Chaos in Equestria Book Two: Tabula Rasaby SupahsnailChaptersRe-rebornAftermathK-9 UnitPlanningThe Point of No ReturnThe StormDon't WorryRe-reborn"Celestia, I can explain!" Twilight pleaded. "No time!" She shouted, "Spike sent me a letter. That's not what's important! Don't you see? Never in Equestria have any ponies acted so selfishly, or spread so much panic, or lied to so many ponies at once! Do you know what you've done? You've unleashed Discord! ...Again!" It was almost nightfall. At about this time, a certain flying machine was most likely being crashed into Canterlot’s public square, but that was the least of Celestia's list of problems. Discord was proud to claim his rightful place on the top of that list. He was still sitting on the top of his stone pedestal. Chips of split rock were strewn across the green grass. He stretched out his arms and yawned. He was so glad that he could move again, his joints were very stiff. He looked at his surroundings, it was so tranquil, so peaceful, and beaultiful. It disgusted him so. The sight of something beautiful that could be senseless and chaotic made him sick to his stomach. “You know, after the first time you’re turned to stone, it’s not so bad,” He said to himself in a way only a madpony would, “It’s like a big nap. Oh, Celestia is such a fool. If she were smart, she would have locked up my statue and thrown away the key. But, here I am in the Canterlot Sculpture Garden... again. All of this, just because the princess thought it would be a good idea to use me as a 'public example' so everypony could learn to be kind and blah blah blah blah BLAH!” He took a deep breath, 'But, I suppose that makes me lucky. For once, somepony did something rediculous and it wasn't me. I should be happy for her." He shifted his focus to a statue of a pony, standing on its hind hoofs. The statue was meant to be a symbol of Freedom and Justice. “And who might you be? I just love your mane.” He waited for a response from the statue. He didn’t get one. The statue just continued being a lifeless, chiseled rock. He became angry and shouted, “It is very, very rude to give somepony the cold shoulder when they ask you a question. So, I'll ask you one more time. What is your name?” He still received no the same, lifeless response. He roared, “You are done for, pal!” He pulled back his hands, waited a moment, and pushed them forward. Nothing happened. He stood still with his arms extended. “Why didn’t that work?” he shouted. He tried to do it again, then again, then again. Nothing happened. He thought out loud, “So, what’s the one thing that is different from the last time? Let’s see... I had a much better looking mane. I haven’t brushed in a while. No, that can’t be it, my mane is always beautiful. It could have something to do with the weather. What was the weather like last time? Maybe it’s my new shoes… I don’t wear shoes. I should start wearing shoes. I would look pretty good with some nice duds. Wait; there was something that was bigger… What was it? Aha! Now I remember! Those awful Element Bearers did that… rainbow thing and made Equestria all harmonious and beautiful… and boring. Last time I was free I stole the Elements, and then I started to win, but when they got them back... Chaos must have no influence when they are connected to the Elements of Harmony.” He sighed, “I played too fair. I was doing everything right, and they cheated! I can't let them cheat this tome, I won't! ...Okay, you’ve stated the problem, Good job Discord!” He put a claw on his chin, “Now, what to do, what to do?” He pondered for a moment, “Aha! I know what to do! Yes, it’s the perfect plan!” Minutes later, Discord sat on a rock with a baby duck billed platypus strapped to his head. He scratched his head. “Hmm, I really thought this would make me more powerful…” he said, “It doesn’t seem to be working… No matter! I’ll just find those Elements and destroy them! Then I will have my power!” He looked up at the platypus, “I’m such a genius, don’t you think?” The platypus shook its head up and down. Discord started to pace back and forth. “Well, I’ll need a little help,” he said, “I’m powerless, so I’ll need a good, mindless henchman or two… But where will I find somepony like that? Hmm, let’s see. I’ve heard rumors, hearing rumors is the only thing you can do when you’re a statue. I may need to push them, but they will be perfect. Yes, they’ll get the Elements for me; and when they do, I’ll destroy the Elements, and chaos will be the only power! And I will reign supreme again! I'll make Equestria into the place it was meant to be! Everything will be fun and exciting, not peaceful and safe! Equestria will be mine, all mine!” He laughed maniacally, “Oh, I just crack myself up sometimes.” He looked back at the statue. “And don’t think I’m just going to be forgetting all about you, pal! You will get yours, just you wait.” Luckily for him, he didn't need any magical powers to fly. He spread his mismatched wings and took flight. He was not a graceful flyer, he hadn't used his wings in at least a few centuries. But, he could do it none the less. After a few moments he flew back and placed the duck billed platypus on his pedistal. "You stay here, little guy. I've got to go and bring chaos, and misery to everything that was once good in this world," he said. Aftermath The crowd thinned out around the crash. The ponies murmured and gossiped about what they thought they saw. They were more concerned about the mess in the city square than the things that Celestia had said. Flim and Flam took off their hats in sorrow. There beautiful creation was now a pile of torn fabric and splintered wood. Trixie plopped on her belly and shifted through the pile of debris. "Oh!" she cried, "You ruined everything! I was going to have all the things I ever wanted, and you took it away!" she beat her hoofs on the ground and cried. A Royal Guard watched her little show, he was not impressed. He rolled his eyes, "Princess," he called, "what do we do with these three?" "Just detain them for now," Celestia replied, "They are the least of my concerns." She turned to Twilight. "We need to get to the Sculpture Garden as soon as possible. Twilight, you Rarity and Applejack will come with me." She pointed to her chariot. "Rainbow Dash, I need you to get Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy to Canterlot as fast as you can." Rainbow Dash looked over her shoulder. "Fluttershy was supposed to be following me..." she said. Applejack, Rarity, and Twilight scrunched into the chariot trying to leave room for Celestia. "How fast were you flying, Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked. Rainbow Dash slapped her face with her hoof. "She could be anywhere between Canterlot and Ponyville by now," she moaned. Celestia sat next to Twilight. "I know you can find her," She said, "and when you do, bring her back here. This is a very important task." Rainbow Dash nodded her head and darted off toward Ponyville. "Oh, move over, Applejack. I can hardly breath!" Rarity complained "Well, I would if I'd anywhere to scoot," Applejack replied. Celestia called to the team of four Pegasi pulling the chariot, "I need you to make haste! We haven't any time to spare!" The four Pegasi obeyed. Compensating for the added weight, they flapped their wings and towed the chariot toward the Sculpture garden. They were inside of the chariot for all of two minutes before they stopped at the Canterlot Sculpture Garden. Celestia led them to the same spot where Discord's lifeless statue once stood. The statue was gone. Nothing was left in its place but a pile of rubble and a peculiar looking duck billed platypus. Celestia inspected the chips of rock. "It was a mistake to leave him here," she announced. "No, it wasn't. You had no way of knowing this would happen," Twilight said. In truth, she actually did think that leaving the statue in the open was a bad idea. Applejack looked up to the sky. "Er... not to say I'm complainin', but shouldn't it be raining chocolate 'bout now?" Celestia moved the rubble around with her hoofs. "It appears I have good news," she said, "Last time Discord was here, I noticed that he seemed weaker than when we first met. I couldn't explain it, but he almost seemed... restricted in the amount of magic he could use." "Aren't we all?" asked Twilight. "Not Discord," Celestia stated, "Or, at least he shouldn't be. Discord does not only ring chaos, he is chaos. He is powered by chaos, and disharmony. That power source should be unlimited. However, the last time he was freed, he was different. I'm not saying he wasn't powerful, far from it. But he was not the Discord I remembered." "And how powerful was he?"Rarity asked. "There are some things that cannot be measured in terms you can understand. He didn't have to obey any laws of physics. Instead he made up his own. He could split Equestria in half, control ponies minds, even create new, horrific creatures and bring them to life. He was very powerful the last time he was freed, but had he had as much power as he once did, things would have gotten much worse, much faster!" Twilight thought aloud, "So, if he was less powerful the second time..." Celestia finished, "This time he appears to be powerless." "But, why?" "I can only think of one thing that has changed since the first time we battled..." Twilight leaned in. "Yes, yes, what is it?" "You and your friends." Twilight looked confused. "I beg your pardon?" "You and your friends have learned so much about friendship and harmony. With each new discovery, you have strengthened your connection with each other, and the Elements of Harmony. As Harmony gains power, Disharmony becomes weaker. There is a balance between the two. If one becomes stronger, the other becomes weaker, and Harmony has never been stronger than it is right now." Twilight began to understand. "So, as long as we're connected to the Elements, there's nothing to fear, right?" "Only if the Elements are unharmed." "Huh?" "I think I know what Discord is planning next. I can only hope the rest of your friends show up in time." K-9 Unit Fluttershy hid in the leaves of a tall tree. She was shaking at the sight of what was hovering above her. At first, she thought it was a dragon. That was bad enough, but what was flying above her was much worse than any dragon. THUD! Discord landed on the ground and looked up at the tree. "I can see your tail, Fluttershy!" He called. Fluttershy pulled her tail deeper into the tree. He chuckled and flew up toward the branches. "Come out, come out, Futtersh..." "HEY DISCORD!" Rainbow Dash's voice interrupted. Discord turned to see her flying above him. "Who's got four hoofs and the best timing in Equestria?" She waited for a response. "C'mon, humor me a little," she pleaded. Discord remained silent. Rainbow Dash grunted, "It's me, okay? I'm the one with four hoofs and the best timing in Equestria. See, now you've ruined it." She flew closer to Discord. “I don’t suppose you’ll tell us what you want in the Everfree Forest.” “Oh, if only I knew.” “Huh?” “You heard me.” Discord yawned, “I have absolutely no idea where I am or what I’m doing.” He leaned back and draped his left arm over his forehead for dramatic effect. “Alas, I am aimlessly wondering Equestria in search of a purpose in life...” Rainbow Dash stared at him for a moment. “I’ll put this simply for you. You go away, and never show up again, or you’ll spend some more time as a rock?” Discord faked a look of fear. “Oh no! I’m so scared, Rainbow Dash! Please don’t hurt me!” “Don’t mock me!” Discord sighed, "Fine, I didn't want to have any fun here anyway. I have something very important to do, so if you would excuse me..." Rain poured on Discord from a dark cloud that Rainbow dash was stomping on. "How very mature of you Rainbow Dash," he snarled. He shook himself dry, droplets of rain water sprayed on the tree's leaves. “Now, I’m sure you have someplace better to be, as do I.” He lowered to the ground. “So I’m going to have to insist that we part ways for now.” He turned around and casually strolled off in the distance. Fluttershy peeked out of the tree. “Um... shouldn’t we go after