Twisted history

by LordOfMemory

Rating: everyone
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Romance, Drama, Mystery, King Sombra, Queen Chrysalis, Shining Armor
Length: 16879

trapped in a new body and in a time period not his own trying to find a way back to his own time and body

Shining armour gets transported into the past of the crystal empire with no idea how or who sent him. Gaps in his memories fill his mind as he tries to solve the mystery while also learning a lot about the crystal empire and Equestria's history. Not everything is as it seems and shining will have to make some difficult choices before he can get back to his own time

Published 2020-06-05 16:20:01 UTC
Last updated 2021-03-04 02:18:48 UTC

Chapter 1 Gift of a Chance

Chapter 1
Where am I

Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic --
the characters and creations are the property rights of Hasbro, Inc.
and the MLP: FiM writers, producers, etc.

Crystal empire

Inside a small apartment room a lone mare groaned as sunlight filtered through her windows and her alarm went off forcing her to drag herself out of bed. activating a heating enchantment to warm water for some coffee and a bath the mare began stretching to loosen up her stiff muscles and to help wake herself up a bit as she went about preparing breakfast.

Sitting down to drink her coffee and eat some breakfast she started reading her mail as she hadn't been in the best mood to read through it as she had just been fired from her job at the local bar for getting into a physical altercation with one of the patrons for getting more than a bit hoovesy. Normally that wouldn't have been a problem but the patron who's teeth she had bucked in had actually been the son of the governor of the mid rim of the empire. Now not wanting to face the embarrassment that a big strong earth pony had been beaten into the ground in a physical confrontation by a unicorn let alone a woman the governor had been happy enough to just get me fired and leave it at that but it still made me extremely angry that she was getting punished for someone else poor behavior.

(Lets see what we have here. Bills,bills, my subscription magazine to diamond mane monthly and a letter from the crystal castle) the mare's mind froze as she spat out the coffee that been in her mouth as she tried to process the words on the letter infront of her. carefully opening the letter she started reading out loud so as to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

Dear Gleaming Shield
my colleagues and i have recently been forwarded your research paper by on protection spells by on of your old teachers and some of what we have seen has intrigued us. You have given us much to think about and we hope to discuss some of these magic theories you have proposed. Inside the envelope you will find an official royal seal that will allow you to enter the castle.
I myself have read some more of your thesis papers an I must say that I'm quite impressed and I hope to speak with you personally if you decide to come the castle.
sincerely
Arch mage Solomon

Gleaming couldn't believe her eyes as she reread the letter a few times. Being a mare in this time had made it extreme difficult for people to take anything she tried to do seriously which was pretty insane considering how all the major pony leaders were mares. This was a major opportunity for her, with access to the royal archives she would have access to the knowledge that could get her home before she damaged the timeline in any way through her presence.

(I swear if i remember any of this I'll make sure to apologize to Cadence and Twilight for any jokes i made at their expense during their monthly visitor and heat cycle)

Making sure she had everything she needed in her saddle bag Gleaming locked up her apartment and headed off filled with glee that she had a chance to finally get back home and finally regain her life as Shining armour.

Crystal Palace

The crystal palace was a true site to behold being a small city unto itself as diplomats from all over Equestria made it their home as the empire was considered neutral by most nations. Among its halls you would also see some of the greatest mages known to pony kind constantly studying magic in all its forms try to improve old spells or produce new ones. The Crystal library was a treasure all onto its own boasting the greatest catalog of knowledge known to the creatures of Equestria.

walking up to the castle Gleaming actually felt quite nervous as she began to worry about the letter just being some kind of sick joke being played on her or worse what if she couldn't find any knowledge or information that could help her. she would be stuck in the past with a good chance of messing up things in the future or worse when the empire returned from what ever calamity had made it vanish from her time she could end up being forced to live out her life as Gleaming Shield as their would already be a Shining armour around and she refused to destroy his life.

As she walked over to the main gate Gleaming took another look at the castle and the surrounding inner city and actually felt saddened as it had so much life and beauty to it that put what she had seen when it had returned from oblivion in her time to shame, a true tragedy must have struck the empire.

"Excuse me miss but there are no tours scheduled today and only officials and students of the academy are allowed in the castle at the moment."

Gleaming was startled out of her thoughts as she realized the guards must have noticed her and came to see what she was doing as she hardly looked the part of a regular. they probably thought she was a vagrant or something like that.

"I'm so sorry sir, i do actually have business in the castle i was just in awe as I've only really heard stories about the beauty of the castle and now seeing it for real is just something else. the stories don't even do it justice."

Handing over the letter and seal Gleaming waited anxiously as the guards used a scanning spell going over both the letter and the seal. One of the guards tied a small message onto a small bird and sent it off to on of the castle towers. "Please just wait a moment miss were just waiting for confirmation about your seal."

not a moment later the bird returned carrying a seal attached to its leg. one of the Guards held the newly arrived seal to the seal Gleaming had given him. "Keep that seal on you at all times while your inside of the castle. The magic signature on it will acts as a key that will allow you to enter the sections of the castle that you have business in. The seal will also act as a map as it has now been enchanted to help guide you through the castle."

A confused look in Gleamings face prompted the other guard to explain the need for a map to her. "The castle is actually a lot bigger than you think when your just looking at it from the outside. Due to all the work that is going on in the castle beyond it just being a home for the royal family and the arch mages it also provides rooms for diplomatic guests and ambassadors, provides rooms for the politicians to talk and rooms for the mages to teach and research and much more. The castle is able to do this via a pocket dimension spell providing a greater deal of space than the castle itself can provide and that map and key will make sure you get to where ever you need to go on time."

Gleaming thanked the guards for their help and the explanation of the castle. Taking a deep breath she too her first step into a familiar yet all new place. what had once been a home now felt completely alien to mare as she headed towards her uncertain future.

Author's Note

I do hope that all of your readers enjoy this story. it is my first attempt at a mlp story so if you have any ideas or pointers or even just feel like pointing out any flaws feel free to write your piece or message me directly. Please review or my avatar will devour your memories.

Chapter 2 interesting creatures

Chapter 2
Interesting creatures

Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic --
the characters and creations are the property rights of Hasbro, Inc.
and the MLP: FiM writers, producers, etc.

Crystal Castle

The castle was a lot bigger and more difficult to maneuver than Gleaming remembered. (Wow how much was lost during the time of the Empires cursed isolation. I wonder if any of these pocket spaces are still around and accessible back in my own time.)

Struggling to find her way around the castle and with her mind preoccupied Gleaming failed to see the mare she ran into, both ending up on the floor tangled up in each-others limbs. Both struggled for a while to get free. (Oh this is so embarrassing, I should have been looking where I was going but this magic map is impossible to read. How do creatures read this thing?)

Quickly regaining her senses Gleaming managed to untangle herself from the victim of her negligence. “I’m so sorry, I wasn’t looking were I was going and I’m so lost right now and I have no idea how to get to my appointment.” Gleaming’s apology soon fell into rambling as the frustration that had built up from being unable to navigate what had once been her home for several years started to leak out.

“No, no it's fine really. You're new here right, no of course you’re new. You’re using the physical version of the map instead of the compass charm. Don’t worry everyone makes that mistake when they first get here on business. Just take a few breaths to help calm yourself down and tell me where you need to go. I can help you get there while I calibrate the charm for you.” The mare just dusted herself down while giving Gleaming a warm smile as she spoke to her.

Gleaming was quite grateful for the help being provided as her pride had stopped her from asking for help while she had struggled to find her way around the castle. “Thank you so much the help is appreciated. I’m looking for the academy pocket space. Do you think that you could help me?"

The mare just giggled while waving her hoof, directing Gleaming to follow her. “Sure I can help you, I’m heading there myself.” The mare paused for a moment as she gave Gleaming a look down as she assessed her.

“Are you a new student? If you are this is going to be so exciting, it’s been so long since a new student graced the grounds of the castle what with the royal council and the mages council not getting along.”

Gleaming frowned as the idea of these two groups that basically ran the empire while the Princess was away didn’t sit well with her, especially with the threat of Discord from the south and the current war with the Umbrams from the frozen north. The crystal heart helped keep them out but its magic only reached so far leading to much of the outer city being vulnerable to attack.

“No I’m a student, no need to worry about any plots from me. I have to ask though, are the rumors true? Are the royal and magic council fighting each other while the princess is risking her life negotiating with the dragon lords?”

”Yeah they are all but at war with each other on how to run the empire while the princess is away. Mostly they argue about how and where the military should be used, the allocation of funding and worst of all the about who is more important. I know these are the people in charge but seriously we have so many other things to worry about and all they can do is argue while the empire crumbles around them. Honestly the princess can’t get back soon enough.”

