Chapter -0: Narrator
It was a typical day in Equestria; many ponies were bustling, some exchanging goods at the market as the golden orb knows as Celestia's Sun shone upon the town of Ponyville.
But, it is not this place for which the beginning of this tale shall take hold, but rather the majestic Canterlot Gardens. This is where the upcoming events inside this place shall set motion to an adventure, for this, is where our traverse begins.
Chapter 0 1/2: The Breakout
Inside the Canterlot Gardens, no guards stood watch over the perimiters. The park was closed for the weekend as it was Saturday; therefore it would not yet re-open to the public until Monday came.
Yet, even in the still silence, something stirred;yearning to be set free.
In the very heart of the gardens stood a large statue of great fear and power, looming and towering above the others.
It was the prison of a Draconequus, a creature who's only wish was to see the harmonic, beautiful land of Equestria fall. To fall under his, and only his,rule. For this Draconequus was Discord; the spirit of Chaos and Disharmony.
Looming fiercely over the surrounding area, the fear inducing statue stood at it's base quietly. The area was silent, the park was silent, everything was silent, And this silence hung in the cold air like a mountain; never moving and constantly hushed. However, after many hours of this uneasy feeling lingering in the Canterlot Gardens like fog, the chest of the imprisoned beast resonated with a soft, yet luminous, red glow; one that spoke for itself, like the prison would be shattered any given moment.
And as if fate decided to mock the rest of the world; it did.
Slowly, the stone cocoon began to crack; very sluggish at first glance, almost like the speed of which a snail possessed. But as time passed, it began to crack faster and more rapidly with each waking second. Eventually, the chest area began to glow bright and brighter, until it shone with the light of the sun itself, blinding to any normal pony's gaze. As the front of the prison erupted forth, spraying dust and debris into the air; long, slender, multi coloured tendrils began to worm their way out, pushing and shoving each other violently out of the large hole that revealed a partial view of the Draconequus.
As the strange arms ejected themselves and danced into the cyan sky above, they made each of their ways into the clouds. Normally, these clouds were a white colour, but as the tendrils slid their way forth into them, the whitish puffs became tinted with a soft pink colour. Similar to that of cotton candy.
As these "cotton-candy clouds" began to converge into a brighter pink, small sums of chocolate rain trickled down onto the cage of Discord, splashing loudly upon the monument, softly streaming down into each crevice and crack from the pervious burst. However, these fudge flavoured raindrops were much more than just mere brown coloured raindrops. These raindrops were formed to entirely dismantle the creature's pen, bound by the prisoner's will. As soon as the chocolate raindrops seeped in, a loud, thunderous, and bellowing cackle erupted from the revealed beast's lips, following the noise of steps.
Soon after this laugh, a cloud of dust and debris tainted the air, making it easy for Discord to slither out of the smoking plume that had formed at the spot where his prison once towered. Clawing his way out, the mis-match limbed stood up slowly and stretched his limbs, making an audible crack of joints being pulled from the straining wear-and-tear of being trapped inside a statue.
As the spirit of Chaos stood proudly, content with his wondrous escape, something was wrong; very, very wrong. His eyes glowed a deepened red colour, frightening enough to scare Princess Celestia herself to death. The Draconequus' coat was dusty with soot and smoke, but even then, his overall outer-body was darkened, as to have been made to be near invisible during the nightfall. Something had changed him, somewhere in his chaotic, yet fun loving, mind had snapped. He wasn't the old Draconequus once known to Equestria, even though he was still considered a nuisance and plauge; what stood there in place of him was something different. What was there was a monster; a monster bred for pain, tyranny, and destruction.
As a broken Discord began to regather his thoughts, he couldn't help but let a wide ,and somewhat unsettling, grin spread upon his face. Beginning to stroke his goatee dangling from his chin, his thoughts whirred like gears of a machine as he formed a plan. A devious, cruel plan that would shake the very heart, mind, and soul of anypony.
The plan was perfect; positively perfect. However, before he could set it into full motion, he remembered his daughter; Screwball. As soon as he remembered this, another piece fell into his plan-puzzle. He could use his daughter as a tool; a tool of chaos and destruction ...
Chapter 0 2/2: A "Screwy" Reunion
Screwball sat silently in a field of fresh, green grass, hiding her sadness and longing for her beloved Father.
It had been several years since he was imprisoned for the second time, but she still missed him. She had done everything she could; therapists, mentors, everything. But nothing helped, although she had matured somewhat, both mind and age.
Thinking about her father, depression soon overwhelmed her bringing a grimace over her face.
"Why would he have to go anyways?" she thought, still frowning, "I mean, maybe they didn't like him, but I still do .."
