The Grand Escape of...View OnlineWhat makes us?The Grand Escape of...The trees surrounding the Cantorlot Garden were lofting back and forth in the breeze. Birds in their nests sang wondrous songs that echoed through the morning. A glow began to slowly coat the world in it's orange glory as Celestia's sun rose up from the horizon as the moon descended. Ponies began to rise from their beds and prepare to face the day as any other. The few ponies who were already awake at this time in the morning were either the Lunar or Solar guard switching shifts or graveyard shift workers that had taken it upon themselves with a little incentive of bits to clean the changeling cocoons and even a few of the unlucky changelings who were inside when Princess Cadence and Shining Armour had created the force field. Since then the entire city and even Equestria has come to a peace it has not seen since before Nightmare Moon had risen. During the short month that had passed since the invasion; not one monster has rampaged; not one demon from the depths of Tartarus itself has awakened, and not a single drop of chocolate rain. Oh why must it be soooooo boring! In the center of the Cantorlot garden stood a large statue of the draconequus, Discord, master of chaos and spirit of disharmony. I wish at least somepony would create some sort of chaos. I mean come on an entire month with nothing happening?!?!? I thought to myself as I stood on my grand marble pedestal with that incredibly stupid look permanently plastered on my face. Maybe I could make a deal with Celestia, she could free me for a day so something interesting will happen and in return I get to go free. It's the perfect deal, win win. I mentally slammed my fist into my paw and smile to myself. Since my re-imprisonment I have been collecting any morsel of chaos I could find, small chaos, medium chaos and big chaos I collected them all and shoved them into my stockpile in order to escape much faster then waiting a few millennium for the chaos to naturally collect. My reservoir was quite large due to the changeling invasion but with all this peace and *gasp* order my fund of power has slowly been decreasing and with the rate it's going I won't be escaping yet for another century at least. I check my reservoir once more, only to find it much lower then I'd like. This is probably karma or whatever it's called for causing all that chaos isn't it? I ask myself. Everyday I watched the ponies go about their business, their happy faces as they played and did what they enjoyed. By my own beard! How do these ponies stand it? All this order and everything being where it belongs? Back when I ruled, I mashed both time and space into a ball of wibbly wobbly timey whimey stuff! Now that was fun! My second rule lasted a day or a week depending if the ponies counted all the times I raised and lowered the sun and moon. When I make my third comeback I'll show these ponies *real** fun!* My laugh echoed through the darkness of my mind. I wait a few more moments hoping that something would explode or a random monster would fly out of a random bush and threaten a pony for bits but nothing happened. Come on somepony do something interesting! Luna forget to lower the moon or Celestia raise Luna's moon and tell everypony that she is Nightmare moon and you need to send her to the moon again! Do something chaotic! I tapped my mental foot against the nothing of the conscious sending tapping noises outward into the void. I watched as the solar guards over took the lunar guards former positions and patrols never deviating from their route in the slightest. I once thought I saw once not following their route but it turned out to be a statue thief. I give a hardy baritone chuckle as I remembered the thief trying to lift me off my pedestal only to burst a blood vessel and fall unconscious. A few of the late night workers pass by my statue, each one of them dragging themselves home. The group of ponies stops and stares at me then all begin to break out into laughter. Their laughing fit continued until they were finally out of view. I knew I should have done the 'Like a Boss' pose rather then the screaming in terror one... During the time of me collecting chaos, I had restricted my usage of magic and anything requiring to much energy but with the rate of how my reservoir is being drained it would make little difference. I begin to pull a large amount of my energy from my reservoir, my skin crawled as the magic flowed through my body to my hands. I hold my paws a distance apart and begin to focus on a ball of chaos being in between my paws. I feel the magic leave my hands slowly slithering into the form I desired. As the ball formed my mind wandered to when I was still flesh and blood rather then a over sized paper weight. Ah, how I wish I could have play with those ponies for a little while longer. I thought as I reflected on joyous memories of flipping the Elements of Harmony's personalities. The faces of the ponies as they turned against one another warmed my stone core. I remember each personality distinctly because it was truly one of my greatest masterpieces. I had made Applejack the element of Honesty into a chronic liar and a bad one at that. I turned the party loving Pinkie Pie, element of Laughter, into ball of anger. Rarity the most generous pony in all the land became a greed rock obsessed psyco. The shy and kind Fluttershy became a cruel and sadistic bully. Rainbow Dash the fastest flier in Equestria and element of Loyalty was easily turned into a backstabbing traitor. And Finally Twilight Sparkle, element of Magic and protégé of Celestia, I saved for last. I took her friends and turned them against her then broke her spirit and turn her into who she really is, a lonely little pony with no friends. It would have worked, my grandest art was almost complete. So close to another world of perfect chaos where rules were optional but Celestia had different opinions. She destroyed my artwork by making them remember their 'friendship' and 'happy times' they had. I would have showed them the truth of friendship and how to make the happiest of times with chaos rather then these dull gray days they now have. The chaos had finally finished in it's form. The sphere was a greyish purple that reflected light that did not exist. The surface was wavered in and out like a ever churning ocean. I reached forward and grabbed it, feeling a chill run through my body. Ah pure chaos magic, tis nothing like it. I give one of my signature smiles. I began to play with the ball of energy. Making it shift into different forms and masses that I wanted. One moment it's a cube with a lovely heart design on it being lifted easily with one finger. The next it's a pyramid heavy as Celestia after eating cake. Not that weight really matter in a realm with no gravity, oxygen, life and fun. I begin to toss the mass in the air trying to shift it's form before it can fall back into my paws. Soon the tossing got boring, in your consciousness it gets incredibly boring. I turn the from into a large spike, perfectly smooth with a tip that can draw blood with the lightest touch. I raise the spike high in the air until I finally drop it. I put my hands out and prepare to catch the speeding projectile, Extreme game of catch. I smile, as the dart breaks the speed barrier which is relative to what I want it to be. I watch the gray rainbow follow the spike. I tense my muscles preparing to close my hands and perform such an amazing and spectacular catch. I clap my hands together in order to stop the spike only to realize it had already passed me by. I stare down seeing the bolt travel faster and faster until suddenly. *CRASH!