Beach After Dark [Invite]

[RexDraco]

@Gerrard

 

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So he caused a few annoyances in Fillydelphia. It wasn't as if he collapsed the entire infrastructure! Celestia would be proud! Discord, though said to occupy Ponyville so Twilight Sparkle could an eye on him, he did have his freedoms. Had he truly been tethered against his will it would have been quote a catastrophe for others. One did not simply tie down chaos. His sense of time was considered one of the most perfect existences in all of Equestria. Why it was even more grand than the princesses themselves! It is said that Discord is never late. For all his pretenses of disorder and a rather taciturn personality when it came to regarding another's patience… his sense of time was impeccable. As a mage, well an aged wizard (that beard wasn't just for show!) he was capable of manipulating magic with straight forward accuracy and arrive exactly when he is meant to arrive.

 

Getting the heck out of Dodge as fast as he could the spirit bumbled his way to the oceanside city of Baltimare. Perhaps it took him days, or mere hours, before he arrived from his previous locale to his current destination, but he did so with the accuracy of a markspony that stood at the edge of a field of Orks. He could certainly tell you what his elf eyes saw…. If he had them. He would have to make do with what he had. The spirit took a deep breath, the ocean air filling his chest with an energy that seemed out of place during the winter season.

 

"VACATION!!" The loud, raucous spirit burst into the boardwalk with a brightly colored shirt, a straw hat impaled on his horns, and exaggeratingly large sunglasses. "Guess I'm not in Kansass any more..." looking around he would find that the oceanside city had quite a bit to offer in terms of entertainment.

 

Around his waist was an inner tube and hanging from his paw was a sand pail, the shovel tucked inside. He was ready for some fun, sun and terrifying native ponies. He already had quite the plan in place. After causing a few locals to scatter in the boardwalk from his sudden appearance, the spirit floated off towards the beach, getting some and plenty, strange looks! Most reason of all was the fact it was still too early to hit the surf, which was cold and dead thanks to the time of day, and it was quite cold! While most hardcore beach goers didn't mind, there was scarcely a body to be found close to the water's edge lest risk the chilly nip of encroaching winter.

 

Landing on the spot he chose the chaos menace snapped his claws. A towel was laid out beneath a polka dotted umbrella and a lawn chair propped up with a cooler full of fruit pops! Oh today he had quite the task in mind. Plopping down in the sand he began to shovel and in his bucket, little by little. The behavior was baffling, but he was quite the mad pony…
 

[Gerrard]

It was quite the cold morning as the sun struggled against the cold of winter to energize the people of Equestria against the ever present frigid weather. Every pony with a lick of sense was huddled up on the beach, shivering for warmth until the sun bathed the land in enough heat to stave off the cold. Of course, that statement assumed that everyone was a pony, and everyone had sense! A rogue wave lumbered towards the beach, meekly threatening the domain of Discord as the wall of water jettisoned its contents at the feet of the strange chimeric lord. A griffoness covered in black feathers and soaked in what looked like gallons of seawater was ejected from the wave, flipping forward as water sprayed from her feathers in the direction of the draconequus.

 

The grating sound of moving sand filled the air as the griffoness landed on her back, long pointed beak peering up into the cloudy winter sky as she tried to regain her bearings! "Wow, b-body surfing is a lot easier than actual surfing. You just sorta let the waves throw you around like a silly shoobie," the griffoness explained to nobody in particular as her beak rapidly chattered in an apparent sign of cold. After the world around her began to slowly stop spinning, the hybrid quickly rolled over and spotted the lord of chaos wearing an inner tube. Upon seeing his form, her cheeks poofed out as she prepared to speak. "Mister, make sure you haven't eaten anything before you go swimming, I wouldn't want you to get any cramps," she excitedly explained, her form coming more into vision as she shook off speckles of sand. Her dark feathers were oddly contrasted by her white and black striped form, the eager looking duck tigress, as she often described herself as, stared over to the stranger with rose colored eyes as her long striped tail wagged with all the excitement her cold body could muster!

[RexDraco]

 

Baltimare, like many of Equestria larger cities, seemed to carry around its own personality that stood it apart from Manehatten or Las Pegasus. Visiting the cities individually had never been all that meaningful to the immortal. Having seen one maze of brick and concrete, it become little different from a jungle packed with trees and deadly snakes. This city's infamy came with the ocean. A rich shipping industry provided the coastal city with the backbone of its economy. The beachfront along the famous Boardtrot District was the first stop in Discord's long list of tomfoolery. The amusement park second.

 

His little spot was all set up. His chair, umbrella, towel and even a cooler full of treats! He had already dug a hole deep enough to replant a full grown tree. The gathered sand was diligently piled beside the sandy crevasse, shovel after shovel. The green, plastic toy didn't seem to be a hearty enough tool for such an excavation, yet in that short time Discord has unearthed quite a bit. The border of the hole and the winding path was lined with a miniature replica of a highway, complete with teeny tiny construction signs. As he worked on his project a wave sputtered inland. Raising his hips, find talon hardly making move to evade the weak spillover from the ocean.

 

What for his attention was a strange tumble of blacks, greys and whites that rode the waves in. "Hey!" He manifested a shield to block the sunshower from reaching his masterpiece. "Do you mind?" He protested.

 

When the griffon stood he was able to get a better view of the peculiar amalgamation of parts… not that he could talk, but all of his extra limbs retained the memory strength of its former owners, such as a manticore's strength or a pegabat's agility given he carried a limb from the distinctly different species. Though he though himself quite the stunning hodgepodge of creatures, he would now lay eyes upon the griffon and her stripy hide. Now this was a … bizarre combo. Who had zebra in them? Was that a zebra? Maybe an opaki! He furrowed his brows at her warning.

 

Discord scoffed. As if he didn't know how to swim. "This is not my first trip to the beach. Though it has been quite a number of centuries." He mused.

 

Suddenly the cooler shifted and from its depths popped a raccoon who grabbed one of the fruit pops and leaned back, with that thick hide of due, and settled in the cooler as if it were a jacuzzi. It seems he had a stowaway from Fillydelphia. He raised a paw, wiggling his digit before turning to the griffon female, pushing away his thoughts. 

 

"Mister was my father. You can call me Discord, Lord of Chaos. Chaslord, or His Eminence, the Great and Mighty Prince of Substituting Reality for my Own." He did love playing with titles. "Who are you? Hitting the waters at this temperature, aren't we brave. Or foolish. Or both, both is good." He waggled his toy shovel at her .

[Gerrard]

Curious eyes watched as he shielded away traces of seawater as if he was some sort of unicorn. She had no idea what was going on or what he was, but that didn't stop her from speaking up. While most ponies had a filter, Aquaria often did not, her words often spewing from her pointy maw with the most minimal of thought! "Oh sorry! Wait, you're a unicorn? You have two horns, do they both let you do magic? You must be half unicorn and half uhhh, something weird like me," she theorized aloud, arching her back as she moved into a predatory pouncing posture! The last unicorn she met on the beach was some weird pony who created ghosts that were definitely not illusions, and definitely were eating her!

