[center][u]Chapter 21: Caged Birds[/u][/center]

Though painting himself as loud and bombastic in the ring, King Vince's extroversion didn't seem to end
backstage, either. Perhaps he was energized by the excitement that two foreigners brought to his people.
His assistants were certainly eager to keep me upright in their arms. Whatever the reason for his mood,
his courteousness was a welcome relief.

"We're getting your friends settled in the VIP room," the king said, adjusting his tie. "We'll talk business
there."

"I appreciate the escort, Vince," I said with a weak smile. "A bit firm for my liking, but I can appreciate a
woman with a blessed upper body."

"I expect nothing less from my divas," Vince replied, smirking back at me. "I like a woman who can kick
my ass."

Spike scratched his head. "That's...nice."

"Well, I suppose strength of body is just as important as strength of heart," I added, now beading with
sweat as I trembled subtly between the two escorts.

One of the two eyed me with a giggle, squeezing me ever so slightly.

"Don't sweat it, little man," she whispered, wiggling my arm in her embrace. "I've still got my woman's
touch.'

Shockingly, hearing such assurance from a woman whose biceps were as large as grapefruits didn't
prevent me from squirming with mild emasculation.

Fortunately, we reached a star-marked door not but a few moments later. Behind it, my friends sighed at
the sight of us. Juno rushed up to me, her camera-like eye scanning my body with great rapidity as she
searched me for injury. After a quick pat-down, she nodded, turning to the group inside.

“It would appear Master Lance has not sustained any further injuries,” she declared, a tinge of pride in her
tone.

“Well that’s just peachy,” Roughshod muttered. “I admire your bravery, kid. Personally, I wouldn’t have
been anywhere near that ring if I’d have gone through half the crazy stuff you put yourself through up to
that point.”

“At the very least, he’s conscious,” Napalm noted. “It’s actually kind of a miracle, when you think about it.”

“Well, of course it is!” Roughshod snapped back, pointing his cane at Spike. “This madman of dragon
climbs to the top of a steel cage and let gravity drive a stake clear into that steer’s chest! I’m surprised
both of them walked away without a scratch on ‘em, much less Lance.”

I chuckled weakly. “As much as I’d love to watch you two carry on, I’m fading fast as it is. If you’ll make
room, I’d like to finish up our business here and get back on the trail.”
The two divas brought me inside, exchanging teasing looks with the three mares in our midst as they laid
me on the sofa whilst Vince sprawled a map across the table.

“We’ve known about this temple for a good while,” he began, pointing to an outcropping in the middle of a
forest. “Unfortunately, we can’t tell you an awful lot about it; survey teams have tried to get a more
intimate look of the place, but the inside was too cramped for any of my men to get too deep.”

“So what do you know as of now?” Nia asked as she worked her hooves on the individual joints in my
fingers.

“Well, from how far they could get in, the survey team reckons it might have been some kind of animal
sanctuary,” Vince continued, circling around the surrounding forest. “Either that, or it was overrun some
time ago and its original purpose is unknown.”

“Great,” scoffed Napalm, “Another mysterious dungeon because the scouts were too big to fit in the door.”

“It can’t be helped,” Roughshod replied with a shrug. “We should at least be grateful they were able to get
any information at all.”

I gave the map a glance, trying my best to commit the coordinates to memory whist Juno’s eyes flashed
like the bulb of a camera.

“If that’s all you have for us, Mister McBullion, I think we’re done here,” I said, wincing as I picked myself
up again. “For what it’s worth, I enjoyed your company.”

“Likewise,” Vince replied with a broad grin. “You’re welcome back anytime. Maybe when you’re healed up,
I can get you into a proper match.”

“Just so long as you pit me against someone near my weight class,” I chuckled weakly.

The room was joined in laughter. In spite my near-paralysis, I couldn’t help but laugh myself, if only as a
temporary panacea for my physical problems. While I had some longing in the back of my mind to have
contributed more to this leg of our adventure, seeing all my companions—Spike especially—so happy
and relieved gave me assurance that I had done more than enough this time around.

