Eris, Princess of Chaos

Celestia tapped her fingers on the arm of her throne, her face displaying a mix of disappointment and anger. “And thou assaulted Light Breeze because of her wings? Didst thou think We would allow thee to go unpunished?”

“Your Majesty!” a well-dressed green stallion snarled, struggling against the shackles attached to his arms and legs. “That wench has been tainted by that monstrosity thou art keeping a close eye on!”

“Lady Eris is not a monstrosity.” Sitting forward, Celestia gave him a glare. “She has been nothing but kind since she arrived. How many times must We say that she is harmless?”

“Surely thou are not fooled by her act!” the stallion boomed, pointing at her. “She is a trick by Discord! She will turn on thee the instant thy guard is down! We will all suffer for thy blindness!”

Celestia stood up, spreading her wings as she stepped towards the stallion. “Thy warnings fall upon deaf ears, for to Us they sound like the tribalistic rants that nearly wiped out ponies from this world.” She stopped a few steps away from the stallion, towering over him. “We shall treat Eris as a guest as We have been.” Flaring her wings out, she amplified her voice. “Hear Us now! Light Breeze retains every right and privilege she had before her transformation. Anypony who brings harm upon her will be met with swift justice!” Focusing on the stallion, she snorted. “Therefore, We hath no choice but to give thee the strictest punishment possible for thy crime.”

“Captain Stalwart, take this criminal from Our presence.” Retaking her throne, Celestia watched as her guard captain ordered her men to drag the stallion out of the throne room. She huffed, doing her best to let the agitation drain away from her. She turned to her assistant. “Crow, remind Us to pay Light Breeze a visit once Day Court has concluded.”

“Of course, Your Majesty.” Crow nodded, bowing her head. Crow Feather was a young pegasus, barely out of her twenties. Her midnight black coat was broken up by her snow white mane, and a spot of white fur on her cleavage. Her garments matched Celestia’s, a white robe with the solar alicorn’s cutie mark emblazoned on the front.

Celestia’s mood brightened slightly and she leaned back in her throne. “Thank thee, Crow. We suppose there is no reason to delay Our next petitioner.” Nodding at the guards by the door, she put on her mask of calm.

Celestia deflated when she saw a noble mare step into the room. She was wearing a deep purple dress and had a matching hat sitting on the side of her head, her horn poking through the front. The mare’s fur was a dark gray and her mane was a soft lavender. If Celestia recalled correctly, her name was Twilight Twinkle. Though what stuck out to Celestia the most was the sour expression on the mare’s face.

“How may the crown help thee today?” Celestia asked, watching the mare carefully.

Twilight stopped at the end of the carpet, smoothed out her dress and cleared her throat. “Your Majesty, I believe I speak for all nobles when I ask why thou art allowing that dreadful beast to roam free. She has already changed a maid and caused a dreadful earthquake.”

Holding in her annoyance, Celestia took a deep breath. “We assure thee, thou hast nothing to fear from Lady Eris. She is merely a harmless mischief maker. We hath already explained to her the rules of living in the castle. If she breaks them, then she will be punished accordingly. But only then.”

“I would hardly call creating a new type of pony and nearly destroying thy home simple mischief,” Twilight scoffed, placing her hands on her hips. “Imagine how Equestria would look, if she’s allowed to just alter ponies!”

“And what is wrong with creating a new type of pony?” Celestia questioned, already feeling her dislike for the mare growing. “Light Breeze is still herself, merely her wings have changed. It would only be a problem if she changes somepony without asking, or did not return them to normal if asked. Light Breeze likes her new appearance, and is rather excited to be the start of a new tribe.”

Twilight scoffed again. “Wouldst thou be so flippant if thou had been the one altered by her magic?”

“If she did not change Us back on request, then no, we wouldn’t. Light Breeze can regain her original form whenever she wishes; all she must do is ask Eris.”

Twilight opened her mouth to speak again, only to shut it and turn on her hoof. “I believe I hath made my peace, thank thee for thy time.” With that, she huffed and quickly exited the throne room.

Captain Stalwart cleared her throat, getting the princess’s attention. “Forgive me your Majesty, but I am afraid I must agree with Lady Twinkle, thou dost not seem to be treating Eris with the proper caution. Thou allows her free movement, when she has the power to alter the world to her whims.”

