Reign of Discord

The Master, that horrid monstrosity of chaos magic, ruler of all he could see, master of everypony within his reach...and his reach was large. From Canterlot his magic spread, feeding off of the hatred and fear, the discord, of those ponies who were still in control of their senses.

In his castle the Master sat, gazing into a mirage that showed him the world that, for all intents and purposes, he had fashioned. Of course, when the view became to monotonous, he would throw in something new...maybe acid rain instead of chocolate. He turned to a light gray filly who sat dully in the corner, moping, as she always did.

"Tell me child," the Master said, his voice cheery, "Where is your sister?"

The gray filly looked up, her eyes tearing up with near-joy and hope. "I have a s-sister?" She questioned, hints of a smile beginning to show at the corners of her mouth.

the Master grinned, widely. "Of course not!" He said, through bursts of laughter. "I-hee-I killed her! With a TREE!" The Master's laughter rang through the castle. For the heck of it, he made sure it rang a little farther. "I KILLED THEM ALL!"

The gray filly began to tear up, the corners of her mouth quickly turning downward. That was as far as she went, though. She could never predict how the Master would react to any extreme of emotion. So she remained silent. There was nothing else to do.

"Oh, now this is fun..." the Master remarked, staring into his mirage. "come here, filly. Check this out! Oh...no...don't walk, tap dance!" The Master giggled as the gray filly tapdanced over to the mirage. "You do amuse me. I wonder if the rest of the sun sisters would be as fun as you are." the Master paused in contemplation. "Nope. They're better off dead."

The filly flinched for a second at the Masters remark, but remained silent. It was all she could do.

"I can feel her will growing. The sun blazes within her. "

"Is it time?"

"Soon. Are you ready?"

"I suppose so..."

"good."

"When I return...will I...will I ever see the rest of you again?"

"Once more. You are well trained for the task at hand...but there will be a time, a time when Nightmare Moon is not needed, and during this time you will be returned to us...to continue your training, and banish Nightmare Moon for the rest of eternity."

"Thank you Nebula. I shall miss you when I leave."

"And I you."

In his moment of rest, the Master contemplated. How had they escaped him? The council of the sun was easy enough to locate and destroy...but the lunar council...where did they go? It's not as if they could just disappear, right? And yet they had. They disappeared, leaving him in complete control...or lack thereof! The Master smiled at the thought of all the wondrous chaos that he had brought into being. He looked at the filly sitting in the main room. There was something different about her...was she a little taller than before? No, that was impossible. Completely impossible.  And so the Master returned to his mirage, reveling in the unpredictable sunrise and sunset, the strange creatures he himself had created. And it was fun...oooooh it was fun. There are few things more fun than chaos. No rules...no restrictions. Structure, he thought, was the enemy of fun. No joy could be experienced in chains. That's all he had wanted! Freedom from the chains he had been bound to...and yet he was cast out, to fend for himself until that great and wonderful day. The day when he discovered his true name...

"Nebula...What is my name?"

"Your name? Oh yes, I suppose you do have a name...it's been so long! Let me see...you are the culmination of pieces of the life force of every night alicorn in the sky. You represent the Lunar Council. We shall call you...Luna. Yes, that should suffice. Princess Luna, speaker for the Lunar Council, mare of the night, mistress of the heavens. It is time for you to go Luna. Find the elements and deliver them safely to the sister of the sun. She will know what to do with them. Remember, the Elements of Harmony may only be used in times of immense peril, but their power is legendary."

"Yes Nebula, for the twentieth time, I understand."

"Good. I really will miss you. I don't know what I'm going to do until you come back."

"Rest. Protect the moon, just as you vowed to do when you formed the council."

"I look forward to seeing you again. Goodbye, Luna!"

Luna woke up in the middle of a dark forest, the only place where Discord's chaos could not enter. So this is what having a body feels like, she thought. Interesting. She wandered around until she found a large river to examine herself in. She had blue coloring, a small, squarish snout, and angular eyes. She would have had no problem fitting in with other Night Alicorns (if there were any left) if it weren't for one thing; her mane. Her mane and tail were both large, flowing masses of night magic, and, if you looked closely, you could see every star in the sky in them. That was the symbol of the Speaker for the Lunar Council...that and the rendering of a moon on a night sky that covered most of her flank were all she had of her life on the moon.

Crack. Snap!

Luna looked up at the sound of something behind her...something dangerous. Slowly, she turned around to examine her quarry; a manticore.

"ROOOOOAAAAAAAR!" The cry of a manticore is well known for it's volume, and at fifty feet, even luna was taken aback. The beast pawed the ground as it prepared itself to attack it's next meal. Luna stood her ground. It began to charge, but still Luna remained still...until finally, when it came within about twenty feet of her she took a breath, stood tall and cried:

"BE STILL!"

The command rang through the forest. In his castle, the Master looked upon the empitness of the Everfree Forest, the one place he could not see, the one place in this hilarious land free from his control. It had always been so, he believed. It was forever free, hence the name. And yet there was something there now...something in the Everfree that wasn't there before. Something powerful.

The manticore was still.

Luna looked upon it with fire in her eyes. "What do your people call you, manticore?"

A voice echoed inside her head. I am called Runt ma'm, it said. My people have rejected me.

"You are a creature of the night, are you not?"

It has been a long time since any of the denizens of this forest were called such, but yes, I am.

"Then you will be hated no longer, Runt. Go to your people, tell them their Mistress has returned."

The manticore looked up from its prostate position at the blue figure towering over it. Ma'm...

"And I do not think the name Runt suits you. I name you Scout, for you are small in comparison to your people, and can go places they cannot."

The manticore stood up and scooped Luna into one of its forearms and began licking her ecstatically. Thank you, thank you so much ma'm..uh...mistress...thank you!

"All right, you have given me your thanks. Go...tell your people!"

Yes mistress, of course mistress! On my way right now! With a gleeful jump, the manticore turned around and ran back into the forest.

And so it begins, Discord, Luna thought. Your reign is done