RESURGENCE OF HARMONY
CenturionFox13
Standard Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. That is the express property of Hasbro and Lauren Faust.
PROLOGUE
He ran.
The hordes of unicorn guards and diamond dogs behind him ran too, their hooves and claws raising an awful scraping and clopping din as they galloped and scuttled after him. He didn’t look back. They would not show him mercy; in their eyes, he was just as guilty as the Archmage had been. The old unicorn had always sheltered him, after all; it would be logical to assume that he held the same views and harbored the same feelings of dissent as the old pony had.
Did he? Well, if he hadn’t before, he certainly did now. The young unicorn had watched the guards attack the Archmage, the only pony in this world that he could call family. He’d watched them overtake his teacher, the unicorns blasting him with magical onslaught, and the diamond dogs vaulting through the air to get to him. The Archmage had been powerful, yes, but the onslaught was too large, their forces too vast…
And finally, a dog had landed on top of him, and snapped his neck.
The young unicorn continued to gallop though the gilded halls.
“Keep running, Century!” a small black and gold dragon currently running alongside him yelled; Ember, his last real friend in Equestria. The dragon had been part of his initiation, his acceptance into the Canterlot Magical Academy, in the age old tradition of egg hatching.
“I wasn’t planning on stopping!” Century and Ember turned sharply, ducking into a smaller hallway; the dormitories. Several unicorn students gasped when they saw the hordes of guards swarm in after the two. Several of them ducked into rooms; those who didn’t were overtaken by the throng.
They came to the upper level balcony of a large cathedral-like room, with golden pillars and a large ceiling fresco showing the day-night cycle; the mythical progression of time from before the reign of chaos. Century had never seen for himself this twenty-four hour cycle; no pony had for almost a thousand years.
Century bucked away the balcony’s railing. “We’re going to have to cross this gap… Ember, how are your wings?”
The dragon spread them wide, a hint of pride in her golden eyes. “Spectacular. Although…” she gave a little smile, “…they probably won’t be able to carry us both. I have a little trouble just flying myself…”
“Yeah, the alchemy book said something about muscular atrophy with accelerated growth… We don’t have time for this! You fly over, I’ll follow.”
“How? It’s not like you can fly.”
Century surveyed the drop carefully. “I’ll think of something…” The horde was drawing closer, the ground rumbling under their feet. There was the clop of hooves, the pant of dogs… one of them let out a howl, a terrifying sound that reverberated off the walls and sent a chill down Century’s spine. “Crap! It’s now or never… I hope this works…” Even if his makeshift spell didn’t work, it was better than the alternative.
Century’s horn began to glow a fierce red, and magical runes began to circle around his hooves. Gingerly, the unicorn steeped a hoof off of the platform, letting his weight transfer to the abyss… His hoof was caught by a small platform of energy. Century smiled a small, triumphant smile, and resumed his gallop.
Ember burned away the railing surrounding the opposite balcony. Back on the other side, the troupe had reached the balcony. The unicorn guards simply turned around, presumably to find another way around, but the diamond dogs, well adapted for climbing around the caves in which they lived, grabbed the walls, and began to crawl, spiderlike, up their sides.
“Oh crap,” Century said. He and the dragon took off once more, as one of the diamond dogs tore through the painted moon.
The duo entered yet another hall. “Left!” said the unicorn, while the dragon said “Right!”
“Right? Are you out of your mind?”
“I was about to ask you a similar question.”
“Listen, we don’t have time for this. We go left.”
“Through the kitchens? You’re insane. Do you have any idea what could happen?” The dragon waved her arms around for effect. “Knives, everywhere! That’s why we should go right.”
“Through the pool? Hay, no.”
“We don’t have time for this! We go right!” The dragon started off in her preferred direction, before stopping only after taking a few steps. “What’s that noise…?”
Just then, a platoon of unicorn guards rounded the corner, snorting angrily, their horns ablaze. The dragon’s pupils contracted in fear.
“Ok, we go left…” she said in a small voice, and began backpedaling.
