Evergreen Heart

Chapter 17
When Chaos drives, Insanity holds the reins.

Okay, okay don’t panic, it’s just Discord on the loose. All I have to do is sit here quietly and let Twilight and company handle it.

Yep that’s what I’ll do....

I’ll just stay here and…

And…

Man buck this, I’m not gonna sit in here and do nothing. What good is having all these powers If I don’t use them. For the greater good. Insert famous spiderman quote here and all that jazz. Oh sweet merciful goddess am I developing a superhero complex or am I just regular crazy?

….

What the heck, I’ll roll with it.

With a little touch of magic I squeezed myself through the bars of my cell like I did once before and moved over to the guardroom door. It turned out to be locked tight. A quick blast of acid saw the lock reduced to molten slag.

Now I know what you’re thinking, no acid is that potent. Normally I would agree with you, but this shit is magical. It’s acid on steroids and then some. At this point I wouldn’t bat an eye if it turned into a little googly eyed blob and danced the hula. But I’m getting off track.

With the the lock taken care of, I opened the door and set off for the nearest staircase to the ground floor. The palace itself seemed to be deserted. Silence filled the corridors, disturbed only by the clip clop of my wooden hooves. I walked along them in a random direction hoping to find…. somepony, anypony. That’s when I first noticed the statues. There were always statues in the corridors as part of the decorations. But none like this. They depicted ponies in strange and sometimes downright obscene poses. And then it hit me. These weren’t statues at all. They were the guards, the maids and even a noble or two. All of them frozen in a granite prison with a look of horror on their faces. And then a voice echoed through the palace.

“To retrieve your missing Elements, just make sense of this change of events. Twists and turns are my master plan. Then find the Elements back where you began.”

I would recognise that voice anywhere. Discord had just issued his challenge. And that meant the obvious destination would be the palace hedge maze.

As I ran through the corridors towards the front gate, doubt began to seep into my mind once again. How in the world was I going to fight Discord? I mean, he is a spirit. How do you hurt a spirit? I could tear his physical form asunder sure, but he would just snap his fingers and reform. Aside from that, chaos magic in this universe seemingly has no limitations, making him nigh omnipotent. And what did I have? I could make seeds grow. Okay I could do a bit more than that, but compared to Discord’s raw magical potential I might as well have been a gnat.

Can’t beat him through raw force, can’t outwit a trickster, well I’m sure some people could. Just not me. I have my moments but I’m not that witty. Can’t stun him with science and logic. So what does that leave? Baffle em with bullshit? Well bullshit I can do.

I arrived at the hedge maze just in time to see the girls disappear behind walls of shrubbery. And there, floating just a foot above the ground, was Discord.

As I looked upon him for the first time I felt a sudden onset of vertigo. To my magical sight Discord’s unique magical aura appeared as a multi colored tear in the very fabric of reality, with dozens of rainbow tendrils snaking outwards and grasping wildly at the aether. It’s enough to give a person seizures. I shook my head and dulled my magical vision to a more tolerable level.

He was hanging silently in the air, steepling his fingers and smirking as I approached. I still wasn’t sure what to do. All I could think of was to try and distract him for as long as possible. An idea came to me at the last second and I formed a smirk of my own.

“Bah Weep Graaaagnah Wheep Ni Ni Bong.” I said as I stopped about ten or so feet from him.

“Bah Weep Graaaagnah Wheep Ni Ni Bong?” Discord repeated with just a hint of confusion.

“Bah Weep Graaaagnah Wheep Ni Ni Bong!” I repeated with gusto.

“What are you saying? You’re not making any sense!” Discord snorted irritably.

Well that’s a perfectly good joke wasted. I figured if there was any being in this dimension who might get it Discord would be the one. I guess I was wrong. Well I got his attention, now what. Oh, idea!

“Make sense? Aww what fun is there in making sense.” I said, doing my best John de Lancie impression. Which admittedly wasn’t very good. Still it got the desired result.

“I… wha… you… but… you can’t… so that’s what that feels like. I don’t like it.” Discord said after a moment of stuttering and trying to form a coherent reply. “And I don’t like you stealing my shtick.”

“Meh you can have it back. Mines bigger.”

“What?” he deadpanned.

“My stick. Its bigger than yours.”

“Not stick you imbecile! Shtick.”

“You might wanna get that looked at. With the right cream it will clear right up.”

Both of his eyeballs fell from their sockets and rolled across the grass like a pair of yellow golf balls, before he snatched them up and popped them back in. “Are you insane?”

“That’s a question I’ve been asking myself ever since I got here. When I finally find the answer I will let you know.” I answered honestly.

“ENOUGH!” He bellowed, obviously thinking I was taking the piss outta him. The top of his skull flew off like the lid of a tea kettle boiling at full steam. Said steam was coming out of his ears with a whistle. “Do you have the faintest inkling as to whom you speak? I am Discord, the Master of Chaos. I will not be mocked by some.... thing.”

I made a sound like a quiz show buzzer. “Wrong! The Thing is the other guy, he’s orange, I’m green. Still, thanks for the compliment.”

He stared at me silently for a moment, leaning in for a better look, and I felt a tingle of dread crawl down my proverbial spine. He was eying me like a predator sizing up his prey. Finally he pulled back out of my personal space.

“Was there a point to all this or did you come here simply to annoy me and waste my precious time?” he said while yawning and checking an oversized pocketwatch that he pulled from his torso.

“Annoy you? And here I was trying my hardest to be welcoming. You of all creatures should be able to appreciate a bit of chaos.” I said neutrally.

“That's not chaos, that’s just random gibberish.” He said as a paper ribbon full of random numbers, like from an old Edison Stock Ticker, floated out his ears and drifted off across the horizon.

“But isn’t that what all chaos is at its heart? Random events that bring about changes great and small. The intricate clockwork that keeps the universe spinning.” I said, making turning motions with my hands.

“You talk a good spiel but I doubt you truly understand the intricacies of true chaos.” Discord said haughtily, suddenly dressed in an expensive suit of mismatched colors and a powdery wig, the kind that was popular amongst the nobility of old. The entire ensemble made him look snobbish in the extreme to match his tone of voice.

“I don’t truly have to understand something in detail to know that it has it’s place in the whole of things. But I do know for a fact that chaos is not evil. Chaos just is.”