Celestia smiled, leaning forward in her throne. “Well Captain, think of it like this. There are two distinct possibilities regarding Eris’s origins. The possibility that We believe to be true, that she was the more positive parts of Discord, brought into being by the elements. Or, she is a trick of Discord’s and he dodged any ill effects of our greatest defense. In either of those cases, what good would there be in attempting to restrict her movement?”

“Even still, Your Majesty, thou shouldst take precautions.” Captain Stalwart Diamond was a slightly older earth pony, bearing a light blue coat and deep blue mane. Her armor was perfectly polished and maintained, enough so that Celestia could see her reflection. “Doing nothing leaves us open to any machinations she may spring on us.”

“Then what wouldst thou recommend, Captain?” Celestia inquired, putting her arms on the rests of her throne. “Feel free to speak thy mind with Us.”

“I think it would be best if Eris were escorted by a pair of guards,” Stalwart offered, gesturing to her subordinates. “If only to assure the populace that we are taking their worries seriously.”

Celestia tapped her fingers on the arm of her throne, mulling the idea over. She released a breath through her nostrils, looking between the guards in the room. “Very well, choose thy most trusted subordinates and create a schedule.”

“Thank thee, Your Majesty.” Captain Stalwart bowed before taking her leave. Celestia could think of no other mare she’d trust her safety to, barring her sister.

“Was Lady Twinkle the last petitioner?”

Crow looked over her scroll, tapping her quill against it every so often. “Yes, now thou hast a bit of free time before thy next duty.”

“Excellent.” Rising from her throne, Celestia smoothed her dress out. “Come, Crow, we shalt visit Light Breeze. Eris has been tending to her since the morn, and I doubt the mare can endure her much longer.”

Crow bowed her head, taking her place behind Celestia. “Lead the way, Your Majesty.”

The walk to the infirmary was quiet, with most of the staff busy tending to their duties. Their trip was short enough to justify not teleporting, only a straight shot down the hall the throne room fed into. Crow and Celestia stepped into the room, and were greeted by the head of staff. The infirmary itself was fairly large, tended to by the best physicians and apothecaries in the nation.

“Greetings, Your Highness.” The head physician was an old unicorn stallion, one Hawkeye Cure. Despite his liberal drinking, he had well earned his position as Celestia and Luna’s physician. His mane had grayed and his tan coat lost some of its luster over the years. “I hope thy day has been going well.” Clearing his throat, he gestured across the room, to the only occupied bed. “Thy guest has been ‘entertaining’ my patient since she came in.”

“We hath been dealing with essentially the same complaint all day,” Celestia told him, adjusting her wings. “And we had the displeasure of punishing the one who assaulted thy latest patient.” Following his gaze, her eyes fell onto Light Breeze. Eris hovered around the mare, chattering her ear off, though Celestia couldn’t hear what about.

She stepped over to Light Breeze’s bed, catching the end of what the draconequus was saying. “...’bout now? I can try to heal you! All I gotta do is go snip snap!” Eris demonstrated, turning herself into an alicorn for a moment. “See?”

“Thou dost not need to go out of thy way for me,” Light Breeze weakly assured, watching Eris with her good eye. The other was swollen shut and looked ready to bruise at a moment’s notice. “I just need some rest and I will be ready to return to my duties.”

“But he hurt you!” Eris exclaimed, shifting back to her natural form. “I can’t let you stay hurt!” Spotting Celestia, she waved her other. “Celly! Help me talk sense into Breezy!”

“Art thou sure thou dost not wish for Eris to heal thee?” Celestia asked, crossing her arms beneath her bust. “Eris is quite clear that it would be no trouble for her.”

“I am fine Your Majesty, truly,” Breeze assured with a smile.

Celestia frowned, noting the stains of reddish brown that dotted the bed-ridden mare’s white fur. Her butter yellow mane was unkempt and parts of it seemed to be torn out in places. “Thou are not fine, Light Breeze. Thou will not return to thine duties until thou hath healed.”

“I will recover swiftly,” Breeze replied, sitting up in her bed. “My injuries look worse than they feel.” Her left wing had a large tear in it, though Celestia couldn’t tell if it hurt or not.

“If that is what thou truly wishes,” Celestia relented, a sigh escaping her lips. “But thou must promise Us that thou will take it easy.”

Breeze nodded, letting her head hit the pillow. “I shall not lift a finger until I am deemed fit to work,” she promised, still wearing her smile. “I have to set a good example for future flutterponies, after all.”

