Anon in Equestria 8: A grizzly ritual

          Hundreds of miles south of the Equestrian Borders, a solitary, timeworn, dilapidated castle that lies upon a barren, craggy precipice is bustling with activity. The grey concrete blocks that once held strong as a bastion for its old occupants has instead been left to ruin. Pieces of the castle’s battlements lie cracked and crumbling; they reveal the mere shell of the once glorious shelter. Spires that once reached the sky now litter the ground with their dislocated sections, the unlucky pieces that fell and rolled were cast into the abyss below, to be swept away by the roaring current that lie nearly a thousand feet below.



          To say that the castle was left to rot and fade from history would be a lie, for a certain species of creature has seen fit to occupy its walls. Changelings, a huge swarm of them, fly around the ramparts, using their magic to fix whatever they can. Sections of the castle have been “saved” by the green gunky residue left behind from their attempts. The ratio of old grey castle walls to the green glue like substance holding it together will soon turn towards the latter.



          While the drones see to their work, soldiers move about the castle, crushing, burning, and maiming any small creature they can’t harvest for love. Giant spiders near your height of various colors and types flee in droves from the establishment, fearing for their lives.



          “How much longer must I wait until my castle is rid of its pests Commander?” The double flanged voice of an irritated female Changeling resounds throughout the spacious room. She’s a rather tall and lanky thing that even rivals Celestia in height.  This particular insect takes on an appearance that strongly contrasted her brethren. Unlike them, her hardened carapace was much more defined; her hole-filled hooves had sharper curves that would inspire fear into those unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end of her physical blows.



Her long, seaweed green mane and tail sport a rather obvious holes like her hooves, but she pays them no mind. It doesn’t matter to her; the race she rules over see her as nothing less than perfection in their eyes, and she herself believes it to be true. It doesn’t matter if her fangs drool with anticipation that she hisses when she speaks, or that certain spots of her hardened shell are stricken with grey dots: she’s the epitome of beauty among her kind. Her sickly green slits scan over the soldier right before her, awaiting his answer. Her piercing, malevolent gaze does nothing more than make the Changeling quake in his hoplite armor.



“I grow tired of waiting. The changeling reaches out and trails a hoof along the Commander’s chin, causing his shaking to intensify. “If you cannot complete such a simple task within the hour,” she trails off when one of her jagged half-cut holes runs across his chin, “I’ll find a replacement. Do I make myself clear?” The Commander nods furiously.



“Y-yes your m-majesty,” he sputters, sweating profusely. Finally, a smile graces her features, showing off her rather sharp, protruding teeth.



“Good. Now go.” Chrysalis points a hoof towards the exit archway. The Commander salutes her before zipping away, leaving a cloud of smoke in his wake. “Ah, it pays well to have such hardworking subjects. Now, if only little Duplicate would report to me, today would be absolutely perfe—“ She doesn’t get to finish her statement before two ragged, out of breath changelings come running into her room. Her scowl returns almost immediately. “What is the meaning of this?!” One of the two manages to speak up after a bit of breathing.



“Queen Chrysalis, we’ve got a bit of a problem!” she manages to say before having to take another lungful of air. “We have found Duplicate.” Chrysalis’s eyes widen at the rather great sounding news, but judging by how her soldiers are acting, she’s hesitant to show any sign of joy or relief.



“But—” the Queen starts, waiting on her minion to finish.



“There isn’t much left of her,” the other changeling informs before looking out into the hallway. “Ditto, bring her in.” A third changeling, adjourned in the same hoplite armor as the Commander, comes in dragging a light green burlap sack. The Queen’s mood worsens when she sees the dark stain sitting at the bottom of the bag.



“Th-There was a complication in her mission. When we got there, we found her tracks, the human’s, and a pack of timber wolves’. After we searched the area, we discovered, well, this.” Ditto explains, motioning to the sack. He finds it hard to make eye contact with his Queen and he should. Her eyes seem to be glowing with a sickly green flame.



“So,” she hisses, being sure to draw out her words, “tell me, how did my number one end up in such a state?”



“W-we believe the human orchestrated a trap. Th-the tracks show him being led out of the Everfree by the wolf pack. And some of her parts were seen around where those same animals laid down to rest after their meal…”



“Are you telling me a blind human managed to convince timber wolves to eat her in the middle of that untamable forest, all by himself? And how did she manage to capture him when he was in Manehattan with Masquerade?” Chrysalis asks, rising to her hooves. The three changelings before her begin to huddle together.



“We don’t know what happened your majesty, but if there’s anything we do know, is that somehow, Duplicate managed to capture Anonymous, only to be eaten. Though, there’s one thing that seems peculiar to us. B-but I have to take it out of the bag to show you.” Ditto explains. Chrysalis raises her hoof as if to block the bag from sight before grimacing.