“Well then, If you’re not some dashingly misguided hero here to try and vanquish the evil spirit, what is it that you want from me?” he asked as his outfit vanished once more.

“For starters you could stop tormenting my friends.” I opted.

“Friends? You actually believe those ponies are your friends?” he chuckled.

“Well not yet, but hopefully someday. And if you would just stop tormenting them they might actually warm up to you too.”

“They will never accept the likes of you or I. We are too alien, a disruptive influence on their precious ordered existence. Look at this place!” he said as he waved his arm, taking in the whole of Canterlot.

“Everything in it functions according to their whim and designs. The very weather itself shackled and slave to their will. It’s all so sickeningly orderly. But we, we are the the antithesis to their designs. The untamable raw powers of nature and magic. This world has been unbalanced far too long without true chaos. And I will see it delivered.”

“And to that end you would first mentally torment a bunch of girls? Pardon me for not fully grasping the big picture here, but what purpose could that possibly serve?”

“They carry within them the potential to awaken the elements of harmony. The one power, the only power, that can truly stand in my way. The power of harmony has ruled for too long. It’s stench lingers everywhere. Even your own form reeks of it, cloying and stifling. I will see this world set free from Celestia’s perfect order, and returned to the chaos that first created it. They are a threat to that goal, and I will see that threat neutralised.”

“But you are overdoing it. Chaos should be subtle, It’s influence barely felt or observed in the day to day lives of people, or ponies. Because that’s when chaos is at its best. When it simply becomes another part of the whole and keeps the world spinning. Instead you are twisting the world into some insane mockery of itself. Where is the balance in that?”

“You just don’t understand.” He said dismissively.

“Oh I understand perfectly. This isn’t about balance or restoring the proper way of things or any of that. This is about revenge. You want to torment Celestia for locking you in stone for a thousand years. And the best way to torment Celestia is by tormenting that which she holds most dear. Her little ponies, specifically her faithful student, the one she loves as if she were her own flesh and blood. Her friends are just the icing on the cake for you.”

His eyes narrowed and he glared at me in anger.

“I get it, you’re angry, and you have a right to be. And I’m fully aware I’m playing devil's advocate here because I would want revenge too, but it’s not going to solve anything Discord. Lashing out against Celestia and her ponies is only gonna come back to bite you in the ass later. So you need to take a step back and stop acting like a petty child, throwing a tantrum because mommy sent you to your room.”

“Sent me to my… Do you have any idea what it’s like to be locked in stone? Unable to move, to do anything, yet fully aware of the world around you!. How could you possibly understand.”

My time in Twilight’s lab, floating helplessly in the null fluid came to mind.

“I might have a better understanding than most. Even if my own experience was like the blink of an eye compared to yours.” I said but he clearly wasn’t listening anymore because he kept on ranting.

“This world was mine long before the Alicorns came. Long before Celestia and her sister even existed. They stole it from me. Twisted it until it was unrecognisable. I’m taking it all back.”

“Discord please, don’t do this. It’s beneath you. I really don’t want to fight you, but I can not let you do this to them.”

“You don’t have a say in the matter. You cannot stop me! No I think I’ll just make a few adjustments, then send you on your merry way.” He said as he reached for my head with his eagle claw.

I grabbed it about an inch away from my face. My eyes narrowed.

“You might want to reconsider doing that, trust me. What I keep up here,” I tapped my head, “You want none of it. You may be fine entering and twisting the innocent naive minds of ponies, but you are not ready for what lies within the depths of mine. Not by a long shot.”

It could have been my imagination, but I’m certain I saw a flicker of doubt cross Discord’s face. Then it was gone, and the next moment his expression turned to one of pure undiluted rage, and I found myself blasted off my hooves by a point blank burst of chaotic magic. Gone was the comical trickster. The being that floated in its place was all raw emotion and primeval magic. I tried to crawl to my feet but another blast of magic slammed me back into the floor and cracked my mask.

“You arrogant gnat. If two Alicorns couldn’t truly stop me what chance could you possibly have?”

Another blast of rage fueled magic tore me asunder. My left arm disintegrated and my lower body pretty much exploded into jagged chunks of wood and tree sap. His lion paw slashed across what was left of my chest, tearing away the wood to expose my core. A snap of his eagle claw and I was torn free from what remained of my body. As the last of my connecting vines snapped all my senses went dead, save for my hearing and sight. I hung suspended in the air while Discord stared at me.

“And they call me a abomination.” He said mockingly as he studied my form, “Begone.”

Another snap of his claw and I was suddenly sailing through the air at great speeds as if I had been fired out of a cannon. Canterlot mountain vanished into the distance. For a minute or two I flew up, then gravity reasserted its pull on me and I began to fall. I could see the distant ground below. Farmland and forest passing by rapidly. I sailed across ponyville, close enough to see panicked ponies milling about the now blue and pink checkered landscape. Dodging bunny stampedes and chocolate milk thunderclouds.

A piece of floating soil, complete with a house on top suddenly appeared in my path. I bounced off the thatch rooftop and continued on my way. Now there were trees beneath me, and they were rapidly closing in. I flew straight through branches and leaves, then smacked into a trunk with a resounding thwack. The impact split me open and I tumbled down, battered and broken, coming to a stop in the soil between the roots with a barely audible thud.

I lay there for some time, stunned and in pain. I could feel something ooze out of the crack in my core, staining the soil with a glowing green fluid. I think…. I think I’m done for.

As I lay there, my vision blurring in and out, something began to claw at the back of my mind, baying for blood. Oh no you don’t! Just because I’m half dead doesn't mean you get to come out and play. I mentally pushed the beast back into its cage. I was in control, but the desire to exact revenge remained. Smoldering in the back of my mind like a forgotten campfire. They say anger is more useful than despair. Anger can be given a purpose. And you know what? They are absolutely right. I tapped deeply into my reserves and channeled them into regenerating myself.

Nothing happened.

******************************

Celestia paced up and down her bedchambers. Worry etched on her face. Did she do the right thing by leaving this all up to Twilight? Her reasoning was sound. The elements were bound to the six of them now, they stood the best chance to defeat the master of chaos. But even so she could not shake the fear wriggling in the pit of her stomach. She walked over to her writing desk, where a gently steaming pot of tea waited. After pouring herself a cup and blowing on it she took a small sip. The bittersweet taste of the tea always helped steady her nerves and focus her mind.

