Dawn of Discordby BubblesOnMyButtChaptersAlone With MyselfConflictI Don't Feel Like Myself... Or YourselfFirst MoveAlone With MyselfPain... The pain was numbed, but still unbearable. There was a decayed taste in his mouth, like he had been there for a long time. Sitting up, the blood ran from his head into his body; the sensation felt like needles rippling across his flesh. He spat the horrid taste onto the floor and rolled over to his hooves, taking special care to avoid the fresh toxic pool. Finally, opening his eyes fully he saw he was still at Poly's house (as far as he could tell at least). The walls had been burned now and the ceiling collapsed, dried sweat cracked on Dusk's skin as he twisted to look around some more. The entire place was covered in ashes and the sky was visible through holes in the ceiling; the orange glow of fire danced ominously across the cottony clouds. The cotton candy clouds actually. Dusk watched as another bit of the roof fell and exploded into a cloud of ash before flying up and igniting again. Slowly the building crumbled and followed suit as a fire storm of ash and wood swirled into the sky. The horizons were cleared slowly as the walls began to fly into the sky piece by piece. Dusk scanned the world opening up all around him and regretted his attention to detail. The Ponyville he had come to love over the years was now in a blaze, smoke flew to the sky before forming into clouds of blackened cotton candy. The fires cackled with laughter and their sparks spread furiously as Ponyville was eaten up in the inferno bit by bit. He couldn't understand how this had started, nor how anypony could have allowed it. "It's beautiful isn't it." Dusk turned and his teary face reflected the fires and the figure behind him. A tall, monstrous figure whom he had only seen once before leaned over him, "How are you enjoying New Ponyville?" His voice was proud and dark, he took a great appreciation in the current state of affairs. "Oh, Riiiight. You were unconscious when all of the fun was going on, we played such wonderful... 'games'. He he he he, maybe next time I'll keep you awake for the festivities." Dusk was at a loss of words as this figure chuckled at the destruction of an innocent town, he was dumbstruck with silence for a little bit until he mustered up the courage to squeak out two words. "Dawn... Why?" The draconoquis made an about-face and placed his arms behind his back as he walked away, "Entertainment, boredom... revenge. Maybe a little bit of it all." "Oh, and for the record, 'Dawn' was the wretched name that your subconscious gave me and I refuse to let you soil my image with it. You've already heard my name before, I'm sure you have. You were there for the unveiling, weren't you?" Dusk's memories drew blank, no matter how hard he tried to remember he could not pull out what he did not have, "I-I don't know your name, I can't remember anything really." The draconoquis swiveled his head 180 degrees, "It's Discord you foal and it would do you well not to forget it." As his head continued along the other one eighty required to make the full three sixty he silently cheered to himself, 'Excellent!!! He doesn't remember a thing! He he he he, now I can have some real fun.' Dusk was still searching for his memories but they had been wiped somehow and everything leading up to the last couple minutes or so before he blacked out was gone. "If you did all of this for revenge then why am I still alive? Why haven't you killed me along with the rest of the town?" Discord looked at him through the corner of his horrid eyes, "Oh Dusk, he he he, you honestly think that I killed everypony? No, that is not my job. You see, I need them for my game." "What game? What do you mean it's not your job?" The ashes that floated in the air began to sink and pile up in Discord's monstrous paw before compacting into what looked like a mirror. Discord looked into the mirror vainly and began to run his claws through his ragged mane and around his horns, "That does seem to be a rather important question for you, isn't it? You see, my little pony, now that I am back (and have a near unlimited wellspring of untapped magical power), I found that there wasn't much challenge in taking out the holders of the Elements of Harmony so I decided that I needed some pawns to play a game of chess with." He took the mirror and threw it to the ground were the ashes that formed it dispersed and reformed into three ponies, "So I corrupted the people of this land and now they do my bidding. Of course every game needs two sides, doesn't it? That is were you come in..." The ash fell off of the ponies and revealed them to be the three ponies that he had fought with on the first day of high school in class, though there colors had become dulled and grey. "I'm sure that you recognize these three don't you? I had a fun time crushing them that time we were together, though they work for me now." He picked one of the cronies up and swung him around limply, "Though... Just because they are on my side doesn't mean I necessarily have to treat them well... he he he." He dropped the pony back down and looked at Dusk again, "You may find that this world has some deadly new consequences for everypony..." "Especially for those that you love." Dusk stared at the three colts and back up to Discord, "What do you mean?" Discord's comment was solemn and honest. Whatever he meant by it, he was not joking around. "You want to see Equestria returned to peace don't you? What if that were to cost you beyond what you can pay?" Dusk's heart sank slightly, "What are you going on about now?" "I'm going to have you become the main piece in my game, Dusk. Your life will be on the line every second of the way and I honestly