“If you must.” The queen immediately regrets those words as Ditto opens the top, and allows the chewed up bits of changeling hooves, wings, and the back of Duplicate to grace the still dirtied floor. Ditto, not even batting an eye, maneuvers Duplicate’s back so the queen can get a good look.



“If you look past the missing wings, you’ll see a rather prominent foot print on her back.” Despite her body’s protests, she leans in and looks to where Ditto is pointing. Sure enough, she finds the distinct pattern of your shoe, along with the bite marks from various timber wolves. “We’ve yet to see any species on this planet to have a matching print. So we assume it must be the human’s. We believe Duplicate may have been transporting Anon using magic, only to tire herself out. When she stopped to take a break, the wolves probably came for them. At that point Anonymous was capable of injuring Duplicate while she was distracted, insuring his survival, and her demise. Then there’s a good chance they led Anonymous out of the forest and to pony civilization. His tracks ended at a cottage on the edge of the woods.”



When he finishes, silence permeates the room for a few moments. Chrysalis takes this time to mull over the details; to put together the pieces in her own way. When she realizes that Ditto’s explanation was the most probable, it takes everything she has to keep from bursting into a fit of rage right then and there. Though, she can’t stop the shaking that came with it.
“I don’t believe this!” Chrysalis shouts before stamping her hoof down upon the grey bricks making up the floor. Bits of concrete chip away and the other changelings in the room back towards the door, away from their snarling Queen. “How can something so ridiculous be allowed to happen?! How lucky is this hairless ape?!” She grits her teeth before looking towards the group.


“I-I don’t know y-your majesty,” one of the changelings manages to stutter. With an angry hiss Chrysalis turns her back to them, and then she makes her way to an open window overlooking the barren wasteland around her home. For several moments she gazes upon the sterile dirt, trying her hardest to come up with a solution to her problem.


Her master scheme involves you, so despite her nigh incomprehensible anger, she can’t cut you out of the picture, you are much too useful; but that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to rough you up. In a way she believes you to be quite fortunate yet again, any other creature would have been made a stain on the floor by her own hooves. When she looks down at her own appendages, is when she realizes what she can do.


It’s an ancient spell, one that’s forbidden for those outside of royalty to use. But, it can be harnessed in case of an emergency such as this one. Duplicate was the only changeling in her cluster capable of taking the throne when Chrysalis decided to retire, and there wouldn’t be another applicant like her for a long, long time. She could say that the little bug is just as lucky as you in that particular aspect. So, with a heavy sigh, Chrysalis turns back to her minions.


“Ditto,” the armored changeling immediately stands up straight and salutes, “has the Laz’uh’roos Cluster been delivered to the underground vault?” When he nods, she smiles. “Good, bring one of the eggs to me immediately, I do not care which one you choose. The rest of you, find a supply room, grab some chalk, and come back here. We’ve got a long night ahead of us.”

~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~*~~~~*~~~~

Celestia’s little tour of her old wing of the castle came to a rather quick close, considering the fact that Eris hurried her along. She wanted to spend some alone time with you and she made it blatantly obvious. So much that Celestia was forced to stifle a giggle more than once as Eris dragged the sun princess along to view each room.

When her tour came to an end, she was sure to disenchant your bed. Celestia was also kind enough to remove Duplicate’s head and the bag from your home. When she departed for Ponyville, and after you watched as the dark expanse of your hallway become a solid white wall, Eris grabbed you by your wrist and pulled you into your room. That’s where you’ve been for the last ten minutes.

In all honesty, the last few days had kept you on edge, and you really needed to get some proper rest. The hours spent unconscious at the Guard Station in Manehattan, and the unknown amount of sleep you got at Fluttershy’s, did not do your body any good. Everything about you was in a state of pure exhaustion.

Your limbs became heavy, as did your eyes. Your yawning, as well as your need for sleep, became quite persistent. This nap you were hoping to get probably wouldn’t make things too much better, but you were determined to get at least some recuperation in; especially with the knowledge that Changelings far and wide will be looking for you.

Eris thought that you had a wonderful idea, and opted to join you, by force. That leaves you where you are now, in bed, staring at the ceiling, with a Draconequus snuggling into your side and your mind still racing despite your body’s fatigue. Thankfully, she had the decency to adjust her body’s size to better accommodate the bed, even though spacing held little meaning as soon as she decided to cuddle.

Admittedly, this wasn’t the worst position you’ve ever been in. She even retracted her horns so she wouldn’t gore you. But you couldn’t get over the inconsistency of her body. You figured that the last time this happened without you having any issues would have been due to the fact that you consumed quite a bit of alcohol that night. It didn’t help that you were out quite late pranking ponies.

