The sky was black. Though cloudless, not a star shone. In the center of the darkest night Equestria had ever known, the full moon was glowing a dim, eerie blue. Beneath the ominous lunar light rested the statue that encased the Spirit of Chaos: Discord.
Suddenly, a crack formed across the shimmering stone, and a chip fell to the grass. The statue began shakingzss, and the eyes burst into a deep red flame. The stone erupted into tremors, and then exploded across the clearing. Before the dust could clear from the air, Discord shot straight up into the sky, stretching his wings and sending a deep, bellowing laugh echoing across the land.
“Ahhh ha ha haaaa! Free at last!” he shouted, slowly falling back to the ground.
He brushed his sharp, glimmering claws together, and grinned malevolently. “Brace yourselves, my little ponies…” he whispered, his snake-like tongue flicking in the air.
“Don’t move!” A voice sounded from behind the King of Chaos.
Discord turned to see Twilight Sparkle had arrived at the scene.
“Oh! I’m so glad you could make it. I wouldn’t want you to miss what’s about to happen next. Bwa haha haaa!” He flew high into the air, all the while laughing maniacally.
“Not so fast, Discord!” Twilight shouted, her five friends now standing behind her, each wielding their respective Element of Harmony.
Discord stopped and glanced down to them each. “You… You really think that… Ha!” he laughed, placing his claws on his stomach and kneeling over mid-air. “I learned my lesson last time, Twilight, and I won’t be letting the magic of friendship *stop me this time!” he mocked, wiping a tear as he did so.*
“Alright girls, let him have it!” They each focused the magic from within, and their elements began to glow.
“I don’t think so,” Discord chuckled, and with a snap of his talon, the elements turned to dust. “You see girls, I underestimated those troublesome little weapons once, but never again. Now, prepare to see the full extent of my power!”
“No! This can’t be…” Twilight looked to her friends, who were each just as baffled as she. “What are you planning on doing?!”
“Oh Twilight, so many questions, so little appreciation. I would assume an intellectual such as yourself would feel a little more honored to witness the dawn of a new age.” Discord’s horns began to glow, and his smile stretched across his face.
“A new age?” Twilight asked, her legs trembling beneath the surge of magical energy radiating from Discord’s horns.
“Yes, exactly,” he said, now lighting the sky with a deep red glow. “The Age of Chaos! Celestia has had her reign, now it’s my turn! I’ve gone easy on you ponies for far too long, now you’ll know true chaos, and horrors you’ve never imagined possible!”
As Discord rose higher into the sky, his voice became more distorted, and he grew exponentially in size. He stretched his arms across the sky, and the deep red glowing aura fell to the ground. His reach stretched all across Equestria, and ignited everything it touched into a cool, yet brilliant red flame.
Twilight and her friends were the first to be affected. Though ignited, they sustained no injuries. Discord slowly fell back to the ground, and placed one sharp claw on Twilight’s horn.
With a glance, each of the other ponies disappeared, and only Twilight remained.
“What did you do to me? Where are my friends?!” the trembling unicorn asked, her eyes glowing a faint red.
“Your friends are fine. They’re back in Ponyville. And I’ve given you, and all of Equestria, a gift. You now all possess ‘The Heart of Chaos’! Isn’t it wonderful?!” He laughed and twirled backwards, falling flat onto a stone cushion that sank into the ground beneath him.
“The heart of… of…”
A young foal appeared on a trail leading from a cottage in the distance. “What’s going on ‘ere? This’s my father’s land, and e’ll have your flanks if you…”
The foal’s sentence was cut short by the sudden strangling grasp of a deep purple aura. Twilight grinned, her horn glowing as she approached the foal. He placed his front hooves on the aura, but couldn’t grasp it. Twilight licked her lips, then placed a hoof on his head.
“Your father thinks he can have my flank, does he? We’ll see about that!” She forced the foal’s face into the ground, muzzle-first.
Relocating her aura of magic to his tail, she dragged him across the dirt trail as she headed to the cottage. Discord began to laugh once again, tears escaping his cold, red eyes. He stood up and followed the unicorn to the warm country home.
With her back hooves, Twilight kicked the front door open. “Anypony home?” she asked, laughing.
“Who… What have you done to my son?! Put him down this instant!” A large brown earthpony shouted.
“Or what?” Twilight mocked, dangling the foal in the air by his tail, blood dripping to the carpet from his torn, broken muzzle.
“You’re a monster!” The earthpony charged Twilight, his eyes glistening with raging tears.
She flung the hardly-conscious foal towards the father, who stopped to catch him. He stumbled backwards and gently set his son down, looking up to Twilight with a stare of pure hatred.
“I’ll kill you!” he shouted, his eyes now glowing a faint, shimmery red.
“Go ahead and try!” Twilight retorted, then took on a low stance.
As the stallion approached, Twilight ducked down and forcefully kicked his right knee, then rolled out of his path, sending him tumbling across the floor. He jumped back up and regained his stance, taking all his weight off the injured knee.
