“So, not even the majestic, infallible, and might I add extremely gaudy Princess Celestia knows exactly what the purpose of that place is? IN-teresting...oh, don't make that sort of face at me, it's unbecoming of you. What? Even after all we've been through, you still doubt me? Oh, please. You're making it sound like I'm going to plant a redwood forest in Cloudsdale. Although that sounds like so much fun...oh. Ahem! That aside...I can assure you, if any sort of disaster happens that isn't my fault, I'll be sure to clean it up. I mean, I'd be so disappointed if somepony else got credit for – ow!”
- A few miles from Hollow Shades, Midnight
The moon peeked out from behind a cloud, it's light revealing another duo of colts staring at Marigold Hill with trepidation. One of them shuffled his hooves in place while the other took a step back. Feeling like he'd seen enough, a faded-blue unicorn sprung out from the bushes behind them, glaring at the two with one eye larger than the other. He held a mud-caked shovel with levitation in front of him, swatting the air about while screaming, “Get outta here you heathens! The grave must not be disturbed! You will perish in flames! You will all auugghgh, condemned to darkNUZZZ!”
“WAHH! It's old man Grimstride! Let's get outta here!”
“Told ya he was a freak!”
The two colts bolted off, leaving behind a small trail of dust in the dirt road. Grunting to himself, the old stallion walked back to his cottage under the hill, setting his shovel against the wall before stepping inside.
“Che...more and more a' them kids have been showin' up at my doorstep...don't understand nothin'...think it's all a game, what with their dares and bets...can't even respect my privacy...”
He walked over to his oil lamp with the intention of turning it on, but soon became lost in his own ramblings. His head was lowered while he kept muttering at the ground to himself.
“Been doin' this too long...only a matter of time till' somepony's dumb enough to...”
“I must be getting rusty if you already know I'm here. Or, do you just have an imaginary friend you like to talk to?”
The sound of another voice coming from his home caused him to trip over his own hooves and fall, taking his lamp down with him when he tried to flick it on. The voice chuckled to itself and made a snapping noise in the darkness, a bright flash blinding the unicorn for half a second. When he opened his eyes, he found his home was fully illuminated, though the light was somehow coming from a bulb hanging from a wire on the...floor? And upside down even? Aside from breaking the laws of gravity, he was sure his home didn't have one of those.
“Tch tch tch, such a nasty spill. We wouldn't want you to break a hip.”
Looking up, Grimstride was greeted by a sight that made him break out in a cold sweat. He gasped, scrambling backwards until he ran into a wall, certain that the patchwork monster in his home was exactly what he had feared. He drew a sharp breath, pointing a hoof a the creature and screaming, “Y-you! YOUUUU!!! Abominable monster! The day of clemency must not be fulfilled! Go back to the pit from whence you came, eldritch spawn!”
“Well! I've been called many things, but this just takes the raspberry cake. Why, my feelings have been hurt so much, I just might shed a tear...oh, I guess not. How about that? Anyway, forgive me for just barging in without even a telegram, but I simply must know...”
The creature's words went unheard as the old unicorn ran past him and straight up the hill, grabbing his shovel along the way, muttering more things to himself between harried gasps. “Gotta get to the grave...! Can't be too late...! Clemency...gasp...can't happen – AHHH! NOOO! Stay back you scion of destruction!”
The creature was already here, resting his forelimbs on the wooden marker and staring at him with those unworldly, yellow eyes. It's expression brightened as it stood up completely, smiling pretentiously at him. “Not destruction...just chaos. Oh! Where are my manners?” With another white flash of light, it somehow produced a top hat and matching cane. Tapping his single, cloven hoof, he took a proper bow and said, “I am Discord, master of chaos. A pleasure to meet you...Grimstride, the grave keeper.”
The old pony was still trembling, but otherwise had his fears put to rest. The marker was still intact and untouched. He gulped, taking a moment for himself before replying, “H-how do ya know about me?! And-and what're ya doin' here?! What do ya want?!”
Discord smirked and floated into a laying position in mid-air, resting his head on his talon and paw while looking down on him. “Oh, nothing special, just stirring up some idle trouble in my spare time...though, I am quite curious about why you're so interested in protecting this grave. Very curious actually...” He flew down and snaked around the old unicorn, pressing his face into his. “I've heard through the grapevine that you've been out here chasing away anypony that comes near Marigold Hill. Spouting hurtful things like 'heathen' and 'deathbringer'. Quite rude, if you ask me.”
“GAHH!” Grimstride ducked away and took a swing at him with his shovel, though he only managed to hit air. Discord vanished with another white flash and reappeared on top of him, resting his forelimbs on his head. “You know if I didn't know any better, I probably would have thought you were just another old coot missing the rocky from his road.” On that note, an ice cream cone was held in front of the pony. “Want one?”
“Get back!” He took another swing at him, hitting the ice cream and causing it to explode into powdered milk. Reappearing behind the marker with his wrists on his hips, Discord continued, “But then I realized that nopony seemed to know anything about this place, not even Princess Celestia. There weren't even any construction records, no reason for this grave, no explanation as to how it got here, no phone, no pool, no pets...but I digress.” He leaned over the grave, grinning at him with half-lidded eyes. “So...I don't suppose you would know anything, MIS-TER grave keeper? Would you, hmmm...?”
“Guh...ugh...heathen!” Grimstride fumed, glaring at the creature in front of him, his eyes going bloodshot. “Marigold Hill's a sacred place! You ain't s'posed to be here sullyin' the land with your black magic! Begone with you monster, GONE!”
Even though he had reservations about trying to hit him with his shovel at this point, he couldn't help use his levitation to take one last swing at him. Discord slumped his shoulders and sighed, teleporting away once again. Reappearing behind him, he raised an eyebrow after hearing the sound of metal smashing through wood.
“Ha! Now look at the mess you've made! I was simply trying to have a pleasant conversation with a pony I've never met before, and here you are insisting on being violent!”
The shovel dropped with a clang and tumbled down the hill, the color draining from Grimstride's face. The feeling in his legs left him as he dropped to his belly, and he could sense acid welling up from his stomach. He could find no more insults or accusations as he stared at the broken stump in the ground, shocked. Craning his body over him, Discord said, “So, now will you tell me what's so important about a wooden stake in the ground? Personally, I can't imagine it's just a grave, what with you swinging that shovel around all willy-nilly...was it for good luck? Perhaps remembrance of a promise you made to your special somepony years ago? Or was it something incredibly predictable like it was sealing a great evil away and you're the only guardian to protect it, blah, blah, blah...”
A tap on Discord's shoulder followed by a cold breath on his neck brought his attention away from the simpering pony in front of him. Turning around, he was met with a sight that even he, in all of his years, had never witnessed before.
“Oh...well...huh...!”
It would seem that even the master of chaos could feel intimidated by something other than the elements of harmony. Casting a shadow that blocked out the night sky and towering over him by at least twenty meters, stood an amalgam of bones arranged in the shape of a pony's skeleton. Ribs, femurs, tibia, sternums, every imaginable part of the skeleton made up its form, with countless skulls composing its head. It stared down the draconequus with empty eye sockets, a blue mist creeping out of its jaw. Grimstride turned around himself to look at the beast, the pupils in his eyes contracting.
“It's...the 47th brigade...”
Author's Note
1/30/14 - gonna finish this one later. Reuploaded due to failure on my part.