“Would you like to know how your precious elements are doing Celestia?” the voice of Discord suddenly resounded in her chambers, startling her into dropping her tea.

She looked around for the trickster spirit, who appeared like a puff of smoke from the teapot on her desk, like a genie from a lamp. A pink tea cosy adorned his head like a turban and he wore a Saddle Arabian vest in eye wateringly bright orange. He conjured forth a crystal ball in his mismatched limbs, it came to life, showing images of Twilight and her friends inside the labyrinth.

Against her better judgement, Celestia peered into the crystal ball to see Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie and Applejack walking through one of the flower arches inside the maze.

“Fluttershy! I'm so glad to see a friendly face. This awful labyrinth is getting to everypony.” Twilight exclaimed upon finding the butter yellow pegasus.

“Aw, boo-hoo-hoo! Why don't you wave your magic little horn and make everything alright?” Fluttershy sneered.

Twilight stood stunned by the normally so timid pegasus reply. “Uh…”

“Oh, that's right, you can't. You don't have one.” Fluttershy said as she whipped twilight in the snout with the tip of her tail.

The young unicorn looked dumbstruck as she rubbed her stinging muzzle with a hoof.

“What is happening to my friends?” she mused aloud, the barest hint of despair sneaking into her voice.

Celestia looked away from the crystal ball. “Stop this senseless cruelty Discord.”

“I’m not the cruel one here celestia. You are! I’m merely paying it back in full by confronting these girls with their own dark sides.”

“What you’re doing is pointless and vile. Twisting innocent ponies into mockeries of themselves. What we did, we did for the good of equestria.”

“Is that what you tell yourself to help you sleep at night? That your actions served Equestria. Is that what you told yourself when you turned me to stone? When you sent poor little Luna to the moon? You banished her to a variation of the same fate you did me. A fate worse than death. Being imprisoned without the ability to interact with the world, yet fully awake and aware.”

Celestia's eyes widened and she froze, a tingle of familiar dread running down her spine.

“What? Did you think she was asleep up there on the moon? Having a nice relaxing nap during her millennial time out? Oh how wrong you are. Why do you think she’s been so eager to please. She's desperately trying to stay in your good graces. Absolutely terrified of being sent back to the cold empty void.”

Tears were stinging the corners of her eyes now. One of her greatest fears during all those centuries was that Luna was awake and aware during her time on the moon.

“In space, no one can hear you scream. But I heard her.” he said, tapping his ear.

”Her mind was shrieking into the void like a psychic beacon of despair. Calling for ‘you. Begging you to bring her back. But you didn’t hear. You didn’t care. You left her there alone with nothing but dust and her own thoughts to keep her company for a thousand years. At least I had some entertainment when ponies visited the gardens.”

His words were like icy fists punching her in the gut.

“But she, she was alone in a never changing wasteland with nothing to do but watching the world spin. How she has not gone insane I will never understand. Maybe she already was, and always has been. After all you can’t break what’s already broken.”

She screwed her eyes shut and turned away. She didn’t want to hear any more. Her guilt threatened to consume her. Using the elements against Luna had been a terrible mistake.

The door to Celestia’s chambers swung open with a bang, breaking her out of her misery. In it stood her sister. Her eyes ablaze with moonlight and astral hair billowing in an ethereal wind.

“Enough Discord. Leave mine sister alone. Thy presence is not welcome here” Luna growled, her horn alight with magic.

“Dramatic much? This isn’t some cheesy stage play you know.” Discord mocked only to be met with a magic bolt to the face.

“We told thee to leave. So begone!”

“Fine.” he snorted as his face popped back into shape. “I’m done here anyway.”

He vanished into his tea cosy turban like dust into a vacuum cleaner, which then disappeared with a pop. Luna let out a sigh of relief as the light left her eyes and her mane turned back to normal locks of blue. Silence was all that remained until Celestia’s quiet voice reached her ears.
“How did you know Discord was here?”

“We... were on our way to talk to thee about the current crisis when we sensed thy distress. We… also may have listened at the door.” She said with a tinge of guilt.

“Is it true…. what discord said? Did I leave you alone and awake in the cold void.” It was a question she had wanted answered since the day Luna returned, but she dreaded the answer so much she could not bring herself to ask, and then she tried to forget all about it.

Celestia waited, the silence stretched on for what felt like an eternity, thick and smothering like a heavy blanket. And then the answer she had feared came.

“Yes.”

She couldn’t breathe. Her heart felt like it was being stabbed over and over with a knife. She began to hyperventilate. Her vision blurred as she swayed on her legs.

“Tia, TIA! Get a hold of thyself!”

Her sisters hoof connected with her cheek with a resounding slap. Snapping her back to her senses. With an effort she willed her breathing to slow down. Still her heart thundered in her ears and she could barely make out her sister’s form through the tears blurring her vision..

“Lulu I…. I’m so... so sor..”

Luna’s legs and wings wrapped around her in a tight hug.

“We forgive thee Tia. Yes our time on the moon was terrible, but we forgive thee.” Luna said. There may have been some residual resentment, but it evaporated at the sight of her heartbroken sister.

“I don’t want you to hate me.” Celestia sobbed.

“We don’t” came the whispered reply in her ear.

They sat there on the floor, wrapped in each other’s embrace. This had been a long time coming. Neither of them had really wanted to talk about the past after their initial reunion. Neither of them really felt ready. They had danced around the issue for months. Discords actions had ripped off the bandaid in one swift, harsh motion. Leaving them both raw and exposed. But now, at last the healing could truly begin.

Celestia finally composed herself enough to ask a question that had been at the forefront of her mind “How did you bear it? How did you possibly stay sane?”

“Thou forgets sister, we are the guardian of dreams. When our other half lay dormant we visited the world through dreams. And though we were too weak to influence these dreams, just being there kept us sane. Even so, not all is good. We, feel uneasy when around lots of other ponies. We have gotten used to the solitude. It will take time before we feel comfortable again in large crowds.”

Celestia nodded slowly, “And what of her? How is your other half doing?”