[center]***[/center]

Sleep was scarce that night. The inability to move into a comfortable position in my bed was bad enough,
but the afterglow of the melee I had been spectator to kept my heart at a hare’s pace. The din of a still
feverish public still echoed in my conscience, and as I lay supine, eyes glued open from dryness, I was
left with only my thoughts to occupy me. In an attempt to distract myself, I scanned my lodgings.

The room was wall-to-wall with soft, almost plush red carpeting, with gold and marble in every wall,
windowsill, and curtain rod in sight. None of my party had to share a bed; even dear old Spike had his
own king-size four-poster to sleep on. Judging by the way the mattress cradled his body, he must have
been sleeping like a hatchling. Napalm and Roughshod were sprawled out, their blankets in shambles as
both let out discordant snores that were mercifully low enough to ignore. Kenta was curled up at the foot
of my bed, with Juno in the corner nearest to me. Then there was Nia, as quiet and still as a mouse,
nearly swallowed whole by her blankets.
Everyone else was resting, and yet there I laid, rigid like a plank, eyes fixated on the dim lights that flitted
through the curtains. If I squinted, I swore that I could see a flicker of blue, not unlike what I had seen
aboard the airship. Could the bird have been following me this whole time? Was it an omen, or merely a
figment of my own exhausted mind? Whatever it was, it fascinated me to no end to watch that flicker
dance across the curtain. To my frustration, however, such light had no hypnotic effect on me, and after a
while, I was forced to watch it fade away, leaving me alone again.

Then, as if to taunt me, a familiar irritant reared his ugly head.

“My, you seem to have quite the knack for inducing spectacle wherever you seem to tread, hm?”

[i]Luna’s love, why do you forsake me so?[/i]

“Hello, Discord,” I grumbled through my teeth, desperately keeping my voice low. “To what do I owe your
inopportune arrival?”

“Well now,” scoffed the draconequus with a shade of mock offense, “That’s certainly no way to greet a
friend, is it?”

“Discord, the last time we met, you made a nude effigy of me in marble and plonked it right in the center
of the royal gardens,” I snapped back. “Were I not effectively paralyzed from the neck-down, I would find
wherever your spine is in that long body of yours and thrust it over my knee.”
“My, someone has a dark imagination to them,” Discord balked, eyebrow raised slightly. “I admit, that
would have been fun to watch had you done that in the ring.”

I jerked my head up. “You saw that?”

Discord smirked, producing a bag of popcorn kernels. “That I did, my boy. Quite a fun spectacle, too.
Some really should have told Spike what kayfabe was, though.”

“Is there a particular reason as to why you’re here?” I groused, trying to turn my head away. “Or have you
come simply to humiliate me as you did last time?”

“Well, it’s just that,” he replied, lounging upon thin air as though a chair were right there. “You see, in light
of recent events on the homefront, I’ve started to reflect upon my past actions. With that, I’ve come to
realize how—cripes, what’s the word I’m looking for—well, routine I’ve been getting. The chaos I’ve
cherished for so long has effectively become mundane, even dull. Trying to keep up that charade of
spontaneity just ends up turning it into something I feel obligated to do.”

“What a tragic irony,” I murmured, my eyes briefly spinning in their sockets. “The exarch of entropy
becoming unremarkably uniform unbeknownst to himself.”

Discord furrowed his brow, “Look, I know you’re not in the best shape, but at least lend me your ears
while they still work.”

I tried to gesture my acquiescence, but found only consternation merely trying to get my shoulders to
shrug.
“My point is, I’m starting to realize just how much life in Equestria is changing me,” he continued, popping
kernels into his mouth and crunching them like sunflower seeds. “If this was Her Royal Highness’s plan to
make a better man of me, I’d be lying if I said if it didn’t take in some regard.”

“So why is it that you came to me of all folk to vent your woes?”

Discord crossed his legs. “Well, as odd as it may sound, I find in you a kindred spirit of sorts.”

