Meanwhile…
Luna stood vigilant on her balcony, as she had every night from dusk until dawn with her green eyes slowly and methodically scanning the heavens. Her sentinels stood silent in the dark corners of her quarters with a degree of alertness surpassed only by Luna herself. They acquitted themselves well to the circumstances, such loyalty is not unappreciated, she thought to herself. If only we were all so strong.
Luna had been made aware of Celestia’s plan to reform Discord those many days ago, though she had not agreed with it. But in the end it was her decision to make, and Luna didn’t begrudge Celestia’s choice when it went against her recommendation. The princess of the night had retired for the day and had managed to sleep blissfully for several hours before the effects of a powerful spell brushed against her senses enough to wake her. About an hour later her head had nearly exploded as another spell was cast from within the castle.
Luna was wise enough to realize that something was amiss, and immediately galloped to the court chamber to ascertain just what was happening. The court itself was nearing riot conditions upon her arrival, and the fear was clearly apparent on every face there. The petitioners were screaming questions and crying out while the guards maintained order. The royal guard themselves were too disciplined to show it, but fear was in their eyes as well.
Celestia’s Solar Throne had been obliterated, the ornate golden throne and furnishing melted into a pile of slag at the head of the chamber. Several of the banners hanging behind the throne burned and smoldered, and some of the guards themselves looked thoroughly singed. Strangely enough, the one thing that caught Luna’s attention was a half-burnt letter in danger of being trampled by the panicking petitioners. She had telekinetically yanked the scrap of paper off the floor, and her eyes widened as she saw the first three words.
Twilight is gone.
Luna did not have the time to inquire of the origin of the letter before the sun plummeted from the sky, only for it to reappear on the eastern horizon a moment later. The Solar Court descended into pure panic before a shout from Luna drew the attention of the room. And just as order was on the precipice of being restored, Celestia returned.
The sound of her teleport was an order of magnitude louder than Cloudsdale’s loudest thunder clap, and it accompanied a wave of heat and physical force that knocked everypony off their hooves. Luna was the first to recover, and what she saw filled her with a degree of dread she had felt only once before. The power of Celestia’s teleport had ignited the red carpet leading up to her throne, as well as cracking the marble floors beneath her hooves. Each hoofstep thundered all the more loudly for the silence that now filled the court as the petitioners and guards alike saw what Luna dreaded.
Celestia wasn’t angry, nor was she livid. Such words paled in comparison to the expression on her face and the emotion in her eyes. She was wrathful, and magical energy radiated from her like flames from the sun itself. Nopony present had ever seen Celestia in such a state. Nopony except Luna.
“Captain,” Celestia boomed as she approached her guard contingent, “The Solar Court is adjourned. Muster your troops and return here in ten minutes for your briefing. Do not be late.” The guard captain, a unicorn with enough bulky muscle to put most earth ponies to shame, rapidly agreed and galloped away with almost indecent haste. The rest of the room remained paralyzed in horror at the spectacle before the Princess of the Sun swept her godlike glare across them. Without saying a word, the order had been given: get out.
“Luna, we have much to discuss. Prepare yourself,” Celestia ordered, and the two princesses vanished in a burst of golden light to discuss matters of grave importance that were not meant to be heard by lesser ears. That was the public story, anyway.
The sound of her chamber doors opening brought Luna back to the present, and she silently chastised herself for allowing her mind to wander to the past. Thankfully she hadn’t lost her place in the night sky, and she had to force herself not to turn and address the new arrival. A faint whisper filled the chamber followed by the sounds of hooves as two of her sentinels intercepted the interloper. “Princess Luna has asked not to be disturbed,” they hissed in hushed tones.
“Stand down,” Luna ordered without looking back, “I have been expecting this one.” The sentinels wordlessly returned to their roosts and the clip-clop of hooves approached Luna before stopping a respectful distance behind her. “You’ll have to forgive me for not addressing you face to face, per se, Shining Armor. I’m afraid I cannot afford to allow my current activities to be interrupted.”