Eris’s variety was too much for you to get used to: A combination of the softest coat, rustled feathers, toughened talons, a coarse paw, and a pair of red eyes that watch your chest with perverse curiosity as it rises and falls with each breath you take. All of that made for a rather uncomfortable time. You weren’t even going to get in to the odd sensation of her snake tail that was wrapped around your leg.

Despite all of that, the scent of lavender coming from her hair and the delicate way she traced her claw along your exposed chest, the warmth her body provided from under the covers did wonders when it came to soothing you. You wished Eris would have let you keep a few articles of clothing on other than your boxers: you felt a little exposed to say the least.
“This isn’t so bad now is it?” Eris asks, suddenly breaking the silence around you. Glancing down, you find her smirking up at you. You sigh before looking back to your ceiling and shaking your head.

“It could be worse.” That response earns you a light punch to your side.

“You’re supposed to say you like it, idiot,” she says playfully before nuzzling the side of your neck. Her snout sends shivers along your body as you try your hardest not to laugh. You didn’t think that part of your body would be sensitive. Then again you’ve never had that sort of sensation before.

“What was that?” Her smirk turns into a grin when you look away nervously.

“Nothing at all.” You try to keep your voice as even as possible, but she doesn’t buy it. When Eris nuzzles you again, and as soon as she achieves the same results, she giggles madly. The airy way her laughter carried causes your cheeks to burn up with embarrassment.

“I’m gonna enjoy abusing this.” You shoot her an irritated glare, unfortunately it doesn’t help. Her smile only widens at your misfortune. “Oh come on, lighten up. It’s like you’re saying that having me for a girlfriend isn’t the best thing ever.” Your expression doesn’t change in the slightest.

“It’s really not, especially since you can screw with my head with a quick snap of your talons. I wonder what you’re going to do when these three days are up?” Her smirk drops from her face rather quickly.

“Do you really think I’d do something like that?” You nod.

“Yeah, because you’ve done that. Did you think I’d forget the karaoke bar?” In all honesty, you were still against the ropes on that. The icy chill you experienced that night isn’t something alcohol could make you forget. But you still don’t know if it really was from Eris, or if that sensation was self-inflicted. You can’t be so quick to jud—

“Crap, I didn’t think you’d find out.” And there it is.

“I didn’t, you just told me,” you grumble, narrowing your eyes as you do so. Her eyes widen and she looks away sheepishly, a slight hint of red lining her now embarrassed features.
“L-Let me explain, I—“ When she turns to face you again, you interrupt her.

“Wanted me to have a good time?” She shuts her mouth and nods. “I figured. I’m not angry about it. It’s not like you were trying to hurt me. But the fact that you did it without showing any restraint is what worries me. So, if anything, I’m right to be suspicious.” Eris tries to speak, but cuts herself off before a word can be uttered. She looks up to your ceiling, planning on what to say.

“I...” She pauses. “I’m not gonna do that to you again.” Despite not believing her for a second, you allow her to continue, “I’ve got more respect for you than that. If I didn’t, I’d be ripping off your boxers, and binding you to your bed. But instead, I’m giving you some time. One of the worst things I can do to you right now is fuck your brains out after you were raped last night. I’m not even gonna get started on how messed up it’d be if I used magic on your mind.”

“Huh, didn’t think you could show restraint.” You smirk when her gaze travels south.
“Trust me; it’s pretty hard to do,” she sighs before adding, “after all, the only thing separating you from me is just a thin pair of underwear hanging, right, there.” You swear you can hear her growl under her breath. “But, like I said, I’m gonna be a good girl, and keep my claws to myself.”

“That’s great.” You wrap your arm around her. “I’m proud of you.” When you snicker, she grumbles under her breath.

“Yeah yeah, I get it.” She brings her paw to her mouth to stifle a yawn. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna get some sleep.” And with that Eris shuts her eyes and tightens her grip on you, leaving you with no room to move your arm. Because of that, you now know you’ll have to deal with a numb limb whenever you wake up.

“Well, goodnight to you too,” you mumble before finally closing your eyes to welcome the darkness back to your senses. Before sleep finally overtakes you, you find it great to know that when you come back from the land of dreams, you’ll actually be able to see something.

~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~*~~~~*~~~~

“Greetings Anonymous.” You gasp and jerk to attention when an eerie, disembodied voice calls from within the blackness of your sub consciousness. Though it mattered little as to where the source was coming from. You couldn’t even see the nose on your face, let alone what was around you.

That is until you’re assaulted with the bright beam of white light coming from what you believe to be the “ceiling” of this endless expanse. It spreads out into a cone shape the closer it comes to you until you’re able to see Luna sitting at a brown oak table a few yards away. She motions for you to approach and you do so, albeit hesitantly.