The two resumed their flight, as expensive vases and busts, thrown telekinetically by the pursuing unicorns, crashed and smashed around them. “Just fifty more yards to that door!” Century noted, readying his horn to blast the door from its frame.
Just then, a diamond dog burst out from a side corridor, a snarl on its face and with claws extended. “Look out!” yelled Ember as the dog let out a howl, but Century wasn’t about to stop. Leaping into the air, he pointed his horn and collided headfirst with the dog’s midsection. His horn broke through the dog’s sternum, puncturing a lung and cutting the dog’s howl short.
Well, hay, if they weren’t after my blood before, they are now, thought the unicorn, pulling out his horn with a sickening squelch.
“Hurry up, Century! I doubt they’ll give you a fair trial after that!”
“Would they ever have done so?”
“Good point.”
Century blew the door off of its hinges and he and Ember entered the kitchens at full speed. They were about halfway through when the pursuing platoon burst through the hole, flinging aside plates, pots, pans, the occasional stove… They began to fling these items at Century and Ember.
“I told you the kitchens were a bad idea!” Ember yelled, narrowly avoiding several articles of magically propelled kitchenware.
“And running headfirst into a platoon of unicorns wasn’t?” retorted Century, as a pot very narrowly missed his head.
The two burst out the other side of the kitchen and continued their mad rush through the halls. They didn’t notice as the platoon of pursuers broke into three separate groups, one heading down a corridor to the right, one down the left, and one staying on their tail.
Ember did however look back for just a split second, “Hey, I think we lost some of them!”
“Really?”
“Yeah, there’s quite a bit less of them following us now! Maybe about ten!”
“I still don’t like those odds.” The unicorn continued to gallop, but he was running out of steam. I haven’t run this fast so far in… well… my entire life! Man, I wish I could teleport… Stupid magical inhibitor... Ember had given up running and was now riding Century’s wake, the displaced air buffeting, but keeping her up.
The two came to yet another split. “We go right this time!” the little dragon asserted, and Century nodded. The two skidded right, and were immediately confronted by one of the splintered groups of the platoon. “Uhhh… Left!” Ember said, as the two turned around to go the other way. However, again, they were confronted by the other splintered group. “Uh oh.”
The groups backed the two against the wall, their claws unsheathed and their horns aglow. There was fire in their eyes; for the diamond dogs, it was the thrill of the kill; for the unicorns, it was a different fire: cold, unyielding rage, the only emotion that the mind control spell they were under allowed them to feel.
“Century?”
“Yeah, Ember?”
Century expected Ember to say something along the lines of, “It was wonderful knowing you.” What he didn’t expect was for the dragon to tell him to run.
“Run? What…?”
Dragons are strange beings. They grow not of age, like other animals, but rather through acquiring objects. As the dragon’s greed grows, so do they. A dragon could reach adulthood within the span of a day if it was greedy enough.
Or angry enough.
Ember was extremely angry. The Archmage was dead, the academy was in a wreck, and she and Century were being pursued for no real reason. Until now, she had been holding her rage, her hate, back. But now, when it was most needed, she could let it out, let it fill her mind.
It was going to hurt, undoubtedly. But if it would save her friend, that was all that mattered.
Century noticed the fire filling his friend’s eyes. No, she can’t be… He had read up on dragons several times, and realized what his friend was about to put herself through. “Ember? You don’t have to do this…”
“Yes I do!” said the dragon. “You can’t teleport out of here as long as they’re blocking it, and plus, this is my purpose; the reason that I was hatched. To protect you.”
“Ember…”
“No!” The dragon was shaking slightly with the anger now coursing through her. “I will not hear it! I’ll hold them off, and while I’m doing so, I want you to run. Run as fast as you can, and get out of this place!” The anger subsided a little. “Don’t let me go in vain.”
Century was stunned by the little dragon’s sacrifice, her loyalty. “It’s… it’s been an honor being your friend, Ember.”
The dragon smiled a little. “An honor knowing you too, Centurion.”
