004

I tumbled out of the other end of my teleport, making a mental note to set up a few more Aetherytes in places I might visit again. There was also an odd feeling of... dissatisfaction, as if I'd missed a major opportunity for something in the middle of my teleport. That couldn't be right though, since it was impossible for mortals to stay in the Aetheric Plane for long without suffering from a sort of energy overload and dying. With a small shrug, I located where my plushie had fallen and pulled it into a quick hug before wandering down the halls to my room.

When I reached the door to my room, I paused. I knew I had the right place, but the door was in much better condition than when I'd left it. Frowning, I slowly pushed the door open, letting out a gasp when I saw what had been done. All of the old furniture had been removed and replaced. The room had been expanded, for lack of a better term, to include additional side rooms to make it more like a proper apartment and less like a half-baked attempt at quarters for a foreign ambassador. The color scheme for the main room followed my Summoner robes, all shades of green, gold and bronze. The carpet was plush and matched the shade of my robes perfectly. It already made me want to get a door mat and insist on visitors wiping their feet/hooves/whatever before entering. Not that I was liable to have too many visitors anyway, but still.

It seemed that whoever was responsible for the renovations had at least somewhat predicted this desire, setting a coat hanger and shoe rack next to the door. With a smile on my face, I quickly undid the top laces of my boots and tugged them off, then hung up my robe. After a moment of internal debate, I added my headband to the rack. I usually didn't remove it, thanks to a specific marking on the middle of my forehead that could very easily be mistaken as a Talent Mark. It was a tiny silver shield, actually made of metal but fused to my skin by unknown means. I'd tried to remove it in the past... only to find that it was impossible to do so by normal or magical means.

I let out a long sigh and my negative emotions with it. Upon seeing that my new bookshelves were fully stocked, I made my way over to take a look.

"Discord..." I gasped, reaching out to let my fingers brush over the bindings of each book. The Lord of Chaos was responsible for this, I had no doubt. Who else could manage to track down or create copies of every book from my old library at the Adventurer's Guild? No, it went further than that. Discord wasn't the type to stop halfway in anything. With trembling hands I reached out and pulled one of the books from the shelves, the Novice's Guide to Alchemy that I'd added my personal notes to back when I was first learning the local methods for brewing potions. It didn't even come close to Zebraic Alchemy, but it had given me a starting point. On muscle memory I flipped through the pages to a simple potion that would help speed the recovery of injuries when ingested. In my original copy, I'd made several notes about how the base materials were poisonous if taken in large doses or not brewed properly.

Sure enough, I found my old shoddy penmanship dotting the margins and around the images, effectively ripping apart the recipe with criticism.

"Now now, dry your tears, my dear," Discord spoke, growing out of my plushie and giving me a firm hug. "It's the least I could do to make sure my new friend is comfortable."

"I thought I'd have to start over from scratch... but it's all here! How did you even-"

Discord pressed a claw to my lips, giving me a big grin.

"Ah ah ah, trade secrets. Suffice it to say that everything you owned should be somewhere around this place. I did... update a few things though. Those Ponies are still using quills, blegh."

"I never did quite get used to it either. Give me a ballpoint pen any day of the week," I rolled my eyes, smiling at my only real friend now. With a sweep of his hand, Discord produced a generic pen without any brand markings. I giggled at his silliness and gave him another hug. "So, how do I get ahold of you? I know you just showed up this time, but we never really talked all of this out."

Discord's expression turned serious for a moment, and he gently turned my face up to meet his eyes.

"Rest assured that if you call for me, I will hear you. No matter where I am or what I'm doing."

Then, just to break the tone, he booped me on the nose. We both shared a small laugh at that and I nestled my head against Discord's chest again.

"You're incredibly affectionate," Discord commented, but made no move to get rid of me.

"I can't help it! Nearly everything sapient on Equis is soft or fluffy! Sometimes both!"

"Well if you don't mind, I need to get back to work. There's this lovely little border town that's just perfect for stirring up chaos. Ta-Ta!" Discord shrank back into my plush and his magical signature vanished from my senses. With a smile on my face I continued exploring the apartment, noting that Discord wasn't kidding at all when he said he'd updated things. While the main room was still fairly standard, the rest of the apartment was up to Modern standards in technology. For the first time since coming to Equis, I had a working refrigerator and microwave! That's not to mention the shower and other bathroom amenities.

I'd adapted to the technology level back when I'd first arrived in Equis, but I couldn't deny that having those comforts back was a huge blessing.

"So," I murmured aloud, sitting in the kitchen with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in one hand and a glass of milk in the other. "What do I do now?"

