Chapters -Start-
BOOM!
Dark clouds sparked as they covered the midday sun. A powerful gust of wind tore through the hedge maze of Canterlot garden. The pegasi of Ponyville had created the doozy of doozies to make up for the lack of rain after Baltimare failed to create a tornado five times. The statue of a Draconequus, better known as Discord, stood proudly at the centre of the maze. His statue stood on a pedestal towering above the maze which stood on a hill overlooking Canterlot. Thunder crackled overhead.
The ponies of Ponyville galloped into their houses as lightning flashed above the Everfree Forest. A droplet of rain fell from the sky and onto Twilight's sandwhich. "UGH! Not again," Twilight moaned. Soon buckets of water came pouring down, soaking her hard earned daisy sandwich. Tears began to well up in her eyes as her mane and coat suffered the same fate as the sandwich.
"Just once...I want to be able to eat outside without getting rained on..." She cast a magic bubble around herself, sheltering the remains of the sandwich. "Not even magic can bring back my poor sandwich..." She poked the soggy mess with a hoof. "That Rainbow Dash is in for the beating of a life time." Rarity walked past Twilight on her way to Carousel Boutique.
Twilight lifted her hooves to the sky in agony. "WHYYYYYYYY!" she screamed before collapsing to the ground; her bubble faded away as she wept.
Rarity stood beside Twilight, peering at the sandwich. "Excuse me Twilight, but...are you crying because of your...daisy sandwich?" She raised an eyebrow. "Well no matter. At this rate you'll get a cold." She pulled an umbrella from her saddle bag and placed it carefully on Twilight's back.
"Just leave me here..." Twilight lifted what remained of the sandwich. It melted away in her hooves. "To die..."
"Oh don't be such a drama queen."
Twilight glared at her.
"You're mourning. The death. Of a daisy sandwich. That only costs. One bit. I think that's pretty melodramatic. Anyway, let's go to the library and get you cleaned up. I'll even make you a NEW daisy sandwich. Sound good?"
"...Fine..." Twilight mumbled as she shot one last look at the sandwich before a rat took the soggy heap.
The two hurried into the warmth of the library. Rarity removed their umbrellas and placed them neatly on a stand. Her horn glowed and instantaneously dried both of them.
"Wow Rarity, I didn't know you could do that! Where'd you learn it?"
"Just a little spell I made; very useful for drying clothes. More importantly though, what is that?" Her hoof pointed at an odd contraption set up at the centre of the library.
Twilight stood beside the machine, "Oh this? This is a centrifugal magic manifestation graphing machine. It's used to calculate the cumulative magical potential of a magic-infused item of any description," beamed Twilight.
Rarity maintained her blank facial expression.
Spike walked into the room holding a bright, blue sapphire. "It basically measures how much and how strong the magic is within something." He placed the sapphire onto the pad of the machine and pulled a lever. It spat out a piece of paper with a long, thin, red line. "And this is for you Rarity. I spent an entire month making sure it chimed just right." He needed to regularly give Rarity gems to avoid a repeat of his first birthday in Ponyville.
Twilight rolled her eyes before picking up the paper the machine spat out. "The length of the line is how much magic is in it. How thick it is determines the strength of it," she droned.
Rarity nodded her head slowly, "That's nice and all but...Couldn't you make it a little...easier to look at? Maybe a little bit more like the sapphire Spike gave me? You've got wires and cables coming out from every corner of it."
"Oh no, the cables need to be set up like this to amplify the magical detection properties of the Hermaphrium that I used in it."
"The...Hermaphrium...?" Rarity tried to comprehend who would come up with such a name. "What an ugly name," she declared.
Twilight rolled her eyes again and levitated some objects onto the machine. "Now if you may excuse me, I have some work to do."
Rarity gave up; Twilight was too intense with her science to care for what she did. She looked around, searching for something to do as Twilight continued tweaking parts of the machine. The door to Twilight's study stood ajar; the light inside was still on. "Might as well turn it off while I'm here," she thought.
She saw the book Twilight had used countless times, The Elements of Harmony: A Reference guide. Something was off; The Elements of Harmony were no longer in the book. She galloped back into the main room yelling, "TWILIGHT!"
Twilight did not remove her eyes from her work, "What is it Rarity?" She continued to solder several wires onto the machine.
She waved her hooves around wildly, "THE ELEMENTS ARE MISSING!"
She got up from the stool, "What do you mean Rarity? They're right here." She shifted to reveal five pendants and a tiara sitting on the pad of the machine. "I just want to run some tests on the Elements. Recently, their magical properties have been soaring through the roof. I think something really, really, bad is going to happen. Equestria is going to be hit by something soon." She pulled a lever. The machine glowed and began spitting out a long, red coloured paper. "Very soon."
The statue of Discord wavered slightly as the storm battered it. Celestia's Royal Guard arrived at the statue to ensure that he didn't escape his stone prison. The unicorn guard mumbled incantations to himself as the pegaus guard took flight.
"Everything all right on your side?!" the unicorn shouted, trying to make himself louder than the wind.
The pegasus flew over the entire garden many times, scanning for anypony who would want to release Discord. "ALL CLEAR!" the pegasi exclaimed.
The unicorn dug his hooves deep into the ground. He shut his eyes tightly as his horn began creating a bright red bubble. The pegasi landed beside him within the shelter of the bubble as the unicorn continued expanding the barrier. It continued growing until it enveloped the entire hedge maze. The statues that stood along the perimeter glowed, stabilising the bubble. The unicorn let go of the spell, letting the statues maintain the power of the barrier. He repeated the process until six barriers; red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple, engulfed the entire garden. He shot a beam at the giant dome, fusing the layers together, forming a single white layer.
The unicorn steadied himself on his hind legs before clapping his hooves together and reciting an incantation. His mane flew wildly as an aura crawled from his horn and covered his entire body. The white dome dissipated and fed into his horn, manifesting as a small orb. The incantation was finalised and the final phase began.
Lightning jumped between the clouds overhead. The pegasi open his eyes in alarm. Both of them were wearing the armour of the Royal guard; powerful armour crafted from yellow steel and they both stood atop a hill. The magical barrier that had kept them protected was now wrapped around the unicorn's horn instead of the garden. The unicorn was concentrating on the spell he had to conjure; too busy to notice his companion's panic and too busy to notice that both of them were simply lightning rods. The pegasi yelped as he was struck by lightning. The unicorn ignored it and continued with the spell. Lightning struck once more, this time hitting the statue. A crack formed and a purple light emanated from within as the spell keeping Discord imprisoned weakened.
The unicorn's concentration broke as more bolts of lightning attacked the statue. The crack grew longer and larger as more bolts of lightning struck the statue. He teleported himself and his friend to safety; he was unable to recast the reinforcement spell quickly enough to seal Discord away. He needed somepony stronger.
A final bolt of lightning, manipulated by Discord's magic, struck the statue. The stone exploded off his body in a shower of roses. "It's good to be back everypony!" he announced atop his stone pedestral.
Twilight chomped on the daisy sandwich Rarity brought into the room before continuing her lecture. "You don't understand Rarity. Through my research, I've learned that the Elements of Harmony react whenever something chaotic happens. They react by surging in magical ability and peak when something chaotic is imminent. That's why they are completely ornamental during times of peace. Because somehow, chaos gives them power."
Twilight's machine spontaneously exploded, littering the Elements of Harmony over the library. She examined the last of the paper that the machine spat out. At least what remained, the needle tore up the paper. "That can't be good."
-End-
First chapter of my first story :yay:
CRITICISE MY WRITING! DO WHATEVER IT TAKES FOR ME TO IMPROVE!
-Start-
The storm continued to rage above Equestria. The pegasi in Cloudsdale worked their flanks off to maintain the storm, completely oblivious to the danger brewing below.
Twilight trotted in a circle around her exploded machine, slowly graving a mark into the floor. She thought pensively, considering all of the possibilities that would have resulted in her machine exploding but only one made sense. "This is bad. This is really, really bad. Spike, get the Elements for me."