Some diamond dog piped up at his moment. “Well, what are we waiting for!?” he said in his gruff voice. “Let’s get ‘em!”
The hordes jumped forward, and Century prepared to run yet again.
The floodgates of Ember’s mind burst in a flow of anger and sorrow, filling her mind, overriding her lucid thoughts and replacing them with one word; revenge. Her body swelled, elongated; her snout followed suit, and her arms and legs grew to accommodate their new body. Her wings burst forth, crashing through the walls, and horns burst from her forehead, curving in the same fashion as a ram’s. Her forelegs crashed down on the advancing troops, and she unleashed a golden pyre of fire into their midst. Her tail swung around, crashing through the wall.
Century charged his horn and leapt though the hole, falling three stories before hitting the ground, cushioning his impact with a quick spell.
He kept running.
Ponies walking the streets of Canterlot were shocked by the sight before them: A brown unicorn, bruised, with a sanguine fluid covering his horn and coating his mane. There shock wasn’t over there, however, when a dragon the size of a house smashed through the roof of the Canterlot Magical Academy.
Around that time was when all hell broke loose.
Ponies were panicking. They dropped everything and ran to and fro, screaming. Century used the commotion to his advantage, disappearing into the crowds. Behind him, the sound of Ember’s roars and a rushing flame told him that his friend was still fighting, still holding the guards off. Century wasn’t sure how long she could keep it up.
Apparently it wasn’t very long at all. The roar of the flame stopped, and Century heard Ember let out a gurgling noise, which was followed by a large crash. Century couldn’t bring himself to look.
“Don’t let me go in vain.”
Century wouldn’t let his friend’s last wish go unfulfilled.
The unicorn grabbed a Stetson hat from a merchant’s wagon; in all the commotion, no pony noticed him. Shoving it on his head to cover up the drying blood on his mane and horn, he quickly cut a swathe through the panicking ponies. Where can I go to get out of here? Suddenly, several shadows passed overhead; pegasi were scanning the streets below, probably looking for him. Wherever it is, I better get there fast. He adjusted the wide brim to shadow his eyes and ducked down an alleyway.
“Hey, you!”
Crap. A pegasus guard had landed at the far end of the alleyway. Century decided to act like he hadn’t heard him, and instead focused on disguising himself. Angling his head a bit, he altered his cutie mark (an encircled pentagram) to a simple star, and quickly thought through a range of accents. Stetson hat and a star… southern Equestrian farmer it is. Century attempted to brush past the guard, but the pegasus blocked his way, staring down at him with blank, but clearly angry, eyes.
“I’m talkin’ to you, farmer.”
Century looked up a bit. “Ah’m sorry, officer, ah’m a bit deaf.”
The pegasus raised an eyebrow. “How?” he asked. “You’re what, fifteen?”
“Seventeen, fer yer information. And ah’m a bit deaf ‘cuz ah am.” Century looked at the pegasus angrily. “Is that a crime, officer?”
“Listen, kid,” growled the pegasus. “I don’t know who you think you are, but I am a direct servant of Discord, your lord and ruler, and I am searching for a dangerous fugitive.” The pegasus’s eyes narrowed as he shoved his face into Century’s. “And you are looking very suspicious right now. So, either you can tell me one, who you are, two, why you are deaf, and three, why you aren’t running around like every other pony right now; or I can take you in for some questioning.” Century had no doubt in his mind that, in this case, “questioning” was synonymous with “torture”.
Century kept his act up. “Well, ya don’t have to get all high-an’-mighty ‘bout nothin’,” he said, with just a hint of grumpiness, as he thought up a believable alibi. “If ya must know, the name’s Alistair Buck, ah’m deaf ‘cuz of a mishap a week ago with some grain, an’ ah ain’t runnin’ around ‘cuz ah’m no pansy Canterlotian that screams bloody murder when they find a lil’ spider in their sink drain!”
“Okay then, Alistair, let’s see your mark.”
Century turned to show the mark on his flank, currently disguised as “A star. Ah’m trainin’ t’be a deputy.”
