ES: Devastation = Dominationby Black HailstormChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 1Chapter 1:We’re Home. In Manehattan four figures watched the train that had dropped them off slowly pull away from the docking station. The stallion with the three mares had moved on towards the busy streets just calling a taxi pony to give them ride to their destination. “Where to sir?” the driver had asked once his clients had loaded themselves on the carriage. A bronze unicorn with a slightly messy mane said “Rose’s National Park.” The taxi driver nodded and began pulling the carriage, carefully maneuvering through traffic as he pulled the carriage so as not to disrupt the three mares with the well known diplomat of these parts. “So Sir, planning to do anything special for tonight” the driver asked as he came to a stop due to the slight hold up in traffic. “Nothing special no” the bronze pony replied. “Ah, I see” the driver said before remaining silent for the rest of the drive. It must have been something in the unicorn’s voice, but the driver knew when or when not his passengers were in the mood for a chat and though the unicorn had responded politely he could tell he was in no mood for a chat. Taking a quick glance back at the three mares sitting on the carriage the stallion couldn’t help but notice the immense fascination in their eyes. It was almost as if they hadn’t been outside for a long long time. Especially with the way the arctic blue one moved from side to side craning her neck to get as good of a view as she possibly could of everything and everypony that they went by. It made the taxi driver chuckle a bit as he watched their exasperated faces when they got to their location. “Here we are” he said stopping by the sidewalk in front of two very large rose bushes that stood about eight feet high. “Rose’s National Park.” Thanking the driver the bronze unicorn helped the three mares off the carriage, much to the purple haired mare’s chagrin. Once the driver had pulled off and moved back to the bustling streets of Manehattan, Vendetta turned to the three mares behind him. “Why did you bring us out to this park?” Adagio asked as she looked around at all the roses that had been expertly used to decorate the entire area. She had to admit it actually looked good, but that wasn’t what was on her mind. “And why do we look like this?” Aria asked staring at a hoof. Vendetta bit back the urge to throw a glare at the sour mare, so instead he forced a smile. “It was a precaution” he simply stated. “Well can you remove the precaution? We wanted to come back home, not live in these disguises for the rest of our lives.” Sonata said. “Too bad” the unicorn stated as he moved towards one of the rose bushes in the park and took in a calm whiff of its fragrance. “If you want the Equestrian Guard on you before you could even get a verse out then I suppose I could’ve ignored the fact that you three would become wanted criminals in a matter of seconds upon your appearance here in Manehattan.” The three sisters were silent. Adagio looked between Aria and Sonata both unsure of what to say of this. “I suppose we owe you our thanks. Good thinking by the way” she said trotting up to the bronze unicorn. “But now we have to take action.” “In time” Vendetta said with patience. “Introducing you back into society will take awhile. We need to take things slow first, not just rush into them blindly.” “So what do we do while we’re waiting?” Sonata asked as a bee floating by landed on her nose and partially drawing her attention as she attempted to kindly wiggle it off. “First you need to get accustomed to my world. You haven’t been in Equestria for a thousand years, an entire millenia. Things are way different in comparison to then and now. So I’ve decided to bring you out to this park as the first step to getting you a bit more acquainted to my home” the bronze unicorn said with a smile. “Smart, once again job well done” Adagio said as she passed the unicorn. “And since you know this place better than us, we’ll obviously need a place to stay.” “I can have a room prepared for you once we return to my mansion” Vendetta said as he raised a hoof to signal for another taxi to pick them up. ”I believe Winston should still be up if I’m right.” While Vendetta gave the driver the instructions of where they wanted to go the three siren sisters looked around the park drinking in the scenery before them. Home. They were finally back, after years of being gone, trapped in that horrid world having to feed off of insects, then to go on in that world without magic, without the ability to sing. Feeling weak and vulnerable for all those months after that humiliating defeat, they had somehow managed to get back. All thanks to the kindness of this here unicorn. Climbing into the carriage the small band of ponies soon began pulling away from Rose’s National Park, heading in the direction of Vendetta’s home. Adagio watched as Sonata would, with glee as she had noted stare at the new buildings and their neon signs that they passed by on their way to Vendetta’s place. A small smirk formed on her face as she watched Aria sneak a few curious peaks at the restaurants they passed. Soon enough the older siren found herself smiling at the childish antiques her sisters were using to catch peeks of the city they had long since forgotten in their years of imprisonment. It felt good to see her sisters actually happy again, even more so since for once Aria didn’t look so annoyed and Sonata was being a more positive version of her bubbly self. For the first time in years Adagio felt...comfortable. It was a strange feeling but, she was content with it. Simply enjoying this moment with her sisters of finally being back, back home was all she wanted to revel in at the moment. Vendetta’s voice soon broke her serene state of mind. “We’re here ladies” he said hopping off the carriage, digging into his coat pocket and pulling out a couple of bits. “Here you are good sir” he said paying the driver as the three sirens left their seats. Once the driver was gone Vendetta turned towards the silhouette that was his giant house. “Welcome to Paradies.” “Excuse you” Sonata said as she passed by the unicorn who merely chuckled. Following after the three mares as Adagio (strangely enough) lead them into his home. “Paradies is German, for paradise” he said using his magic to open the door so that Adagio and the others could just walk inside. Climbing the spiral steps up to the second hall Adagio stopped, seeing a unicorn with a tray for a cutie mark. The older unicorn bowed respectfully then raised his head to stare at the three mares in front of him, in silence before speaking upon Vendetta's appearance. “Master Detta, I see you have brought guests over?” the unicorn said from behind his monocle with a raised brow. Vendetta nodded. “I have, I hope that it won’t be too much of a bother to ask you for your help in preparing separate rooms for these lovely ladies” Vendetta said, unaware of the devious grins that the three sisters dawned on their faces upon the compliment. “Of course not Young Master. One moment while I awaken the other servants.” Before Vendetta could say that wouldn’t be necessary, the older stallion tapped his hoof on the marble floor allowing the sound to echo throughout the large mansion. Instantly six other ponies: two pegasi, three unicorns and one earth pony all appeared in a timely manner. All still wearing their robes and slippers and looking fully awake. “It has been awhile young master” said a mare servant, bowing her head ever so lightly to Vendetta at the same time making him feel slightly abashed. Aria let a grin crease her lips as she watched the bronze unicorn grow in uneasiness from all the servants bowing their heads before him. “I see your servants hold you in high regard ‘Detta’” Adagio said wryly, making the unicorn’s cheeks flush a faint red. Clearing his throat Vendetta clapped his forehooves together. “Please, I’ve told you guys you don’t have to do that anymore. It always made me feel uncomfortable especially with you Ingrid, we’re the same age. No need to lower your head to me please.” The group of servants rose their head all acting like they hadn’t been listening to what he was saying each holding a smile of their own. “Ahem, right anyway. Could you please get these three beds that are nearby each other. If it’s not any trouble showing them to their rooms now would be fine. I’m going to retire to my quarters soon for the night. I’ve got some things I must do” Vendetta said. All six servants nodded as Winston clicked his hoof on the ground once again, signalling their assignments had been given. The three sisters were immediately flanked by two ponies, each ushering them forward. “Follow me to the East Wing. There are bedrooms there adjacent to each other. You three can sleep there" the pegasus called Ingrid said, glancing in the three sirens direction. Adagio smiled. “Thank you, please do lead the way.” Once shown to their rooms the three sisters met in Adagio’s room within a few minutes of checking out just how good their rooms were. “So...” Aria said sitting beside Adagio who was staring out a window that showed the live lights of Manehattan from a distance. “We’re home.” Sonata sat by Adagio’s other side. “Yeah...finally home.” Adagio simply remained silent that tranquil feeling rushing over her mind and body. Her sisters most likely feeling the same judging from the small smiles and exuberance she could feel radiating off of them. Taking in a deep breath, the siren exhaled feeling refreshed having soaked in her fill of peace. “Well girls” the brilliant gold pony said rising to her hooves. “We’ve had enough fun for one day. Wouldn’t you girls agree?” “It was nice to do some sightseeing” Aria shrugged, “but doing that alone does get boring after awhile” she said rising to her hooves and joining her sister by the window. “So Dagi, when do we start?” Sonata asked also joining her sisters from their position, by the window. “Tomorrow. As soon as we get accustomed to this town, we’re taking it’s magic. Then we’re taking over the rest of this world, and this time” all three sisters eyes briefly flashed a faint shade of green. “We’ll be prepared.” Chapter 2Chapter 2: Decisions, Decisions. “Forget Everything and Run. Or Face Everything and Rise” Seven. The lucky number that spelled luck for any and all who believed in this myth, that things would work out in the way they had hoped. That was not the case for the mane six and Spike. It had been a few hours since Discord and Hailstorm had talked and upon the end of their discussion Twilight, Spike and the others had watched silently as Hailstorm left the room, with a calm and steady demeanor. But something about him leaving, left a bad feeling in Rarity as she watched their hazel stallion friend climb the steps to his room and quietly shut the door. “What was that about?” Rainbow Dash asked. All the others shrugged. When Discord came in Fluttershy trotted up to him. “Discord, what did you and Hailstorm talk about. He seemed...off.” The draconequus said nothing his face stoic and impassive. “It is not my place to tell you my dear Fluttershy. If anything it is up to him to speak. I must go, I have to talk to Celestia about a few things” snapping his fingers before Fluttershy could call him to wait he was gone in a sudden poof of pink fuzz. The group looked at each other with confusion till Rarity finally spoke up next. “Perhaps we should check up on him. Make sure he’s alright?” she suggested. That proved futile, because the stallion had locked his door. No amounts of knocking, calling out to him, or jokes made the former human bother to open the door and allow his friends inside. Instead, he was silent. Seconds turned to minutes, minutes to hours, and hours became painfully unbearable as the day progressed with barely a peep from the stallion. Spike was chewing his claws and Twilight was pacing their cutie map anxiously, her eyes glued to the floor as she was lost in thought. “What could be making him act like this?” Twilight said aloud, sadly no one had an answer. “Fluttershy has Discord told you anything on what he and Hailstorm talked about?” The yellow pegasus merely shook her head sadly. “He refuses to say anything. He just keeps saying ‘Hailstorm has to tell you, it’s not my job.’” “What the hay is that supposed to mean?” Applejack asked crossly, causing Fluttershy to take a defensive step back. “Our friend is up there doing who knows what. He hasn’t eaten, he hasn’t drank anything, he probably hasn’t slept in days and here we are doing nothing!” she said slamming her hoof on the ground. “Well I’m not waiting anymore I’m going to drag him out of that room kicking and screaming if I have to” Rainbow Dash stated about to take off only for Rarity to stop her with her tail encased in the unicorn’s aura. “Do not be so uncouth Rainbow Dash!” Rarity scolded. “We don’t know what those two talked about, whatever is making him act like this could only worsen if we force him to come out.” “Then what do you suggest we do?!” she yelled, turning towards Rarity. “The guy could be in there seriously in pain or even worse d-” “DON’T YOU DARE SAY THAT” Fluttershy yelled, shocking everyone as she began to tremble. “Please...please...just don’t” Fluttershy implored, her legs shaking. Twilight put a hoof around the shaking mare as she turned her sights to Rainbow giving her a stern look. Dash dropped to the ground, her head bowed in penitence. “Fluttershy. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you like that.” “It’s okay” she sniffed. “We’re just a little worried is all.” “Tch, yeah that’s an understatement” Spike said still chewing on his claws. Twilight who still had an arm around the still shaking Fluttershy suddenly came up with a thought. “Dash, you know where Hailstorm’s window is right?” “Yes?” she nodded slowly. “Go up to it and see what he’s doing. If he’s in any real danger then you can barge in and raise Tartarus for all I care just fly up there and tell us what he’s doing.” Rainbow Dash saluted then bolted out an open window, flying up to where Hailstorm’s window was. Silently flapping up to the window sill the cyan pegasus peaked into the room. Standing only a few feet from the window, was me. Floating up a bit higher so she could get the clear view of my entire body Dash looked around the room to see it untouched and me simply just standing a few feet away from the window, the only thing I was doing was being silent. Dash tapped the window in an attempt to grab my attention. I didn’t move. She tried again, yet once again she saw the hazel earth pony unyielding in movement. In fact the look she could see on my face was merely the same calm expression I had entered and left the room with only hours ago after my talk with Discord. Dash was starting to get annoyed. The cyan pegasus and the others had been worried sick and though she was glad, I hadn’t done anything that would make her seriously worry for my mental state, she was seriously upset that all the stallion had managed to do with his day is grow hungry, judging from the grumbling sounds of his stomach; and worry six mares, the bearers or as Dash now supposed arbitrators of the Elements, and a baby dragon. “Hey!” Dash said tapping the window again, harder this time. “Hey! Say something you dimwit!” she yelled from behind the window. Again, I remained inexpressive. Dash was fuming. If there was one thing she didn’t like aside from not being the center of attention, it was being ignored especially when she was trying to help someone. “HEY HAILSTORM!” she yelled tapping my window louder. The sound had brought out Twilight and the others, Spike sitting on Fluttershy’s back as they looked up to see Dash scowling at the person sitting in the room and staring blankly at her with no sign of care or emotion. “Rainbow Dash what in tarnation do yer think you’re doing? We said check on him not shout at him!” Applejack said, from below. “Well he looks fine to me from here” the cyan pegasus said turning her attention to the equines below. Turning her attention back to Hailstorm, Dash’s scowl grew as she continued to stare at me, and I seemingly appeared to stare at her. “Enough’s enough!” she said after a few seconds of intense silence. Flapping her wings, and drawing back her body the pegasus brought up her hooves and kicked the window in, the glass shattering and the entire frame falling into the room. From below she heard her friends gasp and immediately rush back into the castle, calling after her to stop. But she didn’t care. “Three months!” Dash said bitterly as she carefully floated inside the hole she had made, floating over the broken pieces of wood and glass. “For three months we’ve been together. All of us. And despite how close we’ve gotten to you, when Discord takes you away to have a private little chat you come back, lock yourself in your room and act like we don’t exist?!” she yelled dropping to the ground on her hooves with an audible thud. Behind the pegasus and former human the voices of the rest of the group were becoming louder and louder by the second, along with the clicking of their hooves. I had remained silent. Dash stared, sternly I might add, waiting for me to say something. When I didn’t her face contorted into one of pain and anger. “Answer me damnit!” she said grabbing my shoulders and shaking me, which I still remained limp to, the entire time my face calm but my eyes still open. To Dash she must have thought I was in some kind of trance because she looked me in the eye as if I wasn’t blinking, while she shook me. When our eyes met she suddenly stopped. At the same moment a faint blue glow emerged around my door. SLAM! The door hit the wall loudly, as the rest of the group rushed into my room to see what Rainbow Dash had done or was about to do, they stopped inches away from me and her catching the look of confusion on her face as they entered. “What’s wrong Dash?” Twilight asked nervously. Rainbow Dash who had moved one hoof away from my shoulder and the other still resting on my left, was still staring me in the eyes with the utmost confusion. It wasn’t fear that she saw in my eyes. Nor was it the confusion and depression I had expressed and shared with them in the past three months that she saw in my eyes either. What she saw, was deep rooted hatred. Anger and pain to her, that she had never seen before in any Equestrian, not even in Nightmare Moon herself. The day they had come face to face with the manifestation of nightmares that had haunted so many foals in the past centuries, couldn’t even rival the rage in the brown eyes that stared back at her unwavering, lost in thought. “Hailstorm?” she whispered silently to me, her voice