Spike began climbing a bookshelf to get the Element of Laughter, "Could you for once, think about what your stress is doing to the floor?"
Rarity nodded in agreement, "Yes, I agree with Spike, it was just your machine, no need to get so stressed. I'm sure you could just rebuild it. In any case, the poor thing was a crime against fabulosity." She started stroking her mane.
Twilight stopped pacing and drew a deep breath, "CAN'T YOU THINK OF THE SAFETY OF EQUESTRIA INSTEAD OF HOW MY BUCKING MACHINE LOOKED!" Her nostrils flared as she panted.
Rarity shook her head disapprovingly, "No need to yell my dear Twilight. I do show concern for Equestria, I really do. I just like doing it while looking fabulous!" She struck a dramatic pose.
Twilight face-hoofed at Rarity's ignorance. "Looks don't matter when the end of Equestria is just around the corner. The only logical explanation for this is that magic from the Elements overloaded the Hermaphrium."
"Yes and? You're forgetting that it was hoofmade. By your hooves no less," she pulled a hoof-file from her saddle bag, "Anything could have gone wrong." She started gently filing her hoof.
"My machine was perfectly calibrated to the Elements. The chance of something as drastic as that to happen is one in a trillion. There can only be one explanation for it...As much as I don't want to admit it...It's the only plausible reason..." Twilight looked out to Canterlot beyond the window.
Rarity stopped and approached Twilight, "What is?"
At that moment Spike fell from the bookshelf while burping out a scroll. Twilight and Rarity stared at Spike as books fell from the shelf, landing on Spike's already twitching body. Twilight picked up the scroll with her magic and examined the wax stamp which kept it rolled up neatly. It was the stamp of Princess Celestia.
Rarity observed the scroll, "What is it Twilight?"
"I'm not sure," she lied as the scroll unravelled. She cleared her throat read it out aloud, "To my faithful student Twilight, It seems that we have quite the predicament in Canterlot. I have been informed that –" Twilight's eyes widened as she read the next three words to herself repeatedly. "Discord has escaped." She read the rest of the letter hastily. "The storm was too powerful and broke the spell of Discord...That Rainbow Dash really is in for the beating of a life time."
Rarity gasped loudly, "OF ALL THE WORST THINGS THAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED. THIS IS .THE. WORST. POSSIBLE. THING!" She pretended to faint. Silence. "Twilight? How are you so calm in my moment of need?"
Twilight grumbled. We have the Elements here in the library. We have almost no reason to panic. It's not like Discord can take them from us now." She picked up her tiara and blew off some dust.
Rarity looked confused, "About that...How did you land your hooves on the Elements? As I recall, the Princess kept them in Canterlot tower. I also know you kept them in this book..." Her magic pulled the "Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide" from Twilight's study room. "But I thought that was a one-time thing."
"So you don't even remember the day after my own BROTHER'S wedding?!" Twilight's mane started smoking.
Rarity dug her hoof into the ground.
Twilight sighed, allowing her mane to return to normal, "After the incident with the Changelings, the Princess thought it would be better if we, the Spirits of Harmony kept these close by." She pointed at the Elements that littered the library. "I thought to keep them in the book that Discord ruined. Fortunately for us, the book was enchanted to mask the magic of its contents. That's why Celestia and I couldn't detect them with our magic the last time Discord escaped and THAT'S why I always keep the Elements in it! Also, if that wasn't enough to refresh your memory, the Princess gave you the chest that used to hold the Elements!" Twilight's mane spontaneously erupted into flames before dissipating once more.
"Oh yes, that marvellous, MARVELLOUS box. I think I still have that with me." She pulled a jewelled chest from her saddle bag. "I remember EVERYTHING now!"
"Okay...good...Now that I've dealt with that we can move onto more important matters. We have to defeat Discord before has a chance to rain chaos upon Equestria. Rarity, you go and get AJ and Pinkie. I'll handle Rainbow and Fluttershy. And Spike, look after the Elements while we're gone."
Spike groaned as he poked his head out of the stack of books. Twilight repeated herself. "Oh, all right, but I'm eating the rest of the ice cream."
Celestia stood in Canterlot Tower in front of the vault, thinking about her student. She touched the giant door with a hoof, no longer feeling the presence of the Elements of Harmony within. Luna flew in and landed beside her, wet from mane to hoof. She dried herself instantaneously with a spell, "Sister, Is there something troubling you during this era of peace?"
She thought about her Royal Guard unicorn and the bad news he had brought hours earlier. She thought of the time; midday had long gone and in a few hours she would have to set the sun. Her hoof slid down the door until it met the floor, "There are more important matters than what is troubling me." She unlocked the vault, only to be invited by an empty room, "Do you remember the day we defeated Discord eons ago?"
Luna joined her sister inside the vault, "Why of course! He was quite the mighty foe. Mighty enough to challenge the strongest magic of all pony kind," she looked down the hall and pointed at distant mountains, illuminated by lightning. "Our battle took place atop the tallest mountain, Mount Unity. We owe the peace of our land to the battle that occurred atop that maintain. If it weren't for our will to protect our land, our ponies and each other, the Equestria we know today would never have existed. Without a will, nopony will truly be united. It's the defining quality tha-" Luna stopped and stared at Celestia. "Why would you ask me about Discord in such an abrupt manner?"
No reply.
"Discord has escaped has he not?"
A chilly wind blew in through the wide double doors.
"Why my sister...Why would you choose to keep me oblivious. Discord concerns me as much as he does y-"
Celestia released her pent-up emotions upon Luna, "BECAUSE WE ARE COMPLETELY POWERLESS LITTLE SISTER! The only magic that can match the chaos Discord brings are the Elements of Harmony and we put those in the hooves of SIX FILLIES! WHAT DOES THAT MAKE US?!" She unknowingly unleashed the complete fury of the Royal Canterlot Voice, obliterating Canterlot Tower, neighbouring towers and causing earthquakes all over Equestria. Both of them got drenched in the storm that continued to pelt them with rain.
Luna cowered into what remained of the tower. Her sister was truly terrifying we she used the Canterlot Voice. Celestia towered over Luna's shaking body. Lightning flashed across the sky. "WELL?!"
Luna overcame sheer fear and cold and whispered a reply, "P-p-p-powerless..." She was so quiet, Fluttershy would have been proud.
Discord walked his way to Ponyville; he needed to be discrete for his plan to work. He thought aloud to keep himself from getting bored, "Oh, why are ponies so regular. It's no fun without some chaos in the mix." He continued to walk down the muddy road, "Why, even my old body was more chaotic than any pony in all of Equestria." An idea came to mind. "Now why don't I do that?" He clicked his claw and transformed into a look-alike of Rainbow Dash but with a cyan mane and a rainbow coat and without a cutie-mark. "I look fabulous," he thought, "Not quite as chaotic as my current body but...It'll have to do." He flew the rest of the way to Ponyville.
Rarity trotted to Sugarcube corner with a wide umbrella on her back. Instead of Sugarcube corner, she was greeted by a giant beanstalk. "What an unsightly plant!" she thought.
She heard Mr Cake's voice, "Hello there Rarity! What brings you to Sugarcube corner?!" Rarity followed the voice and found Mr and Mrs Cake with the babies hidden beneath a giant leaf.
Rarity took off the umbrella, "What happened to Sugarcube corner?"
"We aren't completely sure, but, as far as we know, It's at the top of this beanstalk," he tapped it with a hoof. "We overhead Pinkie talking about some magic beans and caramel eggs one day but we just thought it was Pinkie being Pinkie; until one of our electric mixers went missing. Oh that electric mixer; he was my favourite. I miss him so –"
Mrs Cake interjected, "Can you just get Pinkie for us? Only she knows how to fix this."
Rarity looked up at the towering beanstalk and thought of the pony at the top; it reminded her of the incident at Dodge Junction. It took five whole hours of ChimmyCherry-CherryChanga before they arrived at Ponyville station. Her eye twitched uncontrollably at the thought of being stuck at the top of the beanstalk with Pinkie. She hesitated to reply to the Cakes' worried looks, "Okay Mr and Mrs Cake. I'll go...get...Pinkie..." She looked up at the stalk and wished Pinkie wasn't so Pinkie.