 

This creature looked really different to her though, the griffoness trying to think back to what she was taught in class. The mere thought of school caused her stomach to growl, the young hybrid remembering how the Baltimare school never served fish. Her teacher told her that nopony else in school liked fish, so and that was why they always served boring food like plants and bread. After shaking herself back into reality, Aquaria tried to remember what was going on, tapping her cheek before her mind started working again. "Oh, we must be related Disco! Look, we both have eagle claws, yours is just covered in butter! Are you my uncle or something? Oh, my name is Aquaria, nice to meet you," she replied with a smile, sitting on her haunches while extending a sturdy black talon to shake his own. Upon closer examination, her talons seemed somewhat standard, if not darker than usual grabbers, her beak a bit more unusual, long and pointed like that of a grebe, a type of duck that had her rose colored eyes as well. Her striped form was from that of a white tigress, but seeing as she had met more zebras than tigers in her life, the goofy griffon often made the same incorrect bodily diagnosis. While she looked a bit like a zebra, she was one hundred percent griffon, and not a hippogriff in any manner of the word!

 

Her eyes drifted past Discord and to his treasure chest, the wet feathers of Aquaria expanding with excitement at the prospect of discovering another treasure chest! "Well as a professional lifeguard and diver, I would just like to say that you have a scallywag in your treasure chest robbing your booty! If you ever want to collect more treasure, I know a place, although it is a bit too cold for out of towners. You see, some ponies get cold and hop out of the water. A diver hops in and shivers up a storm! Shivering is just your bodies way of staying warm. You're only ever cold if you think you are cold. Do you understand Lord Disco? Mind over matter solves everything! Although some ponies say having no mind helps you avoid freezing, whatever that means," she explained with a giggle, not understanding what a few mean ponies had said about her in passing. It was rather hard to get her down, even when ponies said mean things to her, Aquaria often found herself agreeing with them, pacifying them since she rarely took mean words to heart.

 

The griffoness squirmed excitedly at the prospect of going diving in the icy waters with her equally strange friend she just met before pausing as something strange about him crossed his mind. It wasn't that he was an unusual creature, it wasn't that he had magic, it wasn't even that he was some sort of special fancy person with a million titles. It was that he said he was centuries old! "Wow, you're a senior citizen? If you need any help crossing the streets, or anyone wants to deny you a senior discount, just point them in my direction and I will set them straight," she proudly declared, completely failing to understand whom this mythical monster in her presence was. If ignorance is truly bliss, Aquaria is almost eternally blissful, her hips wiggling wildly as her mind raced over a never ending stream of unrelated thoughts!

 

 

[RexDraco]

 

 

Discord had quite the number of species latched to his body, but it was hardly natural. to say he was born as the Spirit of Chaos always seemed to be a part of the legend, but chaos was made and perfected through conjuring the most unimaginable movements in history. Where sometimes griffons had the butt of a cat and the face of a bird, which could vary from family to family, but it was viewed as natural. Not a one griffon would be viewed as an abomination. Discord was a special snowflake in that regard. The discordant wizard of reality bending was anything but a native seventh or eight wonder of the world, which would infer that there was magic involved. with wizards you did end up with things like fire breathing salamander or the inorganic plates of armor in a rhino.  She went on to note his horns, which were likely capable of magic.

 

Sitting with his rump in the sand and the floating around his waist, the serpentine chimera rest his paw on the inflated toy. "Dragon. Unicorn and dragon. Don't let my accessorized additions fool you." He whipped his head back proudly.

 

He certainly had a pony's profile, and a dragon's tail, but that did not account for the feathers, eagle claw, or Aerion and Pegasus wing.... And as for his horns, because they were not actually unicorn horns he could not channel magic through them. He once explained to a scholar it was because his body was loooong. It would take too much to channel magic from one point as he had so much of it, he could explode. Being able to channel magic from any part of his body was what gave him his flexibility, at least he claimed.

 

"Actually no. They aren't useful for magic, only impressing others." A crooked goat's horn and a three point antler was certainly charming in… a Discord way. 

He had a chuckle at her question of relation. Uncle Disco, huh? He did like that title. His brows arches as his paw moved to scratch at his beard. Letting his body shift so he was crouched on all fours, he looked to the duckbilled Griff and folded back his feet ears. She was adorable, quite fond of the eye color. His own ruby pupils contracted a bit before his cheeks pinched up his lids in a smile. He held out his sun colored claw to her darker one and offered her a little shake.

"Charmed," he smirked. "…you seem more a fish than a bird, I found your belly flop deserving of a medal." He was in a cautiously good mood.

 

She didn't seem the least but apprehensive, but she did seem much like Dash. How did they say? Idiots had trouble catching colds. It seemed highly accurate with their sorts. At first he felt quite offended by her comment. e wasn't that old -- but than she made mention of a discount.... He could get discounts and free things being older?! Why hasn't anypony ever told him this? He moved to clutch her claw to try and pull her clsoe enough so that his paw could wrap around her shoulder and pull her close. 

 

"So... discounts you say. Would these discounts be viable in say... a souvenir shop?" Do tell, do tell. 

[Gerrard]

When he mentioned dragon and unicorn, she gasped excitedly, surprised that the was such a thing at all! Aquaria thought about what to call him, none of the ideas ever drifting in the direction of his actual species. "Unigon, no, Dragoncorn sounds better. Does he like corn? Wait, what were talking about?" she thought in her head, trying to devise a fun title or descriptor for her very special friend! To have all the other creature parts meant he was a special pony, or a very good wizard. Her sense of magic understanding was as broad as a newborn foals, the lifeguard deciding to stop speculating and avoid making a fool out of herself! "They are great additions, I just have a pointy face add on and a ring tailed add on! I suppose I have wings too, but those come standard on my model," she explained excitedly, almost seeming to examine herself like a customized cart of some kind! The diver squirmed excitedly and looked back at her black wings, spreading them wide for him to look. Like any self respecting griffon, her wingspan was massive, easily the equal of even an alicorn! They only lightly dripped water, her feathers reasonably waterproofed, perhaps hinting a bit to her resistance to cold!

 

"Oh well your horns are impressive. I don't know what they are, but nopony I have ever met had two! Well I did meet some deer and goats that had two. And I think.., but no! Yours are definitely the best horns. You have me outclassed in the horn department, but I have the bigger wings," she explained excitedly while playfully poking a pink tongue out of the side of her black maw! At the mention that she was more fish than bird, she giggled out a cute quack before looking herself over again. "Well, a wise pony once told me that we are what we eat. Maybe that is why all the ponies in Baltimare are bad swimmers. If they ate more fish, they could swim better! Wait a minute! If I'm a fish because I eat fish, does that mean you eat.... uh, everything! Did you eat a griffon claw to get that grabber?" she asked excitedly, not aware that the implication of that would be dangerous for her if it was true! It was probably a sign that she wasn't used to being preyed on, the lifeguard too excited to be afraid of her new friend!

