It was far beyond time for him to get serious. Discord touched down on the warm sands, cracking his knuckles. "There's no rule saying I can't do this." He thrust his hand out into the void and pulled Fluttershy free.

A few bits of feathers and fluff drifted to the ground.

There... There was no Fluttershy to pull free, at least not an intact one.

Discord's word contracted sharply, his pulse roaring in his ears in a literal display of two lions going at it from the sides of his head. He could snap and undo it...

But...

"Fluttershy..."

"Thank you for your efforts." The serviceman was nodding at the rest of the group. "Sir, we should go."

"Where to?" Paul gestured at the hotel, not that it was in direct view in their dugout. "A tall hotel when explosives are being used doesn't feel safer."

That the man paused was proof enough that a safer place was hard to think of.

Swift Swim turned in place. "This spot seems safe. Nothing's happening anyway."

No further explosions. Even the smoke trail was starting to thin out. As scary as it had been, there appeared to be no follow-ups.

"You!" That was a new voice, Discord emerging from nowhere in particular. "El Presidente!"

That was certainly not what Paul was going by! His guard had his gun out in almost alarming speed, directing it at the incensed creature. "Back away slowly," they barked, looking ready to make use of the weapon.

Discord rolled his eyes. "I have no time for you." With a casual wave, the man was sent flying back, the gun skidding away from him across the floor. "You're a president. I have questions, and you will answer them."

Swift Swim interposed herself between Paul and Discord. "Back off, jerk! This is Paul, and he's not a president, dummy."

Discord was not as quick to send the small hybrid child flying, though the temptation was clearly still there. "Whatever he is, I need to talk to him, now."

Paul placed a gentle hand on Swift's shoulder, drawing her back. He would not hide behind a child shield. "You seem upset. If you just want to talk, I have nothing against that." He turned the same hand towards a table there, meant for dining out on that half-underground patio they were on. "Have a seat, let's chat?"

"That's better." A smile, a forced smile, tension still high. Discord vanished to appear already seated at the table, a colorful drink held in a hand, and another across from him, waiting for Paul. "I have had the absolute worst day. Worst part being that it's all my own fault! All of it! Well, most of it. The important parts!"

Paul took his seat, watching his guard get back on his feet. He didn't look injured, good. "Sounds rough." He glanced towards the thinning smoke. "Going to take a guess. Does this involve the explosion?"

"You were there?!" Discord threw his hand aside, sending an arc of his drink flying. "Yes, that was it entirely. Now, look, let's get to brass tacks. I was with a very very dear friend on a little ship." He held his hands close together, glass angling awkwardly. "And, well, that." His turn to incline his head at the site of the explosion. "And... now... Now..."

Mike looked out at the trailing smoke. "Are they hurt?"

"No." His girlfriend elbowed him, Swift frowning. "What are you, two?" Not that either of them were that old just yet. "He's lucky he's still here."

Discord sank miserably, chin slapping against the table as he went entirely limp. "She's right! Fluttershy is gone, and even I, Discord, master of chaos, can't just bring her back."

Snowmelt perked. "Discord? The Discord?!"

Discord perked a little. "Finally, some respect. You've heard of me?" He sat up with a little cocky smile, though it didn't last long. "But, yes, even Discord can't fix this..."

Snowmelt took an unsure step forward. "But you can... do anything. Why can't you... fix it, if you want, um, sir?"

"Because she made me make a promise." He set the glass down and instead turned his hands to cradling his head. "After I made a show of fixing Ponyville, nasty incident that. I'll spare the children the grisly details, but I fixed that up. The ponies involved were... a bit affected by it. Fluttershy demanded that if... it ever came to that... to leave her alone. That she would... go naturally." He slammed a fist on the table suddenly. "Exploding in a submarine is not naturally!"

That brought things into more of a focus. "You were in a submarine?" prodded Paul gently. "Then..." Well, it was clear what exploded then. "What did that?"

"Fluttershy was the one looking," Discord grunted with obvious annoyance. "She saw something, but before she could say what it was, it was all over." He glared at Paul. "You were in charge of more creatures than I care to count. How did you cope with them getting in trouble you couldn't fix?"

Head Stream squinted at Discord. "You seem really convinced Paul's a president."

"That may be my fault." The Secret Serviceman returned to the chat, gun tucked away. He had given up trying to threaten Discord with it, for the moment. "Most people don't have Secret Service."

Mike gasped sharply. "No. Way."

Mobile frowned a little. "What are those again? Besides secret."

Tim was close to his wife. "They're bodyguards of extremely important people, like the president."

Paul raised his hands. "Let's keep calm."

"I am perfectly calm," assured the not calm Discord. "I've met another of you." He pointed at Paul. "Also, since when did they allow Changelings to be that?" Everyone jerked at that bit of information. "Was it a secret?"

Paul buried his face in his hands. "Not anymore," he miserably let out. "You are never going to be given confidential clearance, ever."