Mr Cake rummaged inside a chest and pulled out a brown saddle bag, "Here, take these." The bag was filled with climbing supplies. "I was going to climb Mount Unity as part of an Ancient History course at Canterlot University but..." he pulled Mrs Cake closer, "I never got around to doing it."
Rarity hesitated in taking the brown saddle bag; it didn't compliment her coat like her one did. "Uh, thanks." She replaced her saddle bag with Mr Cake's one. She took some duct tape for Pinkie and the ornate chest for good luck, "I'm going to need it," she thought as she looked up at the clouds.
Twilight walked up the hill to Fluttershy's cottage with a Mare-Do-Well getup; it was the last of her waterproof clothes. The lights inside were off and the windows were boarded up. She knocked on the door lightly. Only the soft chittering of animals could be heard.
Twilight yelled over the wind that howled past, "Fluttershy! It's me, Twilight!"
The sound of hoofsteps made it through the door, "Good, she isn't a complete scaredy-pony," thought Twilight as Fluttershy unlocked the many bolts made up her door. The door eased open as a yellow pegasus came into view, "Oh, hi there Mare-Do-Well. Where's Twilight?" She shrieked and slammed the door in Twilight's face, flattening her muzzle. "Thought too soon," she muttered quietly.
Twilight pushed the door open to find Fluttershy balled up beneath the carpet in the centre of the room. She pulled off her Mare-Do-Well suit before pulling the rug off Fluttershy, "Oh Fluttershy, it was only me." Twilight put out a hoof.
Fluttershy grabbed it and got back on her hooves. "So Twilight...what brings you to the cottage?" She brought Twilight into the kitchen, the only room without a window.
Twilight was about to tell her about Discord until a thought crossed her mind, "If I tell her Discord got free, she'd panic. But if I don't I'd betray her trust...OH! Great idea!" Twilight calmly faced Fluttershy, not letting her inner panic get the better of her, "Have you seen Rainbow anywhere? I haven't seen her since she left for weather duty."
Fluttershy poured two jugs of apple cider and handed one to Twilight, She told me that she was going to get some sleep in her Ponyville house. I'm not quite sure what she does to have two houses; one in Ponyville and one in Cloudsdale if that's what you wanted to know," she slurped some cider, "Is there something wrong Twilight?"
Twilight thought about Spike and the Elements in the library. She let some of her desperation into her eyes, "Yes, there is something wrong. I need Rainbow Dash."
Discord moved around freely in Ponyville; everypony was far too afraid of the storm to go outside, let alone open their windows. He trotted to where he was defeated; in the middle of town square. He placed a hoof on the statue of the Six Spirits of Harmony erected in honour of his defeat, "It won't happen again. I won't let it happen again," he repeated to himself. He pulled a feather from his wing and left it on the statue. "Never again..."
He looked up and began trotting towards the library.
Spike moaned in his bed with a stomach ache. "Overdid it with the ice-cream again," he groaned. He left the light on in case Twilight came back. The Elements were buried deep within his blanket. He pulled it closer. "Must stay awake," he thought, "For Twilight...I have...to stay...awake..." Just before he shut his eyes, a familiar figure hovered outside the window, "Oh good...Rainbow Dash...Is here...." But it wasn't Rainbow Dash who was outside.
-End-
Second chapter is finished! I'm going to take a short break and get my plot together before I release anymore chapters. Feel free to leave constructive criticism on how I could improve my writing.
Warning: The next Chapter is COMPLETELY about Discord.
Welcome Discord lovers. This chapter is dedicated to Discord! Why you ask? Because I'm the author of course!
DISCLAIMER: EVENTS ARE NOT 100% ACCURATE
It is more than likely that I will release a full version of this as an entirely new story after The Elements of Chaos is complete. Just bear with this chapter from now.
-Start-
Discord trotted away from town square, still disguised as his old, pony form. His rainbow coat was bone-dry despite the intensity of the storm. He owed it to his abilities as the Spirit of Chaos; the master of tricks; the bringer of disharmony. He wasn't always the Spirit of Chaos and he wasn't always Discord either. He thought of times long gone as he set his sights on the library.
Eons ago, a mere hundred years after the world of ponies came into existence, the pegasus race did not have the ability to stand on clouds and the unicorns did not bring the day or night; the sun and moon simply set by themselves whilst the unicorns used the little magic they had to make food for themselves. The balance of the world was thrown over by the intervention of four great entities; Starswirl the Bearded, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna and Discord.
Discord, or Hokey Smoke as he was known, had set up a stall in his hometown of New Pony. He had a rainbow coat and a cyan mane with a form similar to Rainbow Dash. His cutie mark was a cloud of smoke; hiding the truth within layers of misleading clues. His favourite use of it was to forge riddles used to scam ponies for bits. The riddle to his success was 'What piece of filly's attire, Most stokes a colt's desire?' For many years, not a single pony could get the answer.
Starswirl the Bearded was a travelling merchant who had a similar approach to making money as Hokey Smoke. Instead of scamming ponies, he traded bits of wisdom for bits and on his travels, stumbled into the town of New Pony; he followed his philosophy of taking the road less travelled when arriving at crossroads. He went to Hokey's stall out of curiosity and gained one hundred bits after answering Hokey's riddle; he was the first and last pony to answer it correctly. It was this that began an invaluable friendship.
Discord trotted past a shop that sold scrolls; other memories resurfaced.
It is widely known throughout Equestria that Starswirl the Bearded had created thousands upon thousands of spells, warranting him the right to an entire library under his name in the Canterlot Archives. What isn't known however, are the spells that no longer exist.
During Starswirl's youth, there was a crazed night of creation; a night so legendary it would have been enough to make him the most legendary of unicorns for all eternity if he hadn't destroyed the spells he created. The spells he created altered the fate of Equestria.
The first of the spells he created provided aid for the pegasus race; a spell that gave winged creatures the permanent ability to walk on clouds. Deeming it as worthless after he had cast it for the first time, he tore it up and discarded it. It was soon found by another, less talented unicorn who managed to adapt it for the temporary ability to walk on clouds.
The second spell of creation was one to prolong life. He kept the use of this spell exclusive to himself in order to ensure that his mark on history would never fade.
A transformation spell was the third one he created; one to transform regular ponies into foul beasts. Throughout his entire lifetime, this spell was only cast on three ponies. This spell is the sole reason for the discordant world that is Equestria.
The fourth and final spell that Starswirl had created was one for invincibility; it was the most powerful of the four spells. This spell had only been casted once before it was ultimately destroyed. It was used on a pegasus.
Discord sighed. Eons had passed since he had last seen Starswirl the Bearded; it was already far too late to thank him. Discord's body had never felt so distant from his mind. His body lived in the past whereas his mind lived in the future; a future where he ruled the world and rained chaos upon Equestria. Was his friend's gift really worth the pain that it had brought?
Celestia and Luna didn't always rule from the Earth; they ruled the skies from the sky, coming to Earth when they felt the chaotic aura that began developing around Hokey Smoke. They had good reason for concern.
One day, eager to mess with his newfound abilities, Hokey Smoke flew in on Starswirl using the transformation spell on two ponies. Somehow, his cutie mark spoke to him; it compelled him to be transformed as well. Soon, he became what Starswirl called 'A Draconequus'; a word from a world prior to the world of ponies meaning 'Dragon Horse'.
The next day, Celestia landed in New Pony and terminated two of the three Draconequus in existence and Hokey Smoke was soon to follow. Desperate to save his friend, Starswirl used the invincibility spell on Hokey, giving him the chance to live. He fled far north, escaping the reach of Celestia and hid in a cave.
Discord remembered the cold stone of the cave clearly. Over time, he stopped feeling cold and hungry; his new body was altering the space around him allowing him to endure the harsh conditions. Voices began calling out to him as the pain of hunger faded away. These were the voices of the many animal parts that made up his body; they slowly corrupted his mind.