“Hey, uh, where am I?” you ask, drawing closer to the table. She smiles before answering.
“We are in a dream. Yours to be exact.” You look around from side to side, trying to process the information given.

“So, I’m dreaming right now?” She nods. “Then how do I know you’re real and not just some figment of my imagination?” Luna sighs, slightly irritated. When her horn lights up, and when you feel something pinch your bicep, your first response is to gasp.

“Do you still think I’m an illusion?” You shake your head while rubbing your now sore arm.

“Nope, dreams aren’t supposed to hurt. You’re the real deal.” When you finish your statement you take a seat, and that’s when you notice that while you’re stuck in a wooden chair, Luna is getting to sit on a large blue bean bag chair. She notices you looking.
“Is something the matter?”

“Why do you get the comfy seat while I’m stuck with this chair?” Any sign of a smile immediately leaves the moon princess’ face.

“You can’t possibly be serious. Do you even feel as though you’re sitting upon wood?” The immature part of your mind wants you to snicker at her question, but you definitely know better than to do that. Instead, you test your seat, and, sure enough, it’s like sitting on nothing at all.

“N-no?” you chuckle nervously, averting your gaze as you do so.

“I figured, now that we’ve gotten that bit out of the way. I’d like to get to the reason why I’m here. Celestia sent me to inform you that within the last few hours, Ponyville had an increase in guard count. The populace believes the Everfree’s inhabitants are to blame, and we are in no hurry to dispel that rumor.”

It puts you at ease to hear how quick Celestia was to act. While you’d like to have them know the truth, it’s much too risky. The last thing you needed to hear is that the ponies started trying to alienate themselves from each other out of fear. Even the mere thought of knowing those bugs are in their midst would have them panic. It’d be all too easy for the changelings to do damage after that.

“Better to have them think its wild animals, than to have them know about those bugs. At least that’s my take on it. Having ponies suspect one another wouldn’t help you guys, or the guards. Speaking of which, do the guards know, or are they in the dark too?”

“Yes, they know and they’ve been sworn to secrecy. Celestia gave the ones who transferred the information needed to discern between themselves and the changelings. After testing the ones that guard Ponyville, they’ll give them the information necessary in order to assist in our endeavors.”

“That’s great to hear Princess, is there anything else you need to tell me?” you ask with a smile. She shakes her head.

“Not at this moment no, but Celestia or I will be sure to let you know if anything new occurs.” And just like that, the conversation comes to an end, or so you thought. If she had nothing else to tell you, then wouldn’t your dream be at its end? Is that how it works?

Suffice to say, you’re quite new to this experience, so you have no idea how to go about ending it. It appears as though Luna would have to be the one to do that by leaving. Yet, there she remains. A heavy, awkward silence fills the endless void of your subconscious. That is until you decide to break it.

“Are you sure there’s nothing else?” Luna fiddles with her hooves nervously, her eyes shifting from side to side as she does so.

“Well, I have heard the embellished tale that involved you and Discord parting ways. As farfetched as it was, it made me realize that I know very little about you. In fact, aside from the bits you told my sister, I have to say I know nothing at all. It’s a little embarrassing.” You raise a brow in question before leaning in.

“So what you’re saying is, you want to get to know me?” You ask, surprised, “I assumed that I wasn’t on your mind at all, what with you and your sister being busy running a nation and all. And why do you feel embarrassed? I’m no one special.” Now it’s her turn to look at you with disbelief.

“I’m inclined to disagree. You’re the only one of your kind here. You know not the curiosity that has been brewing since my time on the moon. And I have to say, I’m quite eager to learn. I do know about Twilight’s research, but I’d prefer to speak with you face to face while you’re awake. Unfortunately you’re asleep, so what I’m doing here will have to do.”
Well, this comes as a rather nice surprise. In all honestly, you believed that after your citizenship neither she nor Luna needed anything else from you. But, as you can see, you’ve been proven wrong in that assumption. And, Luna isn’t like the average pony; you can’t just ignore her questions. Even if you feel like a broken record, you can’t brush her off.
Besides, you’re staying at her and Celestia’s castle. It’d be rude to not be willing to share at least a little bit of information. So, instead of grimacing and turning away, you give her a genuine smile.

“What would you like to know Princess?” For a few moments, the Princess puts a hoof to her chin in thought before merely shrugging.

“Just tell me about the first thing that comes to mind.” If that’s what Luna insists upon, that’s exactly what you’ll give her. But in return you’re sure to tell her that you want to know a bit about her as well, you really want to know how she’s able to appear in a dream. You start with your arrival to their colorful world…

“Have you brought the egg?” Chrysalis turns towards the archway leading into her room. Her lips curve upward when she sees Ditto balancing an it on his back. With a rapid pulse of magic, it’s levitated off of him to the front of the Queen’s face. She casts a sudden glance over the changelings finishing up their part of the rune currently being drawn on the floor.