being the first thing that broke the silence since Twilight’s question. “What did Discord tell you?” she asked voicing the thoughts of everyone in the room. I said nothing for a few seconds. Blinking, I allowed myself to slowly come back to the world of reality after having revelled in my thoughts for the past few hours, ignoring all distractions both bodily and in the outside world. Twilight and the others had now joined the confused Rainbow Dash, who saw something in me that I wouldn’t allow them to see, ever, especially not a second time. Not as long as I had breath in this body. “Hailstorm” Twilight said slowly like speaking to a child. “What did Discord tell you?” she asked again voicing the question that had been so greatly been bugging them. I blinked again, now fully out of my contemplation. The mares came into view now for the first time and I stared at them, seeing Rainbow Dash first as she was the closest to me, then the rest, Spike being behind Rarity. I took in a deep breath that made all of them except Dash, back up as they allowed me to breath. Then exhaled, the air. Dash was still waiting for me to say something as were the others, each holding their own questioning bemused look. “Dash” I said calmly, slightly startling her in the process, as her folded wings twitched a bit. My eyes no longer reflecting whatever it was she had seen that made her tense up so. “You never saw that” I told her, the others looked confused but Dash knew what I was talking about. Slowly she nodded her one hoof that rested on my shoulder slowly sliding off, down my arm and then on to her side. “To answer the rest of your questions, it’s simple. He told me I’m screwed” I replied frankly. “But I’ve decided I’m going to stop at nothing to fix it” the mares were obviously not satisfied with my explanation but that was all they would be getting from me. Turning around I walked past my open door heading towards the bathroom as their eyes followed me there. I was tired, and I also needed a bath. Plus I really needed to take a piss. “Why are we out here again?” Aria asked annoyed by the fact that they had been walking around for the past thirty minutes and Adagio still hadn’t told her a word of what they were doing out here. “Because we need to keep our voices strong. You wouldn’t want to sound like a dying peacock again now would you?” she asked flashing a grin as Aria scowled back at her. “Fine, then what exactly do you expect us to do?” Aria said having stopped in front of a building that were displaying clothes of various types. “Yeah, I mean it’s not like there’s an audience that happens to be around here conveniently waiting for us to drain them of their magic” Sonata said as she caught sight of a dress that met her fancy. Adagio rolled her eyes. “Maybe if you girls stopped staring at every little thing we passed by we could get some actual work done” she said turning around with a flick of her tail. “Hey don’t blame us!” Sonata retorted with a frown. “We haven’t been here in a whole millenia can’t blame us for wanting to see some of the things here.” “You mean we can’t blame you for slowing us down” Aria said turning to face the younger siren. “You were part of it to Ari!” “No I wasn’t” she said grumpily. “Yes! You were!” she said agitation growing in her voice. “Girls!” Adagio shouted her voice breaking the two sisters up as Aria casted glares at Sonata, and Sonata stuck her tongue out at Aria. Sighing heavily Adagio moved away from the fashion shop they had been standing by. “We’ve got to find a way to increase our magic. Vendetta’s magic was only good enough to make our voices strong enough to get us through that portal, but if we want to take over Manehattan and all of Equestria we need to find an audience, and a stage that will attract attention” Adagio said as she trotted across the street, once it was clear. “You girls need to focus” she scolded, once they had crossed after her. “We made a mistake once. We cannot afford to do it again!” she stated tossing them a stern glare before moving onward. Aria sent a scowl Adagio’s way when she was done speaking and had turned around. “Be easier if we weren’t constantly being stared at by the stallions here” she said in what sounded like annoyance and a bit of disgust as she caught a business pony passing by staring at her flank. “Ignore them, besides it means we haven’t lost our charm. I’d take it as a compliment” Adagio said a sly grin making its way on to her face as the three sirens continued to trot on the streets of the city. Aria’s signature scowl merely increased at the statement as Sonata giggled at her sister’s uncomfortableness. More walking and eventually more bickering occurred between Sonata and Aria’s constant petty fights before finally getting on Adagio’s nerves. “Girls!!” she shouted only to be shut silent by Sonata placing a hoof under her chin turning her attention to a stage just a few feet away. “Look!” she said excitedly, eager to finally have an audience after it being sooooo long. The stage had the painted words “Midsummer Theatre” on it but Sonata didn’t care as she left her gawking sister’s side trotting over to the stage. “Found your little stage Adagio,” Aria said with a snide look before following after the excited Sonata. Adagio was too busy staring in disbelief how simple it had been to find such a thing, and in the middle of the street or at least not far from it nonetheless. Shrugging her curiosity away not willing to let such a chance slip the bright gold siren followed after her sisters who were now standing on the stage checking out. “Kind of drab, if you ask me” Aria commented. “Well it is a ‘theatre’ says so in the name” Sonata said looking around carefully, her eyes scanning the small theatre for any signs of equipment. When she saw none she turned to Adagio who had now just reached the top of the steps that lead to the stage. “How are we going to sing loud enough to grab some of these ponies attention if we don’t have equipment?” Adagio smiled. “I came prepared for that” pointing her hoof across the street she pointed to an audio store. “There was a reason I brought us out this far, but to think the stage would be here as well, well the gods must be on our side” she said with a grin. “Aria do you have the bits?” Adagio asked turning to her sister. “Got ‘em right here” she said pulling them out of the saddlebag on her back ,tossing it over into the outstretched palm of Adagio. “Since you’re so eager to sing, you can buy it. You know what to do if you need help right?” the siren asked Sonata. She nodded with a smile, taking the bits in her teeth Sonata disappeared in a flash of arctic-blue smoke, the door across the street slowly closing showing she had gone inside. “Damn” Aria said, “She really wants to sing.” The sound of rushing water from the top faucet was the only thing that came from the bathroom. A few seconds later the turning of the know and the dying sound of running water was what came next before drapes were pulled aside. I stepped out reaching for the towel, as I pushed my mane back out of my eyes and let it fall against my neck. Unconsciously I tried grabbing the towel with fingers I didn’t have, but quickly stopped and simply draped it over my wrist pulling it towards me before drying myself off. Three months had passed and every time I got into the shower I would always reach for something like I had fingers, I sighed, drying the rest of my body off before stepping out. Clearing the steam off the mirror I looked at my reflection. I looked a bit better than I had earlier. Most likely because for once I had actually decided to do something about my problem instead of just sitting around waiting for something to happen. I closed my eyes. Simply enjoying the silence, till a knock on the bathroom door called out to me. “Hailstorm. It’s been forty-five minutes, what are you doing in there?” Spike asked a slight nervousness creeping into his voice. I couldn’t help but let a small smile form when he said that. Even now I still took lengthy showers, old habits really did die hard huh? “I’ll be out in a minute don’t worry” I said my eyes on the door now. Spike groaned. “Hurry up, I need to use it!” he said before I heard his footsteps fading away. I chuckled for the first time in the entire day. Turning my head back towards the mirror in front of me my eyes froze. Staring back at me...was me. The human me. I felt all sense of relief I had regained instantly leave my body as I stared at my human reflection in the mirror with shock, my reflection reflecting the same expression on my own face somehow. For awhile I stared in silence dazed by my normal form making it’s appearance. Much like my equine form had made it’s own appearance the day the quake occurred and everything changed. Was this a sign? I thought my eyes starting to burn from not blinking in so long staring at myself, as he stared right back at me. I blinked and it was gone, my equine form back in it’s natural position on the mirror. I swallowed. “...Anguish?” Not a sound echoed in my head. A few seconds later and I heard a voice that made me jump. “HAILSTORM GET OUT OF THE BATHROOM!” Spike yelled from below. “One second!” I yelled. Taking one last look at the mirror I saw no signs of my human reflection staring at me, just me staring at me. “....I’m starting to lose it if I’m seeing things like that.” Opening the door I saw Spike doing a little dance as he stared at me in a crouched like position, I instantly gave him way and he slammed the door in my face. “I guess I deserve that” I muttered rubbing my muzzle, but I didn’t leave still thinking about what I had seen. “Hailstorm” Twilight said, drawing my attention towards her. “You alright?” she asked Applejack and Dash coming up the stairs beside her. I nodded, a little too quickly making AJ narrow her eyes, at me. “Fine, C’mon let’s go out for a walk, we’ll wait for Spike before we go” I said ignoring the look both AJ and Dash gave me as I passed by the three. “My treat?” I said as I made my way downstairs, earning confetti getting shot into the air by Pinkie who yelled “Treats!” with glee. Twilight followed after figuring she’d carefully watch me throughout the walk. AJ and Dash were both watching me with curious eyes, both lost in their own thoughts. Dash wondering what on earth she had seen back there only about more than half an hour ago. And AJ knowing that I was hiding something after I came out of the bathroom. Both had decided they would get answers, soon enough. Conviction in their eyes. “We’re using earpiece microphones?” Aria asked as she placed the earpiece on and moved the mic closer to her mouth. “Exactly” Sonata said as she instructed the two stallions behind her to place the amps on either side of the theatre. “How are we going to use them without electricity?” Aria asked as she watched the stallions do as they were told obediently. “I’ve taken care of that” Adagio said a group of ponies following her. “I was able to get these kind gentleme- stallions, to set everything up for us. Shouldn’t take more than a few minutes isn’t that right?” she said gently sliding her hoof up one of the stallion’s chins with a smile, as the employer beat his right hind leg on the ground like a rabbit being petted. “Oh that’s great!” Sonata said handing Adagio her own ear piece. “So what song are we going to use for them?” Sonata asked. “Don’t worry I know just the one” Adagio said. “What?! Why are you leading, you remember what happened last time we let you lead?” she said with venom. The brilliant gold siren frowned. “Do you have a song ready?” she asked coldly. Aria opened her mouth, but was quickly stopped by Sonata. “We don’t need to fight here. We’re back, and this is our only chance to enjoy this. And it’s been so long, can’t we just do this without fighting?” her eyes giving off the desperation she so desired to spend this moment with her sisters in peace with nothing to bother it. Aria’s enraged stare slowly dimmed into a calm one. Pushing Sonata’s hoof aside she sighed. “Fine” she said in a defeated voice. “But next time we go with my song” turning around with a humph, Sonata tossed a kind smile at Adagio who wrapped a hoof around her. “Thanks.” “No problem” Sonata said smiling wider. “Ladies” one of the stallions said. “We’re ready.” *** ***** *** The curtains were closed and the three sirens stood behind them, each setting and adjusting their microphones to the amps so that their voices would be clear and carry across the small area they were in right now. And since it was in the afternoon it was the best time to be displaying a little show, especially since there were now a few ponies passing by every once in awhile few looking in their direction as everything was set up. “Ready girls?” Adagio asked, the other two sirens nodded both feeling confident and ready to draw in as many viewers as they possibly could. One of the stallions that Adagio had brought with her trotted around the stage and lifted his hoof to show that everything was set and the mics were ready whenever they were. Adagio nodded to him smiling. “Three, two, o-” “Wait!” Sonata yelled stopping the stallion from both signalling the orange pegasus working both the transmitter for the amps and the mics. “What is it now Sonata?” Aria asked annoyed. Sonata didn’t reply and simply whistled into the air. Immediately the two stallions she had brought with her automatically appeared. “You two know what to do?” she said smiling and gently rubbing both stallions under the chin with a hoof, something the two greatly enjoyed. In an instant both stallions went to the front of the stage and took out the ropes that had been hiding behind one of the bars on either side of the stage. A whistle came back telling them that they were ready. “Alright now we can go” she said smiling at her confused sisters. “Okay?” Aria said, nodding to Adagio. “Three, Two, One” all three sirens mares rhythmically stomped a hoof on the ground, the stallion in the back nodded, then shot a hoof at the pegasus manning the transmitter. Flicking a switch the amps lighted a blue glow around the sound speakers, slowly playing the music that Adagio had requested. “This is?” Aria muttered looking over to her sister who merely grinned at her reaction and nodded. Aria’s previously annoyed feeling immediately evaporated into thin air. The curtains parted and about fifteen ponies had gathered to see what was going on, a few more in the streets and across stopping and beginning to come over out of curiosity. Sonata and Aria smiled, bobbing their heads to the beat of the music and gently tapping their hooves before letting out a long “ah” that synchronized perfectly with the music, their voices travelling throughout the streets making a few ponies that had originally passed by stop and turn to see where the music was coming from. No sooner had that first rich note left the two siren’s did the stallions positioned at the front of the stage tug on the rope from both sides. A banner falling down and in colorful lighting it had “The Dazzlings” written on it. Adagio stepped forward as her sisters let out another beautiful note, her confident smile and slow stride perfectly sinking with her sisters as she moved up in front a few inches ahead of them. Her grin now radiating nothing but confidence. “Oh-Whoa-Oh Oh-Whoa-Oh, You didn’t know that you fell “Oh-Whoa-Oh, Oh-Whoa-Oh Now that you’re under *our** spell.*” Chapter 3Chapter 3: Chaos vs. Light “Without struggle there is no progress” A poof and a roar of thunder signaled the master of chaos’ appearance in the castle. Celestia, seated in her throne room heard the voices of her guards as they unsheathed weapons at his appearance. “Oh Please” Discord said with a smug grin, with a snap of his claw the spears that had been tightly placed in the two Solar Guard’s mouths suddenly squeaked like a rubber ducky. “Chew on that for a bit would you boy?” he said patting one of them on the head before phasing through the gold doors. Celestia remained at her seat, knowing what it was that the draconequus had come to question her on. It wasn’t long but a few hours ago just before the crack of dawn, as she raised the sun, and her sister lowered the moon had the two felt a sudden disturbance in the magical balance. A feeling that passed over them with such a force that it actually made Celestia shiver a bit. Luna had offered to track the source but Celestia had instructed her sister to go to bed instead. She would deal with the oncoming issue herself. And that issue came to her later than she thought. Once Discord had phased through the gold castle doors and walked on to the castle floors, he looked up at Celestia, the smile he had donned from messing with her guards slowly faded into a dour look. “Celestia” he said with a slight wave of his hand. “Discord” the regal alicorn of the sun said in return, her face remaining plane and simple as those red eyes locked on to her pale magenta’s. Silence ensued as the two measured each other, before Discord took a few steps forward towards Celestia’s throne and conjured himself a seat. “So Celestia. How has your day been?” he asked slightly surprising the alicorn by his statement. “Fine, and you?” she asked. “Oh you know just the usual” he said conjuring up an apple as it slowly turned into a orange. “Just watching bits and pieces of chaos ensue now and then.” “Discord?” she said in a questioning tone, but the draconequus immediately raised both arms innocently. “Oh no, no I haven’t done anything at all Celestia” he said with a reassuring smile. “But I have been watching quite a bit of chaos occur recently” he said with a slight change to the smile. Celestia’s brow raised in question. “Oh come now. I’m sure you know where I’m going with this” and she did. She simply wanted to see where he was going with this. “Well I’m sure you know our good friend Hailstorm don’t you? Nice lad really. A bit of a wreck but oh I’m sure you haven’t had enough time to notice hm?” he asked an annoying lift in his voice that made him sound more chipper than he was letting on. Celestia said nothing waiting for the draconequus to continue, but Discord was silent watching Celestia’s reaction. Seconds passed and nothing, so he continued. “Yes Hailstorm, Hailstorm. Quite a decent fellow don’t you think? Three months ago I couldn’t have cared for the stallion even if you threw clown makeup on him and called him Pinkie's cousin, but recently I’ve felt a bit closer to him don’t you?” he asked, snapping the orange-apple shapeshifting fruit away as he he leaned closer to her in his seat. “What are you trying to say Discord?” Celestia asked calmly. “Me?! Say something about you? Oh I wouldn’t dream of it!” he said holding his face in disbelief but the fur on his tail immediately