The mare that had been helping Gleaming just had a look of exhaustion on her face. Most likely due to the fact that she had been used as a go between and buffer between the two groups whenever they refused to talk to each other. Hoping to help out a possible colleague and get her mind off the political mess the city was in Gleaming changed the subject by talking about how some of the funnier gossip she had overheard during her time as a waitress in mid-city.

“Wow you’ve lived such an interesting life and I never knew that so many interesting things happened outside of the capital. I’ve never really been allowed outside since I started my apprenticeship with master Leonidas.” A sad look had overtaken the mare as she thought about what she had been missing out on since she had become an apprentice.

Gleaming stopped mid step as she realized that she may have just hurt the mare that had been helping her out. Looking at the mare she really took in her appearance. She had a glossy black coat, with a silky teal mane with emerald green eyes that carried a profound amount of sadness held back by a now hollow and empty smile and she was wearing a plain green, blue and black dress with slightly darker colours that hid her cutie mark from view. Here standing in front of her was a mare that was deeply troubled by something. Gleaming wanted to say something to comfort the mare she had accidently hurt only to come to the realization that neither she nor the mare had exchanged names even though they had been talking the whole time.

“My name is Gleaming Shield and I’m so sorry if I caused you any discomfort. I hope we can be friends as I believe we will be working together in the future.” Introducing herself with a big smile seemed to calm the other mare down a bit and easing the tension between the two ponies.

“Apology accepted Gleaming Shield. It’s just really nice to talk to another mare instead of those stuffy stallions in the academy. You know I think you’re the first mare that’s been invited here since I was made an apprentice. Oh I almost forgot my name is Chrysalis and I do believe your right we can friends.”

A pain shot through Gleaming’s head at hearing Chrysalis’s name. A fire seemed to be burning in her mind as one of her faded and damaged memories tried to surface only causing her pain as something seemed to be forcefully holding it back.

Just as quickly as the pain came it vanished as the memory started to fade again. Chrysalis saw her new friend stumble and grimacing in pain. Offering a hoof to help steady Gleaming she opened the door to the academy sector leading both mares towards their future.

Author's Note

I hope your all enjoying the story so far. I will try and get an update out at least once a week but don't worry if a chapter is a bit late. some interesting facts about the past have cropped up though and i am planning to use some of the information that the comics provided while also changing some things. I hope you'll all come to love the characters i'm crafting and until next time lord of memory out. Review or my avatar shall feast on your memories.
ps: if you have any constructive criticism or ideas don't hesitate to message me

Chapter 3 Lessons

Chapter 3

Lessons

Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic --
the characters and creations are the property rights of Hasbro, Inc.
and the MLP: FiM writers, producers, etc.

Magic sector

Gleaming waved Chrysalis good bye as she left to meet up with her master and while she waited to be called into Solomon’s office. (I wonder why one of the arch-mages would want to meet me. My work honestly wasn’t all that great then again I am comparing myself to Twilight’s capabilities and even princess Celestia praised my knowledge and skill with protection magic.)

A small nudge on Gleaming’s shoulder from Solomon’s secretary brought her out of her thoughts as she was directed to enter Solomon’s office. “Good luck miss the arch-mage hasn’t been in the best of moods since he started fighting regularly with the royal council and his fellow magic councilors.”

Gleaming felt like a block of ice had been dropped into her stomach at the news the secretary had given her as she stepped into the office.

The inside of the arch-mages office was actually quite a mess covered in opened and unopened scrolls and books. It looked as if a pegasus had made a tornado inside the room. “Pardon the mess please, I’ve been looking for this month’s budget report and I know for sure Leonidas sent it over already and if I’m late signing off on it Alister will never let me forget about it.”

Looking around Gleaming noticed a rolled up scroll with an unbroken wax seal shaped in the royal emblem. “Excuse me sir but I believe this may be what you’re looking for.” She spoke while levitating the scroll to the old unicorn hoping to make a good first impression.

“Ah thank you so much my dear you’ve saved me a great deal of grief from my fellow councilors.” Solomon put the scroll into one of the draws of his desk, before sitting down to address Gleaming.

“I must say I’m quite surprised it took my colleagues and me so long to notice you. The Crystal Empire has very few unicorns in it and even fewer that hold the exceptional talent and skill to be brought to our esteemed academy. As you may have noticed things in the Empire are not as stable as the people believe they are and unfortunately with the princess unavailable at the moment things could get worse with the council being unable to agree on anything.”

“If things are as bad as you say sir why waste your precious time on me? I’m not sure I could be of any help to you or the Empire.” Gleaming really wished that she could help but she didn’t know how to.

“That is actually quite easy to explain. You see some of the spell matrixes you designed during your earlier years of study show great promise in a project my colleagues and I are working on. The other factor is that your magic has actually shown a connection to the crystal heart, meaning that you like the other apprentices will be trained to join the council and advise the next princess.”

Gleaming felt like she had been slapped in the face with a fish by Discord, her magic still had a connection to the heart. That shouldn’t have been possible or was the heart able to feel the link of her magic from when she and Cadence had bonded with it when they had officially become the rulers of the Crystal Empire in his own time period. She also felt like smacking herself as she realized that she had been using some of the more advanced spell work she had learned during her time as a royal guard and the captain of the guard. Of course the spell matrixes would look amazing they were spells that had been modified and refined or just hadn’t been crafted yet by a thousand years.

(Well done Gleaming you’ve inadvertently brought knowledge of the future to the past. Who knows how much I may have messed up the timeline with this mess and all I was trying to do was get good grades) It was actually quite funny in a sense to Gleaming, defense magic had been a very understudied form of magic compared to combative magic only getting proper research done after the banishment of Nightmare Moon.

Not noticing that Gleaming was no longer focused on the conversation Solomon continued speaking. “Now you will be given an allowance and a room here in the magic sector and once you’ve gained the approval of my fellow arch-mages you’ll be brought onto our private project. Oh and before I forget here is a new medallion that will show you’ve officially become my apprentice.”

Finally coming out of her thoughts Gleaming managed to catch the last of Solomon’s words and wanted to protest as she had strived to live a regular life hoping to do as little damage to the timeline as possible but stopped as she had no way of actually explaining why she would actually not want work at the castle. (Dammit I can’t refuse and with the gaps in my memory I have no idea how to avoid do anymore damage to the future.)

Taking the medallion that had been handed to her Gleaming and gently placed it into her saddle bag. As she got up to leave a small level of curiosity took hold. “Excuse me sir I do hope that you don’t mind me asking but you mentioned their being other apprentices. Who will I be working with in the future sir?” Gleaming hoped that she hadn’t come off as rude but maybe if she had any knowledge about these future councilors then she could avoid doing any unnecessary damage to the timeline if she had any knowledge about their accomplishments to work with. (Oh who am I trying to kid my memory has more holes in it than Germanian cheese)

“Oh I don’t mind at all Miss Shield. Apprenticing under my friend Leonidas is Chrysalis and under Alister is Sombra. They both have their quirks but I do hope that you three can get along better than I and my fellow arch-mages have over the years as once were gone you’ll be taking the reins in our place in watching over the magical development of the empire.”

Feeling another headache coming on Gleaming politely excused her-self using the excuse that she needed to start packing up her things at her apartment. As she left the office she had the secretary point her in the direction of a bathroom.

She barely made it before it felt like a diamond dog was digging for gems in her head. Gleaming collapsed to the floor from the growing pain and pressure in her mind from memories that where trying to force their way to the front of her mind while being blocked by an unknown force.

Sombra Sombra Sombra Sombra!!!

The name kept repeating in her head as images of black crystals filled her mind. They were like spears rising up and surrounding the empire while a massive shadowy figure grew looking ready to engulf the empire and its people. Yet the memory was incomplete there was no context to it at all. She couldn’t tell if the crystals were the shadows vanguard or if the crystals were being used to defend the empire.

(These memory attacks are getting annoying and they aren’t helping. Who is manipulating those crystals and what is that figure in the storm?) Not currently having all the necessary information the best explanation Gleaming could come up with for what she was seeing was that it was the cause of what ever made the empire disappear for a thousand years. (The way that the shadowy figure looks most likely means that the umbra managed to get past the defenses and are attacking the capital so those crystals are most likely being used to defend the outer city.)

Gleaming needed answers and the only way to get them was most also her best bet at messing up the timeline and possibly leading to her own non-existence, not to mention her family and friends.

Author's Note

hope your enjoying the story so far. one more chapter before i explain how shining ended up as a mare and how he ended up a thousand years in the past. lets all find out together if Shining will manage to find the anwsers he is looking for and how that will affect his decisions in the future

chapter 4 careful what you wish for (edited)

Chapter 4

Careful what you wish for

Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic --
the characters and creations are the property rights of Hasbro, Inc.
and the MLP: FiM writers, producers, etc.

