Spike had just finished re-shelving the books in library after Twilight’s studying session last night. Spike was more than pleased with himself today. It was rare occasion after all, having to re-shelve every single book in the Golden Oak Library.

Twilight needed reference books for some of the terminology used in the books Noblesse had given her. She was either on her third or fourth volume in the series of history books, if Spike remembered correctly. So, like usual, Twilight started pulling down books from the shelves in a frantic search for the books she was looking for. It wouldn’t have been so bad, if she had started on the right side of the building. Twilight had started pulling books from the exact opposite side of the library from where the dictionaries were kept.

Spike sighed, wishing there was something else for him to do. But Spike remembered that this was why Twilight kept him around. If Spike didn’t make himself useful, he doubted that he could stay in Pony society. Spike knew that Twilight would never throw him out, but Spike also knew that few Ponies were so comfortable with a Dragon so close to home. Even as Wyrmling, Ponies had given Twilight and Princess Celestia grieve about letting a Dragon live in a Pony settlement, let alone the Canterlot Palace. Spike noted that the palace staff became more comfortable with his presence when he helped others, not just Twilight. Spike wouldn’t make Twilight choose between living in exile with her number one assistant and living in society without him, so Spike decided that if ever everypony else started demanding that Spike leave; he would do so without telling Twilight.

An upset tear fell from Spike’s eye at the thought. He knew that it would hurt Twilight, but it would be better than her reverting to the recluse that she was when she first became Celestia’s protégé, or even more reclusive depending on what laws Parliament passed. Spike had heard something about a high ranking noble motioning for laws that restricted the rights of non-equines. Apparently, not all Ponies were open to the idea of Equestria opening its borders and connecting with rest of the world.

Spike was brought out of his thoughts by the familiar sound of somepony teleporting directly behind him. Spike, not expecting this, was startled into jumping into the air. Instead of landing on the wood floor, Spike was caught by a pair of lavender hooves and brought to the breast of his Unicorn caretaker. No one has yet to figured out whether Twilight is closer to being his mother or his sister.

Twilight was holding Spike tightly to her breast, just under her head, while sobbing. Spike was just barely to make out the words ‘I’m sorry’ in between the distressed Unicorn’s sobs. Twilight just kept repeating herself like a broken record until she finally put Spike down. Though she couldn’t stop herself from sobbing loudly.

Spike’s eyes widened in horror when he finally saw Twilight. She looked the way she did when enthralled all of Ponyville with the Want-It, Need-It spell. Oh no, was the first thought that went through the young Dragon’s mind.

“Twilight,” Said Spike in a serious tone of voice, “What happened?”

“Oh Spike,” Was the first thing Twilight was able to choke out in between sobs, “You must hate me.”

“D-do you want me make you some tea?” Asked Spike, not sure what put Twilight on this train of thought.

“NO!” Screamed Twilight, “T-that’s the problem!”

“What?” Asked Spike. Normally, he would have assumed that Twilight was kicking him out. The only thing that kept him from making that leap in logic, was Twilight’s apologetic rant and her worrying about him hating her.

“I’ve treated like a slave since the day you could walk!” Proclaimed Twilight, “And it’s only today that I’ve realized how unfair that is to you.”

Spike was about to say something, but Twilight started ranting again, “I’ve been making friends, traveling all over Equestria, and-and making a life for myself. And all the while, I’ve left you here, all alone, and ordered you around like a servant! I’m so sorry Spike, how you have li-lived with me us beyond comprehension. I should be doing more for you.”

“You gave me life and give me room and board,” Pointed out Spike, “What more could you do?”

Twilight could not believe what she was hearing. There was no way Spike was actually complacent being a domestic servant. Then again, he didn’t know any other life. She figured it was similar to what she was like before she came to Ponyville and made friends, thinking all she needed in life was her studies. Did Spike just think all he needed in life was to serve?