him, Rainbow Dash?” Rainbow Dash shrugged, “Why bother? He clearly has no idea what he’s doing. Besides, we need to go get Pinkie Pie and go back to Canterlot as soon as we can. Celestia has some sort of plan.” “But, what about Flim and Flam... and Trixie and Gilda? Is Twilight okay?” “She’s fine.” “How?” “Long story.” “How did Discord get freed again?” “Longer story.” “I don’t mind...” “I’ll tell you on way. We need to get going.” “Oh, okay then.” Rover, Spot and Fido sat on a broken log, doing nothing in particular. Two other diamond dogs were fighting over a gemstone in a clearing. Spot bumped Rover on the shoulder. “Should we stop them?” He asked. “Why bother?” Rover replied, rubbing his head, “They never listen. I tell them to find more jewels, but they never listen!” He hit the log. Some of the wood splintered underneath his fist. “See what you made me do!” “Sorry boss.” Discords voice sounded from the threes, “Having trouble boys?” He was leaning against a tree, eating an apple. The dogs couldn’t make out any details about how he looked because of the shadows that surrounded him. He threw an apple at Rover’s paws. Rover stood up and inspected the apple. “There are no apple trees here! Where did you get that?” he demanded. Discord took a large bite into his apple, eating a few seeds with it. “I found them,” he stated, “But, apples aren’t really important, are they? What is important?” He grinned. “What do you live for?” “Diamonds.” Discord bit into his apple again. “Just Diamonds?” Rover corrected himself, “No, we want them all! Opals, sapphires, rubies, emeralds, all the jewels in Equestria!” “Do you have them?” Rover looked back at the two dogs who were fighting over the gem. One of them had it tight to his chest wad was trying to ward the other off with his free paw. Rover sighed, “No.” “Then, it looks like you have a real problem.” He dropped his apple and stepped out of the shadows. “And I think I can help.” Rover stumbled back and tripped over the broken log. He got back up, grabbed Spot and shook him frantically. “What is that? WHAT IS THAT?” he yelled. Spot broke his grip. "I don't know, okay?" Discord fell to his back and rolled around in laughter. “You should see the looks on your faces! Priceless!” He wiped a tear from his eyes. “You act like you’ve never seen a draconequus before.” Spot scratched his head. “We haven’t.” Discord turned around and started to leave. “Well, It was nice meeting you, but you don’t need me. I’ll just take my unlimited gems elsewhere...” Rover dived at his feet. “WAIT!” he cried, “We do need you! We will do anything you ask!” Discord smiled. “Say please.” “PLEASE!” Rover yelled desperately. Discord rolled his eyes. “Okay then. They’re yours!” Rover jumped for joy. “Oh, thank you, thank you!” “But, I can’t give them to you, now.” Rover stopped jumping for joy. “Huh?” “Oh, I would give them to you if I could, but I can’t. I seem to be powerless.” “We could help you get your powers back!” Rover offered. Discord grinned, “What a good idea! I was going to suggest that we throw a party and forget about our troubles in life, but that is a much better plan! So, how many in your pack?” “Including us... err...” Rover counted with his fingers. “Forty.” Discord rubbed his chin and did some mental math. “That should be enough...” “Enough for what?” Discord laughed, “Have you ever been to Canterlot? I hear it’s nice this time of year.” Planning The Canterlot Castle’s War Room had a reputation for being something of a joke. It had been unused for over a century. Had it been just one day earlier, the room would have been abandoned, dusty, and by all standards, completely lifeless. However a rare summit was called for all the Royal Guard’s highest ranking officers, and the War Room was put to use again. Seven uniformed ponies were gathered around table with an outdated map of Canterlot, and the ensuing debate was anything but lifeless. Captain Trench was outspoken in is anger. He was a white coated earth pony, the first earth pony to reach the rank of Captain. His unruly, grey mane was almost completely concealed behind his helmet. He slammed his hoof on the table to get the other six captain’s attention. “This is ridiculous!” he shouted, “They’re evacuating the city as we speak! Canterlot is a trade hub. How long will it take for you to realize that there is no threat? Until then, we’re supposed to close all the markets! The city will go bankrupt before you stubborn mules realize that Discord isn’t real!” A pegasus replied, “Gee, Trench, are you a captain or an economist?” Captain Trench lifted his hoof off the table. “I’m a realist, and Discord is not real! I bet the pegasi were to blame for all that strange weather we had last year, not some make believe god! What proof do you have that he ever existed? A broken statue? Oh yes, somepony broke our statue. That must mean that we unleashed the god of chaos!” he mocked. Shining Armor stood up and slammed both of his front hoofs on the table. “That’s enough from you, Captain! I will not allow this to be reduced to a petty squabble! The evidence is irrefutable. Discord is real, you’re going to have to accept that you’re wrong.” He removed his helmet and laid it on the table. “The only reason we’re here is to develop a plan to...” “No need,” Celestia’s voice interrupted, “we have a plan.” She entered the room, followed by a green unicorn. The seven officers bowed as she stepped in. Shinning Armor looked up from his bowing position. “Princess Celestia, you already have a plan?” “No, not me, but he does,” she replied. The green unicorn trotted to the table. He had a bright yellow mane, with an orange streak down the center. “So, are you an expert?” Captain Trench asked, “Or is there another reason you’re dong our job?” The green unicorn half ignored and half didn’t care about Trench’s comment. “You can call me Ray,” he said plainly, “That is, after all, the name I was born with. Now I believe you are under the false assumption that it is up to you to formulate a plan.” He telekinetically pulled a map out of his saddlebag, and unrolled it on top of the old map. His map was an almost identical copy of the other one, accept the city was divided into seven parts with bright red ink. “I already know exactly what to do to trap Discord...” “Trap Discord?” Shinning Armor interrupted, “I thought we were protecting the city!” “Why not both?” Ray replied, “Discord will not stop until we stop him, but he has been stopped twice before. We have exactly what we need to stop Discord, and it is six young mares.” He put one hoof on the hoof drawn, red lines dividing the map. "You will each be in charge of one section of the city. Your job is damage control. I'm sure there are more stubborn ponies like you, Captain Trench, who refused to evacuate. In addition to them we have hospital patients who weren't able to leave, and their doctors. Your job is to keep them from coming to harm. No easy task considering we have no idea when or how he is planning to attack." He looked around the table, then back to the map. "As for the trap, We'd normally be able to set our trap wherever Discord plans to enter the city. The problem is we have no idea where that is. So we’ll set up or trap in the next best thing.” He waited a moment before continuing. “He s going to invade Canterlot for one reason, and one reason only. He intends to destroy the Elements of Harmony...” “Hah! Listen to yourself!” Trench interrupted, “You think he’s going to invade Canterlot so that he can destroy some jewelry?” Celestia stopped her hoofs in protest. “That’s enough from you!” Ray waited a moment, then continued, “It doesn’t matter it makes sense to you, the Elements of Harmony are the key to victory for both sides. When Discord attacks, and he will attack, he will be looking to destroy them; which is why The Hall of The Elements is the perfect place for our trap. In order to keep Discord from suspecting that it is a trap, I will be outside the Hall the whole time, and Princess Luna will be protecting the building with a magical barrier. If all goes well, Discord will believe that we DON’T want him to enter the Hall, when in fact we do.” He smiled. this was the part of his plan he was most proud of. “When he enters the Hall of the Elements, the six Element bearers will be waiting for him. He will be caught off guard and turned to stone once again.” Captain Trench studied the unicorn for a moment. “He’s not half as dumb as he looks.” Ray smiled, “Nopony is as dumb as I look.” The Point of No Return Captain Trench was entertaining himself by watching the surreal sight of ponies buying from a fruit stand that was right next to a military barricade. Ray was right. A lot of ponies had stayed behind when the city was evacuated. They were resuming there carefree lives without even minding all the Royal Guards who setting up defenses across the town. Ray walked up behind him without him noticing. “A strange sight, wouldn’t you say?” he asked. Trench pretended to ignore him. Ray continued, “Not one of them isn’t aware of the danger. They were all warned. Yet, they choose to act as if it’s a normal day. Even though over half of the ponies in the city have left, the stay.” “Why shouldn’t they?” Captain Trench interjected, “What reason do they have to believe that they are in danger?” Ray was ready for him to ask that. “Have you seen Princess Celestia raise the sun every single morning of your life?” “No, I can’t say I ever have outside of the Summer Sun Celebration...” “Then who raised the sun every other day?” “Princess Celestia, of course.” “And yet, you did not see her do it. Not all true things can be proven, Captain Trench. That’s why faith was invented.” Trench watched as the unicorn turned around and walked away, whistling a tune. Two Guards were sitting on a bench at the Canterlot Train Station. They had been dong absolutely nothing, just like they were ordered. “Third district,” one of them muttered, “Why is it that when Canterlot was divided into seven parts, we got the only one without a single drop of cider, or any thing to do?” He took off his helmet and stated to run his hoof along the feathers. “What are we supposed to do, sit here?” The other guard laughed, “Why did I get the one partner in the Royal Guard who can’t complains about not having a job to do?” He sat back. “Just enjoy it.” The first guard grunted, “I meant that I’d be a lot happier with something to dr...” A loud, high pitched screeching noise interrupted his thought. He hollered over the noise, “Is that the train?” “Sounds like it.” “I thought all the civilian trains were redirected to another station!” The second guard looked toward the sound. “That is not a civilian train.” The train was short, only three carts long. It was painted bright white with the words: Royal Guard Continental Railroad painted on the sides in red. Inside the middle cart, Pinkie Pie was telling one of her favorite stories about her helping Applejack harvest apples. Spike, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy pretended to listen to her story, but were really just waiting for her to be done. She had been talking for hours. Their prayers were answered as the train came to a grinding halt. The train’s doors slid open. Rainbow Dash hopped out first and landed onto station floor. She was shortly followed by Spike, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie (who was still talking). The four of them started to leave the train station. “Oh, um... don’t you think we should ask for directions?” Fluttershy asked Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash sighed, “Fluttershy, this isn’t the first time we’ve been to Canterlot. I know where I’m going.” Pinkie Pie let out an exited gasp, “Oh my gosh, Spike, didn’t you say there was a donut shop near the train station? Can we go there? Can we? Can we? Can we? I just love donuts, especially if they’re really big! And, I hear that the donuts in Canterlot are really, really, really, really, really, r...” Rainbow Dash shoved her hoof in Pinkie’s mouth. “Pinkie,” she said, “we aren’t here for donuts! Do you remember why we’re here?” Pinkie nodded her head. “Mmffhhmm” Rainbow