* Wait, what did it crash into? I didn't make a surface down there for it to collide with.. Begin to float down, a subtle breeze blew my hair back slightly, Where is this breeze coming from? As I approach the spike signs of order and things of the outside world become more and more evident. The breeze became stronger, birds singing sounded more real then when I listened to them via magic and I could smell the flowers, roses, tulips, daisies, and even a little flower I created during my short time I was back in flesh that I called 'Todaisies' which were a combination of tulips, daisies and poison joke. I could almost taste the fresh air as it came to me. As I drew closer to the spike all these scents, sounds and tastes grew stronger. Slowly I descended to dart of chaos that I had created. The needle stopped around two thirds of it's length, just suddenly cutting off. I float below the dart and see nothing that could have stopped it. The bolt had stopped in mid air in a void of my mind. I level myself to the bolt and begin to examine it. The needle itself retained it's original form and continue to shift slightly. I crouch down and stare at the area where the needle stops. Small white cracks had formed around the base of the chaos spike. Could it be? I use my magic and observe my statue from the outside world. I scan my entire body looking for anything unusual. I closely inspect every inch of the statue until I find what I was looking for. A small spike was peeking out of my open mouth. It was the same purple color and matched the other end of needle. I look closer and see white crack lines also formed around it. A smile bigger then anything I have had in years crosses my face. Yes, yes ,yes and yes! I guess the elements don't have as much of a kick as last time they did. With this I can escape and bring such a wondrous and chaotic era to Equestria to these little ponies. I grab hold of the spike. It sends yet another chill down my back which is stopped by the warmth of the outside world radiating out from base. I begin to push, throwing all my strength into driving the spike deeper and deeper into the invisible wall that divided Equestria and a age of chaos. With each push the cracks near the base grew larger spreading further out showing the true confines of what I thought was a endless void. The smells and sounds increased along with the cracks. The bird songs became clearer the smells sharper. I took one final push down driving the entire spike through the wall. The invisible boundaries that had made up my prison began to fall apart like a mirror being shattered. Small bits of walls fell to the ground revealing more and more white. I begin to laugh as the world I had know for so long came crashing down at my feet. The final piece dispersed and the light grew brighter. Soon the light blinded me and all my senses. I could smell nothing, hear nothing, feel nothing and especially see nothing. My mind started to blur until all I could think of was the light. I soon lost consciousness. How funny I lose consciousness after escaping from it... I thought to myself before I drifted off once more. "Wake up Discord and face us." A feminine voice called out. Who is that? I slowly returned from my sleep. I began to slowly open my eyes, bright orange light seemed to coat everything in front of me. I push my self off the ground and sit with my legs crossed. Everything was blurred allowing me only to see vague shapes of large white towers rising high above me. I begin to rub my eyes trying to get rid of the blur. I blink a few times slowly making everything clearer. In front of me was indeed a large structure with pillars of what looked like marble rising high above the clouds. I look forward to see the voice who had awoken me. In front of me were several ponies, the two in front were a dark blue and majestic white. One had a picture of a sun on her flank and the other a moon. Each one of them stood with an almost regal aura making me almost want to bow. I could feel the intense energy emanating from the two alicorns. The other ponies that stood a little ways behind them consisted of a purple unicorn, a white unicorn with a purple mane, A yellow pegasus that was cowering behind the others, a pink earth pony ready to burst, a blue pegasus with a rainbow mane and a orange earth pony with a rather nice hat. Their faces were vaguely familiar but it was on the edge of my mind like trying to remember a dream. "Discord, how did you escape again?" The white alicorn spoke in a firm voice. I look at her confused, "Who's Discord? Am I Discord?" "Stop playing thy games, tell us how you escaped once more from your stone prison." Ordered the blue one. "Who is Discord? Who are you? More importantly who am I?"
Harmony?View OnlineWhat makes us?Harmony?"Thy tricks shall not work on us Discord!" The blue alicorn shouts with glass shattering volume. The white one, who I will refer to as Sunny, looks toward the blue alicorn, "Luna, what have I told you about using the royal Cantorlot voice this close to ponies?" "I am sorry, sister, but Discord's games infuriate me." "I know, we shall deal with Discord and then we can have breakfast." These ponies are crazy. "I'm sorry but I don't know who this Discord person is. I don't even know who I am!" The purple unicorn steps up , "Drop the act Discord! We see past your trick." "Yah!" The other ponies shout in unison. "I’m not Discord! Nor do I know who he is! How can I know who he is if I don't even know who I am!" I shout, my voice full of anger and desperation. Sunny looks me straight at my eyes, "Do you truly not know who you are?" "No, I can't remember anything." "Sister, you can't seriously be falling for his tricks! He is the spirit of chaos, he can't be trusted." "I know Luna, but something is different about him. He doesn't have the same feel." The rainbow maned pegasus flies up, "Doesn't have the same feel? He is Discord! We