The Drove of the Demesmaekerite-Dyed Discordias (short story)
Cupid Fact File #643: The Drove of the Demesmaekerite-Dyed Discordias was a Crew of the Copper-Colored Cupids short story written by Lupan Evezan, and illustrated by Aristide Twain.
Contents
Plot
A Cupid Fact File relates the first encounter, dating back to “a few years ago”, between the Crew of the Copper-Colored Cupids and “quite possibly the worst secret society [they] have yet encountered”: the Drove of the Demesmaekerite-Dyed Discordias.
On a routine romanticisation mission to the Prime Earth, Discovery-664 goes missing. The Scarlet Wings, led by Amity-965, are sent in to track him down and find, near the place where Discovery disappear, a strange vehicle resembling a twisted, smog-based version of a Fog Ship: a Smog Ship. Boarding the ships, the Scarlet Wings operative find and press a “Home” button on the dashboard, transporting them to the Discordia Homeland, a hostile-looking alternate dimension where, in a villainous reflection of the Cupid Homeworld, a civilisation of robots has built its home on the solid clouds of toxic black smoke belched out by an endless number of volcanoes below.
Setting foot on one of the clouds, they are ambushed by a group of strange Clockwork Cherubs with dark grey in color with copper streaks, and with large, feathered raven-like wings. They are taken before the strange beings' leader, a woman going by Eris who explains that her organisation is devoted to the spread of hate and fear throughout the Multiverse, being an apparent exact inverse of the Copper-Colored Cupids. After finishing her explanation, Eris orders the Cupids melted down for stealing the Smog Ship (especially as this stranded its owner, D123-Blackheart, in the Prime Universe), but Amity uses his two-way communicator to contact the Cupid Parliament, who promptly send a rescue mission led by Amadeo-378. With the Discordias unwilling to risk a full confrontation with the Cupids, who seem exactly matched with them, the Cupids all return to the Homeworld and report to the Department of Documentation with their disturbing discovery.
In subsequent years, the Cupids have a few more chance encounter with the Discordias while out in the Multiverse, though they make no effort to return to the Discordia Dimension. It is discovered that the Discordias' counterparts to the Cupid Arrows are literal “apples of discord” which explode upon being thrown at targets and cloud them in a smoke of hypnotic hate-strengthening smoke. The Hate Potion this smoke is distilled from is naturally an exact opposite of the Love Potion used by the Cupids, such that one can reverse the effects of the other. Cupids are advised to make sure there are no Discordias nearby when they romanticise someone, lest the Discordia instantly undo their good work once the Cupid has their back turn.
Worldbuilding
Universes
- The story takes place in the Cupid Homeworld, the Prime Universe, and in the Discordia Homeland within the Discordia Dimension.
Other
- The Clockwork Cherubs of the Drove are made of demesmaekerite (a mineral made up of lead and copper), and were fashioned in the image of the goddess Discordia. Their leader named herself in reference to the goddess Eris.
Continuity
- Amity-965, introduced in PROSE: The Mob of the Maroon Magpie, and Amadeo-378, introduced in PROSE: The Green Gorillas, are seen again.
- Amity uses his two-way communicator, a piece of technology previously seen in PROSE: Acquaintanceship-982 and the Missing Mail Mystery.
Behind the scenes
Read online
The story can be read on the Crew of the Copper-Colored Cupids website.
