The sun had passed is zenith, and Luna sat up from her bed. She yawned and stretched her wings, the joints of which popped as they extended. She felt groggy and unfocused. Like always, she had not slept well, her morning sleep plagued with recurring nightmares.

Luna stepped out of her warm bed and into the cold air and stone floor beneath her. She groaned; Luna was not a morning pony, even if it was already three in the afternoon. The seasons were starting to change, and the days were getting shorter; that meant that Luna’s workload was increasing, as she had to manage to make the nights longer. She had no idea how her sister had managed to control both the day and night for one thousand years.

The time of moonrise was several hours off, but Luna had numerous royal duties to attend to, so she started to prepare herself by stumbling haphazardly down the dark underground corridors of her personal chambers within the castle. The dim hallways were empty and silent, and by others might even have been construed as lonely. Unlike Celestia, however, Luna preferred this state of things. In the past, when they had ruled from what had since become the Everfree forest, there had been little need for servants or guards, and the two sisters had lived mostly alone with only a small cadre of elite soldiers and gelding servants. In the intervening thousand years, though, the production of geldings for royal service had become seen as “unethical”. As such, she only employed a small number of female servants, all of them of the minority chiropteran pony race.

Luna approached the dark oak door to her personal bath, where one of said female servants was waiting at the door.

“Your highness,” said the dark gray mare, bowing deeply, her surprisingly squeaky and flanged. “Your bath is poured and ready.”

“Thank you, Cavern Melody,” said Luna, smiling as the chiropteran pony pulled open the door for her.

“Did you sleep well, your majesty?” said Cavern Melody, her bright ping, slit-pupiled eyes glancing up at Luna’s disheveled mane.

“I never sleep well,” said Luna, distantly. “But this morning was…worse, than usual. I will take some time. Please, allow no one to enter.”

“As always, your majesty,” said Cavern Melody, bowing again and gently closing the door as Luna entered the room.

The room itself was as grand as ever, consisting of a set of pools carved into the rock of the floor, flowing from one to the next with water that could be either heated by volcanic springs deep beneath the castle or cooled by being piped through the most proximal edges of the vast cavern network that ran below all of Canterlot. Today, like most days, Luna was feeling cold, so the water had been warmed.

Luna slowly stepped into the water, and, despite its warmth shivered as it surrounded her body. The smell and texture of the water was heavenly, and it was clear that Cavern Melody had not been the one to mix the salts and herbs. Her special talent was for her singing ability, which, as a chiropteran, could surpass every other race of pony’s hearing by ten octaves. Whenever she attempted to mix the bathwater, it always came out at the wrong temperature and smelling of seaweed. She had probably gotten help from her brother Well Water, one of the maintenance ponies who helped manage the pipes in the forgotten depths of the castle.

Cavern Melody must have been fully aware that if she were caught bringing a stallion into Luna’s chambers, she could be severely punished, and yet she had gone through the risk to ensure that something as simple as a bath was done to Luna’s liking. Luna smiled at her friend’s devotion.

She leaned back against the edge of the bath, and admired the mural on the side wall. It was a mosaic formed from gemstones, giving an accurate depiction of her own knight sky, the tiny diamond stars illuminated presently with her sister’s light, piped in by a system of mirrors from the surface. The mural produced most of the dim, relaxing moon-like light that filled the room.

The warm, calm water surrounded her, and she felt the stress of the previous day leeching out of her. Ever since the defeat of Tirac and her release from Tartarus, she found that every night she felt a sense of foreboding that she could not place the origin of, as though something was watching her. It was effecting the quality of her sleep, and even the quality of her work; she had already missed a long-awaited show of northern lights over the Crystal Empire an been forced to reschedule.

Luna allowed herself to sink into the water, feeling it cover her muzzle and almost reach to her eyes, and watched as her cloud-like ethereal mane floated over the surface like mist, sparkling in the dim light, merging with the bubbles that floated across the pool.

Suddenly, she realized that something was wrong. She extended her tongue under the water, and realized that it was not water at all- -it was chocolate milk.

“Road apples,” she swore, the words bubbling to the surface, just as the saw a pair of bright red eyes and mismatched horns peering out of the water like a crocodile prepared for attack.

Luna let out a shriek of surprise and attempted to jump out of the pool of milk, only to pull herself back in, covering herself with her foreleg. Across the room, she could see her royal garb prepared for her along with fresh towels: her black crown, silver horseshoes, and, most importantly, her thick black necklace. They were so close, and impossibly far away.

“Now, now,” said Discord, rising from the water, scooping up some bubbles with a lion finger and putting them in his mouth. “Mmm,” he said, shuddering from the flavor. “Pinkie Pie was right! The whipped cream really does pull the whole thing together.” He winced a little. “Though, if I do say, there is a little bit of an aftertaste…like unwashed alicorn.”

