The faintest traces of dawn were poking from behind the curtains on either side of Starlight's bed in the medical wing. Twilight quietly sighed as she cut the spell and left the sun to begin its journey through the sky. Her duty complete, she returned her attention to her friend. Starlight had fallen into a coma almost as soon as they'd removed her from the Citadel, and even with the use of potions and mending spells, she showed no signs of coming around.
In addition to the beating Bedford had given her, she'd expended nearly all of her magic both fighting him and seemingly holding herself together. One of the guards had said her condition compared to when they first found her had worsened at an astonishing rate. New bruises, cuts, and breaks just seemed to pop up all over her once her magic was dispelled.
All of that had eaten up the healing they'd performed, and when mixed with simple, but acute magical fatigue, it was likely Starlight would remain unconscious for days. Days when they desperately needed every available mind working on a solution for the new human-shaped crisis threatening the world.
Twilight watched her friend's chest rise and fall with every quiet breath and then closed her eyes in thought. A few minutes passed in silence before the door opened, and a pair of hooves came trotting in.
"Good morning, Twilight," Fluttershy greeted.
"Hey," she responded, offering only a momentary glance as the smaller pegasus sat beside her before hugging her with a wing. "Where's everypony else?"
Fluttershy leaned into her side. "They're still burying the other Celestia," she replied with a whimper. "I- I just couldn't.. It's awful." Twilight hummed and held her close.
"You said that minotaur lady saw more of," Fluttershy hesitated and screwed her eyes shut. "Those?" A fiery scowl came over Twilight's face at the question.
"Hundreds. All in vats and sleeping," she growled before grunting with shaking her head. "With his world's version of Discord's magic, it's not too implausible that he'd be able to do something like cloning, but.."
She stared ahead for a few moments. "I really didn't want to believe he'd do something so unnatural. So cruel." Silence gripped the room, occasionally broken by Fluttershy's sniffling.
"What are we gonna do?" She finally squeaked.
"If we could pull down one of Eddy's satellites, we could use it to blast the whole system with friendship, couldn't we?" A third voice suddenly offered causing the pair to jolt and stare at the bed. Starlight stretched and rubbed her ear. "We might not be able to get him in his world, but we could at least kick him out of this one." She took a breath and blinked as she met the pair's bewildered faces.
"What?"
Twilight was the first to recover. "How-"
"Don't get too used to it!" Yet another familiar voice interrupted. "I'm not even licensed to practice medicine, you know." The three jumped and whirled to see the voice's owner.
"Discord!" Fluttershy cried before flying up into his chest and hugging him.
"Why, hello, my dear!" The draconequus replied, catching her in his arms and spinning, before slithering out of her hooves with a claw held up. "Ah, but I'm afraid despite how universal your charms are, I must stop you there. I am not the Discord you are familiar with, and so it wouldn't be proper to lead you on any further." Fluttershy recoiled and shared a look with the other ponies.
"I'm from a neighboring world and am here on business. Primarily transport," Discord added. "Speaking of." He stepped to the side, suddenly in a chauffeur's outfit, holding up a gloved claw to another, more unkempt and weary-looking Discord. The second Discord blinked and raised an eyebrow at the first.
"What, no tip?" The first asked with genuine annoyance. When no reply came he huffed. "What a way to run a town. Anyhoo! I can explain everything, so I'll leave myself to do just that. Good luck, everypony!" He stepped past his double and climbed inside a yellow taxi carriage, leaning on the edge with his elbow.
"We need it," he added before tipping his hat and vanishing. The group sat in silence for just a moment before the remaining Discord let out a low sigh and turned to face the ponies, stroking his especially grown-out beard.
"Things have come to a head, haven't they?" He muttered and shook his head. "I explained it to myself before arriving." Fluttershy landed on the floor and looked up at him with confusion as he stared off to the side.
"I had no idea that Outworlder was so... pivotal," he continued.