The sigil itself is unique in design. Intricate circles fused with double helixes make up the exterior of it, while the interior has nothing more than a lone square surrounded by rhombuses on all sides. The gap between both is filled with symbols that represent a language long since abandoned by the living creatures of this day and age. Only beings like Chrysalis, or Celestia could remember such a complex collection.


Every single bit of furniture has been removed from the area, leaving only Chrysalis, Ditto, the egg, and a dozen changelings standing at certain points at the edge of the circle. One could see that the last tenant of this particular castle spared no expense when it came to having space. The Queen could easily fit three dozen of her subjects in this place alone. As the egg floats over to the single opening in the center, she looks to her group of changelings one last time.


“Have you properly cleaned this space before putting down the chalk?” The changelings stand at attention, and then he nods. “Good, we don’t need to dirty her blood. Now, bring her over.” Ditto bows then leaves the room. He comes back a few seconds later carrying the bag containing Duplicate’s remains. Chrysalis motions towards the center, where the egg has been placed.


With his objective in front of him, Ditto carefully makes his way over, and dumps the contents of the bag on the egg. Coagulated green blood mixes with the almost translucent egg, giving it a rather sickly appearance; the silhouette of the embryo within quivers from the sudden contact upon its shell.


Chrysalis looks over her egg with remorse from a distance. Duplicate needed to live so that the hive may thrive if Chrysalis were to pass on. They wouldn’t survive waiting for another heir. This desperate move had to be done.


With a final sigh, Chrysalis closes her eyes; soon her horn starts to glow. Ditto is quick to leave the chalky symbol’s area, lest he meet the same fate as the egg. The other changelings around the rune mimic their Queen, and combine their magic with hers. Twelve translucent tendrils of green aura snake over the top of the sigil, creating a sort of dome, encasing the two objects within.


Each ethereal snake of green meets at the highest point of the dome, and soon a thirteenth joins it. Chrysalis herself is taking part in this ritual. As soon as hers joins the others a single, thick beam is fired at the corpse and egg lighting up the room in a pale green light. Any sources of light other than the spell being cast are immediately put out by the following gust of wind.


Ditto, who is now standing outside the circle, takes a few more steps back to watch the spectacle unfold in front of his very eyes. He sports a gaping jaw and a look of both horror all the while. A gasp escapes him when the egg slowly starts to sink into the carapace of Duplicate. The more the egg fuses with the corpse, the more the body starts to regenerate the parts lost to it. It almost looks as if the life stolen from the egg was being forcibly transferred to the corpse it was near.


Within a few minutes the potential life slowly fades from view. Duplicate’s body finishes growing and mending any injury she was put through. When the transition completes, the magic spreads to the rest of the rune, where any white remains of the chalk are converted to the same sickly green.


The next moment caused a shiver to travel down his insectoid spine. A few seconds after the symbol began to glow, Duplicate’s icy blue eyes shot open. Her jaw seemed to dislocate as she took in a very noisy breath. It was almost as if she’d gone much too long without air. Now her body is desperately trying to take in as much as it could.


With each intake of air, the green light began to shudder, inching its way towards the now revived changeling. When she takes in a breath that would have popped a normal changeling’s lungs, the magic infused with her resting area travels towards her gaping maw, and down her throat. When every last bit has been consumed, Chrysalis and the other changelings are able to finally relax.


The dozen that took part in the ritual either collapse from exhaustion, or are forced to sit and catch their second wind. The Queen however, is capable of not only standing, but is able to make her way over to the little bug. As she looks over the revived Duplicate, the changeling looks back up at her ruler, and when her breathing calms only one thing escapes her lips.


“I am going to kill that human…” her hissing is cut off when Chrysalis puts a hoof to her lips.


“Shush, you’re in no condition to even think about something like that. Besides, we still need him for my plans to follow through.” She removes her hoof from Duplicate’s mouth, and instead uses it to help her tilt her chin up. “For now, rest is what’s important. Anonymous will get what’s coming to him regardless, but you will have to wait.” Duplicate grits her teeth, and her frown deepens.


“I was eaten by that damned mutt Cerberus, left there to be digested for a full day. It would have been for eternity if I wasn’t from that disgusting prison.” Her voice starts to rise in volume and intensity. “You can’t expect me to just lie down and sleep while the thing that put me there stays free!”


