Chapters The Knife that broke Discord's back
"Another day at the fruit packing plant, another couple bits to pay for my farm." I start smiling at the thought of my very own citrus farm. I trot along the assembly line merrily thinking that I won't need to be here much longer and I've made some nice friends here, so its not all bad. "May as well make the best of it while I can." I keep up my happy pace as I walk towards the lunchroom. I love lunch time because I love to make all my co-workers laugh and smile, it really makes my day to go sit down at my lunch-table and crack jokes, tell riddles and whatever else I can think of to make them happy.
Just as I start galloping happily over to my station for the rest of the day, I get this really bad feeling in my gut and I hold stomach as I start hurling. "Not now....." I pass out on the floor next to my station. Something I need to watch is what I eat because I have an immune disease that makes me prone to rapid, but short bouts of nausea and loss of balance. This one is the worst one I've had yet because I blacked-out.
"Hey..I..think she's coming to." I stare up to see a doctor and all of my colleagues standing over me, all of them seem to be very scared. The doctor was checking my heart rate with his stethoscope and he nodded to all the ponies standing above me that I was breathing normally again.
"Are you all right, L.J?" My friend Coastal Grove inquires as I struggle to my hooves and I nod as the sickness in my gut finally goes away.
"Yeah I'm fine now that my stomach walls are done playing hockey with my food." Coast just chuckles and help me steady myself. Coast and me have been friends since my first day and he's pretty easy to get in a roar of laughter. He is my B.F.F and my greatest cheerleader.
I guess I'm gonna head to my station now...
"
The Knife that broke Discord's back
"Orchid Dew!" I hear as I drop some dishes from my serving platter just as the levitation spell fades, several cups of herbal tea and plates of veggies crashing with a loud THUD noise accompanying my thoughts
"Oh Celestia.." My boss rushes over to me and screams to me about something or other. I can't believe I did that again. I've got really bad butterfingers and I drop stuff a lot which doesn't help much when your a waitress at a whole food cafe.
"Orchid Dew, That's the fourth time today!" My boss Greenery is piping mad at me, but she puts up with me for some reason or another. I mop up all the tea and broken glass. Greenery has a bad temper, but a good heart and of course you need both to put up with my clumsiness. "Sweet Celestia, Orchid Dew, how much do I have to tell you stop slanting your tray when you walk to a table!?"
" I tried my hardest, but I'm sorry, I should have payed better attention, I'll pay for the broken kitchenware out of my paycheck." I have a feeling I know what she's about to say since she says it every time I do something stupid.
"I appreciate you honesty and your resiliency, but one more accident like this and I'm gonna have to drop you." She sighs and walks away. I need the money to pay for Grannie Flora's operation and I can't let her down. My Grannie Flora is my mom since my parents died in an expedition in Zebabwe. Grampa Charter died seven months ago and I can't let that happen to Grannie Flora.
Well I'd better get back to work while I have a job
The Knife that broke Discord's back
"Hey Oakey, Come here." I walk over to where my buddy Lumberman is and see a medium sized red-garnet pendant that was on a tree branch my buddy was about to cut down to bits. The glistening gold pendant had wonderfully carved designs that led into the most beautifully crafted piece of garnet I'd ever seen, clear cut into the shape of a flare red lightning bolt. Then it hits me:
"That's the Necklace of Loyalty!!" I scratch my head just in front of my mane trying to think what such an important artifact was doing out in a lumbering camp in between Foal Mountain and Canterlot. Then I hear something in my head like the necklace was trying eagerly to tell me something urgent.
"When the the bell tolls 10:01, your journey has begun. When the clock tolls 4:00, the assailant runs for the door." It's voice was gasping, but gallant. It seemed to be running out of power or something. I run back to the cabin, clock out, and make a bee-line for the throne room of Canterlot Castle. When I reach the gate, I show my I.D to the royal guards and they let me in to see the princess when they see me holding the Pendant of Loyalty.
"Princess Celestia!!!" She turns her head and glances down, she gasps in udder shock. She whispers to Princess Luna and then turns to talk to me.
"Where did you find it...?" She is still partly in shock, I can tell these sorts of things.
"On the outskirts of the Foal Mountain Valley logging camp." She stares at Luna and nods in affirmation.
"I'll take it and see what must be done." She holds back the fear in her eyes.
"Yes, My princess." I turn to walk out and a guard stops me. He was a tall white Unicorn fellow with a furrowed brow.
"Have you heard the rumors...?" He stares into my eyes with pure fear.
"Yes, I have. The new Element holders will be chosen soon."
