Chapters The Factors of Disharmony
Fluttershy was properly shocked. She had had a relatively normal morning until a random brand-new pony showed up at her door. The pony was nearly a mirror image of herself but with reversed colors, and a pierced ear, and a blank flank. Fluttershy, being the element of kindness, had offered this strange pony a place to stay, as she didn't seem to have a home. Fluttershy would give any creature a home, so why in Ponyville wouldn't she give one to a pony? But this particular pegasus, named Spite, just plain creeped her out. The same way that Princess Luna did. Maybe it was the name, or the pierced ear. But Spite have Fluttershy the jitters.
Spite had described herself as being a runaway, because her family didn't like her. "How sad! Is there anything I can do?" Fluttershy had blurted out. Spite had shaken her head sadly. "Not unless you can replace my home or my family." Fluttershy just put her arm around the pink pony, and offered her spare bedroom to her.
While Spite recalled various details about her past, Fluttershy noticed some odd things about her. For instance, she appeared to have sharp fangs, and was slightly taller and lankier than a normal, average pony. Unfortunately, Spite caught Fluttershy staring. "Is there something I can help you with?" She said sharply. Fluttershy considered lying but quickly gave in and asked about her fangs. Spite looked around nervously. "If I show you something, do you promise not to tell anypony? Please?" She looked so desperate that Fluttershy conceded. "Oh, of course! I promise I won't tell anypony, I won't speak of it again." Spite didnt seem reassured in the least, but nonetheless, she took a deep breath, and her body form melted and shifted. It was quite nauseating to look at, so Fluttershy averted her eyes. When she opened them again and turned back around, she saw a pink draconequus with a yellow mane, long fangs, and flapping wings. Fluttershy dropped her teacup, which landed on the ground with a loud shatter. "What the... Oh my goodness! What... Oh my... Why... Um, why... Do you... Um, look like, um... Um, Discord?" She stuttered. Spite took a step back. "Isn't that the evil gigantic draconequus who took over this land multiple times?" "Y-y-yes...?" Fluttershy was stuttering with fear. "Please don't eat me!" Spite laughed nervously. "Silly filly, I'm not going to eat you! To tell you the truth, I hate being a draconequus! I am unfairly judged wherever I go, and nopony likes me!" Fluttershy's fears vanished. "Oh, Spite, it's okay, I like you!" The two sat in silence for a while, before Fluttershy broke it. "Spite, would it be okay with you if I told my friends about you without mentioning your species or name?" Spite sniffed pitifully. "I guess so." Fluttershy sighed in relief. "Oh, good. In that case, I'd best be going. I'm going to attend a picnic with my friends in the park, and I'll see you when I get back." She flew a bit hurriedly out of the door and to the park.
The Factors of Disharmony
Chapter 2- The Informative Picnic
"And then she was like SCHWOOOOOOOM, and SHOOOM she went, and loop-de-loop-loopity-loop, and then WHAM!" Pinkie Pie energetically shrieked. "HI THERE FLUTTERSHY!!!" She screeched, knocking the yellow pegasus over. Fluttershy regained her balance and her composure before replying. "Oh, hello girls." She recieved a chorus of hi's from her friends. "So, Flutter, what's shakin'?" Rainbow Dash asked her. "Oh, nothing much Rainbow. Well, actually, a lot, because, um, well, long story." Applejack rolled her eyes. "We've got time, sugarcube. Spill it." Fluttershy took a deep breath. "Well, see, this morning a strange pegasus showed up at my door..."
