Chocolate milk dripped off the mane of Twilight Sparkle, and fell onto the muddy path to Canterlot. Barely lifting a hoof off the ground, Twilight planned out her new life. Her final memories of the magic of friendship had long past slipped from her mind.
It didn’t make sense how one person could so easily wedge apart the best of friends, but what’s the fun in making sense?
When the famous friendship of the harmonious six shattered, the former student of former Princess Celestia had no reason to stay in Ponyville. This is why she was on the way to Canterlot, to find her old study, and to continue studying magic. As she trudged on, she missed her friends less and less.
* * *
Spike shoved a spoon of ice cream in his mouth.
“Lookin’ good, Spike, lookin’ real good,” he said admiring his own reflection in a mirror. Something didn’t seem right though. Aside from his new gray color scheme, he couldn’t figure out what. Spike hadn’t seen Twilight in days, but he couldn’t care less.
Ever since Discord came into power, chaos, boredom, and strawberry ice cream were all Spike knew. An epidemic of disharmony had spread throughout all of Ponyville, and probably, the rest of Equestria. Everypony’s physical appearance changed gray to match their cold hearts.
Not just the ponies had changed though. The once beautiful scenery was a fright: floating buildings, checkered landscapes, ballerina buffalo, and the weather… The sun would rise and set every five minutes, there were cotton candy clouds, chocolate rain, which wouldn’t seem so bad, but general catastrophe and anarchy never failed to reassure ponies of the negative effects of Discord’s careless tyranny.
Spike shoved another spoon-load of ice cream in his mouth and finished off his third tub. He walked to the fridge to get another.
* * *
“A spell that turns a pony’s strength into a pony’s weakness, check!” Twilight checked off an item on her extensive checklist. It had been 60 days since Twilight left Ponyville, but it was hard to keep track of days with the discorded solar schedule.
“One more spell until I can call it a night.” Twilight read the next page in “A Unicorn’s Guide to Chaos”
“Unruly and inconstant weather are essential to a truly chaotic day. The following spell will help you tweak the temperature to meet your evil desires.”
Twilight read the spell and focused all of her energy to her horn, which glowed with greater and greater intensity. A blast of heat radiated throughout all of Canterlot.
Twilight sat down, her head throbbing from the difficult spell. The heat and humidity sapped her body, and Twilight barely made it back to her bed before passing out. Soon, very soon, she could overthrow Discord and become the new ruler of Equestria.
* * *
Although Discord tended to stay in the chaos capitol of the world, Ponyville, he managed to control the weather and such in Canterlot. Everypony there had turned gray as well. Two new ponies had come to town and two had left.
One pony that came to town, who went by the name of Twilight Sparkle, was a social outcast. Probably the most irritable pony in Canterlot. She never got along with anypony and was seldom seen in public.
The other pony was a snob, bragging over her ugly rock called “Tom” claiming it to be 100% bona fide diamond. She was always pretending to be an elite Canterlot pony, but nopony liked her.
Since Discord came into power, nopony had seen or heard from Princess Celestia or Luna, that is, except for one.
* * *
The former Captain of the Royal Guard walked the halls of the abandoned castle. It had never been very loud, but Shining Armor never noticed the silence. He was only here to get his shield and go. He was going to get married in this very castle, but his fiancé mysteriously vanished one day. He thought he heard his name break the eerie silence.
“Hello?” Shining Armor stopped and listened to his shaky voice echo the empty halls. A light cross breeze blew through the closed windows… He continued walking, constantly looking left and right.
“Shining Armor!” He was pretty sure nopony was there. A small movement caught his eye. He noticed a tall beautiful stained glass window with a picture of Celestia. The portrait spoke to him.
“Shining Armor, you are the only one who can still stop Discord,”
“Princess, how did you-,”
“Discord trapped me, my sister and Cadence in the glass.” She gracefully leaped to the adjacent window, the one with Twilight and her friends using the Elements of Harmony on Nightmare Moon. “You must use a memory spell on these six so they can once again wield the elements to stop Discord. Because you have not been discorded, you are the only one qualified.”
“Yes Princess Celestia, but may I request a word with Cadence?”
“Yes, infact, here she is now,” Cadence came into view and the two caught up on events since her disappearance.
“I believe you can do it, Shining. We're counting on you!” and with that, Shining Armor forgot his shield and galloped away, but once he stepped hoof outside the castle, he appeared on the stained glass windows.
* * *
A very vague memory from her past reminded Twilight of the Elements of Harmony and their power. It was on that day that she had the idea, the one that would change everything: If the magic of harmony is powerful, how powerful must the magic of disharmony be?
Twilight took out a list of the Elements of Harmony.
Laughter: Twilight could kill any mood. Check!
Generosity: She had become quite selfish living alone. Check!
Kindness: Whenever Twilight did get out, she was more of a Scrooge. Check!
Honesty: One thing Twilight always struggled with. Check!
Loyalty: Guess who abandoned her friends. Check!
