Discordia! Or: How I came to Love the Mare.

 

Some would very much disagree with this, though that particular list of dissenters is quite short, and one of them is in a dungeon in a place he was exiled to, two of these dissenters live in Ponyville, and they have very different reasons for being displeased with the sun today.

 

Anonymous 'Anon' Blurryface, Human Being, Suit Wearer extraordinaire, the only human being in Equestria, and currently, birthday boy, who was honestly desiring that it would rain out today so that he could avoid his own birthday party, and Discord, mismatched amalgamation of flesh and Bringer of Chaos (reformed).

 

Discord's bad day, however, was more due to the fact that, in so far as he was aware, was not invited to Anon's birthday party.

 

This of course, is untrue, as Pinkie Pie knows, and Discord was indeed invited, the invitation in question just ended up turning into a rubber duck when he opened it and he didn't bother to squeak it to get the message.

 

Grumbling and glaring at the sun, Discord pouts as he drifts over Fluttershy's cottage. "Damn that Anon. It's his birthday and he didn't invite ME? I love parties, and I'm so good at spicing them up! I even had the perfect gift."

 

Discord adored Anon, even if Anon didn't really notice, because Anon, being human, was another being of Chaos and brought zany antics with him wherever he went... at least, when Starbutt could get Anon out of Golden Oaks Library.

 

Discord huffs, annoyed at the implied slight that he made up, and glared at a cloud in the sky. "I must figure out a way to get him back... but how?"

 

And then suddenly... he had an Idea.

 

An AWFUL idea.

 

"The Discord had a wonderful, gloriously AWFUL idea!"

 

The Discord needs to stop trying to steal the narrators cues and stick to the fucking script.

 

"Or else what?"

 

Discord felt a shock of power run through her body, and a quick glance down confirmed that the 'her' was very, very accurate.

 

"Point made," She said in her very feminine and cutesy voice, "I'll be good."

 

For now, I assume.

 

Discord of course was more then capable of turning himself back to normal, and did so with a snap of his fingers as he contemplated his Awful Idea(tm The Grinch).

 

"I can't steal Christmas... doesn't even exist around these parts, but I -can- steal Anon's birthday! After all, a birthday for a human is so droll, when instead, we could have a birthday party for Anon the pony!"

 

Discord cackled to himself in amusement, before he frowned and rolled over on the thin air he was using as a cushion.

 

"Oh but how. There's so many ways to play with a human."

 

Discord sat upright, and by that I mean with his head to the ground and tail to the sky, and opened his magic inventory, flicking through spell after spell.

 

"Hmmm... Magical Boop, meh, boring. Pon-E? Overused. Exotic Spell made up by some fanwank from /mlp/? Even -I'm- not that cruel."

 

Spell after spell was flicked past, causing random explosions hither and thiether, before he stops suddenly, his eyes going wide and a smirk on his face.

 

"Of course, it's perfect, why didn't I think of it before!" The mismatched being crows as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a very familiar flask of unnamed white liquid.

 

"I'll spike his drink with this or just have him drink it, and we'll get this show on the road! It's perfect Angel Bunny, I tell ya!"

 

The poor, confused little fluffball of Evil was summarily punted away after he was ripped out of whatever dimensional hidey-hole he had be stuffed in.

 

We will never see that rabbit again.

 

Unless Fluttershy starts crying, at which point we most likely will, but yeah, no, the stupid cottontail ain't gonna be seen again.

 

Discord preens over the beautiful punt, proud of the distance he got with his kick, and would start to rant and rave about how glorious he is... but we're transitioning to another scene, so we'll have to check in later.

 

"Wait, don't g-"

-MEANWHILE-

 

At Golden Oaks, Anon grumbles as he finally rolls out of bed, sighing as he runs a hand through his >hair.

 

"Of course Pinkie Pie fucking knows when my birthday is. Why wouldn't she?" Anon grumbles to himself as he forces himself to go through the daily routine.

 

He brushes his teeth, shaves off his stubble, and puts on his suit, making sure that glorious red tie is bright and present, and literally shining in the sunlight that's drifting in through his sunroof, a little upgrade made by Marshmellow.

 

He sniggers a bit to himself as he thinks about all the little nicknames he pegs his friends with, mostly for his own amusement. It's been six months now since he ended up falling ass-over-teakettle, literally, into Equestria.

 

Who knew that just wanting to make a cup of tea and tripping over a plushie was all you needed to do to go to Equestria?