"And then she walked away, and I came here." She finished. She had the undivided attention of all of her friends, but Twilight was the first to speak. "Really? Because something similar happened to me today, only she was a unicorn by the name of Idiocy." Twilight made a face. "Imagine parents naming their child after stupidity. Pathetic." She grumbled. "Same here!" Chimed in Rainbow. "I had a pegasus called Conspiracy." Rarity fluffed her mane for effect, and mentioned her similar experience. "I had a fabulous looking unicorn named Greed. What a taboo name!" Applejack also claimed to have something like that happen. "Me too. An earth pony soundin' like she came from my part of Equestria stopped by mah farms earlier. Called herself Lies. I hate lying. It don't feel good at all." Pinkie Pie bounced in circles around the picnic blanket. "Me three!" She stopped bouncing. "She said her name was Grumpiness! She was fun to hang out with though! WHEEEEEE!!!" Fluttershy was very perplexed. Was it all a coincidence? Or was it something more? She decided to head home and sleep on it and think more about it tomorrow, as it was starting to get late. "I'd better go girls. Thanks for a great time, and goodnight!" She galloped unsteadily to her cottage, and peeked her head in the window. "Spite?" A horned pink head popped out of the guest room. "What?! Oh it's you, Fluttershy. Glad you're back." Fluttershy weakly smiled at her houseguest, and headed to her own bedroom. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight, Spite- see you in the morning." As soon as the yellow pegasus touched her head to the pillow, she was asleep.
Spite tiptoed lightly into the pegasus's room, and prodded her lightly. She didn't wake up or move. "Hehehe... Perfect." Spite chuckled evilly. "I guess she is quite the heavy sleeper." In the dim light, the pink draconequus rose above the sleeping form, and spoke lowly with a mysterious tint to it.
"Within the heart of the pegasus weary, are factors that will lead her life to be dreary. Just follow the dark path and soon you will see, the life force within her is binded to me. Within her soul pure kindness is found, so with darkest of magics you must have it bound. Until its access is no longer whole, desaturate all of her heart and soul.
In the pale light of Luna's moon, the yellow pegasus was made grayer by a tiny little bit. "Nopony will ever know about this occurrence. Discord would rise again, and chaos will reign forever!" Spite hissed venomously.
The Factors of Disharmony
Chapter 4- Making and Breaking Walls
Of course, all of the ponies were completely unaware that their original friendship was in danger. They were virtually delusional. They were convinced that the draconequi were their friends and that they were all still friends too. But they were beginning to change rapidly, growing closer to their draconequus "friends". In the course of a couple months, the new ponies were nearly complete. In just a few days, it would be too late.
"Hiyahh!" The now almost wholly gray Applejack grunted as she bucked the apples off of a tree. Lies was by her side as usual, for it was Applebuck Season once again. Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom were elsewhere on the farm, with the other trees. As the two friends bucked away, they chatted in low voices, enjoying the breeze and eachother's company and the conversation. As it moved away from apples and over to stallions and coltfriends, Applejack suddenly became fidgety and nervous. Finally, she gave in. "Uh, Lies?" She whispered. "Yeah, what?" Lies nonchalantly replied. "Can ah tell y'all somethin'?" Lies neatly kicked another tree and watched the apples rain down into the baskets. "What?" Applejack facehoofed a little bit. "I mean, I need to tell y'all a secret. And I need y'all to promise, no, Pinkie Pie Promise, not to tell anypony ever . Okay?" Lies widened her magenta eyes innocently. "Of course ah won't tell anypony yer secret, ah'm a good friend!" Lies then proceeded to smile reassuringly. "See? Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!" She enthusiastically moved her arms in a cross shape over her heart, flapped them like she had wings, and put her hoof over her eye. Applejack took a deep breath. "Ok... Here goes!" She gulped nervously, and opened her mouth wordlessly a few times before finally speaking in a strained whisper. "Ah... Ah have a crush on Carrot Top... Ah'm a fillyfooler."
Lies saw the trembling earth pony and smirked inwardly. Instead of teasing AJ as she wanted to, she put her lion arm around her shoulders in a comforting gesture. "Hey now, it's A-OK. Ah won't judge y'all by y'all's sexual orientation, that's a stupid thing for anypony to do." Applejack half-smiled at her. "Really? Y'all really think that?" Lies smirked a bit. "Of course really. I said it, didn't ah?" Applejack returned the smug look. "Yeah, well, unfortunately, a lot of the ponies out there just don't think like us, Lies." The pony and the draconequus laughed together for a while, before they began to buck apples once more, this time in silence.