Dash pulled her hoof out of Pinkie’s mouth. “Well then, let’s stop fooling around and go.” The four of them stopped fooling around and left. The guard who had been fooling with his helmet commented, “Well, that was interesting.” The train’s door opened again. This time, a very tired looking Royal Guard wobbled out. The other guards studied him for a moment. The exhausted guard plopped onto the ground and moaned. “The pink one,” he began, “all it does is talk! The only time it stops talking is when it eats!” He took in a deep breath. “We’re out of food.” Princess Celestia paced nervously in front of Canterlot Castle’s main stairwell. Twilight pretended not to notice that the Princess herself was almost acting as if she were afraid. The Princess stopped pacing and turned to Twilight and her friends. “Discord won’t come alone,” she said, “he will bring help, and it will not be easily to dealt with.” “We won’t let you down, Princess Celestia,” Twilight said confidently, “we’ve beaten him before, and we can do it again!” Celestia looked up at the ivory ceiling. She remembered the first time she fought Discord. Even with the Elements of Harmony aiding her, Discord was very difficult to deal with. If she failed now, Discord would become as powerful as he once was. She could not allow that to happen. “I fear he may not fall for the same trick a third time,” She stated grimly. Applejack turned to the main doors. She heard the faint sound of a group of ponies walking up the castle courtyard. This was shortly followed by the sound of the tall wooden doors creaking open slowly. The two unicorn guards stationed outside were magically opening the doors for the new guests. Everypony was then watching as the doors opened completely. It was still midday and the bright sun shinned its light through the opened doors. Silhouetted against the sunlight, stood the figures of three mares and one baby dragon. Spike spread out his arms and ran toward Twilight. “Twilight!” he cried, “I’m so happy to see you!” He reached his arms around Twilight’s neck and hugged her tightly. “Spike! Why are you here?” Twilight asked surprised. Spike released his grip. “Why wouldn’t I come, Twilight? I can’t just stay in ponyville while your life is in danger!” Twilight put her left forehoof on Spikes head. “Oh Spike,” She said, “it’s just so dangerous.” Rainbow Dash interrupted, “Please tell me there’s a plan, Twilight. I hate having to wing it.” “Yes,” Celestia replied, “and we need all of you to do it. I need the six of you to get to the Hall of The Elements right away. Discord could be here any minute!” Twilight nodded her head. She looked at the other five Element Bearers. Something didn’t feel right. She dismissed the thought as nerve and started to head out the door. “WAIT!” Spike yelled, “I want to come with you. I can help too!” “No, Spike,” She replied, “you need to stay here. It’s not safe.” “But...” “No buts!” Twilight commanded, “You need to stay here, and that’s final!” As the ponies trotted off to The Hall of The Elements, Spike started to giggle, “She said, ‘no butts!’” Rover had Discord's left arm draped over his shoulder. This made him feel quite awkward. They were both standing on top of the cliffside that towered over canterlot. "They are ready for us." Rover commented. The roads to the city were all blockaded with Royal Guards. "There must be eight guards for every one dog we have!" Discord scoffed, "I half expected them to set up a barrier. The guards will be easy to deal with." Rover looked at the fortified city. "How?" "It's quite simple, really. Ignore the guards, attack the city itself.” He stood up tall and faced Rover’s pack. The Dogs were lying down in the sunlight, basking in complete boredom. One dog was licking his paws and whimpering after being bitten by a few angry fire ants. It tuned out that sicking your paw into a random dirt mound to see what was inside was a bad idea. Discord rolled his eyes. The lack of intelligence that he had used to manipulate them so easily was now serving only to annoy him. He cleared his throat, not because he needed to, but because he always wanted to do so before giving a speech. "I don't expect you to defeat the entire Royal Guard," He announced to the pack, "nor do I want you to attempt to. I want seven of you to follow Rover and me. The rest of you are to cause as much havoc as possible. I want you to start fires, break glass, steal their homes and burn their valuables! I don't care, as long as it distracts the guards from me!" The dogs looked at each other stupidly. Discord placed his lion paw on his face. "To 'distract' means to keep somepony from paying attention to." The dogs nodded their heads to show they understood. Discord slammed his fist into his eagle claw. "Well, what are you waiting for, a good luck kiss?" he shouted, "Go destroy things!" The dogs howled excitedly. They finally had something to occupy their tiny brains. As they darted down the hill on all fours toward Canterlot, Rover's heart filled with greed for the jewels he was promised and the unlimited wealth he craved, but he also felt another sensation, a feeling of regret. He did not like that feeling, so he ignored it. The Storm The northern entrance to Canterlot was blocked off by a hastily made wooden wall. The wall was seven feet tall and three feet thick, but it was hollow in the center. It closed off the gap in Canterlot’s stone wall that was once used as a welcoming entrance to the fair city. The top of this wall was only large enough to hold the weight of four ponies. Captain Trench and his second officer stood on top between two guards. Trench's second officer, First Lieutenant Carth, was a light gray coated unicorn. His mane and tail were pitch black. He almost looked like the polar opposite of his bright-coated commanding officer. "Would you be so foolish as to follow their plan?" Carth asked Trench, "You're going to let Discord walk into the city for the sake of some ridiculous trap?" "You say that as if he's even going to show up," Trench said confidently, "What does it matter how we plan to react to something that will never happen?" "But then, if it turns out he is real, what will you do?" Carth asked, "Isn't that at least something to consider?" "You needn't consider such a thing, because it makes no sense! I refuse to pretend that we are under any sort of threat from a creature that is the product of pure fantasy! I make my decisions based on reason, not mindless speculations and imaginative theories!" He yelled out his last sentence so loud that it echoed across the nearby mountains. The guard to Trench's left nudged him and said, "Sir! I think you'll want to see this!" Trench and Carth both looked down the road to see Discord himself surrounded by a pack of forty dogs. They were too far away to be seen clearly. Trench called out, "You've come close enough!" Discord called back, "You bring up a good point, but I think I'd rather do the exact opposite of what you told me to do." He and the dogs continued walking down the road. Trench started to make out Discord's twisted form. "What are you?" He asked nervously. "Who, me?" Discord called back "I'm just a mindless speculation and imaginative theory." Trench watched Discord walk closer and closer to the wooden wall. Carth whispered aside to Trench's ear, "What will you do now?" Discord and his pack of dogs walked within ten yards and stopped. There was an awkward pause of disbelief from the ponies. Discord clapped his hands together and laughed, "Oh, goodie! This is the part before the battle where both sides look at each other to build up dramatic suspense! I just love this part!" "You can't go with the plan, lives are at stake!" Carth said to Trench in a hushed yell, "We can stop him now, we'll be heroes!" Trench looked down for a moment, then shook his head. "You're a fool..." Carth commented, "...sir." “I was a fool for doubting the Princess.” “And you're a fool now!” Discord whistled loudly. “Listen, I'm sure you have very important things to talk about, but I'm on a tight schedule.” He grinned smugly. “I tell you what, I don't want to cause a big scene here. These are just forty of my most heavily armed friends. If you let us in, I promise we won't cause a scene. You can trust me.” Trench knew he had only two options: Try to stop Discord and risk him coming back again, or go with the plan and give him only enough resistance to make him think they were trying to stop him. There were so many variables, the trap itself may not even work. He balanced his options in his head. He had only a moment to decide. He stepped to his left and glanced at the Canterlot Tower. “You want the Elements?” he said, “There they are. Come and get them.” He turned around and hollered, “Stick with the plan, and get those civilians out of the street!” Loud bells rang through the city. The guards throughout the city began to herd the civilians inside of their homes, spreading panic rather than success. Ponies ran across the streets in search of loved ones, and the overwhelmed Royal Guards could do nothing to stop them. Discord raised his hands into the air. “Oh no!” he cried, “It’s exactly what I expected you to do!” He pointed his bear claw at the wooden wall and yelled, “Go, now! Tear down the wall!” The dogs howled and rushed past Discord. One of them tripped on a rock as he ran. The other dogs simply walked over of him. When they were only ten yards from the wooden barricade, Captain Trench whispered to Carth and the other two guards, “We’re putting on a show, but make it look real.” Carth nodded nervously. The Guards raised their spears and pointed them toward the dogs. The first five dogs clashed with the wooden wall and violently clawed at the wooden planks. Splintered wood chipped off and fell to the ground. The guard to Trench’s right thrust his spear at a dog that was directly below him. The metal spearhead clanked against the dog’s helmet and shimmied off to the dog’s shoulder. The spearhead cut into the dog’s shoulder. He immediately jolted back, grabbed the spear and yanked it toward the ground. The guard tried to keep is grasp on the spear. As the dog pulled harder, the guard lost his grip on the spear and lost his balance, leaning to the edge of the wall. Captain Trench grabbed the guard’s neck plate and pulled him back to safety. “Thanks,” the guard said between heavy breaths. The dog was still grasping the guard’s spear. He inspected the item for a moment, then rammed the blunt end through the wooden wall with a loud ‘CRACK.’ Two other dogs rushed to the hole and chipped at the wood around it. As the hole expanded in size, the dog pulled the spear out and clutched it in both hands. Carth looked over the wall and cried, “This wall won’t last for much longer, sir!” “Wasn’t plannin’ on it!” Trench replied, “On my mark, I want you to jump!” The dogs ripped off an entire plank of wood. “Jump?” Carth questioned, “Why ‘jump’” The dogs tore down the planks surrounding the hole and flooded into the hollow wall. “This wall is going to fall!” Trench yelled. The dog with the spear thrust his new weapon into the second layer of wood. The spear head poked through the other side of the wall. “But why do we have to jump?” Carth whined. The dogs beat on the wood relentlessly. The wood cracked and moaned. Trench looked at his feet, a small crack creeped up the wood and split the plank into two, even halves. “No time, jump now!” He ordered. Without hesitation, the four ponies jumped off of the wall and landed on the ground with a loud thud. As they fell, the dogs tore down another plank causing the surrounding beams to wobble. The roof of the wall split and caved in above the dogs. The dogs yelped and jumped to either side to avoid the falling chunks of wood. Carth stood up and looked at the scene. He turned to Captain Trench and asked, “Why were we even up there in the first place? I mean, what was the point of that?” Trench stared back at Carth. “Lieutenant... shut up,” he said. A dozen more guards rushed to the Captain’s aid. One guard, a white unicorn, looked to the pile of splintered wood and gasped, “Sirs, look!” One by one, the dogs that were trapped in the rubble dug out of their prison and stood on top of the broken wood. They were joined by Discord and the rest of the pack. For a moment they stared at the guards who stood in their way. Discord pointed to the Captain and his soldiers. “Charge, my little puppies, CHARGE!” The dogs responded by howling, beating their chests, and viciously rushing at the guards. “Okay, boys,” Trench said with a low voice, “hold the line as long as you can.” He turned to his right, where Carth had been standing moments before. Carth was no longer there. He glanced further across the street to see Carth’s log, black tail turning behind a flower shop as he ran away. “Carth, you cowardly son-of-a...” A dog tackled Trench as he spoke. Shouldn’t have looked away, Trench thought. The dog wrestled Trench to the dirt and pulled off his helmet. Trench curled his hind hoofs and placed them on the dog’s chest. “Get off!” he yelled. He kicked his legs back, sending the dog flying off into the dirt behind him. Trench rolled to his belly and stood back up on his hoofs. He looked around. The dogs almost seemed to ignore the guards that were trying to stop them. The dogs were breaking windows, jumping in and out of jewelry stores, and throwing just about every heavy object they could get their paws on. He looked across the street. Discord was nowhere to be seen. A few of the dogs had already moved deeper into the city. It wouldn’t be long before they would spread into the adjacent districts. Trench pulled himself together and ran toward the sounds of chaos. Carth stopped running as he approached a wide, wooden bridge that crossed over one of Canterlot’s beautiful waterfalls. He hadn’t been running for long, and he could still hear the sounds of panic in the streets, but something about the tranquil, flowing water put him at ease. It was then that he allowed himself to regret his decision to flee. He heard glass shatter. The dogs were looting. Carth ran his hoof through the dirt nervously. Suddenly, a loud scream sounded behind him. He turned to see a mare and filly, both screaming, backing into a flower shop at the base of the bridge. They were being chased by the hulking dog Fido and two other diamond dogs. The mare backed into the flower shop’s glass window as the dogs surrounded her. For a brief moment, she locked eyes with Carth, who was standing at the foot of the bridge. “Guard!” she cried, “Help us please!” “Quiet pony!” Fido yelled. He turned sharply to Carth and growled. Carth stepped back. There were three of them and only one of him. He froze in his tracks, unable to move. Fido ignored Carth and stepped closer to the two defenseless ponies. He growled and the other two dogs joined him. Suddenly, a white and grey blur violently collided with the dog two Fido’s left. Fido jumped back and looked where the dog had been standing. The dog was now on the street floor, wrestling with a very determined Captain Trench. For a moment, Fido stared in confusion. The mare and filly started to slowly back away while Fido’s back was turned. After they were a few feet away, they turned and ran. “Don’t let them leave!” Fido ordered as he pointed to the escaping ponies. The third dog lunged at the mare. Trench struggled to free his hoof. He managed to escape the first dog’s grasp long enough to trip the other dog as he ran past him. The dog landed chin-first into the street with a thud. “Not ... so fast.” The captain managed to say. The first dog now had him pinned to the ground by his neck. Trench’s left front hoof lay outstretched, still clutching the dog’s leg. He glanced at Carth, who still stood paralyzed at the bridge. “Lieutenant!” He called, “Get your flank over here and help me!” “He won’t save you, pony!” Fido barked. Carth backed away three paces, then he turned and ran across the bridge, out of sight. Fido chuckled deeply, “He is a coward, but cowards don’t get caught!” He knelt down and grabbed Trench by the head. The other dog let go of his neck as Fido lifted the Captan off the ground. “You got caught, my friend.” Fido saw a thin gold chain tucked into Trench’s collar. “What’s do we have here, pony?” He said as he reached for the golden chain. Trench tried to smack the dog’s paw away, but Fido caught his hoof mid-swing and forced it aside. Fido then grabbed the chain and yanked it. The chain snapped at the back of Trench’s neck and slid off his collar. Fido cupped the golden chain in his hand. At the base of the chain was a silver pendant that was adorned with diamonds. The pendant had a symbol of a chess piece in its center. Fido smiled and folded it into one of his coat pockets. “Pretty necklace,” Fido commented, “I’ll hold onto it for a while.” Fido lifted Trench into the air and slammed him down at the bace of the flower shop with a loud. “You’ll stay there if you know what’s good for you, pony!” Fido said threateningly. The three dogs began to cross the wooden bridge. Trench slowly stood up. His left hind hoof was no doubt sprained, or even broken. He slowly advanced on Fido, making sure not to make a sound. Pain shot through his left hoof as he put weight on it. He took one wrong step and put all his weight on his sprained hoof. He fell backwards and yelped at the sharp pain. Fido turned to the source of the sound. “Stupid pony!” he yelled. Trench tied to scramble back up, only furthering his pain. “Stupid pony!” Fido repeated. He pulled back his left leg, then kicked it strait into Trench’s gut. The force of the impact sent the Captain into the air and flung him strait into the bridge’s wooden guardrails. The rails snapped as he crashed into them leaving nothing between him and a drop that would undoubtably kill him. He burst through the rails hind hoofs first. He instinctively grabbed on to the side of the bridge by it’s broken rails and held on for dear life. His grip began to slowly slip. Fido and the other dogs were not paying attention to Trench. Instead, they were focused on something else. Trench could hear hoof-steps of other guards, a large group of them was approaching. He tried to pull himself up, he couldn’t. His grip was slowly failing. “Run!” Fido ordered. The dogs obeyed and followed Fido across the bridge and out of sight. Trench’s left front hoof slid completely off the rail and dangled next to his side. “Help!” he cried. Before the guards could respond, his grip completely failed. He felt the wind rush past him as he fell helplessly through the air. He didn’t scream, he just closed his eyes and waited. After a few brief moments, he felt a jerk, then a tug, and he no longer felt the sensation of falling. That was short, he thought. He opened his left eye. He saw the waterfall rushing down the cliffside. He wasn’t falling, he was rising, and most importantly, he wasn’t dead! He could hear a constant swooshing sound behind him. He opened his right eye and looked up. Above him was a white pegasus. The pegasus was holding Trench by his shoulder guards and flying him back to safety. “Captain, can you hear me?” the pegasus asked, still focusing on flying. Trench didn’t respond, instead he gazed downward. He was so high above the ground! “Captain!” the pegasus repeated, “Are you all right?” “I... I’m fine,” Trench finally answered, “You ... you’re a pegasus?” “Last time checked. Why are you asking?” Trench didn’t respond. The pegasus slowly lowered him back to the safety of the bridge, where they were met by five other guards. “You okay, captain?” one of the guards asked. Trench ignored the question. “Have any of you seen Lieutenant Carth?” The guards shook there heads. Trench grunted angrily, “That pony’s dead the next time I see him! I’ll kill him, I swear it! I’ll...” “Sir,” the pegasus interrupted, “What about Discord?” Trench took a deep breath, “Yeah, You’re right. Follow me, we’ve got a kingdom to save.” Don't WorryThe mane six found themselves waiting in a familiar place, surrounded by the marble floors and ivory walls in the Hall of The Elements. It was oddly quiet in that great room, as if no sound could penetrate its thick, white walls. The door to the safe that the precious elements were kept in was unlocked, not that a locked door would have stopped Discord in the first place, and left open for the six element bearers to use. Rarity was the first to put on her necklace, the Element of Generosity. It was cold, as would be expected from a golden chain that had been left in a stone room for so long. One by one, each of the element bearers armed themselves with the familiar pieces of jewelry that they represent, each of them except Rainbow Dash. "This isn't right!" Rainbow Dash announced to her friends. “If Discord is outside, we should be outside defending the city! Instead, we’re stuck in here waiting for him to fall for a trap that probably won’t work!” To Twilight, everything Dash had said made perfect sense. She found it hard to disagree with her, but still attempted to reason. “It’s not that simple, Rainbow,” she said. “If he sees us, he’ll know what the elements will do to him, and he’ll leave before we can stop him. You know what he’s like! He’ll only come back more prepared if we can’t stop him now.” Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to say something, but quickly shut it. “Twilight,” Applejack said in a concerned and nervous tone. “I recall Discord havig wings. Can’t he just, ya know, fly himself away as soon as he sees us in here?” "He didn't do that last time," Twilight recalled. "It wouldn't make sense for him not to have escaped if he could have." "And making sense is clearly his trademark." Rainbow Dash said sarcastically as she put on her necklace. “Girls, I know it’s not a perfect plan,” Twilight said as she scanned over her friends, seeing their worried expressions for the first time. “But it’s the best chance we have! We’ve already beaten him once, and just like Nightmare Moon and Queen Chrysalis, it wasn’t easy. But nobody said it was easy. We aren’t here because it’s easy.” She held her right front hoof out in the middle of her five friends. Not long after, they all did the same and held out their hoofs in a circle. “We’re here because we’re going to win!” This short speech brought smiles to their once gloomy faces. Had they been in any other situation, they would have lifted their hoofs into the air and cheered, but they were instructed not to make any loud noises. Instead, they just exchanged looks of confidence and pride. Twilight was right. They had already beaten Discord once, and this time should be no different. ____________________________________________________________________ Princess Luna and Ray stood across from each other in the marble courtyard that lead to the Hall of The Elements. There were only two other guards with them. It was cold, and the distant sounds of panic and howling dogs could be clearly heard. They were both nervous. "You know you don't need to be here," Ray said to the Moon Princess. "I can handle this from here. I promise." "This isn't going to work." She said abruptly. "It will work." Ray assured her. "The elements worked on Discord when he did have his powers. This will only be easier." "Only if Discord is predictable," she said. "That is what your plan relys on. You think Discord will walk into this trap because it makes sense, yes?" "Yes, of course!" Ray confirmed. "Where else will he go if not here?" "What if he comes here, but he isn't the one who goes inside? There are others with him. Do you think the elements work on dogs?" Luna asked. Shortly after saying this, one of the distand dogs howled in excitement. It sounded closer than the previous sounds. The dogs were moving deeper into the city. "We haven't time to dwell," Ray said in a more hurried tone. "It's almost time for us to find out if this plan will work! I need you to set up a barrier around the hall, and don't remove it untill you have sufficient reason. We need this to be convincing so that he won't sense a trap." "One last question." Luna said as she backed up into her possition at the entrance. "In order for Discord to get inside in a way that makes this convincing, What will happen to you and the other guards?" "It's going to work," Ray repeated, "Don't worry."