 

He sure as hell didn't, which of course was why he was contemplating himself in the mirror, double checking his tie and quietly contemplating attempting to Pinkie-proof his room and going back to his favorite past time.

 

Writing stories and learning about Equestria so he doesn't look like the massive autistic faggot he is the moment he steps outside.

 

You see, this Anon in particular was, while a regular shitposter... a writefaggot. And a pretty decent one at that, if he did say so himself. Which he did. A lot.

 

After all, who doesn't like to feel good about themselves? Shitposting and writing stories, perfect.

 

Actual interaction with other people? Not so much.

 

Anon lets out a displeased sigh before he opens the door from his side room in the basement of the Golden Oaks library into the Laboratory proper, carefully stepping around wires and equipment before making his way up the stairs.

 

Opening the door to the Library, he steps in to a surprisingly dark room. "Huh, wasn't the sun up a moment ag-"

 

"SURPRISE!"

 

Anon jumps in shock, tripping over himself and falling to the floor as the lights come on and he finds himself surrounded by candy colored equines.

 

A few moments pass before he sighs and lets his head thump against the wooden floor. "Sure, yes, lets go with that."

 

"Nonny! Did we surprise you, did we, did we, huhuhuhuh? Because Twilight said that you would be really really surprised but Dashie said we should have used a thunderclap instead but I just wanted to go *huuuuaaaaaaaah* and scream REALLY REALLY LOUD LIKE SURPRISE!"

 

Anon's chest is not the floor, and yet Pinkie Pie continues to use it as such, leaning in his face and yammering away at a mile a minute before Anon sighs and gives the pronking pink pony a half-hearted hug and sits up.

 

As he looks around the room, he can see that all of his 'friends' from Ponyville have come. And Sparklebutt, his oh so beloved landlord. He smirks at the unicorn for a moment, who just smirks back at him.

 

"You orchestrated this in return for the paper-bag incident didn't you." Anon asks flatly, trying to avoid chuckling or straight out laughing at the prank from the egghead.

 

Twilight Sparkle, Unicorn mage and student of Celestia, does the mature thing and sticks her tongue out at Anon, who starts laughing.

 

Ponies are just too cute.

 

A small pang hits him, making him hang his head a bit before he snaps it back up with a big smirk.

 

Anon rubs the back of his head as Pinkie bites onto his hand and gently pulls on it, getting him to his feet and into the party.

 

Everypony is there- Lyra, Bonbon, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie, Rarity, you can see Fluttershy's tail, The CMC, The Cakes who look pretty relaxed, though it makes you wonder where the baby cakes are... and, surprisingly, Princess Luna!

 

Anon grins at the mare of the night (not that way) who smiles warmly at him in greetings. Anon had showed up midway through Season 2, and made fast friends with the Moon Princess, who really needed not only a friend but somepony (or someone in his case) who could actually just relax around her, joke and tease, and treat her like a pony, not just as a princess.

 

He gave her a hug in greeting, and she gives him a one-legged hug in return. "GREETINGS MY HUMAN FRIEND! TIS A PLEASURE TO SEE YOU AGAIN!"

 

Everypony and Anon wince. "Volume Lu, Volume." He gently chastises, as part of his attempt to help Luna catch up to modern language whenever she's around.

 

Luna blinks and then blushes. "Ah, excuse us, we forgot ourselves with the yelling of surprise."

 

He shakes his head with a rueful smirk. She's getting better, but it's almost worse then what he had seen in the show!

 

"No worries Lu, just remember to drop the Royal We, you're among friends, remember?"

 

Luna blushes a bit but smiles back as he ends the hug and turns to greet the rest of his guests.

 

The party gets underway without a hitch, which is pretty pleasant. After the whole Royal Wedding Fiasco and helping Discord turn over a new leaf, Anon was absolutely knackered, being a drag-along through both of those adventures mostly out of his own inability to avoid the adventures.

 

And that's not even getting into the Crystal Empire. Never again- breathing in evil unicorn smoke is NOT FUN, do not recommend.

 

Either way, the party is going just fine and soon Anon forgot how much he were trying to -avoid- hanging out with the ponies.

 

Anon is sitting in the middle of a pile of wrapping paper, having gotten several great presents- a pair of cleats from Rainbow Dash, who is still trying to get him to go outside more and play some sports (she's been gushing about trying out some human sports, like Football, which explains the cleats...), and a wide variety of comfortable clothing from PJ's to some workout clothing, including a very nice Jersey with a stylish V on the back.

