Discordant ramblings

by SteampunkBrony

Rating: everyone
Tags: Original Character, Discord, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 3292

philosophy of mine told by discord

Hello, don't mind me. Just a simple spirit of anarchy trapped in stone... oh you're still listening? well listen longer, it may make you think.

Published 2011-12-29 17:34:04 UTC
Last updated 2012-06-09 04:15:36 UTC

Hello there

Hmm? oh hello there.

Hah, startled that the god of anarchy would actually respond? Don't think me as such a prude, I rarely get anyone to talk to these days. I can tell you're curious about some things so ask away.

So you're curious as to my opinions on the royal sisters hmm? well let me go into some detail young colt.

The sisters, they are what they seem but are not at the same time. You see, they show their faces in public and keep the peace, but do they really, on both accounts, for you see, we all wear masks, even the most powerful of us.

Take Celestia for example. She's the glorious leader, the one who does no wrong, the one who is law and justice, but is she really?

I knew her before all of that, we were friends once, her and I, Luna too. Actually Luna isn't near as frigid towards me as her so called 'elder' sister.

What, you can hear the quotations there? Of course i would, Lady Moon seems to be the more reserved one of the two, you see while she may be a schemer as her sister is, she is far more subtle. I doubt you are even aware of the sheer amount of control she has regained since her return. Old sunnyflank up there probably isn't even aware of it.

What does she control you ask? Why the background noise, the subtle shadows within the government. Like a spider she weaves her web of control from the shadows, tucked away into some forgotten corner of the palace where no one bothers to dust. The web grows, stronger than steel, yet one wrong move and it all unwinds, you have to look carefully to even see it it is so thin. If you happen to spot it do take care, it will collapse if you look at it wrong.

What is Celestia then you ask? Dear boy, have you not seen the way others look at her? Most respect her because of her track record, well that and they are afraid of the royal guard. She rules this land, well i wouldn't say with an iron hoof but with more of a... well I'm not quite sure how to put it so I'll try to explain it the best i can.

Her rule is like a... ah yes one of those new candy things i found in ponyville during my brief vacation there. I believe they were called Jawbreakers, a rather delectable treat if you ask me. Sweet on the outside but layered, so that as you pay attention longer you start to notice the subtle changes from sweet to sour to bitter to spicy. That last part is a phase of her's even I'm not willing to relate...

On the outside, she's a kind and caring ruler, loving, compassionate, a motherly figure for all. Especially since she took on that student of hers, Twilight Sparkle was her name I believe. 'Tia raised her from a young age when she realized the unicorn would be the element of Magic and tailored her to be the perfect follower, one who believes what their leader says without an argument. I mean, did you see what happened with that want it need it spell? Now that was a sweet bit of chaos right there at least until Celestia showed up and ruined the fun, she does seem to like to do that to others now doesn't she?

What do i mean? She is a prankster herself and a notorious one at that... did you know just last week she convinced every pigeon in this thrice damned palace grounds to land and sit on me? I don't think I'll ever feel clean again. Then there's what she did to practically make her student use that want it need it spell, were you watching the sun that day? were you paying attention? she shortened the daytime by four hours. Then there was that fan prank she pulled on Luna... okay I'll admit that one was rather priceless but still.

Back on topic, beneath the sweet sugar coating of her rule you'll see the sour layer. Racism and speciesim are common throughout Equestria. Why in ponyville there lives a zebra named Zecora, lovely mare, kind, caring, and very knowledgeable...

Yes I have met her and yes I did hold some civilized talks with many people since that whole incident. I'm a spirit, I am not a physical being. The form of mine that is trapped in stone is simply my physical form, I still can move around I'm just a lot more subtle. Nature cannot survive without some anarchy, otherwise things would just turn into urban jungles like Manehattan with nothing but predictable concrete and glass. Ponies are miserable there, they work the same job day in and day out, hoping to climb the social ladder and get ahead in life. It's all rigged so they can't do that... actually come to think of it they must be rather insane, for is not insanity doing the same routine day in and day out hoping for different results?

Back on topic, yet again... don't give me that look I'm the spirit of Anarchy of course i have a hard time staying on topic. Zecora was at first shunned as an evil enchantress, or witch to use the simpler term, until the elements of harmony showed the town that she was all right. Celestia wasn't quite happy with that one because her facade of ponies being superior and more civilized than the other races collapsed for Ponyville. The elements did much of the same over in Appleloosa with the bison, but that's a longer tale and one that I do not feel like retelling.