The Knife that broke Discord's back
"Berry Icicle, what's wrong?" I hear a familiar voice chime this concerned message. My best friend, Yew Leaf, trots towards me merrily and sits down next to me on the wet park bench. The park has been our meet-up spot since we we're old enough to go by ourselves. It was late afternoon and he stared into my distant eyes wondering if I'd tell him or not, but its hard to say no to those prying, soul darkening brown eyes.
"A new guy in town tried talking to me and I made him cry by not talking back." I start to tear up at the thought that I made someone cry. I like to be loving, but its hard for me to get to know people. Yew Leaf and me have been friend's since foalhood and he's easy to talk to about silly stuff like this.
"You know, you could have tried talking to him. Thesaurus seems like a nice guy, give him a chance. He's brand new to the Canterlot suburbs" I see the new guy walk past and he starts to tear up again, but I gallop swiftly over to him. He is tall, dark blue, and slimly set. His cutie mark is a dictionary with a scroll rested on top. He is the resident bookworm.
I give him a shyly kind stare. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry and I'm deeply apologetic for not talking to you, I know it must be hard to be the new guy in town. Sorry." He glances up and smiles. He has forest-like dark green eyes and they are making me feel uplifted.
"Thanks, Its nice to know somepony cares." He trots away, seemingly feeling better. I smirk at him glancing back, those green eyes burting with a well of happy thoughts. He smiles back and gallops out of view.
I sit back down next to Yew Leaf. "There don't you feel better, Icy?" He inquires with those curious brown eyes. They seem to lighten or darken by a hue when he changes in mood.
"Yep, but I gotta go, Bye Yew, see you tomorrow I guess." I fly away, flapping my wings, assured that today I made someone else very, very happy.
The Knife that broke Discord's back
The Night That Changed Us Forever
Comet Tail
"In an hour, your life will change FOREVER!!!" The nightmarish voice shouts as I stand in a panicked state of nothingness. This nightmare seems to be trying to tell me something. I don't know what though, but I'm getting close to understanding how my life will change. I can sense other ponies seeing the same night terror, writhing in tiring fear. Five other ponies of various occupations, crying out for it to stop, for the pain to finally stop. Then I see what will make my life change: Discord.
"Ahhhh!!!" I wake up in my bed, in the center of a rat's net of tangled sheets and blankets. My personal bodyguards, Tempest and Maelstrom, run into my room. Tempest and Maelstrom are orphan twins who Twilight found by a roadside one stormy night near Ponyville. They are both dark-grey with a hue of beige for their eyes. They are the youngest royal guards on the force. They have guarded me since I started my studies with Princess Twilight. I was three years old when I started my studies, but of course I didn't perform more than basic spells before the age of six. The practice with the basics for three years did certainly help.
"What's wrong, is somepony attacking you?" They we're charging up a dual magic laser. They always jump to conclusions way to quickly. Since they are so young, they often throw caution and reason to the wind when they feel that I may be in danger.
"No, no...It was just a really bad nightmare, I'll be fine." They stare fearfully at each other as I tell them what I saw in my dream.
"We need to go see Princess Twilight. Come on, Comet." Tempest grabs my blankets and pulls them off me. They nod at one another and point a magic key spell at a key hole next to bed. It makes a clicking noise and an alarm sounds. I have always wondered what that lock was for and it seems I'm about to find out. I glance over at the grandfather clock in the corridor to Twilight's studying quarters, it's 9:57. I've only been sleeping about a half hour and I sure feel like it. I feel strangely alert for only having slept a whole of thirty-six minutes as if I knew something bad was about to happen.
This hallway seems to have gotten a lot larger and longer, but maybe that's because I'm trying to anticipate what in the hay is going on. I don't exactly know if this is just my twin bodyguards' overactive imaginations again or if this may be that I'm in a terrible amount of danger.
We finally reach Twilight's study and she stares at Tempest and Maelstrom rather confusedly. "What was the emergency alarm sounded for!?" She tried to avoid my gaze and I can see why. She seems to be all wrinkled as if she hadn't slept well in weeks and her voice was very hoarse as if she was coming down with Laryngitis, but not in a natural way.
"We're sorry Princess, but we fear the prophecy may come true: Tonight." She gazes down at me and looks at me deeply. She is my teacher, my mother, and my best friend and I love her because she is my adoptive mother, but tonight she seems very changed as if she doesn't remember me as her most loved student and her adopted son. I truly feel as if my nightmare has come true already.