When he emerged from the cave years later, he was an entirely different Draconequus with a new name: Discord.
The mind of the new Discord was more twisted and corrupt than any mind that could ever exist. He created Windigoes; odd creatures that created blizzards by feeding on chaos, Changelings; decayed creatures that fed on love for power and Griffins; animals that were half eagle, half lion as a tribute to his eagle claw and lion paw hands.
The last thing he created in that cave was a plan; a plan to attack the Everfree forest.
The Everfree forest is a mysterious place that acts unlike anywhere else in the entire world. If it weren't for the actions of the Princesses and Discord, it wouldn't have been more than a barren wasteland.
When Luna and Celestia came to Earth, they landed in a desert. Where they landed, a forest sprung and rapidly grew outwards. It was this involuntary act that they were worshipped as 'The Bringers of Life' and 'The Guardians of the Nine Realms' and had a castle built for them by the three pony races now known as 'The Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters'.
Discord appeared and rained chaos upon the forest creating Manticores, Cocatrices, Zap Apples and Timberwolves. A side effect of this attack was that the entire forest behaved unlike anywhere else. That is why the clouds moved, the plants grew and the animals took care of themselves.
Luna, Celestia and their many subjects created Canterlot as a haven for ponies, shielded from Discord's never-ending terror. Soon, Discord began his full-scale attack on the world, aided by his creations; Windigoes, Griffins and Changelings.
Discord hovered outside the window to the town's library, peering in to search for occupants. Nopony but a sleeping dragon was inside. He flew up to view the surroundings, searching for a distant landmark through squinted eyes. In the distance, a mountain was lit by spontaneous flashes of lightning. That was where he had been defeated.
He recalled the days before his defeat as if they were yesterday. Being the physical embodiment of all chaos in the world had amazing perks with damaging consequences. The way he talked, thought and even existed was different to the rest of the inhabitants of Equestria. The trait he hated the most was his impeccable memory; it was impossible for him to forget.
Shortly after his attack, Discord was eager to tell his friend of the terror and creatures he created; they were the essence of what it meant to be a proud Draconequus. Starswirl couldn't handle what had become of his friend.
"This isn't you..."Starswirl whispered.
"You've changed..." he mumbled.
"I miss the old you!" he cried.
Discord left Starswirl to cry as he continued wreaking chaos.
The next day, Starswirl joined forces with Luna and Celestia without hesitation.
Everypony in Equestria knows of the Elements of Harmony however, only the Royal Pony Sisters know how they came to be.
Starswirl the Bearded was the creator of the strongest magic ponykind could ever possess. His mind was akin to Discord's; it functioned like no other. He chose chaos to be the fuel of his weapons against chaos. Six artifacts were created, each utilising a gem of Pure Chaos; a rare gem with the ability to absorb raw chaos in the surrounding area, modified to also absorb a certain trait within the wielder. The trait that was absorbed would be amplified in power by the amount of chaos absorbed by the gem, generating an enormous amount of magic.
Each gem was finely tuned to absorb a single Element of Harmony; Laughter, Generosity, Kindness, Loyalty and Magic as they were the counterparts to the Elements of Chaos. However, the appearance of the gems could not be controlled; Pure Chaos had the odd trait of transforming into the cutie mark of the wielder that embodied the Element it was tuned to.
When Starswirl completed his work, he gave them the name 'The Elements of Chaos'.
Luna and Celestia equipped the Elements and challenged Discord upon Mount Unity; the place he reigned from. Despite the immense power that the Princesses possessed, even with the Elements in such close proximity of Discord, it was not enough. As Discord readied a final attack to destroy the world once and for all, Celestia and Luna willed their wounded bodies to defeat Discord. They had helped each other recover as Discord continued to charge his attack with all the magic he could muster.
There was only one option for the Princesses and it could have cost their lives. A light yellow aura crept around Celestia's body, speeding her recovering. As it crept over the Elements of Laughter, Magic and Generosity, they glowed and vibrated furiously on her neck. Luna copied her sister, charging the three Elements she wore. Both of them pulled harmony from their hearts and poured it into the Elements, creating a super-charged blast of harmony; a power which manifested as a giant rainbow, and turned Discord to stone.
After this, they were renamed 'The Elements of Harmony' because Harmony between the Princesses is what ultimately defeated Discord.
-Not long afterwards-
Celestia and Luna were crowned the supreme beings by the ponies of the world and gave Starswirl the chance to be honoured for all eternity which he gladly accepted. He continued sharing his magical gifts with the world, teaching unicorns how to use their magic. He never mentioned the four spells he had created and the consequences that followed him using them. He continued using his second spell to prolong his own life, giving him the chance to teach hundreds upon hundreds of unicorns. The most exceptional he had taught was named Clover whom he later began calling Clover the Clever. Only she was taught of Discord and the many sins he had committed including those involving the many creatures that had been created. After he had done this, he let himself die by destroying the spell that was keeping him alive.
Discord pushed open the door to the library. Recalling memories of the past only made his thirst for revenge stronger.
-End-
He can see all,
But not all at once.
Phase 2 of My Master Plan
I figured out where this story is gonna go :yay:
Sorry if I disappoint :fluttercry:
-Start-
Twilight and Fluttershy arrived at Rainbow Dash's house completely soaked from mane to hoof; Fluttershy's umbrellas snapped in the intense wind. Twilight looked up at the giant house of clouds that hovered above Silverwater Lake; the last location of the annual pegasus tornado. Even after three years, the house still fascinated Twilight; the way all the clouds moved simultaneously with a push from a single pegasus, how it could move itself around Ponyville but the most of all, how Rainbow could command it. Fluttershy pushed against the buffeting wind and landed beside Rainbow's bed.
She nudged Rainbow's shoulder lightly, feebly attempting to wake her. Rainbow mumbled, "I don't wanna go school mommy..." A teddy bear hidden between her hooves squeaked slightly as she hugged it.
Fluttershy tried again, "...Rainbow Dash? Could you please wake up? Twilight needs you..."
Rainbow Dash bolted upright, flinging the bear at the wall when Fluttershy said 'Twilight'; she had a terrible tendency to cause mayhem around town. Rainbow rubbed her eyes groggily and checked the clock. Half past Five. "Time for the sun to set," she thought before yawning loudly.
"What is it Fluttershy?" She stretched her back, feeling pleasure as she heard small cracking sounds. "I mean, I had tornado duty a few days ago and weather duty today, I'm pretty beat."
She shrugged, "I don't know, she never told me. She only said she needed you..."
Rainbow flew out the window, trying not to get wet in the rain, and landed near Twilight.
Twilight's eyes lit up at the sight of the cyan pegasus, "RAINBOW! You're still here!" She was afraid that Discord somehow managed to corrupt her; Princess Celestia had cast a spell to protect them from it but, anything can happen around Discord.
Rainbow tried to say, "Why wouldn't I be?" but before she had the chance, Twilight tackled Rainbow fiercely. Twilight pinned rainbow on the soft, wet grass. She leaned closer as rain dripped off her muzzle and onto the pegasus beneath.
There was a long pause before Twilight began advancing once more, rapidly closing the gap between the two ponies. Rainbow shut her eyes as they touched. When she opened them, Twilight was standing up with a hoof held out.
"When you just fell over, you had me worried for a second. Come on, get up. We need to find Pinkie Pie and Applejack." Twilight pulled up a blushing Rainbow Dash before leading the way back to town.
Rarity sat within the shelter of a wide umbrella planted firmly into the side of the beanstalk. The rain hit the purple umbrella harshly as Rarity scribbled in a diary.
Date unknown.
It has been three long hours since I began climbing the great beanstalk of Sugarcube corner. I am running low on food and water. I'm not sure how much more of this torture I can endure. If I don't make it through the night, I have a few things to say to my loved ones.
1) Sweetie Belle, this is addressed to you. If you or your Cutie Mark Crusaders do anything to my boutique, I will haunt you for the rest of your days.
