How did I allow this much to change?

Discord placed a flower made out of gems on top of the seamstress grave, then a flower that had its petals shaped like an apple on top of the farmer, then a flower that floated like a cloud hovered on top of the daredevil's grave, balloon flowers bounced around the party pony's grave, and finally ...a swarm of pink butterflies he created would flock there every day to form a bouquet.

The time he spent with them plagued his mind. How could have him been so blind to how time was changing them? Simple really, he couldn't be touched by time.

How much time did I lose with pointless fighting?

"I miss them too," A familiar voice said from behind him. "Those are beautiful. You're very thoughtful."

"Hello there, Twilight," Discord replied while handing a flower with a body that was covered in lavender lights. "I needed to create something. They'll be everywhere in Equestria in a few days. But don't worry, they won't kill other plants."

The lavender unicorn looked different. She had bags under her eyes, which were red as if she had been crying. Her figure had shriveled considerably. It was as if she had stopped eating altogether. Her cheekbones were standing out as the dried-up lips made her look half-dead. Her arms were thin enough for Discord to see the bone's outline. He could only imagine what was underneath her clothes. But above all else, her color. Twilight's lavender coat had the same color shade from when he tricked them out of their elements. Even her eyes were dull.

What happened to her?

"Thank you," Twilight replied while picking up the plant. "I won't worry. Your changes have made Equestria a bit more fun."

"Not as fun as when they were around. I am aware of how obnoxious I was to all of you. But it was all for the sake of having a good time. I have never been a social phenomenon," Discord said as he walked away. "I wish I could see them again."

Discord took a few steps before a wall of magic blocked his path. He looked over his shoulder, Twilight was stating at the ground with teary eyes.

"Some Princess I am. I taught the lesson of learning to let go to so many, but I can't put that to practice," She spoke with a somber tone, her voice was cracking. "I-I can show you a place where we can see them."

Discord's eyes widened at the statement, rushing to Twilight's side, and then he snapped his finger. A blinding flash later and they were at the hall of Twilight's castle. Twilight didn't flinch, her horn fired up. The ground beneath them allowed them to sink, a few seconds after, Discord could see multiple tables with texts in idioms he hadn't seen before.

"I've been too busy to see them slipping away as well. So, when I saw through this," Twilight said while pointing to a big mirror on the corner of the room. "I couldn't help myself."

Discord took a step back and then turned around. The mirror was in front of him now. He looked at the reflection before him, a reflection of his body, nothing more, nothing less. Then Twilight walked up to the mirror and began to charge it with her magic.

Discord felt his eyes fill up with tears as the image of Fluttershy appeared before him. She had a beautiful wedding dress. However, what made Discord tear up was the one standing by her side.

"W-what is this?" Discord asked as he touched the mirror's surface.

"A possibility," Twilight replied as she stared at the image of Discord on a black suit with Fluttershy by his side. "I saw many paths our world could have followed. Texts that appeared as our civilization advanced. Different spells appeared on our land, new species emerged, and so forth. I got so immersed on it that I forgot about the progression of time. Some princess of friendship, right?"

"I felt so useless when the map stopped summoning me. My friends were being all over the country, meanwhile, I was left here to ...warm a crystal seat. I felt so pathetic. That's when I found this mirror. And then ...I guess some habits can resurface at any time. I had to do something. So, I did. How thrilling it was."

She wasted her time as well. However ...

"You said possibilities," Discord muttered as he watched the wedding unveil before his eyes. "Do you think we could alter the variables to make them a reality?"

Looking with the corner of his eye, Discord saw a glint on Twilight's eyes. A small grin appeared on her muzzle as she tilted her head with a sad smile.

"I've thought of it before," Twilight replied with a serious tone. "As far as my studies point out, the mirror generates a safe area that prevents all that is contained within it to be erased by time changes. Therefore I could change things. I could bring them back. I made it all, the mirror was modified to do just that. The map, the mirror, Starlight's spells. I made it all work together. I just need a push to do it. I have t do it. I need them back."

Discord proceeded to snap his fingers as soon as Twilight finished her story. They reappeared before the two monarchs.

"Ladies, I assume you heard all of that?" Discord asked the disappointed looking Princesses.

"Yes. Yes, we have." Discord looked over to the less experienced princess.

Her eyes were filled with tears as she practically broke down in front of them.

