In a desert that didn't exist, a star fell and crashed into the sands with a great...
*PFFFFFFT!*
Fart?
"Holy buck, Starlight!" Discord exclaimed as he snapped his talons, the enormous whoopy-cushion disappearing as said Chaos God looked incredibly annoyed. "That mare actually almost destroyed my body! I mean, yeah, I can just make a new one, but yeesh. Twilight really...knows...how to..." he trailed off, scowling as he felt the sand beneath his claw and hoof. He looked around, realizing there was no moon and he could sense no sun. "By Celestia's flanks, she actually punted me to a different reality! I'd actually be furious if I wasn't so impressed! Why isn't she an alicorn again?" Discord murmured with a smile.
It quickly vanished as his more chaotic senses kicked in, causing him to scowl thoughtfully. With a hum, he moved to snap his fingers, only to find a glass of chocolate milk had formed before the digits even pressed together. "Okay, what the buck?" he stated curiously as he took a drink. He glanced side to side suspiciously before staring intently. He watched with fascination as a life size replica of Canterlot rose out of the sand in the distance, mountain and all. He dismissed it, the structure crumbling back into sand in seconds. "Reality is too thin here to be a regular world, but it's too thick to be my Chaos Realm or anything similar. What is going on here?" he murmured as he looked around.
And promptly did a double take.
"Harmony?!" he said in shock, seeing an enormous tree-like shape that appeared to be made entirely of pure light, branches reaching high into the sky and spreading out in all directions. His senses reached out before his alarm fell into more confusion. "That's not Harmony." he realized, furrowing his brow as he saw a small dot in the distance.
A very, very powerful dot.
He took flight, gravity putting forth even less effort to keep him down than it normally did. The realm was strange to him. It seemed boring on the surface, but there was something unusual about it just below the surface. He could feel this place was linked to something else, some where else. Another world, he suspected. Was this some dreary afterlife? If so, the contrast between the bright shiny tree with the sandy wastelands was an odd choice. Perhaps a beacon to a promised land?
He pushed that speculation out of his mind as he approached his intended target, and was left more curious as he floated down to stare at her.
It was a human, a young girl at that. Or she appeared to be so, with blonde hair and wearing simple rags while carrying around a wooden bucket of sand. He narrowed his eyes at her, knowing that children in these situations were rarely just children. "I'd say you're a bit old for sand castles, but I'm never one to deny the ode of being as old as your heart feels," Discord remarked to draw her attention. It worked, the girl pausing to look back at him. "That's an interesting look you got there," he remarked wryly, seeing the darkness that clouded over her eyes. Not enough to hide that she had eyes completely, but enough to make them almost impossible to see. He quirked a brow as she turned back to lugging the bucket over a small hill, as if a draconequus's appearance wasn't that surprising on its own.
"I'm being ignored. That's different," he murmured, stroking his beard as he followed up after her over the hill. He looked more than a little surprised as he saw her pouring the sand onto what he reasoned to be a sand-sculpture of a giant's foot. "That will take a long time to make," he commented idly, growing annoyed as she continued to ignore him. He snapped his talon, turning her bucket into sand to her momentary surprise. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I do th-" he paused as she casually reached into the sand and pulled out another bucket. "Well, I wasn't imagining it. This is your realm, apparently," Discord realized in surprise. "Why are you doing this the hard way though?"
She failed to answer him, continuing her work ceaselessly.
"I can get answers from you one way or another," Discord remarked in annoyance.
"It's no use."
Discord raised an eyebrow at the voice, turning about in midair to see an interesting sight; another female human, but this one a grown woman. Barely a woman though, he realized as he sensed this one was genuinely young and barely an adult by most standards. She was fairly beautiful, with long black hair and fair skin, her eyes blue. She wore a white outfit while sitting in the sand.
Most curious was the collar around her neck, four chains on it extending into the sand.
"She has no will of her own," the woman remarked with a voice of sorrow. "But shouldn't you know that, Devil of All Earth?"
"Interesting title, but it's not mine," Discord retorted, eyeing her curiously. Something felt...off about her. In more than one way.
"Am I to believe you're not the one whom gave Ymir Fritz the Power of the Titans?" she asked doubtfully.
"Power of the Titans? Well, now that would be a deal I'd remember making," Discord remarked idly, stroking his goatee. "I suppose I should introduce myself. I'm Discord the Draconequus."
"Draconequus. Dragon-Horse?" she repeated, eyeing his form idly with its many different limbs and parts. "An interesting title."
"As is the Queen of the Walls, Frieda Reiss," Discord remarked with a smirk, his red eyes glowing intimidatingly.