Duplicate coughs violently at the end of her outburst, causing a bit of dribble to slide past her mouth and down her chin. It takes that moment for her to realize just how bad her circumstances truly are. It angers her greatly, but her queen is right, Duplicate can’t do anything right now. Chrysalis can feel the fury radiating off of her, causing  her stomach to churn, and the bile to rise in her throat. But, she maintains her composure and tries to remedy the situation so it won’t get worse.


“I know you aren’t happy with the way things are, but when you recover, and when the time is right, you can fill Anonymous with as much despair as you desire.” She flashes Duplicate that sickly sweet smile of hers and continues, “Patience my precious subject, you’ll get your chance.” A rather dastardly idea comes to fruit attention, one that would not only remedy her subject’s irritation, but help secure your loyalty for what’s to come. “And don’t forget, we do have his dear Zebra friend in the dungeon. Maybe she can be your sponge for the anger you have towards him.” Duplicate manages a smile despite being in a weakened state.


“You’re right your highness. If I can’t get him, hurting someone he knows is the next best thing. When I’m better I think I’ll pay Zecora a little visit. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind some company.” She manages a weak laugh before erupting into another fit of hacking.


       	~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~


“Gr, not again,” Eris mumbles while sitting up in your bed. She manages to remove her limbs from you without stirring you. The throbbing associated with her string of headaches has increased in intensity, and she’s using her claws in a vain attempt at relieving it. It’ll take more than rubbing her temples to get rid of this one. With each wave of pain, the Draconequus sucks in air through her teeth and whimpers.


Being unable to stand it any longer, she swiftly gets out of your bed, and flies over to your door. Her magic allows her to phase through it, that way you can stay asleep. She wastes no time in doing the same thing to her bathroom door. Within seconds she’s face to face with her reflection.


“Sweet Celestia,” she groans before laying her head on the white porcelain sink. Another whimper escaped her lips as she goes to look back up at the mirror. What she sees next shocks her. Staring back at her from within is a culmination of stretched greens, purples, and reds. The way the colors moved about in her mirror image matched the heat waves one would see on an incredibly hot day.


She shakes her head rapidly, trying to dispel the hallucination in front of her, only to find that it did no good. With a quiet groan she shakes her head, turning her gaze to the ceiling.


“Sorry Sunbutt, but it looks like I can’t make it a day.” With a snap of her talons, an incredible amount of magic is sucked from her body, and the migraine quickly recedes. Ah, that’s better. But I wonder how long it’s gonna be before I gotta do that again.


Eris looks over her now normal reflection one more time. At least I can focus on other things now. To accentuate her thoughts, she flips her hair and gives her image a sensual gaze, and then she follows up with a wink. Yeah he won’t last a day with my charm.


Satisfied with what she’s seen in her mirror, she nods, turns to the door, and leaves. But, what she didn’t notice is that even though she left, her image didn’t. The Eris in the mirror giggles madly while her shape begins to change. Color’s blend and the form melds, soon what lies behind the mirror isn’t Eris, but a certain purple pony with swirling irises…


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~


“Is everything alright, Luna?” you ask the obviously frightened alicorn. Your conversation with Luna was cut short when her eyes widened. Your eyes match hers when you watch one of the thousands of stars making up her mane shine with multiple colors and hues.  The horrified gasp that followed did little to put you at ease.


“Yes Anonymous, I’m fine,” she finally says when she gets to her hooves, “but one of my red giants has… has...” she can’t bring herself to finish as she stares at her hair in horror.


“Has what?” You’re sitting on the edge of your seat. Luna peers into her mane to make sure she’s really seeing what she thinks she is.


“Turned into a Disco Ball, what?”


“What?” you echo.


“That’s not supposed to happen, ever!” Her frantic tone has you taken aback, despite her seemingly being fine.


“It’s not gonna affect us is it?” You release a breath of relief when she shakes her head.


“No, the star is much too far. I can’t say the same for the planets orbiting it. I’m sorry, but I must cut our conversation short. I need to look into this; we’ll pick this up another time.” She grimaces as the ever-changing light seems to spread. “I need to get this out of my hair.” You aren’t even able to say goodbye before you’re blinded by bright blue light.


Suddenly, you find yourself sitting up in your bed, covered in a cold sweat. It seems like Luna’s mood affected you more than you realized, your heart is beating a mile a minute. You wipe the perspiration away and throw off the covers.


Your mind is alight with various possibilities, but only one seems to persist over the others. Discord, it had to have been him. There’s nothing else you can think of that’d be capable of doing something like that to a star, unless there are other reality bending aliens in existence. You hope Luna will be able to find out why that Draconequus would do such a random thing if he’s the culprit.


You’re not even sure they can reach him for answers. For all you know, he and Eris are the only ones capable of traveling across the universe, or between dimensions. They never specified, and if he is easily capable of doing that, what else could he have done? What does Earth look like now?


