Chapter 21 Checkmate

"What?!" shouted Twilight.

Discord ignored her, putting all his focus on Tempest Shadow. "Well, Mother, I didn't expect you to be alive. Still makes sense—I mean, you do have the motivation to kill me now, don't you?" he said, amused.

"Oh, but I knew of your little scheme for a while now; however, I did not know who you were exactly."

Tempest's breathing began to become erratic as Discord continued.

"My, my, my, this is quite the surprise to see you alive. I thought you were long gone years ago." He chuckled, then sighed. "Tsk, tsk, always the reason why my life is pure hell."

Discord slowly blinked, his entire expression as relaxed as possible. Twilight, Shining, and their mother gasped as the mayor of the town got off his bike.

"Hello, Mother, I'm home," he said sarcastically.

"Mother?" the two Sparkle siblings said in unison. "Mom, please tell me it's a lie," asked Shining.

Discord grinned but otherwise ignored their outburst. "I really didn't think you survived that night."

"How? How are you still alive?" she asked, anger and fear lacing her voice.

"Oh, that," Discord smiled. "Simple, really. I was never at my home, though I was surprised to learn you blew it up!" He spat angrily, but his tone shifted again to a happy one. "Then again, a personal touch, I suppose. I was always planning to draw you out of hiding and capture you in one failed swoop. And look, here we are." Discord said as he pulled out a cigarette and a lighter.

"Mr. Ghost, you're under arrest for your crimes as the Chaos King," demanded Mr. Shine.

He exhaled a breath of smoke, keeping his cigarette in his mouth as he spoke. His expression was one of boredom, his poker face. "I think you're misjudging the situation here, officer. You're the ones who are under arrest," he chuckled.

"No. No, I'll tell you what is going to happen here. I'm going to free my subordinates, capture my mother for questioning, take back my stolen research, and kick all your asses." He inhaled his cigarette and let out a puff of smoke from his lips. "AND DANCE TO MY FAVORITE SONG! I'm in the mood for it. I'm so giddy I can hardly control myself," he said, the last part accompanied by a wide grin.

He then turned on some music from his bike, letting it blast at the top of the speakers.

The piano began playing as the song started; it was the same song they heard at the gala.

*I will survive...*

As the lyrics began, Discord mouthed the words as he raised his gun.

"Take them!" he shouted, and the other members of Chaos Vill quickly ran into the crowd. "Stop them!" shouted Mr. Shine to the cops around. Discord leaped forward at the officers. He kicked one in the face and spun around on one foot, doing a dance move while catching the beat as he quickly punched the enemy's vitals, knocking them to the ground but not killing them.

Several others began to rush him. He pointed his gun at them at first, but his smirk widened as he shot not at them but at the light above them, making it dark to see. As the lights flashed along with the sound of the music, the enemies stood no chance against Mr. Ghost and his spontaneous dance moves.

Several tried to fire at him. He leaped into the air, dodging their bullets, a wild smile on his face with the cigarette still hanging from his mouth as he lip-synced to the song. He quickly punched a guard; even with their armor, it was clear how strong he was. With a twist of his leg, he back-kicked one into another, making them fall. He quickly took their guns and, still dancing to the beat, shot fire at most of the ceiling and other lights, bringing the building to its knees in seconds.

Discord took out a few more guards before doing a backflip and landing on top of a train, losing his hat in the flip and revealing his horns.

Through the chaos, Twilight and the others tried to fight back. Rarity grabbed Spike and tried to keep him safe as the crowd turned into a war zone.

A laugh that was anything but friendly erupted from Discord—one that only the deranged would make—as he seemed to enjoy the chaos around him.

Discord rose to his full height, a button snapped revealing his lower neck and part of his chest scar. Capper had just finished undoing the others' chains as he came to a stop, a look of terror filling his face.