"I showed you where to see them again! And you rat me out! I just wanted my time back! I don't want to be here without them! I can't be here without them! I refuse to live without them!"

Twilight was in too deep on her disbelief to notice the guards approaching her. Her attention was directed at Discord as the guards guided her towards the Princesses.

"We will lend our aid to Twilight," Luna said with a sad tone. "We are grateful for your aid, Discord."

"No problem. I'll handle the mirror. That thing won't be causing any issues for any of us. That much I can promise," Discord replied as he made a half-bow. He then proceeded to snap his fingers, which caused him to reappear at the secret lab.

"Clever little pony," Discord replied as he placed his claw on the mirror. "Maybe we should give the past a little nudge?"

Should I? NO. This thing could ruin everything. Or improve it. However, there isn't much I can do to predict the result. On the other hand, I could create the optimal result for me and them. But ...they wouldn't want me to do that. Then again, they wouldn't want Twilight to end up like that. Nor would they want me to play with their lives like this. But if I don't do it, Twilight loses her mind and becomes a threat. She made this so she could get away from the princesses.

Am I trying to convince myself to do it? Or is this the opposite? If I take the first step, I can't come back. There won't be a place to come back. What I had with them will be gone. Or I could send my mind back and then have a new beginning? No, the world back then wouldn't accept change as easily as this one. There would need someone who would stand up to change things and made them accept it. The ones that could do it wanted my head on a silver platter back then. Maybe there is another way?

I could try to change the timelines in the mirror. I don't have to worry about things that didn't happen, right?

"How about making you break free earlier?" Discord said while mimicking Twilight's voice.

"Very well," Discord replied before sending a chaos pulse through the mirror.

The ground shook violently. Discord saw the room's walls disappear while the items within it stood still. The outside of the castle was a twisted version of a chess table. He could see bunnies that seemed to be made of chewing gum were walking upside down on the clouds. A flock of yaks was prancing around while making pirouettes worthy of a world-class ballerina.

"I guess we weren't ready for an earlier awakening. How much did you hasten things up?" Discord mimicked.

"Four months exactly. I was aiming for a year. However, I thought it would be too early so I pushed the deadline back," Discord replied while scratching his beard. That one-sided conversation was the closest thing he could have to a normal talk now. "Perhaps, I can try to send a pulse to give them lasting youth instead of changing my rise."

Another pulse against the mirror. This time aimed at the birth of each of the element bearers. If they were unable to age from the very start, there was a chance to not needing to change anything. The world surrounding the room turned into a blur of paint. The colors spun into a vortex until all that was left was a murky, brown color.

A desolated terrain surrounded their vicinity. The empty land seemed fit for a dead Equestria.

"I recognize this place," "Twilight," said with a half-smile. "I had to jump to this timeline to show my student how wrong she was to play with time."

"Yet, here we are again. Do what I say, don't do what I do. But this is not the outcome we want." Discord replied while placing his hand on the mirror. "Eternal youth is not the way to go then. What should I try next?"

"How about changing your past self?" "Twilight" suggested. "There is a spell that allows you to send a copy of your mind to the past. However, your past self needs to activate a spell as soon as it arrives."

Discord ignored the remark as he continued to stare at the mirror. "How about this?"

Another chaos pulse and the sun above them became eclipsed, then the world fell into a dark, serene night. Big banners with the symbol of the moon took over the decorations of Ponyville. It would seem giving Celestia a boost was a bad idea.

"Not what I wanted, but not too bad either."

Another pulse, Daybreaker was quite the show-off.

"I don't think things could get worse."

Another pulse, Tirek became an ambassador for the crown.

"I can still fix this."

Another pulse, Starlight became Celestia's apprentice and owner of the castle.

"I can get this back in order."

Another pulse, Cozy Glow succeeded in her plans, which led to a strangely peaceful world.

"It isn't so bad, right? No, it's bad."

Another pulse, Chrysalis came around after her first attempt to conquer Equestria and joined forces with the Princesses.

"This is fine. I'm in control."

Another pulse and Sombra became Umbra.

"UNDO!"

Another pulse, Umbra became part of the crystal heart, and then ended up conquering Equestria.

"I SAID UNDO!"

Another pulse and Equos self-destructed after ten years.

"Now you are just mocking me."