The silence, contented at first, quickly grew awkward. Then Applejack spoke up again. "Um, Lies?" Lies figured Applejack would pipe up again, and was wondering what secret she was going to learn now. "Mmhmm?" She said. "Can ah ask y'all's advice?" Lies rolled her light magenta eyes ever so slightly. "Sure." Applejack released a sigh of relief, with a big puff of air. "Wwhhheeeew. Good. Ah'm just so glad I can rely on y'all like this- ah think y'all really has become mah bestest friend here in Ponyville. Scratch that actually, y'all are just like another of the Apple family! Y'all are just like- mah sister." She said warmly, and the two creatures hugged. "Awwww. And y'all know that ah couldn't possibly be more grateful to y'all for taking me in and givin' me a good, comfortable home." She paused lightly to trot over to the table with the refreshing apple juice and took a deep swing before speaking again. "Well, AJ, how about that advice question y'all had?" Applejack nodded, and continued her nervous question.
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Apple Bloom was downright tired from helping Big Macintosh out with the applebucking. She and her brother had finally finished their section of the orchard, seeing as this was the last day of Applebuck Season. AB was curious as to how Applejack and Lies were in terms of progress. She was a great help around the farm, but was extremely talkative when she was in a good mood or doing something that she enjoyed. And she looovvedd Applebuck Season. So the entire week, she had talked Big Mac's ears off. "Hey Mac?" She inquired loudly. "Eeeyup?" He responded. "Do you have any idea from here whether or not AJ and Lies finished their section? 'Cuz, if they did, then we are done! YIPPEEEE!" She did a quick backflip but landed on her back painfully. She got back up, tripped a couple of times before being picked up and placed in the cart of apples. "Thanks Mackie! Well, how 'bout that question ah was askin' ya?" Big Macintosh shook his head slowly. "Eeenope. Actually, look there. They are done." Apple Bloom jumped onto her brother's head, trying to see. She succeeded. "Huzzah!!!" She yelled as she rejoiced in the sleep she could get. Nopony in the Apple family (here in Ponyville anyways) ever got any sleep in Applebuck season. "Aren't you excited about getting some rest ternight?" Apple Bloom recieved the usual reply. "Eeeyup." The two siblings made their way over to the refreshment table, only to stop dead in their tracks. The two ponies (Apple Bloom and Big Mac still thought that Lies was a pony) were speaking with eachother in hushed whispers. Big Mac silently dragged Apple Bloom away from the scene, but as she followed him back to the barn, curiosity got the better of her. So she silently crept back to the clearing where the two ponies were speaking.
"Well, AJ, how about that advice question that y'all had?" Apple Bloom recognized the voice as Lies because it was scratcher and maybe one or two at the most pitches higher. Advice question? Apple Bloom thought to herself. What could mah sister possibly ever need advice on? Whah, she's an advice GIVER, not an advice TAKER! Ah'm supposed ter be the advice taker! She continued to listen. "Do y'all think ah should tell mah family? Like, tell them about, well, ya know, the thing?" Lies turned around, resting her gaze on the bushes Apple Bloom was hiding in, but only to smirk evilly for a second, and taking no notice of the yellow and reddish pink filly. "Of course not! They would judge you. I've come to know y'all's family well enough now, and y'all have known them forever, so y'all should agree with me. They'll judge you, trust me." Apple Bloom thought she saw a faint aura of constantly changing colors, always two at a time that clashed and looked horribly chaotic together. It was around the face of the light creamy yellow pony, and as Apple Bloom watched, little threads of the ugly magic started to stretch their way towards Applejack's own green eyes. On a side note, AB swore that AJ's eyes looked rather gray today. As a matter of fact, her whole body, coat, mane, and cutie mark looked gray. Even her hat did, but Apple Bloom dismissed the phenomenon as a trick of the pale blue light of the rising moon. Applejack spoke once more. "Okay, but mah only beef with that advice is that not telling them mah secret is hidin' somethin' from them. That's not entirely being truthful with them. It's practically tellin' them a lie !" Apple Bloom watched in horror as the magic started moving faster, little tendrils snaking out as if alive, as if having a personal purpose for their movement. Lies brushed away Applejack's concerns. "No. No, no, no, it's not a lie. Ah promise that it isn't a lie. And even if it was, think about this, dear Applejack." The magic was now touching Applejack's eyes, binding the two together. Applejack collapsed, trembling, as Lies spoke again, her voice losing its Southern accent and also possessing hypnotizing undertones that sounded almost... Male. And very, very, very familiar.