Sure, having a comfortable base of operations was nice, but I didn't really know where to go from there. At the very least, I needed to re-establish communication with the other nations. Maybe see if any of my old friends or their descendants were still around and willing to lend a helping hand. I also needed to get caught up on events while I was sealed. Surprisingly little news reached me while I was imprisoned. I hadn't even known about Celestia's betrayal until I was freed. That unfortunately meant that the official history books in Equestria would likely be telling a whitewashed version of history. From Twilight's reactions, I knew that even she hadn't been told the true events.

It made me wonder just what Celestia had really been up to all of these years that would require her to keep secrets even from the ponies closest to her. I knew Celestia. If she took a student, they were treated as her children in all but name.

Ugh, I was going in circles. After downing the rest of my snack and tossing the glass into the sink, I returned to the main room and flopped down on my bed. Emmy slowly blinked open her eyes before wiggling her way over and cuddling up. After a few seconds of ear scratches, she was out like a light again. With nothing better to do, I closed my eyes and shifted to a more comfortable position as well, hugging my Discord plushie with one arm and Emmy with the other.

As I observed the village that was Discord's former playground, I had to stop myself from screaming my anger to the heavens. Even after Discord has torn the place apart with his Chaos Magic, not a single Royal Guard or alternative security force was visible. Back in my day, no town ever went undefended if we could help it. The civilians just went about their lives without a care in the world, many probably not even remembering that the Lord of Chaos had even invaded the day before. It was sickening and disturbing. Sure, constantly dwelling on an enemy wasn't healthy or good, but pretending they never existed in the first place would only lead to disaster later down the line. I'd given Discord an alternative target for the time being, but there was nothing really stopping him from launching another major attack on Equestria.

How could this be the path Celestia had chosen? She put all of her trust, her entire nation, onto six mares that weren't remotely combat trained. Discord thankfully wasn't the physically violent type, or the Elements of Harmony could have been rendered completely useless with a single stroke. I couldn't guarantee that future threats would be so generous.

"Time to go all-in," I sighed, rising from my hiding spot in the bushes and startling a random mare into fainting. If that was the average pony's reaction to an unfamiliar being low on the visually-threatening scale, I hated to see what they'd do when faced with a real scare. Unfortunately, I didn't have the time or motivation to change the baseline reactions of an entire nation. That work would have to fall to someone with far more patience. No, my target was Twilight Sparkle. I would teach her to fight, to lead, whether she liked it or not. Even if the Elements of Harmony were used on me in retaliation, I would not condemn the world to Celestia's flawed views.

First, I needed to find out where Twilight Sparkle actually lived. It shouldn't be too hard, considering she had a fairly strong magical signature for a unicorn. It would easily stand out against the background magic of the village. Seeking to distance myself from the unconscious mare, I stepped out into the street. Maybe I'd have better luck revealing myself to the larger populace.

"Kweh!"

"Chocobo?" I blurted dumbly, hearing that all too familiar call.

Then, the world became a wall of brilliant yellow feathers. I was surrounded and consumed by the fluff, with no escape in sight. My ears were flooded with happy chirps and trills, slowly bringing a smile to my face.

"Windy! Git back here ya' rascal!" A young filly's voice called, possessing an oddly familiar accent that I just couldn't place.

"Yeah! How are we supposed to get our Cutie Marks in Chocobo Taming when you keep running off!" Okay, another filly's voice and they were starting to sound really familiar. Hoping that my training methods were still being used, I whistled out a trio of notes.

Instantly, the chocobo bounced off of my smothered body and landed two meters away, snapping a sharp salute with one wing. After brushing a helping of dirt and feathers off of my clothes, I turned a critical eye to the giant flightless bird that had tackled me. Where my chocobos had been lean muscle to serve as runners and mounts, these chocobos had clearly been born and bred for heavy labor. Satisfied, I whistled another three tone code and watched as the Chocobo relaxed.

"Now, what's this I hear about you causing trouble?" I demanded, fixing the Chocobo with a stern glare. The Chocobo's blue eyes widened in shock and it immediately began trying to plead its case in Warks and Kwehs. I was having none of that, stomping forward and prodding him on the beak with a single finger.

"Listen here, young boko. Just because you're bigger and faster than those fillies does not give you the right to run off on your own and cause havoc. They're responsible for making sure you're taken care of... and you're responsible for keeping them safe from harm."

