To Fix an Empire

by Neoeryn

Rating: everyone
Tags: Hippogriffs, Alternate Universe, Changelings, Original Character, Mystery, Adventure, Discord, Kirins, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 5323

A group of friends, soon to symbolize the new Elements of Unity, are about to be put to the test. They're going to be sent on a journey that's going to change their perspective on the world around them.

Calamity, Breeze Gust, Mint Flash, Snowbank, Shallow, and Nautilus are to symbolize the new Elements of Unity and are the group of friends who are set on bringing balance back to Equestria. But to do that, it would mean traveling far from home to find the First Order of Alicorns.

I am in no way associated with MLP: FIM! This is a fanmade work! All canon characters belong to Hasbro and Lauren Faust.

Published 2021-02-19 23:40:00 UTC
Last updated 2021-02-23 16:12:20 UTC

New Beginnings

Work. Lunch. More work.

That was the everyday schedule in the School of Gifted Unicorns. Calamity was the only draconequus who attended -let alone the only non-unicorn- so she didn't have many friends there. Thankfully, she also attended the School of Friendship, which was still being run by Twilight, so she had something to look forward to after every slow-moving morning. She was considered the top of her class and was one of Twilight's favorite students. Discord didn't trust letting her enroll at first, as he knew he wasn't exactly the best when it came to influencing others, but Calamity promised to never use her magic to cause chaos. She believed there was more to magic than causing trouble or fixing things. She believed magic was the life source of everything in Equestria, not just for power.

She hadn't realized she had dozed off until the bell startled her out of her trance. Magic lessons were over and it was time for her to get to the School of Friendship before classes started. She only had a few friends, two of whom were twins. They all went to school for separate reasons, but they all shared the same one; to fit in somewhere.

First off, there was Nautilus. He was a sand-colored hippogriff who loved entertaining others. He was usually considered the class clown due to his tendency to shout out jokes in the middle of a lesson.
Breeze Gust and Mint Flash were twin pegasi sisters. Of course, they looked extremely identical, with their mint-colored coats and pale pink manes, but their tail styles were the main difference. They usually bickered over the small things like anypony would expect siblings to, but they still cared about each other. Calamity had ended up creating a club with them after she had first enrolled, which gave them both the title of co-founder. They didn't fit exactly fit in where they were from, so they enrolled in the School of Friendship to find other ponies like them. They were born and raised in Yakistan, which isn't known for being a pegasi-friendly region, but their family managed.

Snowbank, another member of the group, was a coal-color coated kirin who enrolled in the school to learn friendship specifically. She was born not being able to perform magic, and she was considered different by the other kirin due to it and was always left out. Calamity had invited her into their friend group after seeing how kind Snowbank was to everypony, even if they didn't exactly treat her the same way. She always believed that nopony deserved to be treated horribly based on what they looked like or couldn't do.

Lastly, there was Shallow, a seafoam-colored changeling. They enrolled in the school to get away from their family, as they didn't exactly feel like they fit in. They loved making others happy, even if they didn't exactly have much to give. Calamity decided to ask them if they'd like to join the club, making them co-leader, in case she missed a day.

Their club was called Mismatched Society, and it was a club where each one of them felt as if they didn't fit anywhere else. Their symbol was a dragon with wings protruding out of its back and had multiple legs, a few of them being hooved.

Calamity had hurried across the bridge, lost in thought, and not paying attention to where she was heading.

"Eugh! Will you please watch where you're going next time? You always somehow happen to run into me, Calamity." Raion, one of the members on the Board of Magic and Friendship, was one of the staff at the School for Friendship. He was obsessed with organization and keeping everything spotless, to the point some students have joked about making him the janitor. He was given the position after looking for a career in education. He was born in Canterlot, his mother being a Kirin and his father being a Pega. He always greeted the students in the morning, but nopony knew where he went after doing so.

"Sorry, Mr. Rai! I promise it won't happen again."

"You always say that and it never fails to amuse me, considering how you always manage to do it." Raion had started walking off.

Calamity had rushed off to get where she was going. Her club had always managed to meet a few minutes before the bell rang for class, but she didn't realize how late she was this time. The bell had already rung to signal the short amount of time there was to get there.