Twilight brought herself out of her thoughts to speak, “For starters, I should be giving you time to make friends. Not just a day off every month or so.”

“Didn’t you make all of your best friends in a single day?” Asked Spike.

“Spending casual time with Ponies is a little different from saving Equestria from eternal darkness,” Replied the lavender Unicorn.

“Well… I guess I could use some time off from cleaning up your messes.”

“Hey!” Exclaimed Twilight.

Then, almost immediately, the two of them started laughing hysterically.

“Discord!” Exclaimed Cheerilee, “What are you doing here?”

Discord had turned himself into some kind of esoteric chandelier made from pieces of himself and was hanging from the celling of Cheerilee’s classroom. Discord had his head sticking out of the bottom of the new form he had taken, his head being the only part not affected by his random shapeshifting.

Discord whipped out his tongue causing it to snap like his talon or his paw. Discord disappeared in a flash of colorless light only to reappear in another simultaneous flash of light next to Cheerilee. While Discord appeared to have reverted back into his usual form, he was now wearing a lab coat and a pair of glasses with unnecessarily large circular lenses.

“You see, Celestia has a number of things I have to do for Equestria every day,” Discord then proceeded to pick at the inside of one of his before producing a modest scroll case. When Discord opened the scroll case however, the bottom of the scroll hit the floor before bouncing to the over the seats and students until it came to a stop at the other side of the room.

“The last item on this list, is a small act of good on my part,” Explained the Draconequus, “Aforementioned act, is one of my choosing. And seeing how you sent your TA into a guilt driven panic attack, I have decided to step in.”

Discord noticed that particular gray Pegasus in the front row looked confused, “Is something wrong Rumble?”

“How did you know my name?” Asked Rumble with astonishment.

“One of my daily tasks is keeping tabs on your girlfriend and her friends, it is also one of my chief responsibilities,” Replied Discord.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle’s reactions were instant, “What!?”

“The three of you freed me from my prison block on accident,” Started Discord, “So just imagine what you trouble makers could do if you tried to create chaos,” Discord simply started laughing, “Why, you’d put me out of the job!”

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle started sinking into their seats with solemn looks on their faces as Discord started laughing again.

“But to answer your question Cheerilee,” Started Discord after he overcame his laughing fit, “The ‘Vicereine’ is the supreme leader of the Under-Cities.”

“So, there isn’t a representative branch of government in the Under-Cities?” Asked Cheerilee.

“No,” Replied Noblesse, “The Cardinals initially commanded the Under-Cities, but relinquished most of their power after Vicereine Deluge ascended.”

“Ascended?” Asked Rumble as he turned in his seat to face Noblesse, “You mean the Under-Cities are ruled by an Alicorn?”

“Aye,” Said Noblesse, “The Holy Mistress of the Cardinate, the Supreme Commander and Chief of the Under-City military, the Goddess of Storms, and the first equine in two millennia to ascend into an Alicorn.”

“What about Princess Celestia and Princess Luna?” Asked Pipsqueak, confused like most of his fellow students and Cheerilee.

“I can explain that,” Said Discord as the walls, floor, and ceiling of the room spread apart revealing a nebulous void, similar to the Dreamscape from Luna’s point of view.

A picture reminiscent of the stained-glass windows in the Canterlot palace appeared in front of the glass. The picture clearly depicting Discord in his stylized throne with a conductor’s baton, manipulating Equestria as he pleased.

“About one hundred and twenty years after the Unification of the Pony Tribes, I was beckoned by the chaos and strife your ancestors were causing in trying to form a new government to appease all Ponies. After turning most of the Equestrian Royal Guard into various objects and lesser creatures, none dared appose me,” At this point two more figures appeared in Discord’s depiction of past events, “None except for your beloved Diarchs.”

The figure that was clearly Princess Celestia was a white Unicorn with a light pink tail, wielding a spear. The second figure that was clearly Princess Luna was a dark blue Earth Pony with a light blue tail, wielding a halberd. Their manes were hidden by their helmets and both were donning brown armor, most likely leather. They both also had determined expressions.