“I understand, Your Highness,” Shining Armor replied, “Princess Cadance and I arrived in the capitol only recently. She is speaking to the Lunar Court now, so I felt it best to report to you personally.”
“Your haste is appreciated. I can understand that this is an inconvenience for both of you to return so suddenly during your efforts to help the Crystal Empire.” Luna nodded, though her eyes remained locked onto whatever distant point she was surveying while delaying the inevitable.
“We were happy to help in any way we could, though we are concerned. Some of the rumors we’ve been hearing recently have been conflicted, and Twily hasn’t written me back yet,” Shining said, and his questioning tone continued, “I am also glad for any excuse to travel with my wife but I’m not certain I should be here when I could be helping the Crystal Empire prepare for the Equestria Games.
“I’m afraid recent events do concern you, though indirectly.” Luna explained, before swallowing to clear her nervousness, “Sentinels, disperse.” Without a word or moment’s hesitation, the Sentinels took wing and vanished into the night’s sky to leave Luna and Shining Armor alone. “Brace yourself, what you are about to hear may be shocking.”
And so Luna began to retell the tale that Celestia had told her. Discord was to be reformed, and was left in the hooves of the Elements of Harmony. The plan had gone awry when Twilight fell for a trick and vanished. This caused a brief bout of outrage from Shining, but he clamped down on his outburst to allow Luna to continue.
After receiving a hurried letter from Spike and the girls, Celestia had ‘departed’ Canterlot to investigate just what had happened, only to return and muster the guards and assign a garrison to Ponyville before sequestering herself in her quarters to ‘resume the search for Twilight during the daytime hours’ while Luna continued the search at night.
A long moment passed as Shining mulled over the explanation. Luna had just started to panic under the possibility that he hadn’t accepted her retelling of events but was saved by his next question, “And where is Discord? I haven’t heard anything about him breaking loose, and Twily said he was never one for being subtle.”
Luna let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding before continuing her explanation. “Celestia’s quick action ensured Discord’s containment near Ponyville. Without all the Elements I’m afraid he can no longer be petrified in stone, but Celestia devised a clever prison to contain him, and the garrison at Ponyville will ensure the prison will not be met with outside interference. He…refuses to reveal Twilight’s location, or return her to Equestria. He has insisted to this day that she remains unharmed, and as far as my sister and I can determine he is correct.”
The unicorn let out a relieved breath; Luna suspected it was more about the confirmation of his sister’s continued existence than the containment of Discord. “Twily’s safe, wherever she is. Have you been able to find her? Any trace, any lead at all?”
“Celestia continues to search every inch of Equestria that her sun can see, and I search the night skies. As I said, we can still feel her presence. She still lives, though she is very far away.”
“How far away?” Shining asked, disbelief coloring his voice now, “Where could Discord have sent her that the sun can’t reach it?”
Luna considered for a long moment before answering with a question of her own. “Shining, what is Equestria?”
“It’s our nation.”
“And what is our nation when combined with our neighbors, and their neighbors, and the lands beyond them, and the oceans in between?”
This answer came less quickly, “The total of all the nations, lands and oceans make our world.”
Luna nodded again without moving her eyes. “And what of the moon and the sun? What is there when they are all combined?” When the answer wasn’t apparently, Luna smiled and answered herself, “The astronomers call it a ‘solar system’. Tell me, Shining Armor, do you feel that this arrangement of stars, moons, worlds, continents, oceans and nations is unique? That out of all the lights in my night sky, ours is the only one with a star with a world nearby? That our world is the only one with creatures that think and live as we do?”
“…oh.” Was Shining’s only response after a long moment, and Luna had no doubt that he was now looking up at the stars with newfound wonder and appreciation. “So she’s out there, somewhere. How do you know she’s alright? What if Discord sent her somewhere filled with savages and monsters? What if—“
“Shining Armor,” Luna didn’t shout, but for the command in her voice she could have screamed the words. Instantly the unicorn fell silent and Luna could feel his eyes on her, and she struggled inwardly as to what she could say to calm him. “Shining, did I ever tell you how I met Twilight? My dear sweet sister decided the time for my grand introduction to the modern world would be on the holiday celebrating my… darker days,” Luna could hear Shining’s groan of comprehension as the implication for Celestia’s motivation became clear.
