The Elements of Discord

Twilight glared up at the last bit of rock to climb before the peak.  At the very edge of Equestria, where nopony dared to live, existed a mountain on which no life existed.  Blasted into being during a conflict long before ponies knew how to talk or think, it now stood as a testament to ages long past and at its peak existed what she and her friends had traveled all this way for.  She could still hear the Princess' words in her head as she passed an almost empty canteen over to Applejack.

At the very top a lingering spirit remains.  Trapped forever in stone, it was ancient before even my forebears existed.  If anyone would know how to stop the Elements of Discord, it would be him.  I myself went with Luna to ask him for advice when we created Equestria, but all he had to say was "Begone!"  Maybe you will have better luck, Twilight.

She grunted as she pulled herself over the final ledge, finally at the top.  There was a short-lived feeling of triumph before she was hit with disappointment at what she saw.  She had expected a giant crystal or ornate statue.  All that was here was a small boulder, only slightly larger than Princess Luna.  Still, there was a strange presence about it...

She used a hoof to wipe the sweat from her forehead and helped the rest of the group up, just too tired for magic.   Once that was accomplished, she turned to the boulder, examining it carefully from a distance.  Unable to see or feel any danger, she took a step forward, only to be almost knocked back by the voice that followed.

"Hello, ponies!  How are you all today?" The deep jovial voice boomed, seeming to come from all directions at once, but definitely emanating from the rock.  The group only stood there in a stunned silence at what they just heard.  Receiving no response, it continued, "Come now, you cannot be that surprised!  I know that you all are quite aware of my existence, for why else would you be here?"

Twilight shook her head.  The sudden thundering of this strange voice had all but removed the exhaustion from her.  "Well, ancient one-"

"'Ancient' implies that I am old, my dear.  I am older than old.  Long have I sat atop this peak and gazed upon the world.  I have born witness to the destruction of six worlds and viewed the rise of six worlds.  I have looked upon the lives of countless individuals play out across millennia and seen the brightest truths and darkest secrets of the universe.  As such, it is only appropriate that you call me The Watcher, pleased to make your acquaintance."

Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but said nothing.  Unsure of how to proceed she considered her next words carefully.  "Very well, Mr. Watcher, I am Twilight Sparkle.  These are my friends Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and... where's Fluttershy?" she said, pointing out each of her companions in turn.

"Right here, dear," Rarity said, moving slightly to display the quivering pegasus.  "That voice was rather startling and you know how she is..."  She carefully stroked her friends mane, attempting to console her.

"Ah, very well.  I shall speak slightly quieter, if that would please you?" the disembodied voice spoke, obviously directed toward Fluttershy.  She was only able to squeak back almost silently.

Twilight opened her mouth to speak once more, only to be interrupted again, this time by Rainbow Dash.  "Wait just one minute!  How long have you been up here exactly?"

"Forty-thousand years, Ms. Dash, plus a century or twenty; I've all but stopped counting."

"Wow!  That sounds... really boring."  Pinkie said with a slight hint of pity.

"Oh, you have no idea!  A thousand years here and there of warfare and valor speckled into several thousand years of boredom as civilization rebuilt itself.  These past thousand have been particularly dull, that whole 'Nightmare Moon' fiasco aside, but what is a day to thousands of years?"

"Hold on there, you're sayin' that we're boring?  Ah've never been so offended in all my life!"

The wind blew briefly in what could only be described as a sigh from the Watcher.  "Yes, that is exactly what I am saying.  Peace and joy are great and all, but they make for very poor entertainment.  But enough!  You did not come all this way to converse with a talking rock, no matter how old he may be.  How may I help you, Ms. Sparkle?"

Twilight glared around, hoping to ensure that she wouldn't be interrupted again.  When she was sure she wouldn't be, she began to speak, "Well, we're here about the Elements of Discord.  You see we..." she trailed off as the once cheerful presence permeating the area took a sinister turn.

"Yes...  The champions of shadow are rising again," the once jovial voice was now dark and soft.  "I have sensed their growing power for decades now, but what is it you want from me?"

Twilight hesitated, this was not going the way she had expected.  Unable to think of a tactful way to proceed, she decided to pull a Rainbow and wing it.  "I don't know how else to say this; we need to know how to stop them."

"Indeed... When the tools of Armageddon appear on the horizon, the Tools of Creation shall rise to face them.  Such is the great cycle of the Elements of Harmony and the Elements of Discord.  It is the destiny of every world to be consumed by the darkness.  I have seen this happen six times; I wonder, will yours be the seventh?"

"Let me, Twi," Rarity said, stepping forward.  "So, Mr. Watcher, you obviously know more about us than you let on if you know we are the holders of the Elements of Harmony.  Why must you insist on being so vague?"