"Oh come now, dearest Applejack... You claim that you have never spoken a lie, or an untruth, or anything of the sort." The hypnotized Applejack nodded weakly from her cowering position on the ground. "Only once, last spring, when i lost the rodeo championship and never won the promised prize money. It was wrong and also painful and I have repented for it many times over." Lies jumped into the air, transforming into a draconequus. Apple Bloom cowered behind the bush, terrified. What Lies really was looked an awful lot like Discord! Lies flapped her wings a couple of times and stretched her different legs. "Anyways," she silkily purred, "I want you to ponder this well. Keeping a secret isn't a qualified lie. And even if it was..." When she spoke the last words, her voice was her own no longer, but instead was the voice of Discord himself, as if Lies was just his puppet. "what is one half-lie against a lifetime of honesty, truthfulness, and undecieving mannerisms?
Apple Bloom didn't know what to do. She could ask Applejack about it later, but she doubted that she would tell her what was going on. And she was pretty sure Big Mac didn't know anything about it either. So she reasoned that the only viable option left was running, so she whipped around, and fled the terrifying horrors she had witnessed. The last thing she saw before she left was her sister collapsing on the ground, unconscious- and one shade grayer.
The Factors of Disharmony
Chapter 5- Chaos and Harmony Don't Mix Well
Rarity settled comfortably on her fancy, 100% genuine velvet couch, running her hoof along it gently as she recounted a story to Greed. "And then I said, 'Oh my stars, darling, that's not a hat. That's a natural disaster that landed atop your head!' And then, that ridiculous mare looks at me and says 'But it's a muffin hat! And it's Crazy Hat Day! Don't you love baked goods?' And I replied, "Oh, Derpy, darling, it appears to be more of a baked bad than a baked good!' And her reaction was so hysterical I can't even remember! I only remember collapsing with laughter and taking the poor thing to the spa!" The mare and the draconequus giggled and chuckled and laughed for a solid five minutes. Most of their time was spent designing clothes, relaxing at the spa, giving eachother makeovers, and talking about various subjects such a makeup brands, hair products, stallions, and picking up coltfriends. Oh, my gracious, this Greed is so much more fun for me to be around. Rainbow Dash and Applejack would never ever ever submit to such girly "nonsense" as this! Rarity thought to herself.
"I say, are you going to finish your cookie? May I have it?" Greed asked her gently. Rarity took on a angry expression, baring her teeth and snarling viciously. "YES! ITS MINE! I MEAN, NO YOU CAN'T HAVE IT BECAUSE ITS MINE! ALL MINE!" Greed backed up a bit, only thinking to herself that her plan was working. Especially since the mare would soon be completely gray.
Spike had heard this from Sweetie Belle, and had heard similar things from Scootaloo and Apple Bloom about Rainbow Dash and Applejack. He didn't really need to go visit Fluttershy or Pinkie Pie or Twilight Sparkle, because he was sure that similar things were going on. He vaguely remembered when the grayness had overtaken his friends the first time, and remembered how the Elements of Harmony failed to work. He decided to contact the only pony he knew that might have answers. So he whipped out a quill and ink and some paper.Dear Princess Celestia,
Discord may be returning. All six of my friends nearly completely gray. What's going on? Will everypony be safe? Do the EoH need to be harnessed once more? But last time they were grayed out the EoH didn't work... Help!
Your loyal subject,
Spike
Two days later, he recieved an letter in return.