don't care whether you live or not, because if you win... You'll still lose." Dusk resisted the temptation to gulp and pushed his fear under the rug, "Now I know you're an idiot. If I win, then you fail. There is nothing for me to lose. Are you so deluded that you have forgotten this detail?" Discord chuckled for a moment, "Oh no my little pony. To return peace to Equestria you must save the Elements of Harmony, but if you do that... ... I kill Poly, her family, and your mother." Dusk felt woozy and wide eyed, this development was unfair in every sense. He couldn't see how it could get worse. ... "And if you save them, the Elements die instead and Equestria is doomed for all eternity." Never mind. Conflict"You-you-you MONSTER!!!!! What is wrong with you?!?! How could you make me do something like this?!?!" Dusk was beyond outrage, what Discord outlined was murder... not that Discord cared. Discord looked down at him, Dusk's horn was beginning to glow, the time Dusk had spent preserved in the house had allowed him to fill up his magical wellspring slightly. "Dusk, Dusk, Dusk...", Discord snapped his talons, Dusk felt his ribs compact and his eyes felt like they were popping out of his head. "If you want to defy the rules of my game then I could just kill you off right here and everypony else could be tortured right to their untimely demise. You know, if that is what you prefer..." Dusk struggled for a breath of air as Discord continued to constrict his airway, "*No, don't...*" Discord snapped his talons again and Dusk felt his ribs release. "You may want to be careful from now on Dusk, as it turns out it's more entertaining to torture you than play this game." Dusk fell to the floor and began to choke for air, "Are *gasp* there *gasp* any more *gasp* rules *gasp* that I need to know about *cough cough*?" Discord circled the three ponies still awaiting their orders, "Well, now that you mention it...", he pointed to the sky and a dark blast of raw magic ascended to the skies above. The magic struck the rest of the floating ash and everything scattered to the stars above, the tendrils of magic began to swirl around the ash and glow as its form altered. "It's a giant... clock?" Discord chuckled, "No, it's a countdown obviously. When I say the game starts then you will have until the countdown ends to save as many as you can." Dusk eyed the clock but saw no indication of any measurement of time, it was just a face and two hands. "And how long until the countdown ends?" Discord pointed at Dusk while his eyes were to the skies and his three servants charged, "Who knows? Oh, and game on." Discord disappeared before Dusk could even look down, the three servants of Discord had already dashed forward with a blood lust in their eyes. Whatever Discord had done to them was apparently effective as the first one threw a punch without holding back in the slightest degree. Dusk wasn't fast enough on his own so he was forced to take the hit for its full value, the force shot Dusk into the air and back a couple feet before he tumbled across the ground. The cobblestone path that networked the town was now rubbery and had a springy quality which made it easy for Dusk to roll over onto his hooves after landing. "Dusk, you have fight back", he told himself, "There must be some way that you can." His horn glowed slightly and he began to feel at peace, even amid the flames of the town and the swarming movements of his attackers. A faint white light cut through the singed shadows of the fires and enveloped Dusk; the feeling was very familiar and warmly welcomed. "Evening! What are you doing here? Outside of my body I mean..." A hoof flew from the left then the right and the clumsy barrage continued, each time Dusk ducking out of range or taking a nick, "I tapped into some of you wellspring before Discord drained it, I then borrowed some of the energy he was using to manifest himself but not enough apparently." The light that was Evening was forming around Dusk's skin and hardening, his warmth flowed into Dusk and Dusk was able to dodge more effectively. The main crony smashed his hoof into the armor and reeled back for a second to nurse his wounds. "Quickly, use you magic!" Evening's advice to Dusk fell short however, "Huh?" Time slowed as it often did when he had a conference with his inner self, 'I don't know how to use my magic.' Evening was in disbelief until he remembered why they where in this situation in the first place, 'Right, you've never used you magic, you've always done things by hoof. I'll give you the basics as we go along but until then, speeding hoof at two o'clock.' Dusk stepped back and breathed in with Evening's commands, 'Ok, now you gather all you focus into your horn and imagine a line between your horn and his chest.' The hoof missed barely and Dusk's horned surged and his shining armor glowed brighter than before. "I am so sorry for this..." The colt looked at Dusk queerly and pondered what he meant. A white light welled up before imploding and a shock wave crumbled the ground at Dusk's hooves and propelled the crony across town. The others kept pushing forward as though nothing had happened, "WHAT DID I JUST DO? THAT MADE NO SENSE! I THINK I ACCIDENTALLY KILLED HIM!" Another challenger ducked low before trying to score an uppercut against Dusk's unarmored chin. Dusk's reaction was faster, though, and the white light welled up once again and the shock wave slammed the assailant into the ground, unconscious. "OH NO! I DID IT AGAIN! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Evening broke Dusk's rants half way through, 'Dusk, Dusk, DUSK!!! You didn't kill them, they are only unconscious. They are still breathing, you of all people should know this considering you spent weeks studying first aid.' The pony's chest rose and fell at a steady beat so Dusk took relief for the moment. The last pony was far away but was in a high speed gallop that would without a doubt follow up with a tackle or ram of some sort. "So, I'm only knocking them out?" His tone was oddly satisfied, like there was something about the thought that made Dusk excited. 'Yes, but why do you care? Dusk... You don't want to hurt them... Do you?' Dusk poured all of his concentration into his horn and focused on the charging pony's forehead. The back of his head began to ring, 'Do it." ... Dusk grinned darkly, "Maybe just a little bit." I Don't Feel Like Myself... Or YourselfDusk aligned his aim and Evening pondered the comments of Dusk. 'What are you doing Dusk? You aren't like this." Dusk couldn't think, his thoughts weren't even intelligible, just a constant droning that fed his thoughts ideas. 'Do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, DO IT!!!' These thoughts were unknown to Evening, but Dusk was feeling their effects all too much. 'I'm sorry about this Dusk...', Evening couldn't let Dusk continue with his offense, it didn't seem as though Dusk was in complete control and he was about to severely harm the last pony with the compressed magic he was priming. The armor wrapped around Dusk's forelegs suddenly jerked backwards just as Evening willed them to do. Dusk's aim was forced down to the ground between the charging ruffian and himself. The concussive force tore up the earth and threw back Dusk and his opposite. The droning in Dusk's head buzzed on, but now it was getting louder. The other pony's name finally came to Dusk in the middle of the hazy static of the voice, 'Bulk... You remember Bulk don't you? He was rude to you, made fun of you, called you a blank flank. He tried to beat you up remember?' The truth was Dusk didn't remember what had actually happened the day he met Bulk but the voice was making more sense than anything else. Bulk and Dusk shuffled to their hooves and faced each other. All of Dusk's remaining magic had been blown in that last blast so now things would become difficult. "Why did you do that Evening? Are you trying to get me killed? ('Yes Dusk, that must be it, he is trying to kill you. He he he he.')" Evening swallowed his pride and focused his attention on why Dusk would be acting up. 'Dusk, calm down. I think Discord's wavelengths are getting to you, it's just like back when Dawn was in...' Bulk charged Dusk again and Evening's attention was ripped away, instead of trying to ram Dusk this time he resorted to swinging his monstrous hooves toward Dusk. Evening noticed that Dusk had filled up a miniscule portion of his wellspring and decided now was the time to end the fight. Evening mixed some of his purifying essence with the magic and commanded Dusk to fire. Dusk complied happily, though the haze fogging his thoughts failed to allow his to realize what would happen should he fire a concussive blast at point blank, Evening had however. The magic hit hard then seemed to dissolve in the air, as Bulk flew back his color returned as did the others. Dusk flew back as well but he was able to maintain consciousness thanks to the armor, the droning died off slowly and clarity returned. "Ow, wh- what happened?" Dusk tried to stand up but his balance was torn to shreds and the ringing in his ears was ongoing. The armor around Dusk melted away and began to pool up as a sphere of dust and light, a voice penetrated Dusk's thoughts, 'Dusk, what is wrong with you? You were going to kill him!" Dusk shook his head, "No I wasn't, I was aiming at the ground. What is wrong with you?" The droning voice was no longer in Dusk's head and the ringing in his ears was starting to die down. 'I was there Dusk, you were one second away from killing him and you were mumbling all sorts of odd things. Are you sure you are feeling alright?' Dusk had to think a long time about that question, was he ok?, he couldn't tell anymore. "Sure. Ya, I am ok..." "So what happened after I blacked out? What is with Ponyville?" Evening compressed a ghost of his form into a more pony like appearance and stood across Dusk. 'I see, you really have no clue, do you?' Dusk shook his head, he had forgotten mostly everything or had simply been unconscious during the ordeal. 'It's not just Ponyville Dusk, most of the world has been touched by Discord's tainted claw.' Evening took a moment to let Dusk reflect on this unveiling before moving on; Dusk seemed to be taking it fairly hard. 'When that light blinded everypony awhile back before Discord came out, he cast away the shell that you called Dawn. Once that limiter was removed he could use your magic to mold himself into any form, so he chose his natural form, it provides the least amount of stress on his body.' Dusk worked his way into understanding his explanation, "And what about my memory?" 'Calm down, I was getting to that. Your wellspring is comprised of your knowledge is it not? You can compare it to a library really: your memories are books and your magic is the contents, when he left he emptied all of the contents in the library.' This made sense to Dusk though one question bugged him, "Then why didn't I lose any of my memories when you tapped into my wellspring?" Evening continued, 'Because I didn't leave you, I was only able to grab your most recent memories though.' After a short rest Dusk decided they best be on their way if they were to save anypony. 'Dusk... What are you going to do...' "What are you talking about?" 'We are still apart of Discord's game... Everypony's lives are on the line, even those who you just defeated. If you don't make a choice soon then you may never save anypony.' Dusk's heart sank, what Evening was saying was true but he refused to accept his fate. ... "I'm going to save everypony, Evening. I refuse to let a single one die." ... 