Re-reborn"Celestia, I can explain!" Twilight pleaded. "No time!" She shouted, "Spike sent me a letter. That's not what's important! Don't you see? Never in Equestria have any ponies acted so selfishly, or spread so much panic, or lied to so many ponies at once! Do you know what you've done? You've unleashed Discord! ...Again!" It was almost nightfall. At about this time, a certain flying machine was most likely being crashed into Canterlot’s public square, but that was the least of Celestia's list of problems. Discord was proud to claim his rightful place on the top of that list. He was still sitting on the top of his stone pedestal. Chips of split rock were strewn across the green grass. He stretched out his arms and yawned. He was so glad that he could move again, his joints were very stiff. He looked at his surroundings, it was so tranquil, so peaceful, and beaultiful. It disgusted him so. The sight of something beautiful that could be senseless and chaotic made him sick to his stomach. “You know, after the first time you’re turned to stone, it’s not so bad,” He said to himself in a way only a madpony would, “It’s like a big nap. Oh, Celestia is such a fool. If she were smart, she would have locked up my statue and thrown away the key. But, here I am in the Canterlot Sculpture Garden... again. All of this, just because the princess thought it would be a good idea to use me as a 'public example' so everypony could learn to be kind and blah blah blah blah BLAH!” He took a deep breath, 'But, I suppose that makes me lucky. For once, somepony did something rediculous and it wasn't me. I should be happy for her." He shifted his focus to a statue of a pony, standing on its hind hoofs. The statue was meant to be a symbol of Freedom and Justice. “And who might you be? I just love your mane.” He waited for a response from the statue. He didn’t get one. The statue just continued being a lifeless, chiseled rock. He became angry and shouted, “It is very, very rude to give somepony the cold shoulder when they ask you a question. So, I'll ask you one more time. What is your name?” He still received no the same, lifeless response. He roared, “You are done for, pal!” He pulled back his hands, waited a moment, and pushed them forward. Nothing happened. He stood still with his arms extended. “Why didn’t that work?” he shouted. He tried to do it again, then again, then again. Nothing happened. He thought out loud, “So, what’s the one thing that is different from the last time? Let’s see... I had a much better looking mane. I haven’t brushed in a while. No, that can’t be it, my mane is always beautiful. It could have something to do with the weather. What was the weather like last time? Maybe it’s my new shoes… I don’t wear shoes. I should start wearing shoes. I would look pretty good with some nice duds. Wait; there was something that was bigger… What was it? Aha! Now I remember! Those awful Element Bearers did that… rainbow thing and made Equestria all harmonious and beautiful… and boring. Last time I was free I stole the Elements, and then I started to win, but when they got them back... Chaos must have no influence when they are connected to the Elements of Harmony.” He sighed, “I played too fair. I was doing everything right, and they cheated! I can't let them cheat this tome, I won't! ...Okay, you’ve stated the problem, Good job Discord!” He put a claw on his chin, “Now, what to do, what to do?” He pondered for a moment, “Aha! I know what to do! Yes, it’s the perfect plan!” Minutes later, Discord sat on a rock with a baby duck billed platypus strapped to his head. He scratched his head. “Hmm, I really thought this would make me more powerful…” he said, “It doesn’t seem to be working… No matter! I’ll just find those Elements and destroy them! Then I will have my power!” He looked up at the platypus, “I’m such a genius, don’t you think?” The platypus shook its head up and down. Discord started to pace back and forth. “Well, I’ll need a little help,” he said, “I’m powerless, so I’ll need a good, mindless henchman or two… But where will I find somepony like that? Hmm, let’s see. I’ve heard rumors, hearing rumors is the only thing you can do when you’re a statue. I may need to push them, but they will be perfect. Yes, they’ll get the Elements for me; and when they do, I’ll destroy the Elements, and chaos will be the only power! And I will reign supreme again! I'll make Equestria into the place it was meant to be! Everything will be fun and exciting, not peaceful and safe! Equestria will be mine, all mine!” He laughed maniacally, “Oh, I just crack myself up sometimes.” He looked back at the statue. “And don’t think I’m just going to be forgetting all about you, pal! You will get yours, just you wait.” Luckily for him, he didn't need any magical powers to fly. He spread his mismatched wings and took flight. He was not a graceful flyer, he hadn't used his wings in at least a few centuries. But, he could do it none the less. After a few moments he flew back and placed the duck billed platypus on his pedistal. "You stay here, little guy. I've got to go and bring chaos, and misery to everything that was once good in this world," he said.
Aftermath The crowd thinned out around the crash. The ponies murmured and gossiped about what they thought they saw. They were more concerned about the mess in the city square than the things that Celestia had said. Flim and Flam took off their hats in sorrow. There beautiful creation was now a pile of torn fabric and splintered wood. Trixie plopped on her belly and shifted through the pile of debris. "Oh!" she cried, "You ruined everything! I was going to have all the things I ever wanted, and you took it away!" she beat her hoofs on the ground and cried. A Royal Guard watched her little show, he was not impressed. He rolled his eyes, "Princess," he called, "what do we do with these three?" "Just detain them for now," Celestia replied, "They are the least of my concerns." She turned to Twilight. "We need to get to the Sculpture Garden as soon as possible. Twilight, you Rarity and Applejack will come with me." She pointed to her chariot. "Rainbow Dash, I need you to get Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy to Canterlot as fast as you can." Rainbow Dash looked over her shoulder. "Fluttershy was supposed to be following me..." she said. Applejack, Rarity, and Twilight scrunched into the chariot trying to leave room for Celestia. "How fast were you flying, Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked. Rainbow Dash slapped her face with her hoof. "She could be anywhere between Canterlot and Ponyville by now," she moaned. Celestia sat next to Twilight. "I know you can find her," She said, "and when you do, bring her back here. This is a very important task." Rainbow Dash nodded her head and darted off toward Ponyville. "Oh, move over, Applejack. I can hardly breath!" Rarity complained "Well, I would if I'd anywhere to scoot," Applejack replied. Celestia called to the team of four Pegasi pulling the chariot, "I need you to make haste! We haven't any time to spare!" The four Pegasi obeyed. Compensating for the added weight, they flapped their wings and towed the chariot toward the Sculpture garden. They were inside of the chariot for all of two minutes before they stopped at the Canterlot Sculpture Garden. Celestia led them to the same spot where Discord's lifeless statue once stood. The statue was gone. Nothing was left in its place but a pile of rubble and a peculiar looking duck billed platypus. Celestia inspected the chips of rock. "It was a mistake to leave him here," she announced. "No, it wasn't. You had no way of knowing this would happen," Twilight said. In truth, she actually did think that leaving the statue in the open was a bad idea. Applejack looked up to the sky. "Er... not to say I'm complainin', but shouldn't it be raining chocolate 'bout now?" Celestia moved the rubble around with her hoofs. "It appears I have good news," she said, "Last time Discord was here, I noticed that he seemed weaker than when we first met. I couldn't explain it, but he almost seemed... restricted in the amount of magic he could use." "Aren't we all?" asked Twilight. "Not Discord," Celestia stated, "Or, at least he shouldn't be. Discord does not only ring chaos, he is chaos. He is powered by chaos, and disharmony. That power source should be unlimited. However, the last time he was freed, he was different. I'm not saying he wasn't powerful, far from it. But he was not the Discord I remembered." "And how powerful was he?"Rarity asked. "There are some things that cannot be measured in terms you can understand. He didn't have to obey any laws of physics. Instead he made up his own. He could split Equestria in half, control ponies minds, even create new, horrific creatures and bring them to life. He was very powerful the last time he was freed, but had he had as much power as he once did, things would have gotten much worse, much faster!" Twilight thought aloud, "So, if he was less powerful the second time..." Celestia finished, "This time he appears to be powerless." "But, why?" "I can only think of one thing that has changed since the first time we battled..." Twilight leaned in. "Yes, yes, what is it?" "You and your friends." Twilight looked confused. "I beg your pardon?" "You and your friends have learned so much about friendship and harmony. With each new discovery, you have strengthened your connection with each other, and the Elements of Harmony. As Harmony gains power, Disharmony becomes weaker. There is a balance between the two. If one becomes stronger, the other becomes weaker, and Harmony has never been stronger than it is right now." Twilight began to understand. "So, as long as we're connected to the Elements, there's nothing to fear, right?" "Only if the Elements are unharmed." "Huh?" "I think I know what Discord is planning next. I can only hope the rest of your friends show up in time."