 

When he showed interest in her offer for senior discounts, her tail wagged like the excited kitten she was! "Yeah, ponies have discounts for their older people! Like 100 or something. You said you were like two hundred or thousand years old. You should ask someone who gives what discounts! I know that seniors get discounts to see movies and eat food. Not all places offer it to seniors though. I guess that some ponies like seniors more than others! If I had a store for my treasure horde, I would give you a senior AND a friend discount! Just be prepared to have an identification. Some ponies won't believe that you are a million years old! See, I have proof that I am me," she explained, excitedly, as her rose colored eyes drifted away from his fiery pupils and to the leg of a nearby lifeguard tower! With a few quick digging swipes of her talons, Aquaria plucked out a bag and pulled out an old school identification card for him to look at. "See, it has my picture, my age and some other stuff on it too. I'm apparently a pegasus too," she excitedly explained to him while showing off her old senior high school identification card! It was a slightly younger version of herself, the card stating that she was basically a young adult, of the three pony species listed on the card, hers had the pegasus identifier punched in, the school probably not prepared for a seemingly foreign exchange student or some other manner of unusual creature! Perhaps the card might have been a source for her unusual self identity problems!

[RexDraco]

 

The sound of the beach in winter quite different from the summer months. The hoot and holler of ponies and visitors from all walks of life, that came to the harbor city for rest and relaxation, would find the Boardtrot crowded and the summer shops packed with customers looking for treats that were made special by the seaside. Kelp salads and roasted mackerel (for the more elusive visitor) there was always something to enjoy. The winds were calm, the surf gently braking shore as it quickly rushed back to sea, dragging with it the pristine sands: coral and seashells grounded through years of tidal growth. It was chaotic during the warmer months, yet the spirit of chaos, a blight on harmony and peace, had picked one of the calmest and emptiest seasons to visit.

Well... he had his reasons.

 

Discord sat perched on all fours, ears pricked as he listened to the Griffon fumble over the various possibilities of his origins. He shifted his muscles, wings spreading out to give a flap as he eased himself into a sitting position. But as he did his rump seemed to levitate a bit too fast and sent his tush a few inches higher than his torso, giving him a rather curious twist that seemed to be able to snap the spine of lesser species. He held out his paw, giving it a little shake. He often kept his left claw to his chest when he was moving about, the brow feathers swallowing the gold-colored limb. As he floated his ears remained pinned back against his skull, occasionally twitching when the waters rushed in, cascading across the length of shore.

 

"Please dear, I think draconequus suits me just fine. You'll find it catches ponies' attention faster than dragoncorn." He assured. "And don't mind the little bandit, he's here on vacation from Fillydelphia. Loud, busy city you know. I was worried he was going to be mistook for a ninja so I let him tag along." He assured that Procyon wasn't troublesome.

 

Besides, the title was special...  At her boast the spirit gave a little snort, head curling back as he spread his wings, giving them a little flap. How rude! His lips curled back in irritation, never enjoying to be outclassed in anything he did. His arrogant nature was what often got him into trouble! He was keen on his dashing good looks and to be talked down to by a feathered fish rose his ire a bit. He snapped forward and raised his claw to contest the claim, after all these were just travel sized wings! When the birdbrain chirped up about his claw he lowered it, vanishing before he appeared coiling about behind her.

 

"Hardly, I would say with all that grouchy Griffon would be much too tough to even chew, were it in my taste." Which it were not, absolutely.

 

The raccoon looked up from the mention of fish, chittering something or another. Discord rolled his eyes and wiggles his claws before curling his wrist back, holding his pinky up.

 

"Don't mind him, he has a fondness for fish and while I can wholly understand the comedy relief that comes with a Marlin, I will never understand putting it on pizza." Stars forbid!

 

But there rang the idea of cheap, even free loot.

 

He never had the chance to use his age to hold power over the ponies before. Sure he was an ancient, powerful sorcerer to be feared, but some just couldn't be bargained with when he wanted some cheap material goods to go into his collection. Half dragon… he did have some sort of hoard. In a flash he was out of his inner tube and in the most gaudy of touristy outfits. A bright, oversized short covered his torso of orange and yellow. Red flip-flops were snug on his talon and hoof. Big sunglasses and a camera only accentuated that absurd straw hat. He floated after her when she went to dig up treasure.

 

He tucked his glasses down to read the cars. "Well for a Pegasus your rather stripy. Are you sure you aren't half zebra?" He teased at the absurdity. "Instead of meeting one's fate in the icy ravine that is a winter's ocean, how about we go to the amusement park. If you pretend to be under age we could both get a might discount and ride all the rides first." They had to let ab old pony go first, even if he was a healthy draconequus. "Just lead the way, I am the tourist after all."

 

Meanwhile... The sand he had dug out began to shift, a shark forming from the fine granules. Discord felt a cold chill behind him as a strange song began to play… His ruby eyes narrowed as he looked back to see the raccoon dramatically playing the violin… oh, and the sand shark. It was sand. It was in the shape of a shark… and it swam right toward them!

 

[Gerrard]

Aquaria nodded excitedly as he explained himself to her. She was too enamored with this strange snake dragon pony wizard to realize her own body shivering from the cold water drenching her fur. Ignorance was bliss for now, the lifeguard's tolerance for pain keeping her in an idyllic state as they spoke! She wondered how he could fly without flapping, but guessed it was one of his unicorn spells. She wondered what it would be like to have a unicorn horn and giggled madly, her wide zebra hips squirming with excitement as she let her imagination run wild! "Wow, I would be the best unicorn ever if I had a horn! I think my magic ability would be summoning fish or something," she reasoned aloud, placing a talon on her head and poking a digit up like it was a horn! She had no idea how that would work, but decided to always expect the best out of every situation. Ria wasn't foolhardy, she was just positive!

 

"Draconoquail? I guess I could see it a little! Well, don't take it personally if I say your species wrong, I'm not super good at all the fancy names," she explained with a smile on her beaked face. For as oblivious as she was, the lifeguard was mildly aware of her shortcomings, at least when her mind wasn't racing out of control! When he said he didn't like putting fish on pizza though, she gasped audibly, covering her beak in horror! "Fish is the best pizza topping, but the again, I guess I could see a pony not wanting to put pizza on their delicious fish! Why ruin something that was already pretty great," the duck explained while staring at her writhing talons that wanted the feel of a fresh fish in them! She never really thought about eating another griffon, but she was glad to hear that they weren't good eating. Part of her mind wanted to test this with a good gnaw, but her limited sense reigned supreme and controlled her!

 

When he poofed his tourist outfit into existence, Ria couldn't help but cock her head to the side. For being a magician, he was really good at magic! The only person who had better magic was her mother. She could steal the ducktigresses nose 100 times and she never figured out how! "Maybe my mom used Zebra magic to steal my nose all those times. But ya, if you can't swim, I think an amusement park would probably be more fun! Just make sure to stand up for your rights as an old Draconoquail! If they don't give it to you, tell them that Princess Celery will set them straight," the lifeguard explained in her usual excited manner. She was usually less assertive and flowed with the river of the world, but something about Uncle Disco got her heart beating! Aquaria felt a little bit wild, perhaps even a little chaotic in his presence!