turned into fingers and crossed, stating otherwise. Celestia frowned. “I suppose what happened this morning involves him does it not?” Instantly confetti shot everywhere as it rained down upon the slightly bemused Celestia, who then lifted her head up to see a blinking light bulb dangle above her head. “You got it! Great job Celes, would you like a cookie with that as well?” he asked in a slightly mocking tone. Celestia stomped on the ground declaring she had had enough of his shenanigans. “Stop playing around and tell me what is wrong” she said in a stern tone. Discord’s chipper smile faded. The confetti in the air, the light bulb and the pieces of decorative paper on the floor disappeared when he snapped his claw, whisking everything away. “You’re right” he said his eyes half lidded as he stared down at the royal princess before him. “I should get to the point soon shouldn’t I?” Celestia remained unfazed sitting tall in her seat as the draconequus placed both arms on his back pacing the floor before her. “Let’s talk about Hailstorm shall we? I know I said I couldn’t have cared for the guy a while ago but things change.I changed, and well about a few weeks ago I paid them a little trip, and was surprised to see what I had found” he said taking another glance at Celestia who continued to stare in anticipation. “You see Hailstorm and I were playing a little game of house” Discord said donning a dress and pushing a crib. “And then out of the blue my little Hailly-Storm suddenly began speaking to himself out of thin air.” What? Celestia thought. That was certainly news to her. Not once during her observation of...Slingshot, had she ever found the unicorn to talk to himself out of the blue. Nor did she see it in any of the other descendants that the unicorn went on to have. “What do you mean he suddenly started talking to himself?” she asked worry magnifying with each word. “Exactly as I said Celestia” Discord stated. “And do you know why?” “You know as well as I that that curse is something I’ve never seen before...not till I saw its effects for myself.” “Well that curse is actually much worse than whatever you had thought it to be” Discord said plainly. “Do you remember the one time our fathers had gotten together for a trip? Father left with yours because of some urgent matter they needed to take care of in Grassy Meadows, and my mother and yours would often visit each other during the lengthy trip?” Celestia nodded slowly. “Yes... I remember” her expression saddening as she recalled the times she had spent with her father, before she and her sister later grew to come and take over things for the unicorns. Shaking her head she saw Discord looking at her patiently waiting. “What about it Discord? Surely you can’t say our fathers have something to do with this curse.” “If only that weren’t the case” he said gravely. “I did some digging” he stated snapping his claw and the old book titled Ancient Dark Arts & Curses fell into his lion paw. Flipping through the worn out pages the draconequus moved to the very back of the book and pointed to a very very faint smudge that appeared to be some sort of scribbling written on it. Celestia squinted, got closer, and eyed the smudge carefully. But try as she might she could not see what the draconequus was showing her. “This is the book that Silver Caliber had been searching through for a cure...” she blinked the gears in her mind slowly turning. “What about it?” An annoyed sigh escaped Discord’s lips as he conjured a magnifying glass that zoomed in on the word. “There better?” Celestia moved forward peering through the enhanced magnifying glass clearly seeing the words scribbled in at the end of the book. “Dominus Perdens?” she asked with a slightly confused look. Discord nodded. “Lord Ruin?” Another nod was the reply he gave. “Who is Lord Ruin?” Celestia asked lifting her head from the book as it and the magnifying glass disappeared into thin air. “A relative of mine I thought I’d never hear of again especially not after so many centuries” DIscord sighed, his voice heavy with sadness. “Ruin, was a relative of mine, and as you know draconequus all enjoy a good bit of joshing around here and there" he stated with a sly grin, but soon faded into a disappointed scowl as he continued. "Ruin however was a different case. While we were all causing chaos every now and then for kicks, Ruin unlike the rest enjoyed causing chaos for the complete and utter destruction it brought. The spontaneity of it all only gave that erratic fool more of a rush.” “Meaning?” “Meaning, - the magic I felt when Hailstorm was talking to himself. It felt like a small ounce of Ruin’s magic had latched onto him, or was more like a part of him.” Celestia frowned clearly not liking where this is going. “Are you sure?” Discord’s face became extremely solemn. “Celes, you never forget the sense of your kind’s magic. Especially when someone as potent as Ruin was freely messing around, whenever he could get the chance.” Sighing Celestia placed her golden clad forehoof against her temple,as she leaned back in her seat. Of all the things she had wanted to hear, this was not one of them. The fact that her own father along with Discord’s had inadvertently played the hand in the complete distraught of an entire bloodline only added onto her stress. “I’m so sorry to interrupt your stressing moment Celestia but I do have one question” Celestia opened one eye looking up at Discord in front of her. “Go ahead” she said sitting straight up again. “Throughout the lives of each of Hailstorm’s ancestors do you recall any moments that, oh I don’t know were particularly bad?” Celestia’s eyes narrowed. “Why?” she asked hesitantly. “Because if Hailstorm is reliving the lives of his ancestor’s as he has told us. Then it’s only a matter of time before he hits a dark road that could do even more damage to him, than it already has. I mean think about it” he said walking behind the princess now. “Everything, every moment of their lives. He’ll relive it. Good and bad, happy and sad” Discord stated. Celestia growing slowly uncomfortable as he continued. “He’ll relive their darkest moments by force whether he wants to or not. He’ll be forced to feel what they feel. Forced to go through what they went through, and the only thing he has to do is stay awake or conscious long enough so that Misery and Anguish can’t corrupt him even more. “If you ask me I’m amazed the stallion has managed to stay this sane for a good ten months! Normal ponies would have lost their marbles within the first three with the kind of things Fluttershy tells me he’s been experiencing. Guess we really can assume he’s not from this world huh?” he asked a small smile growing as he saw the look Celestia now shot at him The two froze staring at each other in this manner. One with a small successful grin, the other glaring at her guest. Seconds continued as silence ensued between the two before Celestia rose from her seat and walked to Discord he leaned his face in closer to hers, their maws, inches from each other. “Discord” she said with a hint of anger. “You didn’t come here to inform me of Hailstorm’s new problem. Did you?” Discord gave an obviously fake gasp of shock as he slapped his hand to his chest. “Why Celestia! How could you accuse me of such a thing?!” “Because I know you Discord” she said candorly. “And I know you’re here to make me feel guilty for what’s happening to him.” Discord sputtered in both rambles of incoherence, some being disbelief, others being just plain hard to understand. “Why Celes, that simply isn’t me! I’m a changed dragon. That’s something the old me” he said side stepping and revealing an evilly dressed version of himself with a black moustache. “Would do, how could you even-” “Stop your excuses, immediately” Celestia ordered coolly. Discord scowled. “And so what if I am?” he asked. “Fluttershy told me that you and Luna have been doing your best to help him. But ever since she told me you found out he was this Silver Caliber’s descendant. You’ve kept yourself quite busy. Haven’t you?” “Of course I have. Being a princess isn’t fun and games Discord. It takes-” “Responsibility. Yes, yes I know” he said rolling his eyes with a snide look. “But if you’re so responsible then tell me why you haven’t done anything to help minimize this stallion’s suffering?” Celestia was silent. “If Fluttershy has been telling you what’s going on then you must know that-” “That there is no cure for this curse. Of course I know. Ruin really did love to live up to his name, so it doesn’t surprise me. But you have alicorn magic, magic that rivals my own. If you and Luna, along with the Element of Magic worked together, you three could just as well come up with a pain killer of sorts. “One that could just as well minimize the dreams that this fellow seems to be having. Yet you haven’t. Why?” he asked his tone growing stern with spite. Celestia stared into Discord’s red eyes. Wondering just what on Equestria was pushing him to do this. She’d seen the results of his reformation...they were corrigible and she had heard the draconequus had grown a bit closer, to the Element bearers as well. But his behavior now was far from what she expected. Could it be guilt? she thought as the two continued to size each other up. But for what? Ruin may have been *his** relative but it was not his doing that brought about the curse on Hailstorm. It was Vindictive’s*, and if any should feel guilty of what they had done it should have been that alicorn. Celestia soon caught something in Discord’s eye that made her sigh. What she saw was none other but concern. Something she honestly had thought Discord wouldn’t feel for a long, long time, aside for himself and Fluttershy at least. Smiling weakly at him Celestia backed away from their stand off and got up to her hooves. “There is one thing I neglected in telling you when you asked about the worst thing I can remember happening to Hailstorm’s ancestors.” Discord raised a brow. “That would be?” “Aside from the curse” she paused as she descended from her throne and joined Discord on the marblestone floors. “The second worst thing that could have happened to one of his descendants would be Slingshot. A former Royal Guard, Imperial and Equestrian general.” “Former?” he asked. “As in past tense?” The princess nodded. “He was exiled for a crime he never meant to commit. And it’s my fault for pushing him away when he needed help the most.” Returning from their walk around Ponyville, Spike watched Hailstorm carefully from his seat on Twilight’s back. Most of the trip from leaving the castle to crossing the small bridge had gone in silence till he started talking again before everyone slowly began conversations that lightened the mood. Eventually after about a walk around Ponyville everyone split up, with Fluttershy needing to check on her critter friends, Pinkie Pie leaving to schedule a party for a group of foals tonight, Applejack and Dash leaving to work at the farm and Rarity off to add some finishing touches to her new dresses. At the moment it was just Twilight, him and Hailstorm as they made their way back home. Both dragon and alicorn eyeing their friend who had once again gone silent when everyone had left. Spike hadn’t said anything to anyone about what he had seen when Hailstorm let him into the bathroom. The slightly surprised look on his face he merely assumed had been from the fact he had slammed the door in the stallion’s face. However there was something in the air around Hailstorm that gave the dragon the feeling that something wasn’t right with the bewildered expression their strange friend had made before his hasty rush into the bathroom. It was strange really. How one stallion could go with hours and hours, days turning to weeks almost without sleep before collapsing. Multiple times the dragon himself had to spend a whole day with Twilight and helping her with tasks back when they were at Canterlot, even occasionally when they came to Ponyville. However in this hazel stallion’s case he wasn’t studying, trying to discover something new or even make a change. He was suffering. And it pained Spike to see one of his friends in so much pain of their own, while he could do literally nothing to stop it. It made him feel, incompetent. Though he had tried finding cures, spells, remedies, talked with Zecora, even sent a few letters to the Princesses upon the first month of Hailstorm’s arrival Twilight and him had been unsuccessful in finding anything that could completely negate the effects of whatever curse bothered Hailstorm. And now that they knew they couldn’t cure him no matter what they tried, well it just made him feel sad, bad really. Something Hailstorm had tried to prevent by making jokes whenever Spike came out at night to grab something to drink and saw he was up. Though it hadn’t done much to make the dragon feel better. He honestly was glad to see that Hailstorm’s mental state wasn’t fading or breaking into pieces though. This past week was a different story. That morning when he awoke early before Twilight to prepare for his chores, Owlyiscious accompanying him, the two were distracted by when they saw Hailstorm laying at a random spot in the common room. At first he’d thought it was just Hailstorm having one of his fits, but when he went to check on the guy he found to his horror, a dark line of black crawling up from the stallion’s hooves slowly spreading like spilt water all over his body. It was like watching pure water have backwash from a project of paintings get poured into it and infecting the pure source of water down to its very core. Owlysicious wasted no time as he recalled to fetch Twilight, Spike staying with Hailstorm in an attempt to wake him up, and while his attempts were less than successful he noticed that the dark patch from his hooves that had been forming not only stopped but began to seep back down to his hooves like they were being drained out of his very coat. The sound of Twilight’s voice soon drew the baby dragon out of his thoughts. “Spike are you okay?” she asked. Now in the common room in the very same spot and day he had seen Hailstorm in such a bizarre state Spike quickly shook his head to fully return from his stupor. “You’re not okay?” I asked from my standpoint. “Uh no, no I’m fine don’t worry” he said with a weak smile. “I’m fine just a little hungry is all” he said hopping off Twilight’s back. “I’ll fix us something to eat, be back in a jiff.” he said with a slight nervous break of sweat forming above his brow. I nodded dismissing it. “If I can eat good cooking then take as much time as you need. I got plenty of time” I called back with a grin. Spike grinned back, watching Twilight and I head towards the library. As he grabbed his apron and began getting the supplies he’d need to make dinner a horrible thought crossed his mind, one that made him drop the saucer, and almost the eggs he had been carrying. “Everything okay in there?” Twilight called. “Just fine!” he said reassuringly. “Just a little slip up is all.” “Take your time Spike, we can wait” I hollered back. “Thanks” he said, bending down to pick up the saucer and climb up to the stove. As he turned it on a worried look crossed his face as he glanced back to the library. “But how long do you have?” “You. Did. What?!” Discord asked for the fifth time in disbelief. “Wait wait wait wait wait! You’re telling me. You’re friend who helped comfort you during-” he looked around as if the walls had ears and leaned in to Celestia, speaking in a quieter tone he said “During her exile.” He rose his voice,“That this Silver Caliber fellow’s son. Slingshot, was exiled because of the effects of the curse that was placed on him by Silver Caliber’s former friend Vindictive, caused him to do something that you know in your heart he never meant to do?” he asked the disbelief once again evident in his voice. Although it pained her to do so Celestia nodded. Discord gawked in both confusion and slight amusement. “And you say friendship is magic” was the only thing he could say after a few minutes of silence, but defensively remained silent when Celestia glared at him. “Hey I’m just saying” he said with a shrug. “Sounds like to me friendship is what got old Hailstorm into this mess.” Choosing to ignore instead of respond to that statement, Celestia turned her attention towards a nearby window and stared out to her kingdom in silence as old memories began to resurface. She sighed, “What do we do about his problem Discord? I’m...I’m honestly not sure how to help him. And if my faithful student truly has found nothing after all these years then what can we possibly do?” “Nothing” Discord replied plainly, and though it made Celestia wince she knew he was right. There was nothing they could do. “But” he continued causing Celestia’s expression and ears to perk up. “We can do nothing but watch and see how he handles things.” Her brightened expression turned into a sad frown. “I’ve been through enough to watch another fall into darkness, while I remain ignorant or incapable of helping” she said sadly. A claw on her shoulder got her attention as she looked up to the calm and impassive face of the draconequus. “Well this time there’s really nothing that can be done to stop it. It’s up to him, to see how this all ends.” Celestia let out another long sigh, and though she didn’t like it. She knew Discord was right. “I suppose you’re right Discord, we’ll just have to wait and see if Hailstorm really can conquer the chaos that’s been stirring in him for so long. I just hope that in the end...he’ll be victorious.” Chapter 4Chapter 4: Success & Failure “Fall seven times. Stand up eight” The bronze unicorn paced his study in front of the three mares that sat in front of him all three wearing confident smiles. “Let me get this straight” Vendetta said in a placid tone. “You three, just walked up to the Midsummer Theatre stage. Got equipment. And just sang?” “Yup!” Sonata said still beaming a smile. Vendetta stared in silence pacing the floor once again. “You three just walked right up there and sang? That was it? No, complaints, no questions? Just walked up there sang and now in less than a day you three have a quarter of Manehattan under your control?” “Is this really that hard to believe?” Adagio asked as three stallions carrying drinks for each siren emerged, walking into the room. “We are the most powerful beings in Equestria.” “You were the most powerful beings in Equestria” Vendetta said flatly. “Not for long. Not if things keep going as smoothly as this” Aria said taking her drink and dismissing the stallion with a wave of her hoof. Vendetta simply continued to stare in silence. The disbelief still present as he watched the three musical creatures casually take their drinks and