K-9 Unit Fluttershy hid in the leaves of a tall tree. She was shaking at the sight of what was hovering above her. At first, she thought it was a dragon. That was bad enough, but what was flying above her was much worse than any dragon. THUD! Discord landed on the ground and looked up at the tree. "I can see your tail, Fluttershy!" He called. Fluttershy pulled her tail deeper into the tree. He chuckled and flew up toward the branches. "Come out, come out, Futtersh..." "HEY DISCORD!" Rainbow Dash's voice interrupted. Discord turned to see her flying above him. "Who's got four hoofs and the best timing in Equestria?" She waited for a response. "C'mon, humor me a little," she pleaded. Discord remained silent. Rainbow Dash grunted, "It's me, okay? I'm the one with four hoofs and the best timing in Equestria. See, now you've ruined it." She flew closer to Discord. “I don’t suppose you’ll tell us what you want in the Everfree Forest.” “Oh, if only I knew.” “Huh?” “You heard me.” Discord yawned, “I have absolutely no idea where I am or what I’m doing.” He leaned back and draped his left arm over his forehead for dramatic effect. “Alas, I am aimlessly wondering Equestria in search of a purpose in life...” Rainbow Dash stared at him for a moment. “I’ll put this simply for you. You go away, and never show up again, or you’ll spend some more time as a rock?” Discord faked a look of fear. “Oh no! I’m so scared, Rainbow Dash! Please don’t hurt me!” “Don’t mock me!” Discord sighed, "Fine, I didn't want to have any fun here anyway. I have something very important to do, so if you would excuse me..." Rain poured on Discord from a dark cloud that Rainbow dash was stomping on. "How very mature of you Rainbow Dash," he snarled. He shook himself dry, droplets of rain water sprayed on the tree's leaves. “Now, I’m sure you have someplace better to be, as do I.” He lowered to the ground. “So I’m going to have to insist that we part ways for now.” He turned around and casually strolled off in the distance. Fluttershy peeked out of the tree. “Um... shouldn’t we go after him, Rainbow Dash?” Rainbow Dash shrugged, “Why bother? He clearly has no idea what he’s doing. Besides, we need to go get Pinkie Pie and go back to Canterlot as soon as we can. Celestia has some sort of plan.” “But, what about Flim and Flam... and Trixie and Gilda? Is Twilight okay?” “She’s fine.” “How?” “Long story.” “How did Discord get freed again?” “Longer story.” “I don’t mind...” “I’ll tell you on way. We need to get going.” “Oh, okay then.” Rover, Spot and Fido sat on a broken log, doing nothing in particular. Two other diamond dogs were fighting over a gemstone in a clearing. Spot bumped Rover on the shoulder. “Should we stop them?” He asked. “Why bother?” Rover replied, rubbing his head, “They never listen. I tell them to find more jewels, but they never listen!” He hit the log. Some of the wood splintered underneath his fist. “See what you made me do!” “Sorry boss.” Discords voice sounded from the threes, “Having trouble boys?” He was leaning against a tree, eating an apple. The dogs couldn’t make out any details about how he looked because of the shadows that surrounded him. He threw an apple at Rover’s paws. Rover stood up and inspected the apple. “There are no apple trees here! Where did you get that?” he demanded. Discord took a large bite into his apple, eating a few seeds with it. “I found them,” he stated, “But, apples aren’t really important, are they? What is important?” He grinned. “What do you live for?” “Diamonds.” Discord bit into his apple again. “Just Diamonds?” Rover corrected himself, “No, we want them all! Opals, sapphires, rubies, emeralds, all the jewels in Equestria!” “Do you have them?” Rover looked back at the two dogs who were fighting over the gem. One of them had it tight to his chest wad was trying to ward the other off with his free paw. Rover sighed, “No.” “Then, it looks like you have a real problem.” He dropped his apple and stepped out of the shadows. “And I think I can help.” Rover stumbled back and tripped over the broken log. He got back up, grabbed Spot and shook him frantically. “What is that? WHAT IS THAT?” he yelled. Spot broke his grip. "I don't know, okay?" Discord fell to his back and rolled around in laughter. “You should see the looks on your faces! Priceless!” He wiped a tear from his eyes. “You act like you’ve never seen a draconequus before.” Spot scratched his head. “We haven’t.” Discord turned around and started to leave. “Well, It was nice meeting you, but you don’t need me. I’ll just take my unlimited gems elsewhere...” Rover dived at his feet. “WAIT!” he cried, “We do need you! We will do anything you ask!” Discord smiled. “Say please.” “PLEASE!” Rover yelled desperately. Discord rolled his eyes. “Okay then. They’re yours!” Rover jumped for joy. “Oh, thank you, thank you!” “But, I can’t give them to you, now.” Rover stopped jumping for joy. “Huh?” “Oh, I would give them to you if I could, but I can’t. I seem to be powerless.” “We could help you get your powers back!” Rover offered. Discord grinned, “What a good idea! I was going to suggest that we throw a party and forget about our troubles in life, but that is a much better plan! So, how many in your pack?” “Including us... err...” Rover counted with his fingers. “Forty.” Discord rubbed his chin and did some mental math. “That should be enough...” “Enough for what?” Discord laughed, “Have you ever been to Canterlot? I hear it’s nice this time of year.”
Planning The Canterlot Castle’s War Room had a reputation for being something of a joke. It had been unused for over a century. Had it been just one day earlier, the room would have been abandoned, dusty, and by all standards, completely lifeless. However a rare summit was called for all the Royal Guard’s highest ranking officers, and the War Room was put to use again. Seven uniformed ponies were gathered around table with an outdated map of Canterlot, and the ensuing debate was anything but lifeless. Captain Trench was outspoken in is anger. He was a white coated earth pony, the first earth pony to reach the rank of Captain. His unruly, grey mane was almost completely concealed behind his helmet. He slammed his hoof on the table to get the other six captain’s attention. “This is ridiculous!” he shouted, “They’re evacuating the city as we speak! Canterlot is a trade hub. How long will it take for you to realize that there is no threat? Until then, we’re supposed to close all the markets! The city will go bankrupt before you stubborn mules realize that Discord isn’t real!” A pegasus replied, “Gee, Trench, are you a captain or an economist?” Captain Trench lifted his hoof off the table. “I’m a realist, and Discord is not real! I bet the pegasi were to blame for all that strange weather we had last year, not some make believe god! What proof do you have that he ever existed? A broken statue? Oh yes, somepony broke our statue. That must mean that we unleashed the god of chaos!” he mocked. Shining Armor stood up and slammed both of his front hoofs on the table. “That’s enough from you, Captain! I will not allow this to be reduced to a petty squabble! The evidence is irrefutable. Discord is real, you’re going to have to accept that you’re wrong.” He removed his helmet and laid it on the table. “The only reason we’re here is to develop a plan to...” “No need,” Celestia’s voice interrupted, “we have a plan.” She entered the room, followed by a green unicorn. The seven officers bowed as she stepped in. Shinning Armor looked up from his bowing position. “Princess Celestia, you already have a plan?” “No, not me, but he does,” she replied. The green unicorn trotted to the table. He had a bright yellow mane, with an orange streak down the center. “So, are you an expert?” Captain Trench asked, “Or is there another reason you’re dong our job?” The green unicorn half ignored and half didn’t care about Trench’s comment. “You can call me Ray,” he said plainly, “That is, after all, the name I was born with. Now I believe you are under the false assumption that it is up to you to formulate a plan.” He telekinetically pulled a map out of his saddlebag, and unrolled it on top of the old map. His map was an almost identical copy of the other one, accept the city was divided into seven parts with bright red ink. “I already know exactly what to do to trap Discord...” “Trap Discord?” Shinning Armor interrupted, “I thought we were protecting the city!” “Why not both?” Ray replied, “Discord will not stop until we stop him, but he has been stopped twice before. We have exactly what we need to stop Discord, and it is six young mares.” He put one hoof on the hoof drawn, red lines dividing the map. "You will each be in charge of one section of the city. Your job is damage control. I'm sure there are more stubborn ponies like you, Captain Trench, who refused to evacuate. In addition to them we have hospital patients who weren't able to leave, and their doctors. Your job is to keep them from coming to harm. No easy task considering we have no idea when or how he is planning to attack." He looked around the table, then back to the map. "As for the trap, We'd normally be able to set our trap wherever Discord plans to enter the city. The problem is we have no idea where that is. So we’ll set up or trap in the next best thing.” He waited a moment before continuing. “He s going to invade Canterlot for one reason, and one reason only. He intends to destroy the Elements of Harmony...” “Hah! Listen to yourself!” Trench interrupted, “You think he’s going to invade Canterlot so that he can destroy some jewelry?” Celestia stopped her hoofs in protest. “That’s enough from you!” Ray waited a moment, then continued, “It doesn’t matter it makes sense to you, the Elements of Harmony are the key to victory for both sides. When Discord attacks, and he will attack, he will be looking to destroy them; which is why The Hall of The Elements is the perfect place for our trap. In order to keep Discord from suspecting that it is a trap, I will be outside the Hall the whole time, and Princess Luna will be protecting the building with a magical barrier. If all goes well, Discord will believe that we DON’T want him to enter the Hall, when in fact we do.” He smiled. this was the part of his plan he was most proud of. “When he enters the Hall of the Elements, the six Element bearers will be waiting for him. He will be caught off guard and turned to stone once again.” Captain Trench studied the unicorn for a moment. “He’s not half as dumb as he looks.” Ray smiled, “Nopony is as dumb as I look.”