“You must be joking,” I replied as my cheek hit the pillow. “How are we in any way alike?”

“It’s simple, really,” the draconequus assured. “Our equine benefactors see in us a potential to realize
goodness, in spite of whatever maladies weigh on us. No matter what we’ve done, she would rather see
dastards do their time than to fall at her hooves. Myself, Tirek, her own sister, and others. To her, only the
truly monstrous and unrepentant are deserving of the worst of her power.

“To put it simply, I’d like to help you, much the same way your dear caretakers have helped me.”

And just like that, all thought seized up in my mind. I was certain that I had lost it then and there with how
everything froze around me. A brief falling sensation wracked my body as my jaw hanged agape in
unremitting awe. This appeared to both amuse and concern Discord, who began waving his lion paw in
my face repeatedly.

“Blast, I think I sent him into cardiac arrest,” he snapped as he cracked his knuckles and pursed his lips.
“Time to resuscitate.”

For a brief instant, my legs jolted back to life, shoving my body up against the headboard.

“I assure you, I’m fine!” I blurted lowly. “I just needed to let my brain overcome the massive weight that
statement just put on it.”

“Well, at the very least you’re honest,” Discord huffed as he crossed his arms. “So, anything I can do for
you now that the cards are on the table?”

I wriggled a little further up the bed. “Well, if you’re any good at diction, I’d appreciate your help in penning
a letter back home.”

With a snap of his talon, the draconequus produced a pen and parchment. “Shall I write it in cursive or
print?”

I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter. Just listen close.”

Discord’s eyes spun like a cartwheel. “Is this is a letter home or your last will and testament?”

[center]***[/center]

[i]Dearest Mother and Aunt,

As I lay mostly paralyzed from the neck-down in a terribly cozy bed in the land of the Minotaur, it has
occurred to me that I haven’t written to either of you in quite some time. You all must be worried sick! Do
forgive me; much as I’d love to regale you with my progress, I doubt a full parchment would be able to
fully capture everything. What’s important is Griffonstone and Rinth will be visiting for this year’s summit,
and it’s been a heuristic experience overall. In Griffonstone, I learned that a good humor and a well-made
facade do wonders in sensitive situations. As for Rinth, I learned that when a friend needs your support,
one of the best things you can do is be there for them. Even if it’s only to cheer them on, simply being at
their side can be one of the greatest blessings you can give them.

Unfortunately, there were also some not-so-fortunate findings. In exploring these lands, I have found
temples that appear to be connected to my people’s civilization. At first, it appeared that we were actually
well-off with ponykind, but as I have recently come to find, something happened. Something awful that
forced them to flee. Given what I heard in my last excursion, all signs point to a battle. One strikingly
similar to what became of Luna all those years ago. I don’t yet know the full extent of what happened, but
it does not bode well for my current condition. Though I am growing closer to finding the roots of my
heritage, I fear that the maleficent spirit is not yet gone from me, and in my last attempt to rid myself of
him, it has left me uncomfortably numb.

But, I won’t yet let this fear take me. It’s happened to Luna, and it has no doubt happened to many others.
If I survive to make it home, I have utmost faith in both of you that I might be freed from the same fate that
befell my kin. I’ve but one last nation to meet, and two more temples to delve into. I’ve seen visions of
benefactors of my own kin and yours, and in the past few days, a thunderbird has been following my trail.
I can only hope that it may be a good omen.

I can see the light at the end of this tunnel, mother. I need only the strength to reach it, and with my
friends at my side, I am certain I can make it. I know that you believe in me. I see it every time I look at
the sky. If you can see me in turn, I implore you:

Don’t let that light fade.

I’m sorry if this letter is bittersweet. I really am happier than this. I just hope that this journey ends happily.

I wish the both of you the best of luck in your research. Assuming Luna hasn’t kept you privvy to what I’ve
been doing, I can only hope my discoveries embolden your efforts.

Yours in Love,

Lance[/i]

Discord looked up from the paper, slightly aghast. “Do you...need a moment, kid?”