“In your hometown of…?”
“Uh… Ponyville! Yeah, that’s the one…” This interrogation was getting too detailed for Century, and the pegasus didn’t seem to be buying it.
“Ponyville has its own police system now?”
“Ah, yeah. We started it up cuz’ of all the… the crime?” Century winced internally. His story wasn’t just falling apart at the seams; it was disintegrating all over the place.
“Uh huh.” If the pegasus’s eyes got any narrower, they’d be closed. “Okay kid, I’ve had enough. You’re not telling me something, and I’m intent on finding out what it is. You’re comin’ with me.”
Uh oh. Century began to cycle through alternatives. Either he could incapacitate this guard and blow his cover, or he could go with him and probably be killed. Painfully. Century chose the first option, and was mentally shuffling through available spells when a cheery voice piped up from behind him.
“Alistair! There you are!”
Oh, hay, no.
The guard peeked over Century. “You know this kid?” he asked the approaching figure. Century stole a backwards glance, and his fears were confirmed.
A golden yellow earth pony with an orange mane was trotting down the alleyway, a smile on her face, apparently oblivious to the commotion still existent in the streets. “Well, yeah I know him!” she said in answer to the pegasus. “We’ve only been cousins for the last forever!” The pony sauntered up beside Century and nudged his side. “So what’d you do this time, Al? Caught bootlegging some moonshine?”
Perfect, I’m being rescued by Liberty Bell. The loopy hat-making daughter of Clockwork Bell. “Liberty, y’all know I don’t drink,” Century replied with a slight glare.
“Oh right. That’s the other Buck…”
The pegasus guard seemed slightly confused. “Wha- but… I…”
Liberty ignored the guard. “So, Al, why didn’t you notice me earlier?” She nudged Century’s side again. “Were you scared of the dragon?”
“I ain’t scared of no dragons,” Century replied truthfully. “Fer yer information, it was a slight case of explosive grain; damaged mah hearing, y’see.”
“Uh huh,” Liberty said with a wink. She then turned back to the guard. “If you don’t mind, mister pegasus guard, Alistair and I were going to go back to my house. He’s staying with his uncle and me.”
The guard stammered incoherently for a second, then seemed to snap back to his senses. His eyes narrowed again. “Fine,” he said sinisterly. “But know this, Liberty and Alistair. You make one wrong move, step one foot out of line, and I will be there. Because I will be watching your every move.” The guard spread his wings and burst into the sky, circling the ponies once to make his point, and then sped off in the direction of the castle.
“I wonder what’s got his feathers in a ruff… Oh well! Come on, let’s go, Alistair!” Liberty began to trot back down the alleyway.
Century started off after the eccentric mare. “Liberty, why are you doing this?”
“Saving your life?” Liberty questioned, looking back over her shoulder. “Well, that’s a silly thing to ask. Why wouldn’t I save your life? I mean, maybe taking one of my hats and using it to cover up all the blood on your head was a bit mean, but--“
“Wait, this is your hat? I’m sorry… do you want it back, because…”
“--I mean it was probably necessary. Any pony that walks around Canterlot with bodily fluids on their forehead isn’t going to go unnoticed, and clearly you wanted to stay under the radar. That jump was awesome, by the way, the way you jumped and like sorta stopped before you hit the ground… It was so cool!”
“Liberty?”
“Plus, you’ve been very helpful in the past, like when my doll ended up on the roof and you got it down… Still not quite sure why I threw it up there in the first place… Or that time when my stand was on fire and you conjured up that water to put it out… or that time when the clock broke and my dad was sick so he couldn’t fix it and you and Ember went up there and got rid of the diamond dogs and even replaced the gears they ate… Ooh! And there was the time that I dropped my ice cream and you gave me yours even though I never asked and wasn’t sad or anything… And what about the—OMIGOSH! The academy!” The huge gold and marble building had come into sight; there was a large smoldering hole in the roof and tons of evacuated unicorn students out in front of it. Strangely, though, Ember was nowhere to be seen. “Wow! That’s a lot of damage! You and Ember really caused a commotion, Century!”