2) My friends; Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow, Pinkie and Fluttershy. You were always there to cheer me up; I'm glad I had the pleasure of knowing you. Except Pinkie Pie. Sometimes you were the go-to-pony for some cheering up but the rest of the time you were a pink, cake-eating, pain in the f-
"Rarity? Is that you?"
Rarity sat upon an elegant, gold-crested chair on an elevated platform mere metres from the ground. Rainbow flew up and snatched the diary.
"HEY! THAT'S MINE!" she screamed.
Rainbow read quickly through the diary as she would a Daring-Do novel. She put a hoof on the page, rolling it over a single line. An eyebrow was raised as she lifted her head from the page. "Great...Beanstalk?...Of Sugarcube Corner...?"
A grin crept along her face as she fell to the ground in laugher. "OH RARITY! You're such a laugh!"
Twilight groaned before focusing on the task at hoof, "Rarity, where's Pinkie? All I can see is this giant beanstalk." She looked up at the tiny opening in the clouds made by the beanstalk.
Mr Cake emerged from the leaf shelter, "That beanstalk is there because of pinkie. She pawned something valuable of ours for some beans. Who'd have thought it was going to grow into that!" He chuckled lightly before reassuming a blank expression.
"Sugarcube corner is at the top of this plant. Find it and you'll find Pinkie as well." He slinked back into the shadows.
Twilight sighed, "Looks like yet another obstacle..."
Discord trotted into the library, stepping over stacks of books. "How wonderful it must be to live here," he thought aloud.
He twirled atop the remains of a destroyed machine and transformed into his regular form. He inhaled deeply, soaking up the chaos his body emanated. "Oh the chaos is strong in this room," he thought as he grabbed the Elements.
Although he had the ability to wish things into his paw, the Elements of Harmony behaved unlike regular items in Equestria. There was powerful magic bound to the Elements that forced him to be near for this ability to work.
The six Elements of Harmony were finally in Discord's claw and paw. The power that pulsated from the gems embedded in them was invigorating. There was something about them that was unexpected.
"What's this?" Discord inspected the gems closely. "Pure Chaos...My, my, he really has outdone himself this time; harvesting a gem that even I could not."
He waved a claw over the Elements, examining their numerous enchantments. He laughed lightly; the protection enchantments within the gems were strong but Discord's magic managed to break through them. He lifted a slighted seared claw, "You were quite the unicorn Starswirl...Quite the unicorn..."
He forced the palm of his paw to one of the Elements and channelled his magic through it. As expected, the Element absorbed his power, momentarily changing colour and shape. He did the same to the rest of the Elements with the same results. "Those ponies are in for the fight of a lifetime...Or not..."
He clicked his claw and a clipboard appeared.
Find Waldo. – Incomplete
Swim on land. – Complete
Walk on water. – Complete
Fly on....
Discord scratched his head a little. "Wrong clipboard."
A second one appeared with the title, 'Take over Equestria'.
[X] Phase 1 – Escape
[X] Phase 2 – Booby-trap the Elements of Harmony Chaos
[ ] Phase 3 – Eat Lunch
[ ] Phase 4 – Let the Elements of Harmony Chaos 'defeat you'
[ ] Phase 5 – Take over Equestria
[ ] Phase 6 – Fly a pie into the sun Shuffle on Twilight's head again
Discord glared at the smaller Discord who was re-writing his checklist.
"What? It was fun!" Discord glared harder. "Fine..."
[ ] Phase 6 – Birth a Camel out of your left ear while riding a pig-eating banjo into the stomach of a purple whale flying into the sun as the entire world gets devoured by a single-celled bottle of diesel juice.
The smaller Discord put down the pen. "Happy now?"
He nodded.
Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy took slow steps as they trotted into Sugarcube Corner. The door made the familiar 'Ding-a-ling' sound as it opened and closed. Nopony emerged from the kitchen as the doorbell echoed through the deserted shop. Rainbow impatiently rang the bell that sat on the counter.
"Consarn it you ponies! Learn patience before you leave the house! Just wait another Celestia-damned minute!" Applejack carefully pushed through the saloon doors of the kitchen with a tray of muffins in her mouth. She put them on a stand for display before answering the two pegasi that stood before her, "So, what brings you two to Sugarcube Corner?"
Rainbow shared a confused look with Fluttershy. "Haven't you noticed...where you are Applejack...?"
"Ah'm at Sugarcube Corner Rainbow. Why in Equestria would you need to ask me that?" She anticipated another one of Rainbow's pranks.
"Look out the window," Rainbow pointed at the shut windows, "You'll be in for a treat."
Applejack moved towards the window cautiously; it wasn't the first time Rainbow pulled a window-related prank. She nudged open the shutters before rapidly retreating behind the counter. "Now why in damn-nation is Sugarcube Corner in the sky?"
"Ask Pinkie." Applejack's fear of heights made her begin hyperventilating. "You do know where she is...right?"
Applejack calmed herself down before replying, "Do Ah know where Pinkie is...'Course Ah do." She opened another window and pointed to a castle far in the night sky. "She went over there but bein' Earth pony and all, Ah was a little concerned about her walkin' on clouds. But Pinkie bein' Pinkie..."
"It's ok. At least you tried," said Fluttershy.
"There's one last thing I need you to make Applejack." Rainbow flew out for a few minutes before returning with a bag of landmines. "With these."
Applejack began cooking up a storm in the kitchen as Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy marveled at her skill. The trio were completely oblivious to the events that followed.
Derpy Hooves crashed through the door into Sugarcube corner. "Oops! Wrong way!"
She inhaled sharply as her wings readied to take flight. Suddenly, a heavenly smell wafted up her nose; one so delicious, it instantly left her drooling. She turned slowly, letting her eyes soak up the beautiful sight laid out before her.
Freshly-baked muffins sat in organised rows on a tin tray. Not only were they freshly baked, they were made by none other than the finest chef in Ponyville, Applejack; the three apples that adorned each muffin made it obvious. Unable to maintain her calm composure, she flew at the tray of muffins with drool flying all over the place.
"MUFFINS! MUFFINS! MUFFINS! MUFFINS!" Derpy yelled out as she stuffed each one down her throat, completely forgetting about the jar of rainbows she was supposed to deliver to Cloudsdale.
Luna still cowered atop the remains of Canterlot Tower although Celestia had left to lower the sun for the moon an hour earlier. Luna's magic was all that was supporting the remains of Canterlot Tower. Her sleeping quarters got caught up in her sister's rage leaving her nowhere to go. She felt like a homeless puppy; A soaked, homeless puppy.
Celestia was far away from any pony, griffin or dragon now. She only flew for seconds at a time before disappearing and reappearing as bright flashes in the night sky. She combined flying with teleporting to aid in the long journey she had to make.
She could not stop thinking of the state she had left her sister in. Even after the incident with the spirit of Nightmare Moon had been resolved, she had never looked so terrified. That was the first time in many eons that Celestia resorted to using the Canterlot voice and the first time that she had ever utilised all that it was capable of.
This was no time to think about Luna. They may have been sisters since the beginning of time but when an enemy like Discord gets loose, family can wait.
A mountain finally came over the never-ending horizon. This mountain was far from the territories of Ponies, Griffins or Dragons. Discord had a plan, one unlike any other he had formulated. The only counter to the potential threat was buried deep within the Eternity Mountains; the source of all chaos.
-End-
I apologise for my bad Applejack-Accent. Feel free to comment on how I could improve on it.
This chapter strays from the actual plot and goes into a little about Pinkamena Diane Pie. Don't worry, nothing too graphic.
-Start-
The Castle of the Trolls floated high in the sky, invisible to all methods of detection that ponykind possessed. It was a gigantic fortress inhabited by no more than two trolls the height of a hundred alicorns, protected by a gigantic troll shield. This was an enchanted barrier that could only be bypassed by one thing, a giant beanstalk.
Pinkie Pie bounced around as she usually did. Except, this time she was in the living room of two giant pony-eating trolls without a proper escape plan. It was quite fortunate she was none other than Pinkie Pie; she was her own escape plan.