"Discord," Fluttershy pressed. "What's going on?" The draconequus let out a short laugh before sitting on the floor and giving her a weak smile.
"The game is afoot, as it has always been. But now the third player has finally made their move," his smile vanished. "Or rather, I now recognize the move that has been made."
I anxiously scanned the air around me as I was carried toward Canterlot. Little drones like the ones I made were orbiting and watching me, as well as the individual carrying me.
[So, your Equestria is pretty much a mirror of ours, right?] She asked causing me to grimace and clench my eyes shut. As my hands were on her withers, I felt her head turn to look at me. [So, do you have a 6, too?] I grumbled and slowly opened one eye to meet hers. Unlike the Twilight golem I was familiar with, this one had a strange whimsy in her eyes. Almost child-like, and cheerful without a hint of hostility.
"No," I finally huffed in reply. She tilted her head and looked away.
[Oh,] she said with a sad inflection before perking up. [Well, maybe you can ask our Eddy for my schematics and make one!] I frowned and looked off to the side, down at the valleys far below.
"Maybe," I responded. Slowly, the grassy vistas came to life as we approached the city. Countless machines were skittering to and fro and cycling back to carts and ponies waiting in seemingly predetermined spots. Whether this was a farming routine or something else didn't matter. It was the synchronicity that held my attention. The melding of flesh and machine, working in tandem. Looking up, I scowled at the sight of Canterlot.
Just like the fields, even from this distance that singular rhythm that all the moving parts followed was obvious if you knew what to look for. And I most certainly did. I envisioned it. I concocted it. I schemed for years for something like this.
And at every pass, with every conquest, I never found it. There was always something that strained against the design. Always someone. Always.
That was insulting enough, but as this world's version of KS 6 wheeled down towards the castle gate, it became apparent that this was the same version of Equestria I'd been dreaming of for the last three years. Something I had suspected shortly after arriving, but also deeply dreading the idea of.
That Harmony was as alive and active as my double believed, and could therefore hurl subconscious nagging and chastisements at me was somehow more appealing than what was steadily becoming my reality. The idea that this, all of this, was real. That ideal world I'd glimpsed was real and possible.
And I'd had no part in it.
I was so caught up in my thoughts that I was only faintly aware of KS 6's jostling as she touched down. [Alrighty! We're here!]
I continued to scan the city around me. The clouds above me. The machines and ponies skittering about. The ponies especially caught my eye.
[Hey, you can get off now.]
My eyes drifted forward and spotted a group of guards looking me up and down near the gate. They were in Equestrian uniforms rather than anything I'd ever designed, but there was also a hulking minotaur-shaped golem beside them. It, too, bore the symbol of Equestria on its hull. I let out a low grumble and stood up and off of KS 6, or whatever the hell they called it.
The pony golem clanked in place as it turned to look up at me with a tilted head. [You okay?]
"Where is your maker?" I demanded, folding my arms. "I'm assuming he's who asked you to bring me here." She blinked and stared at me before shrugging.
[Jury's the one who sent me to pick you up,] she replied and began to trot away as the guards approached. [I'm pretty sure Eddy's busy right now.] I recoiled and held my hand out.
"Hey-"
[Well, I hope whatever they wanted you for goes well! Bye!] She chirped before snapping her wings and flying off. I blanched and threw my hands up.
"Hey!"
"Six! Wait!" One of the guards cried. The golem whirled around and looked back down at them before flinching and smacking herself in the head.
[Right! Sorry!] She zipped back down and opened a hatch on her side before drawing out the phase distorter she'd confiscated from me. [Here ya go!] She tossed it to the guard, who fumbled with it in his hooves, before taking off again. I glared at the little machine as it vanished into the clouds before turning my attention to the guards and their hulk. The pair shared a look before the one handling the distorter cleared his throat.
"Right this way, uh, Mr. Bedford, sir?"
"Bedlam."