'I hope you're right.' First Movehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0qy-VMrZgM With a new goal in mind, Dusk set forth toward a mountain that held a lot of history in their area. Though the years before Dusk had been born the mountain had been the sight of a great many disasters, odd happenings, and was even the rumored birthplace of Equestria itself. Whether this was true or not, Dusk felt an attraction to this mountain, one of which he had never felt before. 'Dusk, you feel it too don't you?' Evening's voice was soft and confident, if he was feeling the impulses as well then Dusk would have to trust their guts on this one. Dusk had started in a gallop before slowing down to look back at the burning town and the three figures on the floor, "What about them?" Evening felt as though he had already explained this but he wasn't quite sure, something was buzzing in the back of his head that made thought difficult. 'During your fight I mixed a purifying magic in with your attacks so when they wake up they will be free of Discord... for the moment at least.' '*Something is definitely not right, if I'm feeling the Discordant Wave then my purification magic isn't working on myself. I can't let Dusk know, he already has too much to worry about.*' Dusk built up a gallop once again as he aligned himself with the road to the mountain, it wasn't too far but the trek would put him a little bit out of the way. Even Dusk felt the tension as he weighed the consequence of possibly wasting time, nonetheless this was the only lead he had at the moment and he needed to follow it. The cobblestone steps leading from the town to the land surrounding it gradually melted into a fine dirt path. As Dusk picked up speed however he found traction was a luxury he was quickly losing as dirt became wet and soapy, no doubt it was another of Discord's tricks. "Great, at this rate it will take forever to get to the mountain!", exclaimed Dusk as he found himself not moving at all as he picked up speed only to jog in place. Evening was thinking of a solution when the buzzing began to grow spastic, '*The grass. No not the grass. Then we take the trees. We can't do that, we don't have hands silly. Wait what are hands? Who knows? Ha Ha Ha Ha!!! Now let's get back to thinking... Your right, how about the grass? Yes, yes! The grass. He He He He He.*' Evening shook his head and attempted to reassure himself, "Don't worry, you are immune to the wavelength. You don't have to worry about Discord getting into your head. Now then, the grass...* Hey Dusk, why don't you try stepping on the grass?' Dusk stopped running and slid forward slightly from the built up momentum, "How did I forget about that? Thanks." He slowly wormed his way across the slick, winding path and towards the edge of the road. *** Evening watched Dusk put his hooves on the grass and continue his stride in the direction of the mountain. "Thanks Evening... *Sigh* What are we going to do? We have to somehow save everypony and beat Discord at his own game, the last time I checked we aren't exactly built for this kind of quest." Evening took in every word for full value and thought deeply on it, 'Weren't you just saying that we were going to do this no matter what?' Dusk keep running, "Perhaps, but who knows? Maybe living in a world full of chaos would be kinda fun..." Evening nodded, then shook his head, '*NO! What am I thinking? What is he thinking? Something is definitely going wrong here.*' Evening started to speak but stopped mid-sentance to examine Dusk's pace. At first Evening didn't notice it but Dusk seemed to be keeping an unearthly pace, almost like he was running for his life. *** The ground below Dusk collapsed the second he set hoof on the grass and the bubbly trail behind him burst into flames. There was only enough reaction time to push away from the crumbling earth and start running for the mountain as the ground behind him caved in. "Evening! Evening! What are you doing? Answer me! We have a situation!" Evening was nowhere as far as he could tell, neither his presence nor his voice was heard or felt and the concentration he spent on looking for him was only wasted. Dusk kept his break neck pace and attempted to ad lib, 'There must be some sort of magic that I could use... Something, something, something. DANG IT!!! Why the hay do we have to study this stuff so heavily if we are born with it?' The fire on the road began to branch out onto the grass ahead and Dusk found that the odds were sincerely against him. "Evening, where are you?" *** 'Dusk what is going on?' Dusk kept running, "Nothing is going wrong, Evening. I just want to make good time." The world around Dusk blurred slightly, 'I thought you wanted to give up...' Dusk tripled his speed and his grey coat began to turn black, "I thought you wanted to give up." Evening felt a powerful gaze break into his thoughts and his mind felt like mush, 'Oh yeah, I did say that...' The gaze subsided for the moment, "Excellent." *** Fire kicked up and stretched in a wide circle away from the road and around Dusk, the earth continued to fall until it stopped at the fire and waited. Dusk was deserted on an island in the middle of a flaming circle that was now shrinking around him at which point the scorched earth would fall into the abyss below. "Guess I'm not much of a hero after all." ... Discord lay on the clouds in the sky above Dusk, every so often he would close one eye and point a pencil at the ground before scribbling a web of cracks that only he could see with his perspective. After doing so he would carefully fan the flames from afar until they arched with delight from being fed. ... "Checkmate."