"You do realize you're late, right?" Nautilus was also making his way to class. He and Calamity shared their first class together, which was learning about the history of friendship in Equestria. It was a core class that every new student was supposed to take, as ordered by Princess Twilight, who had been watching over Equestria for a few decades now.

"Yeah, I know," Calamity matched his pace. "Why aren't you in class then?"

"Well, the club didn't have time to meet today, according to Snowbank," Nautilus held the door of the east wing open for her. "As a matter of fact, there wasn't enough time to do anything. Classes started early today for no reason."

"Oh, I'm sure there's a reason. Princess Twilight probably hasn't addressed it yet. You know how busy she is, grading everything and watching over Equestria at the same time. I'm shocked she hasn't allowed the teachers to grade our stuff."

"Well, there's probably a reason for that, too. I mean, considering she's the Princess of Friendship, she probably grades everything on a more personal level?" Nautilus and Calamity made their presence known in the classroom. Everyone's gaze had swung around to focus on the duo.

"Mind explaining why you two were late?" Morning Star, the teacher who taught the History of Friendship class, had stopped her instruction to address the two students at the door.

"I ran into Mr. Janitor earlier." Calamity joked, taking a seat at one of the empty desks.

"We were going to meet up with our club, but we didn't know classes were starting early. It's quite new, not to mention sort of odd for this school." Nautilus took the remaining seat.

"Well, I will admit even we teachers weren't expecting such an early change to the schedule. However, you two will spend a few extra minutes after class working on the assignment." Morning Star had returned back to teaching her lesson, which this time, was on the Six Pillars.

The Mismatched Society wasn't quite sure what to expect of this change. They didn't know that they were about to be sent on a journey that would change their lives and their perspective of the world around them.

Author's Note

Hey, everybody! This is my first ever work of literature, so please forgive me if there are some things missing, or if something doesn't look right. This whole story is a work in progress, and it's pretty much a layout for a future comic. That will most likely be published sometime in the summer, but for now, this is the main thing I decided to work on for it!
Also, for a bit of glossary, a Pega is a rare breed of donkey. Unfortunately, the pure bloodlines are close to extinction.

Something Isn't Right

"Will these students please make their way to the Map? Breeze Gust, Mint Flash, Snowbank, Shallow, Nautilus, and Calamity. See you in ten minutes."

"Umm, I think that's a bad thing." Gust and Flash uttered in unison. None of them were exactly sure why they were being called to the Map of Equestria -which was also considered a monument for the Mane Six- but they were sure it wasn't a good thing.

"Maybe we did something and don't remember? What if we were brainwashed!" Snowbank had suggested.

"I highly doubt that. Why would we do something to get in trouble, just for someone to wipe our memories of it? That wouldn't make any amount of sense. Besides, it's probably about Nautilus and I getting to class late this morning." As always, Calamity was the main voice of reason.

"Wait, if it was just you two, why would the rest of us be called to the same place? That's what doesn't make sense." Shallow trotted to catch up with them, as they had lagged behind a bit.

"Everyone knows about our club. In fact, I do believe our club is usually the center of attention. Have you ever seen the way the teachers and other students look at us?" Flash held the door open for the rest of them. They were greeted by Twilight, a look of worry and concern on her face.

"Thank goodness you all made it. I've been trying to gather any information that I could find, but I came up with nothing!"

"Is something wrong, Princess Twilight?" Nautilus was the first to step into the room, the others following closely behind him. They all made their way to the table in the center of the room.

"I'm not exactly sure what's going on. The Map is calling, but my cutie mark isn't showing up. Instead, it's showing your club symbol. I think you all have a quest, or that was one of my guesses at least." She was right about one thing. Their club symbol was blinking on the Map. Perhaps the map was calling for them, but Twilight wasn't sure exactly where this place was. She had never traveled anywhere near it in all her years of learning or even teaching friendship. It was in a secluded corner, far from the mainland of Equestria. It looked similar to a mountain ridge.