“I of course thought it was hilarious that the only two beings in the country that were willing to try and fight me was pair of twins who were, at the time, younger than anypony in this room,” Explained Discord, “I know how short your lives are, and they were easily the best thing in the country, so I used my magic to give them agelessness. And our little game lasted eighty years before they found their god’s win-button.”

The picture of Discord waved his conductor’s baton and the images of Celestia and Luna both suddenly gave off a blinding white light. When the light faded, it revealed two stunned Alicorns without either weapons or armor. Their collective shock at this turn of events visible, in not only their expressions, but their body language as well.

“If they still became Alicorns, then how is it different from Princess Cadence or the Vicereine Noblesse mentioned?” Asked Silver Spoon.

“‘Ascension’ is a name for something very specific,” Explained Discord, “In order to ‘Ascend,’ one must be willing to sacrifice themselves. Deluge was willing to sacrifice her life so that her comrades in arms could escape with their lives. Cadence was willing to spend her entire life in exile so that a Witch, abused and neglected in her foalhood, could feel the love of a friend for the first time her life. I had no idea my magic would turn Sun Butt and Lulu into Alicorns.”

“How could you not know what your own magic would do?” Asked Cheerilee.

“I am the embodiment of the unknown,” Started Discord, “So, knowing what exactly would my magic would do, would defeat the purpose of my existence.”

“Ah thought you was the embodiment of chaos,” Said Apple Bloom with her head tilted in confusion.

“Demon, God, Princess, all titles given to us and my peers by you mortals.”

“So, you aren’t the only Draconequus?” Asked Sweetie Belle.

“Oh no, I’m the only one of my kind,” Said Discord, “But I am not the only ‘god’ in existence, nor am I the only Conceptual Deity.”

“Speaking of Deities,” Said Noblesse, “We actually have one to thank for the Elements of Harmony.”

“How could I forget,” Replied Discord, “With how angry he was that I was messing with his children and making Alicorns,” Discord started laughing again while spinning in a circle, similar to an Ouroboros.

“Are you two referring to the Diarchs?” Asked Cheerilee.

Noblesse shook his head, “No, we are talking about Bucephalus: The Creator-God of Equinity.”

“I know for a fact that we evolved!” Said Diamond Tiara as she turned in her seat to face Noblesse.

“I never said that we didn’t,” Replied Noblesse with a neutral tone of voice, “Bucephalus was the first equine to absorb magic and gain the status as an ‘intelligent creature,’” Discord’s expositive imagery faded to show a lone Alicorn stallion with six legs and four wings looking over a field of lesser equines, “Bucephalus quickly became lonely without another of his kind that held the same intellect that he had. And so, used his new-found power to ‘bless’ all other equines with heightened intelligence,” The image of Bucephalus then spread out his wings and raised his forelegs diagonally as his eyes turned to pure white, exactly like how the Diarchs raised and lowered the sun and moon.

“And with as much magic as blood coursing through their bodies,” Said Discord, picking up where Noblesse left off, “The process of evolution was hastened. What should have taken hundreds of millions of years, only took a few thousand, resulting in what you are today,” The images of the lesser equines then started turning into the various equine races of the world, the Three Pony Tribes, Zebras, the Horses of Saddle Arabia, and a few other equine species that no one else in the class recognized.

“Why haven’t we heard anything about this ‘Creator-God’ before now,” Asked Archer.

“Bucephalus made the Elements of Harmony, physical embodiments of the traits he wanted to imbue all equines with, in addition to Magic, the very basis of intelligent life as we know of it,” Explained Noblesse, “After Princess Celestia and Princess Luna petrified Discord, the Pony Tribes started viewing both of them as gods. Not only had they managed to wield weapons created by a god, but had defeated an ancient and powerful deity. The Princesses saw this as their best chance at truly uniting the Three Pony Tribes, with all other Ponies seeing their new Princesses as equal and just rulers of their kind.”