Crystal Empire mid-city

Gleaming looked around her old apartment for what would most likely be the last time and felt oddly sad that she wouldn’t see the old place again. It had been her first real home since graduation and leaving the family that had raised her. The old place was full of memories from when she had gotten into collogue and had spent many a night a walking zombie working on thesis papers or that time during her graduation when the students had thrown a massive party in the building. There were still stains from that party littered around the building and even in her apartment that the building manager still hadn’t found a way to remove.

As Gleaming packed she felt happy about the good memories she had built during her time here but it would soon be time for her to get back to her own time. (I’ll see them all again soon and while I enjoyed this interactive history lesson but I’m more than ready to start the process of getting back to my own time) “Bring it on world I’m ready for anything you can through at me!”

Frozen north: Outer city border

It had been a week since she had started her studies and she was currently very unhappy. “I swear the masters could have sent anyone to do this why by Faust do they have us out here?” Gleaming was shouting out her frustration as Sombra talked with the border patrol, checking up on the enchantments the arch-mages had set up as an early warning system.

“Gleaming I know that you’re frustrated but we have a job to do and you’re not making things very easy. If there is even a single flaw or breakdown in the spell matrix then the guard will only know the empire is under attack when the enemy is in the city.” While Sombra knew the job they had been given was important even he was a bit miffed though this was more due to the cold of the frozen wastelands bordering the Northern section of empire acting as a natural barrier against the Umbra.

“Look Gleaming we’re almost done so while I reinforce this sectors alarm system why don’t you go help repair and recharge the biosphere spell keeping this outpost livable for the border guard and give them this months supplies. I’m sure they’ll appreciate the help and supplies, especially with it coming from a pretty mare like you.” Sombra barely avoided impalement by icicle Gleaming had shot at him all the while maintaining a smirk of superiority.

Watching his partner leave to help the border guards Sombra let out a sigh of relief. “Finally she’s gone now I can actually get some work done without hearing her complain all the time.” Going over the matrix of the alarm spell Sombra frowned as he noticed small but unnatural damage. (What could be doing this without setting off the alarms?) A shiver ran up Sombra’s spine as he felt conflicted about whether he should head back to the castle to warn the magic council of a possible security breach or head towards the next outpost to see how bad the breach was.

As Sombra contemplated the mess he had found inside the barracks Gleaming was chatting up a storm with the guards and learning quite a bit about the empire that she didn’t know, like the fact that many of the guards put on border duty had been positioned there by the noble council. Apparently they didn’t like it when ponies they viewed as beneath them made them look stupid.

“It’s been a while since we’ve actually seen any other creatures let alone another pony besides a new guard that’s been positioned here. Thank you for talking with old boring guards like us, usually it’s just some golems bringing supplies and they tend to be quite bad at communication.”

Gleaming actually felt bad at how much she had complained about her assignment as she had come to learn about the guards stationed at the outpost and even befriending a few. (Wow this job must suck and yet they do it without any complaining because they know how important it is to the empire’s survival and here I was complaining about the cold) As Gleaming was about to apologize for her behavior she heard Sombra cursing outside.

She and the guards rushed out to see an angry Sombra lying on his flank in the snow with shattered crystal all around him. “Sombra are you alright? We heard you shouting.”

Sombra brushed off Gleaming’s concern as he got up to speak to the captain of the outpost. “Cir I need you to activate your beacon. After careful analysis and repair attempts I have discovered that the matrix of the alarm spells here have been damaged and tampered with. You need to warn the empire while my partner and I head for the next outpost to see if the other alarm spell is still functional.”

The guards quickly rushed off to complete their jobs as they prepared for possible battle while sending off warnings to each outpost along the border and to the guards posted in the outer, mid and inner city of the empire. “Stay alert captain whoever did this is smart and powerful so be careful we need living soldiers not dead heroes.”

The captain just nodded as he left to activate the outpost’s emergency beacon. Gleaming looked like she wanted to say something but was cut off as Sombra dragged her off heading for the next outpost.

Needing to get to the next sector faster Sombra created to crystal golams to pull a cart provided by the guardsponies. It would cut their travel time down significantly, a journey that would have taken a few days to a few hours maybe at least a day.

As the journey dragged on a bit Gleaming couldn’t hold back her frustration at Sombra’s total lack of communication and the lack of information he had given her. “Ok that enough I know you like to act all edgy and broody but I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s going on. Not to mention the fact that we will be working together quite often in the future so it seems like a good idea for us to get to know each other better so we can work together better."

Sombra finally relented as he couldn't speed up the trip without risking not being in top magical shape if they found and had to confront the saboteur and honestly the annoying mare had worn him down. "Ok the problem is the fact that powerful dark magic was used to tamper with the alarm spell that fact alone isn't the problem. the problem is how controlled and calm the magic was. Dark magic is usually quite wild and parasitic even when cast by the most skilled unicorn mages."

A look of worry and surprise grew on Gleaming's face as her own experiences with dark magic had shown her how volatile the stuff could be like it had a mind of its own. Recalling the time Twilight had told how a dark artifact had turned a show mare that wanted to show her up into a tyrant. "Do you think the Umbra are behind this? they are the only known creatures that can use dark magic without it corrupting them."

"No, it didn't carry a signature that matched to Umbran magic."

Gleaming deciding to continue chatting to pass the time decided to indulge in her curiosity of her fellow apprentices. "Say I've been wondering why you're the one that always comes on these check up missions? the guards say that you pop up like clockwork every three months."

"I do this job because it gets me peace and quite and my magic is uniquely suited for it. My crystals can store and seal away dark magic and with some help even purifies things infected with dark magic. Anything else you would like to know Miss Shield?"

"Firstly wow that's impressive no wonder you were made an apprentice. The ability to combat dark magic is highly regarded. Secondly i have been curios about something, I've been wondering why Chrysalis never leaves the castle."

Sombra froze as if someone had dropped a bucket of water on him and looked at Gleaming as if she had grown a second head before a look of realization came on his face. "You really don't know don't you? Chrysalis is the illegitimate princess of the empire. The good old king couldn't keep it in the saddle before he kicked the bucket and sired her and because she has royal blood and a connection to the heart she can be seen as a rightful heir to the throne capable of challenging the princess rule. Also with the princess currently in dragon territory both the council of nobles and mages believe that she can be used to keep the hearts magic stable if anything happens to Princess Amore. Basically she's a back up plan with no idea she's a back up plan and neither council want's to risk any harm coming to her while they also want to see how they can use her. Don't go telling Chrysalis any of this its need to know information and she doesn't need to know yet not even the princess knows and if she ever found out a lot of heads are going to roll and I would prefer that my head stays attached to my neck thank you very much."

Gleaming felt really bad for Chrysalis as she learned more about her fellow apprentice. It must be very lonely and frightening when all you knew was being a tool of convenience and not even know why she was being treated the way she was. (That poor mare, she doesn't deserve this just because of her blood. I'll find a way to make things easier for her I just need some time to think. …. Huh well what do you know this trip and its distance from the empire may have its advantages after all.)

just as she was about to try and convince Sombra to help her out the crystal carriage broke apart and Sombra covered the duo in snow making a motion for her to stay silent and pointing towards a small gap in their cover. Standing in several metres away from them was non other than the spirit of chaos Discord laughing merrily as he messed around with what looked like the alarm spell while also pestering an Umbra he held contained in a tiny jar as if it were a toy.

"Oh this is so much fun don't you think. Luna and Celestia are so boring when they play hide and seek so while i wait for them to get bored why don't we play a bit of war and watch to see which side wins." The umbra had a terrified look on its face as it knew even if his people won against the Empire both sides now had the attention of the chaos spirit.

Author's Note

Hope you all enjoy the chapter i have a pretty fun plan for the next chapter. cant wait to see what happens next. Why is discord up north, how did he get and umbra in a jar and will he notice our heroic duo find out next week for the next episode of twisted history.

chapter 5 The past the present and the future

chapter 5

The past the present and the future

Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic --
the characters and creations are the property rights of Hasbro, Inc.
and the MLP: FiM writers, producers, etc.

Crystal empire (frozen wastes)

Sombra was frozen in fear as he watched the spirit of chaos play around. Here in front of him was arguably the most powerful being in all of Equus and all he had to protect him and his partner safe was a small cover of snow keeping them safe hidden from view.(Dammit how are we going to get out of this mess and warn the empire without getting caught by this monster)

While Sombra and Gleaming hid away Discord continued to play with the Umbra while manipulating the alarm spell. "As much fun as it is to set up an empire to crumble I feel like this is much to easy." As Discord continued his work he stopped as a lightbulb suddenly appeared over his head. "Oh no this is much to cliché for me." with a snap of his claw the lightbulb was replaced with a comically oversized lit candle.