"I couldn't find any information on the location, but I did find these. They look exactly like the Elements of Harmony, which haven't been seen for years after... That doesn't matter now. I sent Spike to see if he could find anything in Starswirl's wing. I'm not exactly sure what to do with these, so I decided you all should come to see me tomorrow after school. We'll see what we can do." She sat down in her old chair, feeling slightly overwhelmed by old memories and mixed emotions.

"I feel like I recognize those," Calamity picked up one of the new Elements, tracing the design with one of her talons. "but I'm not sure why or how. It feels like I've seen these before and the power in them also feels quite familiar."

"Well, I know how long you've been trying to figure everything out about your past. Discord has told me quite a bit about that, and I think these may help you," Twilight was fixed on a new book, flipping through the pages to see if she could find anything. "but I'm not entirely sure if sending you all on your own is a good idea. You're still young, and your magic isn't-"

"Princess Twilight," -Calamity placed the Element back into the box- "I know my magic isn't completely in control yet, but I really want to do this. I mean, we don't know what's going on. However, if this will help me find answers, maybe it's best I go alone."

"Maybe you've just been reading too many history books," Snowbank placed a hoof on Calamity's shoulder. "I mean, it could be possible that you recognize them, but how could you be so sure if all you do is read about the past?"

"She's right. Besides, sending you on your own is dangerous. I'll find someone to send with you at least." Twilight placed the box on the table.

Shallow had blurted out, "Whatever it is, we're coming with you. Perhaps we may be going to help somepony. Maybe a village needs saving, or-"

"Or what?" -everyone had swiftly averted their gaze from Twilight towards the door- "I heard something along the lines of, 'there may be danger lurking in every corner, but we should go anyway!' That's not exactly a good idea, and all seven of you know it. Especially you, Calamity. I thought you knew better."

"Discord, do you always have to show up when I'm about to go on some quest?" Calamity's tone grew a bit more aggressive than she had meant it to.

"How long have you been standing there," Twilight's expression had drastically changed from worried to irritated in a matter of seconds. "and what exactly did you hear?"

"Oh, I just overheard something about these Elements of yours. I thought they were destroyed?" Twilight had put the box away before Discord could grab it.

"That's what I thought as well. Turns out these also exist, and there's absolutely no information on them whatsoever. You're not exactly here for them, though. What do you want, Discord?"

"Oh, I don't want much. You see, I was just going about my day, minding my own business. Everything was totally fine. Next thing you know, it felt like something was out of place. I figured you knew what was going on." He replied, leaning against the table.

"Well, I don't. Just because I'm Princess doesn't mean I have the answer to everything. If something feels out of balance, even for you, then it's not safe for me to send them. Perhaps you should take Calamity." Twilight started putting the books back in neat piles.

"Bringing her home was the reason I came here in the first place. I doubt she even wants to do this. Isn't that right?"

Stop Coddling Me

”When will you stop barging in and making excuses for me? Maybe I want to do this. You can’t control me forever, you know!”

“Excuses? Since when have I ever made excuses for you? I’m just doing what I promised; looking out for you, helping you control your magic, and making sure you don’t go down the same chaotic path I did,” He picked up one of the books laying on the table. “Why don’t you read a history book about my mistakes sometime?”

“I know exactly what mistakes you made, but you didn’t make those mistakes because of others. You chose to make those mistakes yourself-” Calamity slammed the book down. “-and because of that, you suffered the consequences. At least you actually had ponies who believed in you. Why can”t you do the same for me?”
Calamity started shuffling towards the door, her tone gradually becoming more aggravated. She never explicitly showed it, but she couldn’t stand when he tried pulling her out of activities. She’s missed out on so many things she wanted to try, all because of some fear he had deep down. She had always thought it was due to him losing Fluttershy and being alone for so long after, but at this point, he didn’t have any excuses left.

“Look, I know you like doing all this fancy stuff! However, I’m sure that’s enough adventure. Your schedule is busy enough and adding a ‘saving the world’ course to it probably won’t do you any good. Besides, I’m pretty sure it’s nothing-”

“Nothing?” I’m pretty sure the map doesn’t make mistakes, and if you feel something’s off-balance then something is definitely up. Sure, I got into the schools that I wanted, but there could be possible ponies in danger or needing help with something important.” She was already making her way out of the school. The others slowly followed behind, enough to give her some space. They were pretty used to this as it happened frequently, and a lot of the activities she had been pulled from were part of their club. They had made their way across the bridge until they were abruptly stopped.