 

She thought about her age and giggled at the thought of passing herself as a six year old grifflet! It was the cutest thing she could imagine and found herself wiggling with excitement! "Well I would need to cut my age by like a third or a quarter! That would be pretty hard to do. It would be a really big fib," Ria explained with a smirk, not exactly thinking it as the most possible thing. A black talon wrapped around his own as the eager the hybrid dragged her new best friend of the day over to the amusement park! She wasn't one to fly, always walking or swimming unless the situation demanded it! Unfortunately for her though, the fierce ninja had begun playing a violin. While the diver enjoyed music as much as the next pony, the presence of her most mortal of enemies blocked that out of her mind. At the appearance of the shark, her heart raced, talon squeezing down uncomfortably on the lord of chaos. "Shark," she squawked in terror, wrapping her other claw around Discord as she flapped her immense wingspan with all of her might. Her cheeks poofed out as her face reddened, the inexperienced flyer struggling to carry the draconequss only a few feet above the ground. Ria had no idea what he weighed, but it seemed like infinity pounds to her limited strength!

 

 

[RexDraco]

 

Discord almost laughed at her comment. He never though highly of unicorn, personally. With all their pomp and parade he found his infamously short temper even more Curt towards the discourteous displeasure of their snobbish, disport of power. He could perhaps consider his hubris came from such a union, but when a pony lived as long as he did and had as much power, mediocre concepts like limitations and constraint had no baring on formal behavior. There was also the possibility and probability that he held an underlying resentment for unicorn because their absurd additives were quite normal and they retained a frightful audacity of challenging him. But there was something more down there... Twas hardly relevant now.

 

He pulled his paw abs claw to his chest as he floated, head tilting. "Oh please, had you a horn you'd be able to have the fish wall right into your pot." He dismissed.

 

He winced at her grandiose denaturing of his classification. He pressed his paw to his muzzle, brows furrowing at the conjecture. What was he now half bird? The idea was infectious. In a flash he poofed into the shape of a malformed dragon quail hybris. His long body covered on feathers and his horns now a quail's feathery stalk atop his head. An amusing sight but it was grossly disquieting. He was hardly lovely in such a shape. No sooner had he entered it he gave the class a grin. 

 

"Tis hardly a fanciful title. More a whom to exert my horrifying nature." He added before reverting to his truer form. 

 

True to form he gave off a cackle at her distress of her mother's wizardry, or perhaps awe. He could imagine how terribly frightful it would be to have your own parental unit creating such distasteful magic. He was starting to realize this bird was a a few straw short of a haystack. Do you know how much straw you had to have loose to not be a haystack?! Well he wasn't keeping track of farmer math, but he was sure it was plenty. She wasn't the least bit mad, as many would declare. Her eccentricity gave the duckbill quote an appetizing imagination you didn't often see out of cultural hubs. Though was Baltimare such a place? He felt there was a deep contrast between here and Fillydelphia, but it didn't much matter as of yet.

 

He leaned forward and put his paw to his chest. "It is not that I can't swim dear, I just have a frightful aversion to catching colds." Magical colds were perhaps the worst. "I --?!" He was about to correct her but the strangest name escaped her bill. "…oh, would … she now?" He snickered at the shiny new nickname to afford the uptight solar mare. He shrugged a bit. "It is only a fib of you tell it." Nothing wrong with presumptuous expectations.

 

Discord arched a brow when the wee Griff took notice of his sculpture. Is that what he had been digging around? The mould of a sand shark? The disharmonious draconequus was taken by the claw and dragged skyward. Being that he was floating already her exertion was hardly tantamount to raising a feather fell from her rump. The raccoon reached into the cooler and yanked from its confines a large water cannon. With precise aim it would headshot the shark causing it to flail and will on its back with the force of the spray alone. The shark of sand came to a halt, defeated. Discord looked to the hyper bird cat, floating beside her.

 

"Shall we head forth? I think it is defeated." He snapped his claws and his beach gear vanished, including that horrendously garish outfit. The raccoon bounced along below as to not fall to behind from the spirit. But were to masked trash bandit get too far it was teleported to the top of the chaos lord's head.

 

[Gerrard]

Aquaria was squeezing Discord uncomfortably tight, perhaps a bit of it being her own fear more than rescue of the draconequus. Ria was surprised to be able to lift such a large creature, but when her eyes spotted his flapping wings, her cheeks reddened in embarrassment. Still, she had the bravery instincts of a good lifeguard! Lesser ponies might have froze when threatened by the all too common sand shark! She carefully released Discord, watching him turn back to his normal form with a flick of his magic. The brave ninja had done some sort of water jutsu or something to vanquish the evil shark, and the lifeguard sat down on her haunches and waved in a thanking manner to the furry bandit!

 

After her heart rate normalized, the lifeguard chuckled at the picture of his horrific quail form. She snickered, knowing she was right about him being a dragonquail! He was very nice about it, not lingering on it for too long though! At the mention of being able to swim, but not wanting to get cold, her eyes drifted down to her dripping form and the words of her mother entered her head. "Sillyhead, you can't go wandering around town, dripping water all over the place!" the face of a dark faced griffon entering her mind, causing her too smile before leaping onto her premade towel and drying herself off with all the speed that could be mustered from an energetic bird! After a few sprays of sand, she was no longer shivering, the hybrid bounding across the sand and grabbing Discord by the talon before carefully walking him into the city!

 

"I think there must be a curse on one of the sunken ships i scour during winter. Every time I visit it, I get super shivers and sick. There must be some way to get that treasure and not get cursed! Maybe I can get one of the fancy water suits! I hear that they are pretty curse proof. When I come up too fast from my diving, that doesn't feel too great either. Decompression sickness is a bummer," she explained with a bit of a frown. It was a bit unclear what her total knowledge was. She seemed familiar with advanced ailments like that, but oblivious to more mundane ones like the common cold. She seemed to know a bit, perhaps it was just her free spirit coming up with explanations for her common colds that were more fun than just getting sick from hypothermia or any other type of prolonged exposure!

 

As the pair exited the beach and approached the city streets, the jovial lifeguard's eyes narrowed in a seemingly serious manner. Something about the city itself had her on edge, but the illusion of tension quickly melted away as her long striped tail wagged in a blurred blending of white and black! The streets were clear this early, making it safe for the pair to rush over to the amusement park. '"Be careful when crossing the Street Uncle Disco! If you aren't paying attention, you might get hit by a cart! I've only been hit by carts a few times though! Some ponies say I should fly, but they aren't the boss of me! You meet more ponies when you are walking. Don't you agree," the lifeguard explained while waving at a curious filly that stared at her from a safe distance away! The amusement park could be spotted through the jungle of buildings in the city and she couldn't wait to see how her friend reacted to all the super death defying rides like the merry-go-round and scrambled eggs! And the swinging ship, she squawked her head off in fear and joy the last time she rode one of those!

