"...SO, HEARD ANY GOOD JOKES LATELY?" Solaris sat quietly, not that he had much choice in the matter, as he awaited the new guard's response. Unfortunately, said response consisted solely of the latter giving a single nod, and had Solaris the power to do so his voice likely would have had the tint of annoyance from this. "NOT MUCH OF A TALKER, ARE YOU?"

After the new guard gave a silent shake of their head, Flash cleared his throat. "Um...was there anything else you wished to discuss, Sir?"

"SURE, WHY NOT? BESIDES, I NEED TO THINK UP WHAT TO DO WITH THIS OTHER ONE HERE. A STOIC, SILENT CHARACTER OBSCURED BEHIND A COOL-LOOKING HELMET WHO DOESN'T DO MUCH? I CAN PROBABLY MAKE A MASSIVE FANDOM OUT OF THAT."

Flash blinked. "...Okay?"

"PUTTING THAT ASIDE FOR NOW, I'M ASSUMING THAT HAVING TO DEAL WITH MY WAYWARD YOUNGER DAUGHTER WASN'T THE ONLY CHALLENGE PRINCESS TWILIGHT HAD TO CONTEND WITH?"

"Oh, certainly not. We in this country had some big crisis about once every year from the time Twilight first set out for Ponyville."

"TYPICAL. YOU GO FOR CENTURIES WITH EVERYTHING BEING NICE AND QUIET, AND WHEN TROUBLE COMES IT ALL COMES ALONG AT ONCE."

"You're telling me," Flash remarked with understandable tiredness.

"WELL THEN, WHAT HORRIBLE ABOMINATION DID THE YOUNG MARE HAVE TO FACE FIRST?"

"Oh, that would be Discord, Sir."

"I HAD A FEELING THAT NE'ER-DO-WELL WOULD SHOW HIS FACE AGAIN SOONER OR LATER. HE COULD JUST NEVER KEEP HIS NOSE OUT OF PONY BUSINESS."

"If it makes you feel any better, Celestia and Luna actually kept him trapped as a statue for a thousand years," Flash explained.

"IT DOES INDEED MAKE ME HAPPY. TEN CENTURIES OF NOT HAVING TO LISTEN TO THAT GUY WOULD BE A REAL BLESSING. BUT ALAS, CLEARLY NOTHING GOOD LASTS FOREVER, SINCE TWILIGHT APPARENTLY HAD TO COPE WITH HIM."

"True, but she coped with him all the same. She and her friends used the Elements of Harmony, just as they did with Luna, and they re-stoned him."

"YOU'D THINK HE'D LEARN FROM HIS PAST MISTAKES, BUT APPRENTLY NOT."

"Either way, it was a real victory for Twilight. Though it did kinda make things tense between her and Discord when he came back for his reformation."

"...I'M SORRY, DID YOU SAY REFORMATION?"

"Er...yes, Sir?"

"AS IN BEING WELCOMED BACK INTO THE FOLD IN THE HOPES THAT HE'D BECOME A BETTER PERSON AND STOP BOTHERING US?"

"Basically, yeah."

"AND WHO, DARE I ASK, HAD THAT BRILLIANT IDEA?"

His voice was as mechanical as ever, but even so Flash recognised sarcasm when he heard it, and so nervously scratched the back of his head. "Well...um...Celestia?"

"...THE DISAPPOINTMENT JUST ADDS AND ADDS, DOESN'T IT? SHE'S MY ELDEST CHILD. SHE SHOULD KNOW BETTER. YOU CAN'T IMPROVE A CREATURE LIKE DISCORD. HE'S THE EMBODIMENT OF DISHARMONY. HE'S CHAOS PERSONIFIED, AND SHE SHOULD KNOW FULL WELL HOW I FEEL ABOUT CHAOS."

"That you...don't like it?" Flash asked cautiously.

"YOU'RE DARN RIGHT I DON'T LIKE IT! I WAS ALREADY WORRIED ABOUT THE STATE OF THE WORLD AFTER MY BEING GONE FOR SO LONG, BUT CLEARLY THINGS HAVE BEEN EVEN WORSE THAN I FEARED."

"It's not all bad, Sir," Flash responded. "By all accounts Discord's a fine and upstanding member of society these days."

"YOU'LL FORGIVE ME IF I HAVE MY DOUBTS, LAD. ONE SUCH AS HE DOES NOT SIMPLY CHANGE INTO A BETTER PERSON. BUT, IF I AM TO ACCEPT THIS CHANGE TO THE STATUS QUO, THEN I'D BETTER SEE IT FOR MYSELF."

Flash had no idea what he meant by that, but before long he noticed that not only was the enormous alicorn skeleton before him staring to vaguely glow, but the entire chamber around them was gently vibrating. Understandably worried, Flash asked the obvious question. "Um, Sir? What are you doing?"

"THIS, MY BOY, IS WHAT WE IN THE ALICORN COMMUNITY CALL A FLEX."

Flash didn't like the sound of that, and his mood wasn't improved when, to his shock, a sudden burst of light popped up right next to him, causing him to back away. After squinting at the sight of it, his eyes widened when the light died down. For there, standing in the centre of the chamber, and looking quite confused, was the unmistakeably mismatched form of the very topic of conversation, Discord himself. Naturally, it took all of five seconds for this new arrival to gain an irritated look to him. "Who...who dares?! I am Discord! Spirit of Disharmony!" His gaze caught Flash, and instantly he was right up in the stallion's face, glaring at him angrily. "I don't know what your game is, kid, but I cannot be summoned like some mongrel pup!"

"YOU CAN IF I SAY YOU CAN, MY OLD FOE."

Slowly, Discord's fury disappeared, replaced instead with a look of both disbelief and concern. Eventually, he turned, only now noticing the massive alicorn skeleton on its pedestal. "...Solaris?" Then, his shock turned to rage once more. "Solaris?! The Skeleton-King himself?!"

"BELIEVE ME, I'M NOT ALL THAT THRILLED ABOUT YOU BEING HERE EITHER. ESPECIALLY SINCE MY DAUGHTER GOT IT INTO HER HEAD THAT YOU COULD EVER BE ANYTHING MORE THAN A THORN IN MY SIDE."

Discord folded his arms. "Well, I'll have you know that I'm a good friend to your precious ponies now. So you can go ahead and apologise for all those times you said I'd never amount to anything."

"LIKE TARTARUS I WILL."

His ancient opponent narrowed his eyes. "Be careful, Solaris. From the looks of things I'd say you're not exactly in prime form right now, so best restrain yourself from pushing me too far."

"YOU'RE ONE TO TALK. I DON'T RECALL QUITE SO MUCH GREY IN YOUR FUR BACK THEN."

Discords flew right up to his face. "Hey! I've bene under a lot of stress in the past few millennia!"

"GOOD. GLAD TO HEAR IT. NOW THEN...FLASH?"

"Er, yes?" the stallion asked warily.

"IF DISCORD HERE SAYS HE'S NO ENEMY, I'D LIKE TO HEAR EXACTLY WHAT HIS TIME AMONG PONIES HAS BEEN LIKE SINCE HIS RETURN."

Flash, his eyes widening, looked from one centuries-old powerful figure to the other and back again, each one definitely giving him their full attention. Clearing his throat, he started backing away to the chamber doors. "Well...how about I get us some nice, relaxing, calming tea before that?"

"Milk and seventeen sugars, if you would," Discord requested.

"I DON'T HAVE A STOMACH, SO GET ME WHATEVER."

Turning, Flash's sweat-covered brow was on full display now. "Oh boy, this day isn't ending anytime soon."

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