“She…. has been silent. Ever since Twilight Sparkle and her friends confronted us in the ruins of our old home, ever since they used the Elements of Harmony, her voice has been absent.”

“Is that why you looked so lost all this time? Because she is not answering?”

She nodded.

“Lulu, I.. I should have..” words failed her. Her thoughts were so jumbled. There were a million things she wanted to ask and say. And yet none would make it past her lips.

A gentle hoof on said lips silenced her attempts to speak.

“Shhh, we shall have ample opportunity to talk about everything in detail later, Tia. For now however, thy student is in need of thy help.”

******************************

I lay staring at the sky. The sky that seemed to change color every five minutes. It had been blue, then green, then a nice fuchsia, and even puce. A flock of winged pie tins flew by. Day turned to night, then back to day a few minutes later, and then a whale passed on by overhead, leaving a trail of cheeses. All the while my vision kept blurring in and out, turning the world into the weirdest acid trip imaginable.

I had panicked at first, when my powers gave out. Screaming and hollering and cursing everything and everyone until I couldn’t think of any new curse words anymore. I was just spent. Completely and utterly spent. I wallowed in self pity next. Wondering if my end had finally come this time. I survived timberwolves, a dragon, being put on trial by ponies. And now I was gonna die in the dirt because of a guy who’s body resembled a kindergarteners art project. Talk about an ignoble end.

I have no idea how long I was laying there in the dirt, especially with the day and night cycle lasting only a few minutes. But eventually I gave my magic one last desperate push in an effort to heal myself. Nothing happened. That is to say, the regeneration didnt kick in, but something else happened. I felt a sudden presence. My sight was pulled to the tree I lay beneath and I reached out to it. Somehow the tree reached back to me and a connection of some kind sprang up between us. I can’t put into words exactly what happened. I was talking to it without using any actual words. It’s a sensation that defies description. It asked, for want of a better term, if I was alright. I told it I was wounded, and that my powers were unable to heal me. Then it offered to share some of its life force with me, freely and in good faith. I accepted its offer with gratitude, and as its essence flowed into me I felt restored and brimming with energy.

As if playing a video tape in reverse the green goo that had leaked from my core sucked itself back in through the crack which promptly regenerated. The moment the crack completely vanished my blurry vision snapped back into crystal clear contrast and my regeneration kicked in with a vengeance. I promptly proceeded to grow a new body, and while I was working on it I finally noticed where I was exactly. I was at the edge of the orchard on Sweet Apple Acres. The border of the Everfree only a few paces away. A new plan formulated in my mind and I altered my form from what I had originally intended. I reshaped myself into a timberwolf. I placed a paw upon the apple tree and silently thanked it for its gift. Then I turned and dashed into the Everfree forest.

It felt good, running through the woods like this. It felt liberating. I felt alive. But I had a purpose, and not a lot of time. And if I did this right I could solve two problems at once. Trees shot past me in a blur, but I knew the way. I could sense my destination like a beacon in the dark of night. Time lost most of its meaning as the forest zipped past me. I could hear the rush of water up ahead. I coaxed more speed out of my body and leapt across the river that bisects the Everfree. I landed on the far side, my legs sinking into the muddy bank, not far now. With a heave I tore myself free and continued onward until I reached the chasm and the cave of harmony.

As I entered the cave and adjusted to the bright glow of the crystalline tree I let my senses reach out far and wide. There, just a foot below the surface, I could feel them. Plunder vines! Their aura a twisted mockery of nature. I slammed a paw into the ground and began to dig. In moments I had unearthed the first black vine. The moment I touched it, it shot towards me, It´s barbed coils grasping and constricting. I could feel it trying to drain my energy. I reached out with my mind and slammed my will against its. It had no real consciousness. Not like a sentient creature. But it had a twisted mockery of a will. A will that I needed to break.

“Submit! You are mine now.” was the thought I lanced into it with a burst of magic.

I could feel it’s instincts reeling against my dominance. It did not speak in words, but to me it may as well have been screaming. NEVER! It roared.

“You will DO as I SAY!” I growled, blasting my magic into it like a dozen psychic spears.

I could feel it writhing and twisting as if in agony, even though it couldn’t feel actual pain. The drain on my energy slacked and the vine ceased to struggle. I tore it out of the ground, roots and all. Another burst of magic saw it reduced back to a small black seed. I swallowed it and safely stored it away. Then I started on the next one. Tearing it from the ground and dominating it’s will.

It took me maybe an hour to get them all, but when I was finished I was certain no more of them remained. That was good, it meant the tree of harmony would be safe in the future. I felt mentally drained from the constant struggles for dominance, who would have thought that controlling a couple of seeds would be that much of a struggle. I wished I could just lay down for a while and rest, but I couldn’t rest yet. Not yet. Not before I gave Discord a taste of his own medicine.

I left the cave and began the long climb up the steps out of the chasm.

******************

Sneaking into ponyville was easy amidst all the chaos. The world had turned so completely crazy that no pony gave me more than a casual glance. They walked about in a daze, their eyes hollow and tormented. Like a shadow of their former selves. It might have looked funny in the show, but was just plain cruel to see it in the flesh.

I stalked through the narrow alleys between the cottages, ducking ballet dancing buffalo performing some messed up rendition of swan lake or the nutcracker and hid in a rose bush. From the bush I then made my way behind a trashcan and from there over a little wooden fence. I snuck through several backyards, humming the mission impossible tune while evading a mutated bunny stampede when a burst of insane laughter reached my ears.

I followed the sound until I reached the former market square. Now it was a shallow misshapen hill covered in a checkered pattern of blue’s, atop of which stood a tacky cliché of a throne. The kind you would expect from some vain tyrant with no taste. And reclined upon that throne was Discord, casually sipping his chocolate milk. That is to say, he drank the glass around the milk.

I had found him. Now it would be time to put my plan into action. If I could just get close enough to surprise him I could unleash the plunder seeds on him and hopefully weaken him enough to take him out. I let my body fall apart until it was little more than a heap of vegetation on the ground, then I began to creep forward slowly, ever so slowly. I made my way behind the throne to stay out of his sight, keeping my form small and low to the ground I slithered forward, almost like a snake. Hmm snake, that gave me an idea. Just a little further and I would be within striking distance.

Chaos is a wonderful, wonderful thing.” Discord laughed from atop his throne as he surveyed the mayhem around himself.