“Discord!” cried Luna. “What…what do you mean unwashed?” She shook her head, and instead focused. “What are you doing in my bath? This is an invasion of privacy! I could have you executed for this!”

“And let the whole kingdom know that you were in dessert drink with yours truly?” said Discord, smiling as he leaned in, causing Luna to recoil. She blushed a bright blue color, but refocused her anger.

“Do you have any idea how sticky…” she paused, and face-hooved as a familiar broad smile crossed Discord’s face. “No, I mean, do you know how long it will take to get this milk out of my coat?”

“Coat?” said Discord, suddenly appearing beside her. He ran a finger over an exposed part of her shoulder, and it made a comical squeaking sound. “My dear, alicorns don’t have coats. You are utterly hairless. And your mane, well- -” He poked several holes in it, which rapidly reformed; it was made of magical mist more than it was hair.

“Why are you here, Discord?” demanded Luna, regaining her composure but still not fully prepared to step out of the bath. She was fully aware that the choice was completely illogical; ponies all over Equestria spent most days without clothing, but for a princess to appear without her garb was simply unthinkable. Especially with Discord, who would probably take pictures.

Discord’s expression hardened somewhat, and Luna suddenly felt even less at ease. “I’m actually here on serious business, but I thought I would stop for a drink and a talk with Equestria’s favorite princess.” He bent down and slurped some of the bathwater, swirling it in his mouth before swallowing it.

“We sisters are equally beloved by our subjects,” said Luna sternly. Then, more softly, “or, if anything, my sister is beloved even more so.”

“Oh, Luna, don’t be so hard on yourself! In truth, most of the kingdom does love Celestia, but also finds her vapid and ever so boring. Why, half the colts in Canterlot would give their horns and wings to be where I am right now.”

“Enough of your pointless flattery. Why are you here? What is your complaint this time?”

“Well, aside from the fact that the narrator is absolutely terrible at getting my behaviors correct, I think I really need to talk to you solar-rumped sister.”

Without warning, Discord pulled up a plug from the center of the bath, despite the fact that no such plug had been installed. The chocolate milk swirled and rapidly vacated the pool, drawing discord with it. Within seconds, he swirled down the drain and was out of sight, leaving Luna alone and covered in mild and whipped cream.

Luna looked at the empty pool before her, and then back at the mural, only to fine that Discord had rearranged all the constellations into very rude shapes.

With nothing to say, she simply seethed in silence. Eventually, she sighed. She was going to need to have a long talk with her “solar-rumped” sister.

A smell of pudding slowly filled the hall. At first, it was distant, as if someone in the royal kitchen were preparing a substantial amount for some reason, and the royal guards smiled internally at the thought that they might receive some of the delicious, viscous substance.

As the smell permitted the room, however, it seemed to change. Though it was still sweet, it no longer had an indistinct smell of desert, but rather something more sinister.

“Do you smell that?” asked one of the armored, white-coated guards, turning to his armored companion, concerned that there could be some manner of chemical leak.

“That, my dear clone, is the smell of success,” said Discord, suddenly appearing and wrapping his arms around both guards

“We’re not- -” Then an expression of recognition simultaneously crossed both of their faces, and they jumped back, their horns glowing with magic.

Discord smiled and snapped his fingers, changing the nature of their respective spells. The first of them attempted to project an energy beam, but instead, nothing came out of his horn but a bouquet of calla lilies.

“For me?” said Discord, taking the flowers and smelling them deeply. His eyes teared up. “I…I didn’t know you still cared.”

The other guard fired a moment later, but rather than produce a beam of energy, he sneezed with such force that he slammed against the wall behind him. Part of the sneezing spell ricocheted over the stone of the castle walls, modifying as it went, and impacted a third guard who had heard the commotion and come running. The spell gave him a severe case of hiccups so powerful that he could not focus his attack. The scene would only have been better if the third guard had been a unicorn, so he could spray random spells in random directions. Instead, though, he was a Pegasus; instead of splashing the room with spells, his wings jerked back with every hiccup, sending out plumes of down that only exacerbated the sneezing guard’s problem.

Discord smiled and admired the chaos he had summoned. One hiccupping, one sneezing and releasing spells, and the other panicking as his horn would produce nothing but various types of flowers. It was, indeed, a case of good times.

Then, as quickly as it had started, a pure white magical field permitted the air, and Discord shivered as his chaos magic was reversed.

“Discord,” said a disapproving voice from down the hall.

“Your majesty!” cried all three guards, either bowing or, in the formerly sneezing one’s case, attempting to right himself in order to bow.

“My apologies,” said the one that was apparently the highest ranking. “We…we regret for you to have seen us in this state.”

“You tried your best,” said Celestia, her imposing figure approaching them all, “and had you been facing an ordinary foe, I am sure you would have succeeded in apprehending him.” She smiled, and the head guard nearly burst into tears.