act like all of this was just a simple walk in the park. “How long do you plan to stare Vendetta? If you want we could take away all your problems with just a-” Aria stopped catching that insidious look that they’d only seen once before when the stallion had appeared before them. “If you want. You can try it, but the consequences will be dire” he said calmly. The purple siren backed off shooting the bronze unicorn a look as she continued to drink her smoothie. “Now” he said returning to his normal calm state. “I never expected you three to be so...aggressive and take the initiative, like this.” Adagio’s chuckle drew the stallion’s blue eyes towards her. “What can I say. When we want something, we stop at nothing to get it” she said with a smile that only made her words seem more menacing. “Believe me when I say I’ve noticed” Vendetta said, recalling how when he had returned from business in Trottingham, to find posters of The Dazzlings spread all over through almost half the city. Upon his return home he had not only come to see ‘new’ servants filling his house, but a taco stand just in his backyard because Sonata had so greatly desired a taco at the time. It was still there, even now as we speak. A knock on the door disrupted the diplomat’s momentary reminiscing. Vendetta turned to find Ingrid standing in the door. “Master Detta, there is mail waiting for you at the door.” Vendetta smiled. “I’ll be there in a second.” Ingrid nodded and with a slight bow returned back to her duties. “Expecting something important?” Sonata asked. The stallion merely replied with his smile broadening as he began leaving the door. In a few seconds the bronze unicorn had reached the large silver door to his home’s entrance and standing there waiting for him was a pegasus holding a letter in her mouth. “Here’s that message you were expecting Mr.Diplomat” the mare said with a smile as Vendetta took the mail away from her in his magic. “Ms Doo, I thank you greatly for bringing this mail to me so quickly. I can always count on you when it comes to your deliveries.” The cross-eyed pegasus merely smiled more her chest puffing out with pride. “Once again thank you so much and please Ms Doo, you know how embarrassing it is to be constantly called that” he said as he heard the clicking of hooves coming down the stairs towards them. “Especially when I have guests.” Derpy merely smiled giving the stallion a playful shove before waving goodbye and speeding off to her next delivery. Once gone the stallion simply closed the door levitating a letter opener as the three siren sisters descended the stairs towards him. “So what’s this important message?” Vendetta remained silent ignoring the trio as he pulled the letter out of its envelope and began to read. Seconds after he had finished reading the bronze unicorn looked up at the siren’s with the widest smile they had ever seen, well aside from Pinkie’s back in the other world. “You going to share with us what you read anytime soon?” Aria asked. “Oh I am, and you’re going to love this” he replied cheerfully. “You see while I was at Trottingham I met a mare-” “Ooooh” Sonata said with a giggle. “Detta’s in loo-” Vendetta’s hoof silenced the arctic blue siren from saying anymore. “Please let me finish” he said with a dull look. She nodded. “Excellent.” His smile returning once more he continued. “I met a mare who’s a Dj, goes by the name Vinyl Scratch. Lovely equis really, fun at parties but I digress. This mare has a club that she’ll be attending in Fillydelphia in two days and me being a very suave gentlecolt” he said running a hoof through his slick-back mane, also earning Adagio and Aria’s eye rolls continued. “I asked her if she wouldn’t mind hosting three singers in her show and she said if you three performed well enough she’d let you in on her radio broadcast around Equestria, which would be occur in about a month prior to her rave.” Adagio stared in complete shock. Aria looked just as exasperated and Sonata, Sonata was so giddy with joy that she ran right up to Vendetta and hugged the stallion. “Thank you! Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!!!!” she squealed. Vendetta smiled returning her embrace. “Your welcome.” Adagio who was still in a slight daze, couldn’t help but grin. “Yes. Thank you for this opportunity. I suppose having a diplomat around surely does have it’s perks.” “I’ll just take that as a compliment.” “It is don’t worry” Adagio said with a smile, turning her attention to the now composed Aria the siren couldn’t help but let her grin widen. “With this we’re guaranteed victory.” Twilight Sparkle sat in the confinements of her library, reading book after book. Since Hailstorm’s talk with Discord the two hadn’t talked much recently and it was starting to bother her how he would spend minutes just staring at the portal leading to his home. If the young alicorn was being honest there were times when she did slightly upset with the stallion. The guy was just a mystery, one she couldn’t solve since there was no pattern to the way he would act. Being calm, funny and well mannered one day. Being serious, intractable, and showing profound knowledge on issues she’d never even considered. She frowned. “Being broken, fragile, and scared the next, yet still being stoic because he still had this dumb sense of not wanting to get others involved with his problems”, she sighed. Spike had also seem to grow extremely worried about the stallion as well, voicing his own concerns on Hailstorm the previous night after they’d had dinner and gone to bed. “I’m worried Twi. The guy can’t keep this up much longer! And when he can’t what will happen to him then? You saw how Dash looked back there when we barged into the room. I’d never seen such confusion and fear mixed into that daredevil’s face in my entire life!” he said holding his tail. “It’ll be alright” Twilight had said to him. But in truth she wasn’t even sure if it would be alright. Lifting her eyes and looking at the vast diversity of books in her library Twilight sighed once more. They still had found nothing in finding a cure for the curse. But then again when she thought about the Princess would have used it a long time ago if there had been one to begin with. NO! she mentally yelled at herself. I can’t give up! This my friend we’re talking about here. “But still-” No! Twilight’s conscience argued. You’re the Princess of Friendship, if you give up on a friend now you’d never forgive yourself! Besides you’ve faced worse. You’ve fought Nightmare Moon and defeated her with the elements, faced off against Discord with your friends and turned him to stone with the help of your friends! You beat Tirek! The monster that had seven times as much magic as any normal alicorn! *With** the help of your friends! Now go out there and help, him to!* “Yeah!” Twilight said feeling invigorated by the pep talk she’d given herself. Then she had an epiphany. Slapping a hoof to her face she growled. “I’m such an idiot! Why didn’t I think about that before hand! “Hailstorm” she called to me from my seat in the common room. “Yeah” I responded wondering what could possibly have her so happy, so early in the afternoon. “Are you feeling sleepy?” she asked as she came out of the library, when I shook my head she frowned. “Darn.” “Darn?” I asked surprised. “Do you like seeing me suffer? What is that a kink now?” Stomping a hoof Twilight snorted in an annoyed manner. “This no time for jokes Hailstorm!” I wasn’t joking. That was a honest, genuine question if you ask me. “Why do you want me asleep?” I asked getting up from my spot and trotting over to the alicorn who was now doing an anxious dance like she had to use the bathroom. “No time to explain. I’ve got to get the girls, be back in a flash!” she said, and with an overglow of her horn the strange mare disappeared from my view in a flash of lavender magic. With a confused look I moved back over to my sitting spot in the common room, directing my gaze back at the portal, still feeling something was missing. “That was weird.” Adagio sat in her room looking out over the city of Manehattan. “It’s quite beautiful isn’t it?” Sonata said trotting up to her sister who was still staring out her window. The siren merely nodded. “A lot has really changed in the time we’ve been gone. The one good thing being we don’t have to worry about Starswirl.” “That’s true” Sonata said then remained silent for a bit. The eery silence not going unnoticed by her sister. “What’s wrong?” Adagio asked turning to face Sonata, who was now rubbing her arm in a slightly nervous manner. “I’ve been thinking Dagi.” I should just be glad Aria’s not here for this, Adagio thought as her sister continued. “Now that we’re back in Equestria. Shouldn’t we be concerned of...her, if she finds out?” “Princess Celestia?” Adagio asked, which her sister nodded. It was a good point, since their exile the mare of the sun had grown in both popularity, wisdom, and power since they had last met a millenia ago. And during their times outside the three sisters had heard stories about the past events regarding Luna’s banishment as Nightmare Moon and the mare in the moon’s return from insanity. At the same time they had also heard Celestia’s moments of weakness. A particular example being one that a pony who had attended the new Crystal Empire’s rulers’ wedding, and how Celestia flat out lost in a fight of raw power against the Changeling Queen. Adagio walked up to her sister and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Everything will be alright. Celestia can’t hurt us, as long as we keep it low, make sure the fights between other ponies don’t transcend anything too extreme. If we keep a low key then we won’t have to worry about her and her sister.” Sonata nodded feeling a bit better she smiled a bit. But it wasn’t as strong as it usually would have been. “What is it now?” Adagio asked. Just as Sonata was about to speak Aria walked in. “I’m pretty sure she’s concerned about that girl and her friends. We can’t ignore the fact that there may be versions of them here as well. And who knows if they’ll use those Elements to take care of us like they did last time” Aria said with a scowl as she finished her sentence. Yet another good point. “Well Adagio? Do you have any ideas on that major problem?” Staring between her sisters the brilliant gold mare remained silent as she contemplated their circumstances. They had two days before they were able to gain another group of servants in Trottingham. Before then they’d need enough magic to make sure they’re voices were effective in capturing such a large crowd’s attention. But at the same time they couldn’t have every pony in Manehattan causing a fight and drawing in royal attention, especially if those Elements were used on them it would surely spell their defeat. And she wasn’t willing to go back to that prison a second time for another thousand years or more. A thought popped into her head. Making that confident smile return to her face, “For now we’ll just do as planned remain discrete while we gain more magic. And with Vendetta’s help that shouldn’t be a problem-” “What about the Elemental bearers? If we lose to them then that means-” “I know what it means Aria” she replied coldly. “And if it comes to that then we’ll have no choice.” “What do you mean?” Sonata asked. “We’ll have to take them out of the picture, as we drain their magic.” “We tried that before!” Aria snarled slamming a hoof on the ground. “And look where it got us! We spent four months even worse off than when we even got sent to that world!” A hoof slamming the marble floor silenced the purple mare instantly as she shot a venomous look at her older sister. “You didn’t let me finish Ari” she replied calmly. “The day we have our broadcast. When we have our broadcasting across all of Equestria” Adagio said a sly smile spreading across her face. “We have all under our control hunt down the bearers of the elements. And then...” the pendant on Adagio’s necklace glowed along with her sister’s pendants. “They’ll be under our control.” “Wait you’re saying that if we pony-up we could somehow manage to cure Hailstorm?” Applejack asked. Twilight nodded. “Then why the hay didn’t you say anything before!” Rainbow Dash said getting up in Twilight’s face, staring her down. Placing a hoof on the mare’s chest and pushing her back at arm’s length she said “It didn’t occur to me alright? I didn’t think it would really work since this was a curse. An ancient one at that. One that didn’t even have a cure” she said dourly as Dash huffed and turned her back to the mare. “Rainbow Dash, please!” Rarity said. “You cannot blame Twilight for not thinking of it sooner. It merely slipped our minds, much like it slipped yours as well” the posh mare pointed out. Rainbow cringed. “Fine” she said after a few seconds of heated silence. “Where is he?” “Back at the castle I left him there with Spike” Twilight stated as the group began trotting out of Sweet Apple Acres. “Are you sure this will work Twilight?” Fluttershy asked, with concern etched into her words. “I’m not trying to destroy any hopes we have but-” she stopped, her voice growing quiet and steady. “What if this doesn’t do anything but make things worse?” Stopping rather abruptly Twilight looked back at Fluttershy, determination in her eyes. “We have to try. I can’t just sit there and watch a friend in need suffer like this anymore.” “Then what are we standing around here for!” Pinkie asked on her hind legs. “Let’s get a move on ladies!” she said pulling out a whistle from her mane the pink pony blew into it as hard as she could before ditching it and breaking into a gallop towards Twilight’s castle. The others who were left behind each nodding with a confident smile as they followed after their friend, all feeling just as determined to put an end to this ordeal. *** ***** *** I am so bored. It had been almost an hour and thirty minutes since Twilight left and the fact that I knew how much time had passed since then without even having a watch on or clock in sight just spelled out how truly bored I was. “Spike!” I called out only to have my own voice return to me in mocking jibe. “Spike!!” I tried again, no reply. Was he asleep? “What’s wrong lonely?” a familiar voice said in ear. A grimace soon formed on my face. “Misery.” “Yes, darling?” “Don’t call me that she demon!” “You say the sweetest things. I could just kiss you, if I could get my body back that is.” “Not interested” I stated firmly. “But-” “Not. Interested.” “You should be” a deeper feral voice replied. “Soon enough we’ll be all that’s left to keep you company boy. And you’re going to need to get used to the idea of having us around. We’re not going anywhere anytime soon.” “Go suck on a lemon” I replied rising to my hooves, now seeing Spike appearing from his room. “I’ll be sure to make you some lemonade” Anguish commented with a laugh, making my grimace worsen. “Are you alright?” Spike asked rubbing an eye as he stretched. “You look real mad.” Quickly changing my disposition so it was more friendly inclined I opened my mouth to speak. But any words that would have come out were drowned out by the sudden sound of the front door being thrown open followed by the clicking of hooves on Twilight’s crystal like stairs. “Hailstorm!” Pinkie said rushing towards me. Bracing myself for the squeeze of a lifetime I kept my eyes shut like I was about to meet my fate. But nothing happened. Opening one eye I could see Pinkie staring at me with a small reassuring smile. “Everything’s going to be alright now” I heard her say. “What?” was the only word I could get out before realizing that the group of mares were now surrounding me on all sides. Then in a sudden flash of light they all powered up into their Elemental forms. “What are you guys doing this time?” I asked as I shielded my eyes from the blinding light that radiated off the mares. “We’re going to help you?” “By blinding me with your weird magic?” I didn’t get a response. “Ready girls?” Twilight asked, all nodding. Spike who was now fully awake stared in utter confusion by the sudden turn of events. “What are you guys doing?” he asked, no one responded. Twilight focused on me. She could feel it. The dark magic, the chaos mixed within. And deeper within all of it she could feel one extremely powerful force and another smaller one beside it. Both made her shiver. Her eyes glowing white as she floated into the air, her friends eyes also glowing the same white I watched as a rainbow glow surrounded them. Then hit me with a full force. I couldn’t believe that at this very moment I was getting hit by rainbows. And feeling this much pain. By rainbows nonetheless. Although I had seen them use the elements in my dreams I never thought it gave villains such a horrible feeling of pain or at least in my case it did, as the light continued to hit me with a full force. “It’s not working!” I heard Rarity say. “More power!” Rainbow Dash said. And so they did, doubling the force and in turn doubling my pain. I let out a scream of pain that pierced the room and the heavens. “We’re hurting him!” Fluttershy said. “Twilight we need to stop!” Applejack said. “NO!” Twilight demanded. “We have to do this, it’s the only way!” “Foolish girls” Anguish said in my head. “They do not know what they trifle with.” Instantly I felt that familiar burning sensation in my hooves as what felt like a black paint slowly started spreading around my body. As the darkness enveloped me, I head Spike gasp in horror as what he had seen before began making it’s appearance for a second time. I could no longer move from both pain and some other force that now took over, as the black surface now covered a large portion of my body. “STOP!” Pinkie screeched and suddenly the pain was gone. My eyes were still closed as I continued to grunt from the pain in my body, hearing the safe clicking of hooves on the floor. The darkness that had been consuming my body and changing the color of my coat, nearly completed covering my face. “Hailstorm?” Twilight whispered fear in her voice, enough fear that I could literally picture her expression. “What’s happening to you?” Before I could speak. The darkness covered my face. Then I felt a force, rip me out of my consciousness as it took over in my place. “I’m not Hailstorm” the deep voice said. My irises now red instead of brown. “I am Anguish” the dragon within my body said. “Tis a pleasure to meet you, bearers of the elements. I hope you enjoy your peaceful time for now. Feeling a nasty smile form on my face Anguish continued. “Because you can’t get rid of me as easily as you hoped.” "Then that means." I heard Twilight’s voice say in a disheartened tone. “Yes.” He nodded. “The Elements of Harmony failed. You all failed. And now your failure will bring your end” he smiled. “Your welcome.”