Celestia managed a small smile of her own and took one of Breeze’s hands in hers. “That is a wonderful attitude. We promise thee, We shall ensure that thy new tribe flourishes.” Her smile grew when Eris put her paw on their hands.

“Yeah! No one’s gonna bother your future family with Celly doing her thing!” the draconequus cheered, tossing confetti into the air. “And I’ll help too!” Eris saluted, now garbed in guard armor. “No one's gonna hurt your family!” She snapped to the right, marching back and forth in the air.

Breeze giggled, looking between the two. “I could not possibly feel any safer. With safety well taken care of, I will have to start looking for a suitor.” Closing her eyes, she let out a content sigh. “Thank thee both, for caring so much about somepony like me.”

Celestia gave Breeze’s hand a squeeze. “Of course We care about thee, thou art one of Our precious subjects.” A very precious one, as the first of a new kind of pony. “We are afraid that thou will have to worry about other ponies’ reactions.”

“I am sure that I will grow accustomed to it,” Breeze retorted, a hard look on her face. “So long as they do not react so,” she spread out her wings the best she could, “physically.”

“We’re still studying the changes to Light Breeze’s body,” Hawkeye spoke up, gesturing to the desk at the front of the room. “Her magic is similar to pegasus magic, but more refined.” Looking at Eris, he gave her a hopeful look. “I was hoping thou would be able to give more details on that.”

Eris tapped her chin with her paw, leaning in towards Breeze to take a sniff. “Looks like she’s got a bit of chaos magic in her now.”

Hawkeye blinked, a frown creasing his lips. “Thou art telling me you don’t know what change thou made to Light Breeze?”

“Not really.” Eris shook her head, an innocent smile greeting his frown. “I sorta just...did it! It was like Light wanted to be something else, so I let her be something else!”

Hawkeye rubbed his temple, a snort escaping him. “How truly vexing. Perhaps if thou explained more of the machinations of chaos magic, that could be the key to understanding Light Breeze’s new form?”

Eris just stared at him, utterly confused. “If you could understand it, it wouldn’t be chaotic now would it?”

Hawkeye groaned, grabbing a bottle from beneath his desk and taking a long drink. He sat the bottle back where had gotten it and spoke again, “Very well, I shall have to continue my studies on my own. Thank thee, Eris, at the very least we can name the change in Light Breeze’s magic.”

“That’s the spirit!” Eris popped over to him, presenting him with a gold star. “You get an ‘A’ for effort, Ole’ Hawkeye!” Pinning it to his chest, she turned to Celestia and Light. “You two will have to catch up, or Hawkeye will graduate at the top of the class!”

Hawkeye chuckled, tapping the star on his chest. “Could I ask to trade in my star for a bottle of blackberry wine? I am running low.”

“Maybe if you’re a good boy,” Eris replied, backstroking through the air and back to Light. “You gotta make Light better first, after all.”

Hawkeye laughed, resting his hands on his desk. “That thou dost not need to worry thyself over. My staff and I art doing all we can for Light Breeze.”

Crow spoke up from the doorway, getting the group's attention. “I am sorry, Your Majesty, but we must depart. Thou art expected to meet the Yak prince by this afternoon.”

Reluctantly, Celestia pulled away from Light Breeze and stood up straight. She sighed and turned to Crow. “See to it that We meet the prince in a room with furnishings that We would not mind seeing destroyed.”

“Of course.” Crow stepped out of the room, vanishing from view.

Celestia turned back to Eris and Light and gave them a flash of a smile. “We shall return before We must lower the sun, t’was good to see thou art recovering well, Light Breeze.” With that, she turned and left the room.

Eris was floating behind her, resting her head on Celestia’s shoulder. “I’ve never met a Yak before! Can I meet them? Please?” Her eyes grew several sizes, sparkling slightly.

“They are very different from ponies,” Celestia said, waving at the staff as she walked through the hall. “They are quite fond of smashing things. ‘Tis a part of their culture. If one is not careful, they can also be quite easily offended. If thou art going to join Us, thou must be on thy best behaviour.”

“I’ll just be a fly on the wall!” Eris promised, turning into for a fly and buzzing around the princess’s head for a few moments before returning to normal. “You won’t even notice me there!”