should just use the Elements before he steals them again!" "The Elements?" I ask. "Stop playing around Discord." The pegasus presses against my face, staring me straight into my eyes. "I am not playing! Why don't you believe me? What did this Discord person do to make you distrust me so much?" The pegasus soon becomes encompassed in a pearl glow. The aura seems to wave back and forth like the wind. Slowly the pegasus is pulled back into the group until she’s back where she was earlier from the start. The pegasus looks toward Sunny, her face full of confusion and unease. "Calm down Rainbow Dash, I don't think this is the Discord we once knew." "Why do you say that Princess?" The purple pony inquires, with the rest of the group nodding in agreement of the question. She smiles warmly, "For one he has been sitting in one place for more then a minute without creating any chaos." What is she talking about? "Who would purposely cause chaos? Isn't that evil?" Each one of the ponies beside Sunny rears back in shock from the statement. Their faces are shocked beyond belief. I think the pink one's jaw might fall off if it went any wider... The ponies take a moment to recover from their mental trainwrecks. They eventually return to normal kinda but it was incredibly evident that the shock on their faces are still stuck, like glue on paper. "There’s no way that can be Discord, I mean, like Discord is all mean and is like 'Grrr, I'm Discord and I love spreading chaos’ but this guy is like 'Why would anypony spread chaos?'" the pink pony shouts in a blur of words. "I'd have to agree with Pinkie on this, darling, Discord is much more frightful, but this fellow is more like a sad little puppy then the chaos obsessed brute who nearly turned us against each other." The white unicorn speaks to Sunny in a much more sophisticated voice then the others. The blue alicorn looks back at what I assume are her friends, her face much more worried then earlier. She continues to look back at her friends, then to me, then to her sister, then to me again. The white alicorn did not seem to take notice and keeps her eyes fixed on me. She turns to the other ponies, facing her back towards me. "We shall discuss this in private, my little ponies." she turn back to me, "Stay there, if you leave that spot we will assume you are Discord and we will use the elements of harmony on you." I look into her eyes and receive a cold stare back telling me she was serious, "R-r-right, I'll stay here.." "Good." Her smile returns briefly before she leaves with the other ponies to a small corner of the garden still within my sight. I lean a little closer in and hear the one that Sunny called Rainbow Dash say, "Why don't we just use the elements on him now while he isn't watching." I release an audible gasp, and look back toward the group only to see them all staring back at me, a hint of success in their eyes. Oh thank... whoever is in charge around here, they were just seeing if I could hear them. Right? The ponies retreat a little ways further and begin to talk once more. I could only catch murmurs of words, thus proving their efforts to make sure I didn't eavesdrop a success. A moment passes before I begin to inspect my surroundings. A large castle is situated in front of me, the entire building seems to be made out of marble or another white stone. Several large spire rise above the entire building, the white stone reflecting the light everywhere, giving it a luminous shine. A few of the towers seem to defy logic and gravity by only being held up by a single bridge or a pillar connecting to the main building. The domed roofs of the spires were gold and black swirling all the way up to the peek of it. A large waterfall constantly tumbles downward a fair distance away. The waters constantly shifts back and forth as they fall off the cliff, almost like a dance. It's pretty beautiful. I smile gently at the waterfall then continue inspecting the area. I’m in a garden of some sort, with various statues of ponies or some other fantastical creature each one made with a incredible detail. Various flowers are scattered across the outside edge of the garden. Roses, tulips, daisies and a flower that was a light yellow mixed with blue decorate the outdoors another layer of beauty. I look around, I could easily identify what things were called and what they’re for but when I learned those things and how were completely blurred or non existent. It’s like my mind was a bookshelf and the books held everything I knew, but now there are only the covers of the books so all the details were missing or blurred beyond comprehension. As time passes my mind begins to wander. What did that Discord person do to cause so much distrust? I mean they couldn't have been hostile to me for no reason. I lay back onto the grass and stare at the sky blankly. A few clouds come and go along with some pegasi, either pushing the clouds or carrying some sort of package in a rush, not even taking a moment to enjoy the scenery. I almost feel bad for them. Having to rush between places never getting a chance to stop and smell the roses.. The sun is now high in the sky directly above me, causing me to close my eyes and sit up. I open my eyes once more and see Sunny walking up to me and the other ponies heading into the large structure, "I am sorry for what happened earlier, we thought you were somepony else. I would like to offer you a temporary stay in Cantorlot Castle until either your memory returns or a suitable home for you is found." Her voice is gentler then before, almost motherly in tone. "Thank you, I was worried you would punish me because of whatever that Discord person did." "It would have been quite unfortunate, now while you’re staying at the castle we'll look for a house in a nearby town called Ponyville. It's close enough that we can check up on you and my student lives there in case you need any help." She gives me a warm smile. "Wow, you’re being awfully nice. I mean, just a while ago, you were threatening to hit me with something called the Helements of Armory, or what you called them..." The worry in my voice clearly shows. "The Elements of Harmony are a tool used to stop any great evil that may try to terrorize our land. I'll introduce you to them later but for now we need to give you a name until you remember your own." Her voice is soft. "How about Harmony? You like those elements of Harmony you just talked about." Her smile fades somewhat, "That sounds... fine, Harmony. It is a pleasure to meet you, I am Princess Celestia Co-ruler of Equestria with my sister Luna." I knew she was a royal of some sort. "It's a pleasure Princess, I am... Harmony." She turns toward the castle, "Come, Harmony. Let's go meet the Elements of Harmony and my sister. "Alright, Princess." I think today is going to be good.
