Chapter 1: Rude awakening
Fireworks guided by magical prowess bust high in the sky as the last of the Princess arrived. Over half of equestrian had shown up. Two years of peace bolstered by a campaign that brought all of Equestria together even more so. Friendship lead to kindness and peace throughout all the land and even beyond it. Other countries graciously joined Equestria as allies and trade partners, happy to be a part of the new movement lead by the new princess of friendship. The two regal sisters sat at the top, a representation of their rule over the land. To their right sat Cadence, beside her Shining Armor. To their left sat Princess Twilight, to her side all five of her friends. Cheers and joy all about the palace sounded as happiness dominated the land in its soothing open hooves.
“Thank you all for coming to our second annual friendship festival!” The princess of the sun smiled warmly to her subjects as off to the right a specific purple alicorn showed a mixture of pride and humility. This celebration was Celestia’s idea but it was indeed Twilight’s holiday. In just two years she had done so much for their entire world. Friendship and love had spread over the whole of Equestria and even invaded into other lands giving what was once a bit of a dark age for certain neighboring countries a beacon of hope and joy.
“heh I can’t believe that princess gave you your own holiday Twi, you lucky egghead” A blue Pegasus happily nudged her old friend.
“Speak for yourself Rainbow, I hear that the Wonderbolts already celebrate your graduation day. How is spitfire by the way?”
The Pegasus grinned and brushed off her Wonderbolt’s uniform. Had she wanted to she could have just taken Spitfire’s position with little effort. But her dream was only to be a Wonderbolt. She needed no further validation and she would have rather not try and steal her friend’s position.
“Oh you know, still sore flanked about the bet she lost a year ago…” They both laughed. It was truly a day to celebrate. Not only had there been no conflicts in two whole years but there had not even been bullying in schools or minor scuffles between friends. It was almost like a supernatural peace and joy had descended upon their entire world.
The music began with a bang as a blue haired unicorn started off with a heavy head banging, a pink earth pony behind her now whooping loudly. “Twilight?... I think you should put some more effort into finding out how Pinkie seems to be able to outrun the fastest pony in Equestria and not even be slightly winded….”
Twilight chuckled a little. Just like the Pinkie senses no one really questioned Pinkie’s seemingly God like teleportation abilities. “We have been there already Rainbow, I highly doubt anypony in the world can even begin to comprehend Pinkie.”
They all laughed and celebrated as the festival continued utterly filled with joy. Big Mac and Cheerily’s new filly rested carefully on her mother’s back, Even the ever so rare to see Queen of the Changelings who only just barely seemed to both be tolerated and tolerate was somehow enjoying herself having been caught up in the spirit of friendship. For her it was more a question resisting the ever stronger flow of change to her people and perishing under the passive refusal to feed her through conflict, the only way her kind managed to survive was to engage in a treaty with the rest of Equestria and simply take on the addictive positive culture and friendship. For here there was so much love, they needed not to steal any.
Music and joy flowed through the air like apple cider from a wooden mug with the cheers of her people Celestia graciously smiled turning to her sister. “This path that we have forged is a beautiful one… These years have been like a golden treasure to not just us but the whole kingdom..”
Her sister smiled back and opened her mouth to speak but an odd dark voice sounded. It felt old, cold, calculated, intelligent, prideful, and cruel. “Well you see princess…the thing about treasure…is the greedy can steal it…”
Both the regal sisters looked up with some worry as the happiness seemed to slowly grind to a halt. Dark clouds seemed to just form overhead cutting out the sunlight. But this was not all, the sound of crackling and creaking was mixed with something like hooves on a chalkboard as the sky cracked and darkness opened up. The air grew cold and every living breathing thing about grew silent as a figure stood before the four princesses. As if he had always been there the Unicorn with a dark coat, a gray mane and a bent horn like if it was made of twisting wood grinned up at them.
His hoof gently clopped once on the soft grass. Instantly the earth beneath him rose up making him level with the princesses, yet still he seemed to stare down at Celestia.
“Why hello….” He breathed in deep through his nose smelling the air. “Oh it’s been far far far too long…”
A heavy righteous hoof clashed loudly onto the table as Celestia stood. Luna joined her quickly. “Who are you and what business do you have here?...” Her eyes strained a little as if she was doing something else, then widened as she spoke again. “…and what are you?”
“Such attention to detail coming from a horse of all things… I always found her fascination with dumb animals so damned odd…” All he got in return from the short statement was blank and somewhat confused stares.