Mr. Ghost was not a pony anymore, not like he was before. His face resembled one, but he had a scaly, snake-like tail, and his neck was long. His tail and neck made up half the size of his full body. The gray fur on his chest darkened to brown and seemed to be stronger, yet his chest and arms still showed the many scars he had gathered over the years. He had a lion-like paw, an eagle-like claw, and a deranged smirk as he took the cigarettes from his mouth as the song came to an end. He lifted his head, and a mighty roar escaped from his mouth—one that seemed to shake the very ground itself. It sounded like a wild beast. Gone was Mr. Ghost, the ugly yet charming pony. Now stood the mighty Chaos King in all its glory. Only one word could be used to describe it.

***CHIMERA***

Discord heard the clicking of a gun and turned around to see his mother standing across from him on top of the train, like he was.

In her hooves, a gun was pointed straight at his chest.

Discord chuckled. "So, here we are," he said, amused.

"I should have done this a long time ago," she breathed.

"Yes, you should have." He smirked as he caught her off guard.

"What?" she asked, her hands beginning to shake.

"Do you know how much pain I had to endure?" he smiled.

Her hand shook even more at the sound of his voice.

He began to walk closer to her at a leisurely pace. "How much I went through my entire life because of you," he chuckled.

"I, I..." she stuttered.

"You left me!" he yelled, startling her.

"You were just a baby. One I thought wasn't going to survive!" she yelled back.

"And you didn't make sure I was gone, did you? Did you?!"

Her eyes widened.

"You should have kept me; you should have raised me. Instead, my life is hell, and somehow I'm the devil?!"

"You...you turned people into chimeras. You killed my husband," she whined. "You took my family away from me!"

"No, Mother. You did. I don't care about your so-called family; I never did. I only ever wanted what was rightfully mine!" He stepped closer to her, making her flinch, almost pulling the trigger.

"What I rightfully deserved! A home... Go on, Mother, go on and shoot, and this time, don't miss," he grinned. "Not like your husband."

Her eyes narrowed as she focused her weapon.

Discord only had a sly grin on his face.

Everyone else was beyond shocked. What could they do? What would they do? Their eyes were glued to the scene in front of them. Most of the struggle came to a stop as both sides were interested in the outcome of this face-off.

But after a moment of endless silence, Tempest Shadow finally choked on a cry and lowered her weapon.

Discord laughed. "I knew it. You can never finish the job. You deserve the Mother of the Year award, Equalizer."

His words barely registered with her. It took her a moment, but Shadow raised an eyebrow. "Wait, Equalizer?"

"Yes, that's what you are," he teased. "And I have you under checkmate."

"No, no, I'm not the—wait, so you're not the Equalizer."

Discord scoffed. "No, I'm the Chaos King." But then his eyes widened as if what she just said registered with him.

"Wha—? But you have to be the Equalizer!" Twilight shouted out.

He turned to her. "No, I told you the Equalizer is someone who was close to the previous mayor. I am not the Equalizer, and who better than the old friend of the mayor to pull such a stunt?"

"But you turned creatures into chimeras!" shouted Shining Armor. "With your crazy research!"

"No, Sparky," he uncrossed his arms and pulled something out of his pocket. "I've been trying to cure the chimera disease ever since our dear sister here got turned."

Twilight gasped. "But you're the one who turned me!" she sputtered.

"You were never my target; I don't go for the—"

"The innocent! Only those who deserved it! So you went for Dad!" Shining finished his sentence.

"Exactly. And by the way, side note: I found the cure. It's back at my headquarters. Luckily, I knew of this scheme; otherwise, if that attack on my lab had succeeded, there goes the cure and the only one who knew how to create it."

"Wait," shouted Rarity. "If you're not the Equalizer...?"

"Yeah, that begs the question," AJ said, putting a hoof to her chin.

"Who is?" asked Dash.

"Good question. I still have no clue," Discord answered, rolling his eyes. "Still, since neither of us are the Equalizer, this entire fight is pointless. So we're done here." Discord griped as he leaped off the top of the train car. Just then, sirens began rolling in, followed by several cars and trucks. Discord rolled his eyes. "Mother, call your goons off!" he snarled.