Rather than dwell on that, Luna continued, “I arrived in Ponyville to find the celebration already underway, and my attempts to ingratiate myself with the populace were met with apprehension. You were captain of the guard at the castle at the time, you no doubt are aware of the behavior of the staff. My return was... less than welcomed.” The looks of fear she had inspired in her servants still filled her with guilt, but the next part of the story made Luna smile, “Only one pony in Ponyville spoke to me of her own free will, and that was your sister. She helped me more than I dared hope, Shining, and she and I would share the occasional letter of social and scientific nature.”
Shining’s chuckle was heartfelt, “That does sound like Twilight. I hope she didn’t bother you too much, Princess.”
“No, no!” Luna interrupted, and she nearly looked down to Shining Armor but stopped herself, “I worry that if anyone was a bother, it was me. You may not realize this, but she was the first friend I had made after returning from the moon; the first friend I have had in a thousand years. I won’t argue that Celestia has been wonderful but there was always the nature of our previous parting that hung over us; that we had each done terrible things to the other. So much history, so many wounds.”
“But Twilight, dear Twilight, cared not a whit for that terrible past. She cared about me, personally. Not the monster I was, not the royalty I am now, just… me.” A long moment of silence passed and Luna had to resist facehoofing after unloading that many personal thoughts onto Shining Armor. “Forgive me, without Twilight it seems you must bear the brunt of my personal quandaries.”
“It’s alright, Princess,” Shining said, and Luna felt that she could believe him, “Believe it or not, I have a bit of experience dealing with the personal problems of princesses.”
They both shared a chuckle at that before silence fell between them again. “Shining, the reason I share this is because I want you to know why I am searching. I am obligated to search in order to thwart Discord’s plot; I am compelled to search because Twilight is my sister’s student; I will never stop searching because she is my friend.”
“Thank you, Princess,” Shining replied sincerely before turning towards the doors he entered from, “I know for certain that if you are searching, then she will undoubtedly be found.”
“Indeed. One last thing, Shining. What we’ve discussed here, all of it, is to be kept confidential. While I could tolerate any embarrassment about my personal revelations, the nature of Twilight’s disappearance as well as Discord’s return are considered secrets of the state and would cause a panic if publicly known. You may tell Cadance, as she will be working in our stead for public affairs, but no others.”
“I understand,” came the reply, before the door opened and shut.
The moment her privacy was returned, Luna let out a ragged sigh and chastised herself for the number of lies she had just told. When one does not tell the whole truth, it is surely as malicious as a lie.
Upon Celestia’s return, she had teleported herself and Luna into her private chambers. There, the wrathful persona the Princess of the Sun had shown had dissolved into something that had unsettled Luna more than a wrathful Celestia: she began to weep. The erratic movement of the sun had been Celestia sweeping the entire planet for any sign of Twilight, and had come up empty. She had then given Luna the orders for the troops mustering, and their new duties in Ponyville before teleporting her back to the court and hadn’t been seen in public since. She even refused to speak with Luna despite repeated attempts to talk since the incident. Despite Celestia’s shocking polar attitude switch and the news of Twilight’s disappearance, what was probably the most disturbing was Discord himself.
The rampant mayhem that was expected from the avatar of chaos never manifested. Discord was found atop the same hill he had been left on, sitting in a throne of his own conjuration with his paws steepled before him. He had not moved an inch when Luna appeared and questioned, then threatened him. He had not moved an inch when the garrison arrived. He had not moved an inch when Luna had conjured his holding cell around him, nor when the unicorn arcanists inscribed the runes to make the prison permanent. Discord had only responded once when Luna had asked, “What are you waiting for?”
His reply was simple but cryptic, and it haunted Luna's every waking moment since.
“I'm waiting for Twilight to fulfill her end of the bargain.”
Evening folks!
Three things I wanted to bring up with this chapter.