Chapter 1Chapter 1:We’re Home. In Manehattan four figures watched the train that had dropped them off slowly pull away from the docking station. The stallion with the three mares had moved on towards the busy streets just calling a taxi pony to give them ride to their destination. “Where to sir?” the driver had asked once his clients had loaded themselves on the carriage. A bronze unicorn with a slightly messy mane said “Rose’s National Park.” The taxi driver nodded and began pulling the carriage, carefully maneuvering through traffic as he pulled the carriage so as not to disrupt the three mares with the well known diplomat of these parts. “So Sir, planning to do anything special for tonight” the driver asked as he came to a stop due to the slight hold up in traffic. “Nothing special no” the bronze pony replied. “Ah, I see” the driver said before remaining silent for the rest of the drive. It must have been something in the unicorn’s voice, but the driver knew when or when not his passengers were in the mood for a chat and though the unicorn had responded politely he could tell he was in no mood for a chat. Taking a quick glance back at the three mares sitting on the carriage the stallion couldn’t help but notice the immense fascination in their eyes. It was almost as if they hadn’t been outside for a long long time. Especially with the way the arctic blue one moved from side to side craning her neck to get as good of a view as she possibly could of everything and everypony that they went by. It made the taxi driver chuckle a bit as he watched their exasperated faces when they got to their location. “Here we are” he said stopping by the sidewalk in front of two very large rose bushes that stood about eight feet high. “Rose’s National Park.” Thanking the driver the bronze unicorn helped the three mares off the carriage, much to the purple haired mare’s chagrin. Once the driver had pulled off and moved back to the bustling streets of Manehattan, Vendetta turned to the three mares behind him. “Why did you bring us out to this park?” Adagio asked as she looked around at all the roses that had been expertly used to decorate the entire area. She had to admit it actually looked good, but that wasn’t what was on her mind. “And why do we look like this?” Aria asked staring at a hoof. Vendetta bit back the urge to throw a glare at the sour mare, so instead he forced a smile. “It was a precaution” he simply stated. “Well can you remove the precaution? We wanted to come back home, not live in these disguises for the rest of our lives.” Sonata said. “Too bad” the unicorn stated as he moved towards one of the rose bushes in the park and took in a calm whiff of its fragrance. “If you want the Equestrian Guard on you before you could even get a verse out then I suppose I could’ve ignored the fact that you three would become wanted criminals in a matter of seconds upon your appearance here in Manehattan.” The three sisters were silent. Adagio looked between Aria and Sonata both unsure of what to say of this. “I suppose we owe you our thanks. Good thinking by the way” she said trotting up to the bronze unicorn. “But now we have to take action.” “In time” Vendetta said with patience. “Introducing you back into society will take awhile. We need to take things slow first, not just rush into them blindly.” “So what do we do while we’re waiting?” Sonata asked as a bee floating by landed on her nose and partially drawing her attention as she attempted to kindly wiggle it off. “First you need to get accustomed to my world. You haven’t been in Equestria for a thousand years, an entire millenia. Things are way different in comparison to then and now. So I’ve decided to bring you out to this park as the first step to getting you a bit more acquainted to my home” the bronze unicorn said with a smile. “Smart, once again job well done” Adagio said as she passed the unicorn. “And since you know this place better than us, we’ll obviously need a place to stay.” “I can have a room prepared for you once we return to my mansion” Vendetta said as he raised a hoof to signal for another taxi to pick them up. ”I believe Winston should still be up if I’m right.” While Vendetta gave the driver the instructions of where they wanted to go the three siren sisters looked around the park drinking in the scenery before them. Home. They were finally back, after years of being gone, trapped in that horrid world having to feed off of insects, then to go on in that world without magic, without the ability to sing. Feeling weak and vulnerable for all those months after that humiliating defeat, they had somehow managed to get back. All thanks to the kindness of this here unicorn. Climbing into the carriage the small band of ponies soon began pulling away from Rose’s National Park, heading in the direction of Vendetta’s home. Adagio watched as Sonata would, with glee as she had noted stare at the new buildings and their neon signs that they passed by on their way to Vendetta’s place. A small smirk formed on her face as she watched Aria sneak a few curious peaks at the restaurants they passed. Soon enough the older siren found herself smiling at the childish antiques her sisters were using to catch peeks of the city they had long since forgotten in their years of imprisonment. It felt good to see her sisters actually happy again, even more so since for once Aria didn’t look so annoyed and Sonata was being a more positive version of her bubbly self. For the first time in years Adagio felt...comfortable. It was a strange feeling but, she was content with it. Simply enjoying this moment with her sisters of finally being back, back home was all she wanted to revel in at the moment. Vendetta’s voice soon broke her serene state of mind. “We’re here ladies” he said hopping off the carriage, digging into his coat pocket and pulling out a couple of bits. “Here you are good sir” he said paying the driver as the three sirens left their seats. Once the driver was gone Vendetta turned towards the silhouette that was his giant house. “Welcome to Paradies.” “Excuse you” Sonata said as she passed by the unicorn who merely chuckled. Following after the three mares as Adagio (strangely enough) lead them into his home. “Paradies is German, for paradise” he said using his magic to open the door so that Adagio and the others could just walk inside. Climbing the spiral steps up to the second hall Adagio stopped, seeing a unicorn with a tray for a cutie mark. The older unicorn bowed respectfully then raised his head to stare at the three mares in front of him, in silence before speaking upon Vendetta's appearance. “Master Detta, I see you have brought guests over?” the unicorn said from behind his monocle with a raised brow. Vendetta nodded. “I have, I hope that it won’t be too much of a bother to ask you for your help in preparing separate rooms for these lovely ladies” Vendetta said, unaware of the devious grins that the three sisters dawned on their faces upon the compliment. “Of course not Young Master. One moment while I awaken the other servants.” Before Vendetta could say that wouldn’t be necessary, the older stallion tapped his hoof on the marble floor allowing the sound to echo throughout the large mansion. Instantly six other ponies: two pegasi, three unicorns and one earth pony all appeared in a timely manner. All still wearing their robes and slippers and looking fully awake. “It has been awhile young master” said a mare servant, bowing her head ever so lightly to Vendetta at the same time making him feel slightly abashed. Aria let a grin crease her lips as she watched the bronze unicorn grow in uneasiness from all the servants bowing their heads before him. “I see your servants hold you in high regard ‘Detta’” Adagio said wryly, making the unicorn’s cheeks flush a faint red. Clearing his throat Vendetta clapped his forehooves together. “Please, I’ve told you guys you don’t have to do that anymore. It always made me feel uncomfortable especially with you Ingrid, we’re the same age. No need to lower your head to me please.” The group of servants rose their head all acting like they hadn’t been listening to what he was saying each holding a smile of their own. “Ahem, right anyway. Could you please get these three beds that are nearby each other. If it’s not any trouble showing them to their rooms now would be fine. I’m going to retire to my quarters soon for the night. I’ve got some things I must do” Vendetta said. All six servants nodded as Winston clicked his hoof on the ground once again, signalling their assignments had been given. The three sisters were immediately flanked by two ponies, each ushering them forward. “Follow me to the East Wing. There are bedrooms there adjacent to each other. You three can sleep there" the pegasus called Ingrid said, glancing in the three sirens direction. Adagio smiled. “Thank you, please do lead the way.” Once shown to their rooms the three sisters met in Adagio’s room within a few minutes of checking out just how good their rooms were. “So...” Aria said sitting beside Adagio who was staring out a window that showed the live lights of Manehattan from a distance. “We’re home.” Sonata sat by Adagio’s other side. “Yeah...finally home.” Adagio simply remained silent that tranquil feeling rushing over her mind and body. Her sisters most likely feeling the same judging from the small smiles and exuberance she could feel radiating off of them. Taking in a deep breath, the siren exhaled feeling refreshed having soaked in her fill of peace. “Well girls” the brilliant gold pony said rising to her hooves. “We’ve had enough fun for one day. Wouldn’t you girls agree?” “It was nice to do some sightseeing” Aria shrugged, “but doing that alone does get boring after awhile” she said rising to her hooves and joining her sister by the window. “So Dagi, when do we start?” Sonata asked also joining her sisters from their position, by the window. “Tomorrow. As soon as we get accustomed to this town, we’re taking it’s magic. Then we’re taking over the rest of this world, and this time” all three sisters eyes briefly flashed a faint shade of green. “We’ll be prepared.”
Chapter 2Chapter 2: Decisions, Decisions. “Forget Everything and Run. Or Face Everything and Rise” Seven. The lucky number that spelled luck for any and all who believed in this myth, that things would work out in the way they had hoped. That was not the case for the mane six and Spike. It had been a few hours since Discord and Hailstorm had talked and upon the end of their discussion Twilight, Spike and the others had watched silently as Hailstorm left the room, with a calm and steady demeanor. But something about him leaving, left a bad feeling in Rarity as she watched their hazel stallion friend climb the steps to his room and quietly shut the door. “What was that about?” Rainbow Dash asked. All the others shrugged. When Discord came in Fluttershy trotted up to him. “Discord, what did you and Hailstorm talk about. He seemed...off.” The draconequus said nothing his face stoic and impassive. “It is not my place to tell you my dear Fluttershy. If anything it is up to him to speak. I must go, I have to talk to Celestia about a few things” snapping his fingers before Fluttershy could call him to wait he was gone in a sudden poof of pink fuzz. The group looked at each other with confusion till Rarity finally spoke up next. “Perhaps we should check up on him. Make sure he’s alright?” she suggested. That proved futile, because the stallion had locked his door. No amounts of knocking, calling out to him, or jokes made the former human bother to open the door and allow his friends inside. Instead, he was silent. Seconds turned to minutes, minutes to hours, and hours became painfully unbearable as the day progressed with barely a peep from the stallion. Spike was chewing his claws and Twilight was pacing their cutie map anxiously, her eyes glued to the floor as she was lost in thought. “What could be making him act like this?” Twilight said aloud, sadly no one had an answer. “Fluttershy has Discord told you anything on what he and Hailstorm talked about?” The yellow pegasus merely shook her head sadly. “He refuses to say anything. He just keeps saying ‘Hailstorm has to tell you, it’s not my job.’” “What the hay is that supposed to mean?” Applejack asked crossly, causing Fluttershy to take a defensive step back. “Our friend is up there doing who knows what. He hasn’t eaten, he hasn’t drank anything, he probably hasn’t slept in days and here we are doing nothing!” she said slamming her hoof on the ground. “Well I’m not waiting anymore I’m going to drag him out of that room kicking and screaming if I have to” Rainbow Dash stated about to take off only for Rarity to stop her with her tail encased in the unicorn’s aura. “Do not be so uncouth Rainbow Dash!” Rarity scolded. “We don’t know what those two talked about, whatever is making him act like this could only worsen if we force him to come out.” “Then what do you suggest we do?!” she yelled, turning towards Rarity. “The guy could be in there seriously in pain or even worse d-” “DON’T YOU DARE SAY THAT” Fluttershy yelled, shocking everyone as she began to tremble. “Please...please...just don’t” Fluttershy implored, her legs shaking. Twilight put a hoof around the shaking mare as she turned her sights to Rainbow giving her a stern look. Dash dropped to the ground, her head bowed in penitence. “Fluttershy. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you like that.” “It’s okay” she sniffed. “We’re just a little worried is all.” “Tch, yeah that’s an understatement” Spike said still chewing on his claws. Twilight who still had an arm around the still shaking Fluttershy suddenly came up with a thought. “Dash, you know where Hailstorm’s window is right?” “Yes?” she nodded slowly. “Go up to it and see what he’s doing. If he’s in any real danger then you can barge in and raise Tartarus for all I care just fly up there and tell us what he’s doing.” Rainbow Dash saluted then bolted out an open window, flying up to where Hailstorm’s window was. Silently flapping up to the window sill the cyan pegasus peaked into the room. Standing only a few feet from the window, was me. Floating up a bit higher so she could get the clear view of my entire body Dash looked around the room to see it untouched and me simply just standing a few feet away from the window, the only thing I was doing was being silent. Dash tapped the window in an attempt to grab my attention. I didn’t move. She tried again, yet once again she saw the hazel earth pony unyielding in movement. In fact the look she could see on my face was merely the same calm expression I had entered and left the room with only hours ago after my talk with Discord. Dash was starting to get annoyed. The cyan pegasus and the others had been worried sick and though she was glad, I hadn’t done anything that would make her seriously worry for my mental state, she was seriously upset that all the stallion had managed to do with his day is grow hungry, judging from the grumbling sounds of his stomach; and worry six mares, the bearers or as Dash now supposed arbitrators of the Elements, and a baby dragon. “Hey!” Dash said tapping the window again, harder this time. “Hey! Say something you dimwit!” she yelled from behind the window. Again, I remained inexpressive. Dash was fuming. If there was one thing she didn’t like aside from not being the center of attention, it was being ignored especially when she was trying to help someone. “HEY HAILSTORM!” she yelled tapping my window louder. The sound had brought out Twilight and the others, Spike sitting on Fluttershy’s back as they looked up to see Dash scowling at the person sitting in the room and staring blankly at her with no sign of care or emotion. “Rainbow Dash what in tarnation do yer think you’re doing? We said check on him not shout at him!” Applejack said, from below. “Well he looks fine to me from here” the cyan pegasus said turning her attention to the equines below. Turning her attention back to Hailstorm, Dash’s scowl grew as she continued to stare at me, and I seemingly appeared to stare at her. “Enough’s enough!” she said after a few seconds of intense silence. Flapping her wings, and drawing back her body the pegasus brought up her hooves and kicked the window in, the glass shattering and the entire frame falling into the room. From below she heard her friends gasp and immediately rush back into the castle, calling after her to stop. But she didn’t care. “Three months!” Dash said bitterly as she carefully floated inside the hole she had made, floating over the broken pieces of wood and glass. “For three months we’ve been together. All of us. And despite how close we’ve gotten to you, when Discord takes you away to have a private little chat you come back, lock yourself in your room and act like we don’t exist?!” she yelled dropping to the ground on her hooves with an audible thud. Behind the pegasus and former human the voices of the rest of the group were becoming louder and louder by the second, along with the clicking of their hooves. I had remained silent. Dash stared, sternly I might add, waiting for me to say something. When I didn’t her face contorted into one of pain and anger. “Answer me damnit!” she said grabbing my shoulders and shaking me, which I still remained limp to, the entire time my face calm but my eyes still open. To Dash she must have thought I was in some kind of trance because she looked me in the eye as if I wasn’t blinking, while she shook me. When our eyes met she suddenly stopped. At the same moment a faint blue glow emerged around my door. SLAM! The door hit the wall loudly, as the rest of the group rushed into my room to see what Rainbow Dash had done or was about to do, they stopped inches away from me and her catching the look of confusion on her face as they entered. “What’s wrong Dash?” Twilight asked nervously. Rainbow Dash who had moved one hoof away from my shoulder and the other still resting on my left, was still staring me in the eyes with the utmost confusion. It wasn’t fear that she saw in my eyes. Nor was it the confusion and depression I had expressed and shared with them in the past three months that she saw in my eyes either. What she saw, was deep rooted hatred. Anger and pain to her, that she had never seen before in any Equestrian, not even in Nightmare Moon herself. The day they had come face to face with the manifestation of nightmares that had haunted so many foals in the past centuries, couldn’t even rival the rage in the brown eyes that stared back at her unwavering, lost in thought. “Hailstorm?” she whispered silently to me, her voice being the first thing that broke the silence