Discord’s reality bending exposition then changed to show the Diarchs on their thrones with a stallion to the left of Celestia’s throne and another to the right of Luna’s throne. Much of the class noted that the Diarchs had rings matching those being worn by their respective stallions.

“To silence any naysayers that would oppose their new gods,” Started Discord, “The Diarchs both married into royalty, which is how all royals today are related to the old rulers of Unicornia that descended from Princess Platinum. It is also where ‘House Platinum’ gets its name.”

“So, their first marriages were political tools?” Asked Pipsqueak, horrified at how his favorite Princess could do something so rotten.

“Celestia’s marriage was a political tool,” Corrected Discord, “Just to shake things up, I warped all of the old nobles to different places all over Equestria. This forced the peasantry to look to themselves for guidance. But while searching for a way to defeat me, Luna meet the heir-apparent to the Equestrian throne and eventually found love.”

Pipsqueak gave a sigh of relieve knowing that the best Princess in Equestria wasn’t a wheeler dealer as the students sitting around him giggled.

Discord raised an eyebrow as he saw Rumble raise his hoof, “Yes Rumble?”

“How did the Princesses know that there was a way to defeat you?”

Discord smiled at the memory, “Bucephalus was angry beyond imagination at how his children were suffering and how he could do nothing about it. Most gods have to play by a strict set of rules, even me. But, because of the nature of my existence, I follow a very different set of rules than any other gods. But, he came to me with a challenge. He said that he wanted to make artifacts that could best another god like myself for the use of his people.”

“The Elements of Harmony?” Asked Rumble.

“Precisely my boy!” Said Discord as he snapped his fingers. A strawberry milkshake popped into existence on Rumble’s desk, strawberry being his favorite kind of milkshake. “He then proceeded to tell the two of them in a ‘revelation.’”

“Thank you,” Said Rumble just before he started drinking his milkshake.

“What that clever bastard didn’t tell me, however,” Said Discord with an annoyed expression, “Was that any being that the Elements bound themselves too, were given the knowledge of how to use them. If I knew that, I wouldn’t have let Tia and Lulu anywhere near me!”

“Do you regret making friends?” Asked Diamond Tiara, not liking the look on Discord’s face.

Discord put his face into Diamond Tiara’s with the creepiest smile he could manage, “I regret being turned to stone for a thousand years.”

An alarm clock spawned in the middle of the room, ringing at an obnoxious volume. Discord used his tail to turn it off before snapping his talons, returning the classroom to what it was before his exposition, “Alright everypony, time for recess!”

“What?” Asked Cheerilee as she turned to face the clock she put up on the wall, “But we couldn’t have spent more than ten minutes, if that, during that lecture!”

“Time passes differently in different dimensions,” Explained Discord, “What was fifteen minutes in that abstract expository void, was fifty minutes here in your native plane of existence.”

Discord gave a bow to the class, “And with that, I bid you adieu,” And the Draconequus disappeared in a flash of white light, most likely off to bother the Princesses or other members of the Canterlot Nobility.

Like usual, all of the students started to leave for the playground or the schoolyard except for the Cutie Mark Crusaders. The Crusaders waited for each so they could spend the entire recess period with one another. Rumble even got to get out earlier than usual as Twilight was absent and it was Ms. Cheerilee’s turn to help watch over the students during recess with some other teachers that were on the same shift.

Sweetie Belle spoke up as soon as the whole group got outside, "Hold up everypony," Said Sweetie Belle with an urgent tone of voice, "We need to talk."

“About what?” Asked Apple Bloom.

“Mine past, correct?” Asked Noblesse in a neutral tone of voice.

Sweetie Belle nodded, “I can’t stand to be so close with a glorified murderer!”

“Sweetie Belle!” Exclaimed Apple Bloom in shock, “That ‘aint fair.”