I heard a quarted of confused voices and let out a short sigh, navigating to a doorstep nearby to sit. My audience, once I saw them, consisted of the same three fillies that had visited the Statue Garden in Canterlot. I had a feeling that they didn't even know they were partially responsible for freeing Discord, but that wasn't relevant to the lecture.

"Despite being recognized for 'bringing Chocobos to Equestria', I didn't personally train many aside from the first clutch of eggs. Once they'd grown up and started selecting mates, I knew that I'd have to teach others how to raise Chocobos as well. Otherwise I'd be buried by the work. It took a few clutches to really iron out the details, but we found that it was often best to pair a single trainer with a single chocobo. This allowed the trainer to focus entirely on that chocobo and bring out its fullest potential and established a very personal bond between the two. In return the Chocobo became the trainer's protector and bodyguard, using their great strength and speed to intercept threats before they could get anywhere near the trainer. Now I won't deny that Equestria's a decent bit more peaceful than I left it, but the point still stands. The Chocobo and trainer have to grow and work together, or neither will reach their full capabilities."

"Get away from those fillies you bucking monster!"

Oh, that was an angry voice. I dove off of the doorstep less than a second before an angry blue blur slammed through where I'd been sitting. Only splinters remained of the innocent wooden door that had been behind me, a testament to how much raw power the attacker had put into their flight.

"Watch your language. There are impressionable minds around," I commented dryly, noting the wide-eyed fillies glancing between the house and me. The rainbow-maned pegasus from Twilight's group stomped out of the home, snorting in barely contained rage.

"You're going down, even if I have to follow you to the ends of Equis!" She spoke, pawing at the ground like a bull preparing to charge. Such determination. She would have made it far in the Adventurer's guild with that attitude. Maybe...

"Alrighty, let's get this over with. Henshin!" I summoned the Dragoon Soul Stone and crushed it again for dramatic effect, mostly to establish the false belief that I actually needed to do that to Job Change. The Princesses would probably debunk it if asked, but for the mean time it gave me an element of surprise. I pulled Gae Bolt from my back and stabbed the dark spear into the ground point-first, then took a few steps away. The pegasus seemed a little more calm and satisfied now that I had accepted her challenge, I spotted the rest of the group nearby, with Twilight Sparkle sporting a rather impressive set of bandages around her muzzle.

"Are they going to get involved?" I asked my opponent, waiting for the fillies and their chocobo to scramble out of range.

"No. This is between you and me."

I nodded and widened my stance, finding the rhythm of the world around me. I won't deny that I didn't have nearly the Martial Arts skills on my own that the Monk Job would allow, but I'd done my share of training with the Pugilists. I blinked in surprise when the pegasus rose up onto her rear hooves and nearly matched my form.

"Oh this is going to be fun. Show me a good time!" I called, my mouth twisting into a vicious grin. If one of the Elements of Harmony's bearers had knowledge of the Adventurer's Guild Disciplines, then I already had a foothold in their group. The Pegasus clapped her forehooves together, creating a nearly invisible swirl of wind around them. My excitement only grew. She was a Pugilist and advanced enough to use Fists of Wind? I could only wonder what else she had up her metaphorical sleeves.

"Rainbow Dash, be careful!" This came from the other Pegasus of Twilight's group, a frail thing in pastel yellow and pink. Just a glance had the poor mare shaking and attempting to hide behind her long mane.

The distraction nearly cost me the fight. The now-named Rainbow Dash launched herself across the battlefield with nigh-untrackable speed, slamming her forehoof into my chest. Despite the pain, I took the hit and used the proximity to counter with a rapid flurry of light punches. I had to hold back a lot because of my gauntlets, but it was clear that I'd still done some damage. Rainbow tried another swing, but I managed to duck under it and step around to her flank. I put much more force into the open-palmed strike there, knocking the Pegasus to the ground.

"The one problem with the Pugilist forms is that they really weren't designed with Ponies in mind," I stated, stepping back and letting her get up. "It's why Diamond Dogs were the main students of that Discipline. Their bipedal stature allowed them to learn the forms as they were originally envisioned, without needing a filter. There was, however, one specific pegasus I remember that overcame that weakness and even surpassed me in the Way of the Fist."

"Shut up! You don't know anything!" Rainbow snapped, rising onto her rear hooves again.

"It's odd that a forbidden form of Martial Arts would manage to survive right under Celestia's nose. I wonder just how you've managed to keep it a secret this long," I chuckled as I watched the swirl of emotions race across Rainbow's face. "The thing is, you can go further. You'll need to if you want to survive being the Bearer of an Element. When you're ready to get serious about your role to Equestria, seek me out."