Placing the jar with the umbra inside down Discord began drawing an intricate and massive spell symbol with the most insane and unstable spell matrix known to life on Equus. "Oh this is going to be so much fun my friend. Did you know that as powerful as I am my old man is actually much more powerful. I mean chaos magic is some strong stuff but I only exist because he gave wild magic life and form so I feel like I should honor the old man. You my shadowy friend shall be the first grandson of Grogar the father of monsters you should be honored."

A look of horror came over the Umbra pony as he doubled his efforts to escape his prison.

The Umbra contorted in pain as a massive amount of magic suddenly flooded into his body. For a moment the umbra took on a corporeal form before he exploded his entire being being converted into black magic. Slowly the magic pulled itself together taking on the form of a massive shadowy alicorn.

Discord just laughed with a small look of surprise at his creations form before sending him off to wreck havoc in southern Equestria. "Go take care of old Star swirl and his pillars, as long as they're around I feel like sunbutt and moonbutt may start cheating in our little games plus old starry is getting much to close to my old mans bell for my liking. Oh before I forget make sure they suffer my little one."

Gleaming and Sombra stared in horror at the creation of a new evil that had been unleashed upon Equus and they had been helpless to stop it forced to watch on the sidelines like helpless foals. As Sombra began forming a teleportation sigil for the long distance jump he noticed how Gleaming had frozen up in shock. "Gleaming snap out of it I need your help, I don't have enough magic left for a teleportation to reach the protection of the heart's barrier I need your help." whispered Sombra as he tried desperately to get his fellow apprentice to snap out of her paralyzed state.

Gleaming unfortunately wouldn't respond as she seemed stuck in her own head imprisoned by her fear. (No, i cant die like this not until I get back and apologize to Twilight. No I cant leave behind my family I have here either. This cant be happening this cant be happening , this cant be happening.) Gleaming couldn't help remembering how Discord had once shown her just how dangerous he had once been before he just started using his magic to mess with the creatures of Equus and cause general mayhem and chaos. She remembered baron land, flaming hell scapes, endless frozen wastelands and endless darkness as Discord followed the lead of his father and wrecked havoc on the world before his father was sealed away.

Fear engulfed the mare as she remember the stupid events that had led her to ending up in the past in the first place.

It had all been a stupid prank she had asked Discord to help her with. Twilight had been off on check up visit on Starlight Glimmers village so it had seemed like the perfect time to mess with his sister a bit. It helped that Applejack had been off visiting family or his entire prank would have been found out much to early. Convincing the rest of ponyville had actually been surprisingly easy though Pinky Pie and Rainbow Dash had helped quite a bit.

Discord had used his magic to turn one Shining armour into Gleaming Shield, he had also used his powers to change all of the standard paperwork that Twilight could use to refute and figure out the prank to mess with her head a bit more. It had all started out simple enough.

When Twilight had finally gotten back from her trip Shining had jumped her and surprised her with a big hug. Twilight had been dismissive of the strange mare in her eyes that had hugged her for no reason though had looked surprised that Pinkie hadn't popped out of nowhere to welcome the mare with a party. A look of disbelief and shock had come over her as Shining introduced himself as her sister Gleaming Shield acted hurt that her own sister didn't remember her.

Twilight had been quick to tell the now named Gleaming Shield that she must be mistaken and that she only had a brother named Shining armour the captain of Celestia's royal guard and king of the Crystal Empire. Twilight had summoned a family certificate to try and show the Stanger in her eyes that she must be mistaken but was shocked to see that Shining armour's name was no where on the certificate but the mare Gleaming Shields name was there.

Twilight was actually floored when Rainbow and Pinkie arrived to welcome her back greeting Gleaming as if they had known her already. Twilight had tried to explain to her friends what she though was going on but they had just asked her if she had drank to much cider on the train trip back.

For a whole week Twilight had tried anti-changeling shifting paint, anti illusion spells and spells of revelation. During the whole ordeal any pony she talked to would look at her as if she had grown a second head questioning the existence of her own sister. All the while Shining just played the role of a dutiful sister trying to help calm Twilight down while still messing with her head.

At the time it had seemed like a fun joke plus it would mean he had managed to actually beat his sister in something which didn't happen often due to her intellect and vast magical knowledge. Unfortunately Shining had forgotten in his zeal to get one over his sister how quickly she tended to escalate things when trying to sort out a problem by herself.

When Twilight had finally managed to track down Discord and Fluttershy and they also acted as if nothing was wrong Twilight snapped using a scrying spell to try and prove that she wasn't going crazy. The only problem was that the magic of the scrying spell had a violent reaction to Discords magic that was hiding Shinings true identity , which had a further poor reaction with the magic of the cutie map that had responded to relationship issues Twilight was having with her brother/sister.

Things would have been fine maybe only resulting in a small explosion however the map having only recently been caught up in Starlight's magic to get it back in the castle after the mess with teaching Trixie magic had reawakened a fragment of the time travel spell. Before anyone knew what happened a wormhole had opened up and had tried to swallow everyone, luckily Shining had managed to cast a large shield spell over everyone and teleport them to safety. Unfortunately Shining had not been so lucky and had been sent back into the past with a whole new life designed for him by Discords now overpowered identity concealment spell.

Gleaming was pulled out of her panic attack as she felt herself lifted into the air. Looking around to understand what was happening She saw that both she and Sombra were currently being held prisoner by the oversized claws of the spirit of chaos. "well well well I must say you little mice are better at hiding than most but I sensed your magic the moment you arrived. Though it was a blast keeping an eye on your flimsy attempt of an escape plan." As the spirit spoke a small eye with wings floated past them as he laughed at his own joke.

Deciding to try and avoid angering Discord both ponies laughed with him. A large smile grew on the draconeques's face as his ego was stroked. "Well at least you two are smart enough to know genius when you hear it. You know what how about a game, you think about something interesting and I rip the information out of your heads. That game is a ton of fun, my old man loved that one a lot when it came to dealing with spies, unfortunately it always broke our toys but I'm sure that you two are built a lot better than those others."

The fact that they were about to literally lose their minds wasn't what scared the two trapped ponies the most, no what terrified them was how Discord sounded honestly happy to in his words play with them as if he was a foal talking about playing a game of hoofball with his friends.

Seeing Sombra's half completed teleport sigil a plan formed in Gleaming's mind. While Discord listed off the ways he could extend their play time together she used an enlargement spell on the flame of the candle floating above Discord's head. Hot wax spilled all over Discord's face causing the chaos spirit a great deal of pain and discomfort as his own magic got turned against him. A quick yell from her got Sombra into action as he flash froze Discord in crystal. Both ponies knew they were short on time and rushed into their only chance to escape as Discord's crystal prison started to crack.

In a flash of magic the sigil activated as Discord broke free and attempted to follow his prey enraged by the pain of hot wax in his eyes and on his body. Sadly for him his revenge was not meant to be as he slammed face first into the magic of the crystal heart protecting the empire. Fury filled Discord as he tried to rip through the barrier only to get blasted back and further pain added to what he was already feeling. "Know this you rats, i will find you and then your going to wish you had never been born!"

Discord left the empire grumbling about his dislike of the cold wild magic of the north, how unfriendly the wendigos were and how sunbutt and moonbutt were much better sports at his games than those two cheaters. Meanwhile in the safety of the empires inner barrier Sombra thanked the heart for its protection kissing the ground while Gleaming just felt relief that not only had she and Sombra managed to escape with their lives and their sanity but that she had been able to avoid messing up the past by giving the darker past Discord information about the future.

Look at the barrier that had just saved their lives Gleaming could only feel a pang of guilt knowing that its protection at best only kept the worst of North weather from affecting the outer territory of the empire but was unable to extend the bulk of its power any further than maybe halfway through the mid city territories. As she and Sombra left to warn the council about the activities of the Spirit of chaos she knew that she had to do something to help the ponies the heart's magic could protect and help the empire thrive against threats like Discord. (I may not have the elements of harmony like my sister and her friends but I know that I can help in my own way, I just hope the council will be willing to listen)

Author's Note

I hope that everyone reading enjoys this chapter. I would also like to apologize for how long it took to release this chapter but I have been a bit busy in my offline life. Do enjoy this chapter I cant wait to see what I come up with next.

chapter 6 confusion, anger and dastardly deeds

Chapter 6

confusion, anger and dastardly deeds

Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic --
the characters and creations are the property rights of Hasbro, Inc.
and the MLP: FiM writers, producers, etc.

Southern Equestria

All who lived under the rule of the emperor of madness knew that their lord was furious as they saw volcanoes erupt hot fudge, as storm clouds rained hot soup and as all the deserts and sweets turned into fruits and vegetables and vice versa.

Inside Discords castle many of his servants rushed about to complete the tasks their master had given them for fear of being used as one of his many playthings to help him overcome his foul mood. That fear had only recently further compounded when he had turned a couple into a cat and mouse for a life and death chase game to calm himself down.