"Fine, fine...  The information you seek can be found in the ancient book your Princess holds."

"What?  You mean Princess Celestia had a book on the subject all along and she still sent us all the way here?" Rarity stammered, obviously confused.

"Ask her for the oldest book in her possession.  She does not know what she holds, she is not all knowing.  Would you believe she came to me for advice in running this land she created?  Why create something she couldn't manage?"

Twilight was almost giddy from this new development.  "Really?  And the book will tell us all we need?"

"I doubt that, my dear."

"Oh," Twilight muttered, dejected by the statement.  "Do you...  Do you think there's anything else you can tell us?"

The Watcher gave a frustrated groan, "If you insist on pressing the matter, there is an old prophecy stored somewhere in this memory of mine...  Let's see...  Ah!  Here we are."  His voiced changed, becoming deeper and melodic as he recited the ancient verse.

The dark warriors will rise, one by one; the weakest first, strongest last; each leading to the next in line.  They come to reduce the world to nothingness, but the bright guardians will meet their challenge.  Face them apart and you might succeed, face them together and you will fall.

The Watcher's voice changed back to the softer, ominous voice it was before, "Make of that what you will."

"Wait! So they're not going to all be together?"  Pinkie squealed, more excited than usual.  "So we just have to find the ponies who are holding the Elements of Discord, convince them not be be evil, then we party!"

"It is not that simple Ms. Pie," the Watcher spoke up, stopping Pinkie's celebration in mid bounce.  "First of all, you are under the impression that the Elements of Discord are evil.  They are no more evil than a forest fire or hurricane; they do what they are meant to and for all their destruction, they are necessary.  Every civilization eventually reaches a point where they are more of a burden to the world than a benefit; when this happens, they must be purged so that the next can be built.  Do you understand my words?"

"I guess..." Pinkie mumbled back.  "But why are they after us?  Are we a burden?"

"No, no..." the Watcher spoke in an almost consoling manner.  "Regardless of a world's purity, the Elements of Discord will always rise eventually, it will just take much longer in a world such as yours.  This brings me to my next and last point: the Elements of Discord will not be bared by ponies."

"What?!" This time, the response was from the collective group, even Fluttershy.

"This, you may blame on your Princess.  While there certainly are ponies who embody the concepts of the Elements of Discord, none have reached the extremes of their depravity necessary to be considered worthy of carrying an Element.  As such, each will be carried by the spirit of the last being to hold it."  The Watcher paused for reasons Twilight could only guess at.  "These spirits have existed in the ether for a very long time, wallowing in the very essence of their own individual damnations.  Soulless and insane, they now exist as the very embodiment of their respective Elements.  Making things worse, they all have had thousands of years to focus their strength and increase their mastery over their own powers.  Be careful against these opponents, you cannot comprehend the malevolence they bring."

The peak was silent, even the wind refused to blow with the weight of his words.  Before Twilight could gather her thoughts, the jovial booming voice returned.

"Farewell ponies!  I wish you the best of luck in your endeavor!  At the very least it should be an amusing show!"

They climbed down the mountain in silence and Twilight called a meeting.

"Alright, so what do we know about the Elements of Discord girls?"

"Just that they are the exact opposite of what we are and that we have to face them one-on-one."

"That's not true at all, Dashie!" Pinkie piped in.  Seeing her friends confused faces she continued, "Well, the opposite part was right, so I'd say they're something like dishonesty, disloyalty, greediness, meanness and... what's the opposite of laughing?  Crying maybe?  So yeah sadness!"

"Uhhh... Pinkie..."

"Oh! Sorry Applejack!  Its a riddle!  We're best friends, we're inseparable, he knows that!  He was saying that we have to beat each Element of Discord as they appear, instead of waiting for them all to get together!"

Twilight's face lit up, "That makes so much sense Pinkie!  Come on girls!  We need to get back to Princess Celestia!"

Not a single thing was said on the way back to Canterlot.  Not a single thing was said at all until they relayed their story to Princess Celestia.  She immediately retrieved the book from Canterlot Tower and explained its relevance.

"This book...  I found this book when I was a very young filly.  It contains the stories and knowledge of the ages, but the section on the Elements of Discord is only six pages long and its completely blank-"  She gasped as she turned to the first page in the section.  A script was appearing on the page right before their very eyes, neatly printed in a jet-black ink.

The Darkness will rise as the populace grows.

Every being will consume a greater share.

Those once content will hunger for more,

And *Avarice** will manifest.*

The seven ponies stared at the book for a full minute before anypony spoke.

"Well," Rarity said, "it looks like I've got my work cut out for me."

"No!" Fluttershy said, much to the surprise of all.  "We have our work cut out."

Rarity couldn't help but give her biggest smile.  "Thank you girls..."