since Twilight’s question. “What did Discord tell you?” she asked voicing the thoughts of everyone in the room. I said nothing for a few seconds. Blinking, I allowed myself to slowly come back to the world of reality after having revelled in my thoughts for the past few hours, ignoring all distractions both bodily and in the outside world. Twilight and the others had now joined the confused Rainbow Dash, who saw something in me that I wouldn’t allow them to see, ever, especially not a second time. Not as long as I had breath in this body. “Hailstorm” Twilight said slowly like speaking to a child. “What did Discord tell you?” she asked again voicing the question that had been so greatly been bugging them. I blinked again, now fully out of my contemplation. The mares came into view now for the first time and I stared at them, seeing Rainbow Dash first as she was the closest to me, then the rest, Spike being behind Rarity. I took in a deep breath that made all of them except Dash, back up as they allowed me to breath. Then exhaled, the air. Dash was still waiting for me to say something as were the others, each holding their own questioning bemused look. “Dash” I said calmly, slightly startling her in the process, as her folded wings twitched a bit. My eyes no longer reflecting whatever it was she had seen that made her tense up so. “You never saw that” I told her, the others looked confused but Dash knew what I was talking about. Slowly she nodded her one hoof that rested on my shoulder slowly sliding off, down my arm and then on to her side. “To answer the rest of your questions, it’s simple. He told me I’m screwed” I replied frankly. “But I’ve decided I’m going to stop at nothing to fix it” the mares were obviously not satisfied with my explanation but that was all they would be getting from me. Turning around I walked past my open door heading towards the bathroom as their eyes followed me there. I was tired, and I also needed a bath. Plus I really needed to take a piss. “Why are we out here again?” Aria asked annoyed by the fact that they had been walking around for the past thirty minutes and Adagio still hadn’t told her a word of what they were doing out here. “Because we need to keep our voices strong. You wouldn’t want to sound like a dying peacock again now would you?” she asked flashing a grin as Aria scowled back at her. “Fine, then what exactly do you expect us to do?” Aria said having stopped in front of a building that were displaying clothes of various types. “Yeah, I mean it’s not like there’s an audience that happens to be around here conveniently waiting for us to drain them of their magic” Sonata said as she caught sight of a dress that met her fancy. Adagio rolled her eyes. “Maybe if you girls stopped staring at every little thing we passed by we could get some actual work done” she said turning around with a flick of her tail. “Hey don’t blame us!” Sonata retorted with a frown. “We haven’t been here in a whole millenia can’t blame us for wanting to see some of the things here.” “You mean we can’t blame you for slowing us down” Aria said turning to face the younger siren. “You were part of it to Ari!” “No I wasn’t” she said grumpily. “Yes! You were!” she said agitation growing in her voice. “Girls!” Adagio shouted her voice breaking the two sisters up as Aria casted glares at Sonata, and Sonata stuck her tongue out at Aria. Sighing heavily Adagio moved away from the fashion shop they had been standing by. “We’ve got to find a way to increase our magic. Vendetta’s magic was only good enough to make our voices strong enough to get us through that portal, but if we want to take over Manehattan and all of Equestria we need to find an audience, and a stage that will attract attention” Adagio said as she trotted across the street, once it was clear. “You girls need to focus” she scolded, once they had crossed after her. “We made a mistake once. We cannot afford to do it again!” she stated tossing them a stern glare before moving onward. Aria sent a scowl Adagio’s way when she was done speaking and had turned around. “Be easier if we weren’t constantly being stared at by the stallions here” she said in what sounded like annoyance and a bit of disgust as she caught a business pony passing by staring at her flank. “Ignore them, besides it means we haven’t lost our charm. I’d take it as a compliment” Adagio said a sly grin making its way on to her face as the three sirens continued to trot on the streets of the city. Aria’s signature scowl merely increased at the statement as Sonata giggled at her sister’s uncomfortableness. More walking and eventually more bickering occurred between Sonata and Aria’s constant petty fights before finally getting on Adagio’s nerves. “Girls!!” she shouted only to be shut silent by Sonata placing a hoof under her chin turning her attention to a stage just a few feet away. “Look!” she said excitedly, eager to finally have an audience after it being sooooo long. The stage had the painted words “Midsummer Theatre” on it but Sonata didn’t care as she left her gawking sister’s side trotting over to the stage. “Found your little stage Adagio,” Aria said with a snide look before following after the excited Sonata. Adagio was too busy staring in disbelief how simple it had been to find such a thing, and in the middle of the street or at least not far from it nonetheless. Shrugging her curiosity away not willing to let such a chance slip the bright gold siren followed after her sisters who were now standing on the stage checking out. “Kind of drab, if you ask me” Aria commented. “Well it is a ‘theatre’ says so in the name” Sonata said looking around carefully, her eyes scanning the small theatre for any signs of equipment. When she saw none she turned to Adagio who had now just reached the top of the steps that lead to the stage. “How are we going to sing loud enough to grab some of these ponies attention if we don’t have equipment?” Adagio smiled. “I came prepared for that” pointing her hoof across the street she pointed to an audio store. “There was a reason I brought us out this far, but to think the stage would be here as well, well the gods must be on our side” she said with a grin. “Aria do you have the bits?” Adagio asked turning to her sister. “Got ‘em right here” she said pulling them out of the saddlebag on her back ,tossing it over into the outstretched palm of Adagio. “Since you’re so eager to sing, you can buy it. You know what to do if you need help right?” the siren asked Sonata. She nodded with a smile, taking the bits in her teeth Sonata disappeared in a flash of arctic-blue smoke, the door across the street slowly closing showing she had gone inside. “Damn” Aria said, “She really wants to sing.” The sound of rushing water from the top faucet was the only thing that came from the bathroom. A few seconds later the turning of the know and the dying sound of running water was what came next before drapes were pulled aside. I stepped out reaching for the towel, as I pushed my mane back out of my eyes and let it fall against my neck. Unconsciously I tried grabbing the towel with fingers I didn’t have, but quickly stopped and simply draped it over my wrist pulling it towards me before drying myself off. Three months had passed and every time I got into the shower I would always reach for something like I had fingers, I sighed, drying the rest of my body off before stepping out. Clearing the steam off the mirror I looked at my reflection. I looked a bit better than I had earlier. Most likely because for once I had actually decided to do something about my problem instead of just sitting around waiting for something to happen. I closed my eyes. Simply enjoying the silence, till a knock on the bathroom door called out to me. “Hailstorm. It’s been forty-five minutes, what are you doing in there?” Spike asked a slight nervousness creeping into his voice. I couldn’t help but let a small smile form when he said that. Even now I still took lengthy showers, old habits really did die hard huh? “I’ll be out in a minute don’t worry” I said my eyes on the door now. Spike groaned. “Hurry up, I need to use it!” he said before I heard his footsteps fading away. I chuckled for the first time in the entire day. Turning my head back towards the mirror in front of me my eyes froze. Staring back at me...was me. The human me. I felt all sense of relief I had regained instantly leave my body as I stared at my human reflection in the mirror with shock, my reflection reflecting the same expression on my own face somehow. For awhile I stared in silence dazed by my normal form making it’s appearance. Much like my equine form had made it’s own appearance the day the quake occurred and everything changed. Was this a sign? I thought my eyes starting to burn from not blinking in so long staring at myself, as he stared right back at me. I blinked and it was gone, my equine form back in it’s natural position on the mirror. I swallowed. “...Anguish?” Not a sound echoed in my head. A few seconds later and I heard a voice that made me jump. “HAILSTORM GET OUT OF THE BATHROOM!” Spike yelled from below. “One second!” I yelled. Taking one last look at the mirror I saw no signs of my human reflection staring at me, just me staring at me. “....I’m starting to lose it if I’m seeing things like that.” Opening the door I saw Spike doing a little dance as he stared at me in a crouched like position, I instantly gave him way and he slammed the door in my face. “I guess I deserve that” I muttered rubbing my muzzle, but I didn’t leave still thinking about what I had seen. “Hailstorm” Twilight said, drawing my attention towards her. “You alright?” she asked Applejack and Dash coming up the stairs beside her. I nodded, a little too quickly making AJ narrow her eyes, at me. “Fine, C’mon let’s go out for a walk, we’ll wait for Spike before we go” I said ignoring the look both AJ and Dash gave me as I passed by the three. “My treat?” I said as I made my way downstairs, earning confetti getting shot into the air by Pinkie who yelled “Treats!” with glee. Twilight followed after figuring she’d carefully watch me throughout the walk. AJ and Dash were both watching me with curious eyes, both lost in their own thoughts. Dash wondering what on earth she had seen back there only about more than half an hour ago. And AJ knowing that I was hiding something after I came out of the bathroom. Both had decided they would get answers, soon enough. Conviction in their eyes. “We’re using earpiece microphones?” Aria asked as she placed the earpiece on and moved the mic closer to her mouth. “Exactly” Sonata said as she instructed the two stallions behind her to place the amps on either side of the theatre. “How are we going to use them without electricity?” Aria asked as she watched the stallions do as they were told obediently. “I’ve taken care of that” Adagio said a group of ponies following her. “I was able to get these kind gentleme- stallions, to set everything up for us. Shouldn’t take more than a few minutes isn’t that right?” she said gently sliding her hoof up one of the stallion’s chins with a smile, as the employer beat his right hind leg on the ground like a rabbit being petted. “Oh that’s great!” Sonata said handing Adagio her own ear piece. “So what song are we going to use for them?” Sonata asked. “Don’t worry I know just the one” Adagio said. “What?! Why are you leading, you remember what happened last time we let you lead?” she said with venom. The brilliant gold siren frowned. “Do you have a song ready?” she asked coldly. Aria opened her mouth, but was quickly stopped by Sonata. “We don’t need to fight here. We’re back, and this is our only chance to enjoy this. And it’s been so long, can’t we just do this without fighting?” her eyes giving off the desperation she so desired to spend this moment with her sisters in peace with nothing to bother it. Aria’s enraged stare slowly dimmed into a calm one. Pushing Sonata’s hoof aside she sighed. “Fine” she said in a defeated voice. “But next time we go with my song” turning around with a humph, Sonata tossed a kind smile at Adagio who wrapped a hoof around her. “Thanks.” “No problem” Sonata said smiling wider. “Ladies” one of the stallions said. “We’re ready.” *** ***** *** The curtains were closed and the three sirens stood behind them, each setting and adjusting their microphones to the amps so that their voices would be clear and carry across the small area they were in right now. And since it was in the afternoon it was the best time to be displaying a little show, especially since there were now a few ponies passing by every once in awhile few looking in their direction as everything was set up. “Ready girls?” Adagio asked, the other two sirens nodded both feeling confident and ready to draw in as many viewers as they possibly could. One of the stallions that Adagio had brought with her trotted around the stage and lifted his hoof to show that everything was set and the mics were ready whenever they were. Adagio nodded to him smiling. “Three, two, o-” “Wait!” Sonata yelled stopping the stallion from both signalling the orange pegasus working both the transmitter for the amps and the mics. “What is it now Sonata?” Aria asked annoyed. Sonata didn’t reply and simply whistled into the air. Immediately the two stallions she had brought with her automatically appeared. “You two know what to do?” she said smiling and gently rubbing both stallions under the chin with a hoof, something the two greatly enjoyed. In an instant both stallions went to the front of the stage and took out the ropes that had been hiding behind one of the bars on either side of the stage. A whistle came back telling them that they were ready. “Alright now we can go” she said smiling at her confused sisters. “Okay?” Aria said, nodding to Adagio. “Three, Two, One” all three sirens mares rhythmically stomped a hoof on the ground, the stallion in the back nodded, then shot a hoof at the pegasus manning the transmitter. Flicking a switch the amps lighted a blue glow around the sound speakers, slowly playing the music that Adagio had requested. “This is?” Aria muttered looking over to her sister who merely grinned at her reaction and nodded. Aria’s previously annoyed feeling immediately evaporated into thin air. The curtains parted and about fifteen ponies had gathered to see what was going on, a few more in the streets and across stopping and beginning to come over out of curiosity. Sonata and Aria smiled, bobbing their heads to the beat of the music and gently tapping their hooves before letting out a long “ah” that synchronized perfectly with the music, their voices travelling throughout the streets making a few ponies that had originally passed by stop and turn to see where the music was coming from. No sooner had that first rich note left the two siren’s did the stallions positioned at the front of the stage tug on the rope from both sides. A banner falling down and in colorful lighting it had “The Dazzlings” written on it. Adagio stepped forward as her sisters let out another beautiful note, her confident smile and slow stride perfectly sinking with her sisters as she moved up in front a few inches ahead of them. Her grin now radiating nothing but confidence. “Oh-Whoa-Oh Oh-Whoa-Oh, You didn’t know that you fell “Oh-Whoa-Oh, Oh-Whoa-Oh Now that you’re under *our** spell.*”
Chapter 3Chapter 3: Chaos vs. Light “Without struggle there is no progress” A poof and a roar of thunder signaled the master of chaos’ appearance in the castle. Celestia, seated in her throne room heard the voices of her guards as they unsheathed weapons at his appearance. “Oh Please” Discord said with a smug grin, with a snap of his claw the spears that had been tightly placed in the two Solar Guard’s mouths suddenly squeaked like a rubber ducky. “Chew on that for a bit would you boy?” he said patting one of them on the head before phasing through the gold doors. Celestia remained at her seat, knowing what it was that the draconequus had come to question her on. It wasn’t long but a few hours ago just before the crack of dawn, as she raised the sun, and her sister lowered the moon had the two felt a sudden disturbance in the magical balance. A feeling that passed over them with such a force that it actually made Celestia shiver a bit. Luna had offered to track the source but Celestia had instructed her sister to go to bed instead. She would deal with the oncoming issue herself. And that issue came to her later than she thought. Once Discord had phased through the gold castle doors and walked on to the castle floors, he looked up at Celestia, the smile he had donned from messing with her guards slowly faded into a dour look. “Celestia” he said with a slight wave of his hand. “Discord” the regal alicorn of the sun said in return, her face remaining plane and simple as those red eyes locked on to her pale magenta’s. Silence ensued as the two measured each other, before Discord took a few steps forward towards Celestia’s throne and conjured himself a seat. “So Celestia. How has your day been?” he asked slightly surprising the alicorn by his statement. “Fine, and you?” she asked. “Oh you know just the usual” he said conjuring up an apple as it slowly turned into a orange. “Just watching bits and pieces of chaos ensue now and then.” “Discord?” she said in a questioning tone, but the draconequus immediately raised both arms innocently. “Oh no, no I haven’t done anything at all Celestia” he said with a reassuring smile. “But I have been watching quite a bit of chaos occur recently” he said with a slight change to the smile. Celestia’s brow raised in question. “Oh come now. I’m sure you know where I’m going with this” and she did. She simply wanted to see where he was going with this. “Well I’m sure you know our good friend Hailstorm don’t you? Nice lad really. A bit of a wreck but oh I’m sure you haven’t had enough time to notice hm?” he asked an annoying lift in his voice that made him sound more chipper than he was letting on. Celestia said nothing waiting for the draconequus to continue, but Discord was silent watching Celestia’s reaction. Seconds passed and nothing, so he continued. “Yes Hailstorm, Hailstorm. Quite a decent fellow don’t you think? Three months ago I couldn’t have cared for the stallion even if you threw clown makeup on him and called him Pinkie's cousin, but recently I’ve felt a bit closer to him don’t you?” he asked, snapping the orange-apple shapeshifting fruit away as he he leaned closer to her in his seat. “What are you trying to say Discord?” Celestia asked calmly. “Me?! Say something about you? Oh I wouldn’t dream of it!” he said holding his face in disbelief but the fur on his tail immediately turned into fingers and crossed, stating