"Wait! I don’t call for backup," she replied, looking around.

Mr. Shine shrugged. "I didn't."

"Wait, so who are they then?" asked Spike just as several cars rolled up. A group of at least fifty creatures dressed in soldier uniforms ran out and surrounded the area; one of them shot a missile-grade rocket from a launcher.

"Oh, shit! Everyone down!" shouted Discord as it came in.

Luckily, everyone ducked as the rocket hit the warehouse, knocking a wall down.

Twilight, who was next to Discord by surprise, looked over and asked, "Who has military—" but stopped as she and Discord came to the same conclusion at the same time.

"Someone close to the previous mayor," Discord said slowly.

"Someone who had access to army-grade weapons and knows about Chaos Vill," said Twilight.

One figure walked up among the soldiers, heading toward the group.

Twilight decided to take a chance and look up. "What the—" she said in disbelief.

To Twilight's surprise, it was Discord who raised his head next to hers. She glanced over at him; a bit of sweat dripped from her brow as he took a look. She wanted to be nowhere near him—not at this moment. No, she wanted to be this close to take him down, to gain justice for her father and for her mutations. Yet at that moment, it seemed all that was irrelevant compared to the situation now.

Discord grew a sly grin, one she had often seen on the mayor plenty of times, only with his eyes glowing, making him look far more intimidating than she wanted to give him credit for.

"Well, well, well, this is a surprise," he chuckled. "I didn't think of all creatures, the Equalizer would be you, Lulu."

Luna stopped her approach and stood with her arms behind her back. She was clad in decent armor and a trench coat she used as a cape. She lowered her chin so she could get a better look at her opponent.

Discord couldn't stifle his deranged laughter. "It all fits quite well, actually. So little Mrs. Supervillain, mind filling in the cliché and giving us your motive for this?"

"I am no supervillain," Luna replied.

"Oh yes, yes, the villain who's a hero. Go on, go on," he mocked.

Luna smirked. "It's very simple, really, when you think about it. Tell me, Mr. Ghost, what could my motives possibly be, since you're always one step ahead of the game?"

His eyes narrowed, but his smile never diminished. "Well, if I had to guess? Let me put it this way: this is a lot of trouble just to ask me to dance."

She grinned. "Oh, it's a little more than that. Shall I elaborate?"

"As you wish," he said cockily.

"Ever since I saw what you were when we were kids," she narrowed her eyes, her smile diminishing. "You were always a freak."

"All this because I stole your lunch money?" he shook his head. "Now, honestly?" he taunted her. "After all, it was you and your sister who sent me to jail."

"Yes, and you got out. I knew it wouldn't keep you, but when I heard you got in for a second time, I knew a way to keep you locked up forever," she grit her teeth. "Who do you think started the Beast Program?"

Discord's eyes widened a bit at that, but his grin never faltered.

Luna chuckled, seeing how she actually already did break him with that information. "Your own research was going to keep you locked up forever—at least it would have if you hadn't killed my top scientist."

Knowing who Luna was referring to, Fluttershy's eyes widened as she recalled what Discord had told her.

"A fellow scientist. A feline. Oh, she was gorgeous, funny, and had the most beautiful name: Cosmos, Cosmos Galaxy," he shook his head at the memory. "And I was a stupid boy just trying to figure out who I was in the world. I mistook her fascination with me as affection. How could I love someone who wanted to turn my children into lab experiments?"

Fluttershy felt worse for him, knowing it was apparently his childhood friend who set him up.

"I thought you were finally gone when Mr. Sparkle ordered that attack on you, but then, like a bad rash, you just kept coming back! For years, I wanted to destroy you but couldn't since you became a public figure. Even with all those rumors I started about you. But from the moment I saw you at the gala, I knew I had enough of you. You, who murdered my subordinate, cursing my godchild to a life without her family." Luna choked on a cry, shaking to hold back tears. "It ends today. You end today!" she snarled.

