(Cause I know some of y'all are thinking it.)

"You know buddy, things have  been a little weird around here lately. Ever since Discord's untimely (but not completely undeserved) demise, there has been an influx of chaos magic. Without someone to direct it, it just runs rampant. Nobod-ehm, nopony suspected just how important a role Discord actually played. Now, we just had a storm that rained mice made of cheese. The poor things ate themselves to death. Before that, there was a house in the city of Canterlot that exploded when shaving cream suddenly came flowing in from the windows. Luckily the family got out uninjured, though they smelled pretty good. Let's not forget my personal favorite, the sentient apple. Sadly, I only discovered that after I bit into it. *sigh* It was delicious. Anyway, I'm getting off track. The ponies in the town we were staying in figured it was our fault. The two who gave up their lives on their home-world to save theirs. Thankfully they didn't demand our heads, just our freedom. Though, I can't complain too much, all things considered. We're only under minimum sec-"

"GOD DAMMIT! You've been talking to that same mouse for three months! Three. Friggin. Months. Telling the exact same story each time! I'm only going to ay this once and only once; SHUT THE HELL UP, I'M TRYING TO SLEEP!" The mouse let out a terrified "squeak" and darted back into the tiny hole in the wall, only to poke his nose out to peer at the angry, sleepy griffon.

"So how long do you think they'll keep us here, Andy?" I asked the recently griffonized human. He turned over in his bed and looked at me next to the far wall. He grumbled a bit before answering.

"I wouldn't think it would be too terribly long. After all, we DID return princess Celestia. We DID defeat Discord. We did...um...ah, hell. I know we did something else." he said, trailing off in thought or dozing off. I chuckled and turned back to my audience.

"Before I go any further, when I said minimum security, I may have over exaggerated. It was less like the dungeon I was in before and more like a posh hotel room. In fact, it was more like house arrest. If you considered Canterlot castle a house. A few Ponyville residents had come to the conclusion that they should take the law into their own hooves. The royal sisters had locked us up for our own safety. They didn't want to, but, after the first couple of incidents at the library involving more than a few ponies getting frostbite, the petitions, and finally the angry mob with torches and pitchforks, they eventually relented. It isn't too bad at all, if you ask me. We have the run of the castle for most of the day, we just can't go beyond the gate. Our friends can also visit whenever they please. The only drawback is we have to have a guard escort us at all times. I could usually be found in the library, reading up on Equestrian history and learning new spells. Andy however was usually outside, learning how to fly. It took a long time to learn how to use wings, apparently. It was in my research that I heard about another effect of Discord's demise. Holes in reality began opening up all over the place. The most notable of which so far, was a monstrous soviet seaplane that squashed the garden maze one morning. Boy, did I have plans for that beauty. It's fuel tanks were completely empty so, either I would need to find a steady supply of diesel or find an alternate power source. I'm thinking of turning it into a dirigible. What do you think?" I asked my conversation partner. He (or is it a she?) licked its paws, turned around, lifted its tail and.... "Okay. Crap idea, I get it." I shook my head to clear my thoughts and realized I was asking a mouse for advice. A snore from my best friend got my attention. After his death, most of Discord's doings had returned to more or less normal. The only things that had remained were our new bodies and my talent with ice. Mumbling curses at the dead draconequus, I climbed into my own bed and cut loose with an epic yawn. "YOWCH!"

"Errgh! What now?"

"I bit mah thongue."

"Heh-heh. Dumb ass." I grabbed my pillow with telekinesis and flung it at him.

"BA-KAWK!"

I rolled over and went to sleep, content in my victory. I slept like a deadpony until I was shaken awake early the next morning. I blinked the bleariness away and looked at the one about to receive the cold hoof of justice. It was the guard who usually accompanies me on my trips to the castle's library. I grinned. Andy and I loved picking on this guy about his unfortunate name and cutie mark, which was simply a bluish-white orb in a silver ring. Oddly enough, he had the same emblem on his chest-plate. After making sure I was awake, the large, fair skin-toned earth pony walked over and woke up the snoozing griffon. When he had our attention he finally spoke.