 

Yes, Anon explained V for Vendetta to Ponies. They though it was a pretty awesome story, even if they were still innocent enough that some of the moral thought points and concepts kinda skipped by them.

 

Anon's opening the last present, and gasps in surprise as he opens it it. He really wasn't expecting this, and Rainbow Dash lets out a little whine as well when she sees whats inside.

 

"Oh come on AJ, you gave him a cask of Cider? Why didn't I get that for my birthday?" Rainbow whines earning a flat look from the country mare.

 

"Ya'll drank yer' ca'der first thang when ye' opened it, sugarcube. And it ain't no cider, it's hard cider, bein' it's Anon's twenty-first n' all." AJ says sternly and then proudly, giving you a little smirk and a tip of her hat.

 

"G'wan then sugarcube, crack 'er open and give it a try. Ah' got a keg fer errypony after ye' try it on fer size."

 

Anon grins as he carefully undoes the lid of the pint-sized cask of hard apple cider. He's been absolutely salivating to try this, but apparently the drinking age in Equestria is 21, and he was magically identifiable as 20, and stuck with not being able to drink for another year.

 

Anon lifts the cider to the room with a smirk. "Kampai!" He says to the room and then takes his first sip, slowly knocking back the drink.

 

A little spark of magic floats above the cask when Anon had held it up, but nopony noticed even as Anon starts to drink, not seeing the milky-white-and-blue liquid that was slipped on top.

 

Anon blinks at a bit of unusual favor, but he assumes it's just the foam and keeps drinking, getting to the sweet, sweet cider, not noticing that he drank more then just cider.

 

Finishing the drink, he holds it to the air to wooping and cheers from the more rowdy ponies and Princess Luna. Applejack puts her hat back on with a grin before trotting outside and coming back in with a whole barrel.

 

"Na' this is ye'r real birthday present here Anon. Tha's ya' first drink, but this here is Sweet Apple Acres Zap Apple Hard Cider. It'll knock ye' on ya' flank I guarantee." Applejack says smugly as she sets up the barrel and starts serving mugs.

 

The rainbow-colored cider makes Anon laugh a bit, already feeling the alcohol as he waits for everypony gets a mug before letting out another round of kampai before he starts to drink the night away, the rainbow liquid being added to every so often.

 

Eventually, the party winds down, everypony more then just a little bit inebriated, the barrel empty, the presents open, and a very stumbly and tired Anon snuggling a equally stumbling and tried Luna, and the whole party is asleep.

 

Discord pops into existence, winking at the audience as he inspects the potion he stole from Season 4's opener. "Hmp. Out of the looks-like-jizz potion." He muses, tossing the empty bottle into the void to be refilled before inspecting the sleeping ponies and Anon.

 

"That potion, poison joke, and zap-apples? If this doesn't turn him into a pony I don't know what will."

 

Discord grins in excitement and curls up, invisible, in the air, bucket of popcorn and soda on hand as he watches and waits for the changes to begin.

 

Several hours pass, and the first noticeable sign of Anon transforming is a little twitch, his arms and legs all twitching. Discord bobs in the air with glee.

 

"It's happening!"

 

Anon's transformation is surprisingly fast and more importantly, filled with rainbow light, making Discord grunt and cover his eyes, and startling the rest of the sleeping ponies with the sudden light.

 

"Anon...? ANON!"

 

Twilight's the first one on her hooves, gaping at the floating Anon as rainbows spill from his skin and the light gets brighter before she has to grab Rainbow Dash and hold the Pegasi back.

 

"STOP! Don't get near or touch him, he's having... a Magical Surge. I don't know how, but touching him could have dire consequences for us and for him!" Twilight calls out, holding a still-trying-to-fly Rainbow Dash down with her magic.

 

"Well then what ARE we supposed to do Egghead?! Just stand around and look pretty?" Rainbow spits out, not enjoying being held down.

 

"In Truth, Yes! We should not get close, magical surges are unpredictable and can injure those caught in it's radius! Sister told us of yon' Sparkle's Magical Surge upon the hatching of Spike." Luna says, Twilight nodding in agreement, not even embarrassed due to how dangerous magical surges were. After all, she turned her parents into potted plants...

 

The light grows brighter and brighter, Discord absently munching on his popcorn before the light flares and a blast of rainbow light radiates outwards from Anon... who collapses to the floor.