Alone With MyselfPain... The pain was numbed, but still unbearable. There was a decayed taste in his mouth, like he had been there for a long time. Sitting up, the blood ran from his head into his body; the sensation felt like needles rippling across his flesh. He spat the horrid taste onto the floor and rolled over to his hooves, taking special care to avoid the fresh toxic pool. Finally, opening his eyes fully he saw he was still at Poly's house (as far as he could tell at least). The walls had been burned now and the ceiling collapsed, dried sweat cracked on Dusk's skin as he twisted to look around some more. The entire place was covered in ashes and the sky was visible through holes in the ceiling; the orange glow of fire danced ominously across the cottony clouds. The cotton candy clouds actually. Dusk watched as another bit of the roof fell and exploded into a cloud of ash before flying up and igniting again. Slowly the building crumbled and followed suit as a fire storm of ash and wood swirled into the sky. The horizons were cleared slowly as the walls began to fly into the sky piece by piece. Dusk scanned the world opening up all around him and regretted his attention to detail. The Ponyville he had come to love over the years was now in a blaze, smoke flew to the sky before forming into clouds of blackened cotton candy. The fires cackled with laughter and their sparks spread furiously as Ponyville was eaten up in the inferno bit by bit. He couldn't understand how this had started, nor how anypony could have allowed it. "It's beautiful isn't it." Dusk turned and his teary face reflected the fires and the figure behind him. A tall, monstrous figure whom he had only seen once before leaned over him, "How are you enjoying New Ponyville?" His voice was proud and dark, he took a great appreciation in the current state of affairs. "Oh, Riiiight. You were unconscious when all of the fun was going on, we played such wonderful... 'games'. He he he he, maybe next time I'll keep you awake for the festivities." Dusk was at a loss of words as this figure chuckled at the destruction of an innocent town, he was dumbstruck with silence for a little bit until he mustered up the courage to squeak out two words. "Dawn... Why?" The draconoquis made an about-face and placed his arms behind his back as he walked away, "Entertainment, boredom... revenge. Maybe a little bit of it all." "Oh, and for the record, 'Dawn' was the wretched name that your subconscious gave me and I refuse to let you soil my image with it. You've already heard my name before, I'm sure you have. You were there for the unveiling, weren't you?" Dusk's memories drew blank, no matter how hard he tried to remember he could not pull out what he did not have, "I-I don't know your name, I can't remember anything really." The draconoquis swiveled his head 180 degrees, "It's Discord you foal and it would do you well not to forget it." As his head continued along the other one eighty required to make the full three sixty he silently cheered to himself, 'Excellent!!! He doesn't remember a thing! He he he he, now I can have some real fun.' Dusk was still searching for his memories but they had been wiped somehow and everything leading up to the last couple minutes or so before he blacked out was gone. "If you did all of this for revenge then why am I still alive? Why haven't you killed me along with the rest of the town?" Discord looked at him through the corner of his horrid eyes, "Oh Dusk, he he he, you honestly think that I killed everypony? No, that is not my job. You see, I need them for my game." "What game? What do you mean it's not your job?" The ashes that floated in the air began to sink and pile up in Discord's monstrous paw before compacting into what looked like a mirror. Discord looked into the mirror vainly and began to run his claws through his ragged mane and around his horns, "That does seem to be a rather important question for you, isn't it? You see, my little pony, now that I am back (and have a near unlimited wellspring of untapped magical power), I found that there wasn't much challenge in taking out the holders of the Elements of Harmony so I decided that I needed some pawns to play a game of chess with." He took the mirror and threw it to the ground were the ashes that formed it dispersed and reformed into three ponies, "So I corrupted the people of this land and now they do my bidding. Of course every game needs two sides, doesn't it? That is were you come in..." The ash fell off of the ponies and revealed them to be the three ponies that he had fought with on the first day of high school in class, though there colors had become dulled and grey. "I'm sure that you recognize these three don't you? I had a fun time crushing them that time we were together, though they work for me now." He picked one of the cronies up and swung him around limply, "Though... Just because they are on my side doesn't mean I necessarily have to treat them well... he he he." He dropped the pony back down and looked at Dusk again, "You may find that this world has some deadly new consequences for everypony..." "Especially for those that you love." Dusk stared at the three colts and back up to Discord, "What do you mean?" Discord's comment was solemn and honest. Whatever he meant by it, he was not joking around. "You want to see Equestria returned to peace don't you? What if that were to cost you beyond what you can pay?" Dusk's heart sank slightly, "What are you going on about now?" "I'm going to have you become the main piece in my game, Dusk. Your life will be on the line every second of the way and I honestly don't care whether you live or not, because if you win... You'll still lose." Dusk resisted the temptation to gulp and pushed his fear under the rug, "Now I know you're an idiot. If I win, then you fail. There is nothing for me to lose. Are you so deluded that you have forgotten this detail?" Discord chuckled for a moment, "Oh no my little pony. To return peace to Equestria you must save the Elements of Harmony, but if you do that... ... I kill Poly, her family, and your mother." Dusk felt woozy and wide eyed, this development was unfair in every sense. He couldn't see how it could get worse. ... "And if you save them, the Elements die instead and Equestria is doomed for all eternity." Never mind.