“Not as wonderful as friendship.” Said the voice of Twilight Sparkle.

Ah crap, looks like the girls are here early.

“Oh, this again?” Discord said, sounding bored.

“That's right. Ya’ll couldn't break apart our friendship fer long.” Applejack said challengingly.

“Oh, Applejack, don't lie to me. I'm the one who made you a liar. Will you ever learn?” Discord said smugly as he tried to rip the element of honesty from Applejacks neck with a telekinetic swipe. But a quick shielding spell from twilight saved both the farm pony and the element from harm.

“I'll tell you what we've learned, Discord: we've learned that friendship isn't always easy, but there's no doubt it's worth fighting for!” Said twilight.

“Ugh, gag. Fine, go ahead, try and use your little Elements. Frienemies. Just make it quick. I'm missing some excellent chaos here.”

“Alright, ladies, let's show him what friendship can do!” Twilight exclaimed as she began to power up her element.

I stopped. It looked like my help wouldn’t be needed after all. This was their moment, no need to muck it up now. I should be safe enough back here. Perhaps in hindsight I should have just stayed quietly in my cell in Canterlot. It certainly would have saved me some pain.

I watched as the elements began to glow with power, and truth be told my inner brony felt a little giddy that I would get to witness this moment in person. Here it comes.

With a backhanded blast of energy, Discord threw the mane six aside like ragdolls. The girls rolled across the ground, bouncing a few times until they came to a stop in a heap. With another swipe of magic the elements of harmony were torn away and dumped in a pile at discords feet. His sadistic laughter filled the air.

Oh you fucking bastard.

“Did you honestly think I would be fool enough to just sit here and let you blast me with the elements of harmony. How stupid do you think I am?”

He then proceeded to zap them with arcs of electricity as if he was emperor freaking Palpatine himself. Laughing insanely as the girls writhed and screamed. If I still had blood in my veins it would be boiling now. He briefly seized his attack to let out another burst of insane laughter and I began to close in once more. With trembling legs the girls got back to their hooves. Little arcs of lightning fizzling along their coats. They stared at Discord defiantly.

“It’s not over yet Discord, we’ll find a way.” Twilight nearly spat at him.

“Oh how wrong you are, Twilight Sparkle. This is the end of the line for you little ponies. You have nothing left to throw at me.”

“You'd be surprised what innovative munitions can be created by one immortal being who's set his mind on killing another.” I said loudly. yeah, I quoted Q there.

Discord flipped himself one-hundred-eighty degrees in the air, hovering upside down to look behind himself as I rose up from the ground only a few feet away from him. Shaping my body into that of a giant cobra.

“Payback time you chaotic son of a bitch.” I growled as I unleashed the power of the plunderseeds.

The look of utter surprise on his face was priceless. I enveloped discord like a tidal wave of vengeful vegetation. He tried to teleport out, but the power of his own creation turned against him and his attempt to teleport failed with a fizzle of magical sparks. One plunder vine shot forward and wrapped itself around his throat with a crack like a bullwhip. Immediately I could feel the magic beginning to drain out of him and flowing into me. And it felt so very wrong. I can only describe it as tasting food that has spoiled. Absorbing his magic was the equivalent sensation to taking a big bite of chinese takeout that has gone off. My first instinct was to release him, but I suppressed it with an effort and held on.

He began to blast me with raw chaos magic. Bolts of seizure inducing technicolor energy blowing fist sized holes into my form. He was trying to find my core, but I was not about to give up, not now. I kept my core on the move within my form as more and more plunder vines shot forward from the wounds he inflicted on me, grasping and entangling him. He let out a growl and unleashed a torrent of plaid colored flames from his mouth like a dragon, setting my head on fire.

I constricted the vine around his neck as hard as I could, choking the very life from him in an effort to prevent him from breathing any more of that strange fire. As an added bonus it kept him from talking since I was in no mood to deal with his bullshit. The chaos fire soon turned my head into little more than ash and cinders, but like the hydra of legend I regenerated two more from the still smoldering stump. They lanced forward and bit into his arms. Snapping them backwards.

“Two can play the blasting game, asshole!”

Dozens of spiked pinecones popped up all over my serpentine body in a burst of green power.

“Fire in the hole!” I cried as they detonated with a crump like grenades. Flinging razor sharp thorns everywhere. They blasted through discords flesh like bullets, pulverising whatever passed for his internal organs, but he didn’t so much as cringe.

Since blasting me had no effect he began to shapeshift in an effort to escape my grasp. I constricted further, keeping a firm squeeze on him as he morphed into a variety of animals. I almost lost my grip when he transformed into some sort of strange rhinoceros with a Tee shaped horn and a row of spines along its back. But I managed to hold on with a titanic effort as he stomped around trying to throw me off. I grappled his midsection with a pair of thick vines and began to twist them. As i upped the pressure his armored hide began to buckle, and then his spine snapped with a sickening crack, but he regenerated even faster than I could.

With that tactic a bust too, he returned to his basic mismatched shape and began to actively push his magic into me through the plunder vines in an effort to overload me. I pushed back, I had to or the chaos magic would certainly destroy me from the inside out. While there may certainly be similarities between our magics, and my body can absorb some of it, absorbing too much of it was still akin to drinking a vat of toxic waste. Already I could feel my strength beginning to fade. The battle had turned into a magical tug of war, and I was losing. I had to end this fast.

I reared up and my twin snake heads vomited forth a cascade of acid, covering discord from head to mismatched toes. Flesh steamed and hissed before it ran molten off his bones, but like some twisted insane version of Wolverine it grew back as quickly as it dissolved. It did have the effect of momentarily distracting him, and that was all I wanted. I wrapped him in my coils like a freshly caught rat and squeezed with all my might.

“Twilight, now! While I have him!” I called out to the girls.

They stood, staring at the battle with expressions of horror and disbelief.

“But we can’t, you’re in the way.” she cried.

“Don’t fucking give me that. Blast him, NOW! Before he has a chance to overpower me!”

In a flash, Rainbow Dash had grabbed the elements from their pile and handed them out to her friends. Then she took her place by Twilight’s side again. But Twilight made no move to call upon the elements power.

“Do it Twilight.”