[RexDraco]

 

Time was asomatous, having no form or existence. Yet as things went it somehow held tangible existence over much of modern, pony life. A doctor could not measure the heart without the ticks of a watch and a scientist could not deduce how long to boil a solution without the minutes having measurable distance from the start. When the sub set many felt that it was sign to run back home and rest. Birds moved to roost and otters no longer played among their beds of kelp, but rest in them. Hoofprints of the day were systematically erased by the ebb and flow of the tide. It was a metronome that erased evidence of history. The sun had already began to set, the winter season dictating Luna's reign over her sister's solar dominion. It was a little sad. Those who could not see the beach after dark truly missed out on an opportunity.

 

Discord looked down, a bit surprised at the young Griffon… She has been managing to surprise him at every turn this far though. A curious bird-mao with no sense of impending doom produced by her more reckless approach to matters, or so it would seem at times. She had moments of clarity which were not unlike his own. It had been the second time she took his talon, with no sign of hesitation or fear. The lass wasn't harmonious in the least. She was a little spark of chaos seeded into the boring world. He looked down to his claw, floating along side her as she spoke of treasures and the sea.

 

Behind the pair the raccoon followed along in his bouncy, little strides. The little fruit bandit looked up at Discord and chittered, the seemingly nonsense noise harboring little more than the worry of a small critter. He did agree, for a city, something was off, but it was hardly notable given he wasn't afraid of anything. There spirit was more curious than anything else. The city seemed to sparkle as the evening came. It stood as surprising that a dragon had never come to cover the jewel. He looked down to the little hen, ears swiveling forward as they crossed the street.

 

"Yes, well I prefer to use my magic to remove the offending objects, or turn them into something more useful~" quite tickled by the idea of mischief. 

 

When she notes one could meet more ponies while walking it caused him to wonder. Looking down he would ponder the prospect. He did not often walk. Was that perhaps the err in his ways? He lowered to the ground letting his hind talon and hoof touch first before, finally, his large paw came down to support his torso. He wings spread up off his body to help with his balance as he ambles along to keep pace with the little loon. He wasn't used to walking all that much, but he was not incapable of such! He did have an awkward step between his hoof and talon die to the hoof being of longer length.

 

They would all soon arrive at the gates of the amusement park! The bright lights that made the entry arch glitter danced with reds and blues. The clamor of ponies having fun sounded like the roar of the ocean, the smell of the beach still quite strong from this distance. The ticketpony sat in his booth. They were a young earth stallion, orange fur and a brown mane. He seemed quite proud in his ticket duties. The raccoon reached up to tug at Discord's feathers and chattered worriedly. The spirit moved to pick up the coon and sat the furred bandit on his head.

 

"My hat shouldn't need to pay for entry." He assured!
 

[Gerrard]

Aquaria was not a child by any means, although her demeanor often did a lot to convince ponies of otherwise! Her striped tail wagged excitedly as the pair wandered through the streets. She of course lived here, and wandered the streets often, but that didn't mean she traveled far from the beach regularly. Aquaria's eyes were wide as they traveled through the city. Rose colored orbs sucked in the lights of her surroundings as the lifeguard absorbed the nightlife that often went unnoticed! There were neon signs and brightly covered billboards that radiantly shone in the darkening moonlight. Her sense of wonder seemed limitless, the loons maw agape with awe at her surroundings! Then when her eyes spotted the park, she couldn't stifle an excited quack as she suffered a fit of happy feet, paws and talons rapidly stomping the ground as she struggled to hide her reaction to the setting!

 

"I haven't been here in a million years! I was the tiniest little filly the last time I was here," she declared excitedly before her gaze caught the movement of a racoon behind her. Ria was quite prone to hyperbole though, a year or 10 being similar amounts of time to her, not to mention her species being something different that her misguided quote! Before Discord could bother to correct her though, she spotted the racoon scamper up her friend before hiding under his hat. She remembered the price signs at the park and remembered it only asked for young, adult or senior ponies. There was never a mention of pets, and she assumed it was technically okay, the lifeguard leaning against her much taller and older chaperone. The pair eventually reached the front gate of the amusement park and were greeted with a sign decorated in jubilant looking ponies. They were all engaged in play, and seemed to be as generic and inoffensive as possible, one of each type of pony celebrating a fun time in a nondescript location. Her eyes looked at the prices, 5 bits for foals, 20 bits for adults and 10 bits for seniors!

 

The pony at the ticket booth looked old and grumpy, seemingly stranded in this location, stuck being surrounded by those more happy than himself. He was a pegasus with greying feathers and wings, his pale eyes looking for any reason to dissect the tales of potential customers. Upon seeing him, the lifeguard recoiled slightly, intimidated by his stern appearance. Although she did not actually shrink, the diver looked smaller as she minimized her appearance in fear! "Uncle Disco, I don't think that he is willing to play any games. He might be a ruff and gruff pony," she warned while the pair walked up to the window. Aquaria gulped nervously and looked to her new best friend for guidance, expecting this pegasus to scuttle their plans!

[RexDraco]

 

Lights, sounds, smell and all the interesting textures such as cotton candy and funnel cake: the fairgrounds had the ability to assault all of the senses with delightful enticements and alluring temptation. The music, while repetitive and dreary, it wasn't difficult to see how ponies could head about the place for hours upon hours and not be driven mad by the constant, looping cycle of bells and chimes. The games were rigged just enough so it was challenging to earn a prize. Rides were coupled with food to create nauseating turbulence that locked the stomach tight, rejecting the sugar coated treats only to further entice the purchase of sweets to dilute the rumbling pain of G-Force flight outside of flight school. 

 

Discord looked over as Aquaria became excited, almost wiggling out of her feathers. When they would cross the arch it would be like stepping into a totally different world. The lights and colors that filled his senses put a glint of mischief in those mismatched eyes. Oh the inventive nature of ponies was something to be admired. "A million you say?" He rumbled. "That is far too long a time to go without a fun time. Shall we make up for all of it than?!" Oh this was grand! 

 

He had never been to a pony fair! Let alone one that was always there. He couldn't show too much excitement, or that would reveal his obvious inexperience. The gloomy Pegasus seemed to have a wall of clouds overhead as he lamented the fun times he wasn't having. The spirit's hat, who was the raccoon in question, had curled himself atop the draconequus' head. When eyes met the pair of mismatched hooligans he would narrow his sharp, wise eyes and snort. Poor Ria was terrified and ducked beneath Discord with such speed he has not expected such and fluffed up in surprise, the chill running from his tail up to his ear, causing the raccoon hat to jump a bit. It was quote memorizing to watch his feathers bristle upward like that, the way the brown color rippled like a brook. 

 

Discord and the ticket pony caught eyes. Back and forth, the pair would hold their staring contest. Discord pushes to stand on his hind legs, a cowpony outfit manifesting over his form. With a two gallon hat on the raccoon he was indefinitely quite absurd. A piece of wheat poked out of his lip as he tightened it, gaze narrowing. In the background tense flute music began to whistle as a tumbleweed rolled across the way between them. The raccoon-- er, hat, was sitting up playing the song on a small flute. The ticketpony snorted at the spirit's challenge. Discord had manifested a hat on his head and a sheriff's badge on his chest.