Yes i did say anarchy there, not chaos. I know that's what Celestia has labeled me but the difference between Anarchy and chaos is that anarchy can be... not on second thought is peaceful. Anarchy means a state of being with no one in charge. It is possible for a country to be anarchistic but still run smoothly, it is a state of consensual peace, where peace is what all parties agree on and practice instead of needing laws and authority figures to keep things peaceful. The snow leopard people of the far north live this way, they are nomadic but each band is it's own people and they haven't had a war since... hmm you know what i don't remember exactly when it has been so long. They have had years to practice this though, it wouldn't work so well in Equestria right now.

Chaos on the other hand... well that's an entirely different thing. Chaos is the absence of order and understanding. There is no peace within chaos, there is no love there either. It is a complete lack of unity and very little that is good can become of it.

Yes... i do suppose what i did when i broke free was rather chaotic, but when your power has been suppressed for four thousand years... well everyone like to stretch after sitting still for a few hours, think about what it would be like after four millennia.

Oh? you have to go? that is to bad, please, do return soon, chats like this are few and far between for me. I'm not as mad as Cele says I am... actually I'm quite sane, I just have an alternate viewpoint. Think on that for a bit, perhaps to solve some problems you need to look at them differently.

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Author's Note:

Hello, steampunk here.

This is just a little thing I'm gonna be doing when i feel like it, occasionally i get into the mood to just ramble about stuff such as the way the world is and things like that but i never bother to write it down. Well I'm starting today and using Discord and an unnamed male Unicorn as my medium. It's in second person, you are the unnamed Unicorn and you have decided to try and talk to discord.

I don't know how often I'll be writing chapters for these but keep an eye out. These are just ramblings after all, and all i hope to do with them is make you think. Drop a line in the comments section, ask something if you want me to include it in the next chapter, (I'll try to at least) and most importantly think about things, don't just take it at face value.

until next time,

~steampunk

(P.S. Sorry about missing capitolization, I do goof that quite a bit. It's just how i type and this isn't even a story, it's more ramblings, so all you grammar nazi's out there who are about to correct me on that, buck off. With this one i really don't care so long as you can read it. Spelling however, go right ahead and gripe about, that i don't mind and I appreciate it.)

Boredom

Ah hello again, how are you today?

Hmm bored?

I see, you were bored and decided a little discordant rambling would be just the thing to clear your funk? Well i suppose that gives me today's topic, boredom.

I didn't create it that's for sure, if anything I'm the embodiment of everything besides boredom. Anarchy, chaos, those little things that happen that don't make sense that keep things interesting, but what is boredom everypony, heck everyone, asks.

Well I am an expert on the topic myself seeing as I've already spend over a one thousand years trapped in stone.

Boredom is the want to do something, but at the same time the lack of inspiration to do anything to put it simply. It's that force that makes us create because without boredom some of the... lest logical ideas such as abstract art and many kinds of music would never have come about.

Take the first ponies for example, one of them got bored of doing nothing but sleep, eat, and procreate-

What? Don't look at me like that. I was around back then, heck I was worshiped back then. Those ponies got bored with my usual shenanigans so I ended up bored as well. So I led one of those ponies over a hollow log and let me tell you, the sheer entertainment he got from the simple sound of hooves thumping against a hollow log was satisfying. He then proceeded to drag said log back to the cave his tribe lived in and things went from there. I also gave them fire a few years later while toying with lightning...

What? Isn't a spirit allowed to have fun anymore? Face it without me you ponies would still be grazing, mindless, and stupid. It's a simple fact. After the discovery of that log that pony went on to try making other interesting sounds, figuring out the basics of how to sing as well as expanding his percussion kit quite a bit.

You see, boredom is the father of inspiration, but without inspiration there is no boredom... well there's no bad ideas either but everything needs it's dark side, yes even me. The whole god of chaos bit stemmed from one of my bad days, but that's a tale for another time.

You don't thing Celestia gets bored? Oh, haha, ooh don't make me laugh!

If anypony gets bored it's her, i mean can you picture having to run a nation for 1000 years on your own? There's a reason why she's been nicknamed Trollestia you know. Just last week she stuck a table fan, yes one of the spinney kind that sits on your desk, on a pedestal where that scorch mark is. She told Luna a fan of hers was waiting in the garden. Poor Luna was expecting a pony. Poor fan wasn't expecting a sudden lightning storm.

Ah the look on her face was priceless.

How do I know these things? My dear boy, have you not been listening? I've been very, very, very bored in the past and as such I've managed to figure out a way to pull off out of body, or in my case statue, experiences. I just drift about watching Canterlot's daily hustle and bustle, adding a dash of chaos every now and then just to liven things up.

No the castle furniture's recent reckless disregard for gravity isn't my doing, that's Luna exacting her revenge although I'll admit I may have helped out with the execution some.

Cruel joke? Hah, if I wanted to make a cruel joke I'd make the element of laughter turn her friends into cupcakes. No even I have a moral compass, although north isn't always the direction it points, it never is off so far as to land on south. I have never killed anypony directly, or knowingly indirectly. I just want to have some fun.