Meet and GreetView OnlineWhat makes us?Meet and GreetI follow Celestia down the winding hallways of the castle. Her multicolored mane and tail float in a phantom breeze. The clip clop of her hooves echoes through the nearly endless halls. I begin to take in the sights as we moved along toward a place unknown to me. Large stained glass windows are spread across the walls reaching almost from the floor to the roof. Each window showing a vibrant display of colors, all combining together to create a masterpiece I have no chance of recreating. As if.. The thought passes through my mind, like a whisper from behind me. It feels familiar yet foreign to me all at once. Each picture shares a common theme of ponies playing and running in fields and generally enjoying themselves. Yet, somehow, each one has their own special touch that made it unique from its neighbors. A few of the windows show less common themes but still hold their beauty. One was of ponies sleeping under the moon's light, another of two ponies, resembling Celestia and the one she had called Luna, both raising the moon and sun. Light from the outside let the windows give off a glow, shining vibrant colors of spectrum. My view of the windows is being continually interrupted by large pillars of marble rising from the floor to ceiling. The roof is possibly the least amazing part of the entire castle. It’s domed and raised up quite high, almost as if they expected a giant to enter their halls. I stop admiring the lovely scenery of the castle and look forward. We are approaching large set of doors. The doors themselves could easily fit a great deal of ponies through at once. They are lower than the pillars and only reached about half way up the wall. "We generally use these big doors for the Gala so ponies don't have to crowd." Celestia speaks back to me. "That's a... interesting fact." I lie, not wanting to offend the princess. We stop and she turns back toward me, "Would you please wait one moment? I need to remind my friends about something." "Alright..." She gives me a soothing smile but it feels forced. She turns toward the door as her horn begins to glow white once more. I lean to the side in order to see what she was doing, only to see a similar glow encircling a smaller rectangle on the grand doors. Doors within in doors? I think to myself. Doorception... Once again, a strange thought passes through my mind. The rectangle opens to the side allowing passage to the princess. She walks through the doorway which immediately shuts behind her. I fiddle with my finger for about a second before my curiosity gets the best of me. I press myself against the crack between the doors. Small tidbits of sound leak through the crack that I could make sense of. "Are you sure this will work Princess?" The voice of the purple unicorn reaches my ears. "Yes, it will work fine and Discord," The sound becomes muffled before returning to its former clarity, "There is very little chance this will fail." Damn, they keep skipping. "Sister, I know you and Discord have history but are you sure?" I could almost feel the comfort of her voice, "Do not worry, Luna. We will make things right finally." "Alright sister." "Are we ready to meet our 'new' guest formally?" A unison of voices speak up, "Yes, Princess." I quickly push myself off the wall. I quickly make my way to the nearest pillar and begin to lean on it. I pretend to look at my paws while secretly checking the door. Soon a similar alabaster shine enveloped the entire door. The door slowly creaks, opening to allow passage. The Princess soon steps out from behind it and looks towards me. "They're ready for you now." She speaks calmly. I push myself off the pillar and begin to walk towards the door, "Alright." I follow Celestia through the door. The sound of the door closing tight fills my ears. I look back to check and sure enough it was shut back into its original location. I look forward, ignoring the fact that my only escape route had been blocked off. Why would I need to run? It's not like they’re going to just randomly attack me... The room in front of me is much grander than the hall. The roof is as high as the hall's but, instead of being bare, it is decorated with intricate chandlers that twisted and turned like a wall of vines. I must have entered the center room, considering the lack of windows. On the walls, various paintings and long cloth tapestries, showing scenes from what I'd assume are history or fairy tales, adorn them. Armors that would fit ponies perfectly are spaced between the pillars on the sides of the room. Most of them are of a golden color that matched the guards that stand not too far away. The white earth ponies, beside the mannequins, wearing helmets of same hue with what looked like brushes on top of them. The helmets reached down the back of their neck to intertwine with their golden armor. Their attire seems to reflect even the slightest light that hit them. I look in the center of the room to see a large table spanning nearly the entire room. Chairs are spread evenly apart and directly across from each other. There are two larger seats at one end of the table with another equally large one on the other. The six ponies from earlier are seated near the two larger chairs where the blue alicorn sits now. Celestia walks slowly to the other chair beside her sister. She takes a seat herself and the entire attention of the room is given to me. Wow this is possibly the most awkward situation that I can remember. Oh, wait... I could almost hear the echo of a laugh in my head. "Now Harmony, why don't you take a seat?" Celestia motions to the large chair in front of me. As I begin to take a seat, the purple unicorn speaks up, "Harmony?" "It was a name he chose, Twilight. I think it fits him fine." She holds a gentle smile while she spoke. "I'm sorry, did I choose a name that was sensitive?" I ask with honest curiosity. "Not at all Harmony. It's just we’re called the Elements of Harmony so there may be some confusion." The white sophisticated unicorn says with a hint of nervousness. "I could change it if you want." "NowaythenameHarmonyfitsyouperfectlyanditwouldbeawasteifyoudidntuseitIalsoalreadyorderedthebannersandpartysuppliessoitwouldbesorudetothepartyponiesIorderedthestufffrom!" The pink pony speaks in a blur, making the words blend together. I scratch my head, "What?" "Basically she said keep the name." The orange earth pony speaks with a country accent. "Alright..." "Shall we get to the business at hand?" Luna says, interrupting the short silence. "Ah yes, Luna. Well, Harmony, allow me to introduce you to my student and element of magic, Twilight Sparkle." The purple pony sits forward, "Hello... Harmony." The purple unicorn looks nervous at the least. She constantly looks back to