One, I know I'm a bastard for delaying the resolution of the conflicts of the last chapter. If I am a magnificent bastard is up to you, my readers. On a serious note, this is the first of the Meanwhile entries, to reveal what's going on in Equestria. I intend them to be spaced out roughly evenly throughout the story.
Two, this entry was written and submitted sans-proofreader. I did my best to catch everything but I may have missed something along the way. Sorry!
Three, Luna's speech. Not going to lie, if I tried to write her lines in ye olde englishe, it would look like a hatchet job. I tried to make her dialog sound 'proper' but I'm afraid that was the extend of my abilities that I am comfortable with.
And that's it on my end. Let me know what you think!
Yesssssssss. This is indeed most entertaining, and I like that depiction of Discord.
Why do I feel that it's not so much him merely waiting for her to finish her end of the deal however, but also him making sure she can?
Luna could have been a bit stiffer, but her speech was believable enough.
There's a wold that should be world... And another error I'm afraid i forgot as i read the whole story.
you write Equestria as good as you write Earth. I was sort of worried this would be dull compared to the XCOM stuff, but it's not. Bites to not have the cliffhanger resolved, but it's not magnificent bastardry until the cliffhanger is over a character's immediate survival in question.
Update didn't appear in my favorites for some reason
You Tease!!!
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... Just as planned?
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Glad you enjoyed it!
Also, [FAKE SPOILERS] Discord is Tzeentch, and this is ALL ACCORDING TO PLAN. [END FAKE SPOILERS]
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Thanks for the feedback, Arzoo! It's possible she was less stiff than normal due to her interactions with and subsequent worry for Twilight, combined with the stress of the situation she found herself in.
And I'll earn that magnificent bastard title yet, just you wait!
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I think that might be because I borked the chapter when I first created it. Got click happy and published before I actually added the text. >_>;
Discord seems very Q-like here.
Wow, only one utterance and your Discord sounds like the most sinister bastard in the world.
2743880 ditto
And you leave us on another cliffhanger. But I would like to see the ponies taking a look on how Twilight is doing, a look from their POV of what happens with Xcom surely would be interesting, maybe even show the resolution of last chapters conflict from their eyes.
Good intermission. I look forward for the second part, and to see this from the other bearers and Spike's points of view.
Hrm, I like the story, and I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes.
One thought that's bouncing in my head is if humans are going to somehow unlock magic, with either Twilight's help, or simply as a replacement to psionics in the meta-sense of the story. Anyone can see the use of a want-it need it, a someone-else's problem, and short range teleports. On the other hand having Twilight as an ace in the hole squad-buffer works well too.
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I'm glad to hear I achieved a memorable depiction of Discord with just a single line. Well, a single line and and the scene to go with him.
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Yeah, borked the chapter publish.
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The Mane 6 may have a bit part in the future, though only a bit part if at all. If other equestrians are to have more than bit parts, I'm actually going to try and avoid the Mane 6 in favor of minor characters. I do have plans for Spike though.
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Thanks for the comment! And keep on thinking, you never know where it might lead you!
2747658 I would still kinda love the idea of psionics, magic that comes from the mind, not from accessing the worlds mana pool, to be just as alien and impossible in Twilights eyes as her magic is currently for Xcom.
I would prefer that Psionics and Magic are distinct to Humans and Ponies respectively. Part of this is because it gives a practical reason for X-COM to safeguard Twilight Sparkle, because she possesses abilities that neither the Starspawn nor humans can wield. In addition to this, it gives more flavor to help separate humans from ponies, as it gets boring if only one side gets all the cool toys.
Hopefully, we would get to see Molecular Control enter the picture for a sequel to Stardust, though I think that should work a bit differently from Terror from the Deep's interpretation - Molecular Control implies the alteration of matter, not mind manipulation like we have with Psionic abilities. So you would have objects change properties, like transmuting oxygen into fire.
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Anyways, differences between Humans and Ponies in my head-canon:
HUMANS
*Psionic abilities. Eventually possesses Molecular Control via technology.
*Huge population, due to low energy requirements and high birthrate.