Discord kept his expression and raised his mismatched hands, clapping slowly, mocking her. "Fantastic performance." He shook his head, gleefully amused. His slow clap picked up pace as his laughter rang over the crowd. He snickered. "So let me get this straight. To stop the devil, you became one—knowing you stood no chance if you didn't. You even set up a night so you could turn yourself into a chimera and build up an army just to take down me. Wow, really, no, no, I mean it—I am flattered," he placed a paw on his chest. "Truly. Let's cut to the chase then." His smile disappeared, replaced with a look of boredom, his signature poker face.

"Let's make a deal. I have quite a few members of my own gang equipped with tranquilizers here. But they are normal. Then you have a bunch of soldiers who are also normal, and finally, there are civilians—other gang members I invited who are all made up of normal day-to-day creatures."

"Let me guess?" she interrupted. "You’re going to act like the hero and say we shouldn't let the others fight for us?"

"Pointless bloodshed of those who don't deserve it was never my style," he told her in an annoyed tone.

He shifted his weight a bit and slowly stood up to his full height. As he did, he handed Twilight a key. She flinched, shocked by this, but he didn't address her, not taking one eye off of Luna.

"Chimera vs. CHIMERA! Think you can take the king?" He held his arms out. "Let's not let anyone else get involved. Let my boys take everyone on the train and we'll settle this," he told her.

Luna rolled her head from side to side, pondering the deal.

"Twilight!" she shouted, catching her attention.

Twilight was startled to be addressed, but she turned her head to her godmother.

"Take care of Spike for me. Get out of here. You have a deal, Discord, so long as she goes safe."

Discord smiled and turned his head to Smolder but didn't take his eyes off his opponent. "Get everyone on that train and go."

"But boss," Capper tried.

"Are you questioning my orders?!" he barked as the cat flinched.

"No, sir," was his only response.

"Good, then get going." Discord removed his jacket before taking a step forward.

Capper was still in denial, but it was Smolder who took control. "You heard the boss!" She raised her tranquilizer gun. "Get moving; everyone on the train, NOW!"

Twilight was pulled by her brother, Shining, onto the train. "Stop Discord! We have to stop Discord!" she thought. "Wait!" she cried out. "Don't do this!"

"Get going, Sparky," he bared his fangs.

"Nooo!" cried Fluttershy, who leapt toward him. "No, you're not going. Discord, I—"

Discord didn't hesitate and swiped at her with his tail to keep her away.

"I'm sorry, Fluttershy," he told himself. "Truly I am," he said as he felt the weight of the small object he had in his pocket. "This is not going according to plan."

She ended up being the first one on the train due to Discord flicking her with his tail. The others began quickly gathering on the train as well.

"We gotta stop him," whispered Junior to his sister. "I don't understand—his death day isn't until tomorrow." She shook her head. "This can't be happening now."

"We don't really have a choice," he told her as they stared in the shadows at the scene before them.

But before anyone could make another move, Luna, now Night, closed her hooves. Several large chimeras joined her on the battlefield before them.

Six in total: a large dog with a nose ring and bull-like goat horns; a cat with deer antlers and dragon-like bat wings; a lizard with a lion mane similar to AJ; another pony now Griffin rolling her shoulders a bit, preparing for the fight; and finally, a massive bull-like pony who stood at Discord's height walked up behind Luna, who chuckled to herself.

Discord removed his jacket, revealing the rest of his scar-laden, skinny body. He held the jacket to the side with his lion paw—it served as their flag. He dropped it, and everyone watched with bated breath as it fell. It took only three seconds, yet the seconds felt eternal as it slowly hit the ground.

Boom.

In a quick flash, the cat was the first to try and strike. These weren't like the other chimeras Twilight and her friends had dealt with. No, these were trained to fight. *He can't do this alone,* muttered Fluttershy in a cry. Twilight nodded but didn't exactly know what to do, awed by the strange scenery before her.

Discord leaped back, dodging the chimera's swipe, as the cat's claws embedded themselves into the cement, showing just how powerful that attack was.