“Well, if you’re leaving so soon, you wouldn’t mind if I tagged along would you?” Calamity was growing quite bothered with his games. He always made excuses for her to stay behind or always tried to make room for himself.

“I don’t know, Discord. I don’t know what’s left from right at this moment. I don’t even know if I actually recognize these new Elements, or if they’ll lead me to my family if I even have one.” She had started pacing in circles and ground her teeth, lost in thought. Where did these Elements come from, and would they lead her to answers about her past? She didn’t want to risk any possibilities, even if it meant trying to escape from the pressure Discord had always put on her. Perhaps he didn’t realize how stressed she always was.

“Oh. Well, if it was for that reason you could’ve just said something. I just don’t want-”

“Discord, I know you mean well and want to keep me safe, but you need to let go and realize that trying to keep me here won’t fix or change anything. I know I’m not exactly proficient in magic yet, but it’s not like I can’t do magic-”

“Stop with that nonsense. You can do magic just fine! That’s not what I’m worried about-”

“Then what are you worried about?” Calamity stomped one of her hind hooves into the dirt, exhaling through her nostrils. She wasn’t sure how much longer her patience would linger for. Her frustration was growing immensely.

“I know we’re family in a way and we’ve hung out for so long, but I’m nothing like Fluttershy. I know she enjoyed your company and was special to you. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy your company as well! I just need to live my own life, too. I can’t rely on you to always come in and try to ruin opportunities for me, and you can’t expect me to just stay here forever because you want me to.” He had disappeared in a flash of light as quickly as he had appeared. Calamity was sure she had said something wrong.

“Are you okay?” Snowbank was quite stunned at what happened. She had experienced their arguments before, but not enough for them to turn out the way this one had. If anything, this was the first true argument she had witnessed between Calamity and Discord, other ones consisting of childish insults and pranks to get back at each other.

“I’m fine. We’ll come back and see Princess Twilight tomorrow afternoon. I have to make sure he’s alright. I’ve never actually mentioned Fluttershy in front of him before, so I’m not quite sure how he took it.” Calamity had teleported back home to Chaosville. She wasn’t sure if mentioning Fluttershy had actually done something, but she didn’t want to just up and leave if she had hurt him by her choice of words, especially when she knew how close the two were.

Without a Home

"Hey, are you finally awake? I've been wasting all sorts of time just to wake you up." Calamity opened her eyes to be greeted by a goat, or someone she had thought was one. That was until her eyes had adjusted to the light and the environment around her. She appeared to be in a house, although, it didn't feel like home, wherever that was now. She got a complete view of the creature who had saved her. He seemed to be just like her, except his body was made of different animals than she was.

"Where am I? Who are you and what am I doing here? I-"

"Calm down. You're here because I found you floating around outside, and you're lucky I didn't leave you there. In all honesty, I could care less. Now, how about we try to properly introduce ourselves this time?" Calamity didn't quite trust him, but she was willing to do anything it took to figure everything out.

"Alright, fine. I'm Calamity, Overseer of Casualties, or that's what I remember at least." She hesitantly shook his paw, which had been outstretched towards her for a few minutes.

"Huh, you don't look like a disaster to me, or at least not yet. You can just call me Discord, Lord of Chaos, or whatever floats your miserable little boat." He snapped his talons, causing a tiny boat to appear in front of her.

"Fascinating," Calamity plucked the miniature model out of thin air. "You have illusion magic? That's something I'd give up everything for. Wait, Lord of Chaos? You don't exactly look chaotic to me."

"Wrong, but I believe we should be asking the real questions. What exactly are you doing in Chaosville, and why can't you remember anything before now? That doesn't make any amount of sense, but I do suppose that's what makes it much more interesting." With the snap of his talons once again, that boat had disappeared, but they were now sitting in the living room. Calamity was in awe with this sort of magic. It was a kind she didn't remember ever experiencing.

"Well, I'm not sure what I'm doing here, or why I can't remember anything. I don't know if I hit my head on something or if somepony had cast a memory spell on me. Everything just feels out of place," She had placed the cup of tea that had magically appeared in her paw on the table. "I don't even know where I came from."