Not a single thought passed your mind about your planet while you were adjusting. But now that you’re thinking about it, it just doesn’t seem to leave your mind. You were so quick to condemn Earth, to force everyone to deal with Discord and his daughters.


There’s no telling what he’s done. He could have flooded it, or crashed it into the sun. He might have made humans try to live with chocolate milk raining clouds. You envision Earth as a mess; various islands now float in the skies, residents now afraid for their lives. People run in fear or confusion as animals start to dance around, and as buildings begin to bend and twist.


And in the middle of all the chaos, is Discord sitting on his throne. His two daughters are at his side, and all of them are laughing at the mayhem. But there’s no evil intent, it’s just those three having a good time at the expense of others… you hope that at least your family is alright. Even after everything that’s happened, they don’t deserve to have something like him ruining everything.


But, you can’t allow yourself to dwell on this. You made your decision, and you’re stuck with it. There’s no changing it now. So, with a sigh and a shake of your head you try to force those thoughts from your mind in order to focus on something else. Like the situation you’re in now.


Leaving your little home would be against your better judgment, so that means you have to find a way to keep yourself and Eris entertained. You can’t help but let loose a chuckle at the thought of keeping Eris cooped up in here.


There’s no way she’d do that. It’d be like expecting Discord not to use his magic. You’ve got a bad feeling that after an hour or so she’ll be trying to convince you to sneak out using her chaotic spells. Then, you’ll have to remind her that you’ve still got around three days left. But, you’re sure Eris will figure out a way to get around that.


That reminds you, where did she even go? You noticed an incredible lack of warmth and comfort. As surprising as it may be, you didn’t mind her being in your bed after a while. So, you get up, get dressed, and make your way out of your room. Your ears twitch when you hear Eris talking with someone in the living room. You’re sure to shut your door quietly so as to not arouse suspicion.


Curious as to what’s being talked about you sneak your way down the hall, you stop at the threshold separating it from the living room. From there you see that the owner of the second voice is Screwball. Although she looks happy to see Eris, the same can’t be said of her. Both are talking back and forth on the now checkerboard patterned couch.


“What are you doing here?! You’re gonna ruin everything!” Eris angrily exclaims. She growls when Screwball snuggles into her side.


“What, didn’t you miss me sis? And what are you talking about?”


“Anon and I are togeth—“Eris is cut short when Screwball wraps her hooves around her neck.


“Aw congratulations sissy, I knew you’d get em.” Screwball as soon as she lets her go she waggles her eyebrows. Then she nudges Eris with a hoof. “So, did you fuck his brains out?” Screwball’s bluntness would have made you do a spit take had you been drinking. Eris grumbles, crossing her arms, shaking her head as she does so.


“No, I was going to try today, tomorrow, then next day, but with you here that’s not gonna happen.” Screwball pouts at the venom Eris seems to be spewing.


“Oh come on Eris, don’t be like that.” A sickly sweet smile graces her lips. “In fact I’ll help you!” Eris scoffs while rolling her eyes. She’s sure to lay the sarcasm on thick.


“Thank you Screwball, but how are ya gonna do that?”


“Oh I’ve got a few plans up my sleeve.”


“You’re not even wearing a shirt.” Screwball’s grin leaves her face rather quickly.


“Sh-shut up, you know what I meant.”


“Whatever,” she shrugs, “so, what can you do to help me?”


“Well, I did what you did, but with different videos.” Eris lets out an exasperated sigh.


“So all you did was watch human porn?” As Eris’ frown deepens, Screwball’s smile widens.

“No, I took notes too,” she answers without skipping a beat. It’s at this point you can’t hold it in any longer. You burst out into a fit of laughter and collapse on the ground, holding your sides.


“I can’t,” you inhale sharply;” I can’t hold it in oh my God!” Tears are starting to collect in your eyes. Both Eris and Screwball snap to attention and look over as you roll onto your back. “That’s too much!”


Screwball’s once happy expression quickly turns to anger, “Hey! Stop laughing! My ideas are totally fool-proof, just you wait Anon!” She points to you before adding, “I bet we’ll have your pants off in a week.”


“Screwball, please, I can’t breathe!” You manage to get to your knees, but your body refuses to let you get to your feet, at least not until you stop laughing. Her response is to scowl and turn her back to you.


While you recover Eris looks to the wristwatch she’s created just for the impatient gag. After a minute or two, you’re finally provided with relief as your laughter dies down. When you’re back on your feet you find Screwball giving you a deadpan glare, Eris is busy looking at the wall, disinterested.


“Okay guys, I’m done,” you breathe a sigh of relief before looking down at Screwball. Something in the pit of your chest hated seeing her in such a state. So you aimed to not only solve the problem, but to get them to forget trying to get you in bed. “And it’s nice to see you Screwball. I didn’t think you’d follow your sister out here.”