I could see the doubt in her eyes, she was racking her brain to try and find a different solution. The others started to trot in place nervously, glancing at her.

“Damnit Sparkle, for once in your life stop overthinking things and just DO IT!”

“I’m sorry.” she whispered before her eyes went white.

The very air seemed to vibrate with magic for a moment as the elements powered up, and then the rainbow blast of harmony thundered toward us. Discord’s expression turned to one of utter terror as the multi colored beam slammed into us. A dome of power fell across Ponyville, and everything went white.

I was expecting…. I don’t know what I was expecting, but what I got certainly wasn’t it.

I felt no pain, no fear, nothing. Even as the power of harmony destroyed the plunderseeds I had borrowed, the waves of magic washing over my body felt more like the gentle lapping of the ocean. I knew this magic, I had felt it before. On the night of my rebirth, then again when I touched the tree of harmony. It felt gentle and warm, it felt like love, like life. For a brief moment I felt connected to everything. I could feel the spark of life in every blade of grass, every flower, every bush, every tree within a mile of Ponyville. Like millions of tiny motes of light, dancing in an intricate pattern before my mind's eye. And as my consciousness made contact with them their lifeforce trilled in acknowledgement of my presence. It was the single most beautiful thing I have ever felt.

The whiteness faded and color returned to the world. With a dull crump the now petrified form of Discord fell to the ground. Face frozen in terror. I sank to the ground, suddenly unable to control my body as the sextet of ponies came rushing forward. I tried to move, but got no response whatsoever, as if my entire form had somehow short circuited. I could still feel the body, but it was beginning to decay rapidly.

“Please be alright, please be alright, please be alright.” Twilight kept muttering over and over.

Unsurprisingly perhaps Rainbow Dash poked the Discord statue in the nose and blew a raspberry at it. Rarity seemed to hover over Twilight’s shoulder, her face full of uncertainty whilst Pinkie looked on with unbridled curiosity. Fluttershy hung back from the group and kept her distance from me, her eyes full of mistrust.

“Is he gonna be okay Twi?” Asked Applejack, hovering in the corner of my vision.

“I don’t know. I don’t know what the elements effects on him are.”

I sent out a small burst of magic to my bodies larynx, the resultant noise was like static on an old radio.

“I’ll be fine Twilight.” I rasped. “All the magic has simply shorted out my body.”

I could see relief flood her face.

“So.. what now?” she asked after a moment.

“I think this body is a write off. Any chance you could dig me out?”

“Uh, sure.” She said uncertainly. “Where exactly are you?”

“A little to the left, little higher. Right there.”

“Okay, I’ll do this carefully.” Twilight said as she lit up her horn and then started to slice through the wood with a magical beam.

In moments I was cut out of the dying husk and picked up in her telekinetic field. Being held in her magic kinda tickled, but not so much as to be uncomfortable or unbearable.

“So what now?” Asked Twilight. Of Course I couldn’t react. “Are you okay?”

“Uhm, I don’t think he can speak without a body darling.” Rarity offered.

“Oh right, of course. So uhm.. I guess we better report to the princess.“

A few minutes later we entered the Ponyville library. Twilight placed me gently on her kitchen table and went off to see if spike was feeling well enough to send a letter to the princess. The rest of the group was milling about the kitchen. It was Rarity who spoke up first.

“Fluttershy dear, is something the matter? You’ve been very quiet the last few minutes. I mean, even quieter than usual.”

“Oh uhm, no, it… it’s nothing.” She said quietly, but she kept glancing in my direction, giving me sour looks.

“It’s our, guest, isn’t it.” Rarity whispered to her as she came over to sit beside her. To my magical senses she may as well have been speaking through a bullhorn.

“Uhm, well… I…. I don’t… I know I shouldn’t but… I don’t like him.” Fluttershy said in a barely audible voice. “He… he eats creatures, and.. he scares me.”

It would seem she still wasn’t over it. Even after all these months. And I guess that little display back there didn’t exactly help.

“Well I must admit, that was the most violent and unsettling thing I’ve had the misfortune to witness.” Rarity said, looking just a little green around the muzzle.

“What I want to know is what this guy is doing out of jail.” Dash said as she poked me with a hoof, rolling me across the table in Fluttershy’s direction. Said mare immediately scooted back a little.

“Sheesh shy, you really don’t like this guy huh?”

She shook her head.

“Don’t ya’ll think it’s a might rude to be yappin’ about a guy when he ain’t exactly in a position to reply?”

Thank you Applejack, you read my mind. I sighed mentally. I suppose I might as well bite the proverbial bullet and get this over with, I should be suitably recovered by now. With a tweak of mental focus I gathered my magic, my core glowing briefly, and then I unleashed it. Vines immediately began to grow from my core, just as Pinkie decided to poke me.

“He’s gonna gobble us up!” she shrieked as my sudden growth spurt spooked her. She jumped back and bowled Rainbow Dash over. The two of them went down in a flailing mess of hooves and hair.

Before things could escalate I rapidly formed a new voice box.

“Don’t be silly Pinkie, I don’t eat ponies.” I said a bit more irritably then I’d intended.

“Just innocent creatures.” Fluttershy muttered under her breath.

By now I had grown enough material to form a proper head. Which I turned to address Fluttershy.

“Don’t you feed fish to some of your animal friends? How is that any different?”

She had the decency to look rather guilty at that. I directed my growth as speedily as I could, going for functionality rather than pleasing aesthetics. In another minute I once more had a functional Centaur body, it was crude and ugly but at last I was mobile. I would worry about spiffing it up in a little bit.

“I beg your pardon darling,“ Rarity said, “but you must admit that your method of dealing with Discord back there doesn’t exactly inspire trust or confidence.”

“Look,” I said as let my gaze drift over them, “We got off on the wrong foot, or hoof in your case. The way we all met the first time, an unfortunate incident. If I could get a do-over I’d make sure that none of it ever happened. Sadly the universe doesn’t do do-overs. All I can ask is for you all to give me a chance to start anew. To show you all I’m not some horrid violent monster to be feared.”

“Scuse me for sayin’ so, but your actions don’t exactly match yer words pardner. That Display back there? Looks to me like you was doin’ yer right best to kill him.” Applejack said.