(This is so infuriating how was I the master of the unexpected taken by surprise like that and to have my own magic turned against me like that. How was that even possible that mare was literally radiating my chaos magic and I've never even seen her before how does she have chaos magic at all?)

She knew something about chaos magic and she had been terrified that he would find out. That was all that made disgusting sense to Discord. She had shown no true trace of fear until he had started talking about plucking all of their thoughts from their heads meaning either the crystal empire had found a way to harness chaos magic or just she had and from the way she had acted most likely it was something only the mare had knowledge of.

(I can not allow these dam ponies to gain access to my magic. I already have to deal with Harmony ever since my sister were banished and those thrice dammed pillars planted Harmony)

Discord had been having consistently worse moods as he lost control over his kingdom and the fact that the lord of chaos could see the irony of what was happening only made him angrier. "Oh if I could only listen to my sister soothing voices again I'm sure this headache would just vanish."

Melancholy thoughts filled Discords mind as he though back to all the fun he had had with family. Oh the glorious devastation they had heralded across Equus before those damned ponies managed to steal away his father bell. He and his sisters made those ponies pay of course the rest of their species short existence would be miserable. Unfortunately the fun in torturing the lesser species had led to them forgetting revenge and just enjoying being able to rule without having their father's nagging them about not playing with their food or constantly pointing out their mistakes.

Oh as much as Discord had hated how his father had lorded his knowledge and wisdom over his children he truly wished that he could have his father provide him with some wisdom right now. Discord would never admit it to anyone but the fact that a pony managed to even grasp the notion of chaos magic terrified him. (No This will not stand. Chaos is my thing not these insignificant pests)

Discord knew what he needed to do. First he needed to know if this mare had shared her knowledge or research or kept it to herself then he needed to get rid of her or better yet turn the other ponies against her making them think she was his disciple working to bring their empire under his rule. Oh the story of betrayal and revenge would be sweet as once they turn on her she would be forced to turn to him.

"Plan B big D, never forget your plan B like the good old goat would always remind us."

Discord was pulled out of his scheming by a tiny discord whispering in his ear. Oh two heads were always better than one and having himself in his corner always helped. Yes at the very least if he failed to twist the strange mare to his whims then he would just rip the knowledge out of her mind.

(Oh sometimes I forget how elegant and fun the simple solution is sometime)

His good mood restored Discord turned the couple he had shapeshifted into a cat and mouse earlier back into ponies. Just in time to as the cat was about to eat the mouse resulting in the funny image of the stallion's mouth filled with his mare's hoof. "Go to the kitchen and bring me some freshly baked cake and make sure my plate is never empty till the sun rises."

the two servants bowed and ran out of the room as quickly as their legs could carry them just happy that their lord had been kind enough to turn them back into ponies.

Crystal Empire

Sombra decided he liked hospital. No it wasn't the food that was terrible and the doctors were annoying as Tartarus but the cute mare nurses sure made up for it with how they had pampered him during his and Gleaming's stay at the royal hospital.

(The pampering almost makes the magical drain worth it, almost) The long range teleportation had taken its toll on Sombra combined with all the time he had spent recharging or repairing the defense and alarm spells along the border not to mention the long distance two pony teleport had strained his magic to its limit leading to some less than pleasant pain for Sombra. Just as Sombra was about to take a nap he was brought back to the waking world by the sound of a pony entering his room.

"Oh I'm so sorry I didn't know that you were trying to sleep I'll come back later."

"Oh Chrysalis I'm fine, just taking my time to enjoy the small pleasures of comfort before master Alister arrives to work me to the bone again. I swear I think he enjoys seeing other ponies struggle through the torture sessions he calls lessons."

The two apprentices chatted for a bit while Chrysalis took out a small box full of books. "I heard that you may still be a guest here for a while so I got you some books to help stave off the boredom and keep your mind sharp if master Alister ever made a surprise visit."

Sombra paused as he realized something until Chrysalis had arrived he had not actually gotten any visitors since he had been admitted to the hospital a week ago. (Something big is going on otherwise that old stallion Alister would be chewing me out for being so irresponsible with my magic or Solomon and Leonidas would be looking me over like a lab rat.)

"Chrysalis what's going on? I've been here for about a week and your the first visitor to come see me, I'd expect that from the old coots at the academy but I thought for sure that you or some of the other students would have come to see me earlier, heck I'm pretty sure that annoying mare Gleaming Shield would have come over as well just to make sure I was still in one piece after I fell unconscious from out trip home."

Chrysalis looked nervous as she debated with herself on whether or not she should tell Sombra what was going on, which he was not making easy by the glare he was giving her.

Chrysalis just sighed and relented knowing that he would find out eventually anyway. "The imperial council is having a trail investigating the information she provided while you were unavailable for comment. To make a long story short they didn't believe her, or at least the royal council didn't. The kept accusing her of making everything up or just being mistaken and that everything that happened was an Umbran trick."

Sombra felt a headache coming on as he knew what the noble council was up to. They would wait till he came to confirm Gleaming's intel to drive a wedge between him and her to weaken the future standing of the magic council and strengthen the noble faction of the imperial council when they took him at his word. (We are in the middle of a war, our princess is currently outside of them empire brokering alliances with less than pleasant nations, we have the chaos spirit getting involved with the Umbra and our own council is at war with itself.)

"Relax Sombra, your going to give yourself a migraine if you over think this. Just take the time you need to recover and explain the politics to Gleaming before you give the council what they want to hear."

Sombra just had a great-full look on his face as Chrysalis always knew what to so when he started to spiral. He just hoped that she would be able to explain the situation clearly to Gleaming to make sure that would understand the situation that they had found themselves in. (This is going to be a political manure storm. Politics and military never mix well together, I can just pray to Faust that the princess returns before we the nobles and mage members of the council start a civil war.)

"Don't worry your horn off Sombra I'll make sure everything goes well and if all else fails I can just lock you and her in a room until she calms down so that she will be willing to listen to a proper explanation." Sombra shuddered a bit at the sweet smile on Chrysalis's face. She meant well but some times her social ineptitude from her lack of social interaction led her to do some very scary things when she tried to help ponies with their problems. (I'm so sorry for what I've unleashed upon you Gleaming but better you than me. I just hope you will be reasonable before Chrysalis starts going down the route of extreme)

Gleaming Shield's room

The castle was filled with the sound of a angry pony tearing up her room as Gleaming had unleashed her pent up anger at the room so not to explode on the next pony or creature that spoke to her. "Those dammed fool! For Faust's sake I know what I saw and that wasn't some Umbra dammed trick but no those fools would rather railroad me than face the idea of the chaos lord joining in on this dammed war! Well they deserve what ever fate Discord will bring upon them when he actually rains chaos upon the empire and we aren't prepared to stop him."

About an hour later Gleaming had calmed down as she looked at the mess that was her room and just felt depressed. The mages had at least looked like they had believed her but the nobles had laughed in her face calling her a girl making up tall tales to get attention. She had almost blasted the noble-pony but that wouldn't have helped her case. (I can't wait till they talk to Sombra and have to eat their words. Him being from a noble family and being and apprentice to one of the arch-mages means that they have to take him seriously and in turn have to accept that a little mare in their eyes was not only telling the truth but was capable much more that they though possible.)

Gleaming just groaned as she though about how much the past sucked for mares if they weren't part of upper-class society or royalty. (By Tartarus I'm going to have to deal with this until I find a way back home or barring that until Solomon retires and hands the position of arch-mage to me.) A cold feeling like she had swallowed a block of ice filled her gut as she realized that there was a good chance she would never be able to get back to her own time let alone her old body.

(This whole situation is my fault I shouldn't have taken that joke as far as I did and now I probably got Discord in trouble as well, I hope Twily isn't to mad at him.) It was a terrifying though but most likely she/he would have to be prepared to focus on her life in the Empire and forget about the past if she wanted to stay sane, not yet but soon as her old memories kept bring a sense of pain at what she had lost but that pain always faded when she though about the life that she had been living in the empire. (Hurry up Twilight or I have a feeling I may not even want to leave at some point.)

Author's Note

Hope that you all enjoy this chapter. next update we'll be seeing the affects Shining's disappearance has had in the present. Sorry for the long update time but university work has kept me on my toes and left little free time to think up how to write and continue my story. Enjoy until next time readers

chapter 7 twists and turns

Chapter 7

Twists and Turns

Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic --
the characters and creations are the property rights of Hasbro, Inc.
and the MLP: FiM writers, producers, etc.

