Equestria Undone

A pony wearing a hooded cloak stepped over a cleverly hidden trip wire. She trotted though a cave with glowing torches mounted on the walls. Gems sparkled on the ceiling of the cave but that was not what she was after. She continued at a trot until she reached a door with a picture of the sun on it. "Huh" she tapped it with a hoof and the door opened. Her eyes narrowed and she then galloped forward and jumped over a pit hidden in the floor. She looked back into the pit and saw the spikes at the bottom. "Overkill much, Celestia?" She said aloud. She then turned and walked down a now carefully designed hallway with statues and carvings of royal guards. She continued her trot until the hallway widened into a massive room with a pedestal in the center made from crystal. Atop the pedestal was a single glowing orb. It glowed red and was transparent. On the inside of the orb was a lighting bolt bouncing around. The mare smiled and walked up to the pedestal, her horn glowed as she took the orb and placed it in her saddlebags, four others were in her bags, blue,green,yellow and purple. "Five down just one more and the staff" she turned only to see Discord standing there. "My,my you are a busy bee, Celestia was correct you are a crafty one finding all those in just two days, I applaud you" the mare scowled at discord but held her ground. "Begone fool! My master awaits me and I musn't dally" she walked around him and started for the door down the hall. Discord snapped his fingers and the mare was in a cage. "Not this time Syllabus" The mare eyes turned red as she hovered the orbs out of her saddlebags and they surged with energy. "BE STILL!!!" She yelled with power in her voice. A rainbow of energy came from the orbs and struck Discord. "Ahhhhhhh!!" He screamed and fell to the ground and he watched in horror as his legs began turning to stone. The cage disappeared and the mare turned her back on Discord walking away "Bye,bye" she said sweetly. Discord snapped his fingers as his wings turned to stone. He teleported away and landed on the couch of Fluttershy's cottage. "Eeeep!" Fluttershy backed away from the couch and her eyes widened. "Discord what happened?" "I failed tell the Princess I failed she has to stop Syllabus!" Then Discord was trapped in stone again. Fluttershy ran out of the cottage to Twilight's castle. She arrived a few minutes later and ran inside to find Twilight and spike reading. "Twilight!! Discord needs help come quick!!!"she didn't wait for an answer, grabbing Twilight and bringing her back to the cottage on her back, Spike ran after them. Halfway there Twilight flew off her back and galloped with her to the cottage. On the way Fluttershy explained what happened. "Spike, send a letter to Princess Celestia explaining what happened" Spike nodded and got out a scroll and quill, writing quickly. They opened the door and went to Discord who was trapped inn stone on the couch. Twilight went to Discord and her horn glowed as she lifted Discord and stood him up. Spike burned a scroll and said "Its done Twilight" Twilight looked over Discord and after a moment said "I don't know how to free him without the Elements of Harmony, maybe Celestia knows how to release him, I could look over my books but I don't remember any spells that would help" Fluttershy started to sob "But there has to be something you can do! How long before Celestia can free him if she even can?" A chariot landed outside and Princess Celestia stepped inside. Her eyes went wide as she saw Discord. "Stand aside" they did as they were told, a beam of gold energy erupted from her horn and hit Discord, cracks appeared all over him and in a minute he was free again. "What happened Discord!?!" Celestia yelled. Discord stood up and told of how for the past two days hunted for Syllabus and how he was turned to stone. Celestia was pacing back and forth, Fluttershy was hugging Discord "Its okay Discord you tried your best" Discord looked to the yellow Pegasus with a sad face "Thank you my dear Fluttershy but I could have done better, thanks to me Equestria is doomed! Collosus will rise and all will be lost. I have failed" Celestia stopped pacing. "We still have the staff and even if she can release him without it he can't use the cores without the staff and he will be weak without his............."

She stopped suddenly and said to Discord"We can't talk here, we must return to Canterlot, until then it is time to bolster the ranks of the Royal guard and hunt her down. If she releases him we must be ready for war" Twilight gasped "War? Celestia you can't be serious,its been over a thousand years since anything close to a war has happened." Celestia looked to the smaller alicorn with sadness on her face " No Twilight. Collosus will try to raise an army to conquer us and he will destroy Luna and I himself if he is at full strength. We must prepare for the worst, Discord come with me" Celestia went to her chariot and Discord followed saying bye to Fluttershy. The chariot flew off and Twilight found herself having to comfort Fluttershy.

Zecora was balancing on a bamboo poll, beside her another poll was standing straight up with Gary the griffon was balancing the same way she was, except his wings were stretched out behind him. Zecora smiled "Good work little one, our stretching is almost done. " Gary smiled. A knock at the door made Zecora dismount. She opened it and said "Twilight do come in ,is all okay why don't you grin?" Twilight sat down on a chair, Zecora sat down and Gary flew over and sat next to her. "Hi Miss Twilight" he said. Twilight smiled at him "Hello Gary. Now Zecora something has happened" Zecora looked at Twilight with her full attention, Gary was playing with his tail. Twilight explained what happened with Discord and the talk with Celestia. When she finished Zecora spoke, Gary had fallen asleep halfway through the conversation. "She truly spoke of war? I have seen it and that choice is very poor" She looked to the griffon sleeping next to her "I must protect him Twilight, he must be kept from this fight" Twilight nodded. "Were going to hunt her down, don't worry Zecora" the zebra smiled and after a few minutes of chat Twilight left. Zecora picked up the adolescent griffon and put him in bed. She stood looking at him. I must protect my child from this evil. He will learn to truly fight this devil. Zecora thought.