“Very well, but thou must promise Us one more thing,” Celestia started, giving Eris a serious look. “No matter what the prince or his entourage do, if I do not react negatively to it, then thou must not interfere.”

Eris nodded and flashed her a bright smile. This satisfied Celestia and she continued down the hall. Crow led them through several turns and hallways. As always, Celestia waved at the staff they passed, only shooting hard looks when she overheard rude whispers regarding Eris. Their trip ended when Crow opened a door revealing a sitting room that Celestia barely used.

The yak prince was waiting for her with a pair of yaks beside him. Prince Ugo was at least a head taller than the average yak male, nearly putting him at eye level with Celestia. His shaggy fur was a deep red, hanging off his body with little regard for grooming. His face had a stern look, forest green eyes turning to the princess as she entered the room. Contrary to his fur, the prince had a well kempt beard, tied off into a trio of braids. Ugo’s outfit belied his princely station, a series of leathers and furs that made him appear to be fresh from a hunting trip.

“Greetings Prince Ugo.” Celestia bowed, gently coaxing Eris into doing the same. “We are pleased to see thee doing well. This is Our assistant, Crow Feather, and Our...protegé, Eris. We hope We did not keep you long.” Taking her seat, Celestia gave him a graceful smile. Crow stood beside her, and Eris sat behind the couch, leaning over the back.

Ugo snorted, leaning back in his seat. “No, We were not kept long. Thank thee for agreeing to Our meeting on short notice.”

“Of course.” Celestia glanced back at Eris. “Eris, wouldst thou be a dear, and conjure us some tea?”

“Does the yak prince have a preference?” Eris whispered, glancing between Celestia and the yaks. “Um, maybe earl grey?”

“That should be fine,” Celestia assured. “Do be sure to have some Yakyakistan honey to go with it, please. The prince would appreciate that.”

“Okay.” Eris snapped her fingers, making a tray of tea appear on the table. A small pot of honey sat neatly to one side, along with some cakes. “There, I hope you like it!”

“Wouldst thou like us to pour thee a cup of tea?” Celestia offered, reaching for the pot and pouring one for herself. “We always find that these meetings go better when everypony has a cup.”

The prince lifted his hand and gave her a noncommittal wave. “If thou insists.”

Celestia nodded and poured the prince a cup, making sure to add a bit of the honey before stirring. She passed the cup to him and smiled. “Enjoy.” Taking a sip, she hummed in delight. “‘Tis good, Eris.”

“I try,” Eris said, smiling as her tail wagged behind her. “Care to pour me a cup too?” She held her paw out, accepting the steaming cup from Celestia. “Thank you.” Drinking it down, she slurped down the cup, leaving the tea floating in her grasp. When she noticed the odd stares she was getting from the yaks, she shrank back a little and shoved the floating tea into her mouth as well. “Sorry,” she whispered to Celestia, “I did something weird without thinking.”

Celestia cleared her throat, turning back to the prince. “We should have mentioned this earlier, but Eris is capable of magic that allows her to do things outside the norm. She did not mean any offense by her behavior.”

The prince shook his head, snorting. “Very well, Our matter is one of commerce. The yak population has boomed recently and there is not enough fertile soil to produce enough crops for Our people. However, we hath other resources that might interest thee. As thou can guess this is a rather grim situation We find Ourselves in. The last thing We wish to do is mandate rations in order to minimize casualties.”

Despite her best efforts to pay attention, the conversation quickly became rather bothering to Eris. Remembering her promise to Celestia, she allowed herself to sink behind the couch and out of sight. In her own little world, Eris conjured up a book, using one of her talons as a quill. She doodled absentmindedly, humming a song to herself.

Eris quickly went from one drawing to the next, ideas popping into her head like rapidfire. A simple pony was sketched onto the page, and then with a bolt of inspiration, she added a fin on their back that resembled a shark’s. Smiling gleefully, she erased the muzzle with a snap of her talons and redrew it with a slightly different shape and rows of sharp teeth filling it. The drawing winked at her, making a show of snapping its jaws shut. With a nod of approval, Eris quickly finished the drawing and the now complete shark-pony struck a pose that showed off its new features.

“You look so cool!” she gushed, giving the drawing a high five. “I’m totally gonna make you real someday.” Eris kicked her legs behind her, brainstorming. Staring down at the drawing, a wide grin spread on her face. “Obviously you’re gonna be made from a pony that loves the ocean.”