Crystal castle
Ponies were rushing all around the castle in a rush as they tried to clean up the castle as news had finally arrived that the princess was returning. Many held a fear that it was ill news that she was bringing back and that the dragons would not be remaining neutral in the Umbran crystal war while others felt elation at the idea of the princess managing peace or even bringing the dragons in as an ally against the Umbrans. Chrysalis didn't really care either way as she was just glad to have the princess back as she had proven time and time again that she was the only pony alive that could rain in the noble and magical council members because when ever she had to leave the empire for on a diplomatic mission things would grind into a slow bureaucratic nightmare as neither the nobles or the mages could agree on anything and often worked to sabotage the other to gain more power and standing with the royal family.

She could feel all of the hate, distrust, fear, anger and paranoia that went through the minds of the council members. The dark thoughts and emotions always made her feel sick often leading to her avoiding council meetings unless she had been specifically asked to attend by Leonidas.(Why do they fight against each other when it does nothing but hurt the empire and make it easier for our enemies to hurt us)

Clearing her head of the creeping dark thoughts Chrysalis prepared to enter her fellow apprentices room and was greeted with a mess as if a herd of bison had stampeded through the area. Carefully maneuvering around the mess Chrysalis eventually found Gleaming silently screaming into a pillow in frustration. "Hey Gleaming are you ok? I came to check up on you when I heard about what happened at the council meeting."

Gleaming just gave Chrysalis a weak smile as she let out a grown as she realized how tired she was. "I'm so sorry Chrysalis you caught me at a bad time. I'm just so angry at those jerks on the council, they think just because I'm new and that I'm a mare that I dint know what I'm talking about. I got used to it after working as a waitress for so long but i though that after I became the apprentice to master Solomon that ponies would start to actually show me a little respect or at the very least reserve their judgment until they get to see what I'm capable of."

Chrysalis could only silently agree as both she and Gleaming contemplated for a moment how stupid the council members look when they thought about how the empire was being run by a princess a mare.

"Wait so you aren't angry at Sombra when they preferred to hear and listen to his information over yours?" Chrysalis was unable to keep the surprise out of her voice. Gleaming just let out a small laugh at the confused look on Chrysalis' face.

"Chrysalis I know that Sombra had nothing to do with the thoughts and actions of those idiot stallions on the council. I'm just glad they'll at least listen to someone about the threat against the empire, lets just hope that its not to late to prepare." Chrysalis felt a sense of relief fill her as sensed no hostility to Sombra coming from her fellow apprentice and felt relief at the honest answer Gleaming had given her. (Well at least I know that I don't have to play mediator between my only two friends)

"Say Chrysalis If I was informed correctly you've basically never left the castle since you were brought in right?" Chrysalis could only nod her head as she didn't trust her voice at that moment while she felt the sheepishness and small amount of shame that was coming from Gleaming for asking such a personal question. She also felt a small amount of anger coming from herself and the growing need to give Sombra a good kick to the face.

"I'm sorry if that was a bit personal but with the free time we have while the council spins its wheels looking for proof they already have why don't you and I get some fresh air outside of this dusty old castle?" Chrysalis was about to explain to her friend how the castle wasn't dusty at all when the full implication of her statement slash question hit her mind. A chance to leave the castle.

"Wait what?! come on Gleaming don't even joke about that if Sombra was the one who told you about my castle arrest status then you know that no one not even master Leonidas would be willing to let me leave the castle grounds." (I should no I spent my first two years of training constantly asking and begging for a chance to leave the castle and not even master Leonidas would give the idea a moments thought if I remember correctly he actually told me to give up on the idea of leaving the castle until I took over his position as an arc-mage and magic council member of the imperial council)

A sly smile grew on Gleaming's face as she started to giggle a bit at her plan to help give Chrysalis a bit of freedom and get back at the council. "Don't worry about a thing Chryssi, I just need you to meet me back here tomorrow midday, Oh and before I forget I'm going to need your badge just so they cant find us if the guards or council members get curious."

Chrysalis looked skeptical but a chance to leave the castle was just to tempting and she handed over her badge rushing back to her room as she tried to think of what she would do with her moment of freedom. Gleaming just smiled as she watched how happy Chrysalis looked before leaving her mess of a room to implement her plan. (Sorry Sombra I know that this may seem unfair to you but just know that its for a good cause.)

Castle hospital
With the moon reaching its highest point Gleaming quietly snuck into Sombra's room being careful not to be seen by any guards or staff. The trip would have occurred sooner but wanting to make sure that the trick couldnt be traced back to her she had left her own badge back in her room making traveling through the castle a lot more difficult. Slowly she set to work casting an illusion spell in the shape of Chrysalis. It had a set pattern of actions and movements that it would follow to keep Sombra convinced that Chrysalis was actually in his room. Next she took out a small enchanted string which she had attached to Chrysalis's badge so that it would pull the badge along the illusions path from Chrysalis's room to Sombra's hospital room. Lastly she cast a small compulsion spell on the sleeping stallion so that he wouldn't question the illusion to much and to take regular naps throughout the day. (I am so happy that your sleeping right now or their would be no way this spell would work especially considering my poor skill with mental magic)

Quickly leaving once she finished Gleaming gave one last silent apology to Sombra for the trouble he could end up facing before leaving for her room to get some rest for her trip Chrysalis.(Oh I hope that she has the courage to actually go out tomorrow and see what we are all working to protect.)

Canterlot (Future)
Discord was currently sitting in front of a very confused and angry Twilight while trying to explain the situation to Celestia and Luna. "Well the issue is I have no idea where Shining armor is. Right now miss egg head here is working on tracking down her dear old brother. It's not my fault she couldn't take a joke not to mention it wasn't even my idea. I was just being a good 'friend' and helping a brother get a win over his over achieving and uncommunicative sister." Discord put emphasis on the friend part smirking a bit as he had just been following the rules and lessons Celestia's ponies had taught him.

Celestia just sighed using her wings to rub her temples to combat the headache that she knew was coming when ever Discord got involved with something while Luna sat back trying to contain her laughter as Discord explained the joke and how everything had been going before Twilight's freak out. "I must say that this seems like something that Twilight would talk to my sister about how did you manage to circumvent that?"

Discord smiled as he happily shared some of his pranking knowledge with Luna enjoying the knowledge that she would use it on her sister some time in the future. "Oh that was easy I just convinced Spike to play along and had Fluttershy play the part of your sister writing back, she can be a very convincing Celestia."

"Discord while you helped Shining armor plan this prank did either of you take into account Twilight's tendencies towards freak outs?" Even though she had asked she already knew the answer and just sent a message that she would be needing more tea and quite a few cakes. "I will help Twilight in her search for her brother and you Discord will be writing an apology letter and so will everyone else involved in this prank am I understood." Discord just nodded feeling that the prank had been worth it only to be hit with a massive headache as new information filled his mind playing out past events in two distinct paths next to each other as he tried to sort out the inconsistencies filling his memories.

Discord froze for a moment as his mind finally cleared up enough for him to be able to sort put the memories and a cold lump of ice seemed to fill his chest as he realized what had happened as he compared his two sets of memories reel to reel. "Oh this can't be good."

Author's Note

I hope that this chapter is up to standard and that everyone reading it enjoys it. Discord is starting to see the bigger picture of what is going on but lets wait and see if his attempts to fix things will help or just make things worse

chapter 8 Plans in motion

Chapter 8

Plans in motion

Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic --
the characters and creations are the property rights of Hasbro, Inc.
and the MLP: FiM writers, producers, etc.

(Future) castle of two sister
After running away from Canterlot Discord carefully went through the new memories while comparing them to try and find out when and where Shining Armor had landed only to face palm when he found Shining in the old Crystal empire over a thousand years back. (Oh this isn't good, this isn't good at all. Time is fragile enough already after the mess glitter but made already. I've got to fix this or Fluttershy will never want to have tea with me again or even worse she may cease to exist all together.)

Discord knew he still had time to work with funnily enough as both time lines were stable and the new one wasn't in the same time frame and would only begin to destabilize and overwrite the current timeline once it caught up chronologically. Discord felt a headache coming on as even as powerful as he was time wasn't something he could safely work with due to the nature of his magic and he refused to go to Celestia and Luna for help hating the judgmental looks that he knew would be on their faces when the whole situation hadn't even been his fault this time. (I need someone smart and who will be willing to keep his mouth shut while we work to fix this problem but what pony could help me that doesn't kiss the ground the princesses and their stooges walk on?)

It took a moment but then it hit Discord that the best pony to ask for help would be Star Swirl as he was a pony that not only had the most skill with time based magic but with the lack of emotional attachment to the problem would also be least likely to rip apart the fabric of time in an attempt to move faster than they should when messing with the past. (Oh Discord you are so clever and the best part is that he won't even tell Celestia if I use his pride and arrogance to my advantage all I need to do is make sure that he doesn't find out about our mutual light challenged friend and things will move along swell.) In all honesty Discord wasn't to worried about the old goat finding out but he didn't need the hassle of the pillars on his back when he was already dealing with sunbut, and sparklebut not to mention the information may upset Fluttershy.