 

Or at least it looked like Anon collapsed to the floor. After all, he was the center of the magical surge.

 

Twilight continues to hold Rainbow Dash back, the rest of the girls keeping a respectful distance and Mr. And Missus Cake thankfully having gone home to take care of the little ones, as Princess Luna slowly and carefully approaches the fallen form in the dark.

 

A soft, pained groan fills the air. "Anon?" Luna asks quietly. "Anon, my friend, are thou alright?"

 

"Lu... Lu, ow... s-stomach hurts."

 

The ponies all freeze.

 

That wasn't Anon's voice

 

Anon lets out a little pained whine that kicks Luna back in gear, the mare quickly shifting from 'what the heck' to 'my friend is hurt', and makes her way to Anon's side.

 

"Ano- By the Elements!" Luna gasps, her jaw dropping a bit to the surprise of the rest of the mane six, who all start to make their way to closer.

 

"L-Luna? What's wron... wait. That's not my voice." Anon asks and then states, very, very confused.

 

The new voice is light, airy almost, with a undercurrent of understanding that sounds very out of place for him, but would be more fitting for Celestia, Luna, or Cadance.

 

The Mane Six gasp as they get close. The voice might not be fitting of Anon as he normally is, bu it's -very- befitting of the alicorn mare currently sprawled out and looking dazed and very, very confused laying on the library floor.

 

Floating above the group, invisible and starstruck, Discord drinks in the sight of the new alicorn mare.

 

"She... she's perfect." He breaths out softly, unable to tear his gaze away from the perfection that's gently, gracefully gathering herself and standing on slightly shaky hooves, supported by Luna and the rest of the Mane 6.

 

Discords eyes are locked into a mane of color, shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow in a darker and more clear pallet then Celestia's mane would ever have, most likely a side-effect of the Zap Apple Cider, and a wine-red body that blends perfectly into the starting color of her mane and tail. More of a darker shade of pink then a real red, but either way, the color is vibrant and fills his mind with thoughts of comfort, warmth, and a lovers body pressed against his own.

 

Discord blinks after a few moments and shakes his head. "Just what are you thinking old boy? We're going to turn him back anyway." Discord mutters to himself, no conviction in his voice.

 

Even Discord can't believe his words.

 

Michael groans a bit as she looks down and gasps, scrabbling at the ground a bit with her hooves.

 

"AAAH! WHAT THE BUCK?" She cries out in surprise, getting enough purchase to push herself up before topping over as her sense of balance has been completely rewritten, and is thankfully caught by a quick thinking Twilight and Luna, holding the new alicorn up as she continues her panic attack, squirming in the air.

 

"HOOVES! HOOVES! Twilight, I thought we agreed no drunk magic-casting!" Michael panics, earning a solid headshake from Twilight.

 

"No! I haven't cast anything! I promised!" Twilight says, also starting to panic a bit.

 

Luna lets out a huff and gently rest a hoof on Twilight's neck. "At Ease, Lady Twilight, I fear our friend is a bit beyond words and conversations at the moment." She says, raising a delicate eyebrow as Michael has discovered her wings and is now panicking over those.

 

The Mane Six look between one another in shock. What the buck happened last night? A quick discussion confirms that there's no loss of memory, so nopony drank so much to blackout, and everypony is well aware of what they were up to last night at Michael's party.

 

Luna, meanwhile, gently floats Michael over to her and pulls her into a hug, letting out soothing coos and gently nuzzling Michael's mane. "Sssssshhhhh, it's ok Michael... breath, Ssssshhh, We shalt find out what caused this, you shalt be well again. Breath, My friend."

 

Michael's emotions are in flux, the mare now crying as she hugs Luna tight, awash in new feelings and awareness as her magic is informing her of so many things.

 

Meanwhile, Discord slinks away just a bit, to make sure he won't be found as he keeps watching his new muse, his eyes locked to her, lost in her emotion and wishing he could be comforting her instead of Luna.

 

Michael's panicked crying has settled into confused sobbing, the mare's wings wrapped around her closest friend. "Luuuuuuluuuuuu! W-what happened to meeeeeheheheheh?!?" She sobs, wetting her fellow alicorn's coat.

 

"Thou hast become an Alicorn, Michael. We aren't sure how this hast come about, but We assure thee that We shalt find out." Luna says, turning to the Mane Six, who have finished their discussion, Twilight taking the lead.