 

There was only room in the amusement park -- for 100 ponies.

 

"45 bits." He hovered his hoof over the button for the ticket.

 

Discord's red eyes darted to the button and back to the pony's face, his muzzle scrunching up as his paw digits wiggled. His red tail flopped on the ground around the hiding griffon. He had to play this just eight. The holster on his hip seemed empty, yet it hovered over it as if he had a play in mind. The ticket pony's brow twitched, a bead of sweat condensing against the line. Discord's oversized cowpony boots squeaked under the weight of him shifting. Whipping out his paw he snapped over his holster and tossed the identity card at the counter, only for the ticket pony to catch it in hoof to read it. 

 

"Senior discount." Discord snarled, pointing his sharp claws at the pony. Indeed it seemed so. The card marked him as the immortal chaos god, age… infinity. Discord pointed to the raccoon. "This is a hat." The raccoon pointed to the hat on his own head.

 

After a tense moment the ticketpony chuckled and pressed his button, the machine spitting out two tickets. "Well alrighty cowpoke. Thirty bits." He seemed to have been amused with the showdown, the little game pushing out of his mundane week.

 

The raccoon jumped off the spirit's head and set down the bits. The ticketpony passed over the tickets and waved his hood. "Y'all have fun now." He offered.

 

Discord trotted inside, moving to waddles on hind legs. He kept mindful of Aquaria's earlier advice. You meet more ponies walking. And boy were there plenty of ponies at the fairgrounds. Some folks were pulled away when the spirit strode by, others were taking pictures. With the outfit gone and the raccoon holding open the accordion map, the spirit would ponder the rides. He held out his paw, but tucked it away. There was so much he didn't know. Looking to Aquaria his ears pinned back. Brilliant idea…

 

"Since you haven't been here in well over a million years, why not pick the first ride." Once he was used to things he could have a go. He would rather not make a fool of himself. He much preferred the role of a clown. Far more artistic prestige.

[Gerrard]

Aquaria watched Discord in awe as he stared down the evil ticket pony. She wondered if they were about to fight, but soon realized that her friend had crushed the spirit of the evil pony and converted him into a permanent ally. Her eyes went wide as the pair parted ways. The lifeguard dashed after him and leaned up with her neck and whispered with her usual playful tone! "Disco, you are so brave! You're my hero," she explained with a smile while wrapping the spirit up in her powerful grabbers! She was more interested in Discord than the ponies, but the playful carnival music of her environment quickly brought the griffoness back into reality!

 

"Oh, well, if you want my opinion, we should go for the scariest ride first. If you survive it, everything else will be easy, right? Uh, the scariest ride is that one," she explained excitedly, hopping up and down! Her talon pointed to a ride that was as tall as any sky scraper. "This ride drops you until you reach terminal velocity! That means MAXIMUM fall speed," she remarked with a giggle as the terrified ponies screamed at the top of their lungs, certain of their demise! She saw them all flailing towards their doom, only to be saved at the last possible moment. Her heart beat uneasy, but her resolve did not falter, Aquaria was brave, but she was even more foolhardy than anything!

 

She looked up at Discord, almost like a foal longing to play with her favorite parent. "Try not to cry when we fall, okay," she explained while leading him up to the ride, a mischievous looking unicorn at the controls. "Can you take it easy on us? My uncle here is a senior after all," she remarked excitedly, squeezing Discord in a manner that would embarrass most ponies. The unicorn nodded, but devlishly smirked, cranking the intensity to maximum. He was going to scare the feathers off Aquaria, but she was too nice and gullible to notice!

[RexDraco]

 

How entertaining! He hadn't expected the old pony to be a cowpony fan! One supposed you could always tell a die-hard fan. He played along and even spared a laugh. The price was fairly negotiated in return for the short game. The spirit blinked and looked to Aquaria, her deceleration of him being her hero caught him off guard. His paw and claws wiggled as he stood on his haunches. He dispersed his outfit before letting his brows furrow. His paw tucked against his body as his claws pressed to his feathery covered chest. That long neck pulled back his head as he snorted.

 

"A hero? Me?" He had never played the role of a hero in his games before. "Well I am… great." He let his ego grow.

 

Even in his Ogres and Oubliettes his role was a bit shady at best. A dashing rogue needn't a heroic calling. It was sort of nice being called a hero. He flinched feeling the griffon rush against him, but when he realized it was just a gentle hug he would retune it. He watched as she backed up and fluffed up as he lowered to all fours. Leading the griffon into the park he looked around. There had to be something exciting to do!

 

There were certainly many rides and fun games to play. Who would have thought such a chaotic place existed? But it was all thanks to him right? Certainly chaos couldn't exist on its own like this. There had to have been a spark. He drifted in his thoughts, padding alongside the Griff as he pondered what they could do. The female piped up, causing Discord's attention to turn. Aquaria suggested they find something scary so she gave offer to a most death-defying ride that, promising that it was the maximum of all fast rides! Honestly her excitement was infectious and caused him to hold a great deal of anticipation for the ride.

 

As Aquaria held him, squishing him so, the male chuckled. "Yes, yes. My age clearly surpasses all." He caught eye with the controller, the spirit's ears folding back.

 

The unicorn levitated the PA's mic to his muzzle. With a crackle of electricity his voice carried over the riders. "Please keep all hooves, tails, wings and claws inside the ride at all times." He grinned.

 

Something was amiss. 

 

Climbing into the car for the ride Discord sat and waited for Aquaria. Since the raccoon was too small so stayed behind, settling on the console with the controller to watch. Discord looked to Aquaria. He had a strange feeling. His ruby eyes narrowed sharply at the ride attendant. The unicorn smirked and pulled the lever back, the cart with its full load of riders clicked as slowly claimed to the top.

 

click click click

 

The gears carried the car up and up, ponies on the ride chattering on how they were high. From where they were one could see for miles. Something was terribly not right. Discord used his paw to pull back his coat of feathers, reaching on to pull out his binoculars. Looking down at the console he could see the settings set rather maximum for the ride. While that coincided with what Aquaria had said… he looked to the little bird and took her talking with his own. Maybe it would be just fine. Not scary. Just a drop. It'd be like falling out of the sky, which seemed no problem for one not coerced by gravity.
 

[Gerrard]

Aquaria looked over to Discord in awe. The griffoness knew he was secretly a hero no matter what he might proudly declare. Previously bad ponies couldn't come to terms with how great they were! A smile spread across her face as she looked across to Discord, the lifeguard just glad to be with his chaotic buddy! The clicking noises of the ride filled the air, snapping her back to reality! Her paws wiggled excitedly as Ria looked on, but soon her brow raised in concern. "Disco, easy setting should have been this high, or this high. Or maybe even that high," she remarked nervously as the edged closer to the top of the ride tower. She shivered visibly, clearly looking scared, the griffoness an admittedly poor flyer on her own part. Ria didn't want to alarm Discord and kept a stiff, if not slightly quivering upper beak!