“You’re pathetic…” The purple mare laughed, her horn now glowing.
He charged again, this time keeping a close eye on the more nimble mare’s legs. As he approached, Twilight lifted and tossed a chair towards him. He quickly jumped to one side, then stumbled backwards as two back hooves connected with his cheek. Disoriented, the stallion slipped and fell to the floor, scurrying away as he attempted to regain his balance.
Twilight slowly trotted up to him, licking her lips. “You’re old, far too frail to handle me.”
He pressed himself against the wall, and scratched at it in an attempt to lift himself. Twilight smacked him back to the floor.
Her horn glowed, and she dragged the foal back its father, dangling it over him.
“Such a shame,” Twilight laughed, her smile that of a vicious timber wolf.
“No… please…” The stallion pleaded, his eyes back to their normal, brown selves.
Using her front hooves, she snapped the foal’s neck, a small stream of blood trickling from his mouth. The stallion burst into tears as he turned and pressed his face into the wall. Twilight dropped the now lifeless body to the floor. She stepped on the stallion’s injured knee, and pinned him down with her magic.
“Now you’re going to die, old man.”
His eyes fell to the floor, and his body fell limp. Twilight lifted her hoof and stamped his knee, completely shattering the bone.
“Please! Stop!” he screamed out in agony, writhing across the floor.
She stomped on his knee again, holding it in place with her powerful purple aura. The stallion continued screaming, gasping for breath. With one last stamp of her hoof, he fell over, slipping out of consciousness.
“Aw, you’re no fun,” Twilight sighed and shook her head. “Lights out, old timer.”
She gently stepped on his throat, then pressed down harder and harder.
Pop!
His trachea collapsed beneath her hoof, and she pressed down further, enjoying the subtle twitches and jerks as he suffocated beneath her.
“Impressive. A flawless victory,” Discord clapped from the doorway.
Twilight jumped towards him, her horn glowing and teeth grinding.
“Nuh-uh-uh!” he wagged his finger and she fell limp. “There’s nothing you can do to me, Twilight, but there are plenty more ponies for you to wreak chaos upon all over Equestria. Now go! Have fun! Heheheeee!”
The King of Chaos disappeared into thin air, and Twilight shook her head violently, her eyes now completely covered in a deep red glow. She cantered out the door and headed towards the light in the distance. She headed towards Ponyville.
Applejack vs. Cherry Berry!
Applejack vs. Cherry Berry!
“Now looky here, little missy. I don’t know who you think you are, but you ain’t gettin’ a dime outa me!” Applejack shouted, lowering her hat and gritting her teeth.
“As if I’d accept your dirty money anyway”! Cherry Berry retorted with a snarl.
“Gimme them cherries!”
They each snarled at one another, then locked eyes, a deep red glow emanating from within.
Applejack charged Cherry, her powerful hooves kicking up dirt as she ran. The pink earth pony jumped backwards and braced herself. "Gimme all you got!"
Applejack grinned and sprang forward, her hard, toned muscles holding strong as she crashed into the pink mare. The two tumbled across the ground, a cloud of dust in their wake. Applejack's hat fell behind and her mane came undone.
As the rolling stopped, Applejack found herself on top of Cherry Berry, and she lifted her front leg above her head.
"You're goin' down now! Ya hear?!" She slammed her strong hoof into the mare's face, and lifted it again.
Cherry quickly shielded herself from another blow, and her arm took the hit. Applejack smacked her hoof away and pinned it down with her own. With a smirk, she slammed her forehead into Cherry's muzzle.
Applejack stood up and grabbed her hat while Cherry rolled across the dirt. The pink mare stumbled to her hooves and began scurrying away, disoriented.
"Hey, where ya goin'?" Applejack laughed as she pulled a lasso out from behind a tree.
Cherry continued wobbly dizzily towards a clearing in the trees. Applejack twirled her lasso and flung it over Cherry's neck, snapping her head back and yanking her to the ground. With the rope tightly grasped in her mouth, the strong mare began dragging Cherry across the dirt, back into the opening, choking her as she did so.
"Those cherries are as good as mine." Jumping up on her front legs, Applejack slammed every ounce of her weight onto Cherry's face with her back hooves, snapping the mare's neck.
Applejack turned around to admire her work, then a large black plume of smoke spiraled around her. From the center emerged Discord, laughing and twirling around the smoke.
"Ahhhahaa. Brilliant! I knew I couldn't count you out so easily." He flew around her, coiling her body like a snake, rubbing a claw across her haunches. "You're such a strong mare, Applejack. I'm sure you'll go pretty far in this little game of ours."
"Wha?! I ain't playin' no games!" Applejack shouted.
"Oh, yes you are... yes you are..." Discord chuckled and disappeared into the dust, only his voice remaining. "Our winner here, is Applejack."
[[Applejack 17 -- Cherry Berry 8]]
