Fur Umbra

Chapter 9: The Box (Shrödinger’s)
Discord watched on in bemusement. He’d reformed, yes. He could stop what was happening, certainly. But why would he? It was perfect! Everyone was getting what they wanted and they didn’t even know it yet. Well, except for poor little Fur Umbra over here, he’d gotten himself into quite the mess. Guess ‘lil old Discord’ll just have to help him out.

* * *

Discord watched Fur as he entered the little jewellery shop on the south side of Canterlot before deciding to make his move. He quickly teleported in and took on the form of the gentleman that worked there, making sure the real counterpart was out cold in the back first before walking out into the shop to greet his ‘customer’.

“Welc’m to Shtone’s Jew’ry shop. Wha’ can I ‘elp yuh wit’ tuday?”

“I’m just looking,” Fur replied.

“‘oos the lucky mare?”

Fur looked up, shocked. “How did you...?”

“Uh’ve bin in ‘iss buisniss a long time, sport. Uh know love when uh see it.”

“You... really think so?”

Discord nodded. “Of course, of course. It’s ritten all ov’a you; ya just can’t see it yet.”

“Well...” Fur looked around a bit nervously, “what do you have for engagement rings?”

Discord couldn’t help but grin. This pony... this damn pony was one in a million. Ain’t no other pony on Equis would do this. Those princesses have got something special alright. Wedding rings? Nope, he was still going through everything from step ‘one’. “Uh got shomethun’ yuh might like... real shpeshal.”

Discord reached under the counter and pulled out an old box with a small latch on the front. It was heavily worn away, but still in as mint condition as Discord could manage after finding it.

He was planning on giving it to someone he fell in love with (if it even was possible for him to love), but this was an exceptional case, and with everything else going on in the world, this would be the perfect opportunity to see if it actually worked.

“This box is old, and the rings wittin it are even older. Uh searched for many years for ‘is box, believin’ it to be but a myth. And now, ‘ere it is...” Discord unlatched the lid and opened the box, bowing in reverence as he did so.

Fur looked at a ring before him. It was intricately carved out of pure diamond that sparkled as if lit from within. The ring depicted dragons, ponies, nature, and many other things- all crafted into a part of the ring itself as if each was an individual sculpture that had been combined together to form the magestic ring. And upon the top of the ring, a flower bud, unopened, as if waiting for the presence of true love to blossom.

And there was two of them.

Discord closed the box. “I normally do not do ‘is for jus’ anyone...” Discord winked at fur. “But uh’ll keep your ‘ittle royal secret ‘tween the two of us, eh? ‘ont wanna tip any’on off jus’ yet.”

Discord handed over the box, allowing Fur time to notice his yellow and red eyes before teleporting out of there with a

*SNAP*

* * *

Discord watched on as things were set in motion. The two thieves were about to unleash chaos upon the world. Glorious chaos. And all Discord had to do is sit back and watch once the action gets going, but he isn’t done just yet. Time to pay a visit to an old friend.

(If you get the “thieves” meaning in both senses of the term, then have a cookie.)

* * *

Discord looked upon the depraved mindscape of Chrysalis. It was in complete tatters, fragmented every which way. Fur2 -as Discord had come to call him- didn’t even care about beings like Chrysalis. So long as they worked their purpose and didn’t fight back, he couldn’t care less what they felt. And for Chrysalis, that feeling was a demented, dull, throbbing pain consistently coming from her body as it was used to store love for the army being amassed outside her cell.

Discord approached some fragments and began collecting them. It was just like a puzzle... only with someone's entire consciousness at stake! What glorious, chaotic, fun!

3 hours later and Discord had finished the required parts of Chrysalis’ psyche. He teleported himself and what was left of Chrysalis' mind into his own chaotic dimension and pulled up a chair for them both before waking her up by tapping her on the forehead.

Startled, Chrysalis looked around her surroundings before settling on the draconequus. “What do you want, Discord?” the ex-queen asked in a raspy voice, attempting to add a growling edge to it with no avail.

Discord smirked “I’m glad you asked... you see, you’re in a bit of a horrid situation right now; you can see that, right?” Discord brought up a projection of Chrysalis’ own body, which she nearly gagged upon seeing, slowly nodding after a few moments to take it all in. “Good. Now, I can get you out of this, but I need a little something in return.”

“And what is it that you would want, Discord? Aren’t satisfied with your petty little games anymore?”

Discord chuckled. “I’ll get to that, but first, let me ask you... what would you give to be free; free of your fate, free of your bonds, free of that,” Discord pointed to the screen.

Chrysalis growled. “Alright, I’ll bite. And if I refuse?”

“Then you’ll remain trapped where you are and I’ll get one of the two-to-three hundred other queens to do it for me.” Discord brought up pictures of numerous other queens and proto-queens in the hive to prove his point.

“...Fine. You have your deal. Just, get me out of there.” Chrysalis replied, attempting to hide her deep-seated fear that she would be stuck like that forever.

“As you wish...” said Discord with a smile, knowing that this was exactly how everything would play out.

* * *

That night, Chrysalis escaped her old hive and ran away towards the distant horizon, not even realising the changes Discord had made to her mind to subtly (or not so subtly) influence her actions and decisions in the near and distant future.