 

There wasn't even a reprieve to catch their breath at the top. Suddenly, without warning, it fell at the instant it peaked, there was a feeling in the air, a dangerous feeling! Ria felt gravity pull the ride down faster than she was! This weightlessness was terrifying, it felt like they were falling to their doom for an uncomfortably long time! The terrified squawk of a bird in her last moments filled the air as her wings tried in vain to break free of her prison! "Ahhhhh, I'm so sorry," she cried out as their doom was all but certain! The ride was in all actuality safe, but her brain didn't know that, her chest heaving wildly as the bird tried in vain to save herself!

[RexDraco]

The ride climbed to the top. The view was quite nice. You could better see below how the ponies scurried about the carnival and the self-defying acts they partook in. How rare it was to see a pony face his fear, or for her to try something new. Even without him chaos seemed prevalent in their lives. It did make him feel obsolete, but in the same they were developing and growing. If ever they became like kingdoms of the past and ceased to change: he would have no choice but to return to his more cataclysmic roots.

It was not to say he would do such with the malicious intent he found himself with when he first faced the defiant ponies who wouldn't, unquestionably, accept him as their greater, a being who knew better than them. Oh it was all in good fun, but he could see now he had just, simply, taken it too far. Yes up here one could forget that there were ponies that just did not know how to stop repeating the same mistake. He perhaps could learn to properly balance his desire to turn both social and natural order upside-down, but he was far from it and still made mistakes or found trouble in overcoming his own pride. After all, he had spent several hundred of a pony's lifetimes earning this power.

Discord felt uncomfortable in these seats as they were built for ponies and similarly sized beings. As a draconequus he not only outweighed most ponies, but his height along could as easily disbar him from rides as they would to allow him. He noodly form had difficulty finding purchase in the seats, causing him to wiggle. When Ria said they were much higher than they should have been. The other ride occupants too became worried. He looked over only to find he was floating, his body defying the forced drop. He curled upside-down and watched as the ride plummeted with its screaming occupants.

"What the?!" It seemed this was not a very fun ride, but it was likely due to a nefarious intention.

It seems that Ria wasn't having fun and that was what he came here to do with his new friend. he glared down at the operator. So, he wanted to go fast, did he? The spirit narrowed his eyes and gave his claws a snap. The operating Unicorn and Griffon would find themselves swapped. Aquaria was now at the controls with the operator's orange suit and the operator now in Ria's place, shouting at the sudden swap! The chaotic spirit curled back his lips in a grin and chuckled.

He appeared behind the grounded duckcat. "My you are right. This is quite a fun ride." He grinned as the unicorn was in tears and shaking by the end of it.

He would check if Ria was well. He didn't want her upset, such to force her to stop playing with him. He held out his paw, deciding if he should touch her. He didn't know how to deal with crying mares and he did not think a crying Griffon would serve him much better.

"Do you wish to perhaps try a less complicated ride? Mayhaps something puzzling? Like that." He pointed to the Hall of Mirrors.
 

[Gerrard]

Ria loved fun as much as the next pony, but this was too much. Her brain was sure that she was going to splat into the ground at one million miles an hour! Ria felt the weightlessness of flight with the torture of confinement, and quacked loudly in horror, her rose colored eyes saucer sized as she stared doom down on the descent! As soon as Aquaria was sure that the end had arrived, a flash of light entered her eyes while the lifeguard was magically switched with the operator! There was now a griffoness in a orange suit squawking loudly at the controls. It took a few seconds of aimless screaming before she realized where she was.

 

Her eyes stared at the control panel as her brain tried to decipher the device. After looking for too long, she realized where the power was and powered down the ride. Although the mean pony may have deserved a good ride, she was too worried about all the other ponies and had to save them! Her lifefguard instincts were too powerful to be blinded by the desire for revenge! Once the ride slowed down, Ria looked over to Discord, no longer screaming or crying as her floof had expanded two fold to partially hide her face. She felt bad for the bully unicorn, but smiled as her DIscord appeared and offered an alternative.

 

When asked about something less complicated, she nodded in agreement. "Yah, I like rides that I don't have to control! Still not sure how they made me switch places with the ride operator. That is a great trick. How do you think they did it Disco?" she commented in a cheerful manner. It was quite clear that the strange hybrid had no idea what his magic did. "You want to go the hall of mirrors? Be careful, there is a crazy duck who waves at you there. If you try to surprise her, she counter attacks and it is impossible to dodge. Be careful Disco, she might catch you," she warned in a concerned tone. The lifeguard wrapped herself around his arm while delivering her warning. Her innocence was endearing to say the least!

[RexDraco]

The spirit could not say he was never like that operater. He had always liked testing a pony's limitation by finding an extreme for them to experience. Had he been like he was was the mad noodle would have most likely found joy in adding to the disorder and madness produced by the ponies, but he now had a moral rectitude to abide by, which was much harder to do than one thought. The temptation was there though. The amateurish prank had created a desire in the spirit to correct it and make it better. There was no fun in terrorizing ponies if there was no beneficial outcome, even if it was entertaining. Without a goal it was purposeless troublemaking.

 

The spirit grinned as he swapped the griffon and pony. Now this had purpose. Pitting the bird's moral values against the chance at revenge against a single figure that caused her distress. This was how one created proper dilemma. She now had to choose to to unto him, as he had to her … or forgive it. It was quite rare to see the latter. Vengeance was oft times a common theme for the morally grey. If it would restore their honor: the possibility of partaking in an act of requital would indefinitely increase. Aquaria had that opportunity in her talons. All she needed was to push the lever forward, at least once she stopped hollering. Teleporting always did have that momentary lag on a pony's (and apparently griffon's) senses.

 

Though in a panic, and quite fluffed out from her ordeal, the griffon didn't let that diffuse her good nature and concern for the other riders which, for many, would have been expendable collateral in a call for vengeance. The little quacker had power over her pony oppressors and yet chose to forgive. It was almost endearing. Almost. 

 

He reached out his right paw to pat her shoulder. "Oh you know those magicians and their sleight of hoof. Very clever, always showing off." He moved to turn and walk with her. "But they're--" while he could consider bursting her bubble on the matter, declaring the mirrors mere reflections… he could have a little fun. "…a challenge." He proceeded. "You're supposed to challenge them. They're your dopplegangers. So long as you fail to pass their tests they won't let you pass through their shortcuts. You have to use your cleverness to oppose them, not brute force." Yes yes. The perfect game.

 

The spirit blinked when she cuddled into his right arm. Oh… he reached his claw down to give her a pat. This was odd. She was unexpectedly cuddly, for a griffon. They were usually quite unfriendly. Usually. To the hall of mirrors! Of course Discord was no vamppony legend and didn't have a reflection. He certainly did, even if it was oddly distorted due to his being Discord. But now came the true test. Would the bird find way to challenge her, and his, reflections or use her head?
 

[Gerrard]

Aquaria was indeed a good bird, always trying to be the best griffon she could be! She followed him over to the hall of mirrors, worried that her doppelgangers were nice griffons or ponies. She stood at the base of the stairs, and took a deep breath, the bird poofing her cheeks out in defiance! The lifeguard knew that she had to brave if she wanted to stand any chance!

