldn’t withhold a lighthearted giggle.
Twilight spun to face her mentor, but her new mane slipped past her ear and draped across her face once again. Twilight lost all her steam as she just blew air through her mane so her muzzle stuck out. “Well then. Hey, Discord?”
He chuckled from somewhere nearby. “Yes, Fluttershy?”
She followed his voice and slowly turned turned towards him, letting her head dip ever so gently. “Could you change me back into me, please,” she asked in the sweetest voice she could muster up. She used one hoof to lift half her mane, leaving one big blue eye to beg for salvation.
Discord’s jaw sagged for only a moment before he put his snout in the air and slammed his eyes shut. “You’re not even her and that look still wins.” He crossed his arms and snapped a claw in disdain.
Twilight flashed back into her original form and quickly checked over herself quickly. “Really, Discord?” she asked sitting down and wrapping her rainbow colored tail around her hooves and glared at him. “What’s your next question?”
“No patience as expected, Dashie.” Discord chuckled before turning her tail back to normal. “Oh how I wish to see the two of you race. It would be quite the event, wouldn’t it?” He vanished, reappearing with one arm across Twilight’s shoulders and turning her towards Celestia. “Actually, I wish I could see you, Sunbutt, Moonbutt and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza race! I could even referee!” he chuckled as he rose a white flag and gave it a little wave.
Celestia just shook her head and drank her tea passively. Twilight gave her a pleading look for help, but she shrugged and smiled a little.
Twilight sighed and teleported away from Discord. She reappeared only two feet to their left. “Discord, I really don’t know what you’re up to but please, just go away.”
Discord looked at her with a pair of tiny fireplaces burning in his eyes, literally. “I’m the Spirit of Chaos!” His neck twisted and stretched toward Twilight as he spoke. “And I still have one more question for you!”
Twilight leaned back as his face stopped in the spot her head had just been. He smiled, and simultaneously unwound his neck, letting his body propel towards her. His body flew past his head and wrapped around Twilight. Who struggled and fell on her chin. “Ow. Uh, A little help?” She asked Celestia with a hopeful smile.
Celestia rolled her eyes, but put her cup down. “Unfortunately, Twilight, Discord will simply dispel or return from wherever I send him. Short of turning him back to stone there isn’t much to be done.”
Discord hissed into Twilight’s ear as she struggled. “What would a Princess wish for?”
Twilight sighed, teleported and looked down at him. “Are you serious?” She asked with an incredulous tone. Her brow furrowed, “That’s your big question? Wish’s don’t ever come true, so why would it matter what I would wish for?”
To this, Celestia shook her head head a little but gave a solemn answer. “You’re right, Twilight. A wish isn’t expected to be met with immediate indulgence, but a wish can be made through the efforts you and others put into making it a reality. Many ponies wish to be a princess, some wish for riches and others wish for fulfillment.” She looked down at Discord who had begun to scratch his head.
He gave a quick shrug and turned back to twilight, “So, what is it that the illustrious Princess Twilight Sparkle desires?”
Twilight opened her mouth, then shut it and opened it once again; only to shut it once more. She pondered the question, as she paced absent-mindedly around the room.
Discord made himself a cup of tea and floated over to Celestia’s side, watching Twilight pace. Discord dumped his tea down his throat and eyed his empty teacup with a mirthless smile before he tossed it into his maw. Discord paused his chewing when he saw Celestia roll her eyes at him and smile, “It’s made of chocolate, my dear.” He explained before turning his attention back to Twilight. “Two hundred bits say she’ll waste her wish.”
To this Celestia scowled, then looked back at Twilight with softened eyes and a small smile. “I know Twilight better than any pony. I know she’ll use her wish in a meaningful way.”
Discord did a twirl and landed on the ground dressed in a fine suit and short dark hair styled to perfection. He pulled a small book out of his breast pocket and snapped his claws, letting a pair of reading glasses appear on his snout. “By your own loyal decree, Bets and Barters, I suppose you have to sign my little wager.” He held out a scroll and pen with a hearty chuckle. “That is if you’re serious, of course.”
Celestia gave him a long, hard look. “You expect me to gamble on the future actions of my most promising student?”