"I thought you said you weren't a devil?" Frieda asked accusingly.
"I am devilish, admittedly," Discord said cheekily. "It's curious though. You are here, and yet you are elsewhere at the same time. I'm going to assume that your physical body is in what you would call the Real World?" Discord guessed.
Frieda regarded him carefully. "And what would you call it?"
"Just a world," Discord answered mysteriously. "Strange. You have the power to enter this realm, and yet you're also cursed the instant you do."
Frieda nodded slowly, tugging on one of the chains. "One of my predecessors created a Vow on this power, manifested as these chains, to keep us from using its full abilities ever again. Anytime I try..."
"Memory inheritance, crafted in a way to keep successors from acting against your intended wishes," Discord noted with distaste. "Clever, yet very repulsive to me."
"Repulsive?" Frieda asked in surprise.
Discord shrugged. "Tad hypocritical of me, I know, but I rather find it both unbecoming and incredibly boring to force everyone down the line to use a power only the way you want them to."
Frieda stared for a long moment. "You really have no idea what any of this is about, do you?" she realized.
"I'm piecing it together," Discord countered, glancing over to the giant tree of light. "Like how that apparently seems to be an over the top and overly literal family tree."
"We call it the Paths," Frieda corrected absently.
"Hm? Why? It's clearly a tree!" Discord pointed out, waving to the great structure. "So, those branches represent everyone who has had this power of Titans?"
"Not exactly. It's everyone that can inherit it," Frieda remarked, narrowing her eyes. "If you're not the Devil of All Earth, why are you here?"
"The literal explanation is I had a disagreement with a friend, who accidentally teleported me to another reality," Discord answered with a smirk.
Frieda blinked. "That sounds..."
"Crazy? I know, it's my specialty," Discord remarked, humming as he looked between Frieda and the Tree several times.
"What is it?" Frieda asked uncertainly.
"You said those bindings keep you from using your full power here?" Discord asked, tilting his head in thought, blue sand falling out of his ear. Frieda was alarmed by this, but didn't try to interrupt him. "What full power?"
"...I don't understand?" Frieda questioned in bewilderment.
"Those chains don't block your powers; they force your ancestor's memories and personality upon you. And none of the powers you do have are used here, only in your world," Discord noted suspiciously.
"Oh," Frieda said simply. "So, that is how it feels to one that can sense such things. My power, the Power of the Founding Titans, allows me to control all Subjects of Ymir, the people connected by the Paths. I can turn them into Titans, control their memories, command the Pure Titans, even their very anatomy," she explained.
"I don't know what Titans are exactly, but I know this much; No, you can't do any of that," Discord retorted with a searching look, before jabbing a thumb over his shoulder. "But she can."
Frieda just nodded to the form of the little girl, still carrying sand. "That is Ymir Fritz, the original Titan."
Discord raised an eyebrow at the name, recalling the term Subjects of Ymir. "Your ancestor, I take it?"
Frieda nodded. "This is the form she takes on here. A slave with no will of her own, bound to obey the command of the royal family."
Discord didn't react. He just stared at the Queen of the Walls for a long, long time. "You're...half right. I think," Discord stated, glancing back at Ymir strangely.
"What do you mean?" Frieda asked curiously.
"She's not bound. Not by any compulsion or anything like you are," Discord answered, something between displeasure and discomfort in his voice. "But she is doing whatever she's told."
"...Are you trapped here?" Frieda asked suddenly.
"No, I can leave anytime I want," Discord answered offhandedly. "I was just wondering where I landed before I headed home."
Frieda said nothing, wanting to say something, but feeling the pull of the Vow at the edge of her mind.
"Oh, I was never a fan of censorship," Discord remarked, snapping his fingers.
Frieda's eyes widened as the collar and chains around her neck shattered into pieces, which dissolved into sand. "What did...how did...!?" she started, only to gasp in horror as a remade collar shot out of the sand and onto her neck. She desperately tried to pull it off as more chains appeared, as if like snakes.
Discord scowled, turning to see Ymir standing towards them, a hand reached out to Frieda. "Well, I've just about had enou-"
"Stop! Release me!" Frieda called out frantically.
Discord blinked and paused as Ymir actually lowered her hand and Frieda's collar dissolved away.
"What...what just happened?" Frieda asked in shock.
"I think that gave you the opening to cancel the Vow before it could take effect?" Discord answered uncertainly. "Okay, well, that settles one thing."
Frieda stared uncertainly as Discord approached Ymir. "W-what are you doing?"
"Figuring out what this is all about," Discord answered, placing a talon on Ymir's head. He was initially confused by the sheer lack of resistance from his attempt to read her mind, but pressed on-
-and instantly reeled back, eyes wide.