 

"Princess, we need to get Michael down to my Thuam scanner immediately. Considering he just had a Magical Surge when he had -no- magic whatsoever last night, we need to get a scan before the Surge's magical resonance wears off, so we can confirm just what happened."

 

Michael sniffs, feeling a bit better after all the crying, her wings spreading out and flapping softly before tucking neatly against her sides. The emotional distress is very, very real, but Twilight sounding like she has a plan makes her feel a bit at ease.

 

If anypony could help her right now, the smartest mare she's met and Princess Celestia's Personal Overachiever would no doubt be able to help her.

 

Luna nods in agreement, quickly gathering Michael onto her back, holding the smaller alicorn, who seems a bit more... teenager sized, if that makes any sense, a bit more gangly and thinner and shorter then a regal alicorn should be, and follows Twilight as she leads the way to the basement.

 

Discord swallows, his mouth suddenly dry and feeling very, very nervous.

 

He forgot about magical residue.

 

Chaos magic has a very, very distinct signatures, mostly because it has all signatures, perfectly balanced, but utterly unpredictable.

 

A meticulous Magi-scientist like Twilight would at least quadruple-check the results, which was standard procedure to ensure that the cause of random magical effects wasn't Chaos based, a practice started during and after his personal reign over Equestria.

 

This could end very, very poorly for everyone's favorite Chaos God.

 

Discord resists the urge to flee. As poorly as this could end, he still has to see the results. Besides, he'd be a fool if he thought he could get very far.

 

Not with Fluttershy guilt-tripping him to come back.

 

With his head hung low, Discord follows the group into the basement, staying far, far away to ensure that Twilight's gadgets don't pick him up as she and Luna gently get Michael onto a bed, Luna whispering words of encouragement as Twilight hooks up several different scanners and devices to Michael's body, working meticulously and without embarrassment, impressing her friends and reminding them and the Moon Princess as to -why- she's the Element of Magic. Of Friendship.

 

A good friend will help you when you're drunk. A Great friend will pull your mane out of the way when you're praying the porcelain goddess. True friends will do anything in their power to find out why something strange or unusual happened to you and help you fix it.

 

Twilight Sparkle is by and far the Truest of Friends.

 

A crank on a large lever in the corner sends all the machines blitzing to life. "Alright everypony, listen up! No flying or magic casting from this point onwards! We need to confirm what's going on with Michael, and any extraneous magic could contaminate the Thaum sample! Yes Applejack, that -does- include mane and tail manipulation and most Earth Pony magicks as well, so hooves and mouths only ponies! I want two ponies per machine, one to read off the graphs and the other to make copies. I know it's difficult, but please, this is for Michael's safety!"

 

The ponies all agree and quickly pair off, minus Luna who is left to continue saying soothing and warming words to a shivering Michael as Twilight runs her herd of friends with a calm but studied hoof, leading them through test after test.

 

About thirty minutes pass and Michael has finally calmed down, finally out of tears, apparently, though Twilight actually collected a few for testing and science, and finally she's run every test she can think of.

 

"Alright, it's going to take me a bit to come up with the results. Princess Luna, girls, could you pleased take Michael upstairs? She looks exhausted, get her some sleep or maybe something to eat, you can use my bed."

 

The girls quickly agree, ready to leave 'Sparkle Laboratories' to the expert.

 

Michael walks mostly on her own this time, not being carried but being helped on both sides by Applejack and Princess Luna, who has a wing gently draped over Michael's back as she's lead up the stairs.

 

The girls do their level best to keep Michael comfortable, who looks ready to collapse at any moment, while Discord, still invisible, darts a bit closer to Twilight, glancing at her notes over her shoulder.

 

Frowning a bit, mostly due to science being poorly translated into basic chaos for him to read, he's quickly able to pick up that she -didn't- find any traces of chaos magic.

 

A light fistpump of victory has been well earned, and well executed, by the God of Chaos. One point to Discord!

 

The second most important thing- She's healthy. Literally the healthiest being on Equuis right now, outside of Celestia, Luna, and Cadance, making the smart, self-admittedly nerdy unicorn scratch her head in confusion.

 

She sighs, shrugging a bit before continuing down the list as Discord stops paying attention and slips off to go back to his new favorite pastime- gazing at the gorgeous Alicorn Mare that he had a paw in creating.

 

"... It's not creepy, shut up."

 

I didn't say anything, now stop talking to the narrator.