“Very well…I guess I should just do what I came here to do and be off…I do not sense her….but I feel her pieces….they are here….ahhh…I see” He smiled looking over at Twilight. “She is dead….and her restless soul is trying to make sense of this wretched land…how laughable…”
Twilight took to the air and leveled off at Celestia’s side. Shining armor too stood tall ready for anything, even discord looked up but there was a show of legitimate fear on his face. However it seemed to be mixed with the same amount of confusion as everypony else at the moment. “Who are you?... Princess Celestia and now I have asked you… This is a celebration… You may join if you like, but if you are here to cause problems please leave… “
She looked as though she was about to continue when he smirked. “Two princesses?...oh it would be oh so rude if I had to be asked by three…You cannot comprehend who I am…or what I am…but for all intensive purposes…you may call me….Nis….its a name I have grown quite found of…” He paused looking at his hoof with what almost looked like disgust before he continued. “I am here…because we are chasing …or rather WERE chasing an old friend…her name was Luci’ona… She ran away from me the last time I played with her…she fled here…and its been so long …so …so …so very long… She was not looking so healthy when last I saw her…granted it was probably because I had stabbed her. But that is no reason for her to do what she did…you would not believe it…she just picked up her pieces and ran. She ran to this place…Cut me off from it for thousands of years… ungrateful bitch….”
Celestia’s horn glowed brightly and she stared at him with righteous anger, it was painfully obvious this pony did not mean to bring anything but conflict. “Nis…this Luci’ona pony you are looking for is NOT here…leave now….or you will be forced to leave….”
He grinned wide. “Forced?....oh just when I was getting hungry. I see you have cake…Why not share some…that is what you all do is it not?...share?...” His horn let off a dark pitch black glow and the ground rumbled. The cake below on the table popped like a juicy bulging zit, the resulting pieces seemed to be transformed into some sort of acid as it melted away an anything it touched. A yelp of pain came from Prince Blueblood as a small spatter landed on his rump leaving a burning hole on his right flank. The moment this happened four of the royal guard rushed up at him. Though very unlike how their tactical plan was to go, they did not even get to hit the floor in one piece as a dark mist of shadows shot out from Nis’s horn, the moment it came in contact with these ponies. The guards splattered. Only their whole bones which landed in the puddle of rotting bloodied flesh could even begin to indicate that what was on the ground and over the tables occupied by utterly fear dominated ponies who stepped back in fear and revolt.
“Oh I’m sorry…was I supposed to make friends with them first?... This is after all a friendship ceremony…” He grinned, his eyes blank in the ecstasy of his cruelty as most of the ponies ran, the rest backed up in fear. “I would not expect you to know her by the name of Luci’ona and nor am I expecting to find a pony when I search for her…though to be honest I think you poor sods would have a different name for her….Harmony I believe…”
Twilight started forward cautiously but Nis gave just one stare which seemed to chill her to the bone. Her very hooves went numb as she faltered in the air and plopped down on the ground next to Celestia who muttered. “…Harmony?...you don’t mean….no…that is not possible..”
“What?...That the Aspect of harmony fled here in her dying moments or that there is more than just one aspect?....just how dull are you… oh its no matter…I am here.. and I am going to pick up her pieces…I wont be satisfied until I can look into her eyes as my blade wrenches down her gut….”
Celestia’s eyes shot wide and she leveled her horn. Instantly a blast of her golden magic shot out at him. His dark shadow mist intercepted and shot down the length of her magical beam instantly burning her all about her body. Letting out a scream of pain she was thrown back but seemingly caught in the air suspended by the shadow mist.
“Tsk tsk…so eager…but it seems you know exactly what I want…you are coming with me miss sunny butt…” Nis flinched lightly as what could only be identified as a flood of vanilla ice cream splashed over his shadow mist that gripped Celestia. Then a massive gold club seemed to form next to Nis as a giant Discord grinned.
“FORE!!!!” The giant club swung at Nis who was now in a golf ball suit. The impact was staggering as it sounded like a mountain being split in two before Giant discord hopped down, shrinking as he fell from the clouds, gingerly catching Celestia. “I don’t know about you but he was quite rude…”
“And you are here too I forgot…” The dark voice spoke with a chuckle as a demented grin spread over the unicorn’s face, He stood just inches behind Discord and Celestia. Like lightning Discord’s magic flashed the injured Celestia to an undisclosed location and Discord back a few feet.
“Well aren’t you just full of surprises?... so…what’s your gimmick?....you feel vaguely familiar…but… its just you are quite strange…I feel like I should know you ..but …oh who cares… You struck out at my friends this puts you under the scope of a plot ton of chaos….” Discord grinned looking over at the black unicorn.
“Oh I should seem familiar…I doubt YOU….know who I am but Te’shinin knew…you are just his reincarnation…if it’s any consultation you look a lot better than the previous element of discord…” He slowly began his trot forward as Discord stared with confusion in his eyes
“Element?....what are you going on about with this nonsense” He snapped his fingers and an anvil appeared over Nis’s head, however it melted into a drizzle of molten steel instead of clonking him on the head.