 

With a careful step, the hybrid walked up the stairs, pausing as she saw her twin sisters, a funny looking duck tiger on both her left and right. Her tail wagged excitedly, Aquaria giggled, finding her mirror image far too entertaining. "Be careful Disco, you never know when one of these weird zebrageese might attack," she warned excitedly. For as genuine as she might have been, fear was rather alien to her, the lifeguard's tail wagging wildly as she looked at her evil counterparts. She walked into the hall seeing the first mirror at the entrance! It contained the tiny version of her, the cutest grifflet ever staring back at her. Aquaria tried to get in a battle pose but couldn't giggling and cooing as she gently pawed at the cute mirror creature.

[RexDraco]

He wouldn't tease the bird about her fear, but the shaky expression on the operator's face was priceless. He was shaking, afraid of what could have been! He had the fates to thank seeing that the young duck-tiger was a pure hearted individual. There never seemed to be a shortage of bad ponies and where could possibly be. Though a funny prank, it was not so hilarious if not everypony was laughing. He had seen first paw a joke was only worth it if everypony had a good giggle in the end. He gave the stunned pony a smirk and led Aquaria off to their next destination. A giant sign had clearly showed where the Hall of Mirrors sat among the many festivities competing for attention. Lights, announcers, scammers, dancers! Anything bright, moving and loud would be used to catch the eye of passing patrons because the more tickets gathered meant the more chance their attraction would be part of the show next year! 

 

Many ponies came to work only part time at these more permanent carnivals, but sometimes traveling bohemians came by and by to become part of the show. Their stay and pay wholly depended on their popularity and what those were willing to pay. Sometimes two bits for a cherry was far too expensive while, other times, it was enough to get to see the spectacle being advertised! It all seemed a perfect venue for a creature so chaotic. You never knew what was going to happen or what you were going to see. Even a hall of mirrors seemed appropriately disorienting, but being that he has never been to one he couldn't be sure what he would find in there!

 

He walked along beside the Griffon and entered the attraction, and my my was it attractive. Mirrors with nothing but images of him, but more over: they were distorted mirror worlds of him and other hims. It seemed Aquaria was not kidding that it was full of other yous. Though there was a strange feeling seeing a twisted form of yourself when you were so used to being handsome. Some were stock and short, while others looong and twisted. He stepped forward, with those uneven steps, towards the mirror with the little Aquaria. Ash e stepped forward there was a littler him! He pressed his forepaw to his chest, jaws dropping. He had never seen... himself so small before.  It made him a little uneasy.

 

"Are these really just mirror images?" He walked forward and looked around the corner, to see if the mirrors had a back to them, but it was just more mirrors. Such a place could easily disorient younger foals or pets who didn't quite grasp the concept of the self.  "Maybe we should go this way?" He pointed down the way and moved to walk. 

 

It was called a Mirror Maze for a reason. They may run into other ponies, or other griffons, but more over they may run into different versions of themselves! The exit wasn't far, but it seemed so with all these -- yous in the way! They had adventure to face!! Onward!!

[Gerrard]

Aquaria's tail was wagging fiercely as she stared across to the tiny grifflet. Her thoughts about adorable tiny pets slowly started to wander off into darker thoughts as she realized something important. "Disco. All of these noodles and ducks are trapped in the mirrors!  None of them can escape. Are we trapped to? I think we might be stuck in mirrors, look they are all around us! I hear that mirrors steal your soul or was it your magic if you look at them too long," the ducktiger whined in a concerned voice, clearly overthinking things as she started to panic! The life guard leaped up into Discord's arms and covered his face in a panic, blinding him as she draped her lithe form over his body!

 

"You are staring too much Discord. I think they might be trying to replace you. Nobody can escape the mirror realm, magic doesn't work there because it is like special," she reasoned aloud, her logic nonexistent as she clearly had no idea what she was talking about. Her mind was sometimes a spiderweb of completely unrelated thoughts, connected only vaguely from a simple origin. She tried to steer Discord from atop his form, the hybrid awkwardly turning his head to try and get him going in another direction. In addition to being moderately crazy, she clearly wasn't a good driver either, pointing him at a larger mirror that mostly resembled them. When she spotted both of them in that mirror, she squawked in playful terror! "Ah, if you walk into it, they will body snatch us. Ahh, there is a tiger on you Disco, watchout," Aquaria added in fear, tail wagging wildly as it became unclear if she was scared or having fun!

[RexDraco]

It was like finding a whole new word. "Well with so many options wasting a wish would be preposterous." He manifested what appeared to be white, loose clothing and a turban topped with a blue feather. "I hear if you had enough magic you could make a wish on a mirror, though they always come out reversed." The chaotic noodle snapped his claws and cleared the clothing from his form.

 

Mirrors were quite interesting in that sense. Being fantastic conduits for magic the possibility with their reflective surfaces were endless. The uses for magical applications also seemed to depend on their age, where they were made and the right magic word. They had that ability to be used as portals to other worlds, but not all mirrors could be so easily enchanted. That was a fantastic prospect. Though the mirrors in this room were as ordinary as a bale of hay, he still found the idea enchanting. When Aquaria dictated the trapped state of their reflections he smirked.

 

"Well of course. It is a whole different world beyond the mirror, full of everything we don't have! What do you think they mimic us? It's all a trick!" Of course the joke wouldn't be complete without one of Aquaria's reflections sitting and waving a claw at her. "They don't need our magic, they have far too much of their own." He had to admit the griffon was a lot more clever than he first thought.

 

Maybe she only played the fool, as he did. It was hard to determine if she was a genius or a true idiot behind those feathers and floof. He suddenly found himself covered in griffon! He stiffened as he tried to keep his balance, raising his hoof off the ground as his tail touched ground to balance. He blinked and parted some of the fur and feathers to peek out from beneath the bird-cat. He felt his head suddenly shifted and he would beep like a vehicle, the sound of switching gears in his form as he was turned and nearly run right into another mirror. The spirit made a displeased expression and held out his paw, a notepad appearing while atop his head not rest a police cap, and a blue, uniform shirt over his chest complete with a badge.

 

"Going to have to ticket you there for reckless draconequus driving." As he scribbled the ticket, mirror Aquaria reached out and snatched the pad, crushing it. 

 

Now that perhaps was the straw that incapacitated the camel, because it was most horrifying. It was perhaps Discord's magic helping along, but with mirrors could install truly ever tell? Regardless of who was actually at fault was irrelevant. Mirror Aquaria was quite rude!  The spirit would not take kindly to the loss of his ticket book!

 

Discord floofed up and put his paw to his chest, the uniform vanishing. "Well, I never." Clearly offended. Aquaria's comment was a bit more on the. She perhaps realized. "Well that would mean we'd have to run through and not let them reach us!" He pointed to the exit in the distance.

 

A gauntlet of mirrors! It was Aquaria versus the world! Oh and uncle Disco. He'd hurry along as well as it was so much fun in here!