Celestia was sitting on her throne, Luna was next to her and Discord was standing in front of them. "Discord we have a new mission for you" Discord looked surprised "But I failed you" Celestia shook her head "You didn't fail us Discord that's ridiculous. This mission is more important anyway" Discord looked to them in surprise. "More important than stopping Collosus? I doubt that" Celestia shook her head"The goal in the end is the same Discord, to stop Collosus. I ordered 300 Royal guards to protect the statue of Collosus and thousands of ponies have joined the Equestrian day and night guard. Bounty hunters are searching for Syllabus and we will get her! But until then, I need you to take this" she floated a scroll to him and he took it in his lion hand. "Don't look into it here, take it someplace secure, then open it to see your mission. This will be no easy task but I know you can do it, good luck Discord" Discord saluted Celestia and Luna then with a snap of his fingers he was gone. Luna looked to her sister and said "The odds of this working even with Discord's power is miniscule, you know that" Celestia nodded "But we must try Luna its the only way. I know Discords mission is nigh on impossible, but who knows he might find................." Celestia stopped speaking as Shining Armor stepped into the throne room "Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, reports came from the last vault, Syllabus has the sixth orb." Discord appeared outside of Fluttershy's cottage and knocked on the door. It opened a minute later "Oh Discord its good to see you are you okay? Come in" Fluttershy waved a hoof and Discord flew in. "Thank you Fluttershy, I am doing good. Not stone anymore so that's always a stress reliever. I came to say farewell my dear" Fluttershy's smile faded "What do you mean Discord"? Are you going somewhere?"she looked concerned. Discord sighed and looked at her with a sad face "The Princesses have given me a new mission to help stop Collosus, I cannot specify but I won't be able to make our Tuesday Tea for quite some time. I'm sorry Fluttershy." Fluttershy flew up and gave him a hug "Be careful Discord, well miss you, all of us will miss you,please be careful!" Discord hugged her back "Don't worry my dear I I'll take every precaution I can and I will write when I can. Don't write back though my mission is secret. Oh and before I forget" he snapped his fingers and a present appeared in the air next to him. "Here's your birthday present I might not make the party, don't open until then though" he smiled at her. Fluttershy looked sad "You will be gone that long then?" Discords smile faded "Yes, I'm sorry" Fluttershy hugged him one last time and with a final goodbye and a snap of fingers he was gone. She grabbed the present and put it on the mantle of her fireplace next to a picture of Discord. She looked at the calendar with tears in her eyes "Just nine months to go" she then went to lie down on the couch next to her rabbit Angel, who hugged her foreleg.

For the next seven years the Royal guard hunted for Syllabus across Equestria to no avail but thanks to the protections around Canterlot and the statue of Collosus she was not able to release her dark master. Celestia's frustrations grew as no one could find her and after all this time, Discord had still not returned from his mission, though he sent the occasional letter to Fluttershy. The mysterious Syllabus still roamed Equestria and no matter how long they searched they couldn't find the evil mare.

Zecora was standing in the main room of her hut, all of the furniture had been moved to the corner of the room. Zecora was standing on her hind legs with her forelegs up in a fighting stance. Five feet across from her was a griffon standing in a nearly identical stance. The griffon was nearly half a foot taller than her. He had his wings outstretched behind him and his tail stood angled up, perfectly still. They stood facing each other for nearly five minutes. The only motion was a small twitch in the griffon's tail, Zecora lunged and roundhouse kicked at the griffon's head. He put up a talon, which was balled up in a fist and blocked the kick. He struck back with his other talon and struck at Zecora's neck. Zecora in turn blocked it and double kicked Gary in the chest and sending him into the opposite wall. Gary turned in mid air and jumped off the wall when he hit it, propelling him forward he spun and hit Zecora with his right wing. She withstood the blow and attempted to roundhouse kick him in the head, he dodged it however and spun on his head kicking her in the chest. She was knocked back from the blow but stood firm, she tried to buck him with both forelegs repeatedly. She sent the bucks, left,right,left,right but each time he blocked the hits. After blocking maybe twenty strikes he jumped over Zecora and landed behind her, with a smooth movement Gary touched Zecora on the nape of the neck. Zecora and Gary dropped to all fours and sighed "You have grown so much these past years, you are not my little foal anymore I fear" Gary went to Zecora and hugged her "Mom, I may not be little anymore or a foal but I'm still your son" Zecora returned the hug and said "Thank you little one" Gary looked slightly irritated. "Mom I'm not little anymore" Zecora smiled "To me you are, now time to go to Ponyville, we must see Rarity there is something for us to see" Gary grabbed saddlebags for Zecora and himself, then the two of them left the hut and began the hike to Ponyville.