"That is quite the predicament, isn't it?" He seemed to notice her queasiness, snapping his talons and making a paper bag appear. "Well, wherever you're from, I'm sure they'll be looking for you eventually. Now, about some magic. What exactly can you do?"

"Umm, I'm not sure." Calamity clasped her paw and claw together, not expecting a result. It was quite sudden, but a storm cloud, complete with lightning, had appeared over her head, totally startling her.

"Huh, you don't exactly have the magic I was expecting. Catastrophe magic isn't quite common these days, nor does anypony want to be associated with it anymore," He had shooed the cloud away, stroking his beard with his paw. "It's a rare type and considering you're now the only one I've met who can use it, you're definitely quite powerful indeed. I can't believe I'm saying this, but you might be a bit more advanced than I am in this type of magic."

Calamity picked up the Element, tracing the design once again. She had come to see Twilight by herself to see if she could help with finding any information. Twilight seemed to pick up on her anxiety.

"I know it's new and all, but I do truly appreciate your help here. Spike found something in Star Swirl's wing, and I thought you'd like to check it out."

Old Tales

“Wait, you mean Star Swirl knew about these long before they even existed?” Calamity and Twilight were surrounded by ancient scrolls and books, only a few of which held the answers to the questions they had.

“That’s what his writing says. They’re called the Elements of Unity, and every thousand years or so they return to keep the balance of Equestria intact. It doesn’t say anything about that strange location though.” Twilight was eagerly flipping through pages and skimming through the scrolls, Calamity looking through the ancient artifacts. She was in awe at all the things a unicorn could even collect, as she believed it was just a habit that dragons picked up on. It wasn’t until she found an amulet, that she stopped to pick it up.

“Oh... Oh no, this shouldn’t be here-”

“What’d you find? Something wrong?” Twilight looked up from her book, only to notice the amulet. “So, you know of that thing? Star Swirl and I tried studying that thing for years. We weren’t sure exactly where it came from, but Discord and I did manage to get it back from Tirek-”

“Well,” -Calamity handed the amulet to Twilight- “Discord showed me a history book a while back. It once belonged to a witch named Catrina, one of the most powerful witches of her kind. She could perform any type of magic you could think of until one day, she disappeared, as did her amulet. I feel like I recognize this as well... Discord knew a lot more about Catrina than the book did.”

“You don’t think,” Twilight had put the amulet away in a chest, and started cleaning up the scrolls and books. “Discord might know about her disappearance? Maybe they were close friends or at least knew each other.”

“It’s possible. I don’t ask him about his past much because it seems to upset him, but I don’t blame him. I suppose I could try to ask,” Calamity had grabbed her bag and started trotting towards the door. “And thank you, Princess Twilight. Even if we didn’t find anything about this new place, we at least found something.”

Back in Chaosville, Calamity couldn’t find Discord anywhere. She looked everywhere and figured he must’ve gone to go start trouble somewhere. Upon entering the living room, she had found the history book laying on the table in front of her. She had picked it up, wondering if Discord might’ve placed it there before leaving.

“I noticed you weren’t where you said you were, so I decided to figure out where you possibly could’ve gone. You know you’re not really good at lying,” He grabbed the book from her grasp, snapping and sending it off somewhere. “I overheard you and Twilight talking about this?” Calamity wasn’t sure how, but he had the amulet.

“Y-how did you get that? I saw Twilight lock it in a box-” Calamity reached upwards, trying to grab it from him to no avail. “-And I don’t know anything about it! Now give it-”

“Not until you tell me how you could possibly recognize it. If this thing’s jogging your memory, there might be more to your past than you may think-” He handed the amulet to Calamity. “-and if this little trinket is going to help you figure that out, then you might want to start doing it now.”

Calamity held the amulet close to her, trying to feel any ounce of familiar magic or memories. She wasn’t sure why it looked familiar, or why the magic felt like it belonged to her.

“Well? Do you remember anything?” Discord had his paw outstretched, signaling that he wanted the amulet back from her. “If not, that’s no big deal. Maybe it’s just from reading too much.”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t remember anything. I thought I did, but maybe everypony’s right. I think I’m just confusing history with my own emotions.” She handed the amulet back to him and sunk down into the chair.