*Advanced civilization, superior adaptability in regards to technology.
*Standard physiological form with hands ensures a preference for tool use.
*Moderate level of warlike tendencies.
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PONIES
*Multiple tribes: Epona (Earth Ponies), Unicorns, Pegasi, Crystal Ponies, Lesser Alicorns, and Greater Alicorns. Perhaps more, if other MLP content is considered. Each tribe offers abilities superior to that of a basic human, such as enhanced strength and plant manipulation for Epona.
*Technologically slow. Might be due to the pony tribes possessing superior physical abilities when compared to humans, coupled with small population. May be further compounded by Cutie Marks, by giving an "ideal" role to a pony. You need a lot of minds to think up ideas, and a desire to improve one's lot.
*Physical differences between pony species makes it difficult to mass-produce some items for Equine usage, due to not all pony types needing it. Economy of scale is substantially limited for ponies as an result.
*Expensive energy requirements, preventing the population of the pony tribes from growing quickly.
*Low level of warlike tendencies. Inadequate experience with warfare may lead pony society vulnerable to outside threats, especially with an Unknown Menace or a Terror from the Deep.
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STARSPAWN (real name unknown)
*Comprised of multiple species, presumably lead by one in particular. Candidates for leadership include Outsiders, Etherals, and possibly Deep Ones.
*Highly advanced technologically, but surprisingly lackluster when considering the number of species within the Starspawn ranks. It is possible that most of those races lacked the means to develop technology, and that the Starspawn were hamstrung by a lack of exotic resources such as Elerium. It is possible that the Starspawn force on Earth is an scouting party, equipped with only the bare minimum required to carry out operations.
*Likely to be part of an extremely aggressive empire. The extent of invasive surgical alterations among Starspawn forces and abduction of human subjects is powerful evidence of the hostile nature of the Starspawn. It is probable that the majority of species within their ranks were conquered or domesticated, with the possible exception of the Etherals and Outsiders.
*Potentially capable of having a presence on Equus in addition to Earth. The reach of the Starspawn is currently unknown, other than it is likely far beyond the confines of Sol. May have a base located on Mars, Cydonia.
Sure hope Twilights spell doesn't cause complications in him getting medical attention.
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That seems fairly reasonable all in all, though working just with Enemy Unknown, my take on what the final mission reveals about the aliens is (Colored for spoilers, highlight to see more clearly) The Etherials were a species who were long ago uplifted by another species, but at some point in their development something went wrong. Likewise all the slave races serving them were uplifted by them as test subjects to figure out how to properly advance their stalled development. And the reason for their limited seeming actions on earth was because they wanted to see the effects of providing humanity the means and motivation to self uplift.
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The original game had a base on Mars which housed a biological super-computer. Upon being destroyed, alien operations soon ceased, but that same computer transmitted a signal to Earth, setting up the events in Terror from the Deep. This awoke the underwater city of T'leth, the tomb of an "Ultimate Alien". Fortunately, this lore fits into the storyline of the XCOM remake, as The Ultimate Alien is a good candidate for what the Etherals were aspiring to be.
Yet, there are questions about why T'leth was asleep in the first place - and why did the Starspawn only activated it at the very end of the 1st Alien War? It took at least 40 years for T'leth to become fully active, so there must be a reason why the Starspawn held off on sending the signal. There are three possible reasons to my mind.
1
The first possibility is that T'leth could be drawing on limited resources, making it costly to use. Prolonged operations could render the aliens unable to make ends meet. By letting the city sleep, the aliens were saving up vital resources for an pivotal moment down the road.
2
Another outcome is that The Ultimate Alien sleeping in T'leth was so dangerous, that the Starspawn didn't want it awake. Rather, they wanted to achieve a level of power to rival it. It is possible that the Starspawn were in opposition to the Deep Ones, and were somehow psionically suppressing the Ultimate Alien, but were in a stalemate. The loss of the Cydonia Brain would result in the Ultimate Alien being able to wake up, and for the Deep Ones to operate openly.