The endless loop continued as the world around the room kept shifting. And every time, the element bearers would pass away to give place to new ones. Again and again, the experiment continued. Each time Discord hit a roadblock in a different possibility, he would jump to a new path.

The time within his room continued to flow normally. The scrolls began to age, the white pieces of parchment slowly turned yellow as time took its toll. The smell of aged books and paper saturated the air within the room. It was as if he had returned to the old sections of Canterlot Library.

Years flew by as Discord grew ever closer to his timeline. And with each step, he got less and less convinced that he could pull something off with that method. Until one day he simply stopped trying and sat in front of the mirror.

"This is getting obnoxious. Altering the possibilities is just annoying. There are too many variables to consider in each scenario. If I wanted to see plausible results I would need to try and change things up in my timeline. Not those. I bet Ms. Twilight would have plenty of data for me to analyze and determine the best approach."

"However, I don't feel like searching through her organized mess. So, let's think about this. Based on the experiments, I cannot try to change things from here. The variables are out of my reach. If I was present at the time, however, the world becomes my toy. But! The moment I send myself back I will either be a statue or being threatened to become a statue. Which means ...that I would need to send myself way back. Before the events of my first imprisonment."

"HOWEVER! I was causing trouble even before that. Ponies used to see change as a malevolent force. Therefore, anything I try would be disregarded as just malicious intent. Meaning that I would be turned to stone before anything could be done. BUT! Even If I was encased in stone, I could still be freed way back when. If enough chaos was generated, I could leave a decoy behind while preparing the world for the changes I wanted. However, anything I proposed would be seen as suspicious."

Discord stared at his reflection for a second after saying those words. "Anything I do will be seen as suspicious. What if someone else brought changes while I secure the things that mattered in the background? Yes, that could work. And for optimal cover ...I know exactly when and where to drop the one I need."

"Hello there, folks! Your favorite chatter-box is back. And I am very pleased to know that some spots are still able to tune in!"

The display before his eyes showing multiple dots on different parts of the globe was his window to how many people could be out there. Of course, those could be just automated stations others could have set up. But he had to stay positive. Breaking down was not an option for him at all.

"I have to believe someone out there will hear all the songs I collected."

Looking at the corner of the poorly-lit room, he saw the boxes containing the music sheets he had scavenged from the rubble around the base. Of course, there wasn't much he could recover outside, not without approaching the black and the white holes. The two singularities created a neutral field around the base, the constant pull from the black hole against the constant push of the white hole.

If he wandered too close to either side, he would suffer the effects of the area. Therefore, finding gear or anything from the time before the singularities incident was nearly impossible. Of course, that also meant Arthur wasn't able to search for food.

In short, he had his days counted. Even by systematically keeping the rations to moments when he was in a bad spot, his stock was diminishing. Water being the main issue, a human in optimal conditions can stay without water for about seventy-two hours. However, in his current condition, in the best-case scenario, he could last a day.

"Well, better push some music out there. The question here is which one? Something to cheer them up? Things are rather bleak. In that case, something like that should do the trick."

With a few strokes of a keyboard, he moved down the display until he reached the song. Whoever had set that place up (the body was buried outside the base, the poor guy was crushed by a part of the building that had collapsed) was a real fan of music.

Arthur wasn't complaining about it, though he wished the guy had left the instructions manual in better shape. All he could make out was how to send out signals. However, he didn't know how to tune in to talk to others. But, even if he couldn't receive the signals, if he could send it, maybe other people could have a bit of hope. Knowing that they were not alone could be just what they needed.

It was more than enough for him. Pressing the button, Arthur sent the music to the winds.

As soon as the song started to play, he turned his back on the monitor. He wanted to take another look at the things he had recovered that morning. Some shards seemed to fit together. They seemed to form a picture of a claw, all things considered, it was part of something bigger. He had found a set of eyes made out of the same material before.

Suddenly the sound of static began to act on the "incoming signal" part of the monitors. Arthur hastily put the pieces on the floor and then ran back to the computers. The static was changing volume as if someone was speaking. A red button was flashing, the letters were faded. Therefore, Arthur didn't know what the button

"Hello? Can anyone hear me, over?"

Arthur's heart skipped a beat when he heard that.

"I was right! I was right!"

"Can anyone hear me? Please respond!"

Arthur panicked, he had to do something, the red light was extremely taunting. Should he push it? Or should he try to change the music to show that he was hearing?