“Shh-shh-shh!” shushed Century, remembering the pegasus guard’s warning.
“Oh right sorry. But wow, that’s a lot of damage! What will the Archmage think—“
“The Archmage is dead.” Century had said this very matter-of-factly; his even tone betrayed none of his emotion.
Liberty looked at him with concern. “Oh… I’m sorry to hear that… Are you okay?”
“I’ll be fine,” replied Century in the same matter-of-fact tone.
“Oh wow… If they killed the Archmage, and you were his apprentice, then won’t they try to kill you to?”
“That’s what they tried. You know, I’d think you’d know all of this.”
“No! If I’d known that the guard was going to kill you, I’d’ve bucked him in the face instead of playing along with your little Alistair Buck thing…” The two arrived at a blue house. “Whoops! Looks like we’re here.” Liberty looked back at Century, who was still staring at the ruined academy. “Century, do you have anywhere to stay?”
The question caught Century off guard. “Wh… what?” he asked, confused.
Liberty smiled. “We have an extra bedroom if you’d like it! It isn’t very large, but it’s better than the streets… I’m sure Dad wouldn’t mind, you and Ember have been quite helpful in the past.”
Truthfully, Century didn’t have anywhere to go; in fact, he hadn’t really thought through his escape at all. He berated himself for his idiocy. “I wouldn’t want to impose…”
“It’s no problem at all! After all…” She winked. “…You are family, Cousin Alistair.”
Century sighed. Here was a chance to live a life not too far from normalcy. Was he about to just throw it away?
“Oh! One other thing…” Liberty motioned for Century to come closer. Whispering into his ear, she told him, “Plus, my dad has ties with the Nightshade Council. Feeling at all vengeful?”
The Nightshade Council. The one rebel group in Equestria that really did anything to try to stop Discord’s reign. The selfsame group that the Archmage had been accused of joining; and the same group, if memory served, that Century’s own father had headed before his death. Not to mention, Century’s best chance at revenge.
“Don’t let me go in vain.”
Century returned the earth pony’s smile. “I would be honored to accept your hospitality.”
…aaaand done.
So, here’s my second shot at a meaningful prologue. The first one failed horribly… but oh well. I’m really hoping this one’ll be quite a bit better.
This time around, I’ve actually planned out a story, to try and preempt me getting backed into a corner.
Would it be weird if I compared the writing to a color? Yes? Well, I don’t care. The last iteration of this prologue seemed sort of dark indigo to me, in my mind. This time around, the prologue seems more like a carrot orange.
So then, thoughts in the comments, please! Too fast, too slow, too confusing, general feedback… you name it! It’s appreciated!
-CenturionFox13
And here's a sketch, because why not.
Chapter 2 - Your Lord and Ruler
This won't unpublish, so here you go.
RESURGENCE OF HARMONY
By: CenturionFox13
STANDARD DISCLAIMER
I do not own My Little Pony, nor am I affiliated with it in any way. MLP is a registered trademark of Hasbro.
MASTER BEDROOM, CANTERLOT CASTLE, CANTERLOT
Discord panned his vision around the master bedroom. To think, I live here and rule here for nearly one thousand years and leave this room unchanged, he thought, shaking his goat-like head. For shame. What a slip-up. The draconequus looked at the fireplace, an ornate brick-and-silver along the leading edge of the room. “Bo-ring,” he yawned, snapping his talon. Immediately, the silver decorations began to writhe, changing into snakes and falling to the floor. “Better, yes, but still lacks… how to describe it… pizazz.” As he snapped his talon again, the bricks solidified into black obsidian and a purple fire roared up inside of it. The snakes began to writhe as they were burned by the heat given off by the furnace.