the princess for reassurance of something then back to me. Her mane is slightly frizzled, showing how much stress she must go through each day. A single magenta strip crossed through her hair. That different.. "Applejack, element of honesty." "Howdy... Harmony" She paused almost as if she was thinking of a word to use and instead opted for my name. “Hi...” I have to admit she looks like she’s giving me the ‘Make a move, you’re dead’ signal. Applejack holds herself with pride. Her mane and coat nearly matched. The signs of a working pony evident on her body. Bits of dust and dirt hang in her mane. Scratch mark lay around her body. The most interesting part of her appearance is the hat. It has a large rim that covers over most of the top of her head. The hat looks worn down but still clearly in good shape. She keeps her eyes on me with an expression of distrust. Geez what did I do. "Fluttershy, the element of kindness." I look over to the yellow pegasus who lowers herself under the table, " Hello... it's nice to meet you." "I'm sorry, I didn't quite hear that." "Hello, it's nice to meet you." Her voice is a little more audible but still sounds like a whisper. "Once more, please." "It's nice to meet you..." Her voice finally became audible. I smile but that only seemed to frighten her more, "It's nice to meet you, Fluttershy." She finally rises up from under the table giving me a good view of her. Her yellow coat blends well with her light pink mane. She hides one eye behind her hair while the other shyly peers out. She seems incredibly uncomfortable with the situation making me feel bad for her. Poor thing... "Anyway, that is Rarity, the element of generosity." The princess points toward the white unicorn. "Charmed." Her tone remained neutral, almost dead really. Rarity sits in, possibly, the most proper position I have ever seen. Her purple mane and tail are perfectly trimmed and coiffed. The way her mane and tail contrasts against her white coat seems to radiate sophistication. Her mane and tail lays against her chair and back neatly. I feel improper just by being in such close proximity to her. "Over there is Pinkie Pie, the element of laughter." I look over to where she was pointing but see only an empty chair there, "Princess, there’s no...." A pink blue flashed before my eyes, "Oh my gosh it's so nice to meet you Harmony. Well I met you outside but that was when we were being serious. Now we can be friends! It’ll be fun! We'll have parties, games and so much fun!" Her tone is slower than before but still requires some focusing to understand fully. "Uh, I'm sure we will, Pinkie..." Her smile grows larger nearly defying logic. Her pink mane and coat blends perfectly together. Her very presence makes me feel happier. She vanishes once more and, after I blink for a second, reappears in her seat mysteriously. I rub my eyes and look again to make sure I’m not going crazy. How did she do that? "And the last one is Rainbow Dash, the element of loyalty." The rainbow maned pegasus flies out of her seat, getting just close enough to stare directly in my eyes. I swear I think I see fire in them... "Sup.." The word is simple enough but the antagonistic tone clearly gives the message that she did not like me. My curiosity gets the better of me, "Nice to meet you..." "I bet it is." She keeps her withering look locked to me. "Yah.." None of the ponies made a point of stopping her from using that tone this whole time. She slowly backs off. Her eyes constantly glaring daggers as she flies back to her spot. Her rainbow mane flows back behind her. As she lands, I can clear tell she flew everyday due to the state of how messy and random her hair was. She just seems to buzz with anticipation for the next chance to fly. "Now that we have introductions over with, let's get to the main issue. Since you've lost your memory, Harmony, we will have to find you a place to stay." "Yah, I suppose that would be needed." I fake a laugh in order to relieve the tension. Luna speaks before her sister, "We can offer thou a place at the castle until a suitable replacement home is found." "You’re being awfully nice, is it because of that Discord pony you were talking about?" They seem to tense up at the name, "What?!? No, of course not." Twilight tries to act calm and failing horribly, her shifting eyes darting from one space to another. Princess Celestia looks at Twilight with a reassuring smile that manages to calm her down, "No, Discord is just another one of your kind." "Another of my kind? Shouldn't I go look for him? Maybe he can help me get my memory back." Luna's face turns crestfallen, "We're afraid Discord isn't exactly a creature you would want to discuss such matters with." "Why?" "Do not worry yourself, Harmony. Discord would only lie to you. He is a trickster and a monster." Once again, an echo of a laugh goes through my mind, sending a slight chill down my back. "Oh, alright. If he is truly that bad, I guess I'll just wait for my memory to return on its own." "Tis a wise choice, Harmony. Now, until a new place of residence is found, let us show you your room." I give a toothy smile, "Alright." Celestia begins to address the elements, "You six can head back home. I will send a letter when our new friend here has a place." Twilight smiles, "Alright Princess." She turns to the guards, "You may also return to your duties." "Yes ma'am." They say in unison. The six ponies lift themselves out of their seats and make their way to another door on a side of the room. The guards soon follow after them, making their way to multiple doors that seemed almost hidden to those not looking for them. Soon the room is vacant with the exception of me, Luna and Celestia. A cold silence fills the room for a moment or so before Celestia speaks. "Well let's go to your temporary room shall we?" She gives a warm smile similar to the one she gave to Twilight but with a hint of worry behind it. "Let’s." I begin to follow the princess through the doors opposite of the ones that the elements had left through. The halls twist and turn. The halls are similar to the previous one but the difference being that there are no grand glass windows that decorate the walls. Only different sets of armor that varied in size, color, material and style line themselves for my eyes to see. A few particular sets intrigue me. One set of armor looks as if it was pulled straight from nightmares. The helmet has a jagged piece of metal that was meant to firmly wrap around a unicorn’s horn. The metal is of black steel that seems to absorb the light that hit it. The helmet follows the same design of the guards’ armor by extending down the neck. The main piece of armor has what looks like chain-mail to cover the tail and wings of a pegasus without inhibiting their ability to fly. The