"Discord, if you can hear me teleport in here, we must speak immediately." She paces back and forth hurriedly as she waits for him to either teleport in or for something else to happen. Discord heard everything that went on in these hollow halls because his ears defied all odds. Then as if out of oblivion I hear my best friend's first scream of terror:
"Ahhhhhh!!!!" It echoed throughout all of Canterlot and I rush out of the room, the only thing that I'm thinking being that my best friend being in trouble and that he needs help. I slow my sprint through the corridor as my horn starts to go nuts, magic rushing to my horn as it sends a signal spell high into the sky above Canterlot.
Starhunter
"What the hay...." A wail of pain and a star blue signal spell echoing through the Canterlot streets as I open my eyes. I can see it coming from a balcony not far from the throne room and I gasp. "Luna...Oh no." I let go of my emotion and fly out of my room, rushing towards the signal's position of exit.
My duties as a astronomer for the Royal Observatory gives me access to the castle, just in case I need to speak to Luna. My heart is pounding as I zoom over to the balcony from which the signal was sent. I can't believe what I'm seeing:
The Knife that broke Discord's back
The Night That Changed Us Forever Part 2
Lime Jelly
Undiluted Energy. That's all I felt at the time that signal hit the skies above Canterlot and the wail of agony swam through the streets. Next time I feel conscious, I am sprinting through the walkways and trotting paths of the city, hoping that I'm not too late, but what I shouldn't be late for, I have no clue.
"Why do I do this to myself?" I whisper as if someone can hear me, but the blackness of night is all that I see as I seek answers to what I am doing. I can't imagine the face on the pony that made that scream, the agonizing stare.
"I swear to my name, Lime Jelly, that the pony that made that agonizing scream will be made happy again." I think as I start to move faster, hoping my Earth Pony Legs can handle the strain. I've been galloping so fast for at least 10 minutes straight, trying to get to the castle and hoping I'm not to late to save the poor creature.
"Thank Celestia." I say under a heavy exhale as I find the the balcony and then....I can't believe my sore eyes...
Orchid Dew
A Surge. That was the thing that ignited my long-hidden passion of life and the ponies around me. Energy swimming through my every muscle as if a ghost had possessed my very physical presence. I can only feel a sad drop in my heart.
Next time my brain switches back into the lead, I am using a basic levitation spell to make platforms up to where that scream came from, but there is a magic shield around the area. I try to push through with just physical body weight and strength. It seems to be blocking Unicorns from getting inside using magic, but I have another way in.
Greenery's uncle, Juniper Juice, is a chef in the Royal Guard Barracks and he showed both of us a secret passage into the barracks' kitchen from the garden maze when we were very young. I guess you can thank my best friend and boss' uncle for saving my hide again. He does this sort of thing often, Uncle JJ as she calls him has known me since I was just foal even though Greenery is three years older then me, we've been friends since school.
I find the entrance to the large hedge maze and kick open a painted false door hidden in the first shrub on the left. I crawl in and by the skin of my teeth, I make it in without dying of heat stroke because it was burning up in that passage since its underground and very tight for my now full grown body.
A battle is raging upstairs and I run up at a speed I didn't even know I could utilize since I'm rather stocky for a mare which is probable why I'm so accident-prone. I can see the balcony I tried to climb up on and I turn the corner to head towards the hallway to the throne room and...and...I don't know what I'm seeing...
Burnt Oak
Renewal of Faith. My faith in the world being mysteriously charged as if by an electric generator. My Name is Burnt Oak and I am currently sprinting from my cabin to Canterlot Castle. I don't know why exactly, but I could guess that it's that Element and I say it's calling me. My inner fire burning as if the anger I have felt since day one was suddenly being used for a heroic purpose in opposition to just smacking somepony's face into the ground.
My kryptonite seems to be my own anger, my own emotion turning against me. My weakness is my hotheadedness and it has ruled my life for as long as I can remember, but suddenly I feel strong enough to lift away the blanket of emotion.
Then, without realizing it, I sprint right through the gate and turn the corner. I...I can't be seeing this...
Berry Icicle
Fear, just plain Fear. That's the main thing that hit my mind like a mortar shell. I couldn't believe Yew had gone ahead of me going towards the Castle while I was hiding right here next the the gate. My mind is racing, my life is flashing before me, but I can't believe I'm just sitting here, so I'm not going to just sit here.
"No!" I run into the castle and thank Celestia I did because I don't know if Yew Leaf is unconscious or dead (Oh, Please don't be dead.), but he is incapacitated in some way, shape or form.
I run into the fray because it seems five other ponies have already started to battle whoever that is in that dark green cloak, but it seems to be to no avail. Is that who...who I think it is....