“You don’t know….you wouldn’t know….you are a single element…belonging to madness…you represent the core of madness…the absence of order…discord… one of four elements belonging to the aspect of Madness… Te’shinin owed Luci’ona a solid…so he sealed this world shut with his life…but the fools here spent thousands of years prying it back open with their magic. Gateways and portals…heh…made it all the easier for me to finally get in…but enough catching up… I am going to take her back even if it requires me gutting every last one of you stupid horses…”
“They are ponies… and you won’t lay a hoof on them….” Discord stared at him with fierce determination and a fair amount of anger. The very few other ponies still present stared in fear as Nis’s eyes glanced over them all.
“Luci’ona gave you all so much…even now her soul is burning into everything…assigning positions to everything…” He panned about, his hoof pointing as he went on “…kindness…laughter… “ His hoof passed over Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie before panning over spike and Luna who stood ready even though it seemed nopony could do anything against this unicorn. “Potential…redemption…and not to mention one of my least favorites….”
His horn glowed brightly and Celestia appeared at his feet still recoiling from the burns and the shock. His hoof stepped firmly onto her head and applied pressure. Instantly all who were present stood up and showed a clear sign of aggression. “Little sun butt here….was given the title of wisdom…oh how annoying….” His eyes suddenly widened and he stared up at the sky still torn asunder by his magic.
“Oh just look at the time….I tell you what…. Why don’t we settle this like friends?...I mean this is the friendship holiday isn’t it?...so….I will give you all you need to make me leave… if you succeed… you get sun butt back….and I will even let this wretched little world live….but fail…and I will paint this world with the blood of you foolish beasts and darkness will consume you all….” He grinned and Celestia vanished once again, this time in a flash of darkness.
Twilight stood on her still shaky hooves. “How do we know you are not lying?....” He looked down and grinned flashing into place behind her. It was only the display of what he had done to the royal guard minutes ago that kept everypony from pouncing all at once.
“Simple…you don’t…but I assure you…both that you concerns are valid yet I do not lie here…its in my nature to lie cheat steal and deceive. If I can do harm I will….but I am pressed for time right now… and I need to cause trouble for more than just you fools…as well…despite how evil I am….there is one thing I never go back on…” His horn sparkled and a paper scroll zapped into existence with a long list of conditions. Her sharp eyes glanced through it all quickly seeing it was a contract that listed exactly what he had said and more. “I don’t break the laws I set….sign the contract and you can play for your lives…otherwise your absolute best case scenario is that you will just never see sun butt again….because I will kill her… and when its safe for me I will return and kill all of you… you have ten seconds and I am leaving… her head will look quite lovely above my fireplace…”
Lifting his hoof he inspected it as if he were being extra careful to ensure that he was looking his finest. Everyone from Rainbow Dash to shining armor. Even Fluttershy was shaking their head and shouting, but an unseen magic snuffed out their words into a dead silence. Seconds ticked by and Twilgiht sweated profusely wondering how all of this landed on her shoulders. With only two seconds left to go she clenched her eyes shut and her magic plastered her name onto the page signing in agreement to the contract.
“Perfect…lets have fun shall we?...now then…ah…these will do…” He raised his hoof and six pillars rose with it. “I am binding six of your kind with something that will lead my foes to you… be wary… for just because they oppose me doesn’t mean they are your friends…” He focused and with a flash of black light, one at a time, ponies began to appear before him in perfect synch with the pillars breaking and a small gemstone appearing in their hooves. First came a rather rugged looking pony that Twilight only vaguely recognized from Canterlot, if her memory served right he was called Iron Stud, the royal guard’s blacksmith. Then came a quick succession of five others a cross eyed gray Pegasus, Big Mac, a Griffin that looked very confused, Shining armor whom was teleported a grand distance of ten feet. Then Nis put his hoof to his chin in thought. “Ah why not let’s put someone awesome in there…” He pushed his hoof forward and a white unicorn with bright neon blue hair and sunglasses popped up with the rest.
“Aye now….lose your Gemstones or die….and my enemy in which your gemstone represents will be barred from this world… Successfully get your gemstone to my enemy and he will be granted his full power… ONLY if all six elements combine will you be able to summon the aspect who is capable of getting rid of me…however that is not the ONLY way you can get rid of me….but trust me…it’s the way you are going to want to get rid of me…oh and by the way…” He grinned as his body began to vanish. “If you don’t make progress in one week Ill slowly start to kill sun butt…and in one month…the crystals Gemstones themselves will fade away and crumble into dust….have fun…”
His voice faded with maniacal laughter and his mist spreading into every direction leaving three princesses and a small group of frightened and confused ponies left to figure out how to play the game.