Magic: Twilight assumed that the element of magic stayed the same when reversed.
Twilight checked the final element off. She perfectly represented the Elements of Disharmony.
“I think I’m ready to stop Discord!” The desire for power pulled at Twilight’s head as she packed her bags full of books and left her study for Ponyville for the second time.
* * *
Apple Bloom walked into the clubhouse with an apple pie in her mouth. She set it down on the table.
“Is there anything else less… sugary?” asked Scootaloo.
“It’s all ah could find. Ah saw it floatin’ round in the air.” Two months ago, that sentence would’ve made no sense. Sweetie Belle ate some cotton candy and said with a mouthful,
“Sugar’s all we’ve had to eat. I’m getting sick of it!” her voice squeaked, “Why can’t Discord make it rain vegetables?”
The three fillies lived together ever since Discord discorded their big sisters, or in Scootaloo’s case, Rainbow Dash. The Cutie Mark Crusader’s clubhouse was the best place for non-discorded to live under the given situation. It was close enough for short walks to town, but still in the rural part of Ponyville, so nopony could guess where it was.
The fourth, least welcome member of the group walked in with celery sticks.
“Where should I put these?”
“Just set 'em on the table,” replied Apple Bloom. Diamond Tiara set them down and took a seat. Although she couldn't be a Cutie Mark Crusader, her having a cutie mark and all, she was still somewhat welcome in the group of non-discorded ponies. There was still a grudge between them, and at first, Diamond Tiara resented the “blank flanks,” but they couldn't afford to ignore each other. They all depended on one another, but they still weren't quite “friends” per say.
The four ponies lived on, skillfully avoiding the fate of those around them.
* * *
A certain pegasus pony pounced on a giant muffin that appeared out of nowhere, only to have it deflate like a beach ball before her offset eyes. With the snap of a finger, another muffin popped into existence and revolved around her head, just out of reach. Discord rolled back into his thrown, cracking up at his feat of chaos.
“Discord.” He stopped tossing and turning to listen to the familiar voice behind him.
“Long-time-no-see, Twilight Sparkle. Coming back to scare me away with your frightening elements?”
“As a matter of fact...”
“Twilight Sparkle, you've always been such a killjoy. Lighten up, have some fun!” Discord snapped his fingers and the muffin circling Derpy's head appeared in his clawed hand. The muffin grew Discord's face and ate his head. He put the muffin on his neck, where it morphed back into his original head. Twilight was clearly not amused.
“Oh come on, Twilight!”
Twilight's horn began to glow. Focusing on all six negative aspects of her character, Twilight strained her horn. She wasn't quite ready for what happened next. The flaming glow turned pitch-black with purple and green flaming edges. This caught Discord's attention. Dark magic? This was new.
“Twilight, don't go there, trust me, you don't want to-,” A truly frightening realization hit Discord and he started shaking.
“No... no! NOOO!” Discord yelled and hollered. Twilight rose into the air, an inky blackness inching closer and closer to Discord, who was frozen in fear.
Twilight wouldn't just turn him to stone, no, she had to give him the worst fate. She felt the cool black mist consume her eyes. A darkness filled her heart. A black orb exploded and spread all throughout Equestria. A new black cloud of disharmony replaced Discord's chaos, although the ponies remained discorded. But as for Discord...
The statue before Twilight was in an identical pose to the time Celestia had turned him to stone. The orb erased Discord's memory of everything that had happened after being awakened from Celestia's spell. With one final spell from Twilight, Discord disappeared and reappeared two and a half months earlier in the world famous Canterlot sculpture garden. He would wake up and experience the events leading up to Twilight's rule over and over again. Immortality would be the death of him.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Every time a pony masters a certain magic, he or she becomes an alicorn. Celestia and Luna first used and mastered the Elements of Harmony, they both earned their wings. Cadence mastered love, and earned her horn. In the same way, when Twilight Sparkle mastered the magic of disharmony, purple and green flames of ice surrounded her. Out of the black flames, equally black wings formed. The fire licked the tips of the new wings and dispersed into the air.
Twilight knew that this moment marked a new era in Equestrian history: The Tyrannous Reign of Twilight Sparkle.
* * *
A year and a half later, the four ponies who actually got along sat together in the clubhouse minus Sweetie Belle, who was retrieving the Elements of Harmony from her sister's horde. None of the crusaders had found their cutie mark, which was very unnatural at this age. Surviving had become a challenge, especially since it wasn't raining food anymore. All of Ponyville was gray, the four contained the only color left in Equestia. Diamond Tiara broke the awkward silence.
“So let me get this straight. We're going to use the Elements of Harmony to save all of Equestria from Twilight... with just four ponies?
“Yeah!” replied Apple Bloom, “Ah figured it all out! Sweetie Belle's pretty kind, and she's the only one with a horn, so she can represent kindness and magic. Scootaloo-,”
“I represent loyalty, just like Rainbow Dash!” interrupted Scootaloo.