"If there is anyone hearing, there should be a button that allows you to speak to me! A two-way radio should have it!"

Arthur didn't even blink. His palm slammed the glowing button, causing the noise to fade a bit.

"HELLO! CAN YOU HEAR ME?! OVER!"

"Yes! We can hear you. So please don't shout. We are glad to hear another person's voice. Where are you now?"

"I'm in a base some other guy built. He was dead when I found him. Over."

"Alright, what is around you? Maybe we can get to you?"

"I'm sorry. But this is a no-go zone. I'm in between two singularities. A black hole, and a white hole. I can't get close to either one without being affected by them, over."

"I see ...how are you holding out? Do you have food and water?"

"I have some rations and water. However, it won't last for long. Moreover, I can't go very far because of the holes, over."

The sound of static returned. He couldn't have lost those people just because of food, right? Now that he thought about it, how many people did they have? Did they know how many were left?

"Hey, are you still there? Over."

"Yes, yes we are."

" "We"? Wait for a moment. How many people are there with you? Over."

"Well ...at least a hundred."

"A-A hundred? Y-you have a hundred people with you? Over."

"Yes. And we aren't the only ones alive as well. From what we gathered, there is about forty percent of the original population still alive and kicking."

"Hold it right there. How can you have an assessment of that? There are tears all over the globe. Therefore, there is no way to travel in between camps. Over."

"I told you we should have been honest right away!"

(I bet I could stand in Twilight's court with my imitations. They wouldn't even notice me.)

A new voice? The first one sounded like a male. The newest addition was more akin to a woman.

"Okay, listen up. There is about forty percent of your kind alive in there. We can asses that using a special method that allows us to see into your world."

"You are kidding. There are that many left? I-I'm not amongst the last?" Arthur asked as his eyes filled up with tears. He dropped to his knees while sobbing like a baby. "I-I was alone for two years. A-and now ...I-I'm so happy.

"Are you sure you want to celebrate before hearing everything?" The man spoke in a menacing tone.

Arthur gulped at the statement. What did this stranger know that he didn't? Were the other people in danger? Was the world decaying faster than he thought?

"Hey, kiddo. As amusing as your face is, we need to talk. Here is the deal: we undo the damage in your world, you help us by coming over here. Simple as that." The male continued.

"What? I'm a med-school student that somehow survived this shit. How am I going to help?! And how am I going to get to where you are?" Arthur asked while frowning.

"You, my friend, are one of the attempts we made to make some changes over on our side. Humans are variables, chaotic ones. We contacted multiple ones trying to convince them to aid us. However, they either dissed us or were too depressed to bother." The female voice explained.

"So, I'm one of the back-up plans. So, tell me why should I bother to help? For all I know, you two might be lying about all of this. And you didn't answer my question on how to get there." He wasn't going to bother with how talking via radio worked if the ones on the other side were just pranking him.

"Look behind you. You'll see some proof that we aren't regular "people." "

(I'm sure I qualify as a monster.)

Arthur stopped for a second. Part of him wanted to humor the request. The rest wanted to shut the thing off and go back to being alone. Those idiots were literarily toying with him at that point. However, the sound of scratching sent a shiver down his spine.

Arthur looked over his shoulder, the piece of art he found with the claw was moving, ON. ITS. OWN. The piece of porcelain had a real claw sticking out of it, and it was scratching the ground. Above it, there was a pair of eyes.

"You ...I'm hallucinating. Ok, I think I need water," Arthur muttered before he felt a splash of cold water hit his face. He could feel it running down his head and dripping on his body. "You have my full attention."

(A bucket of cold water. It Always does the trick.)

"Listen closely. My plan requires some changes to my world."

"Your world? Are you ...talking to me from another planet."

"Yep. In a sense, I am."

"What would you gain from this?"

"I'll be borrowing things from you. As you will be borrowing things from me. Equivalent exchange."

"What do you mean I would be borrowing-?!"

(This is taking too long)

Before Arthur could continue his line of thought, he was yanked out of the ground by his feet. Looking up at his legs, Arthur saw the claw holding his ankle. Arthur tried to break free, however, three other limbs appeared. Each one of them grabbed hold of Arthur's remaining limbs and then dragged him through the walls. He phased through them as if the walls weren't even there.

"LET ME GO! I DIDN'T AGREE TO THIS! LET ME OUT!"