As her sadness began to settle slightly, she began to feel like somepony, or something was watching her from a bush near to her location.
"Is anypony there?" she asked quietly, trying to address to the mysterious shadow. Suddenly, this shadow began to stir, making its way to the curly maned pony.
"Hello?..." Screwball called, out of fear and curiosity.
"Don't be afraid." a familiar sounding voice answered.
"Dad?" Screwball replied.
"Yes, it is me. Discord" it spoke again.
"Are you gonna come out?" Screwball chimed. After several months and years, he finally returned. Joy quickly washed over her. "While you've been gone, I've been thinking of some plans we could watch baseball like beofre, or prank the Mane Si--" Screwball monolouged cut off as the silouhette slid out other shadows responding abruptly.
"No." Discord retorted, "I have my own plans."
"Dad?" Screwball responded cocking her head in utter confusion.
"Yes?" Discord replied.
Screwball simply sat there, dumbfounded by why her father had suddenly retorted at her suggestions.
"Well, I, just ..." Screwball stuttered out.
"Very sorry. I just ,er, let my own temper get the best of my actions." the Draconequus lied.
"That's ok ..." Screwball replied, "Do you still love me?..."
"Of course, my little bundle of chaos! However, I still need to do something." Discord replied sympathetically, shrouding his true intentions.
"Yes, daddy?" Screwball asked inquisitively; her joy returning to her.
"I need you to go round up six ponies for me; Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Twilight Sparkle. We're going to have the play a little game! But first my dear Screwball ..." Discord said cheerily as his right hand began to form a jumbled, mixture of colours glow began to take hold; hurling it towards Screwball.
"Daddy?"
".."
"Time to be evil!"
Chapter 1, Part 1: The Meetup Beatup
The dim light surrounded the interior of the Tree Library as six ponies stood in the center, tied to eachother.
It seemed as though somepony tied them there for a reason, but for why and what reason? Was this some kind of cruel joke? What was going to happen? And who would even do this?
"Is everypony ok?" Twilight asked the tied-up group.
"Just peachy ..." Rainbow Dash replied with a huff.
"Ooh, this is fun! Are we playing a game?" Pinkie chirped excitedly.
Silence hung in the air.
"I don't think so ..." Twilight answered, breaking the long quiteness "This seems more like some kind of mean trick."
"Then what in tarnation happened?" Applejack inquired.
"Well, before I got knocked in the head with a horrible looking, brutish mace, all I saw was a pink blur." Rarity replied.
"Soooo ... it was a pink pony?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"It must have," Rarity and Twilight said in unison.
More silence.
"No, it couldn't have been me, right? Why would I knock myself out? Pinkie Pie suddenly blurted out half jokingly and half fearful.
"Well, let's get to a different subject." Twilight said in hopes to change the conversation, "Hasn't anypony noticed weird things going on lately?"
Suddenly, a faint smell of ... chocolate milk?, filled the room, streaming like an uneven river's flow into the group's open nostrils.
"Oooooo, chocolate milk!" Pinkie Pie shouted, "I love chocolate milk!"
"Well, other than what's going on right now, the clouds have been a bit er, pink lately." Rainbow Dash answered.
"A-and the animals have been more h-hungry the usual ..." Fluttershy stuttered out.
"But that means-" Twilight gasped, but was cut off mid-sentence by a well known voice; Discord's.
Wait, why is his voice ... deeper?"Twilight thought; noting that his tones were deeper.
"Well, well, well. You discovered me didn't you? That's no fun." a shadow replies in the dim lighting of the room.
Slowly, a large, mis-matched form slid out of the shadows, revealing himself; Discord.
At this, the entire group gulped in fright as the Draconequus made his way to the tied up group.
Even more strange, as he revealed himself; his coloring seemed ... darker? "That's odd/" the lavender unicorn thought, But still ... this isn't good ...
"With the help of my daughter; Screwball, I had her knock you out and bring all six of you here for me." Discord said, grinning, "And she didn't fail to do it!"
"I'll probably get nothing out of him, but its worth a shot ..."
"What are you going to do with us?!" Twilight shouted.
"Oh, c'mon Twilight Sparkle, just play along." the Draconequus replied, grinning wider now.
Suddenly, a pink light began to glow at the top of the lavender Unicorn's horn.
"And what do you think you're going to do with that?" Discord said, snapping his fingers; causing the horns of Twilight and Rarity to vanish, whilst causing Rainbow Dash's and Fluttershy's wings to fade along also.
"Remember the last time we met? Because I think you do." Discord spoke, "We're going to play a "game", and just like the
last time; no wings, and no magic."
"What are you going to do, huh?" Rainbow Dash shouted, breaking the silence of the tied group, "Put 'em up, punk!"