“Uh-huh, and Ah guess Ahm pretty generous.” said Apple Bloom.
“What about me?! What do I represent?” asked Diamond Tiara.
“Well...” started Apple Bloom. Scootaloo interrupted again.
“You can be brutally honest, and you laugh at us all the time,”
“So we kinda figured you could represent honesty and laughter.” finished Apple Bloom. Diamond Tiara sighed as Sweetie Belle entered the room.
“I found them!” her voice squeaked again. “They weren't hard to find, they were the only colorful things in Rarity's gray pile of junk.” The trunk flew open and revealed the sparkling elements.
“Hey! I just got an idea!” declared Apple Bloom eagerly, “Maybe this'll help us get our cutie marks!”
Scootaloo replied, “Yeah! We could be the... um” the other two crusaders joined in unison, “Cutie Mark Crusaders Ponyville Savers!” they finished with a short, “Yay!”
“Are you guys ever going to quit with all of that? You're never gonna find your special talent like me.”
“Really,” said Apple Bloom, “So what's your special talent? What does that tiara mean? Huh?” She got in Diamond Tiara's face.
“Um...” she hesitated. Scootaloo broke them up.
“Guys, if were gonna represent the Elements of Harmony, we have to act harmonally!”
“That's not a word!” yelled Sweetie Belle.
“And you're not a dictionary!” replied Apple Bloom. Scootaloo watched them fight.
“Guys,”
“What if I have a dictionary in my head? Ever think about that?!?”
“Guys, you should probably-” Apple Bloom interrupted.
“Well if there's a dictionary in your head, then where's your brain?!” they both continued to go back and forth until Diamond Tiara yelled.
“BE QUIET!!!” the room fell dead silent. “Scootaloo has a point, the Elements of Harmony might not work if we don't get along.”
“Yeah...” Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom agreed. Scootaloo reached in the chest and pulled out the necklace with the red lightning bolt. She wore it around her neck with pride. The other three followed.
“This bothers me!” Diamond Tiarra struggled with the two elements around her neck.
“What's the problem?” said Sweetie Belle teasingly, “Having two elements is fun!” She wore the element of magic on her head even though it wasn't quite her size. The four confidently walked out of the clubhouse to challenge Twilight.
* * *
Whenever anypony who walked by the throne looked the slightest bit joyful, Twilight would cast a spell and a black cloud of disharmony would engulf them. This gave her the sense of power, the sense she craved the most. This deed was, in her eyes, her only responsibility as ruler.
Twilight's new royal attire was black and red, two colors that Rarity would never approve of in the same dress.
Rarity...
When the four ponies approached Twilight wearing the elements, just the sight of the elements made Twilight's heart hurt, a pain she could not understand or explain. Something at the back of her mind pulled at her. She became very uneasy.
“Formation girls!” Sweetie Belle stood in the middle. Twilight racked her mind for why she was feeling so strange. A small spark flew off the end of Sweetie Belle's horn, but only to land on the ground and go out. Twilight payed no attention to their pitiful attempt.
Laughter! She hadn't laughed since... she didn't even know. All she knew was depression, and feeding the power starved animal that had formed inside her. She needed a laugh.
Pinky Pie...
One of Diamond Tiara's elements started to glow faintly. Twilight actually missed her friends! Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, she wanted them all back!
Spike happened to be walking by, on his way to get some more ice cream, when Sweetie Belle's horn zapped him with lightning.
“GAH!!!” Spike looked down, “my color, it's back! Twilight!!!” Spike ran to her and hugged her front leg and started crying. “I missed you.”
A spot of purple appeared where the dragon tears met Twilight's leg. Twilight felt a tear of her own leave a streak of purple on her cheek and fall to the ground.
The sentiment, the feeling of Spike hugging her, that moment was so rich, so much more so than her need for power... but in the sick mind of Twilight, it would always be a need. Twilight cast the dragon aside and from her horn came a cloud so black, it surrounded the four fillies and Spike.
“It's... not... working!” were Apple Bloom's last words before the cloud of depression and disharmony consumed them, and the last lights in Equestria flickered out.
* * *
One thousand years later, the spell that trapped the true royal princesses and Shining Armor in the stained glass windows of the Canterlot palace wore off, and Celestia put an end to the reign of Twilight Sparkle, and unfortunately, an end to Twilight herself. Twilight's heart had been so corrupted, there was no going back to her previous understanding of friendship. All the plans Celestia had for her... This grieved Celestia, but it was for the good of Equestria. She designed a new stained glass window for the palace as an immortalized memory of her most faithful student.
On a happier note, the wedding of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Shining Armor was back on since they were both preserved in the glass. Together the two went through the trial of living a millennium after their original friends passed on. Shining Armor resumed his duties as captain of the royal guard.
The restoring of Harmony to Equestria was not an easy task, but with the help of a new generation of ponies, it was accomplished. Because of their teamwork, a new understanding of the magic of friendship came about and started a new age of peace, one that would last for a long, long time.