“She’s not wrong,” Replied Noblesse, to everyponies’ surprise.

“Why aren’t you standing up for yourself?” Asked Rumble.

“It’s the truth,” Answered the metallic grey Serpicorn, “And t’would not be fair to any of you who are uncomfortable with it.”

Noblesse then sighed, “How do the rest of you feel about me now?”

“It sounds like tah me you didn’t have a choice in the matter,” Said Apple Bloom with an encouraging smile, “So Ah think t’would be wrong to hold against yah.”

Following his fillyfriend’s example, Rumble spoke up, “You haven’t done anything to hurt us, or anypony we know. So, I don’t care.”

Sweetie Belle was shocked to see that her friends were okay with being around somepony who had spent most of his life killing others. Not even Ponies in law enforcement or the Royal Guard used lethal methods. Princess Celestia, the mare who was seen as the perfect example of what a Pony was supposed to be, banned the death penalty as soon as she could. It was even taught to foals as soon as they could speak; that hurting others was always wrong and a terrible result, regardless of the reason.

“How?” Asked Sweetie Belle with tears in her eyes, “How can you embrace this monster!?” Before anypony could respond, Sweetie Belle ran in outside crying.

“Sweetie Belle!” Called Apple Bloom. She started going after her longtime friend when she was stopped by something pinning her tail to the ground. The young mare turned her head to see that it was Noblesse’s crutch holding her back.

“Let her go,” Said Noblesse with a more jovial tone of voice than he had ever used before and a smile, “It’s not her fault, and she might even come around eventually. But right now, she needs to be alone.”

“Don’t yah like Sweetie Belle?” Asked Apple Bloom, confused as to why somepony would be happy at losing a friend.

“I like her just fine,” Said Noblesse, “But now I can really be myself,” Noblesse spread his forelegs out and spun in a circle, using his longer tail to keep himself from failing over.

“Excuse me?” Was all Apple Bloom could say.

“I was ‘holding back,’ for a lack of better term,” Said Noblesse, “From my experience with people; they care more about appearance than they do your past or who you are as a person.”

Apple Bloom was about to argue that point, then she remembered how Zecora was treated before she cured her sister and her friends from their Poison Joke infections.

“But I also know how important first impressions are,” Said Noblesse, “And my personality and eccentricity have chased people away before I could so much as introduce myself. So, I acted like I had little to no emotions so that I could make friends here in the first place.”

“But why aren’t you upset about Sweetie Belle,” Asked Rumble.

“I was purposefully keeping myself from making attachments with any of you just in case you were like Sweetie Belle and couldn’t tolerate my past,” Replied Noblesse blithely, “Just imagine how hurt I’d be if neither of you could stand mine presence after thou discover’st I was an assassin.”

Apple Bloom and Rumble looked at each other with mirrored expressions of shock. Never had they met anypony who approached social interactions so pragmatically and yet, thanks to how Sweetie Belle acted just now, it was perfectly justifiable. They had no idea what Noblesse’s past was like before, and even now, only have the most basic of ideas as to what it was like. Was he forced to strike down his comrades at arms? Had he even been betrayed by people he thought were his friends? Did any of his friends from the Under-Cities survive the wars they were apart of? Would they be acting any differently if they were in his hooves?

“Do you consider us to be your friends now?” Asked Rumble.

Noblesse pulled the young couple into a hug, just barely being able to get Rumble with his shortened foreleg, “Only if you two really want me to be yours.”

Apple Bloom and Rumble returned the hug. While they were both happy that their new friend was now being more expressive and open with them, they still wished that his scaly skin didn’t feel so weird against their fur and skin.

Author's Notes:

I know that a lot of stuff in this chapter wasn't explained in the best way possible, so I'm more than happy to clarify anything for anyone who needs it.

Also, please feel free to give constructive criticism, point out typos, point out continuity errors, or just give your thoughts on the story so far.