Discord landed a foot away, but he was suddenly rushed by two more chimeras. They brought out a few moves and a bat with nails in it. They swung at him, but Discord effortlessly dodged their attacks and swiped one with his tail and the other with his lion paw, giving the lizard with a lion mane a good scar over his eye.

However, it wasn't enough to take him down. He reared up his head and hissed at Discord, who only smirked. As the battle raged on, Discord's eyes glowed brighter with the chaos that consumed them. The bull and the griffon tried to hold him down, but Discord was slippery.

Knowing he had to gain some distance from them, he jumped and spun around, using his ice powers to create a block around him. He then used lightning to smash it into shards that jetted out in every direction, taking the chimera by surprise. Discord finally dropped the cigarette from his mouth, only to let out a burst of red-hot flame. The flames quickly deepened their color, turning from red to green to blue and purple. It would have burned away the cat had she not been a chimera and used her ice ray to shield herself, barely keeping up with the fire.

Discord twisted and contorted his body into different forms, evading capture. Luna's eyes widened at the sight. He was holding his own against four of her strongest chimeras—easily at that. She gritted her teeth as she yelled out, "Kill him!" She ordered her other two chimeras to enter the fray.

Soon the six of them surrounded Discord on all sides, circling him, looking for an opening to attack.

The train finally began to move. Inside, at the back, Fluttershy was able to just get a glimpse of the scene before her. It was as if she was staring at a painting come to life. Her beloved beast was surrounded by scared prey animals ready to take him out. He snarled back, his fangs bared, wanting them to leave him alone due to his injuries.

Soon the mighty bull found an opening and went for his tail. Discord, however, felt the twitch in the air and moved his tail accordingly, only to flip around, preparing to throw a punch. Just before his fist made contact, his body expanded to twice its size, throwing the mighty bull-like chimera into the ground and creating a small crater. He landed on all fours like an animal and snapped his jaws at the cat, who tried to confront him. The others attacked his back all at once. Discord's hair stood on end as a mighty roar escaped him. The sound was so loud it blew back his opponents. He smirked as he saw his ability successfully work—only to stop as he heard the clicking of a gun. Not just one but several.

Every member of the military was pointing at him, including Luna.

"You didn't say they could shoot!" she snorted with laughter.

Discord's grin never diminished as he took a fighting stance against the threat.

"Well, I haven't lost yet," he said in his mind.

They all aimed and fired at him. He had only milliseconds to react and was just about to when he suddenly felt something tackle him to the floor.

He looked up amazed as a dark purple pony was hit several times in the right shoulder and leg.

Discord's heart sank instantly—a feeling he had never felt before: dread.

"MOTHER!!!"

Author's Note

LUNA, WAIT WHAT 😲

Ok continuing with my author note story.

So now all the pics were coming together. But you may ask why the science, why the twins. And how is Luna the villan.

Ok ok I'll tell you. As a science fan myself, as well as a sci-fi fan and a mravel and DC fan. Knowing this was at one point just joker Discord vs bat man Twilight, I of course added the science stuff for funzeez.

And eventually time traveling twins. Now original that was a different story. In that story where discord took over equestria and the knights of harmy was fighting hiM. I got the idea of a warrior from the future using magic to come back and helping them out. That warrior being screwball, the charecter offten depicted as discords doughtier inspired by ofcorse doughtier of discord.

She was also fun to write for. Adding a new mystery to who she was. Was she the villan of the story making chimera, adding more of a mystery element and making the reader second guess what's going on.

I like the name melody and change it. But as I wrote her I didn't like how quiet she was. She was just a creepy grumpy stalker like charecter with little to no dialogue or charecter. And the possibility of making her a boy instead crossed my mind. Not many people do a son for Discord. Then I got the idea of adding her brother. This added so much to her charecter. Having some one to bounce off of giving her more personality. The story didn't change much she just had a little brother along for the ride. Where this time travel story line leads I won't spoil.

Ok more on this later 😂👋