3
They worshipped the Ultimate Alien, and wished to be worthy of it. The Starspawn may have been shipping resources to the Deep Ones as tribute, but the destruction of the Starspawn would have resulted in T'leth having to independently seek out resources. Hence, their increasing activity levels over the next forty years.
This story has been on my "Read Later" list for several weeks now and I've only just now decided to read it. Wish I read it when I found it, this story is awesome!
This was updated two weeks ago? Stupid site never let me know.
I was wondering what had gone on back in Equestria. Celestia wrathful? Just once I'd like to see her wail on something/one.
And Discord being hauntingly consistent? That's just creepy... Or maybe he's enjoying the story as much as we are.
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I borked my submit on this story which played haywire with the update system I think.
Nice view on what is going on back in Equestria. Discord was rather interesting in how he's staying true to his deal with Twilight. Luna's talk with Shining Armor was also well done.
Typos/Suggestions:
our wold - our world
populace was met - populace were met
Keep up the great work!
Discord has uttered one of the most badass lines I have ever encountered.
I keep coming back to re-read the wrathful Celestia scene. It is by far one of my favorite scenes in this whole story. It's such a massive shift from how she is portrayed in the dozens and dozens of other stories; they never really show her losing composure beyond more than a scowl.
The fact that her anger produces tangible results in my opinion, makes for a far more interesting read.
I believe the proper term would be planetary or star system, ours is only called a solar system because our sun is named Sol
Wow. Pissed off Celestia is positively terrifying
Discord can count himself lucky that he's as grotesquely powerful as he is and Dr.Vahlen might want to reevaluate her testing protocols...
I like words...
Celestia moved the whole freakin' sun across the world just to look for for Twilight?....
I can't even...
4032660 so generic, so simple! yet so broad and infinitely complex! you fucked my mind good sir/madam/pony-persona/whatever
To be petrified to to be turned to stone. A bit redundant.
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He could always be petrified in terror, or Cake or Terror cake..... mmmm.. rock cake
Well Discord may be many things, but at least he's not an oath-breaker.
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well.... points to season 4 episode 25-26
...he sorta broke one there but he was tricked so dunno if it countsanyway i think Discord is hoping that Twilight wins the bet since if not he get stoned
10# oooo
4408081 Heh... stoned... drugs...
I don't think Luna should have fallen down in the Solar Court along with everypony else. Maybe she took a step back but she should have been able to stay on her hooves.
For her to fall down, everypony else in that room should have been dead from the shockwave.
That isn't wishful fan-worship of Luna, btw. That's show canon. We have a grand total of 3 episodes where an Alicorn is knocked off her hooves (Celestia vs Chrysalis, Celestia vs Nightmare Moon, SSJ3 Twilight vs Tirek). Look at the amount of force required to do so in each.
4632288 iambrony.steeph.tp-radio.de/mlp/gif/nope.gif
Magnificent bastard, definitely. This quick look back at Equestria was EXCELLENT...hope to see more of how they handle the situation.
Ahh, valuable information! This is good. I'm happy you've brought in Shining for this scene because it truly allowed you to take hold of Luna's character and make it your own. How much Luna cares for Twilight was great, and Celestia's reaction to Twilight missing was incredible. I don't want to be within ten, twenty, or a million miles from a wrathful Celestia.
Oooh, a glimpse of what's going on in Equestria. Yes, this is most welcome.
And here I believe is the first instance of a phrase so often repeated in this story that it almost becomes painful when noticed : "almost indecent haste". If I remember correctly the author introduces a few of these overused phrases. I'm considering keeping track of them all this time through just for fun.
Discord hasn't done anything the entire time; it feels like he genuinely wants to be convinced of the power of Friendship (tm), and that he wants her to succeed. Then again, it's Discord, consistency isn't his thing.
5674577 but he is consistency inconsistent
Discord just gone to new level...
This is getting... drama.
Discord doesn't lie to the Six about his deals. He will not act until Twilight has succeeded or failed.
Holy Throne, Celestia's on the warpath, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!
Wow, heavy.
See that's the thing, Discord doesn't truly Lie about his deals does he?