"You're not getting away!" Dash surged towards me again, clearly feeling her injuries now. I didn't even need the traditional Pugilist Forms for this one. I grabbed Rainbow's foreleg and stepped in, quickly turning and throwing her over my shoulder. With the loud thump of Rainbow Dash hitting the dirt, all activity on the street stopped. The crowd of ponies that had formed during our scuffle let out a collective gasp at one of their own being so soundly defeated. Just to stay consistent with my appearances, I called out the Summoner Soul Crystal, a misshapen green stone engraved with the image of a unicorn's horn, then crushed it to change back to my typical attire.

"If I help you up, are you going to attack me again?" I asked, standing over the fallen pegasus. At a slight shake of her head I grabbed the pony and hauled her back to her hooves, then took a few steps away just to be safe.

"Alrighty then!" I said brightly, dusting off my hands, "Now for the real reason I came here. If you wouldn't mind taking this to somewhere a little more private?"

I knew I was running the risk of getting ganged up on by all six of the Elements at once, but hopefully my little demonstration with Rainbow Dash would curb the desires to pummel me. Or at the very least, temper those desires with caution. Still, after a short and inaudible conference, the six Bearers nodded and led the way.

The chosen meeting ground was a library carved into a tree. If a Conjurer hadn't been involved in its construction, I'd eat my grimoire. The interior of the library was lit by a yellow Arcane Lamp set into the cieling, mimicking the color of natural sunlight. While the ponies all settled into various locations around the room, including the three fillies and their chocobo companion, I took a seat on the solitary red couch in the library's main room and tried to make a larger shape of what I was going to say.

"So first off, introductions. My name is Kikiru Kiru, as you likely all know by now."

"Can we just get to the point?" This came from the cowboy hat-wearing pony. "All I want ta know is why you sided with Discord."

"Ah, cutting straight to the point. I like that. Unfortunately, the answer's a bit complicated," I replied with a short chuckle.

"Twilight? What's going... on..." The new voice, which sounded like a young colt's, came from the top of the staircase nearby. I glanced up and felt my breath catch in my throat. I knew that the difference in time would mean that my old friends would have moved on and started their own families. Seeing their descendants was another matter entirely. Standing at the top of the stairs was a young dragon, barely a hatchling. His purple scales and green spike crest marked him as the child of one of my oldest friends. Just what one of Tiamat's brood was doing in Equestria was beyond me, but there was no mistaking his lineage. As if to further confirm it the Dragoon Soul Crystal began to emit a comforting warmth, much like I'd felt when cuddling up to Tiamat's hide.

"Spike, please go back upstairs. I don't think this conversation is for young dragons. Or ponies for that matter," Twilight said, glancing at the three fillies. Taking the hint with mild grumbling, they made their way up the staircase with the Chocobo, leaving the room in silence.

"Does he know his heritage?" I asked, looking at Twilight.

"What do you mean?" She responded, tilting her head in confusion.

"The easier question is to ask what your relationship is with... Spike and how you came to meet him," I said.

"What does Spikey-wikey have to do with anything?" The posh white Unicorn asked.

"Please, just answer the question. I need to know," I practically begged. I had to know why one of my friend's children was in Equestria and not with his mother, who would have entered the Great Wyrm stage of her life by now.

"I hatched Spike during my entrance exam to Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns," Twilight admitted. No. No. Please, tell me she didn't... "We grew up together and he's been my Number One Assistant since I started my Independent Study."

"Did Celestia ever say where she got his egg from?" I asked, forcing my face into a blank mask. Twilight considered the question for a moment, then shook her head.

"Not that I can think of. I just never really saw the need to ask. Why are you so curious about Spike?"

My shoulders slumped. Keeping up the mask was just too much effort.

"He's the son of one of my best friends," I explained, "If Spike's egg was used as an entrance exam, then Tiamat is dead. She would never have willingly given up one of her children."

"I'm not sure I like what you're implying," The posh unicorn said, sharing a look of unease with the rest of the Bearers.

"Then I'll come right out and say it. Spike's egg was stolen by whoever killed Tiamat. Considering that she would have hit the peak of her power some time after my sealing, that limits the list of possible suspects by quite a fair margin," I stated, "What further limits the list is the fact that it ended up at one of Celestia's schools."

"Pfft, Like the Princess would really go and fight some random dragon friend of yours," Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "You just want it to be her so you can say you had a good reason to join Discord."

"Oh I already have plenty of good reasons to side with Discord," I laughed darkly, giving the Pegasus a vicious grin. "This is just more fuel for the fire."