The Knife that broke Discord's back
The Night That Changed Us Forever Part 3
"Discord!" We all screech in unison, trying to figure out what the hay is going. Discord is laying on the floor, face down, unconscious. This is a night we will never forget I can tell you that right now. My name is Comet Tail and I am the adopted son of Princess Twilight Sparkle, tonight my best friend has been attacked. I look around me and five other ponies, the exact other ponies I saw in my nightmare, have joined the fight. I do not know them, but right now I can feel that my destiny is revealing itself. I can feel a strange force calling our names.
"Starhunter?!" I yell at him, trying to figure how I know their names because I'm not quite sure. He is a black Pegasus with a powder blue Mohawk-type mane style.
"Wait, huh?" I can't tell how he knows my name, but if he does I'm sure magic is involved and my mom told me never to defy magic. The assassin sent here to kill Discord is running away and we are running after him, all six of us united to a common goal.
"How is your top wing-power?" I ask in a hindered normal voice because I'm beginning to become tired. He seems to be a fast flyer, I hope he can retrieve them in time.
"I've got a maximum of 8.75 wing power. Why?" I know that's not really all that fast, but it'll have to do for what I hope he is trying to do. If me and him are on the same page, I'm pretty sure I know what he wants.
"Go get the Elements, I can sense that all of us can use them to good effect." I continue running to try and confuse the midnight assailant by running through every corridor to hold him off until Starhunter gets back with the Elements of Harmony in tow.
Once the group was out of sight, I follow Comet Tail's instructions and I find the Hall of Harmony, which is where the Elements are kept.
Something is knocking on the door, I open the door and the Elements fly out. The Element of Generosity attaches itself to my neck and I fly back to my comrades. Comet Tail stops dead in his tracks.
"Your flank is roasted now, You Vermin." My horn begins to glow as I announce to the world that the new Element holders have earned their titles. Nopony will be fearful again, The Elements' new prophecy have come to fruition.
The assailant stops and turns around slowly and fearfully. "Oh no..." She stops and is paralyzed with anguish.
"The Element of Generosity, Starhunter." Starhunter's Element begins to faintly glow. He smirks as if he knew we had won.
"The Element of Laughter, Lime Jelly." She hops up as she smiles widely, gracing the world with her happy attitude.
"The Element of Honesty, Orchid Dew." Her expression widens and she tries hard to keep her balance.
"The Element of Loyalty, Burnt Oak." He looks ready to punch the figure straight to the jaw-line.
"The Element of Kindness, Berry Icicle." She shyly gazes through her mane and fingers her Element inquiringly
"The Element of Magic, Comet Tail." I feel as if a long journey has only begun, but I've found friends, honest to Celestia friends. We have got a long journey ahead of us, but I know it will be worth it.
I just blacked out. I don't know what happened until I woke up after that. I was told we defeated the creature and it ported away before it could take the full frontal force of the magic blast.
"Hey guys, I think he's waking up!" I wake up leaned up on the right wall of the corridor. My five new friends are standing over me, seemingly fearful for my life.
"Comet Tail, are you alright? You passed out after the creature ran away." Orchid Dew is a large white unicorn with a purple and mustard yellow mane.
"Yeah...Yeah, I'm okay." I struggle to my hooves, happy to see these people had survive the night previous.
"I feel as if a larger journey has begun for us." I try to speechify. "I feel that we have united in mind to a common goal and we succeeded." I see them smile, all except for Berry Icicle. "We must find this mystery mare and find out what she wanted with Discord to stop her plans in their tracks. Now who is with me?" I stick my hoof out in front of me.
The Knife that broke Discord's back
Day One on the Long Journey Ahead
"I'm in!" Starhunter plops his hand onto mine with a joyful face. It seems to me that his mind wanders from the task at hand a lot and that would explain why it took him so long to find the Elements.
"Me too!" I feel a sudden shock all the way down to the bottom of my hoof. She reveals a joy buzzer on her "using hoof" and stifles a giggle. Lime Jelly's rejoicing has made everypony perk up, just a tiny bit.
"Same." Orchid Dew smirks and laughs when she misses my hoof by a mile-wide margin. "Sorry that's my fault. Honestly, what the hay." I can see why the Element of Honesty chose her: She can't even seem to lie at all and she even uses "honestly" in her everyday vocabulary.
"Yeah, why not?" Instead of shaking my hand, he slaps my back and knock the wind right out of my lungs. I almost fall over, but he catches me in his right hoof. "For pony's sake, Comet, you are as scrawny as a twig!" He laughs and I feel like he is gonna make the castle fall over on itself.
"What have I got to lose...." She shyly smirks at everypony and walks back over to the crowd of five around me. She seems to be scared of what she thinks will come.