When you pat her mane, her attitude does a complete turnaround. Thankfully, you were able to change the subject to something that didn’t involve you. Though, that friendly contact forces you to be subjugated to a pearly white smile and a near neck breaking hug.


“It’s great to see you too, Anon! Did you miss me huh huh huh?!” You try to pull away, but you end up bringing her with you. Now you’re forced to hold her to keep from strangling yourself on her hooves.


“A little,” you strain to speak through her death grip of an embrace. As soon as you’re able to balance her with one hand you motion to Eris for help. All you get in return is a smirk and a shake of the head.


“You’re on your own with that one.” Frantically you tap on Screwball’s hoof in a feeble attempt to get her attention. Sadly, she’s too busy nuzzling your cheek. It isn’t until you’re pulling on Screwball’s coat does she realize what she’s doing. You can feel the pressure intensifying in your cheeks and head, your vision starts to blur.


“Oh my goodness!” she exclaims before finally releasing her death grip of a hug. With the path clear you open your mouth wide and take a lungful of air. Over and over again you breathe; your lungs have become desperate for relief. It takes another minute of this repetition until you’re able to speak again. “I’m so sorry, are you okay?” You manage to nod, when you do Screwball leaps from your arm and back to the couch.


“Y-yeah I’m fine,” you rub your now sore neck. I’m just glad you have a one track mind. “But, what brings you to out here? Did Earth get boring or something?” Screwball shakes her head.


“Nope, Earth is so much fun! President Daddy got me this—” you hold up your hand to stop her. You had to confirm what you’ve just heard.


“Did you just say President Daddy? Not Daddy Discord, or Pops?” You can feel sweat start to form upon your brow. Imagining Discord as the president of any nation sounds absolutely horrible to you. When she shakes her head you swear you feel a weight in your stomach.


“Nope, President Daddy, he won an election! Fair and square too,” Screwball pauses, “Well, not really fair and square. He got really into it, and made a persona, and then he convinced a bunch of guys in suits to trick people into thinking he was a senator or primes minster or something for like ten years. But that’s beside the point! Daddy told me that I needed to check up on Eris cause of her headaches, and that’s why I’m here.” Eris growls nearby.


“You weren’t supposed to tell dad about that,” Screwball shoots her a sympathetic glance.

“I’m sorry sis, but daddy got worried when I told him. He thinks you might need to come home if they get worse.” This information is a lot to take in, so you decide to take a seat on the couch with them. They move so you have the room to do so.


“This is kind of hard to swallow. I thought the headache was a one-time thing. I didn’t know they were reoccurring.” You shift your gaze between the two, “And your father is the president of what country now?”


“Sweden!” Screwball says with a smile. You sigh as an image of Discord in a suit being sworn into office plays in your mind. They have no idea what they’re in for.


“I-I think I’m going to put that in the back of my head and forget about it.” You turn your attention to Eris, “Now tell me about these migraines, and why would Discord have to bring Screwball here? Aren’t they a common thing?” She shakes her head.


“Not for us they’re not.” With a snap of her talons a pair of reading glasses appears on her face, and a rather thick book is brought to her lap. She licks a claw and flicks through a few pages. “When a young Draconequus like me gets them that means we’re backed up. I would have gone through this a thousand years ago, but being turned to stone put a stop to that. My body is catching up on the time missed.”


“What do you mean by ‘backed up’ Eris?” She sighs before shutting her book.


“Basically means I need to cause chaos with my magic, or else they’ll get worse, and worse, and worse until,” she trails off, going silent.

“Until what?” Screwball answers for Eris.


“None of us know, all of the others cracked and went on a spell spree until the pain went away.”


“So, I’m guessing you’re here to make sure she doesn’t do that?” She nods.


“Yup.”


“Hm, I figured Discord would want something like that to happen.”


“Nope, not at all. He knows how it can get since he went through the same thing when he was her age. He doesn’t wanna drag you, or Celestia, or anyone else into it if it gets that bad.”


“That’s kind of him. But why, he doesn’t seem like he’d be one to stop anyone from causing chaos. Figured he’d do the opposite.”


“The reason he’s like that is cause our magic is supposed to be fun, not bad. Draconequus can’t tell the difference if their heads are hurting.” She knocks a hoof against her skull for emphasis, causing her swirling eyes to roll about. You take this time to go over what you’ve been told.


If what Screwball said is true, then Eris agreeing to Celestia’s terms will only make things worse. But, if Eris uses her magic, and if Celestia finds out, she’ll be banished. She really put herself into quite a pickle for your sake. Though, there is one question that plagues your mind at this very moment.


“Were you the one who messed with that star?”