"I've known the Princess for years," Twilight protested, "She wouldn't do something like that!"

"I guarantee you I've known her for longer. I've seen under that mask she loves to wear for the public. I will admit Celestia can be a good teacher, a good mother. Heaven knows she frequently came to make sure I hadn't buried myself in paperwork and forgot to eat or sleep," I sighed, remembering those blissful days before the whole world went wrong. "Even after sacrificing myself to seal Discord and running to her first-thing to warn her of his escape, all I received in return was a glare and a death threat. Your precious princess has had thousands of years to perfect the art of lying through her teeth. I only hope you'll see the truth before you're tossed aside like trash for her next 'faithful student'."

"So you're being a big meany-pants because you're mad at the princesses!" The Pink-on-pink Earth Pony mare declared, pointing a hoof at me in accusation.

"Tell me, pony, have you ever been betrayed? Truly stabbed in the back by those you thought you could trust with your deepest, darkest secrets?" I asked, looking the mare in her blue eyes. "Can you even imagine how it feels to see one of your best friends for the first time in centuries and be told that you're not wanted or needed anymore? I have. It hurts. It hurts worse than any physical or emotional wound I've ever suffered before and let me tell you, I've suffered quite a few."

With the sound of a balloon deflating, the pink pony's poofy mane went completely straight and flat, tears welling in her eyes. Instantly her friends all gathered around, trying to comfort the mare and sending quick glares my way. I snorted in disgust. They just dropped everything to run to each others' aid. They were like... toys, so easily thrown around and broken. It was disturbing to me, to see this was my intended replacement.

"When you're actually ready to actually listen to what I have to say, come find me. Hopefully a competent threat doesn't appear in the mean time, because you six aren't ready to do what's needed to protect Equestria."

When my words were ignored, I snapped my fingers to activate Swiftcast and Teleported back to the Castle of Unity. I trudged down the dusty halls, eager to end the day.

Maybe I was a bit jealous of those six. They were so blissfully naive. Like little children, they couldn't understand things outside of their personal experience. They couldn't feel my pain, understand what I'd lost.

So many years were gone, so many friends and allies felled by the unforgiving advance of time. Their faces flashed before my mind's eye, one by one. I slowly pushed open the door to my apartment as the first tears fell, hugging Emmy close when she ran to meet me. Through the haze of tears I managed to get off my boots and robes, leaving them where they fell. I collabsed sobbing onto the bed shortly after, holding my Summon close in one arm while the other pulled my Discord plushie into a hug.

I'd lost so much on a misguided gamble and it had proven to be worthless in the end. If I'd just talked to Discord instead of treating him as any other threat, none of this would have happened. I'd be sleeping at the Adventurer's Guild surrounded by friends and family, instead of crying myself to sleep in a ruined and empty castle.

Author's Notes:

I'm tempted to just toss the Sad tag on here, but it seems a little early to say for certain.
Anyways, I included the brief fight with Rainbow Dash here, cut from its original place in the last chapter as part of the Discord encounter. We see in the series that she knows martial arts, so I translated that into the Pugilist class from FFXIV and the preservation of knowledge through family history.
This chapter was also supposed to be Kikiru's introduction to her Displaced status and open it up to crossovers... but that just didn't quite happen. Maybe next chapter.
Oh, the little bit at the beginning was a reference to another piece of cut content. A certain Final Fantasy character was supposed to appear and provide the introduction, but I decided against it for now.

EDIT: The final section of this chapter has been changed significantly from the original version. Basically some of my BS was called out and I decided to make a few changes to incorporate the suggested material.

Useful Terms
Pugilist: Through rigorous training in martial arts, Pugilists are a force to be reckoned with. Often forgoing weapons entirely, Pugilists instead rely on speed and strength to overcome their enemies. Unfortunately, the origins of this class of the Adventurer's Guild make it difficult for non-bipedal species to adapt. The most powerful Pugilists were Diamond Dogs due to their balance between speed and strength, though there were several notable Minotaur Pugilists as well.
Monk: The Monk is a Damage Job and a direct upgrade to the Pugilist. Like the Pugilist, they use only their fists and knowledge of Martial Arts in battle, but can bolster their abilities by opening their spiritual gateways, known as Chakras. The Relic Weapon for the Monk is a pair of gauntlets known as Sphairai.
"Fist" Abilities: An interesting trait of the Pugilist and Monk is the ability to alter one's internal flow of energy and change its elemental aspect. These changes have differing effects based on the element used. For example, the "Fists of Wind" ability increases the user's speed, while the "Fists of Earth" ability makes them more resilient.