Leaving to go get help to sort out his new problem Discord could only pray to Faust that Shining was smart enough to leave the past well enough alone as pre-unity Equestria was anything but pleasant or safe. (I just hope I can fix this before past me gets too involved in this mess and figures things out.) The thought of his past self actually getting involved in this truly terrified Discord as he would never admit it but even with all the focus skill he now had when using his magic he was much stronger back then due to Harmony being nothing more than a seed at the time and how chaotic the continent of Equestria was at the point in history with all the wars and political dealings.

Crystal empire(Past)
Chrysalis woke up with the feeling of ice in her gut as she felt so nervous as she contemplated her chance at some freedom from the castle but when she really thought about her situation she didn't really remember much about her life before the castle having practically been raised within its walls. (Maybe I shouldn't do this. If I get caught I'll just be making things worse for myself and lose master Leonidas' trust not to mention the damage I could end up doing to Gleaming's future considering the animosity between her and the council at the moment.)

Steeling herself she left her room knowing that this could be her only chance at some form of freedom and that Gleaming had known about the risks involved and had decided to help her anyway. As she arrived at Gleaming's room she was surprised by seeing her friend doing some make up work on what looked like a duplicate of her. "Oh Chrysalis good your here now the final phase of my plan can be put into motion."

Gleaming quickly shut the door behind Chrysalis as she started to cast a few glamor spells to change the colour of Chrysalis' coat, mane and eyes while also taking out her fellow apprentice's badge and attaching it to the duplicate construct. "Ok you are now Firefly an old friend from my old job that I'm taking home after a tour of my new place and your duplicate will be using your badge so if any pony checks up on you they'll see you looking after and staying with Sombra and before you worry I was able to apply a weak compulsion spell so that he wouldn't notice anything off about your double here."

Chrysalis was somewhat shocked at what Gleaming had done. "Are you sure the mental magic wasn't a bit excessive? I mean I doubt Sombra would have even noticed anything off about me today of all days considering its the crystal fair." The confused look on Gleaming's face reminded Chrysalis that she had only been with them for a short while and that some of the information she took for granted Gleaming had no knowledge.

"Sombra gets really sick for the day and usually stays in bed all day every crystal fair Gleaming. Me staying by his bedside wouldn't seem uncommon so just having my duplicate there would have been enough but I understand your actions form the standpoint of your lack of information."

(Well now I feel like a jerk. I should probably get him a gift for when we get back to the castle.) As Gleaming contemplated how bas she felt about going a bit overboard her mind processed the last of the information Chrysalis had given her. "Oh my Faust! its the crystal fair, oh my parents are going to kill me for not visiting since my apprenticeship." Quickly sending off the duplicate she grabbed Chrysalis and rushed for the gift shop grabbing a few interesting looking products, throwing some bits at the attendant and then rushed for the gate. (How could I have been so forgetful and I know that my Nova is gonna get me back for not contacting him sooner.)

"I'm so sorry Chrysalis but we'll need to make a slight detour, its been a while since I've seen my family and they'll never forgive me if I don't at least come over and say hello plus I would love to introduce you to them." Chrysalis just nodded as it would be nice to meet Gleaming's family plus it would give her a chance to get some embarrassing info on her friend. (This actually looks like its going to be tons of fun. I'm not only leaving the castle but I'm actually getting invited to meet the family of a friend.) For the first time in a long time a warm feeling filled Chrysalis as she followed after Gleaming as they passed the castle gates heading into the city on a path to the mid city regions.

Temple of Grogar(Past)
it had taken a while but Discord had managed to get past his father's defense system that he had left in place before his eventual banishment. It had kept many of his relics and artifacts safe from pony hands but it had also meant that none of his smarter or more powerful children could get access to any of the tools they would need to keep the ponies in their place. "Oh dad you really should have had a backup plan for an heir incase anything happened to you. Then again from what I remember the only trust worthy ones among us were the Sirens so good call on your part for locking up the big toys one of us may have tried to overthrow you."

Discord would never admit it then again non of his other siblings would either but they had all been jealous of the relationship the Sirens had had with their father even being taught the ability to drain and absorb energy and being granted their melody charms to enhance their already potent magic. Many of his siblings had actually celebrated the banishment of their sisters all except Discord for while he had been jealous he also saw the threat their banishment had reveal. That the ponies were no longer going to just sit down an cower they were actively going to fight back and nothing had made that more obvious than them managing to create Harmony much like his own father had created him. (I will need to deal with that weed sooner or later but for now I only need one little thing from here.)

Passing a small bag of seeds to get his father old tome of curses a small idea popped up in Discords mind for later. (Huh plunder seeds been a while since I played with those. Ooh goody use a plant to end a plant, the irony is delicious but that can wait i need to capture that blasted pony first before anything else) stepping out of the temple so as not to damage anything he could play with later Discord began reading from the tome with the dark magic staring to leak out of it as the words began to flow like a river with their effects taking place as soon as the words left his mouth. All around the swamp skeletons of long dead beasts, warriors and slaves rose up from the depths of mud and water as magic put them back together and gave them strength and purpose once more as they marched off to do their masters bidding.

"Oh this is going to be so much fun, I get to storm kingdoms like the old days and I get to play with dads old stuff this couldn't get any better." The fact that he was actually had access to many of the things his father had forbidden him from playing with just wormed Discords black little heart as he started to read through the book while heading back to the temple to read through his father's library. "Who knew reading could be so much fun and if what I'm seeing I here is only a fragment of what the old man knew then no one can stop me from taking my rightful place as ruler of all of Equus and no body not even my family or the other blasted spirits will be able to stop me!" For dramatic effect Discord used his magic to create booming thunder and lightning to make him look and sound cooler to boost his ego. (Oh I can't wait to find Celestia and Luna it'll be so much fun to share the fun and I could always use a few court jesters and Luna has always had such a fun sense of humor I'm sure that she and her sister could have more use to me plus I'll need to make sure that I have a back up plan and heirs that are both smart and powerful are so hard to find these days.)

Author's Note

Hello everyone i'm back and lets just say that things are about to get wild in old equestria. Lets see how a pony that has ever left the castle walls for years can handle the world outside of her box and oh boy Old Discord is up and about lets see just how well i can work with him as i've always loved his character and how he managed to not become stale. I'm going to have so much fun when I have the princess find out about what is happening not that theirs much they can do about the situation.

oh and just to point out how twisted past discord is i put a small bit of info he has for a plan though i did manipulate the wording to clean it up a bit lets see if you can find it.(Should probably add to the tags of the story and edit the summary a bit

chapter 9 Calm before the Storm

Chapter 9

Calm before the storm

Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic --
the characters and creations are the property rights of Hasbro, Inc.
and the MLP: FiM writers, producers, etc.

Crystal Empire Mid City(Past)
Chrysalis felt a bit overwhelmed as she took in the strangely suffocating feeling of the wide open and ironically cramped mid city of the empire. Ponies were all trotting about in a hurry getting last minute presents or rushing about to meet up with their special some-pony or if you were a noble or a lucky raffle winner from the outer city then you were all gathering to see the recharging of the crystal heart and the princess return. Ducking about to avoid getting caught up in the large crowds and being separated the two apprentices stopped for a moment at a small market place where Chrysalis bought some snacks while Gleaming went about organizing the gifts she had gotten for her family. "Okay so before we get to my parent house I would like to warn you ahead of time that my family can be a little weird. My dad and mom are both teachers at Crystal Prep University for magical excellence with my parents going gaga over magical artifacts and I'm sure they'll try to get you to tell them about what the artifacts that are locked away in the castle. Oh and I should warn you my brother tends to talk before his brain tells him if its something smart to say or not so be prepared for very cheesy pick up lines if he tries to hit on you."

It may have sounded weird to Gleaming but Chrysalis liked the idea of how strange her friends family sounded and acted. She finally had the chance to be apart of something more than just the castle. Just being outside of its walls felt like heaven as she no longer felt the suffocating weight of the negative or dark grey emotions of the ponies that resided inside of the castle. (This is so much fun and the warm golden feelings of the ponies outside of the castle just feels so soothing)

With the crowds having thinned out a bit the two finished their snacks and headed off to Gleaming's filly-hood home. Unbeknownst to the two though was the nearly invisible stream of green magic that flowed into Chrysalis as they left the café they had found refuge in and the ensuing arguments and fights that filled it much to the mortification of the ponies as the fighting had stopped nearly as quickly as it had began and non of the ponies could understand why they had gotten so angry with each other in the first place all that they could really remember before the arguments started was the feeling as if all the positivity had left them and the café.

Gleaming's home
As the two ponies reached their destination Chrysalis could see that Gleaming was getting more nervous. "Don't worry Gleaming I'm sure that they'll love your gifts even if they were a bit last minute." Gleaming just gave her friend a nervous smile as she tried to explain that it wasn't the gift issue that was bothering her while she nocked at the door.