Discord yawned once more. “I thought that that might’ve looked better…” Again, he snapped his talons. Another burst of magic entered the fireplace, making it melt into a bowl shape, which proceeded to float into the air, magically hovering above the floor. A large hole had been left in the wall where the fireplace was. Discord frowned again. “No, no, no, it’s all wrong. And now I’m hungry.” Snapping his talons once more, he transformed the fireplace-bowl into a piping hot bowl of clam chowder soup. After gulping the soup down, he stared at the bowl for a second, then, still displeased, threw it Frisbee style into the streets below. Now where was I? Ah yes, the room.
A few hours later, Discord stood outside of the door to the master bedroom, admiring his work. “You know, nothing like a few hours of converting a room into a veritable black hole to help you wind down,” he remarked, staring into the void that the room was now composed of. “Oh well.” Snapping his talons again, he shut the door and teleported to the throne room.
The throne room. Now that is a room to adore. So chaotic. I do believe that most of my work towards breaking the laws of physics is compounded into that one room, thought Discord as he rematerialized on the throne. The room was indeed a room to behold. A large dragon, made of solid glass, lay curled up behind the throne, which floated three feet off the ground. The stained glass window, which once depicted the sun and the moon on their eternal path through the sky, now depicted the overthrow of the royal family by Discord. All around the room, there were things that made little sense to no sense at all. Every source of light was floating, fire burned downwards, a fountain worked in reverse (and was also upside down) and vines fell from the ceiling in multicolor strands, swaying in a nonexistent wind.
Discord snapped a goblet into existence and took a sip as he turned to admire the dragon and the window. The dragon was actually once a real dragon captured by Discord’s guards and turned to glass. “Ah, memories,” thought Discord aloud as he stared at the large window.
Suddenly, he heard a door open and a rather blank-faced pegasus guard walked into the room. In a monotonous voice, he spoke. “Discord, sir.”
“Yes, Captain Polet?”
“The mayor of Ponyville is here to see you.” The pegasus showed no emotion, his voice betrayed none of his feelings, and his face was as blank as a canvas. Discord smiled. Mind control might not be his favorite method of chaos, but it worked nonetheless.
“Well, what are you waiting for? Send her in,” Discord commanded. The pegasus guard nodded, his face blank as ever, turned, and left the room. I wonder what’s happened this time. ‘Oh, Discord, could you please stop the hailstorms?’ ‘Oh, Discord, the crops have all died!’ ‘Oh, Discord!’ ‘Oh Discord!’ Discord rolled his eyes with the memory of the annoying encounters. There were several per year, half of them from Ponyville alone. Why can’t these towns be more like Alicorn’s Rest? I kill all their unicorns and they don’t even raise an eyebrow, much less send their Mayor to contact me! Maybe they all died.
The doors opened again, and Captain Polet and another guard marched in with a parchment colored unicorn. Her purple hair was combed neat, and her eyes were filled with cool anger. A pair of golden half-moon spectacles rested on her snout. Her tail was cut short, and her cutie mark, a parchment and quill, shone brightly on her flank.
What? thought Discord. He’d never seen this pony before in his life. Last time he remembered, the Ponyville mayor had been a chartreuse pony with a pink mane, no spectacles, and a lyre for her cutie mark. “Who is this?” he asked the captain.
“This is the mayor of Ponyville,” replied the guard.
“No it’s not, you fool, the mayor’s an annoyingly bubbly green pony, not some prim and proper beige unicorn,” replied Discord.
“This is the mayor of Ponyville,” repeated the guard, still without emotion.
“Forget it, Captain.” Discord turned to the unicorn. “You, who are you?”
The pony stared up at the chimera in his floating throne. So, this is Discord, she thought. “My name is Priscilla Barley,” she said, “and I am indeed the mayor of Ponyville.”
“Why’d they need a new one? I was just getting to like the old one,” said the indignant draconequus, with more than a hint of sarcasm.
“The old one died because you didn’t cure her,” replied Priscilla, her eyes narrowing.
“Oh. That’s sad. I’m sad,” said Discord, with absolutely no hint of sadness in his voice. He took another sip from his goblet, and then threw it behind him. It made a resounding clang as it hit the floor and dematerialized. “So, why are you here now, Mayor Prissy?” Discord continued in a patronizing voice, “Are the hardships of mayoral duties in Ponyville just too much for your little head?”