“Its really not like that Applejack. Discord is incredibly powerful, and for all intents and purposes, immortal. He is magic made flesh and can’t truly be harmed. Not unless you can somehow make him mortal first. This was the second time I faced him, and the first time he tossed me aside like It was nothing. I had to come at him with everything I had to keep him occupied long enough for you all to put him back to stone. And even if I could kill him I wouldn’t.”

“Excuse me darling but did you say second time? When was the first?” Rarity asked.

“It was right after you girls entered the hedge maze. I tried to distract him at first, then I tried to talk him down. Then he got angry and launched me all the way from canterlot to ponyville.”

“Uhm, when you say launched, do you mean…” Dash asked uncomfortably.

“Shot me right off the mountain like a cannonball. I actually crashed right on the edge of Applejacks orchard.”

Dash actually winced. Well considering how many times she’s crashlanded I’m sure she could vividly imagine how nice that landing was.

“Look, I’m not asking you all to forget everything that happened and be best buddies all of a sudden. These things take time after all. All I ask is a fair chance to get to know you all, and for you to judge me without preconceptions. Can you find it within yourselves to do that?”

They looked at each other quietly for a moment. It was Applejack who spoke up first.

“Well, after all of the trouble with what happened with Zecora ‘n all that, let’s just say ah learned not to judge an apple by it’s shine. So ah’m willin’ to give ya a second chance. But you only get the one ya hear?”

“Gotcha, and thank you.”

“Well, mah little sister seems to like ya’ll, and you did save her life that one time, so it’s the least ah could do. But no funny business around her.”

I held up my hands in a placating gesture. “You have my word.”

“Well I still wanna know what you’re doing out of jail first.” Dash said, getting in my face in true Dash fashion.

“Well after I learned Discord had escaped I couldn’t just sit there and wait while you girls were trotting straight into danger. What sort of person would that make me? I was just trying to do the right thing.” I said as I gently pushed her out of my personal space.

“So you what? You escaped just so you could try to save the day? Do you have a hero complex or something?” She asked.

“Gods almighty I hope not.” I said with no small amount of horror, “My life is complicated enough without throwing that into the mix. Besides, isn’t that your shtick?”

“Hey!” she exclaimed, puffing up her cheeks indignantly at my jab.

“He’s got you there RD” Applejack chuckled.

I let out a polite chuckle before I was suddenly beset by an energetic pink hurricane.

“Hi there, I’m Pinkie Pie. Do you like cupcakes? What about regular cakes? Do you like big parties or small parties?”

“Okay, to answer that in order. Yes. Better than cupcakes, though honestly I prefer apple pie with whipcream over cake. I like parties with small groups of friends rather than big ones with people I don’t know well. Now, can I ask you a question Pinkie?”

“Sure! What do you wanna know? My favorite color? Because it’s really not hard to guess. It’s pink!” She said with a smile that was all teeth.

“When does the Narwhal bacon?”

“Duh, at midnight of course, everypony knows that, but it’s not Narwhal season yet silly. And ponies don’t really have a use for bacon. Bacon is for griffins. Unless you want bacon flavored cupcakes maybe?” she answered with exuberance.

“Do you know what they are talking about?” Rarity whispered to Applejack. Confusion dominating her face.

“Ah have absolutely no idea.”

“That was just me trying and failing to outrandom Pinkie.” I said with a chuckle of defeat.

I was met with blank stares.

“Are you sure you’re not crazy?” Dash said.

I chose to ignore the remark and focused my attention on Fluttershy instead.

“Is there any chance you and me can start over, I really don’t want there to be any hard feelings between us.”

I slowly extended a hand towards her, hoping for a hoof bump or shake, but she flinched away.

“I’m sorry, I… I’m not ready just yet.”

I sagged a bit. “I understand, I will keep a respectful distance until you change your mind.”

Further conversations were interrupted by Twilight coming back down the steps, Spike followed her down a little later, still looking a bit woozy. His eyes widened slightly when he spotted me.

“I’ve informed Princess Celestia about what happened here. She will send some ponies to collect us in the morning. There’s to be a big ceremony in canterlot and everything.”

“Sweet!” Dash shouted.

“Aeron, the princess said you are to stay here with me and Spike until they come to collect us, and not to try and run. You, weren’t planning to run were you?”

I shook my head. “No, I will stay with you until morning. And no I’m not going to cause any trouble. I give you my word.”

That seemed good enough for her. As the girls chatted excitedly among themselves in anticipation of the celebrations, I noticed Spike kept glancing in my direction.

“Something on your mind?” I asked the little drake.

“Did you really eat a dragon like everypony says?” He asked bluntly.

“Spike!” Twilight spoke up to chastise the little drake, but I held up a hand to forestall her.

“Yes, I did. Though in my defence, I wasn’t exactly myself at the time.”

“Are you gonna eat me?”

“Now why in the world would I eat one of the coolest dragons in Equestria? Thats crazy talk.”

“You think I’m cool?” He asked with surprise and scepticism.

I lowered myself until I was almost eye level with him.

“Spike… You’re kind, helpful and you care a great deal about Twilight and her friends. You might mess up from time to time but that’s because you are still young and sometimes over eager. But your heart is in the right place. So yeah, in my book that makes you cool.”

I swear the little guy stood a foot taller when I finished talking.

“Hey do you like comic books?” he suddenly asked.

I guess little boys are the same everywhere. Man that made me sound like an old man.

“I don’t think I know a single guy who doesn’t” I spoke in reply.

“Let me show you some of mine, I got all the latest.” he said as he rushed back upstairs. His earlier dizziness completely gone.

“That was nice of you.” Twilight stage whispered to me as she came over.

“It was the honest truth.” I shrugged. “The little guy has great potential, all it takes is a bit of nurture and coaxing to bring it out of him.”

“I’m trying.” Twilight said unsurely.

“And doing an excellent job, Twilight. But make sure to take time to listen to his concerns as well. Even when you have a full schedule or other things on your mind.”

She nodded and turned to go back to her conversation with the girls but I interrupted her.

“Twilight, why did you hesitate back there? When I told you to blast Discord.”

“Well, you were in the way and I had no idea what the Elements of Harmony would do to you. You saved my life once, I couldn’t just zap you. What if it had turned you to stone too. We still know so little about how the elements work.”