otherwise. Celestia frowned. “I suppose what happened this morning involves him does it not?” Instantly confetti shot everywhere as it rained down upon the slightly bemused Celestia, who then lifted her head up to see a blinking light bulb dangle above her head. “You got it! Great job Celes, would you like a cookie with that as well?” he asked in a slightly mocking tone. Celestia stomped on the ground declaring she had had enough of his shenanigans. “Stop playing around and tell me what is wrong” she said in a stern tone. Discord’s chipper smile faded. The confetti in the air, the light bulb and the pieces of decorative paper on the floor disappeared when he snapped his claw, whisking everything away. “You’re right” he said his eyes half lidded as he stared down at the royal princess before him. “I should get to the point soon shouldn’t I?” Celestia remained unfazed sitting tall in her seat as the draconequus placed both arms on his back pacing the floor before her. “Let’s talk about Hailstorm shall we? I know I said I couldn’t have cared for the guy a while ago but things change.I changed, and well about a few weeks ago I paid them a little trip, and was surprised to see what I had found” he said taking another glance at Celestia who continued to stare in anticipation. “You see Hailstorm and I were playing a little game of house” Discord said donning a dress and pushing a crib. “And then out of the blue my little Hailly-Storm suddenly began speaking to himself out of thin air.” What? Celestia thought. That was certainly news to her. Not once during her observation of...Slingshot, had she ever found the unicorn to talk to himself out of the blue. Nor did she see it in any of the other descendants that the unicorn went on to have. “What do you mean he suddenly started talking to himself?” she asked worry magnifying with each word. “Exactly as I said Celestia” Discord stated. “And do you know why?” “You know as well as I that that curse is something I’ve never seen before...not till I saw its effects for myself.” “Well that curse is actually much worse than whatever you had thought it to be” Discord said plainly. “Do you remember the one time our fathers had gotten together for a trip? Father left with yours because of some urgent matter they needed to take care of in Grassy Meadows, and my mother and yours would often visit each other during the lengthy trip?” Celestia nodded slowly. “Yes... I remember” her expression saddening as she recalled the times she had spent with her father, before she and her sister later grew to come and take over things for the unicorns. Shaking her head she saw Discord looking at her patiently waiting. “What about it Discord? Surely you can’t say our fathers have something to do with this curse.” “If only that weren’t the case” he said gravely. “I did some digging” he stated snapping his claw and the old book titled Ancient Dark Arts & Curses fell into his lion paw. Flipping through the worn out pages the draconequus moved to the very back of the book and pointed to a very very faint smudge that appeared to be some sort of scribbling written on it. Celestia squinted, got closer, and eyed the smudge carefully. But try as she might she could not see what the draconequus was showing her. “This is the book that Silver Caliber had been searching through for a cure...” she blinked the gears in her mind slowly turning. “What about it?” An annoyed sigh escaped Discord’s lips as he conjured a magnifying glass that zoomed in on the word. “There better?” Celestia moved forward peering through the enhanced magnifying glass clearly seeing the words scribbled in at the end of the book. “Dominus Perdens?” she asked with a slightly confused look. Discord nodded. “Lord Ruin?” Another nod was the reply he gave. “Who is Lord Ruin?” Celestia asked lifting her head from the book as it and the magnifying glass disappeared into thin air. “A relative of mine I thought I’d never hear of again especially not after so many centuries” DIscord sighed, his voice heavy with sadness. “Ruin, was a relative of mine, and as you know draconequus all enjoy a good bit of joshing around here and there" he stated with a sly grin, but soon faded into a disappointed scowl as he continued. "Ruin however was a different case. While we were all causing chaos every now and then for kicks, Ruin unlike the rest enjoyed causing chaos for the complete and utter destruction it brought. The spontaneity of it all only gave that erratic fool more of a rush.” “Meaning?” “Meaning, - the magic I felt when Hailstorm was talking to himself. It felt like a small ounce of Ruin’s magic had latched onto him, or was more like a part of him.” Celestia frowned clearly not liking where this is going. “Are you sure?” Discord’s face became extremely solemn. “Celes, you never forget the sense of your kind’s magic. Especially when someone as potent as Ruin was freely messing around, whenever he could get the chance.” Sighing Celestia placed her golden clad forehoof against her temple,as she leaned back in her seat. Of all the things she had wanted to hear, this was not one of them. The fact that her own father along with Discord’s had inadvertently played the hand in the complete distraught of an entire bloodline only added onto her stress. “I’m so sorry to interrupt your stressing moment Celestia but I do have one question” Celestia opened one eye looking up at Discord in front of her. “Go ahead” she said sitting straight up again. “Throughout the lives of each of Hailstorm’s ancestors do you recall any moments that, oh I don’t know were particularly bad?” Celestia’s eyes narrowed. “Why?” she asked hesitantly. “Because if Hailstorm is reliving the lives of his ancestor’s as he has told us. Then it’s only a matter of time before he hits a dark road that could do even more damage to him, than it already has. I mean think about it” he said walking behind the princess now. “Everything, every moment of their lives. He’ll relive it. Good and bad, happy and sad” Discord stated. Celestia growing slowly uncomfortable as he continued. “He’ll relive their darkest moments by force whether he wants to or not. He’ll be forced to feel what they feel. Forced to go through what they went through, and the only thing he has to do is stay awake or conscious long enough so that Misery and Anguish can’t corrupt him even more. “If you ask me I’m amazed the stallion has managed to stay this sane for a good ten months! Normal ponies would have lost their marbles within the first three with the kind of things Fluttershy tells me he’s been experiencing. Guess we really can assume he’s not from this world huh?” he asked a small smile growing as he saw the look Celestia now shot at him The two froze staring at each other in this manner. One with a small successful grin, the other glaring at her guest. Seconds continued as silence ensued between the two before Celestia rose from her seat and walked to Discord he leaned his face in closer to hers, their maws, inches from each other. “Discord” she said with a hint of anger. “You didn’t come here to inform me of Hailstorm’s new problem. Did you?” Discord gave an obviously fake gasp of shock as he slapped his hand to his chest. “Why Celestia! How could you accuse me of such a thing?!” “Because I know you Discord” she said candorly. “And I know you’re here to make me feel guilty for what’s happening to him.” Discord sputtered in both rambles of incoherence, some being disbelief, others being just plain hard to understand. “Why Celes, that simply isn’t me! I’m a changed dragon. That’s something the old me” he said side stepping and revealing an evilly dressed version of himself with a black moustache. “Would do, how could you even-” “Stop your excuses, immediately” Celestia ordered coolly. Discord scowled. “And so what if I am?” he asked. “Fluttershy told me that you and Luna have been doing your best to help him. But ever since she told me you found out he was this Silver Caliber’s descendant. You’ve kept yourself quite busy. Haven’t you?” “Of course I have. Being a princess isn’t fun and games Discord. It takes-” “Responsibility. Yes, yes I know” he said rolling his eyes with a snide look. “But if you’re so responsible then tell me why you haven’t done anything to help minimize this stallion’s suffering?” Celestia was silent. “If Fluttershy has been telling you what’s going on then you must know that-” “That there is no cure for this curse. Of course I know. Ruin really did love to live up to his name, so it doesn’t surprise me. But you have alicorn magic, magic that rivals my own. If you and Luna, along with the Element of Magic worked together, you three could just as well come up with a pain killer of sorts. “One that could just as well minimize the dreams that this fellow seems to be having. Yet you haven’t. Why?” he asked his tone growing stern with spite. Celestia stared into Discord’s red eyes. Wondering just what on Equestria was pushing him to do this. She’d seen the results of his reformation...they were corrigible and she had heard the draconequus had grown a bit closer, to the Element bearers as well. But his behavior now was far from what she expected. Could it be guilt? she thought as the two continued to size each other up. But for what? Ruin may have been *his** relative but it was not his doing that brought about the curse on Hailstorm. It was Vindictive’s*, and if any should feel guilty of what they had done it should have been that alicorn. Celestia soon caught something in Discord’s eye that made her sigh. What she saw was none other but concern. Something she honestly had thought Discord wouldn’t feel for a long, long time, aside for himself and Fluttershy at least. Smiling weakly at him Celestia backed away from their stand off and got up to her hooves. “There is one thing I neglected in telling you when you asked about the worst thing I can remember happening to Hailstorm’s ancestors.” Discord raised a brow. “That would be?” “Aside from the curse” she paused as she descended from her throne and joined Discord on the marblestone floors. “The second worst thing that could have happened to one of his descendants would be Slingshot. A former Royal Guard, Imperial and Equestrian general.” “Former?” he asked. “As in past tense?” The princess nodded. “He was exiled for a crime he never meant to commit. And it’s my fault for pushing him away when he needed help the most.” Returning from their walk around Ponyville, Spike watched Hailstorm carefully from his seat on Twilight’s back. Most of the trip from leaving the castle to crossing the small bridge had gone in silence till he started talking again before everyone slowly began conversations that lightened the mood. Eventually after about a walk around Ponyville everyone split up, with Fluttershy needing to check on her critter friends, Pinkie Pie leaving to schedule a party for a group of foals tonight, Applejack and Dash leaving to work at the farm and Rarity off to add some finishing touches to her new dresses. At the moment it was just Twilight, him and Hailstorm as they made their way back home. Both dragon and alicorn eyeing their friend who had once again gone silent when everyone had left. Spike hadn’t said anything to anyone about what he had seen when Hailstorm let him into the bathroom. The slightly surprised look on his face he merely assumed had been from the fact he had slammed the door in the stallion’s face. However there was something in the air around Hailstorm that gave the dragon the feeling that something wasn’t right with the bewildered expression their strange friend had made before his hasty rush into the bathroom. It was strange really. How one stallion could go with hours and hours, days turning to weeks almost without sleep before collapsing. Multiple times the dragon himself had to spend a whole day with Twilight and helping her with tasks back when they were at Canterlot, even occasionally when they came to Ponyville. However in this hazel stallion’s case he wasn’t studying, trying to discover something new or even make a change. He was suffering. And it pained Spike to see one of his friends in so much pain of their own, while he could do literally nothing to stop it. It made him feel, incompetent. Though he had tried finding cures, spells, remedies, talked with Zecora, even sent a few letters to the Princesses upon the first month of Hailstorm’s arrival Twilight and him had been unsuccessful in finding anything that could completely negate the effects of whatever curse bothered Hailstorm. And now that they knew they couldn’t cure him no matter what they tried, well it just made him feel sad, bad really. Something Hailstorm had tried to prevent by making jokes whenever Spike came out at night to grab something to drink and saw he was up. Though it hadn’t done much to make the dragon feel better. He honestly was glad to see that Hailstorm’s mental state wasn’t fading or breaking into pieces though. This past week was a different story. That morning when he awoke early before Twilight to prepare for his chores, Owlyiscious accompanying him, the two were distracted by when they saw Hailstorm laying at a random spot in the common room. At first he’d thought it was just Hailstorm having one of his fits, but when he went to check on the guy he found to his horror, a dark line of black crawling up from the stallion’s hooves slowly spreading like spilt water all over his body. It was like watching pure water have backwash from a project of paintings get poured into it and infecting the pure source of water down to its very core. Owlysicious wasted no time as he recalled to fetch Twilight, Spike staying with Hailstorm in an attempt to wake him up, and while his attempts were less than successful he noticed that the dark patch from his hooves that had been forming not only stopped but began to seep back down to his hooves like they were being drained out of his very coat. The sound of Twilight’s voice soon drew the baby dragon out of his thoughts. “Spike are you okay?” she asked. Now in the common room in the very same spot and day he had seen Hailstorm in such a bizarre state Spike quickly shook his head to fully return from his stupor. “You’re not okay?” I asked from my standpoint. “Uh no, no I’m fine don’t worry” he said with a weak smile. “I’m fine just a little hungry is all” he said hopping off Twilight’s back. “I’ll fix us something to eat, be back in a jiff.” he said with a slight nervous break of sweat forming above his brow. I nodded dismissing it. “If I can eat good cooking then take as much time as you need. I got plenty of time” I called back with a grin. Spike grinned back, watching Twilight and I head towards the library. As he grabbed his apron and began getting the supplies he’d need to make dinner a horrible thought crossed his mind, one that made him drop the saucer, and almost the eggs he had been carrying. “Everything okay in there?” Twilight called. “Just fine!” he said reassuringly. “Just a little slip up is all.” “Take your time Spike, we can wait” I hollered back. “Thanks” he said, bending down to pick up the saucer and climb up to the stove. As he turned it on a worried look crossed his face as he glanced back to the library. “But how long do you have?” “You. Did. What?!” Discord asked for the fifth time in disbelief. “Wait wait wait wait wait! You’re telling me. You’re friend who helped comfort you during-” he looked around as if the walls had ears and leaned in to Celestia, speaking in a quieter tone he said “During her exile.” He rose his voice,“That this Silver Caliber fellow’s son. Slingshot, was exiled because of the effects of the curse that was placed on him by Silver Caliber’s former friend Vindictive, caused him to do something that you know in your heart he never meant to do?” he asked the disbelief once again evident in his voice. Although it pained her to do so Celestia nodded. Discord gawked in both confusion and slight amusement. “And you say friendship is magic” was the only thing he could say after a few minutes of silence, but defensively remained silent when Celestia glared at him. “Hey I’m just saying” he said with a shrug. “Sounds like to me friendship is what got old Hailstorm into this mess.” Choosing to ignore instead of respond to that statement, Celestia turned her attention towards a nearby window and stared out to her kingdom in silence as old memories began to resurface. She sighed, “What do we do about his problem Discord? I’m...I’m honestly not sure how to help him. And if my faithful student truly has found nothing after all these years then what can we possibly do?” “Nothing” Discord replied plainly, and though it made Celestia wince she knew he was right. There was nothing they could do. “But” he continued causing Celestia’s expression and ears to perk up. “We can do nothing but watch and see how he handles things.” Her brightened expression turned into a sad frown. “I’ve been through enough to watch another fall into darkness, while I remain ignorant or incapable of helping” she said sadly. A claw on her shoulder got her attention as she looked up to the calm and impassive face of the draconequus. “Well this time there’s really nothing that can be done to stop it. It’s up to him, to see how this all ends.” Celestia let out another long sigh, and though she didn’t like it. She knew Discord was right. “I suppose you’re right Discord, we’ll just have to wait and see if Hailstorm really can conquer the chaos that’s been stirring in him for so long. I just hope that in the end...he’ll be victorious.”