“Thank you, your majesty,” he said.

“You three should probably run along, now,” said Discord. “Before she changes her mind and…” He ran one of his eagle fingers across his neck, making a wholly unpleasant sound with his mouth. His head then promptly fell off, frightening them even further. They looked up to their princess, and she smiled lovingly in return. “Take a break, stallions. And don’t be too hard on yourselves.”

“Yes, your majesty,” said the three white stallions, who fell into formation and marched away down the hall.

“As for you,” said Celestia, addressing Discord’s severed head, “was all that really necessary?”

“I was just doing my part to keep them on their toes. So to speak,” said Discord. He picked up his head and gave it a spin, screwing it back into place. The various flowers that had been spread on the floor rose up as well, hopping on their stems into his hand and forming a multicolored bouquet.

“For you, my liege,” he said, presenting the blooms to Celestia. “And might I say, you look as beautiful as you did the day you first imprisoned me in stone.”

“Oh Discord,” said Celestia, taking the flowers in her magic. She smiled, but Discord knew that the smile was not the same she had given the guards. There was a tiny but noticeable element of disappointment behind it.

Discord had expected as such, which was why he had tried his hardest to keep the emotional field as unleveled as possible. Appearing to Luna in the bath, or to Celestia by disturbing her guards; it kept them unfocused and uncensored, and made them less likely to point out his betrayal of them to Lord Tirac. Still, with that one, incomplete smile, he had already failed.

“I do always appreciate your visits,” said Celestia, “and your brand of…humor.” A male servant appeared, and Celestia handed the flowers to him. “Put these in a vase, if you don’t mind.”

“Yes, your highness,” said the servant.

“But what brings you to the castle today, Discord?”

Discord’s smile vanished. “Straight to business, I see. Your highness, I believe I have detected a threat to the kingdom.”

“A threat?” said Celestia. “Just what kind of threat?”

Discord opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. “Well,” he said, “I’m not exactly sure.”

“Not sure?”

“Well, not completely, of course. I mean, this is military intelligence after all. Those two words combined just don’t make any sense.” He ran his claw through a mane of perfect red-blond hair that had appeared on his head, an exact copy of that possessed by Dave Mustang. “But I do know this,” he said, the hair vanishing, his expression suddenly becoming serious. “Something is very wrong. The forces of Order are moving.”

“Order?” said Celestia, confused. Discord suddenly appeared next to her, his lion arm around her coatless white body. He pointed at her mane and, looking up, Celestia saw that her ethereal pastel rainbow mane had been changed to one that was clearly fifteen years out date that also looked oddly similar to that of her student, Twilight Sparkle.

“Why,” said discord, “they could be gathering in your fringe at this very moment! And I know how you hate it when things gather in your fringe. I know I do.”

“Discord,” said Celestia with a sigh, magically returning her mane to its normal flowing state. “I see that you are trying to be helpful, but I think you may be trying too hard to atone for your betrayal. I have already forgiven you, as have your other friends. I understand how difficult it can be to reform to good.”

“No, you don’t,” said Discord. He crossed his arms and sniffed. “And I go an take the time to save Equestria from certain destruction, and you don’t even believe me. Do you have any idea how busy I am spreading chaos across the- -I mean, bringing joy to ponyfolk near and far?”

“But what would you have me do? Do you know where this ‘Order’ is currently located?”

“No, not really…”

“Or what it looks like?”

“No…”

“Well, Discord, you know that I live for nothing except the safety and prosperity of Equestria, but I don’t understand what I can do to help you.”

“Oh,” said discord, doubling over in sadness so far that his chin lay on the floor. “So you are saying all I can do is ruin things, aren’t you?”

“No, no,” said Celestia. “What I mean to say is that you should investigate this further.”

Discord strengthened suddenly. “You mean you’re putting me in charge of an official inquiry?”

“Yes,” said Celestia, smiling. “I suppose I am.”

“Oh, you trust me!” squeaked discord. A set of red robes and a broad red hat appeared on his person. “I’ve always wanted to lead an inquisition!”

Before Celestia could explain that she had asked for an investigation, not inquisition, Discord vanished with a pop, off to somewhere unknown and unknowable.

She paused for a moment in the silence of the hallway, feeling the light of her glorious sun flowing through the stained glass windows, most of which had already been restored to their normal state after Tirac’s brief rule over the castle. Despite Discord’s cheerful demeaned, she had detected something deeper within his behavior. Something, indeed, was wrong. She had never seen him so agitated or so afraid, even when she and Luna had attempted to slay him with the Elements of Harmony.

Worse still, although she had used all her royal composure to suppress her reaction, she had recognized the word “Order”. According to her own theories, though, and assuming that Discord had meant what she suspected, such a thing was impossible.