"Discord?" Frieda called warily, taking a step back. "P-please don't tell me you're going to change your mind."
"Why?" Discord asked tonelessly. "Because I know the history of your people? The two thousand years of your empire? Children eating parents? Mindless giants used as weapons by eating people?"
Frieda flinched, wandering what was about to happen. If he could destroy the First King's Vow, what else could he do?
"Don't worry, Queen of the Walls. I've seen far worse stories than that. You won't find me judging your people for that," Discord assured, staring down at Ymir. "I just don't think I've ever seen a story quite as sad as hers."
"Her?" Frieda asked, looking to Ymir's unmoving form.
"It would just depress you," Discord remarked with a headshake. "Time moves slower here, doesn't it?"
Frieda nodded, starting to relax. "Yes. I came here, after inheriting the power from my uncle. It felt like years, but it was definitely only seconds..."
"It was nearly nineteen hundred years ago that Ymir first came here," Discord mused with a pitying smile, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. "But it's been more like two billion for you, hasn't it?" he whispered knowingly.
Ymir didn't speak, but Discord felt her trembling.
"Frieda, I have a proposition for you," Discord remarked, not taking his eyes off Ymir.
"A proposition?" Frieda asked in surprise.
"A trade of sorts," Discord clarified. "Before I leave here, I will change the nature of your power. Instead of commanding Ymir to do all the work, you'll simply be able to will it to happen through this realm."
"You...you can do that?" Frieda asked skeptically.
Discord nodded slowly. "And all I want in exchange is your permission...to take her out of here," Discord said, pointing to Ymir.
"What? Why?" Frieda asked in confusion and alarm. "Will that-"
"The Power of the Titans will remain. Hopefully you can clean up some of the problems with it too," Discord assured bluntly. "But she has been here long enough."
"And...where will you take her?" Frieda asked curiously.
"...A kinder world, to say the least," Discord answered with a voice that almost sounded like pity for Frieda.
For everyone of this world of hers.
Frieda hesitated. Discord raised an eyebrow as a strange look came over her before the Queen of the Walls started to giggle, falling to her knees in laughter. She laughed so hard that she began to cry rivers of tears. "I'm...I'm sorry. Yes. Yes, you can take her," Frieda said, breathing as if she never had before. "I just...can't believe it. I'm free. We can be free now!" she cheered into the world of Paths, as if to all the Subjects of Ymir.
Discord smiled slightly. It reminded him of his first time getting out of the statue. Though she was definitely less maniacal than he had been about it, she was definitely mirroring his overwhelming joy and relief.
"...Free?"
Discord glanced down at the specter of what had been a slave girl from long ago. "Yeah. You're free now. For real this time," he assured, holding out his claw to her. "Come on. I have some friends for you to meet."
"..." Ymir didn't reply. But, slowly, uncertainly, she raised her hand to take his appendage.
Frieda stopped laughing as she felt a pulse run through her…and the entire realm, up the very tree of Paths. She slowly turned to Discord, giving him a stunned stare. "Did you...Just like that?"
"Just like that, Frieda," Discord answered smugly as he held Ymir's hand. His tail snapped like it had fingers and summoned a portal behind them. "I guess we should be off then. I have a world to get back to and you..." Discord gave her a mysterious smile. "Good luck, Frieda. I don't know how this story will end, but I hope it turns out better now."
"It will. Thank you, whatever you are, thank you!" Frieda called in exhilaration. She watched as they turned to the portal and felt an urge come over her. "Ymir! Ancestor!" she called, making the pair pause.
Ymir's eyes widened as she saw her descendant's smiling face, tears raining down from her eyes.
"I'm sorry! I don't know what you've been through! But for everything, I'm sorry! And thank you, for everything!"
Ymir trembled again, her own wide eyes tearing up, as she nodded slowly.
Discord just hummed in approval before they made it through the portal.
And as it did, he could sense the Chaos shifting through time as two distinct stories branched from where one had been.
The Story of him bringing Ymir to Equestria.
And the Tale of the Rise of Paradis, the Return of Eldia.
Author's Note
End of Chapter
Okay, and done. Let me be clear here, this is a oneshot. This will not get an update.
However, from this I plan to make two seperate story. A fluffy, nice one about Ymir in Equestria. And the other being how things being different with Frieda being free of the Vow. The Ymir in Equestria fic will be posted on this site, but the "Freed-Frieda" will not as there won't be any more MLP parts to it.
I thought about having Discord staying in AoT more long term, but the more I thoguht about it...this felt like enough on his part. He chaned one little thing, takes Ymir back home with him, and lets the sparks fly.