"Comet Tail!" I turn around to see the face of my mother and professor, alongside Celestia and Luna. Twilight's smirk seems a mile wide. "I knew you could do it.... I just knew it." For the first time in a long time, I see a tear roll down her face.
Luna grey-blue eyes see Starhunter among us and she seems to chuckle internally. She wraps her hoof around Starhunter and Luna summarizes what basically just happened: "So, you guys are now the new Elements of Harmony, huh? Well then, you'd better get to work, shouldn't you?"
"On what?" Orchid Dew stares at Celestia.
"Yeah, didn't we just kick some major assassin tail back there?" Burnt Oak lets out some mock punches and smiles.
"Yes you did, but that was only scratching the outer edge of what the Elements can truly achieve, but you need to harness their true potential. I suggest you do that by heading for that mystery pony's hideout and making him or her crawl back to the abyss from whence it came."
"But how? We have no idea where it went or where to look?" I intently stare at the ceiling to survey the damage we did.
"But I, young one, do have an idea of where the warrior went. I can't follow them because it seemed to have used a foreign magic which I can't recreate, but I can track where this assailant went. It went to one of the Changeling Hives, Ling-ray, four-hundred miles south of the capital of Zebabwe, Home country of the Zebras."
Luna looks up at her towering sister. "We don't have direct transport there, do we?"
"No, we don't, I can take you as far as Meteorite Bay, but from there it will be a long, strife-filled journey for you all."
We all look at each other and nod. "We're ready Celestia, Bring it on."
The Knife that broke Discord's back
"DEET,DEET,DEET!" Gosh darn it! Always at 4 in the bucking morning my alarm magically drags me out of bed and down the stairs.
"Good morning Comet Tail." Finally dragging my eyes open I see my faithful teacher Princess Twilight Sparkle the Element of Magic. I attempt to say hello but a low groan is all that comes out of my mouth because I know whats coming.
SPLASH! Right on cue Spike dumps a bucket of ice water on my head. Huh I know that dragon has it out for me he's just jealous that he's not the only one in Twilight's life anymore.
"Alright I'm up I'm up!" Pulling myself to my hooves I get one look at that smug look on Spike's stupid face and I want to deck him but I know if I did I'd either get burnt to a smoldering crater or stomped into the basement.
"So are you ready to begin your lesson?" She half mumbles while through looking her mountainous stack of books and scrolls like always. Just then I hear a rustling noise outside the window.
"Hey Discord." I smirk as I see that crazy Draconiquis.
"Hiya kiddo!" He says while I'm on the receiving end of one of his famous mane destroyer noogies.
"Good to see ya but I'm here to talk to Twiley." A worried expression flickers across Twilight's face as they hurry off to the other room. I turn to Spike who's still sweeping up.
"What the buck was that about?" He seems a little bit puzzled like he doesn't know what I'm talking about until it dawns on him.
"I'm not supposed to talk about it." He points his thumb up scraping the ceiling. "Business straight from Celestia!" I nearly fall over at the notion of secret business from the sun riser herself.
"Oh fine!" I trudge off to go study my gravity spells.
The Knife that broke Discord's back
"Hey watch where your going!" I drag myself back to reality after fly into the 4th bucking pony today.
"Sorry sorry." I start to trot off towards the castle observatory. Luna's gonna kill me if I'm late... for the fifth time this month. Finally I punch the clock and get to my telescope and continue my research on the possible solar flare in the Pisces constellation.
"Hello Starhunter." I whip my head around and see my head-supervisor Princess Luna. I give her a little quick smirk. "I see you finally showed up on time for once." I groan at that little running joke she's had since the beginning of my career.
"Hardeeharhar very funny, can I please get back to work?" She gives me a nod and walks off to continue her rounds.
'Hey Starhunter, can I borrow a size-3 lens?" I only had one lens and I was kinda using it.... Bah darn my weak stallion heart.
"Ya here you go." And here's the reason I'm so willing to do anything for anypony: that look of thanks that flashes in their eyes.
"Just don't go telling everypony." He gives me a mock questioning look. I don't want Luna to put me on probation again for giving somepony else something I needed to do my work correctly.
"What tell somepony that your generous?! No, it's only the one thing your known for except you know having your head in the clouds and being late." I guess you could call me a likable pony, but I do I do what I do because I want to.
"Well anyway, Thanks dude." I half-hear what he says before I realize Celestia flies in through the sunroof and is talking to Luna. She and Celestia seem to scared and confused, but they seem to be doing a really good job hiding it because nopony else even bats an eyelash at the two rulers of Equestria looking so mortified. I'm climbing down to the floor when they swiftly gallop out of the observatory.
Back to work I guess.....