"Oh, Rainbow Dash, always so very brave, but that won't help you. So calm your horses. Get it? Ahahaha!" Discord shouted, laughing on the floor at his own joke, "Now, you six are about to play my game, and may the odds be ever in your favour." Discord smirked.
Spontaneously, a large explosion erupted forth from Discord's "hands",sending waves of blinding light forth and causing the ropes tying the mane six together to rip forth into shreds; scattering the group in several directions, landing on different points of the Equestrian map. Seperated from eachother, and anypony else; it was every mare for herself, and they had to find food, shelter, and if worse came to worst; kill something or somepony for food.
Chapter 1, Part 2: Twilight
It was too late; Discord returned and he seperated the only ponies who could stop him. Twilight knew this, and she wasn't very happy about it. Was there any way to stop him? Currently, it seemed not. He scattered the only group that could defeat the Draconequus, and it seemed as if there was no way possible to find the others, unite, and seal him once again into his prison once again.
Twilight slowly stood up, letting her legs balance herself on the snow. "Wait, snow?" As Twilight let her eyes adjust to the surrounding
"Wonderful." Twilight sighed, "Just wonderful."
Twilight began to trek through the icy nowhere, not knowing which direction led home or even to the nearest town, but felt that she must get moving lest she freeze to death. As she walked, she thought of her friends and hoped that they were safe and able to find their way back on their own. 'I don't know what I'd do if one of them were to get hurt," Twilight thought worriedly, "or worse, what if they die?' Dread and fear over her friend's lives started to sweep over her mind. 'Even if we all make it back together, can we still defeat Discord? He seems to be so strong and evil now. He even knew to separate us from the start!' Doubt and uncertainty were eating away at her. Suddenly Twilight felt an intense gaze upon her.
Swerving her head over to the left, she saw a tall, slender shadow in the distance. Whatever it was, it inspired fear and dread in her soul even more, flowing into her body like a wraith. Twilight eventually mustered up the courage to converse with this strange, slim creature observing her.
"Hello?" the lavender mare broke out of her mind.
Nothing.
"Hello?"
'This is getting weird, maybe I should just trot over to it?'
Walking close to this odd, slender being she could see it's full body; a tall "pony." If it even was one. Its body structure towered over the purple mare, donning a sleek, black business suit stained with blood over the horror's pasty white skin. The creature stoked the fire of death like a campfire, igniting flames of dread in the pony's mind and heart as she gazed upon the legend standing over her.
'"How is this even possible?' Twilight thought; 'The Slendermane is just a myth to scare fillies!'
But there it was, standing in all its terror above her like she was a new delicacy.
Suddenly, it stirred; emitting garbled and distorted Equestrian. All Twilight could make out of the sentence was; "Run ... for ... life... hunger ... kill ... feed ..." This was enough to induce even more dosages of fright into the purple pony, causing her to spark a bright flare of pink of the tip of her ... horn ... Then it hit her; Discord had stolen their wings and horns. Which meant Twilight had no defense but her own body.
The Slendermane began to trot slowly towards the hornless Unicorn like prey, he bounded towards her licking his nonexistant lips as he thought about the taste his new meal. He had never tasted this one before, and he wasn't going to let this oppurtune moment slip from his grasp. But suddenly, a loud shriek flowed from Twilight's mouth, causing the mythological creature to press his "ears" against his faceless head as he was bucked in the chest.
'NO! I can't let her get away from me!' the creature hissed inside his own thoughts.
But it was too late, she had already escaped to who knows where while he was on the ground. Slendermane growled as he watched his potential meal flee from him. No; he wasn't going to let her slip away from him, he would find her and kill her no matter what cost. Nopony escaped him, that, or they arrived so heavily injured they died. But he preferred fresh over rotting.
***
Still running as fast as ponily possible to somewhere else away from the horrifying danger, she arrived at a dense forest after what seemed like hours. She was safe, finally safe. It was only until a sickly moan escaped from a nearby tree that fear once again swept over Twilight like a plauge. If something was there, she could only hope it wasn't one of her friends injured. Swerving around the tree, she could only gape in fright as a yellow pony lay on the ground, bleeding out from her side; Fluttershy.
'No, no, no, no! This can't be happening! It just can't!'
It was a gruesome sight; her side was clawed, revealing exposed flesh as red life essence poured freely out of the exposed
claw marks. Her friend's breathing was unsteady, hoarse, and heavy. Not only that; but it was possible it could get infected, making matters even more so deadly.
'She c-can't die ...[' Twilight thought to herself as a tear rolled down her lavender cheek, 'S-she just ... can't ...'
What was she going to do? Could her friend survive? And could there be something else in the forest with them?