"Well, it was worth a shot, but don't let it bother you so much. You and Twilight are two peas in a pod when it comes to minor inconveniences. Why don't we both go see her tomorrow about that little quest of yours?"

"Yeah, that sounds great!" She couldn't believe she had just lied to him. She knew something felt familiar about the amulet, and the magic inside of it brought a sense of nostalgia or even emotions about a place she used to know. Even if she wasn't so sure of that herself, Discord could sense something was up.

Author's Note

Hey, y'all!
I know this story may seem boring at the moment, or bland or whatever, but it is going to get interesting later on! I have a lot of plans for the future of this story.
As for the amulet, this is the amulet that Tirek had gained from Scorpan, but in this, the history of the amulet is different, and I do have a history and everything for it. You'll all just have to wait and find out what that is!

Whispers In The Mountains

The group of friends had gone to see Twilight after classes had ended. Calamity was hesitant about Discord joining their group, but Twilight had insisted that he come along. All seven of them entered the room to find Twilight writing things down, surrounded by books.

“Thank the stars you’re all here. After a bit of searching through the Canterlot records, I stumbled upon some information. This strange land that appeared on the map is known as the Realm of Darkness. According to legend, it was the lair of Grogar, only to be taken by Tirek. There’s not much else that’s known about it. I knew it wasn’t safe so I,” -Twilight raised her hoof, pointing at Discord- “Decided to appoint a chaperone for you all!”

All six students turned to look at Discord, who wasn’t focused on the topic at all.

“Did you say something? I was busy reading this. It’s quite interesting if I do say so myself,” He tossed the book somewhere. “Now, you mentioned I was going to be looking after these six adventurers?”

“Please, focus. This could lead to danger and chaos if you’re not listening carefully! The Realm of Darkness is surrounded by just that; darkness. Considering it was ruled by Grogar and eventually Tirek, there’s most likely some sort of magic there that’ll try to split you up, or worse. I’m sending Discord with you on this mission because despite how much he gets on my nerves, he’s proven himself to be a true ally to ponykind,” -Twilight gave each of the students one of the Elements- “and Calamity, please keep a close eye on him. I know he still gets into trouble sometimes.”

“Oh, I will. I think he’ll be fine, though,” Twilight and Calamity glanced back at the group, each member focusing on the design of each trinket they were given, aside from Discord, who was busy doing his own thing. “As long as we include him, I don’t think he’ll cause a scene.”

I don’t think he does it on purpose. I know how hard it was for both of us after losing my friends,” -Twilight sighed and fixed her posture- “He just wants to protect you, as you’re all he’s really got left now.”

With that, the group had started their journey. Discord had suggested teleportation, but Twilight didn’t want to risk them accidentally teleporting to the wrong location, so she gave them a map and a balloon big enough to fit them all. Before long, they were already traveling over the sea.

“Now, can you please not make a scene over everything? I know you like to be included,” Calamity had dragged Discord away from the group to have a one on one conversation. “But this could be dangerous and acting before you think things over could result in... Mishaps.”

“Do you actually think I’m going to do that? What could make you assume such things,” -he took the map from her- “-especially when you don’t know anything about this strange land? You honestly don’t believe this is going to be easy, do you?”

“Are you saying you know about this Realm? I don’t see why it’s such a big deal. You have to remember, my mind isn’t all that great, so pestering me about how you know much more than I do won’t get us anywhere.” Calamity quickly took the map back from him, turning to join her group of friends.

“Doesn’t that volcano look a bit off to anypony else?” Flash seemed to be the only pony who had noticed, as everyone else was busy preparing to land.

Author's Note

And with that, the Mismatched Society has started their journey!
This is more of a dialogue-based chapter, as writing dialogue is my stronger area of literature. I also thought it would've expressed the characters' emotions and thoughts much more easily. I am so hyped to continue writing this, especially when there're so many exciting things planned for the story!
There will be upcoming scenes with Discord interacting with the other students. I just wanted to set the tone for Calamity and Discord before diving straight into upcoming angst between everyone.