With false tears of joy and a beautiful white wedding dress on, Discord hid his face in a fresh bundle of lilacs. “Oh, Sunbutt. I do!” He threw the bundle of light purple flowers over his shoulder hitting Twilight in the back of the head.
Twilight stopped in her weathered tracks, turned and looked down. “Flowers?” She looked up to see discord laying on the table drinking tea straight from the pot, still wearing the white dress. Twilight watched Discord chug triple what the teapot could possibly contain before he finally stopped and looked at Twilight with a smile. She held his gaze until he gave a tiny burp and rolled backwards laughing at himself.
Twilight just rolled her eyes and returned to pacing. Discord rolled towards Celestia, “As I was saying... Sign it, and win two hundred bits, or lose. Eh, whichever.”
She smiled, nodded, and signed it with ease. “Why such a meager bet this time?”
He crossed his arms and floated off the table until he were upside down in front of Celestia. “Because last time I won, you trapped me in stone for a thousand years.”
She just frowned. “Well, you had a chance to rule and ruined it. You only got stoned because of your insatiable hunger for power.”
Twilight’s gasp took both their attention immediately. “I forgot about the comet!” She teleported to the telescope and wrote notes as she mumbled her irritations to herself.
Discord slipped out of his dress with ease and slither across the floor before vanishing and reappearing on Twilight’s head, leaning against her ear. “Got your wish?”
Twilight gave a powerful shake and tossed Discord into the air, where he floated. “Shut up, Discord. I can’t afford distractions right now. That comet will be gone in a few hours.”
Celestia shot him a dirty look, but he winked in response before flicking the telescope and turning it into a giant bubble. Which popped leaving behind a sudsy mist. “Oops. I don’t suppose you know where to get another one. Do you Twilight?” He chuckled deviously.
Twilight’s shock turned to unadulterated rage as she turned to see the smugness of Discord’s face. Her horn glowed briefly before he vanished only to reappear a few feet away. “Augh!” She tried to teleport him away again and failed yet again.
“Why-” she casted it again and he reappeared again. “Won’t-” and again. “You-” and again. “Just-” and this time he reappeared as dressed in a maid outfit. “go away!”
Discord poked Twilight in the back of the head and smirked, “I do hate instant transmission, just so you know.”
She gave up with a roar of anger, before teleporting back to her seat across from Celestia. Celestia finished off her cup of tea and sat it down. “His question holds relevance, Twilight.”
“Yeah, I-” Twilight started to say.
Discord appeared in her cup, “Well, Princess?”
She rolled her eyes and with a groan sat the cup down. “I wish Discord would just disappear or something. I’ve already forgotten what we were discussing before we were so rudely interrupted.” She said quickly as she rubbed her temples. She opened her eyes and looked up at Celestia, “I guess my wish would have been to meet the filly that comet represents, too bad a wishes don’t come true.”
Celestia nodded and pointed a hoof at the cup of tea Twilight sipped from. “Discord just bathed in that cup.”
Twilight spat it back into the cup before putting the cup back down gently on the table. “Where’s he at now…” she muttered.
“Gone, you’ve wished for Discord’s disappearance, or something.” Celestia sipped her drink calmly. “Unfortunately, It’s well past my hour now. Good night, Twilight.”
“Wait, what happened to Discord?” Twilight asked with an almost sickly complexion.
Celestia stood and started towards the doors. “He’ll return after tomorrow. Oh, and we need to replace that telescope tomorrow. When you come, please bring two hundred bits with.”
Twilight gave a little nod and stood. “I’ll return first thing in the morning. I have notes to organize and data to analyze anyways… Are… are you sure Discord’s alright?”
“I’m sure he is.” With that, Celestia closed the door softly leaving Twilight to teleport home.
Discord laid on a black leather couch watching something the inhabitants here called a television. A tall green, faceless individual dressed in a black suit with a red tie came in carrying popcorn. It sat down and offered Discord a handful, which he gladly accepted.
The green figure grabbed a remote and unpaused the program. “Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria-”
Discord clapped, “Ooh, I can’t wait until we get to season two.”
Author's Note
This chapter was brought to you by Weatherbug, please be sure to check out his page.
Update: There's at least three more chapters in the works for this story, one of which should be done this coming weekend