"You need to get up and make yourselves presentable. The princesses have requested your presence in the royal dining hall. They have something...of...interest to discuss with you two. I'll be in the hall." he instructed us and left us to get ready. In the blink of an eye, Andy had claimed the bathroom, leaving me to wait. Or so he thought. I had learned an interesting spell in my studies. I super cooled my coat, mane and tail. This froze all moisture on my body and caused the sweaty grime to stick to the ice. I then just used telekinesis to remove the dirty ice and drop it into the trash can. I shined with cleanliness. I just threw on some cologne annnnd...done. Just as Andy emerged with only a few feathers out of place. We opened the door and let our escort know we were ready. On the way, I wondered what was on Celey and Lulu's minds. (After spending a few months with someone, you get pretty familiar with them) They had invited us to have breakfast with them only a couple of times since they had brought us here, as it was usually brought to our room. I figured it must be important. A snicker and tap from Andy's wing got my attention. He motioned to our friend. Oh, right. I started stomping loudly on the rugs on the shiny marble floor as we made our way to the breakfast meeting. Andy picked up his part perfectly.

CLOMP

CLOMP

CLOMP

CLOMP

CLOMP

"BWOOOOOOOWN"

CLOMP

CLOMP

CLOMP

CLOMP

CLOMP

"BWOOOOOOOWN" Private Pony Stark just rolled his eyes and groaned.

"I can't wait until I get promoted."

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Celestia, princess of the sun, and co-ruler of Equestria, sat at her usual position at the table. Her stomach growled loudly. She was starving, but wanted to wait on her friends. Before her was a plate of waffles, a glass of orange juice, and three empty chairs. Her sister, she could understand. She had wolfed hers down and went straight to bed. The previous day's night court had been exceedingly taxing, according to Luna anyway. She stared at the other two seats, thinking of who belonged in them. She smiled. She had become rather fond of the two former humans in the time they had stayed in the castle. There hadn't been a single dull moment while they had been around. Heck, they'd even taught her nephew, Prince Blueblood, not to be so self-centered. Still, they were late and the waffles were getting cold. She heard a strange thumping sound as she brought the cool glass of juice to her lips. Just as the liquid sunshine hit her tongue, the hall doors flew open.

"I AM IRON MANE!"

"PFFFFFFFFFFFFFT!"

All three of the newcomers stopped and gaped in awe as the princess did a picture perfect spit-take. I had never seen one in real life before. She motioned for us to be seated and for the guard to leave us. As the food disappeared and we all felt pretty full Celestia decided it was time to get to the matter at han-er hoof.

"Anthony, Andy, I have a proposition for you two. How would you like to clear your names?" she asked, studying our reactions. She had our rapt attention. "I thought so." She levitated two folders from a table behind her and gave one to both of us. "These files contain the results of some private research I've been doing on the phenomenon that have been occurring all over our world. Each event has been documented in detail. I'll give you a moment to skim over them." She said as I opened my folder. I decided not to complain about the droplets of juice on the cover. Each event was accompanied by a photograph of.....something. All I could see was a bright, blurry blob in the middle of each picture. Wait a minute. It was in each picture. Every blob looked nearly the same. I looked at the princess in confusion. "I see you've noticed the pattern." she said with a chuckle. "My research assistant and I have concluded that the major events are centered around those things. It seems that the further away from them one is, the less severe the effects are. 'Shards of Chaos' is what I believe she called them. They appeared a few days after He was destroyed."

"Um, she?" I asked. Andy was still flipping through the pages. Celestia smiled.

"Yes, she. You already know her. you know her particularly well, Anthony. I refer to my student, Twilight Sparkle." she answered. "She has hypothesized that if all the shards are collected and brought together, the chaos magic will return to normal. Though we can't be entirely sure until we try." I considered her proposal. If we did what she asked, we would end ponies suffering, clear our names, and see the rest of the world at the same time. I looked at Andy. He met my gaze. We both nodded in agreement. Andy spoke up.

"You want us to go out to parts unknown, alone, and gather physically manifested chaos and bring it back here?" he asked. Celestia nodded.

""You won't be going alone though. Twilight will accompany you as well as those you deem necessary. Also, in doing this you will be acting on behalf of my sister and myself. That means you'll be getting an official title as well as an allowance from the treasury." She answered. In other words, we'd be in her employ and be getting paid. I stood up and stretched. I had one last question.

"When do we start?"