Conflict"You-you-you MONSTER!!!!! What is wrong with you?!?! How could you make me do something like this?!?!" Dusk was beyond outrage, what Discord outlined was murder... not that Discord cared. Discord looked down at him, Dusk's horn was beginning to glow, the time Dusk had spent preserved in the house had allowed him to fill up his magical wellspring slightly. "Dusk, Dusk, Dusk...", Discord snapped his talons, Dusk felt his ribs compact and his eyes felt like they were popping out of his head. "If you want to defy the rules of my game then I could just kill you off right here and everypony else could be tortured right to their untimely demise. You know, if that is what you prefer..." Dusk struggled for a breath of air as Discord continued to constrict his airway, "*No, don't...*" Discord snapped his talons again and Dusk felt his ribs release. "You may want to be careful from now on Dusk, as it turns out it's more entertaining to torture you than play this game." Dusk fell to the floor and began to choke for air, "Are *gasp* there *gasp* any more *gasp* rules *gasp* that I need to know about *cough cough*?" Discord circled the three ponies still awaiting their orders, "Well, now that you mention it...", he pointed to the sky and a dark blast of raw magic ascended to the skies above. The magic struck the rest of the floating ash and everything scattered to the stars above, the tendrils of magic began to swirl around the ash and glow as its form altered. "It's a giant... clock?" Discord chuckled, "No, it's a countdown obviously. When I say the game starts then you will have until the countdown ends to save as many as you can." Dusk eyed the clock but saw no indication of any measurement of time, it was just a face and two hands. "And how long until the countdown ends?" Discord pointed at Dusk while his eyes were to the skies and his three servants charged, "Who knows? Oh, and game on." Discord disappeared before Dusk could even look down, the three servants of Discord had already dashed forward with a blood lust in their eyes. Whatever Discord had done to them was apparently effective as the first one threw a punch without holding back in the slightest degree. Dusk wasn't fast enough on his own so he was forced to take the hit for its full value, the force shot Dusk into the air and back a couple feet before he tumbled across the ground. The cobblestone path that networked the town was now rubbery and had a springy quality which made it easy for Dusk to roll over onto his hooves after landing. "Dusk, you have fight back", he told himself, "There must be some way that you can." His horn glowed slightly and he began to feel at peace, even amid the flames of the town and the swarming movements of his attackers. A faint white light cut through the singed shadows of the fires and enveloped Dusk; the feeling was very familiar and warmly welcomed. "Evening! What are you doing here? Outside of my body I mean..." A hoof flew from the left then the right and the clumsy barrage continued, each time Dusk ducking out of range or taking a nick, "I tapped into some of you wellspring before Discord drained it, I then borrowed some of the energy he was using to manifest himself but not enough apparently." The light that was Evening was forming around Dusk's skin and hardening, his warmth flowed into Dusk and Dusk was able to dodge more effectively. The main crony smashed his hoof into the armor and reeled back for a second to nurse his wounds. "Quickly, use you magic!" Evening's advice to Dusk fell short however, "Huh?" Time slowed as it often did when he had a conference with his inner self, 'I don't know how to use my magic.' Evening was in disbelief until he remembered why they where in this situation in the first place, 'Right, you've never used you magic, you've always done things by hoof. I'll give you the basics as we go along but until then, speeding hoof at two o'clock.' Dusk stepped back and breathed in with Evening's commands, 'Ok, now you gather all you focus into your horn and imagine a line between your horn and his chest.' The hoof missed barely and Dusk's horned surged and his shining armor glowed brighter than before. "I am so sorry for this..." The colt looked at Dusk queerly and pondered what he meant. A white light welled up before imploding and a shock wave crumbled the ground at Dusk's hooves and propelled the crony across town. The others kept pushing forward as though nothing had happened, "WHAT DID I JUST DO? THAT MADE NO SENSE! I THINK I ACCIDENTALLY KILLED HIM!" Another challenger ducked low before trying to score an uppercut against Dusk's unarmored chin. Dusk's reaction was faster, though, and the white light welled up once again and the shock wave slammed the assailant into the ground, unconscious. "OH NO! I DID IT AGAIN! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Evening broke Dusk's rants half way through, 'Dusk, Dusk, DUSK!!! You didn't kill them, they are only unconscious. They are still breathing, you of all people should know this considering you spent weeks studying first aid.' The pony's chest rose and fell at a steady beat so Dusk took relief for the moment. The last pony was far away but was in a high speed gallop that would without a doubt follow up with a tackle or ram of some sort. "So, I'm only knocking them out?" His tone was oddly satisfied, like there was something about the thought that made Dusk excited. 'Yes, but why do you care? Dusk... You don't want to hurt them... Do you?' Dusk poured all of his concentration into his horn and focused on the charging pony's forehead. The back of his head began to ring, 'Do it." ... Dusk grinned darkly, "Maybe just a little bit."