Quickly moving her friend out of the doorway a large balloon filled with paint flew out the door narrowly missing the two mares. Gleaming motioned for Chrysalis to stay down while a look of fury filled her face as she stomped into house yelling at her brother for trying to prank her and then smacking him over the head with a small shield she conjured. "Sorry about that Chrysalis this is my brother Stellar Nova, he is in training to join the guard and likes to set traps even though he knows how dangerous they can be." Nova cringed a bit as Gleaming glared at him as she finished talking.

As Nova began apologizing profusely to a slightly stunned Chrysalis two older ponies came out to see what the commotion was all about. "Oh Nova we did warn you that attempting to prank your sister was a bad idea but I guess nothing is a better teacher than failure. I'm so sorry my dear for the trouble my son has caused you. My name is Hayley Frost and this is my husband Comet Blitz and from this scene I see that you've met our son Nova. Do come in, though I must say I'm surprised that you didn't message ahead that you had a mare friend and that you brought her home with you."

Both Gleaming and Chrysalis froze up turning bright red as they tripped over their own words trying to explain that they were just friends while Nova just laughed at his embarrassed sister and the confused look on his mother face. Finally managing to calm herself down Gleaming explained that Chrysalis was just a friend from the castle and that she had wanted to learn more about the kingdom and that she had just brought her along to meet the family as she and actually forgotten about meeting up this year for the fair and it had been to late to reschedule. "I'm so sorry for forgetting mom, I've just been so busy lately and things kind of just slipped."

Hayley just smiled as she beckoned her daughter and Chrysalis inside just saying it was nice to have everyone home for the fair this year. As this had been the first time in a while that Nova was able to get a free week from the training academy and that she and Blitz had managed to make free time from their classes.

The day slowly dragged on as Chrysalis laughed at baby pictures of Gleaming and Nova while the two siblings died of embarrassment. this was soon followed up by gifts being handed out and lively conversation about how life had been treating the family members of late. Both parents were very proud of Gleaming with how she managed to join the castle on a path to becoming part of the mages council with even Nova looking jealous though he would never admit it. As Chrysalis chatted with her father about magical artifacts and how to better repair damaged ones. Gleaming and Nova were pulled aside by their mother to help in the kitchen to make sure their was enough snacks for when they left to get to the fair grounds for the final parts of the ceremony to watch the princess unleash the built up magic of the crystal heart to bless and protect the empire with its magic.

Gleaming left the kitchen covered in flower after Nova had tripped and dropped a bag on her. Their mother had persuaded her to leave instead of strangling her brother. Chrysalis laughed calling her a ghost pony while her father managed to at least suppress his amusement. The two left to help in the kitchen while Gleaming cleaned herself up.

Looking into the mirror of the bathroom Gleaming giggled a bit when she saw all the flower on her face, as she entered the living room again she saw the happy scene in the kitchen and felt happy at seeing her friend so happy instead of the gloomy mood she had most of the time being stuck in the castle all the time. As happy thoughts and memories filled Gleaming's mind she failed to notice how dim some of her other memories were getting like a slow fog was filling a part of her mind.

"Gleaming we need to hurry up or we'll get caught up in traffic for the recharging of the heart!"

"Coming mom don't worry The flour is almost out of my mane."

rushing out if the bathroom to catch up with everyone Gleaming was confused by her brother as he joked about he hadn't dropped that much flower in her mane. "Now Nova you know how your sister likes to stay neat and hates when you mess with her mane and don't forget she's not the only one that likes to spend hours in front of the mirror making sure she looks her best. Gleaming don't fret over your brother I've spent my fair share of time in front of a mirror and that hour was plenty of time for the snacks to be finished without you and your brother fighting all the time and I'm sure that the stallion your prettying yourself up for will understand if your mane is a little messy he may even like it."

The sly smile on their mother's face as she spoke was creepy for Chrysalis and scary for her husband as Gleaming and Nova grew red from embarrassment hiding behind their father groaning about how their mother was just being weird and embarrassing.

While the group walked and Nova tried to get their father to stop their mother from embarrassing him in front of Gleaming's friend which Comet Blitz seemed to be avoiding rather chatting with Chrysalis about the relics and magic items she worked with in the castle so as not to face the twisted humor and wrath of his wife knowing full well he would lose the battle and possible end up on a very lumpy couch for the night. Gleaming on the other hand was deep in thought as she tried to remember her time in the bathroom yet came up with a blank as she couldn't explain to her self what had kept her so occupied in thought. (I'll just ask master Leonidas considering his mastery of mental magic or one of the other masters to run a telepathic scan when I get back to the castle, I can't risk someone trying to steal castle secrets from me especially if its one of our neighbors or to make sure this isn't some sort of delayed spell Discord placed on me, on second though I should also inform Sombra and have him checked as well if this is that monsters magic at work. We could be walking time bombs so the moment I get back to the castle I'll quarantine myself and make sure that Sombra is isolated as well until we can be sure our minds are safe)

Gleaming was pulled out of her thoughts by their arrival to the fair grounds and her mother pushing everyone along. "Come on everyone the princess will be arriving soon and I've sound the perfect spot for us to watch the charging of the heart.

Slowly the fair grounds began to fill up with ponies and creatures from all over Equus. Looking around Gleaming could even see delegations from other nations like an envoy from southern Equestria, most likely hoping to get their support against Discord now that he had turned his eye towards the north, an ambassador from Zebrica most likely hoping for a trade deal for ice and snow to supply the Zebra desert nation with water and she was pretty sure she saw some Diamond dogs, most likely looking to set up trade for the unique magic infused gems within the empire's mines.

(They're all here most likely hoping to get a better deal, bargain or alliance dealing with the princess rather than the council members that have been ruling in her stead. Hopefully with the princess back these deals can help fix the problems the councilors caused with all their in fighting.)

Silence filled the fair grounds as sense of calm swept over everyone present, crystal started to grow forming a stage and pathway from the castle and a small podium forming as the Crystal Heart was placed upon it. A low harmonic tune was sung by a small choir as the princess came walking towards the heart her magic flowing out spreading serenity as the heard began to charge up as more and more of her magic filled the air. "My people I bring joyous news, The dragons have agreed to terms and are joining us in out battle against the Umbrums! This celebration marks the beginning of the end of this conflict and the future prosperity of our nation and its citizens! My citizens I know that you have struggled and that the empire has struggled in my absence but worry no more I have returned and things will get better! We are strong and our empire is strong, our ancestors who built this proud nation in this unforgiving wasteland of ice and storm after the southerners abandoned these lands and we today who keep this nation alive and prosperous! My people never forget the strength you possess and now I provide my strength to help keep you safe as you in turn help this nation prosper!"

A large burst of magic streamed out of the heart as a massive dome started to form around the inner city of the empire then a second one grew from where first dome met the mid city border with a final third barrier growing and spreading to the edges of the outer city. A feeling of warmth and happiness flooded the empire and a crystal sheen covered all the ponies native to the Crystal empire as the empathic magic of the princess combined with the magic of its citizens and the crystal heart spread its light throughout the empire for all to see as a beacon of hope and stability.

Outer city frozen wastes border
the small group of guards smiled feeling the chill of the wastes leave their bones as a pillar of light managed to break through the constant snow storms visible even to them and providing them strength even so far from the Empire. The guards were soon distracted from the view of the Crystal Hearts power as proximity spells started lighting up and emergency signal beacons were lit from other outposts signaling attack. The short range communicators lit up relaying the same message from relays connecting the outpost, that a massive attacking force was heading for the Crystal Empire, to get a message out to the military to any one to send help to warm them.

Soon nothing could be heard but the sounds of spells being cast of fires and explosions and the breaking of bone and the tearing of flesh and of steel clashing with steel. The soldiers of the outpost knew what needed to be done. The communications officer a pegasus was the fastest flyer among them and while a unicorn could get the message faster the magic would help keep what ever was attacking at bay longer giving the empire a better chance at preparing for attack not to mention the recent charging of the heart had left so much ambient magic in the air of the empire communication spells would be useless for a few days due to all the interference.

The last thing the messenger saw as he flew off was black fire slamming into the base that had been his home for the last few months as his friends charged out spears in hand clashing with skeletal ponies and other creatures. they were holding much like the other outposts but it wouldn't last and he knew this was most likely the last time he would see his friends again. It was all the communications officer could do to keep going as fast as he could as the sound of magical detonations and roars of warriors filled his ears .(May the heart guide you to a peaceful rest to Faust's promised land)

Author's Note

sorry this update took so long my exams and studies have kept me busy for a while, not to mention writers block is a real pain in my flank and the lockdown combined with family issues has been a real downer and not helping me focus on writing. hope you all enjoy this chapter as I have put some work into it to get it to my liking for release