The agent nodded lightly. "He's right." There were plenty of reasons to deny Discord that. That he was bad with secrets was actually below a fair bit of other valid reasons. "Sir, just so you are aware, anyone who's given this detail is given the full briefing. I was aware."

"Of the changeling thing, or the 'This guy used to be president' thing?"

"I am not permitted to speak further on that topic."

Discord glanced between the two humans being all secretive. "Lovely as this is, can we get back on topic? Something out there blew up my sub, and me, and my friend. I am beyond livid... But the sort of punishment I want to give, I can't."

Paul perked at that. "Another promise."

"Another promise," grumbled Discord. "Teaches me to give those out. Never again... Harmony's tools, those. Nasty and foul. Not my thing! Not at all..." And yet, he seemed ready to abide by it. "Fluttershy..." He paused, sniffling a little. "Rest... her... She asked that I never use my powers that way." He spread his hands, a minigun appearing in the left, a rocket launcher in the right. "I can do whatever I want, but killing, that's the line she drew." He threw them aside, forgotten and already fading away.

Paul knew of Discord. He was, at the start, a changeling. Changelings knew Discord. He had caused them to change, working with a few other ponies, bringing a new age that Paul had been late to, but had arrived at in his own time. "Allow me to propose an idea."

"Hm?" Discord looked up at Paul. "I know I give the impression that I'm just 'living in the moment', but I have been. I have been exploring countless possibilities. What ifs. She is that important to me. There has to be a way out, but there are a few problems. I can't bring her back directly, promises... If I go to another world where there is another Fluttershy, well, there's also another me there."

He shrugged softly. "And if there isn't already an interested me there, then the Fluttershy there doesn't know me and/or doesn't want to get to know me. I obviously didn't go back in time."

"Obviously?"

"Or I'd have run into me already, duh." Discord smirked as if teaching something obvious. "I didn't, so I don't do that. I did pass a warning to a few other mes, but none of them warned me, jerks." He rolled his eyes, fixing on Swift. "Maybe you were right after all."

The agent was watching the weapons fade away into nothing, then out across the waters. "Whatever attacked you, is it still out there?"

"No." Discord steepled his fingers. "I was out there, looking... I didn't see anything but some surprised fish."

The agent nodded at Paul. "I'd better call this in. Stay here." And he moved off to the far corner of the room.

Mike shook his head softly. "This all went from vacation to action-movie thriller."

Swift snorted at him. "That's your read? Poor guy's hurting." She patted Discord's side. "Sorry about your lady friend."

Paul nudged his untouched glass away. "Let's put aside that idea then." Which Discord had already tried, apparently. "What do you want to do?"

"Go home, mostly... But I still want revenge. A revenge I can't get personally." He leaned in, head curling over his overly long neck. "But you, dear human. Humans are quite good at getting exactly the kind of revenge I dearly want right now..."

Paul kept his gaze level and neutral. Just like facing a foreign contact, really. "I can make no promises on behalf of America. I really am not a president. They only last four to eight years each."

"That short?" He reared back with obvious surprise. "How do you get anything done at all?!"

"With difficulty," chuckled out Paul. "But it's how things are. What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking there's something out there perfectly willing to explode things. I'm thinking humans don't like that much unless they're the ones doing it." He steepled his fingers. "I'm thinking you may want to do something violent about it."

"Possibly." Paul was keeping an eye on his guard. Where had the first one gone off to? They still hadn't shown up... "We'll be informing them, certainly."

"Ugh, is that the best I get? At least this little thing gave me a patting." He returned the patting, drumming his hand on Swift's startled head. "Ugh, I need to sulk for a few dozen years. Good luck with that. Harmony has..." He suddenly sat up. "Nevermind that. We need to exchange words." And he vanished with a somehow angry bamf of magic. He had a spirit of order to yell at.

"You knew that would happen." He leveled his finger at the tree that housed the spirit of harmony. "Don't even try to deny it. Everything has a 'purpose' in your book. Everything happens because it has to."

"That's not true." There was the spectral Twilight, her eyes unblinking, staring off into the distance. "If it was, I would need to do nothing but watch the events unfold."

"Isn't that exactly what you do?!" he roared in accusation, storming towards the not-Twilight. "You sent me there! This was your fault."

"I am sorry." The twilight dipped her head, but her eyes did not close, nor did her expression change. "I knew there were risks, great risks, but I thought, next to you, she would be safe. I overestimated the strength of my rival."

"You're turning this around on me!" He placed his hands on his chest, affronted. "I thought we were doing everything the way you wanted it. We were there on your stupid 'friendship' quest. We were talking with animals, getting clues. It was all fun and games... Until it wasn't..."

"I'm sorry," gently repeated the spirit with the face of a pony. "We were both taken by surprise. Dark forces are gathering. Chaos will result. Pain will result. Fluttershy... would have wanted it stopped."

"Don't you speak her name!" he roared, slamming a foot down with enough strength to sunder the stone he stood on. There was no humor in his eyes.

Author's Note

Sorry about that... I am the harmony of this story, watching, nudging, but still slave to what actually happens. Please forgive me.

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