Eris hashed out some more plans, the sketch reacting to each of her ideas with either a thumbs up or down. Once she was satisfied, she turned the page and began another drawing. Flicking an ear, she used it to listen in on what the royals were saying.

“...thy offer of weaves and tapestries is most interesting,” Celestia said. “We will consult with Our very best farmers and see if We can arrange a trade for thee.”

Eris rolled her eyes, the conversation just as boring as she left it. Popping her head up, she glanced over the couch. Her eyes locked on Prince Ugo, who was also looking at her. She waved cheerfully, going back behind the couch. She idly wondered what the prince was doing looking at her when he was supposed to be in the middle of talking to Celestia. She quickly dropped that train of thought when an idea for another sketch popped into her head and she quickly set to work on it.

“How about a snake pony?” she asked herself, bouncing in her seat. “Yeah, that's really good~” She smiled, drawing her snake-pony right next to the shark one. She tapped her talon against her chin, looking down at the snake pony. “What do you think, venom, or no venom?” The snake nodded, opening its mouth for her. She smiled and drew two small fangs that would poke out of the pony’s mouth when it was closed. She then giggled and tapped her pen against the sketch’s nose. “Non-lethal of course, can’t have you getting any funny ideas.”

The snake nodded, turning to the shark pony, doing its best to be scary. The shark turned to the snake and returned the favor, opening its mouth wide and showing off its rows of sharp teeth.
“Hey.” Eris poked both of their heads. “Play nice, you got it?”

The two sketches exchanged a quick look, narrowing their eyes before reaching out and giving each other a handshake.

“Geez, what am I going to do with you two.” Eris giggled a little, shaking her head. “You know, you two need names.” Her tongue poked out of the corner of her mouth as she scratched the top of her head. A light bulb then appeared between her mismatched horn and antler and her face lit up. “Ooh, I know.” She placed a paw pad on the shark. “I’ll call you, Marina. And I’ll call you, Sarah.”

The two sketches smiled back at her, giving her two thumbs up each.

“Maybe I should bring the two of you out?” she asked, putting her hand on her chin. She extended one of her eyes from her skull, taking a quick peek at the ongoing meeting. She then quickly retracted her eye, causing it to spin in its socket for a moment. “Eh, probably best to do that when important stuff isn’t going on.”

Leaving the book open, she sat back against the couch. “You two are gonna be so awesome out here~ Do you guys wanna be adults, or kids, or what?”

The two sketches scrunched their muzzles up in thought. They didn’t move for a few before holding their hands out far apart as if to indicate adults.

“Oh! You know, this might be easier.” Grabbing her pencil back up, Eris quickly drew a pair of bubbles, each coming from either of their mouths. “There, now I can see what you say~”

“Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3,” appeared in Marina’s bubble.

“Well that's neat,” Sarah responded, smiling at her bubble.

“Perfect.” Eris’s tail swished behind her as she contemplated her next question. She pointed a talon at Sarah. “What kind of pony do you want to be made from?”

“What, you aren’t gonna make me a real filly?” Sarah asked, crossing her arms.

Eris giggled. “Of course I will, silly. Okay, then let me ask a different question. What kind of family do you want to raise you?”

“If we’re gonna be adults, why would anyone have to raise us?” Marina asked, tilting her head.

Eris let out a small sound of realization, nodding her head. “Huh, good point. Better question then, where would you like to live? Marina should be somewhere with alotta water. Put those gills to good use.”

“Don’t forget tropical! Sharks don’t like cold water too much.” Marina grinned widely, beginning to hula dance. “Well most of them don’t anyway. I don’t wanna be one of those kinda sharks.”

“How about Baltimare?” Eris suggested. “A port city and the water temperature should change around the year.” The scene behind the two sketches changed, reflecting the city of Baltimare. “Go ahead, Marina, take a dip.”

Marina didn’t hesitate, diving down into the water. She disappeared for a few moments before surfacing, doing lazy backstrokes in a circle. “Yeah, I think I could live in a place like this.” Giving a thumbs up, she dived back under the water.

Eris smiled, watching Marina for a few moments before turning her attention to Sarah. She put a paw pad to the top of the naga’s head. “What about you, where would you like to live? The jungle maybe? Or, do you like the idea of warm sand against your scales?”

Sarah tilted her head side to side, chewing her lip with one of her fangs. “Both of those sound really nice. Though no deserts if we’re talking about sand, those places are so bleak.”