leg pieces are two pieces with a small divide around the knees in order to allow for finesse in movement. Another set of armor is almost the exact opposite in temperance. A brilliant white metal that gives off a rainbow sheen anytime light touched it. The horn piece is open for a more comfortable fit over the other armor. The armor runs down the neck in an almost smooth line, only interrupted by small bumps of the seams. The wings and tail are left unprotected but the main piece still remains, keeping a vaguely similar look to the current guard armor. There is no leg protection. This armor is clearly made less for combat and more for show due to the design of vines and symbol of the sun imprinted on it. We continue down the halls, each section holding another piece of art in either the form of a painting, tapestry or armor, each one with its own flair of style. Very little did designs repeat and when they did, they had obvious changes to give it its own uniqueness. We make our way down further until we finally reach one of the large towers that I had seen from the outside. A long winding stair case leads all the way to the top. The princesses stop at the bottom then turn to face me. "Well Harmony, this staircase will lead you to your new room. When we find a suitable house for you in Ponyville, we will send a message to you. If you need anything like food or books, ask the guard that will be posted here shortly alright?" "Uh, yah thank you. I still don't know why you are being so nice to me." "Has thou given us a reason not to be?" Luna speaks with the same strange vocabulary. "Well, no." Celestia smiles briefly, "Then there is your reason. Now if you will excuse us, we have to tell the guards about you and deal with some other work." "Alright." The two princesses take separate paths, each off to do their own business. Guess I should go check out my new room. I begin the ascent up the tower. The steps are a nice height, making each step easy. The slope was also decent, most likely lower then it would be if I had built the staircase due to the ponies’ stature. I soon make it to an opening that leads to a single room. In the center is a large master bed with a lovely canopy above it being held up by four wooden pillars from the frame. To the side are a large dresser and a mirror. Well those two things are pointless... I look around the room. There’s nothing special about it besides being on possibly the biggest spire in the castle. I look towards the bed. The sheets look so soft and orderly. The pillows are arranged perfectly. I make my way over the bed and crouch. With much force, I propel myself upward onto the bed. I begin to fly through the air. I look downward, ready to see the bed coming toward my body. Instead I see the bed moving beyond my body, passing me. I show no signs of lowering or landing on the soft bed. This can't be good.. My head makes contact with the wall, making a solid thunk that reverberates through the room. My entire body bounces back onto the bed. When I hit the bed, I almost instantly lose consciousness. A/N Please comment, like and fav. Especially comment, how else am I supposed to know how many ways I fail? Your Fishy Overlord, Troutking
A Friendly BreakfastView OnlineWhat makes us?A Friendly BreakfastA soft throbbing pain pounded into my head slowly bringing me out of my slumber. With each beat bringing me closer to consciousness. I lift my eyelid slowly allowing the rays of the sun to enter my eye bit by bit. I remain still for a moment collecting my thoughts together as the light warmed my fur. I place my paws firmly against the bed and roll myself over. I sit up on the matress, it shifts to my weight allowing for maximum comfort no matter how I sit. A large yawn escapes my open mouth as I survey my surroundings once more. The dull gray mist was replaced by the same furniture I had seen before my involuntary nap. "Was it just a *yawn* dream? Did I actually go inside my own mind... Oh god, is there really a creepy voice in my head?" I ask myself. I push off the bed and stand up. Cracks and pops reverberate through my body as I stretch out. With my joints and body stretched and ready for what lies ahead I begin to walk around the room. I walk towards the window and inspect the outdoors. Several pegasi soared through the sky near the tower creating zipping shadows as they passed by the sun. I look out and see a bustling city. Ponies running back and forth with packages or hauling large carts of supplies to some unspecified location. A few large factories near the very back of the metropolis spewed a small amount of black clouds. I open the window slightly to allow fresh air inside the room. The creaking noise created by the window reached the ears of a few of the pegasi whom all turn around to face me. Their faces were deadpanned as they glared at me through the window. I back away a few steps from the window and sheepishly smile. The pegasi turn away from me and continue their activities. The cool sensation of sweat rolls down my forehead in a single drop before I wipe it away. I take a deep breath allowing the fresh air to fill my lungs before exhaling. A low rumble resonates from my stomach. "I guess I'm hungry... What did Celestia say about food? Something about a guard at the stairs..." I look around the room in order to find the stairway. I stop my search at a medium sized wooden door. I stride towards the door and pull on the handle with my paw. The shadows created by the lack of windows in the stairwell gave the corridor a eerie feeling. I take my first step down the staircase. I felt my foot snag on my tail as I attempt to take another set. Worry soon fills my face as I feel my balance shift downward. This is going to hurt... I feel the chilling laugh of my 'friend' echo in my mind. Gravity pulled me down shortly after, sending me barreling down the stairs. I bounced up and down constantly spinning sideways or upside down. After nearly half a minute of tumbling I finally arrived at the bottom of the staircase with a thud. A groan escapes my mouth. I push myself off the floor still groaning from the aches and pains. I shake off the fall and walk towards the end of the hall. I poke my head out of the large doorway in search of a guard. "Ahem..." A voice speaks from behind me. I yelp and jump back from the voice before turning around. Behind me was a white unicorn. His armor was polished silver, and followed a similar design as the armor I had seen earlier. He wore a bored expression as he stared at me. "The royal sisters have informed me to escort you to the dining hall for breakfast." Even his voice was in monotone. I rub the back of my head trying to soothe a sore, "Alright.. uh lead the way I guess." The guard began to lead me through the castle. I recognized a few of the