Chapter 4Chapter 4: Success & Failure “Fall seven times. Stand up eight” The bronze unicorn paced his study in front of the three mares that sat in front of him all three wearing confident smiles. “Let me get this straight” Vendetta said in a placid tone. “You three, just walked up to the Midsummer Theatre stage. Got equipment. And just sang?” “Yup!” Sonata said still beaming a smile. Vendetta stared in silence pacing the floor once again. “You three just walked right up there and sang? That was it? No, complaints, no questions? Just walked up there sang and now in less than a day you three have a quarter of Manehattan under your control?” “Is this really that hard to believe?” Adagio asked as three stallions carrying drinks for each siren emerged, walking into the room. “We are the most powerful beings in Equestria.” “You were the most powerful beings in Equestria” Vendetta said flatly. “Not for long. Not if things keep going as smoothly as this” Aria said taking her drink and dismissing the stallion with a wave of her hoof. Vendetta simply continued to stare in silence. The disbelief still present as he watched the three musical creatures casually take their drinks and act like all of this was just a simple walk in the park. “How long do you plan to stare Vendetta? If you want we could take away all your problems with just a-” Aria stopped catching that insidious look that they’d only seen once before when the stallion had appeared before them. “If you want. You can try it, but the consequences will be dire” he said calmly. The purple siren backed off shooting the bronze unicorn a look as she continued to drink her smoothie. “Now” he said returning to his normal calm state. “I never expected you three to be so...aggressive and take the initiative, like this.” Adagio’s chuckle drew the stallion’s blue eyes towards her. “What can I say. When we want something, we stop at nothing to get it” she said with a smile that only made her words seem more menacing. “Believe me when I say I’ve noticed” Vendetta said, recalling how when he had returned from business in Trottingham, to find posters of The Dazzlings spread all over through almost half the city. Upon his return home he had not only come to see ‘new’ servants filling his house, but a taco stand just in his backyard because Sonata had so greatly desired a taco at the time. It was still there, even now as we speak. A knock on the door disrupted the diplomat’s momentary reminiscing. Vendetta turned to find Ingrid standing in the door. “Master Detta, there is mail waiting for you at the door.” Vendetta smiled. “I’ll be there in a second.” Ingrid nodded and with a slight bow returned back to her duties. “Expecting something important?” Sonata asked. The stallion merely replied with his smile broadening as he began leaving the door. In a few seconds the bronze unicorn had reached the large silver door to his home’s entrance and standing there waiting for him was a pegasus holding a letter in her mouth. “Here’s that message you were expecting Mr.Diplomat” the mare said with a smile as Vendetta took the mail away from her in his magic. “Ms Doo, I thank you greatly for bringing this mail to me so quickly. I can always count on you when it comes to your deliveries.” The cross-eyed pegasus merely smiled more her chest puffing out with pride. “Once again thank you so much and please Ms Doo, you know how embarrassing it is to be constantly called that” he said as he heard the clicking of hooves coming down the stairs towards them. “Especially when I have guests.” Derpy merely smiled giving the stallion a playful shove before waving goodbye and speeding off to her next delivery. Once gone the stallion simply closed the door levitating a letter opener as the three siren sisters descended the stairs towards him. “So what’s this important message?” Vendetta remained silent ignoring the trio as he pulled the letter out of its envelope and began to read. Seconds after he had finished reading the bronze unicorn looked up at the siren’s with the widest smile they had ever seen, well aside from Pinkie’s back in the other world. “You going to share with us what you read anytime soon?” Aria asked. “Oh I am, and you’re going to love this” he replied cheerfully. “You see while I was at Trottingham I met a mare-” “Ooooh” Sonata said with a giggle. “Detta’s in loo-” Vendetta’s hoof silenced the arctic blue siren from saying anymore. “Please let me finish” he said with a dull look. She nodded. “Excellent.” His smile returning once more he continued. “I met a mare who’s a Dj, goes by the name Vinyl Scratch. Lovely equis really, fun at parties but I digress. This mare has a club that she’ll be attending in Fillydelphia in two days and me being a very suave gentlecolt” he said running a hoof through his slick-back mane, also earning Adagio and Aria’s eye rolls continued. “I asked her if she wouldn’t mind hosting three singers in her show and she said if you three performed well enough she’d let you in on her radio broadcast around Equestria, which would be occur in about a month prior to her rave.” Adagio stared in complete shock. Aria looked just as exasperated and Sonata, Sonata was so giddy with joy that she ran right up to Vendetta and hugged the stallion. “Thank you! Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!!!!” she squealed. Vendetta smiled returning her embrace. “Your welcome.” Adagio who was still in a slight daze, couldn’t help but grin. “Yes. Thank you for this opportunity. I suppose having a diplomat around surely does have it’s perks.” “I’ll just take that as a compliment.” “It is don’t worry” Adagio said with a smile, turning her attention to the now composed Aria the siren couldn’t help but let her grin widen. “With this we’re guaranteed victory.” Twilight Sparkle sat in the confinements of her library, reading book after book. Since Hailstorm’s talk with Discord the two hadn’t talked much recently and it was starting to bother her how he would spend minutes just staring at the portal leading to his home. If the young alicorn was being honest there were times when she did slightly upset with the stallion. The guy was just a mystery, one she couldn’t solve since there was no pattern to the way he would act. Being calm, funny and well mannered one day. Being serious, intractable, and showing profound knowledge on issues she’d never even considered. She frowned. “Being broken, fragile, and scared the next, yet still being stoic because he still had this dumb sense of not wanting to get others involved with his problems”, she sighed. Spike had also seem to grow extremely worried about the stallion as well, voicing his own concerns on Hailstorm the previous night after they’d had dinner and gone to bed. “I’m worried Twi. The guy can’t keep this up much longer! And when he can’t what will happen to him then? You saw how Dash looked back there when we barged into the room. I’d never seen such confusion and fear mixed into that daredevil’s face in my entire life!” he said holding his tail. “It’ll be alright” Twilight had said to him. But in truth she wasn’t even sure if it would be alright. Lifting her eyes and looking at the vast diversity of books in her library Twilight sighed once more. They still had found nothing in finding a cure for the curse. But then again when she thought about the Princess would have used it a long time ago if there had been one to begin with. NO! she mentally yelled at herself. I can’t give up! This my friend we’re talking about here. “But still-” No! Twilight’s conscience argued. You’re the Princess of Friendship, if you give up on a friend now you’d never forgive yourself! Besides you’ve faced worse. You’ve fought Nightmare Moon and defeated her with the elements, faced off against Discord with your friends and turned him to stone with the help of your friends! You beat Tirek! The monster that had seven times as much magic as any normal alicorn! *With** the help of your friends! Now go out there and help, him to!* “Yeah!” Twilight said feeling invigorated by the pep talk she’d given herself. Then she had an epiphany. Slapping a hoof to her face she growled. “I’m such an idiot! Why didn’t I think about that before hand! “Hailstorm” she called to me from my seat in the common room. “Yeah” I responded wondering what could possibly have her so happy, so early in the afternoon. “Are you feeling sleepy?” she asked as she came out of the library, when I shook my head she frowned. “Darn.” “Darn?” I asked surprised. “Do you like seeing me suffer? What is that a kink now?” Stomping a hoof Twilight snorted in an annoyed manner. “This no time for jokes Hailstorm!” I wasn’t joking. That was a honest, genuine question if you ask me. “Why do you want me asleep?” I asked getting up from my spot and trotting over to the alicorn who was now doing an anxious dance like she had to use the bathroom. “No time to explain. I’ve got to get the girls, be back in a flash!” she said, and with an overglow of her horn the strange mare disappeared from my view in a flash of lavender magic. With a confused look I moved back over to my sitting spot in the common room, directing my gaze back at the portal, still feeling something was missing. “That was weird.” Adagio sat in her room looking out over the city of Manehattan. “It’s quite beautiful isn’t it?” Sonata said trotting up to her sister who was still staring out her window. The siren merely nodded. “A lot has really changed in the time we’ve been gone. The one good thing being we don’t have to worry about Starswirl.” “That’s true” Sonata said then remained silent for a bit. The eery silence not going unnoticed by her sister. “What’s wrong?” Adagio asked turning to face Sonata, who was now rubbing her arm in a slightly nervous manner. “I’ve been thinking Dagi.” I should just be glad Aria’s not here for this, Adagio thought as her sister continued. “Now that we’re back in Equestria. Shouldn’t we be concerned of...her, if she finds out?” “Princess Celestia?” Adagio asked, which her sister nodded. It was a good point, since their exile the mare of the sun had grown in both popularity, wisdom, and power since they had last met a millenia ago. And during their times outside the three sisters had heard stories about the past events regarding Luna’s banishment as Nightmare Moon and the mare in the moon’s return from insanity. At the same time they had also heard Celestia’s moments of weakness. A particular example being one that a pony who had attended the new Crystal Empire’s rulers’ wedding, and how Celestia flat out lost in a fight of raw power against the Changeling Queen. Adagio walked up to her sister and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Everything will be alright. Celestia can’t hurt us, as long as we keep it low, make sure the fights between other ponies don’t transcend anything too extreme. If we keep a low key then we won’t have to worry about her and her sister.” Sonata nodded feeling a bit better she smiled a bit. But it wasn’t as strong as it usually would have been. “What is it now?” Adagio asked. Just as Sonata was about to speak Aria walked in. “I’m pretty sure she’s concerned about that girl and her friends. We can’t ignore the fact that there may be versions of them here as well. And who knows if they’ll use those Elements to take care of us like they did last time” Aria said with a scowl as she finished her sentence. Yet another good point. “Well Adagio? Do you have any ideas on that major problem?” Staring between her sisters the brilliant gold mare remained silent as she contemplated their circumstances. They had two days before they were able to gain another group of servants in Trottingham. Before then they’d need enough magic to make sure they’re voices were effective in capturing such a large crowd’s attention. But at the same time they couldn’t have every pony in Manehattan causing a fight and drawing in royal attention, especially if those Elements were used on them it would surely spell their defeat. And she wasn’t willing to go back to that prison a second time for another thousand years or more. A thought popped into her head. Making that confident smile return to her face, “For now we’ll just do as planned remain discrete while we gain more magic. And with Vendetta’s help that shouldn’t be a problem-” “What about the Elemental bearers? If we lose to them then that means-” “I know what it means Aria” she replied coldly. “And if it comes to that then we’ll have no choice.” “What do you mean?” Sonata asked. “We’ll have to take them out of the picture, as we drain their magic.” “We tried that before!” Aria snarled slamming a hoof on the ground. “And look where it got us! We spent four months even worse off than when we even got sent to that world!” A hoof slamming the marble floor silenced the purple mare instantly as she shot a venomous look at her older sister. “You didn’t let me finish Ari” she replied calmly. “The day we have our broadcast. When we have our broadcasting across all of Equestria” Adagio said a sly smile spreading across her face. “We have all under our control hunt down the bearers of the elements. And then...” the pendant on Adagio’s necklace glowed along with her sister’s pendants. “They’ll be under our control.” “Wait you’re saying that if we pony-up we could somehow manage to cure Hailstorm?” Applejack asked. Twilight nodded. “Then why the hay didn’t you say anything before!” Rainbow Dash said getting up in Twilight’s face, staring her down. Placing a hoof on the mare’s chest and pushing her back at arm’s length she said “It didn’t occur to me alright? I didn’t think it would really work since this was a curse. An ancient one at that. One that didn’t even have a cure” she said dourly as Dash huffed and turned her back to the mare. “Rainbow Dash, please!” Rarity said. “You cannot blame Twilight for not thinking of it sooner. It merely slipped our minds, much like it slipped yours as well” the posh mare pointed out. Rainbow cringed. “Fine” she said after a few seconds of heated silence. “Where is he?” “Back at the castle I left him there with Spike” Twilight stated as the group began trotting out of Sweet Apple Acres. “Are you sure this will work Twilight?” Fluttershy asked, with concern etched into her words. “I’m not trying to destroy any hopes we have but-” she stopped, her voice growing quiet and steady. “What if this doesn’t do anything but make things worse?” Stopping rather abruptly Twilight looked back at Fluttershy, determination in her eyes. “We have to try. I can’t just sit there and watch a friend in need suffer like this anymore.” “Then what are we standing around here for!” Pinkie asked on her hind legs. “Let’s get a move on ladies!” she said pulling out a whistle from her mane the pink pony blew into it as hard as she could before ditching it and breaking into a gallop towards Twilight’s castle. The others who were left behind each nodding with a confident smile as they followed after their friend, all feeling just as determined to put an end to this ordeal. *** ***** *** I am so bored. It had been almost an hour and thirty minutes since Twilight left and the fact that I knew how much time had passed since then without even having a watch on or clock in sight just spelled out how truly bored I was. “Spike!” I called out only to have my own voice return to me in mocking jibe. “Spike!!” I tried again, no reply. Was he asleep? “What’s wrong lonely?” a familiar voice said in ear. A grimace soon formed on my face. “Misery.” “Yes, darling?” “Don’t call me that she demon!” “You say the sweetest things. I could just kiss you, if I could get my body back that is.” “Not interested” I stated firmly. “But-” “Not. Interested.” “You should be” a deeper feral voice replied. “Soon enough we’ll be all that’s left to keep you company boy. And you’re going to need to get used to the idea of having us around. We’re not going anywhere anytime soon.” “Go suck on a lemon” I replied rising to my hooves, now seeing Spike appearing from his room. “I’ll be sure to make you some lemonade” Anguish commented with a laugh, making my grimace worsen. “Are you alright?” Spike asked rubbing an eye as he stretched. “You look real mad.” Quickly changing my disposition so it was more friendly inclined I opened my mouth to speak. But any words that would have come out were drowned out by the sudden sound of the front door being thrown open followed by the clicking of hooves on Twilight’s crystal like stairs. “Hailstorm!” Pinkie said rushing towards me. Bracing myself for the squeeze of a lifetime I kept my eyes shut like I was about to meet my fate. But nothing happened. Opening one eye I could see Pinkie staring at me with a small reassuring smile. “Everything’s going to be alright now” I heard her say. “What?” was the only word I could get out before realizing that the group of mares were now surrounding me on all sides. Then in a sudden flash of light they all powered up into their Elemental forms. “What are you guys doing this time?” I asked as I shielded my eyes from the blinding light that radiated off the mares. “We’re going to help you?” “By blinding me with your weird magic?” I didn’t get a response. “Ready girls?” Twilight asked, all nodding. Spike who was now fully awake stared in utter confusion by the sudden turn of events. “What are you guys doing?” he asked, no one responded. Twilight focused on me. She could feel it. The dark magic, the chaos mixed within. And deeper within all of it she could feel one extremely powerful force and another smaller one beside it. Both made her shiver. Her eyes glowing white as she floated into the air, her friends eyes also glowing the same white I watched as a rainbow glow surrounded them. Then hit me with a full force. I couldn’t believe that at this very moment I was getting hit by rainbows. And feeling this much pain. By rainbows nonetheless. Although I had seen them use the elements in my dreams I never thought it gave villains such a horrible feeling of pain or at least in my case it did, as the light continued to hit me with a full force. “It’s not working!” I heard Rarity say. “More power!” Rainbow Dash said. And so they did, doubling the force and in turn doubling my pain. I let out a scream of pain that pierced the room and the heavens. “We’re hurting him!” Fluttershy said. “Twilight we need to stop!” Applejack said. “NO!” Twilight demanded. “We have to do this, it’s the only way!” “Foolish girls” Anguish said in my head. “They do not know what they trifle with.” Instantly I felt that familiar burning sensation in my hooves as what felt like a black paint slowly started spreading around my body. As the darkness enveloped me, I head Spike gasp in horror as what he had seen before began making it’s appearance for a second time. I could no longer move from both pain and some other force that now took over, as the black surface now covered a large portion of my body. “STOP!” Pinkie screeched and suddenly the pain was gone. My eyes were still closed as I continued to grunt from the pain in my body, hearing the safe clicking of hooves on the floor. The darkness that had been consuming my body and changing the color of my coat, nearly completed covering my face. “Hailstorm?” Twilight whispered fear in her voice, enough fear that I could literally picture her expression. “What’s happening to you?” Before I could speak. The darkness covered my face. Then I felt a force, rip me out of my consciousness as it took over in my place. “I’m not Hailstorm” the deep voice said. My irises now red instead of brown. “I am Anguish” the dragon within my body said. “Tis a pleasure to meet you, bearers of the elements. I hope you enjoy your peaceful time for now. Feeling a nasty smile form on my face Anguish continued. “Because you can’t get rid of me as easily as you hoped.” "Then that means." I heard Twilight’s voice say in a disheartened tone. “Yes.” He nodded. “The Elements of Harmony failed. You all failed. And now your failure will bring your end” he smiled. “Your welcome.”