The unicorn’s eyes flashed dangerously. Both guards stepped back a pace and leveled their heads at her. “Don’t patronize me, Discord. I’m not as feeble as you make me out to be.”
“Maybe not,” replied Discord, inspecting his talon hand, “but I do know that you are not me. And nobody is as powerful as me.”
The mayor snorted. “That stance will be your undoing. Nobody is all powerful, Discord.”
Discord’s patience ran out. Who was this mare, to talk down to him like this? He’d had enough. He swooped down from his chair, coming to a stop not a foot away from the unicorn, sticking his face into hers. “I could wipe your mind with a snap of my fingers,” he growled menacingly, brandishing his talons.
“I’d like to see you try,” countered the parchment colored unicorn.
Discord came within three inches of accepting her challenge. His fingers pressed, and he got ready to snap the disobedient little pony’s mind to oblivion. Then he stopped. His fingers slackened, and a smile grew on his face. The unicorn took a small step backwards, taken aback by Discord’s sudden reaction. He’s smiling? Why is he smiling!?
Discord flew back to his floating throne. “Very well, have it your way.” Discord snapped a file into existence and began to sharpen the claws on his paw, smiling quite creepily.
Priscilla’s determination was returning. “Have it my way?” she said.
“Well, yes,” Discord said, now examining the claws on his paw. “Isn’t that what you want?”
Priscilla scoffed, a small sound that annoyed Discord quite a bit. His smile faltered for just a second, and he went back to filing. “What I want, Discord, is for you to let it rain again.” Discord raised an eyebrow. “I know it’s you! After the old mayor came through here asking for just a bit more rain was the last time we actually saw any precipitation! Now, you’ve put a stranglehold on our weather production!”
Discord blew in is claws. “This is a ridiculous accusation,” he said. “You have no proof that any of your weather producing facilities have been in any way affected by me!” Discord’s smile widened. “Do you?”
“I most certainly do!” yelled the unicorn, stomping her foot. “That day when you sent some royal guards to ‘help’ us was when all the pegasi in the factory seemed to stop thinking! They all look like these two, all… blank.”
Discord tossed the file over the back of his throne and laughed, a short, mirthful burst. The mayor seemed appalled. He’s laughing now. Laughing at us.
“You caught me! I did indeed take control of your weather factory,” Discord said, wiping a tear from his eye. “It’s a riot, isn’t it? No rain, and you had no idea why!”
“You’re despicable.”
“Call it what you will,” replied Discord.
“Well, now that that’s settled, could you perhaps release the factory workers?” asked Priscilla. Her disgust towards Discord was evident in every syllable of that sentence.
Discord snapped his fingers, and teleported beside the irate unicorn. “Why don’t you follow me to the balcony,” he said, running his talon through her mane. “I want you to see this.” Discord grabbed the pony by the nape of her neck and flew to the stairs. He carried Mayor Barley all the way up to the top balcony. “Now,” he said, setting her down on the floor, “I want you to look out at the cloud layer.”
“What cloud layer?” asked the mayor. “There are no clouds. There aren’t ever any clouds.”
“Look,” commanded the draconequus. The mayor reluctantly did as she was told, staring down towards the ground. “You want precipitation?”
“Yes. I do.”
Discord smiled again. “Very well.” He snapped his fingers, and a thick layer of clouds began to form.
At first, the mayor couldn’t believe her eyes. Discord was doing what she requested? She never thought she’d see the day… However, something seemed off. Weren’t clouds supposed to be white, not dark purple…?
“Do you like it?” asked the draconequus, sneering. “I call it ‘ink-cipitation’!” He frowned. “Wait, that doesn’t sound right… prec-ink-itation? That sounds closer… Never mind, the point is that it’s ink.”
“What!? INK?” yelled the unicorn. “You said rain! You said that you’d make it RAIN!”