Two trolls cowered in the corner of the room covering their ears as Pinkie continued to ramble on about redundant matters.
"So then I said to Winona, I don't have any food for you! No cupcakes, no cakes, not even the root of a mandrake! So you know what I did? I gave her a carrot! The most delicious, delectable and delightful carrot I could find! She didn't seem to enjoy it much thought and that made me sad...But I know one thing for sure. She's been eyeing Fluttershy's chickens lately. I think she likes them."
Pinkie began stroking an imaginary beard in deep thought. The trolls let out a sigh of relief as she began thinking intensely.
Pinkie broke the silence.
"HEY! You know what we should do?!" Pinkie beamed proudly at the thought of her wondrous idea. "WE SHOULD TOTALLY THROW A PARTY!"
The younger troll shot a short look of shock at his brother. "What."
Streamers began raining from the ceiling as music blasted into the room from within the walls. The trolls shielded their ears from the obnoxious music that boomed into the room. Pinkie Pie continued thinking out loud, constantly recounting her week. At one point, she talked about a dream where cupcakes ate rainbow-maned ponies and the occasional murderous thoughts she was having. The two trolls should have been concerned for their life but they heard nothing.
Rainbow and Fluttershy waited at Sugarcube corner as Applejack finished off her batch of explosive-but-delicious pies.
"The pies are find to eat but...Just don't eat the black thing in the middle. Don't even touch it." Her orange hoof hovered over the landmines baked into the pies. "Seriously thought, don't bite 'em."
Rainbow rolled her eyes, "Yeah, we get the message. After all, I gave them to you." She threw the pies into a saddle bag and dragged Fluttershy to the castle far in the night sky as Applejack began abseiling down the beanstalk with a crude rope.
The trolls snuck into their kitchen as Pinkie began explaining the importance of turtles stirring bowls of punch.
The elder troll opened the fridge, looking for a beer to pacify his qualms. "That pink pony is quite the annoying one."
The younger troll replied as he shamelessly ate a jar of cookies, "Quite the annoying pony indeed. I believe there is only one way to combat this foe, Brother."
The troll pulled back from the fridge in shock, "You can't possibly be suggesting...The Elder Method?!" He slammed his clenched fist into the marble counter-top. "You swore to me and your country that you would never use such a primitive method!"
"I'm sorry Brother; desperate times call for desperate methods. That pink pony is just too great an adversary for us."
"I'm afraid that I have to agree with you." He downed a bottle of beer in one go. "It looks like we will have to resort to our lowest form of combat: Trolling."
The two troll brothers lumbered into the room. "What the...?"
Their living room had been redecorated in a less-than-elegant way; pink streamers covered the walls and ceiling, gigantic cakes sat on their coffee table, headache-inducing music boomed from an invisible gramophone and their familiar candle-lit room was now lit up by coloured lights. Both trolls eyed the pony; she stallioned (manned) a giant cannon that seemed to fire party decorations as it teleported around the room.
The elder troll stared in awe. "This pony defies all logic..." her murmured.
"Okay that's it. I've had enough. Time to bust out the big guns."
Pinkie turned to face the troll brothers. "HI! I'm Pinkie Pie and I threw this surprise party JUST for YOU! Were you surprised! Wereyou, wereyou HAH HAH HAH?!" she yelled from the floor.
"Very surprised!" the elder troll exclaimed, his brain secretly craving cake. "It's not scientifically possible for you to set this party up!"
"Well duh! When I throw parties for my friends, I have to do the impossible to make them happy! And since you aren't happy, I thought you didn't have any friends! And if you have no friends then you must be lonely. And that made me sad...And that gave me an idea! Which is why I threw you this fantasticker than fantastic party JUST FOR YOU! So now you can be friends with me! And since I'm friends with EVERYPONY in Ponyville, then you can have LOTS and LOTS of friends!"
The elder troll was shocked; despite the speed she had said that, she didn't look like she was tired at all. In fact, her smile was clearly visible to the trolls.
The elder troll eyed the cake before remembering what the pony said about making friends. "Oh dear...And just when we thought she couldn't get any worse..." He turned to face his brother, "What should we do-"
His brother had left the room. "Oh dear..."
The elder troll fell into his ribbon-covered recliner, trying to ignore the pink pony's incessant talking. She stopped when his younger brother came charging into the room with a giant club.
"Yer' goin' dawn!" he yelled.
The elder brother raised his head. "Correct your grammar," he said with an annoyed tone, "At least TRY and be civilised."
"SHART AWP BRUTHAR! Dun't teel we woot ta do! And YOU! PINK PONY! AR GOIN' DAWN!" he hollered while waving club around.
"That's not very nice! Oh well! The cake is still super-fantastic!" She ate the troll-sized cake in a single bite.
"SHART AWP!" He slammed his club into the pony. A slight splat was heard. "GAWT YAR!" Pink cake dripped off the end.
He yelled in frustration, "WHERE DID YOU GO PONY!"
Pinkie floated up to the face of the troll, her hair beginning to deflate. "CLUBS ARE FOR HITTING PINK-PONY-SHAPED PINATAS! NOT! PINK! PONY! SHAPED! PONIES!"
She rolled up her imaginary sleeves, the antics of her regular mind still clinging on before her insane half took over completely. "YOU ARE GOING DOWN MISTER!"
"O RLY!" the troll yelled out.
The elder troll put is forehead into his palm as he watched the scene, "This couldn't get any worse."
Just before he was knocked unconscious, he could have sworn pies flew in through the windows.
As the dust in the room settled, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy flew in through the giant hole they crafted in the wall. "PINKIE! WHERE ARE YOU!" they both yelled out into the abyss.
"MOAR PONIES! WE MEET AGAIN!" came a voice. A club followed and tore down what was left of the wall, opening the giant living room to the night sky.
"Who are you?" Rainbow put on a funny face.
"YOU SHOULD GU AND JOOMP OAF A CLIFF!"
"Ok. This just got personal." Rainbow rolled up both imaginary sleeves before charging towards the troll. Suddenly, a club fell from the air and knocked the troll unconscious.
Pinkie Pie floated into the moonlight. Her coat was noticeably darker, even in the night and she equipped a giant club. "THAT'S WHAT YOU GET FOR NOT WANTING TO BE MY FRIEND!" she spat at the troll's twitching body.
Fluttershy slowly approached Pinkie, "Pinkie Pie? Is that...you?"
"NO! THE NAME IS! PINKAMENA! DIANE! PIE!" Fluttershy rapidly retreated to the safety of Rainbow Dash as the club in Pinkie's hoof melted into a silver liquid before rematerializing as a large knife.
"And you sir, will be MY! FIRST! VICTIM! IN THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY NINE YEARS!" She flew towards the troll with a flame in her eyes. Rainbow and Fluttershy turned away and covered their ears as Pinkamena destroyed the troll.
The elder troll slowly recovered from his unconscious state. "What in the world?"
He found himself bounced to a chair by giant handcuffs, "OH, COME ON! SERIOUSLY?! REAL MATURE!" He scanned the room carefully, trying to make sense of his location.
"Wait...wasn't there a hole in the wall...right...there?" His eyes darted around the room looking for something familiar. Only a single light hung from the ceiling, illuminating a ring around his chair. "Oh no...I'm in the basement aren't I?"
A cold voice answered from just beyond the reach of the light. "Right you are..."
The voice sounded strangely familiar. It sounded like the pony from before except it sounded a little bit tortured. "Um...Are you that pony from before...? Smankey Sie? Swanky Pliers? Wait no...Pinkie Pie?" He squinted, trying to get a better look at the figure in the shadows.
"Correct again..." A pink hoof came into view. "Do you know why you're here?" A blade scraped against the concrete of the basement floor. It was odd how despite the troll's gigantic size compared to the pony that he could still hear everything. The thought of it sent a chill down his spine.
He swallowed his fear and answered with a shaky voice, "Um...No?"