“I…. thank you Twilight, your concern is touching.” I said with sincerity.

“You’re welcome. I’m just glad it all worked out in the end.” She smiled as Spike came rushing back with a stack of comic books in his claws, his face full of youthful enthusiasm.

“My favorite comic is the Power Ponies. I think Radiance is awesome. Who is your favorite?”

“I’m not super familiar with the Power Ponies, but I like Fillisecond.” I said with a glance at Pinkie as I took a seat at the table next to spike.

“Twilight once said you’re from another world. Do they have many comics there?”

“Oh yes, and something even better called cartoons.”

“What’s a cartoon?” he asked in that deadpan way only Spike can pull of.

“It’s like a comic book, but the pictures move and talk and it has music and sound effect. You watch it on a big device called a television. It’s almost like a play, but it’s all drawn.” I noticed twilight taking notes from the corner of my eyes as I explained the basics of animation, as far as I understood them.

“That sounds awesome. Do you have a favorite?” Spike said with bright eyes full of wonder.

“Oh I have several,” I said casually as a certain cartoon about magical pastel ponies crossed my mind, “I don’t think I could ever pick one favorite above all. But there was one cartoon that stood out for me as I grew up.”

“Which one was that, what’s it called?”

I mentally smiled as a warm wave of nostalgia filled me.

“Let me tell you a bit about He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.”

*******************

We were in canterlot the very next day for the grand celebration.
The great hall and the throne room were jam packed full of ponies who stared at us as we entered through the double doors and walked up to the dais. There was cheering and clapping and hoof stomping as we made our way down the center. On the top of the steps stood Celestia, beaming down with a smile at us. One by one we climbed the steps and took our place opposite Celestia. I couldn’t help but wonder where Luna was at that moment. I had seen hide nor hair of her. I guess she still doesn’t like crowds. Celestia held up a hoof for silence and addressed the masses.

“We are gathered here today to once again honor the heroism of these six friends who stood up to the villain Discord and saved Equestria from eternal chaos. And let us not forget sir Aeron, who risked his life to help them achieve that victory”

She lit her horn and pulled away the curtains revealing a stained glass window depicting our defeat of Discord. The window was pretty much the same as I remembered it from the show, except now there was a tiny stylized representation of myself standing off to the side as the girls fired their magic at discord. Whoever made the window seemingly glossed over my part in it all. But honestly I could care less. I didn’t do it for a reward and I don’t care about having my image set in glass for all to gawk at anyway.

Celestia then turned to address me directly. “Aeron, for your actions in service to Equestria I hereby grant you a royal pardon. As of this moment, you are a free being.”

The crowd clapped politely, though with far less enthusiasm than they did when cheering for the mane six. Bloody nobles and canterlot elite. I glanced to the side and saw the mane six and Spike smiling at me. Even Fluttershy gave me a genuine little smile. And right then, everything felt right with the world.

***************

While the girls celebrated their victory with a great party, I quietly made my exit from the main ballroom and slipped outside into the palace gardens. The evening air was cool and the gardens carried a pleasant smell. I’m still not sure how I’m able to tell that but whatever right?

It took a bit of searching, but eventually I found the place where Celestia had stashed Discord. In an overgrown part of the gardens, way out in the back where the palace staff rarely traveled. I guess she thought he would appreciate the natural chaos of the place.

“I know you can hear me.” I said as I approached his petrified form.

His stone eyes stared blankly ahead. His face locked in a silent scream of terror.

“I also know you held back. You could have destroyed me at any time while we fought. But you didn’t. I believe I understand why. Chaos doesn’t destroy, not willfully anyway. Destruction can be a result, but that is not the purpose, chaos is about change. Change is not always gentle, often it’s fraught with risk or hardship. But it’s sole purpose is not destruction. It’s not Entropy, which destroys anything and everything it touches.”

Briefly my mind flashed to the timberwolves. Those were agents of Entropy.

“No, destruction was never your purpose, for if you did destroy me and the girls and everyone else, you would be alone. You may be chaos made flesh, but you are also a person, and no person, no matter how strange, eccentric or bizarre, can stand being alone forever.”

I placed my hand on his petrified chest. “You said you wanted to take back the world they stole from you. To return it to the way it was. But I believe what you truly want, what you need, is a friend. Someone who will accept you for who you are, not what you are. Deny it if you like, call me insane, claim whatever you want. But at your core, in the deepest darkest recesses of your being you know I’m right. All it takes, is for you to take a chance.”

I stepped back and turned to walk away.

“I promise you, someday very soon you will have that chance. When that moment comes, be honest with yourself and grasp that chance. Because the world needs a little chaos in it, all you need to do is share, and have faith in someone.”

I threw one last look over my shoulder before I left the overgrown garden.

“If you can do that, you will find not one, but two friends on that day. Think about it.”

*********************

Unbeknownst to Aeron, two ponies had observed his conversation.

“What do you make of that Tia?”

“I don’t know Lulu.” Celestia said quietly.

“Could it be that we were wrong about Discord?”

“I truly do not know. But if we were, then we must find some way to make it right.”

The two of them stood in silence for a moment.

“Even though his words were cruel and hurtful, they brought us closer together, and perhaps they helped begin mending the wounds of the past. I admit I was avoiding the subject until he forced me to think about it.”

“That makes two of us then.” Said Luna, “So in his own strange way he helped, by forcing us to face the past, and each other.”

“It is the way of chaos. It changes the world, for better or worse, whether we are ready for the changes or not.”

Another moment of contemplative silence passed between the sisters.

“Things certainly have been lively since my return and Aeron’s arrival.” the lunar princess mused aloud.

“Yes they have, and I have a feeling there is a lot more on the horizon. But those are troubles for tomorrow. Come, let us rejoin the Celebrations”

“Perhaps we will stay for a little bit. We heard from twilights friend, the pink one, that her farmer friend had brought the ‘good stuff’.”

“Ah, Apple family Hard Cider. You my dear Luna are in for a treat. Let us share a cup.” Celestia smiled.

“Ha, we will drink thee under the table sister. Thou could never hold thy liquor.”

A grin appeared on Celestia’s lips.

“Oh I think you will find I’ve gained quite a bit of tolerance over the centuries, Lulu.”

“Thy challenge is accepted.” she exclaimed with a laugh.