 

Upstairs, Michael is being hugged and gently brushed by Luna and Rarity, Luna humming a soft melody, a song from her fillyhood long, long ago, which is helping to sooth and relax the stressed mare, who is currently taking slow, even breaths.

 

Discord watches closely, his heart practically beating out of his chest as he sees how she shimmers in the sunlight, the brushing helping her coat and mane and tail to glimmer in the morning sun.

 

She's absolutely radiant. She needs to be his, one way or another, but in order for that to happen... he needs to make sure she can't change back.

 

But even more importantly... he's got to convince her that being a pony is fine, and being in love is also fine.

 

But how?

 

As he ponders this, Luna finishes her song and smiles softly. "Art thou feeling better, our friend?"

 

Michael gives Luna half-smile. "A little... you have a lovely singing voice Lulu. Thank you. You too Rarity."

 

"Oh of course darling, it's no trouble. Heavens knows that I need a good grooming and spa session after some of the misadventures we've been on with Twilight, like that horrible changeling fiasco."

 

The whole group and Discord shudders at the mention of the bug ponies. Resentment and anger over the shapeshifters attempted takeover still ran high, especially as many weren't caught and there were still ponies missing from families... a few foals at that.

 

Michael tries to put a brave smile back on her face, showing her perseverance and unflappable nature again, but it breaks fairly quickly. Snarky, quick-witted and fun loving former-anon she may have been, but she was -not- prepared for this.

 

"Lulu... what am I going to do?" She asks quietly. "W-what if Twilight isn't going to find a cure? What if it wasn't a curse o-or poison joke or something like that and I can't be changed back?"

 

Luna looks at the smaller alicorn mare contemplatively before she sighs, softly nuzzling her. "Then thou wilt have to learn of your new form and your new place in this world."

 

Michael tears up a bit at that but Luna gently shushes her and strokes her back with a hoof. "Ease, friend, or, mayhaps, sister. Tis not as dire as we... I, make it sound." Luna soothes, continuing the gentle petting that helps Michael calm back down.

 

"B-but then what-"

 

"Tis simple. Magic is a very powerful thing, dear Michael. Many mage has studied the arcane art for years and years and never understood it all. Magic is capable of much, and one thing is for sure, the only rule of magic that is absolutely concrete, is power calls to power."

 

Michael blinks in confusion and Luna huffs a bit, trying to think of a better way to explain it when Rarity jumps in. "Think of it as fashion, darling."

 

The two alicorn mares look at the unicorn in confusion, who huffs and bounces her mane a bit with her hoof to ensure it's in proper form. "Fashion isn't simply putting on something and looking good darlings, it's a combination of many things- color, pattern, how it's worn, where it's worn, what is being worn in the first place, who's wearing it, where are they wearing it... Fashion, in and of itself, is an art, a high art, if I could have it be as such, and Magic is the same- a high art. Many different parts that need to go together to get the best results. Being powerful magically leads to learning, which leads to power, which leads to experimenting, which leads to power... or isn't that not why our dear Twilight is Celestia's Faithful Student? A bit socially unsound at times, darling as she is, but Twilight is the perfect example of power begetting power."

 

Michael and Luna make twin sounds of understanding at Rarity's explanation, and Michael fixes her with a questioning look. The fashionista looks away with a light blush. "I personally broke my fair share of chairs, walls and lamps when I was a filly, darling. Magical Surges are a sign of power for growing unicorns- the more dramatic, the greater potential, as it were, or so my mother and father say."

 

Luna and Rarity trade a look and a soft smile, pleased that they've been able to get Michael to calm down and relax a bit as the alicorn mare starts stretching her wings, scrutinizing them and thoroughly distracted by them and the thoughts of filly Rarity having magical surges.

 

A giggle escapes her, making Rarity and Luna blink in surprise as Michael has a mischievous grin on her muzzle. "I bet you were an adorable filly Rarity- we're gonna have to get your mother to break out the photo album next time she and your father are back in town."

 

Rarity gasps and Luna breaks out in a full belly laugh most unbecoming of a princess, Michael joining her in short order.

 

Twilight finally comes back up from the basement, a bit of a pout on her face as she looks about, that pout turning to confusion as she looks at the seriously-pouting Rarity and the laughing alicorn mares that are currently leaning against one another.

 

"... What did I miss?" Twilight asks, the unicorn mare looking quite lost.