The Point of No Return Captain Trench was entertaining himself by watching the surreal sight of ponies buying from a fruit stand that was right next to a military barricade. Ray was right. A lot of ponies had stayed behind when the city was evacuated. They were resuming there carefree lives without even minding all the Royal Guards who setting up defenses across the town. Ray walked up behind him without him noticing. “A strange sight, wouldn’t you say?” he asked. Trench pretended to ignore him. Ray continued, “Not one of them isn’t aware of the danger. They were all warned. Yet, they choose to act as if it’s a normal day. Even though over half of the ponies in the city have left, the stay.” “Why shouldn’t they?” Captain Trench interjected, “What reason do they have to believe that they are in danger?” Ray was ready for him to ask that. “Have you seen Princess Celestia raise the sun every single morning of your life?” “No, I can’t say I ever have outside of the Summer Sun Celebration...” “Then who raised the sun every other day?” “Princess Celestia, of course.” “And yet, you did not see her do it. Not all true things can be proven, Captain Trench. That’s why faith was invented.” Trench watched as the unicorn turned around and walked away, whistling a tune. Two Guards were sitting on a bench at the Canterlot Train Station. They had been dong absolutely nothing, just like they were ordered. “Third district,” one of them muttered, “Why is it that when Canterlot was divided into seven parts, we got the only one without a single drop of cider, or any thing to do?” He took off his helmet and stated to run his hoof along the feathers. “What are we supposed to do, sit here?” The other guard laughed, “Why did I get the one partner in the Royal Guard who can’t complains about not having a job to do?” He sat back. “Just enjoy it.” The first guard grunted, “I meant that I’d be a lot happier with something to dr...” A loud, high pitched screeching noise interrupted his thought. He hollered over the noise, “Is that the train?” “Sounds like it.” “I thought all the civilian trains were redirected to another station!” The second guard looked toward the sound. “That is not a civilian train.” The train was short, only three carts long. It was painted bright white with the words: Royal Guard Continental Railroad painted on the sides in red. Inside the middle cart, Pinkie Pie was telling one of her favorite stories about her helping Applejack harvest apples. Spike, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy pretended to listen to her story, but were really just waiting for her to be done. She had been talking for hours. Their prayers were answered as the train came to a grinding halt. The train’s doors slid open. Rainbow Dash hopped out first and landed onto station floor. She was shortly followed by Spike, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie (who was still talking). The four of them started to leave the train station. “Oh, um... don’t you think we should ask for directions?” Fluttershy asked Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash sighed, “Fluttershy, this isn’t the first time we’ve been to Canterlot. I know where I’m going.” Pinkie Pie let out an exited gasp, “Oh my gosh, Spike, didn’t you say there was a donut shop near the train station? Can we go there? Can we? Can we? Can we? I just love donuts, especially if they’re really big! And, I hear that the donuts in Canterlot are really, really, really, really, really, r...” Rainbow Dash shoved her hoof in Pinkie’s mouth. “Pinkie,” she said, “we aren’t here for donuts! Do you remember why we’re here?” Pinkie nodded her head. “Mmffhhmm” Rainbow Dash pulled her hoof out of Pinkie’s mouth. “Well then, let’s stop fooling around and go.” The four of them stopped fooling around and left. The guard who had been fooling with his helmet commented, “Well, that was interesting.” The train’s door opened again. This time, a very tired looking Royal Guard wobbled out. The other guards studied him for a moment. The exhausted guard plopped onto the ground and moaned. “The pink one,” he began, “all it does is talk! The only time it stops talking is when it eats!” He took in a deep breath. “We’re out of food.” Princess Celestia paced nervously in front of Canterlot Castle’s main stairwell. Twilight pretended not to notice that the Princess herself was almost acting as if she were afraid. The Princess stopped pacing and turned to Twilight and her friends. “Discord won’t come alone,” she said, “he will bring help, and it will not be easily to dealt with.” “We won’t let you down, Princess Celestia,” Twilight said confidently, “we’ve beaten him before, and we can do it again!” Celestia looked up at the ivory ceiling. She remembered the first time she fought Discord. Even with the Elements of Harmony aiding her, Discord was very difficult to deal with. If she failed now, Discord would become as powerful as he once was. She could not allow that to happen. “I fear he may not fall for the same trick a third time,” She stated grimly. Applejack turned to the main doors. She heard the faint sound of a group of ponies walking up the castle courtyard. This was shortly followed by the sound of the tall wooden doors creaking open slowly. The two unicorn guards stationed outside were magically opening the doors for the new guests. Everypony was then watching as the doors opened completely. It was still midday and the bright sun shinned its light through the opened doors. Silhouetted against the sunlight, stood the figures of three mares and one baby dragon. Spike spread out his arms and ran toward Twilight. “Twilight!” he cried, “I’m so happy to see you!” He reached his arms around Twilight’s neck and hugged her tightly. “Spike! Why are you here?” Twilight asked surprised. Spike released his grip. “Why wouldn’t I come, Twilight? I can’t just stay in ponyville while your life is in danger!” Twilight put her left forehoof on Spikes head. “Oh Spike,” She said, “it’s just so dangerous.” Rainbow Dash interrupted, “Please tell me there’s a plan, Twilight. I hate having to wing it.” “Yes,” Celestia replied, “and we need all of you to do it. I need the six of you to get to the Hall of The Elements right away. Discord could be here any minute!” Twilight nodded her head. She looked at the other five Element Bearers. Something didn’t feel right. She dismissed the thought as nerve and started to head out the door. “WAIT!” Spike yelled, “I want to come with you. I can help too!” “No, Spike,” She replied, “you need to stay here. It’s not safe.” “But...” “No buts!” Twilight commanded, “You need to stay here, and that’s final!” As the ponies trotted off to The Hall of The Elements, Spike started to giggle, “She said, ‘no butts!’” Rover had Discord's left arm draped over his shoulder. This made him feel quite awkward. They were both standing on top of the cliffside that towered over canterlot. "They are ready for us." Rover commented. The roads to the city were all blockaded with Royal Guards. "There must be eight guards for every one dog we have!" Discord scoffed, "I half expected them to set up a barrier. The guards will be easy to deal with." Rover looked at the fortified city. "How?" "It's quite simple, really. Ignore the guards, attack the city itself.” He stood up tall and faced Rover’s pack. The Dogs were lying down in the sunlight, basking in complete boredom. One dog was licking his paws and whimpering after being bitten by a few angry fire ants. It tuned out that sicking your paw into a random dirt mound to see what was inside was a bad idea. Discord rolled his eyes. The lack of intelligence that he had used to manipulate them so easily was now serving only to annoy him. He cleared his throat, not because he needed to, but because he always wanted to do so before giving a speech. "I don't expect you to defeat the entire Royal Guard," He announced to the pack, "nor do I want you to attempt to. I want seven of you to follow Rover and me. The rest of you are to cause as much havoc as possible. I want you to start fires, break glass, steal their homes and burn their valuables! I don't care, as long as it distracts the guards from me!" The dogs looked at each other stupidly. Discord placed his lion paw on his face. "To 'distract' means to keep somepony from paying attention to." The dogs nodded their heads to show they understood. Discord slammed his fist into his eagle claw. "Well, what are you waiting for, a good luck kiss?" he shouted, "Go destroy things!" The dogs howled excitedly. They finally had something to occupy their tiny brains. As they darted down the hill on all fours toward Canterlot, Rover's heart filled with greed for the jewels he was promised and the unlimited wealth he craved, but he also felt another sensation, a feeling of regret. He did not like that feeling, so he ignored it.
The Storm The northern entrance to Canterlot was blocked off by a hastily made wooden wall. The wall was seven feet tall and three feet thick, but it was hollow in the center. It closed off the gap in Canterlot’s stone wall that was once used as a welcoming entrance to the fair city. The top of this wall was only large enough to hold the weight of four ponies. Captain Trench and his second officer stood on top between two guards. Trench's second officer, First Lieutenant Carth, was a light gray coated unicorn. His mane and tail were pitch black. He almost looked like the polar opposite of his bright-coated commanding officer. "Would you be so foolish as to follow their plan?" Carth asked Trench, "You're going to let Discord walk into the city for the sake of some ridiculous trap?" "You say that as if he's even going to show up," Trench said confidently, "What does it matter how we plan to react to something that will never happen?" "But then, if it turns out he is real, what will you do?" Carth asked, "Isn't that at least something to consider?" "You needn't consider such a thing, because it makes no sense! I refuse to pretend that we are under any sort of threat from a creature that is the product of pure fantasy! I make my decisions based on reason, not mindless speculations and imaginative theories!" He yelled out his last sentence so loud that it echoed across the nearby mountains. The guard to Trench's left nudged him and said, "Sir! I think you'll want to see this!" Trench and Carth both looked down the road to see Discord himself surrounded by a pack of forty dogs. They were too far away to be seen clearly. Trench called out, "You've come close enough!" Discord called back, "You bring up a good point, but I think I'd rather do the exact opposite of what you told me to do." He and the dogs continued walking down the road. Trench started to make out Discord's twisted form. "What are you?" He asked nervously. "Who, me?" Discord called back "I'm just a mindless speculation and imaginative theory." Trench watched Discord walk closer and closer to the wooden wall. Carth whispered aside to Trench's ear, "What will you do now?" Discord and his pack of dogs walked within ten yards and stopped. There was an awkward pause of disbelief from the ponies. Discord clapped his hands together and laughed, "Oh, goodie! This is the part before the battle where both sides look at each other to build up dramatic suspense! I just love this part!" "You can't go with the plan, lives are at stake!" Carth said to Trench in a hushed yell, "We can stop him now, we'll be heroes!" Trench looked down for a moment, then shook his head. "You're a fool..." Carth commented, "...sir." “I was a fool for doubting the Princess.” “And you're a fool now!” Discord whistled loudly. “Listen, I'm sure you have very important things to talk about, but I'm on a tight schedule.” He grinned smugly. “I tell you what, I don't want to cause a big scene here. These are just forty of my most heavily armed friends. If you let us in, I promise we won't cause a scene. You can trust me.” Trench knew he had only two options: Try to stop Discord and risk him coming back again, or go with the plan and give him only enough resistance to make him think they were trying to stop him. There were so many variables, the trap itself may not even work. He balanced his options in his head. He had only a moment to decide. He stepped to his left and glanced at the Canterlot Tower. “You want the Elements?” he said, “There they are. Come and get them.” He turned around and hollered, “Stick with the plan, and get those civilians out of the street!” Loud bells rang through the city. The guards throughout the city began to herd the civilians inside of their homes, spreading panic rather than success. Ponies ran across the streets in search of loved ones, and the overwhelmed Royal Guards could do nothing to stop them. Discord raised his hands into the air. “Oh no!” he cried, “It’s exactly what I expected you to do!” He pointed his bear claw at the wooden wall and yelled, “Go, now! Tear down the wall!” The dogs howled and rushed past Discord. One of them tripped on a rock as he ran. The other dogs simply walked over of him. When they were only ten yards from the wooden barricade, Captain Trench whispered to Carth and the other two guards, “We’re putting on a show, but make it look real.” Carth nodded nervously. The Guards raised their spears and pointed them toward the dogs. The first five dogs clashed with the wooden wall and violently clawed at the wooden planks. Splintered wood chipped off and fell to the ground. The guard to Trench’s right thrust his spear at a dog that was directly below him. The metal spearhead clanked against the dog’s helmet and shimmied off to the dog’s shoulder. The spearhead cut into the dog’s shoulder. He immediately jolted back, grabbed the spear and yanked it toward the ground. The guard tried to keep is grasp on the spear. As the dog pulled harder, the guard lost his grip on the spear and lost his balance, leaning to the edge of the wall. Captain Trench grabbed the guard’s neck plate and pulled him back to safety. “Thanks,” the guard said between heavy breaths. The dog was still grasping the guard’s spear. He inspected the item for a moment, then rammed the blunt end through the wooden wall with a loud ‘CRACK.’ Two other dogs rushed to the hole and chipped at the wood around it. As the hole expanded in size, the dog pulled the spear out and clutched it in both hands. Carth looked over the wall and cried, “This wall won’t last for much longer, sir!” “Wasn’t plannin’ on it!” Trench replied, “On my mark, I want you to jump!” The dogs ripped off an entire plank of wood. “Jump?” Carth questioned, “Why ‘jump’” The dogs tore down the planks surrounding the hole and flooded into the hollow wall. “This wall is going to fall!” Trench yelled. The dog with the spear thrust his new weapon into the second layer of wood. The spear head poked through the other side of the wall. “But why do we have to jump?” Carth whined. The dogs beat on the wood relentlessly. The wood cracked and moaned. Trench looked at his feet, a small crack creeped up the wood and split the plank into two, even halves. “No time, jump now!” He ordered. Without hesitation, the four ponies jumped off of the wall and landed on the ground with a loud thud. As they fell, the dogs tore down another plank causing the surrounding beams to wobble. The roof of the wall split and caved in above the dogs. The dogs yelped and jumped to either side to avoid the falling chunks of wood. Carth stood up and looked at the scene. He turned to Captain Trench and asked, “Why were we even up there in the first place? I mean, what was the point of that?” Trench stared back at Carth. “Lieutenant... shut up,” he said. A dozen more guards rushed to the Captain’s aid. One guard, a white unicorn, looked to the pile of splintered wood and gasped, “Sirs, look!” One by one, the dogs that were trapped in the rubble dug out of their prison and stood on top of the broken wood. They were joined by Discord and the rest of the pack. For a moment they stared at the guards who stood in their way. Discord pointed to the Captain and his soldiers. “Charge, my little puppies, CHARGE!” The dogs responded by howling, beating their chests, and viciously rushing at the guards. “Okay, boys,” Trench said with a low voice, “hold the line as long as you can.” He turned to his right, where Carth had been standing moments before. Carth was no longer there. He glanced further across the street to see Carth’s log, black tail turning behind a flower shop as he ran away. “Carth, you cowardly son-of-a...” A dog tackled Trench as he spoke. Shouldn’t have looked away, Trench thought. The dog wrestled Trench to the dirt and pulled off his helmet. Trench curled his hind hoofs and placed them on the dog’s chest. “Get off!” he yelled. He kicked his legs back, sending the dog flying off into the dirt behind him. Trench rolled to his belly and stood back up on his hoofs. He looked around. The dogs almost seemed to ignore the guards that were trying to stop them. The dogs were breaking windows, jumping in and out of jewelry stores, and throwing just about every heavy object they could get their paws on. He looked across the street. Discord was nowhere to be seen. A few of the dogs had already moved deeper into the city. It wouldn’t be long before they would spread into the adjacent districts. Trench pulled himself together and ran toward the sounds of chaos. Carth stopped running as he approached a wide, wooden bridge that crossed over one of Canterlot’s beautiful waterfalls. He hadn’t been running for long, and he could still hear the sounds of panic in the streets, but something about the tranquil, flowing water put him at ease. It was then that he allowed himself to regret his decision to flee. He heard glass shatter. The dogs were looting. Carth ran his hoof through the dirt nervously. Suddenly, a loud scream sounded behind him. He turned to see a mare and filly, both screaming, backing into a flower shop at the base of the bridge. They were being chased by the hulking dog Fido and two other diamond dogs. The mare backed into the flower shop’s glass window as the dogs surrounded her. For a brief moment, she locked eyes with Carth, who was standing at the foot of the bridge. “Guard!” she cried, “Help us please!” “Quiet pony!” Fido yelled. He turned sharply to Carth and growled. Carth stepped back. There were three of them and only one of him. He froze in his tracks, unable to move. Fido ignored Carth and stepped closer to the two defenseless ponies. He growled and the other two dogs joined him. Suddenly, a white and grey blur violently collided with the dog two Fido’s left. Fido jumped back and looked where the dog had been standing. The dog was now on the street floor, wrestling with a very determined Captain Trench. For a moment, Fido stared in confusion. The mare and filly started to slowly back away while Fido’s back was turned. After they were a few feet away, they turned and ran. “Don’t let them leave!” Fido ordered as he pointed to the escaping ponies. The third dog lunged at the mare. Trench struggled to free his hoof. He managed to escape the first dog’s grasp long enough to trip the other dog as he ran past him. The dog landed chin-first into the street with a thud. “Not ... so fast.” The captain managed to say. The first dog now had him pinned to the ground by his neck. Trench’s left front hoof lay outstretched, still clutching the dog’s leg. He glanced at Carth, who still stood paralyzed at the bridge. “Lieutenant!” He called, “Get your flank over here and help me!” “He won’t save you, pony!” Fido barked. Carth backed away three paces, then he turned and ran across the bridge, out of sight. Fido chuckled deeply, “He is a coward, but cowards don’t get caught!” He knelt down and grabbed Trench by the head. The other dog let go of his neck as Fido lifted the Captan off the ground. “You got caught, my friend.” Fido saw a thin gold chain tucked into Trench’s collar. “What’s do we have here, pony?” He said as he reached for the golden chain. Trench tried to smack the dog’s paw away, but Fido caught his hoof mid-swing and forced it aside. Fido then grabbed the chain and yanked it. The chain snapped at the back of Trench’s neck and slid off his collar. Fido cupped the golden chain in his hand. At the base of the chain was a silver pendant that was adorned with diamonds. The pendant had a symbol of a chess piece in its center. Fido smiled and folded it into one of his coat pockets. “Pretty necklace,” Fido commented, “I’ll hold onto it for a while.” Fido lifted Trench into the air and slammed him down at the bace of the flower shop with a loud. “You’ll stay there if you know what’s good for you, pony!” Fido said threateningly. The three dogs began to cross the wooden bridge. Trench slowly stood up. His left hind hoof was no doubt sprained, or even broken. He slowly advanced on Fido, making sure not to make a sound. Pain shot through his left hoof as he put weight on it. He took one wrong step and put all his weight on his sprained hoof. He fell backwards and yelped at the sharp pain. Fido turned to the source of the sound. “Stupid pony!” he yelled. Trench tied to scramble back up, only furthering his pain. “Stupid pony!” Fido repeated. He pulled back his left leg, then kicked it strait into Trench’s gut. The force of the impact sent the Captain into the air and flung him strait into the bridge’s wooden guardrails. The rails snapped as he crashed into them leaving nothing between him and a drop that would undoubtably kill him. He burst through the rails hind hoofs first. He instinctively grabbed on to the side of the bridge by it’s broken rails and held on for dear life. His grip began to slowly slip. Fido and the other dogs were not paying attention to Trench. Instead, they were focused on something else. Trench could hear hoof-steps of other guards, a large group of them was approaching. He tried to pull himself up, he couldn’t. His grip was slowly failing. “Run!” Fido ordered. The dogs obeyed and followed Fido across the bridge and out of sight. Trench’s left front hoof slid completely off the rail and dangled next to his side. “Help!” he cried. Before the guards could respond, his grip completely failed. He felt the wind rush past him as he fell helplessly through the air. He didn’t scream, he just closed his eyes and waited. After a few brief moments, he felt a jerk, then a tug, and he no longer felt the sensation of falling. That was short, he thought. He opened his left eye. He saw the waterfall rushing down the cliffside. He wasn’t falling, he was rising, and most importantly, he wasn’t dead! He could hear a constant swooshing sound behind him. He opened his right eye and looked up. Above him was a white pegasus. The pegasus was holding Trench by his shoulder guards and flying him back to safety. “Captain, can you hear me?” the pegasus asked, still focusing on flying. Trench didn’t respond, instead he gazed downward. He was so high above the ground! “Captain!” the pegasus repeated, “Are you all right?” “I... I’m fine,” Trench finally answered, “You ... you’re a pegasus?” “Last time checked. Why are you asking?” Trench didn’t respond. The pegasus slowly lowered him back to the safety of the bridge, where they were met by five other guards. “You okay, captain?” one of the guards asked. Trench ignored the question. “Have any of you seen Lieutenant Carth?” The guards shook there heads. Trench grunted angrily, “That pony’s dead the next time I see him! I’ll kill him, I swear it! I’ll...” “Sir,” the pegasus interrupted, “What about Discord?” Trench took a deep breath, “Yeah, You’re right. Follow me, we’ve got a kingdom to save.”
Don't WorryThe mane six found themselves waiting in a familiar place, surrounded by the marble floors and ivory walls in the Hall of The Elements. It was oddly quiet in that great room, as if no sound could penetrate its thick, white walls. The door to the safe that the precious elements were kept in was unlocked, not that a locked door would have stopped Discord in the first place, and left open for the six element bearers to use. Rarity was the first to put on her necklace, the Element of Generosity. It was cold, as would be expected from a golden chain that had been left in a stone room for so long. One by one, each of the element bearers armed themselves with the familiar pieces of jewelry that they represent, each of them except Rainbow Dash. "This isn't right!" Rainbow Dash announced to her friends. “If Discord is outside, we should be outside defending the city! Instead, we’re stuck in here waiting for him to fall for a trap that probably won’t work!” To Twilight, everything Dash had said made perfect sense. She found it hard to disagree with her, but still attempted to reason. “It’s not that simple, Rainbow,” she said. “If he sees us, he’ll know what the elements will do to him, and he’ll leave before we can stop him. You know what he’s like! He’ll only come back more prepared if we can’t stop him now.” Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to say something, but quickly shut it. “Twilight,” Applejack said in a concerned and nervous tone. “I recall Discord havig wings. Can’t he just, ya know, fly himself away as soon as he sees us in here?” "He didn't do that last time," Twilight recalled. "It wouldn't make sense for him not to have escaped if he could have." "And making sense is clearly his trademark." Rainbow Dash said sarcastically as she put on her necklace. “Girls, I know it’s not a perfect plan,” Twilight said as she scanned over her friends, seeing their worried expressions for the first time. “But it’s the best chance we have! We’ve already beaten him once, and just like Nightmare Moon and Queen Chrysalis, it wasn’t easy. But nobody said it was easy. We aren’t here because it’s easy.” She held her right front hoof out in the middle of her five friends. Not long after, they all did the same and held out their hoofs in a circle. “We’re here because we’re going to win!” This short speech brought smiles to their once gloomy faces. Had they been in any other situation, they would have lifted their hoofs into the air and cheered, but they were instructed not to make any loud noises. Instead, they just exchanged looks of confidence and pride. Twilight was right. They had already beaten Discord once, and this time should be no different. ____________________________________________________________________ Princess Luna and Ray stood across from each other in the marble courtyard that lead to the Hall of The Elements. There were only two other guards with them. It was cold, and the distant sounds of panic and howling dogs could be clearly heard. They were both nervous. "You know you don't need to be here," Ray said to the Moon Princess. "I can handle this from here. I promise." "This isn't going to work." She said abruptly. "It will work." Ray assured her. "The elements worked on Discord when he did have his powers. This will only be easier." "Only if Discord is predictable," she said. "That is what your plan relys on. You think Discord will walk into this trap because it makes sense, yes?" "Yes, of course!" Ray confirmed. "Where else will he go if not here?" "What if he comes here, but he isn't the one who goes inside? There are others with him. Do you think the elements work on dogs?" Luna asked. Shortly after saying this, one of the distand dogs howled in excitement. It sounded closer than the previous sounds. The dogs were moving deeper into the city. "We haven't time to dwell," Ray said in a more hurried tone. "It's almost time for us to find out if this plan will work! I need you to set up a barrier around the hall, and don't remove it untill you have sufficient reason. We need this to be convincing so that he won't sense a trap." "One last question." Luna said as she backed up into her possition at the entrance. "In order for Discord to get inside in a way that makes this convincing, What will happen to you and the other guards?" "It's going to work," Ray repeated, "Don't worry."