I Don't Feel Like Myself... Or YourselfDusk aligned his aim and Evening pondered the comments of Dusk. 'What are you doing Dusk? You aren't like this." Dusk couldn't think, his thoughts weren't even intelligible, just a constant droning that fed his thoughts ideas. 'Do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, DO IT!!!' These thoughts were unknown to Evening, but Dusk was feeling their effects all too much. 'I'm sorry about this Dusk...', Evening couldn't let Dusk continue with his offense, it didn't seem as though Dusk was in complete control and he was about to severely harm the last pony with the compressed magic he was priming. The armor wrapped around Dusk's forelegs suddenly jerked backwards just as Evening willed them to do. Dusk's aim was forced down to the ground between the charging ruffian and himself. The concussive force tore up the earth and threw back Dusk and his opposite. The droning in Dusk's head buzzed on, but now it was getting louder. The other pony's name finally came to Dusk in the middle of the hazy static of the voice, 'Bulk... You remember Bulk don't you? He was rude to you, made fun of you, called you a blank flank. He tried to beat you up remember?' The truth was Dusk didn't remember what had actually happened the day he met Bulk but the voice was making more sense than anything else. Bulk and Dusk shuffled to their hooves and faced each other. All of Dusk's remaining magic had been blown in that last blast so now things would become difficult. "Why did you do that Evening? Are you trying to get me killed? ('Yes Dusk, that must be it, he is trying to kill you. He he he he.')" Evening swallowed his pride and focused his attention on why Dusk would be acting up. 'Dusk, calm down. I think Discord's wavelengths are getting to you, it's just like back when Dawn was in...' Bulk charged Dusk again and Evening's attention was ripped away, instead of trying to ram Dusk this time he resorted to swinging his monstrous hooves toward Dusk. Evening noticed that Dusk had filled up a miniscule portion of his wellspring and decided now was the time to end the fight. Evening mixed some of his purifying essence with the magic and commanded Dusk to fire. Dusk complied happily, though the haze fogging his thoughts failed to allow his to realize what would happen should he fire a concussive blast at point blank, Evening had however. The magic hit hard then seemed to dissolve in the air, as Bulk flew back his color returned as did the others. Dusk flew back as well but he was able to maintain consciousness thanks to the armor, the droning died off slowly and clarity returned. "Ow, wh- what happened?" Dusk tried to stand up but his balance was torn to shreds and the ringing in his ears was ongoing. The armor around Dusk melted away and began to pool up as a sphere of dust and light, a voice penetrated Dusk's thoughts, 'Dusk, what is wrong with you? You were going to kill him!" Dusk shook his head, "No I wasn't, I was aiming at the ground. What is wrong with you?" The droning voice was no longer in Dusk's head and the ringing in his ears was starting to die down. 'I was there Dusk, you were one second away from killing him and you were mumbling all sorts of odd things. Are you sure you are feeling alright?' Dusk had to think a long time about that question, was he ok?, he couldn't tell anymore. "Sure. Ya, I am ok..." "So what happened after I blacked out? What is with Ponyville?" Evening compressed a ghost of his form into a more pony like appearance and stood across Dusk. 'I see, you really have no clue, do you?' Dusk shook his head, he had forgotten mostly everything or had simply been unconscious during the ordeal. 'It's not just Ponyville Dusk, most of the world has been touched by Discord's tainted claw.' Evening took a moment to let Dusk reflect on this unveiling before moving on; Dusk seemed to be taking it fairly hard. 'When that light blinded everypony awhile back before Discord came out, he cast away the shell that you called Dawn. Once that limiter was removed he could use your magic to mold himself into any form, so he chose his natural form, it provides the least amount of stress on his body.' Dusk worked his way into understanding his explanation, "And what about my memory?" 'Calm down, I was getting to that. Your wellspring is comprised of your knowledge is it not? You can compare it to a library really: your memories are books and your magic is the contents, when he left he emptied all of the contents in the library.' This made sense to Dusk though one question bugged him, "Then why didn't I lose any of my memories when you tapped into my wellspring?" Evening continued, 'Because I didn't leave you, I was only able to grab your most recent memories though.' After a short rest Dusk decided they best be on their way if they were to save anypony. 'Dusk... What are you going to do...' "What are you talking about?" 'We are still apart of Discord's game... Everypony's lives are on the line, even those who you just defeated. If you don't make a choice soon then you may never save anypony.' Dusk's heart sank, what Evening was saying was true but he refused to accept his fate. ... "I'm going to save everypony, Evening. I refuse to let a single one die." ... 'I hope you're right.'
First Movehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0qy-VMrZgM With a new goal in mind, Dusk set forth toward a mountain that held a lot of history in their area. Though the years before Dusk had been born the mountain had been the sight of a great many disasters, odd happenings, and was even the rumored birthplace of Equestria itself. Whether this was true or not, Dusk felt an attraction to this mountain, one of which he had never felt before. 'Dusk, you feel it too don't you?' Evening's voice was soft and confident, if he was feeling the impulses as well then Dusk would have to trust their guts on this one. Dusk had started in a gallop before slowing down to look back at the burning town and the three figures on the floor, "What about them?" Evening felt as though he had already explained this but he wasn't quite sure, something was buzzing in the back of his head that made thought difficult. 'During your fight I mixed a purifying magic in with your attacks so when they wake up they will be free of Discord... for the moment at least.' '*Something is definitely not right, if I'm feeling the Discordant Wave then my purification magic isn't working on myself. I can't let Dusk know, he already has too much to worry about.*' Dusk built up a gallop once again as he aligned himself with the road to the mountain, it wasn't too far but the trek would put him a little bit out of the way. Even Dusk felt the tension as he weighed the consequence of possibly wasting time, nonetheless this was the only lead he had at the moment and he needed to follow it. The cobblestone steps leading from the town to the land surrounding it gradually melted into a fine dirt path. As Dusk picked up speed however he found traction was a luxury he was quickly losing as dirt became wet and soapy, no doubt it was another of Discord's tricks. "Great, at this rate it will take forever to get to the mountain!", exclaimed Dusk as he found himself not moving at all as he picked up speed only to jog in place. Evening was thinking of a solution when the buzzing began to grow spastic, '*The grass. No not the grass. Then we take the trees. We can't do that, we don't have hands silly. Wait what are hands? Who knows? Ha Ha Ha Ha!!! Now let's get back to thinking... Your right, how about the grass? Yes, yes! The grass. He He He He He.*' Evening shook his head and attempted to reassure himself, "Don't worry, you are immune to the wavelength. You don't have to worry about Discord getting into your head. Now then, the grass...* Hey Dusk, why don't you try stepping on the grass?' Dusk stopped running and slid forward slightly from the built up momentum, "How did I forget about that? Thanks." He slowly wormed his way across the slick, winding path and towards the edge of the road. *** Evening watched Dusk put his hooves on the grass and continue his stride in the direction of the mountain. "Thanks Evening... *Sigh* What are we going to do? We have to somehow save everypony and beat Discord at his own game, the last time I checked we aren't exactly built for this kind of quest." Evening took in every word for full value and thought deeply on it, 'Weren't you just saying that we were going to do this no matter what?' Dusk keep running, "Perhaps, but who knows? Maybe living in a world full of chaos would be kinda fun..." Evening nodded, then shook his head, '*NO! What am I thinking? What is he thinking? Something is definitely going wrong here.*' Evening started to speak but stopped mid-sentance to examine Dusk's pace. At first Evening didn't notice it but Dusk seemed to be keeping an unearthly pace, almost like he was running for his life. *** The ground below Dusk collapsed the second he set hoof on the grass and the bubbly trail behind him burst into flames. There was only enough reaction time to push away from the crumbling earth and start running for the mountain as the ground behind him caved in. "Evening! Evening! What are you doing? Answer me! We have a situation!" Evening was nowhere as far as he could tell, neither his presence nor his voice was heard or felt and the concentration he spent on looking for him was only wasted. Dusk kept his break neck pace and attempted to ad lib, 'There must be some sort of magic that I could use... Something, something, something. DANG IT!!! Why the hay do we have to study this stuff so heavily if we are born with it?' The fire on the road began to branch out onto the grass ahead and Dusk found that the odds were sincerely against him. "Evening, where are you?" *** 'Dusk what is going on?' Dusk kept running, "Nothing is going wrong, Evening. I just want to make good time." The world around Dusk blurred slightly, 'I thought you wanted to give up...' Dusk tripled his speed and his grey coat began to turn black, "I thought you wanted to give up." Evening felt a powerful gaze break into his thoughts and his mind felt like mush, 'Oh yeah, I did say that...' The gaze subsided for the moment, "Excellent." *** Fire kicked up and stretched in a wide circle away from the road and around Dusk, the earth continued to fall until it stopped at the fire and waited. Dusk was deserted on an island in the middle of a flaming circle that was now shrinking around him at which point the scorched earth would fall into the abyss below. "Guess I'm not much of a hero after all." ... Discord lay on the clouds in the sky above Dusk, every so often he would close one eye and point a pencil at the ground before scribbling a web of cracks that only he could see with his perspective. After doing so he would carefully fan the flames from afar until they arched with delight from being fed. ... "Checkmate."