statues and pieces of art which were centered around an alicorn. I could tell they weren't Celestia or Luna but they felt familiar. As we walked through the grand hallways of the castle; we passed by several of the staff as we walked. A couple of the cleaning ponies fled as if I was chaos incarnate at the sight of me. A bone chilling laugh bounced through my mind. We soon came to a rather impressive door made from wood. It wasn't as grand as the door to the ballroom but it still retained some girth. A large set of double doors with what looked like a royal seal embedded within the wood. The guard's horn began to glow as he opened to the doors. They swung outward revealing the dining hall. I watched the guard walk away leaving me alone to enter the room. I began to stroll into the dining hall, soon afterward a screech of some kind of banshee echoed from within the hall. "It's a monster! Run for your incredibly expensive lives!" Cried the voice. I look over to the source of the screeching to see a young mare pointing at me. The earth pony wore a face of almost absolute terror as she watched me. Several of the other guests at the table soon realize her distress and turn to face me. A single awkward moment passes as I stare at the ponies and they at me. The mare who had first seen me snapped out of the stare and broke the silence. "Well don't just sit there and stare at it Satin! Get rid of it!" She shouted angrily at the stallion opposite of her. The stallion snapped out of his trance and looked toward the mare, "Oh...uh yes honey!" Satin got off his seat and leviatated a large sack with him. He slowly began to make his way to me. The entirty of the walk he kept his eyes locked on me. He soon was only a few feet away from me before he spoke up. "'Take these bits and do not return creature." He threw the bag causing the golden coins within to spill out. I look up from the bag of gold bits toward the mare. Her expression was furious to say the least. "Satin Cowl, you will not be bribing a monster to leave! Now defeat him like a real gentlecolt!" "Yes dear..." He levitated the sack back onto the table. I begin to look around for some sign of the princesses to end this madness with little success. I stared back down at the stallion who was clearly fearing for his life. The stallion repositions his legs so that he had a more stable stance. Satin furrowed his brow in concentration. At first I thought he was trying to imtimidate me but soon his horn adopted a soft orange glow. I watched the glow grow brighter until it finally reached it's peak. I look down at myself to see if he had done anything to me but saw nothing out of the ordinary. I turn my head back toward the stallion just in time to catch something crisp with my head. A moment passes as I try to figure out what had just happened. I take a glance to the floor only to see a large baguette just laying there. I stare back at the stallion with minor disbelief that he threw bread at me. My eyes shift to the scene occuring behind him. Several baked goods were floating in mid-air all encompassed by a familiar orange glow. "Did you just throw a..." I was quickly interrupted by a croissant to the face. I quickly recover and attempt talking once more, "Look would yo..." This time a muffin was shoved into my mouth. The muffin drops from my mouth as I make another try, "Would you st..." A continuous rain of baked good was launched at me. Croissants, cupcakes, sandwiches and other assorted goods were flung toward my general direction by the stallion. His aim was terrible. I took a quick peek through the volley of foods to see him cowering down with his eyes shut saying something about "Dear Celestia make this work." The splattering of various pastries hitting the floor and the wall behind me reach my ears. A moan of opening doors fill the air within the grand dining hall. Suddenly the assault of cakes and breads ceased. I relax my points and look toward the ponies at the table. Several foods remained in a mid air stasis while the ponies were fixed not on me but behind me. I slowly begin to turn toward the door. The pieces of food pull on my fur before plopping onto the ground. Finally completing my 180 degree turn only to see three alicorns standing in front of myself. Luna leaned toward Celestia. "Sister doest thou know what they are doing?" "I think it's rather obvious Luna. Satin there is conducting B.G. Warfare against Harmony." The third alicorn whom I did not know turned her head to Celestia. "What's B.G. warfare?" "Why B.G. warfare is baked good warfare Cadence." Celestia gave a gentle laugh at her own joke. Luna walks towards both me and the nobles. "We are sorry Harmony. It appears that our assumptions that the nobles would act calm enough the first time that they met you that me and my sister could inform the guards but..." A large mish mash of baked goods dropped down from the ceiling infront of Luna. "It seems we were incorrect." "At least he didn't get here before we did, Luna." Celestia spoke. The pink alicorn shook her head in agreement."Yes, this entire situation would have been much worse had he been here." "Without a doubt, Cadence" "Um... who is this 'he' you are speaking about?" I ask with a genuine curiosity. Celestia looks over in my direction. "We are speaking of my nephew prince..." She was quickly interrupted by the sound of the door behind myself being flung open. The sounds of hooves hitting the ground in a rush fill the room. Small wheezes for breath reach my ears before a thundering voice shouts out. "Aunty! Aunty! Aunty! The servents tell me there is a creature roaming the castle! We need to summon the royal guard and get rid of this intru..." I turn around to face the pony behind me. I stare at the horrified stallion for a brief moment before speaking. "Hi."