The limbs ignored Arthur's pleas as he was brought closer to the black hole. When he was out of reach of the white hole's area of effect, the severed limbs set him free into the singularity. Arthur felt his body stretch as he got closer to its center.

I'm going to die!

"Where am I?! I can't see anything!"

A soul doesn't have eyes, so it can't see.

Discord was floating inside the lab. The preparations for the trip back were ready. All that was left to do was prepare the finishing touches. And one of them was floating right in front of Discord.

Discord held the life of that unsuspecting human in his claws. The creature's body lacked the requirements to live in Equos. Therefore, Discord needed to create a proper vessel. There were many creatures in equos that could be candidates. The easiest option was shoving it inside a pony. The soul would blend in without a hitch inside the body of a pony.

There were two issues with that option, the first if he blended in, there was a chance of the plan not even beginning. Secondly, the easy things weren't fun.

So, based on what I have seen, Humans are very influenced by their emotions. Their bodies are somewhat fluid and, with proper methods, can be changed. A creature fueled by emotions and can alter its body at will. We got a winner.

Placing the soul in the air, Discord began to move his arms around as if he was conducting an orchestra. As if on cue, a green mass began to form in front of him. The mass rearranged itself around the soul, forming the inner organs of a changeling. Then a pink cloud formed above the organs. From it, a white liquid was poured over the organs giving the shape of a changeling.

Finally, Discord took a deep breath before letting out a cloud of black smoke. The smoke attached itself over the creature and voilá. It was a living, breathing changeling. He was about the same size as Luna, only slightly smaller. In comparison to Celestia, he was rather small. However, when compared to regular ponies he would be a giant of sorts. He didn't have a mane. However, like most drones, he had some spikes on his head along with a horn similar to a bug.

The body was on stasis state and saturated with chaotic energy. Discord would need to keep it like that to send him back to the past without any backlash to the changeling's mind. The amount of energy that would be left behind would be enough to send Discord's mind back.

"Now, let's make our play. I promise you, Twilight, we will not let our time with them go to waste," Discord muttered as he opened a tear in the mirror. "Off you go, my pawn."

As soon as the body disappeared, the tear closed while leaving behind a crack all across the mirror's surface.

"I don't think it can take much more of this," Discord said as he snapped his fingers. One of the scrolls within the lab floated his claws. "Out with the new, in with the old."

Celestia stood before the statue of Discord. She had the creature carried from the plains where it faced its defeat to the garden within their temporary fortress. As much as she trusted the Elements of Harmony, something inside her kept telling her to keep the statue within arm's reach.

"You were so powerful. You bested us so many times before this. So, why? Why did you throw in the towel without putting up a fight? That doesn't make sense. What would you have to gain from it?" Celestia muttered while keeping her arms crossed. "Would it be too far off to assume you're aware of what's happening? Yes. It's a ridiculous concept. Stones aren't alive."

Celestia let out a sigh, the day had been long and Luna had already raised the Moon. The court was sun court was done for the day, that meant that problems would be handed to Luna from that point on until the sun rose again. Celestia turned her back to the statue and then headed to her tent.

As she walked away, a cold wind blew from behind her, something deep inside Celestia told her to turn around. However, she dismissed the feeling as paranoia due to exhaustion. Celestia directed her gaze at the constellations above.

Luna outdid herself as usual. This ought to be a calm night.

"PRINCESS!"

Luna almost jumped out of her throne due to the sudden scream. The night court was always quiet, so a guard suddenly yelling out of nowhere like that was unusual. Luna quickly rose from her throne as the guard kneeled before her.

"What has happened to cause such distress?" Luna asked with a calm expression. She had to hide the excitement felt from the sudden change in routine. She had to keep the expression of a calm and collected leader.

"T-There is a giant cocoon attached to our mast!"

Luna raised an eyebrow at that.

Perhaps another prank from our sister? Luna gestured to the guard, asking him to proceed.

"T-There is something inside it. The c-cocoon is pulsating like a heart. What should we do?"

Luna placed her hand on her chin. If that report was real, then their forward base could be in danger. They had just secured what little territory they had, now that? Luna knew she couldn't afford to make a mistake as they tried to reconquer their lands.

"Takes us to it. It is time we learn if we are endangered or not."

Author's Note

What am I doing? I don't know, do you know?