Oh... you heard about that did you... yes well that's not something I very proud of, free will is something I do not take pride in meddling with but you must understand that I was just trying to avoid another 1000 years of imprisonment, it get's awfully lonely here in the Canterlot gardens.

It's Equestria's most beautiful city, and it's second most populated but no one talks to each other, no one bothers to have fun, all the aristocrats have their heads shoved too far up their own backsides to be able to bring themselves to hold a conversation with what they consider common folk, and all the rest are too busy trying to become aristocrats. It's one vicious cycle.

Hmm... well looks like we'll have to cut it short today, seems like 'Tia is going to take a stroll through the gardens judging from the fact I can feel the presence of more guards. Off you go now, I'd hate to see the only pony who'll talk to me arrested for just being sociable.

Farewell until next time and have a good day yourself.

Music

Ah, hello again young one. It has been a while hasn't it? a few months at least. what kept you?

Ah, a marefriend hmm? good for you. So what's on your mind?

Music? interesting. Not often that topic is brought up to me. I have always loved music to be honest with you, it is utter chaos of sound that somehow creates a beautiful melody, i know they speak of harmony and all that but really when you think on it harmony is what the listener defines as such hmm?

It is amazing what music can do when played by someone who puts emotion into it. Music is the language of emotion if you ask me, and if you don't put your heart into it, it's not music. I've been to modern clubs and the popular music these days... no emotion.

However some of this new stuff, trance is one of the genres that i particularly like aside from dubstep for obvious reasons, does justice to that definition of music. Though the instruments are electromagical the sounds they can produce are just... magnificent.

When anyone turns an art form into a passion you can tell, from the scribbles of a child to the masterful brush strokes of Celestia's favorite painter, you can see that they put their heart into it, and really, anything can be an art.

I was observing a school the other day during their band class and i was sickened at music education these days though. The teacher seemed to think that there was only one right way to play a song, and when a talented young unicorn colt about your age decided to improvise a part that was, to be frank, rather dull, the old cow yelled at him to play the music as the composer wrote it. Do you ever go to a professional concert and hear everything note for note, beat for beat how it is written?

Of course not. Unless they are children these days the musicians always add their own flare, because that's what makes the music pop out, it makes the song really shine, and the fact that there is such a rigid curriculum on how to play a piece properly, well it saddens me to no end.

Oh? you've noticed it too? the endless stream of manure that the large corporations are pushing onto you while trampling new artists with talent that that doesn't fit their business plan?

It's sickening no?

However there are a few artists that have earned my respect, that DJ P0n-3 has been making waves in the popular music world with her style and blatant disregard for all of the established musical rules. It is these musicians who keep the spirit of music alive with new ideas and sounds.

After all, a painter who paints only what he is asked to without any personal flair to it may as well be a photocopier while a graffiti artist who puts his heart into covering a wall with his spray painted message only to have it erased within a few weeks is the true artist here.

It is these visionaries who really shape the world if they can, but unfortunately more and more of them are having the creativity, the spark of imagination, stomped out of them at an early age by mass media and peer pressure, and the schools themselves don't help much either. most of them are nothing more than brainwashing camps that politely force down the urge to create and turn a child's dreams into things that can only be achieved in their dreams.

High schools are the worst though, as you no doubt have noticed judging by that bruise beneath your coat there.

Yes, the modern high school, birthplace of the mainstream and the internment camps where the popular rule and those who don't fit in are either crushed or isolated so they can't spread their disease called creativity. A world full of friends who aren't and teachers who have the job of turning a young mind into an obedient slave for whatever company they end up working for by boring them with academical standards and forcing endless streams of boring bullshit down their throats.

And they wonder why the suicide rate is so high... I mean I'm surprised their hasn't been a riot over it. I know I'd finally snap one day and either kill myself, someone else, or break the system.

most likely the latter though because the two formers tend to lead to bad things happening.

Really? Just last week?

I didn't think they taught combat spells to minors any more, and yet if you are as resourceful as that colt must have been to splatter his class across the halls...

... I'm not trying to be insensitive but once you have seen a few wars you tend to be a touch numb to the whole murder thing my young friend, and back in my day wars were fought with spears, arrows, crossbow bolts and swords, not pies.

I have a feeling that things are going to change soon, have you noticed the murmurs of discontent, the resourceful group 'the unidentified' breaking into important places and making incriminating information public, the riots outside of equestria's borders?

There's a revolution starting my friend, and it is only a matter of time before somepony's head ends up in the overhead air circulator, and when it does, it's going to be a bloody mess for everyone in power as they try to fix a broken system with the same thinking that broke it in the first place...

Think on that until next time my friend, and try not to get too depressed in the meantime.