 

Rarity sighs. "Humor at my expense, darling. Call it generosity... Oh! Twilight, darling, you're up from the lab! That didn't take long."

 

Luna and Michael finally calm down a bit, and both turn to Twilight expectantly, Michael's ears especially flicking forwards and zoning in on Twilight.

 

Twilight lets out a sad little huff as she notices the attention, and stands up straight, like a mare about to deliver bad news to her boss, but more then willing to take it with a stiff upper lip.

 

Thank Goodness somepony didn't try to sell this to her as a test, or there's likely be much panicking going on right now instead.

 

"Michael, I have good news and bad news- I've been able to single out a few of the various magical signatures that are coating your aura now, and I'm fairly positive that the tipping point for your transformation was Poison Joke."

 

Discord curses under his breath. She figured it out already?

 

Rarity shudders. "Oh Darling, that horrid plant. I'll go get Aloe and Lotus, and whip up the curing bath! We'll make a spa day out of it."

 

Michael perks up a bit at the idea but it's quickly shut down by Twilight softly shaking her head, a frown on her face. "I'm sorry Rarity, but it won't be that easy... the Poison Joke was just the tipping point."

 

The three mares across from Twilight glance at one another before Michael speaks up. "Come on Purple Smart, talk to me here... what do you mean, 'tipping point'?"

 

She sighs, and holds up the results chart. "Michael, your body is actively producing Thuams. Alicorn levels of Thuams, with it's own signature." She says rather clinically, obviously trying to keep her own emotions down so she doesn't start panicking or flipping out. "At this point in time, I'd predict that our timeline for reversing your transformation... was about fifteen days ago."

 

Jaws drop all around the room, Discord's dropping far enough to slam through the floor, drawing the attention of the rest of the ponies in the room.

 

"What wa- Discord! What are you doing here?" Twilight asks, quite annoyed at the mismatched creature's sudden appearance.

 

Discord mentally curses but decides that now would be a good time to start doing what he does best- gaming and lying, or as he likes to call it, 'Running the Circus'.

 

He floats down, collecting his jaw and snapping it back into place. "Well, I was helping dear Butterguy-"

 

"Fluttershy." The four ponies correct in unison.

 

"Muttertie-"

 

"Fluttershy!"

 

"Gutternigh. As I was saying, I was helping Floaterscared search for her precious lop-ear, and remembered she had been staying at your library last night, dear Sprinkes."

 

"Sparkle."

 

"Spackle, whatever. Aaaaaaaaaaaanyway, I decided to search over here when I heard the news! Our little human not so human anymore?" Discord says with a dramatic swoon onto Rarity's fainting couch.

 

Michael's head droops and three angry sets of feminine glares hammer home into Discord, punching holes right through the chaos being, and one of Rarity's sewing needles slamming into his side rather painfully.

 

"Ouch."

 

"You don't have to be such a flankhole about it Discord!" Twilight spits, obviously very, very displeased by Discord's attitude to it.

 

Michael is pretty much straight out crying again, being hugged tightly by Luna, who's frowning at Discord.

 

"He's barely gotten a hold of his current emotional state, much less the fact that he's changed species! If you're just going to be -you-, just go away!" Twilight says, a annoyed scoff from Rarity signifying her agreement.

 

Discord frowns. "My dear Sparkle, you truly think me so cruel? A bit apathetic I may be, but Chaos is my business, and this-"

 

He gestures to Michael, who has buried her head in Luna's mane as she's gently soothed by the older alicorn. "This has to be some kind of chaos. I wish to learn what kind."

 

Twilight gives him a very flat look. "And cause -more- trouble, like he hasn't had enough?"

 

Discord shakes his head and waves his mis-matched arms. "No no no, goodness no! You misunderstand me, Sparkle."

 

Rarity gives a very dainty, ladylike snort of disapproval. "We're quite sure you're telling the truth, Discord, just like the last three or four times."

 

Discord sighs. "I understand that you think of me a petty being, and to some point, you're quite correct. I -was- a petty being, but this is... unique." He says, gesturing to Michael again.

 

"Humans are fascinating. They're like me."

 

This draws everypony's attention, even Michael's. "What do you mean... like you?" Michael asks quietly.

 

Discord, who's been bluffing off his plot, mentally sighs in relief that they clung to that point. "Human beings, as a whole, do not have any magic outside of creativity and productivity, yes?" He asks, earning a small nod from Michael.