Meeting a FriendView OnlineWhat makes us?Meeting a FriendI open my eyes expecting either the brilliant rays of the sun or the gentle beams of the moon to shine into my eyes. I receive neither of those two conveniences. As I stare upward, I do not see the canopy of the bed. I see a dull gray void that seemed to continue on forever into nothingness. I roll over onto my stomach in order to push myself off a seemingly invisible floor. The ground that existed yet remained indiscernible to my eyes was veiled by a shroud of fog. The air remained still yet the fog moved like millions of snakes slithering around the floor. I felt my neck crack as I look forward. The floor was not the only place where the dry mist cloaked. Ahead of me was another endless void that began with the light gray color of the fog but progressively got denser and darker the further out you looked. Eventually, the shades of grey blended into black void that I could not hope to reach. I push myself off the transparent floor, and finally come to stand and look at my surroundings more. Each direction shared the same endless void. "Hello! Is anyone there?" Echoes of my voice are sent into the abyss. I begin to walk forward into the void. The I came closer to the darkness, the further it retreated. Strangely as I walked not the slightest sign of fatigue or discomfort affected my body. I've been walking for at least an hour yet I feel the same as before. I soon tired of the ever reaching greyness if the void. "Wow, I wish there was something besides grey. I mean come on this is ridiculous!" "Are you colorblind friend? I count at least 50 shades. Then again they're not very good are they?" A mysterious voice replied. I quickly turn around looking for the source of the voice, "Is someone there?" "Hmmm..." "What's the hmmm for?" I ask into the nothingness. "I'm debating whether I am here or not." I tilt my head to the side, "Your debating whether your here or not... while speaking to me?" "Yes, also I have an answer, I am not here." "That... doesn't make any sense." A laugh echoed through the void, "Making sense? What fun is there in making sense?" "Well there is..." The voice quickly took the chance to interrupt me, "Wrong! There is no fun in it." "Right... can you at least tell me who you are?" "Who I am? Just who the hell do you think I am?" The voice sounded enraged and ready to fight, "Actually, that's a pretty good question." "Well?" I look around constantly looking for the source, "Well what?" "What's your name?" "Hmmmm, why don't you tell me your name first? His voice constantly shifted position. One moment it's in my ear the next it's a distant echo. I constantly look around me searching for the voice only for it to jump to another location. I began to get dizzy from the amount of spinning around looking for the invisible creature behind the voice. "Why should I? I asked you first!" I screamed into the void from the sheer annoyance the voice has caused me. "Well if you don't want me around, just say so and I'll leave you alone in this void of nothing." His voice sounded like a melodramatic actor trying to hard at a play. My senses snap back to me after the brief rage I had, "Wait no, my name is Harmony." A cold chill ran down my spine, "Well 'Harmony', you can call just call me a friend for now." "Ok 'friend', who are you and what is this place?" "Who I am is nothing of importance right now, and this place is your head." I look up in the air, "Your kidding right?" "Do I look like I'm kidding?" "I can't see you..." I cross my arms and glare into the void. "Exactly!" I could feel the joy in his voice. "Can you make at least a little sense?" "No." I bring my paw up to my face and begin to shake my head left to right, "Fine, can you at least explain the part about this being my mind." "I don't know can I?" "Will you please explain the part about this being my mind?" Another chuckle comes from the void, "Well since you asked so nicely, sure." "Well?" "Oh, you want me to do that now?" He sounded like a five year old trying to be clever to his parents only to annoy them. I give a brief sigh, "Yes..." "Ok kiddy listen close cause I'm not repeating myself." "What?" A cheerful laugh fills the void, "Nice try friendo, but I'm a little to clever for that." My irritation was reaching it's peak. I give a fake smile to the void in an attempt to be friendly to the voice. Does this guy do anything but laugh? I thought to myself. "If I didn't laugh all the time then there wouldn't be any fun." "Right... wait how did you hear that? I didn't say that did I?" I scratch the back of my head with my paw. He continued to use the same cheerful tone, "Like I said friend, this is your mind. Your thoughts are like global announcements. Now do you want me to explain it or not?" "Yes." "Yes what?" I glare daggers into the nothingness, "Alright alright." From the sound I could tell he took a big breath in, "Thebodyyouareusingisarepresentationofwhatyouthinkofyourselfratherthenyouractualbodythisareaaroundyouisthatyourmindiscurrentlylikeemptymostlyduetoyourlossofmemoryasyourlifeprogressesthisplacewillbecomefilledwithyourexperiencesandmemoriesthefogcomesfromthememorylossyouhavesufferedandisblurringyourmindthelessfogthemorememoriesyouremember. You get all that?" His pace of words almost rivalled that of Pinkie. "Uh." "Good cause I'm not explaining it again. It took a lot of air out of me." "Wait, this is how I see myself? So if I think that I become a dragon..." I close my eyes shut focusing in on the thought of me turning into a dragon. The demented laughs of the voice reach my ears, "Oh please stop! I can't breath! That face your making..." He stops as another laughing fit starts," It's just too funny!" "Hey, why am I not turning into a dragon?" I stare at my mismatched body. I hear the voice calm down, "Just give me a minute," I hear a sigh of relief, "Whew, haven't laughed like that in a while. Anyway to answer your question, your appearance is what you really see your self as. In here you can't lie about who you are." I begin to freak out at the revelation, "Alright, so this is my mind?" "Correct"" "And I'm not insane?" I look around worried about the answer. "Yes, for now you are quite sane." I rub a bit of sweat off my brow, “Oh good...wait what do you mean for now?" The voice appears near my ears, "Everything and everyone in this world gains a bit of insanity at one point. Just like them so will you. Now anymore questions?" "Just one more," I clear my throat, "If this is my mind then why are you in here!?!" "Relax amigo, who and what I am is not important at the moment." "Why not?" I could almost feel him smile, "Because, I want to keep your noodle out of the sea of insanity at the moment." "Sea of insanity? What are you talking about?" "Knowledge is a powerful drug my friend and just like any drug you get to much at once, it will kill you. That, or drive you into a insanity which you will never recover from. " His voice became calmer but still held a happy tone. "Well that sounds... unpleasant." "Indeed." His tone shifted to that of a snooty noble. "Well, I don't really have any more questions." "Alright, I suppose I should let you go to your dreams now." The fog slowly drew denser. With each passing moment the black void neared closer. I began to look around scared of the mysterious fog closing down on me. My vision became blurred by shades of grey until finally only black enveloped my vision. My body began to feel heavy. At first it was a slight weight increase but soon it developed into a burden that felt as if it could rival the gravity of a boulder. I collapsed on the ground slowly losing consciousness. Through the last bit of my senses I heard. "Have fun in the real world because I know I will." Followed by a ghastly laugh as my senses finally faded.