“No,” replied Discord, “I said that I’d make it precipitate. And it is!”
A chorus of cries rang out from the streets below as the ponies below realized what was falling onto them from the sky. Priscilla stared down in horror as pegasi attempted to fly up and clear the clouds, only to get shot by lightning as the clouds roiled and fumed. Discord laughed and laughed.
“You know, why didn’t I think of this earlier?” he said, practically rolling on the ground. “Mystery clouds! I love it. Look at it! They fly up, then, BOOM! Oh, what a riot!”
“You’re a monster,” said the unicorn, her voice practically dripping with disgust.
Discord stopped laughing for a moment, eyeing the unicorn, still smiling widely. “Look at me," he said, referencing his mish-mash body. "You didn’t figure that out earlier?” Another crack of thunder and a cry as yet another pegasus was shot down sent Discord once again into a laughing fit. “Oh, that’s just great! “ he chortled.
“You can’t do this,” said Priscilla, her eyes flashing once again. “I can’t just let you do this!”
Discord’s laughs died down. “Oh, Mayor Barley disagrees with me? She’s going to stop me?” The smile disappeared from his face, replaced by a malevolent frown. “I’d like to see you try,” he said, echoing the mayor’s earlier words. He even used her voice. The unicorn stepped back a bit, her conviction gone, replaced by fear.
Discord smiled again, assured that he had the upper hand here. “Let’s face it, mayor, you’re just one unicorn. Just one little insignificant unicorn way out of her league.”
“What are you…” Priscilla said, her fear threatening to creep into her voice. How did he know about that?
Again, Discord’s smile widened. “But me?” he said, spreading his hand apart. “I’m, well, me. I’m Discord, Lord of all Chaos and Equestria. But I’m also every guard in this castle, every worker in your precious cloud factory, and even several different animals, watching your every move as you go about your pitiful lives.” Discord leaned in close. “And you will never be able to change that.”
Just then, several guards appeared in the doorway. “Discord, sir. You requested our assistance.” they said, perfectly monotonously, perfectly in sync.
“Why, yes, yes I did,” replied the Lord of all Chaos and Equestria. “Seize this traitor! She has threatened me and, by extension, all of Equestria!”
“Yes, sir.” The guards began moving towards the terrified unicorn, who had backed up against the edge of the balcony.
There was no way she was getting back through that door. Even if she could, the palace guards would have no trouble overcoming her and arresting her. So, convinced that it was her only option, Priscilla jumped. The fall seemed to take an eternity, the clouds rushing towards her. When she got within a foot of the angry looking puffs, her brain recognized a metallic taste, but could do nothing as a bolt of lightning rushed up to greet her, hitting her midriff and sending her into a spin.
“Ooh, direct hit,” remarked Discord.
“Should we pursue?” inquired one of the mind-controlled guards.
Discord thought for a moment. “No,” he finally replied. “I highly doubt that she survived the fall. And even if she did, what can she do?”
Discord snapped his fingers, teleporting himself back to the throne room. The ink was coating the windows, blotting out whatever sun could make it through the clouds and staining them the color of tar.
Discord switched his view to that of a rat that he currently had under his control. The rodent looked out from a drainage pipe into the streets of Canterlot. Pegasi scattered the street, either dead or unconscious. Ponies and unicorn ran to and fro, trying to get out of the inky downpour. The once pristine cobblestone roads were now stained dark black. The cries and screams of the Canterlot ponies were occasionally cut through by a burst of thunder, and the whole scene was nothing but chaotic.
Discord withdrew from the rodent’s mind and came back into himself. Once again, he conjured himself up a goblet and took a sip. The din of the inky rain and screaming ponies certainly added to the chaotic atmosphere of the castle. Once more, Discord smiled.
First Discord centered bit!
This pretty much goes to explain why the ink rain started falling.
Also, first mention of Ponyville!
I can’t tell you much about Priscilla without spoiling anything.
So, anyways, comment please! Your suggestions and criticism are taken very seriously, and I do appreciate them!
-CenturionFox13