"BECAUSE YOU WOULDN'T BE MY FRIEND!" The pony leapt from the shadows and sealed the troll's mouth shut with miles of duct tape as a blur.
Pinkamena tossed the duct tape away and walked on her hind legs up and down the chained left arm of the troll. Her hooves were icy-cold. The blade in her hoof liquefied and solidified as a scalpel.
"You know, centuries ago, I was once a powerful demon, sealed into this body no more than 20 years ago. Despite the appearance, this body has powers beyond any I could imagine. I can do things like this."
The scalpel began rapidly changing into many different weapons before finishing off as a scalpel. "Or this."
She flew before landing where she had taken off.
"Or what I enjoy most...this." Chains materialized out of thin air and flew in tight circles around the troll, restricting every part of the troll's body.
Muffled screams came from the troll's mouth as the blade in got closer to his face.
The wails of the troll only lasted minutes.
Rainbow trotted impatiently around Fluttershy who was helping herself to a slice of cake. "What do you think is taking Pinkie so long? I know a party for a troll would take a while but, we really have to hurry up!"
"I-I-I don't want to know what Pinkie does." She stared at the door to the basement. "She can get scary sometimes. Remember the surprise party we threw for her two years ago?"
Rainbow remembered it clearly. Pinkie was a completely different Pinkie; she had straight hair, a darker coat and a different personality. Only minutes earlier, Pinkie had straight hair, a dark coat and a different personality; she would never yell at Fluttershy. "Oh sweet Celestia that can't be good," she said aloud.
"What can't be goo-"
Rainbow Dash performed a Sonic Rainboom as she darted towards the door to the basement.
"Rainbow Dash! Where are you going?!" Fluttershy yelled. Her yelling had clearly improved since the Best Young Fliers competition.
"NO TIME TO EXPLAIN!"
Just before Rainbow made contact with the door, Pinkie Pie hopped out as her usual self.
"OH NO! PINKIE GET OUT OF THE WAYYYYYYYY-" Rainbow slid down onto the cold floor. "Owww..."
Rainbow found herself collapsed on the floor after ramming into Pinkie with the speed of a Sonic Rainboom. "Oh Dashie! Are you loco in the coco? You can't go to a party you aren't invited to silly! Lalalalala!"
She bounced away cheerfully humming a tune as Rainbow twitched.
Rainbow whacked the three stars above her head that indicated she was stunned before flying beside Pinkie. "What about the troll? What'd you do to him?"
"Oh silly Dashie, weren't you listening? I threw a party for him! He's so happy, he fell asleep!" Pinkie apologised to Fluttershy.
"Okay then..." Rainbow shot one last glance at the door, curious about what had really happened behind the giant cherry-wood door, before flying away with Fluttershy and Pinkie.
Rainbow and Fluttershy flew Pinkie back to Ponyville as the storm clouds began dissapating. The bell tower rang ten times as they planted their hooves into the mushy ground.
Twilight stood impatiently with Rarity and Applejack at the base of the beanstalk, sheltered by a giant purple umbrella with Rarity's cutie mark printed on it. "WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?!" yelled Twilight.
Rainbow put on a sheepish look. "We had to take a slight...detour..."
She shot a look at Pinkie who was busy stuffing cupcakes into her mouth. "There were still cupcakes at Sugarcube Corner. Right?"
"Mhm. We found a jar of rainbows that someone left at Sugarcube Corner and poured it all over the cupcakes! And Rainbow was all like, 'Pinkie, isn't that too much?' and I was like, 'It's GOOD!' so then I ate all the cupcakes and drank all the rainbows! Uh-oh." Pinkie leapt into the air, crossed her legs and put her hooves over her crotch.
"Be right back." She was a blur of pink as she flew towards the toilet in the library.
Twilight's eyes followed the pink pony that sped towards the library. "O...K...then...Anyway, let's get going! TO THE LIBRARY!"
Twilight threw a hoof into the air, gesturing her friends towards the library.
Celestia observed the long abandoned mines of the Eternity Mountains. A black gem glistened in some of the rocks. She used her magic and harvested six rocks. "That Discord will pay for what he is going to do to my student."
Discord continued to inhale the power the gems leaked once more before feeling the Spirit of Laughter heading towards the library. It had been almost ten hours since he escaped and it was about time they returned. He set the Elements all over the library before teleporting away.
He snickered as he thought, "If I can only cause a little chaos, I could at least get some when the dragon takes the heat."
-End-
Plot development is beginning to dig itself a grave because of me. Cheers.
UPDATE: I promise I'll release Chapter 6...Sometime within the next year.
The Calm Before the Storm
:derpytongue2: It's been a while. Enjoy.
-Start-
The moon shone high in the sky, illuminating the world with its luminescent white light. Celestia stood at the entrance to the Eternity mines, carefully peering into its dark depths. The white alicorn slowly slid into the darkness as her horn began radiating a pure-white light, revealing the dark gems embedded in the coarse rock. She was careful to avoid touching them; the touch of unrefined Chaos was deadly to an alicorn's body.
These mines had not been touched by hooves since Discord's reign eons ago however, Celestia remembered the mines well.
Eons earlier, Starswirl declared that Pure Chaos was to be the driving force of his new experimental weapons, 'The Elements of Chaos'. As a result of this declaration, Celestia created the Eternity mines to facilitate his request. Despite the thousands of gems of Chaos that had been delivered to Starswirl, he did not make an attempt to use a single one.
Starswirl only said one thing in response to the miners' confused looks, "Everything, both harmony and chaos, is purest at the heart."
The miners spent many weeks digging deep into the Eternity Mountains, creating an elaborate labyrinth as they dug aimlessly until they found the Heart of the Mountain; a giant cavern filled with precious metals and more importantly, gems of Pure Chaos.
Celestia continued walking through the mineshafts, shivering slightly as a cold gust of stale air rushed through her.
"Here it is."
She stopped abruptly, her golden hoof barely touching a tripwire cleverly set up to be invisible to the untrained eye. She set it off and weaved between the volleys of arrows that followed; the door to the Heart of the Mountain would only open if the first trap was set off regardless of the means. She maintained her calm composure as she flew, galloped and teleported through the obstacles.
Celestia's lungs struggled to keep up with her body, unfamiliar with such a strenuous activity; her many servants usually acted for her. She recovered at the end of the mineshaft; a grand golden door ornately decorated with rubies, sapphires and emeralds bordered by stone snakes. This door was enchanted similarly to the vault in Canterlot Tower but instead needed an incantation to unlock.
Celestia breathed deeply as she focused on her muzzle. She was to speak the language of the gods; the language only herself and Luna knew. Any regular being who heard the language being spoken by either of them would be laid with the curse of Petrificus Totalus and forever be kept as an ornament in the Royal Canterlot Gardens.
Her muzzle moved in waves that no muzzle ever should, creating a hissing sound akin to that of a snake. The eyes of the stone snakes that lined the border lit up as they slithered away into each other. When movement ceased, the door swung open in a wide arc revealing a gigantic cavern.
The cave had the same basic layout as any regular cave; stalactites, stalagmites, a high ceiling and a large, seemingly never-ending lake. As the heart of all that was chaotic in the world, this cave was different; the stalactites and stalagmites were made of pure platinum; the walls, floor and ceiling were lined with gold and the lake was liquid silver. In the middle of the lake was an island of gold bars that held a chest of Pure Chaos.
These precious metals were the product of greed; the most notable element of chaos.
Celestia was the physical embodiment of all that was harmonic in the world and did not allow herself to slip into chaos. Her tiara, pendant and hoof armour vibrated slightly as she put one hoof after the other on her approach to the chest of Pure Chaos.
Some memories resurfaced as she walked across the lake of silver, getting ever closer to the gold island. "Ah yes," she thought, "My armour is getting closer to their old home, the one they unwillingly parted from all those years ago..."
The gold bars were purer than any gold a blacksmith or whitesmith could refine. As a result, they were used in the crafting of Celestia's accessories; she was the purest pony in the entire world. As for the purple gem that sat in her tiara and pendant, they were more than just ornamental; they were gems of Pure Chaos.