“Eris, dear, who art thou talking to?” Celestia’s voice spoke, getting Eris’s attention.

Eris popped up from behind the couch, chuckling weakly as she held up her sketchbook. “Sorry if I bothered your meeting, I was just drawing up plans for new pony types I wanted to try making. The two I came up with are named Marina and Sarah.”

Celestia rolled her eyes, though a small smile cracked across her muzzle. “That’s very nice, but thy muttering is a tad bit distracting.”

“Sorry.” Eris shrank a bit, ears drooping. “I’ll be more quiet. Or, I can leave, if that's what you want.”

Celestia shook her head. “We don’t want you to leave, Eris. Thou art not doing anything bad, We promise. Just try to have thy fun a little more quietly.” When Eris gave a nod in agreement, Celestia turned back to the prince. “Forgive her, she is still learning proper etiquette”

The prince snorted, glancing at Eris as she ducked behind the couch. “Considering thou art orchestrating a trade that will save Our people, We can forgive a spirited onlooker.” Lingering on where Eris had been, he grunted. “What exactly is thine protege?”

“She refers to herself as a draconequus,” Celestia answered. “She is also capable of interesting feats with a magic wholly unique to her.”

Ugo nodded, stroking his beard. “Has she been promised to anyone?”

Celestia fought the urge to quirk a brow, her eyes drifting over to the couch that Eris was behind before returning her attention to the prince. “No, she has not promised herself to any suitors.”

Grinning, Ugo leapt to his hooves. “Eris of Equestria! Thou art the most intriguing creature we hath ever seen! Thou shalt join us, and make our bloodline the strongest in all the world!”

Eris popped her head out from behind the couch, tilting her head in confusion at the prince. “Uh, I only understood about half of that. So uh, thanks for calling me intriguing I guess. But, what do you mean by making your bloodline strong? Is it weak? Do you need to see a doctor?”

Ugo chuckled, striding over to the couch and placing a hand on Eris’s cheek. “Nay, Lady Eris, We art asking thee to be Our bride.”

Eris scrunched her muzzle, looking at Celestia. “I don’t get what he’s asking.”

Celestia’s mind struggled to process what she had just heard, an urge to blast Ugo’s hand with magic bubbling up in the corners of her mind. She took a moment to compose herself, placing her hands on the table and gripping it. “He is asking to marry thee. Dost thou know what marriage is?”

“Nope.” Eris shook her head. “Dunno what that is, Celly.”

Celestia rubbed her temple, unsure whether to be amused or exasperated by the draconequus. “Marriage is a ceremony where two ponies promise to spend the rest of their lives with one another. Most often it is done out of love, but for nobility it is common to do it to unite powerful families for political means.”

Eris mulled it over, looking back at Ugo. “I dunno if that’s a good idea, Prince Ugo.” She pulled away, rubbing her arm. “There's a whole lot about the world I don’t understand, like myself and who I am. I don’t think I’d make a good bride, not at all.”

Prince Ugo shook, snorting heavily as his nostrils flared. “Thou wouldst deny Us?” He turned on his heel, stomping towards the door and motioning for his entourage to do the same. With a huff, he stormed out of the room, knocking Crow out of his way. The last yak slammed the door on his way out, cracking the frame and knocking it off its hinges.

Eris stared after them, wilting like a flower. “Celestia, I did something wrong, didn’t I?” her voice lacked its normal cheer, and all the color drained from her body, pooling at her hooves. “I messed up. I broke my promise...”

Celestia’s face fell and she instantly wrapped her arms around Eris, stroking her snow-white mane. “No Eris, thou hast done nothing wrong. Ugo is at fault for not respecting thy decision. And for that, he ended talks before our terms were set in stone. If he wishes to make a deal with Us, he will first need to apologize to thee.” Celestia gave Eris a squeeze. “We would never ask thee to sacrifice thy happiness for the sake of one of Our deals.”

Eris hugged her back, nuzzling her neck. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have come along. I could have just gone to my room and had my fun there...”

“Eris, We already told thee that thou hast no reason to apologize,” Celestia repeated, pulling away to look in her eyes. “Ugo is at fault, do not blame thyself.”

Eris’s color slowly crept back into her, restoring her looks. She didn’t respond, merely latching onto Celestia like a lost foal. Celestia simply held onto the draconequus for a while, whispering reassurances every so often.