My ever-loyal subject Spike,
It's true that Discord is returning. As you have described, your friends will continue to get grayer and grayer till there is no color left whatsoever.
Thanks, Princess. He thought. I hadn't noticed.
But here's the catch. When there is no color left, they will have lost connection with the elements of harmony, and it's the elements' magic keeping Discord in his stone imprisonment. With no love and harmony feeding the elements, you may as well throw them away because they are quite useless. Discord will escape once more, so immediate action is imperative. I'll try to hold things off here, but I need you to organize a small party of ponies you might find to be helpful and send them up the Fairway Mountain. I do not know what they will find up there but I have the feeling that it will help.
Her Royal Highness, Princess Celestia
Spike thought of two ponies right away that he thought had potential. They were a hop, a skip, and a jump away from the library.
The Factors of Disharmony
Prologue- Discord's Defeat
"Chaos is a wonderful, wonderful thing." Said Discord, draconequus and spirit of disharmony. He was quite proud of his amazing handywork, he had made a mess of town square and everywhere else. Nopony would ever see normalcy again.
"Not as wonderful as friendship." Discord turned around to see that infernal Twilight Sparkle and her band of crazy friends. He sighed, and rolled his eyes. He pretended to listen to the orange earth pony with a southern accent (what was her name again? Oh yes, Applejack), but caught something about friendship topping all. He let out a snort.
"Don't lie to me, Applejack. I'm the one who made you a liar." Discord used his chaos magic to grasp Applejack by her necklace. He also grasped the other four ponies by their pendants. He tried to pull Twilight with them, but she remained on the ground, unharmed. She teleported herself between Discord and her friends, and put a force field bubble around them. She safely brought them to the checkered ground. Discord sighed again, and summoned his sunglasses. "Ok then, use your little elements, 'frienemies', I'm prepared to be defeated." To Discord's surprise, the pendants began to glow brightly, and all of a sudden, Discord's eyes were blinded by a bright rainbow light, and he lost consciousness.
Discord woke in the Canterlot gardens again, outside the once again refurbished labyrinth. He sighed. This was familiar. He couldn't move or talk, only think. And he had limited use of his magic. Blast those confounded ponies and their love and harmony. He thought. He wanted badly, oh so badly, to exact revenge on Twilight Sparkle and her friends. And being Discord, he knew exactly what to do.
The Factors of Disharmony
Chapter 3- Spike's Observations
Spike was pretty freaking sure that something was going on. For a few weeks, he had watched Twilight Sparkle and her other friends drift apart. "Hey guys, wanna go to the Six Elements theme park?" He would say. Then he would be rejected in six different ways, because Fluttershy was going to have a tea party with Spite, and Applejack was going to pick apples with Lies, and Twilight was going to have reshelving day with Idiocy's help, and Rarity and Greed were going to the spa, and Pinkie and Grumpiness were going to have an all-nighter sleepover party. Even Rainbow Dash, who loved rollercoasters, was going to race with Conspiracy. Plus, they never did anything with eachother either. And they were starting to treat him differently. Fluttershy would occasionally snap at him, Applejack would act suspiciously as it she wasn't being entirely truthful, Twilight would not react to him shirking his studies. Weird.
And another thing- he was staring to notice odd things about their new friends. For example, he would sneak up on Applejack and Lies at the orchards, and just for a minute, Lies would appear to have wings, or fangs, or two horns from different animals. Like a- what were those things called? What Discord was? Oh, Spike remembered. A draconequus. And everything he saw his friends, they seemed just a tiny bit grayer.
"C'mon, Twilight, stop being stupid and hang out with your other friends once in a while. You hardly even see them anymore!" Twilight snapped viciously back at him. "Ugh, why don't you STOP BEING SUCH A NOSY LITTLE PAIN IN THE PLOT AND MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS! What I do with my friends is MY BUCKING CHOICE!"
Spike had to do something before his friends stopped being friends and became enemies. Yikes. Can't let that happen, he thought.