 

"But that's not the same as magic." Twilight disagrees, wondering where the draconequus, if that's even the proper spelling, seeing as Discord had filled out several forms and documents with it spelled in several different ways, was talking about.

 

Discord grins. "But that's where you're wrong, Sprinkles."

 

"Sparkle."

 

"You see, Magic, as you know it, is the ability to manipulate the universe to do something, correct?" Discord says.

 

Twilight rolls her eyes. "If you want to over-over simplify hundreds of thousands of years of research and study, yes, you could say that."

 

Discord points to Michael. "His species... erhm, well, his -normal- species, Humans, bend the universe to their will with nothing but quick-thinking and tools. They can't interact with the universe the same way ponies can, yet they can do so much with technology and creativity and something they call luck... and I call Chaos."

 

Discord grins, and pulls out a golden bit, and flicks it into the air with his paw. "After all, a coin that always lands on heads isn't valuable for making a decision, and what's the point of flipping a coin if it can't sometimes surprise you and land on it's side? Or a dice that will always roll six? Chance and random happenstance is what humans -thrive- on my dear. They thrive and grow on Chaos."

 

Twilight frowns, rubbing her muzzle with a hoof contemplatively.

 

Discord rolls back onto the ground from the air, standing upright and pacing a bit as he rocks the bit between his paw's 'fingers', before flicking it into the air and vanishing it without a second thought.

 

"To me, this seems to just be another step forwards into the chaos that Humans THRIVE off of, so forgive me for not quite falling in with the sudden emotional reactions that happened here." Discord says, with a sweeping bow to the mares.

 

The mares frown, looking at one another, before looking to Michael, who's sniffing a little but takes a few breaths, obviously trying to calm herself, and straightens up into was she obviously hopes is a 'regal' position.

 

"Y-your apology is accepted, Discord. I understand what you're trying to say... thank you, for what it's worth, for attempting to understand." Michael says steadily, earning a hug from the Mares and a smile from Discord.

 

"Oh, don't bother with that, dear... well now." Discord hums. "A conundrum then. What are we to call you, Michael? I have no doubt that Twinkles is going to continue trying to determine if you can be changed back or not, but I would say giving a name to yourself would be a valuable asset, if only not to confuse poor ponies with the 'whom it was' and 'who it is'."

 

This earns some blinking from the various mares and a small nod and chin-rubbing from Twilight, who is obviously considering Discord's point.

 

Luna frowns. "But how would We go about such a thing? Names aren't just strewn about, Discord. Unless somepony isn't talking and suddenly had a heart-name sink into their minds?"

 

The mares, Discord, and Michael all shake their heads, making Luna huff a bit before she turns to Rarity.

 

"Lady Rarity, We think that thou's offer of a relaxing day at the Masseuse's sounds delightful, and would be good for Michael, if only to help him get used to his current state of being, as tis."

 

Michael looks down in thought as Rarity hums. "It's up to you darling- only if you feel up to it."

 

Michael gently rubs one of her forelegs with the other, looking down before nodding. "Yes... that sounds really nice, actually." She takes a deep breath. "Anything to help start feeling more like me. I mean, I haven't said a single snarky thing all day!"

 

The mares giggle at that and nuzzle and hug Michael again in a show of support. Discord hums. "Do you mind if I tag along?" He says, snapping his fingers.

 

The mares blink and watch as he shrinks down into a multi-colored, two-horned unicorn. He looks a little odd, so it's pretty clear who it is, but a bit more comforting to be walking around with something more pony-shaped then otherwise.

 

"If you can promise to be on your best behavior Discord." Twilight says cautiously. "I'll be here in the lab, but still, it would be best not to use much magic on or around Michael till I've double-checked the readings."

 

"Oh pish-posh, Sprinkes, it's like you don't even trust me!" Discord says, placing a yellow hoof to his chest. "I'll be on my best behavior, I promise, especially for a dear friend."

 

"Very well, then tis settled. Lady Rarity, we beg thee to lead the way." Luna says, letting go of Michael and standing up, before gently coaxing Michael to her hooves, where she stands slightly unsteady but slowly and surely gaining confidence in her... footing.

 

"Why of course darlings, follow me~" Rarity coos, pleased to have ponies to gossip with in the spa, even if one of them happens to be Discord.

 

The three mares and the 'stallion' all make their way to the Library's front door as Twilight turns and calls out in the back of the library. "SPIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKE! Please bring me the Almanac of Analysis, Volumes I-IV!"

 

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[Incomplete]