I buried my face in the pillow, desperately vying to obfuscate the fading facade of composure I’d taken
such great pains to construct. My throat was growing narrow, and I could feel my eyes drowning in such
pitiful wetness. Every attempt I made at vocalizing resulted in shameful simpers audible to only myself.
Even with my back turned, I could tell Discord was drawing closer to me by the way the air shifted around.

“Oh dear,” the draconequus mumbled, his paw at his muzzle. “Now I just feel awful.”
I craned my neck to look at him. His visage was half-blurred by the moisture building up in my eyes as I
shook my head. “It isn’t your fault. Not this time.”

Discord produced a rope of handkerchiefs from a place I’d best not think too deeply about. “Come now,
Lance; just what’s eating at you? I swear, I’ll keep it in strictest confidence.”

I laid my head back down. Silence was left to dominate the room as I let my composure come undone
before the redeemed aberration at my bedside. Faintest murmurs of half-formed sentences and
unremitting tears filled the pillow, the sounds muffled by the padding in spite of my loudest moans. For a
while, I ended up just going dead silent for fear that any further attempt at communication would only
exacerbate my anxiety. Eventually, there was simply nothing left to let out. My eyes were arid once more,
my throat barren, and my shame utterly annihilated.

I rose my head up, my eyes boring into Discord’s, trying to find any hint of deception or ill intent in him.
Yet his eyes merely reflected my own; red, glassy, and abyssal. Seeing him stare back at me, his brows
lifted in a mix of concern and confusion, gave a queer sort of comfort. After a prolonged period of
deafening quietness, I strained to turn onto my back to face him proper.

“Nothing else for it, I suppose,” I lamented hoarsely. “You swear to keep this between us?

Discord (perhaps jokingly) performed a scout’s salute. “On my honor.”

I cleared my throat a few times as I tried to prop myself up. Yet again, I was the patient of an armchair
psychologist.

“I’ll give you the short version,” I started, struggling to keep my eyes open. “I would tell you the whole
story, but this has already kept me awake for far longer than it needed to. For a while now, I’ve been
dealing with some...less than welcome entities in my mind. One of them regards itself a paradox, and the
other a dark benefactor. The latter of the two, as I mentioned in the letter, may not be gone. He certainly
wasn’t when I was last asleep.

“He’s been more and more forward lately, offering his help, but part of me knows he’s waiting for even that
tiniest moment of weakness before assuming total control of my being. He’s saved my life at least twice
over, but I’ll bet bits to biscuits that it was because I’m more useful to him living than dead.”

“So I’ve heard,” Discord hummed, weaving his hands together. “But pray tell, what caused that little
meltdown just now?”

My head drooped slightly. “My most recent discovery reminded me just how short my life may end up
being.”

Discord’s brow rose curiously. “So you fear dying early, then.”

I attempted to shoot the chaos avatar a needling gaze, but with how my eyes had just been exhausted, it
looked and felt far weaker. After about thirty seconds, I just resigned to looking up at the ceiling again,

“Can’t say I blame you, kid,” he continued, producing a pipe that seemed to produce vapor from nothing.
“It’s only natural that you’d your predicament harrowing. Everyone—pony, griffon, minotaur and otherwise
—is afraid to die. Even folks like Celestia and Luna are afraid of it. Even [i]I[/i] get chills just thinking about
the idea of it; we just don’t express it because we’ve had so much more time to reflect on it than most
mortals get to.”

He then laid a hand on my shoulder, as if he were assuming the role of a wise uncle.

“At the same time, however, thanatophobia is perhaps the greatest tool any living thing has in its employ.
Especially when it comes to those of your ilk. I’ve heard many a story of your kinfolk, Lance; all those
ancient fairytales of brave stallions who lived long and fought to their last breath, wishing only that their
lives ended meaningfully. That drive to leave something behind for the generations to come is exactly the
reason you’re even here today. Some fortunate son made sure that you survived long enough to see this
day in the hopes you’d get to see so many others.”