During the crafting of Celestia's accessories, she had requested for gems of Pure Chaos to be embedded in her tiara and pendant. These gems of Pure Chaos were enchanted by Celestia herself; they would not transform like Starswirl's gems and also amplified her power without the need for chaos although it would be amplified to a lesser extent. A powdered form of the enchanted gem was used in the making of her hoof armour. Celestia had done the same for her sister, Luna. As a safe-guard, these accessories can only be worn by them; the power of the incantations contained within them would overwhelm any unicorn, even Starswirl.
The purpose of the Pure Chaos in the tiara was to amplify the magic passing through Celestia's horn. The pendant was used to strengthen the power of her breath and in turn, her magical potential. The hoof armour allowed Celestia to draw energy from the Earth itself and her own abilities as the sun goddess allowed for her to soak up energy from the sun.
Celestia climbed up the island of gold to the chest that sat on top. It creaked open as a golden hoof eased the chest open. Many gems of Pure Chaos sat within, untouched for millennia. She carefully picked six ones that were the right size and stuffed them into a make-shift saddlebag.
She made her way to the surface, resetting the door and traps as if she was never there.
A cool breeze blew through Celestia's constantly waving mane. The moon was still high in the sky; it couldn't have been later than one o'clock. She had to return to the mainland of Equestria in order to raise the sun in the morning before beginning work on her Pure Chaos.
"I told you Twilight! I put the Elements RIGHT HERE!"
"THEN WHAT ARE THEY DOING ALL OVER THE PLACE?!" Twilight had a hint of Celestia insanity in her eyes as her mane started bending in unforgiveable ways.
"I don't know!" Spike whined. He had been rudely interrupted from what he thought would have been a good night of sleeping and ice-cream.
Rarity held Spike defensively, "Don't yell at my little Spikey-wikey. It's not his fault the Elements are all over the place."
Twilight straightened her mane, "You're right, you're right...Just stay calm Twilight, you'll figure this out."
Pinkie hopped out of the fridge, "Someone ate all the ice-cream! Oh wait, IT WAS ME!"
She stuck her tongue out and licked off the beard of ice-cream that impossibly hung from her chin.
"Why do we even need the Elements?!" Rainbow complained, "I can't believe I woke up for THIS!"
Applejack stopped Rainbow from flying away with her teeth. "Clearly, it's 'cause we need 'em," she said through her gritted teeth.
"...But what for?" Fluttershy said, letting some of new Fluttershy's assertive nature through. "It's not like Nightmare Moon or Discord could have gotten out again...Right?"
Twilight sighed as she dropped her head to the ground. Her magic pulled the Elements from the shelves and placed them neatly on the necks of the ponies ahead.
Rainbow, Applejack and Fluttershy began accepting the reality of the situation that was happening. Pinkie Pie showed no reaction and continued to rummage around the library, "Hey guess what?! I found Spike's stash of ICE-CREAM! OMNOMNOMNOM!"
Spike blushed lightly.
Twilight rolled her eyes at the purple dragon. "I'm sorry I had to hide the truth from you but, the Princess sent me terrible news. Discord...He's escaped again."
Rainbow rolled her eyes, "Pfft! We could beat him a hundred times if we had to!"
Applejack's eyes darted around the room, "What if he's already gotten to us?!"
Fluttershy put both hooves to her face, "Oh no! Not new Fluttershy! Not again! I don't want to go back!" She broke down crying.
Pinkie's face smiled with glee, "CHOCOLATE MILK RAIN! YAY!" She ran outside and shortly returned soaked in water; the storm may have lost its punch but it was still fierce as ever. "Hey! Who turned off the rain?!"
Twilight sighed at the pink pony's irrational behaviour. "It's no use trying to find Discord when it's night and we haven't had sleep yet. Let's just get to sleep and figure things out tomorrow morning."
She guided them to the furnished spare room. "A new day, a new adventure."
Twilight woke up early, eager to start searching for Discord and serve Equestria. The sun took unusually long to rise.
"I wonder what the Princess is up to."
She walked into the spare room, greeted by five rejuvenated ponies. "I'm assuming you had a better sleep than I did?"
Rarity answered first, "Did you notice the sun go up a little late today?"
"Yes, I did actually. Really just an odd occurrence; it's not like the Princess to be slow or late."
Pinkie Pie hopped excitedly upon her bed. "OOH!OOH! ME NEXT! We had marshmallows! Spike LOVES hiding food in the bookshelves!"
Twilight ignored her for a little bit until she realised the meaning of those words. She glared at her number one assistant holding a salad for Rarity. "IS THAT WHY I SEE MICE EATING MY BOOKS?!"
He swallowed loudly. "Uh..."
"IS THAT WHY MY COPY OF 'MYTHS AND MYSTERIES OF CANTERLOT WENT MISSING?!"
Spike panicked and burped out a scroll with the insignia of Princess Luna. Hurrying to find an excuse to end the interrogation, he read it out aloud, sweat dripping from his forehead.
Dear Twilight Sparkle,
It would appear that my elder sister, Princess Celestia, has gone missing.
If you find her, be warned that she is sensitive whenever 'The Elements of Harmony' is brought into conversation. Judging by the brief glimpses of her flight path, I have come to the conclusion that we will not see her for a while. I fear the worst for the situation that is going to fall upon our peaceful land.
Good luck, Twilight Sparkle and Friends. Discord is the toughest enemy my sister and I have ever faced.
I and the Inner Circle are in as much of a crazed panic as you are so we can only say this much;
"Good luck."
Luna
Twilight gulped at the prospect of having to defeat Discord once more. They had only overcome Discord last time because he let his guard down. This time, Discord would be prepared.
Twilight spoke shakily, "Looks like we have to find Discord."
Pinkie Pie seemed as enthusiastic as ever, "That's easy! Just follow the pink clouds of cotton candy!" Her mouth began watering, "That soft, fluffy, slightly tingly with a hint of chocolate... cotton candy cloud..."
Rainbow Dash scanned the sky from within the room. "Not a single pink cloud. Not even a stray regular cloud. I could even say that...It looks like it's going to be a nice day..."
Fluttershy picked up her bunny Angel hiding behind a bookshelf chewing on a carrot, "And the animals look fine too."
Applejack took a bite out of an apple she found stashed in a shelf, "Food's alright too."
Rarity brought the sapphire Spike had given the previous day, "Is this a cheap rock?"
The five ponies shook their heads.
"Gems are fine as well."
Twilight shook her head in confusion, "That makes no sense! Discord escaped almost TWENTY-FOUR hours ago and NOTHING chaotic or chaos-related has happened!"
"Well I guess Discord is just a nice pony now." Fluttershy pat her pet lightly on the head.
"You know what would make him even nicer? If he made it rain chocolate milk again!" Pinkie was met with blank stares. "What? You know it's true."
Twilight pushed out their ideas from her head. "Discord must be planning something. I just know it. The only chance we have is to search for him by hoof. Keep the Elements on, we can't afford losing them again."
The five ponies set out to begin their long and winding search for their fears.
Discord lied on the ceiling in a cloud house high above Ponyville; too high to be noticed by even the pegasi. From the outside, it appeared to be a regular cloud however, on the inside it was everything he wanted Equestria to look like.
The ground was chequered in hot pink and red, the houses were actually cardboard cut-outs, reverse gravity for excessively delicious pies and an upside-down chicken that occasionally turned into a quince, quail, quilt, quesadilla and a quiche.
"Chaos is a wonderful, WONDERFUL thing!" he declared from his beach chair. He cringed at the next words that came into his wondrous head, 'Not as wonderful as FRIENDSHIP!'
He loudly slurped the glass of a Strawberry Milkshake before discarding it as a fragrant bar of steel.
A clipboard appeared. With a flick of his tail, a black checkmark appeared.
[X] Phase 3 – Eat Lunch
"When the clock strikes twelve, phase 4 shall begin."
-End-
THE CHAMBER OF CHAOS AWAITS!
Sorry for the wait, had my education.
